A Harry Situation
By Jill Weber/ Jelsemium
Characters copyrighted by J.K. Rowling and used without permission or intent to make a profit.
Chapter Nine: Friendly Voices
Harry and Hermione on the Phone:
"You're voice broke?" Hermione squeaked out before she realized what Harry and her father were talking about.
"Erm, yes," Harry said. He gave a little cough as if he was embarrassed, or was trying to cover up a laugh.
"Breaking voices is one of those little embarrassing things we men have to face when we grow up, Hermione," Rupert said in a patronizing tone.
Hermione and Emma exchanged glances then looked down their noses at Rupert.
"Rupert, dear, if you want to know about embarrassing changes, you should hear the list of what we women have to go through. First of all…" Emma started.
"Thank you for calling," Harry interrupted hastily. There was a hint of panic in his voice. "You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice, Hermione; and to speak to you as well, Mr. and Mrs. Granger."
"The pleasure is all ours, Harry," Emma said.
"It's good to hear you, too, Harry. Speaking of voices, have you been running?" Hermione asked. "You sound out of breath."
"Well, I had to run from the attic," Harry confessed.
"Why were you in the attic?" Emma wanted to know.
"Well, I'd been helping my aunt clean up a bit," Harry said. "And, by way of reward, the attic is now my home away from Hogwarts."
"What, you're too big to fit in the closet nowadays?" Hermione asked darkly.
"Something like that," Harry said dryly. "It's not as bad as it could be, though."
"Where are the Dursleys?" Rupert put in. "From the way you're talking, you sound like you're the only one at home."
"Yes, I am the only one in the house at the moment," Harry said. There was a distinct grin in his voice. "My uncle decided that they should celebrate their first day home by going to the cinema. I think the phone has been bothering them."
Hermione and Rupert chuckled, but Emma was distracted by the first part of Harry's comment.
"Celebrate their first day home? Have you been all alone? How long were they gone?" Emma asked, concerned.
"Oh, no, Mrs. Granger," Harry said. "Uncle Vernon and Dudley went off somewhere by themselves. Aunt Petunia and I were here. It was actually rather peaceful with just the two of us."
"Ginny said that she gave you permission to send her..." Hermione stopped mid-sentence. "Sorry, I'm being unclear. Ginny said your aunt gave you permission to send Ginny a cat."
"Yes," Harry said. "She was actually quite gracious about it. One of our neighbors gave Aunt Petunia a cat, but she couldn't keep her because Dudley and my uncle are allergic. Hang on a moment…" There was a scrape of wood, like a window being opened.
Then Harry let out a yelp. This was followed by banging and squeaking and thudding noises.
"Harry?" Hermione called anxiously. "Harry? What is it?"
There was an enormous crash and then… "YOU BLOODY IDIOT!"
"Harry?" Hermione raised her voice a little to be heard.
"Sorry for the language," Harry panted into the phone, mistaking her concern for censure. "Gah! Idiotic! Hyperactive! Feather duster!" he bellowed, somewhat farther away from the phone. "I'm back," he said in calmer tones.
"I take it Pigwidgeon has arrived," Hermione said smiling broadly. "What did you break?"
"Nothing, I hope," Harry sighed. "I knocked over the CD cabinet in my pursuit of that feathery pest. I don't think anything broke."
Hermione giggled. "Pigwidgeon got tangled up in my hair last time he delivered a letter to me."
"At least he didn't knock you out," Harry replied. "He bounced off my head and knocked me cold last time he was here."
Hermione frowned. "But Harry…"
"At least in the attic I'll be spared that sort of thing. The windows are too high for me to look out directly. No more bumper owls for me." There was a slight rustling of paper. "Hold still you… ahem." Harry was obviously having trouble removing the letter and trouble remembering he had an audience. "Pig's being difficult about this letter. He keeps sticking his foot in my face, but he won't hold still long enough for me to get it."
"Maybe Ron told him the message was very important," Emma suggested.
