Chapter One: Meet The Granger's
By: Taylor
Harry was awoken in the early hours of the morning by a loud screeching noise coming from the street below. He groaned and rolled over trying to block the sound of tires squealing. Dudley, who had last summer received a car, had still, in over a year of practise, not yet mastered the ability to pull out of number 4's drive quietly.
"Oh, alright I'm up!" Harry gave in finally and rolled out of bed and stumbled to his wardrobe. It hadn't exactly been the perfect night. After a large row with the Dursley's the previous evening he had stormed up to his room without dinner and had refused to come down. With an empty stomach and a hot head he fallen into an uneasy slumber, having nightmares about Lord Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew torturing him for information.
He clumsily pulled on some clothes and tromped down the stairs into the Dursley's kitchen. There Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were discussing in quiet voices no doubt about him. Harry paid them no mind however and headed to the stove where some bacon was sizzling. He made himself a plate and started to head back upstairs to his room, "Exactly where do you think you're going?" Uncle Vernon's booming voice echoed against the kitchen walls.
"Up to my room, I'd rather not eat here." Harry said coolly.
"You'll eat here or you won't eat anywhere!" said Uncle Vernon.
"Is that so?" said Harry stepping up to his Uncle who recoiled slightly. Harry was not the scrawny little boy he once was. Fully grown at age 16, he stood a full 190 centimetres and hovered about Vernon Dursley. They said nothing so he continued upstairs to his room.
He was half way finished with his breakfast when Hedwig flew in through the open window. "Hello, Girl." Harry said untying a rolled up piece of parchment from her leg and giving her a piece of his bacon. It was a letter from Hermione which read:
Dear Harry,
How are you? I do hope you are doing okay. I am doing quite well myself. I was wondering if you had any other summer plans because Ron and Ginny are coming to my house on Saturday to spend the rest of summer holiday. I would really love if you could be here as well. Ask your relatives.
I can have my father pick you up if necessary. I'm not sure the Dursley's would be too keen to drive you here. I really hope you'll be able to make it. Please send Hedwig back as soon as possible. I need to know soon so we can make sleeping arrangements. Hope to see you soon.
Love Always,
Hermione
PS- Ron seems to think I'll be made Head Girl. I do hope he is right but I don't want to get my hopes up!
Harry chuckled to himself as he pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and a quill to respond. He would've been extremely surprised if she did not make Head Girl. She had received 15 O.W.L's and was the top of her class in every subject she took.
He wondered how he should approach the Dursley's with this offer. He had just been blatantly rude to them and then to turn around and ask to go to his muggle-born friend's house. That was it…muggle-born. He would simply tell the Dursley's he was to spend the rest of the summer with his friend Hermione and that her muggle father would pick him up.
***
"…So you are positive that this girls father will be able to pick you up and that he is normal?" Uncle Vernon questioned apprehensively two hours later down in the kitchen. After sending out his reply to Hermione he had practised what he would say to Uncle Vernon to ensure his permission to go.
"Yes, and he will be driving a regular car and will not be entering through the fireplace."
"Well…" Vernon started, Harry knew that the wheels in his head were turning, "That seems to be alright but only under the condition that if her father arrives any other way besides car or other normal transportation that I will not permit you to go. Understood?"
"Yes, Uncle Vernon." Harry replied though he secretly thought it was rather bold of his Uncle to talk to him like a child but resisted the urge to tell him off as it would lead to yet another row.
***
It was Saturday morning and Hermione had responded happily that her father would be at 4 Privet Drive at 11 o'clock sharp. If Mr. Granger was anything like his daughter he could expect him to be on time. That he was…when the clock that sat on the Dursley's mantle struck 11 a car could be heard coming up the drive.
"He's here!" Petunia called to her husband who had been pacing the hallway.
Uncle Vernon waited until the doorbell rang to answer, "Hello, my name is Vernon Dursley and I am Harry's Uncle."
"Yes," said Mr. Granger. He was a medium sized man of slim proportion with dark hair and kind brown eyes like his daughter, he wore a pressed suit and shiny black shoes. Even Uncle Vernon couldn't find anything wrong with his appearance. "I've heard all about you…. Hello there Harry, doing all right?"
"Yes, sir." said Harry timidly only seeing the man once before in Diagon Alley in his second year.
"I'll help you with your trunk," said Vernon before Mr. Granger could offer. Most people who see this as a sign of warmth towards Harry, but he knew very well he only wanted to get a glimpse of Mr. Granger's car.
