A/N - Deepest apologies in advance. I'm having a hard time with Hermione's
personality. Hopefully, I'll improve as the story goes on, but in this
chapter, she seems a bit out of character.
Chapter Seven - The Grangers Arrive
Harry was up in his room, packing, because the Grangers were supposed to arrive that day. They would pick Harry up, and Harry supposed that they would take him to their house. Harry was going through his gifts and letters when he came across his Hogwarts letter again. He realized that he never had time to look through all of it, because Uncle Vernon had interrupted him.
Harry found another letter in the envelope that he hadn't read before. Opening it up, he quickly scanned the first few lines, and was stunned. It read:
DEAR MR. H. POTTER,
OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, THE STAFF OF HOGWARTS, SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDY THINK THAT YOU HAVE BEEN AN OUTSTANDING MODEL TO YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS. YOU SET THE WAY FOR YOUR CLASSMATES TO FOLLOW. WE THINK THAT YOU DESERVE RECOGNITION FOR YOUR EXEMPLARY BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDE, AND HAVE SELECTED YOU TO BE A PREFECT FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR.
BEING A PREFECT IS A BIG HONOR. YOU WILL SET AN EXAMPLE FOR YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS. THE FIRST YEARS WILL LOOK UP TO YOU, AND MAY DEPEND ON YOU TO HELP THEM AS THEY ARE ADJUSTING TO THE SCHOOL. A BADGE HAS BEEN INCLUDED WITH THIS LETTER TO BETTER IDENTIFY YOU AS A PREFECT.
DURING THE FEAST OF THE DAY YOU RETURN TO SCHOOL, YOUR HEAD OF HOUSE WILL DISTRIBUTE THE PASSWORD TO YOUR HOUSE COMMON ROOM. YOU WILL ALSO BE INFORMED OF THE TIME OF THE FIRST PREFECT MEETING, WHERE YOUR DUTIES, AND BENEFITS, WILL BE BETTER EXPLAINED.
AS A PREFECT, YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO ATTEND THE MONTLY PREFECT MEETING, WHERE SCHOOL ISSUES WILL BE DISCUSSED. YOU WILL BE INFORMED OF THEIR TIME AND DATE AT THE FIRST MEETING.
CONTRATULATIONS, AND MAKE YOUR HOUSE PROUD OF YOU.
SIGNED,
MINERVA MCGONAGAL
DEPUTY HEADMISTRESS
Harry could hardly believe it. Although Harry had known a few prefects, he could never imagine himself being one. Sure, he had saved the school, and possible the whole world, from doom once or twice before. But, as Dumbledore had once pointed out, he broke about a hundred school rules in the process. Harry didn't think that qualified him as an "outstanding model." Percy, one of Ron's brothers who was a prefect and even Head Boy, was very big on rules. He would never approve of Harry being a prefect.
Rereading the letter, Harry was wondering what the meetings would be about. Even thought he had known a few prefects, Harry had never realized that prefects had monthly meetings. He had never known that they actually DID something. As far as he knew, they were the ones who knew that passwords to the common rooms at the beginning of the year, and that was it. Well, they also led the first years to the common room, and helped them out in their first couple days, but. that was it.
He looked into the envelope that all his Hogwarts stuff came in, and he found the prefect badge. He twirled it around in his fingers for a minute, and then put it back in the envelope. He didn't want to loose it before he got to Hogwarts.
As soon as he finished packing, Harry went downstairs. He figured that he could leave his stuff in his room, and someone would help him with it when the time came. He made sure to give his uncle a somewhat foul look. He was supposed to be pretending that he didn't want to go, after all.
It wasn't long before the doorbell rang. Uncle Vernon answered the door. On the other side of the door stood the Drs. Granger, Hermione's parents. Both of them were holding a clipboard. It was Hermione's father who spoke first. "Hello, you must be Mr. Dursley." Harry's uncle nodded.
Then, Hermione's mom took over. Looking over at Harry and Dudley, she said, "Now, which one of these boys is Harry?" Harry stepped forward. "Ah, yes," she continued talking to Vernon. "Now, there are a few forms I'll need you to sign."
