By Siriusly Amused
Author's Greeting: Hello everyone out there! It's 1:04 in the morning and I have been on my laptop for a VERY long time. So long in fact, that my laptop is getting hot and I can feel the heat radiating from it and it's making me hot and uncomfortable. But I have big news!!! I sat down and figured out Hogwarts High. The big ending and all. I still have little tid bits that I need to work out but the big stuff that's been confusing me are solved. Of course, I still have two problems. First of all, I still can't write this chapter! This is my FOURTH draft of it. -sighs- I'm this close to just writing, 'there is no chapter seventeen' and moving on but then you guys would be confused so I simply must write it. My second problem is the sequels...I've been thinking about what comes next lately. I think I have decided to make the bombdiggity awesome prologue of Hogwarts High II become the epilogue for this story and add a bit more to it. Presently, I'm thinking about having a very short fic (consisting of maybe 4 or 5 chapters) dedicated to their junior year. You won't want that one to be long, trust me, nothing big happens. And then have another long fic dedicated to their senior year as originally planned. But I dunno, I can't get by with just the two and have a short recap of junior year from one of the characters. It depends on how much information you guys want...how into the story you guys are. So if any of you actually read these author's notes, please tell me what you want. 3 stories with one being short, or 2 with a slight recap?
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter...Valentine's Day...When a Man Loves a (though they're not directly mentioned)...Gwyneth (just so you know, I have nothing against her, and I think she and Steven Martin make an extremely cute couple and the name Apple is growing on me)...Oasis...and I used a quote similar to one used in Family Guy (which I don't own but think is a great show) see if you guys and find it.
Paint the Silence
By the beginning of February, the state of perpetual blahness had decreased slightly. I still missed Ginny and Padma still bored me to death, but it wasn't so bad. I had all of my other friends, and Ginny had passed me the ketchup the other day at lunch without glaring at me so I assumed her anger was subsiding a bit, though she was still dating that Michael boy, which angered me and frustrated Ron who had sworn to never interfere with her love life again. All in all, life was normal.
A week before Valentines, I was sitting on the couch, channel surfing when Sirius came and plopped down next to me. We grunted greetings like guys do and continued to stare blankly at the screen. After several minutes, Sirius looked at me. He returned his gaze to the TV for several moments before quickly turning his head again to look at me, his brow knitted as he peered at my cheek.
"What?" I asked at last, no longer able to take Sirius' stare. Sirius didn't answer, but brought a hand up to rub my cheek and chin...it tickled.
"REMUS!" Sirius shouted, a smile crossing his face. "REMUS!" he shouted again.
Lupin appeared, looking very groggy. "What is it, Sirius?" he asked, sleepily.
Sirius forced me to my feet and marched me over to Remus, his hands on my shoulders. "Look at this," Sirius commanded of Lupin, rubbing my jaw. Lupin looked for a moment, then smiled.
"Damnit, Sirius, how did we not notice until now?" he asked, also rubbing my jaw line.
"How did Harry not notice?" Sirius asked.
"Perpetually blah, remember?" Lupin answered. I hated it when they talked as if I wasn't there.
"Notice what?" I asked, perturbed.
"Harry, my boy, we are going to teach you how to shave," Remus said, strolling down the hall and taking off his shirt. Sirius followed his lead and the two went into the bathroom and started getting things ready. When I continued to stand and stare, they looked at me.
"Well, come on, what are you waiting for?" Sirius asked. He was already applying shaving cream onto his own face. It felt odd. I had gone through all of my milestones, glumly, with the Dursleys. Potty training, going to school, growth spurts, my voice breaking, pimples (which I didn't get a lot of but Dudley did), and why I would sometimes wake up after a really good dream to a slightly wet and sticky bed. This was my first real mile stone that I'd be sharing with fatherly figures.
"Before our beards turn gray, Harry," Sirius called. Both he and Remus were ready to shave. I smiled and went into the bathroom.
