ONE SMALL THING - A Dramione Fanfiction

ONE SMALL THING - A Dramione Fanfiction: Chapter 2

Hermione was grateful for the silence that had befallen the throng of people while she was speaking, though she suspected it had more to do with the murderous look on her face than her actual public speaking abilities.

Slowly she stepped forward, pushing through the throng until she reached the door of the Burrow, pushing it open.

"Out."

That one word from Hermione Granger, spoken so softly that she thought she'd have to repeat herself, seemed to be enough to spur them to action.

People filed past her, some looking at her with admiration and some with disgust, until only Rita remained. She stamped her feet impatiently, gesturing wildly to the general location of her voicebox.

"Sorry, Miss Skeeter," Hermione began, careful to keep her face neutral.

"The charm should wear off within the next few minutes."

Rita glared at her, whipped out a fancy red quill and a piece of  parchment from somewhere and proceeded to scribble something furiously as she stomped outside. Immediately, Hermoine shut the door and charmed the house's walls so that outsiders would be unable to find the doors or windows.

"Thanks," Bill mumbled, offering her a tired smile.

She tried to smile back. "Are you sure everyone is inside the house?" She asked.

"Yes," Bill answered, pushing back chairs under the table and cleaning up the mess of tea-cups and cookie crumbs. "Harry, Ginny, Ron and George are in the attic doing heaven knows what, Mum and Dad are resting, Fleur is teaching Lavender French, I think...and then it's just us."

She sighed in relief, then smiled with glee as she helped Bill tidy up.

"What?" He asked, suspicious.

"I told 'MIZZ Skeeter' it would only take a few minutes to get her voice back," she grinned.

He picked up a knocked over teacup. "Tergeo," he murured, watching lazily as the spilt tea vanished from the table-top.

"So how long will it take?" He eyed the bushy-haired witch in front of him, noticing for the first time how worn-out she looked.

"Well, you know, it was a pretty strong charm." She chuckled in spite of herself. "Quite frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if it takes all day."

Bill laughed. "You're still the brightest witch of our age, aren't you?"

"Yes, Bill darling. Like that will ever change!" She stuck out her tongue at him and he shook his head, amused.

As she climbed the stairs, Hermoine suddenly realized just how tired she really was.

The adrenalin that had coursed through her veins just moments ago had disappeared, leaving Hermoime drained of energy and strangely emotional.

She felt like bawling as she dragged her feet, but had no idea why, how or what for.

All she knew was that she needed to have a good cry, and soon.

What was currently stuck inside had a need to come out.

She also knew that she couldn't have that cry at the Burrow. Too many emotional people. The Weasly's were not in the most stable condition, emotion-wise, at the moment, and Harry had enough to deal with without her 'drenching his robes', so to speak.