A Harry Situation
By Jill Weber/ Jelsemium
Characters copyrighted by J.K. Rowling and used without permission or intent to make a profit.
Chapter 17: Gang Aft Agly
Warning! Evil Cliffhanger Ahead! (Below) ((Whatever))
Will Somebody PLEASE Explain What's Going On Here?
Somebody must have left the window open… unless the twins had hit the fifth-years' dormitory with a chilling charm. Harry shivered and squinted around the room, not really upset that he'd been awakened. He'd been having a disturbing dream; something about making Quidditch more interesting by replacing Bludgers with Hungarian Horntails.
The more he looked around the strange room, however, the more confused he became. He wasn't in Gryffindor Tower. He wasn't in the Hospital Wing, but it was obviously a hospital. The last thing he remembered, he'd been at the Dursleys. Wait, something had happened…
"Awake, are you?" a familiar voice said ironically. "It's about time you stopped scaring us, you prat!"
" 'Lo, Ron," Harry rasped. His throat hurt. "Wha' happen' Mist' Gr'nger 'n' Hag'd?"
"They're in better condition than you," Ron said. "They weren't out for two days and neither of them threw up, either."
Harry's eyes felt grainy, and they could not be working correctly. It looked like Ron was dressed up to play an angel in a school play. White trousers, white turtleneck, and white robes. "Wha' happen' to yer clothes? Too much bleach?"
Ron gaped at him for a second. "This is my Mediwizard's Apprentice uniform!" he huffed. He fingered the lapel of his robe. "Can't you see the badge?"
"No," Harry muttered. When Ron got all shirty like this, he could see a strong resemblance between Ron and Percy, but he kept that to himself.
"How you ever became Seeker I'll never know," Ron said in mock despair.
"Mus've been my awesome good looks," Harry muttered. He shoved himself farther up on his pillows. "Where're we? Why'z't so cold?"
"St. Mungo's Hospital for the Terminally Deluded," Ron said.
Ron's words were sarcastic, but his tone wasn't. It actually sounded to Harry like Ron was trying very hard to be sarcastic. Everything was blurry without his glasses, but Harry thought Ron looked relieved. He must have been really sick.
"Plus, you have been especially privileged to be the only patient in the haunted wing."
Harry looked at him blankly.
"That's why it's so cold in here," Ron elaborated.
Harry snorted and pushed himself up again. He reached back to tug at his pillows.
"Whoa, easy," Ron hustled forward and fussed with Harry's pillows.
"You sound like your mum," Harry said.
"Gee, thanks," Ron said. "Mum's up in arms because Madam Handwerker put you in here." He shivered and rubbed his hands up his arms. "She thinks the cold can't be good for you."
Harry frowned, there was something he needed to tell Ron, but he couldn't bring it to the front of his mind. Something about haunting…"
Ron interrupted his train of thought by saying, "How do you feel?"
"Battered, an' my throat's sore," Harry said. He looked around for his glasses and found them on the bedside table.
"Not surprising, the way you puked your guts up," Ron said comfortingly.
"Gee, thanks," Harry said. It took him a few minutes to fumble his glasses onto his face. It took him a few minutes more to put his finger on what was so strange about the room. There were no windows, but sunshine was coming from somewhere. He looked up, but there were no skylights, either.
"You ruined my robes," Ron sounded amused.
"Sorry," Harry mumbled.
"Don't be, they were older than Dumbledore's gran," Ron said, trying to be cheerful. "I got these spiffy robes to replace them." He held up his arms to show off his all white clothing.
"Good," Harry waited, but Ron wasn't volunteering any information. "So? What happened? Why am I here? And where did you get those clothes?" he demanded.
"You got decked by a loophole," Ron said.
"Huh?"
"Never mind just now. What's the last thing you remember?"
"Erm, I called Mr. Granger to tell him that I'd heard from Hermione."
"Why didn't you owl me?" Ron demanded. "I was worried about her, too, you know! Pigwidgeon just made it back yesterday."
"Well, it was 2 AM!" Harry replied.
"You called Hermione's dad at two o'clock in the morning!?" Ron demanded. "What were you thinking?"
Harry shrank back a bit. "They invited me to call at any time," he said unhappily. "He's not mad, is he?"
Ron shook his head. "He just said that you'd called him." He hesitated. "It's just so unlike you to do something like that."
Harry shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time," he said.
"You are a nutter. Anyway, I'm supposed to make a report of what you remember. So, what do you remember?"
"Erm, Mr. Granger showed up and told me to get packed. I think I was running a fever and he wanted to get me away from the Dursleys."
"Good man."
"It's a good thing I didn't owl you, 'cos we needed Hedwig to send a message to Dumbledore. I guess she came across Hagrid on the way and let him know I needed help. Anyway, Hagrid showed up in this van and we loaded my stuff in. Then I checked my room for anything I'd forgotten and that's when I found that exploding sphere."
He studied Ron as the red-head finished writing notes. "So, what was that thing?"
"It was a combination of an obscure parlor trick and an old-fashioned charm put together in a way nobody thought of, nobody on our side, anyway."
"Go on," Harry said blankly.
"Well, the obscure parlor trick was a simple chameleon spell. It makes whatever its cast on blend into the background. The wards around your house were fooled into thinking it was something innocuous, like a bug or something. The chameleon spell might even have hitched a ride with Pigwidgeon. Remember when you said you'd been knocked out by Pigwidgeon ramming you?"
"You mean it was that sphere?"
"Maybe," Ron said. "Madam Handwerker said it was lucky that you'd been sleeping in the attic. If you'd spent a lot of time in the same room as that thing or if you had picked it up when there was nobody around but those Muggles…" he trailed off.
"That's nasty," Harry grimaced.
"The worst part is that it isn't even dark magic, so none of the sensor wards were triggered."
"Not dark magic?"
Ron shook his head. "No, it's a simple emotional-state amplifier. It just takes whatever state you're in and increases it. People used to use them when they had insomnia. You see, they're in a sleepy state, so the ESA puts them to sleep." Ron paused. "That's what happened to Mr. Granger, by the way. He'd been up all night, you know."
Harry had a vague recollection. "So he's okay, then? And Hagrid?"
"Oh, sure, the doctors are keeping Mr. Granger here just to be sure, though. He was put to sleep for about sixteen hours. On the other hand, Hagrid has been up since you got here. He was worried about you and, man, did that get amplified! He broke all sorts of speed records getting you here, and it's a bloody good thing that he did. You could have… you almost… you know."
"Sorry."
"Would you quit apologizing?" Ron grumbled. "I swear, if you apologize again, I'll dump the water pitcher on you."
"You're an angel of mercy, that's what you are," Harry said.
"I know," Ron paused again. "Hermione will be here soon. I mean, they finally got word to the Grangers that Mr. Granger is in the hospital. They've made arrangements to change their Portkey reservation"
Harry was worried. "They've cut short their holiday?"
"Well, Mr. Granger's in the hospital, what do you expect them to do?"
"Hadn't got that far," Harry admitted.
Ron picked up the water pitcher. "You aren't thinking of apologizing again, are you?"
"Not to you," Harry said.
"Well, don't apologize to them, either. They'll be upset enough at you being in the hospital without you acting like you did it deliberately. Besides, you know they won't mind cutting short their trip to see Vicky if that means seeing you," Ron grinned and held the pitcher closer. "Ginny especially won't mind."
Harry felt his face heating up. This seemed like a good time to change the subject. "Why are you a Mediwizard's Apprentice?"
"It was the only way they would let me stay in the room with you. I mean, they needed someone here to keep an eye on you, and they're short-handed, as always, and they need somebody they can trust to not be working for You-Know-Who and…" Ron ran out of breath. He just sat there for a while, staring at the floor and fiddling with the hem of his sleeve.
Harry waited, although he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. Ron was about to say something important. He could tell by the way Ron's ears were turning pink.
Finally, Ron blurted. "I've decided that I'm going to be a Mediwizard."
"Cool."
