Life After Hogwarts

By Arime Setta

Chapter Four: The beginnings of revenge

Staying mad at your best friends is a daunting task that I took joy in. I have rarely had enough steam to manage to ignore Harry and Ron for as long as I did this time. After storming out of the common room I yelled and screamed for an hour in my room before collapsing on my couch and sleeping straight through Valentine's Day.

Most girls would be bubbling with joy at the prospects of receiving endless letters and gifts on this special day but obviously I am not most girls. My room was filled with owls the next morning, but seeing as how I was asleep, I took special notice to not care. When I finally woke up I merely shoo'd the owls away and went back to my studies without even touching the piles of cards flowers and gifts.

My pile included the expected gifts from my family and members of the Order like Professor Lupin, Professor McGonagall, Tonks and of course Professor Dumbledore. Their gifts consisted of flowers and chocolates mostly but a few did stand out. This year Professor Dumbledore sent every female at Hogwarts a bouquet of flowers that turned to chocolates before wilting. My mother sent me a beautiful set of bra and panties which instantly turned me bright pink. She has always preached about how underwear makes a woman but I never expected her to apply that to her only daughter. She claimed in her note that I was old enough to realize the true value of underpants since I am an adult finally.

Harry and Ron of course sent dozens of chocolates and apology cards from Hogsmeade but in my anger I turned them away so Ron could return the gifts.

I am sure you wonder why I was being so stubborn but in my mind it makes perfectly good sense. They challenged my purity and clearly know nothing about me if they think I would be caught dead with Malfoy or even with a boy at all.

So the truth. I am not nearly as innocent as I would have you believe… My summer flings were fun and fairly innocent but not as chaste as a nun. Of course Harry and Ron no NOTHING about my flings or boyfriends or whatever so they have no basis for even thinking about me slutting around with Malfoy. To say that I was hurt by their assumptions and gullibility is an understatement.

After sifting through Harry and Ron's letters and gifts I soaked in a bath with Ginny's new bubble bath (v-day gift of course) and then sat back and ignored my study guides for a bit. I haven't had a chance to read for fun in a very long time and thoroughly enjoy finishing the Jasper Fforde series about Thursday Next. The wonderful imagination of Fforde kept me from thinking about the silly holiday and the rumors around the school.

Just before dinner time the most shocking of all things arrived. A gift from Malfoy. A beautiful eagle flew in and elegantly landed on top of my duvet and miraculously left only glitter instead of droppings or feathers. The package delivered included a short hand written note and a classically wrapped box.

"Hermione, or Granger,

I do believe I owe you an apology but in all reality I'm not one for saying sorry so instead please accept this gracious, generous, lovely gift. Next time I'll let everyone know how wonderful you are in bed and tell them to piss off because they are only jealous that they can't have me-erm you I mean.

Draco Malfoy"

The box contained a single glass rose that gave off the scent of a bouquet and a little music box. I was surprised to find that the box would twinkle a little chime when opened but after waving a wand over it, it could be programmed to play any song; muggle or magic. The wonderful gift almost made up for his terrible letter and pighead- or ferret faced- comments.

The first thing all women should know is once given a gift, no matter how much you hate the person and don't forgive them, if it is nice enough keep it. If it sucks then feel free to send it back with a note saying how pathetic their attempt was. Obviously I kept the gift and sent the eagle back with a short note-

"Ferret,

Wonderful attempt at humility. Too bad I still plan on seeking revenge…

Hermione the Merciful"

Monday morning came with a bang as I fell out of bed and landed on top of crookshanks. I groggily made my way to the bathroom as a plan began to develop. It would seem that the landing knocked some genius into me… or at least some mischievous inspiration.

"Good morning sweetie. Sleep well without me?" Hermione walked into the great hall wearing her traditional robes but with a slight difference. Her green lace bra was clearly visible underneath her tight white shirt, which would usually be two sizes larger and hidden under a cardigan or robes.

"Sweetie?" Draco responded confused by the term of endearment but sounding like he had simply not heard her and was asking his darling to repeat.

"Yes, that would be me. I asked did you sleep well. I wish I didn't have to study last night but that potions exam is today. I'm sure you understand. Oh I am so glad that we are out in the open now. It takes so much pressure off my chest." By this point Hermione was snuggled close to Draco without actually touching him. Her appearances were initially enough to cause many to choke on their breakfast but her affections were making most of the school nauseous.

Don't misunderstand. Hermione does not look particularly slutty or even outrageous. She merely is dressing like all of the other girls at school and is actually wearing green. We know that her bra and panty set are from her mother (though no one else knows about the panties of course… she isn't that kind of girl now) and that green is a coincidence and has no relation to Slytherin but of course no one else is privy to this information. Oh just imagine the drama that will unfold.

"What! Nothing is out in the open! There is no we!" Draco chokes out just before the bells ring to signal the end of breakfast. Hermione stands with tears streaming down her face and yells "Oh you bastard! How dare you play it off like we've had nothing! I thought I was more than that. I thought that after our conversation about respect and cherishment you would never do this." Hermione grabs her bag and smacks him clear across the face then turns and storms off to first period.

Of course no one notices the twinkle in her eye or the wheels churning behind them.

A/N Ok go and review right this instant! Then proceed to read on. And then Review again. Whatcha think of the switch of pov? Feel smooth or choppy? I'm sick of writing entire chapters in past tense lol. Talk to me peoples!