Chapter Two
It was a week after Hermione had her epiphany of sorts. Needless to say, she had been avoiding seeing her father ever since. She had been waking up early, leaving the house with a to-go container of strong tea and sitting in the cafe down the street from her parents' London flat. There she brought her current book and simply spent the day there reading up the best ways to go about revolutionizing house-elf rights. It certainly took her mind off things.
And getting out of the house worked the majority of the time. But when she turned off the lights and fell asleep, her thoughts always drifted back to her her dream-time escapades with an idolized, younger version of her father. And it seemed that ever since her revelation, she could remember the dreams that much better- which wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want to remember every kiss, touch and electrifying feeling in the morning, because then she had to work out how she felt about dreaming explicit dreams about her father.
Hermione got up from her desk where she had been staring out of the adjacent window and went into the hallway, but bumped into her mother who was going the other way carrying a basket of laundry. The basket slipped from her mother's grip and fell with a mild clunk on the floor.
"Oh Hermione dear, please watch where you're going," her mother mildly chided her.
"Sorry." Hermione replied, reaching for a pair of socks that had jumped out of the basket.
"Here." Hermione said, placing the sock back.
Hermione watched as her mother picked up the basket and whisked into her parents room. She followed, leaning in the door frame as her mother continued the conversation they had been having at breakfast.
"Now, I expect that you will keep this house clean while your father and I are away. I put the number of the hotel on the table in the entry way if you ever need to reach us. I've also left some money next to the phone if you run out of anything. And if you-"
"Mum," Hermione cut in, "I'm going to be fine. I am eighteen after all."
She stopped folding the laundry and turned to look at Hermione.
"Of course dear. But that doesn't mean I can just stop worrying about you," She said with a thin smile on her face. "It doesn't work like that."
Back in her room, Hermione sat back down at her desk and reached over for favorite pen and a sheet of parchment and quickly wrote out a letter to her best friend, none too subtlety asking for company during her parents' absence. She called down Allegra, the owl her parents had given her a couple months previously for her graduation, and tied the letter to Ginny on the owl's leg. The grey owl gave a soft hoot and flew out the open window into the bright daylight. Just as she sat back down on her poofy desk chair, there was a short rap on her bedroom door and Hermione turned to see her father walk into the room stopping a foot from the door frame.
"Hermione, you haven't seen your mother's keys have you?" He asked exasperatedly, looking around hopefully. Taken off guard, Hermione felt her face get a bit hot.
"I think they're in the kitchen- next to the telephone."
"Thank God. World War Three has just been avoided." He gave her a cheeky grin before disappearing the way he had come.
Hermione sat there for a moment before grabbing her wand and with a little flick, shut the door.
This. Has. To. Stop. She thought desperately. Hermione felt her heart thudding in her chest and dazedly wondered how she was supposed to get over lusting after her father.
The next morning, Hermione woke up early so she could see her parents off. Stifling a yawn, she pulled on a bulky Gryffindor sweater on top of her night shirt and walked out into the living room to find her father there with the luggage. He was sitting on the edge of the couch wearing a think knit sweater and slacks. He looked up from his phone when Hermione walked in.
"Hey there sleepyhead," he said grinning up at her.
"Morning."
"The cab should be here soon, just waiting on your mother."
"Bathroom?"
"You know her so well," he said chuckling. He then reached in his back pocket and withdrew his wallet.
"I want you to have fun while we're away." He said while pulling out a couple of twenty pound notes. "Invite your friends over, order a couple of pizzas, do something crazy."
He began laughing when he saw Hermione's expression. Before she could say anything, there was a rustling, huffing noise from the hallway and her mom emerged carrying a large nylon duffle and her purse looking rather bad tempered. Hermione was used to this as her mother was quite irascible during normal situations, and it just happened that her mother hated flying. And they were going to Prague.
"Okay, Colleen?" Her dad asked.
"Yes, let's just get going. We need to get down to the street."
He checked his watch and he frowned slightly. "We're cutting it close- you're right."
Hermione moved to open the front door for her parents so they could carry there suitcases out the door. Her mother leaned down and gave her a brief hug.
"Be good," She said while adjusting the bags on her shoulder. "You can call your Aunt Bea if anything should happen."
"Nothings going to happen, Mum." Hermione said slightly exasperatedly.
"Alright," she said. "Let's go."
Hermione watched as her mother walked over to the lift and pressed the button to call it. Her father grasped Hermione's shoulder and brought her into a hug.
"Have fun," he said and as the lift light blinked, and then both her parents were gone when the lift doors shut.
Please leave a comment! I'd love to hear what's on your mind. And a huge thanks to everyone who commented on the first chapter.
Annabelle xxx
