Hp: Hermione and Darkness

The Weasley chaos filled the kitchen with laughter and chatter while Mrs. Weasley busied herself with supper. The twins flittered in and out of the basement kitchen. Hermione noticed them nicking things here and there. Tonks and Sirius continued to talk on one side of the table while she, Ginny, and Ron caught up on the other.

"When did you all get here?" Hermione asked.

"Only a few days ago," Ron said. "It took a few days for them to prepare this place for Headquarters." Ron looked around. "Well, ready in terms of safety, not cleanliness, obviously."

"Right, that gets shafted to us," Ginny said with a scowl.

"What do you mean?"

"Every day, Mum has a new project for us to clean," Ginny said.

"It's torture," Ron said. "That's why I think we should go looking for an arcade. We can't clean if we aren't here."

"Like Mum would let us leave headquarters to wander around London," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"You never know," Ron said. "Now that 'Mione is here, she may let us."

"What do I have to do with it?" Hermione asked.

"All Ron has been talking about is how good you are at magic," Ginny explained with a wink. "And that you could probably cast the same kinds of spells Dumbledore did on this place. 'Oi, I bet 'Mione could do that one.' 'She could do that one too!'"

Ron shrugged. "It's true. Everyone says He Who Must Not Be Named is scared of Dumbledore, but that's because he hasn't met Hermione yet."

A warm flush crept up Hermione's face, turning her cheeks bright red. She was having flashbacks of Viktor's flirting all of a sudden. Ron was usually a bit more subtle. She glanced back at Ginny, who wore a goofy grin, and Hermione knew she'd be hearing more about this later.

"Speaking of Dumbledore, I haven't told you both yet," Hermione said, successfully changing the subject. "I got a letter from him while I was home, and it was really unsettling." She proceeded to tell them about the incident. "Honestly, I was kind of afraid to do anything in my room after that."

"Yeah, I would be changing in the loo if I were you," Ginny agreed.

"That's mental," Ron whistled. "I wonder how he knew."

"I don't know, but it was weird," Hermione said. "Have you heard from Harry?"

"No, not yet," Ron said. "And I don't think Sirius has either. We should probably write him, yeah?"

"After that letter, I technically can't," Hermione said. "But maybe you can?"

"Yeah, I'll give it a go after dinner," Ron said. "Unless you want to send him one of your love letters, Gin."

"Shut it," Ginny said.

Hermione was surprised Ginny didn't get angrier at Ron's teasing but was glad it wouldn't be an issue this year. The three friends continued to catch up until Mrs. Weasley announced it was time to eat. There was a loud crack, and Hermione nearly fell off her chair. The twins had appeared right next to Mrs. Weasley.

"Need any help, Mum?" said Fred.

"Because we're at your service," said George.

"Just because you can apparate doesn't mean you have to apparate all the time," Mrs. Weasley said. "Now, set the table."

The twins pulled out their wands, and with a few swishes, plates and pots of food zoomed through the air. Hermione flinched, trying to dodge the flying dishes, but both Ron and Ginny remained unfazed.

"You get used to it after a while," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

As the last plate was set, Mr. Weasley walked through the door. He gave Mrs Weasley a quick peck on the cheek before embracing Hermione in a big hug. "Hermione, so glad to see you!"

"Likewise, Mr. Weasley," Hermione said.

Tonks slid down to make room for Mr. Weasley, which moved her closer to Hermione, Ginny, and Ron.

"Wotcher, Hermione," Tonks said. "Sorry about before. I should have warned you about Mrs. Black."

"It's ok," Hermione said. "So, tell me about yourself! I've never met a Metamorphmagus before! It's fascinating!"

"Sure," Tonks said. "But I'm not that special. Believe me. I was just born this way. That's all. I could change my appearance as a baby, even. Freaked my parents out, that's for sure."

"Oh, I bet," Hermione said. "Are your parents Metamorphmagi as well? Is it genetic?"

....

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