Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Magical triplet
Chapter One
4 reviewsIt does not go well with Harry Potter. In order to increase Harry's magical power, Dumbledore infects Harry and two girls with a disease. And his power surges.
0Insightful
Chapter One: With the Dursleys
A/N: Beta reader for this story is Jezz Jamer
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The sun was shining through the window of Harry Potter's bedroom at number four Privet Drive, revealing the dirty cloths strewn across the floor. Harry couldn't find the urge to pick up the cloths and deposit them in his hamper. He was completely unconcerned about the messy state of his room; he had been lying in bed for the past two days daydreaming about his parents, school, his classmates, Professor Dumbledore and his favorite girls: Ginny, Hermione and Cho Chang.
He heard Hedwig hoot softly and unfurl her wings. With a sigh, he stood up from his bed and walked to his window. He opened it and his owl flew off into the unblemished morning sky to hunt for her breakfast. He immediately went back and leaned his head against the metal frame of the bed.
He thought about the lesson in meditation, which Sirius, his godfather gave him on the last day of school in his sixth year. It was the most valuable lesson he had ever received from anyone, because the lesson made it possible for him to sleep and to relax. Before the lesson started, Sirius told him that meditation would help him more then anything else. And Sirius was right about that.
The lesson started with breathing and lasted for two hours. He never thought about the difference between breathing from his chest and breathing with his belly. When he breathed deeply in and out with his belly and tried to empty his mind, he could feel the energy coursing throughout his body, it felt like static electricity tingling at his fingertips. It made him feel utterly relaxed. He could feel his magical power running through his body and searching for a point of exit, to be thrown against the walls, window and door. After this surge of energy his entire being felt energized and he also felt strangely aroused.
After teaching him how to breath properly, Sirius then taught him the basics of self-hypnotism, which enabled him to sleep, concentrate, and rest. It was amazing how a human could be fooled by suggestions, and it was even more amazing that he could make himself to be fooled. He tested the self-hypnotism at first to give him special feelings like happiness, rest, exhaustion. He gave the suggestion to himself that he would "awaken" feeling rested. Indeed, after the hypnotism session he truly felt rested. Harry realized that even when he was not rested at all, he felt like he had had a wonderful nights sleep.
That was enough for him to think about other possibilities like happiness and exhaustion. The feeling of happiness did not occur after his "waking up", except when he used the suggestion to feel happy for a particular reason. When he used a silly reason, he did not feel happy at all. However, when he thought about a real and existing happy memory the suggested to himself that he should feel happy, the feeling of happiness came indeed. Maybe it was not as intense as a real feeling of happiness, but he felt content and optimistic, and he had a very nice feeling at the bottom of his belly.
Harry knew that the dreams were still there and plaguing his subconscious, but with a few well constructed self-suggestions he was able to wake up refreshed and only remembered his dreams faintly. So lacking any meaning and form, the dreams were not upsetting him as much as they usual did. He felt relaxed and rested, and very lazy. The laundry was still waiting for him ...
His aunt and uncle were not bordering him anymore, after their "deep conversation" with Moody at the station when the Dursleys came to picked him up. His relatives were ignoring and keeping away from him, which was excellent for Harry, except that they ignored feeding him as well! No breakfast, no lunch and no dinner!
He owled all his friends for food and cakes and they complied! Every day in the morning at six o'clock he received an excellent breakfast from Hermione's parents, but no eggs and no fast food and mostly every day at eleven in the morning he received a lot of cakes and chocolates from Ron and the twins. At twelve he was sent eggs, ham, sausages and other hardy foods from Sirius and in the evening he got an excellent dinner from Mrs. Weasley. In honesty, he had never eaten so well here at the Dursleys compared to any other vacation with them over all school years and even before. He hoped that Hermione would never find out about the eggs and cakes.
All of this combined produced the appearance of an average healthy and rested young man. This had not been the case for the young man before this summer. Few people had noticed the drastic changes within him.
His aunt looked at him strangely when they met in front of the bathroom yesterday morning. She noticed a young man, who walked confidently down the hall, very different from the boy she remembered from years before. Harry was calmly quiet, his usual nervous expression on his face totally gone. When she looked him straight in the eyes, she could not help but notice that he looked straight back without blinking; he did not avert his gaze.
His penetrating green eyes were like a magnet, which automatically attract any view from the rest of his being. She saw no clear emotion in those eyes, only determination and a strange and intensive depth. She could not help then to stop walking and give him his place in the bathroom without any comment. After he had gone into the bathroom, she hurried back to the kitchen, feeling very nervous.
