Round 3, Challenge 2; Drabbles & Voting
Behind the cut are the drabbles for the second challenge: A Girl's Best Friend
Again: please keep an open mind to all pairings, and do not ask people to vote for you. I didn't mention this last time and I don't think it happened, but do not vote for yourself.
DRABBLE 1:
Title: Mea Culpa
By: minervasrevenge
Rating: All ages
Warnings: EWE, OOC
Summary: Hermione tries not to discuss her feelings...and fails.
Pairing: Hermione/Lucius
Word Count: 512
"Have you ever been in love against your will, Irma?"
The librarian shot Hermione a sharp look.
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," she answered crisply, her disparaging gaze fixed on the new first years shuffling timidly into the Great Hall.
Hermione frowned; "I'm just - I think I might be in love with someone that I have no business being in love with."
Hermione had found an unexpected friend in Irma Pince as her apprentice. Their shared love for books brought them together even though their personalities clashed.
Irma snickered and asked behind her hand, "The wizard from the Three Broomsticks the other night..?"
"Don't be silly," Hermione snorted.
"Are you going to give me a name..?" Irma pressed in an undertone.
Hermione bit her lip and shook her head.
Irma shrugged, "How do you expect me to help?"
"I just - I'm not entirely sure what I want to do about it, myself... It's... It's inexplicable and yet it makes so much sense..."
The older witch gave a quiet cackle, "You're definitely in love."
With a sigh, Hermione transfigured her pumpkin juice into wine. It was the arrival feast - and it wasn't as if she'd be interacting with students yet.
The librarian held up her hand and folded down a finger with each name she dismissed.
"Not Filius and I don't think Horace is to your taste... Lucius is definitely out... Neville..? I thought he was engaged!"
Hermione knew that Irma was teasing her and she giggled, "Keep your voice down!"
A reproachful glance from Minerva quieted the both of them until the welcome speech was given, the new students sorted and sumptuous food bedecked the tables.
"You're one to cast stones," Hermione said with a jab of her fork for emphasis.
"Don't know what you mean," Irma replied airily.
Hermione chewed the chunk of bread in her mouth and said cattily; "As if no one knows."
The librarian's cheeks were pink and she focused on her plate while she ate.
"I think it's sweet, Irma," Hermione said softly. She hadn't meant to embarrass her friend.
"What did you mean by ‘against your will?'" the other witch asked slyly.
"It just," Hermione fought the urge to glance at the object of her affection, "It just happened so naturally... There are so many reasons I shouldn't be with him but... When I am... They just don't matter..."
Hermione found Irma glaring at her in irritation.
"What?" she asked.
Irma rolled her eyes; "You young witches these days. Everything's a crisis! If you love the wizard, be with him!"
The nearest students looked up at them and Hermione caught the glances of a couple of professors - including the wizard she was refusing to name. He lifted a brow at her. Unable to look away, Hermione filled with butterflies and set aside her fork. There was no way she'd be able to eat now.
Irma followed Hermione's besotted gaze to Lucius.
"You're definitely in trouble," Irma quipped, popping a forkful of treacle tart into her smirking mouth.
Hermione sighed, "I know."
DRABBLE 2:
Title: Farewell
By: kcstories
Rating: PG
Warnings: Mentions DH character deaths.
Summary: Hermione attends Tonks' funeral.
Pairing: Marcus/Hermione (Remus/Tonks)
Word Count: 744
If there exists some unwritten rule that it should always rain at funerals, then today has definitely broken it.
The mid-morning sun is unusually warm on Hermione’s face, and the black dress she’s wearing will probably leave her feeling hot and uncomfortable by lunchtime.
It’s odd how nothing about today feels normal or right.
Or perhaps it’s rather appropriate.
She takes a deep breath and follows the other mourners onto the graveyard.
No one breathes a word.
Hermione thinks she understands why. Even the most sincerely uttered sentiments of sympathy start to sound empty and artificial when you’re attending the tenth memorial service in a row.
Tonks will be buried side by side with Remus.
Hermione knew that the couple was having marital problems, but Tonks remained optimistic right until the end. She blamed the strain and uncertainty of the war for her failing relationship.
She may have been right. Perhaps she and Remus would have made it work in the long run. It’s impossible to tell in hindsight, and well, it doesn’t really matter anymore.
Hermione glances at the baby asleep in his gran's arms. Teddy has been such a good boy these past few days. He hardly ever cries, or goes into one of those screaming fits many babies are prone to.
Looking back, Hermione thinks it was a little unusual how quickly-how easily-she became friends with Tonks.
The two of them were so different and yet quite similar; two strong-willed, intelligent women fighting for the same cause and trying to stay afloat in the middle of a harrowing war.
Hermione had never had a woman friend before-or rather, a close friend who happened to be female. Generally, she gets along better with boys, even if they tend to be a bit thick at times.
Most girls she knows are mostly focused on appearances and random gossip, while Hermione is more concerned with how a certain potion works than how her hair looks on a particular day or whom Lavender Brown happens to be snogging that week.
Tonks was all about facts too, even if she sometimes got those facts muddled.
Hermione blinks back tears as the coffin is lifted down into the earth.
Of all the people who perished, Tonks is the one she’ll miss the most.
Tonks was the only person she could talk to about certain things, the only one who understood.
Well, all right, with the exception of Luna, but Hermione sometimes finds Luna hard to follow. She seems to get there in the end, but often it’s via a strange foggy road with a lot of bends and metaphors.
Hermione prefers someone more grounded, someone more like herself.
When she realised she was falling for a very unlikely and possibly completely wrong person, Tonks was the one she could rely on for advice.
She couldn’t trust her own judgment, you see. She had always been better with books, potions and academic theories than with flesh and blood people.
"I think there’s more to him than meets the eye. He did the right thing in the end, didn’t he? Maybe you should just give him a chance and see what happens. Nothing ventured…”
If it hadn't been for Tonks squashing her doubts that day, then perhaps Marcus wouldn’t be standing here today, supporting her as best as he can.
“Are you all right, love?” he asks softly.
Hermione nods slowly. “Yes, but I’ll miss her,” she replies, turning to face him. “ I’ll miss her a whole lot.”
“Of course you will,” he whispers. “She was your best friend.”
“Yes, she was.” Hermione sighs.
A comforting arm is wrapped around her shoulders, and she bites her lip, willing herself not to turn into a sobbing mess. Tonks never appreciated that sort of nonsense.
Prayers are said over the coffin and the priest speaks the final departing words.
Hermione isn’t really listening. She’s lost in memories of moments she’ll never forget-so few moments, too. There should have been many, many more.
Marcus nudges her arm gently.
Hermione blinks in confusion. Then she steps forward and drops a white lily into the open grave.
“Bye Tonks,” she whispers so softly no one else can hear. “I hope you’re at peace now. There will never;”-her voice breaks slightly, but she soldiers on-“there will never be another one quite like you.”
A large cloud obscures the sun, just for a moment. Hermione thinks it’s quite fitting.
DRABBLE 3:
Title: Understanding Lavender
By: luvscharlie
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Summary: Lavender Brown and Ron Weasley's snogging sessions in the Gryffindor common room were like a punch in the stomach to Hermione Granger. Parvati Patil makes her see things in a whole new light.
Pairing: Hermione Granger-Parvati Patil
Word Count: 946
She couldn't stand watching them paw one another any longer. The tears refused to stay pooled in her eyes and had started to slip down her cheeks before she could exit the common room. She only hoped no one had noticed. She grabbed her things for a shower and left her dorm room. The girls' showers were the safest place for a good cry. There was no chance of running into Harry or Ron there, and Lavender was far too preoccupied with-she really just couldn't think about that anymore.
~~ ♥♥ ~~
When she finally emerged from the shower after a good, long cry, she was startled by an unexpected voice.
"I was becoming concerned that you might be trying to drown yourself in there."
"Parvati! You startled me."
"Sorry about that. It took me a while to find you."
The pretty girl with dark hair and eyes was sitting on the counter next to the sink, and had apparently been waiting for her, though Hermione could not imagine why. They had never been close, and Parvati was, after all, Lavender Brown's best friend.
She was jerked from her thoughts by Parvati's voice. "Then I started thinking about where I'd go if I needed a good cry and I thought you might be in here."
