Chapter 2: Surprises
Hermione woke in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, covered in sweat. The nightmare she just had was a vivid reminder of what happened to her before she came to Hogwarts. She couldn't fall back asleep, so she went down to the common room. She sat down on the couch and thought.
Across the castle, in the Ravenclaw common room, Andrew Miller was also up in his common room thinking. But unlike Hermione, who was thinking about her family and her grades, Andrew was thinking about Hermione. He had liked her since the end of 6th year, and he was just too shy to ask her out. He dreamed of her, thought about her, daydreamed of her, but she still didn't like him back. Little did he know that that would soon change.
Christmas morning found Hermione sprawled out on the couch.
"Hey, 'Mione," said a voice from somewhere above her head. "Wake up. It's Christmas!"
She opened her eyes and saw Andrew Miller standing above her. "What the hell are you doing here?" she screeched. "How did you get through the portrait hole?"
He just smiled his million dollar smile, took her hand and sat down. As he sat down, she couldn't help but notice his eyes, and his body. His eyes were a deep shade of brown, almost black. His glassed made him look even more intelligent than he was.He had nice abs, which fit him perfectly, since he was on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. He was a bit taller than her, but that didn't matter. He had jet black hair that was spiked all the time, even after playing quidditch (A/N: naturally, and it looked so hot on him). She saw a depth in his eyes that she hadn't seen in any guy's eyes before, and it puzzled her. Oh well, figure that out later, she said to herself as he inched closer to her, gaining while she was in debate with herself over what he would say, if he said anything.
He started to say something, (I knew it, thought Hermione) but she was shaken awake by Harry, who found her when he came down from his dormitory, and she didn't get hear what Andrew was going to say. A good thing too, because she would've been freaked out by it.
"Hermione, what are you doing down here?" asked Harry, concerned.
"I couldn't sleep, so I came down here."
"Have you opened your gifts yet?"
"No."
"Well, go get em and bring em down here so I can see what you got."
"Alright, be right back." And she went up to get them off her bed.
It took Hermione two trips to bring everything downstairs to the common room. When she had finally finished and sat down, Ron had seated himself next to Harry.
His eyes were drifting in and out of focus as Hermione said hi. Harry slapped him to wake him up when he didn't answer.
"Wa...what?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "Here I am thinking that you came down to watch me open my presents, but you just fall back asleep! Men are so insensitive!" she muttered to herself under her breath.
"Just open em up, Mione. Forget that Ron's an insensitive prat." She grinned. "He is, isn't he?" and reached for the first present. (A/N: Kate, do NOT hurt me. Every person is entitles to her own opinion, and I don't really feel that way, its just in the story b/c of what he said.)
After opening all of her presents, there was one card left on the table and it was unsigned. The only writing on the outside was her name on the front of the card.
"Who do ya think sent the card?" asked Hermione to the boys.
"No clue." they replied together, then Harry said, "I haven't heard anything, but—"he glanced at Ron, who nodded. "I, well, we think that somebody likes you."
Hermione smiled, but it looked forced. "At least we know it's not Malfoy."
"How could he ever like you? He loathes you, all of us, with a passion." stated Harry.
"The only way that would happen is if we were in an alternate reality, which is not all that unlikely. But I don't think that would happen here." Hermoine looked at him like he was crazy.
"Well, go on, open it!" Ron urged.
"Alright, alright." she said as she slit open the envelope.
It was a simple piece of parchment, but what was written on it took the breath out of her.
Dear Hermione,
You probably don't know me that well, but I just want to say that I like you.
You've seen me in the halls, but we've never talked. Hopefully soon, that can
change.
The note was anonymous.
"What's it say, what's it say?" asked an excited Ron when he saw her surprised expression.
Hermione slumped back against the couch, horrified at what she just read. She clutched the parchment in knuckles that were turning white, then let go. It drifted to the floor where Harry picked it up.
"Can I read it?" asked Harry, turning to face Hermione. She shrugged, unable to speak. He turned it over and read it. His eyes got increasingly bigger as he read the note.
"Who wrote this?" he asked her. She shrugged again. "I have absolutely no idea, and it's driving me insane!"
Ron looked from one to the other. "What am I, chopped liver? Can I read it, please Hermione?" he gave her the puppy-dog face.
"Fine, Harry, let him see it." She demanded. Harry reluctantly gave up the paper.
Ron's expression was an exact imitation of Harry's a moment earlier. "Oh...my...god...who sent it?" he breathed.
Just then a school owl came pecking at the window. "I wonder who that's for," said Harry, as the owl flew across the room. He just stared at it when it landed in front of him with a letter addressed to him. The owl stuck out his leg and waited for Harry to untie the letter. In a daze he untied it because he recognized Lupin's handwriting, and that could not mean anything good.
"It's from Lupin!" said Harry as the owl flew back out the window. In that moment, Hermione's anonymous card was forgotten as both of them said, "Well, read it!"
