The Bet

A/N: Hi, guys! It's been forever. I took this story down almost two years ago. A lot has changed, especially my writing. I'm in college, so I won't be able to update so frequently, but I will try when I can. It was my pet project, and now it can be that again. I'm happy with this first chapter for the most part. Please enjoy!

-Lex

Two Meetings and Some Rain

HERMIONE GRANGER RAN DOWN THE STREET with her red umbrella, rushing through the rain. She ran as fast as she could while dodging puddles, careful not to slip and fall. She was supposed to have met Luna and Ginny at a café ages ago for their weekly lunch date, and they were probably plotting her murder for being so late. Okay, so it was only twenty minutes, but tardy was still tardy. She would have been quite annoyed if she had been waiting so long.

Honestly, of all days for it to rain, it had to be today? The thought was somewhat irking her; the fact that the weather matched her mood was almost painfully ridiculous. As she glanced up at the gray clouds, she realized they almost seemed as sad as she was. Then she snapped out of it, reminding herself that ascribing feelings to nature was really only good in literature and that she should stop now before other things became as sullen and gloomy as her current emotions.

As she thought this, she slipped and nearly fell on the tough concrete of the sidewalk, but caught herself before she could completely fall flat on her ass and embarrass herself in a crowd of perfect strangers. Straightening herself up, and cursing under her breath, she resolved herself to focus completely on dodging the puddles and getting to her destination.

And then, of course, life decided to play a rather mean trick on her. She was so focused on dodging the puddles that she bumped into somebody. Bouncing off the man's body, she almost fell on her ass again, but this time again narrowly avoided her fate thanks to the man's quick reflexes. Pulling her up until she stood straight, then letting go, the man began to apologize. "I'm sorry. I was paying attention to my phone instead of looking where I was going. It's new and I'm trying to figure it out. I know that's probably the shittiest excuse you've ever heard-"

Hermione straightened her coat, which had gone slightly askew, and interrupted the man, who was taller than she liked. "Please, don't worry about it. Honestly, I was trying not to slip so I stared at the floor instead of looking forward; I was bound to crash into someone." She tilted her umbrella back, as it dawned on her that neither of them had seen the other's face. "I should be apologizing, really-"

And then she stopped talking immediately and her mouth automatically frowned, her jaw clenching and her muscles becoming dangerously tense. She knew that face; it was unmistakable.

"Granger? Just my luck," the man muttered, looking sideways and away from her, avoiding eye contact, as he pushed the phone messily into his pants pocket. His damp hair slid over his eyes and he tucked it behind his ear, still determined to not look in her direction.

She supposed that had always been the only good thing about him that ever stood out at her— his hair was so blond that she could see him coming from a mile away.

(Except, of course, on days when she was sad and distracted and had a big, red umbrella covering his face.)

She thought, right then and there, that life was not done messing with her in the slightest. She had had the worst possible weekend, and it had promptly been followed by: rain, humidity (it was killing her hair), intense public clumsiness, and now a run in with someone who was more likely to insult her than anybody else on the planet. Just great, she thought.

Oddly enough, he looked just as tense as she was. He seemed perturbed, and honestly taken aback by her presence. Of course, it didn't help that she probably hated his guts more than anybody else's in the world. Not that he thought she didn't have reason to, of course. But when he looked at her, he remembered things he had been trying hard to forget for years, and he felt guilt wash over him for the first time in months. He realized neither of them were talking to the other, just staring, and probably thinking. He disliked this more than anything else, especially when her eyes lingered on his pocket, then looked up at his face and squinted with confusion.

She knew he had noticed her looking at his pocket, but she had only just registered the fact that Draco Malfoy, of all people, was using a Blackberry. Anti-muggle anything Draco Malfoy, had in his pants pocket, a piece of muggle technology that could possibly, if not probably, be broken by his magic. And that was weird. Also, he wasn't talking to her… or insulting her, which was weirder. In any case, she decided she better not give him the chance.

She cleared her throat, determined to be civil. "Well, I'll just be on my way, Malfoy. It was… interesting to see you again. Have a nice day." She casually side-stepped him, walking past him and towards the now visible café with newfound determination. She'd be damned if she'd let such a tiny metaphorical shit-stain on her life ruin her day— or make it worse, more realistically speaking.

