Alright, new chapter. Harry's going to the Grangers! He's going to get some surprises, though. And Hermione is, too, by the way.

Chap. 2 The Grangers

Harry was pacing back and forth on the front lawn of number 4 Privet Drive. It was noon on the Tuesday of which the Grangers would be arriving to fetch him from the Dursley's. He assumed that they would come in an hour or so, but he had been waiting outside with all his things since early that morning, not wanting to spend more time than absolutely necessary in that horrific house of his aunt and uncle.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the large black dog known as Snuffles running towards him over the yard of Mrs. Figg, the next-door neighbour. The middle-aged lady herself came walking proudly behind him, with a big smile on her face. Harry was utterly surprised to see her coming towards him, looking as if she knew Snuffles very well, even though all her cats would be a definite obstacle in the way of her liking dogs.

"Hello, Harry dear", she said as she came up to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I guess", Harry replied, still surprised to have her speak to him in such as familiar manner. "I'm waiting for my friend to come pick me up. I'm going away for the rest of the summer, before school starts."

"Yes, Snuffles here told me all about it. I hope you have a good time with your friend. I guess I'll see you when schools starts, on the 1st of September. I must congratulate you on your recent appointments as Prefect and Captain of your House team, I always knew you had it in you."

Harry stared at her. Mrs. Figg smiled at his startled face.

"Yes, Harry", she said. "I'm a witch. Dumbledore put me here years ago to watch over you, being an old friend of your parents, and all. Snuffle's been staying with me all summer."

"How. why."

"I know you must be surprised, but I can assure you there's a perfectly good explanation to all of this. I came to tell you who I am now because I'm leaving here when you go back to school in September, to become the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor of Hogwarts. Snuffles didn't think it wise of me to blow my cover to you, but you'd find out as soon as you got to school anyway, and thought it better if I told you all of this right away."

"Y-yes", Harry stammered.

Sirius barked as they were interrupted by a large green station-wagon coming up the driveway. The Grangers had arrived.

Out of the car jumped a very excited and very different Hermione. Well, not all that different from the end of term, but different enough. She was wearing muggle clothes, something Harry rarely had seen her in earlier, and she had cut her hair quite a bit. It was now quite short, barely touching her shoulders, and looked far less bushy in this manner. Not that he had ever had any trouble with her hair, but he had to confess that she looked better in this coiffure.

"Hi, Harry!", she exclaimed happily and embraced him. She then took a step back to look at him, with a rather surprised expression in her face.

Harry himself didn't at all think he had changed that much, but he reckoned he must have. Due to all his exercise his frame had filled out a little, and he had grown about five inches in merely five weeks of summer. His hair was a little longer than usual too.

They both smiled at each other happily.

"It's good to see you, Hermione", he replied.

"Do you have all your things ready?", asked a man who had just stepped out of the car. Harry went up to him and took his hand.

"Hello, Mr. Granger, I'm Harry Potter", he said.

"Hello, Harry. I'm Alan Granger, Hermione's dad. Got everything packed and ready to go?"

"Yes. Snuffles, get in the car."

Sirius paced his way quickly to the trunk and placed himself there for the ride. Mrs. Figg enveloped Harry in a hug and bade him farewell until beginning of term. Hermione looked at her questioningly, and Mrs. Figg presented herself, then waved goodbye as they drove away down the street.

"So, Harry", Hermione said. "How have you been?"

"Just fine. I've had quite a heap of schoolwork to get through, but I'm nearly finished now. I've just got to finish my Herbology essay, and I have to study some more Arithmancy, but I was kind of hoping you'd help me with that."

"What are you talking about, Harry? You don't even take Arithmancy."

"Yes, now I do. I finally decided to drop Divination, and I need to catch up with the rest of the class in order to change my subject. I got tired of the old wench we have for a professor."

"That's great! I'll be happy to help you. But I'm surprised you're already finished with your homework. You and Ron usually wait until the last week of holidays before scribbling something down."

"Well, let's just say I won't be doing that anymore. I even wrote more than requested, and I've read "Hogwarts; a History"".

Hermione looked even more thrilled than he had expected. She pursed her lips and looked down a minute.

"Well, if I help you with the Arithmancy, do you think you could give me some pointers on that Transfiguration essay? I'm not finished yet."

"Sure".

"Thanks, Harry".

"By the way, do you want to know something amazing? I've been appointed a Prefect."

"I know! I got the letter yesterday myself. I'm so excited!"

".and Quidditch Captain."

Hermione stared at him. She didn't really know what to say, and obviously decided to hug him instead. Harry laughed. He had actually, after spending less than an hour with Hermione, completely managed to forget everything having to do with Voldemort or Cedric or his parents.

