Chapter Three: Back to 9 and ¾
During the next few days, Harry and Ron stayed in the Leaky Cauldron; they had no desire to be stared at and whispered about in Diagon Alley. They hung out a lot with Fred, George, and Ginny. The twins seemed to have recovered from the episode with the Death Eaters quite nicely and were back to their old tricks again. (Now that Percy wasn't around, they chose to pick on Ron-- putting slug paste on his toothbrush for instance) Ginny had recovered tolerably well, but still tended to go off in the corner by herself and gaze out the window, and she got a glazed-over look in her eyes from time to time that unsettled Harry.
Harry couldn't help but notice how she had changed over the summer. Her hair was longer and it had grown darker with a bit of a natural curl at the end. She no longer looked like a little girl anymore-- how she had always appeared like to Harry. She looked more thoughtful now; she still acted nervously around Harry; she was still quite taken with him. Harry talked with her more now as she had grown out of running away whenever she saw him.
The next day, the Weasleys, Harry, and the Ministry officials all traveled to King's Cross station, platform 9 3/4. Ginny joined her 4th year friends, and Fred and George joined Lee Jordon and their lot. As Ron and Harry went to their usual car, Ron said, "Still no reply from Hermione. What has gotten into her?"
Just as the train was about to leave, the car door slid open and in stepped Hermione, looking flustered and carrying her cat, Crookshanks', basket under one arm.
"Well, there you are," said Harry.
"Hi, Harry, Ron," she said and sat down. "Haven't talked to you two in awhile."
"Yeah, no bloody kidding!" exclaimed Ron. "What are you playing at, not writing us one bloody letter except when we're almost killed by Death Eaters! Not even for Harry's birthday!" Hermione looked as if something had bitten her.
"Oh, no! I didn't, did I?" she exclaimed, sounding as if she was panicking. "Oh, I did didn't I? How simply monstrous of me! Harry, I'm so sorry!"
"It's ok, Hermione," said Harry, glad at least to see Hermione as her old self again.
"On the first Hogsmeade trip, I'll buy you all the candy you want!" she said.
"Cheers!" exclaimed Ron.
"No, Hermione," said Harry. "You don't have to do that."
"Harry!" hissed Ron. "She's offering to buy you candy! Don't be daft!"
They had a merry train ride for about a half hour, chatting about their summers and how school would change now that they entered their fifth year, when Ron said, "Hermione, why were you so busy? What on earth were you doing all summer?"
"A project," replied Hermione, simply, eating a chocolate frog. Crookshanks was stalking the wrappers on the floor.
"A project?" asked Harry. "It was a very big one then?"
"Oh, yes," she said. "Monstrous. I quite enjoyed it." Ron rolled his eyes.
"What for?" asked Harry.
"For Defense against the Dark Arts."
"I didn't know you were interested in that."
"Oh, yes, fearfully fascinating," she said, finishing the frog and wiping her hands. Harry tried to remember where he'd heard those words before, but Hermione cut off his thoughts. "Would you pass me those fizzing whizbees? Thanks."
"Ok." said Ron, slowly. "Care to elaborate there, Hermione?"
"Well, after what happened to Harry last year, and. and Cedric and all," she looked to Harry as if waiting for permission to go on. Harry said nothing, so she continued. "After that, I figured, I might as well be prepared. We three aren't exactly repellant to danger; it usually finds us one way or the other. So I asked Professor McGonagal if she would send me a project to do, seeing as she is the only. willing teacher who is at all competent with the Dark Arts." Harry grinned. By "willing," he knew Hermione meant that the only other teacher familiar with the Dark Arts at Hogwarts was Professor Snape, and he certainly wasn't about to do Hermione a favor by sending her extra projects, or anything she might enjoy.
"Looks like we're almost there," said Hermione. "I'll just run and change." She trotted out of the car.
Almost as soon as she had left, the car door slid open and in stepped none other than Draco Malfoy, a thin Slytherin with a pale, pointed face and slick blonde hair, accompanied by his two very large thugs Crabbe and Goyle. Draco smirked and folded his arms across his chest.
"Weasley?" he said, pretending to be astonished. "I didn't think you'd show your face after almost being done in by those scary Death Eaters! Oh, but of course, I didn't see Potter here! Is he here to protect you, Weasley? Like he could..."
