Chapter 2 br br i
Hermione pulled her cousin out from under the table and sat watching her mom and aunt like everyone else in the room. Her mom was holding her aunt and they were both crying. Everyone left the room silently, leaving the two sisters to decide what to do. Her aunt looked over at them with reddened eyes and held her arms out. br br
"Come here, baby" she croaked. Hermione's cousin ran over and put his arms around his mother's waist and buried his face in her robes. Hermione slowly walked behind her mother and unknowingly clutched her robes while peeking out from behind to stare at her cousin with wide eyes. br br
"You know this is the end" her mother said to her sister.
Her aunt nodded but didn't say anything.br br.
"Your son will grow up to be destined to be a Death Eater. My girl will be muggle born. They will grow up to hate each other and be enemies or else they will both be in danger." With that they hugged each other. Hermione and her cousin moved aside. br br
"Don't worry." he said,"We're going to the same school, remember? We'll be there together on the last day when we graduate. We won't hate each other."
Their mothers pulled them away and they could do nothing but stare at each other from their mother's clutches. That was the last they ever saw of each other. br br /i
That wasn't the last we saw of each other, Hermione thought. They probably saw each other everyday at school. She just couldn't believe that someone she has seen for seven years could be him. She doubted that. He probably didn't go to this school. That made Hermione really depressed. If only she could remember his name. br br
Instinctively, Hermione looked up at the people around her. Everyone was so happy and no one paid any attention to her. The only one who was looking at her at all was Malfoy. He frowned and turned away. Malfoy had really changed after Voldemort's defeat. Instead of teasing, he had gone quiet and would glare at Harry, Hermione, and Ron instead. br br
The feast was over and the plates had been cleared, but the seventh years stayed and talked late into the night. Slowly, they were leaving. Harry and Ron got up.br br
"You coming?" Harry asked glancing at Hermione. br
"Yeah," she said, not getting up. Harry and Ron walked off and stood talking outside The Great Hall. Hermione stared at the table. She didn't want to go to bed. It was the last day and her cousin wasn't coming. She sighed and stood. br br
Malfoy was the only other person in The Great Hall. She started walking towards the door and he heard him getting up behind her. The sound of their school shoes against the floor echoed through the huge room. Malfoy started whistling. Hermione was sure that he was doing it to annoy her and she tried to ignore it. She realized she couldn't and realized that the tune sounded familiar. Where had she heard it before? Then it struck her. It was the same tune of her cousin's nursery rhyme! Hermione kept her head forward and didn't stop walking so Malfoy couldn't see the shock on her face. br br
"Hermione!" Ron called sticking his head into The Hall. br br
"Coming!" Hermione said and started running with her head ducked. She didn't stop running until she reached her dorm and through herself on her bed. She didn't think about Malfoy. She didn't want to think about anything that made her realize that her cousin was Malfoy. Hermione fell asleep quickly. br br
The next day they ate breakfast, packed their things, and boarded The Hogwarts Express. Before they knew it, they had finished their school year. Harry, Hermione, and Ron had rented flats in Diagon Alley so they can be near work. Harry and Ron were talking quidditch on the train so that gave Hermione a chance to think about what she refused to think about the night before. br br
It didn't make any sense at all. She was in Gryffindor and he was in Slytherin. Hermione stopped. It did make sense. Perfect Sense. Malfoy had grown up to learn the Dark Arts. The two of them had grown up hating each other, just like Hermione's mother said. Hermione's mother had never talked about her being a part of a wizarding family, hoping Hermione would forget. They acted the way typical muggles acted. Hermione had not forgotten. How could she forget her favorite cousin? How could she forget that her mother was a part of a family that could do magic? How could she forget that her mother was a squib?br br
Hermione felt a rush of guilt that she always had when she thought about her mom being a squib. She had always told Harry and Ron that she was muggleborn. Technically she was. The only difference between a muggle and her mother was that she had wizard blood, which meant Hermione did, too. Even though what Harry and Ron knew wasn't a lie, it wasn't the whole truth either. Why hadn't she told them? Would they lose their trust? Of course they wouldn't, they were her best friends. Still... Hermione looked up at them. They were looking back. br br
"Are you okay? Harry asked frowing. br br
"Yeah, you're not doing anything. You don't even have a book out," Ron said grinning. Hermione shook her head. br br
"No, I'm fine. I have to go. I'll be right back," Hermione headed off towards the restroom, wanting some alone time. Just as she reached it, Lavender rushed in, jewelry and contents of her purse clinking with the sound of her high heels. She closed the door halfway and said to Hermione with a big lipstick smile, br br
"Sorry, Hermione. Big Emergency" Then closed the door on her face. Hermione leaned against the wall next to the door and sighed. She would have thrown a fit in a situation like this but she couldn't will herself to do it. Hermione closed her eyes feeling old and tired. She heard someone come out of a compartment, but did not open her eyes.
