Sweet crap. I know, Im a jerk. But, here you go. Im on a creative tangent again. Enjoy.
Disclaimer-I am not JK Rowling, however much I wish I was.
The rest of the time at Diagon Ally went was almost completely uneventful. Things went almost exactly as Mrs. Weasley has planned them, which, truth be told, surprised just about everyone. A few things, of course, went a tad askew, but nothing major. A little more time here, an extra trip there, but little else.
When they arrived at the Burrow, laden with packages, they all separated into smaller groups- Hermione and Ginny, and harry, Ron and Neville. They wanted to go though their stuff, and, basically, waste the rest of time before dinner that evening.
They were leaving for Hogwarts the next day, and wanted to do absolutely nothing for their last day home. Well, everyone except Hermione, of course, but she always seemed to be a bit off.
Instead of doing nothing-which actually turned out to be a game of Quidditch- Hermione finalized everything involving her house and the belongings inside of it. It was heart wrenching to sign over the deed to the care to Mrs. Dursley and a realtor. She knew that she would never ever want to be in it again, but she felt like this was the final step of growing up. The final step of letting go of her parents and her childhood. Often, at night, when Ginny was sleeping soundly beside her, she wondered if she was up to this. Did she really have the strength for this?
Sometimes, she didn't know.
Besides all of the housing things that needed to be figured out, there was also the bank. Luckily, she, and her family, had had the same bank for year, and were well known within the smaller company. Her parents financial manager had actually come to the funeral, and seemed more genuinely upset then some of Hermione's friends who had come.
She had been given the rights to all of her parents accounts, and had it merged with her own. She was actually rather shocked when she saw the amount of money they had. She knew that they weren't lacking, but didn't quite realize how well off they actually were. She's already with-drawled a rather large amount, and converted it into wizarding funds.
By the time all the phone calls (made possible from Harry's borrowed cell phone, which the Weasley's, most especially Mr. Weasley had found fascinating) and e-mails (the beauty of Muggle technology, more specifically, blue tooth capabilities) were done, she was completely exhausted.
Besides that, she also needed to pack, which she would do after the dinner that Mrs. Weasley was calling them all for.
The entire Weasley family, plus Fleur, Neville, Hermione and Harry were attending this dinner. It was the last day of summer, and was, for some, to be something to celebrate. It was also Bill and Fleur's engagement party for the family. No one had bought gifts, deciding to do so after the war was at an end, or, for the wedding, depending on whichever had come first.
They were all hoping for the end of the war, but, none of the party were too hopeful.
Soon after the group has finished the first course of the meal, which was full of turkey, steak and kidney pie, chicken, salad, and smoked vegetables, Mr. Weasley stood up, and tapped his glass.
"Ahem. I hate to interrupt was is, undeniably, one of the best meals Molly has put together, but I simply must." Arthur put his glass down, and continued his speech."First off, Id like to give a warm welcome to Fleur, our newest Weasley. Welcome to the family!"
At this, there was scattered applause, and cheers. Bill gave her a look that clearly said 'told you they liked you'. Fleur blushed a nice crimson, before lowering her head.
"Id also like to congratulate Hermione on becoming Head girl." At this, herm ione nearly chocked on her pumpkin juice. Head girl! And when, exactly was she going to find out!
Arthur blushed at this, realizing that she hadn't gotten the letter, which had come separate from the usual Hogwarts letters. He rummaged around on the counter behind him before pulling out the letter and handing it to Hermione. She read it very quickly, not really taking much of it in, knowing that the entire table was watching her with interest.
She felt the envelope, and pulled out the golden badge, which clearly stated that she was Head Girl. She beamed with pride, knowing without a doubt that her parents would have been so proud. It made her so happy,. knowing that she had finally done what she always wanted-besides pass with flying colors. She was also sad, knowing that she would never be able to tell the two people that it mattered most to.
She smiled up at Mr. Weasley, and the rest of them, wanting to make sure they knew she was alright. She knew that they worried about her, with good reason mind, but that didn't change the fact that she hated when people worried about her.
Arthur, seeing Hermione put the badge down, continued his speech "Finally, I'd like to remind all of you to be careful. He who must not be named is killing in numbers again, and now that.." he choked a bit at this part "now that Dumbledore is gone, Hogwarts might not be AS safe as it once was."
Arthur looked around at all the children, his and, what he considered, the adopted pair. They were an adventurous bunch, but smart enough.
"Take care of each other, and send your mother and I owls every week."
Mrs Weasley was nodding through his whole speech. At the end, she looked around, and, a bit weepy, said "Everyone of you, even if you aren't my own, I consider you to be."
With that, the speech was over. It was shorter then they had all expected, however, they all knew the danger, had been living with it for years, in fact. They were greatful that Mrs. Weasley has managed to hold herself together that well.
After dessert-homemade ice cream and pumpkin tarts, dinner was over, and the before school rush began anew. The last time, for most.
Hermione bustled about, packing the rest of her things, and picking out clothing for the train ride there- black and white pin-stripe Capri and a black off the shoulder tank top. After she was done, she went around the Burrow, for anything that might be hers. She would hate to forget something, and have Mrs. Weasley have to owl it over.
She found a few things, mostly things that were borrowed and not properly returned, and was carrying them up the stairs to the second floor when she was stopped by Mrs. Weasley.
"Sorry to mention this, my dear, but I haven't found a better time, and, well, I know this isn't the time either, but..." She handed Hermione a small velvet box. "I know that you should have this before you leave. Take care of it, my dear." With that, Mrs. Weasley turned around, and went back down the stairs.
Hermione rushed up the last few steps, and threw the extra things on her bed. She opened the box, very curious why, of all people, Mrs. Weasley would have given her a jewelry box.
Inside was a ring, one that she recognized instantly. It was her mother's wedding ring. White gold with ruby and emerald twisted together into a teardrop. The jewel was tiny-her parents hadn't had much money when they married, and, by the time they did, her mother simply refused a different ring. She called it her good luck charm.
Hermione put the ring on, a tear sliding down her face, unchecked, unnoticed. She was smiling, however. Mrs. Weasley was right. There hadn't been a better time, but she was happy that she had it. It made her feel whole again.
end transmission