"Her Story"
Chapter Eleven
"Home for the Holidays"
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. All characters are creations of Joanne K. Rowling, © 2007, to whom I am deeply indebted. I make no money from any of this. I'm just taking her world and tweaking it a bit.
Note One: A big thanks to the_scribbler for being my awesomesauce beta/editor!
Note Two: I'm sorry for the short chapter last chapter. Most interludes (which will be in between journals) will be that short. I hope you like this chapter. Soo that's why you get this chapter! You'll get to see Vi and Claire again, plus find out what Sally-Anne's deal is! Enjoy!
EDITED 06/13/2011: Just some date changes.
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23 December, 1991
"Minny!"
Hermione whipped around as a mass of curly brown hair came hurtling through the crowd towards her. Hermione let go of her trolley and braced herself as Viola leapt at her, her small arms circling around her waist. The force from the impact made Hermione stagger and grunt, but she recovered quickly and drew her little sister into a tight hug, ignoring the amused look she was receiving from Shae.
"Minny?" Shae grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Oh I am so calling you that from now on."
Hermione glared at Shae as she waved goodbye and rolled her trolley over to where a beautiful redheaded woman was waiting.
"Happy Christmas, Hermione," Fay laughed before going off to where her family was waiting for her as well.
"I've missed you so much, Minny!" Viola cried, tightening her arms around Hermione.
"I've missed you too!" Hermione pulled back and took a look at her sister, surprised at how much she had changed in just four months. Her brown hair was about two inches longer and she had grown a couple inches as well. "You've grown so much!"
"No I haven't," Viola scrunched up her nose.
"Yes you have," Hermione grinned. She glanced up over Viola's head and saw her parents hurrying towards her. "Mum! Daddy!"
"Hermione!" Mrs. Granger reached her daughter first and yanked her into a tight hug, tears glistening in her eyes. She pulled back and cupped Hermione's cheeks with her hands. "Look at how much you've grown!"
"I haven't changed that much," Hermione replied, laughing once she realized she and Viola had the exact same conversation seconds ago. She pulled away from her mother and went to Mr. Granger, throwing her arms around him. "I've missed you so much."
"We've missed you too," Mr. Granger said, kissing her on the top of her head.
Since the Hogwarts Express arrived in London just as many of the shops were closing, Mr. and Mrs. Granger booked a hotel for them to stay at for the night. Hermione only had a day to finish her Christmas shopping and it would be a waste of time to spend an hour driving to Oxfordshire only to drive another hour back to London in the morning.
"You have to tell me everything that happened at school," Viola demanded, helping her mother push Hermione's trolley out of King's Cross station. "Your letters weren't good enough."
"Thanks, Vi," Hermione laughed, shaking her head.
"They were good!" she said quickly. "But letters back and forth take too much time. Why doesn't Hogwarts have a phone?"
"Electricity doesn't work at Hogwarts," Hermione replied simply. "Everything starts to malfunction."
"But you said that you have alarm clocks," Viola frowned. "How can the alarm go off if you can't have electricity?"
"Magic," Hermione whispered into Viola's ear as their parents put her trunk into the car. She grinned as Viola made a little squeaking noise; she knew that she shouldn't tease her little sister like that but it was too tempting to resist.
Viola berated Hermione with questions all the way to the hotel, hardly giving Hermione a chance to answer before going onto a different question. She laughed and answered them as best as she could. Hermione didn't realize exactly how much she had missed her sister.
"How come you're friends with Harry and Ron now?" Viola asked suddenly.
"What do you mean?" Hermione glanced at her sister, the question throwing her off. Viola had been asking questions about the different teachers for the past five minutes (she had just finished describing Professor Flitwick to her) and her new question caught her off guard.
"In your letters you always complained about Harry and Ron," Viola explained, looking annoyed that her momentum was disrupted. "And then you suddenly started writing saying you were friends with them."
"I wondered about that too," Mr. Granger piped up from the front seat.
