Disclaimer: Characters- Not Mine
Story That No One Reviews- Mine
Finally, the very long awaited chapter of everyone's favorite story. Over three hundred hits and a single digit number of reviews. Ha-ha. No matter, this is fun. Don't let my bitter jokes fool you; I really do enjoy writing this story!
Goodie2Shoe
Harry sat straight up in bed and automatically reached for his glasses that rested on his bedside table. Bespectacled, Harry took stock of his bed and, to his relief, found no brown curls peeking from under the covers nor any extra limbs entangled in his own; he was completely alone. Harry had the urge to laugh aloud; it had all been a dream.
He shook his head as though doing so would remove the thoughts contained within it. That dream about Hermione, Harry didn't even know that he…do I? Harry thought suddenly.
This dream and the emotions it had suggested that he had, well, quite honestly, Harry was surprised by them. Hermione had always been a great friend to Harry, but, contrary to the rumors created by the joint efforts of Draco Malfoy and several articles published by the hated Rita Skeeter, she was nothing more. Or so I had thought, Harry thought as he rubbed the side of his head.
And what about the other dream, there had been another before he had ended up in his bed with Hermione, sitting so close together when he, Harry, walked into the room. It had been about the curtain in the Department of Mysteries but Harry couldn't remember much else, except the allure of the muslin-like fabric and its proximity to his outstretched fingers. Harry couldn't focus on that dream. His mind kept flitting back to the feel of Hermione's lips against his and the shock of seeing himself enter a room he was currently inhabiting.
Since when do you see yourself while you are yourself in your own dream? Harry shook his head, causing his glasses to land askew on the bridge of his nose but otherwise failing to dispel the memory of last night's dream from his head.
It was indeed strange. Harry had had a similar sensation once before when he and Hermione had traveled back three hours in time using Hermione's time turner. It was utterly bizarre, Harry recalled, that they had followed and watched themselves the entire evening. But this was different. As far as he could tell it was not possible to go back in time in your dream.
Temporarily dispelling thoughts of his dream from his head, Harry stretched and stood up, drawing his bed curtains aside. He smiled thinking that in his dream they had certainly been put to good use. There I go again with that dream. Harry thought, frustrated.
Ron, too, pulled his burgundy bed curtains open as usual and then suddenly blanched as though frightened of Harry. "Sorry mate, did I scare you?" Harry teased, his eyebrows raised questioningly. "Yeah, yeah, uh-huh…" Ron muttered absentmindedly, but Harry was cheered by the fact that the color had begun to return to Ron's face as he, too, got up and headed towards the boy's bathrooms.
At breakfast they were joined by Hermione. Since it was their first day of classes schedules were being passed out and Hermione fidgeted with her usual mixture of anticipation and anxiety, tapping her foot while Professor McGonagall made her rounds about the Gryffindor table.
When Hermione had acquired her new schedule, the result of somewhat grabbing it out of Professor McGonagall's outstretched hand, receiving a scowl in return, she sat down quietly, studying it carefully. Harry thought that she might even begin stroking it lovingly. It was no secret that Hermione loved school and organization and her schedule happened to combine these very two things.
"I honestly had trouble sleeping last night because I couldn't wait until we got our schedules", she said. Harry glanced away at this point, feeling embarrassed and somewhat guilty about the dream he had had last night. In his dream Hermione had said that she couldn't sleep either, but that time she had been thinking about him, this Hermione had been worried about her schedule.
"Look Ron, look," she continued, nudging a somewhat flustered looking Ron with her elbow, "We have Potions with the Slytherins again this year but now we have Herbology with them too. That will be dreadful."
"The good news is that if Malfoy starts strutting around as usual, a ball of dragon dung can accidentally find its way to the back of his head." Harry pointed out, with a mischievous grin on his face, not unlike that of the Weasley twins, when they had just fed some unwitting person one of their skiving snack boxes or canary creams.
The upbraiding tone of the "Harry!" and the glare from Hermione that this comment provoked were completely undermined by the grin that played across her lips. The lips I kissed last night?Harry thought once more.
"Hey, I wonder how the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be", Ron began thoughtfully.
"Each year we somehow manage to scare them away." Harry added.
