Chapter 3: 3 Amusing But Utterly Useless
Amusing, But Utterly Useless
Hermione had a very troubled sleep, and for the first time that she could remember, wanted nothing more then to pull the blankets over her head and stay in bed for the rest of the day. But it was the first day of classes and she was not lazy. So, feeling angry at having to abandon her warm bed, she got up, and headed for the bathroom. After a nice hot shower, and spending the adequate amount of time in fixing her hair so it wasn't a frightful mess before dressing in her uniform, Hermione headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast, being respectfully quiet, as he roommates were still asleep.
She was still trying to puzzle out just what Lavender and Parvati had meant when they had said they wanted to earn her forgiveness the previous night. History told her to be cautious, as many a prank had been played on her this way. Yet, she was now better at reading people's intentions, and as she recalled their faces, she saw nothing but sincerity. This begged the question, what in the hell happened to them?
Hermione began to think that perhaps it was a fluke. Just some random thing that happens to everyone at some point, and there was no real meaning to it. After all, wasn't she entitled to a bit of oddness in her life as well as anyone. But their apologies had been so out of character, especially for Lavender who until last night had always snubbed Hermione, and laughed at Ron Weasley's insults. She had always been this high and mighty… bitch. She wasn't as bad as Pansy Parkinson, but Lavender thrived on Hermione's pain, just like everyone else in the school. Or at least, that's how Hermione perceived it.
The common room was as empty as ever, and the fire was all but dead in the grate, though it was still pleasantly warm. This was Hermione's favorite time of day. When no one was in the common room and she was alone, without fear of becoming the center of unwanted attention. She was staring into the dying coals, pondering everything that had happened the previous day when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Hermione."
Hermione shrieked in terror and whirled around, losing her balance. Her world spun as she began to fall but something reached out and grabbed both her wrists, pulling her back until she was steady on her feet once again. Gasping frantically for breath, she whipped her hair out of her face to find Harry Potter standing before her, looking mildly concerned.
"Don't ever do that again!" She roared. She realized suddenly that people were still sleeping, and dropped the volume of her voice immediately. "Seriously Harry you nearly gave me a heart attack. Did you put a silencing charm on your shoes or something?"
Harry shook his head as he released her, sure she wouldn't fall over now.
"I've always had a soft step." he claimed, his voice as flat as ever. "It makes it easy to get the drop on your enemy. So, breakfast?" He asked, nodding towards the portrait hole. Hermione, still breathing rapidly, and clutching her chest began to lead them down to the Great Hall.
"How was your night?" She asked after they had walked down two flights in silence. She used to really like the quiet, but now when she was around Harry, she felt very uncomfortable by it.
"Curious." He replied after a long moment. Hermione had watched his face as he thought of his reply. It was clear that he was having trouble coming up with an answer and it made her wonder just what had happened in the sixth year boys dormitories.
"How do you mean?" She turned to regard him. His face was as impassive as ever, but she could see in his eyes a spark of bemusement.
"I've never had roommates before." He started. "And of them all, only Neville puzzles me."
"Neville. Neville Longbottom puzzles you." Hermione said, not believing what she was hearing.
"Mm-hmm." Harry replied. "Ron is simple. Basic, in just about every sense of the word. He has a major inferiority complex. I don't know why, but there you are. If he had more discipline, he might make something of himself. But he has this deep seeded need to be the center of attention. Seamus is pretty laid back, though a bit obsessed with the fairer sex."
"Aren't all of you boys?' Hermione chuckled. Harry merely shrugged.
"I'm not sure what you mean." Harry said, looking rather puzzled at Hermione, who fought against a smile she felt trying to appear on her face.
"Nothing, never mind. Go on." She replied.
"The way Seamus talks about girls, you'd think he was some sort of playboy, or gigolo or something. Only, not as smooth. Dean is easy to figure out as well. He's a go with the follow sort. Doesn't like to make waves. It's also easy to figure out that of the three, Dean is liable to have friends who are more loyal and honest than either Ron or Seamus. He's sure of himself without being cocky or smug. Of those three, I like him the best." Harry continued.
"But Neville?" Hermione asked, watching his face.
"Neville. Quiet, reserved, unsure of himself though he radiates power. It comes off him in waves. It's almost as if his lack of confidence has given him some sort of block. With some good training, he could be a great wizard. He lingers, like he wants to be a part of the group but he's afraid of being rejected by them, like he doesn't believe he's good enough. And there's something else. You can see it in his eyes."
"Neville's always been a bit shy, and he is a very clumsy and forgetful." Hermione observed.
"Interesting." Harry nodded. "But that's not what I was talking about."
They had arrived at the Great Hall and took seats at the end of the Gryffindor table. Hermione took some toast and began spreading marmalade, before serving herself some porridge. She watched Harry take toast and some fruit as well as a bit of oatmeal.
"I take it they gave you a full interrogation." Hermione remarked.
"No." Harry replied. "In fact, they kind of seemed afraid to talk to me. Especially Ron and Seamus. Mostly they just talked to each other about their summer. Seamus apparently had relations with three different girls, while Ron told some rather detailed facts about Lavender's body. Did you know she's got a mole on her…"
"That's quite alright. I don't need to hear it." Hermione said quickly before trying to steer the conversation back on track. "You did kind of freak them out a little so I'm not surprised they were afraid of you. Seamus looked like you were going to hit him or something. What did you say to him last night on the way to the common room?"
"Nothing. I simply looked at him after he shoved you out of the way." Harry said simply. Hermione felt a blush creeping up her face. "I may not have had a lot of interaction with people during my life, but I do know what he did was wrong."
"Did you get your run in this morning?" Hermione asked, changing subjects. She didn't want to linger on what he said too much at the moment as it was so very confusing in so many ways. For now, Hermione felt it might be better to keep things simple.
"Yes." Harry said simply.
They fell silent, and Hermione began to feel a bit uncomfortable again. Up until this moment, she had felt that things had been nice, but now she felt suddenly anxious. She couldn't say why, but she felt almost as if Harry was now examining her as he had his roommates. She wasn't really sure if she wanted to know what he thought of her. She got enough of what people thought of her already.
Hermione began looking around the Great Hall hoping to find something that would start a new conversation. There weren't many people in the Great Hall, save for a mess of Ravenclaws who were always early risers. Harry was ripping into an orange clearly not bothered by the silence between them. In fact, he looked exactly the same as ever.
