Chapter 8 Summer’s End
Harry spent the last week of summer with the Weasleys at the Burrow.
Ron had grown taller over the summer and was strong and tanned from his work outdoors with Charlie. He had lots of great stories about working with dragons in Wales and Scotland. He and Charlie had rescued muggles who had wandered through gaps in the magical barriers and had entered the dragon sanctuaries. They had camped out a lot. They spent a night in a muggle hotel after a pack of wyverns raided their tent. They had almost been hit by a car crossing a road.
“We couldn't just kill the wyverns because they are an endangered species," Ron explained. "Wizards have a responsibility to protect magical creatures like dragons and wyverns from muggles and vice versa."
Ginny's letter from Hogwarts contained a prefect's badge.
They compared O.W.L. results. Harry and Ron were relieved they could both go on to advanced potions. Not because they liked the idea of class with Professor Snape, but because they had to do it in order to become aurors.
Harry told Ron about his experiences instructing kids at the YWWMC, but he left out the part about Hermione being at Hogwarts. He left out the part about Cho, Katie and Cindy flirting with him too. Poor Ron hadn't seen a girl all summer.
They made a trip to Diagon Alley using the flue network to buy school supplies. Harry bought things for Hermione too. This earned him some strange looks in Madam Malkin's. When Harry took money from his vault at Gringott's Goblin Bank, he noticed a small cloth bag next to the dwindling pile of galleons. On impulse he took it with him. There were rings in the bag.
Harry and Ron also looked at new brooms. Neither boy needed a new broom, but they couldn't resist window shopping. Harry simply could not buy a broom that was better than his Firebolt, but the Comet 260LE looked like a nice broom. Harry bought one and told Ron he just wanted an everyday broom so he could save his Firebolt for serious quidditch.
The best part of that last glorious week of summer was that Harry and the Weasleys played three on three quidditch. Each team had two chasers and a keeper. There was no snitch, the game ended when Mrs. Weasley called for dinner. Harry played with Ginny and Charlie. Charlie was a super keeper. Harry could see that Ginny would be a great chaser. Ron played keeper for Fred and George. Harry used his new Comet, it was good broom but it was certainly not a Firebolt.
Then suddenly, summer was over and Harry was on the Hogwarts express headed back to school.
It seemed to Harry that a lot of his friends were up in the first coach with the prefects. Harry ended up sharing a compartment with Neville Longbottom, Katie Bell and Cindy Chambers. They were less than a half an hour out of King's Cross station when the door of their compartment opened. It was Cho and a group of sixth and seventh year girls.
"Hi Harry," Cho said sweetly, "can we come in?"
Of course Cho and her friends did come in, and the compartment was quite crowded.
Cho was accompanied by Padma and Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown and Marietta Edgecombe. Cho pushed Marietta to the front of the group next to Harry. The pustules on her face were gone and she was blushing so it wasn't possible to see the word Sneak anymore.
"Uh, Harry," Marietta said quietly, "I'm sorry I told Miss Umbridge about the D.A."
"What's past is past," said Harry. "We have to unite against Lord Voldemort and his followers now."
"Right," Marietta said, taking a deep breath, "thanks Harry."
Cho and her friends stayed to talk for a while but with nine people in the compartment it was quite crowded. The train lurched and Parvati Patil lost her balance and ended up sitting on Harry's lap.
"Sorry Harry," Parvati giggled.
Then she put her arms around Harry's neck and leaned close to him.
"Maybe we should have done this at the Yule Ball instead of trying to dance," she whispered with a smile.
The gang of girls eventually moved on down the train to find a less crowded compartment.
Katie and Cindy got Neville to talk about the trial of Jurgson and Dolohov. They wanted the real story of how Harry had saved Hermione from the death curse. Harry had thrown his body into a flying tackle to save the girl, how romantic.
The arrival of Draco Malfoy and his gang saved Harry from further flirting.
"Well if it isn't the heroic Harry Potter," Malfoy sneered, "and there isn't a Weasley in sight. Did you ditch those losers for these losers?"
Katie, Cindy and Neville reached for their wands but Harry gestured for them to refrain.
