Disclaimer: Yup, you guessed it. I don't own Harry Potter. Why would I want
to? I would want Draco, instead! Lol. Sadly, I don't own him, either. Oh
well. I wonder how much he costs.........j/k.
A/N: Well, I'm back! When I read MoonLupin's review (Yes, you.) I was all, "Aw.........they really do like it! Heck, even my best friend told me that I was really good at writing Fan Fics. And she usually starts off her critiques by, "That sucks." Or, "I don't like it." Or even, "Why did you write this?" lol. It's all right, though. I still love you, Lexi! Lol. Not. J/k. Well, you people are probably thinking, "Mmmmmhmmmm.........get on with the story! I don't want to read about how you love your best friend!" So, I'll just get along with that chapter.
The Ski Trip
Chapter Eleven
Maybe Friends?
(Hermione P.O.V.)
"Ring.........Ring.........Ring........."
"Urgh! Why is it these people never pick up on the first couple of rings?!" I mumbled to myself as I started humming a nameless tune.
I walked over the refrigerator and grabbed myself some orange juice.
"Ring.........Ring.........Ring........."
I looked around the kitchen in complete boredom as the phone continued it's ringing.
"Ring.........Ring.........Ring"
I took a drink of the juice as I read some of the headlines on the front page of the paper.
"Ring.........Ring.........Ring........."
"Urgh, screw it!" I said, and slammed the phone down on the receiver.
I walked over to the couch and collapsed onto it. I grabbed the T.V. remote, switched on the T.V., and tuned into Spongebob Squarepants.
I was so focused on the cartoon that I didn't notice someone walk up behind the couch, look at me, and then walk around it so that they were about where my legs were sprawled haphazardly, but still comfortably.
I did notice, however, when that certain person sat down on my legs and made himself comfortable on me.
(Draco P.O.V)
I had walked downstairs in search of Granger, and heard that muggle contraption (What was it called again? Tellymation, or something?) going, so I walked into the living room to check out who was watching it and to see what they were watching.
I saw some legs sticking over the edge of the couch, and walked up to it to see that Granger was totally zoned into the yellow sponge and pink starfish. I still don't get it.
Well, since I was in a sitting mood and I like killing two birds with one stone, I decided to annoy Granger by just sitting on her legs, I mean, she was so zoned into that program that I figured she wouldn't notice anyway.
Well, I was a tad bit wrong on that one. When I sat down on her, she stiffened, and then kicked me off like I was nothing. Now, I'm not saying that I'm easy to kick off. I'm just saying that I just so happened to sit on her in a way that she could easily kick me off. Honestly. I didn't put up a fight because she reacted so fast I couldn't stop falling until my butt was clearly on the floor. And then, my head just so happened to be in her way, so she pushed it out of the way, and rather roughly, might I add.
Well, I was kind of out of it at this point, because things were happening much too fast and I was suffering from a bruise on my butt. So, I decided to bug her verbally instead.
"You know, Granger, I never thought you'd stoop to taking other people's ideas." I said, referring to the kiss only half an hour before.
"Good God! Can a girl watch her Spongebob in peace?!" She asked no one in particular.
"Um.........no." I answered, and she just turned to me and glared before turning back to the.........um.........thing.
We sat in silence as she watched the yellow sponge buy an ice cream cone and I as there thinking of how I could bug her.
After a few minutes, I grew tired of the squeaky voice of the sponge, so I decided I needed to break that not-so-silent silence.
"You know Granger, you're really not very good company when you're staring at that stupid sponge eat ice cream." I said, hoping she would start talking.
"Mmm........."
"And you don't look to great when you've got that 'almost-drooling' look plastered on your face."
"Uh-huh........."
"And monkeys are blue and made in China." I said, taking the most random thought I could think of. (A/N: Ha! There you go Lexi! I'm thinking of adding the Cody Treatment somewhere, too.)
"Sure........." Granger was still tuned into that stupid sponge. Now I really wanted to know what was so interesting about that damned sponge. I mean, it's eating ice cream, for heaven's sake!
So, I did the first thing that came to mind. I turned off the contraption.
"What did you do that for?!" She asked, almost like she was coming out of a trance.
