Disclaimer: All characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling
A/N: Wow. It's been three months. I feel like winter has gone by so fast and I lost track of time. Okay so this chapter is in Hermione's POV. Not as interesting as I may have made you think. Anyways, I hope to write some later chapters in the POV of some characters that aren't as commonly used.
Chapter Seven
Hermione Granger
In light of the recent events, the ministry had placed agents on the campus. Though Dumbledore had tried to keep everything hush-hush, in a school this large, a secret was bound to be found out. The day after the attack, classes had resumed normally. Final exams were rushed however, and students were being sent home a week early. Hermione, herself, was only spending a few days at home and then the rest of her summer at Grimmauld Place. Because of the Death Eater's newfound courage in taking on Hogwarts itself, it wouldn't be long before they made a move against the Order and Harry. Being Harry's best friends, Hermione and Ron would be spending the summer with him, cooped up in headquarters.
Her bag in one hand and Crookshanks in the other, Hermione set off towards the train, where she would meet Ron and Harry. Her trunk was still in her room, from where it would be sent to the train. She had the feeling this was the last time she would see Hogwarts for quite a while.
Coming into view of the train, she saw Ron waving at them from the third car to the front. She smiled widely, enjoying the view of her newfound boyfriend. It was almost ironic that they would end up together despite all the times they have fought. She hurried to him and he held waited by the door until she arrived and then led her to the cabin where Harry was already seated with Hedwig. Harry gave her a polite smile as she entered and situated herself across from him and next to Ron.
Two weeks later Hermione was stuck in her room anxiously awaiting a message from Ron, inviting her back to Grimmauld Place. Her parents were in the living room downstairs watching the television. She was afraid for her parents that the Death Eaters might hurt them to get to her. However, she comforted herself with the fact that they probably thought muggles were too ignorant to know anything about the War or their daughter's witchy practices anyways. She knew she was counting on the pureblood's arrogance, but what other choice did she have? She hadn't had nearly enough time to come up with a plan to protect them for a long period of time. 'I'll come back and find them someplace safe for them to stay if the war takes a turn for the worse' she promised herself.
Hermione pulled a book off her shelf. It was a mindless, cliché romance, but at the moment, she needed something like that to distract her. She had barely started the third chapter when there was a tap tap tap at her window. Ron's owl, Pig, was on the sill with a note in his talons. Quickly throwing an old blanket over her arm, she opened the window and allowed Pig to crawl onto her thickly protected arm and untied the letter from around his claws
Scanning it, she found that she was supposed to meet them (Harry and Ron) at a coffee shop about two blocks away. Grabbing the suitcase she had packed the previous night, she made her way down the stairs. On her way out, she hugged her parents good-bye and told them the lie she was going to a summer camp for witches. It was a lie she had come up with last night and they had no way to know whether or not it was true.
It was slightly chilled for the summertime as she made her way to the meeting place. She took her time taking in the view of her neighborhood. She was unsure when she would see it again. Arriving at coffee shop, she slid into one of the booths and ordered a cup. This place had the best coffee she had ever tasted and it was one of the places she would miss in the coming months.
She was finishing her coffee when Ron and Harry made their way into the shop. They waved excitedly and she stood up. Ron snatched her suitcase from her, eager to be a good boyfriend. He wrapped his other hand around her waist and gave her a quick but tender kiss on the lips. Harry kindly averted his eyes.
"Ready to go?" Ron asked. She nodded.
"Mr. Weasley is waiting with a portkey about two blocks away," Harry said. She gave him a friendly hug and the three of them left the shop. They turned left at a small park that consisted of only a swing set and a slide, venturing into a small alley across the street. Mr. Weasley was reading a newspaper he must have picked up while waiting. He mouth was turned down slightly in a frown and he had a furrowed brow. Whatever he was reading was clearly disturbing him.
"Watcha got there, Dad?" Mr. Weasley jumped a bit when Ron called out to him. He had evidently been deep in the article.
"Oh. Ah, it's just a muggle newspaper. It appears the antics that you-know- who's servants have been doing are being noticed."
