On the morning of the field trip, Hermione and Ron were enjoying
their breakfast at a relaxed pace, overjoyed that they had no classes and
didn`t even have to do anything but lounge around for another few hours.
"You look quite happy," Ron commented. "I assume that means you`re better."
"Yes," she said. "I`ve completely forgotten about the other night."
"Good. Then today we can go have some fun."
"Tell me about it. We never do anything like this."
"Attention, students," announced Professor McGonnagal over the loudspeaker. "Remember that the train boards at exactly 11:00 for the field trip. Students must be dressed in nice or formal attire, but do not need to wear their uniforms. Please bring a change of clothes for the following day, pajamas, and hygiene neccessities. The train will arrive in Lanceltown at 5:00 and we will be checking in at the Tower Hotel at 5:30. The next day we will be visiting the Historical Museum of Sorcery after breakfast and leave for Hogwarts after lunch. No classes will follow on that day. Remember to be on your best behavior. Violators of policy will be sent straight home and will answer to Dumbledore himself."
"Did you hear that?" Ron asked. "No uniforms."
"Is that all you can find to be excited about?" Hermione asked hopelessly. Then she looked up at the ceiling and saw some owls begin to fly through the windows. "Oh, look. The post."
"Sweet."
Two owls flew down toward them and dropped an envelope to Ron and a package to Hermione.
"That must be your birthday present," Ron observed. "Hey, look. It`s a letter for all of us from Percy and Penelope."
"How nice. When are they getting married?"
"They don`t know yet. It has to be a time that Charlie and Bill can both make it down to come."
Hermione was opening her box and looking through the tissue paper, and she gasped as soon as she saw what lay at the bottom. "A veratix," she said, taking out a small crystal ball with tiny flecks of iredescent yellow inside. "If the person holding it says something that isn`t true, the flecks move all over the place like atoms and turn red. They`re used in witch trials. Well, I mean, not *those* kind of witch trials," she added with a laugh.
"Cheery. Just the kind of present I would want," Ron said sarcastically.
Hermione smiled, embarassed. "I`ve always wanted one so I can use it to study by myself."
Ron nodded with a "go figure" expression.
"Well, I`m going to go change into some real clothes for the first time in five months," Hermione announced, getting up from the table.
"Knock yourself out," Ron said, and added jokingly, "Hermione`s going to look *sexay* today."
She laughed and walked away.
.
Fifteen minutes before boarding time, Hermione was standing outside with all the other kids with her bag placed neatly beside her high-heeled feet. Standing straight with her arms crossed and her hair up in a neat bun, she somehow achieved a kind of Audrey Hepburn elegance. She was wearing a soft pink button-up cardigan with short sleeves, a short denim skirt with a large belt, and dark panty hose with black pumps. Ron approached her from the side and whistled.
As soon as Hermione turned her head she covered her mouth and couldn`t help but crack up laughing. Ron was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and tie with tight plaid pants with legs that went down too long.
"So, how do I look?" Ron asked, placing his hands on his hips posingly. "Do I look sexy? Am I sexy or what?"
"Nice pants, Ron," she said. "You look like Shaggy."
"Where`s Harry?"
"Didn`t he come down with you?"
"No. I had all my stuff in Benji`s room cause it`s closer. I haven`t been up in our dorm for over an hour."
"What was he doing when you were changing?"
"He was still asleep."
"What?!"
.
"Honestly, could there be a more annoying time for the stairs to be changing?" Ron yelled as he and Hermione climbed the stairways up to the entrance to the Gryffindor quarters. By the time they got to him and Harry`s dormitory door he was too lazy to use any more passwords. Instead they just pounded on the door and started shouting.
"Harry! What are you doing in there?!"
They stopped knocking when the door moved, and it opened to reveal a tired-looking Harry wearing baggy lounge pants and no shirt. But of course, he did have his glasses on.
"Well, you look cute," he said tiredly to Hermione. "Uh...What time is it?"
"Ugh!" Hermione screeched, practically attacking him as she pushed him backwards back into his room. "Don`t tell me you just got up! The boats are leaving for the train station."
"What?" Harry said, actually surprised that he`d slept in so much.
"Get some clothes on. Where is your stuff?" she asked, putting her own bag down on his bed.
"I haven`t packed."
"Why the hell not?" she tried not to shriek at him. "Never mind. You get dressed and I`ll pack."
Ron could have helped if he was a decent human being, but he was quite fascinated by how fast Hermione could do something like this and still manage to do it nicely, so he couldn`t help but only stand by and watch. She tore Harry`s drawers open one after another, throwing items at Harry for him to put on. "Here, khakis," she said, finding the only pants in his collection that could pass as being formal. Then she grabbed a random white T-shirt and threw it at him, followed by a button-up shirt that she commanded him to wear over it. He got on his canopy bed and drew the curtains around him to change while Hermione packed his book bag full of more clothes. "Ron, get me his toothbrush and stuff."
"Yes`m," he said, getting into the drawer of Harry`s nightstand where such things were.
Harry called from inside the curtains, "Can somebody let Hedwig out?"
