Chapter 11Chapter Text
Eleven
Perdita was waiting patiently at the backdoor when Hermione came downstairs for breakfast the next day. She could see through the glass that the hawk owl had two letters tied to her legs and was pecking gently against the back door, but not too loudly. Hermione opened the door, scratched her very smart owl behind her head with two fingers, and then retrieved the letters once she set her down on the back of a lawn chair. With those in hand it was clearly time for a reward so she grabbed some of the owl treats and gave them to her. Once Perdita had finished eating and getting loving from Hermione the hawk owl flew over to her favorite perch that overlooked the backdoor and went to sleep, clearly a bit tired.
As she brought in the letters from the back yard, her father looked up from his meal, put down his cup of tea and asked, "Oh? Mail? Who are those from Hermione?"
"One is from the Weasleys and the other from Ginny. They're replies to letters I sent them yesterday." said Hermione, as she poured herself some tea after sitting, the letters next to her plate.
"What do they say?" Her mom asked curiously, as she spread some marmalade on her toast.
Hermione unrolled and scanned the Weasley's letter first as it probably held the most pertinent information. It was not overly long and it did not take her any length of time for her to go over it as her eyes scanned over it quickly. She looked up at her parents with a smile and answered, "Mrs. Weasley says it would be fine if you two wanted to come along with me to Harry's birthday party. She and her husband would love to meet the both of you and that way you could interact with my friends for more than a few minutes as has been usual. That would also allow you to meet more of the people that I know in the magical world. I know I should have mentioned it to you before asking but I wasn't sure if the Weasleys would be fine with it. Are you both okay with this?"
"Hermione, it's alright. We are fine with this. I think it will be great fun as we can get more involved in your world and get to know your friends. We have felt rather isolated from your life these last several years and I know part of that was the fact that you were protecting us from a very real and terrible threat, but that threat is gone now thanks in no small part to you and these same friends. So yes, we absolutely want to go to Harry's party if for no other reason to thank him for keeping you safe and ending this threat. All of your friends did this and so, yes, we want to get to know them. We want to know this world you live in better because it lets us know you better." said her mother, with a big smile.
Hermione got up from her seat, came over and gave her mother a big hug, smiling broadly with tears in her eyes. She wasn't sure she would really be able to put into words how this truly made her feel. This was really a level of acceptance for this part of her life that she had never really expected, with how they had slowly grown apart during her time at Hogwarts. This was perfect and it almost made her choke on words. She went with a very tired standby instead that she knew would come close, "I would love that."
"And what does Ginny have to say?" asked her mother, an interested smile playing over her lips.
Hermione took that letter and read it. The smile that was growing as the kept going farther and farther into it kept growing. There were a number of things that she couldn't share with her parents, but there was at least one thing she could. "Oh this and that, mostly that she had a wonderful time staying with us, that it was just what she needed, et cetera. She also said she would be happy to spend a few days over here before her birthday on the 11th. I hope you don't mind my offering her the chance to stay?"
"That's perfectly fine Hermione. I will have to ask her mother if we can come over for that party as well, as Ginny is a lovely girl and we would love to celebrate with her. I am glad you and she are close. I was worried that you might not have a good girlfriend, especially when all we usually heard about was Harry and Ron."
"Thank you, mom. Yeah, we are quite close and have been close for a number of years. It's been nice." Somehow she was able to limit the blushing to only a little bit of color to her cheeks. She wished she knew how she was able to do that as that would be a useful skill to know.
"So Harry's party is this afternoon?" asked her father.
"Yes. I already have his present wrapped and everything. We can head over there at most anytime, as I am sure the Weasley's would be happy to meet you. I am sure Mr. Weasley will talk your ear off about all sorts of things. He is muggle obsessed. Also, you don't have to give Harry anything as a gift, as he will be happy with you just being there. That will be gift enough in his mind. He's like that." said Hermione.
"In all honesty, I haven't the foggiest idea what to give him anyway. What do you get a wizard who can conjure things out of thin air?" Her father chuckled as he said that, shaking his head.
Hermione rolled her eyes. Why were her parents always like this? She knew they understood about magic and how it really worked. She had explained it to them. "If you really wanted to get him something then most anything would be appreciated. He is still not really used to presents thanks to his terrible upbringing. The Dursleys, his Aunt's family, were terrible people and never gave him anything for either his birthday or Christmas so Harry is a bit… quirky because of that."
"So I can buy him a tin of biscuits and he will be fine with that?" asked her dad a bit incredulously, clearly not believing what he was hearing.
"Yes. Or chocolate. He will be quite thankful if you give him either, pleased by the gesture. And chocolate, that is actually a useful thing to have in the magical world for various reasons but don't ask. But yes, something like that would be grand and he would be very touched you even thought of him." said Hermione, a bit sad that that was the unvarnished truth. Times like these, when she thought of what that plainly meant, she really did want to find the Dursleys and hex them until she ran out of spell combinations that would not clash. She was well aware that it would take a while.
"Alright, that sounds easy enough then. I guess I will run down to Tesco and pick him up something then. That is an interesting question… what kind of chocolate do you get for someone who stops a magical terrorist?" Her father got up, grabbed his keys and wallet and headed towards the garage. Before he left he called out, "Did either of you need anything while I'm there?"
Hermione thought about it and shook her head, "No thank you. I think I have everything I need at the moment."
Her mother called out, "We're good."
"Right. Be back soon. Bye Love." Her father left and Hermione just shook her head. Sometimes her father was just too much to deal with. What was with that question? Honestly.
She went to her room and got out her list of school supplies for the coming year. Usually by now she would have already purchased the books and be partially through the first or maybe even the second read through, depending on thickness of the texts. But this year she was actually not as interested in getting a jump on her classes as she usually was. There was simply too much other stuff going on in her life to completely focus on this. Going to get her supplies while Ginny was here might be a good plan, so she could do at least one serious read through before classes, but she saw no reason to go overboard like she usually did. She was well aware of the fact that she had higher grades than anyone in school by a very wide margin and that it would take something major to keep her from passing her NEWTS with all Os. She was looking to take the same ten classes she had when she had done her OWLs and in all honesty expected to get an O this time in Defense against the Dark Arts, because she had gotten a lot better at the subject in the last year. Fighting for your life tended to do that and the time working with Harry had really expanded her knowledge of the subject.
