The Mystery

Chapter One

Ron... Hermione...

Now that Harry Potter knew why he had to come back to the Dursley's year after year still didn't make the experience any better. Much less that he had to live with the fact that Sirius Black, his godfather was now dead. Harry had hoped that the mirror would have worked but now all that was left was pieces of the mirror wrapped in his invisibility cloak. The fact that a person from the Order of the Phoenix had threatened to be by every other day had made Uncle Vernon so scared that he was practically waiting on Harry hand and foot. Practically but not quite there yet, because Uncle Vernon made Dudley do everything for Harry. After Dudley got back from the hospital sometime last school year him and his friends had gotten caught pounding on an 8^th grader and had gotten expelled from his prestigious school. So now Dudley was attending the public school and getting Harry anything he wanted; which was privacy most of the time.

At least Ron and Hermione had written and he actually got their letters now. Hedwig was aloud out of her cage for every night and three days out of the week, but that had taken the visitation of Professor Lupin in a brand new dressing robe and hat. Apparently he had found a job that didn't mind him turning into a wolf every full moon. The sudden appearance of Professor Lupin on the doorstep of number 4 Privet Drive had made Uncle Vernon mad and Aunt Petunia faint. Dudley had run to his room, having encountered two other wizards with bad experiences. Harry had then pulled Lupin into the house and shouted at the neighbors that he was a salesman.

Anyway that day had granted him Hedwig's freedom for the rest of the summer, which a letter from Hermione had rewarded him the very next day.

Harry,

How are you doing? I hope you have had a wonderful summer so far. I met up with Ron and the rest of the Weasley's in Ireland last week. Apparently a great aunt of Mr. Weasley left him all of her inheritance and so they took a trip. I can't wait until the week of your birthday! To have all of us at the Leaky Cauldron to stay until the start of term is going to be fun. Oh and don't worry about what you write in letters we've all learned a charm that keeps the letters sealed and the only person who can open them are the person it's from and the person it's to. Well I guess I better go so I can save something for your next letter.

Best Wishes,

Hermione

P.S. Ron and I have something to tell you when we get to the Leaky Cauldron. Oh and here's the charm for the letter.

Seal My Letter Tightly

Only Open For the Person Rightly

When Harry read the letter he couldn't help but smile and picture Hermione and Ron stuck for two more weeks together without him there as referee. Still he wondered what Ron and Hermione had to tell him. The two weeks went by pretty fast for Harry but painfully slow for the Dursley's. A week after the letter from Hermione came Tonks stopped by and had dinner with them. Tonks being Nymphadora Tonks was a Metamorphmagi, which means she can change her appearance at will. Unheard of by the Dursley's they kept making scared and surprised faces every time Tonks changed her appearance at dinner, which was quite humorous Harry thought.

Finally the end of the second week came and he was ready to make the trip to the Leaky Cauldron with Tonks, Professor Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody, and Mr. Weasley; fully recovered from the snake attack last year and dressed very smartly.

"We will be traveling the same way we did when we took you to the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix." Mad-Eye said and at the mention of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place; Harry couldn't help but think of Sirius. Harry had cried every night for two weeks after he had died and was just now to the mad phase of mourning. Tonks threw a very awful look at Mad-Eye and put her hand on Harry's shoulder, which he shrugged off and straightened up.

"Then lets go, I want to see Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Hagrid too." Harry said mounting his broom with his trunk strapped to the tail of it. They lifted off and flew for about thirty minutes and landed in the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron.

"What's this then?" Tonks piped up. "It took us nearly two hours to get to Harry's from here, how come it only took thirty minutes this time?" Harry smiled knowingly.

"Because, Tonks, Mad-Eye mad us fly around the city for an hour and a half to throw off anyone following us." Lupin said laughing at the nice shade of red her hair had just turned.

"Besides Potter needs some company besides those Dursley's. The boy'll be 16 this year and he needs his friends to, uh, do whatever 16-year-olds do." Mad-Eye informed everyone who was still listening. Mr. Weasley winked at Harry and led him into the Leaky Cauldron where the first thing Harry seen was the backside of a humongous person.