She was very impressed with him attitude, she could feel the power of his personality very clearly, but there was also much more then only that. She felt very strange when she looked into his eyes, she could feel the intensity together with the determination giving the implication of great power and energy, which seemed to be coming out of him and radiated towards everyone else. She now knew that when Harry would walk into a crowed of people in that mood and with that much determination, everyone would stop talking and would look only to him.
So strange! She remembered last year when the boy left their house, he looked like someone on the verge of a nervous break-down, and anything could trigger an explosion of an emotional fit. What happened?! She had no idea, but it had everything to do with those terrible freaks. She suspected that all those freaks would have done something to make him look the way he looked then. Maybe they used a spell or something like that to make him as he is now.
Harry suddenly noticed Omniga, the new white owl of Hermione's with his breakfast. "Great", Harry though. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse". He unbounded the package from the owl and started to open it.
The package felt cool in his hands, so that meant that he was having a cold salad for breakfast. That was great! He loved salads and specially the ones that were made by Hermione's mum. Yesterday they sent a salad drizzled with a special sauce called saté. That sauce was really great, but extreme hot. He started eating his salad with the fresh, warm white bread they sent as well immediately. He was so hungry yesterday that ate to fast, causing the sauce to burned his mouth so bad that it make him almost cried.
It felt as if smoke was coming out of his nose and ears, and it probably was! He immediately grabbed a glass of water, but that was an even bigger mistake, because that burning feeling in his mouth only intensified. The only thing what could be done was let it burn. And that was exactly what Harry did, he let it burn. After that, he ate more carefully and slowly.
As he unwrapped this morning's package a letter fell out. Harry looked from his breakfast to the letter, wondering which should come first. Would he eat his breakfast, or would he open the letter. Maybe the letter gave him instructions about eating his breakfast (like with there should have been for yesterday's saté), or maybe the letter give him reason to worry so he would not be hungry anymore? He saw that the letter was wrapped in a strange colored envelope, green on the edges, blue in the middle and his name written in large brown and gothic letters. "Well, let's do everything at the same time". He opened the letter and started to eat the sandwich.
"Dear Harry", it read. This was clearly Hermione's handwriting. "Before you start eating those sandwiches, you need to know that we used the same saté as yesterday, and this time with extra green peppers. So please do not eat like a pig as usual, but take small bites." Harry, had taken a large bite of his sandwich, but was not chewing yet; spit the big piece out next to his chair on the ground. "Oh my!" he said. That was almost too late.
He was absolutely certain that Hermione would know that he would take a big bite of the sandwich first and then read the letter, she could be horribly mischievous at the worst of times.
He took a small bite and started to eat. He wondered what she had to say this morning. Hermione was very nervous at the end of the last year. She got all of her OWLS (all twelve of them), while Harry and Ron had only six. Hermione wanted to have her OWLS in all of the subjects, while Harry and Ron choose for a more specific package of OWLS. The coming academic school year would be for the NEWT's, and Harry was absolute sure she wanted to get them all. But her problem was that she did not know what she wanted to do after school! Harry and Ron wanted to become Aurors, or maybe Harry could continue to study and work to become a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor or Quidditch player.
Hermione only knew that she wanted to study but what she should study for, she had no idea. Maybe she could continue to specialize in portions, or languages or transfigurations. She had no idea and became very nervous at the end of the last academic year, because she could not decide which direction she would take. Maybe this letter would give some insight in what she wanted to do.
Dear Harry,
Before you start eating those sandwiches, you need to know that we used the same saté from yesterday, and with extra green peppers. So please do not eat like a pig as usual, but take small bites. When you do eat like a pig as usual, do not use water to find relief, but let the sauce continue to burn out in your mouth.
As you already know, we are waiting for news from my relatives in America to see if may visit them during the holidays, but we still have not heard from them yet. Maybe they changed their minds or maybe they do not have time to allow us to visit. That would be such a pity, because I would love to visit New York and to found out first had why the city is called the "Big Apple".
Anyhow, while waiting I have been researching a large area of subjects to find, of course you would guess right, the area which I could choose to specialize in for my NEWT's. I think that I would like to continue with portions, except that with Snape as the professor it is very difficult to get accepted and to continue in advanced portions. But even when the professor is acting so obstinate and immature, it must not be the reason why I would not choose portions.
