Hermione wandered aimlessly around Diagon Alley, unsure of what to
buy for her new school year. She wandered in and out of Flourish and
Blott's, glancing through the stacks of books before it became too stifling
hot and she had to leave.
She stared around at all the happy families that surrounded her, many people claiming their children had to be ready to go for the beginning of the new school year. Hermione made it a game of listening to see which school was mentioned most and Hogwarts soon won by a long shot. She studied the students closely, wondering if any of them were going to be in her classes this year.
"Hermione? Hermione, it is you!" A voice from her left startled her and she turned in the direction it came from.
"Mrs. Weasley?"
The short, red-haired woman rushed towards her, almost knocking her over in a hug. Her face hadn't changed except for the dark circles under her eyes. "It's been too long," she exclaimed, holding Hermione at arm's length. "What are you up to this summer?"
"Staying with a friend," Hermione replied quickly, perhaps too quickly. Mrs. Weasley gave her a funny look.
"Arthur heard that you were staying with the Malfoys; is this true?"
Hermione hung her head and nodded. "Yeah, it is," she said but Mrs. Weasley's smile brought her face back up.
"Well, I'm glad to see you're all getting along," she said softly. "But you know, you're welcome to stay with us anytime."
"I was going to stay this summer," Hermione started and the entire story spilled out. She told her how Ron had invited her but he and Harry were going to Australia, and how Draco had asked her to stay and she had nowhere else to go and didn't want to go back to her parents and how she couldn't stay at school. She began to cry as she told Mrs. Weasley all about her woes at Malfoy Manor; how Draco had changed so much and Lucius was acting like a human being and about Narcissa's death.
"I heard about that," Mrs. Weasley said, handing Hermione a tissue to wipe her eyes on. "That poor woman. I feel just horrible for her. After all she went through." Mrs. Weasley's voice tapered off and her sad tone was replaced by a smile. "That's enough of that," she said, steering Hermione off the street. "Why don't you come back to the Burrow for a bite of something to eat? We would be more than glad to have you."
Hermione considered this, wondering if she should leave Draco alone for so long. "He's a grown boy," she argued with herself. "You love him, yes, but you have to have a life yourself."
"All right," she said, smiling at Mrs. Weasley and taking her arm. "Thanks for the invitation."
"Not at all, dear." Mrs. Weasley led her to the grate where they both took a pinch of Floo powder and stepped into the emerald flames.
"The Burrow," Hermione stated when it was her turn and she felt her head begin to spin as if she were on a really wild ride. When it stopped, she saw Fred (or George; she couldn't tell them apart) smiling at her from beside the kitchen table.
"To what do we owe this honour?" he asked, helping Hermione brush the soot off her clothes.
"Now George, don't you be giving her a hard time," Mrs. Weasley said, tying on her apron. She tapped George on the head with her wand. "Now go; let the poor girl get settled." She moved out of the way and led Hermione to the table where she pulled out a chair for her. "Don't mind the twins," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth. "Ever since they started their little joke shop, they've been worse than ever."
A commotion over by the front door distracted the two women and they turned in that direction. Mr. Weasley had just come bursting through the door with a kettle in his arms that was emitting tiny alphabet letters from its spout. "Molly, dear, have we got any of that powder in an envelope I brought home last week?" His eyes travelled past his wife to Hermione and he almost dropped the kettle.
"Hermione Granger? What a pleasant surprise; I didn't know you were dropping by!"
"She was in Diagon Alley," Mrs. Weasley told him, dropping a white envelope into her husband's hands. "I invited her back to the house for a bite to eat."
"How nice," Mr. Weasley commented as he began forcing pinches of the pink powder down the kettle's spout. Slowly, the alphabet letters were ceasing. "How have you been, Hermione?"
"Okay," Hermione replied, thinking of the past few weeks. "How about you?"
"Just fine, thank you, just fine," Mr. Weasley answered somewhat absentmindedly. He was trying to shoo the twins away from the kettle. "It is not 'cool' boys so get away from it." He smiled gently at Hermione. "Been keeping busy?"
"Yes," Hermione answered, looking around the room. It felt weird to be in the Burrow without either Ron or Harry there. She felt almost lonesome until she spotted Ginny Weasley descending from the staircase.
