Disclaimer: As usual I do not own Harry Potter. And I'm doing this for the
love of a story.
Three letters awaited Hermione Granger at her desk early in the morning of August. Looking at the letters, she smiled as she saw whom it was from.
Harry, Ron and Ginny.
Oddly enough, they all came from different owls. Hermione mused at this fact for if they came separately, one and the other didn't know they had written her. She looked at the thinnest and knew whom it was from even before she read the return address.
Opening Ron's first, she smirked at its contents
Dear 'Moine,
We had a blast at Harry's birthday and we wished you were here.
Love Ron.
"That was short," she snorted as she opened Harry's letter. Ron can be a bit irritating even if he didn't try. "It's like reading a telegram." At least Harry's letter was a bit longer.
Dear Hermione,
I am sorry that you missed my birthday here at the Burrow. At least we will see each other in a week. You are still coming here, aren't you? I can't wait to show you Ginny's present to me. I was wondering if you could do me a favor? I'll tell you when you get here.
Love Harry
"Ginny's gift?" Hermione thought to herself. What did the girl give him that made him exited? It was probably something that made his day. Looking at Ginny's letter, she opened it hoping for a clue to this mystery.
Dear Hermione,
Oh my God! Harry hugged me like there was no tomorrow! He REALLY appreciated my gift! Oh, you should have seen him, he was soooo cute. The bad side was Fred and George were teasing me until I went to bed. But the good outweighed the bad. I can't wait for you to arrive and I'll tell you the whole story.
Love Ginny
Nope, not a clue. Just more of a mystery than ever. Hermione frowned interested in what the young witch would tell her. She and Ginny became best friends in the middle of her fifth year. She knew all of Ginny's secrets and the young witch knew all of hers. Including a particular interest for someone so dense. If he would be any denser, light would start to bend around HIM.
But still, what could have gotten Ginny so excited? And what was this gift? It peeked her curiosity for Ginny said the twins teased her until she want to bed.
Her curiosity finally taking over, she took her quill and parchment and began to write.
Dear Harry and Ron,
I really missed you guys and can't wait to see you again. Please tell Ron to do his assignments. I'll be hiding mine from him since he literally ransacked my things last summer to go look for them. I'm really looking forward in seeing both of you and you can tell me everything that happened.
Love Hermione
Dear Ginny,
Give me the details when I arrive. Can't wait to hear them
Love Hermione
"Hermione dear!" her mother called from downstairs. "Could you go to the grocers for me?"
"Sure mum!" Hermione tucked the two letters inside her jacket and went out.
Hermione was returning from the grocers a few hours later carrying two bags of grocery. Her body was set on automatic towards home for her mind wandered elsewhere. It reached to a certain place where a certain red head lived wishing she was there to witness this exchange. Somehow she knew that Harry had something of a crush on Ginny but never acted on it.
Hermione was "distracted" so she did not see the men in front of her when she bumped into them.
"Hey!" one of them shouted. His voice was familiar to Hermione. It was VERY familiar and wished that she had never heard it. But she did and she did bump into him.
She bumped into the last person she expected to see during her break.
Draco Malfoy.
(Great) Hermione thought. (Nice going Hermione. Of all the people in London you bumped into Draco Malfoy)
"Out of my way, Malfoy," Hermione said curtly as she tried to pass.
"Oh look! A mudblood walking in a dirty town," he and his friends laughed. Hermione merely smirked.
"You call that an insult?" Hermione laughed in his face. "I've heard muggles insults that will make yours sound like sweet talk." Draco's face flared at her insult. Through the years, Hermione learned to control her temper. That gave her an advantage over the Slytherin.
"You'll pay for that, mudblood!" Draco threatened.
"Puh-lease," Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're not even worth giving the time of day. Not even worth as food for the worms." Draco's hands suddenly flew and Hermione didn't have anytime to react.
Draco's fist connected but not on Hermione's face, but on the palm of a stranger in black. Draco was more astonished than Hermione and judging from the looks of Draco's friends, the man came from nowhere.
"Has chivalry died in the country that practically invented it?" the stranger asked in a pleasant but warning voice. "To lift a hand on a lady is a great sin."
