“Harry, time to wake up.” Harry rolled over at these words and saw Hermione sitting on the edge of his bed. He threw the stuffed animal he was clutching, for some reason, aside and pulled back the blankets. “You can still dress yourself right,” Hermione asked handing him some clothes.
Harry wanted to scowl but merely nodded his head. “Well, get dressed then. Mum and dad already left for work, so it’s just you and me today,” she added leaving the room. Harry pulled of his pajamas and dressed for the day. Rather, he tried to dress for the day. He had no trouble putting on the red shirt he was given, but the khaki shorts did not fit. He went to the dresser to get another pair. They did not fit either, nor did the next pair he tried.
“Hermione,” he called, though to her it sounded like he was whining.
“What,” she replied coming back into the room.
“None of these shorts fit.”
Hermione did her best not to laugh as she took in the funny scene before her. “Harry,” she said, trying to sound as serious as she could. “Maybe you should take the Pull-ups off first. I did give you a pair of underwear for a reason.”
“What? Your mum put me in a diaper last night!”
“She’s your mum right now too! Anyway, it’s not a diaper, she just didn’t want to find out the hard way if you wet the bed.” Hermione was still managing not to laugh, but she could not help smiling. “Just hurry up and change.”
Harry waited until Hermione had left again, and then started changing. This time the shorts fit, since he was wearing regular, though cartoon printed, underwear. He put some socks on, then cleaned up the mess he had made with the other pairs of shorts. He walked into the hall to find Hermione waiting.
Hermione was reading a sheet of paper but looked up when he closed his door. “Do you have to go potty,” she asked putting her hands to her sides. Harry could now see the paper held a list, he guessed from her parents, telling her what to do with him. The second item told her to ask that question. Feeling degraded he walked into the bathroom without replying.
Harry followed Hermione downstairs; thankful she had not carried him. He sat at the table as Hermione poured him and herself a bowl of cereal and glass of orange juice. She sat his food in front of him and sat in the opposite chair. Harry reached for his glass of juice first, but a combination of not sleeping good and his decreased motor skills caused him to knock it over.
“Harry,” Hermione screeched jumping to her feet. She cleaned his mess up and then spent some time searching in the kitchen cupboards. When she returned, she placed a sippy-cup of juice in front of Harry.
“I’m not drinking from that,” Harry shouted.
“Oh yes you are. I’m not cleaning up another spill.”
Harry decided to eat and realizing he would get nothing else, drank from the cup. Hermione put the dishes away then asked Harry to follow her. She led the way back upstairs and stopped in front of his room.
“You can play in your room, I’ve got things to do. Come get me if you need anything.” Hermione walked down the hall and into the door of the room next to Harry’s.
Harry went into his room and sat on the floor. He started to look more closely at the toys the Grangers and Dumbledore had given him. There were toy cars, action figures and some Lego sets. Despite the fact his mind was beginning to think like a child’s these toys could not hold his attention for long. The Lego sets kept him occupied the longest, only because he had to build the toys first.
After only an hour and a half he was too bored to continue. He walked down the hall and into Hermione’s room. She was laying on her bed reading and had not noticed him come in. Her room was very neat and tidy. There was a huge bookcase taking up a whole wall. Though it was overflowing with books of various sizes it was well organized and clean. Her desk was bare except for a pad of paper, a jar of pencils and pens and a desk lamp. Her dresser and closet were closed.
“Hermione, I’m bored,” Harry announced.
“Hmm, um, go play with your toys, if your bored Harry,” Hermione said not looking up from her book. Harry walked into the room and poked Hermione on the shoulder to get her attention. “Urgh, I told you to play with your toys,” she growled setting her book down.
“I did. I’m bored now!”
Hermione starred at Harry, with a look of confusion for a moment. She then took his hand and led him downstairs to the living room. She turned on the television and changed to cartoons. “Watch TV then.” Hermione disappeared back upstairs. Harry sat on the floor and watched television.
He was astounded when Hermione returned and, turning off the television, told him it was time for lunch. He looked at the watch hanging loosely on his wrist; it had been two hours. Hermione made them sandwiches for lunch. She got herself a soda but gave Harry another sippy-cup, filled with milk.
“Hey! How come you get a soda and I get milk,” Harry asked, but once again he sounded whiney to Hermione.
“You get milk because mum wrote that you should get milk with lunch on this list.”
“Let me see it.”
“No,” Hermione said simply. “How about we go to the play park after lunch?”
Harry agreed to make Hermione think she had distracted him, but he decided he would see that list before the end of the day.
Twenty minutes after lunch Harry and Hermione were at the neighborhood play park. Hermione had held Harry’s hand the whole way there and after finding a bench to sit and read on released his hand.
No sooner had Hermione opened her book than Harry spoke. “Hermione, I have to go to the bathroom.”
Hermione looked to see Harry had not moved from where she had let his hand go. “Why didn’t you go before we left home?”
“I didn’t have to go.”
Hermione growled, closed her book, grabbed Harry’s hand and started for home. “You know Harry, just because you have the body of a child does not mean you are one. Act like a teenager for crying out loud.”
