Chapter 6
"95%"
Hermione leapt on Harry peppering kisses on his cheek
"Hermione Granger, put that poor boy down"
"Sorry Mum"
A mortified Hermione said
Emma walked over grabbed Harry and peppered his other cheek
"Emma Granger, put that poor boy down"
Hermione's mother released the boy and spoke
"Look where we are with these lovely people, being treaded as equals. Compared to that shopping area where we were looked down at"
Sirius interrupted
"We did this to thank her, our children have been let down time and again. Supposed friends betraying them. If Neville had not joined Hogwarts we don't know if we would have got them on the train."
Sirius pointed to Hermione, who had released Harry but held his hand
"that beautiful young lady accepted our children for who they are. Not what they have or supposedly done. I will be eternally grateful."
Sirius smiled
"let's eat"
They all enjoyed a fabulous meal with little pockets of conversation breaking out.
Sirius, Dan and Frank were growing closer as the night progressed, all three Grangers were able to communicate with Mr Longbottom . He had felt isolated at times, tonight there were 4 people in the room he could chat to with ease.
Alice, Amelia and Emma worked their way through a lot of wine. The kids loved their time with their families, being away from them was the disadvantage of a boarding school. Hermione found her self sat next to Harry, he was talking to the four remaining parents. Frank had taken a very drunk Alice home, promising to join Dan and Sirius very soon for a boys night.
Harry, Susan and Neville had a gift for Hermione
"No you three have done more tonight than I could ever accept"
She opened the box to find two matching compact mirrors.
"This is yours and this is for your mum"
He passed the compact across the table and asked then to open them.
"Hermione say Mum"
Looking confused she did as she was told, her face morphed into shock. When her Mother spoke and the voice echoed through the mirror she was amazed.
"Hermione, you and your mum can't show these to anyone"
She looked to see Harry's parents sitting with beaming smiles and their fingers in their ears.
"what are they doing"
Harry looked to where they were sitting and pocked his tongue out at them.
"ignore them they are being juvenile. We all have them in some form we are working to improve them"
"Harry your starting to make me feel like you feel you need to buy my friendship"
"Hermione it is the absolute opposite of that reason that I did this, please let me explain. When you look at us you just see us"
He pointed to each of them as he spoke.
"Nev a power house, Brave as a bear and loyal without an ounce of deceit. Sue, Sarcastic, funny but afraid she would be let down so pushed everyone away. Then there is me Just Harry who was scared to walk into the castle, until a girl who had known him for only a few hours took his hand and showed him he is not alone."
Hermione stopped him so she could speak.
"Harry I feel like a fraud, I held your hand because I was scared"
She looked down ashamed, she looked up when Harry continued
"That's what makes you special, it was obvious on the train that you are like us, you have felt isolation and yet you trusted us to have your back. So no more of this unworthy crap. You are our friend"
The finality of the last statement broke through the last of the barriers that she had erected. Smiling she asked how dose it work. Harry beamed. Everybody has a code name. They all took out their mirror
"Snuffles"
Sirius's mirror chimed
"Artemis"
Amelia's was next
"Thumper"
Neville's mirror sounded
"Peach"
Sue held up her mirror
"Spitfire"
This had Hermione's mirror making a noise. She looked at him
"Who picked that and what about yours Harry"
The boy went bright red and glared at his farther. His parents, sister and cousin spoke in unison
"BAMBI"
When the laughter died down Mrs Granger spoke
"I'm not sure if I should be offended or relieved that I don't have a code name"
Neville answered her
"You do, we didn't want to upset you, we'll actually we didn't want upset Spitfire. She is brilliant but a little scary"
Hermione beamed
"I'll take that"
Neville continued
"We chose Athena mother of wisdom"
Two hours latter Susan had fallen asleep on Neville.
"She looks comfortable"
Hermione said to Neville
"she always crashes first"
Hermione smiled at his response
"It takes a lot for Sue to let her guard down and be comfortable, she must trust you a lot"
"She informed me when I was we were 6 that I would be marrying her"
"But I thought you were cousins"
"That is a very long conversation, we are all to tired to explain. I promise we will fill you in when we are all awake. Half an hour later Hermione was leading a very tired Susan up to bed.
September closed with very little excitement the DA teacher was as poor, as ever. The four continued to excel. In all their classes. Harry, Susan and Neville had started coaching Hermione in defence. All four parents having been or in Harry and Sue's case their Mum was still part of the aurors. The young girl absorbed the information like a sponge.
