A/N: Well, this, I hope, will be one of my best HP fics. This also ties in with my other fic 'The Marauders', but only a little. Some of the same characters and stuff. I hope you like it and don't forget to read and review!
A warm summer wind blew threw the trees the donned the front lawns of Privet Drive. Not a blade of grass was out of place and each identical flower bed bloomed beautifuly. Inside one of these houses lived a normal, run of the mill family. There was the husband and businessman, Vernon Dursley, the wife and kind neighbor Petunia Dursley and their perfect son Dudley. They went about their business as usual, Dudley was now home from boarding school and enjoying every minute of his summer holidays. Petunia took care of her precious son and her flower beds which were now apart of the garden club and Vernon continued business as usual. All in all, they were perfectly normal. There was just one other thing. One other thing that was far from normal. This, was none other than Petunia's nefew, Harry Potter, who had also, sadly, just returned from his boarding school. Now Harry wasn't just a normal fifteen year old boy who went to a normal boarding school. No, not at all. He was a wizard and attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was also a very famous wizard, for when he was but one years old he defeated Lord Voldemort, one of the most feared wizard in all the world. This year, along with many others had been one in which he had come face to face with Voldemort, but this time, it was different. He had witnessed Voldemort come to power this time, almost full power. He and Voldemort had duled, their wands coming together, and Harry had seen the shadows of his long deceaced parents. The evil dark lord had also killed one of the four champions, Cedric Diggory. It had been one hell of a year.
"Boy! Get down here and make us breakfast!" cried Uncle Vernon, his load bellow echoing through the house.
Harry got up from the desk chair and walked slowly downstairs into the kitchen. Uncle Vernon was sitting in one of the chairs, reading the morning paper, Aunt Petunia was sipping tea and Dudley, Harry's whale of a cousin, was looking hungrily at an empty plate. The previous summers diet haden't exactly gone too well, and so he was now back to eating regularly, eccept for breakfast, which was now the only part of the day where good food was slipped onto his plate. Harry walked over to the fridge and took out a bowl of strawberrys, grapes and a pitcher of orange juice. He poured the juice to each person and dished out the fruit, taking special care to give himself less than Dudley.
Breakfast was normal, just like it had been for the past month. The thought of only one month left until school was the only thing that kept Harry going. He hated it here, it was as if he was a slave in fear of getting out of line. It was a horrible feeling. The other thing that kept him going was, her. He wouldn't admit it, not even to his best friend Ron, but he had fallen in love with his other best friend, Hermione. Last year, she had always been there for him and supportive and worried. Then, at the train station, she kissed him. It was just a little peck on the cheek, but it was something that she hadn't done before. This had got him thinking about her, and only one week ago he had come to the conclusion. That he loved her. Not like she'd ever know mind you.
Harry cleared away the breakfast dishes just as the phone rang. Uncle Vernon stumbled up and slowly walked into the hallway. There was a few moments of silence after the anishal answer, but then there was a mumbel and Uncle Vernon waddled back into the kitchen, his round face a light magenta.
"You. You have a phone call." He said, pointing a pudgey fingure at Harry.
It was strange. Harry never got phone calls. Who in their right mind would be calling him here. Harry picked up the reciever caushusly, looking around to make sure no one was listening.
"Hello." He said, as calmly as possible.
"Hey Harry, it's Hermione." Said the voice on the other end happily.
"Hermione hey! What's up?" he asked, his heart lifting.
"Nothing really, but that's why I called. I was wondering if you would like to spend the remainder of the summer at my house? Just to get a brake from the Dursley's." she said.
"That would be great! But what about Dumbledore?" asked Harry, leaning against the wall.
"It's already cleared with him. He said that the chances Voldemort would come into my neighborhood are slim to none. So theirs nothing to worry about." She told him.
"Living in a muggle neighborhood has it's perks." He said, laughing slightly.
There was mumbling in the background, and Harry thought that she was talking to her father. She must have coverd the reviever because everything was very muffled, but after a few minutes she came back on.
"Hey Harry, can you put your uncle on the phone? My dad wants to talk to him." She said.
"Yeah, just give me a second." He said, putting the reciever down.
He walked over to the kitchen where his relatives were sitting in silence. They weren't doing anything, and Dudley's chair was closer to the door so that he could evesdrop better.
"Um, Uncle Vernon, Mr. Granger would like to speak with you." Said Harry, stepping back into the hallway.
Vernon got up and walked back over to the phone. He picked up the phone and started to talk to Mr. Granger. Harry listend closely and saw the expresions on his uncles face change. He kept mumbling into the reciever and the colour of his face was turning from a pale pink to a dark plum. Finaly, he hung up the phone and turned to Harry.
"You will be leaving today. They will be picking you up at noon." He said, walking back into the kitchen, furious that Harry might actualy have some fun this summer.
A large smile spread across his face, he was spending his summer with Hermione! This was going to be great! As long as Voldemort didn't decide to come looking for him, everything would be fine. That's the one thing he worried about; putting his friends in danger. They were all at risk being captured by Voldemort for being friends with him. Hermione was especialy in danger because he loved her. That's why she could never know until this was all over. He couldn't love anyone or have feelings for anyone until this was all over. If he did, they would be a big target for Voldemort. If Voldemort got his hands on anyone who meant that much to him, it would be easy to get Harry. It would be like handing Voldemort the victory. Hermione meant so much to him that he could never do that to her, even if it meant his happiness.
Harry packed up all his things in his trunk, checking all around the room to make sure that he wouldn't leave anything behind. He made sure that he didn't leave any books or quills or bottles of ink under the lose floorboard for he still had to do his homework in secret. After he thought he had everything, he brought his trunk downstairs and set it by the door. Then he went back to being the Dursleys slave, because, since it was already eleven thirty, he should not go out of the house before fixing Dudley breakfast. So for another half hour, he was Harry who.
At exactly, and I mean exactly, noon, the shrill ring of the doorbell sounded and Harry was made to get it. Dudley looked on from the hallway, wanting to see what his cousin's strange friends looked like. Dudley was very wrong. When Harry opend the door, he expected to see the same old Hermione, but who he saw, was a long, straight haired teen who looked vaugly of what the old Hermione was. Harry did, however, decide not to stair on like some idiot, and bent down to hug her, enjoying the time that she was in his arms. When they broke, they made idel chit-chat and carried Harrys trunk and Hedwigs cage to the car. Mr. Granger was driving the mini van and smiled to him as he got into the back seat with Hermione. The ride to the Grangers was quite a long one and gave him and Hermione time to catch up on what they had been doing over the summer. During July she had gone to visit her cousins in Scottland and had a very good time. Harry soon learned that they were apart of her transformation. About halfway there, the radio was turned on and they sat in relative silence, giving Harry some time to think about the upcoming school year. Like Hermione, he had no way to know what was going on in the wizarding world, so he would be almost completely in the dark when it came to the latest news on the second rising of Voldemort. But for the summer, ignorance was bliss. After all, not even Sirius would tell him about what was going on in the wizarding world, and he was Harry's godfather! He had only gotten a few letters from Sirius, but the only information that he had gotten, was that Sirius knew who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was. That wasn't exactly helpful, but it was better than nothing. At least Sirius was seemed happy with this professor. It wasn't another Snape then.
