Harry Potter and The Angel
Disclaimer: I don't own harry or any of his friends, plus I don't think J.K. Rowling would sell me the rights for 5. 73, which is all I have right now.
Harry lifted the box of drill bits up and put them in his uncle's car, under his uncle's watchful eye, ready to yell and punish Harry with more manual labor and a beating if necessary. The car sunk down on its shocks as the heavy box was placed gently in the trunk. Uncle Vernon's face turned purple as Harry had lifted it and put it down with such ease. After Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts, Uncle Vernon thought that Harry was old enough to do all the work, it didn't have the effect that he had wanted. While making Harry tired and down trodden, it had in fact been at the perfect time for Harry's testosterone to kick in and his body hardened. While he was still fairly skinny, he was no longer weak. Harry had gotten a strong lean build over the summer mostly due to the fact that the Dursleys never fed him any thing more than meager rations. There was barely a week left until September the first, when he would gather his stuff and go to Kings Cross station for his train to Hogwarts. Harry no longer minded the hard work that his Aunt and Uncle put him through, although he could not figure out how he could have survived off of the little food that the Dursleys gave him. Harry with all the work that he had been doing had little time to feel sorry for himself, but that didn't mean that his sleep was untroubled by the nightmares of the Tri-wizard tournament, and Cedric's death. Harry's mind could barely cope with the stress being placed on it, while the Dursleys had never hurt him physically before, that stopped as soon as they lost fear of Sirius.
"Is this it Uncle Vernon?" asked Harry trying to sound as energetic as he could, so that his Uncle would have no reason to beat him again.
"Yes, Yes that's all for now." Grunted Vernon, was it just him, or did Harry just lift a hundred pound box with apparent ease? "Get inside before I take my belt to you boy."
Harry went inside and walked up the stairs to his bedroom, the Dursleys had made sure that he was allowed no outside contact by keeping Hedwig locked in her cage at all times. And even with what little the Dursleys gave him he still gave some to Hedwig.
Hedwig hooted softly from her cage with what sound like compassion. Harry looked at her and sighed. "I'm real sorry about this Hedwig, I'm sure that you would want an owner that would be able to take better care of you." Hedwig looked at him and gave him a few loving nips with her beak through the cage as if to say that she wouldn't want anyone else. Harry looked around then spoke softly to the snowy owl, "Listen I've been working on this for a while, I think I can get you out without my wand. I know it's not much, but the Dursleys wont let me go to Diagon alley, and I need you to take a letter to Hermione. Here I'll write a quick one."
Dear Hermione, My aunt and uncle won't allow me to go to Diagon alley I need you to pick up my school things for me; I have enclosed a copy of my vault key. P.S. please take care of Hedwig until we get back to school, the Dursleys haven't been feeding me much and its taken its toll on Hedwig Love, Harry
Harry tapped his finger on the lock and the lock popped off, Harry's seeker reflexes were tested as he snatched it before it hit the ground. He then tied the letter to Hedwig's leg and she took off out the window.
Harry looked at the things he still had to pick up; he grinned slightly, waved his hand in the air and all his wizarding things where put back into his trunk. He had found out that the Ministry of Magic couldn't track small wandless spells back to him. And he had been practicing a lot with any free time that he had when there wasn't any one around. But the unlocking charm was a bit more difficult, and took more time for him to do it wandless.
Harry lay down on his bed, it was still early and he had not yet had dinner but he figured it wouldn't make any difference, his aunt and uncle wouldn't feed him right now anyway. He was half certain that his uncle was just waiting for an excuse to take a belt to him again. Now that Harry could unlock locks without the use of his wand, he may be able to nick some food. So soon he drifted off to sleep and in his dreams he thought about the thing that had been plaguing him for weeks that wasn't a nightmare, why did Hermione kiss him?
Harry would wake up in the middle of the night and still feel the exact spot where she had kissed him. Harry got up and walked over to his door as softly as he could, listening to the sleeping sounds of the Dursleys, he tapped the door handle lightly and opened it. He stepped out into the upstairs hallway, the loud snores of Uncle Vernon drowning out the small creaks that the floor made. Harry made his way down the stairs and to the refrigerator in the kitchen. He opened the door slowly and caught the switch that turned the light on, his quick reflexes from seeker training made him incredibly fast. He knelt down silently and took a whole grapefruit from the fruit drawer, Harry smiled, who said that Dudley had to get more than him all the time, for a short while Harry was afraid he would get scurvy, and he was no where near the ocean. But now he may be able to get more food and maybe get a little bit of self worth back.
Since Hedwig wasn't here, he'd just eat the whole thing tonight. Harry used his finger nail to slice the grapefruit peel in half, he was quite good at it, even though this was his first time, he took the first half of the peel off in one piece then did the same for the other half.
Harry quickly ate the fruit, with a strong distaste not only for the sour fruit itself but also for how he had gotten it, Harry hated stealing and only did this to help himself get by with what little the Dursleys would give him. Harry finished his small meal walked past the closet under the stairs with a short shudder, and began to climb the stairs as quickly and quietly as he could. Making it to his room door Harry stopped and listened. Vernon snorted Harry half-jumped through the door and tapped it once more to lock it again, Harry didn't want another beating, his back still had belt marks in it from last time. His stomach was beginning to hurt from the acid in the fruit. He should have listened to Hermione last year when she said that you can't eat things with strong citric acid in them with nothing else in your stomach, but he was so tired he just walked over to his bed and then fell into it falling asleep almost instantly.
~o0o~
Harry woke up the morning of September the first with a heavy heart and an empty stomach. Uncle Vernon got tired of the food going missing and then put an alarm on the fridge door, it would take a little more than a simple silencing charm to shut this thing up. Vernon put the alarm on it after the second night Harry had gotten a grapefruit.
Harry had been unable to go to Diagon alley, but he had thought of this before hand and sent Hedwig with a letter to Hermione that should he not be there she should take some wizard money from his vault at Gringotts and buy his stuff for him.
And during last nights excursion out of his room he heard Uncle Vernon talking in his sleep "heh heh stupid boy, lets see him get to the freak school of his without a ride. `Snort`."
Well Harry wasn't going to take this lying down so he had awoken earlier than he did most often and brought his trunk down stairs without a sound. He pulled out his Firebolt broomstick that his godfather Sirius got for him and his Father's magic cloak of invisibility. Tying his trunk to his broom he draped the cloak over himself and opened the front door without a sound. Once he had gotten out of the door he took a mighty kick off and sailed into the sky. With all the extra weight that he was subjecting his broom too it was very slow going and just to keep the broom in the air was becoming tiring. Using so much magic without his wand was beginning to wear on him. Harry had read a book about Quidditch, and broom care, he was surprised to find out that the broom used the riders own magical power to keep it in flight. When he had read this it was no wonder that Neville was unable to fly his broom, or control it. Neville just didn't have the power necessary to do it.
After two hours of wasting his magic on trying to keep his broom in the air, Harry was nearing exhaustion. He was beginning to look around desperately for a car with a trunk like his in it. Looking around desperately for another half an hour, until he could no longer keep up his rate of magic use, and began to fall toward a bright green minivan with a trunk on top.
The last thing Harry remembered was a very bright white light before falling heavily on the top of the minivan.
~o0o~
Harry became dimly aware that his lungs were filling, without him doing anything. He tried to find out how this could be but the only thought that he could come up with is that he was dead. He didn't feel half as bad as he should have after falling from God knows how high.
Harry tried to open his eyes but they were being uncooperative with his wishes. After a second he began to realize that there was someone next to him on what Harry thought was the ground.
Harry willed his eyes open, and saw a white light far behind, what he could only think of as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
" I have to be dead." Said Harry out loud surprising him and the figure above him as she put her hand over her heart.
"And why do you say that?" asked the figure above him so innocently that Harry thought it must be an angel.
"Only the dead can see the beautiful angels of heaven." Harry more felt the words than said them. The figure above him blushed and smiled at him, Harry for some reason really liked it when this beautiful woman smiled at him.
A second figure walked into Harry's line of sight, this one was definitely a man and was considerably older than his angel. Harry blinked "Funny, I always pictured God as older than that." The angel next to him giggled.
Harry's angel bent down close to his head and placed a kiss on his forehead. She then picked his head up and placed it in her lap. "I'm sorry to disappoint you Mr. Potter, but your not dead."
Harry sighed "Why am I not surprised, I didn't manage to die before why should I start now. I never get a break." Harry was starting to feel everything that had happened to him all over and all at once, immediately as though it really was a physical weight his body trembled once. The pain was like being near a Dementor again, every happy memory he had was gone he could only recall the most horrible experiences of his life. But in his mind he saw a bright white light again and a man wearing armor and great white wings gave him one thing, it looked like a golden headband but thinner, like just a thin piece of gold string. The Armored man put this ring of glowing gold on Harry's head, it just fell down to his forehead. And stopped right below his lightning bolt scar, this thing gave Harry one happy memory that seemed to lessen the pain. When Hermione had kissed him.
"Harry, why do you say that, surely you don't want to die? His angel next to him asked him with a worried tone in her voice, that Harry didn't catch, as his attention was on the angel again, and not the pain.
Harry replied the only way he knew how at the time. The way he felt, the only way he had been able to feel since the Tri-wizard tournament, since Snape had ruined Sirius's chance at being cleared, since every one was getting petrified, ever since his first day at the Dursleys.
"Some times I think that death, is more than I deserve. Some one has died because of me, Voldemort is back because of me, and my best friends are in danger just by being near me. I can't even tell Hermione how much I love her because it would put her in more danger." Harry's eyes swam out of focus, as his angel brought him up and hugged him. Harry faintly heard his angel say "Oh Harry" then the pain seemed to go away entirely as Harry saw only black.
Harry woke up to a loud bang and then a quick pop that had followed it. Harry found it much easier to open his eyes. Every thing was much clearer than before, the only trouble was, what was before? He couldn't remember, the last thought that he had was hitting something hard. Well he wasn't on something hard now that was for sure. It was really rather soft and pleasant, it smelled like cinnamon.
Harry's eyes came into a clear focus, he could feel the weight of his glasses, but when had he been with out them?
Harry groaned, and spoke his mind about it. "What hit me, the last thing I remember is slamming into something."
"It's about time you woke up." A familiar voice said to him. "And if you remember slamming into something then you hit it."
"Thanks Hermione, my head feels like it was run though a blender, and your correcting me on whether or not I hit it, or it hit me." Harry paused a moment "Wait a sec, how'd I get here?"
Hermione gave a quick glance at the drivers seat then replied, " Well, we saw the car that you crashed into, you were out cold until you woke up a second ago."
"What happened to the car I hit?"
The man in the Driver's seat spoke up this time. "It got pretty banged up, you have a hard head Harry. But there was a dent the size of your body in the roof, and the imprint of your face will forever be remembered in that vehicles hood." Hermione glared at the driver, Harry didn't see it though.
"Dad, how long until we reach the station?" Hermione questioned him, seemingly ending the current discussion of the thickness of Harry's skull.
"We'll be there in no time flat."
"Thank you, Mr. Granger for picking me up." As Harry said this he tried to sit up from Hermione's lap, but was forcefully laid back down.
"Harry, you've been out for a while, and you probably have a concussion, you need a break." Was Hermione's forceful reply, as Harry opened his mouth to object. Upon hearing this he quickly shut it again, and mumbled out "I think I would know if I had a concussion."
