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Hi, everyone. I decided that I would write my own version of the sixth book, as I don't really want to wait three years or more. I'm not adding chapter titles, I'm not exactly brilliant with those.
I'm writing this for people like myself(people who hate waiting) so, I hope you all enjoy it, those who read it.
Here goes.

Welcome!
You should probably write this in the FanFic Forum.

-----CHAPTER ONE-------

It was going to be another perfect evening over the suburban town of Little Whinging. The sun withdrew it's last few threads over the horizon, and the night began to weave its dark curtain over Privet Drive. Normally, Privet Drive, at this time of day, would be very much busy, with people bustling about, watering, and mowing lawns. However, this evening, it was very much deserted. Only one boy was outside. His name was Harry Potter.
He was sixteen, had dusty glasses, messy, unkempt black hair, which always stuck out and the back. He was not overly tall ,or short. His ruffled appearance did not make many good first impressions on much people, but, then again, when would he really need a good first impression, anyways? Meeting his girlfriend's parents?
Harry snorted derisively at this. He had not much cared for a female companion, ever since his godfather's death. Ever since Sirius fell into the unknown, he had had a horrible, squelching, guilt, stuck deep in his insides. It lay dormant, most of the time, but came out, whenever something that even reminded him of Sirius was mentioned. Today was such a day, because his relatives, and every other occupant of Privet Drive was inside watching the International Dog Training Championships. At the moment, Harry was sitting outside, collecting his thoughts. Sometimes, he wished fervently that he had a pensieve of his own, to hide away the thoughts that were haunting him most.
Hedwig was out delivering a message to his best friends, Ron. and Hermione. Harry had many letters from them. On the contrary, all of them were to check on his well-being, and were almost devoid of important information of the current Dark forces.
He craned his neck to look at the now dark blue night sky, and happened to see an owl cruising the night sky. It was headed directly for him. However, it was too small to be Hedwig, who was a snowy owl. Much too small. Harry heard it twittering shrilly.
"Pig." He muttered. Harry stood up. Pigwidgeon, Ron's over-enthusiastic owl, saw him, and made a beeline for him.

"No, this way!"Harry hissed."Not past the neighbours's!"
Too late. Pig flew past the neighbours's sitting room window. Harry caught him and crouched behind a tall rose bush, thinking vaguely of what the neighbours would say if they saw a small, loud, ball of feathers fly past the window.
The roll of parchment inside was small, and the writing inside was from Ron, apparently scribbled in a great hurry.
"Harry, Hedwig's been attacked again. Mum found her by the window and right now she's patching Hedwig up. Dumbledore stopped by an hour ago, and said something about an escort. I hope this means that you'll be coming back to the Burrow soon...It's rather not the same without you, Hermione keeps pestering me about not keeping up with the holiday work. Please don't tell her I said that...we haven't had a row yet, and I'm wondering how long I could keep up this streak. Ron."
Harry frowned. There had been one previous occasion that Hedwig had been attacked, and the message inside read. It happened last year at Hogwarts, when Sirius(Harry stomach squeezed terribly) had been trying to keep in contact with him. Fortunately, he had not said anything that might give away important information about the Order of the Phoenix. This summer, he had been in constant contact with his best friends, but they had said nothing either. Their messages, Harry assumed, were being checked over by one of the Order. Dumbledore, apparently, was right about these things. Harry mentally chided himself of not being vigilant, and bemusedly wondered what Moody would have to say if he found out that Harry had not trusted his headmaster.

----CHAPTER TWO----

Harry sent Pig back the very next morning, telling Ron that he fervently wanted to be back at the Burrow with the rest of the Order, and with his best friends. He did not know how long it would be until he could leave Privet Drive, but he had not yet stayed the whole summer with the Dursleys.
Harry strode into the living room ten minutes after sending Pig off. Idly nibbling on a piece of toast, he sat down to watch the morning news. Uncle Vernon glowered at him.
"You, boy....the one that's after you...he's got on the news."
Harry was suprised."Who're you talking about? D'you mean Voldemort?"
His uncle gestured to the television, and as Harry watched, the new reporter spoke up.
"The British Prime Minister has been warned of a certain..."terrorist"...determined, at all costs, to take over our country. This "terrorist" calls himself Lord.....Voldemort, isn't it? (Here the reporter squinted at the prompter)Yes, the terrorist calls himself Voldemort, and is heavily armed, and has many supporters, who are also armed, and dangerous. If anyone sights him, please call this hotline." A long-distance number flashed across the screen.
Harry could only assume that the Muggle Relations Department, at the Ministry of Magic, had warned the muggle Prime Minister. He scoffed at the hotline idea. Why on earth would Voldemort, the all-powerful Dark Lord, would just come casually strolling up to a coffee shop, requesting a double-double with extra cream, and sugar?

good story so far. keep going.

Indeed. Keep writing.

Nice one. Please write more.

"Terrorists be damned," Uncle Vernon rumbled."I'm warning you, boy...(he shook a finger under Harry's nose)if your "enemy" here, "Voldything", comes running up our front yard, out you go!"
Harry just rolled his eyes and nodded. He, and most likely Aunt Petunia, already knew that Lord Voldemort could not so much as touch him here, while he was in Number Four, Privet Drive. Dumbledore had bestowed a powerful charm, when Harry was born, to make family blood the strongest protection that he could provide.
Harry's summer had been mediocre so far. For one, Sirius was dead, but due to the Order's threats, the Dursleys had been quite formal with him, if he could even call it that. However, it was much better than being locked up in his bedroom, or the cupboard under the stairs. He stared out the window, hoping to catch a sign of a messaging owl. There was none.
The rest of the day was like any other, boring and uneventful. The Dursleys were going out for dinner at a very expensive resturant tonight, and Uncle Vernon (in a voice so grating, it sounded like nails on concrete) had grudgingly invited him to come. Harry desisted, to his uncle's thankfulness, and went up to his bedroom. He hadn't been out for ages, and fancied a fly with his Firebolt, but knew that it was too dangerous.
Night came, and brought with it a veil of clouds. The moon was half obscured, and Privet Drive became much darker than usual. Harry was beginning to drift off into a deep sleep when he heard several sharp cracks outside, in the Dursley's backyard. Some people had apparated.
Harry's immediate thought was that the Order had come to escort him back to Grimmauld Place, but as he reached out to turn the light on, a second thought had occured to him.
Maybe, since Voldemort could not touch him here, maybe he had sent a couple of Death Eaters here to capture him. The thought was rather bizarre, but as he knew from experience, it never hurt to be careful.
He groped in the darkness for his wand. Law-abiding as it was to use underage magic, he had gotten off once for using magic to save his life, last summer. Harry crouched behind the hem of the bed. He heard the back door unlock, and a few pairs of feet come up the stairs.

another good chapter. keep going.

---CHAPTER THREE---

The sound of footsteps grew closer, and was accompanied by a familiar clunking sound, of wood on wood. Harry's heart leapt. It could only be Mad-Eye Moody. Harry stood up, and at the same time, the door burst open. A female voice called,"Harry, is that you?" It was Tonks.
"Yeah, it's me." He lowered his wand, and found himself squinting through the dozen or so Illuminating Charms wandering around the room. Tonks smiled at him; her hair was bright aqua green, and tied in a ponytail. Moody was at the front, as scarred as ever. There were others, Elphias Doge, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Emmeline Vance, Mungdungus Fletcher, and a few that he didn't recognize. Remus Lupin waved at him from beside Hedwig's cage.
"Did anyone bring the Verisaterum?" Moody growled. The Order looked at Tonks, who rummaged around in the pocket of her robes, and came up with a small, thin, bottle, of clear potion.
"As we cannot ask you any questions, Harry, we have to use the truth potion. Do you understand?" Kingsley said. Harry nodded.
"No less than three drops, we can't afford to take any chances!"Moody barked. Tonks rolled her eyes at him.
"Don't be silly, Mad-Eye, He'd be in a daze the entire journey back." She dipped a toothpick into the bottle, and offered it to Harry.
"Er...what do I do?"
"Suck on it." Lupin said. Harry did, and felt himself drifting off, only vaguely aware of everyone else. He heard Lupin's voice.
"Are you the real Harry Potter?"
Harry answered distantly."Yes." He felt a rushing sensation, and he knew that the miniature dose was wearing off.
Tonks beamed at him. "I'll get your school things, Harry, don't you worry. Come on, Alastor, lend a bit of a hand..."
Harry followed Lupin downstairs, into the den. He was wondering something. "Did Tonks lure the Dursleys away again?"
"Oh no, we just heard that they were heading out for dinner," Lupin replied. "Arthur had a couple of Ministry cars create a bit of a traffic jam, near the resturant."

Harry had a sudden vision of an angry, scarlet-faced Uncle Vernon, blasting on the horn of his company car.
"How long do we have?" Harry asked.
"Well, they promised us about twenty minutes, so we had better get moving," Lupin said, reaching into his pocket. "We're going to headquarters...you can't apparate, and the Floo Network is no longer being monitered, so you'll be travelling that way." He withdrew a small jar of powder. Harry made to take a pinch, but Lupin shook his head.
"Wait a moment, Harry...wait until everyone's ready." He indicated the others, who were packing. Mundungus was examining the video recorder.
"Brilliant, these muggles are, aren' they?" He grunted. Harry just shook his head.
After about a minute, Moody stumped down the stairs, using a Locomotor Charm to direct Harry's trunk in front of him. Tonks follwed, Bearing Hedwig's cage, and Harry's Firebolt.
"We all ready then?" She asked. "Good...see you in a minute, Harry!" She disapparated.
"Make sure that there's at least two of the Order, to make sure Headquarters is safe!" Moody said. Kingsley stepped forward, and so did Mundungus. They both disapparated. A while later, Kingsley came back, giving Moody the thumbs-up.
"All right, Potter...in you go." He pointed at the fireplace. Harry hesitated.
"Erm...did you have to rip out the electric fire?"
Lupin chuckled. "Not to worry, Harry, we'll have this place fixed up, before your relatives arrive."
"Best not linger here, Potter...the Ministry only promised twenty minutes."Moody growled.
Harry took a step forward, and dropped the Floo powder onto the fire. The flames turned emerald green, and Harry said clearly, "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place!" The flames crackled, and grew high. Harry stepped into them.

Author's Note-Before I start again, would the reviewers please, on a scale of one to ten (ten the highest) put how realistic the plot is.(I mean how close is it to Miss Rowling's type of work.)

---CHAPTER FOUR---
He felt himself spinning around, and his elbows were repeatedly getting smashed against the various chimneys and fireplaces. Finally, after what seem like ages, he was forcefully thrown out in Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Tonks was waiting for him.
"Wotcher, Harry...Ron and Hermione are upstairs, and they don't know you're coming. Arthur and Molly are in the kitchen, they want to see you later." Harry nodded, stood up, and wiped the ash from his clothes.
At the top of the landing, he heard voices.
"I'm telling you, Ron, don't touch my stuff again! You've got your own books, why don't you use them!"
"Well, what's a bit of harm in bedtime reading?" Ron said. If anything, his voice had gotten deeper over the summer.
At that moment, Harry opened the door, and stepped in. He smiled for the first time in days, at the sight of his two friends, who both ceased their mollycurdling, and looked up.
"HARRY!" Hermione leapt up from the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Blimey, it's good to see you, mate...it's been what, six weeks!"Ron got up, and shook his hand.
"Broke the peace streak, Ron?" Harry said, laughing.
"What?" Hermione said curiously, fiddling with her hair.
Ron cleared his throat, a bit too loudly."Nothing," He said hastily. "So...er.....have a good holiday, mate?"
The moment that he asked this, Harry knew that Ron wished he hadn't. Owing to the death of Sirius, his summer had been miserable, sometimes even resorting to bitter tears, and brooding for days at a time. Harry shrugged. "Have you lot made it up with Percy, now that the Ministry aren't being prats anymore?"
Ron was seemingly glad of the new subject. "Oh yeah, of course...Percy wrote and apologized about two weeks after term ended. Mum was crying with happiness, as you would expect, and I've never seen a bigger smile on dad's face."

Harry chuckled dryly, imagining it. Ron stood up, and so did Hermione.
"Harry, we've got something to show you that might cheer you up a bit."
He got up too."Does this have anything to do with Ron's parents?"
"Maybe."Ron walked out, beckoning Harry to follow.
They walked into the living room. Ron gestured to the Weasley's family grandfather clock. As Harry moved closer, he saw that it had a new hand.
His name was on it.
"Welcome to the family!"Ron jokingly bellowed, and Harry started laughing. His mother looked in.
"What's all this noise abo....Harry! Oh, Harry, how are you? Have the muggles been treating you all right? Are you hungry? Tired? Do you need anything?" Harry smiled, and shook his head.
"How can I ever thank you for adding me to the clock-"
"Oh, no fuss...it was nothing...you'd better go upstairs and get some sleep, Harry...you look dead on your feet."
Harry thanked her again, and headed upstairs, to his and Ron's room. "How're Fred and George?" He asked.
Ron smirked."Oh, they're making loads of galleons now. Even mum's stopped railing at them. They keep inventing strange stuff, like Mouse Meringues, Acid Quills...they're coming home tomorrow."
They bade Hermione goodnight at the second landing, and went to the sside bedroom. Something moved in the shadows.
"What was that?"
Ron yawned."Oh, that's the old ashwinder. Dad's found loads of other creatures in this old place. We even had to get rid of a bad-tempered Clabbert in the attic once."
Harry was much too tired to ask what a Clabbert was, and sank into his bed without changing into his pajamas, as did Ron.

i'd say about 7 or 8 out of 10 on the realism scale, only because i don't know if percy would write a letter apologizing about the way he acted.

good story. keep it up!

i say about 7 or 8 also..... i was also wondering if you are going to get harry and hermione to hook up, or are you going to do a 'j.k. rowling' thing and not have any of them hook up? but.. if you are, really, who would want to read something if hermione and ron are together... so... h/hr all the way!!!!!!!!!

Good point about the Percy thing, I was wondering about it the other day, actually. As for the H/Hr thing, of course! Ron, and Hermione? That's rather boring, don't you think?

Harry woke up the next morning, with his eyes seemingly glued shut. He was wondering why he was woken up at the crack of dawn, when suddenly, a shrill voice cut through his and Ron's drowsiness.
"Harry! Ron! What did you get?What did you get?!" It was Hermione.
"Hermione, you really aren't supposed to be barging in here, and waking us up like this."Ron growled sleepily, and threw a sock at her.
She huffed impatiently."Well, what did you get?"
It was then that Harry noticed that she was holding an envelope in her fist. The gold lettering read:"Ordinary Wizarding Level Examination Results."
Harry sat up, and rummaged around for his envelope. Sure enough, there was an identical one at the foot of his bed.
"Weren't we supposed to get these sometime last month?" He said, picking it up, and ripping it open.
"Yeah, well, you can't blame them, these aren't normal times anymore, mate."Ron said, doing the same.
Harry look at his results."Just as I suspected."

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results
Harry James Potter
Defense Against the Dark Arts(Written): Outstanding
Defense Against the Dark Arts(Practical): Outstanding
Charms(Written): Exceeds Expectations
Charms(Practical): Acceptable
Transfiguration(Written): Exceeds Expectations
Transfiguration(Practical):Exceeds Expectations
Potions(Written): Poor
Potions(Practical): Acceptable
Care Of Magical Creatures: Outstanding
Divination: Dreadful
Herbology: Exceeds Expectations
History of Magicreadful
Astronomy(Written): Acceptable
Astronomy(Practical): Exceeds Expectations

Ron looked at his. "Well, Mum's going to O.K., more or less." Harry looked over his shoulder.

