First of all, thanks to my Beta, Alex, aka shdurrani. And thanks to all
those who reviewed.
Expect the unexpected for this story, because I'm insane, heehee, :-}
Chapter 9
Ron and the mystery girl-pre-break...
"You know love, I don't think I can keep us a secret from my friends much longer," Ron blurted out.
"I knowexactly what you mean, there always asking questions, and wondering where I'm going."
"Why don't we just tell them, 'I have a girlfriend,' and you can tell yours, 'I have a boyfriend,' and we can leave it at that till after break?"
"Wonderful idea, Ronnie!"
"I'm worried how, they'll react, when I actually tell them who you are."
"You think you've got it bad, think about the house loyalty thing."
"We'll deal with it all when we actually tell them, we'll come out in the end, maybe with fewer friends, but at least with eachother."
"You are so right...."
Back to where we were before...
"I have a girlfriend, Happy Christmas!" Ron was gone leaving his best friends to ponder, 'Who? Why didn't he tell us? That certainly explains alot.'
"Did Ron just say, what I think he did?" Harry asked Hermione.
"If you think what I think he said, then yes."
"He... He said he had a girlfriend."
"That's a shock, that explains alot."
"Yeah, it does, wonder who it is?"
"I have no idea who it could be."
"Neither do I, certainly not a Gryfindor. We'll have to interogate him, when he comes back."
"Absolutely, shall we go back inside, from where we've been standing for the past ten minutes?"
"Wonderful idea, 'Mione."
"Harry, Harry wake up, it's Christmas!" Hermione yelled as she jumped on Harry's bed.
"Quit it, Hermy, I'm up."
"Don't call me Hermy, Harry."
"Hey, you jumped on my bed, leave me alone."
"Come on let's open presents, there down in the common room, since we're the only Gryfindors here."
"Alright then, let's go."
They got the usual from the Weasley's, Weasley sweaters, Harry's green, Hermione's light blue, and some sweets. They got presents from the usual people, Harry getting some more Defense books from Moony. Now onto each others present,
"Harry, open this from me," she handed him a wrapped shoebox.
He unwrapped it and said, "Shoes?"
"No, open up the box."
"Hermione, this won't work, muggle objects don't work at Hogwarts," Harry observed indicating the obviously muggle cd player and case of cd's.
"I know that, I had Professor Flitwick help me charm it for you, and the cd's, too, the charm's in the cd case."
"Is this because of the conversation we had last month?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks Hermione," and he hugged her, "Maybe I'll be able to get some sleep with this."
"I certainly hope so, I also charmed the batteries, so they'll never die."
"Awesome, I don't think the Dursley's would like me taking their batteries."
"I diddn't think so either."
"Here's your present," he handed her an envelope.
"A gift certificate to Flourish and Blotts!"
"Yeah, and buy something you want, not school books, got it?"
"I will, do you think Ron'll like what we pitched in to get him?"
"The cannons ticket, he'll be ecstatic and bouncing off the walls, woulden't be surprised if he hugged us to death."
"Or kissed you?"
"He better not, it'd be disgusting."
"Yes, it'd be scary."
"Shall we go to breakfast?"
"In pajamas?"
"If you want to, it probably woulden't matter, there's what eight students, here?"
"Let's grab our school robes and go."
~Dinner~
The other six students who stayed for Christmas were Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff first and second years. Not one Slytherin stayed, which led to many Deatheater jokes between Harry and Hermione, when the Professors weren't paying attention, of course.
"Happy Christmas, Professor," Harry said to this years D.A.D.A. Professor, who sat next to him.
"And to you as well, Mr. Potter, having a good break?"
"Yes, I am, Professor Knulp, and you?"
"It's odd to be in one place for this long of a time." Harry gave him a quizzical look and he elaborated, "Before this year, I've been a wanderer, a loner, maybe sticking with a person on the road for a time, but nevertheless, wandering about."
"It must be nice to go places, see things, before Hogwarts, I'd never left Surrey, at least as far back as I can remember... I hate cupboards," Harry said and muttered the last bit.
"What is the problem with cupboards?" Professor Knulp asked.
Hermione answered, "He spent his first ten years living in a cupboard under the stairs."
"Why?"
"Damn Dursleys," Harry muttered.
"His 'family,' the Dursley's hate him, treat him like scum."
