Battery Powered
Disclaimer: I don't own HP...cries
LauryWeasley: Just a small ficlet that I thought up when I was having the same problem with my computer. Although my computer now need parts replaces. sigh
First off, Hermione couldn't explain why she had one of these. Sure, she was muggle born, and did tend to have a knack for muggle items, but she never really bothered with them.
Second, this thing was really starting to piss her off. She sat on the floor, the brightest witch of her age, trying to figure out why exactly the cable for her new laptop computer wasn't charging the battery! Was she putting it in wrong? Was it broken? Was she going crazy?
Having no one to ask about this problem, considering she was surrounded by a room of wizards with no experience of muggle items whatsoever, except for Harry, who was pretty much locked in a broom closet when he lived with muggles, so Hermione was befuddled. She could read 900 page books, she could write long exuberant essays, she could answer a plethora of questions about the giant rebellions, the dwarf war of 1654. But her, Hermione Granger, could not figure out how to make her computer's battery charge.
Ron, who was currently sitting on the floor beside her, had his face smushed together, and his neck turned to try to see what she was doing, seemed completely intrigued by the whole situation. After laughing at her for several minutes, teasing how the smartest girl on the planet couldn't figure how to work a muggle item, he took into consideration that he had no idea what it was. The many holes that, he assumed, was for things to be stuck into them, were half filled. He asked Hermione what each one did, and she angrily explained it to him. But Ron being . . . well . . . Ron, still had no idea what she was talking about.
Ginny gave up on watching Hermione struggle on the muggle item, and sat her very pregnant self on the couch, watching Hermione's muggle television set. Harry was seated next to her, telling her about how the t.v. worked, and the programs she could choose from.
"And you've had one of these for how long?" She asked.
"About three months. Great isn't it? Hermione taught me when we got it. Muggle telefision is so interesting!"
"Television, Ronald."
"Yea, yea. Anyway, you should see what they have on those things! I was watching a program yesterday called Fear Factor. These people started to eat bugs! Cockroaches, worms, beetles, spiders! I don't know how they do it!" Ron exclaimed, his eyes lit up. Harry chuckled under his breath.
"Okay so, if this goes here . . . " Hermione attached one side of a plug into the computer, and the other side into the wall. "...it should charge!" She looked at the little battery on the bottom right of the screen, and saw that it hadn't changed into a little plug. She sighed and fumbled with the wire.
"'Mione, give up. Your driving yourself mad! Lemme get you some tea or somet-"
"No! I will get this, Ronald!" Hermione shouted. She had that 'shut up or I'll open a can of whoop ass on you' look, so Ron backed off into the kitchen to make that tea. She stared at the back of the computer, still dumbfounded. 'Maybe I should call the computer support hotline . . . no! You can do this Hermione!'
Harry shot her a strange look as her face turned from confused, to overly determined. He picked up the instruction manual.
"Why don't you call-"
"Harry, I know what I'm doing! I don't need to call anyone!" Harry placed his hands in front of him in defense.
"All right! I got it! You don't need help." He sat back into the couch, as Ginny watched people push bugs down their throats with disgust in her eyes. Ron came back into the room with four mugs in tow. He took one over to Hermione and she motioned him to put it on the floor, he sighed and did so. After another, half an hour or so, Hermione was actually beginning to lose hope. Maybe she just wasn't fit to use muggle objects . . . Maybe she really didn't know what she was doing . . .
She exhaled and laid on the floor, the still full tea mug next to her. Harry bent over and dangled the phone over her head.
"Calllllll . . . You know you want to Hermione . . . " He teased. She snickered and sat up.
"You know what? Fine. I admit. I need help!" She grabbed the phone from Harry's hand and dialed the number on the manual. There were a few rings, then finally a voice said;
"Please hold. A customer service representative will be on the line shortly." Hermione rolled her eyes and listened to the dreadful holding music, which had been some old classical piece. She tapped her fingers on the closed computer to the tune of the song. "Great, now I'll never get it out of my head!"
Harry, Ginny and Ron all looked at her. Hermione blushed and stuttered while explaining she was talking to herself. They shrugged and continued to watch the television, now on a program called Hells Kitchen, where a mad muggle chef was screaming at the sweating contestants.
