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At lunchtime I bought a huge orange—
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave—
They got quarters and I had a half.
And that orange, it made me so happy,
As ordinary things often do
Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park.
This is peace and contentment. It’s new.
The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all the jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I’m glad I exist.
~ The Orange, Wendy Cope
It was only mid-March, but it was an unseasonably warm day with the sun shining brightly in a nearly cloudless sky, a rare treat in the normally gloomy highlands of Scotland. Students flooded out of Hogwarts in droves, including several seventh and eighth-year students, eager to catch a break from their NEWT studies.
Hermione Granger and Theodore Nott strolled down the main street of Hogsmeade toward Scrivenshaft’s, hand in hand. There was still snow on the ground, crunching under their boots as they walked, but the icicles sparkled as they melted and the exposed cobblestones were wet with snowmelt as the sun shone brilliantly above them.
Though Hermione had seen Theo around Hogwarts before the war, it wasn’t until she had returned for the offered “eighth year” that she really noticed him. He was one of only three Slytherins (the others being Draco Malfoy and Daphne Greengrass) who’d returned to school following the war, and the only one besides her who’d signed up for both Arithmancy and Ancient Runes.
After being paired for an Ancient Runes project in the first half of the year, they became friends, and their relationship only grew from there. Theo (along with his fellow Slytherins) was better integrated into the small group of eighth-year students, and Harry Potter, who’d surprisingly turned down automatic entry into the Auror program, had even started seeing Daphne. Harry had been apprehensive at first, as the Greengrasses were traditional purebloods with more archaic views on blood purity, but it turned out that being the hero of the wizarding world made up for having a Muggle-born parent. For Theo, having no parents made the concept of having a Muggle-born girlfriend a non-issue. As such, they were able to carry on their relationship without much worry.
Hermione chattered on about various things as the pair approached their destination while Theo stayed relatively quiet, happy to listen. “I should really buy some turkey feather quills,” she mused. “I’m nearly out.”
“Only because you chew them to bits when you’re thinking,” Theo teased. “You forget they’re not Sugar Quills.”
“I do not!” Hermione retorted, but then, “Maybe I do. Force of habit.” She flashed an embarrassed smile at him as she entered the shop. “Regardless, I need more. And maybe we could stop at Honeydukes later?”
“Sugar Quills?” Theo asked knowingly.
“You know me so well.”
“That I do.” Theo chuckled and wrapped his arm around Hermione’s shoulders, giving her a quick squeeze. “Now, you were saying something about turkey feathers…”
They left Scrivenshaft’s with more supplies than they were planning to purchase. In addition to her turkey feather quills, Hermione walked out with a heavy-duty goose feather quill, a stack of good parchment, and a set of jewel-toned inks that shimmered in the right light. Theo left with considerably less, but he still had a set of raven feather quills and a fresh bottle of jet-black ink.
Their next stop was Honeydukes. “Is there anything you’d like?” Hermione asked Theo. “Ice Mice? Bertie Bott’s?” She snickered. “Cockroach Clusters?”
Theo made a face. “Don’t remind me,” he said, and Hermione knew he was recalling the time his friends dared him to eat one back in their fifth year. He shuddered. “I’d rather take Vector’s exam from last term. Ice Mice sound good, though.”
They perused the shop slowly, despite having been there many times before. Hermione picked up some Fizzing Whizzbees and a bag of toffees, while Theo decided on a second package of Ice Mice and some Glacial Snow Flakes.
“Hermione!” She looked up at the sound of her name, scanning over the shelves for whoever had seen her. She spotted Harry and gave him a little wave before heading over to him, Theo not far behind.
“Harry! Fancy meeting you here,” Hermione greeted. “Is Daphne around?”
“She’s somewhere around here,” Harry said. “Hello, Nott,” he added, nodding at Theo.
“Potter,” Theo acknowledged, nodding back.
Hermione laughed. “Oh, don’t be so aloof. We’re all friends here! Talk to each other. I’m going to find Daphne.” With that, she left the boys to their own devices to find her friend.
Hermione and Daphne had been a bit wary around each other when they first started interacting more, but they soon found out it was only because they were worried for their respective friends. Once Daphne knew Hermione wasn’t with Theo for his money, and Hermione knew Daphne wasn’t with Harry for his war hero status, they became fast companions. Daphne gave Hermione tips on wizarding fashion and taught her more about pureblood and general wizarding customs. Hermione told Daphne about the Muggle world and even introduced her to Muggle makeup, which Daphne found she liked better than the charms. Eventually, because they spent so much time together, they became even closer than Daphne was to Pansy Parkinson or Hermione was to Ginny Weasley.
