Chapter Four: The First Week

The next morning, Harry and Ron awoke early at six thirty am to go for an early morning run around the Quidditch pitch. Harry used the Marauder's Map to navigate their way to get to the Quidditch pitch before starting to jog. As they jogged, they talked.

'So, Ron, are you looking to go one-nil up in the snogging girls stakes with Hermione?' asked Harry.

'No, I'm not, Harry. I'm not playing that silly game. You can go around snogging as many girls as you want, but I'm not doing it,' replied Ron.

'I see, but, I take it you'd like to snog Hermione?' said Harry.

'I like her, Harry,' said Ron. 'A lot,' he added.

'You're joking! You've known her for less than a day!' exclaimed Harry.

'Doesn't matter,' said Ron.

'Oh, Merlin, no, you can't have done what my dad did! He fell for my mum at our age! And on the first bloody day too!' said Harry shocked.

'She's really pretty and once we get her to come out of her shell, she'll be an even better person, Harry. Give her a chance, eh?' said Ron.

'I noticed that you denied nothing there, mate,' said Harry smirking.

'I didn't confirm anything either, though, did I, Harry?' was Ron's reply.

'No, I suppose not, damn you Weasleys and your skill to exploit loopholes!' said Harry with a chuckle. 'I reckon you're right though, Hermione will be even better once we can get her to come out of her shell. Maybe we can get her to play a few pranks on the Slytherins?'

'Maybe, especially those two bitches she told us about on the train. You know; Bulstrode and the other one?' said Ron.

'You'll have to ask her who the other one was before we break open the Marauder's Prank Books,' Harry told him.

'I intend to, mate, and I'm sure we can teach the hags a lesson too,' said Ron.

'Too right, no-one uses that word and gets away with it,' said Harry fiercely.

'And no-one gives my Hermione shit and gets away with it either,' said Ron with equal fierceness.

After running for forty-five minutes, Harry and Ron went back to Gryffindor tower to shower and dress for the day. Once they were ready they went downstairs to find Hermione waiting for them. Harry watched as Ron smiled at her and then offered to carry her bag for her. At first she declined, but Ron insisted and so she relented before they went down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Ron got Hermione to identify the other girl and Harry remembered her name was Pansy Parkinson as she was sorted shortly before he was. The girl looked like a pug and he and Ron decided which prank to play on them.

Once Professor McGonagall had been around to give the first years their schedules, they were off in hot pursuit of the two Slytherin girls. They walked behind them as they went to Charms and took out their wands and hexed the two girls. However, it appeared that nothing had happened until one of them tried to speak.

Instead of speaking, all Parkinson and Bulstrode could do was moo at each other.

'Moo!'

'Moo?'

The sounds that they were making reduced those around them to tears of laughter as if the two girls belonged on a farm. Nobody laughed harder than Harry and Ron though, as Hermione was trying to stifle her giggles behind her hand, but unsuccessfully.

Parkinson and Bulstrode then ran for either their common room or the Hospital Wing.

'That was brilliant! Is there a counter-charm?' said Hermione getting herself together.

'Nope, they'll have to wait for it to wear off,' said Harry.

'When will that be?' she asked.

'In about twelve hours,' replied Ron.

Hermione giggled again as Ron took her hand before going into the Charms classroom.

The mooing hex had been reported to Harry's Uncle Sev, who, despite being a Gryffindor, was Head of Slytherin house. He knew that Harry and Ron were the culprits but did not have any real proof, and so he did not punish them. Unofficially, he thought it was funny and that Parkinson and Bulstrode deserved what they got, as he had heard the full story about what had happened on the train from Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall.

The rest of the week passed by in a flash, but the best lessons were Charms, Defence, Herbology, Potions and Transfiguration.

Uncle Sev still unimpressed with the Malfoy boy had leapt on the chance to test him in their first Potions lesson.

'Mr Malfoy, what would I get if I added powdered root of Asphodel to an infusion of Wormwood?'

Harry, Ron and Hermione's hands all hit the air, as Malfoy could only shake his head and say, 'I don't know, Sir.'

'Miss Granger,' said Uncle Sev, 'perhaps you can enlighten Mr Malfoy?'

'Yes, Sir, adding powdered root of Asphodel to an infusion of Wormwood creates a sleeping potion so powerful it is called the Draught of Living Death,' said Hermione.

'Correct, Miss Granger, ten points to Gryffindor,' said Uncle Sev, before he turned back to Malfoy and said, 'where would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?'

Again Harry, Ron and Hermione all raised their hands as Malfoy shook his head again and repeated himself by saying, 'I don't know, Sir.'

'Mr Potter, if you please,' said Uncle Sev.

'A bezoar can be found in two places, Sir, inside the stomach of a goat or the store cupboard. A bezoar is a small stone that can act as an antidote to most poisons, but does not work on everything,' said Harry confidently.

