Disclaimer; I don't own Harry Potter, but now I own 6 Harry Potter shirts. Aha(; I own the plot.
The long (sort of) awaited sequel of Pinky Swear.
Please read that before, or after reading this. I don't really care. Just read it! Please. Haha.
There's a sequel to Cross My Heart on the way, as well. But, you have to wait. -Insert big annoying sigh here-
Authors really love reviews(: (hint hint, nudge nudge)
So, as always;
Enjoy.
Hermione Granger, a pale, bushy haired, brown eyed, curious girl walked through the barriers to Platform 9 ¾ with wide eyes, amazed at this new world she had been introduced to. It amazed her that she was actually a witch! Professor Dumbledore, a very old, strange, but wise man had come knocking at her backdoor, interrupting her 11th birthday lunch. Her parents, being the polite dentists' they were, invited him in when he requested a chat. The bearded elderly man handed Hermione a letter. She never would have guessed that it would reveal to her that she was magical! Immediately, her mind ran to Draco, the best friend she had met at the park 3 short years ago. "Mr. Dumbledore?" she asked quietly when she led him to the door. "Do you know if a boy named Draco is going to attend Hogwarts as well?"
Albus Dumbledore was no fool. He saw the look in her eyes when she said Draco's name. He smiled at the young girl, and his eyes twinkled. "Yes, Miss Granger. I do believe Mr. Malfoy will be attending Hogwarts. I will see you in a few days to escort you, with your parents, to Diagon Alley to purchase your school supplies." He walked to the tree in their backyards. "Until then; good bye." With a wave, he was gone in a puff of smoke. What a strange man, she thought. He's a bit too old to show off, isn't he? She fell asleep that night thinking of the scenarios that might happen if, or when, she would meet Draco again.
Hermione entered the house again after the man had left. Her parents had her cake lit up and ready for her to blow out. They sang the birthday song, and she blew out her candles with her eyes closed, and wished. I wish I could see Draco again, she thought before she took in a deep breath and released it.
She was certain that her wish would come true soon enough.
Hermione walked through Platform 9 ¾ with another wizard, Neville Longbottom. She thanked him for being so helpful when overhearing her asking muggles about it. She asked to sit with him, as she was unfamiliar with everyone. He politely said yes, and journeyed to find an empty compartment to share. She looked around, seeing unfamiliar faces, and no familiar ones. She hoped she would see Draco soon.
She thought it wouldn't hurt to ask Neville. "Neville?" she asked when they were seated and comfortable. "Do you know a boy named Draco?"
"Malfoy?" he said, surprised. "Well, I don't know him personally, but I've heard of his father. Nasty man, he is. Gran told me not to make friends with Draco Malfoy."
"Oh," she said, disappointed. They waited for the train to start in silence. She pulled out a book and began to read.
When the whistle blew, Neville jumped, and Hermione looked at him curiously. She smiled at him, and they laughed. "So, how much do you know about the wizarding world?" she asked, putting her book down.
"A bit, actually," he said. "But it's mostly my Gran's superstitions. My parents died when I was a baby."
"Oh," she said again. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I miss them terribly, though."
They sat in silence again. Neville leaned back, and fell asleep minutes later, softly snoring. Hermione giggled, and picked up her book once again.
Neville awoke with a start, and wiped the drool off of his face a few hours into the trip. "Sorry," he said, his voice still groggy from sleep. He looked all around him and panicked when he looked to the floor at the empty opened cage. "Trevor!"
"I'm sorry, who?" Hermione asked, puzzled.
"My toad's gone!" he exclaimed, standing up, and searching every nook and cranny of the compartment.
"I'll help you look for him," she offered.
"Thanks, Hermione," he said, blushing. Hermione stood, and walked out of the compartment. She was determined to find the toad for her new friend.
She knocked on every compartment window, repeating the same question. "Have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one." Every head responded negative.
She sighed, and moved onto the next compartment.
Several compartments, and countless negative responses later, she had seen most faces of the children of Hogwarts. She was disappointed that no one had seen the toad, but was glad that she wasn't as unfamiliar with other witches and wizards such as herself. She had met Harry Potter! According to Professor Dumbledore on the trip to Diagon Alley, he was a legend. There were only a few compartments left, and she was sure Trevor, the missing toad, wasn't there. Hermione went to ask anyway.
Before knocking, she looked into the window. She spotted two heavyset boys, and a skinny sneering blonde male seated inside. Her heartbeat accelerated at the sight of the blonde hair. Could it really be him? She knocked hesitantly, and three heads turned her way. Her eyes were focused on the blonde, and she gasped at the sight of grey eyes glaring into her own. It was him! She opened the door, and asked in an unsteady voice, "Have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one."