Harry had to run to keep up with Hermione as she dragged him home. Harry ran up to the bathroom and came back down when finished.
Hermione grabbed Harry’s hand to set out for the park yet again, but his hand was wet. “Please tell me that is water on your hand,” Hermione groaned.
“It is. I washed my hands, but couldn’t reach a towel,” Harry added seeing her face.
“You’re sure? You aren’t lying to me?”
“Hermione, I washed my hands. I’m fifteen!”
“Wouldn’t know it by the way you’ve acted today,” Hermione growled.
Hermione sat back down on the bench while Harry went to play with the other children. It had been many years since he had played at a park, and even then he had few people to play with. The other children around the ages of five and six were nicer here however and he was soon playing games with them.
Unfortunately for Harry, he had retained his adolescent temper and despite being smaller was much stronger than the average four-year-old. He got in an argument with a six-year-old, who obviously did not have the same understanding of fair play Harry did. The “older” boy had tried to say Harry was it while playing tag, even though Harry had outrun him. Harry had confused him while trying to explain, in not so little words, and the boy pushed him. Harry was surprised that he was still standing, but pushed back. The other boy stumbled backwards, fell over and hit his head on a metal pole.
The six-year-old began to cry very loudly and his mother came rushing over. Hermione had looked up from her book, hearing the commotion. She too came over.
“I am so sorry,” Hermione said to the lady. “I know I should have been watching my little brother more closely.”
“Yes you should have young lady. He nearly cracked my son’s skull open.”
“I am so sorry,” Hermione repeated, lifting Harry into her arms. “Tell them you are sorry Harry!”
“He pushed me first!”
“I don’t care!”
However, the lady asked her son if he had pushed Harry first. The boy sobbed a yes. “Well, that serves you right to be pushed back. I’m sorry Miss. I guess we should expect little boys to act like this.”
The lady and her son left and Hermione carried Harry back to the bench. She gathered her book and started to leave. “We’re going home, and I don’t want you to say anything! I don’t care if he pushed you first! I don’t care that he is bigger than you! You pushed a little kid Harry!” Harry considered yelling back, but he had never seen Hermione this mad, not even at Ron.
Hermione carried Harry home and up to his room. She stood him in a corner, facing the walls.
“You can stand in that corner until mum and dad get home.” Hermione left the room, closing the door behind her.
Harry stood in the corner fuming. He was furious: furious at Hermione, at Dumbledore and … at himself. He found himself thinking about Sirius again. This and Hermione checking on him every few minutes, to make sure he was still in the corner, only made him angrier. His blood was boiling, and after two hours his feet and legs were hurting. He could deal with the pain, but he soon had another problem.
“Hermione.” There was no answer and she did not come to his door. Starting to fidget and squirm, he tried again. “Hermione!” Harry did not wait as long this time. “Hermione!”
Finally she came into his room. “No, you can’t get out of the corner yet! It serves you right if you’re bored or if your feet hurt.”
“I have to go to the bathroom!” This time he was whining.
“Hold it!”
“I can’t,” Harry screamed at Hermione as she left again.
Harry waited a few more minutes before trying again. He was sure he would soon burst. “Hermione!”
“I told you to hold it Harry! You’re supposed to be quiet now. You’re in time out,” Hermione called back from her room.
“If you don’t let me go right now, you’re going to have another mess to clean up!”
Hermione stormed into his room and grabbed Harry’s wrist. She dragged him to the bathroom, pulled his pants down and sat him on the toilet. She waited for him to finish and wash his hands then took him back to his room and placed him in the corner again.
Harry remained standing silently in the corner until Mrs. Granger arrived home. He heard her arrive home and Hermione go downstairs to meet her. He could here them talking but could not make out what they were saying. He of course knew Hermione was telling her mother about what had happened in the park.
“Harry you can get out of the corner now,” Mrs. Granger said walking by Harry’s door. “Why don’t you go watch TV with Hermione until dinner is ready.”
Surprised that Hermione actually watched television, Harry did as Mrs. Granger suggested. Mrs. Granger had dinner ready by the time her husband arrived home and the family ate together. Hermione had told Mrs. Granger about breakfast, so once again Harry drank his milk from a sippy-cup. They all watched television together after dinner.
After the news Mrs. Granger gave Harry his bath and was about to dress him when he spoke. “Mommy,” he managed to say, amazed at how hard it was to say one word. “I don’t, nor have I ever wet the bed.”
“Well, Professor Dumbledore told me the spell he used on you has some side affects. He thought bedwetting to be a possibility because of how much younger he made you. Wouldn’t you rather make sure, instead of waking up in a cold, wet bed?”
“But I won’t,” Harry insisted. “I don’t want to wear a Pull-ups to bed.”
“Well, I don’t want to clean up the mess if you do have an accident,” Mrs. Granger commented while having to forcefully dress him. “Now brush your teeth and go potty.”
Harry did as he was told and went to his room. He was glad he had not taken off the Pull-ups as he thought about doing, because Mrs. Granger checked before tucking him in. She put the stuffed animal next to him and left. Harry promptly threw this to the floor once his light was off and the door was closed. Once again he fell asleep right away, despite the earlier bedtime.