STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I neither own nor want to own any part of the copy write on Harry Potter and all HP related material; all props go to JKR.
Slash Warning! This story contains Hermione-Ginny femslash as well as other pairings, if you don't like it, don't read it. If you read it, and don't like it, don't be flaming me.
It looks like I got enough votes to warrant a second chapter to this story so here it goes. This one will take place the next day on their anniversary. WARNING: a couple of non-cannon and less than fictional character might appear in this chapter so don't go flaming my head off when you read about it.
Chapter 2:
"Happy anniversary my love."
"Hmmm…? Is it morning already? Wake me up in five minutes."
Five minutes later, the clock read 4:00 AM in small neon lights, though much
earlier than they would prefer, being a low level minion in the Department of Magical Import/Export Regulation meant you had to show up when they told you. Ginny had often though of flexing her muscle with the Minister of magic, Neville Longbottom, but every time she did Hermione reminded her that just because they had dated in school that was no reason to try to bribe her way to the day shift. Plus she got an added benefit with the early hours; she got home before Hermione and in time to cook dinner for the woman she loved.
"Come on lazybones; don't make me tickle you until you wake up." The threat by the brunette was totally idle as the redhead was stronger due to the physical nature of her work but she knew that Ginny hated to be tickled.
"If you dare tickle even my hair I will strap you to a broom and take you to work with me." This threat was anything but idle. Hermione knew without a shadow of a doubt that Ginny would do it, and Hermione hated flying.
"OK fine, but if you're late for work, don't go blaming me you lazy broom jockey." Ginny leapt out of the bed and made a grab for her wife. This action started a chase down the hall to the master bathroom where she finally caught her brunette beauty and held her in a tight embrace.
"Broom Jockey, am I? Now I have you, you freakishly perky morning person. Take this!" With that she planted a firm kiss on the helpless brunette's lips and she felt her wife slow her struggling and relax in her arms. "That's better, now we just have time for a shower and breakfast before I have to leave."
As the women got undressed and stepped into the double sized shower with twin shower heads that Ginny had installed for their first anniversary. After about a week of being married they had tired of not having enough room to shower together. Now they showered together every day. As the hot water splashed down over the women they busied them selves getting ready for their day, Ginny didn't know it but Hermione had taken a personal day from work to prepare for the special night she had planned.
"So what time do you get off tonight baby?"
"I'll be home about 5:00 o'clock I think; we have a staff meeting after my shift. I could try to duck out early if you need me to."
"No, 5 o'clock is fine, I'm cooking dinner tonight, so just come home hungry."
"What is it you think you'll be cooking?"
"You'll just have to come home and find out, wont you? Would you mind getting my back?"
"Sure, no problem, if you hand me my razor."
Once the shower ended and the two women walked back to their room to get dressed, as they approached their room the girls got into a quick shoving match, for no reason at all, that ended up with Hermione sprawled out on their bed with Ginny on top of her holding her down while she covered her in kisses.
After a few minutes of this Hermione managed to squirm her way out from under her loving wife and jumped in to her walk-in closet. "Get dressed you vixen, or you'll be late. And I won't have you getting in trouble again for being late if I have to fly you there myself… or maybe not. I could just get Harry to do it for me."
"Oh not Harry, he is such a pain to be around since he and Draco got married. They really annoy me with all that ' I love you', 'I love you more', 'no, I love you more', 'no I love you more', ' I love you X+1'. God it starting to drive me bloody nuts! If you ever need to get your blood pressure up just hang around them for an hour or two."
"Oh relax, if you just hurry I'll make you breakfast before you have to leave."
By now both women were dressed and headed down the stairs to kitchen. Ginny was wearing her ministry broom pilot uniform, which consisted of black leather armor and a blue tunic and pants and her hair in a braided plait down her back. Over this she would wear her matching cold weather traveling cloak and the red woolen scarf her wife made for her on her last birthday. In contrast to this Hermione was wearing a simple black suit and her hair in a bun.