"I wasn't-" The red, swollen eyes in the mirror told her that there was really no point in denying that she had been crying.
"I guess you wonder why I'm here. I mean, it's not as if we've ever talked much before."
"So why are you here?"
"To the point, aren't you? Fair enough, I guess. I wanted you to know, she doesn't mean it. To hurt you, I mean. She's not with him just to hurt you."
"If you've come to defend Lavender's acting like a common slag, save your breath. I'm not interested."
Parvati turned to walk away, or at least that's what she'd thought, when she heard the lock on the door click into place.
"I didn't. The way she's throwing herself at him doesn't make me any happier than it makes you."
"Oh!" She hadn't expected that.
"But it's not exactly a fair fight, is it, Hermione?"
"It's not a fight at all. As far as I'm concerned, she can have him."
"Well, you're partially correct. It's not a fight, but she'll never have him. He's belonged to you for far too long. And somewhere, deep down inside, she knows. She's using what little ammunition she has in a fight that you won long ago. She just isn't ready to concede defeat quite yet."
"Why are you telling me this?" Hermione sank down onto the cool tile of the floor and hugged her knees against her chest.
Parvati crossed the room and sat down beside her. "I saw you crying when you left the common room. I'm sorry it hurts you to see them together. Don't call her a slag. She's not, you know. She loves him. He's not just someone to pass the time. She really loves him, and I hate that he's stringing her along the way he is. Her body is all she thinks she has left to fight you with, and she's desperate to hang on to him, no matter the cost."
"I don't know why you think he wants me. We can barely say a civil word to one another these days."
"Because you don't see the way he looks at you when he knows you're not watching. It's you he wants, Hermione. Lavender's simply available." She stood to go. "I won't bother you anymore. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, and at least try to make you see things from her perspective."
"Parvati," Hermione said, "I'm glad we talked. Thank you. It means a lot that you came to find me."
Parvati nodded and smiled.
"I've been so jealous of her. I'm still jealous that she has what I want so desperately. But now, I feel-I don't know-sad too, I guess."
"I don't know from personal experience, Hermione, but my mother always said there is nothing that hurts so much as loving someone and knowing they don't love you in return. Sadly, I think Lavender will be able to tell me just how that feels very soon."
"You're a good friend."
"I'm your friend too, if you ever need one."
"Thank you."
Parvati's hand rested on the door handle, and she seemed to be pondering whether or not she should say something. "I know I have no right to ask you this, Hermione, but when it happens-when he hurts her-and he will, could you not rub it in her face? I know she's done that to you, and you have every right to reciprocate, but--it's just she's going to be hurting enough, and I'll be the one left to pick up the pieces when Ron shatters her heart, so--"
"I won't. It hurts too much. I know how hard it is to see him with her, so if that happens, I won't."
"Thank you."
~~ ♥♥ ~~
Hermione had a lot to think about when she pulled the curtains on her four-poster that night. Seeing Lavender Brown through Parvati's eyes made Hermione wonder if she and the girl were so different, after all. It was much harder, now, to fault her simply for doing what she, herself, had done: fall in love with Ron Weasley.
She never really understood how, but it seemed whenever she needed a female's ear to bend during the remainder of their sixth year, Parvati always showed up in the girls' showers so the two of them could talk…because that's what friends did.
DRABBLE 4:
Title: Imagination
By: snowpuppies
Rating: PG
Warnings: n/a
Summary: Hermione's parents are concerned about her.
Word Count: 1000
Imagination
"She's doing it again."
"I thought she'd outgrown it."
"I did, too. I know she's a creative child, but…I just…worry about her."
"So do I."
"What should we do?"
"I don't know, Love. I just don't know."
***
Hermione turned another page in Indigenous Birds of Eastern Europe, her eyes flickering between the text and the full-color photos.
She sighed, her bare feet slapping together sporadically in the air above; for once, an otherwise fascinating subject wasn't holding her attention.
Placing a marker from the local library-Learn More, Read a Book-between the pages, she put the book aside and rolled over, glancing across the bedroom towards the chair next to the window.
"Do you think I shouldn't have done it?"
Propping herself up on her elbows, she rested her chin between her palms.
"I mean, cheating's against the rules. Mrs. Blackwell said so, very clearly, at the beginning of the year. I wrote down all the rules in the front of my notebook-so I wouldn't forget, of course-and, well, she really should have known, shouldn't she?"
Frustrated, she twisted her body around until she was sitting, legs folded into a pretzel, arms crossed over her chest.
"It's not my fault she didn't pay attention, that she'd rather gossip about boys and clothes than listen to the teacher. And so what if I told? It's against the rules. I was supposed to tell." Bouncing from the bed, she began to pace, her head twisting to keep the chair in sight with each pass.
"And cheating on a history quiz? Of all things! History's so…so…easy! It's just facts. You just have to memorize. I-I can't believe she needed to cheat!" Flopping to the floor, she turned to the chair, again.
"But the things she said…" She sniffed, blinking, as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I did what I was supposed to do-why do they all hate me?"
***
"Doctor, we're concerned about our daughter, Hermione."
"Ah, yes. I remember her-bright young girl, asked a million and one questions at her last check-up. Unless I miss my guess, I'll have to be on my toes-that one will have my job, soon!"
"Yes, that's our Hermione, alright."
"Lovely child. What seems to be the problem, then?"
"Well…physically, she's fine, it's just…"
"You see, Doctor, she has…an imaginary friend."
***
Hermione hugged her knees to her chest, huddled snugly into the space between the bed and the wall.
"I didn't mean to." Biting her lip, she looked up at the edge of the bed.
"It's just…she said something nasty about my teeth…sh-she…called me a-a beaver!" Hermione cried, burying her face in her hands, her abundant hair falling to cover her from view. She continued, her voice a bit muffled, now. "And then I-I got so upset and so angry and I just thought it-I didn't even say it out loud-but then…all her hair fell out, right onto the floor."
Glancing up, she dropped her hands to the floor and continued: "And then all the other girls started to laugh, and then she called me a freak and ran to the loo."
She stared at the floral wallpaper, almost as if in a trance; if she looked long enough, the leaves and vines seemed to move...
She blinked.
"I think she was crying."
She looked up again.
"Do you think I'm a freak?"
***
"Many children have imaginary friends. How old is she?"
"Nine. She'll be ten in three months."
"I see. Tell me, does she have any other friends, real ones?"
"Well, Hermione's such a smart girl, and you know how children are…she's just never meshed well with other girls her age."
"Ten is a bit old for an imaginary friend, to be honest, but I wouldn't be overly concerned. Give her another year or two-if she's still speaking with this 'friend', I'll be glad to see her."
"Thank you so much, Doctor."
"I'm glad I could help."
***
The setting sun filled the back yard with golden light.
Hermione sat, watching the dust motes swirling in the last light of the day.
"It's tomorrow, you know." She glanced across the porch to a green and white lawn chair, twisting her hands in worry.
"I'm afraid to go to Hogwarts, Lily. What if I can't find my classes? Or what if I don't know enough?" She paused, brow furrowed, lip clamped between her teeth. "What if I'm rubbish at it?"
"You'll do fine." Lily smiled. "You'll love it, I'm sure."
"But what if no one likes me?"
"Nonsense. Why wouldn't they like you? Why, I bet you'll make a friend on the train, before you even get to Hogwarts."
"You think so?" Hermione glanced up at the other girl, who was fading away with the evening sun.
"I promise."
Hermione watched as Lily slowly disappeared into the darkness. Sighing, she stood up, entering the back door and climbing up the stairs to her room; she had to pack, after all.
And then maybe she'd read Hogwarts, A History one more time…
…just in case.
***
Mrs. Granger looked out the window where her daughter was sitting, speaking to what seemed to be an empty lawn chair.
"Still talking to Lily, then?" Her husband asked, coming closer to peer out the window with her.
She glanced down at the fine vellum envelope she held, the green ink boldly proclaiming its source: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Her brow furrowed in thought-"You don't suppose…"-she looked up at the empty lawn chair, then back at the envelope once again.
Mr. Granger followed her gestures, his gaze flickering between the empty chair and the envelope.
Their eyes met.
"Well, that's a relief," Mr. Granger said, smiling out the window at his daughter and her 'friend' before leaving the room.
