A/N: Hey all! Lauren here with chapter four! I hope you guys like this one, and I hope it answers a few questions. No doubt it will raise a few more though…but that's what I intend to do! So have fun reading, and make sure to review when you're done!!

Lauren

Disclaimer: No man, I know one part in here sounds like something JK could have written, but I swear, it's not nearly as sophisticated as one of her creations…I don't even have a cool name for mine. (by the way, any suggestions for a name for it, let me know. I really do want a name for it…) I'm not JK!! I wish…

Chapter Four

Throw Away Your Television

Hermione pulled open the heavy oak door of the Leaky Cauldron and stepped inside, letting in cold snowy air as she shut it behind her. She looked around only briefly before rushing across the room, stopping behind a large crowd of people gathered around a large box. She shoved against them, knocking someone over into their drink.

"Hey, watch it there—Hermione?" came a voice from below her. Hermione looked down to see Heather and Lavender seated at a low table. She pulled a chair out from under the table and sat down roughly.

"Bad day, huh?" Lavender asked, holding out her drink. Hermione grinned, then took a sip and handed it back.

"Yeah, you could say that." Hermione slapped her hand onto the table and sighed. She looked over to what everyone was huddled over and realized that it was an enchanted box. Looking closer, she saw some sort of game happening. And then she realized…

"Wait, is this the Puddlemere—Cannon game?" she asked eagerly.

"Yeah, why?" Heather answered, looking at Hermione quizzically. "You've never been interested before."

But Hermione didn't respond.As the commentator came onto the screen, her eyes became fixated. Heather giggled under her breath.

"Um, Hermione?" she asked.

"Shh! I'm watching!"

"Hermione, the game hasn't even started yet…"

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the Cannon-Puddlemere game!" rang the commentator's voice from a top box. "I have to say, this game should be very stressful for Puddlemere, what with Meyers in hospital. It's a bit of a shame, really, before last week's game Meyers led Puddlemere to five straight victories, and before the injury it was predicted that, through the victory of this game, Puddlemere would make it to the championships, but now…well, I suppose we'll have to see, won't we? And here come the players now…"

Lavender and Heather watched as Hermione became more and more excited. After a few minutes, she was even joining the other people in the bar in yelling at the players and moaning in various disappointments.

"Hermione, why are you suddenly so involved?"

"What? Oh, um…the Cannons absolutely have to win, or else, you know, Puddlemere will go on the championships, and that can't happen!" she exclaimed, hoping she sounded at least somewhat learned in the world of Quidditch. Heather looked at her skeptically.

"But Hermione…never mind," Lavender said, shaking her head. "What makes you think Puddlemere could win, anyway? With Meyers out of the game? Psh, fat chance," she said, laughing. Hermione's face flushed.

"Well, still, it doesn't hurt to worry," she said indignantly. Heather and Lavender smiled.

"Right Hermione, it never hurts to worry, and nobody knows that better than you."

An hour later, Hermione had gotten through three Cosmopolitans and a bowl full of olives. Lavender and Heather too had joined in the game, and the three of them, as well as the rest of the bar, were on the edge of their seats, watching with baited breath as the commentator announced the Cannons victory. The seeker, Smith, had caught the snitch and had won by 140 points. Hermione sighed, greatly relieved, and took a long draught from her glass. Putting it down, she smiled smugly.

"That was a great game, wasn't it?"

"Hermione, what are you so happy about? It was only a game," Heather said teasingly. "And besides, aren't the Cannons Ron's team?"

Just as Hermione shot her an evil glare, Martin walked over with another drink for Hermione and pointed at the box.

"Well wait a second, look at that."

Looking at the screen, Hermione saw the referee flying into center field with the captain of each team, and Smith, the Cannons' seeker. Through what seemed like a long, heated debate, the commentator was able to determine that there had been, at some point during the last play, a foul against Puddlemere. The bar quieted suddenly as Smith and the referee started a row in the middle of the field. Smith had interfered with the Puddlemere replacement seeker (who honestly had had no prior game experience) and had knowingly cut him off, causing him to slam into the wall. Following the referee's eyes, one could see the poor seeker lying unconscious on a stretcher, being carried away by two Puddlemere mascots and a medic.

Hermione voiced what everyone else in the bar wished they could.

"WHAT?? What in Merlin's name is he talking about? Fouled? But that's ridiculous, that's ludicrous! That means that--"

"Puddlemere wins!" yelled the commentator, and the crowd in the field went wild. Hermione jumped out of her seat.

"How? Even if that was a foul, shouldn't they just give Puddlemere a foul shot or something?" she shouted indignantly. Heather pulled her down into her seat and pulled her into a huddle.

