Shopping and Fantasies
After the farmer's market Hermione went home. As she was putting her groceries away, an owl tapped at her window. She opened it and saw that it was Ginny’s little screech owl. She retrieved the letter addressed to her and gave the bird a treat. It didn’t fly away, instead it rocked back and forth on its tiny feet, which meant he was waiting for a response.
Hermione,
Can you meet me at The Leaky for lunch? I also want to do a little shopping.
Ginny
Hermione knew that what Ginny really wanted was to know what happened after she dragged Ron out of the Minister’s office. She quickly scribbled a response saying she would meet her at 1:00. Just as Ginny's owl flew away another owl landed on the windowsill, this one she did not recognize. She accepted the note he offered, then he caught a treat she tossed to him and he flew away.
Miss Granger,
I wanted to inform you that I met with the Board of Governors and they have approved your placement at Hogwarts as Temporary Head Librarian for the 2001 school year. Congratulations. I would like to meet with you to discuss in detail the position and get an outline on your plans and goals for the library. My calendar can accommodate a meeting on August 1st 2001, I will block the whole morning to go over your proposal.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress,
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
She was so excited she actually hugged the letter and squealed. When the war was over, everyone in her grade that had survived, was invited back to Hogwarts for an eighth year or to test out and graduate. She couldn’t see herself as a student anymore. With her tremors and nightmares happening so frequently, attending classes and being focused on studies was not something she had wished to do.
So, after she took her N.E.W.T.s she started working at the Ministry in the Magical Research Department. In the two years that she had been there The Head of the Department had changed three times. Each time a new witch or wizard came in they changed everything, every procedure, every form, every reporting structure. Hermione had been trying to transfer out, but when they found out they had Hermione Granger in their department, one third of the Golden Trio, well, nobody was going to let her go. One witch actually told her that she was rejecting her request for transfer because she couldn’t lose her “advantage” in her rise up the Ministry ladder.
She grabbed a green apple from her recent purchases and went upstairs to shower and change. She had about an hour before she had to meet Ginny and in true Hermione fashion she had some ideas for the Hogwarts Library that she wanted to write down. It was only May 29th, but her meeting with McGonagall would be here soon enough.
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Ginny was waiting in a back booth, She had already ordered Hermione a butterbeer. As soon as she sat down she showed her the letter from McGonagall,
Her friend hugged her and said, “I’m so happy for you. I know that you have wanted to leave the Ministry for a while. Harry will miss you being in the building, but we both know that your talents have been wasted there. You’re too smart to be working your ass off just to help some dumbass bureaucrat climb the ladder you have been stuck on. Besides, you’re only a floo away. I miss going to Hogsmeade, so we can meet and have lunch there during the school term.”
“I’m so excited. I know the library hasn’t been cared for properly since the rebuild. Madam Pince always kept it so organized. I can only imagine what disarray it is in without a dedicated caretaker.”
Ginny listened to her prattle on about her ideas for the library. Her excitement was contagious. Then she asked, “Hermione. I’m curious. How do you plan on being in a repopulation group and work at Hogwarts?”
Hermione froze. She hadn’t thought about that. She had not even given a thought about how it would work. Would McGonagall still want her if she were pregnant? Would the Board of Governors still allow her to run the library if she were pregnant? What about Draco and Theo? “Well, I think I will be fine. According to the guidelines I can take six months to “get to know” the wizards I’m grouped with. Then the actual getting and being pregnant. That would put my pregnancy and delivery sometime next summer.”
“But...Hermione. Are you going to physically be able to work? Most witches don’t work, unless they absolutely have to. Also, what would Malfoy and Nott say?” Ginny asked.
Hermione worried her bottom lip, but straightened her back, thinking for a moment, “I will make this work. I have been waiting for this job. I have waited over two years for seven wizards to make up their minds about letting me ‘try’ to take over Madame Pince’s position. I’ve thought of how great it would be to be back at Hogwarts, and my favorite place on the grounds. I have planned and put together ideas for the library, for the staff, and the students. Besides, most muggle women work and have babies and families. I don’t see why witches shouldn’t. I don’t see why it would be so hard.”
“Okay. If you think you’ll be able to work, be pregnant, floo travel every day and run the entire Hogwarts library.” Ginny tried to sound supportive but in her heart she wasn’t sure her friend could do all that she dreamed she could. “Let’s eat. I want to hit the shops for something special and naughty to wear for Harry tonight. Luna is coming over for dinner and she mentioned exploring some boundaries. Harry almost choked on his tea, but I am a little excited.”