After being lost in his thoughts for quite some time, Mr. Granger pulled into a rather long driveway and parked the car. Hermiones house was not what Harry had expected. It wasn't a small house, but it wasn't big eaither. It was a white house that was more tall than wide with a black slate roof and a slightly wild garden that graced the front of the house. The house had a wrap around porch that had a trumpet vine creeping up around the ceiling. He followed Hermione and her father inside, to find a beautifuly furnished home. The tables, chairs and anything else that was made of wood was dark and well varnished. There was a cherry smell wafting in from the living room, and Harry thought it came from the mantel. Everything seemed homey and rustic, yet slightly modern at the same time. He felt like he had just gone into some glorious cottage in the hills. It was very comferting.
"So, let's get you settled in and then I'll show you around." Said Hermione, grabbing Hedwigs cadge and showing him to the winding staircase.
"Ok." Said Harry, regaining his focus.
Hermione showed him to his room, which had a rather large fourposter bed made of ash, a desk, dresser, and a rather large window that faced the back yard. He placed his trunk at the foot of the bed and Hermione opened up the window and set Hedwigs cadge right next to it. Harry joined her at the window to see a very spacious back yard. There was a rather large vegitable garden, and flowers and plants graced the sides of the house and around the garden gate and fence. Besides that, there was a rather large maple tree at the side of the yard with wind chimes hanging from some of the branches, and the rest was grass. Harry glanced at Hermione to see her smiling.
"This is beautiful." Said Harry, looking back out the window.
"Yeah. Why don't we go outside and enjoy it?" said Hermione, grabbing his hand and dragging him outside. "Oh, by the way, my room is right next door to yours." She added as they ran threw the kitchen.
They ran past Mrs. Granger, who was reading a book at the kitchen table and sipping lemonade and into the yard. Harry distinctly saw Crookshanks, Hermione's large ginger cat, stalking a couple birds that sat on the fence. Hermione then began the tour of the yard. The backward was actualy just a small enclosur, mostly so Crookshanks couldn't get out, but beyond that was a magnificent field with a grove of trees at the far end. The houses in this neighbourhood were so far apart, that they had this much propety to do as they please. Through the middle of the field was a flagg stone path that lead to the grove. There were probably twenty trees there, all with wind chimes hanging from the branches. Between two trees was a bage hammock that had large fluffy pillows resting in it. Hermione smiled as she told him that this was her place to just, get away and be alone. Mostly a place where she went to get some piece and quiet. Sort of a thinking spot.
"Well, this is it." Said Hermione, sitting down on the grass.
"Wow." Said Harry, sitting next to her.
"Is that all you can say? Wow." Asked Hermione, still smiling.
"Yeah, basicaly." Said Harry, laughing a little.
"Ron owled me this morning and told me that he would be spending time in Romania with Charlie. He's getting married." Hermione told him, stretching out on the grass and proping herself up on her elbows.
"Wow, Mrs. Weasly must be pleased. One of her sons is getting married." Said Harry, looking down at her.
"Yeah. Ron told me that she was absolutly extatic. She was more relieved than surprised." Said Hermione, looking up at him.
"Why would she be surprised?" asked Harry, clearly puzzled by this.
"Well, since Charlie lives in Romania, she dosen't get to meet any of his girlfriends, so she never knew that he had had one for about five months. When she heard that her was getting married, she was just relieved that finaly one of her sons was setteling down." Hermione explained.
Harry and Hermione continued talking for most of the day, and Harry noticed how relaxed she was. More than usual. For the past four years that they had been friends, he had known her to be very focused on something all of the time, but now she was relaxed and calm. He didn't know wheather it was the lack of homework, or the fact that she had lightened up during their month apart. She seemed like she would go with any suggestion that was presented to her. She gave the atmosphere around her a very calming feel to it. Dreamy even.
"Harry! Hermione! Dinner!" called Mrs. Granger from the white pickit fence.
"Well, lets go." Said Hermione, getting up.
They then walked back to the fenced in yard, to see that the rot iron dinning set was coverd in a tablecloth and food had been placed on top. He and Hermione sat down and as soon as they did, Mr and Mrs. Granger came out carrying plates and silverwear. The food was absolutly delicious. There was corn on the cob, salad, chicken and for desert, strawberry cheesecake. When they were done, he and Hermione went and sat in the porch swing that was on the side of the house, right next to a rather fragrent patch of roses. For a while they just sat there, not talking. Just listening to the sound of the crickets and the birds. A warm breeze blew over them and made them content to stay there forever.
"What do you think this year will be like?" asked Hermione, looking up at him as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
"I don't know." Said Harry, trying to think of an answer. "Will probably be more security around the castle after what happened last year." He suggested, wrapping and arm around her.
"Yeah, I guess. This year is gonna be awfuly different." Said Hermione, a sad note in her voice.
"I know, but right now I just don't want to think about it. It sucks all the fun out of life." Said Harry, looking into her chocolate eyes.
"Your right." She said sighing. "We don't know anything, so we shouldn't worry about anything." She replyed, smiling.
Harry couldn't agree more. A part of him wanted to know what was going on in the wizarding world, but the other part just wanted to be ignorant about what was going on. He just wanted to pretend that nothing was happening, and here in the muggle world, that was true. Here, Harry didn't have to worry about getting killed by some resurected psycopath. He didn't have to worry about how long he might have left to live. Here, everything was simpler. Everything was peaceful.
Harry and Hermione lounged on the porch swing, watching the sunset behind the trees. Harry loved the feeling of being this close to Hermione. He was slouching and she was right next to him; her head resting on his shoulder. One arm was wrapped loosly around her middle and the other was slightly supporting his head. Hermione had closed her eyes, and Harry didn't know weather or not she was sleeping. She looked so peaceful, her hair falling slightly into her eyes. The sun had now completely set, and the hair grew only slightly colder. Harry then lightly shook Hermione's shoulder, it seemed she had fallen asleep.
"Hermione. 'Mione. Wake up." Whisperd Harry.
"Hmph. Harry, what is it?" asked Hermione sleepily, her eyes half open.
"It's getting dark. Let's go inside." Said Harry, sitting up properly.
Hermione sat up, streached, yawned and stood up. Together, they walked into the house, Hermione still a little sleepy eyed. Inside, the Grangers were watching some television and sitting on a large bage sofa with a black and brown blanket draped over the top. Harry glanced at the kitchen clock and saw that it was around nine o'clock. No wonder Hermione was tired. Hermione lead him into the living room and they sat down on the rug, watching t.v. until they got too tired.
It was around eleven thirty when they all went to bed, exausted from the excitement of the day. Hermione said that she'd show him around the neighbourhood some more the next day. After all, they had a whole month to spend together. Harry dressed in his pyjamas and climbed into bed. Hopeful for a good night's sleep.
*
Harry found himself standing in the middle of a beautiful field of sunflowers. The sun above him was warm and there wasn't a single cload in the sky. Harry then heard someone giggling from behind him and the rustling of the sunflowers. Harry whirled around to come face to face with nothing, except the glimpse of a blue dress. In his curiosity, he followed round the corner, and heard more giggling and saw the same blue dress moving away from him. Harry continued to follow the person around the next corner, only to see a fork in the dirt path. He then heard giggling to the left, and saw the sunflowers sway back and forth and he glimpsed the blue dress.
"Who's there?" he called, jogging over to the left pathway.
