Chapter 10
When she came back through the double doors she saw her housemate giving his girlfriend a kiss hello. He moved to sit in the chair Hermione had been sat in, but was waved out of it by Ginny, so he conjured himself one on her other side and flopped into it. Hermione giggled to herself. Harry turned towards her when he heard her footsteps.
'Hey Hermione, how are ya?'
'I'm fine thanks saviour boy. How was your day?'
He looked at her, trying to look offended but was beaten by the smile that appeared on his face.
'Saviour boy?' Ginny asked.
'Yes, darling Hermione has come up with a new nickname for me,' Harry replied.
'I think it suits him, don't you think Gin?'
'Actually I agree,' replied Ginny. Harry turned to face her, his eyebrows raised, 'it goes with the cheeky face and messy hair, very fitting!'
'Thank you, sweetheart!' Harry said sarcastically.
'So how was your day Harry?' Hermione asked again.
'It was ok, we had a question and answer session on potions which I didn't enjoy, and the rest was just lectures and note taking, pretty boring really. How was yours?'
'Well we had lectures this morning, then duelling this afternoon with Kingsley. I scared Colin during practice though.'
'How?' asked Ginny.
'Well, we were practicing getting into duelling stance as fast as possible, and I was concentrating that hard that I automatically disarmed him when I faced him.'
Harry laughed.
'I take it you weren't supposed to be using spells.'
'No, not until later.'
'Ah well, I'm sure he didn't mind.
'No I don't think he did after he got over the shock.'
Harry turned towards Ginny.
'Are you having tea with us tonight? He asked.
'Are you cooking?' Ginny asked innocently.
'No, I can't be arsed.'
'In which case yes!' Ginny replied with a smile. Hermione laughed as Harry tried and failed again to look offended.
'I thought we could get pizza from Boulevards.'
'That very small, very suspicious looking muggle pizza place?' Ginny asked.
'The very same,' Harry noted Ginny's attempt to hide her not-so-convinced face, 'it's not that bad, and the food's great.'
'I didn't say anything!' Ginny retorted shrilly.
'You didn't have to, I could tell you were fighting to suppress the urge to shudder at the thought of going near the place!'
Hermione laughed, she knew Harry was right.
'Ok ok, I admit I'm not a huge fan of the place, but the food is ok and none of us has contracted food poisoning from there yet, so yes, I'll join you for tea. Oh, and we're helping Hermione sort some stuff out at her house later.'
'Only if you want to, I don't want to ruin anything you had planned.' Hermione said before Harry could respond.
'Hermione, I've told you we don't mind, do we Harry?'
'No, not at all, what are we sorting?' he asked.
'Just some of my old stuff that was being stored in the loft, dad wants me to look through it and see what can be thrown out.'
'So is it like your old school stuff and things from your childhood.' Harry asked.
'Erm, Hermione said, trying to visualise what she last remembered being up there, 'yeah I think so. Old toys and games, school books and so on.'
'Excellent we get to see what hidden secrets the first eleven years of Hermione Granger's life hold!'
Ginny and Hermione laughed.
'I said I wanted to see some photos of her growing up!' Ginny said.
'And I said please don't get my dad started on photos if you want to leave tonight.'
'Only child syndrome?' asked Harry knowingly.
'Big style,' Hermione replied.
'My aunt and uncle were the same with Dudley but I never understood why they wanted to take photos of him!' Hermione smiled.
'You sure you don't mind then?'
'No, sounds like fun actually. Plus it might help me come up with something to answer 'saviour boy!''
Hermione looked at him, her eyes widening at the thought.
'Actually I've changed my mind. Just me and Gin'll go.'
'Too late I'm afraid. You asked and I accepted. I'm coming. Plus I like talking to your dad, he's great! Are they coming to the Burrow on Friday?'
'Yeah they are, I asked mum earlier. She's still a bit nervous about being around so many witches and wizards.'
'Why?' asked Ginny.
'Well, as much as they accepted I a witch, I always went home in the holidays and couldn't do magic so nothing really changed, I acted like a muggle the same as them. And since I've come of age I've spent most of the time either at school, the Burrow or HQ so they haven't seen a huge amount of magic. So to be in a situation where there's going to be magic happening around them all the time and nothing but our world is talked about, it's going to be pretty alien to them and quite intimidating.'
'Ah ok, that's understandable,' Ginny replied.
'Actually,' Hermione said, thinking out loud, 'if we use magic a bit more than we might normally do tonight, it might get them a bit more used to it before Friday.''
'How do you mean?' Harry asked.