In the driveway sat a sparkling-clean, silver BMW Z3 with the top down. Uncle Vernon could only gape in awe until he suddenly remembered himself and replied as he dragged Harry's heavy trunk to the bonnet of the car. "That's quite a nice car."
"Yes, I enjoy it." Mr. Granger replied with a wink towards Harry. As they pulled out of the drive Dudley came screeching up. A look of horror on his face to see Harry driving away in a convertible. He could only laugh.
***
"Debbie, my wife, wanted me to take the station wagon but Hermione begged me to take my company car after telling me that your relatives were always trying to outdo everyone." Mr. Granger laughed.
"I really want to thank you, Mr. Granger for…" Harry began.
"Please, Harry, call me Tony. I have heard so much about you and you…erm…relatives." Tony said with a slight chuckle.
"Oh," Harry laughed, "I'm assuming that Hermione told you all about them."
"Yes she did, now Harry, I'm not meaning to sound like the over-whelming Father here but I've got to do my job, please…"
"Oh, Mr. Grang…I, I mean Tony, I don't like Hermione in that way…I mean she's very pretty of course, its just that…well…I don't like her in that way…I mean I could, she's very nice…its just that she not really my type…not that, that's a bad…" but Mr. Granger cut him off with a chortle.
"You didn't let me finish, Harry. I was going to say please keep this 'Ron' under control, the way Hermione talks about him…not that she doesn't talk about you as well!" He finished a little awkwardly.
"I understand completely," Harry laughed. The rest of the ride was very enjoyable. Harry and Mr. Granger got on very well and he even asked Harry to explain Quidditch a bit more. 'Hermione must not talk about it much.' Harry laughed to himself.
Two hours later they were pulling up to the Granger's house. Harry looked at it in awe, it was exactly how you would picture a house that Hermione would live in. White, with a huge wrap-around porch and large windows opening into the sitting room. 'Ron must be a bit jealous' thought Harry, the place was huge, he could not help feeling a bit envious himself, however before he could think anymore a brown hair girl was zooming out of the front door and giving Harry a huge hug.
"Oh Harry, I've missed you!" She explained. She had matured quite a bit since their sixth year. On the porch stood Ron Weasley who had grown even taller than Harry and…
"Ginny," Harry breathed. She looked beautiful. Her red hair hung down her back and her eyes sparkled in the summer sun. How had he missed her stunning beauty before now.
"Hey Harry!" Ginny said excitedly punching him in the arm in a friendly fashion.
'Wow,' thought Harry, she definitely isn't as shy as she was last year! "Hey Ginny, how has your summer been?" he asked with a smile.
"Oh you know the usual, Fred and George blew up a toilet or two and Percy strutted around like he owns the place. What's new in the Weasley family?" Ginny laughed at her strange but lovable family.
"That's right, Percy was made Head of the Department of International Cooperation…right?" he asked
"Don't remind me!" She said half exasperatedly
"Are you going to say hello to your best friend?" Ron asked with a sheepish grin.
"Of course. Hey Ron! How has your summer been going?" Harry asked with a slight blush, he hoped that Ron hadn't noticed his total interest in his little sister.
"It's been great! But, I have missed you and Hermione. I needed some sanity, my family was driving me nuts! And of course Ginny had to come along." Ron smirked
"HEY!!!" she shouted.
"Ginny, I was just joking."
"Let's go inside," said Hermione.
***
"…and this will be the room where Ron and Harry will sleep." Hermione said as she led them into a room with a large bed with a pink floral pattern and wicker furniture.
"Its pink!" Ron gaped with an open mouth.
"Well of course its pink Ron, my mum likes the colour."
"But…but its, PINK!" he exclaimed again.
"Well it's either this or the couch because you can't sleep in my room, that's where me and Ginny are sleeping." Hermione said, clearly annoyed.
"Ron, it'll be fine, its just a bed!" Harry broke in, obviously not wanting to witness an argument break out between his two friends on the first day.
"Well…okay, it we have to." grumbled Ron, dropping his trunk on the floor.
Harry followed sync and then listened to the rest of Hermione's tour, "You can sleep here, and the bathroom is out in the hall," she showed them into a bathroom which to Harry's great relief was not pink, but rather a butter yellow. "This is my room." Hermione said and she showed them into a room across the hall, that clearly said, 'Hermione.'
The room was a light lavender colour, with an oak bookcase, each shelf filled with books, both wizard and muggle Harry noticed. A desk sat in the corner with her school books placed neatly on top and her homework next to that. There was also a window sill, large enough for a person to sit on, with a book on top which lay open. "Oh Hermione, I love your room!" Ginny squealed.