"Likely," Harry agreed. "Ron's probably writing to tell me that I can send him my Firebolt." There was more rustling and hooting from Pigwidgeon and muttered comments from Harry.
"You're getting rid of your Firebolt?" Hermione asked in shock.
"Are you getting a better broom?" Rupert asked curiously.
"No to both questions," Harry said. "I just thought it was a shame that the Firebolt had to sit in the closet all summer, so I'm going to send it to Ron. He can practice on it."
"That's awfully sporting of you, my boy," Rupert said. "Is there a special reason Ron needs practice this year?"
"Yeah," Harry said. He sounded cheerful, as he always did when talking about Quidditch. "Our Keeper left last year, sorry, year before last, and we're going to need a replacement."
"I see," Rupert said. "One of my burning ambitions is to see you play in a Quidditch match. I wonder if Dumbledore would let me come to see one sometime."
"That would be brilliant!" Harry said in flattered tones. "You'd have a great time, I'm sure. HEY!"
The next sound made Hermione think of exploding pillows.
"Well, that's taken care of that," Harry was laughing so much he could barely talk. "You really picked a good time to call; things haven't been this amusing around here for years."
"What happened?" Emma asked.
"Errol just flew in… Has Hermione told you about him?"
"Oh, yes, he's the Weasleys' rather ancient owl, isn't he?" Rupert said.
"Yes, he has a tendency to collapse at the end of each delivery," Harry had to pause to laugh again. "This time he collapsed right on top of Pig… I wish I had a camera… I do hope I can clean up all these feathers before the Dursleys get home." He didn't really sound alarmed. "Pig does not sound at all happy -- you can leave my mother out of this, you feathery git-- but at least I can get Ron's letter off his foot."
Rupert and Emma exchanged looks.
"Can you talk to owls, Harry?" Emma asked.
"No, not really, I was just guessing," Harry said. There was a pause and then Harry added. "You know, I think Errol did that deliberately. At least, he's looking very pleased with himself, and he doesn't look inclined to move. I'm afraid I'm going to have to hang up so I can see to them."
"That's all right, Hermione call back in about ten minutes, then," Rupert said.
"Really?" Harry was clearly taken aback. "I mean, thanks, that's…" his voice trailed off.
"That's all right, Harry," Rupert said. "The pleasure is all ours."
Rupert and Emma exchanged a look that Hermione couldn't interpret, but apparently communicated a lot of information between them.
Rupert spoke again. "Oh, Harry, are you familiar with reversing charges?"
"Erm, excuse me?" Harry sounded uncertain.
"You call the operator give her, or him, our number and say that you wish to reverse the charges. That way you can call us, but the expense won't show up on your Uncle's phone bill."
"Oh," Harry said blankly. "But I'm not usually home alone."
"That's all right, dear," Emma said gently. "You can call when the Dursleys are in bed. Call us anytime."
"We mean that, Harry," Rupert said seriously. "If you feel in need of a friendly voice, you call us, even at 2 AM, you understand?"
"Erm, yes," Harry's voice was sounding croaky all of a sudden. "Thank you."
"Think nothing of it," Rupert said, almost brusquely. "Now see to those poor owls and Hermione will be calling you back directly."
After they made sure Harry had their number, hung up, Hermione flung her arms around her father's neck. "You are the most brilliant, wonderful man in the whole universe!"
"I second that," Emma said, throwing her arms around him and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "That poor, brave boy. I do see why you have chosen to spend the past few Christmas holidays at Hogwarts, Hermione. There's just something appealing about him."
"Perhaps that's why You-Know-Who is afraid of him," Rupert murmured the best he could with feminine arms cutting off his air supply. "Not because of his power, but because of his charisma."
"Maybe," Hermione said thoughtfully. It gave her something to think about as she waited the allotted ten minutes before calling Harry back.
"Hello? Hermione?" Harry asked.
"Yes, I'm back," Hermione said.
"What your parents said, about calling them, I mean," Harry stopped. "I mean, that's awfully nice of them…" he trailed off uncertainly.
