"I've got my letter!" Harry had to hold the handset far from his ear, as Hermione was too excited to control her voice. She was practically shouting without even noticing it.
"What does it say?" he asked.
"It invites me to attend, gives a list of items to bring with me and there's also an additional page for students growing up in non-magical families, stating that somebody from school will come to explain things to us. They are due tomorrow evening. Do you want to be here as well?"
Harry wasn't sure about it. His uncle wouldn't like the idea, of that he was sure, yet it could be quite interesting. He didn't know if somebody would come for him, as he was from a magical family, although raised by non-magical.
"I'll ask my aunt. Besides, I think I've found a new way to go places magically. I wouldn't like to try it for such a distance before trying some much closer places, though."
"You can apparate? Wow! Will you teach me?"
"I'm not sure if this is the right term, and yes, I will teach you once I'm sure about it. Just hang on. I'm going to ask my aunt."
He walked to the kitchen, where his aunt was studying a recipe book, trying to decide what to prepare for dinner. "Aunt Petunia, may I visit Hermione tomorrow evening? She's got her Hogwarts letter and is excited for the visitor from school."
Petunia seemed to get lost in her memories for a moment. She then lifted her head. "Are you sure it is advisable? I remember being asked not to let anybody outside of our family be present at that meeting."
"But Hermione and her parents already know practically everything due to being friends with me. Please..."
Petunia smiled reluctantly. "I'll take you there tomorrow, but you may need to stay overnight, as I don't want to upset Vernon. He'll be upset enough when your letter comes."
Harry flung his arm around her waist in a quick hug, "Oh, thank you, Aunt Petunia. I'm sure Hermione will be glad!"
He went back to the phone. "Will it be alright if I stay for the night? Can your parents accommodate me?"
"I'm sure that's fine. They have already suggested I invite you to stay for a few days. That would be no trouble at all. Oh! I'm so glad! We shall both go to Hogwarts together!"
With this phone call over, Harry decided to try his "moving magically," as he named it, so he could possibly teach Hermione as well. He was quite sure this was not apparition, as that required a kind of concentration he was sure nobody his age could muster. It was something else. He stood on the stairs, made sure that nobody was watching him and wished himself in his room. It only took a fraction of a second for him to stand exactly at the spot he wanted to. He felt no sense of movement at all. It was just like a scene change on television, when the actor is just shown in a new location.
He tried it a few more times, going between his room and the toilet, the bathroom, the basement and even the secluded spot in the library, where nobody would notice him. It worked perfectly each time. He read that paragraph in the book again. It was about elf magic and how it differed from human magic. Such kind of transfer was termed impossible for humans, yet he had done it easily. Maybe Hermione could find the explanation?
Without even consciously thinking of it, he suddenly found himself in Hermione's room. She was startled from her reading by his sudden appearance in her room.
"Harry! You said you wouldn't do it. What made you change your mind?"
He looked sheepishly at her. "I didn't intend to come. I just thought you would be able to understand this better than me, and I was suddenly in your room."
"You're lucky I'm decent now, or..." she left it unfinished, blushing furiously at the thought.
"Well, I'm sorry. Do you want me to leave?"
"No. At least show me what made you think of me."
Harry showed her the book which he was still holding. "This is supposed to be elf magic, undoable by people like us, so – how can I do it?"
Hermione read the paragraph attentively. She then browsed a few pages back and a few forward. Her brow furrowed with concentration and then she smiled. "I think it's all a matter of discipline. Most magical kids are taught that elf magic and other kinds of magic are out of their reach, so they never try it. By the time their core stabilizes, about halfway through Hogwarts, they are unable to gain this capability. You are still flexible enough to learn this and other kinds of magic, not being bothered by prejudice or preconception. Can you teach me now?"
"I'm not sure. I'll show you what I've read and why I even tried it. You may try as well, but I don't know if you'll get the same results as I."
Despite his concerns, Hermione was able to follow in his steps. Before too long, they were both "jumping" from place to place within the house. "What should we call this? I found no appropriate name in the book," Harry asked.
"Well we seem to fade out from one place and fade in at another, I think. Can you try and do it real slow?"
Harry tried. It was still quite fast, but he noticed that between being at one place and being at the other, there was a time he felt as if he was in both places at once, although he didn't understand it. Hermione, watching him, did. "It looks like you transfer gradually, really like fading in films. At first, there's no visible change, yet a kind of shadow or outline appears at the destination. As it starts filling, you seem to become more transparent, until only a shadow or outline remains, and then it disappears altogether, as you are fully at the other place. I think we should call it 'fading' and nobody will know what we are talking about."
