Two Households, Both Alike In Purity
(A/N:
Just a head’s up: the riddle at the end is a revision of Shakespeare’s Prologue to Romeo and Juliet. I tried my best to maintain the Shakespearean language, but obviously didn’t do a very good job. “Soled”= the only.)
The team had addressed Ginny about the episode with Malfoy, and she had insisted that she had absolutely no clue about what he was talking about.
A week had passed, and the first Quidditch match of the season was the next day, Saturday. Gryffindor was going to play Slytherin.
The Halloween Ball was in three weeks.
It was breakfast, and Ron had finally gathered up the courage to ask Hermione to the Ball. Hermione had uncharacteristically squealed at the table when he did so.
Harry smiled and shook his head. Hermione and Ron were so much alike that it was almost annoying. They were, both, ill-tempered, very impatient, stubborn, and clueless about all of it. Everyone knew how much Hermione and Ron liked each other; everyone also knew how blind the two were about it. Now instead of having to listen to Ron whine about “Vicky”, Harry would have to listen to him babble about his feelings for Hermione.
Harry’s smile quickly faded as he realized something. He didn’t have a date to the Ball of his own. Harry scanned the Gryffindor table. Who would he ask? He did have one person in mind, but she was absolutely out of the question. Or was she? Harry had repeatedly told himself that Ginny was just a sister, so simply “escorting” her to the Ball would classify as a brotherly act, wouldn’t it? Harry smiled. He’d ask Ginny to the Ball. He scanned the table again. Ginny was no where to be seen. Harry shrugged; he’d just have to ask her at practice that afternoon.
***** They watched each other as they walked through the halls, occasionally glaring, so as not to reveal their secret to the rest of the student body. They would brush hands as they walked past one another and whisper words that only they could hear.
***** The Gryffindor Quidditch team was waiting in the Common Room for their star Chaser. Ginny had arrived late to the Common Room after classes, and was barely up the stairs as the rest of the team was coming down them.
“Ginny, would you please hurry?” Ron yelled up the stairs.
“You know she can’t hear you,” said one of the girls on the team.
“Well then why don’t you go up and tell her?” Just as Ron had finished his sentence, Ginny came running down the stairs.
“Okay, I’m ready. Shall we go then?” Ginny smiled brightly as she tried to catch her breath.
Harry stood and led the team out to the pitch.
Once they stepped out onto the grounds, Harry slowed down his paced and fell into step with Ginny at the back of the group.
“Hey, Gin.”
“Hello, Harry.”
“So what do you think about Ron finally asking Hermione to the Ball?”
“It’s about time.”
“Tell me about it,” Harry chuckled.
There was a slightly awkward pause.
“Is there something you want, Harry?”
“You know you’re the closest thing to a sister that I’ve got, right? Even closer than Hermione.”
“Get to the point, Harry.”
“Look, I don’t want this to come off all wrong, but I don’t have a date to the Ball yet. After the whole Parvati incident in fourth year, I don’t really think I’m prepared to ask anyone that I’m not comfortable with. So I was wondering if you’d go with me?” Harry was surprised at how calm he sounded.
“H-harry. I’m really sorry. I’d love to go with you, you know I would. But I can’t.”
“W-what? What do you mean ‘you can’t’?”
“I mean I can’t.”
Harry was speechless. What did she mean by “she can’t”? He felt slightly confused and angered. Confused, because he had thought Ginny was only a sister to him, and angered because he was jealous of whoever she was going with.
“Oi, Harry! We going to practice or what?” Yelled Seamus from the front of the group. Harry was so caught up in his conversation with Ginny that he hadn’t noticed that they had already entered the Quidditch Pitch.
Harry nodded and with one last glance at Ginny, he headed up to the front of the group to start practice. Practice was just what he needed to get his mind cleared.
***** Hermione was bored out of her mind. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were all at practice, so she had no one to talk to. She had read every book in the library at least twice, so there was no use in going there. On a Friday afternoon, Hermione would usually be in the Common Room accompanied by towering stacks of homework. Those stacks of homework were results of begging the professors for advance work. She was so far up on course work that the professors had absolutely refused to give her anymore. So where did Hermione find herself: aimlessly wondering through the halls of the castle.
She began to walk up the Astronomy Tower in the hopes of amusing herself by counting just how many couples she could catch. Thinking about couples led to thoughts about herself and Ron. Hermione smiled. She knew that she had always liked Ron, but she was just too ashamed to admit it. Ron was ill- tempered, impatient, stubborn, and clueless. He was absolutely nothing like herself. Yet, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Hermione was so engrossed with her thoughts about Ron, that she had completely forgotten why she was walking up the Astronomy Tower. When she finally looked up she found herself facing the door to the room where she had encountered Slytherin and Gryffindor arguing. Unable to fight her growing curiosity about the room and the founders’ conversation, she pushed open the door. Daylight was streaming out from the portraits. When she entered, she found that Slytherin and Gryffindor were not in their portraits. The Ladies Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, however, were.
“Hello, young lady. How may we help you?” Lady Hufflepuff asked softly.
