July was filled with surprises, something that wasn't as big of a surprise was that his uncles had decided that Edmund was going to need to train twice as often, on the physical training and the magical training. Edmund didn't see it coming at what intensity it did. His Uncle Moony was glad that Edmund was still alive after the Basilisk bite and thought that it was a good idea to personally train him.
When Edmund ran from the Basilisk his legs nearly gave out, despite having a slithering motivation right behind him. His uncle didn't like the thought of him being eaten by a huge ancient snake. So July was filled with training, running around the whole village and its outer corners, lifting weights that uncle Remus had gotten from an old gym of a neighbouring village.
It was nice that he shot up in height as well. He was just a bit taller than his uncle Snape, just shorter than his uncle Remus. 'Unusually tall' Severus said, 'That is what your mother would've said.' Of course, Edmund just laughed and agreed. His uncle Severus was a bit bitter about it.
The magical aspect of his training was training his occlumency with his uncle Severus. They agreed to only push and look for the happy memories that they have together, nothing else. They also agreed to train Edmund's legilimency, having decided it is a good skill to have both. His uncle Severus told Edmund that his occlumency is as skilled as Gellert Grindelwald.
Edmund and Dumbledore met two days every week, for Edmund's apprenticeship. Two days in a row Edmund arrived outside of the Hogwarts gate, early in the morning and then he would stay for a night and then leave late in the evening. By the time July was over he had learnt a lot, under the wing of Dumbledore.
He was learning Mermish and Latin. On the side he was learning out of the Greek book that his Uncle Severus had slid over to him. Dumbledore knows, as that is what he does, knowing. Edmund had decided that he prefers Greek over Latin, as it made him feel more connected to his mother.
Not only was he learning new languages but was learning how to harness his skill in wandless and non-verbal magic. Edmund just couldn't get the hang of doing both of them at once. During his stay at Hogwarts, he had gotten familiar with the newest Professors that he was going to get for his chosen electives. The Arithmancy professor was nice, excited to have him in his class. Study of Ancient Runes was going to be a breese, Edmund knew what he was doing and Care of Magical Creatures was someone who he already was familiar with.
Edmund knew that the biggest surprise that every Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw was going to get was that Hagrid is going to be their professor, Slytherin isn't going to like it. In Dumbledore's office, Edmund looked out of the window and at Hagrid's hut. He wondered how the half-giant was going to handle a full class.
The Malfoy's had asked him to dinner again. Edmund agreed, thinking that it was time to finally wise up and talk with Draco. They had a decent conversation, that certainly will be hard to hold up to for Draco. The agreement was that he'd stop using the word mudblood at school, or at least when he is not in the common room. Just not in front of anyone who would care, such as Edmund.
Edmund agreed to study with Draco once a week, or try to as both their schedules are pretty tight due to Quidditch training and their new electives. He had called a bit with Hermione, mostly talking about their excitement to start the new year. He told Hermione about his training with his uncle and how his Duelling had gotten much better.
She told him about her upcoming trip to France with her parents. How she wasn't that excited because, well, they always go to France and they always go to the same place and how boring the repetition is. She'd rather go somewhere else for a change.
Everyone seemed to be going on vacation nearing the end of July because suddenly the Weasley's won a trip to Egypt. The Diggory's were gone, somewhere in Ireland visiting family. Mary happened to be going on camp in the south of Italy with her school, or something of the sorts, Edmund wasn't listening closely, she talked his ear off most of the time. He knew it wasn't polite but it was hard to keep track.
He didn't mean to not listen, but sometimes he just zones out and thinks about how he'd rather have Hermione talk his ear off. He would have let her do that with no problem at all.
Even Neville was going on vacation. It was as if everyone decided to up and leave. It was quite infuriating, his uncles couldn't go with him, Snape didn't want to let anyone know that their family, 'for his protection' and Lupin because of his lycanthropy.
