Smoke and Mirrors: Chapter 22

Hermione's POV

Author's Note: So I never really thought about it, but do y'all like the switching of POV stuff? I realized that it can get annoying and easy to lose track of what's happening when I upload every 20 years. Anyway, if I don't get any complaints, I'm gonna stick with it till I get sick of it so here goes my bi-centennial upload!

"Here, I can take your bags up to your room!" Ginny says, taking Ms. Abby's bag that I had in my hand. "Don't worry. It's only one floor up."

"Oh, thank you, Ginny," she says graciously as she looks around, her eyes finally settling on a corner filled with worn, dirty boots. Ginny's footsteps grow softer as she ascends the crooked staircase. "Should I put my boots over there?"

"Um, I still don't know whose boots those are," I say, scratching my head. I make my way over to a closet with wide, wooden doors. I open the doors to reveal neat rows of shoes, boots, and exactly two pairs of sandals. "But I usually just put mine in here, as long as they aren't super muddy, of course."

"Right," she says, pulling off her boots and setting them beside the other boots. I notice she is wearing Slytherin green long socks underneath. I always forget that detail. "Is everyone else out of the house?"

"Um, Harry, Ron and Katie are out in the town getting stuff for Mrs. Weasley, and some of the boys are here, but most of them are away for the week," I say, trying to remember the schedule.

"I'm sorry, but remind me who Katie is again?" she says as we sit down on adjacent couches in the main living room.

"Oh, I forgot we never formally introduced you two. She and Ron are dating," I say, the words feeling a little weird. Ron was always Ron ya know? I never really thought of him getting into a relationship like that. At least not with someone as sweet as Katie. "She is really looking forward to getting to know you, as she has only seen you when you address the school and all."

"Well, I look forward to meeting her," I can hear Ginny's footsteps before she announces herself.

"Did you get all of your work done at the Ministry?" She asks as she plops down next to me.

"Unfortunately, not as much as I wanted to get done, but it's enough for now," she leans back into the couch, letting out a long exhale. She then grins with amusement. "You Hogwarts students sure keep me busy."

"Yeah… Sorry about any extra paperwork that we might've caused when you moved us to the houseless dorm," Ginny says, turning little red. Ms. Abby just waves her hand, dismissing the topic.

"Don't worry about it. The dorm exists for a reason, you know." We both nod. She looks out the window that looks out on the shimmering waves of emerald grass. "I'm just glad that it's being used, and you two didn't have to resort to another option."

"I wouldn't even know what other option there could be," I say, silently putting my hand over Ginny's. Suddenly, the front door opens, and following it, a gust of wind that blows Ginny's hair right in my face. So much for a tender moment.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley exclaims as she rushes into the house. "Where have your manners gone?! Merlin's beard, you haven't even started boiling the water for tea!"

"Hello! I'm Abigayle Burgafawn. You must be Mrs. Weasley. Thank you so much for—" Her greeting is stopped short by a vigorous shaking of her outstretched hand.

"Yes! Apologies for my husband not being here, but just know both of us are extremely grateful for what you have done for the girls!" Her over-enthusiastic handshake quickly turned into one of her signature hugs.

"It was the right thing to do, Mrs. Weasley," she replies, finally breaking off the embrace. I was so startled by Mrs. Weasley's entrance that I didn't notice Ginny shoot off into the kitchen and start boiling some water. While they talk some more, I join my redheaded companion.

"Jeez Ginny, have you forgotten yourself?" I tease as I pull the teabags out of their cupboard.

"Well, have you considered that you are just too distracting?" she says, leaving the kettle and turning her attention to me.

"Okay, so in terms of distractions, I rank below a Quidditch match, got it." I try to sound huffy, really, I do. Ginny just rolls her eyes.

"Okay that was like one time, and how could I not? It was a really close match." I hand her a cover to put over the decorated cookies. She continues, "And like, you were interested in the game too."

"Point taken." She sets the platter on the counter, and we finish cleaning up the kitchen. "When are Harry, Ron, and Katie going to be back?"

"Depends on how long the list was. I didn't think Mum needed that much stuff," Ginny says, looking out the window to the dirt road. "But they should be back within the hour."

I look over at Mrs. Weasley and Miss Abby. They seem to be discussing Ministry benefits and pay, something I should probably care about but I don't want to think about being an adult. Not right now at least. "Wanna take a walk? It looks like they are occupied at the moment."

"Sure, we got our checklist squared away. Not much to do till dinner time." We grab our shoes and head for the front door. "Hey Mum, Hermione and I are going for a bit."

"Alright dears, just don't be late for dinner." she says, breaking her eye contact from Miss Abby. "And try to find Harry and Ron. I didn't think it would take this long."