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results
Ronald Arthur Weasley
Defense Against the Dark Arts(Written): Outstanding
Defense Against the Dark Arts(Practical): Outstanding
Charms(Written): Exceeds Expectations
Charms(Practical): Acceptable
Transfiguration(Written): Exceeds Expectations
Transfiguration(Practical):Exceeds Expectations
Potions(Written): Dreadful
Potions(Practical): Poor
Care Of Magical Creatures: Outstanding
Divination: Dreadful
Herbology: Exceeds Expectations
History of Magicreadful
Astronomy(Written): Acceptable
Astronomy(Practical): Acceptable

Harry sighed."Like I've said before, we shouldn't have taken stupid Divination in the first place-worthless subject."

still good. keep going.

"Okay, well, what'd you get, Hermione?" Ron said. She gladly handed it over. One look was all that was needed.

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results
Hermione Emma Granger
Defense Against the Dark Arts(Practical): Outstanding
Defense Against the Dark Arts(Written): Outstanding
Charms(Practical): Outstanding
Charms(Written): Outstanding
Transfiguration(Practical): Outstanding
Transfiguration(Written): Outstanding
Potions(Practical): Outstanding
Potions(Written): Outstanding
History of Magic: Outstanding
Herbology: Outstanding
Care of Magical Creatures: Outstanding
Ancient Runes: Outstanding
Astronomy(Written) Outstanding
Astronomy(Practical) Outstanding
Arithmancy: Outstanding

Ron just shook his head in disbelief, while Harry said,"Hermione, you can be a bit scary sometimes, y'know?"
"Just don't show yours to mum, or she's going to be comparing me to you, and all that rubbish."Ron sighed.

"Right." She snatched back her paper, turned on her heel, and strode out of the room.
"Where're you going?" Harry asked. She turned around, and frowned at them as though the answer was obvious. " To get some sleep, of course. It's only dawn, after all."
Harry and Ron looked at each other, and Ron shook his head. Harry just rolled his eyes, sank back on to his pillows, and fell asleep instantly.
Harry woke up some time later. Ron was gone, and his bed was made. He shook the cobwebs out of his head, pulled on his clothes, and went downstairs. Ron, Hermione, and Charlie Weasley was there eating breakfast. Charlie waved a quick hello, which Harry returned.
"What's in the news today?" He asked Hermione, who was reading the Daily Prophet.
She frowned, concerned. "Apparently, many dark creatures have attacked the wizarding population."
"What?"
"Looks like we're too late to convince any." Harry signed. If the Death Eaters had succeeded in turning the creatures to their will, it meant that there was that many more to fight.
"We still have Grawp, though." Ron said.
"Who's Grawp?" Charlie asked, through a mouthful of bacon.
Ron and Hermione immediately looked towards Harry, who nodded his okay to tell. He vaguely wondered why they were consulting him.

good. keep going.

"Well, you remember when Hagrid went to get the giants?" Ron asked.
Charlie nodded.
"Everyone in the Order knew. It was supposed to be top-secret to anyone outside the Order, though. Dumbledore already knew that You-Know-Who was going to try and recruit the giants, so he sent Hagrid out as soon as he could. Heard he failed, though."
"Well, he did get mauled, and horribly, I might add...but he did bring his little brother-in-law back." Hermione said.
Charlie coughed nervously."Well, where's Hagrid keeping him? I mean, If Grawp really is pure giant, he's over fifteen feet tall..."
"In the Hogwarts Forest,"Harry interrupted."and yes, he's sixteen feet tall, last time we saw him, and in giant terms, he's a runt. Hagrid was thinking about getting him a mate."
All of them shook their heads violently, at the thought.

Mrs. Weasley stuck her head in the dining room. "Hurry up with breakfeast, we're going to Diagon Alley soon, and we might get to visit Fred and George if we have time."
They hurriedly finished eating, and chatted for a bit, before lining up at the fireplace in the den.
Harry, unsuprisingly, was first. He took a pinch of the sparkling Floo powder, and threw it down in the ashes. Emerald flames sprang up. Harry looked around nervously, coughed from the ashes, and told the flames, "Diagon Alley!"
The fire roared, and resumed its merry crackling. Harry stepped in, and at once was spinning around in the bowels of the Floo Network. At first he thought he had pronounced his destination wrong, and was headed for Knockturn Alley, or somewhere remotely distant. However, he shot out of the other end, and tumbled for some time on what felt like carpet.
Harry flung out an arm to halt his rolling, stood up, and shook the sudden dizziness for his mind. He brushed himself off, repaired a nasty scratch on his glasses, and put them on. He saw that indeed, it was a carpet, and a velvet one at that. He was at the corner of a very large alleyway, and at the end, he could make out the various witches, and wizard meddling around, shopping and talking noisily.

There was a whoosh behind him, and Ron appeared, sprawling. He stood up, coughing, and beat the ashes out of his robes.
"I really hate travelling by Floo." He sighed.
"Chin up, mate...I'm used to it by now."
"Yeah, just because you stuck your head in a couple times last year," Ron smiled. "Me, I've never had to do that. I don't know what it feels like, even."
Hermione appeared some time, although she looked rather green, and insisted on lying down for some time, while Ron tapped his foot impatiently. After a while, she stood up.
"Shall we wait for the others?"
Ron scatched his head, and frowned. "No, I want to go and visit Fred and George's shop. I've only been there once."
They set off at a brisk pace. Diagon Alley was particularly crowded that day, and Harry nearly knocked a young boy unconscious. Ron tripped over someone's cat, and Hermione's toes were stepped on repeatedly. After a while, Ron frowned.
"Where's Hermione?"
Harry looked around. "I don't know...I think we lost her a while back."
Ron suddenly looked thoughtful."What's down that end of the Alley?"
"Well, Ollivander's Wand-Making, Quality Quidditch Supplies, Flourish and Blotts,...that's all I can remember."
"But she doesn't need a new wand, she hates quidditch, and we haven't gone to Gringotts yet."
Harry shrugged."Well, those're only three stores I can remember. Anyways, there's plenty of reasons why she wants to go wandering off."

I have a question, if your story is called the green flame torch then who or what is it and when are you going to introduce it? Would you also like to tell us in brief what will happen further on the story? thank you.

Near the end.
And I'm sorry, but I'm really secretive about the plot in this one. Not so much for others.
All I can give you is that there was another prophecy made about the vanquish of Voldyface, that Harry doesn't find out, until near the end.
And he gets a suit of armor that belonged to a long dead wizarding champion. The green flamed torch is well, what it is. A green flamed torch. Details later.
I hope that's satisfied your curiosity a little.

ok, i've got more quwestions, if you want you dont have to answer them, but i am really curious and just cant keep my mouth shut. ok, here they are:
1. who is going to be the quidditch captain?
2.what will happen to fudge?
3.how long is this story?
and most important of all will sirius be back?
thank you!

1. Gee, I wonder.
2. He accepts that Voldemort's back, do everything he can to protect himself, Dumbledore, and the general wizarding world. He realizes that Dumbledore is going to be invaluable in the days ahead.
3.Can't say.

---CHAPTER FIVE(I think!)---

Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes was set at the far end of Diagon Alley, number ninety-three. However, it stood out from all the other motley shops there, with its brilliant colouring, and the logo, "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes" changed colour every few seconds, swelled, and shrank back to its normal size.
Harry went first, and as he touched the knob, a bucket of water overturned on his head.
"Very funny, Ron." He snorted, shaking out his sopping head. Ron laughed.
"That's a new one. Last week, the water came out and hit you, so that it looked like you wet yourself. But mum found out and shrieked at them until they changed it."
The inside was suprisingly crowded, and the twins were happily exchanging products for money. They waved at Harry and Ron as they walked past.
There was an amazing array of joke products on the shelves. It was almost close enough to rival Zonko's. He spotted the famous Canary Creams, Mice Meringue, and Blasting Bonbons, on the "Trick Sweets" section. There were also trick wands, Fanged Books, Biting Moneybags, and Tickling Sweaters.
After a while, the twins hung up a sign, stating that they were "busy". Against the unhappy protests of the crowd, they chose a small table, and beckoned Harry and Ron to sit down.
"So, what do you think of our 'brilliant' products?" George asked, grinning.
"Brilliant."
"Really strange, but brilliant."
They laughed, then became a tad serious. "Have you heard what's going on now, in the You-Know-Who part of things?"
Harry and Ron looked at each other. "Well....we know that hes convinced the giants, and other dark creatures to join his side."
The twins nodded. George said, "Remember how we were guarding the prophecy against You-Know-Who last time? Well, the tables have turned."

"He's guarding something from us?" Harry asked, just as Hermione came in, sat down.
George nodded. "Just a shrewd idea that Dumbledore had, at the first meeting."
"So you two are allowed in the meetings, then?" Hermione said, unneccessarily.
"Of course,"Fred said."You lot are too, haven't you heard?"
Harry and Hermione shook their heads, but Ron nodded.
"Why has Dumbledore decided to let us in?"Harry asked.
"Because Fred and I are in."Fred replied."We're of age, and all. He figured that we would tell you lot everything in the meetings anyways, so he didn't really bother to disallow you out, this time."
George glanced at the fancy grandfather clock. "Well, we'd better get on then...business is calling!"
And with that, the Weasley twins left.
"Where were you?"Ron asked Hermione.
"Flourish and Blotts."
"Why aren't you carrying any books, then?"
"I said I was in the store, Ron. I didn't buy anything, I just looked around."
Harry had the fleeting feeling that she was lying.

really good guys..but you souldl make one with adult content in it (if you know what i mean)

Nah, I couldn't do that in a HP book. Sorry to dissappoint you.

They arrived back near Gringotts Wizarding Bank, and sure enough, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were waiting for then. She gently chided them for running off without telling them, but waved it off.
They all bought their books at Flourish and Blotts. The store, this year, seemed to be packed with book such as Duelling for Beginners, and Self-Defensive Spellwork. As soon as these were seen, something lit up in Ron, and Hermione's face. They held a hasty whispered conversation. Harry was not too long to notice.
"What are we talking about?"
He had expected them to tell him off for intruding, or to sigh and fall silent, but Ron calmly said, "Tell you later when we're back at home, mate."
Harry normally would have pursued the subject farther, but his curiousity was somewhat waned down, over the past month.
A giant book sat on a large pedestal, obviously for viewing. It was handsomely bound with a gold trim, with a light blue background. The title was engraved in silver:"A Complete Guide of Wizarding Self-Defense."
He nudged Ron and Hermione. "Look," He said. "Wonder how much that costs."
"It's for viewing, obviously."Ron said, gazing at it sadly.
"Not necessarily...they could have spare copies for sale." Hermioen said, and rushed to the counter, leaving Ron and Harry to flip through the pages.
The book was as thick as a large dictionary, and was filled with moving color pictures and diagrams of wand movements, spell counters, and successful spell results. Besides that, there was information and chapters such as Tactics Section Two: Adapting to Your Current Combat Environment, plus many other intriguing features.
Hermione emerged, holding up another copy."See? I told you that they had another copy."
"What's the price?" Harry asked, picking up the sale copy.
"Thirty galleons."
"But, that's too expensive!" Ron protested."I mean, other books, that we can actually carry around in our packs, mind...they are at least reaso-"
"Ron," Harry calmly explained."What would you rather have, your life, or a loss of thirty galleons?"
It was a rhetorical question, and Ron bit his lip, thinking hard.
"But mum will rail at me if I spend a load of gold on one book."
"I'll pay most of it." Harry said, growing impatient. "Besides, this might be useful in this year's DA."
Ron and Hermione both looked at each other, suprised.

"What?" Harry asked. "You didn't think I was going to stop the DA this year, did you?"
"Of course not." Ron said quickly.
"Well, it depends on the defense teacher we get this year, doesn't it?" Hermione said.
Ron added:"And knowing that the Ministry is with the flow this year, it should be someone good. Maybe even another Auror."
Harry frowned. "Even if we get a proper teacher this year, we're going to need all the time we can spare, to practise."
But then, he added. "But, knowing what happened to you two, not to mention the others who came to the Department of Mysteries...you have all the right not to come."
Everyone who had assisted Harry in the Department last summer had got hurt in one way or another. Hermione got a serious Severing Curse across the ribs, Ron had a overdone Cheering Charm on him, and nearly got strangled by a tentacle brain. Luna had gotten thrown over a desk, Neville had his nose broken and tortured, and Ginny had got a broken ankle.
But Ron spoke for both himself and Hermione:"We're in, Harry."

dark1365 - you're doing realli well keep up the good work!!

Thank you.

your more then welcome - im looking forward to the rest of the story

He beamed at them, secretly admiring their sheer stubbornness.
They paid for the large volume, and their other books on the sixth year list. Hermione's robes were starting to become tight around the shoulders, so she dragged them to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
"Do you think it'll fit?" She asked them, holding a set of robes against her.
"Who cares?" Said, Ron, clearly bored.
"As long as we get out of here before the next sunset." Harry joked.
Hermione frowned at them, and paid.
They had to jostle their way through the crowd, once again. Harry had to twist aside often. Once, he accidentally knocked someone's nose sharply with the DA textbook, and was rewarded with a high "Ouch!"
Harry apologized, and dropped half his load to see who it was.
It was Neville Longbottom.
"Neville!" Harry and Hermione exclaimed. Ron caught up. "So, how's it going, Neville?"
Neville shrugged. "I was buying school supplies."
"Us too, Neville," Harry said. "We're nearly done...what have you got left to buy?"
"My wand." Neville kicked the dirt gloomily.
"Well, good for you, mate!" Ron laughed, and stopped. "Hey, why are you grumpy, mate? Aren't you happy that you get your own wand?"
Neville grunted, and shook his head. "Because I have to buy it with my own pocket change."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione glanced at each other sheepishly. Wands were expensive.
Before Hermione could reach into her moneybag, Harry dug out a few galleons, and offered it to Neville.
"Buy it with this, Neville."
But Neville shook his head, eyes wide. "But-but...but I can't take that! Gran will have my head!"
"She doesn't have to know, Neville. Take the money." Harry said firmly. It was not an offer, but a request.
Guiltily, Neville took the coins, and slipped them in his pocket.
"Thank you, Harry." He rubbed his tender nose. "So what did you hit me with? Felt like a book, a huge one at that."
Ron grinned. "That it is, Neville. Take a whiff at this load. We're planning to use it for this year's DA."
Neville flipped through the volume, eyes round as galleons.
"You're keeping the DA this year, Harry?"
"Yes." Harry said, uncertainly.
"Then count me in!" He gave the book back to Harry, and his face cracked into a smile.
"Thank you, Neville." Harry said. He was not sure why that had come out of his mouth, but it seemed right, at the time.
Neville patted the coins in his pocket. "Thank you, Harry."

This is a great story. It's getting more and more like J.K.'s writing. Keep going.

Thank you, hotsauce. Will do.

yea its awsome. keep going

Like the sig, hotsauce. Stylish.

