Chapter three – Trust makes the world go round

Hermione laid one of her shirts on top of her trunk and closed the lid. She took her wand from the top of her chest of drawers and placed it in her coat, even though she wasn't allowed to use magic, keeping her wand with her made her feel safer and being July the weather was at its hottest, which caused Hermione to unzip her jacket.

She took the trunk by the handle on the edge and began to drag it downstairs. The weight was bearable with the new spells placed on the crate, and she pulled it into the car with minimum effort.

She walked around the car and opened the back door. Her mother turned around in the front passenger seat and smiled a comforting smile to Hermione.

'All set darling?' her mother said while buckling herself into the seat.

'Yes, I think I've packed everything I'm going to need.' Crookshanks was also in the backseat and padded over towards her. Settling into Hermione's lap, the cat closed its drooping eyelids and began to sleep.

Hermione was heading towards Ron's house, and she was becoming very excited about seeing both Ron and Harry. Especially Harry. Out of the three friends, she being the only female found she had to worry for the equivalent of three people. She knew that Ron cared about Harry, but they both knew their roles, and his was not the worrier.

She closed her eyes knowing her responsibility towards Harry, and with that she drifted off into sleep.

When Hermione woke up she noticed at once that the usual urban settings around her had dissolved into hills and valleys. She sat up slightly and ran her hands through her hair. She had risked leaving it down, partly because it had calmed down, and because her mother had commented on how much prettier she looked with her loose curls. Leaving it loose, her hair came to her mid back, and her mother stated that it had probably calmed down because it was so long, and weighed the hair down pulling her frizz out.

Hermione respected her mother immensely. She was a person Hermione had always looked up to. Hermione also believed that it was from her mother that she received her intelligence. Sure her father was bright, but he was the comical one out of her parents. The most prominent thing about her father though was his ability to know when something was wrong. He had often joked about him having more female intuition than her mother.

She smiled when she noticed the cottage coming into view with the numerous chimneys. When the car slowed to a stop, Hermione had already wrenched open the door and had scrambled out. She ran up the stone pathway and knocked on the door. She jumped from side to side, fidgeting to see her best friends. Her parents were slowly getting out the car, glancing at their surroundings.

Molly Weasley wiping her hands on a dishcloth opened the door opened. Her eyes widened in surprise and she pulled Hermione into a giant hug. Hermione smiled and hugged back. When she pulled back she noticed that her parents were making their way up the pathway.

'You go on inside, Hermione. The boys are upstairs. Come on in David, Emma. I'm sure after your long journey you could do with a cup of tea.' Molly said.

Hermione ran up the stairs while her parents got comfortable in the kitchen with Molly. Hermione ran along the landing, and came in front of Ron's door. She took a deep breath, smiled thinking of how important the boys were to her. She raised her hand and knocked.

'Go away Ginny we are not interested in what ever you want, come and tell us when Hermione arrives.' Ron's voice could be heard through the door.

Hermione grasped the door handle and opened, she put her head through and smiled as she saw Harry and Ron lying on beds. They turned and looked at her. Ron was the first up and was hugging her tightly. She was small compared to him, and found her head came to his chest. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on his check. When she was released she turned to Harry who was standing close by. She walked up to him and he pulled her into him. Harry wasn't as tall as Ron but she could just about rest her head on his shoulder. His skin felt rougher and she released that he had stubble growing. She took a deep breath of his scent before turning her head and kissing him on the check. She liked the way his skin felt against her soft lips and wondered why she was thinking like this. When they departed they all walked back to the beds and sat down. Hermione lay across Ron's while the boys sat on Harry's.

'So how has your summer been so far?' Hermione asked. Looking at both Harry and Ron.

'Fine, Dad won another prize at the ministry about time I think. Plus hopefully he will apply to be the minister of magic.' Ron said.

'Why would he apply, what's happened to Fudge?' Hermione asked. The boys spent the next few minutes describing what they knew about the death of Fudge. By the end, Hermione looked close to tears, and the boys glanced at each other.

'Umm, Hermione are you alright.' Ron asked.

'Yeah I'm just worried. About Voldemort increasing in size, its going to make everything even harder for us now, and both of you are going to be in even more danger than usual. I'm frightened about what he could do to you.' Hermione said in a shaky voice.

'Hey we're going to be fine, he's never gotten us before, and after what happened last time, I'm less in a rush to jump into situations.' Harry said, while looking at Hermione. Hermione got up and sat between her best friends.