"I was creating interest." I answered.
"No, you weren't. You were creating a distraction to interest."
"No, I'm right. I was creating conflict, which creates interest. So, indirectly, I was creating interest."
"Um.........I don't really care. I can't get a hold of Abi, so I'm going to just chill until around noon. Then I'm going to go get some lunch, and see if Abi is home yet. Is that interesting enough for you?"
"Gees, who pissed in your Cheerios this morning?" I asked her, clearly attempting to irritate her, which I was succeeding in grandly.
"I didn't have Cheerios. I had fruit. And no one pissed in it. So leave me alone." She said, turning on the muggle contraption again and spreading out on the couch again.
"Real nice come back, Granger. Did you come up with it all on your own?" I mocked, hoping she would take the bait. Love arguing with her. She's so funny to watch, and her eyes flash in this really nifty way that keeps you staring back at them, and-
Wait a minute.
What am I saying?!
This is Granger!!
She's no different to argue with than anyone else.
Yea, that's right.
Now to actually believe it.........
"Malfoy?" She asked curiously, breaking me away from my thoughts.
"What?!" I asked, irritated now. I didn't know what I was irritated at, but I was irritated. It was time for me to become a force to be reckoned with.
"Um.........you had a kind of funny look on your face when I told you to shove off. Kinda.........dazed. Dreamy almost. It was freaking me out, so I figured I would snap you out of it before you totally freaked me out." She told me. Gosh, she's impossible!
"I was thinking, thank you very much! Now that you broke my train of thought, I can't even remember what I was thinking about. Thanks a lot, Granger." I said, and turned to leave. I started walking out of the room, my irritation plain on my face, until I heard her mumble something incoherent.
I stopped. I loathe mumble-ers. They should just say what's on their mind and get it out in the open instead of so poorly disguising it as a pointless mumble.
"What?!" I asked, turning on my heel, and walking right up to her.
"What do you mean, 'what'?" She asked, looking up at me curiously.
"What did you just mumble?" I asked a little more patiently, trying to calm myself.
"Um.........I'd rather not have you blow up at me again, so I'm not saying." She said, looking me in the eye.
I sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.
"What if I promised I wouldn't blow up at you?" I asked, my voice sounding almost.........friendly.
"I would wonder if your promises were worth anything and then probably decide to not tell you." She said, looking me in the eye, a serious look on her face.
I was in shock. I've never really known how deep this mistrust went. I'm pretty sure if she was dangling from a branch on a cliff and I was the only other person around, she wouldn't trust me to help her get to safety. I was shocked. I figured she would at least trust me a little, but I guess I figured wrong.
"Well! Fine then!" I said snottily. I crossed my arms, crossed my legs, and stuck my nose really high up in the air. I completed my look by swinging my one foot impatiently. Needless to say, I wanted to lighten the mood a little bit.
I saw Granger look at me while taking a drink of orange juice and start laughing while the juice was still in her mouth. She pulled the glass out of her mouth and covered her mouth while she laughed in case she started spitting orange juice everywhere.
Well, this just encouraged my antics. I looked over at her in an appalled way and then stuck my nose back in the air with an exaggerated 'humph'.
Well, this pushed her over the edge. Within seconds, orange juice was coming out of her nose.
When I saw this, I couldn't hold a straight face any more and burst out laughing with her. We were soon rolling on the floor in side-splitting laughter.
Are you surprised at this?
No?
Well, I was.
After our laughter subsided, we were lying on the floor with our heads right next to each other and our bodies facing opposite directions (i.e. first came my feet, then our heads, and then her feet.). We were just laying there staring up at the (not too interesting) ceiling and listening to the Tellymation.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Granger started to clap.
I looked over at her, confusion written plain as day on my face.
"What on Earth are you clapping for, Granger?" I asked.
"I am applauding your excellent display of an annoyed stuck-up woman." She said simply, still clapping.
"Actually, I thought of it more as an impression of a ticked off gay guy." I commented, plastering a thoughtful look on my face. (A/N: Don't get me wrong. I have absolutely nothing against gay people. They can be pretty cool, so please don't be offended.)
At this, Granger laughed a little more to herself and grabbed a pillow off of the couch next to her so that she could have something under her head.