"I understand," Hermione said gently.
"I hope not," Harry said, almost to himself. "I mean, nevermind, thank them again for me, it means a lot to me."
Hermione didn't need a dictionary to work out Harry's meaning. 'I hope you're never so lonely that a simple invitation to call can reduce you to tears.'
"I wish there was something I could do to repay them," Harry added, somewhat wistfully.
"Well, one thing you could do is remember how much you mean to people next time you're tempted to try something stupid," Hermione said. Then she thought about the Tri-Wizard Tournament and hastily added something she hoped would take Harry's mind off that. "You know, like trying that wonky-faint thing during Quidditch Practice."
"Her-MI-o-NEEEE!" protested Harry. "That's Wronsky Feint!"
Hermione giggled.
"You say that just to annoy me," Harry accused.
"I have to do something," Hermione insisted. "You're so much harder to rile than Ron."
"You've been exposed to the Weasley clan too long," Harry said.
"I've noticed that, but it's not all from them. My Dad is as bad as Ron any day."
"Well, one day you're going to slip and say 'wonky-faint' in front of Ron and I just hope I have a camera in my hand when you do." Harry was recovering his composure, Hermione noted with relief.
"Speaking of Ron, what do Ron and Ginny have to say in their letters?"
"Hm, the twins bought Ron and Ginny dress robes," Harry said.
"Really?" Hermione said. "How sweet of them, and how out of character."
"Fred and George are nice," Harry protested.
"To some people," Hermione pointed out. "But just buying something for somebody seems out of character."
"Erm, maybe," Harry apparently didn't want to talk about the twins. "Ron said he'd love to borrow my quote 'precious baby broomie' close quote."
Hermione laughed. "Ron called your Firebolt a 'precious baby broomie'? You're kidding!"
"No, those were his exact words," Harry said. "Oh, dear…"
"What? Has something happened to the Weasleys?"
"It seems that Ron and the twins have made a rather shocking discovery about their sister," Harry snickered.
"What?"
"According to Ginny, they've uncovered her deepest, darkest, most shocking, and most scandalous secret," Harry said, obviously relishing the next part.
"Go on," Hermione huffed impatiently.
"She's a girl."
Hermione howled with laughter. "Oh, dear, indeed," she said. "This is going to be quite useful in getting Ron to shut up, won't it?"
"I'm picturing my Divination homework now… 'You will discover a horrifying secret about a member of your family,'" chortled Harry.
"I was thinking of this as the perfect response for Ron's comments about Viktor," Hermione said. "By the way, Ron, did you notice that Ginny's a girl?"
Harry laughed.
"And how about you?" Hermione continued.
Harry sighed. "Yes, Hermione, I noticed that Ginny was a girl quite some time ago," he said. "The first time was on September 1st, 1991. About two hours before I noticed that you were a girl, in fact."
"You know she likes you," Hermione added.
Harry sighed again. "Hermione, please, don't nag. I like Ginny, but I'm not interested in her that way. You can't tell me that you haven't noticed that."
"Well, you did send her that cat," Hermione said.
"Yes, I said I liked her. Besides, she's good with animals."
"How do you know that?" Hermione asked.
"Well, I've seen her helping other students with their animals," Harry answered. "And she's helped some of the Muggle-born students deal with owl post, too."
"I see," Hermione sounded smug even to herself. "So you've notice her, have you? Plus you offered to help her with her summer essays, too."
Harry made a huffing noise. "Hermione, I offered to help her with her homework if she needed any while you were out of the country. You can't tell me that offering to help with homework is a form of flirting, not when you offer help to everyone at Hogwarts. I am not oblivious. She is intelligent, kind and chock full of other virtues. Nor has it escaped my attention that she is good looking. However, I.Am.Not.Interested."
"Me thinkest the boy protests overmuch."
Harry just sighed. "You know I'm interested in Cho."
"But how can you be? I mean, she's pretty and all, but you really don't know much about her, do you?"
