Hermione Returns

Hermione panicked and flung herself across the table, upsetting pots and pans to get between the Slytherins and her foal. Dobby pointed at Malfoy. There was a crack and Malfoy was flung across the room, crashing into the tureens on another of the long tables, much to the dismay of the house-elves.

Harry fired a jelly legs jinx and a couple stunning hexes at three other Slytherins.

"Dobby, get Moody!" said Harry. Dobby vanished with a crack.

There was a ringing in Hermione's ears from all the noise. Ash was cowering huddled in a corner, her big brown eyes were very wide and her bottom lip quivering. Hermione scooped her up in her arms. The poor little thing was trembling. Her heart really thumping.

There were four more Slytherins who surrounded them. Harry backed into the corner, standing in front of Hermione. He held his wand out, but the Slytherins were menacing him with theirs.

"Back off. Lay off little Ash," said Harry fiercely. Ash whimpered. "I mean it," said Harry. "You'll have to go through me."

"Get outta the way, Potter," said one of the Slytherins, an unkempt burly seventh year. "You can't win."

"Oh no, laddie?" The four Slytherins all jumped at the sound of Moody's voice. He had arrived, teleporting along with Dobby, his magical eye revolving sinisterly.

The Slytherins pointed at him, yelled in terror, and scattered. Malfoy, covered in dessert from when he crashed into the tureen, dived under the long table.

"Good to see you, professor," said Harry panting.

Relief swept over Hermione. "T-Thank you," she stammered.

"Yay! 'S Moody," whinnied Ash. In her excitement, she wriggled in Hermione's arms, trying to crane her little neck to get a better view. "I c'n see his eye."

"Should I ask what you're doing, Potter, or how you took it upon yourself to fight a whole gang single-handed, eh?" said Moody.

"Well, you know, good practice. A warm up for the Third Task," said Harry, shrugging nonchalantly. "Plus all the risk is a fine thing for a Gryffindor. It wasn't a fair fight. I did outnumber them one to eight."

"Well, stay confident, Potter," growled Moody. "I've taught you all I can. I've nothing left to teach you now. You can resist the Imperius Curse. I've a feeling that will come in handy."


00O00

That night, Harry slept fitfully. "Harry. Harry." There was a squeaky little voice in his ear. He opened his eyes. Ash's spotted face was right next to his. She was smiling. "I visit Harry," she chattered, sounding pleased with herself.

Harry lifted his wand. "Lumos." The end of the wand emitted a faint light.

Ash was standing on his pillow. She picked something up in her mouth. It was a book. She carried it over to Harry and dropped it on his lap. "It's a present, Harry. Look."

"What are you doing here?" snapped Harry.

Ash stuck out her bottom lip. "I wanna give you a present 'cos you rescued me. Can you read it? Wish I had hands to turn pages."

"Oh well…" Harry picked up the book and flicked through the pages. It was about the history of broomsticks. Interesting. It was always good to know more about them. "Thanks, Ash."

Ash climbed onto his lap, gazing up at him with her soft, brown eyes, so like Hermione's eyes. She was a pretty little thing. The spotted pattern of her pelt seemed to begin with small brown spots all over her face, progressing to larger spots all over her body. But it was still really weird, and still made his head spin, that this was Hermione's daughter. She wasn't even human and yet she was what Hermione had given birth to. Certainly difficult for Harry to get his head round that part. He would go on to find it difficult to get his head round the idea that Dumbledore's personality was not set in stone at the age of seventeen, which shows how bright he is.

Ash was still staring at him. "Harry, I like to read, but I can't turn pages. Wish I had hands." She lifted a blunt foreleg. "I c'n read like Mummy, but I can't turn pages. You say I'm like Mummy?"

"Did I?" Harry had already forgotten that he had said that to Hermione that morning!

"You did."

"How'm I like Mummy?"

"Er… you're really smart for your age. What are you, just two months old? And you can already read and you knew that stuff about Sphinxes. I didn't. Hermione also has an excellent memory and uses it to her advantage."

"I c'n ask riddles too," she said, her wide mouth stretching into a smile.

"Please don't," said Harry, already feeling weary at the thought of her riddles.

"M'kay. You wanna sleep. So do I." She curled up on his pillow and closed her brown eyes and began breathing gently.

Harry shrugged to himself and lay back down. He didn't wake until the dawn.

When he did wake up, Ash was still there, but the other boys had gone downstairs. Harry stroked Ash's spotted pelt and then shook her gently. "Come on, sleepy head."

Ash opened her eyes and stretched her mouth open wide in a yawn.

"Come on, Ash. You've got to get moving."

"Don't wanna," said Ash with a little snort, like that of a horse.

"I can teach you how to fly," said Harry. "How'd you like that. Your Mummy can't."

"Ooh, ooh, lemme fly," squealed Ash, standing up on all four legs.

Harry slipped out of bed and picked her up. He held her up high above his head as she giggled and then threw her in the air and caught her again. Probably Hermione wouldn't approve, but Ash seemed to love it. She shrieked in whinnying laughter.

Harry held her firmly and spun around. "Wheeee!" she squealed.

Finally the thought occurred to Harry. "Hermione was OK with you coming over here on your own?"

"Mummy doesn't know. I 'scaped."

"Great. She's going to be worried sick," said Harry grimly. "Never mind…"

"What is the strange creature, Harry?" asked Dean Thomas as he emerged from the bathroom.

"Hermione's daughter," said Harry shortly. "The father's a unicorn stallion."