In my opinion, Valentines Day is always a disaster. When you're little, there's always at least one kid in your class that didn't get a Valentine and cries all the way home. There was always a Valentines dance in junior high, where several kids were destined to be wallflowers, and as you got older, there were always people who forget about Valentines and disappoint their significant other. Ron of course, had forgotten. Harry apparently did too seeing as he broke up with Padma first thing in the morning. I would have scolded him, but I was glad to no longer have to put up with Padma...Parvati is bad enough. Seamus also forgot, until first hour at least, when he remembered and handed Lavender a piece of gum in the middle of history. As a matter of fact, it seemed like everyone had forgotten. Except, oddly enough, the Weasley twins.
George got down on one knee before the first bell rang and gave Katie some flowers while asking her to be his girlfriend and lunch was interrupted by Fred dancing upon the table tops and singing, 'When a Man Loves a Woman,' to Angelina. Snape tried to stop him, but Dumbledore, who had donned a white toga and carried around a bow and arrow like cupid told Snape to, 'Let young love be'. I seriously hope that Ron will someday learn a thing or two from his brothers.
But it wasn't too bad. Ron had seemed genuinely sorry for forgetting and he did buy my lunch for me, hold my books between classes, and hug me when we had to go to different classes. It was becoming very hard to stay mad at the boy. Besides, he had his drivers test seventh hour and I figured he had enough to worry about.
"I'm going to screw it up, I just know I am," he stated between sixth and seventh hour at our lockers.
"No you won't, Ron, really, it's easy," I told him. Ron didn't appear comforted. The bell beeped and he slowly walked outside as if in a funeral progression.
"He'll be fine," Seamus stated, coming up to me with the others. We watched Ron get into the student driver car before we went into the library for study hall and sat down at our normal table. We were finishing up some English homework over speeches when Fred pulled up a chair next to me and plopped down a pile of concert tickets on the table.
"Billy's dad delivered," he said, looking at our shocked faces.
"Um, Fred, how many people are going to this concert tonight?" I asked, eyeing the mound of tickets.
"About half the school," Fred stated nonchalantly.
"Does Draco know about this?" Neville asked.
"He does now," Draco stated, coming up out of no where and pulling up a chair.
"Aren't you supposed to be in history?" Lavender asked him.
Draco shrugged. "Someone sneezed on me, so I went to the nurse," he explained, brandishing his complimentary lollipop at us. "Then I saw you lot in here and I decided to stop by and grace you with my presence." He looked around the table. "Where's Weasel the third?" he asked.
"Weasel the third?" Fred questioned.
"Yeah, it's my nickname for him."
"What do you call me?" Fred asked.
"Which one are you?"
"Fred."
"Weasel the second. Guess what George and Ginny are."
Fred smirked and handed him two tickets. "One for you and one for your lady friend."
"Seriously," Draco continued, taking his tickets, "where's the weasel?"
"Taking his driver's test," Seamus answered.
"When's his birthday?"
"March."
"George and I only passed our tests by one point." We all shut up and looked at Fred. He glanced back innocently. "What? We passed didn't we?"
"Hem, hem."
We all shuddered.
"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy, I think you two should get back to your classes and I'll see you in detention tonight."
"Wouldn't you rather see us at a concert tonight?" Draco asked.
Umbridge eyed him suspiciously.
"We'll give you some concert tickets for free AND..." Draco continued, "Fred will sing 'When a Man Loves a Woman' again." Fred immediately jumped upon our table and stole Lavender's pen, taking a deep breath as he brought it to his mouth and raised his other arm."
"WHEN A MAAAAN LOVES A WOOOMAAN!"
Just then Ron joined us, looking very ashen faced. "I passed," he said shakily.
"HE CAN'T KEEP HIS MIND ON NOTHING ELSE!"
The concert was awesome! Fred and George let me drive Old Betsy there which was really fun because it was the first time that I drove with out Mom, Dad, or the driving instructor (I don't have my license yet so technically it was illegal and Hermione didn't approve, but hey, we got away with it). It was hell trying to find a parking spot though. I think we circled the lot six times before we found one. The people in the car next to us were already drunk and one was peeing in a nearby puddle from the rain we had gotten the night before.
