Story Title: Time, Interrupted
Chapter Title: Marauders
Author: Madm_05
Rating: Strong PG-13/T
Warnings: Toad Alert
Chapter Word Count: 5,624
Date: 30 September 2006
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everyone else from Potterverse belong to JKR.
Chapter Fifteen: Marauders
Hermione couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up inside of her, nor did she want to. She was perched on Remus' shoulders, watching the Yule dance in the middle of Diagon Alley. Harry was likewise sitting on Sirius' shoulders while Harmony giggled merrily in Tonks' arms. Minister Crouch had decided to bring back an ages old tradition, long since forgotten- the Yule Festival.
It had been nearly three months since her visit with the good headmaster, and now she was enjoying the Christmas season along with the rest of her family, glad that school had let out a little more than a week ago. It was hard to believe that time could move so quickly, especially considering that school was so dreadfully boring. Normally she considered anything to do with an education riveting, but now she just wanted to bang her head on her desk, especially since her acting lessons she attended every Friday morning proved that there were fence posts with more talent than her. Hermione felt that if she had to hear Mr. Valentino say "No, Hermione! Feel the emozione!" she was going to pull out her hair.
Her acting abilities were fantastic compared to her drawing abilities. It turned out that her picture of Crookshanks was the best picture she had managed to draw yet. It wasn't that she didn't like art, because she did- she adored museums. It was just that she wasn't very good at it. That and it simply wasn't logical to her. Mathematics she understood. Things like Hatching and Stumping, she did not. It frustrated her to no end.
The only thing that appealed to her was the idea of learning new languages and music. Hermione winced. Her mother had always said that music was another language. She pushed the thought aside. Well, learning and spending time with Harry were still good things in her life. Nothing cheered her up more than seeing Harry excel in something.
It turned out that Harry had ear for music- as Ted Tonks discovered, he was very talented at the piano. Hermione herself was already well accomplished with the piano as she had been given lessons since she was seven in the other timeline, but she quickly decided she was nowhere near Harry in the area of raw talent. Harry was a natural- she still hadn't managed to master the finer points of the piano that came naturally to Harry. Sometimes she would even play accompaniment with him, though her music was not nearly as moving as his- at the piano, at least.
Lately she had taken to the bittersweet sounds of the violin. She had quickly fallen in love with the music she could create. Playing the violin was also her sole artistic talent. What she lacked in acting and anything else even remotely artistic, she more than made up for with her beloved violin- a gift from Remus when she told him she was interested in learning to play. She had found that the violin was to her, what the piano was to Harry.
Both had found a sort of release in playing. Often times, the two of them would play by ear, not knowing the notes, but they would always play together and together they would create beautiful music. There was no way to describe just how they managed to play for themselves, and still have their music create perfect Harmony with the other. What they played varied day - to - day, and was usually determined by what they felt. Depending on their mood, they could play a jaunty little tune, or a mournful melody.
No two pieces were ever the same, and they could never really remember what they played, but after the first few times, Sirius and Remus had taken to setting up recording spells. The two men had considered just having the two of them quite their music lessons and just letting them learn on their own, but decided that the pair needed structure, and that learning the technicalities of music would be to their benefit.
Their magic lessons, of course, were progressing much better for Hermione, and were much more stimulating for her than the alphabet. More often then not, they ended up flying without broomsticks, since Sirius and Remus completely broke away form the lesson plans McGonagall had written up. It was partially to ease Sirius' mind, partially to gain further control over their movements and speed, and partially because it was enjoyable for the spectators to see such a sight. It wasn't until an incident involving Malfoy that Sirius and Remus decided to focus on other forms of magic.
The young Malfoy, despite his new home and new way of life, was very like his counterpart from Hermione's timeline. When Hermione, who had not been paying the least bit of attention to Remus' lesson on making the 'ch' sound, answered a question correctly, she had somehow angered Draco. He had waited until Remus' back was turned before throwing some sort of dung bomb that he had managed to get hold of- one that exploded on contact- into her hair. It had taken a great deal of fancy wand work to get the smell out later, and Hermione truly thought she would never be able to live through the humiliation.
In the split second it had taken Remus to turn around, however, Harry had retaliated on her behalf. Draco's robes had burst into emerald flames. In an attempt to protect his student, the werewolf had doused Draco with conjured water, only to find that Harry's emerald flames were waterproof. It was one of Hermione's prouder moments, seeing Harry use one of the techniques she had taught him. It wasn't portable, like her bluebell flames, but it was a step in the right direction. Of course, she would have rather he had not attacked Malfoy, but then, he was only defending her, as he later told Remus and Sirius.