Clutching Ash firmly in both arms, he carried her down the stairs to the Common Room.

"The father's a unicorn…?" repeated Ash, narrowing her eyes at him. "You all have Mummies and Daddies. I have Mummy and who? A unicorn?"

"Don't feel so bad," said Harry. "Seamus Finnigan's mum destroyed his father's brain."

Ash's dark eyes bulged in horror. "Why?!"

"Because she could. It's the way of the wizarding world. The Death Eaters are not that different from everyone else. At least the unicorn is still alive and has his memories of Hermione."

Ash stuck out her bottom lip. "I don't like the wizardin' world."

"I'm sure you don't, but your mum is a witch and your father a magical beast. So the magical world is your world. Just like it's mine. There. We've got something in common Ash. Do you like that?"

She sniffed. "Are you angry 'bout somethin', Harry?"

"No, no. It's your Mummy who'll be angry."

The Gryffindors looked round curiously as Harry carried Ash into the Common Room.

"Awwww, that little creature's so sweet," cooed Lacey, a third year girl.

Ash giggled. "Luv ya."

"Oooooh, she can talk," cried the girl in delight. "Can I have her? I'll pay ten galleons and take good care of her."

"She's Hermione's foal," said Harry. "If you want to help with the foal-sitting, best speak to Hermione."

"I love books," piped Ash.

"Yes, she sounds like Hermione," said Lacey. "Can't I hold her?"

Harry handed Ash to Lacey who cradled the little magicorn in her arms like a baby. Ash smiled up into her face.

"Awwww, you're spots are so pretty," said Lacey. She tickled Ash under the chin and Ash giggled.

"Who wants to be tickled?" Cooed Lacey. She sat down, laid Ash on the floor and tickled her belly. Ash screamed with neighing laughter and waved her tiny legs around. A few other girls sidled over to watch.

"Oooh, what a perfect specimen of a magicorn," said Tracey, a sixth year Gryffindor, readjusting her glasses on her nose.

Ash smiled up at her as she lay on her back, her little legs in the air. "I luv ya all."

The girls squealed in delight and crowded round, fussing and petting her. Ash began to show off, demonstrating how she could balance on her hind legs for a few moments and how she could hold a slim book in her mouth.

"See? I like readin', but can't turn pages. I've got no hands," squeaked Ash.

"There's more to life than dusty old books," said Angelina Johnson. "Here. Can you catch?"

It turned out that Ash could catch a little rubber ball that Angelina had on her. The girls all applauded.

"There," said Angelina. "Isn't that better than swotting like a Ravenclaw?"

The girls continued fussing over Ash who clearly enjoyed the attention. They stroked her pink mane and petted her, giving her sweets and fruit. Harry wondered if they could all help Hermione out with the baby/foal sitting.

"How old are you, Ash?" Asked Alicia Spinnet.

"Two months," said Ash proudly. "I c'n count."

"Amazing how much cooler she is than a two month old human," said Angelina. "Human babies in their first three months are useless slugs. It's like they're in a fourth trimester."

"Unicorns grow up quick, like horses," said Tracey. "Magicorns are the same, but they're very intelligent. Hermione's quite brainy and you can tell her foal is."

"Yay! Mummy an' I are brainy," whinnied Ash.

At that moment, the portrait swung open and Hermione clambered through the hole.

Hermione was angry. Her face was blotchy and her eyes bloodshot. She'd obviously been crying. Her mouth was compressed to a thin line and her face was white.

Harry and the other Gryffindors all looked round. Hermione shoved her way through the small crowd of girls.

Harry pointed at Ash. "Look who we've found. Right little rascal, eh?"

"Ash…" Hermione choked. "How dare you run off and leave me? Don't you realise how dangerous it is for you to do that?"

Ash's pointed horsy ears drooped and she looked at the floor at Hermione's feet.

"Look at me!" said Hermione. The foal stared at Hermione's ample bosom (her breasts had grown because of all the breastfeeding she had done and now were really big and round). "At my face," said Hermione. Ash fixed Hermione with her wide brown bambi eyes and her bottom lip quivered.

"Go easy on her, Hermione," said Lacey.

"Don't tell me how to treat my own daughter!" Hermione breathed heavily through her nose. Then she spoke again in a gentler voice. "Didn't you stop to think how I'd feel, Ash?"

"Sorreee," said Ash.

Hermione suddenly seemed to get over her huff and grabbed her foal, hugging her tight. The girls gave a chorus of "aaaahs."

"I think you should both come back to Gryffindor," said Alicia. "Don't we all want you to stay." There was a chorus of agreements. Hermione blushed. Clearly she was basking in the reflected glow of Ash's popularity. That was definitely a way in which her foal was different – she actually had some social skills!

"You should come back, boob girl. I want you to," said Dean Thomas. OK, Hermione herself was getting more popular as well. Harry put his arm round Hermione's shoulder. "As far as I'm concerned, you never stopped being a Gryffindor."

Then he noticed Ron, lurking in the shadows, glowering. Suddenly, he leapt into the middle of the room. "Well I say you are not welcome back. We don't want filthy pervs like you, breeding monsters. Get out, mudblood!"

There was a silence. Ash stared at Ron wide-eyed and Hermione's face was white.

"Take that back, Ron," said Harry.

"No. What's your angle in this, Harry? You and Dean both want to be a stallion's sloppy seconds?

"Then there is only one way to settle this," said Harry. A duel.


Author's Note: How will this go? Can Harry win a duel? Can he ever!