Chapter 2
by: Hufflepuff Student 8
Disclaimer: If I owned any of the rights to Harry Potter… do you really think I would waste my time on fanfics when I could be writing on the next book…? Hint hint J. K. Rowling! But yeah… I don't own any of the rights to Harry Potter! There… I said it!
A/N: Okay… I have left this story alone for WAY TO LONG! But no more. I am going to do my best to make this story one of the best stories that you will ever read! Which will be rather hard… but it isn't impossible to do… I think….
SO yeah… here it is… Chapter 2!
PS: I changed Sidry's name to Leon, which I shortened from Leontes from Shakespeare's play, The Winter's Tale. Because, if you are a Shakespeare nut like I am, (considering I am in an Advanced English class and all we did for the first two month of school was Shakespeare) Hermione, is one of the leading characters in that play and so is Leontes. I just thought it would be tricky of me to be weird and make it sound like Hermione's parents are Shakespeare nuts too! And I re-read what I had and I didn't really like the name Sidry all that much, which is what inspired the change. - Anyway, enjoy and I hope I haven't confused you too much!
PSS: Sorry to bug you further, but in this story, there is a band… it isn't a real band and the song that the 'band' sings… I wrote… yeah… So please no stealing it.
!ENJOY!
Hermione and her brother Leon finished the rest of their packing and loaded their trunks and things into the back of the taxi that Leon had called. Their father was still asleep on the couch with dozens of empty beer bottles at his feet.
The two of them looked at the house one last time before they got into the taxi. The wonderful blue house that their mother had loved so much was now turned into a junk yard. Unfinished projects that their father had started before their mother had died were everywhere. Their mothers old car that was once the best looking car on the block, was in the same shape of blue the house, it was almost rusted through and all of the windows were broken. The blue paint on the house was peeling and the shingles from the roof were falling off. Some of the paneling was falling off as well; some of it had even rotted through. The once lively tree in the front yard was now almost dead. There were no leaves, and it looked withered and old. And the planter boxes held dead and diminishing flowers from a few summers ago. They were full of ugly weeds and trash.
The taxi honked and the two of them sighed. The memories of them as children playing in that very yard filled Hermione's mind. She could remember when everything was peaceful and there was nothing to worry about. The world was just a big play ground and their parents were the best people on the planet. She saw her and Leon when they were around five and 6, Leon had climbed into that very tree and couldn't get down. She remember how their father had to climb up and get him out and then how everyone laughed about it when the two of them got to the ground. She saw her and her mother planting roses in the planter boxes that edged the yard like a small fence when she was around 7 years old. She remember how happy their lives used to be, how care free it once was. And now they were running away. Running away from the very place in which they grew up.
Hermione felt her eyes starting to water and then wiped the forming tears away with her sleeve and tried to smile. She looked at Leon, who had opened the door to the taxi. "Shall we?" he asked.
Hermione looked back at the house and then back to her brother and nodded. She got into the back of the taxi and Leon got into the passenger seat.
"So where is it dat I'll be taken you youngsters today anywayz?" asked the cab driver as he adjusted his hat looking in the rear-view-mirror.
Leon thought for a moment. "Take us to the Leaky Cauldron in London please."
Hermione smiled, just the thought of the magical world seemed to lift her spirits. The Leaky Cauldron was the only way to get into Diagon Alley from the muggle world. It was the place that most of the Hogwarts students went to so they could do their shopping before the long school year and then most of them stayed the night at the Leaky Cauldron before they boarded the Hogwarts Express the next day. Most muggles didn't know about it, considering from the outside, it looked like a broken down pub. But on the inside it was wonderful and lively.
The cab driver looked at the two of them and then at Leon, "The Leaky Cauldron… listen, I've been 'ter London many a time, but I ain't never heard of no Leaky Cauldron before." He rose an eyebrow.
"Just take us to London and I'll show you where to drop us off." Leon said.
The cab driver shrugged his shoulders and then started to drive. Hermione stared out the window at their house. She sighed and then look down at her lap. This was it. She and Leon were officially running away from their problems. They never had to see their father again, and they never again had to step into their home and feel unsafe.
She shook her head. She was running away from everything that she ever knew. The only thing that lie in front of her now was Hogwarts and her friends. That and her brother were the only things she had left. They still didn't know what it was that they were going to do after the year ended. Leon had suggested something along the lines of renting a house in Hogsmeade and Leon working at one of the pubs while Hermione studied, or visited Hagrid. They hadn't really talked about it much. Leon had something along the lines of taking it one day at a time.