"Hermione, that would be all great and dandy if not for two things: the seeker, who would get the shot, is very much indisposed at the moment, and the game is technically over. Smith already caught the snitch, so it'd be a bit awkward to just resume the game from here. So all they can do is take away the points the Cannons gained from capturing the snitch and take it from there. Since the Cannons were ahead by 140, that leaves Puddlemere ahead with--"

"Ten points! Puddlemere wins by ten points! This is the closest, and also strangest, game I've seen in years! What a game!"

Hermione felt her heart plummet into her stomach. Ten points? Puddlemere won by ten points? She closed her eyes to try to focus; all the alcohol she'd consumed seemed to be catching up with her right at that moment. It couldn't have been. It was all a dream. Right?

"Hermione, are you all right? Maybe we should take you home, you don't look too good," Lavender said, lifting Hermione's head from the table. She nodded slowly, then set her head back down. The other two looked at each other and stood up, propping her up on their shoulders. Leaving some money on the table, they waved goodbye to Martin and headed out into the busy London streets.

Hermione woke up to darkness. Flicking on the light, she looked over at the clock and sat up. She had only been sleeping for three hours, as it was a little after one in the morning, but she felt like she'd been sleeping all day and all night. She pulled herself heavily out of bed and walked into the kitchen to get some water. She had taken out a pitcher and was just pouring herself some when she suddenly remembered what had happened the night before. Her mouth fell open as she spun around to look at the television behind her, and she proceeded to pour water onto her foot. She put down the pitcher and walked over to the table, where she picked up the remote and glanced down at it painfully. Taking a sharp breath, she turned on the tv and changed the channel to the news. She listened in on the news of the Puddlemere victory as she headed back to the kitchen for her water, then went over to the sofa and sat down wearily.

"And now, a check on the weather. Bob?" came the calm, unsuspecting voice from the television. Apparently, no one on the news was aware that the fate of Hermione's life rested in their typically overweight weatherman's hands.

"Thanks, Lauren. Well, you can look forward to more of that foggy humidity, cause we've got lots of it coming. It'll be hanging around for at least the next week, and after that we may see a chance of sunshine…"

Hermione changed the channel, turning on the guide. It was unlikely she'd find anything on Brazil on the local news. She searched until she came upon Global News, turning it on.

"Welcome to the one o'clock hour of Global News, I'm Christine Thompson, and…"

Had Hermione's head not rested so nicely down on the couch, she might have heard about the storm watch being on high alert down in Brazil. But the soft, cushy appeal of the couch cushion was just too irresistible, and Hermione was out in mere seconds, the weather report on and her glass of water in her hand.

Hermione woke up to sunshine and warmth, and this brought a tremendous smile to her face. According to her, if the nation's weather man couldn't even get it right, who could believe a seer?

She got ready for work effortlessly, whistling away the time as she practically skipped throughout her apartment, pouring coffee and putting on her shoes. With one more glance out the window, she walked to the center of the room and disapparated.

"Hi, Hermione," came a low voice from behind her as soon as she appeared. Frightened, she spun around to see a very cautious-looking Ron behind her, a cup of coffee in each hand and a weak smile.

"Look, I know the game last night--" he began.

"Oh Ron, don't be so silly! Me, worried about a silly little thing like that? Why, that's preposterous!" she exclaimed, taking the cup from his right hand and sipping it generously. Ron cocked his head to one side and raised an eyebrow, but he didn't press the subject further. Instead, he shook his head, knowing he should have known better, and watched as Hermione walked away importantly.

For the rest of the day, Hermione acted as though the day before had never happened, which may have been a good thing if she hadn't been acting so smug about it. Every chance she got, she made sure to point out to Ron what a phony and a fake Jack was, and it was all Ron could do to keep his cool. Finally, just as he thought he couldn't take any more of it, it began to rain rather hard, and everyone outside was forced to move indoors.

"Ron, is there any chance you could do a weather check, see when this is supposed to clear up?" asked Jones, pulling his coat over his head as they walked.

"Sure, just a sec…"

He pulled something small and black out of his pocket, and if anyone but a wizard had been present, it would have easily been assumed to have been a watch. He held it up in the air in front of his face and let it get a bit wet from the rain before looking at it closely. With his other hand, he held what appeared to be a small, golden globe. He also held this out in the air in front of him, allowing it to become wet with the rain. Hermione, who was a few steps behind him, was watching him very closely. When he was ready, he held the black watch-like object horizontally in his palm, and slowly held the globe over it, letting go gently until it floated above the black object. Hermione gasped silently and opened her mouth to speak, but caught herself and kept looking on. After a moment of watching it gingerly, he, in one swift motion, closed his hand over both of them and stuck them in his pockets.

