Hermione sighed as she opened the refrigerator door, eyes roving about the shelves. A small grin flitted across her lips as she spotted some green grapes in the crisper. Plopping down at the kitchen table, she bit into one, allowing the tart juice to spill over her tongue.
Harry's favorite fruit, she thought lazily, instantly regretting it. Each and every thought of her best friends reminded her how very far away and very much together they were. She bitterly snatched up another grape, thinking remorsefully about how she'd promised to baby-sit the next day. She really wasn't in the mood to fake a cheerful attitude all day.
Pushing her thoughts away, Hermione got up, carrying the grapes with her. She wandered around the house for a few seconds, settling in her room. She took out her books from the huge steamer trunk at the foot of her bed and prepared to work on some sort of extra project she would create for herself. She flipped through the pages with no urgency, half looking for something meaningful. Her eyes caught on a small stain on page 1432. How well she remembered the occasion when it was made.
"Hey Herm, whatcha doing? Ugh, Professor McGonagal sent us that MINUTES ago. You've been in court since 6:30 this morning! Take a break, will you?" Ron was leaning over her shoulder, drinking bottled butterbeer. He dropped a bit closer to mockingly snatch her book away, spilling a bit of beer on the thick page.
"RON!!!! Be careful!" She leaned back and closed her eyes angrily. Sitting in a stuffy room all day, getting stared at by the tons of spectators the much publicized case had drawn, had been very, very stressful for Hermione. Ron looked regretful and wrapped an arm around her shoulders from behind.
"Sorry," he whispered in her ear. "Forgive me?" Hermione sighed and allowed a slight smile.
"Only if you get started on your Charms homework, Mister." Ron groaned and pushed away, chuckling at her persistence. He sat down and Harry joined them, the three working late into the night, as they had come to do so often...
Hermione reluctantly snapped back to reality, her unfocused eyes still resting the stain. She slammed the huge book shut with a BANG! She was furious with herself. What had ever kept her from her schoolwork?
"Only one thing," an annoyingly knowing voice in her head chirped, "your friends."
Hermione scowled as she left her room. She thumped down the steps to the television, wondering in the back of her head whether today would be the day that John found out he was married to triplets, and that they were all pregnant with various lover's children...
Ron and Harry stood nervously in the darkness outside of 10 Danley Drive. Sirius was gathering their bags by the light of the dome lamp inside the trunk, but it was nearly one in the morning. The drive had taken much longer then expected, much of the blame resting on the fact that none of the prideful men in the car had been able to find it in them to ask directions. They were sure their friend wouldn't mind them staying, but they weren't sure how well their early morning surprise would go over.
"You knock," hissed Ron to Harry.
"No way. You knock!"
"Come on Harry, your supposed to be the brave one."
"Ron, this was YOUR idea."
"Um, is there a problem?" Sirius was standing behind them, grinning amusedly. Harry and Ron smiled back ashamedly as Sirius reached over Harry's head and did the honors. There was quite a long silence. Harry was just about to suggest they go find a hotel and come back in the morning when they heard some telltale clanking from inside. A few more seconds and the lamps of the porch they were standing on flickered to life, bathing them in brilliant light. The locks on the door clicked and it slowly swung open. There, bleary-eyed and fuzzy-headed, stood Hermione, clad in a pair of flannel boxers and a little white t-shirt. She stared at them for a few seconds, her mouth hanging open in amazement. Her eyes came into focus and she said in a meek voice, "Harry? Ron? Is- is that you?"
The three on the outside of the house burst into laughter, which was quickly stifled by a shocked Hermione. "Can we come in?" asked Ron with more laughter in his voice.
"Well, of course. But-" Hermione broke off, looking terribly lost. The wisps of recent sleep seemed to be clouding her mind.
"But what?" Sirius asked, "If its any problem, we can go to a hotel-"
"No! No, no, no, its not that. Its just...what are the three of you doing on my front porch at one o'clock in the morning?"
Harry and Ron broke into huge grins, and Hermione allowed a small smile through confusion. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Right on her porch. She hoped fervently that this wasn't a dreamlike product of the Black Forrest cake she'd had for dessert.
"Let us in, we'll explain everything." The guys stumbled inside, Hermione warning them not to wake her parents. She shoved their bags into the hall closet and went to join the others at her kitchen table. Sitting at the head, she shot an expectant look at Harry, and he began.
"Well, for the first few weeks, everything was going great. We were having the time of our lives. You should see our house, Hermione!! It's the perfect size, perfect shape, perfect location. Right between Ron's house and Hogsmeade, so of course we wasted no time in having fun. We went to Zonko's, Dervish and Bang's...we took turns staying at mine and Ron's houses. It was great." Harry caught a look at Hermione's dark face and quickly got the impression that explaining the adventures wouldn't be the best move. He rapidly moved on. "Anyway, as fun as it was, it got kinda old. We started slowing down, ya know? At first we didn't get it, but then Ginny figured it out for us. We missed you! So we decided we would come and see you, since you couldn't come to us."