"But I need to get a lot of O.W.L.s," Ron said.
"Bet you could get more O.W.L.s than Percy," Harry said with complete certainty.
"I really need an O.W.L. in Potions."
"Get one."
Ron gaped at him for a few seconds, before he continued. "According to the brochures, I should get involved in some extra-curricular activities, too."
"Like what?"
"Well, like tutoring younger students, or starting a club, or maybe helping a teacher do research."
Harry murmured. "Sounds like a lot of choices." He snuggled down into his blankets.
"Yeah, but I wanted to try out for the Quidditch team this year," Ron said unhappily. He ran his hand through his hair.
"Wha's stopping you?"
"How am I supposed to do all this stuff? I'll never find the time! I'll never be able to do it all," Ron sounded close to despair.
"Sure you can," Harry advised. "You jus' need' t'organize'. Ask H'mione."
"You think she'd help?"
"I think Hermione has already planned our entire fifth year," Harry said.
Ron snorted. "Think she's scheduled any time for us to get into trouble?"
"She'd better have, or her whole timetable's going to be out of whack," Harry murmured. He must have fallen asleep then, because he didn't remember Ron's response.
Hagrid Drops By:
The drawback to being a Honey Badger was paperwork. Ron had spent half an hour or more filling out a report about Harry's brief bout of consciousness, mentioning the fact that he'd been coherent and could remember what had happened.
There was a knock on the door. Ron pulled his wand. "Who's there?" he asked.
"Hagrid."
"What did you buy Harry that first time you took him to Diagon Alley?"
"Ice cream an' an owl," Hagrid replied.
"Doesn't sound appetizing," Ron said, opening the door. It was a token challenge, really. Madame Handwerker had the wing effectively sealed off. Not only were there Aurors posted around the hospital, this wing was guarded by Madam Handwerker's trusty golems. (The golems had been created by her late husband, who specialized in creating clay golems for bodyguards. Only Madame Handwerker knew the secret word that controlled these creatures.)
"They wasn't together!" Hagrid growled as he lumbered in. The groundskeeper looked even bigger inside and he didn't look very comfortable, either. He ruffled Ron's hair in passing.
Ron sighed, but consoled himself with the thought that Hagrid was one of the very few people who could actually do that anymore.
"How's he doing?" Hagrid rumbled.
"He was awake for a few minutes," Ron said. "He seemed to understand what was going on, too."
"I wish I did," Hagrid said glumly. He shivered. "It's so col' in here. I don' unnerstan' why Miss Helga would put him in here." He went over to the bed. "You sure he's warm enough?" He reached down and tucked Harry's blanket around the boy's chin.
"The bed has a warming charm, and so do the blankets. Even the pillows have warming charms," Ron assured him. "I just checked them."
Harry sighed and stirred.
"How are you feeling?" Ron asked. "You get any sleep?"
"I napped a bit," Hagrid said. "I bin too worried." He ran his finger through Harry's hair.
"Mmph," Harry murmured.
"You should try to get some sleep," Ron advised.
"Yeh're gettin' into this Mediwizard business, ain't cha?"
"Yeah," Ron said. "I think I might like to, y'know, take a shot at getting a full apprenticeship."
"Yeh'd be good at it," Hagrid said. "Yeh're quick and yeh've got a kind heart."
"I think it'll take more than that to get into the program," Ron said. "I need good marks, too."
"Yeh can do it," Hagrid said encouragingly.
"That's what Harry said, too," Ron said. "He didn't even blink when I said I wanted to be one. I don't get it, I mean, I'm not exactly a Ravenclaw."
"Yeh don' have to be," Hagrid said. "Lotsa Hufflepuffs go inter medicine. "An' some o' the best chirugeons in the business are Slytherin, if yeh can believe it."
"You're kidding," Ron said.
"Makes sense," a low murmur made them both jump. "Got t' be cold-blooded to cut somebody open."
"Sorry, Harry," Hagrid said. "Din' mean ter wake you."
"S'alright," Harry rubbed his eyes. "Was worried 'bout you."
"Yeh're the one who was sick," Hagrid said fondly. He smoothed back Harry's fringe. "I'm alrigh', I bin through worse."
"So've I," Harry said. He shivered a little.
Ron moved over and tweaked his heating charms.
"You can use a wand?" Harry asked, waking up a little more.
"Yeah, another perk of being a Honey Badger," Ron said.
"A what?" Harry asked.
"Honey Badger," Ron said. "That's what Mediwizard Apprentice's are called," he said, rather defensively.
"Oh."
"There's gotta be a better place to put you," Hagrid said, frowning. "Ain't like Miss Helga to be so…"
"Cold?" Ron suggested.
"Yeah," Hagrid mumbled. He looked as unhappy as Ron felt. "She's usually like her dad."
"What are you talking about?" Harry said. He squinted up at them.
"I told you that you were put in the Haunted Wing," Ron said. "Remember?"
Harry nodded.
"Madam Handwerker said that this wing isn't used by anybody, so it's better for security. She also said that anybody who's spent four years at Hogwarts isn't going to be bothered by a ghost. She also said that you, in particular, weren't going to be troubled by this ghost."
"I…" Then Harry remembered. He sat up so abruptly the others jumped. "The ghost! I met him last night. Did Madam Handwerker tell you who the ghost was?"
Ron and Hagrid exchanged blank looks.
"It's my grandfather, Tiberius Potter!" Harry said excitedly. "He's the first Potter I've ever met!"
Ron felt a surge of relief. His heroine hadn't let him down after all.
"Ha!" Hagrid said happily, clapping his hands together. "I knew she had to have a good reason! Jus' like her dad, she is."
"Who's her father?" Harry asked, earning incredulous looks from Ron and Hagrid. Harry sighed loudly. "Look, pretend I just Flooed into the wizarding world from some boot cupboard four years ago, okay? So, who's Madam Handwerker's father?"
Ron grinned. "Albus Dumbledore."
Rupert and the Girls:
Rupert Granger was easily amused, he freely admitted that. He stood in the corridor listening to the argument with, he hoped, carefully concealed delight.
"He needs a healthy drink. How about some nice Vegameatavitamin Juice?"
"Oh, please, nice and Vegameatavitamin juice are mutually exclusive. That stuff should be classed as an Unforgivable drink! What he needs is something tasty, like a Skrewt Soda. It's a Blast!"
"He needs something to make him feel better, you idiot. That stuff is pure poison!"
Rupert did his best to control his face, but it wasn't easy. He'd heard vendors arguing with each other before, but this was the first time he'd ever heard vending machines argue with each other. "Well, I'm afraid I don't have any change on me," he managed to say. That was true enough. Besides, nothing either machine had offered him sounded remotely palatable.
"Oh," the Health Food Machine said. "The Change Machine can help you with that. She can give you some money and it will be charged against your room. Just down the aisle to your right."
"You forgot to mention he has to step into the privacy booth," the Junk Food Machine said snidely. "You also forgot to mention that asking the Change Machine for money is a no-interest loan."
"He's not a child. He doesn't need me to explain the obvious," the Health Food Machine sneered.
Rupert moved off as the Junk Food Machine answered, "Good, then I don't need to tell him you're three ants short of a picnic!"
"Oh, they're always like that," the Change Machine informed him when he asked. "Madam Handwerker put them together because they aren't happy without somebody to argue with. She decided it was better that they argue with each other than the patients. Take my advice; continue down the hall to the regular Soda Machine. Sody has bottled pumpkin juice, Pumpkin Fizz, Pomegranate Pop and Sparkling Rose Water. Besides, she's next to the machine with the Chocolate Frogspawn and Sugar Down."
"Chocolate Frogspawn and Sugar Down?" Rupert asked.
"Scaled down versions of Chocolate Frogs and Sugar Quills," the Change Machine informed him. "They're made to fit into those little boxes in vending machines."
That didn't tell him anything, but Rupert ventured farther down the hall on his quest for a drink. He heard familiar voices and realized he was headed for the exit to the Haunted Wing.
