RP: Easter Dinner
Date: April 8, 2005
Character(s): Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Roger Davies, Viktor Krum, Neville Longbottom, Lavender Brown
Location: 33 Alpha Lane
Status: Private
Summary: Easter dinner for 'family'
Completion: Complete
Easter wasn't a holiday ever remembered during the war. The first year, Hermione and the boys had found foil covered chocolate eggs but, the year after, it had just been another Sunday they were trying to survive. During her childhood, it wasn't a day that had been particularly special, not like Christmas or Boxing Day.
Her parents, unlike most their neighbors, had never attended the local church and religion wasn't something she'd grown up with beyond what she picked up in her reading and learned from others. Easter had been a family day, though. When she was very small, she could recall going to her grandmother's house. The scent of rose perfume, her grandfather's tobacco, and roasted turkey were most often associated with those visits. After her grandparents died, it had just become a holiday they celebrated at home, like the others.
From the time she was old enough to ask questions, she'd never believed in Saint Nicholas or the Easter Bunny, which had probably somehow warped her early childhood but she preferred knowing the truth to believing in fairy tales. Her father had still forced her to be a silly child on Easter and Halloween, and she could thank him for that little bit of normalcy when, looking back, she knew she'd been far too old for her years in many ways.
On Good Friday, he'd usually leave her a clue or two, and the entire Easter weekend would be sent trying to decipher his clues until she'd finally be rewarded with a basket of sweets. He'd continued that tradition until she went to Hogwarts, but she'd pulled away from them more and more as those years went past, so consumed with the magical world and Harry's problems that she gradually became a stranger to her own family. It was all on her, really, which was why she couldn't blame them for just cutting their losses, to be blunt, and moving on as if she was gone. In a way, she'd been gone even before the war.
It wasn't a day to dwell on the past, however, and there was no room for melancholy. This was a new chapter of life, after all. The end of the war had sort of signaled that for all of them, regardless of the part they'd played. This was her new family: different than the last, so there was no reason to compare. Since Blaise had Terry and Ben, and Cedric seemed to have Katie, based on what she'd been told, she hadn't invited them over, assuming they'd have plans of their own with their 'families'.
Easter was for family, for celebrating the end of winter and the start of spring, for being together regardless of background, religion, or blood ties. She should have asked the twins and Charlie to dinner as they were the Weasleys who didn't have a significant other because she'd not heard that Molly was cooking dinner, and wondered if she should have Ron owl them. It was late notice, but she hated the idea of them just being alone on a day that symbolized family to her. She might ask Ron what he thought when she saw him.
The day had been wonderful so far, with chores done, groceries bought, and several hours spent with Roger already. They'd gone for a ride and stopped in a field to eat breakfast. After, they lay on the blanket and enjoyed the warm sun and a few kisses before she'd needed to get home to start dinner. He'd been helping her cook and get things ready for Maire since they got home.
Last night, she'd made up easy little clues that would lead Maire around the back garden, with sweets at each new clue she'd find. Maire'd need help, of course, but there would probably be several willing helpers around. Roger had been helping her put out some of the treats, though he had no idea that she'd also put out a few things for him. He'd never had an egg hunt when he was a child, so she'd decided to make him a few clues, too. It was probably foolish, but maybe he'd enjoy it.
The garden wasn't yet in bloom and needed some hard work to plant new bulbs where old ones weren't going to come back out. Hermione's best area post-school had been Charms, a field she'd had to study even for pleasure because they needed them during the war, and her abilities with Transfiguration, formerly one of her best subjects, had suffered somewhat due to not needing to use the skill so often during their travels. It had taken her time to focus and recall the various transfigurations she'd learned at school in order to change the weeds and grass into pretty spring flowers. A few were oddly shaped and colored, but she'd been quite worn out by the time she'd finished, so she didn't really care. She was quite proud of how it looked anyway, though she knew herself well enough to know those few mistakes would be corrected once she'd had a chance to regroup.
It was nearly time for people to begin arriving. She had said two, which gave a little leeway for people to talk and enjoy the, fortunately, pretty day before she'd finish up the last of dinner. She preferred having time for people to have a drink and sit outside in the warm sun before the meal. Harry was outside playing with Cocoa and Ron had disappeared, perhaps to go get Lavender or wait for her, as Hermione wasn't sure if she was coming on her own or not. Crookshanks was lying on the floor near Roger, lazily swatting his boot as if reminding him that he was already owned regardless of that silly pup.
She smiled at Roger as she walked over to him, reaching up to brush his hair back from his face. "I think Crookshanks is jealous of Zuzu." She leaned up to kiss him lightly before she pulled back. "Would you like to go out and watch Cocoa train Harry?"
