A/N- So who wants to know what else was in the box?

"Hermione."

"Hermione."

"Hermione."

"'Mione!"

"Will you two just shut up for a second? I'm trying to remember where I've seen this writing before!" Hermione snapped at her two best friends, swatting their hands off her arms and shoulders and looking back to the slip of paper.

"Honestly woman, the bloody piece of paper isn't important," Ron snapped back and tore the paper from her hands, then shoved it in his robe pocket so that she couldn't reach it. "You haven't seen what else this person sent. Look." He pushed the box towards her, ignoring the fatal death glare she was sending him that would've usually made him apologise straightaway and looked straight back at her.

Hermione eventually gave up trying to intimidate Ron and shot a look at Harry, trying to get back up. He only stared back at her though, just as Ron was doing and nodded at the box. With a dramatic huff, Hermione looked into the box.

The first thing that caught her eye was a branch of purple hyacinth big enough to fit in the box. It was lovely and looked as if it was freshly cut, but that was impossible, Hermione thought, because hyacinths were a springtime flower and right now, it was turning to winter. Hermione wasn't too fond of hyacinths though, so the person who sent it to her couldn't have known her too well, but she did know that the Victorians used to send flowers to each other and each had different meanings. Maybe the hyacinth meant something...she'd have to look it up later.

Hermione rolled her eyes and gave each of the boys' irritated looks. "Would either of you like to explain what's so special about a flower? Because I am completely-"

"We don't give a damn about the flower 'Mione. We're talking about what's under the flower. Didn't you see it?" Harry said, snatching the box and lifting out a silver bracelet. "This," He wiggled the bracelet in front of Hermione as her eyes widened in surprise and Ron made a strange strangled noise of protest.

"It's beautiful," Hermione whispered, reaching out to touch it.

"What are you doing?" Ron blurted out, his face turning red. "We don't even know who sent you the damn thing! It could be cursed or something."

Hermione quickly snatched her hand back from almost touching it, knowing what Ron said was true but Harry only rolled his eyes and lowered his hand.

"Ron's right, Harry. For all we know, this could be a plot to kill one-"

"I've already checked to see if there was any Dark Magic contained in the bracelet, it's as safe as anything and if it drains the life out of things then the flower would've been dead by now," Harry assured them. Hermione still looked at Harry sceptically, as if he might've been so careless to have done the spells wrong and if she took it back, she'd be dead or possessed within seconds, but she trusted Harry to do it right. Besides, she thought, Harry had a good point; the jewellery obviously wasn't sent to drain her life and he was holding it without any problems. Ron relaxed greatly though, having full faith in Harry that it was perfectly fine and now, instead of looking at the gift with alarm, they too was curious as to who sent it.

When it was clear that Hermione was going to probably just sit there contently and stare at the bracelet from his hand, Harry handed the bracelet back to her. She took it carefully still, and held it out in front of her, turning it over in her hands and looking for any indication as to who sent it. There was nothing. Hermione, however, didn't let that damper her mood about the gift – it was, after all, beautiful.

There were six medium-sized sapphires placed around the silver bracelet, with two fingernail-sized ones on either side. The gems looked even more gorgeous as they twinkled in the morning light streaming in through the windows, and just by the sheer weight of it, Hermione knew that these were real.

"Dear Merlin Hermione, when did you get that?" Ginny practically shouted, running over to the Golden Trio as soon as she spotted them and, more importantly, what she was holding.

"Just now actually," Hermione replied, trying to be casual about something that was getting her mind whirring and her heart beating that little bit faster.

"Well give it here!" Ginny ordered excitedly, reaching across the table to take it from her. Hermione happily handed it over and just watched Ginny's expressions that she was sure she was showing the first time that she saw it too. She looked back over to Hermione only seconds later, her mouth hanging open and the bracelet now on her wrist. "Bloody hell! Hermione – did – did – this is real! Did you know this is real?"

Immediately Ron snatched the box over from where it was still sitting with Harry and started frantically throwing all the tissue paper out of it, as if there was something that everyone had missed – like who might've sent it.

"It's certainly heavy enough for them to be real," Hermione said.

Then only just remembering that he had taken the note off Hermione, Ron plunged his hand into this pocket and retrieved the note, his eyes quickly reading it repeatedly. Harry only sat there in his own world, thinking, while Hermione watched Ginny admire her bracelet. Glancing over to Ron, Hermione rolled her eyes at him wanting to know perhaps more desperately than anyone else who the sender was, when only minutes before he was saying that 'the bloody piece of paper isn't important'.
"W-What?" Ginny spluttered at Hermione's response. She at least expected her to be more enthusiastic or excited at the expensive bracelet with fucking real sapphires! Something that none of them would ever hope to buy themselves now or in the future. "Well at least say who sent it to you!"

"I don't know," Hermione said simply, shrugging, seeming completely indifferent when in reality she desperately wanted the bracelet back from Ginny so that she could keep something so precious safe and, of course, try it on herself. "And Ron, there are no clues as to the sender on that bloody unimportant piece of paper, unless you recognise the writing."

