{A/N- sorry about all of the spelling and punctuation mistakes. my spell check is currently not feeling well. i'm too lazy to go back and correct the capitalization mistakes too. any way, my computer hates me and wants to ruin my story so it's all its fault!!!!!! pionts wildly and computer EVIL!!!! ANYWHOO... here is chapter 1 of A.T.S.S ( i had to throw the 'T' for 'the' in or it spells something eles.... ;) }
AWAKENING THE SLUMBERING SERPENT
Hermione stood on the platform, in the middle of giving Harry and Ron hugs, the engine's steam drifting around them.
"Don't you boys for get to write! Oh, Ron, I'll ask my parents if i can stay at your home, when was it you said i should come?"
"In about 3 weeks, Mione." the red hed answered.
"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasly's vioce rang out above the student's chatter. Ron's ears whent a bit red around the edges.
"Never a moment's peace with that woman." After saying his goodbyes again he finally jogged over to his family. Hermione and Harry intended to to through the barrier to the regular train staition with the Weasly family until Ron signaled for them to go with out them. Apparently, some one had let Pig out of his cage, as he was now dive-bombing vairous students and was resisting all attempts and spells to get him back in the cage. Hermione's eyes swept the crowd and found a certain blond laughing with his friends, or minnions ,or whatever, and pionting at the bird, elbowing eachother.
"The bird's going to have a bloody heart attack one of these days if he carries on like that" Harry nodded to the hyperactive owl that was now pecking a poor first year on her head repetably. Hermione playfully swatted his shoulder .Together they sauntered through the barrier, pushing their carts lazily to the curb to wait for their families to pick them up. They made idle chatter for a while, mostly about the upcomming summer and school year, both avoiding the subject of You-Know-Who's return to power. There would be lots of letters to discuss that in later. the few minutes tirned into an hour. they wwere sitting on the bench, drinking sodas theat they had purchased from a nearby vending machiene.
"Okay, this is rediculus. Where are our par-rides?!" Hermione mentaly slapped herself for almost saying 'parents'.
"Dunno." Harry looked around,ignoring the slip-up, "Hey, there's a pay phone over by the vendining machiene, I still have some change left over."
"Sound's good to m- Harry, look over there!" Hermione pionted to a white limo that pulled up to the curb aways down from them.
"Wonder if a movie star's in it, like Pamila Anderson!"
"Dream on, Harry, dream on" Hermione snorted.
"I dunno, it looks expensive." Harry squinted his eyes as if it would allow him to see through the tinted windows.
"Harry,you prat, it is a limo. Ofcourse it looks expensive!"
Whilst they were debating,the dirver's door opened and a young chouffure got out, holding up a sign.
"What's on the sign?" Harry asked.
"Who ever the limo driver is paid to pick up, you didn't know that?"she questioned.
"Never seen a real limo before."
"Oh..." Hermione felt pity for Harry, even though it was just a vehicle. His relitves deprived him of so much.She, herself had never been in a limo, but she had seen a ton of them in her life time.Hadn't the Dursly's ever taken Harry downtown ? " Anyway, on to the payphones!" As she started to head for them, Harry grabbed her arm, to hold her back.
"Mione, it's for you."
"What's for me?" She said, staring at him.
"The limo."
"What?" She looked up at the man holding the sign. Hermione Granger was printed neatly on it in big black letters.
"Whoa." She was shocked, but then turned to Harry,"Hold on, Harry." He watched as she made her way over to the driver. He could tell she was cought off gaurd when he bowed to her.She began to talk to the man, her expressions changing from confused, to surprise. She pionted to Harry and the driver nodded. A large smile spread over over her face as she jogged back to Harry. "Need a ride?"
"Are you sure it's okay with the driver?" He asked, surprised.
"Oh,yeah, I asked." She laughed as she wheeled her cart over to the limo, waving for Harry to do the same.
Both of them were excited and Hermione gasped once they got in.
"Wicked!" She exlaimed, pionting to the mirorr roof with electric lights that changed color, out lining it. She plopped down on the back seat, and Harry the seat across from her, twards the front. For some unknown reason, they laughed at the distance beween them. The limo shook a bit when the diver got in and closed the door. Harry jumped when the wall in back of his head started to roll down. By the time it had rolled all the way down, revealing the front of the limo and the driver, he was sitting to Hermione'seft.
