Harry was the first to react as Hermione continued to stare at whatever that was now leaving blue slime in the grass yard. He grabbed her hand and said to hell with it. He pulled out her wand and pointed it at the lock on the cupboard. "Stupefy!" The metal padlock shattered along with the hinge.
Hermione was quick to run upstairs and grab everything they had up there, including Hedwig, shoving the rest into her little green sack. Then they met back downstairs. As she grabbed his hand, though, she stopped him. That's when she laid the most passionate, excited kiss she'd ever managed in her life. Her hands held both his cheeks and her lips rubbed against his as if they were meant to be together. As soon as they broke the kiss, she looked into his eyes and didn't regret a moment of it.
"W-wow…" Harry breathed as she nodded, just as taken aback by her tenacity.
"You rat bastard!" Vernon said as he opened the door while Petunia and Dudley stood at the large hole in the wall, watching the slug's very slow progress down the sidewalk. "You stop that ruddy thing this instant! You put that armchair right back where it was, now!"
Harry wielded his wand then, pointed it directly at Vernon's throat. "Never! I'll see her die first! I've had it with this place! I'm leaving!" Harry shouted and Hermione was only more enamoured as she gazed into his furious eyes as he threatened his Uncle with potential violent murder. "She'll rot in hell before I give her the slightest help!" He shouted when he saw Vernon attempt another squealing fit.
Hermione had nothing to add as she walked alongside Harry with Hedwig in her cage. That's when he burst out the already open door and Petunia looked at Dudley. Neither of them attempted to stop him as he glared at them for an instant, then moved on.
The two of them kept walking down the street, going past the slug and Marge as she tried to cry out for him. "Bye, Aunt Marge. Thanks for coming!" Harry said in mock admiration. Hermione simply gave a little wave and Marge began to curse them as the slug wobbled.
They made their way down the street, and four blocks over at the park before they both were forced to stop and breathe for a moment. That's when Harry started to take in everything that had just happened.
"Well, I suppose I can use wandless magic now." Harry said between gasps as he looked at her. She absolutely beamed at him and giggled like the giddy school girl she was.
"You transfigured an entire armchair into a weird slug thing, with no wand and no incantation. Harry, that was spectacular! I wish I had a camera, that was brilliant!" She went to him and both of their sweaty faces met in another kiss. "Now, we need to figure out how to get to Diagon Alley from here. I don't suppose any of the neighbours have a phone we could use. Is there a red phone box around?" She asked and he shook his head.
"Miles that way." Harry waved his hand off in some way. Then he looked either way down the street and sighed. Then, as both of them began to control their breathing, they heard another set of breathing.
Both of them looked at each other. They could see each other's faces through shadows, though one of the distant park lights gave them some illumination. They looked across the street, both of them trying to discern what was there. Something was panting, and from the shadow, it looked like an enormous dog. In fact, it was built more like a huge black wolf. Without a single thought, Harry pulled out Hermione's wand and pointed it toward the street.
Immediately, without warning, there came the Knight Bus! Like a gunshot noise and a burst of absolute purple, both of them stumbled backward in surprise.
"Oh! Harry! The Knight Bus!" She patted his shoulder excitedly and he let out a huge sigh.
"Hello!" Stan Shunpike, a skinny, young man with blonde hair and an usher hat, said and pointed at both of them. "Oh! Harry! You're back! Glad we got that whole mess sorted, eh?" He said as he went with them to grab the trunk and told them to go ahead and get on.
"Welcome back, Harry! Where to?" Ernest said, even though he was sure that he hadn't boarded the Knight Bus on their first supposed outing last year. The bus was full of strange twin-sized beds that were connected to the roof of the bus. Stand loaded up their trunk and the two of them found a bed in the middle and sat down.
"Diagon Alley, in London." Harry said as he sat and Hermione tried to look for any sort of safety device to strap into.
"Alright! Take it away, Ern!" Stan shouted as she was about to comment on the lack of a safety harness. The bus launched forward like a bullet and both of them were taken straight back as the bed recoiled along with them and they both held onto the bed's head and foot rails.