"Why?"
"They hate magic," Hermione answered.
"Those are the worst soet of muggles, especially if there your family."
"Worse when there the only 'family' you have and you have to live with them."
"You are absolutely right, Mr. Potter."
"I've only got this summer, and I'm gone."
"With a bright future!" Knulp exclaimed.
"Possibly, but only a fifty-fifty chance I'll live past eighteen."
"Why?" asked Knulp.
Harry put his head in his hands in disbelief, While Hermiojne answered the Professor simply, "Voldemort."
"Right, slipped my mind."
"And your the Defense teacher?" Harry jokingly asked.
"Yeah, guess I am."
"So, what happened to the third member of the inseperable trio?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"He got a girlfriend, so he's ditched us, right, 'Mione?"
"Yep."
"Who is it?"
"We don't know," answered Hermione.
"Hard to believe he waited till December to tell his best friends he's been dating someone since september," Harry added.
"Are you and Miss Granger dating?" asked Professor Knulp, all the professors looking on wondering.
They looked at eachother in disbelievingly and said, "No."
"We're best friends," Harry added.
"Since first year, when he and Ron saved me from a troll," Hermione explained.
"How'd you come up against a troll?"
"It was in the girls loo."
"How did a troll get into a girls bathroom?"
"Our D.A.D.A. professor let it in," answered Hermione.
"He had Voldemort on the back of his head," Harry explained further.
"So, who was your best Defense teacher, through your first five years?" asked Professor Knulp.
"Professor Lupin in third year," they answered at the same time.
"Then Barty Crouch, the Moody imposter, Deatheater, right?" Harry asked Hermione.
"Definitely, considering the next best had Voldemort on the back of his head, Professor Quirrel, another Deatheater, then Lockhart?"
"Yeah, he was actually better than another Professor, unbelievable," Harry answered.
"Who was the worst?" Knulp asked.
"Umbridge," shouted Harry, Hermione, and the second years (All hated her, even if they had nothing to compare her to).
"Just look at my right hand and it's evident," Harry continued.
"How did that get there?" asked Professor McGonagall, when Harry held up his hand, which had 'I must not tell lies' etched on it.
"Detention with Umbridge, last year, it's what I did, for the first, what? Two months of the school year, write that out with my own blood."
"That dispicable woman, how dare she do that to students," squeked Professor Flitwick angrily.
"Does anyone know a good replication spell?" Harry asked a little while later.
"Yes, I do, does anyone have a quill, ink and parchment?" Flitwick asked.
Harry produced a quill and parchment from his robe pocket, while Hermione came up with a bottle of ink, which they gave to Flitwick. Flitwick wrote down the charm, gave it to Harry and asked,
"What exactly is the charm for, Mr. Potter?"
"So, I won't have to write a few hundred letters, by hand, to all those Bloody Quidditich teams, who won't leave me alone."
"Good idea Potter, bet your father would have let them keep on coming," sneered Snape.
"Yeah, bet he would have, but he also assumed he'd see his child grow up," Harry snapped back.
The next day, in the library Harry's running trough drafts of the letter to the Quidditich teams.
"Harry, look around you, it looks like a battlefield of parchment," Hermione finally said after getting hit in the head for at least the fifth time in the last half hour.
"Whoa, sorry," Harry said looking around.
"It's alright, what's the problem?"
"How do you let teams down easy, considering, I could be dead, when they want me to play for them?"
"Justr tell them your not sure if you want to persue Quidditich after graduation, don't go into detail about the truth, be vague, or they'll think your mental, rambling about Voldemort."
"Why coulden't you have told me that two hours ago?"
"You didn't ask, and I've gotton pelted in the head enough times."
"Sorry, thanks."
Dear__________________Quidditich Team,
Thank you for showing interest in me, but as of now, I am concentrating on my schooling. At this time I am uncertain of what my plans, after graduation are, Quidditich is one of my many options, but I will not commit to it, or any team, at this time. Thank you.
Sincerly,
Harry J. Potter
He used the replication charm, then spent the next hour writing in team names, before replying to Krum's congradulations note. Then went to the owlery and borrowed many of the school owls to mail the hundreds of letters (After asking Dumbledore's permission first), and sent Hedwig with the response to Krum.
