Hermione Granger woke up with a pain in her neck. She was puzzled for a moment, unaware of her surroundings. She wondered why she was on the floor pressed up to something hard. Did she fall asleep on the floor of her flat last night? Then realization dawned on her. She was pressed against the hotel room's door, in Rome, with her luggage laying around her. She let out a moan as she stretched her limbs.
Noticing a rectangle shaped key card in her lap, Hermione rolled her eyes. They couldn't have woken her up huh, she thought to herself. She stood and smoothed away any evidence of sleep. She slipped the key into the slot and let out a satisfactory sigh as the light on the door flashed green, allowing her entrance. She hauled her luggage over the threshold and looked into the vast suite.
Hermione couldn't believe her eyes.
Straight across from the doors entrance was a massive glass window overlooking the city of Rome in all its glory. The lights from the city lit up the night sky, shrouding out the stars. From her balcony she had a view of St. Peter's Basilica. It was a glowing orb in the heart of the city.
Hermione took the time to investigate the rest of her room. The balcony doors were bordered with elegant golden draperies for privacy, and the walls had gold wallpaper with intricate golden designs weaved inside. Hanging on the adjacent wall to the balcony doors hung a grand mirror with an exquisite golden border. The mirror hung above a desk that had a vase of purple lavenders. Hermione went immediately to the flowers and put a protection charm on them so they would never die. Directly across the balcony doors was a massive bed with plush white bedding. Also in the room were two comfy reading chairs and a small round table that had a complimentary bottle of champagne on top it. She sighed contently. This was paradise.
Hermione threw her luggage on top of the bed, making a mental note to unpack it later.
She ran out to the balcony doors throwing her shoes off on her way. The moment she opened the doors the warm august air brushed against her face. Roman air tousled through her hair.
Hermione laughed at the absurdity of it all.
Here she was, barely 20, broken up from the man she thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with, but instead she was standing barefoot on a balcony in the heart of Rome. She laughed again and again. Her laughter brought tears to her eyes and a sharp pain to her stomach. She kept on laughing, her chuckles echoing into the night.
Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy stood on his balcony as well, albeit stoic and not barefoot. His expression was pained like the one of someone who has seen things he wishes he could unsee.
His mind reeled with could be's and should be's. He constantly wished he could go back in time and change events. Do something he didn't do, or not do something he did.
His fists clenched onto the balcony railing. Why did Granger have to be here, he thought to himself. This trip was meant for him to get away from his demons, his nightmares, and his regrets. That included her. In fact, majority of his nightmares pertained to her writhing on the cold Manor floor with his Aunt leering over her. Sometimes the dream changed and she handed him the wand and gave him the choice between right or wrong. But what was right and what was wrong. He battled over whether to hex her, because she was just a lowly muggleborn, or whether to lower his aunt's wand and endure the punishment. But before he can ever make his decision he wakes up in a cold sweat, her screams still echoing in his ears.
So he thought the internship he acquired at the Rome International Magical Center would keep him busy and take his mind off of things. Until Granger clumsily bumped into him at the Portkey Center. At that moment he couldn't speak to her, his mind was racing with a million things he wish he could say to her and a million things he couldn't. Then she spoke his name harshly, not surprising him one bit, and reminding him where they each stood in life. They were forever enemies. No point in earning her forgiveness, he thought to himself, She will always think you as the bigoted pure-blooded git.
Maybe he always will be too. At least to her. Because when it came to her something inside him sparked. His desire to break away every little shred of dignity she had left comes out and he is left being a total ass hole.
He wants her to see though that he has changed since their school days. Since the war. His time as a Death Eater made him different, and more understanding. He wasn't the selfish spoiled, prejudiced Draco Malfoy from 2nd year. He was broken and needed mending.
Draco needed redemption from all the wrongs he had done. And most of all he needed a friend.
