A/N: (I am sorry, my ever faithful readers. I have neglected this fanfic on a level that is entirely inexcusable. You are welcome to break out the torches and pitchforks especially since this chapter is not even that good. I have no idea where this story is going, which is really bad. I'm kinda winging it, which is even worse. So I beg a thousand apologies and hope this is at least satisfactory! Lotz of luv and you all need to update soon before I die of complete and utter boredom! Laterz! -Writing Fairy-)

Chapter 8, Just A Side Trip

"Hermione?" Harry said quietly. She kept her eyes shut tight. She did NOT want to know where they had ended up, "Did we make it?" She finally asked as Harry and Ron let go of her.

"Just open your eyes." Harry told her. Hermione gritted her teeth and did as he said.

"Now would you like to tell us where the hell we are?" Ron snapped annoyed.

"Well excuse me!" Hermione snapped back, "I have never carried anyone while apparating before! None the less two!"

"Well, you're supposed to be the bloody genius!" Ron yelled, more frightened than angry, "You're supposed to do everything right!-"

"I'm not perfect Ronald!" She informed him furiously.

"No doubt about that-" Ron retorted sarcastically.

"Guys! Quit it! You're not helping." Harry scolded them, his eyes roving up and down the street, taking in row after row of the same brown colored houses. Why did this place look so...familiar...Oh. Well he felt stupid.

"Private Drive." Hermione said strangely.

"Private Drive." Harry confirmed a little oddly. Then he turned to Hermione and asked, "What brought us here?"

"I don't know." Hermione shook her head, running a shaking hand through her hair, "I was rushed...and-and stressed. And I was thinking about how you promised you would go home at least once and I tried focusing on Broker Street but-but...I don't know!" Hermione finally snapped.

"It's fine. I just...wondered." Harry sighed. "Well, while we're here..."

"Might as well...visit." Hermione finished, expressing Harry's reluctance for him.

"Must we?" Harry sighed.

"Might as well get it over with while we're here mate." Ron shrugged, shoving his hand in his pocket and hitching his bag up higher on his other arm before heading down the street.

Hermione shrugged and did the same, following in Ron's stead. Harry just stared after them. He'd really rather not. Of course he'd rather not. But he had to. So he sighed and followed. Not that that made it any easier.

Uncle Vernon's face was puce-colored as he realized just who was at the door. He huffed and growled, "What are you doing here boy?"

"I need to visit once before I turn seventeen." Harry responded tightly.

"Let him in Vernon." Petunia told him firmly. She was looking around nervously as if waiting for a howler to come speeding into the house.

Harry entered, followed closely by Hermione and Ron. Uncle Vernon bulked completely, "I know we have to let the boy in, but his friends...?" Harry paused and looked at his uncle.

"Vernon." was all Aunt Petunia said. Harry didn't exactly like the woman, but she wasn't an idiot like her husband. She knew when to just let things go. But she still looked at Harry expectantly. Ah, introductions. "Aunt Petunia, these are my best mates Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley." was the extent of his detail. Aunt Petunia extended her bony hand and shook each of their hands and looked meaningfully at Uncle Vernon. How they appeared to other people was all that they lived for. Vernon grunted and stuck out his hand.

"Hello." Hermione said pleasantly shaking their hands in turn.

"Yeah, er, hello." Ron agreed awkwardly.

"Well this is going to be fun." Harry muttered under his breathe.

Things were...tense...to put it kindly. Dudley had scampered off in that bully-like way of his as soon as he caught a glimpse of the trio, Uncle Vernon managed to grow redder and redder as the minutes passed, and Aunt Petunia was shaking and glancing around anxiously ever few seconds. At the very least Harry was getting this visit out of the way. They all sat in the living room with a cup of tea and a plate of cookies, just staring at the ceiling, willing the clock to move faster.

Hermione kept trying to make conversation, but failing, "You house is very...clean." She commented awkwardly.

"Thank you." Aunt Petunia replied stiffly. And that was the end of that.

Ron was just sitting their scarfing down the cookies while trying to seem polite -a hard endeavor. Harry was getting extremely impatient, tapping his feet, rocking back and forth. He hated this house. It represented a horrible childhood and reminded him of everything that had once oppressed him. Now the world was limitless. Once he turned seventeen...home was going to be whatever patch of dirt he happened to be standing on. Work was going to be finding and destroying Lord Voldemort. Then he would become an Auror. Everything was going to work out...

When they finally managed to wriggle out of Harry's Aunt and Uncle's they just walked down the street. They were really in no rush. They couldn't apparate there anyway.

