"We're going to need to go to Diagon Alley next week to get your school
things, you know," Molly Weasley said that night at dinner.
"Doesn't seem possible," said Harry. "It feels like I only just got here."
"I can't believe it'll be our last year," said Hermione. "On the one hand, it feels like I've been going to Hogwarts forever, but on the other it feels like...."
"You've only been there a single term," finished Ginny, beside her. "Are you done with the butter, Ron?"
"Oh, sorry, Gin," said her brother, flushing and passing the butter. Indeed, he'd nearly put his elbow in it. He'd been off in space mentally most of the meal. Harry had a rather mischevious grin on his face as he turned to his friend.
"So, who is she, Ron?" he asked.
"Who's who?" Ron attempted to look innocent. He was about as successful as Ginny was at it.... not at all.
Harry smiled, and said, "The girl that's got your head in the clouds. But you don't have to tell me. I suppose I could just go upstairs and read that letter you left on your..."
"HARRY! Dammit, Harry, if you..." Harry faked leaving the table just long enough to get Ron up in a panic.
"Boys!" said Molly. "Eat your dinners. You can horseplay afterwards."
"Oh, there IS someone!" said Ginny, in great glee, watching Ron's discomfiture with the evil joy only a younger sibling can manage.
"Confess, Ron!" said Hermione. "Or I'll turn Ginny loose on you."
"Okay, her name's Sylvia and she's in Ravenclaw," Ron admitted, blushing quite red. "But we're just friends."
"Uh-huh," said Hermione, laughing. "Try again, Ron. You started out as friends."
"Nothing wrong with that," added Ginny, darting Hermione a loving glance.
Ron sighed, "Okay, we started out as friends. But we're not an item yet so, lay off, okay? I don't want to scare her off."
"Ron, have you looked in the mirror lately?" Hermione laughed. "You'll be beating them off with a stick when you go back to school." Ron rolled his eyes. However, Hermione was more right than wrong. He'd had a growth spurt this summer, to his mother's despair, and everyone else's amusement as he banged into everything and became clumsy as could be. Hands and feet that had been too large on arms and legs that were too long had suddenly come into proportion, and he'd been putting on muscle. If anything, he looked like Bill, who everyone joked was wasting model-handsome looks on cursebreaking. He had some of Bill's rakish, devil-may-care charm, too, but it hid a thoughtful and intelligent young man.
Harry, too, had grown up, but he wasn't nearly as broad through the shoulders as his friend. Like the pictures of his father, he was slender and tall, hair still uncontrollable unless cropped down short, and his face, while much like his father's through shape and jaw and nose, had his mother's green eyes and broad mouth, made for smiling and laughter. He drew in one corner when concentrating, the same as she had, also, but the raking of his hand through his hair when distracted was his father's gesture, one he'd noted in the wizard photos he had of his parents.
"So, Harry, who's your girlfriend?" asked Molly. She had it out before she noticed the flinch from his friends. He looked at her and sighed.
"I don't have one, and no, it's not because I can't get one."
"ohhh...Harry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"No, it's okay. You should know why, if anyone does," and his gaze touched both Molly and Arthur Weasley. "For one thing, I'm famous. And, yeah, I've dated, but I don't much like the people who are wanting to go out with the Boy Who Lived, if you know what I mean. When I find someone who can see Harry, not that, I'll reconsider."
He bit his lip, and continued. "Voldemort is the other reason. I...I don't want to put anyone in a position where he hurts them. I know that if he wants to hurt someone I care about, he's got a lot of candidates, some in this room. But if I had a girlfriend, she'd go right up there as target number one. I don't want to do that to anyone, so no girlfriend until that bastard is dead."
There was a long silence, then Arthur nodded.
"I can't blame you for that, Harry," he said. "But I admire you for the courage you show in making that decision, and sticking to it."
"Thanks," Harry said. "You know, I was going to ask you....what does the Ministry look for in an Auror?"
Arthur's brows went up. "Considering that, are you?"
