Harry Potter and His Sixth Year

Chapter Sixteen: Alone

Walking down to the Great Hall by himself was one thing Harry had never done before. But on the first day back to Hogwarts he was faced with this dilemma. Should he wait for Ron and Hermione like he always did? Should he wait for his room mates? Or should he just go down by himself. Harry decided on the latter. He needed to learn how to do things on his own, it wasn't as if he ever dealt with Voldemort with the help of his friends.

When Harry arrived in the Great Hall, he realized that it was very early. There were only a few people scattered about the Hall. At the Gryffindor table there was only one person that Harry knew. He took a seat opposite of her after asking if the seat was reserved. "No," she replied to his question while keeping a steady gaze at the daily Prophet.

"I'm disappointed, here I am the Tri-wizard Tournament Champion and Hogwarts own celebrity and I get no greeting just a no."

"Harry?" she questioned before glancing at the person in front of her. "What are you doing down here so early? Normally you are one of the last people down here."

"Well, it's nice to know you notice me. I woke up early this morning, not knowing the time since Hogwarts doesn't have bedside clocks. And forgetting I could do magic , I didn't bother to use the tempus spell. Then I was faced with the dilemma of waiting for anybody, but decided that I would go to breakfast by myself for the first time in forever."

"Wow! Already your first day back and your solving problems."

"Very funny, the sarcasm is very suiting. Why are you down here so early Ms. Weasley?"

"I have always been an early riser. When I'm at home it's the only time I have or myself. Mum understands that I need my own time so while I'm sitting by myself thinking she starts breakfast. We both like the silence in the morning it's the only silence there is all day. Once my brothers wake up it's a circus. One thing about my brothers you can count on is that they get up late."

"You seem to know your brothers quite well."

"Of course, I only live with them all the time."

"Well then do you know why Ron and Hermione tried to hide their relationship? Its been boggling my mind. Did they think that I would be jealous or something? Why would they want to hide it? Isn't love supposed to be out in the open?"

"Part of the problem Harry was that they didn't know how to approach the subject. Neither you nor Ron has had much experience with girls. The yule ball is a prime example of that, an you and Cho Chang was a disaster before it started."

"But if they didn't know how to approach the subject, wouldn't the have been more careful about who was watching them snog?"

"Well you know us Weasleys, we like to procreate. Besides my brother is a horny teenage boy; what else can you expect from a teen boy?"

"Are you saying that all of us boys are just trying to get down girls pants?"

"What if I am, Potter?"

"Let's make a wager, if you date a single boy who doesn't try to get down your pants, I get to make you do whatever I want for a week."

"Okay, and if every single boy I date tries to go down my pants, you will be my slave for a week."

"It's a deal," Harry said then shook Ginny's hand to seal the deal. "Now Ginny, if you start the wandering hands then it doesn't count."

"Yes sir, so the boy has to be the one to start the sexual exploration, and snogging doesn't count. Is that correct, sir?"

"Yes, and would you quit it with this sir stuff, you sound like Dobby. Next your going to start calling me Prince Boy-Who-Lived."

"Good idea, Prince Boy-Who-Lived. Man that's a long title."

"Yeah well, its even longer than that."

"I'm going to shorten it to Prince BWL or maybe I'll just call you Prince Harry."

For the rest of breakfast the two teased each other. "Man Ginny, I might have to start waking up early every day so I can talk to you with out interference."

"Just don't ruin my quiet time."

"Okay, I'll go on a run and take a shower then come down and talk to you."

"Sounds good to me." At that moment Ron and Hermione came down to breakfast. Ron said, "So you jump from one Weasley to another. Just make sure you don't hurt her, otherwise I'll stick Fred and George on you."

"We were only talking."

"That's not what it looked like to me. It looked like you two were flirting."

"Whatever Ron, it's not even worth fighting over. Tell Hermione that she can come to Dumbledore's with me to learn about my parents and Sirius. Now I have to get to class, I don't need to have Snape yelling at me already."

"You aren't going to wait for Hermione and me?"