"Shove off, Malfoy," said Harry. Ron had gone quite red in the face.
"And he speaks for you too, eh, Weasley?" sneered Draco.
"He said, shove off!" growled Ron through his teeth, standing up, his fists clenched.
"Ah, yes, of course I'll leave you alone with your boyfriend," said Draco. Crabbe and Goyle laughed dumbly. Ron was about to launch himself on Draco when Draco suddenly gripped himself below his stomach. His face twisted with pain and he fell to the ground. Behind him stood Ginny Weasley. She had kicked him a little below the belt.
Harry smiled, almost disbelievingly, but then he noticed Crabbe and Goyle, looking down at Ginny angrily and rolling up their sleeves.
"Don't touch her!" cried Harry, and he launched himself onto Goyle, grabbing him around the neck. Ron followed suit and tackled Crabbe, knocking him to the ground. Goyle flailed about, trying to get Harry off of him, but Harry held tight and managed to get out his wand.
"Petrificus Totalis!" he cried, and pointed his wand at Goyle's head. Goyle froze and fell to the ground, petrified.
In the meantime, Ron was on top of Crabbe, and was punching him in the head. The blows didn't seem to affect Crabbe, however, since his head was as hard as a rock. Crabbe got up, and grabbed Ron by the scruff of the neck, picking him up off the ground. Just then, Ginny kicked him in the knee and Harry yelled the spell again, petrifying Crabbe. Draco was about to get up again, but Harry petrified him as well.
Harry, Ginny, and Ron all stood there for a minute. Then Ron said, "Alright, Ginny! Way to hit him where it hurts!" Ginny grinned.
"After that crack about you and Harry..." she said. Harry and Ron looked at each other, than awkwardly looked at their feet.
"Anyway..." said Ginny. "I was just coming in. People kept asking me about the Death Eaters..." Her eyes began to get the look she had ever since the Death Eaters.
"Look, Ginny, it's okay," said Harry. "You can stay with us." Just then, Hermione came in. She looked down at the frozen Slytherins with surprise, then tutted and said, "Not even the first day of school and you've already gotten into a fight with Malfoy."
During the next few days, Harry and Ron stayed in the Leaky Cauldron; they had no desire to be stared at and whispered about in Diagon Alley. They hung out a lot with Fred, George, and Ginny. The twins seemed to have recovered from the episode with the Death Eaters quite nicely and were back to their old tricks again. (Now that Percy wasn't around, they chose to pick on Ron-- putting slug paste on his toothbrush for instance) Ginny had recovered tolerably well, but still tended to go off in the corner by herself and gaze out the window, and she got a glazed-over look in her eyes from time to time that unsettled Harry.
Harry couldn't help but notice how she had changed over the summer. Her hair was longer and it had grown darker with a bit of a natural curl at the end. She no longer looked like a little girl anymore-- how she had always appeared like to Harry. She looked more thoughtful now; she still acted nervously around Harry; she was still quite taken with him. Harry talked with her more now as she had grown out of running away whenever she saw him.
The next day, the Weasleys, Harry, and the Ministry officials all traveled to King's Cross station, platform 9 3/4. Ginny joined her 4th year friends, and Fred and George joined Lee Jordon and their lot. As Ron and Harry went to their usual car, Ron said, "Still no reply from Hermione. What has gotten into her?"
Just as the train was about to leave, the car door slid open and in stepped Hermione, looking flustered and carrying her cat, Crookshanks', basket under one arm.
"Well, there you are," said Harry.
"Hi, Harry, Ron," she said and sat down. "Haven't talked to you two in awhile."
"Yeah, no bloody kidding!" exclaimed Ron. "What are you playing at, not writing us one bloody letter except when we're almost killed by Death Eaters! Not even for Harry's birthday!" Hermione looked as if something had bitten her.
"Oh, no! I didn't, did I?" she exclaimed, sounding as if she was panicking. "Oh, I did didn't I? How simply monstrous of me! Harry, I'm so sorry!"
"It's ok, Hermione," said Harry, glad at least to see Hermione as her old self again.
"On the first Hogsmeade trip, I'll buy you all the candy you want!" she said.
"Cheers!" exclaimed Ron.
"No, Hermione," said Harry. "You don't have to do that."
