A/N: This particular story came from the plot bunny of the awesome and ever encouraging pianomouse! I hope you'll enjoy this. I borrowed Takeshi Kaneshiro's character from the movie Confession of Pain (2006) except I moved the beginning of the film back from 2003 to 1993, making the beginning of this story 1994.

Unconventional Love

Yau Kin-bong had been complaining to his partner that he didn't feel like his girlfriend is "the one" for him only to come home after their bust to her corpse. He would later find out from her autopsy that she committed suicide and she had been pregnant at the time of her death. But the crushing blow and the one that would put him over the edge is the fact that the child she carried, is probably not his, but the lover she'd been having an affair with. She had been waiting at a bar that night for him, he got into an accident, which had her thinking that he probably changed his mind about her. His girlfriend had been about to leave him for that guy.

He should be angry at her, for not having common decency or enough respect to just break up with him. He should be angry at the guy whom she's cheating him for but he wasn't. He remembered their last conversation, about how she feels that he's hiding something from her, that and the late erratic hours he kept as a police inspector. He really was, but he couldn't quite tell her, seeing how he feels uncertain of where their relationship is heading. He couldn't just tell her that he is a wizard given how it would breach the International Statute of Secrecy, seeing that they were not yet engaged to be married. As pretty as the bartender was in the bar where his girlfriend used to hang out, he realized that he could just be on a rebound. A year had passed since his girlfriend died but nothing seemed to alleviate the pain. He bid his police partner good bye, resigned from the police force and became an Auror. He volunteered for a foreign assignment, given that being away from Hong Kong would probably help him get over his trauma. He was only 24 years old, but what he went through made him feel as if he'd aged a thousand years in the most emotional year of his life.

This summer, her parents had to go to some medical conference in France. She really didn't mind being alone for two weeks, at 15 years old; she can well take care of herself. She also preferred to be alone rather than to spend summer with the Weasleys, as she'd just had another eventful year at Hogwarts rescuing Buckbeak and Sirius Black. It gave her time to catch up on her readings and just explore London. She was drinking her tea in this quaint café near her parent's house when she noticed a man struggle with his understanding of the waiter's speech. She wondered at that, seeing that the man spoke perfect English, up until she noticed a ministry issued universal translation charm necklace. She cast a translation charm on herself discreetly before she walked by. "That translation charm doesn't seem to work very well on those with Cockney accents, too much variety." She told him before she explained to the waiter that the man is asking for some tea, milk and sugar.

The man nodded and thanked her, he motioned for her to join him. She took her books and sat with him in his table. "I'm Yau Kin-bong. Just call me Bong. I'm an Auror. I just got assigned here. Thank you for your help." He told the teenager. Hermione shook his hand. "I'm Hermione Granger. I didn't know they assign Aurors from other countries here." She said. "There's a wizard who escaped from Hong Kong. He's been known to target…" He stopped, trying to describe the victimology. "Muggleborns like me?" Hermione suggested. He shook his head and laughed. "The blood purity obsession had only ever taken root in Europe. It never reached Asia, given that we've had a longer magical history." He said proudly. She laughed at that. "You sure are modest." That had him laughing before he became serious and described that the wizard he's after was actually victimizing young wizards and witches, mere toddlers. He'd abduct them and torture them to see how far their accidental magic goes. Hermione scowled at that. "To what point? Why would he do that for?" She asked. Bong then explained how the man used to be a great healer and one of the most brilliant charm theorists before he went nuts.

Somehow, Hermione ended up helping him navigate through his investigation, given that the wizard he's trying to capture is born of a British mother and as such has the advantage of knowing the local terrain. She asked him why he didn't seek much help other than documentations, from the local community, to which he replied that the local wizards are too busy picking sides on their blood purity issues that they've forgotten the most basic of human rights which is to live. For two weeks, she provided a distant, "sort of" back-up for him as he checked every nook and cranny of London for the criminal he's after. When her parents arrived from France, she took to visiting him in his apartment as they went through the reports from the ministry.

