He'd actually been pleased when he'd started Hogwarts that boyfriend and girlfriend stuff didn't seem to be a thing in the wizarding world – possibly because it was slightly old-fashioned compared to the muggle world. He guessed he was going to have to think about it more in the coming year. It was fairly common knowledge around the school that most people started dating in fourth year. A few of the third years had already begun because Hogsmeade provided a date venue – he hadn't totally escaped the gossip that filled the Gryffindor common room or the whispers in the classrooms.
Great, he thought morosely; how was he supposed to go about dating girls?
Hermione patted his hand, obviously reading his expression correctly. "Don't worry about it, Harry." She smiled at him. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was a queue of girls lined up when you are ready to ask someone."
"Really?" Harry looked at her doubtfully. "Who would want to date me?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "Only most of the girls in our year, and probably a lot in the others too. You're considered quite the catch and I can imagine the publicity from the summer is going to just increase your fanciability."
"Is that even a word?" Harry teased before he grimaced again. "Anyway, from what you're saying, most of the girls want to go out with the Boy Who Lived, not me."
He could see Hermione open her mouth to protest but she closed it again abruptly.
"I guess you might be right about that." She admitted softly. "But as someone who knows you you, I think they'll be happy once they get to know you, and if you don't date them, how are they going to get to know, you know, you?"
"Maybe." Harry said uncertain she was right. "I was thinking it might be good to make some new friends next year. You and Ron are great and my best friends and that's not going to change," he hastened to assure her, "but it just occurred to me that I don't have a lot of other friends."
"You probably have more than me. What about the Quidditch team," Hermione said, "and Neville, Dean and Seamus?"
"The Quidditch team are great and Fred and George, maybe, are friends, but Oliver was, well, Oliver; the girls are older than me." Harry said. "As for the guys in my dorm…I guess I'm about as close to Dean and Seamus as you are to Parvati and Lavender. We're mates but not friends."
Hermione nodded in acknowledgement.
"Neville…" Harry smiled, "I'm hoping to get to know Neville better this summer. He's going to join me for some lessons. Our mothers were best friends at school. His Mum was my godmother and my Mum was his."
"Oh, wow." Hermione said. Her eyes narrowed. "What lessons are you doing?"
Harry brightened and gave her the headlines; wizarding etiquette and culture, politics and estate management, runes and magic.
"But what about the underage…"
"Medical exception." Harry grimaced. "Sirius got custody of me the night before they announced his being innocent. We've been away at a healing clinic this past week."
He explained the time bubble at the clinic, and his treatment and power issues. He picked up Sirius's bag and took out the journal and the wrapped present.
"Because of the amount of time we were there, one of the healers suggested I write to you and Ron in a kind of journal as though I was sending you letters. I put all my politics lessons in there too since I figured you'd want to know about it." He handed her the journal and the gift. "I picked the present up at the airport. It's a book on American magic thought you might like it but it's OK if you don't."
"Harry!" Hermione said delighted. "Thank you! You didn't need to get me anything! The journal would have been enough." She was already holding onto it tightly. Her front teeth sank into her lower lip. "Do you think Sirius will let me join you and Neville for your lessons?"
Harry nodded. "If your parents are OK with it." He glanced toward Wallace and Sirius to make sure they were engaged in a discussion and lowered his voice. "I take it you didn't tell them everything about Voldemort and what happened with the stone?"
Hermione nodded. "They kind of freaked out at Christmas about the troll so…no." She sighed. "I doubt I would have told them about the basilisk but obviously they found out from the school I was petrified and I pretended it was no big deal so they wouldn't worry." She made an unhappy face. "I had no idea it was so bad for them."
He moved to put his hand over her arm. "You couldn't have known and if it helps any, Sirius freaked out about everything when he found out too."
There was a shared moment of solidarity between them.
"Well, that helps explain why he said what he did about the Headmaster." Hermione noted with a hint of disapproval. "I thought he'd be more grateful to him…"
"Hermione, your parents were right." Harry interrupted fiercely. "Dumbledore could have saved him himself. He's Chief Warlock – he could have placed Sirius in his protective custody and overruled Fudge but he didn't!"
Hermione's mouth opened and closed again. Her shock was written all over her face. "But surely…" she searched Harry's eyes for something, anything to explain it, "but why didn't he then?"
"Me." Harry said succinctly. He took a breath to keep his temper under control. "Dumbledore was the one who left me with the Dursleys, Hermione. We think he was trying to make sure I went back there and didn't have somewhere else to go."
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