This is just another one of those stories that I thought up on a whim. I know that I have not written in a long time. I have been at the beach with my boyfriends family and with summer starting I have also been looking for a job to support my habits of shopping and such…at this moment I am in a car driving from Rockaway beach in Oregon back to my home in Washington. It's quite a drive but SO worth the beach! Well I will let you read my latest creation in a story and review at the end.
Chapter 1: What if I had taken the early bus?
Hermione was never late but this morning she was an hour off schedule. Hermione Granger had graduated from Hogwarts with honors three years ago and since than she had opened her very own bookstore in Diagon alley and still did side work with the Order of the Phoenix when she was needed.
Everyday she woke up at 5:00 am to shower and get ready to leave at promptly 6:30 am. She would than call the Knight Bus to drop her off outside of the alley. This had been her life for the last three years. No boyfriend, no family, it was after the war and her friends had their own lives. But this morning was nothing special except for the fact that it was nearly seven in the morning and Hermione was running around trying to find her wand.
"How could I be SO late" she yelled at herself. "AH there it is" she exclaimed when she found it lying on the kitchen counter. She ran out to the curb and threw her wand arm out, summoning the wizarding bus. A moment later the great purple bus appeared and Stan stepped out from it.
"Running a bit off are we Miss Granger?" he joked lightly as she handed him her money.
"Just over-slept a bit" she smiled kindly and went to take her normal seat but found it occupied. The seat was turned away so she couldn't see who was sitting there. "Excuse me, you're in my seat" she stated politely to the back of her chair.
"I didn't see your name on it" a smooth male voice responded to her. Hermione couldn't place the voice but she had heard it somewhere before.
"But I sit in the same place everyday" she put her foot down as well as she could on the crazily moving bus.
"I have been riding this bus at the same time for months now and I have never seen you in this seat." The man had not turned around to face Hermione yet.
"Fine, if you are going to be that way…" Hermione walked to a chair that was across from the man, facing away and sat down.
As she sat down none other than Draco Malfoy sat up tall and looked at her from the back of her chair. He smirked at her and called out
"Maybe if you were on time we wouldn't be having his problem." He watched her shake her head angrily at his words. "I mean what kind of person makes a fit about a chair when the rest of the floor is open?"
"Are you trying to piss me off?" Hermione stood from the chair and Draco rose from his as well. Ever eye on the bus was watching the heated debate. When their eyes met Hermione glared will old hatred. "I should have known. Only you would go out of your way to piss me off."
"Well it's what you get for being late, now huh?" The bus jerked them around but that did not stop them from their vocal fight.
"In three years I have been late once. Malfoy you are insufferable!" she threw at him and the bus came to her stop.
"As are you Granger" he told her as she passed. Hermione made her way in to the Leakey Cauldron and did something that she had never before done in her work day. She ordered a drink.
"Just give me a shot of Firewhiskey, Tom" she responded when he asked what she wanted. The old barkeeper handed her a small glass of red orange liquid. Slowly she brought the drink to her lips and threw it back. She let out a quiet hiss as the whiskey burned her throat. Sighing lightly, Hermione left the money and walked to her bookstore.
Draco's destination was Diagon alley as well but he didn't want to give Hermione the pleasure of letting her know that little fact. After she had exited the bas, Draco asked if he could be driven around to the back and dropped off there. Now that he was off the bus there was no reason for the mudblood to ruin the perfect day he had planned for himself. There was a bookstore that he wanted to visit in the back corner of the alley and he was in need of some new robes. He walked tall because in his mind he was better than the rest of the witches and wizards there.
First was Madam Malkin's for new robes. If it was at all possible he was still growing and now the robes that he had gotten just a few months ago were too short for his taste.
An hour later Draco walked out of the shop with a box of new robes under his arm. It was nearing 10 in the morning and the alley had become packed with people and walking room was scarce.
"Watch where you're going, witch!" Draco snapped at the woman who had bumped into his arm.
"How about you try some manners young man and I would not have bumped into you" She looked him up and down as she held her ground. Draco eyed the stout woman who stood at least two heads below him. Her robes were embroidered with moons and stars that faded and changed in the light, but the frayed ends and lose strands of thread in the seams showed the years the robes had seen.
"Who are you to tell me what to do? Do you even know who I am?" Taking a step back Draco stared back into the witch's bright blue eyes.
"I do indeed child. You are Draco Malfoy son of Lucius Malfoy. Proud purebloods and stubborn shit heads. Do you know who you are talking to?"
