Chapter 24
"I'm going to find the Trolley witch, and get a snack," Lee said after a few minutes, feeling the tension in the air after the twins left. "You want anything?"
"No, thank you," Oliver said, sitting back with a sigh.
"Alright then," Lee said, opening the compartment door and heading out after seeing Hermione shake her head. "Just don't kill each other," he muttered under his breath after closing the door.
Oliver looked at Hermione, and sighed again. "Are you just mad at Ron and Harry," he asked, noticing how tense she was, sitting with her arms crossed over her chest. "Or are you mad at me, too? I haven't heard from you since meeting your parents in Diagon Alley."
Hermione huffed and looked at him with a glare.
"O-kay," he drawled uneasily. "I guess that answers that question."
He fell silent for a few minutes and when she didn't say anything he tried again. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"You must be Hermione's sister?" Hermione questioned with a scowl. "Seriously?"
Oliver sighed heavily and shook his head. "Okay, maybe that was the wrong thing to say... I'm sorry. I just thought... a little flattery, break the ice... get them to like me..."
"Yeah," Hermione replied sardonically. "They like you alright. They're practically planning our wedding."
Oliver blanched before giving a nervous chuckle. "Alright... definitely over did it... I'm sorry, I was nervous."
"Look Oliver," Hermione said after a moment and sighed heavily. "I like you, and we're friends, it's just... my parents can be a little overzealous, me being their only child and all, and I already had this conversation with them, I just... I felt that it wasn't right to put all of this in a letter, but it really made me nervous, and scared for you."
"What did?" Oliver asked, surprised by her admission of fear.
"All the questions they asked you," Hermione said. "Some of the books I got last year, being Muggle born, were about the laws of this new world I was entering. I wanted to learn everything I could about it, so I didn't mess up, you know? Well, my parents, they keep pushing to be part of this world, and I know that there are just some things that they can't be part of, and some things that could get us all in trouble... I didn't want Ministry problems for either of us."
Oliver smiled. "Thank you," he said genuinely. "For thinking of things like that. Honestly, I was so nervous about meeting your parents, I wasn't even thinking of the implications of some of their questions, and you're right... that really wasn't something to put down in a letter. It could have been bad if you did."
Hermione nodded, relaxing a little and giving him a timid smile.
"So..." Oliver said, arching a brow. "Am I forgiven?"
Hermione watched him, biting her lip for a moment, before nodding. "Yes," she said quietly.
"Good," Oliver said. "Now come here and give me a hug."
Hermione laughed but did as he asked, and they spent the rest of the journey wondering why it was that Harry and Ron ended up in a flying car on the way to Hogwarts.
Hermione had looked for Harry and Ron in the Great Hall since everyone arrived at school, but hadn't seen them. She was irritated with them for putting their lives in danger and for breaking the laws of the wizarding world's International Statute of Secrecy. She fully intended to give them a piece of her mind when she saw them. When the doors finally shut after the first years entered, and the Sorting was completed, she sighed and sat down, finally turning to her food.
"Relax," Oliver murmured next to her. "I'm sure they made it safely."
Hermione snorted derisively. "With the way Ron was flying that thing, I have to wonder. They could be dead for all we know."
It wasn't until they entered the common room that she saw them and marched over to them ready to give them a tongue lashing when Harry held up his hand. "Hermione, please," he said tiredly. "Don't start. We already know... we've gotten an earful from Snape already... Some law about secrecy and how we should be expelled and all of that."
"And?" Hermione asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"And," Ron said triumphantly. "We're still here."
"Fornow," Harry added, glaring at him.
"Oh, yeah," Ron said deflating and looking sick.
Hermione arched her brow.
"Professor McGonagall said she'd be writing to our families tonight," Harry revealed.
"Well, good," Hermione said. "She should. That wasn't very responsible."
"It wasn't our fault we missed the train!" Ron protested.
Hermione blinked at them. "What do you mean?" she asked, her curiosity peaked. "How'd you miss the train? Fred and George said that you were all there together."
"Well, yeah," Ron said and glanced at Harry for help.
"I think it was Dobby," Harry said.
"Dobby?" Hermione asked, making a face. "Who's Dobby?"
"He's a house-elf..." Harry said, exhaling in exasperation. "I found him in my room on my birthday. He was stopping my mail."
"That's why we didn't hear from you all summer?" Hermione asked.
Harry nodded.
"Yeah, he was trying to keep me from coming back to school," Harry said.
Hermione made a face in confusion. "Why?"
Harry looked at Ron and then back to Hermione shrugging. "I don't know, all he said was that there was a plot to make terrible things happen. He couldn't tell me who was behind it, but he got me in trouble with the Dursleys. It was because of him that they put bars on my window, so yeah, I think that he was behind us missing the train."
