Ok, Hermione's sarcastic in this fic, so watch out. I also have no idea what this story is about, so I'm making it up as I go. R&R!
Disclaimer: Don't own the HP characters, but if Draco decides to let me borrow his right shoe, you can't do anything about it! Muahahaha!!
Chapter 1
It was currently July 2, a Saturday at that, and 10:00 in the morning. Summer was already here in a sense, since every living thing was covered in sweat once you went out of your nice air-conditioned house. Hermione Granger was sleeping on the second floor of her cottage-of-a-house, totally unaware of her mother's shouts from the kitchen downstairs. All her yelling was muffled from the heavy oak door of Hermione's bedroom, which didn't match the room at all. The only reason Hermione chose it for her room was because of its thickness and, therefore, great at muffling yells from right outside it. Feet could be heard coming up the stairs and stopping outside of the oak door. A knock and the door opened to reveal a slightly tall man with brown hair plastered to his head by some sort of expensive gel. He wore a brown suit and held a black leather briefcase in his left hand. The man walked into the room and started tapping the young girl on the head. After a few seconds, she started moving about, trying to swat the hand away, but it wouldn't stop until she woke up.
"OKAY, I'M UP!! I'M UP!! AAAAAH!" Hermione yelled through a haystack of hair. She looked in the direction of her father, who was quietly chuckling, due to the fact that he couldn't even see his daughter's face through the bird's nest.
"Dad, what are you doing?" She asked in a sleepy voice.
"Waking you up, so your mother doesn't set the house on fire. She's been calling you for about 20 minutes." He started for the door. It was about time to go to work.
"I couldn't hear her," she mumbled, wiping sleep from her eyes.
"Yes, this door's handy for things, isn't it?" He commented and closed the door behind him. Hermione pushed her hair out of her eyes and saw the sun shining through the windows of her room. She could also hear the faint songs from birds somewhere in a tree nearby. She groaned and flopped down on her bed again.
"DON'T YOU DARE, HERMIONE ANN!" Her mother yelled from the kitchen. The door was slightly ajar. As if laying on a spring, Hermione bounce back up and sat there. Mumbling about how early it was for the weekend she grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom for a shower.
"Oh no, my middle name. I'm so scared." She retreated from the bathroom a half an hour later, more awake than she was before. A little. Stumbling down the stairs a little, Hermione finally got to the kitchen where her mom was standing, tapping her foot and glaring at her daughter.
"Hermione, do you know what today is?" she said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"No," she said without even thinking of what today was.
"Well, since you don't remember at all, Ron and Harry might be a little upset." She waited for her words to take effect. Hermione was eating a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch when she realized she had to go to Diagon Alley today.
"Oh my god. What time is it?"
"It's 10:45, dear. You better hurry up, or they'll leave without you." Her mother turned and started to peel cucumbers for lunch. Hermione rushed upstairs to her room. She started to brush her hair out, which wasn't a bird nest now, but soft curls trailing down her back. She pulled her hair up in a purple scrunchie, grabbed her bag, ran down the stairs, and out the front door. Two seconds later, she ran back in the house to her mother holding the car keys out to her. Hermione quickly grabbed them and ran out the door again. Getting in her mom's blue Ford mustang, she started out of the driveway and headed to Diagon Alley.
She turned onto the street of the Leaky Cauldron and found a parking space a little ways from the tiny pub. Harry and Ron were standing outside and didn't even notice her pull in. She opened the roof window and stuck her head out.
"Hey you guys! Over here! Other way… Right here!" Hermione rolled her eyes as the two boys saw her and started to walk over. Ron opened the door and got in the backseat, while Harry sat in front.
"Hey, 'Mione thanks for picking us up." Ron said poking his head in between the two front seats. Hermione started the car and pulled out into the line of cars passing.
"Yeah, 'Mione, you're doing us a real favor." Harry said.
"Where exactly are we going anyways? I mean, it better be good for me to tell my mom I'd be at Diagon Alley today." Hermione said looking over at them from time to time.
"We're going to visit Ginny, actually," Ron said, "oh yeah, don't you know?" he said looking at her. Hermione was looking confusedly from Ron to Harry and back to Ron.
"Apparently not. Ginny's friend, Maggie, moved a few streets down from the Burrow. I think she used to live in the States somewhere. Anyway, Maggie was kind of lonely in that loft she's got, so Ginny asked Mum if she could move in with her. Mum was alright about it since we live a few streets up and Ginny's still there all the time. It's like she never moved out." Ron finished.
"That's cool. Did you know about this, Harry?" she asked.
"Ron told me the whole thing while we were waiting for you to come and pick us up." Harry said, as he started looking around her car and tampering with things. Ron leaned back in the seat and fell asleep.
"Harry, what on earth are you doing?" Hermione asked. She just noticed Harry's hand inching over to one of the knobs on the other side of the steering wheel, which put his arm on Hermione's lap.
"Trying to reach that knob over there. I hear stuff squirts out and cleans the window." Harry said still trying to reach the button. Hermione reached over and put the wipers on. Harry's head shot up at the sound of something squirting. He tried to sit back up, but his arm was wedged between the steering wheel and Hermione's legs.
"Uh…'Mione?" Harry said staring at his stuck arm.
"Yeah, Harry?" Hermione said not noticing that his arm was stuck.
"My arm's stuck." Harry closed his eyes waiting for her to burst.
"What?" Hermione looked down and saw most of his arm stuck between her legs and the wheel. If he couldn't get his arm unstuck, he'd basically have to lay down the whole way. And if Ron woke up, he might get the wrong idea.
"Wake up Ron and see if he can get your arm out. I can't move my legs because of your arm."
