Hermione's Plan
An Eventful Beginning
By Chem Prof
Chapter 23, An Eventful Beginning
If anyone had been paying attention on that morning in Kings Cross (which due to the Notice-Me-Not charms no one was), they would have seen two teens appear without a sound next to Platforms Nine and Ten. Instantly on the alert, the pair scanned the station carefully before taking hold of each other’s hands and disappearing again through the wall between the two platforms.
It was unusual, Hermione thought to herself, not to be here with the Weasley family. For the past three years she had been staying with them at the end of the summer, and the year before that she had met them here. Apparently Harry was having similar thoughts.
“It sure is different not to be doing this at the last minute,” he commented. “Rushing around everywhere, racing through the barrier with no time to spare, accompanied by a lot of redheads.” They shared a grin that vanished all too quickly as they recalled the events of the previous night. At least none of the Weasleys had been seriously injured in the attacks.
The couple cut an imposing figure as they strode confidently down the platform. Both were dressed in new robes, tailor made of the finest fabric. They were also perfectly fitted – gone were the loose, shapeless robes of their early years. Many heads would be turned by the muscular chest and shoulders of the Head Boy and the newly revealed curves of the Head Girl. Both sets were black trimmed with Gryffindor scarlet and gold, and Harry’s also featured the Potter family crest. He had wanted Hermione to wear the Potter crest as well but she demurred, telling him she preferred to wait until they were actually married. Their Head Boy and Head Girl badges were also prominently displayed.
As they made their way alongside the great scarlet steam engine the conversations around them, which had been muted to begin with, stopped as people turned to look at them. Glancing around, they noted the heavy Auror presence and Harry nodded to a few of them that he recognized. All of the red-robed Aurors, even the ones they didn’t know, nodded back respectfully. There was not a single Auror on the force who didn’t know who Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were, or just how much they owed to the young couple. Some even came up and thanked them for everything they had done, and pulled open their robes slightly to reveal the dragonhide armour that had become standard issue for the wizarding police force due to Harry’s efforts.
There were not many people on the platform yet as it was still early. The new Head Boy and Head Girl were taking their responsibilities seriously, and had come an hour before the scheduled departure time to make sure everything went smoothly. More than that, though, they knew that their mere presence would be reassuring to the families who were nervously sending off their children to a place that they hoped would be safe from Death Eater attacks like the ones that had occurred last night. They split up to go and greet every family, trying to reassure them that their decision was the right one. While they thought it was likely that Hogwarts would be attacked eventually, they were hopeful that most of the students would be safe in the castle, at least safer than they would be if their homes were attacked.
Hermione noticed as Harry stopped by a young girl who appeared to be by herself, with a tight hold on a new trunk. She smiled as he stooped down to her level to talk with her, and watched as he explained something to her, then gestured toward the train. Finally, he stood again and pointed over at Hermione and the girl looked in her direction and nodded with a determined look on her face. Taking her hand, he led her over to another family who was also there with their obviously first-year daughter, and left them together. Then he walked over to where Hermione was standing. Over his shoulder she could see the first young girl’s eyes widen as her new friend excitedly told her the identity of her benefactor.
Before he could say anything, Hermione spoke up. “Let me guess – muggleborn first year, right?” Harry merely grinned at her and nodded. She gave him a quick hug and they broke apart to resume their circulating.
As 11:00 approached the crowds grew heavier, and the Heads began to urge the students to board the train. If there were an attack, the Aurors would be able to respond more easily if the platform were clear, and the students would be better protected inside the train’s compartments. At 10:45 Harry climbed up onto a trunk to make such an announcement. He added that the prefect meeting would be delayed as they had some other business to take care of first. Nineteen of the onlooking students exchanged knowing glances, being fully aware as to the nature of that meeting. As usual, the Weasleys were among the last to arrive. Hermione hustled Ron and Ginny aboard while Harry submitted to a hug and a plea to take care of himself from Mrs. Weasley. After one final check and a wave at the Aurors, who were clearly relieved that an attack had not materialized, he signaled the engineer and boarded the train, where Hermione awaited him in the doorway.
The couple slowly made their way the length of the train, working their way through the excited students, all of whom wanted to get a look at the pair who had created such a stir during the summer. After accepting scores of congratulations and enduring dozens of requests from squealing girls to Hermione to see her ring, they finally arrived at the Heads’ compartment, where the PDA members awaited them. By the time Harry and Hermione entered the compartment, everyone had figured out that one of them was missing – Neville Longbottom. There was a loud buzz of voices as those who knew what had happened hastened to fill in those that didn’t, but it quickly quieted as Harry moved to the center of the compartment.
