It's What Inside That Counts
Chapter 5- Woes of a Harry Wanna-Be
September 15
The day of Quidditch tryouts arrived. Despite flying practice, Hermione knew she was woefully inadequate. Should she just avoid try-outs altogether and announce that Harry Potter was no longer playing Quidditch?
Hermione, you're such a bloody coward! she thought.
On the other hand, should she embarrass the hell out of Harry and fall off her broom during try the tryouts? She trudged toward the pitch and heard the excited voices of the students trying out for the team.
"Hey! There's our star seeker!" Ron called out when she entered the pitch entrance.
Harry smiled weakly.
They watched the chasers and beaters play a mock match for Ron, with him playing keeper to judge how well they played.
"Seekers up!" Ron called when it was their turn.
In his mind, Harry was a given for the position, but to be fair, back-ups had to have their chance to try out. "You go ahead," Harry said, urging the other seeker candidates before him her.
When she saw the other seeker hopefuls chase the snitch, she knew Ron was going to be in for a shock. They were better than her by a long shot. With fear and trepidation, she mounted the broom when Ron called "Harry, you're next!"
The staff watched from the stands, making their annual Quidditch Cup wagers. Severus knew his Slytherins had a good chance this year to win the cup. Minerva frowned at him when he said as much.
"Professor Anderson, do you suddenly fancy the art of Divination?" Minerva quipped.
"Not at all, I just have a feeling about Gryffindor's seeker this year," he said.
When Ginny let the snitch go, she waited to see Harry take off like a shot after it. She looked back to see Harry hovering a few feet from the ground watching the snitch flitter away with a blank look on his face.
"Umm Harry? Hello?" she asked.
"Yeah?"
"You're supposed to go after it," Ginny said.
"Oh...yeah," she chuckled nervously and urged the broom forward.
For the next half hour, the staff and Gryffindor team watched in confused surprise as Harry flew at half his normal speed and struggled at times to stay on the broom.
"What's wrong with him?" Ron asked Ginny.
"I have no idea," Ginny said. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but that fourth year flew better."
When Harry fell off herhis broom, try-outs came to an end. What a bloody disaster! The laughter of Professor Anderson could be heard from the stands.
The next day, the try-out results were posted in the common room.
H. Potter- Keeper, Third String was listed at the bottom. Harry felt a tap on his shoulder.
"You're not mad are you?" Ginny asked.
Harry shook his head.
"What happened out there? It was as if you were afraid of the broom," Ginny said.
"Just have a lot on my mind," Harry said.
"Wow, must be big- big enough for you to settle for third string keeper," Ginny said.
"You have no idea," Harry said and walked away.
At dinner, Ron avoided Harry's eyes, worried that Harry was mad at him.
"Harry-" he started.
"Don't worry about it Ron, I'm not mad," Harry said. "You had to do what was best for the team, and McMurray was the best."
"Aren't you mad about getting beat out by a fourth year?" Ron asked.
Relieved is more like it!! "No Ron, like I told Ginny, you are the team captain and you did what was best for the team."
The next day, Harry limped into DADA class.
"Mr. Potter, do you need to visit the infirmary?"
"No sir, I'm fine," Harry said. The professor nodded and Harry took his seat. The rest of the class arrived and the lecture started.
"Today we will be delving deeper into Dementors, an important subject since their so-called release from Azkaban," the Professor said. "As such, we need to ensure that each of you can successfully call forth your Patronus."
Ron cast his and a Jack Russell terrier yapped it's way around the room. He was no longer embarrassed to have such a Patronus since the girls thought it cute. When it was Harry's turn, the class waited casually. Harry was the first student to be able to cast a Patronus those years ago, amazingly as a third year.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry called and an otter appeared instead of a stag. Harry looked curiously at his wand and Professor Anderson quickly cast an "finite incantatem" toward the otter.
"Hey, I thought yours was a stag," Seamus said.
"Wow, you must miss Mione more than we thought to be casting her Patronus," Ron said.
Hermione didn't foresee this. This was Harry's body using Harry's wand. It should have been a stag.
"Potter, a word after class if you would," Professor Anderson said.
After class, he stood in front of the professor's desk. The professor flicked his wand at the door, locking it and silencing it.
"Miss Granger, since you cast a Patronus, but one not your own, you will not receive a full grade for today's lesson."
Harry's face fell.