Harry jogged along a winding path, hearing giggling all the way along. It sounded like the voice of a small child, but Harry couldn't exactly be sure. Just as Harry rounded another corner, he saw a small girl standing on the path. She was wearing a blue dress, trainers and her pale red hair was in two braids tied together with ribbon. She was standing perfectly in the middle of the path; her face emotionless. In her hands, she held a sunflower, just small enough for the girl's size. It was then that the girl started to cry. A large, fat tear trickled from her eye and fell onto the sunflowers golden petels. Harry took a step forward, to maybe comfert the girl, but then he stopped in his tracks. The sunflowers petels were slowly turning red, starting from the one that the tear had touched and spreading slowly to the others. Harry looked up at the girl and found that there was a red tear trail on her face; almost like blood. The girl then held up the flower up to him, blood red tears falling from her eyes and said,
"I picked this for you." Her small voice sounding so sweet and innocent.
Harry took two steps backwards, and watched as each red petel fell from around the black center of the flower. Then, the center fell off, and the thick green stem started to slither around in the girl's hands. Then, the stem turned into a small green snake and looked at him with blood red eyes. Harry looked from the snake to the girl, and saw that her eyes were now as red as the snakes, and were like serpents eyes. She dropped the snake, and Harry watched as it raised up and looked at him, boaring his eyes deep into his. Just then, the snake started to grow, and grow until it was as big as the Baslick that Harry had seen in the Chamber of Secrets. The girl then walked over so that she was standing infront of the snake, her small hands clasped together. It was then that the girl changed. She changed into a tall woman with pale red hair, thick cherry lips and the same serpent eyes that the girl had had. The woman was wearing a long blue midevil type dress with black and white trim. Her hair flowed losely down her back and her hands were no longer together, but clutching an orb that glowed eerily red.
"My my, if it isn't Harry Potter. Fancy meeting you here." She said, her voice sickly sweet.
"Who are you?" asked Harry, his voice smaller than he thought it was.
"You're very 'get-to-the-point' arn't you. Very well. My name is Morgan L'Fay, but my full name, is Morgana Claudette L'Ashter L'Fay. I was the half sister of King Arthur, as many know." Said the woman, moving the orb from hand to hand. "I was also a Shapeshifter, and the only one known to date. I could change my shape at will anytime, anywhere, but that was just a little too much for my dear brother. So when I was sixteen, he banished me, all the power of being king going straight to his head.
"I was banished to live in a cave, just outside a wood a few miles beyond my brother's kingdom. I stayed there for ten years, plotting against my brother for treating me as some kind of freak and causing me to live in egzile. When I returned, stronger than ever, I found that my brother had gotten smart over the years and had a good wizard, Merlin, helping and guarding him. Try as I may I couldn't kill my brother, Merlin faired a far better aponent than I had anticipated. So, broken and weak, I flead and left the land that I had known for all of my life.
"I travled for many days until I came upon a wonderful castle in Scottland, and a kind man took pitty on me. He nursed me back to health and proved a good friend in my time of need. It was then that we began to see that we had some of the same goals, hateing people who had turned their backs on us because of what we were. We created many a...memory in that castle, and we soon married, leaving friendship behind. A few years later, we produced an heir, but fearing for his life we cursed anyone who tried to hurt him the way we had been. At time's a miss Salazar Slytherin.
"Threwout the generations we only became stronger, and now, we are as strong as ever. I assum you know the most recent in our family, Thomas Marvalo Riddle, or as you know him, Lord Voldemort." Morgan told him, smiling at the last bit of information showing perfect white teeth.
"Voldemort is your heir." Said Harry, his teeth clenched tightly and his hands in fists.
"Yes, but somehow you managed to defeat him. Even with the very blood of Slytherin flowing through his veins he was still defeated. This time Harry Potter, you won't be so lucky." Said Morgan mercilesly.
Morgan then let out a high pitchen laugh, and the glowing orb rose from her hands and hoverd in the air. The snake behind her then opened its mouth, showing large white fangs that were as large as Harry's arm. The orb then began to glow a bright red that only got stronger. Harry tried to move, but found that his legs would not move, no matter how much he willed them. Soon all he could see was bright red light and he was soon engulphed in it, ear-piercing screams surrounding him until it was all that he could hear. Morgans laugh rung above them all.
*
Harry awoke in a cold sweat, his breathing ragad and his pulse quick and vibrant. Harry looked around the room to find that he was in the guest room of Hermione's house, just like he was supposed to be. He looked over at the clock on the wall, and saw that it was nearly four in the morning. Too early for anyone to be up. Harry threw back the covers and walked out into the hall and looked at Hermione's door, and saw that it was closed. Harry walked down the hall and downstairs into the kitchen, hoping to get a glass of water. When he got down, he saw that someone was sitting outside in one of the rot iron chairs. In his curiosity, he opened the door to the patio and walked out, shutting the door quietly behind him. That's when he noticed that it was Hermione who was sitting there, dressed in a gray tank and navey flannel pyjama bottums. Her knees were brought up to her chest and she was rocking slightly. Causiouly, Harry approched her, and put a hand on her shoulder, making her turn to look up at him with her cinnamon eyes.
"Oh, hey Harry. What are you doing up?" said Hermione, smiling slightly up at him.
"I should be asking you the same thing." Said Harry, sitting in the chair opposite her.
"I had a dream. A bad dream. A horrible dream." Said Hermione, shuddering slightly at the mear mention of it.
"It seems that bad dreams are contagious, 'cause I had one too." Said Harry, smiling slightly at her to make her feel more comfertable.
"Oh, what about?" asked Hermione, resting her chin on her knees.
"You would not believe me." Said Harry, sitting indian style in the chair.
"Try me." She said, cocking her head to one side, ready to listen.
Harry then launched into the telling of his dream. He found that Hermione was a very good person to talk to. She gasped at all the right moments, said a concern word and ofered bits of information that she knew of. She also didn't interupt when Harry was talking about something particularly serious. It was very comferting. When he was done, he felt very shaken. After hearing it again, it made him wonder if he would ever have a normal year, or a normal night's sleep ever again. This was just getting stranger and stranger. Hermione was also very shocked. It looked like she had never heard anything like his dream.
"Wow Harry, that was...strange." Said Hermione, her eyes wide.
"I know, what about you? What was your dream?" asked Harry, getting ready to listen and not dwelling on his own dream.
"It was your dream, except I was watching it happen, and I saw what happened after the red light and the screaming. You weren't there anymore, but Morgan and that snake were. Morgan used the orb some way and a man appeared infront of her. He had black hair and red eyes like Morgans. He looked to be about seventeen or so and was smiling horribly. He was so pale and his smile was so cold and his eyes were so red and fierce that it was like looking at death. The man was Voldemort, Harry. Voldemort when he was a teenager. But he looked more evil than he would have looked at that age. He and Morgan talked, about how they weren't going to be defeated, I didn't hear all of it, but there was one thing that stuck out. Morgan said that they were going to hurt everyone that was close to you. Anyone that you ever cared about." Said Hermione, a single tear falling down her cheak. She whiped it away quickly, even though Harry notcied.
This news hit Harry hard. Voldemort was going to come after everyone he had ever cared about. This meant all of his friends. The Weaselys, Hermione, Sirius, any one of his friends from Hogwarts. They were all in danger of being killed, slauterd by Voldemort. Harry took a deep breath and got up from the chair, he was slightly shakey. He walked over to where Hermione was sitting, trying to fight back tears. His friends were hers too, and she cared about her friends more than anything. Harry kneeled beside her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He could feel her shoulders shake with every breath she took and could feel how cold she was from being outside so long. Finaly, she stopped trying to whipe the tears away and leaned her head against his shoulder and cried. Harry pulled her closer to him, trying to bring her some comfert.