"So, what brings you back to the Knight Bus, eh, Harry?" Stan asked, seeming totally unaffected by the sudden twists and turns that the bus took.
"We needed a ride. We were a little stranded." Hermione admitted and Stan was quick to take off his hat, pressing it to his chest.
"Then the Knight Bus has, once again, done its civic duty to the wizarding world. We're proud to do it again." He placed his hat back on his head and he grinned at them both.
"Hear hear!" Ernest shouted from the front as a large rubbish truck was passed as if it were standing still and they made another large bang as they made their way East.
There was a good long moment as the bus was just travelling along the streets, moving street lights and phone booths out of the way as they had to take the sidewalk for a mile or so. They made small detours to pick up other witches and wizards, though only a few. One of the witches actually recognized him and he started to figure he shouldn't be seen too much. For all he knew, he was already a wanted wizard.
"We'll get with Ollivander first. I need to make sure my parents receive word from him soon." He reasoned and he nodded, though he wasn't sure how wise it would be to send Hedwig to do much else. In fact, it may have been a good idea to leave Hedwig at her parents' house. They were muggles and far removed from the wizarding world as far as he knew it. Was it even safe for Hermione to travel with him? Such a question would most assuredly cause sparks to fly as she had already helped him thus far.
They had to brace themselves against yet another very straight turn that caused one wizard to flip off of his bed.
"I suppose this beats the Dursleys." Harry reasoned and she shrugged with a nod. Honestly, this was a bit of a luxury holiday by comparison. Both of them knocked into one another again and Harry held onto Hermione's tricep as they came to a roundabout!
It felt like an hour, but it was probably more like ten minutes when they finally reached Diagon Alley. As it came to a halt, both Hermione and Harry went face-first into the front of the passenger side.
"Ow…" Hermione muttered as her rump hit the ground. She stretched to the side, popping her back very audibly as she rose to her feet and they both limped off of the Knight Bus.
"Ah, Harry, Hermione, so good of you to turn up." Said a strange, nasally voice from a squat, pudgy wizard in a green bowler hat. As soon as Hermione saw him, she knew this had to be someone from the ministry. Had they known where they were all along? "If you could, load all of Harry's things into my room, please, thank you." He spoke to Stan Shunpike, who was bringing the trunk down off the bus. Then he turned his attention back to the other two students. "My name is Cornelius Fudge, and I am the Minister of Magic."
This seemed to float in the air between them for three seconds before Harry and Hermione eyed one another with this new information. This was their first time setting eyes on him and the gravity of the situation suddenly started to dawn on them slowly.
"You're the Minister of Magic? What are you doing here?" Hermione reasoned. Of all the people to find them, it was the Minister of Magic? Was this some sort of setup?
"Why, I was enjoying their pea soup when the Knight Bus suddenly showed up out front. I highly recommend it. If both of you will please accompany me to my room, we'll get this whole affair sorted out." He walked with them into the Leaky Cauldron, where they met Tom, the owner and were led into the room as Fudge tossed his hat onto a coat rack, missing it.
Both of them were completely bewildered. If this was an arrest, it certainly was far more courteous than they had been led to believe. Though, Hermione shuddered to think what had become of Marge. If she somehow was injured, or worse, this could be worse than she thought.
"Now, now, there's no need to fret. Here, have some tea." He said as the door opened behind them and Tom, the owner, brought them in a whole cart of tea, crumpets and biscuits.
They accepted the late night tea with a nod and Hermione buttered a biscuit while Harry bit on a crumpet. Both of them were quite hungry.
"Now then, that's better? Good. I know you two have been through quite a bit as of recently and I do hope neither of you are hurt in any way?" Fudge asked almost timidly.
Both of them shook their heads as they sipped their tea, glancing at one another on occasion to make sure they were still reading the situation correctly.
"Very good. Well, you two gave us quite a start at the ministry. Yes, indeed, running off like that in the middle of the night. It was far past curfew and you didn't tell a soul where you were going. I tell you, quite unwise, indeed. Yes, let's not make a habit of that, if you don't mind." Fudge sounded like a meek mother who was disciplining her three year old but failing to keep a stern face. "Still, it is good that both of you are safe and within our warm embrace of security. Please, both of you, we would appreciate it if you would stay where we can see you and within arms reach, so to speak."