She shook her head to clear it of thoughts of the war and tried to think of happier things, like the fact that she was going to be seeing Harry and Luna today as well as Bill and Fleur. And she was going to be seeing Ginny. That was going to be wonderful. She did not know who else had been invited to the party but it was sure to be a lot of fun, as parties held at the Burrow usually were. At the very least it would take Harry's mind off his troubles for a while. And so long as George was not bringing fireworks to this event everything should be just fine. Even with calming draughts and the like the sounds of explosions and the bright flashes might just be pushing things a little bit too far. She wasn't even sure she could deal with those right now.
She took care as she changed for the party as she really wanted to look nice. She tried to convince herself that it was for Harry but she was well aware that the real reason that she was doing this was that she wanted to look pretty for Ginny, even though they had nothing going on with each other. This whole situation was making her crazy. However, if she wanted to wait just a little longer to tell the girl, then she had to put up with things like this, times where she was making herself crazy for no other particular reason save her own crazy logic in waiting for the time to be 'right'.
Checking her makeup in the mirror one last time and making sure her earrings looked good, Hermione finished up and grabbed the present she had gotten Harry. Despite not knowing what Harry was going to do in the future she was absolutely positive that he was going to keep flying, as she could not imagine Harry without him flying, so she had gotten him some new flying gloves, new goggles that had been charmed to deal with inclement weather and had bought him a book on Flying Tours of Europe. She really hoped he liked it all as it was all friendly and fun.
Grabbing the present and slipping it into her beaded bag, Hermione headed downstairs to wait for her parents. She wanted to read one of her new books, to get a better grasp on things but since she had not come out to her parents yet it could prove to be awkward if they saw the titles, so she was going over one of her advanced Arithomancy books she had picked up two years ago instead and hadn't finished yet. She lost herself to the text and then there was a bright flash. She started in surprise and looked up, her hand moving towards her wand.
Her mother grinned down at her holding a wizard camera, overly pleased with herself.
"Where did you get that?" asked Hermione, stunned to see her mother holding a wizarding object so comfortably.
"That would be Ginny. She got it for us and told us to take pictures of you studying or thinking. She told us she wants to make a book about all your thinking faces for educational purposes apparently." Her mother was grinning broadly. "I thought it was a wonderful idea and showed her some of the pictures of you as a baby with thinky looks. She made lots of appreciative noises and asked for copies to go in her book. She already has a pretty good collection going at this point. Apparently some boy named Colin had taken several?"
"Gah! I should never leave you two alone again." grumbled Hermione, in some irritation. The showing of baby pictures and pictures of her as a little kid was not something she had wanted to subject anyone to. Even the idea of it embarrassed her, as she could just imagine what her mother had shown Ginny. Could she Oblivate the memory of those pictures out of Ginny's head?
"It's nice to have a close girlfriend. They can really make your life better and more fun. Anyway, your father is back from Tescos so we are all ready to go to this party. Your father bought Harry some Chocolate biscuits as well as a few bars of different types of Cadburry. I have it all wrapped up and presentable, so we are ready to go. Now we are just waiting for you." Her mother turned away, looking slightly smug at having disarmed her daughter.
Hermione blushed at her mother's words and the color faded as things continued, moving away from the first statement. That had been all she had needed, was her mother putting that image into her head yet again. Now all that was running through her head was pictures of Ginny as her girlfriend. And this was after she had worked so hard already to clear her thoughts of those very same images that she was generating on her own as much as possible. It was going to make it so difficult to look at Ginny and not blush. She could just strangle her mother sometimes.
Hermione used her note paper to mark her place in the book and then stood, "So you remember what I told you both about apparating, hold on to me tightly and that this is going to feel very odd?"
"Yes, you were very clear on both of those points. As well as not to distract you at all while you were focusing." said her father, handing over the present so Hermione could place it in her bag.
Once she had that securely in her bag, her parents took hold of her arms and Hermione focused for a moment before she side along apparated them to the Burrow. Her parents looked a bit shaken by the trip and she said sympathetically, "Yeah, I know, but you get used to it. Side along is actually worse than traveling by yourself actually, but you still feel like you were squeezed through a hose. And it was a long trip for the two of you. If you would rather we can Floo to the Leaky Cauldron and then take a taxi or bus back home."
"Let us consider that for a while love." said her mother, who looked a bit green and was clearly a bit wobbly on her feet. Her father did not seem to be much better himself. "That was… unpleasant."
Mrs. Weasley saw the trio and headed over, smiling happily. "Hermione, so good to see you again. You look lovely as always. And these must be your parents."
"Yes. Molly Weasley, allow me to introduce my parents, Martin and Patricia Granger." Hermione made the introductions and then stayed out of the way, unsure what Molly would do as a greeting.
Molly happily shook their hands, clearly unsure if more was warranted. "It is a pleasure to meet you both. Your daughter is simply wonderful and has been a pleasure every time she has stayed over. She has almost been like a second daughter to me. Come on in and I will introduce you to everyone."
As her parents were efficiently bustled off by the matron of the house, Hermione just stood there, with a slight contented smile on her face. This was nice. Her parents interacting with the Weasleys, both of her families, muggle and magical, together, it was like her worlds were actually coming together for a change. For so many years she had wished this could have occurred but with Voldemort running around it was actually far too dangerous for that to happen. No, it was better now, when it was safe. She just stood there and smiled after them, happiness growing in her heart.
A pair of slender but slightly rough hands covered her eyes and a warm and familiar voice said, "Guess who?"
As her smile turned into a grin and she felt playful, Hermione answered, "Hagrid, is that you?"
"Oi, I am not as big as Hagrid!" groused Ginny, shoving her shoulder playfully.
"I'm sorry Ginny, it was the calluses on your hands that threw me." She batted her eyes a few times at the girl after she turned to face the redhead.
Ginny rolled her eyes and shook her head, her red mane tossing back and forth. She tried to look a bit stern but the smile that kept breaking through was ruining it, "A likely story, Miss Granger."