As she brushed past him, all Draco Malfoy registered were the words 'have a nice day' and the fact that she had stopped trying to straighten her curly hair, if her somewhat frizzy braid was anything to judge by. He turned around in time to see her enter the very café he had just come out of, and furrowing his brows in confusion, decided to chalk her politeness up to the witch's manners. Sighing and running a hand through his blonde hair, he walked aimlessly away from the direction she had been walking towards.

As soon as Hermione entered the café, Ginny Weasley was up on her feet and walking animatedly towards the entrance. When she got there, the bells above the door hadn't even finished tinkling. As Hermione put her umbrella in a nylon bag, she went to greet Ginny.

"Before you yell at me for being late, Gin-"

"You are beyond late, Hermione Granger. How will I ever forgive you?" The redhead interrupted her, looping her arm through hers, and guiding her to a table where Luna Lovegood was sipping on her coffee calmly.

When Hermione finally sat down, Luna looked up at her as if just noticing her. "Hermione, I'm so glad you've finally arrived. It's taken so much energy to stop Ginny from hunting you down."

Ginny scoffed slightly at the "offense", grabbing at her cup of coffee. "You say that like I'm a wild animal. I'm a lady. An impatient lady."

Luna smiled softly, yet slightly cryptically at Hermione, as if to communicate that Ginny was indeed incredibly impatient, or maybe that she was in fact a wild animal. Or both. It took a lot of willpower not to laugh, but she was grateful she could, after the hellish nightmare she'd suffered through. She had missed her friends so much, and just listening to them made her feel leagues better. When she zoned back in to the conversation, Luna had been answering Ginny's indignant denials in what she thought was probably Confucius. She grinned as Ginny and Luna continued to bicker.

"Luna, that makes absolutely no sense," Ginny finally settled on, sipping her coffee and giving up, then pointing at a third cup on the table and glancing at Hermione. "That's for you, by the way, on me." She winked at Hermione playfully and Hermione smiled at her friend's antics.

"Forgive me my nonsense, as I also forgive the nonsense of those that think they talk sense," Luna murmured quietly, half lost in her thoughts, a playful smile on her face. Hermione smiled warmly. She had missed her friends dearly, but it was she who had imposed her own exile. Ginny sent a stink eye in her blonde friend's direction and grinned at Hermione. Noticing that Hermione's clothes were slightly dampened by rain, Luna asked, "Hermione, why didn't you apparate closer to the café?"

Hermione sighed. "I'm scatter-brained, I suppose. I apparated two blocks away, and decided to walk the rest of the way. I'd rather not splinch myself. I've just got a lot of thoughts floating around lately."

Expecting a pitying stare, she instead got Luna's insight. "It would be slightly strange if you were thinking less after a break-up. Especially after being in a relationship for so long. Five years is a long time; you get used to it. You expect marriage eventually, perhaps. But not a break-up."

Ginny stared at Luna with shock. "Where the hell did that come from?" She'd honestly been expecting some kind of odd reference to medieval literature that Hermione would understand and that would probably fly past her own head. This was a bit too real, and accurate, to be frank.

Luna casually drank her coffee and replied, "I asked Blaise for his perspective."

At the mention of Blaise Zabini, Hermione scrunched her nose up in slight distaste. She was still getting used to the idea of Luna and Blaise dating, though she had been informed of this weeks ago. Her reaction had not been the best, she remembered, but she had learned to let go of some of the prejudices she still held. Of course, they were more precautions than anything else, in her opinion, but Hermione trusted Luna's judgment and her ability to choose competent partners. Unlike me, she thought bitterly.

Luna, for the majority of the time she'd known her, had almost always had casual relationships. Seeing her committed to one guy was weird, and it was even weirder that she had chosen the former Slytherin on top of that. If Ginny's opinion was to be trusted at all, then Blaise was a riot and "great at holding down Irish whiskey". She hadn't had a chance to really get to know him, so she knew her nose scrunching was probably unfair.

"So…" Ginny continued, keeping the conversation going. "How're you holding up?"

Hermione sighed. "Honestly, things are weird. I feel weird. It feels weird. It's going to take some time to get used to, especially because Ron didn't exactly give me enough information for a good, proper closure." Her temper flared at the mention of his name and she indulged it. "But hey, if your brother wants roam his microbe of a Vienna sausage around town, that's his business."