They made their way through the crowd, yet again. Ron's parents had arranged for them to meet outside the Gringotts Wizarding Bank, if everyone got separated, along the way.
While jostling through the narrow confines of Diagon Alley, they saw some familiar faces, such as Seamus Finnigan and Ernie Macmillian, coming out of Quality Quidditch Supplies. Others were a great deal less friendly, and Draco Malfoy sneered at them, swaggering out of the Potion-Making Apothecary.
It was high noon when they walked up the steps of the bank. Sure enough, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were there. The latter exhaled an obvious sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness, you lot. I thought that Fred and George might have led you down Knockturn Alley for a moment."
"Not on your life." Harry said, seriously. He had been down there once, in his second year, and regretted the experience ever since.
"Are you all done shopping, then?" Arthur Weasley asked, his glasses glinting in the sunlight.
"We sure are, dad." Ron said.
They stopped for large ice creams. After, Ron, Hermione, and Harry made their way toward the Floo fireplace, while Ron's mother and father disapparated with a loud crack.
A Floo powder dispenser was next to the mantel, but there was no instructions on how to take some out. Harry tried looking for a secret brick or button, but Ron pushed impatiently past him, and tapped the golden bowl with his wand. Immediately, glistening powder appeared.
Harry smiled bemusedly. "Handy."
After bouncing around the Floo network, the trio tumbled safely out of the Burrow's fireplace.
There was quite a large amount of letters on the kitchen table. Harry assumed that it was from the Order, but he happened to glance at the topmost envelope, and saw his name, imbossed in green lettering.
Green ink meant that the letter was from Hogwarts.
He slit it open with his wand, and pulled out the annual formal informant letter, but there was a smaller sheet inside. He read the latter first.
Dear Mr. Harry James Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that former student Miss Angelina Johnson, of the Gryffindor House, has resigned her position as the Captain of the Gryffindor Inter-House quidditch team. Therefore, you have been selected as the potential captain. We are hoping that you accept this important responsibility. Please report to your House instructor as soon as possible, if you would like to accept this post.

man u should write stuff and see if u can published ur awesome!!

man ur awesome 10!

You know...I might just will. Try, anyways. Thank you, Green.

I'll try to write more soon. Have to have an idea, first.

Harry stared at the note. His two friends noticed.
Ron came over. "What's that you got there, mate?"
Harry wordlessly showed it to him. Hermione read it, next.
Ron gaped. After a moment, he regained his composure, and beamed at Harry."Well done, mate...or should I say captain?" His congratulation was genuine, Harry could tell.
He tried to speak something, but if felt like a bottle of lemon juice slugged down his throat.
Hermione squealed. "That's wonderful, Harry, it really is!"
Harry just shook his head. "No, I..." The lemon juice throbbed again.
He cleared his throat, and began again. "I don't think....I don't think this is for me." It was odd that Hermione would get so excited over something that had to do with Quidditch. In truth, he had expected her to frown and say that it would interfere with his studies.
Both of them were staring at him, again. Harry sighed. "Ron, you'd make a better captain tham I would. You take it."
"But, Harry...." Ron's voice sounded strangled. "Harry, you're turning down the captain?"
"And giving it to you." Harry smiled tiredly.
Hermione also looked downcast."Why not, Harry?"
Neither can live while the other survives...
He frowned."I have...too much responsibility to be getting along with."
"Harry....thank you." Ron whispered. He looked like he was about to burst into tears, and Harry wouldn't have been suprised if he had.
In their first year, they had discovered the Mirror of Erised, which showed the user their most zealous desires. Ron had been a Head Boy, and captain of the qudditch team. Harry, of course, had seen his family. Now, he wouldn't be suprised if he looked into it's depth sometime, and saw Sirius smiling down at him.
By giving Ron the role of Captain, Ron would have fulfilled one of his most fevered desires.
Ron shook his hand firmly, and turned to Hermione. "Why are you excited, too? I thought you might have rowed at us for not doing our school-work!"
"Well, er...." She glanced at Harry, who had a feeling that this might have to do with her disappearing down Diagon Alley.
She signed defeatedly. "I've decided I would try out for the team this year."
Both Ron and Harry burst into laughter.
"It's not funny!" She said heatedly.
"Yes it is," Ron chuckled."I mean, you, out of all people, trying out for Quidditch! New concept, that is!"
Harry stopped."Wait a minute...you were in Quality Quidditch Supplies. That's why you disappeared suddenly."
She nodded."I was ordering a broom."

Ron was still giggling. Harry elbowed him.
"Ron, it's funny, yes, but you're making a kid out of yourself now."
He stopped, and looked at them, worried. "But there's going to be a load of homework, it's our sixth year...where are we going to find time for Quidditch, and the DA?"
Hermione rolled her eyes."Ron, if it gets to that point, I'll help you two finish it. Besides, I want to try out for Chaser."
Harry smiled bemusedly."New concept...Hermione wants Quidditch, and Ron's worried about homework."
They all laughed.
Harry yawned. "I'm going to go and have a nap."
Hermione said,"O.K."
Harry went off to his and Ron's room, while Ron and Hermione went to the kitchen to wait out the impromptu Order meeting. He wondered when they were going to go back to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, but it was nice to be back in the Weasley's cozy, yet rickety, house. The Floo network left him dizzy.
He fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

CHAPTER SIX------------------

Harry woke up in darkness. He thought it was midnight, but it was early evening, as he discovered that his head was quite tangled up in his sheets.
There was no noise from downstairs. Harry yawned, stretched, and stumped toward the stairway hall(if one could even call it that).
Still no sound of movement. They might have gone back to Grimmauld Place for some reason. But surely they wouldn't have left him here alone, would they?
He shook the dizziness from his head, and splashed his face in the middle landing washroom.
Harry kept his hand to the wall, trying to see past the dim evening light.
The ground floor was dark, as there were only windows in the den and the kitchen.
He arrived in the parlour. It was mysteriously silent, he turned toward the doorway window, thinking that they might be outside.
A slight rustle, on his blind side. As fast as lightning, he whipped out his wand from his pocket and aimed. He had forgotten how fast his reflexes had been, after the issue at the Department of Mysteries. Even if the rustle was a dropped coat, or a friend, he could take no chances.
Instinctively, he moved behind the beaten-up couch, trying to see. There was no sound. No light from the parlour window penetrated here.

carry on...... carry on........ CARRY ON!!!!!

"Lumos." He whispered, and a light flared from his wand tip. He guided the bright beam over the couch, and saw no one, except Crookshanks, lying on the couch. He blinked annoyedly, and leapt from the couch, as Harry shined the light into his eyes.
"Do you know anything, Crookshanks?" Harry whispered to the cat.
Crookshanks gave him a look that seemed to say, "A lot more than you, but I'm not telling."
Harry shook his head resignedly. He took a deep breath, and strode into the room, sweeping the light over everything. Still nothing suspicious.
It suddenly occured to him that someone might be hiding under an invisibility cloak. He tapped the wall sconce torch, and comforting light flared, illuminating the room.

Still nothing.

He grabbed a fallen sock, and tossed it into an empty space, thinking that there might be a person there, crouching under an invisibility cloak.
The sock went right through the small space.
The room was messy, and there were clothes strewn all over. Satisfied that the room was reasonably secure, Harry moved toward the back door. The basement door was locked, so he stepped outside.
Light was abundant here. "Nox." He muttered, and his wand's light went out.
The backyard was different from the last time Harry had visited; he supposed that Mrs.Weasley might have done some gardening. But what bothered him was the fact that the bushes seemed misplaced, almost as if they were conjured out of nowhere. And the shrubs seemed to form a rough alleyway.
In the alleyway sat a dinner table, and seats for roughly a score of people.
But there were none in sight.
Harry moved to see if someone had placed a note on the table, but he was disappointed.

keep it going......don't leave it there........

This is amazing!!! It's so close to J.K's writing it's not even funny! Pls keep going, it is a great story! I've read a lot of these things and none come close to yours!

Yea you rock!!

Question: Isn't the 6th book, Harry Potter and The Half Blooded Prince??

It is...but by the time I found out, It was too late to change the title. It's Half Blood. Not (-ed)

He turned around and started back for the house, intending to unlock the basement with the Alohomora spell.
Just then, the bushes ruffled suddenly.
Harry reached for his wand.
Many people burst out of hiding. Harry raised his wand, aiming at the first one-
And he was hit by a storm of voices.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY!"
Almost at once, lights flickered to life, and the Weasley family, Hermione, and several Order members rushed forward to greet him.
Harry looked at the person he was still aiming at. It was Mad-Eye Moody.
His eye looked at the wand, to Harry's face.
"Good instincts, Potter. And happy birthday."
Harry grinned happily. "Thank you, Professor."
Moody grunted. "Didn't get around to much teaching though, did I?"
But Harry was prevented from answering, as a score and more of people rushed to wish him a happy birthday. Hagrid bellowed joyfully, and ruffled Harry's hair. It was near impossible to thank them all, but they seemed content with his happiness, and smiles.
"Good on you, Harry!" Fred and George roared, and shot red and gold sparks into the evening sky, giving the effect of fireworks. Harry supposed that they had yet to refill their supply of self-made magical fireworks.
A weight settled on his shoulder. "Hedwig!"
In the chain of events over the past few days, Harry had completely forgotten about his owl. With guilt, he reach back to stroke her. The snowy owl nibbled his ear gently, as a message of congratulations, and assurance that she was all right.
"You boys go and keep out of our hair...we'll be making a huge dinner tonight!" Mr.Weasley smiled.
As Ron, Hermione, and Harry watched, Tonks, Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Mrs.Weasley began fastening aprons on, and walking to the kitchen, chattering madly.
Charlie jogged up. "Who's up for a game of Quidditch?" He yelled.
Everyone shouted gleefully, Hermione among them.

**
Dinner only took about an hour or two to prepare. After half an hour, All the weary Quidditch players had settled down in the Weasley's Den, and started co-operatively building a very large castle, using several decks of Exploding Snap cards. Fred and Charlie were playing Gobstones.
Hermione had proved to be a suprisingly good Quidditch Chaser. Harry supposed it was from all the hours she had watched the Gryffindor team practise. She had even beat Ron, who was put down at first with the goal, but had settled down later.

Im likeing it.......and I knew what the 6th book was called.......just making sure you remembered!!

AUTHOR's RESPONSE- Oh, okay.

Mrs. Weasley stuck her head in. "Dinner's ready, you lot!"
Stomach growling, Harry leapt up, as did the others. As they walked outside, a explosion with sound imminent of a hand grenade went off. The castle had exploded.
As Mrs.Weasley raised her eyebrow at them inquiringly, Ron and the others smiled sheepishly.
As they appoached the table, Harry gaped at the magnificent display of food on the table.
The cooks had done a wonderful job of making the birthday dinner. Almost everything seemed to be glazed, and the food sparkled elegantly. Ron reached for a bowl of mashed potatoes with gravy, but his mother slapped his hand. "Wait until everyone else has sat down, Ron!"
After everyone was seated comfortably(except for Hagrid, who had to make do with a large upside-down washing basin), they began eating.
To Harry, it was near paradise. It beat nibbling on stale bread at the Dursley's by a long shot.
Ron was eating with all the manners of a pig. Hermione shook her head in disgust, while Charlie and George were snickering. Pasties, tarts, bread with butter, and glazed vegetables vanished down his mouth.
Harry was almost starving too, but he still ate politely. After all, he felt responsible to be polite, since he was the birthday boy.
Mrs.Weasley glanced at him."Steady on, Harry...there's another courseyet."
Harry was mildly bewildered. How much had they actually cooked?

It is good so far.... ( do you want to be at the bottom of my sig?? just a thought)

I would be honoured.
I'll see if I can update it tonight, if not, tomorrow.

Done!! wat are you going to do??

AUTHOR'S REPLY- What do you mean by "Wat are you going to do?" Is it my signature, or this plot, or whatever...? I'm hoping to add a bit more creativity to this story, by the way. To have a small spoiler(which i highly do not recommend, it's not worth it), PM me.

Mrs. Weasley disappeared inside, and brought out a magnificent three-tiered birthday cake. It was chocolate, and decorated with beautiful icing, which spelled:"Happy 16th Birthday, Harry!", with loopy lettering.
Everyone gazed at it with wonder. They almost seemed to want to feast it in their eyes more than they wanted to eat the cake...the decorations and garnish were really that good-looking.
However, Ron broke the spell by yelling good-naturedly, "Well, hurry up and cut the cake, Harry!"
Everyone present laughed, even Mrs.Weasley. Harry, smiling, whipped out his wand. He took aim...
"Diffindo!"
The severing spell was well placed, and a neat line spilt the top layer in two halves.
After everyone was stuffed with birthday cake (even Ron was complaining of a full belly and couldn't get up), Mrs.Weasley leapt up.
"Presents!"
At that single word, everyone forgot their exhaustion, and ran to the house to dig out their various presents.

***

Half an hour later, Harry was surrounded by a small mountain of wrapping paper, and many presents. He now had a tactical wizard miniature figurine battle set(which was like wizard chess, except you could order the figurines anywhere on the playing field, and decide what spells and countercurses they could use.). Tonks, Moody, and Elphias Doge had saved up a lot of spare pocket change and bought it. Ron had enthusiastically wanted to play, but his stomach had rumbled most unpleasantly, and went off to bed.
Hermione and Ron had given Harry a ten galleon gift certificate to Dervish and Banges, and Quality Quidditch Supplies. Hagrid had gotten Harry a huge box of Honeydukes sweets, Moody a large Magical Self-Defense Book, which came with it's own artificial limbs, and told you how to do the spells(it had exasperatedly given up on Ron after a while.). There were many other presents, too many to be acknowledged at one time.
Finally, it was time for bed. Harry trudged upstairs to his room, happier than he had been in a very long time. Ron was already there, snoring.
As Harry sank into his bed, he knew right there, that this day was a day to remember, for as long as he lived.
He had celebrated his first-ever Birthday Party.

The rest of the summer passed by without too much business.
The Order had gone back to Grimmauld Place, and the trio had to help clean up the house.
There was one fun afternoon, where Dobby had dropped by(Dumbledore had given him as much time off as he wanted, but Dobby had only decided for one week) and had helped them scrub out an entire mould-encrusted storage room. Hermione nearly threw up from the stench, but Dobby treated it all the same.The house-elf had rolled up his "sleeves", and with one scouring spell, the mould had been sheared away.
"Wish I could do that," Ron sighed mournfully, after he saw. "Mum's always rowing at me to clean this, and clean that."
"Ah, sir...if Dobby could only teach you, sir. But Dobby was born with these magical gifts, sir...not taught them. Dobby must use them for cleaning only."
Hermione, or course, had disapproved."Only for cleaning? Nothing else?"
Dobby beamed at her."Not only for cleaning, kind miss! We also use magic for cooking, and carrying things!"
Ron sniggered at the look on Hermione's face.

Soon enough, it was September the first, and they were due to board the Hogwarts Express. Ron had woken up rather reluctantly(Harry and Hermione had to poke him repeatedly), but otherwise, nothing else had gone wrong.
They wolfed their way through breakfast, and was hurriedly packing their trunks.
Mr.Weasley stuck his head in. "Our ride has arrived, you lot!"
He and Tonks levitated their trunks down to the front porch.
When Harry stepped outside, he expected to see a ministry car. What beheld his eyes, however...he saw several small vehicles, which looked like very large firework rockets, with windows.
Kingsley Shacklebolt loaded their trunks in where the furse would be. Harry had the odd impression that the storage space had a enlargement charm, to fit everything in comfortably.

Harry knew that after five years of experience in the wizarding world, things were almost never what you expected them to be.
After everyone was comfortably seated in their respective rockets, Mr.Weasley stepped into their rocket's cockpit, sat down, and looked at his passengers. "Everyone ready?"
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Fred gave him the thumbs-up.
"What is this thing?"Harry muttered to Ron.
"The rocket? Oh, it's a Batflyer. It's our underground transportation."
Harry didn't like the term "batflyer".
"How fast do these go?"
But Ron and everyone else was prevented from talking, as an enormous BANG similar to the Knight Bus went off like a cannon. Next thing, they were shooting forward through a very dark tunnel at breakneck speed. Harry shut his eyes tight; this reminded him of the Floo network.
Ron gagged with nausea. Everyone else made noises of disgust, and move away as far as possible.
"Couldn't you make this bigger, dad?" Fred growled, as Ginny nearly jumped on his lap, after Ron retched again.
"Sorry, Fred," Mr.Weasley said cheerfully."All right back there, Ron?"
Ron's face was now an unhealthy shade of light purple."Of course not...can't these windows open, dad? I need a bit of fresh air."
"Oh, I don't think you would want the windows open." Mr.Weasley said, lightly. Nobody bothered to ask why.
There was another loud BANG, and they stopped with such suddenness that Harry and Hermione were thrown violently into invisible safety harnesses. Only the Weasleys had know what to do, and had braced themselves in time.
They got out, and saw that the other two batflyers had been parked, the occupants stretching, and unloading luggage.
Harry saw that they were in a deserted alleyway. Up ahead, he heard the traffic of London.
Ron disappeared down an alleyway, and returned. He looked like someone had put a Jelly-Legs jinx on him.
Kingsley and Tonks ran to King's Cross Paddington station for trolleys. They were wearing Muggle clothes; Kingsley wore a battered set of sweatpants and a t-shirt, and Tonks wore patched jeans and a sweater. Her hair was green.
They got into the station without too much trouble, and boarded platform 9 3/4.
Lupin, Moody, and Hagrid were chatting on the other side.

