Disclaimer: Harry Potter and associated characters belong to J.K. Rowling,
not me.
Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix
Chapter 4: Birthday Surprises
Harry was amazed. His room appeared to be bigger than the one he had at the Dursleys' home. The walls were painted white, and his room had more windows, all of which were overlooking the street, and it came with a balcony, just like the one he saw in Hermione's room. The bed was also a twin, set about 3 feet away from the wall on the left side of the room. In between the bed and the wall was a lamp table with a lamp on it and on the other side of the bed was a sea shore blue night table. A desk made of cherry wood was on the right, with a brass floor lamp next to it in the far corner of the room. Finally, a walk-in closet was to the right of the entrance to his room.
Harry drug his trunk into his room and took out his wand. He then arranged the room to his liking, while Hermione watched.
"You're right, I think I like this room," Harry said to her, while levitating his books with his wand onto the desk, except for the Elements book, which he kept in his trunk, under his clothes.
"I told you. So, what books have you been reading? You said you were doing your homework ahead of time. Maybe you won't fail your O.W.L.s after all"
"I've been reading a book for advanced transfiguration. After last year's tournament, the thought of becoming more powerful so no one else got killed became very appealing," Harry said with a sorrowful tone as he put Hedwig's cage near the window located next to the balcony.
"I don't think anyone else will get killed because of you. You're a great wizard you know," she said encouragingly, and Harry's cheeks had a red tinge added to them after her statement.
Harry then went over to the door that led to the balcony and opened it. He stepped outside and motioned for Hermione to come and join him. She walked over to join him and they stood there in silence for a few moments before Harry decided to break it.
"So how was your stay with Krum in Bulgaria?" he asked.
"Oh it was deadly boring. All they talked about was Quidditch. It was starting to sound like you and Ron because all you talk about is Quidditch."
Harry smiled at the last comment before Hermione continued.
"And when his friends were over, it was even worse. It was as if I wasn't even there. They basically ignored me. Probably because I was the only girl out of the group. I think Krum just wanted me over there so he could brag to his friends that he had a girl over. I'm just glad to be back here where I can do what I want," Hermione said, annoyed that her stay in Bulgaria was nothing more than a waste of time.
"You mean read books and study all day?"
"I don't just read books and study all day. I have some sort of a life you know," she retorted.
"Yeah, not much of one," he replied sarcastically.
Hermione hit Harry on the arm. Harry smiled evilly at Hermione before grabbing her from behind and tickling her.
"HARRY! STOP THAT!" she squealed in between laughs.
After a while, Harry stopped and let go of her. They sat on the floor, watching each other for some hint of retaliation.
"I wonder if the letters from Dumbledore will come sometime today. I'm curious as to what he's going to say," Harry said, still looking at Hermione.
"I hope so. I'm just as curious as you are about what the contents of the letters are," Hermione said, before she looked at the clock and noticed it was almost time for dinner.
"Let's go down since you're done arranging the room. I think my mom is making meatloaf and vegetable stew. Then I'll give you your birthday present," she said looking back at Harry.
Harry then turned to Hermione and offered her his arm.
"My dear Hermione, may I have the honour of escorting you down to dinner?" Harry said playfully.
"Yes you may," she said as she took his arm and they walked down to dinner together.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When they got down, the smell of Mrs. Granger's cooking filled Harry's nostrils. The smell was pleasant and it wasn't at all like what he had experienced at the Dursleys' since Dudley was on a diet and the Dursleys didn't really have the intelligence to make anything more complex than salad. They walked into the kitchen, still holding on to each other. If Hermione's parents noticed, they didn't say anything. Mrs. Granger just smiled at them when she saw Hermione hanging onto Harry's arm. She set 4 plates down at the table and Mr. Granger put the dishes on the table. There was a plate with 4 pieces of meatloaf on it and some steamed vegetables next to it.
