The Brethren of Tyr

Chapter Three: The Day of the O.W.L.s

"What are you waiting for, Potter?"

"The post."

"For letters from your freaky friends?"

"No, Dudley, for my O.W.L. results."

"What are they?"

"They're the wizarding equivalent of your G.C.S.E.s..."

"Only freakier?"

Harry sighed. Over the past month, Dudley had got over his fear and loathing of Harry Potter... well, over his fear, anyway. His loathing still burned brightly, spurred on by that small incident of a Dementor attack last August, which was hardly Harry's fault. Still, the dislike was indeed mutual, but lately, Harry found he simply couldn't be bothered to wind up his cousin anymore.

Well, most of the time. Today he felt the urge for payback overcome him.

"Yeah, freakier. If I pass, they send me a special new wand. I get dispensation to use it on your girlfriend..."

"Try anything on Tina, Potter, and you're going to get it!" Dudley hissed, threateningly. Harry brought his hands up to his face in an expression of mock terror.

"Oh, I'm scared Dudley. Are you going to get your friends to beat me up?"

"Actually," Dudley grinned maliciously. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea- thanks, Potter!"

Harry thought fast, "But what if I use magic to defend myself?"

Dudley seemed to consider the embarrassment of this, as his face took on an expression usually reserved for the constipated.

"Just leave Tina alone, okay?" he replied, tersely.

The very concept of Dudley having a girlfriend still brought tears of laughter to Harry's eyes, even more so when he remembered the photograph he had seen of this Tina. She was about Dudley's height (and Dudley was tall), unbelievably skinny (which Aunt Petunia continually described as 'willowy') with a large, bulbous nose, giving the overall impression of an upside-down ladle with hair. The mental picture Harry had got of this supremely thin girl arm-in-arm with the supremely fat Dudley had kept him laughing for an entire week, despite his Uncle Vernon threatening to lock him up in his bedroom again. Being the alleged 'mortal enemy of the Dark Lord' somehow made such threats seem either a little empty, or a little insignificant.

He looked at his watch: five to ten. Soon, very soon, his O.W.L.s would arrive and, as Hermione had so often said, his entire life would be affected.

"If you don't revise,' he remembered her warning him before they sat their exams. "Then you won't do well in your exams, which means you won't be able to take any N.E.W.T.s, which means you won't be able to get a decent job, and will spend your adult life unfulfilled and resorting to buying strange drugs off strange men in order to blot out your meaningless existence!"

He also remembered how he and Ron had tried, and failed, to hide their amusement, and how unimpressed Hermione was with the next fifteen minutes they had spent clutching their sides in fits of laughter.

"Fine," she had retorted, huffily. "Treat it as a joke- you'll be laughing on the other sides of your faces come results day!"

Harry hoped that Hermione was over-exaggerating. He really did want to do well at his O.W.L.s, as the thought of becoming an Auror had become increasingly appealing since the end of the last school term. Which reminded him of how he would have to take up Potions again with Snape. He silently cursed at the realisation- he had been hoping to have as little as possible to do with the greasy-haired potions professor, which initially had involved the thought of dropping said subject at N.E.W.T. level. However, if her wanted to be an Auror, he had to have a N.E.W.T. in Potions, as well as Charms, Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Harry felt his heart lunge into his mouth as an owl recognisable as one from Hogwarts swooped into his field of vision and neatly dropped a small brown envelope into his lap. It pecked grudgingly a little at some toast Harry handed it, with an air that suggested it would be much happier with a dead rodent of some description. After taking some water from Harry's glass, the owl flew out of the house, leaving Harry alone with the envelope that he had been dreading and anticipating in equal measure.

He lay it down carefully on the table in front of him and just stared at it for a few seconds, as though opening it straight away may somehow jinx all his results. After steeling himself for a moment, he tore the letter open, no longer able to put off the awful, exquisite moment one second longer. Opening the letter out in full, Harry managed to read as far as the 'O.W.L. Results for Potter, Harry James: Astronomy' before Dudley had snatched the letter out of his hands.

"Well, Potter, let's see how you've done..." Dudley sneered, his eyes scanning the page. Suddenly, he let out a howl of derision, which made Harry cringe- what had he got?

"You've got a bunch of 'E's- You're even a rubbish freak!" he laughed uncontrollably. Harry snatched the paper back. E's? Had he really got some 'Exceeds Expectations' in his O.W.L.s? His nerves jangling uncontrollably, he read the rest of the results parchment.

O.W.L. results for Potter, Harry James:

Astronomy-A

Care of Magical Creatures- E

Charms- E

Defence Against the Dark Arts (Double Award)- O

Divination- P

Herbology- E

History of Magic- P

Potions- O

Transfiguration (Double Award)- E

Harry couldn't help it- he literally whooped for joy, something he had never once imagine he'd do in relation to schoolwork. Three Os! He had somehow managed to get three Os! A quick look at what subjects he had gained the Os in caused him to burst out laughing so violently that Dudley jumped.

"What's so funny, Potter? You've done rubbish... haven't you?"

