Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I wish I did, but I don't. This story was written Pre-HBP.
Just Breathe
Chapter 1 : 12 Grimmauld Place
Hermione had wanted to stay with her parents. With the oncoming war she did not like the idea of being away from them for such a length of time as the summer holidays. It was bad enough being away from them for an entire school year. She felt that, though she was not extremely experienced at dueling, she would have provided at least a little magical protection which was more than they had right now. They needed her.
However, her parents were more concerned with their daughter's protection than they were about their own and felt it better for Hermione to stay in the company of the Weasley's. She missed her muggle parents terribly and hated leaving them completely defenseless against possible Death Eaters while she sat in captive safety.
They were stuck at number twelve, Grimmauld Place again for another two months until it was time to return to school. Hermione lounged lazily on a dusty, moth eaten sofa in the drawing room daydreaming. Only three weeks into the summer holidays and she already wanted to leave the house. Six more weeks to go. It was still early morning and probably gorgeous outside. Not that she would be able to enjoy it. She was beginning to have a glimmer of what it was like for Sirius to be forced to hide for so long in this horrible house.
Hermione felt her stomach twist painfully at the thought of Sirius and tried not to think about the incident at the Ministry. She found it hard to believe that less than a month ago Sirius Black had probably been laying on this very couch…only to have wasted it all by falling into a mysterious veil of death. She yelled at herself internally for having the selfish nerve to compare her current bored state to Sirius, of all people. At least I have friends here with me on a regular basis, she thought. At least I didn't have to grow up in this dreadful house and be raised by that awful, screaming woman…no wonder Sirius ran away from home when he was sixteen…
As if the old bat's painting in the hall had read her thoughts, the ring of the doorbell broke the pleasant morning silence and the horrible shrieks of Sirius's mother filled the entire house. "FILTH! MUDBLOODS!" Hermione heard the door to the kitchen slam shut. "YOU! ABNORMAL HALFBREED MUTANT FREAK OF MAGIC! HOW DARE YOU DEFILE THE NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK! TRAITORS, ALL OF YOU! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! AND YOU, YOU TRAITOR TO THE DARK LORD! YOUR FEEBLE ATTEMPTS WILL FAIL, BLOOD TRAITOR!"
Hermione covered her ears to muffle the painting's wrath and walked through the drawing room door to the landing to see which visitor it would be this time. Remus Lupin was busy trying to draw the curtains back over Mrs. Black's portrait to silence her without having much luck. She did not bother trying to help him. The old woman in the painting seemed to sense Hermione's muggle blood and it tended to make things worse.
Instead, she turned her eyes toward the front door to see Professor Snape walking lazily up and down the hall stunning the other portraits before they had a chance to wake and begin screaming as well. He looked very odd in a dark navy suit and gray tie, no doubt on business for the Order.
Snape felt her eyes curiously taking in the sight of him in muggle clothing and turned his cold black eyes onto her. His lips curled into a sneer as Hermione quickly ducked back inside the dusty room.
She wished Harry could be there with her, or someone who would appreciate hearing about Snape having been caught in the latest muggle fashions. Having none of Fred and George's extendable ears to listen in with, Hermione did not bother to try to discover the latest Order business. It was pointless anyway. Mrs. Weasley had begun putting a silencing spell on the door whenever there was business to be discussed. So instead she resigned herself to collapse back to the sofa, sending a fresh cloud of dust into the already stale air. The highlight of her day was seeing Professor Severus Snape decked out in full muggle clothing. What could possibly happen to make the day even more dull?
After a couple minutes of waiting for Snape to clear out, which felt more like an hour or two had passed, Hermione risked another peek from the landing. She was in luck and found the hall empty. Ron was still sleeping and she supposed Ginny was in the kitchen. For a second she thought of visiting the kitchen herself but thought different, as there was a possibility Snape could be down there as well. I'd rather starve, she thought miserably. Needing something to keep her occupied, she silently crept upstairs, taking care not to wake the sleeping Mrs. Black.
Mrs. Weasley had yet to assign the day's chores and she had already read all the musty old books in the house and this year's assigned school books and had run out of yarn for her knitting. Bored stiff, she looked around for somebody to talk with. Hoping she was wrong and that Ginny was in their bedroom, she stuck her head inside and found the room to be vacant (unless you counted the mirror that talked back to you).
She decided to look in on Ron to see if he was awake yet. Not surprisingly, he still lay in bed snoring lightly. She walked into the room hoping her presence would rouse him. He continued to snore. She walked in closer to the bed not bothering to step softly, letting her shoes hit the floor with loud taps. Ron stirred but continued sleeping.
"Oh, honestly, Ron," she said aloud, hoping he would hear her, "I told you not to stay up so late." He stirred again and turned over to his back but did not open his eyes…and the annoying sputtered gurgling sounds emitting from his nasal passages grew louder.
Sighing in defeat, she was about to turn away and head to the kitchen, despite Snape, but found her eyes lingering on Ron's sleeping face. She had seen him in his pajamas before but never really looked at him sleeping. His face was relaxed, almost innocent looking (she laughed quietly at the thought of Ron having an innocent bone in his body). His red hair was messy and his pajama top had pulled up a bit revealing part of his stomach.
Hermione felt her face grow hot. She turned away from him and tried to push the thoughts from her mind but was not being very successful. She had told herself a long time ago not to think about things like that. Ron was a friend and he had made it clear he wanted it kept that way.
Finally, Ron stirred a third time, with the assistance of an abnormally loud snore, and cracked open his eyes. "Hermione?" his sleep-filled voice croaked out and he rubbed his eyes to wipe away the bleariness.
Hermione, startled, took a calming breath and tried to force her face to return to normal temperature before turning back around to him. Almost immediately, she wished she hadn't. He was incredibly cute with is bed-hair sticking up on one side and rumpled pajama collar… She felt her face going red again.
She turned away from him again and stated simply, "Time to get up," and walked briskly from the bedroom before Ron could protest the intrusion.