'Well if something's on the other side of the room, sometimes you just go and get it, and sometimes you can't be arsed so just summon it,' Ginny raised her eyebrows and quickly glanced at Harry and then back to Hermione. Hermione got her point, 'some more than others, mentioning no names Harry!'
'Hey!' Harry exclaimed, he goes to answer the accusations but saw the you-know-we're-right look from both Ginny and Hermione and admitted defeat, 'yeah all right!'
'Anyway,' Hermione started again, 'my point was, if we use magic all the time regardless of whether we normally would or not, it might help them get used to it a bit more.'
'Sounds like a good idea,' said Ginny.
'Hey, if I get to be lazy all night I'm not gonna complain!' agreed Harry.
Mrs. Weasley ended their conversation by bustling in the ward and giving Harry, Ginny and Hermione all huge hugs, they were soon joined by Bill and Fleur. After a half hour of chatting, Hermione, Harry and Ginny left for home.
When they arrived back the three of them collapsed on the sofa. Hermione shut her eyes but was nowhere near sleep; her stomach was rumbling too loudly for that to happen.
'Can we please have food now? I'm starving.' She asked the other two.
'Me too,' replied Harry.
'There's a surprise!' added Ginny. Hermione laughed and leant forward to look at her two friends next to her. They had adopted the same position she had, head thrown back on the sofa, eyes shut to the world. Seeing them like that she flopped back to how she was before.
'Ok, so what does everyone want?' Harry asked, not opening his eyes.
'Hawaiian please,' Ginny responded.
'Size?' Harry asked.
'Medium,' she replied.
'Hermione?' Harry asked again.
'Chicken feast.'
'Char grilled?'
'Char grilled.'
'Size?'
'Medium.'
'Wow, you too really are great conversationalists aren't you?' Ginny commented, Harry and Hermione laughed.
'Harry you order.' Hermione demanded.
'Why me?'
'You're next to the phone.'
Harry sighed loudly and Ginny giggled. Hermione heard Harry take the phone out of its cradle. Then she felt it land on her lap.
'Oww!' she said loudly.
'Oh come on, that didn't hurt!' Harry responded.
'No, but this might. She threw the phone back at Harry.
'Hermione, I thought Ron had taught you to throw properly and not like a girl!'
'Oh that was harsh!' Hermione responded, incised.
'CHILDREN! This isn't getting us our food now is it?' Ginny said in a very Mrs Weasley-ish tone, 'Harry you phone the pizza place and Hermione you get the plates and cutlery ready. That way you both are doing something, 'cause I'm guessing, seeing as though the maturity level has fallen through the floor in here, that neither of you will move until the other does!' Ginny finished her speech, her eyes still closed having not opened them all the way through it.
'Fine!' both Harry and Hermione said in unison. Harry dialled the number on the phone and walked to the window as he placed their order. Hermione walked through to the kitchen, and, ignoring Ginny's request of plates and cutlery – that was no way to eat pizza – she took three bottles of Butterbeer out of the cupboard and with a swish and a flick of her wand levitated the bottles back to the table as she tried to remember where she had put the napkins.
After searching through four more cupboards and drawers she found them and retook her place on the sofa next to Ginny, who still hadn't moved, as Harry hung up the phone.
Thirty-five minutes later their pizzas arrived. Harry had barely shut the door when he was swooped down upon by the two witches, trying to open up the boxes and identify a pizza as their own.
Hermione and Harry moved into the lounge and sat in front of the now switched on TV.
'What happened to the-' Ginny looked up and saw Harry and Hermione with their pizza boxes open on their laps and eating the food with their fingers, 'plates,' she finished with a sigh and half a smile. 'So are we going to yours when we've finished eating Hermione?'
'Mmmhmm,' Hermione replied trying to chew her pizza quickly. She swallowed her mouthful freeing herself to speak, 'mum said to go whenever, and I've got my house keys so even if they've popped out we can still get in.'
'That and the fact you're a witch!' Ginny said smiling.
'You see! No wonder mum and dad aren't used to magic, it's like as soon as I get near the house I forget I can do it! I think there's a switch in my brain that's stop me thinking like a witch when I start thinking about home.'
'Well, you'll have to overcome it tonight won't you? For one it'll make sorting a hell of a lot faster and easier and two, you want your mum and dad exposed to as much magic as possible.'
'I'm sure with you two there I'll remember.'
They ate their pizzas quickly due to the hunger the three of them were still feeling, and cleaned up with wand waving from the three of them. Five minutes later and the three of them were ready to leave the flat.
