The Love Charm

Chapter One: A New Year

Hermione Granger was delighted to finally be going back to Hogwarts. She had been staying at the Weasleys' with Ron and Harry for the last two weeks of summer and could not stop babbling about her fifth year expectations. Harry and Ron were getting quite sick of it and tried to avoid Hermione as much as possible. They escaped to practice Quidditch with Fred and George. Ginny had become fast friends with Hermione over the summer and, being just as delighted as Hermione to be going back to Hogwarts, they spent much time discussing what Ginny should expect for her fourth year. They also spent many hours with Mrs. Weasley. The boys had come to the conclusion that they were hiding a secret from them, but decided against coming out and asking what was going on and spied instead.

They tried to figure out where they were always disappearing to together, but they could never follow them it was like they, well, disappeared. They also tried to listen to what the girls always stayed up late talking about. They confronted Mrs. Weasley about how they were always hollered at for staying up and talking when they had unsuccessfully heard anything interesting. It seemed like all the girls talked about was starting school again. Ron was hoping to see Ginny get in trouble when his plan backfired and he and Harry were told that if they spied on Hermione and Ginny anymore they would be severely punished. Ron didn't know what all the fuss was about, but he didn't want to get in trouble just to know some silly gossip.

That was how weeks were spent at the Weasleys'. It was good to know that something interesting would be happening even when it was just Mr. Weasley pestering Harry and Hermione again about a muggle object he didn't know the purpose of. He was fascinated by everything they told him, and started to take notes when they talked. Harry and Hermione began to not even take notice of how odd it sounded when he asked what a stapler or some other muggle thing did during the middle of breakfast.

When the day came for them to leave the Weasley house was full of hustling and bustling. Ron couldn't find Pig, and was beginning to wonder why he wasn't yet back from delivering a letter for Mr. Weasley when the poor owl only left that morning. Harry was helping the twins get their things together since, yet again, they had procrastinated to the last moment to pack. Ginny and Hermione were the only ones who were ready, and they had somehow managed to get Mrs. Weasley to bring them early.

George was the first to notice their absence. "Hey, Fred, where's Ginny? I want to know where she put those new quills Mum bought for her. I thought I could steal a couple, but I can't find her!"

"How am I supposed to know? She's probably in the garden or her room, but tell me when you find her. I could use some quills and a bit of ink, too." Fred was unprepared like his twin, and, as always, was relying on his little sister to supply him.

"Here, why don't I give you some of mine?" Harry offered. "I bought extra so Hermione would stop pestering me. She sometimes reminds me of Professor McGonagall."

"Harry! Don't say that! That's just plain scary!" Ron looked horrified for a split second as he thought of how awful it would be if Hermione became Professor McGonagall when she got older. He was surprised to admit there was a resemblance in their personalities though. He added, "Scary, but true."

"Are you young wizards ready yet?" Mr. Weasley yelled impatiently from the stair.

"Almost Mr. Weasley," Harry replied.

"Have the girls finished packing yet?" Fred asked.

"The girls left with your mum a while ago!" Mr. Weasley appeared in the doorway of Fred and George's room, "So let's get a move on so we don't miss the train!"

"Pig!" Ron ran to the window as his little bird appeared, a letter attached to his foot, "We almost had to leave without you, you dumb bird!" He gave him a nugget and shoved him in the cage.

"Okay! Are you all ready now?" The boys nodded and grabbed their trunks. "Good! Now we can leave!" Mr. Weasley took Pig's cage and followed the boys down to the kitchen.

"Dad, how did Mum, Ginny and Hermione get to the train station?" George asked. He didn't think you could use Floo Powder to get to the station, unless there were fireplaces he hadn't seen.

"They went to Diagon Alley first, so we'll catch them on our way there," Mr. Weasley replied absently as he drove in the new car the Ministry had given him. They decided to give him another chance as long as he didn't let his children drive until they were old enough.

Later, after nearly missing the train and squeezing into a compartment with Ginny, Hermione and Neville, Harry and Ron were finally on their way to the place they loved best, Hogwarts. Now that the day had arrived they joined in on talking about the unknown mysteries this year would hold. Every other year had been full of adventure, but mostly danger, and they were hoping for a normal year for once. Well, as normal as normal could be at a wizards' school.

"I'm hoping this year will be a quiet one!" Hermione said while reading, once again, Hogwarts, A History. She always loved reading that book even if it was her hundredth time.

"I hope some interesting things happen. Just so long as they don't get anyone hurt!" Ginny picking through a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. She popped a yellow one in her mouth hoping for banana cream pie, but made a disgusted face and spit it out, "Gross! It's honey mustard!"

"I swear they add new flavors to every bag!" Ron took a handful from Ginny as he spoke.

"I don't think so Ron," Neville said, "I bet you no one has ever tasted them all!"

"Okay!" Hermione interrupted, "Back to the topic of school! We only have a few hours left before we're there!"

"Calm down, Hermione!" Ron said, "It is only school you know!"

"Only school? You think this is only school?" Hermione was getting upset. Her two best friends never took anything seriously! "You don't understand do you? Harry gets a little visit from Voldemort every year and you don't think learning spells is a good idea?"

"Hermione, it's okay!" Ron didn't want to fight with Hermione again when they weren't even off the train yet. "I understand! I know the spells are important for us to know! I just don't want to have to get serious about school until we're actually there!"

"You guys, please don't fight?" Harry said desperately, "I've had enough of it over the summer. You have to learn to stop for atleast a day or two! Hermione, don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think Ron will ever be as dedicated to learning as you are. Ron, listen to Hermione because she knows what she's talking about! This year will be important, we are halfway through leaving Hogwarts, and they're not going to let us leave without learning something. So, is this silly little argument settled, or what?"

Hermione and Ron nodded, while Ginny fought down fits of giggles.

"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked his younger sister.

Ginny gasped for breath and tried to speak, "Neville-" She burst into laughter pointing at Neville who had somehow got his arm stuck out the train window. She took a breath and tried again, "He thought there was something in his pocket so he grabbed it and threw it out the window!" She started to laugh again. Neville plucked his arm back inside the train.

He looked at Ron guiltily causing Ginny to laugh even harder. "What did you do, Neville?" Ron demanded.

"Umm...well...I accidentally threw Pigwidgeon out the window." Neville looked at his feet.

"Neville, he's an owl! He can fly back in!" Harry explained laughingly, "Look! He's right there!" Pig flew back in the window, but there was a letter attached to his leg.

"Well isn't that odd!" Hermione said.

"I didn't send a letter!" Neville declared.

"Obviously, Neville." Ginny had stopped laughing and unattached the letter from Pig's leg.

"I wonder who it's from!" Ron said as Ginny opened it.

She read it out loud:

"BEWARE OF THE LOVE CHARM"

She turned it over. "That's all it says! I wonder what it's supposed to mean." Ginny shrugged, crumpled it up in a ball and threw it at Ron's head. It bounced off and fell on the floor.

He picked it up. "Probably nothing. Malfoy and his two dummies probably caught Pig and sent this to us as a joke." He stuffed the letter in his pocket.

"You're right, Ron. It is a little stupid though. Everyone knows casting love charms never work. They just mess up people's thoughts and feelings," Hermione said knowingly.

"Yeah, anyways, who wants someone to be forced into liking them?" Ginny raised her eyebrows.

"Not me!" Ron, Harry and Neville said at the same time. They all laughed, and in a few minutes completely forgot about the love charm warning.

"Ginny, come with me! I want to try something!" Hermione exclaimed a few moments later. She and Ginny left the compartment. Once in the girls' bathroom Hermione took a breath and said, "I think I might have a crush on your brother!"

"What? Really? Wow! That's really cool! You know, if you guys got married, you'd be my sister?" Ginny replied excitedly.

"Ginny!" Hermione softly slapped Ginny's shoulder. "I think I'm a little bit too young to be talking about marriage!"

"Yeah, you're probably right," Ginny agreed, "We'll talk about that next week!" Both girls laughed. Then Ginny asked, "What do you think that warning was for?"

"I don't know. It was most likely a joke. I mean, why would we have to beware of a love charm? It could only last a few days. Besides, if someone was going to cast a love spell on one of us, why would they tell us?" Hermione replied thoughtfully.

"Harry, what do you think those girls are doing in there?" Ron asked peeking out the doorway.

"I don't know! Why are you so anxious for them to return?" Harry looked at Ron suspiciously.

"I-I don't! I was just wondering why they're taking so long," Ron stuttered.

"Girls always spend a long time in the bathroom. My Gran spends half the day getting ready to go somewhere. They're probably fixing their hair, or make-up, or something like that," Neville said knowingly.

"See, Ron? They're fine! The most that could happen is they fell in the toilet!" Harry pointed out, sarcastically.

"Who fell in the toilet?" Hermione asked, confused, as she and Ginny re-entered the train compartment. She sat down and looked at Harry, then Ron.

"Hello?" Ginny waved her hand in front of Harry and Ron's spaced out faces. They were staring at Hermione and her. "She asked who fell in the toilet!" Ginny said impatiently as she got their attention.

"Someone fell in a toilet?" Ron asked stupidly.

Harry slapped him then said, "We were wondering why you were taking so long and I said one of you probably fell in a toilet."

"Why would one of us fall in a toilet?" Ginny was now confused.

"We were fixing our hair, as you can see." Hermione had braided Ginny's hair, and Ginny had somehow gotten Hermione's hair up in a messy bun that suited her well.

"I noticed," Neville put in from the end of the seat. Hermione smiled gratefully at him.

"Why would those two nitwits notice something like that?" A cool voice entered their conversation from the doorway.

"Malfoy," Harry said disgustedly, "Do we always have to meet you on the train? Come on, can't you wait until we're at school before you try to intimidate us?"

Draco Malfoy just smirked and instead of saying something nasty he replied, "Little Weasel over there," he pointed at Ginny," dropped her wand, and I was passing by so I thought I'd be nice and return it. Seeing as how the Weasel family is always low on cash." He threw her the wand and slid the door shut again.

"Well that was weird!" Ginny commented, putting her wand in her robe pocket.

"Very weird," Ron sounded, only a little bit more surprised than the look on Harry's face.

"Harry, you looked like someone just ruined a cherished tradition of yours. I thought this would be a good thing," Hermione said wonderingly.

"Actually, it is kind of a tradition. I mean, Malfoy bothers us every year even before we get to Hogwarts. What surprises me is that he didn't keep Ginny's wand as some kind of bribery or blackmail," Harry's expression returned to normal.

"Harry, I think even Malfoy has more of a life than to keep something like just to blackmail you," Hermione said skeptically.

"I wouldn't put it past him, Hermione. Malfoy could do some pretty drastic things to ruin Harry's life. I think his main goal in life is to make Harry miserable," Ron stuck with Harry's idea, which is odd because he would normally tell Harry that he shouldn't expect people to always be giving him attention, whether it was in a good or bad way.

After that, the trip went smoothly. They arrived at Hogwarts, sat through the Sorting Hat ceremony, welcomed three new Gryffindors, and ate the dinner feast. Then, they talked in the common room, and found out some very surprising news.