When Hermione Fights

Return to Knockturn Alley

This chapter has been translated anew in April of 2020.

Chapter beta (2nd time): Dani

Chapter translator (2nd time): Aivy

~WHF~WHF~WHF~WHF~WHF~WHF~WHF~

An annoying beep woke me from my well-deserved but much too short sleep. Reflexively, my hand shot up and struck the noisy stupid thing which immediately fell silent. Sometimes, I hated myself! Groaning, I rubbed the sleep out of my tired, sticky eyes.

It was my own fault if I tried to train myself to get by with five hours of sleep. I had researched that it was possible. Although it was still a mystery to me how it would work, I hoped to achieve it with discipline and continuity.

Napoleon and the Old Fritz of Prussia had, according to my research, also achieved this. Maybe I shouldn't read so much, then there would be less risk that I would come up with such nonsense ... No way! The written word has been my best teacher so far, and I would never give up something that was such a big part of who I am.

I'd never slept long, always about eight hours. Still, I felt those three hours I'd been denying myself for three weeks in my bones. I was stubborn though, and obstinate as a mule, and therefore I did not allow myself any weakness. Alas, I had wallowed enough in self-pity! It was time to get up; another long day with new tasks awaited me.

After a relaxing shower, to help with the cramps in my muscles that I had gained from the hard Apparition training last night, I went to the kitchen. My parents were already waiting and so I was welcomed with a warm "Hello". Mum handed me a steaming cup of delicious black coffee, while I sank gratefully and very carefully onto a chair. I inhaled the fragrant, spicy scent and carefully took the first sip. My spirits slowly began to rise after that.

I looked up with a smile on my lips.

"Thank you," I breathed into the cup.

"You are welcome, my little girl. What are you up to today?" Mum asked in a good mood and, apparently, well rested, which was no wonder after the dose of sleeping pills that I had given them. I was overcome with a tiny bit of envy.

Dad also lowered the daily paper and looked over at me. I guess I didn't really look like someone bursting with energy after five hours of sleep, I thought sarcastically as he raised his eyebrows inquiringly. Concern showed in his kind brown eyes as he examined my appearance. Before he could say or ask anything, I quickly answered my mother's question.

"Well, I thought I'd go to London today and do a bit of shopping," I said with pronounced cheerfulness and took another sip of my coffee.

"Oh, if I had known that, I would have changed my appointments so I could go with you, child. We haven't done anything like that in a long time. But wait, maybe... let me take a look..." Mum said in a sad tone of voice and rummaged agitatedly through her bag, which she had dragged to her side and was now reaching for her personal organizer. I quickly looked at her apologetically, because it wouldn't suit me at all if my Mum forced herself on me today.

"Sorry, Mum, I'll take a rain check, but I wanted to visit the Portrait National Gallery. You know how I love that and how I missed the pictures," I fluted because it was true.

I liked the portraits of the old monarchs and important people of England. In the past, I was really taken with them and on every trip to London there had to be a stop at the museum. But nowadays, when I knew the moving and speaking portraits in the Wizarding World, the Gallery could not keep up. My parents did not know this because I gave them almost no relevant information about my magical life. This made it easier for me, as it did now. I knew how Mum would react to such a statement from me and she didn't disappoint me, already getting wide-eyed.