Oneof my longest chapters so you're in for a long one people. But you do get to see male Hermione, and you won't believe it's her.
Chapter 13: I Just Wanna Live
It was the day of the tryouts and Draco and Ron were in the common room waiting for Harry to come. Hermione came down and tilted her head at them.
"Where are you guys going?" she asked stepping behind them
"We have to go to the tryouts. Since this person is going to be on our team, we get to choose." Draco answered
"Oh, so you'll be gone all weekend?"
"No, they're only doing the Quidditch part. So, we'll probably be back by dinner." Ron told her and she nodded as Harry knocked on the door
"That's Harry. C'mon Ma-Draco. Let's go. See ya 'Mione." Ron waved as he got his cloak and went to the door
"Yeah. See you later 'Mione." Draco smirked and Hermione glared at their retreating figures.
"3…2…1… Girls! It's time!" she yelled as she ran back upstairs and her three roommates did her transformation
"How am I going to get out of here without drawing attention?" Hermione asked as she shrunk her Firebolt and put it in her pocket and grabbed her skateboard and gear, courtesy of muggle Henry
"I'll say that you're my cousin. My aunt married a elf actually." Amy said and Hermione nodded
"I do look really elfish. Let's go cousin." Hermione grabbed Amy's wrist while Teresa and Pansy followed behind them. They headed down past the Great Hall and girls slowly turned their heads from their breakfast to stare at Hermione, excuse me, Henry
"They're staring at me…" Hermione muttered to Amy who giggled
"Don't worry Henry they've just never seen you before. All the hype will pass soon." Teresa waved off her concern until Pansy gasped slightly
"Henry run."
"What?" Henry looked back at the Great Hall and found most of the female population gone
"Run!" Pansy yelled and a stampede was heard
"They're getting away!" a voice yelled
"Capture the hot male elf!" another screamed
"Back off you twits or I'll bat-bogey hoax you!" Ginny yelled and suddenly appeared next to Henry, Amy and Teresa. Pansy had stayed behind to fight off the hoards
"Oh yeah Teresa was right. The hype will definitely pass." Henry said as they got out unto the grounds and ran to the Quidditch pitch
"This sucks. It looks like we made you hotter than you should be." Ginny said from Henry's side
"Are they still behind us?" Amy turned around and the four stopped and turned to look; no girls were in sight and Pansy coming towards them brandishing her wand like a sword
"They won't be bothering you anymore Henry. No need to thank me." Pansy lightly patted Henry on the cheek and led them to the pitch
"You're not coming?" Henry asked the four girls
"No. You need someone to cover you. Don't worry. You'll be fine" Ginny said before giving Henry a hug
"Thanks." Henry shrunk his skateboard and took out his broom
"Good luck!" Teresa and Pansy yelled as Henry flew out of sight
"Alright everyone. This is the second audition for the training program seeing as no one was good enough to fill the third Chaser spot. We'll get ready in five minutes. Make sure you signed your names." Jason yelled and the scattered group of ten teenage boys went into little groups of two and three while the six members of the official training team merely watched on from the sides
"We didn't even need these second auditions. Hermione was just fine." Harry said and the others nodded
"Hey look, a late comer." Trey pointed; A guy on a skateboard came in through the gates and slowly eyed the competition
"He looks lost." Ron said
"I don't think so." Draco replied and walked over to the guy; his elfish features looked intriguing to the Slytherin boy
"Hey. Name's Draco Malfoy." Draco held out his hand and the guy shook it, soon answering in a mellow voice that contrasted with his femininity
"Henry Garrison. Is this really what I'm up against?" he asked and arched his eyebrows at the ten other contestants
"Yup. Looks easy enough?"
"Too easy. Where do I sign up?" Henry asked before smirking
"By Jason Phillips. JASON! NEW GUY!" Draco yelled and Jason nodded, waving Henry over
"See ya Draco." Henry said over his shoulders as he skated over to Jason
"He seems ok." Draco said to the others as he walked back to them
"He looks elfish." Harry said
"Yeah, look at his face. All feminine looking with those high cheekbones and pale pink lips." Trey replied and they stared at him "I don't go that way. I just observe really closely." The team took a quiet step away from Trey
"Everyone get back here! We're going to do it this way. Since there's 11 of you, there's three groups of three and Draco will join the fourth one. It'll be the trainees versus the actual team. It'll go like this…" Jason began to list groups of three "And finally Draco is going with Henry and Eddy. Ken, you blow the whistle. Alright, group1 let's go."