"I know she's intelligent enough to be in Ravenclaw and good enough at my favorite sport to be on the house team."
"That's not much, is it?"
"She was also fair-minded enough to not wear one of Malfoy's 'Potter Stinks' badges," Harry added. "No offense, Hermione, but please drop the subject. I don't want to insult Ginny by repeating that I'm not interested in her. She's a wonderful person, okay? I just want the right to make up my own mind about who I'm interested in, okay?"
Hermione made a face. "I understand," she said. "I just think you two have a lot in common."
"Maybe," Harry said. "So, what's going on with you and Viktor?"
"We're friends," Hermione said firmly. "That's all."
"Even though you're the thing he'd miss most?" Harry asked blandly.
Hermione sighed. "Okay, you win. I'll drop the Ginny issue if you'll stop with the Viktor comments."
"Deal," Harry said with relief. "Wait, does not talking about Viktor mean I can't ask about your trip?"
"No, you can talk about the trip and Viktor. Just don't ask about our relationship… not that there is any romantic going on. You know I'm not interested in him romantically. I just don't want to talk about it."
"OK," Harry said. "How about your relationship with Ron, then? Are you interested in him romantically?"
"Harry, do you know how to curse a wand so it blows up in its owner face?"
"Erm, no."
"I do."
Harry snorted. "What's wrong with being interested in Ron?"
"Nothing, it's just… weird. I mean, we've been friends for so long," Hermione hesitated. Harry was making muffled choking noises. "What's so funny?" she demanded.
"S…sorry," Harry managed. "It's just that we've gone from 'You can't date her, you don't know her well enough.' to 'I can't date him, I know him too well.' Is there a perfect balance of known and unknown that you have to have before you can date a person?"
Hermione was pleased to hear Harry sounding so cheerful, really she was. That's why she decided against killing him. "Harry, change the subject, okay?"
"Okay," Harry said amiably. "So, how're the plans for the trip?"
"Erm, fine," Hermione said.
"Uh-oh, what went wrong?" Harry asked.
"Ah, what makes you think something's gone wrong?" Hermione asked, voice going up a trifle.
"My awesome talent for Divination," Harry said. "Besides, you're a very poor liar, Hermione. It's a good thing nobody's ever accused you of anything you actually done, you'd be toast."
Hermione snorted. "Who would accuse good-two shoes me when there's bratty, rule-breaking Harry Potter to blame?" Hermione paused, thinking that came out wrong, but Harry just laughed.
"Especially as far as Snape is concerned," he said. "He'd blame me for the last goblin rebellion if he could."
"I'd like to see what he's like when there's nobody but Slytherins around," Hermione said thoughtfully.
"I'll pass on that experience," Harry said. "Malfoy alone was bad enough, but you're getting of the subject."
"Speaking of subjects, how's your homework coming?" Hermione said. "Have you figured out where Blodwen got her name? I know that Hedwig was the patron saint of orphans, and there was another Hedwig mentioned in our History of Magic textbook. She was the first witch to become Minister of Magic. She's also one of Dumbledore's ancestors."
"I'm finished with everything but Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration," Harry said. "I read the story about how Blodwen got turned into an owl and I think she got a raw deal. I also notice that you're trying to avoid telling me what the problem is."
"I'm impressed at your work ethic," Hermione said. "And I'm surprised; I'd have thought you'd be more sympathetic to Blodwen's husband. You're more mature than some boys I know. Not to mention you're very perceptive. That's just my way of saying I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to worry you."
"I reserve the right to worry about my friends," Harry returned. "So, tell me what your problem is and I'll tell you about my brand new, never before seen … wait, let me think of the word… neurosis. Yes, I think neurosis is the word."
Hermione's eyebrows went up. "You're winding me up."
"Possibly," Harry admitted. "I only think I'm using the right word."
"A neurosis is a hang-up, fixation or obsession," Hermione said.
"I am speechless with awe," Harry said. "You're a walking dictionary, you are."
"You sound like Ron," Hermione said. "And you're talking too much to be speechless."