"You're somethin' else, Malfoy, you know that? You really are." She said shaking her head, a smile playing on her lips.
"Well, I do what I can." I told her, also grabbing a pillow and propping my head up with it, also smiling.
We sat in silence, enjoying the fact that we were actually getting along without really trying, just staring at the ceiling.
"Hey Malfoy?" Granger suddenly piped up out of nowhere.
"What?" I asked, turning my head to face her.
She paused for a second, appearing unsure of herself. "Why do you hate me?" She asked, still staring at the ceiling.
I looked at her, wondering how she could ask such a tough question.
"Well........." I started, wondering what I would say to a question like that.
I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts, and then started.
"I guess I never really hated you personally, but I hated the fact that there was someone better than me who hasn't been trained to do everything perfectly; someone who doesn't have as much riding on their success as I do. Someone who does well because they want to. I guess I was angry with the fact that you were better than me, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't surpass you in anything. And then there's the fact that you have positive support coming form all directions. The majority of the people who I am seen with all the time aren't exactly the most intelligent or supporting. My father doesn't congratulate me if I do well; he tells me to keep it up or else. So.........I guess that's why I've always picked on you." I said.
After I had said all that, I felt better knowing that I had told someone, but worse because I wasn't sure if she would understand or take it the way I had wanted my future confidant to take it. I stared at the ceiling, not daring to look at her and face the reality that I had, basically, just spilled my soul out to one of my biggest rivals. I prayed that she would take it the right way and not start laughing hysterically like she had been moments before.
I listened for the laughter that I was almost positive would come.
Silence.
I turned my head to see if she was laughing silently or something. She wasn't. She was looking at me with this strange look. I couldn't quite place it. It looked like it contained a bit of understanding and compassion, but I wasn't sure.
After looking at each other for a while, she finally spoke.
"So, it's not just that fact that I'm muggle born?" She asked, looking a little disbelieving when she said it.
"No. It's not. Do you honestly think I would be that shallow?" I asked, slightly hurt.
"Well.........no.........But you always make such a big deal out of my heritage, so I figured that was what it was. But, I'm glad it isn't." She said.
Silence fell over us as I thanked my lucky stars that I had found someone who would listen to me and actually understand what I was saying.
We just spent the whole day watching that muggle contraption (Granger told me that it was called a 'television' not 'tellymation'.) and hanging out. I must say that even I had some fun. We didn't argue very much (notice the key words: very much) and there weren't any uncomfortable silences. Amazing, huh? I know. Scary, almost. But, the truth can be scary sometimes. That's just the way life works.
Well, we were just hanging out when Granger jumped up from her position on the floor, grabbed my arm, pulled me up with her, and then ran to the front door, firm grip still in place on my arm.
When we got to the front door, she let go of my arm and put her coat, headband, gloves, and scarf on. I just stood there as she slipped her boots on, my confusion increasing with every move she made.
Once her boots were secure on her feet, she unlocked the door and ran out into the snow.
She jumped out into a rather large snow bank and just sat there while I stood in the door, believing that she really was crazy.
After she sat there for a while, I decided that I should ask her what she was doing, because she probably wasn't going to tell me.
"Granger? What on Earth are you doing?" I asked, and she turned her head to me, a grin plastered on her face.
"I'm enjoying the view of the sunset from a deep snow bank in my aunt's front yard. Would you care to join me?" She asked.
I looked at her for a moment, seriously questioning her sanity by now, and almost declined her invitation.
And then I really looked at her. She looked like a little girl, sitting there in the snow, entranced by the setting sun. My first thought was that she must be very easily amused, but I then thought about that. This is Hermione 'Mimi' Granger. She would very hardly be considered easily amused. As a matter of fact (one that I would never mention out loud), we had very similar interests. So.........I threw caution to the winds and grabbed my coat, scarf, gloves, and beanie. Once I had all of those on, I slipped my boots on and walked out the door, locking it behind me.
I walked over to the witch sitting in the snow and sat down next to her. I looked at her for a second and shook my head before looking at the mountains. My breath caught in my throat.
