Chapter Two: Leaving it behind
"Why hadn't they ever told me?" Hermione whispered as softly as she could. She didn't want her parents to hear. It had been 10 minutes since she had secretly found out her parents weren't as she always thought muggles. She heard her mother's voice calling her down to breakfast. Hermione sighed and slowly stood up from her bed looking around the room as she walked out. As she trudged down stairs and into the kitchen she noticed her parents were quite silent. Hermione turned to them and said "don't bother telling me I already know you are both witch and wizard I heard you talking". She walked over to her seat and sat down.
Hermione picked up the toast that her mother had given her but she couldn't eat it. So she put it back down and asked her mother "why? Why didn't you tell me?" Her father turned to her and said "Hun we didn't want you to know the truth because we were never that good at magic we are in fact squibs". Hermione gasped at this and got up from the table walked around to her parents gave them each a hug then said "I will love you both no matter what". Hermione then turned to her mother and said "Mum I need a break". Her mother replied "Sure Hun. Where?". "The order maybe if you don't mind. If not Ron's house".
When Hermione got to her room she noticed an extra person in her room. Remus, he was dressed in his old shabby cloak and robes it was how she had remembered him. She gazed in amazement as he stared back and said "well can't I get a hug?" Hermione ran over and latched onto him. She had missed him so much. As she let go of Remus he said "I heard your coming to stay at the order for the rest of the holidays". Hermione was gob smacked she started to say "but what, how?" but was interrupted but lupin. "Your mother and father have another way of communicating other than owl you know. Well are you going to pack then?"
Hermione was packed and ready lupin had already sent her trunk and cat Crookshanks to the order all she had to do was say goodbye to her parents and she was ready. She hugged her father so tightly that she was almost strangling him. As she walked up to her mother she said take care and they embraced Hermione starting to cry. It was hard on her leaving her family and not seeing them until next summer. That hug that she got from her mother was Hermione's best hug she had got that summer; it was filled with love and warmth.
As she and lupin walked to the door she asked him "how are we getting there?" He replied as they walked out the door in a low voice "Apparation but shhh were in a muggle street". And as the got to the end of the path in front of her house she turned around and waved one last time and then apparated. As the air around her cleared the familiar site of 13 Grimmauld Place emerged. It felt so much better to be back here.
When she walked inside a mass of red hair grabbed her and hugged her Hermione shocked did not hug back (this was also due to the fact her arms were pinned to the side of her) but said "Hello Ginny if you would let go of my arms I would hug you back" and she did so. As they unlatched themselves from each other lupin said to Hermione "Harry and Ron are upstairs Mrs Weasley is in the kitchen and so is Moody I think he is still here. "He's just about to leave" interrupted Ginny. Just then Hermione heard shuffling then a figure coming out of the kitchen. It was moody. His glass eye swirling around his head, it then transfixed to the roof. "Harry and Ron aren't in their bedroom hold on. Their in the bathroom… Together." He grunts. Hermione and Ginny look at each other trying not to think of the obvious they walk up the stairs trying not to laugh. As they get to the bathroom door they hear whispers and press their ears to the door to listen. "Shhh mum might hear us" Whispers Ron. "Oh no she won't" replies Harry. "This is so much fun I can't see why we haven't done it before." As Hermione opens the door a foul stench comes out of the bathroom. Harry and Ron look up at the visitors as they gasp. Harry and Ron are petite 17 year old girls. Hermione screams in shock "Polyjuice Potion!" then laughs. Ginny edges forward and asks "who did you get the hair off, because you look awfully like the muggle twins down at the store on the corner." They all laugh as Mrs Weasley grunts up the stairs and says "Moody just said there are now two girls in the bathroom but its not you two you're…" She then looks in the bathroom and screams setting off Mrs Black's portrait. The petite girl who is Ron steps forward and yells over Mrs Blacks screeches "Mum its okay it's only Polyjuice!! It wears off in an hour". Mrs Weasley walks back downstairs muttering furiously to herself about the lack of responsibility and closing Mrs Black's curtains on the way down.
Giggles erupt from all of the foursome after Mrs Weasley leaves them. They start to walk up to Ginny & Hermione's room to help Hermione unpack. Hermione looks down nervous as to what to say next. She felt as if she didn't know these people; they had spent all summer together and had talked to some of those in the wizarding world. Hermione hadn't talked to any of them and she had no idea what was going on in the world. For the first time in years Hermione felt left out from everything. Hermione looks up into the familiar room that is hers and Ginny's and what was once Regulus Black's, it had not changed since she had last seen it, the room still had the pictures the lingering smell of mothballs and the oh so ugly wallpaper. She noticed Mrs Weasley had already put her bags at the foot of the bed.
Hermione looked up after a long period of staring around the room unable to put off looking at her friends any longer. They looked at her a warm and loving look that she had so desperately needed. This was indeed home after all.