I'm back!

*automated applause in background*

Okay, the main reason I was away was to set up a YouTube channel, so it would be highly appreciated if you checked it out.

Anyway,

*insert disclaimer pls*

Hermione here.

So you all are probably wondering what I did over the Summer, right?

Nothing exciting, really, I did homework, watched re-runs of Doctor Who on television, among many other things.

There, my Summer.

The only thing really eventful was when I saw a flying car go overhead. (*cough* Ron and Harry *cough*)

Besides Diagon Alley and when we all returned to Hogwarts.

After all the excitement from the previous year, I was ready for a nice, relaxing (ish) year.

Well, for some reason, when Harry and I were trying to get throught the barrier after Ron and Draco had gone through (and we were the last ones), we simply couldn't go through.

A Muggle in a uniform walked over to us. "Something wrong?"

"Just lost control of the trolley," Harry replied.

"Anything I can help you with?"

"No thanks," I said. "We just got off our train."

And then we exited.

What else could we do? As far as the Muggle knew, we were leaving.

So when we got outside, we sat on some benches near some trees.

"Harry," I said, my voice shaky from nervousness, "do you think we should send a letter to the school? I mean, what if everyone else can't get back through? We could be-"

"Hermione, stop panicking. Look." He pointed towards the parking lot.

I looked in the direction he had pointed. Professor McGonagal was walking towards us, a look of fury on her face. When she got closer, we could here her muttering, "a really cruel prank, not even the Weasley twins... when I catch who did this, they are going to be so sorry..."

When she got to us, we both stood up.

She just pointed her wand at both our trunks then shrunk them. Harry suddenly bent over Hedwig's cage and took her out.

"You'll have to fly to Hogwarts ahead of us, Hedwig."

Hedwig nipped at his ear before taking off and heading north.

"Good thinking, Potter. Now, both of you put your trunks in your pockets and grab onto my arms." she held out both her arms.

We did as she told us, then she said, "now we are about to apparate. Keep a firm grip on my arms, and turn with me when I say to."

We gripped tighter.

"NOW!" She said, twisting on the spot, and suddenly the world went black. It felt like we were being sucked through a tube of some sort. then it was over, and we were suddenly on the path just outside the front gates of Hogwarts. They look exactly like the pictures I saw in Hogwarts: a History.

McGonagal strode towards the gates. She waved her wand and they opened.

"Come on," she said to us, gesturing to go through the gates.

When we got inside the castle, she led us to the staff room. She pushed the door opened, and said, "in you get."

Inside, we found all the teachers sitting at a round table on one side of the room, on the other side were a bunch of file cabinets.

McGonagal conjured a couple of chairs and gestured for us to sit down.

Dumbledore spoke first. "It appears someone has attempted to play a very cruel prank by closing the barrier. This is not the first time it has happened, but it is the first time the culprit was a house elf. Because tampering with the barrier is illegal, the ministry was involved, and the house elf, whose name I believe is Dobby, is being held by his master, Lucius Malfoy."

Harry raised his hand as if in class.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"A house elf named Dobby visited me over the Summer. He said that I must not come back here, and that something dangerous was about to happen." I talked to Mrs. Weasley-"

"She told me about that. To make things even more confusing, the elf acted without his masters consent. The way I see it, this evidence could be used to convict Lucius of something."

"So you believe he wasn't under the Imperius during the last war?" Harry asked.

"Yes I do. But I must not tell you anymore. I know you are curious, but I do not want you to be involved like last year. And the less you know, the less likely other parties might try to drag you in. Now, you must be hungry. After all you didn't have lunch. POKEY!"

A small creature that vaguely resembled the elves I saw in my children's storybooks appeared in the middle of the room. "Master Dumbledore called?"

"Yes. Could you please get these to students some food?"

"What would they like?"

Harry looked at me.

I sighed. "Could you show us what there is?"

"Certainly," Dumbledore answered. "Pokey, take them to the kitchens so they can select the food they want."

"Yes master." Pokey bowed before gesturing to the door. We followed him out and down a few levels until we reached a painting of some fruit.

Pokey tickled the pear, and the painting swung out wards. We followed Pokey through the opening.

On the inside of the room, there were a bunch of other house elves, all running around preparing food for the feast that night.

Pokey led us into the pantry and listed off several thing they could make quickly for us.

After Harry and I had eaten, we went outside to the Quidditch pitch so Harry could fly, and so I could enjoy one of my books.

When we got there, we realized we had to go back and find a teacher to return our trunks to their normal size.

After that was all sorted, we returned. I pulled out one of the course books by Lockhart and began to read.

I was vaguely aware of Harry flying around, but as time went on, I got more and more distracted, finding many inconsistencies in Lockhart's books. Some took place at the exact same time. One of them implied Lockhart got married to a woman in Naples, Italy, but in a book that should take place 5 months after, he said that he had never been married.

In the end, I decided that the best place for these books would be the rubbish heap.

I think I covered 3 things in this chapter. And one of them isn't even something that shows up until 4th year in canon. So yeah.

R&R!