The cab came to a jerking stop and Hermione hit the seat in front of her.
"WATCH WHERE YER GOIN' ASS WIPE!" The cab driver yelled out of his window. "Sorry, 'bout dat… better buckle yer selves up." He said looking back at Hermione and then at Leon.
Hermione nodded and then grabbed for her seatbelt and buckled herself in. She heard the click of Leon's seat belt and then they were off again.
They got onto the freeway and their neighborhood was out of sight. The only thing that they could see were other cars and big business buildings.
Hermione looked at her clothing, she was wearing a long sleeve muggle shirt that was baby pink with a little penguin in the middle of the chest area. The penguin was wearing a scarf and was surrounded by small snowballs. It also said in small letters under the penguin, 'I'm cold, hug me'. Her mother had given it to her a few years ago. But the main reason she was wearing it was to hide all of the cuts and bruises on her arms. She was also wearing blue jeans that were form fitting. The hem at the bottom of the pants were all torn and made them look rather old. Her shoes were black, just solid black. She looked up Leon to see that he too was wearing a long sleeve shirt and rugged looking pants. She sighed slightly, putting her head on the back of her seat and closed her eyes.
"How 'bout some muzak?" The diver said as he reached for the radio. "What do you guys like listenin' too!"
Leon looked back at Hermione and shrugged, she looked peaceful and asleep. "Anything is fine, just not too loud." He smiled and turned back to face the road.
"Okey-dokey." The driver said. There was a small click and then they heard a random song ending.
"And that was the wonderful Evanescence with their new hit single," the DJ said. "Now, when we come back from the break, I'll be giving you the brand new single from the hit band, Violet Smoke. More after this."
Hermione sighed and opened her eyes ignoring the annoying commercials. She looked out of the window again and saw a lake. More of a park, but it had a lake. The sun was hitting it just right, so that everything was bright in the morning light. She saw people playing fetch with their animals in the back ground. She sighed again and thought of Crookshanks. She had to let Ron take care him for the summer, considering her father tried to kill him the summer before. Ron didn't like the idea at first, but Hermione convinced him without letting anything slip.
She was jerked back to reality when the DJ's voice came back on.
"And we're back, and boy do I have a treat for you! This is the brand new single from Violet Smoke that I promised earlier. And boy, do these girls rock! This is off of their second CD, Demons Inside. So here it is, their new single, I'm dying inside."
-A slow guitar melody came on the radio. Slowly picking and then it went into strokes… and the song began.-
I'm dyingDown deep inside
I'm lying
Down within my heart
I'm losing it
In Front of you
I'm dying
'Cause of you
When you walk up to me
I smile
Like I always do
Never knowing what to say
To you
I just want to be left alone
Never having to do what you tell me too
Now I lay in my bed
Within my room
Seeing you
And only you
Hearing your words…
I just can't stand it
I'm dyingDown deep inside
I'm lying
Down within my heart
I'm losing itIn Front of you
I'm dying
'Cause of you
You tell me to do this and that
Go here and there
Get me this
Do that
I've had enough
I want to leave
Go far away
Away from here
But I can't
I'm still too young
To be out on my own
So I have to stay here
Here with you…
Forever it seems
I'm dyingDown deep inside
I'm lying
Down within my heart
I'm losing it
In Front of you
I'm dying
'Cause of you
-guitar solo-
The days go by
The hours pass
And I just smile
I smile that damned smile
So I won't hurt you
My emotions are bottled up
Within me
The cup is over flowing
This is too much for me to take
I'm dyingDown deep inside
I'm lying
Down within my heart
I'm losing it
In Front of you
I'm dying
'Cause of you
I just want to be left alone…While I'm dying inside.
-the guitar slowed its strokes and then went back to the picking it had done in the beginning and then slowly, died out.-
"And there you have it ladies and gentlemen! That is the new single from Violet Smoke! And let me tell you, for being an all girl band, they kick some major ass!"
The driver laughed. "I hear dem girls all over da place… and I haf ta admit dat de are pretty good, don't cha' think?"
"Yeah… they're okay." Leon said.
Hermione rested her head on her seat and closed her eyes again. Slowly, drifting away. She heard the murmur of music and the cab driver rambling on about something. The hum of the engine of the cab and other cars on the road.