Ginny resisted an urge to laugh at her own brother, though she found Hermione's phrasing funny. Luna, on the other hand, let herself laugh, the merry, tinkling sound reminding her of wind chimes. "How creative."

Hermione sighed and slumped on the table, her face smothered by the wood. She mumbled something incoherently as Luna patted her head. "Your life does not suck, Hermione. From now on, I'll never call it a penis again."

Hermione let a snicker escape her. "I guess not. Besides, I'd rather him leave me than cheat on me. It was the proper thing to do, I suppose. I'm just angry." At Ginny's worried expression, Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. In better news, I've been promoted-"

This brought out an elated whoop from Ginny and a congratulations from Luna, who was clasping her hands together in happiness. "That's wonderful!" Luna said. "When did you get promoted?"

"To what did you get promoted? This better not be one of those ass-backwards promotions they used to give my dad all the time." Ginny pursed her lips, distaste on her face. "I'll file a complaint. With my fist."

Luna laughed airily again, and shook her hand as if waving away Ginny's threat. "That's not a complaint, Ginny."

Ginny stuck her tongue out impishly at Luna while Hermione smiled at their antics. Honestly, why did she think it was a good idea to avoid her best friends? She felt her chest warm up with the familiar sensations of love and affection. Then she remembered that they weren't exactly too aware of the situation Ron had left her in. "I was promoted on Saturday to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Luna's happy praise was eclipsed by Ginny's quiet reaction. Hermione watched her as she casually glanced up over her eyelashes, sipping her coffee. "Saturday?" It seemed like an innocent question, and it would have been too, if Hermione didn't know Ginny Weasley. That wasn't a question. It was more like asking for confirmation before she made her intended kill. On the surface, Ginny seemed calm, charming— even lovely. But Hermione knew that her eyes were burning with fire, and that her right eye was twitching slightly. "The day my brother broke things off?"

She nodded a bit reluctantly. "Yes. Actually, I debated the possibility that the promotion was what triggered the break-up. But I felt awfully silly after thinking it over..." She looked over at Ginny, who was sitting with her shoulders tense, as if trying to prevent herself from saying something that would make things worse. "Because Ron has never been that petty. He's got a lot of flaws— like the rest of us, mind you. But he was never that discouraging. So I guess I'll take what he told me at face value. I'm a boring old crone." She smiled sardonically at her own self-deprecating joke.

Ginny almost wished her brother was here so she could throw her steaming cup of coffee at his head. Her fingers itched with the need to hit him furiously. Idiot, idiot, idiot. Hermione was the best thing that had ever happened to him. She'd changed him for the better, she knew. It wasn't like his personality had changed terribly. No, he was still her stupid, older brother that she loved immensely. But being with Hermione for five years had given him some kind of experience or wisdom that he had desperately needed. Maybe it hadn't been Hermione and it had just been time, but he had become less brash, more compassionate, and less prone to running away in his anger and jealousy. It made this sudden decision of his seem all the more strange and unnatural. What the hell were you thinking, Ron?

Luna's soft voice broke her from her intense thoughts. "So, when do you start?" She smiled at Hermione. "I'm sure you'll shine there."

Ginny laughed. "That's so cheesy, Luna."

Luna looked at Hermione and murmured, her voice soft, tilting her head. "What do stars do? They shine." Hermione smiled softly at what she knew Luna was trying to do. A line from a great book, an attempt to bolster her self-confidence… but it stayed an attempt. She did not feel any different than she did earlier today.

Ginny cleared her throat. "So, you'll be seeing Harry often then?"

Hermione nodded. "I think so, yes. It will be a bit of a change, of course. A different kind of work." She scrunched up her nose like she wasn't too happy with the change.

She was really quite excited to go from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She was going to do so much there. It was going to be different, and the idea of that made her uncomfortable. She thought of what Scrimgeour had asked her when he'd come to give them what Dumbledore had left them (and also to interrogate them to within an inch of their lives). She thought of what she'd told him in return.

"Are you planning to follow a career in Magical Law, Miss Granger?" he'd asked her, after she'd demonstrated her knowledge of the law and the fact that he was bullshitting through his teeth, trying to justify the unjust seizure of the artefacts Dumbledore had left them.

