A/N: My uni work is suffering for my muse but I frigging love her at the moment. Back to Ferdinand de Saussure.
Hermione came down in a terry cloth feeling somewhat exhausted. She had slept for about six hours and that was an improvement from earlier this week but it didn't feel it.
Yawning she cursed that she had been forced into glasses and as she stumbled down the stairs towards the kitchen in desperate need of tea she sourced her glasses on top of the never ending pile of paperwork.
Sighing once more she gave a furtive glance at the very messy apartment she shared with Ginny Weasley. She realised with growing unhappiness for her OCD that Ginny was a whirlwind with paperwork, clothes, boots, cups, and everyday life. Saying that Hermione's own infatuation with a clean house had dropped somewhat with the rising amount of legal forms and parchment she was bringing home to change wizarding laws.
Ginny was barely in the flat, more often than not in some random country on a friendly match with the Holyhead Harpies but when she was in their London apartment Hermione always knew. Her usual well ordered mess was disrupted and papers would have moved in the night. There'd be quidditch robes scattered on the way to either the bathroom or the laundry basket by the washing machine and Hermione had long since given up trying to get Ginny to pick up her own underwear. They were both female was her Ginny's argument. She was just thrilled to have an all-girl house for once. While the flat wasn't strictly a male free zone with Ron often staying round or Harry occasionally if Ginny was in town it was normally just the girls with Luna being a regular guest.
The kettle boiling distracted Hermione from the latest pile of washing – Holyhead Harpies away colours – and she set to the mundane of making herself tea before diving back into tackling archaic wizarding laws. It had been three years since Hermione and Ginny graduated Hogwarts together and it had been tumultuous, the girls had bonded again back at school while their respective other halves had dived straight into Auror training. The girls found the flat on the outskirts of London and settled in straight away, then everything took off – Hermione continued her studies by branching into Wizarding Law under the Minister of Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt and the pair decided a good old fashioned shake up was most definitely needed. Ginny had been spotted by a scout at a charity game of Slytherin Vs. Gryffindor, a friendly thank god and was then fighting offers from Puddlemere United, Southend Seagulls and Holyhead Harpies before accepting the Harpies; apparently the idea of an all-woman team appealed to Ginny the most.
Sitting back at the kitchen table where stacks of paperwork teetered dangerously Hermione sifted through the parchments in front of her. Blindly grabbing for the glasses she upended a book that had a sort of domino effect which ultimately ended in a flurry of paperwork as sheets fell to the floor. Ginny walked in as the last of the paperwork settled and sniggered.
"Morning." She yawned and stretched cracking her back and Hermione didn't fail to see she was wearing Harry's shirt.
"Is there two in or just you?" She asked shrewdly, irritably pointing her wand at the pile scattered which haphazardly soared to the desk in an even messier pile. She sipped on the tea that was still steaming invitingly and arched one eyebrow as Ginny skipped over her washing to the coffee machine.
"Nah Harry left this here last time, I ran out of pyjamas while we were in Greece!" Ginny exclaimed getting the coffee beans out of the cupboard before flicking the machine into life. Ginny wasn't good with domesticity, actually it was a shock to Hermione that she had learnt the coffee machine but then Hermione realised Ginny's addiction was coffee. Cleaning however Gin thoroughly detested and was not so fabulous at household spells, she really did not follow in her mum's footsteps. So the washing that Ginny kept dancing over was not going to get done unless Hermione intervened.
"Gin, washing machine, load clothes." Her roommate quirked an eyebrow. "You know how to separate the colours don't be obtuse. I have to refine the laws on vampires before heading to Romania for a conference with one of the leaders so international laws are appeased the last thing I need is your dirty thongs tripping me up." She pointed her wand at the offending red item which launched itself into the drum of the machine.
"But you're soo much better at this domestic goddess stuff!" Ginny whined before the coffee machine signalled its completion and she hastily distracted herself.
"No. Washing machine woman." Hermione sighed. Living with Ginny was great; the Friday nights were great, the Saturday mornings were easier with another lamenting person and crappy reheated pizza. But Ginny was nothing but takeaways sometimes and did Hermione thank god that Ron could cook!
Ignoring Gin's grumblings as she bent to load the machine Hermione went back to searching for her Vampire treaties in the pile of manuscripts. Finally Hermione had dug them out as Ginny pressed the switch to turn it on.
"Did you put the tab in it?" She said without looking up smirking as her best friend groaned and stamped her foot in frustration.
"I can hear Ginny!" A voice called from the lounge and Hermione snorted with laughter.
"She doesn't know how to work the washing machine!"
"Help me! You're both raised as muggles you know this shit!" Ginny whined once again as Harry came into the kitchen from the fireplace in the lounge.
"I should resent that but just open the door before the water starts."
"NO!" Hermione sprang up, a look of frustration on her face before she stopped it with a spell. "You're as bad as her!" She gave Harry a dirty look before filling up the drawer and starting it again.
"I have a penis, I have an excuse." Harry smirked before kissing Ginny and staring round at the messy flat. "You guys have a party? Why was I not invited?!"
"No, Ginny came home and I'm leaving for Romania on Monday." Hermione was tapping away on a laptop; she hadn't fully integrated herself into the technophobe world of wizardry while there was technology that saved her from an aching hand. She didn't trust QuickNotes Quills either.
"Oh really, I thought Monday was date night for you and Ron."
"It is." Hermione smiled as Ron sauntered into the kitchen but the smile slid from her face.
"Is it?" She chewed her lip as she attempted to remember dates.
"It is and you told me you were going to Romania and I said I was coming with because I've got the week off." Ron pressed his lips to her forehead as Hermione struggled to recall the conversation. Finally she remembered when she remembered the fantastic sex they had after. Blushing slightly she turned back to the documentation and began tapping away once again.
"You work too hard." Ginny sighed as Ron started to dig out various pans and ingredients and the smell of sizzling bacon made Hermione look up from the paperwork.
"Something like that." She muttered distractedly before dragging a briefcase off the adjoining chair and shrinking the majority of the paperwork stuffed it hastily inside. Another bag took her Vampire law changes and was going to take her laptop as well when Ron stopped her.
"Romanian Wizards are very traditional; I'd print your notes if I was you." He sighed, flipping a pancake for a ravenous Ginny whose domestic skills stretched to getting plates, knives and forks from the cupboard.
"Damn, should've realised you're all bloody traditional." Hermione grumbled as Ron served bacon, sausages, eggs, mushrooms and beans. The toast popped but Hermione flicked it over from counter to the holder in the centre of the table. "This is why I love you." She grinned, barely protesting when Ron pinched her leg under the table, just scarfing food, but winking once when Ginny and Harry started talking.
He grinned back, his ankles intertwined with hers and Hermione smiled.
Yeah this was just another morning for her.
