Never Piss Off a House-Elf

The Grangers' house was quiet that night, with mother and daughter not really speaking and father not wanting to get in the middle of things. Satchel felt bad for all three humans, but he was under Hermione's charge, not theirs.


Hermione fell asleep in her clothes that night, and Satchel carefully brushed her hair out for her and braided it the way she liked it for sleeping before he tucked her in for the night and stretched out on his own pallet. The next day would be a long one, and they all needed their rest.


Hermione woke early the next morning, and headed down to the kitchen. She looked around, but neither one of her parents were awake yet. She felt badly about the argument with her mother, even though she felt her mother had started it. Instead of apologizing, Hermione decided to make breakfast for her little family, without Satchel's or her mothers help.


"Let's see. . . aha! Perfect," Hermione said, rifling through one of her bags she'd left in the kitchen, coming up with Mrs. Weasley's chocolate chip pancake spell. Hermione gathered her ingredients quickly and placed them on the counter, waving her wand over them eight times from left to right while murmuring the incantation. The ingredients began pouring and measuring themselves, then flying over to the stove to turn themselves into a scrumptious breakfast.


While the pancakes made themselves, Hermione got out juice for Satchel and set the coffee pot for herself and her parents. She used to like juice, but she found that she liked coffee better. Plus, it helped keep her awake. She put out milk, cream and sugar before she cleared her throat.


"Breakfast's ready!" Hermione called, her voice clear and loud. She puttered around the kitchen a bit more while her parents and Satchel made their ways down to the kitchen. She'd finally managed to get Satchel to move in a more 'normal' way around the house, so her parents wouldn't be so put out. He made it down first, and he blushed furiously to see Hermione doing all the work herself.


"Miss is not to be doing that! Is supposed to being Satchel's job!" Satchel said, wringing his hands tightly and squirming where he stood. He ran over to the table and began slamming his head into it, repeating his last statement, louder and louder.


"Satchel, stop! Stop it, I wanted to do this myself, for all of you. This is my last day here, and I wanted to do something. . . normal. . . for my mother. So stop doing that and grab the plates!" Hermione yelled over the noise of Satchel's banging and wailing.


"Hermione! What is this ruckus? It's far too early to be making this kind of noise!" Nathaniel Granger yelled, storming into the kitchen. His wife was close behind him, hastily tying the belt of her housecoat and patting her hair. "What are you doing? I thought Satchel made your breakfast?"


"I wanted to make you a 'normal' breakfast, since this is my last day here," Hermione said, carefully avoiding the word "home" and her mother's eyes. "I made Mrs. Weasley's chocolate chip pancakes for us, and coffee and juice."


"How nice," Jane said, reaching for her daughter, first as if for a hug, but instead she grabbed Hermione's hands, and led her to the table. They sat in silence while Satchel and Nathaniel served up the food and drink. Then they, too, sat at the table and set in to breakfast.


The meal passed in relative silence, but it was a companionable silence, with lots of chewing. Nathaniel cleared the table once they had finished eating, and Satchel cleaned them with his own magic. Hermione and Jane stayed seated, not quite staring at each other, but not ignoring one another, either.


"I should get changed into my traveling clothes. Satchel and I will be leaving shortly. Mrs. Weasley is expecting me before noon. I can't exactly disappoint my future mother-in-law, can I?" Hermione said, trying for a light tone. Jane Granger struggled not to cry, but her daughter was grown up, and would soon be in her majority, even in the muggle world.


"What is the. . . wizarding custom? Are we to pay for your wedding, or even to meet with the family beforehand in a more formal setting?" Jane said, obviously trying to connect with her daughter.


"I'm not exactly sure. I'll have to ask the Weasleys. They're having another wedding in the family just before the term starts, anyways," Hermione said, referring to Bill and Fleur's upcoming nuptials. She knew she would be an attendant because of her closeness to the family, and she wasn't sure what her gown would look like yet.


"You'll have to . . . owl us, and let us know what you need, and when to be there," Jane said, smiling weakly. That would be better than nothing. "Would you like for us to go with you today?"


Hermione shook her head. "No, it is going to be crazy already, and I think you would both be quite uncomfortable. Bill, Ron's oldest brother, is getting married, and we'll all be caught up in that and planning Ron's and my wedding. But perhaps I can come back and see you after Bill's wedding."


Jane nodded, and Nathaniel watched on as his wife and daughter made a new peace. It was always a difficult thing to watch a child become an adult, but more so because it was thrust upon his own, and because her adult world would be so far removed from their own.


