Harry Potter and the Rise of the Army
By MiSt
This is going to be the first carefree/no angst story I've written in a long time! Hope you enjoy it!
Setting: Harry Potter's Sixth Year
Spoilers: SS, (PS for British people), CoS, PoA, GoF, and OoTP!
Summary: Harry Potter is now entering his sixth year. Tons of fun! Tons of fighting! Tons of satisfaction, as our hero, faces the challenges beyond his level…
Disclaimer: Oh how I wish I owned Harry Potter!
Chapter 2: Letters + Dudley's Crush
It was the second week of July. In the morning, the great morning of July the 11th, two owls flew in, Ron and Hermione's owls.
Harry, tired but happy to see those owls, quickly grabbed them rolls of parchments, let them have a quick dip of water (Hedwig almost poked Pig's eyes out when he fluttered around madly), and waited for Harry's answer.
Harry opened Ron's parchment.
Dear Harry,
It's great here in Romania! Charlie's dragons are so awesome! You should see one of those Russian Blazetails- they're huge, and their tails are so fiery! We met the Hungarian Horntail you faced two years ago; it was still hopping madly, as if you were still around getting the egg!
(insert words that are crossed out here) How have you been? Did Hermione write to you yet? I hope she's not having too much fun- I hate that Krum!
I'll see you in Diagon Alley, on August!
Ron Weasley
Harry wondered what was crossed out that Ron had written but was crossed out. He decided that Ron must have written something that wasn't very relevant.
He opened Hermione's parchment.
Dear Harry,
We heard that the Dursleys were treating you great from Remus! I hope you are having fun at your house. It's great here in (crossed out words) Bulgeria here! Viktor's very nice. I'm having lots of fun!
Anyway, please, don't think about last year's events. The reason Ron (more crossed out words here) and I haven't mentioned it was because we were afraid you would… become… sorrowful, like when Cedric died. Please don't think about it. I know you loved him, but don't spend too much time crying over spilled milk.
I'll see you in Diagon Alley!
(Crossed out word here) Your Friend,
Hermione
Harry stared. Hermione almost never crossed out words! She never made mistakes. Yet here was three smeared spots with lines across the words.
I wonder what they were saying that they didn't want me to hear…
Harry sighed. Though it was insignificant, Harry also noticed that before it was always, "Love From…" instead of "Your Friend…" Harry did not know why she changed the last part. But that didn't matter. Maybe she realized that doing that could have some connotations that might be alluded by the former.
Harry sighed. He let the owls go; scribbling only a short, "Thanks for your mail. I'm busy, so I'll see you both at Diagon Alley."
What was weird was that the owls, Pig, and Hermione's borrowed farm owl did not go separate ways but went together.
Two days later, after returning from the most exhausting day of all, doing about 500 18-pound bricks, an owl flew in and dropped a rather large letter on his desk.
Harry reached forward, and noticed that it was sealed with the Hogwarts seal.
Harry's heart beat faster. This was his O.W.L's results. He sincerely hoped that he got the rankings needed for becoming an Auror.
Opening the letter with trembling hands, he took out three sheets of paper. He decided to open the first one first.
Mr. Potter,
Your O.W.L. scores have arrived:
Divination: Acceptable
History of Magic: Exceeds Expectations
Herbology: Exceeds Expectations
Astronomy: Exceeds Expectations
Care of Magical Creatures: Outstanding (Bonus- one point)
Transfiguration: Outstanding
Potions: Outstanding (Bonus- one point)
Defense against the Dark Arts: Outstanding (Bonus- one point)
Charms: Outstanding (Bonus- one point)
You are qualified to go into Sixth Year, as you have reached the minimum requirement of two Acceptables..
Aaron Migefolk
Hogwarts Governor
Harry stared. He couldn't believe it. Four outstanding scores! Even in Potions! He thought he did very poorly on Transfiguration, yet he still got an Outstanding! This was much more than he had thought. Before he had thought he would only get an Outstanding in DADA…
Harry opened the next piece of paper. There was the list of spellbooks that were required for the next year.
The last piece of parchment was shocking. Not in a good way.
Dear Mr. Potter,
As Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger have both applied for the Advanced Wizarding Career program, they will be taking lessons in the Salem Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Thus, two more Gryffindor prefects are required, so you, and Ginny Weasley, have been chosen for Prefects. If you decline the position of the prefect, you may reply no later than July 31st, where then we would assign another the prefect badge.
