FicWad

All in all, despite their overloaded schedule and the increasing tension of trying to fly under the radar of the Inquisitors, Harry and Hermione somehow managed to keep on an even keel. If anything, staying busy provided a good distraction from their anxiety.

Sunday morning they had practiced apparating in the Room of Requirement with their friends under Dora’s patient instruction. Nobody managed it that first morning - except for Fleur and Viktor as they already knew how - but Dora had assured everyone that almost nobody got it on the first try.

Then the afternoon had been taken up by a lengthy and intense training session with the Twins, Susan, Padma, and Hannah Abbot. The Potters had been worn out by the time evening rolled around, yet both of them were too wound up by the apprehension of what the second week of the term would bring to fall asleep.

Sure enough, when they entered the Transfiguration classroom on Monday, Amycus Carrow was sitting in the back with a clipboard. Hermione in particular found his presence quite distracting; every time Professor McGonagall addressed her directly she could hear the scratching of Mr Carrow’s quill as he took notes.

McGonagall shot the Inquisitor a nasty glare which he returned with a sinister smirk. Harry scowled, certain that Mr Carrow was trying to intimidate Hermione.

“Wonder whose class he’s going to ‘inspect’ next?” Harry muttered when lessons were finished. Hermione frowned, not having an answer. Each day was met with some trepidation, but they managed to make it to the end of the week without any more incidents.

And Saturday morning the Potters threw themselves back into work, meeting Dora and their friends in the Room of Requirement for another round of Apparition lessons. This time, the lessons were much more successful, and everyone except Neville managed to apparate at least once. Dora and Fleur both eased things along by first taking the younger students across the room by side-along apparition.

“Bloody Hell!” gasped Harry when he reappeared on the other side of the Room of Requirement, doubled over and looking like he was about to throw up. Hermione regarded Harry sympathetically, still appearing rather green herself.

“That was even worse than side-along apparition with Madam Pomfrey at the end of the Third Task,” Harry griped. “I felt like my head was going to implode...”

“It’s like being sucked through a straw...” Ginny agreed, who was still feeling quite ill. Luna gave her a comforting hug and kiss on the cheek. Surprisingly, Luna was the only one who hadn’t felt sick after her first solo apparition.

“That was horrible...” moaned Parvati, who was struggling not to vomit.

“Well, you’re all doin’ very well, all things considered,” Dora said encouragingly. “Apparating gets a bit better after you’ve done it a few times. It helps if you’ve ‘ad a bit of experience with side-along apparition so you know ‘ow it's supposed t’feel. If you ‘adn’t, it mighta taken you all a few more lessons...”

Besides Neville, Daphne was the only one still struggling to twist into nothingness. Even Jennifer had managed to apparate. As she had been apparated by Dumbledore once already when he had rescued her and brought her to Hogwarts, Jennifer was able to remember how it was supposed to feel when it worked.

“Alright Daphne, let’s give it another go together then,” Dora kindly offered. She took Daphne’s arm, and with a loud crack they disappeared, reappearing seconds later with another noisy pop.

After a few minutes recovering, Daphne focused her intent with the destination firmly in mind. She turned on the spot and vanished. Moments later Daphne appeared next to the rest of the others and promptly emptied the contents of her stomach on the floor.

“Oh... well done Daphne!” said Hermione as she rubbed the other girl’s back. “Don’t feel bad - I threw up too.”

“Right... well that’s splendid,” Dora beamed as she pointed her wand and vanished the pile of vomit. “Now that most o’ you can do it solo, we’ll just practice it for a bit, and then we’ll practice a bit more tomorrow mornin’... I’m sure you’ll get it then Neville.

“Nobody splinched themselves, so that’s a jolly good sign. Once you know ‘ow to do it properly, it’s like riding a bicycle - you don’t really forget...”

As Hermione followed the others out of the Room of Requirement, Harry briefly took Dora aside and conferred in whispers with her while he had the opportunity.

After lunch, training their friends how to fight with spells and hand to hand combat techniques continued apace. Hermione noted with a bit of surprise that Harry had been absolutely correct regarding how rapidly the Twins picked things up. According to Ginny, the Twins didn’t perform nearly as well in school as their parents would have liked. But it was clear to Hermione that if they applied themselves, Fred and George could easily be at the top of their classes.

Harry and Dora tried to pack as much into the lesson as possible. And Harry was less reticent than ever to have everyone practicing some of the more dangerous spells.

“Right, you have to be jolly careful when using this one,” Harry warned everyone authoritatively. “This curse is a bit dark - so it’s one you want to keep in reserve as a last resort and use only if you’re facing a particularly evil enemy who wouldn’t hesitate to cause great harm or even kill you.

“It’s a cutting spell like Diffindo, but it’s better for use in a fight. It’s great for when you want to stop an enemy from retaliating without necessarily killing them, and it works against some creatures which otherwise have strong magical protections. I had to use it loads in the Third Task.

“But still... Sectumsempra can be very dangerous, and it is potentially lethal, so you have to be really careful not to use it on a person unless you’re absolutely sure that they’re going to hurt you or someone else...”

Neville swallowed uncomfortably and looked the other way, not quite sure if he should mention that he’d overheard Harry discussing it with Hermione during the summer and then used it on Bellatrix Lestrange.

It was getting late when everyone decided that they’d had enough for the day and that it was time to clean up and get ready for dinner. Harry was knackered and quite happy to just relax after dinner, but Hermione seemed intent to continue working, reading from the advanced Charms book. Harry sat up against his pillow and leaned over to have a look at whatever Hermione was working on.

Hermione beamed at him, pleased to see his interest. “I’m just going over the Undetectable Extension Charm again, Harry. It’s quite complicated... perhaps even more complex than the Pictura Portus spell!”