'He's never going to separate us, even if he tries. We have something he will never have, we have love.' Ron said, both Harry and Hermione looked at Ron. 'Hey I can be serious sometimes.' They all laughed and the three felt complete now that they had their friends with them.

A while later all three went down the stairs and walked into the kitchen. Hermione's parents were still there. They looked up and smiled at the trio.

'Do you want your trunk Hermione, Molly has kindly allowed us to stay for dinner so we'll be here a little longer and then I think it will be time to get back.' Hermione's mother said, while finishing of her tea.

'That was a wonderful cup of tea, Molly. What ingredients did you use, because it really satisfied me.' Her father said.

Molly looked slightly embarrassed. 'Oh thank you David, I used half Earl Grey and half green tea, it complements each other brilliant, don't you think Emma?' Mrs Weasley asked.

Ron grabbed both his friends' underarms and dragged them out of the kitchen and into the garden.

'We'd be there for ages if I hadn't saved you. Mum can talk for wizards about food, and drinks.' Ron said dramatically. 'What do you guys want to do?'

'Well its four now, so we have a few hours before dinner.' Said Hermione. Her body was starting to feel the heat of the afternoon sun, and she started to fan herself.

'I think Hermione is hot.' Said Ron. Both Hermione and Harry looked at run with a shock on their face. 'I mean the weather is making her hot, as in temperature.' He said ignoring their expressions 'Why don't we go swimming, there's a lake down the garden, its quite small but its nice if you want to cool off.'

'How come we never heard about this before?' Harry asked Ron as they made their way back to cottage.

'Oh it was overgrown and mum swore that she wanted to sort the bottom of the garden out. She did it this year and found the small lake.'

'Wow.' Hermione said 'I'll meet you in the house in a few minutes I'm just going to go and get my swimming costume and trunk.' Hermione headed towards the car and the boys went into the house.

Hermione carried her trunk up the stairs and headed towards Ginny's room. She knocked on the door and heard a muffled voice come from inside. Hermione screwed her eyebrows up in concentration of why Ginny would be unable to speak clearly. She opened the door to find the legs of Ginny sticking out from beneath her bed.

'What are you doing down there.' Hermione asked wearily as Ginny wriggled out and stood up. Her red hair was covered in dust and untidy. Her response was to sneeze releasing a large amount of dust from her clothes.

'I was just trying to find something but its not anywhere. I've search everywhere in this room, which is where it would be, and its not here.' Hermione looked around the room and wondered how Ginny could even find anything in here. Clothes lay scattered around and there was hardly any floor visible to the eye.

'What you looking for?' Hermione asked while walking to Ginny and started brushing the dusst out of her hair, she then gave her girlfriend a hug and kiss on the check before walking over a pile of clothes and sat on her bed that she would be sleeping in. She turned and started rummaging around in her trunk for the swimsuit she had brought in preparation for summer at Hogwarts.

'I was looking for this book on potions and its nowhere. Snape decided to be nice and give us a project of 15 feet parchment all about the difference of stirring potions clockwise and anticlockwise. 15 feet, that's why I've started now, or I'm trying to but the book that I need I can't find.' Ginny said sarcastically. She looked at Hermione and wondered why she was getting her swimming costume on. 'Why are you wearing your swimming costume?'

'We're going swimming in that lake your mum found, you can come along if you like. And I've got a large selection of books just about stirring. They're really interesting. You can borrow them if you like?'

Ginny had already picked her swimming suit from a pile of clothes near the door and was starting to change. 'What do you think?' Ginny said while showing Hermione her bikini.

'Its very revealing isn't it.' Hermione replied, not really expecting an answer.

'And what, yours isn't. You're showing just as much cleavage as me. More probably seeing, as boobs are bigger than mine. It's not fair I'm literally flat, and yours are the perfect size, what man will resist you.'

'Oh you're just being silly, you are definitely, not flat. You must be a B at least. And that last comment, we'll just ignore because we both know the reality. You are much more popular than me.'

'Fine okay I am a B, but the only reason I'm more popular is because I'm not afraid to be daring. I'm spontaneous; I do things on the spur of the moment. But hey you are popular with my brother and Harry. Would you rather have 2 really good friends or loads of people who you know nothing about?'

'I would rather just have Ron and Harry.' Hermione said and knew it was the truth. 'I wouldn't change a single thing' and with that the girls went in search of the boys.