Beguiling Bubbles

Hermione and Ginny spent the train ride catching up with Neville and Luna. Hermione was in a pretty good mood when the train slowed to a stop at the station outside of Hogsmeade. As everyone filed out, she heard a familiar voice as she stepped onto the platform.

"Firs' years! This way! Follow me! All firs' years… alright there 'Ermione? Nice ter see yeh!"

She smiled warmly up at the half-giant. "Hello, Hagrid. Nice to see you!"

"Yeh better come visit me soon! Lots ter talk about!"

She nodded. "I look forward to it."

Ginny grabbed her upper arm and pulled her toward the exit of the platform as everyone pushed around them.

"You were about to get run over!" Ginny said in her ear. They saw Neville and Luna ahead and hurried up to the two of them.

Hermione stopped in her tracks, Ginny looking back at her only to notice what she was looking at.

Hermione saw big, black animals that literally looked like death horses. Harry had tried to explain what they looked like before, but it didn't do them justice.

Ginny's eyes were wide like Hermione's. Hermione looked around and noticed a few of the older students stopping and staring as well. There was a lot of death during the Battle of Hogwarts and it seemed like most of them had never seen a thestral until now.

"They won't bite. They're actually very sweet; they just have a bad reputation is all." Luna told Hermione and Ginny.

Hermione looked up to find that Luna and Neville were already in the carriage.

"Come on, Hermione. It's alright." Neville called, holding out his hand.

She took one more look at the strange animals before taking Neville's hand and allowing him to pull her in.

"They've always been here. You just couldn't see them." Neville mentioned in a low voice as she stared, transfixed at the back of the thestral.

She blinked and nodded, her stomach giving a lurch knowing that she saw the thestral because of Ronald.

Ginny leaned in and whispered into her ear. "Don't think about it. Even if he was still here, you'd still see them. We watched others die, too."

Hermione gave Ginny a small smile, thankful that she realized why she was so sick.

Hermione realized how much cooler the air was there than back in London earlier that morning. She had almost forgotten how the weather differed. There was a bit of a chill in the air, whether if it was her own nerves or the weather- she wasn't sure, but she was thankful that the school robes were so warm. She tightened her cloak around her as they slowly made their way up to the castle.

They came to the point in the trail where she knew they would turn and see the castle for the first time. She found herself holding her breath. Ginny took her hand and squeezed it, looking just as nervous as Hermione. Hermione squeezed her hand back reassuringly. The last time she saw it, it wasn't very pretty. She was worried that the broken castle would trigger her. As they made the turn and the magnificent castle came into view, she felt herself smile. It was no longer in ruins, although still not perfect, it looked much like it did when she first came to Hogwarts. There were still chunks of the castle still blown apart along the back outer edges, but they did a great job of fixing up the front, main campus.

Ginny laid her head on Hermione's shoulder and Hermione leaned her head against Ginny's. Squeezing Hermione's hand even tighter, Ginny let out a long sigh, grabbing her attention. Looking down, she found the ginger crying. It broke her heart.

"Oh, Ginny." She wiped her friend's tears off her cheek. "You've got this. I'm here for you. We'll do this together." For some reason, she felt confident about heading to the grounds, but maybe it was only because she knew Ginny needed support. It was easy for her to play that role for Ginny.

Ginny smiled and nodded. " We've got this. Just don't let go."

Hermione squeezed her hand. "Never… although… sleeping might be hard with clasped hands."

Ginny laughed. "We could always push our beds together…"

Hermione snorted a laugh, rolling her eyes.

Soon, the thestral stopped and they climbed out of the carriage together. Hermione grabbed onto Ginny's hand with both of hers, trying to muster all her strength. They could do this. She needed to be strong for Ginny. Her heart suddenly dropped into her stomach. She realized the first place they were forced to go would be the hardest place in the castle for them to face.

The girls stared up at the castle, both of their hands shaking.

Neville looked over at the girls, a bit worried. "Ready?"

They nodded. He stood behind them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders to lead them forward. Hermione was thankful to have Neville there for her and Ginny. The two might have been standing there the whole night at the rate they were moving.

He kept a firm hand on both of their shoulders as they ascended the front steps and into the entrance. The doors to the Great Hall stood open, students weaving in and out between them and Hermione felt her feet stop, her back pushing against Neville's hand as she tried to back pedal.

"None of that." He squeezed her shoulder. "It's going to be okay. Be brave."

She looked at Ginny, who had tears in her eyes. She looked down at their hands and realized that their hands were both white from squeezing so hard.

Hermione took a shaky breath and gave Ginny a small smile. She took a step and waited for Ginny to take one. Slowly, but surely with the help of Neville, the girls made it to the Great Hall doors. They both automatically looked toward the right, close to the Gryffindor table, but Neville pushed them in the other direction, going between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables, only to turn back to the Gryffindor table and sit on the opposite side, close to the head table. He pressed them down into their seats before sitting next to Hermione.

With a sigh, Hermione sat down and she could feel her legs shaking under her robes. She clenched her jaw, realizing that when she gave it any slack that her jaw quivered. Knowing she needed to relax a little, she let go of her vise grip on Ginny's hand only to link her elbow in hers and place her hands in her lap.