"Bug off," Draco pulled his hand loose and stepped back. "This does not concern you." the stranger looked at Hermione with kindness that was familiar to her. His amethyst eyes showed concern but when he faced Draco, it showed death.
"It concerns me that a peasant would strike a lady of stature," his smile that he showed Malfoy made the Slytherin flinch. "In the old days we flog people like that." Draco was now trembling. Hermione noticed that he was more afraid now than he was ever before. Not even when Mad Eye Moody turned him into a weasel could compare his fear. It was worse than being near a Dementor, for him actually.
"Never has anyone threaten a Malfoy with pain!" Draco said but Hermione noticed the fear in his voice.
"Really," the man looked into Draco's eyes. "Should I be frightened?"
Draco suddenly pulled out his wand, making Hermione gasp. He was about to curse this nice muggle!
"Expe........." the man casually raised his hand and Draco suddenly clutched his throat and dropped to his knees. He seemed to have trouble breathing. His friends, wands drawn came to help but the man waved at them callously.
"You will all leave," he said without any force or emotion. Looking at each other, Draco's so called friends left him in the clutches of the man. It was like he had controlled them somehow. How, Hermione couldn't figure out.
"Fine friends he had there," he smiled at Hermione as he looked at her. She couldn't fathom what had happened. Also she couldn't believe he could jump from one emotion to another in an instance. But Draco was clearly in pain. She suddenly felt a pang of guilt. That came with a conscience that the Slytherin lacked.
"Sir?" she asked fearing for his wrath. "Please release him." The man looked at her as if she had suggested something strange. His eyes became deadly once again and glared at Malfoy.
"Please?" her voice was soft and it took all the man had just to keep calm. He couldn't bear to see a lady beg something from him in earnest. When he looked at her, Hermione was glad that his wrath left his eyes. There was only kindness.
"As you wish, my lady," he said calmly. Draco suddenly felt the welcomed air in his lungs once again as he struggled to fill them. "I would suggest that you leave," he said quietly. Malfoy quickly grabbed his wand and ran after his so called friends.
Hermione never saw Draco run that fast before. It was as if his life depended on it. And after what she saw from this man, it probably did.
"You will be fine, my lady," he assured her. He said it with much confidence that even Hermione started to believe him. It was like all the trouble went away with a few words. Just like a charm and she had a suspicion that it was.
"Thank you," she said. He swung around and she noticed his hair was thigh long and in a single braid. He smiled and bowed formally to her.
"Always a pleasure," he said and handed her two envelopes. "You dropped this." Hermione blushed as she took her letters that she supposed she had dropped during Malfoy's attack.
"I was about to send them," she admitted shyly. "But I got sidetracked."
"By what?" he smiled. "Daft boyfriend?" Hermione blinked. It was not far from the truth but it was close enough.
"He's not my boyfriend," she felt her cheeks heated in embarrassment. It was such a blatant lie to anyone who truly knew her and she hoped that it wasn't obvious. But the way the man was smiling, she knew that it was.
"He's daft then," he laughed softly.
"Enormously," Hermione sighed.
"He must be if he thinks you're going to wait for him forever."
"Exactly!" Hermione said not realizing that she had blurted out her frustrations. "I mean, who the hell does he think he is if he expects ME to make the first move."
"Men are daft in that sense of life, my lady," his tone had a laugh in it. "Believe me, I took me about half my youth just to figure that out."
"Half your youth?" Hermione asked incredulously. Looking at the man, he seemed like someone two years her senior.
"Never mind," he smiled softly. "But when I realized that I did loved her, it was too late."
"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "What happened?" she hoped that it wasn't serious. What was she saying? Anything tragic was serious.
"She was taken from me," the man smiled ruefully. But suddenly, he blinked and looked at her skeptically. "How did we get to talk about MY love life?"
"I think it began with the question of your youth," Hermione said softly.
"What does that mean?" he frowned. "Are you saying that I'm old?"
"You don't look old," she smiled.
"There! You see?"
"You just sound old," Hermione laughed at the crestfallen expression on his face.