“Ginny, you are going to accomplish what Voldemort couldn’t. You are going to be the death of Harry Potter.” They both laughed. “How did your mother respond to the repopulation group you are in?
“Well, she has wanted Harry and I together since before the war. The only issue she has is that the Ministry is mandating witches and wizards to have babies, yet not forcing them to marry. She also is concerned that we are adding Luna to the mix. Her exact words were, ‘Arthur, can you imagine the Ministry telling a wizard he has to have two children with two witches and not have to marry them? Can you just wonder what that wizard is going to think?’ Poor dad, he was so busy IMAGINING that he blushed, coughed and sputtered some un-intelligent response.” Both witches laughed loudly.
After lunch the witches went to Wicked Intimates, a small boutique that was owned and operated by Veela. The enticing clerk was very excited to see Ginny, evidently, she had waited on her before. Ginny purchased two very revealing nighties. Hermione was completely stunned at how much she paid for so little material.
“Hermione, you should buy something cute and sexy. You’re grouped with two very handsome wizards. Maybe you could model it for them.” Ginny said loudly and with a cheeky tone.
The thought of modeling something from the shop, made Hermione’s neck and cheeks feel warm. Sure that everyone could see her blushing she turned and started looking at the very tiny scraps of soft silky material. Imagining grey eyes and blue eyes seeing her in them and wondering what they would think. Ginny grabbed her purchases and the witches walked to the nearest apparition point. After her friend left Hermione found her way back to the shop and those little scraps of intimate material.
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It was 3:00 when Theo floo called Hermione. He asked if she would like to get together and go over some of the research she had brought to the manor. “Draco and I finished going over your notes. We wrote down our questions and thought maybe you would like to come to dinner and we could talk.”
Then Draco’s voice came from behind Theo adding, “Ask her if she minds that my mother would like to join us.”
Before he could relay Draco’s inquiry, she responded, “Of course I wouldn’t mind if she joined us. I’m sure she has questions and concerns too. What time would you like me to be there? Can I bring something?”
She could hear Theo talking to Draco, but couldn’t make out everything they were saying. Then Theo’s face re-appeared in the floo and he said, “Floo over at six o’clock. We can talk for a bit and then have dinner. Sure, you can bring whatever you want.”
She said she would see them at six. Then she walked into her kitchen and thought it would be lovely to bring apple pie. She had purchased some lovely green apples from the market that morning. So dessert it was.
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“Theo, what could she possibly bring? Did she do more research today? She left books and notes and pamphlets here yesterday.” Draco was really confused. It had taken them a few more hours to go through everything she brought with her yesterday and then to write down their questions. Shaking his head, “Oh well, if the witch wants to be thorough, who were they to stop her?”
He went to inform his mother that Granger would be there for dinner and then let Tipsy and Mopsy know that they would have a guest and would be eating in the small dining room.
He was nervous about Granger coming to dinner. Their past wasn’t something he wanted to dwell on. He hadn’t been nice to her in school. He had not been on the same side of the war as her. True, with the help of his godfather, he turned at the end and fought on the side of the light.
Snape had eventually told him that he was actually a spy and that he was in the Order. Draco had not believed him until two nights before Dumbledore died. The Head of Slytherin had called Draco to his office, he told the Slytherin Prince about his true allegiance. Then he took him to the Headmaster’s office and there they planned the death of Albus Dumbledore.
All of that came out after the war. It was in a journal sealed with Dumbledore’s personal wizard seal. The old man and his godfather had decided that he was not to complete his mission. He wasn't going to have the killing curse on his soul. Sadly they could never have foreseen the true depth of his father’s hatred of muggle born wizards and witches.
Now in a sick twist of fate, he was paired in a repopulation group with the one witch in all of Britain that has consistently starred in both his nightmares and dreams. Good gods, how was he going to do this. Theo insists that everything will work out. “THEO. THEO. Where the hell are you?” Draco bellowed through the manor.
“I’m in the kitchen, Dray. I wanted to see what our lovely “ladies” planned for our dinner. Tipsy is planning a delicious dinner. She won’t tell me what, but she assures me that, ‘Mistress knows and has approved’.”