Caramel Frappuccino?
Author's Note: Yaaaaay! The next chapter is here! LOL, sorry, I'm in hype mode. Appreciation to all those wonderful mates of mine out there, the STENCHERS. You guys inspire me. :D Finally in this chapter, glimpses of the past! The flashback scenes are going to be awry, so I'm already telling you that they're not exactly in chronological order, m'kay? Enjoy reading!
Disclaimer: The Queen owns everything. Sadly. However, we rejoice for she has shared it with us.
Chapter 4: Do I Know You?
It was more of like a ritual. Hermione didn't think much of it. It was more of like a new friendship. Establishing one seemed to be a necessity, since she wasn't exactly aware of the other ones she supposedly has. It was easy because Corvus understood her and her condition. They never discussed what their companionship meant. It wasn't of much importance anyway, just two solitary souls finding friendship with each other.
He never exactly elaborated on his private life, but when he did, Hermione noticed the same uptight carefulness she saw in Harry whenever Ron blurted out something strange. Hermione shrugged it off as an effect her condition has to people. She didn't have much to talk about for her part, since she was careful not to burden him with her speculations of her past. He said it was fine and he understood, but she felt guilty when she started spouting some random ideas of what her life must have been. And so most of the time they just sit in comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company.
One day Hermione was laughing at a statement Corvus just made and her eyes wandered to the shop's door. She saw a young woman with ginger hair and she was staring right at them with a shocked expression.
"M-ione?" Corvus saw the expression on Hermione's face and turned to look at the direction she was looking at.
The ginger walked to their table in haste. "Hermione, thank Mer- maid man and Barnacle Boy I found you!"
"Huh?" came the brunette's puzzled expression.
"Sorry," the ginger laughed nervously. "Mu-st be an expression I got from the kids."
"I'm sorry but do I know you?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister." Hermione watched as Corvus became more and more uncomfortable under Ginny's stare. "What are you doing with him?" she asked in an innocent tone.
"Who, Corvus? We're friends." Hermione defended. She resisted the urge to tell Ginny that he was more familiar to her than she was. But judging by the ginger hair and freckles, she was undoubtedly Ron's sister.
Corvus stood then and excused himself. "I'll se you tomorrow." He muttered to Hermione who was baffled by his reaction to Ginny's arrival.
Ginny took his place with a mumbled, "We'll see about that." Which Hermione didn't hear as she was busy asking the now closing door what was wrong.
Hermione faced Ginny with disbelief etched on her face. Ginny sighed and motioned for her to calm down. "Look, I know this is a lot to take in, especially with… Corvus leaving abruptly like that. I'm sorry. Uhm. Let me start again with this, okay? Hermione Granger? I'm Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister. We're friends."
Hermione took in even breaths as she listened to Ginny. "Did Ron send you here?"
Ginny looked puzzled for a moment but she recovered. "Oh, no. It was Harry who asked me to go check on you."
"And how did you know I'd be here?"
Ginny shrugged. "I went and asked your parents. They say you've almost always been here since the first time."
"Oh."
"Listen, I'd love to stay and chat with you, but an emergency came up. I'm really sorry about this." Ginny grimaced at the lost expression on her friend's face. "I hope next time…" she was stopped in the middle of her statement as Hermione cut her off.
"No, Gin. It's fine."
"She called me Gin."
"That's hardly a sign of recovery."
Ginny shot her brother a look. "Ron, you don't cal a person by their nickname, which may I add you do not know yet, after you've just met them and were introduced by another name."
"Your name's Ginevra, of course she'd call you Gin."
Ginny huffed in annoyance. "I already told you, I told her my name was Ginny. But that's beside the point. He was there with her when I arrived."
Harry and Ron's heads shot up to look at her. "Who?" they asked simultaneously.
"Him."
"He's in a coma, isn't he?" Harry asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"No, Harry. The other him."
"But I thought we told him…" Ron trailed off.
"Exactly my point." Ginny exclaimed, waving her hands around in emphasis.
The three sat in uncomfortable silence.
"You sure they're going to be alright with you meeting me here?" the blonde asked the disheveled looking woman as the jingle of bells by the door announced her arrival. She turned to face him and smiled, patting her hair to smoothen it out again. He smirked, knowing the gesture wouldn't do much for her naturally stubborn, wild hair.
"It's not like I told them." She replied as she sat across him.
A waiter approached the couple and before he could even ask what they were going to have, the woman looked at him and said, "2 Mocha Frappuccinos, please." The waiter nodded and left.
"A secret romance?" he mock gasped, grey eyes twinkling with mirth. "How tragic. And you didn't ask what I wanted. How rude."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Put a sock in it. It's not like you know about muggle coffee." She laughed.