Surprisingly, he had also written to Padma. Padma has been nice enough to talk with him about Hermione, constantly encouraging Edmund to fess up his feelings, and honestly? She was convincing him slowly. However she did threaten that she'd hex him if he did it over letter.
Susan said that as well as she slowly started to be brought into the chain of letters. It was very amusing and a bit embarrassing for Edmund, the two girls know that he is shy about his feelings and is scared of what the outcome would be. They were trying to convince him that Hermione likes him as well, but Edmund knew that they were running on fumes on their allegations. He knows that Hermione doesn't spare him a second glance whenever she talks about crushes.
Daphne had written to him as well, he replied with short letters as they didn't really have a lot in common, it was a pity. It was a bit awkward between them after the valentine's dwarf was sent to him. Lavender had sent him many letters which he had boxed away for burning whenever he felt like it.
Another thing that surprised him, when the end of July neared, was that the Granger's had extended an invitation to join them to France. Stating that Hermione needed a friend there. Gladly, he had accepted and quickly Padma and Susan had already sent him a letter, squealing about how now is the time to do something about his crush.
Two weeks long, was their vacation going to be. Quite frankly, half of Edmund's baggage were books, books on his electives, mostly about creatures. Robert and Jean were the nicest parents that he knew, other than his mother and the Weasley parents.
He grabbed his Hogwarts luggage, with the legal extension charm and stepped into his fireplace, waving goodbye to his uncles. After a slightly sickening transportation he ended up in the Granger residence, where he hadn't been before.
"Edmund!" A deeper voice said and the boy grinned over to the parent.
He held his hand out. "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Granger. Thank you for the invitation." said Edmund. The man shook his hand back as well, his smile not leaving his face. "I'm looking forward to it, I haven't visited France before."
"Well you're in for quite the culture shock. But we're going to spend two weeks together kid, it won't feel like a vacation if you're going to call Mr. Granger. Robert is fine."
Edmund smiled, "Robert it is." The tense muscles in his posture relaxed a little. He was glad that he wasn't being held up to the standard like the Malfoy's.
"Oh Edmund!" He was a bit more familiar with Hermione's mother. He actually talked with her on the phone a few times, Hermione wasn't home or was out with her father and well, her mother asked questions and he just answered. "Lovely to see you again." The woman walked over and pulled him in for a short hug, "Gosh, you're quite tall for someone at Hermione's age."
He gave her a humble smile, "Must have gotten it from my father."
"Humble." She looked at her husband with a teasing glint in her eyes, "Really what Hermione needed this summer."
"Where is she? I believe that we should prepare to leave." Robert said as he rolled his eyes at his wife's childish behaviour.
"She's upstairs, deciding what books she is going to take with her." Jean answered and Edmund let out an amused breath. "Don't act so coy now, I know that you've brought some books with you as well."
He blushed and nodded meekly. "A few."
"Would you mind telling Hermione to hurry?" Robert asked with a glint in his eyes. The parents exchanged a look that he didn't see as he nodded.
"Which room would she be in?" He asked and listened to the instructions that Jean gave him. Up the stairs he went to the first room on his right. He knocked.
"Come in!" He smiled as he heard her voice again, with a hand on the door knob he turned it around and opened it. "Edmund?" She looked confused.
Edmund's smile faltered, "Your mother didn't tell you?" He asked and blushed out of slight embarrassment. "Oh god, she didn't."
"That you're coming to visit before I leave for france?" She blinked as she held books in her hands. She was across the room by her desk, her bookshelf noticeably empty.
"That I'm coming with you on vacation." He answered and rubbed the back of his neck, "Surprise?"
Hermione put her books aside and walked around her bed, threw her arms over his neck and hugged him. "Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, excitement laced her voice. He felt happy that it replaced all of the confusion.
He hugged her back and chuckled, "Well, I thought you knew, to be quite honest." They pulled away from one another and Edmund wasn't blushing anymore because of embarrassment but rather of the close proximity they had. "What books are you bringing?"
