A Chance Worth Taking: A Different Side of Hermione
WARNING: This is fluffy, really, really fluffy! Also, there could be some
language, not a lot, only what's used in the hp books, just want to let you
know...
Summary: Life's a mess for Hermione Granger. Her grades are dropping, her parents are divorcing, her best friend, Harry Potter is in an almost suicidal temperament. It seems as if her only outlet is her boyfriend, Viktor Krum. Sweet, loyal, quiet, romantic Viktor. No one could take his place. Until she begins to see a certain someone in a whole new light. Romance is blossoming between Hermione and BOTH of her love interests. Life just couldn't get worse.
Chapter One: Roses for Hermione
Hermione had only just returned home for the summer from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and already she longed to go back. She was locked in her room, her radio turned up to highest notch, fashion magazines in piles all over the floor, while her school books lay forgotten on her desk. It would have been impossible to study even if she turned the radio off. As a matter of fact, that would have made things worse. She continued reading through the magazine. She remained there for a few more hours, by then her stomach was growling loudly that she could barely hear the radio. She hadn't eaten all day. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Then she stood, her legs wobbling, and she moved toward the door. She turned the knob slowly then shut the door behind her. Not a sound. She was in shock. Knowing that moments when her parents weren't yelling were scarce, she seized the opportunity and rushed to the kitchen. They were there. Her mother was sitting at the dining table, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her father was hunched over the counter, his face buried into his hands.
"Hermione, honey, sit down." Her mother said in a small voice as her father turned to see her. Her eyes shifted slowly from her mother to her father before she sat.
"What?" she whispered, barely able to speak, something about the atmosphere promised her that the news was not good.
"Hermione, sweetie," her father began, "I'm sure you've noticed that your mother and I... we aren't getting on very well lately."
"How could I not have noticed?" she replied bitterly.
"Hermione!" Her mother exclaimed, "What has gotten into you, lately? You've never had such a horrible attitude!"
"Yes, well, see this is part of the problem, Malorie, it's our fault..."
"Don't be an idiot, Bryan," she snapped, "We haven't raised her to speak like that-"
"Malorie, how many times have you told her to set an example through actions, not just through orders?" Her father asked her, his voice slightly raised now.
"Bryan, I cannot---"
"CAN SOMEONE PLEASE JUST TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Hermione screamed. Her mother looked taken aback.
"Honey, your mother and I, we... we've decided that it would be best for us... for you, if we got a divorce..."
"WHAT?" She screeched, tears were now streaming down her face. "How-how long have you been thinking about this?"
"Christmas." Her mother replied, looking to the floor. "And nobody bothered to tell me?" "Honey...." "UGGGH!" Hermione bounded back up the stairs, tears still flowing. When she returned to her bedroom, there was an owl waiting for her, it had beautiful, long russet feathers that reflected the dim light perfectly.
"Morning, Nikki." Smiling, she greeted Viktor's owl, Nikola, with the nickname she had given it. She stroked Nikki's feathers absent mindedly for a while before retrieving the letter, addressed to her in Viktor's smooth penmanship. She smiled softly as she unfolded the letter.
Dear Hermione,
I miss you very much, I haven't seen you since last summer! It seems much longer, though! Things are really dull, now that I am done with school. It seems like I am eating, drinking and dreaming of Quidditch. I am starting to become very tired of my whole life being Quidditch. I wish there were more time for you. I am so sorry I haven't written for a while, we had extra practices and our most recent game against the California United Team (which we won, of course) lasted SIX days! I am beginning to think you might be bored of this also. Just letter after letter. I know I miss seeing your face. I sometimes wonder if you miss me as much. I hope you do, but I also know you deserve more attention than I have been giving you and I really am sorry. I hope that you feel the same way you did last summer, but then again, I do not know. I don't mean to sound doubtful, honest. I suppose I'm just thinking on paper I should end this letter now, before I think something stupid. But before I go, I wanted to tell you that my English had improved so much since we last spoke! I can say your name perfectly now! It's Her-My-O-Nee only, a little bit quicker than that I think.
I miss you, Her-my-o-nee (Sorry, but that made me laugh).
Viktor.
Nikki nipped impatiently at Hermione's ear. Hermione paid her no mind. Exasperated, the owl simply dropped a second note.
