Oh my gosh! I am sooo sorry! I was busy working on this other story that I forgot about this one....very very very sorry!!
I'll just have to learn to balance both stories!! Sorry, again.
Disclaimer: Why the heck do we have to keep saying this anyhoo?? I do not own Harry Potter because I am unworthy of the general audience.
And to Tinks: Thanks for reminding me
AND AGAIN SO SORRY BUT MY NEW STORY IS MISS UNITED KINGDOM (JUST IN CASE )
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"RON HURRY UP!!!"
Hermione's voice pierced through Harry's ears like shards of glass. BANG BANG BANG!!
"You've been in there for thirty minutes!! Hello? We don't have much time before the Hogwarts Express takes off! About time!" With a huff, Hermione pushed Ron out of the doorway and slammed the door in his gaping face.
"Is she like this every morning or what?" Ron said, shaking the water out of his eyes. Harry, who was still slapping himself to wake up, just shrugged nonchalantly.
"I don't know. She does seem like a morning person doesn't she?" Ron continued, not noticing Harry's lack of interest. "She could use some cheering up. After all—"
A pillow collided with his face (courtesy of Mr. Potter) and he broke off.
"Okay Harry, you have about five minutes to take a shower and get dressed thanks to Mr. Needs to Use as Much Time as Possible to Look Good. Chopchop!" Hermione ushered Harry into the bathroom while brushing through her wet, slightly bushy hair.
Grabbing his clothes, Harry ran for the shower. He felt a lot better and his tense muscles relaxed under the pounding of the water. Quickly, he dried himself and changed into his clothes cursing the day he ever agreed to travel back in time.
The trio hurried down and flagged down the Knight Bus (which seemed to happening more and more often as they didn't have transportation), on their way to Platform 9 and 3 Quarters.
Hermione, being Hermione, just had to give them a quick lecture before they walked through the barrier.
"Ron, you've got to be more careful! Remember, no one knows us and you are Ron Westley, not Ronald Weasley anymore. We have to act the part convincingly and it's not helping that you turn around every time someone says Weasley. Ron! Are you listening? This is serious!" Hermione frowned disapprovingly. She shook her head and turned to Harry, who was spacing out. "Harry," she started gently.
But Harry shook his head. "I know," he said tonelessly. "I am Harry Porter and no one here knows me. I can't tell my parents who I am and it's best that I stay away from them." His last sentence sounded bitter, even to Hermione.
"Well—yes, kind of. But...it's for the best Harry. You can't risk anyone knowing, not even your parents, but I think it's okay for you to get to know them as long as they don't really get to know the real you," Hermione said, swallowing hard. Harry stared at her in disbelief.
"Hermione, it's going to be even harder if I know them knowing that they'll never know me." He and Hermione stepped across the barrier and onto Platforms 9 and 3 Quarters. "It just—it'll be too painful for me to even be near them."
"Harry, I know. Okay? I know. I know that you've been thinking about this the whole ride here, about how you're gonna act, about what your gonna do, and if you've made up your mind, I can't change it. But just remember, wouldn't you rather get to know them before they...you know...die?" Hermione said.
"But knowing they'll die will be even harder not to say anything," Harry replied, not looking at her.
Hermione plopped down on a seat and pulled Harry down next to her. Ron looked a bit hurt but shrugged and sat opposite of them.
"Harry, I—Harry look at me," Hermione grabbed his face and turned it toward him. "I know it's gonna be hard. But you need to do this. Why do you think Dumbledore asked you to go and not some other members? Because the only one that could get close enough to them and save them on a moment's notice is you. You wouldn't hesitate to give your life for them, but others would. So make the best of this, will you?"
Harry shrugged off her arm and she looked shocked for a moment, and then looked down at her knees. Harry felt a twinge of guilt and looked back at her.
"Alright," he mumbled. Hermione looked up.
"What?"
