Hey, Muggleborn here. just want to say sorry that i haven't put in the last chapter of A STRANGER AND HER SYMPATHY. I had this massive project in school about a month ago and now i suffering a writer's block. I'll try to finish it before December though so if you can, please wait for it. The sequel to Don't Pretend You love me will have to wait till i've finished Sympathy. Until then, please enjoy this one shot.
YOU CHANGED ME
"Bloody hell." she sighed in frustration as she paced around the bedroom.
She didn't understand why, but she just woke up in such a bad mood. Everything she looked at irritated her very core. Has she really turned into something she barely knows?
It's been more than a decade since her time at Hogwarts. After she and her friends graduated school, she landed a job in Wizarding law. She worked there for two years before leaving and starting her own legal office representing Magical creatures in the Wizarding world.
Her career was hard but was not fruitless. After a while, things really turned around. She was happy with her calling. It was something that made her feel special and with direction.
But work wasn't the only thing she found, just before calling it even she fell in love with one of the least people she thought that would make her feel that way. You know… all tingly and stuff.
She had been in a handful of relationships before, but none of those men could even measure up to her knight in shining armor. It wasn't love at first sight, but love which waited by the sidelines. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do for him.
Then one night, it happened. After having dinner in the Burrow with the Weasleys, he stood up and told her that she was the only one he cared about that way... that she made him feel special every passing day that he knew her… and that without her existence, he'd be incomplete. Through her tears, he kneeled down before her and asked her hand for marriage. She accepted and married him six months later. Life has been wonderful for the both of them since then.
She loved him, he was never perfect but she loved him. He'd forget their anniversary one time or another. Sometimes, he'd arrive late when they planned on having dinner out. But when he shows up the door with a bouquet of roses in one hand and a nervous grin on his face, she just couldn't help it.
Fast forward to today, she woke up to a sudden struggle of uneasiness as she saw everything around her. She looked at the moving Chuddley Cannon poster hanging on the wall. Poor Ron, his favorite Quidditch team has never seen the second round eliminations of the World Cup.
She hated the poster for a couple of reasons. First… she didn't like the how the Cannons play. They've never really delve into a strategical approach. It's always a Hail-Mary play. Second… she was more of a Harpies fan. Third… what was Ron thinking of putting this darn thing in their bedroom? Fourth… Ron somehow conjured a gluing charm on the back of the poster, hindering all her efforts of removing it. And finally… it reminded her of her husband's idiocy of letting Ron think that she actually liked the Cannons…that idiot.
She paced around the room and saw more Quidditch affiliated merchandises… what's wrong with this picture is she actually bought most of them for herself. A couple of England Flags, a poster of Harry's old Quiditch Captain Oliver Wood in his Puddlemere United Uniform, pins of different teams, collectible cups from the World Cups they watched, an autograph picture of the of Victor Krum (which her husband never liked) and a picture of the Gryffindor Quidditch team where Ron, Ginny and Harry all grinned happily at her.
"This is so stupid!" she exclaimed. "I never liked Quidditch." hell she was never a fan of flying at that.
She blamed all of this on her stupid husband who was a big fan.
THUD!
She kicked the cabinet beside the window causing small figurines of Quidditch player to tumble down.
"Anything all right in there?" called her husband.
She jumped in surprise as she quickly dropped to her knees to pick up the figurines up.
"I'm okay, honey." She called.
"Are you sure?" he called back.
"Never better." She replied.
"Okay."
Though looking like complete idiot she remained still on the floor as she listened for her husbands footsteps fade. He'd always make sure she was alright.
"What the?" she said picking up one of the figurines on the floor. "What's Ludo Bagman doing here?"
She stood up and placed it back on the dresser.
"Oh right, they came in a set." She remembered.
Giving her wand a simple flick, the figurines on the floor flew right back where they belong. Then… she sighed once more.
"Why didn't I use my wand in the first place?" she asked herself, her eyes narrowing.