"Well, it's either that, or Quidditch...I've been getting offers from some of the smaller teams, and Professor Hooch thinks that the bigger teams will be owling me starting next spring...but I don't think I'll feel right doing nothing but playing Quidditch until Voldemort's defeated. I'd rather be working against him in any way I can."
"Your parents would be proud of you, Harry," Molly said, something that looked like it might be tears in the corner of her eyes.
"So, um, Ron, what were you thinking about doing when you get out?" Harry asked, taking the conversation off the still sore topic of his parents.
"Well, I actually had been talking to Dad about that one. He thinks I'd be a decent analyst..the kind that takes things apart and puts them together in the research arm of the Department of Magical Implements, you know...since I inherited his liking to tinker with things. So I'm going to take Advanced Charms and the advanced seminar of History of Magic this year, although I know I'll have to work my arse off to pass that Charms class, and apply as soon as I get the results of my NEWTs."
"You'll want to study advanced cursebreaking too," said Hermione. "Assuming we have a Defense Against The Dark Arts professor who can teach it."
There was a laugh around the table. Hogwarts had a dismal record of retaining DADA teachers, and it hadn't gotten any better. The latest had had to resign her job at Hogwarts for the astonishingly mundane reason of pregnancy; not that she wanted to, but her spouse had persuaded her that getting hit by stray hexes would probably be bad for the baby. She'd be back next year, but it had left the position open.
"I'm going to begin to study with Madam Pomfrey next year," Ginny said. "I got the owl to confirm it from her and Dumbledore yesterday."
"Thinking of mediwitch school?" her father said, surprise in his voice.
"Specifically, the Shatters School of Medical Wizardry," she said.
"That's the one attached to St. Mungo's," said Harry, with a little awe in his voice. "If you graduate from there in good standing, you could do anything you wanted, anywhere."
"That's the plan," Ginny said with a grin. "If I study with Madam Pomfrey for the next two years in addition to my usual work, I should be a shoo-in, she thinks."
"Chosen a specialty yet?" her mother said jokingly.
"I don't really know yet. Madam Pomfrey says I'd be good with pediatrics or obstetrics, but I kind of get a little excited thinking about the possibilities of working in trauma specialties...you know, right there on the front lines and all, seeing everything...."
"Heh, yeah, you'll get these two coming in as patients once a week," Hermione said, laughing and indicating Ron and Harry.
"Hey, hey, hey, analysis is the back room, guys! Regular hours! No danger! Don't get worried about it! I mean, we've got Bill and Charlie to fill out the 'dangerous jobs" roster. I don't need to get on it!" laughed Ron, as he stood up. "Who's on dishes tonight, anyway?"
"I am," said Hermione. She frowned, and small gestures of beckoning with her hands levitated people's dirty dishes and floated them to her place, to be piled into a stack.
"Showoff," said Harry affectionately.
"Hey, practice makes perfect, " she said, carrying them to the sink. "Has the mail got here yet?"
"Not yet," said Molly. "Hedwig does what she can, but of course there's sometimes too much for her, and Pigwidgeon can only manage one letter at a time."
"Pig's generally taking a letter to Syl-via..." Harry said in a teasing singsong, and then got jumped by Ron, who wrestled him down to the floor between table and stove, both of them laughing.
"OUTSIDE!" yelled Molly, and grabbed ears and arms and shoved until the kitchen was clear of teenage male exuberance. Ginny laughed, and leaned against the far wall.
"Male bonding. I'll never understand it."
"I don't either, but I don't have to," said her mother. "They can just take it outside." She flicked her wand at the teapot, and sat down at the table with a sigh. "Well. Do you ladies know which day next week you want to go?"
"Actually," said Hermione, having set the dishes to washing themselves up with a spell Molly had taught her, and set the broom to sweep the floor clear of crumbs, "I'm waiting for a letter from Professor McGonagall. Apparently she manages the scholarship paperwork, and I need a key to the vault that will have my money in it for the year. Her last letter said she'd send it, but it's not come yet." She sat down at the table and rolled her head on her neck to ease fatigue. Ginny came over and began to rub her shoulders.
