Disclaimer: Again, I own none of this. HP and Co. belong to JKR. The
story belongs to "Dani."
He went downstairs and faced Uncle Vernon. 'Can I go to Diag-I mean, that place where I buy my school things early thins year?'
He asked, trying hard not to sound as if he was looking forward to it.
'Why on earth would you want to go there early for?' he laughed his cruel laugh.
'I'm going to meet my friends. They're going to help me buy my school things.' He knew that it wasn't working. He had only one choice,' Sirius will be waiting for me there, too.'
Those magic words worked like a charm. He left Uncle Vernon mumbling to himself and went up to his room again. If he wanted to be ready, he had to finish his summer work. Snape gave them the most homework. But to Harry's surprise, he finished them all in good time.
On the 24 days that followed, Harry still hadn't figured out what his ring did. And on the night of the 24th, Harry went outside the Dursley's house with his belongings. He lit his wand and within seconds, the Knight Bus stopped in front of him. He was expecting Stan and Ernie but this time, the drivers were women.' Care to come in, kid?'
'Oh. Yeah. Thanks. Uh, could you help me with these?'
'`Course. It's me job, see.'
'Right. Okay then.'
When Harry got on the bus, the first woman said,' the name's Millie. `S yers?'
'I .um.I'm Harry.' Purposely missing out "Potter" and covering his lightning-like scar.
'Nice to meet yeh, Harry. This here's Hilda. Where to, Harr? Yeh mind if I call yeh that?' she said this all in three seconds.
When he caught the words, he said, 'um.No, I don't mind. And Diagon Alley, please.' 'Diagon Alley it is.'
The ride to London didn't take as long as he expected. It was morning when he got there though. He went straight to the Leaky Cauldron and got a room. When he finished unpacking a bit, he went down to Gringotts Bank. He had to get some Galleon, Sickles and Knuts to buy some books.
When he got his money, it was about 9 am. He still had time to explore and window shop around Diagon Alley. He finished at around 11:30. He saw the time and headed for the Leaky Cauldron. When he got there, he took an empty table nearest to the entrance to Diagon Alley. He didn't see anyone until a very pretty girl approached him. She seemed oddly familiar. She was wearing a sky blue fit shirt, a navy blue knee high skirt and her hair was straight.
' Harry! How are you?' she exclaimed.
'Sorry, but have we met?' Harry felt really stupid for asking this question.
'You're not serious, are you?' she said in a disbelieving tone.' Harry, just because my hair's straight and I'm dressed in muggle clothes are not good enough reasons to forget me. Honestly! Does Hermione ring a bell?'
Harry felt himself go red. For one thing, he actually forgot a face he's known for 4 years, for another, he called her 'pretty'. 'I .I was just kidding.'
'Course you were.' She said sarcastically. 'So anyway, how are you?'
'I'm okay. And you?' he asked, still embarrassed.
'Good I guess.'
'You guess?'
'Yeah. You see, Krum and I aren't together anymore.'
'Why?'
'He said that I talked too much about .uh.this person, it was like I had feelings for him. So.he dumped me. Not a good word, dumped, is it?'
Harry felt a small surge of anger but he regarded it as something he ate. 'No, not a good word. So um. what are you going to do now?'
'I don't know but I'm going to get ready for my O.W.L.s. I heard that they were extra hard this year.'
Harry forgot about that! O.W.L.s were taken when you've reached year 5. 'Have you revised for them yet, Harry?' asked Hermione, seeing he wasn't saying anything.
'Uh, no. No I haven't.'
'Oh. Do you want to study with me?'
'Um, sure. Anytime.'
'Okay. Oh and I heard they were having a Quidditch season this year again at Hogwarts.'
'Really? That's great news!'
'But who'll be the new captain? And who'll be the new keeper this year? Wood's gone, right?'
Oliver Wood was the Gryffindor house's last captain and keeper.
'I don't know how we'll get a new keeper but the new captain will be elected by the team.'
'That's good. Hey Harry, have you bought new dress robes? It says in our list that we should have one handy. Some formal occasion I guess.'
'Yeah, I did. I hope Ron was able to get one,' he said but was interrupted.
'Yeah I did Harry.'
'Ron! How are you?' asked Hermione.
'Say, I'm here, you're both here, let's go buy our things,' he continued.' I'm in a bit of a rush.'
'Why is that?'
'Met this person. Really great. Meeting up with her later, too. 'said Ron, hoping they won't catch what he said.
'It's a "her" is it?' teased Harry.
'May we know who this "her" is?' asked Hermione, joining in the teasing.
'You know her actually.'
'We do?' they both said, confused.
'Yes. What I mean by met is first time we talked.'
'Oh really?' said Hermione, her interest in the topic was showing.
'Yeah but that's all for now.'
'What do you mean "that's all"? Asked Harry, failing to hide his curiosity.
'That's all I'm telling you two.'
'Oh. Ok, 'said Hermione disappointingly.' But why?'
'Because that's it. Now, zip it.'
But Hermione just kept on asking until she finally accepted the fact that Ron won't tell.
Harry couldn't care less if he told him or not. He's just happy Ron's got a crush. But he couldn't shake the thought that both his best friends had changed, physically. Ron seems broader, taller and more mature than their first encounter at King's Cross Station. He was quite handsome now.
Harry laughed silently at that thought. If Ron heard him say he was handsome now, Ron would probably believe him than deny it. For Hermione, words failed him. It's not that he couldn't describe her; it's that he didn't want to. And with that decision, he stopped thinking aloud to himself and entered Flourish and Blotts with Ron and Hermione to buy their 5th Year books.