The sight was so amazing. It was like looking at a postcard. One of those with the perfect sunset that has so many rich colors that you would expect to see in the Caribbean. But it was here. In my very own aunt's front yard. I couldn't believe it. The sun was setting in a gap between two mountains. There was a gentle snow falling over here. And I knew that this wouldn't last very long, and that I should just savor the moment while it lasted.
I looked at it for a moment longer, and then I felt a pair of eyes looking at me.
I looked over at Granger and saw that she had a mildly interested look on her face.
"What?" I asked her. She just shook her head and turned back to the mountains, watching it for a little while more.
I took this as my chance to look at her once more; to see if her face would betray anything she had just been thinking.
I didn't find what she had been thinking about me there, but instead, I found a girl with rosy cheeks, some snowflakes in her hair, beautiful green eyes glistening in the sun, and a small smile playing on her lips. Even I couldn't deny that she was beautiful. For a moment, I forgot entirely about the perfect sunset that came once in a lifetime for a normal person.
After staring at her for a moment, I turned to the sunset and saw the sun shine its last few rays on this side of the mountains. I sighed happily and leant back into the snow. I soon felt another person lying beside me and looked over the little bit of snow that was a barrier between us and saw Granger looking up into the sky, at the snowflakes gently falling.
We stayed there in silence for a few more minutes, and then Granger spoke.
"Aunt Cheryl used to take me out here when I was little so that we could watch the sunset. This spot was the best. We tried other places on the lawn, but none could seat two and had as great results as this spot. While the sun sank past the mountains, she would tell me this story that she and my dad made up when they were little kids. It was about why the sun sets so slowly. She used to say that it wanted to say good night to everything personally, and if it went any faster, it would surely miss something, and the sun didn't want that." She paused, still looking at the sky. "My dad never told me that story. I asked him why once. He just told me that it was a stupid story that I shouldn't pay attention to."
She broke off there, closing her eyes with a slightly pained expression. She was quiet for a moment, and then continued.
"My dad never used to be so cold to my aunt. Not until I got my letter for Hogwarts. After that, I could tell that things weren't going to be the same. He stopped returning my aunt's letters, quit calling her back. My dad thought that I didn't notice. He thought that since I wasn't around for 10 months of the year that he didn't need to try so hard to hide it. But I could tell. Every summer I heard the messages on the answering machine. I saw the unopened letters in the garbage. I hadn't seen a picture of Aunt Cheryl for years. That's why she didn't know that I was a witch. He never kept contact, and my mum didn't have much time to write her. But I know that she did when she could. Even if it was hardly any information because both of my parents have the same schedules, so she didn't have whole days off when he was working." She paused for a moment, and then sat up. I could sense that the point of this was coming up soon. "I can't help but think that it's my fault that my dad never talks to my aunt!" she finally said, looking at me for the first time during her speech.
I looked at her, shocked that she actually just told me something that's been on her mind.
Didn't we establish this morning that she wouldn't tell me what was on her mind even if her life depended on it?
Now she's confusing me.
I realized that I had been just sitting in silence and staring at her when she's just broken down in front of me, so I sat up and motioned to put my arm around her back to comfort her, paused, looked at the devastated expression on her face, and followed through with my original motion. Granted, I was expecting her to blow up at me for doing this, but at least her mind would be off her aunt and father.
"Gra-" I cut myself off and the started again. "Hermione, you know it's not your fault. Your dad obviously has some issues with jealousy. You shouldn't be taking it all out on yourself and no one should be blaming you, either." I said simply.
She was staring at her shoes while I said this. She seemed to calm down a bit at hearing that I wasn't blaming her for splitting her father and aunt up.
She looked up at the mountains, now shrouded in darkness, and smiled slightly. She then looked at me and said, "Thanks."
She stood up before I could say anything and went to the garage door, punched in the key code and walked into the house, leaving me sitting in the snow, watching a woman walk away from me feeling better than before. A Woman that I had made feel better when she was feeling down. She was my enemy, my competitor, my verbal punching bag, and maybe even my friend.
A/N: So?!?!? Whaddya think? I might have gone a little overboard with Hermione's aunt and dad. Tell me if my suspicions are true. I'm soooo sorry it took so long to get a chapter up. I'm really going to try to update sooner than this. Really. Good news! Summer vacation's only three weeks away! Woohoo!!!!
