A/N: Okay guys, I know it's been awhile! Sorry! I spent awhile on this chapter, hope it is worth it! I like this chapter, but I'm not sure if you will.
I KNOW that a few of you are confused why I introduced Lillian instead of Luna, or Draco instead of another bloke like Seamus. But c'mon guys. I have a reason! You just have to stick with the story, I have a reason behind why Draco is DRACO and why LiLLiAN is LiLLiAN and NOT Luna!
Geez. Love you all though. Here goes nada:
~
A few weeks had passed since Hermione had first met the group of kids from Hogwarts at Hogsmeade. They seemed to alter her perspective majorly. She'd spent most of the time working and taking care of herself and her torn family, but every now and then, late at night, she got a chance to think. People her own age could do magic, and Harry Potter was one of them. If they could do it, she, as bright as she is, could certainly learn as well.
Much to her dismay, Madam Rosmerta had given her the day off. She claimed that Hermione had been working way to hard lately, and needed some time. Though, it might have been a result of the scalding tea she spilled all over herself the day before. Hermione had been upset at first, considering the Hogwarts kids were coming that day and it would be especially busy, but Madam would not give in. So, Hermione had to find something to do. Her mother had finally found a woman to watch over Emma during the day, after Hermione complained about having her sister follow her around like a lost puppy dog. But there was one day a week when Emma still had to follow Hermione around. And unfortunately, today was one of them.
"Why are we going in here, Hermy?" Emma asked.
"Why in the world are you calling me that?" Hermione asked annoyed as she opened the door to a new bookstore that had just come to Hogsmeade. It was called Clark & Lewis. Apparently it was named after the two owners, Meriwether Clark and William Lewis. Hermione had no idea why they put it in Hogsmeade of all places in Wizardry London, though they probably figured Diagon Alley was pointless with the budding bookstore Flourish & Blotts. Though, it never seemed to be busy.
"Because I want to." Emma replied simply. "Why are we going in here?" She repeated as they walked
in.
"Because I want to." Hermione replied curtly.
Emma shrugged. "Hermy, you have so many books at home, why do you need more?"
"I just DO okay?" Hermione snapped. At the hurt look that then appeared across her younger sister's face, Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Em. I'm just a little frazzled. I just need to check out some books, okay?" Emma nodded.
Hermione turned around and jumped when she came face to face with a short, gray haired, bearded man. "Sorry to startle you, love. I'm Meriwether Clark, what can I do for you?" He asked with a smile, extending his hand.
Hermione smiled back and shook his hand. "Oh, so very nice to meet you. I'm Hermione Granger. I was just looking for a few books on simple spells and charms. You know the one's you usually get your first year at Hogwarts?"
Meriwether eyed her curiously for a second before leading her to a large shelf by the shop window and gesturing towards it. "Here you should find the required books for level one, though I'm sure you're far beyond that."
Hermione blushed momentarily and hesitated. "Actually…" She started, "I'm not." Meriwether looked intrigued. "You see, my mum, my sister and I…we just moved here. My mum's the new transfiguration professor at Hogwarts, but I…I never went to Hogwarts, nor any wizardry school. I'm just looking to study up."
"And I'm going to help!" Emma exclaimed happily.
Hermione shushed her sister. "Maybe." She added quietly.
"Ah, well then," Meriwether started to back away, "I'm sure you'll find all you need. Just call for me if you need me. I'm the only one in today."
"Thank you, sir." Hermione said.
"Of course." Meriwether smiled before `popping' away. Hermione was determined to find not only spell books, but the books that every first year needed to learn about the Wizardry world and all that was in it.
Hermione scanned the books carefully before pulling out one that read The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk. She looked inside and scanned a few pages before handing it to Emma.
Emma herself, trying to be like her older sister, inspected the book with her small eyes thoroughly before nodding in approval and putting it in the satchel bag around her shoulder, while Hermione continued to scan the shelf.
Next, she saw one that said: The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection by Quentin Trimble. She handed it
to Emma, who followed her normal process, and placed it in the bag.
They did the same for Magical Draughts and Potions, A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration, Magical Theory, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and A History of Magic.
Emma was beginning to struggle with the bag as the last book was placed in. It was quite thick. "Well…" Hermione sighed, oblivious to her sister's struggle, "I think that's all the first year books. I read mum's list the other night. Hmm…oh, wait!" Her face brightened.
She picked up Hogwarts: A History excitedly and flipped through a few pages.
Emma groaned, "Uh…Hermione, don't you already have, like, three copies of that?"
Hermione glared at her sister. "I have one of the first editions that are very rare that mum bribed me with, and I have a more recent one, but still pretty old. But this, Em, is the newly revised copy." She stared at it in awe.
Emma rolled her eyes, "You are so weird. What changes?"
"Lots." Hermione said, before tucking it under her own arm. While patiently scanning nearby books, she looked up through the window and saw a bright blue eyed blonde girl pointing at her through the window. She recognised her. Who was she?
