Thank you for all your reviews. Here's the next instalment, hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long!
Herminone's home was a smart, modern detached house and Mrs Granger had decorated it in a very homely style. As Harry looked around at the neat rooms and elegant but comfortable furniture he couldn't help but notice the contrast with Ron's house. His two best friends came from such different worlds.
Herminone led the way upstairs to her room, the only place in the house that showed any sign of the family's link with the wizarding world. Herminone's school text books (The Standard Book of Spells Grade 4, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) were arranged neatly on her desk, her school robes were hanging by the wardrobe, and on the floor was a pile of Daily Prophets, the wizarding newspaper. Hermione picked up one of the top copies and turned to Harry.
"This is what I wanted to tell you about," she said, "According to the paper it has everyone at the Ministry Of Magic really worried. And no wonder."
Harry looked at the front page, the headline stood out in bold letters "MAJOR SECURITY LEAK TO MUGGLES LEAVES MINISTRY MYSTIFIED" Harry looked at Hermione in confusion.
"Just read it," she said and sat down at her desk.
Harry slumped onto Herminone's bed and started to read the article.
"It has always been in the best interest of our community to keep our world hidden from that of the Muggles. At many times there have been breaches of security but the damage of this has been seriously reduced since the endorsement of the use of Memory Charms against Muggles and the establishment of the Anti-Muggle Security section of the Ministry. However it has come to the attention of the Daily Prophet that there has been a great violation of the Muggle Secrecy Act on such a scale that it is almost impossible to rectify.
On sale in Muggle books shops are books that describe, in close detail, our world. The books are focused around one of our leading wizarding schools and even describe to Muggles how to enter our world. Not only is the setting of the book disturbingly accurate but there has been no attempt to protect the protagonists of the books, the characters in the books are real wizards, known to all of us. Due to restrictions placed on this publication at the time of going to print we are unable to give out any more details on the content of the books.
A Ministry Spokesperson said to our reporter yesterday, "This issue has the full attention of the Ministry. Many of our departments are working together on it and we are liasing with Muggle specialists to determine the best course of action. There is no need for panic, Anti-Muggle security has been stepped up in all areas mentioned in the publication. Our main concern at the moment is the protection of those wizards whom the book directly mentions.""
Harry finished reading and looked up at Herminone, "Ok, so this has got everyone a bit worried, what has this got to do with anything? Why are you showing me?"
Herminone reached into her desk and pulled out a paperback book, about a centimetre and a half thick. She passed it to Harry with a grim look on her face. Harry looked at the book in shock. There, in gold letters on a dark pink background were the words "HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE".
Harry gawped at the book in front of him, he looked up at Hermione in amazement, "This is the book? The one making all the fuss? It's about me?"
Harry took another look at the book in his hands. Under the title was a drawing of a steam train with the words "Hogwarts Express" on it and a boy stood in front of it. The scar on the boy's forehead made Harry's heart sink as he realised that it could only be him.
"Wow," was the only thing he could think to say.
"That's not the only thing," Hermione blurted out, "Your entire first year is there Harry…I mean, OUR entire first year."
"You mean, you're in it too?" Harry felt things couldn't get any stranger.
"All of us are in it! You, me, Ron, Snape, Percy even Malfoy. It's perfect in every detail! Even when we are fighting the enchantments to get to the stone when no one else was there… it's all exactly right." Hermione looked up confused.
Harry looked down at the book, opened it and read the first sentence, "Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." Suddenly the way that the Dursley's had been treating him fitted into place as he remembered the day Aunt Petunia had gone shopping, she had been to a book shop to get Dudley's textbooks, she would have seen the book.
"Have you read it all Hermione?" he asked.
Hermione nodded slowly, "But Harry, there's more…" and she reached into her desk again, this time pulling out another paperback, the same size as the first one and a hardback book a bit bigger than the other two. Harry again saw his name on both books and to his dismay a turquoise Ford Anglia on the front of one and something that looked very like a Hippogriff on the other. "All three of them accurate down to the very last detail," Hermione flopped back in her seat and tried to smile, "Obviously I could get hold of them from our local bookshop, what with having normal…muggle parents and everything."
Harry shook his head, "But what's the fuss about really? I'm in books already, I've seen some in the library at Hogwarts. And you told me when we first met."
Hermione smiled, "Page 79 in book one."
Harry tore open the book and yes, there it was, Hermione walking into the train compartment on his first journey to Hogwarts.
"But that's not the point Harry, those books are wizard books, only available in our world. These books," she gestured to the three books that Harry was already beginning to hate, "muggles can read, and they are really popular, it's bit of a craze. Although they are only thought of as fiction you can see why the Ministry is so worried. People may start trying to get into Diagon Alley or Platform 9 ¾. It's leaking so many of our secrets out."
Harry flopped back onto Hermione's bed and stared at the ceiling. It wasn't fair; the press had pestered him all last year because of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Already everyone in the wizarding world knew his name and stared at his forehead to see the famous scar. He'd had more than his fair share of fame throughout his four years at Hogwarts and it had already caused one major argument between Ron and him. And now there were books about him in the muggle world, books that followed his entire life.
Harry thought with a jolt, what about his feelings? Were they in the books? He grabbed the third book and hunted down the chapter when Griffindor were playing a Quidditch match against Rawenclaw and there it was, in plain ink, the first jerk in his stomach when he first saw Cho Chang. He sank back against the pillows. It just wasn't fair, why couldn't he be left alone?
"Who wrote them Herm?" he asked the ceiling.
"Some muggle, she called J.K. Rowling." Hermione answered.
"But how did she know?" Harry bashed his fists against the bed, and then a thought occurred to him, "Herm, everyone at the Ministry will think we told her. It's all told from our point of view, they'll think we breached the Secrecy Act!"
