An: Thanks for the reviews. I believed I replied to all.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Chapter 2 - To cook or to order!
Draco and Ron were laughing so hard tears were coming out of their eyes. Harry was trying to impress Sarah, a healer from St. Mungos. Harry met her at St. Mungos while he was recovering from a mission to apprehend the remaining death eaters. At the time, she was interning under the head healer who attended to Harry but now she had attained healer status and Harry liked to request her when he went in for check ups. She was quite aware of Harry's interest in her and she encouraged it by always attending to him first.
Sarah loved to tease Harry and as a result she had convinced him to drink Firewhiskey through two straws stuck up his nose. Sarah had `The perfect Coca-cola figure' as Harry put it and was a five inches shorter than Harry's 6'1" frame. She had long flowing blonde hair and a cute smile that radiated when she attended to Harry. He was very captivated with her beauty and he was determined to make her his girlfriend.
"Jeez that one sure got some spunk in her!" Draco said as he watched Harry make a fool of himself.
"I can't believe she convinced him to do that!" Ron said as another bout of laughter hit them.
"And what may I ask is so funny Ronald?" Luna said as she took a seat next to him at the boys' usual booth in the corner. Ginny was with her and she wasted no time in sliding in next to Draco.
Ron could only point in Harry's direction, as the laughter had greatly reduced his ability to speak.
"Oh Merlin! Has he lost all respect for himself?" Ginny said as she frowned at the scene in front of her.
"How endearing. He must really like her" Luna stated dreamily as she watched Firewhiskey pour out of Harry's nose. Only Luna could find such a scene endearing.
"Anyway," Ginny said as she shook her head trying to get rid of Harry's image. She turned as best as she could to get him out of her range of view. "Mom invited us for a `Special Lunch' at the burrow." Ginny told them excitedly.
"Great, I hope she cooks that pumpkin pie of hers." Draco exclaimed with a sly smile on his face.
"Nah, she's going to do Shepard's pie with treacle tart." Ron said enthusiastically.
"Would you two stop salivating over mom's cooking. The lunch is two days away!" Ginny scolded them.
"Correction, a day and three quarters." Draco said looking at his magical watch.
"What are you scolding Draco for now?" Harry asked as he and Sarah joined them.
"Lunch at the Burrow on Sunday!" Draco responded cheerfully as he and Ginny got out to let Harry and Sarah into their booth.
Harry now donned the same smile as Draco, causing Luna and Ginny to roll their eyes, a habit they picked up from Hermione.
"Can I bring Sarah?" Harry asked innocently.
Ginny frowned. She didn't like Sarah at all but as much as she wanted to say no, her mom always liked meeting Harry's current girlfriends and she knew Harry would mention Heather to her mother. It had happened before and she rather not be on the receiving end of one of her mother's rants about being rude to Harry's girlfriends.
"Sure" Ginny responded in a clipped tone. "I'll just let mom know to add one more setting."
"Hey if he gets to bring a date so should I!" Draco wined.
Ron agreed with the suggestion "Me too."
Ginny crossed her hands in front of her chest and narrowed her eyes at Draco and Ron. The pose eerily reminded them of an angry Mrs. Weasley.
"And who do you propose to bring?" Ginny demanded.
"How about I surprise you on Sunday, Gryf!" Draco said with one his trademark Hogwarts smirks! He had used his personal nickname for Ginny. He had started calling her that during the war to annoy her but it slowly grew on her. He now uses it to get out of trouble with the fiery red head.
"Hmph, don't patronize me Draco. Draco, it's your turn to cook dinner tonight and I don't want takeout again. A decent home cooked meal for a change would be nice! See you at home guys." Ginny said as she shoved Draco out of the booth and waited patiently for Luna to join her.
"Geez Ron, what's wrong with your sister?" Draco asked him as he watched Ginny walk to the door and then out of sight. He could tell from her walk that she was angry but he enjoyed his angry Gryf.
Ron shrugged and gave a look that clearly said "women, who understands them."
"I think it was absolutely rude of them not to acknowledge my presence." Sarah said to the three guys.
"They're probably just in a rush." Harry said defending his friends.
"Draco, if you're looking for a date, I have a friend you might be interested in." Sarah offered sweetly.
"What about me?" Ron asked eagerly.