While Uncle Vernon started signing forms, Hermione's dad looked at Harry. "Now, then Harry, you'll need your stuff." Harry nodded, and walked up to his room. Hermione's dad followed, taking notes as he did. Upstairs, they both grabbed Harry's suff. Hermione's father kept up his act, except for winking at Harry up in the room. The two of them loaded Harry's stuff into the car.
Harry went back to the house to say goodbye to his aunt and uncle. "Well, bye then," Harry said, trying to sound angry, but not mean.
Looking at Hermione's mom, who was also taking notes, Uncle Vernon said a gruff, "Bye." Then Harry and Hermione's mother turned and got into the car. Harry realized that Hermione was there too.
Nobody spoke until they were out of sight of Number 4, Privet Drive. It was Hermione who broke the silence. "It's good to see you, Harry."
"You don't even know how glad I am to see you, Hermione. Life with the Dursleys has been so miserable, I wasn't sure I was going to live to see September. But then, I got your letter."
Looking to the front of the car, where Hermione's parents were, Harry said, "Thank you so much for letting me stay with your family.
Hermione's dad responded, "You're very welcome, Harry. When we heard who you were living with, and how they treated you, there was no way we were going to let you stay there."
His wife continued, "I went to high school with your aunt. I never liked her. She always talked unfavorably about her sister, Lily. She said all sorts of mean things, none of which I will repeat. Then, when Hermione told us that you were Lily's son, and you were living with Petunia, I couldn't believe it. I knew that they couldn't be treating you very good. But I was stunned at how mean they were."
"By the way," she continued, "you can just call us Mr. and Mrs. Granger. We've found that calling us 'doctor' isn't specific enough, since we're both doctors." She smiled back at Harry.
There was a moment of silence, and then Hermione spoke up. "Guess what, Harry? I'm a prefect!"
"Congrats, Hermione. By some bizarre set of circumstances, I am too."
Hermione was stunned, but happy. "That's great, Harry. But, why do you say 'by some bizarre set of circumstances'?"
Harry laughed. "You read the letter, right?" Hermione nodded. Harry wouldn't be surprised if she had memorized it. "Well, it talks about being an exemplary student, and being a good role model."
"You're a great role model, Harry. You've done a lot against the Dark Lord, and you're always fighting for good. Not always in the most literal sense, but still."
"But you've got to admit that I don't really live up to the standards of somebody like Percy Weasley. I may do good things, but I break a bunch of rules in the process."
Hermione waited a moment before responding. "Harry, in the past few years, I've learned a lot of things. One thing I've learned is that life is not all books and rules. I've learned that being brave, and standing up for what you believe in, can be a lot more important."
Harry had no idea what to say to that, so he said nothing. After another moment of silence, he said, "So, did you go to see Viktor Krum like he asked you to?"
Hermione blushed. "Yeah, I did. I went the first week of July. I guess I was all caught up in my parents' plan to remember to tell you in the letter."
"So," Harry said, "what did you do? If you don't mind telling me, that is."
Hermione laughed. "Of course I don't mind. You're my friend, after all. If I can't tell you, who can I tell?" Harry gave a small laugh, but Hermione didn't seem to notice if it sounded forced.
"Well, I got to meet his parents. They don't speak a word of English, so Viktor had to serve as a translator. They were really nice. They live in a big house, because being a quidditch player pays really well. He still lives with them, you know. But, he told me that he plans to move out later this year.
"We spent a lot of our time hanging out, talking, and things like that. He did give me some flying lessons. You know, since I'm not very good, and we only had one lesson in our first year." Harry remembered it well. Flying lessons used to be given at Hogwarts, but a few factors had led them to being cancelled for the whole school, one lesson into Harry's first year at Hogwarts. First, was Neville Longbottom. He got nervous, and ended up breaking his wrist. Also, Madame Hooch, the flying instructor and quidditch official, had told Draco Malfoy he had been flying wrong for years. This upset Draco, and Draco's father, as a school governor, was able to get lessons cancelled.