“And illegal for private use too apparently,” muttered Harry as he peered at the page. “I wonder why though? It doesn’t look like a bad thing. It just makes loads more space on the inside of things than there is on the outside - like Sirius’s tent.”

“It’s not so much the spell itself Harry,” Hermione responded, “It’s using the spell on muggle objects which might fall into their hands and possibly create a breach of the Statute of Secrecy which is illegal - so the Ministry has restricted the spell’s use to the Ministry itself, or licensed manufacturers of certain wizarding products like the tents many people had at the World Cup, and the trunks we bring to school...”

“That seems bloody ridiculous to me,” Harry snorted, rolling his eyes. “What a load of hypocritical rubbish. I mean, it’s an undetectable charm for one thing... and tents and trunks are used by muggles too!

“The only reason I can think of for only allowing the Ministry and ‘licensed manufacturers’ to use the spell, is to make whoever owns the company enchanting tents and trunks bloody rich! I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the pureblood families owns the company and got the law passed just so that they could make a fortune by monopolising the use of the spell.”

Hermione frowned and bit her lip as she carefully considered what Harry was saying.

“I think you’re right Harry,” she said after a moment. “I was just going to use it anyway, because I think we’ll need to charm some bags so that we can pack everything we’ll need in them and carry them around with us in case we have to leave in a hurry. The Ministry is just a hotbed of corruption at the moment, so I’m not particularly fussed about breaking a capricious law.”

“Right!” said Harry, nodding distractedly. He was vaguely please that Hermione was planning ahead, but Harry’s train of thought kept chugging along the same track and he started feeling angry.

“You know, the more I think about it Hermione, why are some wizard families so filthy rich, and others so poor anyway? ...It’s even less fair for things to be like that in the wizard world than it is in the muggle world. As I look at all of the advanced material we’ve been studying - in Transfiguration too - I can see that there is loads of stuff that wizards can do that I’d never even thought about until recently.

“I know that the exceptions to Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration mean that you can’t create basic things like gold and food out of thin air, but if you’ve got a bit of food, you can increase the quantity, and you can transform it into anything you like too!

“And why do Wizards even need gold anyway? I mean sure... okay... maybe a bit of gold, but as far as I can see, there are loads and loads of spells which could be put to use making whatever we need - homes for everyone - enough food for everyone - clothes - healing people...”

Harry’s face flushed angrily and Hermione could see that Harry was starting to get really worked up. Hermione kept quiet because she had never really considered all of the ramifications herself; she had never prioritised “householdy” transfiguration for things like cooking and cleaning.

Hermione suddenly realised that was probably in good part because she had grown up with plenty of everything including lovely holidays abroad, all provided for by her attentive parents. Harry had grown up with next to nothing to call his own and had been neglected and abused. His sense of the unfairness of things flooded Hermione’s own sense of empathy and she let Harry continue to rant.

“I know that not every wizard is good at every kind of magic there is,” he went on, “but it’s obvious that those who are good at certain things can help make up for whatever other wizards lack.

“It’s just so bloody unfair Hermione! Even though Pureblood supremacists have been publicly frowned upon since the late 1940’s - until recently - they’ve still been allowed to run things behind the scenes and manipulate laws to guarantee their wealth at the expense of everyone else!

“I swear Hermione, if we can put an end to Minister Umbridge’s regime, I’m going to do everything in my power as a member of the Wizengamot to make some bloody changes in Wizarding Britain! And we should do something for Muggle society too. Why should poor Muggles have to suffer when Wizards have so much to offer to the rest of the world...?”

Harry was fuming, and he was intending to go on about putting the Gold that Sirius had given him to better use to help others too, but he suddenly noticed the tears streaming down Hermione’s flushed cheeks as she bit her quivering lower lip to keep from sobbing. Harry’s anger vanished as rapidly as it had onset, only to be replaced by an overwhelming feeling of guilt.

“I’m so sorry Hermione...” Harry gasped as he panicked, wrapping his arms around Hermione. “I didn’t mean to upset you... I... I just lost my head...”

Harry was stunned when Hermione crushed her lips against his own to shut him up. After a few moments their lips parted wetly, and Hermione leaned back to peer into Harry’s iridescent green eyes.

“No Harry, don’t you ever apologise for being who you are,” said Hermione, “I’m only upset because I feel you in my heart so deeply that it hurts - everything you said is true! And that’s why I love you so much - your compassion - your sense of fairness and wanting to treat everyone kindly... That’s what makes you who you are.

“You know I’ve always wanted the same things as you do Harry - being kind to one another - equality - fairness... I wanted to save House Elves from slavery - you actually managed to free one - and Dobby is much happier for it...

“All of my life most people have just seen me as a bossy swotter, not seeing - not understanding - who I really am. When I first came to Hogwarts, I... I actually thought things might be different... that people might actually like me more in the wizard world than they did in the muggle world.

“Harry... I know you thought I was a bit bossy too - like Percy - and maybe... maybe I am - but you never said it. And you were the first person to ever not pick on me for being clever! You never once called me a ‘know-it-all’ - but you also made me see what I had missed... that some rules were arbitrary and unfair... that people in authority aren’t always right... and that there is more to being smart than book knowledge...”

Harry smiled at Hermione and took her face in his hands, wiping away the tears from her pink cheeks with his thumbs.

“I love you too Hermione,” he whispered. “Yeah, it’s true... I did think you were a bit bossy at first. But inside... I knew that you were only trying to do what you thought what was right to stop me from making bad decisions - to protect me... even from myself.

“You were never like Percy... I don’t want you to ever think that! You only ever wanted the best for me... for everyone really. He just wants the best for himself! He likes rules just because he likes to order people around and be number one...