Finally, another voice appeared on the line.
"Hello, this is Daisy in customer service, how can I help you?" The woman had a Texan accent, which obviously meant these customer service 'providers' were no where near her.
"Um, yes. My name is Hermione Weasley, and I just purchased my laptop computer today and the power cord is not working. When I plug it in, the computer isn't charging." Hermione heard a faint typing noise in the background.
"Yes. Are you sure it's plugged into the wall Ma'am?" She grunted.
"Of course it's plugged into the wall! If that was the case, why would I be calling you?"
"Now, no need to get fussy Ma'am, I'm here to help. Okay, have you tried restarting your computer?" Hermione said no and quickly did as she was told. When the computer started up again, she placed the power cord back into it, and it still didn't charge. She told this to Daisy and heard 'Mmm"-ing and more typing.
"Okay Mrs. Weasley, you seem to have a power cord problem." 'No do'h' She said to herself.
"I'm going to send you another one, I've found your records and have your address. It should arrive in 2-3 days."
"Thank you." Hermione replied, knowingly that it wasn't her who screwed something up.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No, that's all. Thanks again." She hung up the phone and sighed.
"What was it?" Harry asked.
"My power plug is faulty. See? I knew it wasn't me! I was doing everything right! HA!" Ron came back in after micro waving Hemione's tea. After she had taught him how to use the microwave, it was all he did! He micro waved popcorn, hot dogs, tea, hot chocolate, and once attempted to stick Crookshanks in there. Hermione wasn't too happy when she caught him in the act. His excuse was just as horrible as the act, "I wanted to see if she was comfortable, I figured she could use it as a bed. At least it would be nice and toasty in the winter!".
"They are sending me a new one. Thanks." Hermione took the mug from Ron, and sipped it.
"Muggle technology is all faulty! You go buy a brand-new computer, and you get a lousy broken plug!" Ron rambled.
"Hmm, I should give the old one to your father. He'd probably appreciate it. I'll floo over tomorrow." She said, not paying attention to Ron's muggle electronics rant. After about 20 minutes of Ron picking out every single muggle item, and how it was usually screwed up, Harry and Ginny decided to return to their flat. They said they're goodnights and flooed home.
Ron and Hermione laid horizontally on the couch and continued to watch the show, Ron's arm secured around her waist. She snuggled into his chest, and considering she wasn't really interested in the program, she stared at him. She concluded that he definitely needed a shave, and he had a bit of chocolate on the stubble about his upper lip. 'Probably from chocolate frogs.' She laughed to herself. Before she knew it, her hand was reaching up to her tongue, then to his face to wipe off the chocolate.
"How do you manage to get all your food onto your face?" He smiled.
"Talent, I guess." She chuckled and kissed his cheek.
The show ended, and Ron exclaimed that there was nothing else to watch. He got up from the couch and walked over to her computer.
"How do you work this thing?" He began to poke around at the holes, and push his finger inside them.
"No, no! Here, look." She got up also and opened the computer. Pressing the button on the top of the keyboard, Ron saw that the screen flashed on. With the same look of intrigue he had on before, he watched as she typed in her password and got onto her desktop.
"Well, since I don't have the power plug to charge it, it's not going to stay on much longer. See how there is only a bit of power left?" She pointed to the small battery on the bottom right-hand side that was 1/4 empty. He nodded and poked at the screen.
"How do you get into things?" She laughed.
"Use the touch pad. Here." She took his finger from the screen and placed it onto the pad. She moved it around the small square panel and showed him how the small arrow on the screen matched his movements. Then she clicked the left button below the touch pad to show him how to open folders, programs, etc. He let out a sigh of understanding, then a yawn.
The screen suddenly went blank. Ron snatched his finger away.
"'Mione I swear I didn't do anything!" Hermione laughed again.
"I know you didn't! The computer ran out of battery, that's all." Ron exhaled and grinned seductively.
"Well lets hope that's not the only thing that loses power tonight." He said. Ron grabbed Hermione from under her knees and neck and carried her into the bedroom. She squealed and obliged.