AUTHOR'S NOTE: please review. Hope you like the chapter.
Chapter Eight: Something Stupid"Oh for gods sake," Hermione sighed "lets just make the damn potion and get back to enjoying our weekend. You go over there, we'll do ours here."
"Ok," Pansy jumped in before Draco could object to being dictated to.
Soon their flames were lit and they were heating the first ingredients in the cauldrons. They were making both the de-aging and re-aging potion at the same time, bringing them to the boil and simmering them for precisely thirteen minutes and twenty three seconds. When the time was up they removed both potions from the flames and Pansy and Hermione simultaneously filled two beakers, one with de-aging potion and one with re-aging potion. Then the arguments started.
"Well I'm certainly not going to take it. I need to observe the process for the report. I'm far more observant than either of you two," Hermione was saying to an obstinate Harry and Seamus
"Surely you would get a better feel for the process if you took part," Seamus smiled sweetly.
"Certainly not! It is clearly stated in the text that the transformee does not retain any clear memory from his time under the potion.
"Well I don't want to take it," Seamus objected petulantly.
As Hermione was gearing herself up for another attack a new voice cut across the debate.
"Bloody Gryffindors can't get anything done. Bottoms up," drawled Draco, raising his beaker in salute to them before downing the contents in one.
"That little…"
"Of all the…"
"Here goes nothing," Harry, glaring at the Slytherins, had grabbed their beaker, silencing Seamus and Hermione's angry outbursts as he too downed it in one.
As Hermione and Seamus watched Harry began shaking, dropping the beaker to the floor. Clutching his stomach as if he were about to vomit, Harry fell to the floor, huddled up, head buried in his knees.
"Harry?" Hermione ventured when he stilled and the face that raised to meet her inquiry was that of a small child of five years old. The green eyes, usually hidden behind glasses, were wide and clearer than ever before.
***
Harry stared at the two adults before him, fear gradually growing in his face as he realised that he knew neither of them. Uttering a quiet, quickly muted cry he tried to stand only to be caught up in the too-big robes he wore which caused him to fall back to the ground.
Now the fear in his face was tinged with resignation as he realised he could not escape.
"Hello Harry," the girl was speaking again, a soft, quiet voice. She wasn't so scary, he decided after studying her face for a moment, "my name is Hermione. Shall I fix your clothes for you?"
Slowly he nodded and suddenly the clothes were shrinking around him until he was clad in robes which fitted him properly. He began to shake and, when certain the clothes had stopped shrinking, ran under the desk.
"Harry?"
""Not me…not me," he repeated, "didn't do it."
"Didn't do what, Harry?"
In response he simply tugged at the robes and was amazed to hear a gentle laughter rippling from the now smiling girl before him. She sat down cross legged on the floor before him, her eyes level with his.
"No silly," she smiled encouragingly, "that was me." As Harry stared at her she reached out her hand to him, "come here Harry. Please?"
He looked at her hard again. She appeared nice enough, and she knew his name which meant that maybe she was a friend. Which meant only one thing in his mind. Smiling slightly at the conclusion he had come to he reached out and placed his small hand in hers. Next thing he knew arms were holding him gently and he was sitting in her lap.
"Look Harry," she smiled again and began making the table he had sought refuge under change colours. At first he shrunk away but eventually he watching with a laughing interest as the desk turned red, then blue, then green, pink, yellow and then back to its original brown colour.
"More H…Her…" he peered up at her from beneath his hair in confusion. What was her name again?
"Hermione," she prompted.
"Her-min-e…Her-mine...Hermy," he finally settled upon proudly and she nodded her congratulations.
"Hermy it is. So you like magic then Harry?"
***
To Hermione's immense surprise the question, rather than producing a smiling affirmation from the five year old version of her friend, caused him to tumble off her lap and begin backing away. She looked at Seamus in confusion as they watched Harry.
"M…m…magic? Not real, not right. Not magic," he stammered, seeming almost to be pleading with her.
Exchanging worried looks with Seamus, Hermione tried to reassure Harry, "Oh Harry," she began but another childish voice cut across her shouting "Harry?" and a blonde whirlwind flew at them, wrapping his arms round Harry and repeating in satisfaction, "Harry."
END CHAPTER EIGHTEsaure: thanks for the review. Glad you like the Hitler thing. Seems natural being a history student and all. And hey, whatever your reasons, thanks for reviewing. Makes it worth writing to know people are reading.
PeachDancer82: thanks for the review. Uniting the houses? Yes. Under Harry and Draco? Not so much. You'll see. Evil grin J