Hermione Granger
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Post by Hermione Granger on Sept 1, 2016 16:18:19 GMT
Although Diagon Alley could be found full of witches and wizards year-round, late August brought all of the students back for school supplies. The school year would start right around the corner, and many students waited until last minute to stock up for the approaching year.
It used to be that Hermione Granger traveled to Diagon Alley once each August with her family. Depending on how the year was going, she might stop in during the winter break. The last few years, however, she had found herself staying at Hogwarts or with her best friend Ron Weasley and his family. There wasn't generally a need to visit Diagon Alley more than once a year anyway; mostly she just stopped by to re-stock her potions ingredients, buy the year's new required texts, and to buy new robes.
Of any year to visit Diagon Alley alone, Hermione soon found out that this year was by far the worst year to pick.
The sky was dark; thick clouds loomed above the rooftops. Maybe the muggles shrugged it off as rain, but Hermione knew better than to believe it was just rain.
As she walked down Charring Cross Road, Hermione noticed only a hand full of people out and about. Most of them were nestled in their raincoats, and bustled off quickly, not wanting to dote or chat. In the middle of the street was, what looked like on the outside, a run-down store. Hermione dipped in quietly.
The door opened to a great tavern and inn. Normally during this time of year, there would be many more customers. Today there were noticeably less people here than usual. A little irked, Hermione sat down at the bar to order a snack and a drink. If pressed for time, Hermione didn't mind shopping alone. Afterall, she was one of the most talented witches of her year. If she could avoid it, though, she would wait until her two best friends Harry and Ron showed up. Or anyone, really, as long as it wasn't Malfoy.
Tom, the barkeep, noticed Hermione sitting at the bar. He approached her and made small talk, asked what she'd like to purchase, and went on his way once she was finished with her order. She started off with a Butterbeer (it didn't feel right drinking one outside of the Three Broomsticks), and observed quietly as customers came and went.
For a moment, she got lost in her thoughts. What was she facing this year at school? Last year, she helped coordinate a secret club to learn how to fight against Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. The turnout was impressive, and she felt she had truly learned a lot more than she would have without creating it. However, the year ended with a trip to the Ministry and a battle between the Death eaters and her classmates. As a result, Harry's godfather had died- or rather, disappeared behind the veil in the Department of Mysteries. Harry had not made much contact with Hermione over the summer. She couldn't truly imagine what he was going through, as Sirius was his last surviving family. While the death of Sirius was a relief to the magic world, Hermione knew that the loss was tremendous. Sirius had simply been framed for committing a terrible crime; otherwise he was an excellent godfather to Harry. Hermione grieved his loss, but knew it was nothing compared to Harry's.
The door creaked open as another customer entered. Hermione was in the middle of an absent-minded drink, and became somewhat started at the sound, spilling a few drops of her drink down her cardigan.
"Well then," she muttered under her breath, dabbing at her top with a napkin. It wouldn't leave too much of a noticable stain on her printed cardican, but the wet spot would be annoying until it dried.
Hermione quickly surveyed her surroundings. No one was watching. What was a little drying charm?
She reached into her pocket, pulled out her wand inconspicuously from underneath the bar. She touched the tip of her wand to the Butterbeer spots on her top.
"Excaresco."
Hermione replaced her wand to her pocket, as the spots vanished.
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lydiaannesley
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Post by lydiaannesley on Sept 9, 2016 6:20:50 GMT
"Lydia, are you certain you don't want me to come along?" Apollonia Annesley looked anxiously at her daughter across the breakfast table.
"Mum, honestly, I'll be fine," Lydia smiled reassuringly and pushed her chair back. The family house elf, Patter, scampered into the room with Lydia's emerald cloak, handed it to her, and snapped her fingers to do away with the used dishes.
"You cannot blame me, Lydia. You know better than anyone how dangerous things are right now," Apollonia glared firmly at her daughter, her black eyes flashing stubbornly.
Lydia fastened the cloak around her neck calmly, though her mother's concern shook her. "Mum, please, we can't talk like that. I am fine. We are fine. Nothing is going to happen, don't be silly," she walked to where her mother was still seated and kissed her on the cheek. Apollonia closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply as her husband entered the room.