Harry pulled Hermione's chair out for her and allowed her to sit down before sitting down next to her. He then took the plate with the meatloaves on it and passed it to Hermione. She took one piece and put it down on her plate before passing it onto her mother who did the same thing before passing it to Mr. Granger and finally to Harry. They passed the steamed vegetables around in the same manner and once everyone got what they wanted, they started to eat.
During dinner, Mr. & Mrs. Granger asked Harry about school and his life with the Dursleys, what little of a life he had with them at any rate. He answered all the questions he could, but after a while, he started getting tired. Hermione seemed to notice this, because she interrupted the conversation, asking Harry if he wanted to eat some of his cake for dessert.
"Harry, did you want to eat some of your birthday cake for dessert?" she asked.
"Sure Hermione let me get it."
He excused himself and went upstairs to his room and came downstairs 5 minutes later with the cake, still preserved within the thin sheet of ice.
"Here we go," he said as he put the cake down on the table.
"Is it alright with you, Mr. & Mrs. Granger if Hermione has some cake?" Harry asked since he knew that the Grangers were dentists and didn't allow Hermione to eat anything sweet.
"I guess it's alright if Hermione flosses and brushes her teeth thoroughly before she goes to bed," Mrs. Granger said a bit uncertainly.
Harry then took out his wand and pointed it at the box and was about to use the "finite incantatem" spell, when Hermione quickly grabbed his hand to stop him as her parents looked at them with confused looks.
"Harry, don't do this. You know you'll get into trouble if you keep using magic while you're still underage," Hermione said in her usual bossy tone when she was telling Ron or Harry not to do something.
"Well, I haven't gotten into trouble yet, so I guess another spell isn't going to hurt," he said as he shook off Hermione's hand.
Once again, he pointed his wand at the cake and said "finite incantatem" as Hermione looked on with disapproval. The frost shield, which Harry cast earlier to preserve the cake, disappeared without a trace. He opened the box and it revealed the cake that Hagrid had baked for Harry's birthday.
Harry asked Mrs. Granger for a knife so that he could cut the cake and she got up and went to get it. In the meantime, Hermione got up, still scowling, and got 4 dessert plates from the cupboard. When Mrs. Granger came back with the knife, Harry cut the cake into 8 slices and gave a piece to everyone before taking one for himself. The rest of the cake, he put in the refrigerator for another time.
While eating the cake, Hermione's mood lightened a bit and she started talking to Harry again.
"This year we'll be having to take our O.W.L.s and we'll need to start spending more time in the library as soon as we get to school so that we can get as many as we can," she said with a worried look on her face.
"Hermione, the O.W.L.s aren't until the end of the term, it's still a long time from now."
"Well, if you don't start studying now, you and Ron will fail them. If you do, don't come to me asking for help."
"Alright, I'll start studying. Let's see if it helps at all," Harry finally said so that Hermione wouldn't keep bugging him about studying for the O.W.L.s, which all of the Hogwarts students took in their 5th year. However, he regretted it afterwards.
"I'm pleased that you will. Now after dinner, maybe we can go up to your room and start reading up on some of the material we're going to need to know for the O.W.L.s."
At this, Mr. Granger leaned over in his chair and whispered to Harry, "Now you know what I have to put up with everyday with her mother."
Harry laughed at this, however, Mrs. Granger overheard what her husband said and hit him in the back while he was still leaning over in his chair. This caused Mr. Granger to fall out of his chair and land sprawled on the dining room floor.
"That'll teach you not to be making rude comments while I'm around," she said, glaring at her husband.
"Maybe next time I should save the commentary for when you're not around," Mr. Granger muttered to himself, as he got up off the floor painfully.
By then, Hermione finished her cake and turned to Harry, who was also finishing the last couple bites of his slice.
"Harry, let's go upstairs so I can give you your birthday present," Hermione said and they both went upstairs to Harry's room.
"Wait here, while I go get it from my room," Hermione said before running to her room.