"I think I know another girl who is perfect for you Ron." Sarah said coyly.
"Really, is she as hot as you?" Ron blurted out anxiously.
Draco reached far across the table and slapped Ron at the back of the head. "You can be so tactless sometimes" Draco responded as Ron rubbed the back of his head.
"Damn Draco, that's going to leave a bump" Ron exclaimed.
Sarah laughed and Harry took the opportunity to discreetly place his arm behind her.
"Yeah she's very pretty." Sarah replied as she rested into Harry's embrace.
"So when will we meet them?" Draco asked curiously.
"There's this new club downtown London for Wizards and Witches only. It's called The Spellbinder. It's supposed to be really good. There's a restaurant in front and the dance floor in the back. Harry's taking me tonight, so I guess we could all meet tonight at seven." She said adding one of her gorgeous smiles to emphasis the point.
"You're on" Ron said happily.
"I better start getting ready then." Sarah said to them before turning to Harry "Prepare to have a wild time tonight handsome!" She whispered seductively in Harry's ear before she forced Ron to move so she could exit the booth.
"Finally got her!" Draco said to Harry once Sarah was far enough away.
"Yeah, I had to work so hard but that body is worth it." Harry replied as he glanced towards the exit to see Heather swaying her hips as she walked through the door.
"Nice move with the hand Harry. I need to practice that. The last time I tried it I knocked over the girls drink." Ron said as his face held a slight embarrassed blush.
"We better get going if we want to look our best for tonight cause I definitely need to get shagged!" Draco said
"Yeah, been a while for me to" Ron added
"If you keep knocking over drinks you'll never get shagged!" Draco rudely pointed out.
Ron sneered at him.
They said their goodbyes to Madam Romserta and exited on to the streets of Hogsmeade. Hogsmeade had changed quite a bit since the war was over. Some shops never reopened, due to the deaths of the owners and newer shops replaced those with younger owners. Roger Davies had opened a shop selling Quidditch gear to Hogwarts students and the twins also opened another branch of their shop. The students were allowed to come every weekend and it did wonders for businesses in Hogsmeade. They walked up to the shrieking shack to pay their usual hello to Remus and Tonks before they apparated into the entrance hall of their house.
After graduating from Hogwarts, Harry decided that he wanted to live in Godric's Hollow. He had first visited the house before he went on the Horcrux hunt. It had been a very painful visit but with the help of his friends, he was able to get through it. The house was huge with twenty rooms and various common rooms but Harry knew this was where he belonged. It had been a while since the house had been lived in and there was much work to be done on it but Harry knew that one day the house would be full of Potters again.
Ron had mentioned that he wanted to get an apartment but Ron couldn't afford one on his own and he was looking at rooming with Neville but when Neville graduated, his grandmother insisted that he live with her. Since Neville's grandmother was old, he didn't want to deny her what might be her last wish. Ron then approached Seamus and Dean but they had already found an apartment and had no room for a third roommate. Harry offered a room to Ron and after Ron exhausted all his options, he had no choice but to accept Harry's offer. Ron hated to think he was some charity case and when Ron first moved in he insisted on paying rent but the galleons always ended up back in his room. He eventually gave up trying to pay Harry for his room and accepted that Harry offering Ron the room wasn't about money but about friendship. Ron still occasionally looked through the prophet for an affordable apartment. He knew he wasn't going to live all his life with Harry and he had set a goal to move out as soon as possible.
Hermione had thought she would be able to live in her parent's house but the house held too many bad memories of the night the death eaters attacked. She had lost her parents that night and half way through her first night in the house, Hermione found herself in tears and on Harry's doorstep. He took her in without a moment's hesitation. He had pulled her in to a tight hug and took her into the kitchen. He made her favourite tea and sat silently with her till she was ready for bed. Hermione had lived there since that day.
Draco's arrival at the house had been the most unusual. They had read in the prophet that Malfoy Manor had been burnt to the ground in a mysterious fire. The next day, the headlines told that young Draco Malfoy had donated some property his father owned to the Ministry for the construction of an orphanage for all the children that lost their families during the war. A few days later they ran into Draco at the Leaky Cauldron. He had been staying there, as he hadn't decided what to do with his life or the destroyed Malfoy Manor yet. In a moment of generosity, that Harry had no idea where it came from; Harry offered Draco a room in his house. Of course Draco instantly refused but a visit from Hermione a few days later changed Draco's mind and he joined them. Draco had been at Hermione's house the night of the attack and he was the one that got her out alive. They had saved each other that night because it was her friendship that had saved him from Voldemort. Draco was in the process of having a designer draw up designs for a new Manor but he could never agree with the designer and as a result he has fired six.