Harry soon found that he was glad Hermione hadn't let him up, he was quite content just to relax for a moment and collect his thoughts. He remembered something but he couldn't remember what. There was supposed to be something in between when he hit the car and when he woke up in Hermione's, well it looked like it was a minivan.
"Hermione? Did I wake up before this, or say any thing in my sleep?
Hermione looked at her Dad, blushing deeply, then with a hurried reply said, "No, Harry that was the first time you woke up, you didn't say anything in your sleep.
Harry distinctly got the impression that Hermione wasn't telling him the whole truth, but he didn't press the matter. About five minutes later Harry tried to sit up again, Hermione seemed a little apprehensive about him getting up, and showed it in her glare that she gave him.
"Oh come on Hermione. I'm a quick healer, I grew back all the bones in my right arm in a single night." Harry said this with as much confidence as he could muster. "Of course I wouldn't have had to regrow them if some idiotic, fake, show boy of a professor hadn't tried to show off and fix them himself when I had asked him not to."
"All right fine Harry, Professor Lockhart was a great prat. You've been waiting three years to hear me say that haven't you Harry?" Hermione said this with a smirk on her face.
Harry smirked, "No, not really, but now that you agree with me. But he's become a much better person now that he erased his own memory."
Hermione shook her head muttering something about boys and grudges.
"I do not hold grudges, he was gonna erase my memory. I'm sure if you were there, you wouldn't have fancied him in the least, or sent him that Valentines Day card."
"For your information Harry, one I was petrified at the time. And two I only sent one person a card and it wasn't Lockhart." Snapped Hermione.
"Well that's good to know, being petrified was a bit beyond your control though, but you still managed to let me know that it was a basilisk. But look at the bright side at least you didn't have a disgruntled dwarf wearing a diaper and gold wings sitting on your ankles singing. "His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad, His hair as dark as a blackboard. I wish he was mine, he's really divine, the hero who conquered the Dark Lord." In the middle of the hall with all the first years, and Malfoy. But I do have to concede to point that it was a very clever poem."
"You really think so?"
"Yeah, Ginny did a good job. Thank God she's over that crush she had on me."
Hermione had a questioning look on her face. "What makes you think that Ginny wrote that? And why are you so relived that she doesn't have a crush on you any more?"
Harry sighed at the thought of explaining it but he gave it a shot. "Well I think she wrote it because of her reaction to what Malfoy said. She covered her face and ran into a classroom. And why I'm so thankful that she's over that crush is because her crush was on some one else. Her crush was on the image of Harry Potter the boy who lived, not me." Harry threw out his arms to emphasize his point on the Harry Potter image part, then pointed his thumb to himself when he spoke about himself.
"Right so she had a crush on some other green eyed, raven haired, guy with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead named Harry Potter."
"Yeah that's about it. You're the only person who treats me like a normal person, Hermione."
Mr. Granger spoke up now, "OK we're here." Hermione just stared at her dad for a moment with a look of disbelief on her face, before getting out and piling her things on a trolley. Crookshanks leapt from where he was sleeping in the back seat, and landed deftly on top of Hermione's things.
Harry went around the back of the van and took his trunk out. He noticed that his broom and cloak were put back where they were supposed to be. Harry waited for a moment before letting out a shrill whistle, Hedwig poked her out from behind seat hooted loudly, then with one powerful flap of her wings had landed gently on Harry's shoulder. Hedwig immediately nipped Harry's ear softly, and nuzzled her head against his.
"Yes, I missed you too Hedwig."
Hermione spoke up, "Oh Harry, I have your things from Diagon alley in my trunk here lets get them." She opened up her trunk and started pulling books from it. Harry leaned in close to help, and Hermione spoke in his ear so that only he could hear her.
"Harry, when Hedwig came to me she was pretty thin, she's looking ok now, but Harry you can't live with those awful Dursleys any more, what their doing is illegal to wizards and muggles. There has to be some thing else you can do, some where else you can go."
Harry cut her off there by looking into her beautiful brown eyes with his green eyes. Then softly as to not sound mean, or ungrateful for her concern, but firmly enough to stop the conversation said, "Not now Hermione, I'll tell you later. When we can be alone. Right now I don't trust myself to talk about it."
Hermione broke his stare and looked at him. She looked at his shoulders that were broader than last time she saw him. To his arms that looked lean and tired to several small bruises that were partially covered by his shirt. To how much taller he was, he was taller by a few inches it looked like. Hermione nodded and wheeled her trolley to the gateway that led to the platform of 9 and three-quarters. Harry followed her carrying his own trunk with Hedwig still perched on his shoulder.
They walked though the barrier together, and found themselves among their own again. It was only a second before a very tall and athletic looking red head came running toward them yelling.
"HARRY, HERMIONE, WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED?"
Harry looked at Hermione and shrugged. "Any clue what he's on about?"
"None at all. Not like he ever made sense in the first place though."
Ron slowed down to a halt right in front of them. "Harry, what on earth happened, the ministry's in complete panic. Dad said there was a huge surge of magic, like there has never been before. Then you completely disappear, and every one thinks your dead."
"Well, I guess I should show them otherwise."
Ron looked at harry for a moment then said, "Yeah you really should, did you grow over the summer?"
"With the little the Dursleys feed me it's a miracle that I didn't shrink. But I'm a lot stronger than I look you know."
Ron grinned wide, "Oh yeah? Wanna try that theory, mate?"
Harry smirked. "Just for the record you started this."
Harry and Ron locked hands and pushed with all their strength, to make the other yield, Hermione's eyes widened in shock at the strength they were putting against each other. For a second it looked like Ron was getting the upper hand due to his size and weight advantage, but then Harry would push even more forcefully to get back to where he was.
Then out of nowhere Harry took a small step forward and Ron slid backward as he looked at Harry in shock. By this time it was drawing quite a crowd and several people were beginning to take bets on the winner.
"So, do you think that I'm stronger than I look Ron?"
"Shut up Harry."
Then Harry took another step forward and Ron slid back yet again, and Harry kept taking steps forward, faster as he gained momentum. Then as quickly as Harry had started he stopped just inches from pushing Ron off the edge of the platform.
"Aw, what's the matter Harry, run out of steam?"
"You wish."
Harry and Ron were beginning to sweat from the exertion. But Harry could not push Ron any farther back and off the stone platform. Ron grunted and took a step forward himself, and Harry slid backward. Ron continued pushing until Harry was an inch away from falling off the platform.
"Come on Ron, do it. You know you want to."
Ron was finally going to get recognition, he was going to beat Harry Potter in pure brute strength. Ron took a small step forward and Harry slid back so that his heels were off the platform. They looked in each other eyes and continued, they had seen the determination that burned bright in their eyes, they both wanted to win. Ron stepped forward, there was a bright flash of white light and then nothing. But Harry should have been completely off the platform now but he was still pushing, harder than ever. Ron took a few more steps and let out a yell, as there was no more ground beneath him and fell face first into the soft grass off the end of the platform.
Harry no longer had any resistance to push against and fell forward and did a summersault in mid-air and landed on his back on the platform. Then all he remembered was that he should have listened to Hermione about that concussion he had, cause right now his head hurt like hell, and every thing faded away to blackness.
Harry could tell he was still alive but he knew that he should be lying flat on his back at the platform, but again he was somewhere soft that smelled really good. He slowly opened his eyes and to his surprise was the friendly face of his angel that he had met before.
Harry looked into her eyes, they were beautiful brown eyes and had flecks of gold in them. She truly was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and he had never been able to see so. so . clearly. Harry gathered his courage and spoke up.
"Angel?" Harry blinked, there was a bright light coming from behind her. The area under Harry's head got firm all of a sudden then went soft again.
"Yes, Harry?"
"You have beautiful brown eyes."
There was a load snort across the way from Harry but he ignored it for the time being. The angel looked up at the source of the sound but didn't say anything about it.
"Thank you Harry."
Harry then had an idea, it was rude of him to call her angel. Even angels have names, and he was determined to find out hers.
"I'm sorry, but the last time we met I didn't get your name."
The angel smiled then told him, "Please call me Hermione."
"Hmmm, that's a really pretty name. I have a friend named Hermione, I wish I could tell her how much I love her, but." Harry couldn't finish, he just couldn't say that she might not feel the way he does.
"But, what?" a voice came from across the way. The same place where the snort had come from.
Harry turned his head and it looked like this man was bathed in a bright red light, Harry had no reason to not tell them, and it seemed like he could trust them.
"Its just I don't know if she feels the same way, and if she doesn't it might hurt our friendship. I'll do anything for my friends, even if I have to stay away from them to keep them safe, I don't know what I'd do if either one of them were hurt because Voldemort used them to get to me."
The fiery red man looked a little shocked and somber it seemed. But Hermione, the angel that shared the same name as his friend, Harry needed no help in guessing how she was feeling, she looked livid, she was angry about something that he had said.
"Harry James Potter, you will do no such thing, don't you think that you should at least tell your friends about your concerns of their safety. Because I know for a fact that neither one of them is going to fall for that trick. And you should also come out with your feelings for her." The angel no longer looked angry but kind of sad and hopeful at the same time.
The fire red man, looked at Harry and chuckled, "Harry, she would be crazy not to like you back. You need to have more confidence in yourself. Every girl who knows who you are wants to bed you."
Harry blushed, "I don't want any girl though, I want Hermione. Thank you though you sound a lot like my friend Ron."
The fire red man looked at him, then smirked. "Hey, you know what happened while you were having a contest with Ron."
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment then shook his head. "All I remember is a flash of really bright white light then feeling really light and happy. It felt like my strength increased as well."
As soon as Harry had finished saying this the train shook and Harry was tossed from where he was laying on Hermione's lap and fell onto the floor, seeing only the ground rushing towards him and the blackness rushing over his mind, took him once more. ~o0o~
Harry woke up and was once again in Hermione's lap. With a dull ache in the back of his head, Harry still had his mind reeling
"Hermione?"
"Yes Harry?"
"As much as I enjoy waking up to see my friends faces, we really need to stop doing this."
Hermione looked at him then smirked, "then I guess you should listen to me more often about when your hurt, I told you, you have a concussion. You need to take it easy or you'll hurt yourself more than you already have."
Hermione took Harry in her arms and gave him a hug, while Ron just rolled his eyes. They looked so happy together, Ron continued to sit there until he just couldn't take the sappiness of it any longer, which lasted only three seconds.
"Come on Hermione, as happy as I'm sure he is, Harry doesn't need you to be his mother."
"Oh shut up Ron. It wouldn't hurt for you to show a little concern, you saw them." Hermione said with much scorn in her voice.
Harry noticed something wrong with what Hermione said, "you saw them?" them what? Harry looked down he was in his Hogwarts robes now, then he remembered the bruises on his arms, he had a lot more on his body than the small ones on his arms. Then it hit him he was in muggle clothes before. What had they done? Were they that close to Hogwarts that they had to change his clothes? And if they had they would have seen a lot more than just bruises on his body.
Harry was getting more and more angry as he thought about it and it showed in his voice. "Hermione, what do you mean by `you saw them` them what? And how did I get into my Hogwarts robes?" Harry tried to get up and half succeeded he manage to come up off of Hermione's lap, and support himself on his arm.
"Calm down Harry, we're five minutes away from school, we had to change you into your robes." Ron spoke trying to calm Harry down.
"WE? What do you mean we?"
Hermione spoke slowly and calmly, hoping that this would calm Harry down as well. "Harry, Ron couldn't hold you up and change you into your robes, so I had to help him."