"It's freezing in here," his wife's said. "Are you sure this is the right place?"
"That's what the guard said," his daughter's voice replied. "Ginny, is St. Mungo's usually this heavily guarded?"
"I don't think so," Ginny Weasley sounded uneasy.
"Emma? Hermione?" Rupert called as he walked around the corner and into the arms of his family.
"Dad! You're all right!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Rupert! We were so worried!" Emma said, hugging him fiercely.
"It's all right," Rupert soothed. "I didn't even get the worst of it."
"Worst of what?" Emma asked.
"If you didn't, who did?" Hermione demanded, with a worried frown.
"Harry," Ginny guessed. Her face went pale.
"He'll be all right," Rupert said hastily.
Hermione went white, also.
"What happened?" she asked.
"I think we'd better sit down somewhere and discuss this," Rupert said. "I was just going to get some refreshments from the vending machine. Would you like something? Ginny, do you have to call your parents or something?"
Ginny shook her head. "My brother Percy picked us up," she said. "He didn't say anything about Harry. I guess he thought we already knew."
"Rupert, dear," Emma said in icy tones.
Rupert frowned, unable to fathom what had angered her.
"I asked you 'The worst of what?" Emma went on.
"Well, it was a magical attack, of sorts," Rupert explained.
"So, how is it that you and I didn't wind up in Dumbledore's office?"
Rupert blinked at her a few times.
"Dad? Why didn't your Watch Out activate?" Hermione prompted.
"Erm, because I wasn't wearing it?" Rupert confessed shame-facedly.
"RUPERT!"
"I'm sorry, I left the house at two o'clock in the morning and I didn't think of it!"
"DAD!"
Ginny fidgeted with the bandage on her right hand. She didn't want to get involved in another family argument.
"Girls, not in front of our guest," Rupert admonished. "Come along, we need to sit down and discuss this."
Harry's Doctor:
Hagrid was filling Ron and Harry in on all the gossip. From him, that meant the doings of the inhabitants of the Forbidden Forest.
"Firenze was askin' about yeh," Hagrid said to Harry. "He said he was sorry that the other centaurs were such gits when you was in the forest." To Ron he said. "Yer dad's car is causing havoc among the Acromantulas."
"Good," Ron said happily.
"Firenze likes it, though. He says it's a good listener," Hagrid said with a grin.
Harry frowned. "Doesn't Firenze have anybody else to talk to? Is he in bad with the other centaurs because he helped me?" he asked unhappily.
"Firenze is in bad with the others 'cos he's Firenze," Hagrid said solemnly. "He's a bit like yeh, Harry. He can' just sit back and do nuthin'. The other centaurs don' like to get involved. It ain't yer fault, Harry, so stop thinkin' that right now."
"Give it up, Hagrid," Ron advised gloomily. "Harry can blame himself for Monday mornings, rainy weekends and… ?" He looked at Harry.
Harry obliged him. "The entire month of February," he supplied with a faint smile. He shivered again.
Ron's grin faded. He looked at his wand. "I must not be doing the heating charm right," he said unhappily.
"Sometimes a heatin' charm jus' don' help," Hagrid said comfortingly. "Mebbe another blanket would help."
"There's a cloak in my mum's trunk," Harry said, pointing to the rose embossed trunk.
"This was yer mum's?" Hagrid said in delight. "I though' it looked familiar. What's in there?"
"Sheets, pillows, a tablecloth, and a bunch of Christmas cards," Harry said. "My dad's cloak is in there, too."
Harry grinned as he watched Ron try to open the trick trunk. Ron gave him a dirty look, but figured it out pretty quickly. "Well, if it doesn't open from the front, then it must open from the rear," he explained to Hagrid.
"I dunno if I would've thought of that," Hagrid said.
Ron grinned. "I figure anything Potter can do, I can do, too!" he said smugly.
James' cloak was on top. Harry had left it there when he got his mother's cloak out. Ron's face changed when he saw it.
"What?" Harry asked worriedly.
"This looks like the cloak someone gave Ginny a few days ago," Ron said. He looked at Harry speculatively and Harry squirmed.
"Mum said that a 'friend of the family' sent it for Ginny," Ron continued. He gave Hagrid a sly look. "She also didn't insist that Ginny write a thank you note."
Hagrid ran his hand over his beard. "That doesn' sound like yer mum," he said knowingly. "Bet she usually insists you kids write thank you notes all proper like."
Ron grinned. "Yes, she usually does."
"Oh, what makes you think they're related?" Harry asked faintly. "The cloaks, I mean."
Ron draped the cloak over Harry's knees. "This kind of weaving isn't something you find on off the rack cloaks," he informed Harry. "Even I know this had to have been specially made. They probably bought them together."
"Oh."
"Did you think that nobody would notice that you and Ginny were wearing twin cloaks?"
"Actually, I hadn't planned on wearing that one," Harry confessed. "It's too big for me."
"Why did you give your mother's cloak to Ginny?"
Harry did his best to blush, but only managed a faint tinge of pink in his cheeks. "Well, I don't need two cloaks. And the other one was too short for me. Besides, it's a girl's cloak!"
"Methinks the boy protests overmuch," Hagrid chuckled.
Harry stared. He never, ever would have expected to hear Hagrid paraphrase Shakespeare.
Ron laughed at his expression. "Shakespeare's big in the wizarding world," he said.
"Why not say it was from yeh?" Hagrid wanted to know.
Harry's blush improved. "Well, I didn't, you know," he floundered because he was having a hard time explaining this to himself.
"He sent Ginny a cat, complete with cat carrier earlier this summer," Ron told Hagrid.
Hagrid's beetle black eyes sparkled merrily. "An' here I was worried abou' you bein' lonely," he chortled.
"Stop! It's not like that!" Harry protested.
"What's it like, then?" Ron demanded.
Harry was saved by a brisk knock on the door. A few minutes later, it opened to admit a grey-haired, stout woman wearing white Mediwizard robes and pince-nez glasses. She frowned disapprovingly when she saw Hagrid. "Rubeus," she said. "I thought I told you to get some rest."
"I got some rest, Dr. Opal," Hagrid said defensively.
Dr. Opal sighed dramatically. "I see that I shall have to be more specific. I want you to get at least seven hours of uninterrupted sleep."
She looked at Harry appraisingly. "I trust that you have been getting plenty of sleep, Mr. Potter?" she said.
"Yes, Doctor," Harry said meekly.
"Good," Dr. Opal said. "I am Dr. Cressida Opal. I'm your doctor."
"I thought Mr. Parkinson was his doctor," Ron said.
"Mr. Parkinson is a chirurgeon. I am a pediatrician. I would have been looking after Harry for years if that medical marvel aunt of his had done her duty by him."
"Medical marvel?" Harry wondered out loud.
"There's no other way to explain how she's lived so long with no heart," Dr. Opal said. She looked at the cloak draped across Harry's knees and frowned. "You'll want to put your good cloak away, Mr. Potter. Weasley can get you some extra blankets." She scowled. "I told Helga that this wasn't a good place to keep you."
Ron picked the cloak up and folded it neatly. "Where do you want it?" he asked.
"In my school trunk, please," Harry answered. To Dr. Opal, he said, "Do you know why Madame Handwerker put me here?"
"Yes," Dr. Opal said shortly. "She wants to make my life as difficult as possible."
Ron snorted.
"Did you say something, Wealsey?" Dr. Opal said, eyes narrowing.
"I was just wondering what this pillow was doing in here?" Ron said. He pulled out the pillow in the green satin pillowcase.
"I found that in my mum's trunk," Harry said.
"It's nice," Ron said. "Here, you should use it." He added the pillow to Harry's bed.
"Did you know that my grandfather haunts this wing, Dr. Opal?" Harry asked. He shifted around until the mountain of pillows behind him had settled into a comfortable pile.
Dr. Opal nodded. "Yes, I used to work with Tiberius. I was at Hogwarts with him before that. That's one reason I seldom come into this wing. It would pain me to see his ghost."
"Did you know my father?"
