Everyone Has A Dark Side
A/N: Okay, I know I changed this, but sorry I had to for the plot to work out later. Bear with me please! Sorry I took a while, people, but school is tiring. This is the last chapter before she goes back to Hogwarts. I appreciate any questions, comments, ideas, or suggestions, especially on a romance aspect. I don't know how good I'll be with this once H and D like each other.
Chapter 5: The End of Summer
Hermione wound her way through the witches and wizards and, after politely refusing to buy any poisonous candles from an old hag, came towards the end of Knockturn Alley. Gringott's white marble walls gleamed in the distance as she past the store selling painful poisons.
She came out into the sunlight. "Hey Hermione! A tall, gangly, red haired boy called out. Ron Weasley was standing outside a small store near Gringotts with Ginny, his sister, a slightly shorter flame haired girl.
They walked towards her as she ran to greet them. Ron said rather coolly, "Hi Hermione, its been a while since I saw you. I heard about your family and stuff. Imagine your parents being friends with the Malfoys! I can't bear to think of it!" Ron made it clear he thought that the fact she was a Lavinier was repulsive.
"It's so confusing! I couldn't believe it at first. Thanks for asking your dad that stuff for me though. Anyways, what did you do this summer? I visited an aunt in France for a few weeks and I went to Belgium for a couple days, too. They have the best chocolate in the world there! It was great! I stayed at home otherwise though." Said Hermione. She did not want to discuss the Laviniers with Ron.
"I hung out with Fred and George mostly." Ron said, "Come see Fred and George's store. It's the tiny one over there." He pointed to the store he had been standing by. Hermione nodded and Ron led her over. Suddenly he turned to her. "Hermione, why were you just in Knockturn Alley? We're not even allowed near it."
"Oh, I just went to buy some potion ingredients." She said quickly. Knowing Ron, it would be very unwise to mention Malfoy or the other Slytherins and especially not her conversation with the Malfoys. "They're cheaper there."
"Of course," said Ron sarcastically. "So, have you heard much about the War? The Ministry is trying to recruit Aurors like crazy to keep up with the Death Eaters. Only problem is, no one is anxious to get killed, so they are having a hard time finding anyone who'll get involved. You-Know-Who is going after the people with the Ministry and those who oppose them strongly, like the Order. Dad says that some of the Order have also been attacked."
"Speaking of that, how come we haven't gone over to Grimmauld Place this summer?" asked Hermione.
"Oh, what with You-Know-Who out in the open, they are working a lot harder and now that they don't have to be secretive, kids would just be in the way. My parents are doing a lot of stuff for them though. My Mom's invited you over to the Burrow next week. You can stay until we go back to Hogwarts. Harry's coming, too. Did you get the owl?" he said in voice devoid of interest.
"My parents are in the Leaky Cauldron. I'll ask them just now, but I'd like to come! So, this is Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes?" she asked looking around as they entered number 93. One of the twins, she thought it was Fred, yelled hello as he stocked a shelf of fake wands. The walls were lined with canary creams, headless hats, ton tongue toffees, extendible ears, skiving snack boxes, fireworks, and other tricks.
"How's business?" Hermione said.
"Oh, it's booming! Do you want to try some Lurid Lollipops?" said Fred.
Hermione looked suspicious, "What do they do?"
"Watch," Fred pulled the wrapper off a white lollipop and licked it. Immediately his skin, hair, eyes, and teeth turned a lurid shad of green, which gradually faded until he took another lick.
"No thank you! That makes you look like and overgrown Flobberworm. I'd rather be a Blast-Ended Skrewt!" she said in disgust. Then, "I'm going to get my books in Flourish and Blotts, see you later." She wondered why Ron and Fred had not been very friendly. Perhaps it was because of her parents. Maybe he was worried what effect it might have on her. Did he think she would suddenly join the Dark Side and become a Death Eater just because her parents were? What a great friend.
Hermione walked past stores selling quills as well as Ollivanders, the wand shop. As she passed Eeylops Owl Emporium, which sold all kinds of owls, she stopped. Her purse was full and she considered getting an owl. She had Crookshanks, her grouchy ginger cat, of course, but an owl would be so useful. She remembered how annoying it had been to wait until Ron's owl arrived until she could send her letter to him. She went inside to the dark, musty interior and looked over the perches of sleepy owls. Barn owls ruffled their feathers. A dark chocolate colored eagle owl clicked its bronze toned beak at her. It was beautiful. She went to the counter. "Excuse me, how much would that owl, the brown one up over there cost?" she said pointing to the eagle owl.
"Three Galleons, eleven sickles," answered a witch in ugly gray-green robes at the counter. Hermione handed over the money and bought a cage as well.
A few minutes later she stepped out the door balancing the cage, her bag of books, and some potion ingredients in her arms. Wishing she could perform shrinking charms outside school; she entered the Leaky Cauldron, where she found her father asking a tall American wizard about wizarding dentistry. Foster father she reminded herself. Her father, a muggle dentist like her mother, was eager go discover how wizards practiced dental hygiene.
"Oh, some people use charms on their teeth, but others just use toothbrushes," the wizard said. "You can buy them in Diagon Alley."
She dropped her purchases on the table and, lacking anything else to do, showed her foster mother the owl. Her mother admired it and suggested some possible names. "Why not Darkness, she's quite a dark brown."
"No mom, uh - Jane, that's a cats name. How about Gadsel?"She had felt distant from her parents since she had found out about her true parents.
"No, no Hermione, honey, that sounds like a window cleaner. What about Dark Lady? It fits her coloring and she is rather ladylike," said her mother as the owl fluffed her feathers and balance serenely on one leg.
"Well, that does suit her. What do you think, beautiful? Should I call you Dark Lady?" The owl ruffled her feathers again, which Hermione took to mean yes. "Okay then," said Hermione happily. "Oh, and um, Jane, Ron's mom invited me to stay with them next week and until school starts again. I'm going."
"Sure Hermione," Said Mrs. Granger, trying to be sweet. Hermione left the pub to go tell Ron.
A day later, Hermione took the Knight Bus to the Burrow. "It would be so much easier to Apparate," she complained to herself. "Still, its only one more year before I can. I'll be of age next June." The bus let out a bang and barns scuttled out of the way as it drew up to the Weasley's house, the Burrow.
The Burrow was a shabby, but homely place five stories tall that seemed to be held together by magic. She knew it probably was.
Plump little Mrs. Weasley greeted Hermione in a strained way at the door and led her up to Ginny's room on the third floor. Hermione would share Ginny's room for the next week. After Hermione had put down her duffel bag, Hogwarts trunk, and let Dark Lady out of her cage, she went up two more floors to Ron's room, where she found him playing a violent game of Wizard Chess against Harry.
"Oh, its you." Harry said as she opened the door. He had grown taller, though not as tall as Ron had, and he looked awkwardly at Hermione. "Ron told me about your family. It is a big shock to find out who your parents are." said Harry without sympathy.
They continued their game without much notice of Hermione, so she soon left to look for Ginny.
Hermione did not enjoy the next few days at the Burrow. The Weasleys were strangely terse and tense when they were around her.
Hermione was not sorry when Mrs. Weasley reminded them to pack and go to bed early on August 31st, seeing as they would have to be at King's Cross Station by ten o'clock to catch the Hogwarts Express. She would be going back to Hogwarts. She could hardly wait!
A/N: Okay, this is going well. Please R/R, and give me ideas. I hope you like the way it's going, but suggest any improvements you think I could add. Coming up: friction between Golden Trio and a very big change.
Alianne