“Ron once told me that Percy was really ambitious - that all Percy ever really wanted was to be Minister one day. And Ron was right! That’s why Percy sold out his family and his friends... I know you would never do that.

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me... You make me a better person! You mean the world to me Hermione...”

Hermione’s breath caught as Harry pulled her closer, melting into his kiss...

~o0o~

Monday brought thunderous looking grey skies and rain again. Harry peered at the snowy white owl apologetically as he stroked her feathers.

“Sorry Hedwig, but this is important. You don’t have to rush though - as long as you’re back by next Monday...”

“Where are you sending Hedwig, Harry?” asked Hermione, having just stepped out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel around her and wet hair. Harry spun around, startled. He’d thought that Hermione would be in the shower a bit longer.

“Oh... er... nowhere really,” Harry mumbled, casting around for an excuse. “Just... erm... thought I’d send a letter... to Gringotts - checking my accounts...” Which wasn’t entirely a lie, as Hedwig would indeed be making a stop at Gringotts while in London.

Hermione bit her lip, wondering what Harry was up to, but she put it out of her mind to focus on schoolwork. The day seemed to be going relatively smoothly until Ron, Seamus, Parvati, Neville and Lavender met the Potters, Jennifer, and Daphne on the way to Care of Magical Creatures.

“That Carrow plonker was in Divination this morning,” said Ron, looking amused. “He made Trelawny look a bit of an idiot.”

Lavender and Parvati both gave Ron a dirty look.

“It was awful the way he treated her!” Lavender snapped. “Of course she couldn’t perform put on the spot like that. The Inner-Eye doesn’t work on demand...”

Hermione coughed and flushed, thinking better of saying anything; Harry suddenly peered at his feet with great interest.

“Erm... Sorry Lavender...” Ron’s ears turned pink. “I didn’t mean anything by it. You know I hate that Carrow bloke...”

Ron shut up when Seamus elbowed him. Everyone groaned when they saw Mr Carrow waiting in the clearing with his ever present clipboard and a disdainful sneer on his face. Hagrid seemed rather flustered as he continued the lessons with Thestrals that day.

The Potters both warily eyed the Inquisitor, wondering if he was going to take Hagrid to task as he had apparently done to Trelawny. But as in McGonagall’s class, Mr Carrow seemed more interested in observing Hagrid’s interaction with Harry and Hermione than anything. Harry now understood that the Inquisitor wasn’t just trying to intimidate Hermione for being muggleborn - he was looking for any signs that they might be up to something.

And so the rest of the week passed much as it had the previous week, with the Potters looking around every corner, wondering where Mr Carrow was going to strike next. But in the end, they didn’t see him again until his class on Friday afternoon.

Despite the somewhat provocative nature of the subject matter, Mr Carrow’s lecture even managed to bore a number of the Slytherins to tears, as it focused almost entirely on proper etiquette in the company of Pureblood elites. It was almost as bad as the worst of Professor Binns’s lectures.

Only Draco and his gang seemed to delight in what they thought should be a discomforting class for mudbloods and halfbloods. But most of the students were simply perplexed and indifferent to the tedious and antiquated guidelines for proper decorum towards their “superiors.” Many of them were doodling on their parchments or staring into space.

Harry was sorely tempted to storm out just to show exactly how little respect he had for all of the pureblood rubbish. But as before, he and Hermione quietly endured the class until it was over. They both breathed a sigh of relief when Saturday arrived once again.

The training session in the Room of Requirement on Saturday had been moved to the morning so that the Twins and Ginny could attend Quidditch Practice in the afternoon, as the Slytherins had booked the pitch for the morning.

“Mind you, it’s all for the best really...” Fred began.

“...Ron’s not really a morning person,” George concluded.

“But he’s doing brilliantly!” said Ginny. “You should come and watch us practice this afternoon.”

“That’s a lovely idea Ginny.” Hermione glanced at Harry who seemed quite keen on Ginny’s suggestion. “I think we could all do with a bit of a break.”

Accompanied by their friends and a number of other Gryffindors, Harry and Hermione took seats in the stands to watch the Gryffindor team practice.

Jennifer was fascinated to see a full team play, as she had only ever seen her friends play casually with the quaffle and the snitch. The game looked much more dangerous with a bludger hurtling around and beaters whacking at it with their bats, and she got caught up in the excitement.

Ron grinned when he saw who had come to watch him. It felt good to be the centre of attention for a change, and he was determined to show Harry what he could do. Unfortunately Ron was so busy thinking about impressing Harry, that he almost missed seeing a quaffle heading for the hoop to his right.

But it turned out to be a perfect opportunity to show off a bit. Ron dove for it and deliberately slipped from his broom while holding on to it tightly and dangling. He swung his legs around, kicking the quaffle away from the hoop and pulled himself back onto his broom in one smooth motion. Seamus cheered loudly.

Ron peered at the stands and grinned again when he saw Harry’s suitably awed expression. He had been practicing that trick a lot while on holiday in Ireland with Seamus.

“Good save Ron,” yelled Luna.

Parvati and Lavender joined in applauding noisily, both having apparently forgiven Ron for his faux pas earlier that week. Dora was stunned at Ron’s skill; he was far better than she had imagined he would be. Ron was elated at all of the accolades, and even more so when Viktor Krum flashed a thumbs up at him.

“Ron is actually quite good at keeping,” Hermione said quietly to Harry as she clapped dutifully.

“Yeah... that was a bloody brilliant manoeuvre!” Harry responded with a hint of admiration in his voice. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.” Then he noticed that Hermione’s applause was rather perfunctory.

“Are you cross with Ron about something then?” Harry asked her bluntly with a chuckle. “What’s he done now?”

