Hermione sat in the grass, under a tree in the Weasley’s backyard. They’d been back at the Burrow for a week, but she felt as if she’d been there for months.
Harry hadn’t joined them yet. Dumbledore had said that he needed to go back to the Dursley’s one last time.
Hermione had phoned her parents to tell them that she wasn’t coming home this summer. Her mother was upset, but in the end they agreed that it was ok. She had decided not to tell them about what had happened during the past year. She didn’t want to worry them.
She sighed and looked down at the letter that she held in her hand. It was the one she had received from Draco on the train back to Kings Cross a week ago. She still hadn’t opened it.
“Oh, I’m such a chicken,” she half chuckled to herself, while shaking her head.
She was nervous, and slightly scared to open the letter.
“Hermione!”
She looked up towards the Burrow, and saw Ron making his way towards her, waving something he held in his hand.
“Hermione,” he said, handing her what she now recognized to be an envelope. (A rather thick envelope!) “This just arrived for you.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Ron.”
“No problem,” he said. “Oh, and Mum says that dinner will be ready soon.”
“Alright, help me up, and I’ll go see if she needs any help setting the table.”
Ron held out his hand, which Hermione took and got to her feet. She brushed the small bits of grass and dirt off her pants and started walking towards the Burrow with Ron.
“So, who’s that letter from? It felt pretty heavy.”
Hermione looked down at the envelope, and stopped dead in her tracks.
Ron, who took a moment to notice that she had stopped, turned around to look inquisitively at her.
“Well?” he asked. “Who’s it from.”
“Oh man,” Hermione said, half laughing. “It’s from Ang.”
“Ang?”
“Angerona,” Hermione replied. “My American friend, remember? I wrote to her last term and sent the letter after we got off the train.”
“What!” Ron exclaimed. “That was only a week ago! How good a charm did you cast on Hedwig? She must have gotten over there in no time.”
Hermione laughed. “Yeah, and I wouldn’t be surprised if, on the return trip, Ang cast four charms on her, poor Hedwig.”
“Well, it felt like she had a lot to say.”
“You have no idea,” Hermione said, looking down at the purple ink her friend had used to address the letter. “Hey, would you mind telling your mom that I need to answer a letter so I can start reading this?”
“Sure,” Ron said. “She would probably have made me help her anyway.”
“Thanks,” Hermione said, and when they entered the Burrow she headed up the stairs to the room that she shared with Ginny.
Ginny had been oddly calm since the end of term. Harry had broken up with her, like Hermione knew he would, as an attempt to keep her out of harms way. She said she was all right, and that she understood, but Hermione knew how much it was hurting her.
When she entered the room, she was relieved to see that Ginny was not in the room. She wanted to read this letter in private.
Hermione sat down on the bed and sighed, looking down at the letter in her hand. She knew that she shouldn’t wait to open it.
“Leave it to Ang to cast some spell on this thing,” she said to herself, breaking the wax seal and taking out the ten-page letter.
“Well, at least it’s not shouting at me,” Hermione thought out loud, slowly unfolding the sheets of parchment.
Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat; Ang was not going to let her off easy keeping information from her for so long.
Hermione,
WHAT IN ALL THAT IS SUPERNATURAL AND MAGIC WERE YOU THINKING KEEPING ALL THAT FROM ME!!!!!!!!
A guy, an evil dark wizard, said guy working for evil dark wizard, you FALLING for aforementioned guy working for an evil bastard, everything over there going to hell in a hand basket, and you don’t tell your best friend!
I don’t know what you were thinking, and when I see you next I’m going to tan your hide!
But, for now, I am just going to let you know what I think about all this.
“Oh, great,” Hermione said, looking up from the letter for a moment. “I can’t wait to hear this.”
