"What does it take to wake you up in the mornings? A cannon right next to your ear? Honestly!" Hermione felt a pillow crush against her head and a weight collapse onto her back.
"Unngggg…" she groaned with detest, "give me ten more minutes!"
"You said that. Twenty minutes ago. Then again ten minutes ago. Now I'm telling you, get up - ah!" Hermione had sat up with a jolt and knocked Ginny off of the bed and onto the floor.
"Wait, what time is it?!" Hermione screeched.
"It's 9AM." Ginny replied, with a scowl on her face and her hand on her head.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit…shit!"
"I'm guessing you have to be somewhere." Ginny sat back down onto the bed cautiously as Hermione ran around the room trying to get ready.
"I was supposed to meet your brother in Diagon Alley half an hour ago. God, he's gonna murder me!"
"Nah, he won't kill you. He'll probably just lock you inside one of those Vanishing Cabinets for a day, then shower you with presents." Ginny waved her hand in the air, looking like she was warding off Wrack-Spurts. Hermione smiled as it sparked a memory of Luna Lovegood and her father, dancing at Bill and Fleur's wedding.
"He's given me way too many presents already. Okay, how do I look?" Hermione stood awkwardly, trying to give Ginny a full view of her chosen outfit. Ginny looked carefully from top to bottom, taking in all of Hermione's quirky fashion ideas. A pair of skinny, light denim jeans, a navy and white polka-dotted top, an oversized, stripy jumper with a pair of brown ankle boots.
"Hm…it needs one more thing." Ginny pulled out her wand (her 17th birthday was the week before) and tapped it on Hermione's head. Hermione felt a rush of warmth radiate from her scalp down her back, and when she looked in the mirror, she saw her normally bushy brown hair transformed into beautiful golden-brown ringlets, cascading down her back.
"Ginny, you work wonders." Hermione hugged her best friend, stuffed her wand into her pocket and ran out the door of their shared apartment.
Hermione arrived in the Leaky Cauldron at 9:30 and stopped to catch her breath.
"Hermione! How good to see you here. Fred's waiting for you outside." Tom (the barman) waved at her. Tears stung her eyes when she heard Fred's name.
"Thanks Tom." She replied, not bothering to correct him in case she started sobbing uncontrollably. When she arrived in Diagon Alley, Hermione spun around, searching for that unruly pile of flaming-red hair. After wandering up the street a little way, she saw him, towering over everyone.
"George!" Hermione cried, running towards him. He opened his arms and gathered her into a tight embrace, burying his face in her shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I'm so incredibly late. I slept in and the subway wasn't on time and-"
"Why did you catch the subway?" George asked with a playful glint in his eye.
"Because I-Oh…right…apparition." In all of her stress, Hermione completely forgot that she could apparate. George just laughed at her and kissed her forehead. Throwing his arm around her shoulder, they walked down the street towards their destination.
