Anything Can Happen
By: mistress-of-the-soul
Chapter Six
The final days before Hermione's return to Hogwarts were spent doing last minute shopping and gathering her things together. Fred and Hermione even made a stop by her house so she could get the rest of her things. Fred was astonished at how 'girly' Hermione's room was. "I would have never expected everything to be purple," he said over dinner the night before Hermione left. "Well," Hermione said, "a lot people say that you can tell a lot about a person by their room." "Well, I do know that you have a lot of books, you are not as organized as I thought you were, and that you keep getting more beautiful everyday." Hermione blushed and playfully swatted his arm. Fred just smiled and they finished their dinner.
Later on that night, they were sitting on the couch wrapped in each others arms. "You know something I have just realized?" Fred said. "What?" Hermione asked yawning. "Ever since we came here, neither one of us has slept in our beds." Hermione smiled and said, "Maybe we should try your bed first." Fred smiled and led the way to his room. Both knew that they were not ready for any late night activities just yet. They had just started revealing their feelings towards each other and there was no need to rush it. Hermione climbed underneath the bed covers and lay on her side facing Fred, who was taking his socks off. She looked over at his bedside table and saw a tiny book lying on top.
"What is that?" she asked. Fred looked over at the little book and picked it up. He tossed it in the wastebasket beside the door. "Something I don't need anymore now that I have you." That was enough of an answer for Hermione. She snuggles up closer to Fred and traced circles on his chest. The sound of Fred's even breathing told Hermione that he had fallen asleep. The rhythm of his breathing soon lulled her into a peaceful slumber.
September first came and as usual, there was the last minute rush. Hermione ran around the apartment checking for anything that she may have forgotten and Fred, for reasons unknown to Hermione, bustled around the apartment looking for things. At ten thirty Hermione announced that she was ready. Fred was in his room bumbling around. His strange behavior had caught Hermione's eye and she pushed to door of his room open to find him stuffing something into his pocket. "What are you doing?" Hermione asked. "Nothing," Fred replied a little too quickly. Hermione's eyebrows rose but she said nothing and turned towards the living room. Fred smacked his head and mentally berated himself. "Couldn't have possibly packed before hand could you???"
At ten to eleven Fred and Hermione sped onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Hermione quickly put her luggage in the luggage rack with everyone else's and rushed back to Fred. She threw her arms around his neck and held on tight. "Thank you for everything Fred," she whispered into his chest. "You are my hero." Fred flushed and put his hand beneath Hermione's chin, causing her to life her honey brown eyes up to meet his crystal blue ones. "And you are my hero, or heroine," he said with a small smile. Hermione smiled back and hugged him once more. "I will miss you," she said. "Oh, don't worry," Fred said, "you'll be seeing me before you know it." Hermione giggled and looked up into Fred's eyes. The first whistle of the train blew, signaling two minutes until departure.
Ignoring it, Fred lowered his lips onto Hermione's and took her breath away. They were in bliss, neither one paying attention to the people running towards the train or the doors being shut. Fred pulled away just as the one minute whistle blew. He gave Hermione one last quick kiss and pushed her towards the train. She ran and hopped on waving as the stewards shut the door. Fred watched Hermione make her way through the train and was brought out of his thoughts when the steward asked, "Shall you be taking the train, Professor Weasley?" Fred nodded and the steward opened the door for him and Fred climbed on, making sure Hermione could not see him, he wanted to surprise her.
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Hermione pushed her way through the throngs of people in the corridors of the train, trying to fins a compartment. Most of the ones she passed were full; the occupants laughing together, swapping summer adventures. A pang of sadness swept over her as she realized that there was not going to be any late night sneaking around with Harry and Ron. No staying up late with Ginny, talking about nothing in particular. Where ever Hermione looked, there were friends huddled together and happy couples cuddling together. Tears filled Hermione's eyes as she thought "That could have been me and Ron." Slowly Hermione made her way to the back of the train, where the empty compartments were. It seemed that there were none. Hermione passed a compartment that was not full, and she considered going in, until she realized who the occupants were. It was Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lavender. Lavender was hanging all over Ron and Harry was laughing loudly at something someone had said. Hermione's gaze drifted towards Ginny and she went numb inside.