They spotted Harry. Hagrid rushed over, accidentally bowling over a small group of second years.
"Oops, sorry there...Harry, it's good ter see yer, mate! Oof!" He ducked as a witch swung a large handbag at him. "Sorry about yer kids, ma'am...didn't mean ter run em' over like that." He grinned winningly, and the witch stalked off with a dignified huff.
Hagrid ruffled Harry's hair cheerfully. He dropped his voice. "Harry, I didn't get a chance to talk to yeh. 'bout last summer, I didn' mean to be disrespectful to Sirius, I'm sorry-"
Harry smiled, and understood."It's all right, Hagrid."
Hagrid beamed down at Harry. "Now, don't yeh go lookin' for-"
"For what?"
He frowned."Erm...never mind, Harry. I shouldn' have asked yeh that. Ferget what I said."
Harry said eagerly, "Why?"
"Because it's top-secret, that's why..." Hagrid told him reprovingly. "Yeh know, I shouldn't have told yeh that. Don't ask me any more questions now, Harry."
And before Harry could answer, the half-giant stepped aboard the Hogwarts Express, though not without difficulty.

Moody stumped toward him. "Come on, then, Potter."
He levitated Harry's trunk up aboard the Hogwarts Express. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny followed.
When their trunks were stored away in the upper compartment, Harry and the other sbid farewell to the rest of the Order. Then, the train announced its departure with a large whistle, triggering many parents to wave to their sons or daughters.
Ron and Hermione went off to the Prefect's compartment, while Ginny and Harry sat. They were soon joined by Neville, lugging his own trunk.
After much struggling, his was also packed safely away. Neville sat down heavily, and sighed.
"So...what plans for the DA this year?"
Ginny turned to Harry, expectant.
"Well..." He began. "I suppose we'll be picking up where we left off-"
Ron and Hermione came in."So, what are we talking about?"
Ginny explained to them.
Harry said,"I guess that the members will be as same as last time...well, that is, if they are willing to do it."
He was thinking of Cho and Marietta, and was not so sure that they(or strictly Cho) would be so eager to learn as they did, last year.
Hermione spoke up."Well, Harry...maybe you should make this a regular extracurricular event at Hogwarts, kind of like a sign-up club. I mean, many people would be willing to learn from you."

The look Harry gave her would have split a solid rock.

Ron replied hesitantly,"Well, think about it, mate...there are others who need learning , and all...for what's coming up."
Neville: "They need to learn how to defend themselves, too."
Ginny also seemed to be enthusiastic about the signup idea.
Harry was exasperated. "That'll be too much. What about my homework? What about NEWTs?"
Hermione replied calmly,"I already said I'll help everyone in DA who's having trouble. As much as I can, anyways."
Harry could see that it was no use trying to protest. "No Slytherins?"
Ron grinned. "Definitely no Slytherins."

Author's Note- THE NEXT HP BOOK IS COMING OUT NEXT SUMMER! HALLELUJAH! WOOOO!!! Ha HA!......Ahem. Back to the story. On the other hand, I gotta get this story finished before the next one comes. Oh boy. 4 pages and they haven't even been at Hogwarts yet...


Something occured to Harry. "Wait...last year's DA members are going to be much more skilled than the people who decide they want to join this year."
Ron frowned, thinking.
Hermione also thought."But the old DA members can teach them, too! It'll save you teaching duties-(Harry winced at the term), and we'll enjoy it."
Ron immediately pounced on the idea. "Brilliant! I've always want to teach the midgets something--"
"Ron!"
"Well, that's what they are, compared to our height and size, Hermione."
"Don't let me hear you that calling them in public." She snapped.
Harry shook his head, and turned to Neville. "What do you think, Neville?"
Neville looked positively terrified. Harry was strongly reminded of himself, in the first DA session. He had been equally nervous.
"I dunno, Harry...I don't think I'll be a great teacher."
"Why not?"
Neville looked downward at his shoes."No one listens to me...they think I'm stupid, or something."
"Not at DA, you aren't."Ron told him bracingly."that's something you even beat me on."
Everyone laughed. It was much unlike Ron to insult himself to make someone feel better, and the comment loosened Neville up a touch.
Neville looked more relaxed."Well...I'll give it a try."
"Good on you, Neville. With luck, you'll get to face Malfoy, and turn him into a big, disgusting toad. But not before I've had my turn."
Neville grinned."Looking forward to it."

The ride lasted very long, it seemed to Harry. Weather had turned stormy as usual. Rain splatted their window with such noise, that Harry was sure it would wake everyone else up. Hermione was dozing with her head on Harry's shoulder. Ron was nearly sprawled over Neville, who was curled into a ball. His lanky legs were so stretched over Ginny's chest that Harry wondering how Ginny was still breathing without difficulty.
Ron shifted again. His feet now pointed directly at Ginny's face. What a sight to wake up to!
He thought of what Hagrid said. Now, don't yeh go lookin' for...
Somehow, it seemed to tie up with the Weasley twins telling him that Voldemort was guarding something, out of all the things that the Dark Lord could've been doing.
Neither can live while the other survives.
Dumbledore had told him that in his office last year. The lost prophecy had stated, and Dumbledore had explained, that either Voldemort or Harry must kill one another.
He looked around at Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Neville. He had nearly cost them all their lives last year. It made his stomach feel like a lead weight.
Harry felt most sorry for Neville, whose parents and himself had been tortured by Bellatrix.
He would have wept blood at the thought of her. She had killed Sirius.
Somehow, she would be made to pay.

Harry wondered what Voldemort and his Death Eaters would be guarding. Hagrid had told him not to go looking for...what? What were they guarding?
It had to do with him for sure, Hagrid had given that much away.
So the Death Eaters were guarding something from him? It was confusing, even ludicrous. And why him, out of all people?
Maybe this object(or objects, for that matter) was made of a powerful magic. Maybe it held something that protected Voldemort, and they were afraid that he would attempt to destroy it.
Or maybe, it gave the user power. But why me? Harry thought. If that was the case, Dumbledore should've gone to get it, whatever they're guarding. Not me.
A voice rose up from his head. Or maybe it's you that was meant to go for it...
Ridiculous, Harry thought. Not me. I've already had a prophecy made about me. That's that.
But there might've been more than one prophecy made about you and Voldemort, hmm?
But Dumbledore would've told me by now, Harry thought.
Not neccessarily, the voice replied. He could've been holding this information back.

What for? Harry wondered.
He held back the lost prophecy from you because he was trying to protect you.
And this hidden piece of information? Harry thought. Possibly another prophecy?
It could be another prophecy, the voice said.
And why would Dumbledore not tell me this one, then? Harry thought.
Maybe he was afraid that you would go and go for it yourself. You friends would come with you. Maybe he was afraid that you or others would get hurt.
Harry felt suddenly sick. "I wouldn't do such a thing, and put them in danger again."
Wouldn't you, now? You went to the Department of Mysteries last year.
"But they decided to come with me. I didn't force them."
But they would still be with you, whether you forced them to or not.
"Harry?" It was Ginny. "Who're you talking to?"
"Oh, er..." It would be hard for her to understand that he had been having a conversation with his inner intuition.

She eyed him warily."Well?"
"You have an inner intuition that sometimes talks to you?"
"What?"
Harry shook his head. "Forget it."
Ginny giggled. "It's usually girls who have intuition, Harry. Not boys."
"Well, it's healthy to stay in touch with your feminine side, once in a while."
They both chuckled.
Ron woke up, stretched, and accidentally kicked Ginny in the face.
"Ron!"
"Oh, sorry, Ginny. Didn't see you there." He yawned widely. "Are we there, yet?"
Harry peered outside. Beyond the treetops and fields lay a majestic, if distant, castle. Hogwarts.
"Maybe another half hour."
"Was Malfoy here?"
Harry shook his head vigorously. "I was awake the entire time."
"So, the little ferret has yet to pay us a visit," Ron smiled wolfishly. "Wands out?"
"Good idea."
Neville and Hermione woke up about a minute later, and stretched.
Ron's hunch came true fifteen minutes on, when Malfoy strode into the room. He was obviously suprised, however, as there were five wands pointing at him, Crabbe, and Goyle.
Predictably, Malfoy verbally abused them all. Ron told Malfoy, in a suprisingly calm voice, that he should shut up, or Ron would personally plant a highly unnatural object into Malfoy's physical anatomy.
Malfoy and his cronies got laughed out of the compartment.

CHAPTER SEVEN----------------------

They stepped off the train under a pouring torrent of rain. It was coming down so hard and fast, Harry could not see more than five feet.
Hagrid's familiar call echoed down the platform, but faintly.
"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!"
Hermione squinted around. "Where are the wagons?"
"I can't see." Ron growled.
Hermione shook her head, tapped her face, and said,"Impervius!"
With her face able to repel water, she stuck her head out into the rain, looking hard. As soon as the next lightning flash erupted, she pointed.
"How far?" Neville said.
"I'd say about twenty seconds, running full out."
They did the Impervius Charm on the entire length of their own bodies, and stepped out in the rain. It didn't block the fierce wind, but it was much more satisfactory than being soaked to the bone.
"Ahh, this is bliss!" Ron bellowed. Harry could see him dancing. He grabbed Ron's arm, and pulled him toward a wagon.
After everyone was on board, the wagon lurched, and began travelling. The wagon stopped after a short trip, and Harry hopped out, fighting gusts of wind, to emerge into the castle. The others were right behind him.
The rest of the Hogwarts students stepped inside the entrance hall, shook themselves, and blew spray out of their mouths.
Tiny Professor Flitwick was waiting for them. "Ahh, back for another year! Oh goodness, Look at the lot of you! Wet and sopping! We can't have you like that during the feast, can we?"
And with a casual flick of his wand, a shimmering shield formed, covering the entrance to the great hall.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stepped through. It felt like a barrier of warm water. As they turned and watched, the water was left behind while students walked out the other side, comfortably dry.

Finally, Flitwick stepped through himself, purged the Water Barrier Spell, and lazily vanished the large puddles spread over the entrance hall.
They had took their seats, when Ron leapt up. "Harry, what about the captainship? We've got to see McGonagall!"
"After the feast, Ron...and Dumbledore has yet to make his speech." Hermione told him reprovingly.
"Put a lid on it, Hermione, or I'm cutting you from the team."
She looked at him fiercely."You wouldn't dare!" She hissed.
Harry was forcibly reminded of an angry Crookshanks.
Ron laughed disarmingly."I was only joking, Hermione."
With one more withering look, Hermione turned to face the teacher's table. The headmaster stood up.
Professer Albus Dumbledore cleared his throat, and smiled down.
"Ah, I assume everyone has arrived...first years, welcome to our school of Hogwarts! Old students, I welcome you back! I will not waste my time talking to you right now, because I imagine you are extremely hungry or thirsty right now. Therefore, I bid you to enjoy our feast, first and foremost!"
Golden food appeared on the plates. The students all dissolved into talk, and as Harry watched, Dumbledore struck up a conversation with Professor Sprout.
Ron piled mincemeat pie, mashed potatoes, and chicken legs onto his plate. "Ah, this is the life!" He exclaimed happily, and started eating with all the grace of a pig.
"I thought you wanted to get the captainship." Harry remarked wryly.
"That too, but...priorities first, Harry!" He began eating again.
Hermione closed her eyes in mock despair of Ron's manners.
"Ron, could you slow it down a notch? Other people would like to eat too, you know!"
Harry snickered. "Ron, by the way you're eating, people will think we're facing a seven-year famine."
Ron pretended to be deeply insulted. "Tha' wos' uncalled fo', 'arry." He said, spraying him with shepherd's pie.

After everyone's appetite was satiated, Dumbledore stood up.
"I see that most , if not all of you are fed and watered. Now, we must welcome our first years into our school of Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall, if you may please."
Professor McGonagall stood up, carrying a thoroughly beaten-up hat to a tall stool, in front of the teacher's table.
Dumbledore spoke up again, "I may add that as I have noticed last year, some students are distracted from the Sorting Ceremony by the fact that they are extremely hungry. I am pleased to say that I will change the schedule to satisfy those who find that concentrating is difficult during those times."
McGonagall shook out a long list of names. "Adelethy, Wesley!"
A small, lanky boy walked nervously up to the dais. He put the hat on, and after a moment-
"Gryffindor!"
Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor table erupted into many cheers as Wesley Adelethy rushed hastily to sit down at their table.
"Burke, Gary!"
"Ravenclaw!"

As the Sorting Ceremony progressed, Harry scanned the teacher's table.
"Who's the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?"
Hermione looked around anxiously.
"Knowing that the Ministry's pulled their heads out of the closet, it should be someone good. Someone skilled."
"Even if they are really good, we still need all the practice we can get." Ron murmured.

WHO WHO WHO!!

Finally, 'Zulent, Damian' was sorted into Hufflepuff, and Dumbledore yet again stood up.
"The beginning," He said. "of another year. However, returning students might find your experiences rather...different from their other teaching years."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione glanced at each other nervously.
Dumbledore continued.
"I do not doubt of you that you already possess the knowledge that Lord Voldemort has returned. Now, this I ask of you: Make fellowship with your fellow students, with other houses. Our bonds of friendship, trust, and harmony must grow and remain healthy. The Dark Lord has an uncanny ability to turn others among their own friends, their own family even."
Ron looked very worried.
"to combat this method of deception, we must use the opposite. We must counter death with life, hatred with love, suspicion with trust. My mission is simple: To preserve as many lives and souls as possible."
The headmaster of Hogwarts took a deep breath, and let the meaning his words sink in.
"On a lighter note, I am honoured to welcome our youngest-ever Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher." Here, he gestured to a stern-looking old lady standing at the very end of the staff table.
"Young? How could she be young?" Ron said skeptically. Many other students felt the same. Harry, however, had a small feeling...
Dumbledore smiled, his blue eyes twinkling as if he had heard Ron.
"And this adds to another of your life lessons as a witch or wizard: Things are not usually what they seem to be. I am pleased to introduce to you, miss Nymphadora Tonks!"
The Great Hall erupted with cheers.
Ron slapped himself on the head."But of course!"
The Gryffindor table applauded most loudly.
"Brilliant, Tonks!" Ron roared.
The old lady smiled brilliantly, and squinted as if concentrating. A second later, Tonks changed into her normal self. She buried her face in her hands at the overwhelming response.

Even at this distance, Harry could see her cheeks flush scarlet with embarassment.
After the applause had died down, Dumbledore spoke.
"This year, we will be holding a Halloween Ball."
Seamus Finnigan immediately stood up, and yelled with approval. Everyone in the Great Hall laughed.
Dumbledore laughed appreciatively.
"Thank you for your welcome enthusiasm, Mr. Finnigan. As I was saying, it will be held on the thirty-first of October. The Ball will be open to fourth-years and above, but a younger student may be invited. Dress robes will be worn. Now, as I see that many of you are tired by this days events, I urge you to rest for now. Bedtime!"
The students got up, and trudged as one toward the doors.