"Dad, would you please tell Mum not to fret? I'm more than capable and old enough to go to Diagon Alley on my own! Besides, I was planning to meet Blaise and some other at Fortescue's for ice cream and such. I can't very well bring my mother along!" she cried, looking pleadingly up at her father.
Cetus took a seat next to his wife and dug into the breakfast that magically appeared in front of him, courtesy of Patter. "You look more like your mother every day, Lydie girl," he said in response, smiling fondly at his daughter. It was true; Lydia had inherited her mother's black hair, dark eyes and blemish-free brown skin. Apollonia's parents has immigrated to England from Morocco before she was born and she'd retained and instilled her cultural pride in Lydia, who spoke fluent French as a result.
"Apollonia, give the girl some room. She'll be 17 in just a few weeks; let her meet her friends and have a bit of fun before school starts," Cetus said gently. The two locked eyes for several seconds, speaking silently to one another. Lydia had always admired and marveled at the deep affection and respect her parents had for one another, in spite of the extenuating circumstances that had led them to end up together.
When the conversation had finished, her mother sighed deeply. "All right, go on. But be home before eleven, Lydia Elizabeth! I will not have you wandering about London all hours of the night," she fixed her daughter with a stern gaze.
"Thank you, Maman," Lydia squealed, kissing her mother once again. Straightening up, she grinned at her father, "Thanks dad."
"Anything for you, my dear," Cetus smile warmly as Lydia swooped down and kissed him as well.
As she grabbed her purse and an extra bag for carrying her supplies in, Lydia heard her parents whispering concernedly over the Daily Prophet. The news greatly troubled them these days and Apollonia was even thinking of moving Lydia to Morocco to be with her retired parents if things didn't settle down soon. Standing in the fireplace, Lydia shook her head to try and clear away these dark thoughts. Everything will be all right. There's no chance things can continue on this way for much longer, she thought firmly. She threw down Floo Powder and went spinning off to Diagon Alley.
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As she spun to stop in the large fireplace, she swore softly to herself. "I cannot WAIT until I get my Apparating license," she growled, dusting off her cloak and shouldering her bag. When she finally looked up, her breath caught in her chest. The street was somber and everyone out and about was walking quickly, avoiding eye contact. She'd never seen the Wizarding shopping centre so utterly deserted before; it was incredibly unnerving.
After an awkward purchasing session in Flourish and Blotts, Lydia decided to stop shopping until her friends arrived. It was entirely too creepy being out when it was so dark and everyone so skittish. She made her way to the Leaky Cauldron just as a light rain began to come down and made it inside as a crash of thunder sounded and pouring rain descended on the pub. Shaking back her hood, Lydia made her way up to the bar; a Firewhiskey sounded excellent right about now.
As she sipped her drink, Lydia's thoughts drifted back to her parents; she'd always loved how their names were both celestial, how it seemed they'd been destined to end up with one another. Cetus and Apollonia were never "in love" in the strictest sense, but their parents had been friends since before the birth of their children and they'd been married for nearly 18 years and cared dearly for one another. Cetus' decision to marry Apollonia after her fall from grace, she being his oldest and closest friend, had been one of loving friendship and he'd never stopped thinking of wife's best interests since. Lydia might have inherited her mother's forceful ambition, incredible intelligence and dazzling good looks, but she'd also inherited her father's enormous capacity for compassion, forgiveness and fierce loyalty to loved ones; she was truly a lucky girl.
She was so lost in her thoughts, that it took her several minutes to realize that she was not alone at the bar. A few seats down sat Hermione Granger, Lydia's academic rival; she debated saying hello, checked her watch and saw that Blaise and co. were not due for at least an hour. Deciding to cut her losses, she downed the rest of her drink and walked over down to a seat away from Hermione.
"This seat taken?" she asked, resting her hand on the back of the chair, looking coolly at Hermione.
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Hermione Granger
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Post by Hermione Granger on Sept 10, 2016 2:17:42 GMT
Over the years, as Hermione grew closer to Harry and Ron, the summers became less lonely. There was a time, deep in Hermione's past it seemed, that Hermione felt isolated and rejected from her peers. Once she had been accepted to Hogwarts, however, everything changed. The first several years were rough as Harry and Ron probably weren't sure what to do with a girl like Hermione. She usually was the one to keep them in line when they didn't seem to care about homework or rules.