"Harry!" hissed Ron. "She's offering to buy you candy! Don't be daft!"
They had a merry train ride for about a half hour, chatting about their summers and how school would change now that they entered their fifth year, when Ron said, "Hermione, why were you so busy? What on earth were you doing all summer?"
"A project," replied Hermione, simply, eating a chocolate frog. Crookshanks was stalking the wrappers on the floor.
"A project?" asked Harry. "It was a very big one then?"
"Oh, yes," she said. "Monstrous. I quite enjoyed it." Ron rolled his eyes.
"What for?" asked Harry.
"For Defense against the Dark Arts."
"I didn't know you were interested in that."
"Oh, yes, fearfully fascinating," she said, finishing the frog and wiping her hands. Harry tried to remember where he'd heard those words before, but Hermione cut off his thoughts. "Would you pass me those fizzing whizbees? Thanks."
"Ok." said Ron, slowly. "Care to elaborate there, Hermione?"
"Well, after what happened to Harry last year, and. and Cedric and all," she looked to Harry as if waiting for permission to go on. Harry said nothing, so she continued. "After that, I figured, I might as well be prepared. We three aren't exactly repellant to danger; it usually finds us one way or the other. So I asked Professor McGonagal if she would send me a project to do, seeing as she is the only. willing teacher who is at all competent with the Dark Arts." Harry grinned. By "willing," he knew Hermione meant that the only other teacher familiar with the Dark Arts at Hogwarts was Professor Snape, and he certainly wasn't about to do Hermione a favor by sending her extra projects, or anything she might enjoy.
"Looks like we're almost there," said Hermione. "I'll just run and change." She trotted out of the car.
Almost as soon as she had left, the car door slid open and in stepped none other than Draco Malfoy, a thin Slytherin with a pale, pointed face and slick blonde hair, accompanied by his two very large thugs Crabbe and Goyle. Draco smirked and folded his arms across his chest.
"Weasley?" he said, pretending to be astonished. "I didn't think you'd show your face after almost being done in by those scary Death Eaters! Oh, but of course, I didn't see Potter here! Is he here to protect you, Weasley? Like he could..."
"Shove off, Malfoy," said Harry. Ron had gone quite red in the face.
"And he speaks for you too, eh, Weasley?" sneered Draco.
"He said, shove off!" growled Ron through his teeth, standing up, his fists clenched.
"Ah, yes, of course I'll leave you alone with your boyfriend," said Draco. Crabbe and Goyle laughed dumbly. Ron was about to launch himself on Draco when Draco suddenly gripped himself below his stomach. His face twisted with pain and he fell to the ground. Behind him stood Ginny Weasley. She had kicked him a little below the belt.
Harry smiled, almost disbelievingly, but then he noticed Crabbe and Goyle, looking down at Ginny angrily and rolling up their sleeves.
"Don't touch her!" cried Harry, and he launched himself onto Goyle, grabbing him around the neck. Ron followed suit and tackled Crabbe, knocking him to the ground. Goyle flailed about, trying to get Harry off of him, but Harry held tight and managed to get out his wand.
"Petrificus Totalis!" he cried, and pointed his wand at Goyle's head. Goyle froze and fell to the ground, petrified.
In the meantime, Ron was on top of Crabbe, and was punching him in the head. The blows didn't seem to affect Crabbe, however, since his head was as hard as a rock. Crabbe got up, and grabbed Ron by the scruff of the neck, picking him up off the ground. Just then, Ginny kicked him in the knee and Harry yelled the spell again, petrifying Crabbe. Draco was about to get up again, but Harry petrified him as well.
Harry, Ginny, and Ron all stood there for a minute. Then Ron said, "Alright, Ginny! Way to hit him where it hurts!" Ginny grinned.
"After that crack about you and Harry..." she said. Harry and Ron looked at each other, than awkwardly looked at their feet.
"Anyway..." said Ginny. "I was just coming in. People kept asking me about the Death Eaters..." Her eyes began to get the look she had ever since the Death Eaters.
"Look, Ginny, it's okay," said Harry. "You can stay with us." Just then, Hermione came in. She looked down at the frozen Slytherins with surprise, then tutted and said, "Not even the first day of school and you've already gotten into a fight with Malfoy."