JUST FOR GOOD MEASURE: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER
"Oh my! Merlin! Oh my!" Hermione exclaimed at the morning post, pointing to a blue Fwooper, "look, Gin! Look, Asia replied already!" Ginny's head snapped up to watch the Fwooper swoop and dive and laughed,
"Eleven years old and she has a Fwooper?!"
"Her parents are doctors." Hermione nodded, "the high priced kind. She's bloody rich."
"Who is Asia?" Ron asked.
"My cousin, she's distant but we were close before they moved to America." Hermione replied, catching the package, "she's also muggle born, just really found out I suppose."
"What'd she send?" Ginny asked. Hermione tore open the package and stuck her head in, shuffling around. Hermione cried out and pulled out a little sort of glass box.
"Is that a bloody iphone?!" Harry hissed, "Hermione, those are illegal!"
"It's actually a lot like an iphone." Hermione nodded, "but it's not, it's perfectly legal. I'd say it's more like an ipod because the calling feature doesn't go overseas. She told me about it in her last letter. Still, it's really amazing. Let's see…" Hermione dug in the box and pulled out a letter, sitting down.
"Read it out loud." Ginny grinned, "what else has the found? They're so different over there!"
"Dear Hermione, I miss you, cuz. Your friend Ginny sounds awesome and yeah, school is good here. I'm still suffering a little culture shock from muggle to witch, but whatever. I'm glad things are well with you. Skip…skip….skip… skip… I've found something else interesting here, toilets that flush people. Do you have those? If so, tell me you've never been in one, that's gross. I put some music from my ipod on your goblusic. That's such a stupid name for it but whatever. It was difficult to do too, so you owe me some chocolate frogs. I wonder why we don't have those over here and what do you… skip… skip… skip I think I'm going to try out for the Quidditch team. I think it looks like fun. I hope to hear from you soon. Love always, Asia Granger."
"What'd you skip?" Lavender asked. Hermione cast a spell, setting the letter on fire and let it burn in her now empty plate. "My!" Lavender scoffed. Hermione dug into the box and pulled out a sort of string with little nubs on it.
"I think these are the headphones. Here, Gin, put one in your ear, you know like an extendable ear. You can hear the music and I can hear it and no one else can." Ginny nodded and did it.
"Did she dedicate this one?"
"Yes, to… er, me. It's called 'roll up'."
"Go." Ginny grinned bobbing her head about as the music they couldn't hear played. She began to giggle, listening with her Hermione, "it's so perfect!" Hermione nodded excitedly, handing some more of the little balls out so the others could listen. Neville hated it instantly and so did Harry and Ron. Seamus and Dean were having a good time though, bouncing in their seats.
"Your cousin has good taste in music!"
"I don't even know what he's saying mostly!" Seamus said, "but I love it!" Hermione and Dean laughed at him.
"Dean," Hermione laughed, "I bet you'll love this one. It's for both… of us, Gin. It's called Look At Me Now." Ginny grinned, showing all her teeth as she did.
"An appropriate name, go." Ron scowled,
"Why does he care so much about paper?"
"It's money, mate!" Dean laughed. Harry shook his head. Ginny looked over at the box,
"What's Cop Car?"
"She's making fun of us for that one. Ready?"
"Go." Ginny began to giggle, leaning on Hermione's shoulder and crooning, "I fell in love in the back of a cop car." Hermione laughed,
"Really though, I don't know why I tell Asia anything. Come on, let's go practice. I got to talk to Pads alone last night, I think you'd like to hear it and why I'm throwing in the towel."
"Alright," Ginny nodded. Hermione gathered the little headphones and pocketed them, headed for the Pitch.
"Hermione!" Harry slid into the common room, grabbed her and leaned in to whisper, "you wouldn't believe what I've just found out about our favorite Slytherin."
"What?" she paled, "who?"
"Malfoy." Then, louder, "I need you to help me find the right books, if I don't turn this in, Snape's gonna have my head."
"To the library!" She said excitedly, shaking her head at Ginny to show that it wasn't to do with their current love interests. As soon as they were outside the commons, Harry spun on Hermione, map in hand to make sure they were left alone.
"Malfoy has the Dark Mark."
"Bollocks!" she laughed, "Harry, he's no more than a git."
"No, he's not, Mione, he's a real live Death Eater." Harry said solemnly, checking the map. "I've known for a while. That's what-" he looked up, green eyes searching hers, "you gotta promise you won't tell, Mione. Dumbledore already knows and it's really important you don't tell anyone. I need to be able to talk to someone."
"Alright." She nodded, "go on."
"He got the mark last summer. Voldemort wants him to spy on us. He got worried when Belatrix suggested he might actually have to do something. You know, like kidnap one of us, hurt one of us. He came to me and we had a shouting match. He said we were just rivals, not enemies, not really. I thought about it and that makes sense. So now he's spying for us as well. We've become… friendly."
"Friendly?" she asked, frowning. She knew Harry was hiding something else. He nodded. "Harry, I'm proud of you for your maturity, and impressed by his. What else is going on? I can tell-"
"Hermione, I'm gay." Harry blurted in one gush like it just spilled out of him. His eyes went wide with fear and he drew back, staring at her. Suddenly, Hermione was struck by the hilarity of the situation and burst out laughing.
"You said 'friendly', Harry! That's more than friendly!"
"You don't care?"
"I don't give a damn, Harry! Are you mad?" she laughed, hugging him, "Ginny knows my secrets but you're my best friend, Harry! I don't care what you do as long as you're safe! So, tell me what's been happening! Does he treat you well?"
"Yeah," Harry blushed, "believe it or not, he's actually a real gentleman behind closed doors."
"Come on!" she grabbed his arm and they sat against the stone wall, watching the map and talking the entire night.