A/N: Hi all-thanks to all of you who reviewed my last chapter. Shouts to you are at the bottom of the page.
For the record-I don't think I explained hermione's music selection very well. "Under the Stars" is the love theme for Episode II (basically, they played it whenever Anakin and Padme were together in the movie-especially during the wedding). I did not mean that the music was the standard Star Wars theme (you know, the…dun-DUN-dundundunDUN-dun…etc.) That would be a frightening ballet piece! Anyway, if you get the chance to listen to the music, do it! It's really good! The easiest way I think would be just to watch the wedding at the end of the 2nd movie to get the necessary taste of the music. Keep in mind-it will appear in a future chapter (one that I've mentally written already : D )
Wow, too much chattering on my part-enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 4: Back Home Again
"Dance is the expression that everyone understands."
I stepped off the runway and gazed at London Heathrow Airport, my eyes bleary and my hair mussed. I barely knew my legs anymore; they were so stiff and reluctant to move that I couldn't comprehend at that moment how they had ever stretched into the splits. I hobbled to pick up my luggage and turned around to see my mother, who immediately squeezed me in a tight embrace.
"Oh, Hermione, oh, I didn't think you'd really come home-I mean, I didn't want to mess up your dance class schedule or anything-"
"It's all right, Mum!" I gasped. She let go. "Madame is okay with it, as long as I keep up with my conditioning and I stretch everyday. Oh, she also gave me a musical selection to start with while I'm here." I didn't mention that I was clueless on how to choreograph that…
"Well, your father is very excited that you're coming to visit-how long are you staying, again?"
"Two weeks."
"Wonderful!" She beamed at me. "Your dad's home from the hospital now, so why don't we go make sure he hasn't destroyed the house yet?" She winked.
"Okay…" I was glad to be headed home-I needed some serious sleep.
Once we arrived, I tramped through the house, exploring everything new and things I had also forgotten.
"My room! You painted it!" My formerly pink walls were now a pale seafoam-green. My framed ballerina portrait still hung on the wall, but everything else was redecorated.
"Yes, sweetheart, we changed it into the guest room," Mum said, carrying my dance bag in the room and laying it on the matching seafoam bed.
"Let's go see your father; he's just woken up from his nap."
I followed Mum into the master bedroom, where I found Dad lying under the covers, watching a golf tournament on TV.
"Hermione!" he exclaimed, switching off the TV with his remote and sitting up in bed. "You really didn't have to come all the way across the Atlantic to see your dear old dad…" Despite his words, he looked thrilled to see me.
"Of course I did, Dad, you had a heart attack, remember? What else was I supposed to do, just send a get-well card?"
He laughed. "Well, all that bacon did me in, I guess. Consider yourself lucky, Miss Ballerina, that you inherited your mother's slim figure." My mom laughed good-naturedly and blushed. I knew it was true, though. Every single girl enrolled in the dance program was constantly following some new diet. Even Malia watched her weight; her well-meaning relatives always sent her those chocolate covered macadamia nuts, which were always passed on to yours truly. I felt guilty about it, especially around Ellie, but it was a trait I was extremely thankful for.
I yawned. "I think I'm gonna go take a short nap, okay?"
"No!" my dad said sternly. A joking smile broke on his face. Mum slapped at his arm.
"Of course, it's been a long day for you."
I traipsed back into the seafoam green wonderland. I shoved my dance bag off the bed onto the floor, where its contents spilled: my pointe shoes, a half-empty tube of Icy Hot, a pale blue warm-up jacket, and an empty Dasani bottle. I would have normally tidied the mess up, but I was exhausted. I slid under the covers and curled up into a warm ball. Within minutes, I was asleep.
I stirred and glance at my clock, expecting only about forty-five minutes to have passed. I gasped, completely shocked. 10:30? Judging by the light streaming through the opening of the blinds, I knew it wasn't 10:30 at night. I rose out of bed and pushed my hands to the ceiling. Then I pulled my Discman out of my carry-on bag and put it on, playing the hip-hop warm up mix Ellie made for me. "Yeah!" started up, and I rolled my hips from side to side, did the grapevine to get my blood flowing, and all the rest of my crazy warm-up rituals…
I was sitting on the floor with my legs in a straddle and my head on the floor during "Holidae In" when I heard a faint sound in the background-the doorbell. I whipped off my headphones. Who could be here? I listened carefully. I heard some squealing, and my mum and another motherly sounding woman conversing excitedly. Probably one of my mum's friends, I thought, and returned the headphones to my ears.
I grabbed my foot and pulled my leg into the splits, my hand holding my foot high above my head. I counted off fifteen beats to myself, then switched legs.
A knock sounded at my bedroom door. I released my foot and took off my headphones once again. Mum barged in.
"Hermione! You have company! What are you doing, not dressed yet? You've got five minutes to come out and be a good hostess to your friends!"
"'K, Mum." She shut the door behind her, and I turned off the music. Guests? I thought they were hers, not mine!
