The Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) (Hermione x Male Reader)

Ch. 4: The Park

I heard my dad call my name and pulled away from the hug, wiping the tear.

"Yeah?" I called out.

"Your grandma made lunch, if you guys are hungry," he said.

"Okay, be there in a minute," I called back.

Hermione and I both stood and climbed down from the treehouse, making our way inside the house. We got to the kitchen and there was plenty of good food. Steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and green beans. We both took our seats and started eating.

"So, what's London like?" my grandma asked.

"It's a lot different than here," I said as Hermione and I started telling my grandma about all the differences.

After eating, we decided to play board games. My grandpa won a majority of them because he was just unexplainably good at them for no reason.

Eventually, it was nightfall. There were two guest bedrooms. My parents were going to be staying in one, and Hermione, after a bit of convincing when she tried to insist I take the room, was going to be staying in the other. I had a choice between sleeping in the living room or the treehouse. I chose the treehouse. I made my way to it and climbed up, heading inside, lying on one of the cots in it, which were always surprisingly comfortable.

In the middle of the night, I heard a knock on the door to the treehouse. I got up and made my way to the door, opening it to reveal Hermione.

"Hermione, what are you doing out here?" I asked.

"I couldn't sleep. Do you mind if we talk for a bit?" Hermione asked.

"Of course not," I said as we walked to the couch and sat down beside each other. "What's up?"

"I've just been thinking about earlier. Whatever happened, I'm sorry you had to go through it. And don't worry, I'm not gonna ask you what happened, but I've never seen you cry, so it just really surprised me, and I wanted to make sure you were alright," Hermione said.

I smiled at this.

"I appreciate it, 'Mione. But I'm fine, really. I can't change what happened, but I can move on from it. Learn from my mistakes and make better decisions moving forward," I said.

"Okay, but if you ever need me, I'm here," Hermione said.

"I know," I said with a smile.

We continued talking for a bit before Hermione started to fall asleep.

"Hey," I said, gently shaking her awake as she looked at me. "You should probably head back to the room."

She stretched a bit before standing.

"Yeah, you're right. But then again, what would it hurt for me to stay here?" she asked, and my eyes widened with an 'are you crazy?' look.

This caused her to let out a laugh.

"I'm kidding. Good night, Y/N."

"I mean, I wouldn't have minded, but I'm not sure what my parents and grandparents would think if you did," I said, which caused her face to turn red. "But good night, 'Mione," I said with a smirk, receiving a punch to the arm, which caused me to laugh.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless before making her way back to the house. I made my way back to the cot and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my father's voice.

"Hey, we're heading to the store to grab a few things. You coming?" my dad asked.

"Yeah, just give me a few minutes," I called back.

I got up and made my way to the house, quickly taking a shower and putting on fresh clothes. I walked out to my grandpa's van and got in the back, Hermione already inside. My dad was driving, and my grandpa was in the passenger seat.

"What are you guys getting?" I asked.

"Just a few things for the house. But later, we were planning on going to the park and having a picnic. Maybe go fishing," my grandpa said.

"Have you ever been fishing, Hermione?" my dad asked.

Hermione shook her head.

"It sounds like fun, though," she said with a smile.

"Well, 'fun' probably isn't the best way to describe it. It can honestly get pretty boring sometimes and takes a lot of patience. I could teach you though," I said.

"I'd like that," Hermione said, still smiling.

We made it to the store. My dad and grandpa shopped, while we looked around at the various things for sale, Hermione seeming fascinated by the selection and the differences between the products they sold here and the ones they sold in London.

Eventually, we made it back to the house. We sat around, talking more about the plan of going to the park for the picnic. When it was time to leave, we all piled up in the van. My mom and dad were sitting on one side of me, while Hermione was sitting on the other. My grandpa was driving while my grandma rode in the front passenger seat.

We got to the park and got everything set up, laying a large blanket down on the grass, sitting the picnic basket in the middle. We all sat in a circle around it, using paper plates for the bologna sandwiches, chips, and the other food we brought. We started eating. After most of us were done eating, me, Hermione, my grandpa, and my dad went to grab the fishing poles. We grabbed them and walked to the lake that was right next to the park.

I started showing Hermione the difference between certain poles, how to put bait on the hook, how to put sinkers and bobbers on, what they did, how to put a hook on, and how to cast the line. She learned quickly, which wasn't a surprise. Eventually, everyone's lines were in the water. Hermione and I used bobbers, while my dad and grandpa just used sinkers. I grabbed two sticks to use as pole holders, giving one to Hermione, while we watched the bobbers in the water.

"I know why people enjoy this now," Hermione said. "It's so peaceful just sitting by the water."

"It is. But if you don't get a bite or catch anything after sitting here for hours, that's when it gets a little boring," I said and laughed a bit. "But if you catch something, it's really fun."

Just then, my dad got a bite, managing to hook the fish and reel it in. It was a catfish. It was decent-sized. Hermione seemed to study the process as she had watched how my dad had set the hook, reeled it in, and took it off the hook before tossing it back in. My mom and grandma walked over to watch us.

After a while, Hermione managed to catch one on her first bite. It was also a decent-sized catfish. As the time passed, we all had caught at least one. Eventually though, it was time to head back to the house. We got back, ate dinner, and made our way to our individual beds, and me to the treehouse, to sleep.