"Thanks, my mum helped me decorate. She has surprisingly good taste for a dentist!" Hermione and Ginny giggled.
"Girls," muttered Ron shaking his head, "Come on Harry, let's go to our room."
"Yeah." Harry nodded and they left the two girls laughing and headed for their room.
***
"Thanks for dinner Mrs. Granger, it's delicious." Harry commented on the truly, well-cooked dinner.
"Thanks you Harry, dear I'm glad you enjoyed it. Did you also know that it's good for your teeth? Dr. Cynzer clearly mentions it in his book…" Mrs. Granger began sounding much like Hermione when she got off on an idea.
Tony coming to the rescue of his daughter whose face was as red as Ron's hair, "Debbie, dear. I'm sure that Hermione's friends aren't interested in our dentistry."
"Actually Mrs. Granger, I would love hear more about your work," Ron smiled. Harry knew very well that Ron had no interest in their place of work at all, rather he wanted to find any chance to embarrass Hermione. Unluckily for Ron, Hermione also knew what he was up to and kicked him hard in the shins. "Owww!!!!" he yelped.
"Well," said Mrs. Granger obviously not noticing Ron's scream of pain, "We own a small dentist office about 23.5 minutes away called, Cavity Clinic, we started the business about 3 years before Hermione…" she rambled on.
"Yeah mum, very touching. Shall we get some dessert?" Hermione said as she ushered Ron, Harry, and Ginny into the Granger's kitchen.
As they walked into the kitchen, which was separate from the dining room, Hermione breathed a huge sigh of relief. "My mum is sooo embarrassing. Does anyone want any ice cream or something?"
"YEAH!" Ron shouted. "I mean, yeah, that would be great."
Hermione gave him a withering glance before pulling 4 bowls from the cupboard and pulling out the ice cream from the icebox. As she scooped it into the bowls Harry noticed that she had put noticeably less ice cream into Ron's bowl. He looked like he wanted to say something but Ginny gave him a hard look.
***
After watching, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which Ron pointed out constantly, "That man looks just like Nearly Headed Nick! Wicked…" before Hermione told him to shush because he was ruining the film. Harry thought this was extremely unfair on Hermione's part as her and Ginny were laughing madly the entire time.
"Hermione, I liked the film and all, but it doesn't exactly seem like the kind of story that you would enjoy. I thought you liked deeper, thought provoking stuff." Harry said after the film was over.
Hermione who was still laughing and quoting lines at the same time mustered up enough air to say, "Well, it is thought provoking…in a way and well it is very funny and there are some very good actors in the film." Hermione and Ginny burst into a fit of giggles for reasons unapparent to neither Ron or Harry.
"Girls," Ron muttered for the second time today.
"Well I don't know about you two but me and Hermione are ready for bed, night guys." Ginny stated ten minutes later. Everyone said their goodnights and headed upstairs.
***
Long after the boys had been asleep the girls were still awake talking in hushed whispers on Hermione's bed, giggling all the while.
"So," Hermione began, "Who do you think is the cutest on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team?"
"Harr…" Ginny began
"Besides Harry!" laughed Hermione
"Well, Dylan Murin, you know, one of the Beaters, he's really cute…I think he fancies me a bit."
"You should go for it!" Hermione insisted
"I couldn't, I don't like him that way."
"Why not?"
"Because, he's cute and funny but he is a bit dim. He is not deep at all."
"Maybe he is deep, maybe he just hasn't shown his true colours…" Hermione began
"No Hermione, he isn't trust me, he isn't like…like…Harry." Ginny blushed crimson.
"So that's what this is all about…your still in love with Harry?"
"Yes," Ginny giggled admittedly
"Now don't take this the wrong way or anything but why do you like Harry so much?"
"He is deep, thought provoking, and well…handsome. I know that handsome part sounds a bit shallow but its true. There's another thing but I can't explain it exactly, it's the same feeling I had when I first met Harry at Kings Cross Station, the same feeling I have every time I look at him or think about it. It intensified in my first year after he saved my life. There is like…some sort of…bond between us that I can't put into words, I can't even comprehend what it is entirely."
"Wow Ginny, you really have something special going on with Harry, I wonder if it's a prophecy or something."
Ginny snorted, "I thought you didn't believe in prophecy's or divination or anything like that."
"I don't," Hermione said, "Well I don't believe in most of them as they are usually just an excuse to get everyone worried and more excited then they were before. Some prophecies, however, are true. There was one about…." but she broke off awkwardly as if she wished she hadn't said anything.
