Life After Hogwarts

Chapter 3

Hermione slowed as she heard Harry walking behind her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and she stopped, leaning back into his embrace. He turned her around and kissed her forehead, her nose, her cheek, her-

"Harrietta."

Harry stopped, his lips almost touching hers. He drew back and rolled his eyes. "So? She's your sister, she can wait."

Hermione smiled and removed his arms from around her. They walked to the large room at the end of the hallway that they shared. A tall window stood at the other end of the oval-shaped room, heavy velvet brown drapes pulled away, tied with red satin ribbons. The king-sized canopy bed was a rich red, the same colour of the ribbons and closed off by the brown curtains, identical to the drapes. The plush carpet was, once again, red, with patterns of cream, silver and gold weaving their way through. Looking carefully, one could see the pattern changing as the lines slithered intricately. Hermione's brown mahogany bureau stood to the left of the doorway, a small, red-cushioned stool in front. The other window in the room was much smaller and formed an alcove, complete with a velvety-red window seat.

Harry followed Hermione into the room and stood perched on his mahogany writing desk, watching Hermione as she moved from her bureau to the bathroom and back to the walk-in closet. She came back in her navy blue bathrobe, her towel in her hand. Harry watched her remove the bathrobe at the doorway to the bathroom. She turned, naked, and grinned at Harry. He stared at her body and felt a stirring in his loins. Unconscious of his movements, he stood, clutching the curtain beside him. Hermone winked and, as he made a move towards her, shut the door.

Ginny ran around the fountain, turning in circles as she looked around.

"Oh no...Not again..." she muttered under her breath. She ran into the store across the road, then back out again. Her hair was wild around her flushed face and she was panting heavily. Her blue, flannel shirt had pulled out of her black pants and billowed slightly as she moved. She quickly grabbed a scrunchie out of her pocket and pulled her hair back.

"Ginny!"

Ginny turned at the sound of her name, hoping it would be Drue. It wasn't. Her friend Miriam came running up to her.

"Have you seen Aneesa anywhere?"

"No, not since we split up this morning. You wouldn't have happened to see Drue...? She's disappeared."

"Again?" asked Miriam, incredulously. They both laughed. Miriam rolled her eyes. Her curly, dark-brown hair was pulled into a long braid down her back. She wore black capris and a beige 3/4 sleeved shirt that accentuated her brown skin. The two of them returned to looking for the girls.

Suddenly, Ginny spotted a head of white hair. She jumped up and down trying to-

"Yes!" she shouted as she saw the black ends. She grabbed Miriam's hand and ran towards the girl. When they reached her, Ginny tugged at her hair, panting.

"Ouch!" Drue yelled.

"Drue! Where the hell have you been?"

Drue placed a hand on her hip. "Well, seeing as I did tell you where I was going..."

Ginny looked confused, "No you didn't."

"Yes, I did. You must have been so lost in thought, you didn't hear me," she smirked.

"No, I..." Ginny began, then turned a violent red that challenged the colour of her hair. Miriam and Drue laughed. There was no question as to what she had been thinking of that so cut her off from the rest of the world.

Miriam stepped forward. "Drue, have you seen Aneesa anywhere?"

Drue pointed towards the book stall behind them. Miriam turned and saw her sister with her nose buried in a Stephen King novel. Drue shook her head, "Mu-" she caught Ginny's warning look, "-ggle borns." She finished.

The three of them traipsed over to Aneesa and stood there, waiting for her to notice them.

"Hmm?" Aneesa looked up distactedly. Her long braid hung in the book and she flipped it over her shoulder. She looked so much like Miriam, except for the splatter of freckles thrown across her nose. Drue snatched the book from her hands and placed it back in the stall. Drue pulled her hair into a high ponytail, so that it looked as though someone had dipped the ends into a can of black paint. She was pretty in her black jeans and small white shirt. Aneesa wore black pants and a pale pink shirt with a black beret perched on her head.

As Ginny looked at the girls she suddenly noticed that they had all opted to wear black pants. She smothered a laugh.

"We should go back now. I hope you enjoyed your last day of summer," said Miriam, grinning evilly. The girls were going into their 7th year at Hogwarts. Drue was in Slytherin, like her brother had been and Aneesa was in Gryffindor like Miriam had been. Miriam had transferred to Hogwarts for her 5th year, when her family had moved from France to England.

Miriam and Ginny had been out of Hogwarts for 3 years now. They were best friends. Miriam's specialty was counter-curses and Ginny's was potions, so they were working together part-time with the Ministry. In the time when they weren't working at the Ministry, they were helping out at 'Weasley Wonders'. Fred and George still came up with the actual sweets, but they had no interest in the accounting, so Miriam and Ginny worked for them. Both girls were happy and were forever bragging about how they were only 3 years out of Hogwarts and already had high-paying jobs at the Ministry.

The four walked to the end of the street, to a tiny old shop pushed back in the corner. Miriam built a fire in the dusty old grate and threw a pinch of floo powder in.

They each stepped into the fire, saying, "Malfoy Manor."

George finished making a new batch of chocolates that exploded in one's mouth, and put his wand back in his pocket. All in a day's work, he thought, grinning. He then walked out of his office and through the hall that led to the store. The store was empty; they hadn't been open today, since it was a Friday and everyone knew that was the day Fred and/or George spent experimenting. Who knew what could happen if people were in the store at times like that? He looked at the clock on one of the shelves. Five in the afternoon. It was time he met with the others. He apparated to Malfoy Manor.