Hermione laughed. Ginny then ran her eyes over her, taking in whole outfit and shoes, down and up, taking her time, finally saying, "You look quite nice."
"Thank you. You look good as well. I have to admit that you always did clean up well." Ginny was dressed nicely as well, somewhat similarly to Hermione, in terms of a nice skirt and blouse that was appropriate to the level of fancy that Harry would be okay with. She was even wearing a little bit of makeup and jewelry. Hermione thought she looked absolutely beautiful, that her face glowed with health and happiness but knew she really couldn't say anything like that.
"Come on. Mum has the tent set up in back, so that's fun. She has invited so many people to this that it is almost larger than the wedding because nobody said no. The woman is absolutely barmy I tell you. I do hope Harry has a good time though." said Ginny as she pulled Hermione around the house towards the backyard. The worry was clear in her voice there at the end.
"He hasn't arrived yet?" Hermione was actually surprised to hear that. Harry was usually early for things at the Burrow, if for no other reason than he was staying here. He loved it at this crazy house and would never willingly miss anything that happened here. She hoped it was not a bad sign. Maybe it was taking him a little longer to get himself ready to face a crowd than before. He had always had problems before and things had only made that worse.
"No, he flooed to say he would be a little late but not to worry about him. He is also apparently bringing someone." There was a little bit of bitterness and regret in her tone.
Hermione looked at her wryly, not letting the girl squirm out of this one. "I thought you said you were over Harry?"
"Well that was before I thought he was bringing some tart with him to the party." grumbled Ginny, blushing a little and looking at the ground. It was clear that she was not pleased by her own reaction to this news.
Hermione laughed lightly. This really was very funny. Granted it was because she knew things that her friend did not but regardless this reaction was beautiful. "She's not a tart Ginny, not even remotely, though I may have to tell her you said that. It's Luna."
"Luna?" Ginny sounded quite confused, like the words and the meanings did not quite connect.
"Yes, Luna. She has been talking with Harry and helping him deal with things, just like she had helped me deal with some of the stuff I dealt with. They might be getting closer because of that, but remember that they were also somewhat close his sixth year after Sirius passed away. So this isn't really something new and out of the blue." explained Hermione, with a smile, quite amused with this display of jealousy from someone supposedly over that relationship.
The blush was lovely and Hermione really enjoyed it. She would love telling Harry about this. This was something he would get a nice chuckle out of, and not because it was mean but because of the continuous misunderstandings that seemed to fill his life. "Oh… well… that makes sense then. Thank you for telling me this now. I would have hated to have made a scene and possibly upset Harry over something so silly. He really does not need or deserve that. I figure this might be tough enough as is for him. If he's happy then I am happy for him."
Once in the backyard, it was clear that the tent from the wedding was back up, with a few tables under it to make one very large dining table, almost as long as one of the House tables in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. There were a lot of different kinds of chairs around them, with only some of them matching and the place settings didn't quite match either. It looked absolutely chaotic. Hermione was quite positive that Harry would love it. This was the kind of thing that would say home and family to him.
Most of the Weasley family was already back there along with a large portion of the staff of Hogwarts, and most of the survivors of the battle who had been in the DA. It had been a while since they had seen each other and there was a lot of catching up to do. Hermione lost herself in conversation with a number of people for a while but kept finding herself searching out Ginny with her eyes, or that Ginny would come and see if she needed another drink. She would even just come over and let Hermione know how her parents were doing talking with her teachers so she could be sufficiently mortified. Hermione thought it was nice and it allowed her to slip quite easily into the fantasy that her mother had brought up with her earlier. Everything felt so comfortable and so natural; she just wanted to believe that it was all real, all true. If only wanting and wishing made it so.
"Are you okay?"
"What? Oh sorry Susan, I guess I was daydreaming a bit." said Hermione with a slight blush as the young woman's voice broke her fantasy. She smiled at the girl who had gotten stronger and healthier through her training in the DA, though she also seemed weighted down by the last year like many of their other friends.
"That's okay. I think you're allowed." replied Susan with a knowing grin.
There was something in Susan's tone and look that caught Hermione's attention and once caught refused to be let loose until it was tracked down. That looked seemed to imply something and as she knew that nothing was going on she needed to find out what it was, because that was not a look of conjecture. Hermione cocked her head to the side and asked, "What do you mean?"
"You know, things with you and Ron. He has been saying how things between you two have been getting better and better and that you might even be off the market soon if it keeps progressing. That's really exciting." Susan seemed quite pleased for her.
Hermione had made the mistake of drinking something at the moment and it sprayed out everywhere, but thankfully it did not hit Susan or anyone else. She looked at Susan wide eyed, disbelief quite obvious, "WHAT!"
"Did… did I misunderstand?" Susan backed up some, looking around nervously for backup, as she was well aware of how dangerous a riled up Hermione Granger could be. This was not a safe position to be in.
"No. No, I don't think you misunderstood what you heard at all. I think it was clearly someone else who has misunderstood things. If you will excuse me, Susan." Her voice was cold and measured, in very precise clipped tones that sheared off the ends of words. Susan quickly nodded and stepped back and out of the way all but fleeing the scene.
The very angry young woman turned in place, her brown eyes narrowed as she was scanning the tent, scanning it for one particular set of red hair that she knew very well. Once she spotted it she locked on and began heading that way by the most direct route possible. Other people noticed her movement and quickly scrambled from her path, quite unwilling to get involved in this imminent disaster. Ron was currently involved in a conversation with Seamus and Dean, blissfully ignorant of his doom and the two boys went wide eyed and began backing up as Hermione stormed over, clearly knowing better than to stay.
Ron turned, somewhat confused by their actions, and his eyes widened, seeing Hermione heading right towards him just like she had moved towards Malfoy before she had punched him in the face. He swallowed hard wondering just how much this was going to hurt. He just knew this was not going to be pretty.
"Ronald Bilius Weasley, what in the hell are you telling other people about us!" All other conversation under the tent stopped at this point and every eye was focused on those two. There was no mistaking that tone for anything but what it was.
"I… uh… well… you see…" stammered Ron, his eyes cutting back and forth, searching for an avenue of escape. It was clear that he did not want to be involved in this particular conversation at the moment. There did not seem to be an available escape route that could get him far enough fast enough to avoid any spell from the girl.