***

As they made their way up to Gryffindor tower, Ron spoke.
"So, another ball, eh? We've got plenty of time to ask a girl out."
Harry shook his head and chuckled.
"Haven't you learned anything from the Yule Ball? I can guarantee you that the good ones will be taken in twenty-four hours time."
Hermione caught up with them. "So, what are we talking about?"
"The Halloween Ball." Ron said this with the air of one who had discovered something disgusting on their shoe.
"Ooh, I know, it's going to be great." Hermione said excitedly."Ron, who're you planning to ask?"
"I dunno."
"What about you, Harry?"
"I dunno."
Their lack of enthusiasm hardly seemed to affect her. Ron dropped back several steps so he wouldn't be bothered. Hermione turned her attention to Harry.
"Should I buy a new set of dress robes, Harry?"
"Sure." Harry replied dully.
"But they're expensive. Well, can I borrow some gold for them, then?"
"Sure."
"D'you think that Ron will get someone to dance with?"
"Sure."
"And will you go to the Ball with me?"
"Sure."
Before he realized what he had just agreed to, Hermione sprinted up the steps to the Fat Lady's corridor, laughing madly.
Harry stopped so suddenly that Ron, not looking where he was going, smashed into him.
"Ouch! Do watch where you're going, Harry...hey, what's the matter?"

YAY!!

Glad you like it, spider. I've edited this at least 4 times now, for typos.

Its good, real good!! Can i ask you a few questions:

Will there be more of sirus?
Are any couples getting together?
Do you write heaps and then post all at once?
Are you going to write it about the green torch flame or the half blood prince?
Any hints of whats coming up?

AUTHOR's RESPONSE- 1.)yes. 2.)yes. But I aint bringing him back to life. 3.)No, I plan it out at home. The plot and all. 4.)Both. You'll find out how. 5.)Naw...I'm secretive. Very secretive. Sorry.

Harry wordlessly stared at him. His stomach seemed to be squirming.
"Harry, what's going on? You look like you've swallowed Bobotuber Pus or something..."
The story was told in five seconds flat.
"Hermione asked you to the Ball?"
"Yep." Harry scratched his head absentmindedly. "Well...I suppose it will be OK..."
And it seemed it was. He supposed that she would be much easier to talk to than someone he really liked, or someone he hardly knew that well.
Ron was laughing. Harry kicked his shin annoyedly.
"Who're you planning to ask, Ron?"
Ron stopped laughing. He glanced around nervously, even though the stairway hall seemed deserted.
"Luna Lovegood."
"Her?" Now Harry started laughing.
"Shut up, Harry. She is kind of attractive, when she isn't being...er...weird."
Harry quieted. "There's one thing wrong with all this."
Ron looked puzzled. "Which is...?"
"We can't dance."
"So?" Ron was nonchalant. "Loads of people think they can't dance. But they do anyway, when they need to."
"Let's pray that you're right."
They tiredly stepped through the Fat Lady's portrait, and went off to the dormitory. Harry's mind still felt like it had been taken apart, and put back together haphazardly.
Ron started snored uproariously almost immediately. However, Harry tossed and turned for what seemed like hours before he finally fell asleep.

AUTHOR's NOTE- Mistook question 1 with 2. Sorry. Thank you very much for your support, spider!

Harry found himself in a beautiful courtyard of stone, decorated with many patches of well cared-for grass, and trees. Even the Dursleys would have admired it.
He instantly knew that this was a dream. What the purpose was, he didn't know.
Harry turned around, and almost gasped.
A man was sitting by a small pool of water, his back toward Harry.
Harry tiptoed forward, and peered at the man's face.
It was Sirius.
Harry tried to yell for joy, but he couldn't speak, couldn't make any noise at all. However, Sirius stood up, and turned around, peacefully smiling at Harry.
It was not Sirius as Harry had know him, but here, he was groomed perfectly, his hair combed, his beard trimmed. Beaming, he gestured toward Harry, and then to the pool.
What for? Thought Harry. He "floated" towards the pool, and looked at it closely. It looked like a well, but a large one at that. It was roughly the size of the bathtub in the Prefect's washroom.
Harry stretched toward the water, trying to reach...
And he found himself staring at the ceiling of his four-poster bed. He had woken up.
"Damn it..." He swore.
"Damn what?" Ron had woken up.
Harry looked toward him with sad eyes."I saw..."
And he told Ron exactly what he had seen. He paused, and also informed Ron of his hunch he had made aboard the school train.
Ron sat up suddenly, frowning. Harry had the impression that he was doing some serious thinking. Finally he looked at Harry.
"Can you remember what the place you and Sirius were in was like?"
"Well..." Harry closed his eyes. "I remember a pool. There were trees around it, surrounded in a rock courtyard. And there were beds of grass."
"Anything else?"
"Well, I dunno...I was concentrating more on Sirius."
Then Harry brightened up. There had been great pyramids in the background. He relayed this information to Ron, who thought and said,"So you saw pyramids...that probably means the Egyptians. We'd better ask Hermione if she knows any great magical things in the time of the Egyptians. Until then..."
And he fell right back to sleep.

AUTHOR'S POLL-Ah...the end of another chapter. And I must ask reviewers of this story some questions.
1-How close is this to Rowling's type of writing?
2-What's your favourite part of the story so far?
3-Any suggestions?

Spoiler Alert! Highlight to read.
Something will be revealed about Harry's Mother. And something very important will be revealed about Harry. Details later.

o0o0o0o sounds exciting!!

1. very good indeed.
2. ummm prob the bit where they throw him a surprie birthday party, i laughed at that bit.
3. Umm can you please tell us which couples. Or at least Harry/Hermionie or Ron/Hermionie!!

Im loving it so far, please keep on writing.....

The couples are already given. Well, for Ron and Harry at least.

CHAPTER EIGHT--------------

Harry was the first to wake up next morning, amid a bed of sunshine. He had forgotten to close his bed-curtains last night.
Ron was snoring gently, and so were Neville, Dean, and Seamus. Harry changed quickly. Tiptoeing as not to wake them up, he walked down to the common room.
There were new timetables spread across the oak-hewn table, and Harry flicked through the sixth-year stack. He quickly found his, and read Tuesday's schedule:
NEWT Transfiguration, 9 o'clock
NEWT Charms, 11 o'clock
LUNCH
NEWT Defence Against the Dark Arts, 2 o'clock
(Spare Period)
Someone came down from the girl's dormitories. It was Hermione, yawning.
"Oh, are those the new timetables?"She asked sleepily.
Harry nodded, and gave her the sixth-year pile.
Hermione frowned. Harry could not help smiling. "I've never seen you upset about going to lessons, Hermione."
"Wha...oh, it's just..."She showed him her Tuesday schedule.
NEWT Transfiguration, 9 o'clock
NEWT Charms, 11 o'clock
LUNCH
NEWT Defence Against the Dark Arts, 2 o'clock
NEWT Potions, 3 o'clock

"So I flunked Potions," Harry sighed bitterly. "I'm never going to be an Auror."
"Cheer up,"Hermione said bracingly."there must be loads of good jobs out there, after we graduate."
"Such as?"
Hermione smiled faintly."Have you ever considered coming back here to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts?"
Harry stared at her. Now that he thought about it...
"You know, maybe I just will."

They went upstairs to put their timetables away. It was still just past dawn.
Hermione yawned again. "What time is it?"
"How should I know? My watch doesn't work anymore."
"Well, get a new one."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Anyways...I had a dream last night, Sirius was in it."
"What happened?"
Harry told her everything.
"...and anyways, Ron and I were wondering whether you knew anything about really old Egyptian magic."
Hermione was rather thoughtful.
"Well, I've studied the Egyptians a bit while in Ancient Runes, but nothing really significant. I'll see if I can do some research in my spare time. Have you thought about when the first DA meeting is going to be?"
"No."
She shrugged."Well, you should. It would be nice if we knew how to duel, fight, and defend ourselves."
"Maybe later...and there's another thing I need to know."
"What?"
"Why'd you ask me to the Ball?"
Hermione suddenly seemed very much awake.
"Oh, I...well..." She babbled.
But Neville and Ron came in, which shut her up.
"What're you two doing down here so early?" Neville said, scratching his shoulder.
"And, ooooh...what-were-you-two-doing?" Ron added, in a very annoying singsong voice.
"Talking." Harry replied truthfully.
"Woke up early for some reason." Hermione added.
But Ron seemed to think that the two were doing much more than talking. He suggested this to Hermione.
If looks could kill, the one Hermione shot at him would have killed Ron instantly.

Ron waved his hand disarmingly. "Just kidding, Hermione."
Hermione snarled like a lion.
Ron ran out of the common room fearfully. Hermione was fuming.
"I swear, if he puts that past me one more time, I'm going to..."
And she had such a nasty fate for Ron, that both Harry and Neville winced horribly.
"He'll calm down." Harry reassured her.
"Eventually." Neville, said, tiredly.

*

The great hall was unusually rowdy. Many students were clustering around a small, crude poster.
"What are they so excited about?" Harry wondered aloud.
Neville shrugged, while Hermione shook her head, and walked toward the Gryffindor table.
Harry and Neville shouldered through the crowd, and peered at the poster.

Duelling Club
DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY
-Come and learn useful skills, not the least of which is stunning, disarming, the Shield Charm, and Patronuses!
-First meeting on Tuesday, September 3, outside statue of Barnaby the Barmy.
-Many teachers, including Harry Potter.
-Hope to see you there!
-(No Slytherins allowed.)


Harry closed his eyes. He shook his head violently, praying that this was a nightmare. Yet as he opened his eyes, the crowd of chattering students were still there, talking about the DA.
"Sounds interesting, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, I know..."
"I can't wait to learn the Patronus Charm!"
"It'll be taught by Harry Potter..."
"From what I've heard from Dumbledore's office, he's pretty good at duelling..."
"Yep, haven't you read that interview from The Quibbler?"
"He fought You-Know-Who?"
"That's right."

Harry suddenly wished he could melt into the wall. Either that, or his father's inherited invisibility cloak.

Harry sprinted over to the Gryffindor table, and sat across from Hermione.
She cowered under his wordless frozen stare.
"All, right, Harry....it was me, OK? But look at the bright side...at least they're positive about it."
This hardly mattered to Harry, who was on the verge of hysteria.
"Didn't you see HOW many PEOPLE there are over there?!"
He glanced at the crowd, and swallowed. At first, teaching twenty-eight people seemed terrifying.
But this....this was a hundred times worse.
"Malfoy's going to taunt me something awful."
"So?" It was Ron. Hermione scowled at him, but he ignored her. "At least you know loads more that he does, at duelling."
That was true, but Harry felt like he would rather bow down to Malfoy than have to teach fifty people at once.
"Harry, you don't have to teach them all at once, remember? We'll work out a system."
Even so...
"They're going to expect me to make a speech."Harry said hoarsely.
"Don't you think I've considered that yet?"Hermione said impatiently. "I'll talk to them all, first."

Keep it going, Keep it going!! Doing great~~!!

AUTHOR'S REPLY- Thank you, spider.(Kailey)

Harry was not the least bit consoled.
Ron noticed."Oh, calm down, mate...it can't be that bad."He clapped Harry on the shoulder.
"You'll just need to get used to it." Hermione said soothingly."Just like last time."
Unlike Harry, however, the old members of the DA thought it was a fantastic idea. Ernie Macmillian, Hannah Abbot, and Justin Finch-Fletchley rushed over from the Hufflepuff table, to express their thoughts.
"It'll be really good, Harry!" Hannah squealed.
Ernie said,."I for one am particularly eager to pass on knowledge that might be useful to help Dumbledore."
"Yeah, same with Ernie...I've always wanted to teach someone." Justin said.
Harry smiled weakly, but his insides were still feeling deflated.
He barely ate any breakfast, and went to Transfiguration.
Professor McGonagall immediately started talking.
"Now, I am pleased to see that many of you have passed your Transfiguration OWL. However, if you want to have a chance at achieving honors on your NEWT in your final year, I suggest that you put time into study, review, and make double sure you finish your homework with good effort, and I will be most disappointed if any Gryffindor students should fail."
She looked around at all of them, and continued.
"Today, we will be starting the transfer for inanimate objects to animate ones. It is significantly more difficult than animate to inanimate, as we did last year. I shall start you with a simple rock, in which you must turn it into a turtle. Now, let me hear you all say the incantation."
"Morphmagufis." The class chanted.
"Good, I am glad you've read your new books. And the wand movement, Miss Granger?"
"Whirl and point."Hermione piped up.
"Excellent, let's see you all give it a shot. Groups of four, now. Try it together."
Harry was put with Ron, Hermione, and Neville.

~~ keep going, Im looking forward to it!!

I have a question that i might of asked are you writing it as the green torch flame so its actually going to be a green torch or is it going to be about the half blood prince?? ~~

both green torch, AND the half blood price. Yes, you've asked me.
I'm going to stage a big conversation with Dumbledore so that this is explained, sometime later in the story.

Awsome, that Harry Fan person in mine - go look what they wrote!! I don't want him to do that!! wtf

AUTHOR'S NOTE-It's a she. You going to bring Sirius back to life in yours?

Neville went first, and Ron chose the closest opportunity to poke Harry in the ribs.
"What?" Harry asked irritably.
"The captainship."
"Oh, right!" They both sprang up so fast that Neville jumped.
Harry walked up to their head of house.
"Professor McGonagall, I..."
"Ah, yes." Professor McGonagall said briskly. "I do believe that you seek to confirm your captainship, Potter?"
"As a matter of fact...I think Ron should have it."
Professor McGonagall looked suprised. "Well, I see... Mr. Weasley, do you accept this offer?"
"Yes, Professor." Ron said eagerly.
She smiled faintly. "I've put the Quidditch Cup on a stand in my study, boys. It's kept me company many times, and I would hate to hand it over to someone else. Do try and win this year, will you?"
"Yes, Professor McGonagall." They said.
She turned to Harry, restored to her normal stern self. "Potter, the Headmaster told to to pass to you a message. He says that you should come and visit the office at the closest possible moment. The password this year is 'chocolate frog'."
"Okay." Harry said, uncertainly.
Ten minutes later, they were talking to Neville and Hermione.
"I reckon that he fancies a bit of a chat." Ron said, shrugging.
"About what?" Neville asked.
Ron didn't need to answer, and looked to Harry, who understood.

**

Ron had also failed to pass his Potions OWL ("Brilliant!". Harry decided to go and see Dumbledore in his spare period. Ron went to fly about on the Quidditch pitch.
Soon enough, Harry found himself in front of the gargoyle that guarded the magic escalator to Dumbledore's office.
"Chocolate frog," He told the gaygoyle, which stepped aside. The wall melted into an arched passageway. Harry stepped inside, ascended the moving stairwell, and knocked on the old wooden doors.