Uncle Sev chuckled at Harry's joke before saying, 'Correct, Mr Potter, ten points to Gryffindor. Tell me, Mr Malfoy, what is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?'

For a third time, the hands of Harry, Ron and Hermione hit the air, as Malfoy said, for the third time, 'I don't know, Sir.'

'Mr Weasley, your turn,' said Uncle Sev.

Ron grinned and said, 'That's a trick question, Professor Prince, because Monkshood and Wolfsbane are the same plant, but it also goes by another name; Aconite.'

'Correct, Mr Weasley, another ten points to Gryffindor. Clearly, blood is not everything, is it, Mr Malfoy?' said Uncle Sev, 'be warned, Slytherins, that if I hear any more reports of bigotry from any of you, you will be in detention so fast, your feet will not touch the floor.'

The rest of the lesson had gone by smoothly as Harry, Ron and Hermione each managed to make the potion to cure boils successfully.

The rest of the weeks' lessons were good too. They had watched on as Professor McGonagall had Transfigured her desk into an animal before returning it to its usual look, Defence with Uncle Remus was interesting, but History of Magic was boring as Professor Binns' voice tended to put Harry and Ron to sleep, as Hermione took notes for them. Hermione, it seemed was good at everything, Harry and Ron just seemed to care about excelling in Charms, Defence, Herbology, Potions and Transfiguration. She also pushed them into getting their homework done so they could relax when it was all finished. Hermione watched as Harry and Ron played Wizard's chess. She had never seen anything like it before as she watched Ron defeat Harry and Neville simultaneously.

Climbing the moving staircases was exhausting, especially after Herbology. All five first year Gryffindor boys would simply flop onto the couches by the fire. Lavender and Parvati shared a large chair which left Hermione with nowhere to sit. But before she could say anything, Ron pulled her on to his lap. This drew giggles from the other two girls, but both Ron and Hermione ignored them. She even fell asleep on his lap and Ron, not wanting to wake her, just held her to him.

It was as Hermione slept that they were approached by a burly fifth year boy.

'Don't tell me, knackered after the staircases and Herbology?' he asked.

'Yeah, you could say that,' whispered Ron as Harry nodded.

The boy then turned to Harry and said, 'You're Harry Potter, right, the son of the "Great" James Potter? I've got it on good authority – if you can call Fred and George Weasley "Good Authority," that you're a good flyer and you play Seeker? Well the Gryffindor Quidditch team needs a Seeker, and I'd like to see what you can do, so why don't you come along to the try-outs next week?'

'You're joking, first years never make the house teams!' began Harry excitedly but was cut off by Ron shushing him, before quietly saying, 'are you sure?'

'I am very sure, Harry, no offence, we're that desperate that I'm willing to let anyone try-out for the Seeker position,' he said.

'All right, I'll be there, er –?'

'Oliver Wood, Quidditch Captain and the 'Keeper,' he said as he held out a hand which Harry shook, before saying, 'good man, you know it makes sense, see you later, Harry,' he said before walking away.

'Wow how cool is that? I could make the Quidditch team in my first year!' Harry whispered excitedly.

'Yeah, mate, a shame that he's the 'Keeper though, otherwise I could have a go too,' Ron whispered back.

'You could ask if you could try-out for a reserve position?' suggested Harry.

'Yeah, good thinking, Harry!' he whispered back excitedly.

It was then that Hermione awoke. 'Did I fall asleep?' she asked groggily.

'Only for a minute or two,' replied Ron gently.

'Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you, Ron,' she said softly.

'It's fine, Hermione, don't worry about it,' he replied.

'Homework?' she suggested.

'Yeah, might as well get it out of the way, right?' said Ron and the others all nodded before they found a table for them all to work together. When the homework was finished, Ron challenged Hermione to a game of chess and won. She took the loss well, but vowed that one day she would beat him at the game, before demanding a rematch. Soon it was just Ron and Hermione left in the common room as Harry, who had watched Ron win enough, had gone up to bed. As Ron declared checkmate for seventh time in a row, Hermione yawned.

'All right, Ron, I think I've had enough of losing for tonight, I'm off to bed,' she said as she got to her feet as Ron did the same. She then walked around the table and gave him a hug and whispered, 'I'm sorry I fell asleep on you earlier.'

'Don't be, I'm not,' he whispered back to her.

'Why?' she asked as she pulled back from him.

'I like having you on my lap and you look really pretty when you're asleep,' he said as his ears turned red.

'Oh, Ron, that's the nicest thing anyone – other than my parents, has ever said to me,' she replied blushing deeply.

'I'll always say nice things to you, Hermione,' he told her.

Hermione smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek before saying, 'Goodnight, Ron.'

'Goodnight, Hermione,' he replied before she left him in the common room alone until he too, went up to bed, and as he did, he realised that they had been at Hogwarts for a whole week and still had not written to James, Lily and Sirius, or his parents. So with that thought, he would remind Harry and Hermione to write home in the morning.