"I told you explicitly that I did not want you pushing things between us and that I was not going to start up anything relationship wise at that time, but oh no, you just had to start telling people that I would be off the market soon!" Hermione's anger was building even more rapidly than normal and all of her frustration with Ron over the years was starting to feed into it. Her hands were clenched and they were trembling as she gesticulated wildly.
"I… uh, well Hermione, you see… I kind of thought that…" Ron tried to say something, anything that might have a chance of heading this off. She cut him off at the knees.
"Thought? Thought? Why do I really doubt that? No, I know what you were doing Ron Weasley. You were doing what you always do. What everyone always does to me. You were trying to use other people's opinions and thoughts to get me to agree to go out with you when I wasn't sure I wanted to, you insufferable prat! You were trying to dictate my bloody life, to make it into what you wanted! Didn't you think I have had enough of people doing exactly to me that when Bellatrix fucking Lestrange carved mudblood into my arm!" She screamed that last bit so loud that it hurt her throat. Everything in her wanted to punch him, kick him, hex him, make him feel the pain and humiliation that she was feeling because of this stupid action of his. Why couldn't he get this? Was it really that difficult to get?
Ron winced and turned his face away from her, unable to meet the blaze of anger in her eyes, hotter and stronger than he had ever seen directed towards him before. Hermione was unable to say anything else when she felt a familiar hand rest gently on her arm and she turned her face to meet warm brown eyes, full of compassion that froze the words that would never have been able to have been taken back in her throat. "Come on. It's not worth it. You don't need to be here right now."
Unable to fight against those eyes or that voice, Hermione relented and Ginny was able to turn her away from Ron. She led Hermione back through the silence and to the house, going up the short bit of stairs and then into her room. Ginny was still at the door when Hermione took a few steps into the room and fell onto the bed, sobbing. Once Ginny had the door closed and a few privacy spells cast, she sat down on the bed and began to stroke the older girl's hair comfortingly. "I am sorry that my brother was clearly dropped on his head as a baby multiple times."
Hermione choked on a laugh briefly between the sobs. She clutched Ginny and pulled herself closer to the girl, needing to feel the strength the youngest Weasley radiated. Dream or no dream, truth or not, she needed the girl right now like she needed air or water or food or she would never be able to breathe. "It's okay, Hermione. He's just an idiot. You've known that forever. So you know for sure then that you are not getting back together?"
Still choked with tears and unable to form words, Hermione just nodded in response, holding tightly to Ginny.
"Okay. That's fine. But if you don't mind my asking, how do you know?" asked Ginny, more curious than accusatory.
Hermione slowly rose up, her face red and blotchy from the tears, some of her make up runny and she looked Ginny right in the eyes. She hadn't planned on telling her this today, hadn't planned on telling her this for a while truth be told but there really was no better opening that she could think of to let her know. "Ginny, there is no way that I am going to get back together with your brother because… well… because I am attracted to girls."
Tears kept streaming down her face, the salt burning some, and she was still shaking from muffled sobs, as her emotions were in turmoil. She had just shared part of her biggest secret with her best friend and the woman she loved, what was she going to do? How was Ginny going to react? Was this it for their friendship? Too many thoughts and worries were tumbling around in her brain and all she could do was cry for the pain and worry she already felt.
Ginny blinked a few times, as she was clearly trying to process this. She looked Hermione in the eyes and asked calmly, "Like you want to chat up girls and date them?"
Hermione sighed, this was not exactly going like she had wished and she wiped her face, "Yes Gin, just like that."
"And do everything a couple does?"
"Yes Gin."
"Even marry them?"
"Honestly Ginny is the idea really that difficult to understand?" Hermione was even more frustrated now than before and her emotions felt like they were going fifteen different places at once. She felt like she was going to burst. Her heart was beating like a trip hammer and she was both desperate to know and terrified of what Ginny might say.
"Well, no, not too much. I mean I kind of understood it in the abstract but I guess you are the first witch who likes witches that I have ever… you know… met." said Ginny slowly, looking off into one of the corners of the room, towards one of the posters of the Holyhead Harpies, lost to her own thoughts.
"You might have met others, but they probably never let you know. But that is why I know I am never getting back together with Ron." replied Hermione, a little calmer, seeing how seriously that Ginny was taking this. She was not mocking her nor denouncing her. Maybe things would work out.
"Have you told him any of this?" asked Ginny, looking at her with eyes wide, as if she just realized something.
"No, and I am not planning to either until he gets better with the whole we are not together thing. Otherwise who knows what he will think?" Hermione rolled her eyes in frustration. That was yet another complication in her already crazy life. She really did not need this.
Ginny leaned forward and took Hermione into her arms, hugging her close. "Thank you for sharing this with me. This doesn't change anything. You are still my best friend and that will never change. I hope you know that?"
There was a soft sigh of relief and Hermione said, "I do."
"So… are you interested in someone?" probed Ginny, her tone a bit more curious than before. Again she was looking out the window.
Hermione blushed a little at the question. Why was everyone so interested in her currently non-existent dating life? "There are some dreams of someone, but nothing solid yet. I will let you know how it turns out though."
"Okay. I just want you to be happy." She could hear the sincerity in Ginny's voice and it made her smile.
"Same here."
"Well, it's a good thing since I'm coming over tonight. I bet you with all of this that stupidity you are going to have a nightmare and you will need someone to hold you afterwards."
Hermione chuckled softly, unable to argue with the younger girl's assessment. "What would I do without you Ginny?"
"Probably suffer alone… a very sad fate. Now come on. Let's get you cleaned up and head back outside. We can't let that git ruin this party, okay?" said Ginny with a broad smile and a wink.
Hermione smiled back in return, her mood lifting. Maybe things weren't as bad as she had thought. "Okay."
After some cold water, a few spells and a bit of makeup repair the two of them headed back downstairs towards the rest of the party. The fireplace fwooshed and out of the green flames stepped Harry and Luna. Harry only stumbled a few times before he caught himself. As those two stood there brushing soot off of their clothes, he grinned at the two girls standing there watching and said, "So, have I missed anything?"