"It was just a figure of speech," Harry said. "Okay, you go first."
"Dad can't come to Bulgaria," Hermione said.
"Oh." Harry said. "So it's just you and your Mum, then?"
"Yes, I'm sure it's safe enough with just the two of us," Hermione said. "So, don't worry about us."
"Too late," Harry said. "I know you're as capable as any wizard your age and many who are older, but having a man with you might deter some attackers."
"Okay, I see what you mean, but it's not like we're going to the bad side of town. We're going through well established travel routes. We're taking the Knight Bus to the International Portkey Terminal, and then we'll be transported to Viktor's home town, where Viktor and his parents will meet us. It should be safe enough."
"'Should be'," Harry said. "Somehow that phrase is not at all reassuring."
"If it makes you feel any better, I'm inviting Ron to come with us. He should be formidable looking enough to deter the casual mugger."
"Well, okay, that makes me feel somewhat better," Harry said.
"Dumbledore will be coming by tomorrow to talk about protecting my parents while I'm at school," Hermione said. "I'll talk to him about our trip, too."
"That's even better," Harry said.
"Now, on to your latest obsession," Hermione said. "Have you heard from Snuffles lately?"
Harry sighed. "That's an old obsession, anyway," he said unhappily. "I've had one owl from him, telling me not to owl him because Hedwig's too conspicuous."
"You can borrow Blodwen," Hermione said.
"Thanks," Harry said. "If I can ever get permission from him, I'll do that."
"Okay, Harry, I've told you my deep dark secret, now it's your turn to tell me yours," Hermione said with mock grimness.
"Erm," now it was Harry's turn to try to change the subject. "When did you start wearing perfume?" he asked.
"I…" Hermione was about to tell Harry that she didn't wear perfume when she remembered her aromatherapy experiment. "It's actually aromatherapy," she said. Maybe she should just tell him the truth. "I've heard that certain smells can calm a person down, and I've been feeling so edgy lately that I thought it was worth a try." Okay, part of the truth, anyway.
"Sounds like a good plan," Harry said. "So, did you spill that stuff on purpose or were you trying to experiment on me?"
Damn, the boy was getting too perceptive again.
"Sorry, Potter, only one revelation per phone call. Now, stop changing the subject and tell me about your 'neurosis.'"
"I found a trunk in the attic that belonged to my Mum," Harry said.
"Harry, that's wonderful! What's in it?"
"I don't know," Harry confessed. "I haven't opened it yet. I mean, I've looked in it, but I haven't unwrapped anything yet."
"Why on Earth not? Is there some sort of warding spell keeping you out?"
"More like cowardice," Harry said. "I'm not sure what it is, I just." He sighed with exasperation. "I want something of my Mum's, something important, like Dad's cloak, but I doubt there'll be anything really important in the chest. And I guess I'm afraid to look and, well, find out that it's just trash." There was a long pause. "I guess that sounds stupid, doesn't it?"
"No," Hermione said. "Not really. Let me think a minute."
There was silence on both ends, broken only by Pigwidgeon's insane twittering and Errol's wheezing.
"I understand what you mean about wanting something important," Hermione said at last. "I think you need to look at it the way an archeologist would."
"Huh?"
"Well, an archeologist goes digging for information, not treasure. It doesn't matter to him if he finds a crown or a chamber pot, both give him valuable data. In fact, the chamber pot might give him more valuable data than a crown, because it would tell him more about the person's daily life. Your trunk might not have a valuable magical artifact, but it probably contains data about your parents' daily lives. Even if it's just a bunch of old bills or magazines, at least you'd know what they spent their money on and what they liked to read about."
"Oh," Harry said. He was silent for several minutes. "I guess that makes sense."
"Besides, you can't rule out the idea of a warding spell, either," Hermione continued. "Your Mum wouldn't want to put something noticeable on it. That would go against the laws about performing magic in front of Muggles. On the other hand, a little 'I don't want to open this trunk' spell would keep your Aunt and Uncle from poking through the trunk and helping themselves to whatever is in there."
