Chapter Two: Because of a Galleon
Disclaimer: Told you ages ago… I never owned… Don't own… Won't ever own anything… (sigh…)
A/n: So sorry… I know this is kind of a short chapter… And I'm really sorry for not updating sooner… Anyways, thanks for the reviews… I really appreciate them…
She woke up on a gray, gloomy Saturday, with snow threatening to fall. Her thoughts on the day before came back. She again felt miserable and lonely, while reminiscing the past.
She slowly and warily got up from the warm, cozy sheets and went to the kitchen to fix some breakfast without even bothering to make her bed.
Hermione saw the pictures on the mantelpiece again and was aware of the tears beginning to fall on her cheeks. She hastily wiped them with the back of her hand and proceeded straight into the tidy kitchen. Ginger was already there and was waiting for her food.
"'Morning, Ginger," Hermione greeted her cat. "You've been up already? It's Saturday. And you know what that means? No work for me!"
Ginger just stared at her and purred softly.
"Oh yes, your food," said Hermione, filling up Ginger's bowl with cat food before setting it in front of the hungry kitten.
Leaving Ginger for a while, she quickly made a not-so-glamorous breakfast of bacon and toast. Pouring herself some pumpkin juice, she then went to a neat wooden table to eat her breakfast alone.
After having breakfast, she went to her room and began looking for something to wear. She finally settled on a plain, quaint green top and a pair of Muggle jeans. She didn't even bother to wear a sweater or a hat but instead got a dull brown coat to keep herself alive from the teeth-chattering cold outside.
She was walking again. She was ambling through the snowy gardens amidst the cold winter breeze. She was reminiscing... Thinking... Reflecting... The same questions she had pondered still had no answers. She wished she could communicate with her best friends- which was quite unnerving to think about.
What if they had forgotten about her? What if he was already married? Or, what if he did not have inklings whatsoever that she was still alive and waiting for him to come back?
A myriad of "what-ifs" crossed her mind.
But deep inside, she doubted that Ron had forgotten her. He couldn't… He wouldn't dare forget her… They made a promise, a vow before they parted ways five years ago.
(Flashback)
"Promise me one thing, 'Mione," Ron whispered, holding a crying Hermione against him.
"Anything…"
"Please don't forget me, and Harry, too. We may be gone for a while, but we won't ever forget a bossy, bushy-haired Hermione," he said, smiling, while he fondly rumpled her curly brown tresses.
"I promise… And you better promise that you two won't forget me either!" Hermione answered warmly, glimpsing into his azure blue eyes.
"Sure thing, 'Mione," Ron murmured, and placed a soft peck on Hermione's cheek, and looking at her sad chocolate brown eyes for the what was presumably the last time.
With tears trailing down her face, she bade her other best friend goodbye and watched them wave farewell before taking their trunks and apparating out of sight.
(End of Flashback)
Her memories were still fresh of that day. She remembered how in their first few weeks of absence they incessantly owled her, but as the months and years came, the post became fewer and fewer, until it reached the point wherein they only greeted her when it was her birthday, Christmas or whatever occasion they felt was proper to send a greeting or a five-sentence letter.
Hermione periodically sent them ten-paragraph letters whenever she felt it was appropriate, only to be replied with "thanks", or whatever reply her best friends thought was suitable. She still sent them presents and gifts when it was their birthday, Christmas, New Year and every other holiday she could think of, only to be sent with whatever gift her best friends could give her as soon as possible.
But Hermione only dismissed those petty, little things, arguing to herself that it was the thought that counted. But did they still have thoughts about her?
As she trudged on, some people would probably even think she was going insane. What would you think if a person wearing only a coat and no hat, mittens or anything to keep herself warm was murmuring quietly and stared at you with blank, expressionless brown eyes as she passed by?
Hermione didn't even bother to notice the people gawking at her, as she was busy mulling over her thoughts and feelings.
She didn't notice that snowflakes were falling from the sky, signaling an upcoming blizzard.
She didn't notice that the people were hurrying to get to their homes or shelter as fast as they could in order to be shielded from the snow.
She didn't notice that she was the only one to be left on the streets.
She didn't notice a great gust of wind coming.
But then she did notice that her coat was blown away and her Galleons, Sickles and Knuts were thrown carelessly on the ground. She then noticed the heavy snowfall that was about to come.
Hermione frantically ran to pick up her coat and get her money from the snowy earth. Ahead she saw a Galleon that was thrown quite far away from the others and was about to leave it there until she saw a pair of hands get it and approach her.
The pair of hands looked familiar. That pair of hands belonged to only one special person...
A/n (again): See? Short chapter… Please have mercy… I've been having writer's block often lately, so I ask for your forgiveness for not being able to write longer chapters… Oh, and as you may have noticed, I changed the title… It is now "Twists of Fate", as you have observed, I added an "s" to the "Twist"… I don't know why… I just felt like doing it...