Harry continued to laugh.

"Nah- I've done pretty well, actually."

Potions. One of his Os was in Potions. Snape was going to go spare, he was sure of it. Yet somehow, Harry had a mental image of the professor demanding a remarking of his paper from the Ministry replaying in his brain that merely made him laugh all the harder. His O in Defence Against the Dark Arts technically counted as two Os itself, and came as little surprise- he also reckoned every member of last year's DA would have come away with at least an E. So, he failed Divination and History of Magic- who cared? He hadn't even failed them that awfully. He had nine O.W.L.s!

'I wonder how Ron and Hermione have done?" Harry thought to himself, then instantly stopped. In his head, he was beginning to sound like Hermione. He'd be interrogating them over which subjects they were going to continue for N.E.W.T. level next.

He suddenly wondered if Sirius would have been proud. Silently, he cursed himself for thinking in such a way. Of course he would be, except he isn't here to tell him. One day, maybe- he thought back to Sirius' letter- Sirius always keeps his promises, one way or another. And hadn't Luna told him Sirius was beyond the veil, just waiting for him?

A knock at the door distracted him. Dudley ran to answer it, which struck Harry as odd- since when did Dudley rush to do anything? Then a thought struck him- he was waiting for Tina. The fact that he straightened his shirt and checked his breath was a dead giveaway.

"Hey Tina, come in," Dudley said, as he opened the door to let his girlfriend into the living room. Harry was surprised that he hadn't been told to get out.

A skinny, surly looking girl who was at least four inches taller than Harry stood in the hall doorway, leaning her shoulder against the door-jam. She looked contemptuously at Harry.

"Who's that?" she asked Dudley, as though Harry was a particularly distasteful puppy dog that had urinated over her best shoes.

"Oh that's my cousin, Harry. He's not like the rest of the family, he's a bit, you know..." Dudley tapped the side of his head to emphasise his point. Tina nodded slowly.

"Sit down," Dudley offered. "I'll get you a drink."

"Sure," Tine replied, and slouched into the armchair that Harry recognised as being Uncle Vernon's favourite. She glared at Harry.

"So," she drawled. "You're the one that's at St. Brutus'?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, in as threatening a manner as he could, "that's right."

Tine looked silent for a moment, then replied, "cool."

This took Harry aback, and it must have shown, as Tina continued.

"Do you know a 'Bruiser' Smethwick?" she asked.

"No. Is he in the fifth year?" Harry asked, hoping that Tina wouldn't realise he didn't attend, for his sake, as he dreaded to think how Uncle Vernon would react if their cover was blown and their 'shameful family secret' uncovered.

"Nah, sixth. Used to go out with him. He set fire to the new Starbucks in the local mall with a bottle of vodka and a rag," she replied.

"Nice!" Harry managed to keep the sarcastic tone out of his voice. Just.

"It was pretty wicked," Tina replied with a smile.

"So," Harry felt he ought to at least attempt some kind of conversation. "Which school are you at then? Smeltings' only takes boys, so I guess you can't be there."

Tina laughed.

"I'm at St. Martins Grammar School for Girls. Also known by the neighbouring boys' schools as the 'Virgin Megastore.'"

Harry tried to cough away a dry throat.

"Right. Nice."

Dudley returned with a drink for Tina, and an angry glance for Harry, who shrugged.

"Hey D," Tina called. "You said you were going to show me those new boxing gloves. You know- in your room?"

Dudley looked confused for a moment, then, as though someone had turned the dimmer switch in his mind up to full brightness (which for Dudley, Harry mused, probably only created an moody glow), he smiled.

"Yeah, yeah I did- erm, up here." He gestured towards the hallway.

Dudley had one foot on the bottom step of the stairs when there was a knock on the door. Tina giggled.

"I'll get it- did you ask Piers round?"

"No, but he might just turn up anyway."

Tina opened the door, and looked surprised and askance simultaneously when faced with a tall, lanky ginger haired boy who peered at her suspiciously and asked, "Is Harry about?"

She shrugged.

"Yeah, he's in there," she replied, gesturing with her thumb to the living room. Harry heard her ask Dudley, "Who's the Ginger Ninja?"

"Probably one of Potter's freaky friends, don't worry about it," he replied irritably, as Tina followed him upstairs.

Ron stood in the doorway of the living room and whispered, "Who's the string-bean?"

"Oh, Dudley's girlfriend..."

Harry added an, "I think," onto the end of the sentence, but it was masked by Ron's hysterical laughter.

"Dudley? Bloody hell, they look a right pair! He'd just have to hug her and she'd snap!"

Harry had just about adjusted to the bizarre fact that his school friend was actually in his house and not being insulted by Dudley in any way when he asked,

"What are you doing here, Ron?"

Ron pulled a mock expression of hurt.

"I've come to see my best mate, of course! Your suspicions wound me!"

Harry smiled.

"You know what I mean." Harry pointed at his piece of parchment. "So, how did you do?" he asked. Ron sighed.