This was most certainly strange, if they are approaching them on the grounds of an arrest, this polite was disorienting. "Sir, if you don't mind me asking, what is going on? Harry accidentally turned his aunt's chair into a slug and it crashed through a house wall."
As she spoke Fudge nodded vigorously and held up both hands to tamp her down a bit. "Yes, we are well aware. Quite a strange bit of magic, but also very much within the bounds of our abilities to fix. A few repair spells, some memory charms and voila! Not a single soul remembers. Though, your Aunt and Uncle were still quite angry, even after the memory charms were put into place. Oh, dear, were they ever." Fudge seemed to recall the memory as if tasting something revolting.
Both Harry and Hermione nodded, knowing full well what awaited him at the end of the school year. "So, what happens now?" Harry asked and she nodded, very much wanting to know the same thing.
"Well, nothing! Both of you stay in Diagon Alley and stay out of trouble, then the ministry will escort you to King's Cross where you will be off to Hogwarts once again!" He smiled brightly and clapped his hands once. "Just don't go into Muggle London. Stay right here where we can keep an eye on you and keep you safe. Okay?"
Not wanting to question their good fortune, nor look a gift horse in the mouth, right away, both of them agreed wholeheartedly. They were led to a room with two very large beds, an ice box with several large bottles of Gourmet Butterbeer, Pumpkin Juice and bottled water. The cabinets were full of Chocolate Frogs, which they very quickly shoved into the green bag, determined not to open them without Ron. There were also Cauldron Cakes, Bertie Bott's Beans and a row of pumpkin pasties on top of other ridiculously fancy accommodations.
"Did you see that dog across the street?" Harry asked, seemingly out of nowhere as they set out on Diagon Alley after a very long sleep. It was not at all hard to fall asleep, but it was especially hard to get up. Still, they needed to get their school supplies and on that chilly morning, they set off.
"Yes, that was the largest dog I've ever seen. I'm glad the Knight Bus arrived when it did." Hermione said as they kept up their pace to the shops, which were starting to open en masse now that ten o'clock rolled around. First, the two of them had coffee and cakes in a pleasant little diner. "Why? Is something wrong? Did you want to get a dog?"
"Well, I don't know, but no, that's not what I mean. I was wondering. The way it was looking toward me. That strange look it had. It didn't move like a dog." Harry said, looking over at her. "Do you think it was magical?"
"It's always possible, I suppose. There are strange dogs in this world. If you remember the one that almost ate the toilet seat. We could order one here again, if you'd like." Hermione offered and Harry remembered the little one that started eating the saucer. From what he understood, Dean Thomas had witnessed a full grown crup eat a very large bite out of a tree trunk.
"Then, there was that damned three-headed dog that turned out to be a decoy set up by Hagrid. If I had known Cerberus was based on a real kind of dog, I think I would have paid closer attention to Greek studies." Harry admitted and Hermione had surprisingly forgotten about Fluffy. Hagrid told them he was in the forbidden forest now and he checked up on him quite regularly.
"So, it's entirely possible, Harry, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. Even magical dogs become strays on occasion. Perhaps we should get you a labrador?" Hermione offered and sipped her cappuccino with a long quaff. They mixed the mocha and the cinnamon to absolute perfection.
"I'm not going to say no, but at the same time, I should really get my own house in the wizarding community first. I don't even have wizarding robes outside of my school uniform." He said as he drank his own coffee, which was a bitter black with only a bit of sugar to take off some of the edge. Uncle Vernon had never allowed him sugar, so black coffee had become his norm.
"Oh! That's a wonderful idea! Once we get our uniforms, we should choose our own style of wizarding robes. We have plenty of time to do that here! Is there any style you liked and wanted to try?" Hermione asked and got out a quill and parchment from her bag before rustling around for an inkwell.
"Not really, but it's something to consider later." He said, but then all of his attention was put into the window of Quality Quidditch supplies as he stopped entirely. Hermione was about to ask what it was, but then she stopped and looked where he was looking.