Mrs. Granger sighed; of course her daughter wasn't crazy, she was special.
She was a witch.
***
DRABBLE 5:
Title: The Test of Time
By: bambu345
Rating: All Ages
Warnings: None
Summary: There may be a season for every purpose … but a best friend can make anything better.
Pairing: Inapplicable
Word Count: 997
POTTER AND WEASLEY TO TRAIN AS AURORS!
Best Gal Pal, Hermione Granger, Follows in their Footsteps
The vase shattered against the wall of Hermione’s closet-sized office, splinters of glass spraying in a glittery cloud.
“Everything all right?” A blonde head craned around the door jamb.
Hermione gasped. “I’m sorry! I -- I thought everyone had gone home.”
“I usually stay pretty late.” A slender witch entered the office, casting a subtle Reparo. “My closet’s next door. I’m Audrey Goyle.”
She waited expectantly, but too many families had been polarized by Voldemort’s propaganda for Hermione to make assumptions. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Have you dinner plans?”
“Take away, but I’d enjoy company. Do you like Indian?”
Audrey smiled. “A lamb saag would set me up nicely.”
POTTER AND WEASLEY APPREHEND RANDOLPH LESTRANGE
Audrey refilled Hermione’s glass. “To undeserving prats!”
The wine’s sweetness offset the bitterness of the day, and Hermione slurred, “Ron actually patted me on the shoulder … said I’d made valuable contributions to the team, and then he asked me out.”
“Wanker!” Audrey skewered her kebab as if it were her red-headed partner.
“Git!”
“Blue-bollocksed booby.”
“Rogering red-headed … prat!”
Their irritation devolved into giggles.
GOYLE-WEASLEY NUPTIALS AT SHACKLEBOLT HALL
“How do I look?” asked the blushing bride.
“You’re so beautiful Percy will probably stutter when he sees you.”
“Am I doing the right thing?”
Hermione fluffed the layers of white tulle, met guileless blue eyes in the cheval mirror. “Do you love him?”
“Terribly, although he can be a rule-spouting pillock on occasion.”
“Then it’s the right thing.”
“What about Ron?” Audrey adjusted her veil.
“I don’t know.”
“Hermione, you’ve loved him for years.”
“I’ve loved chocolate for years, too, but it gives me migraines.”
“Point taken.”
GRANGER APPOINTED DEPUTY DIRECTOR
“This calls for a celebration!” Audrey waved the Daily Prophet as she waddled into Hermione’s spacious new office.
“Aren’t you on maternity leave?”
“I can still treat you to lunch. Besides, Harry’s taking you out tonight.”
“I’m surprised Ginny’s willing to let him out of her sight.”
“Is Ron going?”
“Don’t know,” Hermione replied airily. “Don’t care.”
“Your date didn’t go well?”
“At first, but then we had a row.”
“Another one?”
“Apparently my promotion’s a publicity stunt because I’m Muggle-born.”
Audrey snorted. “Wanker!” Then she patted her burgeoning belly. “Let’s go before the sprog decides to congratulate you by coming early.”
Hermione scooted from around her desk.
PERCY AND AUDREY WEASLEY WELCOME A DAUGHTER
The bouquet of fragrant roses preceded Hermione through the door. After hugging Audrey tightly, she asked, “Where’s my god-daughter?”
“Percy’s taken her for a walk.” Audrey angled her head appraisingly. “What’s wrong?”
The brunette protested. “You’ve just had a baby.”
“Out with it!”
Tears shone in Hermione’s eyes. “I think I’m pregnant.”
“What!”
“Remember when I celebrated my promotion?
Audrey sounded appalled. “Harry?”
“No! Ron came with Harry.”
“Surprise, surprise.”
“I don’t remember much, but when I woke the next morning, Ron was there.”
“Fuck!”
Hermione shrugged helplessly. “I suppose a decade’s worth of UST exploded in my face.”
Audrey said dryly, “It isn’t supposed to explode in your face.”
“Audrey!”
GRANGER WEDS POTTER’S BEST FRIEND
“You don’t have to do this.”
Hermione’s knuckles were white. “I really do.”
Audrey shifted little Molly to the other breast, and the room was quiet except for the baby’s contented sounds.
“It isn’t that I don’t love Ron,” Hermione explained, “and I already love this baby.”
“Then I won’t say another word, but I - we - will be here … just in case.”
“Thanks.” Hermione blinked her eyes rapidly. “There is one good thing - aside from the baby.”
“What?”
“You’ll be my sister.”
ROSE AURORA BORN TO HERMIONE GRANGER-WEASLEY
Flowers adorned every surface of the private room, the largest arrangement from the Minister himself.
“She’s beautiful,” Audrey said, dotingly.
A tiny bundle nestled in Hermione’s arms. “Isn’t she? I’m taking her home today.”
Audrey narrowed her eyes. “Where’s Ron?”
“At work.” Hermione said defensively, “He got a Patronus from Harry an hour ago. What could I say?”
“No was an option.”
“I can manage.”
“You shouldn’t have to.”
At that moment, Rose opened her eyes, captivating the two friends.
PERCY AND AUDREY WEASLEY WELCOME A SECOND DAUGHTER
LAW ENFORCEMENT’S HERMIONE GRANGER-WEASLEY DELIVERS A SON
Hermione cradled Hugo while he suckled. “I can’t believe we delivered the same day.”
Across the semi-private room, Audrey put Lucy in the enchanted bassinette which obligingly rose to accommodate her need. “Who could’ve planned this?”
“Think George might’ve put something in last Halloween’s punch?”
“Then Angelina would be sharing the room, and you know what she said last time.”
They laughed before clutching their much-abused stomachs.
WEASLEY-MALFOY NUPTIALS IN WILTSHIRE
“She was a beautiful bride.” Audrey proffered a square of linen.
Hermione sniffled. “But so young.”
“Too young?”
“No. Rose is in love with Scorpius, and he--”
“Adores her. It’s obvious.”
“To everyone but Ron.” Hermione unerringly located her husband at the bar, his robes hiding an increasing penchant for ale.
“Is he still furious with you for approving?”
Hermione rolled her eyes. “I’ve apparently betrayed Fred’s memory.”
HERMIONE GRANGER-WEASLEY PROMOTED TO DIRECTOR
She knocked on the cottage’s front door, shifting nervously from foot-to-foot.
Audrey opened the door. “Hermione?”
“I - I’ve left Ron.”
Within minutes, the friends were seated in the kitchen, doors Colloportus’d and the room Muffliato’d. “Romilda Vane?”
Hermione shot to her feet. “You knew?”
Audrey shook her head. “Percy saw them together last week. I asked Harry. He said she interviewed Ron for Witch Weekly, but then he did that thing with his mouth.”
“He lied.” Hermione sipped her chocolate. “Ron didn’t even have the bollocks to tell me himself.”
“So how - She didn’t?”
“Marched into my office and presented her evidence, complete with pictures.”
Audrey laughed derisively. “Stupid cow!”
“Of course I confiscated them, and I’ve already filed divorce papers.” Suddenly, she began to cry.
“Hermione!”
“Do you know the worst thing?”
“What?”
“I’m relieved it’s over.”
DMLE'S GRANGER MARRIES MINISTER SHACKLEBOLT IN PRIVATE CEREMONY
DRABBLE 6:
Title: Snorkack Logic
By: gingeraled
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: fluff?
Summary: Sometimes, well, most of the time, a girl just needs someone to talk to about... stuff.
Pairing: mentions of Ron/Hermione
Word Count: 950+
“Are you sure you’d rather be drinking that instead of gurdyroot tea, Hermione? I made a fresh batch.”
You stare at Luna, not bothering to check the expression on your face. Her mass of blonde hair is knotted on her head by her wand, and miniature onions, this time, dangle from her ears. Her pale green robes, are, at least, not too out of this world. She’s an odd sight to you, even with the slight haze of firewhisky dulling your senses.
She snaps her fingers in front of your face. Your eyes find focus on her sea-blue ones.
“Oh yay! The snapping fingers thing does work!” she exclaims. You give her a frown.
“Luna,” you say, careful to make your pronunciation as clear as can be. “I came here for advice, Merlin knows why, and not for a taste of the extract of some sort of root that doesn’t even exist!”
A look oddly similar to hurt passes through your friend’s face and you notice it as such only because you feel a bit guilty inside.