Harry calmed down a little at least it was only Ron and Hermione, then again they could also be the ones he would least want them to know about the abuse his Uncle puts him through. Because they would go to an adult, Harry never considered the Dursley's house his home, his home was always Hogwarts, but then again he had no where else to go for the summer.
"And?" Was Harry's reply to this, he knew what it was but he wanted them to bring it up.
"And what, Harry?" Ron sighed, exasperated.
"Hermione said 'saw them.' Them what?"
Ron now looked pretty pissed off, "you know bloody well right what we mean Harry, all the bruises, welts, cuts, and God knows what else you have hidden."
Harry couldn't be angry any more, he only wished that they hadn't seen what they saw, and hadn't guessed that he was covering some of it up with a little magic. Harry was feeling guilty and ashamed that he tried to hide it from them and that they had found out so soon.
All Harry could do was to turn away from them and mumble out an "I'm fine."
Ron rolled his eyes and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry, we never asked how you were doing."
Hermione put her hand on Harry's other shoulder and turned him around. She looked Harry right in the eyes. Harry could see in Hermione's eyes the real depth of concern that she had for him. Which only made him even more not fine.
"Harry, when ever you say your fine, your not. And when you say your fine before we even ask means that you're hurting. Your stronger than any one I know Harry, you've battled you-know-who four times, and beat him and escaped with your life. You can endure a tremendous amount of pain, so much that it can drive adults insane." Harry couldn't stand it any longer and began to tremble. "You've saved countless lives, Harry, mine included, but I know that emotionally your hurting a lot. Please Harry let us help you. We're your friends that's what we're here for."
Harry fell down to his knees, Ron and Hermione followed him down. "Voldemort will try to use you to get to me. I don't know what I'd do if either of you were hurt because of me."
"Harry, we're not going to leave you if that's what your trying to do." Hermione told him softly in his ear.
"How did you??- You guys are the best." Harry stammered.
Ron looked at Harry thoughtfully then said, "Harry if you don't cheer up right now, I'm going to cast the mother of all cheering charms on you."
Harry looked at Ron and Ron looked at Harry, then they both reached for their wands.
They both yelled out "laeto." Ron jumped backward as the pink jets of sparks flew out of their wands and hit mid air combining into a pink ball and exploding with white and pink sparks catching Harry and Hermione in the blast.
Harry looked at Hermione grabbed her in his arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then they both fell over laughing still holding each other in their arms. All the while Ron looked at them both and smirked.
Ron looked at them both laughing hysterically, he'd never heard of a magic effect like that before, "maybe I was a bit too enthusiastic about that charm."
Hermione was still giggling, "I think you both were a little too enthusiastic about that charm."
Harry laughed lightly, "Well I don't know about you guys but I've never had magic combine like that before, spells usually just deflect, or one other unusual magic effect happens." Harry meant the Priori Incantatem spells effect, but that only happens in rare cases like his and Voldemort's. But Harry had never revealed that information to any one, and he wasn't about to do it now.
Hermione got up still a little giggly and helped Harry to his feet. With the effect of the cheering charm still on him Harry had no choice but to be happy until the spell wore off, and hopefully by that time he will have forgotten about what was troubling him.
The scarlet train, the Hogwarts Express, slowed down and shuddered to a standstill at the station in the all wizard village of Hogsmeade. Harry, Hermione, and Ron all got off the train in high spirits, Ron mostly because he saw Harry and Hermione so giggly, and flirtatious with each other that it was entirely contagious and was spreading out to him and some of the other Hogwarts students. While Harry and Hermione were still under the over enthusiastic effects of the cheering charm and were having a grand time about it.
Harry looked around him as he got off the train, then he quickly saw the huge form of his half giant friend Hagrid, and waved vigorously calling his name until the massive man turned and waved back.
"How ye doin' Harry? I'll talk wit' ya later, at the Great 'all." Boomed back Hagrid as he herded all the first years into the boats to take them across the lake into the Hogwarts area proper.
Harry walked over to the horse-less carriages, noticing that the sun was still out it wasn't quite dark yet. The cool air, the soft crunch of the gravel beneath his feet, he was home now. Then stepping up to one of the carriages he stopped, then stepped aside to help Hermione up into the carriage, then got in himself followed by Ron who was still grinning like a maniac.
Harry finally noticed Ron's odd grin and decided to ask him about it. "Ron? Why on God's green earth are you grinning like a prat? You weren't hit by the cheering charm."
Ron looked as though he would burst soon if he didn't tell some one what was going on but all he said was, "I'll tell you once we get back to the dorms."
"What, you can't tell Harry while I'm around Ron?" Hermione would have been angry had she not been forced to be so happy.
Ron's maniacal grin if possible got bigger and broader at this comment, and responded with an answer that would have started a huge row between them, "It's guy stuff."
"If I wasn't in such a good mood Ron I'd throw you out of this carriage."
The carriage jerked to the side as it hit a bump in the dirt and gravel road, and threw Hermione across Harry's lap. Harry didn't notice her blush furiously as he held her and asked if she was all right.
Ron began laughing hysterically, then in between laughs managed to blurt out, "Of course she's ok Harry. She's in the one place that all witches want to be, in the arms of," Ron paused for a moment to add in some dramatics as he waved his arms around no one and lowered his voice down an octave, "The Famous Harry Potter, THE BOY WHO LIVED."
"Shut it Ron." Both Harry and Hermione yelled at him.
The rest of the ten-minute ride went uneventful and silent except for when Ron caught Harry's hand on Hermione's and he let out a soft snort, and began to grin like a maniac again.
When the carriage came to stop Ron jumped out, and was followed by Harry. He turned around and helped Hermione down. And they began the short walk up to the castle, past the old whomping willow, and into the Entrance Hall.
A hoarse yell echoed in the entrance hall. "Weasley."
Harry and Ron looked over toward the sound and soon a silver blonde flanked by two massive, hairy, dull, bodyguards. It was Draco Malfoy, and his brutish bodyguard friends Crabbe, and Goyle.
Ron looked over at Malfoy and the grin that he had been wearing grew even broader. "Malfoy, what an unexpected and pleasant surprise to see you so soon in the year. I'm glad you decided to grace us with your presence." Ron spoke to Malfoy in what was unmistakably a very happy tone of voice.
Harry looked at Ron for one moment then his own features hardened when Malfoy drew nearer, with a look of barely restrained rage on his face.
"Weasley, I'll get the three of you for what you did to my father. And it starts now." Malfoy looked like he was about to explode with anger as he had his wand trained on Ron's face and made a motion with his left hand that sent Crabbe and Goyle looming forward.
Ron looked at Malfoy straight in the eyes, then spoke with calmness and with great clarity, "Why Malfoy, are you upset about the ministry finding out about that secret chamber of dark arts stuff under your drawing room floor?"
Harry needn't have had to look at Malfoy's face to see the anger that was burning in his eyes, Harry was in a half smile now but still had his eyes on Crabbe and Goyle.
Just as Malfoy had started to say the spell he would have cast in Ron's face, Ron had bated the wand away with his left hand and punched him in the face with his right. Harry didn't have enough time to grab his own wand before the two hulking angry forms of Crabbe and Goyle ran at Ron. Harry thrust himself in front of them and held his hands out saying the first spell that came to his mind that would stop them.
"Impedimenta" Harry could feel the magic running through his body, into his arms and out of his hands, that just as they had touched his hands, they froze in place slowed to a standstill.
Ron took Draco to the ground but froze as he saw what Harry did, Malfoy also stopped. Harry looked at them both then simply said, "It was kind of redundant to slow them down, huh?"
"Stupefy." Ron looked down from on top of Malfoy, he was stunned. Ron just got up and looked at Harry.
Ron and Hermione stared at him, Harry felt just a little uncomfortable under their stare. "Did you use your wand for that Harry?"
"Well, I used my wand when I stunned Malfoy, but not when I stopped his flunkies."
Ron shrugged, "And I still wanted to beat the hell out of him. Oh well, lets hurry and shove them in the broom closet." Ron grabbed Draco by his robes and threw him none to gently into the closet that Hermione had opened for them, while Harry dragged Crabbe and Goyle into the closet, where it was quickly locked in place by conjured ropes.
Harry walked into the Great hall followed by his friends. Harry sat down at the long Gryffindor table, Ron sat down to his left and Hermione sat to his right. While Ron's older twin brothers that walked in after they did sat directly across from them.
Fred looked at Ron and George and nodded once with a firm look of determination on his face. Ron looked at him gave a full smile and an approving nod, George too looked determined and nodded. Harry gave them all an odd questioning look, until the huge wooden doors of the Great Hall burst open and Hagrid came walking in followed by the first years. They all looked frightened of what might happen, and before Professor McGonagall, could explain what was about to happen to them, the three Weasley brothers made their move. All three got up at the same moment and spoke loud enough for the entire hall to hear.
"Attention first years, we have a very important announcement that we must make before you are sorted into your houses."
McGonagall looked at Dumbledore pleading him to intervene, but he just had that same twinkle in his eyes and waved her to let them continue. She looked very angry until Ron winked at her and told her it was ok.
"We the last remaining Weasley men, of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, would like to tell you a tale that begins 14 years ago." Ron spoke with mild amusement and a lot of enthusiasm.
Fred spoke up and continued where Ron had left off, "Of a man who has fought Voldemort, not once, not twice, not even three times, but four times. Has fought and defeated the dreaded dark lord."
Harry was horrified he couldn't believe that Ron was doing this to him, and began to blush furiously. While Hermione refused to look at him, but continued to stare at the three Weasleys as they continued their "announcement."
George this time caught on and began telling the story, "fourteen years ago, the first battle took place when he was just but a baby, one year of age. The Dark Lord knew of his incredible magical power, and tried to be rid of him when he was to young to defend himself."
Ron took over once more and lead on the speech, "You know that he is the only person to have ever survived the killing curse cast by the dark lord, and when the curse hit him, it transferred magical power from the dark lord and to him. Giving him even more power, and new skills."
Fred began again and spoke quicker as he glanced at Harry and saw him glare darkly at him. "But alas it was too late for his parents, but he the great man that he is made Voldemort pay for it dearly with his body. Because in truth Voldemort could not be killed so easily, because of the dark magic he used, Voldemort was only reduced to a shadow, he wasn't alive but he wasn't dead either."
George took on a more melodramatic approach as he continued to tell Harry's life story, "Then after ten years of living with Muggles that treat him horribly, he got to come to Hogwarts, where he first found out that he was, well him. And in that first year he came to the knowledge that some one was going to steal the powerful Sorcerer's stone. And it turns out that his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had been possessed by the Dark Lord, but our hero in all his purity and goodness, went to go stop him, with the help of his two best friends, my dear bother Ron and the talented Hermione. Once he got there, the Dark Lord could not stand against his pure touch, and was burned to cinders."
Ron grinned at the dark blush that was coming to Harry's face, and did kind of feel sorry for him that he had to go through this. But Ron continued on even more fervently than before. "Then in our second year, a time when every one should be ashamed of themselves for the way they treated him."
Every student in the great hall except for the Gryffindors and Slytherins looked down at this remembering how poorly they had treated Harry. "When one of Harry's skills came into light, he was a Parselmouth, meaning that he could talk to snakes. But this year we were plagued by petrification, and again he rose up and killed a basilisk that was being controlled by a powerful dark item, this item was a diary that had been enchanted by the Dark Lord when he was sixteen. This book tricked my sister, and began to feed on her life, but again the wizarding world was saved by its hero."