I would like to know if you are choosing for applied or advance portions. If you choose advanced, then we can sit together in class, which means that it is easier to deal with him and I would not have to sit alone with all those Slytherins. I understand that you need to choose either applied or advanced portions for your Auror education requirements. I know that Ron is choosing only applied portions, but I am not sure what you want to choose. I hope you choose advanced potions, because we can do everything together, including the research. It would be fun to research certain subjects together.
I also have a question about the coming balls at school. You know that we have a ball the 31st of October, a Christmas ball and a Valentines ball. I don't want to have the problems we had last year before the balls in finding partners, and I am sure you don't want to have those problems again as well. I know that Ron wants to go with Parvati Patil, but I have no dance partner. Is it possible that we can go together as friends? I know that Ron does not mind, because all he can think about is Parvati.
Please, let me know as soon as possible.
Love,
Hermione
Harry knew that he did not want to do portions at all, especially with Snape. He was a terrible man; he was the portions-master from hell. If it was not for the requirements for Auror training, he would drop portions like a stone, straight on the head of Professor Snake-breath. But that must wait at least after his seventh year, when all the NEWT's would be done and earned. Harry was planning on a very big prank to pay Snape back for all the years of nightmares and abuse.
Applied portion was rather uninteresting, and was about five lessons per week, while advanced portions was only about two lessons per week but the lesson were much more difficult. That was defiantly a good reason never to go near advanced portions, but all the interesting portions were being made in the advanced portions class, while applied portions was simple and stupid work in a very annoying environment with a very dreadful professor. In the advanced portions they would have boring potions but also very interesting ones, and at least he would have a sense that he was learning something. And above all, the advanced portions would give him the possibility to research, and that meant that he could work independently sometime and less with Snape. At the end, he would encounter Snape much less then he would if he took applied portions, where was no research and only conventional lessons. He should obviously take advanced portions and now that he knew Hermione had chosen that as well, his choice was made.
Now to worry about those dreadful balls for the coming year, he hated balls and he had no idea how to dance and girls are absolute illogical. He also had no girlfriend, and did not want to think about girlfriends and balls. He also did not want to think about dancing, he would prefer an extra detention with Snape than trying to find a girl crazy enough to accompany him to the ball. He had absolute no idea what to do, what to say, how to act, how to dress, he was at a total loss. "Maybe Hogwarts might organize a course about dancing or maybe etiquette? Maybe he should owl Professor Dumbledore with such suggestion! Or maybe he could simply ask Hermione!" He was beaming at the thought, and jumped to his table to find parchment and quill and started to write Hermione.
Dear and sweet Hermione,
I would love to go to the balls with you as your friend, but then I need your help. I need to learn how to dance, what to wear, how to act, what to do, because I have absolute no idea what to do. Because you are my best friend, I feel that I can admit that I am totally at a lost here. Please, Hermione help me here! I do not want to make you look like a fool.
And by the way, yes, I would love to take advanced portions with you. Ron is so stupid, because with advanced portions we do not see Snape as much as we much as we see him in applied portions. But I think the reason why he chooses applied portions is because of Parvati, who takes applied as well and he will have more free time with her (he thinks).
I hope that you receive your news from you relatives very soon, so you can see New York and please bring back some New York style cheesecake or pizza for me.
But if you don't go, can we meet somewhere and discuss how we're going to deal with the Balls and dancing? I think that I need to learn etiquette and I also need to learn what to do around a girl, because I have no idea. Can you be so sweet to help me?
Yours,
Harry
He rolled up the parchment, wrote Hermione's name on the front, attached it to Hedwig's leg and sent her off. Harry was not sure how Hermione would react on this letter. It was indeed very strange; because of all the people around him at school, only he and Hermione were not in a relationship. Even Ginny had a boyfriend, and she showed him off everywhere possible.
Last time he came across them in a bathroom. He had been feeling rather impish that day so he decided to switch on the showers and they got soaking wet. When Ginny had found out it was he who had played that nice prank, she was not happy, and ten minutes later he as not happy either, when he went to sit on a transfigured frog which had been a chair one second before. Two seconds later his "chair" started jumping around the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Then he had to try to catch his "chair" while the entire study body watched and laughed. Malfoy had had a field day with that one.
He had no idea why Hermione did not have a boyfriend by now, because she was very good looking. He thought that maybe Ron and Hermione had something, because Ron had admitted a while ago that he might be interested in Hermione. However, Ron never made any effort to get something working with her. Ron said another time that he preferred a girl that he could be physical with (like with Parvati) and did not want to battle with a girlfriend as he normally did with Hermione. They always had rows with each other, bickering about almost everything. Those rows were never very serious and after an hour, everything was alright again.