In the mean time, Harry stood in the middle of his room where she left him and looked around his room a bit. When his gaze fell upon the door that led to the balcony, he noticed there were 2 owls sitting outside. He opened the door to the balcony and let them in. Both owls were carrying letters bearing the Hogwarts seal. Harry took the letters from the owls and gave them a treat from Hedwig's food supply, which Hedwig wasn't at all pleased to see since she was eating at that moment. The owls then flew back out the window for the return trip to Hogwarts.
There were two letters total, one was addressed to him and the other was addressed to Hermione. He opened his first one and saw that it was from Professor Dumbledore.
Dear Harry,
First of all, Happy Birthday from Professor McGonagall and myself. I hope your stay at Miss Granger's has been pleasant. Second, I would like to extend an invitation to you and Miss Granger to join the newly formed Order of the Phoenix, which I have created this year in light of Voldemort's return. You two are the most powerful wizards in Gryffindor house and as such, you have been chosen to represent your house in the order. You will both get further instructions from me when you arrive at the start of the term.
One final note before I finish. You, no doubt, have been using magic during the summer at the Dursleys and have been wondering why you haven't been owled by the ministry for using magic in the muggle world while you're still underage. The ministry has allowed the student members of the Order of the Phoenix to use magic, even if they are underage, for their own protection in light of the increase in Death Eater activity. I believe Mr. Percy Weasley is to thank for lifting the age restriction for the members of the Phoenix Order. His influence on the Minister of Magic has increased since he was promoted as Mr. Fudge's personal assistant. Well, I believe that's all. You may show this letter to Miss Granger and I look forward to seeing you and Miss Granger at the start of the term.
-Professor Dumbledore
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Head of the Order of the Phoenix
By the time Harry finished reading the letter, Hermione came back in with a package, about the size of the average paper back book, wrapped perfectly in dark blue wrapping paper.
"Here's your present Harry, I hope you like it," she said, handing him his present.
"Thank you, and a letter came for you while you were away," he replied, giving her the letter addressed to her.
They sat down on the floor and Hermione opened the letter and read it while Harry opened his present. However, it wasn't long before Hermione squealed in delight, causing Harry to look over at her.
"I've been made a prefect!" she exclaimed before she regained her composure and went over to Harry, showing him the letter. Hermione then took out the prefect's badge and gazed at it while Harry read the letter.
Dear Miss Granger,
I am pleased to inform you that you have been made a prefect along with Mr. Weasley. You both will receive further instruction upon your arrival at the start of term. Included is you prefect's badge that you are required to wear at all times while you are attending to your duties as prefects and at mealtimes. Please wear it when you come to the train station at the start of term.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagal
Deputy Headmistress
Harry gave the letter back to Hermione before she questioned him again.
"How come you weren't made a prefect? I was almost sure that you would be," she said, yet she was happy that Ron was made a prefect. "What do your letter say?"
"It's from Professor Dumbledore, saying why I wasn't owled by the ministry for using magic while I'm still an underage wizard and that we've been invited to join Dumbledore's newly formed Order of the Phoenix. It's all in the letter, you can see for yourself," Harry said, handing her the letter he got from Dumbledore.
"At least you were made a member of the order. I wonder who the other members are, I hope we can learn new spells and everything," Hermione said, taking the letter and reading it.
"Yeah, I guess you can't have everything," Harry said while he was still opening his present and thinking of how his newfound abilities that not even Hermione knew about, would serve him as a member of the order.
"Oh, so that's why you haven't been owled by the Ministry. You should thank Percy next time we see him. At least we can use magic now and it will give us an additional month to practice our wand movements and spells for the O.W.L.s," Hermione said, thinking of all the possibilities they now had available to them.
Hermione handed back the letter to Harry and then watched him as he opened up the box containing her present. His eyes widened as he saw what was in the box. He held it up in front of him and looked at it. It was an amulet containing an eye clean, emerald with a baguette cut encased in a plain, 16k gold border. The chain was made of platinum and it ended in a 14k gold clasp.
"This is nice," Harry said in amazement. "Where did you buy this and how much did it cost?"
