Chapter 19: Who I am Hate Who I've Been
Hermione and Nina arrived in the Great Hall fifteen minutes later when they thought that no one would notice them. As they waked through the woorway their items, hidden on their outter sides so neither could see, turned into small, white boxes. When they got through there everyone bombarded them with questions.
"I heard you locked yourself in the room Nina!"
"Did you really try to avada yourself?"
"Is it true you're being sent to Azkaban?"
Hermione, Harry and Ron tried to hold everyone off as ridiculus question after ridiculus question came out at her.
"Ah, I see the last person is here," Dumbledore then said. Everyone looked at to doorway and saw Draco holding his small box. "Now everyone, for this activity we shall get into our groups. We shall be doing something similar to what muggle schools call 'show and tell'. Each person in the group shall receive something belonging to someone else in the group. The person shall observe the item and identify who the item belongs to. Professors…"
The professors took their groups our of the hall leaving Dumbledore with the grey group. He flicked his wand and the three white boxes flew up above all their heads and spun around quickly until it looked like one big white circle. Hermione's white box turned back into her sketchbook and flew into Nina's lap. Hermione had never showed anyone the sketchbook, she assumed that no one would be reading it and then became nervous. Draco's box turned into a small, wooden box and flew onto Hermione's lap. He smiled at that because he had done something to it. Nina's box turned into the one she had brought with her and landed in Draco's lap.
Nina's POV
I automatically knew that this was Hermione's but I was surprised that I did not recognize it. I opened the book to see a beautiful drawing of a young woman. There were tears streaming down her face. There was writing on the bottom. It said 'Why?'. The girl looked like me! I turned the pages. They were filled with journal entries, poetry, drawings, pictures and stuff like that. Why has she never shown me this? I wondered why she kept this from me as I read the entire book.
Draco's POV
I looked at Hermione, hoping that my box went to her. I took Nina's advice and did something drastic. Well, that's not what she told me to do, but I'm still gonna say that it was her idea if my plan blows up. I then saw a book float to Nina and I sighed on the inside. A small box then fell onto my lap. I opened it up and saw a miniature drum set that was decorated with stuff, but I could not tell what they were. I looked around, moving papers and found letters that she wrote, including the one I read, and poetry. There were other forms of writing as well along with drawings, pictures and such. There was also a scissor in the box. Then I heard it...
Hermione's POV
I saw a small, wooden box fly to me. I quietly opened it and looked inside. There were pictures, muggle pictures! Of me and Draco! They were the ones we took at the photo booth at the mall. I picked up the photos and saw a small book. I opened it and read it. It was filled with lyrics for muggle songs! There were also some that I didn't recognize. Maybe they were for wizard songs, or maybe he wrote them himself! Then, I saw a miniature drum set, like what Nina does when she shrinks her's. It was black with a silver snake on one of the drums. The next thing I saw made me gasp. It was the guitar I saw at the music store across the road from Diagon Alley!
I slowly picked it up and it began to play (with the lyrics) 'Who I Am Hates Who I've Been' by Relient K.
"I watched the proverbial sunrise
coming up over the Pacific and
you might think I'm losing my mind,
but I will shy away from the specifics...
'cause I don't want you to know where I am
'cause then you'll see my heart
in the saddest state it's ever been.
This is no place to try and live my life.
Stop right there. That's exactly where I lost it.
See that line. Well I never should have crossed it.
Stop right there. Well I never should have said
that it's the very moment that
I wish that I could take back.
I'm sorry for the person I became.
I'm sorry that it took so long for me to change.
I'm ready to try and never become that way again
'cause who I am hates who I've been.
Who I am hates who I've been.
I talk to absolutely no one.
Couldn't keep to myself enough.
And the things bottled inside have finally begun
to create so much pressure that I'll soon blow up.
I heard the reverberating footsteps
sinking up to the beating of my heart,
and I was positive that unless I got myself together,
I would watch me fall apart.
And I can't let that happen again
'cause then you'll see my heart
in the saddest state it's ever been.
This is no place to try and live my life.
Stop right there. That's exactly where I lost it.
See that line. Well I never should have crossed it.
Stop right there. Well I never should have said
that it's the very moment that
I wish that I could take back.
Stop right there. That's exactly where I lost it.
See that line. Well I never should have crossed it.
Stop right there. Well I never should have said
that it's the very moment that
I wish that I could take back.
I'm sorry for the person I became.
I'm sorry that it took so long for me to change.
I'm ready to try and never become that way again
'cause who I am hates who I've been.
Who I am hates who I've been.
Who I am hates who I've been
and who I am won't take the second chance you gave me.
Who I am hates who I've been
'cause who I've been only ever made me...
So sorry for the person I became.
So sorry that it took so long for me to change.
I'm ready to try and never become that way again
'cause who I am hates who I've been.
Who I am hates who I've been."
(A/N I would like to say that I was having SO much trouble choosing from this and a song you will DEFINITELY love in a few chapters)
Nobody's POV
By now, Nina knew what Draco was doing. Hermione was speechless. Dumbledore was watching the three students with a combination of pride and awe. Draco looked at Hermione, forgetting that anyone besides them were in the room.
The guitar then grew to its normal size slowly as it played the music. Hermione noticed that her name was engraved in it in silver. She looked up at Draco, filled with mixed emotions: confusion, gratitude, excitement, love, wait, love?
Draco began to walk to her with something in his hand. When her got to her, he sat down in the seat next to her (she was sitting at one end of the Gryffindor table, Nina was in the middle and Draco was at the other end). He looked into her eyes and smiled nervously. Professor Dumbledore was shocked but covered it up with happiness for his students. Nina was proud of Draco and happy for Hermione.
Draco took Hermione's hand in his own and said "Granger, you are one interesting girl. It took me five years of wanting you gone, two years for wanting to slap you back, and nearly four months of wanting to tear my hair out whenever I see you."
"Is there any good part of this?" Hermione half laughed, tears coming to her eyes.
Draco smirked at her. "Hermione, will you-?"
Before he could finish, she grabbed him in a passionate kiss (let me elaborate on that, they forgot anyone was in the room until they heard Nina 'clear her throat'). Her face was wet with the tears that flowed down her face? She didn't even know why she was crying. They slowly separated and Draco gave Hermione what was in his hand. It was a guitar pick with their initials engraved in it in silver. Hermione smiled, but it was Dumbledore's turn to clear his throat.
"I am so proud of you two for breaking a long hatred between the houses, but it is time to finish the project. We will soon be joined by the other groups, and it will be time for the second part of tonight's activity. Now I'm assuming that you all have identified who the items belong to?"
"I have Hermione's sketchbook," Nina said.
"I have Nina's miniaturized drums and box," Draco said.
"I have Draco's box," Hermione laughed. She held the pick in her hand and squeezed it, just to make sure she hadn't imagined the whole thing.