Fic: "The birthday gift" Chap 3
Hermione looked at the headline dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe her eyes, and read it a few more times to be sure she was seeing it right. She then started reading the article.
Yesterday was Miss Granger’s birthday and she had a party to celebrate it at the Weasleys. The young woman has always been accepted as a member of the family, especially since her relationship with Ronald Weasley. Even their breakup didn’t change that, the Weasleys being an accepting and loving family. Although the events of yesterday certainly changed everything: the youngest and only girl of the family, Ginny, announced to all her relationship with Hermione who is also her brother’s ex-girlfriend. Everyone was shocked and we can only guess how betrayed the family felt with this piece of news.
- ‘I finally understand why she broke up with me’, the young Ronald declared, ‘but I still can’t believe how mean she was to just use me and play with me like that.’
The poor young man then left, upset and pained by his former friend’s behaviour. We all remember Hermione Granger as a very intelligent and brave witch during the war. What has happened to her since then? Was she missing the popularity of the after war? Is she using the young Ginny to shine some of the light back on her? We can then only hope that seeing the pain she inflicted to her friend, she’ll stop playing games and using people.
Rita Skeeter.
Hermione looked up, incredulity written all over her face. She couldn’t believe what she was reading. Obviously, she had underestimated Ron’s reaction to the news of her relationship with Ginny, but how could he do such a thing to her and his own sister?
Rita Skeeter wrote about betrayal. Well, that was exactly how she was feeling, at that very moment. She blinked and could feel tears rolling down her cheeks. She knew they were tears of pain and anger. She’d have a conversation with her stupid friend and tell him off like she never had, not even when he left Harry and her in the middle of the war. Before that she would go and see this horrible woman who was calling herself a journalist.
First, though, she needed to see and warn Ginny about this. Right when she started to get up, Ginny herself stormed into her office, slamming the door in the process.
- ‘What a complete moron!’ she shouted. ‘I can’t believe he did that!’
After a moment of surprise, Hermione sat back down, looking at her girlfriend pacing angrily in front of her. Ginny finally stopped long enough to look up at her love. She could see the tears still rolling down Hermione’s cheeks, and her anger at her brother only increased because of it. But she only approached her sweetheart, turned her chair so that the brunette was facing her, and crouched in front of her.
- ‘God, sweetie, are you okay?’ She asked. She then took Hermione’s hands in hers. ‘I’m so sorry, baby; I can’t believe I’m related to such a jerk’
- ‘Don’t be sorry, please, sweetie,’ Hermione replied, ‘because you have done nothing wrong’
- ‘I know, but I can’t really help feeling responsible for all this’
- ‘Well you’re not! Don’t, please; don’t think so wrongly about what’s happening. We did nothing bad.’ Hermione hesitated, but finally went on, her voice full of emotion, ‘I can’t deny how disappointed I am with Ronald.’
- ‘I am too, babe. He didn’t even ask us to know how it happened between us and assumed he’s been played with and all sort of things. I mean, he knows you better than that! How could he even consider you being mean?’
Hermione smiled sadly at her girlfriend.
- ‘He’s hurt and isn’t thinking straight at the moment,’ she explained.
- ‘Well, that’s the problem, right? And I don’t even understand what he’s hurt for. You and he broke up a long time ago and as far as I could tell he recovered very well and pretty fast from it.’
- ‘I’m not sure why he is reacting this way’ replied Hermione, ‘but I guess that if he feels like he’s been played with it’s probably because he’s scared that I never felt anything for him, or something of the sort’
- ‘Well, I might be repeating myself, but he could have asked, and he knows you better than that, doesn’t he?’
- ‘I didn’t mean that he’s being rational, honey. Remember that it’s not the first time he’s stopped talking to me for selfish reasons. Remember about the firebolt in my 3rd year?’
- ‘Yeah, he was already a self-centered git’ said Ginny grumpily.
Hermione held her girlfriend’s hands and brought them up to her own face and kissed them softly, looking at the sad redhead. The younger girl looked up and sighed.
- ‘We’ll have to talk to him before this whole thing goes too far’ said Ginny.
- ‘I agree. And I want to go and see this horrible Rita Skeeter’. She paused, thinking, and went on. ‘She must have something up her sleeve, though, otherwise she would not have done such a thing’
- ‘Yes, I suppose. Be careful, sweetie,’ said the redhead worriedly, ‘she’s been dying to take her revenge on you for ages’.
- ‘I know. I think I’m going to try and find out what she did before going to see her. And we have to keep in mind that for once she didn’t completely lie. We are a couple and you did announce it yesterday.’ Once again, Hermione hesitated before going on, she studied her girlfriend’s face carefully. ‘You’re okay with it, right? I mean, it’s kind of different from telling your family about it. Now, the whole magical world knows about it.’
Ginny did pull a face, but only sincerity was shining in her eyes when she replied.
- ‘Well, I can’t say I’m ecstatic that everyone knows about us so fast, and even worse, this way, but what I said to my dad yesterday was true, you know. I can’t even consider myself being with anyone else but you, my love.’
Hermione bent to kiss the redhead and held on tightly to her. They hugged for some time longer, just to get more strength from the other’s love, knowing that things were going to be difficult for a while. They finally broke apart, feeling better and ready to face whoever was going to be in the way of their happiness.
- ‘You have to go back to work, love,’ Hermione said.
- ‘I don’t want to, but yes, I have to. I love you.’
- ‘And I you.’