"Theodore, Vincent, Gregory, you poor fellows!" Harry said a bit too loudly and sympathetically to be believable. "It's so sad that your fathers are dead, even if they did get what they deserved."
"And you Draco, have you seen your fugitive father lately?" Harry taunted. "He's not at home much now is he? Maybe he's too busy failing to do Lord Voldemort's dirty work."
Malfoy growled at Harry, but they didn't pull out their wands. Four on four was not the way they liked to fight.
"Your dad couldn't even murder a school girl," sneered Harry. "Next time you see him, you should ask him how the Cruciatus curse really feels. Lord Voldemort isn't exactly kind to his incompetent servants."
Then Neville chimed in.
"Did you see that poem in the Daily Prophet about Theodore's dad?" asked Neville gleefully. "Theodore Nott, was killed by a shot, fired by a muggle's gun…"
The Slytherin boys slammed the door shut as they left the compartment.
A little while later Ron and Ginny showed up. Colin Creevy was with them, he was the other fifth year prefect.
"Those Slytherin boys looked angry," Ginny reported. "Did anybody say something that would offend them?"
"Would we do a thing like that?" Harry asked innocently.
"We wouldn't offend Theodore," Neville said "his dad became famous for the way he died! He could get a Fergenson award!" he laughed.
"It's not all that funny," said Ron, being unusually serious. "There are two times when your enemies are dangerous, when they're winning and when they're losing."
"Ernie MacMillan predicts gang warfare in Hogwarts this year," Ginny said glumly.
"We're going to have to take security precautions," Ron stated. "Move in groups and pair up older students with younger ones for defense. By the way, where's Hermione?"
"I think Dumbledore took her to Grimmauld place after her parents' funeral," Harry lied. "He probably took her back to Hogwarts using the flue network or a portkey."
The Hogwarts Express pulled into the station at Hogsmead fifteen minutes late. It was unseasonably cold and drizzling. Through the window of the train, Harry saw that there were very few people waiting at the station. Most were huddled under umbrellas or had their cloaks pulled around them, but he saw a thin girl with wet matted brown hair shivering in a wet T-shirt and jogging shorts. As Harry got off the train, he heard her calling:
"Second year students, come this way! Second years ride the carriages to the castle!"
She didn't look like a prefect though she wore a prefect's badge, but she had a very bossy voice that none of the younger students would argue with.
"Harry! Ron!" she cried in delight as she ran over to greet them.
Hermione gave each of them a quick kiss.
"Hermione," Ron said loudly, over the noise of the locomotive, "you're so thin!"
"Ron," Hermione answered gamely, "you're so tall! And you've gotten so strong!"
"Harry, please tell me you have some school clothes for me," she begged.
"Right here," Harry said proudly, holding a package in his left hand and Hedwig's cage in his right.
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said shivering. "Ron we've got to direct the second year students, and we must warn them to not walk in front of the carriages!"
Ron handed Pig's cage to Harry and left with Hermione.
Harry and Neville walked towards the line of carriages looking for an empty one so they could save seats for Hermione and Ron.
As Harry was getting the owl cages into a carriage he heard Hermione shriek and then he heard a blood curdling racket like the howling of a hundred psychotic hyenas.
"Tenebrus! Scaliwag! Give that back!" Hermione demanded angrily.
"Accio T-shirt," she shouted.
"Damn!" she swore.
"Accio the-rest-of-the-T-shirt," she said in frustration.
Hermione came over to the carriage where Harry was waiting. She was wearing a bikini top and carrying a shredded rag that was the color of a T-shirt she had once owned.
"I hate thestrals!" she shouted. "Harry will you please walk with me while I direct the second year students. Just warn me if those any of those awful beasts approach. I'll fix their ass," she said waving her wand threateningly.
Harry took off his cloak and draped it over Hermione's bare shoulders. He walked with her towards the crowd of students that were still milling around the train.
"Second year students ride the carriages! Second year students ride the carriages!" Hermione shouted.
Then Harry heard a familiar deep voice booming out and he saw a huge figure looming in the fog.
"First years, to the boats! First years to the boats!" called Hagrid.
"Hagrid!" Harry and Hermione shouted in unison.
