Second chances *ੈ✩‧₊˚ (harry potter x reader)

⇢ ˗ˏˋ The Yule Ball࿐ྂ

the beginning of this chapter is so bad i'm sorry but i genuinely couldn't think of anything else😟 merry (belated😭?) christmas to all who celebrated!
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i woke up bright and early on Christmas morning, and got up to put Hermione's gift that i had gotten her on her bed. she wakes up and jumps into my arms.

"happy christmas y/n!!" she says excitedly.

"happy christmas Mione!" i reply and return the embrace. we break it and she gasps at the present on her bed. she reaches over to her bedside table and hands me mine. i thank her.

                                     ••••••

we started getting ready for breakfast by tossing on sweaters and sweatpants, everyone was planning on saving their effort for the ball later.

as we open our dorm door, we see a gift laying on the floor in front of it. we look at each other in confusion before i bend down and pick it up. i open the card and see that it's addressed to me, but with no signature. the handwriting was on the messy side.

"merry christmas. sorry about how i've been this year so far, hopefully this will make up for it."

i open the box and see a hand knitted christmas sweater for my cat, Honey. it was green and white stripes with reindeer on it. it had been something that i'd brought up as a joke in the previous year, that everyone thought was cheesy. but i thought it was a cute idea.

"if you don't want to receive a sweater anymore, you can tell your mom she can knit one for my cat." was my sentence that had sparked that conversation last year.

the gift was obviously from Ron.

Hermione picked that up just as quickly as i had. "remarkable. never though that that boy would ever get over you cheating on Harr-" Hermione said with her voice trailing off to nothing towards the end.

Hermione had always made a huge effort to not reveal the real reason Ron had it out for me this year, claiming that it was obvious, or better if he told me himself.

i look at her with my mouth agape. "excuse me?"

Hermione sighs then says. "don't act that way y/n. Ron had every right to treat you the way he did after you broke Harry's heart..." she then adds softly. "i hardly ever expected that kind of behaviour from you... but you're my best friend and i have to stick with you no matter what."

i was still staring at Hermione as if she'd just told me that pigs could fly.

Hermione furrows her eyebrows at my expression and looks around uncomfortably."what?" she says softly.

i bring myself back to reality and say in disbelief. "i did not cheat on Harry, Mione???"

Hermione raises an eyebrow. "what do you mean?" she replies, confused.

i pull my face aghast. "what do i mean?? what do you mean?? i said, i did not cheat on Harry???"

Hermione sighs defeated. "theres no need to lie about it y/n... Harry told us himself. that's why Ron acted the way he did to you, and he always questioned me as to why i didn't change my demeanour towards you. and i told him you're my best friend... so why didn't you tell me at least?"

"BECAUSE I DIDN'T." i say rather loudly with irritation. "why have you never brought this up?!?"

"because you never did. you act like it never even happened? i assumed you were ashamed about it or something like that so i didn't wanna push..." Hermione replies.