“What?” Hermione was puzzled, then she realised what Harry was on about and giggled. “Oh Harry... the only reason I ever showed any interest in Quidditch at all was because you were playing! I couldn’t keep my eyes off you... Admittedly it was partly because I was always scared to death for you...”

“But the Quidditch World Cup,” Harry interjected, “I thought you actually liked it.”

“I wanted to go because you wanted to go,” Hermione bit her lip and fluttered her eyelashes, looking a bit sheepish. “I just wanted to be with you... to share your joy in something that you love so much.

“And I have to admit, it was rather exciting seeing other players who fly as well as you. I’ve always thought your flying skills were amazing - ever since the day you got Neville’s Remembrall back from Malfoy.”

“It was incredible...” Hermione continued, her eyes lighting up, “...your very first time on a broom! I couldn’t even get my broom off the ground because I was so terrified, but there you were - soaring around like you were born to fly. It was one of the first times I realised that I couldn’t learn everything from a book...”

Suddenly a red haired girl zoomed by chasing a flash of gold, capturing both Potters’ attention. Moments later, Ginny held a struggling snitch in her hand and the stands burst into applause again. Everyone was very impressed with Ginny’s skills. She caught the snitch several more times during the Gryffindor Quidditch practice.

The practice was only marred near the end by the arrival of some Slytherins in the stands. Harry thought they had come to see what they might be up against, until he heard Draco Malfoy’s boastful voice. Daphne heard too and glared at Malfoy. Harry stiffened and Hermione’s grip on his arm tightened; the reason for Draco’s appearance suddenly became obvious.

“Yeah, I’m back on the team,” Malfoy gloated loudly to the Slytherins who were with him. “I’m very good at catching the Snitch with my left hand now after all the practice I got in at the Minister’s house over the summer.

“And it’s all thanks to Dolores that the specialists at Saint Mungo’s invented this magical prosthetic hand just for me. Mind you, it can't do everything - I can’t use a wand or write with it - but it’s perfect for holding a broom...”

~o0o~

Snape peered down at the Quidditch Pitch from one of the headmaster’s office windows, his inscrutability betrayed only by his glittering dark eyes. He was infuriated that the Carrows had overturned the permanent suspensions of Draco and his gang from the Slytherin Quidditch Team. Dumbledore didn’t look any happier than he as they both eyed the goings on below.

But there was nothing they could do about it due to the latest Educational Decree which read simply:

Educational Decree #25
The Inquisitors shall have Final Authority to review and revise all disciplinary proceedings at Hogwarts, both current and retroactive.

~o0o~

That evening, Harry tried his best to just forget about Malfoy and focus on the spell he was practicing. He was determined that he would be able to perform the Pictura Portus charm before the weekend was out. It was as complicated as Hermione had said, but Charms was his best subject next to Defence Against the Dark Arts and he knew he could have managed it sooner if he weren’t so distracted.

Finally, on the umpteenth try the painting of a mossy stone arched bridge over a burbling forest creek shimmered and his eyes lit up; Harry knew he’d done it.

“Hermione, look... I’ve got it!” he said, as one of his hands sank into the canvas. “Let’s give it a go...”

“Oh Harry, that’s excellent!” said Hermione as she looked up from the beaded handbag which she was working on. “Have you worked out the counter-spell to close it up?”

Harry grinned and waved his wand at the painting, then tried touching it again. This time his fingers never made it past the surface.

“Does that answer your question Hermione?”

Hermione beamed and nodded. “I have something to show you too Harry! Here... reach into my handbag.”

Harry extended his hand into the small bag, which was no bigger than the average purse. His eyes widened in astonishment as his arm disappeared inside all the way up to his shoulder.

It wasn’t so much that he was surprised; he knew Hermione would be able to work out how to perform the complex charm. It was just that no matter how much magic Harry saw, it never ceased to excite and astonish him. Even after witnessing all of the horrid Dark magic that he’d seen in his life, all of the nice magic continued to fill him with delight and wonder, inspiring him to try to be as good at it as his mum and dad had been.

The thrill took him back... back to the night Hagrid had knocked down a door of a hut on an island in the middle of the sea... back to the first time Harry had returned from Diagon Alley and read all of his schoolbooks into the wee hours of the morning.

“Fantastic Hermione... you’re a genius!”

“You are too Harry!” Hermione blushed cheerfully and she gave Harry a kiss. “I’m going to apply the charm to everyone’s bookbags tomorrow so we can be ready to go at a moments notice. Now... why don’t you do the Pictura charm again so we can see what that painting’s like from the inside?”

~o0o~

The following week passed with little untoward happening. It appeared that Mr Carrow was busy haunting other classes, and Draco seemed to be kept too busy and distracted with practice for the upcoming Quidditch match to spend much time harassing anyone. Apparently he wasn’t quite as adept at catching a snitch left-handed as he was at boasting.

“You should have seen him in practice yesterday!” George snorted at breakfast-time on Monday morning.

“The idiot could barely hold onto his broom with that new hand of his,” Fred guffawed. “I reckon he didn’t get as much practice in at the Minister’s house as he claims.”

“Malfoy’s prosthetic hand seemed to spasm a bit every time he was reaching for snitch with his other hand, and he fell off his broom twice,” Ginny said with a grin.

“Shame though... Unfortunately he wasn’t high up enough to hurt himself,” sighed Ron.

Seamus sniggered and nodded. “Ye got tha’ right mate!”

“Don’t get too cocky!” Angelina admonished the Weasley siblings, frowning. “That’s only because Malfoy is used to reaching for the snitch with his right hand and gripping the broom with his left... The Slytherins have got the pitch booked for every afternoon this week to give him time to retrain himself - and he’s still got a good eye for spotting the snitch and a fast broom.”

“Sorry Angelina! You’re right of course...” Ginny sobered a bit. “And Malfoy was bloody irate at the end of practice. I almost thought he was going to curse Katie Bell for laughing at him when he stormed off the pitch.”