In the window of the store was a broomstick that apparently was unlike any other broomstick there ever was. People were ogling it like it was a brand new species of animal discovered to lay golden eggs. Hermione looked up and down its bristles, its wood handle and its foot rests at the back. She successfully determined that it was, in fact, a broom of some sort.
The sign read, "The New Firebolt, Ask for Price Inside" and she couldn't fathom why they would ever not put a price tag on it. Was it really so expensive that they were embarrassed? Or was the price fluctuating periodically like the stock market?
"Well, why don't you go ask about the price?" She offered and he shook his head, getting a bit of an uncomfortable look.
"No, if I spend that much, I won't have enough for my term in Hogwarts." Harry reasoned and Hermione nearly told him that she would help him through any hardship, even offer him a home if it came to that. Then she remembered that she was still a little girl with parents and studies. Was she really about to offer him to move in with her? "Hermione?"
She was brought out of her very long, hard train of thought and noticed that her cheeks were very flushed. "Yes?"
"Are you alright?" Harry asked and brought his hand up to her forehead. She furrowed her brow at him and they stood there, staring at each other. After a long moment, they both began to laugh. She took his hand and started walking with him down the street again.
According to the cauldron scale, she should be alright to keep hers for another year. They had no problems in the apothecary this year, but Flourish and Blotts turned out to be something of a different story.
"Ah, bloody hell, two of them, really?" He said as he seemed to grimace and look off to the side. He grabbed a pair of dragon hide gloves and a wooden walking stick. "I'm sorry for what you're about to see." He said to both of them, clearly dreading something and making them look at one another.
One open of the door showed exactly what it was. There was a wire bin, like a kennel full of puppies, only it was full of what looked like books, but they were covered in horrible swamp-like fur. If that weren't bad enough, they also had teeth locking what looked like pages!
"Are those… books?" Harry asked, and Hermione very hesitantly nodded.
"Unfortunately, yes!" The manager, Mr. Frye said as he jabbed at three of them and then grabbed hold one while stamping its jaw shut with the stick. "Get off! Get off, ya mangy creature!" He thwacked one of the other ones with the stick as he quickly held the book up to Harry. Then nodded to the side. "Grab one of those belts and tie it on, quick!" He said, beads of sweat going down his forehead.
Harry grabbed his wand and slapped it against the top of the book. The book immediately went still and Mr. Frye stood there, dumbfounded. "Well, I'll be! How did you manage that?"
"Oh, it's a simple body-bind charm." Harry said but Hermione slapped him on the shoulder.
"Harry! No! That wasn't just a body-bind charm. You didn't even use an incantation." She said as she gazed at him, dumbfounded as he got a belt from the rack on the wall and slid it easily over the book, tightening it shut.
"A body-binding charm on a book! Bless me, uncle! I swear, this "Monster Book of Monsters" from that same nutter who made the Potion Book of Potions! You poured it from a bottle and the book dissolved after the year was up! Melted text all over trousers and knickers. My own son framed his book undergarments and never let me forget." He shook his head as he got out his wand and waited over the monster book bin for a moment before, "Petrificus Totalus!"
After getting their books, neither of them were especially thrilled to receive "Unfogging the Future" by Cassandra Vablatsky. As intrigued as she was at first, three chapters in during tea and she nearly choked. Divination as a class had to be one of the largest piles of dung she had ever laid eyes on. The calculations were wildly exaggerated, just about every planet alignment caused some type of small injury or inconvenience, and palmistry had to be one of the most boring looking practices she had ever seen in her life. The more she flipped through the pages, the more she saw uncertain messages popping up in crystal balls, wind changes and different types of soup smells became signs of stubbing one's toes or getting an inordinate amount of dirt under one's fingernails.
It was quite amazing how much books were becoming one of Hermione's greatest enemies, as well as one of her most passionate pastimes. First, it was Gilderoy Lockhart bombarding her with his utter lies through hundreds of thousands of words that could fertilise a garden. Next, came a book that she did not like to think about at all. This book nearly killed her and Harry the winter of last year. There were many elements of that event that were still quite thankfully foggy in her memory. Not even counting the ridiculous new monster book they acquired, now she was being subjected to reading soggy tea leaves and making sure Uranus isn't getting too close to aligning with the moon. She was forced to put her books away for the time being, Hermione was starting to get a headache.