"Hermione, it's ok. I'm not going anywhere and no one is going to get hurt." Whispered Harry as he hugged her.
"How do you know that? You can't garuntee that everyone will be safe?" asked Hermione as she cried.
"I can't 'Mione, but it was just a dream. Not all dreams come true." Whisperd Harry, then he had a thought. Something that might make her feel better. "In the morning, I'll owl Dumbledore and tell him about our dreams. He might have some answers." Suggested Harry as he leaned his head against hers.
Hermione sniffed slightly and nodded her head againset his chest. "That sounds good." She murmured.
They stayed like that for a long time, just sitting in eachothers arms, the closeness bringing around a comferting feeling. Harry didn't know how long he and Hermione had stayed like that. She tightened her grip around his middle and sniffed a few times. After a few more minutes, Harry realized just how tired her was, and pulled away from her slightly. She looked up at him, her face streaked with tears and her eyes were red and bloodshot. Harry leaned forward and gently kissed her forhead, then he looked back into her eyes and smiled at her softly.
"I think we should go back to bed. It was four when I came down here." Said Harry, standing up and helping her up.
"Yeah. I'm getting tired anyway. Thanks for talking to me Harry, I feel a lot better." Said Hermione, smiling softly at him.
"That's what I'm here for." Said Harry as they walked inside.
Harry colapsed into bed, right after making sure that Hermione was ok. The second that she crawled into bed, she fell asleep, and she looked peaceful instead of troubled. Harry took a look at the clock and saw that it was five thirty in the morning. He lyed down on his bed and hoped to god that he didn't have any more dreams. He needed a good nights sleep this summer.
*
Harry tied the letter onto Hedwigs legs and watched as she flew off. Harry had been true to his word and had written to Dumbledore right after breakfast. He had told him all about his and Hermiones dreams in great detail and hoped that Dumbledore could shed some light on the subject. Harry leaned back in his chair and looked out the window. It was a beautiful clear blue day and the weather was perfect for the summer. Just as Harry was being lost in his thoughts, he heard a knock on his door and he turned to see Hermione. She was leaning against the doorframe wearing blue jeans and a bage shirt with a botanical print on it. Her hair was swept up at the sides and she had on a pair of black shoes. She smiled to him as he got up from the chair, and Harry saw that there was no book in her hand.
"Got a good sleep I see." Said Harry, walking over to her.
"Yeah. What about you?" asked Hermione, leading the way down stairs.
"Awsome. What are we doing today?" asked Harry as they enterd the living room.
"Well, first I want to show you around the neighbourhood, then we can just hang out here." Said Hermione, opening the door and walking out the door.
They walked around the rather large neighbourhood. Since the houses were farther apart then most, it took them quite some time to walk around and get back home. This gave them time to talk. They talked about anything; school, books, movies, t.v, people from Hogwarts and anything else that came up. It took them the best part of an hour as they walked slowly around. When they got back, they found that the house was empty and Hermione found a note taped to the fridge. Her parents had gone out shopping and wouldn't be back for several hours, so Harry and Hermione decided to go out to the grove of trees and read for a little while. Hermione made a pitcher of lemonade and brought it out with them. Since the hammock was so big, it could fit two people, so they each grabbed a pillow and lay down at different sides of the hammock. Harry had broguht out a book that he had gotten on his last trip to Hogsmeade 'Quidditch Stars of the Twentyith Century'. Hermione had brought out a new one too, 'Witches and Wizards that Changed the World'. Harry found it very peaceful to just sit there with Hermione and read. A warm breeze blew over them and an hour and a half passed until two owls flew over to them. One was Hedwig and had two letters attached to her leg and the other was a brown tawny that they didn't know. Hedwig pertched herself on Harry's shoulder and the tawny dropped off a newspaper into Hermione's lap and flew off.
"What's that?" asked Harry as both he and Hermione put their books down.
"The Daily Profet. I have a subscription, but I thought it had stopped at the end of the school year. I never got one all summer until now." Said Hermione, unrolling the paper.
Harry untied the parchment from Hedwigs leg and found that they were both adressed to the two of them. Harry picked up one and unrolled it and tapped Hermione on the leg to grab her attention.
"Hey Herm, these are for both of us." Said Harry, moving so that they could both read.
Dear Harry and Hermione,
Your dreams seem very strange to me. What Morgan told you was factual, she did marry Slytherin and Voldemort is his heir. If you have another dream like this, please owl me as soon as possible. If you do not have another, once you reach Hogwarts please come straight to my office and not the Great Hall. I hope you have a great summer!
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
The second one was from McGonagall and was very formal, mostly the regular back to school letter that they got every summer, but this had a twist to it. Hermione was very happy about this.
Dear Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger,
Congratulations, you both have been made Prefects for the Gryffindor house. Your Prefects badges are enclosed in the envilope.
Term starts on September the first and the train leaves at ten o'clock. The following list of books for this year have been enclosed.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagal
Deputy Headmistress
"Wow. We're prefects." Said Harry, slightly stunned at the fact that HE had been made a prefect. After all, he had gotten into more trouble than anyone in the whole school.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" cried Hermione, thrusting her fists in the air in her happiness. She jumped, or tried to, on the spot and Harry smiled at her as she acted like an excited child.
"Happy are we?" asked Harry sarcasticly, smiling broadly at her.
"Of course! This is awsome! I can't believe it!" said Hermione who was smiling from ear to ear.
"'Mione, you're the smartest witch in our year, in the school! How can you not believe it?" asked Harry in disbelief.
"Well, with all the trouble that I've done, thanks to you and Ron, I never thought that I would make it. Brains aren't everything." Said Hermione, who was relaxing her jaw slightly.
"Hermione, listen to me. You are encredible. You are not just brains, but you are an encredibly strong person. The strongest I know. Don't doubt yourself." Said Harry, taking her hands in his. "I'm surprised that I was made a prefect." He added.
"Harry, you are smart and are capable of anything. You have done a lot of things that most grown wizards never would have done. It's no surprise that you were made a prefect." Said Hermione, giving him a version of his peptalk.
"Your right." Said Harry, smiling at her. "Your so right."
"Now don't let it go to your head." Said Hermione, shaking a finger at him.
"Never!" scoffed Harry, clutching his heart as he gaped at her.
"Funny." Laughed Hermione, putting the letters back on the ground and lying back to read.
They read for quite some time, Harry finaly got sick of it and put the book back down on the ground and watched Hermione read. He loved her concentration as she read and the way her eyes lit up when she read something particularly interesting. He loved how the light touched her hair just right making it shine and making her even more beautiful. Harry didn't realize that he was starring until Hermione sighed, put down the book on the ground and looked back at him. She smiled slightly, and Harry hoped that she haden't known that he had been starring at her.
"I think that that's enough reading for one day." Said Hermione, yawning a little.
"I never thought I'd live to see you not want to read." Gasped Harry with false shock.
"Hey, no one can read forever. Besides, I need something to read at Hogwarts." She said laughing as she jumped out of the hammock. Hermione walked away back to the house, leaving her things to be picked up later. After a few seconds, Harry smirked to himself, jumped off the hammock and ran after her. When he did catch up to her, she raced off to the house, and he chased after her; their laughter echoing through the neighborhood.