Please R&R!
Detrianelle
A/N: Well, I'm back! When I read MoonLupin's review (Yes, you.) I was all, "Aw.........they really do like it! Heck, even my best friend told me that I was really good at writing Fan Fics. And she usually starts off her critiques by, "That sucks." Or, "I don't like it." Or even, "Why did you write this?" lol. It's all right, though. I still love you, Lexi! Lol. Not. J/k. Well, you people are probably thinking, "Mmmmmhmmmm.........get on with the story! I don't want to read about how you love your best friend!" So, I'll just get along with that chapter.
The Ski Trip
Chapter Eleven
Maybe Friends?
(Hermione P.O.V.)
"Ring.........Ring.........Ring........."
"Urgh! Why is it these people never pick up on the first couple of rings?!" I mumbled to myself as I started humming a nameless tune.
I walked over the refrigerator and grabbed myself some orange juice.
"Ring.........Ring.........Ring........."
I looked around the kitchen in complete boredom as the phone continued it's ringing.
"Ring.........Ring.........Ring"
I took a drink of the juice as I read some of the headlines on the front page of the paper.
"Ring.........Ring.........Ring........."
"Urgh, screw it!" I said, and slammed the phone down on the receiver.
I walked over to the couch and collapsed onto it. I grabbed the T.V. remote, switched on the T.V., and tuned into Spongebob Squarepants.
I was so focused on the cartoon that I didn't notice someone walk up behind the couch, look at me, and then walk around it so that they were about where my legs were sprawled haphazardly, but still comfortably.
I did notice, however, when that certain person sat down on my legs and made himself comfortable on me.
(Draco P.O.V)
I had walked downstairs in search of Granger, and heard that muggle contraption (What was it called again? Tellymation, or something?) going, so I walked into the living room to check out who was watching it and to see what they were watching.
I saw some legs sticking over the edge of the couch, and walked up to it to see that Granger was totally zoned into the yellow sponge and pink starfish. I still don't get it.
Well, since I was in a sitting mood and I like killing two birds with one stone, I decided to annoy Granger by just sitting on her legs, I mean, she was so zoned into that program that I figured she wouldn't notice anyway.
Well, I was a tad bit wrong on that one. When I sat down on her, she stiffened, and then kicked me off like I was nothing. Now, I'm not saying that I'm easy to kick off. I'm just saying that I just so happened to sit on her in a way that she could easily kick me off. Honestly. I didn't put up a fight because she reacted so fast I couldn't stop falling until my butt was clearly on the floor. And then, my head just so happened to be in her way, so she pushed it out of the way, and rather roughly, might I add.
Well, I was kind of out of it at this point, because things were happening much too fast and I was suffering from a bruise on my butt. So, I decided to bug her verbally instead.
"You know, Granger, I never thought you'd stoop to taking other people's ideas." I said, referring to the kiss only half an hour before.
"Good God! Can a girl watch her Spongebob in peace?!" She asked no one in particular.
"Um.........no." I answered, and she just turned to me and glared before turning back to the.........um.........thing.
We sat in silence as she watched the yellow sponge buy an ice cream cone and I as there thinking of how I could bug her.
After a few minutes, I grew tired of the squeaky voice of the sponge, so I decided I needed to break that not-so-silent silence.
"You know Granger, you're really not very good company when you're staring at that stupid sponge eat ice cream." I said, hoping she would start talking.
"Mmm........."
"And you don't look to great when you've got that 'almost-drooling' look plastered on your face."
"Uh-huh........."
"And monkeys are blue and made in China." I said, taking the most random thought I could think of. (A/N: Ha! There you go Lexi! I'm thinking of adding the Cody Treatment somewhere, too.)
"Sure........." Granger was still tuned into that stupid sponge. Now I really wanted to know what was so interesting about that damned sponge. I mean, it's eating ice cream, for heaven's sake!
So, I did the first thing that came to mind. I turned off the contraption.
"What did you do that for?!" She asked, almost like she was coming out of a trance.
"I was creating interest." I answered.
"No, you weren't. You were creating a distraction to interest."