"Whatever the age is, people does not like to be referred as "old"," he smirked making her laugh more.
"'Experienced' perhaps," she suggested but was still smiling.
"Now THAT'S a better word," he smiled. "So, my lady. What is your pleasure?"
"Pleasure?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Aside from making a certain prat realize that you have feelings for him," he smiled as he saw her blush. "What about a magic lamp?"
"I'm sorry but I can't accept anything magical from strangers," she said. "It's a policy we adopted after my second year of Hog........." she stopped herself short before she could give away anything.
"Hogwarts," he smirked in understanding. "What happened that time? Never mind. I could ask around. Anyway, here," he gave her an old lamp which she hesitantly took. "Just do not rub it."
"What's in it?" she asked, her curiosity aroused.
"Research something called the 'Guardian of the Lamp' and you'll learn more about it," he said as he looked at the sky.
"In essence, what is it?" Hermione asked as she looked at the lamp cautiously as if she was afraid it would attack her.
"A friend when times seem to be desperate," he smirked as he looked at her. "Try talking to it. Let it hear your voice. When it recognizes you, you have a friend for life." Hermione looked at the lamp once again and it seemed to have glowed.
"Thank you," she turned to face the man but only talked to the air. She found that she was alone in the street and no sign that proved otherwise. Frowning in confusion, she started home again, waiting to tell someone about the encounter.
But she looked at the lamp one more time and sighed.
"Hi," she said to the lamp tentatively. "My name is Hermione." She thought that it was her imagination but she felt the lamp respond. "And I hope you don't belong to Tom Riddle."
Strangely, she felt that the lamp assured her that its not.
"Ron will not believe this," she sighed as she started home.
The Burrow
Harry lay on his bed looking intently on the watch Ginny had gave him... ... his watch. He didn't ask where she had gotten it. It would be rude but he thought of something else. Harry was keener to spot the obvious more than his best friend. Hell, he noticed that Ron saw something more to Hermione than "just a friend."
Ginny had gone through the trouble of buying him such a gift and he did feel that he should return the favor. He decided to take it slow and see where it goes.
First he must find her the perfect gift.
End of 2
Three letters awaited Hermione Granger at her desk early in the morning of August. Looking at the letters, she smiled as she saw whom it was from.
Harry, Ron and Ginny.
Oddly enough, they all came from different owls. Hermione mused at this fact for if they came separately, one and the other didn't know they had written her. She looked at the thinnest and knew whom it was from even before she read the return address.
Opening Ron's first, she smirked at its contents
Dear 'Moine,
We had a blast at Harry's birthday and we wished you were here.
Love Ron.
"That was short," she snorted as she opened Harry's letter. Ron can be a bit irritating even if he didn't try. "It's like reading a telegram." At least Harry's letter was a bit longer.
Dear Hermione,
I am sorry that you missed my birthday here at the Burrow. At least we will see each other in a week. You are still coming here, aren't you? I can't wait to show you Ginny's present to me. I was wondering if you could do me a favor? I'll tell you when you get here.
Love Harry
"Ginny's gift?" Hermione thought to herself. What did the girl give him that made him exited? It was probably something that made his day. Looking at Ginny's letter, she opened it hoping for a clue to this mystery.
Dear Hermione,
Oh my God! Harry hugged me like there was no tomorrow! He REALLY appreciated my gift! Oh, you should have seen him, he was soooo cute. The bad side was Fred and George were teasing me until I went to bed. But the good outweighed the bad. I can't wait for you to arrive and I'll tell you the whole story.
Love Ginny
Nope, not a clue. Just more of a mystery than ever. Hermione frowned interested in what the young witch would tell her. She and Ginny became best friends in the middle of her fifth year. She knew all of Ginny's secrets and the young witch knew all of hers. Including a particular interest for someone so dense. If he would be any denser, light would start to bend around HIM.
But still, what could have gotten Ginny so excited? And what was this gift? It peeked her curiosity for Ginny said the twins teased her until she want to bed.
Her curiosity finally taking over, she took her quill and parchment and began to write.
