Chapter Nine: A Beloved Bookstore
That night, when Hermione was situated comfortably under the covers of her bed, she began pouring over the Ancient Runes book, smiling every few minutes to herself.
Already several chapters in, she stopped reading and once again admired the cover and pages of the beautifully bound book. She flipped back to the last page where, for the first time, she noticed a name written in small, precise letters at the top of the back cover.
Leona Broadmoor
Hermione stared at the name for a long time, wondering who Leona Broadmoor could be. Leona Broadmoor... Leona Broadmoor... It didn't ring a bell. She set the book aside and slid farther down under her covers before turning the lamp off.
The following morning Hermione's parents drove her to her favorite Muggle bookstore. It had snowed the night before, and the ground was covered in a beautiful blanket of white. Halfway to the store it had begun snowing again, and Hermione was happy to lean back in the back seat of her parent's car and watch it fall. She never got tired of watching snow, and she didn't think she ever would.
Muggle children were everywhere outside playing— building snowmen, having snowball fights, sledding, making snow angels. Hermione could fondly remember the thrill of playing in the snow as a child. Her life certainly had changed since then. Now she could make snow appear from the tip of her wand.
As her father parked the car in front of the book store, Hermione was still undecided on what book to buy Callum. What genre would he prefer? Adventure? Mystery? Science-fiction? Non-fiction? There were simply too many choices.
Hermione pushed the door to the store open and walked inside, the familiar smell of the old place hitting her and bringing a smile to her lips. She had spent so many happy hours here as a child. Whenever the other children had been unkind to her at school, she was always able to find refuge and comfort here.
"Hello, Hermione," Leon, the shopkeeper, greeted her. He was a kindly old man with rectangular spectacles and a crop of messy white hair that didn't look as if it had seen a comb in years. He had always let her spend as much time as she liked in the store, reading whatever she wanted whenever she wanted, and he was probably the only person who knew the store better than she did. "I haven't seen you in a while."
"No, sir," Hermione smiled, "I've been away at school."
He took her hand in his old, wrinkled one and gave it a pat. "I still haven't forgiven your parents for sending you away. Well, go ahead. You know your way around."
"Thank you, sir."
Hermione smiled and began scanning the old, familiar isles.
Hermione searched for close to two hours, picking herself a few books up along the way, but she still could not decide on a book to buy Callum. She tucked a strand of her unruly hair behind her ear and sighed. I've just got to make a decision.
Finally, and after much debate with herself, she decided on a collection of poems by Edgar Allen Poe. Hermione wasn't sure if Callum would like it, but her parents had been waiting for her long enough, and she needed to make a decision.
"Did you pick something out, dear?" Hermione's mother asked as Hermione joined them by the shop's door where they had been waiting for nearly an hour and a half.
"Yes, I did. I'm sorry I kept you both waiting so long."
"It's alright."
Hermione's father opened the shop door and followed his wife and daughter out to the car. Settled comfortably once again in the back seat, Hermione pulled the book of poems by Poe out of her bag and smiled down at it. She couldn't wait to see Callum again.
Author's Note: Hello! I am SO sorry that it's been so long since I've uploaded a chapter. I apologize. Thank you all for all your support and patience. This chapter was short and, if I'm being honest, a little boring, so I'm going to go ahead and upload the next chapter as well!