That was chapter 9, thanks again to my beta, Alex. Please Review, I've sent part of chapter 10 to Alex, so it's coming, Please Review, thanks.- ears91
Chapter 9
Ron and the mystery girl-pre-break...
"You know love, I don't think I can keep us a secret from my friends much longer," Ron blurted out.
"I knowexactly what you mean, there always asking questions, and wondering where I'm going."
"Why don't we just tell them, 'I have a girlfriend,' and you can tell yours, 'I have a boyfriend,' and we can leave it at that till after break?"
"Wonderful idea, Ronnie!"
"I'm worried how, they'll react, when I actually tell them who you are."
"You think you've got it bad, think about the house loyalty thing."
"We'll deal with it all when we actually tell them, we'll come out in the end, maybe with fewer friends, but at least with eachother."
"You are so right...."
Back to where we were before...
"I have a girlfriend, Happy Christmas!" Ron was gone leaving his best friends to ponder, 'Who? Why didn't he tell us? That certainly explains alot.'
"Did Ron just say, what I think he did?" Harry asked Hermione.
"If you think what I think he said, then yes."
"He... He said he had a girlfriend."
"That's a shock, that explains alot."
"Yeah, it does, wonder who it is?"
"I have no idea who it could be."
"Neither do I, certainly not a Gryfindor. We'll have to interogate him, when he comes back."
"Absolutely, shall we go back inside, from where we've been standing for the past ten minutes?"
"Wonderful idea, 'Mione."
"Harry, Harry wake up, it's Christmas!" Hermione yelled as she jumped on Harry's bed.
"Quit it, Hermy, I'm up."
"Don't call me Hermy, Harry."
"Hey, you jumped on my bed, leave me alone."
"Come on let's open presents, there down in the common room, since we're the only Gryfindors here."
"Alright then, let's go."
They got the usual from the Weasley's, Weasley sweaters, Harry's green, Hermione's light blue, and some sweets. They got presents from the usual people, Harry getting some more Defense books from Moony. Now onto each others present,
"Harry, open this from me," she handed him a wrapped shoebox.
He unwrapped it and said, "Shoes?"
"No, open up the box."
"Hermione, this won't work, muggle objects don't work at Hogwarts," Harry observed indicating the obviously muggle cd player and case of cd's.
"I know that, I had Professor Flitwick help me charm it for you, and the cd's, too, the charm's in the cd case."
"Is this because of the conversation we had last month?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks Hermione," and he hugged her, "Maybe I'll be able to get some sleep with this."
"I certainly hope so, I also charmed the batteries, so they'll never die."
"Awesome, I don't think the Dursley's would like me taking their batteries."
"I diddn't think so either."
"Here's your present," he handed her an envelope.
"A gift certificate to Flourish and Blotts!"
"Yeah, and buy something you want, not school books, got it?"
"I will, do you think Ron'll like what we pitched in to get him?"
"The cannons ticket, he'll be ecstatic and bouncing off the walls, woulden't be surprised if he hugged us to death."
"Or kissed you?"
"He better not, it'd be disgusting."
"Yes, it'd be scary."
"Shall we go to breakfast?"
"In pajamas?"
"If you want to, it probably woulden't matter, there's what eight students, here?"
"Let's grab our school robes and go."
~Dinner~
The other six students who stayed for Christmas were Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff first and second years. Not one Slytherin stayed, which led to many Deatheater jokes between Harry and Hermione, when the Professors weren't paying attention, of course.
"Happy Christmas, Professor," Harry said to this years D.A.D.A. Professor, who sat next to him.
"And to you as well, Mr. Potter, having a good break?"
"Yes, I am, Professor Knulp, and you?"
"It's odd to be in one place for this long of a time." Harry gave him a quizzical look and he elaborated, "Before this year, I've been a wanderer, a loner, maybe sticking with a person on the road for a time, but nevertheless, wandering about."
"It must be nice to go places, see things, before Hogwarts, I'd never left Surrey, at least as far back as I can remember... I hate cupboards," Harry said and muttered the last bit.
"What is the problem with cupboards?" Professor Knulp asked.
Hermione answered, "He spent his first ten years living in a cupboard under the stairs."
"Why?"
"Damn Dursleys," Harry muttered.
"His 'family,' the Dursley's hate him, treat him like scum."
"Why?"
"They hate magic," Hermione answered.