Dear Harry and Ron,
I really missed you guys and can't wait to see you again. Please tell Ron to do his assignments. I'll be hiding mine from him since he literally ransacked my things last summer to go look for them. I'm really looking forward in seeing both of you and you can tell me everything that happened.
Love Hermione
Dear Ginny,
Give me the details when I arrive. Can't wait to hear them
Love Hermione
"Hermione dear!" her mother called from downstairs. "Could you go to the grocers for me?"
"Sure mum!" Hermione tucked the two letters inside her jacket and went out.
Hermione was returning from the grocers a few hours later carrying two bags of grocery. Her body was set on automatic towards home for her mind wandered elsewhere. It reached to a certain place where a certain red head lived wishing she was there to witness this exchange. Somehow she knew that Harry had something of a crush on Ginny but never acted on it.
Hermione was "distracted" so she did not see the men in front of her when she bumped into them.
"Hey!" one of them shouted. His voice was familiar to Hermione. It was VERY familiar and wished that she had never heard it. But she did and she did bump into him.
She bumped into the last person she expected to see during her break.
Draco Malfoy.
(Great) Hermione thought. (Nice going Hermione. Of all the people in London you bumped into Draco Malfoy)
"Out of my way, Malfoy," Hermione said curtly as she tried to pass.
"Oh look! A mudblood walking in a dirty town," he and his friends laughed. Hermione merely smirked.
"You call that an insult?" Hermione laughed in his face. "I've heard muggles insults that will make yours sound like sweet talk." Draco's face flared at her insult. Through the years, Hermione learned to control her temper. That gave her an advantage over the Slytherin.
"You'll pay for that, mudblood!" Draco threatened.
"Puh-lease," Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're not even worth giving the time of day. Not even worth as food for the worms." Draco's hands suddenly flew and Hermione didn't have anytime to react.
Draco's fist connected but not on Hermione's face, but on the palm of a stranger in black. Draco was more astonished than Hermione and judging from the looks of Draco's friends, the man came from nowhere.
"Has chivalry died in the country that practically invented it?" the stranger asked in a pleasant but warning voice. "To lift a hand on a lady is a great sin."
"Bug off," Draco pulled his hand loose and stepped back. "This does not concern you." the stranger looked at Hermione with kindness that was familiar to her. His amethyst eyes showed concern but when he faced Draco, it showed death.
"It concerns me that a peasant would strike a lady of stature," his smile that he showed Malfoy made the Slytherin flinch. "In the old days we flog people like that." Draco was now trembling. Hermione noticed that he was more afraid now than he was ever before. Not even when Mad Eye Moody turned him into a weasel could compare his fear. It was worse than being near a Dementor, for him actually.
"Never has anyone threaten a Malfoy with pain!" Draco said but Hermione noticed the fear in his voice.
"Really," the man looked into Draco's eyes. "Should I be frightened?"
Draco suddenly pulled out his wand, making Hermione gasp. He was about to curse this nice muggle!
"Expe........." the man casually raised his hand and Draco suddenly clutched his throat and dropped to his knees. He seemed to have trouble breathing. His friends, wands drawn came to help but the man waved at them callously.
"You will all leave," he said without any force or emotion. Looking at each other, Draco's so called friends left him in the clutches of the man. It was like he had controlled them somehow. How, Hermione couldn't figure out.
"Fine friends he had there," he smiled at Hermione as he looked at her. She couldn't fathom what had happened. Also she couldn't believe he could jump from one emotion to another in an instance. But Draco was clearly in pain. She suddenly felt a pang of guilt. That came with a conscience that the Slytherin lacked.
"Sir?" she asked fearing for his wrath. "Please release him." The man looked at her as if she had suggested something strange. His eyes became deadly once again and glared at Malfoy.
"Please?" her voice was soft and it took all the man had just to keep calm. He couldn't bear to see a lady beg something from him in earnest. When he looked at her, Hermione was glad that his wrath left his eyes. There was only kindness.
"As you wish, my lady," he said calmly. Draco suddenly felt the welcomed air in his lungs once again as he struggled to fill them. "I would suggest that you leave," he said quietly. Malfoy quickly grabbed his wand and ran after his so called friends.