The blonde's grey eyes widened slightly, and his sneer disappeared for a split second, but they returned to their original state as quick as they left, and he growled, "No, now get out. You just rudely interrupted our conversation." The other two boys just laughed.
"Yeah, get out before we make you," one said. Hermione glared at the two. She focused her gaze back on Draco.
Hermione's chest constricted and she had the urge to cry. She was so sure he recognized her! She put on a strong front and spat back, "There's no need to be rude, it was just a question. Thanks for your help, jerks." She slammed the door shut and ran.
She ran back to her compartment without crying and was met with Neville once again. She calmed her rapid breathing before announcing, "I couldn't find Trevor. I'm sorry, Neville."
"Its okay, Hermione," he assured her. "He should turn up."
Hermione sighed and slumped onto the seat across from Neville. Her eyes felt heavy and tired. She fell asleep with Neville staring out of the window, wishing for his precious toad to come back to him.
Neville nudged Hermione awake. "Hermione," he said softly. Hermione's eyelids slowly opened. "The train stopped. We're really close to Hogwarts!"
Hermione jumped up at the sound of 'Hogwarts.' She thanked Neville and walked with him to a big, bearded man calling for first years on the platform.
They boarded a boat together in the dark, with a lit torch. All the first years were in awe of the sight of the castle. Hermione looked around her at the faces of her fellow first years on the separate boats. She spotted Harry and Ron whispering to each other, their faces brightened by the light of the torch. A few boats away, she saw Draco Malfoy staring at the castle, with the two heavyset boys seated behind him, breathing heavily. Hermione laughed, and Neville gave Hermione a strange look. She shook her head, and returned her attention to Draco.
So many thoughts and questions ran through her mind. Why was he such a jerk? How has he changed? Did I really know the real Draco 3 years ago? Could I really know a person after one day? Does he even remember our pinky swears? She sighed again, losing hope. She wouldn't have her best friend again.
Neville helped Hermione out of the boat. He was very clumsy, but it was a nice attempt. A tight lipped lady with a tight bun placed atop her head led the first years to the door of the Great Hall. She explained the sorting, and all the aspects of it. They entered, and stood in front of a hat on a stool. Hermione was called, and she sat nervously on the stool. It finally shouted "Gryffindor!" after debating with itself. She looked to Draco one last time, and walked to the Gryffindor table.
Draco Malfoy was sorted into Slytherin, which was the enemy house of Gryffindor, according to a second year seated across from her. Now Hermione was sure that she lost her best friend forever.
After dinner, Hermione went straight to bed. Train rides just seemed to make her exhausted. She fell asleep fairly early, thinking about what had become of Draco.
Hermione yawned, drowsy from her sleep. She stood up, stretched, grabbed her toothbrush, bath products, and clothes, and then headed to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth, and then showered. Not many other people were awake, as it was only 6:30 in the morning, but she was always the early riser. After her shower, Hermione grabbed a book and her school bag from her dormitory, and then went to the common room to read Hogwarts; A History once again.
As the sun continued to rise, more and more people walked into the common room, ready for breakfast. Hermione continued reading her book until someone coughed in front of her. She looked up and saw Harry and Ron standing in their school robes. Harry spoke up. "Hey Hermione, right?" She nodded. "Do you want to walk down to the Great Hall with us?"
"Oh, that'd be wonderful!" she said, smiling. She put her book in her bag, picked it up, and walked in between the two boys. They talked all the way to the doors of the Great Hall until someone interrupted. "Well, well, well, look at what we have here!" drawled a voice. Of course, it has to be him again, Hermione thought as she rolled her eyes. "A weasel, a scar head, and a mudblood."
Hermione opened her mouth to retort, but Harry beat her to the punch. "Shut your mouth, Malfoy. It's not a smart move insulting people without your two body guards around. You might break a nail." Ron and Hermione snickered behind him.
Malfoy glared at the three, turned, then stomped away into the Great Hall. Hermione saw something shine around his pale neck when he turned around. She gasped as she realized what it was. The necklace! She glanced down to her wrist, and lifted her sleeve. She gazed at the bracelet that he had given her so many years ago…
She shook her head of her thoughts and looked up at her two new friends. "We should head inside now," she stammered. She really needed to talk to Malfoy. No matter how much of a git he was now, they still pinky swore, and it meant a lot to her. He should at least tell her that it's meaningless to him now so she could try to forget it. She needed closure.
