The Best Friends a Girl Could Ask For
Hermione smiled as she headed down to breakfast on the morning of September 19th. It was her birthday to today, she was seventeen and in the wizarding world, she was of age, allowed to magic outside of school. It was her birthday and in the wizarding world, she was of age. She was allowed to do magic outside of school. She looked forward to Christmas break so she could legally show her dad everything she learned.
She passed many of her friends and close classmates who waved and said to her, "Happy Birthday Hermione."
When she passed Professor McGonagall as she left the Great Hall, she greeted her with a "Good morning, Professor McGonagall."
"Good morning and Happy Birthday Miss. Granger."
"Thank you, Professor." Hermione went on in the Great Hall sitting down at the usual spot she, Ginny, and the boys sat down at the Gryffindor table. She wasn't alone for long until Ginny joined her.
"Good morning, Hermione," Ginny greeted.
"Good morning, Ginny," Hermione returned. "Where are the boys?"
Ginny shrugged, telling her she didn't see them when she came down to the common room. The two girls started fixing their breakfast, waiting for Harry and Ron to show up.
Hermione handed Ginny the basket with scones and other breakfast pastries and instead of the fruit bowl, Ginny handed her a small box with a blue ribbon.
"Happy Birthday, Hermione," Ginny said.
"Oh, Ginny you didn't have to get me anything!" Hermione exclaimed.
"I know but you're my best friend, I saw it when we went to Diagon Alley," Ginny explained. "Thought you would like it."
Hermione's reply was cut off by Ron and Harry showing up, looking disheveled.
"Good Morning ladies," Ron mumbled.
"Good morning," Harry muttered through a yawn.
"Good Morning boys," both girls said in unison.
Hermione admired the scarf Ginny got her. Harry and Ron were about to ask where it came from when the owls arrived to deliver the morning post. A Snowy white owl, that looked like Hedwig landed next to Hermione.
Hermione took the package off and the owl flew away and Pig landed in front of her with letters and a small package attached to his leg.
"Hello Pig, what have you got for me?" Hermione asked, petting the owl. She took off the package and handed everyone their letter from Molly, Hermione then turned her attention to the package.
"What did Mum send you?" Ginny inquired.
Hermione shrugged her shoulders and opened the package from her parents first. She found a pink jewelry box with a card with a cake and candles on it.
Harry and Ron's eyes went wide and they looked at each other with a frightened expression. They forgot Hermione's birthday…. again.
Hermione reached for the package from Molly and opened it.
"Oh, it's a beautiful necklace!" Hermione exclaimed.
Hermione and Ginny were admiring the necklace and jewelry box that they didn't see Harry and Ron's panicked faces. This would make three years in a row they missed her birthday and Hermione would skin them alive if they forgot another.
"Hermione, we'll be right back, we forgot your gift up in the dorm," Ron said casually.
The two boys calmly got up and left the Great Hall. When they were away from the large double doors, they made a run for it to Gryffindor tower.
When they reached the Fat Lady, they were panting for breath.
"Equinox," Ron told the Fat Lady and she swung open. Harry ran the sixth year boy's dorm and grabbed his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's map, returning to Ron in the common room.
"Let's go!"
Together the two boys ran to the one-eyed witch passageway to Honeydukes. Harry said the password and they crawled in the hole and ran to the opening in Honeydukes cellar. Under the cloak, Harry and Ron walked up the stairs and out of Honeydukes entering the village of Hogsmeade.
They looked at the different stores, trying to decide where to start and decided to try the jewelry store first.
Pulling off the cloak, Harry and Ron entered the jewelry store. They looked around for about fifteen minutes, finding a pair of earrings Ron thought she would like and a matching necklace Harry thought she would like. They paid for their purchases and left the store.
"Where to go now?"Ron asked. They looked down the street and up the street before they glanced at each other.
"Bookstore," they said in unison.
It was no secret Hermione was a bookworm, she was in the library so much that Madam Prince the librarian, knew her well. They looked around the bookstore, finding a book on NEWTs and a romance book they thought she would like. They paid for the books and left the store.
They were headed back to Honeydukes when Ron asked suddenly, "Reckon Hermione is wondering what's taking us?"
"Maybe she won't notice," Harry replied.
