Disclaimer: I don't own HP or any of these characters. That belongs to JKR, Scholastic Books, Warner Brothers, etc.
Chapter Thirty One: Boys & Girls
As the weekend approached, Hermione found that she had yet to tell Harry about the potential solution to the charm, though she didn't think it was much of one. One big problem about the solution that Remus told her about was with how she could go about telling Harry about it. Of course, her biggest worry was what his reaction would be once she told him. But she had to tell him soon and she hated putting it off. However, she just couldn't think of how to start that conversation. And putting it off the way she had been just made it harder and harder with each day to tell Harry about it. Hermione began to fear that he would be angry at her, when she finally told him, for taking so long. She was scared that maybe he would yell and shout that she wasn't really interested in ending the charm or worse – she really wasn't interested in him and their relationship.
Which was completely ridiculous. Both the part of him getting angry at her for putting it off and him accusing her of wanting out of their relationship. Logic told Hermione that Harry was bright enough to figure out that what had taken her so long to tell him was the fact that it was a hard subject to broach. It wasn't every day that a witch would tell her wizard that pregnancy could help relieve a charm that was on her. And Harry wouldn't accuse her of wanting out, not when she had told him so many times that she loved him, not when she had apologized so many times about the whole mess. He knew her better than that. He loved her better than that.
Logic, however, didn't do much to ease Hermione's worries. Especially after she considered that logic really didn't mix well with emotions – people often felt differently than what logic would dictate. And of course, she had to think that thought in the middle of the night, when she should have been asleep. That had led to her tossing and turning the whole night, and she looked awful when Harry woke up the next morning. When he had asked her what was wrong, she had simply smiled and said that she was being a silly girl. And Hermione did hope she was just being silly.
The only good thing about Lupin's revelation was the fact that between her worrying about Harry's reaction and losing sleep over the matter, she had become more than a tad bit cranky while teaching class. Though this had at first led to a whole new slew of detentions, students soon learned to behave better in her class or else. Of course, this improvement would probably be short-lived – for the duration of her bad temper only was likely – but Hermione could hope.
The days passed quicker than Hermione thought they were, and before she knew it, it was the right before Harry's next Quidditch match, and she still hadn't told him. The fact that he had a Quidditch match became an excuse in and of itself – she wouldn't want to tell him right now and have him get distracted while playing. That could be dangerous. Hermione sighed. She was just putting it off again, though she actually had a good reason this time around. She silently swore that she would tell Harry about what Remus had told her, once this match of his was over.
Putting the final touches on her hair and face, Hermione threw on her robes and trotted downstairs. Harry had already left for players were required to report in quite early. Unfortunately, she would be attending this game by herself. Ron had been in Australia the entire week, helping George in exploring the possibilities of expanding the twins' shop over there, and evidently they were wrapped up in negotiations still. She smiled to herself. Ron had been very eloquent on what he thought about missing the game, and she couldn't imagine him as being very gracious to be around today.
Whistling to herself, Hermione walked along the path to get outside of Hogwarts and its wards. Harry had suggested to her that maybe it would be better for her to stay home. She had disagreed vehemently with that suggestion; she had never missed a match of his before and she wasn't about to start now just because of one stupid little charm. Hermione knew that she was taking a risk and that Harry was worried about it but the truth was that she was starting to develop a small bit of cabin fever, always staying at Hogwarts like she had. Hence there was nothing that could keep her from the match, especially after she learned that Ron was not going to be there. Harry needed one of his best friends to root for him at the very least.
Once outside of Hogwarts, Hermione withdrew her wand from her sleeve and promptly Apparated to the front gate. She was promptly waved on in, without even having to take out her ticket, which led her to chuckle to herself. Someone must have complained about all the troubles she had in getting in last time. She had forgotten to do so, with all the work she had at the time, but she was glad to see that wasn't the case for everyone. It was much easier this way. Still, Hermione had to take out her ticket to double check what section she was sitting in. When she got there, however, she found herself confused. The seat she had was quite good, but it was in a smaller section that was set off and there were currently only two other occupants. She would have thought there would be more people there already, especially as seeing the match was set to start in less than thirty minutes.
The two people who were sitting there were both women and both brunettes. Before Hermione could say anything, one of them turned her head and say her. Glancing down at her watch and nudging her companion, she said to Hermione, "Seeing how we still have a bit of time before the match starts, I'm guessing that you're Hermione Granger."
"I am," said Hermione, a bit taken aback. That had got to be one of the strangest introductions she had ever heard. She nodded at them both. "And a good evening to you."
