A Slight Mishap
Summary: An AU fic set in the trio's sixth year. What happens when Harry is asked to test an ageing solution and everything goes horribly wrong once more?
A/N; Tadaaaaaaa!!! I'm officially back now! After problems with stress, then my internet decided to bugger up on me and then my whole computer had to be reconfigured because I had numerous vrius' that just wouldn't go away... so, yeah, those are the very valid reasons why I have yet to update. So, enjoy this chapter!
Dedication; This is a rare event, as I usually never dedicate my stories unless it is to my really really good friends or to my family. For this chapter though, I dedicate it to a few reviewers. This chapter is for MinaLynn and Mikee, who prevented me from making a mistake that could have cost me heaps. Thanks again! I'd also like to say thanks to Lurk, because, though you haven't been with this story from the start, your creative reviews really help to make my day. Thank you to you too!
Now, onto the story!
Chapter Thirteen
Problems with Fire
A pair of large green eyes flickered open and gazed up at the beige ceiling with a small look of curiosity on his face. Looking closely, he was sure he could make out some shapes, but couldn't quite catch what they were in the dim lighting of early morning.
Deciding that the apparent shapes on the ceiling were not enough to hold his attention for long, Harry sat up and yawned widely. He could hear the four older boys still sleeping, Ron and Neville snoring loudly. He giggled slightly as he saw Ron sprawled on his back, mouth wide open.
He scrambled out of his bed, which, unbeknownst to him, had been magically changed to suit his age, which meant there were no more bars. Softly he dropped to the floor in his bare feet and padded across the floor to Ron.
"Won," he whispered, wondering if the boy was actually awake and just tricking him.
Ron continued snoring.
Harry huffed slightly. He was sure that no one slept like that… he must be pretending to be asleep! Well, Harry would show him.
Carefully Harry climbed up on the bed and poised himself. And, without warning, he let himself drop heavily down onto Ron's stomach.
Ron was jerked out of a truly lovely dream he was having about running in a sun filled paddock with someone of importance (he was entirely sure who, but he knew that the person was familiar) and let out a startled cry as all the breath left his body in a whoosh. There were various noises of confusion as Neville, Dean and Seamus woke up.
Harry blinked down at Ron and realised that perhaps he hadn't been pretending after all. Ron's blues eyes flicked up to him and looked at him blankly for a moment before comprehension dawned. Harry smiled sheepishly.
"Little minx!" Ron growled playfully. "You woke me up from a very nice dream!"
Harry couldn't help but giggle.
"'Bout 'Mione?" he asked innocently.
Ron stared at him, dumb-founded, ignoring that snickers that were coming from their now wide-awake dorm-mates.
"Where on earth did you get that idea, Harry?" Ron asked.
Harry shrugged and scrambled off the bed, dropping the subject, but opening it up to allow Neville, Dean and Seamus to tease him mercilessly. Ron groaned. If Harry was older, I'd think he does these things on purpose.
Of course, there was always the possibility that he was doing it on purpose. Harry was a lot smarter then they gave him credit for, one of the side-effects Dumbledore mentioned before he became four.
Harry ran over to his bed and tugged at his clothes, releasing them from where they had managed to get tangled in the sheets that he had kicked off sometime the previous night. When he had managed to free the small set of clothes, Ron swung his feet off the bed and walked over to him, intending to help.
"I can do it," Harry said when Ron picked up the trousers.
"You sure?" Ron asked, looking at him in surprise.
Harry nodded solemnly and then started tugging off his blue pyjama top. Ron shrugged and walked back to his bed, closing the curtains so that he could get dressed too.
Harry dropped the top to the floor and looked at the red shirt Hermione had given him doubtfully. What way was it supposed to do? Both ways looked the same to him. And what was the little white thing on the inside?
Deciding that, in the end, it didn't really matter what way the clothes went, Harry pulled on the shirt and a pair of trousers, leaving the green jumper carelessly on the floor as he struggled with his socks. The shoes, of course, were much too hard to put on himself, so he left them alone.
Ron was still getting dressed, so Harry left the dormitory and bounced down the stairs where Hermione was usually waiting for them. To his surprise and delight, Ginny was the only one down in the big lounge room.