He heard shuffling, and Professor Dumbledore opened the door. "Come on in, Harry."
"You wanted to see me, sir?"
"Yes, I did. I did not expect that you would respond so quickly...I gave Professor McGonagall the message only this morning.
He was staring at a point right over Harry's shoulder.
"Er...I'm over here, Prof-" Harry began.
"Yes, I have not gone blind, Harry." He smiled. "But you already know why I am not making eye contact."
Harry knew.
Lord Voldemort and Harry shared minds, when they were most relaxed. It was this reason why the headmaster had chosen for him to be taught Occumency last year. And Harry was assuming...
"Ah, I see you are wondering what I have brought you up here for. Well, I still want you you to be taught Occumency."
Harry's heart fell. Surely, Snape would be teaching. Snape, who would be delighted to make Harry's life miserable, on a more permanent basis.
Dumbledore chose to ignore the very unhappy expression on Harry's face.
"I expect to see you here on Saturday and Thursday nights, then, at 7 o'clock, Harry."
Harry looked up, hardly daring to believe.
"You're teaching me?" Then he realized he had said it a bit loud. "Sorry, I..."
"No offense taken, Harry. And yes, I am going to be teaching you Occumency. Professor Snape seemed to be, er...very unenthusastic about the prospect of teaching you."
Harry grinned in relief. Dumbledore watched him, bemused.
"I understand that you are holding a Self-Defense Group tonight, am I right?"
"Oh, it's not me." Harry said quickly, thinking he was in trouble. "It was Hermione's idea, she..."
"I very much understand, Harry. But make sure you try your best to not let it interfere with your studies."
"I'll try, professor."
Dumbledore stood up, and glanced out the window. "Hmm, I see that Mr. Weasley has taken the opportunity to catch a bit of fresh air. Well, you may leave, Harry."
"Thank you, professor."And with that, Harry walked out, humming absentmindedly to himself.

Yes, I am going to make him come back, if you would like to know how, please PM me. Awsome - keep going!! I love yours soooooo much more then mine!!

AUTHOR'S REPLY- Thank you very much, spider! I am sorry to say that I'm not going to bring Sirius back to life. "No magic can make the dead come back to life.", that's what Dumbledore said. I'll just sit back and see how you bring him back. Is your sig pic from The Butterfly Effect?


Harry met Ron, and then Hermione in the Great Hall for supper.
"So, how was NEWT Potions?" Harry asked innocently, slicing his potatoes.
"Horrible." Hermione sighed angrily. "Snape kept calling me a know-it-all. Even though I brewed the potion perfectly."
"You should really give it up..." Began Ron, but Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.
"Honestly, Ron, I really want to become an Auror. How do you expect me to pass if I can't pass my Potions NEWT?"
Ron made a bored voice, and turned his attention back to his seafood stew.
Hermione turned to Harry. "Harry, remember....it's at seven o'clock tonight."
"What...? Oh, the first DA meeting. Right, I'll be there."
He avoided Hermione's cautious eye, and delved into his chicken and ham pie.

***

At fifteen minutes before seven o'clock, they made their way to the Room of Requirement.
"How many people d'you think will show up?" Ron asked unneccessarily.
"Let's not talk about that right now...OK?" Harry grimaced, trying not to think about the large group of eager students that morning.
However, they had difficulty getting there, as the stairway to the seventh floor was jammed with students.
"HOI! Budge along up there!" Ron yelled.
"What are they here for, anyway?" Harry said. "Looks like they're lining up for a club or someth..."
Then, it suddenly struck him.
Harry voiced out his thoughts in three words. "Oh, my god."
"Calm down, Harry...brave face, now." Hermione whispered breathlessly.
"You sound like Lockhart."
Then someone noticed them, a fourth-year girl. "It's HIM!" She yelled gleefully.
Dean, Seamus, Ernie, Lavender, and the Creeveys took matters in their hands.
"Budge up, come on! Make way!"
The very large crowd bustled, and stepped aside for Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
Harry was in shock. Ron grinned, clearly enjoying what seemed to feel like a red carpet walk, to him.
To Harry, it took forever. Hermione noticed his plight, seized his arm, and nearly dragged him along.
"Excuse me, sorry, whoops...so sorry about the foot...coming through, excuse me..."
Harry closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was standing where the Room of Requirement's door would usually appear.
Turning around, he addressed the crowd for the first time."How many are you?"
"Around a hundred, Harry." Hannah Abbot said.
"What?" He yelped.
"Harry, let's get the room ready." It was Ron.
They closed their eyes, and concentrated on what was needed.
Many people were giggling and pointing. Harry ignored them, and set his mind only to what they needed.
After their third pass, the silence fell.

Harry turned around.
Instead of the normal DA classroom door last year, he found himself facing a very large set of embroidered double doors, made of mahogany.
Hermione opened the door, and peeked in. She grinned ecstatically, and flung the doors wide.
Everyone gasped.
The Room of Requirement had transformed itself into a magnificent cavernous stone chamber, with huge multi-tiered levels. Spiral oak stairs let up and down from each level.
The ground floor was bigger than the upper levels, as the tiers only took up half the space in the room. It was packed with shelves opon shelves of books, and there were many stacks of extra-large, comfy cushions by the far back wall.
The upper tiers were cushioned further, with light red carpet. The stairways and edges were barred off from would-be fallers with a high, fluff-padded fence.
"Isn't it wonderful?" Hermione said.
Someone muttered by his elbow. "Harry...you're blocking the way."
It was Parvati Patil, tapping her foot impatiently.
He stepped hastily out of the doorway, and watched as the flood of students, his future students(Harry stomach growled uncomfortably.) entered the room, ogling the majestic training chamber.

Harry looked around. There were so many of them...
Ron knew what he was thinking. "Congratulations, mate...you got yourself a real army."
Hermione called out."Everyone take your shows off and stack them by the far corner, please...and sit down."
The did what she asked.
"Well..." Harry said quietly to the silent crowd. "As you can see, this is where we will be training. If there are any objections, go ahead and raise them now."
Everyone sat on their hands.
"OK..." Then he thought. "Well, I've taught some DA members last year. They will be teaching you, so you will be able to catch up to us, and what we learned last year."
"When will we be learning the Patronus charm?" A small second-year boy asked.
Harry smiled thoughtfully. "Hmm...that will depend on how fast you catch up. We were working on Patronuses when the stupid Inquisitor cow busted us."
There was a ripple of laughter.
He looked to last year's DA members. "Well, here are your teachers...until you catch up, anyway..." He frantically beckoned them to stand up.
As Neville stood up, there was a loud derisive laugh. Neville turned scarlet.
It was one of the fifth-years, from Ravenclaw.
Harry narrowed his eyes at the boy. "You have a problem?"
"Longbottom's going to be teaching? He can't even brew a blasted Strength Drought, for crying out loud!"
Harry's loathing of Snape deepened further.
Everyone had their eyes locked on him, expecting the boy to be banned from the club.
However, Harry restrained his temper, and instead smirked at the boy.
"D'you think you can take Neville head on, then?" He asked.
"I don't think so...I know so!"
Harry's smile deepened further. So did many of the old DA members, as they knew what Neville's skill and determination was like.
He beckoned Neville to come over, whose face was no longer ashamed, but confident.
The boy started to look uneasy.
Harry had them face each other, then he stepped back behind the arrogant fifth-year. "Go ahead and duel."
Neville and the fifth-year raised their wands.
"Stupefy!" The boy cried.
"Protego!"Neville bellowed.
The fifth-year expressed shock as his own spell crashed back into his chest.
Everyone applauded loudly. Neville awakened the fifth-year, who offered a muttered 'Sorry.'
Harry turned to Hermione. "What now?"
She glanced up at the seven upper floors, and took command.
"First-years, go to the first landing, second-years, second landing....and so on."
They silently obeyed her, without question. Harry concealed a grin as he looked at Hermione's suprised face.
"What now?" Ron asked Harry.
Harry had an idea. "Wait...all the DA members from last year stay behind, please..."
But they had all remained sitting down anyways, staring at Harry. He counted, and everyone who had remained from last year had come, even Marietta Edgecomb. Apparently her parents had encouraged it.
"Alright...Neville, you and Dean teach the first-years. Terry, Zacharias, and the Creeveys will see to the second-years. Ginny, Luna, Seamus, Michael, the fourth landing. Dean, Parvati, Lavender, Anthony, the fifth. Ron, Hermione, Cho, Marietta...you'll teach the rest."
"What about you, Harry?" Neville asked.
"I'll walk around, I guess. I hate being the centre of attention."
They laughed, and set off to do their various tasks.
Harry hesitated, and followed them.

AUTHOR'S NOTE- OK, So I made a mistake counting. And spelling. Dean's teaching first years, not fifth. Please remember that. Hermione said "Shoes", not 'show's. One key away. This is the worst edit I've ever had, damn it...I've forgotten a couple of DA members. Padma Patil. Spelt Edgecombe wrong.
***

Thirty minutes later, the DA Training "gymnasium" was a bustle of activity. More than several times, a person's disarmed wand would fly over the edge, and its distraught owner had to run downstairs after it. After the umpteenth time this happened, Harry thought, We really need a better fence.
The next time he turned around, a very fine wire-mesh fence had settled over each and every edge.
He lingered on the first-year landing, watching Neville and Dean show the proper way to disarm. Many of their 'students' were merely causing their opponent to jump back a pace.
The second years were rather more successful, as they had more teachers. As Harry watched, one second-year girl produced such a successful Disarming Spell that her unfortunate opponent nearly got blasted off his feet, and his wand was thrown into the wire fence.
The third and fourth years were not having much difficulty with the basics, so their 'teachers' had decided that they should progress to the Impediment Jinx. Ginny and Luna were teaching some of the better ones stunning. Seamus and Michael Corner had just kept with the Impediment Jinx, and Michael was pointing out some of the better aspects of the spell.
Parvati, Padma, Lavender, and Anthony were teaching Stunning on the fifth floor, and they were liberal in their borrowing from the very large cushion pile.
The rest, a motley mix of sixth and seventh years, had learned so fast, that they were actually being taught the Shield Charm.
"You've got to concentrate on a good, solid shield," Ron was explaining. "Say, if you put a picture of a wooden shield in your mind, it would be weaker than if you imagined a cast-iron shield, and did the spell."
Half the students lined themselves up at one end of the landing. Hermione, Ron, Cho, Marietta, and the rest lined up, and there were cries of "Impedimenta!", and "Stupefy!".
Only a few students had managed to rebound the spell back at their conjurers, and Ron was sprawled unsconcious. Hermione had somehow reacted fast enough to rebound the reflected spells back.
"Harry!" It was Lavender Brown. "Have you checked the time?"
He pulled Ron over, and looked at his watch.
It was seven past eight, which meant that the younger students were either going to stay and get into trouble, or run, and have a chance to stay out of detention.
I need a whistle...or better yet, a bullhorn, Harry thought frantically.
He whipped the Marauder's Map out, and looked around the cavernous room. Sure enough, a purple bullhorn was resting on the pile of cushions.
"THE TIME IS NOW EIGHT-FIFTEEN..." He started. Many people jumped, as the magical bullhorn was incredibly loud.
Harry fiddled with the dial, and spoke again.
"OK...first to third years, it's now past your curfew. You'd better get back to your common rooms as fast as possible..."
The students made a rush for the door.
"Wait, wait!" Harry protested. "Just, er...line up in rows of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw."
Three lines were hastily formed. He consulted the Map. All the teachers were in their offices. Filch was two floors above them on the far side of the castle, and his cat was having a patrol out on the grounds.
All the Prefects were in the DA except of course Malfoy, and Pansy Parkinson. Those two were in the Slyherin common room.
'OK, it's clear," He told the students. "Go ahead, and run as fast as you can."
They nearly bowled him over.
Ron ran over, and helped him up. His red hair was tousled, and there was a new bruise on his forehead, but he looked as he was having the time of his life, nonetheless.
"This is wicked, Harry!" He said. "I've been knocked out by Stunners at least three times now, but they're learning so fast!"
'Wish I could say the same for the Neville, Dean, and the first years."
"That bad, eh?"
Harry just scratched his head. "They're actually not bad, but we've learned faster than them."
"Give 'em a break, mate. They're first-years! We held the DA only last year."
Harry supposed that he was right. If he had joined a defense group like this when he entered first year, he would have proved much less better that the first-year's current efforts.

Its fine, don't have time to read now sorry, got work. But will this afternoon!! Looks good though: keep it up!!

AUTHOR'S REPLY- Thank you, spider. Though I highly stress spelling and grammar...now look at me! Moving on. Forgot Susan Bones was in the DA also. Stupid me.

They climbed back up to the fourth floor, where Ginny was demonstrating the Total Body-Bind spell. Harry and Ron moved up another level, where the seventh years had moved down a landing to join the sixth years and their unoffical instructors, Marietta, and Cho.
There were shouts of "Petrificus Totalus!" from the landing below, and what sounded like several potato sacks crashed to the floor.
Ron just shook his head.
Hermione was exasperatedly trying to show a Hufflepuff how to do a Reductor Curse. "You really have to imagine something small. Take Parvati on the floor, for instance...last year she concentrated on dust, and blew apart a table to smithereens."
The girl Hermione was teaching nodded, and pointed her wand at a nearby bookshelf.
"No, wait..." Hermione said.
"Reducto!"
The bookshelf and its contents exploded, and the DA members on that floor were peppered by remnants of wood splinters, shredded parchment, and torn book covers.
The girl turned, beaming, and looked to Hermione for approval.
Hermione, who was brushing scraps of pages out of her hair, shakily said, "Well...I guess that was an improvement."
Harry and Ron feinted mock sympathy, knowing that Hermione disapproved of the destruction of anything educational.
Ron clapped a hand to his forehead, and bawled. "Oh, those poor, helpless books!"
Harry snapped an elaborate military salute towards the general direction of the deceased bookcase. "We shall remember."
The DA howled with laughter.
Hermione was not happy. "Oh, shut up, you two." She snapped. "Has it occured to you two that we won't be able to learn from these anymore?"
"Relax, Hermione." Harry said. "They'll be back next time we open the Room of Requirement."
"Oh, right!" Hermione muttered, and cleaned up the mess with her wand.
The lesson ended on a happy note, many of the students giving Harry a quick thumbs-up or a fleeting smile, before returning to their common rooms. Neville and the rest of the DA instructors strode up.
"That was brilliant, Harry!"
"Ah, I've always wanted to be a teacher."
"Did you see me teaching the Shield Charm?"
"When is the next meeting going to be?"
Harry shrugged. "Hermione says she'll be posting the times up, in the great hall." And in a private whisper, he added to Hermione, "Not Mondays or Thursdays."
"Why not?"
"Dumbledore's teaching me Occlumency."
"Well, that's good!" She said approvingly. "At least Snape won't be on your case so much, and you'll try a bit harder!"
"Yeah, I expect that's true, obviously."
And they, and the rest of the Gryffindors made their way to the Fat Lady's Portrait.

AUTHOR'S POLL- The end of another chapter. What do you guys think of the new DA classroom?

I finished reading it, I like yours so much because you come up with brillant ideas and everything. Some of the things your write about, I really want to be in mine!! I love the room of requirements...

Thank you very much!

No prob. Do you think I could use a few ideas from yours but change them around??

AUTHOR'S REPLY-It depends on which ones you want to alter. Definitely not the courtyard Dream he had...that's one of my 'Sacred' ideas. Sorry.

CHAPTER NINE-----

The next two days passed without great incident, unless you counted Neville accidentally putting a Furnunculus Curse on Seamus in Defence Against the Dark Arts, who spent the day in the hospital wing getting his shoulder restored to normal.
Every Defence teacher that Harry had over the years had their unique style of teaching, but the teachers only unfortunately lasted for one year at the most.
Quirrell was a nervous, jumpy type, until he was revealed as the host for Lord Voldemort. Lockhart had an extremely inflated ego, but his skills had proven to be false. Lupin was their first skilled teacher, and had versed his students in the encountering of Dark creatures. Moody, alias Barty Crouch Junior, taught them about curses, and counter-curses. Ironically, Harry thought that Barty Crouch had been their most skilled teacher.
Tonks emphasized the fact that in duelling, one must had to handicap their opponent, and encouraged the use of practical charms to do it, such as the Silencing Charm. She assigned an essay on the many possible ways to stop an opponent from articulating a spell.
That evening, Harry trudged off to Dumbledore's office, leaving a sizable stack of homework on his four-poster bed.
He entered the old-fashioned, circular room. The headmaster was waiting for him there, stroking Fawkes, his phoenix. Fawkes managed to survive a killing curse from Lord Voldemort, amazingly after swallowing the jet of emerald light.
At the sight of Harry, he gave the golden-scarlet bird a gentle tap on his wing, and Fawkes spread his wings, and soared to his high perch.
The portraits of old headmasters stared at him, some with a hint of hostility. "Back again?" A feeble woman asked.
Harry had single handedly destroyed half this office last year, in a towering rage. With some guilt, he sat down at a armchair facing Dumbledore's desk.
"He will be learning Occumency here, Garishia. Under my will, of course."
"I see."
Dumbledore turned his attention on Harry, but staring at the carpet.
"Now....before we begin, Harry, there are is a thing I must warn you about. I cannot make eye contact or touch you, it would be too dangerous for you. Even though Voldemort failed to remotely possess you, I fear that taking chances will not be very wise. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded.

no i was meaning may be the dance??

