Chapter 6

Summer is Coming to a Close

Draco hadn't been in to the ice cream store in weeks, which was fine with Hermione. Although when she was busy with work or studying she would feel like she was being watched from outside of the store. She would never look up to see who it was anymore since she pretty much already knew. Summer was now coming to a close and after her last day of work she would meet up with Harry, Ron and Ginny.

She had already changed out of her work clothes and gotten ready to leave work for the last time to meet up with her friends. She was wearing a pair of khaki Capri's, a purple camis top and a pair of plain white shoes.

"Bye Elizabeth, see you over the school year." Hermione said to the owner as she waved.

"See you then and thank you so much for your help this summer." Elizabeth said waving back. "Have fun for the rest of your summer with your mates."

"I will, Thanks!" Hermione replied as she turned towards the door to leave. As she turned to leave the store she caught a quick glimpse of Draco in her mid turn standing there with his usual group of goons looking at her. She continued turning without hesitating and walked out of the door heading towards the spot where she was to meet up with her friends. She was trying to push the images and feelings of Draco out of her mind.

After she left she heard from behind her Crabbe ask, "Why aren't we getting ice cream, Draco?"

"Cause' I don't want any anymore." He answered with an annoyed tone.

She knew that he had started to follow her.

Hermione had spotted Ron next to Ginny and Harry who were holding hands. They had finally gotten together over the summer. They weren't the only ones, as Ron too had gotten together with Kiara over the summer. Hermione ran over to them smiling.

"Hey Hermione, ready to shop?' Ginny asked smiling.

"Oh yeah! Well, where to first?" Hermione replied.

"How about Honeyduke's?" Harry put in.

"Sounds great. Ron does that sound good to you too? Hermione asked.

Nothing.

"RON!" They said together. Ron was staring in the opposite direction.

"What? Oh, um sure. Can I meet up with you guys in a bit?" Not really waiting for a reply he took off towards a blond straight haired girl.

"Sure mate, see ya later!" Harry happily called after him.

They all laughed and shook their heads.

"So I guess it is just the three of us." Ginny said to the two of them as she slipped her arms around their necks and pulled them close to her as they walked towards Honeyduke's.

Ron later rejoined them with a wry grin on his face and they went back to Hermione's house to get her stuff and then they headed the burrow.

They all had a great time at the Weasley's. Soon came the day that Harry and

Ron had been waiting for, the day they got Hermione to play Quidditch. Bill and Charlie, the oldest of the Weasley brothers, came home to visit. So they had enough for a match of four on four. The stage was set for Team Potter vs. Team Weasley, (it had sounded better than Weasley vs. Weasley). They let Harry and Ron be team captains and picked out their teams. Harry picked Charlie as a chaser, Fred as a beater, Hermione as the keeper, and himself as the seeker. Ron chose Bill as chaser, George as beater, Ginny as seeker, and himself as the keeper. Although Ginny and Harry were on opposite teams they simply sat there in mid-air and flirted or spent most of the time chasing each other instead of the snitch. That left the rest of their teams to try and make as many points as possible until one of them came to their senses and went for the snitch. Bill kept making goals getting them easily past Hermione. She would have been mad at him if he didn't try his best. Although Harry finally grabbed the snitch, team Weasley still won by 10 points. After the game, they all hovered a few feet off the ground and Ron sang "Hermione is our Queen" and laughed.

"Honestly Hermione, not to be mean but that was the worst goalkeeping performance I have ever seen in my entire life! And believe you me; I've had a good seat for some of those!" Ron said in good fun.

In his fit of laughter, Ron didn't see Hermione grab Fred's bat and a bludger and hit it, with an "Oh yeah? Keep this!" The bludger hit Ron square in the chest and he fell to the ground. They all burst out laughing and Fred and George fell off their own brooms and went rolling on the ground with tears coming form their eyes. Ron was still laughing although it did hurt a little.

"Hey save it for Malfoy! Not bad, not bad at all though," Ron coughed.

"Not bad? I was thinking it was, oh 'Brilliant'? Isn't that what you'd call it?" she said with a triumphant air.

"All I'm saying is that you should consider the part," Ron said.

"The girl has got a right good swing dontcha think?"

"Yeah I think so!" Added Fred and George.

"Hermione, you should really try out.."

"…for the Quidditch team…."

"…when you get back to school."

"…they haven't had any good beaters since…"

"…we left the place!"

The way they finished each other's sentences was really interesting.

Mrs. Weasley called them in because their letters from Hogwarts had come.

"Dumbledore sent all of your letters here. Some of them seem to be a little larger this year!" she smiled.

They all headed inside. Ginny's seemed thick and Hermione's was the thickest. She instantly got really excited. She ripped it open with everyone staring at her and violently opened her letter. As she pulled out the contents of it a badge fell out.

"I got it, Head Girl, I got it!" She exclaimed holding in out in front of her.

Everyone congratulated her and said that they had known she would get it. Ginny's package had a Prefect badge in it and she blushed as they congratulated her as well. They all pulled out their stuff from their envelopes and looked at their book lists. Hermione only needed one more book to complete her list, and she now knew what book it was for advanced potions for Professor Snape's class. She then turned to look at the Head's list of responsibilities and duties.

"I wonder who is Head Boy." Harry said.

"I was hoping it was you mate." Ron said.

