Author's Notes: What would happen if the trio had a "TMI"moment? They're
coming into young adulthood, and while their friendships survived past the
battle, there have been some changes. A kind of fluffy humorous chapter.
I just had to tweak the trio; they need it every once in a while.Heh,
they're teenagers, I really want to go more into how they handle their
"growing pains".
Oh, and thanks for all the reviews. Glad to know somebody out there's reading! Okay, things have settled down enough that I can commit to a weekly chapter update, maybe even twice a week, it just depends. A couple more chapters are outlined, and being finished, maybe I'll post two next week.
Disclaimers: If you recognize it from the books or the movies, it doesn't belong to me.
Chapter 34: Back to School
The days leading up to the Fall term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry went by in a flurry of activity. Mira was busy with orders for school robes, and Professor Snape was busy ensuring that the potions lab was properly stocked and the class lesson plans were completed. Still, even with their busy schedules, they managed to steal a few hours together here and there.
Hermione, Ron, and Harry were all given permission to spend the day before start of term in Hogsmeade. Having already bought their supplies in Diagon Alley, they had an entire day free to explore around the village before spending the night at the inn and meeting the other students at the train station the following day.
His pocket full of coins earned as an errand boy for the Ministry, Ron stocked up on enough sweets from Honeyduke's to last him 'till the Christmas holidays. Hermione split off from the boys to send an owl home to her parents, letting them know she had made it to Hogsmeade safely. Harry headed on to the Quidditch supply shop to wait for Ron. On the way down the street from Honeyduke's, Ron saw a display of lovely hair combs and other assorted items in the window at Treadle's tailor shop, and thought of how impressed Hermione would be if he could buy her a fancy gift.
Ron entered the little store. A large brown owl looked up from a perch, hooted, and fluffed its feathers. Mirabelle DelMare came out from the back room and smiled at Ron.
"Hi there, what can I do for you today?"
"Er..Um, Just looking. Looking for a present for my girlfriend."
"Oh, what did you have in mind?"
"Well. those hair combs in the window are awfully nice."
Mira pulled a velvet-lined tray of hair combs out from behind the counter, they were made of bronze and silver, many set with stones. Ron timidly picked up a few of them, and his eyes grew large at the price tags. They ranged from between forty and a hundred and twenty Galleons per pair.
"Maybe something a little less flashy?"
"Why don't you have a look at these silken pouches, they're on sale this week, there are some really lovely embroidered ones towards the bottom of the basket."
"How much?"
"Two Galleons for the small ones, five for the large."
Ron jingled the coins in his pocket, there were just under ten Galleons left. He chose a very pretty large red bag with gold embroidery, the Gryffindor house colors. It wasn't much, but it was pretty, and she could use it to carry her quills and other supplies in.
"I'll take this one please."
"Very well, that'll be five Galleons. She's a lucky girl, that's quite a nice gift."
Ron blushed and counted out his coins for Mira. She wrote up a receipt and wrapped the pouch in extravagant tissue and tied it with a pretty bow. He tucked the parcel into his robe pocket and went to meet Harry. After ogling the new broomsticks, they went back to the inn to meet Hermione for supper. Ron waited until the inn was completely packed with students and their families to present the gift to Hermione. She looked at him with a puzzled look.
"What's this for Ron?"
"It's just a little something I picked up for you as a back to school gift. I figured you could use it for your quills or something."
Hermione carefully unwrapped the gift without tearing the tissue or snagging the ribbon, her eyes lit up at the lovely pouch.
"Oh, Ron! It's absolutely lovely! I don't know what to say. Thank you!"
She stood up and reached across the table and kissed him on the cheek. Ron was blushing beet red and positively beaming. Several students whispered and pointed at them. It was now official. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were a couple.
The friends decided to walk over to the café for a fancy frozen coffee drink and a game of cards before they had to return to the inn for the night. Hermione excused herself from the table, she wanted to run upstairs to her room and put her necessities into her new pouch so that she could carry it with her. When she was out of earshot, Harry leaned over close to Ron.
"Ron, that was some present, where'd you get it?"
"I popped in at Treadle's to scope out a nice Christmas gift for her and spotted it on my way out."
"It must have cost a fortune, Treadle's isn't cheap."
"I could afford it. Remember I had a job over summer."
"Yeah, but I don't think Dumbledore will let you leave school on the weekends to work for the Ministry, you better be careful with your earnings if you want to get her a nice Christmas gift."
Chagrined, Ron looked down at the table and then back up at Harry.