She smiled and immediately started listing all of the books that she was bringing with her and immediately unpacked a few when Edmund told her that he was bringing those already. Then she closed the suitcase and looked at him, as if she still couldn't believe that he was there with him. "Robert said that we're preparing to leave."
She raised her eyebrows and nodded, before she could grab her suitcase Edmund did. He gave her a small smile and picked it up. "I'm learning Greek." He muttered, he hadn't told her about that, "My uncle thought that it would be nice if I could read books in their original written language."
"But you're already studying Latin." Hermione stated as they walked down the stairs.
"Yes," He shrugged, "Latin for the spellbooks and first writings about creatures, I have an old copy of observations of dragons." He said enthusiastically, "It was from a distance of course, but he had managed to raise a dragon until it nearly matured and turned aggressive."
"Imagine if Hagrid kept Norbert." Hermione said, thoughtfully. "I'm glad that Ron's brother took him from Hagrid, did you know that they were in the Daily Prophet?"
Edmund nodded, "They looked very excited to be in Egypt. I suspect that Bill is having the time of his life." The two stopped by the open kitchen door to see her parents grin at them. "How are we going to France?" He asked as he looked around and saw a single boot on the floor. He reached for it and held it up, "That's a clever port-key."
"That's just a boot, sport." Robert said with an amused smile. Edmund quickly put it back on the floor, blushing.
Hermione laughed, "We're going the muggle way, Edmund." She said, "By plane."
He raised his eyebrow, "I haven't flown before," He blushed, he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "I mean, I do fly on a broom, but a plane? Did I need to bring anything?" He asked, slightly confused.
Jean laughed at his flushed cheeks, "Your uncle sent us your documents, you're fine. I hope you're fine with boats and a decent car ride."
Edmund nodded, "I've been in a car before." Hermione giggled as her parents looked slightly puzzled. Then he quickly remembers the fact that they're muggles and that he is a wizard who always uses the floo powder network or his broom. "I'll be fine, sir."
Jean looked amused now. "Then let's go." Robert grabbed the keys from the kitchen counter and together they all stepped into the packed car, Hermione's luggage was the last to be added. Both of them had a book in their hand, and Edmund had a pen in the other.
"Runes?" He hummed as he looked at Hermione's book.
She nodded and smiled, looking over at his book. "Dragons?" She then looked at his pen, "Are you going to annotate it?"
"Just some highlights." He answered, "I'm glad you're not reading Lockhart's books anymore." He hummed, "I didn't really like him."
"Because it took Lavender's away from you?" She asked bluntly, he blinked and in the corner of his eyes saw Jean's eyes widen in the front seat.
"Lavender? What has she got to do anything with this?" He asked as he looked at her. "Lockhart's obsession with himself was weird, did you know his office had paintings and posters of himself? I'm sure that he was even painting a painting of himself."
"Oh." Hermione said and opened her book, "That's right." and so the conversation died with a slightly confused Edmund and a curious mother. He had gotten in around five pages by the time they arrived by the ferry boat.
Edmund sat outside in the sun with his new rectangular sunglasses that he immediately splurged his muggle money on. He cocked his head to look at Hermione, who was leaning against a railing near him. Deciding on what he was going to do, he put his sunglasses on his hair and looked at her.
In his leather shoulder bag, he got out his camera and held it up to his eye. Before snapping a picture, he made sure to get her attention by the sound of taking her picture. "Must you really?" She asked.
"I've packed a picture solution for this specifically." He grinned and held out his camera, "Get one from me, I need to make Ron jealous and tell him about my trip."
She accepted the camera with a slight smile on her face, "Are you really trying to make Ron jealous that you're going to France, while he's in Egypt?"