"If she said she will, she will, " Molly said. Arthur having retreated out to the shed to tinker, and the boys not having come back in, they had the house to themselves for a moment. It was nice to sit and sip coffee while the dishes clinked away in the sink, and the radio played in the background.
"Plus, Mum," said Ginny, "None of us have gotten the letters with the supply lists yet. I know 'Mione's got hers from last year, but there's no guarantees on what texts they're going to use, and anyway I'm taking a few classes she didn't. So we're all stuck."
"Well, it should be any time now," said Hermione, and then laughed as there was a tapping on the kitchen window. "Damn, I should take up prophecy," she said, as Molly opened the window and Hedwig labored in, heavily laden with mail. She was darting a rather nasty glance at Pigwidgeon, who, having landed and dropped his one small letter, was now hooting as if he'd hauled a full bag. Ginny handed Hedwig two owl treats as compensation, and began sorting the mail.
"Here's the letters, Mum! Mine, Hermione's, Ron's, and Harry's. And this is for you too, but I can tell by the weight there's a key in it, 'Mione," Ginny said, putting the mail in piles.
"Hm. Bills, bills, and more bills, " said Molly, looking through the other things. "A letter from Bill, one from Charlie...this feels like some pictures from my cousin, I've been expecting those...and....oh." She abruptly sobered. "Hermione, this one's from your parents."
Their eyes all met, and Hermione's eyes were filled with stark memories.
*
"I want to know what that...that...display was about at the station, young lady!"
Hermione met her eyes coolly, with the slight confidence that is given by being a half-inch taller than one's mother. "Saying goodbye to my girlfriend, mother. Seeing that we won't be seeing each other all summer, I wanted one good kiss to keep my heart warm."
"Well, why don't you two just pose for dirty movies, then! You sure looked like you were trying out for it!"
"No worse than what straights do, Mother," she thrust back. "If she'd been a tall, upstanding young man who happened to be the heir to a nice title, you'd have nodded approvingly while we did worse, and you know it."
"Obviously that witching school has perverted your natural instincts."
"Hardly, mother. I've spent the last three years dating boys and trying to make myself like it. I just decided to give up on the lies. I love Ginny, and she loves me. She's a year younger than me..."
"Oh, how very mature of you, seducing..."
"I'll have you know she kissed me first, Mother." That shut her up, and Hermione went on. "She's very intelligent, as well as beautiful, and will be studying to be a doctor when she finishes school. So I'm not settling for a plumber. And her family is a proud one in wizarding society, so I'm doing just what you taught me, picking someone who'll do well. The difference is, we chose each other, and I'm not doing it so you can brag about it at your bridge club."
"Oh, I bet her family's just thrilled that she's decided on you, then."
"Actually, her brother's one of my best friends, and her mother wrote me and said she'd be delighted to have another daughter to love. Can you manage to at least acknowledge that I am not your clone, Mother? Let me have a summer in which I do what I want, which does not include dating all the sons of your best friends."
"Now, Keith is a lovely boy....I'm sure if you just keep looking, you won't have to settle for a girl..."
*
Hermione took a deep breath, and reached for the envelope. Her hands were steady when she opened it, but her nerves showed in the way she worried her lower lip with her teeth. She read it through, and then said, "Oh, my God! I...I have to go...my father..."
Ginny grabbed the letter out of her hand and scanned it quickly, then looked at her mother. "Mum, I have to go with her."
"Of course you do," Molly said. "What...ah," as she herself read the letter.
Hermione: I don't know if this owl will find you but it always has managed in the past so I'll give it a try. Your father abruptly collapsed today between patients, and is in St. Edwards, near our house. They are going to do surgery on him on Wednesday morning, and I think you should I hope you can come and be there. I think we need to be together...I know I need you there. If you feel that you need to bring anyone, I will do the best I can. There were mistakes made on both sides last time we met, and I'm sor.
