The girl stood silently on the train platform. Her hair was pulled into two braids and hidden by a purple scarf wrapped around her head. She wore large sunglasses, and her coat was long and straight, as though to hide any recognition of her figure. It was obvious to those around her that she wanted to be left alone, and they willingly complied. Generally, someone trying so desperately to hide their appearance was a little scary.
But not to the blonde boy standing a few feet behind her. He would’ve recognized the bushy haired girl anywhere. Even though she had done her best to hide it, the ends of her braids bushed out and gave her away immediately.
The boy was also doing his share to disguise himself. He was wearing a brown derby cap and stylish, but still concealing, sunglasses. His brown leather jacket and khaki pants were such a change from his usual all-black ensemble, it would’ve been difficult, indeed, to identify him.
Though the boy and the girl knew each other well, neither one looked at the other. After the initial recognition by the boy, he turned his thoughts to something else. When the girl had first arrived on the platform, she’d noticed the boy as well, but after he didn’t speak to her, she put him out of his mind.
Right now, she was thinking about what she was doing. She was leaving, probably forever. She told him that she would make it, the day he died in her arms, but she just couldn’t make it anymore where she was. Every time she saw her best friend and his wife, so happy with their little child, whom they had named after the love of her life, her heart broke. She wanted to be happy for them, she really did. But it was impossible. Everything reminded her of him.
The boy began to consider his actions as well. No one knew where his true loyalties lay, even now that the fight was over. She had known, the girl he had loved. On that day of the final battle, he had been fighting by her side. But when she was killed his world fell apart. In rage, he shot a killing curse at his own father. As he saw him fall, he heard his love’s brother calling her name, and he just couldn’t stand it. He ran off, continuing the fight elsewhere, hiding his identity and true loyalty. But that was no kind of life. He lived alone, with only the memories of the short time he spent with his fiery red-head. Living next door to her brother and his wife and child didn’t make things easier. The little boy they had so courteously named for the brother’s fallen best friend had the same fiery read hair as all in that family. Everything reminded him of her.
And so, now, both of them were getting away, trying to rebuild their lives away from painful memories. As the train pulled up, the boy walked towards it, until he was standing next to the girl. He turned to her, steeling his resolve to speak. But it was she who spoke first.
“Hello,” she said stiffly, keeping her eyes on the approaching train.
“Nice to see you,” he said politely, touching his cap in an attempt at showing manners. They stood in silence while the train slowed to a stop.
“Don’t you have any bags?” he asked, as she was about to step up the stair to the train.
“No,” she said simply, turning to face him and, shockingly, removing her sunglasses, “I’m starting all over.”
“Me too,” he stated, following her up the steps. He wondered if she knew. After all, if his love would have told anyone anything, it would have been the girl.
The girl began to walk down the hall in one direction, the boy another. “Wait,” she called to him, noticing his absence only when she had found an empty compartment.
He turned back, and for the first time in nearly four years, smiled. She did know. When he reached the compartment, she had already slid in and was sitting. He sat down across from her, and removed his cap and glasses.
“You know,” he said, trying to start a conversation, “Anyone could’ve recognized you with that disguise. The ends of your hair are totally visible.”
She sighed, taking off the glasses once more and untwisting the scarf, “I know, I was just trying to get out of there before the three of them came over,” She quickly took out the braids, and the boy now saw the girl he had known since his first day of school. “I feel terrible leaving them, especially him, after what I said when…when…”
“When he died?” the boy asked, handing the girl a handkerchief to wipe her falling tears. She nodded silently as the thankfully took the small cloth. When she was done with it, she paused to gaze at it. It was lacey and beautiful, and two letters were inscribed on one of the corners in red letters. “G. W.” the girl read, and looked up at the boy, “Did she give this to you?”
He nodded, and now felt as though he needed a handkerchief. She handed it back to him, and he dabbed his eyes discreetly.
“Where to?” came the loud voice of the conductor as he pulled open their compartment door to sell them their tickets.
“The last stop on the line,” the girl said confidently, pulling a fair share of muggle money out of her pocket, “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
And so, for four wonderful hours, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy shared memories of the two people they had loved more than anything, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, respectively. And when the train pulled into the end of the line, they got off and went their separate ways. For a short while, they had been the best friends. But now, they were back to being just a girl and a boy.
A/N; This one was a little weird, even I admit that. Reveiws are appreciated, but if you didn't like it, please be relatively kind. Sorry if you were expecting a DM/HG romance, please don't be too angry with me!