Chapter 9: Nothing to Lose
Hermione sat shyly next to Pansy, unsure of what to say or do. Luckily, Astoria walked in and presented a Martini to each girl. Hermione accepted it gratefully and finished it in three sips. Pansy, out of sheer surprise, remarked,
"Granger, I don't think I've ever seen you drink anything alcoholic."
Hermione shrugged.
"A lot has changed, Parkinson."
The trio fell into an awkward silence again. Astoria, noticing the tension, decided to break the ice with the first thing she thought of.
"So, who's up for more drinks?"
***
Three cocktails and one sobering potion later, all three were relaxing in the blissfully warm water of Astoria's hot tub, making small talk but avoiding the bigger and more uncomfortable topics. Pansy, suddenly overcome by confidence (perhaps due to the vodka shots they were currently drinking), blurted out,
"I'm sorry Granger."
Hermione jolted in surprise, as if she'd been shocked.
"What?" The word slipped out before she could process it, and she slapped a hand over her mouth when she realized what she'd just said. Astoria shook her head; the tension between the two was thick enough to cut with a knife, and something was finally happening to ease it.
"I mean it. Like all those times that I was a total bitch. Every single time. It was part of the pureblood propaganda, yes, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to be hearing excuses, but I'm not going to lie: sometimes I enjoyed it, putting you down." Hermione's brows furrowed.
"But now, I'm incredibly ashamed. I can't believe that I was ever that cruel; not only to say those things but to enjoy saying them. I- I really hope we can forget the past and move on." Pansy stuttered over the last part, and looked up at Hermione tentatively, afraid that she would see the dangerous glare she'd received so many times over the years, or an angry Hermione on the verge of tears. But the girl was beaming, showing even, white teeth. Pansy scrunched her nose.
"Why are you smiling? I basically just admitted that I enjoyed bullying you."
"Yes,' Hermione started slow, trying to formulate the right sentence,' but the fact that you apologized means a lot. It means that you feel remorse for the bad things you've done in the past and that you're willing to change. And that is honestly one of the best things anyone can do." Hermione said simply."The fact that you're willing to make an effort speaks volumes about your character, and is better than I can say for a lot of other people I've met."
Pansy felt her eyes tear up at Hermione's short speech. To have someone forgive her for being cruel for years was a big step- there weren't a lot of people as kind and forgiving as Hermione.
Pansy made sure she would never lose her.
"Fresh start?" She asked hesitantly. The other girl, however, accepted her handshake with confidence.
"Of course."
The two turned around to see Astoria sigh. The cocked their eyebrows.
"Finally!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "The tension could've been cut with a knife!"
***
I sit at my desk, my mind wandering without the distraction if my phone. I'd forgotten the blasted thing at home and Harry seemed to always be around the office so I couldn't Floo home and get it.
Bother.
At least Ginny's on my side; my story is g99d enough that she believes me. Mum is upset, but doesn't doubt my story; Bill and George, on the other hand, are quite skeptical as to the truth. Charlie is in Romania, and I haven't gotten an owl from him in ages, while Percy hasn't communicated with the rest of us for a bit, preferring to strike out on his own as an up-and-coming lawyer, discontinuing his job at the Ministry. Dad also agrees with me, but he had never been as attached to Hermione, I don't think.
I frown as I turn back to the subject of Ginny. She's been giving me a bit of a cold shoulder, but I think the shock's just set in and she'll be back to normal soon enough.
Harry couldn't have convinced her..
Could he?
***
Hermione, Pansy and Astoria were still relaxing- again, having veered off the bigger, edge-of-your-comfort-zone subjects- when Pansy remarked,
"I'm hungry, actually." A chorus of agreement came from the two others and Hermione suggested pizza. The two pureblood women looked at her strangely.
"What the bloody hell is pizza?"
Hermione gasped.
"You've never had pizza? We're ordering some right now. I can't believe it." Slipping out of the hot tub, she picked up a grey silk robe questioningly and looked at Astoria. The other girl nodded, and Hermione slipped it on, appreciating the soft feel of the silk on her skin. Drying herself hastily with magic (obviously) she summoned her phone and telephoned her personal favourite Italian restaurant, well-known in the area for its pizza. After placing an order for a cheese, a Hawaiian and a Barbecue Chicken, she set the phone down as the two purebloods looked on in amazement. Astoria looked at her, confused.
"Now what?"
Hermione shrugged. "Now we wait."
***
Fifteen minutes later, much to Pansy and Astoria's chagrin, their relative peace was once again disturbed by knocks on the door. Pansy offered to be the one who got up, but Hermione insisted on getting up. Pansy gave her a bit of a hurt look, when Hermione proceeded to explain she hadn't paid yet, and it was in muggle money. Pansy conceded.
A few moments later, after a quiet exchange with the delivery man, Hermione walked into the washroom, carefully balancing the three boxes in her arms. Pansy quickly conjured a large table that encircled the hot tub, allowing Hermione to set down the boxes. She shot the girl a grateful smile before announcing the box's contents. The other two listened carefully, giving her their full attention.
"So this one has cheese on it, this one has ham and pineapple, and the last one has chicken and barbeque sauce." Pansy looked up, confused.
"What do you eat it with? A fork, a spoon, a knife, or all three?" Hermione laughed at that, knowing she had been brought up to use proper utensils and table manners.
"You use your hands, Pansy. Like this." Taking a slice of the barbecue chicken, she held the triangle up and took a bite out of it. The other two were astonished at the lack of mannerisms, but seeing that the pizzas were quickly demolished, Hermione could tell this was a going to be a repeat dish on Astoria's meal plan. Pansy settled back into the hot tub and sighed.
"I can't believe I went so long without knowing this existed. It's so good! I love it." She smiled gratefully at Hermione for introducing her to the dish. Hermione chuckled.
"Judging by the facial expressions, this is something you are going to do quite often." Astoria nodded enthusiastically."We should have this every time we get together, like a tradition or something." Hermione smiled, contemplating."I love that idea. Like a reminder of the first day that we,' she gestured between herself and Pansy,' met."
Pansy was surprised at the use of the term 'met', but was happy to see Hermione was already honouring their compact to hit the reset button. She frowned, remembering something that had puzzled her.
"Hermione, how'd you order the pizza?"
"I used my phone, why?" Hermione replied casually before facepalming. "Of course, you don't know what a phone is!" Grabbing it, she 'ed hers twice over so that the others could each have a copy of her own. Pansy took the strange, thin, metal rectangular object, and turned it over several times in her hands before looking up curiously. Hermione was promptly bombarded with questions from both girls.
"What it?"
"How does it work?"
"What can it do?"
Hermione, chuckling, held up her hands to stop the verbal torrent of questions.
"Okay, one at a time."
***
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