A/N: Drum roll please.
Now presenting, the long-awaited(REALLY long awaited), much desired for sequel to Chemical Reaction!!!
Hold the applause please, haha. Yes, yes it is finally the sequel to Chemical Reaction. I have a few problems with it but I'm still pretty happy with how it turned out. I'll just let you read then I'll talk later.
Oh but I will say this, I got the title and some plot lines from the song Exceptional by JoJo.
Ok, read on!
Exceptional
Hermione Granger willed the tears to go back into her eyes, but they refused to listen. She sniffed as quietly as she could just as another tear rolled down her cheek.
How could she be such a fool? How could she be so young and naïve? So stupid?
"He's seven years older than me, who was I kidding?" Hermione whispered.
"Shh, it's ok Hermione," Danielle, Dan, Pembroke whispered back, brushing Hermione's thick, wavy hair.
Hermione and Dan were at Hermione's house a week after Bill and Fleur's wedding. The moment Hermione got home, she called Dan to tell her everything that had happened; from her and Charlie dancing to where he pointedly ignored her the rest of the evening. She had cried into the phone for over an hour until Dan finally promised to come over as soon as possible, which ended up being a week later.
So here they were, Dan sitting on the bed with Hermione's head in her lap. It was past midnight but neither of them could sleep.
"I was so stupid though!" Hermione cried, lifting her head out of Dan's lap to face her friend. "I was naïve and stupid! We were so close to kissing, and to think I would've let him kiss me to."
"Hermione, you're not stupid, you're the smartest girl I've ever met. So you made a guy mistake; everyone makes them, trust me. Besides, he's obliviously not good enough for you if he's going to dump you like that," Dan said, trying to comfort her friend the best she could. The problem was that she had never been through something like this so she didn't know what to say.
"But Dan, I liked him so much," Hermione moaned, lying her head back on Dan's lap. "And I'm being so stupid about it. Why do I have to be such an obsessive girl?"
"You're not obsessive, you're being a teenager. That's what girls at our age do, they think about boys constantly." Dan said. "Besides, I acted like this before, except the guy I liked didn't even notice me."
"Oh Dan! Here I am worrying about my petty, nonexistent love-life and I've barely asked you about your life. I feel so terrible right now. Tell me everything," Hermione cried, throwing herself at Dan, hugging her.
"Hermione, it's nothing. It happened at the beginning of the school year. I'm over it," Dan explained as if it was nothing.
"But I feel terrible, tell me everything," Hermione replied.
Dan rolled her eyes and sighed but smiled. The girls got comfortable on the bed and Dan began to tell Hermione about her past year.
"Hermione! Get down here!"
Hermione raised her head from her bed and looked around the room with bleary eyes. After Dan and Hermione talked for hours, they fell asleep. Now it was the middle of the afternoon and Hermione's mother was yelling at her.
"Hermione!"
"I'm coming," Hermione groaned, sitting up from her bed. Dan rolled over into Hermione's spot as she got up. "You better move when I get back," she complained to the unconscious girl.
"What's the matter mum?" Hermione asked as she trudged into the kitchen where her mother was waiting. Her mum didn't answer but pointed to the window where a large, white owl was waiting.
"Hedwig!" Hermione shrieked as she hurried to open the window to let in the owl. Hedwig landed gracefully on the table and released a letter.
Hermione quickly opened the letter and read it, absentmindedly petting Hedwig.
"Who's is from sweetheart?" Hermione's mum asked.
"Harry," Hermione answered. "He, well Ginny, wants me to come over for the rest of the summer. I'd get my books with them at Diagon Alley and then just stay with them still the start of the year. I'm supposed to send yes or no with Hedwig and they'll come pick me up."
"You don't sound very excited," Hermione's mum noted.
"What?" Hermione looked up at her mum.
"You don't sound very excited about going over there. They are your best friends, correct?"
"Oh, of course! No, I'm excited. I'll get packed right away," Hermione said, rummaging through the drawers for a pen. "That was a 'yes', right?" Her mum nodded and Hermione wrote yes on the paper along with a day and time they could pick her up at. She gave the letter to Hedwig and the owl took off through the window. Hermione watched her for a moment and then rushed upstairs to wake up Dan.
"Dan, get up right now. We have a problem," Hermione cried to Dan's sleeping form as she began to fly across the room, putting books and clothes into the trunk at the end of her bed.
"What?" Dan mumbled from her position on the bed.
"I'm going back to his house. I can't go back there; I can't see him," Hermione said.
"What? Why are you going back to his house?"
