The following morning broke and Matt stirred, there was a heavy weight on his chest. He looked down and saw the bushy brown hair of his girlfriend curled on top of him, slowly stirring as well. He dipped his head and kissed the top of hers and Hermione let out a small, contented sigh as she carefully looked up into his eyes.
"Morning." He said and smiled warmly at her.
"Good morning." She replied and stretched a little.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"A bit sore, actually." Hermione blushed. Matt made a gentle sympathetic noise and ran his hand comfortingly over her bare back. She gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm alright, it's to be expected after the first time. I've read all about it, you see."
Matt chuckled at her, that was his Hermione all right, being intrepid and studious as ever, read up on all the finer points of sex and sexuality, what to expect, and how to deal with the morning after before ever going into the act itself. He found her need for knowledge and over-preparedness endearing. The couple sat up in bed, neither had bothered to change after their love making session and simply slept nude.
"So, about last night…" he began. Hermione looked a little afraid, not sure if this was the part where she was going to be hurt again or not. Nevertheless, she nodded her affirmation to continue. "It was really special, and I'm really glad my first time was with you."
Hermione's heart leapt into her throat. He said it. She had felt the same way but was afraid that this could make or break their relationship. Not that their foundation was fragile, but when things went as far as they had, you had the ability to misstep once and forever damage what was there, sometimes beyond repair.
"It was for me too." She said quickly and firmly before leaning over to kiss him. Matt returned her affection, his hand going to her waist and his thumb gently caressing her.
"I wish we could stay like this all day…" he said as he forced himself to stand up.
"I do as well, but you've got to meet Rita." Hermione said, slipping into her casual clothes from the day before, a long-sleeved gray t-shirt and jeans. Matt followed, donning his T-shirt and sweatpants. The couple went down to the Great Hall to eat with their friends. The school still buzzing about Pansy's Howler from the day before and wondering who she had dueled. Not many students had gone to Hogsmeade the day before and did not witness Matt and Hermione getting slimed in front of the press.
"You know, I've been debating about something…" Matt said as they ate.
"Going to finally change that awful haircut?" Ginny asked.
"No! There's nothing wrong with my hair…" Matt said reflexively reaching up to run his hand through it.
"Mm, suit yourself…" Ginny said, doubt in her voice, but a teasing smirk on her lips.
"Well, I like it just fine." Hermione said and snuggled close to Matt's side. Ginny responded with retching noises.
"Anyway, what I was going to say was, since Rita is taking my statement, maybe I should just, you know, show her the memory, as opposed to recounting it."
"That's not a bad idea, actually." Neville said. "But are you going to view it again yourself?" he asked, exchanging serious looks between himself, Hermione, and Ginny. Ginny set aside her joking demeanor as the topic had turned serious and she looked at Matt with concern.
"Ah, no…I lived it once and relived it twice, I don't need a third go…" he said and gave a wince. Hermione squeezed his arm. She did not want to see him go through another breakdown and end up back in the Hospital Wing again. It was bad enough the first time it happened, going through that a second time was not high on any of their priority lists.
"That's for the better, honestly." Ginny said breathing easy and going back to smiling.
"Yeah, no need to torture yourself. N.E.W.T.s will do that enough as it is." Neville added.
"This is true!" Matt agreed as they ate.
"I do think perhaps Rita seeing it for herself might just be for the better." Hermione said as they finished. Matt nodded.
"I was thinking that too, seeing it the way we all did, well, it would really give her the clearest, most unbiased picture possible."
"It's hard to spin the truth when you see it with your own eyes." Hermione said with the other murmuring agreement.
Matt informed Professor McGonagall that Rita Skeeter was due to arrive in the late morning or early afternoon. He and Hermione met the reporter at the front gates and walked her into the castle.
"So, where shall we do this?" Rita asked as they made their way through the entrance hall and up the marble staircase.
"That'll be the Headmistress' office." Hermione said with a tone that brokered no argument.
"Is that really necessary? Don't you trust me?" Rita asked, looking offended.
"Yes, it is, and no, I don't." Matt replied.
"Hold up!" came a drawling voice. Matt, Hermione, and Rita turned to see Draco Malfoy chugging up the stairs behind them. "I'm coming to. I heard what you're about to do and I'm not letting you do this alone this time." Malfoy said, showing a rare hint of courageousness.