"Do you ever forget that Miss Abby is a Slytherin?" I ask Ginny as we make our way down to a little creek. Her hand grips mine somewhat tighter when we begin to walk on uneven ground. "I mean, she's just so different from all the others we know."

"Yeah, I guess so." We stop to sit on a fallen tree trunk. The sound of the creek fills the silence. "I'm just more disappointed that we now know what Slytherins could really be like, you know? Like they don't have to suck, but for whatever reason they just do, or at least the ones we know do."

"Who knows? Maybe Malfoy will turn out alright. I think it's his dad that expects him to act a certain way." Ginny just chuckles and nods.

"Yeah, that guy sucks. Like, who gives a first-year a cursed diary? Mr. Malfoy has some serious issues." She has more reason than most to hate him. I lean my head onto her shoulder and we just sit in silence for a bit. Unfortunately, the silence was cut by a sound I didn't even know I could make when a small newt crawled on my hand. Ginny quickly spun to look at what caused me to produce such a gaudy noise, only to laugh hysterically when she saw what it was.

"Don't laugh!" I can feel my face getting redder and redder by the second. "It felt weird!"

"I didn't even know you could make a sound like that!" she says between her laughs. She leans down and lets the newt crawl onto her open palm. She holds it up to eye level so she can better examine it. It's mostly dark, with bumpy skin on top, but I thought I could see a bit of orange on its underside. "Awwww, see it's harmless!"

"Well, tell him to not sneak up on people like that next time," I say, my face still feeling hot. "It's rude."

"Mr. Newt, could you not sneak up on my Hermione like that next time?" she says to the newt, then looks at me with a sly smile. "Or maybe you should sneak up like that so I can hear her make that noise again."

I slap her on the arm but she just laughs and gives me a kiss on the cheek. "Just so you know, I think you are absolutely adorable when you get flustered like that."

"That makes one of us then. Can you set him down somewhere already? I'm sure he's got someplace to be, some more people to scare or something." Ginny just sighs as she lowers her palm onto the rocky ground near the water. Mr. Newt quickly scampers off as Ginny washes off her hands in the crystal-clear water. "Should we get to the main road again? The sun is going down and we still have to find Harry, Ron, and Katie."

"Aw, but we were having so much fun!" she says as she dries off her hands on her jeans. "I assume you want me to keep this little episode a secret?"

"Only if you still want a girlfriend," I tease, wrapping her hand in mine. Finally calmed down, I return the kiss and we set off for the dirt road.

I can see Ron's hair before anything else. I mean, can you blame me? Against the green of the fields, a redhead sticks out like a sore thumb. Next, was Katie, unless Ron found another dark blonde to hold hands with. The two of them had three brown, paper bags, all of them filled with what looked like miscellaneous items. Lagging behind them was Harry, who had a bag in one hand and a wrapped baguette in the other. He didn't look like his normal mopey self, but was looking intently at the ground along the side of the road. Katie was the first to make eye contact with us. Her deep, ocean-like eyes locked onto mine and proceeded to make Ron aware of our presence. They speed up to meet us.

"It took you guys long enough!" Ginny says, letting go of my hand to grab one of the bags that Ron was holding. "Miss Abby is already here and Mum is waiting for all of us to get back before she starts serving dinner."

"I didn't realize how much stuff was on the list!" Ron says defensively. He hands her the list with each of the boxes checked off. "But we got it done, so we'd better hurry back."

While they keep bickering about whatever, I make my way over to Harry, who is still staring at the side of the road. "Hey Harry, whatcha lookin' at?"

"Oh, nothing in particular," he says, breaking his gaze and looking up to me. "Ever since I've started dating Luna, I have been more aware of the nature around me. Does that sound dumb? I think it sounds dumb."

"Don't be silly Harry," I say, laughing a bit. Honestly, Luna makes Harry notice the little things a bit more, whether it be more aware of "the nature" as he put it, or even subtle emotions that usually went way over his head. "It's not abnormal to change around your partner. I mean, I have definitely become more versed in the world of Quidditch- well sports in general, actually. And if being with Luna means you notice some more insects or the shapes of the clouds, then I think that's fantastic."

"Thanks, 'Mione." He smiles and gives one last glance at the side of the road. "How was cleaning Ginny's room? If she's as messy as Ron, that must've been quite the experience."

"Well, it wasn't exactly clean if that's what you're saying, but I would say… organized chaos. She knows where everything is, even if it looks like a mess." I didn't even notice, but I guess I had taken the baguette from him at some point. "But I got to see what Ginny lives like outside a school dorm, so that's a plus, I suppose."

"Is that you doing a little investigating before you decide if you wanna live together after school?" Harry says, catching me off guard. Luna really has got him to have some perspective. He must have noticed my shocked expression and tries to correct himself. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean it like that, just that if you were to—"

"No Harry, it's okay," I say, a grin forming across my face as I think more about the notion of us living together. "I guess I never really thought about it explicitly, but yeah, I suppose I do wonder what living together after school would be like."

