Chapter 11- The Real Betty Brown
By Marmy Fever
The first Hogsmeade weekend was scheduled for the second week of November. Harry and Hermione decided to take this weekend to visit Lavender's cousin, Betty—the real one this time. The young couple had been doing fine, though they had received an owl from Ron, announcing his break-up with Bianca. Apparently, she had thought that he was a much richer man than he was in reality. It had been a trip to his flat on which occasion a great bit of ceiling came falling down that had convinced her. Surprisingly, Ron seemed perfectly okay with it. She had been very forceful when it came to his manners, had always wanted the most expensive luxury items, and had a personality that left something to be desired.
"I didn't like her much, really," Hermione said, after finishing the letter. "She was just kind of blah, you know?"
On the morning of their trip to the Browns, they hiked into the village with students and apparated onto the front porch of a cozy looking home with a thickset wooden area to keep muggles away. There was also a large field in a sort of valley that looked like a good place to practice Quidditch. Harry approached the large doorknocker and it did its job without waiting for him. (The misuse of Muggle Artifacts office would have been appalled.) A few minutes passed and a plump middle-aged woman came to the door, wand in hand and covered in flour.
"May I help you?" she barked at them, frowning.
"Yes, we're the teachers from Hogwarts. We sent you the owl," Harry said.
The woman looked them up and down, skeptically. "Aren't you two a bit young?" The woman was still frowning, considering them.
"Well, maybe a little," Hermione admitted. "May we see Betty?"
"She's in her room," Mrs. Brown said, sniffing. She wasn't budging from her spot blocking the entrance to the house.
"Would you mind if we went in?" Harry asked.
"Now see here. You two can't've been teaching for much longer than this year. What'd you say your names were?"
"Well," Hermione said, feeling uncomfortable. "My name is Hermione Granger and this is Harry... Harry Potter." It was always odd to introduce Harry, as his name was so well-known.
"And I'm the Queen of Latvia," the woman remarked, still not budging.
"No, really, I am," Harry said, not believing his ears.
"No, really. I'm the Queen of Latvia. Now let me go call his royal highness to escort you from the property!" She turned. "Brutus! Get down here, NOW!"
Harry and Hermione turned to one another. Was this woman mad? A man of about 6 and a half feet came into the door way, so that the inside of the house was less visible than before.
"Tarragon, butter, and dill weed!" the man said, ogling at Harry. "It's Harry Potter, Ma!" The woman poked him in the ribs with her elbow.
"Course it ain't!"
"No, really," Harry said earnestly. "Can we please just see Betty? We only want to talk to her."
"Why, sure!" the man said, literally picking up his wife and placing her a foot or so out of the way so that they could enter. "She's upstairs, fourth door on the right."
Harry and Hermione made a bee-line for the stairs and shuffled up them so quickly that it was lucky that they weren't at Hogwarts, or they would have had a foot stuck in one of them in no time. When they reached the fourth door on the right, they found it open and the back of a blond head was lying on a bed in the center of a very purple room. Hermione rapped on the door.
"Go away Mama, I'm fine," the girl said.
"We're Professors from Hogwarts," Harry said. The girl rolled over, groaning at the effort and looked at them.
"Oh, hello," she said, looking confused. "Weren't you two the head boy and girl last year?"
"Good eye," Hermione said. "Mind if we come in?"
"Go ahead," Betty said, prying herself into an upright position. Harry and Hermione sat down on a small window seat in the corner.
"We wanted to talk to you about your accident," Harry said.
"Doesn't everyone?" Betty laughed. There was a photo on the wall that depicted a five-year-old Betty and a ten-year-old Lavender having a shouting match, nearly going to blows.
"What exactly happened?" Harry asked.
Betty groaned and rubbed her neck. "I was on a broomstick, playing Quidditch, the broom swerved strangely, and I fell." These words sounded dull, as if repeated many times.
"Who were you playing with?" Harry asked.
"My Dad, my younger brother, he's eight, and my friend Mary."
"Mary?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, I met her at camp over the summer. She's real nice. You know she has a nimbus? I was on it when I fell."
"Does she go to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.