"I'm still not very good, but I know enough to do decent." She sighed. "You know, Harry, you're so lucky. Flying just comes naturally to you. I find it very difficult, since I actually have to learn how." After a moment's thought, she added, "And it's not really something you can learn in a book." Harry chuckled.
"Speaking of quidditch," Hermione continued, "do you know how Gryffindor is going to get a new keeper?"
The same thought had just crossed Harry's mind. "Well, no, I don't. I suppose we'll have tryouts. I don't know who chooses, though, since I wasn't selected by the regular method." Harry could remember how, at the one and only flying lesson, Professor McGonagall saw him dive, and recommended him to Oliver Wood, who was the captain of the Gryffindor team at that time. He was such a natural at flying that there was no question about him being on the team.
"So, Harry.have you heard from Fred and George lately?" Harry knew in an instant that she was trying to subtly find out if he had found out about the nomination for captain.
"Hermione, you're really bad at trying to bring up a topic casually." She gave Harry a mean look, but only for a moment. "But, yes, I have. And I'm very touched. I haven't signed it, since I mean to do so with the rest of the team there to see it." Harry lied. He didn't want to tell her how he had nearly freaked out about it. Besides, for thinking on his feet, it was actually a good idea.
"Hey, Hermione, I just have one question. How long have you known?"
Hermione smiled. "Well, I was one of the first people to sign, after the team. It took the two of them almost the whole year to get everyone to sign, and not have you find out."
"Well, the did a good job. I had no idea until I got the papers on my birthday. I guess it was like a birthday present," Harry commented.
"Harry, I'm so happy for you," Hermione exclaimed. She leaned over and hugged her friend.
Harry was stunned. "What for? I'm just the captain of our team. It's not like I'm head boy, or valedictorian or anything."
"But Harry, it IS like that. There are only four people in our school who are given that honor. And you were voted by our house, unanimously."
"But still, it's not THAT special. I'm sure Ron's brother Charlie did the same, and probably better. Besides, SOMEBODY has to be captain."
"But you're only a fifth year, Harry. I'm sure there hasn't been a fifth year captain since.since.well, in a long time."
Harry laughed. "It's been so long that the last person to do it was Oliver Wood."
Hermione looked disappointed. "Oh. Well, it's still a big honor. AND, you're a prefect. There are only twenty-four in the whole school."
"Really, there's that many?" Harry questioned. "How do the organize it? Is it just the best twenty-four people?"
"Well, no. For each house, they take the best boy and the best girl in the fifth, sixth, and seventh year."
Harry thought for a moment. "You know, when you put it that way, being a prefect doesn't seem that impressive after all. I had a one in five chance then, since there are only five Gryffindor fifth year boys: Ron, Dean, Seamus, Neville, and I"
"Neville and ME," Hermione corrected.
"Oh, whatever. How can you tell the difference?"
"Easy. Just get rid of everybody else, and figure out which would be appropriate. You wouldn't say, 'five Gryffindor fifth year boys: I' because that sound silly."
This was more of the Hermione Harry was used to. The one that was bent on being correct, not the one that talked about bravery. "Of course it didn't make sense, because I would have said there was five people, but only mentioned myself."
Hermione snorted. "That's not the point. The point is that you would say, if you can get over the number contradiction, 'five Gryffindor boys: me' therefore, you would use 'me' instead of 'I' in that particular case."
Harry sighed. Being smart was just part of Hermione's personality. It came in handy a lot, so he wasn't going to be bugged by it. Or at least, he was going to TRY to not be bugged by it. Sometimes it was hard. "So, have you talked to Ron at all this summer," he asked.
"Yeah. We've arranged a date to meet at Diagon Alley. I figured you wouldn't mind, since communication by owl post is hard enough with two people. But then, if I had to share Hedwig with you for three-way owl post, we would have never gotten anywhere. Besides, you're staying with us, so you'd go that same time as me anyway."
