The Morning After

Chapter Three – The Morning After

As the sun crested over the horizon, the sky was painted with varying hues of gold and rose. The sun's dappled rays filtered through the room's gossamer-like drapes, creating light shadows that danced along the walls and across the floor.

Groaning softly, Hermione rolled over in her sleep, burying her face in the softness of the bed sheets. The gentle sound of Crooks' mewing caused a cinnamon-colored eye to crack open. Growling sleepily, she eyed her familiar for a moment before rolling over and burrowing even deeper into the bed than before. Not to be deterred by his mistress' morning brush-offs, Crooks hopped over her lithe body and began to nudge his nose against her cheeks and neck.

Determined to get in a few more hours of sleep, Hermione did her best to ignore Crooks' incessant nudging and pitiful whining. After about ten minutes and three not-so-accidental scratches later, Hermione gave up. With a frustrated growl, she kicked down the duvet and sent a heated glare in her familiar's direction.

Bleary eyed, she reached up to fluff her already wildly tangled hair. A glance in the mirror caused her to grimace at the thought of untangling the mess... even with magic. Sighing heavily, she headed over to the fireplace and Flooed the kitchens. A few scant moments later, a small house-elf popped in with Crooks' breakfast. Hermione greeted the timid female house-elf with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Koki," she said brightly.

"Mornin', ma'am," she whispered softly while cooing to Crooks.

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle silently at the way Koki and Crooks interacted with one another. The young house-elf was absolutely fascinated with the feline mix, and it seemed that the interest was more than mutual.

"Koki, I was wondering; could you do me a favor?"

At this, Koki looked up from her silent exchange. She ducked her head shyly, dragging a pointed toe through the plush carpet; she asked shyly what that might be.

"Well, I'm not really feeling all that well..."

"Oh, Koki should be going to gets someones?" the young house-elf asked, alarmed for her mistress' welfare.

"No, no, I just don't feel like dining in the Great Hall this morning. I was wondering if you could go to the kitchens and fetch me some breakfast; I'd rather eat in my rooms this morning," Hermione explained.

The young house-elf contemplated this for a moment before smiling brightly. Without a word, she took off with a bounce through the Floo, only to return a few minutes later with a piping hot plate filled with eggs, bacon, toast, various breakfast pastries, and a large container of pumpkin juice.

"Just call for Koki when done," the house-elf said after placing the large platter up on the desk in the far corner of the room.

"Thank you, Koki."

With that, Koki smiled shyly before scampering back over to the fireplace and disappearing as quickly as she'd appeared. Hermione couldn't help but shake her head at the house-elf's antics. It really is a shame that such loyal creatures have such a lot in life, she thought to herself. It was then that she decided to perhaps do something nice for her resident house-elf.

Putting together a plate of bacon, toast, and what looked to be something akin to a cinnamon bun, she poured herself a goblet of pumpkin juice before settling herself on the edge of the bed. Having already finished his own breakfast, Crooks hopped up on the bed and looked at his mistress imploringly, hoping to catch a few nibbles of hers.

Giggling at her familiar's antics, she couldn't help but feed him a few bits of bacon before sending him on his way. Crooks continued his adorable tactics for a few more minutes, but when he saw that he'd gotten his fill, and that his pursuit was fruitless, he turned up his nose and hopped off the bed. Trotting across the room, he found a nice warm section of thick carpet where the sun was breaking through the drapes. He circled the small section of space a few times before settling down for a morning nap.

Finishing up her breakfast, Hermione sent back the leftovers with a dismissive wave of her hand. Sighing softly, she realized that she was going to have to shower and dress before heading anywhere. There was another door within the room just set off to the side of the bed that led to the bathroom. Once inside, she waved her hand over the large sunken spa-like tub, causing it to fill magically with water.

Normally, she'd have just used the faucets, but there wasn't time. She wanted to be washed and dressed quickly to catch Dumbledore before he left the school to run errands. On Saturdays, the Headmaster was hardly ever in, usually leaving Professor McGonagall in charge. Stepping into the tub, she hissed softly at the heat of the water before settling in. Quickly dunking her head beneath the water, she began to wash her hair and scrub herself clean.

Finishing up quickly, she removed herself from the tub, and with another wave of her hand, the remaining water quickly made its way down the drain. Casting a drying spell on herself eliminated the tedious use for towels, though she wrapped one around herself anyway.