"You're turning into Hermione! Very well," he replied, handing Harry his parchment. Harry went to take it, when Ron pulled it away from his grasp.

"You show me yours first."

"Oh, no way! How about we show them at the same time," he suggested, handing his piece of parchment to Ron.

"You take mine, and I'll take yours- on the count of three."

"Okay, one- two- three!"

The two boys swapped their parchments. Harry began to read.

O.W.L. results for Weasley, Ronald:

Astronomy- A

Care of Magical Creatures- E

Charms- E

Defence Against the Dark Arts (Double Award)- O

Divination- P

Herbology- A

History of Magic- P

Potions- O

Transfiguration (Double Award)- E

"Pretty cool, huh?" Ron said with a laugh, "Can you believe I got an O in potions? Mum was well chuffed- I think I might be in for a new broom-keeping kit!"

Harry laughed, "Yeah, cool- and at least I have some moral support in Snape's potion classes... you are taking potions, right?"

Ron grimaced,

"Well, I do fancy the idea of being an Auror, so I kind of have to. I think we should get onto the Auror training course purely for putting up with Snape for another two years! Hey Harry?" Ron asked.

"Yeah?"

"You failed Divination too?" He raised his hand into the air. "Put it there, mate," he laughed, as Harry slapped his hand.

After a few more minutes of reciprocal congratulating, Harry paused.

"Do you know how Hermione did?" he asked. He hadn't heard from her, and he was a little worried, as he felt sure she would owl him the second she got her results if they were as good as she'd hoped. Ron grimaced.

"No, I haven't. Well, that's another reason I'm here. I figured perhaps we should pay Hermione a visit. I know I've been banging on about her and her constant 'Do you think people often fail O.W.L.s? How long do you think re-sits take? Oh, you don't think they'll kick me out, because I'm really not sure about that Ancient Runes exam?'" Ron did a quite passable impression of Hermione as he said all this, "but I reckon she's really worried and could do with some support. Or someone to boast to, at least," he finished, rolling his eyes. Harry laughed.

"Sure, but how are we going to get there?"

"Oh, Bill's parked round the back."

"Parked?"

"Yeah- turns out Sirius left his old flying motorbike in my older brother's capable hands. He's been loving it- of course, it helps him keep his cool levels up when he goes to visit Fleur," Ron replied, grinning. "So, you up for it?"

"You bet!" Harry replied, and then thought a moment.

"Wait, do you think Dumbledore..."

"Hey, Bill's taking us, isn't he? The way things are at the moment, the Order are having to account for every time they go to the toilet, much less take a trip around the country," Ron answered. Harry smiled.

"Okay then, I'd better just tell..." Harry paused as he tried to think of a single reason why the Dursley's would care where he'd gone.

"Nah, sod it, lets just go."

Bill was sat astride Sirius' vintage motorbike as though he was posing for a magazine. He glanced up at the two boys who had now appeared by his side.

"Bloody hell Ron," he exclaimed, "could you have taken any longer? Hey Harry, how are you doing?"

Harry smiled at Bill.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Holding up, you know?"

"Yeah, listen, I'm sorry I didn't get to say anything at the reading..."

Harry waved his hand across his face, as though to literally push the words away from his ears.

"It's cool- let's not talk about it now. I don't really want to go through it all again," he replied. On seeing the embarrassed look on Bill's face he hastily added, "It's not you or anything, I wasn't offended, really!" He breathed hard through his nose and exhaled sharply, stuttering, "thanks for your concern and everything..."

Bill smiled and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"It's cool. Now," he looked at Harry and Ron and asked, "either of you know the way?"

Ron pointed up at the sky.

"Somewhere in that direction?"

Bill laughed and smacked him gently around the head.

"Yeah, really helpful, bro. Now," he announced, handing them both a bike helmet. "Safety first!"

Harry looked at the two-seater motorbike.

"Erm, Bill? How are we both going to fit on?"

Bill hit himself on the forehead with the back of his hand, in retribution for his forgetfulness.

"Oh shit, of course- nearly forgot!"

He stepped off the motorcycle and pointed his wand at it.

"Adquiro curulis," he commanded, and a sidecar appeared attached to the bike.

"Yeah," he replied, "if one of you gets on the back and the other sits in the sidecar..."

After precisely thirty seven seconds of arguing over who got to ride pillion, which was settled by a quick game of paper, rock, scissors and a promise that the loser could swap places on the way back, Harry got onto the back of the bike while Ron clambered into the shiny chrome sidecar. Bill kicked down on the pedal and started the bike up with a roar of the engine and a vibratory hum that caused Harry's glasses to shake a small way down the bridge of his nose.

"Cool, huh?" Ron remarked, grinning from ear to ear as Harry pushed his glasses back.

"Yeah," he replied, as they took off into the sky.

Harry watched as the houses and trees shrank before his eyes, and shivered as the bike began to go so fast, he could feel the chill of the resulting air current. The cold and the dampness got so much, that he had to take his glasses off at least three times to wipe away the condensation. He remembered how he and Ron had used his dad's Ford Anglia to travel across the UK in their second year, and how much trouble they got into when they had been spotted by a group of muggles...

