Chapter 4: Back at Hogwarts

The End

Chapter 4: Back to Hogwarts

"...and that's all that I remember." Hermione finished telling her story of the night's past events. Dumbledore seemed to be in deep thought. Finally, he looked up at the young woman with mild interest.

"So, you were Stunned as soon as you reached their hideout, and you were waking up when they Flooed you here?" he asked. Hermione looked at him rather impatiently.

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore," Hermione answered. Seph Vardalos looked long and hard at Hermione.

"They didn't do anything to you, did they?" she asked. Hermione shook her head.

"I would know if they put the Imperius Curse on me. Plus, I have to be awake in order for them to do it, right?" Hermione said, looking hopeful. Seph nodded, looking at Charlie. Dumbledore mumbled something.

"Well, the only thing that seems weird is that we do not know what happened to that woman's son. Did they Floo him also?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Everyone shrugged.

"I don't remember seeing Tommy anywhere before I ended up here," she said.

Later that night, Hermione cornered Harry as he and Ron were entering their room. She looked like she'd been crying.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" he whispered urgently. Hermione looked past him at Ron and then back at him.

"I need to talk to you, Harry. Alone," she said, her voice quiet and raspy. Harry nodded and turned to Ron.

"I'll be right back, Ron. I have to go and get some... uh... headache potion from your mum," Harry lied. Ron threw up a hand, letting him know he heard him. Harry nodded and shut the door. Hermione led him outside a good distance from the house. When they finally stopped, Hermione turned to look at Harry.

"Harry, what I'm about to tell you might come as a bit of a shock."

"You're pregnant. I already know. Ginny and I figured it out a couple of days ago," Harry finished for her. Hermione's jaw dropped. Then she crossed her arms.

"How did you figure that out?" she asked, looking a little hurt. Harry smirked at her.

"You aren't exactly the nicest person to Ron, or anyone for that matter. Plus, you eat like you're a bottomless pit. Then you eat the strangest things together like chocolate pudding and oranges. Then, you do look as if you've put on a few pounds," Harry said. He looked at Hermione's face. She looked like she was close to knocking him out. He cautiously took a step back. "Hermione..."

"Oh, Harry! What am I going to do?" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'm Head Girl! This cannot possibly be happening to me!" she said, sounding as if she was about to start crying.

"Well, school should be the least of your worries, Hermione. What you need to be worrying about is the dormant volcano in there called Ronald Weasley. Do you know how he's going to react to this?" Harry asked. Hermione looked down.

"That's what I'm afraid of. I know Ron wouldn't hurt me or anything. It's just that... I don't know. He's not exactly the happiest person when it comes to things like this."

"Well, you better tell him soon, Hermione. The sooner, the better," Harry said. Hermione nodded absent-mindedly.

"I will, Harry. I will. Thanks for listening." She hugged him.

"Anytime."

The next day, as they walked to Platform 9 ¾, Harry kept looking over at Hermione and Ron, who were chatting nicely to each other for a change. He wondered to himself whether or not Hermione had told him. By the way Ron was looking, he figured she still hadn't gotten around to it yet. Next to Harry, Ginny shifted awkwardly as she walked.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked. Ginny looked at him.

"I hate this damn uniform. Do we have to wear it every time we go out? I hate Drake and Fionnula. This is so bloody annoying," Ginny said, looking very uncomfortable. Harry laughed at her, and Ginny shot him a look. "It's not funny, Harry," she growled in a surprisingly animalistic way. Harry quieted down as they began to go through the barrier.

On the train, Hermione ordered practically the entire trolley for everyone. They watched as she ate most of the candy and sweets alone. Considering that everyone else knew of her secret, none found it unusual except Ron.

"Slow down, Mione. You might choke on something," he said, laughing. Hermione looked up at him. She'd just put a chocolate frog in her mouth, and one of its legs was hanging out of her mouth. It was still kicking. Then Hermione bit down and put the leg in her mouth. Harry and Ginny started laughing.

"I never thought I'd see the day Hermione Granger eats like Ron Weasley," Ginny said. Hermione shot her a look.

"So, what are you trying to say, Ginny? That Ronnie eats like a horse and that I'm doing the same thing?" Hermione asked. Ginny looked at her. Everyone else might be afraid to go toe-to-toe with Hermione, but Ginny was definitely not. Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"Yes, I am. You know as well as I do that Ron's eating habits are a little less than perfect. Right now, you're doing a brilliant imitation of him," Ginny said. Hermione stood up, all of the candy wrappers falling off of her lap. Ginny stood also.