"I'm friends with his brother and sister and their friend. They're inviting me back over to their house before the school year starts to get supplies. Charlie's bound to still be there from the wedding. I can't do it," Hermione explained, sitting down at the foot of her bed.
"If you don't go over there, it'll show he's won, that he's broken you down. You have to," Dan said, sitting up.
"But Dan," Hermione moaned.
"Hermione, you can do this," Dan said, taking Hermione's hands in hers. "He's just a boy, a stupid selfish boy who isn't good enough for you. Just keep repeating that to yourself every time you see him."
"He's just a stupid selfish boy who isn't good enough for me," Hermione repeated, smiling at her friend.
"Exactly," Dan said brightly, standing up and moving to Hermione's closet. "So what are you going to wear?"
"Wear? What do you mean what am I going to wear?" Hermione asked.
"Well you have to show him that you don't care about what he did to you. You have to be strong and look strong," Dan explained.
"No, I'll look like myself. What I'm wearing or how I look shouldn't change anything," Hermione argued, glaring at Dan. Dan glared back but finally turned away, shaking her head.
"Whatever, he's your guys."
"No, he's not; now help me put these clothes in my trunk neatly."
Hermione sat next to the window in the Burrow, silently reading a book that she had read a million times before. She needed something to do, though. Anything to prevent her from looking at Charlie.
Slowly, though, Hermione felt her own eyes betray her and lift up off the page and toward the boy seated on the couch across from her. He was playing a game of exploding snap with Harry and by the looks of it; he was going to lose after he placed his next card.
"No!"
True to Hermione's word, the cards fell from their pyramid amid loud snaps and small explosions. The look of dismay and shock on Charlie's face was too much for Hermione and she let out a laugh. Harry and Charlie looked up as if just noticing her.
"Hermione, I didn't realize you were still in the room," Harry said, laughing at himself.
"Um, yeah," Hermione said, smiling a little. "I was just reading."
"I hope we weren't disturbing you," Charlie said. Hermione fixed her eyes upon the older male, hoping she was giving him her coldest glare.
"You weren't," Hermione replied curtly after a moment had passed. Hermione immediately returned to her book but was unable to concentrate. Tears threatened to well up in her eyes and spill over. It's like nothing even happened, she thought to herself as she pulled her book up to her face to block the two boys from her vision. He doesn't even care.
"What are you guys doing in here?"
Hermione looked over top her book and saw Ron looking at his brother and friend. He didn't even glance in Hermione's direction.
"Just playing exploding snap," Harry replied. "Do you want to join?"
"No, that's ok," Ron answered, eyeing Charlie.
"No, play. I was leaving anyways," Charlie said, standing up. Apparently he noticed his brother's look. Charlie left the living room but not before giving a quick glance to Hermione.
Ron looked after his brother then went to sit in his place. He still hadn't acknowledged Hermione's presence.
Silence filled the room and the tension increased. It finally became too much for Hermione. "I'm going to see what Ginny's doing," Hermione said awkwardly. Both boys nodded, focused on their game.
Hermione got up from her seat next to the window and wandered out in the hallway and soon ended up in the kitchen. She stopped short, though, when she saw Charlie with his back to her. Trying to be as quiet as possible, Hermione tried to walk out before he noticed her.
Too late.
Charlie turned around with his mouth full of cookies. Crumbs spotted his mouth and his cheeks bulged from the cookies. He looked so innocent and cute Hermione couldn't help but laugh. Charlie blushed and swallowed what was in his mouth with difficultly.
"I thought you were my mum for a moment. She would've gotten mad at me for eating before supper," Charlie confessed, scratching behind his ear. He was nervous.
"Yeah," Hermione said, looking down at her feet. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to be here talking to Charlie. She didn't even want to be in the same room.
"Hermione, I-"
"I have to-"
They both started to say something but then stopped.
"Go ahead," Hermione said politely.
"Hermione, I-" Charlie started again, but then stopped again. "I have to go," he said quickly and then rushed out the side door.
Hermione stared at the door Charlie left through. That wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to walk out on him, not the other way around! Hermione fixed a glare on her face and followed Charlie outside.
Not really paying attention to where she was going, Hermione rushed outside, but as it turned out, Charlie was directly outside the door and Hermione ran into him.
After recovering from the shock of running into Charlie, Hermione returned to glaring at him.
"I have one thing to say to you," Hermione said, holding up her hand to stop him from talking. "Don't ever play with a girl's heart again or I will personally hurt you. Understand?"
Charlie stared at Hermione with an open mouth. "What?"
