Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. just doing this for fun.
Ch. 10 -The Fun Starts
Harry awoke the next morning to find the common room abuzz with excitement. The quidditch try-out schedule had been posted and practice times were already scheduled for that day. Harry scanned the schedule that had animated bludgers racing across it and saw that the seekers practice was at five p.m. The keepers practice was at three p.m. and Harry thought it would be good for him and Hermione to go support Ron. He figured he'd bring it up to her at breakfast so she could make room for it on her very busy schedule. He looked at Ron and could see Ron was already getting pale. It was going to be a long day.
The day past by in a blur and soon he found himself at the quidditch field shouting support to Ron. Ron started off a little shakey but as the practice went on he slowly found his groove and was making some amazing saves. Harry was very proud and was wishing that Hermione was here seeing Ron. It concerned him that she didn't show up since at breakfast she said she would be there. He kept scanning the field but she was nowhere to be found. After practice, Ron and Harry went to the common room to find her but she wasn't there and no one had seen her since lunch. They were starting to become very worried when she finally came into the room. Both immediately started asking her questions but she didn't answer them right away. Instead she sat down dejectedly on the couch and sighed. She looked exhausted. "What is wrong 'Mione?" Ron asked.
She looked at him with tears beginning to well up in her eyes and again she sighed. "I went to see Hagrid..." She stopped talking and looked off at the fireplace. "He was really upset..." She stopped again "Oh... Grawp's back! I can't believe it. He came back! All I did for him this summer was for nothing. What if the ministry finds out?" Tears again threatend to spill.
Ron and Harry were speechless and sat down on the couch, one on each side of Hermione. Ron carressed her back lightly while Harry hed her hand. "Does Hagrid know why Grawp came back?" Harry asked, while his thumb stroked the outside of her hand.
"No. He said that Grawp was asking for me so he took me to the forest. That's were I've been all evening. Grawp tried to tell me something but his English isn't good and I could make out what he was saying. He seemed so urgent though and that has me concerned." She rested her head on Ron's shoulder and Harry felt another pang of jealousy. He dismissed it quickly since there was more pressing needs at the moment.
"So what are we going to do next?" Ron asked quietly. He looked like he was in heaven and leaned his cheek on Hermione's head.
"Hagrid is taking care of him again. I have to work with Grawp to find out what is wrong. I just don't know when I have time with this stupid detention with Snape. Grawp needs to be taught English and quick."
"You know we will help "Mione," Ron whispered. "Harry and I will take turns teaching Grawp. With all three of us working on him, he should be able to tell us in no time." He stopped rubbing her back and hugged her softly.
Hermione smiled weakly and when she finished hugging Ron, she turned and hugged Harry too. That gesture made Harry feel somewhat better. 'Somebody is going to get their heart broken' Harry thought while looking past Hermione at Ron. Ron appeared to be thinking the same thing. Harry knew that Hermione was caught in the middle, he didn't envy that
By the time Harry got back from his seeker practice, Hermione was headed toward detention. "You going to see Grawp?" she asked anxiously.
"Yeah, Ron and I will head out there tonight. I don't want you to come out there by yourself. It's not safe. Just try to survive Snape," he said smiling.
She turned to leave but stopped and looked sternly at Harry. "Don't be teaching him dirty words! Got it. I'll hex you into next week if I get an earful of profanity from Grawp next time I visit him."
Harry feigned innocence which only caused Hermione to look at him more steely. Harry pointed to his watch and Hermione quickly made her way to the dungeon.
"Well you ready to go?" Harry asked Ron.
"As ready as I will ever be," Ron sarcastically remarked. Harry laughed. 'This will be interesting,' he thought.
Grawp seemed to remember Harry and was happy to see him. However, he glared at Ron whom he had never met. Ron wasn't helping much by looking absolutely horrified. Harry kept trying to distract Grawp from noticing Ron much. The lesson didn't go very well. They had a horrible time getting past Grawps incessent questions of "WHERE HERMY?" or "WHERE HAGARD?" Plus Grawp had the attention span of a three year old. Soon he was flinging tree limbs at Ron to get a response out of him. Ron was screaming everytime Grawp threw something at him and Grawp found this very funny. Harry figured the long drawn out noise coming from Grawp was laughter. It wasn't pretty. As night began to settle, Harry and Ron left the camp exhausted. Fortunately the trip home was eventless and both crashed into bed as soon as they hit the dorms.
Harry woke up late for tranfiguration class. 'What a way to start the say,' he thought sourly. Hermione came into the class just behind Harry, which caused giggles from the Slytherin girls. Harry was shocked to see Hermione sporting a split lip. She glared at him. "Who taught him to throw branches," she demanded quietly. Ron groaned and she turned around gave him a "look." Before he had a chance to respond Ms. McGonagall cleared her voice and got their attention.
"Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger please take your seats and I expect you to tell me what is going on after class. Understand?" Both Harry and Hermione took their seats quickly. Ms. McGonagall eyed Hermione's injuries with concern but continued the class anyways. Harry was scrambling for an excuse for their tardiness and for Hermione's injuries. He actually played with the idea of telling the truth but he was worried about what would happen to Grawp if he did. After class, both students stayed in their seats while Ms. McGonagall eyed them suspiciously.