Character(s): Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Roger Davies, Viktor Krum, Neville Longbottom, Lavender Brown
Location: 33 Alpha Lane
Status: Private
Summary: Easter dinner for 'family'
Completion: Complete
Easter wasn't a holiday ever remembered during the war. The first year, Hermione and the boys had found foil covered chocolate eggs but, the year after, it had just been another Sunday they were trying to survive. During her childhood, it wasn't a day that had been particularly special, not like Christmas or Boxing Day.
Her parents, unlike most their neighbors, had never attended the local church and religion wasn't something she'd grown up with beyond what she picked up in her reading and learned from others. Easter had been a family day, though. When she was very small, she could recall going to her grandmother's house. The scent of rose perfume, her grandfather's tobacco, and roasted turkey were most often associated with those visits. After her grandparents died, it had just become a holiday they celebrated at home, like the others.
From the time she was old enough to ask questions, she'd never believed in Saint Nicholas or the Easter Bunny, which had probably somehow warped her early childhood but she preferred knowing the truth to believing in fairy tales. Her father had still forced her to be a silly child on Easter and Halloween, and she could thank him for that little bit of normalcy when, looking back, she knew she'd been far too old for her years in many ways.
On Good Friday, he'd usually leave her a clue or two, and the entire Easter weekend would be sent trying to decipher his clues until she'd finally be rewarded with a basket of sweets. He'd continued that tradition until she went to Hogwarts, but she'd pulled away from them more and more as those years went past, so consumed with the magical world and Harry's problems that she gradually became a stranger to her own family. It was all on her, really, which was why she couldn't blame them for just cutting their losses, to be blunt, and moving on as if she was gone. In a way, she'd been gone even before the war.
It wasn't a day to dwell on the past, however, and there was no room for melancholy. This was a new chapter of life, after all. The end of the war had sort of signaled that for all of them, regardless of the part they'd played. This was her new family: different than the last, so there was no reason to compare. Since Blaise had Terry and Ben, and Cedric seemed to have Katie, based on what she'd been told, she hadn't invited them over, assuming they'd have plans of their own with their 'families'.
Easter was for family, for celebrating the end of winter and the start of spring, for being together regardless of background, religion, or blood ties. She should have asked the twins and Charlie to dinner as they were the Weasleys who didn't have a significant other because she'd not heard that Molly was cooking dinner, and wondered if she should have Ron owl them. It was late notice, but she hated the idea of them just being alone on a day that symbolized family to her. She might ask Ron what he thought when she saw him.
The day had been wonderful so far, with chores done, groceries bought, and several hours spent with Roger already. They'd gone for a ride and stopped in a field to eat breakfast. After, they lay on the blanket and enjoyed the warm sun and a few kisses before she'd needed to get home to start dinner. He'd been helping her cook and get things ready for Maire since they got home.
Last night, she'd made up easy little clues that would lead Maire around the back garden, with sweets at each new clue she'd find. Maire'd need help, of course, but there would probably be several willing helpers around. Roger had been helping her put out some of the treats, though he had no idea that she'd also put out a few things for him. He'd never had an egg hunt when he was a child, so she'd decided to make him a few clues, too. It was probably foolish, but maybe he'd enjoy it.
The garden wasn't yet in bloom and needed some hard work to plant new bulbs where old ones weren't going to come back out. Hermione's best area post-school had been Charms, a field she'd had to study even for pleasure because they needed them during the war, and her abilities with Transfiguration, formerly one of her best subjects, had suffered somewhat due to not needing to use the skill so often during their travels. It had taken her time to focus and recall the various transfigurations she'd learned at school in order to change the weeds and grass into pretty spring flowers. A few were oddly shaped and colored, but she'd been quite worn out by the time she'd finished, so she didn't really care. She was quite proud of how it looked anyway, though she knew herself well enough to know those few mistakes would be corrected once she'd had a chance to regroup.
It was nearly time for people to begin arriving. She had said two, which gave a little leeway for people to talk and enjoy the, fortunately, pretty day before she'd finish up the last of dinner. She preferred having time for people to have a drink and sit outside in the warm sun before the meal. Harry was outside playing with Cocoa and Ron had disappeared, perhaps to go get Lavender or wait for her, as Hermione wasn't sure if she was coming on her own or not. Crookshanks was lying on the floor near Roger, lazily swatting his boot as if reminding him that he was already owned regardless of that silly pup.
She smiled at Roger as she walked over to him, reaching up to brush his hair back from his face. "I think Crookshanks is jealous of Zuzu." She leaned up to kiss him lightly before she pulled back. "Would you like to go out and watch Cocoa train Harry?"