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last online Mar 28, 2024 9:13:50 GMT -7
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Dec 19, 2016 1:58:50 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2016 1:58:50 GMT -7
The Yule Ball was a mix of memories from her childhood, Ministry politics, an unfortunately necessary arrest of a foreign student (though not one of those visiting for the Tournament), and managing the minor crises of visiting dignitaries. It all took up an awful lot of time. She’d managed to sneak in a few dances with Dean, and talk to her children, but mostly she’d been in work mode. She should have worn something less bright, so they wouldn’t have been able to find her so easily. (She wouldn’t have; she loved this sari.) It was thirsty work, so Padma made her way over to the bar. “Some gillywater please,” she asked the bartender. Her drink was in hand quickly, but it still gave her a moment to finally appreciate the amount of effort her staff, the students, the Hogwarts staff, the security team, and many, many more had put into the event. It was, quite simply, breathtaking, and it was running about as smoothly as could be expected. Padma@hermionejean
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last online Mar 28, 2024 9:13:50 GMT -7
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Dec 19, 2016 11:25:25 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2016 11:25:25 GMT -7
Hermione was making her way around the ballroom; since Victoire and Teddy were holding down the fort at the Ministry, she was the most Senior Ministry member in attendance. She mostly made small talk, stopping for more lengthy conversations with people that she knew better and wanted to catch up with, like Ginny Potter and Spike Constantine. She’d just left Spike when she noticed a familiar woman at the bar. Not Parvati Patil, but her sister Padma. She’d always gotten on well with the Ravenclaw alumni; they’d shared more than one joke about the way Hermione’s husband Ron had treated Padma at the Yule Ball they had all attended in their fourth year.
So Hermione made her way over to the woman and tapped her on the shoulder. “Hello Padma,” she greeted, then turned to face the bartender. “May I have a scotch, neat?” she requested. When the drink was in her hand, Hermione turned back to Padma. “How are you doing? Dean and the children are well?” she asked, then smiled mischievously. “Ron has the flu sadly, so he is not here tonight to ruin either of our nights,” she added jokingly.
@padma
ooc: hahaha couldn't resist joking at the expense of poor Ron <3
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last online Mar 28, 2024 9:13:50 GMT -7
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Dec 19, 2016 21:50:23 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2016 21:50:23 GMT -7
Hermione found Padma only moments into her break and ordered her own drink, but Padma didn’t mind at all. Even if they ended up talking about work, it never felt like work, and they’d done more than their fair share of work-related discussion over the years. “We’re all well, though the preparations for the Ball have been rather taxing. I think Dean will be glad it’s over.”
“Well, that’s one part of the Yule Ball I wasn’t keen on reliving,” she answered, smiling. If Hermione hadn’t made the joke, she was going to. The sting of it was decades past, and they both knew he’d been a bit of a twit about it. ”But I’m sorry to hear he’s not feeling well. How are Rose and Hugo?”
@hermionejean
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last online Mar 28, 2024 9:13:50 GMT -7
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Dec 20, 2016 9:12:05 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2016 9:12:05 GMT -7
Hermione nodded sympathetically as Padma explained the Yule Ball preparations had been quite taxing. It didn’t come as much of a surprise to her of course; while Hermione had been the liaison between the Ministry and the Departments organizing the tasks, she had been mercifully left out of Yule Ball communications. “Well hopefully you’ve gotten a few dances in with him, and will have more to come. Maybe your son will save a dance for you too,” she said with a chuckle. It was funny how Dean and Padma had ended up together, but she supposed it seemed odd to people how her and Ron were still together after all these years. Padma seemed very happy in her marriage, just like Hermione was, and in the end that was what really mattered.
“I saw Rose around earlier but I haven’t seen her in a while. Hugo’s up in the Hospital Wing; his girlfriend, who also happens to be my goddaughter, Xanthippe has been very ill so the nurses didn’t think she could attend the ball. So, Hugo brought the ball to her,” Hermione explained. She had received a troubling owl from Rose earlier in the month; she made a mental note to go off and find her daughter later. She needn’t worry about Hugo though, at least not in that department. She was pleasantly surprised and touched that Hugo would bring elements of the Yule Ball to Xan so that she could have a good evening as well. “What about your daughter? Jasmin right? Have you seen her tonight?” she asked Padma.
