Chapter Three- Changes, Naps, and Dangerous Books

"Hermione?" Ginny repeated.  "What's the matter?"

Oh my god. 

"Mione, you look like you just saw a banshee.  Or like your mum just died.  What's up?"

Oh my dear god.

"Mione?"

"OH MY GOD!"

"Mione, what's wrong?" 

"OH MY GOD!"

Ginny gave up on trying to get an answer.  Hermione did look terrible.  As soon as she had read the note, she had fallen into her chair with a loud thud.  The color had drained from her face, leaving Hermione a very unattractive pasty white.  Ginny grabbed the letter and wiped the butter off the back.  She quickly scanned the letter and looked back at Hermione.

"Well, you can say that again."

By this time the entire table had abandoned their eating and was looking at Ginny and Hermione, confused.  Harry was about to ask the question on everyone's mind when Ginny cleared her throat and read the letter aloud.

Dear Hogwarts Alumni,

            We hope that you are all enjoying your lovely spring season.  Everyone at the school is excellent, as we hope you are too.  Unfortunately, tomorrow's reunion will not be able to take place at the school.  We are sorry for such short notice, the reunion will still occur, but in a different setting.  A former student has graciously offered his home for us to use.

Ginny stopped here because of an interruption.

"But, bloody hell, whose house is big enough for all the people?" asked Ron.

"If you would shut up for more than three seconds, I would tell you, Ron," Ginny shot back, annoyed.  "Excuse me."  Ginny continued reading.

            The reunion will take place at the Malfoy Manor at the same time as planned.  We all hope to see you there.

            With best wishes,

                        Minerva McGonagall

                        Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Hermione was still sitting, shocked.  She was staring blankly at the food on her plate, muttering under her breath.  Ginny folded up the letter and sat down. 

"Well, I suppose that his house in the only one large enough to hold us all.  From what I have heard it is quite impressive," Ginny stated in a calm voice. 

Hermione looked at her with wide eyes.  She seemed to be having trouble focusing and whispered, "Gin, I can't go to this!  Not as his house!  Do you remember the last time we saw each other?  It was a disaster!  There is no way in hell I can do this!  Oh god!"

Ginny grabbed a blubbering Hermione by the arm and pulled her out of the kitchen, up the stairs, and into her own room.  She practically shoved Hermione onto her bed, shut and locked the door, and turned around.  She was looking very grim and began pacing in front of the bed.

"Hermione, you can do this.  I know that your last meeting with any member of the Malfoy family was not pleasant.  I am not going to argue against that.  In fact, it was probably one of the most unpleasant events I have witnessed in a long time.  But, you can not let your fear of one family destroy your vacation."  She stopped for a moment and looked at the scared girl's face.  "Mione, I know that you are scared.  He has done nothing but make your life miserable for seven years."

"Oh Gin, what am I going to do?" Hermione questioned, looking both sad and angry with herself for letting a little change of plans get under her skin.

To Hermione's surprise, Ginny gave a very evil smile, another Weasley trademark.  She took Hermione by the hand and made her stand up.  "Well, there is only one thing that I can think of."  She pulled Hermione over to one side of the room and opened her wardrobe.  "Give him hell and look gorgeous while doing it!"

*   *   *   *   *

Hermione and Ginny spent the better half of the day working on a wardrobe for Hermione.  When Ginny had seen the clothes that Hermione had brought, she sighed and shoved them back into the bag.

"Mione, what were you planning on wearing to the reunion?  Did you bring any Muggle clothes at all?"

"Well, see, I was kind of planning on asking to borrow some of your clothes…" Hermione trailed off and looked at her friend with an embarrassed look.  Gin, don't make this harder than it has to be… "You know clothes so much better than I do…"

"That's what I thought."

The two picked out five outfits, each of them very different from the robes that Hermione had brought.  The reunion was a two-day, one-night thing.  They would arrive the following morning and stay the night.  The reunion would close on the second night with a banquet.  The theme of Muggles in New York would be carried out throughout the entire time; seeing as such, the five outfits the two girls chose were all Muggle clothes. 