Chapter 12Chapter Text
Twelve
Hermione awoke slowly, coming to consciousness slowly, held comfortably in Ginny's strong, slender arms and she sighed in contentment. Waking up like this was a good thing a something she cherished even if there were other reason for it. Last night's nightmare had been one of the worse she had had in a while, almost a month, just like Ginny had predicted. It had started out like most of them had, back at Malfoy Manor, with a crazy woman screaming at her about stealing the sword from her vaults. The pain of the Cruciatus had been there, flaying her nerves anew several times over and she could still feel the slight echoes of things. Then after the psycho carved mudblood in her left arm, she continued on, carving the word dyke on her right, humming that damn tune the whole time. What was worse than the pain that she felt and her inability to escape, was the look of absolute pleasure on the madwoman's face as she did these things. Bellatrix had then gleefully moved on to singing softly "Mudblood, mudblood, filthy filthy mudblood" as she carved the word whore on Hermione's forehead, checking the spelling with the 'smartest witch'. Hermione could feel the tip of the blade moving through her flesh and the burn of her skin splitting. She had woke screaming, fighting against Ginny's embrace.
It had taken Ginny a while to calm her down enough to take one of her calming draughts and one of her treatment potions for the curse so she could go back to sleep. It had been horrific and disturbing and she had trembled like a leaf for quite a while. Ginny had just sat there calmly, holding Hermione comfortingly in her arms, whispering soothing words and brushing her fingers through Hermione's sweat dampened hair. That had worked to calm her down and allowed Hermione eyes to grow heavy, letting her fall back to sleep, in the position she found herself in now. That was nice. She had to admit that at least it had not been the dream of her making love to Ginny that had awakened them as that one and the state she usually found herself in might be a bit more difficult to explain.
She shifted a little and made a happy sound. To be held in the arms of the girl she so desired, that right there was bliss. It made her feel deeply contented and this memory would certainly help fuel a very powerful patronus if she ever needed one. There was no doubt in her mind at all that she could stay like this all day. She sighed, if only that were possible. But no, at some point Ginny was going to wake up and this perfect fantasy she was enjoying would fade, but until then she was determined to simply enjoy it.
After a bit of enjoying this for a while she was drifting back to sleep with a slight smile on her face when Ginny shifted a little and began to make noises, tightening her grip some and pulling Hermione closer to her. "Mmmm morning 'mione."
"Morning Gin. Sleep well?" asked Hermione, her voice soft to avoid disturbing the mood.
Ginny chuckled slightly and Hermione liked how that moved both of their chests. The sensation was quite enjoyable. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Hermione blushed at that and she was glad that Ginny could not see her face. It would be a lot harder to explain why she was all red over that comment than would normally be necessary. She was able to keep her embarrassment out of her voice. "Well, I slept a lot better after you calmed me down and helped me take the potions."
"That's good. You still slept a bit fitfully for a little bit afterwards but you did drift off to sleep after a while." said Ginny, passing on that extra bit of information. "Apparently, running my fingers through your hair really helped."
"You watched me sleep?" asked Hermione, startled by that one fact. It was sweet but also a bit surprising. That was not something she would have expected the girl to do.
"Well, I was worried about you. Waking up to you screaming and thrashing is still unnerving." Ginny defended herself, sounding somewhat affronted.
"I am not saying anything bad about that Gin. On the contrary, thank you for looking out for me. It means a lot to me to know that you do that. I… you let me sleep safer this way. When you are here, I sleep better." said Hermione softly, a bit embarrassed to admit that fact, feeling that it made her weak. While one part of her was loathe to admit it another part felt warm and supported by the presence of the girl. And then there was how she felt about Ginny adding to the mess.
"Well then, I guess we will have to see what we can do in order to make sure you can sleep soundly from now on." Ginny tightened her grip again for one last hug before she got up and then headed off to the bathroom.
Hermione lay in the bed and rolled partially up, her eyes following the departing young woman. She blinked a few times trying to process the last bit of conversation. What had just happened? Had Ginny just said what she had just thought she had said? She rubbed her temples and wasn't sure she was even awake for all of this. Was she still dreaming or had Ginny actually implied that she was going to keep sleeping with her, not that she minded? That idea sounded very appealing and she would never argue with being able to share a bed with the redhead. She could hear the toilet flush and that reminded her own bladder of its needs, driving her out of the still warm bed.
Once dressed and in the kitchen, Hermione saw that Ginny was busy helping her mother finish cooking breakfast. Knowing that there was not enough room in there to help with that, she quickly set the table and got the tea service ready, hoping to save them at least one step. Soon all four of them were sitting around the table enjoying a nice breakfast of egg in the hole and tea. Mr. Granger had some of his tea and then asked, "So what sort of excitement do you girls have planned for today?"
"I was thinking of going to Diagon Alley today to get some shopping done. I have had the wrong wand for too long now and I am tired of it. It just keeps reminding me of Her verytime I use it. Ollivander has opened up his shop again and I can get a new wand from there easily enough. Might as well pick up some school supplies while I am there so I won't have to rush about at the end of the month." answered Hermione, a slight grin on her face.
Ginny grinned and nodded. "That sounds good to me. I can get some money from the vaults, as I have my key and I might even be able to get a new pair of gloves for Quidditch. Mine are seriously worn. I know Mum won't mind as it will save her some work."
"Oh, could you get me a book on the game? After listening to your description, I am interested on how it is played. It really does sound fascinating." said Mr. Granger excitedly. Hermione knew her Dad liked all sorts of sports and the talk about Quidditch seemed to entrance him. He seemed to have become a fan without ever having seen a single game.
"Sure. I can think of several good books that explain the basics of the game and some of the tactics as well as the history. I'm surprised that Ron never told you about them Hermione, as he was never that keen on reading about the game, just watching and learning." said Ginny, clearly happy to be of some help to Mr. Granger.
Hermione rolled her eyes. This was not a topic that she was a fan of as years of putting up with a lot of this nonsense. "Your brother prefers to blather on about Quidditch rather than actually let anyone learn about it in a useful manner."
