Chapter 2: Christmas and Easter
Thank you reviewers! I'm so happy that so many people enjoyed it. I probably won't get to update this until next weekend, so I hope you can wait.
Chrissy92: Glad you like it! I was trying to do something unique.
slightlynuttyvintagechic: Don't worry, I'll write more. I always thought Hermione liked Ron since the moment she met him, so I wanted to include that.
Klass2008: Your review was fine! Not many mistakes at all. I'm glad you like it, and I'm writing it as fast as I can!
When the month of November came I began counting the days until the Christmas holiday. On December the 17th, I would see my big sister Hermione for the first time in four long months apart. Hermione still wrote me weekly, so I knew that she hadn't forgotten about me. As the weeks went on, her letters became much happier. Finally she had friends. I couldn't be happier for her, and yet, I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Hermione, and her new friends Harry and Ron were apart of a magical world, and I was just left out.
Hermione told me about the fantastic spells, marvelous potions and unbelievable things she was learning. So typical of Hermione to talk only about lessons. In an earlier letter, Hermione mentioned the magical sport of Quidditch, when Harry got on the team. No matter how much I begged her, Hermione wouldn't go into it further. Besides lessons, Hermione talked an awful lot about Ronald Weasley. When she comes home, I really aught to tell her to stop going on about him. Personally, especially at the age of eight, I couldn't care less how tall, handsome, intelligent, caring, or funny some boy was.
We picked up Hermione from the train station early on the morning of December the 17th. We were going skiing, and I was really excited. As we drove to the ski resort, I was talking non-stop. Hermione was quiet on the ride there, but I didn't really notice. I was too busy getting her up to speed. We arrived on the hills, and I was ready and raring to go. I wasn't the expert skier Hermione was. She was kind enough to help me on the bunny slopes, even though I knew that she would have preferred that challenging courses.
We had fun that Christmas holiday, eating and talking and laughing. In my opinion, it was one of the best Christmases ever. Still, I couldn't help but notice that Hermione seemed distant the entire journey. I tried to ask her what was wrong once. She just answered, "It's just something I'm doing for school Ophelia, you wouldn't understand", Hermione said. Never would I understand. Hermione and I were part of different worlds. It wasn't the same as it used to be.
Hermione left about a week after the New Year. At the train station, I cried. This time, she didn't. Once again, I was alone without Hermione for another 4 months. Her letters became more frequent during that time. The letters that I did receive were very short, and limited to what they had done at Hogwarts during that time. I thought it would never happen, but Hermione and I were drifting apart. It didn't bother me as much as I though that it would. That's probably because I knew that when I was old enough, I would go to Hogwarts.
I did end going to Hogwarts, but that story is for a later date. I started this diary with the goal of chronicling my life, starting from when I knew magic was real when I was 8 years old. And so I waited until Easter, making it through my identical monotonous days by clinging to the few short letters Hermione sent me. I became involved in Girl Scouts. I played soccer. I was doing my best to move on with my life. Still, in the back of my mind, I couldn't help to think about the magical world to which I longed to belong and the sister that I missed.
Hermione came home for a week in mid April for Easter. We had a lot of fun finding the chocolate Easter eggs that our parents had hidden. Hermione talked with me and joked with me about the stupidest things. It was as if I had my old sister back. We ate chocolate eggs under the moonlight. I told her about my new bicycle. She talked about her recent Transfiguration test. Easter night, it didn't seem to matter that we came from two different worlds. At eight years old, I knew that we were sisters, and that was all that mattered.
I grew to like Hermione much more during that Easter Holiday. We used to argue constantly, whether it was about a missing hair brush, or who broke mum's favourite glass plate. Hermione was always my best friend, but as best friends, we have to learn to accept each others faults. To me Hermione was a bossy know-it-all. Despite that, I always looked up to her. The 8 months she had spent at school had changed her.
Perhaps it was having friends, or perhaps it was the fact where she had found a place where she wasn't considered strange. She didn't freak out every single time someone broke a rule. For instance, she didn't yell at me for eating my chocolates before dinner, which is something she would have usually done. Last Easter holiday Hermione spent the whole time doing her homework. I know for a fact, since Hermione told me, that the Hogwarts teachers had assigned quite a bit of homework over the holiday. Hermione did a very un-Hermione like thing and did it all on the last day.
I was very sad to see Hermione go at the end of that magical week. It was the best Easter ever, and I didn't want it to end. Both Hermione and I were crying as our parents drove us to the train station. We had had so much fun. It was just like old times. It would be 3 months until Hermione came home for the summer. I didn't know how I could possibly survive until then. After Hermione hugged mum and dad, I walked with her to the barrier.
Hermione was crying, and so was I. "You can come when you're older Fee fee", Hermione said, using a nickname I had not been called since I was a very small child. Most people call me Ophelia. Our parents really had a thing about giving us unusual names. Without another word, Hermione disappeared through the barrier. Somehow, I knew that I would get to go to Hogwarts when I was old enough. I also knew that the 2 and half years before I could go would last a lifetime.
I walked with my parents to the car, my head hanging. As we drove home, I though about the magical world in which Hermione was living. I knew that my parents would never be a part of it. I wondered if they felt left out of Hermione's life as I did during Christmas. One day, I felt sure that I would join her world. They would never have that chance. Fifteen minutes later, I arrived home, and we were able to settle into our mundane lives, without Hermione.
Up next…Chapter 3: The Worst Summer ever… Ophelia meets some people when she goes with her family to Diagon Alley. Harry and Ron teach her about Quidditch. Lucius Malfoy inadvertently teaches her about discrimination.