They went into Honeydukes and looked around, knowing all of Hermione's favorite. They found all of her favorites and after making the purchases, they sneaked down to the basement and returned to Hogwarts.
When they returned to the castle, Harry peeked his head out and checked to see if the coast was clear. Since the corridor was clear, they exited the one-eyed witch passageway and they ran to Gryffindor tower, deciding to wait until later in the day to give Hermione her presents.
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Hermione headed on to class, feeling happy and smiling when someone said happy birthday to her. She wasn't dumb. She knew Harry and Ron had forgotten her birthday. She trekked up to the sixth year boys' dorm and noticed Harry or Ron wasn't in there. Further investing discovered Harry's invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map was gone.
She knew where they went. They went to Hogsmeade. It was nothing for Harry and Ron to disappear for a while. The invisibility cloak came in handy when Ron and Harry needed to avoid her. They used it a lot last year when Hermione was barking about their OWLs. She shook her head when she recalled how they faked a stomachache to get out of their study sessions.
They remembered her birthday in their second year, her first birthday with the boys. They managed to find a picture of Gilderoy Lockhart, which he signed. That and her Lockhart books were also signed by him as well. Third year was when things went downhill. They forgot Hermione's birthday and tried to make it up to her by Ron picking up enough candy during a Hogsmeade weekend to last Hermione a year. He got enough for Harry to have to share so he would have something to give to Hermione.
"Nice try" she had told them. They already did enough damage for one birthday.
In the end, Hermione didn't accept all of it and only picked out her favorites, leaving the boys with a pile of candy. They ended up eating it all and woke up on Saturday morning with the worst stomachache neither of them ever had.
Fourth year, Harry and Ron attempted to fix Hermione a birthday cake. They were smart and picked up something for her birthday in Diagon Alley, bribing the twins to keep an eye out for Hermione while they looked for a present for Hermione. If they would have remembered that they already have presents for her, they wouldn't have had to bribe Dobby to allow them into the kitchen. They prepared a cake for Hermione's birthday. Dobby, however, wouldn't due with not helping at all and helped the two boys bake the cake and decorate the cake.
By dinner, Harry and Ron were covered head to toe in baking powder, flour, and cocoa powder. They each had the cake on a tray and carried it to their part of the table.
They sat it down on the table and chimed "Happy Birthday Hermione!" Hermione would have forgiven them for that birthday forgotten if Dobby spelled Hermione's name right. When Harry and Ron looked around to see how Dobby spelled it, her anger took over and she grabbed their heads, slamming them into the cake.
She left the Great Hall fuming.
An hour later, a clean Harry and Ron came in the common room and apologized to Hermione, promising to make it up to her at the next Hogsmeade weekend.
To say both boys tried to get back in good graces with Hermione would be an understatement. She took them up on the offer to make up for forgetting her birthday. They both paid for her lunch and a round of Butterbeer, whatever she picked out at Honeydukes and endured an hour and a half in the bookstore, where they both bought her a book.
By the end of the day, Hermione had forgiven them.
Now, one would think that after the disaster of Hermione's fifteenth birthday, that Ron and Harry would remember it for once.
With all the drama, stress, and craziness going on in fifth year, once again Harry and Ron forgot her birthday.
This time, they borrowed Dean's art kit and made a handmade card, both of them signing it. They went together and got her a scarf that they knew she would like. They had Pig deliver the card and Hedwig the scarf.
Hermione was surprised to see her friend's owls delivering to her instead of their owners. She took what they had and they flew off, not before she petted them on the head. Unfortunately, it rained that morning, thus ruining the card and causing the scarf to shrink.
After lecturing Harry and Ron that once she would like her two best friends to make an effort and not a last resort. She also told them that in no certain terms that they were to join a gift.
When Hermione left, Harry and Ron as one laid their heads on the table. Ron came up with the idea of cooking Hermione's favorite meal. One problem, they didn't know what that was.
After begging and pleading with Ginny, they learned her favorite Hogwarts meal was roasted chicken with potatoes. They went the extra mile and made the meal themselves. They scribbled a note to Hermione, using Hedwig and asked her to meet them in the kitchen.
