Howdy. not sure when this will be posted, I just had a plot bunny come up
and smack me upside the head, causing me to start writing. So here we go.
~*~*~*~*~*~
PROLOGUE:
Hermione carefully folded her clothes, neatly stacking them into her trunk. She glanced wistfully around at her surroundings, and in the next room, she could hear Dean Thomas, the Head Boy jumping on his suitcase to close it. She could hear a bunch go clatters and grunts, so she closed the lid on her trunk and went to see if she could help.
"Need a hand?" He stood up and nodded.
"Can you just sit on this? The lid won't close. Shouldn't have let me Mum pack it the first time, she can always pack more stuff in than me." He grinned and they both sat on the lid of his trunk. Dean reached down and closed the latch. She stood up again and looked around.
"It's really empty here, without all the posters. it's so strange to think that we'll never be coming back."
"Yeah, I know. I'm not sure what I'm going to do after school ends. I mean, you just get so used to it, everything's decided and all, and now I've got no idea what to do. Plus the thought of never seeing so many people again. Its really weird."
Hermione swallowed hard and nodded. It was what she had been dreading for a while. She had no idea what to do with herself She certainly didn't want to go back home, being cut off from the wizarding world would be too horrible. But even worse than her future was that she would never see her friends. Well, Harry and Ron, and along with Ron Ginny, but everyone else would end up going their separate ways and she would feel lonely.
"Yeah. I'm really going to- to miss everyone too." A slight catch in her throat gave her away.
"Dean, I'm really glad I got to room with you. I mean it was pure luck that there were two Gryffindores and not say, a Slytherin. I'm glad I got to know you better, I'll miss talking to you."
"Yeah, I'll miss you too. I guess we'd better get going though. I want to visit the common room before everyone leaves" Hermione nodded.
"Me too. Well, come one then." The stood there awkwardly, Hermione blinked back a few tears, then decided what to do.
"Before I feel stupid about it, come here" They pulled together for a tight hug.
"I would have regretted not doing that, especially if I never saw you again. You're one of my best friends." Dean nodded and sniffed.
"Coke on, let's make this last Gryffindore meeting one to remember!" Putting on semi-false grins, they ran down the stairs, their trunks magically floating behind them. Several absent-minded first years had to dive out of the way to avoid being clobbered by the heavy suitcases, but for once Hermione didn't care.
In the common room, many of the girls were crying and hugging everyone they could. Hermione grabbed her yearbook and headed into a cluster of people to collect names. Harry and Ron met up with her and they signed books for a good hour. They weren't hurried, they had the whole day to talk and chat with their friends, and then after the speech all four houses would have a chance to sign books and talk. Hermione wandered around the room, chatting with old friends about their years at Hogwarts. She exchanged floo invitations with people, as well as collected a few of the muggle-born's mail addresses. Before she could scarcely believe it, a bell rang and the Gryffindore students made their way to what would be their last ever talk from Dumbledore.
Sitting at the table but not bothering to stop their conversations, Dumbledore stood up and raised a hand. Everyone quieted down and Dumbledore continued.
"This is, as always, a very special time for all of us, many of us are leaving for summer and won't be near a book for another two months. Not that most of you mind." Many of the students, especially the younger grades chuckled, as did Dumbledore himself.
"But this is particularly special to out seventh years. Instead of returning in September with the rest of you, they will be out in the world, some with jobs, some wit traveling, some just staying at home. But nonetheless, for almost all of them, the part of their lives that revolved around Hogwarts has ended. I am sure that this very talented year will be read about in the papers in years to come, but until then, many of them won't have contact with their friends. Or not as much as they would have in the past. And because of this, I will keep my speech to a short I wish all of you a wonderful summer, especially our seventh years. And I am sure that all of you will prosper in whatever you choose."
He sat down amid clapping from all the tables, though slightly diminished in the direction of the Slytherins. Magnificent plates of food suddenly appeared, and as was the tradition for the last day, people got up and wandered around to chat with old friends. After a while, Dean came up ad tapped her shoulder.
"We've gotta go, remember, prefects and Heads have to go meet Dumbledore for the school picture. Out by the suit of armor."
"Oh yeah! Be back later!" She waved to the group she had been with.
"Thanks for reminding me, Dean. I had forgotten completely." She grinned up at him, he laughed.
"I did too, it was Seamus -Seamus!- who reminded me. He actually remembered something. And even more impressive, it had nothing to do with him!" They chuckled, more forced than real. Trying to make the fact that they were leaving less obvious, she realized. Rounding the corner, they saw a fifth year boy and Ginny there as prefects.
Much to Fred and George's disappointment, she had grown up to be more like Charlie than anyone else. She was a good student, something Fred and George jokingly blamed Hermione for every time she saw them.