As the car stopped after another hour in the car, they arrived at a rather large villa situated in outer London. Hermione actually looked a bit nervous.

"Um.well, this is where I live", she said. "Mum and dad have their dental practice next to the garage, and. well, I might as well just show you around."

Mr. Granger unpacked the car and let Sirius out of the trunk, while Hermione took Harry with her to the back yard, where her mother currently was watering the flower-beds.

"Mum, this is Harry. Harry, my mother Holly".

"Hi, Mrs. Granger".

"Hello Harry".

He had barely had the chance to say hello to Hermione's mum before Hermione grabbed his wrist and dragged him along into the house.

"Come on, I'll show you the guestroom".

They went up one flight of stairs and trough a light hallway before arriving in a large, light-green room with gigantic windows and a quilted bed. Mr. Granger had already had time to bring Harry's things up there, and his trunk stood at the foot of his bed.

"Well, this is where you're going to sleep. You like it?"

"It's lovely", Harry assured her before once again being dragged off, this time into Hermione's own room.

This room was exactly the way Harry had pictured it to be. Next to a couple of brim-full bookcases was a big, deep fauteuil, and her desk was huge and had heaps of thick books and scrolls of parchment spread all over it. The room was neat, but not as strict as one could expect if merely knowing it's inhabitant on the surface. Hermione looked at him expectantly.

"What do you think?", she asked a little nervously.

"Well, it's really you", Harry replied. "It's great! Look at all these books! What have you done, bought the entire Flourish and Blotts' stash?"

Hermione actually laughed. She rarely, if ever did that when people cracked jokes about her books.

"Almost", she said. "And - admit it Harry, I know it's true now - you wouldn't mind this kind of stash yourself!"

He threw his hands up in the air.

"Alright, I confess! So I like to read now, what's the matter?"

Hermione laughed so much she was almost lying on the floor.

"Nothing, nothing!"

"You think it's funny, don't you? That the books have finally got hold of me as well?", Harry asked mischievously. "Well, I have to have my revenge on you!"

Thus, the tickle-fight of the millennium broke out.

Harry had spent most of the summer with the Grangers by now. He and Hermione had become even closer than they had been before, and he was now, thanks to a lot of aid from Hermione, rather skilled at the area of Arithmancy. A week before school was about to start, they flooed off to Diagon Alley to get their new books and robes. They had been in contact with Ron, but he had already been shopping and had to go visit some relatives, thus not being able to meet up with Harry and Hermione until the 1st of September on the Hogwarts Express. Harry wasn't able to tell Ron where he was, either. Dumbledore had written to him the day after he arrived at the Granger's, saying that he shouldn't say that he was staying there in his letters, since the owls might be intercepted. Ron would just have to wait until beginning of term to find out where Harry had spent his summer.

They came out of the large fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron, bid hello to Tom, the innkeeper, and went out the back and into Diagon Alley. It wasn't as crowded as they were used to, and they both quickly hurried off to Gringotts, both in order to withdraw some money from their respective vaults. (Hermione's parents had taken out all of her muggle money from their bank and put them into her very own Gringotts vault during Hermione's third year of school.) When they came out into the Alley again, they both proceeded to Madam Malkin's, got some new robes and then directly off to Flourish and Blott's, spending a few hours wrapped up in their books.

When Harry read through their list of school supplies, he noticed that they in fact had added a new, to both him and Hermione unfamiliar class, Magical languages, but which they both reckoned being very interesting, if not of great necessity.

Harry actually managed to drag Hermione off to Quidditch Supplies Unlimited, just so he could get himself a book on leadership in the area. There they ran into Padma Patil, Parvati Patil's twin. She was buying herself a new broom, and Harry noticed for the first time that she was actually a member f the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.

"Hi Harry, Hermione", she greeted them happily.

She was far more nice than she had been during their last year, when she had accompanied Ron to the Yule Ball.

"Hi Padma!", Hermione said.

The two girls knew each other from Arithmancy class, although they didn't exactly seem close in Harry's eyes.

"So, I saw that you two made Prefects as well", she continued. "I always knew that it would be the two of you from Gryffindor!"

Hermione blushed a little. There wasn't anyone who doubted that she'd make Head Girl in two years either, not even herself.

"Thanks Padma", Harry said in Hermione's stead. "See you in school, I guess."

"And on the Quidditch field!", Padma called after them as Harry and Hermione made their way out of the shop.

When they came out into the Alley again Hermione grabbed Harry's arm as to stop him from continuing forward.

"Um, Harry", she asked a little sheepishly. "You don't suppose you could give me some flying lessons?"

"Sure I can", he answered, very surprised to hear that from her. "But why do you want me to? I mean, I didn't think you fancied flying all that much?"

"I do, I love to fly. But it's just that we didn't really get a chance to practice in first year, and you know how busy we've all been since then. I know I could do it well with some more practice."