“Too true,” Fred acknowledged, his face darkening. “I wouldn’t put it past him and his mates to have a go at some of us to try and even the odds a bit.”

“Well, watch each others backs then. Don’t anyone wander around the castle alone - stick together as much as possible,” said Harry warningly, then he lowered his voice, “...and make some time to practice with the rest of the team what Dora and I showed you this week too... just in case.”

“I’ll make sure that they do Harry,” Angelina smiled gratefully. “Thank you lot... all of you! Ginny and the Twins already showed us a bit of what you’ve been teaching them yesterday. We don’t have as many Quidditch practices booked this week as the Slytherins do - so I’ve already made plans for the team and a few other Gryffindors to spend the rest of the time training...”

Angelina was interrupted when Hedwig flapped her wings exhaustedly and dropped two packages - one of them quite large - next to Harry on the table with a heavy thunk. Hedwig glowered at Harry and gave him a reproving peck. Hermione peered at them in curiosity.

“I’m sorry Hedwig,” said Harry. “I know that big one was heavy. That’s why I reckoned you’d need a bit more time to get back here with it.”

He passed Hedwig a cup of tea and she looked at Harry sheepishly as she dipped her beak in thirstily. Harry buttered her a piece of toast as well, and Hedwig cheered up.

“What’s in the parcels Harry?” asked Parvati pointedly, sharing a wink with Lavender.

“Oh... er... it’s a surprise really - for Hermione’s 16th birthday tomorrow,” said Harry, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Hermione. Fleur and Dora pretended that this was the first they’d heard of it; Luna and Ginny giggled.

“Harry!” she squealed, giving him a hug, “I knew you weren’t sending Hedwig to check your Gringotts accounts. But why didn’t you just say?”

“Because I wanted it to really be a surprise and give you less time to work out what it is.” Harry grinned at Hermione’s radiantly beaming face.

“I wish someone had told me,” Jennifer whispered to Daphne.

“It’s alright,” Daphne murmured. “I know you haven’t had a chance to get out of Hogwarts yet to get yourself properly situated in the wizard world - to say nothing of buying birthday presents. Dora and Fleur have already made some arrangements with Harry for a birthday party...”

~o0o~

Hermione wondered why Crookshanks was looking at her as if he knew something that she didn’t. Crookshanks purred as she gave him a pet and stroked his bushy tail.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were in on this ‘surprise’ birthday party,” she murmured to her cat.

“Actually, it was all Crookshanks’s idea,” Harry chortled. “Alright, ready to go then?” he asked, a big heavy bag under one arm.

“Honestly Harry, you didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” Hermione blushed as he led her to the Room of Requirement. “It’s just another birthday.”

“Of course it’s not Hermione,” Harry grinned. “A 16th birthday should be something special...”

“Close your eyes Hermione...” said Harry when they reached the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Hermione did as she was told, her heart racing in anticipation. Harry took Hermione’s hand and led her through the threshold into the Room of Requirement.

“Alright, you can open them now.”

Harry grinned at the awestruck expression on Hermione’s face. Hermione wasn’t quite sure what she had expected, but it certainly hadn’t been this. It was a stunningly realistic environment - one of the best impressions of the natural world in full daylight that she had seen the Room of Requirement perform.

“Wotcher Hermione...” the girl with spiky magenta hair giggled when she saw the look on Hermione’s countenance. Dora wriggled her matching magenta cat-tail gleefully, and waggled her furry magenta ears.

The rest of Hermione’s friends were already waiting with grinning faces - though Neville’s looked a bit flushed for some reason. It suddenly occurred to Hermione that Neville was unused to seeing so many girls in bikinis... and when it also suddenly hit her that everyone was in bikinis and swimsuits, she began to feel a bit overdressed. Harry shut the door behind them as he and Hermione stepped into the humid tropical glade.

Golden rays of sunlight streamed through the verdant canopy of the rainforest, striking the spray of mist from the small waterfall which tumbled over boulders and ferns into the azure bubbling pool. Little rainbows formed where the sunbeams hit the droplets hanging in the air.

They were surrounded by palm fronds and vines. Tiny fairies and marillion and lilac coloured butterflies flitted to and fro among the orchids, hibiscus, and lilies. The aroma of vanilla, coconut, and citrus was intoxicating. Hermione took off her shoes and stockings, delighting in the feel of each step across the springy carpet of moss.

“Oh Harry - it’s beautiful...” was all Hermione could muster before being rendered speechless.

“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it!” said Parvati as her own black satiny tail undulated. Luna’s fluffy white tail curled as she whispered something to Ginny and they both chortled.

“Oui,” Fleur cooed, her silvery tail and ears shining in the sunbeams. “ ‘Arry, ‘e has outdone himself.”

“Oh my God!” Hermione gasped.

Hermione’s eyes widened when it finally hit her what she was seeing. She had been so entranced by the surroundings, that she hadn’t noticed the most incredible bit. Daphne tittered as she turned around and wiggled her bikini clad bottom and furry blonde cat-tail at Hermione.

“I was wondering when you’d notice, Hermione!” giggled Luna.

Hermione glanced over at Jennifer, and sure enough, a silken ebony cat tail protruded from her behind as her furry black ears twitched. Hermione whirled around to see that Harry had already stripped down to his bathing trunks, and was sporting a shaggy black cat-tail and furry black ears too.

“Harry - how? ...what...?” sputtered Hermione, “I know you and Dora are metamorphs... but the others...”

“Some sort of Seventh Year transfiguration spell Hermione,” said Harry, beaming from one furry ear to the other. “It’s a spell some of the prank jinxes are based on apparently...”