"You heard me. Oh, and on second thought, don't ever speak to me again," Hermione added, making to move past the muscular male.
"Wait," Charlie said, grabbing Hermione's wrist to stop her. "What are you talking about?"
"Are you deaf?" Hermione asked, staring at Charlie's hand around her wrist. Before she could stop herself, butterflies started to dance inside her stomach. "You hurt me and I don't want you to ever hurt a girl again."
"Hermione, I-" Charlie started again. Again, he was unable to finish. Hermione continued to stare at him, waiting for him to continue. "Look, Hermione," Charlie started again, "I'm sorry if I hurt you, I didn't mean to. You have to believe me."
"Why?"
"Why? Hermione, you have to think of all the reasons why I couldn't do what I wanted to do," Charlie said, throwing his hands up in the air. "Use you're brain, Hermione, your smart, fact-filled brain. Use your common sense."
"I don't care about common sense right now. You still didn't have to hurt me," Hermione said as unwanted tears began to pool in her eyes.
"I didn't want to hurt you; that's why I stopped. I couldn't kiss you Hermione, that would've led to something else which would've led to more. I can't do that with, to you."
"Why not? Am I too young? Too naïve? Too much of a bushy-haired, know-it-all nerd?" Hermione cried. "Charlie."
Charlie looked at Hermione with a smile that played on his lips. "Hermione," Charlie said, a small laugh escaping. "None of thoughts has ever crossed my mind when I think of you. Want to know what I think when I hear your name? I think of your intelligence. Your ability to know something others will search a hundred books for. Your beauty. Yes, your beauty. The beauty that shines from the inside out because you don't care what others think of you. But not just that beauty, your physical beauty as well. I love the way your eyes crinkle when you're smiling, like now, or when you know something no one else knows. But also the way you chew your lip and twirl your hair when you're nervous and don't want to show it. And I especially love the way your hair curls.
"I also think of your kindness. The way you stick with your friends no matter what. Ron talks about you constantly and what you've done to help Harry even though it has put yourself in danger. You always think of your friends first. When I hear your name, Hermione, the first word that comes to mind is exceptional, because you are. You are like no other girl I have ever met and that kind of scares me. I've been through my fair share of girls, I'll admit but none of them have ever made me feel the way you make me feel."
"Then why are you doing this?" Hermione asked, absentmindedly wiping away a tear. "Why did you ignore me, why are you brushing me off?"
"Ok first of all, I'm not brushing you off, and second of all I'm scared! In case you didn't know, my brother loves you. What's he going to think of me when he finds out the way I feel about you. Because I do love you Hermione, I've never felt like this before but he's my brother," Charlie explained, wiping away the tears that had fallen from Hermione's eye with his thumb.
"I don't care about your brother," Hermione shook her head. "He's just my friend, nothing more. I care about you. Only you."
"Hermione, I can't," Charlie whispered quietly as the sentence drifted off unfinished.
Both stood facing each other as the sun began its slow descent toward the ground. They stared into each other's eyes, unable to look away but knowing they'd have to eventually; knowing that once they did, it would be over and there was nothing either of them could do. Both knew it wouldn't, couldn't work but fire and passion continued to burn in their eyes. The want, the desire, the love was there but neither could make a move to act on it. Because once they did, there would be no turning back and they couldn't go down that road.
"It's not fair," Hermione whispered, breaking the silence.
"It never is," Charlie whispered back, grabbing Hermione's wrist again and pulling her close to him. The couple's breath mixed as they stood close together. The only question that remained was who would take the plunge?
Ron peeked out the kitchen window, grimacing. He couldn't believe it. This was the third time he had looked out the window within the past ten seconds, but he still couldn't believe it.
He had lost.
He had officially and finally lost.
A/N: Was it all you hoped for and more? Do you like the ending? I was going to add more about Hermione being happy was a consolation for Ron buuut I like this better. I love ending fics like this, haha.
Hermione was kind of off-character for the first part but I think I got her as in-character as possible with this coupling by the end.
Hmmm.
Ok, I better have 50+ reviews for this whole Chemical Reaction fic since I have so many watchers and so many people wanted a sequel. You hear? 50+. 60+ if you want to .
And I offically draw the line here. I don't see how I can write a third one, if I really thought about it, maybe, but I don't think it'll work. I've completed the circle by writing this, please don't ask for more because there is no more.
Oh, and I hope you guys all figured out that Hermione and Charlie are kissing when Ron looks out the window. I think I made that fairly obvious, if not, it's easily assumable. The only question remains...who made the plunge??? What do you think?
You better Review!