Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K.
Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.
Chapter Twenty: Late Night in Hogsmeade
Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny walked down the road and into town. The lateness of the evening made the air a little chilly, but still the friends walked slowly. They were unconcerned. Since Voldemort's demise, it had been quite safe to walk around late at night, save for the occasional dangerous creature, which the four friends were perfectly equipped to handle.
"That was really nice, wasn't it?" Ginny asked the group as they walked along.
"Yup," said Ron. "Glad they decided to have us all back."
"Though seeing Draco Malfoy was not my favorite part of the night," said Harry. The friends laughed, but it soon subsided when they remembered what Mathilda had told them.
"Still, no complaints about the rest of the night, right?" Ron asked.
"Nope!" said Harry. "It was good to see all the old Gryffindors again." Everyone agreed.
The friends walked into Hogsmeade. The village was lit up by streetlamps, but everything else was dark, save for a few windows in some houses. "I've never seen Hogsmeade so closed down," Hermione commented.
"Well, it is near one o'clock in the morning," said Harry. "The only thing I'd expect to be open is the Three Broomsticks." Sure enough, as they looked down the street, they saw the lights coming from the large window in front of the Three Broomsticks.
"Late night drinks," said Ron.
"I don't know about you," said Ginny to the group. "But I'm not really tired at all."
"Me neither," said Harry. "Anyone fancy a drink?" He gestured in the direction of the Three Broomsticks.
Hermione shook her head. "No thanks," she said. "I'm actually a bit tired myself. I thought I'd head back to the hotel."
"I'll come with you," said Ron quickly.
"You don't have to," Hermione said, though she appreciated his gesture. "If you want to have drinks with Harry."
"Nah," said Ron. "I want to go back to the hotel with you." He was remembering her promise from earlier that evening, and was hoping she would make good on it, even though she claimed fatigue.
"Suit yourself," said Harry. "But you'll miss all the fun!"
"We'll see about that," said Ron. He smiled mischievously at Hermione. The four friends continued walking until they had reached the hotel.
"See you tomorrow?" Hermione asked.
"Of course," said Ginny. "Good night."
"Night," said Ron, and he took Hermione's hand and they disappeared into the hotel.
Harry now took Ginny's hand. "Where do you want to go?" he asked.
"I don't know," she said. "Truthfully, I don't REALLY feel like drinking."
"Neither do I," said Harry. "I just didn't really want to go to bed yet."
"You think I do?" Ginny asked, with a smile. "This is our first night in over a year that we don't have children with us. I'm taking advantage of it."
Harry smiled. "Want to just walk around a bit then?" he asked her. Ginny nodded, and let go of his hand, opting instead to link her elbows with his and walk along the street that way.
* * *
"Are you really tired?" Ron asked Hermione as he shut the hotel room door behind him. He turned to look at her, and she was sitting on the bed, leaning back on her hands.
"No," she said simply.
"Really?" Ron asked, with a mischievous smile.
"You know I love Harry and Ginny, but we've spent the whole night with people," Hermione said, and she gestured for him to sit next to her. "Now we're on our own, with no children to worry about-"
"Except you worry about them anyway," Ron interrupted, with a smile.
Hermione didn't skip a beat. "You know you do too," she said, but then continued on her first train of thought. "We have no children to worry about, and it's nice to have some time alone. You know, I don't think we've been truly, truly alone since Emma was born. I mean, we've had our moments when the kids were sleeping, but we've never had the freedom of just us being together, without worrying about the kids needing something."
Ron thought for a minute. "I think you're right," he said. He turned to her with a smile. "So what do you want to do?"
Hermione smiled back and played along with his game. "I don't know. What do you want to do?"
Ron answered by kissing her and waving his wand in the direction of the light switch, and the room went dark.
* * *
Harry and Ginny walked up and down the streets of Hogsmeade. "You're not cold, are you?" Harry asked her at one point.
"No," said Ginny. "I could walk around out here for hours. It's so familiar, even though we haven't been here in so long."
"What would you say if we were around more often?" Harry asked.
Ginny looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well, I wanted to tell you first, before I mentioned it to anyone else," Harry started. "Professor McGonagall offered me a job. Here. At Hogwarts."