"It's an attempt. Besides, I also told Padma and Susan that I'd send them pictures." He put the sunglasses back on his nose bridge. "They've been lecturing me about my style and how I should wear actual good clothes for someone with my," he cleared his throat, "Financial status."
Hermione looked a bit surprised, "You're exchanging letters with Padma? Why?"
"Mostly about clothes," He cleared his throat again, a bit uncomfortable. "And other stuff, mostly books." Hermione nodded after a second and held the camera up to her eye.
"Smile."
Normally he'd give the camera a phoney, weird fake smile because well, he isn't comfortable with his picture getting taken. But this time it was a natural smile, a genuine one. He looked at Hermione and smiled. It quickly faltered when the girl clicked her tongue in disappointment when she looked over at him again. "What?" He asked.
"Everything is off." She complained and walked over to Edmund. Edmund blinked as he tightened his grip on the railing, he was sure if he'd ease up on his grip that he would fall onto the ground. The girl was reaching out to straighten his collar and tuck it into his sweater.
He blushed a furious red when she even pursed her lips when she patted his hair down. "Always a perfectionist, aren't you?" He teased, his voice cracking a bit at the end.
She gave him a smile that made him look down at his feet to hide the grin on his face. He looked up at her when she called out, "Theseus!".
"Such a ladykiller." A different voice spoke up and the two teens looked over at Hermione's mother who was looking at him, "You know, working with teens. They talk a lot, mostly to prolong it until I have to check their teeth."
"Mr. Weasley told me that people are scared of you." Edmund nodded. Dentists was a noble profession that most people, even adults, feared.
Hermione shook her head as she hid her smile. "Teenage girls really like a good smile, especially when they have good teeth. You boy, have good teeth." The mother said and walked over to Hermione. "Go stand by him." She said as she took a hold of the camera.
"Mum-"
"It's vacation." Jean pointed out, "Be glad that it is me and not your father. He would have been crying that you're growing up so fast." Hermione quickly shuffled down to the railing where Edmund stood. "Oh look at that, I didn't notice that you two were matching."
They looked at one another with curious looks. Hermione was wearing her usual white shirt with a black vest over it and her brown jeans. Edmund looked down at his outfit, a shirt under his black pull and his brown corduroy pants. "She's right." Edmund said confusedly, as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Hermione looked at him, confused as well. He still held onto the railing tightly, or else he'd melt under her gaze. "Is that Ron's sweater?" She asked.
Edmund broke away from the eye-contact to shake his head, "No," He answered and put his sunglasses on his hair again. They smiled at the picture, but this time it wasn't as genuine as it was before. His jaw was clenched and his eyes didn't have that wrinkle that he usually had. "I like your bangs, by the way." Edmund hummed.
Hermione smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You noticed?"
"I knew you did something different last year, before, you know," Edmund nodded, "I just didn't get the time to tell you that it was nice." Jean approached them. Edmund quickly shutted up and accepted the camera from Jean with a smile and thanked her before putting it away. Hermione sat down on the bench where he sat and opened her book. Instead of reading his book, he clicked the muggle pen that he bought and drafted a piece of paper.
Susan's family had bewitched a piece of paper because she complained about having to write to both Edmund and Padma to talk. Edmund quickly wrote down Padma and Susan's name and their password, 'Shakespeare'.
He was teased for his writings about Hermione at first, mostly because of how he couldn't describe his feeling and instead compared it to his favourite moments and the euphoric feeling of immortality he felt. Eventually Padma and Susan admitted that it was romantic and that he was a good example for their future partners.
'We're on the ferry right now. Managed to take a picture of Hermione, got her to take a picture of me, as well, I wore the outfit you two chose for me. It's funny, we matched and didn't notice until Jean (her mother) pointed it out, when she was taking a picture of us.
Hermione thought I was wearing Ron's shirt and I don't know but my stomach just churned and dropped at the mention of Ron. She has mentioned him quite a lot and my stomach drops each time' He wrote down and looked up at Hermione who just peacefully continued to read.