We met Draco, Noelle, Seamus, Dean, Neville and the chatter boxes up at the gate (Draco can fit a lot of people in his SUV) where we all went through metal detectors and were searched by cops. It was so much fun! Well at least us guys thought so, the girls didn't seem to enjoy it as much.
We walked around the concessions and stuff while the opening band played and we ran into a bunch of people. I guess Fred and George were right when they said that Billy had gotten half the school tickets. There was Colin and his group of freshmen friends, all of whom were avoiding the alcohol like the plague...the back to school party where Colin jumped into the pool naked must have still been fresh in their minds. We saw Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle all of whom were glaring at us. We even saw a rocked out Dumbledore (equipped with leather jacket and jeans with holes at the knees) as he escorted Mrs. McGonagall, Mr. Flitwick, Mr. Snape, and Ms. Umbridge (who was wearing a 'Move over Gwyneth' T-shirt) to their seats.
The concert itself was amazing of course. I even saw Mrs. McGonagall with a lighter during one of their slower songs. It ended at midnight and we all trudged out to our vehicles tired, happy, and deaf. Fred and George wouldn't let me drive due to traffic and they just didn't feel comfortable with a really tired 15-year-old driving so I sat in the very back (cargo space) of Old Betsy with Hermione. Fred and George had the front seat and were singing extremely loudly and off key. Harry and Ginny were forced to sit in the mid section and they were trying desperately to have a civil conversation.
"So...we're having rather warm weather for this time of year."
"Oh, yeah, it's really nice."
After ten minutes of driving, Fred and George's singing had yet to cease and Harry and Ginny were really grasping at straws at creating a conversation:
"You know they found an unknown moss growing on a rock in South America a couple months ago?"
"Oh really?"
"Yeah."
Hermione smirked at their stupid conversations and shifted herself so that she was spread out across the back, her head resting on my shoulder near the window. I propped my knees up on the back of Harry's seat and slouched down, getting comfortable myself. Ten more minutes of driving passed and Fred and George ordered Harry and Ginny to open their windows so we didn't smell too much like smoke. They did as they were told and a rush of cold, February air blew in, causing Hermione to shiver. I wrapped my arms around her and held her closer.
"Want my jacket?" I asked her.
She shook her head and nuzzled it under my chin, her eyes closed. "Good night, Ron" she said sleepily.
"Nite," I said back, casting a nervous glace to my siblings in front of me. Fred and George were now singing an Oasis song at the top of their lungs and Harry and Ginny were still trying to talk to each other ("I hear Hawaii is very nice this time of year"). Since they all seemed preoccupied with themselves, I decided to risk it.
"Hey, Hermione?" I asked.
"Hmm?" she mumbled, sleepily to my chest.
"I love you."
It was a hassle, taking the whole lot of kids home after the concert. They were all seriously rowdy. I started to feel like a parent.
"Seamus, SEAMUS, hey! What did I say about shoes on the upholstery, huh?"
"Ah, come on, Draco!"
"Hey! Do you want to walk home? Seriously, I can pull this vehicle over right now and you can walk the rest of the way home!"
A half an hour later the only one left was Noelle. I drove slowly to prolong our time together as we talked about anything and everything. Finally I pulled up to her house and put my SUV in park. She sat in her seat and smiled. "Well, I'll see you in school, I guess," she stated, taking her seat belt off.
"Yeah, hey, listen," I stated in a hurry. "Would you follow me? I just want to show you something really quick," I added, taking off my seat belt and getting out of the car. She stayed in the car while I walked around the front to open the door for her. She seemed really confused.
I took her hand and we snuck around to the back of her house. There, sitting on her porch was a small table with a big bowl of vanilla ice cream on it and white roses all around. "What's this?" she asked as we drew near the table. Her eyes fell on the note and she smirked at me as I nodded for her to read it. She did. And then she feinted.
"Oh my God, Noelle!" her father exclaimed, coming out of the house to find his daughter passed out on the porch.
"It's ok, sir!" I comforted as he bent down to his daughter. "Things like this happen to me all the time, she'll come around, they always do!"
He looked up at me with a confused expression.