"I bought it at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn alley. I won't tell you how much it cost, but I'll tell you it cost me more than a pretty galleon," Hermione said, smiling at him.
"What on earth were you doing in Knockturn alley? It's dangerous there, something could have happened to you. Last time I ended up there, I ran into Malfoy, remember? And Mr. Borgin isn't exactly the nicest shopkeeper alive," Harry said, with a worried look.
"Harry, you worry too much, besides, Mr. Borgin's partner, Mr. Burkes is the one who sold these to me. He's a lot nicer than Mr. Borgin and doesn't care if I'm muggle born or not."
"These? You mean there's more than one of them?" Harry said in wonderment.
"Of course, I have the other one. They came as a set," Hermione said as she brought her hands around to the back of her neck and undid the clasp to her amulet. She brought it out to show Harry and it had an almost loupe clean, pear shaped, sapphire, also encased in a plain 16k gold border like Harry's. The only difference was that the chain was silver, but it also ended in a 14k gold clasp.
"Do these do anything?"
"Yes, they allow the wearers to talk to each other wherever they are. Mr. Burkes said there are only 4 of them in the world, but he didn't know where the other two were or if they were supposed to come in this set. I would have given one to Ron and one to Dumbledore if the other two were there, but I'm happy that I got to give you one. This way I can keep in contact with you even while you're away and I will be sure that you're safe," Hermione said, while placing her amulet on the floor and smiling at Harry.
"So how do these work? Will we be the only ones able to hear each other or will others be able to hear our conversation?" Harry asked.
"I wish you were the only one that would be able to hear it, but unfortunately, everyone in the room that you are in will be able to hear what the other person is saying. Let me get out of the room first, then I'll try to contact you," Hermione said and replaced her amulet around her neck and picked up her letter with the prefect's badge before walking out of his room and closing the door.
Harry, still sitting on the floor, looked at his amulet and soon it began to glow and the sound of Hermione's voice filled the room.
"Hi Harry, can you hear me? Just talk normally and I should be able to hear you," he heard her say. The crystal pulsed a bright emerald green light as she talked.
"Yes, I can hear you. How do I activate this?" he said, feeling a bit weird for talking to an amulet.
"To activate it, say 'proloquor' and then you will be able to talk to me. To stop, say 'arceo' and you won't be able to talk to me anymore," she said before his amulet stopped glowing.
Hermione then came back into the room, only now she was wearing a pink nightgown. Harry thought she looked absolutely gorgeous with the way the light from the floor lamp in the corner fell on her, but he didn't bother to comment.
"Well, now that you know how it works, I'm off to bed," she said. Then she went over to Harry, gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before saying good night to him and going off to her room.
"Good night Hermione," Harry said, as he watched her retreating figure, his hand absentmindedly going to his cheek where she kissed him.
It was a while before Harry realized what she had done and he blushed a bright red, but it was long after Hermione had left the room.
Harry placed the amulet around his neck before going over to his trunk and changing into his pajamas. He then went and laid down on his bed and made an attempt to sleep. Harry couldn't go to sleep, however, so he just laid there, thinking of different things. Strangely enough, his mind kept wandering back to Hermione in between thoughts of what to do with his Elemental abilities, his animagus training, Dumbledore's Phoenix Order, and Hermione's gift. He wondered why Hermione cared so much if he lived or died or if he was feeling happy or depressed and why she bothered to stay by him last year, while Ron and the rest of the school was so quick to turn on him last year during the Triwizard Tournament. However, he decided to set aside any feelings he had for her lest their friendship fall apart. She was his friend and he decided would support her regardless of the situation and, if necessary, he would give his life to save hers. After his self-evaluation, he finally became tired enough that he fell asleep and dreamt peacefully for the first time in a long time.
A/N: Sorry that this took more than 24 hours to post, but at least you get 3 chapters at once. I hope to post at least 1 chapter/24 hour period. Anyway, there were a few changes I made in the previous chapters to maintain consistency with the Harry Potter books. Mainly the underage restriction on magic and the fact that Dudley was on a diet. R/R plz!
Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix
Chapter 4: Birthday Surprises
Harry was amazed. His room appeared to be bigger than the one he had at the Dursleys' home. The walls were painted white, and his room had more windows, all of which were overlooking the street, and it came with a balcony, just like the one he saw in Hermione's room. The bed was also a twin, set about 3 feet away from the wall on the left side of the room. In between the bed and the wall was a lamp table with a lamp on it and on the other side of the bed was a sea shore blue night table. A desk made of cherry wood was on the right, with a brass floor lamp next to it in the far corner of the room. Finally, a walk-in closet was to the right of the entrance to his room.
Harry drug his trunk into his room and took out his wand. He then arranged the room to his liking, while Hermione watched.
"You're right, I think I like this room," Harry said to her, while levitating his books with his wand onto the desk, except for the Elements book, which he kept in his trunk, under his clothes.
"I told you. So, what books have you been reading? You said you were doing your homework ahead of time. Maybe you won't fail your O.W.L.s after all"
"I've been reading a book for advanced transfiguration. After last year's tournament, the thought of becoming more powerful so no one else got killed became very appealing," Harry said with a sorrowful tone as he put Hedwig's cage near the window located next to the balcony.
"I don't think anyone else will get killed because of you. You're a great wizard you know," she said encouragingly, and Harry's cheeks had a red tinge added to them after her statement.
Harry then went over to the door that led to the balcony and opened it. He stepped outside and motioned for Hermione to come and join him. She walked over to join him and they stood there in silence for a few moments before Harry decided to break it.
"So how was your stay with Krum in Bulgaria?" he asked.
"Oh it was deadly boring. All they talked about was Quidditch. It was starting to sound like you and Ron because all you talk about is Quidditch."
Harry smiled at the last comment before Hermione continued.
"And when his friends were over, it was even worse. It was as if I wasn't even there. They basically ignored me. Probably because I was the only girl out of the group. I think Krum just wanted me over there so he could brag to his friends that he had a girl over. I'm just glad to be back here where I can do what I want," Hermione said, annoyed that her stay in Bulgaria was nothing more than a waste of time.
"You mean read books and study all day?"
"I don't just read books and study all day. I have some sort of a life you know," she retorted.
"Yeah, not much of one," he replied sarcastically.
Hermione hit Harry on the arm. Harry smiled evilly at Hermione before grabbing her from behind and tickling her.
"HARRY! STOP THAT!" she squealed in between laughs.
After a while, Harry stopped and let go of her. They sat on the floor, watching each other for some hint of retaliation.
"I wonder if the letters from Dumbledore will come sometime today. I'm curious as to what he's going to say," Harry said, still looking at Hermione.
"I hope so. I'm just as curious as you are about what the contents of the letters are," Hermione said, before she looked at the clock and noticed it was almost time for dinner.
"Let's go down since you're done arranging the room. I think my mom is making meatloaf and vegetable stew. Then I'll give you your birthday present," she said looking back at Harry.
Harry then turned to Hermione and offered her his arm.
"My dear Hermione, may I have the honour of escorting you down to dinner?" Harry said playfully.
"Yes you may," she said as she took his arm and they walked down to dinner together.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When they got down, the smell of Mrs. Granger's cooking filled Harry's nostrils. The smell was pleasant and it wasn't at all like what he had experienced at the Dursleys' since Dudley was on a diet and the Dursleys didn't really have the intelligence to make anything more complex than salad. They walked into the kitchen, still holding on to each other. If Hermione's parents noticed, they didn't say anything. Mrs. Granger just smiled at them when she saw Hermione hanging onto Harry's arm. She set 4 plates down at the table and Mr. Granger put the dishes on the table. There was a plate with 4 pieces of meatloaf on it and some steamed vegetables next to it.