He went downstairs and faced Uncle Vernon. 'Can I go to Diag-I mean, that place where I buy my school things early thins year?'
He asked, trying hard not to sound as if he was looking forward to it.
'Why on earth would you want to go there early for?' he laughed his cruel laugh.
'I'm going to meet my friends. They're going to help me buy my school things.' He knew that it wasn't working. He had only one choice,' Sirius will be waiting for me there, too.'
Those magic words worked like a charm. He left Uncle Vernon mumbling to himself and went up to his room again. If he wanted to be ready, he had to finish his summer work. Snape gave them the most homework. But to Harry's surprise, he finished them all in good time.
On the 24 days that followed, Harry still hadn't figured out what his ring did. And on the night of the 24th, Harry went outside the Dursley's house with his belongings. He lit his wand and within seconds, the Knight Bus stopped in front of him. He was expecting Stan and Ernie but this time, the drivers were women.' Care to come in, kid?'
'Oh. Yeah. Thanks. Uh, could you help me with these?'
'`Course. It's me job, see.'
'Right. Okay then.'
When Harry got on the bus, the first woman said,' the name's Millie. `S yers?'
'I .um.I'm Harry.' Purposely missing out "Potter" and covering his lightning-like scar.
'Nice to meet yeh, Harry. This here's Hilda. Where to, Harr? Yeh mind if I call yeh that?' she said this all in three seconds.
When he caught the words, he said, 'um.No, I don't mind. And Diagon Alley, please.' 'Diagon Alley it is.'
The ride to London didn't take as long as he expected. It was morning when he got there though. He went straight to the Leaky Cauldron and got a room. When he finished unpacking a bit, he went down to Gringotts Bank. He had to get some Galleon, Sickles and Knuts to buy some books.
When he got his money, it was about 9 am. He still had time to explore and window shop around Diagon Alley. He finished at around 11:30. He saw the time and headed for the Leaky Cauldron. When he got there, he took an empty table nearest to the entrance to Diagon Alley. He didn't see anyone until a very pretty girl approached him. She seemed oddly familiar. She was wearing a sky blue fit shirt, a navy blue knee high skirt and her hair was straight.
' Harry! How are you?' she exclaimed.
'Sorry, but have we met?' Harry felt really stupid for asking this question.
'You're not serious, are you?' she said in a disbelieving tone.' Harry, just because my hair's straight and I'm dressed in muggle clothes are not good enough reasons to forget me. Honestly! Does Hermione ring a bell?'
Harry felt himself go red. For one thing, he actually forgot a face he's known for 4 years, for another, he called her 'pretty'. 'I .I was just kidding.'
'Course you were.' She said sarcastically. 'So anyway, how are you?'
'I'm okay. And you?' he asked, still embarrassed.
'Good I guess.'
'You guess?'
'Yeah. You see, Krum and I aren't together anymore.'
'Why?'
'He said that I talked too much about .uh.this person, it was like I had feelings for him. So.he dumped me. Not a good word, dumped, is it?'
Harry felt a small surge of anger but he regarded it as something he ate. 'No, not a good word. So um. what are you going to do now?'
'I don't know but I'm going to get ready for my O.W.L.s. I heard that they were extra hard this year.'
Harry forgot about that! O.W.L.s were taken when you've reached year 5. 'Have you revised for them yet, Harry?' asked Hermione, seeing he wasn't saying anything.
'Uh, no. No I haven't.'
'Oh. Do you want to study with me?'
'Um, sure. Anytime.'
'Okay. Oh and I heard they were having a Quidditch season this year again at Hogwarts.'
'Really? That's great news!'
'But who'll be the new captain? And who'll be the new keeper this year? Wood's gone, right?'
Oliver Wood was the Gryffindor house's last captain and keeper.
'I don't know how we'll get a new keeper but the new captain will be elected by the team.'
'That's good. Hey Harry, have you bought new dress robes? It says in our list that we should have one handy. Some formal occasion I guess.'
'Yeah, I did. I hope Ron was able to get one,' he said but was interrupted.
'Yeah I did Harry.'
'Ron! How are you?' asked Hermione.
'Say, I'm here, you're both here, let's go buy our things,' he continued.' I'm in a bit of a rush.'
'Why is that?'
'Met this person. Really great. Meeting up with her later, too. 'said Ron, hoping they won't catch what he said.
'It's a "her" is it?' teased Harry.
'May we know who this "her" is?' asked Hermione, joining in the teasing.
'You know her actually.'
'We do?' they both said, confused.
'Yes. What I mean by met is first time we talked.'
'Oh really?' said Hermione, her interest in the topic was showing.
'Yeah but that's all for now.'
'What do you mean "that's all"? Asked Harry, failing to hide his curiosity.
'That's all I'm telling you two.'
'Oh. Ok, 'said Hermione disappointingly.' But why?'
'Because that's it. Now, zip it.'
But Hermione just kept on asking until she finally accepted the fact that Ron won't tell.
Harry couldn't care less if he told him or not. He's just happy Ron's got a crush. But he couldn't shake the thought that both his best friends had changed, physically. Ron seems broader, taller and more mature than their first encounter at King's Cross Station. He was quite handsome now.
Harry laughed silently at that thought. If Ron heard him say he was handsome now, Ron would probably believe him than deny it. For Hermione, words failed him. It's not that he couldn't describe her; it's that he didn't want to. And with that decision, he stopped thinking aloud to himself and entered Flourish and Blotts with Ron and Hermione to buy their 5th Year books.