Summer of Change (GxG) - A Hermione Fanfic

Chapter 6

I was bloody exhausted.

I had been crying a lot recently, but this had drained me of all my energy.

Molly met me and Ginny at the door when we had got off the grass. I saw she had also been crying. Her eyes were puffy and red. Seeing that she had cried pained my heart. She must have seen what happened.

I mean, it would be odd if she hadn't.

Ginny literally tackled me through the door and started beating me up!

"Alright, you two! Go get cleaned up! And when you're done, come to the kitchen! I'll have something for you to eat." Molly said with a warm smile.

"You're the best Mum!" Ginny said as she raced upstairs.

I turned to Molly with a smile of my own.

"Thank you, Molly. For everything." I said as I hugged her.

"You're welcome, Hermione. Now go get cleaned up. You smell like sweat and dirt." Molly said with a scrunched-up nose.

I chuckled at her dramatics but did as I was told. I knew better than to defy Molly Weasley.

Weasley... Since Mr. Weasley is gone... will she take back her maiden name? She'd be Molly Prewett again if she did. I'd understand if she didn't, though.

I thought about that as I headed toward the bathroom. I had plenty of time to think, too. I forgot how many stairs the Weasley home had. The bathroom was on the third floor, facing the back of the house where the fruit trees were.

Out of breath, I finally reached the bathroom and was startled when I saw my reflection in the mirror. I still had trouble looking at my 'new' self. I didn't look as lifeless as before. I still looked like a right mess, though. Molly wasn't kidding when she said that we needed to clean up. Also, I was relieved that I didn't have to wash my hair anymore. It was all gone. I was surprised Ginny hadn't commented on it.

"Exui Vestes!" I said with a wave of my wand.

I had cast a spell to remove my clothing. Magic made everything easier. And why not used spells? I was a witch, after all. Within seconds, my clothes started to slowly come undone. Everything came off, starting from top to bottom, until I was completely naked.

I grimaced again at all the scars on my body.

Even if I hadn't gotten my two most prominent scars that were from Bellatrix, I still wouldn't have gone unscathed. No one who had fought in the war did. Whether physically or emotionally. My fight with Fenrir Greyback was hard won. The werewolf was brutal, a real Class-A arsehole. I first remember seeing him when Bellatrix was torturing me in the Malfoy dungeons. The man had asked if he could have me after she was done with me. Something about wanting to hunt again. He was a bounty hunter before joining Voldemort, so he had many tricks in his bag.

But he didn't have a trick that saved him from me.

Shaking off those increasingly morose thoughts, I turned on the shower and stepped into the steaming space. Immediately, I felt the hot water on my skin and it was heavenly. I stepped closer into its spray so it could reach everywhere. I reached for the soap that was in the corner and spread it all over my skin, making sure to get all the nooks and crannies.

I wanted to be clean.

Needed to be.

Some may ask, why was I washing myself like a muggle in the Weasley's home?

Well, Scourgify and cleaning charm's can only do so much. That spell and charm are good quick fixes, but they weren't good at cleaning everything. Hygiene is important, so the wizarding world devised their own formulas for soap. It resembles the soap of the olden days that muggles used to use but is more efficient. Muggle soap has so many chemicals, whereas ours is more in tune with what Gaia gives us.