Course you can. But what would the occasion for the dance be?(like Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc.)

Dumbledore nodded at the elaborately carved desk. "Good, I am glad you do. Now, I must give you a tip. When you try and empty your mind, you must think of a question that has no rational answer."
Harry frowned. "I don't understand."
"I mean, such a question as...let's see...if a tree falls in the woods and no one is present to hear it, does it make a sound?"
This was such an odd question at the time that Harry stared, utterly preplexed.
Dumbledore chuckled at his expression. "Good, that was precisely the reaction I was hoping for."
"Well...I don't get how it can help me empty the mind."
"That sort of question can enter the mind, and because you are concentrating on that so much, other thoughts must give way to it. And also, you have little emotion when trying to solve something that cannot be solved."
Dumbledore took out his wand. "Now, you may attempt to stop me, however way you wish."
Harry reached for his own wand, drawing it out as Dumbledore muttered, "Legilimens!"
At once, memories filled his head. He was seven, and Dudley had pushed him into an icy well...Dudley was beating him up at the age of eight...letters were flying like missles from the fireplace, and Uncle Vernon was trying to tackle him...he was watching Sirius fall through the veil...
"ARRGH!"
At once, the flood of memories stopped.
"Are you all right, Harry?"
All Harry could see was black, then a bizarre kilaidoscope of brown. He realized that the brown was the wooden floor underneath his nose.
Harry picked himself up. "Yeah, I...you saw the veil, didn't you, Professor?"
"I did." Dumbledore said, heavily.
Harry had been curious about something for a long time.
"Professor, that veil...where does it lead to?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE-I'll reveal details about the Veil and how talking portraits are made tomorrow. Hopefully.

Dumbledore sighed. "I was wondering when you would ask me that, Harry."
He paced, and sat at his desk, peering over his half-moon spectacles at Harry, who sat waiting.
"The room which you were in that contained the Veil of Eternity is commonly known as the Death Room, Harry." He began.
"Death room?" Harry swallowed. The terms "Death Room" and the "Veil of Eternity" did not sound very appealing.
"Yes...this room is strictly forbidden to general use. It is the worst possible experience that one of the wizarding world may suffer. Few have entered the veil." He paused, as if the words were costing him a great deal of strength to say.
"Now, the Veil of Eternity is dubbed such, because within contains the essence of all elements. Water, Earth, Fire, Wind swirl constantly, unstable, in an infinitely large bubble of a force of vast proportions. Time does not exist in that place. Therefore, it was dubbed the Veil of Eternity. None who cross its threshold ever return. They swirl around in this terrible force, forevermore."
Harry looked downwards. Sirius had fallen through. Which meant that he would never come back...he would be tossed around in the hurricane of elements. Forever. Never to return, even as a ghost.
A dozen or so questions sprang up in Harry's mind. "How was the Veil of Eternity created in the first place?" He asked disappointedly. "Who would be insane enough to do such a thing?"
"A century or so ago, there was a particularly corrupt warlock who was experimenting with terrible Dark magic. In his studies, he somehow found a dimension that was different from all others. The portal to chaos was opened. This warlock was eager to see what would come out, but nothing did."
"What happened?"
"His curiosity killed him, some might say. No, he was not killed...but trapped in a realm where time is nonexistent, where one may be young and ancient somehow at the same time. The portal remained open, attempting to attract unwary wizards and witches to its bizarre dimension."
Something didn't make sense. "How did you know all this, professor? If nothing can come out of that place..."
"Ah, but five decades later, there was one curious, young wizard who somehow managed to pull free of the portal's pull at the very last second. His friends saved him. But this particular wizard managed to catch a glimpse and incredible power of the dimension within, and was able to make a suprisingly accurate testimony in front of the Wizengamot high court."
"Who was it?" Harry had a feeling. If this was around five decades earlier...
"Tom Marvolo Riddle." Dumbledore said calmly. "Currently known as Lord Voldemort."

I was thinking about having the dance for a welcome back to hogwarts dance. Or something like that...

IM LOVING IT !!!

Keep going !!

Thank you, spider. Go ahead with the dance.

"Voldemort survived?" Harry asked, stunned.
"He did. But he became very entangled in the Dark arts after that, and so he became what he is today."
Harry remembered something that Lord Voldemort had told his Death Eaters two years previously.
"He said that one of his ultimate goals was to conquer death. Was this the reason why?"
"As a matter of fact, it was...Tom Riddle, having escaped the portal, was very much intrigued with the idea of living forever. Thus, after he left school, he began his Dark studies."
Armando Dippet's portrait piped up. "He was a very bright student in my time...never occured to me what he might become."
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes...impressions can be decieving, indeed..."
He rested his fingertips together, and appeared to be thinking hard or remembering something.
Harry looked up at the potraits of headmasters and mistresses gone by.
"Er...Professor, I was wondering how talking portraits are made."
"Hmm? oh, I imagine that you are eager to speak to Sirius again in any way possible..." He rose up, and paced slowly around the portraits.
"Portraits can always be created moving. However, for one to have a spirit reminescent of which they had in life and to talk so, the person in question who is being painted - they must offer a portion of their soul. They - (he gestured toward the portraits) - willingly gave theirs...and in doing so, they sealed any other portraits that they may have. They become individuals in this unique realm."
Harry looked down, desparingly.
"So I can never talk to Sirius again?"
Dumbledore also looked forlorn. "I'm afraid not."
**

In the common room, Ron was finishing Transfiguration homework, and Hermione was dozing on an armchair.
Harry woke her up, and proceeded to tell the two what he had found out.
"Wild place." Ron said, trying to imagine.
"It sounds like a fifth or sixth dimension, for all we know, it could have more than that."
Ron snorted, and yawned. "I'm going to bed."
Hermione bid them good night and also disappeared up the girl's stairway.
"So you can never talk to Sirius again?" Ron asked carefully.
Harry didn't answer.

*

Saturday morning, Harry opened his eyes, and found himself squinting through a dazzling wall of sunlight. It was still early, very early. Harry was about to find out what had woken him up so early when -
"Harry! Ron! I got it! I got it!"
Ron grunted sleepily. Harry peeked outside his curtain.
Hermione was standing there, holding a magnificent broom.
"What brand?" Harry muttered, fighting the dizziness.
"Comet Three-Twenty. Hardwood, anti-jinx varnish..."
"Why couldn't you tell us at breakfast?" Ron growled, falling out of bed. He glanced at Hermione's semi-translucent nightgown. "And get some blasted clothes on, before we all go blind."
She made an angry sound that would have put a tiger to shame.
"Keep your hair on." Harry said, rubbing his eyes.

I like it, keep going. If I was with Hermionie like Harry was I would of bough her the bestest broom stick!!

Wow! this is really good! I check in every couple of days, and your commitment is amazing. If I did one of these, I think that I would get board and give up after the 3rd post, lol, it's obvious that you put a lot of time into this, thank you! After all the alternative series that I've tried to use to get myself through this exruciating wait, I think that this works the best!!! I love your story!

Thank you very much, amkrell!
I'll see if I can post more. Have to convince my parents to let me on the computer.

AUTHOR'S REPLY-Never mind, tis' easier to seek forgiveness than to gain permission.

Ron yawned widely as Hermione said. "When are the tryouts?"
"Erm - I dunno. I'll see if I can book the pitch for next Wednsday."
"If you ban me, Ron...I'll do something really painful to you."
"I'll shove a Knarl quill up your nose." Seamus offered.
"I'll stuff dragon dung in his hair." Dean Thomas added.
Ron frowned at them. "You're trying out this year? What for?"
"Beaters." They chorused.
"What?" Harry said. "I thought those blokes Sloper and Kirke - "
"No, they were just replacement players." Ron assured him.
"Oh...well, we've lost our Chasers. Great ones too, at that." Harry sighed.
"I'm trying out for Chaser." Hermione said. "So is Ginny."
"If Ginny can fly the way she did last year, I can guarantee her a spot on the Gryffindor team." Ron said dismissively.
"And if you cut me..." Hermione began, smiling.
"Don't tell me," Ron said grumpily. "You'll set off a Dungbomb in my - "
"Actually," Hermione said airily. "I was planning to write to your mother."
"You WHAT!" Ron jumped, and so did everyone else, startled.
"Gosh, Ron....you are the most gullible creature I have ever seen, and that's saying something." Hermione snorted derisively.
She strode out of the room, clutching her new broomstick.

**
Wednsday evening came very soon, to Harry's great suprise. Last year, he had been held back on much homework, and time seem to drag by slowly.
The next Occlumency lesson with Professor Dumbledore actually went quite well. Harry had been taught the art of meditation, and been given useful advice by the headmaster.
"Remember, Harry...try and clear the memories that haunt you the most."
Harry, predictably, had had much trouble with this, but Dumbledore understood. "Because you have more haunting memories which are worse than others, I would expect you to have much more difficulty with this concept."

He pushed on the next two days, and arrived early on Wednsday evening at the Quidditch pitch, with his Firebolt. Someone was soaring in graceful circles high above. Harry mounted his broomstick, and kicked off. As he neared, the other person yelled.
"All right, Harry?" It was Hermione.
"Good, what about you?" He asked, coming in to glide smoothly beside her, in a descending arc.
"Fan-tas-tic!" She said gleefully. "I've never realized how good this is. It's so refreshing."
"Yeah, that was how I felt on my first good broom ride."
Harry noticed that she had tamed her bush of hair to tie it into a ponytail.
"Your hair looks better like that." He told her.
"Really?" I just doused it in hair potion really fast, tied it up with a rubber band, and ran out here...I was in a bit of a hurry."
"Still looks good. Ron would say the same."
They came in to land together, as Ron and Ginny were emerging from the Change Room.

Keep going....

Do you make continual references to J.K. Rowling's work? It seems like you incorperate a lot of her writing tactics in your story. I think that your writing is really close to hers.

Yep, I'm re-reading the ffith book. Thank you, my aim is to make my story closest as I can to the real author's type of writing. Hopefully it'll be better when I start writing the seventh book out of sheer boredness.

AUTHOR'S MESSAGE- I think I'm the first one to reserve a copy of the new book, in the Calgary Public Library catalogue. Yay!

Ron was carrying the normal box of playing balls, and Ginny was lugging a couple of spare Beater's bats, golf balls, and very old Quaffles.
"How're you doing, you two?" Ron said, setting down the box, and sitting down beside his broom.
"OK." Hermione said.
"Who do you know that's coming to try out?" Harry asked.
"Parvati said she'll be here." Ron scratched his head, glancing in the direction of the change rooms. "Other than her, I dunno, except for us, Dean, and Seamus."
Ginny squinted toward the doors to the Entrance Hall. "Oh, look, this might be them."
Sure enough, a crowd emerged from the doors, and headed to the changing room. Harry could see Dean and Seamus chatting animatedly to Parvati Patil. As far as he could see, those three were the only ones who were holding their own brooms.
Colin and Dennis Creevey led the rest of the Gryffindor would-be trainees to the pitch. Ron took over.
"Right...those who want to try out for beaters, stand over there-(he pointed at an oak tree) - chasers, over by the west stands. That's about all."
Hermione and Ginny shrugged and did what Ron requested.
After the people were divided up, Ron smiled faintly and told the Chaser trainees, "All right, then? OK, you'll have to try and score a goal on me. School brooms are over there." He pointed at a large shed on the outside of the pitch.
"Beaters, follow Harry and Ginny."
Harry turned to Ron. "What am I supposed to do? I'm a seeker, not a beater!"
Ginny seemed to take a similar attitude.
But Ron just shook his head. "Harry, you've been on the team long enough to know what a good Beater looks like. Ginny, you've been trying to live up to Fred and George - ("Ron!" - so you'll know."

I thought that you were writing that 6th book sweetheart??

I am. But after I'm done this one and read the real one, I'll start the seventh.
And why are you calling me that?

But Ginny persisted. "But I wanted to try out for Chaser, why are you making me help with Beater tryouts?"
Harry had the impression that Ron was doing some fast thinking.
"Well, I'm confident enough about your abilities, anyways. Welcome to the team."
As Ginny beamed up at him, Ron added in an undertone to Harry, "I really hope that I haven't made a huge mistake right there."
"Nah, she'll do fine."
They mounted, and kicked off, zooming into the sunset light.
Ginny and Harry watched from above as the people trying out for Beater grabbed a school broom, one of the bats Ginny had dragged in, and kicked off rather ungracefully.
"Shall I go get the Bludgers?" Ginny said, as Harry watched a lanky fifth-year boy wobble dangerously.
"Sure. What'm I supposed to do, though?"
"You'll find out soon."
Dean and Seamus sailed up alongside Harry's Firebolt.
"You have any idea on how she's going to test us, mate?" Dean asked.
Harry could only shake his head, no.

Ginny hollered at him from the ground. "Harry, I'm letting the Bludgers out!"
"But - "
It was too late. Two jet-black balls zoomed out, and nearly dislodged Dennis Creevey, who shrieked. Colin, standing beside him, yelled, and swung.
The second Bludger went straight for Harry.
He dived, narrowly avoiding it. Since there were so many people, the Bludger kept on going, heading for another.
Harry landed at Ginny's side. "What d'you think you're doing?"
"Training."
"What?"
"Oh, calm down, Harry. Look, they're starting to adapt, see?" She pointed up at the sky.
She seemed to be right. Most of the people still in the air were starting to anticipate each Bludger's next move.
But Harry said, "That's not the point - what if someone gets hurt?"
Ginny smiled placatingly at him. "Gosh, it really makes me wonder why Dumbledore didn't choose you as Prefect. You sound a bit like Percy."
Harry shut up.
Instead, he kept looking up. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were doing better than anyone else, as they were working as a team, almost if they could read each other's minds. Harry caught a bit of what they were shouting.
"It's coming up, mate!"
"Out of the way, there!"
Whokk!
A Bludger flew away.

