"You Only Live Twice"

Sequel to "Leah"

by Dorthey Star

Chapter One: Welcome Back

          Hermione sat at a table, holding a cup of tea.

          "So you're telling me that Ginny brought you back by magic?" Mrs. Granger asked. Hermione nodded and took a sip of her drink.

          "Do you feel all right?" Mr. Granger asked worriedly.

          "I'm just a little tired, that's all," Hermione said quietly. She set her cup down and went upstairs to go to bed. Mrs. Granger looked at Mr. Granger.

          "I knew all this magic business was a bad idea, Derrick," she said to him, "If she hadn't gone to that…that school then she wouldn't have gotten killed!"

          "Yes, Elaine, that's true, but since she did go to that school and she did get killed, she also lived because of her friend," Mr. Granger said.

          "I would have rather had her live and not have died at all," Mrs. Granger sighed.

          "Me too, Elaine, but I'm glad that it worked out to where she lived. You should be thankful too. Hermione is our only daughter and we should be thanking Ginny on bended knees," Mr. Granger said calmly.

          "I know, but it still doesn't help me feel any better," Mrs. Granger said before walking away.

***

          Hermione sat in her nightgown on her bed in the dark looking at the pictures that were stuck in the edge of her mirror. They were mostly of her, Harry, and Ron and were all smiling and waving. She sniffed back the tears. There was a knock on her door and it opened to reveal her mother.

          "Are you sure you feel all right, Hermione?" Mrs. Granger asked and sat on the edge of the bed.

          "It's a little…odd, that's all. When are we going to go shopping for Hogwarts? I go back in a few days," Hermione said.

          "About you school, dear, I don't think you should-" Mrs. Granger started, but Hermione interrupted.

          "You don't think I should go back? But I have to! It's my last year, mum. Besides, I would miss everyone terribly," Hermione protested.

          "You could write to them," Mrs. Granger suggested cheerfully, "Besides, if you went back to that place, you could get killed again. I just don't think it's safe for you to go back."

          "Mum, Lucius Malfoy and Mr. Nott are in Azkaban. Ginny told me earlier. There's a chance I could get killed just sitting here talking to you. Life is full of dangers and sometimes we just have to risk it," Hermione said and stood up. She pulled back her covers as her mother stood up.

          "Hermione Leah Granger, you are not going to back that school and that's final!" Mrs. Granger said strictly.

          "Mum!" Hermione yelled.

          "Don't fight with me on your first day back, Hermione. Sleep on it. In the morning you'll see that I'm right. I'm your mother; I know what's best for you," Mrs. Granger said and left the room.

          "Knows what's right for me?" Hermione muttered, "Yeah right."

***

          The next morning, Hermione didn't want to go downstairs. She had thought about it practically all night and she knew that she had to go back to Hogwarts. She was sitting at her desk, thinking about how to solve the little problem, when there was a knock at the door.

          "Come in," she sighed. The door opened and her father came in.

          "Good morning, princess," he said.

          "Morning, Dad," she said and gave him a weak smile.

          "I talked to your mum last night, and she told me what she told you," Mr. Granger said as he sat down in one of her chairs.

          "Really." Hermione said, calmly.

          "I told her I didn't think it was a good idea and that you should go back to your school," Mr. Granger said smoothly. Hermione flew around to face her dad.

          "Really? Am I going to get to go back?" she asked excitedly. Mr. Granger hesitated and Hermione's face fell.

          "Yes, you are going to get to go back," he finally said. Hermione jumped up and hugged her dad.

          "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said happily.

          "You better get ready. I'm dropping you off in London while I go look at some new dentistry supplies that are now on the market," Mr. Granger stood up.

          "I am ready!" Hermione said. Mr. Granger nodded and they were off.

          ***

          Harry was sitting at a table with Ginny and Ron.

          "How in the world did you bring them back, Gin?" Ron asked. He'd been dying to know ever since it had happened, but Ginny didn't want to talk about it.

          "I don't know. I put my hand on Hermione's arm, and suddenly I was in a forest by a river. Hermione and Malfoy were standing there. Honestly, I don't know how I did it, Ron," Ginny said sadly and shook her head.

          "You never left the funeral," Harry said, "You were there the whole time. Your eyes were open and you were staring at Hermione and you were freezing cold."

          "My body may not have traveled, but my spirit or whatever certainly did," Ginny said and took a drink of her iced pumpkin juice. At that moment, Hermione walked up and sat down at the table. She said nothing, but closed her eyes, basking in the warm sunlight. She was certainly glad to be back on earth.

          "Morning, Hermione," Ginny said.

          "Morning, Gin," Hermione replied, then added, "Morning, Harry, morning, Ron."

          "Morning," Harry and Ron mumbled.

          "Are you all going shopping for Hogwarts?" she asked, opening her eyes. She tried her hardest to ignore the looks that she was being given. Her murder and Draco's suicide had been all over the papers. She hadn't looked at the paper yet, but she knew that her and Draco's coming back to life would also be all over the papers.

          "Yup. Are you?" Ginny asked.