Crossing the room, she headed to her bureau and chose a dark blue sleeveless dress. Slipping out of her towel, she tossed it onto the bed before pulling on the garment. Pulling it over her head, it slid down to settle on her shoulders, the bodice hugging tightly to her bust and down her slim torso before flaring out around her hips to fall softly around the rest of her body.

Smiling at her reflection, she gave an experimental twirl as the skirt swished and swirled around her ankles. She then reached for a pair of dark blue boots that complemented the varying blue hues on the dress.

Her eyes widened as she suddenly remembered her need for a quick list before heading out for the day. Grabbing a spare piece of parchment, she picked up her quill and dipped it in some ink. She already knew that she had to stop in Honeydukes. Her sweet tooth wouldn't allow her to go without until next month.

For Honeydukes, she wrote: Chocoballs, Fizzing Whizbees, sugar quills, half a brick of chocolate, and lemon drops. She knew it sounded like a lot, but the sugary lot would probably last her a couple of months at best. I won't have to make another trip to the shop until almost Christmas and the Headmaster does enjoy lemon drops... It really is the least I can do for him. Her train of thought trailed off there, not really wanting rehash bad memories.

Shaking her head slightly, she also realized that she'd have to work out a way with Dumbledore to make a short trip into Diagon Alley. She had put off speaking to him about the need for a trip to Gringotts long enough; perhaps she could even stop in Flourish and Blotts while there.

With that in mind, she gently blew across the parchment, helping the ink to dry faster, before folding it over and pocketing the list. Crossing the room, she then reached into the same bureau and pulled out a long flowing dark blue cloak.

Surprisingly enough, the fabric it was made of was fairly light and perfect for the autumn-like weather. She then settled the cloak on her shoulders before securing the brooch just below her neck. Spying her wand on the bedside table, she merely reached out and called for it, "Accio wand," before pocketing the item within one of the hidden pockets on the inside of her cloak.

Silently, she slipped out of her private rooms and made her way down the narrow, spiral stone staircase. Entering the common room, she was more than relieved to find that it was completely empty. Finding the clock tucked in the far corner, she noticed that it was a bit earlier than she'd anticipated. Shrugging it off, she swiftly made her way out of the common room and out of Gryffindor Tower.

Being that she had already eaten, there was no need for her to go to the Great Hall. That also meant that Dumbledore hadn't had breakfast yet. Sighing softly to herself, she turned on her heel in the opposite direction and made her way out onto the grounds.

Knowing that the giant squid was most active this time of year just before the lake froze over, which caused it to sleep for the duration of the winter, she made that her destination. It was early morning, and all that could be heard was the bright chirping of the birds and the sound of her feet gently brushing against the grass beneath her feet.

Silently, she settled herself along the banks before playing a warped game of 'hide and seek' with the giant squid and one of its tentacles.

It was one way to spend early morning.

... ::: ...

"Monsters, what was I thinking?" he asked miserably.

"I haven't a bloody clue," a voice responded blandly.

"That was a rhetorical question, thank you very much," he said dejectedly.

"Yeah, well, you did ask... We really hurt her, Ron."

At that moment, stormy blue eyes looked up and locked on Harry's distraught face as they both began to remember the events of the evening before. Two-thirds of the Golden Trio sat at the far end of the Gryffindor table; it was clear by their body language and hushed tones that they wanted to be left alone. All were too happy to oblige.

Last night had been a disaster for Gryffindor House; Ron had shown up with Harry, but Hermione had been conspicuously absent. The night had only gotten progressively worse. Ron and Harry were constantly questioned as to Hermione's whereabouts and if she was all right. The questioning had done little but grate on Ron's nerves. As for Harry, it caused him to stammer nervously before darting across the room in hopes of dodging any more questions anyone might have had.

The crowning jewel of the night was when Samantha Reese, the curvy Hufflepuff who Ron had been bedding for the past few weeks, decided to try and stake her claim. Remembering the devastation on Hermione's face and how Ron didn't run after her caused Samantha to come to the conclusion that he wasn't interested in the prudish Gryffindor and that his affections toward her were genuine.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

There, in front of all within earshot, she'd heard how she was nothing more than a piece of flesh to him. What they'd had was fun, but it wasn't worth losing Hermione over and that he was going to do his damn best to get Hermione back. In order to do so, he couldn't have a clingy little girl hanging around. The young Hufflepuff had bitten her lip harshly to keep the tears at bay before turning on her heel and returning to her own House table.