"Is that something you want?" I hate really simple questions like that. So much can be said on that alone, but I guess one word is all you need. "Because when I think Hermione Granger, I see someone who is going to change the world. But in order for you to be all you can be, I think you are going to need someone to keep you grounded and level."

"You think that's Ginny?" The shakiness in my voice throws me off. I grip the baguette with both hands now. I don't know why I'm having such a visceral reaction to this.

"Only you can know what, but let's just say that at first, I didn't understand, and now I don't have a doubt in my mind about who you should spend your life with," he says gently. He is about to say more when I hear Katie's voice. I look up and see her ditching Ron to walk over to us.

"Hey, whatcha guys talking about back here?" She starts walking beside me. "I'm kinda tired of hearing the two of them arguing back and forth."

"Don't worry," I say, regaining my composure and clearing my throat. "From all the years I've known them, I'm starting to think that's how they bond as siblings."

"I suppose that makes sense… Did I catch you guys in the middle of something?" How did she—? Leave it to a Hufflepuff to sense me at a vulnerable time.

"Not at all, Harry and I were just discussing some adulting stuff, what happens when we get older, etc." I say, dismissing the subject.

"Oh no, I don't want to think about growing up yet. We still have some time left at Hogwarts!" (A/N I still don't know which year this takes place in) She's right, I shouldn't think too much about what happens after, not when so much stuff is supposed to happen before.

"Mum! What stuff do you need out right now?" Ron yells as we enter the Burrow. The couch where Mrs. Weasley and Miss Abby were talking is now empty, the tea cups still on the table.

"Oh, just set the bags on the table. I can sort them out," Mrs. Weasley says as she and Miss Abby descend the old, wooden staircase. It looks like our guest has just received the grand tour. Everyone sets down their items and start to form a line to greet Miss Abby. They do know that they aren't in school anymore, right? "Oh good, you kids can entertain Abygaile while I prepare dinner."

"Need any help with that, Mum?" Ginny offers, still unpacking the paper bags.

"Most everything is made. I just need to warm up some of the dishes," she says, taking multiple trays out of the refrigerator. "Maybe you and Hermione can set the table. We ought to have everything looking proper now with a Ministry worker in the house."

"Isn't Mr. Weasley in the Ministry too?" I ask. Mrs. Weasley scoffs and waves her tea towel in the air.

"He doesn't count. He never really cares much for presentation at the house," Ginny and I just laugh as we take out the silverware and cloth napkins. As I make the table settings, Ginny swiftly puts away all the stuff Harry, Ron, and Katie got in town. It really is quite impressive how she knows where everything goes without having to think at all. I guess she has lived here all her life.

"I think it looks good enough," Ginny says, taking a step back to get the full view of the spread. "All we're missing is the food and the people."

"Well then, you get the people." I give her hand a little squeeze as we make eye contact. She gives me that little smile I love so much. "And I'll get the food."

She swivels around, and begins to call them over while I make my way to the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley is finishing up. "Everything ready, Mrs. Weasley?"

"Just in time, Hermione dear," she says handing me two platters. "And please, when will you start calling Molly?"

"Oh, it's just how I was raised. I'm too used to it now to change," I say absentmindedly. Most of my attention is dedicated trying to fit all the different sized and shaped dishes on the table. The thing that's causing the most trouble is this really shallow, yet wide plate whose purpose a bowl could have easily accomplished. "Is that the last of it?"

"Oh, I do hope so. We're going to have too many leftovers as it is," she says, somewhat amused at the spread in front of us. Speaking of those in front of us, it seems that Ginny has rallied everyone and by the look on Ron's face, I don't think he can hold himself back any longer. It seems Mrs. Weasley has noticed, too. "Oh, go ahead Ron. No need to keep drooling."

And with that, supper had officially begun. As new as Katie was, she knew that it was useless to try and have a serious conversation with Ron while he was in the middle of a meal, so she turned to Harry who didn't seem all that hungry. Maybe he's missing Luna more. Looks like Ginny is talking about something or other with her mum, which leaves me to talk to Miss Abby.

"So, did Mrs. Weasley give you the grand tour?" I ask as I serve myself some of the roasted vegetables. She takes the serving spoon after I finish. "I hope the rest of the Burrow wasn't too messy."

"Yes, I must say, this is quite an impressive house," she begins, taking a glance around the room. "Mrs. Weasley told me it's held up by magic?"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure the whole thing would collapse if it weren't. Did you get a chance to see the room you're staying in?" I hope it's clean enough. I know we did our best, but still, I'm sure she has grown accustomed to a certain lifestyle.