Hermione-
I can't BELIEVE I forgot to tell you! I'm coming for a short visit on Sunday! I have to go, practice.
Love,
Viktor
Hermione gave a wide smile; everything from the past week seemed to disappear as she thought of seeing him. And as if a dream, she heard the door bell ring. She leaped out of bed and down the stairs, wrenching the door open; she leapt atop the person standing at the door, not bothering to look at him. She kissed him passionately, but he pushed her away. The person at the door was not Viktor. It was Ron.
"Didn't expect you'd miss me so much." Ron said casually, as if Hermione kissed him like this daily. Apart from the slightly dazed look in his eye, an onlooker would have thought this a regular routine between the two.
"Oh my gosh, Ron, I am SO sorry." Hermione said, her cheeks had gone a deep shade of red. "I... I thought you were someone else."
"Of course... you were waiting on Vicky." Ron taunted.
"Viktor, Ron. Viktor. And, how did you know I was waiting for him?" she asked suspiciously.
"He turned up at MY house this morning. Apparently, he thought you would be staying with us. And let me tell you, Fred and George are visiting from Diagon Alley, and er... they happened to think he's make a good test subject..."
"Damn."
"Sorry? This is Hermione Granger I'm talking to, right?" Ron said wide eyes in shock.
"Shut up, Ron. These have been the worst two weeks of my life, I'm not in a good mood, and don't you dare make it worse." She said through clenched teeth.
"Right. Well... okay then. Are you, are you ready to go?"
"Go?!" Hermione inquired.
"You know, to my house, that's where your boyfriend is, isn't it?"
"Yeah, yeah. I guess. Hang on." Her parents shouting voices were heard in the distance.
"What the-"
"SHUT UP RON!" Hermione hissed. Ron looked taken aback. "Ok, listen, you stay, don't move- don't make a sound, and I'm going to get my things." She whispered.
"Er... right."
"SHH!"
"Sorry."
Hermione bounded excitedly up the stairs and threw a pile of clothes along with her school books, a few of her fashion the floor, a hair brush, her bottle of Celestial Straightening Solution, and, just in case, her battery operated straightening iron. She left a note for her parents, telling them she would be fine and not to worry, but she conveniently forgot to mention that she would be at the Burrow, in case they got angry. Then she returned to Ron, ushered him out side and shut the door behind them. There was a sleek, silver car parked across the road. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.
"Ron, how did you get here?" he motioned towards the vehicle across the street.
"Be serious, Ron!"
"No, I am! It's Fred and George's; I kind of... borrowed kit. Come here, I'll show you." He led her toward the back of the car and pointed toward the license plate. I said 'Fred'. But, soon, 'Fred' magically faded and 'George' appeared.
"Wow. Ron, are you sure the joke shop got them enough for this???"
"We figured it'd be better not to ask." Hermione shrugged.
"Hop in!" Ron told her, smiling. He patted the car, his grin widening. Hermione knew how pleased he must have been. No one in his family had ever had enough money for something like this.
She opened the door on the passenger side. The inside was even nicer than the sleek, silver exterior. There black leather seats that were warmed from the sun. There were several suspicious buttons that one wouldn't find in a normal car, and two, deep round holes in between the driver and passenger seats. Hermione ginned and slipped her wand into one of the holes. Ron slid into the seat beside her and did the same.
"Brilliant, isn't it?" Ron said his voice full of pride. "Ok, one warning... hold on, tight." Hermione didn't need to be told twice. With Ron driving a car that had obviously been tampered with by a pair of practical jokers, it was only logic that she would hold on to the seat with her life. In what seemed like a millisecond (though Hermione's watch told her differently) they had arrived at the Burrow, where two very angry twins were standing on the front step.
"I'll just... er... leave this to you." Hermione said quickly evacuating the car. And she hurried toward the back door of the Burrow, as to avoid Fred and George. Viktor was waiting for her in the garden.
"Hey." She said smiling.
"Hermione," Viktor said quietly. She made her way to him and placed her arms around his neck, and looked up into his grey eyes. "Wow. You really did get it right." She said before kissing his cheek softly.
"I missed you so much." He told her.
"I missed you too."