"I can afford it, I still have some money left."
Hermione came down the stairs with her new bag in hand, head held high. Ron took her arm, and the three students headed down the street to the café, where they found a table next to the street. They ordered muggle style frozen coffee drinks, which were a fad among the younger and more adventurous witches and wizards. Ron pulled out a pack of wizarding playing cards, which were enchanted to shuffle themselves. He had just finished dealing them all a hand of cards when Harry nudged him in the ribs and pointed across the street.
"Psst, Ron. Don't look like you're looking, but here comes your favorite teacher."
Professor Snape was walking up the street, from the direction of the train station.
"Bloody Hell! I know he's not coming over to harass us. School hasn't even started yet!"
Hermione leaned in towards the boys.
"Erm. I don't think he even saw us."
They watched surreptitiously over the top of their cards. Snape stopped at the door to the tailor shop. Ron's eyes got big and he remembered who worked at Treadle's.
"Oh, right! I totally forgot. That's the woman he fancies. You know, the one from the hospital wing? I saw her today; she works in the tailor shop. She's well now."
Harry smirked and nudged Ron in the ribs again. "How well can she be if she's still seeing that slimy git?"
The two boys snickered as Hermione rolled her eyes at them.
"Honestly, you two. I think it's rather touching that he has a lady friend."
The two boys rolled their eyes at her and made gagging noises. She huffed and they all three pretended to be sorting their hands of cards as they watched the professor. He smoothed his hair down and reached for the doorknob and walked inside the shop. Mira came out from the back room and smiled at him. She walked to the door and he grabbed her by the arm, pulled her close, and kissed her.
"Ewww, gross!" Exclaimed Ron.
Harry just raised his eyebrows and curled his top lip up slightly. Hermione got a slightly puckered look on her face. They stole another glance across the street. Mira pulled away to lock the door, and flipped the sign in the window to "Closed". Snape lunged for her and she dodged out of his way laughing. He pulled his wand out and cast a charm on her, multicolored sparks rained down on her head. He grabbed her by the waist with one arm and hoisted her effortlessly over his shoulder, as she playfully pounded on his back with her fists and kicked her feet.
"That must have been a kind of levitating or lightening charm. He shouldn't have been able to pick her up that easily."
The boys were oblivious to Hermione's commentary on the charm, they were blatantly staring with their jaws dropped.
Snape planted a hand firmly on Mira's backside and gave it a squeeze. He turned and headed for the staircase in the back of the store with her bouncing along across his shoulder.
"I don't believe it! He actually grabbed her bum! Bloody Hell!"
"Ron! Hush! We shouldn't be spying on them like this."
They tried to keep their mind on their cards, but movement in the room upstairs caught their attention. Mira stepped up to the window and reached for the shade. Snape reached around her waist from behind, and tried to pull her back away from the window. Mira slapped his hand away, twisted out of his grip, and yanked the shade down. The lamp in the room cast a perfect silhouette of them through the fabric of the shade. The professor reached up and pulled her head back with a handful of her hair and kissed her on the throat.
"Sweet Merlin, he really is a vampire!"
Hermione shot Ron a dirty look and her eyes darted back to the window. There was a flurry of activity; the shapes behind the shade were blurred. They had stepped back from the window.
"Look you two, we really shouldn't be watching this, it's private."
"Shhh Hermione! It's like a bloody accident, you can't help but look."
Mira came back into focus. Her clothes were gone and a perfect silhouette of her figure was briefly cast against the window shade as she reached up to dim the lamp on the wall.
Hermione blushed scarlet and looked down at her newly blossoming bosom. She excused herself from the table. "I think I've seen enough, I'm going back to the inn and up to bed."
"Suit yourself Hermione, we're gonna stay and play cards."
Ron and Harry looked around to make sure nobody was listening to them. Ron leaned in towards Harry.
"Harry, did you see the pair of knockers on her?"
"Ron! That's a crude thing to say. She seems like a very nice lady."
"Oh come off it Harry, you saw her."
"Yeah, I saw her. What I want to know is how a greasy bastard like Snape gets a woman like that?"
"Probably slipped some kind of potion into her drink or cast a charm on her."
"I don't know. Dumbledore seems to have a high opinion of him, taking him in and making him head of Slytherin House and all. Maybe he's not completely awful outside of school?"
"Well, dad told me that slimy bastard actually helped save his life during the battle, and he helped blow Malfoy's dad away. I still don't trust him though. And I don't like him. Not one bit."