"Listen, we can take this to the hallway," Hermione said in a threatening tone. Ginny took a step forward.

"What's stopping you?" she whispered to Hermione. Ron and Harry looked at each other; they didn't know whether to cheer or pull them back to their seats. Ron did the latter, and Hermione kept glaring at Ginny. That's when she remembered something.

"Come on, Ron, we have to go to the front. We'll see you all at the school." Hermione stood up, pulling Ron along. That left Ginny and Harry alone. They looked at each other mischievously.

"You know, we're the only ones in here," Ginny said, tracing circles on his chest. Harry smiled and put his arm around her.

"Say no more." They were about to kiss when Aurora, Neve, Neville, and Luna burst in the room, interrupting them.

"Hi, you guys," Neville said. Ginny sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. She then turned and smiled a very fake smile at them. Neve seemed to be the only one who picked up on it.

"Did we disrupt something, you two?" she asked. Ginny nodded her head vigorously. Then, Ava and Tommy showed up at the door.

"Bonjour," Ava said, walking in the compartment. They all looked shocked at Tommy, who just sat down jovially next to Neve.

"We thought you were captured," Neve said breathlessly. Tommy shook his head in a stiff manner.

"Well, when we got to the hideout or whatever, they Stunned both of us. After that, all I remember is landing in the fireplace at our flat in London covered in soot and ashes. I don't think they did anything to me," Tommy said. Neve looked at Harry, who just shrugged.

"Hermione said the same thing. Well, you're safe, and that's all that matters," Neve said happily. Tommy smiled.

When they arrived that the feast in the Great Hall, there were a lot of new faces that Harry'd never seen before both, adults and students. He noticed a group of girls who all resembled each other sitting at the head of the table. They all had dark brown hair. It was easy to tell that they were sisters. When Professor McGonagall got to the last name on the list of first-years, the girls hushed.

"Tremaine, Carmelita," she said. A small girl who looked like the others stepped up. Before the Sorting Hat was even placed upon her head, it gave an answer.

"GRYFFINDOR!" it yelled. The girls erupted into applause and welcomed what looked like their younger sister.

"The first thing I would like to say before we eat is welcome, students. We have a lot of new faces with us today. I am very happy to announce that Professor Catriona Onsu is still our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. This should be one for the record books, I daresay. Our newest addition to the teaching staff is Professor Aislin Douglas. She will be filling the post of Potions mistress until Professor Snape is ready to come back to us, which might be a long time from now. Also, in light of recent events, the Ministry has placed guards at the school. Allow me to introduce them to you. We have Cytheria Tremaine, Ferris Winfred, Persephone Vardalos, Darien Shamus, Aiko Shang, and Dewei Camara. They are highly trained witches and wizards. I would advise you to steer clear of them. They are here to guard you from the dangers of our world. Now, without further ado, let us eat." Dumbledore sat down as the food appeared at the tables.

Ginny noticed that Ava wasn't sitting at the table with them.

"Where's Ava? Tommy's in our house. Why isn't she here?" she asked Harry.

"Ava's in Slytherin with Malfoy. I have absolutely no idea why. I mean, she doesn't really seem like the Slytherin-type, you know? Who do you think that clan of girls are?" Harry asked, nodding in the direction of the noisy brunettes. Ginny shrugged her shoulders, but Aurora spoke up.

"Oh, they are the Tremaine sisters. They are Italian like us. They went to school at Meloni. That is their sister, Cytheria, also known as Cye," Aurora said, pointing to the Italian Magas sitting next to Seph. "Their parents and Cye are all members of the Magi in Italy. I guess my grandfather sent them here to help out," she concluded. She looked over at the girls. Harry and Ginny nodded.

The next day, Harry and Ron ran to their Potions class at top speed. They'd overslept like they did in their first year. Aislin was not going to be happy with them. When they finally arrived at the dungeon, Aislin was standing in the front of the class, looking highly pissed at them. Harry and Ron tried to avoid her eyes as they found their seats.

"And why, dare I ask, are you two late? You'd think that you would be the first to set foot in my class," Aislin said, looking disapprovingly at the boys. Harry and Ron looked up at her.

"Well, what it is..." Ron began.

"We overslept," Harry said quickly. Ron nodded. Aislin smiled at them and walked over to them. She put her hand on their table and leaned down closer to their faces. Harry and Ron sank back in their chairs.