That little incident had been the deciding factor in many things. The following day, Sirius and Remus had set up appointments for the both of them to meet with a counsellor and began a more rigorous course of learning for them, one that involved relaxation techniques and ways to control emotions, anger in particular. Oddly, Hermione had never felt more in control of her powers before, even when she could use her beloved wand.
The counselling sessions were not as horrible as she believed they would be either. The first session had gone nowhere fast, but over time, Hermione began to see the merits of discussing some of her smaller problems. Ironically, it was only when she professed to hating lying that things began to turn in her favour. As it turned out, wizarding counsellors were not required to take an oath of secrecy, and were able to, and did, speak with others concerned, so long as the matter being discusses did not totally violate the patient's privacy. In this case, her hatred of lying was considered fair game for conversation material with her guardian.
At first, Hermione had been angry when the counsellor, Madame Alfreda, had spoken with Sirius and Remus about what was said in their sessions- until she found that Sirius and Remus stopped asking her so many questions about how she knew the things she did. They had stopped forcing her to lie. It was like having a weight lifted from her shoulders, knowing that she wouldn't have to lie to Remus or Sirius.
Sometimes Hermione wished she could tell Madame Alfreda how she had come to be in her present situation, but a voice in the back of her mind reminded her of the rules she had to follow, and so she said nothing of being sent from a dark future to keep Harry from becoming the next Dark Lord, lest she be locked up in St. Mungo's.
Harry was in counselling, just as she was. Though he was reluctant to speak up, Hermione could tell that he was working through his belief that he was inferior, and was finally coming to understand that Aunts and Uncles were not supposed to make their nephews sleep in the cupboard under the stairs. Hermione felt that she would always regret that he couldn't share many of his problems with her, but knew there was little she could do- she couldn't very well share her burdens with him, either. Some ghosts, she had decided, simply weren't meant to be shared, even with those you loved. Both had come to accept that friends had secrets, even from friends. In the time that had passed, both had grown- and healed- a great deal. It was almost as if the skies had cleared and the sun was shining down on them.
Then there was Harmony's birthday that had passed in mid November, Hermione remembered with a smile. In true Harmony fashion, the one year old had torn the paper off her gifts, shoved her gifts to the side and promptly began to play with the paper. It was made all the more fascinating by the moving design. It was also on that particularly momentous occasion that Harmony said her new favourite phrase for the first time when Sirius took the wrapping paper away from her. "Bad Dog!" Sirius didn't think it was very amusing, while everyone else thought it was hilarious.
And at that moment, sitting on Remus' shoulders, watching older witches and wizards dance, Hermione wished she could slow time. It was a cold, crisp Saturday evening, but it wasn't enough to drive even the frailest of witches and wizards indoors. It was, Hermione felt, pleasant, considering it was winter and she had always preferred the warmer temperatures.
The pathways of Diagon Alley were framed with moving snow - families and small snowball fights between the other children. Harry and Hermione had decided not to get involved in any of that and chose to stay with their fathers and watch the shows.
"Hey Moony, what do you say we head over and watch one of the plays? I'm getting dizzy watching these people whirl around and around. Let's do something else for awhile," Sirius said, a plaintive note in his voice.
Remus chuckled. "Well, I don't see why not. Although," he paused, "I don't really feel up for any of the plays. Is there anything else you would rather do?"
Harry leaned down and whispered something into Sirius' ear. "Ah, I think Harry and I will go see one of the plays anyways, alright Moony? You wouldn't mind splitting up would you?"
"No, not at all. You two go on ahead," Remus nodded. He watched as Harry and his godfather walked away before he laughed again. "Well, you were right, Hermione. They did get bored watching the dancing and leave us pretty quick. So, where did you want to go first to do your Christmas shopping?"
Hermione grinned. "Let's go to the toy store, so that I can get something for Harry and Harmony. Who knows," she giggled. "Maybe I'll find something for Uncle Sirius, too."
Tonks grinned at them and shook her head. "I'll stay here with Harmony in case Sirius comes back while you two shop. If they ask, I'll say you decided to wander around for a bit."
"Thanks, Dora," Remus smiled. "You're a life saver." With that, he lifted Hermione off his shoulders and set her on the ground. "Be careful, Hermione, it's really icy over here. Hold onto my hand."