After a cheerful breakfast of toast, oatmeal, and orange juice Hermione loaded up her wife's thermos with coffee and walked her out to the lawn where she mounted her broom.
"Stay safe and come home to me, dear."
"You know I always do. Nothing in the world could keep me from coming home to you, especially tonight. And with a kiss to her lovely wife Ginny Weasley-Granger kicked off the ground and flew straight up into the clouds and disappeared into the pre-dawn darkness.
After a couple of minutes of standing in the dark Hermione decided to get her day started and get into Edinburgh to do some shopping. With a last look at the spot where Ginny had disappeared Hermione spun on her heel and headed inside to get on her way.
As she entered the house she paused for a moment to grab several small pouches and a larger bag out of a cupboard near the door. After she was finished filling her pockets with the various sized bags she checked to make sure she had her wand, threw on a long black traveling cloak and then strode purposefully into the fire place while emptying one of the bags contents into her hand.
"Vertic Alley!" and with a rush of green flame Hermione spun out of view. As she saw the other grates of all the witches and wizards in Scotland, most of then had no more light that the coals of the fire but a few had at least one witch or wizard up and about making coffee or cooking breakfast. As Hermione came to a stop she stepped out of the fire place and into The Bent Broomstick. The Bent Broomstick was a small inn and pub that marked the street entrance to Vertic Alley. Business was a slow in the early morning at the Bent Broomstick, behind the counter was the young barkeep that worked the night shift.
"Good morning, Carbon." Hermione called out to the young lad.
"Good morning Mrs. Granger, here for business or just here to shop?" replied the aspiring scientist. "Carbon", as he was known to his friends, was a 20 year old wizard who was trying to get admitted to a secondary learning program in alchemy at the magical university of Edinburgh. His friends called him Carbon because that was his pen name for the stories he wrote to relax.
"Its mine and Ginny's anniversary tonight so I'm just here to pick up a few things, but before I go I might need a little something to get me going, so can I get you to make the usual?"
"No problem Mrs. G. one double grande mochaccino latte, coming right up."
"Thanks Carbon. Have you seen any of the crew in here yet?" By this Hermione was asking if any of her department had come in this early with a client.
"Nope, but I wouldn't be surprised if a couple came in later today, after all it is still only 5:30 am. I bet most of them are still in bed. You introduction folks get the nice day jobs, while I stay here and serve drinks all night. But I'm not complaining I have been nocturnal since I finished Hogwarts. I just like the night better."
Once he had finished her drink Carbon pulled up a stool behind the counter and chewed the fat with Hermione while she sipped her latte. Once the latte was gone and the days news was discussed Hermione bid CarbonCatalyst a good days sleep and strode off through the back door and out to a small alcove behind the inn. Once she was back there she pulled out her wand and tapped the fourth brick in on the third to the top row and then the block began to morph around into the shape of a large stone gate, over which a small and simply decorated sign read "Vertic Alley".
As she walked through the gate she looked out over the Alley. Vertic alley was a slightly smaller and les grandiose version of Diagon Alley. The only difference was a lack of some of the more famous shops. However today there was a small work crew beginning to go to work in modifying the front of a store right near the entrance to Gringots: Edinburgh branch. Next to the shop was a large flashing sign that read "Coming Soon: Wesley's Wizarding Wheezes!"
As Hermione walked down the street she looked into some of the windows. At the Quidditch supply shop she saw a couple of brooms in the window, in the book store she saw the owner dusting off some of the more ancient volumes and she smiled slightly knowing that she already had a copy of all the books that this store sold.
But today she was here for a very specific reason; she was here to get the gift she had ordered for Ginny almost six months before. As she walked down the street she entered a small jewelry shop that had a single witch working behind the counter.
"Good morning Jordan, any problems getting my order together?"
"None at all Hermione, I finished it last night. I hope it looks the way you want but I only got the materials last week. Mithril is a little hard to come buy these days, other that that I didn't have too much trouble.
"That's good; I figured that if I gave you enough warning you could scrounge some platinum from some goblins or something. May I see it?