Neville kept himself turned towards the head table so he could keep an eye on both of the girls and Hermione gave him an appreciative smile.

"Thank you Neville. You're a true friend."

He smiled down at her and gripped her shoulder comfortingly. "No problem. Harry and I owled a few times this summer and decided it would be best if I looked after the two of you."

Hermione smiled at him. "Did you? I'll have to remember to thank him."

She looked toward Ginny and found her staring down at the opposite side of the table.

She tugged her elbow. "Don't. Just look toward the front."

XxXxXx

Harry sat down at the table, the Marauders Map in hand. He laid it down, giving Fred and George a view of it.

"They made it. They're in the Great Hall. Neville is with them. It seemed to take him a long time to get the girls moving." Harry told them, his eyes not wavering from the girls' names.

Fred pulled it closer to him, looking down at the names of who was there. He only recognized a few. His eyes scanned back to Ginny and Hermione.

"Well… they haven't made a run for it, yet… that has to be a good sign." George mentioned, trying to lighten the mood. "Oh, look. All the ickle firsties are stumbling in together."

XxXxXx

Hermione sat, trying to find every ounce of patience she could muster while the sorting went on. To be honest, she didn't really want to be there. She wanted to be able to go up to the dormitory and get away from the crowd. Ron's blue eyes kept popping into her mind's eye and it was starting to get to her. Across the table from her, a boy she didn't recognize complained he was hungry.

"Come on with it!" Ron complained, fidgeting in his seat.

"What has your wand in a knot?" Hermione asked.

"I'm hungry." He complained, sighing and dramatically dropping his head to the table.

"You're always hungry!" Hermione retorted.

"Yea… well… I'm a growing boy… don't want to stunt my growth, do you? Then I won't be able to throw you around anymore…"

Hermione looked up to see his blue eyes flash mischievously, causing a blush to appear on her cheekbones. She quickly turned her attention back to the sorting, hoping he wouldn't notice, but saw him smirk out of the corner of her eye.

"Hermione? Are you okay?" She snapped back to reality and saw Ginny staring at her.

"Yes. I'm fine. Got lost in my head."

Hermione felt the blush on her cheeks as if he had just said it. It was one of Hermione's fondest memories. That sorting their sixth year was the first time he openly flirted with her.

Headmistress McGonagall stood up and went over the rules, what parts of the castle were out of bounds, and what parts were still in need of repair.

"Now let's take a moment of silence for all who have lost their lives on May second." Headmistress McGonagall ended.

Everyone went silent and Hermione watched as she pulled out her wand and names started to flow out of it.

Hermione quickly turned toward Ginny and away from the front where the names were floating. She shook her head at Ginny, mouthing 'I can't do this'. Ginny wrapped her arms around her shoulders and Hermione did the same with her waist. They hid in each others shoulders as they started to hear others around them crying.

Hermione, who had held her sob in as long as she could, let it out. Soon, she and Ginny were both sobbing into each others shoulders, Neville's firm grip on them both. They could hear many others sobbing. They understood that the Headmistress was trying to be respectful of the dead, but it seemed to do more harm than good. By the time Hermione collected herself and pulled away from Ginny, the food had appeared.

She looked down at the long line of food in front of her and realized she wasn't that hungry. In fact, her stomach was so upset that she could feel the bile churning. She turned to Ginny who seemed to be feeling the same way.

"Maybe we'd feel better if we ate just a bit. We haven't eaten since breakfast." Ginny tried to reason. "How about we have a bite of his favorite pudding? We'll honor him by eating his favorite foods."

Hermione looked at Ginny and smiled. "That's brilliant."

They realized that eating their feelings was actually a bit fun. They chose pudding, a piece of chicken, and roasting potatoes. For dessert they tried a bite of almost everything, knowing that Ron never met a dessert he didn't like.

Exhausted and ready for bed, the girls stood up, their arms still linked.

"Ms. Weasley… may I have a word with you?" Headmistress McGonagall asked. "Mr. Longbottom, will you please escort Ms. Granger to your dormitories, please?"

The girls looked at one another and reluctantly unlinked arms. Hermione watched as Ginny exited through a door behind the head table.

"Ms. Granger…" Neville smiled, holding out his elbow.

"Thank you, Mr. Longbottom." She laughed, grasping the crook of his elbow.

He escorted her back down the aisle between the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs and they headed toward their common room.

"I don't know the password." Hermione told Neville, realizing.

"I do." He told her.

She didn't want to mention it, but she was quite worried that Neville might not remember it.

As if on cue, he answered. "Don't worry… I haven't forgotten."

She laughed. "Sorry, Nev."

They reached the Fat Lady.

"Password?"

"Beguiling Bubbles."

Hermione started to giggle at Neville. "You've got to be kidding!"

The Fat Lady smiled. "No, dear, he isn't. The Headmistress chose the password herself this year."

The portrait hole swung open and she and Neville clamored in.

"What do you think she needed Ginny for?" She asked Neville.