Draco looked out onto the city night, and then turned on his heel and walked back into his room. He thought his room was average at best. It wasn't Malfoy standards but it was tasteful. He got ready for bed by stripping his clothes down to his boxers and into a pair of slytherin pajama pants.
Something kept tugging at the pit of his stomach that was making him anxious. He walked over to his door and looked out the peephole, to be relieved she had finally got her key and had gone inside. With this new information he could rest peacefully.
Although Voldemort is gone, Draco still had a suspicion something was lurking in the shadows waiting for the opportune moment to attack. He lay under the soft covers and closed his eyes. He wished away the dreams but knew it was a fruitless attempt.
By the middle of the night Draco was thrashing back and forth, calling out her name over and over but left to be heard onto the night.
Hermione shot up out of bed and let out a silent scream of terror. She clutched her bedsheets on either side of her in fear something was going to take her away. But fortunately, it was just a dream. She laid back down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Her forehead was layered with a cold sweat and she let out heavy pants. She grabbed the book on her nightstand to distract her from the dream only to see the time on the clock, and realize if she didnt start getting ready now she was going to be very very late for Orientation.
This time she let out an audible scream of terror. The gods above could probably here her cry out.
She scrambled out of bed, nearly tripping over the abundance of bedsheets. She sprained her ankle on her way to the bathroom letting out a string of curse words.
Turning the massive shower head on she jumped in even though the water was cold. She showered real fast then wrapped a towel around her and magically dried her hair.
She walked out of the bathroom and heard an onslaught of pounding on the door. "Alright calm down, let me get dressed". She dressed quickly in the clothes she had laid out. Plain scrubs.
She ran her fingers through her hair for the last time, preparing herself for whoever the angry person at her door was. She opened it rather abruptly and had to move out of the persons way so she wouldn't be clobbered by his fist, which seemed ready for another onslaught of knocks.
Malfoy stood in her entrance way, flustered and angered for some reason. It's not like he had someone knocking on his door while he was naked, she thought to herself.
"Can I help you with something Malfoy?" She asked quite peeved. Her eyes squinted in what seemed annoyed and curious at the same time.
He was dressed in only slytherin pajamas and his hair was wildly in all different directions; much like Harry's but quite rare for a Malfoy heir. Hermione bit back a laugh.
He looked past her and into her room then back at her, "I heard a scream" is all he said.
Hermione put her hands on her hips. "Yes I believe you did. Because I screamed". She quirked an eyebrow at his unusual behavior.
He retorted, "Well why did you scream, did someone hurt you. Was someone in your room". He seemed frantic and jumpy.
She rolled her eyes, "The only person I've seen in my room, who shouldn't be, is you Malfoy!" Their it was again. The harshness in her voice when she said his name.
He flinched. "I was just being cautious Granger. Next time you scream and you actually are in danger I'll make sure to just ignore you!" He turned sharply and slammed her door behind him.
She looked through the peephole to see him pacing back and forth in front of her door. He was grabbing at his hair in frustration and muttering to himself.
She checked the room for anything she was missing to take to Orientation. She grabbed the parchment with the directions and her wand. Shoving both in her scrub pocket she walked out her door.
Thankfully, Malfoy seemed to have gone back in his room. She took the elevator down to the first floor. She walked across the lobby and saw the receptionist from before taking a nap at her desk.
She reached the street then pulled out the directions. The muggle streets of Rome were crowded with frantic tourists and busy natives. Many shops adorned the street making it feel like a festival. Maybe it was.
She took a right and then continued straight down the cobblestone street, like the directions told her.
She was awed by the amount of shops. There were shops for hats, and jewelry, and flowers, and clothes, and many other little trinket shops.
She wished she could stop at them all but she had to get to her Orientation. The smell of cappuccino reached her nostrils making her stomach growl. Ugh, this is the price I pay for waking up late.
She continued on by taking a left at the next alley. She looked down at the directions to see if she was going the right way and she was.
The alley was dark and dingy. All around the walls was graffiti and the ground was littered with trash. A rank smell shrouded her, ruining her appetite and making her gag.