“First of all, for those of you who don’t know, Neville is going to be OK.” An audible sigh of relief swept through the group, and a few of the girls discreetly wiped away a tear or two. “He’s in St. Mungo’s right now, but he is going to be transferred to the Hogwarts infirmary sometime today.” Harry permitted himself a small smile as he continued. “They didn’t want to do it at first but some of the healers there owed me a favor.” This was greeted by a snort from Ron, which was quickly cut off by an elbow from his sister. Then they both nodded gratefully to Harry and Hermione in acknowledgement of how that favor had been earned and he continued on to recount the events of the previous night …
-oooOOOooo-
Bong! Bong! Bong! The crashing sound of the alarm had Harry and Hermione leaping from the bed before they were even awake. Instantly they realized that this was the attack Moody had warned them about. Hastily pulling on their dragonhide armor, they raced down to the control room where the detection instruments were installed. Minnie was already there, wringing her hands as she tried to figure out how she could help. Harry stopped to tell her to have refreshments on hand for whoever wanted anything, and also to have medical supplies ready. Hermione waved her wand over the ward detector, cycling it through its preset locations.
“Hogwarts is OK … my house is fine … here we go – Longbottom Manor is under attack, also the Lovegood house. There’s no sign of any activity at any of your properties … wait, one more – uh oh, they’re finally hitting the twins’ shop. No telling where else on Diagon Alley might be involved. That looks like all of it.” Harry joined her as a series of thumps signaled the first of the PDA members’ arrival.
“OK, let’s assume that the Diagon Alley response team can handle things there. We’re not getting any distress calls on the pendants yet, just the attack alert,” Harry announced as Ron, Ginny, and Padma hurried over. “We do have emergency calls from Neville and Luna. What are you getting on the dark detector?”
Hermione watched as an inky black puff of smoke blew out of the delicate silver instrument. “Oh my God!” Hermione gasped. “The Longbottoms’ location is nearly off scale!” She shot a frightened look at Harry. “Harry, he must be there himself.”
“Come on, Neville, bail out,” pleaded Harry while he watched the ward detector continue to cycle. “It’s not worth sacrificing your life for.”
“Longbottom wards are down!” shouted Ron, looking over his shoulder.
“Bollocks!” cried Harry, before he turned to face them. “OK, here’s the way we’ll handle it. Hermione and I will apparate to Neville’s location. The anti-disapparation wards were just blown away along with everything else. That had to really weaken him, so maybe we can take him by surprise and keep him off balance long enough to get Neville and his gran out. Ron and Ginny, you two know the woods around the Lovegoods’ the best. Apparate there and assess the situation from a distance. Padma, you’re in charge here,” he instructed as Ernie Macmillan popped in. “As soon as some more members get here, form a reserve force. We’ll all keep in contact and let you know if we need help. Keep an eye out for further attacks, too.”
His eyes darted around the room as he paused briefly. Hermione knew he was frantically working the scenario in his mind, trying to think if there was anything else he should do. “Get a floo connection open to Chief Auror Robards, but don’t have him send any Aurors until we report back with a better feel for the situations,” he added quickly. And remember,” he finished as he faced at his three best friends, “we don’t need any more dead heroes.” By now Justin and Dean had arrived and Padma waved them over to join her and Ernie as the four rescuers vanished from sight.
-oooOOOooo-
Harry let Hermione describe the situation they found at Longbottom Manor. “We apparated into the drawing room, keeping ourselves disillusioned,” she began. “We heard screaming from the front hall and arrived there just in time to see Voldemort disappear. We assume that he decided that the situation was under control and he left to return to his hideout and recover, since it would have taken an extraordinary amount of power to get those wards down that fast.” She paused and looked around, receiving nods from everyone that they understood.
“Mrs. Longbottom was unconscious on the floor with two Death Eaters standing over her. There were two more across the hall along with Belatrix Lestrange, who had just put Neville under the Cruciatus curse.” Her fists clenched tightly at this statement, and a wave of magic rolled off of her, causing the nearest students to stagger back slightly. Harry immediately reached out and put a hand on her shoulder to calm her.
