Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story. All of the characters in the Harry Potter series are J.K. Rowling's.
A/N: I'm so excited! This is my first fic, so please, please, PLEASE be nice! Read and review. Tell me if u like it, or if I should just stop, okay? Please enjoy!
SG
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Chapter 1: Oddity in the Leaky Cauldron
It was a warm, late summer afternoon towards the end of summer holidays, and Hermione was busying herself by making a check-off list of the things she needed to bring for her sixth year at Hogwarts. Books, rolls of parchment, new quills, and new school robes were just a few of the numerous items on her list; it was obvious that she needed to go to Diagon Alley within the next week.
Knowing she would like a bit of company, Hermione scribbled two letters that said the same thing, except for the names in which they were addressed to:
Hope your holidays are concluding well! Maybe we should meet at Diagon Alley a week before term starts? We should all meet this coming Sunday at noon in the Leaky Cauldron. If you don't mind, please send a reply with Taffy, and I hope to see you there!
Hermione G.
She attached the letters to her new brown barn owl, Taffy, who was a gift from her parents, as they knew she needed a way of contacting her friends in the wizarding world. Taffy was her best friend for the summer, for her big coffee eyes always seemed to care and listen. Her friends from grade school no longer wished to be around her, for they thought it weird that she disappeared every year and then returned for a few months; even though she explained over and over again that she went to a 'private school'. She looked at her companion and started explaining what needed to be done.
"Okay, Taffy, take one to Ron, and then the other to Harry. Oh, and do be careful this time at Harry's. I wouldn't like another episode like the last time."
Back in July, when Hermione sent Taffy to Harry with his birthday gift, Taffy accidentally dropped the parcel in his aunt's soup. Hermione received an anxious letter apologizing for any emotional damage Petunia may have caused the young bird.
Hermione watched Taffy until she was out of sight and then curled up onto her bed and picked up her list. Crookshanks jumped up onto her bed and playfully pawed at her foot, while she giggled and put down the list.
"Are you ready for a new year?" she asked the cat while picking him up and putting him on her lap. "Maybe this year you will be successful in tracking down Mrs. Norris?" she smiled to herself when Crookshanks rolled over on his back and stuck his feet in the air, willing Hermione to rub his belly.
Hermione picked the list back up while subconsciously patting a purring Crookshanks and reviewed it for the tenth time, making sure nothing was forgotten.
A sudden loneliness over came her like darkness, which lead her to set the list down again. She nudged her half-asleep cat off her lap, to much of his dismay, and scrambled up off her bed. She walked over to her desk and picked up a box of letters she had kept during the summer holidays and carried it back to her bed. She curled up with a pillow and opened the box, shifting the many letters she had received.
One letter in particular made her smile fondly. It was the one in which Ron had finally admitted his undying love for her, which she naturally already knew about. She told Ron in a correspondence that though she was very flattered, she knew that it would only ruin the friendship they had, and besides, she enjoyed the continuous bantering that occurred between them. Obviously let down, he explained that he understood, and agreed that pursuing a relationship could possibly ruin their friendship. He did, however, admit that he was relieved that it was now out in the open. Little did he know, Harry and Hermione had already suspected it, but neither had the heart to confront him about it.
Pushing aside letter after letter, not looking for any one in particular, Hermione came across the one Harry sent after Taffy had the run-in with his aunt, Petunia. It was apparent, by the state of his handwriting, that Harry had hurried to write the letter.
'Mione,
I'm terribly sorry if Taffy is now emotionally unable to send letters. Aunt Petunia is becoming quite bothered by all of the "disturbances" that have been happening around here lately. Fred and George thought it would be funny to send enchanted dung bombs that exploded when Dudley and I fought for the package and it opened. Not to mention that Ron tried calling me again. It was disastrous. I'm still being punished for it. Well, again, I am extremely sorry for what happened.
I hope to hear from you soon,
Harry
Hermione folded the letter back up and closed the box. Sighing heavily, she got up off her bed and set the box back on her desk.
"Why does the end of summer holidays have to be so incredibly boring?" she thought to herself.
She figured that she should return to her list, checking it one more time before her mother called her down for dinner. She set down her list and went downstairs to enjoy a wonderful meal that her mother had prepared.
Believing that it was much too quiet at the Granger dinner table, Hermione struck up a conversation about going into Diagon Alley the Sunday that was coming up. Her parents agreed that they would take her to see Harry and Ron, and that they would sit in the Leaky Cauldron until she was finished shopping for school things. They have been doing this ever since Mr. Weasley had the run-in with Lucius Malfoy, where they discovered that not everyone in the magic world had a respectful opinion of non-magic people. Hermione felt quite sad for her parents, for they never really spent much time talking to her about what she did at school or with her friends. All they knew was that she was doing extremely well in school and that she was making friends fairly easily, after they got over her zealousness for homework.