"Harry!" returned Hagrid, "how have ya been? Didja getta play any quidditch this summer?"
Harry greeted his big friend with a handshake. Hermione gave Hagrid a quick hug.
Then she took a swing at him!
Harry supposed she was trying to punch him in the stomach, but her fist slammed into Hagrid's enormous belt buckle.
"Oww," moaned Hermione, clutching her right hand with her left.
"Didja wan somethin 'Ermione?" asked Hagrid.
"I want you to teach those thestrals some manners!" she shouted in pain.
"Speaking of manners, Miss Granger," came the slimy smooth voice of Harry's least favorite teacher, "did I see you strike an instructor?"
"I diddnut feel nuthin," Hagrid said defensively.
"And, Miss Granger…" Snape continued, "there seem to be… items… of your school uniform… missing."
As he spoke, he used the tip of his wand to knock Harry's cloak off Hermione's shoulders. Then he lightly touched her with his wand and he slowly moved it down her shivering bikini clad body.
"Ten points from Gryffindor for disorderly conduct, and ten more points for being out of uniform, Miss Granger," Snape said with a smirk.
"But Professor Snape," said Hermione trembling, "you can't take points from Gryffindor. Term has just started. We don't have any house points."
"Thanks to Mr. Potter's actions in June, the rules have been changed," Snape explained with an evil grin. "And you Miss Granger are the first student in Hogwarts' history to earn your house negative points. Isn't that ironic Mr. Potter, you will have to share your fame as a trouble maker," Snape said looking at Harry. "And for that smart comment, Miss Granger," Snape added, "I'm giving you a detention, this evening."
When all of the students were in the thestral drawn carriages, Harry, Hermione and Ron climbed into the seats that Neville had saved for them. As the carriage moved towards the castle Hermione tore open the package Harry had brought for her and pulled on her school clothes right over her bikini and jogging shorts.
"I was sorry to hear about your parents," said Ron sympathetically.
"And your uncle, and your home," added Neville. "We're glad they didn't get you."
"Thank you Ron, Neville, good friends like you are such a comfort to me," Hermione said sincerely.
Hermione looked at Harry and their eyes met. Harry thought that Hermione looked a bit uncomfortable. He knew that Ron and Neville were unaware that Hermione's parents were still alive. In order to conceal the truth that Hermione had been at Hogwarts all summer, they would have to maintain the fiction that she had been at home. Harry didn't want to lie to his best friends. He looked down to avoid making eye contact with Ron but that just made things worse. On the back of his own hand he could still read the words, "I must not tell lies."
"Did either of you get the whole story on what happened to Tonks?" asked Ron.
Hermione and Harry looked at each other again.
"Tonks was working for the Ministry against Lord Voldemort. She died heroically, while on duty," Harry said. "That's enough for me."
They arrived at the castle. Hedwig and Pig were left in their cages in a room near the entrance to the great hall. They would be moved up to the students’ rooms along with the luggage. Harry had never worried about how their things were transported to their rooms. He had always assumed it was magic. Now he guessed that the job was done by house elves while the students ate. He looked around the room and wondered if there was an opening to a secret passage that was just big enough for the elves.
They walked past the glass columns that kept track of house points. There were no jewels in any of them of course, since the term had just begun, but there were 20 black balls that looked to be made of coal in the Gryffindor column. Students were talking.
"Negative house points? I've never heard of such a thing!"
"Who lost us 20 points so fast?"
"Hermione Granger?? You're kidding! I don't believe you."
"She punched Hagrid?? That's ridiculous!"
"Hermione in detention??? What kind of twit do you think I am?"
As they entered the great hall Mr. Filch passed by. He was smiling and muttering to himself about thumbscrews and the boot.
"Mr. Filch gives me the creeps," Hermione whispered to Harry.
Harry looked at her in surprise.
"Hermione Granger, friend to werewolves and half-giants, champion of house elf rights, a daughter of muggles, is prejudiced against squibs?" Harry whispered back. "I don't believe it!"
"I'm not prejudiced against squibs!" Hermione hissed. "I just don't like the way Mr. Filch looked at me. What if he saw me this summer?"
