Disclaimer – I do not own anything but the plot. J.K.R does.

Chapter one

A Day In The Life Of Hermione Granger

It was 4 years after they had left Hogwarts. Hermione didn't know what had happened to Ron or Harry. They were working at the Ministry of Magic, but it had been such a long time since she had seen them, they could be doing anything by now. She, however, was working in a muggle shop until she decided what she really wanted to do.

It was a good job really. The shop sold a little bit of everything, which coincidentally was also the name of the shop. Hermione rented the surprisingly spacious flat above it from Mr Johnson the shop owner, which she had made all her own with a few bunches of flowers and a lick of paint. It was home. She had lived there for the past 2 years, almost as long as she had been working in the shop, and at the moment she couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

Hermione awoke at 7.30 every morning and jumped into the shower as she waited for the kettle to boil. Dressed in clean clothes and with a mug in her hand, she would sit happily with her nose in a book until it was time for her to open up.

Monday mornings weren't very busy, but when the sky turned dark and the heavens opened she found that people were coming in to keep dry from the rain. This is going to be a good day, she thought. Mr Johnson is going to be so pleased. Hermione smiled pleasantly at her customers who felt that they ought to buy something in return for their shelter.

The rain only lasted for 10 minutes before the sun came out again, and a bright rainbow seemed to fill the sky. As soon as everyone in the shop saw that the rain had stopped, they filed out into the street to continue their shopping. "Oh well," Hermione said to the empty shop. "It was nice while it lasted".

She looked down at her watch and saw that it was 5 minutes to 12. "5 minutes early wont hurt" she said getting her jacket from the hook and the shop keys from the desk in the office. "Time for an early lunch".

Stepping out into the street Hermione turned the sign around, locked the door and put the key safely into her pocket, before heading for her favourite café, The Crusty Cob.

The place smelled delicious. Practically everything on the premises was made on the premises, from the bread and pastries to the freshly ground coffee. It was a bit pricey but well worth it, and it was a little treat Hermione allowed herself once a week or whenever the takings were good at the shop, whichever came first.

She ordered a cheese and ham sandwich and a mug of coffee, paid the girl at the cash register and went to choose a table to wait for the waitress to bring it over. Hermione found one right next to the window. She liked to sit there and watch the world go by. She got caught up in the lives of everyone, wondering where they were going or where they had been.

She looked up abruptly as the waitress snapped her out of her daydream. "Ham and cheese with coffee?" asked the girl. "Yes, that's me" Hermione replied and smiled at the girl, thanking her, as the 2 items were placed on the table.

Breathing in the fresh aroma. She blew across the top of the mug and took a hesitant sip. She then moved her attention to the sandwich. The roll was still warm and doughy and it slightly melted the grated cheese.

Heaven, she thought taking a large bite and sighing deeply. She wished she could stay longer than a mere half an hour, and silently cursed the clock for every passing second.

With an empty plate and a cold mouthful left in the bottom of her mug Hermione stood, weaved her way between the tables and left The Crusty Cob, hoping that it wouldn't be quite so long before she would be able to return.

She reached A Little Bit Of Everything and opened up, wondering if she was going to get anymore custom that day. It didn't matter if she didn't, there was plenty of time during the week to make it up.

As it was, a woman did come in. She was pushing a pram laden with shopping bags and Hermione couldn't help but smile at the sleeping 6 month old, completely oblivious to his mothers aching legs and flushed cheeks, but she left without buying anything. "Maybe I shouldn't have gone to The Crusty Cob after all" she said to herself. "Nevermind".

By 5 o'clock Hermione was ready to close for the day. She locked the door, turned the sign and made her way upstairs, her stomach growling. After putting a frozen pizza in the oven she went into the living room and picked up the book she had been reading that morning.

30 minutes later an alarm alerted her to the fact that her pizza was ready. Hermione wasn't stupid. She knew that if she hadn't set her alarm then she would have kept on reading until the food had burnt. She wasn't known as the bookworm for nothing.

After a slightly limited meal, Hermione decided to go for a walk. She put her umbrella in her bag in case it rained again, checked she had her purse and left using the back stairs that lead to the alleyway behind the shop.

She hadn't gone very far when she noticed a man huddled under some blankets. He looked up at her his eyes full of sorrow and pain. Hermione just shook her head and kept on walking until she reached the main street.

She didn't remember seeing anyone there before, and she hated just leaving him there, but what could she do? Invite him in for a cup of tea and a sandwich? She took one last look at him before rounding the corner, and noticed he was just staring at the damp floor. Hermione made a mental note to bring him a hot drink on her way home. Just because I'm not rich doesn't mean I can't spare 85 pence, she thought.

An hour later Hermione stood at a late night drinks stand and ordered a regular coffee. Changing her mind she made it a large, and decided on a cold chicken sandwich to go with it. As she rounded the corner to the alleyway she noticed that the man had his eyes closed like he was asleep. He must have heard her approach him because as she got close, he slowly opened his eyes and looked up at her. Once again she saw the suffering behind them and it made her heart ache.

She placed the coffee and the sandwich on the floor in front of him and said, "I thought you might be hungry" The man looked at what she had given him then back up to her face. With tears threatening to cloud his vision he nodded. "Thank you" he said in a small voice, and he picked the cup up to warm his hands. "You're very welcome" Hermione replied, not failing to notice the emotion in his eyes.

She turned away from him and walked the small distance to the steps, glancing once to see him taking small bites out of his sandwich, probably trying to make it last as long as possible, before climbing up and entering her flat, letting the warmth envelope her.

It was 25 past 11 before Hermione felt tired enough to go to bed. All she could think about was the man in the alleyway outside. She kept checking the windows to make sure it wasn't raining again. She didn't know why she cared so much, I mean, she had seen homeless people before. Maybe it was just because he was sleeping outside her home.

She couldn't forget the look in his eyes, and wondered what had happened to him. He looked so grateful to her, it made her wonder how often he ate. There was also something familiar in those eyes, though she couldn't for the life of her guess what it was. She couldn't see what colour they were because the light was too dim in the alley to see properly, and his hair was so dirty she couldn't tell if it was brown or blonde.

Hermione told herself that if she kept this up she would never get to sleep, and would feel terrible in the morning. She undressed and got into bed, the coolness of the sheets against her bare skin made her shiver.

It wasn't long before Hermione was asleep, her dreams flooded with thoughts of the man in the alley.

To be continued................