Hermione smiled softly and grabbed his hand, a sense of comfort washing over her. It was nice, she decided, to have Remus as a father. He knew a great deal about hardships and secrets, and seemed to understand her better than she would have thought possible. She realized, with a small pang in her heart, that Remus understood her better than her own father had in life. In fact, she felt that everyone she lived with now understood her better than her parents had. She pushed the thought out of her mind, deciding to enjoy that fact that she was with people who understood and accepted her for who she was rather than brood over the lost opportunities with her parents.
"Well," Remus said, interrupting her thoughts. "This looks like a good place to start, don't you think?"
She looked up at the sign overhead. Silly Sprites: Toys for Tots and Much Much More. Glancing at the window, Hermione saw a dancing puppet. "Yes," she agreed with a nod. "I think this will be a good place to begin."
Entering the store, Hermione was taken aback by the sheer number of toys in the room. Combined with the absurd number of people out for the Yule Festival and for holiday shopping, Hermione felt overwhelmed. The toy store was a far cry from the bookstores she preferred, and made even the wildest of Hogsmeade weekends seem tame.
"Um," Hermione cringed when an elderly witch began shrieking about some brat running off with the toy she was going to by for her grandson. "I think we should try somewhere else first."
Remus winced when a little boy started screaming and throwing a tantrum. "Yes, I think that would be a good idea." He grasped her hand a little tighter. "Let's go," Remus said, moving back towards the door.
Hermione kept in step with her adopted father, all too happy to leave the hectic store. Either she would have to buy something else for Harry and Harmony, or she would have to come back later. Rather than ponder where Remus was taking her, she began to consider just what she was going to get for everyone. Her adopted father, in particular, was going to be tricky.
The pair weaved their way through the busy streets of Diagon Alley, staying close so as not to lose each other. Many people would stare as they passed, looking at the werewolf and his adopted daughter, the Wandless Witch, but Hermione and Remus tactfully chose to ignore them. After a brief walk, Remus led her into another, much smaller and much quieter store. It was a jewellery department.
"I, uh," he coughed lightly. "There was something I wanted to look at here. It's small, so I think you can look around. Just don't go too far."
Hermione smiled and nodded before leaving him to his task. Doubtless, he was looking for something to give to Tonks. Suppressing a laugh, she wandered off, looking at the things for sale. Most of them were outrageously priced, and hideous to look at, but there were some pieces that looked like they were worth every galleon they cost.
Her wandering led her towards the back of the store, though she was careful to keep Remus in sight at all times. She had been looking at a particularly frightening necklace in the shape of a striking snake when by chance she looked up and noticed a rather dusty looking glass case.
Hermione blew on the casing, scattering dust everywhere, but clearing her view a little. Inside the case was what appeared to be a coin of some sort. Intrigued, she wiped the dust away and looked through the glass, only to find that the coin was, in fact, a medallion, hanging from a thin, rusted looking chain. The medallion itself was no prize to look at. It was worn, likely from being handled, and the image was faded, but appeared to be either a setting or rising sun, set between two mountains.
"The Discipline Pendant," a voice rasped beside her.
Hermione jumped, startled at the stillness broken and looked frantically around. Behind the case, in the shadows, a figure stood. "W-w-" Hermione cleared her throat and willed her heartbeat to slow. "I'm sorry, what?"
The figure stepped out from the corner to reveal a frightening looking woman. She was grim and gaunt, with an eye patch over her left eye, and a long, crooked nose. Strangely, her frightening appearance was offset by a mischievous sparkle in her eye. "It's called the Discipline Pendant. When it is given as a gift from the heart, it is believed to strengthen the receiver's mind. It doesn't always work, though. In fact, it usually doesn't work, since nowadays most people don't give gifts from the heart. Nowadays, people give gifts so that they can get gifts back, don't they?"
"What does it do, exactly?" Hermione asked, looking again at the medallion.
The woman shrugged. "Like I said, it strengthens the mind of the receiver, providing it works at all. It is rumoured that it once belonged to Sylvester Mulitplicus, and allowed him to be the first and only wizard to achieve more than one animagus form- he had five forms, and he attributed his ability to the Discipline Pendant."
"How much?" Hermione asked softy, half - afraid of the price of this artefact.
"Oh, I think nine galleons would be fair," the woman replied.
"So little?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowed.
