This is a rewrite of a story written by BoneBasher255 who is no longer continuing it.
This is written with their permission, please give the original (and any other fics they write) a look x
[START]
The Get Together
Chapter 1: The Dilemma
The Weasley/Granger flat, that sat three storeys above the hum and buzz of Diagon Alley, contained only one young woman: Miss Hermione Granger.
Her perpetually frizzy brown hair (that now fell to her waist in a messy flow of curls and ringlets) was a glorious mess, courtesy of the constant tugging, twirling, and ruffling that Hermione did with shaky hands. All of it accompanied by the woman pacing back and forth with a pinched expression. Unpacked cardboard boxes, marked with black inked labels on the sides, and a multitude of dirty dishes buried the little kitchen table beneath it. A table she passed over and over as she strode back and forth.
The mess would usually send Hermione feral (the dishes specifically, because no way would she leave such a mess) but she was FAR too distracted. Distracted by something far more important, that had happened earlier.
A disaster really. Something the Brightest Witch of Her Age had absolutely no idea how to deal with…
…
Back straight, eyes focused, her wrist loose and gently moving back, forth, up and down. Reminiscent of an orchestra's conductor; power and confidence (likely befitting one of the most powerful witches of her generation) rippling from her very being like waves of heat.
"You sure you REALLY want to move out, dear." An affectionately gruff voice at Hermione's back, the voice of her father, tugged at her concentration and caused her to pause what she was doing. Clothes, bedding and other knick knacks paused in the air, her warm eyes turned to the man in her doorway,
"Dad…" she sighed in the face of his… displeased expression. Not at her, she knew, nor was it even displeasure at having his little girl move out of their family home in general. More at her current decision to move in with her boyfriend… a man her father did not have a positive opinion of,
"I know. You're a grown woman and I refuse to be someone who forces you to do something you don't want to." She smiled a little in the face of his father's gentle smile and sincere words. He ran a large hand through the slightly greying portions of his short brown hair, blue eyes hardening just a little as he continued on, "But, as your father, I still want to ensure that you are making a sensible decision. Particularly with who you are moving in with."
"Ron's a good man, dad. And he loves me." Hermione folded her arms and fixed her father with a severe glance, "I don't understand what more you could want."
Her look became harsher at the unimpressed curling of the lip that came from her declaration. She loved her father but could not help but feel a flame of fury at the implication that Ronald wasn't a good man,
"I… don't doubt that he is a good lad." A hand rose in appeasement, his daughter's ire somewhat soothed, "Especially with what you've told us about your... adventures."
"Is there something else you doubt then, dad?" Hermione huffed out a tiny bit, "What? Do you doubt that he l-"
"Hermione, honey, can you come down, please? We need to talk." Hermione's mother cut off her daughter's question before it could be concluded. The young woman in question pursed her lips at her father moved back from the doorway and Hermione shook her head at his apologetic look,
"Yeah mum, one sec." She called as she walked out of the room into the warm corridor of the household. She lowered her things to the floor of her room with a gentle movement of her wand, "I'll clean it up in a bit. And I will be talking to you about this later, dad."
Her old man sighed, his whole form visibly sagging and making Hermione just a little bit concerned and a little guilty feeling at her frosty demeanour towards him. Though those feelings were washed away by a warmth in her chest as she was engulfed in a large hug,
"I'm sorry, dear. I just want what's best for you." He murmured into her hair after pressing a kiss into the top of her head. Hermione's own arms encircling her father as she sighed herself,
"I know."
When she was released, she headed downstairs (taking two at a time) and she hunted her diminutive mother down. Finding her mumbling to herself as she surveyed some stack of papers, that her daughter assumed were related to her parent's dentist practice. She smiled a little when her mother looked up and gave her the same loving smile that she had given her every other day of her life. Hermione swooping in to peck her mum on the cheek, noting that her empty coffee cup,
"Another one?"
"If you don't mind, hun."
A few minutes of mindless chatter later and Hermione was sat across from her mother at the kitchen table, wondering why the lady looked so uncomfortable,
"Mum, is everything okay?"
Her mothers nails clacked harshly on the polished surface as she hummed to herself,
"So… Hermione." The addressed straightened immediately at the use of her name, the thought that 'this was serious' reverberating through her skull, "Of course you know we have our annual family get together…"
"Huh? Erm… of course…" Hermione nodded slowly, brow furrowed questioningly in the face of her mother's continued anxiousness,
"Well, you see… you remember your cousins Ella and Mia, right? The twins?"
It took Hermione a moment to think back to the family members in general. Memories of mean words, pulled hair and nasty pranks accompanied by high, shrill, and obnoxious laughter.
The memories came rushing back in and she scowled despite herself,
"Erm, yes. I do." The young witch had to take a moment to centre herself to stop her from spewing vitriol at the little girls she remembered.
"They made some… remarks about you not having a boyfriend. Ahem, or about you ever finding a partner." The only comfort here was that Hermione's own fury was matched with what was displayed on her mother's face, "So… I hope you can understand, but I got rather… heated. And, well, I told them about Ronald. You two are still dating, right?"
Hermione numbly nodded, anger still bubbling under her skin despite herself,
"Ah, erm. I don't mind that you told them if that's the issue?" Her inquiry soft and still a little confused. Though an uncomfortable feeling settled on her shoulders when her mother silently shook her head,
"They laughed honey, and… you know how I get."
The uncomfortable feeling morphed into one of slowly dawning horror,
"Mum… wh-what did you do?" She shuddered at the clear worry on her mother's face. As if she feared what her reaction would be to her next statement,
"I… may have…" She gave up on trying to hedge things and took a deep draw from her coffee mug and evidently decided she'd be blunt and direct, "I told them you'd bring him to the get together."
The birds out in the garden stopped singing, the whir of the washing machine halted, and any kind of noise seemed to cease as Hermione processed what she said…
Then a million and one emotions ballooned in Hermione's chest as her body flushed out its heat and she immediately felt cold,
"M-MUM! How could you?!" She was left to bellow at her repentant looking mother as she slowly tried to come to terms with the complete travesty that had been dropped in her lap…
[TO BE CONTINUED]
A short little project I want to work on whilst I've hit a little slump while working on Define Normal.
Thanks again to BoneBasher255 for being so cool about letting me use their idea AND getting back to me so quickly. Hope you guys enjoyed and are okay with me continuing!