Chapter Twenty Seven
Hours later, Cho waited outside of the room where Ginny's exam was just due to end, she was holding a picnic basket in one hand and a small brown paper bag in the other. Finally the silence was broken, by uniforms noises, first were the sighs and groans, then the authoritative voice giving instructions, followed by the scraping back of one hundred chairs.
Cho stepped back to allow the students to pour out of the room, half of the students were completely silent, the other half were experiencing the bliss of relief, laughing with their heads thrown back, high fiving. There was still one final exam scheduled for this afternoon, before the Hogwarts Express would be taking them all away from Hogwarts for the Summer holidays. And for Cho and her tiny cohort, never to return.
But for now Cho was free and Ginny was also free, having just completed her final exam. Cho caught sight of Ginny's red hair, as it passed over the threshold,
"Ginny? Ginny?" Ginny's head snapped up, she saw Cho almost immediately. She cut across the general movement, making directly towards Cho, where she laid her head on her shoulder. Exhausted, relieved, at the end of one amazing year. Cho placed the basket on the ground and wrapped her arms around Ginny's shoulders,
"How are you?" she asked.
"Ugh. You?"
"Better than you, I suspect, but a little tired after last night's shenanigans."
"Oh were you very naughty?"
"Very tame despite being woken up by Professor Sinistra and being kicked out of the Astronomy Tower!"
"You didn't?"
"We did."
"Hermione?"
"Hermione, too!"
"No way."
"She enjoyed a little too much wine and butterbeer and told us of her romantic exploits with Kicto Krum."
"No way!"
Cho laughed, "Are you up to lunch, it's a very plan, I promise,"
"Can you carry me?"
"You just completed a Charms exam, show me your Hover Charm?"
Ginny laughed, "I need a break, and some time with you, come on,"
They walked together through the Castle, through the Entrance Hall and out of the doors and into the sunshine. They walked down towards Hagrid's Hut, they passed it and right on the edge of the Forbidden Forest there was a little field, fenced off, Cho wanted to distract Ginny until they got right up close, "Here, this is for you," she said and handed Ginny the brown paper bag.
"Thanks," said Ginny, she opened it, peered in, looked at Cho, "Sugar cubes? I'm not a horse."
"They're not for you, look - " Cho stood back to watch Ginny. This was going to be really special and she only had a moment to catch Ginny's reaction, and it was gorgeous.
Ginny's face went from wan, tired and drawn and as she took in what she was looking at, her eyes lit up and joy flushed over her face, she was brand new in a moment, rejuvenated and rapturous. In the little fenced off yard were four tiny unicorn foals, the soft fur was golden, as was the skin underneath - little golden horses that stood no higher than their knees!
"Oh, Oh Cho, Look!" Ginny sank to her knees and put her hands out to the little creatures and Cho's heart swelled with joy. Ginny's happiness was priceless. She placed the basket to one side, she opened the gate and beckoned to Ginny, they both entered and joined the little golden bodies on the ground. The little unicorn foals were so very much like goat kids, they didn't walk as much as they bounced, it was as though they had springs for ankles, they literally bounced up and down on the spot.
It was impossible not to laugh, they bounced around, boinging into the girls and into each other. They had no horn, they were yet too young, but perhaps in anticipation of its eventual presentation, they kept head butting each other. Unlike the fully grown unicorns, foals are pure gold in colour, they turn silver when they are about two years old and their horns grow around four years old. Ginny opened her packet and offered each foal a sugar lump in turn, the sweet treat made them greedy and demanding for more, they began head butting the girls and trying to bounce their competitors out of the way of any outstretched hands.
It was hilarious and delightful and despite the girls both feeling tired, two hours of playing with and watching the energetic, frolicsome little foals washed away all the post exam stress and pre separation grief. They let themselves out of the yard and find a sunny patch in which they could both eat their lunch and continue to watch the unicorns. It was a simple lunch; a range of sandwiches, fruit, biscuits and pumpkin juice.
"Is your mother willing to have a coffee after Kings Cross tomorrow?"
"Yes, she said she would be happy to meet you both again."
"And you're going to be at home for a week before starting work?"
"Yeah, I have a week off. Then I will have medicals and inductions and things, before I can start training with the team. I get my personal training schedule and a team training schedule. It's so exciting. Frosty said there will be quite a bit of media and charity work at the beginning."
"I will be able to stay at home for most of the summer, at least, I can transit from home to the Tutshill training facility on training days. We leave from there together if we have away games, we travel by coach there and back, if it's a late game or in Scotland or Wales we all stay overnight, organised by the admin department."
"Will you send me a match fixture?"
"Sure, first thing. Going to come and watch?"
"Absolutely."
"I better send you a scarf too, then."
"I will miss you, Chang."
"I will miss you too, Weasley."
When they finally made it back to the Castle it was near to dinner time, Hermione was pacing up and down the Entrance Hall,
"Hi, Hermione? You okay," asked Ginny.
"Oh, there you are. Yes, yes, fine. Are you ready for dinner?" Hermione sounded a little odd.
"Sure. Why are you pacing?" asked Ginny, pointing out Hermione's trail.
