Hermione on Holiday

(Disclaimer: I have no business connection with HARRY POTTER. My only purpose in writing this story is to have fun and maybe share it)

(Author's note: this story is set during the summer between ORDER OF THE PHOENIX and HALF-BLOOD PRINCE)

Chapter 1 Hermione, Horses, and a Hero

Hermione was galloping across the field on her rented mount when she felt something tap her thigh. Carefully holding the reins with her left hand, she felt around with her right. The special pocket which she had magicked into her blouse, in order to hold her wand, was empty. The wand must have fallen out, bounced off her jeans, then fallen to the ground.

Hastily pulling the reins to stop her horse and turn it around, she saw the precious wand on the ground. There were other riders from the rental stables nearby. It was a fine summer day, the kids out of school, and she wasn't the only one who had decided to go horse riding. If somebody's horse stepped on the wand, the weight would not only snap the wood but the precious feather inside, rendering it useless. And the rumour running around was that Ollivander, the expert wandmaker, was no longer at Diagon Alley, so it would be difficult to replace the wand.. She hadn't heard a reply from Ron yet confirming the rumour, so she wasn't taking any chances.

Hermione rode to the site, jumped off her horse, and knelt down to retrieve the wand.

"WATCH OUT!!" shouted a male voice.

Wand in hand, Hermione looked up to find a horse galloping directly toward her, a boy on its back. It looked even more terrifying from her kneeling position. Without even trying to get up, Hermione hastily rolled to one side, while the boy desperately pulled his mount to a stop. His horse reared up and whinnied, but was sufficiently far away not to hit Hermione.

The boy dismounted. "What do you think you were doing? That was incredibly stupid. What's wrong with you?"

Hermione rose up. "There's not thing wrong with me! I—" she caught herself just before she revealed her secret. Away from Hogwarts, in the Muggle world, she had to be very careful what she said. Calming down, she admitted, "That was irresponsible, you're right about that."

He calmed a bit himself. "Are you all right?" he said in concern.

"I think so." She looked herself over. "Oh, Merlin, I got some horse dung on my jeans!"

He didn't seem to notice the odd oath. Maybe he mistook it for "merde". "It could have been much worse. What were you trying to do? I saw you pick something up." He sounded curious rather than accusing, until he looked at the object in her hands. "You risked your life for a stick?"

"It's not just a stick, it's a – an – heirloom," she said lamely. Hermione lied badly even at the best of times, and right now she was still trying to get her nerves under control.

"You took an heirloom with you while going horse riding?"

"It's a, a good-luck charm," Hermione said desperately. Why on earth had she brought the wand to the stables, anyway? She couldn't use it without running against the rules on Under-aged Magic, and Harry's experience last year proved how nasty that could get. She had simply pocketed the wand by habit. At Hogwarts, nine months of the year, you couldn't do without one. "Look, I'm sorry I got in your way. I'm going to ride back to the stable now, and turn in my horse." She walked back to her mount and hoisted herself back in the saddle.

"I'll ride with you."

Damn, I wish he'd go away and forget the whole thing. But if he wants to ride with me, how can I stop him? In a way, he saved my life.

"Look," said the boy. "It's not the 'getting in my way' that bothered me; I was just horrified that I might have trampled you by accident. I'm sorry I called you stupid."

"I understand. Think nothing of it." After all, from his point of view she must have looked like quite mental, risking her life to pick up a stick in a field full of swift horses and excited riders. Even Luna wouldn't try a stunt like that. Hermione nearly laughed as she realised that maybe Luna would, if it meant she could prove the existence of one of her crazy animals.

"Maybe we should start over. My name's George Hanover."

"Sounds like a king's name. Four Georges of the Hanover dynasty, back in the 1700s."

"Funny, a lot of people don't catch that nowadays. But no, I'm just an ordinary English bloke. Interested in computers and horses, mostly."

"Odd combination."

"I think of it more as maintaining a balance. Keeping in touch with both nature and technology."

"Interesting philosophy," said Hermione, rather warming up to the bloke now that he had apologized.

"May I ask your name?"

Hermione had hoped to put this embarrassing situation behind her without leaving her name. But she couldn't turn down a polite request, and it didn't occur to her until later to lie and give a false name. "Hermione Granger."

"Granger and Granger? The dentists? I got a filling at their office a couple of years ago."

"They're my parents. What about yours?"

"My Dad works for a software firm. My Mum's a freelance writer, kid's fiction. She says that someday maybe she'll write some blockbuster series and make millions of pounds, but it hasn't happened yet. She and I visited the riding stables last year to do research on one of her books, and I found that I liked riding. You?"

"Not so much. A way of socialising with other girls." Particularly when she was out of touch with the neighbourhood girls for three-fourths of a year. George looked like he was about to inquire more, so Hermione changed the line of conversation. "Ah, here we are. I'll sign in my horse, rent some more riding togs, and try to find a way to get my jeans cleaned. Don't let me take up any more of your time."

"I didn't mind, Hermione. After the first couple of minutes, it was nice getting to know you."

Know me? He'll never know the real me. Hermione Granger, witch and rising sixth-year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!

To Be Continued