"Are you always so…blank?" She blurted out.
Harry looked up and she shrank a bit under his stare.
"I'm not sure what you mean…" He replied. Hermione shook her head and told him to forget about it. Harry shrugged and bent back to his oatmeal, and Hermione was left feeling really stupid just then.
"Ah, good morning."
The teens turned and found Headmaster Dumbledore there with his trademark twinkle in his eye.
"How are you finding Hogwarts so far, Harry?" The old professor asked cordially. Harry wiped his mouth on a napkin and gave the faintest of smiles.
"It's very different from what I'm used to." Harry began.
"As to be expected." Dumbledore nodded.
"But I'm nothing if not adaptable." Harry smirked. Hermione felt herself brightening at Harry's look.
"And I see you've made a friend already. Perhaps Miss Granger would be willing to be your guide for the next couple of days until you get your bearings."
Both Harry and Dumbledore turned to Hermione, who shrank a bit under their scrutiny.
"Of course, I'd love to." She said, again feeling herself blush. It was unnerving. She could not remember the last time she had blushed so much.
"Excellent. I do have one other matter to discuss with you, Mister Potter, and that is the unfortunate business on the train. As I understand it, you attacked Mister Malfoy, is this true?"
"Yes sir." Harry said without any sort of remorse or even guilt. He simply answered the question and Dumbledore frowned a bit.
"Actually, that's not entirely true, sir." Hermione piped up not knowing why she was even speaking.
"Really?" Dumbledore asked, his silvery eyebrows raising in question as he turned to look at her. "Would you care to offer an explanation then?"
"I…Well, see. Draco was being rather…" Hermione tried, but she just couldn't seem to get it out. She hated feeling weak, or even admitting to being bullied. Nothing ever happened anyway. The most punishment Draco had ever gotten was detention, and if the rumors were to be believed, Draco had spent it with Professor Snape getting advanced lessons.
"Mister Malfoy was being quite oppressive to Miss Granger, sir.' Harry stepped in. "I asked him to retreat and leave us in peace but he refused. He pulled his wand on me, and I defended myself and Miss Granger sir. I simply banished him out of our compartment and locked the door. He suffered no serious injuries, save possibly to his pride sir."
"I see." Dumbledore said after Harry had finished. Hermione noted that Harry was sitting bolt upright, and staring to some point over her shoulder.
"Very well, I shall have a word with Mister Malfoy's head of house. However, I can not excuse your behavior, Mister Potter. I am afraid you will have to serve a detention." Dumbledore said, looking just a bit sad, though also quite proudly.
"I understand sir." Harry replied evenly.
"I will inform Professor McGonagall that you will be attending a detention with her tonight at seven o'clock." Dumbledore said as he stood up straighter. "And ten points to Gryffindor for a show of loyalty and friendship."
"Thank you sir." Harry said, still staring distantly.
"Just one final thing. I would like to extend an invitation to take tea with me this Friday afternoon after your classes are finished." Dumbledore smiled, and Harry nodded.
"I'm looking forward to it, sir." Harry said and Dumbledore gave them both a bow before striding to the head table.
"That's a bit odd." Hermione said watching the Headmaster go.
"What is?" Harry asked.
"The way he talked to you. It wasn't like a student and teacher, but more like an old friend." Hermione noted. "I mean, yeah he gave you detention and all, but it was like he was really proud of you. Like you were his hero or something."
Harry simply shrugged.
Hermione realized that Harry was not going to elaborate, and decided that maybe it was best to leave the topic alone for now.
"Are you anxious for classes?" She asked. Again, Harry shrugged.
"I'm hopeful that I won't be bored. My Godfather told me that he found a lot of his classes were boring. He reckons it's why he and my father were such troublemakers." Harry said non-commitally.
"Trouble makers?" Hermione asked, sounding a bit troubled by this.
"They were supposed to be real pranksters. I don't know how much of what I was told is true, but if it's all to be believed, than Professor Snape is entitled to his grudge." Harry remarked.
"Grudge?" Hermione perked up a bit.
"He was their primary target while they were in school. He was friends with my mum, but he and my father and godfather weren't fond of each other. They were rather cruel to Professor Snape, and Sirius sometimes wonders if they had been nicer…" Harry looked at her and then bent back to his breakfast.
"What?" She asked now intrigued.
"I shouldn't say. I doubt he knows that I'm aware, and I don't think he'd fancy his secrets coming out." Harry said, closing the topics.
Hermione could only stare at Harry as he finished his breakfast and pushed away his now empty plate. He wiped his hands on his napkin and took one last swallow from his goblet. He turned to look at the head table and then towards Hermione.
"When do we get our schedules?" He asked.
"Not for a bit. If you'd like we could go to the library for a bit, or just take a quick walk around the castle so you could get a basic idea of where places are." Hermione suggested. Harry gave a slight nod and the two rose from their seats. As they left the Great Hall, Harry saw a group of Slytherin girls coming up from the dungeons giving Hermione a very sour look, and then stopping short when they saw her companion. Hermione couldn't stop the smug little smile that played at the corners of her mouth.
Of course her own mind ruined her little moment when she realized that there was now going to be a thousand new rumors about her by lunch, and none of them were going to be good.
"So, I suppose I should show you where the hospital wing is." She said, turning towards the stairs.
"Why?" Harry asked, looking puzzled.
Hermione stopped short and turned to look at Harry with confusion. "In case you have an accident or something…"
"Oh." Harry said simply. Hermione turned again and led Harry up a flight of stairs and down a hall. They visited a few other key points in the castle, including the Library, which Hermione wanted to linger in, but at Harry's blank look decided it would be best to move on. Like nearly everyone else, she didn't think Harry was as fond of books as she was.
Then again, she couldn't really get a read on Harry as his face barely changed at all as they walked. She had noticed the way he examined everything. It was like he was looking for places to hide, or something.
"Harry, could I ask you a question?" She finally asked as they were heading back to the Great Hall for their timetables.
"I believe you just did." He replied at once
"Yes, but I meant…"
"I know what you meant." Harry said, a mischievous glint in his eye that startled Hermione.
"The way you look around at everything. It's almost like you're looking for something specific."
"Escape routes." Harry said simply.
"Escape routes?"
"Or cover. First rule, always know where your escape routes are. If you find yourself overwhelmed by superior forces, have more then one way out." Harry said automatically, making Hermione's jaw drop.
"You sound like some kind of soldier." She said as the crossed into the Great Hall which was now teeming with students.