“You are Hermione Granger, are you not?” Lady Ravenclaw spoke up elegantly.
“Yes, ma’am. I am.” Hermione answered politely.
“Headgirl?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“If I recall correctly, the sorting hat had almost sorted you as one of mine. You are a very bright girl, or so I have been told.”
“Well, of course the girl is bright. She is head girl after all,” Lady Hufflepuff spoke up. She looked down at Hermione with warm eyes. “I think I might know why you’re here. It’s about them isn’t it?”
“Do you mean Sir Gryffindor and Sir Slytherin?” Hermione asked.
It was Lady Ravenclaw who answered, “Oh no, dear. Though I must say they argue for hours about the two. Surely you are here about them. They come here often, to be together. But most importantly to escape their names, I suppose.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I have no idea what you are talking about.”
Lady Hufflepuff was the one who spoke this time, “Well, their families do hate each other, and so do their houses. It would make plenty of sense that they would try to escape all that, just to be another boy and girl spending time together, and not a Ma..., well you know what I mean.”
“No, I’m sorry, but I don’t.”
The two ladies exchanged looks. A flash of understanding soon washed over Lady Ravenclaw’s face.
“Oh, dear. I’m afraid she doesn’t know, Helga. It would make plenty of sense. She is a Gryffindor and is very much close to the girl. She would most likely be completely against what they have, if she knew.”
“Please, Ladies. I don’t want to sound rude, but who in the world are you two talking about?
“I’m sorry dear, but I’m afraid it’s not our information to share,” Lady Hufflepuff smiled down at her apologetically.
“If it will be any consolation, we’ll leave you with a little riddle,” Lady Ravenclaw spoke up.
“Yes, of course. She is close to you. You do have a right to know,” Lady Hufflepuff nodded in agreement. “I suppose, we wouldn’t really be telling you, if you figured it out for yourself.”
“Two households, both alike in purity From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil hands make civil hands unclean. From fatal loins of these two foes A pair of lovers forced behind a veil; A soled lady among seven, An heir to the most cold, One enriched with gold, The other with love, Forced behind a veil To escape their houses’ strife.”
“We hope that helps you, dear,” Lady Hufflepuff nodded to Hermione when Lady Ravenclaw had finished with the riddle.
Hermione, though a little speechless, nodded politely and gave a curt “thank you” before walking out the door. As she shut the door behind her, she realized who “they” had to be. It all made sense now. She looked out a window of the Astronomy Tower, and broke into a run. She needed to talk to Harry and Ron. She halted as she realized something. Ginny would be at the pitch as well.
(A/N: Review, please.)
(A/N:
Just a head’s up: the riddle at the end is a revision of Shakespeare’s Prologue to Romeo and Juliet. I tried my best to maintain the Shakespearean language, but obviously didn’t do a very good job. “Soled”= the only.)
The team had addressed Ginny about the episode with Malfoy, and she had insisted that she had absolutely no clue about what he was talking about.
A week had passed, and the first Quidditch match of the season was the next day, Saturday. Gryffindor was going to play Slytherin.
The Halloween Ball was in three weeks.
It was breakfast, and Ron had finally gathered up the courage to ask Hermione to the Ball. Hermione had uncharacteristically squealed at the table when he did so.
Harry smiled and shook his head. Hermione and Ron were so much alike that it was almost annoying. They were, both, ill-tempered, very impatient, stubborn, and clueless about all of it. Everyone knew how much Hermione and Ron liked each other; everyone also knew how blind the two were about it. Now instead of having to listen to Ron whine about “Vicky”, Harry would have to listen to him babble about his feelings for Hermione.
Harry’s smile quickly faded as he realized something. He didn’t have a date to the Ball of his own. Harry scanned the Gryffindor table. Who would he ask? He did have one person in mind, but she was absolutely out of the question. Or was she? Harry had repeatedly told himself that Ginny was just a sister, so simply “escorting” her to the Ball would classify as a brotherly act, wouldn’t it? Harry smiled. He’d ask Ginny to the Ball. He scanned the table again. Ginny was no where to be seen. Harry shrugged; he’d just have to ask her at practice that afternoon.
***** They watched each other as they walked through the halls, occasionally glaring, so as not to reveal their secret to the rest of the student body. They would brush hands as they walked past one another and whisper words that only they could hear.
***** The Gryffindor Quidditch team was waiting in the Common Room for their star Chaser. Ginny had arrived late to the Common Room after classes, and was barely up the stairs as the rest of the team was coming down them.
“Ginny, would you please hurry?” Ron yelled up the stairs.
“You know she can’t hear you,” said one of the girls on the team.
“Well then why don’t you go up and tell her?” Just as Ron had finished his sentence, Ginny came running down the stairs.
“Okay, I’m ready. Shall we go then?” Ginny smiled brightly as she tried to catch her breath.
Harry stood and led the team out to the pitch.
Once they stepped out onto the grounds, Harry slowed down his paced and fell into step with Ginny at the back of the group.
“Hey, Gin.”
“Hello, Harry.”
“So what do you think about Ron finally asking Hermione to the Ball?”
“It’s about time.”