"Mr. Potter, I helped deliver your father. In fact, I helped your mother deliver you."
Harry felt his blush reviving.
"On your first birthday, your father sent me a bouquet of larkspur and a bottle of dandelion wine. I often wondered if he intended to make that a yearly tradition." Her voice trailed off.
She studied Harry for a minute. "Your father took after your grandmother, Tatiana. That's where that awful hair came from." She indicated Harry's head. "At school, we used to call her Medusa." She paused. "I suppose that wasn't very nice of us, but teenagers have a tendency to think too highly of their own wit."
"My grandfather came to see me last night," Harry said.
Dr. Opal's eyes narrowed. "Did he? He's not supposed to. He drops the temperature even more than the average ghost, because of how he died. He isn't supposed to come near patients."
"He said he couldn't stay long," Harry said wistfully. "Isn't there some way I could talk to him? I have so many questions."
She shook her head. "I don't know of any way, especially in your condition." She paused. "Well, then, back to business. Weasley, your report?"
Ron started at being addressed. He had been thinking of his own parents and grandparents, all of whom were very much alive. It was sad that Harry could only hear about his father through the ghost of his grandfather. He hastily grabbed the stack of papers he had been working on and handed it to Dr. Opal with some trepidation.
Dr. Opal leafed through them briskly. "Excellent. You have a knack for conciseness without leaving out any pertinent information. I wish my other apprentices wrote this well."
Ron blushed with pleasure.
"Now, Weasley, Hagrid, you will have to step out of the room. I need to examine Mr. Potter. Hagrid, there's a hostel next door. I suggest that you take a room. Mr. Weasley, I suggest you take a few hours to get some food and sleep."
She looked like McGonagall when she 'suggested' that her students pay attention in class.
Ron and Hagrid allowed themselves to be ushered out of Harry's room. The last thing they heard was, "Now, there's no need to be shy, Mr. Potter."
"Poor Harry," Hagrid said.
"Telling him not to be shy is about as useful as telling him not to blame himself," Ron said.
"Ron!"
"Well, it's true…" Ron started before he realized that was definitely not Hagrid's voice. "Hermione! You're back!" He paused, not knowing if he should hug her or not. "Hello, Mrs. Granger," he said a minute later.
"Hello, Ron," Ginny said dryly. "Remember me?"
"Do I know you?" Ron teased.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "How could you forget!? We were introduced at the Ministry Yule Ball just last year!"
"How very awkward," Ron said, giving his sister a hug. "I must learn to hold my liquor better."
Ginny giggled.
"Hello, Hermione, Ginny," Hagrid said. He held his arms open and both girls threw their arms around him as far as they could go.
"Hagrid, this is my mother, Mrs. Emma Granger," Hermione added. "You may remember meeting him in Diagon Alley a few years ago."
"Actually, we wasn' introduced proper then," Hagrid said.
Rupert looked a little embarrassed. Hermione didn't find out until later that he hadn't remembered seeing Hagrid before. Though how you could forget seeing somebody like Hagrid, she didn't know.
"Hello, Hagrid," Emma said. "Hermione has told me so much about you that I feel I know you." She held out her hand with a slight tremor that might have been fatigue.
"My pleasure, Missus," Hagrid said. He bowed gallantly over her hand, much the way Dumbledore had done.
Emma giggled and blushed.
"How's Harry?" Ginny asked.
"Pretty good, under the circumstances," Ron said. "Dr. Opal is examining him now. We'll have to wait until she's finished."
There was a pause.
"Do you want to get cleaned up?" Ron asked. "There's a hostel next door where you can get a room."
"That might be a good idea," Emma said gratefully.
"Do you need a hand with anything? I have a few hours off," Ron said.
"A few…? Ron, you're a Honey Badger?" Ginny exclaimed in delight. She fingered his new badge. "Mum and Dad must be so proud of you."
Ron cleared his throat. He didn't want to talk about his new uniform in front of the Grangers. Hagrid wouldn't say anything even if he wondered about the uniform. Harry had noticed the uniform, but hadn't questioned where it had come from. Harry still wasn't familiar enough with the wizarding world for him to realize that a Honey Badger usually bought his own uniform. Ginny would know, of course, and she'd understand why the uniform was a sticking point with their parents.
He raised an eyebrow at the bandage around Ginny's right hand. He interpreted the look she gave him as 'Don't ask,' so he didn't ask about it then. They were going to need to have a private chat, soon.
"What's a Honey Badger?" Hermione asked.
"C'mon and I'll tell you all about it," Ron said. He wouldn't say anything about the uniform. With any luck, Hermione wouldn't think to wonder who paid for it.
Private Conversation:
The Grangers wanted to have a family conference. Something about some protection that Dumbledore had given them. That suited Ron fine. He wanted to talk to Hermione, but first he wanted to fill in his sister about the Honey Badger uniform.
"Where did you get the money for those? Did the twins buy them?" Ginny blurted as they sat down in the nurse's station in the Haunted Wing. There weren't any full-time nurses in this wing. Harry was the only patient.
"Erm, no. Mr. Parkinson bought them," Ron said. "I told him that I wanted to keep an eye on Harry. So he offered to let me join the Honey Badgers. He said they were always short-handed and that if I would stay on after Harry left, he'd make all the arrangements, including getting me a uniform."
"Mr. Parkinson? You mean, Pansy's father? The bloke Dad doesn't like?"
"Yes."
"Was Dad very upset when you accepted?"
"He, well, he wasn't happy, neither was Mum, but they let me accept," Ron said. "You know, because it's to help Harry and all."
Ginny made a wry face. "Of course, the fact that it made you happy was entirely immaterial to their decision."
Ron scowled at her.
"Honestly, Ron, you know they love you," Ginny said.
"What's that got to do with anything?" Ron demanded.
"Dad and Mum swallowed their pride so you would be happy," Ginny spelled out patiently.
Ron squirmed. "How would you know? You weren't there! And what happened to your hand?"
Ginny bit her lip and blushed. "I hit Viktor."
Ron almost choked.
"Please don't tell Harry!"
"Does Hermione know?"
"Well, yes," Ginny admitted.
"Then Harry will know soon enough," Ron snickered.
Ginny sighed.
"Why did you hit Vicky, anyway?" Ron asked.
"Oh, stop calling him that!"
"I will if you tell me," Ron said with a wicked grin.
"That's blackmail," Ginny said.
"Actually, it's extortion," Ron corrected. "It would be blackmail if I said I wouldn't tell Harry how you hurt your hand if you tell me why you hurt your hand."
Ginny blinked at the rather convoluted sentence. Then she said, "You sound like Hermione."
Ron scowled. "She must be rubbing off on me. Stop trying to distract me, spill!"
"Okay, while we were there, everybody we met wanted to talk about Harry!"
Ron snickered. "Serves the lech right!"
"One time, I caught Viktor sulking and asked him if he was all right. He said he was tired about Hermione always talking about Harry. I told him that Harry and Hermione weren't an item, but he just scowled. I asked why he wasn't jealous of you and Hermione and he said that he was only worried about romantic rivals."
"And you hit him!"
"Well, yes, the way he said it made it sound like he didn't think you were good enough for Hermione!" Ginny burst out. She picked at her bandage. "One of Viktor's uncles fixed my hand up. He wasn't as good as Madam Pomfrey, though. I'll have to keep it wrapped up for another week."
Ron patted her unbandaged hand. "And I was worried about me starting a fight," he said teasingly.
Ginny could tell that Ron was pleased that she had defended his honor, or maybe he was just pleased that somebody had hit Viktor.
"What did the others say?" Ron asked.
"Erm, Viktor told them that his bad English was at fault and they let it drop." Ginny made a face. "It was his way of apologizing for appearing to insult my family. His brother stopped flirting with me after that, though."
"His brother was flirting with you?" Ron asked darkly.
"Yes, is there a problem with that?"
"I was going to try to fix you up with Harry," Ron said.
