Hi, this is ny new story after just finished 'You've Got To Be Kidding Me'.
If you've ever seen the TV show Friends, this is kind of what it's meant to be like, the setting of it.
Enjoy and review.
"The usual please, Nev and ooh, what are these?" the young woman pointed at one of the pastries behind the counter.
"Danish pastries, baked fresh this morning." the man who didn't look much older than her, flashed her a smile.
"I'll take one of those as well then!" she started to root around in her handbag for her purse, "Oh where is it?" The woman dropped her bag on the counter and started to tip its contents onto the counter. From it emerged a day planner, a hairbrush, make-up bag, mobile phone, assorted pens and then finally out came her purse. She held it up in triumph. Opening it, she took out £3.00 and paid the man, "Keep the change." she smiled and went to take her normal seat her and her friends normally occupied.
The woman, whose name was Hermione sat down on one of the purple cushioned arm chairs and sipped at her warm drink. She closed her eyes as she drank, taking in the taste and savouring it. The coffee shop was one of her favourite places in the world. It was never very busy and thats just the way she liked it. Large, plush arm chairs were dotted around the room with a couple of sofas here and there too. Both sets of comfortable seats were always covered in cushions of all shapes, sizes and colours making it incredibly comfortable. Of course there were the wooden tables occupying the small building with wooden chairs to match. Brick walls surrounded her, covered in vinatge posters from all over the world, encased in golden and bronze frames. Hermione opened the book she had been carrying around with her, Bridget Jone's Diary by Helen Fielding. It was absolutely brilliant, she was loving every minute of it! She began to read, completely taken over by it, but suddenly brought back to the real world by a small peck on the cheek.
"Oh, hello." she smiled at her best friend of nine years who perched herself on the edge of the sofa next to her. Ginny Weasley was still as beautiful as she had been all those years back a Hogwarts except she had now 'matured' and become even more lovely.
"I'll just go get a drink and say hi to Neville." Ginny said as she made her way to the counter to get a drink. Hermione decided that now was the time to get in a few more pages of her book, as it was only polite to stop reading when her friend returned. She had only gotten half way down the page when someone whispered a quick "Boo." in her ear.
"Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed as the red-head strode past her laughing, followed by Harry who said a quick hello then went to join Ron and Ginny by the counter. "It's not funny!"
The four of them had always met up here, it was the norm for them to come here in the mornings and stay till about five later that day. They would drink, talk, read and catch up in the coffee shop. But i wasn't only those three she had stayed in touch with from Hogwarts. Blaise, Ginnys fiancee would often join them along with Draco, who was in fact Hermione's long term lover. Crabbe and Goyle had also joined them on occasion and had fitted in quite well. Their differences between the Slytherins and Gryffindors had been lost after the battle at Hogwarts in their seventh year. Neville and Luna, who coinsidently owned the coffee shop had settled down and had a baby on the way, would join them too. The ten of them were a close knit group. They would go for meals together, the girls shopped together, the boys went to Quidditch matches together. As I said, they were close.
As today was a Monday, Hermione and as we know Ginny, Ron and Harry didn't have work today. Hermione was a magazine editor so she could work from the coffee shop or home anyway. Ginny was an aspiring artist so just worked whenever she felt creative enough. Ron was a script writer for a wizarding world television show called 'Gracious'. Harry was currently looking for a job. He would help here and there with companies but had never been able to hold down a real job. Suddenly Hermione's phone started to ring,
"Hello beautiful." a mysterious voice spoke on the other end.
Hermione giggled, "Hi Draco. Are you on your way?"
"Yes, yes I am. I just have to finish up some papers, I'll be there in ten or less." he replied. Draco was now an extremely well thought of lawyer, he handled all the big cases. Words couldn't describe how proud she was of him.
"Okay, see you in a bit. Love you." she spoke into the phone.
"Love you too, bye!" and with that, Draco hung up.