Luna and Ginny both moved in at the same time. The girls were a year behind them at Hogwarts and when they finally graduated they wanted to get an apartment together. Mrs. Weasley was very apprehensive about this and wanted Ginny to move back home. Ginny didn't want to move back home and was insisting that she could be on her own. As a compromise Hermione suggested that Ginny could move in with them. She would both be on her own and surrounded by family. Both women reluctantly agreed and Ginny and Luna joined them. Ginny still brought up the topic of getting an apartment with Luna but her mother was still strongly against it.
They had all been living together for four years and after a few hiccups in the beginning things were running smoothly now.
The guys apparated into the entrance hall and headed straight to the kitchen and were met with Ginny painting her nails and Luna reading the Quibbler. Both girls looked up as they entered the kitchen. Their house had all the best amenities of both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds. Hermione made sure that all the muggle stuff she loved was in the house. Harry also had a few things from the muggle world that he enjoyed. They got Ron and Draco hooked on TV and there was a fight every night for the rights to the remote.
The kitchen was light and airy. It contained many windows that let in lots of light. There was a patio outside the kitchen where they enjoyed eating. Even in the winter they would cast a warming spell to keep the cold air out. Sliding doors with floor to ceiling glass connected the patio to the kitchen. The counter tops and cupboards were all a cream colour with the walls painted a light yellow colour as well. There was an island at centre of the kitchen and just off to the side of the island was a glass table with six chairs surrounding it. There were no real doors in the house just archways to walk through to get from room to room. This made the whole house have a light feel to it.
"You guys home early?" Ginny said suspiciously as the three guys walked into the kitchen.
"Yeah we have dates tonight!" Ron said puffing out his chest.
Luna looked up from the quibbler that she was reading. "Really Ronald. You don't have to do that it doesn't make you any more or less of a man." Luna stated irritably and mocked him by puffing out her own chest. She felt as if Ron never noticed her. She lived a few miles away from the Burrow and he never acknowledged her till her fourth year when he was forced to share a compartment with her on the Hogwarts express.
"What would you know about being a man?" Ron snapped at Luna
"I may not be a man but I can tell you what a woman likes in her man." Luna said as she slammed the Quibbler down on the table and left the room.
"What's wrong with her?" Harry asked as he watched Luna walk furiously out of the kitchen. Draco sat down in the seat Luna previously occupied, where as Harry sat opposite Ginny.
"Ron, is what's wrong!" Ginny replied knowingly.
"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked noticing that she was absent. In truth, Harry always noticed when Hermione was missing. He liked to think out of the five other people living in his house he knew her the best.
"Guess she must still be at work." Ginny said not looking up from her nails.
"It's Hermione, Harry, no matter what day it is, she works!" Ron replied as he opened the fridge and started looking for stuff to eat.
"Ron get out of the fridge, Draco is cooking!" Ginny said as she looked at Draco.
Draco swallowed hard. "You see Ginny, cause of the date tonight, I don't really have time to cook."
Ginny stopped painting her nails and looked up at him. Her face was slowly turning the colour of her hair. Before she could yell at Draco, Hermione came bursting through the door muttering to herself. Draco let out a sigh of relief. He was hoping that if he played his cards right he could get out of the house tonight without Ginny hexing him. Hermione walked past Ron and opened the refrigerator door looking for something to eat.
"Hey," Ron started wining "how come she gets to rummage through the refrigerator and I don't?"
"Cause Ron, I won't eat everything in sight!" Hermione answered back as she turned her head from the refrigerator to look at him.
Ron glared at Hermione while Harry and Draco nodded their head in agreement.
"So Draco, what did you order for us tonight?" Hermione asked as she determined that she was too late and Ron had already eaten everything in the fridge.
Draco groaned as Hermione brought up the food topic. "Why does everyone get the impression that I only order out when it's my turn to cook?"