@padma
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last online Mar 28, 2024 9:13:50 GMT -7
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Dec 23, 2016 22:22:05 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2016 22:22:05 GMT -7
Padma chuckled along with Hermione. “I have been able to delegate enough to get a few dances in, thankfully. And Daryl did promise to save me a dance, wherever he is now.” She glanced around, but couldn’t spot him quickly. Perhaps he was in another room. He’d find her later, she hoped.
Hermione explained what Hugo was up to, and Padma smiled. “That is impressively thoughtful! You must be very proud of him.” She knew she would be, even knowing she had done her best to raise her children to be considerate. It was above and beyond, for certain.
Padma nodded when Hermione asked if her daughter was Jasmin. “I haven’t seen her in a while, but I did talk to her briefly earlier. Everything that happened last year has taken a toll on her emotionally, unfortunately. She loves fashion though, so I think she’s rather enjoying taking it all in tonight. We spent the last Hogsmeade weekend dress shopping, so I got to spend a fair bit of time with her then.”
@hermionejean
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last online Mar 28, 2024 9:13:50 GMT -7
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Dec 29, 2016 10:18:14 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2016 10:18:14 GMT -7
Hermione smiled at Padma’s mention of dancing with her son. She’d wanted a dance with Hugo of course, but she didn’t want him to leave Xanthippe’s side. There’d be other dances they’d attend; weddings where she could dance with her son at least. Hermione had seen Daryl with Ondina as she’d walked in, however she felt it tactful to keep her silence for now. She didn’t know what was going on with her niece; Rose was not the biggest fan of her cousin, and she wasn’t sure she even wanted to know. “I am proud of Hugo, he’s turned out to be a fine young man. Kind and caring, like Ron. Well, like Ron is now,” she admitted, adding in the last bit with a laugh. Ron hadn’t been the romantic gentleman he could be when he was a teenager. In fact, he was probably one of the most tactless people Hermione had known, but she had loved him regardless.
“Hugo’s had some problems from the past year too. Rosie seems strong though; I think her keeping so busy has really helped,” Hermione mentioned. She knew that in the romance department her daughter was having a troubling time, again due to her cousin Ondina. She’d seen Rose and Scorpius Malfoy earlier though; if her daughter needed her, she’d know where to find her. She took another sip of her drink and sighed a little. “Do you find it funny how all of the champions of our tournament, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang’s children all go to Hogwarts now? Not one of them decided to go to their parents alma mater,” she said, noticing one of the Krum girls dancing with a Durmstrang boy. It was poetic in a way, she thought to herself.
@padma
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last online Mar 28, 2024 9:13:50 GMT -7
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Dec 29, 2016 13:40:38 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2016 13:40:38 GMT -7
“Ron just took a little longer to grow up,” she said with a shrug. Sure, it didn’t necessarily make a lot of sense that someone who had literally fought for the preservation of the Wizarding World would take longer to mature than his son who didn’t face the same hardships, but when did these things ever make sense. Hermione was happy, and Ron definitely had grown up, so it made as much sense as anything.
“It definitely was a rough year,” she agreed when Hermione said Hugo was suffering from it a bit too. But Rose was doing alright, and Daryl was too. “Perhaps it’s the difference of a few years in age,” she suggested.
“Well, Fleur Delacour did marry into the Weasleys, same as you, so that’s not surprising. But that the Krums are here too is a little bit funny.” She laughed. “I guess that just goes to show how wonderful our alma mater is,” she joked. Not that she didn’t love Hogwarts, but it wasn’t so superior as all that - all of the schools had their strengths and peculiarities.
@hermionejean
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last online Mar 28, 2024 9:13:50 GMT -7
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Dec 30, 2016 15:52:09 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2016 15:52:09 GMT -7
Hermione laughed; she agreed whole-heartedly with Padma. It had taken Ron a bit longer to grow up. While Harry and Ginny had married nearly immediately after her graduation, Hermione and Ron had broken up twice before she discovered she was pregnant with their first child. That, then losing the child had made Ron grow up almost overnight; to this day she had no idea how he had managed it. Perhaps with some people it was just a switch that needed to be turned on with the right moment. Whatever it was, her and Rons' marriage was as strong as anyone could ever imagine. She wondered how long she needed to stay at the ball; thinking about her husband sick in bed gave her a pang in the stomach. She hated to admit it, but she missed the goofball, even though he was only at their home.