She took a deep breath and continued. “We first took out the pair by Mrs. Longbottom with silent stunners. Then we each threw a pair of Reducto’s at the other three Death Eaters by Neville, two hexes to each side of him. That knocked two of them out of the fight, but Belatrix managed to duck out of the way. Then she turned to take us on …”
-oooOOOooo-
“Well, well, well, what have we here?” came the annoying voice of the witch Harry hated most. “What a pleasant surprise. Now I have the opportunity to do what I didn’t get a chance to do a year ago. And I even get to make you suffer by taking your Mudblood …” she didn’t get a chance to finish her vile insults when she was staggered backward by a wandless bludgeoning spell. Instantly she abandoned her taunts and hurled a nasty looking curse at Harry, which Hermione blocked with a quick flick of her wand. The evil witch’s eyes widened slightly at the ease with which her young opponent had stopped her attack. Meanwhile, Harry was scanning the room and the stairwell for unseen foes, not wanting to encounter any unpleasant surprises. As long as no one hit them from behind, the two of them would be able to take Belatrix.
“Look at me Potter!” Belatrix shrieked, as though insulted that he would even dream of ignoring her. Her wand was a blur as she sent a bright purple flame his way, followed by two more bursts of silver light. Hermione knew very well what that purple flame could do, and she blocked it forcefully as Harry ducked out of the way of the other two hexes and came up firing two bone-breaking curses of his own, while sending another wandless bludgeoning hex. Belatrix blocked the curses but was knocked from her feet by the bludgeoning hex. She sprang back up immediately and threw three more curses at Hermione before turning to face Harry again. Hermione’s shield barely held under the impact as she braced herself, then prepared to launch her own attack.
But Bellatrix had overlooked one very important player in this contest. She had held Neville under the Cruciatus curse for a good twenty seconds, which should have left him a quivering mass of fried nerve endings. But Neville was no longer the clumsy frightened boy she had last seen at the Department of Mysteries. He was now a superbly conditioned, mature, confident wizard with enough strength of both mind and body to pull himself up to his knees, determined to make his presence count.
“Reducto!” She never saw it coming. The explosion hex blasted into her back, shredding her spinal cord and paralyzing her instantly. She collapsed to the floor, unable to control any of her limbs as her wand clattered uselessly away. It took only a few seconds for her body functions to shut down, and she stared at them with hate-filled eyes, unable even to give vent to any final insults. As Hermione stood over her to make sure she was finally gone, Harry kept an eye on the doors to the other rooms.
“Two more … upstairs …” Neville gasped, having sunk back to the floor. He had put all the power he could muster into his hex and was fading quickly. “After … jewelry … Don’t know … more outside …”
Harry nodded to Hermione and she quickly contacted Padma for backup. In a few seconds Dean, Seamus, Ernie, and Justin appeared while Harry had created a portkey to St. Mungo’s. Neville leaned his head back, a grim but satisfied expression on his face. The two Gryffindors picked up their roommate and his grandmother, who was unconscious but breathing normally, touched the portkey, and the four disappeared in a swirl of color. Harry instructed Ernie and Justin to secure the lower floor and try to determine what enemies still needed to be dealt with outside the mansion. Then Harry and Hermione disillusioned themselves and went off to dispatch the two remaining Death Eaters in the house.
-oooOOOooo-
As Hermione finished up the tale of the battle at Longbottom Manor, Harry nodded to Luna and Ginny to relate their tale. The battle at the Lovegood home was considerably less dramatic than that at Longbottom Manor, although quite a bit more entertaining. Luna’s father was evidently one of Fred and George’s best customers, and the approach to their home was saturated with traps and tricks of all kinds. Mr. Lovegood had set up a safe room/control bunker that included magical screens that showed what was happening in all four directions, with charms that would set off snares and explosions with the touch of a wand.
In no time at all the ten Death Eaters that had assaulted his home were pranked, stunned, upended, transformed into a variety of animals, and immobilized in rapidly solidifying swamps. Ginny and Ron had apparated into a clearing in the woods where Ginny and Luna used to play when they were younger, and approached the house while disillusioned for a better look. They were just in time to see a giant chicken that was running from a flying flaming snake spitting red and gold sparks take a tumble into an oozing mass of tar. From their hidden position, Ginny and Ron cautiously moved around and systematically stunned and tied up all the Death Eaters that were caught in the various traps. When the noise and shouting had settled down, Ginny contacted Luna with her pendant and received a signal back that everything inside the house was fine as well, while Ron reported in to Padma.
Now that they knew that the attacks on the homes of their two teammates had been repulsed without major damage, and that Neville would make a full recovery, the other students were able to appreciate the hilarity of the situation at the Lovegoods’ and unrestrained laughter filled the crowded compartment.