"G'evenin'. Th' name's Oswald Wood, but me mates call me Oz. Sorry 'bout th' d'lay." The man's face reddened a bit. He was good looking, to say the least, his hair was a sandy-red, his eyes a nice shade of brown. He looked like he was in his 20's. Hermione couldn't shake the feeling that she knew him, she was about to ask, but Harry beat her to it.
"Do you have a brother?" He too, couldn't but help wonder why he looked familiar.
"Yeah, Oliver.Why ya ask?"
"Oh! We know him! How's he doing?"
"He's fine." Oz quickly changed the subject. "So! Where we takin' ya, mate?" He asked Harry. Harry gave the address and they were soon speeding down the street.
"Hey, Mione, look at this!" Harry had found a compartment full of sodas."Are we allowed to have these?" he called up to Oz.
"Help ya selves!" Soon theyhad tried to open evey compartment in the limo. They found more drinks, sweets, a radio, and a small television. One compartment next to Hermione seemed to be stuck though, but they ignored it. About half an hour passed when they felt the vehicle slow to a stop.
"This is it! Nice t' meet ya."
"Same here." As Harry got out, the door to his house flew open.
"HARRY POTTER! WHERE WERE YOU!? WE TOOK TIME OUT OF OUR OWN BUISSY LIVES TO DRIVE TO THAT RUDDY STATION,AND YOU TAKE A LIMO HOME? WHAT, ARE WE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU,BOY? GET-INSIDE-NOW!" a middle aged, balding man in his bath robe fumed, his face a deep pruce color. Hermione couldn't stand it any longer. she dug in her purse an pilled out black sunglasses and pinned her hair in a messy pony tail with a rubber band, then got out of the limo and stormed up to Mr. Dursly. " AND WHO ARE YOU?" he yelled.
" I, sir, am... am Jenifer Gracey. Did you know your nephew here was waiting for an hour for you to pick him up?" Hermione put on her best McGonagall voice," I, who was on my way home after an exagusting day of buissnes meetings, took pity on the boy and gave him a ride home in my limo. He told me you run a drill company, I was intrested, for my father is David Gracey, the head of Safe-T-Drills Corperation." Mr. Dursly paled quite a bit," We are currently looking to buy a small time company. Harry here has told me wonderful things about your company. I had half the mind to call my father. But after seeing your behavior all I can say is I hope not all of your employies are as pig-headed as you! Harry, if he treats you like this again, call me, you have my number." Hermione stuck her nose in the air and struted back to the limo. " Home, Mr. Wood, i have quite a few things to tell my father!" she slammed the door in the face of an extreamly pale Dursley, A smiling Harry waved them off.
As soon ans they had turned the corner, Hermione burst out laughing.She had read some where an article about drilling companies in Surry ( a very boring read) in her docter's office.
" Was tha the real 'arry Potter?" Oz asked.
" Um, yes." she answered
" Huh. Tha' was a really nice thing ya did back there." He smiled.
"Thank you, Harry has told me horror stories about his Aunt and Uncle, and not to mention his poor excuse for a cusion!"
Oz chuckeled. A while passed in silcence. Oz turned on the air conditioning and unbuttoned his shirt cuffs. " Its' stuffy in 'ere"
"Mmhmm." Hermione's tired reply was barly audible. She glanced lazily out of the window. " The stars are beautiful tonight..." she thought out loud. All of a sudden a sun roof directly above her opened.
" Thank you." She said as she looked up front. Oz was adjusting the air vent when she saw that he had a black tatoo on his fore arm. She could only see about a third of it as the unbuttoned shirt cuff rode up his arm. Oz didn't seem like he was the tatoo-type of guy. He was pretty clean cut. Now intrested , she rubbed her eyes and leaned forward in her seat. All of a sudden she reconized it. It was a bone jaw with a snake coming out of it.
A death eater was driving her to God-knows-where and he now knew Harry Potter's address.
Hermione gasped at the reolization.
"S'matter?" Oz asked.