This year, Hermione had began prepping for exams well in advance. Although she accompanied her parents on a brief trip to France, she had mostly spent the entire summer reading.
There wasn't much to do outside of studying anyway- it didn't seem like there could be a return from the Dark Lord's appearance at the Ministry. Up until this point, the Minister of Magic had been convinced that the Dark Lord's return to power was a hoax and nothing but a rumor. Quite on the contrary, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named made the Ministry very alert of his plans. Their little field trip only destroyed the whole Department of Mysteries, and that was only the beginning of the battle. Dumbledore, the D.A., and Harry left the Ministry lobby in shambles after Voldemort's escapade.
Through everything that happened, Hermione was mostly concerned about Harry, who probably spent his summer locked away in his bedroom on 4., Privet Drive, re-reading that day's issue of the Daily Prophet. It was an unforgettable cover; a picture of the destroyed Ministry lobby, and a picture of Sirius Black, and only a small caption to mention his death. A great man had died, and it was a shame that the world celebrated his death with a single sentence, and a fine-print revoke of the bounty reward money on his head.
Hermione snapped back to reality when Tom asked if she'd like to order a snack. Hermione figured that it might be taking a while for Mrs. Weasley was to herd up the boys (and Ginny) after the numerous times she would be convincing herself out of going at all. Hermione ordered a side dish of the pasties.
Hermione's mind continued to wander- what were she and her friends facing this year at Hogwarts? Who was going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? How was Hagrid doing? And more importantly, were the House Elves getting fairer pay?
Hermione was deep in thought, when she heard a voice next to her.
Is this seat taken?
She looked over to see one of her Hogwarts peers- a student by the name of Lydia Annesley.
Most Slytherins weren't worth a light of day, in Hermione's eyes. Many of them were egotistical and malicious. Lydia, on the other hand, was more neutral. Hermione thought she was an extension of Malfoy's gang, although most Slytherins were associated with him somehow. The git practically sat on the Slytherin throne (if they had one), and he was not afraid to play the part.
The only thing that Hermione was sure of, was that Lydia was studious for a Slytherin. In the back of her mind, Hermione found herself often questioning what it was about Lydia that the Sorting Hat decided against putting her in Ravenclaw. In this way, Hermione was also neutral to her.
"Oh, hello," Hermione greeted Lydia with a polite smile.
"I suppose it is now," she gestured for her to sit down.
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lydiaannesley
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Post by lydiaannesley on Sept 10, 2016 6:20:54 GMT
"Thanks," Lydia sat down uncertainly. She quickly ordered another Firewhiskey and took a quick slug of the burning liquid before turning to face Hermione.
"Sorry, I know we've never spoken much. It's just... strange times, I suppose. I felt very compelled to come over and finally meet you. I'm Lydia; I'm second best witch in our year, after you," she smiled ruefully. "Just barely beat out that Ravenclaw, Patil. She's clever, but I've slaved to be better than her." She had worked to climb the ranks and she was damn proud of herself for it.
"I'm a little surprised to see you here by yourself, honestly. Are Potter and Weasley coming to join you at some point?" she asked, curiously. While other Slytherins found Potter and Weasley a loathsome pair, Lydia really did not care about them in the slightest. They were sometimes slightly annoying, always getting into some sort of trouble or another, but on the whole she didn't think of them much of the time; Hermione Granger was a much more interesting person to focus on.
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Hermione Granger
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Post by Hermione Granger on Jan 4, 2017 22:01:26 GMT
To Hermione's shock, Lydia apologized for the two not formally meeting before now. In considering the general history of Hogwarts, it seemed that this generation of Gryffindors and Slytherins had a wild rivalry. It didn't help matters that many Slytherins were associated with Voldemort, the dark wizard who was out to kill Harry... Needless to say, Hermione was worried for her best friend.
Regardless, Lydia seemed genuine. Not all Slytherins could be bad, right? It was obvious that Lydia was making an effort to have a civilized, educated conversation. Definitely not something Hermione couldn't appreciate. Besides, Hermione and her friends mostly struggled with Malfoy.
"I appreciate that, the apology," Hermione echoed her thoughts. "No apology necessary, though." She chuckled. "It is what it is. The Patils are smart girls. We've got some tough competition."