"Erm, Bill?" Harry asked, "aren't we going to get spotted up here?"

Bill laughed.

"Nah- the bike's been charmed with a distraction spell, makes anyone who tries to look at it get a sudden compulsion to do something far away from the object in question. Handy spell," he added, with the inference that he would teach it him sometime.

"Wow!" Ron exclaimed as he leant over the sidecar to get a good look at the urban spread below, which looked like one of those model villages your parents inevitably took you to stomp through as a child. He exhaled deeply in satisfaction.

"We must be a hundred feet up! How cool is that?"

Harry saw Bill glance at a dial next to the speedometer.

"Ninety feet, actually, but we'll probably go up to one hundred if we come across anything really big."

After a while, Harry felt his ears start to pop. He swallowed to counteract the sensation, then looked over Bill's shoulder and saw the ground being to rush up towards them. Involuntarily closing his eyes, he felt the bike bump and skid to a halt. Upon opening them, he saw that they were parked in a street not a million miles away from Privet Drive in terms of its appearance.

Ron got out of the sidecar, and Harry followed suit by jumping off the back of the bike.

"Hermione's house should be just around the corner," Ron said, studying a muggle map that he had clearly 'borrowed' from his dad, as it had been charmed to produce a glowing pink circle around one small area labelled 'Hermione's house' in the same colour pink lettering, and a glowing green arrow bearing the legend 'you are here'.

"Well, I've got a bit of work to do, so I'll pick you guys up from this point in a couple of hours, okay?" Bill explained. Harry and Ron nodded.

"Yeah, sure thing, bro."

"Thanks for the lift, Bill!"

Bill smiled.

"No problem," he replied, and with a rumble of engine and a whiff of smoke, he was gone.

After following the map, they arrived at a perfectly normal looking house, complete with latticework on the windows and a mock Tudor exterior. Harry pressed the doorbell.

"What does that do?" Ron asked, "Does it summon the person you want to see?"

"In a manner of speaking, "Harry replied, "It makes a noise so that people in the house know someone is at the door. Saves you knocking on the wood."

Ron contemplated this.

"That's pretty clever, actually," he mused. Then his expression turned sour.

"Do you know what this means?" he exclaimed. Harry shook his head.

"Becoming fascinated with muggle objects? It means I'm turning into my dad," Ron sighed. Harry tried not to laugh.

A tallish man with cropped brown hair answered the door.

"Can I help you?" he asked. Harry and Ron exchanged glances.

"Is Hermione here?" Harry asked, "we're friends from school..."

Mr. Granger put on his glasses and peered at them.

"Of course!" he replied, his face having flashed with recollection. "Harry and Ronald, I recognise you now. Come in, come in... perhaps you'll have better luck getting Hermione to come out of her room than we've had."

Ron looked concerned.

"Why, what's the matter?"

Mr. Granger sighed.

"She got her O.W.L.s today, I think. Well, she received a letter from an owl, and ran upstairs. That was two hours ago, and she hasn't come back out."

Harry and Ron stepped into the house, and could clearly see Mrs. Granger standing by a shut door, saying, "Hermione, honey, it's okay, whatever it is, it isn't the end of the world... please come and talk to us, dear," in soothing notes. On seeing the two boys in her house, she smiled at them and added, "Hermione, your friends are here to see you!" in an equally soothing tone. She nodded to them to come upstairs, and they followed.

"Maybe you'll have a better chance," she whispered. "Would you like something to drink?"

They both nodded in the affirmative. Mrs. Granger went downstairs to the kitchen, and Harry rapped on the door with his knuckles.

"Hermione? It's Harry. Ron too. Can we come in?"

A sniffle was audible.

"S'pose," came the uncharacteristically monosyllabic reply. Harry turned the handle of the door and walked in, followed by Ron.

Hermione was sat on her bed, pieces of parchment by her side. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, but she managed a weak smile for them both.

"Hi," she sniffled. Harry looked at her with worry.

"Hermione? What's the matter?" he asked, striding forward to sit next to her on the bed. She shrugged her shoulders and pointed towards a piece of parchment that Harry could see had the words 'O.W.L. results for Granger, Hermione' printed on the top. Before he could take a look, Ron had picked up the parchment and was reading it, his eyes widening as he did so. Once he had finished, he shook his head sadly and handed it to Harry for his inspection.

Opening out the parchment, Harry began to read. He couldn't believe his eyes.

O.W.L. results for Granger, Hermione:

Ancient Runes- O

Arithmancy- O

Astronomy- E

Care of Magical Creatures- O

Charms- O

Defence Against the Dark Arts (Double Award)- O

Herbology- O

History of Magic- O

Potions- O

Transfiguration (Double Award)- O

He was about to say something, but was interrupted by Ron.

"Hermione, you great noodle! These are amazing! Eleven Outstandings and one Exceeds Expectations! How can you possibly be upset?" he paused for a moment, his expression incredulous.