Harry pulled Hermione's chair out for her and allowed her to sit down before sitting down next to her. He then took the plate with the meatloaves on it and passed it to Hermione. She took one piece and put it down on her plate before passing it onto her mother who did the same thing before passing it to Mr. Granger and finally to Harry. They passed the steamed vegetables around in the same manner and once everyone got what they wanted, they started to eat.
During dinner, Mr. & Mrs. Granger asked Harry about school and his life with the Dursleys, what little of a life he had with them at any rate. He answered all the questions he could, but after a while, he started getting tired. Hermione seemed to notice this, because she interrupted the conversation, asking Harry if he wanted to eat some of his cake for dessert.
"Harry, did you want to eat some of your birthday cake for dessert?" she asked.
"Sure Hermione let me get it."
He excused himself and went upstairs to his room and came downstairs 5 minutes later with the cake, still preserved within the thin sheet of ice.
"Here we go," he said as he put the cake down on the table.
"Is it alright with you, Mr. & Mrs. Granger if Hermione has some cake?" Harry asked since he knew that the Grangers were dentists and didn't allow Hermione to eat anything sweet.
"I guess it's alright if Hermione flosses and brushes her teeth thoroughly before she goes to bed," Mrs. Granger said a bit uncertainly.
Harry then took out his wand and pointed it at the box and was about to use the "finite incantatem" spell, when Hermione quickly grabbed his hand to stop him as her parents looked at them with confused looks.
"Harry, don't do this. You know you'll get into trouble if you keep using magic while you're still underage," Hermione said in her usual bossy tone when she was telling Ron or Harry not to do something.
"Well, I haven't gotten into trouble yet, so I guess another spell isn't going to hurt," he said as he shook off Hermione's hand.
Once again, he pointed his wand at the cake and said "finite incantatem" as Hermione looked on with disapproval. The frost shield, which Harry cast earlier to preserve the cake, disappeared without a trace. He opened the box and it revealed the cake that Hagrid had baked for Harry's birthday.
Harry asked Mrs. Granger for a knife so that he could cut the cake and she got up and went to get it. In the meantime, Hermione got up, still scowling, and got 4 dessert plates from the cupboard. When Mrs. Granger came back with the knife, Harry cut the cake into 8 slices and gave a piece to everyone before taking one for himself. The rest of the cake, he put in the refrigerator for another time.
While eating the cake, Hermione's mood lightened a bit and she started talking to Harry again.
"This year we'll be having to take our O.W.L.s and we'll need to start spending more time in the library as soon as we get to school so that we can get as many as we can," she said with a worried look on her face.
"Hermione, the O.W.L.s aren't until the end of the term, it's still a long time from now."
"Well, if you don't start studying now, you and Ron will fail them. If you do, don't come to me asking for help."
"Alright, I'll start studying. Let's see if it helps at all," Harry finally said so that Hermione wouldn't keep bugging him about studying for the O.W.L.s, which all of the Hogwarts students took in their 5th year. However, he regretted it afterwards.
"I'm pleased that you will. Now after dinner, maybe we can go up to your room and start reading up on some of the material we're going to need to know for the O.W.L.s."
At this, Mr. Granger leaned over in his chair and whispered to Harry, "Now you know what I have to put up with everyday with her mother."
Harry laughed at this, however, Mrs. Granger overheard what her husband said and hit him in the back while he was still leaning over in his chair. This caused Mr. Granger to fall out of his chair and land sprawled on the dining room floor.
"That'll teach you not to be making rude comments while I'm around," she said, glaring at her husband.
"Maybe next time I should save the commentary for when you're not around," Mr. Granger muttered to himself, as he got up off the floor painfully.
By then, Hermione finished her cake and turned to Harry, who was also finishing the last couple bites of his slice.
"Harry, let's go upstairs so I can give you your birthday present," Hermione said and they both went upstairs to Harry's room.
"Wait here, while I go get it from my room," Hermione said before running to her room.