"Elena, Viktor's wife told me that she didn't want her children attending Durmstrang and...well, strong armed Viktor into it. She hadn't felt wholly comfortable while attending the school herself, even though Viktors' best friend sent their children there; they turned out fine according to him. Still, I think Viktor secretly likes living in England; he made a lot of friendships over the years, and his best friends' daughter is currently living in London, so she comes to visit them more often." Hermione smiled. "Hogwarts is the best, I have no shame in thinking that at all," she said. She watched as the elder Krum girl left the ballroom with the Durmstrang boy. Clearly she did not have the same ill feelings towards Durmstrang that her mother did.
@padma
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last online Mar 28, 2024 9:13:50 GMT -7
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Jan 8, 2017 20:31:22 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2017 20:31:22 GMT -7
Padma smiled as Hermione laughed at her assessment of Ron - apparently it was on the nose. Then the other witch explained why the Krums were at Hogwarts - of course, she and Viktor were still friends, she would know - and Padma listened and sipped her drink. ”Hogwarts is excellent, but it does seem to get itself into an awful lot of trouble. I wouldn’t have it any other way, really.” Hogwarts in all of its disasters and glories had made her her after all.
“Have you had much of a chance to dance, if Ron’s not here? Or has it mostly been Ministry talk?” Not that there was anything wrong with Ministry talk, but she hoped Hermione had time to do something else as well.
@hermionejean
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last online Mar 28, 2024 9:13:50 GMT -7
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Jan 9, 2017 17:26:51 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2017 17:26:51 GMT -7
Hermione chuckled. “It certainly does, doesn’t it? Of course growing up I had no idea I was a witch, so I didn’t know the other schools even existed until I had gotten to school and read about them in the library. Beauxbatons seemed lovely, but I didn’t really care for their students - Fleur and I didn’t get on until I was about seventeen or so,” she admitted with a small smile. She remembered very clearly the day the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had arrived at Hogwarts; she’d thought many of the French students were very haughty and vain; nothing like the people she’d encountered while vacationing in the South of France the summer before. Still, to attend school in the Pyrenees mountains every year would have been lovely. “Ilvermorny is another one I’d love to have attended; their Sorting system is rather fascinating,” Hermione added, sounding eager. She could imagine walking into a room and seeing which of the wooden carvings would call to her, inviting her to join their house. If more than one lit up, then she would have had the right to choose - how very American!
“No dancing for me, no. Mostly Ministry talk but that’s alright. I might try and steal Harry for a dance or two but I don’t want to interrupt him and Ginny,” Hermione admitted, casting a glance over at her best friend and his wife and not for the first time wishing her own husband was there with her.
@padma
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last online Mar 28, 2024 9:13:50 GMT -7
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Feb 18, 2017 22:44:17 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2017 22:44:17 GMT -7
"Maybe that was you just needed to grow up," she answered with a smile. The difference between fourth year and seventh had been huge for all of them, after all, not just Ron.
"I like the aspect of choice to their ceremony," she agreed. "But Uagadou's method of acceptance always sounded particularly, well, magical." Also, all things considered, she wished she was more proficient in magic outside of the Western traditions. And as much as she appreciated the skills she'd developed in Occlumency and Legilimency, she'd have loved to learn to be an Animagi, but there was ony so much time.
"You can steal Dean for a while if you like," Padma offered. "I still need to speak to some of the representatives from Durmstrang, and it would be a shame to go to a ball and not have at least one dance."
@hermionejean
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last online Mar 28, 2024 9:13:50 GMT -7
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Feb 22, 2017 17:24:02 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2017 17:24:02 GMT -7
Hermione laughed at Padma’s statement. “You are quite right; Fleur grew on me quickly I must say. Her confession of how much she loved Bill at the end of our sixth year was a very big turning point, for everyone really,” she told her, remembering Fleur’s emboldened declaration to her mother-in-law. They had all come so far from that time; they were all grown with children, some even with serious relationships. Victoire and Teddy were the ones who seemed most likely to take that next step sooner rather than later; another Weasley wedding seemed imminent.
“It is my goal sometime before I die to visit each of the Wizarding Schools to sit in on their Sortings, if I can get all of their Headmasters or Headmistresses to agree,” Hermione told the other woman, sounding eager. Oh, what a wonderful experience that would be. “I’ll see if Dean’s up for a spin, we did learn to dance from Professor McGonagall together after all,” Hermione said with a chuckle. She bade Padma a fond farewell and left to go mingle with the other Ministry workers, wondering if she could find Harry in the crowd.
---END THREAD---
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