A/N~ This little nugget popped into my head a few days ago and I've been writing it like mad. I do hope someone enjoys it somewhere. It's going to be Hermione and Draco but he doesn't show up for a few chappys (sawwie!). Please review and share some love! ^-^
Chapter 1: ~*~Star Gazing~*~
"You know something, Hermione? Maybe if you stopped being a know-it-all bitch with a stick up her ass and started being nice to people and acting like a girl, some guy would want to stick his tongue down your throat!" Ron exploded, finally having it up to the top of his overly red head of hair with his best friend's need to be right all the time.
"Shut up, Ronald!" She hissed angrily and, not that she'd admit it to herself, hurt. She folded her arms tightly and crossed the cramped room where Ron and Harry's beds were cramped together with their trunks and various other items. She nearly tripped over Harry's broomstick and she kicked at it in her frustration.
"Hey! What'd the Firebolt ever do to you?" Harry demanded meekly. He very rarely got involved, apparently only speaking up when his broomstick was at stake.
"You're both so… so… so immature!" She shrieked. They gave her blank looks.
"Well, yeah… we're teenage boys." Ron said lamely. "And we're not going to be doing school work on the summer holidays!"
"Not school work- research!" She insisted, waving her arms dramatically in a wide arch. "Honestly, I thought you guys would be a little more excited about finding the a way to create house unity in our seventh year. You know, so something like Voldemort doesn't ever happen again?"
"Pal up to Malfoy, the only bloody Slytherin left? Not bloody likely." Ron insisted vehemently. Harry nodded his silent agreement. Sure, Malfoy hadn't done anything during the war- he was too cowardly to- but at the same time, not doing anything- in the helpful sense- also made him less of a man in their eyes. He'd basically hid under a rock during the final battle and Harry couldn't seem to forgive him for that. Hermione thought he somehow figured Malfoy could have at least saved one life that night… and she wished she could agree. Snape had been completely redeemed after his death. She shook memories away.
"There will be a few others besides Malfoy and I don't think you guys are being fair. He didn't surrender us to Voldemort when he had the chance, did he?" She defended.
"Oh, so now you're defending him? Do you lurrrrv him now, Hermione?" Ron sneered. "It's too bad he's not a book or I might actually be afraid of that being the case."
"You are positively horrid!" She said lamely before turning and stomping out of the room. Things had been a little edgy between the three friends since that battle and the news that they'd all been invited back to Hogwarts to resume their seventh year. A lot of good souls had been lost- none of the Weasleys, thank goodness, but most of the order had fallen. Since then, it seemed like all they ever did was argue, each trying to sort through their own insecurities.
On the narrow stairs, Hermione ran head-first into a pale chest. She bounced back as if electrocuted. "Oh, jeez! Fred, why can't you ever wear a shirt like a normal person?"
"'Mione, babe, it's rude to call a guy by another guy's name." George said dramatically, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And for your information, I was coming back from getting ready for bed for the night. Your insecurities and jealous habits are weighing me down, love. It's just never going to work between us."
"Whatever." She snapped, swerving around him and heading back down the stairs. He followed, clearly intrigued by the fact he hadn't needed to work at her to put her in such a foul mood.
"Are we in a lover's spat, 'Mione Dearest? Should we put Ron out on the stoop tonight?" He needled, following her through the living room where Molly sat watching her knitting needles distractedly. She was no doubt thinking about Harry's birthday party plans, which was to occur in a few days time. Charlie, home on vacation, was brooding over a book of Wards and glanced up warily at his mischievous brother and the poor nagged girl.
"Just shove off, George. I'm really not in the mood to joke around."
"Now, now- there's always room for a laugh. For example, your hair tonight looks like somebody stuck your finger in a socket and it's the most enchanting and amusing thing I've seen all summer-"
Hermione cut him off with an enraged groan and slammed her way out into the yard, leaving a snickering yet confused George behind her. She really couldn't hold it against him, the twins weren't known for having excellent tact when it came to girls they weren't trying to sleep with. If he had any interest in her however, you could be sure he'd be cleverly charming as well as funny. Another annoyance to the already insecure Gryffindor Princess- not that she even had that title any more. Books and cleverness did not a princess make- not to today's buffoons anyway. No, she may as well be the Gryffindor Spinster.