"I thought I made that clear on the train yesterday." Harry looked at her slightly confused.
"You really expect me to believe that you fought against You-Know-Who's followers and not only did you actually beat them, but removed Lucius Malfoy's hand?" Hermione stopped and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.
"Hermione, I don't care if you believe it or not. As I told you yesterday, I don't lie. It serves no purpose. I won't tell you something that isn't true about me or anything else." Harry said, looking weary.
"Then why exactly are you here and not out there fighting them some more.?" She countered.
"Honestly, I wish I knew." Harry sighed. "Look, it's a long story, and right now, I think I need to focus on getting through today. Will you help me?"
Hermione was a bit taken aback. For as tough and collected as Harry appeared to be outwardly, she could see in his entrancing green eyes that he was actually worried.
"Wait, Entrancing, where did that come from." Hermione thought suddenly. "Forget it Hermione. One look at Susan Bones, or gods forbid, Cho Chang and he's going to go all gooey and never speak to you again. Just get through today and everything will get back to its natural order."
She looked at him and gave a soft smile as she nodded.
"Thank you." He said calmly. "You are a true friend.
Hermione stiffened. No one had ever called her their friend in her entire life. Even the friends she had had in primary school. That word sent a shiver down her spine that was not at all unpleasant.
"Ah, Miss Granger, Mister Potter. I have your class schedules."
Professor McGonagall had begun to approach her favorite student and the new arrival when she noticed them having a rather heated discussion. The Transfiguration professor's hope that Hermione Granger might at last find a friendly companion prevented her from invading their conversation until she was sure they were finished. She watched Hermione quite closely as she approached. Powerful though Dumbledore claimed the boy to be, if he hurt the girl in any way, she would render him to little more than ashes, savior to the wizarding world or not.
"I was most pleased with your OWL results Miss Granger, and am looking forward to seeing you continue performing admirably in my class this year." McGonagall said as she handed over Hermione's schedule. "Mister Potter, I'm afraid that as I do not know what your intended career path is, I am unsure as to what to put on your schedule. Your OWL results were nearly as exemplary as Miss Granger's."
"I wasn't told my results." Harry confessed. Hermione looked up from examining which classes she was to be taking this year, very interested in this little tidbit.
"Well, I have them here." McGonagall said. "No student has performed as well as you did in Defense in over twenty years. Your Transfiguration, Charms and Potions work was quite good as well. You did well in Arithmancy and Runes, and I also noted you performed admirably in Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. Quite frankly, I would hazard a guess that you were preparing for the Auror academy."
"I am." Harry nodded. "At least, for now"
"You have another ambition?" McGonagall asked her eyebrows raised with interest."
"I would like to keep my options open at this point." Harry replied.
"Very well then, what classes would you like to take?"
"I wish to continue in all that I did E or better in." Harry said confidently. McGonagall gave a soft smile and glanced at Hermione who was looking just as impressed as the Head of Gryffindor House was feeling.
"Well then, it looks as if you and Miss Granger will be seeing a lot of each other then. With the exception of Care of Magical Creatures, you will share many of her classes." McGonagall said, tapping her wand to Harry's class schedule and handing it to him.
Harry accepted it and turned to Hermione. "We should get our books and things for class then."
Hermione nodded and they headed up stairs. Hermione looked over her schedule as they walked.
"Runes first this morning. That's good. Then I have a break. Lunch and then potions and charms. Good Monday, I think."
"I don't have a break." Harry remarked, and Hermione glanced at his timetable, seeing that he would be in Care of Magical Creatures while she was in her break.
"But you have breaks the rest of the week, see." She pointed them out to him.
"Do I need them?" He asked. Once again Hermione's jaw dropped.
"You don't want breaks?"
"Does it serve a purpose?" He asked.
"Well, it's a bit of extra time to catch up on your homework. You know so you don't fall behind and you get everything done." Hermione explained.
"Oh, I see." Harry nodded in understanding. "Then I guess this is acceptable."
"You really are very strange." Hermione shook her head.
"As you keep pointing out." Harry replied, making Hermione chuckle.
Runes was just as invigorating as it had ever been, in Hermione's opinion. She had sat in her favorite desk right up in front with Harry at her side. He took to the class with the same vigor she felt within herself, and had even beaten her to answering a few of the professor's questions. When class was over, she walked with him to the Entrance Hall and pointed him in the right direction for Care of Magical Creatures and promised to wait for him at lunch.
Hermione was then left with the choice to return to the Common room or go to the library until lunch. She decided on the Library, as she was less likely to be bothered by any of her housemates.
However, she realized as she entered her sanctuary that she had no homework to work on. With nothing to research she began to wander idly through the aisles. As she meandered she kept thinking about Harry and his, well quite frankly his oddness. It was more than clear that he had very little in the way of social understanding. At least the part of his story about being hidden away seemed to be true. Not even the best of actors could be that convincing. The more she observed him, the more she noticed how curious he was about the way people interacted. During Runes class, he kept peering over his shoulder to watch as Su Li, Mandy Brocklehurst, and Lisa Turpin giggled and gossiped. He looked terribly confused by their topic of discussion which happened to be boys. Hermione was just glad that he had not asked her to explain it all to him. That would have been embarrassing, not to mention difficult.
Harry wasn't completely uninformed, but in many ways he was almost socially ignorant. Hermione remembered when Harry had told Professor Dumbledore that he was nothing if not adaptable. Hermione was really curious as to what that meant exactly.
Hermione found herself in the history section and before she realized it was pulling down the copy of Wizards Most Dark. She flipped to the table of contents and slid her finger down the page until she found the chapter titled "He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named."
She leaned against the bookshelf as she read the chapter of arguably the most feared wizard in over a hundred years.
Only one dark wizard in all of history has ever been so feared that even now his name can not be spoken without conjuring images of true horror. No one is truly sure of where the Dark Wizard who called himself Lord Voldemort came from. What is agreed upon is that his reign of terror was far worse than any who came before him.
Hermione skimmed over most of the chapter as she had read it several times before. She knew of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named's goal of creating a perfect Pureblood society, not unlike of a certain muggle dictator from Germany. She passed over some of his more brutal noteable moments within his rise to power until she reached the end of the chapter and the bit she was searching for
Lord Voldemort fell from power on October 31st 1981, when he sought to destroy James and Lily Potter and their only son Harry, in Godric's Hollow. The Potters had gone into hiding after discovering the Dark Lord wanted to kill them personally, though the exact reason for that is unknown.