Hermione got up and left the room to get ready, leaving her parents to talk quietly to one another. Nathaniel came back to the table and put his arms around his wife, holding her and rocking her.


"My baby is grown up and getting married. How am I supposed to be happy, but how could I be angry?" Jane said, crying into her husband's chest. "And my only baby."


They'd had Hermione early on, and Nathaniel came up with one of great ideas. He whispered to his wife, and she cried in happiness. She threw herself on him, the way Hermione threw herself on her friends, and kissed him soundly.


"I think that's wonderful. But let's not worry Hermione," Jane said, smiling warmly.


"I agree. Shall we head to the living room to await her departure?" Nathaniel said, and his wife nodded. He took her hand and led her to the living room, in a companionable silence.


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The goodbyes had been brief and tear-filled, on the behalf of both Hermione and her parents. They knew that next time they saw one another the situation would be quite different. Jane clung to her daughter for a moment before Satchel took Hermione's hand, and smiled at his mistress's parents.


"Satchel is being a good house-elf, and wills be taking good care of Miss. Miss's parents need not being worried," Satchel said, bowing to the Grangers.


"Goodbye. I'll owl you as soon as possible," Hermione said, waving as Satchel winked them both out.


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Hermione and Satchel appeared at the Burrow not longer afterwards, but something was wrong. The normally busy, loud, bustling home was quiet, and still. Hermione remembered her friends' penchant for unwanted surprise parties, and she took a deep breath. Harry had his birthday, and Hermione didn't want to seem ungrateful, but still. . .


"Hello? This better not be a set-up," Hermione called, letting go of Satchel's hand and grabbing her wand from her pocket. She'd worn an old pair of jeans with a t-shirt and a hoodie. "Ron, Harry? Ginny are you there? This isn't funny, you know how I hate surprises."


Hermione walked up the path to the house, bypassing the gnomes, who'd grown heavy without people to get rid of them. No-one was around. Hermione turned to Satchel, who was fretting.


"Satchel, how did you deliver the letter to Ron if they aren't here?" Hermione said, a bit suspicious.


"They was here, Miss, Satchel promises," Satchel said, wringing his hands. "Weasleys must have left, Miss."


Hermione accepted that and continued to look around, cautious and alert. After a few minutes, she gave up and walked back down the path but something caught her eye. The remnants of a phoenix feather glinted off a kitchen counter through the window.


"The Order," Hermione breathed and suddenly, a phoenix feather appeared in front of her. She gasped and reached out for it, grasping it lightly in her hand. She'd never been summoned before, even with the battle. She examined it carefully before it turned to ash. She looked in the window, but the feather there had finally turned to ash as well. "Satchel, do you know Dobby, Harry's house-elf?"


Satchel nodded. "Satchel is knowing Dobby very well, miss. Has been working with Dobby at the school, Satchel has."


"Good. I need to go to 12 Grimmauld Place. Can you get there, or shall I apparate us?" Hermione said, pushing aside the fact that she'd never side-along apparated before.


"Satchel can take Miss nearby, but not even Satchel can wink into the Headquarters, Miss," Satchel said, holding out his hand. Hermione took it and closed her eyes, allowing Satchel's magic to wash over her again.


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Hermione and Satchel appeared at the end of the Grimmauld Place, quite a walk from the house they all called headquarters. Satchel worked on his glamour, and Hermione looked down and saw a small child clinging to her hand where Satchel had been. She shook her head to clear it and saw Satchel his glamour around him like a warm, fuzzy blanket.


"Neat trick," Hermione said, starting to walk. Luckily she'd remembered to let Satchel shrink her trunks and transport them. It only took a few minutes, and then they were outside the massive doors to 12 Grimmauld Place.


Hermione moved to knock, but the door opened before her hand hit wood. Hermione stepped in and headed for the voices. She saw her friends through a doorway, and her more adults speaking in the kitchen. From the growls and insults, Hermione knew almost all the members were around.


"Harry, Ginny! Ron!" Hermione said, running into the room and fairly leaping on her intended. He held her close, and Hermione leaned in for a kiss, eyes closing, her lips pressed on his. . .


"OW!" Hermione screeched, slapping a hand across her burning mouth. "What ha~--"


"That bloody hurt!! Did you do that to me, Black?" a voice roared from the kitchen, and Hermione felt herself drop out of Ron's arms. She stared first at Ron, then at the kitchen.


Something clicked, and Hermione knew something had gone horribly, horribly wrong.