A/N: Another short chapter. Tomorrow's will be longer.
Ice Cream Night
Hermione was perched on the bed of her little room in the student apartment she shared with three other girls. She really tried to get through the book that she had to read for her literature class. If she did not know better she would think the book must be jinxed. No matter how hard she tried to concentrate, the words began to blur and form the image of a certain someone, who apparently had other plans tonight and also insisted that she not neglect her studies on his account. She glanced at her phone. "Ring," she thought, "or beep or whatever." Ugh, she hated to be like this and then again she loved it. Never had anyone so occupied her mind... and admittedly she had never experienced this kind of chemistry either.
Aidan was so different than all the guys she had ever known. Smart and sophisticated, charming, handsome, mysterious... There was something about him. Some kind of magic, but not like an ordinary wizard. She pensively twisted a lock of hair. She had given herself the 3 years of college to take a step back and think about what she wanted. To fully immerse herself in a life in the magical world and take up training at Hogwarts or the ministry (both had offered) or maybe live a mostly muggle life. After all that had happened she needed some time off. Trying to be an ordinary girl just for a while. Have a real college experience.
But frankly she missed the magical world and when Aidan came along, the mysterious aura that surrounded him and that she could not quite put a finger on was part of why she was attracted to him. She strongly suspected, even hoped, that he knew what she was but they never openly talked about it. Aside from the occasional hint they just pretended to be like every other man and woman. Well, if they got more serious, they would eventually have to show their true selves. But Hermione did not want to to wait that long. She was curious. But how could she find out? She had already listed all the magical creatures she knew and were plausible. None fitted. Daywalking vampire was the closest fit, but nobody was quite sure those existed. Maybe a little trip to the Hogwarts library was due.
She took up her phone once again and sighed. No new messages. She so wanted to find out what Aidan was. He was so hard to read! Her thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell.
"Hermione, it's for you," her flatmate Mikey shouted, her voice excited.
Hermione jumped off the bed. She was in jammies but did not care much. When she stepped into the corridor she saw a huge bouquet hover through the door, the delivery guy barely visible. Her heart skipped a beat. If those were from Aidan it would be so much better than a text … She blushed and stepped closer, her heart hammering now.
"Are you Miss Granger? Some gentleman really seems to like you," he said with a cockney accent and winked. Hermione looked into his face. There was something strangely familiar …
"Do I know you? Maybe from university?"
"Nah, never seen you before. But maybe I will remember you now," he retorted and extended his open palm.
Hermione tipped him generously and took the huge bunch of flowers. There was a little card attached to it. Even before she could read it she smelled Aidan's cologne.
When she turned to retreat to her room she was flushed and overwhelmed – and confronted with three very curious faces who had other plans. Her flatmates dragged her into the kitchen and forced her to tell the whole story over lots of ice cream. She gladly told them everything, just minus all the really interesting supernatural stuff.
Meanwhile outside the delivery boy walked down the street, chuckling, and let his disguise fade. He so enjoyed role playing! The look on Hermione's face had been priceless. Nothing like a bit of old fashioned courtship to win a modern woman's heart. Fuck, if he ever got bored he should start a business as a dating coach... but right now he was busy and enjoying himself enormously. He had to be careful. Even while being distracted she had sensed something. This just made the game more interesting, he told himself and tried hard to kill the affection that was growing in his heart.