At the mention of Harry and Ron, Hermione instinctively looked around the pub to check if they'd arrived.
"They're supposed to be here, yes," she admitted. "Ron's Mum has been skeptical. Even my parents were worried about sending me here."
The magical world was on the brink of war and it showed, especially in Diagon Alley. People were afraid to be out- what if there was an attack? Anyone with the slightest bit of Muggle blood was at risk. Anyone who associated with "Mud-Bloods" or Muggles was also at a risk. Times weren't the same.
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lydiaannesley
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Post by lydiaannesley on Jan 10, 2017 0:46:35 GMT
"Ron's Mum has been skeptical. Even my parents were worried about sending me here."
She was slightly shocked at Hermione's reaction; certainly a smile was not at all what she'd been expecting. Lydia had never been friendly with Gryffindors before and had expected Hermione to carry on the ages old tradition of Slytherin hating and assuming she was a slimy git with Dark intentions.
Lydia smiled grimly at Hermione. "Your parents are Muggles, right? What do they know about everything? That huge bridge crashed a few weeks ago, that was so scary... Do the Muggles know it was magic? My mum is slightly panicked, too. I can't say I blame here since I got here though; it's definitely scarier than I thought it would be."
"I apologize if I'm too forward with my questions. It's important to me to get a good idea of the Muggle world though. My greatest ambition is to Minister of Magic for England someday and I feel that cooperative relations with Muggles that don't threaten the International Statute of Secrecy start with the Minister, herself, having a decent idea about Muggle politics and reactions to magic," Lydia said frankly.
She took a sip of her drink, thinking hard. "I bet your friend Potter holding up? I bet he’s worried. I would be, too, if I was him. I'm nervous as it is and I'm a Pureblood. You just never know what will happen..." she trailed off.
"Do you want a drink or anything? I didn't know Fortescue's was closed up and was planning on going there, so I've got quite a bit of extra pocket money," she signaled to the bartender to come over. "I'm going to have a bit of a snack, if you don't mind me sitting here a little while longer. My friends aren't due for another hour and it's a bit creepy sitting alone."
In truth, Lydia was actually quite enjoying herself. She really did despise Pansy Parkinson and it was so pleasant to be around another girl who didn’t just want to drool over how brave and sensitive Draco was; Lydia didn’t find him to possess either of those qualities in large amounts, but she’d never say so to Pansy. The issue of her secret also gnawed at her when she was with her friends; she liked Blaise the best amongst the Slytherins because of her friends he was the least interested in Dark Magic and wizards, but she knew better than to hope for his public support if her secret was ever revealed. Hermione Granger, on the other hand, didn’t care a mite about other peoples’ blood status and that was extremely comforting to Lydia.
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Hermione Granger
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Post by Hermione Granger on Jan 10, 2017 4:46:48 GMT
It was no secret that Hermione was born to Muggle parents. The whole school knew of her upbringing. At first, she might have felt a little uncomfortable and isolated especially when Malfoy and his gang started to target her, Ron, and Harry. But, deep down, Hermione knew she shouldn't be ashamed of her upbringing. Eventually, the insults weren't new, and she was valued especially in the Gryffindor house for her cleverness, as it often awarded them House Points.
Despite becoming more comfortable with her heritage, Hermione realized the danger that she was in when she wasn't at Hogwarts. Under the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, Hermione was certain that everyone was safe despite any prejudice. The real world, however, was becoming darker and darker.
Despite the reputation that Slytherin had going for itself, it seemed like Lydia was genuine. Hermione found it impressive that Lydia dreamed of becoming the Minister of Magic one day, and that she seemed to talk so freely to Hermione. On the other hand, part of Hermione realized the need for caution. It was easy for Lydia to be so free as a pureblood, however. Based on the company Lydia kept, Hermione doubted that Lydia was having any trouble.
"No, it's okay, your questions are valid," Hermione reassured. "My parents suspected something, but the only word they really hear is from me."
"Do you want a drink or anything? I didn't know Fortescue's was closed up and was planning on going there, so I've got quite a bit of extra pocket money,"
"I have a snack on the way as well, but I suppose a drink would be nice. Next one's on me though," Hermione smiled.
In lieu of the world outside the pub, it seemed like not all hope was lost.
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