The Man With The Dragon Tattoo
(A/N: Hello my beautiful readers! This is my first fanfiction, so please excuse any mistakes. I write kind of touch and go, but will never abandon the story. Please note that I obviously do not own Harry Potter or it's characters (duh). I would love to hear new ideas and thoughts that you may have! -Echo)
Hermione glanced up with a sigh. The once-beautiful day had turned cold and windy, and the clouds were heavy with rain. It had started lightly sprinkling at first, but it now came crashing down in sheets. Grumbling to herself and cursing the globe, she conjured an umbrella and quickened her pace.
~Flashback~ Shortly after the war, Hermione decided that she needed a change in her life. The best idea, she had thought, was to move somewhere that she had never heard of, and seemed safe enough. So, she spun a globe, closed her eyes, and pointed, making it freeze. Holding her breath, she looked. That whimsical urge is what had led her to one of the most beautiful places, in her opinion, on earth. Idaho, USA. When she told her best friends that she was moving there, Harry and Ron had protested at first, saying that it was too far away, and full of nothing but wild animals and people alike. After much arguing, tears, and a stubborn redhead, they had relented, and bid her farewell with smiles. It wasn't like they never saw each other anyways, they still apparated in and had lunch together three times a week. It had been a bit awkward for Harry at first, because of Hermione's and Ron's newfound romance, but they soon broke things off, agreeing that it was rather like dating a sibling. The three had remained "The Golden Trio" and pretty much forgot about the whole thing, though Hermione and Ron still greeted each other with a handshake instead of a hug. ~ End of flashback ~
I just had to move to Idaho, She thought. It could have been Hawaii, or Florida, or even California. But no, it had to be Idaho. It's JULY, for pete's sake, and last month I had to bring my plants inside because it was SNOWING.
Granted, it had been early June, just barely into the month, but that made no difference as the young woman continued her internal rant. She was so deep in thought, in fact, that when she bumped into the blond she almost didn't recognize him. But though he did look a bit different, she could recognize those eyes from a mile away. Those eyes had taunted her for years, until just recently.
~Flashback ~ Hermione had been sitting by the lake, with a book in her lap. She wasn't really reading it though, just staring blankly at it, lost in thought. She snapped out of it rather quickly though when a certain blond came and sat next to her. She opened her mouth, about to snap at him, but stopped when she heard the words that she thought he simply did not know. "I'm sorry." He stated. She was about to ask him what sort of cruel joke he was playing, but he put his hand up. "just listen." He said. "I'm sorry for taunting you for all of those years. In our first year, I had taunted you because I was jealous. You exceeded me in everything, and got top marks for every class. That summer, when my father asked who had done better that his own flesh and blood, a Malfoy, I told him all about the smart muggle born who had beaten me."
"A mudblood." he sneered. You are much better than that piece of scum. You are a Malfoy, and we are never second best, especially to mudblood brats. You must be at the top next year, or there will be hell to pay."
"And with that, he slapped me across the face and stormed out of the room. I started to hate you from there on. In my mind, YOU were the reason that I was a disappointment. You were the reason that I was being abused. I believed with every fiber in my being that I was better than you, and you were beneath me. That was up until fourth year. That summer, I was being groomed to become a Death Eater. Watching all of those innocent people being tortured and killed, I started to question if we really were better. From what I could see, we were just spilling blood, and that made us no better. I wanted to stop, but if I started being kinder, word would have gotten to my father that I was a blood traitor. So I kept at it. You didn't know this, but when you were being tortured, I knocked you unconscious with a spell so that Bella would stop sooner. A feeble gesture, but I tried. I don't believe that I'm better. And no innocent blood should be spilled. One of the best moment's in my life was when the dark mark disappeared,
meaning that Voldemort was gone for good. The reason I'm telling you this is not so you pity me, but so you understand. I want to start my life over with a clean slate, and part of that includes graduating without a hoard of people wanting to hex me to oblivion." And with that he stood up to leave.
"Okay." Hermione said. "Pardon?" He asked, startled. "I forgive you." She said. And with that, she shook his hand and walked off. ~ End of Flashback~
"Malfoy?!" She exclaimed with a shriek.
Said person was much calmer, and looked at her with a blank expression.
"Granger, are you going to let me in, or are you just going to keep staring at me like you've seen a ghost?"
And with that, she became a smart, confident woman again, and she opened the door to Idaho Untamed, her store.
(A/N: Yes, I hear you. I do realize that that happened really fast, but I don't want to start out with them still all, er, uncivilized towards each other. I will try to slow down a bit after that. Love you all! -Echo)