In the mean time, Harry stood in the middle of his room where she left him and looked around his room a bit. When his gaze fell upon the door that led to the balcony, he noticed there were 2 owls sitting outside. He opened the door to the balcony and let them in. Both owls were carrying letters bearing the Hogwarts seal. Harry took the letters from the owls and gave them a treat from Hedwig's food supply, which Hedwig wasn't at all pleased to see since she was eating at that moment. The owls then flew back out the window for the return trip to Hogwarts.
There were two letters total, one was addressed to him and the other was addressed to Hermione. He opened his first one and saw that it was from Professor Dumbledore.
Dear Harry,
First of all, Happy Birthday from Professor McGonagall and myself. I hope your stay at Miss Granger's has been pleasant. Second, I would like to extend an invitation to you and Miss Granger to join the newly formed Order of the Phoenix, which I have created this year in light of Voldemort's return. You two are the most powerful wizards in Gryffindor house and as such, you have been chosen to represent your house in the order. You will both get further instructions from me when you arrive at the start of the term.
One final note before I finish. You, no doubt, have been using magic during the summer at the Dursleys and have been wondering why you haven't been owled by the ministry for using magic in the muggle world while you're still underage. The ministry has allowed the student members of the Order of the Phoenix to use magic, even if they are underage, for their own protection in light of the increase in Death Eater activity. I believe Mr. Percy Weasley is to thank for lifting the age restriction for the members of the Phoenix Order. His influence on the Minister of Magic has increased since he was promoted as Mr. Fudge's personal assistant. Well, I believe that's all. You may show this letter to Miss Granger and I look forward to seeing you and Miss Granger at the start of the term.
-Professor Dumbledore
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Head of the Order of the Phoenix
By the time Harry finished reading the letter, Hermione came back in with a package, about the size of the average paper back book, wrapped perfectly in dark blue wrapping paper.
"Here's your present Harry, I hope you like it," she said, handing him his present.
"Thank you, and a letter came for you while you were away," he replied, giving her the letter addressed to her.
They sat down on the floor and Hermione opened the letter and read it while Harry opened his present. However, it wasn't long before Hermione squealed in delight, causing Harry to look over at her.
"I've been made a prefect!" she exclaimed before she regained her composure and went over to Harry, showing him the letter. Hermione then took out the prefect's badge and gazed at it while Harry read the letter.
Dear Miss Granger,
I am pleased to inform you that you have been made a prefect along with Mr. Weasley. You both will receive further instruction upon your arrival at the start of term. Included is you prefect's badge that you are required to wear at all times while you are attending to your duties as prefects and at mealtimes. Please wear it when you come to the train station at the start of term.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagal
Deputy Headmistress
Harry gave the letter back to Hermione before she questioned him again.
"How come you weren't made a prefect? I was almost sure that you would be," she said, yet she was happy that Ron was made a prefect. "What do your letter say?"
"It's from Professor Dumbledore, saying why I wasn't owled by the ministry for using magic while I'm still an underage wizard and that we've been invited to join Dumbledore's newly formed Order of the Phoenix. It's all in the letter, you can see for yourself," Harry said, handing her the letter he got from Dumbledore.
"At least you were made a member of the order. I wonder who the other members are, I hope we can learn new spells and everything," Hermione said, taking the letter and reading it.
"Yeah, I guess you can't have everything," Harry said while he was still opening his present and thinking of how his newfound abilities that not even Hermione knew about, would serve him as a member of the order.
"Oh, so that's why you haven't been owled by the Ministry. You should thank Percy next time we see him. At least we can use magic now and it will give us an additional month to practice our wand movements and spells for the O.W.L.s," Hermione said, thinking of all the possibilities they now had available to them.
Hermione handed back the letter to Harry and then watched him as he opened up the box containing her present. His eyes widened as he saw what was in the box. He held it up in front of him and looked at it. It was an amulet containing an eye clean, emerald with a baguette cut encased in a plain, 16k gold border. The chain was made of platinum and it ended in a 14k gold clasp.
"This is nice," Harry said in amazement. "Where did you buy this and how much did it cost?"
"I bought it at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn alley. I won't tell you how much it cost, but I'll tell you it cost me more than a pretty galleon," Hermione said, smiling at him.
