Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It is only my wishful thinking.
True Colors - Chapter 4 - Harry's Tale
I gaped at the boy who was sitting on my bed, losing all awareness of my lack of clothing.
"What are you doing here?" I said in a loud whisper. Hedwig hooted at me.
"I had to get away from the Dursleys; there were being atrocious after I made this one, teensy mistake."
"What did you do?"
"Well, Dudley had a friend from school over at the house, and they thought it would be funny to lock me outside while Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were away at the store getting him a present for something or other. Anyway, I had been locked out for the better part of an hour, and finally got fed up with it. I used the Alohomora charm on the front door, and the two boys just happened to be walking by right when I did.
Because we were technically 5th years now, we were allowed to perform basic spells outside of Hogwarts.
He stood up and began pacing the room.
"Dudley's friend just stared at me while Dudley, the little brat, chanted over and over in an annoying, sing-songy voice, 'you're gonna be in trouble; you're gonna be in trouble!' Then he just had to go call Uncle Vernon and tell him what I had done, though not without adding in a few major details that didn't happen, such as me chasing them around the house trying to turn them into frogs, thus getting me grounded until the end of the summer. I'm not sure how they dealt with Dudley's friend, because after Dudley called his parents, I immediately gathered all of my wizarding things and locked myself in my room. I wouldn't come out, especially after I heard Uncle Vernon slam the door when he got home and bellow at the top of his lungs, "BOY!" For nearly a week I was given only two ham sandwiches a day, and finally I plotted my escape. I gathered all of my belongings in a trunk and cast a weight-reducing spell on it, so that I could carry it with me on my broom. It's outside the window right now, hidden in the bushes. I went to Ron's house first. but." His voice trailed off, and I could tell that something was wrong.
"But what?" I asked him, searching for an answer in his deep, green eyes. "What happened with Ron?"
He sat back down on my bed, and stared at the ground. Finally he said in a low voice, "Well, when I got there, his parents were gone; he said that his dad and Percy were at work, and that his mom had taken Ginny to a friend's house, and the twins went with her to stop by the joke shop on the way back. He wouldn't let me inside and insisted that I should leave. I asked him if I could stay with them for the summer, but he said that I couldn't, as they were going out of town in a few days." He stood up and resumed pacing back and forth, arms grasping each other behind his back. Meanwhile, Hedwig had flown from his shoulder and perched upon one of the posts at the end of my bed.
I sat motionless, silent, as though in a trance until the voice of my forgotten mother pulled me back into reality from just outside my door.
"Hermione?" she called to me, mere meters away. "Are you okay? You've been in there an awfully long time. And was I hearing voices?"
I gasped, realizing that it would not be a good thing if she came into my room now and saw Harry in my room with me, as I noticed, still in my towel, though now almost dry.
"I'm fine, Mom!" I shouted back. "Just trying to find some clean clothes for today!"
"I hung some shirts in your closet only yesterday. And there are some freshly laundered shorts in your bottom drawer!"
"Okay!"
I let out a sigh of relief, and glanced over at Harry, who was hiding in my closet.
"Why don't you wait outside my window for a few minutes while I change, and when I finish you can come to the front door. I'm willing to bet that they would be more inclined to let you stay if you rang the doorbell than if you came through my window without them knowing."
He flashed me a smile and said, "Thanks, Hermione." I smiled back, and he grabbed his Firebolt and hopped out the window onto the broom. Hedwig hooted at me and flew out the window after him. I sighed and opened my closet to find some suitable clothes.
I settled on a crimson red tee shirt and some denim shorts. I peeked toward the window to make sure Harry wasn't watching, not that I suspected him to be, but he was still a boy, after all. He wasn't there, so I dropped my towel and quickly slipped into my clothes. I walked to the window and looked down at the boy who was sitting cross-legged on the grass below.
"Harry," I whispered. He looked up and I nodded for him to go ahead and walk around to the front. As he picked up his broom and trunk and headed around the house, I hurried to meet him, praying that my parents would understand.
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My bare feet pattered down the stairs toward my parents in the kitchen, where they sat, eating pancakes Dad had made. I shouted a good morning to them, and, as I did so, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" I called to them. At the door I took a deep breath, knowing what it was going to take to pull this off, and opened the door. Standing just outside was, of course, Harry; Hedwig was perched on a tree branch that hung near the door. I stepped aside for Harry to come in, and shut the door quietly behind Hedwig, who made herself comfortable on a hat rack in the corner.
"Who was at the door, sweetie?" Mom asked, staring at the newspaper, as I walked into the kitchen. Harry snickered at the pet name.
"Uh. well. um." I stammered, but after taking I deep breath I regained my composure. "Harry's here, Mom, and. well, why don't you tell, Harry," I said, turning to him.
I listened as he recounted the very tale he told me only minutes earlier, but minus the part at the end about Ron. I stared at Dad while they both watched Harry telling his story.
"So it would really be nice if we could let Harry stay with us for the summer; he can't go back to the Dursley's after running away like this, and he has nowhere to go."
Both of them looked at each other, as though having an entire conversation without words. After a long while, Mom turned around, smiled at Harry, and said,
"Of course you can stay."
