Hermione was only asleep for a few hours when her mother came prancing into
her room. Wincing, Hermione sat up and grumpily stated the obvious.
"Mom! It's not even light out yet!" She pulled the covers back over her head.
"Oh no you don't!" Her mother said happily and pulled Hermione's comforter off of her and to the foot of her bed. "We're going down to Diagon Alley today!" She said in the same too-happy tone.
"Why?" Hermione whined. Her mother plopped down onto the bed.
"ETMB called yesterday. It's a meeting for 'muggles'," She said with a special emphasis, like it was an award for being called a muggle. "To get more acquainted with the wizarding world." Her mother finished as she jumped off Hermione's bed. "And besides, the bookstore is having a sale." Hermione rolled her eyes and covered her head in her pillow.
"I'm not going." She said, but sounded more like "mmnrrfgongg"
"What's that dear?" Hermione took her pillow off of her face and glared at her mother. Just then, her dad walked in.
"Okay, we're leaving in a half hour!" He too looked way too chipper for it only being six in the morning. Her mother bounded out of the room and Hermione slouched back into bed. She covered herself back up and wished her parents would disappear.
"Hey Ron!" Mr. Weasly appeared in the doorway of his room. "Today I have a special thing to do and I'm taking you with me. You've been stuck in here for too long." His father looked around the room in repulse. "Besides, it smells horrid in here." When Ron didn't move, his father pulled at his arm. "Well c'mon then. Get in your robes. We're going to Diagon Alley!"
After an awful drive to the city, Hermione and her parents finally arrived. Feeling quite at home, but still angry, she told her parents she'd meet them for tea when their meeting was over. Before they could protest, she left. Traveling down the sea of wizards, she breathed in the fresh air and felt that maybe, just maybe, things would start to look up. That was until she heard an all too familiar voice coming her way.
"C'mon, then, Ron. No need to slow us down. The muggles are having a meeting down here. Isn't that great? We can ask everything I need to know!" His father didn't even stop to listen to Ron's grumbling. It was probably better that he didn't.
"I hope I don't see anyone I know." He was saying, "a mad muggle crazed father on search for-" He suddenly stopped when he heard his father say something about Mr. & Mrs. Granger.
"What's that?" Ron asked, as they stalled for a minute while his father looked in a window. Hermione was hiding behind a rack of cloaks just to Ron's left.
"I said I was hoping to see Mr. & Mrs. Granger here. They told me earlier this year that the missus was expecting to join ETMB." That statement, along with the realization that Hermione could be here, put Ron in another grumbling fit. Hermione didn't mean to hear what she heard, but she did, being only a foot or so away from him.
"Bloody Hell, I hope Hermione isn't here. Stuck up little brat she is, will go along ruining the rest of my holiday."
Gasping, Hermione stood, not caring if Ron saw her. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on the way you looked at it, he did. His eyes were wide in a shock for a moment, but then his face was covered in a "Why- should-I-care" look that made Hermione feel awful. Eyes brimming with tears, she stared Ron in the face before they began to fall. Mr. Weasley opened his mouth, but Hermione turned and ran in the other direction before he could say anything. Ron was extremely anger and began swearing under his breath.
"Did I miss something?" Came Mr. Weasly's confused voice.
Hermione was running through all crowds of wizards, occasionally causing a disgruntled witch or warlock to shoot her a dirty look, where she would quickly utter an apology. Tears were falling down her face and she ran up to the Inn where her parents rented two rooms; one for her, and one for them. She checked the key she carried in her pocket and quickly ran to the door and opened it. She flew onto the bed and lay on her stomach, crying into the pillow.
"What's the matter dear?" A sweet voice startled Hermione and she looked up.
"Don't be so shocked." A deep bass voice said calmingly. Hermione then realized that the mirror and the vanity were speaking to her. Otherwise she would be quite shocked, but she was in Diagon Alley.
"Nothing." She said, muffled into her pillow.
"I don't believe that for one minute, do you?" Said the high, sweet voice. The deep bass voice from the vanity chuckled. Hermione had a pounding headache.
"You're concern is nice and all but really, I want some quiet." She snapped, and the vanity's laughter stopped.
"Look, Ron! Look! Those mini earmuffs are speaking to that man!" Mr. Weasly said excitedly. Ron rolled his eyes. "And wow, look over here. That woman is talking into a little metal device. I've got to get the scoop on that." Without waiting for Ron, he ran into the crowd. Ron was extremely disgruntled now and decided to go the room he and his father were sharing.
Hermione looked into the mirror on the wall. Her eyes were pink and puffy, her hair was bushy, and she felt miserable.
"C'mon, dear, don't feel so bad. Just go get cleaned up and you'll feel so much better."
"I'll let you in on a little secret." The vanity said in its deep voice. "There's a good bathroom with a huge tub down the hall, to the right. All you need to do is,"
"Hey, are you sure you should tell the girl this?" The nightstand spoke in an annoying gossipy tone.
"Look at her, she's heartbroken." Replied the mirror.
"All you need to do is," continued the vanity, "scratch the doorknob on its right, knock twice and say, "Coming in from room 5." And knock once more."
"But we're in room seven!" Hermione exclaimed. One of the knobs of the vanity appeared to wink.
"Timeless secret." It told her. Hermione smiled faintly and turned the knob to leave. Looking at the floor, she walked only a few steps and ran right into who else than:
"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, falling to the ground.