"Those are the worst soet of muggles, especially if there your family."
"Worse when there the only 'family' you have and you have to live with them."
"You are absolutely right, Mr. Potter."
"I've only got this summer, and I'm gone."
"With a bright future!" Knulp exclaimed.
"Possibly, but only a fifty-fifty chance I'll live past eighteen."
"Why?" asked Knulp.
Harry put his head in his hands in disbelief, While Hermiojne answered the Professor simply, "Voldemort."
"Right, slipped my mind."
"And your the Defense teacher?" Harry jokingly asked.
"Yeah, guess I am."
"So, what happened to the third member of the inseperable trio?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"He got a girlfriend, so he's ditched us, right, 'Mione?"
"Yep."
"Who is it?"
"We don't know," answered Hermione.
"Hard to believe he waited till December to tell his best friends he's been dating someone since september," Harry added.
"Are you and Miss Granger dating?" asked Professor Knulp, all the professors looking on wondering.
They looked at eachother in disbelievingly and said, "No."
"We're best friends," Harry added.
"Since first year, when he and Ron saved me from a troll," Hermione explained.
"How'd you come up against a troll?"
"It was in the girls loo."
"How did a troll get into a girls bathroom?"
"Our D.A.D.A. professor let it in," answered Hermione.
"He had Voldemort on the back of his head," Harry explained further.
"So, who was your best Defense teacher, through your first five years?" asked Professor Knulp.
"Professor Lupin in third year," they answered at the same time.
"Then Barty Crouch, the Moody imposter, Deatheater, right?" Harry asked Hermione.
"Definitely, considering the next best had Voldemort on the back of his head, Professor Quirrel, another Deatheater, then Lockhart?"
"Yeah, he was actually better than another Professor, unbelievable," Harry answered.
"Who was the worst?" Knulp asked.
"Umbridge," shouted Harry, Hermione, and the second years (All hated her, even if they had nothing to compare her to).
"Just look at my right hand and it's evident," Harry continued.
"How did that get there?" asked Professor McGonagall, when Harry held up his hand, which had 'I must not tell lies' etched on it.
"Detention with Umbridge, last year, it's what I did, for the first, what? Two months of the school year, write that out with my own blood."
"That dispicable woman, how dare she do that to students," squeked Professor Flitwick angrily.
"Does anyone know a good replication spell?" Harry asked a little while later.
"Yes, I do, does anyone have a quill, ink and parchment?" Flitwick asked.
Harry produced a quill and parchment from his robe pocket, while Hermione came up with a bottle of ink, which they gave to Flitwick. Flitwick wrote down the charm, gave it to Harry and asked,
"What exactly is the charm for, Mr. Potter?"
"So, I won't have to write a few hundred letters, by hand, to all those Bloody Quidditich teams, who won't leave me alone."
"Good idea Potter, bet your father would have let them keep on coming," sneered Snape.
"Yeah, bet he would have, but he also assumed he'd see his child grow up," Harry snapped back.
The next day, in the library Harry's running trough drafts of the letter to the Quidditich teams.
"Harry, look around you, it looks like a battlefield of parchment," Hermione finally said after getting hit in the head for at least the fifth time in the last half hour.
"Whoa, sorry," Harry said looking around.
"It's alright, what's the problem?"
"How do you let teams down easy, considering, I could be dead, when they want me to play for them?"
"Justr tell them your not sure if you want to persue Quidditich after graduation, don't go into detail about the truth, be vague, or they'll think your mental, rambling about Voldemort."
"Why coulden't you have told me that two hours ago?"
"You didn't ask, and I've gotton pelted in the head enough times."
"Sorry, thanks."
Dear__________________Quidditich Team,
Thank you for showing interest in me, but as of now, I am concentrating on my schooling. At this time I am uncertain of what my plans, after graduation are, Quidditich is one of my many options, but I will not commit to it, or any team, at this time. Thank you.
Sincerly,
Harry J. Potter
He used the replication charm, then spent the next hour writing in team names, before replying to Krum's congradulations note. Then went to the owlery and borrowed many of the school owls to mail the hundreds of letters (After asking Dumbledore's permission first), and sent Hedwig with the response to Krum.
That was chapter 9, thanks again to my beta, Alex. Please Review, I've sent part of chapter 10 to Alex, so it's coming, Please Review, thanks.- ears91