Chapter 8
Harry slept late into the day for he had hardly slept at all during the night. When it was precisely 11.30 AM, Niles came and told him that he had just received a letter with Mister Woods very angry voice, saying things he would rather not repeat to the dear Sir, and that the new cook had arrived.Niles thought it best that Harry come down and take a look.
Harry smiled to his butler whose eyebrows were a little burned, but the poor fellow had not noticed it yet. The howler had probably exploded and he was in such a deep sleep that he failed to hear Oliver roaring downstairs? Well killing me would be rather easy, he decided.
Harry sighed, looked into the ceiling above him that was enchanted like the sky outside (just a little to remind him of Hogwarts) and recalled the fact that he had to be ready to block various hexes that might accidentally fly towards him later in the day. Harry sat up in his bed and decided that since he had completely slept in and there was no point in going to the pitch now, just to hear Wood yell at him.
He could already hear the captains voice ringing in his ears: " What the were you thinking Potter? Where,in the name of Merlin, have you been? Do you fully truly understand what it means to train without our seeker? I mean…. The Cup! The Team! The Game! GOD DAMNIT!" And with that, he would probably leave to the showers, mumbling quietly to himself.
Harry found Niles dusting the painting of a beautiful witch that hanged above the fireplace. Harry had painted the picture himself, although he told everyone, who happened to ask, that he had bought it from a flea market in Turkey. The woman had bright green eyes, creamy skin and was wearing a beautiful forest-green dress.
"Niles, come on! Stop it already? Everything is perfect! You dust that painting everyday as if your life depended on it!"
"Well, Sire, if I may say that I like the woman in the picture. She is not only beautiful, but also kind. Besides, you can tell from far away that the artist loved this woman deeply, that's what makes this painting so special."
"Excuse me? What gives you the impression that the artist was in love with the woman?"
"Well, for starters the brushstrokes are very soft, as if He were afraid to hurt Her and…"
Harry cut him off. "What? The strokes are…"
"Sir if I may…" Niles said in a seemingly humble tone.
"No you may not! Let me finish." Harry said shooting Niles with an irritated stare.
"Yes Sir?" The butler said seeming to be the impersonation of kindness and obedience.
"Nothing. Carry on."
Niles looked at Harry; his lips pressed together and obviously trying hard not to laugh. "Who am I to say about the picture..."
"That's right. Very good." Harry said nodding. "It's non of your business."
"After all, You painted it."
"I most certainly did not!"
"Whatever, Sir. The new cook is waiting"; he said trying to get off the subject.
"Right."
They walked to the kitchen and Niles opened the door, bowing down and saying: "His Royal Highness Harry Potter."
Harry immediately recognised the woman from the picture. She gasped and jumped up from the chair she had been sitting on.
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Hermione was standing in front of her open trunk and thinking hard about what she needed to take with. No robes! She was so tired of wearing the same black robes to work every day! Just because Smith ordered them to do so! What an ass that man was! A real pain in the butt!
Books! She had to take books! Maybe some "light reading" would come in handy? NE. Harry needs her help and she's going to help him even if it takes all her strength. Really, she did not get the people that got so obsessed with another person's fame and glory that they felt the need to kill them. Ron never tried to kill Harry, even though they spent seven years together and you had to admit that Harry was not exactly the kind of person, who went unnoticed. Of course Ronhad been envious of all the attention Harry got but he had never really tried to kill him, now had he?
The little angel and the little devil appear on her shoulders.
(Angel) Ron! Here we go again! Can't you just not think about him Hermione? He is probably married and has kids. Thou shalt not think about Ronald Weasly!
(Devil) Nevertheless, you know you want to…. Those beautiful eyes, the hair…not to mention his hands! The way he held you danced the last dance…."
(A) Hermione Granger! Where the hell (God forgive me!) have you left you cool head?
(D) I think it never left Ron's shoulder.
Hermione shook her head. Angel and Devil disappeared. She checked her trunk once more and then slammed it shut hard.
The best way to get there would probably be by Floo Powder since she never liked to Appear at strange places, seeing what it had done to people. Some heads floating around in the room looking for owners, who accidentally left their body in Brazil, for example.
She took a last look around her and was almost stepping out of the bedroom, when she saw the huge pile of reports spreading on her desk like weed after rain. She felt depression making its way to her mind.
"Ahh, what the heck! Alright you get to come! Stop whining!" She said grumpily to her collection of tortuously long documents. Hermione shoved the pile into the suitcase and walked over to the fireplace. Chiz immediately understood that she was leaving and hopefully shot up from the armchair she had been lying in.
"No. Sorry Chiz, not this time."
The look on the cats face seemed to say: You always say not this time.
Hermione took a small handful of the powder, threw it into the fire and stepped in.
"Harrys house" she yelled
¤
It soon became clear that Harry's palace or Harry's castle would have been more appropriate. The house was beautiful with red and yellow in the living room, or so she thought at lest. Her hole apartment could have fitted in this living room. Red and yellow. Gryffindor forever, Hermione thought. There was a painting of a beautiful woman just over the fireplace and Hermione had the strange feeling that she had seen her somewhere before, but wasn't sure.
However, she was not given any more time to admire the picture as she tumbled onto the floor as something had fallen on her. The something said "Ouch." And tried to move but her suitcase had opened during the commotion and she and the "thing" were now covered with reports and Hermiones clothes. It shortly occurred to Hermione that it was not a thing – it was a somebody.
"Bloody hell! If I had known that there were so many people in this house I would have Appeared in the bathroom!"
The Somebody raised its head from her chest and looked her straight in the eye. Ron. She was looking straight into the eyes of Ron Weasly.
B
