A/N: Written for Quidditch League Round Two.
Prompt:
Write about a character(s) who has the power to read something about people, i.e. minds/emotions/moods/colours etc.
Bonus Prompts I chose crimson, Living on a Prayer-bon Jovi, and astrologer
1539 words before author's note
HGDM
Hermione was dancing around her house while she swept the floor. Even though she was a witch, she loved cleaning the floors the Muggle way. Ginny always laughed at her, but she didn't care. It helped her remember her parents.
Her radio was blasting Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer", and she was singing loudly, the lyrics were more relevant than ever to her. She wanted to "hold on to what she's got", now that she had something to hold onto. She heard her floo sound. She stopped dancing and swished her hand to silently and wandlessly turn off her radio. Ginny stepped out of her fireplace.
"Cleaning the Muggle way again, I see," she giggled and looked at her oddly.
Hermione wiped the sweat from her brow – cleaning and dancing worked up a sweat. She was about to explain, once again, the reason she loved cleaning the Muggle way but noticed Ginny's change in expression, "What?"
"Your aura is different. I only saw you a few days ago. What happened to make it change so much?" Ginny asked pacing the room, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"What do you mean my aura is different? I didn't know you could read auras," Hermione said, laughing at her best friend as she finished sweeping the floor. "Aura readers are rare, Ginny, even more rare than seers. You can't be serious that you are an aura reader."
Ginny stopped pacing and turned to look at her friend again, "Don't change the subject. What happened to you? The last time your aura changed was when you broke up with Ron. I knew that relationship wouldn't last, by the way. Your aura is normally this bright crimson, but when you were with Ron, it turned a dismal shade of slate gray. I didn't even know auras could be that color, but yours was, Hermione. Then you guys broke up, and it changed back to what seems to be your normal bright crimson."
She paused as she looked over Hermione, "Crimson auras belong to people who are passionate about things they believe in, ambitious, always striving for the betterment of others. You are a classic crimson! But now it's a blinding sunshine yellow. I mean, seriously, I need some sunglasses here! And your personality should not be giving off a yellow aura."
"What are you talking about? Why have you never mentioned to me that you can read auras?" Hermione demanded, angry that Ginny knew that she and Ron wouldn't work out and yet didn't say anything.
Ginny turned and paced the room again before flopping on Hermione's couch. "No one knows besides mum. And she only found out because I could tell whenever she was about to have a panic attack after Fred died. That woman is smart. But, seriously, why won't you tell me what happened to make you so ecstatic?"
Hermione leaned the broom handle against the counter of the kitchen and walked to sit next to Ginny. "Promise you won't overreact?"
"No, I can't promise that, but I will try to listen with an open mind. It can't be that bad if it's making you so bloody happy."
Hermione smiled and took Ginny's hand, "I went on a date a few days ago. I wasn't going to, but he asked me. I thought, at first, that it was a joke. But then he ran into me in Flourish and Blotts one day a few weeks ago. He was charming. He bought me a book and asked me out, and it was perfect. I couldn't say no," she smiled wistfully remembering his nervousness at asking her out.
"Who did you go on a date with, Hermione?" Ginny asked, her eyes darkened in trepidation.
"He's brilliant, really. So handsome and funny. He can keep up with me too. Not like the last few guys I went on dates with. He actually listened to me when I spoke about what I like. And he reads a lot of the same books as me. He isn't the same as he was in school. Ginny, I really like him."
"Hermione, please don't make me ask again," Ginny commanded gently.
"Draco Malfoy," Hermione mumbled as she flushed red.
"Ok, I'm going to need more backstory, here. He asked you out? When? How? I thought he was going to marry Astoria Greengrass."
Hermione looked at her best friend, unsure of how to tell her about Draco. It wasn't her secret to tell, but she really needed Ginny to understand that she wasn't jumping into a relationship with a soon to be married man, "You can't tell this to anyone. I'm serious, Gin, this will come out eventually, but I don't want it to be because of me."
Ginny wore an even more curious expression now, "I promise I will not tell anyone anything that I hear from you."
"Astoria is pregnant. And it's not Draco's baby," she paused at Ginny's gasp of shock, and watched as Ginny started to speak, "Let me finish, Gin. Even though he didn't love her, he was loyal to her, faithful. But she really didn't want to be a Malfoy. He and her parents are in the process of dissolving the engagement. He was devastated by the betrayal, but he really didn't want to marry her anyway. It was an arranged marriage that neither wanted. Astoria figured a way out of it."
Ginny's mouth dropped open in shock, "You're kidding! Astoria, prim and proper, never a nail or hair out of place, that Astoria is up the duff? Whose is the baby?"
"Draco isn't sure. She has been seen with quite a few men that are not him. He wasn't going to ask me out until after the dissolution, and it isn't like he was cheating. The engagement is over, except for the paperwork. He figured he could take me to Muggle London for our first few dates, just to avoid the press," Hermione smiled at the memory of their first date, "It was really a lovely dinner. He was attentive and sweet."
"I'm in a state of shock. When are you seeing him again?" Ginny finally asked after a few moments of contemplation.
"Well, he is supposed to come over tonight to watch a movie and order takeout. He has never had Chinese takeout but was intrigued by my description of it," Hermione explained with a blush blooming on her face again as his goodbye kiss came to mind.
"Are you going to give him those weird little cookies? Those things are delicious even if the fortunes are ridiculous! They need to hire a real seer or astrologer to give real fortunes."
Hermione sighed, "Yes, actually, they come with each meal. I plan on explaining them to him. I'm sure he will find them just as ridiculous as you do. You know they don't have real seers in the Muggle world."
"But you showed me the Muggle magazine that had those horoscopes in them? Aren't those from seers or astrologers?" Ginny queried, clearly confused.
Hermione laughed, "Gin, I love you, but those Zodiac horoscopes are complete nonsense. Muggles like to believe in them for fun, mostly. The stars can't predict a person's future!"
"I know you don't believe in Divination, but seriously, what about what Firenze taught? The stuff he talked about, mostly through the stars, it has come to pass! I mean, he had that prediction about the war!" Ginny retorted.
Hermione glanced at the clock on her mantle, "Draco will be here in an hour. I need to finish cleaning and get dressed."
"Oh! Good! I want all the details tomorrow!"
Hermione groaned in exasperation, "Absolutely not. I don't kiss and tell."
Ginny whirled around, "You've already kissed him? Now I really need all the details!" she paused, "You know, it makes so much more sense, now, why his aura changed when he was around you at the Ministry Christmas party last year. His aura was dim until you walked into the room, then it brightened quite a bit," she mused.
"Gin, what do you mean his aura brightened? Now, tell me when have I ever given you details about any of my relationships?"
"Well, never, but he is built like a Roman god. I mean seriously, it would be cruel to not let me live vicariously through you. At least tell me if he's a good kisser!" she whined.
Hermione huffed in annoyance, "Well, to bad. I will not be telling you details. Go home and kiss your husband! Now explain about Draco's aura."
"Just like I said, he noticed you in the room, and his aura brightened. His aura is a mixture of blues and greens. It swirls around him, and it wasn't muted like I expected it to be. But when you walked into the room, it was like he bloomed," Ginny explained, even as she was pushed into the fireplace.
"Bye, Gin!" Hermione threw Floo powder into the fire and heard Ginny shout her destination as she disappeared in a roar of green flames.
Hermione flicked her fingers and turned the radio back on to enjoy the last few chores she had left on her to-do list before her boyfriend joined her for dinner.