Harry couldn't think of anything to add, so he changed the subject. "So, what kind of teacher do you think we'll have for defence against the dark arts? After all, we've had a supporter of Vol-uh, you-know-who, a total fake, a werewolf, even if he was nice, and a paranoid Auror, even if it was really another supporter of V-you-know-who. Dumbledore doesn't have a good reputation of choosing teachers for that position. Maybe this year, he'll hire a dementor, or something."
Hermione laughed. "Well, they do have a lot of experience with the dark arts, being in Azkaban and all. Plus, they feed on the dark arts kind of thoughts, right?"
"What? There's something Hermione doesn't know? We've got to alert the ministry of magic, or something." He laughed. "Well, to be honest, I don't remember either. Maybe they fed on good thoughts, and that's why all you've got left are the bad ones. I'm not sure. Lupin said last year, but I don't remember."
"Well, the reason I don't know is because I wasn't very keen on the creatures themselves. They never sparked any interest in me to study them. But now, I'll have something to look up in the library when we get back, if it's not in any of the books I already own."
"I don't think there's anything that isn't in a book you own," Harry commented.
"That's not true. You should know that. Remember how I needed to get the book containing the Polyjuice Potion? I didn't have a book with THAT in it, now did I?"
Harry remembered in his second year how he, Ron, and Hermione wanted to spy on Draco, so they used the Polyjuice Potion to become Crabbe and Goyle, Draco's thugs. "No, you didn't. I was just being sarcastic, Hermione."
Mr. Granger pulled into the driveway of a house. "Well, we're here," he said to Harry. Harry stepped out of the car, and looked at the house where he would be staying for the next two weeks.
Special Thanks.
Special thanks to siri-padfoot and Saffron Halifax for reviewing my story. It means a lot to me to hear from my readers. It's also reassuring to know that there are actually people out there reading my story.
Siri-padfoot - how could I even think about omitting my favorite character (and obviously yours too). Rest assured that he is probably not going to die in MY version of Harry's fifth year
Saffron Halifax - in case you didn't notice, I have an author's note at the beginning of the chapter concerning Holes. I haven't read or seen it, but have heard about the whole Yelnats thing from my sibblings. This is just a coincidence as I had no idea when I wrote that.
Chapter Seven - The Grangers Arrive
Harry was up in his room, packing, because the Grangers were supposed to arrive that day. They would pick Harry up, and Harry supposed that they would take him to their house. Harry was going through his gifts and letters when he came across his Hogwarts letter again. He realized that he never had time to look through all of it, because Uncle Vernon had interrupted him.
Harry found another letter in the envelope that he hadn't read before. Opening it up, he quickly scanned the first few lines, and was stunned. It read:
DEAR MR. H. POTTER,
OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, THE STAFF OF HOGWARTS, SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDY THINK THAT YOU HAVE BEEN AN OUTSTANDING MODEL TO YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS. YOU SET THE WAY FOR YOUR CLASSMATES TO FOLLOW. WE THINK THAT YOU DESERVE RECOGNITION FOR YOUR EXEMPLARY BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDE, AND HAVE SELECTED YOU TO BE A PREFECT FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR.
BEING A PREFECT IS A BIG HONOR. YOU WILL SET AN EXAMPLE FOR YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS. THE FIRST YEARS WILL LOOK UP TO YOU, AND MAY DEPEND ON YOU TO HELP THEM AS THEY ARE ADJUSTING TO THE SCHOOL. A BADGE HAS BEEN INCLUDED WITH THIS LETTER TO BETTER IDENTIFY YOU AS A PREFECT.
DURING THE FEAST OF THE DAY YOU RETURN TO SCHOOL, YOUR HEAD OF HOUSE WILL DISTRIBUTE THE PASSWORD TO YOUR HOUSE COMMON ROOM. YOU WILL ALSO BE INFORMED OF THE TIME OF THE FIRST PREFECT MEETING, WHERE YOUR DUTIES, AND BENEFITS, WILL BE BETTER EXPLAINED.
AS A PREFECT, YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO ATTEND THE MONTLY PREFECT MEETING, WHERE SCHOOL ISSUES WILL BE DISCUSSED. YOU WILL BE INFORMED OF THEIR TIME AND DATE AT THE FIRST MEETING.