"You aren't upset about the bloody E, are you?"

Harry looked at Hermione for her answer, and she shook her head.

"No," she replied, "I'm just a bit... I don't know... I know you don't believe me, but I really wasn't expecting to do this well..." She burst into tears again. Harry tentatively put a comforting arm around her. Ron was still looking at her as though she was quite mad.

"And you're upset? I swear I will never understand you girls," he said, shaking his head. He picked up another piece of parchment that was lying on her bed, and began to laugh as he read it.

"Or maybe it was this? The letter that states you got the highest O.W.L. results of the entire year? Oh, you poor thing!"

"Oh, shut up, Ron," Hermione hissed, though the impact was lost with her having to sniff halfway through her words. Ron just laughed.

Harry continued to gently pat her shoulder, but it was Ron that managed to bring her out of her shock.

"So" he asked, "Have you thought about what subjects you're going to do at N.E.W.T. level then?" Hermione smiled.

"Well," she began enthusiastically. "Definitely Defence Against the Dark Arts- especially with, you know..."

"The War?" Harry finished, with an edge of menace in his voice. Hermione wilted a little, but fought to keep her composure.

"Yes Harry, the War. I also think I'll carry on Arithmancy, oh, and Potions. Maybe Charms- oh, definitely Charms, and Transfiguration..."

"Not that you've been thinking about it at all," Ron joked. Hermione blushed a little, but her voice remained indignant.

"Well, we have to send back our choices by the end of the week," she explained.

Suddenly, she looked at them both quizzically.

"Oh, what did you two get?" she asked, with fervour, clapping her hands in anticipation. Harry and Ron told her and she hugged them both so hard, Harry thought he might break a rib-bone.

"Oh, that's so great!" she exclaimed. Ron eyed her curiously.

"How come our grades are so great, yet you burst into tears at yours?"

Hermione's response was a shrug and a mumbled, "I suppose I don't judge everyone else's results as harshly as my own."

"Daft sod," Ron replied with a smile.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Hermione answered brightly. Mrs. Granger opened the door and stepped into her bedroom, armed with three glasses of squash and a plate of biscuits,

"Oh, I am glad to see you're feeling better!" she sighed, then hesitantly asked, "And how did you do in your O.W.L.s?"

Ron handed Mrs. Granger the results.

"Well," he replied. "She only got the highest marks of our whole year!"

Mrs. Granger looked at the paper with confusion etched across her face. Harry noticed and discreetly explained the wizard grading system to her, where an O is the highest grade, and stands for outstanding, E stands for exceeds expectations, followed by A for acceptable, then the fail grades- P for poor, D for dreadful, and T for troll, which Harry was still not entirely convinced by. On hearing this, Mrs. Granger beamed, and hugged her daughter with a force equal to that of the hug Hermione gave Harry and Ron.

"Oh, that's wonderful dear- wait until I tell your father!" she exclaimed. Suddenly, her face contorted into a cheeky smirk.

"It's a pity about that E, hey!"

"Oh, be quiet, mum," Hermione replied, smiling.

Chapter Four: Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes

A few weeks later, Harry was standing on then corner of Diagon alley, looking at his watch anxiously. Where were they? He had been waiting fifteen minutes for Ron and Hermione to show up and Hermione, at least, was rarely late.

"Relax- they'll be fine," Tonks replied to an unasked question. Harry looked at her, and she smiled back, brushing a hand through her bright pink hair. "How about we grab a drink while we're waiting?"

"You go," Harry offered, "I want to wait here."

Tonks faltered, but made no move to leave. Harry sighed with mild vexation.

"Look, Tonks, I don't need guarding night and day!" he replied.

"Well," she said with a tone of sarcasm, "I'm afraid the Order and the Ministry disagree with you there. Sorry," she added. Harry's shoulders sagged with resignation. Was this what it was going to be like for the next however many years? Looking over their shoulder for Voldemort? He'd rather get it out of the way- at least then he stood a chance of having a semblance of freedom.

Off in the distance, he caught a glimpse of a figure with a wild mop of brown hair that could only be Hermione. He waved at her, and she responded, so he walked up to where she stood. She was peering at a piece of parchment, whilst her parents offered gentle remonstrations.

"Now, make sure you spend that money wisely- we gave it you to buy your books with..."

"And not to rot my teeth, I know, Mum," Hermione sighed with the air of one who has been offered gentle parental remonstrations since first setting off for London.

"Oh, and one more thing," her father said. Hermione sighed once more.

"Now what, Dad?"

"Don't you 'now what, Dad' me!" he grinned, and pressed something into her hand. She looked carefully at the small box, and opened it up, pulling out a pretty cross-shaped pendant in silver and garnet.

"What's this?"

"A present for doing so well in your O.W.L.s- you know we're so proud of you!" her mother answered, giving her a brief hug, which Hermione reciprocated.

"Wow! Thanks Mum, Dad!" she exclaimed, kissing them each on the cheek. They smiled and waved her off as she joined Harry. With one last look over her shoulder and a cheery wave, her parents left.

