Hermione Granger stared into the sparkling flames of the fire inside the Gryffindor Common Room. She was sitting comfortably on the velvet red couch and musing over the bittersweet memories of her childhood before Hogwarts and before the pressures of schoolwork and the war came crashing down. Her mind drifted back to her first friend, Emily Foster…

***
“Come on, Hermione!� a little girl squealed. “Let’s play house! Joanna Elizabeth Grace Sophia Taylor can be the baby.� She thrust a raggedy, beat up baby doll into her friend’s hands. “I’ll be the sister, and you can be the other sister!�

“That’s way too long of a name, silly Emily,� six year-old Hermione smiled. “Why not just Joanna or Anna?�


“Because! I already know peoples named Joanna and Anna, and they can’t have the exact same name!� Emily laughed like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Since Joanna Elizabeth Grace Sophia Taylor’s name is so long, no one else in the whole wide world of the universe in space can have it!� She giggled lightly to herself with a high voice.

Hermione cocked her little shoulder in a lopsided shrug. It was a logical answer, but it still seemed crazy.

“Now, you can feed the baby while I do the dishes,� Emily said as she skipped off to work.

Hermione sighed, but put on a smile as she went and picked up the doll. She didn’t really care for playing house; she’d much rather read about it instead. But Emily loved it, and as her best friend, Hermione didn’t want to make her sad. As she rocked the baby back and forth she thought about asking to play school or library next. She would be the teacher; it was what Hermione wanted to be when she grew up. She would get to wear a long, flowery dress, and have on thin glasses, and wear her hair back in a tight ponytail because it was too bushy to have down, she fantasized. And the best part would be that the students would give her fresh apples everyday. At least, that was what happened in the books, which was a good thing because, “apples are good for your teeth and won’t cause cavities,� like her parents told her.

“Helllooooo?!?!?� Hermione started when she noticed her friend attempting to snap her fingers in Hermione’s face. “You awake? You almost made Joanna Elizabeth Grace Sophia Taylor esploded with all of the milk inside of the bottle!�

“I did? Oh, I’m so sorry Emily,� Hermione said sincerely. “Is Joanna Elizabeth Grace Sophia Taylor alright?�

“Yes, yes, she’s fine,� responded Emily. “But I’m done playing house. What do you want to play? Oh! Let me guess, let me guess! School?�

Hermione smiled and nodded as her friend ran to get the chalkboard and chalk. She pulled up a chair and sat down with a book in her hand.

“I’m ready to learn, Mrs. Granger!� Emily sat up straight.

“Class, please take out your books. The first thing on our schedule is—�

“Time for bed, Hermione and Emily! Lights out!� a voice echoed through the house.

“Aw, rats! That was my mommy,� Emily said dejectedly. “I’m not even tired yet, are you?�

“Nope, not yet,� Hermione said, as she stifled a yawn. “I bet it’s still early, too.�

“Probably only twenty sixty thousand o’clock,� Emily whispered. “Let’s pretend to go to sleep, but actually stay up talking, okay?�

“Sounds like an adventure!� Hermione giggled. “C’mon!�

The two went and jumped into their sleeping bags, but not before grabbing a flashlight.

“I’m so glad you could come to my very first sleepover party, Hermione,� Emily smiled. Her golden blonde curls bounced off of the light the flashlight was giving off. Her blue eyes sparkled when speaking to her best friend, and combined with the mood and environment, she looked like a young angel.

“And I’m glad that I had my first ever sleepover at your house, best friend!� Hermione responded. Although her bushy hair wasn’t as shiny as her friend’s, it seemed to liven up her whole countenance, especially likened with a pair of creamy, brown eyes.

The two hugged each other and then giggled when Emily’s father came in to tell them to quiet down.

“Promise me?� Emily asked once the sound of her father’s footsteps was long gone.

“Promise you what?� questioned Hermione.

“That’ll we’ll always be the bestest of friends, of course,� sighed Emily, a smile playing across her face. “For ever and ever.�

“I promise!� Hermione agreed.

“Cross your heart, hope to die?�

“What does that mean, anyway?� Hermione asked, always having been puzzled over the statement. “Why would I hope to die?�

“I don’t know, I just remember hearing some of the older ten year-olds saying it,� said Emily. “So, cross your heart, hope to die?�

“Cross my heart, hope to die!� Hermione smiled sincerely as she made an ‘x’ sign across her chest.

***

That was a little over ten years ago. Hermione could still see the image of her first best friend inside of her mind. Emily was the only person who had ever stood by Hermione’s side, the only one who she could tell all of her secrets to, the only one who didn’t laugh or make fun of Hermione, and accepted her for who she was when she was younger. What did Hermione give her in return? Nothing but a lost friendship. She hated herself that day, the day she had to tell Emily she didn’t want to be friends anymore. The day still haunted her, even though they were so young… It was her eleventh birthday party, and she had received the greatest gift imaginable: an acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was going to study magic. Magic! She didn’t even know such great things existed, let alone a school to teach it! She wondered how they had found her, how they had known she was witch material. It didn’t take long to realize that it must have been from the time she caused her science book to fly towards her one day after it had gone missing (if she hadn’t found it she would have been unprepared for class, possibly costing her the perfect score she had received). That event scared her, but she didn’t tell anyone, not even her parents. She was afraid of what it meant, so she headed straight to the library for research, but came back empty-handed.

