A/N: I know that first chapter was short, and I'm sorry, really. Anyway,
this one promises to be longer! Enjoy!
2: Old Friends, New Feelings
Hermione didn't want to open her eyes. not just yet. It had been such a perfect dream.
"Hermione!" A voice echoed up the stairs.
"Mmmm." she replied, not wanting to wake.
"Hermione, dear, you have company!"
"Oh!" Hermione yelled, slipping quickly out of bed, stowing the dream away in her mind. She swiftly replaced her dressing gown with a pair of blue jeans and a periwinkle tee-shirt.
"Hermione!"
"Five minutes, Mum!" said Hermione, collapsing back on her bed, and fingering the letter that had been stored under her pillow.
Dear Mio.
She loved the way Ron called her Mio. When he said it, it sounded like "my" as if he were calling her his own.
"Of course that's silly," she said quietly to herself. She focused her eyes back on the letter,
Dear Mio.
"Hermione!"
"I'm coming!" she called hurredly, stashing the letter under her pillow, and tying her bushy, uncooperative hair into a messy bun. She rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen, where her mother sat, smiling warmly at her.
"He's outside on the ledge, Hon." Hermione felt her heart jump. He? Oh please don't let it be Viktor! She prayed silently as she made her way to the door. But once she saw who was waiting, she forgot her worries in a squeal of glee. She sprinted out into the sunlight, a smile across her face.
"Kyle!" she squeeked happily, hugging the blonde boy who had been waiting. When she realeased him, she smiled broadly. "Kyle Brookwell! I never thought-wait, what're you doing here?" Hermione questioned, cocking a suspicious eyebrow. Kyle grinned, his chocolate eyes full of joy.
"Can't a guy visit his best friend without raising suspicions?" Kyle feigned a hurt look, and Hermione shoved him lightly on the shoulder.
"I-I didn't mean it that way, it's just that I haven't seen you in nearly four years!"
"I know." Kyle grinned once more, the pallid morning light reflecting against his sunny blonde hair. Hermione embraced him tightly once more, and then ushered him indoors.
"Maybe we should go into town today?" Hermione suggested as she and Kyle fell back onto the sofa.
"Sounds wizard to me!" Hermione jumped. How did he know? Why hadn't he asked her before? How the hell did he know she was a witch?
"Excuse me?" she sputtered.
"Sounds-Wizard-To-Me." Kyle pronounced slowly.
"Oh, right, sorry." Hermione replied, giving a sigh of relief, as she recalled her friend's favorite expression. "Anyway, we could go into town, grab a bite to eat, and just, hang out a bit, how's that sound?" Hermione said, shifting the subject.
"Fine by me!" Kyle agreed, smiling at her.
"Cool, so, shall we go on ahead?"
"Sounds good."
The two old friends stood and headed for the door.
"Mum!" Hermione called, "Kyle and I are heading into town!"
"Ohh! Wait!" came Mrs. Granger's voice, as she rushed to meet them, handing them each quite a lot of euros.
"Uuhh. thanks Mum." Hermione said, opening the door.
"Yeah, thanks Mrs. Granger!" Kyle imitated, then followed Hermione into the daylight.
"So. tell me Hermione, d'you have a boyfriend?' he questioned. "Ummm. No, I don't actually." Hermione replied, looking straight ahead as she remembered her breakup with Viktor Krum, only two weeks prior. "What about you?" she asked, "Got a girlfriend?"
"Nah. but I've got my on this one girl."
"She's lucky." Hermione said to him smiling as she recalled her and Kyle's childhood together.
"You think so?"
"Definitely."
"Let's hear about your crushes, Hermione."
"Don't be silly you don't want to--" Hermione began, wanting to avoid talking about Ron as much as possible.
"Ah. but I do!" Kyle persisted.
"Fine, I like a friend of mine, but I won't tell you his name. I've liked him for the past four years, but I'm 99% positive that he doesn't like me." Hermione said blankly.
"Ouch."
"Yeah. but maybe eventually.."
"Well, what about right now, 'Mio?"
"How'd you know about that?"
"What?"
"'Mio'?"
"I just thought it sounded good, that's all."
"Please, don't call me that." Hermione ordered bluntly, feeling tears welling up behind her eyes.
"Hermione," Kyle spun her around, and now she was forced to look directly into his wide, chocolate eyes.
"What about right now?"
"What about it?" She asked grumpily. "I like you now."
"Yes, Ron likes me now too!"
"So, it that his name?" Hermione could have slapped herself.
"It doesn't matter." He said, sensing her tension.
"What I meant, was I like you... more than a friend right now." Hermione saw the determined look in his chocolate eyes, and knew she was far too late to stop him. And before she knew it, Kyle's lips had met hers. She pulled away quickly and turned her back to him.
"Hermione!" he called.
"Go home, Kyle!" she yelled, not turning back. She said it once more, when she felt his hand on her shoulder, but this time, in a whisper. "Go home, Kyle." And the moment he was gone, she collapsed in the grass, finding herself staring longingly into the crystal blue sky.