"O-Oh," Hermine laughed nervously, " I-I just reolized I need to go to the loo. Do you mind pulling over?" She lied, trying to smile bashfully. His eyes met hers in the rearview mirorr.She felt they stared a bit to long for comfort. After a second or two he said he would, as soon as he found a petrol station, they were running low on gas. She pretended to stare at the stars, grasping her wand in her pocket. A faint 'pop' niose drew her attention to the small compartment beside her that refused to open earlier.It was full of peppermints and lemondrops.Her favorite candies.She had one of each. A few minutes passed when they stopped at a gas station.
"Thank you" She hoped he couldn't tell her smile was fake. She got out and whent around the outside of the station and passed where the bathrooms were located. She stuck her wand hand up in the air. Just as she hoped a loud BANG sounded and a huge purple double-decker bus now stood in front of her, just as she had hoped. After the busguy had made his speach, he aked for money. Oh no! she thought. She had no wizarding money. As she was arguing with the bus driver about the money she was cut off by some one as they were running twards her.
" Listen! I will pay you back! I need to get out of here! There's a dea-"
"SIS! SIS! There you are! Quit buggin' th' poor man!" Instantly she fell silent. What?!
"Th' car is fixed, don' worry." he said to her, "Quietly, go an' get in it an' stay there, okay?" He said kindly. Her feet turned atomaticly and she walked in the direction of the limo.WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!? When she passed Oz, she gave him a death glare.
As she rounded the corner, she heard him explaining to the angry Knight Bus driver
" I'm sorry! It's me Sis, she's no' right in th' 'ead." This agirvated her even more. She wanted to scream for help, run, do somthing! She shook in concentration and anger, but still, her mouth remained shut and her feet moving twards her glamourus prison.
Hermione walked slowly, and soon she heard Oz's footstept next to hers.
" Give me ya wand." he said acting as if he was talking to a regular person, not one he was turning over to the Dark Lord.She shook again, trying to resist as her hand dipped into her pocket and did his bidding, cold sweat formed on her brow and the back of her neck as the shivering increased.
" Don' try t' fight it, ya will only tucker your self ou'." Oz gave a small smirk and took the wand from her hand. She had never felt so naked in her life. She quit fighting. She was defensless. Once back in the limo, she found she could moveon her own will. Oz was right, she was tired. She felt like she had run two miles. She tried the door, knowing it would be locked. She was right. When Oz got in the car, she summoned up strength to get up and stmble over to the opoening to whack him on th e head, shouting varius curses at him. He rolled up the window after subduing his attacker by steping on the accelerator, causing her to toumble back wards. Still, she continued to shout swears at him that would have made her mother faint if she heard her little girl say such things.
Hermione was tiring herself even more, but she had to do somthing! She couldn't just sit there and allow herself to be kidnapped with out- wait. Kidnapped, she was being KIDNAPPED! Would she ever see her family again? What about Harry and Ron? She was only 16... Hermione started to pound on the windows with her fists. Maybe someone outside would see her. She started screaming for help when they slowed down at a stop sign. No one could hear her. No one could see her. Despretly,she looked around for something to break the window with. there was nothing. She opened compartment after compartment, untill she found the one that held glasses for the sodas. the glasses weren't that thick, but it would be a start. She raises a glass, ready to strike when she reolized she would have to strike more than once in order to shatter the thick window, and that would mean niose. Then, she remembered the radio.it took a moment for her to figure it out, but she finally turned it on to a rock station and blasted it. she swayed a bit when the driver, obviously surprised,steped on the accelerater a bit further in shock. Once she felt the speed stabilize, she raised the glass again and struck as hard as she could.
The force of the glass hitting the window rushed painfully up her arm,The glass shattered upon hitting the window. A small shard of it was lodged in her thumb, yet the window remained unscathed. She screamed in frustration rather than in pain as she pulled out the shard. She made a makeshift bandage out of the ripped hem of her shirt an used the rubberband from her hair to cut off the circulation to prevent more bleeding. Hermione couldn't stand the sight of her own blood. She could watch all of those surgery programmes, but her own blood made her nautius. Looking away, she searched the rest of the compartments.
One of them held ice for the glasses, and burried in the ice was an ice scoop. Hermione spent 10 minutes stabing the window with it, her arm was starting to go numb, and the window wouldn't crack. It had been charmed. She tried all of the other windows, including the wall behind the driver and the over head mirror. Nothing. She was trapped. Turning down the radio, she curled up into a ball on the floor, utterly exgughted, and cried her self to sleep.