A Second Chance – fire-and-ice89
A/N: As I said in my update of School Camp, I kind of forgot I had a few stories waiting for updates…sorry!
A few people mentioned how they wish the chapters were longer…well, as I've said before, I'm really sorry about that! I wrote this story before I started posting on so I had no idea how short chapters turned out to be on the website. My other fictions have more reasonable chapter lengths, since I've now learned my lesson.
Replies to reviews:
AAAHEVEILCHEESEMONKIES: hahaha generally when I see "LOL" in front of a review I assume it's a good thing, as I find it usually is! Thanks so much!
Mrs. Skywalker: I always used to be a Harry Hermione shipper, until someone introduced me to my favourite pairing. Although I don't normally write them, I still like to read HPHG stories.
Twista123: Good advice, definitely. I love writing, I've been doing it before I even started school, and I never want to give it up, even if it's only ever a hobby for me.
Sorry I haven't replied to everyone's reviews, but I'm in a hurry to get this chapter up and get on with my homework.
Chapter Nine – Forgiving
Hermione stayed in her dorm that whole afternoon. She only left to go to the bathroom once, and even then she waited until she was positive the corridors were clear.
The rest of the time she spent scribbling furiously in her diary, and reading cheesy romance novels that she would normally have held at arm's length.
All in all, she was sick of moping around.
As she sat in front of her mirror, pulling a brush through her thick, bushy hair, she reflected on the events of the past night. Guys just weren't trustworthy, she thought. But then, neither were girls.
She was better on her own.
Slowly, she walked down the stairs to the common room. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, two people jumped out from the sides and wrapped her in a big hug. Hermione gasped in surprise.
"Lavender! Parvati! What are you doing here?" She did a double take when she saw Harry and Ron standing at the back of the room.
"We're really sorry if you're upset with us, Hermione." Harry said, walking towards her. "We still don't really know what we did wrong, but we want to make it up to you."
When she looked closer, she realized that Ron was holding a box in his hand.
"You got a present for me?" She asked, amazed.
"Just something little," said Ron, very cautiously. And she couldn't blame him, thought Hermione suddenly. She had been biting their heads off whenever they approached her.
"Oh, thank you so much," she said, and hugged Lavender and Parvati again.
"You don't know what you're saying thank you for yet," said Ron, holding out her present.
Hermione took the box from his hand and examined it. She could see right away that it was a jewelry box. She hoped that they hadn't gotten her anything too extravagant.
Carefully, she opened the lid and peeked inside.
"Oh!" she gasped, as she pulled out the lion shaped brooch inside.
"It's sort of symbolic. Whenever you feel upset, just remember that you always have your Gryffindor friends," said Parvati. Hermione fingered the brooch. It was gold in colour and fairly heavy too, so she suspected it was real gold.
All for her.
Hermione looked up suddenly. "How did you get this so quickly?"
Harry and Ron looked at each other sheepishly. "Well, it had something to do with an invisibility cloak and a secret passage to Hogsmeade…you know the rest."
Hermione smiled warmly. "Thank you so much, all of you." This time, Ron and Harry did not hesitate to hug her.
When she had pinned the brooch onto the front of her uniform, Parvati carefully approached a tender subject.
"We don't mind if you don't want to talk…but can you tell us what we did wrong? We won't know how to help otherwise."
Hermione thought carefully about what she might say.
Harry and Parvati? They obviously liked each other, they were just following their instinct.
Lavender? Well, it was just in her nature to be flirtatious.
Harry and Ron? They were only trying to protect her from Malfoy, who had appeared to be holding her against her will.
With a shock, she realized that her friends really hadn't done anything wrong.
The only person she should be angry at was herself…and Malfoy.
She looked up and realized that they were all waiting for an answer. With a shaky laugh, she shook her head.
"You guys didn't do anything wrong. It's just me, messing things up again." Without meaning to, she gave a small sob and tears began to form in her eyes.
"Don't cry!" Lavender squealed, wrapping her in another big hug. Parvati looked at her with large, concerned eyes. Harry and Ron looked embarrassed and became very interested in the floor all of a sudden.
"I'll be fine," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Let's go down to dinner."
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When she settled down beside Ron and Harry at the table, Ginny gave her a wink. She smiled back, glad that things were finally sorted out.
She was back with her friends. Where she wanted to be. And Malfoy? He was out of the picture. She was proud to say that she didn't look over at the Slytherin table a single time during that dinner.
So needless to say, she had no idea how much the Slytherin King was missing her gaze.
The whole of dinner, he had his eyes fixed on the back of her head, trying to penetrate through her hair into her thoughts.
Look at me. Look over here.
She never did though.
He sighed and sat back in his seat. Maybe she had given up on him. But maybe she was fooling herself into thinking that.
He thought back to his great idea.
Draco Malfoy walks up behind Hermione Granger and touches her lightly on the shoulder. She looks around at him with eyes that have already predicted who is there.
Draco: "Hey, do you wanna come outside?"
Hermione: "Whatever"
They go outside and immediately start kissing. It has always meant to be. They keep kissing until – okay okay, on with the plan.
Draco: "Hermione, do you forgive me?"
Hermione: "Of course."
They live happily ever after.
Okay, so it wasn't such a great plan. But it was a start.
He rose up, and started walking over to the Gryffindor table. His heart was pounding. He, Draco Malfoy, was nervous. And about a girl, of all things!
In his head, he kept revising the first part of his plan. That, at least, had to go right.
Walk over and touch her on the shoulder.
Okay, that shouldn't be too hard. Nearly there now. Nearly there…
Wait a moment. She was getting up as well. To see him?
No.
No way.
What the hell was she doing leaving the hall with Weasel?
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As she ate her dinner, Hermione couldn't but help notice Ron's gaze remaining steadfastly upon her.
She thought back to the ball. He had been staring at her in a similar way then, hadn't he? And he had said something to her, just before she left. What was it again?
She was sitting there wracking her memory, when he spoke.
"Do you want to go for a walk, Hermione?"
She grinned, suddenly thinking of a way to get him back for that night at the ball.
"But Ron, it's nighttime."
Either he didn't remember, or he was just nervous, because he became flustered.
"But…but…walks in the nighttime can be nice." he stumbled.
Hermione's grin widened.
"It's raining."
Ron looked up at the ceiling.
"Oh. Oh, so it is. Well, in that case then I guess…um…"
"You idiot, Ron, of course I'll go for a walk with you. I was only teasing."
Ron's grin almost split his face. The two of them got up and left the hall together, slipping between tables inconspicuously.
It was raining outside, but only a slight drizzle. It was similar to that of the night before, the night of the dance. Hermione looked over into the empty corner, half expecting to see a girl crying there.
This was where all the trouble started.
When Ron stepped outside after her, the first thing he did was touch her brooch gently.
"I'll always be here for you, Hermione," he said softly.
Hermione turned and looked into his eyes. His meaning seemed to run deeper than his words.
This isn't right. She thought to herself. Romance confuses everything.
She smiled up at him, though she was desperately trying to think of a way to get out of this situation.
Malfoy saved her the trouble.
A/N: That was a long chapter for this story…hopefully it makes up for the short chapter complaints!
I think the next chapter is the one that everyone has been waiting for…