"We would've called, but we thought it'd be fun to surprise you! Sirius said he'd drive us, and my mum thought about it for a long time. You know what finally made her say yes? Your responsibility, Herm." Ron laughed again as Hermione blushed in the dim light of the kitchen. "So, Hermione, what do you say? Can we stay?"
"Of course! Oh, you guys have NO IDEA how much I'd missed you. I guess the thought of you guys, roaming about, having the time of your lives without me, well that just made it ten times worse. I was having a terrible time of it. But now your here! Thanks guys." Hermione ran over to her friends and wrapped them up in a huge hug. Then she turned to Sirius.
"Thanks for bringing them. Are you going to stay the night?"
"No, I don't think so. I'd love to, but I'd better get moving. Things to do...well, not really, but I like to pretend, you know?" he bantered with a little laugh. Hermione smiled and threw her arms around his neck.
"Be careful. Drive safe. Thanks again!" The boys echoed her sentiments as Sirius disappeared back onto the once again darkened porch. Hermione turned to them where they sat awaiting her instructions.
"Well, you can take the guest room. Get you stuff, and follow me, but be quiet. Your chances of staying will be greatly improved if they think it over after they've had their morning coffee."
The boys crept behind Hermione, up the stairs and into a smallish room at the end of a hallway. The walls were blue, and there were two twin beds on opposite sides of the room. There was a closet and a chest of drawers, and a small mirror over the bedside cabinet between the beds. Everything had a very unused look to it, and Harry got the sense that things were going to be much more strict here than at Ron's anything-goes house. But one look at the beaming girl standing over him, and he knew he'd done the right thing by coming here. He thought of how tortured he felt when he was stuck at the Dursley's, with no word from his two best friends, and how much his pain would have been magnified if he had thought they were having loads of fun together, without him. He knew Ron felt the same way, but it didn't matter, cause they were all together now. The Terrific Trio. He chuckled at the corniness of the absurd name.
"Whatcha laughing at?" questioned Ron.
"Nothing. I'm beat. Lets go to bed."
"Ok," said Hermione, "I'm two doors down, if you need anything. You'd better come to my room before you go downstairs. Its gonna take some explaining- two teenage boys show up in the night. Oh well, they'll understand. See you in the morning." Hermione crept out, slightly shutting the door behind her. Ron and Harry fell back onto their respective pillows, and sleep once more ruled over the Granger household.
Harry's favorite fruit, she thought lazily, instantly regretting it. Each and every thought of her best friends reminded her how very far away and very much together they were. She bitterly snatched up another grape, thinking remorsefully about how she'd promised to baby-sit the next day. She really wasn't in the mood to fake a cheerful attitude all day.
Pushing her thoughts away, Hermione got up, carrying the grapes with her. She wandered around the house for a few seconds, settling in her room. She took out her books from the huge steamer trunk at the foot of her bed and prepared to work on some sort of extra project she would create for herself. She flipped through the pages with no urgency, half looking for something meaningful. Her eyes caught on a small stain on page 1432. How well she remembered the occasion when it was made.
"Hey Herm, whatcha doing? Ugh, Professor McGonagal sent us that MINUTES ago. You've been in court since 6:30 this morning! Take a break, will you?" Ron was leaning over her shoulder, drinking bottled butterbeer. He dropped a bit closer to mockingly snatch her book away, spilling a bit of beer on the thick page.
"RON!!!! Be careful!" She leaned back and closed her eyes angrily. Sitting in a stuffy room all day, getting stared at by the tons of spectators the much publicized case had drawn, had been very, very stressful for Hermione. Ron looked regretful and wrapped an arm around her shoulders from behind.
"Sorry," he whispered in her ear. "Forgive me?" Hermione sighed and allowed a slight smile.
"Only if you get started on your Charms homework, Mister." Ron groaned and pushed away, chuckling at her persistence. He sat down and Harry joined them, the three working late into the night, as they had come to do so often...
Hermione reluctantly snapped back to reality, her unfocused eyes still resting the stain. She slammed the huge book shut with a BANG! She was furious with herself. What had ever kept her from her schoolwork?
"Only one thing," an annoyingly knowing voice in her head chirped, "your friends."
Hermione scowled as she left her room. She thumped down the steps to the television, wondering in the back of her head whether today would be the day that John found out he was married to triplets, and that they were all pregnant with various lover's children...
Ron and Harry stood nervously in the darkness outside of 10 Danley Drive. Sirius was gathering their bags by the light of the dome lamp inside the trunk, but it was nearly one in the morning. The drive had taken much longer then expected, much of the blame resting on the fact that none of the prideful men in the car had been able to find it in them to ask directions. They were sure their friend wouldn't mind them staying, but they weren't sure how well their early morning surprise would go over.