Hermione woke in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, covered in sweat. The nightmare she just had was a vivid reminder of what happened to her before she came to Hogwarts. She couldn't fall back asleep, so she went down to the common room. She sat down on the couch and thought.
Across the castle, in the Ravenclaw common room, Andrew Miller was also up in his common room thinking. But unlike Hermione, who was thinking about her family and her grades, Andrew was thinking about Hermione. He had liked her since the end of 6th year, and he was just too shy to ask her out. He dreamed of her, thought about her, daydreamed of her, but she still didn't like him back. Little did he know that that would soon change.
Christmas morning found Hermione sprawled out on the couch.
"Hey, 'Mione," said a voice from somewhere above her head. "Wake up. It's Christmas!"
She opened her eyes and saw Andrew Miller standing above her. "What the hell are you doing here?" she screeched. "How did you get through the portrait hole?"
He just smiled his million dollar smile, took her hand and sat down. As he sat down, she couldn't help but notice his eyes, and his body. His eyes were a deep shade of brown, almost black. His glassed made him look even more intelligent than he was.He had nice abs, which fit him perfectly, since he was on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. He was a bit taller than her, but that didn't matter. He had jet black hair that was spiked all the time, even after playing quidditch (A/N: naturally, and it looked so hot on him). She saw a depth in his eyes that she hadn't seen in any guy's eyes before, and it puzzled her. Oh well, figure that out later, she said to herself as he inched closer to her, gaining while she was in debate with herself over what he would say, if he said anything.
He started to say something, (I knew it, thought Hermione) but she was shaken awake by Harry, who found her when he came down from his dormitory, and she didn't get hear what Andrew was going to say. A good thing too, because she would've been freaked out by it.
"Hermione, what are you doing down here?" asked Harry, concerned.
"I couldn't sleep, so I came down here."
"Have you opened your gifts yet?"
"No."
"Well, go get em and bring em down here so I can see what you got."
"Alright, be right back." And she went up to get them off her bed.
It took Hermione two trips to bring everything downstairs to the common room. When she had finally finished and sat down, Ron had seated himself next to Harry.
His eyes were drifting in and out of focus as Hermione said hi. Harry slapped him to wake him up when he didn't answer.
"Wa...what?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "Here I am thinking that you came down to watch me open my presents, but you just fall back asleep! Men are so insensitive!" she muttered to herself under her breath.
"Just open em up, Mione. Forget that Ron's an insensitive prat." She grinned. "He is, isn't he?" and reached for the first present. (A/N: Kate, do NOT hurt me. Every person is entitles to her own opinion, and I don't really feel that way, its just in the story b/c of what he said.)
After opening all of her presents, there was one card left on the table and it was unsigned. The only writing on the outside was her name on the front of the card.
"Who do ya think sent the card?" asked Hermione to the boys.
"No clue." they replied together, then Harry said, "I haven't heard anything, but—"he glanced at Ron, who nodded. "I, well, we think that somebody likes you."
Hermione smiled, but it looked forced. "At least we know it's not Malfoy."
"How could he ever like you? He loathes you, all of us, with a passion." stated Harry.
"The only way that would happen is if we were in an alternate reality, which is not all that unlikely. But I don't think that would happen here." Hermoine looked at him like he was crazy.
"Well, go on, open it!" Ron urged.
"Alright, alright." she said as she slit open the envelope.
It was a simple piece of parchment, but what was written on it took the breath out of her.
Dear Hermione,
You probably don't know me that well, but I just want to say that I like you.
You've seen me in the halls, but we've never talked. Hopefully soon, that can
change.
The note was anonymous.
"What's it say, what's it say?" asked an excited Ron when he saw her surprised expression.
Hermione slumped back against the couch, horrified at what she just read. She clutched the parchment in knuckles that were turning white, then let go. It drifted to the floor where Harry picked it up.
"Can I read it?" asked Harry, turning to face Hermione. She shrugged, unable to speak. He turned it over and read it. His eyes got increasingly bigger as he read the note.
"Who wrote this?" he asked her. She shrugged again. "I have absolutely no idea, and it's driving me insane!"
Ron looked from one to the other. "What am I, chopped liver? Can I read it, please Hermione?" he gave her the puppy-dog face.
"Fine, Harry, let him see it." She demanded. Harry reluctantly gave up the paper.
Ron's expression was an exact imitation of Harry's a moment earlier. "Oh...my...god...who sent it?" he breathed.
Just then a school owl came pecking at the window. "I wonder who that's for," said Harry, as the owl flew across the room. He just stared at it when it landed in front of him with a letter addressed to him. The owl stuck out his leg and waited for Harry to untie the letter. In a daze he untied it because he recognized Lupin's handwriting, and that could not mean anything good.
"It's from Lupin!" said Harry as the owl flew back out the window. In that moment, Hermione's anonymous card was forgotten as both of them said, "Well, read it!"