Her new training saved her two weeks into October. Draco Malfoy had been trying to goad Harry at every opportunity, this was brought to a head when the group was waiting outside potions.
"Hello perfect Potter, still keeping your pet mudblood around"
Hermione's new confidence showed as she answered him before her friends
"Piss off Malfoy you prat, come back when you have some new material"
"How dare you even speak to me"
He grabbed his wand a shouted a curse. Hermione was as quick and erected a shield that protected herself and her friends. Harry beamed with pride
"Total Spitfire "
He whispered to her. He was interrupted by the voice or his hated potions professor.
"Cursing another student in the hall Potter-Black, that will be a month's detention I think. Crabbe, Goyle take him to the infirmary"
He turned to Hermione when she spoke
"I'm sorry sir it was me, He called me some horrible things and when I told him to sod off. Shouted a curse at me so I had to use the shield that Harry and sue taught me"
She looked down prepared for her punishment. The professor bent and collected Draco's discarded wand and did something they could not see. He then asked for hers a moment later he spoke. A slightest smirk crossed his face.
"1 point each Potter-Blacks for your help in pointing Miss Granger in the direction of a shield charm, no doubt she did all the work. Miss Granger there will be a 10 point deduction for duelling in the hall. You will also receive 20 points for your excellent shield charm and self education. I would usually send a student to the headmaster for such an infringement but I think it would be punished enough to have to drag these three through my positions class as always. Besides it saves me having to do it. Now everyone get in before anymore of my precious time is wasted"
The following few weeks Malfoy refused to look in their direction. The rumours were, Professor Snape had torn strips off the boy. To the point that he had removed points from his own house and threatened to send the boy home.
As Halloween drew closer Harry had started to become quiet and sullen. They all new why this was, as the anniversary of his parents murder approached he would excuse himself to find some alone time, Hermione had offered to go with him, he had politely refused. He found an unused classroom next to unused girls toilet on the first floor. There was a window that looked out onto the black lake. it was here he was sat watching the dark water when the door exploded.
The three others sat at the Halloween feast, it was interrupted by their unless DA professor shouting about a troll in the castle who then proceeded to faint.
The three came to the same conclusion together, where is Harry? Neville pulled his mirror under the table and call for Bambi, nothing happened. The other two tried with no success. The three shot from the hall before anymore could stop them. Hermione placed her wand flat on her palm and said
"point me Harry Potter-Black"
They sprinted in the direction the wand was pointing. As they came to the demolished classroom door a terrible smell greeted them. Leaping in wands drawn, the damage to the room was evident.
The floor was slick with water from a busted pipe in the wall, in the centre Harry was ducking and weaving trying to avoid the club a huge mountain troll was swinging wildly. The problem was Harry had to be lucky every time, the troll had to be lucky once. This was when Harry tripped and fell, seeing what was about to happen Hermione ran at the troll.
Dropping to her side she slid through its legs, jumped to her feet in front of an unconscious Harry and shouted protego. If she hadn't thought to angle the shield the club would have broken through it and them. She called to the others
"Susan freeze the water, Neville take it down."
Susan transfigured the water into a solid, Neville slid on his belly like superman on the new ice. His powerful banishing hex slammed into the beasts chin as he passed. The flailing beast fell backwards, crashing to the floor and smashing its head and rendering its self unconscious. Susan stepped to the side to avoid the creature's fall brushing some imaginary dust off her cloths she spoke.
"Look at the state of you lot"
The three started to laugh from the relief that they were all alive.
The group of professors entered to Susan looking into a small hand mirror checking the makeup she didn't wear. Neville was repeatedly hitting a full grown mountain troll in the head with a broken toilet seat, berating the beast for attacking his family. A very dishevelled Hermione was sat on the floor with Harrys unconscious head in her lap as she ran her fingers through his hair.
McGonagall spoke
"What the hell were you playing at"
Harry picked this moment to start to regain consciousness
"Please don't shout, or Hermione might make me move"
His eyes shot open realisation blowing across his brain like a cold wind, he had just said that out loud. He tried to sit up only to pushed down and for Hermione to continue to run her fingers through his hair.
"Stay there and shut up, until the Matron has checked on you"
Harry smiled if it meant more of this with Hermione he would do as he was told..
Hermione then explained what happened.
Harry was deducted 50 points for not being at the feast without notifying a prefect. The others were given 50 each for dumb luck.