“I’m sure Fred and George are having a field day with them,” Ginny giggled, waving a slinky tail as red as her hair.

“That’s probably how they came up with those Canary Creams,” Neville muttered.

“But... but when did you even get a chance to practice the spell Harry?” asked Hermione, looking extremely puzzled. “I can’t think of a single moment that we’ve been apart. And what on earth gave you the idea?”

“It was all Dora actually,” Harry replied. “Well... I got the idea for a cat-themed birthday a couple of weeks ago when I was petting Crookshanks. It made me think of the time you turned part cat in second year.

“Seeing as Dora knows all the disguise transfiguration spells, I reckoned she’d know how to come up with a spell to add cat-tails and ears. Anyway, Happy Birthday Hermione!”

Giggling, Hermione sprouted a tawny tail and ears when Dora waved her wand and performed the spell. Hermione gave Harry a kiss and ran her fingers through the fur of Harry’s black tail, which was as unkempt and shaggy as his black moptop. When their lips separated, Harry reached into his bag and retrieved two brightly wrapped parcels.

Hermione carefully unwrapped the larger parcel. As she had guessed, it was a book - a very large heavy book, bound in mahogany coloured leather with gold leaf trim, and it looked very old. The heady effect of the musty smell of the leather roused Hermione’s senses as her finger traced the gold embossed title of the book: Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: The Illuminated Wizarding Edition.

Breath quickening, Hermione gingerly cracked open the book. The illuminated script and illustrations nearly leapt off the page, displaying motion as all wizard pictures did. She recognised the frontispiece image as a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Hermione gasped when she saw the date of publication written on the vellum pages...

“Harry... this is over 350 years old! And I had no idea that Shakespeare was known in the wizard world. How on earth did you come across this?”

“I wasn’t sure that wizards knew about Shakespeare either,” Harry replied, beaming at Hermione’s obvious delight. “I tried Tomes and Scrolls in the village first, but the owner told me to try Flourish and Blotts. I sent a letter to the shop, and the owner said that he could find an old wizarding copy for me...”

“But Harry, this must have cost a fortune,” Hermione squeaked, feeling rather dizzy, hardly believing what she was holding in her hands. “Rare muggle editions of Shakespeare’s works from this era go for millions of pounds...”

“It’s alright Hermione - really,” Harry said quickly, swallowing anxiously when he spied Hermione’s eyes glistening wetly. He wondered if he’d overdone it. “I... I’ve got loads in the vault that Sirius gave me.

“And honestly, it wasn’t even very much - not much more than a Firebolt really - because as a muggle author, Shakespeare isn’t really in very high demand in the wizard world. Apparently Flourish and Blotts has had this copy for years, collecting dust! I... I just wanted to get you something I knew you’d like... something as special as you are for your 16th birthday!”

Even through her own blurry eyes, Hermione could see the worry in Harry’s eyes. Holding the heavy tome under one arm, she flung her other arm around him, kissing him.

“It’s exquisite Harry!” Hermione purred as Harry calmed in her embrace. “I love it! Thank you very much... I don’t know if you know this Harry, but Mum named me after the queen in The Winter’s Tale.”

“Really?” Harry gasped. He couldn’t believe his luck at having chosen such a perfect gift after all. “I had no idea. I only read a few of the plays for my sixth year in primary school - and that wasn’t one of them. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is my favourite of the ones I’ve read!”

Hermione giggled. She wasn’t surprised in the least to discover that had been Harry’s favourite Shakespeare play.

“Mine is Macbeth,” she murmured. Finally, letting Harry go, Hermione picked up the other parcel. It was much smaller than the first.

“That one’s from Sirius,” said Harry. “I actually did send Hedwig to Gringotts to collect it for him.”

Hermione unwrapped the second present to discover a midnight-blue jewellery box, her hands shaking slightly; she still couldn’t get over the incredible present that Harry had bought her.

“It’s beautiful!” Hermione exclaimed when she lifted the elegant silver and gold necklace out of the box. The oval shaped filigree pendant dangling from the necklace was inset with a gleaming Tigers Eye gemstone. “I’ll have to thank Sirius when I get a chance.”

After Harry put the necklace on Hermione, she turned around for the rest of their friends to see it.

“Daddy says Tigers Eye is supposed to bring Harmony and good fortune,” Luna said admiringly.

“Ees vairy chic, ‘Ermione!” said Fleur. “It will go nicely wiz your evening gowns.”

A short time later, Hermione had opened all of the other presents that everyone had given her, and placed them in her bag where she knew they would be safe. Dora opened a large picnic hamper, and soon everyone was eating the delicious strawberry shortcake and unmeltable vanilla ice-cream marbled with chocolate which Dobby had sent up from the Hogwarts kitchens.

Fleur had brought several bottles of champagne - sent from her family’s cellars by her father - and soon everyone was feeling very giggly. Hermione popped behind some enormous fronds to change into the bikini that Harry had put in the bag for her; moments later she slipped into the warm water with Harry and the others amidst the water lilies and tropical fern.

~o0o~

The weeks following Hermione’s birthday seemed to drag on ponderously and the Potters almost got used to the overbearing presence of the Inquisitors. But as the end of October drew nearer Harry grew more agitated again, convinced that the other shoe was about to drop on Halloween as it had every year at Hogwarts previously.

No-one was more shocked than Harry when he woke up to a stormy November First to find that nothing awful had happened yet. He and Hermione were both pleased that the secret training of numerous students right under the noses of the Inquisitors continued to escape notice. Harry hoped their luck would hold long enough to witness the first quidditch match of the season between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

Finally, a week and a half later the morning of the match arrived. The skies were a pearly grey and the icy bite in the air brought a promise of snow which was already dusting the tops of the mountain peaks surrounding the Black Lake.