Draco paced the living room, stopping every few seconds to stare at the grate. A loud crash and the four girls spilled out of the fireplace, coughing. Drue walked past her brother, not saying a word to him. She ran up the stairs to her room, leaving the other women to greet Draco. Miriam and Aneesa hugged him and then went to sit in the chairs behind him, talking animatedly. Ginny leaned towards Draco to give him a quick kiss, but he had other ideas. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her passionately, breaking the kiss only when Ginny was gasping for air.

"Trying to kill me, eh?"

He grinned and kissed her again, this time it was the quick kiss she had expected before. Miriam grinned at them and winked at Ginny when she caught her eye. Aneesa got up again.

"So, where's George? Shouldn't he be here already?"

"Hey Neesey!"

Aneesa turned to her friend and hugged him.

"What have you been up to? You look like hell."

George grinned and stared at her. She was pretty. Much like her sister, only she had a more 'cutesy' face. George immediately felt his brotherly instincts emerging again. She was like a sister to him, his best friend, next to Fred.

"It's Friday," he said and she nodded. George went and hugged Miriam and Ginny and nodded at Draco.

"Where's Drue?" asked George.

"Went upstairs. She's still not speaking to me."

George looked confused.

"Draco didn't want her to spend the summer in Greece with her cousins. He thinks they're dangerous, after all, they are related to them through their father. And you know how everyone thinks it was Draco who turned him in."

"Thank you so much, Aneesa, for airing my dirty laundry, couldn't have done it better myself." said Draco bitterly. Aneesa shrugged.

"If you don't mind, Draco, I would like to know what happened with the whole Lucius Malfoy saga." said George.

Draco stared at George. "I don't think so Weasley. If you want to find that out, ask Potter or your brother. They know."

George looked at Ginny. She was staring into the empty grate, her back to them.

"Fine."

Harry and Hermione walked back down the stairs to the sitting room, where Harrietta was waiting for them. She was reading some papers that were lying on the coffee table, when they walked in. She dropped them and looked at her sister and her boyfriend. They were so cute together. Harrietta couldn't have chosen a better boyfriend for her sister if she had tried. Not that Hermione would let her interfere in her love life. She was so independent and proud, didn't like taking advice from her sister if she thought she was in the right.

Harrietta moved over on the settee and Hermione sat next to her. Harry sat across from them in a comfortable-looking armchair.

"So, what's brought you here today?" Hermione began.

"Well, I just thought I'd stop by and see how you two are doing. I haven't seen you in such a long time, I thought it might be nice."

Hermione frowned, "Why didn't you come by sometime before now? I don't recall mother saying anything about you being working or out of the country."

Harrietta squirmed. "Well, you see, I, uh, have been rather busy."

"You're a lousy liar."

Harrietta sighed and leaned forward. "Ma sent me here."

"Come again?"

"Ma. She sent me here. To live with you."

Harry's eyebrows raised and he looked at Hermione. This was not going to be good.

"What are you talking about? Why would she 'send' you here? What are you-a package?" asked Hermione, confused.

Harrietta winced, "She, uh, thought I needed to spend time with someone 'responsible'," she squirmed and flushed, "she thought I was...getting around too much."

Hermione looked at her younger sister. "What are you on about? You're nearly 18, I think you can take care of yourself."

"Yeh? Do me a favour and tell mum that." she said.

Hermione sat up and waved her hands about, "Hold on just one bloody minute. You are telling me that mum sent you here so that you would have a more responsible role model around you?"

"You got it."

"But, weren't you living with mum? Isn't she responsible?"

Harrietta stared at her sister. "What do you take me for? Like you said, I'm nearly 18! Why would I be living at home? You and Harry moved in together as soon as you left Hogwarts, I don't see why I can't live with MY boyfriend!" She lifted her chin defensively.

"Who's your boyfriend? Where's his flat?"

Harrietta flushed again and mumbled, "It's my flat."

Harry's head snapped up, "You mean to say that this boyfriend of yours is living with you, not the other way around?"

"What's wrong with that?" the chin was up again.

Harry sputtered. Hermione cut in, "Steady boyfriend?"

"What is this-an Interrogation?!" shouted Harrietta, her brown eyes turning hazel and flashing.

Hermione set her jaw. "Steady boyfriend?" she asked again, her voice stiff and unrelenting.

Harrietta glared at her. "No."

The word wasn't even out her mouth when Hermione was standing and throwing up her hands in exasperation, frustration, annoyance, anger...

Harry wasn't any more pleased, "Harrietta, have you given your mother any reason to think that you've been...sleeping around?"

Harrietta jumped up, steam practically pouring out of her ears, "That is NONE of your business Harry James Potter! I didn't come here so that you two could blast your suspicions at me! I only came because mother asked me to, just because she's overprotective and doesn't trust me, doesn't mean that what SHE thinks is true! I don't have to answer any of your ridiculous questions, you are NOT my parents! God, you'd have thought that my own sister would understand me, BELIEVE me, but no! She's acting like an old biddy!"

Hermione stopped pacing and looked at her sister. Then she looked at Harry.

He still sat in the armchair, his eyebrows raised at Harrietta's outburst. Hermione sat down again.

"Harrietta... I know how we sound. And I'd hate it just as much if I were in your situation. But be reasonable. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you haven't been sleeping around," Harrietta snorted, "but what do you expect? I haven't seen you in so long and now you tell me you're living with not one steady boyfriend, but VARIOUS!"

Harrietta gritted her teeth, still standing. "That's NOT how it is. You know what? I'm fighting a losing battle. You can tell mum that I've gone back to my flat." With that she stepped around the settee and went to the door. She started walking through the hallway when she collided with a tall form. She looked up into the man's brown eyes and then screamed.