"No, I'm right. I was creating conflict, which creates interest. So, indirectly, I was creating interest."
"Um.........I don't really care. I can't get a hold of Abi, so I'm going to just chill until around noon. Then I'm going to go get some lunch, and see if Abi is home yet. Is that interesting enough for you?"
"Gees, who pissed in your Cheerios this morning?" I asked her, clearly attempting to irritate her, which I was succeeding in grandly.
"I didn't have Cheerios. I had fruit. And no one pissed in it. So leave me alone." She said, turning on the muggle contraption again and spreading out on the couch again.
"Real nice come back, Granger. Did you come up with it all on your own?" I mocked, hoping she would take the bait. Love arguing with her. She's so funny to watch, and her eyes flash in this really nifty way that keeps you staring back at them, and-
Wait a minute.
What am I saying?!
This is Granger!!
She's no different to argue with than anyone else.
Yea, that's right.
Now to actually believe it.........
"Malfoy?" She asked curiously, breaking me away from my thoughts.
"What?!" I asked, irritated now. I didn't know what I was irritated at, but I was irritated. It was time for me to become a force to be reckoned with.
"Um.........you had a kind of funny look on your face when I told you to shove off. Kinda.........dazed. Dreamy almost. It was freaking me out, so I figured I would snap you out of it before you totally freaked me out." She told me. Gosh, she's impossible!
"I was thinking, thank you very much! Now that you broke my train of thought, I can't even remember what I was thinking about. Thanks a lot, Granger." I said, and turned to leave. I started walking out of the room, my irritation plain on my face, until I heard her mumble something incoherent.
I stopped. I loathe mumble-ers. They should just say what's on their mind and get it out in the open instead of so poorly disguising it as a pointless mumble.
"What?!" I asked, turning on my heel, and walking right up to her.
"What do you mean, 'what'?" She asked, looking up at me curiously.
"What did you just mumble?" I asked a little more patiently, trying to calm myself.
"Um.........I'd rather not have you blow up at me again, so I'm not saying." She said, looking me in the eye.
I sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.
"What if I promised I wouldn't blow up at you?" I asked, my voice sounding almost.........friendly.
"I would wonder if your promises were worth anything and then probably decide to not tell you." She said, looking me in the eye, a serious look on her face.
I was in shock. I've never really known how deep this mistrust went. I'm pretty sure if she was dangling from a branch on a cliff and I was the only other person around, she wouldn't trust me to help her get to safety. I was shocked. I figured she would at least trust me a little, but I guess I figured wrong.
"Well! Fine then!" I said snottily. I crossed my arms, crossed my legs, and stuck my nose really high up in the air. I completed my look by swinging my one foot impatiently. Needless to say, I wanted to lighten the mood a little bit.
I saw Granger look at me while taking a drink of orange juice and start laughing while the juice was still in her mouth. She pulled the glass out of her mouth and covered her mouth while she laughed in case she started spitting orange juice everywhere.
Well, this just encouraged my antics. I looked over at her in an appalled way and then stuck my nose back in the air with an exaggerated 'humph'.
Well, this pushed her over the edge. Within seconds, orange juice was coming out of her nose.
When I saw this, I couldn't hold a straight face any more and burst out laughing with her. We were soon rolling on the floor in side-splitting laughter.
Are you surprised at this?
No?
Well, I was.
After our laughter subsided, we were lying on the floor with our heads right next to each other and our bodies facing opposite directions (i.e. first came my feet, then our heads, and then her feet.). We were just laying there staring up at the (not too interesting) ceiling and listening to the Tellymation.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Granger started to clap.
I looked over at her, confusion written plain as day on my face.
"What on Earth are you clapping for, Granger?" I asked.
"I am applauding your excellent display of an annoyed stuck-up woman." She said simply, still clapping.
"Actually, I thought of it more as an impression of a ticked off gay guy." I commented, plastering a thoughtful look on my face. (A/N: Don't get me wrong. I have absolutely nothing against gay people. They can be pretty cool, so please don't be offended.)
At this, Granger laughed a little more to herself and grabbed a pillow off of the couch next to her so that she could have something under her head.
"You're somethin' else, Malfoy, you know that? You really are." She said shaking her head, a smile playing on her lips.