Anyway, it was that day, the night of her eleventh birthday, when she told Emily they couldn’t be friends anymore, and it was because of that letter that had arrived in the post. The letter to go to Hogwarts. It was a boarding school far away; the drive to the train station was an hour. It wasn’t to learn just anything, it was to learn magic, and she couldn’t explain something like that to Emily, or anyone else for that matter. She decided it was best to end the friendship as soon as possible so it wouldn’t be so hard to leave the next year. She didn’t want to regret her decision to go off to Hogwarts, but she also didn’t want to end her friendship with Emily. In the end she knew she had to make a choice, and she chose the latter. Emily was crushed. She didn’t understand what was happening, and who could blame her? Emily had stormed off, and Hermione doubted that she ever would forgive her. But what Emily never knew was that Hermione broke off their friendship for another reason, the most important one. Because she was scared. Scared that this magic was going to be too big for her to handle, and she didn’t want to get Emily mixed in with it. After reading about Voldemort, whose name wasn’t dared to be spoken in the Wizarding World, Hermione knew that this was a lot bigger and more powerful than anyone thought. That was why she kept that information from Emily. She wasn’t going to inform her parents in case they decided not to let her go, but eventually she caved and eased them into the situation. Luckily, after much reassuring, they decided that it was best if they let their daughter go.

That night, Hermione had cried herself to sleep, and did for the next month or so after. Her parents had taken her out of school to be home-schooled, so she didn’t have to face Emily again after their last meeting. Hogwarts already meant so much to Hermione, and she had already started studying and reading the text books, but she couldn’t believe what she had done. Emily was the only person who would stand up for her friends and what she believed in. She was so loyal and caring, and people like that were hard to come by.

Hermione wrote so many letters to her friend that year before she left for school, trying to explain herself. Each one ended up in the burning flames. She tried to connect Emily to the Wizarding World in any way possible, such as sorting her inside of her mind. Trying to forge some possible connection to bring up a topic of discussion if they ever even got around to talking. Hermione had read all about the houses and decided that she wanted to be in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Thinking about all of the qualities of each House, she placed Emily in either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. But it didn’t even matter, because Hermione was going by herself, without Emily, without anyone.

Now, Hermione didn’t regret her decision, although the last look in Emily’s eyes when they said good-bye still haunted her. She made new friends, friends that will last a lifetime, she was a great student, and was about to fight for something more important than anything imaginable. What could be better? But she felt as though something was missing, and the fact that she couldn’t figure it out scared her. This wasn’t something she could read in books and learn. This was her mind, her life, and for once Hermione felt as though things were too out of control to handle.

“What’re you up to?� Hermione jumped at the voice behind her. She knew who it was without looking, but she turned anyway. She smiled the moment she caught the glint of that familiar red hair.

“Do you ever feel like life is too much to handle? No matter how hard you work, there is no controlling other people’s actions, so there is actually no control in your own life,� Hermione said.

“You always have control over your own life. No one can take that away from you,� Ronald Weasley said as he jumped over the couch to sit next to Hermione. “This sounds like something you’d normally be telling me.�

“This isn’t anything books can help me with,� Hermione said simply. “And these aren’t normal times.�

“Glad to see that you’ve finally realized books can’t get you everywhere,� Ron joked. “But there’s no such thing as normal. Life has never been normal; we’ve just waited this long to figure that out.�

Hermione smiled in response, and then looked back down at her knees. Ron knew Hermione. He knew her too well for her, or his, own good. He had known that something had been on her mind for some time now, but he also knew to give her time and space until she decided to let him in. She continued to look at the floor, so she didn’t notice Ron staring. She was still the same Hermione. Her bushy, light-brown hair still caught his eye during those rare occasions when he was not walking with her. Her brown eyes still had little caves inside, which resembled the delicate wood of a tree. Beautiful in a way that could only be seen, not told. Her smile still made him smile, no matter how hard he fought. She was still Hermione, but not the same, he realized. Yes, her hair was the same color, but it didn’t bounce anymore. It lay flat. Her eyes still made him melt, but they lacked the usual twinkle. Her smile was still contagious, but it now lacked the reassurance it had before. The confidence and certainty. This was a result of hard times, and the hard times that lay ahead. Right now, the firelight hit Hermione’s face, giving it a red glow. Her eyes downcast and her lips folded as she bit on them, deep in thought. She looked up and caught Ron’s eye, and then smiled nervously.

“Just thinking,� she said.

“About what?� Ron asked as he slid over to sit closer to her.

“Time.�

“Time?�

“Yes, the past, present, and future. Time,� she said simply.

“Er, okay,� Ron shrugged. “You know I’ll be here if you need me.�

“Of course I do,� smiled Hermione.

“Because I could help you out,� Ron said.

“I know you could.�

“No really, anything you need at all. I’m your man,� Ron nodded.

“I never doubted it, Ron!� Hermione laughed at his defensiveness.

“And not just for serious things like talking. For other things too,� Ron persisted, gathering speed. “So, for instance… say you were to come up to me... and, er – oh! And you were crying because of… er, no, that doesn’t matter. Just for some reason—� Hermione covered her hand over her mouth to shield her laughing incase it appeared offensive— “the very first thing I’d say would be, whose ass do I have to kick?�

“Ron!� Hermione shoved him gently and laid her head on his shoulder. “I know that you would do anything for me, and I’m truly the luckiest girl in the world.�

She turned her head in a slight nudge as Ron delicately lifted up her chin. Catching each other’s eye at the definitive time, Hermione let her head rise up to catch his expectantly lingering lips. Melting blissfully in the sweet splendor of the moment, the two lifted themselves up as Ron’s hands slid into place through his lover’s hair. They broke apart, their noses grazing across each other, and Hermione whispered,

“Can you do one thing for me?�

“Anything,� Ron breathed.

“It’s pretty big.�

“Anything,� he repeated.

“Promise to love me forever?� Hermione asked.

“Cross my heart, hope to die.�

***
Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it! Reviews (especially constructive criticism) are greatly appreciated, by the way.