"I would hardly call an uprising in kidnappings and murders 'antics'," Harry said looking at the article in Mr. Weasley's hand as he picked up his suitcase that he had apparently left here while fetching Hermione. Mr. Weasley sighed and rolled up the newspaper. Tucking it in his jacket he pulled a pocket watch with a long chain out of his pocket.
He read the watch. "We have about five minutes until the portkey will leave."
"Great. That means we're early. Where is it?" Harry asked.
"I'm holding it."
"That pocket watch is the portkey? It tells time and can send you around the world. Convenient."
"Well, not the world. It has only one destination really," Mr. Weasley gave a small smile.
Five minutes later they were all holding on to the chain as the portkey started up. She could never get used to the uncomfortable tugging behind her bellybutton and the feeling of being thrown around while her hand remained wrapped around the chain.
They landed across the street from Grimmauld Place. She remembered the first time when it had seemed to push aside the townhouses on both sides and taken form. Now she could see it right away. Mrs. Weasley opened the door just as Hermione was about to knock. She poked her head out looking quickly from side to side and then ushered them in. As soon as she closed the door she smiled and embraced Hermione and Harry like they were her children. After inquiring over their well being she sent them upstairs to find a bedroom.
There were few bedrooms on the second floor. Harry continued climbing up the stairs, following Ron to the room they would share. Hermione was about to make the trek to the third floor, when Ginny's head popped out of the farthest room to the right.
"You are going to room with me, Hermione. We have the same bedroom as the last time we were here," Ginny said.
Hermione smiled, "Great, Ginny. I would hate to be climbing so many stairs every time I needed to get something from my room." Ginny helped her carry her luggage through the narrow hallway and set it on the far bed. There were also two dressers and a desk. Clean sheets were folded at the foot of her bed.
"Truthfully, I'm glad to have a room-mate. This house sort of creeps me out," Ginny explained. "It creaks all the time, not to mention Mrs. Black's portrait and that house-elf, Kreacher, skulking around all the time. I'm so relieved that the Order had the sense to remove those house-elf heads."
"It's sickening the way wizards use to treat their servants. And even more so, the fact that many are still being abused!"
"I know, Hermione, please don't start on this rant again. After you-know-who is gone, we can worry about the house-elves," Ginny sighed. "I'll go get us a snack while you unpack."
Ginny left and Hermione heard the steps creak as she walked down them. Just as she was beginning to unpack, she heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway.
"You're back awfully fast. Were there no snacks in the kitchen?" Hermione called out before she peeked her stepped outside the door, only to catch sight of the person she would never have expected to see.
"Malfoy?" He froze at the top of the railing of the stairway and turned around. Surprise flickered across his face before he covered it up in a blank mask.
"Granger?" He said, mocking her tone.
"What are you doing here?" She was so surprised, she forgot to be rude.
"You first," He replied.
"What? No! I asked first."
"Clearly this conversation is going to go nowhere, so if you'll excuse me…" He turned to go down the steps.
"This conversation has barely even started!" He ignored her and continued down the stairway.
Hermione returned to unpacking. A minute later she heard Ginny come running up the stairs and turned as Ginny burst into the room.
"Draco Malfoy is here!" she exclaimed. "Well, actually he's in the kitchen… but he is within this house!"
"I know. I saw him going downstairs."
"Did he say anything?"
"Not really. Did he say anything to you?"
"'Hello.'"
"Hello?"
"Yes, he said 'hello'. Then I excused myself and ran up here to tell you. Oh and I got some snacks." Ginny held up two apples. "Mom was in the kitchen too so we're stuck with fruit."
"That's alright." Hermione took one of the apples and bit into it.
"So, what are we going to do?" Ginny asked.
"Well, I think we should go tell Harry and Ron first."
"Oh man, they are going to freak out."
A/N: Yay! Chapter Seven! I will try to update faster, I swear. Also, if there are any weird places where the text seems out of place, please let me know. Microsoft Word was giving me format problems but it should be fixed now. Thanks to the person on yahoo answers!