Hermione went to the owl`s cage and opened the door. "Go on, Hedwig," she said, coaxing it out as it flew from the cage to the nightstand. "We`re going away for a couple days. Enjoy yourself." She opened the window so that Hedwig could fly out and then closed it again.
Harry emerged from inside the bed wearing the khakis, what turned out to be a Hives T-shirt, and one of his plaid flannel shirts that was always comfortable and befitting. Wearing both shirts together looked a little funny since the T-shirt was his own and he filled it out pretty well for not having beefy muscles, and the overshirt was a hand-me-down from Dudley that fit him quite loosely. Hermione, accepting responsibility for the band T-shirt and therefore deciding not to make him get something more formal, came forward and quickly fixed him up, buttoning up the shirt and brushing out some wrinkles here and there and then buttoning the ends of the sleeves.
"Thanks, MUM," Harry said sarcastically.
"Shut up, brat," she said, but then kissed him on the cheek before turning around to get his bag. As soon as she was facing away he undid the buttons on his sleeves.
"Here`s your stuff, babe," Harry said, picking up Hermione`s bag from his bed. He immediately groaned because it was so heavy. "Why do you have so much shit in your bag?"
"It`s my books. To study on the train."
Harry said nothing and shook his head as he zipped her bag open, grabbed the handful of leather-bound books inside and dumped them all onto his bed.
"Harry!"
He zipped up her much lighter bag and handed it to her, taking his own from her, and grabbed her hand to lead her out of the room. "Come on. You guys can`t miss the train just cause I`m a lazy ass."
They were lucky enough to arrive back outside just as they were about to load the boats. As they were waiting to get on Harry noticed Ron`s outfit for the first time.
"Well, hullo, Mister Sixties Day Tripper," he said. "Since when have you had those pants?"
"Since Percy went out of his mod and vintage phase and I got all of his clothes."
"You dress like that all the time when you`re not in uniform?"
"Sort of."
"God, we have to see eachother more outside of school. That`s sad."
"Maybe that dreadful aunt and uncle of yours would let you come visit just to get rid of you some time."
"Yeah right. You`re not thinking on the right level of evilness."
"Haven`t they warmed up to you at all?" Hermione asked. "I mean, after you`ve been away from them for a school year, don`t you think they might be a little forgiving when you come back?"
"Uh...not really this time," Harry said. "I`ll be lucky if they even let me step foot back in their house. I kind of...told them to fuck off the last time I saw them."
Hermione`s eyes widened and she was about to say something scolding when they were interrupted by an enthusiastic declaration yelled from a few feet away.
"Are you three wankers ready to rock or what?!"
They turned their heads to see Fred and George standing with their bags, George holding a boom box over his shoulder.
"You look quite happy," Ron commented. "I assume that means you`re better."
"Yes," she said. "I`ve completely forgotten about the other night."
"Good. Then today we can go have some fun."
"Tell me about it. We never do anything like this."
"Attention, students," announced Professor McGonnagal over the loudspeaker. "Remember that the train boards at exactly 11:00 for the field trip. Students must be dressed in nice or formal attire, but do not need to wear their uniforms. Please bring a change of clothes for the following day, pajamas, and hygiene neccessities. The train will arrive in Lanceltown at 5:00 and we will be checking in at the Tower Hotel at 5:30. The next day we will be visiting the Historical Museum of Sorcery after breakfast and leave for Hogwarts after lunch. No classes will follow on that day. Remember to be on your best behavior. Violators of policy will be sent straight home and will answer to Dumbledore himself."
"Did you hear that?" Ron asked. "No uniforms."
"Is that all you can find to be excited about?" Hermione asked hopelessly. Then she looked up at the ceiling and saw some owls begin to fly through the windows. "Oh, look. The post."
"Sweet."
Two owls flew down toward them and dropped an envelope to Ron and a package to Hermione.
"That must be your birthday present," Ron observed. "Hey, look. It`s a letter for all of us from Percy and Penelope."
"How nice. When are they getting married?"
"They don`t know yet. It has to be a time that Charlie and Bill can both make it down to come."
Hermione was opening her box and looking through the tissue paper, and she gasped as soon as she saw what lay at the bottom. "A veratix," she said, taking out a small crystal ball with tiny flecks of iredescent yellow inside. "If the person holding it says something that isn`t true, the flecks move all over the place like atoms and turn red. They`re used in witch trials. Well, I mean, not *those* kind of witch trials," she added with a laugh.
"Cheery. Just the kind of present I would want," Ron said sarcastically.
Hermione smiled, embarassed. "I`ve always wanted one so I can use it to study by myself."
Ron nodded with a "go figure" expression.
"Well, I`m going to go change into some real clothes for the first time in five months," Hermione announced, getting up from the table.
"Knock yourself out," Ron said, and added jokingly, "Hermione`s going to look *sexay* today."
She laughed and walked away.
.
Fifteen minutes before boarding time, Hermione was standing outside with all the other kids with her bag placed neatly beside her high-heeled feet. Standing straight with her arms crossed and her hair up in a neat bun, she somehow achieved a kind of Audrey Hepburn elegance. She was wearing a soft pink button-up cardigan with short sleeves, a short denim skirt with a large belt, and dark panty hose with black pumps. Ron approached her from the side and whistled.
