1Did everybody enjoy the first chapter?? I certainly hope so!

On with the second!!

Chapter 2: Confessions

It was early in the morning, and the bounce in Hermione's step was undeniable. While she gathered the last of her things and magically led them into her family room, she kept thinking of her last night with Andrew, two days ago. She sighed, wishing that she could have told Andrew exactly what she was: a witch, who was forced to pretend to be otherwise around Muggles, so that she might protect others of her kind. She was always afraid, though, that Andrew wouldn't see her that way. She was afraid that, when she told him, he wouldn't merely think of how she was just doing her part to protect the world of magic. She was afraid we would think she was a fraud fo lying to him for all of these years. And yet, somewhere within her, Hermione kept faith that Andrew wouldn't leave her if he found out. She felt in her heart that, we she to share with Andrew her secret, he would eventually just accept it as a part of the girl that he loved.

For these reasons, Hermione decided that, before she left at 10 that morning, she had to tell Andrew where she was actually going. It was very early, and she knew that her phone call would wake him, but it was something she had to do.

As soon as she heard his voice on the other line, Hermione started to doubt her sudden decision to come clean. She felt butterflies in her stomach equivalent to the time she had first told him she loved him.

"'ello?" A bass voice asked groggily.

"Andrew?" She questioned tentatively.

"Herms." Her name sounded like a sigh. "Why are you calling so early? Aren't you leaving soon?"

"I leave at 10." She felt so nervous that she could hardly focus on anything else. Her tongue was getting stuck to the roof of her mouth, and her heart was pounding a mile a minute. Suddenly, she felt that her jelly-like knees could no longer support her weight. She sat down with the phone in her hand, face flushing and head reeling, trying to figure out the best way to say what she knew she had to say.

"Are you all right, Herms? You sound...anxious."

"I'm...I'm fine. Andrew...do you think we could meet one last time before I go? There's...s-s-something I need to say." Where had her stuttering come from? She never stuttered before! She felt stupid for being so hesitant, but she couldn't find it in herself to be otherwise. Damn it, weren't Gryffindors supposed to be brave?

"Ok, Hermione." He sounded truly worried. "Where did you want to meet?"

"Um...c-can we meet at our bench?" The bench was the spot where she had first admitted to him that she loved him. She could think of no other appropriate place to make a confession of such magnitude.

"All right. I'll meet you there in a few." He was undeniably waking up, and seemed slightly shaken by Hermione's nervous mood. "Are you sure everything's ok?"

"I hope it will be." was her reply. She could never find it in herself to lie to him about her emotions. "See you in a few."

Hermione put down the phone and headed out the door without a second glance towards the mirror. She didn't want to see the nervous wreck that she knew she would see there. It was a short walk to the bench that shared such special memories for Hermione and Andrew. When Hermione approached, Andrew was already there.

Upon seeing her, Andrew immediately jumped to a standing position. He walked forward towards Hermione and pulled her into an embrace as sweet and strong as the scent of an apple orchard. Hermione held him close, hoping that this would not be the last time he ever held her like this. She pulled away and looked into his eyes, amazed as always by the depths of the sea blue there.

'What was that for?" Hermione asked, slightly breathless from both her nerves and the intensity of the embrace.

"You sounded like you needed it." He said simply.

"Oh." Hermione's anxieties started to ease as she settled into the comfort of his presence.

"Was there something you needed to tell me?" His brows furrowed, and Hermione could see the confusion she had caused him.

"Well..."Her anxieties returned, full-throttle. There was no anticipating how he would react to her news. "You...might want to sit down."

He looked even more confused than ever. "Ok." He sat down on the bench, gazing upwards at her. "Shoot."

Hermione took a deep breath.

"Ok...this won't be easy to explain." Hermione began to pace around, unable to stay still. "Have you ever noticed anything...different about me?" He looked confused, so she continued. "Do you remember when we were younger, how I would always be able to reach the top shelf despite the fact that that should have been physically impossible? Or how I would fall and skin my knee and would automatically reach to put my hands over it. You would come running but, by the time I removed my hands, the scrape would be gone? Or do you remember that time that your brother kept knocking around our pieces when we were trying to play candy land, and the next day it looked like a tornado had hit his room, setting the telly on top of his wardrobe and moving his bed to the other side of the room, so that the foot of it was facing the wall and the headboard was in the middle? And each time when one of these strange things would happen, excuses would be made. I would say I had gotten the ladder to reach the top shelf, or that I was just a quick healer, and we laughed about what a messy person your brother was?"

"Yes..." His voice trailed off as he waited for Hermione to make her point.

"Well..." Her words started to come off in a rush. "The thing is, I didn't get the ladder. I'm not a quick healer. And your brother's not that messy."

"Hermione...what are you saying?" His voice was quiet, but his eyes were a little wider than they had been a moment before. Hermione took a deep breath.

"Andrew...would you believe me if I told you that those things were caused by..." Hermione took a gulp of air, breathless because of how fast she was speaking. "...magic?"

The air seemed to stop moving, as did Andrew. He looked slightly reminiscent of a fish out of water.

"Hermione...are you kidding me? Magic?"

"Andrew, I'm totally serious. Haven't you ever wondered why there's no phone at my school? It's because witches and wizards..." She paused before saying this, " like my self, don't usually use them. For the most part, we don't EVER use them. I mean, I do because I'm Muggle-born, but..." She was starting to let her words get away with her.

"Wait...what's a Muggle?" He looked like he was trying to grasp what Hermione was saying. Hermione started to relax. At least he hadn't called her crazy yet.

"Well...you're a Muggle. Mum and Dad are Muggles. Basically, a Muggle is a non-magical person."

"But, Herms...magic...it doesn't exist, does it?"

"Andrew, that's what I'm trying to tell you. Yes, magic exists and...I can use it. I'm a witch, Andrew."

He looked shocked. Slowly, however, a smile spread across his face.

"Hermione...you're joking around. Magic doesn't exist! If it did, there would be no...no wars, and no hunger, and everything would be...perfect.

"Andrew, magic can't fix everything. It can only help. I'll prove it exists, if you want me to."

"Please, do." Andrew was still smiling, clearly not believing what Hermione was saying.

"Ok." Hermione extracted her wand from her sleeve, and Andrew stared at it, dumbfounded. Without him needing to ask the question, Hermione answered it. "This is a magic wand, Andrew. All witches and wizards need one in order to do magic, unless they are extraordinarily talented. If you'd still like me to, I'll show you magic."

He nodded his head, and it seemed as though he were starting to believe her.

"Ok. Would you stand up, please? I'll use the bench." Andrew obliged, looking halfway between believing and not. Hermione pointed her wand at the bench, and did the swish and flick that she was so familiar with.

"Wingardium Leviosa." She said under her breath. Without hesitation, the bench floated in the air. As the bench rose into the air, Andrew stumbled back.

"You weren't lying." He gasped, holding his chest and seeming to be hanging onto himself for dear life. "Magic...exists! And you...you're a..." He stared at Hermione, astonishment apparent in his eyes.

"Witch." She rose her hand, smiling like a child who was admitting that she ate the last chocolate.