Happiness
Chapter Five - Breaking Away
Disclaimer: I'm not stealing them, I'm just borrowing 'em for a bit.
A/N: If you haven't read the summary, or any of the rest of the series, this is f/f slash, so don't read it if you don't like it, blah blah blah. Ahem. Also, it won't make much sense if you haven't read the other parts, so it's probably best if you read them first. More angst and fluff, as standard ;-). Actually, a lot more angst than action, but I promise there'll be more action next time! Huge long thanks section at the end, to make up for not having one at all on the previous parts. Can anyone spot the teeny bit I stole from Bridget Jones?
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The 24th April dawned bright and sunny. Most people spent the day going for walks or cycle rides or shopping, basically doing normal sunny-day activities. It was the last day of the Hogwarts Easter holiday, so most pupils were celebrating their last few hours of freedom, or buying supplies in Diagon Alley.
Hermione Granger spent the day shut in her room. She was about to begin her last term at Hogwarts, and she had homework to finish. That homework, and the knowledge of the impending new term, was all that had kept her going over these last days, since her mother had caught her in Diagon Alley, late at night, kissing Ginny Weasley.
There had been a lot of screaming, a lot of yelling, and she was grounded for the next ten years. She didn't quite like to remind her parents that she would be eighteen in a few months, and then she would be free anyway. And she was never to see or speak to Ginny again. The school had been informed, so they would even be kept apart there.
Yeah, right. As if they could really keep her away from Ginny. It was a school; there were hundreds of pupils to watch over. They couldn't keep her under surveillance every second of the day.
Tomorrow she could go back. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.
"Hermione!"
She snapped out of her thoughts. "What Mum?"
"Your father and I need a word with you."
"Coming." She sighed and began to make her way downstairs as slowly as possible. Whenever her mother used that tone, it meant she was in trouble. Although, considering how much trouble she was in already, she wasn't sure she cared anymore. She walked into the kitchen and found her mother and father sitting at the table, looking grave. ~Oh God. Now what?~
"Ah, Hermione," her mother began smoothly. "Sit down."
Hermione sat gingerly on the edge of the nearest chair and set her face in a sulky expression..
"We, your father and I, feel that, well, how can I put this…" she trailed off.
Hermione's father took over. "To put it bluntly, we don't want you to go back to Hogwarts tomorrow."
Hermione frowned. "Well, when can I go back then?"
Both her parents looked uncomfortable. "We…we don't want you to go back at all," her mother said quietly.
"But what about my NEWTs?" Hermione couldn't take it in. They weren't really suggesting…
"You can go to a sixth form and take A-levels instead. You have enough magical education with your OWLs, and really not much grounding in basic subjects. But, you're a bright girl, and with some extra coaching, I sure you'll catch up…"
Hermione leapt to her feet, her mouth hanging open. For a moment she simply gaped and blinked, unable to speak. Finally she pulled herself together enough to form a coherent sentence. "You…you've got to be kidding me," she sputtered. "And this is just because of me and Ginny? I don't believe it! How can you be so bigoted?"
"Now Hermione," her father admonished. "Don't throw random accusations at us. We have nothing against homosexuality…"
"Just as long as it's not your own daughter, right? Homosexuals are all right, as long as you don't have to have anything to do with them," Hermione was spitting with rage. "I simply can't believe you two! You can do what you bloody well like. I'm going back to Hogwarts tomorrow, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"
She ran to her room, dragged her trunk out of the corner and began frantically to stuff her school clothes into it. In her anger, she didn't hear the key turn in the lock on her bedroom door, or her mother's footsteps fading into the distance. In fact, she had no inkling that anything was amiss until she dragged her full trunk across the floor and attempted to open the door.
For ages, she rattled the handle in vain, and hammered on the unyielding wood, but to no avail. Eventually, sobbing with frustration, she sank to the floor and put her head on her knees. After much deliberation, she decided that this was enough of an emergency to warrant the use of magic, despite the risk of expulsion. She rummaged in her trunk until her hand touched the smooth wood. Pulling it out, she held it aloft and opened her mouth to perform a spell, then reeled in shock.
The wand was broken; snapped exactly in two, with one half dangling useless.
Hermione burst into fresh tears and flung the unfortunate wand at the opposite wall, knowing the futility of her gesture, but unable to stop herself. She didn't know how long she sat there crying, but, after a time, she came to her senses. This wasn't like her - Hermione Granger didn't sit around, defeated and sobbing. She dried her eyes, put her wand away, locked her trunk, and made her way to the window. Of course, that was locked too, except for the tiny top window, much too small for her to think out climbing out of.
She stared out at the gathering dusk, gloomily contemplating her fate. She had a lovely view of the park, and she watched the last few children leave the playground, until it was empty and lonely looking, a swing still gently shifting in the evening breeze.