Ginny smiled. "That's wonderful!" Then her face changed. "For this coming year?"
Harry nodded. "It would change everything," he said. "I mean, we wouldn't have to move, I could just apparate into Hogsmeade in the mornings.. but, it would mean retiring a little earlier than I planned."
"Did Professor McGonagall say you could take the job later?" Ginny asked.
"We didn't talk about it," said Harry. "The thing is, I want to do this. She offered me Defense Against the Dark Arts, and maybe flying lessons as well, if the load isn't too heavy."
"Wow," said Ginny. "That's not the kind of thing you want to pass up." She smiled and added. "Even if you do make more galleons playing Quidditch."
"But we've put almost all of that money away," said Harry. "A pay cut wouldn't really affect the way we live now, and we don't live extravagantly anyway."
"True," said Ginny. "Just think though. I bet you'd be everyone's favorite teacher. I bet you'd teach just like Lupin."
"That's my plan," said Harry, and he smiled. "So, should I tell Professor McGonagall I want the job?"
"Right now?" asked Ginny.
"In the morning," Harry said.
"I think you should," said Ginny. "It'll be nice for you to get out of the spotlight for a while, won't it?" Harry sighed and nodded.
"Something tells me that's never going to happy," he said.
"Look at it this way," said Ginny. "At least you'll be the next Lupin, not the next Gilderoy Lockhart." Harry laughed.
"You ready to head back?" he asked.
"Not just yet," said Ginny and she took his hand and they started walking again, each thinking of the new turn their lives had taken.
* * *
Ron and Hermione lay in bed, cuddled next to each other and they looked out the window at the sky. "There are so many stars tonight," Ron commented. Hermione sighed and nodded. Ron looked at her. "Something wrong?"
"Nothing," said Hermione, with another sigh. "I'm just happy."
Ron smiled and kissed her on the cheek, after which Hermione yawned. "Tired now?" Ron asked.
Hermione laughed. "Yeah, now I really AM tired."
"Good night then," Ron said.
"Night Ron," Hermione said back. "Love you."
"Love you too." With that, Hermione snuggled closer to Ron and soon felt herself drift off to sleep.
Chapter Twenty: Late Night in Hogsmeade
Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny walked down the road and into town. The lateness of the evening made the air a little chilly, but still the friends walked slowly. They were unconcerned. Since Voldemort's demise, it had been quite safe to walk around late at night, save for the occasional dangerous creature, which the four friends were perfectly equipped to handle.
"That was really nice, wasn't it?" Ginny asked the group as they walked along.
"Yup," said Ron. "Glad they decided to have us all back."
"Though seeing Draco Malfoy was not my favorite part of the night," said Harry. The friends laughed, but it soon subsided when they remembered what Mathilda had told them.
"Still, no complaints about the rest of the night, right?" Ron asked.
"Nope!" said Harry. "It was good to see all the old Gryffindors again." Everyone agreed.
The friends walked into Hogsmeade. The village was lit up by streetlamps, but everything else was dark, save for a few windows in some houses. "I've never seen Hogsmeade so closed down," Hermione commented.
"Well, it is near one o'clock in the morning," said Harry. "The only thing I'd expect to be open is the Three Broomsticks." Sure enough, as they looked down the street, they saw the lights coming from the large window in front of the Three Broomsticks.
"Late night drinks," said Ron.
"I don't know about you," said Ginny to the group. "But I'm not really tired at all."
"Me neither," said Harry. "Anyone fancy a drink?" He gestured in the direction of the Three Broomsticks.
Hermione shook her head. "No thanks," she said. "I'm actually a bit tired myself. I thought I'd head back to the hotel."
"I'll come with you," said Ron quickly.
"You don't have to," Hermione said, though she appreciated his gesture. "If you want to have drinks with Harry."
"Nah," said Ron. "I want to go back to the hotel with you." He was remembering her promise from earlier that evening, and was hoping she would make good on it, even though she claimed fatigue.
"Suit yourself," said Harry. "But you'll miss all the fun!"
"We'll see about that," said Ron. He smiled mischievously at Hermione. The four friends continued walking until they had reached the hotel.
"See you tomorrow?" Hermione asked.
"Of course," said Ginny. "Good night."