"About the what?" Ginny questioned but Hermione simply shook her head, "Oh come on Hermione now you have to tell me! Please!" Ginny gave her puppy dog eyes.
"No, Ginny, not right now. I will tell you later…I promise." she said seriously
"Okay fine!" Ginny said in mock anger.
"Okay! Ginny we really need to get some sleep though its already 2 am."
As they got ready for bed they giggled and quoted Monty Python," they said goodnight and went to sleep. Well at least Hermione went to sleep, Ginny stayed awake and thought about what this prophecy might be.
Finally after 2 hours of tossing and turning with sleep no anywhere insight she slowly edged her way out of bed and went over to Hermione's desk where a pile of books lay. She pulled the top book off without bothering to look at its title and headed downstairs into the sitting room where Monty Python and the Holy Grail still lay on the floor next to the television.
Ginny sat down on the couch and turned on the light and opened the book it was, Hogwarts: A History. 'The book can't be that bad if Hermione can stand to read it 10 times.' Ginny thought to herself and she opened the books and began to read:
Hogwarts was founded over a 1000 years ago by the four greatest wizards of the time
"Blah, blah, blah!" Ginny moaned, "How can Hermione stand this?" and Ginny tossed the book onto the ground where it lay open to the, "Chamber of Secrets…" Ginny whispered.
It had been five years since she had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets by Tom Riddle but the memory was still fresh in her mind as if it had been yesterday.
"Oh Tom, what are you doing to me?" an 11 year-old Ginny whimpered.
"Oh I'm not doing anything little Ginny." Tom Riddle said in a malicious way, "You know it's you, who has done all these crimes. You petrified your own friends, you may have even killed them, and it's all your fault."
"No! I didn't do it, I didn't mean to. I promise." Ginny screamed
"Yes, you meant it." Tom barked at her, "You were jealous of that mud-blood, Hermione, she is friends with your lover boy, Harry, you wanted to get her out of the way so you could get to Harry."
"NO I DIDN'T! I DIDN'T!" Ginny screamed her voiced echoing off the stone walls of the Chamber of Secrets.
"Just admit it, it will make everything better if you would just admit it…admit that you may have killed them. That you may have killed Harry Potter's best friend!"
"I didn't do it!" but Ginny was becoming weaker and weaker the chamber was spinning around her, "I didn't do it…I swear I didn't do…I swear." She could hear Tom laughing, his laughing was so close, so loud.
"Oh little Ginny, all the mistakes you've made, if you had only been a good girl, but you had to go fooling around in other's people's business, all for Harry Potter. He's coming for you now, he might even get killed. You might be the girl who killed the famous Harry Potter."
"No! No. No…he won't die. He won't…." But the room had dissolved into blackness and Ginny's small body hit the stone floor unconscious.
"No, I didn't do it. I swear I didn't mean to…" she moaned, she was on the Granger's couch. It had been a dream just an awful dream.
Harry had just walked into the room, his scar had woken him up. It wasn't the first time, since the end of his fourth year his burning scar had been a regular occurrence. When he had walked into the sitting room and seen Ginny on the couch clutching her head it had scared him to death. He didn't know why it scared him so bad. If he had thought about it reasonably he would've known it was just a nightmare.
Suddenly her arms fell limp beside her. Harry didn't know if she had fainted or if the nightmare had simply ended. He didn't want to wait to find out, he reached the couch and shook her slowly but his voice was urgent, "Ginny wake up! Ginny open your eyes!"
She mumbled slowly then her eyes opened, "What? Harry is that you?"
"Yeah, its me, are you Okay? What happened…did you pass out?" Harry asked concerned.
"No, no. I was reading about the…the Chamber of Secrets and I had some…well flashbacks I guess. But Harry, it was so scary, I haven't been that scared since…since well it actually happened," Ginny said, sitting up, she looked as if she was on the verge of tears.
Harry sat down beside her, "I know what you're going through. That was scary for me too. I thought you were going to die. I thought I was going to die, I even thought maybe Hermione might die. All because of Voldemort." Ginny shuttered slightly at the name but overlooked it and Harry continued, "Everything has happened because of him, my parents are dead because of him. Cedric Diggory died at 17 because of Voldemort. You were almost killed because of Voldemort. We need to stop him, he can't kill anyone else. I can't lose anyone else…I couldn't lose you, or Ron, or Hermione. I just couldn't, we can't let it happen."
"We won't," Ginny said softly, she looked into Harry's brilliant green eyes, "Don't worry about it, worrying doesn't help any. We'll get through this, we'll get through this."