As soon as Hermione turned her head she covered her mouth and couldn`t help but crack up laughing. Ron was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and tie with tight plaid pants with legs that went down too long.
"So, how do I look?" Ron asked, placing his hands on his hips posingly. "Do I look sexy? Am I sexy or what?"
"Nice pants, Ron," she said. "You look like Shaggy."
"Where`s Harry?"
"Didn`t he come down with you?"
"No. I had all my stuff in Benji`s room cause it`s closer. I haven`t been up in our dorm for over an hour."
"What was he doing when you were changing?"
"He was still asleep."
"What?!"
.
"Honestly, could there be a more annoying time for the stairs to be changing?" Ron yelled as he and Hermione climbed the stairways up to the entrance to the Gryffindor quarters. By the time they got to him and Harry`s dormitory door he was too lazy to use any more passwords. Instead they just pounded on the door and started shouting.
"Harry! What are you doing in there?!"
They stopped knocking when the door moved, and it opened to reveal a tired-looking Harry wearing baggy lounge pants and no shirt. But of course, he did have his glasses on.
"Well, you look cute," he said tiredly to Hermione. "Uh...What time is it?"
"Ugh!" Hermione screeched, practically attacking him as she pushed him backwards back into his room. "Don`t tell me you just got up! The boats are leaving for the train station."
"What?" Harry said, actually surprised that he`d slept in so much.
"Get some clothes on. Where is your stuff?" she asked, putting her own bag down on his bed.
"I haven`t packed."
"Why the hell not?" she tried not to shriek at him. "Never mind. You get dressed and I`ll pack."
Ron could have helped if he was a decent human being, but he was quite fascinated by how fast Hermione could do something like this and still manage to do it nicely, so he couldn`t help but only stand by and watch. She tore Harry`s drawers open one after another, throwing items at Harry for him to put on. "Here, khakis," she said, finding the only pants in his collection that could pass as being formal. Then she grabbed a random white T-shirt and threw it at him, followed by a button-up shirt that she commanded him to wear over it. He got on his canopy bed and drew the curtains around him to change while Hermione packed his book bag full of more clothes. "Ron, get me his toothbrush and stuff."
"Yes`m," he said, getting into the drawer of Harry`s nightstand where such things were.
Harry called from inside the curtains, "Can somebody let Hedwig out?"
Hermione went to the owl`s cage and opened the door. "Go on, Hedwig," she said, coaxing it out as it flew from the cage to the nightstand. "We`re going away for a couple days. Enjoy yourself." She opened the window so that Hedwig could fly out and then closed it again.
Harry emerged from inside the bed wearing the khakis, what turned out to be a Hives T-shirt, and one of his plaid flannel shirts that was always comfortable and befitting. Wearing both shirts together looked a little funny since the T-shirt was his own and he filled it out pretty well for not having beefy muscles, and the overshirt was a hand-me-down from Dudley that fit him quite loosely. Hermione, accepting responsibility for the band T-shirt and therefore deciding not to make him get something more formal, came forward and quickly fixed him up, buttoning up the shirt and brushing out some wrinkles here and there and then buttoning the ends of the sleeves.
"Thanks, MUM," Harry said sarcastically.
"Shut up, brat," she said, but then kissed him on the cheek before turning around to get his bag. As soon as she was facing away he undid the buttons on his sleeves.
"Here`s your stuff, babe," Harry said, picking up Hermione`s bag from his bed. He immediately groaned because it was so heavy. "Why do you have so much shit in your bag?"
"It`s my books. To study on the train."
Harry said nothing and shook his head as he zipped her bag open, grabbed the handful of leather-bound books inside and dumped them all onto his bed.
"Harry!"
He zipped up her much lighter bag and handed it to her, taking his own from her, and grabbed her hand to lead her out of the room. "Come on. You guys can`t miss the train just cause I`m a lazy ass."
They were lucky enough to arrive back outside just as they were about to load the boats. As they were waiting to get on Harry noticed Ron`s outfit for the first time.
"Well, hullo, Mister Sixties Day Tripper," he said. "Since when have you had those pants?"
"Since Percy went out of his mod and vintage phase and I got all of his clothes."
"You dress like that all the time when you`re not in uniform?"
"Sort of."
"God, we have to see eachother more outside of school. That`s sad."
"Maybe that dreadful aunt and uncle of yours would let you come visit just to get rid of you some time."
"Yeah right. You`re not thinking on the right level of evilness."
"Haven`t they warmed up to you at all?" Hermione asked. "I mean, after you`ve been away from them for a school year, don`t you think they might be a little forgiving when you come back?"
"Uh...not really this time," Harry said. "I`ll be lucky if they even let me step foot back in their house. I kind of...told them to fuck off the last time I saw them."
Hermione`s eyes widened and she was about to say something scolding when they were interrupted by an enthusiastic declaration yelled from a few feet away.
"Are you three wankers ready to rock or what?!"
They turned their heads to see Fred and George standing with their bags, George holding a boom box over his shoulder.