Anyhow, he had his breakfast, and he had a very exciting morning with the Dursleys, something he never experienced up 'til now. He decided to clean his room for a change, because it had started to smell.
That evening after eating the "meals-on-wings" from Mrs. Weasley, he finally received reply from Hermione.
Dear Harry,
We have a deal. I'll teach you dancing and what you call etiquette and we'll go together to all the balls as friends. I think that is truly great, and I think I will enjoy teaching you very much.
When my mum found out about me agreeing to teach you etiquette, and that you only wanted to learn how to behave because you are my friend and want me to have a good time a the balls, she laughed and said to tell you that you must have been born a gentleman. My father told me to tell you that you are both gallant and insane to do such a thing. They would like to meet you this summer during holiday if that is possible.
Our trip to New York is canceled. My relatives were not able to make free time for our visit so we all decided to wait and see about next year. Since our trip is canceled, we would like to invite you to come to our place so that you and I can spend some time together outside of school. If you can make it here, we could start your training in dancing and etiquette and we could go some shopping together as well.
I know that you are sitting there counting the days before you can go back to school, so I decided to feel free to owl Professor Dumbledore to ask for his permission for you to stay with us for the rest of the summer or until we go to the Weasleys. If he agrees, then we can pick you up tomorrow morning at nine in the morning. We will arrive in our car, so your uncle and aunt will not get upset.
I hope this is alright with you, and if not, please owl me immediately.
We hope to see you tomorrow morning,
Hermione.
Harry jumped straight a up into the air, he was so exited. "That would be so great", he screamed. Downstairs he heard his uncle screaming "Quiet upstairs!" Harry halted immediately and decided to go ask his aunt and uncle about staying with Hermione right away. He left his room and went downstairs. He entered the kitchen, where his uncle was reading a newspaper as usual. Harry looked to his uncle and asked in a monotone voice; "Can I leave tomorrow morning to visit the Granger family?"
His uncle looked up from his newspaper and glared at him. "Why should I allow that?" he replied.
"Maybe I need to owl Moody and ask them for permission, and they might pick me up personally", Harry replied flatly.
His uncle paled and asked, "What kind of people are the Granger's?"
"My best friend is Hermione Granger, and I am invited to join her and her parents".
"Are you planning to come back this summer or are you staying there until you go to you so called school?" asked his uncle.
"I'm staying there until term starts".
His uncle looked at him and said nothing. After some minutes, his color became normal again and he said that it was alright with him. "I love that a freak like you is disappearing early this summer and not coming back until next".
Harry did not reply, but turned on heels and stormed up to the stairs to his room. He immediately started to pack all of his belongings into his trunk and prepared himself to leave tomorrow at nine o'clock. He kept out only a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, socks, underwear and his only pair shoes and he was ready to leave. But it was still early in the evening (eight o'clock), so he decided to write Sirius and Ron a letter to tell them where they could find him.
He told Ron where he was going and what he was planning to learn. He also told Ron that he should do the same and to learn how to handle himself around ladies and how to dance. He knew that Ron would laugh his head off, but Harry did not care. "I'd rather they laugh about me then cry".
After his letters to Sirius, he wrote a letter to Professor Dumbledore. He wrote that he thought it was a good idea to offer a course in etiquette and dancing for fourth years and up. He felt tired and prepared him self for sleep. He felt happy without his meditation and strangely excited for the weeks to come. He started to stretch his body and to do some exercises, for his meditation. He suddenly heard the flatter of an owl and saw the owl from Professor Dumbledore. "That was quick", he thought, but suddenly he thought that might not be the reply to his letter but maybe a letter to disagree with his trip to Hermione's parents house! He took the letter from the school-owl and opened it.
Dear Harry,
I received your letter and your proposition about lessons in etiquette. Professor McGonagall and I agree completely, but only for the fifth years and up, because the others are too young.
As the 31st of July is your seventeenth birthday, you will be expected to be present at Gringotts bank. Ask for the bank manager they will be expecting you that day. Ask Hermione to accompany with you.
Have a good time with the Grangers.
Professor Albus P.B. Dumbledore
Headmaster, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
"Great", Harry thought. "Now nothing can go wrong, and tomorrow morning I will be in the car with the Grangers. I wonder what etiquette really is and what they are going to teach me".