Harry smiled. "That's a great idea, yet I think I'll still ask my aunt to bring me here tomorrow. No need to upset her with too much magic." He looked at his watch. "Oh, we've spent almost an hour on this. I hope nobody noticed, but I must go home. Bye!"
Harry faded back into his room, almost failing to notice that his door was getting closed. He frowned at that but could do nothing about it. He set his book back in place and then went into the bathroom and washed his face before going down.
Dudley intercepted him on the stairs. "Where have you been?" he asked.
"I've just washed my face," Harry replied.
Dudley sighed. "Harry, you were not in the bathroom, nor in your room or anywhere else in the house just a moment ago. I don't mind that you do all kinds of magic, but please be true with me. I won't tell."
Harry smiled back at him and sat down on the stairs, inviting Dudley to sit at his side. "I've just found a new way of going places. I tried it around the house first. I then started reading something and I was thinking that Hermione would have understood it better than me. I suddenly found myself in her house."
"You won't need Mum or Dad escorting you there, then," Dudley said. He gave it some more thought for a moment. "Nah, you'll still go with them, as you wouldn't like them to know, would you?"
"I don't think your father will be too accepting of the idea. Aunt Petunia may accept it, though."
Dudley smiled and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "They won't hear anything from me, I promise, but do be more careful. You could have just locked your door, you know."
Harry smiled thankfully. "I know, and thank you."
Although this new ability made the overnight stay redundant, Harry still packed some clothes and other necessities in a small backpack for his stay.
It was during the train ride that Petunia talked. "Harry, where have you been yesterday morning, about an hour after you talked with me about today?"
Harry didn't dare lie. He knew he could trust his aunt, but he was still wary of making her angry. "Why do you ask?"
"I wanted to show you your latest bank report, the non-magical one. You were nowhere to be found. A few minutes later, Dudley looked for you and then you came down."
Harry was uncertain about how much to reveal, but then decided not to hold anything back. "I've found a new way to go places by magic. At first, I just moved around the house, trying to get it under control. I then tried going to the library that way, just to a secluded spot there, where nobody could see me. Then, looking at the book where I found the idea, I thought about Hermione and her way with books. I suddenly was in her room."
The surprise on Petunia's face was clear, yet he saw no anger, which was a relief.
"I had to explain it to her and teach her what I did. It took some time, and that is when you looked for me, I believe," Harry concluded.
Petunia smiled at him. "Well, Harry, you're full of surprises, and so is your friend. You did well to keep it secret, although..." She seemed to contemplate a bit, "soon after your birthday, you're going to get your letter. Vernon won't like it a bit, I know. Until then, there's no need to rub it in. I'll try to make him more accepting of the idea of sending you to Hogwarts, although he is contemplating sending you to Smelting, along with Dudley."
"He won't like this," Harry said, frowning.
"At least I now know that you can escape from a tight situation if you need to. That's very good."
\/\/\/
Hermione welcomed him with a tight hug, as had become her way with him. Harry responded by hugging her back just as tightly. It really felt good and made him aware of the changes she was going through as puberty approached. He didn't mind, though. This was his Hermione, whatever shape her body would turn to be.
"Isn't this exciting. I'll finally meet somebody from Hogwarts!" Hermione could hardly keep her excitement under control.
"It is, but you should calm down a bit. You want to make a good first impression, don't you? Besides, I suggest you keep your mind shields on. You may never know whom you can trust." Harry's words acted like a bucket of ice water.
"You suggest they may not be trustworthy?"
Harry shrugged. "I've already told you about the headmaster. With such a leader, who knows how his subordinates are?"
Hermione frowned and then lightened her expression again. "Well, I'll keep my shields and stay on guard, but I don't plan to look calm when I'm really so excited."
"I don't expect it from you." He made sure she wore the jewels he had given her for her birthday to give her additional protection.
They spent the afternoon playing only silly games, as Hermione was too excited to do anything more demanding. Her parents returned from work just before dinner and the doorbell rang soon after they finished the meal. Hermione ran to open the door.
"Miss Granger, I assume," Harry heard a female voice which sounded strict and a bit old. "I'm professor Minerva McGonagall from Hogwarts. May I come in?"