Ginny was much help to Hermione.  She had loads more clothes than Hermione and she knew what was popular at the moment.  Working at a clothing shop, it was obvious that Ginny took the time to read not only the wizard magazines, but also Muggle ones.  Hermione saw an issue of a magazine lying on the bed.

"Gin, what's this?  Vogue?  What is it?"

"Oh, it's an American Muggle magazine.  I picked it up yesterday to help me pick out what to wear.  Thought it might be useful.  What do you think of this?  I think it would work for you.  Maybe you could pull it off."  She held up a photo of a very skinny model with black hair, black eyebrows, heavy black eyeliner, a black dress, and very white skin.

Oh my god.  "No way in hell."

"I was just kidding Hermione, relax."  Ginny continued to flip through the magazine. 

Hermione sat on the bed with Ginny and took her advice; she relaxed.  For the first time in a while, Hermione felt at peace with herself.  She was with her three best friends, she had food in her stomach, she was dealing with a major change of plans that had caused her some grief and she had amazing clothes to wear for the next couple of days.  Wow… I am glad that I came to the Burrow… There is no place like it… Good food… Good friends… Comfy beds… With that last thought, Hermione fell asleep.

*   *   *   *   *

By the time Hermione woke from her nap, the sky was dark.  She sat up and looked around, a little confused by her surroundings.  Where is my nightstand?  Why didn't I leave the light on?  What is going on?  Hermione then remembered that she was at the Burrow and smiled.  She got up slowly from the bed and stretched high towards the ceiling and then to her sides.  With the satisfying crack of her back, Hermione up-righted herself and opened the door to go back to the kitchen. 

Before she got one step down the stairs a very annoying voice called out, "Well, well, well.  Little Miss First-I-Am-Late-Then-I-Yell-At-My-Best-Friends-And-Try-To-Strangle-The-Cutest-One-And-Then-Disappear-For-A-Good-Four-Hours-And-Take-A-Nap-While-Making-Everyone-Else-Tiptoe-Around-So-As-Not-To-Wake-Me-Up has finally chosen to grace us with her royal presence."

Hermione looked up towards the source of the voice, knowing the owner before she even saw him.  "Shut uh-uh-up, Ron."  This meaning of this comment was degraded a bit when she yawned in the middle.  "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night.  I was really tired."

Ron smirked and came down the stairs till he was on the same step as she was.  "Oh, gosh, then let me assist you down the stairs."  In a very exaggerated motion he bowed to her and held out his arm.   It was obvious that he was making fun of her. 

'Thank you, Ron.  What a gentleman!  I will have to thank your mom for raising you correctly!"  Hermione's voice was dripping with as much disdain as Ron's.  Hermione's years at Hogwarts with Harry and Ron had taught her how to act with as much sarcasm as anyone else.  Despite that, she still took his arm and continued down the stairs with the tall redhead.  They reached the bottom and Hermione turned to the left while Ron turned to the right. 

Hermione walked into the kitchen and saw that Mrs. Weasley was busy cooking dinner.  It looked as though a small army was going to be fed.  Well, they are the Weasleys Hermione thought with a slight chuckle.  They could eat an entire horse a piece and complain of no seconds.  She walked over the Mrs. Weasley and offered to help.

"Oh no, dear.  Thank you, but you go on and sit with everyone else.  The boys are all outside.  I think Harry said something about Quidditch.  You know how those boys are… Always wanting to go over to the field and play.  I think Ginny might be outside in the garden.  I know how you feel about Quidditch, so maybe the garden would be a better choice."  Mrs. Weasley shooed Hermione out the door and turned back to her cooking.  "Such a nice girl… To bad Ron likes that Amy…"

Hermione walked around the house until she reached the garden.  Mrs. Weasley was right… thought Hermione.  Ginny was sitting on a small bench in the middle of a very weedy patch.  She looked very engrossed in a thick book.  Hermione walked up to her quietly, knowing that she herself hated it when she was interrupted from her reading. 