"Well, I do what I can." I told her, also grabbing a pillow and propping my head up with it, also smiling.
We sat in silence, enjoying the fact that we were actually getting along without really trying, just staring at the ceiling.
"Hey Malfoy?" Granger suddenly piped up out of nowhere.
"What?" I asked, turning my head to face her.
She paused for a second, appearing unsure of herself. "Why do you hate me?" She asked, still staring at the ceiling.
I looked at her, wondering how she could ask such a tough question.
"Well........." I started, wondering what I would say to a question like that.
I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts, and then started.
"I guess I never really hated you personally, but I hated the fact that there was someone better than me who hasn't been trained to do everything perfectly; someone who doesn't have as much riding on their success as I do. Someone who does well because they want to. I guess I was angry with the fact that you were better than me, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't surpass you in anything. And then there's the fact that you have positive support coming form all directions. The majority of the people who I am seen with all the time aren't exactly the most intelligent or supporting. My father doesn't congratulate me if I do well; he tells me to keep it up or else. So.........I guess that's why I've always picked on you." I said.
After I had said all that, I felt better knowing that I had told someone, but worse because I wasn't sure if she would understand or take it the way I had wanted my future confidant to take it. I stared at the ceiling, not daring to look at her and face the reality that I had, basically, just spilled my soul out to one of my biggest rivals. I prayed that she would take it the right way and not start laughing hysterically like she had been moments before.
I listened for the laughter that I was almost positive would come.
Silence.
I turned my head to see if she was laughing silently or something. She wasn't. She was looking at me with this strange look. I couldn't quite place it. It looked like it contained a bit of understanding and compassion, but I wasn't sure.
After looking at each other for a while, she finally spoke.
"So, it's not just that fact that I'm muggle born?" She asked, looking a little disbelieving when she said it.
"No. It's not. Do you honestly think I would be that shallow?" I asked, slightly hurt.
"Well.........no.........But you always make such a big deal out of my heritage, so I figured that was what it was. But, I'm glad it isn't." She said.
Silence fell over us as I thanked my lucky stars that I had found someone who would listen to me and actually understand what I was saying.
We just spent the whole day watching that muggle contraption (Granger told me that it was called a 'television' not 'tellymation'.) and hanging out. I must say that even I had some fun. We didn't argue very much (notice the key words: very much) and there weren't any uncomfortable silences. Amazing, huh? I know. Scary, almost. But, the truth can be scary sometimes. That's just the way life works.
Well, we were just hanging out when Granger jumped up from her position on the floor, grabbed my arm, pulled me up with her, and then ran to the front door, firm grip still in place on my arm.
When we got to the front door, she let go of my arm and put her coat, headband, gloves, and scarf on. I just stood there as she slipped her boots on, my confusion increasing with every move she made.
Once her boots were secure on her feet, she unlocked the door and ran out into the snow.
She jumped out into a rather large snow bank and just sat there while I stood in the door, believing that she really was crazy.
After she sat there for a while, I decided that I should ask her what she was doing, because she probably wasn't going to tell me.
"Granger? What on Earth are you doing?" I asked, and she turned her head to me, a grin plastered on her face.
"I'm enjoying the view of the sunset from a deep snow bank in my aunt's front yard. Would you care to join me?" She asked.
I looked at her for a moment, seriously questioning her sanity by now, and almost declined her invitation.
And then I really looked at her. She looked like a little girl, sitting there in the snow, entranced by the setting sun. My first thought was that she must be very easily amused, but I then thought about that. This is Hermione 'Mimi' Granger. She would very hardly be considered easily amused. As a matter of fact (one that I would never mention out loud), we had very similar interests. So.........I threw caution to the winds and grabbed my coat, scarf, gloves, and beanie. Once I had all of those on, I slipped my boots on and walked out the door, locking it behind me.
I walked over to the witch sitting in the snow and sat down next to her. I looked at her for a second and shook my head before looking at the mountains. My breath caught in my throat.
The sight was so amazing. It was like looking at a postcard. One of those with the perfect sunset that has so many rich colors that you would expect to see in the Caribbean. But it was here. In my very own aunt's front yard. I couldn't believe it. The sun was setting in a gap between two mountains. There was a gentle snow falling over here. And I knew that this wouldn't last very long, and that I should just savor the moment while it lasted.
