A/N: I'm excited to present my first fanfic in ages! Thank you so much for taking the time to read it, I'm beyond excited to be back in this community and writing about two of my favorite characters of all time. Please feel free to give me any constructive criticism in the reviews, you readers and fellow writers are what inspired me to try my hand at this once again. As always, I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's amazing characters, however much I wish I did. Happy reading!
"This weather's gonna be hell on my hair"
Stepping away from her International Portkey a distinctly frazzled Hermione Granger groaned and straightened her clothes as she looked around and got her bearings. She was standing on a deserted street corner in the depths of Havana, Cuba, the heat and humidity clinging to her and winding its way along her exposed skin into her already riotous curls. Eyes the color of rich cuban coffee took in the landscape around her, noting the deepening shadows between colorful facades as night began to fall.
She needed to get moving, find her command center and get out of this blasted heat. Ducking inside a dilapidated doorway she rummaged in her small sequined bag for a moment before pulling out what looked like a well read guide book. Flipping through the pages, she found what she was looking for and quickly stashed the book away before unholstering her wand and muttering a quick four-point spell. She watched as her wand pointed North before once again concealing it into the custom wrist holster Harry had gotten her for Christmas a couple of years before. Turning on the spot she ducked back out into the dimly lit street, moving with the shadows until she emerged into a blaze of color and light. In front of her was her destination, a magnificent three story green building bordering a beautiful cobblestone square that was to be her home base for however long she needed to complete her mission. The square was bustling with people enthralled by the newly fallen nights energy, yet no one seemed to notice Hermione as she slipped into the grand silver and white door adorning the front of her safe house. In fact, no one seemed to notice the house at all. As she was swallowed into the comfortable yet stately front hall, Hermione thanked the gods she had been able to convince her boss that she deserved at least one mission where she could set up camp in someplace that wasn't an actual camp. She'd had enough time in tents to last her several lifetimes over.
"Hola, bienvenido a la guarida de las serpientes! How may I help you Miss?" a voice rang out and Hermione turned, momentarily taken aback by the the name of her accommodations. Although her inner lion recoiled at the thought of staying anywhere tainted by the stink of serpents, she had to admit this "Den of Snakes" was much more inviting than she had imagined.
"Buena noches! My name is Emily, I believe I have a reservation here for the next two weeks."
"Ah, let me check Miss. Emily Cordova is it?"
"Si! Thats me!" She chirped, inwardly cringing at her assigned name and wishing for the thousandth time that "Hermione Granger" hadn't become such a household name over the years. She could never give her real name on these missions without alerting someone to her presence in town and possibly blowing the whole thing before it even started. Such was the struggle of a war hero with a real job. The man behind the counter smiled and nodded, going over a few things on his parchment before waving over another handsome and smiling young man in a bellhop uniform. Her lips tugged up in approval as he turned, her eyes raking the well fitted white linen covering his toned backside. She could get used to missions like this.
The young man led her to an ornate gilded lift and waited patiently as she slid in after him before pressing one of the many buttons adorning the wall. Apparently the building was a lot larger on the inside than what it appeared, and she could see that it actually had six floors, not the three that she had initially thought. Her room was on the 5th floor, great for views but not so great for escape routes in case something went wrong.
"Is this is only way to get up to my room?" she asked her companion, her spanish was lilting but passable and he smiled at the effort.
"Si, Miss Cordova. The lift is spelled to take you directly into your room if you so wish." he replied in perfectly accented English. She shot him a questioning look and he chuckled.
"Many of our clientele value their privacy over everything, so we have a special entrance that leads straight into the lift and once we lift the wards on the room each of these buttons corresponds to a particular suite. If you'd like me to arrange for that I most certainly can."
"No, no thank you. Although I was curious about apparition points within the hotel. Is it possible to apparate within the building itself or do I have to make my way to a designated spot?" He must have been used to questions like these as he showed no signs of suspicion as he smoothly answered her while stepping aside as the lift gates opened.
"We do put up anti-apparition wards in all of our suites, however if you'd like I can speak to the manager and ask that yours are taken down for the duration of your stay. We have them in place for the safety of our patrons. No one wants to come home after a night out on the town and find themselves splinched and alone in a room." his chuckle was darker this time and Hermione wondered just how many times that had happened for them to enforce designated apparition points.
"Oh I won't have to worry about that! I don't plan on partying too much while I'm here. I'm more of a read on the beach kind of girl."
The bellhop smiled and nodded, stepping out and motioned her to follow him down a deceptively long hallway decorated with beautiful golden sconces that gave it a familiar and warm glow. When they reached room 512, he stopped and rummaged in his pocket for a moment, withdrawing an small key and unlocked her door before stepping aside and letting her get her first view of the room. It was breathtaking, the kind of place that put all other hotels in their place and made a woman swear off cheap motels forever. She turned back to the bellhop and he smiled at the awe on her face.
