Disclaimer: I am not the creator. I am just an imitator.
Phoenix Flight – Not corrected, just informed. Unfortunately, complex means difficult to write.
Darth Stitch – Yes, Della is dead, sorry, sigh. She would be a fun character to write alive. Maybe I will, later, much later. *Gusha giggles madly at the comments she refuses to make. JKR does not have a monopoly on broad hints.* Yes, poor Neville. Lupin knows something, but he is in the dark about things as well… *more maniacal laughter*
Kateri – Maybe. It seems likely, doesn't it?
Kitala – Eventually. I think you guys will figure it out before Harry does.
Vivian Marie – I liked that line myself. Just a little self hypnosis. Personally, I believe he must actually like to teach.
sadilou – You are supposed to tell me these things before I post. *sticks out her tongue* Maybe his students just don't understand his sense of humor…
Iniysa - *waves* Thank you for reviewing.
*****
Harry scanned the crowd for his friends, as he loaded Hedwig into the owl compartment. He turned, and nearly collided with a young witch.
She looked vaguely familiar. He peered closer.
"Hermione?" He asked incredulously.
"Harry?" She replied, just as unbelievingly.
As one, they cried, "You've changed." Then they laughed.
"Wow, Hermione, you look great." Harry said, as they entered the train. Her hair was no longer frizzy or bushy. It now lay in smoothly controlled brown curls. She waved off the compliment.
"Harry, you are so tall." She cried as they found an empty compartment. "And what happened to your hair?" It had lightened again, overnight, and grown two more inches.
"I really have no idea." Harry admitted. He had pulled it into a ponytail at the base of his neck. He fiddled with the ends. "It just started growing one day. It grows really fast now."
"It is lighter too." Hermione said. "Not blonde exactly, just lighter."
"I really don't know." Harry shrugged.
"And shouldn't it take forever to grow like that?" She touched the end of his ponytail. "I have been growing mine out for years."
Harry shrugged again. "When it started growing, I realized that I had not cut it in about five years. It just never needed to be cut."
"How fast does hair grow, anyway." Hermione said. "Mine takes longer since it is curly."
"Have you seen Ron yet?" Harry asked hopeful, that he could distract her.
"Not yet." She crossed to the window.
"Have you heard that Professor Lupin is back to teach?" Harry asked, sitting and watching Hermione peer out at the crowd.
She turned back sharply. "Even though everyone knows about him?" She asked.
"Yep." Harry grinned. "I, for one, feel safer knowing he will be there. I imagine that he'll get full moon reminders from dozens of sources each month."
"Um, excuse me." Came a very deep voice from the open compartment door. "Have…"
"Ron!" Said Harry and Hermione together.
Ron's eyes widened as he turned from one of them to the other. "Hermione? Harry?" His mouth hung open in shock. "What happened to you?"
Ron still looked like himself. He was taller, and his hair was brighter than ever.
"The same as happened to you." Hermione said laughing. "We grew up over the summer."
"You're pretty." Ron said in an accusing tone of voice. Then he blushed hotly. "I mean…"
"Quiet, mate." Harry warned. "Leave it. You'll only make it worse."
That drew Ron's attention to Harry.
"And you!" Ron said. "What on earth happened to you?"
Harry stood, to measure his height against Ron's.
"Looks like we both got taller." Harry grinned.
"Your hair is almost like Bill's." Ron still gawked. "Mum would have a fit."
They all sat as the train began to move. "It really started growing at the beginning of August." Harry explained. "It only started getting lighter in the past few days, at least I think so."
"Its just sort of highlights, really." Hermione said. "It makes lines in your hair the way you have it pulled back."
A/N: I used to think this was a really unnatural way for hair to look, until I noticed that my little sister's hair has streaks just like this.
"Your face even looks different, Harry." Ron said. "I think your eyebrows might be a different shape, or something. You still look like Harry, now that I look closely, but…"
Harry shrugged. "I'm still me." He pulled out the photograph and book, to distract them. "I wanted your opinion of this. I found these in a box in the cellar this summer. " He opened it to the dedication.
"At the Dursley's?" Ron asked. "It is a spell book."
"Who is Della?" Hermione asked, running her fingers over the inscription. "Is she related to Asphodel Maddis?"
"Yes. They were the same person." Harry showed them the picture. "She was my mother's cousin. I had never heard of her. Sirius and Professor Lupin were not much help either."
Ron squinted at the writing. "There is something familiar about that handwriting. I just can't make out what."