Harry waited until the mirth had mostly died away before calling for their attention once more. “The attack on Diagon Alley was considerably more damaging,” he reported solemnly. “Fortunately no one on our side was seriously injured. George came over early this morning before we came to the station and filled us in on what happened there.” …
-oooOOOooo-
The six PDA residents of Diagon Alley had set up a rotation to stand watch and that night was Katie and Lee’s turn. Lee had finished his first shift and was now sacked out on the cot behind her as Katie gazed through the window. They were set up in an abandoned store across the street from Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, and the window was charmed for one-way viewing. As was by now standard practice, Katie was wearing her dragonhide armor and her shield hat, which was currently on the disillusionment setting. As she scanned the dark, deserted street before her Katie found herself thinking about her life.
Only a year ago she had been about to return to Hogwarts for her final year, with NEWT’s and quidditch her primary concern. Harry had been named quidditch captain and she knew he would be relying on her as the other experienced member of the team for her guidance and suggestions. And just maybe, that might be the year he finally noticed her. Cho was finally out of the picture, he hadn’t shown interest in anyone else, as his quidditch teammate for five years she had spent more time with him than any other girl (except Hermione, but she seemed to be settled firmly in the best friend category), she would be working closely with him and … She shook her head. It had never happened. On the first Hogsmeade weekend she had been given the cursed necklace and nearly died, and by the time she recovered and came back to the castle his mind was elsewhere – on Ginny as it turned out. Even so, nearly losing her life had changed her perspective on things, and schoolgirl fantasies about a cute green-eyed boy weren’t quite as important anymore. And then Dumbledore had been killed and the likelihood of surviving to adulthood could no longer be taken for granted.
Even so, when she had been contacted by Fred and George last month she hadn’t hesitated to throw her lot in with the Chosen One in his efforts to build a force that would resist the attacks of the dark wizards who were terrorizing the country. As a Gryffindor there could be no other possible response. So here she was, a member of a vigilante group known to its members as Potter’s Army, waiting for a chance to strike back.
She was abruptly jerked from her thoughts by a staccato series of pops signaling the apparation of a large group of wizards. Instantly she pressed a button next to her that would alert Fred and George in their flat above the store, then touched her pendant to send a signal to Potter Manor, sounding the alarm. After quickly rousing Lee she carefully watched as the Death Eaters gathered together in front of the twins’shop and raised their wands. She tensed, waiting for precisely the right moment. She couldn’t act too soon and risk tipping them off. A dozen voices shouted out the explosion hex, and a dozen streaks of golden light arced out from the wands of the Death Eaters. The defensive wards on the store flared bright red and the hexes dissipated in a shower of sparks. A second volley caused the wards to flicker, and the large sign hanging above the doorway splintered into a hundred pieces. Now was the time. She tapped a set of runes next to her with her wand and the stores on both sides of the joke shop and across the street glowed with a silver sheen, just as the third round of explosion hexes impacted the structure under assault.
Over the past few weeks the twins had been quietly visiting their neighbors and installing protective wards at no charge. In addition to the standard impervious and flame-suppressing charms they had added a complicated shield ward that was linked to the rune set that Katie had just activated. The purpose of all these protective spells had not been to shield the stores from Death Eater attacks. It had been to shelter them from the twins’ deadly counterattack.
As soon as the explosion hexes ripped through the doors and windows of the seemingly harmless joke shop they triggered a thunderous blast that blew out the entire front wall and ripped through the night. Across the street, Katie and Lee had switched their hats to the shield setting in anticipation, but the shock wave still knocked them off their feet. The massive explosion disintegrated everything in its path until it reached the heavily shielded buildings, then rebounded and hurled the remnants of its destruction down the Alley. It would take the Aurors several days before they finished identifying all of the body parts.
-oooOOOooo-
While all of the students present had heard about the attack, and knew that it had been turned back, few were aware of the extent of the bloodshed and destruction. Harry grimly reported that the building had been completely destroyed. Fred and George had portkeyed out as soon as the shooting started, and had removed most of their stock in advance, leaving only the jokes and pranks that were on display. Everyone was cheered, though, by the revelation that they would be opening a new branch in a month in Hogsmeade, at the site of the former Zonko’s joke shop.
Harry then called on Padma to report. The petite dark-skinned Ravenclaw stepped forward with a calm efficiency and detailed the activity of the support group. After Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny had left, she immediately contacted Chief Auror Robards and relayed Harry’s message. While he had summoned a strike force of his own, Seamus, Colin, and Dennis had arrived, followed closely by Hannah and Susan. She had sent the older two Gryffindors and the two Hufflepuff males to Longbottom Manor, then coordinated the counterattack with Robards. As soon as Harry and Hermione had reported the capture of the remaining Death Eaters inside the mansion, they opened fire on the ones outside from upper floor windows while Justin and Ernie did the same from the lower floor. While the Death Eater’s attention was occupied an Auror strike team took them by surprise from behind. The final tally from the Longbottom attack was six Death Eaters dead, including Belatrix Lestrange, and nine captured, while Neville and his gran were both injured but expected to make full recoveries.
