Hermione entered her new home, set the box she was carrying down, and looked around. It was perfect, and it was hers. She immediately set up her personal protection and privacy wards, then proceeded to magically unpack the box she'd carried in. In no time, her personal items were flying out of the box, which had an undetectable extension charm on it, and placing themselves in their proper spaces. After about an hour, she was fully unpacked. When she was finished, she headed to the library. She opened the hidden room the same way she'd seen Draco do the day before.
It was still stunning the second time. Hermione walked the perimeter, taking in the vast amount of books she now owned. On the far side of the room, she noticed a small iron spiral staircase, leading to the second level walkway. As she climbed the stairs, she was further amazed by the sight before her. From below, the second level walkway appeared to be a basic, narrow walkway, good only for assisting the search for a book from up here, but up here, she saw it was much more. The pathway was wide enough for two people to walk, side by side, comfortably. Each quarter of the circle walk was divided by a larger area with various furnishings, including a comfortable sitting area and a study area with a desk. This room alone was more than she'd even dreamed about when she began her search for a home. She conjured a tea service, and sat on the nearest settee, enjoying the moment.
She sipped her tea, thinking over the time she'd been back. Her mind wandered to Draco, his silver eyes flashing in her memory. He had looked so enticing yesterday when they'd met to sign papers. She chuckled softly, remembering his trip. He'd looked so silly sitting rumpled and annoyed in the floor. She wasn't exactly sure what had him so dazed that he'd missed the footstool in front of him, but it had sure made for a funny sight in the end.
She took another sip of her tea, remembering what Ginny had told her about Draco helping them with that horrible painting. She wondered why he would have helped them. Last she knew, before she left, Draco and Harry hated each other. Harry hadn't mentioned Draco in any of their communications. Granted, she'd left things out too, but still, why wouldn't he have mentioned anything at all? Draco had seemed so different every time they had interacted since being back. He was less tense, laid back almost, and charming. He'd never been charming towards her before in all the years they had known each other. She found she was reluctantly attracted to him. If he'd truly changed, she wanted to give him another chance to get to know each other, but part of her was reluctant, due to their negative history. She admitted to herself that he'd always been attractive, but his attitude and elitist behavior had made him ugly, as far as she had been concerned. In the last few days, though, she hadn't seen any evidence of his old ways. She decided to talk to Harry about this.
As she was taking another sip of her tea, she heard a tap at the nearest window. She looked up and saw three large owls, carrying a very large package between them. She set her teacup down, and went to the window to let them in. They flew in with the package and placed it on a desk on the lower level, before flying out the same window. Hermione quickly closed the window, and hurried down to check out the package. She opened the card that was attached. She was a little surprised to see it was from the Weasley's joke shop, as she read the card.
To: Miss Hermione Granger
Happy Housewarming!
Enjoy your new home!
From: A friend
She turned the card over, looking for more to the message, but only found a maker's mark and slogan.
Weasley's Wizard Wheezes - Magnificent Merchandise for Many of Your Magical Needs
She was pleased by the thought that they seemed to have expanded into markets other than magical jokes and novelties. She tore off the brown paper packaging and opened the box. Inside was an incredibly nice gift basket, containing an assortment of welcoming gifts. There was an excellent bottle of red wine, with two beautiful wine glasses. Hermione smiled and set them aside, deciding she would save them for a special occasion. Next, she pulled out a container of 50 packets of assorted bubbles for bathing. Upon examining the container, she found there were different colors, shapes, and scents, along with two new flavored versions. Hermione chuckled as she set the container to the side. She was pretty sure she wouldn't be trying the Weasley's new flavored bubble bath anytime soon, but the rest sounded lovely. The next item out of the basket was a box of assorted individual teas. She laughed out loud when she pulled out the book titled "So You Own Your First Magical Home. What Now?" by Ina Palatium, which looked to be an interesting addition to her book collection. Towards the bottom of the obviously enchanted basket, was a pair of scarlet and gold fuzzy slippers, on a fuzzy throw with the Hogwarts houses emblems printed on it. Below these was a simply folded piece of parchment, addressed to her. She unfolded it and read the note.
Hermione,
Since you have a new place so close to the shop, you should stop by and see what we've done with our humble business. We're so much more than jokes and novelties now. George wanted me to tell you that he's interested in your opinion of the flavored bubbles. Frankly, I don't know why anyone would want to eat bubbles from their bath, but there you have it. Also, we thought you'd like the Hogwarts throw, but if not, you're welcome to exchange it for one of our many other designs, if you like. Just want you to know, this generous gift was ordered anonymously. The order was in the dropbox when we came in this morning. Hope you enjoy it. Visit soon!
Much Love,
Ron
When she finished reading the note, she gathered her gifts, to put everything away. All the while, she couldn't help but wonder who had sent her such an extravagant gift. The bottle of wine alone was worth a month's salary. Also, everyone she could think of would have signed their name. By the time she had put everything in it's proper place, she decided to figure it out later, but first, she wanted to try out the strawberry bubble bath, that promised to look and smell like strawberries. It had been a long morning and she just wanted to relax a little. She would figure out who had sent that basket later.
