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The Moonlight Glares
Disclaimer: I don't own any of JK Rowling's wonderful world or characters.
Chapter Two
Hermione looked around the restaurant as she sipped the Sprite in front of her. This place was way too formal for her or her parents. And especially Johnny. He was squirming, if that was possible for a six-year-old, and talking non-stop about the latest Pokemon cards he'd gotten at Kids Club.
She'd had almost twenty-four hours to let the news sink in, but it was still hard to accept. And yet, here she was, with her adoptive family, waiting for her birth mother to show up for lunch. Her brother poked her hard and she snapped back to reality
"Hermione! Mum's telling you something!" the little boy said. Hermione turned to her mum-er- adoptive mum, really.
"Oh. Sorry. What?"
Jane sighed, and simply pointed to the doorway of the restaurant. At that instant, Mr and Mrs Lane were entering with Anna in tow. It wasn't long before they were seated down across from them, after Elizabeth had given Hermione another suffocating hug.
"Well, let's order, shall we? I'm ravenous." Elizabeth said. She motioned the waiter over, and each of them placed their orders, apparently the Lanes knew exactly what they wanted without glancing at the menu. After the waiter left, Elizabeth turned to Hermione.
"Well, Hermione, it is so good to see you all grown up, a beautiful young lady. You go to Hogwarts, right?"
"Erm. . . yeah, I'll be in my Sixth year soon."
"I've heard you have excellent marks."
"Yes, well. . . I just work hard, is all."
"Oh? I'm sure some of it must come easily."
"Well. . . the book learning, yes." Hermione nearly squirmed in her chair. Why did this woman need to ask all these questions now?
"Ah, a great bookworm. I wish your sister was like that." Elizabeth glanced at Anna, who was informing Johnny about something next to them. "She'll be in her first year at Hogwarts this year, and she hasn't even read Hogwarts, A History. But enough about school. Do you have many friends?"
Hermione grinned thinking of Harry and the Weasleys. "Well. . ." she started, "I'm in Gryffindor, so Pavarti Patel and Lavender Brown are my dormmates, but, Harry and Ron are my closest friends."
"Oh? Who are they?" Elizabeth took a sip of her drink and focused her gaze on Hermione.
"Oh, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, they're Sixth Years too, in Gryffindor with me. We met first year, and. . ."
"Harry Potter! My goodness, I didn't know my daughter had such famous friends. Oh, but tell me, do you ever spend time with, oh, I can't remember his first name for the life of me, but the Malfoys have a son near your age at Hogwarts, and I'm fairly sure the Parkinsons have a girl. . ."
Hermione nearly spit out the sip she had just taken from her Sprite, and wrinkled her nose. "Oh. . . Parkinson. . . she's in Slytherin. And Malfoy too, we don't get on well." To put it lightly, she thought.
"Oh, what a shame. Their parents are such nice people to have in the neighborhood. And I'm actually surprised you're in Gryffindor with your blood, my dear. You father was in Slytherin, his whole line. . . "
"Wait. . . you live near the Malfoys! And the Parkinsons! But that means you'd live in –"
"Wizarding London, of course," Elizabeth replied, "with the majority of the pure-blooded wizarding lines left."
Hermione felt herself grow smaller as she asked, "So I'm pureblood then?"
Elizabeth nodded her head, smiling, "Of course, what else would you think? Both your father and I come from long wizarding lines. As does Mr. Lane for that matter, but that's beside the point."
Hermione felt like crying or yelling, or something. Did that mean she had to start putting up with those gits if she went to live with or even visit her birth mom? But. . . bah, she didn't know what to think. The food had arrived, and Hermione concentrated on her pasta while her parents made polite conversation with the Lanes. She had decided, Frank and Jane Granger would always be her parents, no matter if adopted or not.
When their plates were cleared, Elizabeth turned back to Hermione.
"Well, there is one thing I would like to ask you, Hermione." Elizabeth surveyed her daughter, "I-We, really- were wondering if you wanted to come spend some time with us this summer. At the Lane Mansion, so we could get to know each other better." Elizabeth smiled, "I know Anna would like to know more of Hogwarts before she goes."
Hermione looked at her parents for a moment, and they looked as if they were saying "it's your choice". So Hermione took a deep breath, and said, "I'd love to."
Elizabeth smiled, "I'll floo for you at eight tonight, then."
With that, the Grangers watched the family of three walk out of the restaurant.
It was Seven Forty-five and Hermione was panicking. She had finished packing before five, her trunk full of books, clothes and her school things (for summer homework, naturally). Crookshanks sat on top of it, purring softly as his smashed face looked up at Hermione.