She'd never admit it, but she was one of the most brilliant Witches around (something that her husband was quite proud of) and the fact that forgetting a simple spell just adds to her annoyance.
This followed another burst of frustration to come up.
"Crap!" she cursed, kicking the dresser once more. "Bloody hell." She said seeing the floor littered with the figurines again which she had just cleaned up earlier.
Moments later, she went down the kitchen to see if there's something to eat. Knowing her husband's appetite when he has the day off, spelled the disappearance of the left over lasagna in the fridge…Not that she blamed him of course, he loved her cooking.
"Yes," she smiled, realizing that her beloved spouse bought her that chocolate from Paris that she loved.
Helping herself with a slice, she ate her beloved cake on the counter. With every tasty bite, she couldn't help herself thinking… "What the hell am I eating?"
She was the proud daughter of the two best dentists in London… and if they find out that she was eating sweets… well… they'd probably flip out or have a heart attack or something.
Hermione sighed once more as she harbored a secret grudge with her husband. Damn him for introducing her to a delicious world of sweets and candies. Damn him for seducing her with cakes and ice creams. Damn him for…
"God, this cake is divine." She moaned.
After finishing the plate, she cleaned it with magic before heading into the study. There, they met her… her beloved books that she treated like babies. The whole study had three big shelves for her precious babies. They may seem like a lot for other people (as Ron liked to point out when he passes the room by) the she was quite disappointed on the quantity of her collection.
When she was eight, she had dreamed of having a houseful of books when she grows up… and no, she wasn't talking about her own library. Libraries had great books and bad ones… hers was all going to be great books.
But as she looked at the feeble number of her collection… she can't help but think…
"What happened to me? I'm not this person. I barely recognize the girl in the mirror. I used to read all the time, but now, I barely touch a book because I prefer just talking with my husband and friends. I used to be a cake virgin and now I'm a desserts whore…wait… I never talk like this before and now I'm sort of a bushy-brown haired sailor." She talked to herself as she paced around the room.
"I was never fond of Quidditch, but now I cry everytime England losses a match… oohhh, that reminds me. Ginny has an extra ticket for the Holyhead Harpies tomorrow morning, I better talk to her. If they win tomorrow, they'll be in the quarter finals for sure."
She was just about to take a parchment out of the cabinet to write Ginny when she remembered her identity crisis.
"Damn it!" she cried "…I don't think I know who I am anymore."
Giving in to misery, she decided to accept this depression she carried since eight in the morning.
"I used to wake up at six."
Hermione decided to go back to the kitchen and drown her despair with the rest of the cake… and maybe some of that ice cream she saw at the back of the Freezer. Maybe this is who she is now, a sad, sweet crazed, Quidditch nut. Maybe her husband could say something to make her feel better about herself… he always could.
She entered the kitchen and was relieved to see him there.
"Hey, I see you've found the cake." He greeted.
"Hey." She gloomily replied.
"Alright, what's bothering you?" He asked sincerely earnestly.
But before she could reply, she saw what he was occupied with before she entered the room.
"Harry, what are you doing?" she asked narrowing her eyes at the counter.
Confused with this, Harry narrowed his eyes back at her.
"Err, making myself sandwiches… do you want-"
"I get that, honey. But what are you doing?"
"Ohh, just cutting off the edges."
"But you never use to do that." She replied.
Eyes still narrowed, Harry looked at his sandwich. He then pondered about his wife's out-of-the-blue question.
"I don't know, you use to do it all the time." He replied, "I swear to God, I'm turning into you each passing day." He added with a smile.
At those words, Hermione found herself smiling. She couldn't even remember what she was so depressed about.
"By the way, I talked to Ginny earlier. She has another available seat for tomorrow's game. So what do you say… Me… You… five thousand Quidditch fans… tomorrow?"
"I love you." She just simply said.
Harry smiled back at his beautiful wife.
"I love you too."