"Night," said Ron, and he took Hermione's hand and they disappeared into the hotel.
Harry now took Ginny's hand. "Where do you want to go?" he asked.
"I don't know," she said. "Truthfully, I don't REALLY feel like drinking."
"Neither do I," said Harry. "I just didn't really want to go to bed yet."
"You think I do?" Ginny asked, with a smile. "This is our first night in over a year that we don't have children with us. I'm taking advantage of it."
Harry smiled. "Want to just walk around a bit then?" he asked her. Ginny nodded, and let go of his hand, opting instead to link her elbows with his and walk along the street that way.
* * *
"Are you really tired?" Ron asked Hermione as he shut the hotel room door behind him. He turned to look at her, and she was sitting on the bed, leaning back on her hands.
"No," she said simply.
"Really?" Ron asked, with a mischievous smile.
"You know I love Harry and Ginny, but we've spent the whole night with people," Hermione said, and she gestured for him to sit next to her. "Now we're on our own, with no children to worry about-"
"Except you worry about them anyway," Ron interrupted, with a smile.
Hermione didn't skip a beat. "You know you do too," she said, but then continued on her first train of thought. "We have no children to worry about, and it's nice to have some time alone. You know, I don't think we've been truly, truly alone since Emma was born. I mean, we've had our moments when the kids were sleeping, but we've never had the freedom of just us being together, without worrying about the kids needing something."
Ron thought for a minute. "I think you're right," he said. He turned to her with a smile. "So what do you want to do?"
Hermione smiled back and played along with his game. "I don't know. What do you want to do?"
Ron answered by kissing her and waving his wand in the direction of the light switch, and the room went dark.
* * *
Harry and Ginny walked up and down the streets of Hogsmeade. "You're not cold, are you?" Harry asked her at one point.
"No," said Ginny. "I could walk around out here for hours. It's so familiar, even though we haven't been here in so long."
"What would you say if we were around more often?" Harry asked.
Ginny looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well, I wanted to tell you first, before I mentioned it to anyone else," Harry started. "Professor McGonagall offered me a job. Here. At Hogwarts."
Ginny smiled. "That's wonderful!" Then her face changed. "For this coming year?"
Harry nodded. "It would change everything," he said. "I mean, we wouldn't have to move, I could just apparate into Hogsmeade in the mornings.. but, it would mean retiring a little earlier than I planned."
"Did Professor McGonagall say you could take the job later?" Ginny asked.
"We didn't talk about it," said Harry. "The thing is, I want to do this. She offered me Defense Against the Dark Arts, and maybe flying lessons as well, if the load isn't too heavy."
"Wow," said Ginny. "That's not the kind of thing you want to pass up." She smiled and added. "Even if you do make more galleons playing Quidditch."
"But we've put almost all of that money away," said Harry. "A pay cut wouldn't really affect the way we live now, and we don't live extravagantly anyway."
"True," said Ginny. "Just think though. I bet you'd be everyone's favorite teacher. I bet you'd teach just like Lupin."
"That's my plan," said Harry, and he smiled. "So, should I tell Professor McGonagall I want the job?"
"Right now?" asked Ginny.
"In the morning," Harry said.
"I think you should," said Ginny. "It'll be nice for you to get out of the spotlight for a while, won't it?" Harry sighed and nodded.
"Something tells me that's never going to happy," he said.
"Look at it this way," said Ginny. "At least you'll be the next Lupin, not the next Gilderoy Lockhart." Harry laughed.
"You ready to head back?" he asked.
"Not just yet," said Ginny and she took his hand and they started walking again, each thinking of the new turn their lives had taken.
* * *
Ron and Hermione lay in bed, cuddled next to each other and they looked out the window at the sky. "There are so many stars tonight," Ron commented. Hermione sighed and nodded. Ron looked at her. "Something wrong?"
"Nothing," said Hermione, with another sigh. "I'm just happy."
Ron smiled and kissed her on the cheek, after which Hermione yawned. "Tired now?" Ron asked.
Hermione laughed. "Yeah, now I really AM tired."
"Good night then," Ron said.
"Night Ron," Hermione said back. "Love you."
"Love you too." With that, Hermione snuggled closer to Ron and soon felt herself drift off to sleep.