Before he could answer, the portrait hole swung open and Ginny came running in, a huge smile on her face.

She pulled Hermione over to the armchairs, which were already taken by a couple of first years.

Ginny growled at them. "Get up! Seniors only you little anklebiters!"

The girls jumped up, running to their dormitory.

Hermione rolled her eyes, throwing her robe over the chair and taking a seat in her favorite armchair by the fire. "Gin… stop scaring the first years. You sound just like the twins."

"Hey!" Fred's voice rang out.

"We take offense to that!" George yelled.

"Sound like a girl?!" Fred asked.

"Never!" They chorused together.

Ginny and Hermione jumped in their seats, startled. They looked down toward the fireplace to find the two Weasley twins and Harry.

"Well done, Sis." George complimented.

"Taking after your brothers." Fred added.

"Shut up!" Harry hissed at the twins. "We want to know why McGonagall pulled you away."

Hermione tutted. "It's Headmistress McGonagall, Harry…"

"Do you hear that?" George asked.

"It's been two bloody hours and she's already back to Prefect Hermione." Fred answered.

"Did we teach you nothing this summer?" George asked, looking at her.

"Oh, shut up George! The Headmistress only gave Fred the authority to call and it was only to be used during the designated times he and I agreed to. You are breaking the rules that she and I have set forth! I should report this! It is a privilege, not a right, after all. Maybe Fred cannot be trusted with such a privilege…"

The three men in the fire stared at her, openmouthed.

"You can't be serious…" George mentioned and turned his head to Fred. "Is she serious?" He asked Fred.

Hermione smiled down at Fred.

"No. She's pulling our leg." He answered, smiling back at Hermione.

"You're not serious then?" George asked, looking up at Hermione.

She dropped down from her chair to kneel in front of them.

"No, but I couldn't help berating you. Brings back memories doesn't it?" She smiled brightly.

"God, I love you." Fred told her. "You're looking pretty cute in that Gryffindor sweater by the way…" He added.

"HELLO?! REMEMBER ME?" Ginny yelled. "I have news to tell you!"

Hermione looked back at Ginny and sat back on her heels. "Go on, then."

She saw Neville sit in the armchair she just vacated. He waved at the men in the fire. Hermione gave him an odd look. He acted as if it was normal to have them all hanging out in the fireplace. She wondered if Harry had told him about the floo.

"Headmistress McGonagall pulled me aside to tell me that they are in need of a quiddich captain."

Harry smiled at Ginny. "And?!" He asked her expectantly.

"And… you're looking at the new captain of the team." Ginny finished.

Hermione hurried over to Ginny to give her a hug while the boys whooped, effectively scaring away the remaining first and second years in the room.

Hermione sat back down in front of the fire. "Harry, I want to thank you for talking to Neville about Ginny and me. We would have probably never made it into the hall without him."

"No problem, he's the one that offered actually. Thanks again, Neville!" Harry said, nodding to Neville.

"You can thank me when I get these two through the year." He said, smiling.

"I can get through myself thanks!" Ginny called.

Hermione laughed. "Please! A few hours ago you were recommending that we push our beds together!"

The men laughed.

"Wouldn't that be a sight?" George asked.

There was a smashing sound and Hermione's head flew around to find two younger boys playing wizard's chess.

Hermione peered over the top of her book at Ron, her lips pursed.

His sapphire blue eyes met hers. "What is it now?"

"Some of us are trying to read, Ronald! How can we concentrate while your pieces are busy killing each other? It's barbaric!"

"Bloody hell, Hermione! It's just a spell! They don't really have feelings…" He looked to Harry. "You watch… she'll have a spew for chess pieces next!"

"IT IS S.P.E.W RONALD WEASLEY! And don't be ridiculous!" She snapped her book shut and headed toward the portrait hole.

"I will be-"

"In the library!" Harry and Ron chorused.

She marched over to Ron and flicked his ear before heading back toward the portrait hole.

"That's abuse, that is!" Ron yelled, a smile on his face.

"Everything alright?" Hermione heard Harry ask.

She shook her head to clear it, turning back to the fireplace.

"Yes, just a couple of students playing chess."

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, don't look at me like that Harry Potter! You know wizard's chess annoys me. "

He smiled. "You going to rush off to the library now?"

She giggled. "It's closed at the moment."

Neville stood and stretched. "If you ladies are good, then I'm heading to bed. I will meet you down here to escort you to breakfast. Maybe this time I won't have to push you into the hall…" He added, winking.

Hermione and Ginny smiled.

Hermione yawned and realized just how tired she really was.

"That is our cue gentlemen." George said. "Good night ladies…"

George's head disappeared.

"Goodnight, Hermione."

"Goodnight, Fred. Thank you for calling, but maybe next time… you could ditch your friends?" She asked, winking.

"That can be arranged…" He told her, nodding. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

They sat there smiling at one another until Harry cleared his throat.

"Oh!" Hermione cried. "Yes… well, we best be leaving so that Ginny and Harry can say goodnight."

She stood, grabbed her robe and headed up the stairs, Fred watching her disappear with a swish of her skirt around her knees.