Chapter 4: A new Hermione

A/N: well , I haven't gotten any new reviews, yet. So onto the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Hermione: Ha! I finally got into the story! But why, did you have to do this to me?

Me: Sorry, Hermione. But a fanfic writer's gotta do what a fanfic writer's gotta do.

Hermione: You just totally ruined my image as a girl who's got more on her mind than hair, clothes, and makeup. Thanks a lot. (storms away. Calls over her shoulder :) She owns nothing! And she'll continue to own nothing if she keeps up this behavior!

Me: wait Hermione! It's not as bad as you think! Really!

A/N: So Hermione's gone. It's a shame. I really enjoyed those pre-chapter talks. But Oh! Maybe now that she's gone I can own the characters again. Note to self: think about that.

"Hi Hermione," said Harry. "Er..."

Seeing Harry staring at her, Hermione laughed. "You like it? My mom's been pestering me all summer, you know, 'Hermione can't you do something with your hair?... Why don't you ever wear makeup, you'd look so much nicer...Just do something with that hair I don't care if you have to use magic...So here I am!"

"Right." Said Ron, barely glancing at her. "Well, you'll never guess what Harry's told us."

"Really? What?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Remember the prophecy?" Harry asked. "The one in the Department of Mysteries? Well..."

Hermione listened closely. When Harry was done she said, "Well, I suspected it was something like that...I've read a bit about prophecies- you wouldn't believe some of them...We knew that somebody would have to do something about him...and you are the only person ever to have withstood one of his killing curses...it stands to reason doesn't it that you would have to stop him, I mean obviously there's something...something inside you that can work against the Voldemort...Oh, Ron get a hold of yourself...I mean your mom couldn't have been the only one who ever died to save their baby...their kid...from him, could she? I mean of all the people who have died..."

Harry had never thought of it like that before. "So you think that that isn't why I didn't die?"

Hermione shook her head. "Oh, I have no doubt that if your mother hadn't been there you would be dead. But it can't be just that-"

"Couldn't Dumbledore have had some sort of protective charm or spell or something on me?" Harry interrupted.

Hermione looked thoughtful. "That's possible I suppose, but I don't think that that would have been strong enough against Voldemort...RON!...face it, Harry, you're special."

Harry knew Hermione was only talking about the protection, or whatever it was, that he had been born with, but he still liked the way she said special...Stop it!, he told himself firmly, you can't start liking Hermione...she's just the same old Hermione...just STOP IT! She obviously has no feelings for you...

"Anyway," said Ron, "We think Harry should start training by himself...You never know when he's gonna start real training...and what they're going to teach him...and it obviously can't hurt to train more...The sooner he's powerful enough to face Voldemort, the sooner we can get rid of him...The sooner we can go back to our lives...and the sooner people stop dying."

"I don't know." said Harry. "Obviously I'm going to be training hard...as hard as possible...there going to do everything they can to stop the deaths as soon as they can. I don't think-" Suddenly a wave of nausea swept over him. He slumped back in his chair.

"Harry? Are you okay?" Hermione asked, worriedly.

"I think so- I just- I feel a little sick. I think I'll go inside and..." Harry staggered to his feet. It felt like his legs had given out. He managed to make it to the door and get inside. He leaned against the wall. What was that? He thought. I guess it was just the stress of everything that's been happening.

Just then a door opened and Dumbledore came out. "Oh, Harry." He said. "I was just coming to get you." Then he saw Harry's face which had turned pale. "Harry? What's the matter?"

"I don't know." Harry said. "I just felt nauseous...and...tired and..."

Dumbledore nodded. He didn't look very concerned. "That's to be expected...After all that you've gone through... Are you okay now?"

"I...I think so." said Harry.

"Well, we want to discuss your training with you, right now. But we won't take very long and when we're done, you can rest...I think you need to try to forget about all that's been happening for a little while." said Dumbledore. He showed Harry into the room he had come out of. Inside were Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley. "The official meeting's over." Said Dumbledore. "But these are the people who will be training you."

"okay..." said Harry.

"Lupin will be teaching you protective spells and charms. Moody will be working on dueling. Tonks and Kingsley will be giving you some basic auror training. And I'll be doing Occlumency." Dumbledore said. "You'll start next week. Everyone's going to try to work with you for at least two hours at least twice a week. Of course there's order business that has to be taken care of among other things. So that won't be possible every day. You will need to practice for some time every day. Remember, the sooner you master this the sooner we can start to take action against Voldemort. If you work hard, you may be up to the standard where you can fight him and almost definitely beat him in a few years."

"Right," said Harry. "Is that it?"

"Two more things." said Dumbledore. "First about the club you started last year."

"The DA?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Yes," said Dumbledore.

"Well...what about it?" Harry asked.

"I'm going to ask you not to continue with it." said Dumbledore.

"Not continue with it?" Harry asked, shocked. "But...why not?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I realize that it's important to you...And I can certainly see why you started it last year...But well you have a decent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year...and you need to concentrate on your own training this year."

Harry didn't respond. He knew that what Dumbledore was saying was true but he didn't have to like it. "So...what's the other thing, then?" He asked finally.

"Quidditch." Dumbledore replied.

"Oh...right." Said Harry. "The ban's been lifted hasn't it?"

"Well...not exactly." Lupin broke in.

Harry gasped. "It hasn't? But we all know that Umbridge was wrong now...So why can't it be lifted?"

"It's not that easy." said Tonks. "We're working on it...and Fudge is being stubborn, the stupid prat. He knows we were right, now, but he still doesn't like it...he's still bitter. Looking for excuses not to believe us...and not to have to cooperate with us."

"He's going to have to go along with us eventually, but there's still other things we have to get him to do, of course." said Lupin. "It may or may not be lifted by the time you go back to school."

Harry kicked the leg of the table, angrily. "Oh, so now I can't play Quidditch either? If there's one thing that could make up for this whole thing, it's Quidditch. And I can't play."

"Harry, calm down." said Dumbledore gently. "It could very well be lifted by the time you go back to school."

"I have to head out." Said Kingsley, suddenly, "Gotta get to work."

"Yeah, me too." Said Tonks, and the two of them left together.

"Right." Said Harry. "Can I go?"

"Yes, go ahead." Said Dumbledore.

Harry left and walked down the hall, towards the stairs, angrily. Not a single good thing had come of that, he thought. He couldn't play Quidditch or continue with the DA. And the training would be a lot of work. He did a quick addition in his head and came up with sixteen hours of work a week. Sixteen! And he would be expected to spend a lot of time practicing...

Harry was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice Professor Sielstin, behind him. He heard footsteps, and spun around. "Oh, hi Professor. You scared me!"

"Sorry, Harry." Said Professor Sielstin. "Could I speak to you for a second?"

"Okay." Said Harry.

"In here." Professor Sielstin indicated a door. Harry recognized it as the room he had been in the day before. They both sat down. "Harry, there's something I need to tell you. Dumbledore thinks I should tell you this myself. It's about my daughter..."

Harry's heart beat faster. It sounded like she was going to tell him something really important. Was he going to hear the secret that Dumbledore and Professor Sielstin had been discussing?

A/N: So, are we finally going to find out Mala's secret? If you don't review I will drop a cat on your head. Chuckie, in fact. And you will deeply regret it. He's got sharp claws. Better believe it. And I may not post chapter 5 until I get some reviews.