Hermione paused, not sure what to say. She had been afraid to tell her parents that someone had let a mountain troll loose at Hogwarts (she was sure her parents would try and withdraw her from school if they were to find out), so she had just casually mentioned that things had changed and Harry and Ron were now her friends. "Things happened and we're friends now," she shrugged.
"But you hated Ron!" Viola protested, clearly not satisfied with her answer.
Luckily for Hermione, Mr. Granger pulled into the parking lot of the hotel they were staying at seconds later. She quickly got out of the car and went to help with her trunk, managing to avoid answering the question. Mrs. Granger got Viola to carry some bags from her shopping trip earlier in the day and Viola forgot all about waiting for the answer. The family had been in London for most of the afternoon and had settled into the hotel room so they walked right through the lobby and to the elevator.
"Tired sweetheart?" Mrs. Granger asked when Hermione yawned loudly.
"Yes," she replied, stifling another yawn. "It's weird too because all I've done today is sit on a train."
"Traveling can be exhausting," Mrs. Granger said, putting her arm around Hermione. "Once we get up to the room you can put your pajamas on and get ready for bed." Hermione smiled and leaned into Mrs. Granger. She never thought she would miss her mother telling her to get ready for bed while at Hogwarts, but she did.
"What about my questions?" Viola asked, nearly dropping the bags.
"You can ask her questions tomorrow," Mrs. Granger chided lightly.
Viola grumbled but didn't argue as they stepped out of the elevator. Hermione followed her father down the hall and into the hotel room, fatigue fully hitting her once she stepped through the threshold. They put her trunk down by the dresser and she opened it, pulling out a pair of fuzzy pajamas and went into the bathroom to change.
Hermione exited the bathroom and raised her eyebrows when she saw Viola hunched over her trunk, not touching anything in it, but examining the contents. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were on the bed closest to the window, flicking through the channels on the television. "What are you doing, Vi?" Hermione asked, laughing.
"I wasn't touching!" Viola squeaked, dashing away from the trunk. "I just wanted to see if there was anything witchy in there!"
"Witchy?" Hermione laughed, climbing onto the bed she would be sharing with her sister.
"Yes, witchy!" Viola frowned. "But all I see are books."
"That's the homework I have to do during the holidays," Hermione yawned, fluffing her pillow. "Nothing `witchy' about that."
"Can I look through your books?" she asked.
"Not tonight, Viola," Mr. Granger said. He turned off the television and got up to dim the lights. "It's time for bed."
Viola pouted but went into her little backpack, pulling out her pyjamas. Hermione snuggled under her covers, her eyes drooping heavily as Mrs. Granger went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. By the time Mrs. Granger returned to her bed, Hermione was out cold.
<><><><><>
24 December, 1991
Viola had been furious when Mrs. Granger announced the next morning that she would be taking Hermione to Diagon Alley by herself and that they would meet later up for lunch. Hermione felt sorry for Mr. Granger as Viola proceeded to throw one of the biggest tantrums she had had in a few years.
"Would it be that bad if we brought Vi to Diagon Alley?" Hermione asked, wincing when she heard Viola's cries start to escalate as Mrs. Granger pulled her down the hall towards the elevators.
"Your father and I don't want her to accidentally mention Hogwarts to her friends," Mrs. Granger said lightly, pushing the down button. "If she sees what all there is in Diagon Alley that'll increase the chance of her telling someone."
"That makes sense," Hermione nodded. The elevator pinged open and they entered it, Hermione pressing the button for the main floor. "But it's only nine. We won't be there for three hours, mum."
"True," Mrs. Granger smiled. "But I thought you would want to get Viola's Christmas present while she wasn't around. I also thought we could go shopping together, just the two of us."
"Oh, okay!"
Hermione and Mrs. Granger made it to the Leaky Cauldron in no time, Mrs. Granger able to see the shabby looking pub without Hermione having to reach out and touch the door. The pub was nearly empty when they entered it. Hermione saw a few disgruntled-looking witches sitting near the bar eating breakfast, and noticed that a wizard had fallen asleep at his table, but that the bar was otherwise quiet. Tom was nowhere to be seen so Hermione led Mrs. Granger through the pub and out the backdoor Tom had led her through back in July.