The Potter's cast the Fidelius on their home, and it was widely believed that Sirius Black was the secret keeper. However the Potters, knowing how Black would be hunted changed their secret Keeper to Peter Pettigrew, a long time friend of James Potter. This proved to be a mistake as Pettigrew was a spy for the dark wizard. Pettigrew testified at his trial later that he had chosen to follow the Dark Lord because he felt it was only a matter of time before Lord Voldemort won the war, and Pettigrew did not wish to die. He was sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss.
What actually happened on the night of October 31st, is unclear and still a subject for much conjecture, but the most popular and widely agreed upon theory is that after killing both James and Lily Potter, Lord Voldemort turned his wand on one year old Harry. The killing curse was then cast, but instead of killing the child alone, the curse somehow destroyed the caster as well. The Potter house was found in complete ruin and the bodies of all three Potters and the Dark Lord were found in the rubble. Baby Harry was found with a strange cut upon his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt, which puzzled many, as the killing curse never leaves a mark. The Potters were buried in Godric's Hollow side by side with baby Harry laid to rest with his mother.
Hermione shut the book and immediately conjured a picture of Harry and the strange red line above his right eye which was in the shape of a lightning bolt. In a very strange way, the story made sense. If certain people wished to keep Harry safe, it would be best to allow the world to believe him dead. The fact that he was supposedly laid with his mother also would explain away the lack of a third grave.
But why allow Harry to surface now, especially when Lord Voldemort had risen again?
The answer came to her almost at once. Harry had told her. He had been trained to fight. He had fought Death Eaters already. Harry had not only been hidden but trained to fight against Voldemort. He was going to lead the light side against the Dark, not only as a soldier, but a symbol.
This realization led to other questions. Hermione wondered if perhaps maybe the papers were right for once and Harry was in fact destined to vanquish Voldemort. It made a lot of sense in a sort of fable or fairy tale sort of way. The evil wizard rises from the dead and his arch nemesis is also resurrected to fight the good fight, or something like that.
Hermione sighed and replaced the book, deciding that she was not going to solve the mystery of Harry Potter with the help of her precious books. And besides, it wasn't Harry's correlation with Lord Voldemort that troubled her. It was his interest in her.
Why did he choose to hang around her? He should have already started at least to talk to other people or start to ignore her. He had talked to the other sixth year boys the previous night, and Hermione was sure that they had told him all the reasons why she wasn't worth bothering with.
Taking a look at her watch, Hermione figured that by the time she got down to the Great Hall, Harry would likely be coming back from Care of Magical Creatures and be ready for lunch.
Hefting her book bag, Hermione walked down stairs, keeping her eyes on the ground as she walked to avoid the eyes of anyone, thereby keeping the potential for ridicule to a minimum. She found herself taking her regular seat at the end of the Gryffindor table, thankful that it was still fairly empty. A few other sixth years who had a break this period had already taken seats and looked to be reading or talking lightly.
The bell rang, releasing classes and Hermione smirked lightly as she imagined the thunderous sound of hundreds of students storming towards the Great Hall. The golden plates before her filled with sandwiches and there was a large bowl nearby that filled with a scrumptious smelling soup.
"Granger!"
Hermione looked up and winced as she caught sight of Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode, two sixth year Slytherin girls who'd been quite cruel to her through the years. Parkinson was the leader of a group of rather pretty and cruel girls who also belonged to Slytherin House. She was also the on again off again girlfriend of Draco Malfoy. Hermione wasn't sure if they were back together or not at the moment. She figured she might know for sure depending on how disgusting Pansy chose to be today.
Millicent Bulstrode, the only other sixth year girl in Pansy's group was like a distant cousin to Crabbe or Goyle, as she was built quite similarly. She looked like a short troll. The other three girls were fifth years who worshiped the ground in which Pansy walked on.
Hermione often wondered why the other two sixth year Slytherin girls, Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis did not hang out with Pansy. They had been as mean to Hermione as Pansy, though they hadn't really spoken to her since third year. Actually, they were more indifferent to her than most of the others in the school.
Hermione looked up at Pansy as she and her little girl scout troop approached and all but surrounded her. She tried to act as if she wasn't bothered by their close proximity and took a sandwich and looked towards the soup, trying to decide if she felt like a bowlful or not.
"Sitting alone again." Pansy sing songed. "How truly pathetic. Why do you even bother, Granger. You're a disgusting mess of a person. Far too ugly to become someone's girlfriend, far too filthy for even a concubine. You'll never get any sort of job higher than shop sweeper, if you're lucky, so why do you keep coming back to Hogwarts?"
The other girls were giggling like hyenas now and Hermione wanted to slap Pansy and show her that she was as good as anyone else, and even better than her, but she hated confrontation, and as she sighed heavily, she knew that she couldn't do it. She was just to afraid of being embarrassed and she didn't want to end up crying in the bathroom again. Not this early in the year.
"Excuse me."
Hermione looked up just as the Slytherin girls turned to find Harry standing behind them looking a little irritable.
"I'd like to eat my lunch, and you're in the way." Harry said eyeing Pansy. Hermione's eyes went wide as she saw Pansy wiggle her hips and flick her hair as she eyed up Harry. Clearly she and Draco were not together at the moment.
"Well hello, Potter." She said silkily. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Pansy."
"I don't care." Harry said flatly, staring at her outstretched hand. "I think you should apologize to Hermione and then walk away."
"Apologize? To her?" Pansy said aghast as she looked over her shoulder at Hermione.
"Yes. You were rude." Harry said evenly. "I abhor rude people. So, turn around, apologize, and then leave Hermione alone."
"I would rather run starkers through the entire school than apologize to that filth… AHH!"
Before everyone's eyes, Pansy's clothing had vanished, leaving the girl as naked as the day she had been born. Laughter erupted throughout the Great Hall and Pansy, doing her very best to cover herself sprinted out of the Great Hall her friends following after her.
"What did you do that for?" Hermione asked in shock as Harry took his seat across from her.
"Do what" Harry asked, looking over the offered lunch fare.
"POTTER!"
Hermione groaned as she turned to see the head of Slytherin House approaching, his cloak billowing out behind him like demonic wings. Hermione turned back to Harry to find him rising out of his seat, staring back at Professor Snape with stone cold eyes. The eyes of every student turned to watch as Professor Snape stormed down from the Head Table and fell silent, waiting to hear what was going to happen.