"However, you can make up the grade and possibly receive extra credit if you can turn in an essay detailing why you did not cast a stag, due two days from today."
"Yes sir, I'll find out."
"Also, I need to meet with you during my Tuesday evening office hours, I have few revisions for my research notes that I would like to run by you."
"Certainly sir."
"That is all, enjoy your dinner."
"Uh...thanks," Harry said and left the room. Did Severus Snape just tell me to enjoy my dinner?
When Harry left, Severus sat in the quiet room and wondered why he had told a student to "enjoy your dinner."
Tuesday evening, Harry knocked on the Potions classroom door and heard "enter" from inside.
"Take a seat, Miss Granger."
Severus marked on papers for a few minutes then looked at Harry.
"You have the essay?"
Harry nodded and placed three parchments on the desk.
"Summarize the essay if you would, Miss Granger."
"The Patronus charm recognizes the soul, the spirit of the witch or wizard, not the body or the wand of the person. Also, when the person has underwent undergone an emotional upheaval, the Patronus may take on a different form."
"Why do you think your Patronus is an otter?" Severus asked.
"I've often thought on that. During the summer after I cast my first Patronus, I researched a bit about otters. Otters are good swimmers, as I am; they are also hard workers, as I am. They sort of have protruding front teeth...as I used to have."
"Why do you think Potter's Patronus is a stag?" he asked.
"I have no idea," she replied.
"Very well Miss Granger, you have earned twenty more points for your marks toward the previous class," Severus said.
"Thank you sir."
"I have a few more questions for my research. They are more or less personal as before, but essential for development," he said.
Not to mention a good way to get to know you!!
Severus took out his stack of parchment and a quill and made a few notes as if he was carefully pondering the words.
"Hmm..Miss Granger..have you had any odd dreams or any additional side effects since the transformation?"
"So much that Sigmund Freud could have made a living by my dreams alone."
Severus nodded thoughtfully. "Would you care to elaborate?"
Harry blushed. "Um...well..some have not been that odd, mainly that of seeing Hermione with short, messy black hair or that of seeing Harry with Hermione's long, brown hair. "I also have dreams, flights of fancy-pardon the pun, of Hermione catching the snitch at a match."
As if that would ever happen! Not even magic could help me with that!
"I've been having...personal dreams that I don't care to say aloud. May I submit them to you in written form?"
"Certainly Miss Granger, this is voluntary after all. You reserve the right to mention nothing to me at all if you wish."
"I have so much going on up here," she said tapping her head, "that it might do me good to get it out. I would put the dreams in a pensive if I could, to get the images out of my mind, but you can't put dreams in a pensive."
That night, a school owl delivered a letter to Severus in his office. It was from Hermione.
It was entitled Odd Dreams During Polyjuice Transformation, September 13-1997.
I went to bed shortly after ten p.m. after a dinner of baked chicken, potatoes and chocolate cake. I listened to the ridiculous ramblings of my hormonal driven dorm mates as they described their alleged romancing of various "birds" around Hogwarts. That night, I had a normal dream of Justin Finch-Fletchly of he and I flying on his broom. It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out. I wish I could fly and be with him, that's simple enough. What happens after the flight is alarming however. We are in what I think is the male Head Boy dorm and were are snogging as we usually do in my dreams. I suddenly find myself disrobing in front of him, only to see that I am Hermione with a penis.
Severus choked on the cookie he was eating and resumed reading.
Justin disrobes and he sports a vagina. In the dream, this anatomical oddity seemed perfectly normal and the snogging continued. I lowered him to the floor and we started having sex. Three or four strokes into the act, I woke up on the floor having fallen out of my bed and had what is commonly called a wet dream. I remained awake the rest of the night.
Did she have any idea how arousing this somewhat clinical, straightforward description of a dream sounded?
She should write one of those bodice rippers! She would make a fortune!
Over the months, Severus received several more missives of Hermione's dreams. He learned important things about Hermione through these letters. Hermione's powers of observation were quite substantial and continued to grow. Her experiences during this transformation made her think more "outside of the box" and she was gaining a newfound sense of wisdom. He also found out she was a sensualist, but probably wasn't aware of it. She was uninhibited and expressive in her narratives about her dreams. She had a wit comparable to his but didn't wield it to hurt the feelings of others.
Too bad all this was wrapped in the package of Harry Potter.