AN: OK Read this if you want to get any of it, Hermione works with the stock market, (this will be explained later) Basically in my mind or whatever she's working at Hogwarts and then gets fed up with the whole magical thing and goes back to being a muggle, her best friend is a lawyer named Jennifer and basicly she doesn't want anything to do with magic. Get it?? Ok review hope you like it it'll turn out H/H
Distant Magic
Prologue***
Twenty year old Hermione Granger shoved her wand in the small black box with a defiant smile and then wrapped it in the towel she'd drug down with her before stuffing the small bundle through the small door behind her bed. She leaned against the wall feeling very accomplished, that was her last connection to the Wizarding word, her wand. When was that girl who was supposed to be her roommate going to show up she wondered standing up and brushing off her jeans before walking through her small new flat. It was nice and small but cozy in a small way.
Frantic knocking came from the hallway where the front door was. Hermione walked over to it and looked through the peep hole.
A girl with blonde hair pulled back in a jaw clip was standing, or leaning against the door, her arms weighed down with boxs
"Hello! Um Ms." There was a shuffling of papers through the door "Erm Grangie, are you home, I could use some help here"
Hermione opened the door to let the scattered girl in; she promptly fell through the door at an alarming rate. Boxes and Papers went flying everywhere.
"Um opps" the blonde said eyeing the mess she'd made in a mere second. To Hermione who was usually a neat freak, she was almost relieved that this girl had such a relaxed atmosphere about her. It was a nice change from the last couple of weeks, disconcerting yourself from the Wizarding world was easier said then done.
"It's OK we'll deal with that later," Hermione said waving her hand at the mess
"Oh... OK" the girl brushed her bangs out of her face and stuck her hand out beaming
"I'm Jennifer Sweeton by the way, I guess you would be Hermyown Grangie?" Hermione cringed
"Well Grangie's a first, actually it's Herm-eye-own-knee Granger" she stuck her hand in Jennifer's out-stretched one
"Good to meet you Hermione, so um you like coffee?"
"No but I have a feeling I'm going to" said Hermione, Jennifer snorted and burst into laughter,
"Oh this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship" she managed
***
Four Years later
***
"You need to get dressed faster" Hermione muttered her high heels clicking on the concrete she and Jennifer passed over as the concrete as they made their way towards the nearest Starbucks.
"The Coffee place is going to be a zoo" she continued with her complaining
"Shut up, I'll pay for your latte if you shut up," said Jennifer harshly, five hours of sleep did wonders for a person Hermione thought and she voiced her opinion
"I know" Jennifer groaned "It's this damned Sholtz case, the guy says he fell and the only way to stop himself from falling was to grab his waitresses ass" she groaned again "We aren't going to win there's nothing to it"
"That guy doesn't deserve to win" Hermione muttered, Jennifer gave her an incredulous look
"Hello! If I don't win the case I don't get the money remember" The reached Starbucks and walked up to the counter
"Hey Jeff, I like that shade of purple" said Hermione glancing up at the transvestite's eye shadow
"Thanks Herm! Now what can I get for you ladies"
" Grande Mocha Latte with half and half" Jennifer muttered obviously still stirring over her closing argument.
"Tall Espresso, steamed soy please" Hermione said brightly
"Well well sunshine what's got you so bright this early in the morning" Jeff asked marking on the plastic cups and handing them to another guy who made the drinks..
"Oh nothing much, except just being a big time executive with a really great stock portfolio is really fun" Hermione beamed and Jeff nodded his head knowingly
"The paycheck is fun too huh" he grinned at her and Hermione giggled
"Tall steamed soy espresso, Grande Mocha Latte half and half" the guy behind Jeff yelled
"Oy Chad come here:" Chad the coffee guy sauntered over coffee in hand while Jennifer paid silently
"Yes" Chad asked carefully
"Hmm Jennifer would you like a date with Chad"
"What!" a couple stray coins went flying through the air
"Oh that's right you where just telling me how cute you…. Shutting up" Hermione said obediently seeing the look on her friends face
"Uh Jennifer do you…" Chad started
"YES I mean uh movie" interrupted Jennifer
"How's tomorrow at seven?" Chad asked
"Seven's great. It's perfect" Jennifer probably would have stood there all day staring but she was being drug away from the counter not seeing Jeff and Hermione flash each other thumbs up
"So gotta date with Chad huh" Hermione sniggered feeling about eight
"Shut up at least I can get a date" Jennifer snapped grinning
"Excuse me" Hermione said pretending to be offended
"Well At least I'm not so picky about it" she trailed off seeing Hermione start stirring her Espresso silently "Hey… Hey what's going on" she asked
Hermione just shrugged "Your right I am picky" she muttered
"Yeah well there must be a reason your so picky what's your zodiac sigh?"