"That doesn't mean that Viktor's brother can't flirt with me a little!" Ginny said in exasperation. "Besides, he stopped when he got a glimpse of the old Weasley temper.
"Well, he shouldn't have," Ron muttered.
Ginny decided to drop the subject, so she never found out if Ron meant that Foma shouldn't have flirted or shouldn't have stopped flirting.
They sat in silence for a few moments, then they heard a thunking noise coming from the corridor that lead to the rest of the hospital.
Ron motioned for Ginny to get under the desk at the nurse's station. Ron casually leaned casually against the counter, concealing the wand he had just drawn.
The door from the corridor swung open and Mad-Eye Moody stomped in. He stopped when he saw Ron and his face contorted into a smile. "Good! You remembered to practice your constant vigilance, Weasley!" Alastor Moody said by way of greeting. "Good wand positioning, by the way. You could have fired off a curse before I had time to react to your presence. You can come out from under the desk, Miss Weasley."
Ron grinned. "Professor Moody!" he said happily.
"I'm not a professor anymore," Moody said. "Just Moody, if you please."
"Oh, sorry," it was hard to remember that this wasn't the man who'd taught them Defense Against the Dark Arts for a year.
Moody held his hand out for Ginny to take. "Good reflexes there," he said. "That was a very neat ambush you two set up."
"Thanks," Ginny said. "What are you doing here? Are you here to see Harry?"
"Actually, I'm here to talk to you two," Moody said. "Your father said you were here. I need to know if the twins told you anything about their windfall."
Ron and Ginny exchanged looks.
"They never talked to us about it," Ron said.
"You know them better than anybody," Moody said quietly. "Do you have any idea who their backer is?"
Ron and Ginny exchanged another look.
"I don't want you to betray anybody's confidence, but this could be serious. If your brothers get in with the wrong sort of people, there could be grave consequences. They could wind up in debt to a dark wizard, maybe even one of You-Know-Who's followers."
"Fred and George wouldn't side with You-Know-Who!" blurted Ron. "They'd never, I mean…" he trailed off. Saying that the twins would never do anything wrong was like saying Harry never got into trouble. "I mean, I know they're always messing around, but there's a big difference between playing pranks and becoming a Death Eater!"
"I know that, lad," Moody said gruffly. "But a lot of people get pulled into the dark side by accepting favors from the wrong person. Anybody could turn out to be in Voldemort's pocket. Even Fudge isn't above suspicion," he added darkly.
"Harry would never work for Voldemort!" Ginny burst out.
Ron looked at her sharply. Had Harry told her or had she worked it out like he had?
"Yes, Missy, I have to admit, even I would have a hard time suspecting the Boy-Who-Lived of working for Voldemort," Moody said. "However, we aren't talking about Potter…"
Something in their faces made him trail off.
"… Or are we?" Moody said.
Ron felt his face heating up and saw Ginny blush as well. Some Unmentionables they'd make! Ron thought bitterly. "Harry never said that he gave them the money," Ron blurted out unhappily.
"But you think he might have?" Moody asked.
"I dunno," Ron said, feeling like he'd just betrayed his best friend. Not that Harry had asked him to keep it a secret or anything.
"I see, thank you for your time, then," Moody nodded at them. As he stood, he added, "Don't go thinking you betrayed your friend, if Potter is the backer, then he hasn't done anything wrong for you to betray." They heard him clunking away.
After the sounds died away, Ron checked the corridor to see if it was empty. Even though Moody wasn't his professor, Ron still felt like he was being tested. "Did Harry tell you?" he asked Ginny in a low voice.
Ginny shook her head. "I'm just guessing," she replied. "I have no idea where he would have got the money. He doesn't carry around that much, does he?"
Ron shook his head. "I reckon it was the purse from the Tri-Wizard Tournament," he said.
"Oh," Ginny sighed. "I think we shouldn't ask him about it. He'll tell us if he wants us to know." She frowned unhappily. "He'll tell you, anyway."
Ron patted her shoulder. "Look, Ginny, I can't tell you other people's secrets, but I'm going to suggest that you be included. I think you should know this stuff."
Trunk Space
A few days later, Harry was feeling much better and Dr. Opal decided to let his guests stay for more than a few minutes. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were visiting when the presents started arriving.
"Flowers?" Ron chortled when Nurse Olivia Guppy delivered the first arrival. "Harry's got a girlfriend! Harry's got a girlfriend!"
"I do not!" Harry said crossly.
"Oh, so it's a boyfriend, then?"
Harry threw one of his hospital pillows at Ron.
Ron caught it. "Hey!"
"Hay is for horses," Harry said. "Watch it or I'll throw the warming pan at you next."
"What an ingrate!" Ron said. "After I went and filled it with nice coals to keep your ickle tootsies warm."
"Who sent the flowers?" Hermione asked hastily.
"You didn't?" Harry asked. "I thought it was probably from you or your mum."
"Why would Hermione send you flowers?" Ron demanded.
"Because that's what you're supposed to send people in the hospital," Hermione said. In a drier tone, she added, "Especially people who aren't allowed to buy candy. It isn't necessarily an act of courtship, Ron. So, what does the note say?"
Ron scowled at her, and then plucked the note from the flowers before Harry could.
"Hey!" Harry protested.
"Hay is for horses," Ron said, a trifle smugly. He read the letter. "Dear Harry," ("How original!") "I hope that you're feeling better soon." ("No, he was planning to stay sick until September first.") "I'm looking forward to seeing you at school, especially if there's another Yule Ball." ("Make that until January first.") "Sincerely, Parvati"
"Give me that," Harry said, snatching the note from Ron's hand. He read it over himself.
"Say, girls, does it mean something if there is a little heart over the 'i' in her name?" Ron asked with malicious glee.
"Parvati always signs her name that way," Hermione said calmly. "That's not necessarily a courtship gesture, either."
"Looks like she's forgiven you for that Yule Ball disaster, Harry," Ginny said slyly. She was determined not to show any signs of jealousy. It would be pointless when Harry hadn't shown signs of interest in her. Besides, what red-haired Weasley could pass up the opportunity to tease somebody about his love life?
"Ginny has something for you, too," Hermione said.
Ginny felt a blush coming on. "It's something I learned to do in Bulgaria," she said. "Viktor's grandmother loves to knit and she was showing me a few tricks." She reached into her purse and pulled out a tissue wrapped package. She was rather embarrassed, but if Hermione thought it was worth giving to Harry, she might as well go ahead with it.
"Why is your hand bandaged?" Harry asked.
"Erm, I hurt it," Ginny said in a tone that strongly suggested that the topic should be dropped.
Harry blinked at her. Then decided not to pursue that topic and unwrapped his package. Inside was a palm sized red cat with yellow paws made of some knitted material. For a moment, he wondered how Ginny had learned of his Animagus form. Then he realized that she had made the cat in Gryffindor colors. "Thank you!" he said. "You made this?"
"Yes," Ginny said happily. "It's a knitten kitten!"
"Knitten isn't a word," Hermione said, with a slight frown.
"Come on, Hermione, don't be such a stuffed shirt!" Ron said. "It's a cute Knitten Kitten, whose name is Mitten!"
Hermione sighed, rolled her eyes and sighed, "Only in Britain."
Ginny and Harry laughed.
Ginny looked at Harry anxiously. "Do you like it?"
Harry looked at her solemnly. "Very much, in fact," he grinned suddenly. "I'm smitten."
Ron and Hermione hooted and Ron threw Harry's pillow.
"I have something for you, too," Hermione announced. "It's actually your birthday present, but I guess you might as well get it early." She pulled two brightly wrapped boxes out of a shopping bag she had placed next to her chair when she arrived.
"Wow! Thanks," Harry said. He pulled the wrapping off the first one. "Cool, a jigsaw puzzle."
"It's not just any jigsaw puzzle," Hermione said with a malicious grin. "It's a wizarding jigsaw puzzle."
Harry gave her a blank look. Then his eyes went wide when he caught the implication. Wizarding photographs moved, so that meant that a wizarding jigsaw puzzle… He looked closely at the picture. Sure enough, the Quidditch players on the first puzzle were zooming around the pitch tossing the Quaffle back and forth.