"Mum, I think there's a bunch of Doxys in the upstairs curtain. It keeps rattling something awful." She looked up and her face brightened. "Hermione! What are you doing here?" She rushed to hug her friend tightly and then scrutinized her face closely. "The Malfoys haven't been hurting you in any way, have they?"
Hermione shook her head. "How did you know I was staying with the Malfoys?" she asked quietly, trying to stay away from prying ears. Mr. Weasley seemed to be watching them with great interest.
Ginny shrugged. "Word of mouth. Anyway, so you're okay?"
"Yeah. Your mother invited me back for a bit of lunch today." Hermione was still in awe of this place, as much as she had ever been. It amazed her how different this magical house was from Malfoy Manor. Here, a wand was stirring the lunch on the stove while Mrs. Weasley was scolding the twins for leaving their fake wands lying around. At Malfoy Manor, they had actual cooks to make them their meals. Hermione took great joy in sharing her experiences at the Manor with Ginny; she knew Ginny would be the only one that would ever truly appreciate a cook making her something to eat or drink.
The afternoon passed quickly and Hermione found herself not wanting to leave. They ate lunch uneventfully, with Hermione asking questions about the Order of the Phoenix. "How is everyone? Are they still at Grimmauld Place?"
Mr. Weasley nodded. "Everyone's doing okay; it's still a little empty without Sirius there but I'm sure his memory isn't far outside the door."
"How was Harry making out with it all?"
Mrs. Weasley suddenly looked sad. "The poor dear still comes to visit and when he wakes up in the morning, he asks to see Sirius first thing." She shook her head sadly. "It takes him a few minutes before it clicks in."
Hermione nodded her head slowly, unsure of how to respond to that information. It seemed very unusual of Harry to respond in such a way but Harry had also lost someone he regarded as a parent as well as a friend. She imagined Draco was feeling very similar at the moment.
Hermione hated to leave the Burrow but she tearfully parted goodbye at the fireplace before stepping into the emerald flames and saying very clearly, "Malfoy Manor". Her last view of the Burrow was Mrs. Weasley waving goodbye sadly and Mr. Weasley letting Fred and George have it for messing with his kettle.
She stared around at all the happy families that surrounded her, many people claiming their children had to be ready to go for the beginning of the new school year. Hermione made it a game of listening to see which school was mentioned most and Hogwarts soon won by a long shot. She studied the students closely, wondering if any of them were going to be in her classes this year.
"Hermione? Hermione, it is you!" A voice from her left startled her and she turned in the direction it came from.
"Mrs. Weasley?"
The short, red-haired woman rushed towards her, almost knocking her over in a hug. Her face hadn't changed except for the dark circles under her eyes. "It's been too long," she exclaimed, holding Hermione at arm's length. "What are you up to this summer?"
"Staying with a friend," Hermione replied quickly, perhaps too quickly. Mrs. Weasley gave her a funny look.
"Arthur heard that you were staying with the Malfoys; is this true?"
Hermione hung her head and nodded. "Yeah, it is," she said but Mrs. Weasley's smile brought her face back up.
"Well, I'm glad to see you're all getting along," she said softly. "But you know, you're welcome to stay with us anytime."
"I was going to stay this summer," Hermione started and the entire story spilled out. She told her how Ron had invited her but he and Harry were going to Australia, and how Draco had asked her to stay and she had nowhere else to go and didn't want to go back to her parents and how she couldn't stay at school. She began to cry as she told Mrs. Weasley all about her woes at Malfoy Manor; how Draco had changed so much and Lucius was acting like a human being and about Narcissa's death.
"I heard about that," Mrs. Weasley said, handing Hermione a tissue to wipe her eyes on. "That poor woman. I feel just horrible for her. After all she went through." Mrs. Weasley's voice tapered off and her sad tone was replaced by a smile. "That's enough of that," she said, steering Hermione off the street. "Why don't you come back to the Burrow for a bite of something to eat? We would be more than glad to have you."
Hermione considered this, wondering if she should leave Draco alone for so long. "He's a grown boy," she argued with herself. "You love him, yes, but you have to have a life yourself."