"Maybe there's more to me than meets the eye." He shifted in his seat and leaned forward. "How would they find you if you suddenly go missing, hm, Granger?"
She gave him a smirk that equaled his own. "Why, do you plan to kidnap me, Malfoy?"
His reply was interrupted by the arrival of their order. "Who would've thought?" she mused.
His eyebrow raised at her in a questioning look.
"Ex-Death Eater and War Heroine in Muggle London, drinking their morning coffee together." She stated, motioning to the both of them.
"You forgot the part where they're madly in love with each other and are trying to hide their romance from the wizarding world." He offered, snickering.
"They are?" she exclaimed, earning a frown from him. She chuckled. "Such a flirt, Mr. Malfoy. I never pegged you as the type." When he didn't answer, she stood up and grabbed her coffee. "I'll see you at work." She said and left, the bells jangling to signal her departure.
He twirled the straw in his frappuccino and sighed.
"Draco Malfoy?" Ginny squeaked. "You agreed to let him work with you?"
Hermione gave her best girl friend a look. "You're as bad as Ron."
"No, no. I'm not judging him or anything. It's just that I never thought you'd be civil with him, let alone be willing to work with him."
"That'd be Ron again, Gin. Besides, it's not like I can raise Voldemort from the confetti he became and ask him to 'please cooperate with me' as I he and I discuss the Dark Arts and the chances of his die-hard followers possibly still being a threat to us."
Ginny nodded in slow understanding. "Yes. Okay, I get it.
A knock on Hermione's door startled the girls. It was Draco Malfoy. Ginny studied his appearance. He managed to gain some weight since they last saw him getting an awkward hug from the dark lord quite some years back. His face wasn't as sallow as the time of their family's hearing. In fact, he looked more like the Draco Malfoy they'd known at school before sixth year. He didn't have his signature smirk on though, which made his features soften a little. He looked… human.
"You know where to reach me Hermione." Ginny said as she left to go to Harry's office. She gave Draco a curt nod goodbye upon her exit.
"Yes, Mister Malfoy?" Hermione asked. "How may I help you?"
"Join me for coffee tomorrow morning."
"What?"
"Say yes." Ginny urged.
"But I'm dating your brother, remember?"
Ginny rolled her eyes passionately. "It's not like he's asking you to go out or something. Besides, that's the 15th time he asked you this week. And it's not even Wednesday yet! Whatever happened to giving him a chance?"
Hermione frowned. "I never realized giving a chance included morning coffee together."
Ginny snorted. "It's called socializing."
"Harry and Ron wouldn't…"
"Who said they'd know?"
"Wow, Gin, if you're all up for it, why don't you go with him?"
"Oh please 'Mione, I know he won't stop until you say yes. Besides, it will give you a chance to become easier workmates. And for the record, I'm dating Harry."
Hermione laughed and pointed a finger at her friend. "See, you used the dating excuse as well."
"Why did you…" Hermione trailed off.
His grey eyes were sharp as he looked at her. "Why did I what?"
She shook her head. "No… no. It's nothing. Nevermind."
"Spit it out Granger."
She sighed. "Okay, why did you join them?"
Draco's hand unconsciously reached for the trace of the Dark Mark on his forearm. "At the time I believed it was an obligation."
"To Volde-" he winced. "Sorry, to him?"
He shook his head, "No, to my father."
"Do you regret it?"
He gave a dry chuckle. "Who doesn't?"
Hermione cleared her throat and decided that to remind him that that was exactly what they were working on, those who don't regret being followers of Voldemort and remain loyal to him even after all these years, was not the best thing to do at the moment. So she randomly picked up a piece of paper on her table and changed the topic.
Hermione studied the piece of paper for the nth time since she found it on her table at the coffee shop. Perhaps it would trigger some memories? She laughed to herself and shook her head. Tough luck. She put it down and crawled to her bed, that morning's events playing in her head like a short film. She made a mental note to ask Ron and Harry about it and closed her eyes to get some sleep.
The graceful flick of a hand.
A pen… no, a quill on paper.
Ink drying on parchment.
Hermione shot up and opened her eyes, looking around her room. It seemed like she'd only been sleeping for a while, but her bedside clock told her otherwise. Then she remembered what woke her up in the first place. It had seemed so real, so real she could almost smell the parchment and she felt that if she had only reached her hand out, she would've touched the drying ink. She breathed heavily and clutched her sheets tightly. Had it been a memory? Or another crazy figment of her imagination? It felt real, but was it?
Was it a part of her old life gone back to her?
Author's Note: There you go. So, what did you think of this chapter guys? Anon reviews are now allowed! Tell me what you think. :D