"You knock," hissed Ron to Harry.
"No way. You knock!"
"Come on Harry, your supposed to be the brave one."
"Ron, this was YOUR idea."
"Um, is there a problem?" Sirius was standing behind them, grinning amusedly. Harry and Ron smiled back ashamedly as Sirius reached over Harry's head and did the honors. There was quite a long silence. Harry was just about to suggest they go find a hotel and come back in the morning when they heard some telltale clanking from inside. A few more seconds and the lamps of the porch they were standing on flickered to life, bathing them in brilliant light. The locks on the door clicked and it slowly swung open. There, bleary-eyed and fuzzy-headed, stood Hermione, clad in a pair of flannel boxers and a little white t-shirt. She stared at them for a few seconds, her mouth hanging open in amazement. Her eyes came into focus and she said in a meek voice, "Harry? Ron? Is- is that you?"
The three on the outside of the house burst into laughter, which was quickly stifled by a shocked Hermione. "Can we come in?" asked Ron with more laughter in his voice.
"Well, of course. But-" Hermione broke off, looking terribly lost. The wisps of recent sleep seemed to be clouding her mind.
"But what?" Sirius asked, "If its any problem, we can go to a hotel-"
"No! No, no, no, its not that. Its just...what are the three of you doing on my front porch at one o'clock in the morning?"
Harry and Ron broke into huge grins, and Hermione allowed a small smile through confusion. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Right on her porch. She hoped fervently that this wasn't a dreamlike product of the Black Forrest cake she'd had for dessert.
"Let us in, we'll explain everything." The guys stumbled inside, Hermione warning them not to wake her parents. She shoved their bags into the hall closet and went to join the others at her kitchen table. Sitting at the head, she shot an expectant look at Harry, and he began.
"Well, for the first few weeks, everything was going great. We were having the time of our lives. You should see our house, Hermione!! It's the perfect size, perfect shape, perfect location. Right between Ron's house and Hogsmeade, so of course we wasted no time in having fun. We went to Zonko's, Dervish and Bang's...we took turns staying at mine and Ron's houses. It was great." Harry caught a look at Hermione's dark face and quickly got the impression that explaining the adventures wouldn't be the best move. He rapidly moved on. "Anyway, as fun as it was, it got kinda old. We started slowing down, ya know? At first we didn't get it, but then Ginny figured it out for us. We missed you! So we decided we would come and see you, since you couldn't come to us."
"We would've called, but we thought it'd be fun to surprise you! Sirius said he'd drive us, and my mum thought about it for a long time. You know what finally made her say yes? Your responsibility, Herm." Ron laughed again as Hermione blushed in the dim light of the kitchen. "So, Hermione, what do you say? Can we stay?"
"Of course! Oh, you guys have NO IDEA how much I'd missed you. I guess the thought of you guys, roaming about, having the time of your lives without me, well that just made it ten times worse. I was having a terrible time of it. But now your here! Thanks guys." Hermione ran over to her friends and wrapped them up in a huge hug. Then she turned to Sirius.
"Thanks for bringing them. Are you going to stay the night?"
"No, I don't think so. I'd love to, but I'd better get moving. Things to do...well, not really, but I like to pretend, you know?" he bantered with a little laugh. Hermione smiled and threw her arms around his neck.
"Be careful. Drive safe. Thanks again!" The boys echoed her sentiments as Sirius disappeared back onto the once again darkened porch. Hermione turned to them where they sat awaiting her instructions.
"Well, you can take the guest room. Get you stuff, and follow me, but be quiet. Your chances of staying will be greatly improved if they think it over after they've had their morning coffee."
The boys crept behind Hermione, up the stairs and into a smallish room at the end of a hallway. The walls were blue, and there were two twin beds on opposite sides of the room. There was a closet and a chest of drawers, and a small mirror over the bedside cabinet between the beds. Everything had a very unused look to it, and Harry got the sense that things were going to be much more strict here than at Ron's anything-goes house. But one look at the beaming girl standing over him, and he knew he'd done the right thing by coming here. He thought of how tortured he felt when he was stuck at the Dursley's, with no word from his two best friends, and how much his pain would have been magnified if he had thought they were having loads of fun together, without him. He knew Ron felt the same way, but it didn't matter, cause they were all together now. The Terrific Trio. He chuckled at the corniness of the absurd name.
"Whatcha laughing at?" questioned Ron.
"Nothing. I'm beat. Lets go to bed."
"Ok," said Hermione, "I'm two doors down, if you need anything. You'd better come to my room before you go downstairs. Its gonna take some explaining- two teenage boys show up in the night. Oh well, they'll understand. See you in the morning." Hermione crept out, slightly shutting the door behind her. Ron and Harry fell back onto their respective pillows, and sleep once more ruled over the Granger household.