"What? No I know why I'm so picky" Hermione sighed and Jennifer stared at her
"What?" Hermione stuck her hand out and snapped a few times getting Jennifer to blink
"Well it's just … have you ever been in love?" Hermione gave her friend a blank look
"What?" she said
"In love, you know like where you have really strong feelings for another person typically a male, in Jeff's case a male" Jennifer stopped her train of thought and stared at her friend again "I'll take all this silence as a yes"
"Don't take silence as anything" Hermione snapped
"Ok that I can do, so like describe the perfect guy for you" Jennifer leaned forward on her elbows looking ridiculously like a sixteen year old even though she was wearing an expensive tan, tailored pants suit and heels.
Hermione just gave her friend a blank look "Huh" she said the lines in her forehead creasing together
"Oh god" Jennifer moaned and took a deep breath leaning back and closing her eyes
"Brunettes, or Blondes.. oh or are the red head kind of girl" Hermione cringed 'Ewewewewewewewe' he brain chanted thinking about red heads
"Brunettes" she said with out thinking and then realized this and her thoughts instantly drifted to Harry Potter the Wonder boy who had defeated you know who and then disappeared
'Don't think about that, you don't have any reason to you're a muggle person now' she told herself
"Eyes are…." Jennifer drifted off and started to drain her coffee looking for a way to fight the fatigue overcoming her.
"Bright, Green, very bright" Hermione felt the corners of her mouth twitch a little and she couldn't help snorting
"What?" asked Jennifer
"Nothing" she shrugged, Jennifer smacked her empty cup on the table
"Now is this a bad boy, or a nice guy next door" Jennifer said her eyes boring though Hermione, 'Geez Lawyers are scary' Hermione thought
"Um…. Well nice guy but tends to get him into situations where he can't help but be … bad" she hesitated
"We really are talking about a specific guy aren't we" asked Jennifer standing up and looking at her watch
"No" Hermione sniffed All thoughts of Harry and Witchcraft drifting from her mind "Just Picky"
"Oh you have an eight o'clock remember" Hermione's eye's got big and she looked down at the silver guess watch on her wrist
"Oh shit, now you owe me two lattes " she said standing up and grabbing her purse
"OK so I'm I to assume I'll see you tonight" Jennifer called to her friends retreating back
'What about Chaa-ad" Hermione sang before realizing she was about to be late and turned back around to hail a taxi.
***
"So basically Darla you need something people are going to buy" Hermione concluded she had just given a huge speech to this new girl.
"What about Aliens? They walk among us you know Ms. Granger"
"I'm sure they do" Hermione said now thoroughly freaked
"Trust no one" and with that Darla retreated a couple of steps towards her cubicle
"Oh…. Kay" Hermione uttered to herself someone tapped her on her shoulder and she turned around, what was his name Sam? Scott?
"Ms. Granger, the interns paid Darla fifty bucks to do that they paid my twenty-five to tell you"
"Oh um thank you…"
"Steven" he filled in, "Sports guy"
"Oh yes… Sports... oh wonderful"
"I would rather do Entertainment but Darla got that one so Um listen if you aren't doing anything this Friday I though maybe we could go see a movie"
Hermione felt her self go into shock, she turned her head and looked Steven up and down, he was about a year older then her she suspected, good looking, blonde. Looked a bit like Draco Malfoy really 'STUPID HERM STUPID HERM' she smacked her self
"Ah, you know I can't" she said before she could stop herself
"Oh well I understand…" Sadly Steven was about to walk away
"Oh wait you don't understand" she said frantically jumping in front of Steven obviously taking him by surprise
"See we, Jennifer my roommate and I are having a … a… party, you know pizza, a movie some of our friends will be there, would you like to come"
"What as a date?" he said hopefully
"Well no but maybe the next Friday we might be able to do the date thing"
Steven's face burst out into a grin "OK what time?"
"Uh seven" Hermione managed lamely Jennifer would absolutely kill her
"OK Ms. Granger"
"Call me Hermione" Hermione said if possible in an even lamer voice and turned on her heel to go sulk in her office.
~*~*~
"That was smooth Hermione… You lied for a guy!…. He doesn't even have black, I mean brown hair" She flopped down into her huge leather chair and swiveled around to stare out of the huge glass window,
"Ms Granger" a dainty voice said from the intercom on her desk
"Yes Paige?" Hermione said pressing a button down on the intercom to talk to her secretary
"A man came to see you while you where out, e lefyt omethign with me for you"
"Oh, ok send it in"
Wondering what kind of Federal Express gift those people from Wal Street had sent her now, but not really caring Hermione swiveled back around to stare out her window. She had no work to do, Amazing.