"Good evening," chirped the other brunette, "and I do apologize for Elizabeth here. She likes to think herself quite smart – though she pales in comparison to you, I'm sure – and so she can't simply say why she arrived at the conclusion that you're Hermione Granger."
"I can too," replied Elizabeth. Her friend merely rolled her eyes.
"You still haven't," she pointed out. "But where are my manners?" She smiled at Hermione. "I'm Emily. Emily Gardner. And this is Elizabeth Jenkins. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," replied Hermione automatically.
"Yes, yes, now come on. Sit here." Elizabeth patted the seat next to her. "I'm not going to bite. I've just been dreadfully curious about you since Anthony told me that you and Harry were dating." Hermione sighed. She wasn't sure that she wanted to sit next to the witch, but it would be rude not to, so she walked over and sat down.
"Slow down, Lizzy," said Emily, laughing. "You've already confused the poor girl enough as it is. You should start with—"
"Yes, I know. I know," said Elizabeth. "And I knew you were Hermione Granger because you're here early. None of the others will be. Trust me on that one. They'll probably get here after the match has started, as they're too busy gossiping with their friends."
"Others?" Hermione repeated dumbly.
"Harry didn't tell you?" Emily quirked an eyebrow, then sighed. "Evidently, Wilson and Everett were awfully distracted during the last match. You must have seen how awful they were at keeping the Bludgers away from everyone else. So the coach came up with this brilliant idea of having all the players' wives and girlfriends sit together, so he can see if anyone is distracted by having their significant other here."
Elizabeth snorted. "I doubt that was either of their problems. They were too busy being in awe of Harry Potter to notice their girlfriends."
Emily smiled at her friend. "Considering that Everett's broke up with him inside a week after that match, I have to agree with that conclusion. But for this match, at least, we'll have to sit together. Which in a way is good, because I have been wanting to get to know you, Hermione, better."
"But which in a way is bad, since some of the players – I'm not naming any names here – are busy sowing their wild oats and the like. So having to sit by them is not my idea of a good time. Especially since they'll be asking about the wedding again."
"Which reminds me," said Emily, "when are you and Harry getting married?"
Hermione blinked. She couldn't believe she had heard that question. "Married?" she said. "I . . . well, that is to say . . . ."
"Oh Emily! Don't be ridiculous! She's Muggle-born. Muggles tend not to get married as early as us," said Elizabeth. "Didn't you take Muggle studies at Hogwarts? That's why Anthony took so long to propose. He's Muggle-born as well, and when you grow up with a norm where people don't marry right out of school . . . it's hard to overcome that sort of thing."
Emily frowned. "If you say so," she said. "And I never bothered with that particular class. It didn't seem very practical."
That remark caused Hermione to frown. She hated how it was necessary for Muggle-borns to learn all about the Wizarding world, but many wizards never bothered to learn about Muggles and how they lived. And she hated how that those who did tended to do so with an air of superiority. Both Arthur Weasley and Professor Dumbledore were rare exceptions to that rule. Mr. Weasley seemed genuinely fascinated with Muggles and had spoken to her parents before as equals, which was something she greatly appreciated. And as for Professor Dumbledore – though at times, Hermione thought that he was too passive, he had never seemed to look down upon Muggles. Which was quite different from McGonagall, who seemed to think that more Muggles than not were like the Dursleys. But trying to bring up the fact a wizard or witch looked down upon Muggles was an exercise in futility. Bring up that subject, and you were likely to get a lecture on why it was all right to think that way. It was no wonder that a significant number of Muggle-borns left the Wizarding world after they finished their schooling.
"But if you don't have a date set," Emily was saying, "expect the others to harp on that."
"Why?" asked Hermione.
"Because you're only dating the most eligible bachelor in the entire Wizarding world," replied Elizabeth. "And trust me – the other girls aren't really in for the long haul. Caroline, for one, has been seen flirting shamelessly with that Keeper Puddlemere United has."
"I don't think it has worked," Emily noted, "as he's entirely too Quidditch mad to notice anyone, evidently."
"True. Not that her lack of success has stopped her from trying." Elizabeth sighed. "I hope Wilson comes to his senses soon. He deserves better than that."
"Yes," said Emily, "but back to the marriage topic. Do you have a ring? Or even a date that you're expecting a proposal? Or anything that would keep them away from Harry?"