"What on earth were you doing in Knockturn alley? It's dangerous there, something could have happened to you. Last time I ended up there, I ran into Malfoy, remember? And Mr. Borgin isn't exactly the nicest shopkeeper alive," Harry said, with a worried look.
"Harry, you worry too much, besides, Mr. Borgin's partner, Mr. Burkes is the one who sold these to me. He's a lot nicer than Mr. Borgin and doesn't care if I'm muggle born or not."
"These? You mean there's more than one of them?" Harry said in wonderment.
"Of course, I have the other one. They came as a set," Hermione said as she brought her hands around to the back of her neck and undid the clasp to her amulet. She brought it out to show Harry and it had an almost loupe clean, pear shaped, sapphire, also encased in a plain 16k gold border like Harry's. The only difference was that the chain was silver, but it also ended in a 14k gold clasp.
"Do these do anything?"
"Yes, they allow the wearers to talk to each other wherever they are. Mr. Burkes said there are only 4 of them in the world, but he didn't know where the other two were or if they were supposed to come in this set. I would have given one to Ron and one to Dumbledore if the other two were there, but I'm happy that I got to give you one. This way I can keep in contact with you even while you're away and I will be sure that you're safe," Hermione said, while placing her amulet on the floor and smiling at Harry.
"So how do these work? Will we be the only ones able to hear each other or will others be able to hear our conversation?" Harry asked.
"I wish you were the only one that would be able to hear it, but unfortunately, everyone in the room that you are in will be able to hear what the other person is saying. Let me get out of the room first, then I'll try to contact you," Hermione said and replaced her amulet around her neck and picked up her letter with the prefect's badge before walking out of his room and closing the door.
Harry, still sitting on the floor, looked at his amulet and soon it began to glow and the sound of Hermione's voice filled the room.
"Hi Harry, can you hear me? Just talk normally and I should be able to hear you," he heard her say. The crystal pulsed a bright emerald green light as she talked.
"Yes, I can hear you. How do I activate this?" he said, feeling a bit weird for talking to an amulet.
"To activate it, say 'proloquor' and then you will be able to talk to me. To stop, say 'arceo' and you won't be able to talk to me anymore," she said before his amulet stopped glowing.
Hermione then came back into the room, only now she was wearing a pink nightgown. Harry thought she looked absolutely gorgeous with the way the light from the floor lamp in the corner fell on her, but he didn't bother to comment.
"Well, now that you know how it works, I'm off to bed," she said. Then she went over to Harry, gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before saying good night to him and going off to her room.
"Good night Hermione," Harry said, as he watched her retreating figure, his hand absentmindedly going to his cheek where she kissed him.
It was a while before Harry realized what she had done and he blushed a bright red, but it was long after Hermione had left the room.
Harry placed the amulet around his neck before going over to his trunk and changing into his pajamas. He then went and laid down on his bed and made an attempt to sleep. Harry couldn't go to sleep, however, so he just laid there, thinking of different things. Strangely enough, his mind kept wandering back to Hermione in between thoughts of what to do with his Elemental abilities, his animagus training, Dumbledore's Phoenix Order, and Hermione's gift. He wondered why Hermione cared so much if he lived or died or if he was feeling happy or depressed and why she bothered to stay by him last year, while Ron and the rest of the school was so quick to turn on him last year during the Triwizard Tournament. However, he decided to set aside any feelings he had for her lest their friendship fall apart. She was his friend and he decided would support her regardless of the situation and, if necessary, he would give his life to save hers. After his self-evaluation, he finally became tired enough that he fell asleep and dreamt peacefully for the first time in a long time.
A/N: Sorry that this took more than 24 hours to post, but at least you get 3 chapters at once. I hope to post at least 1 chapter/24 hour period. Anyway, there were a few changes I made in the previous chapters to maintain consistency with the Harry Potter books. Mainly the underage restriction on magic and the fact that Dudley was on a diet. R/R plz!