Ginny's jaw dropped for a couple of seconds, before curving up into a large grin. "Hermione!" She squealed, "Hermione, you've got a secret admirer! Oh my, this is so exciting!" Hermione gave Ginny a half-hearted smile, although she suddenly became more nervous now thinking that she had a 'secret admirer', as Ginny put it. Harry and Ron – mostly Ron – starting choking on their food. Hermione's cheeks burned. It was as if they thought that she couldn't have a secret admirer, Hermione thought, surely she wasn't that bad. There could be someone in the Hall with a crush on her, couldn't there be? Well, as long as it wasn't some star-struck First Year or something. "Oh! Oh! What does the note say?"

"Um, nothing really. It just says...sorry." Hermione shrugged again.

It was clear that Ginny wasn't by far expecting the note to say that, probably something more romantic in her head, but what she said was the truth and Ginny brought the goofy smile back to her face. "What a way to apologise! He must really like you 'Mione! Oh, I wonder what he did wrong for such an elaborate make-up gift," she gushed.

Harry regained his composure quickest after battling his small coughs, giving Hermione a cheery look, though he also seemed worried about whom it could be. Obviously, it wasn't from him – he was with Ginny – and it wasn't from Ron, unfortunately for him he wasn't rich enough to afford such a thing, even with the money he received from the Ministry as thanks for the help winning the War. It couldn't be Neville because he was with Hannah and though Blaise at least had come a long way since the war, Harry definitely didn't think it was Zabini or Malfoy and hoped it wasn't as well. Then again, it might not even be an Eighth Year. "I'm happy for you 'Mione; it was nice for you to receive something from someone who isn't out to kill you. This guy seems-"

"Stupidly rich," Ron muttered bitterly.

Harry continued as if he didn't hear Ron, "nice enough just because of that."

"Yes. Well. Thank you Harry," Hermione said, now standing up as she felt the air become slightly awkward and not knowing what else to say. "I think I'm going to go to class now; Professor Cassidy would just be unbearable if any of us were late. Ginny, if you don't mind I'd like to have my gift back please so I can put it somewhere where it won't get broken or lost."

The boys nodded their heads, understanding what Hermione had said about the Potions Master to be true. Ginny deflated a little, having to give up something that she had become so fond of in such a small amount of time. "You know 'Mione, whoever sent this obviously spent a lot, it wouldn't be very polite to just leave it lying around. You should at least wear it," She said and solemnly dropped the bracelet into Hermione's open hand. All Hermione said was 'maybe' and left after collecting the box, saying thanks to Ginny and saying bye to the three of them.

Draco left the Hall a few minutes later, satisfied with what he heard, and headed to his first Potions lesson of the year.

As soon as Hermione was out of the Hall, she allowed a large grin to spread across her face. She had an admirer! Alternatively, this could be someone's idea of a joke. To give the ugly, bushy-haired bookworm hope that someone might actually love her. How pathetic of her to believe it. Her smile deflated at that thought and she stopped her fingers as they were about to close the clasp. Nevertheless, the brighter side of her brain said, who would spend so much on a joke? And the note never did say that the person had a crush on her, all it said was that they were sorry. It was just an apology, she reasoned, and to look like she accepted their apology, she should wear it.

With a smaller smile, she fastened the clasp and paused for a moment to admire what it looked like on her wrist. With a content smile, she pulled her robe sleeve back down to cover it as to avoid questions, and, instead of going straight to the Dungeons, she made a quick detour to the library to see if there was anything special about a purple hyacinth.

'Hyacinth, or 'Hyacinthus' is derived from the name of a beautiful Spartan youth who was accidently killed by, Apollo, the sun god, while playing quoits. From the Spartans blood, sprang the hyacinth flower. Whilst this flower is found in an assortment of hues, from the tragic tale of its name, the purple hyacinth stands as a symbol of sorrow, a request for forgiveness. According to another legend, the wind god Zephyr, out of jealousy, blew the discus to kill Hyacinth. From his blood sprang a flower, which was named for him.' Hermione read.

So, that was it. The purple hyacinth that was sent was just another way of saying sorry and asking forgiveness. Hermione was almost a bit disappointed by this, but what else was she expecting it to mean? She closed the book with a small sigh and quickly placed it back, before all but running out of the library before she was late to potions.

A/N- Sorry it was so short, but because the next one is such a turning point and so damn important, it deserves a chapter all for itself! If it's not up today, then it'll be up tomorrow, I promise! Can anyone guess what it'll be?

Oh, and who else thought that Hermione's bracelet was amazeballs? I didn't exactly want the jewels to be house related - emerald would be too easy to work out because it's green and ruby just seems a little bit cliche because it's red for Gryffindor. But sapphire is apparently September's birthstone and since that's when Hermione was born, I thought it to be nicer.

Also, about what Hermione read about the hyacinth - I didn't make it up, honestly. I actually got all that from a website as well as the meaning (I'm sorry; please forgive me; sorrow).

And for those of you who don't know, quoits is a throwing game in which players attempt to throw rings over or near a small post.

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