Chapter 1
The Wedding Singer
Chapter One
She got off her motorcyle and slowly walked over to a metal door that marked the backstage entrance. Preparing herself for a scolding, she took a deep breath and quickened her pace.
"How's the crowd tonight?" She asked as the door swung open revealing a handsome man wearing a very expensive suit.
He shook his head, "Rowdy. You're late again." He tapped his feet against the concrete pavement. "Well? What was it this time? Zombie attack?"
She ran through the door, mumbling something about traffic and the need for a hamburger, "I don't know why they call it fast food. There's nothing fast about it." Making her way to the dressing room; she plopped down in the makeup chair. Ten minutes later, Hermione looked into the mirror and frowned.
"Ella? Can I come in?" He asked from the other side of the door.
"Yeah."
The door swung open, "Wow. You look amazing. So amazing that I decided to forgive you and continue being your manager."
She didn't turn around.
"Ella?"
"I told you not to call me that."
"What? It's your name."
"No. My name is Hermione. Only strangers call me Ella."
"Yes, well…what if someone hears?"
She spun to face him, "So what? I don't care."
"You cared when you started this. Remember, it was your idea."
"I know, but it wasn't suppose to last this long."
A knock at the door interrupted them, "Five minutes Miss Ella."
She rolled her eyes and nodded.
The stage lit up as she walked onto it. The crowd went wild. She smiled and waved, making her way to the center spotlight…
(Two Hours Later)
Ella ran off the stage and into her dressing room. She immediately started stripping out of her clothes. Her manager pushed the door open, "Great show Ella. Oh-" He turned around and blushed, "Sorry."
"It's ok Owen. It's not like you haven't seen me in my underwear before." She mumbled.
"Yeah, but it wasn't comfortable then either. Ella-"
She threw the dress she was wearing at him. "Sorry, I meant, Hermione. Any plans tonight?"
Hermione nodded, "I need a drink."
"Decent?" he asked.
"As decent as I'm going to get."
Owen turned around and walked over to her, "Please be careful."
She huffed, "We've been through this. No one knows who I am. Who could tell under all this makeup? I look like a clown. I might as well be Harry freaking Potter."
"Who?"
She shook her head and laughed, "No one."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny metal object, handing it to her. She looked at it and chuckled, but put it into her coat pocket anyways.
"Thanks" She finished dressing and ran towards the exit. "Owen, can you take care of the bike?"
He nodded, "So you're going home then?-." But she was already gone.
Leaving through the back door, she made her way down the street. Hermione glanced around, making sure no one had followed her. She closed her eyes and apparated to Diagon Alley.
Oh, her favorite bar. This was home. She ordered her usual pineapple vodka and made her way to her favorite booth. Today's Daily Prophet laid casually on the table. The moving picture showed a pair of silver eyes staring at her, smirking. She scanned the headline:
Draco Malfoy To Wed Sapna King
Mogul Draco Malfoy, of Malfoy Enterprises, held a press conference early this morning to announce his engagement to Sapna King, daughter of Huang King. Rumors are that the Malfoy/King marriage is more of a merger of companies than of love. When asked about the reason for the sudden engagement Mr King replied-blah blah blah
Hermione lost interest. Her drink was finished and she could still see straight. They were being cheap with the alcohol.
"Hey bartender! You call this a drink. I can get more wasted on a bottle of NyQuil. One more and put an extra shot in it."
He looked confused. Hermione laughed knowing he had no idea what NyQuil was, but a drink appeared in front of her. She didn't hesitate to gulp it down. Picking up the paper again, she gently stroked the spot where Draco stood. He winked at her. She took the pocket knife out of her coat and stabbed him in the chest, twisting it a couple times before retracting it and flipping it close. She chuckled lightly; he made a hurt face, while grabbing his chest. She threw the paper in the trash and walked out of the bar, reminding herself to thank her manager for the present. It did come in useful after all.
/
Living in the muggle world gave Hermione a chance to pursue her dream. Singing. She found an agent and signed a contract. Within 2 years you couldn't go anywhere without hearing one of her songs or seeing her face on a magazine cover. Ella was the most well recognized singer in the muggle world. She had thousands of adoring fans, got invites to all the coolest parties and had enough money to last her at least three life times. Ella had it all, but Hermione had nothing.
Hermione Granger had been lost to the magic world. Five years passed and no one saw or heard from her. Rumors quickly circulated that she had gone mad and been locked away. It amused her. She laughed. She could've stopped everything, but she enjoyed how much people cared, or at least cared enough to talk about her.
She wanted out. She was tired of being the ever so loyal and reliable Hermione Granger. The war was over; she wanted a fresh start, so she continued to hide. Let the rumors spread. People will become bored and eventually move on.
Three years was how long she could stand to be away from her friends. They were thankful, yet very angry, she was alive and living as someone else. In the end they all promised to keep her whereabouts and who she had become a secret. Leading these two lives, separately, meant too much to her. They didn't ask too many questions about why she left, but they knew it had something to do with him. Harry and Ginny attended a few of her concerts, but Ron refused to come. He hated the girl on stage. She looked nothing like his Hermione.
Eventually, visiting wasn't enough. She missed magic; she wanted to go home. At first, it was once a month, spending a night at Grimmauld Place or the Burrow. Then it was every other weekend. FInally, she purchased the flat above the twins' joke shop. She flooed from her mansion in muggle London to her flat regularly.
Everything was perfect. When she was in the muggle world, she would remain Hermione. No one cared about Hermione Granger there. When she was in the magical world, she was Ella. No one cared about Ella there. It was truly perfect...but how long could perfection last?