"I said alright. I'll try," Harry repeated. Hermione smiled and hugged him. Harry, seeing Ron getting a bit green, pulled away quickly and stood up. "Um...I'll be back soon."
Hermione, startled, asked him, "Where are you going? You can't visit them now, it'll be too suspi—"
"I know, I know. Don't worry. I'm just gonna find the loo, 'Mione," Harry said with a faint grin as Hermione blushed furiously. "Unless you want to follow me there too, of course. Just to make sure." With that, he stepped out of the compartment and out into the corridor.
He slipped quietly along the wall and looked carefully into each screen until he found the one he was looking for. Dad...Sirius...Remus...Peter...
He found them in the second to last compartment laughing and joking around. Harry noticed with amusement that each of them had a girl on their lap, even Peter and the girls were all flirting with them outrageously. Hmmm...the girl on his dad's lap certainly didn't look like Lily...
Because she wasn't.
On James' lap sat a brunette girl with a slim figure and large (probably artificial hint hint) breasts. She was pretty enough, although Harry found it hard to imagine anyone other than his mother's tongue inside his father's mouth.
Deciding he had seen enough, he slipped back into his compartment where he found both Ron and Hermione red in the face, Ron looking intently at Hermione, while Hermione determinedly looked the other way.
Sliding a grin on his face, he plopped down next to Ron. "Anything good happen while I was gone?" Hermione and Ron both blushed redder after that. "Whoa! Does that mean something did happen?" Hermione turned around at this and started to shake her head furiously.
"Nothing Harry, we were just talking and—"she trailed off hopelessly.
"Oh, cover some embarrassing subject?" he asked offhandedly. Ron blushed even redder than Harry though possible while Hermione shifted uneasily in her seat.
"Well...Ronstartedtalkingandhetrippedand—andhishandtouchedmybreastandhesqueezed andmumbledsomethingthatsoundedkindoflike'nicebreasts'butIdon'tknowforsure," Hermione said in one breath, blushing a deeper and deeper shade of red as she went on.
Harry grinned and choked back a laugh. "So, I leave you two alone for one moment and you go at it? Tsk tsks, kids these days." Hermione and Ron cracked a grin. The tension seemed to fizzle out, and for the rest of the trip, everyone avoided that subject.
While Hermione was gone ("I'll go get some more food, you guys eat like pigs, honestly!" and she disappeared out of sight.) Ron quickly leaned over and whispered in Harry ear.
"I need to talk to you when we get off," he mumbled.
Harry looked at him questionably but nodded all the same. Besides, he had come to Ron and Hermione several time like that, and they had always been there for him.
For the rest of the ride, Ron turned paler and paler and Harry's questioning looks became more and more obvious until Hermione knew that something was definitely wrong.
"Ok, what did you guys do this time? It's not even---the term hasn't even started yet!" she exclaimed. When the boys didn't respond, she turned serious. "You guys really did something? Did you get detention? How could you—what—what did you do?"
"Aww...'Mione...it shames me that you have so little confidence in Harry and me," Ron said jokingly. Hermione seemed to accept that as an answer and even though Ron was still pale, he was considerably lighter throughout the rest of the trip.
"You will be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes, please change into yours school robes. Your luggage will be taken separately to your houses. Thank you." The announcer blared on and then off.
"First years, first years, this way please! First years, over here!"
Harry, who was so used to Hagrid's voice, looked startled for a second and then remembering where he was, continued walking toward the carriages. He could feel Hermione and Ron do the same thing.
"Come on," Harry stepped into the carriage and the first thing he felt was the familiar warmness of them. It was something he missed. While Ron and Hermione were busy talking, Harry eagerly looked out the window to see Hogwarts. He missed the castle so much and he missed the staff (well most of them anyways) and he missed the ghosts and he missed the staircases and everything.
When they stepped out, they were immediately greeted by Dumbledore himself (which caused a lot of stares) and he ushered them up to his office.