The three chasers joined everyone but Draco and Ken, who stayed with the other contestants. It was a sad win for the trainees, whose chasers wouldn't cooperate together or agree on anything even though they won. Henry, Eddy and Draco soon decided to talk strategy with Ken's help. Group2 came and went, better than Group1 but losing to their superiors. Group3 actually won and was pretty decent even if they lost because of the high score. Finally it was Group4's turn.
"Let's do this." Henry grinned as they mounted their broom and joined the rest of the team
"I don't want to lose again guys. Have you come up with strategy?" Harry asked as they came into the team circle
"Yeah. We're going for what me, Ken and Hermione did. Henry, Eddy you know what we told you right?" they nodded and Draco smirked "Like soldiers ready for battle. Let's get 'em." Draco said confidently and the team nodded in agreement
"Ready! TWEET" Ken blew the whistle
Henry darted out to grab the Quaffle from Jason. Smirking, he raced to the other end with Draco behind and to his left and Eddy behind and to his right. A bludger suddenly came into view and Henry barrel-rolled, passing it to Draco, who zoomed above him and scored. Jason got the Quaffle next but Trey's bat came down hard on a bludger and it smacked into the back of Jason's head. The fallen Quaffle made it safely into Henry's waiting arms who scored after a easily dodged beater came after him. Eddy scored immediately afterwards while Draco and Henry each scored three times more. The other team had repeatedly tried to score and only made it twice. The whistle sounded and the trainees obviously won.
"We've been humiliated by them." Viktor shook his head as he touched the ground
"Hey look at it this way. We'll all learn from each other." Jason said as the team of trainees celebrated above them
"That was incredible you three." Ron said smiling brightly at his teammates
"He's right. I think we all know who we're going to choose." Harry panted and Draco nodded before spotting Jason
"He's waving us down. C'mon." Draco led them down and Jason panted slightly before addressing the trainees and the contestants
"Well, we've never been worked so hard before. This was definitely training for us too. Trainees, it's time for you to put in your vote. Here's the box and within half an hour, we'll have our new Chaser. Good luck all of you. Voting begins now." Jason said as he placed a small blue box on a table that he summoned. All six players voted within 10 minutes
"Wonder who they picked?" asked a guy from group2
"Isn't it obvious? That Henry guy." Replied one from group1
"Henry? You mean skateboard dude?"
"Yeah."
"I'm right behind you just to tell you." Henry had one foot on his skateboard and his broom slung unto his shoulder, looking the most masculine he's looked all day
"Oh…Hi Henry." The two guys replied before shifting to the side and letting him pass by to get to the trainees
"It's obvious that they picked him." The two said together before hanging their heads
"You were pretty good out there Henry." Trey said, shaking Henry's hand
"Thanks. I did my best." He replied, shrugging his shoulders
"What's with the skateboard?" Harry asked
"This?" Henry flipped the board and it landed in his hand as he smiled "This is my baby. Been skating since I was six. Why?"
"I've always wanted to learn." Harry replied
"I'll teach you."
"Time for the results!" Jason yelled and the tribe of 17 young men came to his voice "It seems that the newest member of the Bulgaria training program is Henry Garrison. I want to thank all of you for trying out though. You did great and gave us a run for our money. Will Henry and the other trainees please stay?" Jason watched as ten young men left and seven more just looked at him; well, six looked and Henry merely shrunk his broom and put it in his pocket while he continually kick-flipped on his skateboard
"Garrison!" Viktor scowled and Henry merely glared at him
"Yes mother dear? I'm listening." Henry said and the others snickered while Viktor shook his head
"Just… pay… attention." He hissed
"Alright. How much does it want? Five bucks?" more snickers
"You know what? I might just like you if you stop that. Anyway, practices are on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at seven till nine so don't be late. None of you. Understood?"