"The air's a bit to thick and foggy to be clearing up anytime soon, mate. We might have to just shut down for today, hope for better luck tomorrow," he called, rushing under the protection of the awning over the players' box. Hermione plopped down into a seat a couple of feet away, and as she sat there she pulled her gloves out of her pocket. She could feel something, some curiosity, tugging at the back of her mind, and before she could stop it, it tumbled out of her mouth.

"Say, erm, Ron, that thing you just had…can you use it to tell the weather in…in other places?"

"Uh, yeah, actually, it works all over the world. It's rather nifty, excellent for traveling, because it can map out the weather anywhere you go, and--"

"Would you mind if I take a look at it?"

Ron looked at her curiously. He could tell, by looking close enough, there was a bit of fear in her eyes. Without asking any questions, he retrieved the small contraption from his pocket and held his hand out to her. She hesitated, thinking carefully, before she blinked at took it from him. She felt the globe was oddly cool in her grip, though it had been in the warmth of Ron's pocket. She rolled it around in her fingers before she stuck both hands out in the rain, palms facing the sky. After a few moments, she brought them back toward her and glanced down at them. The globe was radiating a low, red light, which grew stronger as she brought it closer to the black object. With it flat in her hand, she held the globe above it, lowering it slowly and gently. It floated right in front of her eyes, and as it did Hermione breathed in sharply. Ron could see the fascination resonating in her eyes.

"So, what do I do if I want to see someplace other than London?" she asked, in a different tone than she had used all day. Ron paused before he answered, not quite comprehending at first, then coming to.

"Oh. Um, just name the place. Say it loud enough so that it can hear you, of course. It's a bit hard of hearing, I've had that there a while now."

Hermione didn't bother inquiring about the hard of hearing bit. She looked at it again, eyeing it suspiciously, then took a deep breath and gave in.

"Brazil," she whispered, hoping Ron couldn't hear.

The small globe rotated, slowly at first, and then steadily more quickly. She felt herself grow slightly dizzy by the process, but she shook her head as it slowed down. She narrowed her eyes to see a small thundercloud hovering over what she assumed to be the country of Brazil, and the clouds looked quite menacing, aside from the miniature size of them. Hermione sighed.

"Um, so how do you tell how long it'll be like that?" she asked, a bit more harsh.

"Well, depending on the size of the cloud, the air pressure, the intensity of the rain…wherever it is you're looking at, looks like the weather'll be crap there too," he said with a small grin. Hermione frowned. The same sinking feeling she'd had the night before had returned.

"Are you sure? I mean, how accurate is this thing anyway? It's just a little…thing!" she huffed, shoving it back into his hands. She stood up and took off briskly. Ron jumped up after her, but instead of following, he replaced the contraption in his pocket and patted it gently, reassuringly.

God, that woman is too complex for her own good…

Hermione apparated in her apartment and nearly lunged for the remote. It was seven o'clock now, if there was really a thunderstorm going on in Brazil, like Jack said, they'd be announcing it somewhere. She flicked through the channels until she fell upon Global News.

"Hello, and welcome to the seven o'clock hour of Global News. I'm Christine Thompson, and this is my colleague Bill Manson. Our top story tonight: a gruesome storm in Brazil that ravaged a majority of their main crops and caused severe residential damage. Thankfully, we've learned recently that the storm only lasted this morning, and at this time the weather's behaving much better, with only a light drizzle and a few clouds, but as you can see here, the damage has already been done. Workers and councilmen have been sent to the scene--"

Hermione flicked off the television and sat down on the edge of the couch. Her face was emotionless, but her eyes showed more surprise than she'd ever known. She fiddled with the remote, nervously keeping her hands busy, as her mind seemed to race and stop at the same time. She got up suddenly and reached for the phone. Her fingers moved slowly over the green-lit buttons, as though dialing them took her back to a whole other time, a time she'd done well to forget…

"Hello?" came the other end.

"Ron…Jack was right. He was right…about everything."

Yeehaw! Well, wasn't that fun! Sorry if the globe part got a bit drawn out, I was kind of getting really into that. So sorry if it got boring! I'll try not to do that again, but I couldn't help myself. Maybe it's just cool, but it was interesting to me…haha. I'm a loser. Anyway, review! Next time, we'll get to see a side of Hermione no one's really used to seeing…lol. So keep it up with those reviews, won't you? You're reactions make writing this so much more enjoyable!!! Thanks guys!