It was another fine day in Netherfield in the late 18th century. Hermione Granger had just picked some flowers and was heading home. She heard her sisters arguing in the living room. 'I want to wear it today. Look what you've done to it! Mamma! Mamma! Lavender has torn up my bonnet and says she'll wear it to church! Tell her she shall not!' 'I shall wear it, for it's all my own work.' 'She'd be a fright in it. She's too plain to look well in it!' Hermione peeked into the window of her father's study to see him rolling his eyes at another one of Parvati and Padma's pointless arguments. Hermione giggled and left for the front door.
'No you shall not have it!' yelled Lavender just as mother shouted, 'Lavender! Parvati! Girls! Would you tear my nerves into shreds? Let her have it, Parvati.' 'But it's mine!' whined Parvati, 'You let her have everything that is mine!' Parvati ran out of the room when mother exclaimed, 'What is to become of us all? Ginny! Mia! Where are you?' Hermione entered the room and exchanged looks with her elder sister, Ginny. 'Coming Mamma!' she called.
The whole Granger family went out for a walk. Molly Granger, their mother, talked a lot, as usual. 'My dear Mr Granger, wonderful news! Netherfield Park is let at last!' 'Is it?' Lucius Granger replied. 'Yes, it is, for I have just had it from Mrs Abbot. Do you not want to know who's taken it?' 'I have no objection to hearing it.' 'It is taken by a young man of large fortune from northern England!' ejaculated Molly, 'A single man of large fortune, my dear! He came down on Monday to see the place, his name is Zabini and he will be possession by Michaelmas. And he has 5000 pounds a year!' Molly took a deep breath and burst out, 'What a fine thing for our girls!' 'How so?' asked Lucius, 'How can it affect them?' Molly stopped walking and sighed, 'Mr Granger, how can you be so tiresome? You know that I'm thinking of his marrying one of them.'
Hermione rolled her eyes. Mother likes talking about marriage very much. Molly continued walking and speaking, 'For a single man with a good fortune must be in want of one wife.' She turned around and looked at her daughter before saying, 'Yes, he must indeed! And who better than one of our five girls?' 'What a fine joke chose if he chose me!' said Lavender. 'Or me,' added Parvati.
'So this is his design in settling here? To marry one of our daughters?'Lucius inquired. '"Design"? How can you talk such nonsense? But he may fall in love with one of them. Therefore you must visit him directly he comes.' Lucius frowned, 'No, no, I see no occasion for that.' 'Mr Granger!' Molly cried. 'Go yourself with the girls.' said Lucius firmly, 'Still better, send them by themselves.' 'By themselves?!' screeched Molly. 'Aye, for you're as handsome as any of them,' replied Lucius, 'Mr Zabini might like you best of the party.' Molly huffed and turned away from her husband.
'Hannah!' Molly called for her maid, 'Oh Hannah! I am so distressed. Mr Granger says he will not visit Mr Zabini when he comes. Can't you reason with him?' 'I daresay it'll all be right,' answered Hannah. 'No, it will not! For he is bent on ruining us all!' wailed Molly. 'Mamma, he's teasing you,' assured Ginny, 'He will call on Mr Zabini. He calls on any new neighbour.' 'Ginny, how can you say that? You heard him,' Molly replied sadly, 'You know your father has a will of iron.' 'You're in the right, my dear,' called Lucius, 'I'll tell you what I'll do: I shall write to Mr Zabini, informing him that I have five daughters, and he is welcome to any of them. They're all silly and ignorant, like other girls. Well, Mia has more wit than the rest. But he may prefer a stupid wife, as others have done before him.' Lucius paused, seemingly pleased with his answer and asked, 'Dear, will that do?'
'No! I beg you will not write if you... You take delight in vexing me!' Molly uttered, 'You have no compassion of my poor nerves!' 'You mistake me,' responded Lucius, standing up and walking towards the fireplace, 'I have a high respect for your nerves. They've been my old friends for 20 years.' 'You don't know what I suffer,' said Molly crossly. 'Well, I hope you'll get over it, and live to see many young men of 5000 pounds a year move here.'
'It's no use if 20 such come, since you won't visit them.' Molly muttered under her breath. 'Depend on it, my dear,' answered Lucius, 'When there are 20, I'll visit them all.' Hermione and Ginny glanced at each other before chuckling. Mother and Father argue about six times every day, from the colour of plates to the order of books on the bookshelves. 'You see, Ginny?' asked Molly after Lucius left, 'He won't be prevailed upon. He'll see us all ruined. If only we'd been able to have sons! 'Misfortunes, we are told, are sent to test our fortitude,' said Minerva knowledgeably, 'and may often reveal themselves as blessings in disguise.' Lavender rolled her eyes and sat down, 'Lord, I'm so hungry!'