Herminone's home was a smart, modern detached house and Mrs Granger had decorated it in a very homely style. As Harry looked around at the neat rooms and elegant but comfortable furniture he couldn't help but notice the contrast with Ron's house. His two best friends came from such different worlds.
Herminone led the way upstairs to her room, the only place in the house that showed any sign of the family's link with the wizarding world. Herminone's school text books (The Standard Book of Spells Grade 4, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) were arranged neatly on her desk, her school robes were hanging by the wardrobe, and on the floor was a pile of Daily Prophets, the wizarding newspaper. Hermione picked up one of the top copies and turned to Harry.
"This is what I wanted to tell you about," she said, "According to the paper it has everyone at the Ministry Of Magic really worried. And no wonder."
Harry looked at the front page, the headline stood out in bold letters "MAJOR SECURITY LEAK TO MUGGLES LEAVES MINISTRY MYSTIFIED" Harry looked at Hermione in confusion.
"Just read it," she said and sat down at her desk.
Harry slumped onto Herminone's bed and started to read the article.
"It has always been in the best interest of our community to keep our world hidden from that of the Muggles. At many times there have been breaches of security but the damage of this has been seriously reduced since the endorsement of the use of Memory Charms against Muggles and the establishment of the Anti-Muggle Security section of the Ministry. However it has come to the attention of the Daily Prophet that there has been a great violation of the Muggle Secrecy Act on such a scale that it is almost impossible to rectify.
On sale in Muggle books shops are books that describe, in close detail, our world. The books are focused around one of our leading wizarding schools and even describe to Muggles how to enter our world. Not only is the setting of the book disturbingly accurate but there has been no attempt to protect the protagonists of the books, the characters in the books are real wizards, known to all of us. Due to restrictions placed on this publication at the time of going to print we are unable to give out any more details on the content of the books.
A Ministry Spokesperson said to our reporter yesterday, "This issue has the full attention of the Ministry. Many of our departments are working together on it and we are liasing with Muggle specialists to determine the best course of action. There is no need for panic, Anti-Muggle security has been stepped up in all areas mentioned in the publication. Our main concern at the moment is the protection of those wizards whom the book directly mentions.""
Harry finished reading and looked up at Herminone, "Ok, so this has got everyone a bit worried, what has this got to do with anything? Why are you showing me?"
Herminone reached into her desk and pulled out a paperback book, about a centimetre and a half thick. She passed it to Harry with a grim look on her face. Harry looked at the book in shock. There, in gold letters on a dark pink background were the words "HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE".
Harry gawped at the book in front of him, he looked up at Hermione in amazement, "This is the book? The one making all the fuss? It's about me?"
Harry took another look at the book in his hands. Under the title was a drawing of a steam train with the words "Hogwarts Express" on it and a boy stood in front of it. The scar on the boy's forehead made Harry's heart sink as he realised that it could only be him.
"Wow," was the only thing he could think to say.
"That's not the only thing," Hermione blurted out, "Your entire first year is there Harry…I mean, OUR entire first year."
"You mean, you're in it too?" Harry felt things couldn't get any stranger.
"All of us are in it! You, me, Ron, Snape, Percy even Malfoy. It's perfect in every detail! Even when we are fighting the enchantments to get to the stone when no one else was there… it's all exactly right." Hermione looked up confused.
Harry looked down at the book, opened it and read the first sentence, "Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." Suddenly the way that the Dursley's had been treating him fitted into place as he remembered the day Aunt Petunia had gone shopping, she had been to a book shop to get Dudley's textbooks, she would have seen the book.
"Have you read it all Hermione?" he asked.
Hermione nodded slowly, "But Harry, there's more…" and she reached into her desk again, this time pulling out another paperback, the same size as the first one and a hardback book a bit bigger than the other two. Harry again saw his name on both books and to his dismay a turquoise Ford Anglia on the front of one and something that looked very like a Hippogriff on the other. "All three of them accurate down to the very last detail," Hermione flopped back in her seat and tried to smile, "Obviously I could get hold of them from our local bookshop, what with having normal…muggle parents and everything."
Harry shook his head, "But what's the fuss about really? I'm in books already, I've seen some in the library at Hogwarts. And you told me when we first met."
Hermione smiled, "Page 79 in book one."
Harry tore open the book and yes, there it was, Hermione walking into the train compartment on his first journey to Hogwarts.
"But that's not the point Harry, those books are wizard books, only available in our world. These books," she gestured to the three books that Harry was already beginning to hate, "muggles can read, and they are really popular, it's bit of a craze. Although they are only thought of as fiction you can see why the Ministry is so worried. People may start trying to get into Diagon Alley or Platform 9 ¾. It's leaking so many of our secrets out."
Harry flopped back onto Hermione's bed and stared at the ceiling. It wasn't fair; the press had pestered him all last year because of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Already everyone in the wizarding world knew his name and stared at his forehead to see the famous scar. He'd had more than his fair share of fame throughout his four years at Hogwarts and it had already caused one major argument between Ron and him. And now there were books about him in the muggle world, books that followed his entire life.
Harry thought with a jolt, what about his feelings? Were they in the books? He grabbed the third book and hunted down the chapter when Griffindor were playing a Quidditch match against Rawenclaw and there it was, in plain ink, the first jerk in his stomach when he first saw Cho Chang. He sank back against the pillows. It just wasn't fair, why couldn't he be left alone?
"Who wrote them Herm?" he asked the ceiling.
"Some muggle, she called J.K. Rowling." Hermione answered.
"But how did she know?" Harry bashed his fists against the bed, and then a thought occurred to him, "Herm, everyone at the Ministry will think we told her. It's all told from our point of view, they'll think we breached the Secrecy Act!"