I looked at it for a moment longer, and then I felt a pair of eyes looking at me.
I looked over at Granger and saw that she had a mildly interested look on her face.
"What?" I asked her. She just shook her head and turned back to the mountains, watching it for a little while more.
I took this as my chance to look at her once more; to see if her face would betray anything she had just been thinking.
I didn't find what she had been thinking about me there, but instead, I found a girl with rosy cheeks, some snowflakes in her hair, beautiful green eyes glistening in the sun, and a small smile playing on her lips. Even I couldn't deny that she was beautiful. For a moment, I forgot entirely about the perfect sunset that came once in a lifetime for a normal person.
After staring at her for a moment, I turned to the sunset and saw the sun shine its last few rays on this side of the mountains. I sighed happily and leant back into the snow. I soon felt another person lying beside me and looked over the little bit of snow that was a barrier between us and saw Granger looking up into the sky, at the snowflakes gently falling.
We stayed there in silence for a few more minutes, and then Granger spoke.
"Aunt Cheryl used to take me out here when I was little so that we could watch the sunset. This spot was the best. We tried other places on the lawn, but none could seat two and had as great results as this spot. While the sun sank past the mountains, she would tell me this story that she and my dad made up when they were little kids. It was about why the sun sets so slowly. She used to say that it wanted to say good night to everything personally, and if it went any faster, it would surely miss something, and the sun didn't want that." She paused, still looking at the sky. "My dad never told me that story. I asked him why once. He just told me that it was a stupid story that I shouldn't pay attention to."
She broke off there, closing her eyes with a slightly pained expression. She was quiet for a moment, and then continued.
"My dad never used to be so cold to my aunt. Not until I got my letter for Hogwarts. After that, I could tell that things weren't going to be the same. He stopped returning my aunt's letters, quit calling her back. My dad thought that I didn't notice. He thought that since I wasn't around for 10 months of the year that he didn't need to try so hard to hide it. But I could tell. Every summer I heard the messages on the answering machine. I saw the unopened letters in the garbage. I hadn't seen a picture of Aunt Cheryl for years. That's why she didn't know that I was a witch. He never kept contact, and my mum didn't have much time to write her. But I know that she did when she could. Even if it was hardly any information because both of my parents have the same schedules, so she didn't have whole days off when he was working." She paused for a moment, and then sat up. I could sense that the point of this was coming up soon. "I can't help but think that it's my fault that my dad never talks to my aunt!" she finally said, looking at me for the first time during her speech.
I looked at her, shocked that she actually just told me something that's been on her mind.
Didn't we establish this morning that she wouldn't tell me what was on her mind even if her life depended on it?
Now she's confusing me.
I realized that I had been just sitting in silence and staring at her when she's just broken down in front of me, so I sat up and motioned to put my arm around her back to comfort her, paused, looked at the devastated expression on her face, and followed through with my original motion. Granted, I was expecting her to blow up at me for doing this, but at least her mind would be off her aunt and father.
"Gra-" I cut myself off and the started again. "Hermione, you know it's not your fault. Your dad obviously has some issues with jealousy. You shouldn't be taking it all out on yourself and no one should be blaming you, either." I said simply.
She was staring at her shoes while I said this. She seemed to calm down a bit at hearing that I wasn't blaming her for splitting her father and aunt up.
She looked up at the mountains, now shrouded in darkness, and smiled slightly. She then looked at me and said, "Thanks."
She stood up before I could say anything and went to the garage door, punched in the key code and walked into the house, leaving me sitting in the snow, watching a woman walk away from me feeling better than before. A Woman that I had made feel better when she was feeling down. She was my enemy, my competitor, my verbal punching bag, and maybe even my friend.
A/N: So?!?!? Whaddya think? I might have gone a little overboard with Hermione's aunt and dad. Tell me if my suspicions are true. I'm soooo sorry it took so long to get a chapter up. I'm really going to try to update sooner than this. Really. Good news! Summer vacation's only three weeks away! Woohoo!!!!
Please R&R!
Detrianelle