CONTRATULATIONS, AND MAKE YOUR HOUSE PROUD OF YOU.
SIGNED,
MINERVA MCGONAGAL
DEPUTY HEADMISTRESS
Harry could hardly believe it. Although Harry had known a few prefects, he could never imagine himself being one. Sure, he had saved the school, and possible the whole world, from doom once or twice before. But, as Dumbledore had once pointed out, he broke about a hundred school rules in the process. Harry didn't think that qualified him as an "outstanding model." Percy, one of Ron's brothers who was a prefect and even Head Boy, was very big on rules. He would never approve of Harry being a prefect.
Rereading the letter, Harry was wondering what the meetings would be about. Even thought he had known a few prefects, Harry had never realized that prefects had monthly meetings. He had never known that they actually DID something. As far as he knew, they were the ones who knew that passwords to the common rooms at the beginning of the year, and that was it. Well, they also led the first years to the common room, and helped them out in their first couple days, but. that was it.
He looked into the envelope that all his Hogwarts stuff came in, and he found the prefect badge. He twirled it around in his fingers for a minute, and then put it back in the envelope. He didn't want to loose it before he got to Hogwarts.
As soon as he finished packing, Harry went downstairs. He figured that he could leave his stuff in his room, and someone would help him with it when the time came. He made sure to give his uncle a somewhat foul look. He was supposed to be pretending that he didn't want to go, after all.
It wasn't long before the doorbell rang. Uncle Vernon answered the door. On the other side of the door stood the Drs. Granger, Hermione's parents. Both of them were holding a clipboard. It was Hermione's father who spoke first. "Hello, you must be Mr. Dursley." Harry's uncle nodded.
Then, Hermione's mom took over. Looking over at Harry and Dudley, she said, "Now, which one of these boys is Harry?" Harry stepped forward. "Ah, yes," she continued talking to Vernon. "Now, there are a few forms I'll need you to sign."
While Uncle Vernon started signing forms, Hermione's dad looked at Harry. "Now, then Harry, you'll need your stuff." Harry nodded, and walked up to his room. Hermione's dad followed, taking notes as he did. Upstairs, they both grabbed Harry's suff. Hermione's father kept up his act, except for winking at Harry up in the room. The two of them loaded Harry's stuff into the car.
Harry went back to the house to say goodbye to his aunt and uncle. "Well, bye then," Harry said, trying to sound angry, but not mean.
Looking at Hermione's mom, who was also taking notes, Uncle Vernon said a gruff, "Bye." Then Harry and Hermione's mother turned and got into the car. Harry realized that Hermione was there too.
Nobody spoke until they were out of sight of Number 4, Privet Drive. It was Hermione who broke the silence. "It's good to see you, Harry."
"You don't even know how glad I am to see you, Hermione. Life with the Dursleys has been so miserable, I wasn't sure I was going to live to see September. But then, I got your letter."
Looking to the front of the car, where Hermione's parents were, Harry said, "Thank you so much for letting me stay with your family.
Hermione's dad responded, "You're very welcome, Harry. When we heard who you were living with, and how they treated you, there was no way we were going to let you stay there."
His wife continued, "I went to high school with your aunt. I never liked her. She always talked unfavorably about her sister, Lily. She said all sorts of mean things, none of which I will repeat. Then, when Hermione told us that you were Lily's son, and you were living with Petunia, I couldn't believe it. I knew that they couldn't be treating you very good. But I was stunned at how mean they were."
"By the way," she continued, "you can just call us Mr. and Mrs. Granger. We've found that calling us 'doctor' isn't specific enough, since we're both doctors." She smiled back at Harry.
There was a moment of silence, and then Hermione spoke up. "Guess what, Harry? I'm a prefect!"
"Congrats, Hermione. By some bizarre set of circumstances, I am too."
Hermione was stunned, but happy. "That's great, Harry. But, why do you say 'by some bizarre set of circumstances'?"