"I thought so too." Harry said, shrugging. "Anyway, I thought you might like to look through it, Hermione. It is a good Charms book."
"Later, I think." Hermione said. "We need to talk to catch up."
"How is the egg?" Ron asked.
"Looking good." Harry replied. "I had it checked over while I was in Diagon Alley yesterday." He took the magically warmed bundle out of his pocket and lifted the lid. "It should be hatching very soon."
"What is that?" Hermione asked.
"A python egg." Ron explained. "I got special permission from Dumbledore for Harry to keep it at school. I wanted to get something poisonous, but Mum wouldn't let me."
Hermione eyed the leathery egg dubiously. "Are you sure that is a good idea?"
"Of course." Ron said. "Everyone knows that Harry is a Parselmouth by now. Him having a snake won't be too odd." He grinned. "Besides, having it around might make Malfoy think twice before bothering us."
"Ron." Hermione tried to sound shocked.
Ron just shrugged.
Harry was watching the egg, lovingly. "I think it will spend most of its time in my room, at least at first. It will be a baby when it hatches, after all."
Hermione was still eying the egg suspiciously. Suddenly she gasped. "It moved!"
"It has been doing that for days. The shopkeeper said that it is a good sign." He closed the little box and put it back into his robes. "She put a charm on it so it will make a noise when the baby slices through the shell."
Hermione shook her head and muttered. "Boys."
Ron and Harry grinned at each other.
"So, did they make you a prefect yet, Hermione?" Harry asked.
"Yes, actually." Hermione took her badge out of her pocket to show them. "What about you?"
"No." Harry said. "I don't think I would want it anyway. I have more than enough to do."
"What about you, Ron?" Hermione asked.
"No. I'll try out for Quiddich, though. He looked sideways at Hermione. "You aren't going to go all queer on us the way Percy did, are you?"
Hermione laughed. "Maybe. It all depends on what you are… up to."
Ron and Harry groaned.
*****
A/N – Hermione's last line reminds me of what Snape "people might think you're – up to something."
According to the gals at the hairdressers, hair grows about 1/4 an inch per month. According to what I have observed on my own head, about ½ an inch per month. So, in five years without haircuts, Harry could have from 15-30 inches of hair. lol
A bit more foreshadowing… why is the handwriting familiar? *winks*
Phoenix Flight – Not corrected, just informed. Unfortunately, complex means difficult to write.
Darth Stitch – Yes, Della is dead, sorry, sigh. She would be a fun character to write alive. Maybe I will, later, much later. *Gusha giggles madly at the comments she refuses to make. JKR does not have a monopoly on broad hints.* Yes, poor Neville. Lupin knows something, but he is in the dark about things as well… *more maniacal laughter*
Kateri – Maybe. It seems likely, doesn't it?
Kitala – Eventually. I think you guys will figure it out before Harry does.
Vivian Marie – I liked that line myself. Just a little self hypnosis. Personally, I believe he must actually like to teach.
sadilou – You are supposed to tell me these things before I post. *sticks out her tongue* Maybe his students just don't understand his sense of humor…
Iniysa - *waves* Thank you for reviewing.
*****
Harry scanned the crowd for his friends, as he loaded Hedwig into the owl compartment. He turned, and nearly collided with a young witch.
She looked vaguely familiar. He peered closer.
"Hermione?" He asked incredulously.
"Harry?" She replied, just as unbelievingly.
As one, they cried, "You've changed." Then they laughed.
"Wow, Hermione, you look great." Harry said, as they entered the train. Her hair was no longer frizzy or bushy. It now lay in smoothly controlled brown curls. She waved off the compliment.
"Harry, you are so tall." She cried as they found an empty compartment. "And what happened to your hair?" It had lightened again, overnight, and grown two more inches.
"I really have no idea." Harry admitted. He had pulled it into a ponytail at the base of his neck. He fiddled with the ends. "It just started growing one day. It grows really fast now."
"It is lighter too." Hermione said. "Not blonde exactly, just lighter."
"I really don't know." Harry shrugged.
"And shouldn't it take forever to grow like that?" She touched the end of his ponytail. "I have been growing mine out for years."
Harry shrugged again. "When it started growing, I realized that I had not cut it in about five years. It just never needed to be cut."
"How fast does hair grow, anyway." Hermione said. "Mine takes longer since it is curly."
"Have you seen Ron yet?" Harry asked hopeful, that he could distract her.
"Not yet." She crossed to the window.