Ginny's gaze was boring into hers. Hermione noticed that Ginny was curled up in a ball in the corner and that her eyes seemed glassy. Before she burst out crying, Hermione fled the scene. She ran to the door at the end of the corridor and pushed it open. She went quickly through it and slammed it shut. She turned and found herself at the very back of the train, watching the small houses flash by. Hermione sat down against the wall and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself, almost as if she was trying to protect herself from danger. "Oh, what I would give for Fred to be here," Hermione sighed. Hermione sat and stared at the rolling hills until the sun turned the sky brilliant shades of pink orange and it made its decent below the horizon, hiding from the rising moon. Hermione never once dozed off; she simply stared out at the expanse of land before her.
Hermione's staring contest with the sun was interrupted when the distinct sound of a door opening was heard. Hermione immediately stood up and backed towards the railing. Surprisingly, Draco Malfoy came from behind the door; and he was crying. Hermione stood stock still and watched as the blond made his way to the railing, tears pouring down his face. He slowly reached an arm out to touch the railing and then the other. 'No," Hermione thought, "Don't do this." Malfoy put a foot on the railing and started raising his other leg. Hermione panicked and yelled, "DON'T!" She grabbed the back of his white shirt and yanked with all her might, successfully pulling him away from the railing. 'No!" he cried. "Let me be! Let me die!" Hermione did all she could do to detain him, but she did not have the physical strength to sustain him. "Help!!!" she screamed! "Someone help!" Immediately the door came bursting open and Ginny stood open mouthed at the scene before her. "Ginny," Hermione managed, "please help me, he's trying to jump." Ginny's eyes widened in horror and she looked to the railing, where the ground sped underneath their feet. A fall like that would instantly kill someone. "Ginny!" Hermione screamed. Ginny broke out of her trance and grabbed Malfoy's arms, raising them above his head.
While Ginny struggled with keeping Malfoy's flailing arms down, Hermione straddled his legs and fumbled for her wand. Once she had it firmly in her hand she pointed it at Malfoy the best she could and yelled, "Potificus Potalus!"(sp?) He instantly went rigid and Hermione and Ginny slumped back against the wall. Hermione leaned over Malfoy and noticed his eyes darting around. Hermione waved her wand over him and instantly he relaxed into a deep slumber.
After a few short minutes of silence Hermione looked over at Ginny and said softly, "Thanks." Ginny looked over and met Hermione's eyes. Before they knew what was happening, both girls were hugging and crying. "Hermione, I am so sorry! They told me I had to go along with it or I could not see Harry anymore. I wanted to tell you, honest, I did!" All Hermione could do was nod and cry along with her.
They must have been making quite a ruckus because Malfoy suddenly sat up, wide eyed. He stared at them for a moment, trying to gather his surrounding. He looked around and saw the railing and quickly looked back to the two girls, who sat patiently watching him. "I tried to jump didn't I?" he asked. Slowly Hermione nodded I acknowledgement. "And you two saved me?" Hermione nodded again. Without any warning Malfoy swept the two girls up into a bone crushing hug. They were seriously surprised by this action. Malfoy laughed joyously and said, "Thank you! You saved me from doing something that I know I would regret. My mother died," he explained. The girls' faces became compassionate and they gave Malfoy their condolences. He simply smiled and said, "I am no longer Malfoy. My father died along with my mother and he no longer binds me in his dark ways. I am now Draco."
Hermione beamed at his declaration and Ginny smiled. Placing a kiss on each of their cheeks, he walked back into the train, a bounce in his step and a smile on his face that had never been there before. An awkward silence followed his departure. The two girls shifted uncomfortably until Ginny broke the silence. "Hermione," she said, "I really am sorry. Is there any way that you could forgive me?" Hermione looked at Ginny in deep contemplation. "Ginny," she sighed, "what you ask of me is hard to grant. I know you understood what you did and that you were probably pressured into it, but I have only one favor to ask of you. "What is it?" Ginny asked. "Please don't ever do that to me again," Hermione whispered. "I wouldn't dream of it," Ginny smiled.
The two girls hugged like old times. They sat and talked liked they had so many times before. They had a whole summer to catch up on. Before long, Hermione saw the rising towers of Hogwarts and stood. Hermione quickly summoned her robes as did Ginny and donned them. As they prepared to get off the train the back way Ginny mentioned something. "What?" Hermione asked. 'I saw the paper the other day," she said nonchalantly. 'What? Oh," Hermione said. "The family?" she asked. "Furious," Ginny said simply. And surprisingly, it didn't bother Hermione in the least. She was home, she had her friend back, and she was in love.
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