Hermione sat in between Harry and Ron and ate her breakfast. She stared at her plate the whole time, thinking about how to speak to him without other students in sight. She barely ate a thing. Harry and Ron left to walk around the grounds for a time. They said their goodbyes, and Hermione looked at the students at the Slytherin table. She saw Draco smirk at his 'friends' and continued eating. Maybe he was still the same Draco deep down inside…
A week in the life of a Gryffindor first year should be full of curiosity and wandering, but Hermione's curiosity and wandering ended when she found the library. Not many Hogwarts students were in the library for more than 10 minutes at a time, but Hermione spent all of her free time sitting alone at a table with mountains of books surrounding her.
Hermione sat at a table carrying no books; she had parchment and quills in hand to write a letter to her parents.
Dear Mum and Dad,
How are you? I miss you both so much! Hogwarts is great, and the food is wonderful. Professor Snape is a particularly nasty character, but he teaches potions well. I know it is quite strange that I'm going to a magical school, but its fine here. I find it hard to meet friends, but I think that is my fault because I'm stuck in the library most of the time. I made three friends! Neville let me sit with him on the train. Harry and Ron walked with me to breakfast. I haven't talked to them very much, but they're very nice.
Mum! Do you remember Draco? It's an odd coincidence that he's actually here. I do remember him telling me he was a wizard. I was glad to see him, but he was so rude to me. I asked him if he had seen a missing toad, and he growled at me to get out. He's not the same Draco I knew, but I guess I didn't really know him. I knew him for a morning, and he disappeared forever.
Dad, don't worry about me. I'm fine here. I've read Hogwarts; A History and its perfectly safe here! Don't miss me too much.
I love you!
Love,
Hermione
She folded the parchment, put her quills in her book bag, and retrieved an envelope from the bottom of her bag. She placed the letter in, sealed it shut, and exited the library to go to the owlery.
It was a hot September day, and there were too many stairs for Hermione's liking to get to the top of the owlery. She walked up with her arms folded across her chest, staring at the ground to make sure she didn't miss a step and fall. She had asked Harry earlier if she could borrow Hedwig. She got to the top and gazed at the view at the top. Hogwarts was beautiful. She found Hedwig and asked her politely to take the letter to her parents. Hedwig hooted and flew away. Hermione turned around and walked down the stairs.
She walked down with her arms folded across her chest again, and stared at the steps. She thought about how her parents were doing, how her friends were doing, and if she was going to stay alone her whole school career at Hogwarts. What about--?
She collided into someone as she rounded a turn in the stairs. She looked up to apologize, but the only thing that escaped her lips was a gasp. She was looking into grey eyes once again. "Sorry," she stammered, looking down again.
"Uh, right," Draco said. He cleared his throat, "I'm sorry, too."
"Its fine, I'm not hurt," she said quickly. "Are you okay?"
"I wasn't apologizing just for running into you," he said. Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"What else could you be apologizing about?"
He held out a letter in his hand labeled 'Hermione.' "I was going to owl this to you, but since you're already here, I guess this is easier."
Hermione reached out for the letter, and followed Draco's eyes to her wrist. He was staring at her bracelet! She looked up at his neck, and saw the necklace again. "You still have it," he whispered.
"I could say the same thing to you," she muttered. She was trying so hard to keep a serious front. She didn't want to break down in front of him. "So, you obviously remember. Why have you been so mean to me?"
"Just read the letter. It explains everything," he said. He continued to walk up. "I can't be seen walking down the stairs with you, Granger." Hearing her surname from his lips made her stomach constrict. "You should go."
She couldn't take it anymore. She was furious! "I 'should go'? What are you talking about?! Why are you acting like this? We pinky swore we'd be best friends forever, no matter what! You kept the necklace! You obviously remember! What's so wrong with walking down with me? Why are you so different?"
"People change from when they were eight years old, Granger! I couldn't stay the immature, childish kid I was 3 years ago! I had to grow up! And you should, too. Forget the pinky swears. They don't mean anything to me anymore. Stay friends with Potter and Weasley, and stay away from me if you know what's good for you." He reached around to the back of his neck, and unhooked the necklace. Hermione's chest was burning on the inside. "Take it back."
She shook her head, and laughed hollowly. She pushed his hand away. "Keep it. I don't want it anymore. Burn it, throw it away, feed it to your owl; I really don't care." She unlatched her bracelet and threw it on the ground. "Take that back. Bye, Malfoy."
Hermione pushed past Draco with the letter in her pocket and ran. She didn't look back to see Draco's pained face staring at the bracelet on the floor before picking it up, and pocketing it.