"Hey! Ginny! Al-uh, was it Alphonso or Alphonsus?" Dean waved at the two who were standing by a corner.
"It's Alphonsus, but don't ever call me that. Just Alphie. I don't know what got into my parents to name me that. They must have gone nutters." He grinned, his big ears stuck out a mile. Ginny, standing behind him, slightly pointed to his elephant appendages and snickered. A short, fat man in maroon robes and carrying a camera that walked into the room saved her an explanation.
Shouting and pointing, He arranged all the Prefects into a row, all facing the head Girl and Boy who were at the center. A plaque was held between Hermione and Dean which simply said 'Prefects and Head Boy and Girl', along with their names. The picture was taken, and everyone crowded around to see. Alphie was horrified that after a minute his picture began picking his nose. Hermione's hair as usual fluffed out, and in the picture she was trying to tame it.
She turned around an left, back to her friends who were waiting. After another hour and many tearful good-byes and promises to owl each other, the students headed out to the train station. Jumping aboard, slowly but surly people gravitated towards their friends and went to sit down. Harry, Ron and herself all went and managed to find a near empty car. Sitting down, they started talking quickly to each other.
"Listen, my Mum said that both of you are welcome to stay for summer, all she needs is an owl from you saying its okay. Hermione, I know you want to be nearer to the wizarding world, and Harry hates his cousin, it'll be even worse now Dudley doesn't have to go back to school."
"Don't worry Ron, the second I get home I'll be sending an owl with permission. err, if it's not entirely true, you won't tell will you though?" Harry asked.
"'Course not! You won't either, will you Hermione??" She shook her head.
"I won't say a thing. But Harry, you really should ask them, they might get worried-"
"Fat chance of that happening, They were practically ecstatic when Voldemorte came back. Thought I would get killed, they did. If I hadn't been there, I bet they would have thrown a party in his honor." Ron looked shocked at this.
"But don't they know he killed muggles too? Wouldn't your Aunt, at least?"
Harry just shrugged.
"I guess they didn't care. Oh well. Even if I can't legally leave until I'm 18, that's only a year. Then I'm going to get a flat down in Hogsmeade." His eyes were shining, you could see him getting lost in his fantasy.
They chatted until the train stopped, then bid each other farewell.
"Now that we can apperate though, we can just pop in anytime we like, right Harry?"
"Yeah. Expect me I for food, they still are trying to put Dudley on a diet. Ha! I bet he'll be rolling by the time summers over. " Laughing, the three friends parted with two loud pops. Ron and Ginny carefully walked through the platform.
"You invited her over, right?" Ron looked up at Ginny.
"What? Hermione? Of course. Her and Harry. Why?" He looked suspicious.
"Well you had better have invited her, she's you're girlfriend. If you ruin that, I'll be mad at you. You have a history of messing things up. Plus Hermione really likes you. You know that, right?"
"'Course I do. Geez though Ginny, you're not supposed to go giving you're older brother advice in romance. It's weird." He grinned.
"Come on, lets go find Dad, I don't want to have to carry this trunk around farther. Bloody muggles."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione appeared in her parents' kitchen with a snap. She pointed her wand at her room and waved her trunk up the stairs before following it up to her room. Both her parents must be at work.
Both at work, the day I graduate from Wizarding School. How unusual. She thought. Well at least that gives me a good thin g to hang over their heads so I can go to Ron's.
She smiled at the thought, and busily began unpacking her things. After a few hours, she heard her parents come in and she ran down the stairs to meet them.
After congratulations from both her parents, she helped her mother cook dinner then asked them about spending some of the summer with Ron and his family.
"I don't know, sweetie. You just got back from that school and being with all your friends. We haven't seen you for so long. Maybe you should stay home this summer and look around for a summer job." Her mother said. Hermione frowned. Any summer job she could get at Hogsmeade would be much better than one here. Plus she might learn something if she apprenticed to a wizard.
"Yes I know mother, but it would be so much better to be in touch with the wizard world. I want to go to a Collage someplace, and I want to keep in touch with what's happening. I can't do that here as easily. Plus now that I can apperate, I can come visit you anytime. I'll still be living here, I just want to spend summer with my friends."
After much arguing on both sides, they finally allowed her to go. Ecstatic, Hermione ran upstairs to send an owl. She considered apperating to tell Ron, but it was late, he might not really want her to come and wake him up. So getting out her quill and a piece of parchment she wrote him a letter, then attached it onto her owl Christiana. As she watch her fly out into the night, she giggled with excitement. And giggling was not something Hermione Granger did often. But the thought of seeing Ron again made her nervous and happy. Of course, Harry would be there too, but she really wanted to see Ron.
It seemed so harmless at the time.