Suddenly, she noticed something flying towards her window, something like a large butterfly, or a tennis ball. It was making straight for her little top window…
"Pig!" she cried out happily, snatching the tiny owl out of the air and holding it close to her heart, breathing quickly. More tears, though this time of joy, poured down her pale cheeks. Gently she took the parchment from the excited owl's leg and read it.
Dear Hermione,
How's life? Everything's totally hectic here since we had the news of
Percy's promotion, but I'll tell you all about that tomorrow. I just wanted to
check everything's Ok, really. I was messing about with our crystal ball today,
and it showed something about you. That you might be upset, or in pain or
something. It's probably nothing - I'm terrible at Divination and the ball's
really old. Just send Pigwidgeon back with a note to let me know you're all
right, Ok?
Love Ginny xoxoxo
Hermione scrabbled for a fresh piece of parchment and a quill, then hastily wrote out a reply.
Ginny - I need you help. My parents won't let me go back tomorrow. I'm
locked in my room. I'll explain when I see you. You have to get me out of here
tonight! Hermione.
She attached the parchment to the Pigwidgeon's leg, kissed it gently on the head and sent it soaring gleefully from her window. Having watched until the little owl was out of sight, she flopped onto her bed, knowing that all she could do now was pray.
***
"Hermione…Wake up…Hermione!"
"Go 'way Ron. 'S too early…" Hermione murmured, rolling over on her bed.
"Oh, for God's sake Hermione! It's not Ron, it's Fred…"
"…And George."
Hermione sat bolt upright, her eyes flying open. "Fred and George?! It's the middle of the bloody night! What the fuck…?"
"Ginny sent us…"
"…We apparated…"
"…Now shut up before you wake the whole country…"
"…And get your things ready to leave!"
Hermione stared at them frostily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Don't you two ever talk like normal people? And just how do you expect to get me back with you? I can't apparate yet!"
"We did think of that - you have to hold onto both our hands and we can take you with us when we disapparate," said Fred.
"You could sound a little more grateful, you know," added George. "We came all this way to get you."
Hermione frowned slightly. "I suppose so. I'm sorry guys - but you did wake me at some unearthly hour," she slid off the bed and pulled her coat on over her nightdress.
George looked puzzled. "Aren't you going to get dressed?" he asked, sounding slightly disappointed.
"What, with you two voyeurs in here?" Hermione laughed. "Give me a break. You'll have to try harder than that!"
Fred put on his best innocent face. "We wouldn't look, honest!"
"Unless you want us to," George added and they both sniggered childishly. Hermione sighed.
"What about my trunk? I can't hold that if I have to hold both your hands."
"Sit on it or something," suggested Fred, so Hermione did. The twins glanced at each other, and all three of them disapparated.
***
Ginny was sitting at the kitchen table, listlessly sipping a glass of milk, when Hermione and the twins apparated into the room. She jumped to her feet, spilled the milk all over the floor, stepped in it, slipped, and ended up on her arse in the milky puddle. The twins fell about laughing, while Hermione hurried over to help her up.
Ginny glared at Fred and George as Hermione brushed the milk of her girlfriend's backside. Surely it didn't require quite that much brushing…Not that Ginny was complaining of course.
Ginny glanced at the twins, then grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her out of the room and up the stairs. Only when they had reached the sanctuary of Ginny's room, with the door shut tightly behind them, did they dare embrace.
Hermione held Ginny tightly in her arms and kissed her deeply, breathing the other girl's familiar scent with a sense of the deepest relief. She suddenly realised that she was crying. Ginny pulled away and stoked her hair, kissing the warm, salty tears from Hermione's cheeks.
"It'll be alright," she whispered, feeling a few teardrops slide slowly down her own face, but smiling at the same time.
All she knew was that, somehow, it just had to turn out all right.
To be continued…
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Huge hugs and e-cookies to the following people:
BoyFlea, Kacella, Tessie, shell, Happiness, Sabrina Myst, CatFish, Keith Fraser, Adelina, Asuka-san, parvati, aubrey, MoonDancer, Candace, Mladybug3, ~~R~~, helena (actually, JK Rowling came up with that one), arcenciel, Adrienne, Glimmer Girl, Crymson Tyrdrop, lupinlover, Otaku_Neev, Talia, RatheraMutemwiya, Megan, Allaya, Ides of Diamonds, Object Of The Twin's Affection, Hermione Granger Weasley, Portia, Sabrina Myst, Dru, Haruka Tenou, cloud_strife_73 (I'm writing, I promise!), Beth825, minx (*is starstruck*), water_nymph, Taitofan, and Colin (Long live fluff!)
Sorry if I missed anyone out ;-)