Hermione wandered through the aisles of sweets, poking her head into the gummies section and traversing the animals and insects aisle, which held everything from Chocolate Frogs (which contained no actual frog) to Theo’s despised Cockroach Clusters (which were actual cockroaches covered in chocolate). Eventually, she found Daphne crouched down, examining the bottom shelf thoughtfully.
“What are you thinking about?” Hermione asked as she approached. “Debating between Toothflossing Stringmints and Tooth-Splintering Strongmints?”
“Chocoballs and Honeyduke’s best, actually,” Daphne said. Her long, blonde hair was flipped to one side of her head as she considered her options, and she was wearing a pair of thin, gold-rimmed glasses, which she needed for reading. “I already have too many sweets in my room, but I can never leave Honeydukes without buying at least one thing,” she sighed.
“You don’t usually get chocolate,” Hermione observed. “Looking for something new?”
“Harry and I went to Muggle London last weekend,” Daphne said shyly. “We took advantage of Professor McGonagall’s special permissions and Flooed to Grimmauld Place, and Harry took me around to all the best Muggle places.”
“Ooh, that sounds so fun!” Hermione exclaimed. “Harry told me you all were going, but I didn’t know you were going to the Muggle side. You’ll have to tell me more later!”
“Definitely! But anyway, Harry took me to Charbonnel et Walker, and they have the most divine champagne truffles. They became my new favourite!” Daphne said, her face lighting up. “But now I’m in the mood for chocolate and I can’t just pop into the shop for champagne truffles, so Honeydukes will have to do.” She sighed, turning back to the shelf in contemplation.
“Well,” Hermione said slowly, “Theo brought back these delightful truffles from La Maison du Chocolat when he was in Paris. They’re not champagne, just dark chocolate, but I’m willing to make a trade if you are.”
Daphne’s eyes lit up. “Would you really? I can’t believe I’m bargaining over chocolate, but it’s been so long since I’ve tasted French chocolate. And—” She glanced down the aisle before continuing in a low voice, “—I hate to say it while we’re in the very shop I’m speaking of, but Honeydukes truffles leave something to be desired.”
Hermione snickered. “Better than the ones Harry got me once, Merlin save his soul. It was during the summer after fifth or sixth year, and I’d written to him telling him about the trip to Switzerland I took before I went to Grimmauld for the rest of the summer. When I arrived, he gave me a box of truffles and said even though they might not be the same as the ones I had in Zürich, they might remind me of my trip.” She laughed, drawing Harry and Theo’s attention from the other side of the shop. “It was the worst chocolate I’ve ever had, but I didn’t have the heart to tell him. He still doesn’t know!”
Harry and Theo appeared at the end of the aisle Hermione and Daphne were in, both girls laughing so hard their eyes were watering.
“What’s so funny?” Harry asked, a bemused smile on his face.
“Nothing,” the girls said, wiping their eyes and stifling their giggles.
“Nothing at all,” Hermione repeated, taking a shaky breath. “Did you have a good time over there?”
“It was… pleasant enough,” Theo said. “Potter was just regaling me with Montrose’s latest victory, but he must have forgotten their last win was against Caerphilly, which is my team, as you know.” He sighed, sending a sidelong glance toward Harry. “But Caerphilly is still ahead in the standings, so there is that.”
Hermione chuckled. “There is that. Oliver Wood plays for Puddlemere—he was the Gryffindor captain for a few years, so Harry watches them, too. You’ll just have to return the favour when Caerphilly beats Puddlemere in a few weeks.” She turned back to Daphne and Harry. “Have you been anywhere else yet?”
“Just Spintwitches,” Daphne said as they walked toward the counter. “Harry needed new Seeker’s gloves. We might stop at Zonko’s at some point, and I want to go to the apothecary.”
“We might need to go to Scrivenshaft’s as well, I’ve nearly run out of quills,” Harry added.
“Oh, we just were at Scrivenshaft’s. We were there for quite a long time, I must say,” Hermione admitted. “I’ll have to show you the new ink set I bought when we go back. But I want to go to Tomes and Scrolls, and Theo, you wanted to stop in at Ceridwen’s Cauldrons, right?” She reached into her bag, but Theo was faster, paying for both their selections as she scowled, her plan to pay for herself foiled once again.