"Have you thought about being an Auror?" Bong asked her between mouthfuls of the pasta he cooked. She shook her head. "I don't think it's for me." She answered truthfully. He nodded. "By the way, I checked your records at the ministry. I hope you don't mind. Why is it that your age is "supposed to be 15 years old but is technically 16 years old"?" He asked. Hermione did not really mind that he checked out her records, she knew that it was a part of his job to be thorough, especially since she's reading sensitive materials and helping him out with his investigation. She told him that she didn't mind and explained that for a whole school year, she had been using a time turner to keep up with her classes, which practically made her live a year over. He looked at her as if she's crazy.

"You really like studying?" He asked shocked that someone could actually like studying. She swatted his arm. "Of course I do! Why else would I do it?" She exclaimed. He then told her of his stories about preferring Quodpot over studying and how his mother actually burned his brand new broom just to get him to study. She laughed at that, they then continued to sort through the documents.

He, rather he insisted on using "they", captured Andrew Tong in about a month's time. Sorting through a small population of wizards and witches is not as easy as it seemed. Many were reluctant to give information as they were too busy trying to make sense of the things happening around them, many were oblivious, stubborn or stupid, that their inward sense of the world hindered them from helping the foreign Auror. However, since Andrew Tong made a point of staying within the magical community, he had been easily captured as he was also an outsider. What Bong found in Andrew Tong's house almost made Hermione's stomach turn. The wizard was holding three children in his makeshift torture dungeon. The two young boys had numerous cuts all over their bodies, one even had his stomach and innards cut opened several times, with Tong, who used to be a magical heal, healed him only to cut into him again. The newest victim, one he had barely started on is Pema Patil. She is the youngest sister of the Patil twins, while the other two were muggleborns who exhibited accidental magic. The Patils thanked Bong and Hermione, whom Bong pointed as his helper in this case, profusely. Hermione suggested that Pema should go to a therapist to help her get over her trauma.

Two Aurors from Hong Kong came to get Andrew Tong, leaving Bong free to clean up after the man's mess, including visits to the two muggleborns family. He was sanctioned to modify the boys' memories as well as their families, if need be. Bong would be heard complaining about how the Wizardry London was so caught up with blood status that they didn't bother to look for a missing little girl.

"Hey! I realized I haven't seen much of London." Bong told Hermione as they walked away from the second boy's family home. Hermione turned to look at him. "You've seen more of London than I ever did." She replied dourly. "Well, I haven't really enjoyed the sights. I was busy trying to catch a bad guy. I haven't ridden the London Eye and enjoyed the Big Ben. I haven't seen the changing of the royal guards and I haven't shopped at Diagon Alley, either. Please?" He pouted, begging Hermione to tour him around. She sighed. "I hate seeing grown men beg."

The line to ride the London Eye was extremely long, Hermione would have given up had Bong not insisted on keeping at it. They brought fish and chips and ice cream. They took pictures from Bong's new Polaroid Captiva* and when they finally managed to take a ride on the London Eye, Hermione realized why she didn't take much to flying on a broom. After a certain height, she clutched on to Bong for dear life. The man somehow understood her fear and held her against him, cursing himself as he noticed the teenager's curves against his body. While he admits to himself that he enjoyed holding her against him, he placed a respectable distance between them afterwards. It's not decent to lust after an underage witch and his grief over his girlfriend's death and discovery of her betrayal still feels too raw. But he isn't going to stay away from Hermione. It is rare for him to encounter someone he really feels at ease with, the last one had been his former police partner and that had been rocky at the start. Besides, he enjoys her company too much that he wouldn't deprive himself of her friendship.

Bong and Hermione played tourists for the next few days up until he had to leave. As he prepared his things and cleaned up his apartment, he gave Hermione a box of their polaroid pictures together. Hermione thanked him for the pleasant summer and the great times they've had together and promised to owl him to which he replied that of course he will. But he knew he'll probably try to get her one of those pair of journals where you only need to write what you want to say and the other person would get it instantaneously. He had only been intending to kiss her cheek before he left when she accidentally turned to him in her surprise and he somehow managed to kiss her lips. It was just a peck but it had both him and Hermione blushing furiously. "I'll owl you as soon as I get home." He promised, trying to maintain his cool. Hermione nodded and was left with her hand still touching her lips long after he'd gone. He would later find out that, that had been her first kiss.

* This instant camera line sold from 1993-1997. I often wondered what happened to mine. I presume one of my older brothers borrowed it and it's probably in one of their storage boxes in our old house.