"That's a brilliant one," Ron said enthusiastically. "When you get it put together right, the Seeker catches the Snitch!"
The other puzzle had a picture of a fountain on it.
Harry frowned. "What does this do?" It seemed like a boring puzzle to him, but Hermione usually had a reason for what she did.
Ron laughed. "Don't tell him," he warned the others. "Let him find out for himself."
Harry gave Ron a beady look, but didn't say anything. "Let's try it out," he said. He looked around for a place to lay out the puzzle.
"Erm, my present for you is at home," Ron said awkwardly.
"That's okay," Harry said. He wondered if Ron had even bought him a present yet. Not that it mattered. His birthday was still a few days away. "It would be nice to get a present on my birthday. Hagrid gave me his early, too."
Ron picked up Lily's trunk. "Here, this should work."
"Oo, that's pretty!" Ginny exclaimed.
"Is that your mother's trunk?" Hermione asked.
Harry nodded.
"Lucky," Ginny said. She ran a finger across the embossed roses and eagles. "All I found was a bunch of junk and a nasty cloak."
Harry looked at the cloak she was wearing.
"Oh, this isn't the Hunting Cloak that I found, silly! That was red!" Ginny stroked the soft material of her new cloak. "This is a hand-me-down from some friend of the family."
Harry couldn't help noticing how…. NICE… Ginny looked in his mum's cloak. It had been a good idea to give it to her. Now, if he could only keep Ron from giving him away. "It's pretty," he said.
Ron grinned. "And look at the lining!" he said. "It's a nice, non-Slytherin green that, by strange coincidence, is exactly the same color as your eyes, Harry!"
Harry turned Gryffindor red.
"Ron!" Ginny protested. "I didn't choose this cloak! You were there when Mum gave it to me!"
Hermione looked at Harry and raised an eyebrow. Harry was glad that he was already blushing, because otherwise he'd have given himself away. He decided this was a good time to change the subject. "You want to see what else is in here?" he asked, not realizing he'd all but admitted that the cloak had come from his mum's trunk. He was just trying to divert attention away from the green lining.
He didn't see Hermione hold up her hand to hide a smile.
Forgetting about the jigsaw puzzle for now, they arranged the trunk on two chairs so Harry could reach it easily. This left Ginny perched on the foot of Harry's bed and Ron seated on the floor. Harry was amused at how Ron's manipulations had ensured that Hermione got the only remaining chair.
Wait, Ron's manipulations had also ensured that Ginny would sit on the foot of his bed. Harry suspected that Ron was trying to fix him up with his little sister. Harry didn't dare look at Ginny, he wasn't sure he could fit any blood into his cheeks at the present.
The second of the green satin pillows was on top. Harry took it out and explained. "These were pillowcases when I took them out the first time," he indicated the one he was leaning against. "But when I shook them; they turned into full sized pillows." He held the one from the trunk up. "Thing is, I don't know how to turn them back into pillowcases."
"I'm sure there must something about these in the library," Hermione mused.
"Don't look at me," Ron responded.
"Honestly, Ron," sighed Ginny.
"What?" Ron demanded.
"If you ever listened to Mum, you'd know how to fold sham-pillows," Ginny said. She took the sham-pillow that was sitting on Harry's lap. "See, you just twist them like this," she said, while demonstrating. The sham-pillow folded neatly into a pillowcase.
"Wow," Harry said, impressed. "How did you do that?"
Ginny raised an eyebrow at him.
"Hey, you can't expect me to have it figured out from one demonstration!" Harry protested. "Flitwick and McGonagall give several demonstrations before they have us try something."
Ginny laughed. "Okay, like this then." She took the other sham-pillow from behind Harry's back and folded it.
Now it was Hermione who wanted another demonstration and they spent several minutes fluffing and folding pillows. Both the girls really liked the rose-scented, rose-decorated pillows.
"C'mon!" Ron said at last. "I want to see the good stuff, not the linens!"
"Where should we put things as we take them out of the trunk?" Hermione asked. "We don't need more clutter!" she looked around the room. "How about in your other trunk?" she suggested.
Harry, remembering the tell-tale cloak was on top, shook his head. "There's no room in there," he said. "Besides, I don't want this stuff getting mixed up in mine."
"Oh," Hermione picked up her shopping bag. "Here, use this, then. We don't want those good sheets to get dirty."
Harry privately thought that it wouldn't matter; the silk and satin sheets would never be used. However, he didn't want to argue with Hermione. "Here's the cool thing," he said, pulling out the spyglass.
Ron promptly confiscated it. "Cool!" he said. "This will help keep an eye out for Filch!"
"Ron!" Hermione said scandalized. "You're not planning to break the school rules already, are you?"
"I figured I didn't get the rule-breaking on the timetable now, I wouldn't get the chance later," Ron said blithely.
"Ron!"
"Well, have we gone for a full year yet without breaking curfew?" Ron demanded.
Ginny's eyebrows went up. "Do tell," she urged.
"No, I think this isn't the time," Hermione said, very pink in the face.
"You weren't out snogging with my brother, were you?"
Harry almost fell out of his bed laughing. "She's on to you!" he crowed.
Ron and Hermione sent him twin Glares of Painful Death, but he didn't notice.
"Well, first year we were trying to protect the Philosopher's Stone," Hermione said. "Second year…" she stopped abruptly and blushed.
"I remember that year," Ginny said quietly. "Someday, I would like more details of what it was like for you three, but not now."
"Third year most of the rule-breaking had to do with me sneaking into Hogsmeade without permission," Harry said. "Although we did sneak down to Hagrid's hut a few times."
"You could have met Sirius Black," Ginny said, horrified.
"I know," Harry said flatly, ending that line of discussion. He wanted to tell Ginny about Sirius, but he didn't have permission yet. "Fourth year there was a lot of sneaking around due to the Tri-Wizard tournament, also a bad topic for conversation. Shall we move on?"
"How did you do all this sneaking?" Ginny wanted to know. "With the Invisibility Cloak?"
The other three gaped at her.
"How did you know about that?" Harry demanded.
"Harry! I ransacked your room in my first year! I found it in your trunk. You really should have a better hiding place for it. What if Dumbledore finds out?"
"Dumbledore is the one who gave it to me," Harry said. "It belonged to my father."
"Oh, that explains a lot," Ginny said thoughtfully. "Can I see it?"
"Later," Harry said. "I don't want to open my school trunk right now."
"Why?" Ginny asked.
"Because…" Harry trailed off.
"You don't really want to see his dirty underwear, do you?" Ron teased. He felt very pleased with himself when both Hermione and Ginny blushed. He expected one of them to change the subject, fast.
Ginny looked into Lily's trunk again. "So, what else is in here?" she asked.
Ron grinned.
"Christmas cards," Harry said. "I guess my mum had started them in October."
"Doesn't everybody?" Hermione asked.
"You are completely mental," Ron muttered.
Harry shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I've never sent anybody a Christmas card in my life."
"Never?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"Well, who would I send one to?" Harry said defensively. "The Dursleys? They'd never even take it off the owl! And everybody I know is at Hogwarts."
Hermione opened her mouth, but closed it quickly. Harry wondered if she had considered mentioning Sirius. After a few minutes, Hermione said, "You could send one to Remus Lupin," she said. "I sent him one last year."
Harry blinked. "Oh," he said. "I never even thought of sending him one."
"Well, it's not like you were in the habit of sending people Christmas cards," Ginny said. She gave Hermione a disapproving look.
Hermione looked abashed. "Sorry," she said.
"That's okay," Harry said. "I don't know how you found time to write Christmas cards along with everything else you were doing."
"It's all a matter of being organized," Hermione said.
"Can we look at these Christmas cards?" Ron asked.
"There's a bunch of them addressed already," Harry said. "I was wondering if I should have them delivered to the addressees. I mean, if they're still alive and if I can figure out who they are."