Lillian. Of course! It was the blonde she met last month during the Hogwarts visit to Hogsmeade! And now as she looked closer, Lillian was leading the whole group into the store, Harry Potter at her side.
What was she doing? She tried to walk away, but no such luck. "HERMIONE!" She heard an excited female voice call out as they walked into the door.
I spun around and smiled. "Lillian!"
"I can't believe I saw you! When went into The Three Broomsticks we asked for you, but Rosmerta said you weren't working!" Lillian exclaimed.
"You…asked for me?" Hermione asked confused. Why were they being so nice to her? They barely knew each other!
"Of course." Harry spoke up with a grin.
The boy she knew as Draco added, "Wait, you had the day off, and you came in here?!"
The red headed girl, Ginny, swatted him on the arm.
"Umm…yeah…" Hermione started, not sure what to say. She didn't want to tell them why she was in there.
But unlucky for Hermione, her loud mouth sister did. "Hermy is going to teach herself magic and I'm going to help! Isn't that exciting? We just came here to get books and stuff…I think we were going somewhere else after this, but-"
"Emma!" Hermione exclaimed quietly.
"Sorry." Emma shrugged.
"Really?" Harry asked. "Are you really that serious about learning?"
Hermione nodded. Ron shrugged, "I can understand why! Bloody hell, can you imagine a life without it?"
"We-" Harry started but looked around, seeing Meriwether watching them. "Maybe, we should talk about this outside. Should you go pay for your books?"
"Oh, right!" Hermione said, guiding her sister to the counter. They placed the books on the table and once Meriwether had checked them all out, Hermione realized she was a few sickles short. She had no idea what to do, when Harry came up beside her.
"Let me get it." He said, pulling out a few.
"No!" Hermione exclaimed. "Really, I mean…I can just put one back…"
"Hermione, you are going to need all of these," He said, handing the rest of the money to Meriwether as she picked them all up and put them back in the bag.
"You really didn't have to do that." She said. She had just let him pay for part of her books! And she
barely knew him! But, apparently, that didn't matter to either of them, because they were completely content with
treating Hermione like just another of their best friends.
"Just give up," Ron announced. "He did it already."
They walked out of the store and started down the pathways. "So, you live here?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah." Hermione replied. "Just down the road, actually. It's kind of small, but it's nice. Much better than where we used to live." She added quietly while looking down, while her sister squeezed her hand.
This didn't go unnoticed by Harry who examined her closely and decided that he wouldn't press her on it.
"That's cool." Ginny said before realizing what time it was. "Oh!" She jumped. "C'mon Drake...we've got to go." Draco rolled his eyes at the nickname, but took her hand none the less. "See you guys."
"Bye." Draco said as they walked away.
"Where are they going?" Emma asked curiously.
"To snog like crazy at the Shrieking Shack." Lillian put in.
Ron's face grew flaming. "Lillian, I really wish you wouldn't just outright say that. I don't like to think of my sister snogging Draco Malfoy."
"I thought you were friends with him?" Hermione added.
Harry sighed. "Kind of. You do know who his dad is, right, Lucius Malfoy?"
Hermione thought for a moment and shook her head.
"He's a Death Eater." Ron put in. "Evil. I mean, seriously, vile. I want to strangle him."
"Anyways, he kind of `betrayed' his father. It happened last year, he was supposed to perform some Death Eater task, but he never went through with it. He said he just couldn't do it. He wasn't that kind of person. I never really liked him, but ever since his dad kicked him out and he started dating Ginny, he's different. Ginny brought out a good side in him. I dunno how, but he's on our side now. He even took a bloody oath. He's clean now, I guess." Harry told her.
"I like him." Lillian said brightly.
"You always find the good in people." Ron rolled his eyes.
"People aren't always as they seem, Ronald Weasley. You never know what their past has been, or what they feel underneath." Lillian commented.
"I believe the same." Hermione agreed.
"That's good." Harry smiled. Hermione averted her eyes from him.
"Are you the Harry Potter?" Emma asked suddenly.
Harry looked down at her. "Yeah. I'm sorry; I never asked…who are you?"
"I'm Hermione's little sister, Emma." Emma told him.
"I'm Lillian and this is Ron." Lillian gestured towards them.
"Lillian, that's a pretty name. So is Harry." Harry chuckled.
"She's my very annoying little sister." Hermione added. "Em, don't bug him."
"It was just a question." Emma shrugged. "I've heard all about you. Hermione told me about you when I was little."
"Really…" Harry said, his expression falling a bit as he remembered what she had probably read. Emma saw this.
"I'm sorry." Emma said. "About your parents."
"Emma!" Hermione exclaimed softly.
"Its fine, Hermione. Really. Thank you, Emma." Harry said.
"She told me all about your parents, your scar, your aunt and uncle…all about how one day you were going to help save us." Emma said.
Harry looked over at Hermione. "You're quite the expert on me."
"I don't know all of it; just a bit that Remus Lupin has told me and the parts in the books about when you were a baby." Hermione said.