Harry laughed. "You read the letter, right?" Hermione nodded. Harry wouldn't be surprised if she had memorized it. "Well, it talks about being an exemplary student, and being a good role model."
"You're a great role model, Harry. You've done a lot against the Dark Lord, and you're always fighting for good. Not always in the most literal sense, but still."
"But you've got to admit that I don't really live up to the standards of somebody like Percy Weasley. I may do good things, but I break a bunch of rules in the process."
Hermione waited a moment before responding. "Harry, in the past few years, I've learned a lot of things. One thing I've learned is that life is not all books and rules. I've learned that being brave, and standing up for what you believe in, can be a lot more important."
Harry had no idea what to say to that, so he said nothing. After another moment of silence, he said, "So, did you go to see Viktor Krum like he asked you to?"
Hermione blushed. "Yeah, I did. I went the first week of July. I guess I was all caught up in my parents' plan to remember to tell you in the letter."
"So," Harry said, "what did you do? If you don't mind telling me, that is."
Hermione laughed. "Of course I don't mind. You're my friend, after all. If I can't tell you, who can I tell?" Harry gave a small laugh, but Hermione didn't seem to notice if it sounded forced.
"Well, I got to meet his parents. They don't speak a word of English, so Viktor had to serve as a translator. They were really nice. They live in a big house, because being a quidditch player pays really well. He still lives with them, you know. But, he told me that he plans to move out later this year.
"We spent a lot of our time hanging out, talking, and things like that. He did give me some flying lessons. You know, since I'm not very good, and we only had one lesson in our first year." Harry remembered it well. Flying lessons used to be given at Hogwarts, but a few factors had led them to being cancelled for the whole school, one lesson into Harry's first year at Hogwarts. First, was Neville Longbottom. He got nervous, and ended up breaking his wrist. Also, Madame Hooch, the flying instructor and quidditch official, had told Draco Malfoy he had been flying wrong for years. This upset Draco, and Draco's father, as a school governor, was able to get lessons cancelled.
"I'm still not very good, but I know enough to do decent." She sighed. "You know, Harry, you're so lucky. Flying just comes naturally to you. I find it very difficult, since I actually have to learn how." After a moment's thought, she added, "And it's not really something you can learn in a book." Harry chuckled.
"Speaking of quidditch," Hermione continued, "do you know how Gryffindor is going to get a new keeper?"
The same thought had just crossed Harry's mind. "Well, no, I don't. I suppose we'll have tryouts. I don't know who chooses, though, since I wasn't selected by the regular method." Harry could remember how, at the one and only flying lesson, Professor McGonagall saw him dive, and recommended him to Oliver Wood, who was the captain of the Gryffindor team at that time. He was such a natural at flying that there was no question about him being on the team.
"So, Harry.have you heard from Fred and George lately?" Harry knew in an instant that she was trying to subtly find out if he had found out about the nomination for captain.
"Hermione, you're really bad at trying to bring up a topic casually." She gave Harry a mean look, but only for a moment. "But, yes, I have. And I'm very touched. I haven't signed it, since I mean to do so with the rest of the team there to see it." Harry lied. He didn't want to tell her how he had nearly freaked out about it. Besides, for thinking on his feet, it was actually a good idea.
"Hey, Hermione, I just have one question. How long have you known?"
Hermione smiled. "Well, I was one of the first people to sign, after the team. It took the two of them almost the whole year to get everyone to sign, and not have you find out."
"Well, the did a good job. I had no idea until I got the papers on my birthday. I guess it was like a birthday present," Harry commented.
"Harry, I'm so happy for you," Hermione exclaimed. She leaned over and hugged her friend.
Harry was stunned. "What for? I'm just the captain of our team. It's not like I'm head boy, or valedictorian or anything."
"But Harry, it IS like that. There are only four people in our school who are given that honor. And you were voted by our house, unanimously."
"But still, it's not THAT special. I'm sure Ron's brother Charlie did the same, and probably better. Besides, SOMEBODY has to be captain."
"But you're only a fifth year, Harry. I'm sure there hasn't been a fifth year captain since.since.well, in a long time."