A/N: Well, this is the first chapter in my little saga. I hope you all liked this, and don't worry. All you H/H shippers can rest easy. They will get together...maybe. I'm so bad... REVIEW!!!!!
A warm summer wind blew threw the trees the donned the front lawns of Privet Drive. Not a blade of grass was out of place and each identical flower bed bloomed beautifuly. Inside one of these houses lived a normal, run of the mill family. There was the husband and businessman, Vernon Dursley, the wife and kind neighbor Petunia Dursley and their perfect son Dudley. They went about their business as usual, Dudley was now home from boarding school and enjoying every minute of his summer holidays. Petunia took care of her precious son and her flower beds which were now apart of the garden club and Vernon continued business as usual. All in all, they were perfectly normal. There was just one other thing. One other thing that was far from normal. This, was none other than Petunia's nefew, Harry Potter, who had also, sadly, just returned from his boarding school. Now Harry wasn't just a normal fifteen year old boy who went to a normal boarding school. No, not at all. He was a wizard and attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was also a very famous wizard, for when he was but one years old he defeated Lord Voldemort, one of the most feared wizard in all the world. This year, along with many others had been one in which he had come face to face with Voldemort, but this time, it was different. He had witnessed Voldemort come to power this time, almost full power. He and Voldemort had duled, their wands coming together, and Harry had seen the shadows of his long deceaced parents. The evil dark lord had also killed one of the four champions, Cedric Diggory. It had been one hell of a year.
"Boy! Get down here and make us breakfast!" cried Uncle Vernon, his load bellow echoing through the house.
Harry got up from the desk chair and walked slowly downstairs into the kitchen. Uncle Vernon was sitting in one of the chairs, reading the morning paper, Aunt Petunia was sipping tea and Dudley, Harry's whale of a cousin, was looking hungrily at an empty plate. The previous summers diet haden't exactly gone too well, and so he was now back to eating regularly, eccept for breakfast, which was now the only part of the day where good food was slipped onto his plate. Harry walked over to the fridge and took out a bowl of strawberrys, grapes and a pitcher of orange juice. He poured the juice to each person and dished out the fruit, taking special care to give himself less than Dudley.
Breakfast was normal, just like it had been for the past month. The thought of only one month left until school was the only thing that kept Harry going. He hated it here, it was as if he was a slave in fear of getting out of line. It was a horrible feeling. The other thing that kept him going was, her. He wouldn't admit it, not even to his best friend Ron, but he had fallen in love with his other best friend, Hermione. Last year, she had always been there for him and supportive and worried. Then, at the train station, she kissed him. It was just a little peck on the cheek, but it was something that she hadn't done before. This had got him thinking about her, and only one week ago he had come to the conclusion. That he loved her. Not like she'd ever know mind you.
Harry cleared away the breakfast dishes just as the phone rang. Uncle Vernon stumbled up and slowly walked into the hallway. There was a few moments of silence after the anishal answer, but then there was a mumbel and Uncle Vernon waddled back into the kitchen, his round face a light magenta.
"You. You have a phone call." He said, pointing a pudgey fingure at Harry.
It was strange. Harry never got phone calls. Who in their right mind would be calling him here. Harry picked up the reciever caushusly, looking around to make sure no one was listening.
"Hello." He said, as calmly as possible.
"Hey Harry, it's Hermione." Said the voice on the other end happily.
"Hermione hey! What's up?" he asked, his heart lifting.
"Nothing really, but that's why I called. I was wondering if you would like to spend the remainder of the summer at my house? Just to get a brake from the Dursley's." she said.
"That would be great! But what about Dumbledore?" asked Harry, leaning against the wall.
"It's already cleared with him. He said that the chances Voldemort would come into my neighborhood are slim to none. So theirs nothing to worry about." She told him.
"Living in a muggle neighborhood has it's perks." He said, laughing slightly.
There was mumbling in the background, and Harry thought that she was talking to her father. She must have coverd the reviever because everything was very muffled, but after a few minutes she came back on.
"Hey Harry, can you put your uncle on the phone? My dad wants to talk to him." She said.
"Yeah, just give me a second." He said, putting the reciever down.
He walked over to the kitchen where his relatives were sitting in silence. They weren't doing anything, and Dudley's chair was closer to the door so that he could evesdrop better.
"Um, Uncle Vernon, Mr. Granger would like to speak with you." Said Harry, stepping back into the hallway.
Vernon got up and walked back over to the phone. He picked up the phone and started to talk to Mr. Granger. Harry listend closely and saw the expresions on his uncles face change. He kept mumbling into the reciever and the colour of his face was turning from a pale pink to a dark plum. Finaly, he hung up the phone and turned to Harry.
"You will be leaving today. They will be picking you up at noon." He said, walking back into the kitchen, furious that Harry might actualy have some fun this summer.
A large smile spread across his face, he was spending his summer with Hermione! This was going to be great! As long as Voldemort didn't decide to come looking for him, everything would be fine. That's the one thing he worried about; putting his friends in danger. They were all at risk being captured by Voldemort for being friends with him. Hermione was especialy in danger because he loved her. That's why she could never know until this was all over. He couldn't love anyone or have feelings for anyone until this was all over. If he did, they would be a big target for Voldemort. If Voldemort got his hands on anyone who meant that much to him, it would be easy to get Harry. It would be like handing Voldemort the victory. Hermione meant so much to him that he could never do that to her, even if it meant his happiness.
Harry packed up all his things in his trunk, checking all around the room to make sure that he wouldn't leave anything behind. He made sure that he didn't leave any books or quills or bottles of ink under the lose floorboard for he still had to do his homework in secret. After he thought he had everything, he brought his trunk downstairs and set it by the door. Then he went back to being the Dursleys slave, because, since it was already eleven thirty, he should not go out of the house before fixing Dudley breakfast. So for another half hour, he was Harry who.
At exactly, and I mean exactly, noon, the shrill ring of the doorbell sounded and Harry was made to get it. Dudley looked on from the hallway, wanting to see what his cousin's strange friends looked like. Dudley was very wrong. When Harry opend the door, he expected to see the same old Hermione, but who he saw, was a long, straight haired teen who looked vaugly of what the old Hermione was. Harry did, however, decide not to stair on like some idiot, and bent down to hug her, enjoying the time that she was in his arms. When they broke, they made idel chit-chat and carried Harrys trunk and Hedwigs cage to the car. Mr. Granger was driving the mini van and smiled to him as he got into the back seat with Hermione. The ride to the Grangers was quite a long one and gave him and Hermione time to catch up on what they had been doing over the summer. During July she had gone to visit her cousins in Scottland and had a very good time. Harry soon learned that they were apart of her transformation. About halfway there, the radio was turned on and they sat in relative silence, giving Harry some time to think about the upcoming school year. Like Hermione, he had no way to know what was going on in the wizarding world, so he would be almost completely in the dark when it came to the latest news on the second rising of Voldemort. But for the summer, ignorance was bliss. After all, not even Sirius would tell him about what was going on in the wizarding world, and he was Harry's godfather! He had only gotten a few letters from Sirius, but the only information that he had gotten, was that Sirius knew who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was. That wasn't exactly helpful, but it was better than nothing. At least Sirius was seemed happy with this professor. It wasn't another Snape then.
