Harry Potter -- Wellymuck -- "An Unexpected Tea Party"

[writers_island]

wellymuck

1 | 2 | 3

prompt for Day 4
An Unexpected Tea Party | Day 4 | G | 400 words | 4 of 30

Hermione was bent over the herb patch in her garden when Remus appeared with a pop of displaced air. “Hallo, professor,” she said, not looking up from the foxglove she was weeding. “How are you?”

“I’m well,” Remus said, walking over to her and leaning against a nearby tree. “Though I can’t count the number of times I’ve insisted you call me Remus. How are you?”

“Wonderful, considering that I’m seven months along,” Hermione said and stood up with a groan, pressing one hand to her lower back. “Ron thinks I should be in bed, but I told him it was enough that I was taking my Auror classes from home. The house hasn’t been this clean since we moved in last August.”

“I remember Lily complaining about a similar predicament,” Remus said with a chuckle, looking up into the blossom-laden branches of the cherry tree he was leaning against. “She baked, if I remember correctly.”

Hermione smiled and bent down again to pick dead leaves off a ginger plant. “What brings you here today? I thought you were doing research for that paper you’re giving at the Ministry in June.”

“I was, but I wanted to talk to you about something,” Remus said. When he didn’t elaborate, Hermione stood up again and looked at him. She must have seen something of his purpose in his face, because she took off her gardening gloves and picked up the basket containing her shears, trowel, and a flask of Millicent’s Miracle Mixture for Happy Healthy Horticulture. “Let’s go inside, I’ll make tea.”

Remus followed Hermione into the house, a little cottage he knew was somewhere outside Leeds, and into the sunlit kitchen. Neither Remus nor Hermione spoke while she put up a kettle to boil – the Muggle way, Remus was amused to notice – measured out tea leaves, and put a few biscuits on a tray. It wasn’t until they were both seated at the table, slightly steaming cups of Lapsang Souchong in front of them, that Hermione looked at him, a curious expression on her face. “Well? What did you want to talk about?”

It was hard to believe that this woman had once been in his third year Defense Class. But that was some five years ago, and much had happened since. Remus looked down into his teacup and took a deep breath. “How much do we know about the Veil?”

Feedback is better than chocolate.