Hermione shook her head. It was odd, to hear another witch, who wasn't all that much older than herself, talking about marriage so young. Hermione knew that wizards tended to get married at a younger age than Muggles. For one, though magic was known to lengthen one's life, there wasn't much magic that could be used to extend one's fertility. For another, witches often planned to have their children first and then a career – though that didn't work for everyone and many witches who had opted for that route had wound up remaining at home, like Molly Weasley. Hermione winced. Thinking about marriage and children reminded her of what she hadn't spoken to Harry about.
"Oh don't look like that!" Emily exclaimed. "Surely marriage to Harry Potter isn't that horrid of an idea."
"It's not. Not at all," replied Hermione. "I don't think that either one of us is ready for that step yet. It's too soon."
"But you've known each other for more than seven years," Emily pointed out. "Why, I've only known Anthony for three."
"But you were probably together for most of those three," Hermione said.
"Yes. But you've been with Harry since your fourth year, right?"
Hermione grimaced. She couldn't believe that there were still some people who took those articles at face value. "No," she said shortly. "Which is why I felt free to go to the Yule Ball with Viktor."
"Oh! I wasn't trying to imply anything there. I thought perhaps you just went with Krum as a sort of a goodwill gesture towards the other schools. You can't believe everything you read – particularly when Rita Skeeter is the writer."
"And on that note, it might be prudent for us to shut up," Elizabeth said quickly, "for it looks like the others are cutting. Not unless you want to start a bit of gossip, that is." She pointed over at a group of girls making their way to where the three of them were sitting.
"Good idea," agreed Emily. She added to Hermione, "You'd best prepare yourself."
Hermione thought that was rather overdoing it. She could understand why her companions wouldn't be too enamored of witches who they thought were dating the other Quidditch players simply for fame and fortune, but they could be wrong. Hermione didn't believe in making judgments based on what a person looked like.
Then the group of witches reached their seats, and the blonde one in front took one look at Hermione before heading straight forward. "Hello!" she said. "I'm Caroline." Then in a lower voice – though still loud enough for everyone around them to hear – she said, "Tell me. Is it true you once visited Harry Potter in the middle of the day to shag him?"
Hermione stifled a groan. This was not an auspicious start.
If this was anything to go by, this match couldn't be over soon enough.
Author's note: The next chapter should be up either next
Friday or next Saturday -- I'm not sure which. In any case, I hope
you enjoyed reading this chapter. And I do hope you'll find some
time to let me know what you think by leaving a review. I'd like
to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter: Tanaly (I'm currently
concentrating on finishing Charming, rather than Seasons), danielerin
(yes, me as well -- I just hope he doesn't die too), Ann (cough
That's next chapter), Shawn Pickett (well, I didn't think it would
be in character for Snape to say that he's afraid of teaching Potterlets
in years to come ), Bladefanactic, CookiMonstr08, lanna1186,
juliet's rose, TheGreatFox2000, Jen(you're thinking
way too far ahead ), Oh-Dear (yes, the Sorting Hat would hate
us for not listening to it, and Hermione might take a page out of Umbridge's
book and have us writing that Harry is hers ), mantis macabre
(thanks ), ExalibursZone (yes, she has been wrong about stuff
like that before, hasn't she?), Fire-bound heart, hpfanmelissa,
lee74, LiLy NiCoLe pOtTeR (I believe the only thin we're
told about that is that he was attacked when he was a child), Star19,
EuphoniumGurl0, liongirrl4eva, Gamali Halliwell, Wytil
(especially because of who that might make her think of), Legolas-is-to-hot-4-u,
Sadistic Shadow (thanks, though I wish I had a screenshot oh
well), Leah6, Zekintha (do you really think that Harry would
try to guilt trip into anything as serious as this?), wyndnfyr (It
is logical for Snape to think of it, not in terms of families per
se, but the simple fact that an unborn child needs its mother because it
cannot live without her), MaverickUW , Jabba1, myman-harry526,
xxbabysparklesxx, B-Rocs, heavenscloud524, Bulma
Queen of Saiya-jin, RogueBHS (that's assuming they do
go that route), PoTtErSPaYnE, GaimanFan, Orlando's Gurl,
malu (it's hardly guaranteed -- besides, am feeling wicked enough
to suggest that maybe Snape doesn't think that Harry would agree and so
Hermione would have to look elsewhere, if you know what I mean ), Ramy,
Brian (yes, it has been awhile :( But it's great to see you
again, even if it's just here ), jaredphau (I tend to go with
the idea that the slug incident conditioned him not to), LIONESS-rampant,
Jezzi (yes, they do tend to be cute, don't they?), hpluver456,
anti-umbridge officer, and Miyoko5800. Thanks so much.
It really does mean a lot to me.