Then ink started to write itself on the page, 'P- Aren't Hufflepuffs knowledgeable in emotions? Edmund, you're jealous."
"S- I would have to agree here.'
Edmund let out a breath of confusion, not gaining Hermione's attention. 'E- She mentioned Lavender, for some reason.'
'S- I don't understand anymore.'
'P- Hermione didn't like how uncomfortable she made you. She's either looking out for you or jealous. I think it is the first.'
He looked up at Hermione when the girl called out his name. "We're arriving," she said and casted a look at the paper. "What are you doing?"
Edmund quickly cleared the paper for them all by waving a hand over it. "Talking." He answered and put it back in his bag, he held up the ballpen, "These are so convenient, how come we don't use them at school?" He questioned.
"You know how your culture is." Hermione answered, "Little to no progression to keep up with the times and our standards." Her attention to the paper was long forgotten. "Do you know what you're getting for Harry's birthday?"
Edmund pursed his lips and thought about how he was going to explain it. "I have a two-way mirror. Inherited from my father." He answered.
Hermione was quiet for a second, "I never knew he was dead."
"He isn't." Edmund answered and started fidgeting with his necklace. "He is just out of the picture." Clearing his throat he continued. "A two-way mirror would be great, especially with what Dobby did last year. Remember how concerned we were?"
Hermione giggled, "Then he and Ron arrived with his father's bewitched car. That was so stupid of Ron."
"Why is it stupid of Ron?"
"Because he could've used the floo powder network." Hermione answered, "Just like you did when you got to my house."
Edmund nodded and didn't say anything, the pit in his stomach didn't disappear. They sat together and just looked at the North Sea. They had short conversations in hushed whispers until the parents came out and told them that they started serving lunch.
Hermione's mother asked Edmund many questions, a few repeated questions that she already had asked but he answered nonetheless. They talked about Hogwarts and the creatures that it has, he kept quiet about Aragog though. He believes that Hermione doesn't know of it, unless Harry told her about it.
After lunch the ferry docked and the cars were let out of the boat. Edmund looked at the beach in the town of Dunkirk, the only thing he heard ever since they left the sea vessel was French. He managed to only place a few words due to his knowledge in latin.
They then headed for Dijon. The car trip was nice, in the back where Edmund and Hermione sat, they had opened the windows and the wind blew through Hermione's and his hair. He looked over at Hermione and smiled at how happy she looked, careless even. With the way she was stressing and worrying about catching up for school had even him worried.
He felt happy. The pit in his stomach disappeared when he remembered that he was the one with her at the moment. He was entranced by the way her hair shone a rich brown in the sun and how her freckles came out.
Because it was a long ride already, the Granger's didn't mind extending it for an hour the moment that they heard that Edmund had never seen the eiffel tower before. The Grangers took pictures of the two and he took a picture of them. They had two cameras on them, one for the Grangers and one for him and Hermione.
While the father didn't say a lot at first, he could see that the man was slowly warming up to him, pronouncing some french words so that he'd understand and be able to say only a few words.
Upon arrival in Dijon in France, he liked the weather and loved the smell of freshly baked bread. They arrived at the house that they had hired for the two weeks that they were going to be there, it was by a small local beach and park. Hermione seemed to recognize the house immediately.
It was lovely, the front had enough space for a car and the garden was filled with flowers and small trees, giving the house privacy. The front of the house had plants attached to the brick, every window had a small pot of flowers in front.
Edmund helped with unloading the trunks from the car alongside Robert while Hermione and her mother went to get some groceries. Gently, he put down the last of the baggage in the living room. "Edmund," Hermione's father called out from the doorway.
"Yes sir?" He replied.
"No funny business with my daughter, young man."
Edmund blinked, blushed and then proceeded to shake his head, "Of course not, sir." He replied. "Is there anything else you need?"