"Oh," Harry said again. "I hadn't thought of that."
"Not that I'm saying they would rob you blind, or anything," Hermione said, just a trifle tartly.
"No, of course not," Harry said. "I'd never suspect them of putting money over family. Just like I would never suspect Draco Malfoy of judging people based on how much money their family has."
"'For the love of money is the root of all evil,'" Hermione quoted.
"Well, that certainly explains where Malfoy came from, his mother couldn't possibly have married his father out of love," Harry said sourly.
"Which Malfoy? Draco's father or his grandfather?" Hermione said.
"Take your choice," Harry said.
"Let's not, I've got enough problems," Hermione sighed.
"You mean, you don't want to have a nice Malfoy rug as a doormat? It's about all he's good for, anyway."
"No, thanks," Hermione said.
"Well, I'd better get going," Harry said. "I've got to get this place cleaned up and the owls hidden before the Dursleys get home. You will owl me as soon as you get to Bulgaria, won't you?" he asked anxiously.
"Of course," Hermione said. "Erm, anything else?" Now that she had Harry's reassuring presence, she was reluctant to let him go. "Do you need any help with your homework?"
"No, I'm almost finished," Harry said. "I told myself I couldn't look at the trunk until I'd finished my homework, and I've been working almost as fast as you do. I did notice something interesting, though."
"What's that?"
"Invisibility cloaks are almost impossible to detect at a distance."
"What's so amazing about that? They're supposed to be difficult to detect," Hermione said.
"Mafalda Hopkirk wouldn't know if I used my cloak or not," Harry explained.
"You're not planning to use your father's cloak!" Hermione said, scandalized.
"Only if I really need to avoid the Dursleys," Harry said. "And did you notice the Charms assignment deals with old fashioned, almost undetectable wards?"
"Yes, I did notice that," Hermione said. "I was wondering if that was Dumbledore's way of letting us know we could protect ourselves without getting expelled."
"The most interesting one I read about was the one that smells like cabbages," Harry said. "You may remember I told you my baby-sitter's house always smelled of cabbage."
"Yes, I remember you saying something about that," Hermione said thoughtfully. "You think she may be a witch?"
"Dumbledore told Snuffles to gather the 'old gang', including Arabella Figg. My baby-sitter is Mrs. Figg. My faith in coincidences only goes so far."
"Well, now that is interesting. I wonder if Dumbledore planned on you figuring this out," Hermione said.
"Who knows with him?" Harry said. " Oh, there's one thing, what reference book did you use for your Transfiguration essay about the Social Implications of Animagi?"
"The what?"
"The Transfiguration practice essay for our OWLs!" Harry said. "What? Did you finish that so long ago that you've forgotten which reference books you used?"
"Erm, I, oh, dear, I didn't do that one!"
"Hermione! When are you leaving for your trip?"
"In about four days, oh, dear, how am I going to finish it? I can't believe I forgot!"
"Well, you might wind up doing it on the Hogwarts Express," Harry said.
"I can't do a proper bibliography on the train!" Hermione wailed.
"Well, you should have thought of that before you forgot your essay," Harry said sternly. "Look, I'll do mine and owl you my notes, that should help you get started."
"Oh, thank you, Harry," Hermione said, flustered. "This is rather a switch. I can let you have my notes on the transfiguring footstools into sheep… Wait a minute! Our practice essay wasn't about Animagi! It was about sheep and footstools!"
"Oh, my mistake," Harry said blandly.
"Harry Potter! You prat! You almost gave me a heart attack you…" she began to reel off a stream of words she'd picked up from the Weasleys.
"Hermione?" Harry said from a considerable distance from the telephone headset.
"WHAT?!"
"Good night." Then the line went dead.
"That's it!" shrieked Hermione. "All boys ARE prats! Even the Boy-Who-Lived! Especially The-Boy-Who-Lived!"
Her parents came rushing in.
"Hermione? What's all this about?" Rupert asked.