George kept going in the set pattern and began about Harry's third year, " then in his third year here at this wonderful school of witchcraft and wizardry, he fought off scores of Dementors, by using a spell so powerful that most adult wizards are not able to cast it. But all in all it was a pretty boring year for him." George chanced a quick glance at Harry just in time to see him slam his head on the hard wooden table.
Fred spoke meaningfully with great sobriety, "and last year he was chosen to be the fourth Tri-wizard champion, and did very well on all three tasks, and he tied with Cedric Diggory, who shortly after ward died at the hands of the Dark lord. But once more the hero of the wizarding world was forced into battle with the Dark lord, after having been used as a means of the Dark lords resurrection, however he was able to defeat the Dark lord, and return home with Cedric's body."
All three Weasley's now stood together near Harry, who still had his head on the table and was blushing furiously. And Harry didn't notice but Hermione had gotten up and stood with the Weasley's.
"Every muggle on Earth owes him their life and they don't even know it." Said Ron with a kind of silent pride in his friend.
"He is our hero and our savior, he is the one and the only HARRY POTTER." The Weasley brothers said it perfectly in time with one another and even managed to say Harry Potter in a three part harmony, as Hermione grabbed Harry and lifted him up out of his seat until he was standing so that every one could see him.
Hermione took this time to add something herself, while Dumbledore looked at the scene with a lot of interest. "Harry Potter the man so modest, that this has him blushing redder than Ron's hair."
"HEY." Both Ron and Harry yelled in indignation, Harry mostly because he could feel that he really wasn't blushing all THAT badly.
Harry then continued, and took a long look at Hermione then glanced at Ron's hair. "There is no way I could ever blush THAT much."
Harry could hear Ron's groan at his attempt to get the spotlight off of himself and onto someone else, and Harry began laughing just letting go and even Ron began to laugh with him so did every one else. But he could also hear the light hearted laughter of every one in the Great Hall, all the students laughing blissfully with them, even the teachers. Hagrid's booming laugh, Dumbledore's light but deep chuckle, even Professor Snape couldn't help it and laughed, it seemed as though the entire great hall had forgotten every bad thing that had happened the year before, and just let themselves go into one blissful moment. Then after a little while the laughter had died down, and every one seemed to have forgotten the impromptu announcement, and was still in a very good mood, Snape didn't look quite as irritated as he did before.
Hermione ignored all this and continued, "But this should have you blushing worse than anyone has ever seen."
Harry looked at Hermione as she came closer to him, she came at him quickly so that he didn't have any time to prepare himself but it felt as though it was all going in slow motion, she then kissed him full on the lips. To Harry it felt like blissful heaven forever, and was surprised when the kiss deepened.
A soft, white glow began to emanate from Harry's body, and white flames began to flow and twist around both Harry and Hermione until they were both surrounded by it. A swirl of large white feathers, burst into appearance amid the pearl white flames of magical energy raging around the two. The Great Hall was silent except for the sound of the energy rushing around, both Harry and Hermione seemed completely oblivious to it.
Ron stared in awed disbelief that Hermione finally did it and the result of that union. Ron took a quick look around the Great Hall, McGonagall looked at them in what seemed to be fear. Dumbledore had a similar look to his face except that the twinkle in his eyes was still there and he had a slight smile to his lips.
Harry had his eyes closed and just melted into the kiss from the beginning, he felt warm, whole, and complete. He could feel everything going on around him, the candles floating up in the air on puffs of magic, the candles themselves burning and producing light but never consuming itself. The heartbeats of students around him, some of them quick, others more slowly, Harry could feel these things around him. Lastly he could feel his own heartbeat, no, that wasn't right there were two heartbeats, his own and Hermione's. Their hearts were beating together as one. Then he felt it, both of them, needed to go down from the heaven that they were at to breathe.
The kiss ended and Harry looked into Hermione's eyes, the soft glow of candle light all around them, a single white feather dropped down to the ground and disappeared into tiny glowing points of light, that soon disappeared into nothing.
"Harry, if you're quite done with Ms. Granger, and if the Weasleys are done with their surprise announcement, we'll continue on with the sorting." Said Dumbledore with barely restrained laughter, as he saw Harry go bright red and begin to sit down. "Oh, Harry before I forget, I need to see you and Ms. Granger in my office right after the feast."
Harry nodded solemnly, just knowing that he was in trouble for this, and he didn't have anything to do with it. But he still thought that it was more than worth it, besides the worst they'd do to him is give him a detention and a warning about doing anything like that again. They would never try to expel him or Hermione.
The sorting happened while Harry was lost in thought, and wasn't paying attention, but it seemed as though a lot of first years came over to the Gryffindor table than any other. Then the food appeared in front of them and dug in to it.
Not a word was said between them and Harry had a feeling why, they thought that he was mad at them, not really though even if Snape was going to be even more of a pain than usual. But Harry was just hungry, as his loudly rumbling stomach kept reminding him as he ate faster than Ron could have. Chicken legs would go missing everywhere around him, rolls of bread were quickly devoured, bowls of several different soups would drain themselves in his presence, and goblets of pumpkin juice would be choked down.
Ron raised an eyebrow at the amount of food Harry was eating, it was pretty unusual for Harry to eat so much. Ron shrugged and put it off as Harry having a growth spurt, the Dursleys didn't feed him so maybe his body was making up for it now? The amount of food that Harry was stuffing down his throat was beyond belief, he ate nearly a quarter of the food on the table by himself. If he kept this up he'd eat half of it by himself by the time the feast was over. Finally after downing three additional cups of pumpkin juice Harry leaned back and said, "That's much better, I do wish there was another roll though."
Hermione stared at Harry as she continued to butter her roll, the last one, she glanced at her roll then took a bite out of it just loud enough for Harry to hear.
"Hermione, I wasn't going to take yours, give me a break will you." Harry was just slightly resentful of her thinking he would steal from her.
Hermione smirked and smoothly said, "If I remember correctly I just gave you a break a little while ago."
Harry blushed a little and mumbled out, "If that's what its like to get a break, I need to get one more often."
Ron over hearing this burst out laughing a sprayed food all over Neville.
Hermione glared at Ron, "That is so disgusting, Ron." She then took out her wand and muttered a cleaning spell, effectively cleaning him off.
Just a few minutes later the feast had ended, and Dumbledore was wishing them all a good night, and had called Harry and Hermione up to his office after they were done saying that he had something he needed to tell them. Harry looked at Hermione nervously, he knew that they were in trouble because of the little show that they had put on, well the show the Weasleys had put on. He got dragged in with the public kiss. Which reminded Harry wasn't Hermione going out with that idiot Krum?
Ron had said goodbye to them both, a bit over dramatized that as punishment for their very public display of affection, that they would be tortured severely, and if they were lucky put to death afterward.
Hermione laughed dryly at Ron's poor acting abilities, and continued walking to Dumbledore's office with Harry just barely able to keep up with her.
Finally Harry couldn't take it any longer he had to know, what was the kiss about, and was she still seeing that stupid git, or Krum as some like to call him. For some reason Harry realized he was very jealous of that round shouldered, duck footed, man that had been hit to many times with a bludger.
"Hey Hermione, aren't you going out with Krum?"
Hermione glared at Harry startling him just a bit, and surprising him even more with her snapped answer of "NO."
"May I ask why, without you taking my head off?"
Hermione looked a little hurt by his remark but seemed to understand that was the impression that she left, and replied, much more nicely this time. "That stupid jerk was trying to get closer to you Harry, Ron was right, and don't you dare tell him that."
"My lips are sealed."
They had arrived at Dumbledore's office, with the Gargoyle that stood in the entranceway. Harry having been here several times before knew the kinds of passwords that Dumbledore liked to use, and rattled off a quick string of candies both wizard and muggle.
"Dumbledore sure loves candy, you've said almost every one except for canary cream."
"Yeah, but there's one more, Fred and George's Ton tongue toffee's."
When Harry had said this the Gargoyle jumped to the side allowing them entrance, to the spinning staircase that would bring them to his door. Once up the stairs and through Dumbledore's office door, they saw his pet Phoenix, Fawkes, leap up and stand on Harry's right shoulder.
"Well at least now I know who to leave Fawkes with when I'm gone." Said the headmaster with a hint of amusement in his voice. "It's a good thing that you learned how to pick the password to my office."
"Sorry Professor, but you weren't there to open the door."
Dumbledore laughed a bit, "Don't worry about it Harry, I should just tell you what the password is any way, but that's not why I called you here."
Harry audibly gulped, it was the beginning of the year and already he was costing Gryffindor house points.
Dumbledore seemed to pick up on Harry's unease and decided to end the poor boys fears, "Don't worry Harry your not in trouble, well at least not from me or any of the teachers." Dumbledore seemed to be having a hard time not smiling as he looked at Harry and his confused expression. "I wanted you to come here so that I could give you some news that I could not give you over the summer due to unforeseen circumstances. I would like to inform you that along with Ms. Granger you have been made a fifth year prefect."
Harry just blinked a few times, then seemed to find his voice again, sounding surer than he really felt. "You're kidding right? I've broken more school rules than anyone else in my class, there is just no way."
Dumbledore looked at Harry and smiled, while giving Hermione a knowing look, while she smirked. "No Harry I'm not kidding. Harry as far as I know, you have only broken rules when you thought it best to help others. You should have several awards to the school plaques by now, I must simply talk to Severus why we never got them. But back to the point now is that you are a leader Harry, your classmates respect you and admire you for your bravery, that is why the teachers and I have made you a prefect even with your record. And I'm sure you already knew that Miss Granger would be a prefect."
"Well yes of course I figured Hermione would be a prefect, she follows the rules. But now that you made me one I will have to because I'm supposed to be an example to them." Harry's response sounded weak and halfhearted even to himself.
Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed but remained silent seemingly waiting for Harry to say something.
Dumbledore locked eye contact with Harry for a moment and pointedly looked at Hermione.
Harry cocked his head for a moment in confusion but caught on and finally asked Hermione, "Okay Hermione, what is it?"
"What is what Harry?"
"You only huff at me when you know something that I don't and you feel its blatantly obvious, and every one should know it."
"Yes, so what's your point."
Harry thought, is it just me or is Hermione flirting with me? "My point is that you huffed at me, so out with it. Out with whatever piece of knowledge that you gained from reading Hogwarts: A History several times over.
"Harry I didn't read it out of Hogwarts: A History, if you must know Dumbledore told me. Prefects have benefits, like being exempt from some of the rules, as long as we're doing our prefect duties."
Being a prefect didn't really appeal to Harry much, even though he'd be able to get away with some things. Harry didn't like the idea of those prefect meetings and said as much. Bringing a light chuckle from the headmaster and causing Hermione to whip out her wand and threaten to hex him if he didn't. Harry quickly agreed, causing the old Headmaster even more mirthful laughter as he pined on his prefect badge. Hermione pined hers on as well as they got up to leave as Dumbledore dismissed them.
"Oh, Harry, Hermione, before I forget the password to your common room is, "Conspiracy."
Harry turned around and gave the old wizard an analyzing look before turning to Hermione and muttering, "You planed this didn't you?"
Hermione's only reply was a smile so sweet that it could almost give you a stomachache. She turned and walked out of the headmaster's office and started up the steps that lead to the Gryffindor common room with Harry following closely behind her.