She'd sent scathing glares his way for the rest of the night.

"You don't think I know that? Gods, Harry... when she saw us in the shed near the Quidditch pitch, I thought my heart was in my throat. She looked so devastated... and disappointed, but I couldn't tell if it was in her or me. All I know is at that very moment I knew that none of what I was doing was worth it... I almost wanted to die..." Ron whispered miserably.

"Did you even go after her?"

"'Course I went flying after her. I mean, at first I was so shocked I couldn't even move, but somethin' just snapped me out of it. With that, I went runnin'. Though it didn't do me any good... The second I caught up to her, she basically said that if I said one more word to her that she'd hex the protruding parts of my body right off. Then she just turned and stalked off back towards the castle. What was I supposed to do?" he asked rhetorically.

"All I know is that when she caught sight of me yesterday, she backed me into a corner and just asked flat out if I knew what you had been doing. I tried to play it off but... but then all the anger just seemed to drain out of her. I couldn't lie to her anymore, Ron."

"What did she do when you told her that you had known what was going on the whole time?"

"She smacked me clean right across the face," he said, turning his cheek to the side; his left cheek was still a bit red and forming a slight bruise.

"Merlin! I was the one that mucked this all up, and you're the one that gets smacked!"

"We both messed up... big time; you for doing what you did and me for lying to her about it. I should never have agreed to keep your secret."

"I shouldn't have asked you in the first place."

"You know what? You're right; this is all your fault," Harry said with a small smile.

"Gee, thanks," Ron responded while rolling his eyes.

Both boys suddenly fell silent as they continued to pick and prod at their breakfast. Neither felt moved to eat anything; the mere thought of consuming any of the rich food caused both their stomachs to turn.

"What are we going to do, Harry? Hermione wasn't just my girlfriend. She was our best friend, and we both lied to her. She's done nothing except been a good friend and a great ally during the war. I mean, if it wasn't for her, we would've lost a lot more people than we did."

"I have no clue. We really bollixed this one up," Harry said miserably.

"Look, we've already made a mess of things. We just have to try and contain it as best as possible. If what really happened gets out, Hermione will be beyond humiliated and then that'll just knock out any chance we have for fixing things with her."

"Yeah, you're right... and speaking of keeping this quiet, have a look see," Harry said nodding his head toward the Hufflepuff House table.

There was Samantha Reese staring longingly at Ron. Despite his harsh words the evening before, it seemed the young Hufflepuff had gotten it into her head that he was just upset over hurting a friend and that once he calmed down they could be together.

Ron couldn't help but roll his eyes heavenward at the sight; before he could even turn back around, he saw her rise from her seat as she slowly made her way over to them. She began intentionally swaying her hips in some clumsy form of seduction.

"What in Merlin's name is she doin'?"

"I... I have no idea, but you had better put a stop to it."

Taking a breath, Ron rose from his seat, and before Harry could even blink, he grabbed his arm and half picked him up, dragging him from the Great Hall. Harry had no choice but to follow as Ron continued at his speedy pace with Harry in tow through the corridors and back up to Gryffindor Tower. The youngest male Weasley didn't stop until he reached the Gryffindor common room.

"Whoa, Ron, slow down... What on earth was that all about?" Harry asked before flopping down in one of the overstuffed chairs tucked in a darkened corner of the room.

"I don't know... I just panicked; she looked like she was happy to see me, even after last night and what I said to her, which can only mean that she wasn't really listening. She just took and twisted my words, trying to find a hidden meaning behind them."

"Well, it's not like you can avoid her forever," Harry said reasonably.

"Yeah, but Hermione should be top priority... Don't you think?"

"Of course I do; Hermione should always come first and foremost... but I doubt that Hermione would appreciate our efforts at mending our relationship with her if you had Samantha hanging around all the time."

"I guess you're right... but I can deal with Samantha a little later. It's not like Hermione is going to come running back to either of us, but we've got to make the first move."

"What did you have mind?"

"I was hoping you had an idea," Ron said with a grimace.

"Oh, this weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend... right?" Harry asked suddenly excited.

"Uh, yeah, so what... I don't think this is the time..."

"Ron! What's in Hogsmeade?"

"Well, there's the post office, Scrivenshaft's, Gladrags, Zonko's, the Three Broomsticks and... oh... oh, and Honeydukes! Of course, why didn't I think of it before? Hermione has a sweet tooth that rivals Dumbledore's!"