Meanwhile, Anthony, Michael, and Terry had arrived and she put them along with Colin and Dennis on the Diagon Alley reserve, sending Susan and Hannah to back up Ginny and Ron when they called for non-emergency assistance. She also informed Robards of the situation at the Lovegoods, but he had already received a floo call from Mr. Lovegood and a second team of Aurors was dispatched to take the Death Eaters there into custody. The tally from that site was ten more Death Eaters captured, with no casualties. She had made the decision to keep Parvati and Lavender with her to help track the battles and coordinate the response. Meanwhile the situation at Diagon Alley had turned out not to require further support, and by the time Katie reported back in Robards had already received several floo calls about that attack from other sources, as well as half a dozen owls. It was too soon for an official count on the number of Death Eater casualties there, but Katie had estimated about a dozen attackers. There were no survivors.
This had a sobering effect on the listening students, and no one spoke until Padma turned to her friend Lisa and three other girls. “I’m sorry I didn’t use you four anywhere. It’s just that …”
“Don’t worry about it,” Tracey interrupted, motioning to herself, Daphne, Su and Lisa. “You’re right, we haven’t been training as long as the rest of you. You made the right decision.”
“Most of the rest of us didn’t see any action either,” Michael pointed out. “From everything you guys just said, besides Harry and Hermione, only Ron, Ginny, Justin, and Ernie even cast a spell.”
“And Neville,” added Dean soberly, recalling the pain-wracked body of the friend he had carried into St. Mungo’s. A hush fell over the compartment as everyone’s thoughts turned to their fallen comrade.
“And if it was up to me it wouldn’t even have been that many,” Harry responded quietly. “We’re not in this for glory. The fewer people who have to fight the better. But it’s good to know that you were all trained and ready to go if you had been needed. If you never need to use that training in a battle that would be perfect as far as I’m concerned.”
There were general nods of agreement, some relieved and some reluctant. Padma started to move back into the crowd when Harry grabbed her arm. Giving her a smile and an affectionate squeeze he added, “Good work Padma. You did a great job at keeping track of everything. That’s important too.” Padma’s deep brown eyes went wide for a moment, and a barely detectable flush briefly tinted the almond skin of her face, before she returned a shy smile and mumbled her thanks. Hermione managed to keep her expression neutral, but noticed Dean catch Seamus’s eye in the back of the crowd, where he nodded over at Parvati, who had a frown on her face. The two Gryffindors exchanged knowing grins, then Seamus saw Hermione watching them and gave her a wink.
Oblivious to all of this interplay, Harry attempted to wrap up the meeting. “The bottom line is, Voldemort lost somewhere between 35 and 40 more Death Eaters last night, but most importantly he lost his second in command. As far as we can tell, that’s the last of his original inner circle. He’s going to be furious, but there’s not much he’s going to be able to do about it for a while. The main way he’s going to be able to strike back is with Dementor attacks, so continue to practice your Patronus charms. And I’m sure I don’t have to point out who was attacked last night. They were all targeted because they’ve fought alongside me and stood up to him. Please make sure your families are doing everything possible to keep themselves safe.” This plea was met by solemn nods of recognition from his listeners.
“Harry?” Ernie asked when he was finished. “What can we tell the other students?”
Harry exchanged a glance with Hermione and she stepped forward. “Tell them generally what happened, and that all the attacking Death Eaters were killed or captured, and that no one on our side was killed. Be sure to tell them that Neville was seriously injured but will be all right, but don’t mention the Cruciatus curse. Also try not to let on exactly who was involved from our side or what spells we used.” Everyone seemed satisfied with that line of reasoning and they began to file out of the compartment as Hermione called out that the ones who were prefects should collect the other prefects from their houses and bring them back for the prefect meeting. A minute later she found herself alone with Harry in the compartment.
“Pretty smooth work there, Mr. Fanciable.” Hermione teased. “You managed to charm an innocent first year and a 7th year Ravenclaw prefect within the span of an hour.” What she considered to be his adorable flustered look appeared on Harry’s face and he tried to stammer that he was only trying to be nice before Hermione let him off the hook.