"Keep an eye on them," He told Ginny. "I think Dean and Seamus are doing the best, but you can go and see for yourself. I'm going to watch Ron."
Ginny gave a world-weary shrug, and kicked off in the direction of the Beater tryouts.
Harry rode, and watched Ron make a save off of a burly fifth-year. "Next!" He yelled.
Hermione rode up, a hint of a smile on her face. She caught Harry's eye, who was hovering somewhere above and behind Ron.
Harry got her message, and winked.
Ron tossed Hermione the Quaffle. "Let's see if you can get past me, then."
She raced at him, faked twice, and drew back her arm to shoot.
Harry had hovered a little closer to Ron in the process, and roared as loud as he could.
"DON'T SCREW UP, RON!"
"Wha-?"
As he glanced at Harry, Hermione shot. The quaffle sailed through his arms, through the center hoop.
Everyone laughed, even Ron.
"Try that again, then," He said to Hermione. " and no distractions this time!"
She still scored on him.
Ron looked thoroughly put out that he had let in two consecutive goals, but gave Hermione a thumbs-up. Hermione beamed, and flew over to Harry.
"How'd you get so good at Quidditch?" He asked in amazement. "You kind of reminded me of Alicia...she deked the way you did back there."
"That's exactly where I got that move from."
"Ha, look at Ron. You know, maybe I shouldn't have yelled at him."
Hermione snorted with laughter. "No, he really deserved it."
"How so?"
"His ego was very much swollen before I scored on him."
Harry frowned, thinking of his father. "OK."
They landed on the lawn in silence.
"Oh, there's one other thing I was meaning to ask you."
"I thought you've already finished your homework..."
Harry grinned. "No, it's not that...I was going to ask you why you wanted to go to the ball with me."
Hermione shrugged very much like Ginny. "Oh...well, I wanted to get a partner fast, so I didn't have to worry. Ron dropped back, so I asked you. And Viktor dumped me." She added as an afterthought.
"Krum did what?"
"Well, his parents arranged another girl-(Hermione said this word with dripping contempt) - to marry him. He told me in his last letter, and when he didn't write back..."
She sighed sadly, and looked at her shoes.
"I'm sorry." Harry mumbled.
"It's not your fault, Harry. See, this is one of the reasons why I asked you. You're nice, you're caring. Ron, well..."
Harry said. "And the other reasons?"
"Well, I kind of find you more attractive than others..."
Harry froze solid, as if he had the Body-Bind Curse put on him. An odd feeling seemed to swell in his stomach.
"...so, I think you're nice and all, and you'll be able to tolerate me dancing with you, without complaining and all." Hermione finished.
Harry unstuck his tongue. "I can't dance."
"So, I'll teach you. It's not hard. Just listen to your soul."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You mean that voice in my head? Well, he's been useful during Occlumency and the Imperius Curse..."
Very good, you've figured it out.
"...but he will certainly be not useful for when I'm dancing!"
Hmm, are you so sure?
" 'Course I'm sure."
Hasty assumptions are not always wise.
"You sound like Dumbledore."
"Harry?" Hermione was looking curiously at him. "Who're you talking to?"
For an answer, Harry pointed at his head.
"Oh, I see. Having a conversation with him, are you?"
"That's right."
"Hmm..." She smiled thoughtfully. "I've never heard of someone who could talk to their inner self like that."
"Well, you're talking to him right now."

Harry suddenly realized that he was already in the Fat Lady's corridor. He had been so committed to Hermione's conversation, that he was not aware of where he was.
They gave the Fat Lady the password("Quotable quotes", and climbed through the hole.
"How was tryouts?" Neville hailed them.
"I scored on Ron." Hermione said happily.
"Dean and Seamus will probably be the new Beaters." Harry told them.
**

An hour later, Ron and the rest of the Gryffindors came back.
"I've got the tryout results." Ron said, a piece of parchment in his hand.
"Let me see!" Hermione said, and made a grab for the parchment. Ron waved her away.
"It's not on this list, Hermione, I've memorized all the people who made it."
"What's on the list, then?" Harry asked, trying to peer at the parchment.
"The Top Five List of Why Ron Weasley would make a good Head Boy." Ron said.
"Well, go on and read it!" Hermione said impatiently.
"Gather around, all...Ron wants to be made Head Boy!" Ginny yelled, and the common room rolled with laughter, and turned to watch Ron.
Ron did not seem bashful, but cleared his throat, and read: "Top Five List of Why Ron Weasley would make a good Head Boy..."
Seamus made a noise as if he was about to burst into laughter.
"Number five, because all the girls think he's attractive!"
Ginny cupped her hands to form a trumpet around her mouth and booed good-naturedly. Several people laughed.
If Harry thought that Ron would have been put out by this, he was sadly mistaken. Ron seemed to take this as a very large joke, and it seemed that it was.
"Number four, because he has a great sense of humor."
"Boooo!" Several more Gryffindors joined in enthusiastically.
"Number three, because he's on Captain of the Quidditch team!"
"Boooooo!"
"Number two, because he's a great prefect!"
"Booooooo!" Lavender Brown screamed.
"And number one," Ron said. Dean did a drumroll on the arm of his chair.
"Because he's the smartest student in Gryffindor!"
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Harry rubbed his ears, and shook his head, smiling. The Gryffindors were laughing, and booing Ron, who was bowing. After all these years of knowing Ron, his best friend was still occasionally unpredictable.

"Anyways," Ron said loudly, over everyone else. "I've got the tryout results. The new Beaters will be Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan..."
Seamus and Dean leapt up, whooped, and clapped Ron so hard on the back he was knocked forward two paces. Everyone applauded politely.
"Ouch! Anyways, the new Gryffindor team Chasers will be..."
Everyone tensed.
"Hermione Granger..."
Hermione shrieked with joy, and hugged Ron very tightly.
Ron continued after he had recovered his breath.
"Ginny Weasley..."
Ginny acted as if this was a big suprise.
"...and Parvati Patil."
"So the female Chaser tradition lives on!" Seamus roared joyfully, as Hermione, Ginny, and Parvati hugged each other in excitement.
"AHEM!" Ron said very loudly. Everyone turned to stare.
"Anyways, the first training session will be on next Thursday, and our first match is as usual, against Slytherin, in about a month or so. Well, it's getting late. I'm off to bed. Night, all."
Before anyone could protest, Ron had bounded up the stairs to their dormitory. In two's and three's, the rest of the crowd took their leave.
"Well, g'night." He said to Hermione.
"Night." She went up through the girl's dormitory.
Harry watched her leave, then followed Dean, Seamus, and Neville to their own dormitory.

I call all my guy friends sweet heart....

Hey, dumb question here. Harry doesn't have a broom now does he?? No wait he does a?? Firebolt?? He still got that a??

Yeah, he got it back after Umbridge left.

I knew that, I was writing the next part and i couldn't remember for some strange reason!!

Over the next three weeks, excitement began stirring up among the school about the upcoming Halloween Ball. The teachers began giving them less homework than last year, as Harry remembered it.
As always, strange rumors were flying around. The most ridiculous one that he had heard was one of Dumbledore ordering several hundred bats to add to the decor.
Other rumors were more likely to happen. It seemed that Dumbledore had not only managed to book the Weird Sisters again, he had also somehow convinced a young group of musical artists called the Demigods. According to Ron, who had listened to the Wireless Wizarding Network over the past summer, they were extremely talented.
Professor Flitwick had been kind enough to give up teaching when his students were clearly not paying attention, and even dug out a box of Exploding Snap cards from his desk, to tumultuous cheers from Harry's class. Flitwick had even participated, and won in an extremely tense Poker match between Dean, Ron, and Seamus, to a loud chorus of friendly boos.
Tonks had called him over one day, when the class were practising Confundus Charms on each other(Tonks had told them that hopeflly, it would make Death Eaters temporarily forget who they served).
"Harry, have you found a partner yet?" She squinted down at him.
"Er, yeah...now that you mention it, Hermione asked me the night that Professor Dumbledore announced it."
"Oh, good." Tonks smiled.

The same thing happened in Transfiguration and Care of Magical Creatures, and both Hagrid and Professor McGonagall were both somewhat pleased to find out that he had Hermione as a partner. It was odd to Harry, since there were no circumstances that stated that he himself absolutely needed a partner. When he put this past Hagrid, the gamekeeper only grinned. "Ah, I'd best not tell yeh, Harry."
"Why not?"
"I expec' you'll find ou' soon, anyways, it's all over the school now."
"It doesn't have to do with Hermione, does it?" Harry asked suspiciously. Hagrid frowned.
"Migh' be. Now, come an' help me clean out this basin..."
Professor McGonagall was the same, if not even more secretive.
"Excellent, Potter." She said after Harry had informed her.
"What's this all about, Professor?"
She stared severely at him over her spectacles. "Never you mind, Potter...now please get back to conjuring your bat, please."

I WANT TO KNOW!! Can you please send me a Pm and tell me what is going to happen!!

AUTHOR'S REPLY- You'll find out... like, right about now.

Harry found Ron and Hermione at supper that evening, and planted himself wearily between them.
"What a day! I had three teachers ask me whether I had Hermione for a partner."
Hermione suddenly seemed interested. "Really? Professor Flitwick and Sprout asked me whether I had you."

They both turned to Ron. "Er, by any chance, Ron...d'you know why the teachers are acting like that?" Hermione asked cautiously.
Ron shrugged, as perplexed as Harry and Hermione were.
Seamus had been eavesdropping, and spoke over a bowl of mashed potatoes.
"Blimey, don't you know, yew two? A lotta' people 'ave pools about you and Hermione. For example, since Dumbledore's announced the Ball, most of the school's been betting if you'd take Hermione. Things 'ave gone further than that sometimes, though. Rumors has it that Dumbledore himself's betting on when you two're going to kiss."

"WHAT?!" Both Harry and Hermione shouted. Ron jumped fearfully, Neville spilled his pumpkin juice, and Seamus choked.
A great fraction of the Great Hall turned to stare, and started giggling when they saw who had yelled. Harry could hear some hasty muttered conversation.
"Ooh, I think they've found out!"
"What d'you think's going to happen now?"
Harry turned crimson, and a cold trickle of sweat ran down the back of his neck.
Hermione seemed just as mortified as he was, and from her motions, was clearly trying to forget what they had just heard.
Ron nudged them both, and pointed at the staff table.
As Harry watched, Professors Sprout, Flitwick, and Tonks were in a huddle and having a quiet conversation. Hagrid was restraining himself from laughing with much difficulty. Professor McGonagall gave him a small sympathetic smile.
"This can't be happening." He told Hermione in a hollow voice.
"Tell me about it." She squeaked.

The end of another chapter. What do you folks think of my use of vocabulary?

It was alright, the thing about the beats was clever but alittle strange

CHAPTER TEN--------

The first Hogsmeade weekend was to be set on the weekend before the Ball.
Ron and Dean were unable to go, as they had truly unpleasant accidents in Transfiguration. Ron was complaining of the large amount of spines growing out the back of his head. Dean was sulking over his duck feet. They sat in beds in the hospital wing.
So Harry and Hermione went without Ron.
They strode over the threshold in silence, inhaling the cool October air. Hermione was watching the Ravenclaw's Quidditch training session.
"Looking forward to the game?" He asked her. Gryffindor against Slytherin was to take place in two days.
She shrugged. "Just really nervous, that's all."
Harry was bemused. "What could happen to you? The worst you'll get is a Bludger in the face. In my first game, Quirrel tried to throw me off my broom, remember?"
"Yes, and if I remember correctly, I was the one who saved you."
Harry laughed. "That was by accident, you nearly made Snape lost his concentration."
"But it worked, didn't it?" She smiled.
"Perfectly."
Hermione turned. "Oh, I was wondering...you said you would lend some gold to me to buy new dress robes."
"Well, it was more that you tricked me than anything. Same thing when you asked me to the Ball, and I said yes." Harry snorted, but he was laughing.
"If it worked, it's fine with me."
"That sounded like something Ron would say."
Hermione smirked, rather slyly. "If I hadn't tricked you, would you still have said yes, if I asked you to the Ball?"
"Of course."
"Really?"
"No, I'd rather go with Pansy Parkinson." He said, very sarcastically.
"Why would you have said yes?" She persisted, grinning.
"Well...because you were kind of attractive at the Yule Ball(Hermione giggled), and if I said no, you would probably cry and run to Ron."
"No, I wouldn't!" She said furiously.
Harry gave her an extremely sardonic look.
"All right, but not Ron. I would run to someone in the girl's dorms."
She admitted, and calmed down.
As they neared Hogsmeade, Harry realized that his hunch was right ; it definitely was easier to talk to Hermione than anyone else.
"Where to, first?" Hermione asked.
"It's getting a bit frosty, I'll fancy a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks."
She agreed. They walked inside, and chose a table close to Hagrid, who was chugging a tankard of mead, and feeble Professor Flitwick.
The very first thing Harry did was point a half-amused, half-indignant finger at Hagrid.
"You knew!" Harry said. "You knew all along. Why didn't you tell us?"
As soon as Hagrid and Flitwick saw them, Hagrid hurriedly gave Flitwick a couple of Galleons, which Flitwick stuffed into his cloak.
Hermione had noticed. "Uh oh."
Harry felt the same. As he glanced around the room, some people were pointing to him and Hermione.
"Probably not a good idea to come here..." He mumbled to Hermione, but she huffed impatiently and pulled him into a seat.
"Honestly, Harry...you've put up with much more than this. I don't really understand why you'd lose your head over something as small as this."
Harry had an immediate answer. "Because it's not just a stupid rumor, and the whole school's getting involved, even the teachers! Or haven't you noticed?"
Hermione looked as if Harry had made a reasonable point, but she raised her eyebrows. "Oh, just ignore them, then." She said consolingly. "At least it's probably better than everyone convinced that you're deranged or something."
That was true, at least. But Harry was still moody. Hagrid saved them by loudly ordering the pair Butterbeers.
As Harry drank, and glanced at Hermione. "You've grown." He told her, wondering what on Earth had made him say that.
Hermione pretended to gasp in shock as she stood up, and looked down at herself.
"Oh, so I have! Such a suprise!" She sat back down and shook her head, smiling sympathetically at him.

Hahaha, they are made for each other!!

Good, that's what I'm tryin' to make the readers see.

Harry snorted, and said nothing else.
They walked out of the shop a half hour later.
"Where shall we go?"
"Ron'll be sick of the hospital food, let's go to Honeyduke's."
Hermione was trailing along behind him. "Harry, your hair's sticking up at the back again."
Harry was in another sardonic mood. "No, really?"
She laughed. "Just let me do something."
"Like what?"
She wordlessly sneaked up behind him, and took hold of the offending strands of hair.
"What -"
"Just let me -"
"Er, Hermione? I don't think this is such a good - "
"Hold still...Diffindo!"
At once, a stunning pain crept through his scalp.
"OUCH!" Eyes watering, he turned around. "What was that for?"
She was looking rather guilty. "Well, you sort of threw my aim off...oh, look at the bright side, Harry. At least it doesn't stick up at the back anymore."
Harry grabbed her hand, dragged her to the nearest shop window, and peered at his reflection. Hermione was quite right, his hair no longer stuck up at the back.
"And long d'you think it takes until it grows back?" He said.
"A month, maybe more. Enough to last you past the Ball."
Harry grinned fiendishly, and whipped out his wand. "OK, then...let me do your hair!"
She looked horrified. Harry attempted to reassure her.
"I swear that I won't do anything really bad. How do you do that hot-air spell again?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow, but showed him the correct complicated wand movement. Harry gave up after a minute. "Ahh, forget it. Is my head bleeding?"
"Afraid so."
"Never mind. Hey, I've never gotten you a birthday present before, have I, Come on, I'll get you one..."
He dragged her off to the Eyelops Owl Eporium.
She was embarassed. "You don't have to - "
"It's OK, It's OK...just consider it sixteen years worth of birthday presents."

They left fifteen minutes later, Hermione carrying a huge birdcage with a handsome male eagle owl snuffling inside, stammering her thanks. Harry remembered when Hagrid had gave him Hedwig; his reaction was very much the same.
"What're you going to name him?"
"I dunno. He looks like...ah...what was that god of thunder's name again?"
Hermione frowned. "Thor?"
"Yeah, Thor."
"OK, I'll name him 'Thor', then. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
Harry grinned. "Definitely."
Hermione started walked in the direction of Honeydukes sweetshop.
"Come on, Thor. You're a really heavy owl, you know."
Thor hooted softly.
"So why'd you pick him?" Harry asked.
"Because he was the only one who didn't nip me. Isn't that right, Thor?"
Thor nibbled her finger affectionately.
Harry bought Ron a box of Chocolate Frogs, Hermione a package of Fizzing Whizzbees.
"Think he can finish this all?" Harry said.
"Finish? Knowing Ron, he'll probably be asking for more."
They both laughed.

Loving it...