A/N: Beta reader for this story is Jezz Jamer
A/N: Beta reader for this story is Jezz Jamer
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The sun was shining through the window of Harry Potter's bedroom at number four Privet Drive, revealing the dirty cloths strewn across the floor. Harry couldn't find the urge to pick up the cloths and deposit them in his hamper. He was completely unconcerned about the messy state of his room; he had been lying in bed for the past two days daydreaming about his parents, school, his classmates, Professor Dumbledore and his favorite girls: Ginny, Hermione and Cho Chang.
He heard Hedwig hoot softly and unfurl her wings. With a sigh, he stood up from his bed and walked to his window. He opened it and his owl flew off into the unblemished morning sky to hunt for her breakfast. He immediately went back and leaned his head against the metal frame of the bed.
He thought about the lesson in meditation, which Sirius, his godfather gave him on the last day of school in his sixth year. It was the most valuable lesson he had ever received from anyone, because the lesson made it possible for him to sleep and to relax. Before the lesson started, Sirius told him that meditation would help him more then anything else. And Sirius was right about that.
The lesson started with breathing and lasted for two hours. He never thought about the difference between breathing from his chest and breathing with his belly. When he breathed deeply in and out with his belly and tried to empty his mind, he could feel the energy coursing throughout his body, it felt like static electricity tingling at his fingertips. It made him feel utterly relaxed. He could feel his magical power running through his body and searching for a point of exit, to be thrown against the walls, window and door. After this surge of energy his entire being felt energized and he also felt strangely aroused.
After teaching him how to breath properly, Sirius then taught him the basics of self-hypnotism, which enabled him to sleep, concentrate, and rest. It was amazing how a human could be fooled by suggestions, and it was even more amazing that he could make himself to be fooled. He tested the self-hypnotism at first to give him special feelings like happiness, rest, exhaustion. He gave the suggestion to himself that he would "awaken" feeling rested. Indeed, after the hypnotism session he truly felt rested. Harry realized that even when he was not rested at all, he felt like he had had a wonderful nights sleep.
That was enough for him to think about other possibilities like happiness and exhaustion. The feeling of happiness did not occur after his "waking up", except when he used the suggestion to feel happy for a particular reason. When he used a silly reason, he did not feel happy at all. However, when he thought about a real and existing happy memory the suggested to himself that he should feel happy, the feeling of happiness came indeed. Maybe it was not as intense as a real feeling of happiness, but he felt content and optimistic, and he had a very nice feeling at the bottom of his belly.
Harry knew that the dreams were still there and plaguing his subconscious, but with a few well constructed self-suggestions he was able to wake up refreshed and only remembered his dreams faintly. So lacking any meaning and form, the dreams were not upsetting him as much as they usual did. He felt relaxed and rested, and very lazy. The laundry was still waiting for him ...
His aunt and uncle were not bordering him anymore, after their "deep conversation" with Moody at the station when the Dursleys came to picked him up. His relatives were ignoring and keeping away from him, which was excellent for Harry, except that they ignored feeding him as well! No breakfast, no lunch and no dinner!
He owled all his friends for food and cakes and they complied! Every day in the morning at six o'clock he received an excellent breakfast from Hermione's parents, but no eggs and no fast food and mostly every day at eleven in the morning he received a lot of cakes and chocolates from Ron and the twins. At twelve he was sent eggs, ham, sausages and other hardy foods from Sirius and in the evening he got an excellent dinner from Mrs. Weasley. In honesty, he had never eaten so well here at the Dursleys compared to any other vacation with them over all school years and even before. He hoped that Hermione would never find out about the eggs and cakes.
All of this combined produced the appearance of an average healthy and rested young man. This had not been the case for the young man before this summer. Few people had noticed the drastic changes within him.
His aunt looked at him strangely when they met in front of the bathroom yesterday morning. She noticed a young man, who walked confidently down the hall, very different from the boy she remembered from years before. Harry was calmly quiet, his usual nervous expression on his face totally gone. When she looked him straight in the eyes, she could not help but notice that he looked straight back without blinking; he did not avert his gaze.
His penetrating green eyes were like a magnet, which automatically attract any view from the rest of his being. She saw no clear emotion in those eyes, only determination and a strange and intensive depth. She could not help then to stop walking and give him his place in the bathroom without any comment. After he had gone into the bathroom, she hurried back to the kitchen, feeling very nervous.
