Under the Stars

| Chapter 11 |

"Upon one summer's morning," a soft angelic voice entered Hermione's ears, waking her from her slumber, "I carefully did stray, down by the Walls of Wapping," Hermione moaned and groaned, trying to pull her covers above her head, "Where I met a sailor gay."

"Mum," Hermione groaned as she tried to slip back into the land of dreams.

"Conversing with a young lass," her mother chuckled and continued to sing knowing her daughters magical blood would respond to the song and respond to her mother's voice, "Who seem'd to be in pain, Saying, William, when you go, I fear you'll ne'er return again."

"Mum, please, let me sleep," Hermione tried to reason still refusing to open her eyes. She could feel the pull of her mermaid blood to sing with her mother, but she pushed the feeling down.

"Hermione, you can sleep when you're dead," Minthe teased her daughter and began to sing again, "My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold," Hermione moaned, her voice turning light and airy as she felt the need to sing again, "There is nothing can console me, But my jolly sailor bold."

Hermione finally gave in with a long sigh and opened her brown eyes to meet her mother's same chocolate brown eyes, "His hair it hangs in ringlets," Minthe smiled, her eyes twinkling in the early Greek sun, "His eyes as black as coal. My happiness attend him," and then they came in harmony for the last verse of part of the song, "Wherever he may go."

Minthe then decided to attack her daughter, her long fingers rushing up the sides of her daughter's body. Hermione burst into laughter at her mother's attack. Theocydes walked into his daughter's room, leaning against the door frame as he looked down at his wife and only daughter. His blue eyes roamed over the room taking in the bookshelves covered in artifacts and shells and old books on a variety of topics. His daughter's bed was in a corner of the room covered in soft pillows and soft sheets that drowned Hermione in comfort. He chuckled lightly to himself; this was his daughter's room.

"I haven't heard you two singing together since you were younger, Hermione," Theocydes commented and Minthe looked up at the sudden entrance of her husband. Hermione moved away from her mother to a corner of her bed, laughter still lighting up her face.

"That's because I don't like my voice," Hermione commented and both her parents rolled their eyes at their daughter's response. She always said it when her father commented on it, but it wasn't the truth. Hermione had a beautiful voice and Minthe tried to get her to see it.

"Well, I have some fresh Greek yogurt and berries and honey waiting for you down stairs, Hermione," Theocydes said and Hermione practically jumped out of her bed at the prospect of the sweet breakfast food downstairs.

Hermione rushed to her dresser getting ready to get an outfit together when she paused and turned to look back at her amused parents, "Are we going to go see her today, dad?"

Theocydes nodded, "Yes, so dress... for wet weather," he said and exited the room with Minthe on his tail.

Hermione turned back to her dresser and pulled her swimsuit out of the drawer. Though she wouldn't need it, she brought it along to work on her tan after she was done swimming. Quickly stripping, she slipped the bathing suit on and ran her brush through her matted hair in an attempt to rid it of its pesky knots. She then turned on the ball of her feet and rushed out of her room and down the stairs to the kitchen of her parents' villa.

It was a simple white kitchen with white wooden cabinets lining the bottom part of the room. On the top were long, open shelves filled with china and crystal for when her parents had huge parties. An island sat in the middle of the medium sized kitchen, a large bowl of freshly picked fruit from the garden outside in the middle. Containers filled with a variety of plants were placed around the kitchen near the windows. On the far side of the kitchen was a small table that her parents used for themselves and when Hermione was with them for their meals. A large dining room was in the house for the more formal dining. Her parents sat at the table across from each other, an empty chair for Hermione between them. Hermione's father was sipping a coffee and reading off the newspaper to Hermione's mother who listened carefully and nursed her hot tea. Hermione smiled at the sight and went over to them, her bowl of Greek yogurt waiting for her.