Ron Weasley sat at the Gryffindor table glaring at the heaping pile of scrambled eggs and bacon on his plate. It was just sitting there, mocking his clenching gut and pale countenance. He took a sip of pumpkin juice, hoping it would settle his stomach. When that didn’t work, Ron buttered a crumpet and contemplated taking a bite.

“Ye alright Ron?” Seamus asked sympathetically, after witnessing Ron staring at the crumpet in his hand for several minutes. “Come on mate... ye’ve got ta eat somethin’...”

“I... I dunno,” Ron muttered. “I’ve never felt like this before - not hungry I mean.”

“It’s alright Ron,” said Ginny kindly. “It’s just nerves. Don’t worry about eating breakfast if you’re not feeling up to it...”

“You seem alright though,” Ron scowled, wondering how Ginny could appear so calm. “Maybe something’s wrong with me...”

“But I am anxious,” Ginny responded, “This is my first real match too Ron...”

“You’ll be fine once you’re in the air,” said George encouragingly. “Everyone feels nervous their first time - right Fred?”

“Right on one George,” Fred agreed. “I threw up half a dozen times before my very first match... and we still clobbered the Ravenclaws 260 to 30.”

Ron looked even paler and George rolled his eyes at Fred.

Angelina thought that maybe it was time for her to step in and say something, “Whatever the final outcome is doesn’t matter Ron... Just remember that you made it onto the team on your own merits. I’ve seen you play, and you’re really good...”

“You’re more than good, you’re excellent Ron!” exclaimed Harry, interrupting Angelina.

Ron spun around in his seat, his eyes widened with surprise. Harry and Hermione both gave Ron an encouraging smile.

“That manoeuvre you performed the other day was brilliant!” Harry continued. “I know you can do this.”

Then, to Ron’s shock, Hermione leaned in, giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek.

“We both believe in you Ron,” she said as Ron’s cheeks began to flush.

The Potters returned to the Mingling Table and watched Ron digging cheerfully into his heap of eggs and bacon from their seats.

“Thanks Hermione!” Harry gave his wife a grateful kiss. “You were right... he did need our encouragement! I hope I didn’t put you out too much though. I... I just thought a hug from you might do him some good...”

“It’s alright Harry...” Hermione murmured, returning Harry’s kiss. “I know I did it more for your sake - but I’d like to see Ron do well too...”

~o0o~

Draco Malfoy smirked as he flexed his prosthetic hand, the mechanical joints moving smoothly. He had this in the bag. He had been practicing for weeks and he had secretly put an extra-strength Gripping Charm on his broom. Once his mechanical hand was wrapped around the shaft, nothing would make it let go.

Draco heard a mighty roar and looked up in the stands. His eyes narrowed when he spotted one of Potter’s little girlfriends - the loony one - wearing what appeared to be a lion’s head for a hat. He snorted disdainfully and shook his head.

“Oi... Malfoy, you ready for this?” Montague barked,

“What...? Of course I’m ready!” Draco retorted with a sneer.

Draco wished Marcus Flint was still in charge. But Flint had declined to return to his captaincy after waking up one morning with his knees reversed, a faceful of octopus tentacles, and apparently something painful lodged in a very uncomfortable part of his anatomy. By all indications, Graham Montague reckoned it was his turn to captain the team now.

Angelina faced off against Montague, and when Madam Hooch gave the order to shake hands, Angelina returned the Slytherin’s vice-like grasp with a crushing grip of her own. Rolling her eyes when neither team captain seemed willing to let go, Madam Hooch blew the whistle.

“And they’re off...” Lee Jordan shouted into the megaphone. “It looks like Montague has a broken hand, well-deserved after his own pathetic attempt to show up the exquisitely endowed Angelina Johnson...”

“JORDAN!” snapped Professor McGonagall.

“Sorry Professor...” Lee grinned sheepishly, “Anyway - Pucey in possession of the quaffle - intercepted by Alicia - she goes for a goal - Bletchly misses - 10 points Gryffindor...”

The Unaffiliated enthusiastically joined in the raucous cheering for the Gryffindor team. Nearly everyone seemed to be rooting for Gryffindor, as most of the students couldn’t bear the idea of a Slytherin victory - especially with Malfoy back on the team. Only a few non-Slytherins appeared less than enamoured with the Gryffindor team.

“...Warrington with the quaffle now - he throws - smashing save by Ron Weasley - Angelina takes possession... fine legs on that girl, Fred Weasley’s one lucky bloke...” Lee caught McGonagall’s steely glare and moved on “...Angelina passes to Alicia Spinnet - Spinnet cut off by Goyle - passes to Katie Bell...another one of Gryffindor’s finest lasses...Bell shoots - she scores... Gryffindor up by 20 now...”

The game was fast-paced and brutal as the players zoomed around the Quidditch pitch, and the Slytherins grew angrier as Ron Weasley prevented them from scoring time and again. Katie Bell had the quaffle once more; Goyle flew to intercept and barreled into her, nearly knocking her off her broom.

“...FOUL...” Lee Jordan roared furiously, “...blatant blatching by Goyle - yes, Madam Hooch agrees - Katie looks a bit dazed--takes a penalty shot.... Oooooh, too bad, saved by Bletchly...”

Angered by Goyle’s foul, when he next had the bludger in his sights Fred walloped the ball hard, aiming directly at the Slytherin beater. The ball slammed into Goyle’s head; he spun around and went into a nosedive as stars flew before his eyes, pulling up at the very last second.

Ginny and Draco Malfoy both circled the pitch, high above the stands, keeping their eagle eyes out for the snitch. Ginny spotted the glittering golden ball first, hovering down the far end of the field. She sped towards it on the Firebolt which Hermione had given to her with Harry’s blessing. Draco cursed and put on a burst of speed.