"What is going on? You both are looking exhausted all the time and now Ms. Granger has a split lip." Harry heard Hermione groan.
"I'm sorry for being late. I've been up late serving detention and this morning I fell and hit my lip. Harry stayed with me while I got the bleeding stopped." Hermione said this as if this was the complete truth. 'Ron and him had been a bad influence on her, ' he thought.
Ms. McGonagall didn't know what to think but decided not to press the issue. "I can't interfer with Prof. Snape's detentions. But I can ask him to let you go early."
Hermione seemed alarmed. "No please don't do that. I'll just make things worse. I promise not to be late, just don't say anything to Prof. Snape. Please." Hermione begged.
Ms. McGonagall thought for a moment and finally agreed to not to talk to Snape much to Hermiones relief. "But if you are late just once more I'll talk to Dumbledore." Harry and Hermione sighed, greatly relieved and left the room.
"I'll met you at lunch, okay?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded and headed off to divination class.
Harry was worried. This was too much for the three of them to do alone. He decided to tell Dumbledore about Grawp and hoped Hermione would forgive him.
Harry never got the chance. During lunch Grawp made a visit to Hogwarts demanding to see Hermy. Grawp actually walked his hulking self right into the great hall. Students were screaming and running to the opposite side of the hall. The professors had their wands out ready to defend the children. Hagrid was putting himself in between Grawp and the adults, trying to shield Grawp. When Grawp saw Harry, Ron and Hermione he bolted towards them. Harry heard a girl screaming in terror but when he looked to see who it was, it wasn't a girl afterall. It was Draco Malfoy. Pansy and Crabbe were trying to drag him out of the path of Grawp, who side stepped them with surprising grace.
"HERMY, HERMY" was all Grawp was saying and almost immediately the students knew who he was talking about. They all turned facing the trio who in their own right where frozen where they stood.
"HERMY!" Grawp again said as he finally reached them. "HERMY come NOW!"
"Where's Grawp? Where do you want me to go?" Hermione asked, her face showing the terror she was feeling.
"HERMY GO HOME!" he demanded. He actually had his hands on hips as he said this. It reminded Harry of Hermione when she yelled at him. He almost snickered at the thought.
Hermione paled when she realized the forest wasn't the home he was talking about. Dumbledore by this time arrived on the scene. For a moment he said nothing. With a twinkle in his eyes he said, "At least his English is getting better." The hall was became absolutely quiet with his comment. "Now perhaps we can take this outside. Is that okay with you Grawp?"
Grawp snorted and picked Hermione up and tossed her uncerimonously on his shoulders as he left. Ron and Harry laughed at the sight of Hermione riding Grawps shoulders, legs around the head, and gripping his hair tightly. Once outside Grawp finally lowered Hermione to the ground with a thump. Hagrid was beside himself and once the professors joined them, the arguing began. Dumbledore cleared his throat and all became silent, even Grawp.
"You need to get him out of here Hagrid." Dumbledore said, there was no note of request in his voice. "The ministry is probably already coming." Hagrid was shakened. "You need to leave now!"
Hagrid grabbed Grawps arm and tried to led him away but Grawp stayed. "Hermy!" He yelled and pointed and Hermione, who went three shades paler than Harry even thought was possible.
"Hermy can't go. Not yet anyways." Dumbledore stated. Grawp was getting angry and was trying to find the right words to say with out much success. He was stomping the ground and flinging his arms every which way.
"I'll go Professor Dumbledore." Hermione finally said. Dumbledore shook his head no but Hermione persisted. "If you lower the wards, I can appariate both of us to Grawp's home."
Everybody was shocked to hear her admit this. "You are admitting you can appariate even though you are not of age?" Snape demanded..
"Yes. I can apparaite very efficiently," Hermione responded meeting Snapes gaze. Harry was beginning to think Hermione was insane since she just admitted to rule breaking in front of Snape.
"To be able to appariate somebody as large as Grawp would take some pretty strong magic Ms. Granger," Snape growled. Dumbledore said nothing but simply looked at Hermione. The twinkle was gone.
"You take Grawp home and I want you back here soon as possible. You will answer to the ministry this time. I can't help you now since there seems to be so many witnesses Ms. Granger. Have you been thinking at all?" Dumbledore snapped at Hermione. Everybody seemed stunned by Dumbledore's demeanor. None more so that Hermione.
"What would you have done?" she responded evenly. Dumbledore apprasied her thoughtfully.
"Get going now and try not to get yourself killed," he said. Harry was panicking. He didn't know how to appariate and he couldn't help Hermione. He felt utterly useless.
"Professor Dumbledore, you can't let her do this," Harry pleaded. Dumbledore laid his hand on Harry's shoulder.
"My hands are tied. I'll talk to you both later," he said looking at both Harry and Ron.
Hermione pulled out her wand, Grawp again lifted her to his shoulder. Harry realized that this was normal with them. It would allow Grawp to cover ground quickly and not leave Hermione behind. He now knew that Hermione was with Grawp when he was sighted outside of London. She was riding on his back and in the dark nobody noticed especially if she leaned down. As soon as the ministry realized this, Hermione was in serious trouble. Hermione looked at her friends and smiled weakly at them. Before Harry knew it, both Grawp and Hermione vanished.