Chapter 2: Spinner's End

"Hello guys," Harry said, holding back his laughter. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Harry!" Ron yelled as he leapt back from Hermione, who look rather dreamy and flustered.

"Oh, Hi Harry," said Hermione sounding almost like Luna," when did you get here?"

"Couple of minutes ago."

"That's nice."

"Yes. Yes it is."

At this point the straight-face routine ended and Harry and Hermione burst into laughter. Hermione walked across the room and hugged Harry, then sat on Ron's bed, Ron himself took several more seconds to walk over, pat Harry on the back and sit beside Hermione.

"So, is there something you want to tell me?" Harry asked after he had finished watching Ron make a meal of sitting down.

"Yes...We're...Kind of...Sort of...Going out..." Ron managed to say, with rather a lot of difficulty.

"Well I should hope you don't kiss all your friends like that. Otherwise I would have had to stop associating with you."

"Thank you, Harry," said Hermione.

"What for?" he replied.

"For understanding. And not yelling at us!"
"Harry? Yell? Are you huffing powdered Bowtruckle, Hermione?" said Ginny, giggling a bit as she entered. She sat next to Harry. Hermione looked quite affronted at this blatant insult. Then she realised that Ginny was actually joking. The others burst out laughing when her faced showed that she finally understood. Hermione gave a hearty sniff of disapproval, causing them to laugh even more.

"So, what's up?" said Harry, after the laughter had died down.

"Well," began Ginny, "don't bother unpacking."

"Why not?"

"Dunno, Dumbledore says you're only staying here tonight and then all of us are leaving."

"I think," Hermione said, "we're going to my house, at least at first. I haven't got my school things and Dumbledore told me I'd have time to get them before we left here."

"Where do you live?" Harry asked.

"Number 24 Spinner's End." She said simply.

"I meant city, Hermione," Harry replied, frustration showing in his voice.

"Oh! In Charlton, London," she said, realization dawning on her.

"Hermione, I think Ron is a bad influence on your intelligence, you're going dim!"

Ron acted offended and Hermione thumped Harry. They were rolling around the floor laughing for the third or fourth time that day.
I think I could get used to this easy-going lifestyle, Harry thought to himself. They spent a bout 45 minutes chilling and chatting. It was the happiest Harry had been in months.

When the time came, they headed down to dinner. They were only vaguely surprised to see Albus Dumbledore, long silver beard and all, sitting at the table.
"'Ello Professor," Harry said cheerfully, "What time are we leaving tomorrow?"

"Straight to the point, eh, Harry?" chuckled Dumbledore, "We're leaving for Hermione's at ten, then at 11, it's on to Hogwarts."

"HOGWARTS?" the entire student population of the table yelled.

"Why so early?" Harry asked.

"We have some business to attend to there. It concerns all of you, and also another girl who I'm sure you know. She will be here in about an hour or so."

Glancing round at each other in bemusement, the kids began to eat their food. As the meal went on, the conversations became darker and darker, until Harry, on the advice of the nearby Fred and George, instigated a food fight. Even Mrs. Weasley joined in.

"Great idea, guys!" yelled Harry to Fred and George as he threw a cottage pie at Ron (who screamed and dropped the water jug on his foot), whilst they were using their wands to shoot peas like they were machine gun artillery.

"Thanks," one of them began.

"We love a good food fight," the other finished.

Harry simply chuckled.

A little while later, once they had finished the scourgification of the mess, they heard the door open and what sounded like 3 people come through it. Sure enough, a few moments later, a tall witch with blonde-brown hair and a black haired moustached man entered the kitchen, with none other than Katie Bell in their wake.

"Well, here she is, Dumbledore. I've wired her stuff to Hogwarts," said the man, clearly Katie's dad.

"Excellent Willibur," said Dumbledore, "This is very important."

"She was happy to come, after she found out who else was going to be here," said the woman, clearly Katie's mother, with a wry glance at Harry, who had no idea why she had given him such a look.

"Yes, I suppose she would have been, Kathleen." Said Dumbledore, obviously more in the know than Harry.