          "Yeah. Why don't we get started?" Hermione asked and stood up. She and Ginny led the way with Harry and Ron trailing behind them.   

          "It really is good to have you back. I just wish I knew how I brought you back," Ginny said quietly to Hermione.

          "It's good to be back, but I wish these people would stop looking at me. I feel like standing up on a table top and shouting to the world that, yes, I am back and alive, but it would just attract more attention," Hermione said gloomily.

          "I really can't imagine…What were you and Malfoy arguing about back in the land of the dead?" Ginny asked curiously.

          "About what the git did," Hermione sighed.

          "What'd he do?"

          "Killed himself," Hermione said angrily.

          "I think it's sweet. I wish some guy would love me enough to do that for me," Ginny sighed wistfully.

          "What makes you think that Harry wouldn't?" Hermione smirked and Ginny blushed.

          "When you died…Harry and I…we decided we needed space…" Ginny said uncomfortably. Hermione stopped in her tracks, making Ron and  Harry crash into her.

          "What?!" Hermione said, her mouth hanging open.

          "What's this all about?" Ron asked.

          "Nothing," Ginny said quickly.

          "What do you mean you needed space?" Hermione asked once they were out of ear shot of the guys.

          "Everything was happening. You and Malfoy died and all that, and, well, things changed. We're still friends, though," Ginny added cheerfully.

          "I cannot believe you two!" Hermione said and threw her arms up, disgustedly.

          "He was getting distant. It seemed he loved you more than he loved me and I just didn't like being second place like that," Ginny explained more thoroughly.

          "You say he…what?" Hermione didn't stop this time, but slowed down. Ginny grabbed her hand and pulled her farther and farther away from the guys.

          "I don't know this for sure, but I think that he was in love with you and not with me," Ginny explained.

          "But…if he was in love with me, why didn't he date me? Lord knows he had the chance," Hermione asked, bewildered.

          "I honestly don't know."

***

          Later that night, Hermione sat in bed, reading her favorite book, Alice in Wonderland. She put the book down, unable to read it any longer.

          "Does he love me?" she wondered out loud. "Of course he loves me," Hermione answered herself and reassuringly added, "But not like Ginny said. He loves me like a sister, I'm sure of it." At that moment, an owl flew in her open window. It was Cecil, Draco's owl. It dropped a letter on her lap and perched on her chair back.

Dear Hermione, the letter said,

          Are you still mad at me? I had good reasons for doing what I did. You don't know my father and the things he's done to me and you never will. Not from me, not from anyone else. If you can't understand why I did what I did, then maybe we shouldn't be together after all.

From,

Draco Malfoy

          Hermione put down the letter.

          "The nerve of him!" she said in outrage. Quickly, she took out a pen and paper, (to infuriate him she used Muggle things).

Malfoy, she wrote

          I can't understand why you killed yourself over me. We shouldn't be together then. Go on back to Pansy and leave me alone!

Sincerely,

Hermione

PS I AM still mad at you and always will be!

          Hermione gave the letter to Cecil and he flew out into the night air. Hermione shivered slightly and got into bed.

***

          "Have a good term, Draco, and take care of yourself," Mrs. Malfoy said as she said goodbye to Draco on Platform 9 ¾ on September 1st .

          "I will, mother," Draco said. He kissed his mother on the check and got onto the train.

          "Draco!" Pansy said as soon as she saw him.

          "Hello, Pansy," he said coolly.

          "That was perfectly awful of your father," she said.

          "Huh?" Draco asked, and blinked his eyes.

          "You know, putting that spell on you to make you kill yourself and look like suicide and all," she said and linked arms with his as they walked to an empty compartment.

          "Yes, that was horrible of him," Draco agreed, trying to convince himself that it was, indeed, a spell and he didn't really love Hermione. As if she sensed that he was thinking about her- rather, trying not to think about her- Hermione walked through the door with Ginny, Harry, and Ron.

          "Malfoy," Hermione sniffed and walked on through the compartment.

          "Granger," he acknowledged her presence and kissed Pansy in a showy manner. Ginny exchanged confused glances with the two guys before following Hermione.

          "What happened?" Ginny asked as soon as they were in their own compartment.

          "What do you mean, Ginny?" Hermione asked with no emotion in her voice.

          "You know what I mean. The whole 'Malfoy-Granger' thing where you don't call each other by your first names. What has gotten into you two?" Ginny asked.

          "She's finally realized that he's evil and she's learned from her mistakes that if you date a Malfoy you get killed-literally," Ron muttered dryly.

          "Ron!" Ginny warned.

          "He's right. Malfoy is a git and I hate him." Hermione said.

          "But-" Ginny started.

          "Drop it. I don't want to talk about it." Hermione said and stared out the window. She closed her eyes and slept the rest of the train ride.

Disclaimer: JKR owns all the characters and places, someone else owns the title.

Author's note: ah, and so the first chapter ends. I had to shut my ears in the oven doors because of making Hermione and Draco split up and Harry and Ginny split up. It just HAD to happen. Well, actually it didn't, but it happened.