"Cause you do" Ginny and Hermione said in unison
"What's with you girls today?" Ron asked
Draco turned to Ron "You know, I think all three of them PMS at the same time."
"WHAT!" Ginny shouted back.
"It was just a thought." Draco mumbled to himself as Ginny's face grew red with anger again.
"How do you even know about that. PMS is a muggle term." Hermione said after she recovered from the shock of what Draco said.
"P what?" Ron asked dumbfounded
"Forget you heard it Ron it is nothing you need to know about!" Ginny said to her brother.
Harry burst out laughing. The thought of Ginny trying to explain to Ron, what PMS was would send anyone into fits of laughter. Ginny glared at Harry. He stopped laughing abruptly.
"I guess that's my cue to leave, adios." Harry said as he quickly exited the room
followed by Draco and Ron.
"Where are they going?" Hermione asked
"They have dates tonight" Ginny answered acidly.
"With who?" Hermione asked curiously
"Harry's got a date with Sarah. Draco and Ron I have no clue." Ginny replied
"Sarah from St. Mungos?" Hermione asked
"Yes that one." Ginny replied.
Luna strolled into the kitchen with a smile on her face. She then looked around and the smile went away. "I thought Draco was cooking?"
"Oh the food I forgot." Ginny said as she gasped.
"I don't know why you're surprised. It's Draco. He and his pureblood self never cooks!" Hermione answered
"Just once I am going to get him to cook. I swear!" Ginny replied
"But if he never cooks, then do we really want to try his food the first time he does actually cook?" Luna asked thoughtfully.
"That's not the point." Ginny growled.
"No the point is Ginny loves flirting with Draco and bugging him to cook is her way of flirting with the Slytherin." Hermione answered in a matter of fact tone.
"You shouldn't talk. You don't want to get me started on you and Harry." Ginny responded.
Hermione blushed profusely.
"At the risk of sounding like Ron, I'm hungry." Luna said
"Why don't you cook for us?" Ginny asked
"I cooked last night." Luna responded.
"Hermione, do you want to cook?" Ginny said turning her attention to the older girl in the room.
"Tomorrow is my night. I know the perfect place we could go to dinner though." Hermione suggested
"Dinner sounds nice." Luna said
"But isn't that a bit pathetic. We're young girls in our twenties and on a Friday night we're going out to dinner with each other. What does that say about our social lives!" Ginny declared.
"Ginny, quit thinking about our social lives." Hermione said in a slightly fed up tone. She had heard Ginny talk about hers and Luna's non-existent social life before.
"I think someone has to. When was the last time either of you had a date?" Ginny asked
"Two days ago" Luna replied defiantly.
"Kingsley taking you to lunch to help him with a case doesn't count as a date!" Ginny fired back at her.
"We may not be as date happy as you Ginny, but I think we're doing fine on our own." Hermione said fiercely.
"Date happy?" Ginny questioned
"Five dates in one month?" Luna commented
"At least I am looking for the right guy." Ginny said
"Are you?" Hermione questioned pointedly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ginny spat at her.
"All these dates of yours are so casual that I doubt you even got to know half of them." Hermione said matter of factly.
"At least I don't spend most of my time fussing over Harry while he's busy sucking firewhiskey through his nose to get a date with another woman! Can't you see he doesn't want you!" Ginny screamed as she stood up from the table to face Hermione.
Hermione looked temporarily stunned before she gathered herself and exited the kitchen.
Luna crossed her arms and looked at Ginny. "Spit it out, what's wrong? You've been angry since you saw Harry with Sarah."
Ginny sat down in a huff on the chair. "I don't know. I just …. I don't like her."
"Is that all?" Luna pushed.
"Maybe I'm a little jealous but I swear I'm over Harry. I just … I don't know. Something about her and Harry seems wrong."
"You never like any of his girlfriends" Luna pointed out.
"They weren't right for him." Ginny insisted.
"Who is right for him? It wasn't you. You both ended your relationship because it wasn't working out." Luna reminded Ginny.
"I'm just so confused. I know Harry and I can't work out but at the same time I can't help but wondering what does he see in those girls that I didn't have." Ginny wined.
"I could twist what you told us and say `at least he's looking for the right girl'" Luna added with a slight smile.
