AN: If you haven't already realized, Hermione is sort of an OOC and I'm sorry if that bothers any readers. Other than that, I have nothing else to say other than, thank you for reading and it will be greatly appreciated if you left a review. All comments are welcome and if you have a question, feel free to PM me.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NOR DO I HAVE ANY RIGHTS TO EITHER OF THESE FRANCHISES
Hermione
Once she had finally managed to stop giggling, she felt eyes on her. Having already met the man she was currently sitting on, she ignored his intense gaze and looked to the new stranger. Blue, was her immediate thought. His eyes were so incredibly blue and they were so bright and beautiful and wild and free. Similar and familiar blue eyes that had become dull and lifeless replaced his vibrant ones. She didn't want to see the accusations that lingered in them. They were too much and she had to look away.
To distract herself from the cruel memories, She notes that her eyes were the exact opposite. Self-deprecation was a terrible but effective method. Did she ever have eyes like that? No. No, she didn't. She didn't allow herself to - always restricting herself, following rules, and second-guessing everything. Besides academics and the broadening of her intellect, she never allowed herself to step out of her comfort zone and just simply grow beyond her mind. Without her intelligence, what could she honestly say she was good at and proud of being able to do?
Everyone had just assumed that she would go on to do incredible things after the war and at one point, she thought so too but she gave too much of herself to the magical community, without receiving anything in return. Nothing that would help her put everything to rights, at least. Would becoming head of a department bring Harry and Ron back? What about her parents? Would becoming the Minister for Magic turn back time and allow them to live and grow up like normal children? No. She had given too much of herself and she refused to give anymore. Now though, she had all this information in her head and nothing to use it on. Who was she now that she turned her back on magic?
Gentle pressure on her hip drew her out of her thoughts. She's been overly contemplative lately. She looked at the man the police called 'Toretto' and his eyes, again, showed worry for her. She gave him a tiny smile in reassurance. He observed her for a little longer and whatever he saw in her expression must've satisfied him because his chin tilted just a bit in acceptance. "Why were you running from the cops? No offense but you don't look like the type to get into trouble" he said, giving her another once over. His deep baritone rumbled through his chest and vibrated into her rib cage.
She marveled at his deep voice. Hearing it right in your ear was different from hearing it in a brief fleeting moment. She took a moment to take in his comment. If he found out the kind of trouble she used to get herself into, she would make him eat and choke on those words. Since he didn't know who she was and she would admit that her clothes did look too proper for these parts, she let the comment slide. "You'd be astonished by the severity of trouble I can get into" she responded with a cheeky grin.
His eyes widened slightly at her accent and it brought an involuntary smile to his face. She knew that Americans loved the accent. The benefit was useless now though, for she had no reason to try to manipulate this man. Even if she did, she doubted it would work. He looks like a brute but his dark eyes shined with a cunning. She was sure that many fools had underestimated him and had paid the price for their arrogance.
"In this particular situation though, you'd be right. I, for once, am completely innocent. Just a case of wrong place, wrong time." she said with an annoyed huff. She was furious with herself. Why had she decided to go in that direction tonight? Why did she run away? What happened to remaining a recluse?
"For once?" he quoted, with a chuckle. She decided not to grace him with an answer. Instead, she gave him a secretive smile. Let him kill himself with curiosity. That's what he gets for implying she was some kind of a prude. He was right but he didn't actually have to verbally address it. Yes, it was petty and no, she didn't care.
During their little exchange, she dealt with her moment of cowardice by shoving it in a box and threatening to kill it, should it show itself again. She looked back to their driver with pure determination. She just had to repeat to herself that those weren't Ron's eyes. They couldn't be. Not only was Ron dead, but the man before her also had a confidence that radiated from him. It was in his every action and every movement. The subtle way he carried himself, spoke of a man who had suffered through humility and used it as a life lesson.
Ron was many incredible things: funny, smart, honest, loyal, and he loved with every fiber of his being, even to a fault but his major flaw was his insecurity. Growing up with so many exceptional siblings had left him feeling inadequate and lackluster. All of his older brothers had a skill or talent that made them unique, fascinating, and memorable. Even Ginny had more precedence over Ron in the large family due to her being the only daughter and the baby of the family, so she was protected, loved, and doted upon but growing up with six brothers had made her feisty and a force to be reckoned with. A beautiful flame that outshined everyone.
It also didn't help that he befriended 'The-Boy-Who-Lived.' Standing by Harry also meant standing in his shadow. No matter their own independent achievements, they will still find a way to link it back to him and she learned the hard way that whatever fame was given by the press was either scathing or overdramatized. Unfortunately, that daft bimbo Rita Skeeter was still alive and kicking and has convinced Kingsley to place an impressive bounty on her head. Whoever found the missing war heroine first will receive a 300,000 galleon reward and that was just the offer that was given the last time she checked, a little over two years ago. She wasn't sure why Kingsley agreed to the bounty like she was some kind of common criminal. Perhaps he thought that she was kidnapped or something. Either way, he had to remain careful and not use magic at all to remain under the radar.
