A/N: Even though I might alternate in calling Harry either Harry or Holly, just know that he is still a girl, regardless of what I call him. Oh, and you know what i found out about Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone? Go to the page where Harry reads his school supplies list, and it says '1 wand' TWICE! Check it out! But, you know, after you check out this chapter ;)
Chapter Five: Hermione Catches On
Harry opened the letter as slowly as possible. It's all about the drama. He thought, smiling.
After ten minutes, the dramatic opening-of-the-letter had grown way past ridiculous. "Just open it already," Ron whined.
Harry opened it. He read it and his jaw dropped open. "I... I made the team,"
"Way to go!" Ron exclaimed.
Harry put the letter down. "I guess they were drunk again," he chuckled.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at Holly. "Again?" she asked suspiciously.
"Or, whatever, you know," Harry stuttered. I have really got to be more careful.
Hermione glanced at Holly before returning to her food.
::::Last night in the Teachers' Common Room::::Professor McGonagall was in charge of writing the letters to all of the students who tried out. Looking at the list she was given, she was down to Holly Palmer, who hadn't made the cut.
Seems young Mr Potter can't do any better even as a girl. She thought, remembering last year's try-outs where she'd been given this same job. Oh, why'd I have to drink that night? She glanced at the bottle of champagne she slept with every night under her pillow, which was on the table in front of her parchment and quill. Never ever again. But she couldn't take her eyes off of it. Well, I'll just have a sip...::::Back to the current time::::
Ginny tapped Holly on the shoulder. "Hi, Holly! I see you're a cheerleader too. There's a meeting after supper, would you like me to show you the way?"
Harry smiled. "Sure. After all, I don't know anything about this school," he said, glancing at Hermione. "Not one little thing,"
"You knew where the Potions classroom was," Hermione stated, not looking up from her food.
Harry thought fast. "Well, how could you not know where it was? You could smell it a mile away," he said nervously.
Ron and Ginny laughed.
"Come on, I'll lead the way," Ginny said, smiling. Harry got up and followed her to the Hogwarts Grounds.
"You know, you look a lot like a boy I used to like," Ginny said absent-mindedly.
Harry tried to hide a grin. "Really?"
"Oh, but I don't mean that offensively," Ginny added quickly. "I'm not saying that you look like a boy. It's just... you remind me..."
"I know," Harry said, smiling.
Ginny shook her head. "I guess I'm just imagining things," she said.
Before Harry could reply, Malfoy stomped up to them. Oh look, it's that little Jenny Weasley person and... who is this? He thought curiously."You must be the new cheerleader," he said. "You're... Holly Palmer? Is that right?"
"Yes," Harry said.
Malfoy looked him up and down, and smirked. "Welcome aboard. I am the captain. Captain of the Hogwarts Cheerleading Squad." He handed Holly a plastic bag. "Here's your uniform."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "He says that every year," she said to Holly. Facing Malfoy, she said, "Yeah, I think half the world knows that by now."
Draco glared at her. "Obviously you're part of the half that doesn't know, otherwise you'd do as I say. And I say to get with the GROUP!"
Harry grinned. "You're not going to tell us to 'go suck on a monkey', are you?"
"Oh, go suck on a... oh," Draco said, disappointedly. "Hey, how did you know what I was going to say?"
Once again, Harry had slipped up. "You're just really predictable, that's all,"
Draco stared into Harry's eyes. "You look familiar..." he said slowly.
"She looks like Harry," Ginny piped up.
"... He was my best cheerleader..." Draco said quietly. Raising his voice, he added, "You may look like Potter, but I doubt you're as good a cheerleader he was."
"Want to bet?" Ginny challenged him.
"I don't think you have the money," Draco snickered.
"Hey, shut up!" Harry said angrily.
"Sure, I'll shut up, Holly," said Draco, smirking. "Get with the group."
So Holly and Ginny got with the group.
"All right people, listen up!" Draco shouted. "As you all know, this is the first meeting. We've got another cup to win, and another cheer to learn. So listen up or-"
"My father will have you rot in azkaban," the squad finished in a dull tone.
"Exactly," Draco said, pleased with himself. "Now, I'm going through a cheerer's block, so bear with me as I try to think up a cup-winning cheer... anytime now..."
Four hours later...Draco was concentrating hard. "Okay... it's on the tip of my tongue ... wait for it...Aha! I've got it!"
But, sadly, everyone had already left.
In fact, Harry had left so early that he was lounging on a couch with Hermione and Ron in the Gryffindor common room.
"Open it!" Ron squealed eagerly, looking at the bag in Holly's lap.
Harry opened the bag. Inside was his uniform. "It's just like I remember it," he said.
Hermione shot up. "Do you want to tell us why you know about all of these things?" she asked fiercely. "You only arrived last week!"
Harry tried to think up an excuse. "I... um... erm... eek... doNOTinvolveme!"
Hermione's index finger pointed right in Harry's face. "There you go again! What are you hiding???"
Harry looked helplessly at Ron, and then at Hermione, who was still pointing at him. Taking a look around the room to make sure no one else was there, Harry decided to tell them. "Okay," he said, lowering his voice. "You remember when I- I mean Harry, got hurt at quidditch, and then went to the hospital wing?"
Hermione went to talk, but Harry put his hand up. "He took the medicine Mme Pomfrey gave him, but there must have been something in it," he continued. "He woke up the next morning as..."
"As what?" Ron asked, turning pale.
Harry took a deep breath. "...As me,"
Hermione's jaw dropped open. "I knew it! The resemblance was just too obvious! I can't believe this! Why didn't you tell us? How did it happen? Who put in the gender-switcher?"
As she raved on, Ron turned from white to green, and began gagging.
"Ron?" Harry asked. "Are you all right?"
Ron looked at Holly with bulging eyes. "I- I- I- I- can't..." he gagged some more.
"He fancied you," Hermione said.
"Yeah," Ron said, and fainted. After he regained his consciousness, he asked a question that never even crossed Harry's mind. "Do... do you still have... did you lose...?" he pointed downward.
Now it was Harry's turn to turn white. Grabbing his 'area' he shouted, "... oh my God... THEY'RE GONE!"
Ron and Holly screamed and started crying, hugging each other.
"What?" Hermione asked, confused. "What did you lose?"
Ron looked at her, while patting Harry on the back. "His... her... you know..." he said from behind his teeth, and raised his eyebrows.
Hermione nodded slowly. "Oh," was all she said.
"Maybe it's not too late!" said Ron, and kicked Harry in the crotch.
Harry cried harder. "It doesn't hurt!" he cried.
Hermione tried to pull them together. "All right, all right, settle down, that's enough," she said, getting them to sit on the couch. Handing them a box of tissues, she said, "Harry lost an important part of his life, but we're not ever going to think or talk about that again."
Harry and Ron nodded, blowing their noses.
"You okay now, mate?" Ron asked Harry softly.
Harry nodded, and hiccupped. "Yeah,"
"Can we move on now?" said Hermione, turning a little green herself.
A/N: Yes, Hermione, we're going to move on.