"No, some school in North Africa. She's British though." Hermione had gotten out a quill and began jotting this down.
"Did you meet her parents?" Harry asked.
"Nah, they were on holiday in Canada."
"What's her sir name?" Hermione said, not looking up from her note- taking.
"Blutchley... Why are you two so curious about Mary, anyway?"
"We're just trying to figure out how you got hurt."
"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Betty said. "It was the wind. I was never very good with a broom, anyway."
"That's a possibility," Harry said.
"What, you think someone tried to hurt me on purpose? Because Mary'd never do that!" Betty was starting to look pink in the cheeks.
"We just want to check out all the possibilities, that's all."
"What's this all about, anyway?"
"Well..." Harry considered telling Betty that someone had been impersonating her at Hogwarts.
"Well what?" Betty yelled. The pink flush had crept up onto her forehead. "I trust Mary, and she trusts me! She even let me borrow her owl! She told me a secret, one that she's never told anyone before."
"What's that?" Hermione said, looking nervous.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown came into the room. Mr. Brown held a plate of cookies, Mrs. Brown looking scandalized.
"Don't you come in here and upset my little girl!" Mrs. Brown yelled. "Out, out, OUT!"
"What did she tell you?" Harry asked, ignoring Mrs. Brown. Mr. Brown had set down the biscuits and looked prepared to throw Harry and Hermione out.
"OUT-OF-MY-HOUSE!" Mrs. Brown screeched, looking livid.
Harry withdrew his wand. "See here! We're trying to help!"
Mr. Brown ignored the wand and set a hand both of their shoulders, pushing them through the room.
"What's Mary's secret?" Hermione yelled. "It's important!"
"She fancies Harry!" Betty said, who was clearly just as annoyed with her parents as they were. Mr. Brown shoved them from the room and Mrs. Brown closed the door behind them. When they reached the front door it literally spat them out.
"That's for working up the women-folk!" Mr. Brown yelled and a large amount of cookies sprayed them as the door spat them out, too.
A.N.: I don't have much to say in this authors note. Keep reading and reviewing... tell your friends. Lol I wonder if there's Latvian royalty...
By Marmy Fever
The first Hogsmeade weekend was scheduled for the second week of November. Harry and Hermione decided to take this weekend to visit Lavender's cousin, Betty—the real one this time. The young couple had been doing fine, though they had received an owl from Ron, announcing his break-up with Bianca. Apparently, she had thought that he was a much richer man than he was in reality. It had been a trip to his flat on which occasion a great bit of ceiling came falling down that had convinced her. Surprisingly, Ron seemed perfectly okay with it. She had been very forceful when it came to his manners, had always wanted the most expensive luxury items, and had a personality that left something to be desired.
"I didn't like her much, really," Hermione said, after finishing the letter. "She was just kind of blah, you know?"
On the morning of their trip to the Browns, they hiked into the village with students and apparated onto the front porch of a cozy looking home with a thickset wooden area to keep muggles away. There was also a large field in a sort of valley that looked like a good place to practice Quidditch. Harry approached the large doorknocker and it did its job without waiting for him. (The misuse of Muggle Artifacts office would have been appalled.) A few minutes passed and a plump middle-aged woman came to the door, wand in hand and covered in flour.
"May I help you?" she barked at them, frowning.
"Yes, we're the teachers from Hogwarts. We sent you the owl," Harry said.
The woman looked them up and down, skeptically. "Aren't you two a bit young?" The woman was still frowning, considering them.
"Well, maybe a little," Hermione admitted. "May we see Betty?"
"She's in her room," Mrs. Brown said, sniffing. She wasn't budging from her spot blocking the entrance to the house.
"Would you mind if we went in?" Harry asked.
"Now see here. You two can't've been teaching for much longer than this year. What'd you say your names were?"
"Well," Hermione said, feeling uncomfortable. "My name is Hermione Granger and this is Harry... Harry Potter." It was always odd to introduce Harry, as his name was so well-known.
"And I'm the Queen of Latvia," the woman remarked, still not budging.
"No, really, I am," Harry said, not believing his ears.
"No, really. I'm the Queen of Latvia. Now let me go call his royal highness to escort you from the property!" She turned. "Brutus! Get down here, NOW!"