"Enjoy your stay señora, if you need anything at all please don't hesitate to summon me. I am at your beck and call." and with that he placed the small key in her hands, lingering for a moment over the contact of their fingers against one another. She blushed and nodded, slipping her fingers away from his and rummaging in her bag for a galleon to place in his outstretched hand. He graciously accepted and backed away with a little bow, leaving her to explore her sanctuary and command center for the week.
Decorative tiles led her down a short hallway and into a massive apartment bordered on all sides by floor to ceiling windows that showcased the glittering lights of the city. She set her bag down on the beautiful marble island that seperated a small but luxurious kitchen from the plush living area and took out her wand. First things first, she needed to beef up security. She began to weave ward after ward, security spell after security spell until she could feel her magic reverberating around the room ready to fight off anyone who dared try and intrude on her investigation. Her next step was to go over the details of her case once again before she set out tomorrow. Sinking into the plush teal velvet of her living room couch she pulled her tattered guidebook out of her bag once more and cast a wordless charm on it, watching as pages of notes began to extricate themselves from the binding, decoding as they went. According to her sources someone had recovered and was beginning to use the fabled Esmeralda de las Bestias. The artifact was one of tremendous power, allowing the owner to wield control over any and all magical creatures they came in contact with. It was rumored to have been created by the old gods, allowing them to tame and live in harmony with the mighty creatures that roamed the ancient jungles. It had been missing for centuries, its last known location being in Colombia before being spirited away by enterprising privateers in the 1600's. Her boss at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures had pulled her into his office not 8 hours before, explaining that he had reliable information confirming the Emerald was in Cuba, buried for hundreds of years in a small, heavily warded cave in the Sierra Maestra mountain range. It had been recovered by a group of wizards calling themselves "Los Maestros", or "The Masters". Hermione was to locate and retrieve the artifact as soon as possible in order to subvert the growing slave trade of sentient magical creatures throughout the Americas, which was slowly but surely spreading to England and across the globe despite her best efforts. How wizarding kind could partake in such an abominable practice, especially after the great war, was beyond her. Yet here she was, exhausted and disheveled, ready to take on the evils of the world once again.
"I need a fuckin' drink." she murmered, fighting the sickening sense of righteous anger that threatened to overcome her. She rose from the couch and moved towards the heavy wooden door of her bedroom, kicking off her shoes as she went. The door swung open of its own accord and she sucked in her breath as her eyes fell on the most beautiful bedroom she'd ever seen. A massive bed with the an intricately carved headboard sat against the far wall, a gauzy canopy falling around it and swaying gently in an unseen breeze. Decorative tiles adorned the far wall, drawing her eyes up to the ceiling where two modern glass light fixtures gave off a warm glow that enveloped her in a sense of well being. On one wall there was a row of windows bordered on either side with light aqua shutters that ran their length from floor to ceiling. On the other wall there were two large glass french doors that opened into a bathroom fit for royalty. A huge marble tub sat in the middle of the room, practically begging her to strip and sink into its depths right then and there.
"Fuck the mission, I'm tempted to hole up in this room alone and stay forever."
Sighing, she turned back to the bed and with a casual flick of her wand her beaded bag came soaring in, landing gracefully on her bed. Within a moment, her clothes were unshrunk and ready to be put away. She'd packed a multitude of sensible outfits seeing as how she planned on spending most of her time trekking around mountains and through jungles in search of the Emerald, but Hermione wasn't going to be sensible tonight. The luxury of her apartment had her craving at least one night of mindless relaxation before going off on her mission. She deserved that much she though as she picked up a slinky black number and shrugged off her travel clothes. Casting a quick scourgify over herself, she slipped into her dress and attempted to do something with her hair. With age, she had accepted it in all it's chaos and even learned to embrace it when it was out of control the way it was now. The heat is was causing was a whole different story though, she practically had her own climate when it was down. She quickly twisted it up into a messy bun on the top of her hair, trying and failing to keep everything in one place. Strands of her chestnut locks slipped from her grip and she ended up just giving up, allowing them to frame her face while she pinned the rest of her mass in place with magic and a well placed silk ribbon. A quick touch up to her mascara, a charmed smoky eye (courtesy of her friend Parvati Patil) and a swipe of tinted gloss and she was on her way out the door, determined to have herself some fun before stepping up to save the world again.
A/N: So there we have it, my first chapter in almost 10 years. Go ahead and hit that lovely little review button, you know you want to 3