Hermione arrived and seen the house elves were all busy preparing the evening meal. Dobby let her to a part of the kitchen she didn't know existed. There was a table with all her favorites and her two best friends. They looked clean and exhausted. It wasn't until they went to eat when they found out what they did wrong. They overcooked the chicken and burned the potatoes.
Hermione stormed out of the kitchens and into the Great Hall where she vented to Ginny. Harry and Ron cleaned up the mess and decided to have Dobby make them a sandwich and they would head off to Gryffindor tower.
When everyone returned from dinner, Ginny grabbed Harry and Ron by the hair and dragged them to their dorm. She told that once they needed to remember Hermione's birthday and not make it a total disaster.
Hermione shook her head as she thought of the boy's attempts to do something nice for her. She noticed she didn't see them in Charms, but they made it Transfiguration.
She came up behind them, asking "Where have you been?!"
They jumped at the sudden voice and Harry let out a squeak when he saw Hermione
"Um…." They stammered.
"Went to Hogsmeade to get my present? Harry, I know where you keep the cloak and the map!"
Harry went pale under his best friends gaze. Seeing his best mate's face go pale, Ron cut in, "Hermione, we're sorry. Would you be so kind to accompany us to the Room of Requirement later?"
Hermione seemed to think about it and then she nodded.
"Okay," she agreed. "But you're not off the hook."
When Transfiguration was over and Hermione headed to lunch, she noticed the boys had disappeared again. Only she didn't know where they went.
When she returned to her dorm, she found a red dress and red heels sitting on her bed. Puzzled she looked closer and seen two small boxes, wrapped in old copies of The Daily Prophet and there was a note lying beside them. She recognized Ron and Harry's handwriting.
Hermione,
With the help of my dear sister, we picked out this outfit for you to wear tonight.
Hermione looked at the dress and shoes, trying to remember if she had any jewelry that would go with it.
That was when she saw Harry's handwriting
Open the boxes and you'll find what you're missing.
Meet us in the Room of Requirement at seven.
Harry and Ron
Hermione picked up the long box and the small box. She decided to see what was in the small box first. It was from Ron.
Happy 17th Birthday Hermione, enjoy your day! Ron
Hermione pulled off the paper and found a small velvet box. She opened and gasped. She found the most beautiful pair of earrings. They were dangly with a sapphire stone in the middle.
She smiled at the beautiful earrings, couldn't believe Ron picked them out. She then turned her attention to the other box.
Of course, Harry's gift included a note.
Happy Birthday, Hermione, Enjoy your 17th! Harry.
Pulling off the paper, she found a box that was long and either had a bracelet or necklace inside. She opened it, finding a necklace that matched the earrings. She knew she would never get Harry to tell her how much it had cost him.
Setting the box back on her bed, she headed to the bathroom for a shower. It was going on five thirty. She might as well get ready now.
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Meanwhile, Ron and Harry were in the Hogwarts kitchen, recreating a favorite Italian dinner of Hermione's, this time, they knew what it was: Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti in marinara sauce topped with Parmesan cheese.
To go with the Chicken Parmesan, they were including a garden salad. Harry's years of cooking for the Dursleys came in handy. They even made her favorite red dressing from scratch.
They also made the cake themselves, deciding to go with Hermione's favorite chocolate cake. When Dobby asked if he could help, Harry sent him to the Room of Requirement to set up the table.
If everything went to plan, Hermione's 17th birthday would be the best one.
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Hermione walked down the corridor to the Room of Requirement, wondering what the boys were planning.
When she approached, she found Ron standing there waiting on her.
"Happy Birthday Hermione," Ron greeted as he turned the knob on the door and opened the door for her. She walked in and found herself speechless.
She had told the boys about her family's trip to Italy over the summer and how much she had loved Rome. The scene the Room of Requirement created was the Colosseum and it was lit up with the night sky with the stars twinkling.
She was speechless, but managed to stammer a "Thank you, boys."
"Do you like it?" Ron asked.
Hermione nodded. "It's perfect!"
She was in all of what the boys had done for her. She looked at the boys and hugged them both.
"I see you found the earrings and necklace," Ron commented. Hermione hugged and him and kissed his cheek.
"Yes, I do."
"Thank you for the earrings," she said sincerely. She turned to Harry and hugged him, thanking him for the necklace.
"Do you like them?" Harry asked.