It was bedtime. Ginny sat at the dressing table, brushing her hair while Hermione sat on the bed, watching Ginny. 'If I could love a man who would love me enough to take me for 50 pounds a year, I should be very well pleased.' 'Yes,' agreed Ginny. ''But such a man could hardly be sensible,' continued Hermione, 'and I could never love a man who was out of his wits.' 'Oh Mia,' sighed Ginny, 'A marriage, where either partner cannot love nor respect the other, that cannot be agreeable to either party.' 'As we have daily proof,' grinned Hermione, 'But beggars, you know, cannot be choosers.' 'We're not very poor, Mia,' argued Ginny. 'With father's estate withheld from the female line, we have only our charms,' stated Hermione matter-of-factly, 'One of us at least will have to marry very well. And since you're five times as pretty as the rest of us and has the sweetest disposition,' Hermione smiled at Ginny, 'the task will fall on you.'
Hermione was right. Ginny was by far the prettiest of them all. It only took a flick of her ginger hair and men would all fall for her. 'But Mia,' said Ginny, 'I would wish... I should so much like... to marry for love.' 'And so you shall, I'm sure,' replied Hermione confidently, 'Only take care you fall in love with a man of good fortune.' 'Well, I shall try. To please you,' smiled Ginny, 'And you?' 'I am determined that only the deepest love will induce me into matrimony,' answered Hermione, 'So... I shall end an old maid, and teach your 10 children to embroider cushions and play their instruments very ill.' Both of them burst into laughter.
Hermione knocked on Molly's door, 'Good night, Mamma.' 'My head is very ill tonight,' complained Molly. Hermione closed the door and strode across the room. 'I said, I wouldn't dance with him if he was the last man in Meryton,' said Lavender angrily at Parvati. 'Good night, Lavender. Good night, Parvati,' called Hermione. 'Good night, Mia!' they replied. Hermione shut the door and blew out the candle.
'Mr Zabini has come!' exclaimed Parvati a few days later. 'Sir Rubeus Hagrid called on him!' 'Save your breath,' snarled Lavender, 'I will tell Mamma.' 'I don't wish to know,' responded Molly sadly, 'Why care for Mr Zabini? We'll never be acquainted with him!' 'But Mamma!' whined Lavender. 'Don't keep coughing so, Parvati! Have a little compassion on my nerves!' Parvati scowled, 'I don't cough for my own amusement.' '40 servants and he's VERY handsome,' said Lavender excitedly, 'He declared that he loves to dance.' 'He said he'd come to the next ball!' added Parvati, 'At the Assembly Room! On Saturday! With six ladies and four gentlemen!' 'It was twelve ladies and seven gentlemen,' corrected Lavender. 'Too many ladies!' frowned Parvati. 'Lavender, I beg you would stop!' cried Molly, 'We will never know Mr Zabini, and it pains me to hear of him.' 'But Mamma!' 'I'm sick of Mr Zabini!' declared Molly. 'I'm sorry to hear that,' Lucius looked up from his newspaper, 'If I'd known as much this morning, I should never have called on him.'
Molly stared at him. Lavender and Parvati's mouths dropped. 'You have called on him?!' asked Molly. 'I'm afraid we cannot escape the acquaintance now,' said Lucius calmly. Molly shrieked, 'My dear Mr Granger! How good you are to us!' Hermione and Ginny giggled. Mother was always extremely emotional. 'Girls, girls, is he not a good father?' asked Molly cheerfully, 'And never to tell us! What a good joke.' Lucius smiled. 'And now you shall all dance with Mr Zabini!' shouted Molly, 'I hope he has a strong constitution!' Lavender was so thrilled that she grabbed Molly's hands and they started to dance. Looking at her mother and sister, Hermione and Ginny began to laugh. 'And a fondness for silly young women,' added Lucius. 'My dear Mr Granger,' said Molly, turning to Lucius, 'Nothing you say shall ever vex me again.' 'I'm sorry to hear that,' replied Lucius, 'Well, Parvati! I think you may cough as much as you choose now.' With that, he turned and left the room.
Molly, Lavender and Parvati grabbed one another's hand and danced and sung at the top of their voices while Hermione and Ginny laughed. Minerva merely put on her glasses and flipped open a book. 'Hannah! Oh, Hannah! Come quick!' called Molly, 'We'll be going to the shops to buy dresses for the girls!' Hermione smiled. Maybe a ball wouldn't be so bad after all.