She had owled Harry and Ron earlier, telling them where she would be, not that it mattered considering Hedwig could find her anywhere, but they had both sent their best wishes and told her to owl or floo if anything went wrong. Her parents and brother were in the kitchen, an she was pacing out here.
Finally the clock chimed eight and the fireplace turned green, spinning, and Elizabeth stepped out. Brushing the soot off, she said, "Well then, come one darling, let's go."
Hermione nodded and walked into the emerald flames, pushing her trunk and clutching her cat.
The room she arrived in was huge. And, very beautiful. Very long windows were to her right, from floor to the very tall ceiling, looking onto a now dark lawn. To her left was a cream-colored half-wall that supported at least ten ornate pillars standing from the wall top to the ceiling. In front of her was a grand table, cherry, and set with silver candelabras. Hermione set her trunk down with a thunk and heard a small squeal before seeing a little head popping out from behind the half-wall.
Hermione walked over to the wall, and leaned over it to see her half-sister crouching down there. The fireplace whirled in the background as Hermione heard Elizabeth floo in.
"You may want to get up, Anna, you'll wrinkle your clothes." Hermione said.
"Darn," said the girl, popping up, "I was hoping to scare you and mum good."
Hermione felt a grin stretch across her face, "Well, you may not have scared me, but I'll definitely need a tour around this place,"
Anna's eyes lit up, and she grabbed her sister's hand and dragged her out into the hallway, and preceded to take her all around the house. Really, it was a mansion. Hermione saw a kitchen (bigger than she ever could have imagined), four living rooms(two on the east side, two on the west), a small library, a grand ball room, three dining rooms (one private and two for entertaining), and that was just the first floor. Soon, she saw the second and third floors, complete with five guest suites, Anna's rooms, the Master Suite, Mr. Lane's study, and Hermione's Chambers, which they came to last.
As Anna led her in through the double doors, Hermione's breath caught in her throat. The room was long, a simple cream colored, with a queen bed across from the doors decked out in a baby yellow and white pattern. Four immense floor to ceiling windows stood on the long wall, one she realized was actually a door out to a balcony. In the far corner stood a cream-colored vanity, with a beautifully drawn painting above it. The painting depicted a little girl, with a basket in her arms, crying because of the broken bottle of wine that lay at her feet which she could no longer bring home to her family.
On the wall opposite the windows was a long closet, with a sliding door, which, when Hermione opened it, was filled with clothes, both muggle and robes, of every kind and color imaginable. To the left of the bed was a door which Hermione saw was half ajar. She opened it cautiously, Anna following her. Hermione's eyes grew wide at the sight. All four walls were filled with cherry book shelves, stuffed with books on every subject imaginable. A small fireplace sat in one wall, and a door in another, but other than that, every inch was book space. A desk sat in the middle of it, and Hermione saw Crookshanks was already sitting there, eying the new room.
She could just see through the other door into a silvery bathroom, with an antique tub in its center. Hermione sighed and melted down into an old armchair in the middle of the room. Anna came up next to her sister.
"Like it?" Anna said, smiling.
"Are you kidding? I've never seen so many books at the same time… well, with the exception of the Hogwarts Library, 'course. But not all for me to read!" Hermione exclaimed.
Anna raised an eyebrow. "You think the Hogwarts Library is big?" Hermione looked questioningly at her sister. Anna rolled her eyes, "Come on," she yanked Hermione up from a chair and lead her though a door Hermione hadn't noticed because it was part of the bookshelf! Anna led them down a staircase and eventually into a hallway, where she stopped in front of a big pair of heavy ornate door.
"Where are we?" Hermione asked.
"The first floor, East wing." Anna said impatiently, "Now, be amazed." She threw the doors open to reveal the largest library Hermione had ever seen. (And that was saying something). The walls, which had to be all three stories high, were covered in bookshelves. There was an enormous window across from her that would light the room, with a door next to it leading to the lawn. What fascinated Hermione more, however, was the way the bookshelves were laid. The walls curved outward from the window until they hit the edge of the room, where they were straight until they hit the wall the doors were in. Up to that point, from window to doors, the walls were covered in bookshelves, and all full too. There were bronze staircases and ladders that wound themselves around the entire mess so every book was reachable. Balconies littered the shelves, connected by more stairways and ladders. Back on the ground level, there were tables, desks, chairs and loveseats all over, all matching a perfect maroon and gold scheme.
Hermione, for once, did not have anything to say. It was all too perfect. Anna piped up in her silence.
"Yeah, it has that affect on people. For goodness' sake, it even had that effect on Draco."
Does classic-author-left-you-on-a-cliffie-run-away Well, I have gotten through two chapters! Please review and I shall continue! If not… who knows.