“That’s all right,” she reassured him. “I think it’s wonderful that you try to be nice to everyone. It’s one of the things I love about you. You just have to get used to the fact that other girls find that as endearing as I do.” She smiled at his relieved look and pulled him into a hug. Leaning back and looking up at him she gave him her pretend serious look. “Just remember who you’re going home with at the end of the day.”
“Not much chance of forgetting that, since we sleep in the same room,” he pointed out with a grin.
“Convenient, isn’t it?” she returned in a low voice as she pulled his head down to hers.
“Hey, no snogging in the Prefect’s compartment,” interrupted the voice of their best friend. “You know the rules.”
Reluctantly the head students broke apart and a quizzical expression flickered across Harry’s face. “There’s a rule like that?”
Hermione instantly adopted her prim and proper prefect voice. “Section 5, part 2, paragraph 7 of the Prefects Handbook states that there shall be no inappropriate displays of affection by prefects while on duty, which by definition includes the Prefects’ compartment of the Hogwarts Express.” She ignored the smug look on Ron’s face as she continued. “However, Mr. Weasley, may I point out that while you are a prefect (which does not seem to have stopped you from violating any number of prefect standards during the past two years) Harry and I are not, and as Head Boy and Head Girl that rule does not necessarily apply to us.”
Harry burst out laughing as Ron’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly while Hermione shot him a triumphant look.
Hermione ran the prefect meeting flawlessly as Harry looked on, lending his silent, but not inconsiderable support. They first introduced the new prefects to everyone, which included Blaise Zabini and Tracey Davis who were taking Draco and Pansy’s vacant Slytherin positions. The look she and Harry got from Tracey reaffirmed the other girl’s pledge that she would keep close tabs on the Slytherin pretty boy and make sure he didn’t cause any trouble. Hermione efficiently covered their expectations for the year and urged the prefects to take the lead in promoting inter-House cooperation. When she broke out the color-coded patrolling schedules all of the other prefects, but particularly those who didn’t know her well, were amazed.
The rest of the ride passed uneventfully, except for a continuing stream of well-wishers and giggling girls, and eventually they arrived at Hogsmeade Station. After making sure all of the first years made their way to Hagrid’s boats, and the rest of the students caught the thestral-drawn carriages, the tired head students settled into the last one and got in a bit of well-deserved cuddling on the way to the castle.
Joining their friends at the Gryffindor table, Harry and Hermione sat across from each other at the end next to the professors’ table, with Ron next to Harry and Lavender claiming the spot next to Ron, followed by Parvati. Ginny sat down next to Hermione and Dean managed to snag the seat next to her, joined by Seamus. Everyone solemnly noted the absence of Neville and hoped he would be back soon.
In a departure from past years, McGonagall gestured at the tables and beverages appeared so that the students would have something to tide them over during the sorting, an action which Ron approved of wholeheartedly. Then the doors at the end of the Great Hall opened and Professor Flitwick, the new Assistant Headmaster, led in the procession of first years.
-ooOoo-
“Jordan, Jamie.” About half way through the sorting the girl Harry had befriended at Kings Cross stepped forward, shyly but resolutely. There was a pause while the Sorting Hat mentally interrogated her.
“Gryffindor!”
As everyone at the Gryffindor table began clapping, the excited young witch hurried over to their table. As she passed by, Harry reached out an arm and gave her a little hug and smiled at her. The newcomer turned bright red and backed away starry-eyed, bumping into a student at the Ravenclaw table before she reached an open spot at the other end of the Gryffindor table and sat down in a daze. Immediately the other first and second years swarmed over her, asking how she knew the famous Harry Potter.
Harry turned back to find the exact same question on the faces of all his friends, while Flitwick called the name of the next student. He shrugged, “I met her at the station. She was by herself and I thought she looked like she could use some help. She’s a muggleborn so I started explaining a few things. When I tried to tell her about the Hogwart’s Express she politely informed me that she had already read all about it in Hogwarts, A History.” He shot a quick grin at Hermione across the table and she beamed back at him and reached across to give his hand a squeeze. Meanwhile, the other upperclass students were looking down the table at the new student, who had recovered her composure and was now talking a mile a minute while explaining the situation to her classmates.
Ron held his head and moaned. “Crikes, we have a miniature Hermione on our hands.” This pronouncement set off a burst of laughter from his end of the table. Unfortunately, it also caught Dean and Seamus with mouthfuls of pumpkin juice and the resulting spray sailed across the table. Of course, Lavender and Parvati were none too happy about this turn of events, since they were sitting across from the pair and ended up drenched. Hermione, hearing the commotion and the threats from her dormmates, turned her attention away from smiling affectionately at Harry, pulled her hand away from his and flicked her wand twice, restoring the irate girls’ clothing to its original state. McGonagall briefly glared in their direction for not paying attention to the Sorting, and the Gryffindor table quieted down.