"Of all the arrogant, appalling acts I have witness in all my years of teaching, that was by far the most abhorrent act ever. Assaulting a female student like that will not be tolerated, and I will see you expelled from this school." Snape shouted.
"I'm sorry sir, by I do not know what you are talking about." Harry said flatly. Just as he had done with Dumbledore, Harry was standing straight and tall, looking off to the distance.
Snape looked as if Harry had just slapped him in the face.
"You vanished Miss Parkinson's clothes just now. I saw you do it. Everyone saw you do it." Snape snarled, his eyes boring into Harry's.
"I'm afraid that you are confused sir." Harry said evenly as he took out his wand. "Feel free to check my wand if you disagree."
Snape glared hard as he snatched Harry's wand and took out his own, tapping it to Harry's. He tapped it three times, and none of the recent spells Harry had cast were vanishing spells. He look murderous at Harry as he handed his wand back, then turned his attention to Hermione.
"Your wand, Miss Granger." He snapped.
"What?" Hermione looked god smacked.
"Your wand, now!" Snape shouted again. "There were only two of you…"
"Actually Professor, there are at least forty people that I can see who were close enough and likely able to cast that spell on that girl." Harry pointed out. "And Hermione's wand is not out. It's likely still in her robes."
"Silence yourself Potter." Snape said quickly before turning back to Hermione with his hand held out. Hermione slowly took out her wand and placed it in Snape's hand and watched as he checked its last spells, none of which were vanishing spells. She couldn't believe Snape would think she would do anything so… juvenile. Besides, Snape knew full well that she was always the one who was targeted for things like that, though thankfully, no one had thought to vanish her clothing.
"Until now, that is." She thought nervously to herself.
"Very well." Snape said looking so angry, his face was actually taking on color. "I will be watching you, Potter. Closely."
"Thank you sir." Harry said. It wasn't until Snape began to walk away that Harry retook his seat. Hermione was staring at him in awe as he took three sandwiches and began to eat quickly.
"How did you do it?" She asked after a long moment of silence. She had noticed that the Great Hall had finally become noisy again, with people likely discussing Pansy's incredibly pasty bottom.
"Do what?" Harry asked, but Hermione saw the faint smirk and knew that he had been responsible for Pansy's clothes suddenly disappearing.
"Please don't patronize me, Harry." Hermione pleaded. "I'm not an idiot."
Harry looked up at her as if startled by her accusation.
"Hermione, I never thought you were an idiot." He said gently. "Let's just say that thanks to years of study and practice, certain things that most people believe to be impossible, I can do. Let's also say that what I can do would be worthless in a fight, but as you just saw, can still be useful."
Hermione could only stare in amazement as Harry, chuckling lightly returned to his meal.
"I was also ordered by my Godfather to play pranks on people. I don't understand why he thinks it's important, but a promise is a promise. It seemed like a good opportunity." Harry shrugged.
Hermione could only stare at Harry in wonder. Just about everyone she knew would have been laughing their head off at what had just happened, especially if they had caused it. But Harry acted as if it was homework, or his job or something. It hadn't really affected him. He'd barely even smiled. Could it really be that he didn't understand anything as normal people did? Had he truly been so sheltered and disciplined that something as monumental as vanishing a girl's clothing in front of the entire school could mean so little to him?
On top of that, it had been a naked teenage girl and he hadn't even tried to get a good long look at her bits.
"You get stranger and stranger by the minute, you know that, right?" Hermione asked, looking at Harry who simply cocked his head in bemusement. Hermione waved it off and told him to finish so they could get to class on time. The Harry Potter Mystery was getting much to complicated.
Chapter 4: 4 He's Got Everyone Figured Out, Except
He's Got Everyone Figured Out, Except You
The first week of school had passed rather uneventfully, save for Pansy's little show on Monday. Boys were still sniggering about how very pale her butt was, as it was really the only thing anyone saw. Hermione still felt bad for the Slytherin girl, but only just a little. Pansy was more than a little guilty of years of harassment, and a small part of Hermione was thrilled that the girl got a taste of her own medicine.
Harry Potter was quite an enigma to Hermione. She couldn't remember ever meeting anyone as socially retarded as that boy. He was very intelligent, that was certain. In fact, he had actually helped her on her potions and Charms essays, pointing out a few things she didn't know. He was also extremely talented with his spell work.
But when it came to people, Harry Potter was just shy of being a cretin. He had no filter from his brain to his mouth, and would just say whatever was on his mind. This had of course caused more than a few very funny situations, especially with teachers. Harry had on more than one occasion called into question methods of teaching, and in Charms had gone so far as to claim Flitwick was showing the class a terrible way to perform a spell. Flitwick, as good natured as ever had allowed Harry to expound, and in the end awarded Gryffindor fifty points and invited Harry to lunch so they could discuss the topic further.
Snape on the other hand did not appreciate Harry's help. Hermione had tried to make Harry stop talking, but it had been in vain. Harry was adamant that Snape was teaching everyone the worst possible way to cast a conjunctivitis curse. Hermione had to admit that Harry's way was faster, and surprisingly more accurate, but Snape refused to even consider that Harry might be right.
Word spread quickly throughout the school that Harry would actually stand up to Snape, and often would question his methods. When Harry was asked about it however, he would simply stare blankly at whomever was talking to him. Harry didn't see it as rising against the most hated teacher in Hogwarts History, but merely trying to help everyone learn easier, and more accurate ways of casting defensive spells.
Hermione, like many others was beginning to wonder how much more Snape would allow before challenging Harry to a duel. Most people were betting that by before Christmas, there would be a show down.
Hermione was currently pondering just who might win in such a showdown while she sat in her favorite chair in the Gryffindor common room Saturday afternoon. A book was open in her lap, her eyes were staring at the words, but her mind was back in Defense class where she had worried Snape would explode and attack Harry outright.
Hermione was also having difficulty in believing that Harry was actually her friend. She had expected that by now, he would have forgotten about her and started hanging around much prettier girls. Even more confusing was the fact that Lavender Brown, who, though she hadn't really been mean to her like her stupid ginger headed boyfriend, had also never been nice to her either, had made it a point to try and spend time with her. Her other room mate, Parvati had also been much friendlier as well. The two girls had even talked to her outside of their dorm room, where other people could see them, and they had been nice to her.