"Ms Granger" Someone interrupted her thoughts when the banged through her office door
"Hello Paige" she said calmly standing and going down the stairs and over to her secretary. Some guy who had thrown himself out of a building when the market crashed two years ago had decorated the office she used. It had a black leather couch and matching armchair in the center of the mahogany paneled room. A mini bar was in the corner of the large room and the white carpet had a green rug and mahogany coffee table where Hermione had proclaimed the Sitting place because of the couch. Three stairs led up to a higher level where her huge mahogany wood desk sat along with a scanner/fax/printer and computer. Not that she really needed it , Paige took care of those things. Hermione played Pinball and Solitaire on the Computer all the time.
"Ms. Granger" Hermione snapped out of her reverie and blinked a few times
"Yes Paige" The short red headed secretary held a huge bouquet of roses one flower imparticular stood out from the rest.
Hermione snatched the flower and instructed Paige to quickly put the flowers in a vase and stick them on the table and she did so leaving Hermione to her thoughts.
The Flower she would recognize anywhere, she was after all top student in Herbology. A Russian Redicnare, very, very rare and only magical people had access to them. It was like rose except tine beads where decorating pretty patters across the petals and shone different colors of light in each direction
"Good God" Hermione muttered under her breath, she could only imagine who had sent her this beautiful flower
She checked her watch for the billionth time and decided what she needed to do, she grabbed a huge paper weight that had a "Happiness believing I am loved' etched on the top and brought it down on the Flower hard hearing the satisfying crunch of the petals underneath it. Then it shriveled up into the steam and moments later a bursts of red came from the tip of the flower and Hermione was left holding a plain old flower steam.
"Well that's the end of that" she aid and through the stem in a trash under her desk. Hermione though about throwing it through the shredder, shredding things always made her cheer up, but no she didn't feel like explaining why the shredder was broken because a blast of red light had made it malfunction.
Sighing Hermione spun her chair around in circles, work was to calm one of these days no some thing would happen on Wal Street and she'd be running around barking orders and generally trying to save her every last penny.
"Ms. Granger, Ms Sweeton line one" Paige's voice came through the intercom again
"Thanks Paige" said Hermione picking up a headset and placing it over her ears
"Hey Jennifer" she muttered studying her nails
"Hi, so you'll be home early" she asked hopefully
"Yeah I could leave now and no one would notice" Hermione muttered again
"Cool so guess what" Jennifer sounded way overly excited
"What, or wait do I even want to know what you've been doing on your lunch breaks" teased Hermione getting back up and sauntering over to her mini bar. There was a pause before Jennifer's voice belted out full force
"Shut up! I WON THE TRIEL WE BEAT THE CASE! I'M THE BEST LAWYER WHO EVER LIVED HAH!" Jennifer screamed, Hermione clutched her ear and tapped her fingers on the glass window she was next to
"OK so Um what if I said we were having a party this Friday" there was a pause on the other end of the phone
"I'd say hell yeah, we need some fun, tell you what why don't you invite some people, or wait , no did you lie to a guy"
"What! How did you even come up with that" Hermione Sputtered
"Dude I can hear it in your voice your being apprehensive, and I mean come on your not exactly the parting type"
"Oh Bite me" Hermione sighed leaning against the glass and then realizing she was about ten stories up and took a couple steps back
"SO who's the guy?" Jennifer continued
"Oh uh Steven… Something"
"Steven? Well how did this lie come about then" asked Jennifer
"He's a sport's guy"
"What guy isn't"
"Will you let me finish! He does a lot of Sports TRADING, but he's nice and good looking I guess and he asked me out. I said I was busy and he was all sad so I had to do something!" There was a deep sigh and Jennifer seemed to be making a tsk tsk tsk sound
"ALL guys will pull a puppy face weather it's to get you in the sack or just get the time"
"Oh" Hermione said feeling suddenly very stupid thinking that Steven really did want to date her.
"OK so what do I do now"
There was another pause on Jennifer's end "Find a chick to come to and maybe you can hook them up"
"Now I get why that guy threw himself out of the window" Hermione muttered
"Stop muttering I don't speak mumble you know" demanded Jennifer
"Sorry, look do you want to go shopping? I need to shop"
"This is new" laughed Jennifer
"I feel like I need to spend a lot of money, I'll meet you at the mall in a bit"
"Kay, see you" and the phone promptly clicked of in Hermione's ear.