"I hope your right Ginny, I really do hope you're right." He looked down at Ginny and noticed that she had fallen asleep. He pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and lay it softly on Ginny.
'Am I falling in love?' thought Harry to himself. 'No, I can't be, it's Ron's sister, she's just a friend. Yeah, just a friend.' he reassured himself and headed back up the stairs just as the sun was peaking over the horizon and got back into bed and slept until Ron was hitting him in the arm.
"Oh come on Harry wake up. Breakfast is ready. Oh come on if you don't get up right now I'm going to bleed on you!" He yelled.
"Okay, Okay I'm up. But only on one condition." Harry said with a grin.
"What's that?"
"Never use the phrase, 'I'll bleed on you' again."
"Fine," Ron laughed, "It sounded pretty good though…right?"
"Heh…no."
***
It was the Saturday before they were to leave for school and they were sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast and laughing when an owl swooped in dropping 3 letters to Ron, Harry, and Ginny and one parcel to Hermione.
"I will never get used to that!" Mrs. Granger said with a shaky laugh.
It was quiet while everybody read their letters, with the exception of Hermione who was reading her parcel. Suddenly she let out a shriek and started to jump up and down, crying and laughing all at once. "I MADE IT! I'M HEAD GIRL! I'M HEAD GIRL!"
Ginny was the first to respond she jumped up and hugged Hermione while they jumped together. It had taken Ron and Harry a moment to comprehend what she was actually saying. It suddenly struck him and Ron at the same time and they got up and congratulated Hermione.
"I knew you would make Head Girl. I told you! I told you!" Ron said excitedly.
"Congratulations, Hermione!" Harry said, he on the inside however was not surprised in the least. He had known that Hermione would be made Head Girl. It was absurd to think otherwise.
Harry felt a small pang of disappointment that he, himself had not been made Head Boy. Not that he had really expected it, or even hoped for that. It was a small unnoticeable thought in the back of his head that had been sitting there like a sort of blind ambition that he had longed for in his years at Hogwarts self-consciously. To show that he wasn't just a famous pretty boy. That he had real talent and that he could make something of himself.
Harry looked over and saw that Ron had a slightly disappointed look as well. He knew that Ron had always longed to be Head Boy. He had found that out in his very first year, in the Mirror of Erised, Ron had seen himself as a Head Boy. Harry knew that Ron had wished to be someone unique outside of his family. He had wanted to be recognised as, Ronald Weasley, not 'just another Weasley'. Harry felt suddenly sorry for his friend who had never known what it was like to be known for himself and not categorized when they heard his surname.
It was evident why Hermione had received a parcel instead of a letter. In it contained her Head Girl Badge, and a thick instruction book on how to act in the position of Head Girl. "This is such an honour." Hermione kept saying to herself again and again.
"I wonder who the Head Boy is?" asked Ron, "Do you know Hermione?"
"Not a clue...it's odd. You would've thought that they would tell me wouldn't you?"
"As long as it's not Malfoy I really don't care." Harry commented with a grimace. "Imagine him as Head Boy."
"Well, I highly doubt that Dumbledore would let him be Head Boy when they know who his father is." Hermione said knowledgeably.
"Well I don't know." Ron said uncertainly, "Malfoy's Dad has a pretty big influence on everyone. Especially since he has his connections."
"Oh get off it Ron, Malfoy probably isn't Head Boy so let's just enjoy the rest of our summer holiday. Oh by the way, Dad, can we take the car down to London so we can get our school supplies today?" Hermione asked her father.
"Sure, drive safe and don't spend all your money on…books." Her father laughed glancing at Ron who constantly teased Hermione on reading too much.
"Very funny, extremely witty!" she said, though she wasn't really mad at all.
"Oh and dear. Please be home in time for dinner, I'm making your favourite! Mashed potatoes and pork chops."
"Thanks Mum." Hermione said as they walked out the door.
"Thanks Mrs. Granger!" Ron chimed in.
Ginny and Harry stole a smile at each other at Ron's never ending appetite and climbed into the station wagon for their trip to London.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I've been working on this story for many months now and I already have completed 7chapters and I am working right now on the 8th. I need to thank my beta-reader, Agi (FF.net penname: Agivega) for sticking with me the entire time and taking the time and effort to read and correct my errors. I also need to give her credit for helping me with the title of my story. I am planning on releasing a chapter once a week so you know that they should be pretty consistent. Also if you would like to e-mail me at PrincezzShortie@aol.com I would be more than happy to e-mail you with reminders of when new chapters are posted. Thanks again for everything! I hope you enjoyed the story. Please review! J
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