Chapter 2: New beginnings

Hermione was reading a John Steinbeck book in Hyde Park in London. Four years ago, Ron left her abruptly, and a couple of weeks later, she learned that all her doubts had been correct: he had been secretly seeing Lavender in the weeks before she had gone on vacation with her parents. He hadn't cheated on her to say properly, but it was as close as you can get without it being considered cheating. Cheating is being unfaithful, and physically, none of that had happened. How idiotic of him of losing interest in the brightest witch of their age? When she discovered their little secret via Ginny who felt incredibly guilty of betrayal, she vowed to leave the Wizarding World. Harry eventually took sides with Ron. Being with his sister, he spent a lot of time near him. The Golden trio crashed, and the distances between Hermione and Harry and Ron grew every day. Her decision was made: she wanted a shot at the muggle world, and nothing or no one was stopping her.

She needed stability in her life, and she wasn't getting that with everything reminding her of him. Over the weeks following the news of Ron's hangouts with Lavender, she continued the changes that started with her bedroom. She decided to leave her parents' house. She found a little cozy apartment not far from the university she attended. Dumbledore had spoken very wise words: "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." She painted every wall white and made sure every room was brightly light. The white also made her feel wrapped in a pure atmosphere. It just made her happy. And obviously, books could be found everywhere: on every table, balancing on the side of the tub, mixed with a pile of movies, under her pillow… She even painted in black lettering (even her walls resembled the pages of a book!) her favorite quote of the moment: "A room without books is like a body without a soul." – Marcus Tullius Ciero.

She took classes at the University College London in the objective of eventually starting a career as an English teacher. Just like in Hogwarts, she was first of her class, impressing many with her organization skills and her bright mind. Other students viewed her as a genius. To pay the rent of her apartment, she tutored younger children in a nearby school and worked as a librarian at the London Public Library, her second favorite place after the Hyde Park. She just loved the Hyde Park. The sound of the multiple fountains was relaxing and taking naps on one of the multiple benches had become part of her weekly routine. People even starting noticing her daily presence, and she was often greeted by the frequent users like herself. She was finally at ease. She finally felt like she could breathe. Finally, she felt happy.

One afternoon, as she lifted her head up from her textbook, something caught her eye. There was a man on the other side of the park who had very pale blond hair. He reminded her of Draco Malfoy. He was a boy she met in her pre-teen and teen years. He had been a real pain to deal with. He mocked her and her friends at every occasion he could find. She wondered what he had become. The war could not have possibly changed his views of the world. The man was sitting on the other side of the park with a newspaper in hand. He wasn't looking at her, but she could tell from across the park that he resembled Draco Malfoy more than she could ever hope. This was starting to obsess her, she had to make sure she was mistaken. And if it was him, she could get news from the Wizarding World from which she has cut all contact. It was a win-win solution she thought, so she got up and started walking towards him.

Approximately two meters away from him, he lifted his eyes off the paper. "Well, well, if this isn't Granger… Why don't you sit here milady? I think we've got some catching up to do, am I mistaken?" asked Draco gleefully.

Hermione sat down as she was told, but made sure to keep a good distance between the two of them as she judged it wasn't secure enough for that kind of proximity. "Well, well, what a surprise it is to see you in the Muggle world, Malfoy."

"I would like to point out that you're sitting on my bench," replied Draco. He bent over her to show her a little marking on the edge of the bench where it was clear the initials "D.M." were evident.

"Is that really your doing?" exclaimed Hermione.

"Indeed it is," confirmed eagerly Draco.

"Malfoy! You can't just carve your initials wherever it pleases you! It is an illegal act," snapped Hermione.

"Would you reprimand a seven year old carving his initials on a public bench where there are dozens of other unnatural carvings when he's on his first trip in London?" inquired Draco amusingly knowing the answer.

"Ugh, forget it. Anyhow, what brings you here at this precise moment?" asked Hermione curiously.

"Well, I'm actually here for some very important business…" started Draco.

"Some business…" repeated Hermione suspiciously.

"Haven't you heard about how great my company is doing? They talk about it every week in the Daily Prophet!" boasts Draco.

"Well, I've-" Began Hermione.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just playing. As a matter of fact, I'm here because I have some business to deal with…. With you," interrupted Draco.

"What? Repeat that," said Hermione doubting her hearing for the first time in a long while.

"No. Let's go to your place, I'll explain everything on the way," declared Draco while getting up.

As he got up, Hermione noticed the way he was dressed. He was surprisingly very well dressed in men's muggle fashion. He was wearing dark blue jeans, a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up halfway on his forearms and a gray sleeveless vest on top. "As you wish, Sire," grumbled Hermione. What kind of business could he possibly have with her? Why was he showing up so randomly? And if he was searching for her, how did he know she was in that park at that time? Had he been spying her?

"Alright, so you're now wondering if I've been spying on you, am I right? Yeah, that's what I thought. Well, to answer, no. I haven't been spying on you, at least, not for more than 15 minutes. I've been sent here, because…. You're in some big trouble let's say…. So, we're leaving tomorrow for Monaco, no discussion allowed," stated Draco.

Hermione stopped stiffly. "That is definitely not happening. I am in NO WAY following you like a little dog you get to drag wherever it pleases you," barked an unpleased Hermione.

"Calm down, come on, or we'll never get to your little apartment a block away," observed Draco.