The woman gave her a penetrating look. "Yes, nine galleons. As I said, it is hard to come across one who would give such a gift to another without expecting anything in return. It is only valuable to one who has another who truly loves them, and they are few and far between. I certainly don't have a use for it, so I might as well sell it someone who'll give it to someone who could use it… provided you're not going to keep it yourself. It only works if it's given as a gift, you know."
"Yes, I know," Hermione said, someone agitated. "Can you prove that this is the actual Discipline Pendant?" She asked. The woman looked at her shrewdly before nodding.
"The Pendant was made so long ago that it has somehow developed a resistance to magic. Watch," the woman commanded before moving her wand in the 'swish and flick' pattern and intoned, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The medallion didn't move. Not believing the woman was really casting magic, Hermione tried to lift it with her magic, but failed. It truly was resistant to magic.
"I'll buy it," Hermione said, taking nine galleons out of the small bag hanging at her side. It was most of her allowance, but she decided that the medallion, if it worked, would be worth it. Besides, even if it didn't work, she wanted a chance to study it further. "I'd like a receipt, if you please," Hermione said as the woman handed her the Discipline Pendant.
The woman laughed again. "I guess you do have a mind underneath all that hair!" The old woman fiddled around with a bit of parchment before handing it to Hermione.
Ever cautious of what she was buying, Hermione checked to be sure that the receipt was accurate. Satisfied that everything was as it should be, Hermione carefully tucked the parchment and the medallion into her money pouch. "Good day, Madame," Hermione said with a small curtsey before she turned back towards Remus, who seemed to be arguing with a man that could have been the old woman's twin.
When at last she reached Remus, he seemed to be beyond exasperated. "Fine," he growled slamming several galleons on the counter in front of the other man. "There. Now, can I have the necklace?" The smug man smiled and handed a small box over. "Good day!" He said sharply. "Come along Hermione, I think it's time we moved on to another store."
Hermione nodded, all too ready to leave the store and go somewhere else- the owners were more than a bit off - putting. Just as they were about to venture down the street, they ran into an, unfortunately, familiar face.
Dolores Umbridge looked at them and gave a sickly sweet smile. "Why, hello there," she cooed at Remus. "I never thought I'd see you here. Not exactly a… wholesome… place. I can't help but wonder why you would bring such a sweet little girl like this," Umbridge gestured vaguely to Hermione. "To such a place. Not involved in anything dodgy, are you? I know that a great many things they sell in the establishment you just left are less than… how shall I say this… pleasant."
"Certainly not, madam," Remus replied casually. "My daughter and I were just doing a bit a Christmas shopping. To my knowledge, this establishment has never sold anything that could be considered unsavoury."
Umbridge sniffed. "Daughter? As in only one? Where is the other, I do believe you were given custody over two children. Did you feed the infant to the wolves?" She asked, her voice like honey laced with venom.
The werewolf gritted his teeth. "I assure you that my other daughter is safe and sound, as well as far away from any who would harm her. She is currently being watched by a friend while I take Hermione around."
Umbridge smiled thinly and changed the topic. "The owner of this… establishment… is the descendant of a Banshee. That makes anything sold here unsavoury. The owner is a half - breed."
Remus stiffened noticeably. Hermione saw Umbridge's eyes glittering in triumph and bristled. "Are you a half - breed, then? You certainly look like you're the descendant of a toad."
Umbridge made a face, clearly trying to scowl frighteningly, but looked like she was sucking on a lemon instead. Hermione glared defiantly back, remembering everything this woman had ever done to cause her trouble, and hating her more and more with each passing moment.
"Well," Remus cleared his throat, clearly fighting a smile. "I think it best that Hermione and I continue on with our shopping. Good day, Ms. Umbridge." He gripped Hermione's hand tightly and led her away.
Once they were far and away from Umbridge, Remus allowed himself to chuckle. "Hermione," he laughed. "Not that I don't appreciate your brave defence of my honour, but did you have to do that? She can be a very dangerous woman. She holds a great deal of power at the Ministry."
Hermione heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry, Papa Remus. She made me very angry and I'm afraid I let my temper get the better of me." That toad is lucky I didn't take a page out of the Dark Harry's book and- Hermione cut off that train of thought and chastised herself. Silly girl, you shouldn't even think about things like that. That was absolutely horrible of you. Bad bookworm!
Remus, meanwhile, simply laughed. "Truthfully Hermione, I'm glad at how well you were able to control yourself. It would have been very easy for you to use your magic on her, but you didn't. That makes you a very good person."