"Draco…I'm not going into the memory again." Matt said.
"I don't care. I still want to see it…"
Matt frowned deeply at this and exchanged a glance at Hermione. She nodded with her approval. Matt shrugged and sighed.
"Alright, let's go." He said and led the way up to McGonagall's office.
"What are you talking about? I thought this was an interview?" Rita looked confused and slightly affronted, as if it had been a trap and she had stepped into it.
"It is. I'm going to show you my memory and you can ask questions about it, after you've viewed it. It's the best way to show you what happened."
Rita nodded and sighed, knowing she had no choice now and ploughed on. Once there inside the office, McGonagall drew out the Pensieve and allowed Draco and Rita to view the memory. Matt and Hermione stood back with the Headmistress and silently waited. It was surprising how long the viewing took, it never occurred to Matt that the memory in the Pensieve played back in real time. Once the two stepped back from the Pensieve, Matt unfolded his arms from his position by the door and approached them.
"Matt…that was…" Draco was at a loss, and he hung his head. "I'm sorry."
Matt placed a hand on Draco's shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze.
"You weren't responsible. You're not to blame." He said to Draco. Draco nodded his acknowledgement. Matt then turned to Rita. "Well, any questions?"
"I've got loads…" Rita replied with a smirk and drew her quill.
Ex-Auror Ronald Weasley Loses Duel with War Heroine Hermione Granger and Ilvermorny Survivor Matt Santini
In the afternoon on April 3rd Ronald Weasley, now an ex-auror, set up a false charity event in Hogsmeade Scotland. The famous red-haired war hero turned Ministry of Magic Auror was holding a grudge against the exceptionally pretty Hermione Granger. The two who famously helped Harry Potter bring down The Dark Lord Voldemort and end the Second Wizarding War had previously been in a relationship. However, this reporter, writes Rita Skeeter special correspondent, discovered that two of the famous Trio were no longer seeing one another. A nasty break up over the summer and an assault on Granger by Weasley at the beginning of the school term this year was kept quiet. Granger, who is repeating her final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to gain her wizarding mastery had this to say:
"Ron's assault on me was unexpected as we had broken up a few weeks prior due to irreconcilable differences."
Stunning as this was, Weasley held a grudge against her and her new friend Matthew Santini, of America. This culminated in a fake charity event that misled the public into thinking Granger and Santini had willingly participated in their own humiliation. Weasley claimed both his brother's own business, Weasley Wizard Wheezes and The British Ministry of Magic had endorsed the entire event. This was not the case, the so-called 'Gunge Tank' developed by Geroge Weasley, in fact had been stolen from the site of former Zonko's Joke Shop in Hogsmeade, now operating as secondary location for Weasley Wizard Wheezes, which is continuing to expand its operations, promising to open more shops in various wizarding communities around Great Britain and potentially even France and the United States. Speaking with one of the founders of Weasley Wizard Wheezes, Geroge Weasley stated:
"My brother was a right git about this. He had no business stealing proprietary artifacts developed by me."
The Ministry of Magic of course has already been informed of their name being attached to the travesty in Hogsmeade. Insider sources tell me that the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has indeed sacked Weasley for his disgusting behavior in trapping Granger and Santini in said 'Gunge Tank' and dumping green slime over the lovely couple without their express consent. The resulting aftermath led to a duel with Granger and Santini on one side, Weasley backed by the less than impressive reporter Padma Patil, who Weasley had been cheating on Granger with since the end of the war, and the talentless Slytherin schoolmate of the Trios and Santini: Pansy Parkinson. While seemingly outnumbered, the extraordinarily talented duo bested the threesome in a humiliating fashion, Patil disarmed and neutralized, Parkinson with a broken arm and wand and Weasley unconscious and possibly in St. Mungo's ward for spell damage.
Matt Santini himself is a talented and powerful wizard, not at all a wonder why Granger is attracted to the American bad boy. Having been trained for six years at Ilvermorny School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Santini certainly can match Granger for talent. Tragically, the school was destroyed almost two years ago, just before the end of term in 1997. Matt Santini himself is the only survivor of the disaster. He allowed this reporter to view his memory, which only recently resurfaced thanks to the help of, once again, Harry Potter.