Mother "I'll pack you two a suitcase," said Molly, and went upstairs. Ron and Harry, slightly grassy and laughing, came through the back door, and stopped short when they saw Hermione and Ginny.
"What happened?" said Ron.
"Her father is in hospital. His heart."
"Merlin!" breathed Harry, in surprise. "What...."
"She and I are going to go there, of course," Ginny said, hands rubbing Hermione's shoulders.
"How?" Ron asked.
"I was a Muggle for several years, Ron, I do know how to function in a Muggle world," Hermione said tartly. "And what a lovely thought, that this is here now," she said, holding up the letter that held, from the feel and the outline that her fingers could discern through the envelope, a Gringotts key. "I'll even be able to afford to do it."
"I know your parents' house is connected up to the Floo network, Hermione," said Ginny. "Tomorrow morning we can get up early and Floo over to Gringotts, and then from there to your parents' house."
"We can take a cab from there to the hospital," Hermione said. "Remind me to change part of what I get out into Muggle money."
She exhaled, initial panic reaction over with. "There's no sense running off over there, when we can't get the money until tomorrow morning. I think I need a hot bath and some time to relax," she said, and Ginny nodded, a glance at Hermione confirming that her relaxation would include Ginny's presence.
Harry walked over and bent to hug her where she sat. "I'll be thinking of you guys."
She smiled up at him. "Thanks, Harry. We'll be back in a day or two, so don't worry. Do you want to go to Diagon Alley together Friday?"
"Works for me, " said Harry with a shrug. "You, Ron?"
"Whenever," he said. "You want to get in a little flying while it's still light, Harry?"
"Sounds like a plan," he said, and the two boys grabbed their brooms and headed outside. Harry had drawn on the money he had and gotten Ron a good broom for his last birthday, saying that it was actually a present to him to have someone who he had to work to outfly.
As the door banged behind them, Hermione pushed her chair back with a sigh, "Let's go figure out what to wear, Gin...and I could really use a shoulder rub."
"Only if I get one in return." But she was smiling.
"Doesn't seem possible," said Harry. "It feels like I only just got here."
"I can't believe it'll be our last year," said Hermione. "On the one hand, it feels like I've been going to Hogwarts forever, but on the other it feels like...."
"You've only been there a single term," finished Ginny, beside her. "Are you done with the butter, Ron?"
"Oh, sorry, Gin," said her brother, flushing and passing the butter. Indeed, he'd nearly put his elbow in it. He'd been off in space mentally most of the meal. Harry had a rather mischevious grin on his face as he turned to his friend.
"So, who is she, Ron?" he asked.
"Who's who?" Ron attempted to look innocent. He was about as successful as Ginny was at it.... not at all.
Harry smiled, and said, "The girl that's got your head in the clouds. But you don't have to tell me. I suppose I could just go upstairs and read that letter you left on your..."
"HARRY! Dammit, Harry, if you..." Harry faked leaving the table just long enough to get Ron up in a panic.
"Boys!" said Molly. "Eat your dinners. You can horseplay afterwards."
"Oh, there IS someone!" said Ginny, in great glee, watching Ron's discomfiture with the evil joy only a younger sibling can manage.
"Confess, Ron!" said Hermione. "Or I'll turn Ginny loose on you."
"Okay, her name's Sylvia and she's in Ravenclaw," Ron admitted, blushing quite red. "But we're just friends."
"Uh-huh," said Hermione, laughing. "Try again, Ron. You started out as friends."
"Nothing wrong with that," added Ginny, darting Hermione a loving glance.
Ron sighed, "Okay, we started out as friends. But we're not an item yet so, lay off, okay? I don't want to scare her off."