Ginny chuckled. A talk with Luna always helped her to feel better.
"Don't expect me to be nice to his girlfriends now." Ginny said
"I never asked you to. I think you need to apologize to Hermione though." Luna insisted
"Fine. I'll do it tomorrow. I'll probably have to buy a library full of books for her to forgive me." Ginny said in a sulking voice.
"You can start with ordering us food." Luna suggested.
"Should we order some curry then, it's her favourite?" Ginny asked
"Curry sounds fine." Luna agreed.
Meanwhile upstairs.
Harry met Draco at the top of the stairs. The were both dressed up nicely. Harry wore a black corduroy pants with a crisp white shirt. Draco wore a black dress pants with a navy blue satin shirt that he left buttoned at the top.
"Where's Ron?" Harry asked
"Don't know trying to put on something to impress the girls I guess." Draco said dryly.
"He better hurry up. We're going to be late."
Just then Ron emerged from his bedroom dressed in blue jeans and a bright orange shirt marked Chudley Cannons that clashed with the colour of his hair.
"And he wonders why he has problems with girls." Draco muttered under his breath.
"Let go we're going to be late!" Harry declared.
They were half way down the stairs when they saw Hermione round the corner at the bottom of the stairs and run past them up to her room.
"Was she crying?" Ron said.
Harry turned around to head back up the stairs.
"Potter if you go after her we'll miss our dates." Draco said sternly.
"Go without me." Harry said as he headed back up the stairs after Hermione.
"We can't go without you." Draco said
Harry continued walking up the stairs.
"Ok compromise. You know Hermione takes at least an hour before she's ready to talk about what's bothering her. Spend that hour with us, then you can leave ok." Draco said.
Harry looked at Hermione's door then looked at the anxious looks on Ron and Draco's face.
"You know she's a bit mental, Harry. An hour won't hurt." Ron said pleadingly.
"Fine but after an hour I'm gone." Harry said seriously.
Both Draco and Ron nodded and they headed to the entrance hall to the fireplace to floo to the Spellbinder.
The Spellbinder
It was 7pm sharp and the boys headed to the bar to wait for their dates. They ordered some Butterbeer and settled in for what would turn out to be a thirty-minute wait. Draco, who was constantly scanning the floor like some sort of predator, was the first to spot them. He waved them over.
"Sorry to be late" Sarah said as she kissed Harry on his cheek. She was wearing a black mini skirt with a red halter-top. Her hair was pulled back in a twist and she had ringlets framing her slim face. Her sexy outfit very much appealed to Harry but he was a bit peeved at her tardiness. He needed to get back to Hermione. The last time he saw Hermione run away crying she was attacked by a troll.
"These are my friends Tara and Caryl." Sarah said introducing the two witches who came with her.
Tara and Caryl were a bit taller than Sarah but just as slim as her. Tara and Caryl were both brunettes. Tara had blue eyes where as Caryl had grey eyes. Tara was wearing long white pants that showed off her slender physique nicely. To compliment her white pants she wore a baby blue tube top, which really brought out the colour in her eyes. Tara immediately locked on to Draco and started flirting. Draco relished the attention and soon they had sequestered themselves by a table in the corner.
Caryl wore black capri with an orange cold shoulder top. Ron was immediately attracted to the orange top and had no qualms what so ever about being left with Caryl. They looked like one of those couples that matched what they were wearing.
Harry explained to Sarah that he had an emergency at home that he needed to take care of. He sincerely apologized and offered to make it up to her tomorrow night. She pouted a bit before offering to help him. He refused her help and told her he would call her in the morning. He told the bartender that anything she ordered was on him and that he would come back tomorrow to settle the bill. Being famous did have its perks and the bartender accepted right away. He kissed her goodbye on her cheek and told Ron to tell Draco he was off.
Harry flooed home straight away and smelled the wondrous smell of curry wafting through the house. It was Hermione's favourite. Harry headed immediately to the kitchen figuring she was in there. He was surprised to find Ginny and Luna slowly making their way through the curry.
"I thought you had a date?" Ginny asked slightly concerned.
"I did but Hermione looked kind of upset when she passed me on the stairs so I came back to see if she was ok." Harry said
Ginny guilty looked away.
"Where is she?" Harry asked them.
"She went out." Luna said blankly.