Hermione set the phone down on the nearby table and looked around, Ginny and Ron were making their way back to the sofa and Harry was talking to Luna who had appeared from behind the counter. Luna's swollen stomach was huge now, she had always been a skinny girl all the way through Hogwarts and then through college, it now looked odd to see her so large and round. Although pregnant, she was still as pretty and naive looking as she had been when she was younger, although she had matured a great deal, she still had her eccentric and loveable personality. Hermione remembered the day Neville had proposed to her, not two years ago. It had been a warm summers day and the whole 'gang' we're all sat in a park not too far from Blaise's apartment. They we're all enjoying a picinc made up of assorted sandwiches, crisps, sausages rolls etc. The champange was out and everyone was celebrating Draco's promotion. When all of a sudden Neville stood up, and lifted Luna with him, the poor thing had no idea anything was going on. He bent down slowly on one knee, and produced a blue velvet box from his pocket.
"Loony Lovegood, will you marry me?" he beamed at her.
"Did the wrackspurts put you up to this?" she laughed. Neville looked bemused. "Of course I will, silly!"
Everyone always commented on what a wonderful couple they made, and how lucky their children we're going to be. Hermione could never disagree with comments like these. Neville would of course, support the family well with his coffee shop which had recieved excellent reviews when it had been sought out by a newspaper.
"Going to be twins!" Harry said excitedly, as he sat down next to her with a steaming cup of tea, he timidly took a sip of it.
"Oh, how sweet. I must go talk to her later, see if she needs anything doing." Hermione replied. She glanced out of the window, sure she caught a glimpse of a pale man with brilliant blonde hair pass past it.
"Will Blaise be coming with Draco do you think?" Ginny asked her, turning her attention away from the window.
"I'm sure they will, they normally do. They're pretty much inseperable aren't they?" Hermione laughed, but then stopped as a sudden cold passed over her making her shiver. "Neville? Mind if we put the fire on?" she asked, pointing at the fireplace close to her.
"Go for it." he smiled then turned his attention back to his wife and customers.
Harry stood up and set his mug down on the large wooden coffee table opposite him. He pushed a button on the guard and it suddenly burst into dancing flames warming the room up immediately. Hermione nodded a quick thank you and sunk lower into the armchair, pressing her own mug against her lips. The door to the shop suddenly opened letting a cold draft of wind flow through.
"Mione we need to go." Ginny looked at her, holidng her phone tightly in her fist. Sensing the serious of Ginny's tone she stood up quickly, picked up her bag and book and ran after the red-head, out of the shop and down the street.
"Ginerva Weasley-soon-to-be-Zabini, whats going on?" Hermione asked her, panting.
"Blaise has been in a crash, we need to get to the hospital now." she said quietly with tears in her eyes, "Taxi!" she shouted, putting her hand up in the air. The taxi swerved up to them, and asked them where they wanted to go.
"Hospital, please it's an emergency." Hermione spoke to her friend. They scootched onto the back seat of the taxi and sat there in silence, apart from the occasion sob of Ginnys. "Wait, Blaise and Draco we're coming together wern't they? Oh my god. Draco wasn't in the crash was he?! How come I didn't get told?"
"Mione, check you're mobile thats how the hospital got in touch with me."
Hermione quickly unzipped her handbag, expexting to see her phone perched on te top of the rest of the stuff in her bag. Then a thought flashed into her mind, set the phone down on the nearby table and looked around. Her phone was still on the table, she'd forgotten to pick it up. What if Draco was in hospital and she didn't know. Hermione and Ginny both burst into tears again, hugging each other for support. The taxi pulled up outside the hospital, and after a quick payment they made it through the doors into the white building.
"Can I help you?" the man at the desk asked them, he looked as though he would have been a nurse, but they didn't have time to check.
"Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy. Where are they?" Ginny asked desperately.
"Oh." The man said in a quiet voice, he typed something into his computer and asked them to follow him.
Good, bad? What did you think?