With these sobering thoughts in mind, she crossed to a tree on the far corner of the yard that she liked to read under and sat dejectedly, staring at her feet. It wasn't that she didn't want a boyfriend, really she did. She was a teenage girl, after all. She had needs. Still, what if Ron was right? Hadn't he said something about her not being girly enough? Surely there couldn't be such a distinction? She certainly had the figure of a girl.
"I bet Rowena Ravenclaw didn't have these sorts of problems." She mused aloud.
"What? Spending a summer with a prat for a best friend and his two annoying prankster brothers?" A voice answered, causing her to jump out of her skin. The speaker moved closer, settling beside her and continuing. "'Course there's Ginny but she can be a little horror herself when she's in one of her moods. You're basically stuck in the crazy house for the summer, your intellectual mind going to rot in that pretty little head."
"Charlie!" Hermione gasped out aghast when she finally realized who it was sitting beside her in the dark. The moon had finally drifted out from behind the clouds and revealed his scruffy red hair, freckled nose, and dragon's tooth earring. She blushed at the words "pretty little head" but said nothing about it, instead opting to say, "I don't mind being here, I like your family well enough, it's just…"
"Ron." He said simply with a nod.
"Yeah." She said despairingly. "I mean, why's he have to be so stubborn about this house unity thing? I'm not asking him to date Pancy Parkinson or play Wizard's Chess with Zabini. Why can't he just be… nice?"
"Because… he's Ron." Charlie pointed out with a chuckle. He nudged her arm gently with his elbow. "And a bit dense in the head, if you get my drift."
"That's putting it mildly." Hermione snarled. Charlie said nothing, just sat next to her patiently, waiting for her to continue or just waiting to be dismissed. She could never quite read Charlie. Sometimes, he seemed so patient and kind, like right now. Other times, it seemed he couldn't find it in him to tell her the time of day, let alone sit with her letting her vent to him. He was a riddle inside of puzzle, locked up in a mystery. She sighed, deciding to let him off the venting hook and instead asked, "Do you think this house unity idea is so far-fetched?"
"Well…" He trailed off and Hermione knew his exact thoughts on the subject just from that alone. She was an idiot for thinking this plan of hers could ever work. He just was trying to say it politely. Finally, standing he offered, "I think some things are more wishful thinking…"
"Thanks Charlie." She said quietly, studying her converse glumly. He pat her on the head much like an adult to a child.
"Don't stay out too late. I'll leave the kitchen light on for you." With that, he walked away and Hermione heard the door shut behind him. She sighed again and lay back, studying the stars. Charlie left her more confused than anything, as usual. She usually prided herself on reading people but he was one of few that kept her guessing. No need to go into detail on the others on that list, of course.
"Boys." She muttered like it was a curse word. She shook her head; she was being ridiculous. Rowena Ravenclaw would have shrugged these insignificant troubling thoughts off like nobody's business. Ravenclaw didn't have time to moon over guys at Hermione's age, she was too busy off being brilliant. I mean, her motto was "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure" for crying out loud! What would such a smart witch need with petty girlish drama? She would have been above all that.
"I wish I knew what Rowena Ravenclaw was like at my age." Hermione voiced her thoughts to the empty air, fiddling with the fraying edge of her jean shorts. She smiled to herself, envisioning Ravenclaw with her blue-black hair pulled back in a tight bun, a set of stern glasses on her nose and a stack of books in her arms. She was too smart to be troubled by something so trivial as a so-called love life.
Just then, a shooting star struck the pond, causing Hermione to jump as before. She stood uneasily, her eyes focused on the shooting star which still glowed slightly in the water, like a glittering nugget of gold. Hermione knew better than to mess with this- it was elemental magic from beyond the earth no less. Misunderstood and Wild Magic. She'd read about it in a book of that title by Hopkirk.