"My wand?" Hermione held out her hand to Mrs. Granger. She reached into her purse and pulled out the wand and handed it to her. Hermione grabbed it and stared at the brick wall, trying to remember what brick was supposed to be tapped. After a moment, she stood up on her tippy-toes and tapped a brick.
Hermione felt a sense of accomplishment wash through her as the brick started to quiver violently and an archway formed where the brick wall had been. Diagon Alley was decorated in holiday cheer with wreaths and colourful Christmas lights strung up along the shops. Hermione and Mrs. Granger stepped through the archway and into the Christmas crowd, looking around at the shops.
"So," Mrs. Granger began, sounding lost, "what do you want to get your friends?"
"For Shae, I want to get her a nice quill or something," Hermione said, trying to look for the supplies shop. "Her quills are always snapping in half and she keeps borrowing mine. For Fay… something that involves Quidditch, she's almost as obsessed with the sport as Oliver."
"That's that game you play on brooms, right?" Mrs. Granger asked.
"Yes it is," Hermione nodded. "I don't know what to get Harry or Ron… I haven't been friends with them for very long…"
"That's fine, dear," Mrs. Granger soothed. "Let's go find Shae and Fay's presents first and then we'll think of something."
Hermione found the supplies shop easily enough and entered it, heading over to the quill section. She frowned, looking at the selection. If she just got Shae a normal quill that wouldn't be much of Christmas present, she needed the quill to be special.
A witch in bright red robes came up to Hermione from behind the counter, smiling merrily at her. "Good morning, dear. Can I help you find anything?"
"I'm looking for a present for my friend," Hermione said. "Her quills are always breaking on her."
"Ah," the witch nodded. "Well we have these fine peacock quills that just came in." She led Hermione and Mrs. Granger over to the side and picked up a very extravagant looking quill. The end looked like a peacock feather and was very flashy.
"I don't think she'd like that," Hermione said slowly.
The witch next showed Hermione a simple looking quill. "It may look like a normal quill," the witch said, handing one to her, "but it's charmed to make the ink change colours randomly."
Hermione grinned, Shae would love that. "I'll take it!"
"That's a perfect gift," the witch complimented. She flicked her wand and the quill was boxed and wrapped automatically. "Do you want us to deliver this present for you?"
"You can do that?" Mrs. Granger asked, sounding both intimidated and impressed.
"Of course!" the witch exclaimed. She grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill and handed it to Hermione, "Just write down your friend's first and last name - as well as yours - and we'll see that she gets the present in time for Christmas."
"How?" Hermione asked, writing down Shae's name.
"Magic, my dear," the witch explained as if it was the most obvious answer. She took the parchment and attached it to the present. "Don't worry, your friend won't know what store this came from."
Hermione paid for the quill and exited the shop five minutes later, smiling as Mrs. Granger pressed herself closer to her daughter. The streets were getting more crowded and there were witches and wizards outside of shops calling people in. A little ways down the street, Hermione spotted Quality Quidditch Supplies and led her mother over there.
The shop was considerably busier than the last, a lot of people coming in to look at the Nimbus 2000 display. Hermione nudged Mrs. Granger and pointed at the broomstick, "That's the broom Professor McGonagall sent Harry so he could be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team."
"O-oh," Mrs. Granger stammered, her eyes huge as she took in the display. "That's nice…?"
Hermione laughed and looked around the shop, heading towards the memorabilia section. There were little figurines of Quidditch stars, models of brooms, the balls, and player cards all spread out on the shelves. Hermione bit her lip, looking at everything in front of her. She couldn't remember who Fay had said her favourite Quidditch team was and that made Hermione's task tremendously more difficult.
"What about this?" Mrs. Granger pointed to a player card from the Chudley Cannons.
"I don't think so," Hermione said, peering at it as the black haired man waved madly at her.
