Hello and welcome to Ch. 3 of our story, this is your friendly neighborhood Ereb here and I am the author of Ch.3. I have to apologize for the lateness of our posting but I have been sick and extremely busy with my schoolwork. I am the other half of the dynamic writing duo known as Ereb Ithil. I am 18 and a Harry Potter and Anime Otaku. Oh and by the way we don't own Harry potter. We only own charity. So, with out further ado Ch. 3.
Hermione Granger seemed rather uneasy as she packed her things to head back to Hogwarts.
Her new predicament had her rather in an unhappy state. Every thought went back to that accursed letter and what she was going to do about it. She decided that she would seek advice from the headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore himself.
Since she had to be at the school early to discuss her head girl duties she planned on taking it up with him then. Talking with Dumbledore seemed to be her only option right now. She knew Harry and Ron would never understand. Hell, she didn't even understand.
She spent most of her last afternoon at home hiding in her room packing and going over her travel plans. She moped around her room until her mother called her down for dinner.
"All packed dear?" Mrs. Granger asked
"Yes mom." Hermione replied
"Why do you have to leave so soon? You don't start school for another week" Mr. Granger almost whined.
"I have to begin my duties as head girl dad. I told you this already" Hermione snapped.
The rest of the meal her mother did most of the talking. She kept going on and on about how proud she was of Hermione and of how she was going to miss her. Her mother only once mentioned the fact that Hermione was their only child and that they were sad to see her go off to her last year at Hogwarts.
Finally, after desert her mother excused her to go to bed. She was never so happy to go to her room before in her life. When she returned to her room for the last night for a long time she looked everything over to make sure that nothing was missed. She went over her list again, and read through the letter that she had received. She stared blankly at it for a long time but finally came to the realization that looking at it wouldn't make the problem go away.
After a quick breakfast of a few Egg McMuffins from the McDonalds on the way to the train station, she was ready to take the port key that Dumbledore had sent to her in his letter inviting her to come to Hogwarts. She wheeled her trunk into the bathroom closest to the lockers by the north entrance of kings cross-station. She entered the second stall with her trunk and Crookshanks in hand, pulled out the safety pin that Dumbledore had sent in the letter, and clutched it to her bosom as she watched the second hand on her watch tick down.
Several questions ran through her mind. 5…How was she going to explain this to Harry and Ron? 4… 3… How was she going to explain this to her mom and dad if it came down to marrying a complete stranger 2…? Could she live with herself? 1… Could she live with not having any control over her own life and who she would spend it with? Then, she felt the tug behind her navel as she whirred off to the basement of Honeydukes.
She landed with less than the grace of a cat but more than Neville's toad Trevor. She kept her balance long enough to make sure that Crookshanks didn't fall and squish his already flat face.
She used the invisibility cloak that she had bought with her early birthday money, and climbed down into the secret passageway that was described on the marauders map she had seen a few years ago.
The long walk from Honeydukes to Hogwarts gave her some time to think of what she would do if this whole thing had to go through. After 30 min. of walking she compiled a list in her mind of all of the eligible pureblood bachelors at her disposal or rather her at their disposal, considering she's the one on the auction block.
Neville Longbottom (shudders)
Ron Weasley (ewwww like shagging my brother)
Percy Weasley (too snotty even for me)
Fred & George Weasley (too immature and they share everything!)
Draco Malfoy (evil conniving little bouncing weasel)
Vincent Crabbe & Gregory Goyle (eww stupid Slytherins)
Remus Lupin (damn, werewolf)
Albus Dumbledore (wrong on sooooo many levels)
Severus Snape (Greasy Git)
Mundungus Fletcher (No way in hell!)
Sirius Black (can't marry a dead man)
She had two options as far as she could see.
Snap her wand in half, join the muggles, and leave the her beloved wizarding world forever
Marry one the men on her list all of which seemed completely unacceptable.
As she exited the tunnel below the Whomping willow, while Crookshanks held the knot of course, she looked into the sky and prayed for some kind of guidance from any and all higher beings that may or may not exist.
She trudged into the castle and towards her ground floor rooms. She dropped her trunk off in her new head girl rooms, opened the oak lid, and pulled out a deck of tarot cards. She pulled them from their velvet-lined case and began to shuffle. After a moment she stopped shuffling and pulled out a card, the Two of Cups. The meaning for it matched its picture. It meant love and happiness. The picture was interesting. Their were two figures in it, two people, a man and a woman, holding large golden goblets, or cups as the category implied, there were also two snakes entwined into each other, making the medical symbol in the muggle world, connecting to a winged lion. She thought about the meaning for a moment, hoping that this meant to symbolize her future before shuffling the cards, their black backs, engraved with Celtic symbols gleaming in the dull light. After a few tense moments she pulled another card and turned it face up on the top of her trunk. The card was reversed; the picture of the Page of Swords was what first caught her attention. The young figure of a man on the card, holding the sword meant, in this case, darkness in someone. This card was one of a dark forecast. She interpreted it to mean that she would indeed find love but it would be at either a terrible price or it would be with a man who carried with him the burden of a dark and painful past.