"Where? She was upset." Harry said
"I think she went to a restaurant." Luna said
"You think?" Harry asked in disbelief.
Ginny remained quiet.
"She wanted to go to a restaurant. We think she went." Luna said
"Who ordered the curry?" Harry asked
Ginny stared down at the red curry in front of her.
"Ginny did" Luna said
"Ginny, why did you order curry. I thought you preferred Italian like Draco." Harry said turning his attention to the silent red head.
"I was hungry." Ginny blurted out under Harry's intense gaze.
"What aren't you telling me?" Harry pressed.
"Nothing." Ginny said to her plate in front of her.
"Ginny why aren't you looking at me?" Harry asked
"I'm hungry." Ginny repeated.
"Harry, why don't you join us there's enough food for all of us." Luna said taking the pressure off of her friend.
Harry was hungry and he loved curry. The smell was very inviting. He agreed and instantly dug in and ate while he waited for Hermione to return.
At the Restaurant
Hermione was dressed in a black strapless dress that clung to her figure and stopped at her knees. The black high-heeled shoes she wore accentuated her nicely shaped legs. She had on lip-gloss and a light blush that appealed to her natural beauty. What Ginny said had really hurt her and as she ran away from the kitchen she thought maybe she was right. Maybe Harry didn't want her and it was time to let go of that hope that maybe Harry might like her. She cried a few tears but what really sealed the thought in was the fact that she had passed Harry crying on the stairs but he didn't come after her. No he preferred to go on his date. It was time to move on and if Ginny didn't want to go to the restaurant, that was her problem, Hermione was going to go and enjoy herself.
"What do you mean you don't have an open seat? Not even for one person?" Hermione said a bit disappointed. She had gone through all the effort to get dressed and enjoy herself tonight.
"I'm sorry but I can't squeeze you in." The hostess said sympathetically.
"That's all right Courtney, she can sit with me." A voice said to the hostess from behind Hermione.
Hermione turned around to see her mysterious benefactor. She gasped.
"It's good to see you too Mia!" The handsome man answered. He was 6'2" with sandy brown hair, gorgeous brown eyes and a well-built body.
"God Adam, it's been ages. How have you been?" Hermione said as she moved closer towards him.
"Good. I see you look as beautiful as ever" He responded eliciting a blush from Hermione as she pecked him lightly on her cheek.
"So what brings you in to town?" Hermione asked
"Oh I moved back about a month now. I still live in the same house. I tried to check you out but I was told you don't live there anymore. I was going to try and call your aunt in France to see if I could get a hold of you." He responded as he lead her through the restaurant to a private table in the back. The table was laid for one but he indicated to a waitress to add an extra setting.
"After my parents died, I moved in with a few friends." Hermione said sadly.
"So you old your house." Adam asked
"I couldn't. I rented it. The lawyer handles all the dealings with it." Hermione responded.
"I understand." Adam said as he pulled out the chair for Hermione.
She graciously accepted and took a seat.
"So what brings you here?" He asked casually as he sat across from her.
"I heard this restaurant was good. I decided to try it. I didn't realise it would be so booked." Hermione said as she glanced back the way she came.
"It's like that every night." He said
"You come here every night?" Hermione questioned.
"Yes. I own this place. It's good for business if the customers sees the owner dining in his own restaurant."
"Oh."
"Order anything you like. It's on me." Adam said
"I couldn't" Hermione protested.
"Of course you can. For old times sake." Adam said with a charming smile.
Hermione had first met Adam in Primary school. He was three years ahead of her and had saved her from a bully. He lived a few houses down from her and he was one of the few people who was kind to her. She had lost contact with him when she went to Hogwarts but in during the Christmas of her sixth year, when she went home, she had run into him in Tesco. He was on vacation from Cambridge and he offered to take her to a house party that was being thrown down the road. She was of age in the magical world and could defend herself with magic so she decided to go. Hermione had completely enjoyed herself and spent the rest of the vacation hanging out with Adam. She had lost track of him after that and heard that he had moved to the states for business.
8 hours later.
Hermione stumbled into the house. She had severely underestimated how much she drank and she had to take a cab home. Adam had offered to help her but she told him she was fine on her own. She was about to head up the stairs to her room when she heard loud shouting.