Backing slowly away, she kept her gaze trained on the fallen star. It was pulsing now, growing dimmer with each flare. Maybe this one would burn out and result in nothing- she read that a good deal of them do. The ones that didn't were unpredictable. She wasn't going to take her chances. She hurried into the Burrow and straight up to the room she shared with Ginny.
"There you are." The younger girl said, sounding annoyed. She peeked up at her friend from behind the cover of a steamy trash novel which bore the image of a woman in a dress sliding off her shoulders being embraced by a overly muscular and tan man dressed as a pirate. "I was beginning to think Ron sent you over the edge and you'd apparated home."
"St. Mungo's would be more likely." Offered one of the twins at that moment walking past the still open door. Ginny winced at them, annoyed.
"Goodnight, George!" She said firmly, flicking her wand and shutting the door in his face over his protests of being called by the wrong name by his own sister. She shrugged. "I knew that was Fred… sort of. I just how abashed they get that we can't tell them apart."
"Ginny, you won't believe what just happened!" Hermione said.
"You had a revelation that Ron's a selfish, stupid git." the redhead said without missing a beat.
"No! Well… yeah, but after that I saw a shooting star!" Hermione said, her eyes wide. "It's landed in your pond out back!"
"No way!" Ginny protested, quickly standing and moving to her window to confirm it with her own eyes. The water still glittered faintly but the meteor could not be discerned. Ginny whistled. "Bloody hell… you made it a wish didn't you?"
Hermione's heart paused a beat. Had she? She'd remembered faintly saying something that began with 'I wish…' shortly before the shooting star crash-landed but whatever it had been must have been so minimal a thought that she'd forgot it in the stunning aftermath of what had just happened. Surely, whatever it was, didn't count since it had happened before the star fell right? She'd best make a wish now, just to be on the safe side.
She focused on the glowing pond before letting her eyes drift shut and thought the wish any normal teenage girl would think. "I wish to find my true love this year…"
There was a small giggle and Hermione opened her eyes to see Ginny watching her with glittering eyes. "You don't actually believe wishing on those hunks of space rock does anything, do you?"
"It might. I've read-"
"Yeah, yeah. You've read little fairies come out of the rock and grant your wishes for the small, easy payment of toe nails or something." The other girl waved it away dismissively and Hermione blinked at her, not quite sure what to say to that.
"That's disgusting, Gin." was what she finally settled on before they both fell to laughing and made their way back into Ginny's room to go to bed.
"Goodnight, Hermione. I hope Ron isn't such a dick tomorrow." Ginny said around a yawn as she shut the lights off with another flick of her wand. Ever since she turned seventeen, Ginny used her wand for every slight detail- much like the twins had.
"Goodnight, Ginny." Hermione whispered back in the darkness. She turned on her side to gaze out at the moon pondering. Her parents had always told her to make wishes on shooting stars and, with what she read, it wasn't that far-fetched to do so. If the star in question was particularly generous, or had lived a happy full life, it would usually take nearby human's into consideration when using it's magic. It couldn't be that crazy to believe in such things.
With all these justifications and logical explanations running around her ever-thinking head, Hermione drifted into a pleasanter sleep than she would have without them.
"Yoo-hoo… hello… wakey, wakey sleepy head." Someone was calling just beyond the realm of sleep where Hermione was beautiful and content to be fawned over. The voice was unfamiliar, kind of silky and husky at the same time- lower than Ginny's with a bit of conceit to it's edges. Hermione burrowed deeper into her pillow and someone pulled it out from under her, hitting her on the head with it. "I said 'wake up'!"
"Fine!" She snapped, thoroughly annoyed and sitting up to face the speaker. She glared daggers at the offending person before a look of shock and horror overcame her annoyance. She took in the slender girl wearing shorts and a tank top barely covering her toned stomach, her long blue-black hair waving to her waist and a pair of perfect sky blue eyes now analyzing Hermione critically, much in the same way all the beautiful and stuck-up girls at Hogwarts would do.
"Nice hair, puffkin." Rowena said sarcastically, her lip curling.