Hey everyone, sorry its been so long, things are looking better for me now, so I should be able to post more again.

Thank you everyone for your reviews.

By the way, I still do not have a beta, so I am sorry for any mistakes there may be.

And now, the next chapter.

CHAPTER 14

The next morning Harry awoke before any of his dorm mates were up, and quickly showered and dressed. By the time he left the dorm room it was nearly 7:10, and the only person still in bed was Dean, but by the grin and cup of water in Seamus's hand, Harry was pretty sure he would be up soon.

"Wait up mate" Ron shouted as he ran from the restroom. "Just give me a sec and I'll be down."

"Hurry up, I'm sure the girls are already waiting for us." Harry replied as he started down the stairs.

"Girls?" Ron replied absently.

Harry sighed as he got to the main floor. Honestly, did Ron not realize that Hermione and Ginny are girls? Sometimes Ron could be really thick.

"Hey Harry." Ginny said as she gave him a quick hug.

Harry wrapped his arms around her for a second before she backed off, and a slight blush came to both their features. "Morning" he mumbled.

"Good morning Harry." Hermione said from a char in front of the fire, a book propped open in her lap.

"What are you reading?" Harry asked as he took the seat next to her.

"Introduction to Runic Theory." She replied.

"Oh that's a good one, did you get to the second chapter about interlacing Runes yet? " Harry asked.

Hermione closed her book and turned to Harry. "You already read some of your books?" She asked with a shocked look.

"yup."

Hermione gave him a huge smile. "Its about time you started taking things seriously! Now if we can just get Ron to understand how important it is to get good grades and-"

"I didn't do it for good grades." Harry interrupted her. "Its because I want to know more. I really don't care about my grades."

Hermione looked lake he had slapped her. "WHAT! You don't care? How can you say that Harry! Without good grades you wont be able to get a good job when you leave school, and then what are you going to do?"

Harry gave a mild shrug. "I'm the boy who lived, I don't think anyone cares what my grades are, I could probable become the Minister of Magic without any Owl's or Newt's at all."

"I cant believe you would use your fame like that Harry! I thought you were better than that!" Hermione shrieked at him.

Ginny gave a grunt of frustration. "Oh please Hermione! Does it really matter why he wants to learn? Besides he's right nobody is going to care about his grades. Even if he gets perfect Newt scores nobody will care. If he asks for a job their going to give it to him."

"That's not the point!" Hermione scolded.

Harry stood from the seat as he saw Ron coming down the stairs. "Either way my grades will be good! So it doesn't matter, lets to get some breakfast."

Hermione let it drop, but she gave Harry a look that said she thought he was wrong.

By the time they got to the great hall Ron was groaning about how hungry he was, and as soon as they sat down he filled his plate so full that a sausage fell off the pile and onto the table near his glass of pumpkin juice.

Harry gawked at the huge load of food on his plate. "Got enough there mate?"

"ope soo." Ron spoke as shoveled another spoon of eggs into his mouth.

Harry turned from Ron and filled his own plate with his favorites, and was eating a piece of bacon when Professor McGonagall approached them with their schedules.

"Good morning. Here are your schedules, try to not be late on your first day back hmm?" Professor McGonagall said before moving on down the table.

"Oh, we start our new classes today!" Hermione stated, looking pleased.

Harry looked down at his own schedule and saw that Hermione was correct, he had Ancient Runes first thing, followed by Transfiguration and lunch, then Care of Magical Creatures before Dinner.

"Still don't see why you didn't just take Divination with me." Ron grumbled as he looked at his own schedule.

Harry sighed as he ground out. "I already told you, I want to learn something that I can use. I think Ancient Runes will be way better than Divination."

"Whatever." Ron said as he got to his feet. "Ready to go Hermione?"

"Wait." Harry said looking at Hermione. "Aren't you taking Ancient Runes? It's first thing."

Hermione quickly got to her feet and hurried away tugging Ron along with her. "We'll be late if we keep talking, see you Later Harry."

Harry watched them leave the hall with a questioning gaze.

"Something is up with her." Ginny said, startling Harry out of his thoughts.

"I think your right. What class do you have first?" Harry asked.

Ginny looked down at her Schedule. "DADA, then lunch, then potions, and Charms, then dinner."

"You'll have to let me know if the new Defense teacher is any good." Harry said as he got to his feet. "I should get going, don't want to be late, you should as well, Defense is on the third floor. And we still have to get our books."