"Do you ever feel as if I leave you out in certain areas of my life, such as my school and the wizarding world?" Hermione asked her mom as her dad picked up his plate and then her mother's to take them into the kitchen.
"Well, dear, I'm not sure I feel left out, just ignorant," she started, sounding somewhat ashamed, "I don't know anything about magic, therefore it is difficult for me to understand what you are learning and what you are going through at school."
"I understand. I just wish that it didn't have to be that way. Sometimes I feel bad for not being around during the year, and then when I am home, I am usually talking about Hogwarts or the homework that I need to do over the holidays." Hermione said this with a hint of guilt in her voice, causing her mom to shake her head.
"Do not feel guilty, sweetie. It is not your fault that you are a witch. You are perfect the way you are, and your father and I love you for you, not for all of the things you can do but we can't. We are so proud of you," her mother paused for just a second to catch her breath and then continued, "To be at the top of your class and not have a bit of wizard in you is remarkable."
They both sat in silence while Hermione's dad whistled in the kitchen while he washed the dishes. That was how it worked in the Granger house- Mrs. Granger cooked the meals, and Mr. Granger washed the dishes. Suddenly, a large crash occurred in the kitchen that sounded like several dishes broke.
"Are you okay, Dad? Do you need some help?" Hermione asked frantically, worried for her father's safety.
"I'm fine, sweetie, but do you think you could fix these dishes for me?" he asked this, knowing perfectly well that she could fix anything in a moment's time. This summer it seemed as if he broke things on purpose just so he could see her fix them with magic.
Hermione rolled her eyes and answered, "Sure, Dad, I'm just glad that you are okay. I will be there in a second." She got up and walked into the kitchen. After a few, "Wow's!" and "Incredible's," she finished fixing all of the plates that were broken: a total of four.
"I'm going to go to bed," Hermione started as she yawned, "Be careful, Dad, I don't want you to wake me up in the middle of the night to ask me to fix something else."
"Okay, I'll try," he answered, "though, I am a bit clumsy, so if I do break something, I know where to go." She teasingly gave a huge sigh at her dad and rolled her eyes again while he gave her a hug goodnight.
"Goodnight, Mom, I love you. And thank you for talking with me about, well, you know," she said this, eyeing her dad as if to say that they were talking about him.
"What? What were you guys talking about?" he asked curiously, "Now I want to know. Were you talking about me? I thought you were supposed to be my daughter, and you my wife! Hrmmph… I feel so betrayed," with that, he dramatically turned on his heal as Hermione did whenever she was upset and left the room, obviously mimicking his daughter.
"Hey! That's not funny! I do NOT act like that!" she laughed hysterically as her dad turned back around and gave a pouty face. "Mom, tell him to stop! I am NOT like that!"
"Of course you aren't, dear," her mother answered, sarcastically, trying to stifle her obvious laughter, "Honey, please stop making false accusations towards our daughter! We are supposed to be family." Her stress on the word 'family' made her two companions burst with roaring laughter.
"Okay. This time I really am going to bed. Thank you for defending me, Mother Dearest. Father, goodnight." She said this with utmost respect, although playfully.
"Goodnight, Mimi," her father called.
"'Night," she called down to them.
In her room, she found Taffy perched in her cage asleep with her head under her wing. On her bed were two letters that were addressed to Hermione. She opened the first one, which was from Ron, according to the handwriting:
'Mione,
Sure, my family was planning on going that day, anyways. I'll make sure Ginny knows that you will be coming. She seems to look up to you as more than just a best friend now; she seems to think you are the 'sister she never had'. Well, I guess I will see you then.
Ron
She folded it back up and picked up the next, thinking that it was obviously the one from Harry. When she opened it, however, she found that that was not the case. In chicken-scratch writing, she read:
Mudblood,
It looks like your pathetic bird brought your letter to the wrong person. I am not your pretty boy Potter, thank God for that. I think you know who this is, however, because you somehow always figure these things out. It doesn't mean that you are as intelligent as me, of course, because you are nothing but a muggle born wannabe know-it-all. I don't even know why I am taking time out of my precious day to write back to you. So whatever, hope I don't see you at Hogwarts!