"The next time you are late to my class, I will have your arses to hang on my wall. Are we clear on that?" she said in a deadly tone. Harry and Ron swallowed hard. Aislin stood up straight. "Good. Now, thanks to Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter, I want an extra three inches on the assigned medical potions," Aislin said, walking back up to the class. There was a collective groan from the rest of the class. Aurora raised her hand. "What is it, Aurora?" Aislin asked, not turning around. Aurora put her hand down with a questionable look. Then she spoke.

"But, Professor Douglas, that makes it an even five feet. There just is not enough information on these potions to write that much," she complained. Aislin turned around to face Aurora. Her white robes swirled as she did so. Aurora swallowed hard at Aislin's face.

"Well, Miss Assante, do you want to make it another six inches? I do not do much during the day except teach. I do nothing on my nights. I have all day and night to read these essays," she said with an evil glint in her eye.

"No, Professor," Aurora groaned.

"Then I suggest you get started." Aislin returned to the front of the classroom. Ron and Harry sank low in their seats as all the eyes in the room were set on them.

When Potions was over, Hermione slapped both Ron and Harry on the backs of their heads. Ron rubbed his head.

"Ow! That hurt, Hermione! What was that for? I thought you loved homework?" Ron said. Hermione glared at him.

"Contrary to popular belief, I do not LOVE homework as you say I do, Ronald. I do, however, like to have a little free time. I'm in five N.E.W.T. level classes, including Potions with you lot. I do not have that much energy to do all the extra homework. Thanks a lot, you two. Next time, could you at least TRY to be on time?" Hermione asked. It was a rhetorical question because she stormed off with Aurora after it. That's when Draco walked up behind them.

"Good work, boys. Now you've got your woman mad at you, Weasley. I'm surprised she didn't write you up," Draco said. Then he saw Tommy and Neve talking down the hallway. Harry followed his gaze.

"What? Are you jealous or something, Draco?" Harry asked, looking slyly at him. Draco glared at him.

"Of course not. She's my girlfriend's SISTER, Potter. Why would I be jealous if I have Aurora? I just don't like that bloke. Something about him rubs me the wrong way."

"I know what you mean," a voice said from behind them. The trio turned and saw Ava standing there. She was watching her brother also with the slits she called eyes. "He's been acting very secretive and strange since the kidnapping. He always looks like he's somewhere else," Ava said, stepping between Harry and Draco. Then, the warning bell rang.

Ginny and Neve were in Herbology, looking at a strange plant that had yellow and pink petals and a gray stem. Ginny watched as two girls who were apparently twins sat down next to Neve.

"Why, hello, Neveah. Did you miss us?" one of them said. Neve turned around and looked at them.

"Now, Celerina. Why would I miss those ugly mugs that you two share?" Neve laughed. Ginny cleared her throat, and Neve turned to face her. "Oh, intro. Ginny, this is Celerina and Catalina Tremaine. Rina, Lina, this is Ginny Weasley," Neve said. Ginny nodded in the girls' directions.

"How can I tell you two apart?" she asked. The one with her hair in a short bob smiled.

"I'm Catalina. I would prefer it if you call me Lina, though. My hair is shorter than Rina's. I also have a mole on the left side of my face, which I guess would be your right. Rina has longer hair and is slightly taller than I am. Plus, her mole is on the right side of her face, your left. Our father doesn't bother too much with trying to tell us apart. He just normally calls us both. Our mother, being our mother, can always tell us apart, even before I cut my hair. Once you get used to it, you'll be able to tell us apart," Lina said. Ginny nodded, although she'd lost Lina somewhere in the middle of her speech. The girl spoke extremely fast, and her accent wasn't making it any better. Her English was much better than Aurora's, but her accent was ten times stronger.

"Papá tells us that you guys received Magi training all last year. Is that true?" Rina asked. Neve nodded with some pride. Lina and Rina smiled and looked at each other.

"I bet you still have sorry reflexes, Neve. You always have," Rina said in a taunting voice. Neve glared at her. Then she turned to Ginny, who was watching the twins with interest.

"Those two have Magi for parents. Plus their sister, Cye, works here now. They started their training when they were ten and just love to rub it in," Neve said. That's when she noticed that most of the guys in the room were staring at them. Ginny noticed it also.

"Okay, does anyone else find this kind of freaky?" Ginny asked. Rina laughed.