Tonks was already admiring Hermione's new piece of jewellery.

"That's well nice," she exclaimed.

"Present for my O.W.L.s," Hermione replied. "How are you, Tonks?"

"Good, thanks," she replied with a smile.

"Hey, Harry, where's Ron?" Hermione asked. Harry shrugged.

"Late, I suppose."

Hermione snorted.

"Typical," she muttered. Harry glanced sideways as Tonks, who was struggling to suppress a grin.

"Anyway," Hermione continued to Harry, "have you picked up any of our books yet?"

Harry shook his head.

"No, not yet- but at least I got the subjects I wanted to do."

Hermione shot him a curious look.

"Why wouldn't you? I mean, you got all the grades required to do them."

Harry smiled grimly.

"Well, I'm surprised Snape didn't find a way to kick me out after..."

"Do you think Dumbledore would let him?" Hermione declared. Harry shook his head, but almost as soon as he stopped, she shot him a sharp glare with narrowed eyes.

"What do you mean, 'after...'? After what?"

She folded her arms in expectation of a reply. Harry shuffled uncomfortably, until a knight in shining armour appeared to rescue his from his predicament.

Well, a former knight in jeans and a robe, anyway.

"Ron! You made it, cool!" Harry exclaimed, loudly, leaving a fuming Hermione in his wake.

"Yeah, sorry- we got a bit caught up," he replied. Ginny was with him, and smiled up at Tonks.

"Hey up, little Weasleys!" Tonks said, by way of a greeting.

"Hi Tonks," Ron replied. Ginny smiled warmly at her, then turned her attention to Harry.

"I heard about your O.W.L.s. Congratulations, Harry!" she said. Harry smiled.

"Thanks."

"And you too, Hermione, top of the class, Ron says!" Ginny offered to Hermione, whose facial expression had softened.

"Pity about that E, though," she added, with an evil grin. Hermione gave her a mock scowl.

"Is that all I'm ever going to hear?" she asked aloud to nobody in particular. Ginny laughed, and took her arm.

"Well, it is if you're going to be so annoyingly clever," she said, jocularly.

Ron opened out his book list.

"Have you seen this? There are loads! I don't know how we're going to find time to read all of these!" he exclaimed. Hermione opened hers with a look of eagerness.

"Well, they look much more interesting than our O.W.L. books..."

Ron looked at her askance.

"But you spent most of your time reading those! What are you planning to do with these ones, glue them to your hands?"

Hermione ignored him. Harry opened his own list and read it for the seventh time that day.

Set books for N.E.W.T. level: Potter, Harry James

General- 'Standard Book of Spells (level 6)'

Charms-

'A Charmed Life' (recommended)

'Charms- A Practical Application in a Modern World' (essential)

'The Theory of Charms and Glamours' (essential)

Defence Against the Dark Arts-

'101 Methods of Death and Disembowelment and How to Avoid Them' (recommended)

'Advanced Guide to Dark Arts and Counter Attacks' (essential)

'Dark Creatures, Drastic Measures' (essential)

'Standard Defence Practise and the Law' (recommended)

Potions-

'Advanced Draughts and Potions, Volume Nine' (essential)

'Antidotes and Cures, Volume Seven' (essential)

'Applications of Pleiotrophic Potions' (recommended)

'Jekyll and Hyde- When Potions Go Wrong' (recommended)

'Silent Witness- The Use of Lethal Potions' (recommended)

'Truth Serums and Their Synergistic Properties' (recommended)

Transfiguration-

'Advanced Transfiguration' (essential)

'Beauty in the Beast- The Use of Magical Disguise' (recommended)

'Levels of Deception and How to Spot The Signs' (essential)

'Transfiguration Now! Applications of Transfiguration' (recommended)

They walked towards Flourish and Blotts, all the while Ron complaining how they were going to need a small trunk to carry their books to each class.

"Here, I wonder who our next Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is this year?" Ginny asked. Harry hadn't even considered this- he hoped fervently that it wasn't Umbridge again.

"Good point, Ginny," Hermione replied, "I mean, it can't be Umbridge... can it?" she finished, with a look of panic. Tonks grinned.

"If she hasn't been sacked by the Ministry yet, she certainly will have been by Dumbledore."

"So," Hermione continued. "The Ministry has relinquished control over Hogwarts?"

Tonks nodded, and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thanks goodness! I don't think I could have coped another year with that vicious, racist old trollop!"

Tonks raised her eyebrows.

"Wow, don't sit on the fence there, Hermione, tell us what you really think!"

Hermione blushed with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," she replied. "But I just can't..."

Tonks' expression broke into a huge smile.

"It's perfectly alright, love. You're not the only one who's been thinking it."

They found their books quite easily, for there was an entire section of the bookshop dedicated to O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. books, shelved by subject title. Harry was slightly surprised to find that Ginny's new Care of Magical Creatures book didn't come with a health warning, although the Potions book should have had a set of wheels bound to it for ease of movement; it weighted a ton.