She was very impressed with him attitude, she could feel the power of his personality very clearly, but there was also much more then only that. She felt very strange when she looked into his eyes, she could feel the intensity together with the determination giving the implication of great power and energy, which seemed to be coming out of him and radiated towards everyone else. She now knew that when Harry would walk into a crowed of people in that mood and with that much determination, everyone would stop talking and would look only to him.
So strange! She remembered last year when the boy left their house, he looked like someone on the verge of a nervous break-down, and anything could trigger an explosion of an emotional fit. What happened?! She had no idea, but it had everything to do with those terrible freaks. She suspected that all those freaks would have done something to make him look the way he looked then. Maybe they used a spell or something like that to make him as he is now.
Harry suddenly noticed Omniga, the new white owl of Hermione's with his breakfast. "Great", Harry though. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse". He unbounded the package from the owl and started to open it.
The package felt cool in his hands, so that meant that he was having a cold salad for breakfast. That was great! He loved salads and specially the ones that were made by Hermione's mum. Yesterday they sent a salad drizzled with a special sauce called saté. That sauce was really great, but extreme hot. He started eating his salad with the fresh, warm white bread they sent as well immediately. He was so hungry yesterday that ate to fast, causing the sauce to burned his mouth so bad that it make him almost cried.
It felt as if smoke was coming out of his nose and ears, and it probably was! He immediately grabbed a glass of water, but that was an even bigger mistake, because that burning feeling in his mouth only intensified. The only thing what could be done was let it burn. And that was exactly what Harry did, he let it burn. After that, he ate more carefully and slowly.
As he unwrapped this morning's package a letter fell out. Harry looked from his breakfast to the letter, wondering which should come first. Would he eat his breakfast, or would he open the letter. Maybe the letter gave him instructions about eating his breakfast (like with there should have been for yesterday's saté), or maybe the letter give him reason to worry so he would not be hungry anymore? He saw that the letter was wrapped in a strange colored envelope, green on the edges, blue in the middle and his name written in large brown and gothic letters. "Well, let's do everything at the same time". He opened the letter and started to eat the sandwich.
"Dear Harry", it read. This was clearly Hermione's handwriting. "Before you start eating those sandwiches, you need to know that we used the same saté as yesterday, and this time with extra green peppers. So please do not eat like a pig as usual, but take small bites." Harry, had taken a large bite of his sandwich, but was not chewing yet; spit the big piece out next to his chair on the ground. "Oh my!" he said. That was almost too late.
He was absolutely certain that Hermione would know that he would take a big bite of the sandwich first and then read the letter, she could be horribly mischievous at the worst of times.
He took a small bite and started to eat. He wondered what she had to say this morning. Hermione was very nervous at the end of the last year. She got all of her OWLS (all twelve of them), while Harry and Ron had only six. Hermione wanted to have her OWLS in all of the subjects, while Harry and Ron choose for a more specific package of OWLS. The coming academic school year would be for the NEWT's, and Harry was absolute sure she wanted to get them all. But her problem was that she did not know what she wanted to do after school! Harry and Ron wanted to become Aurors, or maybe Harry could continue to study and work to become a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor or Quidditch player.
Hermione only knew that she wanted to study but what she should study for, she had no idea. Maybe she could continue to specialize in portions, or languages or transfigurations. She had no idea and became very nervous at the end of the last academic year, because she could not decide which direction she would take. Maybe this letter would give some insight in what she wanted to do.
Dear Harry,
Before you start eating those sandwiches, you need to know that we used the same saté from yesterday, and with extra green peppers. So please do not eat like a pig as usual, but take small bites. When you do eat like a pig as usual, do not use water to find relief, but let the sauce continue to burn out in your mouth.
As you already know, we are waiting for news from my relatives in America to see if may visit them during the holidays, but we still have not heard from them yet. Maybe they changed their minds or maybe they do not have time to allow us to visit. That would be such a pity, because I would love to visit New York and to found out first had why the city is called the "Big Apple".
Anyhow, while waiting I have been researching a large area of subjects to find, of course you would guess right, the area which I could choose to specialize in for my NEWT's. I think that I would like to continue with portions, except that with Snape as the professor it is very difficult to get accepted and to continue in advanced portions. But even when the professor is acting so obstinate and immature, it must not be the reason why I would not choose portions.