“Oh well, Hermione. The only thing I can say about your problem is this. Snorkacks.”
You stare at her again. Luna’s a good friend, and wise, you admit. But sometimes, she’s just really odd. Like now.
“I just spent thirty minutes of my life telling you this, this problem I have with Ronald and you say ‘snorkacks’ in reply!” You rise from the armchair you’ve been slumped in since you arrived and start pacing around your friend’s office. “That’s hardly anything helpful!”
“Oh, but it is,” Luna says matter-of-factly, as she looks up from the stack of papers on her desk. She tucks her quill, tip still wet with ink, behind her ears, not caring that the ink starts dripping on her neck. “Have you told Harry about this problem, though? He won’t like being kept in the dark about his best friends’ problems.” Luna made air quotes as she said “problems,” but now, her hands are folded primly on top of her papers. If not for the wand in her hair, the onions dangling from her ears, the quill tucked behind her ear, and the drops of ink staining her neck, she looks like a normal newspaper editor from where you stand.
So you sit on the chair in front of her cluttered desk. The firewhisky must be extra strong, you think, as you remove the offending quill from behind your friend’s ear. “Luna, you’ve just really, really, dirtied your neck. It’s atrocious,” you almost clean the mess up with your wand, but remember just in time that it’s irresponsible to use magic when one is drinking, so you wipe it with a piece of paper instead.”
“Thanks, Hermione! You’ve always been a perceptive one.”
You roll your eyes. “Anyway. Of course I haven’t told Harry! How could I tell Harry about our-” you’re the one who uses air quotes this time “sex life.”
“But you're telling me, and I'm not really your best friend .”
“It’s different, Luna! You’re a girl! I’m allowed to have female friends, aren’t I? And I can’t talk to Ginny because she’s Ron’s sister!” You’re near to giving up. Sometimes, well, most of the time, you have a frighteningly hard time communicating with Luna Lovegood.
“And I know you can help me. I don’t know how, but I just know,” you add, eyes pleading.
“Snorkacks are very interesting creatures, Hermione-” but she doesn’t let you cut her off with a rant. “Nuh-uh, you have to listen. Snorkacks, all kinds, really, not just the crumple-horned ones, are very interesting creatures.”
You cannot wait for Luna to get to her point.
“They mate for life. And the male snorkack doesn’t really mind if the female snorkack has a rounder than usual belly, or crinkled skin in her forelegs. The male snorkack is happy to mate with its mate, just because. Because he’s her mate, and she’s his.”
Slowly, Luna is starting to make sense.
“It’s a pity that snorkacks are really rare. Especially the crumple-horned ones.”
“It is sad, that,” you say a bit distractedly. You look at Luna, who seems like she’s drifted into a daze even more intense than usual.
“Luna. Luna!” You snap your fingers.
“Oh! What is it Hermione?”
“Are you saying that Ron won’t really mind that I’m not, you know, sexy, so I shouldn’t be afraid of disrobing fully in front of him, that I should just get over myself and sleep with him? Finally?”
Luna rolls her large eyes at you. You feel slightly offended. “Oh, no, no. I’m not saying that at all.”
You close your eyes, and clench your fists, thinking that you’ve reached the end of your patience.
“I’m saying that when Ronald sees you naked he might make a mess of his pants. You already define ‘sexy’ for him.”
Your lips slowly curve up in a small smile as you remember the way Ron pants and says you’re so bloody beautiful each time the two of you snog passionately. You feel tired after this whole conversation with Luna, but it’s all worth it. She makes sense.
--
You give Luna a big hug when she walks you out of her office. You tell her of a few spells that might be best for the ink stain on her neck, but she doesn’t look like she’s listening.
“Stop fussing, Hermione. I suggest that instead, you start thinking about how you’re going to get naked with Ronald.”
You let out a giggle, because, yes, images of how that will happen are already running through your head. Luna waves goodbye to you. You wave back.
“Remember to tell me about the mating ritual afterwards, okay? In full detail.” She gives you a seemingly innocent smile coupled with a cock of an eyebrow. You smile back, and nod in promise.
Of course you’re going to tell her the details.
DRABBLE 7:
Title: Summer Correspondence
By: ctorres
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Summary: The boys might not write much, but that doesn't mean that
Hermione doesn't.
Characters: Hermione and Padma
Word Count: 880
Padma,
Thank you for owling! I was very pleased to get mail. Harry and Ron aren't much for writing, so I don't imagine I'll be getting much mail from them. I'm sorry that you and Parvati aren't getting along. Sometimes I think that I would like to not be an only child, but after seeing Ron deal with his brothers, I'm not so sure.
My summer is going well so far. I'm finished with our homework for Transfiguration and Charms already, but I haven't had time to look at the rest. I'm spending lots of time with my parents. We went to see a film called Jurassic Park over the weekend. It was about scientists who brought dinosaurs back to life. I don't normally like action films, but this one was very good. It feels strange to be in the Muggle world again, but I'm glad to be home.
What have you been up to, apart from avoiding Parvati and Lavender? If you'd like to escape your family, Mum and Dad say that I'm welcome to have school friends over.
Your friend,
Hermione
--
Hermione,
Do you have an owl? I can't remember. I don't mind that you used mine to reply, of course.
Lavender is leaving to go back to her own house at the end of the week, thank Merlin. I don't think I could take it much longer. We won't be going to buy our books and supplies for next term until we get our letters from Hogwarts, but they talked Mum into a special trip to Flourish and Blotts just to get their Divination books yesterday. Our cousin Anita says that it's a good class to take because it's easy, but I'm sure that Arithmancy is more useful... and probably more accurate, too. Incidentally, which classes did you settle on? The last time you said anything about it, you were still trying to convince McGonagall to let you take more than two electives.
My mother says that I can visit, but my father says that the Muggle world is too dangerous. I guess he doesn't know what you get up to at school if he thinks that seeing you at your home would be more dangerous, eh? I'll keep working on him.
Scientist? Dinosaur? Film? Explain, please.
Yours,
Padma
--
Padma,
I don't have an owl, no. I think I might be getting a familiar of some sort when I get my school supplies this summer.
If you come visit, please, PLEASE don't mention anything about "what I get up to at school", unless of course you're trying to eliminate your competition for top spot in the class by convincing my parents to keep me home. They have no idea. I wish I could tell them more, but they'd never let me go back to Hogwarts if they knew it was dangerous.
Scientists are researchers. A film is a Muggle thing that's like a stage play crossed with a Wizard photo, more or less. If you come to visit, we could go see one. Jurassic Park will be out all summer, but there are loads of other choices if you'd rather see something less violent. Anyway, dinosaurs are huge lizards that were a bit like dragons, except they couldn't fly or breathe fire. The ones millions of years ago were real, but the ones in the film I saw were made by computers, which are...
Actually, are you taking Muggle Studies in the autumn, or did you decide to go with Ancient Runes? I'm sure computers will be explained there. I'm definitely taking Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, and possibly more. That's sort of up in the air right now. I can't really say more.
Your friend,
Hermione
--
Hermione,
I'll beat you on my own merits this year; just you wait. No eliminating competition by ratting out to parents necessary.
My father thinks I'm going to be a healer, just like him. You think he'd want me wasting time on so-called fluff classes in school? I'm not even allowed to take Care of Magical Creatures, and he knows I love animals. I demand an explanation for computers when we see each other again. If they can bring dead creatures to life, they sound fascinating. I had no idea Muggles had machines like that.
Is that invitation to come visit still open? With Sirius Black on the loose, Father think that maybe hiding in the Muggle world wouldn't be such a bad thing. He says that I can go any time I'd like, even if we do have a house guest for another two weeks. (Lavender's parents went on holiday without her.)
Yours,
Padma
--
Padma,
Sirius Black is a wizard? I heard about him on the news today. He sounds like an awful, awful man.
Yes, you can still come visit! Pick a day. I'm going stir crazy here with no one to talk to. I've enclosed my address. Is that enough, or should I meet you somewhere?
Your (very excited) friend,
Hermione
--
Hermione,
My father says that I can take the Knight Bus to get to your house, so your address is enough. Unless I hear from you, I'll be there on Friday.
See you soon!