Disclaimer: I don't own harry or any of his friends, plus I don't think J.K. Rowling would sell me the rights for 5. 73, which is all I have right now.
Harry lifted the box of drill bits up and put them in his uncle's car, under his uncle's watchful eye, ready to yell and punish Harry with more manual labor and a beating if necessary. The car sunk down on its shocks as the heavy box was placed gently in the trunk. Uncle Vernon's face turned purple as Harry had lifted it and put it down with such ease. After Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts, Uncle Vernon thought that Harry was old enough to do all the work, it didn't have the effect that he had wanted. While making Harry tired and down trodden, it had in fact been at the perfect time for Harry's testosterone to kick in and his body hardened. While he was still fairly skinny, he was no longer weak. Harry had gotten a strong lean build over the summer mostly due to the fact that the Dursleys never fed him any thing more than meager rations. There was barely a week left until September the first, when he would gather his stuff and go to Kings Cross station for his train to Hogwarts. Harry no longer minded the hard work that his Aunt and Uncle put him through, although he could not figure out how he could have survived off of the little food that the Dursleys gave him. Harry with all the work that he had been doing had little time to feel sorry for himself, but that didn't mean that his sleep was untroubled by the nightmares of the Tri-wizard tournament, and Cedric's death. Harry's mind could barely cope with the stress being placed on it, while the Dursleys had never hurt him physically before, that stopped as soon as they lost fear of Sirius.
"Is this it Uncle Vernon?" asked Harry trying to sound as energetic as he could, so that his Uncle would have no reason to beat him again.
"Yes, Yes that's all for now." Grunted Vernon, was it just him, or did Harry just lift a hundred pound box with apparent ease? "Get inside before I take my belt to you boy."
Harry went inside and walked up the stairs to his bedroom, the Dursleys had made sure that he was allowed no outside contact by keeping Hedwig locked in her cage at all times. And even with what little the Dursleys gave him he still gave some to Hedwig.
Hedwig hooted softly from her cage with what sound like compassion. Harry looked at her and sighed. "I'm real sorry about this Hedwig, I'm sure that you would want an owner that would be able to take better care of you." Hedwig looked at him and gave him a few loving nips with her beak through the cage as if to say that she wouldn't want anyone else. Harry looked around then spoke softly to the snowy owl, "Listen I've been working on this for a while, I think I can get you out without my wand. I know it's not much, but the Dursleys wont let me go to Diagon alley, and I need you to take a letter to Hermione. Here I'll write a quick one."
Dear Hermione, My aunt and uncle won't allow me to go to Diagon alley I need you to pick up my school things for me; I have enclosed a copy of my vault key. P.S. please take care of Hedwig until we get back to school, the Dursleys haven't been feeding me much and its taken its toll on Hedwig Love, Harry
Harry tapped his finger on the lock and the lock popped off, Harry's seeker reflexes were tested as he snatched it before it hit the ground. He then tied the letter to Hedwig's leg and she took off out the window.
Harry looked at the things he still had to pick up; he grinned slightly, waved his hand in the air and all his wizarding things where put back into his trunk. He had found out that the Ministry of Magic couldn't track small wandless spells back to him. And he had been practicing a lot with any free time that he had when there wasn't any one around. But the unlocking charm was a bit more difficult, and took more time for him to do it wandless.
Harry lay down on his bed, it was still early and he had not yet had dinner but he figured it wouldn't make any difference, his aunt and uncle wouldn't feed him right now anyway. He was half certain that his uncle was just waiting for an excuse to take a belt to him again. Now that Harry could unlock locks without the use of his wand, he may be able to nick some food. So soon he drifted off to sleep and in his dreams he thought about the thing that had been plaguing him for weeks that wasn't a nightmare, why did Hermione kiss him?
Harry would wake up in the middle of the night and still feel the exact spot where she had kissed him. Harry got up and walked over to his door as softly as he could, listening to the sleeping sounds of the Dursleys, he tapped the door handle lightly and opened it. He stepped out into the upstairs hallway, the loud snores of Uncle Vernon drowning out the small creaks that the floor made. Harry made his way down the stairs and to the refrigerator in the kitchen. He opened the door slowly and caught the switch that turned the light on, his quick reflexes from seeker training made him incredibly fast. He knelt down silently and took a whole grapefruit from the fruit drawer, Harry smiled, who said that Dudley had to get more than him all the time, for a short while Harry was afraid he would get scurvy, and he was no where near the ocean. But now he may be able to get more food and maybe get a little bit of self worth back.
Since Hedwig wasn't here, he'd just eat the whole thing tonight. Harry used his finger nail to slice the grapefruit peel in half, he was quite good at it, even though this was his first time, he took the first half of the peel off in one piece then did the same for the other half.
Harry quickly ate the fruit, with a strong distaste not only for the sour fruit itself but also for how he had gotten it, Harry hated stealing and only did this to help himself get by with what little the Dursleys would give him. Harry finished his small meal walked past the closet under the stairs with a short shudder, and began to climb the stairs as quickly and quietly as he could. Making it to his room door Harry stopped and listened. Vernon snorted Harry half-jumped through the door and tapped it once more to lock it again, Harry didn't want another beating, his back still had belt marks in it from last time. His stomach was beginning to hurt from the acid in the fruit. He should have listened to Hermione last year when she said that you can't eat things with strong citric acid in them with nothing else in your stomach, but he was so tired he just walked over to his bed and then fell into it falling asleep almost instantly.
~o0o~
Harry woke up the morning of September the first with a heavy heart and an empty stomach. Uncle Vernon got tired of the food going missing and then put an alarm on the fridge door, it would take a little more than a simple silencing charm to shut this thing up. Vernon put the alarm on it after the second night Harry had gotten a grapefruit.
Harry had been unable to go to Diagon alley, but he had thought of this before hand and sent Hedwig with a letter to Hermione that should he not be there she should take some wizard money from his vault at Gringotts and buy his stuff for him.
And during last nights excursion out of his room he heard Uncle Vernon talking in his sleep "heh heh stupid boy, lets see him get to the freak school of his without a ride. `Snort`."
Well Harry wasn't going to take this lying down so he had awoken earlier than he did most often and brought his trunk down stairs without a sound. He pulled out his Firebolt broomstick that his godfather Sirius got for him and his Father's magic cloak of invisibility. Tying his trunk to his broom he draped the cloak over himself and opened the front door without a sound. Once he had gotten out of the door he took a mighty kick off and sailed into the sky. With all the extra weight that he was subjecting his broom too it was very slow going and just to keep the broom in the air was becoming tiring. Using so much magic without his wand was beginning to wear on him. Harry had read a book about Quidditch, and broom care, he was surprised to find out that the broom used the riders own magical power to keep it in flight. When he had read this it was no wonder that Neville was unable to fly his broom, or control it. Neville just didn't have the power necessary to do it.
After two hours of wasting his magic on trying to keep his broom in the air, Harry was nearing exhaustion. He was beginning to look around desperately for a car with a trunk like his in it. Looking around desperately for another half an hour, until he could no longer keep up his rate of magic use, and began to fall toward a bright green minivan with a trunk on top.
The last thing Harry remembered was a very bright white light before falling heavily on the top of the minivan.
~o0o~
Harry became dimly aware that his lungs were filling, without him doing anything. He tried to find out how this could be but the only thought that he could come up with is that he was dead. He didn't feel half as bad as he should have after falling from God knows how high.
Harry tried to open his eyes but they were being uncooperative with his wishes. After a second he began to realize that there was someone next to him on what Harry thought was the ground.
Harry willed his eyes open, and saw a white light far behind, what he could only think of as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
" I have to be dead." Said Harry out loud surprising him and the figure above him as she put her hand over her heart.
"And why do you say that?" asked the figure above him so innocently that Harry thought it must be an angel.
"Only the dead can see the beautiful angels of heaven." Harry more felt the words than said them. The figure above him blushed and smiled at him, Harry for some reason really liked it when this beautiful woman smiled at him.
A second figure walked into Harry's line of sight, this one was definitely a man and was considerably older than his angel. Harry blinked "Funny, I always pictured God as older than that." The angel next to him giggled.
Harry's angel bent down close to his head and placed a kiss on his forehead. She then picked his head up and placed it in her lap. "I'm sorry to disappoint you Mr. Potter, but your not dead."
Harry sighed "Why am I not surprised, I didn't manage to die before why should I start now. I never get a break." Harry was starting to feel everything that had happened to him all over and all at once, immediately as though it really was a physical weight his body trembled once. The pain was like being near a Dementor again, every happy memory he had was gone he could only recall the most horrible experiences of his life. But in his mind he saw a bright white light again and a man wearing armor and great white wings gave him one thing, it looked like a golden headband but thinner, like just a thin piece of gold string. The Armored man put this ring of glowing gold on Harry's head, it just fell down to his forehead. And stopped right below his lightning bolt scar, this thing gave Harry one happy memory that seemed to lessen the pain. When Hermione had kissed him.
"Harry, why do you say that, surely you don't want to die? His angel next to him asked him with a worried tone in her voice, that Harry didn't catch, as his attention was on the angel again, and not the pain.
Harry replied the only way he knew how at the time. The way he felt, the only way he had been able to feel since the Tri-wizard tournament, since Snape had ruined Sirius's chance at being cleared, since every one was getting petrified, ever since his first day at the Dursleys.
"Some times I think that death, is more than I deserve. Some one has died because of me, Voldemort is back because of me, and my best friends are in danger just by being near me. I can't even tell Hermione how much I love her because it would put her in more danger." Harry's eyes swam out of focus, as his angel brought him up and hugged him. Harry faintly heard his angel say "Oh Harry" then the pain seemed to go away entirely as Harry saw only black.
Harry woke up to a loud bang and then a quick pop that had followed it. Harry found it much easier to open his eyes. Every thing was much clearer than before, the only trouble was, what was before? He couldn't remember, the last thought that he had was hitting something hard. Well he wasn't on something hard now that was for sure. It was really rather soft and pleasant, it smelled like cinnamon.
Harry's eyes came into a clear focus, he could feel the weight of his glasses, but when had he been with out them?
Harry groaned, and spoke his mind about it. "What hit me, the last thing I remember is slamming into something."
"It's about time you woke up." A familiar voice said to him. "And if you remember slamming into something then you hit it."
"Thanks Hermione, my head feels like it was run though a blender, and your correcting me on whether or not I hit it, or it hit me." Harry paused a moment "Wait a sec, how'd I get here?"
Hermione gave a quick glance at the drivers seat then replied, " Well, we saw the car that you crashed into, you were out cold until you woke up a second ago."
"What happened to the car I hit?"
The man in the Driver's seat spoke up this time. "It got pretty banged up, you have a hard head Harry. But there was a dent the size of your body in the roof, and the imprint of your face will forever be remembered in that vehicles hood." Hermione glared at the driver, Harry didn't see it though.
"Dad, how long until we reach the station?" Hermione questioned him, seemingly ending the current discussion of the thickness of Harry's skull.
"We'll be there in no time flat."
"Thank you, Mr. Granger for picking me up." As Harry said this he tried to sit up from Hermione's lap, but was forcefully laid back down.
"Harry, you've been out for a while, and you probably have a concussion, you need a break." Was Hermione's forceful reply, as Harry opened his mouth to object. Upon hearing this he quickly shut it again, and mumbled out "I think I would know if I had a concussion."