At a loss of what to do, Hermione finally picked out a mini-model of the Holyhead Harpies. The display model showed that all of the players would zoom around the tiny pitch as if they were playing a real Quidditch match. Hoping that Fay liked that team, she grabbed the box and went to go pay for it. The wizard at the counter made Hermione sign Fay's name on the present (which had been wrapped for her) and promised her that she would get it on Christmas morning.
"That was interesting," Mrs. Granger said slowly once they exited the shop. "They let twelve year olds play that at Hogwarts?"
"They do," Hermione nodded. "Flying lessons are horrid too, but we've only had a few classes because the weather turned so bad."
"You have to go on a broom?" Mrs. Granger gasped, paling. Hermione winced; she had chosen not to tell her parents that first years were supposed to take flying lessons because she worried how they would react to that. She realized that she had been right not to tell them and was regretting mentioning it immediately. "Hermione, I don't think that's very safe. What if you fall or something happens and -"
"Mum," Hermione interrupted. "It's a mandatory lesson, but it's perfectly…safe." She looked away, not wanting to tell her mother that Neville had broken his wrist their first lesson. "Anyway, do you have any idea on what I should get Harry and Ron?"
"I don't know," Mrs. Granger said, still looking unhappy that Hermione had to go on a broomstick. "How about some sweets?"
Hermione's head whipped around to stare at her mother. "Sweets?" she said incredulously. "You've never let me get sweets for Vi or Claire before."
"Viola doesn't need the extra sugar and Claire… well, she's tough to shop for," Mrs. Granger sighed. "From what you've said, you don't know Harry and Ron well enough to get them personal gifts just yet. Sweets are simple and easy."
"But you're a dentist," Hermione laughed.
"Don't tell your father," she winked.
Hermione found Sugarplum's Sweets Shop by the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron and went in, having to shove her way past customers to get to the section she wanted. It was extremely hot in the shop and Hermione could feel claustrophobia start to set in. She quickly grabbed a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans for Ron and Chocolate Frogs for Harry and quickly paid for them, giving the witch their names so the presents would be delivered.
"Do you think I should get Vi something from Diagon Alley?" Hermione asked as they were about to head into the Leaky Cauldron.
"I don't think so," Mrs. Granger said at once. "She's already convinced she'll be going to Hogwarts when she turns eleven. I don't think she needs any more encouragement."
"Oh boy," Hermione groaned as Mrs. Granger led her through the Leaky Cauldron and out into Muggle London. "Should I get her a book then or something else?"
"She's been talking about wanting to play football a lot," Mrs. Granger said after a moment. "Why not get her a ball?"
Hermione nodded and followed her mother down the street. She frowned when they passed their car and kept on walking. "Where are we going?"
"To get Vi's present," Mrs. Granger replied. "Then I want to take you somewhere."
They entered a toy shop and Hermione picked out a light purple football for Viola, having to wait in line for almost twenty minutes because of last minute shoppers. When they finally paid for the ball, Mrs. Granger led Hermione further down the street and opened a door for her, ushering her inside.
Hermione felt her face heat up as soon as she entered the shop, her eyes going wide with horror as she looked around. "M-mum?" she squeaked.
Mrs. Granger smiled warmly, putting an arm over her shoulder. "I wasn't just talking about your height when I told you you've grown."
Mortified, Hermione followed her mother as she led her through the shop. Bras and panties hung up on racks and displays and Hermione couldn't believe that people would just have their undergarments hanging up for everyone to see.
"Good morning!" a cheerful looking woman greeted, coming up to them. "Can I help you today?"
"Yes," Mrs. Granger pulled Hermione to her, "my daughter needs to be fitted for a bra."
The woman smiled knowingly and gestured for Hermione to follow her to the back of the shop. Mrs. Granger nudged Hermione and she was led into a change room. After being fitted (Hermione didn't think her face could get any redder after that experience), the woman began to go around the shop and pick out different bras - and the knickers that matched.
"Mum!" Hermione hissed. "Why are you doing this?"
"You're beginning to develop, sweetie," Mrs. Granger said softly, keeping her voice down so the woman wouldn't overhear them. "You'll need to start wearing bras and I don't think Hogwarts has a shop for you to buy some…..and it's time you had some pretty knickers to go along with them." She said the last bit with a grin; enjoying every bit of the embarrassment that was washing across her daughter's face.