Your (equally excited, happy to escape) friend,
Padma
Poll Round 3, Challenge 2; Drabbles & Voting
Voting will end in 48hrs.
Again: please keep an open mind to all pairings, and do not ask people to vote for you. I didn't mention this last time and I don't think it happened, but do not vote for yourself.
DRABBLE 1:
Title: Mea Culpa
By: minervasrevenge
Rating: All ages
Warnings: EWE, OOC
Summary: Hermione tries not to discuss her feelings...and fails.
Pairing: Hermione/Lucius
Word Count: 512
"Have you ever been in love against your will, Irma?"
The librarian shot Hermione a sharp look.
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," she answered crisply, her disparaging gaze fixed on the new first years shuffling timidly into the Great Hall.
Hermione frowned; "I'm just - I think I might be in love with someone that I have no business being in love with."
Hermione had found an unexpected friend in Irma Pince as her apprentice. Their shared love for books brought them together even though their personalities clashed.
Irma snickered and asked behind her hand, "The wizard from the Three Broomsticks the other night..?"
"Don't be silly," Hermione snorted.
"Are you going to give me a name..?" Irma pressed in an undertone.
Hermione bit her lip and shook her head.
Irma shrugged, "How do you expect me to help?"
"I just - I'm not entirely sure what I want to do about it, myself... It's... It's inexplicable and yet it makes so much sense..."
The older witch gave a quiet cackle, "You're definitely in love."
With a sigh, Hermione transfigured her pumpkin juice into wine. It was the arrival feast - and it wasn't as if she'd be interacting with students yet.
The librarian held up her hand and folded down a finger with each name she dismissed.
"Not Filius and I don't think Horace is to your taste... Lucius is definitely out... Neville..? I thought he was engaged!"
Hermione knew that Irma was teasing her and she giggled, "Keep your voice down!"
A reproachful glance from Minerva quieted the both of them until the welcome speech was given, the new students sorted and sumptuous food bedecked the tables.
"You're one to cast stones," Hermione said with a jab of her fork for emphasis.
"Don't know what you mean," Irma replied airily.
Hermione chewed the chunk of bread in her mouth and said cattily; "As if no one knows."
The librarian's cheeks were pink and she focused on her plate while she ate.
"I think it's sweet, Irma," Hermione said softly. She hadn't meant to embarrass her friend.
"What did you mean by ‘against your will?'" the other witch asked slyly.
"It just," Hermione fought the urge to glance at the object of her affection, "It just happened so naturally... There are so many reasons I shouldn't be with him but... When I am... They just don't matter..."
Hermione found Irma glaring at her in irritation.
"What?" she asked.
Irma rolled her eyes; "You young witches these days. Everything's a crisis! If you love the wizard, be with him!"
The nearest students looked up at them and Hermione caught the glances of a couple of professors - including the wizard she was refusing to name. He lifted a brow at her. Unable to look away, Hermione filled with butterflies and set aside her fork. There was no way she'd be able to eat now.
Irma followed Hermione's besotted gaze to Lucius.
"You're definitely in trouble," Irma quipped, popping a forkful of treacle tart into her smirking mouth.
Hermione sighed, "I know."
DRABBLE 2:
Title: Farewell
By: kcstories
Rating: PG
Warnings: Mentions DH character deaths.
Summary: Hermione attends Tonks' funeral.
Pairing: Marcus/Hermione (Remus/Tonks)
Word Count: 744
If there exists some unwritten rule that it should always rain at funerals, then today has definitely broken it.
The mid-morning sun is unusually warm on Hermione’s face, and the black dress she’s wearing will probably leave her feeling hot and uncomfortable by lunchtime.
It’s odd how nothing about today feels normal or right.
Or perhaps it’s rather appropriate.
She takes a deep breath and follows the other mourners onto the graveyard.
No one breathes a word.
Hermione thinks she understands why. Even the most sincerely uttered sentiments of sympathy start to sound empty and artificial when you’re attending the tenth memorial service in a row.
Tonks will be buried side by side with Remus.
Hermione knew that the couple was having marital problems, but Tonks remained optimistic right until the end. She blamed the strain and uncertainty of the war for her failing relationship.
She may have been right. Perhaps she and Remus would have made it work in the long run. It’s impossible to tell in hindsight, and well, it doesn’t really matter anymore.
Hermione glances at the baby asleep in his gran's arms. Teddy has been such a good boy these past few days. He hardly ever cries, or goes into one of those screaming fits many babies are prone to.
Looking back, Hermione thinks it was a little unusual how quickly-how easily-she became friends with Tonks.
The two of them were so different and yet quite similar; two strong-willed, intelligent women fighting for the same cause and trying to stay afloat in the middle of a harrowing war.
Hermione had never had a woman friend before-or rather, a close friend who happened to be female. Generally, she gets along better with boys, even if they tend to be a bit thick at times.
Most girls she knows are mostly focused on appearances and random gossip, while Hermione is more concerned with how a certain potion works than how her hair looks on a particular day or whom Lavender Brown happens to be snogging that week.
Tonks was all about facts too, even if she sometimes got those facts muddled.
Hermione blinks back tears as the coffin is lifted down into the earth.
Of all the people who perished, Tonks is the one she’ll miss the most.
Tonks was the only person she could talk to about certain things, the only one who understood.
Well, all right, with the exception of Luna, but Hermione sometimes finds Luna hard to follow. She seems to get there in the end, but often it’s via a strange foggy road with a lot of bends and metaphors.
Hermione prefers someone more grounded, someone more like herself.
When she realised she was falling for a very unlikely and possibly completely wrong person, Tonks was the one she could rely on for advice.
She couldn’t trust her own judgment, you see. She had always been better with books, potions and academic theories than with flesh and blood people.
"I think there’s more to him than meets the eye. He did the right thing in the end, didn’t he? Maybe you should just give him a chance and see what happens. Nothing ventured…”
If it hadn't been for Tonks squashing her doubts that day, then perhaps Marcus wouldn’t be standing here today, supporting her as best as he can.
“Are you all right, love?” he asks softly.
Hermione nods slowly. “Yes, but I’ll miss her,” she replies, turning to face him. “ I’ll miss her a whole lot.”
“Of course you will,” he whispers. “She was your best friend.”
“Yes, she was.” Hermione sighs.
A comforting arm is wrapped around her shoulders, and she bites her lip, willing herself not to turn into a sobbing mess. Tonks never appreciated that sort of nonsense.
Prayers are said over the coffin and the priest speaks the final departing words.
Hermione isn’t really listening. She’s lost in memories of moments she’ll never forget-so few moments, too. There should have been many, many more.
Marcus nudges her arm gently.
Hermione blinks in confusion. Then she steps forward and drops a white lily into the open grave.
“Bye Tonks,” she whispers so softly no one else can hear. “I hope you’re at peace now. There will never;”-her voice breaks slightly, but she soldiers on-“there will never be another one quite like you.”
A large cloud obscures the sun, just for a moment. Hermione thinks it’s quite fitting.
DRABBLE 3:
Title: Understanding Lavender
By: luvscharlie
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Summary: Lavender Brown and Ron Weasley's snogging sessions in the Gryffindor common room were like a punch in the stomach to Hermione Granger. Parvati Patil makes her see things in a whole new light.
Pairing: Hermione Granger-Parvati Patil
Word Count: 946
She couldn't stand watching them paw one another any longer. The tears refused to stay pooled in her eyes and had started to slip down her cheeks before she could exit the common room. She only hoped no one had noticed. She grabbed her things for a shower and left her dorm room. The girls' showers were the safest place for a good cry. There was no chance of running into Harry or Ron there, and Lavender was far too preoccupied with-she really just couldn't think about that anymore.
~~ ♥♥ ~~
When she finally emerged from the shower after a good, long cry, she was startled by an unexpected voice.
"I was becoming concerned that you might be trying to drown yourself in there."
"Parvati! You startled me."
"Sorry about that. It took me a while to find you."
The pretty girl with dark hair and eyes was sitting on the counter next to the sink, and had apparently been waiting for her, though Hermione could not imagine why. They had never been close, and Parvati was, after all, Lavender Brown's best friend.
She was jerked from her thoughts by Parvati's voice. "Then I started thinking about where I'd go if I needed a good cry and I thought you might be in here."
"I wasn't-" The red, swollen eyes in the mirror told her that there was really no point in denying that she had been crying.