"Oh, we're Sirens. It runs on our mother's side of the family. Guys just sort of flock to us. Our powers of 'persuasion' didn't start until this past summer, though. You should've seen Lina and I. We sle..." Before Rina could finish her sentence, Lina nudged her hard. Rina glared at her sister.

"Tu as fait pourquoi m'a frappé?" she asked in French. Lina sighed.

"Elle n'a pas besoin de savoir que nous avions le sexe avec tous ces gars, Rina. Arrêter la conversation si beaucoup," Lina responded. Neve looked at them. She knew her friends could speak fluently in three different languages: French, Italian, and English. They did this routine whenever they chose to say something they didn't want anyone else to know.

"Quoi que tu dis, Lina. Tu es le patron. So, Neve. What's new with you?" Rina asked. Neve looked back up at Rina.

"Oh, nothing much. Aside from the training, nothing good has happened in my life," she said with an underlying tone that only Ginny seemed to catch.

"Well, you met Tommy this year, Neve. That's something good," Ginny said, trying to sound happy. Neve smiled and looked up in a dreamy way.

"You're right, Ginny. I did meet Tommy," she said. Rina and Lina exchanged looks of bewilderment.

"The great I'll-Be-Single-Forever Neveah Verdi Assante found someone? This is too much. For your sake, I hope he's ugly," Rina said slyly. Lina caught the meaning of this. It seemed to go right over Neve's head, whom was still in her own little world. Ginny rolled her eyes.

At lunch, Draco was still watching Tommy and Neve. They were talking with Lina, Rina, and their younger sister, Camilla. Aurora and Harry noticed Draco's staring problem again.

"Draco, maybe you should take a picture. It will last longer," Harry said, laughing. Ron nearly choked on his pumpkin juice. Hermione snickered, but tried to hide it by sticking her nose deeper into her book. Draco glared at Harry.

"Piss off, Potter," he said simply. Then he took a sandwich off of the plate in front of him.

"Does anyone else feel oddly attracted to those two girls? I get the same feeling whenever I see their sister or Seph," Ron said. Harry nodded and Draco sighed once again. Hermione looked up from her book.

"They're all Sirens, you dunce. They're full ones like Seph. Those two seem to like it though. I heard that Colin Creevey asked one of them out already," Hermione said. Then she returned to her book. Ron glared at her.

"Mione, you didn't have to call me a dunce," he said glumly. Hermione looked at him. She stared at him a moment longer and then ran out as fast as her legs could carry her. Everyone just looked at her as she turned the corner. Ron looked back at them.

"What did I say? I tell you the girl has gone straight mental. Everything I say has an underlying meaning to it. She's really starting to tick me off," Ron said, stuffing another sandwich into his mouth and chewing it ferociously.

That night, Hermione sat in the common room, working on her Potions essay. She'd avoided Ron the rest of the day. She couldn't bring herself to just tell him. It was too hard. Her vision began to blur as she wrote. The words began to look really close together. Hermione wiped her face, then continued writing. She didn't hear the footsteps behind her.

"Hermione," a soft voice said. Hermione jumped and pulled her wand out. She was about to mutter a hex when she realized who it was. "Calm down. It's just me," Ginny said. Hermione lowered her wand.

"What are you doing up so late? Shouldn't you be asleep?" Hermione asked, returning to her paper. Ginny sat down across from her.

"I could be asking the same of you, Hermione. Ron told me that essay wasn't due until Wednesday. Why don't you just go upstairs and go to sleep? You look tired. In fact, you look terrible," Ginny said. Hermione looked at her friend with weary eyes.

"So are you saying I'm ugly now, Ginny?" she said, her temper rising. Ginny sighed.

"No, Hermione. I'm just saying that doing all this work at once is not good for your health. School just started and you've already started to overdo it in the studying department. Take a break and live like the rest of us. Now, I want you to go upstairs and put this stuff away. Then I want you to go to bed," Ginny said. Hermione sat back and smiled.

"Thanks, Gin." Hermione packed up her things. She headed upstairs to the seventh-year girls' dorm. Hermione glided over to her bed, dropped her books and fell onto it. The moment she hit the pillow, she was asleep.

Tu as fait pourquoi m'a frappé? = Why did you hit me?

Elle n'a pas besoin de savoir que nous avions le sexe avec tous ces gars, Rina. Arrêter la conversation si beaucoup = She does not need to know that we had sex with all those guys, Rina. Stop talking so much.

Quoi que tu dis, Lina. Tu es le patron = Whatever you say, Lina. You are the boss.