“Yes,” Theo confirmed, accepting his change. “I need a new copper cauldron. And it wouldn’t hurt to stop in at the apothecary also…”
“We can go there,” Hermione agreed. “Do we want to go anywhere else?”
“What if we meet at the Three Broomsticks when we’re done with our shopping?” Harry suggested as he pulled out his money. “We can get a bite to eat, I’m a bit peckish already.”
“That sounds great!” Hermione squeezed Theo’s hand. “Let’s go to Ceridwen’s first, then Tomes and Scrolls?”
“Sounds alright to me,” Theo replied, nodding to Harry and Daphne. “We’ll see you later.” He turned to Hermione. “Do you have everything?”
“I do,” Hermione said. “Shall we?”
The pair left Honeydukes and headed toward Ceridwen’s first, where Theo picked up a copper cauldron that shone like a brand-new Knut, as well as an hourglass that could be set to different times and played music when the sand was nearly out.
They headed to Tomes and Scrolls, saved for last because experience told them they would end up spending more time there than their original plans dictated. They split up once inside, Hermione heading to the Arithmancy section first, while Theo gravitated toward the books on Time. Hermione browsed slowly, taking the time to skim books that piqued her interest and write down titles she wanted to save for later. She finally decided on Magical Theory: Arithmancy and Charms before moving on to the history section, where she picked up A Complete History of Gringotts. As she was reading the synopsis, she suddenly had a thought and flipped to the back of the book, sighing in relief when she saw the most recent information was from 1995. Their break-in during the war and the dragon’s escape would not be published for another year or so, something Hermione was dreading. Though she had already accepted that she would be prominent in the history books one day, she would have preferred not to be quite so infamous while she was still alive. Alas, despite living in the last century when it came to technology, wizardkind was quick to update their history books. Hermione decided to take the book anyway and find her boyfriend, though she knew she was not going to purchase the next version when it came out.
When she found Theo again, he was looking at a book on Ancient Runes. Hermione stole a look at the ones he was carrying and saw two Time-related titles and, interestingly, a book on Muggle chemistry. “Planning on becoming a chemist?” she asked once she was next to him.
“No,” Theo said. “Well, kind of. I’m trying to see if this can be used in relation to potions. Draco is starting to experiment with that, so I’ve volunteered to help him.”
“I might be able to help, too,” Hermione offered. “Let me know if you want another brain.”
“I’ll ask Draco,” Theo said. “Did you find everything you wanted?”
“Yes, and I have some in mind for the April weekend as well,” Hermione replied. “Can’t buy everything now and leave nothing for next time, you know?”
“Very true,” Theo chuckled. He held out his hand to Hermione. “Books?”
“You’re paying again?” She sighed. “I do have my own money, you know.”
“What’s the fun of shopping if you can’t spoil your girlfriend?” Theo countered. “Besides, you might have money, but I have enough for several lifetimes. And it’s just one more thing I can stick it to my father. If he could see what I’m doing with the precious Nott vaults, I’m sure he’d be rolling in his grave right now.”
“Alright,” Hermione groused, handing him the heavy tomes. She wasn’t going to argue too much; books got expensive, after all. “I’m still a bit cross at you for paying for my sweets though.”
“You pay for yourself when you’re not with me,” Theo said. He pulled out his Galleons. “It’s only fair I pay for your things when you’re with me.”
Hermione let out a long-suffering sigh, but she didn’t argue further as they approached the clerk at the counter.
“Do you think you’ll get a full meal at the Three Broomsticks, or just a Butterbeer?” Hermione asked as the pair headed towards the pub.
“Maybe some chips,” Theo said. “I’m not very hungry right now. But I’ll definitely get some Butterbeer. Can’t leave Hogsmeade without having at least one.”
“Yes, we can’t be doing that,” Hermione agreed seriously, deciding not to tell him she had visited Hogsmeade several times without ever stepping foot in any of the pubs.
They entered the Three Broomsticks to a cacophony of chatter and laughter. Glasses clinked together and silverware scraped against dishes as people enjoyed their meals. The smell of hot pub fare wafted through the doorway, making Hermione’s stomach grumble. She scanned the tables for Harry and Daphne, finally spotting them near the back. Harry looked up and caught her eye, waving them over.
“You made it!” Daphne exclaimed. “We haven’t ordered yet.”
“Oh, you didn’t need to wait for us! We went to Tomes and Scrolls last, so I knew we would be a bit,” Hermione said.
Daphne waved her off. “No worries, we just got here not too long ago. It’s rather busy as well; we’ve barely even seen Madam Rosmerta. People keep coming in, but I’ve only seen a few leave since we’ve been sitting here.”
