A/N: Yes, I'm old enough to have actually watched Chungking Express in a movie theater and actually understand the plot but I swear am not yet middle aged. I've moved the setting of Chungking Express to 2000 to fit in better with the HP universe. Other than the setting, the borrowed character, I won't be using the Chungking Express storyline.
Disclaimer: If only I own the Harry Potter franchise, Hermione would be the lead character. I obviously don't own Chungking Express either. I still don't understand how anyone could ever leave Takeshi Kaneshiro for someone else, even if it's just a movie.
Hermione sat in a dingy take away place in Chungking Mansions as her "partner" talked endlessly on the phone. The idiot, as she'd taken to calling him, is depressed because his girlfriend of 5 years left him because he doesn't understand her. She hates to burst his bubble but she thinks a woman wouldn't leave a man for that reason, especially if they've been together for 5 years. She knows that there's another man. Or woman, if that rings a person's bell.
So, what is the most brilliant witch of her age doing in the cheapest place in Hong Kong? After a humiliating and excruciatingly painful break up with Ron after she and the rest of his family caught him in the act with his ex-girlfriend, Lavender Brown.
She and Ron broke up, quite amicably given the circumstances and seeing that she felt humiliated. Despite being in a relationship for some time, they were friends first and surprisingly remained so. He said she didn't understand him and his needs. They have been together for some time and at the age of 21, Hermione remains a virgin, unwilling to have sex with him because she feels she's not ready. She thought he didn't mind, when in fact he'd gone back with his ex and had been having sex with her on the side. The excruciatingly painful part of it is that no matter what she and Ron says, everyone, including Harry tries to get them back together.
Hermione had been supportive of Ron and Lavender's relationship but everyone else isn't. The last straw, and the one that really drove her away was when Mrs. Weasley shamed Lavender in front of everyone in the party they had for little Victoire. Hermione had quietly asked Mrs. Weasley not to do that to Lavender as the only thing she did was to love Ron. She also consoled Lavender who sobbed into her shoulder while Ron blundered through the whole thing. They just didn't understand where Ron, Lavender and Hermione stood.
She really needed to get away. So, she begged Kingsley to get a job, preferably away from the country and the continent if he can manage. He did. Now, she stood as a liaison with the Hong Kong Police and the Hong Kong Wizardry Community, an impartial observer and if the need arises an arbitrator, in case a wizard or a witch gets into trouble with the law. But as far as most of the force is concerned, she is a liaison with the British government and that was it. Unfortunately, they gave her the greenest most bumbling and depressive police they have. Cop 223, He Qiwu, who is suffering through a break up with the girl he had wanted to marry.
He kept on calling his office to see if there had been any calls for him and checks his beeper every now and then. Hermione is close to hitting his head with any of the glass bottles around this dingy place he dragged her into. He had been doing this every single day. With the translation charm in place (she is still learning Cantonese) and everyone thinking she has a really good grasp of it, she knows she can converse well enough to drag the guy, who is just 3 years older than her, off to actually do their job.
"No matter what you do, she won't call you back." Hermione said coldly as she took a long drink from her cola. "How do you know that? You don't know her. You've probably never been in love…" But he stopped as he saw the look on Hermione's eyes. "I'm sorry." He said. Hermione ignored him, even as the tears started prickling her eyes. Hermione then scowled at him. "Just stop it." She said curtly as she dug into her fried noodles and ignored his talks for the rest of the evening.
He Qiwu was able to capture the suspect with ease, his days of working out helping. Hermione was panting a bit as she caught up with them. She remained quiet even after they've taken the suspect at the station. He wanted to call Mei, and like always, tell her that he managed to apprehend a bad guy, breaking his resolve of not calling her. Unfortunately for him, a male voice he didn't know answered Mei's phone. He hung up in both anger and hurt. He wanted to cry, until he saw Hermione's tired and defeated face. "Want to have drinks?" He asked. Instead of refusing him as she often does, the girl nodded. He then drove off to the Bottoms Up Club.
"So what's bothering you? You haven't been looking at me with disdain or reprimanding me for some misconduct or another? You haven't even called me out for calling Mei," he asked Hermione as soon as they sat at the bar. "My ex-boyfriend is engaged to his new girlfriend." Hermione answered uncharacteristically. That had Qiwu sitting up, Hermione never ever tells him anything about her private life, unlike him with her. He was originally eying a woman who wore a blonde wig and he knew that had he not been with his partner he'd probably be trying to at least flirt with the woman or even more. Instead, he turned his gaze on his partner.
"Just like your relationship, we've been together for 5 years. His family and I caught him sleeping with his ex-girlfriend so we broke up. But we've broken up for 6 months now." Hermione clarified. Qiwu nodded with understanding. He understood the pain. "But unlike you, I was okay with the break up really. I've even became friends with the girl he left me for and took to protecting her when his family gets hard on her. But I was just so stressed up so I wanted to get away. I was feeling better. I really was. Up until I heard that they're getting married. I shouldn't be bothered but somehow I am." She confided.
Qiwu was angry, Hermione, despite reminding him of a proper school mistress with her words and demeanor, is a very pretty girl. She is hard working, determined and very straight forward, unlike many girls he knew. "I don't understand how he can go and sleep with two girls at the same time? Why don't people just be contented with loving just one?" He asked. Hermione laughed bitterly. "Oh, we never had sex, rather I've never had sex. I don't even know what the hype is all about." She sighed as she gulped down her drink.