"This is not happening," Hermione moaned, putting her head into her hands.
"You should be proud!" Mrs. Granger laughed. "You're growing up into a woman. Soon you'll get your first period and -"
"Mum!" Hermione hissed, glaring at her. She was positive if she looked in a mirror her face would be as red as Ron's hair.
The woman returned with a handful of bras and knickers and immediately, Hermione was ushered into the changing room. She spent a good half hour trying on the different types of bras and was extremely relieved when they left the shop, although she wasn't too happy about the purchases that had been made. That had to be one of the most embarrassing experiences she ever had.
<><><><><>
25 December, 1991
"Minny! Minny wake up!" Hermione groaned, burrowing her head under her pillow as she heard Viola thunder across the hall. Her door banged open and Viola was suddenly bouncing on Hermione's bed, jumping painfully onto her legs.
"Viola!" Hermione growled, curling her legs up so that they wouldn't be jumped on.
"Father Christmas was here!" Viola exclaimed, still bouncing. "Come on, Minny!"
Hermione groaned, allowing Viola to pull her out of bed and down to the living room. She didn't know why Viola was so persistent about going down to the presents; they had to wait for Uncle Robert, Aunt Mary, and Claire to arrive before opening anything. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were getting coffee in the kitchen, both looking extremely tired in their housecoats. Viola ran to the Christmas tree and plugged it in, giggling as the lights lit up the room. She began to root through the presents underneath the tree, counting under her breath.
"You can't open them," Hermione reminded, lying down on the sofa.
"I know," Viola snapped. "I'm counting how many presents Father Christmas left us."
Hermione yawned and closed her eyes, a soft tapping sound lulling her back to sleep.
"Look!" Viola shouted. Hermione jerked awake and glared at Viola. She was pointing at the window with wide eyes. "An owl!"
"What?" Hermione looked at the window, her eyes widening when she saw the snowy white owl fluttering outside. "Hedwig!"
Hermione scrambled up off the sofa and ran to the window, unlocking and opening it. She hissed as the cold air hit her, stepping aside so Hedwig could enter the room. The owl flew down to the coffee table and held out her leg expectantly, which had an envelope attached to it. Viola sat on the floor by the Christmas tree, presents forgotten, and stared at Hedwig with her mouth hanging open.
Hermione untied the envelope from Hedwig's leg and managed a quick pat on her head before Hedwig rustled her feathers and flew out through the window. Hermione followed and closed the window, shivering at the chill that was now in the room.
"What is that?" Viola asked, running up to look at the envelope.
"I don't know," Hermione said. She went to open the envelope only to have Viola yank it out of her hands. "Vi!"
"You can't open it!" she scolded, running back to the tree and placing the envelope on top of a present. "If I can't open my presents you can't open your letter!"
"Vi," Hermione protested, "it's a letter from Hogwarts. I'm not going to open it in front of Claire."
The doorbell rang, making Hermione and Viola jump. A few seconds later Claire herself came running into the room, dressed in an expensive looking red dress. Uncle Robert and Aunt Mary followed shortly after her, their arms loaded with presents. Viola's eyes went wide and she ran over to Aunt Mary, taking some of the presents from her and placing them delicately underneath the tree.
"Guess what we saw!" Claire exclaimed excitedly as Mr. and Mrs. Granger filed into the room. "There was an owl right outside your house!"
"Was there?" Mr. Granger asked, shooting a nervous glance towards Hermione.
"It was white and beautiful," Claire gushed. "It passed right by the living room window, you didn't see it?"
"We didn't see anything," Viola said quickly, sounding a little too innocent.
"Well I saw it and I'll never forget it," Claire said, perching herself daintily on the sofa. Hermione moved to the other side of the room and sat in the armchair farthest away from her cousin.
Everyone settled in and Viola made quick work of distributing the presents before tearing into her own large pile. Hermione immediately grabbed the letter Hedwig delivered and flicked it open. She smiled when she pulled out two homemade Christmas cards. Her smile grew wider as she opened the first one up to read.