Hermione woke up to Leon patting her shoulder. She blinked a few times and then everything came into view. Leon was kneeling outside of the car with her door open behind him. He was smiling and had his hand on her shoulder. "You alright?"
She ran her fingers through her hair. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Leon nodded his head and then stood up. Hermione unbuckled herself and then got out of the cab. Leon was working on getting their things out of the back of the taxi and the cab driver was looking at the Leaky Cauldron.
"Are you sure dis place is open… it looks kinda… dead if you guys ask me."
Hermione smiled, they were just a few steps away from the wizarding world. "Yeah, it's open." She said quietly.
"Well, that's everything." Leon said as he grabbed the last piece of luggage from the trunk of the cab.
Hermione took it from him so he could pay the driver and walked up to where he had put the other pieces of luggage.
"Tanks!" The driver said as he got back into his seat.
"Thanks for the ride!" Leon said as he waved at the driver as he pulled out from the curb. He sighed and then turned to Hermione. "I'll go inside and get someone to help us move everything."
"Alright," she said and gave a weak smile.
Leon nodded and then went inside.
She looked around at the street. There wasn't really anyone out and about. Most of the shops were closed for some reason. She looked around and remembered that is was a holiday in the muggle world. She shrugged and ran her fingers through her hair again. She saw her reflection in a window close by. She had grown taller, and skinnier. She was around five six. Her hair had started to agree with her and wasn't so bushy anymore. It had natural waves to it, but it wasn't a mess and looked rather nice.
She looked at her face, you could she her cheek bones a little better than the year before. She looked a little harder and saw some bruised at the bass of her neck, close to her collarbone. There was a small cut above her right eyebrow and the middle of her bottom lip was slightly split, as if she had had chap lips for awhile. She sighed again and then the door opened. Leon came out with Harry and Ron behind him.
"Look who I found." Leon smiled.
"Hey Hermione!" They both said together. Harry smiled at her and Ron looked at all of the luggage. "What, are you guys moving or something?" he asked as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"No, we just need a little more this year than usual." Hermione lied and smiled. "It's nice to see you guys."
The boys smiled and then picked up all the luggage they could at once. Hermione grabbed her trunk and another random piece of luggage and followed the boys through the door.
"Oh, let me help you with that!" Tom, the manager, said as he took a piece of luggage from Ron. "I have your room key, so if you'll just follow me," he said and made his way towards that stairs.
Hermione looked around and saw the same old Leaky Cauldron she had left last year before her 5th year. Some students were sitting and playing chess with one another. Other students had their books out, finishing up last minute assignments. There were older wizards sitting at the bar. A soft murmur of music could barely be heard in the background.
"So, have you gotten all of your school shopping done for the year yet Hermione?" asked Harry as they worked their way up the stairs.
"No, not yet. I don't think I even got the letter of what I need." She said as she thought about it. She hadn't received any letters except from Ron in the middle of summer asking a rather stupid question about homework.
"Well, you still have today and tomorrow." Ron said.
"I take it that you haven't done your shopping yet either Ron?" she asked.
Tom opened the door to the room he had rented out to Hermione and Leon. "Here you are, if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask." He smiled and set down the luggage he was carrying and walked out of the room.
Ron had gone slightly pink. "There is nothing wrong with a little procrastination." He said as he set down the luggage in his hands.
A/N: Okay… this will have to do for now. I know, it's I short… but I am having a major writers block on how to continue… and I know how it'll work if I just begin the next chapter. And I also have a ton of homework that I am supposed to be doing that I have brushed off for the past week and a half of winter break. So yeah… I will work on the next chapter when I finish my homework and then I hope you all will be happy. I will honestly do my very best to update more frequently, but like I have been saying, I have this annoying health condition that causes me to miss a lot of school, which caused me to have a ton of homework at one time. So yeah… you never know with me, BUT I'LL TRY! Really, I will. Even though only a few people even bother reading my stuff, but that's okay. Life goes on and I will shut up now.
Hope to hear from all of you, please review, tell me if you like is thus far, or if you hate it! Review Review!
Hufflepuff Student8PS: Okay… I finished this chapter in December and I was going to post it, but my computer committed suicide and I just recently got it back. So, I am going to work on the next chapter and like I said, I hope to hear from you all soon.