“Well, in that case, I’m glad we got here when we did.” Hermione slid into her chair. “I saw a large group of younger students heading this way when we left the bookshop.”
The four chatted for a while, Hermione and Theo discussing the books they’d bought and Daphne and Harry showing off their haul from Zonko’s and the apothecary.
“I think I’m going to go up and order a round of Butterbeer,” Theo said after a few minutes, getting up from his chair. “Madam Rosmerta looks exhausted. Does anyone want anything else right away?” Everyone shook their heads. “Alright, I’ll be back soon.”
“I’ll be right back,” Daphne said after Theo had gone. “I’m going to use the loo.”
With just her and Harry at the table, Hermione wanted to ask him how his studies were going, but suddenly a shadow passed over the table. They looked up to see a familiar redhead grinning down at them.
“‘Mione, Harry!” Ron exclaimed. “Long time, no see!”
“It’s been a while, Ron,” Harry said, smiling. While all three had turned down automatic entry into the Auror program, only two-thirds of the trio had returned to school. Ron opted to join George at the joke shop instead, the whole Weasley family preferring to be closer in proximity after the loss of Fred. This had ultimately led to both the break-up of Ginny and Harry and the halting of Hermione and Ron’s budding relationship. In the end, however, all parties had agreed it was for the best and they remained friends, though the Weasley matriarch still maintained a frostier attitude toward Hermione (though not Harry, for some reason. Hermione had yet to figure that one out).
“What brings you up here?” Hermione asked, bristling slightly at the nickname. No matter how many times she reminded Ron to use her full name, he never seemed to remember. It was just one of the many small things that made her realise they would never work out long-term.
“We’re looking at expanding the joke shop,” Ron said. “We have more than enough employees, and it’ll be good to give old Bilton Bilmes some competition.” He waved his hand in the vague direction of Zonko’s, which had dominated joke and prank sales among Hogwarts students for decades.
“Exciting!” Harry said. “How soon are you looking to move up here?”
“It won’t be ‘til summer, I don’t think,” Ron said apologetically. “You’ll probably be finished with school by the time we move in.”
“Ah, well, you’ll be bringing joy to the next generation of students, and that’s what matters,” Harry assured, though his upbeat tone didn’t match his expression. He was glancing around nervously, and Hermione knew he was watching for Theo and Daphne, who would likely be returning any minute. She scanned the room herself and spotted both at the bar chatting while waiting for their drinks, and she hoped they would stay there until Ron left.
Both Harry and Hermione deliberately avoided talking about their respective relationships with Ron whenever they saw him, knowing he would react badly. They were vague when Molly asked about their romantic lives over the holidays, and they did their best to keep their conversations centred around school and their career futures.
But a quick and easy hello wasn’t meant to be. Ron spotted Daphne and Theo as they made their way over with four glasses of Butterbeer, and his face quickly started to look like he’d been sunburned. “What are they doing here?” he demanded. “You’re consorting with Slytherins now?”
Said Slytherins had stopped short when they noticed Ron at their table, quietly setting the glasses down nearby. They both knew about Ron’s volatile temper and elected to sit at the next table over, but there was no fooling Ron, especially with the number of Butterbeers they had with them.
“You’re fraternising with the enemy,” Ron continued. “You’re basically betraying everything we ever fought for. Hermione, I thought you of all people would know to stay away. These people called you a Mudblood!”
“Excuse me?” Hermione’s voice was shrill. “How dare you!”
Daphne’s eyes widened. She knew of the general negative sentiment regarding Slytherins, of course, but Ron seemed to equate being in Slytherin to being a Death Eater.
Theo’s expression didn’t change, but Hermione could see his eyes harden and his posture stiffen ever so slightly. He opened his mouth, but Harry held his hand up, cutting Ron off before he could carry on.
“That was unnecessary, Ron,” Harry said firmly. “We should be past that by now. We fought a bloody war based on prejudice, for Merlin’s sake. A few years ago, I might have stood by you and even agreed with you, but Sirius once told me that the world isn’t divided into good people and Death Eaters.” He shook his head in disappointment.
“I can’t believe you, Ron,” Hermione said, dismayed. “We didn’t just fight to end Muggle-born prejudice; it extends to all magical people and all aspects of life. You can’t just deem everyone who happens to be sorted to a certain house to be evil.”