"Malfoy," she muttered to herself after she read the letter. He was always calling her names, which, though she will never admit to anyone, honestly hurt her feelings. She thought she was silly every time she let something that ferret boy said get to her. "I'll just write to Harry in the morning," she thought to herself.
She changed into her satin pajamas and climbed into her bed. Immediately, Crookshanks jumped onto the end of her bed and lay down.
"Goodnight Crookshanks," she muttered in the dark, answered by a soft meow. She drifted in and out of consciousness until she finally fell into a deep sleep.
* * * *
"Okay! I'm ready!" Hermione shouted up to her parents from downstairs. "I'll be in the care waiting for you guys!"
"Alright, dear!" shouted her mother back, sounding quite muffled, for the door to her bedroom was closed.
"Ugg, bloody parents always making me late!" she sighed, knowing that her parents would be down in only a few moments, but still perturbed in the least.
She climbed into the back seat of her parent's car and waited, making sure that she had the key to the vault at Gringotts and the list that she had made just days before. Chewing anxiously on her lip, she wondered whether or not her parents were ever going to come out when the door from the house into the garage opened and her parents emerged.
"Okay! Off to London!" her mother said, slipping gracefully into the passenger seat while her dad fell into the driver's.
"Just calm down, Mimi," her dad said, "I'm sure your friends won't mind if we are two minutes late." He grinned at her through the rear view mirror, knowing that he had just pushed one of her buttons- joking about tardiness.
The trip to London was an easy one, as it only took about 30 minutes. Mr. Granger parked in front of the seemingly abandoned building called the Leaky Cauldron, and got out to open his wife's door.
"Here you go, my dear!" he smiled, knowing that his wife loved it when he was so ridiculously adorable.
"Thank you, sir," she rallied back, hoping that she would get a reaction out of him. Instead, however, he just held out is arm after closing her door and let her take hold of it. This particular roll-playing was typical of them, which made it obvious that they were completely in love. Hermione rolled her eyes at them, though noting that at least they did not fight, and followed them into the Leaky Cauldron.
"Hermione!" she heard her name called by what sounded like a crowd of people and she turned to realize that it was Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George.
"Hi you guys. How has everything been?" she asked while walking towards them with her parents in toe.
"It's good," said Harry, "though I had forgot how big of a pain in the arse Dudley was until he tried to glue the lock on my school trunk shut. He wasn't smart enough to check if I had my wand out of there, though, so it wasn't as if he did something clever, though I'm sure he thought he was at the time."
Hermione smiled and laughed at the dopy facial expressions Harry made when he was describing Dudley.
"That's not as bad as what I had to deal with this summer," Ron said, with a sick green tint to his face, "George turned things into spiders and put them in my bed. I couldn't sleep for days," he shuddered, looking in the direction of his brother.
They stood at the bar drinking butterbeer for awhile and chatted about how their summers went. It seemed that Harry had a better summer than previous years because his aunt somewhat understood that he was going through. She was not nearly as sour towards him, but still did not want much interaction with him. No interaction was better than negative interaction, however. Ron seemed to have spent a summer full of pranks, for Fred and George opened their joke shop right after finishing at Hogwarts (with the money Harry gave them for the Triwizard Tournament), therefore their tricks were lying around the house everywhere.
Hermione told them that nothing much had happened to her over the summer, except for whenever they would all meet over at the Burrow. She did, however, tell them of the letter that she received from Malfoy.
"That little prat. I could kill him..." Ron muttered this under his breathe, trying to keep it from the other two but failing.
Just after Ron threatened this, there was loud screaming and shouting coming from the stairs that lead to the rooms. The trio turned around to see what was causing the chaos. They did not have to look for long before Malfoy and Lucius Malfoy came storming down the stairs, yelling at each other, using profane language.
"Why the fuck to you think I didn't go with you? Are you really that dense?" Malfoy screamed at his father.
"Don't you dare talk to me in that tone, Son. We are in public. You must control your emotions. You know you must not show that you are weak," Lucius hissed in a low whisper.
"I'm sick and tired of all this bull shit that you have been teaching me! That's all you have been instructing me with! Fucking bull shit! You're a fucking coward, and you know it!" at this, Malfoy rushed out of the Leaky Cauldron, leaving Lucius standing in the middle of the Leaky Cauldron, staring into the faces of those around him.
"Boys will be boys," was all he said before walking out of the door behind his son.
"That was odd," was all Harry could say while Ron agreed with an "I'll say", and Hermione just nodded, saying "Very odd."
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Whew! My first chapter! I hope you all liked it! Please read and review! (and give any tips, if you'd like!)