"Yeah, that's Ron for you. You know… if you want, you could read those books as well, and actually get a better understanding for the game. Maybe try to learn something about the game without having the bias of having Ron's obsession making things worse. Please… for me?" Ginny seemed excited by that prospect.
"I might do that. We'll see." Hermione gave Ginny a soft smile. It was so difficult for her to just flat out deny the girl anything. Was she really going to give Quidditch another chance just because Ginny asked her to? She was aware that it might be a good way to grow closer to her so maybe this might not be a bad idea. She really had it bad.
"Well, you girls be safe. Don't do anything crazy." said her mother.
Once the meal was over and the dishes were clear, the girls got ready to head into Diagon Alley to take care of their shopping. They grabbed up their stuff and Hermione disapparated them into the Leaky Cauldron. There were not a lot of people hanging out around there this early in the morning, which was nice and it was far enough from the start of the new school year that the stores should not be overly crowded. Glad that no one seemed to notice their appearance all that much the two of them moved into the little back courtyard of the pub and tapped the bricks, creating the entrance to the Alley proper.
Various people were shopping, including a few families out buying school supplies but only a few. The sight made the girls smile, happy to see that things were returning to normal after all of the insanity that had gone on over the last few years. The scars of war were still evident in a number of places but there were a few new stores in what were once burned out storefronts. Nothing had replaced Fortescue's yet, but they were hoping. Instead of dwelling on this, they made a beeline straight for Olivander's, not wanting to get distracted anywhere else before this primary task was completed, though a quick run through Flourish and Blots was mighty tempting.
The store seemed the same as it had before, somewhat dark with shelves filled with the long narrow boxes, with the same unique scent that both associated with the wand shop. It was a comforting scene and both girls relaxed ever so slightly because of it. That made them realize that they had been ready for attacks the whole time they had been walking here and it made them both sigh in annoyance. They walked to the counter trying to move past that lingering relic of war and from the back of the store a familiar face appeared, smiling happily when he saw who was there, "Ah, Miss Granger, I was wondering when I was going to see you again. I am glad to see you as well Miss Weasley."
"Hello Mr. Olivander. I have been having a little trouble with this wand, as it isn't mine and has not been responding quite right with my magic. I can still use it, but it takes a bit more more work and effort to do anything." explained Hermione as she laid Bellatrix's wand on the counter.
"Yes, walnut, twelve and three quarters inches with a dragon heartstring core, the wand of Bellatrix Lestrange. I can imagine that it did not work for you, as you did not win this wand and thus could not truly become its master." He said with a slight twitch of his lips, almost a failed smile, pain still behind his eyes. "That you were able to make it work at all says a great deal about you."
"Thank you. Well, that is why I am here. I absolutely need a new wand. No one has found my old one anywhere, neither in Malfoy Manor nor on any of the Death Eaters. That means that I need a new one as this one… the more I use it, the more I can't really stand to look at it." Hermione shuddered, closing her eyes, trying not to think about the nightmare she had had just last night which had featured this self-same wand cursing her over and over. Ginny reached out and rested an arm comfortingly on her shoulder, helping to settle her growing nerves. She turned her head and smiled at Ginny thankfully.
"That is a wise choice Miss Granger, very wise indeed. A witch cannot do their best work with an improper wand or a wand that might fight against them. Well, let of correct this problem. Shall we get to work?" He went in back and brought out a box. He opened it and carefully laid the wand down in front of her. "Vine, ten and a quarter inches, dragon heartstring. It is the closest I have to your old wand."
She picked it up and gave it a flick but it did not quite work right. The reaction was okay but not that great as she could feel her magic not quite meshing with the wand. She frowned and shook her head, setting the wand down but off to the side. "I guess if we can't find anything better we can go with this, as it works a lot better than the wand I have now, but can we keep looking?"
With a nod and a smile he turned and went back into his stacks, muttering to himself as he usually did when he was searching for wands. He came back a short while later with another box, "Alder, ten and a half inches, dragon heartstring."
That one was better but still not quite right. It got put to the side and the other one boxed up.
"Cyprus, nine and seven eighths, dragon heartstring."
It was only okay but the Alder had been better. Back in the box.
"Hazel, eleven and a quarter, dragon heartstring."
She barely picked this one up before a mug of tea across the room exploded. The girls eeped and Hermione quickly set the wand down. She was blushing in embarrassment. This prompted Ginny to start giggling earning her a quick elbow in her side to shush her.
Mr. Olivander looked thoughtful and then nodded, clearly making a determination. "It was as I thought. Just a moment."
He turned and headed deeper into his shop, lost amongst the stacks, deeper than he had gone before. He returned with a dust free box, held carefully in both hands. It was held gently, as if the wand inside were delicate or something, making both girls look at each other questioningly. Mr. Olivander twitched a slight smile at them before he hesitantly said, "I was unsure if this would be appropriate and so I wanted to see if anything else would suit before trying this particular wand."
"If what would?" Hermione was looking from the box to Mr. Olivander in deepening confusion. What exactly was going on?
"After you and your friends rescued me and I learned of what had happened to you, learning in addition to everything else you had lost your wand, I realized that you would indeed need a new one, no matter what wand you had picked up to use in the interim. Knowing this, I undertook the challenge of making a wand that would suit one as brave and as fearless as you." He lay the box down and pulled the cover off. The pale wood was almost lustrous, richly hued, the way it had been treated almost made the wood glow. There was nothing fancy about the wand, no carved vines like her last wand, just an elegant simplicity that was attractive with this wood, making it even more beautiful than her last one had been with its simple form. "This is an eleven inch, beech wood wand with a dragon heartstring taken from a Chinese Fireball, the cleverest of all the dragons. This is a wand that will be nearly impossible to find a master and the only person that I believe who can fit this particular wand, Miss Granger, is you. Please."
Hermione and Ginny shared a wide eyed look and Hermione reached out her hand to lift the wand from the box, trying to control the slight tremor as she did so. The idea that he had made a wand for her was overwhelming. Her hand closed on the smooth wood and she slid the wand into place. The wand felt warm in her hand, sitting in the crease of her palm as if it had no other purpose in life. As she had done with the others, she gave it a slight swish and a golden glow emanated from it surrounding her hand, tingling her skin. Hermione just stared at the wand in surprise, feeling a very different connection to this wand than she had had with her other. Her mouth went dry in shock.