Someone was leaning against the wall next to her. br br
"Hello, Hermione," the voice said. Hermione knew that voice. It had always been shaped into a sneer or a drawl. It had never said her first name before. Hermione felt panicked, because she was going find out what she wished was just a mistake. Hermione didn't move or say anything. br br
"What's wrong? Can't I say hello to my favorite cousin?" br br
There,he said it. Hermione wondered if he regretted it as much as she did. But his voice wasn't a sneer or a drawl. It didn't express the hatred he had for her for seven years. It sounded tired and grim. Hermione opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. She saw Malfoy there, not the cousin she loved so much and hoped to meet up with at her graduation. br br
Hermione had always thought of Malfoy as ugly, because of her ugly feelings towards him. His face was blank and looked older than the immature jerk from Slytherin. If Hermione didn't think about how much she had hated him, he could look like any other person. She might even be able to imagine him as her cousin. No she couldn't. Hermione stared at the ground. This person had changed too much, she couldn't think of him as her cousin. Malfoy spoke up again. br br
"I'm sorry about what's happened to us. It's been so long, it's hard to imagine it's you. You were probably as schocked as I was" br br
Malfoy smiled a nervous smile. How could Malfoy act like everything was normal? As if they could make everything the way it used to be? They couldn't. Hermione knew they couldn't and she had seven years of prove. After seven years nothing can go back to the way it was. What was she supposed to call him? You don't call your cousin by their last name. But Hermione certainly could never call this boy Draco. Hermione turned away with her head bowed and walked towards her compartment, trying to ignore Malfoy. br br
"You don't think we can go back again. I was worried you wouldn't," Malfoy said piteously. Hermione stopped walking, still staring at the ground. His voice was bitter. "If that's how you feel then I'm sorry. I would think that after all the hope we had after we parted, you wouldn't give up when we finally found each other. The cousin I knew wouldn't have done that. You probably think I'm the one who changed after all those years. But you've changed, too. I wish you didn't feel that way. Goodbye, Hermione." br br
Malfoy turned sadly around and walked back to his compartment. Hermione still stood there. Hearing him had burned a hole through her heart. She cared, she really did. She just wished she had as much faith as he did. She wished she was able to speak his name the way he did, without spitting it out in disgust. He had kept the past better than she did. It just wouldn't work, she knew. Seven years were too much. She had to let go. br br
Hermione clenched her jaw to keep the tears from spilling making her head hurt and ran to the compartment with Harry and Ron and back to the world where the past was unimportant.
Hermione pulled her cousin out from under the table and sat watching her mom and aunt like everyone else in the room. Her mom was holding her aunt and they were both crying. Everyone left the room silently, leaving the two sisters to decide what to do. Her aunt looked over at them with reddened eyes and held her arms out. br br
"Come here, baby" she croaked. Hermione's cousin ran over and put his arms around his mother's waist and buried his face in her robes. Hermione slowly walked behind her mother and unknowingly clutched her robes while peeking out from behind to stare at her cousin with wide eyes. br br
"You know this is the end" her mother said to her sister.
Her aunt nodded but didn't say anything.br br.
"Your son will grow up to be destined to be a Death Eater. My girl will be muggle born. They will grow up to hate each other and be enemies or else they will both be in danger." With that they hugged each other. Hermione and her cousin moved aside. br br
"Don't worry." he said,"We're going to the same school, remember? We'll be there together on the last day when we graduate. We won't hate each other."
Their mothers pulled them away and they could do nothing but stare at each other from their mother's clutches. That was the last they ever saw of each other. br br /i
That wasn't the last we saw of each other, Hermione thought. They probably saw each other everyday at school. She just couldn't believe that someone she has seen for seven years could be him. She doubted that. He probably didn't go to this school. That made Hermione really depressed. If only she could remember his name. br br
Instinctively, Hermione looked up at the people around her. Everyone was so happy and no one paid any attention to her. The only one who was looking at her at all was Malfoy. He frowned and turned away. Malfoy had really changed after Voldemort's defeat. Instead of teasing, he had gone quiet and would glare at Harry, Hermione, and Ron instead. br br
The feast was over and the plates had been cleared, but the seventh years stayed and talked late into the night. Slowly, they were leaving. Harry and Ron got up.br br
"You coming?" Harry asked glancing at Hermione. br
"Yeah," she said, not getting up. Harry and Ron walked off and stood talking outside The Great Hall. Hermione stared at the table. She didn't want to go to bed. It was the last day and her cousin wasn't coming. She sighed and stood. br br
Malfoy was the only other person in The Great Hall. She started walking towards the door and he heard him getting up behind her. The sound of their school shoes against the floor echoed through the huge room. Malfoy started whistling. Hermione was sure that he was doing it to annoy her and she tried to ignore it. She realized she couldn't and realized that the tune sounded familiar. Where had she heard it before? Then it struck her. It was the same tune of her cousin's nursery rhyme! Hermione kept her head forward and didn't stop walking so Malfoy couldn't see the shock on her face. br br