"Well, obviously she likes him quite a bit. And you know there were those two Ravenclaw girls who got in trouble passing notes about him in Arithomancy class. They were actually getting into trouble on purpose just to get to serve detention with him."
"Yuck! Why would any girl in her right mind try and get detention with him, I mean the tasks he assigns are just foul!"
"I don't know."
"They're mental. They're all totally mental."
Harry laughed and they resumed their card playing until it was quite late and the waitress started cleaning the tables and levitating the chairs up and onto the tabletops. While they were putting the cards back into the pack to leave, they saw movement across the street. Snape exited the front door of the shop, turned and performed a locking spell on the door. He pocketed his wand, straightened the collar of his robe, ran his fingers through his hair, and set off towards the train station with a swagger in his step and a very self-satisfied smirk on his face.
"Bloody fucking hell Harry! I've seen enough, let's get outta here!"
Harry nearly tripped over the leg of the table getting up from the chair. The boys headed back to the inn, and didn't say a word to each other until they got back to the room they were sharing, where they decided to just pretend they never saw what they saw across the street from the café.
The next day, Hermione was very cool towards Ron and Harry at breakfast, and spent the day in her room checking that she had everything she needed for the school term. When it was time to leave for the carriages that would take them to the school grounds, she waved down Ginny, who had arrived by train, and shared a carriage with her.
By the time of the start of term feast, they were back on talking terms again, but Hermione wouldn't even look at the head table during supper. Ron and Harry sneaked a couple of glances and then whispered some bawdy comments to each other before Hermione shushed them.
Headmaster Dumbledore gave the traditional start of term speech, and then talked about those who were not coming back, and how the returning students should keep them and their families in mind. Harry noticed and pointed out to Ron and Hermione that the Slytherin table was nearly half empty. Noticeably missing was their nemesis, Draco Malfoy.
"Wonder what happened to Malfoy? Have you heard anything Harry?"
"No Ron, nothing. I remember Sirius telling me his father was killed in the battle, as a Death Eater. I guess Draco's too ashamed to show his face in Hogwarts now."
"Percy said he saw Mrs. Malfoy around Diagon Alley not too long ago, but Draco wasn't with her."
"Hmmm, I don't know then. Maybe his mum sent him off to Durmstrang? Or what's left of it since Karkaroff took off."
Ron shrugged and resumed eating his dinner. After a few minutes the topic was completely forgotten and they were caught up in start of term excitement.
Oh, and thanks for all the reviews. Glad to know somebody out there's reading! Okay, things have settled down enough that I can commit to a weekly chapter update, maybe even twice a week, it just depends. A couple more chapters are outlined, and being finished, maybe I'll post two next week.
Disclaimers: If you recognize it from the books or the movies, it doesn't belong to me.
Chapter 34: Back to School
The days leading up to the Fall term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry went by in a flurry of activity. Mira was busy with orders for school robes, and Professor Snape was busy ensuring that the potions lab was properly stocked and the class lesson plans were completed. Still, even with their busy schedules, they managed to steal a few hours together here and there.
Hermione, Ron, and Harry were all given permission to spend the day before start of term in Hogsmeade. Having already bought their supplies in Diagon Alley, they had an entire day free to explore around the village before spending the night at the inn and meeting the other students at the train station the following day.
His pocket full of coins earned as an errand boy for the Ministry, Ron stocked up on enough sweets from Honeyduke's to last him 'till the Christmas holidays. Hermione split off from the boys to send an owl home to her parents, letting them know she had made it to Hogsmeade safely. Harry headed on to the Quidditch supply shop to wait for Ron. On the way down the street from Honeyduke's, Ron saw a display of lovely hair combs and other assorted items in the window at Treadle's tailor shop, and thought of how impressed Hermione would be if he could buy her a fancy gift.
Ron entered the little store. A large brown owl looked up from a perch, hooted, and fluffed its feathers. Mirabelle DelMare came out from the back room and smiled at Ron.
"Hi there, what can I do for you today?"
"Er..Um, Just looking. Looking for a present for my girlfriend."
"Oh, what did you have in mind?"
"Well. those hair combs in the window are awfully nice."
Mira pulled a velvet-lined tray of hair combs out from behind the counter, they were made of bronze and silver, many set with stones. Ron timidly picked up a few of them, and his eyes grew large at the price tags. They ranged from between forty and a hundred and twenty Galleons per pair.
"Maybe something a little less flashy?"
"Why don't you have a look at these silken pouches, they're on sale this week, there are some really lovely embroidered ones towards the bottom of the basket."