"Well, I was wondering if you could tell me about those dragons of yours. That looks like a very interesting book that you have." The father said and Edmund grinned.
"Well, we've got all kinds-" He started and they continued to talk about them. Edmund even showed him pictures that Bill had sent him, on Edmund's request. The two talked about them and Edmund happily answered every question that the man had.
Robert even complimented his explaining skills, stating that he certainly had the skills to become a teacher one day. It really made him feel warm. When Hermione and her mother arrived, they all worked together on the dinner and grilled it by the barbeque.
There was something mundane in cooking together and laughing over the fire. With the Weasley's, everything was done by magic and cooking. At Edmund's home, well, he doesn't really know.
The rest of the two weeks were spent in the quiet since Edmund didn't dare to take out the piece of paper again. Most of the time he and Hermione went on a walk in the park and around the town, talking and just laughing.
Edmund and Hermione sent a package together to Harry as their birthday present, they had talked a few times but not a lot since Harry had visitors, his annoying aunt. He was very happy with the gift, especially since Vernon, Harry's uncle, didn't answer the phone if it was going to be for Harry.
Ron had already tried.
However, right after Harry's birthday. Edmund's stomach dropped and he looked aghast as he listened to the news. '-serial killer Sirius Black has escaped prison. Beware of this man-' Hermione was talking about the magical aspect to the story, her parents said that they were glad that they all were in France at the moment. "I need to talk to my uncle." He excused himself from the room and quickly grabbed his money before running to a phonebooth.
Hermione looked a bit concerned.
He put the money into the phonebooth and held it up to his ear as he called home. His eyes were looking around the deserted streets. "Yes." A monotone voice sounded.
"Uncle Sev." Edmund breathed out in relief. "Have you heard?"
"Yes." A bitter undertone sounded. "I don't think that this is a good thing, Theseus. Your father is still considered guilty to most, nearly all. He is seen as a serial killer, a suicide bomber in the muggle world."
"That's because they thought that he had nothing to live for." Edmund replied softly, "He has me."
"What he has is a cell in Azkaban." The man said shortly, "Your father wasn't here for most of your life, Theseus. Don't expect anything." Edmund stayed quiet. "How is France?"
"Sunny." Edmund answered and looked around. Surprised to see Hermione on a bench with a book in her hand, typical. It looked like she was waiting for him. "I'm still finishing my camera roll. I'll produce the pictures the moment I am done, Uncle."
"Lovely. Your mother considered going to Beauxbatons. Far more inclusive, but your uncle James didn't want to be split up."
Edmund snorted. "Is Uncle Remus there?"
"He's busy at the moment, and not at home." Snape answered. "How are the muggles, are they treating you well?"
"Of course." Edmund was a bit taken aback at the passion behind his uncle's voice. "Her parents have been very nice to me. They're both dentists," He looked up at Hermione and smiled as they made eye contact. "Her father is more serious and her mother is a bit eccentric?" He questioned himself, "She is more inclined to working with children and teens in her practice, rather than adults. You can see it clearly." Edmund snorted as he looked back at his shoes. "I'll still be your nephew, if, father ever comes back."
"I know." It was a far softer reply than usual, something unlike his monotone uncle.
"I have to go, I believe Hermione is a bit panicked that I ran out so fast." He chuckled and looked back at the Ravenclaw who looked engrossed in her book.
"Edmund?" His uncle said before Edmund had time to put the phone back on the receiver. "Running clears your mind, but it also allows for you to think about your feelings. Don't forget to run." He then cleared his throat, "Remember, only a select few knew of his relationship with your mother, and very few knew that they had a child. This year will be a lot, I believe."
"Keep running." Edmund smiled, "I love you, uncle." He said softly, "I'll see you when I get home."
"I'll be at the castle. It might be a good opportunity for you to join me before you're spending the last week at the Weasleys."
"Of course. Goodbye uncle."