Hermione shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around everything. "W-well why didn't you send your owl?"
Harry looked at her sheepishly. "Didn't think about it, actually... We were kind of in a panic, not only that we'd missed the train, but wondering if Mr and Mrs Weasley would be able to get back. Ron didn't think they'd be able to... when I suggested we wait by the car, well..."
"It was his idea, wasn't it?" Hermione asked and scowled at Ron as he turned red with embarrassment.
"Yeah..." Ron admitted quietly after a moment, his face still red.
"Well, go on, both of you..." Hermione said in a mother hen fashion. "Off to bed."
Harry blinked. "Hermione..."
She sighed after a moment, her glare lessening slightly, but not going away. "I'm still mad at you both," she said. "What you did not only was dangerous - Oliver, Lee, the twins and I and I am sure plenty of others on the train saw Harry nearly fall to his death -"
"Not to mention almost getting killed by a tree..." Ron said and Hermione looked at him sharply for a moment.
"But," she said after a moment of scrutinising Ron. "You also broke wizarding law, I saw the Daily Prophet..."
"Yeah," Harry said. "We know... Seven Muggles saw us... Snape told us."
Hermione blinked again.
"Filch took us to him and he yelled at us before we were more or less rescued when Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall showed up."
"I see," Hermione said primly after a moment. "Well then... as I said. I am still mad at you for your reckless behaviour... Yes, I am still your friend, but... I just need some time."
Ron exhaled in relief, and Harry smiled slightly and nodded before he and Ron headed off to bed.
The next morning was Herbology, and they were replanting mandrakes after breakfast where Hermione saw the twins were still taking bets on a Howler arriving sometime that day. During the lesson, Malfoy, being an idiot, got bitten when he tried to shut the mandrake up by sticking his finger in its mouth. It probably would have hurt, and he'd have gone to the hospital wing if it weren't for the dragon hide gloves they were wearing to protect their hands. Neville had a fainting spell as well and Hermione was surprised when Professor Sprout just left him there on the floor, continuing the lesson.
Lunchtime came and the twins grinned when Errol flew in and crash-landed in front of Ron, who plucked a scarlet envelope out of his beak. That was when he looked at it fearfully.
"Look everyone," Seamus said, noticing Ron at the table. "Weasley's got himself a Howler."
Hermione figured he must have made a bet with the twins on its arrival because he looked quite happy — so too did Malfoy and his cronies at the Slytherin table, but she didn't know if the twins had approached them to make a bet or if they were just glad to see Gryffindors getting in trouble and being embarrassed in front of everyone.
"Go on, Ron," Neville said, looking quite scared. "I ignored one from my Gran once... it was horrible."
With trembling fingers, Ron opened it and dropped it to the table as it moved.
"RONALD WEASLEY!" Mrs Weasley's angry, amplified voice came from the letter that morphed into a mouth "HOWDAREYOU STEAL THATCAR! I AM ABSOLUTELYDISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT'SENTIRELYYOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHERTOEOUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHTHOME! — Oh, and Ginny dear, congratulations on making Gryffindor. Your father and I aresoproud."
Hermione glanced down the table at the mention of Ginny to see the girl turn as red as her hair just like Ron was, and hunker down on her seat, trying to make herself small and invisible. The Howler stopped at the end of the message, blowing a raspberry at Ron and shredded itself to pieces.
2 September 1992
Oliver,
I found out what happened with Harry and Ron missing the train. Apparently some house elf named Dobby visited Harry on his birthday and had been intercepting his mail. Not sure how that's even possible with an owl post, but well, that's why we never heard from him... and he never got our letters either. Harry thinks that this Dobby closed the platform entrance after the rest of the Weasleys were on the platform. Then, that idiot — Ron — had thebrilliantidea to fly a car to school!
They also told me that the large willow tree on the grounds — the Whomping Willow — tried to kill them. I told them that I'm still mad at them for their irresponsible behaviour, and need some time to cool off, but that I'm still their friend.
In Herbology, Malfoy showed his brilliance as well, and if it weren't for the dragon hide gloves, would have ended up crying in the hospital wing after he stuck his finger in the mouth of a mandrake. Neville fainted in class also, and I was surprised that Professor Sprout told us to just leave him there and continued the lesson once assured that he'd just fainted and hadn't neglected his earmuffs. I mean, honestly... She's a nice woman and all, but still...
Later, I found out that Ron's wand was broken. Professor McGonagall told him that it needs to be replaced. When Harry suggested writing home for one, Ron said he'd likely just get another Howler. I'm sure you heard Mrs Weasley in the Howler that Ron got... poor Ginny was so embarrassed when she was mentioned in it too. I really felt bad for her... particularly because she has an idiot brother. I wonder how much money the twins made. Night.
Hermione