Montague signaled Crabbe, but the idiot just stared back at him gormlessly. Rolling his eyes, Montague pointed at Ginny Weasley and mimed hitting her. Crabbe finally appeared to understand. He cut Ginny off and threw a savage elbow to her head. Luna screamed in horror.

“...COBBING BY CRABBE! ...” Lee Jordan bellowed.

Harry nearly leapt out of his seat, wand at his fingertips. A chorus of boos erupted from the crowd, but McLaggen guffawed loudly, catching Harry’s attention.

“Bloody no-good cheating git!” Lee Jordan snarled, “As per usual, Slytherin proves that they can’t win with the talent which they don’t have...” McGonagall caught Lee’s eye again.

“...Just telling it like it is Professor...” Lee said assertively. Professor McGonagall really couldn’t bring herself to disagree.

This time Angelina took the penalty shot, but she was so angry that the quaffle went wide off the mark. As the play resumed, George tailed Crabbe. When the bludger came their direction, George pretended to let his Beater’s Bat slip from his hand. It flew from his grasp and hit Crabbe square in the face.

“Do that to my sister again and you’re dead Crabbe!” George whispered venomously when he flew over to the other beater, feigning a look of concern.

There was a brief timeout while Madam Pomfrey fixed Crabbe’s broken nose and wiped the blood off his face. But as nobody could prove that George had done it on purpose, no foul was called.

The game continued for another hour. The Gryffindors matched every brutal foul committed by the Slytherins, confident that Ron would prevent the Snakes from scoring a penalty shot - and every time, Ron proved that their faith was warranted.

The match was still 20 nil to the Gryffindors when Draco spotted the snitch hovering near the stands not more than ten metres below. Draco dove for it. Ginny Weasley was nowhere in sight and he knew the game was won. The match was his, Draco gloated to himself as he reached for the snitch with his real hand.

“Too bad that one’s not prosthetic too,” giggled Ginny as she come out of nowhere and plucked the snitch out of the air. “You might have stood a better chance of catching it...”

Draco gaped at her as an uproarious cheer went up from the stands. He couldn’t comprehend how she had managed to beat him to the snitch. Furiously he tried to grab at the tail of Ginny’s broom with his real hand as she completed passing him. His fingers grabbed air and he lost control of his broom.

Draco panicked and tried to let go of his broom so that he could tumble and roll safely. But the double-strength Gripping Charm on the broom prevented his prosthetic hand from releasing it. The broom spun wildly and flipped end over end as Draco crashed into the field.

When he came to a few seconds later, Draco realised that his prosthetic hand was missing. He spotted his broomstick lying in splinters on the lawn, his prosthetic hand still attached to a piece of the broom handle.

Too angry to speak, Draco stormed off the field as the Gryffindors reveled in their victory. Draco fumed when he passed Ginny, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell hugging each other and gleefully leaping up and down. He caught the eye of Amycus Carrow and the Inquisitor nodded slightly. Draco felt slightly cheered, knowing that soon it would be his time, and then he’d teach those bitches a lesson that they would never forget.

The party in the Gryffindor Common Room after the match continued until dinner time, and all had been invited. Everyone had butterbeers, and flasks of firewhiskey were surreptitiously passed around. The prefects were well aware but pretended to look the other way.

Dora was forced to come to Fleur’s rescue, as a number of the older Gryffindor boys were congregated around Fleur trying to chat her up. Jennifer felt a bit overwhelmed, lost in the crowd. Daphne forged a pathway through the throng to save her and lead her to less populated corner of the common room. Ginny grabbed a hold of Luna to keep her from getting swept away in the horde.

Ginny and Ron were both on the receiving end of intense adulation, and the youngest Weasley son lapped it all up, savouring the acclaim and glory. Ron was thrilled beyond measure when Viktor Krum shook his hand and offered his accolades.

But somehow, even receiving plaudits from his favourite professional Quidditch player didn’t mean quite as much to Ron as the praise he received from Harry. Ron sauntered over to the Potters again, who were chatting with Dean Thomas and Susan Bones, whom Dean had invited to the party.

“Did you see that one save Harry...?” Ron crowed, almost spilling his butterbeer on Seamus. “I thought for sure I was gonna miss it - but then I thought, ‘use the tail,’ so I whipped my broom around...”

“Yeah Ron, that was brilliant!” Harry acknowledged with a smirk. This had to be the fifth time that Ron had recounted that particular save to Harry.

Harry glanced at Hermione, but something had caught her scrutiny and he could see that she was bristling. He peered the same direction, discerning immediately what had raised her ire. McLaggen and Towler were sitting on the edge of the landing above, feet dangling from the balcony. They were both nursing butterbeers and staring at Ginny Weasley who was snogging Luna silly.

McLaggen felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle, suddenly realising that Harry Potter was glowering at him. With a scowl, McLaggen tapped Towler on the shoulder. They both stood up and departed, climbing the stairs to their dormitory.

Eventually, it was time for dinner and everyone giddily made their way to the Great Hall. As the evening meal concluded, the Twins invited the Unaffiliated back to the Gryffindor Common Room for their after-party, but they all politely declined. The Potters turned in early, feeling both exhausted and slightly agitated.

“That was quite a match,” Harry murmured to Hermione as she lay next to him curled under his arm with her head on his shoulder, kneading his bare chest as he gently stroked her tawny coils of hair. “I’m really happy for Ron and Ginny...”

Harry left the “but” unsaid, knowing that Hermione understood; they both sensed the shifting of the currents. Others in the castle may not have noticed the change in atmosphere, but it was something that all of those residing in the Unaffiliated corridor felt keenly. The Potters, Dora and Fleur, and Daphne and Jennifer; all lay awake in their respective quarters feeling unsettled...