Chapter 8: Getting Ready to Face the Past

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

:-:-:-:-: August 28 :-:-:-:-:

"Mum," Trish asked her mother, "are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah, Sweetie," Kelly said, tears forming in her brown eyes, "hopefully."

Trish frowned. "Mum, don't cry. Grandma Anna will be with Grandpa Fred, Nanny, and Daddy now."

"I know, it's just thatfor twelve years, I never saw her. And when I did, it was only for three months. She was going to be alive for only 4 months, Trish. And now you're the only family I got."

"Shh, Mum. Stop crying," Trish said. "And you have Harry and Ron. They're still your family."

"Trish Hermione Kelsey Richmond!" Kelly started raising her voice. "Don't you ever mention them or anyone from my days at Hogwarts! You have no clue what you're talking about! Now go downstairs and meet the guests. Now.

"Tell Sydney (A/N: head maid at the Richmond Manor) that I'll be down in 5 minutes to greet them, and hear how sorry people are for my auntie." Since Kelly didn't want anybody to know who she was, and since Hermione Granger was supposedly kidnapped, Kelly decided to play the role of a really close family friend. Kelly had then called Anna Granger "Auntie Anna" for as long as she could remember (wink wink). People were thankfully starting to think that Kelly was a really good friend of the Granger family.

"Oh, okay, Mum," Trish said, rolling her eyes and closing her mother's door.

After she left, Kelly went to her mirror and looked at herself. She looked back at a lovely woman, who would've been perfect if she wasn't sadly frowning.

Why, she thought to herself, does everything have to happen to me? I mean, sure I got some good stuff out of it. I'm a beautiful model with billions of dollars living in this huge house with fifty servants and have a great daughter who cares about me. But what is life without friends who care, as well as family? And right now, I feel like I have no friends. Trish is going away soon, and then I'll be all by myself, considering how the servants don't really associate with me. I wish I could re-do all of 7th year. I'd never go out with Dean, and then I would still be friends with Harry, Ron, and all the others. But if I never left, I would have never met Ryan and never had Trish. And I would miss all those great years with just the three of us.

"Look at me!" she cried, "I'm a damn mess!"

A pale girl with brown hair in natural curls now looked back at her. She no longer had mascara on, since all the crying gave her black streaks on her cheeks.

"God damn it!" she said out loud, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Why does God make me suffer?"

"Maybe," a male voice behind Kelly told her, "because he's testing you. Maybe he wants to show you what you missed in these last twelve years."

Kelly whipped her chair around to see the blonde she had known throughout school, and the only person who figured out who she was. "Draco, what are you doing here?"

"I came to pay my respects to Miss Anna Granger. A lot of people are herefrom Hogwarts."

"What? Why? How'd they hear about her death?"

"Geez, Kel. I thought you were super smart! I mean 'cause"

"'Cause I got top grades in school. That's schoolwork, not this stuff. Why are they here, Draco?"

"After your so-called disappearance," Draco told her, "everyone came to pay respects to her, even the professors. They all thought you were gone. Most students who knew you came to say how sorry they were. Some still kept in touch with your mother. So, now that she died, most are here again."

"Oh, I see," Kelly said. Then realization dawned on her. "Oh, crap!"

"What's the matter, Kel?"

"I need makeup, and a different dress, and need to do my hair. Oh no! What if they recognize me asyou know?"

"Kelly, breathe," Draco tried to reassure her.

"I didn't realize thatthat many people will be here!"

"Kelly, you look great. Nobody will recognize you."

"I can't take chances," Kelly said, getting up from her makeup table.

She walked in to her walk-in closet. "Hmm," Kelly mumbled, looking at all twenty-five black dresses she had. "HmmI found one!" Kelly slipped out of the old plain black dress and into a long-sleeved silk one, the one with a slit on her right side that went up to the knee. She went over to her friend. "How do I look, Draco?"

"B-E-A-utiful," Draco said. "Goddess-like."

"Shoes, I need shoes!" Kelly exclaimed, ignoring what he said about her beauty.

"Here," Draco said, handing Kelly a pair of black shoes with a long string to tie up the leg.

"Wow, for a guy, you got great taste!" Kelly said, putting on her shoes, tying them up her smoothly shaved legs.

"Okay, now makeup!" Kelly hurried back to her makeup table, quickly applying lip gloss (lipstick was too dark, even for this funeral party), mascara, and eyeliner.

"Now I need to do my hair. Got it!" With that, Kelly whipped her hair up in to a messy but lovely bun, a few tendrils framing her face. "There," she proudly told herself, "I'm ready!"

"Took you long enough!" Draco complained mockingly. "You looked fine before, you know."

"So? Now I look like a model."

"I see you went to long sleeves. Does that have to do with the cut on your arm?"

"Shut up," Kelly dodged the question, "let's go. I have to meet peopleand some old friends." As she walked out of her bedroom, she left Draco behind.

"Hey! Wait up, Kel!" Draco said, running after her.

:-:-:-:-: Downstairs in the Library :-:-:-:-:

"James? What are you doing here?" Trish asked, skipping down into the library where all the guests were chatting among themselves, waiting for the hostess (Kelly).