Lavender claimed that she hoped that they could one day be friends, but understood that she had to work for that. Hermione, while she hadn't said it out loud, agreed. She had suffered far too much at the hands of people within the school to just allow people to get close to her, with the exception of Harry.
Harry had barely left her side in the past week. He went to almost all of her classes with her, sat across from her at meals, and engaged her in conversation. He was acting just like a real friend to her. While it was really nice to have a real friend, a little voice in the back of her mind kept telling her not to get to close, because he was going to realize what a waste of time she was, and move on.
Yet, he remained. He stayed with her, and seemed to genuinely want to get to know her. However, she barely gave him anything when he asked about her. In fact, they only really had any kind of meaningful conversation when they were talking about neutral subjects, like classes, or anyone else besides her.
Not that Harry was very forthcoming with things in his life. Although, Hermione never really asked him much. When she did, he would answer quickly and concisely, like he was reporting to a superior officer in the military, which Hermione often had to remind herself, he was suppose to be trained to do.
"Hello?"
Someone was waving their hands in front of her face, and calling her name. Hermione had been so lost in thought that she'd failed to notice Ginny Weasley approaching her, much less talking to her.
Hermione jumped with fright, and gave a squeak of surprise, which made Ginny shriek, and clutch her heart. Both girls were panting with a bit of panic as Ginny came forward again, looking around the Common Room, and glaring at a few younger kids who were snorting with laughter.
Ginny was a pretty and popular girl. She was one of the Chasers on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and had helped secure the Cup last year, thanks to her stellar performances each match. People called her the Fireball because she seemed unstoppable on her broom. That and her flaming red hair.
Ginny was really quite attractive. She had an athletic figure. She was short, but slim. Her chest wasn't nearly as prominent as Lavender's, but she had nice curves, and Hermione guessed in another year or so, she'd likely give Lavender or Daphne Greengrass a run for their money on the Hogwarts hotness scale.
"I didn't see you there." Hermione finally stammered looking at Ginny, who still looked a bit flushed.
"I was standing here for like three minutes trying to get your attention." Ginny replied, sounding a bit snotty.
"Sorry." Hermione blanched. "Why aren't you at practice?"
It had been widely talked about through the week, that Saturday would be try outs and the first practice for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Ron Weasley had been talking quite loudly about only the night before.
"It's over." Ginny shrugged. "Katie's going to be a great Captain this year. We very nearly got a new Keeper. That git McClaggen, you know the seventh year who's nearly as full of himself as Malfoy. He beat Ron at tryouts, but then he told Katie that she had a lot to learn about being a captain, and then tried to make a move on her. He was tripping over his own nose hair on his way to see Madam Pomfrey when I last saw him. Good thing too, I think Ron would be insufferable if he had been kicked off the team."
"Well, that's nice I suppose. Did you want something from me?" Hermione asked impatiently. "You've barely spoken to me in four years, so forgive me for my curiosity."
"I wanted to ask you about Harry." Ginny said rather nervously. Hermione, having fielded enough questions about Harry over the past week, merely gave an exasperated sigh. It was as if she was supposed to be some sort of expert on Harry Potter, simply because she spent time with him.
"I was wondering what he's like?" Ginny asked, invading Hermione's space and perching on the arm of the chair. Hermione scowled at the red head, who was oblivious to Hermione's irritation.
"You do know you can talk to him. If you're that curious, just ask him yourself." Hermione said as politely as she could manage. She tried to let Ginny know she wasn't interested in talking, by refocusing on her book.
"What, just sit down next to him and talk to him? I don't think so." Ginny said, shaking her head her cheeks going red, and her eyes wide in horror, as if Hermione had just suggested she remove all her clothes in the common room right then and there. "I wouldn't even know what to say to him.
"You could try hello." Hermione scowled, trying to continue reading her book.
"Could you introduce me?" Ginny asked hopefully.
Hermione looked up and glowered at the younger Weasley. Ginny did have the good sense to blush.
"Let me see if I understand this." Hermione said, having difficulty in keeping herself calm. "You want me to introduce you to Harry, because he and I sit together at meals? You… the same person who only last year claimed that possibly the only way I would ever find some sort of sexual satisfaction was to go and throw myself at the centaur herd in the forest?"
"That's not exactly what I said." Ginny mumbled, looking rather morose.
"Exactly why would I help you try and impress anyone?" Hermione asked.
Ginny shrugged. "Because you're a nice person?" She tried a charming smile.
"And how would you know even that? You've never once tried to talk to me on any sort of human level, much less a friendly one." Hermione replied evenly. Ginny shrugged again. Hermione shook her head and closed her book.
"If you want to get to know Harry , talk to him yourself. I'm not his press agent, or his mother. And even if I were inclined to help you try and get into his trousers, which I assure I have no interest in doing at all, I have no idea where he is at the moment. It's not my job to keep tabs on him and know where he is at all hours."
"He's down at the Quidditch pitch." Ginny smiled brightly. "Katie talked him in to coming down and watching the tryouts. She even got him to try out for the team. He was amazing." Ginny gushed.
"He's going to play Quidditch?" Hermione asked in puzzlement suddenly forgetting her ire at the youngest of the Weasley clan.
"No." Ginny said with a shake of her head. "He turned Katie down. Said he had no real interest in it. He just likes flying. It's a shame too, because he's amazing."
Hermione looked interested in what Ginny had said, but brushed it aside quickly.
"So why didn't you talk to Harry then?" She asked the redhead.
"I figured it would be easier if we were introduced. It would give me a chance to make a really good impression, you know?" Ginny asked, looking pointedly at Hermione who shook her head again.
"I think it would take a lot more than being introduced to make any kind of impression on him." Hermione said cryptically, finally having enough of the conversation. She got to her feet and headed up to her dorm where she was sure she would have a bit of piece. She got around five minutes of quiet before Lavender walked in.
"I don't think Ginny's going to let up." The blonde smiled as she sat on her bed facing Hermione. "She really wants to go out with Harry."
"What are you talking about?" Hermione rolled her eyes.
"She's crushing bad on Harry. Ron told me last night that she's had a crush on him forever. Her dad used to make up stories about the Hero Harry Potter."
"Why would anyone do that?" Hermione scowled. "Until a month ago, none of us even thought he was alive, remember?"
"I know, I know. But imagine that you have this fictional character that is amazing. He's a hero, right? People constantly put him in fairy tales, and the like, and you grow up hearing these tales of bravery and all that. You fall in love with this hero, knowing that he's made up. But then one day… and he's real, and what's more, he's everything you ever dreamed of and so much more. Can you honestly say you wouldn't feel even a bit intrigued at the notion of getting close to that hero?" Lavender gave a conspiratorial smile.
Hermione sat up with a quizzical expression.
"And she isn't the only one feeling the same way. A lot of us grew up hearing the stories of the baby who vanquished the most vile wizard in an age. Some of us used to have tea parties where the guest of honor was our perception of what Harry would be like. I even had a pretend wedding where my groom was none other than Harry Potter. Ok, my teddy bear stood in for Harry, but you get the picture."
"That's an interesting idea, and it would explain a lot." Hermione said thoughtfully. "I've never seen Parkinson act the way she did around any boy, save maybe Malfoy. In fact, a lot of girls have been acting somewhat out of character since he arrived."
"Yeah, well Parkinson's in for a rude awakening. Malfoy's hot for Daphne Greengrass. I heard he's even convinced his father to set up negotiations with her father."
"What?" Hermione looked appalled.
"It's still customary in some of the older pure blood families to set up arranged marriages. At least it's not done before birth any more. Most of the time, the boys will select someone and get their family to set it up."
"So barbaric." Hermione made a sour face. "Why doesn't he just club her over the head and drag her back to his cave."
"I know." Lavender nodded. "But stuff like that won't last much longer."
Hermione looked up curiously as Lavender pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She was smiling at Hermione now, and Hermione couldn't remember anyone looking at her this way. Like a trusted friend. Someone treasured.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, just that Parvati and I were talking and Colin Creevey overheard us, and then some other people got involved, and we all kind of had this really deep political discussion, and we came to several realizations. The first being that it won't be too much longer that the Pure Blood families will be all but gone. They're so intent on their purity that they're breeding themselves out of existence. Katie Bell said that you can actually track their decline in magical power. Of course you get anomalies. Malfoy is pretty powerful, as his father is, but they said Malfoy's grandfather wasn't very strong and relied more on his wealth than his magic to succeed. So unless the Purebloods get over themselves and accept Muggleborns and marry them, their going to be less than squibs in maybe a century."
Hermione nodded. She understood this, she had done some genealogy research in her second year in an attempt to understand why Purebloods were held in such high regard. She had discussed her findings with Professor McGonagall a year later when they had begun socializing. McGonagall was under the same impression, that one day, the old families would be gone, unless they allowed themselves to infuse their bloodlines with new magic, or muggleborn.
"Number two, the growing number of witches and wizards who are muggleborn and staying in our world after they leave school is growing, and these people aren't satisfied with menial work anymore. Some of them are getting pretty far into the Ministry, and soon, they'll be helping write new laws. Not only that, but the muggle world is becoming much more advanced and appealing to those of us raised completely in the magical world. Movies, music…shopping. Oh my god the clothes and the shoes are to die for. And here we are wearing boots and tights and robes…ugh. When you got a body like this, why hide it under bulky robes?" Lavender said standing up and spinning, showing off her tight skirt and her prominent chest which was clad in a royal purple blouse.
Hermione offered a weak smile at Lavender's enthusiasm.
"I got some amazing stuff when I was in London with Parvati last summer. If my Mum knew about half the knickers I have, she'd skin me. I don't even wear tights anymore."
Lavender pulled up her skirt a bit to reveal that she was wearing nylons with a garter belt. She blushed deeply as Hermione covered her mouth scandalized.
"I know!" Lavender shrieked. "Ron doesn't even know about it. If he did, well, I'd have to use a Beater's bat to keep him back."
"Wait, don't you…I mean, haven't you two…" Hermione asked, her hand sill hovering over her mouth.
"Yeah, I know, everyone thinks I'm some sort of slag, right? I'm not saying I'm an angel by any stretch, but my reputation is very, very overblown. And Ron… Ron could only wish to be so lucky to be able to touch me like that."
"Wait…Don't you like Ron?"
"Of course I like Ron. I wouldn't be dating him otherwise, but he's got some serious issues he needs to work out. He has it in him to be a good guy. He's just got an inferiority complex, among other problems. He feels like he's got to be the most popular guy in the room at any given moment. It's why he's so loud and funny. It's his way of standing out. Not the best way, but it's all he knows. Do I love him? Absolutely not. Could I? Maybe one day. If he grows up, and alters his thinking a bit." Lavender shrugged. "For now, he makes me laugh, and he's not that bad a kisser."
Hermione made a sour face and Lavender laughed.
"I know, you don't need to hear the disgusting details." she laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell you all about how Ron and I snog. But, the thing is, I don't know if a relationship based on good snogging is all I want anymore. I'm not sure that Ron and I will be together by Christmas anymore."
"Why do you think that?' Hermione asked, wondering how things had come to this. Where Lavender Brown, possibly the most popular girl in her grade, much less the whole school, was talking about her relationship with the school pariah.
"Harry." Lavender said simply.
"Not you too." Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes.
"No, it's not like that. Sure, I mean he's attractive, what with his broad shoulders and those muscular arms, and those eyes like emeralds that you could swim in. Yes, he's attractive, but he's stiff, and tense. And when he looks at you, it's not the way a girl wants to be looked at. Harry doesn't look at you like he wants to grab you in his arms and kiss you until you can't stand. He looks at you like he's studying you, looking for weaknesses. He looks at every girl like that… except you."
Hermione looked up now with wide eyes. Her face paled as she stared at her dorm mate who was smiling mischievously. Hermione wasn't sure if she liked where the conversation was going now. She remembered how she had felt when Viktor Krum had acted like he had liked her romantically, only to metaphorically rip her heart out and stomp on it in front of the entire school.
"What are you talking about?" She asked the blonde who playfully looked around them as if she knew some great big secret. Hermione began growing impatient and scowled at Lavender who laughed lightly.
"Ok, When Harry looks at me, he actually looks in my eyes. Most boys focus on my chest first, then my legs and whatever else before finally realizing I have eyes. But Harry looks at my eyes first, and it isn't to flirt or anything. It's like he's looking into my mind, to find how to defeat me in a duel. Parvati says it's the same with her. Any girl he looks at… any one he looks at, he's studying them. Figuring out where their strengths are, and where their weaknesses are. Understand?"
