Chapter 2 (Getting Ready)…

Back up in Harry and Ron's dorm room, Hermione, Andrea, and Ginny were visiting them.

"I wish I could go on that trip," said Ginny wistfully.

"You can next year," Harry told her.

"If everything goes right," Hermione reminded him. She was filling out her permission slip while one of the school owls waited patiently beside her. Ron was sending Pigwidgeon to the Burrow, and Harry and Andrea were using another school owl to send their two permission forms to Sirius, since Hedwig was off delivering Malfoy's permission slip.

"That was really funny, what you did to Malfoy, though," Ginny added.

"I know…now he'll have to go on the trip!" said Ron with satisfaction. "Wouldn't it be funny if he wandered off in the wilderness and never came back?"

"That's not funny, Ron," said Hermione sharply. "Not even with Malfoy."

"Hey, Ron?" said Harry. "I think we should use Pigwidgeon for Sirius's delivery, since he knows him. I don't know if the school owl will know where to go, you know?"

"Yeah, you're right," Ron agreed. "Here, school owl, just go to Ottery St. Catchpole, The Burrow."

"Pigwidgeon, give these two permission slips to Sirius," Andrea said, handing said permission slips to Pigwidgeon, who twittered again and flew off.

Hermione finished filling out her form and attached it to the leg of the school owl, who flew off. Ginny watched him go.

"I still wish I could go on the school trip…" she told them.

"Well, you know, you can go next year, if it all goes well," Ron told her.

Just then, Dean, Seamus, and Neville came in the dorm room.

"We've got the partners!" said Dean.

"Yeah, and we three are a team," Seamus added, showing a paper to them.

"Hey, what are you guys doing in here?" Neville asked the three girls sitting on Harry's bed.

"Girls are allowed in the boys' dorm rooms," Andrea informed them.

"Anyway," Dean said, sitting down on the bed, "Harry and Ron, you guys are a team. But you guys had better get back to your room, Andrea and Hermione, because they're going to give you the list of your partners."

"All the Gryffindors are with Gryffindors, right?" Hermione asked him rather nervously.

"Of course," he replied. "And Slytherins with Slytherins, et cetera."

"That's lucky," said Harry. "Imagine, being stuck in the wilderness with nobody but Malfoy for two whole days…"

"That would suck," said Ron.

"Where are you going?" asked Harry; Ginny, Andrea, and Hermione were moving toward the dorm room door.

"We're seeing our pairings, remember?" Hermione reminded him, half laughing.

"Oh yeah," Ron said. "Where are you going, Ginny?"

"I think I'm going to go to bed," Ginny told them. "Tell me your pairings in the morning, okay, you guys?"

"Okay," Harry assured her.

"I think she's really disappointed about not getting to go," Hermione said.

"She thinks they won't have it next year, I guess," Andrea added, shrugging. "Oh well. She'll only be missing us for two days, and she's got her own friends."



One or two minutes later, Hermione and Andrea rushed back into Harry and Ron's dorm room.

"We got partnered together!" Hermione cried.

"Was there any surprise?" Harry said, smiling at her.

"And Lavender and Parvati got together, of course," Andrea continued. "I guess Dumbledore tries to put people with their friends, if he can help it."

"It's really nice of him," Hermione added.

"Yeah!" Ron said, and high-fived Harry.

Hermione suddenly sneezed.

"Are you sure you aren't going to go to Madame Pomfrey?" asked Ron.

"No, I'm okay," she said, smiling, and then Andrea stifled a yawn.

"Come on, Herm," she said. "We'd better go to bed. Goodnight, Ronnie!"

She gave "Ronnie" a huge kiss, and Hermione kissed Harry's cheek, and then the two of them left Harry and Ron's dorm room together.

"You know," said Ron, as they got into bed, "I'm going to miss them on our trip."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "me, too."