Harry was not comfortable with that thought either.
They found seats at the Gryffindor table just in time for the sorting of the first year students to begin.
"Harry, look at the teachers table," Hermione whispered. "It's Mr. Fudge!"
The sorting hat began to sing about the need for school unity. It was a long song.
Harry looked at the Slytherin table. He thought that the sorting hat was bonkers.
The hat's song did have a catchy rhythm, in four-four time. Harry heard Dennis Creevy begin to chant a counter theme to the hat's call for school unity.
Not with those snakes
Not with those snakes
Several Gryffindor students picked up on his theme and began chanting with Dennis.
Not with those snakes
Not with those snakes
They were loud enough for the Slytherins to hear what they were saying. In a few seconds the Slytherins began their own chant about school unity.
Not with Mudbloods!
Not with Mudbloods!
There was talking at the Hufflepuff table. Heated argument broke out at the Ravenclaw table. The hall became so noisy it was impossible to hear the sorting hat.
Finally Professor McGonagall shouted for everyone to be quiet. Then she rather gruffly told the sorting hat to stop singing and get on with the sorting.
"Humpf," grunted the sorting hat.
Ronald Angle “ Hufflepuff! The students at the Hufflepuff table applauded.
Glenda Bowman - Hufflepuff! Again the Hufflepuffs applauded.
Kevin Carlson - Hufflepuff! More applause from the Hufflepuff table.
By the time the sorting had reached Belinda Goodwitch and all of the students had been assigned to Hufflepuff, it was obvious that something was wrong.
By the time Sylvia Johnson was sorted into Hufflepuff, even the Hufflepuffs had stopped applauding.
The last first year student to be sorted was a short, pale, very blond boy with thick glasses named Winston Whitehead. The hat put him into Hufflepuff too.
The teachers looked at each other in shock. Professor Sprout had buried her head in her hands. The sorting hat ended with an improvised chant.
School unity, who needs that?
Why listen to a battered old hat?
Then the hat sat sulking on his stool.
Dennis Creevy leaned over to Harry and whispered gleefully, "I think I broke the sorting hat!"
Dumbledore held a quick conference with Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and Snape. They called all of the first year students back and asked them what houses they wanted to be in. The students that had no preference were assigned to a house by Professor Dumbledore. Sometimes he would ask them a question. Sometimes he would flip a coin. It seemed a very random process, but finally the first year students were sorted and they could start eating.
After the sorting, Professor Snape came over to the Gryffindor table and took Hermione. Harry's appetite went away, he felt like there was lead in his stomach. Ron he was strangely quiet too and didn’t make a move to eat. They exchanged worried glances and looked down the corridor where Snape had taken Hermione. Little Winston Whitehead sat down in the seat she had vacated. They didn't touch any of the food until Winston asked them to pass the potatoes, and it took him a while to work up the courage to do that.
When dinner was over, Dumbledore stood up to give his welcoming speech. He gave the usual announcements about the forbidden forest and Mr. Filch's rules and quidditch tryouts, but the new stuff was a surprise.
"As you know, our community is in a state of political unrest due to the return of Lord Voldemort. The unrest will not spread to this school. Fighting among students will not be tolerated. Before you are dismissed to go to your dormitories, your wands will be scanned and registered. The use of any magic outside the classroom will be detected, alarms will sound, and you will be in big trouble. The archaic system of punishments instituted by Headmistress Dolores Umbridge, remains in effect. There will be peace in the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Dumbledore then introduced the new defense against the dark arts instructor, Mr. Cornelius Fudge.
The students began whispering with each other about Dolores Umbridge and how she had worked for Mr. Fudge.
Fudge got up to give a speech, just as one would expect from a politician.
"I would like to begin by thanking the headmaster for entrusting me with the mission of teaching you children the latest techniques to defend yourselves against those who would use dark magic against you," Fudge recited.
"As you all know, last year when I was Minister of Magic, I appointed Miss Dolores Umbridge to be the defense against the dark arts instructor." Then Fudge lowered his voice, "I sincerely apologize to all of you for that mistake." He continued, "Miss Umbridge failed to follow her instructions and greatly exceeded her authority. We do not want children learning how to cast dark magic spells. But it was never my intention that the classroom practice of defensive spells be eliminated.”