"Gin-Gin!" he squealed and ran over to her.
Ginny laughed and swung the little boy up onto her lap. Harry beamed broadly up at her.
"Hello, Harry, how are you?" she asked.
"Good," Harry proclaimed.
Ginny bit her lip, trying not to laugh at the poor boy. Somehow he had managed to get all of his clothes, even his socks, back to front.
"Harry, who dressed you?" she asked.
"Me," Harry said proudly. "I can dress myself now."
"I see," said Ginny, wondering desperately how to tell him he hadn't dressed himself properly without offending him.
"Won sleeps funny," Harry informed her in a rather loud whisper. "I thought he was pretending, so I woked him up."
"Oh?" said Ginny, unable to help a giggle. "I'm sure he wasn't too pleased by that. Was he actually asleep?"
With a look of guilt on his face, Harry nodded. Ginny cleared her throat, not wanting to laugh at him.
"Well, you know, Harry, I think you did an admirable job dressing yourself," Ginny said, vaguely hoping that if she used big words he wouldn't feel hurt. "But you put your clothes on the wrong way."
Harry tilted his head with a look of confusion.
"I didn't know there was a right way," he said.
Ginny was suddenly struck by how well spoken the boy was, and how he had been even as a two year old. Must be his older self showing through.
"There is," Ginny said. "Do you want me to help you?"
Ginny and Harry struggled through getting his clothes on the right way, Ginny showing him how to tell if they were the right way round or not. Harry was a little more of a hindrance then a help, but he was determined to get it right.
Finally they were done and Harry looked up at Ginny with a look of admiration on his face just as Ron and Hermione descended down their respective staircases, Hermione looked tired and Ron a little frantic.
"Thank you, Gin-Gin," he beamed.
"That's alright, Harry," Ginny said, patting him on the head and pushing him towards his two carers.
Harry ran over to them and Hermione picked him up.
"Good morning, Harry," she said. "What are you doing down here?"
"Gin-Gin helped me," Harry informed her as though it was the most important thing in the world. "She's really nice."
"She is, isn't she?" Hermione said with a smile, noticing how Ginny went a little pink at this statement.
"I'm going to marry her when I'm older," Harry said with a large smile.
If Ginny was blushing before, it was nothing to what she was doing now as she turned a very familiar deep red. Ron took in a sharp intake of breath and choked. Hermione merely smiled sweetly.
"That seems a good idea," Hermione said with a nod. "Now, let's go down to breakfast."
She and Harry left through the portrait hole, Harry chattering to Hermione about his morning. Ron and Ginny looked at each other.
Suddenly Ron snickered and Ginny blushed even more.
"Well, that's an interesting turn of events," Ron said airily. "I'll have to hold him to that promise… I'm sure mum would love to begin planning the wedding."
Ginny made a sound that was pretty indistinguishable and raced out of the door, leaving Ron to start laughing.
After lunch, Ron, Hermione and Harry made their way down to Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures. For once Harry wasn't being carried, and was running ahead of them and then running back to them, seeming to delight in this small amount of exercise outside.
It occurred to his two carers that Harry hadn't really been outside all that much, which was why he was revelling in the experience now. They looked at each other, both deciding to bring him outside more often.
A small group of Gryffindors and Slytherins were already standing around the hut with Hagrid when they approached. Hagrid beamed at them.
"Hello, Hagrid," Harry beamed at the giant man, causing Hagrid to chuckle. This was the first time he had seen Harry as a four year old.
Hermione's eyes were drawn to a few crates sitting by Hagrid's feet and she felt a bit nervous. Thankfully, Hagrid had postponed the lesson with salamanders because Harry was so small, but Hermione wondered if, now that Harry was two years older, he had finally decided to bring them in.
Her suspicions were confirmed when Hagrid showed her a little warded playpen that she could set Harry in.
"Today we're going to be doin' salamanders," Hagrid informed the class. "I was going to do it earlier, but a few things came up."
He bent down and opened the boxes, allowing a few red lizard-like creatures to crawl out of their confines. Hagrid beamed at them.
Harry watched the lesson curiously fascinated by the red creatures that had come from the wooden boxes. They didn't look like anything he had ever seen before, and he wondered what they were and if they were nice.