"I guess you wonder why I'm here. I mean, it's not as if we've ever talked much before."
"So why are you here?"
"To the point, aren't you? Fair enough, I guess. I wanted you to know, she doesn't mean it. To hurt you, I mean. She's not with him just to hurt you."
"If you've come to defend Lavender's acting like a common slag, save your breath. I'm not interested."
Parvati turned to walk away, or at least that's what she'd thought, when she heard the lock on the door click into place.
"I didn't. The way she's throwing herself at him doesn't make me any happier than it makes you."
"Oh!" She hadn't expected that.
"But it's not exactly a fair fight, is it, Hermione?"
"It's not a fight at all. As far as I'm concerned, she can have him."
"Well, you're partially correct. It's not a fight, but she'll never have him. He's belonged to you for far too long. And somewhere, deep down inside, she knows. She's using what little ammunition she has in a fight that you won long ago. She just isn't ready to concede defeat quite yet."
"Why are you telling me this?" Hermione sank down onto the cool tile of the floor and hugged her knees against her chest.
Parvati crossed the room and sat down beside her. "I saw you crying when you left the common room. I'm sorry it hurts you to see them together. Don't call her a slag. She's not, you know. She loves him. He's not just someone to pass the time. She really loves him, and I hate that he's stringing her along the way he is. Her body is all she thinks she has left to fight you with, and she's desperate to hang on to him, no matter the cost."
"I don't know why you think he wants me. We can barely say a civil word to one another these days."
"Because you don't see the way he looks at you when he knows you're not watching. It's you he wants, Hermione. Lavender's simply available." She stood to go. "I won't bother you anymore. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, and at least try to make you see things from her perspective."
"Parvati," Hermione said, "I'm glad we talked. Thank you. It means a lot that you came to find me."
Parvati nodded and smiled.
"I've been so jealous of her. I'm still jealous that she has what I want so desperately. But now, I feel-I don't know-sad too, I guess."
"I don't know from personal experience, Hermione, but my mother always said there is nothing that hurts so much as loving someone and knowing they don't love you in return. Sadly, I think Lavender will be able to tell me just how that feels very soon."
"You're a good friend."
"I'm your friend too, if you ever need one."
"Thank you."
Parvati's hand rested on the door handle, and she seemed to be pondering whether or not she should say something. "I know I have no right to ask you this, Hermione, but when it happens-when he hurts her-and he will, could you not rub it in her face? I know she's done that to you, and you have every right to reciprocate, but--it's just she's going to be hurting enough, and I'll be the one left to pick up the pieces when Ron shatters her heart, so--"
"I won't. It hurts too much. I know how hard it is to see him with her, so if that happens, I won't."
"Thank you."
~~ ♥♥ ~~
Hermione had a lot to think about when she pulled the curtains on her four-poster that night. Seeing Lavender Brown through Parvati's eyes made Hermione wonder if she and the girl were so different, after all. It was much harder, now, to fault her simply for doing what she, herself, had done: fall in love with Ron Weasley.
She never really understood how, but it seemed whenever she needed a female's ear to bend during the remainder of their sixth year, Parvati always showed up in the girls' showers so the two of them could talk…because that's what friends did.
DRABBLE 4:
Title: Imagination
By: snowpuppies
Rating: PG
Warnings: n/a
Summary: Hermione's parents are concerned about her.
Word Count: 1000
Imagination
"She's doing it again."
"I thought she'd outgrown it."
"I did, too. I know she's a creative child, but…I just…worry about her."
"So do I."
"What should we do?"
"I don't know, Love. I just don't know."
***
Hermione turned another page in Indigenous Birds of Eastern Europe, her eyes flickering between the text and the full-color photos.
She sighed, her bare feet slapping together sporadically in the air above; for once, an otherwise fascinating subject wasn't holding her attention.
Placing a marker from the local library-Learn More, Read a Book-between the pages, she put the book aside and rolled over, glancing across the bedroom towards the chair next to the window.
"Do you think I shouldn't have done it?"
Propping herself up on her elbows, she rested her chin between her palms.
"I mean, cheating's against the rules. Mrs. Blackwell said so, very clearly, at the beginning of the year. I wrote down all the rules in the front of my notebook-so I wouldn't forget, of course-and, well, she really should have known, shouldn't she?"
Frustrated, she twisted her body around until she was sitting, legs folded into a pretzel, arms crossed over her chest.
"It's not my fault she didn't pay attention, that she'd rather gossip about boys and clothes than listen to the teacher. And so what if I told? It's against the rules. I was supposed to tell." Bouncing from the bed, she began to pace, her head twisting to keep the chair in sight with each pass.
"And cheating on a history quiz? Of all things! History's so…so…easy! It's just facts. You just have to memorize. I-I can't believe she needed to cheat!" Flopping to the floor, she turned to the chair, again.
"But the things she said…" She sniffed, blinking, as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I did what I was supposed to do-why do they all hate me?"
***
"Doctor, we're concerned about our daughter, Hermione."
"Ah, yes. I remember her-bright young girl, asked a million and one questions at her last check-up. Unless I miss my guess, I'll have to be on my toes-that one will have my job, soon!"
"Yes, that's our Hermione, alright."
"Lovely child. What seems to be the problem, then?"
"Well…physically, she's fine, it's just…"
"You see, Doctor, she has…an imaginary friend."
***
Hermione hugged her knees to her chest, huddled snugly into the space between the bed and the wall.
"I didn't mean to." Biting her lip, she looked up at the edge of the bed.
"It's just…she said something nasty about my teeth…sh-she…called me a-a beaver!" Hermione cried, burying her face in her hands, her abundant hair falling to cover her from view. She continued, her voice a bit muffled, now. "And then I-I got so upset and so angry and I just thought it-I didn't even say it out loud-but then…all her hair fell out, right onto the floor."
Glancing up, she dropped her hands to the floor and continued: "And then all the other girls started to laugh, and then she called me a freak and ran to the loo."
She stared at the floral wallpaper, almost as if in a trance; if she looked long enough, the leaves and vines seemed to move...
She blinked.
"I think she was crying."
She looked up again.
"Do you think I'm a freak?"
***
"Many children have imaginary friends. How old is she?"
"Nine. She'll be ten in three months."
"I see. Tell me, does she have any other friends, real ones?"
"Well, Hermione's such a smart girl, and you know how children are…she's just never meshed well with other girls her age."
"Ten is a bit old for an imaginary friend, to be honest, but I wouldn't be overly concerned. Give her another year or two-if she's still speaking with this 'friend', I'll be glad to see her."
"Thank you so much, Doctor."
"I'm glad I could help."
***
The setting sun filled the back yard with golden light.
Hermione sat, watching the dust motes swirling in the last light of the day.
"It's tomorrow, you know." She glanced across the porch to a green and white lawn chair, twisting her hands in worry.
"I'm afraid to go to Hogwarts, Lily. What if I can't find my classes? Or what if I don't know enough?" She paused, brow furrowed, lip clamped between her teeth. "What if I'm rubbish at it?"
"You'll do fine." Lily smiled. "You'll love it, I'm sure."
"But what if no one likes me?"
"Nonsense. Why wouldn't they like you? Why, I bet you'll make a friend on the train, before you even get to Hogwarts."
"You think so?" Hermione glanced up at the other girl, who was fading away with the evening sun.
"I promise."
Hermione watched as Lily slowly disappeared into the darkness. Sighing, she stood up, entering the back door and climbing up the stairs to her room; she had to pack, after all.
And then maybe she'd read Hogwarts, A History one more time…
…just in case.
***
Mrs. Granger looked out the window where her daughter was sitting, speaking to what seemed to be an empty lawn chair.
"Still talking to Lily, then?" Her husband asked, coming closer to peer out the window with her.
She glanced down at the fine vellum envelope she held, the green ink boldly proclaiming its source: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Her brow furrowed in thought-"You don't suppose…"-she looked up at the empty lawn chair, then back at the envelope once again.
Mr. Granger followed her gestures, his gaze flickering between the empty chair and the envelope.
Their eyes met.
"Well, that's a relief," Mr. Granger said, smiling out the window at his daughter and her 'friend' before leaving the room.
Mrs. Granger sighed; of course her daughter wasn't crazy, she was special.