Harry laughed. "It's been so long that the last person to do it was Oliver Wood."
Hermione looked disappointed. "Oh. Well, it's still a big honor. AND, you're a prefect. There are only twenty-four in the whole school."
"Really, there's that many?" Harry questioned. "How do the organize it? Is it just the best twenty-four people?"
"Well, no. For each house, they take the best boy and the best girl in the fifth, sixth, and seventh year."
Harry thought for a moment. "You know, when you put it that way, being a prefect doesn't seem that impressive after all. I had a one in five chance then, since there are only five Gryffindor fifth year boys: Ron, Dean, Seamus, Neville, and I"
"Neville and ME," Hermione corrected.
"Oh, whatever. How can you tell the difference?"
"Easy. Just get rid of everybody else, and figure out which would be appropriate. You wouldn't say, 'five Gryffindor fifth year boys: I' because that sound silly."
This was more of the Hermione Harry was used to. The one that was bent on being correct, not the one that talked about bravery. "Of course it didn't make sense, because I would have said there was five people, but only mentioned myself."
Hermione snorted. "That's not the point. The point is that you would say, if you can get over the number contradiction, 'five Gryffindor boys: me' therefore, you would use 'me' instead of 'I' in that particular case."
Harry sighed. Being smart was just part of Hermione's personality. It came in handy a lot, so he wasn't going to be bugged by it. Or at least, he was going to TRY to not be bugged by it. Sometimes it was hard. "So, have you talked to Ron at all this summer," he asked.
"Yeah. We've arranged a date to meet at Diagon Alley. I figured you wouldn't mind, since communication by owl post is hard enough with two people. But then, if I had to share Hedwig with you for three-way owl post, we would have never gotten anywhere. Besides, you're staying with us, so you'd go that same time as me anyway."
Harry couldn't think of anything to add, so he changed the subject. "So, what kind of teacher do you think we'll have for defence against the dark arts? After all, we've had a supporter of Vol-uh, you-know-who, a total fake, a werewolf, even if he was nice, and a paranoid Auror, even if it was really another supporter of V-you-know-who. Dumbledore doesn't have a good reputation of choosing teachers for that position. Maybe this year, he'll hire a dementor, or something."
Hermione laughed. "Well, they do have a lot of experience with the dark arts, being in Azkaban and all. Plus, they feed on the dark arts kind of thoughts, right?"
"What? There's something Hermione doesn't know? We've got to alert the ministry of magic, or something." He laughed. "Well, to be honest, I don't remember either. Maybe they fed on good thoughts, and that's why all you've got left are the bad ones. I'm not sure. Lupin said last year, but I don't remember."
"Well, the reason I don't know is because I wasn't very keen on the creatures themselves. They never sparked any interest in me to study them. But now, I'll have something to look up in the library when we get back, if it's not in any of the books I already own."
"I don't think there's anything that isn't in a book you own," Harry commented.
"That's not true. You should know that. Remember how I needed to get the book containing the Polyjuice Potion? I didn't have a book with THAT in it, now did I?"
Harry remembered in his second year how he, Ron, and Hermione wanted to spy on Draco, so they used the Polyjuice Potion to become Crabbe and Goyle, Draco's thugs. "No, you didn't. I was just being sarcastic, Hermione."
Mr. Granger pulled into the driveway of a house. "Well, we're here," he said to Harry. Harry stepped out of the car, and looked at the house where he would be staying for the next two weeks.
Special Thanks.
Special thanks to siri-padfoot and Saffron Halifax for reviewing my story. It means a lot to me to hear from my readers. It's also reassuring to know that there are actually people out there reading my story.
Siri-padfoot - how could I even think about omitting my favorite character (and obviously yours too). Rest assured that he is probably not going to die in MY version of Harry's fifth year
Saffron Halifax - in case you didn't notice, I have an author's note at the beginning of the chapter concerning Holes. I haven't read or seen it, but have heard about the whole Yelnats thing from my sibblings. This is just a coincidence as I had no idea when I wrote that.