"Girls feint in your presence all the time?" he asked.
"Oh yes," I stated. "My pediatrician doesn't know why. Granted my pediatrician is a middle aged, Asian man by the name of Dr. Khai. Great guy, Dr. Khai. He's everyone's doctor until their twenty. Do you remember him? He probably remembers you!"
Just then Noelle came around.
"Oh, honey, are you ok?" Mr. Evans asked.
"I think so," Noelle replied. She looked up at me and smiled.
"Well?" I asked. Normally I wouldn't need to, but I was nervous for some reason.
"Yes," Noelle said, smiling from ear to ear.
"Yes, what?" inquired Mr. Evans.
Laughter and catcalls greeted me when I walked into the apartment after the concert. It was nearly one and I wondered vaguely what was going on, so I followed the banter until I got into the kitchen where Sirius, Lupin, and three other guys were sitting around the table, playing poker. Beer bottles littered the room.
"Hey," I stated wearily, going to the fridge and pulling out a soda.
"HARRY!" Sirius exclaimed, wobbling over to me and throwing an arm around me. "Guess what!"
"What?" I asked, testily.
"I'M DRUNK!"
The other men around the table laughed and one even fell off of his chair. Lupin winced, he appeared to be the only one sober and he shot me a glance as if to say sorry. I was supporting all of Sirius' weight and thought I might fall over, so I some how managed to get him to the table where he plopped down in his chair. He pulled up another chair right next to his and yanked my arm so that I sat down in it. "So how was the concert?" he asked, taking a swig of his beer.
"Fine," I replied. I turned to Lupin who still looked greatly sorry. "How did this happen?" I asked, nodding toward Sirius, who seemed to be on the verge of passing out.
Lupin sighed. "Well we went to the clubs you know. It's Valentines and we thought that we should jump back into the dating pool. We met some old friends from high school and they talked us into a poker night. We've been here since nine."
"Oh, that's nice," I said, brushing a drooling Sirius off of my shoulder. Lupin sighed again.
"Sirius really doesn't get drunk that often. Even in high school, we never got drunk because then we'd be vulnerable to pay backs for our pranks, so we always only sipped one beer to make it seem like we were drinking and getting drunk. But then, around the time you were born, Sirius had to meet up with his parents on their death beds so that he'd be left in their will. He was so miserable, sitting with them everyday, waiting for them to die, that he began drinking to ease the pain."
"THAT'S RIGHT!" Sirius exclaimed suddenly, clapping a hand on my shoulder and bringing his head closer to mine. "For the first couple of weeks of your life, I thought you were the cat!"
Lupin laughed. "He did! But then his parents died and he was left all of their money and he sobered up. This is the first time I saw him drunk since then."
"What happened to his parent's money?" I asked as two of their poker buddies passed out and the third one urinated in a potted plant in the corner.
"It's all in the bank, collecting interest for your college," Sirius explained, waving it off.
"You don't have to pay for my college, Sirius," I stated.
"Nonsense, I have more than enough to send you to Harvard and still have enough left over for a vacation to Hawaii. Listen, Harry...just listen one moment," Sirius slurred to my shaking head, "you are going to college and...listen, just, just listen! You are going to college and you are going to become...become...a...a gynecologist or something!" And with that, Sirius passed out on the table.
Lupin sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "For now on, Sirius and I are looking for dates at the supermarket!"
End Author's Note: I know that this chapter is short but I just got an urge to write it and this is what came out and I'm posting it now to appease you guys and so I can't change my mind, decide it sucks, and rewrite it again. Anyway, I don't know if I explained this or not but I know that their ages are off in this story and in all my stories. I know that they're all born in '80 (though not in this one since I wanted it to be modern and not taking place in the nineties) thus making Ron the oldest, followed by Harry and then Hermione. Where I'm from the cut off date for classes is in August, making those born in September the oldest of the class and those born in July the youngest. If I had kept their ages the same with Ron being the oldest, then Ron and Harry would be sophomores and Hermione would be a freshman. I personally like this way better, with Hermione the oldest, then Ron, then Harry.