I woke up to the shrill noise of my old-fashioned alarm clock screaming in my ear. I waved my wand clumsily at the contraption to shut it up. I trudged toward the kitchen where the scent of French Vanilla coffee drifted toward me. Hermione poured me a cup and set down two stacks of pancakes flooded in maple syrup. Her big brown eyes were sparkling as she spoke.

"Morning, Ginny. How did you sleep?" She started to push a forkful of banana-walnut pancake into her mouth.

"Fine. You made me breakfast?" Hermione was always kind and generous, but she was my house-guest. She was supposed to sleep late and relax, not me.

"Of course. It's my way of saying thank you for taking me in. After what you have done for me, this is the least I could do." She had been kicked out of her flat just the day before. She lost her job she had at a muggle restaurant as a waitress and couldn't pay the rent. "I feel horrid about banging on the door so late last night, but you were the only person I knew in the area."

"It's all right. I was starting to feel so bored. I needed a friend to keep me company. When you came, I felt like my prayers were being answered. Oh, bugger! I'll be late for work!" After graduating from Hogwarts, I'd taken a job in a bookstore. "Thank you for breakfast. Bye."

"Oh, well, goodbye." She sounded upset that our conversation had to come to an end. Did she feel as lonely as I had felt. I couldn't think about it now. If I didn't get to work soon, I'd be out of a job, too.

I opened the door and ran into the elevator. It moved down to the ground floor an I ran outside and down the street. The rotating doors at The Open Page Bookstore shoved me inside. I took my post at the register and sat on my small, wooden stool.

An elderly woman with wispy blond hair and a large violet dress came towards me. "Excuse me, dear. I'm looking for Dragons in an Eggshell by Agness Harthgind. Do you have it in stock?"

"Yes, ma'am. It's in section twelve. Would you be interested in its sequel, Shimmering Scales?"

"No, thank you."

Bugger! Melvin has been pushing us to sell as many sequels as we could. Oh, well. Goodbye, raise. "You're welcome. Come again."

Six ours of work limped by slowly. It was my job to make sure everyone was out of the store, shut off the lights, and lock up. Then, I started to walk home. I thought about Hermione. When she came to flat at midnight last night, I was ecstatic. In just a moment, I was dragged out of a years worth of boredom and depression. Was it the feeling of having company, or specifically Hermione. I couldn't tell. But whatever it was, It was something I had never felt before.

There was a delicious smell coming from my flat when I arrived home. When I walked into the room, there was Hermione stirring a big bowl of tomato sauce. She has too much time on her hands.

"You're cooking for me again?"

"Like I said: It's the least I could do." She put two plates of spaghetti down on a round table with a bright red tablecloth and a candle on top. She poured two glasses of red wine. "Cheers," she whispered.

"Hermione, this is amazing!" The feeling I had felt the night before had suddenly come back. My arms tingled and my head swirled. I no longer had any control. I trapped her in a hug, no longer feeling empty.

"I'm glad you like it." We held eye contact for what felt like forever. Her brown eyes taking hold of my emerald ones. Suddenly, I felt like I knew what was missing: her. My hand reached over and swept a loch of her hair out of her face. I leaned in and pressed her soft, delicate lips against mine. "Is this how you treat all your house-guests?" half shocked, half pleased.

"No. Only you," I wispered as I gently held her in another kiss.