They kissed a last time before Ginny left. Hermione stared at the door for a moment, thinking how she could manage to learn what the journalist knew to have enough assurance to write such an article.
- ‘Harold!’ she called through the door suddenly.
About two hours later, Hermione could hear someone knock on the door. She looked up from the newspaper unfolded on her desk.
- ‘Come in’ she said, slightly worried that it would be someone else than her young assistant.
Fortunately for her, it was Harold who came in. He closed the door behind him.
- ‘Here, Miss, I checked what you told me to look for and you were right’
- ‘She did register, then?’ asked the brunette.
- ‘Yes, she apparently called a friend of hers or something like that so she could register quite late last night.’ He handed Hermione a piece of paper who read it aloud.
- ‘Rita Skeeter, registered as an animagus who takes the form of a beetle’. Hermione frowned. ‘Wow, she really wanted to take her revenge on me if she went as far as registering herself’
The young man shifted on the spot. Hermione looked at him.
- ‘I wanted to thank you for showing me the article when I arrived, Harold.’
- ‘You’re welcome, Miss.’
- ‘Would you like to ask me questions about what was written in the article?’ asked the brunette. She felt she owed him this, at least.
- ‘Oh, this is none of my business, Miss’ replied the boy, blushing.
Hermione smiled. He was such a sweet boy.
- ‘You’re sort of right, but since I like you very much; I would like you to know the truth, if you don’t mind’. She paused and since he didn’t say anything she took his silence as an agreement. ‘Well, Ginny and I are in a relationship. We love each other very much. On the other hand, I never played with Ronald, nor did I lie to him’
She once again paused, studying his reactions, but his face was unreadable. So she went on.
- ‘Now that you know, I admit that I would appreciate to know your opinion and thoughts on the matter’
Harold smiled at her.
- ‘Well, Miss, I never thought you played with Ron Weasley. I see you here every day. I see how you are on a daily basis, and how you treat people. I could never think that you were mean or that you played with anyone. As for your relationship with Miss Weasley, the only thing I can say about that, besides that you look cute together, is that I wish you both to be happy’
Hermione blushed at the compliment about her relationship, but her smile was wide. The young man had never spoken so openly to her. She was happy to see that not everyone would be against them. Well, she had known that they would have some support, but it was nice to have some proof of it, and it felt even better that it was coming from someone she appreciated very much and whom she saw every day at work.
- ‘Thank you,’ she said, ‘you’re a good man, Harold’
It was Harold’s turn to blush. Hermione asked him to sit down and they spoke about the article for some time longer. Harold left later to go and buy some lunch, and they both ate in the brunette’s office even though she knew she had some patients to deal with in the afternoon. She braced herself and got ready.
In the middle of the afternoon, Hermione heard a knock on the door. The nurse came in with an apologetic look on her face.
- ‘I’m sorry, Hermione, but your next patient also cancelled.’
- ‘I can’t believe them all!’ said Hermione heatedly. ‘What the hell are they afraid of? That I’m going to abuse them?’
She put her head in her hands and sighed deeply to calm herself down. At that time, she could hear another knock on the door. There, a young man with a little girl in his arms came in shyly.
- ‘Hum, hello, Healer Granger?’
- ‘Yes,’ Hermione replied, and the nurse left quietly.
- ‘Well, my name is Adrian and here is my little girl, Nicola’ started the man, ‘we’re friends of Luna Lovegood’
- ‘Oh! Well, please to meet you’ answered the brunette. She smiled. It was so much like Luna to send someone to see her when she knew things were going to be hard. As weird as she could be at times, her heart was definitely in the right place.
- ‘Yes, pleased to meet you as well,’ Adrian said, ‘I would like you to take a look at my daughter, please. I mean, if you have some time.’
- ‘Well, sure, I have all the time in the world. What’s the problem with her?’
Hermione took care of the young Nicola, and saw that not everyone had cancelled their appointment after all. Still, it had been a pretty long day, and she was happy to be back home. Ginny was cooking dinner and it smelled fabulous in the house.
- ‘Mmmmm, it smells so nice, what are you cooking, babe?’ called out the brunette when she came in.
- ‘Oh, what you smell right now is roasted lamb’ answered the younger witch.
When she entered the kitchen, though, Hermione frowned. When she saw the look on her girlfriend’s face, Ginny started to worry.
- ‘What is it? Are you okay?’ She asked.
- ‘Well, it’s just that I was wondering why you were not cooking all naked. I’m sure it makes the dish even better in the end.’ Answered the older witch, trying to keep a straight face.
- ‘Oh, in my opinion, sweetie, what makes the dish better is when I use you as a plate’ replied Ginny cheekily.
Hermione got closer to her girlfriend and finally kissed her hello.
- ‘Well,’ she started, ‘plate is my second name, didn’t you know? Hermione Plate Granger.’
- ‘Really?’ giggled Ginny. ‘Well, I’m sure you’ll be useful for the ice cream, for desert’
They teased each other for a bit longer. During dinner, though, they each explained what had happened during their day at work. They both agreed that they had to find a way to stop Rita Skeeter, and that they should go and talk to Ron just after dinner. Still, they kept the desert for when they’d be back.
When the kitchen was clean and they were both ready, they knew they couldn’t delay their meeting with Ron any longer. They both wanted to talk to him, but at the same time they both were worried about the outcome of such a conversation. Nevertheless, they took a deep breath and Apparated in front of Ron’s house.
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