"Of course, professor. We were expecting you," Hermione said, leading the woman in.
Harry saw a woman who looked about sixty, wearing a very out of fashion suit and holding a medium size bag of the kind he'd seen older women use. The professor noticed him and frowned. "This conversation is strictly for you and your family. No strangers are allowed."
Hermione beamed at her. "Harry is no stranger. He's the one who actually told me about the magical world and he's my best friend."
The professor turned her eyes, looking at Harry properly for the first time. It was not difficult to see that he looked quite like James at that age, except for the form of his eyeglasses and the colour of his eyes. These were definitely like Lily's. Yet there was no scar!
"So you are Harry...?"
"Harry Potter at your service, ma'am," Harry bowed exaggeratedly, reminding Minerva of James again.
"Do you live nearby?"
"No, but we visit each other regularly since we've met. I thought Hermione would like me near her at such an important moment."
'That's Lilly in him,' Minerva thought.
"Very well. Shall we all sit down and start our conversation?"
The Granger parents sat on the sofa. The children sat both on a couch, not seeming to mind the tight fit, or maybe even enjoying it. Minerva wasn't sure. Well, Harry seemed to be content, and that was good enough for her. She had pleaded for years to Albus, to let her visit Harry, but he forbade it, citing security as the main reason. At least she saw Harry was fine now.
She didn't seem to tell them anything they didn't already know, yet Hermione had a few questions that she didn't expect. "I've read about the houses at Hogwarts. Don't they cause unnecessary rivalry between students?"
She couldn't lie. "They do cause some rivalry. We try to control it and encourage friendships between houses, yet some rivalry is always there."
"Do you have courses to prepare your students for higher studies, like the university?"
"There is no such institute in the magical world. Once they finish school, people may study for their mastery individually or as apprentices to established masters. That's the way it's been for many generations."
"That is really so outdated," Harry noted. "I would have expected some more modern attitude."
Minerva sighed. "The magical world is quite conservative, probably too conservative for its own good, yet it does change, but much slower than the non-magical world."
She was deep in thought when she left. The girl was smart and knowledgeable; frighteningly so. She was certainly Ravenclaw material. Yet Harry, the surprise, knew even more and seemed just as bright, although differently, and there was something about him that she couldn't place. Was he more confident than his age? Was he hiding anything? She had a weird feeling that she had been under test there and barely passed it, despite everyone being polite and respectful. She'd have to think about it some more...
"What do you say?" Hermione asked Harry, after her parents left the room.
"She seems nice and fair. I think we may trust her a bit. Yet she is certainly under Dumbledore's influence and won't normally act against him. She also knew my parents and was mentioned as an option to be my guardian, yet somebody ignored their will, placing me with my aunt."
This reminded him of some other part of the will. His aunt had tried to find a way to contact Sirius, but not being magical, she was politely rejected from wherever she asked for help. Harry knew he would need to find a way to assure that justice was done.
Still, it was late. The Grangers urged the children to get ready for the night and wished them each "goodnight". Harry was surprised when Jean, Hermione's mother, kissed his cheek and hugged him just as she did with her daughter. It was a pleasant surprise, though.
Harry was already falling asleep when he heard a soft "pop," indicating the arrival of somebody in his room. He didn't even need to open his eyes to know who it was. He sensed the fragrance of flowers and books that had become Hermione's signature.
"Why are you here?" he asked, his eyes still closed.
"I'm too excited to sleep. I hardly slept a wink last night as well."
"So you want me to stay awake too?" he asked mischievously.
"No, just move over. Maybe if I stay with you I can calm down and get the sleep I so badly need."
Harry felt a bit reluctant. While he had a few nice pyjamas, he used to sleep in only his shorts during the summer, yet that wasn't right if she came to bed near him. Hermione didn't hesitate, though. She mounted his bed and cuddled at his side. "Hug me, please," she whispered softly.
Harry obliged. It wasn't any sacrifice, really. They used to hug each other almost from the time they first met, yet now, with Hermione starting to turn into a woman, it was even nicer and more frightening altogether. He wasn't sure what he was feeling and what would be right or wrong. His friend didn't seem to be bothered by these thoughts. She turned her back to him and asked him to come closer and hug her. Once he put his arm around her waist, she grabbed his hand and moved it up against her heart. She sighed contentedly and fell promptly asleep.