After being lost in his thoughts for quite some time, Mr. Granger pulled into a rather long driveway and parked the car. Hermiones house was not what Harry had expected. It wasn't a small house, but it wasn't big eaither. It was a white house that was more tall than wide with a black slate roof and a slightly wild garden that graced the front of the house. The house had a wrap around porch that had a trumpet vine creeping up around the ceiling. He followed Hermione and her father inside, to find a beautifuly furnished home. The tables, chairs and anything else that was made of wood was dark and well varnished. There was a cherry smell wafting in from the living room, and Harry thought it came from the mantel. Everything seemed homey and rustic, yet slightly modern at the same time. He felt like he had just gone into some glorious cottage in the hills. It was very comferting.
"So, let's get you settled in and then I'll show you around." Said Hermione, grabbing Hedwigs cadge and showing him to the winding staircase.
"Ok." Said Harry, regaining his focus.
Hermione showed him to his room, which had a rather large fourposter bed made of ash, a desk, dresser, and a rather large window that faced the back yard. He placed his trunk at the foot of the bed and Hermione opened up the window and set Hedwigs cadge right next to it. Harry joined her at the window to see a very spacious back yard. There was a rather large vegitable garden, and flowers and plants graced the sides of the house and around the garden gate and fence. Besides that, there was a rather large maple tree at the side of the yard with wind chimes hanging from some of the branches, and the rest was grass. Harry glanced at Hermione to see her smiling.
"This is beautiful." Said Harry, looking back out the window.
"Yeah. Why don't we go outside and enjoy it?" said Hermione, grabbing his hand and dragging him outside. "Oh, by the way, my room is right next door to yours." She added as they ran threw the kitchen.
They ran past Mrs. Granger, who was reading a book at the kitchen table and sipping lemonade and into the yard. Harry distinctly saw Crookshanks, Hermione's large ginger cat, stalking a couple birds that sat on the fence. Hermione then began the tour of the yard. The backward was actualy just a small enclosur, mostly so Crookshanks couldn't get out, but beyond that was a magnificent field with a grove of trees at the far end. The houses in this neighbourhood were so far apart, that they had this much propety to do as they please. Through the middle of the field was a flagg stone path that lead to the grove. There were probably twenty trees there, all with wind chimes hanging from the branches. Between two trees was a bage hammock that had large fluffy pillows resting in it. Hermione smiled as she told him that this was her place to just, get away and be alone. Mostly a place where she went to get some piece and quiet. Sort of a thinking spot.
"Well, this is it." Said Hermione, sitting down on the grass.
"Wow." Said Harry, sitting next to her.
"Is that all you can say? Wow." Asked Hermione, still smiling.
"Yeah, basicaly." Said Harry, laughing a little.
"Ron owled me this morning and told me that he would be spending time in Romania with Charlie. He's getting married." Hermione told him, stretching out on the grass and proping herself up on her elbows.
"Wow, Mrs. Weasly must be pleased. One of her sons is getting married." Said Harry, looking down at her.
"Yeah. Ron told me that she was absolutly extatic. She was more relieved than surprised." Said Hermione, looking up at him.
"Why would she be surprised?" asked Harry, clearly puzzled by this.
"Well, since Charlie lives in Romania, she dosen't get to meet any of his girlfriends, so she never knew that he had had one for about five months. When she heard that her was getting married, she was just relieved that finaly one of her sons was setteling down." Hermione explained.
Harry and Hermione continued talking for most of the day, and Harry noticed how relaxed she was. More than usual. For the past four years that they had been friends, he had known her to be very focused on something all of the time, but now she was relaxed and calm. He didn't know wheather it was the lack of homework, or the fact that she had lightened up during their month apart. She seemed like she would go with any suggestion that was presented to her. She gave the atmosphere around her a very calming feel to it. Dreamy even.
"Harry! Hermione! Dinner!" called Mrs. Granger from the white pickit fence.
"Well, lets go." Said Hermione, getting up.
They then walked back to the fenced in yard, to see that the rot iron dinning set was coverd in a tablecloth and food had been placed on top. He and Hermione sat down and as soon as they did, Mr and Mrs. Granger came out carrying plates and silverwear. The food was absolutly delicious. There was corn on the cob, salad, chicken and for desert, strawberry cheesecake. When they were done, he and Hermione went and sat in the porch swing that was on the side of the house, right next to a rather fragrent patch of roses. For a while they just sat there, not talking. Just listening to the sound of the crickets and the birds. A warm breeze blew over them and made them content to stay there forever.
"What do you think this year will be like?" asked Hermione, looking up at him as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
"I don't know." Said Harry, trying to think of an answer. "Will probably be more security around the castle after what happened last year." He suggested, wrapping and arm around her.
"Yeah, I guess. This year is gonna be awfuly different." Said Hermione, a sad note in her voice.
"I know, but right now I just don't want to think about it. It sucks all the fun out of life." Said Harry, looking into her chocolate eyes.
"Your right." She said sighing. "We don't know anything, so we shouldn't worry about anything." She replyed, smiling.
Harry couldn't agree more. A part of him wanted to know what was going on in the wizarding world, but the other part just wanted to be ignorant about what was going on. He just wanted to pretend that nothing was happening, and here in the muggle world, that was true. Here, Harry didn't have to worry about getting killed by some resurected psycopath. He didn't have to worry about how long he might have left to live. Here, everything was simpler. Everything was peaceful.
Harry and Hermione lounged on the porch swing, watching the sunset behind the trees. Harry loved the feeling of being this close to Hermione. He was slouching and she was right next to him; her head resting on his shoulder. One arm was wrapped loosly around her middle and the other was slightly supporting his head. Hermione had closed her eyes, and Harry didn't know weather or not she was sleeping. She looked so peaceful, her hair falling slightly into her eyes. The sun had now completely set, and the hair grew only slightly colder. Harry then lightly shook Hermione's shoulder, it seemed she had fallen asleep.
"Hermione. 'Mione. Wake up." Whisperd Harry.
"Hmph. Harry, what is it?" asked Hermione sleepily, her eyes half open.
"It's getting dark. Let's go inside." Said Harry, sitting up properly.
Hermione sat up, streached, yawned and stood up. Together, they walked into the house, Hermione still a little sleepy eyed. Inside, the Grangers were watching some television and sitting on a large bage sofa with a black and brown blanket draped over the top. Harry glanced at the kitchen clock and saw that it was around nine o'clock. No wonder Hermione was tired. Hermione lead him into the living room and they sat down on the rug, watching t.v. until they got too tired.
It was around eleven thirty when they all went to bed, exausted from the excitement of the day. Hermione said that she'd show him around the neighbourhood some more the next day. After all, they had a whole month to spend together. Harry dressed in his pyjamas and climbed into bed. Hopeful for a good night's sleep.
*
Harry found himself standing in the middle of a beautiful field of sunflowers. The sun above him was warm and there wasn't a single cload in the sky. Harry then heard someone giggling from behind him and the rustling of the sunflowers. Harry whirled around to come face to face with nothing, except the glimpse of a blue dress. In his curiosity, he followed round the corner, and heard more giggling and saw the same blue dress moving away from him. Harry continued to follow the person around the next corner, only to see a fork in the dirt path. He then heard giggling to the left, and saw the sunflowers sway back and forth and he glimpsed the blue dress.
"Who's there?" he called, jogging over to the left pathway.