She continued her walk down the never ending alley when she was startled to hear a set of footsteps other than hers.
She swung around to confront her stalker, wand drawn, but no one was there. The alley was completely empty except for her.
She concluded she was hearing things and blamed it on lack of sleep.
She finally reached the end of the alley and the sunlight blinded her.
These streets were similar to the muggle one. All kinds of people bustled around in a hurry, eager to get to work. The difference was the attire of these people. Almost all of them were dressed in wizard robes of all types.
Hermione smiled to herself. She reached the magical side of Rome. She followed the directions again and took a right. Many natives smiled at her, recognizing the healer robes she was wearing.
She finally reached a massive building in the heart of magical rome. On the front doors were the words Roman International Research Center.
Butterflies sprouted in the pit of her stomach. She was a mix of both excited and nervous for the adventure ahead of her. Once she entered those doors and into those walls her life would be forever changed.
Hermione took a deep breath and walked through the automatic sliding doors. She went up to the receptionist, a black curly haired lady. She smiled back at her in greeting. Her smile was genuine and Hermione suggested she was a kind lady. "Hi welcome in to the Roman International Research Center, what can I help you with today?".
Hermione responded, "I'm here for the Orientation for new Interns."
The lady clapped excitedly, "Oh how exciting! I love newbies! You truly are going to love it here. My names Jessica" She held out her hand and Hermione shook it in return.
"My names Hermione. Hermione Granger". She smiled back at the kind lady.
"It is so great to have you on our team Hermione! Oh dear but you are late!" She looked worried for the girl. She came out behind the desk and said, "I'll show you over to the Cafeteria so you dont get lost. It's quite a big establishment." She left another lady in charge of the front desk and started to lead the way.
As they made their way down a couple hallways the nice lady struck up a conversation. "Where are you from?"
Hermione responded, "I'm from England. I went to Hogwarts."
Excitedly, Jessica said, "Oooo I've always wanted to go to England. My boyfriend went to Hogwarts too but I went to Ilvermorny. I grew up in Massachusetts but moved here after my 7th year. Isn't it beautiful!"
"Yes it is. I haven't gotten to explore much but from what i've seen it is quite extraordinary." Hermione smiled at the kind witch.
"I recommend the colosseum and make sure to visit the countryside too while you are here." Just as she was finishing up they reached the double doors to the Cafeteria. "Well here we are. Have fun today! I hope I see you around!" Parting with a smile, Jessica turned on her heel and walked down the hallway.
She watched the witch walk away and Hermione knew she was someone that she could become good friends with.
She took a deep breath and stepped forward. To her future. Another step. To be rid of her demons. And finally she was inside ready to be someone new.
She took in her surroundings. All around her were a flurry of people talking to one another sat at cafe tables. There looked to be about 50 or so and from Hermione's guess they all were from different nationalities and races.
She took a seat at the nearest table to the door. There were 10 others already sitting there immersed in their own conversation.
Hermione awkwardly sat distanced from them, left out of their conversation, until the girl next to her turned to her. She had a bright smile on her face and it was strewn with freckles. Her hair was a blonde curly mess and was pulled back into a messy long braid like she had just got out of bed. "Heyy! I'm Marigold. But just call me Mary with an i. But oh isn't this just the most exciting experience ever. I'm just so ready to you know get into the nitty gritty and get involved in some great procedures. Did you know this research center is #1 in the whole world. Well the wizarding world that is. I'm just so excited. What about you?"
Hermione gapped at the ecentric girl. The girl gave her a look, waiting for her to respond.
Hermione smiled back and replied, "Yes I did know. I have been waiting for an opportunity like this one in forever" Mari seemed please with this response, "Oh and i'm Hermione."
Mari's face exceeded its level of happiness at the witch's name. "Hermione Granger. The Hermione Granger. Oh my i've read so much about you. You basically saved the wizarding world. You are a hero!" Mari gasped.