Ginny quickly got up and followed Harry to the Dormitories, where they both got their needed books and headed their separate ways.

Harry barely made it to class on time, and he quickly searched the faces, looking for someone familiar to sit with.

"Harry, over here!" Hermione called.

Harry whipped his head around to see Hermione in the far side of the room, about half way back, with a open seat next to her, and giving her a bewildered look he went over and took the offered seat.

"Err, I thought you were going to Divination?" He asked awkwardly.

Hermione gave a slight shrug of her shoulders before shushing him and pointing to the front of the classroom. "Class is starting."

Harry turned to the front and saw that the teacher was indeed at the front and calling for quiet.

"Welcome to your first class of Ancient Runes!" The bubbly teacher announced "My name is Professor Babbling."

After giving everyone a brief overview of what they would be learning that year and the following years she leaned on her desk and asked. "Now, who can tell me what a Ancient Rune is?"

Instantly Hermione's hand shot into the air, as well as two other girls, a petite red haired girl, and a Brown haired girl that was average.

Professor Babbling pointed to Hermione. "Yes, Miss.." Here she looked at her class listing ." Granger?"

"An Ancient Rune is a symbol that represents a certain thing in a magical sense, it can be many things, ranging from a simple thing, like fire, or light. It can also be a more detailed, and represent specific things, such as protection from fire, or giving light."

"Excellent description Miss Granger, five points to Gryffindor. Now can anyone tell me what the pros and cons are of a simple rune, such as Fire or light?" Professor Babbling asked.

Again Hermione's hand shot into the air, as well as the petite red haired girl.

"Miss Bones?" Professor Babbling pointed to the young red haired girl.

"A simple Rune by itself does not do anything, so unless it is combined with a second rune then it has no effect."

"That is correct, so that is the con, can you tell me the pro?" Professor Babbling asked.

"When you add two simple runes together they are much more powerful than a detailed rune." she answered.

"Such as?" The Professor asked.

"Err, if you were to combine the Rune for Fire and the Rune for Protection together, then the object that you encased the combined Rune into would be much more protected to fire than if you had only encased a single detailed Rune of fire protection."

"That's right, five points to Hufflepuff Miss Bones. Now I would like everyone to read up to page twenty two, when you are done, you should have a better understanding of basic Runes, and I would like you to try and draw a simple Rune symbol for water. Are there any questions before you get started?"

Hermione shot her hand into the air almost instantly.

"Yes Miss Granger?" Professor Babbling indicated to the hyperactive student.

"Would it not be better to add together two detailed Runes rather than two simple Runes Professor?"

Professor Babbling gave a slight smile to the excited student. "That would depend on which detailed Runes you attempt to combine, as some detailed Runes react badly with others, and some can cancel each other out completely. But every single simple rune there is can be combined with any other simple Rune, But that is much more advanced Miss Granger, we will get to that in your fifth to sixth years. Any other questions?"

Nobody asked any other questions and the students all got to their reading, or in a few students cases starting on their water Rune, and before they knew it the bell rang singling the end of class.

"Homework is to complete your water Rune, as well as finish chapter one of your books." The Professor called as everyone collected their things and headed for their next class.

As Harry turned a corner heading for Transfiguration he realized that Hermione had disappeared. Shaking his head he continued on without her, assuming she knew what she was doing, but when he got there he noticed that Ron and Hermione were seated together already. Harry quickly sat next to Hermione and gave her a hard stare.

"How did you get here so fast?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Tell me about it, as soon as we left Divination Hermione disappeared almost instantly, and when I got here she was already sitting reading a book." Ron stated.

Harry stared at Hermione with a questioning gaze. "You have Arithmancy right now. . . don't you?"

Hermione gave Harry a slight glance before going back to her book. "yeah." she muttered into the book.

"And your going to make it to that class as well I suppose?" Harry asked with a sarcastic voice. He had a feeling that she was using a time turner, he had read about them over the summer. It was really the only explanation.

Hermione gave a slight shrug, but did not talk again.

"So, how was Divination?" Harry asked Ron.

Ron gave a slight grimace. "Well if the old bat is right, then I'm gonna die today during Care of Magical Creatures, going to be mauled by a large beast apparently."

Harry noticed that much of the class got very quiet when he said this, and assumed much of them had been in the Divination class as well.

A few minutes later Professor McGonagall came into the class and they were informed that the batty old Divination teacher had been predicting a students death every year for a long time. And by the time everyone was headed for lunch it had become something to laugh over.