First of all, A GUY! Hello! I’m your best girlfriend. I should be the first one to be informed about a guy! He sounds like an ass with all the shit you’ve said has happened between you two. Then again, he is a bad guy, and you know how I feel about those. Still, that was a big thing to keep a secret. (hmm sounds a little familiar, keeping secrets, I wonder where he got it from?...i’m kiddng) A Death Eater? Come on, that doesn’t sound tasty at all.
But, you said Dumbledore vouched for him, and that he helped you guys so we’ll see where he goes from there.
As for you thinking that Ron...
“Come in,” Hermione said, responding to the knock on her door.
“Mum says dinner is ready now, Hermione.”
Hermione quickly folded the letter back up and put it back in the envelope, tucking it into the back pocket of her jeans.
“Alright, I’m ready,” she said, smiling at Ron.
“So what did Angerona have to say?”
“Ha!” Hermione said. “I’m still on the first page, and lets just say that I’m lucky she’s not here cause she would have killed me.”
“Oh, well, that’s…pleasant?” Ron said.
Hermione just laughed at the expression on his face.
“She also thinks that Draco is an ass.”
“I like her already,” Ron said.
Hermione just rolled her eyes and followed him into the kitchen for dinner.
The Weasleys sat around their kitchen table, chatting with a surprisingly happy tone. Mr. Weasley and Remus Lupin were also sitting at the table.
“Oh, Hermione, there you are,” Mrs. Weasley said, ushering Hermione into an empty chair next to Ron. “Remus was able to join us tonight.”
Beaming, Mrs. Weasley served Hermione and Ron huge plates of food, and then sat back down next to Mr. Weasley.
“Hear anything from Harry, Ron?” Remus asked.
“Yeah,” Ron said, through a mouth full of potatoes. “He says that as soon as his birthday passes, he’s coming straight over.”
“He can’t come by himself. Arthur, you have to send someone over to get him.”
Mr. Weasley nodded. “Yes, yes. It’s already arranged. A small group from the Order, myself included, will be there on the stroke of midnight to get him.”
Hermione vaguely listened to the plans in place to get Harry once he turned seventeen. The only thing she could think about was Draco.
‘Oh lord,’ she thought, as the words Angerona had written entered her mind.
“Hermione?”
“Huh?”
“Is everything alright, dear?” Mrs. Weasley asked.
“Oh, yes, everything is fine, Mrs. Weasley,” Hermione said, eating some of the potatoes on her plate.
“You seem very distracted.”
Hermione shook her head. “No, it’s just…I’m just worried about Harry and everyone.”
Mrs. Weasley nodded knowingly. “I understand, dear.”
The rest of dinner went on normally. Remus left shortly after dinner ended; he had to get back to Grimmauld Place to meet with McGonagall.
“Hermione, dear,” Mrs. Weasley said as Hermione put the last dish in the sink and was about to head back upstairs. “You have another letter.”
Hermione walked over to her, eyebrows scrunched together.
“It came in after I had sent Ron to give you the first one,” she said, taking it out of the pocket of her robes. Mrs. Weasley fixed Hermione with a stern motherly look.
“Who’s it from?” Hermione asked reaching for the letter.
“Hermione,” Mrs. Weasley continued. “I just don’t think this is a wise decision. I don’t want to see you, or R-…anyone else hurt.”
Hermione looked down at the letter she had just taken from Mrs. Weasley. There was a green wax seal with a serpent on it.
She looked up at Mrs. Weasley. “I…I think I’m going to go to bed early tonight, Mrs. Weasley.”
“Alright,” Mrs. Weasley said hugging Hermione tightly. “Be careful, dear.”
Hermione nodded and headed back upstairs. When she go to the room, she shut the door and leaned with her back against it. She looked down at the letter in her hand.
It was another letter from Draco.
Your Eyes: Everything Looks Different by GryffindorsHeir
Chapter Endnotes: Thanks to all who read the first part to this series and are now reading the second. I apologize for taking so long and hope to make it up to you. I am currently finishing up chapter 2 an hope to have it posted soon. Thanks again for sticking with me.