---dun-dun-duuun. Well, I do believe that was boring, but its more your opinion than mine. I just recently restarted writing this, it had been buried for a while with garbage on my desktop. So now I'm continuing. Hope it's not too bad,
-ChristiA/N
~*~*~*~*~*~
PROLOGUE:
Hermione carefully folded her clothes, neatly stacking them into her trunk. She glanced wistfully around at her surroundings, and in the next room, she could hear Dean Thomas, the Head Boy jumping on his suitcase to close it. She could hear a bunch go clatters and grunts, so she closed the lid on her trunk and went to see if she could help.
"Need a hand?" He stood up and nodded.
"Can you just sit on this? The lid won't close. Shouldn't have let me Mum pack it the first time, she can always pack more stuff in than me." He grinned and they both sat on the lid of his trunk. Dean reached down and closed the latch. She stood up again and looked around.
"It's really empty here, without all the posters. it's so strange to think that we'll never be coming back."
"Yeah, I know. I'm not sure what I'm going to do after school ends. I mean, you just get so used to it, everything's decided and all, and now I've got no idea what to do. Plus the thought of never seeing so many people again. Its really weird."
Hermione swallowed hard and nodded. It was what she had been dreading for a while. She had no idea what to do with herself She certainly didn't want to go back home, being cut off from the wizarding world would be too horrible. But even worse than her future was that she would never see her friends. Well, Harry and Ron, and along with Ron Ginny, but everyone else would end up going their separate ways and she would feel lonely.
"Yeah. I'm really going to- to miss everyone too." A slight catch in her throat gave her away.
"Dean, I'm really glad I got to room with you. I mean it was pure luck that there were two Gryffindores and not say, a Slytherin. I'm glad I got to know you better, I'll miss talking to you."
"Yeah, I'll miss you too. I guess we'd better get going though. I want to visit the common room before everyone leaves" Hermione nodded.
"Me too. Well, come one then." The stood there awkwardly, Hermione blinked back a few tears, then decided what to do.
"Before I feel stupid about it, come here" They pulled together for a tight hug.
"I would have regretted not doing that, especially if I never saw you again. You're one of my best friends." Dean nodded and sniffed.
"Coke on, let's make this last Gryffindore meeting one to remember!" Putting on semi-false grins, they ran down the stairs, their trunks magically floating behind them. Several absent-minded first years had to dive out of the way to avoid being clobbered by the heavy suitcases, but for once Hermione didn't care.
In the common room, many of the girls were crying and hugging everyone they could. Hermione grabbed her yearbook and headed into a cluster of people to collect names. Harry and Ron met up with her and they signed books for a good hour. They weren't hurried, they had the whole day to talk and chat with their friends, and then after the speech all four houses would have a chance to sign books and talk. Hermione wandered around the room, chatting with old friends about their years at Hogwarts. She exchanged floo invitations with people, as well as collected a few of the muggle-born's mail addresses. Before she could scarcely believe it, a bell rang and the Gryffindore students made their way to what would be their last ever talk from Dumbledore.
Sitting at the table but not bothering to stop their conversations, Dumbledore stood up and raised a hand. Everyone quieted down and Dumbledore continued.
"This is, as always, a very special time for all of us, many of us are leaving for summer and won't be near a book for another two months. Not that most of you mind." Many of the students, especially the younger grades chuckled, as did Dumbledore himself.
"But this is particularly special to out seventh years. Instead of returning in September with the rest of you, they will be out in the world, some with jobs, some wit traveling, some just staying at home. But nonetheless, for almost all of them, the part of their lives that revolved around Hogwarts has ended. I am sure that this very talented year will be read about in the papers in years to come, but until then, many of them won't have contact with their friends. Or not as much as they would have in the past. And because of this, I will keep my speech to a short I wish all of you a wonderful summer, especially our seventh years. And I am sure that all of you will prosper in whatever you choose."
He sat down amid clapping from all the tables, though slightly diminished in the direction of the Slytherins. Magnificent plates of food suddenly appeared, and as was the tradition for the last day, people got up and wandered around to chat with old friends. After a while, Dean came up ad tapped her shoulder.
"We've gotta go, remember, prefects and Heads have to go meet Dumbledore for the school picture. Out by the suit of armor."
"Oh yeah! Be back later!" She waved to the group she had been with.
"Thanks for reminding me, Dean. I had forgotten completely." She grinned up at him, he laughed.
"I did too, it was Seamus -Seamus!- who reminded me. He actually remembered something. And even more impressive, it had nothing to do with him!" They chuckled, more forced than real. Trying to make the fact that they were leaving less obvious, she realized. Rounding the corner, they saw a fifth year boy and Ginny there as prefects.
Much to Fred and George's disappointment, she had grown up to be more like Charlie than anyone else. She was a good student, something Fred and George jokingly blamed Hermione for every time she saw them.
"Hey! Ginny! Al-uh, was it Alphonso or Alphonsus?" Dean waved at the two who were standing by a corner.
