Second Chances
Chapter 4
Going back to get away, after everything has changed...
Everything seemed so strange and awkward now. At least since she came back. It just...it didn't feel right, was the problem. She was more talkative now, but not by much. Feeling like she needed a break from thinking, Hermione sat down in a chair at the dining table.
Ron's chair.
It still smelled like him. The mixture of cheap cologne, buttermilk, and a scent only Ron had posessed. She smiled slightly at the thought of him, memories flooding back to her. She missed who she had been. She missed how she used to laugh, how much she loved going on those midnight adventures in the castle. And no matter how much she tried to deny it, there was that little part the always reminded her...
She missed him.
Two years seemed so short...
--
"Anna!" Ron called when he got back to his flat. Anna came out from the kitchen, sipping a glass of water. He smiled at her.
"Are we going now?" she asked him. Ron nodded. She smiled, got her jacket, and kissed Ron. "Let's go."
Ron loved Anna very much, that was quite certain. But there was always a certain part (Very small, mind you) that always felt uncomfortable when he kissed her, hugged her, or any of those touchy-feely moments. Like it wasn't...well...ethical to be doing this with her. Like he should be doing these things with someone else. He wasn't sure who, just not Anna.
--
Ginny came down at sat next Hermione. She was worried, Hermione was staring off into space, and hadn't really talked to her or anyone a lot since she came back. More than she had awhile ago but still not a lot. Ginny softly tapped her on the shoulder, pulling Hermione out of her reverie suddenly and not very comfortably.
"Yeah?" Hermione asked Ginny.
"Is there something on your mind?" Ginny asked back. Hermione shook her head, "Well, I was just wondering...would you like to go out to dinner tonight instead of staying home?" Hermione looked confused.
"But your Mum..."
"She won't mind it if you really want to." Ginny said. "Just the two of us. And the twins, if they want to go." Hermione smiled.
"Yeah. I'd like that." she said quietly.
--
Anna and Ron sat down at their table and waited for a waiter to come by and give them their menus. While they sat, Anna decided to ask ROn something she'd been wondering about. Though she wasn't quite sure she wanted to know.
"Ron...you seem sort of...tense since yesterday." she said, playing with her fingers. "Is there anything you want to tell me?" Ron opened his mouth to say something, but decided not to. He thought about his reply for a moment before answering.
"Anna, do you swear you won't laugh at me when I tell you this?" Ron said, She nodded. "Well...I've been having these dreams lately and...well...there's this girl in them. She's got this sort of bushy brown hair and she's kind of short. And so...well...yesterday at work I saw her on the street...or at least I thought I did and I yelled some sort of word out into the street. I don't know if it was a name or some sort of object or little made-up magical word but it was..."
--
"...Hermione."
Her head snapped around as she heard it in the resteraunt. That was the second time she'd heard Ron's voice saying her name in two days. She hadn't really thought about it at first, but maybe she was going mad.
"'Mione, you've got to just relax. I know you're not going to forget about him but just...well...let it go for now. You're with your friends. Having a peaceful dinner. In a resteraunt. A rather nice one, might I add. I mean, look at the--"
"Fred..."
"Sorry." he said looking away from Ginny's glare. Hermione gave a slight laugh.
Fred had decided to come with them, whereas George decided to stay home. "Nothing better than a home-cooked meal. And I feel weird around those sort of people. They make me feel like I'm beneath them or something," George had said. So it was Ginny and Fred who went out with Hermione to dinner.
"There we go." Fred said, smiling, "We've got a bit of the old Hermione back."
--
Ron sighed and leaned back in his seat. Rubbing his eyes with one of his hands, he said,
"I'm sorry Anna, this is just supposed to a relaxing dinner and then..." he said, sighing again. Anna smiled and put her hand on his.
"It's all right." she said, her brown eyes twinkling.
"Hermione..." The word just popped into his head and for a moment, Anna's image was replaced by the girl in his dream. This was starting to get to Ron. Who the hell was this girl, and why did he keep thinking about her? He had a burning curiousity that wa mixed with a small bit of frustration. He wanted to know who she was, but most of all, he just wanted her out of his head.
Anna got up from her seat and swung her blond hair oover her shoulder. "I'm going to the bathroom, okay?" she said. Ron nodded. Anna got up from her chair and passed Ginny, Fred, and Hermione's table. She looked back at them once, twice, then three times before going into the bathroom. She came back down and stopped at their table before going back to her own.
"I'm sorry for this, but I just can't help but thinking I've seen you before." Anna said to Fred. Fred raised his eyebrow.
"Uhm...I don't think we have..." he said. Anna rubbed the back of her neck with one of her hands.Ginny looked at Fred. Fred looked at Hermione. Hermione looked at Ginny. There was an awkward silence.
Hermione shifted her position and accidently hit a table leg. The glasses and plates clinked at Ginny jumped. "Oh my god, who was that?" she asked.
"Sorry." Hermione said. Ginny sighed. "It's all right, Hermione." she said. Anna turned her head sharply towards Hermione.
"Your name's Hermione?" Anna asked her. She nodded slowly. "Oh my god, my boyfriend's been thinking about that word all day! What a coincidence!" she said, smiling. "Well, I'm sorry for disturbing you guys, have a good dinner, okay?"
"It's all right." Ginny said, smiliing back. "You have a good dinner too."
--
"Your name's Hermione?"
Ron's head snapped to where Anna was standing. Hermione? He looked to who Anna was looking at and saw the girl walking down the street the day before. It was her. She looked the same. And Anna was talking to her.
She was real.