"Now, the sorting is going on downstairs and I regret not being able to see it but that's quite all right. We need to get you sorted. Come on," the young (younger) Dumbledore beckoned them forward.
"But sir," Hermione spoke up. "If the sorting hat is downstairs then...how will we get sorted?"
"Oh, you know about the sorting hat, do you? No doubt someone must have told you about it then, but there are other ways of getting sorted." Dumbledore smiled at them.
"Much more accurate ways."
Harry hadn't felt this nervous since the first sorting he had had and looking at Ron, he knew he wasn't alone. What if they weren't in the same house?
"Do any of you want to go first?" Dumbledore asked them. "There's truly no need to be nervous. Some of the first years make me laugh seeing them like death is upon them, but it's a simple process really. All you have to do is dip your finger in this—"he held up a clear basin, "and if it turns green, Slytherin, red, Gryffindor, purple, Ravenclaw, and orange, Hufflepuff. Those are the four houses by the way."
Knowing that neither Ron or Hermione would go first, Harry stepped up.
"Ahh...Mr. Porter. Good. Now put your finger in the bowl...good, good and we'll wait."
Harry felt this strange sensation as he dipped his finger in. It was like his whole soul were being searched. He shuddered. He didn't like it one bit. Harry decided he preferred the sorting hat than this.
Taking a deep breath he looked down. The colors swirled before him...green, orange, red, and purple. Then one color surfaced up. Green.
Ron, Hermione, and Harry all looked at the color with horror.
"All right then, Mr. Porter, you will be in—"Dumbledore stopped midsentence. Another color surfaced. Red. "Well, this certainly his strange..." he mused.
Purple, orange, both surfaced until all four colors were on top, mixing with one another.
Dumbledore started. He looked surprised. Seeing their bated breaths, however, he cleared his throat and began talking. "Um...this certainly is a surprise. But I shall let you choose which house to be in Mr. Porter. Your choice."
"Gryffindor." The word left his mouth in a hurry because it was so very familiar. He hadn't even given it a second thought. Dumbledore smiled.
"Very well, I trust you can find your way down to the Great Hall. Amuse yourself and tuck in. Your friends shall only be a moment."
When he got to the Gryffindor table, he sat down on the very edge, away from everyone. Although some people looked curiously at him, most were too busy paying attention to the Marauders and to give him a second thought. Hermione came in next. Harry looked anxiously at her, and she smiled. Giving him a thumbs up. She slid in the seat next to him.
Now they were attracting stares.
Ron slipped in last and he too grinned when he saw them and sat on the other side of Harry.
Gryffindors unite once again.
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"So Ron, what is it you wanted to tell me?" Harry asked, changing into his pajamas.
They were in the boy's dormitories (password was 'coconutmix') and for some reason they were alone. The Mauraders weren't here, probably on a nighttime trip, and the other roommates weren't here yet either.
Ron flinched as if he hoped Harry would forget.
"Ron," Harry said.
"Um...I...just—just...I just need advice," Ron stuttered.
"Yes?" Harry waited for him to go on.
"Suppose you like this girl, but you don't know if she likes you back. You think she likes her other best friend but you don't know if that best friend likes her and you're afraid of losing her...what do you do?"
Harry thought for a moment. "Hypothetically, I think the guy should tell his best friend who the girl is even though his best friend may already know."
"You do?" was Ron's smart answer.
"I might," Harry said. "Tell."
"Al—alright. But you can't tell her."
"Okay..."
"Hermione. I love Hermione."
Harry registered one thing that Ron said.
"--You think she likes her other best friend but you don't know if that best friend likes her and you're afraid of losing her...what do you do?"
Ron like Hermione and Hermione liked...
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Harry??!!!
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Alright! Another chappie!! I won't forget next time!! Okay?? Gomen gomen gomen. Sorry!!
Oh, here's my question for now:
Should Harry end up with Hermione or will I be nice to Ron and let Hermione end up with him??
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