"Typical of Snape," Ron groaned, looking at his reading list for the sixth time that day, then looking at the shelf in front of him. "His reading list is twice the size of Flitwick's!"

Hermione ran a finger along the spine of one of the essential potion books, before picking it up and buckling slightly under the weight.

"Hmm," she commented absently, "his reading list is probably twice the size of Flitwick if you stack them up!"

Tonks sniggered a little too loudly.

"That's Snape for you- he's nothing if not thorough, but you needn't buy all the books. Just get the essential ones, and you'll probably get the rest in the library. Or you can each buy a couple and share the lot."

Hermione nodded in appreciation of the idea.

"Well, I think I'd buy some of these anyway- they look fascinating!" She picked up one of the books recommended by their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher entitled '101 Methods of Death and Disembowelment and How to Avoid Them', and ignored Ron's expression of disgust. "I think whoever this new teacher is, they've certainly thought about the defence side."

"I think," Harry added, "that whoever takes the Defence job ought to be very aware of the defence side, what with Voldemort and all."

The others flinched a little, with the exception of Tonks and Hermione.

"Oh, stop it!" Harry exclaimed, "we're likely to come face to face with him one of these days!"

"The later, the better if you ask me," Ron replied, huffily. Hermione sighed loudly.

"Oh, honestly, lets not have this argument now!"

"What, shall we just have it when we're getting killed instead then?" Harry replied angrily. Hermione stared him straight in the eyes.

"Rather that than let him occupy your every waking thought, Harry!"

"You're worth more than that," Ginny added, in a more comforting tone. Tonks also gave him a sideways glance and smile.

"The girls' have got a point- don't let him ruin your life, Harry."

"He's done a pretty good job already," Harry sighed under his breath, as he was reminded again of his parents.

As they queued to pay for their books, he felt a small, warm hand gently squeeze his arm. It was Ginny.

"It'll be okay," she whispered. Harry wanted to believe her.

Looking across at Hermione as she paid for her books, Harry got the distinct impression that they were going to have to drop their books off at the Leaky Cauldron before they went anywhere else. The pile towered over Hermione as the shopkeeper placed each book on the counter in front of her.

"Have you got a bag?" Hermione asked, tentatively. The shopkeeper laughed,

"Not a bag, I'm afraid, but we do have disposable trunks. Pay ten Knuts for a renewable one if you want my advice- they have wheels."

Every single student in the queue took that wise advice.

"Bloody hell! How much else do they want us to buy?" Ron complained.

"Don't worry Weasley, I'm sure Potter will let you share his bag, save your family remorgaging their house..."

Harry turned around and stared at the pale, pointed face of Draco Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. Harry noticed Tonks had inconspicuously metamorphosed into a blonde-haired fifth year, and was watching them carefully from a distance.

"Great. I almost forgot. You, Crabbe and Goyle promised to band together to become pains in my arse all year," he replied, sarcastically. Draco glowered at him.

"Just watch your step, Potter," he snarled. Harry couldn't help it, and smirked.

"You look different from when I last saw you, Malfoy. Less... slimy, I suppose?"

Ron sniggered, and to Harry's surprise, Draco's cheeks coloured up.

"Just leave it, Malfoy. You're not big and you're not clever," Hermione said in a bored tone, having dragged her trunk over to where Harry and Ron were waiting. Draco scowled.

"I could say the same to you, Granger. I'm not the one whose dirty blood the Death Eaters are just itching to spill!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, though Harry noticed her bristle at his comments.

"Because the Death Eaters will be far more concerned with a schoolgirl than say, a head of state?" she retorted. Draco managed a smirk this time.

"A schoolgirl friend of the great Harry Potter? I'd watch your back if I were you."

Ron stepped forward, his wand pointing directly at Draco's smug face.

"I'd watch yours, Malfoy!" he practically growled. Hermione shook her head.

"You really are pathetic, aren't you, Malfoy? Just because the Dementors let your father escape from Azkaban doesn't mean the Aurors have stopped looking for him. I'd say you have enough of your own worries to contend with, rather than getting concerned with ours. But," she smiled coldly and replied, "it's nice to know you care."

Draco glared at her oddly, then turned on his heel and walked away. Crabbe and Goyle followed, exchanging curious glances.

"Well, that was fun," Ginny remarked, as they stepped outside the shop. "Only not."

Hermione uncurled her fists.

"They're just so... idiotic!" she fumed.

"Relax, Hermione, they're not worth the effort," Harry replied, and Hermione began to calm down.

"Still," Ron grinned. "It'd be nice to get a chance to hex them in Defence or something- maybe our new teacher will let us start a Duelling Club?"

Harry closed his eyes in pleasure.

"That would be classic. Get all the DA on him!"

Hermione sniffed.

"That's a point- are we going to continue the DA this year?"

Harry considered this. To be absolutely honest, he hadn't thought about it one way or the other. It would be nice though, if they needed to.

"Maybe see what the new Defence teacher's like. Then decide," he replied. Hermione seemed satisfied with his logic.

