Diagon Alley

I enter the jewelry shop on the Main Street a thousand coins in my bag all jingling with the same taunting abnormality that I've become so accustomed to.

My mother had given me a little bit too much money, but, that was all right because it was very helpful since I've decided that I wanted to get Abby a ring as well-perhaps not as nice as the one she got me but I wanted her to have something to remember me by...if she does want to remember.

I'm peering over at the engagement rings that were in my price range; I remember something that Abby had told me; "You never need flashy jewelry when you are a bright, vivid spirit, no instead you need something simple to accentuate the beauty that is already do relevant, you don't want something that will take over the show stopping beauty you hold."

I take that advice and look at the simpler rings that I thought would be perfect for such a 'bright and vivid spirit'.

When I make my decision I head to the cashier who hands me my bag wrapped and pretty and then I was off and out of the store.

Diagon Alley was incredibly busy today, people were swarming all around me.

"Granger?" I hear a feminine voice call from behind me.

I turn and I see Abbys best friend Astoria Greengrass standing there.

"Greengrass," I nod to her and move to the side of the road.

"What are you doing here?" She asks me.

"I'm shopping for Abbys birthday, you?" I say holding up my bag.

"Same thing actually...say do you want to go to Floreans?"

When she asks me to accompany her to the ice cream parlor usually I would say no but for whatever reason I follow her to the outdoor shop.

I order a lemonade as she ordered a cup of vanilla ice cream.

"Usually I hate sugar, but, their ice cream is my weakness," She laughs taking a bite of her ice cream.

"What do you want from me?" I ask her abruptly.

She swallows her ice cream, licks her lips and folds her hands over one another on top of the table.

"Fine...I hope you understand...times are changing and the direction we are going in is...we're going to stay-us purebloods-there will be no more mudbloods you see...instead you all will be hunted to the depths of the earth and will simply perish," She says this so easily that I almost believe her.

"That's not true-people will fight back!"

"But you will lose," She shrugs taking another bite, her brunette hair curled to perfection draped carelessly over her shoulder.

"Why are you telling me this?" I ask her furious.

"Abby doesn't need you hanging around her-she needs to be with someone better- a pureblood that will love her more than you could ever possibly, she doesn't need someone like you to taint her pure name."

"Oh? And who do you think that that would be?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Me."

This takes me by storm, her?

Astoria Greengrass love my girlfriend-ex-girlfriend.

No I don't think so.

"You?!" I exclaim flabbergasted.

"You're her friend not her lover!"

"But...that could change Granger you know that," Astoria smiles condescendingly.

"Besides you aren't even going to be able to allowed to "know" her the way you believe you can-," I cut her off.

"Why's that?" I say furious.

"Because you? You are a mudblood, just accept it already," She cackles.

"I will love her more-and better than you could ever will Granger. I hope you can understand that I will go to every lengths to make her mine..."

I sneer as the brunette as she grabbed her bags and stood pausing while looking down at me.

"Good luck is all I can say with these magnificent times," with a smirk and a wink she leaves me there alone with my thoughts...and the bill.

11:00

My mum zips me up in my dress the both of us staring thoughtfully into the mirror.

"You look beautiful," She says smoothing my shoulders down.

"Thank you mum," I smile at her.

"Have fun at the party and let me know if you'll be spending the night," She says smiling,.

"I will, I love you mum," I say.

"I love you too honey,"She smiles back and leaves my room.

Carefully I shake ou the key onto my desk and grab my gift bag as well as my purse.

Harry and Ron didn't know that I was going to this party so if something, anything went wrong- I didn't have anyone to come get me, until the port keys activated.

Soon enough eleven thirty comes around and the port key starts humming with a new sort of energy.

I grab onto the port key my other hand gripping my purse and Abbys gift bag.

When I land in the garden I can't help but look around in awe at the amazing manor.

I was lucky that I landed on the path, because decorating the sides of the path were three very poisonous plants: nightshade otherwise known as belladonna, and poison Ivy.