“Theo wasn’t even a Death Eater, he was just a Slytherin whose father happened to be one. Not all Slytherins are bad, just like not all Gryffindors are good. Remember Peter Pettigrew?” Harry asked pointedly. “And besides,” he added, “even Malfoy turned out alright.”
That seemed to be the wrong thing to say, though, because as soon as Ron heard the name of his biggest rival, he only became angrier. “Malfoy!” he spluttered, his face rapidly approaching a shade of puce. “You’re friends with Malfoy now!?”
Harry just sighed and shook his head, while Hermione and Theo looked on. “We’re not kids focused solely on Quidditch and House rivalries,” he said softly. “We’ve been through a war. It’s time to move on.”
“Have you just forgotten what that Malfoy you’re so fond of now did during that war? He’s a Death Eater! He was assigned to kill Dumbledore! Voldemort lived in his bloody house!” Ron snarled.
“And what would you have done if Voldemort threatened your family, Ronald? What then? How would you feel if he had been living in your house? Do you think you could watch your whole family be tortured and murdered at the hands of that monster? Would you feel alright if your family was dead but you hadn’t killed anyone?” Hermione kept her volume low, mindful of the other patrons glancing in their direction, but she couldn’t stop the shake in her voice and the tremor in her hands as she chastised her once-best friend. “I did things during the war that would rattle the very bones in your body. Many of us did. You do not get to talk down to Theo without also confronting me for the very same reasons. And Daphne has done nothing but be a Slytherin, something you should not base your utterly ridiculous assumptions on.”
Ron opened his mouth, but Hermione didn’t wait for his response. She grabbed Theo’s hand and slid out of her chair, disregarding her Butterbeer. “I’m sorry, Harry, Daphne. Have our drinks for us,” she said as they turned to go. “We’ll see you back at the castle.” She looked at Ron, a cold glint in her eyes. “Goodbye, Ronald. Please don’t contact me unless you can get over this ridiculous grudge you still hold.”
“Do you think he realises we’re together?” Theo wondered once they were outside.
“Well, maybe he should have found out today,” Hermione said, still fuming. “He should stew on that for a few months until we finish school. I can’t believe he had the audacity to say that to you! Both of you!”
“It’s no worse than I’ve heard before,” Theo said resignedly. “They used to hex us at the beginning of the year, before we started associating with you.”
Hermione’s eyes turned mutinous, but her face soon melted into a more thoughtful expression. “Could those people be the same ones that told Harry and me that we should avoid you, ‘for our own safety,’ do you think?”
“They very well could be,” Theo agreed. “Why?”
“I’m just thinking… Do you have names?”
“Macmillan,” Theo began slowly. “A couple of Gryffindors—I think they were the beaters for a year for your House team… a few younger years…”
Hermione nodded thoughtfully. “I see,” she said, though she didn’t elaborate further.
“Wait, you’re not planning on doing something, are you?” Theo asked.
“Oh, they’ll be fine,” Hermione reassured. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t do anything too rash,” Theo warned. “You would have made a good Slytherin, though, if the escapades you got up to during school are anything to go by.”
“Thank you,” Hermione said, beaming up at him. “From an actual Slytherin, I’ll take that as a high compliment.” She stopped walking and leaned up, Theo meeting her halfway for a short but sweet kiss.
Despite their confrontation with Ron, it had been a good day. They had several new purchases, both essential and accessory, and they’d been able to spend time with Harry and Daphne as well. It would have been nice if they had been able to finish off the day properly at the Three Broomsticks, but Hermione was determined not to make that the main subject of the day.
Hermione was feeling peckish, having not eaten since breakfast, so they took a detour and stopped at the Magic Neep for a snack. “I don’t want to get anything too filling, it’s nearly dinnertime,” she said as they walked down the aisles. “Maybe an apple? But they take so long for me to eat without slicing them.”
“How about oranges?” Theo suggested, gesturing to the pile of round fruit as they walked by.
“That sounds perfect,” Hermione said. “Already divided into slices, and they’re less messy, too.” She grabbed two, and they headed up to the counter.
The pair made their way back towards the castle, shrunken things in their pockets from their full day of shopping. They each had an open orange in hand, slowly savouring the citrusy freshness of the fruits as they walked together.
Despite only being mid-afternoon, the sun was already lowering in the sky. The days were getting longer, but the sun was still gone by dinnertime. Hermione longed for the summer, when the daylight lasted until ten and she could read in the grass comfortably long after dinner. But for now, she’d settle for walking back to the castle she’d called home for seven years, her favourite person by her side, relishing the warm breeze that danced around them and the golden rays of sunlight illuminating their way home.