I would like to know if you are choosing for applied or advance portions. If you choose advanced, then we can sit together in class, which means that it is easier to deal with him and I would not have to sit alone with all those Slytherins. I understand that you need to choose either applied or advanced portions for your Auror education requirements. I know that Ron is choosing only applied portions, but I am not sure what you want to choose. I hope you choose advanced potions, because we can do everything together, including the research. It would be fun to research certain subjects together.
I also have a question about the coming balls at school. You know that we have a ball the 31st of October, a Christmas ball and a Valentines ball. I don't want to have the problems we had last year before the balls in finding partners, and I am sure you don't want to have those problems again as well. I know that Ron wants to go with Parvati Patil, but I have no dance partner. Is it possible that we can go together as friends? I know that Ron does not mind, because all he can think about is Parvati.
Please, let me know as soon as possible.
Love,
Hermione
Harry knew that he did not want to do portions at all, especially with Snape. He was a terrible man; he was the portions-master from hell. If it was not for the requirements for Auror training, he would drop portions like a stone, straight on the head of Professor Snake-breath. But that must wait at least after his seventh year, when all the NEWT's would be done and earned. Harry was planning on a very big prank to pay Snape back for all the years of nightmares and abuse.
Applied portion was rather uninteresting, and was about five lessons per week, while advanced portions was only about two lessons per week but the lesson were much more difficult. That was defiantly a good reason never to go near advanced portions, but all the interesting portions were being made in the advanced portions class, while applied portions was simple and stupid work in a very annoying environment with a very dreadful professor. In the advanced portions they would have boring potions but also very interesting ones, and at least he would have a sense that he was learning something. And above all, the advanced portions would give him the possibility to research, and that meant that he could work independently sometime and less with Snape. At the end, he would encounter Snape much less then he would if he took applied portions, where was no research and only conventional lessons. He should obviously take advanced portions and now that he knew Hermione had chosen that as well, his choice was made.
Now to worry about those dreadful balls for the coming year, he hated balls and he had no idea how to dance and girls are absolute illogical. He also had no girlfriend, and did not want to think about girlfriends and balls. He also did not want to think about dancing, he would prefer an extra detention with Snape than trying to find a girl crazy enough to accompany him to the ball. He had absolute no idea what to do, what to say, how to act, how to dress, he was at a total loss. "Maybe Hogwarts might organize a course about dancing or maybe etiquette? Maybe he should owl Professor Dumbledore with such suggestion! Or maybe he could simply ask Hermione!" He was beaming at the thought, and jumped to his table to find parchment and quill and started to write Hermione.
Dear and sweet Hermione,
I would love to go to the balls with you as your friend, but then I need your help. I need to learn how to dance, what to wear, how to act, what to do, because I have absolute no idea what to do. Because you are my best friend, I feel that I can admit that I am totally at a lost here. Please, Hermione help me here! I do not want to make you look like a fool.
And by the way, yes, I would love to take advanced portions with you. Ron is so stupid, because with advanced portions we do not see Snape as much as we much as we see him in applied portions. But I think the reason why he chooses applied portions is because of Parvati, who takes applied as well and he will have more free time with her (he thinks).
I hope that you receive your news from you relatives very soon, so you can see New York and please bring back some New York style cheesecake or pizza for me.
But if you don't go, can we meet somewhere and discuss how we're going to deal with the Balls and dancing? I think that I need to learn etiquette and I also need to learn what to do around a girl, because I have no idea. Can you be so sweet to help me?
Yours,
Harry
He rolled up the parchment, wrote Hermione's name on the front, attached it to Hedwig's leg and sent her off. Harry was not sure how Hermione would react on this letter. It was indeed very strange; because of all the people around him at school, only he and Hermione were not in a relationship. Even Ginny had a boyfriend, and she showed him off everywhere possible.
Last time he came across them in a bathroom. He had been feeling rather impish that day so he decided to switch on the showers and they got soaking wet. When Ginny had found out it was he who had played that nice prank, she was not happy, and ten minutes later he as not happy either, when he went to sit on a transfigured frog which had been a chair one second before. Two seconds later his "chair" started jumping around the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Then he had to try to catch his "chair" while the entire study body watched and laughed. Malfoy had had a field day with that one.
He had no idea why Hermione did not have a boyfriend by now, because she was very good looking. He thought that maybe Ron and Hermione had something, because Ron had admitted a while ago that he might be interested in Hermione. However, Ron never made any effort to get something working with her. Ron said another time that he preferred a girl that he could be physical with (like with Parvati) and did not want to battle with a girlfriend as he normally did with Hermione. They always had rows with each other, bickering about almost everything. Those rows were never very serious and after an hour, everything was alright again.