The young witch winced, remembering her earlier thoughts. "So," she began, desperate to get the topic of conversation away from anything even remotely related to Umbridge. "Where are we going next?"
"I think we should try another toy store, but one that's not as… hectic. I know a place we go look at. It's small, and you won't find a lot of the newer toys out or anything like that, but we can try it if you would like. I know you want to get something for Harmony and Harry."
Hermione nodded her agreement. Harmony was a baby and could amuse herself with a piece of string if given half a chance, so a small toy selection wasn't going to be a problem there. Harry had been so deprived of anything that could bring him joy that finding him something he would like wouldn't be that difficult either, though she truly wanted to get him something special if she could. Remus, she gently patted the coin purse at her side, was already taken care of. Hopefully the Discipline Pendant would offer him some sort of control while he was in his werewolf form. As for Sirius, she couldn't think of anything for him.
Walking into the small shop, Hermione immediately felt at ease. There was a rather pleasant and welcoming air about the place, one that made her feel like the storeowner would come around the corner and say, "Why Hermione, I haven't seen you in ages!" It wasn't possible, of course- she had never been here before, but that was the feel of the place.
"Why Remus," a woman standing up from behind the counter. "I haven't seen you in ages! How are you, old friend? Oh! And who would this little darling be?"
Smiling, Remus replied, "Helena, this is Hermione, she's my daughter, and I'm quite well. Just taking Hermione around to do some shopping. Hermione, this is Helena, we went to school together at Hogwarts."
"Yes, I read all about that in the Prophet," Helena nodded. "I was glad to hear Sirius was innocent, though I have to say I never pegged you for the type to take in little girls that you didn't know though. It always seemed like something the Weasleys would do. How is the other one by the way? What's her name?"
Hermione gritted her teeth. "Harmony," she replied stiffly. Honestly, what is wrong with people? Harmony is a lot easier to say than Hermione is anyways! Why can't anyone ever remember my sister, or even my parents? Is this how Harry felt every time someone said something about him or his scar and ignored the wonderful things his parents did?
"Well, Hermione," Remus interrupted her thoughts, seeming to understand her misgivings. "Why don't you wander around for a bit and let me know if you see anything you like. Remember, you only have twenty five galleons to spend."
Hermione almost corrected him and said that she only had sixteen, but remembered that he didn't know about her purchase. Instead she bobbed her head obediently and began to wonder about the store.
Remus had been right, there wasn't a great deal there to buy. The store appeared to be more of a house with everything inside for sale. Hermione wove her way through the furniture and set out looking for toys to buy. It was purely on accident that Hermione stumbled on a painting that would be the perfect gift for Sirius. It was almost as if it had been painted with him in mind.
It was a landscape, but there was an unusual menagerie of animals painted in the picture. There was a black dog, sniffing the ground that stood beside a proud stag, alongside a werewolf. Better, there was no rat in sight. Hermione looked at the tag to read the title of the piece. Midnight Marauders. How appropriate. It was priced fairly, too. It was only six galleons and seven sickles.
Making a mental note so that she could come back to it, Hermione began to wander around again, until she found the toys she was looking for. Sitting in the corner was a collection of stuffed animals, perfect for a one year old like Harmony. She was at the point in her life where throwing things was fun, and not something she did to people she didn't like. Her aim was as good as it ever was, if not better, and Hermione felt it would be best for everyone if she got Harmony something soft for Christmas.
Finding the right toy for her sister proved to be harder than she had originally thought it would be. Harmony had never really cared for girly toys in the first timeline, and Hermione assumed that this Harmony would be no different. As such, the many stuffed unicorns and pink kittens that pranced around were useless to her. She was about to give up when she chanced upon toy lion that acted much like a puppy. It would run, pounce, and growl playfully. Harmony would love it. Besides, she thought with a touch of mischief. It's never too early to start teaching her how to be a Gryffindor, whether she's going to be a witch and go to Hogwarts or not.
The price was more than fair, considering her limited spending allowance- one galleon and four sickles. That left her with eight galleons and six sickles. She could work with that easily enough, since she only had Harry to buy for yet. Hermione continued her hunt, satisfied with what she had accomplished in so little time.
Normally she wouldn't have dared to leave and try to shop without a list, but her circumstances had proven that impossible. Twenty five galleons wasn't nearly as much as she was used to having to spend, nor was she used to buying things for small children, especially since she was so limited in what she could buy. In true adult fashion, Sirius and Remus had refused to tell her what they got Harry, saying that she would tell him. So on top of limited spending, limited toy selection- especially in light of everything he had gotten for his birthday- she also had to deal with the wild card that was Sirius', Remus' and the Tonks' gifts for him.
