About a Boy and a Girl
Chapter Two
Anxious to escape the summer sun, Hermione took the shortest route home. Walking by the small shops and a church, her thoughts could not help straying to the little boy with the blond hair and gray eyes.
She dawned on what, until moments ago, she deemed inconceivable. Since when did Malfoy have a brother? What's more, a brother sixteen years his junior at most. What had his parents been doing while he was at school? She shook away that unpleasant thought and tried not to make a mental picture of it.
Or maybe, the kid's not theirs? Adopted? After a brief consideration of this theory, it was discarded. No. Quite impossible. How many Malfoys are left in the world? All the trademarks are there. White blonde hair, striking stormy gray eyes. No doubt part of the clan. He is just as handsome as his brother.
Just then, her train of thought took a sudden halt. The last thought was unexpected and she grimaced at the possible implications.
The facts were these: (1) She thought that at a very young age, Erin, the toddler from the park, was already showing signs of having exceptional good looks when he grows up; (2) Erin was practically a carbon copy of his older brother, Draco Malfoy; (3) Putting the first two items together, there is a subtle suggestion that Hermione Granger rather believes Draco Malfoy to have some degree of attractiveness to her.
She let out a sigh then a small smile crawled on her face. So she was developing a teensy crush on him. She wouldn't be the first one either. The Slytherin Prince had gathered quite a number of admirers over the years. A Draco Malfoy fan club is even in operation and membership is open for anyone ready to profess their love for the boy. Their number one goal: make sure Draco will remain happy. But Draco seems intent on not having them reach that goal although he has sometimes used this advantage to get some favors for himself.
But unlike these other girls who swoon upon him and simply blurt out their undying devotion to Malfoy, Hermione wasn't even sure she would want anyone to know about what she feels. Maybe she'll just let it pass and forget about it. However, if the secret does find its way out, it's only a crush, right?
Yeah. Right.
Hermione was in front of the building where she and her parents' flat is. Arriving inside, she ran into Ciara, a friend of hers who lives one floor down from their two-bedroom apartment, and exchanged a couple of quick greetings before parting ways.
Hermione took the lift and pressed the number 4. Hermione and her parents lived on the fourth floor with Crookshanks. It made a modest home for the three of them who hardly even spend much time in it. But it was home for them.
Finally arriving on her floor, Hermione got off the lift and went to the second door to the right. She opened it and flicked the lights on.
Empty.
Of course it's empty. She thought. And it will be again in a couple of minutes.
"Well, I better get ready," she told herself, looking at her watch which now read 3:26 pm. She proceeded to her room to leave her things and get undressed. Wrapped in a towel, she went into the bathroom to cool herself off with a cold shower.
The bath was refreshing. Just what she needed to battle the heat outside. She only hoped the coolness would last long enough until she gets to her destination.
Five minutes passed. She did not want to end the shower of cold droplets on her body but she knew time warranted her to.
Back in her room, she donned a netted pink chiff racer top over a black slim racer and wide-legged shorts and wedge sandals with pink and black rectangles on it. She finished off with styling her hair into a messy bun.
She circled the apartment, picking up things to bring and she concluded in her room, packing things she might need for the long night ahead. She double-checked the contents of her bag and found out she forgot one important item.
She went to her bedside table and opened the cabinet. A solitary object sat there. She retrieved it and put it in the bag with the rest of her things. Now, she was sure she was ready to go.
As she exited her room, the phone began to ring. She picked it up on the second ring and instantly recognized the voice the moment it spoke.
"Hello?"
"Hello? Hermione?"
"Yes, speaking. Hey, Harry. Happy Birthday!" she said.
"Yeah, thanks," Harry began on the other line. "And speaking of that, would you really not be able to come to the bash?"
"I'm sorry, Harry. I really can't. You know the circumstances. I swore I'd stay this afternoon until tomorrow morning," she answered, apologetic.
There was a pause on the other end. "Okay." Harry sounded upset. Hermione understood. She'd feel the same if he, her best friend, wouldn't be able to come to her birthday. But Harry also understood. He was very understanding and considerate. "Okay. I understand. It's okay. I have other birthdays." He laughed genuinely. "So, you're spending the night?"
"Yes."
"Be careful. And tell him Harry said 'Hi.'" Harry suddenly fell quiet then, "I have to go now. Ron's here." Hermione was about to say goodbye and put the phone down but Harry said a follow-up. "And I almost forgot. Thanks for the new Quidditch gloves. I love them."
Hermione smiled even though Harry couldn't see it. "No problem... So bye, then. I'll be on my way too. Be seeing you."
"Bye." And the line went dead.
She opened the door and left.
He opened the door and entered.
Little Erin was still asleep in his arms when they arrived at Malfoy manor. Kid must be exhausted. He took him up to Erin's room.
Once he had him laid on the bed, he whispered, "I'm sorry I left you with Pansy. That was real dim of me. Don't worry. I won't be making that mistake again."
He got out and went to his room. He went to his bed and collapsed face-down on it. He remained like that for some time, bracing himself for what he was about to do.
Then there was a knock on the door.
Here she was now. She hated thinking about this place, more so going inside it. But she knew she had to. She loved him so much and being with him would bring joy to the both of them.
She went in and sought out the room. Of course this was no difficult feat for her since she had been in and out of this place for some days now. When she found the exact room, she went to it and knocked a couple of times before opening it a few inches and peering in.
She smiled at him on the bed and entered completely to go and sit on the edge of the bed.
Draco felt an extra weight on the bed. He scowled at the mattress. I didn't permit her to come in.
He did not even bother to look up and acknowledge her presence. Her presence was unwanted. He wished she would just get out and never come back. But he knew that wouldn't be happening anytime soon unless he did something about it. And he will.