"Ron, have you looked in the mirror lately?" Hermione laughed. "You'll be beating them off with a stick when you go back to school." Ron rolled his eyes. However, Hermione was more right than wrong. He'd had a growth spurt this summer, to his mother's despair, and everyone else's amusement as he banged into everything and became clumsy as could be. Hands and feet that had been too large on arms and legs that were too long had suddenly come into proportion, and he'd been putting on muscle. If anything, he looked like Bill, who everyone joked was wasting model-handsome looks on cursebreaking. He had some of Bill's rakish, devil-may-care charm, too, but it hid a thoughtful and intelligent young man.
Harry, too, had grown up, but he wasn't nearly as broad through the shoulders as his friend. Like the pictures of his father, he was slender and tall, hair still uncontrollable unless cropped down short, and his face, while much like his father's through shape and jaw and nose, had his mother's green eyes and broad mouth, made for smiling and laughter. He drew in one corner when concentrating, the same as she had, also, but the raking of his hand through his hair when distracted was his father's gesture, one he'd noted in the wizard photos he had of his parents.
"So, Harry, who's your girlfriend?" asked Molly. She had it out before she noticed the flinch from his friends. He looked at her and sighed.
"I don't have one, and no, it's not because I can't get one."
"ohhh...Harry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"No, it's okay. You should know why, if anyone does," and his gaze touched both Molly and Arthur Weasley. "For one thing, I'm famous. And, yeah, I've dated, but I don't much like the people who are wanting to go out with the Boy Who Lived, if you know what I mean. When I find someone who can see Harry, not that, I'll reconsider."
He bit his lip, and continued. "Voldemort is the other reason. I...I don't want to put anyone in a position where he hurts them. I know that if he wants to hurt someone I care about, he's got a lot of candidates, some in this room. But if I had a girlfriend, she'd go right up there as target number one. I don't want to do that to anyone, so no girlfriend until that bastard is dead."
There was a long silence, then Arthur nodded.
"I can't blame you for that, Harry," he said. "But I admire you for the courage you show in making that decision, and sticking to it."
"Thanks," Harry said. "You know, I was going to ask you....what does the Ministry look for in an Auror?"
Arthur's brows went up. "Considering that, are you?"
"Well, it's either that, or Quidditch...I've been getting offers from some of the smaller teams, and Professor Hooch thinks that the bigger teams will be owling me starting next spring...but I don't think I'll feel right doing nothing but playing Quidditch until Voldemort's defeated. I'd rather be working against him in any way I can."
"Your parents would be proud of you, Harry," Molly said, something that looked like it might be tears in the corner of her eyes.
"So, um, Ron, what were you thinking about doing when you get out?" Harry asked, taking the conversation off the still sore topic of his parents.
"Well, I actually had been talking to Dad about that one. He thinks I'd be a decent analyst..the kind that takes things apart and puts them together in the research arm of the Department of Magical Implements, you know...since I inherited his liking to tinker with things. So I'm going to take Advanced Charms and the advanced seminar of History of Magic this year, although I know I'll have to work my arse off to pass that Charms class, and apply as soon as I get the results of my NEWTs."
"You'll want to study advanced cursebreaking too," said Hermione. "Assuming we have a Defense Against The Dark Arts professor who can teach it."
There was a laugh around the table. Hogwarts had a dismal record of retaining DADA teachers, and it hadn't gotten any better. The latest had had to resign her job at Hogwarts for the astonishingly mundane reason of pregnancy; not that she wanted to, but her spouse had persuaded her that getting hit by stray hexes would probably be bad for the baby. She'd be back next year, but it had left the position open.
"I'm going to begin to study with Madam Pomfrey next year," Ginny said. "I got the owl to confirm it from her and Dumbledore yesterday."
"Thinking of mediwitch school?" her father said, surprise in his voice.
"Specifically, the Shatters School of Medical Wizardry," she said.
"That's the one attached to St. Mungo's," said Harry, with a little awe in his voice. "If you graduate from there in good standing, you could do anything you wanted, anywhere."
"That's the plan," Ginny said with a grin. "If I study with Madam Pomfrey for the next two years in addition to my usual work, I should be a shoo-in, she thinks."
"Chosen a specialty yet?" her mother said jokingly.