Her spirits very quickly picked up as they finally went to Ollivander's shop. She kissed the old man's cheek and he gave her a bashful smile, waving her off. "Oh, you spoil this old man! Welcome! Both of you! So wonderful to see you once again. And my, how both of you have grown!"
There was a moment where Hermione blushed. She knew Harry had noticed when they first met, most certainly when they first embraced. She had grown a bit. Ollivander was clearly commenting on their height, but it was also true that she was beginning to take on a bit more form than she had before. Harry did not comment, but she noticed that he noticed. He was ever the gentleman, but he was most certainly not a saint.
Then, there was Harry. He was definitely taller. Though much of his growth had been done over the school year, now, his facial structure seemed to be playing catch up with the rest of his body. She knew he was also going through changes, but it was wise of her to change that train of thought before she began to make less-than-wise choices.
"Now, let me see how you have progressed in your studies." Ollivander said, and she was very quick to bring out a box. It did not have the stamp of Ollivander upon it, but it was, in fact, a finished wand.
"Ah! Very, very good, Hermione! Walnut, Eleven and a half inches long, Unicorn Hair from such a brave specimen. Through your efforts, you have made it quite firm. For a first wand, it is exemplary." He beamed at her as her eyes went wide as she gazed at him. "Yes, not only have you corrected the mistake I mentioned, but you have also made the wand itself look as though you have done it more than once. Watch and listen very closely, my dear." Both Harry and Hermione watched as he studied the shaft. "Walnut is a very dark wood. It is also quite adaptive and strong against hardships. It is good for those who persevere through especially difficult times. Sagittio!"
With a wave of the wand, he shot an arrow straight from its tip and it pierced one of the support beams that went high into the ceiling. Both of them flinched hat how fast the arrow travelled. "You see? Only a slight imperfection in the accuracy at six yards. You have made up for this by broadening its cast at the cost of density. The twine is comfortable in my hand, and you have knitted it together for a fine handle. With all of this in mind, I will give you a 95%, plus a bonus if you can name the core used in the wand of Salazar Slytherin."
Hermione hesitated, though, it was clear she knew the answer. She looked downward and off to the side. Ollivander and Harry both put on looks of concern. "It was… a basilisk horn." She said and Harry understood her sombre attitude toward it.
"Oh, my dear, I am so sorry. How very callous of me to make such a foolish mistake. Do forgive this old man." He had heard all about the events from last year. Dumbledore was quick to fill him in, even on the details that were not told to the Daily Prophet.
"No, it's alright, sir." Hermione said, and she had to tell herself that it was dead, and those eyes would never find hers, not ever again.
"Last year was hard for all of us." Harry said, and she was quick to nod as their hands met for a moment while Ollivander went back to admiring her craftsmanship.
That was when it struck her. There was a perfect way out of this dreadful turn of subject. "Oh! Mr. Ollivander!" She bounced on the balls of her feet and reached into her bag once again, this time pulling out a small, hard box.
His eyes lit up as the old man set sights on one of the most beautiful phoenix feathers he'd ever seen in his life. "Gracious! It's absolutely spectacular!" That was when he read the label and his face went slack in amazement. "Fawkes?! This… this feather is from Fawkes?"
"Yes, is something wrong?" Hermione asked.
He turned his silver eyes over to Harry, who looked at him, a bit startled. Ollivander studied the red vane along the edge of the feather and the small box of blue near the bottom. The rachis was ever so slightly curved and the fluffy after feather moved as if floating. "I do not know, my dear. It is clear that this is a feather for wand making. Its power is immense. Just… as… immense." He very slowly pointed toward Harry. "My dear, as Fawkes gifted this to you, he obviously knew what he was doing. Might I warn you, though, that he is the phoenix who gave Harry his wand, but the only other feather he has ever given went to the one who gave him his scar."