"No, you guys obviously know how to keep each other company; you don't need me any more."

"Harry, that's not how it is."

"Well it sure seemed like it to me. You can't even trust me enough to tell me that my two best friends are dating. Now I need to go to the tower and get my book so I won't be late for class."

Harry arrived to potions about ten minutes early so he got out his textbook and refreshed his memory on the potion they were going to have to brew today. When he finished skimming the reading, he looked up from his book and saw Ron and Hermione whispering behind him.

As the bell rang, Professor Snape walked through the doors as dramatically as the first time Harry saw him. "Well, well, well, it looks like the Golden Trio isn't a trio any longer." Harry's body language remained stoic whereas Ron seemed ready to pounce. "Well I guess things can't always be perfect for the boy-who-lived. Now your potions on the board, get to it."

Harry raised his hand, "Professor, in the text it says to slice the Oakland wood chip, but on the board you wrote to dice the Oakland wood chip. Which is it and why?"

"Finally, a student who questions instead of correcting," Snape muttered to himself, then said to the class, "Dicing the wood chips is going to make the chips combine in the potion smoother therefore making it easier to et the right consistency. Good question Potter take two points for Gryffindor, it seems like you inherited some talent from your mother."

"Thank you, Sir,"

The rest of potions class seem to fly by, and soon Harry was walking to his next class of the day, Charms. After studying Charms with his mother he had a new appreciation of the art. Charms in a finesse class. By having the righ attitude and the right ambition anything can happen. Professor Flitwick even complemented Harry for his successfulness of the Charm, he said, "You've inherited something James lacked, and your mother had in abundance, good job, Harry."

After hearing Professor Flitwick's compliments, Hermione started to get angry. Harry had shown her up not once but twice and in one day. If he kept it up, she would lose her ranking as first in the class. Hermione made a mental note to check her schedule to see which classes she had tomorrow so she would be extra prepared. Now to that charm...she went off thinking.

Soon Charms was over and Harry and Hermione were the only ones to master the spell. Of course Hermione had to put in much more effort than Harry to get the same results.

"Hermione, are you coming with me to see Professor Dumbledore?"

"Yes, do we have time to drop off our books?"

"No, you won't be there long so it won't matter anyway. Or you can give your books to Ron to take to the tower."

Harry and Hermione walked in an awkward silence to Professor Dumbledore's office. "Greetings children, please make yourselves comfortable."

"Professor is it true what Harry said about how his parents and Sirius are alive," Hermione said getting right to the point.

"Yes, Ms. Granger it is true, I have seen it with my own eyes."

"But how? The elven world has ben closed to humans for eternity."

"Neither harry nor myself are completely human."

"But you are part human, how is that possible?" Hermione's inquisitive nature was reeling how was all this possible.

"Elves can migrate to earth, don't be close minded think of all the possibilities before you say something is impossible," Dumbledore suggested to Hermione.

"But some things are impossible, for instance apparating in Hogwarts."

"True human apparation can not take place, but elvish apparation can. Harry, myself, and the house elves can apparate in Hogwarts."

"I don't believe you."

"Harry, a demonstration please."

"Do I have to Granddad, I hate wizarding and even elven forms of transportation."

"Yes, you need the practice. Your father told me what happened the first time you apparated, you don't want a repeat of that, do you?"

"No way! That was not a pleasant experience." After he said that, Harry started popping everywhere in the room."

"How is it possible," Hermione muttered to herself.

"Nothing is impossible, Ms. Granger, you just need to have the right frame of mind. Now I do believe we are all done here."

"Bye Professor. Harry are you coming?"

"Not right now, I still need to talk through some things with the Professor."

"Okay, I will see you later then." On her way back to the Gryffindor Tower Hermione played the conversation she had with the Headmaster through her head. 'Hold on, did Harry call the Headmaster Granddad. Mental note: ask Harry if he is related to Dumbledore.'

Author's Note: I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I had it sitting in my notebook waiting to be typed, and I was going to type it a couple of days ago, but I left my notebook at my dads. But here it is now. So please review )