"I'm here with my family," James told her. "My mum and dad knew Anna Granger. Why are you here?"

"My mum was a really close friend of the family. She's the hostess."

"So, this is your house!"

"Yeah."

"Cool! It's so big! Hey, want some punch?"

"Sure!"

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"So, Harry, how's life going with you?" Pansy asked, clinging to her fiancé, Ronald Weasley.

"Fine, Pansy. What about you?"

"Lovely! Me and Ron just finished setting the date for our wedding!"

"When is it, Pansy?" Ginny said, putting on the stupidest smile she ever made.

"It's June 8!"

"Ron, can I talk to younow?" Harry said, pulling Ron's leather jacket.

"Harry, please don't leave me with the Slytherin slut!" Ginny mumbled to him.

"I'll be back ASAP, Gin," Harry said, pulling Ron to the other end of the room and out the doors into the hallway.

"Harry, what's your problem?" Ron cried. "Why are you like this?"

"Ron, don't you know? I mean, I know you know. But maybe Pansy doesn't know why June 8th is important to us."

"Yeah, Pansy knows and I know," Ron said. "It was the day Hermione got kidnapped."

"So, why in hell are you planning the wedding that day?"

"Because" Ron said seriously, "because she's gone and we should celebrate June 8th on a more happier account, not just saying it's the day 'Mione disappeared."

"Still" Harry paused, "why Pansy?"

"Because she is sokind, funny, beautifulSlutty, pug-ish, blonde"

"Harry, please shut up about Pansy! I love her and she loves me!"

"Whatever, Man." Harry grew tired of the subject, so he decided to change it to something that wouldn't result in yelling. "So how's Quidditch so far?"

"Awesome, but Wood's leaving tomorrow. Got a job in Ireland. And Malfoy's going too. Leaving to become a teacher."

"A what?"

"He got a job at Hogwarts. Snape wanted him as the new Potions Master, as well as the Slytherin head."

"Great," Harry rolled his eyes, muttering sarcastically. "I get to see him every day. Wonderful."

"Listen," Ron said, "I've been working with him for five whole years. He isn't that bad."

"Well, maybe not to you but, hey! I am the Boy-That-Lived-A-Couple-Times!"

"I still can't believe Snape got the Headmaster job!" Ron cried, changing the subject himself this time. "I mean, Snape!"

"Yeah!"

Again changing the subject, Ron asked Harry, "So how's life with Ginny and 3 kids?"

"Great! James has a new friend, Trish. And her mother is hot!"

"Harry! You're married to Ginny! You can't say that about another woman!"

"Really, Ron, turn around and see for yourself!"

Ron turned around and saw a beautiful woman walking toward them from the stairs with Draco Malfoy.

"Man, she's hot!" Ron cried.

"Naughty boy! Did you forget you're engaged?"

"Shut up, Harry! Who is she?"

"You know James' friend I told you about? Trish? That's her mother Kelly Richmond. Muggle supermodel, though she's a witch."

"Wow! Butwhy's she with Draco?"

"Like I know!"

:-:-:-:-: Kelly and Draco's Conversation :-:-:-:-:

"Draco, how do I look?" Kelly asked, walking down the stairs.

"How many times have you asked me that?" he cried.

"I don't know!" she shrugged.

"What do I say each time?"

"Beautiful," Kelly smiled.

"Actually, it's B-E-A-utiful," Draco joked. "Now chill out and breathe. Everything's going to be alright!"

"Ok, but if it isn't, I swear I'll kill you, Draco!"

"Alright!" Draco laughed.

Kelly and Draco continued walking down the stairs until Kelly stopped in her tracks. She very quietly started walking back up the stairs backwards.

"Where do you think your going, 'Mione?" Draco asked, pulling Kelly back down.

"Draco! Don't ever call me that! Not here or anywhere else!" Kelly struggled to get free from Draco's grip. "Let go of me! I forgot something upstairs. I'll be down in a minute!"

"I so believe that, Kelly," Draco said sarcastically. "Now what's the matter? Tell me."

Kelly sighed, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Look down there. They're so grown up, and I missed all that. Getting to know their family and all. I don't think I can do it. I mean, seeing everyone from my past. I'm just not ready!"

"Trust me, Kelly," Draco said, holding her shoulders, "I know you can do this. And you've got to. You have to, eventually. So why not now? The opportunity is right in front of your eyes. You just have to keep going and don't look back. Forget about the past, 'cause you are no longer Hermione Caroline Granger, but Kelly Lily Corbett Richmond. You've been that way for so many years. So march down these last few steps and introduce yourself to Potter and Weasley and everyone else!"

Kelly sighed, wiping her tears and thanking God for magic, considering how she put a spell on herself to keep the makeup waterproof. "Thanks, Draco, for all your support. I need that. Let's go, Malfoy."

"Whatever, Granger," he said quietly as Kelly dragged him to see their former classmates.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

A/N: I wanna say thanks to my beta! I really really love you! You make my spelling nice and neat. Yippy! Thanks to all my readers as well. Next chapter coming soon!