Colors

For Disclaimer etc., please see Chapter 1

_____________________________________________________

No Music More Enchanting

Chapter 3 – Colors

One last, rambunctious ride on the Hogwarts Express back to King's Cross, in a compartment busier than Heathrow at the beginning of the summer holidays, with a constant flow of visitors, ranging from soon-to-be second-years to fellow school leavers, all of whom wanted to see and be seen with the heroes who'd defeated Voldemort...after all, it might be their last or even only chance...and Harry, Ron and Hermione's Hogwarts era ended.

The three friends gathered their luggage and stepped on the platform. "It feels so strange," Hermione said, casting one last, wistful look at the train. "It's really over now, isn't it? No more school."

"Yeah," Ron said somberly. "That time is over. On to new things."

Harry grinned. "Adulthood, here we come! Let's go!"

They made their way out to the main station, and Hermione caught sight of Luna. She waved and called, "See you Sunday, Luna!"

Luna hurried over to them, abandoning her luggage for the moment. "We'll meet at the Leaky Cauldron, right?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. Five o'clock Sunday. See you then." Her eyes followed Luna as the blonde witch walked light-footed back to her belongings.

"Sunday?" Ron asked, frowning. "You didn't tell me."

"Sorry, Ron, Luna and I arranged to meet on Sunday just before we boarded the train this morning. We'll talk as soon as we settle at Grimmauld Place," Hermione promised, trying her best to sound lighthearted.

The three friends exited the station and walked onto an empty side-road from where they Apparated to Grimmauld Place.

Hermione was grateful for Harry's presence when she had finally run out of excuses to delay a serious talk with Ron. "As you know, I've accepted Kingsley's offer. And I've thought much about whether to stay here or go abroad. Ron, this is likely my only chance to see some parts of the world, to live somewhere outside England, and that is something I've always hoped to be able to do one day...even though it means we won't see each other as often."

Ron stared at her, profound disappointment written on his face. "What is so special about Germany that England doesn't offer, Hermione?"

"The Ark of the Covenant is hidden there." Hermione snickered, remembering Luna's outrageous statement.

"What?" One blank and one surprised face looked at her.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I was joking!"

"Is this it, then? You just go off without a care about us?"

"No, Ron," she said seriously. "Not at all. Unless you want it to be so. Honestly, if our relationship dies because we don't see each other every day, then there isn't much of a relationship to start with, is there?"

"She's right, you know, mate," Harry said. "If you're meant to stay together, then a temporary separation shouldn't be the end. It's not as if you can't visit each other! And it's not forever either!"

"I guess..." Ron said moodily. Then his face perked up. "We're going to be pretty busy with Auror training, anyway!"

"Exactly. So it won't really matter so much because you wouldn't be able to see each other as often," Harry pointed out. "And the two years will be over before you know it."

Eventually, Ron's mood improved again, and he and Harry went to the living room for a game of chess while Hermione returned to the room she had always occupied during her stays at Grimmauld Place to enjoy the freedom to do whatever she wanted now that school was over.

The next few days flew by in a flurry of activity. Trips to the Ministry of Magic were on the agenda almost daily to arrange for all the official papers and documents that might be required.

An emotional reunion with her parents ensued after Kingsley, true to his word, had reversed her memory charm and returned the Grangers to their old home. Hermione was grateful how much the Minister had done for her. He had not stopped at merely returning her parents with their memories restored, but had ensured that they'd know exactly why Hermione had deemed it necessary to remove them to safety.

By the weekend, Hermione had all the papers she might need in Muggle Germany as well as her acceptance letter from the university. After her various talks with Luna, she was looking forward to living amongst Muggles in Munich. Kingsley had suggested she'd take up chemistry, and Hermione wondered why she hadn't thought of that herself. It seemed such a good idea.

On Sunday afternoon, Hermione met Luna at the Leaky Cauldron, and they looked through Muggle tourism brochures Luna had brought along while sipping butterbeer.

"I'm so looking forward to it. I can hardly wait," Luna said, enthusiasm evident in her voice.

Hermione smiled. "Yes, me too. Next Sunday, we might be having coffee in the English Garden..."

A few days of frantic visiting parents and friends, a last get-together at the Leaky Cauldron with former schoolmates, and the day of moving abroad arrived.

Hermione rose early, even though they would not travel until evening. But sleep had evaded her since the early morning hours, so she opened the book she had bought in a Muggle store the previous day and started to read about Munich.

The young witch was not pleased about Mrs Weasley demanding that Ron spend the night...her last at Grimmauld Place...at the Burrow, but Mrs Tonks was still recovering from a fall and needed help looking after Teddy Lupin. Since Ron had continuously been evading his responsibility to keep his mother company while baby-sitting, Molly Weasley paid Grimmauld Place a visit and told her son in no uncertain terms what was expected of him.

Entirely entranced in the history of the many castles and palaces, Hermione first did not hear the knock on the door. "Hermione, are you in there?"

Looking at the clock on the wall, she groaned. "I'll be out in a minute, Harry!" The shower would have to wait; she didn't want to be late for what she thought to be the last proper English breakfast for a while.

Although sadness was ever lingering in the Weasley home, Hermione enjoyed breakfast with the still large family. Her heart warmed as she watched Harry feed small pieces of toast to Teddy as if he'd done it a million times before. He would enjoy fatherhood, and judging by the longing looks Ginny was casting at them, Hermione was certain they'd be parents in the not too far future.