Harry soon found that he was glad Hermione hadn't let him up, he was quite content just to relax for a moment and collect his thoughts. He remembered something but he couldn't remember what. There was supposed to be something in between when he hit the car and when he woke up in Hermione's, well it looked like it was a minivan.
"Hermione? Did I wake up before this, or say any thing in my sleep?
Hermione looked at her Dad, blushing deeply, then with a hurried reply said, "No, Harry that was the first time you woke up, you didn't say anything in your sleep.
Harry distinctly got the impression that Hermione wasn't telling him the whole truth, but he didn't press the matter. About five minutes later Harry tried to sit up again, Hermione seemed a little apprehensive about him getting up, and showed it in her glare that she gave him.
"Oh come on Hermione. I'm a quick healer, I grew back all the bones in my right arm in a single night." Harry said this with as much confidence as he could muster. "Of course I wouldn't have had to regrow them if some idiotic, fake, show boy of a professor hadn't tried to show off and fix them himself when I had asked him not to."
"All right fine Harry, Professor Lockhart was a great prat. You've been waiting three years to hear me say that haven't you Harry?" Hermione said this with a smirk on her face.
Harry smirked, "No, not really, but now that you agree with me. But he's become a much better person now that he erased his own memory."
Hermione shook her head muttering something about boys and grudges.
"I do not hold grudges, he was gonna erase my memory. I'm sure if you were there, you wouldn't have fancied him in the least, or sent him that Valentines Day card."
"For your information Harry, one I was petrified at the time. And two I only sent one person a card and it wasn't Lockhart." Snapped Hermione.
"Well that's good to know, being petrified was a bit beyond your control though, but you still managed to let me know that it was a basilisk. But look at the bright side at least you didn't have a disgruntled dwarf wearing a diaper and gold wings sitting on your ankles singing. "His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad, His hair as dark as a blackboard. I wish he was mine, he's really divine, the hero who conquered the Dark Lord." In the middle of the hall with all the first years, and Malfoy. But I do have to concede to point that it was a very clever poem."
"You really think so?"
"Yeah, Ginny did a good job. Thank God she's over that crush she had on me."
Hermione had a questioning look on her face. "What makes you think that Ginny wrote that? And why are you so relived that she doesn't have a crush on you any more?"
Harry sighed at the thought of explaining it but he gave it a shot. "Well I think she wrote it because of her reaction to what Malfoy said. She covered her face and ran into a classroom. And why I'm so thankful that she's over that crush is because her crush was on some one else. Her crush was on the image of Harry Potter the boy who lived, not me." Harry threw out his arms to emphasize his point on the Harry Potter image part, then pointed his thumb to himself when he spoke about himself.
"Right so she had a crush on some other green eyed, raven haired, guy with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead named Harry Potter."
"Yeah that's about it. You're the only person who treats me like a normal person, Hermione."
Mr. Granger spoke up now, "OK we're here." Hermione just stared at her dad for a moment with a look of disbelief on her face, before getting out and piling her things on a trolley. Crookshanks leapt from where he was sleeping in the back seat, and landed deftly on top of Hermione's things.
Harry went around the back of the van and took his trunk out. He noticed that his broom and cloak were put back where they were supposed to be. Harry waited for a moment before letting out a shrill whistle, Hedwig poked her out from behind seat hooted loudly, then with one powerful flap of her wings had landed gently on Harry's shoulder. Hedwig immediately nipped Harry's ear softly, and nuzzled her head against his.
"Yes, I missed you too Hedwig."
Hermione spoke up, "Oh Harry, I have your things from Diagon alley in my trunk here lets get them." She opened up her trunk and started pulling books from it. Harry leaned in close to help, and Hermione spoke in his ear so that only he could hear her.
"Harry, when Hedwig came to me she was pretty thin, she's looking ok now, but Harry you can't live with those awful Dursleys any more, what their doing is illegal to wizards and muggles. There has to be some thing else you can do, some where else you can go."
Harry cut her off there by looking into her beautiful brown eyes with his green eyes. Then softly as to not sound mean, or ungrateful for her concern, but firmly enough to stop the conversation said, "Not now Hermione, I'll tell you later. When we can be alone. Right now I don't trust myself to talk about it."
Hermione broke his stare and looked at him. She looked at his shoulders that were broader than last time she saw him. To his arms that looked lean and tired to several small bruises that were partially covered by his shirt. To how much taller he was, he was taller by a few inches it looked like. Hermione nodded and wheeled her trolley to the gateway that led to the platform of 9 and three-quarters. Harry followed her carrying his own trunk with Hedwig still perched on his shoulder.
They walked though the barrier together, and found themselves among their own again. It was only a second before a very tall and athletic looking red head came running toward them yelling.
"HARRY, HERMIONE, WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED?"
Harry looked at Hermione and shrugged. "Any clue what he's on about?"
"None at all. Not like he ever made sense in the first place though."
Ron slowed down to a halt right in front of them. "Harry, what on earth happened, the ministry's in complete panic. Dad said there was a huge surge of magic, like there has never been before. Then you completely disappear, and every one thinks your dead."
"Well, I guess I should show them otherwise."
Ron looked at harry for a moment then said, "Yeah you really should, did you grow over the summer?"
"With the little the Dursleys feed me it's a miracle that I didn't shrink. But I'm a lot stronger than I look you know."
Ron grinned wide, "Oh yeah? Wanna try that theory, mate?"
Harry smirked. "Just for the record you started this."
Harry and Ron locked hands and pushed with all their strength, to make the other yield, Hermione's eyes widened in shock at the strength they were putting against each other. For a second it looked like Ron was getting the upper hand due to his size and weight advantage, but then Harry would push even more forcefully to get back to where he was.
Then out of nowhere Harry took a small step forward and Ron slid backward as he looked at Harry in shock. By this time it was drawing quite a crowd and several people were beginning to take bets on the winner.
"So, do you think that I'm stronger than I look Ron?"
"Shut up Harry."
Then Harry took another step forward and Ron slid back yet again, and Harry kept taking steps forward, faster as he gained momentum. Then as quickly as Harry had started he stopped just inches from pushing Ron off the edge of the platform.
"Aw, what's the matter Harry, run out of steam?"
"You wish."
Harry and Ron were beginning to sweat from the exertion. But Harry could not push Ron any farther back and off the stone platform. Ron grunted and took a step forward himself, and Harry slid backward. Ron continued pushing until Harry was an inch away from falling off the platform.
"Come on Ron, do it. You know you want to."
Ron was finally going to get recognition, he was going to beat Harry Potter in pure brute strength. Ron took a small step forward and Harry slid back so that his heels were off the platform. They looked in each other eyes and continued, they had seen the determination that burned bright in their eyes, they both wanted to win. Ron stepped forward, there was a bright flash of white light and then nothing. But Harry should have been completely off the platform now but he was still pushing, harder than ever. Ron took a few more steps and let out a yell, as there was no more ground beneath him and fell face first into the soft grass off the end of the platform.
Harry no longer had any resistance to push against and fell forward and did a summersault in mid-air and landed on his back on the platform. Then all he remembered was that he should have listened to Hermione about that concussion he had, cause right now his head hurt like hell, and every thing faded away to blackness.
Harry could tell he was still alive but he knew that he should be lying flat on his back at the platform, but again he was somewhere soft that smelled really good. He slowly opened his eyes and to his surprise was the friendly face of his angel that he had met before.
Harry looked into her eyes, they were beautiful brown eyes and had flecks of gold in them. She truly was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and he had never been able to see so. so . clearly. Harry gathered his courage and spoke up.
"Angel?" Harry blinked, there was a bright light coming from behind her. The area under Harry's head got firm all of a sudden then went soft again.
"Yes, Harry?"
"You have beautiful brown eyes."
There was a load snort across the way from Harry but he ignored it for the time being. The angel looked up at the source of the sound but didn't say anything about it.
"Thank you Harry."
Harry then had an idea, it was rude of him to call her angel. Even angels have names, and he was determined to find out hers.
"I'm sorry, but the last time we met I didn't get your name."
The angel smiled then told him, "Please call me Hermione."
"Hmmm, that's a really pretty name. I have a friend named Hermione, I wish I could tell her how much I love her, but." Harry couldn't finish, he just couldn't say that she might not feel the way he does.
"But, what?" a voice came from across the way. The same place where the snort had come from.
Harry turned his head and it looked like this man was bathed in a bright red light, Harry had no reason to not tell them, and it seemed like he could trust them.
"Its just I don't know if she feels the same way, and if she doesn't it might hurt our friendship. I'll do anything for my friends, even if I have to stay away from them to keep them safe, I don't know what I'd do if either one of them were hurt because Voldemort used them to get to me."
The fiery red man looked a little shocked and somber it seemed. But Hermione, the angel that shared the same name as his friend, Harry needed no help in guessing how she was feeling, she looked livid, she was angry about something that he had said.
"Harry James Potter, you will do no such thing, don't you think that you should at least tell your friends about your concerns of their safety. Because I know for a fact that neither one of them is going to fall for that trick. And you should also come out with your feelings for her." The angel no longer looked angry but kind of sad and hopeful at the same time.
The fire red man, looked at Harry and chuckled, "Harry, she would be crazy not to like you back. You need to have more confidence in yourself. Every girl who knows who you are wants to bed you."
Harry blushed, "I don't want any girl though, I want Hermione. Thank you though you sound a lot like my friend Ron."
The fire red man looked at him, then smirked. "Hey, you know what happened while you were having a contest with Ron."
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment then shook his head. "All I remember is a flash of really bright white light then feeling really light and happy. It felt like my strength increased as well."
As soon as Harry had finished saying this the train shook and Harry was tossed from where he was laying on Hermione's lap and fell onto the floor, seeing only the ground rushing towards him and the blackness rushing over his mind, took him once more. ~o0o~
Harry woke up and was once again in Hermione's lap. With a dull ache in the back of his head, Harry still had his mind reeling
"Hermione?"
"Yes Harry?"
"As much as I enjoy waking up to see my friends faces, we really need to stop doing this."
Hermione looked at him then smirked, "then I guess you should listen to me more often about when your hurt, I told you, you have a concussion. You need to take it easy or you'll hurt yourself more than you already have."
Hermione took Harry in her arms and gave him a hug, while Ron just rolled his eyes. They looked so happy together, Ron continued to sit there until he just couldn't take the sappiness of it any longer, which lasted only three seconds.
"Come on Hermione, as happy as I'm sure he is, Harry doesn't need you to be his mother."
"Oh shut up Ron. It wouldn't hurt for you to show a little concern, you saw them." Hermione said with much scorn in her voice.
Harry noticed something wrong with what Hermione said, "you saw them?" them what? Harry looked down he was in his Hogwarts robes now, then he remembered the bruises on his arms, he had a lot more on his body than the small ones on his arms. Then it hit him he was in muggle clothes before. What had they done? Were they that close to Hogwarts that they had to change his clothes? And if they had they would have seen a lot more than just bruises on his body.
Harry was getting more and more angry as he thought about it and it showed in his voice. "Hermione, what do you mean by `you saw them` them what? And how did I get into my Hogwarts robes?" Harry tried to get up and half succeeded he manage to come up off of Hermione's lap, and support himself on his arm.
"Calm down Harry, we're five minutes away from school, we had to change you into your robes." Ron spoke trying to calm Harry down.
"WE? What do you mean we?"
Hermione spoke slowly and calmly, hoping that this would calm Harry down as well. "Harry, Ron couldn't hold you up and change you into your robes, so I had to help him."