"What do you mean, if you can figure out who they're for?" Ron asked.
"Most of them are just addressed by first name and initial," Harry said. "Like Remus L."
Hermione frowned. "That's not very efficient," she said.
"Maybe she meant to hand them out by hand," Ginny said.
"Or maybe she was going to finish addressing them later," Hermione added.
Harry shrugged.
"Maybe she was just…" Ron took a look at Harry's face and decided that maybe he shouldn't say that Lily was careless. "In a hurry, you know. She just wanted to make sure that everybody got a card. What else is in here?"
The addressed cards went into the shopping bag. There was a stack of unaddressed Christmas cards that Harry tried to hide. He failed, and the others managed to snag one or two apiece.
"Awwww! How cute!" Ginny exclaimed, holding up a card in either hand so she could examine them.
"Damn, you were ugly," Ron said, studying his card.
"Ron!" Hermione scolded. "He was not! He was adorable!"
Harry looked at Ginny and Hermione with frank disbelief. "You can't be serious," he said, gesturing to the cards. "That's the most hideous lump I've ever seen!"
This set Ron off laughing again.
"Oh, shut it, you," Hermione said to Ron. "Harry, you were a beautiful baby."
Ron choked.
It was Ginny's turn to laugh.
"You-Are-Both-Mental," Harry asserted.
Ron stuck his tongue out at Ginny and Hermione.
Hermione sighed. "You-Are-Both-Im-Poss-I-Ble."
"You just figured this out when?" Ron asked.
"About five minutes after I asked you if you'd seen Neville's toad," Hermione said dryly.
Harry grinned at her.
"What else is in here?" Ron said, already bored with baby pictures. He pulled out the denim covered 'The Transfiguration Survival Guide,'" he read.
"That is so cool," Harry said. "If you ask nicely, it will show you what kind of animal you'll turn into if you become an Animagus."
"Wicked," Ron said. "Will you please show me what kind of animal I'd be if I turn into an Animagus?"
Nothing happened.
Harry chuckled and Ron shot him a beady look. Ron flipped through the book and frowned in concentration.
"He asked nicely," Hermione said. "So, why didn't it show him his Animagus form?"
Ron shot her a sideways look. Then a grin blossomed across his face and he said. "Wait, I asked politely, I didn't ask Nicely." He closed the book again and said, "Nicely, will you please show me what my Animagus form would be?"
The book sparkled and the title changed from The Transfiguration Survival Guide to The Animagus Survival Guide.
Ron leaned his arms on Lily's trunk and began flipping through the Guide. "Wicked!" he said happily.
"What is it?" Hermione asked.
"What's your animal form?" Harry
Suddenly, Ron was bathed in golden light from the book. The next thing any of them knew, a long-eared owl was sitting on the edge of Lily's trunk.
** **
Author's Notes:
I fixed the 'Hedwig's cage' glitch in the last chapter, thanks to everybody who pointed that out!
Vegameatavitamin is from a classic episode of "I Love Lucy."
Angel of the North: Thanks for the review! ** Hm, give Rupert his own story? Interesting idea.
Lan: Thanks for the review! Yes, I am evil. Sorry about the cliffie! I did warn you that there were some left, I have one this time, too. It could have been worse, I could have left ended it just after that sphere blew up. ** Ah, but the next story does take place at Hogwarts. Can't pass up the chance to write some Quidditch.
Taself: Thanks for the review! ** Glad that you like my take on Hermione's father! ** More on the golden sphere this time and next! ** I've heard of haunted hospitals, and I figured the only way Harry could talk to his ancestor would be to meet the ghost of an ancestor. I didn't want him to meet his parents that way, so the next logical choice was for him to meet a grandparent.
lemon drop: Thanks for the review! ** I had fun writing the letters. I kept thinking of the internal comments, so I had to add them! ** I figure wizarding children probably eat sugary cereals just like Muggle children.
Bucky: Thanks for the review! We're starting in on the romance parts now. It's easier when I can put Harry and Ginny in the same room! ** Yes, Ginny has plans for getting some 'face to face' interaction. ;-)
Bob: Thanks for the review! And thanks for pointing out my mistake about the cage! (That's why Harry forgot it, he didn't have it any more! I'll have to put that in the chapter.) *blushes* ** Thanks, Yeah, Petunia can be quite blind to her own faults, can't she? ** I always thought it was sad that Harry could get better treatment from people off the street (like the strangers he saw in Book One) than he could get from his own family.
Temporary Insanity: Thanks for reviewing! ** The 'sheer luck nobody was killed' line was to assure everybody that Harry, Rupert and Hagrid were all still alive. Ron's comment about "luck, nothing, Harry's just too damn…" meant that it wasn't luck but stubbornness that kept Harry alive.
Lilia: Thanks for the review! ** How do I come up with this stuff? I have too much time to think while I'm sitting in traffic jams. I wanted Harry to meet one of his relatives and this was the only way I could think of to swing it. ** Viktor Krum is under the misapprehension that he is Hermione's boyfriend. Poor guy, he needs to meet somebody else.
Ozma: Thanks for reviewing, partner! ** Yep, I was deliberately drawing a parallel between Viktor's jealousy Ron's jealousy. Hermione really never expected to attract all this male attention! ** I don't think Ginny will have time to find out that Foma = Thomas. ** grins Yeah, poor Viktor, hard to pay court to a girl when you have that big an audience! ** I wouldn't be surprised if Bob painted the living room because he was lonely. Say hello to Bob and the boys for me! ** I think Ron can be level headed in a crisis. And I like the idea of using things the kids learned from the likes of Trelawney and Quirrel. ** Sirius will take great delight in telling Harry about all the times he burped up on James. ** Thanks! I'd forgotten that Rupert and Hagrid were in the book shop at the same time. Still, it's different to see him up close! ** Thanks for letting me know which parts you found funny or touching! ** I just wanted to show some Slytherins as having a good side. ** I knew you'd recognize Tiberius!
Sailor Chibi: Thanks for the review! ** Noticing details is a good thing! ** More on the golden sphere this time and next time!
Doom Song: Thanks for the review! And thanks for putting me on your favorites list! That is so flattering!
Markhp: Thanks for the review! And thanks for the kind words on my changing the Points of View! ** I'll continue this story, heck, it's pretty much taken over my life right now!
Crazyfriendsfan: Thank you for the kind words!
Squintz: Yeah, it does seem to be silly to be afraid of a number, or a name. Besides, how could I really be triskaidekaphobic when one of my biggest fans is Andrea13? ** Thanks for the review! Glad chapter sixteen lived up to your expectations!
Little House Girl: Thank you for the review!
MoNmOn: Thanks for the review! ** I try to mix in a little humor to keep things from getting too grim. ** "Holy wow", I like that phrase, may I use it somewhere?
Rhiain: Thanks for the compliments! ** Sorry the ghost confused you. Basically, in my version of the Potterverse, Harry's grandfather, Tiberius Potter, was murdered while he was trying to protect his patients. I wrote about this in "As-Sorted Marauders" and decided to use it in this story, too.
The Queen of Fire and Ice: Thanks for the review! ** Sorry about the cliffie last time and for the cliffie this time. I did think to put in a warning, this time.
Lemon Drop: Hello, again! And thanks for all the kind words on my work! I'm glad you think the next chapter is worth waiting for! ** No, the gold thing wasn't a watch out. Thanks for the compliment on that name. Once I'd thought of it, I knew I was going to have to use it! ** The Dursley chose not to know that something was wrong with Harry. If they knew, then they'd have to do something about it. ** I try to write like Rowling – that is, I try to put a lot into my stories so that it's hard to catch everything the first time around.
whoever I am at the moment: Thanks for the review! ** I figure if the Dursleys are Harry's only living relatives, the only others he'd be able to talk to are ghosts. ** I'm guessing that Viktor has siblings. Seemed a reasonable thing for him to have. ** I think the Weasleys have noticed the rapid exchange of owls between Harry and Ginny. ** Yes. ** No. ** Oops, I forgot to fix Chapter two. ** Happy to give you a break from cleaning the kitchen.
