By Reason Of Birth

Chapter 41 Diagon Alley

Two days later, at Saturday breakfast, a pair of barn owls swooped through an open window and waited patiently for Hermione to remove the letters they bore. One was for her, and the other, which was slightly heavier, for Theo, each with the Hogwarts seal. In a matter of moments, the owls were fed and watered, and Hermione sat down at the table with her letter, leaving Theo’s there for when he would wake up in another few hours.

It was the standard Hogwarts letter, telling of all the books and equipment she would need for the upcoming school year. Sifting through the pages, she couldn’t help the wave of disappointment that swept through her.

“Is there something wrong, Hermione?” Caoilinn asked from her seat at the table, having noticed the change in Hermione’s face.

“Oh, no, there’s nothing wrong,” Hermione said, looking at her mother with a forced smile. She handed the note over so Caoilinn could read it. “Can we go to Diagon Alley today to pick everything up? I’ve already finished my summer work, and I would really like to get a jump on reading my new books.”

“I’m sorry, honey,” Caoilinn answered, skimming over the pages of the letter. “Your father and Theo are going to the Crabbes’ today. We wouldn’t have nearly enough time to get what you and Theo will need before they have to leave.”

“We can go without Theo,” Hermione suggested hopefully.

“No, we can’t,” Caoilinn answered with a laugh. “He’ll have to be fitted for his robes. We may have gotten yours at the beginning of the summer, but he still needs new ones. Plus, he may want something that isn’t on the list. I have prior engagements both tomorrow and Monday, so you’re going to have to wait until Tuesday.”

“But, Caoilinn,” Hermione groaned, sounding as though her world were coming to a pitiful end.

“Sorry, Hermione. I’m sure you can wait three more days before you get your new school books.” Caoilinn was obviously amused, and Hermione mock-glared at her.

“I suppose,” she responded, giving a wistful sigh.

Caoilinn once again laughed at her theatrics and shook her head. “Your letter says that this is the third year you have been made Prefect. I’m very proud of you, and I’m sure your father will be as well.”

“Thank you,” Hermione responded, the forced smile once again making an appearance.

“Ahhh, you were hoping for Head Girl, weren’t you?” Caoilinn asked, sympathetically.

“Yes,” Hermione answered, unable to hide her disappointment. “But I suppose I understand why I wouldn’t get it. With the amount of school rules we’ve broken over the years, even if we did have very good reasons, it’s almost surprising that Ron and I were even named Prefects.”

Almost five hours later, Hermione was sitting down to eat lunch with Blaise, Harry, who once again had been named Quidditch Captain, and Ron, who had also made it another year as Prefect. They were just starting to eat when Theo arrived, freshly showered and ready for his day.

Hermione handed him his letter, which he opened on the spot. Before he had a chance to pull out the sheaves of parchment, though, a shiny badge fell to the floor. He picked it up and stared at it, dumbfounded. Hermione was the closest to him, and she stood up to get a better look at it.

She though that perhaps he had received Malfoy’s Prefect spot- after all, Malfoy had almost killed Katie Bell and Ron before his plot to kill Dumbledore was thwarted by the death of Lord Voldemort. Instead, the words ‘Head Boy’ were written across the widest part in block lettering. She gaped at the badge for a moment before she caught herself. “Congratulations, Theo,” she said half-heartedly, giving him a one-armed hug.

“Thanks,” he responded, not noticing her lacklustre attitude through his shock that was quickly turning into excitement.

When he didn’t say anything more, Hermione looked over at her friends and boyfriend. “Theo’s been made Head Boy,” she told them, trying to sound excited. She was happy for him, after all, but it only seemed to amplify the fact that she hadn’t made Head Girl.

Blaise threw up his hands in mock frustration, and an attempt to lighten Hermione’s mood. “My best friend is Head Boy, my girlfriend is a Prefect. Potter is Quidditch Captain, and even Weasley over there made Prefect! What do I have to do to join the club? I want a fancy title, too!” he exclaimed. Harry and Theo started laughing, and even Ron found himself chuckling at Blaise’s antics.

Hermione’s lips twitched into a smile, and she sat on Blaise’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. “But you do have a title.” He quirked an eyebrow at her, and she continued. “You are the Gryffindor seventh year Prefects’ super-sexy boyfriend.”

“I think I can handle that title,” Blaise answered at the same time as Harry and Ron groaned.