Hermione walked to the table where Ron pulled out her chair and Harry placed her plate in front of her.
"Wow!" She murmured.
Hermione was speechless. They fixed her favorite Italian dish. She began to eat as Ron poured her a glass of cider.
"Dobby helped decorate and provided the cider. Harry and I did the rest," Ron explained as he took the seat across from her and Harry to the one to her left.
Ron was in a white button-up shirt and Harry was in black. Both wore black pants and shoes. They enjoyed the meal, sharing their favorite memories over the years they had been friends.
"I still can't believe all it took was defeating a mountain troll and the three of us are friends," Hermione said after a while of silence.
After cutting the cake, Ron fixed a candle and lit it while Harry told her to make a wish.
Hermione blew out the candle and smiled. She knew one thing she wanted for her birthday. She smiled at her best friends, but her smile widened when she looked at Ron.
"Here you go," Ron said, handing her a wrapped package as Harry laid his down next to Ron's.
"Ron and I have some making up to do," Harry explained.
Hermione opened the first package and found a book on NEWTS she had seen in the store and in the catalog she got from the bookstore in Hogsmeade.
"I thought you would like it since it's coming up next year," Ron stated.
Hermione smiled and hugged Ron, thanking him for the helpful book.
"I figured you would want to read a book for fun and not something that was educational," Harry said as he handed Hermione his package.
Hermione opened it and found a romance book. Meet Me in the Broom Closet, was a book written about two perfects that began a secret relationship. They would meet in a broom closet where they would let the passion take over. Over the course of a year, the two perfects discover they had fallen in love. It was written by a former Hogwarts student and prefect.
Hermione looked at Harry. "You know me so well; I've been wanting this book for ages. How did you know?"
"A little bird told me," Harry informed her. Ginny had told the boys that Hermione had looked at the book in Flourish and Blotts. Harry found it at the bookstore in Hogsmeade.
"Thank you, I love it," Hermione said as she hugged Harry.
There was one bag left and Hermione recognized it from Honeydukes.
"We got you all your favorites," Ron told her.
Hermione opened the bag and indeed, there were all her favorites. Chocoballs, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Honeydukes chocolate bars, sugar quills, chocolate wands, and raspberry truffle balls, more than enough to last Hermione a while.
With the presents done, Ron cut off another piece of cake, handing them to Harry and Hermione.
The three friends sat and talked while eating Hermione's birthday cake, Hermione stating it reminded her of Molly's cakes. Ron admitted he had planned on making her a cake and Harry had distracted Molly long enough for Ginny to get Ron the recipe. For Ginny's trouble, Ron saved her a piece and Hermione placed a charm on it to keep it fresh so it wouldn't dry out.
Harry called Dobby and they shared some of the cake with him, as he was friends with Hermione.
"Happy Birthday, Hermione," Dobby said, offering Hermione a handmade card.
"Thank you, Dobby."
A few hours later, Ron, Harry, and Hermione walked back to Gryffindor tower, making it before curfew. After Hermione changed and the boys showered and changed, they met down in the common room. It was Friday and they usually stayed up and talked. Sometimes, Ginny joined them.
"Thank you. This has been the best birthdays I ever had," Hermione said to the boys, sincerely.
"You're welcome," Harry told her as he hugged her. Ron followed behind him, giving her a hug.
"So, now you can legally do magic," Ron said with a smile.
Realizing that, Hermione then broke out in a big smile, looking at Ron and then at Harry.
"Um, Hermione….you have a crazy look on your face," Ron stammered as he and Harry slowly backed away from Hermione.
"I'm not going to do anything," Hermione assure them. "I was thinking, my dad will be happy; he has been wanting me to show him what I learned. Now I can!"
Harry and Ron let out the breath they were holding, mentally noting that Hermione can do magic legally now, better not get on her bad side.
The three friends sat and talked about their plans, their dreams, and what they want to do after school.
Hermione looked at Harry and then looked at Ron. When she first met them, she would have never dreamed of being friends with them. Harry was friendly but sometimes would follow Ron's lead. He was the brother she didn't have. Ron and her bickered like a married couple and yet she couldn't imagine life without either of them.
They were her boys, her best friends and she wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. They were the best friends a girl could ask for.