"I don't really know yet. Madam Pomfrey says I'd be good with pediatrics or obstetrics, but I kind of get a little excited thinking about the possibilities of working in trauma specialties...you know, right there on the front lines and all, seeing everything...."
"Heh, yeah, you'll get these two coming in as patients once a week," Hermione said, laughing and indicating Ron and Harry.
"Hey, hey, hey, analysis is the back room, guys! Regular hours! No danger! Don't get worried about it! I mean, we've got Bill and Charlie to fill out the 'dangerous jobs" roster. I don't need to get on it!" laughed Ron, as he stood up. "Who's on dishes tonight, anyway?"
"I am," said Hermione. She frowned, and small gestures of beckoning with her hands levitated people's dirty dishes and floated them to her place, to be piled into a stack.
"Showoff," said Harry affectionately.
"Hey, practice makes perfect, " she said, carrying them to the sink. "Has the mail got here yet?"
"Not yet," said Molly. "Hedwig does what she can, but of course there's sometimes too much for her, and Pigwidgeon can only manage one letter at a time."
"Pig's generally taking a letter to Syl-via..." Harry said in a teasing singsong, and then got jumped by Ron, who wrestled him down to the floor between table and stove, both of them laughing.
"OUTSIDE!" yelled Molly, and grabbed ears and arms and shoved until the kitchen was clear of teenage male exuberance. Ginny laughed, and leaned against the far wall.
"Male bonding. I'll never understand it."
"I don't either, but I don't have to," said her mother. "They can just take it outside." She flicked her wand at the teapot, and sat down at the table with a sigh. "Well. Do you ladies know which day next week you want to go?"
"Actually," said Hermione, having set the dishes to washing themselves up with a spell Molly had taught her, and set the broom to sweep the floor clear of crumbs, "I'm waiting for a letter from Professor McGonagall. Apparently she manages the scholarship paperwork, and I need a key to the vault that will have my money in it for the year. Her last letter said she'd send it, but it's not come yet." She sat down at the table and rolled her head on her neck to ease fatigue. Ginny came over and began to rub her shoulders.
"If she said she will, she will, " Molly said. Arthur having retreated out to the shed to tinker, and the boys not having come back in, they had the house to themselves for a moment. It was nice to sit and sip coffee while the dishes clinked away in the sink, and the radio played in the background.
"Plus, Mum," said Ginny, "None of us have gotten the letters with the supply lists yet. I know 'Mione's got hers from last year, but there's no guarantees on what texts they're going to use, and anyway I'm taking a few classes she didn't. So we're all stuck."
"Well, it should be any time now," said Hermione, and then laughed as there was a tapping on the kitchen window. "Damn, I should take up prophecy," she said, as Molly opened the window and Hedwig labored in, heavily laden with mail. She was darting a rather nasty glance at Pigwidgeon, who, having landed and dropped his one small letter, was now hooting as if he'd hauled a full bag. Ginny handed Hedwig two owl treats as compensation, and began sorting the mail.
"Here's the letters, Mum! Mine, Hermione's, Ron's, and Harry's. And this is for you too, but I can tell by the weight there's a key in it, 'Mione," Ginny said, putting the mail in piles.
"Hm. Bills, bills, and more bills, " said Molly, looking through the other things. "A letter from Bill, one from Charlie...this feels like some pictures from my cousin, I've been expecting those...and....oh." She abruptly sobered. "Hermione, this one's from your parents."
Their eyes all met, and Hermione's eyes were filled with stark memories.
*
"I want to know what that...that...display was about at the station, young lady!"
Hermione met her eyes coolly, with the slight confidence that is given by being a half-inch taller than one's mother. "Saying goodbye to my girlfriend, mother. Seeing that we won't be seeing each other all summer, I wanted one good kiss to keep my heart warm."
"Well, why don't you two just pose for dirty movies, then! You sure looked like you were trying out for it!"
"No worse than what straights do, Mother," she thrust back. "If she'd been a tall, upstanding young man who happened to be the heir to a nice title, you'd have nodded approvingly while we did worse, and you know it."