“Gryffindor!”
Cheryl June, the other girl who Harry had introduced Jamie to at the train station hurried over to the Gryffindor table to more applause and joined her new friend. Both of them immediately whispered excitedly to each other, glancing down the table again at Harry. Hermione smirked at Harry and mouthed the word, Fanciable! and was rewarded with a sheepish smile.
Soon the sorting was finished (with Slytherin getting considerably fewer students than the other three houses) and McGonagall stood to signal the beginning of the welcoming feast. When everyone’s appetite had been fully sated (except possibly Ron’s) the new headmistress began the announcements.
If anyone in the hall could have been said to need no introduction, it would be Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, but they were announced as Head Boy and Head Girl anyway, to loud applause. The returning faculty members were introduced first, and then the new appointments. Remus and Tonks were popular choices for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and the Gryffindors heartily approved the added declaration that Professor Lupin would be the new head of their house. Katherine Karl, an attractive middle aged witch who was the new Transfiguration professor, was also well-received. There was some surprise when it was announced that the bespectacled elderly wizard who had been teaching Muggle Studies was switching over to History of Magic but he was applauded for at least being alive. Similarly, the new caretaker was applauded for being ‘not Filch’. But the real shock came with the next announcement.
“Finally,” the headmistress said, “I am pleased to announce an appointment that is unprecedented for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We have decided to make major changes in our Muggle Studies courses, and the most visible manifestation of those changes is in our new instructors. For the first time ever we will have muggle instructors for this course. May I introduce the second of our new husband and wife instructional teams, Dan and Emma Granger.
There were a few seconds of stunned silence, but that was quickly broken by applause from the twenty some PDA members who had met the Grangers during their summer training. They were quickly joined by their housemates in a warm, but confused welcome. Over at the Gryffindor table Hermione was beaming with pride while Harry reached across the table to squeeze her hand before turning to grin up at his future in-laws.
The surprises continued when McGonagall revealed that effective immediately Muggle Studies would be required of all first and seventh year students, except for those students with at least one Muggle parent. (Or who were raised by muggles, Harry added in his head.) By way of explanation the headmistress stated that wizarding society had become too ignorant of the culture that they shared the country with, and that it was time to rectify this. This information was met with blank looks, if not open hostility, from most pureblooded students, as they didn’t see how that ignorance was a problem. Many of them saw no reason why they needed to learn about an inferior culture. This failed to turn into open revolt largely due to the fact that the most respected seventh year students in each house also happened to be the students who knew the Grangers, and were willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. And the not incidental point that the new professors were the parents of the Head Girl, and no one wanted to get on her bad side (or her fiancé’s!).
McGonagall’s other announcements were better received. The year-level study lounges made a lot of sense to the students, most of whom were glad of the opportunity to interact more with members of other houses. The additional new quidditch teams for each house were a surprise that took some getting used to, but they soon warmed to that idea also. McGonagall’s plan, worked out in consultation with Ron, was for each regular house team to play a double round robin schedule, and for the reserve teams to play each other once. The developmental squads would be limited to first and second years and would play scrimmages rather than formal matches. The eighteen actual matches would be split up with six coming before Christmas and twelve after, resulting in one match a week from mid-October through the end of November, and from March through May, with the top two teams meeting in June for the Quidditch cup. Finally, practices would be limited to four hours during the week per house (both the regular and reserve teams from a house would practice together) with an additional two hours on weekends. Madame Hooch would ensure that the practice time slots were distributed fairly, so that there would be no more overbooking of the preferred times by one house as had happened in the past. Whenever the quidditch pitch was not booked for practices it would be available for pick-up games.
“We are going to make more effort to promote cross-house interactions this year,” continued McGonagall as she moved on to the next item. “One way to do that is to encourage study groups and clubs of all kinds. One successful example of such a study group that many of you may be aware of was formed two years ago to give students practical experience in Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was led by Mr. Potter and Miss Granger, and they will be resuming it this year under the name, Practical Defense Association.” She paused for a moment as cheering had erupted from the students before her. Those sitting closest to the head table could have sworn that a smile flickered across on the stern professor’s face
“The status of Hogsmeade visits this year is uncertain, for reasons of which I am sure you are aware. If situations permit, they might take place, but will not be announced in advance of the day they are held. In any case, the safety of our students will be our primary consideration.” This announcement was disappointing to the assembled teens, but it actually was better than they had expected, and the mood at the tables was generally one of resigned acceptance.