Pseudonym Sylphmuse: Poor Viktor. Somebody should create a nice girlfriend for him. Somebody who isn't Hermione. ** I think poor Foma is out of his league. ** Yes, I named Rupert after the actor who plays Ron and Emma after the actress that plays Hermione. It seemed like the thing to do. ** I like the idea of the Dursleys seeing witches and wizards everywhere, even where there aren't any! Nah, death is too good for them, they should wind up in an insane asylum. Except for maybe Dudley. He might turn into a decent human being in spite of his parents. (Or maybe to spite his parents.) They've put him in serious jeopardy of diabetes, among other nasty diseases. ** I mention James' father in my "As-Sorted Marauders" story (shameless plug.) ** I try to put something educational in my stories! All that reading has to be good for something!
Andrea13: Thanks for the review! ** I almost did leave it at the explosion, but I decided to push on to the happier cliff-hanger of Tiberius Potter. ** Poor Viktor, all he wanted was a chance to pitch some woo and he got pre-empted! ** Thanks for telling me your favorite lines! You picked some of my favorites!
Hpforever: Thanks for the review! Don't look at it as this story ending, look at is as the next story beginning! The trouble with a summer story is that there's no Quidditch! No 'face-to-face' interaction! No fun arguments between Ron and Hermione!
Female Fred: Thanks for the compliments!
Punkin and Aimee: Thanks for the review! And thanks for telling me the parts that you particularly liked! Don't worry, Rupert's all right. ** I like your reviewing style, it's very energetic! ** Glad you like my take on Neville, Pansy and Millicent! ** Hi, Aimee! I am very flattered that you like my story, even if it doesn't have your preferred ship! ** I hope the finals go well/ went well.
Chocolate Muse: Thanks for reviewing! ** Tiberius was the name of a Roman Emperor. It's something of an in joke. In the original Star Trek series, the captain of the Enterprise was James Tiberius Kirk. When I tried to think of a middle name for Harry's father, James and Tiberius just went together in my mind. And since Harry has his father's name as his middle name, I decided that James was the named the same way, so Tiberius became his father's name. (There! More than you wanted to know about my thought processes!)
Von: Thanks for reviewing! Glad I sold you on the cat idea! ** Yes, Harry calling at that time of the morning (or at all, really) was a bit out of character. However, I thought I set it up. The Grangers did invite him to call at any hour. (When the phone rang, Rupert even thought that there was one person who had been invited to call at any time.) Harry doesn't want to bother people with his problems, unless he thinks there's something seriously wrong. Rupert happened to hear Harry have an attack because Harry called when he was feeling especially bad. ** Yes, the card was the final catalyst as far as he was concerned. He thought Rupert might be worried about his wife and daughter. ** Thanks! Glad you liked the part with poor Viktor! He seemed like a decent sort in the book, it's not his fault he's fallen for the wrong girl!
Eris, Queen of the Shadows: Yep, the woodsman was okay! (I should write up that version of Little Red Riding Hood someday.) ** Thanks for reviewing! Glad you like my take on Hermione's father!
pegoheart144: Thanks for the review! ** Glad you like the slow build up of the Harry/ Ginny relationship! ** To answer your questions: Yes, sort of, yes.
Alla: Thanks for the review! ** The thing that hurt him is explained here! ** Yes, Rupert and Harry make an interesting team, don't they? ** Yeah, poor Viktor. He's going to have Hermione stolen from him by somebody he didn't even notice. ** Yep, Harry finally gets to meet a non-Dursley relative. ** Thanks! I keep thinking there has to be more to Slytherin House than Riddle, Snape and Malfoy.
MaegnasEssenya: Thanks for reviewing! ** No, I don't think Hermione and Ginny are bisexual. They were just joking. It may have been a wee bit of a stretch, but I don't think I violated canon too much with that. The Grangers seem to be very broad-minded. They let Hermione go to Hogwarts. They let her stay in Hogwarts even though she got petrified in her second year. They also let her stay with the Weasleys in Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire. Molly is probably very conservative, but she was joking about love potions in Prisoner of Azkaban. So I don't think either Molly or the Grangers would get too upset about a joke about alternate lifestyles.
I decided to have Harry's Animagus form a cat because they ARE common. An unfamiliar cat wandering around Hogwarts or Hogsmeade or even the Dursleys' back yard isn't going to arouse much comment. (Unlike a lion or a gryphon or even a phoenix.) I think that Rowling is going to turn Harry into an Animagus, and I really doubt that she's going to make him into a cat. (My guess is that Harry is the Phoenix of the title.) ** That website about animals and personality traits sounds fascinating, what's the URL?
Is that Elvish at the end of your review? What does it say?
Amulder: Thanks for reviewing! Yes, I do try to heed constructive criticism when I can. ** Thanks for the compliments on Rupert's reactions to the Dursleys. I've wanted to contrast the nice Grangers with the nasty Dursleys for a long time. ** I'm not sure if Rowling plans to do anything more with Viktor, but I couldn't resist getting a jab in on Ron's behalf.
sk8reagle: Hi! Thanks for coming over from GT to look at the rough draft! The versions here are somewhat different than they are at GT (and neither version is exactly like what's going up at SugarQuill. It's mostly minor corrections.)
Chary: GACK! I forgot to update my blurb! Not your fault, it was my mistake. ** Thanks for reviewing! I'll be happy to review your next chapter! (Any time…) ** Thanks for the compliments on my take on Viktor! I didn't want to try to write the accent like Rowling does. I just wanted to get a flavor of it. ** Thanks, again, for the compliments on my handling of Rupert and Harry. Yes, I agree, Harry has this problem believing that anybody would want to help him. ** I would like to do a lot with Ron and his premonitions. I'm not sure if I'll do much with it in this story arc. (It seems to me that there is an awfully big gap between Charlie and Percy. I keep wondering if there was another son in there at one time. That would make Ron the seventh son. Considering the frequent comments about the size of Wealsey families, Arthur might well be the seventh son, too.) ** Thanks for the compliments on my Neville, Pansy and Millicent. I've known girls like Pansy and Millicent who are totally different when away from their cliques. ** I meant for you (and the other readers) to miss that hint. That's why I threw out a distraction immediately after dropping said hint. EG
rosemary thyme: Thanks for reviewing! ** By the way, are you going to Scarborough fair?
Amulder: Hello, again! Thanks for the double review! And thanks for pointing out the slip-up with Hedwig's cage! I'll fix that this time. You can see that Harry's situation has improved.
Allison: Thanks for the nice review!
Badgerlock: Thanks for the review! Glad you like the Watch Outs! ** I like your screen name. Is it related to Hufflepuff House or does it come from another source?
Alla: Um, are you trying to tell me something? Don't be shy, now! ;-)
Alina: Thanks for the review! Harry is pretty sick, but he isn't delirious at this point. ** It's still a few days before Harry's birthday. ** The cat business will be in the next story. ** I'm hoping to have this story finished by the end of April!
DeeKay: Thanks for the review! And thanks for catching the cage error in the last chapter! It's been fixed. ** How can something round cause bleeding? I'm not sure, I can only speak from personal experience. I hit my head on a table that had rounded edges and I was bleeding so much that I needed stitches. (My father personally rounded the edges of that table so we wouldn't cut ourselves on it.) You are right, I should have had there be a bump on Harry's head. ** Good point about the Watch Out! I put that explanation in this time. You are an excellent Beta-reader!
Miriam: Thanks for the review! ** Yes, poor Viktor is suffering from Harry-envy. He never seemed to notice Ron at all in the fourth book. I think Harry and Hermione became an item in his mind because he first really saw them when Ron was avoiding Harry. ** Yep, Rupert thinks he should have the old British stiff upper lip about things like being away from his wife for a few days. ** Thanks for letting me know which lines you particularly liked! ** I had a nice Easter, thank you!
Harmoni: Thanks for the review! ** Yes, it was rather like a magical hand grenade.