“Hear that, Weasley?” Theo said with a laugh. “Blaise is your super-sexy boyfriend.”

Ron was going to respond with a smart retort, but instead started to chuckle, the laughter from the others infectious.

*** *** *** *** ***

When Tuesday morning arrived, Hermione did her best to wait for Theo to wake up on his own so they could go to Diagon Alley. She had tried everything she could over the previous two days to convince Caoilinn to either take her without her brother, or to let her go alone, but her mother was steadfast. Caoilinn had brought Theo to purchase his school supplies every year before, and since not only was this his last year but also Hermione’s first with them, and she would not have it any other way than for her to bring them herself.

Finally, as ten-thirty rolled around, Hermione could no longer take the wait. She barged into Theo’s room and jumped onto his bed. “Theo, wake up!” she called out in a bright, cheery voice.

“Go away,” he moaned, not even opening his eyes.

“But, Theo,” she said, her tone bordering on a whine as she knelt down next to his prone figure and started shaking him. “Please get up. I want to go get my books, and you have to come. Please! I’ll go out with you and Lilah and then ditch you so you can have some alone time,” she promised.

He gave her an amused smile as he slowly opened his eyes. “That’s a really bad bribe. I was under the impression that was going to happen anyway.”

“Oh, shut up,” she laughed, pushing at his shoulder.

“Now that’s no way to treat someone when you want them to do something for you,” he said with a yawn as he stretched out. When she responded by jutting out her lower lip and making puppy dog eyes at him, he couldn’t repress his laughter.

“Where on earth did you learn that pitiful trick?” he asked.

“Daphne,” she responded simply. “Why? Is it not working?”

“No. Sorry, sister, but puppy dog eyes do not suit you. Now leave so I can go take a shower.” She gave him a dirty look in response, but did as he asked, happy that he wasn’t going to go back to bed.

Forty minutes later, he was showered and fed, and he, Hermione, and Caoilinn Apparated to Diagon Alley. Their first stop was Madame Malkin’s in order to get Theo fitted for his robes.

The only other student there was Susan Bones, who was almost done with her fitting. Susan and her mother also regularly attended the Saturday teas, but had missed the first one Hermione had gone to. She and Hermione were now on friendlier terms than in the past, never having had much to talk about, and neither made any effort to see the other outside of those get-togethers. The two started talking, and when Hermione let it slip that Theo had been made Head Boy, Susan’s eyes lit up.

“Really? Thank Merlin,” she sighed. “I was so afraid that it would be Malfoy. Or even worse, Ernie.”

“MacMillan?” Hermione asked, surprised that Susan would consider her housemate a worse candidate for Head Boy than Malfoy.

“Yes. He’s nice enough, but he’s just so full of himself. Working with him would have been a nightmare. I think Theo and I can work together well enough,” she said, flushing when she realised what she had just said. “Oh- I’m sorry, Hermione. You were probably expecting to be Head girl- I was expecting you to be, and I was so shocked when I opened my letter…” she said, trailing off.

“It’s okay, Susan. I was a bit upset at first, but then when I realised how much time it would have taken up, even past my Prefect duties, I’m rather happy that I didn’t get it. Now I’ll have all that extra time to study for N.E.W.T.’s.”

“And spend time with Blaise,” Theo interjected with a smirk.

Hermione’s face flushed, and she glared at her brother. “That’s another perk,” she said.

“I’m so relieved,” Susan said. “I was so afraid that you would be mad at me.”

“Susan, I could never be mad at you over something that you had no control over.”

Susan and Theo switched places, and Susan was soon shuffled out of the shop by her mother, who had been talking to Caoilinn. It seemed like it took forever for Theo to finally be fitted and his robes to be ordered, but it really wasn’t more than twenty minutes before the three made their way to Flourish and Blotts for their books.

Caoilinn and Theo practically had to drag her from the bookstore forty minutes later, in order to go to their next stop, which was to purchase their Potions supplies. Once they had her out of the shop, though, Hermione did her best to breeze through the rest of the shopping trip. She could not wait to get home to read up on her new classes, but as if just to annoy her for making him wake up so early, Theo took his time in every shop they went into, until they finally left Diagon Alley to go home four hours later.

Chapter End Notes:
so as always, thanks to the readers, the reviewers, and to lupie, who had an INSANE amount to fix this chapter, as i had to be somewhere and typed it off without double checking it before sending it to her, lol.