Below is your prefect badge.
Minerva McGonnagall,
Deputy Headmistress
Harry stared in shock. He didn't care about the golden, shining Prefect badge below. He stared at the words. Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, had ditched him for America.
Harry nearly destroyed his room of fury. Last year they kept secrets from him and had fun while he tried diligently to get the news. Now that the Dursleys had become better, they just wouldn't give him a break and ditch him for some stupid institute of Salem!
"Hermione… Ron… how could you two do this to me?" Harry seethed in restrained anger. He restrained himself from tearing the house down with his bare hands. He restrained himself from taking his anger out on the pillow.
As he thought hard about the next year, which he dreaded, without his two best friends, two more letters flew in. Pig and Hermione's owl came again.
Harry was just about to rip both parchments apart when he restrained himself and opened the first parchment. Hermione's.
Dear Harry,
If you got your Hogwarts letter, I suspect you would be really mad. Ron and I are really sorry for leaving you, but we felt that this was a great opportunity. We are desperately sorry that you weren't able to come with us. However, there's three dances, the Halloween one, the Christmas one, and the Easter one, which would be happening at Hogwarts that Ron and I could attend, so we'll see you there.
On a happier note, I'm really happy to say that I got four Outstanding scores, in Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts. I got Exceed Expectations for Arithmancy, History of Magic, Potions, and Herbology. I'm really mad- I got an Acceptable for Ancient Runes! I got an Acceptable for Astronomy though- but they say they'll change it to an Outstanding, for the machine read my answers wrong and read it backwards. I also got two bonuses for Transfiguration and Charms!
That's 16 O.W.L.'s! The "Outstandings," are 2 points each, and the "Exceeds Expectations," are 1 point each. But you know what? I'm really mad… Professor Dumbledore said that someone else in our year got SEVENTEEN OWLS! THAT IS CRAZY! And I thought I worked hard! I can't believe someone got better than me!
Ron did really bad, mind you. I think he'll want to tell you his O.W.L. scores himself- he barely scraped 6th year. I'm really mad at him.
I hope you didn't do as bad as him.
And once again, I'm sorry. For going to the Advanced program. I'll see you in the dances! Good-bye, Harry!
Your Friend,
Hermione
Harry gaped- how could someone do better than Hermione? Reading Hermione's rubric for Owl scoring, he pulled out his sheet again:
Divination: Acceptable
History of Magic: Exceeds Expectations
Herbology: Exceeds Expectations
Astronomy: Exceeds Expectations
Care of Magical Creatures: Outstanding (Bonus- one point)
Transfiguration: Outstanding
Potions: Outstanding (Bonus- one point)
Defense against the Dark Arts: Outstanding (Bonus- one point)
Charms: Outstanding (Bonus- one point)
He gasped as he totaled the scores out. He had 17 O.W.L.S! That was better than Hermione!
Harry was shocked. Then, he felt a kind of gloating pleasure. That's what Hermione gets- ditching him! He was better than Hermione! Ha!
He suddenly felt a sudden competitiveness against Hermione. Now that she had ditched him, he felt that they were downright rivals.
He was about to rip Hermione's letter apart when he saw Ron's.
He opened it up.
Dear Harry,
Listen, mate, I'm really sorry for accepting the offer to go to the Advanced Wizarding Career Program. It was only for prefects, damn, because I would have wanted you to join right away. I'm really, really sorry.
What did you get on the O.W.L.S? I didn't do very well, probably as worse as you… I know it was really hard to concentrate last year. I got one below acceptable, two acceptables, five exceeds expectations, and one outstanding, on DADA, I bet you got an Outstanding on that too. At least I did better than Fred and George- they had only three O.W.L.S each. (Author's Note: Ok. I forgot how many O.W.L.S Fred and George got, but I seem to have a faint idea that they got three. So let's leave it at that. As for my scoring system, of course it's wrong, but who cares. It's fanon)
Did you know that someone beat Hermione? Someone got 17 O.W.L.S! That is the most amazing thing in the world! Even better than Hermione! I wonder who; I bet it's not Malfoy.
Anyway, I really hate Percy. He came to our house the other day with the Minister of Magic and asked Dad to borrow something- Percy called Dad, "Mr. Weasley." He didn't even look at us like we were his family; as if we were complete strangers. I hate him!