"Mum, Dad, I've decided to take up an alternate lifestyle," Hermione announced.
Emma put her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "Hermione, dear, you know we'll support you in whatever decision you make, but I do want to warn you about something."
"What's that?"
"When it comes to matters of the heart, women are just as annoying as men."
"Get me to a nunnery," Hermione muttered.
Midnight in the Garden of Good (Potter) and Evil (Dursley):
He didn't actually lie to Hermione, Harry told himself. It's just that he hadn't thought of this problem. There was no way to owl the Firebolt from his room. He couldn't tie it to Hedwig's leg properly so she could carry it and fly out the window. So, he had to take her outside. Which meant using the Invisibility Cloak. He didn't dare risk the neighbors seeing him, much less the Dursleys. Owls carrying brooms weren't exactly common in Little Whingding.
"It's not too heavy for you, is it?" Harry asked anxiously, ignoring the fact that the broom weighed less than Pixie the cat did.
Hedwig gave him an exasperated look.
"You'll be careful, right?" Harry asked as he checked the balance of the broom for the third or fourth time in as many minutes.
Owls can't roll their eyes, but Hedwig managed to convey her disgust, anyway. She was perched on the handle, fairly close to the twigs so the weight would be evenly distributed.
"You sure you don't want to wait for Blodwen to come help?" Harry fussed over the fastenings. He was beginning to regret having offered to send his Firebolt to Ron.
The snowy owl was glaring.
"Erm, fine, then, if you're sure," Harry said nervously. "Okay, then, anytime you're ready."
Hedwig gave him such a stern look that Harry was sure she was channeling McGonagall.
"No, I'm not going to change my mind," Harry snapped. "Just go, will you?"
Hedwig started upward, moving rather slowly. Harry winced, wondering what the average Muggle would think if they spotted her. She was still laboring to gain attitude when Harry remembered that he wasn't supposed to send the Firebolt until after Ron had finished all his homework.
Briefly, Harry debated calling Hedwig back, but the thought of her scathing reaction made him hesitate until she was out of earshot. If Ron hadn't finished his essays, Mrs. Weasley was not going to be happy.
"I hope that there were laws against sending Howlers to Muggle homes," he muttered.
"As it happens, there are," a voice said from behind him.
Then a strong hand clamped over Harry's mouth and a long arm pinned his arms to his sides.
### ###
Author's Notes:
The picture of Hermione with her fluffy dress is actually me. I look quite happy, though. Unlike Hermione, I love riding horses and I'd love riding broomsticks. By the way, I'm going on vacation, and I won't be near a computer until Tuesday. (On the bright side, I'll have a whole week off to work out ways to torment, er, entertain you!)
Christy: Thanks! Glad you like my take on Petunia.
Ozma: You're welcome! Hope you had a nice three day weekend! ** I figured that it would be 'relatively' easy for the twins to find robes that would look good on Ron and Ginny. All they had to do was find robes that looked good on them. (Madam Gretchen helped, of course.) ** Thanks, I had fun with the prank calls. (I know I'm on the right track when I can make myself laugh.) ((Sorry about the tea.)) ** Thanks for the compliments on the voices. (Harry sounds suspiciously like Daniel Radcliffe for some unknown reason.) ((Emma Granger's name is now doubly appropriate, as she now 'sounds' like Emma Thompson. I saw Treasure Planet again and I really like how Thompson did Capt. Amelia.)) ** Fussball? Okay, I want to hear more about that, never heard of it before.
Andrea13: I'm trying to get that dang trunk open, honest! ** Thanks for the kind words on my interpretation of the Weasleys. I actually had several versions of Fred's comments, but 'You're a woman' didn't seem funny enough and 'You've got boobs!' was maybe a little too much. ** Yep, the Grangers are a sneak preview into Ron and Hermione's future, as far as I'm concerned. And don't think Hermione won't trot out the 'triumph of hormones over intellect' comment when she deems it appropriate.
