Harry Potter and the Year After

Chapter Three: Hermione's Bedroom

Chapter 3: Hermione's Bedroom

Mrs. Weasley was sitting at the kitchen table flipping through a cookbook while her knitting needles were working tirelessly before her. She glanced up when Ginny and Harry came in through the door. Then she looked at Ginny's hand that Harry was holding. Harry dropped it automatically. He felt sure that Mrs. Weasley knew exactly what they'd just done.

"I was wondering where you two had gone off to," Mrs. Weasley said.

"We were just waiting out the rain," Ginny said and hurried up the steps before her mother could say anything else. Harry stepped forward as though to follow her but Mrs. Weasley stood and stepped toward him.

"Harry," she said, "just please, be careful." She tapped his rain-dampened shoulder a couple of times in lieu of a hug.

"Of course," Harry said, thoroughly embarrassed. He wanted to tell her that her daughter could take care of herself but he didn't want to sound defensive. Instead, he just hurried upstairs to change out of his wet clothes.

Ron was there. Harry tore his wet clothes off, but still felt uncomfortably damp even after he changed into dry clothes.

"Oh here," Ron said, and did the wordless spell that Hermione had done for him once. To Harry's relief, Ron performed it correctly and Harry was comfortably dry.

"Thanks," Harry said.

"Where were you for so long? Helping Ginny? I figured you two would come back in when it started raining."

"Oh, er," Harry said, picking up his wet clothes from the floor. He hung them on the bed rail at the end of the bed. Ron walked over and did the wordless spell again and dried the clothes.

"You weren't snogging my sister, were you?" Ron asked, it seemed, as a joke.

"We went into your dad's shed for the worst of the storm. It was closer," Harry said. It wasn't a complete lie.

"Oh, right. Did you two sort things out? I'm really starting to get tired of you two and your moon eyes."

"We don't have 'moon eyes'. What are 'moon eyes'? You're just jealous because Hermione's staying with her parents for a while. You should go visit her."

"She hasn't asked me to," Ron said, shaking his head as he sat back down on his bed.

"Well, she'd never guess that you'd be willing to do such a thing, I'm sure."

"Yeah...," Ron said.

"What were you doing up here all on your own anyway?"

"Nothing."

"Right—"

"If you must know, I was practicing nonverbal spells. We're going to have to do them for N.E.W.T.s."

"We'll have all year to work on that," Harry said flippantly.

"I wonder who our new professors will be. Do you think McGonagall will be headmistress now?"

"Who else would be?" Harry said, "I hope Slughorn is back for potions."

"You won't have a special mystery book from Snape to help you along this year though."

"Well I learned a lot from Slughorn anyhow." It was quiet for a minute while Harry folded his clothes and slid them back into his rucksack that he'd been living out of. He needed to take a trip to Diagon Alley and get a new trunk... and robes... quills, parchment, books... maybe even a new owl, though there was no replacing Hedwig.