"Well, what an exciting life I lead" throwing the head set on her desk she crossed her arms,
"Now where I am I supposed to find a girl to come to this thing." Then her mind clicked 'Darla'
~*~*~
"Hey Darla?" Hermione said knocking on the cubicle wall hoping to god it didn't fall over
"Yeah what, Oh Ms. Granger erm the uh" frantically she pointed over one shoulder and made other hand gestures
"Er OK but hey do you want to come to a party I'm having on Friday"
"Will there be beer" she asked her eyes bright
"Erm yeah"
"I'll bee there!"
"OK then I'll be seeing you" Hermione said edging away from the cubicle where Darla had gone back to playing Blackjack on her computer.
***
"OK now I feel completely spent" Jennifer leaned back in her chair, she and Hermione where getting McDonnell's in the food court
"You mean I'm completely spent" Hermione pointed out
"Um yeah" Jennifer shrugged "Same difference I got cloths didn't I? Hermione? Hey hello" Hermione was staring over Jennifer's shoulder at the pay phone booth that was next to the bathrooms. A tall man wearing jeans, a tee shirt with an over shirt and some dingy vans on was standing with his back to the food court talking on the phone. What got Hermione was the messy mop of Black hair that stuck out in all directions on top of his head.
"Are you OK?" Jennifer continued, Hermione realized she was clutching the table
"What" Hermione closed her eyes tightly and when she opened them the man wasn't there
"Yeah I'm fine, let's get out of here I feel like I just burned a huge hole in my credit card no thanks to you" said Hermione, Jennifer gave her a sarcastic glare in response
As they walked down the sidewalk toward their building Hermione sighed deeply
"What now" asked an exasperated Jennifer
"Just you know, look how far we've come in four years" Jennifer was silent for a moment but of course she had a reply
"Well actually you've come far, I've just finally graduated law school and a have a really great job where I get o yell all day"
"What about the apartment" Hermione put in
"Well true we got a better place, OK a much better place" Jennifer rolled her eyes
"You are such a retard" Hermione commented
"oh I feel so loved" muttered Jennifer
***
"Hermione I'm gonna go get coffee and bring it back here OK?" Jennifer called, it was almost 10:30 and Hermione wasn't out of the shower yet. It wasn't like either had to be anywhere.
"Are you trying to drowned your self" Jennifer yelled still trying to find out what her friend was doing. The shower was turned of and Hermione opened the bathroom door in her fluffy yellow robe, steam swirled around her
"How can I help you" she asked acidly
"I'm getting coffee, want some?"
"Yes very much" Hermione said, her head bobbing up and down to collaborate with her statement
"OK I'll be back soon" Jennifer let herself out into the hallway to go feed her coffee needs while Hermione started brushing her teeth when the phone rang
"Hello" she answered politely
"Hey Um I'm in the elevator, you want a donut r something" Jennifer asked her voice full of static
"Did you take my phone?" Hermione said suspiciously
"Well maybe, but only cause mine needs to be charged" Jennifer replied, Hermione stuck her toothbrush into her mouth muffling everything she said
"Don't use up all my minuets OK?" she said through the toothpaste
"OK" the doorbell rang "Who's at the door" Jennifer inquired
"I don't know, I'm not a physic" Hermione spat spraying the phone with tooth past as she walked towards the front door
"Geez what's up your butt" giggled Jennifer, Hermione sighed and stuck her toothbrush back in her mouth and reached her toothpaste hand out to the door knob
"Well it's just that…" she opened the door and took one look at the person on the other side of the door and her toothbrush fell out of her mouth and the phone fell out of her hand crashing on the hardwood floor. Jennifer's panicked voice could be heard in the receiver still.
"Herm… Hermione? Hey… Are you all right, what's going on, do I need to skip the coffee trip? Oh crap stay there your phones dying." Jennifer's voice gradually became nothing but static and the phone clicked off.
"Wha. Oh" Hermione took a step back hitting the phone with her foot making it spin across the floor.
'Oh my god" she managed to mouth before stumbling back to the wall and leaning against it
"Hi Hermione, long time no see" Harry Potter stood smirked crookedly at her from her entry way
"Shit!" Hermione cursed sliding down the wall behind her
AN: well that was interesting, don't worry next chapter will make more sense, I hope, I wrote most of this very early in the morning last night, Get it? So uh basically that was boring I know you all care so much about Hermione but I had to let you know what she was doin, that was a big part of this plot. Anyway if your reading this it means you stuck through the entire story, so er yeah thanks. Go ahead and review and this was my first fic so be kind ^_^
Pretty Lily