She mentally shook her memories away. They couldn't be allowed to remain for long or else she'll get lost in them. What felt like long drawn out minutes of derailing thoughts, was just a tiny minute and during that whole time, the blue-eyed stranger and she have locked eyes, while he was still driving. He either had impressive skills or he was hubristic. Perhaps, both.
This man was incredibly handsome. Beautiful blue eyes, framed by long curly lashes, silky dirty blond hair, just the right amount of shadow on his chiseled jaw, a straight, perfect nose, soft kissable lips, high cheekbones that was the stamp of good genes, and golden sun-kissed skin. He was the type of man that easily made women swoon and some men do a double-take but she wasn't the type to do either, disregarding that embarrassing time in second year with that idiot Lockhart. She was stupid and young at the time and she had already thoroughly beat herself over the head for it.
His attention made her smile though. It seemed he was equally fascinated with her as she was with him. "You should keep your eyes on the road. I would hate for us to get away from the cops and then immediately crash afterward" she said, with the corner of her lips pulling upwards and his own pulled up in kind. Instead of looking back on the road or slowing down, he sped up, while still staring into her eyes, not once breaking contact. His challenging look made her smile widen. He was gaining quite a bit of speed now and the thrill of it had her heart racing.
Disappointingly, it was cut short when a group of motorists suddenly came out of nowhere. "Oh, great," Toretto said sarcastically turning his head to watch them approach.
"What?" the mysterious blond asked, clearly confused by their sudden arrival. It's safe to say he didn't know these people but Toretto did.
"It's gonna be a long-ass night, that's what" he muttered, as they began to surround them, like sharks that scented some blood in the water. Judging his reaction, these people were clearly not someone he wanted to deal with.
One of them tapped on the windowsill with what looked like an automatic weapon, drawing their attention to the obvious threat. Through his helmet, she can see the man was of Asian descent. "Follow us!" he called over the roar of their engines. She looked through their side of the window to see that they all were strapped with guns. They were surrounded and unless they wanted to get shot from all directions, there was nothing they could do but follow.
They turned into an area that looked like a temple. The large sign they passed under had some Chinese characters and what she could assume was Vietnamese, followed by some English words that read 'T&K FOOD MARKET.' This place must belong to them and apparently, it wasn't a temple. They led us to a brightly lit area with dozens of white statues. They parked and Toretto opened their door and gave her an encouraging pat on the hip. The gesture was sweet of him but she wasn't worried. She swung her legs around and climbed off his comfortable lap, slipping out of the car first, coming face to face with a handsome Asian man that gave her 'boss vibes.' He must be their leader and he was currently leering at her and she was staring him down.
The sound of the car doors closing behind her caught his attention and she turned and took in the others. Toretto was immediately in front of her, blocking her from view, his large hand reaching back and grasping her hip to comfort her. He thought she needed protection. She peeked her head around his broad back and watched as they pointed their guns at us. "I thought we had an agreement. You stay away, I stay away. Everybody stays happy," the boss man said as he walked around, taking in the car. So this was some kind of territorial display. Were they both in a gang or something? She doubts they were in a cult but the thought was amusing.
"We got lost, Johnny. What do you want me to tell you?" Toretto answered with a cool calm but the way he squeezed her hip showed that he was worried that the situation could turn sideways any second and they were at a disadvantage. That is unless she used her magic. If she ended up using it, she would have to uproot her pathetic life and disappear again and if she had to do that, she would just go all out and make sure Johnny boy here regret his life choices.
"Who's 'we'?" Johnny said, looking right at her. She gave him the insolent eyebrow. The same one that got on Harry and Ron's nerves and used to piss Sirius off. Apparently, it made them feel stupid and she hoped it let this man know she thought he was a fool. His lips quirked instead and she nearly rolled her eyes.
Toretto noticed his attention and stepped in front of her. "Uh, my new mechanic. Brian, meet Johnny Tran" he said, directing his attention to Brian instead. So his name was Brian. It fits. "The guy in the snakeskin pants, that's his cousin, Lance." What? Snakeskin pants? She had to see this. She looked around him again and looked at the aforementioned man and immediately drew back, burying her face in between his shoulder blades, muffling her laugh. She probably didn't make a good effort of it because Toretto squeezed her hip a little harder in a warning. "So, when are you gonna give me a shot at that Honda 2000 of yours?" he quickly said in an attempt to distract him from her.
"What about her?" he asked, ignoring his last question. She peeked at him again with a beaming smile, still unable to contain her amusement, especially since she can still see those ridiculous pants in her peripheral. He gave her what he must've thought was a charming grin. She found it disgusting. He was handsome but the kind of aura around him was off-putting, like a wolf trying to blend in with sheep.
"I'm really not that interesting, promise," she said, the smile still on her face. She has decided to remain amicable. Toretto was very tense and if this really is some kind of gang thing, she didn't want to cause a problem between the two. Fighting in the war had taught her that actions had consequences that reached further than her and her inner circle and the actions of others can be just as devastating on her side. He, no doubt, had people to protect and her smart mouth can put them all at risk. The man might not be able to retaliate against her but he could decide to take whoever he can get to and that can be anyone on Toretto's side, including Brian.