Hermione read aloud the article that was on the front page of the Daily Prophet the following Monday. She smirked; Rita Skeeter had been talking to George Weasley immediately after the event in Hogsmeade before she had even returned home that day. Part of her hoped that Skeeter's inside sources were true and Ron had been fired from his job.
"She goes on to recount what she saw from your memory, the attack on the school, the professors who dueled and that it was Dolohov behind the whole thing!" Hermione said with a look of triumph, grinning at Matt.
"That's it then, my name is finally in the clear." he said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, but you're going to get flooded with mail now, people will want to know everything." Harry said as they sat around his empty classroom. Professor Potter had offered it to them as a way to spend time with his friends before lessons resumed and allowed them to talk freely, like they used to be able.
"Better fan mail than hate mail." Matt replied. "I'll be glad when things settle out. Has there been any more word on Dolohov's whereabouts?"
"None. I had a few memos from the Ministry. He had been spotted in the south, near Keensbridge but not since then. He'd be right foolish to try and hide this close to Hogwarts, with all the aurors out looking for him and one permanently stationed here at the castle. He'd be mad to try anything now." Harry replied.
"Yeah, but he was nuts enough to send Hermione an exploding egg, who knows what he'll try next?" Matt pointed out.
"Well, one thing's for sure. If he shows up here, he's got a fight on his hands, doesn't he Harry?" Neville said with pure confidence and almost pride. Harry Potter simply nodded in response.
The following week, when classes resumed, the whole school was talking about the quickly becoming legendary, duel of Matt and Hermione against Ron, Padma, and Pansy. More than a few older students in their year and the year below were all too happy to hear about Ron being put in his place. Ron had been abysmal at his duties as Prefect and several students said they were glad he skipped his final year of school and did not return; convinced if he had been at the school for his seventh year, they may have lost the war, and some even wondered if they had not nearly lost it with him helping Harry rather than Matt himself.
Transfiguration was a quieter class than normal. Matt had kept pace with Hermione, the two achieving the same results at the same time, and in a very quick and proficient manner. Professor Sharp had nothing to criticize the couple on, surprisingly. He always found an excuse to demean Matt or otherwise take points from Gryffindor. But this class he was subdued. After he had dismissed them, Matt took his time to pack up, waiting until everyone but Hermione had left.
"Professor Sharp." Matt said as he stood, shouldering his bag.
"What is it Santini, hm? Not had enough, looking for a detention now, are you?" Professor Sharp sat down at his desk and glared at Matt standing boldly before him.
"Who was Professor Caldwell Candy to you?" Matt asked as he approached the professor at his desk. Sharp huffed and stared at Matt with an intensity and disgust like he had never shown before.
"I suppose you figured it out, did you? Think you're something of a detective now, hm?" Sharp said. "Caldwell was my son. I had divorced my wife, Kitty, and she took Scarlet, my daughter and moved to Upper Flagely. I was bitter and so, one day, whilst visiting the Ministry, I ran into a foreign witch named Annabelle Candy. She was a lovely woman, and we spent some memorable nights together. However, she was from America, and she eventually left. It wasn't until five years later that I found out she had become pregnant and had a son. I moved the America, of course, to try and make a go of it. But Ilvermorny rejected my application for Defense Against the Dark Arts and they had no other openings. So, we tried to make it work long distance, I came back here." Sharp looked at the two with a scowl.
"And then, Voldemort goes and returns, the second wizarding war starts and then I lost everything." Professor Fabrisham Sharp stood, angry, leaning over his desk to glower at the couple. "First your precious little school is blown up and my only son dies." He spat "but no, not you, some headstrong, foolhardy child, too proud to leave like he should have, survives the destruction only to show up here! And while you were having a nice long restful nap, my ex-wife and daughter are kidnapped by Death Eaters attempting to coerce me to their side and they died because of it!" Sharp's voice was ringing through the empty classroom. "So, now you know. I detest you, boy. Why should you, a wizard with no exceptional qualities live, while my son, who was an extraordinarily talented man, die?! Now, get out, both of you!" Sharp snarled.
Matt and Hermione turned, wide eyed with shock and quickly fled the classroom.