"Hagrid!" Harry yelled and the backside vanished into a humongous front side. Hagrid grinning from ear to ear went to grab Harry in a bear hug but thought better of it and shook his hand. Harry thinking this a little bit peculiar looked around at the tables hoping to find Ron and Hermione, but instead found a shower of something in his face. It was purple and it sparkled, from the look of it he would guess pixie dust like from the movie Peter Pan. He sneezed and then looked around for the source of the powder. Fred and George were peaking around from behind Hagrid and smiling very toothily.

"What?" was all Harry got out of his mouth when he noticed Hermione walk in the room with Ron right behind her. All he could think about was the way that Hermione had grown into a beautiful young lady and that Ron was way too close to her. Hermione looked his way and smiled coming over to him; Harry got a very odd sensation in his stomach like butterflies. He must have had a weird expression on his face because Hermione wasn't smiling anymore. She rounded on Fred and George.

"Where is that stuff? I told you to leave him alone! You can test it on Ron but leave Harry alone!" George spat back at her just as Fred threw some dust in her face as well.

"I don't want to test it on someone who already has feelings for you, I wanted to test it on someone that was unguarded about his emotions and the way he's looking at you I believe it's a plus." George smiled and then turned white as a ghost because Hermione was looking at him now but instead of the dreamy; in-love look Harry had her face showed livid hatred.

"Apparently, George if thrown in the face of someone that is angry they become very, very angry!" Fred said as both twins started backing away from Hermione just as Ron figured out what had happened he searched Fred's coat for the antidote, green pixie dust.

"Sorry mate," Ron said as he threw a pinch of it in Harry's face, which made Harry sneeze three times in a row. Ron laughed and then very carefully threw a pinch on Hermione, who had not moved since Fred had sprayed her with the purple dust. "Hermione? Are you okay?" Ron asked tentatively. Harry's head had cleared by the time that Hermione was talking again.

"Did you get the purple dust too?" Hermione asked still in a foul mood. Ron looking scared shook his head no. Harry thought that they were acting very weird. Hermione rolled her eyes and then noticed Harry looking at them. "Oh, Harry I'm so sorry about that. Fred and George have been experimenting with powder potions for their joke shop and you just got a face full of their stupid Love Dust." Harry just stared at her not wanting to believe her. Had their dust made him feel those emotions towards Hermione? He wasn't sure.

"Oh, that's alright. It was a nice surprise." Ron grinned and slapped Harry on the back.

"Told you Hermione, Harry doesn't care since it was his Triwizard Winnings that got Fred and George where they are." Ron, Hermione, and Harry made their way over to a table and ordered butterbeers.

"So," said Harry, "what happened in Ireland?" He inquired as they received their drinks. Hermione smiled at Harry and Ron was making it obvious that he didn't want to look at Harry. "What? What am I missing?" Hermione looked at Ron and then elbowed him in the ribs. Ron made a pained face and opened his mouth to say something when Fred and George walked up and plopped down beside him and Hermione. Fred put his arm around Hermione and smiled.

"So, Harry has Ron told you that him and Hermione here has a thing?" George asked smiling at Ron and then winked at Harry. Harry still very confused looked from Hermione to Ron to Fred and then back to George.

"Would someone please explain to me what is going on? Apparently I should have figured something out but I'm still blank." Harry said finally. Hermione shrugged Fred's arm off her shoulders and sighed loudly.

"Look Harry, uh well, while we were in Ireland I had my fortune read through Tarot cards and I found out something I really have always known." Hermione paused and Ron was smiling very happily. "Anyway, Ron and I are... like a... couple now." Hermione slouched her shoulders as if to receive a herd of curses and shouts from Harry but all Harry could do was laugh.

"Mate? Are you ok?" Ron asked in disbelief. Harry shook his head still laughing and Fred and George looked at him like he had lost a screw. Harry finally sobered.

"It's about time you two realized this or I would have gone mad!!!" Harry said with Ron and Hermione staring at him numbly.