“Tell me about it,” Harry chuckled.
There was a slightly awkward pause.
“Is there something you want, Harry?”
“You know you’re the closest thing to a sister that I’ve got, right? Even closer than Hermione.”
“Get to the point, Harry.”
“Look, I don’t want this to come off all wrong, but I don’t have a date to the Ball yet. After the whole Parvati incident in fourth year, I don’t really think I’m prepared to ask anyone that I’m not comfortable with. So I was wondering if you’d go with me?” Harry was surprised at how calm he sounded.
“H-harry. I’m really sorry. I’d love to go with you, you know I would. But I can’t.”
“W-what? What do you mean ‘you can’t’?”
“I mean I can’t.”
Harry was speechless. What did she mean by “she can’t”? He felt slightly confused and angered. Confused, because he had thought Ginny was only a sister to him, and angered because he was jealous of whoever she was going with.
“Oi, Harry! We going to practice or what?” Yelled Seamus from the front of the group. Harry was so caught up in his conversation with Ginny that he hadn’t noticed that they had already entered the Quidditch Pitch.
Harry nodded and with one last glance at Ginny, he headed up to the front of the group to start practice. Practice was just what he needed to get his mind cleared.
***** Hermione was bored out of her mind. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were all at practice, so she had no one to talk to. She had read every book in the library at least twice, so there was no use in going there. On a Friday afternoon, Hermione would usually be in the Common Room accompanied by towering stacks of homework. Those stacks of homework were results of begging the professors for advance work. She was so far up on course work that the professors had absolutely refused to give her anymore. So where did Hermione find herself: aimlessly wondering through the halls of the castle.
She began to walk up the Astronomy Tower in the hopes of amusing herself by counting just how many couples she could catch. Thinking about couples led to thoughts about herself and Ron. Hermione smiled. She knew that she had always liked Ron, but she was just too ashamed to admit it. Ron was ill- tempered, impatient, stubborn, and clueless. He was absolutely nothing like herself. Yet, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Hermione was so engrossed with her thoughts about Ron, that she had completely forgotten why she was walking up the Astronomy Tower. When she finally looked up she found herself facing the door to the room where she had encountered Slytherin and Gryffindor arguing. Unable to fight her growing curiosity about the room and the founders’ conversation, she pushed open the door. Daylight was streaming out from the portraits. When she entered, she found that Slytherin and Gryffindor were not in their portraits. The Ladies Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, however, were.
“Hello, young lady. How may we help you?” Lady Hufflepuff asked softly.
“You are Hermione Granger, are you not?” Lady Ravenclaw spoke up elegantly.
“Yes, ma’am. I am.” Hermione answered politely.
“Headgirl?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“If I recall correctly, the sorting hat had almost sorted you as one of mine. You are a very bright girl, or so I have been told.”
“Well, of course the girl is bright. She is head girl after all,” Lady Hufflepuff spoke up. She looked down at Hermione with warm eyes. “I think I might know why you’re here. It’s about them isn’t it?”
“Do you mean Sir Gryffindor and Sir Slytherin?” Hermione asked.
It was Lady Ravenclaw who answered, “Oh no, dear. Though I must say they argue for hours about the two. Surely you are here about them. They come here often, to be together. But most importantly to escape their names, I suppose.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I have no idea what you are talking about.”
Lady Hufflepuff was the one who spoke this time, “Well, their families do hate each other, and so do their houses. It would make plenty of sense that they would try to escape all that, just to be another boy and girl spending time together, and not a Ma..., well you know what I mean.”
“No, I’m sorry, but I don’t.”
The two ladies exchanged looks. A flash of understanding soon washed over Lady Ravenclaw’s face.
“Oh, dear. I’m afraid she doesn’t know, Helga. It would make plenty of sense. She is a Gryffindor and is very much close to the girl. She would most likely be completely against what they have, if she knew.”
“Please, Ladies. I don’t want to sound rude, but who in the world are you two talking about?
“I’m sorry dear, but I’m afraid it’s not our information to share,” Lady Hufflepuff smiled down at her apologetically.
“If it will be any consolation, we’ll leave you with a little riddle,” Lady Ravenclaw spoke up.
“Yes, of course. She is close to you. You do have a right to know,” Lady Hufflepuff nodded in agreement. “I suppose, we wouldn’t really be telling you, if you figured it out for yourself.”
“Two households, both alike in purity From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil hands make civil hands unclean. From fatal loins of these two foes A pair of lovers forced behind a veil; A soled lady among seven, An heir to the most cold, One enriched with gold, The other with love, Forced behind a veil To escape their houses’ strife.”
“We hope that helps you, dear,” Lady Hufflepuff nodded to Hermione when Lady Ravenclaw had finished with the riddle.
Hermione, though a little speechless, nodded politely and gave a curt “thank you” before walking out the door. As she shut the door behind her, she realized who “they” had to be. It all made sense now. She looked out a window of the Astronomy Tower, and broke into a run. She needed to talk to Harry and Ron. She halted as she realized something. Ginny would be at the pitch as well.
(A/N: Review, please.)
Leave a Review