This had Qiwu puzzled. "You've never had sex?" He asked. Hermione nodded. "Yea, in retrospect, that's probably the reason why he cheated on me." She said in a pathetic voice. The Hermione her partner knew is strong and never this vulnerable. He got irritated. "Listen, even if you slept with him or not, if he really loves you, you'll be his only one. If he really wants it, he would have tried to convince you to have sex with him and not go around chasing another woman." He said determinedly.
Hermione turned to face him. "Why don't you tell yourself that, Qiwu?" She replied bitterly. The man merely smiled. "Yes, I've just figured that one out." He answered wryly. "Want some pineapple?" He offered. "If you're going to feed me some of those pineapples you brought for some crazy reason, I'll shove them up your nose. Just throw them away, you'll get an indigestion or something." Hermione answered indignantly. "I hate wasting food." Qiwu answered. "I'm not a trash can and neither are you." She answered meaningfully. "If we have expiration dates for the people we love, we don't need to waste it thinking about them." She answered with a new resolution as she dragged him out of the bar after they paid their bills.
It had been weeks since the two opened up to each other and it broke the ice. Qiwu who had managed to stop being depressed started meeting his friends and colleagues again and Hermione stopped calling him idiot in her mind. The problem was Qiwu was starting to have a crush on the girl whom he figured would never notice him in a million years. She after all treats him like an annoying brother on most days and a wayward puppy on the worst days.
It's not as if she's physically distant from him. Once she slapped his bottom when she felt like he was moving too slow. She figured he likes it seeing that he didn't do anything when a transgendered man slapped his bottom during of those occasions they have to check in a gay lounge bar for a lead on a suspect. "I didn't like it. I just didn't want to make trouble for us." He insisted. Hermione smirked at him. "You know what, you're very annoying!" He cried out as she tried to hold her giggles.
She is a great partner, watching out for him and strategizing how they optimize their rounds and even planning at split second to capture suspects. She is also a great friend. She took care of him once when he got so sick he couldn't get out of bed. She did tell him he lives in a pigsty though and now understands that he really is a pig underneath all the trappings of a man.
No matter how he looks at it, he just can't understand how Ron Weasley, the name of Hermione's ex-boyfriend, could have betrayed someone as wonderful as Hermione. She is sarcastic, dour and even quite irritable at times, but she is the sweetest, nicest girl he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting. This, with her sexy body and really cute face, makes him believe that she's probably the perfect girlfriend. If only Hermione would see him that way.
Hermione is in trouble, she's starting to like the goof ball who happens to be her partner. There's something ethically wrong with just the idea of even wanting to have a relationship with someone with whom you're with day in day out. So many things can go wrong as well as it would be awkward to continue working with each other if they ever break up. But what is she thinking? It's not as if that goofy childish partner of hers sees her that way.
She began seeing him in another light when he stopped pestering his ex-girlfriend's roommate and stopped mentioning his ex-girlfriend. He actually began being normal if not a bit immature boy. She supposed that most guys at his age are still immature, even if he's 3 years older. She realized then, after he stopped wasting his time with Mei and anything that has to do with her, that the man is insightful, observant and quite intelligent, even though she thought him to be an idiot at first.
She definitely began to have a crush on him as he tried to help a woman who was raped, who was clearly a prostitute, regardless of what her profession in. She realized how much of a gentleman he is when he responded to the woman's complaint without a single rebuke about the woman's behavior, alleged profession or manner of clothing. Some of the men in this area would have made fun of her if not harass her.
She has to continue pretending that she didn't care for him except for being his partner, otherwise, she knew her heart and her sense of professionalism is in trouble. It wouldn't be so bad if only he wasn't that cute.
He Qiwu started noticing things. Some people said he is dense when it comes to men-women relationship but it's either Hermione cares too much for him or he's deluded. First, there was that incident with the fried noodles. She missed a noddle on her cheek. He couldn't help but draw closer to her and remove the noodle himself, seeing that she hasn't noticed it. She took a look at him as he got closer, her breath deepened and she blushed.
He ignored it. He would only be hurt if he read too much into it. Next, had been when Hermione sprained her ankle while they were on rounds. Because she was limping badly and every step looked painful, Qiwu carried her back to his patrol car. He could swear she was looking at him the whole time he carried her. He resisted the urge to ask to come in to her apartment after he drove and later carried her home. If he makes a mistake in reading her, it would prove costly, not only for their partnership as cops but for his heart when she rejects him.
Lastly, in what can only be termed as a final nail in the coffin, after he was accidentally shot during a drug raid. She didn't leave his side. She could have just been a good partner, but she kept looking at him and crying. She didn't leave his side, took a leave of absence saying it's difficult to do her rounds without her partner and took care of him. Not even his former girlfriend cared enough the last time he was shot.
It seems his affections aren't completely one-sided. So, what would he do about it?
It turns out, he didn't have to do much of anything. Hermione point blank told him she loves him but she doesn't want any complications between their partnership. He just kissed her and told her that there wouldn't be any problems as long as she doesn't leave him. Sounds simple? Well, love is not really that complicated if we don't let it be.