"I didn't make it for probably the same reason I wasn't a prefect. For that, I am glad I'm not." He said with a genuine smile.

The day before they would leave for Hogwarts they went to Diagon Alley. They spent their time collecting what they would need for their final year at Hogwarts. They made their yearly visits to Flourish and Blotts, and the other stores along the Alley. This year they made a stop at number 93 Diagon Alley, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, to see George and Fred's shop.

The shop was loaded full of lots of interesting little packages. Some were in pill form and some in little boxes. Others were in glass containers in the form of liquids and gases. Harry recognized a small glass vial of a putrid looking substance instantly.

"Wow look! Stink pellets!" he called to Ron.

'The very same that got us on our start to all our glory," Fred said as he and George came down the stairs into the shop.

"Very good to see you all! So, how much things will you be taking with you then?" asked George.

This drew a stern glance from Mrs. Weasley. She opened her mouth to remind them of the request Dumbledore had made but George waved her off.

"Come now mum, I was only teasing!"

Just then a loud explosion rocked the upstairs of the store.

"I told the git not to bounce it! Bloody buffoon!" Fred said as he ran upstairs.

Everyone stood there looking at George for an explanation.

"What?" he said.

"What the bloody hell was that?" asked Ron.

"We installed a room where you can try out our products before you buy them, kind of like testers. Twas his fault for not listenening." was George's reply.

"Right now, off you go. They'll see you on the holiday!" Said Mrs. Weasley.

They were sure that they heard what sounded like a frog trying to sing opera as they backed out of the store. George was yelling something up the stairs and Fred could be heard laughing his head off.

Ron began to tell them about some of the things that Fred and George had sent him as they rounded the corner and saw Draco across the street. All of them instantly saw the Head Boy's badge on his robes glinting in the sunlight.

Hermione's felt a rush go through her and chest and her stomach drop at the same time.

"Malfoy's Head Boy?" shrieked Ron. "What was Dumbledore thinking?"

"Well he does work hard in class. No other boy has the marks he has," Hermione said shooting an accusing glance in their direction.

"Still, there will be lynching at the school now if you so much as forget to bow to him or something! He'll roam the halls like a bloody emperor now. Oh no, Hermione, you have to share a common room with him alone!"

Though she thought Draco was out of earshot of them, she was sure she saw that smirk grace his face after Ron's statement.

"Well I'm sure that Dumbledore won't let him do any of those things," she said as she looked away from where Draco was standing. "He does know what he's doing and he would strip the badge from Draco if he did anything of the sort."

"Well better you than me," said Ron sounding relieved. "Though only one of us would've made it through the year.

After they had finished purchasing all the required items on their lists, they made their way back to the burrow where the Granger's were waiting. The Weasley's had invited them to stay the night so that they could see their daughter off that next morning.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and the Grangers talked to each other while everyone

else went to the freshly de-gnomed yard. They made a fire and sat around it talking.

"They've been plenty quiet this last year, the Death Eaters I mean," Harry said.

Silence was the only answer from the group.

"It feels like it's almost the calm before the storm," Charlie said at last. "They are bound to do something soon. That much is certain. We just don't know when."

"It's more like the eye of the storm I'd say," replied Bill. "We have been through some tough times already and there are sure to be worse times ahead."

"And I'll be ready for it. It's funny. I always thought that I would be afraid when it came down to it. You know? I thought that I'd have some sort of doubt or reprehension. But, when it does come, I will be ready," Harry said steadily.

"And we'll be by your side," said Hermione.

"All the way mate, whatever it takes," added Ron.

Harry was happy looking at his friends, which had become his family. He knew they would be there for him and that he was definitely not alone. At one time he would have liked to do this on his own but they showed him that family sticks together no matter how bad or dangerous it gets. They would go down fighting by his side and they were very happy with that. That made him feel even that more powerful.

They ended up telling ghost and goblin stories which gradually turned into Bill and Charlie's Excellent Adventures when they took turns telling everyone about the different things they had experienced before Mrs. Weasley called them in for bed. They came in and heard Mr. Weasley and Mr. Granger talking away about this and that, magical and non-magical stuff.

Mrs. Granger said, " They sure are meant for each other."

"That they are!" Mrs.Weasley laughed. They watched the two men excitingly explain different things to each other.

The gang went to bed but they still talked to each other using a device Fred and George had invented that enabled them to hear each other even when they were in different rooms. They reminded Harry of the walkie-talkies he had seen Dudley play with. They talked about how they can't believe that Malfoy is Head Boy and about how sorry they felt for Hermione. The coming year would be interesting.

A/N: Hey everyone! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! I am in a hurry today and I wanted to get the chapter out to you guys so I will answer questions but I won't be able to personally thank reviewers, I will do that on the next chapter, but I do thank you all! I love you guys you make me feel so wonderful with awesome reviews! Well on with the questions: 1- The story has 33 chapters in total and I have written the whole thing beginning to end. 2- This story is not a dark fic so those of you who were worried of that, don't lol. 3- Did Draco beat up the boy at the club? I'm not saying no and I'm not saying no, lol. If you want a clearer answer then please do stick around it comes out later in the story. winks Well that should be it if not then I will add it to chapter 7. Thanks again and I am so sorry for not personally thanking any one in this chapter but I will next one!