"All right. I'd love to teach you!"

"Oh! Thank you so much Harry!", Hermione gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and Harry found himself blushing. "Could we get started as soon as we get back home? We have a forest clearing right behind the house, just like at the Burrow. I think we can fly there if we stay low."

Harry shrugged.

"Why not?", he said.

"Thank you!", Hermione said again.

"Oh, it's no big deal".

When they entered the Leaky Cauldron the second time that day, in order to floo back to Hermione's place, they ran into Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, who both looked at the two friends and giggled like mad.

"What's with those two?", Hermione asked, annoyed. "Can't they ever be serious about anything besides Divination?"

"Apparently not", Harry said and grabbed a fistful of floopowder. "The Grangers!"

He and Hermione stepped into the fireplace at the same time, holding on to each other and swivelling away back to Hermione's house.

When they got back they had a quick bite to eat together with Hermione's parents, and then grabbed Harry's Firebolt before heading out with Sirius to the forest clearing behind the house. Harry thought a minute about how to best do this, until he decided to take Hermione with him on the broom for the first ride, just so she could get used to the Firebolt a little better.

"Now, mount the broom in front of me, and hold on", he directed.

Hermione did so, and soon they were flying about the clearing in a neck- breaking speed. When they touched back on the ground Hermione was laughing like mad.

"I've never had more fun in my whole life!", she exclaimed. "May I try it on my own?"

"Uh, sure".

She got on the broom by herself this time, and flew a few laps around the clearing before coming back down again. She was smiling even more than before.

"How did I do?"

Harry was actually surprised she had done so well, and smiled back at her.

"Splendid! You're a lot better than I expected you to be. With a little practice, you could be quite the Quidditch-player!"

"You can't be serious!"

"I'm not Sirius, he is!", Harry said, pointing at his godfather, who was lazily dosing off in his dog-form a few meters behind him.

"Harry James Potter, that was the worst joke I've ever heard anyone crack!", Hermione said and lunged at him, knocking him down on the ground.

Harry took a hold of her wrists to hold her off, and no matter how hard she tried, Hermione didn't stand a chance.

"All right", Harry said. "I'm going to let you go now, will you promise to be good?"

Hermione simply nodded, although her eyes held a mischievous spark. Harry did let her go, and she actually left him be, surprisingly enough.

"I'm beginning to think I have a bad influence on you, Ms. Granger", he said jokingly. "You've never been this mischievous."

"Well, get used to it Potter."

"Oh, I think I can do that quite easily, thank you."

Hermione laughed at him. Harry suddenly remembered something.

"Hey, you didn't want me to tell Ron about you and Krum. Why is that?"

"You didn't tell him did you?", she sounded rather worried.

"No, of course I didn't, not when you told me not to!"

She let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, good. You see, I know he kind of likes me a little, and I'm afraid he'll misinterpret it if I was to dump Viktor."

"What's there to dump?"

"I know, there isn't anything. But I'm still trying to figure out how to let Ron down gently, and if he thinks I'm with Viktor, he won't get his hopes up."

"So I shall take it as to that you don't have any more-than-friendly feelings for Ron, then?"

"Mhm", Hermione nodded.

"Well, I'm not going to lie to you. Ron will be pretty disappointed however you decide to tell him this, but he'll live with it. Although, I think you should tell him as soon as possible, because it won't become any easier the longer you push it off."

"I know. Can we go back to flying?"

The following days the two teenagers spent every minute they had to spare in the clearing, whether flying or not. Hermione was after some practice a very good flyer, and Harry told her sincerely that he thought she ought to try out for Keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She was thrilled above knowledge to hear that.

"You really think so, Harry?!", she almost screamed, and then slumped down on the grass. "Wow! I never knew. I never even dreamed of."

"Hey, hold it ace, you're not on the team yet."

"I know, and it doesn't even matter if I make it or not. It's just so amazing to even be able to try out with a fair chance!"

Harry sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he his head on hers.

"I know, that's it", he said. "But I seriously think you have a very good chance at succeeding, my dear friend", Harry took her free hand in his own. "I actually think you do."

OK, finished! Well, this one was longer, and this is the way it's going to be, longer chapters every time (at least the upcoming two). I don't know how you like Harry and Hermione's respective changes in nature. I've always thought Harry needs to spend more time studying, and I've always wanted Hermione to toughen up a bit.

As for Hermione and Quidditch: I don't think in a million years it can actually happen, nor do I really want it to. But this was just one of those things I came up with, that wouldn't let itself be forgotten. And I wanted to make Harry and Hermione REALLY close, they need to be that for later happenings, and for that to happen they had to start sharing more interests.

Read the nest chapter, and dont ever forget to rewiew!