"Well, we'll see you at Christmas, love," said Willibur, hugging his daughter.

"And remember my advice about..."

"MUM!" Katie yelled, cutting off her mum mid-sentence and mid-hug/kiss.

"See you soon love." Kathleen said, smirking.

And with that, Kathleen and Willibur Bell disappeared with a crack.

"I think you should show Katie where she'll be sleeping," Dumbledore said, "It's with you girls."

"That explains the sleeping bag, come on guys and gals, let's go snooze." Hermione said, flourishing her head.

"You are so weird," said Harry, before diving out of both Hermione and Ron's grasps, much to the amusement of Ginny and Katie.

Harry awoke upon a broomstick. Up ahead of him was a Gryffindor player, for some reason he wanted to get to her more than he had ever wanted any Snitch. But as he accelerated off after her, she sped away. He kicked his broom to get it to go faster. He was gaining on her. As he got closer he noticed blonde hair. He got up alongside her and she dived sideways onto him, throwing him off his broom onto the grass below. Strangely, this was more a tickly pleasant feeling than a painful thump. Giggling, she rolled him over so that she was pinning him. They lent forward to kiss each other. It was...

"...Katie..." Harry mumbled, stirring from his sleep. Suddenly, he sat bolt upright. It was okay. Ron was asleep. He hadn't heard. Harry curled up in his bed and tried to sort through his feelings.
Do I fancy Katie? Thought a confused part of him, waiting for the decisive voice of Hermione at the back of his head.

But it was Ron's voice that answered from the back of his head. Yes. And it's not just physical. You actually like her.
Checking that Ron was still asleep, he rested his head back on his pillow and had the dream again. And again. And again...

"Harry, you look terrible!" Katie said as he sat down opposite her at the breakfast table.

"Didn't sleep well," he replied, "kept having this dream. It was weird."

"Not a scar dream though?" Hermione asked.

"No, it involved a girl I like."

At this Ron perked up and said "Oooh! Do tell! I'll tell you who I fancy!"

"I know who you fancy. It's Hermione."

"WHAT? Who told you!"

"You did. You're going out with her."

"Oh. Yeah," finished Ron, burying his face in his cereal. The others just laughed.

Once they had finished their breakfast, they lined up at the fire place to head to a wizarding home near Hermione's house.

"The Mitchell family were kind enough to offer their house as a rallying point for us." Dumbledore told them, before giving them the address.
"23A, Tresemme road."

After leaving the Mitchell's, they set off at a brisk pace for Spinner's End. Hermione's house was a lovely modern building, and to Harry's delight, surprisingly messy.

"Hello mum. Hey dad!" Hermione said, hugging her parents in the living room. Introductions were made, and then the kids went up to Hermione's room to get her stuff.

"Nice room Hermione," Ron said.

"Why thank you Ronald."
It was in fact, an absolutely wonderful room. Elegance was mixed with style and practicality. A computer and TV rested on a desk in one corner, whilst another desk in the other available corner was covered in papers. Her bed was a stylish affair with lots of frilly bits. The decor was the kind that all teenage girls love. POSTERS, POTERS, POSTERS!

After the packing process (During which Ron snogged Hermione five times), they went downstairs with a full trunk. Harry and Ron were being surprisingly gentlemanly and carrying it. Hermione and Ginny were gob-smacked.

"This is a first. We didn't even have to ask!" commented Hermione as they grunted halfway down.

"We're not that bad!" Harry moaned. Everyone laughed.

I'm good at that, he thought to himself, before dropping the trunk too quickly at the bottom of the stairs and breaking his toe, to yet another roar of laughter.

"Well it was nice meeting you Mr. and Mrs. Granger." said Ron, in in-law-suck-up-mode, "I hope to see you again real soon."

With an amused glance each the adult Grangers said goodbye to everyone before hugging Hermione and doing the "We'll miss you thing". As they left, Harry could have sworn he heard Hermione sniffle, but before he could ask, Ron's arm had brought her into a hug. All he could see was...Katie.