"Like I care who I am talking to…you will regret saying those things about my family." With that the young wizard stomped off in the direction of the bookstore. There would have been a street riot if Draco had not promised his mother that he would not cause any trouble. Since his father had gone to jail Draco had been getting daily calls from his mother.
Being in the store really calmed Hermione down. This was her place; she had fixed it up from being an old bar to a perfect little hole in the wall bookstore that sold everything from school books to children's books at lower prices for those families that could not afford them at full price. After spending all those years with the Weasley's and seeing how they had to stretch every penny to make a living, Hermione wanted to make it easier for other families like them.
On Tuesdays there was a special reading circle for the children which Hermione did herself. It was an hour before the reading and the young witch was setting up everything that she would need this week. Molly and the friendly hippogriff was the story this week. It was a cute story about an over friendly hippogriff that had many fun adventures with a young witch named Molly. The banners and decorations were up around the store when the door charm chimed alerting Hermione to a new customer in the store.
"Miss, Can you help me find Basic Potion Making: Year 1" A young boy tugged at her arm. It was nearing the end of the summer and all of the kids were heading to school in just a few weeks.
"Of course I will. This will be your first year?" smiling kindly Hermione led the boy to the potions sections of the store and picked his book out.
"Yes ma'am it will be" he took the book from her hand and looked down at his feet.
"There is nothing to be worried about. You will have a great year and all you have to remember is to be yourself." Tapping the boy's nose she sent him back to his waiting mother who gave Hermione a kind smile. This is what made having this bookstore worth while. Last minute things were done and Hermione had a large group of children sitting around her, waiting for the story. With her wand, Hermione elevated the book and started reading. Every eye was looking at her in wonderment as sparks of Molly and The hippogriff danced in front of them following the words that Hermione read.
Draco had walked into the bookstore after his tiff with the old witch. Books had always been his way out of this life and he was tired of reading the same old thing in his room. The first thing he saw was the bushy haired form of Hermione talking with a young wizard.
"Ugh like this day could get any worse" he muttered to himself and walked to the back section of the store. In the other coroner of the store there was what looked like a play set up.
"What kind of weirdo thought of this?" He pulled a flyer for the children's reading circle. With no sign of the mudblood, Draco relaxed in a chair with a promising book.
It had been no more then 20 minutes before a light rumble of small feet and high voices.
"You have got to be kidding me…" He was just getting into his book and didn't want to be distracted by midgets. Draco pulled out his wand and cast a silencing charm around him and went back to reading his book. As the motions of people around him caught his attention, Draco saw that the woman that was surrounded by children was indeed Granger.
"I guess that explains it." He muttered to himself and went back to reading.
The story came to a close and Hermione handed out treats to the kids. Their smiling faces cheered her up so much. They all filed out and her eyes fell on one Draco Malfoy sitting in a chair reading.
'So unlike that bloody blond' she though coldly as she began to fold down the decorations.
When it could not be delayed any longer, Hermione went to Draco.
"Can I help you find anything else?" she asked standing a few feet away. When she got no answer she waved her wand, finding a silencing charm around his person. With a quick countercharm she asked again.
"If there was something I needed I would ask the owner of the store."
"And if you asked the owner of the store than you would get me" Hermione tapped her foot impatiently.
"So you finally lived up to your bookworm rep. Good job" Draco didn't even have to look up as he spat insults at her it was second nature to him.
"Damn right I did. And what are you doing with your life? Still living off others and being a complete arse?" She didn't leave him time to answer before she stormed off to tend to other customers. 'I don't even know why I bothered to ask him. He ruined my morning ride and now he is messing with my day.' At that moment Hermione Granger decided that she was not going to let any other ass ruin her day. The last bad thought that crossed her mind was
'What if I would have just caught the early bus?'
'Why must that mudblood ruin my day? Like I knew that she owned this store. I might as well stop coming here all together now.' Snapping the book shut, Draco walked proudly to the register and nearly threw the book at the witch behind the counter.
"Just this" He snarled at her when she asked a simple question. He tossed the money to her from his coin bag and snatched the book from her hands. "Thanks for nothing witch" and with that he was out of the store.
Okay I think I might have gone a bit over with this story. It didn't really follow any real story line but that little one in my head. This is the first story that I have posted that they are going to work in to this really slow but there will not be a lack of action. Please tell me what you think of this! I will be dying to know what you all think of this chapter and I will be waiting to post the next one if you do and ready to delete if you don't…well maybe not delete but I will be sad if you don't.