"Yes Viktor." The team chimed
"Can we go now or are you going to make sure we eat lunch too, mummy?" Henry asked before Viktor shook his head again and waved them off
"Be gone. All of you, before you give me a headache." Viktor turned around with a swish of his Quidditch robes and apparated to Merlin knows where
"Please, as I've said before, ignore him. He's always like this." Jason said as his teammates apparated one by one away
"So we've noticed." Henry said and there were more snickers
"You're a wise guy aren't you?" Jason asked rhetorically
"I wouldn't say wise. Maybe average intelligent but not wise." Henry retaliated and Jason rolled his eyes
"Just go." He merely said and apparated
"What I wouldn't give to tepee this place." Henry muttered as he skated slowly so that the Hogwarts students could keep up with him
"You're just a plain badass aren't you?" Draco asked and Henry smirked
"So you noticed. It doesn't matter really. I do it just to bring smiles on people's faces. That, and its really fun to tick people like Krum off. Where do you go to school anyway?" Henry replied
"Hogwarts." The three replied
"Cool." Henry nodded 'Like I didn't know that already'
"You?" Harry asked
"I don't go to a wizarding school. I go to an muggle school." Ron and Draco gawked
"You don't go to a wizarding school! How'd you find out about this then?" Draco asked
"My cousin Amy goes to Hogwarts. She's a Hufflepuff prefect and called me up."
"Amy's your cousin?" Ron asked
"Yeah. What's it to you?" Henry asked
"Nothing but she never mentioned a elfin cousin."
"I'm half elfin and that's probably because you never asked. I gotta go. My mum'll probably be worried sick just like Krummy-poo over there."
"Aw, Henwy loves his mummy-kins." Draco cooed and Henry glared
"And well, your mother didn't mind that little fact last night." Henry snarled and Draco glared 'I can't believe I told him that and I know all about his mum' Henry thought
"Don't talk about my mum."
"Nor you mine. You started it anyway. Look, I just gotta go. See ya on Friday guys." He hopped on his broom and flew
"Bye Henry." The three Hogwarts students chimed as they walked around a bit
"I don't wanna go back so early." Harry whined
"Neither do I. We do have until dinner. What do ya wanna do?" Ron asked
"There's a pub near by if you wanna go there." Draco said, pointing across the street 'My mum would kill me…' he thought
"Fine by me." Harry and Ron shrugged together and entered the pub
It was a muggle pub by all things. It was the atmosphere of the Three Broomsticks with the drinks of the Hog's Head. Ron was probably the only one that looked like he didn't need a drink. Draco needs one from all the sweat and having to deal with his parents. Harry needs it because of the Horcruxes and of Sirius' death. Ron, feeling all happy- happy joy-joy, was only compelled to drink to be one of the guys. After a good hour, the boys left the pub, and only Ron felt a little light headed as they flew to their school. They decided to cool off in the Head Dorm until dinner and they sat quietly sprawled out in front of the fireplace. Soon, Hermione came out of the bathroom in a thick wool bathrobe, drying her hair with a towel and found them sleeping lightly.
"Even I'm not that tired from the audition." She muttered before lightly tickling Harry's cheek with her big toe
"Grr…I don't care what Uncle Vernon…I'm getting the last piece of pie for once…" he muttered before opening his mouth and lightly chomping on Hermione's foot "Ha…ha…" he muttered before his lips wrapped around her toe as he went into deep sleep again; Hermione had a hard time not laughing since it tickled and he was still talking sometimes about pie and his uncle. Draco and Ron woke soon to find Hermione in jeans and a long tee that reached mid-thigh and she was holding her mouth
"Morning Hermione. "the two chimed as they rolled on their stomachs
"Hi!" she squeaked and Draco saw Harry eating her foot
"What's he doing!" he asked incredulously
"He thinks it's apple pie. Eee!" Hermione squealed again, this time causing Harry to sleepily wake up
"Wha' happen' o ah wah pah?" Harry asked looking at Hermione like a small child
"You ate all the pie Harry. Please let go of the plate." Harry looked at his nose cross-eyed and saw her foot; he opened his mouth wide and Hermione slid her foot out and cast a drying spell. Hermione glared aqt their laughter while Harry rubbed his eyes and crawled to the sofa Hermione was sitting in
"Is it time to eat?" he asked, laying his head in her lap