Anyhow, he had his breakfast, and he had a very exciting morning with the Dursleys, something he never experienced up 'til now. He decided to clean his room for a change, because it had started to smell.
That evening after eating the "meals-on-wings" from Mrs. Weasley, he finally received reply from Hermione.
Dear Harry,
We have a deal. I'll teach you dancing and what you call etiquette and we'll go together to all the balls as friends. I think that is truly great, and I think I will enjoy teaching you very much.
When my mum found out about me agreeing to teach you etiquette, and that you only wanted to learn how to behave because you are my friend and want me to have a good time a the balls, she laughed and said to tell you that you must have been born a gentleman. My father told me to tell you that you are both gallant and insane to do such a thing. They would like to meet you this summer during holiday if that is possible.
Our trip to New York is canceled. My relatives were not able to make free time for our visit so we all decided to wait and see about next year. Since our trip is canceled, we would like to invite you to come to our place so that you and I can spend some time together outside of school. If you can make it here, we could start your training in dancing and etiquette and we could go some shopping together as well.
I know that you are sitting there counting the days before you can go back to school, so I decided to feel free to owl Professor Dumbledore to ask for his permission for you to stay with us for the rest of the summer or until we go to the Weasleys. If he agrees, then we can pick you up tomorrow morning at nine in the morning. We will arrive in our car, so your uncle and aunt will not get upset.
I hope this is alright with you, and if not, please owl me immediately.
We hope to see you tomorrow morning,
Hermione.
Harry jumped straight a up into the air, he was so exited. "That would be so great", he screamed. Downstairs he heard his uncle screaming "Quiet upstairs!" Harry halted immediately and decided to go ask his aunt and uncle about staying with Hermione right away. He left his room and went downstairs. He entered the kitchen, where his uncle was reading a newspaper as usual. Harry looked to his uncle and asked in a monotone voice; "Can I leave tomorrow morning to visit the Granger family?"
His uncle looked up from his newspaper and glared at him. "Why should I allow that?" he replied.
"Maybe I need to owl Moody and ask them for permission, and they might pick me up personally", Harry replied flatly.
His uncle paled and asked, "What kind of people are the Granger's?"
"My best friend is Hermione Granger, and I am invited to join her and her parents".
"Are you planning to come back this summer or are you staying there until you go to you so called school?" asked his uncle.
"I'm staying there until term starts".
His uncle looked at him and said nothing. After some minutes, his color became normal again and he said that it was alright with him. "I love that a freak like you is disappearing early this summer and not coming back until next".
Harry did not reply, but turned on heels and stormed up to the stairs to his room. He immediately started to pack all of his belongings into his trunk and prepared himself to leave tomorrow at nine o'clock. He kept out only a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, socks, underwear and his only pair shoes and he was ready to leave. But it was still early in the evening (eight o'clock), so he decided to write Sirius and Ron a letter to tell them where they could find him.
He told Ron where he was going and what he was planning to learn. He also told Ron that he should do the same and to learn how to handle himself around ladies and how to dance. He knew that Ron would laugh his head off, but Harry did not care. "I'd rather they laugh about me then cry".
After his letters to Sirius, he wrote a letter to Professor Dumbledore. He wrote that he thought it was a good idea to offer a course in etiquette and dancing for fourth years and up. He felt tired and prepared him self for sleep. He felt happy without his meditation and strangely excited for the weeks to come. He started to stretch his body and to do some exercises, for his meditation. He suddenly heard the flatter of an owl and saw the owl from Professor Dumbledore. "That was quick", he thought, but suddenly he thought that might not be the reply to his letter but maybe a letter to disagree with his trip to Hermione's parents house! He took the letter from the school-owl and opened it.
Dear Harry,
I received your letter and your proposition about lessons in etiquette. Professor McGonagall and I agree completely, but only for the fifth years and up, because the others are too young.
As the 31st of July is your seventeenth birthday, you will be expected to be present at Gringotts bank. Ask for the bank manager they will be expecting you that day. Ask Hermione to accompany with you.
Have a good time with the Grangers.
Professor Albus P.B. Dumbledore
Headmaster, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
"Great", Harry thought. "Now nothing can go wrong, and tomorrow morning I will be in the car with the Grangers. I wonder what etiquette really is and what they are going to teach me".
A/N: Beta reader for this story is Jezz Jamer
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