Summer of Change (GxG) - A Hermione Fanfic

Chapter 20

POV: Molly

Merlin Molly, what were you thinking?

Doing that to Hermione when you just said you wanted to take things slow...

I shook my head in disappointment, red surely tinting my cheeks.

I wasn't disappointed with Hermione, but myself for my utter lack of control.

I clearly wasn't thinking rationally.

If we were going to do this then we were going to do it right. We weren't going to head straight to the bedroom when we did not even know anything about one another. Hermione's suggestion about doing just that was brilliant.

I wanted to know everything about the younger witch.

That was why we were taking a stroll on the Manor grounds at the moment.

Hermione had a picnic basket in her hand and was carrying all that we would need. Looking to my side, I sometimes forgot how tall she was and how strong she could be. I had tried to carry my own share, but Hermione was having none of it. It was heavy because of the basket had a spatial charm cast on it so it could carry more than the space inside allowed. The charm added an extra weightiness to the object which had me struggling to carry the thing. So, she took the basket out of my hands, and gave me a surprise kiss on my cheek which had my cheeks once again glowing red.

I was not a pubescent schoolgirl anymore, but Hermione was certainly making me feel all those emotions again in full.

"I can't believe all of this land is yours Molly. There's- there's so much of it." Hermione says in awe.

"Mmmm... That is what happens when you were born in a time when the lands were not as settled yet. The Prewetts had their pick and could buy however much they wanted because of our wealth." I replied, distaste coloring my tone.

"You really aren't too keen on all of it are you?" Hermione asked.

"No, no, I'm really not. I was never like Narcissa or Lucious... or even my brothers. I didn't take to their views and lifestyle. It also didn't help that I was a woman who was thinking for herself. An unwanted daughter who would not follow the path that was laid out for her. I wasn't the rebellious type, but I did do something for myself, and I didn't regret it." I stated.

"I understand not fitting in, Molly. Believe me, I do." Hermione replied.

"You do?" I asked.

"I do. Whether it was my family, school, or friends, I didn't right seem to fit in anywhere. My family was cold to me after they found out I had magic, I was too smart for my own good for the teachers who got annoyed with my incessant need to learn, and I stood out too much to have friends. They were either jealous of me or they didn't want to understand me. The only reason I ended up being friends with Harry and Ron was because it was useful those first few years, but we grew to be great friends." Hermione laughed.

"Useful? They only were your friend because you were useful to them?" I repeated.

"Well, it's more complicated than that." Hermione said as we came to a gigantic tree that shaded an entire area from the sun.

Hermione and I started to lay out the picnic supplies, but she kept talking.

"How was it more complicated?" I asked.

"Because I figured out that Dumbledore pushed them to befriend me. He controlled their actions in the beginning, but he couldn't stop the bond that formed between the three of us." Hermione said with a faraway look in her eyes.