Standing up I wonder if she planted these-perhaps the deadly but beautiful nightshade that could suit her so well.

The manor towers over me, three floors gazing down at me, inviting me to come forward.

Green and silver balloons line the door, silver sparks light up the darkness of the entryway, each spelling out 'Happy 16th Birthday Abby!'.

I use the door knocker, in the shape of a serpent eating a mouse to knock on the solid mahogany door.

Within thirty seconds the door swings open and a small house elf is gazing up at me.

"Hello...I'm here for Abby Yaxley?" I say sweetly at the elf.

"I will fetch the misses," the elf says simply before closing the door retreating back to wherever Abby was.

I almost think that the elf had left to not return until the door opens again and Abby stands there a small smile on her face.

She wears a black sleeveless dress with black heels, her hair was pulled up into a simple bun showing her makeup less face and only small, simple silver earrings to accessorize her look.

"Come in, come in," she says calmly opening the door wider.

"So...this is my home," She smiles.

"It's beautiful...I love your garden, I saw the nightshade and ivy...what are they there for?" I acknowledge her.

"Uh...the nightshade is apart of my family crest and the ivy is in memory of my mother-it was her favorite plant," She trails off.

I nod.

"Let's go up to my room that way we can talk in private, my house elves are quite nosy," She suggests nodding to the magnificent staircase to the right.

We don't speak until we get to her room.

It's a lot lighter then I had expected, the color theme was yellow-a sort of yellow that glistened like sunlight.

She sat on her bed patting the seat next to her.

We sit in silence for a few seconds before she speaks.

"I'm so sorry Hermione..." Her voice cracks and when I look back at her tears are escaping her eyes.

She puts her head in her hands and continues:

"I freaked out because he told the truth and I knew you knew about it and I felt betrayed...I still acted w-wrong..."

I place my arm around her holding her: cooing at her.

"It's okay Abby...I understand why you did it," I say.

"But it was wrong of me...and I-I'm sorry, I still love you so much," She cries into my shoulder.

I have never seen her like this before, she always seems so strong and unbreakable.

But, now...she's so vulnerable and honest like I've never seen.

I stroke her head, kissing it ever so slightly as if I was trying to not scare her off.

"Abby its okay calm down..." I reassure her.

Eventually her breathing starts to slow down and she sits up straight again her eyes red and distraught.

"Hermione...I'm so afraid..." She says her face calm but her hands wring anxiously together.

"Why?" I ask despite what Astoria had said.

"Hermione...I wish that I could tell you better yet be on your side of things..."

The desperation in her voice hurts me, worse then if I had failed at something important: Astoria Greengrass was right.

I can't love her, I can't do anything to help her if she wont tell me.

"Do you forgive me?" I ask quietly.

"Of course I do..." She sighs.

"Do you...do you still love me?" I ask her the actual question that has been lingering inside of my head.

"Hermione I..."

My chest doesn't rise or fall...my breathing stops as I wait for her to finish her sentence.

Her blue eyes locate mine looking rather like sapphires in the crystal light emitting from her chandelier.

"I do, I love you so much," She says.

"So just remember the cottage, in the countryside with you painting and me reading in the garden-together," I say holding her hand in mine.

She nods at me and smiles a small smile that doesn't reach her eyes.

"I'm cancelling the party...I'm going to stop the port keys because I just want to spend my last- this night with you," She smiles at me standing up grabbing her wand waving it over a paper on her desk the names erasing one by one.

I nod and decide that if I was going to spend the rest of the day and night with her that I wanted to be more comfortable I slip out of my tight dress and walk to her dresser where I found t-shirts.

She seems to get the idea and does the exact same thing.

We spend the whole day painting and reading and talking learning more then ever about each other by the time we go to sleep I know her whole life story-or at least what she wanted me to know.

I fall asleep slowly cherishing the feeling of sleeping in her arms-falling asleep in the arms of my lover.