"All right," she said, smiling at Mrs. Weasley and taking her arm. "Thanks for the invitation."
"Not at all, dear." Mrs. Weasley led her to the grate where they both took a pinch of Floo powder and stepped into the emerald flames.
"The Burrow," Hermione stated when it was her turn and she felt her head begin to spin as if she were on a really wild ride. When it stopped, she saw Fred (or George; she couldn't tell them apart) smiling at her from beside the kitchen table.
"To what do we owe this honour?" he asked, helping Hermione brush the soot off her clothes.
"Now George, don't you be giving her a hard time," Mrs. Weasley said, tying on her apron. She tapped George on the head with her wand. "Now go; let the poor girl get settled." She moved out of the way and led Hermione to the table where she pulled out a chair for her. "Don't mind the twins," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth. "Ever since they started their little joke shop, they've been worse than ever."
A commotion over by the front door distracted the two women and they turned in that direction. Mr. Weasley had just come bursting through the door with a kettle in his arms that was emitting tiny alphabet letters from its spout. "Molly, dear, have we got any of that powder in an envelope I brought home last week?" His eyes travelled past his wife to Hermione and he almost dropped the kettle.
"Hermione Granger? What a pleasant surprise; I didn't know you were dropping by!"
"She was in Diagon Alley," Mrs. Weasley told him, dropping a white envelope into her husband's hands. "I invited her back to the house for a bite to eat."
"How nice," Mr. Weasley commented as he began forcing pinches of the pink powder down the kettle's spout. Slowly, the alphabet letters were ceasing. "How have you been, Hermione?"
"Okay," Hermione replied, thinking of the past few weeks. "How about you?"
"Just fine, thank you, just fine," Mr. Weasley answered somewhat absentmindedly. He was trying to shoo the twins away from the kettle. "It is not 'cool' boys so get away from it." He smiled gently at Hermione. "Been keeping busy?"
"Yes," Hermione answered, looking around the room. It felt weird to be in the Burrow without either Ron or Harry there. She felt almost lonesome until she spotted Ginny Weasley descending from the staircase.
"Mum, I think there's a bunch of Doxys in the upstairs curtain. It keeps rattling something awful." She looked up and her face brightened. "Hermione! What are you doing here?" She rushed to hug her friend tightly and then scrutinized her face closely. "The Malfoys haven't been hurting you in any way, have they?"
Hermione shook her head. "How did you know I was staying with the Malfoys?" she asked quietly, trying to stay away from prying ears. Mr. Weasley seemed to be watching them with great interest.
Ginny shrugged. "Word of mouth. Anyway, so you're okay?"
"Yeah. Your mother invited me back for a bit of lunch today." Hermione was still in awe of this place, as much as she had ever been. It amazed her how different this magical house was from Malfoy Manor. Here, a wand was stirring the lunch on the stove while Mrs. Weasley was scolding the twins for leaving their fake wands lying around. At Malfoy Manor, they had actual cooks to make them their meals. Hermione took great joy in sharing her experiences at the Manor with Ginny; she knew Ginny would be the only one that would ever truly appreciate a cook making her something to eat or drink.
The afternoon passed quickly and Hermione found herself not wanting to leave. They ate lunch uneventfully, with Hermione asking questions about the Order of the Phoenix. "How is everyone? Are they still at Grimmauld Place?"
Mr. Weasley nodded. "Everyone's doing okay; it's still a little empty without Sirius there but I'm sure his memory isn't far outside the door."
"How was Harry making out with it all?"
Mrs. Weasley suddenly looked sad. "The poor dear still comes to visit and when he wakes up in the morning, he asks to see Sirius first thing." She shook her head sadly. "It takes him a few minutes before it clicks in."
Hermione nodded her head slowly, unsure of how to respond to that information. It seemed very unusual of Harry to respond in such a way but Harry had also lost someone he regarded as a parent as well as a friend. She imagined Draco was feeling very similar at the moment.
Hermione hated to leave the Burrow but she tearfully parted goodbye at the fireplace before stepping into the emerald flames and saying very clearly, "Malfoy Manor". Her last view of the Burrow was Mrs. Weasley waving goodbye sadly and Mr. Weasley letting Fred and George have it for messing with his kettle.