"Yes. Now come on Harry. It's time to fill you with real food and no more pie." Hermione hoisted Harry up and he yawned
"No…no more pie…" he muttered and Draco and Ron looked at each other before exploding with laughter again
"I think that Henry's mum should be more worried about Harry than her own son." Ron said and Draco nodded
"Merlin, this boy is either more drunk than you were or too tired to think." Hermione gave Draco a sharp look at the drunk part
"I can think!" Harry said trying to stand straight "But just barely…I think." Hermione pulled at his cheeks as he took sharp intakes of breathe "Ow owowowowwowo!" she boxed his ears and he pranced around in pain "Owowowowowowowowow! That hurt!" Harry whined again to his cousin who shrugged
"That'll teach you from eating my foot again. Now come on. A performance like that deserves food." She said
"Yes ma'am!" Draco and Ron saluted her as she walked pass and they helped Harry recover his hearing
"Remember everyone. Becoming an Auror takes skill. Skill that you are to come back to learn Wednesday. Understood?" asked Remus as his 15 students began to pack up
"Yes Professor." They chimed and McGonagall nodded her approval of the date
"I would like to speak to Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger however so stay here you two." She eyed them and they stopped packing their stuff and followed her into her office at the front of the room
"Sit down, you're not in trouble…yet." She added the last bit as a warning and the two cringed , both being known to be well meaning rule-breakers but still rule-breakers
"Now, I understand that you, Potter, are in the Bulgaria training program. Correct?"
"Yes Professor." He said and she nodded
"You know that you have Auror training Monday and Wednesday 7-9, Training Fridays Saturday and Sunday 7-9 and Tuesday and Thursday are the official Gryffindor training days anytime after class. You realize that this is a busy schedule Potter?"
"Yes I do Professor. But I can do it." She looked at him skeptically "Honest to Merlin, I can. Look, if Hermione could do three classes at one time, the least I can do is have a full week. Quidditch and Auror training keeps my mind off of other things so it's good for me Professor." Harry looked as earnest as he sounded
"Never in all my years did I think that the son of James Potter actually liked to do work. This must be from your mother's side."
"It is." Harry and Hermione smiled at each other before McGonagall cleared her throat
"Well, if you need any assistance in managing your time, you can talk to either myself or Albus, understood?"
"Yes Professor."
"You can wait for Ms. Granger outside, Harry." She said with a small smile and Harry left the women alone
"Ms. Granger, it's come to my attention that you plan to try out for the Gryffindor house team."
"Yes."
"If you get in, you will have Auror training on Monday and Wednesday, Quidditch on Tuesday and Thursday in the meantime Prefect duties. Can you-"
"Handle it? Professor, this is me you're talking to." She smirked Henry's smirk
"I know but, it seems that something else is in your agenda as well."
"….What makes you say that?"
"Well, a mysterious teenage elf was seen earlier Saturday around lunch time and left with your roommates. You were the only one not there and you were nowhere to be found when you were needed for a Potions spill that almost disintegrated the whole dungeon. May I ask where you were?"
"The tryouts." Hermione said quietly and looked into her lap
"Why?"
"Trying out?"
"But it's for males only."
"I know." Hermione grabbed her wand in her pocket
"Then why would you make a fool of yourself by going?" Hermione stood up
"I didn't. I dressed up as a guy and I got picked! I'm on the team with Ron, Harry and Draco."
"Mr. Malfoy as well? Dear, there's another conference taking my time. But you dressed up as a male? Preposterous!" McGonagall looked at her prized pupil with wonder
"Look." Hermione went to the full length mirror in the room and changed everything except the tape, she wouldn't have time to take it back off
"Merlin's beard! You were the elf, just as Albus thought!" McGonagall stared at the man in her room
"He knew too? Oh Professor please don't tell the rest of the staff. I want to play. That's all I want to do. Play with Harry and Ron and even Draco! Please tell me you won't tell Professor!" the elf folded his hands together and pleaded with the shorter female
"Very well, but you showed me this for permission?" Henry nodded "Very well, and what's your story again?"
"I'm Amy's cousin that's half elf and goes to a muggle school."
"Muggle school?"