Ginny must be really involved… I know that I am no elephant, but I pretty much slammed the door and stomped over here… I wonder what could be so captivating… Hermione walked over to Ginny and sat down next to her.  She glanced at the text of the book and smiled.  She knew exactly which book Ginny was reading, having read it about a hundred times herself. 

"What's up, Gin?" Hermione asked in a very loud voice.  Ginny jumped about three feet into the air when she heard the voice.  Hogwarts, A History fell to the ground into a particularly muddy spot.

"Ahh!"

Hermione practically fell of the bench in laughter. 

"Oh, shut up.  It's not funny.  What are you doing sneaking around here anyways?" Ginny inquired in a very huffy tone.  "I swear, when I first met you, you were so nice and kind.  I think being friends with my brother has been a bad influence on you!  Now you sneak up on innocent, sweet little girls and scare them into having a heart attack.  I could have died!  Then you wouldn't be laughing, would you?"

Hermione was still laughing; she was now holding onto her stomach so it would not fall off from her mirth.

"Alright, Hermione.  If this is so funny, then why don't I just summon Draco Malfoy over here and make him ask you what is so great?"

Hermione shut up very quickly.

"Thank you."

"Oh, Gin, I was just kidding.  You looked so engrossed in your book I couldn't help myself.  It was like a natural instinct that couldn't be suppressed.  Like when someone puts an ice cream sundae in front of you, you just have to take advantage of it and eat it.  You looked so cute, I just had to take advantage of it and scare you."

"Well, you sure know the way to a girl's heart…"

"Ice cream," they said together. 

There was a brief, but comfortable, silence before Hermione questioned, "You wouldn't have really brought Malfoy in.  Right?"

"Of course not, Mione.  I was just trying to get you to shut up.  It worked too." Ginny grinned.  "So, why are you out here?"

"I tried to help your mum with dinner, but she practically pushed me out the door."

"Yeah.  I think after the twentieth time Ron tried to help and blew up his twentieth chicken she decided to do all the cooking herself.  Pretty smart if you ask me.  One time, when I was about eight or so, I wanted to cook and she let me prepare the whole meal by myself," Ginny told Hermione, a small smile playing at her lips.  "I think it was the worst thing anyone had ever eaten.  All the boys kept trying to say that it was bad, but Mum made them shut up by kicking them under the table.  I bet their legs were bruised by the end of the meal.  I saw them making horrible faces at each other, but I was so proud that I did it all by myself, I didn't care.  Did you ever do anything like that?"

"Yeah, when I was six, I helped my mum bake a cake.  It was horrendous.  It was supposed to be a chocolate birthday cake for my dad.  I think by the time I was finished with it the cake had not enough eggs, and too much flour, sugar, and baking soda.  But mind you, a cake is actually to have baking POWDER, not baking SODA.  I was really proud of that cake.  My parents ate their entire slices.  Parenting must be harder than we thought, huh?"

"Yeah."

"I bet your mum is done with dinner.  Let's go back inside. You can finish your book another time."

"You're right.  Plus, if I wanted to know anything, you have the whole book memorized, right?  I can just ask you!" Ginny ran inside to avoid the book that Hermione threw at her head.

*   *   *   *   *

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Author's Notes:

Ok, I thought that by the end of chapter three that I would have Hermione at the reunion.  Guess not.  She might get to the Malfoys by chapter four, but she will be at the reunion by the end of chapter five, I promise you.  I think that this story will probably be more towards the twenty chapter line than the twelve chapter line.  Long stories are better anyways.

Another thing that I just wanted to add is that although this chapter might seem longer than the other two, it's not.  All the other chapters don't have as much dialogue, which takes up a lot of space.   All my chapters will have at least 2000 words, otherwise I don't think its long enough.  Just FYI…

It's my favorite time again, the time for me to beg you guys to review.  What fun!!!  Actually, as much as I joke about it, I really would appreciate any comments that you, as readers, have.  I can't make my story better without the help of people's comments.  Did you guys like this chapter?  Did you like the other chapters better?  What was your favorite line?  What was your least favorite line?  What do you think I should put in?  What should I take out?  Anything that you guys have to say, I am willing to listen. 

Love,

MOLLY