Harry calmed down a little at least it was only Ron and Hermione, then again they could also be the ones he would least want them to know about the abuse his Uncle puts him through. Because they would go to an adult, Harry never considered the Dursley's house his home, his home was always Hogwarts, but then again he had no where else to go for the summer.
"And?" Was Harry's reply to this, he knew what it was but he wanted them to bring it up.
"And what, Harry?" Ron sighed, exasperated.
"Hermione said 'saw them.' Them what?"
Ron now looked pretty pissed off, "you know bloody well right what we mean Harry, all the bruises, welts, cuts, and God knows what else you have hidden."
Harry couldn't be angry any more, he only wished that they hadn't seen what they saw, and hadn't guessed that he was covering some of it up with a little magic. Harry was feeling guilty and ashamed that he tried to hide it from them and that they had found out so soon.
All Harry could do was to turn away from them and mumble out an "I'm fine."
Ron rolled his eyes and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry, we never asked how you were doing."
Hermione put her hand on Harry's other shoulder and turned him around. She looked Harry right in the eyes. Harry could see in Hermione's eyes the real depth of concern that she had for him. Which only made him even more not fine.
"Harry, when ever you say your fine, your not. And when you say your fine before we even ask means that you're hurting. Your stronger than any one I know Harry, you've battled you-know-who four times, and beat him and escaped with your life. You can endure a tremendous amount of pain, so much that it can drive adults insane." Harry couldn't stand it any longer and began to tremble. "You've saved countless lives, Harry, mine included, but I know that emotionally your hurting a lot. Please Harry let us help you. We're your friends that's what we're here for."
Harry fell down to his knees, Ron and Hermione followed him down. "Voldemort will try to use you to get to me. I don't know what I'd do if either of you were hurt because of me."
"Harry, we're not going to leave you if that's what your trying to do." Hermione told him softly in his ear.
"How did you??- You guys are the best." Harry stammered.
Ron looked at Harry thoughtfully then said, "Harry if you don't cheer up right now, I'm going to cast the mother of all cheering charms on you."
Harry looked at Ron and Ron looked at Harry, then they both reached for their wands.
They both yelled out "laeto." Ron jumped backward as the pink jets of sparks flew out of their wands and hit mid air combining into a pink ball and exploding with white and pink sparks catching Harry and Hermione in the blast.
Harry looked at Hermione grabbed her in his arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then they both fell over laughing still holding each other in their arms. All the while Ron looked at them both and smirked.
Ron looked at them both laughing hysterically, he'd never heard of a magic effect like that before, "maybe I was a bit too enthusiastic about that charm."
Hermione was still giggling, "I think you both were a little too enthusiastic about that charm."
Harry laughed lightly, "Well I don't know about you guys but I've never had magic combine like that before, spells usually just deflect, or one other unusual magic effect happens." Harry meant the Priori Incantatem spells effect, but that only happens in rare cases like his and Voldemort's. But Harry had never revealed that information to any one, and he wasn't about to do it now.
Hermione got up still a little giggly and helped Harry to his feet. With the effect of the cheering charm still on him Harry had no choice but to be happy until the spell wore off, and hopefully by that time he will have forgotten about what was troubling him.
The scarlet train, the Hogwarts Express, slowed down and shuddered to a standstill at the station in the all wizard village of Hogsmeade. Harry, Hermione, and Ron all got off the train in high spirits, Ron mostly because he saw Harry and Hermione so giggly, and flirtatious with each other that it was entirely contagious and was spreading out to him and some of the other Hogwarts students. While Harry and Hermione were still under the over enthusiastic effects of the cheering charm and were having a grand time about it.
Harry looked around him as he got off the train, then he quickly saw the huge form of his half giant friend Hagrid, and waved vigorously calling his name until the massive man turned and waved back.
"How ye doin' Harry? I'll talk wit' ya later, at the Great 'all." Boomed back Hagrid as he herded all the first years into the boats to take them across the lake into the Hogwarts area proper.
Harry walked over to the horse-less carriages, noticing that the sun was still out it wasn't quite dark yet. The cool air, the soft crunch of the gravel beneath his feet, he was home now. Then stepping up to one of the carriages he stopped, then stepped aside to help Hermione up into the carriage, then got in himself followed by Ron who was still grinning like a maniac.
Harry finally noticed Ron's odd grin and decided to ask him about it. "Ron? Why on God's green earth are you grinning like a prat? You weren't hit by the cheering charm."
Ron looked as though he would burst soon if he didn't tell some one what was going on but all he said was, "I'll tell you once we get back to the dorms."
"What, you can't tell Harry while I'm around Ron?" Hermione would have been angry had she not been forced to be so happy.
Ron's maniacal grin if possible got bigger and broader at this comment, and responded with an answer that would have started a huge row between them, "It's guy stuff."
"If I wasn't in such a good mood Ron I'd throw you out of this carriage."
The carriage jerked to the side as it hit a bump in the dirt and gravel road, and threw Hermione across Harry's lap. Harry didn't notice her blush furiously as he held her and asked if she was all right.
Ron began laughing hysterically, then in between laughs managed to blurt out, "Of course she's ok Harry. She's in the one place that all witches want to be, in the arms of," Ron paused for a moment to add in some dramatics as he waved his arms around no one and lowered his voice down an octave, "The Famous Harry Potter, THE BOY WHO LIVED."
"Shut it Ron." Both Harry and Hermione yelled at him.
The rest of the ten-minute ride went uneventful and silent except for when Ron caught Harry's hand on Hermione's and he let out a soft snort, and began to grin like a maniac again.
When the carriage came to stop Ron jumped out, and was followed by Harry. He turned around and helped Hermione down. And they began the short walk up to the castle, past the old whomping willow, and into the Entrance Hall.
A hoarse yell echoed in the entrance hall. "Weasley."
Harry and Ron looked over toward the sound and soon a silver blonde flanked by two massive, hairy, dull, bodyguards. It was Draco Malfoy, and his brutish bodyguard friends Crabbe, and Goyle.
Ron looked over at Malfoy and the grin that he had been wearing grew even broader. "Malfoy, what an unexpected and pleasant surprise to see you so soon in the year. I'm glad you decided to grace us with your presence." Ron spoke to Malfoy in what was unmistakably a very happy tone of voice.
Harry looked at Ron for one moment then his own features hardened when Malfoy drew nearer, with a look of barely restrained rage on his face.
"Weasley, I'll get the three of you for what you did to my father. And it starts now." Malfoy looked like he was about to explode with anger as he had his wand trained on Ron's face and made a motion with his left hand that sent Crabbe and Goyle looming forward.
Ron looked at Malfoy straight in the eyes, then spoke with calmness and with great clarity, "Why Malfoy, are you upset about the ministry finding out about that secret chamber of dark arts stuff under your drawing room floor?"
Harry needn't have had to look at Malfoy's face to see the anger that was burning in his eyes, Harry was in a half smile now but still had his eyes on Crabbe and Goyle.
Just as Malfoy had started to say the spell he would have cast in Ron's face, Ron had bated the wand away with his left hand and punched him in the face with his right. Harry didn't have enough time to grab his own wand before the two hulking angry forms of Crabbe and Goyle ran at Ron. Harry thrust himself in front of them and held his hands out saying the first spell that came to his mind that would stop them.
"Impedimenta" Harry could feel the magic running through his body, into his arms and out of his hands, that just as they had touched his hands, they froze in place slowed to a standstill.
Ron took Draco to the ground but froze as he saw what Harry did, Malfoy also stopped. Harry looked at them both then simply said, "It was kind of redundant to slow them down, huh?"
"Stupefy." Ron looked down from on top of Malfoy, he was stunned. Ron just got up and looked at Harry.
Ron and Hermione stared at him, Harry felt just a little uncomfortable under their stare. "Did you use your wand for that Harry?"
"Well, I used my wand when I stunned Malfoy, but not when I stopped his flunkies."
Ron shrugged, "And I still wanted to beat the hell out of him. Oh well, lets hurry and shove them in the broom closet." Ron grabbed Draco by his robes and threw him none to gently into the closet that Hermione had opened for them, while Harry dragged Crabbe and Goyle into the closet, where it was quickly locked in place by conjured ropes.
Harry walked into the Great hall followed by his friends. Harry sat down at the long Gryffindor table, Ron sat down to his left and Hermione sat to his right. While Ron's older twin brothers that walked in after they did sat directly across from them.
Fred looked at Ron and George and nodded once with a firm look of determination on his face. Ron looked at him gave a full smile and an approving nod, George too looked determined and nodded. Harry gave them all an odd questioning look, until the huge wooden doors of the Great Hall burst open and Hagrid came walking in followed by the first years. They all looked frightened of what might happen, and before Professor McGonagall, could explain what was about to happen to them, the three Weasley brothers made their move. All three got up at the same moment and spoke loud enough for the entire hall to hear.
"Attention first years, we have a very important announcement that we must make before you are sorted into your houses."
McGonagall looked at Dumbledore pleading him to intervene, but he just had that same twinkle in his eyes and waved her to let them continue. She looked very angry until Ron winked at her and told her it was ok.
"We the last remaining Weasley men, of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, would like to tell you a tale that begins 14 years ago." Ron spoke with mild amusement and a lot of enthusiasm.
Fred spoke up and continued where Ron had left off, "Of a man who has fought Voldemort, not once, not twice, not even three times, but four times. Has fought and defeated the dreaded dark lord."
Harry was horrified he couldn't believe that Ron was doing this to him, and began to blush furiously. While Hermione refused to look at him, but continued to stare at the three Weasleys as they continued their "announcement."
George this time caught on and began telling the story, "fourteen years ago, the first battle took place when he was just but a baby, one year of age. The Dark Lord knew of his incredible magical power, and tried to be rid of him when he was to young to defend himself."
Ron took over once more and lead on the speech, "You know that he is the only person to have ever survived the killing curse cast by the dark lord, and when the curse hit him, it transferred magical power from the dark lord and to him. Giving him even more power, and new skills."
Fred began again and spoke quicker as he glanced at Harry and saw him glare darkly at him. "But alas it was too late for his parents, but he the great man that he is made Voldemort pay for it dearly with his body. Because in truth Voldemort could not be killed so easily, because of the dark magic he used, Voldemort was only reduced to a shadow, he wasn't alive but he wasn't dead either."
George took on a more melodramatic approach as he continued to tell Harry's life story, "Then after ten years of living with Muggles that treat him horribly, he got to come to Hogwarts, where he first found out that he was, well him. And in that first year he came to the knowledge that some one was going to steal the powerful Sorcerer's stone. And it turns out that his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had been possessed by the Dark Lord, but our hero in all his purity and goodness, went to go stop him, with the help of his two best friends, my dear bother Ron and the talented Hermione. Once he got there, the Dark Lord could not stand against his pure touch, and was burned to cinders."
Ron grinned at the dark blush that was coming to Harry's face, and did kind of feel sorry for him that he had to go through this. But Ron continued on even more fervently than before. "Then in our second year, a time when every one should be ashamed of themselves for the way they treated him."
Every student in the great hall except for the Gryffindors and Slytherins looked down at this remembering how poorly they had treated Harry. "When one of Harry's skills came into light, he was a Parselmouth, meaning that he could talk to snakes. But this year we were plagued by petrification, and again he rose up and killed a basilisk that was being controlled by a powerful dark item, this item was a diary that had been enchanted by the Dark Lord when he was sixteen. This book tricked my sister, and began to feed on her life, but again the wizarding world was saved by its hero."