"How much?"
"Two Galleons for the small ones, five for the large."
Ron jingled the coins in his pocket, there were just under ten Galleons left. He chose a very pretty large red bag with gold embroidery, the Gryffindor house colors. It wasn't much, but it was pretty, and she could use it to carry her quills and other supplies in.
"I'll take this one please."
"Very well, that'll be five Galleons. She's a lucky girl, that's quite a nice gift."
Ron blushed and counted out his coins for Mira. She wrote up a receipt and wrapped the pouch in extravagant tissue and tied it with a pretty bow. He tucked the parcel into his robe pocket and went to meet Harry. After ogling the new broomsticks, they went back to the inn to meet Hermione for supper. Ron waited until the inn was completely packed with students and their families to present the gift to Hermione. She looked at him with a puzzled look.
"What's this for Ron?"
"It's just a little something I picked up for you as a back to school gift. I figured you could use it for your quills or something."
Hermione carefully unwrapped the gift without tearing the tissue or snagging the ribbon, her eyes lit up at the lovely pouch.
"Oh, Ron! It's absolutely lovely! I don't know what to say. Thank you!"
She stood up and reached across the table and kissed him on the cheek. Ron was blushing beet red and positively beaming. Several students whispered and pointed at them. It was now official. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were a couple.
The friends decided to walk over to the café for a fancy frozen coffee drink and a game of cards before they had to return to the inn for the night. Hermione excused herself from the table, she wanted to run upstairs to her room and put her necessities into her new pouch so that she could carry it with her. When she was out of earshot, Harry leaned over close to Ron.
"Ron, that was some present, where'd you get it?"
"I popped in at Treadle's to scope out a nice Christmas gift for her and spotted it on my way out."
"It must have cost a fortune, Treadle's isn't cheap."
"I could afford it. Remember I had a job over summer."
"Yeah, but I don't think Dumbledore will let you leave school on the weekends to work for the Ministry, you better be careful with your earnings if you want to get her a nice Christmas gift."
Chagrined, Ron looked down at the table and then back up at Harry.
"I can afford it, I still have some money left."
Hermione came down the stairs with her new bag in hand, head held high. Ron took her arm, and the three students headed down the street to the café, where they found a table next to the street. They ordered muggle style frozen coffee drinks, which were a fad among the younger and more adventurous witches and wizards. Ron pulled out a pack of wizarding playing cards, which were enchanted to shuffle themselves. He had just finished dealing them all a hand of cards when Harry nudged him in the ribs and pointed across the street.
"Psst, Ron. Don't look like you're looking, but here comes your favorite teacher."
Professor Snape was walking up the street, from the direction of the train station.
"Bloody Hell! I know he's not coming over to harass us. School hasn't even started yet!"
Hermione leaned in towards the boys.
"Erm. I don't think he even saw us."
They watched surreptitiously over the top of their cards. Snape stopped at the door to the tailor shop. Ron's eyes got big and he remembered who worked at Treadle's.
"Oh, right! I totally forgot. That's the woman he fancies. You know, the one from the hospital wing? I saw her today; she works in the tailor shop. She's well now."
Harry smirked and nudged Ron in the ribs again. "How well can she be if she's still seeing that slimy git?"
The two boys snickered as Hermione rolled her eyes at them.
"Honestly, you two. I think it's rather touching that he has a lady friend."
The two boys rolled their eyes at her and made gagging noises. She huffed and they all three pretended to be sorting their hands of cards as they watched the professor. He smoothed his hair down and reached for the doorknob and walked inside the shop. Mira came out from the back room and smiled at him. She walked to the door and he grabbed her by the arm, pulled her close, and kissed her.
"Ewww, gross!" Exclaimed Ron.
Harry just raised his eyebrows and curled his top lip up slightly. Hermione got a slightly puckered look on her face. They stole another glance across the street. Mira pulled away to lock the door, and flipped the sign in the window to "Closed". Snape lunged for her and she dodged out of his way laughing. He pulled his wand out and cast a charm on her, multicolored sparks rained down on her head. He grabbed her by the waist with one arm and hoisted her effortlessly over his shoulder, as she playfully pounded on his back with her fists and kicked her feet.
"That must have been a kind of levitating or lightening charm. He shouldn't have been able to pick her up that easily."
The boys were oblivious to Hermione's commentary on the charm, they were blatantly staring with their jaws dropped.