After this she turned to her private fireplace, pointed her wand, and said in a clear voice Incendio. Bright flames leapt from the cold logs and crackled merrily as though they had been burning for hours. Now that it was more temperate in her chambers she decided that it was best to go and see Dumbledore immediately.
She grabbed her favorite hoodie from a muggle band called Evanescence and put it over her t-shirt as she walked towards the bronze eagle which guarded the headmasters office.
When she arrived at the headmaster's office she was greeted with the sight of the bronze eagle welcoming her into Dumbledore's office saying that he was waiting for her.
She entered his office in the meek manner that is expected of a student coming to see her headmaster.
"Good Afternoon Miss Granger, I assume you know that you are here for more than just you assigned head girl duties," he stated.
She snorted and nodded in his general direction.
Dumbledore waved his wand and conjured a couple of chintz chairs in front of the fireplace. He motioned for her to have a seat.
He then presented her with a very large stack of parchment
"Miss Granger I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of sorting through some of these for you. Ones you are less likely to choose are on top. I don't believe I need to explain to you hat these are." She said
She shot him an evil glare before setting the large stack on her lap, glancing at the first name, and transfiguring and extra crystal tumbler into a large wastebasket.
Five minutes later
The wastebasket as very full and her stack considerably lighter. She set the next few names on the table, not counting them out, but not hopefuls. She was then left with four in her lap. She glanced at the names.
1. Draco Malfoy
2. Ron Weasley
3. Joseph Beal
4. Severus Snape
She glanced at Ron's once more before setting it on the unhopeful pile. Ron was too immature and too controlling for her liking, as well as too close. Joseph Beal's went next, a 90-year-old man did not appeal to her. So then she sat with two Deatheaters, both with dark pasts. She read through both of the contracts before passing the two pieces of parchment to Dumbledore.
"This is what I am left with now." She said grimly, "I ask for your advice headmaster"
"I am afraid that it is ultimately your decision to make not mine, but I must inform you that the younger of your choices is not exactly, how do you young ones put it? Oh yes I remember," he paused dramatically. "Straight."
Hermione stared dumbly at him her mouth slightly open she took a shuddering breath before shakily asking. "Can I possibly grab something from my room real quick?"
"Of course, dear" he said," by all means use my floo"
"It's connected?" She asked
"Yes as are few rooms that aren't in the castle."
Hermione suppressed a shudder before thanking him and taking a small bag of floo powder with her throwing a pinch into the flames, which turned an ominous shade of sickly green before she called out Head Girl's Rooms, and stepped into them. She tumbled into her room the bag floo powder in her hand. She went to her trunk, reached in and pulled out a box the size of a matchbook. After 4 engorgio charms it was to its proper size and sitting in the corner of her sitting room. A 35 cubic foot refrigerator and freezer stocked full with Mountain Dew. She removed a 6-pack of mini cans and turned to the fireplace once more. After speaking clearly, headmasters office and throwing another pinch of floo powder into the fireplace she emerged victorious.
"Now where were we? Oh yeah I remember Draco's gay." she stated simply
"I guess that's to way to put it Miss Granger" Dumbledore said. "What are those?"
"A very potent form of muggle medicine, they're called Dew shots" she chimed
"Ah and umm what exactly does the Dew do? Dumbledore asked.
"It's a non-alcoholic form of firewhiskey, better taste, no hangover, no regrets of foolish behavior the next morning, and they come in travel-size." She said
She promptly removed one from the plastic rings, opened it with a pop and a hiss, which startled the headmaster, and proceeded to down in the whole thing in exactly 6.4 seconds, or three gulps.
"Well that leaves Snape", said softly
She promptly signed the twenty-three letters and two spaces. After she had finished every scrap of parchment vanished in evanescence.
After the dissipation of the parchment there were four harsh knocks on the door and none other than her new fiancé entered.
"Dumbledore, we have a problem," he then spied Hermione,"Oh please tell me you didn't see it yet."
"If you're referring to your proposal, I've already signed it" she chirped.
If it was possible for Snape's sallow skin to become any paler it did so at this time. He closed his eyes and took and unsteadied breath.
"You short-sighted little twit." She sneered
"Is that any way to speak to your fiancé?" she asked of him.
A ghost enters through the closed door behind Snape, she is dressed in fine evening gown, hugging her every curve. Her hair was down in long slivery wisps. The longest tresses only reaching abut mid-back. Her face is one that tailors itself to her natural beauty. Hermione doubted that the woman at least when she was a woman had to wear much make-up. She was humming a tune that Hermione had heard once, although she didn't remember the name, but something about a man named Earl and how his wife and her best friend killed him.
"It's not as if he talks to me any nicer, and I'm his wife." Charity said
"Dead ex-wife." He ground out through clenched teeth.
All the effects of sugar and adrenaline drained out of Hermione faster than she had drained the can earlier, she thought of only one thing.
What have I done?
Evanescence: To dissipate or disappear like vapor.
A/n I finished this chapter at roughly one so please pardon any punctuation or minor grammatical errors we may have over looked. Thank you, and good night.
Thank you so much for EVERYBODY that reviewed the last two chapters, we are terribly sorry about the down time between our updated, and we beg for you forgiveness.
(and of course they come in travel size) BWWWAAAHHHAHAHAHAHAHA
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