She ran inside of Hogwarts and stopped to breathe. She leaned against a wall and let her tears fall. She walked up to the Gryffindor tower ignoring all the sympathetic looks and questions. When she was in the safety of her bed, she shut the curtains and stared at the unopened envelope. Read it? Or rip it up?
Hermione contemplated for a moment, and sighed when she decided to read it. She opened it carefully, and unfolded it. It read;
Dear Hermione,
Please read the whole letter before doing anything else to it.
You might be surprised that I'm writing to you, or you might be extremely annoyed. You don't know how surprised I was when I saw you on the train. I thought I was just imagining things, but I saw the bracelet on your wrist. I still have the necklace. I don't take it off. I definitely remember the day 3 years ago at the park. How could I forget? We pinky swore we'd see each other again. We did! We pinky swore we'd be best friends forever. I don't think we can be…
My father…he's very controlling. He doesn't want me fraternizing with the enemy, or with people below us. You're a muggleborn, and the fact that you're friends with Potter makes it an even worse situation for us to have a friendship. Hermione, I can't speak to you again. I honestly do want to keep that pinky swear, but I can't do it openly and publicly. It would make things so much worse for you.
I don't know how we're going to get through this. I'm sure I'll verbally abuse you and your friends, but I cannot risk anything. I won't be nice to you, under any circumstances. By the end of our Hogwarts careers, you will probably hate me so much; you wouldn't want to be friends. I'm not expecting you, or anyone else, to be remotely kind to me. But I will do all I can in my power to protect you.
You were really one of the only people my age that was ever nice to me. You don't know how many times I day I recall our day at the park. I'm only 11 years old, but I will keep this promise. I'll always be here for you, Hermione. This will be the one and only letter that will show my kindness and friendship toward you. I'm sorry, but there's too much at stake.
I cross my heart that I'll keep you away from harm. My harsh words may sting, but they hold no truth.
I'll be your best friend forever. Pinky swear.
Draco Malfoy
Hermione was stunned at his words. Should she believe him? She really shouldn't. It wasn't worth it. If she had to pretend he wasn't her best friend, what was the point of hiding it? There shouldn't be anything to hide!
Draco,
I missed you. I picture that day in my mind all the time. I always wished and dreamed that I would see you again, that we'd be best friends, and that we'd actually get to know each other better. It seems that after your letter, I only have one of the three. That's not bad; I suppose .I really want to believe you.
But please, I can take care of myself. I don't need protecting. Stay away from me. I would rather let myself believe you mean the horrible things you say to me. I'm fine! I have friends, and I don't need you. I don't need you to pretend you hate me, when you really want to be friends. I can't live with false pretenses! You won't get to me, and I'll be fine. You said we can't be friends. Why don't we take it the full length? Let's just not pretend altogether. I won't be your friend. I'm not going to think to myself after you insult me, "Oh, he doesn't mean it! We're best friends! He couldn't mean it."
I have Harry, Neville, and Ron now. And I don't need you.
Keep your promises. Our pinky swears were broken the day you called me a mudblood.
I hate you.
Hermione.
She slipped the letter in her bag, and left the room. She would send the letter in the morning. She had to finish her homework.
The next morning, Hermione woke early to borrow a different owl from Dumbledore. She gave the owl the letter, and walked to breakfast. She glanced at Malfoy when she saw the owl swoop in. She really would like to see his face when he read it. He didn't open it, he just shoved it in his pocket and continued eating.
Broken promises really could change a person.
Every day after her letter was sent, Malfoy would seize every chance he got to ridicule Harry, Ron, and Hermione. He looked angrier with her than with Harry and Ron. She didn't regret sending it. Every time he called her a mudblood, she would be gladder that she sent it. It was strange, but he was teaching her how to ignore all the bad things people would say about her.
Although she was glad that Malfoy heeded her letter, she wished they could be best friends again.
Their memories would last forever, even if their friendship didn't. Letters were exchanged, feelings were hurt, and promises were broken. Everything went wrong! Why did things have to end this way? Why did it have to be complicated to have a best friend? The more Hermione thought about it, the more she wanted to take back the letter. Why didn't she believe him before? Cross her heart, they would be friends again. Cross her heart, all these bad things will disappear, and everything can be right again.
She wanted Draco to be her one in a million.
Sequel's on the way, once again. But, school's coming up! Oh, no!
It might be more satisfactory than this story.
Like it? Hate it? See a mistake? Review, please! It'll only take a moment. :D
Thanks for reading(: