Chapter 2
"Hermione, dear, are you sure you wouldn't like us to drive you to the Weadley's house?"
"Weasley's, Mum, with an s." She said kindly, "And no thank you, I think I'll be fine taking the bus." Hermione said as she gave her mother a tight hug.
"Alright goodbye love, and do have fun this year. After all it is your last of that dreadful boarding school, and then you'll be off to university." Her mother said, running a gentle hand over her tangled curls.
Hermione nodded wearily at her parents.
"Yes, and study real hard and do all of your homework," Mr. Granger added while he handed Hermione a suitcase that she had bewitched to feel awful heavy. He winked and said, "And please, have fun Hermione."
"Dad you know me, always the life of the party," she joked.
"Be safe Hermione, we love you," chorused both of her parents.
"I love you, see you for Christmas!" Hermione said. She took one last look at them blowing them a kiss. Reluctant as she was to leave her parents after just retiring their memories, she was ready to be in the comforting presence of her friends.
As she turned the corner, out of sigh of muggle eyes, she apperated on the spot to the Burrow.
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Of course, with her luck, Hermione seemed to have apperated into the stream running along the edge of the Weasley's garden. Her shoes were soaking wet as she splashed through the tiny brook. Hermione climbed out and reached for the suitcase. After lifting the previous spell and returning it to its original weight, Hermione then placed a shrinking charm upon suitcase and stored it in her beaded bag.
As she made her way to the Weasley's back door, Hermione felt something squish in between her toes. She hastily took out her wand and in need to relieve her discomfort whispered, "Scourgify." The spell instantly cleaned the muck from her soggy trainers.
Hermione strode up to the door and knocked three times before she heard the shuffling of feet on the other side.
"Hermione, dear!" yelled a very excited Mrs. Weasley as she welcomed the girl into her home.
"How have you been dear? Would you like something to eat? Do you need to wash up?" Mrs. Weasley asked rapidly as she fired question after question at Hermione. "Please help me! I'm am going insane with all of my children bickering and fighting!!"
Hermione chuckled,"I'm great Mrs. Weasley and I just ate with my parents, but thank you. Although trust me, I know what it feels like being around Ron for so long." Hermione joked as two other voices rang from the stairwell.
"Hermione!" Ron beamed. He ran up to his girlfriend and planted a hasty kiss upon her cheek, they drew her in for a bone crushing hug.
Until that moment, Hermione hadn't realized how much she had missed Ron over the holiday. He did however owl her every week, which she honestly hadn't see coming.
Back in their first few years at Hogwarts, Ron had only responded to her owls after she sent about ten of them to him first. But over the years the freckled boy seemed to matured and knew not to take Hermione for granted.
"I missed you," he whispered in her ear. She kissed him gently on the lips and replied,"I missed you too."
"Ugh enough with the lovey dovey rubbish and just get a room already," said Harry who pushed Ron away as he came in for a hug.
"Oh bloody hell, don't give me that," Ron threw at him."You and Ginny have been snogging and cuddling all damn break," he groaned, punching Harry jokingly on the arm.
"Come children, it's time for super!" Mrs. Weasley yelled from the kitchen.
Hermione hadn't even see her disappear from the room. She and Ron sat down at the table together while Harry ran up the stairs to grab Ginny, George, Charlie and Percy for supper.
Hermione sat quietly at the table, listening to Ron who filled her in on everything that had happened while she was away.
"Dad was telling us that the Ministry sacked loads of peo—" Ron was cut off when they heard a scream from upstairs.
"WHAT!?"
Feet thundered down the steps as Ginny took the stairs in three, nearly face planting as she stumbled at the bottom of the platform.
Hermione's side split as she roared with laughter, "Hey Gin!"
"Don't 'Hey Gin' me! How come no one told me you where here?" Ginny shrieked.
"I just told—" Harry said strolling down the stairs with Charlie, George, Percy, and even Mr. Weasley behind him.
Ginny didn't listen. "Oh Hermione it's been absolutely horrible without you. Ron has been a complete arse, George and Charlie are always at work, Bill rarely visits, and Percy keeps trying to smuggle me in his room train me to be a Ministry worker." Ginny whined as she sat down beside Hermione.
"Well don't worry, I'm here now," Hermione reassured with a grin.
The Weasley family piled around the rickety wood table as Mr. Weasley passed around all sorts of food. Hermione sat politely chatting with George from across the table, to Charlie who sat diagonally from her, and Ginny and Ron to her left and right. The other Weasley's filled Hermione in on some of the exciting news from the wizarding world that Ron forgotten to mention.
"Hermione, be a dear and hand me the potatoes, will you?" Said George who had just finished telling her about a new lot he had bought in Hogsmeade where he would build another joke shop.
When bellies where full with supper and larger than before, Mrs. Weasley waved her wand and the desserts appeared, replacing the empty plates. Pies, cake, cookies, pudding, and several flavors of ice cream.
Hermione grinned at the scene around her and listened in on Mr. Weasley and Percy's conversation about work, Charlie convincing his mother he didn't need another hair cut, and George trying to tell Ron (as he shoved the rest of a chicken leg and several cookies into his mouth) about some of the new items he'd been selling at the joke shop.
Ginny groaned next to Hermione and slowly reached for a tower of treacle tarts that had appeared directly in front of her, "Is swear Mum, you're going to make me fatter than Harry's Aunt Marge. What are you playing at? Huh? Going to shove me in the oven next?"
"With that tone of yours, I just might." Threatened Mrs. Weasley from the other end of the table. Ron laughed, spitting out chunks of food as he did so, "Watch it Ronald or you'll be next."
Merlin did Hermione love the Weasley's.
She loved the warm and coziness of their home, the random conversations, the abnormal shape of the house itself, the objects soaring magically throughout the kitchen, unexpected explosions, Ron and Ginny's bickering, and of course, Mrs. Weasley's cooking.
As the members around the table slowly stopped reaching for desserts, Mrs. Weasley took this as a sign and told them to head upstairs and get themselves ready for bed.
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As she crashed down on Ginny's bed, Hermione felt just how tired she was. Ginny came in and shoved Hermione onto the ground and told her to get her own bed. Hermione laughed from the floor and hulled herself up as she transfigured a tiny table into a mattress.
"Oh how I have missed your generosity Ginevra,"said Hermione as she closed the door to the bathroom and change into her pajamas. She brushed her teeth and frizzy hair as well, twisting it into a quick braid.
"I'm going to say good night to the boys," called Hermione.
She turned the corner and bumped straight into Mrs. Weasley who was carrying lots of blankets.
"Oh Hermione dear, please take some of these and put them on your mattress. I doubt my daughter set you up properly."
"Thank you Mrs. Weasley, for the blankets and your hospitality."
"My pleasure Hermione, you know how we love your visits and you are welcome to stay here anytime," she smiled kindly.
Hermione hugged the woman who was like a second mother to her and wished her good night.
Strolling across the hall and up the stairs, she walked into Ron's room where both he and Harry would be sleeping.
"Goodnight boys," she called from the door. They rose from the floor, Harry first who wrapped her in a brisk hug, then Ron who kissed her lightly. They both bid her sweet dreams as Hermione made her way back down to Ginny's room.
Once she threw the blankets over her makeshift bed, Hermione sighed and jumped on her mattress,"Good night Gin."
"Good night Hermione," she yawned.
Hermione flicked her wand at the light and it shut off immediately. Sleep at the Weasleys came easier than most nights, but the looming darkness of nightmares was never too far behind.
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Sorry that took so long to update guys! And hopefully this chapter is better than the first. I tried to make it a little longer and hope you enjoyed this!