After breakfast, Mrs Weasley chased Hermione out of the kitchen. "Don't worry about cleaning up. Go and enjoy your last few hours with Ron, Hermione!"

"Let's go for a walk," Ron suggested, and Hermione followed him out of the door. They walked in silence for a while before Ron started to talk. "I'm gonna miss you, you know..."

Hermione stopped to hug him. "I'll miss you, too, Ron. I know I will. But this is just too good an opportunity..."

He played with her hair as she leaned against his chest. "I know, love. Believe me, I understand. I'm glad that Auror training is supposed to be tough for the first year. At least that way, I'll be able to keep myself busy."

"And we can visit each other, Ron. Germany is not that far! The only reason Luna and I don't Apparate tonight is because we don't know where to. That's why Kingsley arranged a Portkey for us... I'll send you an owl as soon as I can, and then we can make plans to visit."

Finally, after a few hours spent frantically with showering, packing, re-packing and last-minute Floo conversations, Hermione found herself next to Luna in front of the Minister of Magic's desk.

The two witches took seats opposite Kingsley, and after a short exchange of greetings, the Minister came right to the point. "This Portkey," he said, holding up a cd, "will take you to the garden of Blutenburg Palace. Go to the main building across the two towers on the corners of the property, and on the shorter side on the right, you'll find a small door. These," he held up two keys, "will open it, but you can, of course, initiate a password so you don't have to worry about carrying a key around. Inside, go up the stairs to the top floor where your flat is located. The same key will open the door to it."

He waited for Hermione and Luna to acknowledge his words before continuing. "The caretaker of the castle is a Squib. He knows you're coming, and he will help you with anything you need, from finding the nearest shops to directions to the wizarding quarter...they have a Gringotts branch there...and, of course, anything you'll need with regard to your new home.

"The loft of the Blutenburg has two flats, each with its own entrance so you won't have to worry about being disturbed by the other residents, who by the way are also English. The rest of the building houses museums and the youth library. They all close at five o'clock, which is why I asked you here so late. This way, no Muggles are likely to see you appear out of nowhere." Kingsley smiled. "The buildings themselves are warded against Apparition, so you will have to Apparate out of and into the garden.

"Any questions, ladies?"

Hermione and Luna looked at each other. Neither had questions so far. The Minister went on to explain how to use the German PO Box at the nearby post office, which had been arranged for the two witches, then mentioned the lack of a fireplace. "But the caretaker can tell you where the nearest Floo is, so that should be no problem. And of course, you can make use of owls. The caretaker can tell you where the owlery is.

"Right. I think that's it for now. Enjoy your stay, and don't forget to owl every now and then, especially if you plan to go elsewhere for adventures."

Finally, the two witches said their good-byes and activated the Portkey.

~|~|~|~

"Wow, look at this, isn't it beautiful..." Luna said with reverence, staring at the castle in front of them.

Hermione took a deep breath. The palace looked majestic and imposing, its large grounds surrounded by four white-washed towers, with a lake running the entire side of the garden that mainly consisted of manicured lawn, on the borders of which grew roses, lavender and other fragrant flowers. It made breathing an utter olfactory delight.

"It is," Hermione agreed, taking another appreciative whiff of the scented air. "I can well imagine settling here for a while."

The two witches walked along the palace facade and found the door the Minister had described. Behind it was a narrow corridor leading into the main part of the building, and a spiral staircase led upstairs to the loft.

"Oh, this is nice..." Hermione said upon opening the door to the flat. Through the many windows, a slowly setting sun and darkening sky bathed the interior in warm orange lights, intensifying the blue hues of the soft furnishings and the wooden floor. The entrance area opened up into a large living room filled with sofa, comfortable chairs, and low shelves along the entire wall.

"Imagine, it's big enough to have friends over, too," Luna said, obviously as delighted as Hermione was with the new situation.

The two friends walked through the living room, which opened up into a kitchen that could be easily considered a culinary aficionado's dream come true. An abundance of cast iron pots and pans were hanging above a large cooker with work surfaces and cupboards on either side. The largest refrigerator Hermione had ever seen stood in the corner at the far end, and an island in the middle provided two large sinks, a dishwasher and more working space.

Luna smiled dreamily. "I think we should take up some cookery classes, just to do this kitchen justice."

"Hm, you have a point," Hermione agreed. She opened the door at the end opposite the living room. It led to a corridor, from which three doors led elsewhere. She opened the first door. It was a small bathroom. I'd have imagined something bigger, judging by the size of the kitchen and living room, she thought and closed the door again.

The next door led to a large bedroom, decorated in green. "I think someone had fun here," Hermione muttered. The room was functional and rather tastefully decorated, although Hermione could not appreciate the Slytherin green. Opening the door at the far end of the bedroom mollified her considerably. It was a big bathroom with a very large bathtub and plenty of storage space.

The last door she opened was a mirror of the green bedroom, only in blue. "Oh, a Ravenclaw room. I like that!" Luna exclaimed as she entered behind Hermione.

Hermione sighed. "I guess I'll take the green one then. I'll have to do something about that color, though."

"Oh, surely, that won't be a problem. Thank you, I rather like this one," Luna replied, and Hermione turned to give her bedroom a closer inspection.

Trying to change the green to any other color proved impossible, however. Hermione knew a fair few charms that should have instigated the change, yet no matter which charm she tried, the green remained stubbornly.

A loud knock at the front door interrupted her concentration, and both witches hurried to see who the visitor was.

***********************************************************

Grateful thanks go to southernwitch69 for the beta and littlebeloved for the alpha read.