OMG the reception for the story was mind-blowing. Thank you guys! I didn't expect it, because the other one about Ron which is You Are Here didn't have any reviews at all. So thanks! :)


Chapter 2: A Wish of Friendship


Everyone thought that Hermione was going out with Viktor Krum.

And everyone was jealous of course. How could she, bookworm and know-it-all, snag a hunky Quidditch Player by the likes of Viktor Krum? Of course, it had left other girls bitter. She already had they Boy Who Lived as her best friend. How come she has the Tall, Dark and Handsome Seeker as well?

However, it wasn't only girls who were jealous. There was still Ron Weasley, her other best friend, who wouldn't talk to him. Well, Ron wouldn't use the word jealous per se, perhaps betrayed was the right word. Viktor, after all, was competing for the TriWizard Tournament against Harry.

Hermione was so ready for the night. It was the Yule Ball, and she'd said yes when Viktor Krum asked her to be his muse. She was flattered, but she still didn't understand why all the girls fawned over him, just like he didn't understand why they fawned over Harry. Mostly she agreed just to annoy Ron. Anyway, she was so prepared for the night. She'd told her mum to send over a pair of heels and she'd bought a really nice dress. She'd tried her best to tame her usually unruly hair. And she'd been successful. Lavender's jaw dropped upon seeing her. She could feel Parvati's confidence as Harry's partner drop down several notches when she saw the way he stared at her. She'd created a buzz when she entered the Great Hall on Viktor's arm. She swore she even saw Malfoy's eyes widen a bit. She'd executed the dance steps perfectly. It had all been worth it. Her night was wonderful. Until, of course, Ron made it clear that he still felt betrayed. "You're fraternizing with the enemy," he'd said. It was even worse when Harry sided with him. And it was beyond repair when the two of them stormed upstairs, completely ruining her night.

So here she was at fourteen, running while holding her heels in one hand and the skirt of her dress with the other. Her makeup was running on her face as the tears continued to stream down her face. With every step her hair bounced loose from the bun she'd so carefully crafted earlier that night. She just wanted to run away. She'd never felt like this since … since that night when she was in her first year and she wanted to go back home. And now she was that girl again, the girl who had no friends.

She stopped running and retreated to the next room. She felt the tiniest bit relieved when the knob turned easily. She entered and threw her heels on the floor and cried again. Nothing had changed. She was still the know-it-all. She was still the loner. She was still the odd one out.

And then out of the corner of her eye, she saw the odd shape that the shadow of the moonlight was making. It was a mirror. But she didn't recognize it as the mirror that she encountered because of the white sheet that partially covered it.

She stepped in front of the mirror. She was in her school robes. Ron's ears were red and he was smiling sheepishly as she laughed and rolled her eyes at him. Harry was behind them shaking his head at his best friend. He could see Viktor running away to somewhere. And then the image changed. Her dress was okay again. Her makeup was okay again. And she wasn't with Viktor.

She was with Ron. And he didn't wear those horrid robes. They were watching Harry and Cho on the dance floor. And then he held out his hand to her, asking her to dance with him.

This was just too much. She closed her eyes and more tears poured down her face. The brain was creating illusions again. She grabbed her heels and ran away, praying silently that her roommates weren't back yet so she didn't have to explain.


There you go! Last day of 2011! whoop whoop!