A Free Afternoon

Hermione was sitting in the shade under a tree in the Hogwarts' grounds. Her skirt would be crumpled when she got up but she didn't care. Kicking off her flip-flops she leant back and gazed up at the small scraps of blue sky that she could see through the leaves.

It was sunny and she didn't have to worry; Voldemort was gone. In a few weeks the restored Hogwarts buildings would be in use once again but for now its only inhabitants were a handful of old students who had helped rebuild it and weren't quite ready to leave. Even the remaining staff had left them to it, preferring to enjoy their last few weeks of holiday elsewhere in the world.

A splash from the lake caught her attention and she watched a soaking Ron drag Harry down beside him. They were both laughing uncontrollably. It had been a long time since they'd been able to behave like that.

Sitting up she reached for her bag and drew out a roll of parchment, a quill and a heavy, leather-bound book entitled Hogwarts, A History. Turning over onto her stomach she charmed the parchment flat in front of her, gave the quill a little shake and opened the book.

It fell open at Appendix A: Defence of the Castle and Surrounding Grounds. For a year this had been the only section she had read. For night after night she had pored over it, searching for ideas to protect the Hogwarts students and others fighting against Voldemort and hoping against hope that she would spot any possible flaws in the defences before Voldemort or his allies found them out.

But now, she was consulting the book for another purpose. Propping it open at the first page she began to skim the familiar pages, pausing every now and then to jot a note on her parchment.

The sun was warm. The shade had shifted so that her bare legs were in the sun, she'd have to move soon or she'd burn.

Reaching the end of the first chapter she paused. Laying her head on her arm she began to think about her own chapters that were going to be included in a new edition of the book, detailing the recent occurrences at Hogwarts both before and during the war, as well as a new appendix on House Elves. Closing her eyes, she began to compose her opening lines.

Half an hour later, when Harry and Ron came up to join her; she was fast asleep.

Since their mutual soaking they had been sunbathing with the Giant Squid and a couple of mermaids who had swum up from the depths of the lake. They had begun to dry off but were both still slightly damp.

The boys grinned at each other. Hermione had become notorious for napping mid-afternoon and then reading into the small hours of the morning. Ron crouched down near her head to see what she had been writing but the charm on the parchment had worn off and it had rolled itself up. He did, however, recognise the book. Rolling his eyes he pointed it out to Harry, who grimaced.

"Is there anyway we can ... not wake her?" he asked.

Ron grimaced too. If Hermione had been reading Hogwarts, A History, she would almost certainly have fallen asleep thinking about her own sections and would wake up fired with new ideas and enthusiasm, of which whoever woke her would get an earful!

"Can we leave her here?" Harry had been regaled with a minute description of the current entrance requirements and procedures for Hogwarts earlier in the day. But even as he said it, he glanced uneasily over his shoulder. Ron knew Harry was thinking that the war was too recently over for them to leave anyone, let alone Hermione, alone, asleep, and in the open. His ears went pink.

"I could carry her up to the Common Room," he said. "Then we could leave her on one of the sofas or something."

Harry raised his eyebrows and grinned.

"Are you sure Ron?" he said seriously. "I mean, she may be quite heavy and I think we've both mastered a simple levitation and transportation charm by now."

Ron's ears, neck and cheeks were on fire but he ignored Harry. Carefully, he slid his arms under Hermione and lifted her gently. Feeling very conscious of her bare skin against his, he nodded at Harry to bring Hermione's bag and set off towards the Castle.

Hermione wasn't heavy at all, she was surprisingly light, but she felt so alive. Ron suddenly realised how much he was jolting her about as he walked and tried to take smoother steps. He heard a stifled snort from Harry but he didn't care.

They didn't pass anyone on their way to the Common Room, which was just as well as Ron didn't think he could have coped with any more snide comments. But when they entered the Common Room they found Fred and George playing Exploding Snap in front of the fire. Very noisily.

Harry immediately went to join Ginny, who was lying on a sofa with Crookshanks, watching Fred and George.

Ron looked around. Fred and George hadn't noticed him carrying Hermione yet, and hopefully he could lay her down safely before they had a chance to tease him. But where should he put her? Ginny was lying on the nearest sofa and to reach the other one he would have no choice but to pass Fred and George.

On his side of the Common Room there was only one option - a small armchair tucked into an alcove, next to a window. Ron reached it and turned around, he was out of sight of the twins, and Harry and Ginny were now totally absorbed in each other.

Hermione was still fast asleep; he'd forgotten what a deep sleeper she was. He went to lay her down in the armchair but he couldn't quite get the angle right so that she'd be comfortable, so he held onto her.

He glanced back again at the fireplace. The cards had just exploded in Fred's face and George was laughing at his brother's charred eyelashes.

Gingerly, Hermione still in his arms, Ron sat down in the armchair. It was very comfortable.

Hermione gave a small moan and shifted slightly in her sleep, her head tossed slightly, as if she were trying to shake an unpleasant image from it. Ron held his breath, willing her to calm but she just seemed to become more agitated.

Cautiously, he moved one of his hands out from underneath her and began to gently stroke her hair. Gradually she relaxed, then she sighed slightly and shifted so that she was nestled more firmly against his chest.

Ron was content to stay there, stroking her hair, soothing her gently, until his own eyes drifted shut.