Hermione's face grew red, "So i've been told."
Something else dawned on Mari, "And i've read articles about you and Ron Weasley, so is he like your boyfriend. You've got so much history. I wouldn't understand if not."
Hermione felt an immediate pang in her chest and tears pricked at her eyes at the mention of Ron. She began to explain, "Well actually-" but she was interrupted by a loud booming voice.
"Hello to all of you. Oh how it is so nice to see such fresh faces. You are the lucky few to be picked for this program and may I boast it is the best you can have." A round tall man stood in the front of the cafeteria addressing all the interns in the room. He had a dark beard and balding head. He looked to be italian by Hermione's guess.
"My name is Lorenzo Bianchi, the Research Center director. I am the head of this whole establishment so I will be here if anyone has any concerns about the satisfaction involving the program or any requests to be moved out of a group due to conflicts
"You all are about to embark on an amazing journey. Some of you will be able to face the pressure and rigorous work it takes to be the best and some of you will break and sadly to those will have to say ciao. Now I am going to break you all up into separate groups. Each group is assigned an experienced healer who will take you from department to department and assuring everyone gets the advanced education they are here for."
As he began to name out Healers and the people in their group, Hermione shook with anticipation.
She was startled when the name Weasley was called out. Hermione panicked, fearing Ron was here.
But he isn't a healer, she thought to herself.
Shortly after, her name was called as well. She was in his group, this had turned out to be a terrible experience already.
She stood and walked over to a crowd of 5 people standing around one tall person. She saw the back of him and his wild long red hair. Wait Ron didn't have wild long hair.
Now that she looked closer he was taller and more built than Ron. He quickly turned around and spotted Hermione behind him. He leapt towards her with a grand smile lighting up his face.
She was attacked by a mass of red hair and engulfed in a bear hug. They both pulled away simultaneously.
"Charlie!" Hermione exclaimed, "What are you doing here! I thought you were still in Romania".
Charlie laughed, his brilliant smile capturing Hermione. "I was in Romania a couple hundred years ago. But I came here and learned how to be a Healer of magical creatures. And now I'm your healer teacher."
Hermione was excited Charlie was her teacher. It was reassuring to see a familiar face in such a foreign place.
Charlie gave her a pat on the arm then directed his attention to the other five, who were standing around watching the reunion in awe.
"Alright so like I was saying before, I'm the group lead that is going to guide you through your journey here. Now I won't be holding your hand or nothing but I will help you when you need it and let you have some freedom as well. Be aware you all are gonna have to work together at some point, so get acquainted with each other and no fighting. This isn't the schoolyard anymore." Charlie quirked his brow in her direction.
Hermione took the time to look around her. She saw the blonde eccentric girl from earlier drinking in every word he was saying, a tall brown haired boy with glasses too large for his face, a slim red haired girl with perfect features and tanned skin, a toned italian man with a hard expression and slight beard, and lastly a platinum blonde guy leaning against the wall hoping to be kept invisible.
The platinum haired blonde was most definitely Malfoy. Malfoy spoke, "So Weasley who did you have to sleep with in order to work here". He scoffed at the red head Weasley.
Hermione bristled, "Honestly Malfoy, dont be such an ass. Some people dont have to bribe themselves into a program. But you can't relate, Huh Malfoy?"
Malfoy gave her a malicious glare, while Charlie laughed.
Addressing the other four group members he said, " and that is a prime example of schoolyard fighting. Which is not going to be tolerated." He looked at both Hermione and Malfoy. Hermione looked embarrassed and Malfoy looked annoyed.
Charlie continued, "So here are your badges," he pulled out six badges from his robe pocket. "Keep this pinned to your scrub pocket at all times. It is used to communicate with other healers in case of emergency and it allows patients and clients to identify who you are."
He handed them out to the correct owner and then stuffed his hands in is pocket. "Alright any questions?" No one spoke out. "Sounds good to me. And so we begin. Or as they say in Italy iniziamo."