She was a witch.
***
DRABBLE 5:
Title: The Test of Time
By: bambu345
Rating: All Ages
Warnings: None
Summary: There may be a season for every purpose … but a best friend can make anything better.
Pairing: Inapplicable
Word Count: 997
POTTER AND WEASLEY TO TRAIN AS AURORS!
Best Gal Pal, Hermione Granger, Follows in their Footsteps
The vase shattered against the wall of Hermione’s closet-sized office, splinters of glass spraying in a glittery cloud.
“Everything all right?” A blonde head craned around the door jamb.
Hermione gasped. “I’m sorry! I -- I thought everyone had gone home.”
“I usually stay pretty late.” A slender witch entered the office, casting a subtle Reparo. “My closet’s next door. I’m Audrey Goyle.”
She waited expectantly, but too many families had been polarized by Voldemort’s propaganda for Hermione to make assumptions. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Have you dinner plans?”
“Take away, but I’d enjoy company. Do you like Indian?”
Audrey smiled. “A lamb saag would set me up nicely.”
POTTER AND WEASLEY APPREHEND RANDOLPH LESTRANGE
Audrey refilled Hermione’s glass. “To undeserving prats!”
The wine’s sweetness offset the bitterness of the day, and Hermione slurred, “Ron actually patted me on the shoulder … said I’d made valuable contributions to the team, and then he asked me out.”
“Wanker!” Audrey skewered her kebab as if it were her red-headed partner.
“Git!”
“Blue-bollocksed booby.”
“Rogering red-headed … prat!”
Their irritation devolved into giggles.
GOYLE-WEASLEY NUPTIALS AT SHACKLEBOLT HALL
“How do I look?” asked the blushing bride.
“You’re so beautiful Percy will probably stutter when he sees you.”
“Am I doing the right thing?”
Hermione fluffed the layers of white tulle, met guileless blue eyes in the cheval mirror. “Do you love him?”
“Terribly, although he can be a rule-spouting pillock on occasion.”
“Then it’s the right thing.”
“What about Ron?” Audrey adjusted her veil.
“I don’t know.”
“Hermione, you’ve loved him for years.”
“I’ve loved chocolate for years, too, but it gives me migraines.”
“Point taken.”
GRANGER APPOINTED DEPUTY DIRECTOR
“This calls for a celebration!” Audrey waved the Daily Prophet as she waddled into Hermione’s spacious new office.
“Aren’t you on maternity leave?”
“I can still treat you to lunch. Besides, Harry’s taking you out tonight.”
“I’m surprised Ginny’s willing to let him out of her sight.”
“Is Ron going?”
“Don’t know,” Hermione replied airily. “Don’t care.”
“Your date didn’t go well?”
“At first, but then we had a row.”
“Another one?”
“Apparently my promotion’s a publicity stunt because I’m Muggle-born.”
Audrey snorted. “Wanker!” Then she patted her burgeoning belly. “Let’s go before the sprog decides to congratulate you by coming early.”
Hermione scooted from around her desk.
PERCY AND AUDREY WEASLEY WELCOME A DAUGHTER
The bouquet of fragrant roses preceded Hermione through the door. After hugging Audrey tightly, she asked, “Where’s my god-daughter?”
“Percy’s taken her for a walk.” Audrey angled her head appraisingly. “What’s wrong?”
The brunette protested. “You’ve just had a baby.”
“Out with it!”
Tears shone in Hermione’s eyes. “I think I’m pregnant.”
“What!”
“Remember when I celebrated my promotion?
Audrey sounded appalled. “Harry?”
“No! Ron came with Harry.”
“Surprise, surprise.”
“I don’t remember much, but when I woke the next morning, Ron was there.”
“Fuck!”
Hermione shrugged helplessly. “I suppose a decade’s worth of UST exploded in my face.”
Audrey said dryly, “It isn’t supposed to explode in your face.”
“Audrey!”
GRANGER WEDS POTTER’S BEST FRIEND
“You don’t have to do this.”
Hermione’s knuckles were white. “I really do.”
Audrey shifted little Molly to the other breast, and the room was quiet except for the baby’s contented sounds.
“It isn’t that I don’t love Ron,” Hermione explained, “and I already love this baby.”
“Then I won’t say another word, but I - we - will be here … just in case.”
“Thanks.” Hermione blinked her eyes rapidly. “There is one good thing - aside from the baby.”
“What?”
“You’ll be my sister.”
ROSE AURORA BORN TO HERMIONE GRANGER-WEASLEY
Flowers adorned every surface of the private room, the largest arrangement from the Minister himself.
“She’s beautiful,” Audrey said, dotingly.
A tiny bundle nestled in Hermione’s arms. “Isn’t she? I’m taking her home today.”
Audrey narrowed her eyes. “Where’s Ron?”
“At work.” Hermione said defensively, “He got a Patronus from Harry an hour ago. What could I say?”
“No was an option.”
“I can manage.”
“You shouldn’t have to.”
At that moment, Rose opened her eyes, captivating the two friends.
PERCY AND AUDREY WEASLEY WELCOME A SECOND DAUGHTER
LAW ENFORCEMENT’S HERMIONE GRANGER-WEASLEY DELIVERS A SON
Hermione cradled Hugo while he suckled. “I can’t believe we delivered the same day.”
Across the semi-private room, Audrey put Lucy in the enchanted bassinette which obligingly rose to accommodate her need. “Who could’ve planned this?”
“Think George might’ve put something in last Halloween’s punch?”
“Then Angelina would be sharing the room, and you know what she said last time.”
They laughed before clutching their much-abused stomachs.
WEASLEY-MALFOY NUPTIALS IN WILTSHIRE
“She was a beautiful bride.” Audrey proffered a square of linen.
Hermione sniffled. “But so young.”
“Too young?”
“No. Rose is in love with Scorpius, and he--”
“Adores her. It’s obvious.”
“To everyone but Ron.” Hermione unerringly located her husband at the bar, his robes hiding an increasing penchant for ale.
“Is he still furious with you for approving?”
Hermione rolled her eyes. “I’ve apparently betrayed Fred’s memory.”
HERMIONE GRANGER-WEASLEY PROMOTED TO DIRECTOR
She knocked on the cottage’s front door, shifting nervously from foot-to-foot.
Audrey opened the door. “Hermione?”
“I - I’ve left Ron.”
Within minutes, the friends were seated in the kitchen, doors Colloportus’d and the room Muffliato’d. “Romilda Vane?”
Hermione shot to her feet. “You knew?”
Audrey shook her head. “Percy saw them together last week. I asked Harry. He said she interviewed Ron for Witch Weekly, but then he did that thing with his mouth.”
“He lied.” Hermione sipped her chocolate. “Ron didn’t even have the bollocks to tell me himself.”
“So how - She didn’t?”
“Marched into my office and presented her evidence, complete with pictures.”
Audrey laughed derisively. “Stupid cow!”
“Of course I confiscated them, and I’ve already filed divorce papers.” Suddenly, she began to cry.
“Hermione!”
“Do you know the worst thing?”
“What?”
“I’m relieved it’s over.”
DMLE'S GRANGER MARRIES MINISTER SHACKLEBOLT IN PRIVATE CEREMONY
DRABBLE 6:
Title: Snorkack Logic
By: gingeraled
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: fluff?
Summary: Sometimes, well, most of the time, a girl just needs someone to talk to about... stuff.
Pairing: mentions of Ron/Hermione
Word Count: 950+
“Are you sure you’d rather be drinking that instead of gurdyroot tea, Hermione? I made a fresh batch.”
You stare at Luna, not bothering to check the expression on your face. Her mass of blonde hair is knotted on her head by her wand, and miniature onions, this time, dangle from her ears. Her pale green robes, are, at least, not too out of this world. She’s an odd sight to you, even with the slight haze of firewhisky dulling your senses.
She snaps her fingers in front of your face. Your eyes find focus on her sea-blue ones.
“Oh yay! The snapping fingers thing does work!” she exclaims. You give her a frown.
“Luna,” you say, careful to make your pronunciation as clear as can be. “I came here for advice, Merlin knows why, and not for a taste of the extract of some sort of root that doesn’t even exist!”
A look oddly similar to hurt passes through your friend’s face and you notice it as such only because you feel a bit guilty inside.