Then he felt a hand rubbing his back, as if trying to soothe him. The effect, though, was exactly the opposite. How dare she lay a hand on me? And that pushed him on the edge. He wanted her out. And quickly.
Abruptly, he got up from his bed and stood in front of her. His imposing figure was enough to send chills through anyone in her position. He fixed upon her a hate-filled glare and she stared back. "I don't want you here," he hissed.
It was obvious that she was taken aback by his sudden movement and harsh words. She was struggling to get her bearings back.
"Do you think you can just barge in here like that? No! Mother and father are not here to give you any royal treatment. There's only me and don't expect I'll act any differently. You are unwelcome. LEAVE!" Although he said all this very forcefully, she remained unfazed and tried to remain calm.
And when she spoke, it was with complete composure. "I'm trying to sort things out between us and I don't have high hopes you'll be cooperating with me. So I'm trying very hard here. I know you don't want anything to do with me but you'll just have to put up with me because I'm not giving up on you and I don't really see any way out of this–"
"I will find a way out of this hell. My life will not be ruined if I can help it. I will set my own future and you are definitely not in the picture." Draco was straining himself from grabbing her and throwing her out the door.
She felt pretty wounded. His words were sharp and they hurt. She knew she was unwelcome but she didn't expect him to throw it smack onto her face. That hurt more. He knew how to hurt people. Draco really hated her whole being and it seemed there is nothing she could do about it.
"Just go." His voice became subdued but when she was still rooted to the spot, his loud voice seemed to reverberate throughout the whole house.
Hermione held his hand and kissed it.
"LEAVE, PANSY!"
"Hey, Dad."
Pansy got off the bed and stood in front of Draco, looking him eye-to-eye. "As long as I think you need me, I am sticking around. I am tougher than you give me credit for."
She turned to leave and when she was almost at the door, she heard Draco scoff. She stopped to listen to what he had to say. "If you're sticking to what you've said, you should have been gone by now. Hell, you should've been gone from the beginning. I never needed you." Bitter words.
Draco heard the door slam and wondered whether that woke Erin.
"Oh, I brought you some of your favorite truffles. They're dark chocolate." This brought a big smile on Hermione's father.
"My guilty pleasures," he remarked, laughing weakly.
"You know, Dad, you might lose your patients when they find out you're a die hard chocolate lover." Hermione watched as her Dad devoured a truffle.
"You mind your own business." He chuckled. "Why don't you just wake up your mother so she could go home. Tell her her shift's over."
Her mother was in a recliner, forehead in hand, asleep. She gently shook her awake. "Mom? Mom?" It took a few tries before she fully opened her eyes and when she did, she gave her daughter a peck on the forehead.
"You're here." She stood up a bit slowly and gathered her things, getting ready to leave for work in their dental clinic. "I'll be going now. I have an appointment at 4:30. So, Hermione, dear, are you all settled in?" Hermione nodded curtly to prevent further delay. "So I'll be returning tomorrow morning," she said, putting on her watch.
She approached her husband and daughter and gave them each a kiss on the forehead as she said, "Bye."
In unison, Hermione and Mr. Granger bade her farewell.
Hermione admired her mother. She was such a strong woman. She never seemed rattled by anything at all. Her mother told her once, "There's a balance to everything. You just have to find where it is." Hermione wanted to be like her mother.
These have been trying times for their family. Four days ago, her father was rushed to the hospital when he had a heart attack one night. He had to stay in the hospital for a week under observation. For the past couple of days, she and her mother have been taking shifts looking after her father. It was fine for her. It was summer.
But her mother amazed her. Even after staying at the hospital for 12 long hours, she still manages to work straight hours at the dental clinic, having very little sleep. Maybe, she felt obliged now that Mr. Granger wouldn't be able to work for a while. The family still needed money.
Hermione had been thinking about getting a summer job herself. To ease the tension on the finances even a bit. She flashed on a conversation she had with her mother about it.
"Maybe, I should get a job. Even for just the summer. I want to help out." Hermione had seen the hospital bills that morning and wondered how all this was getting paid for.
"You don't need to worry about that, honey. It's not something you should be minding. It's summer. You should be having fun with your friends." Her mother was getting ready to go to the hospital and they were in her parents' room.
"Mom, please. Let me help. I can always hang out with my friends in school. There will be plenty of time for that."
"Suit yourself. But don't blame me for taking the fun out of your vacation." She looked at Hermione and motioned her to come to her. She hugged her tightly and told her. "I'm sorry that you have to be worried by all this."
"Mom, it's fine. It really is. I want to worry. I want to help."
"I'm so lucky to have you," her mother whispered.
She was snapped out of this reverie by her father. "What are you thinking about there?"
Hermione now took her mother's place on the recliner. She must have been staring at the window with glazed eyes.
She turned to her father. "I've been thinking about this whole situation here."
"I feel so ashamed for bringing this onto our family." It was now her father looking out the window wearing a heartbreaking look.
"Dad, trials like these strengthen people. This is a test. And we shall pass," she encouraged.
Hermione was glad she was able to bring back her father's smile. "Like you do every other test." She returned his smile and nodded in agreement.
Nighttime. She rummaged through her bag and got something which appeared like a battered spring notebook. It was unusually thick. It looked like leaves have been constantly added to it when space ran out.
What would Hermione do right now if she'd actually forgotten her diary? She seldom missed an entry and she wasn't going to miss out today. It had become habitual that she write every night.
She began writing.
Noticing this, her father asked, "Is that your old diary?"
Without looking up she answered, "Yes."
"You've had that for 5 years. Anything interesting happened today?"
"Just met this lost boy in the park. That's it. The days aren't much interesting."
Not yet.
So, what do you think about Chapter Two? Voice out your thoughts by reviewing this chapter. It will be very much appreciated.