"Have you heard that Professor Lupin is back to teach?" Harry asked, sitting and watching Hermione peer out at the crowd.
She turned back sharply. "Even though everyone knows about him?" She asked.
"Yep." Harry grinned. "I, for one, feel safer knowing he will be there. I imagine that he'll get full moon reminders from dozens of sources each month."
"Um, excuse me." Came a very deep voice from the open compartment door. "Have…"
"Ron!" Said Harry and Hermione together.
Ron's eyes widened as he turned from one of them to the other. "Hermione? Harry?" His mouth hung open in shock. "What happened to you?"
Ron still looked like himself. He was taller, and his hair was brighter than ever.
"The same as happened to you." Hermione said laughing. "We grew up over the summer."
"You're pretty." Ron said in an accusing tone of voice. Then he blushed hotly. "I mean…"
"Quiet, mate." Harry warned. "Leave it. You'll only make it worse."
That drew Ron's attention to Harry.
"And you!" Ron said. "What on earth happened to you?"
Harry stood, to measure his height against Ron's.
"Looks like we both got taller." Harry grinned.
"Your hair is almost like Bill's." Ron still gawked. "Mum would have a fit."
They all sat as the train began to move. "It really started growing at the beginning of August." Harry explained. "It only started getting lighter in the past few days, at least I think so."
"Its just sort of highlights, really." Hermione said. "It makes lines in your hair the way you have it pulled back."
A/N: I used to think this was a really unnatural way for hair to look, until I noticed that my little sister's hair has streaks just like this.
"Your face even looks different, Harry." Ron said. "I think your eyebrows might be a different shape, or something. You still look like Harry, now that I look closely, but…"
Harry shrugged. "I'm still me." He pulled out the photograph and book, to distract them. "I wanted your opinion of this. I found these in a box in the cellar this summer. " He opened it to the dedication.
"At the Dursley's?" Ron asked. "It is a spell book."
"Who is Della?" Hermione asked, running her fingers over the inscription. "Is she related to Asphodel Maddis?"
"Yes. They were the same person." Harry showed them the picture. "She was my mother's cousin. I had never heard of her. Sirius and Professor Lupin were not much help either."
Ron squinted at the writing. "There is something familiar about that handwriting. I just can't make out what."
"I thought so too." Harry said, shrugging. "Anyway, I thought you might like to look through it, Hermione. It is a good Charms book."
"Later, I think." Hermione said. "We need to talk to catch up."
"How is the egg?" Ron asked.
"Looking good." Harry replied. "I had it checked over while I was in Diagon Alley yesterday." He took the magically warmed bundle out of his pocket and lifted the lid. "It should be hatching very soon."
"What is that?" Hermione asked.
"A python egg." Ron explained. "I got special permission from Dumbledore for Harry to keep it at school. I wanted to get something poisonous, but Mum wouldn't let me."
Hermione eyed the leathery egg dubiously. "Are you sure that is a good idea?"
"Of course." Ron said. "Everyone knows that Harry is a Parselmouth by now. Him having a snake won't be too odd." He grinned. "Besides, having it around might make Malfoy think twice before bothering us."
"Ron." Hermione tried to sound shocked.
Ron just shrugged.
Harry was watching the egg, lovingly. "I think it will spend most of its time in my room, at least at first. It will be a baby when it hatches, after all."
Hermione was still eying the egg suspiciously. Suddenly she gasped. "It moved!"
"It has been doing that for days. The shopkeeper said that it is a good sign." He closed the little box and put it back into his robes. "She put a charm on it so it will make a noise when the baby slices through the shell."
Hermione shook her head and muttered. "Boys."
Ron and Harry grinned at each other.
"So, did they make you a prefect yet, Hermione?" Harry asked.
"Yes, actually." Hermione took her badge out of her pocket to show them. "What about you?"
"No." Harry said. "I don't think I would want it anyway. I have more than enough to do."
"What about you, Ron?" Hermione asked.
"No. I'll try out for Quiddich, though. He looked sideways at Hermione. "You aren't going to go all queer on us the way Percy did, are you?"
Hermione laughed. "Maybe. It all depends on what you are… up to."
Ron and Harry groaned.
*****
A/N – Hermione's last line reminds me of what Snape "people might think you're – up to something."
According to the gals at the hairdressers, hair grows about 1/4 an inch per month. According to what I have observed on my own head, about ½ an inch per month. So, in five years without haircuts, Harry could have from 15-30 inches of hair. lol
A bit more foreshadowing… why is the handwriting familiar? *winks*