It was while she was rummaging through the rest of the toys that she saw the perfect gift for Harry. It was a stuffed deer, but looked a great deal like a stag. In truth, it was a great deal like Harmony's lion, but while Harmony's lion held no symbolic meaning, this toy did. Sirius and Remus had made no secret that James' animagus form was a stag, and this magical toy would obediently follow Harry around and play with him. It, like the lion, was one galleon and four sickles. That left her a great deal of her original allowance.
Now for Tonks, she thought. It didn't take long to find something for the metamorphmagus after wondering around the store. She found a neon green bracelet priced at two galleons that was positively tacky. Tonks would love it. And she'll never have to worry about it matching her hair, she thought with amusement.
Hermione snatched the bracelet and returned to the counter. "-I told him he couldn't have it, of course," Helena was saying just as she saw the little girl approach. "Oh, get everything you wanted did you?"
"Actually, there was something else that I wanted, but I couldn't reach it." Hermione said.
Helena nodded. "Well, why don't just show me where it is, and we'll get your purchases tallied up, shall we?" The woman stepped away from the counter and followed Hermione to the portrait. "You want this, do you? That's funny. My sister painted it while she was in Hogwarts. She swears she saw a werewolf, a stag and a dog prancing around the grounds. She thought she saw a rat too, but from so far away she couldn't be sure, so she didn't put it in."
Hermione swallowed excitedly. This would be a truly wonderful gift for Sirius, and even for Remus, since they shared Grimmauld Place. She bounced excitedly.
"Would you like me to wrap the gifts before you go? It will only cost an extra galleon," Helena offered.
"That would be wonderful, um, could you possibly wrap this as well?" Hermione asked, drawing the Discipline Pendant from her money pouch.
"Of course. It's small enough, so it won't cost you extra." Helena did a quick tally. "Your total comes to eleven galleons and fifteen sickles." Hermione quickly handed the woman twelve galleons and received two sickles in return. Helena made quick work of the gifts, wrapping them with practiced ease, then shrinking them for good measure. "You just stick these in your pocket and have Remus put them back to normal when you get home, okay?" Hermione nodded. "There you go," she said, walking Hermione back to Remus.
The werewolf smiled. "Are you ready to go?" The young witch smiled and nodded, pleased that she was finished and that she had gotten something for everyone that would be meaningful in one way or another. For Remus, she had gotten him something that may well help him keep his mind when he transformed. It would be very important to him, she knew, because he hated relying on the potion to keep him sane, and more, he hated relying on Sirius getting the potion for him. For Sirius, the portrait would be the return of happier times, without the unpleasant reminder of Wormtail's betrayal.
The toys were of a very different type of importance for Harry and Harmony. For them it would be a return to youthful innocence, something both had been sorely lacking, Harry especially. Not only that, but the lion was a connection to Harmony's fierce personality, and the stag was a connection to Harry's family.
"Maybe I'll see you around, Helena. Until then," he gave a small wave and grabbed Hermione's hand. "Let's go, Owlet," he said.
"Owlet?" Hermione asked. She had never had a nickname before. Her parents, though loving, had always felt that nicknames were trite, and never cared for them. As such, neither she nor Harmony had ever gone by anything other than their names.
Remus looked a little nervous. "Yes," he said softly. "I just thought that, well, you're such a smart girl, and owls have always been believed to be intelligent creatures, and since owlets are young owls, I thought it was fitting If you don't want me to-"
"It's okay," Hermione replied with a small smile. "I like it." It was the truth. She did like the nickname, and she liked having a nickname even more. It made her feel like she was truly becoming part of the family.
"Do you think Harmony would let me get away with calling her Dewdrop, then?" He asked slyly.
Hermione laughed. "Maybe if you start now."
The two walked down the street to find the rest of their merry band, both deeply satisfied.
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A/N: As for this chapter, because of all of the grim things that have been happening both in my story and in my life, I've decided to write something more cheerful. So, instead of just having one chapter for Christmas and moving on, I'm going to draw it out a bit. This is the first chapter of the three that I'm going to devote to Christmas. Of course, there will be darker undertones in each chapter, but over all it will be fairly cheerful.
Well, thanks to everyone who read, and special thanks to those who reviewed. Please read and review, to tell me what you think.
Cheers,
Madm_05