Hermione nodded. She knew Lavender was totally correct in that it was likely what Harry was doing. He did it with everyone, and he had even shared some of his observations with her. She felt she was better prepared should Draco Malfoy try have a go at her ever again. Thanks to Harry, she knew that Draco was all about showmanship, and was likely going to cast big spells to make a show. A few simple spells would defeat him soundly, and also likely to embarrass him badly.
"But when Harry looks at you, it's something else entirely. You have him puzzled." Lavender smiled. Hermione shook her head.
"You're imagining things." She said simply. "Harry has me figured out just like everyone else."
"How to fight you, yes, I'm sure he does. But that's not what I'm talking about. You aren't falling all over yourself to get him to notice you, so he notices you because of that. The same way Krum did in Fourth year." Lavender pointed out. "It also doesn't hurt that you've changed. Boys are noticing your boobs are bigger. Some people are saying you used and engorgement charm on them."
"I did not!" Hermione looked indignant.
"I know." Lavender said, holding up her hands. "You're a good with your wand and all, but there would be signs, and no charm is permanent. You'd have to have recast at some point. Frankly I'm a bit jealous. You had time to grow into yours and get used to them. I got mine like over night it seemed." Lavender rolled her eyes. "Makes it hard to get a boy to notice you for you when all he can do is stare at your chest. You'll see."
Hermione grimaced but said nothing. She was still pondering Lavender's remarks about Harry and how he looked at her. Was it even possible that he looked at her differently than he looked at other girls.
"Well, you're wrong about Harry." Hermione shook her head.
"Maybe I am." Lavender shrugged. "I'm no expert in boys or anything."
Hermione began chewing on her bottom lip, something she did whenever she was working on a particularly vexing problem. Lavender smiled again and patted Hermione's knee before she headed back to the Common room, leaving Hermione to ponder what they had discussed. Hermione noted she was alone once again, but she couldn't bring herself to look at her book anymore. All she could think about now was Harry and the way he looked at her. Lavender seemed convinced that there might be something there to pay attention to, but Hermione was sure the blonde was imagining things.
Harry was not at all confused by Hermione. It was likely he had her just as figured out as anyone else.
"I understand it, but I don't get it." Harry said placing his knife and fork down, having finished his dinner.
"Maybe it's because there are no other sports in the magical world." Hermione shrugged. "Muggles have so many athletic competitions but wizards only have Quidditch. It unites them."
"You watched the tryouts, how can you not get excited over it?" Neville Longbottom asked. Hermione smirked softly.
Neville was one of the few people who had never once been mean to her. He had made the mistake of standing up for her once, and had paid for it. That had been in their first year, and he had never repeated that mistake. She had often seen her giving her apologetic looks whenever others had decided to have a go at her, but he always remained silent.
In fourth Year, Neville did attempt to ask her to the Yule Ball, but by then she had already had a date, and had to decline. They had spoken a bit, and Hermione had hoped she might become friends with someone, But Ron Weasley had berated him into ignoring her once again. They had not spoken a single word to each other since.
Two days ago, Hermione had come to the Common room to wait for Harry so they could go to breakfast together. Harry arrived at Gryffindor Tower after his morning workout, and she had been shocked to see he was not alone. Neville, looking very exhausted and sweaty was with him.
Apparently when Harry awoke, he discovered Neville awake as well. Neville explained he'd been unable to sleep, and Harry had invited him to join him on his work out. Harry admitted to Hermione that he found Neville companionable.
"Or he will be when he gets up to scratch." Harry had said, glancing at Neville as they had headed to the Great Hall that morning. Since then. Neville had been joining them at meal times, and studying with them every so often. Hermione had been a bit surprised to see that Neville was quite hard working. Hermione had known Neville was intelligent, but he had difficulty during classes. He seemed to struggle more than others when it came to practical work though she couldn't figure out why, though she felt it had a bit to do with Ron Weasley who Neville admitted like to pick on anyone who wanted to focus on their schoolwork, when their was chess to be played, or brooms to fly.
"Why have you never tried out to play?" Harry asked Neville. The boy's shoulders sagged a bit and he shook his head.
"My Gran would never allow me to. It's expensive, to start with. A decent broom, even the most basic decent broom is around two hundred and fifty galleons. Then there's the pads and other equipment. Plus, I'm not all that great on a broom. Our first flying lesson, I fell off and broke my wrist."
"I remember that." Hermione nodded. "Draco smashed your Rememberall."
Neville's face soured. "And Ron kept calling me Leadbottom."
"I bet I could get you flying like a pro in a few weeks." Harry said.
"I wouldn't think flying would be that important to a soldi…a person like you." Hermione stammered, her cheeks flushing.
"I think you'd be surprised how often soldiers use brooms for attack." Harry said matter-of-factly. "They're great for the element of surprise. Especially if you're willing to jump off of one."
"Jump off of a broom?" Neville and Hermione asked as one. Hermione's face had gone slightly pale. "Are you mental?"
"No, just really good with arresto momentum." Harry said flatly. Neville and Hermione only stared aghast at what the newest Hogwarts student claimed.
"When I was twelve, I was given a sort of test. Basically it was a drill to see how well I could adapt. The first ten times, I got beat pretty bad, and when you fail, you have to do very tedious and boring things as punishment. Anyway, while I was peeling my five hundredth potato by hand, I started thinking about tactics. The only way I could beat win that particular scenario was with something so out of the ordinary that the enemy would be to stunned to react. So, the next time I had to do that exercise, I summoned a broom, and took to the air. The people I was going against, My enemies, for lack of a better word, were busy looking in the woods for me, not thinking I might have taken to the sky. I waited up there, not directly above, mind you, but close enough I could see their movements. When they started getting concerned as I hadn't attacked, and they hadn't spotted me, they let their guard down, and began gathering together to discuss what might have become of me, and that's when I struck. I turned my broom towards them, and when I was directly over them, I leapt, cast the charm, and stunned each one of my godfather's team before I hit the ground." Harry said as if making a report.
"Didn't you get hurt?" Hermione asked, still in shock over what she'd just been told.
"A broken leg and three fingers, plus a concussion. They gave me two weeks dishwashing duty for taking such a stupid risk. In the end, they all admitted it was a good tactic. My trainer made me work harder on my charm work so the next time I decided to try something so reckless, I wouldn't get hurt." Harry replied, finishing his dinner and pushing the plate away.
Neville and Hermione had no words at this. Hermione began to wonder what Harry might try and pull in order to win a Quidditch match, and thanked the fates that he had chosen not to join the team.