"You know Remus Lupin?" Ron asked.
Hermione nodded. "Of course. He and my mum are good friends. Have been for awhile. He's the one who found us a place to live after…" She stopped and sighed. "And then found us a place in Hogsmeade, too."
Harry knew there was something that was weighing her down; she kept cutting off certain sentences. Perhaps he could ask Remus. "Yeah, I know Remus really well; of course, he and my dad were best mates in school, with Sirius…" Harry stopped, regaining his composure after the wave of sadness he felt about his godfather's death. He felt Hermione next to him put a hand on his arm.
"Remus told me. I know…I know he was like a father to you, I'm sorry…" She said quietly. He smiled weakly at her and then removed her arm.
"Anyways, I'm sure you know that he's the DADA teacher this year. Kind of amazed he's back. After that jinx…you would've never thought…" Harry added with a laugh.
They walked in silence for a moment before Lillian spoke up. "Harry, don't we have to…"
Harry thought a minute and then his face lit up. "Oh, right…umm…"
"Right now?" Ron asked.
Hermione just watched the exchange in confusion.
The three stared at her for a minute before Lillian said, "Can't we just tell her?"
"Lil, she could be one of them." Ron whispered not so quietly, which caused Lillian to elbow him hard in the stomach.
"Shut up, Ron!"
Harry grinned at Hermione. "You aren't are you?"
Hermione's eye brow's raised. "Yeah right."
"Fine, then. We might as well tell her." Ron sighed.
Harry looked around and pulled Hermione, who was pulling Emma, into the corner of an alley way, followed by Lillian and Ron and lowered his voice. "In fifth year, we created a group called the DA. Dumbledore's Army. I led a bunch of kids who wanted to in learning good defense skills for the war since Umbridge, the DADA teacher then, wouldn't let us use our wands in class. We figure since this year the war is going to get even worse, that it might be a good idea to reinstate it. No one knows about this. No one but the few who were in it then. We told them to meet us at Hog's Head this afternoon at one so we could talk. That's where we have to go."
Hermione let this sink in for a second before lowering her voice just as Harry had and asked, "Don't any of the Professor's know?"
Lillian shook her head. "It's too dangerous. Sometimes with certain people we never know who is on our side. Not even Ms. Potter knows."
"I guess that makes sense." Hermione whispered.
"You won't tell anyone, right?" Harry anxiously asked.
"Of course not." Hermione stated surely.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, then. We have to go…why don't you come with us?"
Hermione shook her head. "I'd be no use to it at all. I don't know any spells, remember?"
Ron shrugged. "You still could help us on other stuff. C'mon, we need all the help we can get."
"It's like the Resistance." Harry told her, to better explain it.
Hermione smiled and nodded. "I always told myself if I was born in that time that I'd be part of it."
"Me too." Harry grinned.
"What in the world are you two talking about?" Ron asked.
"The Resistance." Hermione explained. "It was a group formed during the Muggle World War II when Hitler was trying to kill all the Jewish people. They met in secret underground and created bombs to stop the Nazi's, who were Hitler's followers."
"Hitler?" Lillian asked. "I know I'm nothing of a Muggle, but wasn't that that Muggle born
wizard that cast the imperious curse on all those muggles to kill those `Jews'?"
"He was a wizard?!" Hermione asked, astounded.
Harry shrugged. "No one really knows. Kind of a rumor that younger wizards always talk about."
"Billy Roberts told me that!" Emma interjected. "He said that Hitler still haunted some people."
"Who's Billy Roberts?" Hermione asked her sister.
"A boy who Mrs. Codsworth also watches. But he's full of it, so I don't believe a word he says." Emma
commented.
"Anyways…" Harry started, getting them back on topic. "Will you come?"
Hermione thought about it. "Em?" Emma nodded excitedly. "Okay. I guess…but I'm telling you I'm not any good for spells and such."
"No matter." Lillian shrugged. "You like to read, don't you?" She looked towards the bag full of books.
Hermione nodded. "I love it." Ron rolled his eyes.
"Well, maybe you can help us out on any research we need." Lillian told her. "We always need stuff like that."
"And," Harry added, "If you're really that serious about learning magic…we could always help you."
"You would teach me?"
"Why not? I don't think its right you never learned." Harry shrugged. Lillian and Ron nodded in agreement.
"Can I ask you a question?" Hermione asked suddenly. "Why are you being so nice to me? Why are you
treating me like your friend?"
"Because you are now." Lillian smiled. "I like you. You're nice and you're fun."
"You are now officially one of our best friends." Harry smiled.
Ron winked. "Consider yourself lucky, any other student would die to be in your new position."
Hermione rolled her eyes playfully as they walked off towards the shady pub. She had no idea what that friendship would give her just yet, but it wouldn't take her long to find out.
~
A/N: So how was it? I think it was def. the best and the longest so far. It'll get better, I know it. If you're a fan of Caribbean Cruising, I'll be updating it before the end of this weekend!
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