Chapter 2

Hermione Granger was sitting on the bathroom floor with her towel wrapped around her. Beside her sat two other Gryffindor fifth years who were both painting their toenails. Some girls were washing their hair in the showers, some were plucking their eyebrows at the mirrors and others were waxing their legs on the benches. Hermione unscrewed the lid of a bottle of pale pink nail polish. "That's such a lovely colour Hermione" one of the girls said. Hermione smiled. "I always liked pink" she replied. She began to paint her toenails with the polish.

Outside Ron and Harry were waiting under Harry's invisibility cloak. "Alright, we have to wait here until a girl comes in then we need to follow her straight away." Harry whispered. "It would be a bit obvious if the door magically opened and we entered invisible" he explained. Ron was fidgeting with his hands. "Bloody 'ell Harry, this is going to be great!" he said with nervous excitement. "Just remember to keep covered and quiet at all times" ordered Harry. Ron nodded. They saw a Gryffindor girl walking towards the bathroom. She was very petite and had short caramel coloured hair which was tied back. Harry recognised her as a first year named Licce Melding. She was wrapped up in a towel and had her toiletries in a small bag with her. "This is it" said Harry. She opened the wooden door to the bathroom with one hand and walked in. Harry and Ron followed behind her almost tripping over each other. Licce walked over to a shower and shut the door. Many of the less shy girls left their shower doors opened while they washed themselves. Ron's jaw dropped and he began to salivate. Harry began to blush as he saw his close friend Hermione step into the shower. Suddenly he wished he has never agreed to Ron's plan.

"Ron, it's Hermione!" hissed Harry." This is too weird; we have to get out of here" he said urgently. However Ron was in a fantasy world, he did not respond he only walked around in a daze with his eyes wide open taking in the sights. "Come on Ron this is stupid! We shouldn't have come here! Please, lets go" Harry begged. Ron did not respond. Hermione was talking to the girl in the shower cubicle next to her. "I can't believe you are friends with Harry Potter!" The girl exclaimed. "He's only the fittest lad in all our year!" she continued. "I've liked him ever since we were first years!" She giggled. Hermione shrugged. "He's nice I guess but I never thought of him that way" she said casually, while scrubbing the back of her neck. "Are you mad!" another girl asked. "Harry is so damn fine!" Hermione laughed. "If you go for the geeky look!" she said airily. Harry stopped in his tracks. He couldn't believe he was the hot topic of conversation in the girls' showers but more importantly he couldn't believe what Hermione just said. Ron was looking at Harry with a new respect. "Hey hey!" he said elbowing Harry in the ribs. Harry didn't seem as humoured. "Ron we are getting out of here now!" he said hotly. He turned towards the door, grabbed Ron's hand and broke into a run.

While he was busy trying to exit the bathroom as quickly as possible he didn't notice Ron's leg was sticking out from under the cloak. But Hermione did. She saw Ron's leg sticking out and watched the two of them leave, while the rest of their bodies were hidden under the cloak behind a third year girl. Hermione was furious! Her face twisted into a mask of anger. She swiftly turned of the shower taps and wrapped her towel around her. "What's the matter Hermione?" asked her friend. "Nothing" she muttered storming out of the bathroom. "I'll see you back in the dormitory". Hermione dried her hair and quickly changed into her nightdress. She pulled on her dressing gown and marched off out of the dormitory and down the hall. Meanwhile Ron and Harry sat on their beds. Ron was dumb with shock and Harry was sitting there thinking. All of a sudden Hermione and Professor McGonagall dressed in their nightclothes burst in. "Uh-Oh!" said Ron turning to Harry with a look of terror upon his face. Professor McGonagall walked straight up to them. "Boys, I think you ought to come with me." She said icily. "Hermione dear, you may go back to your dormitory." Hermione nodded and glared at Harry and Ron. Ron gulped and shot a fearful look at Harry.

Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall stood side by side with looks of uttermost revulsion on their faces. The four of them were in the headmaster's office. Ron and Harry were sitting down looking quite remorseful. Dumbledore began to speak very slowly. "I hope you boys are happy. Tonight you have not only broken school rules and misused the invisibility cloak which would make your father very ashamed Harry" said Dumbledore peering over the lens of his glasses to meet Harry's eye. "But you have embarrassed and upset the female Gryffindor community." "Not to mention violating the girls' privacy" Snapped Professor McGonagall. Dumbledore nodded. "I'm afraid we have no choice but to punish you both" he said grimly. "And you two deserve to be punished!" Professor McGonagall added furiously. Ron was staring at the floor in dismay. He couldn't bear to see the looks of anger on his parents' faces. What would his mother say? What would his father do? He would probably be disowned and sent to live in the forbidden forest. "Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter, I am going to have to suspend you from Hogwarts for two weeks". Professor Dumbledore finished. "Start packing boys" said Professor McGonagall.

Harry and Ron trudged back to their dormitories. Everyone in the common room seemed to be whispering and pointing at them. Girls were glaring at them and shaking their heads. Boys were grinning at them and laughing. Ginny Weasley who was Ron's little sister was sitting in front of the fireplace with a tear streaked face. It was obvious being Ron's sister she had copped a lot of teasing. Ron felt a pang of guilt. He hung his head and followed Harry up to their dormitory and tried to ignore the rest of the Gryffindors. Everyone in the dormitory was asleep. Harry and Ron changed into their pyjamas and slipped into bed. Neither of them said a word to each other. Harry curled up into a ball, dreading the coming of morning when he would be packing his bags and returning to the Dursely's which itself was a harsh punishment.

Harry and Ron lugged their trunks down the sandstone staircase. "Harry and Ron are expelled! They are both banished to hell!" sang Peeves the poltergeist. Harry rolled his eyes. He had received numerous insults and taunts from Peeves during his years at Hogwarts. "You're so bloody funny" said Ron sarcastically to the ghost. Peeves paused for a moment, he almost seemed hurt and then continued with his song "Harry and Ron are expelled."

After they had finished breakfast Ron and Harry walked up to Professor McGonagall who was waiting for them. "You will travel home by floo powder" she said coldly. "I have already notified your guardians and they will be expecting you". Harry suddenly felt weak at the knees. Due to his disastrous first experience using floo powder Harry had developed and extreme fear for the means of travel. "Floo powder?" he asked, his voice quavering. "Yes, Mr Potter." Professor McGonagall replied. "You can't possibly expect us to call in the Hogwarts Express just for this journey." she said unsympathetically. Harry looked at the floor. "Besides, we can't be bothered to arrange a portkey for you to use. The pair of you will go to Kings Cross station and your parents will be waiting for you there. Now follow me" she said, walking towards her office, while Harry and Ron struggled with their luggage.

Ron and Harry shot out of the fireplace and landed hard on the floor of Kings Cross station. Their luggage did not seem to be anywhere. "Ron," asked Harry mystified "Where are our bags?" Ron was looking very glum and only managed to give a small shrug. They both began to hear a long whistling sound and looked upwards. Ron's and Harry's eyes widened and they both began to scream. Their trunks came crashing down from nowhere and landed with a thud on the floor, just missing Harry and Ron's heads. Ron and Harry's faces were very pale and neither of them dared to move. "Since when was there a fireplace on platform 9 ¾?" wondered Harry, in a dazed state. Just then Ron's parents Mr and Mrs Weasley approached them looking like they were about to explode in fury. Harry looked at the floor. He knew the Weasley's were very fond of him but was sure they wouldn't be thrilled to see him under the current circumstances. Harry wished he could just melt into a puddle on the station floor.

Harry sat by the window of his bedroom in the Dursely's house, gazing at the night sky. He had been away from Hogwarts only a day and he missed it like mad. He missed his owl, Hedwig and his friends. He was even beginning to miss Professor Snape's potions class! But Harry knew things would be different when he went back to school. Life would never be the same. Hermione would probably never speak to him and Ron again and they would probably become outcasts. Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore would no longer be fond of him, the Gryffindor girls would have lost all respect for him and continue to give him those menacing looks which Harry feared. Even Colin Creevy would never look at him with the same admiration. Harry heaved a sigh, wishing things had been different. If only he had never gotten that invisibility cloak. If only he could get his hands on that time turner McGonagall had. If only they hadn't been caught! Harry got down from the windowsill and crept into bed. He took off his glasses and curled up into a ball. He had a sinking feeling the next two weeks would take forever to pass.