"Hmm mmm. And I love to skateboard. The guys already think I'm great. All I need to do is not fall in love and my cover won't be blown. That and not get caught in the showers." He and McGonagall looked at each other before each blushing in thought, yes that thought
"Hopefully your friends and Mr. Malfoy will not find out. They will be extremely upset if they find out your actions."
"How will they be upset? They wanted me to do something about it and I am. My name may be Henry Garrison to them but inside I'm still Hermione Granger. And my skills haven't changed either. We're getting that cup this year Professor." Hermione said after she changed back
"I can tell that Ms. Granger but… upset that you had to resort to this just to be who you are. You say all you want to do is play. But, at the same time, your lying to your best friends and any allies that you will have on the Bulgaria Centaurs and on the training team you're going to be with for two years. Is lying to them really worth playing?"
"I knew you would say that. If Harry knew, he'd be all supportive and everything. Ron will go ballistic seeing as I'm splitting my time between genders and actually look cute in both but then be like Harry and Draco…well, Draco will have to deal with it just like he deals with me everyday."
"And Jason? Lucas? And the other teammates that only know you as Henry and have never met Hermione? What will they think?"
"That I just wanted to play…" Hermione whispered before stuffing her wand in her pocket "Professor, I don't care about the consequences of what I'm doing. These are the consequences of what Krum did to me. Its his fault I have to resort to playing dress up and lying but I don't care about him anymore. What I care about is being me. Having fun and not needing to look up things in books that I already know. I know how to be Henry more than Hermione sometimes because in the summer, I am the female Henry. I love to skateboard and play Quidditch. I like punk, rock and any other music that gets you thinking and bangs your head. I'm just like that Professor. You can't stop me." Hermione turned and left the room as her teacher thought about what she said
"Hermione?" Harry asked as she came out of the classroom violently shouldering her bag
"Yeah?"
"What took you so long?"
"Nothing actually. Just girl chat is all."
"Oh. Its about dinner time. Let's go catch up with Ron and Ginny."
"How can I do this?" Hermione asked herself later that night after dinner as she brushed her hair in the mirror of the bathroom, not noticing the crack to the door of the boys' bathroom
"How can I be so dishonest and mean? Have I resorted to tricks to be me? Why can't they just accept me for who I am?" she asked the mirror that she sat in front of before sighing and answering herself
"Because I'm a woman. Just the same reason dad left.
"I was another girl in his way. I loved him with all my heart and yet he left because I wasn't what he wanted me to be.
"He wanted a boy, he got a girl…he wanted a dentist, he gets an auror…he wanted SOMEONE ELSE TO LOVE HIM-" she stood, threw her brush at the mirror and broke it as she gripped the sides of the sink
"And HE GOT HIMSELF A MISTRESS! I wanted him to break up with her-" the mirror slowly began to crumble to the ground and sink "And he GOT MUM THE DIVORCE SHE DESERVED!" she crumbled to her knees and her curly hair went over her shoulder to cover her heart and she looked at the fallen glass and the still intact brush, she reached for a glass piece and pricked herself in the process
"I wanted him to know that I loved him still…and he just laughed in my face and went to her house…" she muttered staring at her blood as if her were her heart just flowing away
Draco decided now it might be time to leave from his spot next to the separating door of the bathroom. He had come to scare her but instead listened to her words. She knew how he felt. No wonder she could feel the pain that he had that day in front of her door. She still feels sorrow, she feels it was her fault…just as he does. Why does his father have a mistress? Because his mother is ill. Why is he mother ill? The doctors say leukemia is genetic but Draco thinks its his fault because his mother is sick and tired of the family . But, instead of it being Lucius, Draco thinks she's tired of him. No matter how much he begged, she will never take the medicine just like Hermione begged her father to give up the mistress. How alike and yet how different these two were.
"I want to live life my way…" Hermione muttered still on the floor and Draco snapped out of his reverie "And yet, something always stops me.
"I want…to be happy…and yet, something always goes with all its power to make me sad again.
"Doesn't anyone like to see me smile a smile where there are going to be no worries behind it later on? Can I ever do that for once in my life? Reparo." Hermione muttered and the mirror fixed itself as she picked up her brush
"Can I ever just live my life the way I want without people criticizing and telling me no?" Hermione left and Draco stood there still looking through the crack in the door
"Yes…" he muttered "Yes you can." He turned and went to his bedroom