`Happy Christmas, Hermione!
Hope your holidays are going well, sorry I didn't have enough time to find you a present so this card will have to do. Anyway, thanks again for all your help this year, there's no way I could've survived without you. See you when the term starts again,
Harry.'
Hermione grinned and reached for Ron's card, giggling at the messy scrawl. While Harry's writing was neat and slanted, Ron's was rushed and untidy.
`Happy Christmas!
You're missing out here, Hermione. We've got most of Gryffindor Tower to ourselves! It's wicked! So just to warn you, you're probably going to get a present from my mum. I told her not to, but she never listens.
See you when you get back,
Ron.'
Curious, Hermione dropped the card and ruffled through her presents. Sure enough, near the bottom was a lumpy parcel addressed to her with `Mrs. Weasley' written after her name. Hermione picked it up first and unwrapped it quickly; eyes widening as she pulled out a hand-knitted periwinkle blue jumper.
"Who is that from?" Mrs. Granger asked as Hermione pulled the jumper on.
"Ron's mother knitted it for me," she replied, pulling her hair out from under the collar. As she moved, a lump of fudge (also homemade) fell from the wrapping and onto the floor. Hermione picked it up and placed it on the coffee table.
"Fudge!" Viola crowed. "Ron's mum is the best!"
"That's nice of her," Mr. Granger said, reaching over and rubbing the sleeve of the jumper. "You'll have to write a thank you note to her."
"I will," Hermione replied. The jumper was nice and warm and she cuddled into it, her heart melting at the thoughtfulness of Mrs. Weasley.
"It's not even a nice jumper," Claire sniffed, glaring at Hermione.
"Claire," Aunt Mary warned quickly. "We discussed this."
Claire rolled her eyes and went back to the large present she was currently unwrapping. Hermione shook her head and went back to her own large pile of presents. Most of her family got her books and novels with the exception of Viola. Her little sister messily wrapped a black leather journal in neon purple paper, placing as many bows on top of it that was possible. Laughing, Hermione nudged the presents from her family and `Father Christmas' aside and started in on the small pile from her schoolmates.
Fay's present was up first. She had wrapped a medium sized box in red paper with a glittery gold bow on top of the package. Hermione grinned and unwrapped it; gasping softly when she uncovered the box. Inside was a large day planner that automatically catalogued and organized anything that was written on the pages. Hermione ran her hand down the leather exterior, already planning what all she would write into it later that night.
Shae's present was last. Hermione could tell immediately that her friend had gotten her a book and quickly ripped off the wrapping paper. `1001 Utterly Useless Facts about Magic' flashed back up at her in silver lettering and a cartoon picture of a few children reading was displayed underneath.
Careful to keep the moving cover against her legs and out of sight, Hermione opened up the book and began to flip through the pages.
`Useless fact number 685: The invention of the Hair Drying spell was a complete accident! Gruntilda the Grumpy meant to set a young girl's hair on fire for making too much noise but her wand backfired and instead of singing the poor girl's locks, they were dried and styled to perfection.'
Hermione giggled at the insert and watched as the little cartoon drawing of Gruntilda pointed her wand at a young girl with sopping wet hair. There were airwaves and suddenly the girl's hair was dried and styled. She began to flip her hair around dramatically while Gruntilda threw a fit, snapping her wand in half and stomping back into her hut.
"Those pictures are moving!" Claire said suddenly.
Hermione snapped the book shut and clutched it to her chest. "What are you talking about?" she denied quickly.
"The book had moving pictures in it!" Claire said, getting up. "I saw it!"
"I think it was your mind playing tricks on you," Mrs. Granger intercepted smoothly, placing a present into her niece's arms. "Did you see this one? It's from your uncle and me".
Claire glared at Hermione but sat back down and tore into her present. Hermione let out a relieved sigh and flopped back in the chair. Mr. Granger caught her eye and gave her a look that clearly said `get all of the magical presents out of Claire's way.'