"I'm not. Oh, I'm just hungry." Hermione displayed a rare verbal stumble.
"Well eat!" said Ginny, unable to make Hermione out.
"Are you coming?" asked Hermione, looking like she might go in if they werent.
"Yes, we're coming," Ginny assured her. Ginny and Cho shared a discreet eye raise, each confirming they thought something was amiss.
Hermione stacked her plate up much higher than Ginny had ever seen her do so before, she knew that Hermione would never eat that much in a single sitting. But she didn't eat at all, she just made herself very busy moving her cutlery around, picking up and replacing the salt and pepper shakers and moving the gray boat from her right hand to her left hand.
"Right, Hermione, spill it!" said Ginny with conviction, even Cho was looking with interest.
"What? There's nothing. I am just tired, we had a late night."
"I've seen you tired, I know stressed Hermione, in the middle of battle fighting for your life Hermione, I'm not sure which Hermione this is, but whatever it is, I can handle it."
"Is it private? I can eat at my own table?"
"No, no Cho. It's not like Ginny won't tell you in five minutes anyway."
"Okay, so there is something," said Cho, trying not to take offence.
"Oh it's nothing, nothing. Is that beef casserole? I didn't see it," Hermione began eating with gusto, as though if her mouth was empty for a moment, words might come streaming out, betraying her.
"Have it your way, but if it were me, you would want to comfort me, just saying," said Ginny.
Hermione looked a little hurt at this, but Ginny started telling Hermione about the tiny golden unicorn foals, relating all their antics. "It was a wonderful date idea," she said and looked lovingly at Cho, who took her hand under the table. Hermione looked from one face to the other, Ginny swore she saw tears well up in her friends eyes,
"Hermione?"
"Im sorry, I'm sorry, it's me, not you," she began cramming more food in her mouth.
"But you don't want to talk about it?"
"I'm just tired and being silly," she replied, shaking her head, "In fact I might just pop up and finish packing and get an early night. Good night Cho," she almost darted away.
"What was that?" asked Cho, to which Ginny simply shrugged.
The following morning, further evidence of Hermione's apparent distress. She woke Ginny early, so early it was still dark.
"Hermione, what is it?" said Ginny, immediately remembering Hermione's strange behaviour from the night before, she thought Hermione was upset and needed to talk.
"Sorry to wake you, but I need help with my trunk."
"Your trunk?"
"Yes, I cant close it tight enough to fasten the clasps,"
"Are you coming on the Hogwarts Express?"
"Yes of course,"
"Then we still have time. To sleep, I mean."
"Oh, of course, sorry,"
"Hermione, I am happy to help you with your trunk, and anything else that is on your mind."
"There's nothing, I'm just being organised, you know me."
"Yes, I rather fancy I do know you, Hermione, like my sister," Ginny hauled herself out of bed to help Hermione, she would have liked another two hours of sleep but as it was her final morning at Hogwarts with Hermione forever, she thought she should try to be more sisterly.
She sat on the overfull trunk while Hermione tried to fasten the clasps, but they were having no luck so Ginny slid off and opened the trunk to see if she could find a way to reorganise the contents. In absolute shock, Ginny took her wand out of her dressing gown pocket, she waved it and said the incantation, "Pack." Hermione went bright red as everything in her trunk rose into the air and began laying themselves back into the case in perfect order, clothes refolded themselves, books lay themselves in perfect tetris order.
When everything had found its place in the trunk, Ginny closed the lid easily and fastened the clasps. She didn't look at Hermione for fear of embarrassing her friend, who for some reason had forgotten to apply the simple charm, the same charm that she had probably applied to her trunk before and after each term for her whole seven years of her time at Hogwarts. As un-Hermione-ish behaviour as Ginny had ever seen.
"Tea, Hermoninny?" Ginny tried for humour, in an effort to dislodge Hermione from her upset. Hermione burst out laughing, she laughed and Ginny laughed and then Hermione's laughter turned to tears. Ginny said nothing, she just rubbed her back and pulled her into a hug. When Hermione dried her tears and blew her nose, Ginny poured boiling water into the house teapot in the Common Room.
They sat together, Hermione looked around the room,
"I can't believe it. The time has gone by so quickly. I remember sneaking in and out of this room after dark, under the invisibility cloak with Harry and Ron in first year."
Ginny said nothing, she watched her and listened, she was anticipating Hermione giving way to her upset, sooner or later.
"The first time Harry caught the snitch and we celebrated in here, Fred and George stole food from the kitchens," she sipped her tea, memories were stirring up within her.
"I remember your first day, I really did feel like your sister, I didn't want you to feel as scared and lonely as I did. I taught you academic things because that was my strong suit. Sorry. You would have been better off with someone more social, I suppose."
"No, I am better off with you, exactly as you are, Hermione."
More tears welled in Hermione's eye, "Thanks, Ginny," she squeezed her hand, Ginny squeezed back.
"Remember I knitted all those socks for the House Elves?"
"I remember," she laid her head on Hermione's shoulder, hoping her friend would simply unburden herself, free herself by sharing her problem, but Hermione kept silent.