"They're...quiet." Hermione offered kindly as she had never actually met the Dursley's before.

"Yeah. Sure." Harry scoffed scuffing the ground with his shoe.

"Harry, are we really not going back this year?" Hermione asked quietly.

"I don't know how I can." Harry replied, trying to sound casual, but the fact was rather getting to him too. Hogwarts was his home. "You two can-"

"No Harry. If you aren't then we aren't." Ron told him firmly.

"Right." Hermione agreed, but didn't sound too enthusiastic about it.

Harry just realized something he hadn't before, "Where's Mystic?" Hedwig hooted from Harry's shoulder like 'who gives?' It was obvious she wasn't a fan of him but it was Sage's owl and if something happened to him while he was with Harry, he'd feel really bad...

Suddenly a hoot came from the other side of the street and something gray swooped in front of Harry's face, dropping something in his hand. Mystic! It was another howler.

"Another one?" Hermione frowned. She was a bit...weirded out now.

"There's nothing to worry about." Harry informed her.

"Why not?"

"I dunno. She just seems a lot like Dumbledore..." The last word was said quietly and rather cut off from the rest of the sentence. He broke the seal on the parchment and immediately it unfurled and out popped the Sage-hologram.

"Wotcher, Harry, Ron, Hermione." She said pleasantly, "Heard you had quite a brush-in with some dementors. I daresay I wish you would let us help you, but it'd hurt your ego too much to bear I suppose." She added wryly. "I just wanted to warn you of the dangers going on around you, things you've been sheltered from at Hogwarts and even at the Burrow." Sage had a serious look to her face and a no-nonsense tone to her voice. Harry couldn't help but think she sounded a lot like- " Death Eaters. They roam the land with a vengeance at this point. Werewolves, the first full moon is tonight, of course it would have to be." The Sage-gram rolled her eyes exasperatedly, "So if you could make it here before nightfall that would be grand. Trolls, stupid but brute force. A few would take you down in a matter of minutes. Though you might already know that." She winked. "Let me see, he has plenty of allies as of the moment. I know you already know about the dementors, but I just want you three to know that they are everywhere. Sightings have been reported from nearly every other city and you had better be cautious. The giants, I'm fairly certain they have been swayed just enough. Be careful though, make sure to ascertain just who's side they're on before you attack as I believe Hagrid managed to get a few on our side..." She hummed slightly thinking. Finally she sighed and told them, "For immediate dangers I think that does it. That offer is still open to have Tonk's take you by the way, so don't be shy!" She paused for a moment then said oddly, "And Voldemort. You might wanna watch out for him too. Cheers, and have a safe journey! Sage."

"How does she always know!" Harry said frustrated.

"I told you, she's a seer." Hermione sighed, starting to become frustrated with Harry and Ron's ability to never remember a single thing she ever told them. Like about technology in Hogwarts. One day, many years from now, it will sink in. She just knew it. It had to.

"So what are we gonna do? Walk up to a giant and ask politely 'Are you working for the evil wizard you-know-who or are you a card carrying Phoenix member?'" Ron asked sarcastically, "I'll tell you what would happen: THWACK, SPLAT. No more Harry, Ron, and Hermione. We'd be flatter than a pancake."

Harry and Ron just gave him an exasperated look. "You know that's not what she meant right?" Hermione asked him dubiously.

Ron's face just slackened, "Yeah. Sure. I knew that."

"Right." Hermione rolled her eyes. Then became serious and Harry was once again hit with a sense of de ja vu. She sounded just like- "So let's just recap. The werewolves won't come out until the moon rises-"

"Unless you're Greyback and bite in human form." Harry interjected darkly.

"Which we've found is non lethal." Hermione pointed out.

"If not completely disgusting." Ron added with an irritated look on his face.

"Trolls." Hermione pondered. "I'm not sure if they'd come this close to all of these houses. They'd get lost in the subdivisions. Voldemort would have to be a halfwit to send them in a place like this. Giants, giants we would hear before they got close. People would be screaming, we could see them from a mile around, they'd be all over the telly." Hermione continued. "And that leaves the Death Eaters."

"And Voldemort." Harry added quietly.

"Yeah."

"Great. Our biggest fans!"

A/N: ( I hope you liked it and once again, my apologies on my thoughtless neglecting! Please review and update all of your wonderful stories soon! Lotz of luv and everything else except for all this darn homework teacher's just LUV to torture us all with! Laterz! -Writing Fairy-)