George kept going in the set pattern and began about Harry's third year, " then in his third year here at this wonderful school of witchcraft and wizardry, he fought off scores of Dementors, by using a spell so powerful that most adult wizards are not able to cast it. But all in all it was a pretty boring year for him." George chanced a quick glance at Harry just in time to see him slam his head on the hard wooden table.
Fred spoke meaningfully with great sobriety, "and last year he was chosen to be the fourth Tri-wizard champion, and did very well on all three tasks, and he tied with Cedric Diggory, who shortly after ward died at the hands of the Dark lord. But once more the hero of the wizarding world was forced into battle with the Dark lord, after having been used as a means of the Dark lords resurrection, however he was able to defeat the Dark lord, and return home with Cedric's body."
All three Weasley's now stood together near Harry, who still had his head on the table and was blushing furiously. And Harry didn't notice but Hermione had gotten up and stood with the Weasley's.
"Every muggle on Earth owes him their life and they don't even know it." Said Ron with a kind of silent pride in his friend.
"He is our hero and our savior, he is the one and the only HARRY POTTER." The Weasley brothers said it perfectly in time with one another and even managed to say Harry Potter in a three part harmony, as Hermione grabbed Harry and lifted him up out of his seat until he was standing so that every one could see him.
Hermione took this time to add something herself, while Dumbledore looked at the scene with a lot of interest. "Harry Potter the man so modest, that this has him blushing redder than Ron's hair."
"HEY." Both Ron and Harry yelled in indignation, Harry mostly because he could feel that he really wasn't blushing all THAT badly.
Harry then continued, and took a long look at Hermione then glanced at Ron's hair. "There is no way I could ever blush THAT much."
Harry could hear Ron's groan at his attempt to get the spotlight off of himself and onto someone else, and Harry began laughing just letting go and even Ron began to laugh with him so did every one else. But he could also hear the light hearted laughter of every one in the Great Hall, all the students laughing blissfully with them, even the teachers. Hagrid's booming laugh, Dumbledore's light but deep chuckle, even Professor Snape couldn't help it and laughed, it seemed as though the entire great hall had forgotten every bad thing that had happened the year before, and just let themselves go into one blissful moment. Then after a little while the laughter had died down, and every one seemed to have forgotten the impromptu announcement, and was still in a very good mood, Snape didn't look quite as irritated as he did before.
Hermione ignored all this and continued, "But this should have you blushing worse than anyone has ever seen."
Harry looked at Hermione as she came closer to him, she came at him quickly so that he didn't have any time to prepare himself but it felt as though it was all going in slow motion, she then kissed him full on the lips. To Harry it felt like blissful heaven forever, and was surprised when the kiss deepened.
A soft, white glow began to emanate from Harry's body, and white flames began to flow and twist around both Harry and Hermione until they were both surrounded by it. A swirl of large white feathers, burst into appearance amid the pearl white flames of magical energy raging around the two. The Great Hall was silent except for the sound of the energy rushing around, both Harry and Hermione seemed completely oblivious to it.
Ron stared in awed disbelief that Hermione finally did it and the result of that union. Ron took a quick look around the Great Hall, McGonagall looked at them in what seemed to be fear. Dumbledore had a similar look to his face except that the twinkle in his eyes was still there and he had a slight smile to his lips.
Harry had his eyes closed and just melted into the kiss from the beginning, he felt warm, whole, and complete. He could feel everything going on around him, the candles floating up in the air on puffs of magic, the candles themselves burning and producing light but never consuming itself. The heartbeats of students around him, some of them quick, others more slowly, Harry could feel these things around him. Lastly he could feel his own heartbeat, no, that wasn't right there were two heartbeats, his own and Hermione's. Their hearts were beating together as one. Then he felt it, both of them, needed to go down from the heaven that they were at to breathe.
The kiss ended and Harry looked into Hermione's eyes, the soft glow of candle light all around them, a single white feather dropped down to the ground and disappeared into tiny glowing points of light, that soon disappeared into nothing.
"Harry, if you're quite done with Ms. Granger, and if the Weasleys are done with their surprise announcement, we'll continue on with the sorting." Said Dumbledore with barely restrained laughter, as he saw Harry go bright red and begin to sit down. "Oh, Harry before I forget, I need to see you and Ms. Granger in my office right after the feast."
Harry nodded solemnly, just knowing that he was in trouble for this, and he didn't have anything to do with it. But he still thought that it was more than worth it, besides the worst they'd do to him is give him a detention and a warning about doing anything like that again. They would never try to expel him or Hermione.
The sorting happened while Harry was lost in thought, and wasn't paying attention, but it seemed as though a lot of first years came over to the Gryffindor table than any other. Then the food appeared in front of them and dug in to it.
Not a word was said between them and Harry had a feeling why, they thought that he was mad at them, not really though even if Snape was going to be even more of a pain than usual. But Harry was just hungry, as his loudly rumbling stomach kept reminding him as he ate faster than Ron could have. Chicken legs would go missing everywhere around him, rolls of bread were quickly devoured, bowls of several different soups would drain themselves in his presence, and goblets of pumpkin juice would be choked down.
Ron raised an eyebrow at the amount of food Harry was eating, it was pretty unusual for Harry to eat so much. Ron shrugged and put it off as Harry having a growth spurt, the Dursleys didn't feed him so maybe his body was making up for it now? The amount of food that Harry was stuffing down his throat was beyond belief, he ate nearly a quarter of the food on the table by himself. If he kept this up he'd eat half of it by himself by the time the feast was over. Finally after downing three additional cups of pumpkin juice Harry leaned back and said, "That's much better, I do wish there was another roll though."
Hermione stared at Harry as she continued to butter her roll, the last one, she glanced at her roll then took a bite out of it just loud enough for Harry to hear.
"Hermione, I wasn't going to take yours, give me a break will you." Harry was just slightly resentful of her thinking he would steal from her.
Hermione smirked and smoothly said, "If I remember correctly I just gave you a break a little while ago."
Harry blushed a little and mumbled out, "If that's what its like to get a break, I need to get one more often."
Ron over hearing this burst out laughing a sprayed food all over Neville.
Hermione glared at Ron, "That is so disgusting, Ron." She then took out her wand and muttered a cleaning spell, effectively cleaning him off.
Just a few minutes later the feast had ended, and Dumbledore was wishing them all a good night, and had called Harry and Hermione up to his office after they were done saying that he had something he needed to tell them. Harry looked at Hermione nervously, he knew that they were in trouble because of the little show that they had put on, well the show the Weasleys had put on. He got dragged in with the public kiss. Which reminded Harry wasn't Hermione going out with that idiot Krum?
Ron had said goodbye to them both, a bit over dramatized that as punishment for their very public display of affection, that they would be tortured severely, and if they were lucky put to death afterward.
Hermione laughed dryly at Ron's poor acting abilities, and continued walking to Dumbledore's office with Harry just barely able to keep up with her.
Finally Harry couldn't take it any longer he had to know, what was the kiss about, and was she still seeing that stupid git, or Krum as some like to call him. For some reason Harry realized he was very jealous of that round shouldered, duck footed, man that had been hit to many times with a bludger.
"Hey Hermione, aren't you going out with Krum?"
Hermione glared at Harry startling him just a bit, and surprising him even more with her snapped answer of "NO."
"May I ask why, without you taking my head off?"
Hermione looked a little hurt by his remark but seemed to understand that was the impression that she left, and replied, much more nicely this time. "That stupid jerk was trying to get closer to you Harry, Ron was right, and don't you dare tell him that."
"My lips are sealed."
They had arrived at Dumbledore's office, with the Gargoyle that stood in the entranceway. Harry having been here several times before knew the kinds of passwords that Dumbledore liked to use, and rattled off a quick string of candies both wizard and muggle.
"Dumbledore sure loves candy, you've said almost every one except for canary cream."
"Yeah, but there's one more, Fred and George's Ton tongue toffee's."
When Harry had said this the Gargoyle jumped to the side allowing them entrance, to the spinning staircase that would bring them to his door. Once up the stairs and through Dumbledore's office door, they saw his pet Phoenix, Fawkes, leap up and stand on Harry's right shoulder.
"Well at least now I know who to leave Fawkes with when I'm gone." Said the headmaster with a hint of amusement in his voice. "It's a good thing that you learned how to pick the password to my office."
"Sorry Professor, but you weren't there to open the door."
Dumbledore laughed a bit, "Don't worry about it Harry, I should just tell you what the password is any way, but that's not why I called you here."
Harry audibly gulped, it was the beginning of the year and already he was costing Gryffindor house points.
Dumbledore seemed to pick up on Harry's unease and decided to end the poor boys fears, "Don't worry Harry your not in trouble, well at least not from me or any of the teachers." Dumbledore seemed to be having a hard time not smiling as he looked at Harry and his confused expression. "I wanted you to come here so that I could give you some news that I could not give you over the summer due to unforeseen circumstances. I would like to inform you that along with Ms. Granger you have been made a fifth year prefect."
Harry just blinked a few times, then seemed to find his voice again, sounding surer than he really felt. "You're kidding right? I've broken more school rules than anyone else in my class, there is just no way."
Dumbledore looked at Harry and smiled, while giving Hermione a knowing look, while she smirked. "No Harry I'm not kidding. Harry as far as I know, you have only broken rules when you thought it best to help others. You should have several awards to the school plaques by now, I must simply talk to Severus why we never got them. But back to the point now is that you are a leader Harry, your classmates respect you and admire you for your bravery, that is why the teachers and I have made you a prefect even with your record. And I'm sure you already knew that Miss Granger would be a prefect."
"Well yes of course I figured Hermione would be a prefect, she follows the rules. But now that you made me one I will have to because I'm supposed to be an example to them." Harry's response sounded weak and halfhearted even to himself.
Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed but remained silent seemingly waiting for Harry to say something.
Dumbledore locked eye contact with Harry for a moment and pointedly looked at Hermione.
Harry cocked his head for a moment in confusion but caught on and finally asked Hermione, "Okay Hermione, what is it?"
"What is what Harry?"
"You only huff at me when you know something that I don't and you feel its blatantly obvious, and every one should know it."
"Yes, so what's your point."
Harry thought, is it just me or is Hermione flirting with me? "My point is that you huffed at me, so out with it. Out with whatever piece of knowledge that you gained from reading Hogwarts: A History several times over.
"Harry I didn't read it out of Hogwarts: A History, if you must know Dumbledore told me. Prefects have benefits, like being exempt from some of the rules, as long as we're doing our prefect duties."
Being a prefect didn't really appeal to Harry much, even though he'd be able to get away with some things. Harry didn't like the idea of those prefect meetings and said as much. Bringing a light chuckle from the headmaster and causing Hermione to whip out her wand and threaten to hex him if he didn't. Harry quickly agreed, causing the old Headmaster even more mirthful laughter as he pined on his prefect badge. Hermione pined hers on as well as they got up to leave as Dumbledore dismissed them.
"Oh, Harry, Hermione, before I forget the password to your common room is, "Conspiracy."
Harry turned around and gave the old wizard an analyzing look before turning to Hermione and muttering, "You planed this didn't you?"
Hermione's only reply was a smile so sweet that it could almost give you a stomachache. She turned and walked out of the headmaster's office and started up the steps that lead to the Gryffindor common room with Harry following closely behind her.