Flierdeke: Thank you! I try to keep the characters close to canon without simply repeating what Rowling has said.
wHIte-cHOcoLaTE: Yeah, this chapter didn't really go anywhere, but I had to get some of this out of the way or I'd never get over the dang writer's block. Glad it amused you anyway. ** No, neither Dr. Granger nor I watch MTV. This line came from beer commercials.
Katrina: Glad I was able to make you laugh! I've been wanting to see more of the Grangers, so I made them into people that I'd like to meet. I hope Rowling does something with them.
Chary: Yeah, I know that sometimes it's easier to just sit back and read instead of working out a story problem. I'm afraid that I did quite a bit of that during my dry spell. (Plus I have this Aladdin story that I'm woefully behind on. My collaborator will stop speaking to me if I don't finish at least one chapter!) ** Sorry, one of my clues was too obscure. I meant, think about when the trunk was sent over to the Dursleys (Lily said she'd pick it up in November) and what sort of things people do then. ** Harry's voice is based (no surprise) on Daniel Radcliffe's. When he was on Oprah, Daniel said that his voice had just changed one day. He didn't have to suffer through having it continually change pitch on him. I thought I'd do that much for Harry, since he has so much other stuff to suffer through. (I wonder what, if anything, Rowling is going to do with his voice change.) ** Yes, Sirius will be very pleased that a CERTAIN ITEM showed up. Lily tried to hide it from him and James and did a better job than she expected.
Shyanne: Thank you for the compliments! I don't think Ginny could possibly be weak. She survived being possessed by Voldemort for almost a year. Quirrell didn't do nearly as well. She may be shy and hesitant, but she has principles, too. She went to the Yule Ball with Neville when she had the perfect chance to go with Harry. ** I don't think Ron is totally clueless. He may be in denial, but I think he'll catch on pretty quick. ** Thanks for offering to help me get past my writer's block!
MoNmOn: Thanks! I amused myself with the prank calls. Yep, Harry wished for somebody to talk to and Hermione came through for him.
SailorChibi: Thanks! It means a lot to me that people like my story! I'm trying to keep the characters recognizable and believable. Glad it's working. Rupert Granger is a little like my Dad, too. (Though my Dad never teased me this much.)
DUK: Thanks for reviewing! I think Harry and Ginny make a cute couple (as you can tell). Right now, Harry's not to sure about this, but in time I think that Rowling will make him change his mind. I'm doing a little anticipating how this will come about. I want to make the change realistic, but not too lengthy. (I only have until June 20th to finish!)
Female Fred: Thanks for the review! ** Ron and George would like to point out that they never expressed astonishment at Ginny's gender. They were just surprised how adult she looked. It's all Fred's fault that they're going to be teased mercilessly for the rest of this story line. ** Fred would like to point out that he noticed that Angelina was a girl a long time ago. It's just that it should be illegal for one's little sister to develop curves.
Rhiain: Thanks! I intend to make you laugh some more!
Alla: That's sweet of you to be concerned! Thanks! ** I'm hoping to finish the next chapter spit-spot. ** I'm glad the prank calls were a hit. I thought them up when I was getting some exercise to clear my head and thought that maybe I'd inhaled too much carbon monoxide. ** Thanks for the compliment on the Weasley boys reaction to Ginny's robes. Just wait until Harry gets an eyeful! ("New robes -- free. New dancing slippers – 12 sickles. New Hairstyle – 5 sickles. Turning The-Boy-Who-Lived into a puddle of hormonal adoration… priceless.")
Three Sickles Short: Thanks for the review! I've been intending to read your stories, but I didn't want to be too influenced. I have looked at them, though, and I loved Harry's robes though, the red and gold sounds spectacular! Thanks for the compliments on Ginny's robes! I was going to give her gold robes, but I thought they might be a bit too much. The silvery robes sound good for her, too. (I got the idea for her robes from the desktop that I use at work.) ** Thanks for the compliments on Hermione's parents. I really want to like them, I hope Rowling does something with them. ** This chapter didn't quite work out the way I intended, but I didn't want to stall for another month.