"Exactly! And just a few days ago, she was saying that she was low on some of her favorite sweets. You know how Hermione gets. Once she goes into studying overdrive, she forgets to eat; we were always wondering why she wasn't nothing but skin and bones and..."

"That was when she shared her little secret!" Ron exclaimed as both boys collapsed in a fit of laughter. Though, Ron's good mood didn't last when his mind began to be plagued with doubts.

"But what if she doesn't show?"

"Oh, c'mon, Ron, Hermione is like Fluffy on one of his bad days if she doesn't have her sweets; she'll be there. We may have to wait around a bit, but she'll show," Harry said reasonably.

"Okay, great, now we have a plan. Now what?" Ron asked, looking to Harry.

"Well, it's early yet, but I think we should get to Hogsmeade as soon as we can. We don't know what time she'll be heading down into town, and we don't want to miss her."

"So it's off to Hogsmeade then," Ron said as he climbed up out of the chair.

The two exited the common room, never noticing the slight shadow in the stairway that lead up to the boys' dormitory, its eyes widened in shock.

... ::: ...

Humming softly to herself, she swiftly made her way down the corridor, only to come to a halt in front a large stone gargoyle. She giggled softly as she gave the password, candy coated cockroaches, before slipping in past the opening and into the large, yet cozy-feeling office.

She smiled brightly at Fawkes' cheerful greeting before settling herself in one of the large overstuffed chairs in front of the large, ornate desk. The gentle click of a door opening, and then closing, caused her to look up as the Headmaster entered the room.

"Good morning, Headmaster."

"Ah, good morning, Hermione, how are you this morning? I trust you slept well."

"Oh, as well as can be expected I suppose."

Sighing softly to himself, Albus slowly made his way over to his desk and settled himself behind it. He then looked up and took in the forced smile on the young Gryffindor's face in front of him, and at that very moment, he could've very well smacked both young Mister Weasley and Mister Potter. It was then he knew that things would more than likely never go back to the way they had been. There was also the fact that relations and situations between all parties involved would be strained at best before any form of normalcy was acquired once more.

Shaking his head slightly, he knew that wasn't something he could think about now. The war was now over, and though Harry was a celebrity within the Wizarding world, he was no longer Dumbledore's sole responsibility. It was time he focused most, if not all, of his attentions, on the young witch in front of him.

"Well, as much as we enjoy one another's company, I gather this isn't a social visit."

"Ah, no, it's not... My parents sent another package yesterday morning. I know I should've probably spoken to you about it yesterday but...well, yesterday was a bit hectic. I know that it's the weekend and that Hagrid has other things to do than just make a special trip to Gringotts for me... so I thought if it was all right with you and if I had a special pass, I could just make the trip myself, saving everyone the trouble."

"Of course, that sounds reasonable enough; you know I'll provide you with the proper paperwork in order to make such a trip," he said softly.

"Oh, I was also wondering if it'd be all right if I stopped in at Flourish and Blotts on my way back. The last time I was there was in the beginning of the school year, and I was only able to purchase the required reading at the time."

"Of course, of course... you do know that this weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend. Will you be heading in to town either today or tomorrow? Or are we staying in this particular weekend?"

"Oh, yes, I'll be going into town after I finish up my business in Diagon Alley," she said matter of factly.

"Well, feel free to use the Floo here; have it take you to the Leaky Cauldron, and go about your business. I'm sure Tom will have no problems letting you use it to get back. Once you return, I'd like to know how your trip went, and then you are free to spend the weekend as you see fit," he said, smiling serenely.

"Thank you, Headmaster."

And with that, Hermione checked her robes to make sure she still had the items she needed before tossing some Floo powder into the fireplace and requesting the destination of the Leaky Cauldron.

In a puff of powder, she was gone, leaving Dumbledore to look on with haunted eyes.

End of Chapter Three

Author Note: Thank you to my betas; you know who you are. Your corrections make my work flow much better and make it easier to read! Most, if not all, punctuation and grammar errors have now been corrected... hopefully! Also, thanks go to Southern Witch for giving this a look over.

Next: Harry and Ron catch up with Hermione at Honeydukes and get a bit more than they bargained for.

Additional Note: I know that Hermione seems to have a few extra powers here, not using her wand for some things, but the reasoning will be explained in due time.

Southern's Notes: I'm quite curious as to what that "shadow" was doing listening in on the boys. Ron and Harry have a lot to learn, don't they?