"Yes, it's absolutely perfect! I really like the change of pace around here. Everything is so lively," Oh yeah, I guess living in that mansion could get lonely. "But I do feel bad about putting you and Ginny out while I'm staying here. Are you sure you guys are okay staying down here?"

"Don't worry about it! The couches down here are really comfortable and besides, Katie will be down here too. And don't hesitate to ask for more blankets. Even though it's spring, it can still get a little chilly."

Leave it to Ginny to start playing footsie under the table while I'm trying to talk to Miss Abby. It's a good thing it was when we were talking about boring stuff, because I don't think I could fully concentrate on winning the match if I had to actually say stuff of substance. Our dessert was a big hit. Katie was over the moon when she saw the deformed bumblebee cookies. I guess Miss Abby had a busy day before she came here because she started to fall asleep just after dessert. I would be lying if I said I didn't notice Mrs. Weasley's sadness when she couldn't show her all her knitting projects. Fortunately for her, I love to talk about her knits, but I think she just wanted to talk to Miss Abby some more.

"Heading to bed?" Mrs. Weasley says as she pulls out the sweater she has been working on this past week.

"Yes, I guess the work at the ministry before I came here really wore me out." Mrs. Weasley quietly stuffs the unfinished sweater back into its drawer. "What time should I be awake tomorrow?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. If the staircase doesn't wake you up, the smell of Mum's cooking will," Ginny says helping Ron with the clearing of the tea cups and cookie crumbs. I mean, she's not wrong. For me, it's always the stairs that wake me up. For Ginny, it's the food. Although sometimes it takes my cuddles and kisses to wake her up.

"Alright, that sounds wonderful," Miss Abby says, making her way to the staircase. "Good night everybody!"

Everyone echoes their own version of that, whether it be "Night!" or "See you tomorrow" or "Sweet dreams!". Slowly, everyone starts heading off to bed. About thirty minutes after Miss Abby left, Mrs. Weasley found herself yawning and excused herself. Then Harry, followed by Ron (after he and Katie had said their prolonged good nights of course). That of course just left the three of us: Hermione, Katie, and me.

"So, are you guys tired, too?" Katie asks as she sets up her bed on one of the couches.

"Not really. How about you?" Ginny says, fixing her own bed, right next to mine.

"Nope. It's so unlike me though. I'm usually the first to head to bed," she says, sitting down on her couch. "Hey ,can I ask you guys a question?"

"Sure." I'm like 90% sure it's gonna be some form of 'So, when did you know you liked girls?' or 'Is it hard being yourself at school?'.

"So, has Ron talked about me at all?" Welp, I was dead wrong. "I know that sounds really shallow of me, but I don't know… I just wonder sometimes if he thinks about me."

"Aw, Katie," Ginny says. I think all of us have been there at one point or another. I know I have. Before Ginny and I got together, I was stressed more about what she thought of me than my classes. "Ron isn't really the type to talk to us about his love life. I wish I could tell you more."

I can see the look of disappointment falling upon her face. "He really does care about you. I've honestly never seen him as happy as he has been when he's around you. I mean, I'm pretty sure Harry is the only one he would talk about that kind of stuff with, anyway."

"Oh, thanks. I guess that's as good as any." I know she wanted more, but even though Ron can be a simple guy, anyone that's close to him is in for a world of complications.

"Hey, hey, hey," Ginny says, putting her hand on her shoulder. "He will open up to you, and maybe he is showing that he cares, but he's got a weird way of showing it."

She nods silently. I know she isn't really convinced, but I honestly don't know how else to comfort her. We stay pretty silent for a while, just watching the embers in the fireplace slowly die. I think I might need to have a conversation with Ron, just so he doesn't lose the best thing that's ever happened to him. I look over at Ginny, who has a look of… not pity, but empathy. Like I said, we've all been there.

"Thanks, guys, but I think I'm going to try and get some sleep," she says, pulling up her blankets. "Tomorrow, we're heading to the Carnival, right?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure what time. I think we are all gonna decide that at breakfast," I say, taking my cue to lie down as well. With Ginny already laying down, I snuggle up close to her and she wraps her arm around me. "Good night! Don't think too much about Ron, Katie. Just get some sleep, yeah?"

"Yeah, sleep tight." She rolls over and doesn't say any more. I turn around and face Ginny, her face illuminated only by the crystal pendant around my neck. God, I love her. I just wish that I could tell her just how much I feel for her. I know I have told her that I love her a lot, but I don't know. That can only describe so much. I guess Ron and I are similar like that. Maybe I will think of something tomorrow at the Carnival.

A/N: Again, sorry for the REAL long break between uploads. I would make a promise, but y'all know I ain't good for it. Thank you so much for all of you who have kept reading for this long. See ya in the 10 years!