"Of course you can. Here it is." With that she reached under the counter and pulled out a long thin box. Once the box was on the counter she tapped it with her wand to release the locking mechanism and the box opened slowly. The retreating lid revealed a necklace of singular beauty. It consisted of a medium thick band of woven gold, mithril, and a lock of unicorn tail hair. At the center of the band was a pendant of mixed blue and green sapphires. The gems were arranged in the form of a two overlapping hearts. This symbolized the joining of Hermione's and Ginny's two lives together and the bonding of their souls.
"I have to admit this is some of my greatest work. But most of the props go to you; this is your design after all. I wouldn't have gotten to experiment with weaving the gold and the platinum together then adding the unicorn hair."
"Thanks Jordan, but you still deserve the credit for this one. It was your incredible skill that made this one work. Now I'd love to stay and chat but I have to get going. I have a lot to do before tonight. How much do I owe you for this?"
"let me see… three ounces of platinum, three ounces of pure gold, fifty mixed sapphires and twenty-five unicorn tail hairs… that comes to 140 galleons."
"And well worth every knut." With that Hermione pulled a small bag out of her cloak and set it down on the counter. "That's 150 galleons; keep the rest for your self, Jordan, for the excellent craftsmanship and the hard work."
"Thanks again Hermione. Give my best to Ginny. Good bye."
And with one last look to make sure the box was inside her suit pocket Hermione turned on her heel and strode off to the grocery store at the end of the alley to get some groceries for the special dinner she was planning to make later that afternoon.
--
Later that day, around 10:30am, Hermione was finished with her shopping and was having some hot tea back at the Bent Broomstick, when a familiar looking wizard with a young blonde girl in tow came in through the front door.
"Hello Oliver Wood, how are you? And who is this young girl?" called out Hermione.
Hermione
of course recognized the tall man as her employee from work at
the
Department for Magical Introduction, Oliver Wood. After his
career with the Chuddly Cannons had ended with a broken back after a
mid-air collision, he had joined the ministry and had found himself
working for Hermione.
"Good day to you Hermione, this bright young girl is Brenda Drummond, yesterday was her eleventh birthday" responded the older former Quidditch player.
"Well isn't that wonderful! I guess her parents took it well?
"As well as can be expected for two dentists… hey wait, aren't your parents dentists?"
"Why yes they are! Say I guess we have something in common Brenda. What do you say to that?
As Hermione looked down at the young girl she could see the very same rapturous look on the girls face, Hermione could tell that the girl was having the time of her life.
"That very interesting ma'am" said the girl in a small voice.
"Hey Hermione, maybe you could help convince Brenda of something for me. She asked me a question but she can't believe the answer. I think she would believe it from you."
"Ok Brenda, what's the question that plagues your mind?" Queried the older girl
"Well ma'am, I recently decided that am homosexual or at least bi-sexual, and I was wondering if the wizarding world will treat me different that the nor-… I mean muggle world."
"Wow… knowing that you like girls by the time you're eleven… that's amazing, to answer your question Brenda, the Magical world likes to think that it is more enlightened that the muggle world as we accept all people for who they are, why in our world gay couples can even get married and live together for ever." At this the girls eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
"Really, that's amazing! I never imagined that anywhere in this world I could find a place like this."
"In fact I too am a lesbian, and tonight happens to be mine and my wife's sixth anniversary. What do you say to that Brenda?"
"Wow, I can't wait to become a which, it's going to rock!" And with that she grabbed Oliver's hand and shoved him toward the entrance to Vertic Alley.
"Ah… kids these days." Hermione chuckled to herself "She reminds me of me when I was her age." Hermione mused to herself.
After finishing her tea was done Hermione walked back over to the fire place with her purchases of the day, as she neared it she pulled out another small bag and as she stepped into the fire she yelled "The Northern Homestead!" and she vanished with a flash of green flame.
Damn. That was a long chapter, hope you liked it and I'll start work on the next one. R&R.
Mega Props go to my beta, Cryingflower4; without her, this wouldn't even be close to this good.