"If we can't do anything, what can Ron possibly do? What about that knob that moves the wheel up and down?" Harry asked trying to see it on the other side.
"Heh, uh…It's sort of broken. Long story don't ask." She said quickly, staring at the road.
"Why shouldn't I ask?" Harry sounded interested now.
"Let's just say my uncle and aunt borrowed the car and they got drunk one night." She said, still staring at the road.
"Hermione, that's disgusting. Don't ever mention that again."
"No problem."
(Hermione's POV)
It was about an hour to the burrow so it should be about 55 minutes, I thought to myself. Oh what fun. Why do I have to give them a ride if they have their own cars? They probably like my mom's car. Yup. Half an hour to go. Wooo. This whole arm-stuck thing is okay until I get to Ginny's street. That means I have to turn left. Heh. Poor Harry, that's going to hurt. This is so pathetic. I'm talking to myself. I looked down at Harry. It looked like he was getting tired of holding his head up. I pushed his head lightly so he could lay it on my leg. He turned to look up at me. I glanced down into his green eyes. He could look cute when he wanted to. Right now was one of those times. This sucks. He looks cute and I can't even look at him. I glanced down again. Harry was still looking at me. No, more like staring. Uh…why is he staring at me like that? Harry? Harry……Hello?
"Harry, what are you staring at?" I said glancing down when she could.
"You." He said. It wasn't full of annoyance or obviousness. It was just nice.
"Why would be doing a thing like that?" I said getting a smile on her face.
"'Cuz you look pretty…" he said, starting to sound like a small child.
"Harry, did you drink anything at the Leaky Cauldron?" I asked him.
"I just had a soda. Tom asked if I wanted a twist on it so I said sure. In truth, I don't know what a twist is, but it tasted really good when he did it." Harry looked thoughtful for a minute, just staring out the roof window. Then he looked back at me. His eyes weren't completely glazed, so I knew Tom hadn't put too much alcohol into it. That means he knows what he's saying…and he thinks I'm pretty. Poor Harry. Such a deprived little child at heart.
"Hermione, I like you." He said. I looked down at him shocked. He looked so innocent and truthful.
"Is that true or is that just the soda talkin'" I asked him, definitely smiling now.
"No, it's the truth. I like you in a best friend likes a best friend way. I don't know if I'm ready for a girlfriend, but I'll admit that I like you a little more than a friend." He was smiling. And he was telling the truth. That's a relief; I don't think I'm ready for a boyfriend either. Relationships are so tedious and messy. Not in that way, but they are. Who'd want to deal with that?
(Normal POV)
"I think I like you, too. I'm not sure, but I might." Hermione glanced down to see a sleeping Harry. Uh oh. I'm really sorry, Harry. Hermione turned the wheel onto Ginny's street. She could feel the wheel push Harry's arm as well as twist the skin of forearm. Harry was awake by now and freed his arm. Examining it, there was only a red mark from the wheel.
"I'm sorry; Harry, but I couldn't just pass the street." Hermione said.
"It's fine. My arm's okay." He said smiling at her. He put his hand on her leg, more towards her knee, so she wouldn't slap him, and looked at her. She wasn't looking at him, but she was smiling faintly. A red brick building started to appear; as did other houses and buildings did on either side of them.
"That one, there." Ron's groggy voice said, as he pointed to one of the brick buildings. Turning in the driveway, Hermione shut off the car and got out. The building didn't look dirty, but it wasn't really clean, either. They started to walk towards the door. Ron went ahead and pushed the doorbell to Ginny and Maggie's room. A girly voice answered a few seconds later.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Maggie. It's Ron. Let us up."
"Sure thing, Ron." Maggie said and the buzzer rang, signaling that the door was open.
"Have you ever been here before, Ron?" Hermione asked.
"Only once to help move Gin's stuff in. I've never even met this Maggie girl before. I could tell it was her on the intercom, since Gin doesn't sound at all like that." They climbed six flights of stairs until they got to the top. All the doors were grey, except for this one. It was bright red with purple panels on it. Maggie and Ginny was written at the top in a light blue. Ron knocked on the door. Some shuffled footsteps could be heard behind it, and then the door opened. It was Ginny.
"Hey, you guys! Come on in!" she lead us in and closed the door. The loft was big and it was comfortable. It was just one big room besides a half-wall closing off the kitchen and a door that was most likely the bathroom. Everything was colorful. A huge TV. sat against the wall on their right. A coffee table and a fold-out couch sat in front of it with two pillow-like chairs beside it. There was a tiny table for eating behind it and a maple desk next to it against the wall. Two full-size beds were at the end of the room hidden behind a yellow curtain. The smell of grilled cheese and macaroni and cheese was in the air. Ginny waited for them to look around.
"Come sit down over here." She led the three over to the couch where they all sat down.
"You guys wait here. I'll go help Maggs with lunch. You can turn on the TV. if you want." She said as she walked off to the kitchen. Minutes later Gin came back out with a plate full of grilled cheese triangles and some paper plates. Behind her, a girl was holding a huge bowl of macaroni and cheese and some plastic spoons. This was obviously Maggie. She was fairly thin with dark blue eyes and pink hair with black streaks in it. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a shirt that said, "Potato salad, anyone?" on it. They set the food on the table and sat down on the two pillows. Everyone started to get plates and spoons and started to grab some food. Everyone except for Ron. He was sitting at the left end of the couch next to Hermione. He was staring at Maggie before he noticed everyone looking at him. Including Maggie herself. Her blue ocean eyes stared at his lighter blue ones and they never blinked once. Ginny nudged Maggie, which caused both Ron and Maggie to look away. Ron got his food. They started to talk again. Ginny leaned in toward Maggie and whispered in her ear.
"Told you you'd like him."