Harry and Hermione turned to one another. Was this woman mad? A man of about 6 and a half feet came into the door way, so that the inside of the house was less visible than before.
"Tarragon, butter, and dill weed!" the man said, ogling at Harry. "It's Harry Potter, Ma!" The woman poked him in the ribs with her elbow.
"Course it ain't!"
"No, really," Harry said earnestly. "Can we please just see Betty? We only want to talk to her."
"Why, sure!" the man said, literally picking up his wife and placing her a foot or so out of the way so that they could enter. "She's upstairs, fourth door on the right."
Harry and Hermione made a bee-line for the stairs and shuffled up them so quickly that it was lucky that they weren't at Hogwarts, or they would have had a foot stuck in one of them in no time. When they reached the fourth door on the right, they found it open and the back of a blond head was lying on a bed in the center of a very purple room. Hermione rapped on the door.
"Go away Mama, I'm fine," the girl said.
"We're Professors from Hogwarts," Harry said. The girl rolled over, groaning at the effort and looked at them.
"Oh, hello," she said, looking confused. "Weren't you two the head boy and girl last year?"
"Good eye," Hermione said. "Mind if we come in?"
"Go ahead," Betty said, prying herself into an upright position. Harry and Hermione sat down on a small window seat in the corner.
"We wanted to talk to you about your accident," Harry said.
"Doesn't everyone?" Betty laughed. There was a photo on the wall that depicted a five-year-old Betty and a ten-year-old Lavender having a shouting match, nearly going to blows.
"What exactly happened?" Harry asked.
Betty groaned and rubbed her neck. "I was on a broomstick, playing Quidditch, the broom swerved strangely, and I fell." These words sounded dull, as if repeated many times.
"Who were you playing with?" Harry asked.
"My Dad, my younger brother, he's eight, and my friend Mary."
"Mary?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, I met her at camp over the summer. She's real nice. You know she has a nimbus? I was on it when I fell."
"Does she go to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.
"No, some school in North Africa. She's British though." Hermione had gotten out a quill and began jotting this down.
"Did you meet her parents?" Harry asked.
"Nah, they were on holiday in Canada."
"What's her sir name?" Hermione said, not looking up from her note- taking.
"Blutchley... Why are you two so curious about Mary, anyway?"
"We're just trying to figure out how you got hurt."
"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Betty said. "It was the wind. I was never very good with a broom, anyway."
"That's a possibility," Harry said.
"What, you think someone tried to hurt me on purpose? Because Mary'd never do that!" Betty was starting to look pink in the cheeks.
"We just want to check out all the possibilities, that's all."
"What's this all about, anyway?"
"Well..." Harry considered telling Betty that someone had been impersonating her at Hogwarts.
"Well what?" Betty yelled. The pink flush had crept up onto her forehead. "I trust Mary, and she trusts me! She even let me borrow her owl! She told me a secret, one that she's never told anyone before."
"What's that?" Hermione said, looking nervous.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown came into the room. Mr. Brown held a plate of cookies, Mrs. Brown looking scandalized.
"Don't you come in here and upset my little girl!" Mrs. Brown yelled. "Out, out, OUT!"
"What did she tell you?" Harry asked, ignoring Mrs. Brown. Mr. Brown had set down the biscuits and looked prepared to throw Harry and Hermione out.
"OUT-OF-MY-HOUSE!" Mrs. Brown screeched, looking livid.
Harry withdrew his wand. "See here! We're trying to help!"
Mr. Brown ignored the wand and set a hand both of their shoulders, pushing them through the room.
"What's Mary's secret?" Hermione yelled. "It's important!"
"She fancies Harry!" Betty said, who was clearly just as annoyed with her parents as they were. Mr. Brown shoved them from the room and Mrs. Brown closed the door behind them. When they reached the front door it literally spat them out.
"That's for working up the women-folk!" Mr. Brown yelled and a large amount of cookies sprayed them as the door spat them out, too.
A.N.: I don't have much to say in this authors note. Keep reading and reviewing... tell your friends. Lol I wonder if there's Latvian royalty...