A/N: I only got ONE measly review on chapter two, after getting six on chapter one. What's up with that, guys? Did you all leave the country (and by "the country" I mean whatever country your computer is in)?
It'll be short chappies from now on because that's how I like to write and because I'm generally going to be focusing on one couple at a time. This one belongs to Hermione and Draco, but they might have some trouble sharing it… ;-)
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Hermione spread out on the cheap motel sheets and unfolded the Sunday copy of the New York Times. If she was going to be here for any length of time, she needed a more permanent place of residence. Highlighting a few possible options, she stuffed the page she needed into her purse and grabbed her scarf as she left to start exploring.
She made a valiant attempt to conquer the subway system and got lost twice before giving up and taking a cab into midtown, marveling at the fact that so many people seemed to be able to effortlessly navigate where Hermione Granger, war hero and top of her class at Hogwarts, could not. After giving herself a short tour of the must-see touristy spots in the city, she settled herself in a café with the subway map to come up with the easiest way to visit all her prospective temporary homes in one afternoon.
By the time she collapsed on the bed once more that evening, she had visited all but one and was hoping that that one would be at least decent, as none of the others had been to her taste. The one right across the bridge in Brooklyn was nice, but she'd really rather be in Manhattan.
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Decent was a serious understatement. As Hermione stood on the uneven cobblestones in her heels and looked up at the charming little townhouse, she had to check the paper in her hand to make sure the address was correct. It was.
The three-story building was located in Soho, an area of the city that Hermione had immediately fallen in love with as she explored it that morning. It was absolutely beautiful, with ivy curling up the elegant façade and large wooden doors, obviously very old. It was pricy too, but Hermione was not short of cash and she was willing to spend it. She walked up the short set of steps and pressed the buzzer lightly.
"Who is it?" A woman's voice answered. Hermione leaned in to speak.
"Hermione Granger, here about the apartment…"
"Oh, sure. Come right in." The door buzzed as she entered.
"Hello, I'm Gloria Jones. Sorry, what did you say your name was?"
"Hermione Granger."
"So you're from the U.K.?" the petite woman asked conversationally as she led Hermione into the foyer of the second floor apartment, "You know this is a month-to-month sublet, right? I can't promise you the next year or whatever…"
"Yes, I'm not planning on being in the States for too long anyway." Hermione was looking around in awe. The place was comfortably furnished with simple, modern furniture, and it had a reasonable amount of space and a large bathtub, which was always a plus.
"Right, well, this is pretty much it. Someone else owns the lower floor- middle-aged man, pretty well off, not there that often- but I'm renting out the top floor too, so if you'd like to see that… it's really more of the same, so it comes down to whether you'd rather be on the second or third."
"This is great, actually, I think I'll take this one. Can I have it for these next two months?"
"Yes, I think that can be arranged… what's your phone number?"
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Draco settled himself in one of the silk-upholstered armchairs in his hotel suite and unfolded the Sunday copy of the New York Times. If he was going to be here for any length of time, he needed a more permanent place of residence. After scanning the page for the most expensive one-bedroom on the list (assuming, rather accurately, that it would also be the best), he tore off that bit and stuffed it into the pocket of his expensively-cut suit. He was partial to Armani when wearing muggle clothing.
"I hope you don't mind being on the top floor, because I just rented out the second," the woman- Grace, was it?- said as they ascended the narrow staircase, "a British woman, actually, and about your age too. What a coincidence." The edges of Draco's lips turned up at this, knowing that she was probably a witch and wondering briefly if she was attractive. He was here to have fun, after all.
Gloria was a bit unsettled by this man- he was good-looking, but in a very cold, aristocratic sort of way, and he didn't speak as he walked around the apartment. But a renter was a renter, and he certainly looked like he could afford this place and then some. It wasn't going cheap, and in times like these it was tough to find people who had that kind of money to spend on this kind of place.
Draco was, indeed, silent as he looked around. It would need to be refurnished, he decided, but that would be relatively simple. It had a nice location, and a skylight too.
"I'll take it."
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Hermione had finally finished hanging up her clothes and was about to flick on the television when the phone rang. She reached to pick it up, knowing it must be Gloria because no one she knew used the telephone or knew this number.
Sure enough, the woman's perky voice greeted her as she said hello.
"Hermione, so glad you're home- I just wanted to let you know that I've rented the upstairs apartment out to a man about you're age, tall, blond- so you'll likely see him around. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that the mailbox on the right is yours; the left is his now."
"Thank you for letting me know, Gloria. Is that all?"
"Yes, yes, I won't bother you anymore. You know where to reach me if you need anything, right?"
"Yes, I wrote down the number. Thank you!"
"You're very welcome. Have a good evening!"
Hermione smiled as she hung up the phone. She'd have to go introduce herself tomorrow. She was looking forward to meeting some people who didn't know who she was.
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Poor 'Mione is in for a big surprise…
Please, please REVIEW! If you write, then you know what I'm talking about when I say that we fanfiction authors live on reviews. Special thanks to Kat.1600 for being the only one who bothered to review last chapter.