"Fine, but I'm not leaving tom-"started Hermione.

Draco rolled his eyes, and said, "I know you have you last final tomorrow. Our plane departs at 4:30. You'll have time to do your exam, and pack afterwards. You have the whole night for your third and final study of that brick of a book of yours."

Hermione's steps came to a halt again, and said bewildered, "You even have my schedule?"

Draco simple smiled and continued walking. They walked in silence for a couple of minutes, until they reached the door to her apartment. "Uhh, it's a little messy…" warned Hermione.

When Draco stepped in, he was immediately shocked by the amount of books that were everywhere. It was impossible to look in front without having a book directly in your view. "This place is so small. Why is everything white? It seems like it's under construction."

Hermione argued, "In my opinion, it looks clean, modern and inspiring. You can keep those unwelcomed little comments to yourself. Now, explain what's going on. I want the complete story."

"Whatever pleases you, Granger. I thought my mother would let me lead our family company, but after a few years of waiting, I grew tired of waiting and decided to become an auror. Since my background wasn't as clean as most other beginners, I was always given the boring things to do. I was able to prove myself, and have started being assigned bigger cases over the last couple of months. I think this is my biggest case yet! Anyways, they just told me they had a case, and asked if I was interested. I had no clue you were involved in all honesty. They prone confidentiality at a very high level. I agreed, and quickly learned that you were the young damsel in distress. They gave me everything I needed to find you. Also, don't worry. I've warned your parents and taken care of your jobs. You're all set to leave for some vacation with the no less than my great person," explained Draco.

"That makes no sense. I'm living a very quiet and peaceful life. I'm not in danger! And even if I was, they could've contacted me! I am, after all, one of the greatest witches of our time," barked a frustrated Hermione.

Draco shrugged, and started taking the books off the living room couch. Hermione was just staring at him. He took off the top layers of clothes, lay down on her couch, and asked with a wink, "Would you mind shutting the lights off?"

It was Hermione's turn to roll her eyes at him. She closed the lights and shut herself in her room.

When she woke up at seven o'clock in the morning, the smell of freshly baked croissants filled up the apartment. Draco had gone out to buy them, and she actually felt thankful for that gentle gesture coming from him. She wasn't used to such behaviour from him towards her. It was odd, but she definitely preferred things this way. They chatted through their meal, and then Hermione got ready to leave for her final. Draco told her he would stay here. He had found a very interesting book from Franz Kafka and decided to read it while she was having fun at school.

When she got out of her exam, she wished all her fellow classmates a good summer, and lied about being available to hang out this summer. Even if Draco hadn't appeared out of nowhere on the previous day, she would not have planned anything with them. She avoided bars and clubs. Music has been something that exited her life with Ron. She now enjoyed more than anything silence or natural sounds like the birds chirping in summer. She started walking towards her house, and saw that Draco was waiting for her across the street.

When she reached him, he immediately presented a hand to her, and asked, "May I carry your bag?"

She handed him her bag. It was very heavy, and she was actually glad he proposed to help her. However, she found his behaviour a little abnormal, and said, "When did you become such a gentleman? Carrying bags, buying croissants…. When did my status migrate from being a dirty filthy mudblood to an actual human being?"

Draco replied defensively, "Can you really blame a child that has heard his parents repeat the same speech for years? I was merely repeating what my parents said. I grew up, matured… I learned to respect others you see. I've established my own beliefs and values. Also, I've learned that women just can't resist such a gentleman's demands, and it happens that I like women."

Draco smirked at Hermione who rolled her eyes while letting a chuckle out. When they reached her house, she realized he had either gotten out without locking the door, or used magic.

"Oh, right! Alohomora," said Draco softly before pushing the door open for Hermione to enter first.

Draco closed the door behind him. He threw her bag on the couch and followed her into her bedroom.

"So, how long will we be gone? A hint would help me pack my bags," said Hermione. She went to her wardrobe and got out a small flower printed luggage. She threw it open on her bed and looked at Draco, waiting for the answer to her question.

"Pack like you were leaving for more than a month. I don't know how long we'll be gone. We might sleep in different locations during the upcoming weeks too," replied Draco casually. He then bent over to pick up a Shakespeare book which he then slipped in a pocket inside the jacket he was wearing.

"Aren't you going to ask for permission?" said Hermione while raising one of her eyebrows.

"I already know the answer, Granger," said Draco smirking. He heard her sigh and then got out of her room to leave her space to pack up.

An hour later, Hermione shuts the door of her room. Draco turns around and sees that she's ready for their departure. She has her small flower-printed luggage, a Herschel Little America Backpack and a small beige messenger bag.

"You don't have any luggage?" observed Hermione while she was eyeing him suspiciously.

"I asked the elves at the Malfoy Manor to take care of my things. Everything should already be there at this moment," responded Draco.

"Alright. Should I call a cab to go to the airport?" asked Hermione, trying to change the subject.

"If you're against apparating-" started Draco.

Hermione turned around, grabbed the phone on the counter and quickly dialed the number.

Five minutes later, Draco was packing her things in the trunk of the cab while Hermione was giving instructions to the cab driver. Draco sat down beside Hermione in the back seat when he was done. She subtly showed him how to tie his seatbelt. They left both smiling inside. An unexpected trip was waiting for them.