True Colors - Chapter 4 - Harry's Tale
I gaped at the boy who was sitting on my bed, losing all awareness of my lack of clothing.
"What are you doing here?" I said in a loud whisper. Hedwig hooted at me.
"I had to get away from the Dursleys; there were being atrocious after I made this one, teensy mistake."
"What did you do?"
"Well, Dudley had a friend from school over at the house, and they thought it would be funny to lock me outside while Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were away at the store getting him a present for something or other. Anyway, I had been locked out for the better part of an hour, and finally got fed up with it. I used the Alohomora charm on the front door, and the two boys just happened to be walking by right when I did.
Because we were technically 5th years now, we were allowed to perform basic spells outside of Hogwarts.
He stood up and began pacing the room.
"Dudley's friend just stared at me while Dudley, the little brat, chanted over and over in an annoying, sing-songy voice, 'you're gonna be in trouble; you're gonna be in trouble!' Then he just had to go call Uncle Vernon and tell him what I had done, though not without adding in a few major details that didn't happen, such as me chasing them around the house trying to turn them into frogs, thus getting me grounded until the end of the summer. I'm not sure how they dealt with Dudley's friend, because after Dudley called his parents, I immediately gathered all of my wizarding things and locked myself in my room. I wouldn't come out, especially after I heard Uncle Vernon slam the door when he got home and bellow at the top of his lungs, "BOY!" For nearly a week I was given only two ham sandwiches a day, and finally I plotted my escape. I gathered all of my belongings in a trunk and cast a weight-reducing spell on it, so that I could carry it with me on my broom. It's outside the window right now, hidden in the bushes. I went to Ron's house first. but." His voice trailed off, and I could tell that something was wrong.
"But what?" I asked him, searching for an answer in his deep, green eyes. "What happened with Ron?"
He sat back down on my bed, and stared at the ground. Finally he said in a low voice, "Well, when I got there, his parents were gone; he said that his dad and Percy were at work, and that his mom had taken Ginny to a friend's house, and the twins went with her to stop by the joke shop on the way back. He wouldn't let me inside and insisted that I should leave. I asked him if I could stay with them for the summer, but he said that I couldn't, as they were going out of town in a few days." He stood up and resumed pacing back and forth, arms grasping each other behind his back. Meanwhile, Hedwig had flown from his shoulder and perched upon one of the posts at the end of my bed.
I sat motionless, silent, as though in a trance until the voice of my forgotten mother pulled me back into reality from just outside my door.
"Hermione?" she called to me, mere meters away. "Are you okay? You've been in there an awfully long time. And was I hearing voices?"
I gasped, realizing that it would not be a good thing if she came into my room now and saw Harry in my room with me, as I noticed, still in my towel, though now almost dry.
"I'm fine, Mom!" I shouted back. "Just trying to find some clean clothes for today!"
"I hung some shirts in your closet only yesterday. And there are some freshly laundered shorts in your bottom drawer!"
"Okay!"
I let out a sigh of relief, and glanced over at Harry, who was hiding in my closet.
"Why don't you wait outside my window for a few minutes while I change, and when I finish you can come to the front door. I'm willing to bet that they would be more inclined to let you stay if you rang the doorbell than if you came through my window without them knowing."
He flashed me a smile and said, "Thanks, Hermione." I smiled back, and he grabbed his Firebolt and hopped out the window onto the broom. Hedwig hooted at me and flew out the window after him. I sighed and opened my closet to find some suitable clothes.
I settled on a crimson red tee shirt and some denim shorts. I peeked toward the window to make sure Harry wasn't watching, not that I suspected him to be, but he was still a boy, after all. He wasn't there, so I dropped my towel and quickly slipped into my clothes. I walked to the window and looked down at the boy who was sitting cross-legged on the grass below.
"Harry," I whispered. He looked up and I nodded for him to go ahead and walk around to the front. As he picked up his broom and trunk and headed around the house, I hurried to meet him, praying that my parents would understand.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
My bare feet pattered down the stairs toward my parents in the kitchen, where they sat, eating pancakes Dad had made. I shouted a good morning to them, and, as I did so, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" I called to them. At the door I took a deep breath, knowing what it was going to take to pull this off, and opened the door. Standing just outside was, of course, Harry; Hedwig was perched on a tree branch that hung near the door. I stepped aside for Harry to come in, and shut the door quietly behind Hedwig, who made herself comfortable on a hat rack in the corner.
"Who was at the door, sweetie?" Mom asked, staring at the newspaper, as I walked into the kitchen. Harry snickered at the pet name.
"Uh. well. um." I stammered, but after taking I deep breath I regained my composure. "Harry's here, Mom, and. well, why don't you tell, Harry," I said, turning to him.
I listened as he recounted the very tale he told me only minutes earlier, but minus the part at the end about Ron. I stared at Dad while they both watched Harry telling his story.
"So it would really be nice if we could let Harry stay with us for the summer; he can't go back to the Dursley's after running away like this, and he has nowhere to go."
Both of them looked at each other, as though having an entire conversation without words. After a long while, Mom turned around, smiled at Harry, and said,
"Of course you can stay."