Mr. Olivander let out the breath he had been holding. "Wonderful. I am so glad that the wand chose you. I was very worried that it might not. You should know that Beech is a very choosy wood Miss Granger. Many witches and wizards who demand beech wands are often found wanting. This wand will allow you a range of subtlety and artistry that is rarely seen in any other wood. It is a powerful wand Miss Granger for a singularly powerful witch."
"How… how much do I owe you?" Hermione was rather in awe of her new wand, as even her old wand had not quite felt like this one, so perfectly aligned with her. She could not take her eyes off it, just staring at the near luminous wood. This felt like an extension of herself and it was a strange feeling.
"You and your friends gave me my life, which is a debt that I will never be able to repay. The wand is yours." He said simply.
"Mr. Olivander, no." protested Hermione, finally able to look away from the wand due to how wrong that felt.
"My dear Miss Granger, think of all you have endured and striven against for the greater good of the wizarding world. The least this one old man can do is give you a new wand in thanks for saving his life. You cannot begrudge me that." The look in his eyes made it clear that he would brook no argument from her. It was clear that it would be easier getting Molly Weasley to change her mind than to make Mr. Olivander let her pay.
Hermione swallowed heavily, happy tears wetting her eyes. She smiled, trying to hold in the torrent of emotion that this gesture was bringing up. "No, I cannot. Thank you very much, Mr. Olivander. I will cherish this wand always."
He smiled at her, clearly understanding something of what she was going through. "I know you shall Miss Granger and I shall cherish the fact that you have one of the finest wands I have ever created to help you accomplish whatever you strive for. Thank you. Good day to you both."
Leaving Bellatrix's wand there, Ginny and Hermione walked out of his shop and stood on the street a moment, both of them rather dazed. Ginny turned to Hermione and asked, "Did that really happen?"
Hermione pulled out her beech wand and stared at it, blinked a few times and put it back. She nodded absently and replied, "I guess it did."
The two girls then smiled at each other, each pleased with this particular development. Hermione started grinning as she realized that one more reminder of Bellatrix was gone from her life and that was a tremendous relief. Ginny looked around and said, "Right, well after something like that you need something completely different to help you cope."
Hermione looked at her a bit nervously trying to figure out exactly what the young woman was talking about. There were several different options that came immediately to mind, and she was sure that Ginny was not thinking about half of them and maybe an eighth of them might actually get her slapped. She decided to hazard a question, "What are you thinking about Ginevra?"
Ginny looked innocent, blinked her brown eyes a few times and said in a voice that wouldn't melt butter, "I only wanted to go to the Quidditch store 'mione. Is that so wrong?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, groaning. She should have known. She smacked Ginny on the arm lightly, "Prat."
Ginny started giggling and dragged Hermione along with her to the Quality Quidditch Supplies store. Hermione struggled at first and then gave in knowing that resistance was futile. She had always resisted the idea of going into the store with either Ron or Harry for various reasons, not the least of which was her lack of interest in the game, but because she was interested in Ginny she was willing to see if the experience was going to be different. She really hoped so for her own sanity that it would be. If not then maybe this whole attraction would die out before it really got started.
Before they walked inside the store, Ginny turned to her and said, "I know you have never really been into Quidditch but I have also met Harry and Ron. I love those two plonkers to death but they are basically imbeciles when it comes to certain things. So I will try to help fix this problem. I have seen you cheer, so clearly you are excited for our team and your friends when we are winning, but from everything I have heard you say the sport itself eludes you."
"Well, all sport does really. My father loves football and rugby and even cricket for some reason but I have no idea why? I just don't get the appeal." At Ginny's blank look, Hermione smiled and said, "They are all muggle sports that are really popular. Honestly, you would probably enjoy them."
"Right. Okay. If you think so I'll trust you. So, when we get in there don't think about how irritating Ron is on this subject or how obnoxious the colors are for the Chudley Canons are or any of that, just listen to me and we'll see if things won't change for you." Ginny gave her a very confident smile.
Hermione looked at her and one eyebrow rose. The redhead seemed so sure of herself and her plan that this was clearly not a spur of the moment idea. This smelled remarkably like a plot that had been developed for a while to her. "Ginny… answer me honestly. How long have you had this idea?"
Ginny couldn't meet her eyes as she replied, "A while now, but an opportunity never really presented itself before. Now it has so come on. Trust me."
Hermione relented and the two girls headed inside. Once in the store, the youngest Weasley led her past the brooms, quaffles, bludgers, and various other bits of equipment, branded team gear and into the back where there were books and magazines for sale. Once there, where there were only a few people looking at recent issues of Seeker Weekly and a few of the books, she stopped and turned to face her friend. "Right, first thing you need to know is that Quidditch as it is known today came out of several older games being jumbled together, but the first instance of it being played in something even remotely familiar to today's game was recorded in 1050 in Queerditch Marsh by a witch named Gertie Keddle. This woman kept recording the early development of the game and her diary remains to this day. You can actually go and see it."
"Really?" Hermione perked up at this. This was actually rather interesting, knowing that there was some actual historical data on the growth of the game. Why hadn't the boys told her about this? This was actually interesting
"Oh yes. It is really interesting reading about all of this. The next instance outside of those journals is from 1150 when a wizard named Goodwin Keen sent a letter to a friend of his where he described the recent developments of the game. There are a number of other historical mentions of the game as it grew that are quite fascinating. It's history is really quite complex."
"So wait, the game of Quidditch is almost as old as Hogwarts?" Hermione was almost doubtful of that notion but when had Ginny really lied to her about something like this? She had thought that the game was as modern as most every other sport around, as in perhaps a few hundred years at the most, not a game with nearly a thousand years of history behind it. Why had no one told her? Her eyes started scanning the bookshelves for some sort of reference.
Ginny snickered when she saw this and walked over to the shelf plucking a book up and handing it over, clearly having expected this response. "Now I know that this isn't quite Quidditch: A History but it is close. This right here is the best book on the history of the game available."