I rifled through my suitcase, searching for something to wear. Finally, I found a pair of beige J. Lo sweatpants that were comfortably, yet didn't look too sloppy. I dug out a fitted white tank top and donned that as well. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and examined the effect in the mirror. Ugh…but at least I looked awake. I made my way out to the living room, where my mother was sitting with a pair of red headed women and a black haired, green-eyed man.
"Hermione!" shrieked Mrs. Weasley, running over to me and almost knocking me over with the force of her embrace. "Oh, how are you?"
"You look fabulous!" Ginny gushed, ripping me away from her mother and enveloping me in her arms.
"Thanks-hi, Harry!" I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "How are you?"
"Just great, thanks." I examined him more closely. To my relief, he did not look as shadowed or empty as he used to. On the contrary, he wore a happy grin and looked just as elated to see me as his future wife and mother-in-law.
I took a seat on the couch as my mum got up to fetch some more tea. We discussed my dancing at length, though by the end of it, Mrs. Weasley still didn't understand hip-hop ("Why shaking your bum and making a lot of angry faces at your audience is called dancing is beyond me."). Then the subject of the conversation turned to Harry and Ginny's upcoming wedding.
"December 18th!" Mrs. Weasley announced proudly, setting her teacup down in its saucer. "That's the soonest we could get it-of course, with everything Ginny wants. Oh, by the way, dear-Madam Malkin'll have the dress altered by next Thursday."
"Mum," Ginny replied with her teeth gritted, "I thought we already discussed this-I want a dark-green gown, not the old white family dress."
"But dear," Mrs. Weasley answered, "that dress has been in my family for ages! Besides, white is the only appropriate color for a bride to wear; it represents-ahem-purity."
Mrs. Weasley failed to notice Harry and Ginny exchanging nervous, guilty glances with each other. I bit back a smile.
"So," I ventured, changing the subject, "who's the best man, Harry? Have you decided yet?"
"Oh, yeah." He brightened. "Ron, of course, what else would you expect, Hermione?"
I went bright red. I knew that…. "Oh," was my dignified response. "Where is he, anyway?" I tried to swing a smile back on my face.
"At home with Arthur, degnoming the garden again-though, if you like, you could stop by for dinner to say hi. Actually, the two of them would probably be thrilled-Arthur has so many questions about that computer P.M. rubbish-"
"I.M.," corrected Harry.
"Yes, that-and Ron-oh, he's just been so down since that Parvati wench-oh, sorry- that Parvati girl broke his heart. Though I must say, I'm very glad to see him around the Burrow so often now, I've been worried about him living all by himself in London. Anyway, he'll be happy to see you, too, Hermione-he's really missed you!" Her tone was one hundred percent sincere. A pang of guilt stabbed me in the stomach and twisted, rolling my intestines like spaghetti.
"I would love to come for dinner tonight, Mrs. Weasley. Thanks!" I traded my guilt for courage-it was almost impossible. I pasted a smile on my face and bravely added, "I need to catch up with Ron, anyway."
Mrs. Weasley's face brightened significantly. "Great!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "All right, you two," she said to Harry and Ginny, suddenly all business. "I made an appointment with someone I'm considering for the catering, so we'd better go!" She kissed Mum on the cheek. "Thank you for the tea; it was lovely." She then kissed me. To my great surprise, she whispered in my ear, so no one else could hear, "You have no idea how happy Ron will be that you've come home."
My spaghetti-insides were reduced to pureed pasta.
The three of them walked out my front door, each of them waving goodbye. I closed the door behind them and looked at Mum.
"It is alright if I go, isn't it?" I clarified.
"Of course, sweetheart," Mum answered. "She's right, you know, Ron misses you terribly," she quickly added.
"How do you know that?"
"Oh…." She turned away from me, looking guilty. "He talks about you whenever he's over here…he is a very big help around the house, you know, with yard work and things. Magic does come in handy…"
I closed my eyes. He talks about me TO MY PARENTS while he's drinking tea WITH MY PARENTS, and then he does yard work FOR MY PARENTS?
This was just crazy.
"Okay, well, if it really is alright with you, I'll go." I headed back to my room, shaking my head in confusion about these conversations and wondering what in the world was going to come of all of this.
A/N: Okies, please please PLEASE review!!! I will love you for it. One topic: You all have heard about the 6th book title, right? RIGHT?? Anyway, just curious…who do you all think the HBP is? 'Cause…haha…I'm clueless….
Kagome-I love the Star Wars movies too! I just didn't see Hermione liking them...I dunno...
orli-enthusiast: Ellie's drinking is her way out of-oh, oops, almost gave it away! But keep it in mind, it'll be important sometime..."orchestral composition" haha...I just like big words.
I love everyone else that reviewed: bluehoax and ladyla (and anyone else I may have forgotten-sorry!). You are fabulous beyond belief!
Next chapter title: In A Nutshell, Gorgeous (yeah, kinda strange, but 1000 dollars to whoever guesses who this is referring to! wink).