They all walked along Diagon Alley, until they got to a shop crowded with students. It was new, and it belonged to Fred and George Weasley. Harry looked up at the large sign that read 'Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes' and chuckled when he realised Draco hadn't said a word about it, most likely because business appeared to be booming. Almost literally, when you considered the number of children running out with their hands full of 'Wild-Fire Whiz-Bangs' and the like. Ron and Hermione were going to have their work cut out as prefects this year.

Fred and George were happily manning the shop counter, and waved enthusiastically when they saw the group stand at the back, away from the thronging crowds.

"Alright kiddies- we're shutting up shop for lunch in five minutes, so bring your purchases to the desk please! And don't bother trying to nick anything- we've got charms to slice your hands off if you do!"

The crowd in the shop laughed. Harry wasn't entirely sure Fred and George were joking, though.

Soon, enough people had left to enable Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Tonks to speak to the twins.

"So, looking forward to school tomorrow, little sibs?" Fred asked Ron and Ginny. They both shrugged, causing the twins to laugh.

"Ahh, school days are the best days of your life, remember that. Me and George, we're old enough to appreciate the time we had at school. If we could have our time over..."

"You wouldn't have left a huge swamp in the school corridor and set off a bunch of fireworks in the great hall?" Hermione asked, with false innocence. George meowed at her.

"Miss Granger, you're becoming quite the feisty one, aren't you? Well, of course we would do that again! Who wouldn't take a chance to upset that Umbridge cow?" he asked. Hermione smiled.

"I have to admit I agree."

"Good for you Hermione! " Fred beamed, although the expression only served to make him look more mischievous than usual.

"So, lads, business booming?" Tonks asked. The twins grinned broadly.

"Oh yes, it's booming so much, we're going to have to soundproof the shop soon!" Fred replied. George nudged him.

"Don't forget, we had McGonagall come in today! Our clientele is improving in stature everyday!" he joked. Fred laughed.

"Oh yes, she came in to see us. Brought a colleague, too. Your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, to be precise," he added, tantalisingly. Ron's eyes grew almost as wide as saucers.

"Who is he?" he asked, urgently.

"Yeah!" Harry added. Hermione and Ginny looked on eagerly.

"There was no mention of him in the subject information we were sent this year," Ron added. Hermione looked at him.

"There was no mention of any of the teachers," she replied darkly.

"Why?" Ginny asked.

"Presumably protection, am I right?" Hermione asked Tonks, who nodded,

"That's pretty much it. What with the Second War taking shape, Dumbledore doesn't really want such information getting out to the public unless he knows about it. The Hogwarts teachers are in more danger than you might think, what with being on Dumbledore's side and all," she added.

Harry sighed. Somehow, the thought that their teachers might also be targets for Voldemort seemed to make it that little bit more real.

"And that's 'her' Ron," George added. Ron wrinkled his nose.

"It isn't Umbridge, is it?" he asked, suddenly fearful. Fred laughed.

"Oh, no no no, mon freré!" he exclaimed, "this was a real woman! Lithe and young and..."

"Fred fancied her," George added. Fred looked at him.

"I just appreciate strong women. Especially when they have come-to-bed eyes too." Here he nudged his brother. "I think I was in with a chance anyway!"

George rolled his eyes.

"So, what's her name?" Hermione asked, eagerly. Fred grinned.

"Professor Beauchamp. Persephone Beauchamp. Lovely name, exotic and French..."

"But she's English," George added.

"What's she like?" Ginny asked, specifically directing her question at George. He rested his hand on his chin as he thought.

"Hmm, seemed stern, but with a good sense of humour- she even bought one of our Skiving Snackboxes! Said she has a friend that'll enjoy puzzling out how they worked."

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all looked at each other.

"She sounds pretty cool... but then so did Mad-Eye," Ron commented.

"I wonder if she'll last more than one year?" Hermione wondered aloud.

"I wonder how pissed off Snape'll be having missed out on the Defence job for the fifteenth time," Harry countered. Ron and Ginny laughed.

"That's true..."

"Oi! Are you lot going to buy something, then? This isn't a coffee shop, you know!" Fred joked. Ron directed a hand gesture at him that Harry felt certain Aunt Petunia would have blushed at.

"Where are mum and dad?" George asked.

"They're 'working', you know. Said they'd be back this evening. Mum still insists on seeing us off at the station tomorrow," Ron replied. Tonks smiled.

"Well, you two are the only Weasleys' at Hogwarts now; she's got to make the most of the three years she has left."

There was a pause.

"And also she knows you'll be safe there under Dumbledore's watchful eye," she added, her voice lowered. Harry wasn't so sure of Hogwarts, or Dumbledore, as a safe haven anymore. Not since last year, where no one had managed to protect him. Where no one had managed to protect Sirius. He felt as though he ought to get used to standing alone.

Almost as though she picked up on his thoughts, Hermione placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Whatever happens, we'll be here, you know that, right?" she asked. Harry smiled back at her.

He hoped she was right.