“Oh well, Hermione. The only thing I can say about your problem is this. Snorkacks.”
You stare at her again. Luna’s a good friend, and wise, you admit. But sometimes, she’s just really odd. Like now.
“I just spent thirty minutes of my life telling you this, this problem I have with Ronald and you say ‘snorkacks’ in reply!” You rise from the armchair you’ve been slumped in since you arrived and start pacing around your friend’s office. “That’s hardly anything helpful!”
“Oh, but it is,” Luna says matter-of-factly, as she looks up from the stack of papers on her desk. She tucks her quill, tip still wet with ink, behind her ears, not caring that the ink starts dripping on her neck. “Have you told Harry about this problem, though? He won’t like being kept in the dark about his best friends’ problems.” Luna made air quotes as she said “problems,” but now, her hands are folded primly on top of her papers. If not for the wand in her hair, the onions dangling from her ears, the quill tucked behind her ear, and the drops of ink staining her neck, she looks like a normal newspaper editor from where you stand.
So you sit on the chair in front of her cluttered desk. The firewhisky must be extra strong, you think, as you remove the offending quill from behind your friend’s ear. “Luna, you’ve just really, really, dirtied your neck. It’s atrocious,” you almost clean the mess up with your wand, but remember just in time that it’s irresponsible to use magic when one is drinking, so you wipe it with a piece of paper instead.”
“Thanks, Hermione! You’ve always been a perceptive one.”
You roll your eyes. “Anyway. Of course I haven’t told Harry! How could I tell Harry about our-” you’re the one who uses air quotes this time “sex life.”
“But you're telling me, and I'm not really your best friend .”
“It’s different, Luna! You’re a girl! I’m allowed to have female friends, aren’t I? And I can’t talk to Ginny because she’s Ron’s sister!” You’re near to giving up. Sometimes, well, most of the time, you have a frighteningly hard time communicating with Luna Lovegood.
“And I know you can help me. I don’t know how, but I just know,” you add, eyes pleading.
“Snorkacks are very interesting creatures, Hermione-” but she doesn’t let you cut her off with a rant. “Nuh-uh, you have to listen. Snorkacks, all kinds, really, not just the crumple-horned ones, are very interesting creatures.”
You cannot wait for Luna to get to her point.
“They mate for life. And the male snorkack doesn’t really mind if the female snorkack has a rounder than usual belly, or crinkled skin in her forelegs. The male snorkack is happy to mate with its mate, just because. Because he’s her mate, and she’s his.”
Slowly, Luna is starting to make sense.
“It’s a pity that snorkacks are really rare. Especially the crumple-horned ones.”
“It is sad, that,” you say a bit distractedly. You look at Luna, who seems like she’s drifted into a daze even more intense than usual.
“Luna. Luna!” You snap your fingers.
“Oh! What is it Hermione?”
“Are you saying that Ron won’t really mind that I’m not, you know, sexy, so I shouldn’t be afraid of disrobing fully in front of him, that I should just get over myself and sleep with him? Finally?”
Luna rolls her large eyes at you. You feel slightly offended. “Oh, no, no. I’m not saying that at all.”
You close your eyes, and clench your fists, thinking that you’ve reached the end of your patience.
“I’m saying that when Ronald sees you naked he might make a mess of his pants. You already define ‘sexy’ for him.”
Your lips slowly curve up in a small smile as you remember the way Ron pants and says you’re so bloody beautiful each time the two of you snog passionately. You feel tired after this whole conversation with Luna, but it’s all worth it. She makes sense.
--
You give Luna a big hug when she walks you out of her office. You tell her of a few spells that might be best for the ink stain on her neck, but she doesn’t look like she’s listening.
“Stop fussing, Hermione. I suggest that instead, you start thinking about how you’re going to get naked with Ronald.”
You let out a giggle, because, yes, images of how that will happen are already running through your head. Luna waves goodbye to you. You wave back.
“Remember to tell me about the mating ritual afterwards, okay? In full detail.” She gives you a seemingly innocent smile coupled with a cock of an eyebrow. You smile back, and nod in promise.
Of course you’re going to tell her the details.
DRABBLE 7:
Title: Summer Correspondence
By: ctorres
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Summary: The boys might not write much, but that doesn't mean that
Hermione doesn't.
Characters: Hermione and Padma
Word Count: 880
Padma,
Thank you for owling! I was very pleased to get mail. Harry and Ron aren't much for writing, so I don't imagine I'll be getting much mail from them. I'm sorry that you and Parvati aren't getting along. Sometimes I think that I would like to not be an only child, but after seeing Ron deal with his brothers, I'm not so sure.
My summer is going well so far. I'm finished with our homework for Transfiguration and Charms already, but I haven't had time to look at the rest. I'm spending lots of time with my parents. We went to see a film called Jurassic Park over the weekend. It was about scientists who brought dinosaurs back to life. I don't normally like action films, but this one was very good. It feels strange to be in the Muggle world again, but I'm glad to be home.
What have you been up to, apart from avoiding Parvati and Lavender? If you'd like to escape your family, Mum and Dad say that I'm welcome to have school friends over.
Your friend,
Hermione
--
Hermione,
Do you have an owl? I can't remember. I don't mind that you used mine to reply, of course.
Lavender is leaving to go back to her own house at the end of the week, thank Merlin. I don't think I could take it much longer. We won't be going to buy our books and supplies for next term until we get our letters from Hogwarts, but they talked Mum into a special trip to Flourish and Blotts just to get their Divination books yesterday. Our cousin Anita says that it's a good class to take because it's easy, but I'm sure that Arithmancy is more useful... and probably more accurate, too. Incidentally, which classes did you settle on? The last time you said anything about it, you were still trying to convince McGonagall to let you take more than two electives.
My mother says that I can visit, but my father says that the Muggle world is too dangerous. I guess he doesn't know what you get up to at school if he thinks that seeing you at your home would be more dangerous, eh? I'll keep working on him.
Scientist? Dinosaur? Film? Explain, please.
Yours,
Padma
--
Padma,
I don't have an owl, no. I think I might be getting a familiar of some sort when I get my school supplies this summer.
If you come visit, please, PLEASE don't mention anything about "what I get up to at school", unless of course you're trying to eliminate your competition for top spot in the class by convincing my parents to keep me home. They have no idea. I wish I could tell them more, but they'd never let me go back to Hogwarts if they knew it was dangerous.
Scientists are researchers. A film is a Muggle thing that's like a stage play crossed with a Wizard photo, more or less. If you come to visit, we could go see one. Jurassic Park will be out all summer, but there are loads of other choices if you'd rather see something less violent. Anyway, dinosaurs are huge lizards that were a bit like dragons, except they couldn't fly or breathe fire. The ones millions of years ago were real, but the ones in the film I saw were made by computers, which are...
Actually, are you taking Muggle Studies in the autumn, or did you decide to go with Ancient Runes? I'm sure computers will be explained there. I'm definitely taking Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, and possibly more. That's sort of up in the air right now. I can't really say more.
Your friend,
Hermione
--
Hermione,
I'll beat you on my own merits this year; just you wait. No eliminating competition by ratting out to parents necessary.
My father thinks I'm going to be a healer, just like him. You think he'd want me wasting time on so-called fluff classes in school? I'm not even allowed to take Care of Magical Creatures, and he knows I love animals. I demand an explanation for computers when we see each other again. If they can bring dead creatures to life, they sound fascinating. I had no idea Muggles had machines like that.
Is that invitation to come visit still open? With Sirius Black on the loose, Father think that maybe hiding in the Muggle world wouldn't be such a bad thing. He says that I can go any time I'd like, even if we do have a house guest for another two weeks. (Lavender's parents went on holiday without her.)
Yours,
Padma
--
Padma,
Sirius Black is a wizard? I heard about him on the news today. He sounds like an awful, awful man.
Yes, you can still come visit! Pick a day. I'm going stir crazy here with no one to talk to. I've enclosed my address. Is that enough, or should I meet you somewhere?
Your (very excited) friend,
Hermione
--
Hermione,
My father says that I can take the Knight Bus to get to your house, so your address is enough. Unless I hear from you, I'll be there on Friday.
See you soon!
Your (equally excited, happy to escape) friend,
Padma
Poll Round 3, Challenge 2; Drabbles & Voting
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