"Yeah, with accidental memory loss, long term imprisonment, or abduction by centaurs they somehow never want to stay", Ron continued jokingly as the Gryffindors all got up and headed to their first class of the day.
The main hall was teeming with students all milling around before the beginning of class. Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined a group of Gryffindors waiting to go to Transfiguration, their first class of the day.
"I wonder if we are finally going to try something more challenging than small animals, like rats and mice." Lavender Brown asked of Parvati Patil, who added, "I certainly hope so. They are disgusting."
"Speaking of disgusting rodents…" Ron muttered under his breath as they saw Draco Malfoy make his way through the crowded hall, with Crabbe and Goyle clearing a path for him, going so far as to lift scared first years clear off the ground, their legs dangling helplessly in the air.
Harry could see Ron's fists clenched out of the corner of his eye and Hermione's jaw was firmly set as though in preparation of an attack. Draco pushed his way through the crowd and appeared in front of the trio with his usual smirk.
"So Potter, you have another fainting spell? Don't think I didn't see you, mumbling to yourself like some kind of freak!"
"I'm surprised you could see anything at all Malfoy with my fist in your eye!" Ron retorted angrily.
Behind him, Harry heard Dean and Seamus snicker and thought that he might have heard Hermione sniff approvingly.
"I wasn't talking to you Weasley. You and that mudblood," Malfoy continued nodding his chin at Hermione, "aren't much use to Potter in a fight "
Dean and Seamus stopped laughing; Harry suspected that they, just as everyone else standing around them had no idea what Malfoy was referring to.
Malfoy had lowered his voice dangerously so that only Harry, Ron, and Hermione could hear what he was saying.
"Yeah, I heard from some of my father's friends that you two both went down really easy. Yeah, you too Granger, and you're supposed to be smart. Hey Potter, couldn't help your girlfriend? But I guess you were too busy trying to save Black; he was supposed to be like a father to you wasn't he?"
Draco laughed coolly and Harry was vaguely aware that he was clutching his wand in the pocket of his robes.
"Yeah, I know all about him, always trying to be the hero, sort of like you actually." Draco trailed off, "Well, glad Aunt Bella got the honor of ki--"
Harry couldn't stand it any longer. He pulled out his wand and aimed it right at Draco's chest, cursing him with the first hex that came to mind. As he opened his mouth, however, he didn't just hear his voice; he heard three voices in unison.
A moment later Draco lay on the ground, unrecognizable, and Harry turned to see both Ron and Hermione with their wands out looking around with a mixture of guilt and glee on their faces.
The small circle that had formed around them while Malfoy had been speaking disappeared into the classroom and students walked through the hallway, only somewhat mindful of Malfoy's body which lay sprawled on the ground, as though walking over unconscious prefects was common practice.
Harry didn't even have time to admire the handiwork of the jumbled mix of spells that they had cast on Malfoy when Professor McGonagall came up to them, her black robes sweeping behind her and her sternest look adorning her face.
"Potter!" She cried.
Harry realized he should not have lost his temper. But he couldn't help it, the way Malfoy had spoken about Sirius, it was just too much to handle. Professor McGonagall should have realized that they had been provoked.
"You are to report to the headmaster's office immediately!"
Harry looked at Ron and Hermione gloomily.
"No dilly-dallying. Professor Dumbledore has requested a special meeting with you."
Harry was stunned. Professor McGonagall had just passed over Draco's body as though it was an old rolled up carpet.
She was halfway in the door of their transfiguration classroom when she doubled-back..
"Oh, and you two," she added, indicating Ron and Hermione, as though the thought was just occurring to her at that very moment,
"Would you please take Mr. Malfoy up to the infirmary as it seems he has had a bit of an accident."
Harry couldn't believe his ears.
Professor McGonagall turned around and headed off with no other indication of what she had overheard Malfoy say or what of she had just done, or rather, not done.
Ron and Hermione stood by Malfoy's body wearing an expression of shock similar to the one Harry assumed he was wearing right now.
Harry turned and chanced a small questioning smile as he began to walk in the direction of Dumbledore's office while Hermione levitated Malfoy's body off the ground and began to direct him up the marble stairs behind him.
It was only when Harry had reached the stone gargoyle that served as the entrance to Dumbledore's office that he realized he hadn't the faintest idea why he was there.