It was a mistake to open her big mouth though because his eyes suddenly sparkled with unnerving energy. 'Americans and their fascination with anything remotely exotic,' she thought, with a mental eye-roll but he was a man she was willing to manipulate. "British. You're a long way from home," he said, moving closer, causing Toretto to press her more firmly to his back. She allowed her fingers to slip under his shirt, her nails lightly digging into the skin on his lower back, reminding him to remain calm. His own fingers grasped a handful of her dress.
"Home isn't that far, really. I live just over there," she said, playfully gesturing to the entirety of the city. As if she would give him even the slightest hint to where she lived. She was already getting tired of playing this game with him and they had barely just started. How did the Slytherins do this all the time? No wonder they can't trust anybody. If she was surrounded by fake people wearing deceptive smiles, she wouldn't trust anyone either.
"Oh really? Why would a girl like you come to a place like this? With people like them?" he crooned, triggering a dark urge to claw his eyes out. She had only just met Toretto and Brian but she can tell that they were both leagues better in company and personality and for him to imply that they were beneath her, awoke some old underused protective instincts.
She felt her magic begin to awaken, feeding off of her anger. Since she had stopped using it, it had only stored up inside of her, waiting to be unleashed. She was more prone to accidental magic now that it's just pent up energy with no outlet. Though, it was never an issue until now. Her emotions had taken a backseat in her life and were unable to spark her powers. They've become irrelevant and meaningless until she had met these two, who had made her feel more alive in the last hour than she had in the last three years.
She can feel her magic heat up the blood in her veins and tingle over her skin, causing goosebumps to erupt over her arm. Her hair began to flutter to a phantom breeze. The air grew a little humid and began to smell of ozone. Logically, she knew she needed to calm down before she left a smoking crater where Johnny boy was standing but her righteous fury would not hear it. "Oh, you know, a girl needs something a little more⦠exciting from time to time," she said with faux nonchalance. He seemed to flinch a little and took a step back. She knew her eyes had taken on a subtle glow, making them look less whiskey and more amber in the light. Some primal part of him recognized that only predators had amber eyes and he quickly looked away.
Anyone who didn't know what to look for would think he just snubbed her but she knew that her magic, naturally made him wary. Humans were bred to fear the unknown and to him, she was unnatural - an anomaly and if it kept his interests elsewhere than she wouldn't complain. "This your ride?" he asked Brian, moving slowly to the car, a little further away from her. She stared a hole into his back and she knew he could feel that he was being watched and stalked like prey.
"It was. It's his now," Brian said, looking to Toretto then her. He took in her expression, checking to see if she was okay. These two were just too sweet and if Johnny made even the slightest threatening move against them, she would make that hole that he felt against his back, become a reality.
"No, it's not. I haven't taken delivery," Toretto said and she sensed he was lying but there was an obvious reason that Brian clearly didn't understand. He had relaxed a bit now that Johnny started to avoid her. His fingers had finally released its hold on her dress and his thumb was now pressing circles into her side in a soothing manner and her magic calmed under the repetitive motion.
"Then it's nobody's car," Johnny said, cocking his head to the side like he was eyeing a new toy. "Somebody put in the wrench time," he continued, running his hand over the smooth reflective surface of the hood, walking over to the passenger side. "What do you think, Lance?" he asked, propping his arm on the roof of the car, looking to his cousin.
His cousin took a step forward and her skin crawled. This man gave off manic energy and it reminded her too much of the Lestrange's. Her magic jumped up several notches and it sparked on the tips of her fingers and the ringing in her ears blocked all sound. She fisted her hands until her knuckles turned white, willing herself to calm. Toretto must've felt her tense up because his other hand shot behind him and grasp her other side, pulling her flush against his back.
She watched the man called Lance like he was the biggest threat, even as Johnny patted Toretto's arm passive-aggressively. The ringing was all she could hear and she had missed the rest of the conversation but she felt Toretto's back rumble against her fist. They all mounted their motorcycles, put on their helmets, and took off. One by one, as they all disappeared, sound slowly returned to her senses and her magic began to settle.
"What the hell was that all about?" Brian asked.
"Long story. I'll tell you later. Let's get outta here," he answered, turning around to look at her. He rubbed his large hands up and down her bare arms, helping to placate her magic. She felt twitchy and uncomfortable like this situation wasn't quite over yet. Sure enough, Johnny and Lance came back. They pointed their weapons at their car and open fire. Toretto threw himself over her, pushing her out of harm's way. It stopped as soon as it started and then she can hear their engines getting further away in the distance, leaving their car ruined and on fire. "NOS!" Toretto screamed. He picked her up, threw her over his shoulder and hauled ass. The fire surrounding the car became blue and green and then it exploded with enough force to make it bounce several feet off the ground.
He gently set her on her feet a safe distance away and they both just stared at the car's burning remains. "Looks like we're walking," she muttered. Well, this was a shitty night.
