Submitted for The Houses Competition Forum - Round 1
House: Ravenclaw
Subject: Transfiguration
Category: Standard
Prompt: 6. [Dialogue] "It's not funny!"; 13. [Season] Summer
Word count: 1,297
Warnings: AU Canon Divergence
Summer Nights
Summer at the Granger household wasn't something that could be called lively, but after Hermione's first year at Hogwarts, the Grangers were more than happy to receive her friends if that meant their daughter was smiling from ear to ear.
Hermione had invited Neville Longbottom and Theodore Nott, her best friends, to spend part of their vacation with her. Theo had never admitted it, but Hermione knew that he was warming up to the idea of being her friend. Neville was happy to be included, and they were planning to go camping with her parents.
They had started their friendship when they boarded the train, and after sharing sweets, the three cemented their bond, even after they were sorted into different houses.
The boys, being purebloods, knew next to nothing about the Muggle world, and Hermione decided to teach them everything they would need to know before their camping trip.
"Wait, you mean to tell me that we are going to sleep in this?" Theo asked, holding the tent as far away from his body as possible, a sneer marring his face. "And we can't even use magic to make it more comfortable? Or spacious?"
"I don't know what part you didn't understand, Theo," Hermione replied in a professional tone though she was holding back a smile. "This is how my parents and I always went camping."
"I think this is going to be an amazing experience. Thanks for inviting me, Hermione." Neville said sweetly. He was always the one to keep the peace between Theo and Hermione. He smiled at his two friends. "It was very nice of your parents to allow us to stay over."
"Yes, they were very kind," Theo said formally, not forgetting the education that his parents gave him. "But still, this tent is too small! How are we all going to fit inside it?"
Hermione couldn't help but chuckle; seeing Theo so riled up over a tent was hilarious. Soon, she was laughing with all her might, and Neville joined her in her laughter.
"It's not funny! Why are you two laughing?" Theo practically pouted, which only made the friends laugh even more. "I don't know why I'm friends with you two."
"So you finally admit that we're friends?" Hermione asked, her eyes bright. When Theo rolled his eyes and nodded, Hermione grinned. "I knew that someday you'd admit it!"
"Yeah, yeah, don't get too excited," Theo muttered under his breath, but Hermione could see his lips twitching imperceptibly. "This doesn't mean that I'm over this whole 'tiny tent' business."
"Considering that's you, Theo, that's an understatement," Neville deadpanned, and the trio lost their composure and rolled on the floor, holding their sides and erupting with laughter.
Having arrived in the evening, the summer sun was just setting on the horizon when the Grangers and their guests began to set up their tents. Hermione's mum was applying some spray on the girl's arms before asking Theo and Neville if they'd like some, too.
"Excuse me, Mrs Granger, but what is this?" Theo asked very politely after they arrived at the campsite where they were going to set up their camp. "I don't think I've ever seen this before in my life."
"This is an insect repellent, something that you put on so that the bugs don't bother you when you're sleeping," Emily Granger replied softly, knowing how the boys didn't know anything about Muggle products. "It's a way to protect yourself. Surely, you don't have something similar in your world?"
"My gran uses a spell, but I've never seen a potion or a spray do it," Neville answered, looking curiously at the insect repellent. "And how does it work, Mrs Granger?"
Emily smiled and very patiently explained to the two boys how the cream worked and why it was necessary to use it while camping the Muggle way. Meanwhile, Hermione and her father picked up sticks to put together a fire for later.
"It's good to see that you've made friends at school, Pumpkin," Henry Granger said, looking at his daughter with pride and love shining in his eyes. "At first, I was worried when I heard that they were boys, but they are good kids. I'm glad you invited them for our trip."
Hermione beamed at her father; she was glad that her parents liked her friends as it meant a lot to her. She was happy that she had made friends when she went to Hogwarts like she had hoped when Professor McGonagall had visited her. Neville and Theo were opposites in many things, but that was what made Hermione happy for having their friendship.
"Look, Pumpkin, fireflies!" Henry said, showing Hermione some of them. They knew that the fireflies always appeared when the heat of the day cooled down a little. "Why don't you call your friends over and we'll teach them how to catch some?"
Hermione didn't need to be told twice. Soon, the three friends were running around, trying to catch fireflies with their bare hands, laughing when one of them missed and cheering when Hermione managed to catch one. Henry and Emily stood by the side, smiling at the look of pure happiness on their daughter's face and silently thanking the two boys for making her laugh like that.
"It's good to see her so happy," Emily whispered, looking at Hermione showing Neville and Theo the firefly she had caught. "I'm so happy that their families allowed them to come here."
"I couldn't be prouder," Henry agreed with his wife, watching the kids have fun. "Why don't we start on dinner before they say something? It looks like they are going to be entertained for a little while."
Emily nodded, and with a last look at the kids, she followed her husband to their tent, grabbing everything that they would need to make dinner for them all.
"This is incredible," Neville whispered, looking up at the sky. "I don't think I've seen so many stars—not even in Astronomy class."
After dinner, the three kids were laying down in the grass, stargazing. They weren't tired, the night was warm, and they didn't want to go to sleep yet. Henry was the one who had suggested looking at the stars before bed, and no one had said anything against it.
"When I was younger, I used to make wishes upon stars," Hermione murmured, laying between the two boys. "I never thought they would ever come true, but now, I know that it was only a matter of time."
"What did you wish for?" Theo asked, speaking in the same soft tone that the other two had used. They didn't know why they were whispering, but they still spoke in low voices.
"I wished for friends," Hermione said, so softly that they almost missed it. "I used to be alone when I was younger, so every summer, when we camped, I wished for friends. I'm glad that I have friends to go camping with now."
"You'll have me as your friend as long as you wish, Hermione," Neville said with a certainty in his usually nervous voice, and Hermione smiled at him. "The same goes for you, Theo."
Theo sighed, but Hermione could feel that he wasn't annoyed. "Yeah, Hermione, I'll always be your friend, and you too, Neville. I realised that, no matter what, unfortunately, I'm stuck with you two."
"Aww, Theo, I knew that you liked us," Hermione said with a laugh, making Theo roll his eyes and laugh alongside Neville. "I'm glad that the stars granted me my wish."
'Me too, Hermione, me too,' the two boys thought, but no one said anything. It was a perfect summer night, and they knew that they would enjoy other nights like this in the years to come.