Hermione never saw Draco run that fast before. It was as if his life depended on it. And after what she saw from this man, it probably did.
"You will be fine, my lady," he assured her. He said it with much confidence that even Hermione started to believe him. It was like all the trouble went away with a few words. Just like a charm and she had a suspicion that it was.
"Thank you," she said. He swung around and she noticed his hair was thigh long and in a single braid. He smiled and bowed formally to her.
"Always a pleasure," he said and handed her two envelopes. "You dropped this." Hermione blushed as she took her letters that she supposed she had dropped during Malfoy's attack.
"I was about to send them," she admitted shyly. "But I got sidetracked."
"By what?" he smiled. "Daft boyfriend?" Hermione blinked. It was not far from the truth but it was close enough.
"He's not my boyfriend," she felt her cheeks heated in embarrassment. It was such a blatant lie to anyone who truly knew her and she hoped that it wasn't obvious. But the way the man was smiling, she knew that it was.
"He's daft then," he laughed softly.
"Enormously," Hermione sighed.
"He must be if he thinks you're going to wait for him forever."
"Exactly!" Hermione said not realizing that she had blurted out her frustrations. "I mean, who the hell does he think he is if he expects ME to make the first move."
"Men are daft in that sense of life, my lady," his tone had a laugh in it. "Believe me, I took me about half my youth just to figure that out."
"Half your youth?" Hermione asked incredulously. Looking at the man, he seemed like someone two years her senior.
"Never mind," he smiled softly. "But when I realized that I did loved her, it was too late."
"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "What happened?" she hoped that it wasn't serious. What was she saying? Anything tragic was serious.
"She was taken from me," the man smiled ruefully. But suddenly, he blinked and looked at her skeptically. "How did we get to talk about MY love life?"
"I think it began with the question of your youth," Hermione said softly.
"What does that mean?" he frowned. "Are you saying that I'm old?"
"You don't look old," she smiled.
"There! You see?"
"You just sound old," Hermione laughed at the crestfallen expression on his face.
"Whatever the age is, people does not like to be referred as "old"," he smirked making her laugh more.
"'Experienced' perhaps," she suggested but was still smiling.
"Now THAT'S a better word," he smiled. "So, my lady. What is your pleasure?"
"Pleasure?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Aside from making a certain prat realize that you have feelings for him," he smiled as he saw her blush. "What about a magic lamp?"
"I'm sorry but I can't accept anything magical from strangers," she said. "It's a policy we adopted after my second year of Hog........." she stopped herself short before she could give away anything.
"Hogwarts," he smirked in understanding. "What happened that time? Never mind. I could ask around. Anyway, here," he gave her an old lamp which she hesitantly took. "Just do not rub it."
"What's in it?" she asked, her curiosity aroused.
"Research something called the 'Guardian of the Lamp' and you'll learn more about it," he said as he looked at the sky.
"In essence, what is it?" Hermione asked as she looked at the lamp cautiously as if she was afraid it would attack her.
"A friend when times seem to be desperate," he smirked as he looked at her. "Try talking to it. Let it hear your voice. When it recognizes you, you have a friend for life." Hermione looked at the lamp once again and it seemed to have glowed.
"Thank you," she turned to face the man but only talked to the air. She found that she was alone in the street and no sign that proved otherwise. Frowning in confusion, she started home again, waiting to tell someone about the encounter.
But she looked at the lamp one more time and sighed.
"Hi," she said to the lamp tentatively. "My name is Hermione." She thought that it was her imagination but she felt the lamp respond. "And I hope you don't belong to Tom Riddle."
Strangely, she felt that the lamp assured her that its not.
"Ron will not believe this," she sighed as she started home.
The Burrow
Harry lay on his bed looking intently on the watch Ginny had gave him... ... his watch. He didn't ask where she had gotten it. It would be rude but he thought of something else. Harry was keener to spot the obvious more than his best friend. Hell, he noticed that Ron saw something more to Hermione than "just a friend."
Ginny had gone through the trouble of buying him such a gift and he did feel that he should return the favor. He decided to take it slow and see where it goes.
First he must find her the perfect gift.
End of 2