"Mom! It's not even light out yet!" She pulled the covers back over her head.
"Oh no you don't!" Her mother said happily and pulled Hermione's comforter off of her and to the foot of her bed. "We're going down to Diagon Alley today!" She said in the same too-happy tone.
"Why?" Hermione whined. Her mother plopped down onto the bed.
"ETMB called yesterday. It's a meeting for 'muggles'," She said with a special emphasis, like it was an award for being called a muggle. "To get more acquainted with the wizarding world." Her mother finished as she jumped off Hermione's bed. "And besides, the bookstore is having a sale." Hermione rolled her eyes and covered her head in her pillow.
"I'm not going." She said, but sounded more like "mmnrrfgongg"
"What's that dear?" Hermione took her pillow off of her face and glared at her mother. Just then, her dad walked in.
"Okay, we're leaving in a half hour!" He too looked way too chipper for it only being six in the morning. Her mother bounded out of the room and Hermione slouched back into bed. She covered herself back up and wished her parents would disappear.
"Hey Ron!" Mr. Weasly appeared in the doorway of his room. "Today I have a special thing to do and I'm taking you with me. You've been stuck in here for too long." His father looked around the room in repulse. "Besides, it smells horrid in here." When Ron didn't move, his father pulled at his arm. "Well c'mon then. Get in your robes. We're going to Diagon Alley!"
After an awful drive to the city, Hermione and her parents finally arrived. Feeling quite at home, but still angry, she told her parents she'd meet them for tea when their meeting was over. Before they could protest, she left. Traveling down the sea of wizards, she breathed in the fresh air and felt that maybe, just maybe, things would start to look up. That was until she heard an all too familiar voice coming her way.
"C'mon, then, Ron. No need to slow us down. The muggles are having a meeting down here. Isn't that great? We can ask everything I need to know!" His father didn't even stop to listen to Ron's grumbling. It was probably better that he didn't.
"I hope I don't see anyone I know." He was saying, "a mad muggle crazed father on search for-" He suddenly stopped when he heard his father say something about Mr. & Mrs. Granger.
"What's that?" Ron asked, as they stalled for a minute while his father looked in a window. Hermione was hiding behind a rack of cloaks just to Ron's left.
"I said I was hoping to see Mr. & Mrs. Granger here. They told me earlier this year that the missus was expecting to join ETMB." That statement, along with the realization that Hermione could be here, put Ron in another grumbling fit. Hermione didn't mean to hear what she heard, but she did, being only a foot or so away from him.
"Bloody Hell, I hope Hermione isn't here. Stuck up little brat she is, will go along ruining the rest of my holiday."
Gasping, Hermione stood, not caring if Ron saw her. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on the way you looked at it, he did. His eyes were wide in a shock for a moment, but then his face was covered in a "Why- should-I-care" look that made Hermione feel awful. Eyes brimming with tears, she stared Ron in the face before they began to fall. Mr. Weasley opened his mouth, but Hermione turned and ran in the other direction before he could say anything. Ron was extremely anger and began swearing under his breath.
"Did I miss something?" Came Mr. Weasly's confused voice.
Hermione was running through all crowds of wizards, occasionally causing a disgruntled witch or warlock to shoot her a dirty look, where she would quickly utter an apology. Tears were falling down her face and she ran up to the Inn where her parents rented two rooms; one for her, and one for them. She checked the key she carried in her pocket and quickly ran to the door and opened it. She flew onto the bed and lay on her stomach, crying into the pillow.
"What's the matter dear?" A sweet voice startled Hermione and she looked up.
"Don't be so shocked." A deep bass voice said calmingly. Hermione then realized that the mirror and the vanity were speaking to her. Otherwise she would be quite shocked, but she was in Diagon Alley.
"Nothing." She said, muffled into her pillow.
"I don't believe that for one minute, do you?" Said the high, sweet voice. The deep bass voice from the vanity chuckled. Hermione had a pounding headache.
"You're concern is nice and all but really, I want some quiet." She snapped, and the vanity's laughter stopped.
"Look, Ron! Look! Those mini earmuffs are speaking to that man!" Mr. Weasly said excitedly. Ron rolled his eyes. "And wow, look over here. That woman is talking into a little metal device. I've got to get the scoop on that." Without waiting for Ron, he ran into the crowd. Ron was extremely disgruntled now and decided to go the room he and his father were sharing.
Hermione looked into the mirror on the wall. Her eyes were pink and puffy, her hair was bushy, and she felt miserable.
"C'mon, dear, don't feel so bad. Just go get cleaned up and you'll feel so much better."
"I'll let you in on a little secret." The vanity said in its deep voice. "There's a good bathroom with a huge tub down the hall, to the right. All you need to do is,"
"Hey, are you sure you should tell the girl this?" The nightstand spoke in an annoying gossipy tone.
"Look at her, she's heartbroken." Replied the mirror.
"All you need to do is," continued the vanity, "scratch the doorknob on its right, knock twice and say, "Coming in from room 5." And knock once more."
"But we're in room seven!" Hermione exclaimed. One of the knobs of the vanity appeared to wink.
"Timeless secret." It told her. Hermione smiled faintly and turned the knob to leave. Looking at the floor, she walked only a few steps and ran right into who else than:
"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, falling to the ground.