"It's Alphonsus, but don't ever call me that. Just Alphie. I don't know what got into my parents to name me that. They must have gone nutters." He grinned, his big ears stuck out a mile. Ginny, standing behind him, slightly pointed to his elephant appendages and snickered. A short, fat man in maroon robes and carrying a camera that walked into the room saved her an explanation.
Shouting and pointing, He arranged all the Prefects into a row, all facing the head Girl and Boy who were at the center. A plaque was held between Hermione and Dean which simply said 'Prefects and Head Boy and Girl', along with their names. The picture was taken, and everyone crowded around to see. Alphie was horrified that after a minute his picture began picking his nose. Hermione's hair as usual fluffed out, and in the picture she was trying to tame it.
She turned around an left, back to her friends who were waiting. After another hour and many tearful good-byes and promises to owl each other, the students headed out to the train station. Jumping aboard, slowly but surly people gravitated towards their friends and went to sit down. Harry, Ron and herself all went and managed to find a near empty car. Sitting down, they started talking quickly to each other.
"Listen, my Mum said that both of you are welcome to stay for summer, all she needs is an owl from you saying its okay. Hermione, I know you want to be nearer to the wizarding world, and Harry hates his cousin, it'll be even worse now Dudley doesn't have to go back to school."
"Don't worry Ron, the second I get home I'll be sending an owl with permission. err, if it's not entirely true, you won't tell will you though?" Harry asked.
"'Course not! You won't either, will you Hermione??" She shook her head.
"I won't say a thing. But Harry, you really should ask them, they might get worried-"
"Fat chance of that happening, They were practically ecstatic when Voldemorte came back. Thought I would get killed, they did. If I hadn't been there, I bet they would have thrown a party in his honor." Ron looked shocked at this.
"But don't they know he killed muggles too? Wouldn't your Aunt, at least?"
Harry just shrugged.
"I guess they didn't care. Oh well. Even if I can't legally leave until I'm 18, that's only a year. Then I'm going to get a flat down in Hogsmeade." His eyes were shining, you could see him getting lost in his fantasy.
They chatted until the train stopped, then bid each other farewell.
"Now that we can apperate though, we can just pop in anytime we like, right Harry?"
"Yeah. Expect me I for food, they still are trying to put Dudley on a diet. Ha! I bet he'll be rolling by the time summers over. " Laughing, the three friends parted with two loud pops. Ron and Ginny carefully walked through the platform.
"You invited her over, right?" Ron looked up at Ginny.
"What? Hermione? Of course. Her and Harry. Why?" He looked suspicious.
"Well you had better have invited her, she's you're girlfriend. If you ruin that, I'll be mad at you. You have a history of messing things up. Plus Hermione really likes you. You know that, right?"
"'Course I do. Geez though Ginny, you're not supposed to go giving you're older brother advice in romance. It's weird." He grinned.
"Come on, lets go find Dad, I don't want to have to carry this trunk around farther. Bloody muggles."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione appeared in her parents' kitchen with a snap. She pointed her wand at her room and waved her trunk up the stairs before following it up to her room. Both her parents must be at work.
Both at work, the day I graduate from Wizarding School. How unusual. She thought. Well at least that gives me a good thin g to hang over their heads so I can go to Ron's.
She smiled at the thought, and busily began unpacking her things. After a few hours, she heard her parents come in and she ran down the stairs to meet them.
After congratulations from both her parents, she helped her mother cook dinner then asked them about spending some of the summer with Ron and his family.
"I don't know, sweetie. You just got back from that school and being with all your friends. We haven't seen you for so long. Maybe you should stay home this summer and look around for a summer job." Her mother said. Hermione frowned. Any summer job she could get at Hogsmeade would be much better than one here. Plus she might learn something if she apprenticed to a wizard.
"Yes I know mother, but it would be so much better to be in touch with the wizard world. I want to go to a Collage someplace, and I want to keep in touch with what's happening. I can't do that here as easily. Plus now that I can apperate, I can come visit you anytime. I'll still be living here, I just want to spend summer with my friends."
After much arguing on both sides, they finally allowed her to go. Ecstatic, Hermione ran upstairs to send an owl. She considered apperating to tell Ron, but it was late, he might not really want her to come and wake him up. So getting out her quill and a piece of parchment she wrote him a letter, then attached it onto her owl Christiana. As she watch her fly out into the night, she giggled with excitement. And giggling was not something Hermione Granger did often. But the thought of seeing Ron again made her nervous and happy. Of course, Harry would be there too, but she really wanted to see Ron.
It seemed so harmless at the time.
---dun-dun-duuun. Well, I do believe that was boring, but its more your opinion than mine. I just recently restarted writing this, it had been buried for a while with garbage on my desktop. So now I'm continuing. Hope it's not too bad,
-ChristiA/N