"Love you too, Theseus. You'll always be my nephew." The man said quickly before the phone went dead. He stepped out of the phonebooth and Hermione's head snapped up at the sound of creaking, the phonebooth happened to be old and a bit rusty.
"Are you okay?"
He nodded and gave her a weak smile as he sat down next to her on the bench, "I will be." Looking up at the sky, "My uncle just said that I should go for a run everyday." He snorted and looked back at Hermione, who was looking fondly at him. "What?"
"Only you." She hummed and let out an amused breath, "Only you would go for a run after abruptly running out to call your uncle for something."
"The news surprised me a bit." He confessed, not meeting her eyes before realising what he might be insinuating, "It isn't like I am family of any of the killed ones in the bombing." He quickly said.
"Then what is it?" She asked, looking slightly puzzled.
Edmund shook his head, "I don't know if I can tell you yet." He gave her a weak smile. "It's just going to be a lot this year. Don't you think so?"
Hermione nodded, dropping the subject, "Especially since the petrification, I sympathise with poor Colin, he was panicking about missing a lot of school."
Edmund chuckled, "He keeps sending me owls on some subjects, I'll always reply with some explanation." He looked at the old architecture in the town. "He's a nice boy. Certainly very bold, trying to sneak into the hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey around? That is deadly."
"What was Sirius Black to you?" Hermione asked after a beat of silence, just when he thought she had dropped the subject.
"Just," He let out a breath, "Someone." He answered.
"But he's a serial killer."
"Sirius Black is still a person. It is just a case that never sat well with me, his wand didn't have any traces of using an explosion spell, he never got a trial and he was a supposedly secret-keeper for Harry's parents and his aunt."
"But he was, Sirius Black is a Death Eater." Hermione said, "He told You-Know-Who about it."
"Why would Sirius Black be a Death Eater?" Edmund asked. "He had everything to lose."
"No he didn't."
"We all have things that we can lose, Hermione."
"But he didn't have anything important that he could lose, like a family." Hermione countered.
Edmund took in a breath and didn't feel the feeling in his gut disappear. "Right." He let out the breath. "I keep forgetting that." He muttered and stood up from the bench. "Let's go?"
"Yeah." Hermione stood up as well and looked around, "Unless you want to get something to drink?" He followed her line of sight and it landed on a small café, after a nod she marched up to it and he happily followed.
Edmund paid for their milkshakes. They talked some more about Harry and some about Ron, even Neville. As well as Ginny's oblivious crush on Harry. "You can see it too, right?"
"Of course I can." Hermione laughed softly, "I think it's quite cute, honestly. She's so shy about it."
Edmund let out an amused breath, "She runs away whenever she sees him."
"She did that with you too, remember." Hermione said and bit the inside of her cheek, "She liked you too."
Edmund waved it away, "I don't think of Ginny like that. I'm more of an older brother type to some."
"Some as in, Susan?"
"And Colin, for example. Many would have stopped replying after the fifth paper asking multiple questions." They shared a laugh. "I really missed you, Hermione," said Edmund, quietly.
Hermione gave him a fond smile, "I missed you too." Slowly they walked back to the house and Edmund changed into his sports clothes.
"Going for a run, Edmund?" Robert called out from the back porch.
"Yes!" He called back, "Do you want to join me?" He asked.
"I'm too old of a man!" Robert laughed and sipped his water. "I can do cycling, just not running!"
The voice of Jean added to their conversation, "Maybe Hermione can go with you next time!"
"I'm not a runner mom!" Hermione called from the couch, the girl looked over at him with a slightly annoyed expression, "Look at what you've done, Edmund." She scolded playfully.
"Go running Edmund! You'll grow taller! The ladies love that!"
"Lavender will love that." Hermione muttered as she switched the channel. Edmund heard it but didn't want to get into it, it was worth mentioning it to Padma and Susan though. They would enjoy hearing from him again, he supposes.