"WHERE IN THE BLOODY HELL HAVE YOU BEEN! ITS FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING!" Harry shouted angrily as he entered the entrance hall from the living room.
Hermione looked at Harry and tried to focus on him but the room was spinning out of control. She had the sudden urge to throw up and she tried to make it up the stairs to her bathroom without falling over.
"Aren't you going to answer me?" Harry said as he moved behind her as she made her way up the stairs.
Hermione's sole goal was to get to the bathroom. When she made it to her room she opened her door and then slammed it shut in his face. She ran across her room and into her adjoining bathroom.
"Open this door now, Hermione." Harry demanded as he banged loudly on the door.
There was no response. Draco popped his sleepy head out the door.
"Cut the racket will you. I am trying to get my beauty sleep and for crying out loud you're a wizard Harry, just use magic to open the door!" Draco said as he closed his door.
Harry thought he heard a soft female voice calling to Draco, telling him to come back to bed. Harry then wondered when Draco came home. He had been pacing at the entrance hall waiting for Hermione for a long time. Draco didn't pass him neither did Ron. He briefly wondered if Ron was also home but then he pushed those miscellaneous thoughts and focused on the most important one. Hermione.
Harry summoned his wand and instantly opened the door. He heard retching sounds coming from her bathroom and he headed in that direction. He turned on the light and found Hermione slumped over the toilet. He reached down and gently brushed the hair away from her face. He rubbed her back and gently waited for her to finish. There had been many times when he came home drunk and she took care of him.
"Ttuun ove deee lizt" Hermione said.
Harry wondered what she meant.
"Dee liizt" Hermione said again pointing to the light on the wall.
Harry got the hint and turned it off. She was now resting her head on the rim of the bowl and appeared to have dozed off. Harry summoned a bowl from the kitchen and filled it with water from the bathroom sink. He summoned a rag and used it to gently clean Hermione's face. When he was satisfied that she was cleaned up he picked her up and carried her to her bed.
He set her down gently and took off her shoes. He couldn't leave her for the night. He'd be too worried about her to sleep, so he lay next to her. In the morning when she was sober they would discuss the state in which she arrived home as well as the leaving without a note. He pulled the covers over them and he gently pulled her into his arms as he too fell fast asleep.
-*-
She had to reach to her destination. Her children were just in front of her as they walked briskly through the dark streets. She needed to keep an eye out for danger. She used to like anti-apparition wards but today she hated them. The wards had been useful for her before. They keep people from bombarding her with requests. Wizards and Witches always wanted to know what their future held for them, particularly in the romantic area. The wards kept people from popping in on her but they didn't keep them from harassing her. Over the years she had taken to living in the muggle world. Most magical people left her alone when she pretended to live in the slums of muggle cities.
Today however, she needed to apparate straight to her destination but the wards kept her five miles away. How ironic. She had to walk the rest of the way with her three children. She had to warn them before it took her. If it were to get her before she could warn them it might be the beginning of the end.
She had seen what it wanted to do. She had seen that its success was based on the elimination of all the important keys and a few individuals. She particularly needed to talk to the Slytherin. He was in grave danger. He possessed a key that he didn't know about. He would be on the death list.
As they rushed through the streets she saw a rat run across the road. She watched as her daughter shrieked in disgust and if it hadn't been for the graveness of the situation she would have enjoyed her daughter's reaction. She shrugged the rat's presence aside and instructed her children to keep moving. The house was just down the street now. She could see the large entranceway. They were almost there.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her and she struggled to free herself. She watched as her two eldest turned and screamed. Her son started moving towards her and she told him to stay away.
"Stop struggling or I will kill your children." Her captor said as he pointed his wand at the two in front of her.
She stopped her struggling. All was lost now. She knew she wouldn't make it to their house. Her last wish was that her baby be left with her children. She gently rest the bundle in her arms down and asked her two eldest to take care of their baby sister. The man held on to her firmly and she disappeared with a soft pop.
Her two children were left staring at an empty space ahead of them. Her son walked forward and gently picked up his baby sister. His other sister remained mesmerized to the spot where their mother had been before. Tears flowed freely from her eyes and the coldness of the night air was beginning to creep into her bones. Her brother held her hand firmly and they continued on to the house. It was the only place left to go now.
-->