Perhaps he could find out? He was sure they wouldn't mind, just like Black, who had taken to refusing coming to this class after a kneazle bit him, didn't mind and that plant didn't mind.
Carefully he climbed out of the playpen, not attracting any attention as Hagrid continued to talk to his class. He crawled over to the creatures silently through the grass. When he was nearer to them, they looked at him blankly.
Bravely Harry crawled forwards to the nearest one and stretched out his hand. As was his luck Hagrid turned to look at the creatures at that exact moment and his mouth dropped open, causing the entire class to look over too.
Harry's hand met the forehead of the creature and immediately flames sprung up and out of it, engulfing it, Harry and the other creatures, causing them to begin burning too.
"Harry!" screamed Hermione.
Ron's knees gave out and he fell to the ground with a thump. Everyone else just gaped dumbly. By all appearances, the boy-who-lived had just gone up in flames.
The fire raged for a moment and then started to recede, leaving the blackened grass in its wake. Hermione suddenly realised that she had left little half-moon circles in her palms from where she had clenched her fists.
She felt like breaking down and sobbing, but she was frozen, her mind refusing to accept what her eyes were telling her. Harry couldn't go just like that…
Finally the flames cleared and this time Hermione's knees gave out and she fell next to Ron, unable to comprehend what she was seeing.
For all intents and purposes, Harry hadn't been engulfed at all, despite what she was sure she had seen. In fact, Harry was, at that moment, petting one of the salamanders, who had tilted its head to give him better access, not a wound on him. Not even his head had been singed.
"Ron, could you please tell me what just happened?" Hermione asked, quite calmly she thought.
"I honestly do not know," said Ron, blinking.
Hagrid looked like he was about to faint, he had gone as pale as a ghost as he stared at Harry. Hermione's mind began racing as she thought about what had just happened. Was it possible that Harry had had some abilities that even he hadn't known about?
Harry continued petting the salamander, completely unaware of the commotion that he had just caused, simply be surviving when all the odds said that he should be ashes by now.
Ron came down the stairs from his dormitory after putting Harry to bed to find Hermione scribbling in a thick, leather bound, un-lined diary. He stood over her shoulder for a moment and then cleared his throat, causing her to jump.
"Ron!" she said in surprise. "I didn't hear you come down."
"You seemed pretty caught up in what you were doing," Ron grinned, looking down at the book. "What are you doing?"
"I've decided to keep track of Harry's progress," Hermione said, showing him the six pages that were already filled with neat, tiny writing. "I only got it yesterday through the owl post, so I've just been writing about what he's gone through to this point and then about what happened today. I think Harry might like to see it when he's older again."
Ron was doubtful about that… it looked like way too much reading material to him. Then again, if Hermione got her way, Harry would no doubt like books a lot more by the time he was sixteen again.
"Have you spoken to Dumbledore yet?" he asked.
"No, Hagrid said he did, though," Hermione said. "He told me during dinner. Said that the headmaster just asked that we let him know if anything else happens."
"Well, that's good," said Ron relieved. "As long as Dumbledore's onto it, we're good."
"Ron!" Hermione scolded. "We're Harry's carers!"
"So?" asked Ron.
"Which means that if we notice that something is wrong, we fix it or bring it to the attention of someone who can," Hermione snapped, closing the book, gathering her things and standing. "We do not foist our problems onto someone else!"
She opened her mouth as though she was going to say something else and then made a frustrated sound.
"You can be so thick!" she ground out.
She stormed up the staircase that led to the girl's dormitories, leaving Ron behind her with a bewildered expression.
"What did I do?" he asked to the empty Common Room.
Coming Up (sooner then you might think, too!); Chapter Fourteen- Black's Run. Harry decides that it's a good idea to make Black bigger so he doesn't accidentally squash him, only the charm doesn't seem to wear off. So now they're stuck with a large dog that really just wants to go outside...
Reviews; Unlike in previous chapters, I am not going to reply to reviews in the chapter anymore. Rather, I will reply to them directly through messages now! This is due to a couple of people that gave me warnings about this practice and, after all the work I've put in to get to this point, I'd really rather not have my story pulled!