“This year, with the threat to our community clearly defined, I pledge to you that I will do everything in my power to ensure that you are well prepared to defend yourselves."
After the speeches, the students had to submit their wands to an inspection by an enchanted rod before they could go up to their rooms.
While most of the students paraded up the stairs to settle into their bedrooms, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Colin Creevy waited in the common room for Hermione to return.
It was nearly eleven when Hermione limped into the Gryffindor common room. Her face was pale and her eyes were very red. Both of her hands were curled into loose fists, she held her arms tightly across her body as if she were cold.
"Hermione!" Harry and the prefects all exclaimed in shock.
"What did Snape do to you?" Ron asked in concern and anger.
"I don't want to talk about it," Hermione mumbled as she limped towards the stairs to the girl's dormitory.
"Hermione, talk to us, please," said Harry. "We're your friends."
Hermione stopped and took a deep breath.
"I didn't like the way Snape looked at you at the station," Harry said angrily. "I didn't like the way he touched you with his wand. Did he… Did he…" Harry couldn't finish the sentence.
"Did he rape you?" Ginny asked.
"No!" Hermione exclaimed, startled. "No, it wasn't like that. It wasn't like that at all."
"I was tortured," she admitted, "my hand and foot."
"Tortured!" Harry yelled angrily, "I'm going to McGonagall."
"She knows," Hermione said quietly. "It was very painful, but it was no worse than what Umbridge did to you night after night last year."
"It wasn't fair!" Harry stated emphatically.
"I deserved to be punished," Hermione said sadly. "I lost my temper. I hit an instructor and I smarted off. My punishment was harsh, but it wasn't unjust. It wasn't pointless."
Harry and Ron looked at each other in disbelief. She had defended the teachers that tortured her. Ginny went to Hermione's side and held her as they walked up the steps to their dormitory.
On Monday morning as the term started, Harry and Ron walked to the great hall for breakfast. On the bulletin board, next to the glass columns that kept track of the house points, there was a festive announcement that congratulated Hermione Granger for getting the highest marks in O.W.L. exams for the decade. There was a picture of her smiling and waving. This was in stark contrast to her somber face as she walked by slowly with Ginny. The hall was unusually quiet. Rumors of Hermione's torture had spread like fire. All of the students understood that the rules would be enforced without mercy this year. Everyone was staring at her in curiosity.
"There aren't many owls today," Hermione observed.
Indeed there weren’t many owls, the Daily Prophet was not delivered that day.
Harry, Ron and Hermione had advanced potions right after breakfast. Like most of the N.E.W.T. courses, students from all four of the houses were combined. Ron sat down next to Hermione, while Harry ended up paired with Ernie MacMillan.
"Today we are going to brew a powerful wound healing potion," Professor Snape said. "I want you to be extra careful to follow the instructions precisely. If your product is of adequate quality, it may actually be useful. At each work station you will find a small vial that contains a clear liquid, this is the ingredient mentioned in line sixteen of the instructions. Collecting this ingredient is a rather tedious task, do not spill it."
The ingredient listed on line sixteen was "tears of a young maiden".
Harry looked back at Hermione. She was looking down at her feet. Ron was patting her back. Nearly everyone in class was looking at her. Draco Malfoy was carelessly tossing his small vial up and catching it after it made a few flips.
Harry and Ernie read all of the instructions on the board and the material in the potions book before they began. Harry looked at the vial of tears and realized there would be some extra left over.
"Ernie," Harry whispered, "I want a vial of this healing potion, just in case. We're going to make a double batch. When we get to step sixteen we'll need to nick the left over tears from Ron and Parvati."
"You distract Snape," whispered Ernie, "he watches you like a hawk. I'll get the vials."
At the end of class, Harry and Ernie filled two vials with the healing potion. They turned in one vial with their names on it while Harry stuck the other vial in his pocket.
He wasn't sure why he was taking this risk. Removing potions from the classroom without permission was grounds for expulsion. But he knew that he had to do it. He got away with it too, because Professor Snape spent a lot of time looking at Hermione.