And sorry, once more, for ditching you. I'll see you at the Halloween dance! Stay in contact!
Ron Weasley
Harry felt an even more gloating pleasure as he read Ron's letter. He felt as if Ron was now Draco Malfoy, the person he wanted to do the worst. He all of a sudden felt the regretting feeling of becoming friends with Ron instead of Draco Malfoy. But Malfoy might ditch him too, would he?
Harry sighed, putting the two letters away. He did not care anymore about Ron or Hermione. They had ditched him for a better opportunity. And that prefect badge wasn't even supposed to be Ron's! It was supposed to be his! HIS prefect badge!
"Stupid Ron… stupid Hermione…" Harry muttered furiously. It should be Ron who was jealous right now, not him!
He sighed. Sure, the Dursleys were much better to him. But he did not feel much better. After realizing again that Sirius was dead, and that he would not be seeing Ron or Hermione at school, he felt as if he would just skip school.
You can't do that, Harry. Come on, you can live without those two traitors…
Harry sighed bitterly, walking out of the door.
The next time Harry and Dudley went to Uncle Vernon's office, however, they were met with something surprising. Uncle Vernon gave them twenty pounds to go bowling with a group of teenagers that were also working for service hours at Grunnings.
They met at the entrance of the bowling place- and Harry immediately noticed that Dudley was right. There were some pretty girls, whom one of them Dudley was staring surreptitiously the whole time. Harry realized that only one other guy game with them, and that was a teeny weeny boy, who looked somewhere around 13.
Harry didn't notice most of the girls staring at him.
"Hey, Jennifer, Jessica, Judy, Alexa, Billy, Christina." Dudley said. The five girls and the one 13 year old greeted him, then turned to Harry.
"Hello. What's your name?" Judy asked.
Harry didn't feel very comfortable around Muggle teenagers. Especially since he couldn't start rambling about Quidditch or Snape, he felt oddly reclusive and muttered a weak, "Hi." He felt weird that the teenagers weren't staring at his scar, either, but merely passed it without a second glance.
"So… what school do you go to? Dudley's told us a lot about you…" Jessica said.
Harry hoped Dudley didn't tell them he was a criminal.
"Umm… some boarding school far, far away."
"Is it nice there?" Piped up Christina.
"It's o.k."
"What grade are you in? Same as Dudley's?"
Most likely not, as the grade system is different in Magical and Muggle schools. But since Harry and Dudley were about the same age, Harry replied, "Yea."
"So you only back this summer? I haven't seen you anytime else. I remember you before in elementary school."
"Yea." Harry said.
Seeing him as not a very talkative person, the teenagers didn't ask Harry about his life anymore.
Thank goodness.
They went in and each gave the clerk the money to play three games of bowling. Harry sincerely hoped he would not humiliate himself.
As they sat around the chair, Harry noticed Jessica and Jennifer giggling to each other and pointing to him.
Harry just turned and watched the bowling pins silently.
It seemed Dudley was pretty good at the game. He scored a spare the first time he went on!
The other girls went, and they had a little trouble, some doing the 4-6-7-10 split or the Christmas Tree.
Harry went last. After seeing them play, he got a faint idea of how to bowl. He picked up the 10 pound ball, and rolled it. He didn't want to roll it too hard in case it went out of control.
The ball slowed at half of the lane there and rolled to the side.
"Come on Harry! You can do better!" Many of the girls yelled. Billy stayed quiet. Dudley was cheering also. A flushed Harry turned to get another ball, and decided that he would roll the ball fast at the middle pin, as if he was throwing a Quaffle into the goal posts.
He was astonished. The ball left no survivors.
"Nice job Harry! That was great!" Dudley yelled.
While Billy was going, Harry noticed Dudley staring at Christina.
So that's who he likes.
Harry grinned.
Overall, Harry thought he did pretty good at bowling. He got mostly spares, occasionally a strike.
After bowling, Harry discreetly nudged Dudley as they went out of the bowling arena.
"Ask her out."
Dudley shook his head. "What if she says no?"
"It doesn't matter."
"But since we're already… friends… I don't want to ruin our friendship."
Harry grinned. "Don't worry. She won't hate you."
"Ok."
He walked up.
Harry faintly heard Dudley say something.
Christina looked at him.
"No."
Poor Dudley.
~ Thanking you for reading this story, and hoping that no mistakes are made,
MiSt ~