Hermione took the book and mock glared at the red head that regarded her with some amusement. Quidditch Through the Ages seemed to be quite interesting given its table of contents and did have some heft to it. It was clearly not a book without meaning. "So this is the book that Madam Pince says is checked out all the time?"
"Yep. This book covers the history of the game, the development of the rules, the spread of the game, the current incarnation, everything. It's a great book. I've read it several times myself. Not as often as you've read Hogwarts: A History, but then again who has read anything that much?" Ginny grinned at her, enjoying the teasing.
Hermione rolled her eyes and then looked at the book some more. It looked rather fascinating actually. She skimmed part of the introduction and the writing style was somewhat engaging. This might be a really nice read. "Interesting."
"If I had to recommend just one book for you to get started with, it would be that one. Because instead of being all, oh Quidditch is awesome, and all that nonsense it actually talks about things in the way you like and understand. It really takes the time to explain everything in great detail. This is a far more scholarly work than any of the others." Ginny smiled at her and Hermione blushed a little, looking down at the book. It seemed like Ginny really did know her pretty well.
In an attempt to cover up her blush, she asked, "Do you recommend anything else for me to read?"
"Well I am a bit partial but I would also recommend this book about the Holyhead Harpies, my favorite team. They have been around since 1203, making them the second oldest team in the league and have been an all-female team the whole time, which is pretty rare. It is a pretty interesting read as well, as it doesn't just focus on recent players but covers the whole range of the team's accomplishments from the past until now."
"Well Ginny, I must say that I am aware of your… obsession with the Harpies. It is hard not to notice your posters, and shirts and scarf and night shirt. I'm surprised you don't have Harpies knickers."
"Alright." Ginny blushed as Hermione listed things off, counting them off on her fingers. "I like the team. Being the only girl in my family they gave me some strong women to look up to besides my mother."
Without really needing to spend much thought on the matter, Hermione grabbed that book as well. If that team meant that much to Ginny, then she really needed to learn about them. It was important. Everything her parents had taught her about relationships had taught her that. "Anything else you recommend?"
"No, not at the moment. Those two will be a great start and we can see where you are after those. I just had a few things to grab for myself and then we can get our books. After that we can grab some lunch before getting the rest of our stuff."
"Sounds like a good plan to me." Hermione went up front to pay for her books, having grabbed a second copy of Quidditch Through the Ages for her father. She was well aware that she was going to be studying both of these books to get a better idea about this passion of Ginny's. The relationship books had mentioned that it was a good idea to at least understand your partners passions, whether you liked them or not, and she knew her mother knew a good bit about her father's favorite teams and the basics of each of the sports. Once she paid for her items, she waited for Ginny to come up and make her own purchases. Once that was accomplished, then the two of them headed up the street to Flourish and Blotts.
Once they walked into the store, Hermione took a deep breath through her nose. It was something that satisfied her and made her feel content, the wonderful smell of books. She sighed happily and ignored Ginny's snicker. "So I guess we should just grab our school books?"
"Yes and not too many extra books Miss Granger. You might actually be busy this year." Ginny shook her finger at her.
"Am I really that bad?" asked Hermione, slightly worried. She still had a little bit of a lingering fear of being only a bookworm hanging out in her head.
"Not really. But you get this cute indignant look whenever anyone says anything about it." teased Ginny.
Hermione scowled at Ginny and the girl laughed happily and pointed at her, quite pleased by the reaction, "Yes, that's it. That's the one. Right there."
"I don't know why I put up with you?" grumbled Hermione, somewhat incensed by the slight mocking. She knew it wasn't mean spirited but it was hitting a sore spot.
"Because you like me better than Ron?" answered Ginny in a playful singsong sort of voice.
"Well clearly, but that doesn't actually answer the question." teased Hermione right back.
"Ouch. I think I will try to save my dignity and just go get books." Ginny limped off as if she were trying to salvage her dignity.
Hermione laughed and headed off into the stacks, browsing the familiar shelves, letting her fingers drift over the spines, loving the feel of the books. It had been a while since she had been here and she had missed it. This store smelled more of books than modern bookshops usually did and she could easily think of several reasons for that, most prominent of which was paper type. She started collecting her school books as well as scanning the shelves for any titles that might catch her eyes as was her usual habit. After a while and when she was near the back of the store, with several books in addition to her text books, including one on charms, another on arithomancy and a third on advanced magical theory, she saw a title that seemed odd enough to give her pause, A Witch's Witch Book of Spells.
The book was of decent size, being at least several hundred pages in length. And the title was innocuous enough that she could play it off as her not having checked on the contents and merely found the title interesting if she had to. It also had that term that Ginny had used that magicals seemed to use to describe lesbians. She flipped through the table of contents quickly and it seemed to be what she had been hoping for, a wizarding book on lesbian relationships and spells relating to them, some of which sounded fascinating. Hermione sighed, said a quick prayer to whoever would listen to her, put it in her stack and headed towards the front.
She was rung up quickly, as there was a line growing behind her, and so the person barely registered she was there, let alone the book in question, as they were far more focused of trying to complete the transaction quickly so they could get to the next customer. She held her breath the whole time, her heart pounding a mile a minute, expecting some sort of response to the book and desperately hoping that there would be none. When none came that made her happy and she was able to relax, breathing easier. Taking her things outside, she saw that Ginny was waiting for her. "Sheesh, 'mione, did you buy the store?"
"No, I simply found a number of interesting titles and picked them up. When I noticed the time I just grabbed the last book that caught my eye and bought it. If I don't like it I can always return it." stated Hermione, trying to make a point.
"You return a book? Why do I doubt that? Somehow I think you might be physically incapable of that." Ginny rolled her eyes at the bushy haired witch.
Hermione harrumphed and said, "Let's go eat."
"That sounds like a good plan. I could do with some food. And then we can finish this and head back to your place." Ginny headed towards the Leaky Cauldron where they knew they could grab a decent bite to eat.
"I know what you're thinking; you just want to see Romeo+Juliet again." The taunt was playful and friendly.
"Actually I was going to wait on that for a few more days. There are a couple of other things that had come out apparently that your mom said were good and you said there are some good films out there now so…"
Hermione laughed, shaking her head, "Oh Merlin Ginny, what am I going to do with you?"