An Unlikely Love

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Chapter three

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The Burrow

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Hermione and Harry went with Mrs. Weasley and Ron to the Burrow where they would be staying the night. They used Floo powder and appeared in the living room of the Burrow. Ginny Weasley lay surrounded by blankets, on the couch reading a book. Her red hair was tied up in a messy bun on top of her head, the tip of her nose red and swollen.

"Hermione," Ginny said sitting up happily as she came through the fireplace.

"All right Ginny?" Hermione asked her best friend as Ron came through the fireplace behind her.

"Getting better," she said as a fit of cougher hit her.

Just then Mrs. Weasley appeared and rushed over to her daughter pulling out a bottle and a table spoon from her purse. She sat down next to Ginny and pour some of its into the table spoon. The liquid is a greenish yellow color and a purple chunk came out of the bottle and plopped down in the spoon. "Here you go dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "Drink it up."

Ginny opened up her mouth to let the foul looking medicine in. The medicine went down and within seconds the coughing subsided.

"Thanks mum," Ginny said as she suddenly looked very exhausted. She laid her head back and was asleep within moments.

"Hate when that happens," Ron said with his face covered in concern, "scary, you know?"

Harry nodded his head in agreement.

"Come on," Ron said. "Bet dad's already got your stuff."

"You'll be in Ginny's room dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "Ginny'll be on the couch for the night."

"She's out for the rest of the night," Ron said in agreement. "Come on."

Harry and Hermione followed Ron up the stairs to the floor next to the top of the Burrow. Ginny's room was to the right of the staircase. The three of them entered her room and sure enough, there sat Hermione's trunk in the corner of the room.

Hermione went to her trunk, opened it, and sure enough her school books were there just like Mrs. Weasley said they would be. But underneath her school books an envelope lay. Curious, Hermione opened it and gasped in surprise. Inside the envelope was sixty dollars worth or wizarding money. There was also a letter in the envelope. She pulled it out and began reading it.

Dearest Hermione,

You father and I would like to apologize for leaving so suddenly. Your father had

something come up. As you see we bought your books for you as Mrs. Weasley

promised.

Hermione, you father and I are very proud of you. I do hope you know that.

We both love you soo much and hope that you have a good year at Hogwarts

And we are looking forward to seeing you this Christmas vacation.

Love Always,

Mom and Dad

P.S. We are so sorry.

A tear fell from Hermione's eyes as she finished reading her letter. She sniffed and whipped her tears away as she folded up the letter.

"What's it say?" Ron asked from Ginny's bed. He was sprawled out on the single mattress as Harry sat on the end of the bed.

Hermione looked up from the envelope, her eyes still glistening with tears. "It says they're proud of me. They've never said that before," she said almost to herself.

Ten minutes later the three friends were all seated around Ron's room on the top floor. Ron sat cross legged on his bed leaning against the head board, Harry sat on the bed also, though he sat on the very edge, and Hermione sat in a pink bean bag chair in the far corner of the room.

"You can move closer, you know," Harry said to Hermione.

But she wasn't listening. She had her parent's letter on her mind. 'Maybe I don't have to try so hard for them anymore.'

Hermione was always a quit child. She didn't have any siblings therefore she never learned how to be very sociable.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger were always out doing functions and volunteer work leaving Hermione home alone with the latest babysitter. The babysitters always turned out to be an old woman with bad breath and smelly Bo. The last babysitter she had turned out to be by far the greatest one ever. Her name was Mrs. Easytop. She was a strange one alright, but she was nice, and she wasn't too old or smelly.

Mrs. Easytop would always have a cookie up her sleeve, quite literally. Every time Hermione would come home from school crying because someone had done something mean or said something mean to her, Mrs. Easytop would reach up her sleeve and pull out a cookie. Even in the tightest sleeved shirt she could do it. Hermione would spend hours trying to do it, but a cookie (or anything else) wouldn't come out. So one day she asked Mrs. Easytop how she did it and she smiled and said in a knowingly tone, "You will one day know how to do it. Just be patient my child."

As the years passed, Hermione grew older, but Mrs. Easytop never seemed to age.

Every night before bed, Hermione would hear stories of witches and wizards and of their magical world. Hermione soon quickly grew an interest in it, so she would check out every book she could find about magical things. She would then hide the books under her bed so no one would know of her interest.

On her ninth birthday, Mrs. Easytop walked in on her reading a book about a school where young witches and wizards attended a school called Hogwarts. The book was called Hogwarts, A History. When Mrs. Easytop came in she was surprised, but she smiled warmly and sat next to Hermione to talk.

It was this night, on her ninth birthday that Hermione learnt who she really was. She was so excited that she ran to her parents to tell them about it.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger of course thought she was lying and should be spending more time on her studies the in a fantasy world. It was then that she became the book warm that she now is. She studied harder than anyone in her class so her parents would approve. Soon after that Mrs. Easytop was fired and Hermione's parents quit leaving all the time.

When Hermione's letter arrived accepting her into Hogwarts, she was thrilled and her parents were sorry, though they never uttered a word of an apology.

This is why this letter touched Hermione so deeply. Not only did they finally tell her that they were proud of her, but they were finally apologizing for being wrong for so long ago. Hermione was so happy she could cry.

"Hermione," Someone was waving a hand in her face.

She looked up to see Harry waving the hand. "Stop it!" She said pushing his arm away.

"You all right there?" Ron asked looking concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine…why." Hermione answered.

"You were like…spacin' out there for a few minutes," Harry said going back to his seat on the floor.

"Oh…yeah…sorry." She put on her best forced smile and looked at the two boy's. "So…did you say something?"

"Yeah," Harry answered. "I said you can move closer to us…we wont bit you know."

Hermione smiled, "I know." She picked the chair up and moved it to next to Harry, setting it at an angle so she could face both of the boys.

Just than Mrs. Weasley called from below, "Kids, time for dinner!"