Snape planted a hand firmly on Mira's backside and gave it a squeeze. He turned and headed for the staircase in the back of the store with her bouncing along across his shoulder.
"I don't believe it! He actually grabbed her bum! Bloody Hell!"
"Ron! Hush! We shouldn't be spying on them like this."
They tried to keep their mind on their cards, but movement in the room upstairs caught their attention. Mira stepped up to the window and reached for the shade. Snape reached around her waist from behind, and tried to pull her back away from the window. Mira slapped his hand away, twisted out of his grip, and yanked the shade down. The lamp in the room cast a perfect silhouette of them through the fabric of the shade. The professor reached up and pulled her head back with a handful of her hair and kissed her on the throat.
"Sweet Merlin, he really is a vampire!"
Hermione shot Ron a dirty look and her eyes darted back to the window. There was a flurry of activity; the shapes behind the shade were blurred. They had stepped back from the window.
"Look you two, we really shouldn't be watching this, it's private."
"Shhh Hermione! It's like a bloody accident, you can't help but look."
Mira came back into focus. Her clothes were gone and a perfect silhouette of her figure was briefly cast against the window shade as she reached up to dim the lamp on the wall.
Hermione blushed scarlet and looked down at her newly blossoming bosom. She excused herself from the table. "I think I've seen enough, I'm going back to the inn and up to bed."
"Suit yourself Hermione, we're gonna stay and play cards."
Ron and Harry looked around to make sure nobody was listening to them. Ron leaned in towards Harry.
"Harry, did you see the pair of knockers on her?"
"Ron! That's a crude thing to say. She seems like a very nice lady."
"Oh come off it Harry, you saw her."
"Yeah, I saw her. What I want to know is how a greasy bastard like Snape gets a woman like that?"
"Probably slipped some kind of potion into her drink or cast a charm on her."
"I don't know. Dumbledore seems to have a high opinion of him, taking him in and making him head of Slytherin House and all. Maybe he's not completely awful outside of school?"
"Well, dad told me that slimy bastard actually helped save his life during the battle, and he helped blow Malfoy's dad away. I still don't trust him though. And I don't like him. Not one bit."
"Well, obviously she likes him quite a bit. And you know there were those two Ravenclaw girls who got in trouble passing notes about him in Arithomancy class. They were actually getting into trouble on purpose just to get to serve detention with him."
"Yuck! Why would any girl in her right mind try and get detention with him, I mean the tasks he assigns are just foul!"
"I don't know."
"They're mental. They're all totally mental."
Harry laughed and they resumed their card playing until it was quite late and the waitress started cleaning the tables and levitating the chairs up and onto the tabletops. While they were putting the cards back into the pack to leave, they saw movement across the street. Snape exited the front door of the shop, turned and performed a locking spell on the door. He pocketed his wand, straightened the collar of his robe, ran his fingers through his hair, and set off towards the train station with a swagger in his step and a very self-satisfied smirk on his face.
"Bloody fucking hell Harry! I've seen enough, let's get outta here!"
Harry nearly tripped over the leg of the table getting up from the chair. The boys headed back to the inn, and didn't say a word to each other until they got back to the room they were sharing, where they decided to just pretend they never saw what they saw across the street from the café.
The next day, Hermione was very cool towards Ron and Harry at breakfast, and spent the day in her room checking that she had everything she needed for the school term. When it was time to leave for the carriages that would take them to the school grounds, she waved down Ginny, who had arrived by train, and shared a carriage with her.
By the time of the start of term feast, they were back on talking terms again, but Hermione wouldn't even look at the head table during supper. Ron and Harry sneaked a couple of glances and then whispered some bawdy comments to each other before Hermione shushed them.
Headmaster Dumbledore gave the traditional start of term speech, and then talked about those who were not coming back, and how the returning students should keep them and their families in mind. Harry noticed and pointed out to Ron and Hermione that the Slytherin table was nearly half empty. Noticeably missing was their nemesis, Draco Malfoy.
"Wonder what happened to Malfoy? Have you heard anything Harry?"
"No Ron, nothing. I remember Sirius telling me his father was killed in the battle, as a Death Eater. I guess Draco's too ashamed to show his face in Hogwarts now."
"Percy said he saw Mrs. Malfoy around Diagon Alley not too long ago, but Draco wasn't with her."
"Hmmm, I don't know then. Maybe his mum sent him off to Durmstrang? Or what's left of it since Karkaroff took off."
Ron shrugged and resumed eating his dinner. After a few minutes the topic was completely forgotten and they were caught up in start of term excitement.