“Another opportunity for you to interact with members from other houses will be in the form of some social events that have been scheduled,” she went on. Everyone was suddenly alert again and a slight murmur arose as whispered speculation began. Several Gryffindor eyes turned to silently query Hermione and Harry, but they smiled and said nothing. “These will include a Halloween costume party, a Yule Ball, for upper year students, a Valentine’s Day party, and an end of year dance to be held just prior to final exams. More details will be available on these events later,” she added, raising her voice to be heard over the low rumble of excited voices. As was to be expected, the girls were considerably more excited about the dances than the guys were.
Harry leaned across the table and got Hermione’s attention. “I’m not sure I need to do this, but I don’t want to mess anything up. Will you be my date for all of the dances or anything else we need a partner for?” Hermione smiled brightly and nodded.
“No, you didn’t really need to ask, but it’s a thoughtful thing to do. I’d love to.” She took both of his hands in hers and indulged herself for a moment just gazing lovingly into his eyes.
-ooOoo-
When the announcements were finished and the students dismissed, Harry and Hermione lingered behind to talk to her parents. After a round of hugs, Emma showed the teens her medallion that cancelled out the anti-muggle wards, and told them about their new quarters in the faculty wing, inviting them to stop by whenever they got a chance. Dan confessed that they were nervous about teaching, but felt that they had prepared well. In return, Harry and Hermione filled the older couple in on the attacks of the previous night. Remus and Tonks had come over to join them and Tonks added some more information that she had received from her Auror contacts. Although clearly distressed both about the attacks and about Harry and Hermione’s roles in combating them, Dan and Emma managed to stay calm and congratulated them for the fine job they did in defeating so many of their enemies and at the same time avoiding injuries to their own forces.
One last stop they wanted to make on the way to the Head Suite was the Hospital Wing. Not surprisingly, many of their fellow PDA members had the same idea and had crowded the infirmary to visit Neville, driving Madame Pomfrey to distraction. Their fellow students readily gave way to Harry and Hermione as they moved closer to the bed that held their loyal friend, and they were relieved to see that he was looking much better. Harry joked with him that he should be sure to pester the head nurse to let him leave as soon as possible, which generated chuckles from his close friends who knew his own history in the Hospital Wing, and an exasperated sigh from Pomfrey.
For her part, Hermione noticed that Neville, although clearly pleased that his friends had come to see him, was looking around as though searching for a missing face. Just then Ginny burst through the infirmary door, out of breath and looking slightly disheveled. Almost like she had just come out of a broom closet, Hermione thought to herself, but quickly put that thought aside. That was uncalled for, and it was only the first day back at school, after all.
Neville brightened up as soon as he saw Ginny and she quickly made her way to the bed and gave him a little hug, telling him to get better soon. Eventually Madame Pomfrey prevailed and managed to shoo most of the students out of her domain, until only Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were left. Neville, of course, only had eyes for one of them. Harry leaned over and whispered something into Neville’s ear, and the stocky Gryffindor nodded gratefully. Then Harry and Ron shook his hand and took their leave, and Hermione gave him a hug and moved away. Finally Ginny gave him one last hug and a bright smile, which Neville returned. Hermione was quite sure that with that kind of encouragement he would heal in no time.
-ooOoo-
“Well, we’re back,” Harry sighed as they snuggled together under the covers. “This is it, our last year at Hogwarts.”
“Yes, it seems like only yesterday that an annoying little girl pushed her way into a train compartment and began lecturing two clueless boys,” Hermione teased, as her finger traced little circles on his chest.
Harry smiled. “And their lives would never be the same again. Good thing, too, or the two boys would never have survived first year.”
“Neither would the little girl,” Hermione replied softly, recalling the terror of facing the troll in the bathroom. Harry responded by pulling her closer.
“We’ve been good together,” he confirmed. “Even when we disagreed about things we were always there for each other.”
“And we always will be,” Hermione responded firmly. “We’re going to do this, Harry. We’re going to beat him and then live our lives the way we want to. We’ll have a family, and our kids will read lots of books and you’ll teach them all to fly.”
Harry turned his head toward her, and she looked up and caught his eyes. Emerald green locked with chestnut brown, as she poured all the determination she could muster into that fierce gaze.
“I believe you,” he whispered, and he moved his lips to claim hers, as each of them sealed their pledge to the other.
-xox-XOX-XOX-xox-
In case you’re wondering, Hermione’s new improved PDA pendants now have the capability for simple text messages from a preprogrammed list. The original charmed Galleons in OOTP displayed the date and time of the next DA meeting