"Oh!" he exclaimed, pulling away from her, he retrieved a small bundle of roses from the ground and handed the bouquet to her. All she could do was smile.
Summary: Life's a mess for Hermione Granger. Her grades are dropping, her parents are divorcing, her best friend, Harry Potter is in an almost suicidal temperament. It seems as if her only outlet is her boyfriend, Viktor Krum. Sweet, loyal, quiet, romantic Viktor. No one could take his place. Until she begins to see a certain someone in a whole new light. Romance is blossoming between Hermione and BOTH of her love interests. Life just couldn't get worse.
Chapter One: Roses for Hermione
Hermione had only just returned home for the summer from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and already she longed to go back. She was locked in her room, her radio turned up to highest notch, fashion magazines in piles all over the floor, while her school books lay forgotten on her desk. It would have been impossible to study even if she turned the radio off. As a matter of fact, that would have made things worse. She continued reading through the magazine. She remained there for a few more hours, by then her stomach was growling loudly that she could barely hear the radio. She hadn't eaten all day. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Then she stood, her legs wobbling, and she moved toward the door. She turned the knob slowly then shut the door behind her. Not a sound. She was in shock. Knowing that moments when her parents weren't yelling were scarce, she seized the opportunity and rushed to the kitchen. They were there. Her mother was sitting at the dining table, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her father was hunched over the counter, his face buried into his hands.
"Hermione, honey, sit down." Her mother said in a small voice as her father turned to see her. Her eyes shifted slowly from her mother to her father before she sat.
"What?" she whispered, barely able to speak, something about the atmosphere promised her that the news was not good.
"Hermione, sweetie," her father began, "I'm sure you've noticed that your mother and I... we aren't getting on very well lately."
"How could I not have noticed?" she replied bitterly.
"Hermione!" Her mother exclaimed, "What has gotten into you, lately? You've never had such a horrible attitude!"
"Yes, well, see this is part of the problem, Malorie, it's our fault..."
"Don't be an idiot, Bryan," she snapped, "We haven't raised her to speak like that-"
"Malorie, how many times have you told her to set an example through actions, not just through orders?" Her father asked her, his voice slightly raised now.
"Bryan, I cannot---"
"CAN SOMEONE PLEASE JUST TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Hermione screamed. Her mother looked taken aback.
"Honey, your mother and I, we... we've decided that it would be best for us... for you, if we got a divorce..."
"WHAT?" She screeched, tears were now streaming down her face. "How-how long have you been thinking about this?"
"Christmas." Her mother replied, looking to the floor. "And nobody bothered to tell me?" "Honey...." "UGGGH!" Hermione bounded back up the stairs, tears still flowing. When she returned to her bedroom, there was an owl waiting for her, it had beautiful, long russet feathers that reflected the dim light perfectly.
"Morning, Nikki." Smiling, she greeted Viktor's owl, Nikola, with the nickname she had given it. She stroked Nikki's feathers absent mindedly for a while before retrieving the letter, addressed to her in Viktor's smooth penmanship. She smiled softly as she unfolded the letter.
Dear Hermione,
I miss you very much, I haven't seen you since last summer! It seems much longer, though! Things are really dull, now that I am done with school. It seems like I am eating, drinking and dreaming of Quidditch. I am starting to become very tired of my whole life being Quidditch. I wish there were more time for you. I am so sorry I haven't written for a while, we had extra practices and our most recent game against the California United Team (which we won, of course) lasted SIX days! I am beginning to think you might be bored of this also. Just letter after letter. I know I miss seeing your face. I sometimes wonder if you miss me as much. I hope you do, but I also know you deserve more attention than I have been giving you and I really am sorry. I hope that you feel the same way you did last summer, but then again, I do not know. I don't mean to sound doubtful, honest. I suppose I'm just thinking on paper I should end this letter now, before I think something stupid. But before I go, I wanted to tell you that my English had improved so much since we last spoke! I can say your name perfectly now! It's Her-My-O-Nee only, a little bit quicker than that I think.
I miss you, Her-my-o-nee (Sorry, but that made me laugh).
Viktor.
Nikki nipped impatiently at Hermione's ear. Hermione paid her no mind. Exasperated, the owl simply dropped a second note.
Hermione-
I can't BELIEVE I forgot to tell you! I'm coming for a short visit on Sunday! I have to go, practice.