Hermione quickly gathered up all the presents she had received and hurried up to her room, placing them onto her bed. 1001 Utterly Useless Facts about Magic and the planner were quickly shoved underneath Hermione's bed. She wouldn't put it past Claire to barge into her room and snoop around her presents. Once she was satisfied that Claire wouldn't be able to find them, Hermione put away the rest of the gifts she had received. The bookshelf groaned in protest as the books were added. Hermione bit her lip and stood back, hoping that the shelf would hold out - she'd have to ask her parents for a larger book case.
Hermione stayed in her room for a little while longer to make sure the shelf wouldn't collapse. When she was convinced that it wouldn't give out, she left her room. Claire jumped out of the bathroom as Hermione closed her door and stood right in her cousin's path. "I know I saw those pictures moving in that book," she sneered, crossing her arms.
"You were seeing things," Hermione replied flatly, pushing past Claire.
"Don't think I haven't forgotten you throwing that book at me!" Claire hissed at Hermione's retreating back. "And if you think I'll just let it go, you're dead wrong."
Hermione ignored her cousin as she walked down the stairs, happy that she had followed her gut instincts and locked her bedroom door.
<><><><><>
27 December, 1991
Hermione pulled her coat closer to her and rang the doorbell to the Perks' house, shivering as the wind blew around her. After a moment, the door creaked open and a man with a trimmed black beard opened the door. "Hermione!" Mr. Perks greeted, opening the door wider for her. "Come in, come in!"
"Thanks Mr. Perks," Hermione said, stepping into the house. "Did you have a good Christmas?"
"I did, thank you," Mr. Perks replied, shutting the door behind Hermione. "Give me your coat and I'll hang it up. Sally is upstairs in her room."
"Thanks," Hermione smiled and shrugged off her coat, handing it to the older man. She toed off her winter boots and hurried up the stairs.
"Hey Hermione!" Susan Perks looked up from the black and white kitten she was playing with in the hall and grinned at her. She looked identical to Sally-Anne but instead of the long hair her twin had, Susan's hair was cut in a cute little bob. "I haven't seen you in forever! Happy Christmas!"
"Happy Christmas to you too," Hermione knelt down beside her friend to pet the kitten. "She's so cute!"
"We got her for Christmas. Her name is Tinks," Susan grinned, pulling on the string she was dangling. The two girls watched in amusement as the kitten flattened itself against the floor and then sprang for the string. Susan pulled the string just out of the kitten's reach and giggled as it rolled over on its back, pawing at the offending thread.
"Where's Sally-Anne?" Hermione asked after a few moments of watching the kitten play.
A dark look passed across Susan's face, "In her room pouting."
"Pouting?" Hermione asked. "What happened?"
"Sally threw a fit because she isn't allowed to bring Tinks back to Hogwarts with her," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Oh," Hermione said slowly. She had been nervous about confronting Sally-Anne as to why she had been ignoring her; now she was sure that it was a bad idea - especially if she was in a bad mood.
"Did you need to talk to her about witchy things?" Susan asked, trying to contain her laughter.
"Witchy things?" Hermione laughed. "Have you been talking to Vi?"
"Us younger sisters have to have someone to talk to about how unfair it is that you guys get to go to Hogwarts," she replied, pouting. "At least Vi still has a chance at going."
"Having a family with two Muggleborn witches is extremely rare," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "Viola isn't a witch."
"Right," Susan said slowly. "Did you want to speak to Sally or not?"
"I can come back if she's in a bad mood," Hermione said quickly.
"Sally!" Susan yelled, ignoring her.
"What?" A door opened and Sally-Anne marched out into the hallway. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw Hermione and she turned around and walked right back into her room.
"She didn't slam the door so that means you're allowed to be in the same room," Susan said, rolling her eyes. "Have fun."
Hermione stood up and wiped her suddenly clammy hands on her jeans as Susan scooped Tinks up and hurried down the stairs. Hermione licked her lips and slowly entered Sally-Anne's room, standing awkwardly in the middle of the space. Sally-Anne was sitting on her bed, glaring at Hermione with surprising intensity.