"Obviously that witching school has perverted your natural instincts."
"Hardly, mother. I've spent the last three years dating boys and trying to make myself like it. I just decided to give up on the lies. I love Ginny, and she loves me. She's a year younger than me..."
"Oh, how very mature of you, seducing..."
"I'll have you know she kissed me first, Mother." That shut her up, and Hermione went on. "She's very intelligent, as well as beautiful, and will be studying to be a doctor when she finishes school. So I'm not settling for a plumber. And her family is a proud one in wizarding society, so I'm doing just what you taught me, picking someone who'll do well. The difference is, we chose each other, and I'm not doing it so you can brag about it at your bridge club."
"Oh, I bet her family's just thrilled that she's decided on you, then."
"Actually, her brother's one of my best friends, and her mother wrote me and said she'd be delighted to have another daughter to love. Can you manage to at least acknowledge that I am not your clone, Mother? Let me have a summer in which I do what I want, which does not include dating all the sons of your best friends."
"Now, Keith is a lovely boy....I'm sure if you just keep looking, you won't have to settle for a girl..."
*
Hermione took a deep breath, and reached for the envelope. Her hands were steady when she opened it, but her nerves showed in the way she worried her lower lip with her teeth. She read it through, and then said, "Oh, my God! I...I have to go...my father..."
Ginny grabbed the letter out of her hand and scanned it quickly, then looked at her mother. "Mum, I have to go with her."
"Of course you do," Molly said. "What...ah," as she herself read the letter.
Hermione: I don't know if this owl will find you but it always has managed in the past so I'll give it a try. Your father abruptly collapsed today between patients, and is in St. Edwards, near our house. They are going to do surgery on him on Wednesday morning, and I think you should I hope you can come and be there. I think we need to be together...I know I need you there. If you feel that you need to bring anyone, I will do the best I can. There were mistakes made on both sides last time we met, and I'm sor.
Mother "I'll pack you two a suitcase," said Molly, and went upstairs. Ron and Harry, slightly grassy and laughing, came through the back door, and stopped short when they saw Hermione and Ginny.
"What happened?" said Ron.
"Her father is in hospital. His heart."
"Merlin!" breathed Harry, in surprise. "What...."
"She and I are going to go there, of course," Ginny said, hands rubbing Hermione's shoulders.
"How?" Ron asked.
"I was a Muggle for several years, Ron, I do know how to function in a Muggle world," Hermione said tartly. "And what a lovely thought, that this is here now," she said, holding up the letter that held, from the feel and the outline that her fingers could discern through the envelope, a Gringotts key. "I'll even be able to afford to do it."
"I know your parents' house is connected up to the Floo network, Hermione," said Ginny. "Tomorrow morning we can get up early and Floo over to Gringotts, and then from there to your parents' house."
"We can take a cab from there to the hospital," Hermione said. "Remind me to change part of what I get out into Muggle money."
She exhaled, initial panic reaction over with. "There's no sense running off over there, when we can't get the money until tomorrow morning. I think I need a hot bath and some time to relax," she said, and Ginny nodded, a glance at Hermione confirming that her relaxation would include Ginny's presence.
Harry walked over and bent to hug her where she sat. "I'll be thinking of you guys."
She smiled up at him. "Thanks, Harry. We'll be back in a day or two, so don't worry. Do you want to go to Diagon Alley together Friday?"
"Works for me, " said Harry with a shrug. "You, Ron?"
"Whenever," he said. "You want to get in a little flying while it's still light, Harry?"
"Sounds like a plan," he said, and the two boys grabbed their brooms and headed outside. Harry had drawn on the money he had and gotten Ron a good broom for his last birthday, saying that it was actually a present to him to have someone who he had to work to outfly.
As the door banged behind them, Hermione pushed her chair back with a sigh, "Let's go figure out what to wear, Gin...and I could really use a shoulder rub."
"Only if I get one in return." But she was smiling.