"No, I'm not," she'd spat right out at him. "I'm hoping to do some good in the world!" Ron had laughed immediately, but she'd meant every word she said. The Ministry was corrupt; it had been for who knows how long, and it would stay that way unless they tried to change the world.

And Merlin, had they tried. They were still trying. The political nuances, the ridiculous brownnosing… none of it had interested her. She wanted to do good, and Magical Law was bad; it was restrictive, ridiculous, almost primitive. On top of that, it was exploited by anyone with power. Some rules were there only because the people who proposed them had the power and benefitted from them.

She had fought so hard for House Elves' Rights, the image of a dying, noble, selfless Dobby burning through her mind. Nothing in her life could have prepared her for the ache the war had left inside of her. Sometimes it was easy to ignore, but too often she thought too hard, and an overwhelming wave of loss washed over her.

This was never happening again, not in her lifetime; not while she was still breathing. Most of the change, though her seventeen-year-old self would have disagreed most passionately and rationally, could only come through Magical Law, as she grew to understand through her few years at the Ministry. But she could never be what Scrimgeour had been. She would never be corrupt. Her goal was still to do good, and she had never once allowed herself to forget it.

As she zoned back in to the conversation, Luna asked her if she wanted a magazine from the rack. She shook her head; gossip magazines gave her long-lasting headaches. Ginny opined that she could do with a magazine; she was feeling particularly in need of some good natured laughing. Hermione smiled at Ginny, so witty and lively and fun. Sometimes she forgot that the war had left her in pieces as well, but as Ginny had once jokingly pointed out, concealer covered up everything, even insomnia. She watched Luna walk back with two magazines, and remembered how she hadn't spoken for months at a time, her eyes hauntingly empty. She shook her head, snapping out of it. She had fallen into it again.

She smiled up at her friends, who were busy teasing each other, then almost spit up her coffee when Ginny asked her if she wanted to go out drinking with Blaise Zabini and, get this, Draco Malfoy.

"Is that a joke? Gin, stop messing with me."

Ginny's raucous laughter echoed throughout the café. Hermione gave her the best stink-eye she could muster. "That's not funny. Stop it."

Luna cleared her throat. "She's not joking. Blaise and Draco were here earlier, and we all agreed to go out for drinks later. Come with us?" As if anticipating what Hermione was going to say, she continued with, "Draco's his best friend; Blaise isn't going to leave him alone."

Hermione shook her head. "That's fine and all, but I'm not too keen on drinking with Malfoy, of all people. He hates me. I remind him of his less charitable days." It suddenly made sense that she'd run into him so nearby the café. He was leaving as she was arriving.

Ginny shook her head. "He's changed, I think. Blaise seems pretty insistent on that." The way Ginny said it, like Blaise couldn't be wrong, bothered her more than she cared to admit. Of course, for the past two or three years, the press had swarmed Draco Malfoy's everyday life— his many flings, his career, his change of heart regarding pureblood doctrine. But to be honest, she'd always rolled her eyes at that. She had trouble imagining Malfoy regretting his beliefs. She sighed, reminding herself that this wasn't Hogwarts, that wars are difficult on both sides, that giving people second chances is important.

"I ran into him on my way here and he looked quite displeased to see me. He even muttered it aloud," she said, as if that proved he was still a slimy git. Then the Blackberry flashed in her mind. Maybe he had changed, even if just enough to use a cell phone.

Ginny laughed harder than she'd laughed the whole time, and Luna joined her. As she dried the tiny tears that has formed in her eyes with her fingertips, she breathlessly replied, "That's probably my fault, actually. He made a casual inquiry about you and I might have turned it into a teasing fest."

Hermione cringed inwardly as she realized how absolutely embarrassing that must have been. Teasing at Ginny's hand was often times hilarious, but also explosively humiliating. If she had been in his place, she supposed she would have reacted in a similar way. She thought back to it, and only recalled having been met with surprise and tenseness; not meanness or malice. And she did feel like she needed a stiff drink. She sighed outwardly. "All right, I suppose a shot of fire whiskey never hurt anyone."

Luna's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Actually," she had started, before Ginny's hand shot out and covered her mouth. She glared at her before turning to Hermione.

"Ignore her."