Confessions That Come Out of Playing Poker

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From last chapter...

Harry stretched out on the couch and drifted off into slumber. He dreamed of getting out of that place. He also said it out loud IN his sleep. "I...gotta...get out...oh, no...please, Mr. O'Brian...don't kill me...please..." He was slowly waking up and saw a shadow rise over her head. He screamed and screamed and screamed. It was............

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron's eyes had gotten wide with amazement. "I bet it was the killer wasn't it?" Hermione stared at Harry with a see-what-you've-gotten-yourself-into look on her face. "Nope," Harry started, "It was something even more scarier...

~*~*~*~*~*~

What?

Hermione?

What was she doing there and why was she standing over him?

"Hey, Hermione! What are you doing here?" Harry asked. Hermione sat down on the end of the couch and smiled at him very sweetly. He noticed that she was wearing really short shorts and a bandana-patterned shoulder-shirt.

"Well, Harry, it all began when I was 11 years old. On Halloween of 1991, something happened. The demented Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher let in a mountain troll and the troll ended up getting trapped in the same room with me. Luckily, you and our other friend came and rescued me. Ever since then we've been friends. And then one day, my friend's curiosity got the better of him and ended up in a Witness Protection Program. It seems that the friend's, who also got in trouble at school, sole purpose in life was to make mine a living @#$%! (yeah, you-know-what)"

Wow. She was pretty mad. "This isn't my fault! It's yours! You're always telling me to do the right thing!" Hermione stared straight at him. "Yeah, I do tell you to do the right thing but do you ever listen?!" She let out a sigh. "You know what? It's over and done with. We are both here right now and no way we are getting out of here until that psycho is caught. But if I'm going to live here I'm going to look good doing it. Where's the bathroom? I need to fix my...everything."

"Oh, right through that door." Harry pointed towards the door by the couch. Hermione said her thanks and pushed open the door.

It led outside.

"What is this, Potter? Some kind of a joke?" said Hermione in an exasperated tone. "Nope. Oh, and take this," said Harry, handing her a broomstick, "There's something living in there."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Eww! Do you mean that there was...eww!" Ron said as he cringed at the thought.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After dinner, Harry and Hermione tried to entertain themselves in anyway they could.

"Do you really like that, Harry?

"Of course I do! What, don't you?"

"Yes! I thought I was the only one!"

"Really? Wow!"

"I know! I thought that I was the only person who brushed their teeth in little circles!"

"ME TOO!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I don't blame you two. You were really bored. But brushing your teeth!" said Ron. "Ron! Will you please stop interrupting Harry?!" screeched an agitated Hermione. "OK, OK! Geez..."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Not much happened over the next few days. Hermione complained about not having anything to read. Harry complained about not getting to ride his broomstick. They both complained about how hot it was and how boring their neighbors were. And when they got bored with complaining, they fought.

"Good Lord, Harry! If we're going to live together, at least help keep the trailer clean!"

"Why? It's already a pig-sty."

"I'll never forgive you for this!"

"What'd I do now?"

"You put me in this position! I swear Harry, if O'Brian doesn't kill you, I will!"

"That's the nicest thing you've said to me all day."

"Shut it."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron shook his head. "You two must have been bored! Arguing about the trailer! Good Larry!" He threw down his cards in astonishment. As soon as Ron found all of his cards (and started a new game since Harry and Hermione had seen them) Harry continued his story.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The first days went by without much excitement. They woke up, ate, hunted, ate, slept, ate, listened to the radio, ate, and slept.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"No offense, but I really don't find that interesting. Could you please skip to the good parts?" asked Ron.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Nothing happened all week. Or the week after that. Until one day...

"Let's go hunting."

"What?"

"You heard me. I know we've already went today, but I'm bored."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "So am I! But I'm tired of hunting."

"Come on, 'Mione! Please?" he put on his cutest and most innocent puppy-dog face.

"MMMMMmmMMMmmmmMMMmM...OK. But only because you're so cute when you do that."

"Thank you."

Hermione muttered to herself as she grabbed her gun.

~*~*~

After about thirty minutes into woods, the group started to get tired.

"Harry, Let's stop for a few minutes. We haven't been this far before."

He stopped. "We haven't been this far, you say?"

"Yes. Look around. No familiar surroundings."

"So, in other words, you've never been here in your life."

"That's right."

"Uh-oh."

"What is it?"

"I thought you knew where we were."

"Oh no, Harry. Don't tell me that you've gotten us lost."

"OK then, I won't tell you."

The two tried to wander back to their trailer when, in reality, they were only making things worse. After an hour in the woods, they stopped for a while. They argued a bit, but decided that it wouldn't help things, and quit.

Crack. Snap.

Harry motioned for Hermione to get down and stay quiet. She nodded and did what he said.

He looked around and found nothing.

"It's OK, Hermione. You can come out noOOOOWWWW!"

Something had jumped on Harry's back and was trying to pin him to the ground.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I bet it was an animal, wasn't it?" asked Ron, practically bouncing up and down in his chair.

"Well, kind of," answered Harry.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione had jumped on its back and discovered that...it wasn't an animal of any kind. It was...

"Otis!"

"Lil' Suzie Baker? Is that you?"

'Uh, yeah. It's me," she said in her best hick accent, "and this here thing you've done jumped on is Floyd McGregor!"

"Well, I'll be! It is Mr. Floyd! I's so sorry, Mr. Floyd!"

"It's OK, Otis. What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, just takin' a walk, Mr. Floyd. I seen you and Miss Suzie out here and thought y'all were bears! I 'pologize again, Mr. Floyd and Miss Suzie, for giving you such a fright. I did the same thing to a fella yesterday. Boy, if he didn't look like a bear! He was big and tall, and he had on a black suit. How was I to know he was a human an' not supper?"

Harry's eyes got big. "Otis, which way did he go?"

"Oh, I dunno, Mr. Floyd. But I reckon he went to our trailer park. Said he was lookin' for a 'Mr. Harry Potter.' Said he had some 'unfinished business' to do. I told him he could look but there ain't no Harry Potter there!" Otis chuckled heartily.

"Thanks, Otis, but we have to get back to camp! 'Bye!"

"See y'all later!"

Harry and Hermione finally found there way and went to their trailer to go pack and run away. Now that O'Brian knew where they were, they had no choice but to leave.

Harry threw open the door only to find Jack O'Brian staring him down.

"Hello, punk. Nice seeing you again."

O'Brian jumped on Harry and wrapped his hands around his neck. Hermione was trying her best to get him off of Harry.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron gasped. "Whoa! What happened next?" Ron asked with anticipation. "OK, then. Ante first and I'll tell you." Said Harry, picking up two knuts and putting them in the center.

Ron noticed something.

Something that had never happened when he played poker.

"I'm out of money!"

"Then I'm out of story!"

Ron leered at him. "I bet the part about the animal wasn't even true."

Harry and Hermione snickered. Shortly after they roke out into fits of laughter.

"Ron, you stupid git, none of it was true!" said Hermione between laughs.

"Yeah, Ron! It was just a way to get your mind off of your game!" Harry managed to get out.

Ron shook his head. "I can't believe you two. Well, anyway, I have to get home. 'Night."

"Buh-bye, Ron."

"Oh, yeah! Next time we'll tell you the story about the time Hermione was abducted by aliens!"

~*~*~

Late that night, the two were watching really old movies and just chatting.

"Hey, Hermione?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think it was a bad idea? You know, telling Ron a story like that?"

"I don't know. Well, yeah, I guess so."

They stared of into space for a little while, contemplating the meaning of their actions.

"It's getting late. I'm going to bed. 'Night, Harry"

"G'night."

As Hermione headed upstairs, Harry heard a knock at the door. Who would be here at this time at night?

Harry opened the door and screamed like crazy. There was a big and tall man in a tuxedo with dark sunglasses on standing in the doorway. Harry continued to scream until the man's hand went to his neck and pulled off a mask. The man behind the mask was none other than Ronald Weasley.

And before I end my story, dear reader, I must tell you that I can't say that Harry didn't deserve that.

The End