"Finally found the time to speak to me, have you?" she spat.
"What?" Hermione took a step back in surprise.
"I see how it is," she went on, "none of your other friends are around so you finally remember Sally-Anne is here."
"That isn't true!" Hermione cried.
"Don't lie, Hermione." Sally-Anne growled, her eyes bright with tears. "You promised that we'd be in the same house and that we'd be together."
"Hold on," Hermione protested, "how I supposed to know that we'd be sorted into different houses? We didn't even know how we were going to be sorted! I didn't know the hat was going to pick our brains."
"I was so afraid of being alone at Hogwarts," Sally-Anne continued, ignoring Hermione. "And then I ran into you on the train and I was so happy that there was someone who knew me for me. But after the sorting you never spoke to me outside of our lessons."
"If you wanted to see me outside of school you could've just asked!" Hermione said, her temper flaring. "Every lesson we have together I sit by you and not my other friends! You've had plenty of time to ask if I wanted to meet up with you."
"You were always surrounded by Fay, Shae, Parvati, Harry, or Ron before and after a lesson," Sally-Anne spat back. "How was I supposed to ask then?"
"Go up to me and just ask?" Hermione rolled her eyes. Sally-Anne had always been a bit of a follower, not one to take the initiative for things, but this was ridiculous. "I don't see how this is such a big deal. I've seen you with the friends you made in Hufflepuff - it's not like you're alone and friendless."
"They don't understand me like you do," Sally-Anne whispered, drawing her knees up to her chest. She looked so sad that Hermione felt a pang of guilt go through her. "They don't understand how I feel."
"Is this about being a Muggleborn?" Hermione asked quietly, her anger disappearing almost instantly. Sally-Anne nodded. "But you aren't the only Muggleborn in your year. Justin is one too."
"Justin," Sally-Anne snorted. "His family is stinking rich. You should see the things his family sends to him. It doesn't matter that he's a Muggleborn like us, he's from a different world than we're used to."
Hermione sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I can kind of see where you're going with this," she said quietly. "We've known each other much longer than the other students. But you were always too busy playing with Susan to play with me so we just played together at school. I guess I just thought it'd be the same way at Hogwarts - only see you throughout the lessons. I didn't think about how not having Susan with you all the time would affect you, especially since you're so close with her. I'm sorry, Sally-Anne."
"It's okay," Sally-Anne whispered.
"I promise I'll spend more time with you at Hogwarts," Hermione declared, straightening up. "We can work on homework together, and you can sit with me during the Quidditch matches. When it warms up we can go for walks around the lake too!"
"I'd like that," Sally-Anne sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry for being so mean to you, Hermione. I was hurt and -"
"I get it, it's okay." Hermione interrupted. "We all make mistakes."
Sally-Anne reached over and pulled Hermione into a tight hug, apologizing again. She squeezed Sally-Anne softly and then drew back- the awkward feeling Hermione felt when she entered the room was back again. "I think I should get going," Hermione said, standing up. "I promised Viola I'd show her some of my homework."
"See you on the train, Hermione," Sally-Anne waved.
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as she headed out of the room and down the stairs to where her coat was hanging. She pulled it on and was putting her winter boots on when Susan poked her head out of the kitchen. "Everything okay now?" she asked.
"I think so," Hermione said, straightening up. "We're good now."
"That's good," Susan smiled. She trailed off and stared at Hermione. "Listen, I love my sister a lot. But you have to listen to me," she glanced up the stairs and lowered her voice, "be careful what you promise Sally."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"You'll see," Susan said, shaking her head. "Make sure you stop by again before you go back to Hogwarts, okay? I've missed you."
"I will," Hermione promise and Susan let her out of the house. Hermione sighed as she walked back to her own house. She left feeling more confused than she had felt when she arrived.
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End Note: Holy crap I'm done! I'm finally done! This chapter was a beach to write - it took me almost a month! FINALLY.
Since I'm in the process of writing (and don't like doing weekly updates until I'm at least three chapters ahead), I'll see you guys when I see ya!
Kelci
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