2: Old Friends, New Feelings
Hermione didn't want to open her eyes. not just yet. It had been such a perfect dream.
"Hermione!" A voice echoed up the stairs.
"Mmmm." she replied, not wanting to wake.
"Hermione, dear, you have company!"
"Oh!" Hermione yelled, slipping quickly out of bed, stowing the dream away in her mind. She swiftly replaced her dressing gown with a pair of blue jeans and a periwinkle tee-shirt.
"Hermione!"
"Five minutes, Mum!" said Hermione, collapsing back on her bed, and fingering the letter that had been stored under her pillow.
Dear Mio.
She loved the way Ron called her Mio. When he said it, it sounded like "my" as if he were calling her his own.
"Of course that's silly," she said quietly to herself. She focused her eyes back on the letter,
Dear Mio.
"Hermione!"
"I'm coming!" she called hurredly, stashing the letter under her pillow, and tying her bushy, uncooperative hair into a messy bun. She rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen, where her mother sat, smiling warmly at her.
"He's outside on the ledge, Hon." Hermione felt her heart jump. He? Oh please don't let it be Viktor! She prayed silently as she made her way to the door. But once she saw who was waiting, she forgot her worries in a squeal of glee. She sprinted out into the sunlight, a smile across her face.
"Kyle!" she squeeked happily, hugging the blonde boy who had been waiting. When she realeased him, she smiled broadly. "Kyle Brookwell! I never thought-wait, what're you doing here?" Hermione questioned, cocking a suspicious eyebrow. Kyle grinned, his chocolate eyes full of joy.
"Can't a guy visit his best friend without raising suspicions?" Kyle feigned a hurt look, and Hermione shoved him lightly on the shoulder.
"I-I didn't mean it that way, it's just that I haven't seen you in nearly four years!"
"I know." Kyle grinned once more, the pallid morning light reflecting against his sunny blonde hair. Hermione embraced him tightly once more, and then ushered him indoors.
"Maybe we should go into town today?" Hermione suggested as she and Kyle fell back onto the sofa.
"Sounds wizard to me!" Hermione jumped. How did he know? Why hadn't he asked her before? How the hell did he know she was a witch?
"Excuse me?" she sputtered.
"Sounds-Wizard-To-Me." Kyle pronounced slowly.
"Oh, right, sorry." Hermione replied, giving a sigh of relief, as she recalled her friend's favorite expression. "Anyway, we could go into town, grab a bite to eat, and just, hang out a bit, how's that sound?" Hermione said, shifting the subject.
"Fine by me!" Kyle agreed, smiling at her.
"Cool, so, shall we go on ahead?"
"Sounds good."
The two old friends stood and headed for the door.
"Mum!" Hermione called, "Kyle and I are heading into town!"
"Ohh! Wait!" came Mrs. Granger's voice, as she rushed to meet them, handing them each quite a lot of euros.
"Uuhh. thanks Mum." Hermione said, opening the door.
"Yeah, thanks Mrs. Granger!" Kyle imitated, then followed Hermione into the daylight.
"So. tell me Hermione, d'you have a boyfriend?' he questioned. "Ummm. No, I don't actually." Hermione replied, looking straight ahead as she remembered her breakup with Viktor Krum, only two weeks prior. "What about you?" she asked, "Got a girlfriend?"
"Nah. but I've got my on this one girl."
"She's lucky." Hermione said to him smiling as she recalled her and Kyle's childhood together.
"You think so?"
"Definitely."
"Let's hear about your crushes, Hermione."
"Don't be silly you don't want to--" Hermione began, wanting to avoid talking about Ron as much as possible.
"Ah. but I do!" Kyle persisted.
"Fine, I like a friend of mine, but I won't tell you his name. I've liked him for the past four years, but I'm 99% positive that he doesn't like me." Hermione said blankly.
"Ouch."
"Yeah. but maybe eventually.."
"Well, what about right now, 'Mio?"
"How'd you know about that?"
"What?"
"'Mio'?"
"I just thought it sounded good, that's all."
"Please, don't call me that." Hermione ordered bluntly, feeling tears welling up behind her eyes.
"Hermione," Kyle spun her around, and now she was forced to look directly into his wide, chocolate eyes.
"What about right now?"
"What about it?" She asked grumpily. "I like you now."
"Yes, Ron likes me now too!"
"So, it that his name?" Hermione could have slapped herself.
"It doesn't matter." He said, sensing her tension.
"What I meant, was I like you... more than a friend right now." Hermione saw the determined look in his chocolate eyes, and knew she was far too late to stop him. And before she knew it, Kyle's lips had met hers. She pulled away quickly and turned her back to him.
"Hermione!" he called.
"Go home, Kyle!" she yelled, not turning back. She said it once more, when she felt his hand on her shoulder, but this time, in a whisper. "Go home, Kyle." And the moment he was gone, she collapsed in the grass, finding herself staring longingly into the crystal blue sky.