Harry jogged along a winding path, hearing giggling all the way along. It sounded like the voice of a small child, but Harry couldn't exactly be sure. Just as Harry rounded another corner, he saw a small girl standing on the path. She was wearing a blue dress, trainers and her pale red hair was in two braids tied together with ribbon. She was standing perfectly in the middle of the path; her face emotionless. In her hands, she held a sunflower, just small enough for the girl's size. It was then that the girl started to cry. A large, fat tear trickled from her eye and fell onto the sunflowers golden petels. Harry took a step forward, to maybe comfert the girl, but then he stopped in his tracks. The sunflowers petels were slowly turning red, starting from the one that the tear had touched and spreading slowly to the others. Harry looked up at the girl and found that there was a red tear trail on her face; almost like blood. The girl then held up the flower up to him, blood red tears falling from her eyes and said,
"I picked this for you." Her small voice sounding so sweet and innocent.
Harry took two steps backwards, and watched as each red petel fell from around the black center of the flower. Then, the center fell off, and the thick green stem started to slither around in the girl's hands. Then, the stem turned into a small green snake and looked at him with blood red eyes. Harry looked from the snake to the girl, and saw that her eyes were now as red as the snakes, and were like serpents eyes. She dropped the snake, and Harry watched as it raised up and looked at him, boaring his eyes deep into his. Just then, the snake started to grow, and grow until it was as big as the Baslick that Harry had seen in the Chamber of Secrets. The girl then walked over so that she was standing infront of the snake, her small hands clasped together. It was then that the girl changed. She changed into a tall woman with pale red hair, thick cherry lips and the same serpent eyes that the girl had had. The woman was wearing a long blue midevil type dress with black and white trim. Her hair flowed losely down her back and her hands were no longer together, but clutching an orb that glowed eerily red.
"My my, if it isn't Harry Potter. Fancy meeting you here." She said, her voice sickly sweet.
"Who are you?" asked Harry, his voice smaller than he thought it was.
"You're very 'get-to-the-point' arn't you. Very well. My name is Morgan L'Fay, but my full name, is Morgana Claudette L'Ashter L'Fay. I was the half sister of King Arthur, as many know." Said the woman, moving the orb from hand to hand. "I was also a Shapeshifter, and the only one known to date. I could change my shape at will anytime, anywhere, but that was just a little too much for my dear brother. So when I was sixteen, he banished me, all the power of being king going straight to his head.
"I was banished to live in a cave, just outside a wood a few miles beyond my brother's kingdom. I stayed there for ten years, plotting against my brother for treating me as some kind of freak and causing me to live in egzile. When I returned, stronger than ever, I found that my brother had gotten smart over the years and had a good wizard, Merlin, helping and guarding him. Try as I may I couldn't kill my brother, Merlin faired a far better aponent than I had anticipated. So, broken and weak, I flead and left the land that I had known for all of my life.
"I travled for many days until I came upon a wonderful castle in Scottland, and a kind man took pitty on me. He nursed me back to health and proved a good friend in my time of need. It was then that we began to see that we had some of the same goals, hateing people who had turned their backs on us because of what we were. We created many a...memory in that castle, and we soon married, leaving friendship behind. A few years later, we produced an heir, but fearing for his life we cursed anyone who tried to hurt him the way we had been. At time's a miss Salazar Slytherin.
"Threwout the generations we only became stronger, and now, we are as strong as ever. I assum you know the most recent in our family, Thomas Marvalo Riddle, or as you know him, Lord Voldemort." Morgan told him, smiling at the last bit of information showing perfect white teeth.
"Voldemort is your heir." Said Harry, his teeth clenched tightly and his hands in fists.
"Yes, but somehow you managed to defeat him. Even with the very blood of Slytherin flowing through his veins he was still defeated. This time Harry Potter, you won't be so lucky." Said Morgan mercilesly.
Morgan then let out a high pitchen laugh, and the glowing orb rose from her hands and hoverd in the air. The snake behind her then opened its mouth, showing large white fangs that were as large as Harry's arm. The orb then began to glow a bright red that only got stronger. Harry tried to move, but found that his legs would not move, no matter how much he willed them. Soon all he could see was bright red light and he was soon engulphed in it, ear-piercing screams surrounding him until it was all that he could hear. Morgans laugh rung above them all.
*
Harry awoke in a cold sweat, his breathing ragad and his pulse quick and vibrant. Harry looked around the room to find that he was in the guest room of Hermione's house, just like he was supposed to be. He looked over at the clock on the wall, and saw that it was nearly four in the morning. Too early for anyone to be up. Harry threw back the covers and walked out into the hall and looked at Hermione's door, and saw that it was closed. Harry walked down the hall and downstairs into the kitchen, hoping to get a glass of water. When he got down, he saw that someone was sitting outside in one of the rot iron chairs. In his curiosity, he opened the door to the patio and walked out, shutting the door quietly behind him. That's when he noticed that it was Hermione who was sitting there, dressed in a gray tank and navey flannel pyjama bottums. Her knees were brought up to her chest and she was rocking slightly. Causiouly, Harry approched her, and put a hand on her shoulder, making her turn to look up at him with her cinnamon eyes.
"Oh, hey Harry. What are you doing up?" said Hermione, smiling slightly up at him.
"I should be asking you the same thing." Said Harry, sitting in the chair opposite her.
"I had a dream. A bad dream. A horrible dream." Said Hermione, shuddering slightly at the mear mention of it.
"It seems that bad dreams are contagious, 'cause I had one too." Said Harry, smiling slightly at her to make her feel more comfertable.
"Oh, what about?" asked Hermione, resting her chin on her knees.
"You would not believe me." Said Harry, sitting indian style in the chair.
"Try me." She said, cocking her head to one side, ready to listen.
Harry then launched into the telling of his dream. He found that Hermione was a very good person to talk to. She gasped at all the right moments, said a concern word and ofered bits of information that she knew of. She also didn't interupt when Harry was talking about something particularly serious. It was very comferting. When he was done, he felt very shaken. After hearing it again, it made him wonder if he would ever have a normal year, or a normal night's sleep ever again. This was just getting stranger and stranger. Hermione was also very shocked. It looked like she had never heard anything like his dream.
"Wow Harry, that was...strange." Said Hermione, her eyes wide.
"I know, what about you? What was your dream?" asked Harry, getting ready to listen and not dwelling on his own dream.
"It was your dream, except I was watching it happen, and I saw what happened after the red light and the screaming. You weren't there anymore, but Morgan and that snake were. Morgan used the orb some way and a man appeared infront of her. He had black hair and red eyes like Morgans. He looked to be about seventeen or so and was smiling horribly. He was so pale and his smile was so cold and his eyes were so red and fierce that it was like looking at death. The man was Voldemort, Harry. Voldemort when he was a teenager. But he looked more evil than he would have looked at that age. He and Morgan talked, about how they weren't going to be defeated, I didn't hear all of it, but there was one thing that stuck out. Morgan said that they were going to hurt everyone that was close to you. Anyone that you ever cared about." Said Hermione, a single tear falling down her cheak. She whiped it away quickly, even though Harry notcied.
This news hit Harry hard. Voldemort was going to come after everyone he had ever cared about. This meant all of his friends. The Weaselys, Hermione, Sirius, any one of his friends from Hogwarts. They were all in danger of being killed, slauterd by Voldemort. Harry took a deep breath and got up from the chair, he was slightly shakey. He walked over to where Hermione was sitting, trying to fight back tears. His friends were hers too, and she cared about her friends more than anything. Harry kneeled beside her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He could feel her shoulders shake with every breath she took and could feel how cold she was from being outside so long. Finaly, she stopped trying to whipe the tears away and leaned her head against his shoulder and cried. Harry pulled her closer to him, trying to bring her some comfert.
