Bonds Of Fate

CHAPTER TWO - IN MIND AND BODY

Hermione looked about her bed, making sure that everything was in place. Things had been busy after dinner. Everyone trumped up to their rooms to clean, unpack and get ready for the first day back at school.

While at Hogwarts, she tried to make the place feel like home. She loved Hogwarts very much, but she did miss her parents.

She picked up the teddy bear that was on her bed. It had been a gift from Ron for her seventeenth birthday. At first it seemed a little juvenile of a gift until he had shown her what was tied into the ribbon around it’s neck.

It was an engagement ring. It shaped like two owls, with their wings outstretched to form the band. Wing to wing, wing to wing. Each owl made up half the circle. One bird was silver and one was gold, very much like ring. Except that his ring was two snakes biting each other’s tails.

“It’s a promise ring.” Ron had said.

“What are you promising?”

“To be there for you when you need me.”

Hermione's eyes had misted and they had embraced. She loved Ron, she really, really did. She just wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life. She didn’t want to be tied down if she went to work for the Ministry of Magic. She was supposed to find out about her Auror application soon. She sighed loudly.

“Why so glum?”

Hermione gasped and turned. Ivy was standing in the doorway of her room holding a teddy bear of her own. “Ivy,” Hermione breathed, “hi.”

“He loves you, you know.”

“Who?”

“Ron. He really loves you, Hermione. You’re so lucky to have him. But he doesn’t see it that way. He doesn’t think you’re lucky to have him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just what I say.” Ivy smiled. “I’m going to go settle down for the night.” She turned to leave. “Oh! I almost forgot, this is for you.” She thrust out the teddy bear.

“Don’t you want it? You might need something to make you feel better. It can get scary here.”

“That’s okay. It’s just to thank you for being my friend. It’s nice to have something you’ve never had.” And with that, Ivy smiled and turned to do to her bed.

Hermione looked down at the teddy bear in her hand. She had forgotten to ask Ivy what his name was. He was very cute, with blue bead eyes, and a red scarf tied around his neck. She smiled, and put the teddy bear beside the one Ron had given her.

* * * * *



* * * * *

Hermione felt the sun on the lids of her eyes. She didn’t want to wake up, she had been having such a wonderful dream. The owls of her ring had come to life and she had flown with them, soaring high into the sky and beyond. She smiled and opened her eyes.

Ivy was standing above her.

“Ivy,” Hermione said, still sleepy, “what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She shrugged. “Professor McGonagall sent me to get you. You’re supposed to be downstairs in the main hall to have your Head Girl pictures taken.”

“WHAT? Oh my god! Thank you Ivy!” Hermione threw on a T-shirt, a pair of jeans and her robes, collected her book bag and hurried off downstairs.

Ivy smiled as she watched her new friend disappear. It was nice to have a friend. She was about to leave the room when she noticed her bear on Hermione’s nightstand.

She went over to it, and patted its head. “Watch over her, dad.” She said. “She needs watching over.”

* * * * *

“So nice of you to join us, Granger.” Malfoy said with a sneer. He had dyed his blonde hair a dark shade of black. It had purple highlights in it.

“So nice of you to wait for me, Malfoy. Did I keep you from having your manicure?”

At that moment, Professor McGonagall stepped towards them. “Miss Granger! Wonderful, now we can get started! If you’ll both just stand over there ”

The pictures took about a half-hour or so. Hermione was glad when they were finished. She hated having her picture taken, especially with Malfoy. It was an experience that she could have done without.

“So,” Malfoy said in between pictures, “your boy is looking cute, if I do say so myself. Has he been working out?”

“You touch Ron, and I hurt you, Malfoy.”

“Tut, tut, such anger! It will ruin your complexion, Granger. What little of it you have.”

“So, who’d you have to blow to be Head Boy, Malfoy?”

“Who said I blew? Maybe I was blown ”

Hermione shivered. “I’m not even going to dignify that with a response, Malfoy.”

With the pictures over, Hermione rushed to the breakfast hall. She wanted to bite something. Hard.

She found Ivy, Ron and Harry all sitting together, eating and talking. Ron kissed her cheek and continued talking. “I mean, I have to wonder how she got a job here! Why is she teaching at a school that she was banned from?”

“Who you talking about?” Hermione asked.

“You should know who, you have your first class with her.

Hermione looked down at her timetable. Period One: Journalism, Rita Skeeter. “Crap!” she said. “Of all the things to make my day! First pictures with Malfoy and now this?”

“How did that go?” Harry asked.

“Don’t ask. He dyed his hair.”

“I saw. It’s kind of neat, actually.”

“Hmm. Well, I wouldn’t do it. Anyway, I have to run to the library to find a book before class, got to go.”

“What?” Ron said, “Mione, it’s the first day of school!”

* * * * *

Ivy made her way to her class, leaving Harry and Ron to go to Divination on their own. They didn’t get very far however.

“So, do you think Professor Trelawney has calmed down some over the summer?” Ron asked.

“I doubt it, somehow I think she gets-“ and they stopped. “Ron, is that-“

“Yes. Yes it is.”

* * * * *

The school was in an uproar. Professor Dumbledore, with Professor Trelawney’s help, took Nearly Headless Nick up to the hospital wing.

“But how can a ghost have a body?” Hermione said at dinner.

“It’s almost as if,” Ivy said, “his death was eaten away.”

* * *