"Hermione!" Ron called sticking his head into The Hall. br br
"Coming!" Hermione said and started running with her head ducked. She didn't stop running until she reached her dorm and through herself on her bed. She didn't think about Malfoy. She didn't want to think about anything that made her realize that her cousin was Malfoy. Hermione fell asleep quickly. br br
The next day they ate breakfast, packed their things, and boarded The Hogwarts Express. Before they knew it, they had finished their school year. Harry, Hermione, and Ron had rented flats in Diagon Alley so they can be near work. Harry and Ron were talking quidditch on the train so that gave Hermione a chance to think about what she refused to think about the night before. br br
It didn't make any sense at all. She was in Gryffindor and he was in Slytherin. Hermione stopped. It did make sense. Perfect Sense. Malfoy had grown up to learn the Dark Arts. The two of them had grown up hating each other, just like Hermione's mother said. Hermione's mother had never talked about her being a part of a wizarding family, hoping Hermione would forget. They acted the way typical muggles acted. Hermione had not forgotten. How could she forget her favorite cousin? How could she forget that her mother was a part of a family that could do magic? How could she forget that her mother was a squib?br br
Hermione felt a rush of guilt that she always had when she thought about her mom being a squib. She had always told Harry and Ron that she was muggleborn. Technically she was. The only difference between a muggle and her mother was that she had wizard blood, which meant Hermione did, too. Even though what Harry and Ron knew wasn't a lie, it wasn't the whole truth either. Why hadn't she told them? Would they lose their trust? Of course they wouldn't, they were her best friends. Still... Hermione looked up at them. They were looking back. br br
"Are you okay? Harry asked frowing. br br
"Yeah, you're not doing anything. You don't even have a book out," Ron said grinning. Hermione shook her head. br br
"No, I'm fine. I have to go. I'll be right back," Hermione headed off towards the restroom, wanting some alone time. Just as she reached it, Lavender rushed in, jewelry and contents of her purse clinking with the sound of her high heels. She closed the door halfway and said to Hermione with a big lipstick smile, br br
"Sorry, Hermione. Big Emergency" Then closed the door on her face. Hermione leaned against the wall next to the door and sighed. She would have thrown a fit in a situation like this but she couldn't will herself to do it. Hermione closed her eyes feeling old and tired. She heard someone come out of a compartment, but did not open her eyes.
Someone was leaning against the wall next to her. br br
"Hello, Hermione," the voice said. Hermione knew that voice. It had always been shaped into a sneer or a drawl. It had never said her first name before. Hermione felt panicked, because she was going find out what she wished was just a mistake. Hermione didn't move or say anything. br br
"What's wrong? Can't I say hello to my favorite cousin?" br br
There,he said it. Hermione wondered if he regretted it as much as she did. But his voice wasn't a sneer or a drawl. It didn't express the hatred he had for her for seven years. It sounded tired and grim. Hermione opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. She saw Malfoy there, not the cousin she loved so much and hoped to meet up with at her graduation. br br
Hermione had always thought of Malfoy as ugly, because of her ugly feelings towards him. His face was blank and looked older than the immature jerk from Slytherin. If Hermione didn't think about how much she had hated him, he could look like any other person. She might even be able to imagine him as her cousin. No she couldn't. Hermione stared at the ground. This person had changed too much, she couldn't think of him as her cousin. Malfoy spoke up again. br br
"I'm sorry about what's happened to us. It's been so long, it's hard to imagine it's you. You were probably as schocked as I was" br br
Malfoy smiled a nervous smile. How could Malfoy act like everything was normal? As if they could make everything the way it used to be? They couldn't. Hermione knew they couldn't and she had seven years of prove. After seven years nothing can go back to the way it was. What was she supposed to call him? You don't call your cousin by their last name. But Hermione certainly could never call this boy Draco. Hermione turned away with her head bowed and walked towards her compartment, trying to ignore Malfoy. br br
"You don't think we can go back again. I was worried you wouldn't," Malfoy said piteously. Hermione stopped walking, still staring at the ground. His voice was bitter. "If that's how you feel then I'm sorry. I would think that after all the hope we had after we parted, you wouldn't give up when we finally found each other. The cousin I knew wouldn't have done that. You probably think I'm the one who changed after all those years. But you've changed, too. I wish you didn't feel that way. Goodbye, Hermione." br br
Malfoy turned sadly around and walked back to his compartment. Hermione still stood there. Hearing him had burned a hole through her heart. She cared, she really did. She just wished she had as much faith as he did. She wished she was able to speak his name the way he did, without spitting it out in disgust. He had kept the past better than she did. It just wouldn't work, she knew. Seven years were too much. She had to let go. br br
Hermione clenched her jaw to keep the tears from spilling making her head hurt and ran to the compartment with Harry and Ron and back to the world where the past was unimportant.