"Hermione, it's ok. I'm not going anywhere and no one is going to get hurt." Whispered Harry as he hugged her.
"How do you know that? You can't garuntee that everyone will be safe?" asked Hermione as she cried.
"I can't 'Mione, but it was just a dream. Not all dreams come true." Whisperd Harry, then he had a thought. Something that might make her feel better. "In the morning, I'll owl Dumbledore and tell him about our dreams. He might have some answers." Suggested Harry as he leaned his head against hers.
Hermione sniffed slightly and nodded her head againset his chest. "That sounds good." She murmured.
They stayed like that for a long time, just sitting in eachothers arms, the closeness bringing around a comferting feeling. Harry didn't know how long he and Hermione had stayed like that. She tightened her grip around his middle and sniffed a few times. After a few more minutes, Harry realized just how tired her was, and pulled away from her slightly. She looked up at him, her face streaked with tears and her eyes were red and bloodshot. Harry leaned forward and gently kissed her forhead, then he looked back into her eyes and smiled at her softly.
"I think we should go back to bed. It was four when I came down here." Said Harry, standing up and helping her up.
"Yeah. I'm getting tired anyway. Thanks for talking to me Harry, I feel a lot better." Said Hermione, smiling softly at him.
"That's what I'm here for." Said Harry as they walked inside.
Harry colapsed into bed, right after making sure that Hermione was ok. The second that she crawled into bed, she fell asleep, and she looked peaceful instead of troubled. Harry took a look at the clock and saw that it was five thirty in the morning. He lyed down on his bed and hoped to god that he didn't have any more dreams. He needed a good nights sleep this summer.
*
Harry tied the letter onto Hedwigs legs and watched as she flew off. Harry had been true to his word and had written to Dumbledore right after breakfast. He had told him all about his and Hermiones dreams in great detail and hoped that Dumbledore could shed some light on the subject. Harry leaned back in his chair and looked out the window. It was a beautiful clear blue day and the weather was perfect for the summer. Just as Harry was being lost in his thoughts, he heard a knock on his door and he turned to see Hermione. She was leaning against the doorframe wearing blue jeans and a bage shirt with a botanical print on it. Her hair was swept up at the sides and she had on a pair of black shoes. She smiled to him as he got up from the chair, and Harry saw that there was no book in her hand.
"Got a good sleep I see." Said Harry, walking over to her.
"Yeah. What about you?" asked Hermione, leading the way down stairs.
"Awsome. What are we doing today?" asked Harry as they enterd the living room.
"Well, first I want to show you around the neighbourhood, then we can just hang out here." Said Hermione, opening the door and walking out the door.
They walked around the rather large neighbourhood. Since the houses were farther apart then most, it took them quite some time to walk around and get back home. This gave them time to talk. They talked about anything; school, books, movies, t.v, people from Hogwarts and anything else that came up. It took them the best part of an hour as they walked slowly around. When they got back, they found that the house was empty and Hermione found a note taped to the fridge. Her parents had gone out shopping and wouldn't be back for several hours, so Harry and Hermione decided to go out to the grove of trees and read for a little while. Hermione made a pitcher of lemonade and brought it out with them. Since the hammock was so big, it could fit two people, so they each grabbed a pillow and lay down at different sides of the hammock. Harry had broguht out a book that he had gotten on his last trip to Hogsmeade 'Quidditch Stars of the Twentyith Century'. Hermione had brought out a new one too, 'Witches and Wizards that Changed the World'. Harry found it very peaceful to just sit there with Hermione and read. A warm breeze blew over them and an hour and a half passed until two owls flew over to them. One was Hedwig and had two letters attached to her leg and the other was a brown tawny that they didn't know. Hedwig pertched herself on Harry's shoulder and the tawny dropped off a newspaper into Hermione's lap and flew off.
"What's that?" asked Harry as both he and Hermione put their books down.
"The Daily Profet. I have a subscription, but I thought it had stopped at the end of the school year. I never got one all summer until now." Said Hermione, unrolling the paper.
Harry untied the parchment from Hedwigs leg and found that they were both adressed to the two of them. Harry picked up one and unrolled it and tapped Hermione on the leg to grab her attention.
"Hey Herm, these are for both of us." Said Harry, moving so that they could both read.
Dear Harry and Hermione,
Your dreams seem very strange to me. What Morgan told you was factual, she did marry Slytherin and Voldemort is his heir. If you have another dream like this, please owl me as soon as possible. If you do not have another, once you reach Hogwarts please come straight to my office and not the Great Hall. I hope you have a great summer!
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
The second one was from McGonagall and was very formal, mostly the regular back to school letter that they got every summer, but this had a twist to it. Hermione was very happy about this.
Dear Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger,
Congratulations, you both have been made Prefects for the Gryffindor house. Your Prefects badges are enclosed in the envilope.
Term starts on September the first and the train leaves at ten o'clock. The following list of books for this year have been enclosed.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagal
Deputy Headmistress
"Wow. We're prefects." Said Harry, slightly stunned at the fact that HE had been made a prefect. After all, he had gotten into more trouble than anyone in the whole school.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" cried Hermione, thrusting her fists in the air in her happiness. She jumped, or tried to, on the spot and Harry smiled at her as she acted like an excited child.
"Happy are we?" asked Harry sarcasticly, smiling broadly at her.
"Of course! This is awsome! I can't believe it!" said Hermione who was smiling from ear to ear.
"'Mione, you're the smartest witch in our year, in the school! How can you not believe it?" asked Harry in disbelief.
"Well, with all the trouble that I've done, thanks to you and Ron, I never thought that I would make it. Brains aren't everything." Said Hermione, who was relaxing her jaw slightly.
"Hermione, listen to me. You are encredible. You are not just brains, but you are an encredibly strong person. The strongest I know. Don't doubt yourself." Said Harry, taking her hands in his. "I'm surprised that I was made a prefect." He added.
"Harry, you are smart and are capable of anything. You have done a lot of things that most grown wizards never would have done. It's no surprise that you were made a prefect." Said Hermione, giving him a version of his peptalk.
"Your right." Said Harry, smiling at her. "Your so right."
"Now don't let it go to your head." Said Hermione, shaking a finger at him.
"Never!" scoffed Harry, clutching his heart as he gaped at her.
"Funny." Laughed Hermione, putting the letters back on the ground and lying back to read.
They read for quite some time, Harry finaly got sick of it and put the book back down on the ground and watched Hermione read. He loved her concentration as she read and the way her eyes lit up when she read something particularly interesting. He loved how the light touched her hair just right making it shine and making her even more beautiful. Harry didn't realize that he was starring until Hermione sighed, put down the book on the ground and looked back at him. She smiled slightly, and Harry hoped that she haden't known that he had been starring at her.
"I think that that's enough reading for one day." Said Hermione, yawning a little.
"I never thought I'd live to see you not want to read." Gasped Harry with false shock.
"Hey, no one can read forever. Besides, I need something to read at Hogwarts." She said laughing as she jumped out of the hammock. Hermione walked away back to the house, leaving her things to be picked up later. After a few seconds, Harry smirked to himself, jumped off the hammock and ran after her. When he did catch up to her, she raced off to the house, and he chased after her; their laughter echoing through the neighborhood.
A/N: Well, this is the first chapter in my little saga. I hope you all liked this, and don't worry. All you H/H shippers can rest easy. They will get together...maybe. I'm so bad... REVIEW!!!!!