Love,
Viktor
Hermione gave a wide smile; everything from the past week seemed to disappear as she thought of seeing him. And as if a dream, she heard the door bell ring. She leaped out of bed and down the stairs, wrenching the door open; she leapt atop the person standing at the door, not bothering to look at him. She kissed him passionately, but he pushed her away. The person at the door was not Viktor. It was Ron.
"Didn't expect you'd miss me so much." Ron said casually, as if Hermione kissed him like this daily. Apart from the slightly dazed look in his eye, an onlooker would have thought this a regular routine between the two.
"Oh my gosh, Ron, I am SO sorry." Hermione said, her cheeks had gone a deep shade of red. "I... I thought you were someone else."
"Of course... you were waiting on Vicky." Ron taunted.
"Viktor, Ron. Viktor. And, how did you know I was waiting for him?" she asked suspiciously.
"He turned up at MY house this morning. Apparently, he thought you would be staying with us. And let me tell you, Fred and George are visiting from Diagon Alley, and er... they happened to think he's make a good test subject..."
"Damn."
"Sorry? This is Hermione Granger I'm talking to, right?" Ron said wide eyes in shock.
"Shut up, Ron. These have been the worst two weeks of my life, I'm not in a good mood, and don't you dare make it worse." She said through clenched teeth.
"Right. Well... okay then. Are you, are you ready to go?"
"Go?!" Hermione inquired.
"You know, to my house, that's where your boyfriend is, isn't it?"
"Yeah, yeah. I guess. Hang on." Her parents shouting voices were heard in the distance.
"What the-"
"SHUT UP RON!" Hermione hissed. Ron looked taken aback. "Ok, listen, you stay, don't move- don't make a sound, and I'm going to get my things." She whispered.
"Er... right."
"SHH!"
"Sorry."
Hermione bounded excitedly up the stairs and threw a pile of clothes along with her school books, a few of her fashion the floor, a hair brush, her bottle of Celestial Straightening Solution, and, just in case, her battery operated straightening iron. She left a note for her parents, telling them she would be fine and not to worry, but she conveniently forgot to mention that she would be at the Burrow, in case they got angry. Then she returned to Ron, ushered him out side and shut the door behind them. There was a sleek, silver car parked across the road. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.
"Ron, how did you get here?" he motioned towards the vehicle across the street.
"Be serious, Ron!"
"No, I am! It's Fred and George's; I kind of... borrowed kit. Come here, I'll show you." He led her toward the back of the car and pointed toward the license plate. I said 'Fred'. But, soon, 'Fred' magically faded and 'George' appeared.
"Wow. Ron, are you sure the joke shop got them enough for this???"
"We figured it'd be better not to ask." Hermione shrugged.
"Hop in!" Ron told her, smiling. He patted the car, his grin widening. Hermione knew how pleased he must have been. No one in his family had ever had enough money for something like this.
She opened the door on the passenger side. The inside was even nicer than the sleek, silver exterior. There black leather seats that were warmed from the sun. There were several suspicious buttons that one wouldn't find in a normal car, and two, deep round holes in between the driver and passenger seats. Hermione ginned and slipped her wand into one of the holes. Ron slid into the seat beside her and did the same.
"Brilliant, isn't it?" Ron said his voice full of pride. "Ok, one warning... hold on, tight." Hermione didn't need to be told twice. With Ron driving a car that had obviously been tampered with by a pair of practical jokers, it was only logic that she would hold on to the seat with her life. In what seemed like a millisecond (though Hermione's watch told her differently) they had arrived at the Burrow, where two very angry twins were standing on the front step.
"I'll just... er... leave this to you." Hermione said quickly evacuating the car. And she hurried toward the back door of the Burrow, as to avoid Fred and George. Viktor was waiting for her in the garden.
"Hey." She said smiling.
"Hermione," Viktor said quietly. She made her way to him and placed her arms around his neck, and looked up into his grey eyes. "Wow. You really did get it right." She said before kissing his cheek softly.
"I missed you so much." He told her.
"I missed you too."
"Oh!" he exclaimed, pulling away from her, he retrieved a small bundle of roses from the ground and handed the bouquet to her. All she could do was smile.