"What?!" Hermione ejaculated. She stared at Ollivander, unbelieving, but he very gravely nodded. To her surprise, so did Harry, as he had also known, but didn't even fathom the significance of her getting one of his feathers to put into a new wand.
"Yes, if he has given it to you, then it is your prerogative to use it as you will. However, be warned, my child. Phoenix feather wands are especially hard to win the loyalty of and Fawkes' feathers are no different. As you can see, between Tom Riddle and Harry Potter, there was a very large gap of over fifty years. If it should choose you, know that it may have the power to change your fate."
With that, he gave her a perfect 100% on her first wand with the correct answer of the trivia question. Harry and Hermione decided to celebrate her passing grade with an ice cream from Florean Fortescue's. They shared a double dark chocolate ice cream with peanut butter cream.
The night was ever looming in the twilight as darkness crept over the horizon. As they watched the sun begin to hide, they didn't talk a great deal, but they did get a good look at one another. Harry couldn't deny that she had changed for the better. More and more, she was maturing and he could only hope that he could grow to match her in all respects.
"Harry, did you ever learn to play that guitar Hagrid got you?" Hermione asked, drawing a look from him as he chuckled at the question.
"I got bored and learned the basic chords." Harry nodded, having a lot of free time living in Privet Drive now that they thought he was a wizard with powerful magic that could turn them into tube worms. He'd eyed the guitar and remembered Dudley had an old guitar book for the one he had broken when he was nine. He'd smashed it so spectacularly into a tree when no one would trade their bike for it.
"I've always wanted to learn an instrument but I would never find the time." Hermione said and Harry really couldn't argue that point. Between her mastery of everything in the magical world, it would be rather difficult to work anything into her ridiculous study schedule.
Harry took a moment to eye the skinny, tall man sitting in a patchy tweed jacket, yellow undershirt and khaki dress pants. He was reading a book as he licked what looked like a small vanilla ice cream cone. Harry found such a normal looking man strange in this crazy wizarding world. This could only mean that he truly was inducting himself into it, little by little.
"Good evening." The man said to Harry, making him flinch a little. This seemed to make the man grin. As he looked toward the young witch and wizard sitting at the table, he revealed to have pale, pasty skin. He looked rather ill and it was clear that he was younger than the marks on his face claimed. "Would you believe me if I told you that I know who you are, not because of the scar on your forehead?"
"I suppose." Harry replied, eyeing Harmione, who tilted her head in confusion.
"My name is Remus Lupin. For the first time in over a decade, I will be setting foot back in Hogwarts as a Professor." He said with some pride, then looked back at Harry once again. "That is where I met your father. We were both alumni of Gryffindor House. He was a very dear friend of mine, and I must say, you bear a striking resemblance to him. His eyes were dark, though, your mother, Lily's eyes were green."
As he spoke, both of their eyes widened as their jaws dropped. Every single thing he said was a gigantic revelation to Harry. Yet, this man, sitting and eating a vanilla cone, was saying these things as if they were polite conversation during tea.
"You really knew my father?" Harry asked, seeming to think this may have been someone wanting to act important because he was famous. There had been some very feeble attempts before. However, if this was the case, Harry had a very hard time disproving anything he said. He even knew his mother's name.
"Yes, very well, actually. We were friends all through the seven years. They are years I will remember forever." Remus looked upon Harry, and he could detect a very small, solemn edge to his voice as he looked at him. He truly must have resembled his father, because it seemed the sallow skinned man had a very hard time keeping his eyes on Harry without wanting to crumple.
"And you're a professor now? What are–" Hermione began to ask, but then there came a cry of dismay from the stand inside.
"Oh, bugger!" Florean said as he poked his head out of his shop window. "Oi! You, sir! Get those children to safety! Curfew's been moved up to seven!
"What?!" Both of them exasperated. Not only was seven pm a ridiculous time for curfew, but where exactly were new times posted? Hermione had never found out.
"Oh, Merlin's pants!" Hermione said as she checked the time. "We've got two–" That's when both of them felt rather uncomfortable all the sudden. All of a sudden, both of them could see their breaths hanging in the air in a fog.
There came a rattling breath from deep in the dark.