Chapter 2: The Corner of The Three Broomsticks.

It was cold. The wind was piercing and raw. Strong and relentless. It blew a can across the pavement, but the tinny sound was droned out by the thunder overhead. The continuous drumming of the thunder was more than a little frightening. The rain pounded on the roofs of many homes. To those inside, it was a relaxing beat to listen to, but to those who braved the storm, it was a bloody nightmare! The streets were forming little rivulets and a flood seemed inevitable. Claps of lightening illuminated the sky, making the black and purple clouds shine. This was the worst storm that had hit Hogsmeade in a decade.

Finally, everyone came to a mutual agreement that anyone who was outside in this storm had a definite death wish. The streets were completely deserted and the bright glows from blazing fires could be seen inside every home.

But the local pub was still open. The Three Broomsticks was not as busy tonight. But the few that were inside drank hearty drinks of Mulled Mead, and the odd Firewhiskey.  It warmed the drinkers right down to the core. Madam Rosmerta still stood at the bar, wiping glasses and serving up drinks as happily as she had done years before. The only signs of age seen one her was the mellow wrinkle and a vivid strip of white in her dark hair. Even if age didn't show profoundly, she still needed help and that came in the form of Ginny Weasley, who was just as cheery as her employer.

Only a few of the locals sat by the pub fireplace. One of the locals was the Keeper of Keys and Gamekeeper of Hogwarts, Rubeus Hagrid. He was yet another figure of old in the pub. His shaggy black hair and beard were now tinted with grey, but he was still as lively as he ever had been. He had even lost a little weight, which was good since he was a bit on the tubby side a few years back.

Another local of six years was Hermione Granger. She was a professor up at Hogwarts and prided herself with the fact that she had been the only Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts to go on for longer than a year. She was mentioned in the revised addition of 'Hogwarts: A History.' She had been very proud at that fact, and Ron had laughed happily when she came running up to him one day with the book proclaiming "I'm in it!" It was quite an accomplishment because she was muggle-born. And with these darker days, she had been targets for the Death Eater's that roamed around the land surreptitiously. Despite the dark days, she had grown from an intelligent girl to a very respectable woman.

"The storm's getting worse. Maybe we should head back to the school Hagrid." Her eyes gazing out of the darkened window.

Hagrid turned to look outside and the grim prospect of having to walk back to Hogwarts did not appeal to him at all. But they both couldn't afford to be sick for their classes tomorrow, so they decided faint heartedly to brave the storm and head back to the school.

With cloaks and hoods at the ready, the two stepped into the storm and closed the door as gently as they could. This was rather difficult as the wind seemed to want them to slam it shut. They traipsed on the pavement and avoided the deep puddles that were becoming bigger by the second. They stumbled on the paths and knocked into someone by accident, after a quick apology they went on onwards. Soon enough, they reached the edge of the grounds of Hogwarts. Hermione and Hagrid said their goodbye's as Hagrid headed for his hut and Hermione headed for the large school building.

The next few days continued to be stormy. The lake had now overflowed and the giant squid made frequent appearances to the surface as it was as wet as it was underwater. The Quidditch matches and practices had all been cancelled as anyone on a broomstick could have been blown off to the rocky coast of the country. Herbology continued as usual in the greenhouses, but Care of Magical Creatures had been cancelled until further notice.

A full week and a half later, the rain started to subside. The rough wind was gentler and even though it was still cloudy, it wasn't as overcast as it had been. The pupils were more than happy when they were actually allowed outside the castle. A Hogsmeade trip was organised for the weekend, and as usual, Hermione had volunteered to chaperone. It would be nice to get out of the castle for a while. And catch up on news with Ginny.

The days waxed and waned until Saturday finally came. A few dozen horseless carriages were made ready for the pupils to take them to Hogsmeade station. As soon as she stepped off the carriage, she saw the swarm of pupils rush in all directions in Hogsmeade.  She smiled as she saw them dart from Zonko's, to Honeydukes. Those were the places that most pupils visited first. She shook her head and made her way to The Three Broomsticks.

The warmth from the fire was pleasant on her face. It was a bit nippy outside. She took off her cloak and headed for the barstool where she usually sat at. Ginny smiled as she sat down.

"The usual?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, thank you." Hermione replied as Ginny started to prepare her Butterbeer.

"So how've you been Hermione?" Ginny asked as she served the drink.

"Not bad. Keeping busy, doing this and that." Hermione replied taking as sip from her drink.

"Where's Madam Rosmerta?" Hermione asked noticing her absence.

"Poor lady's off with the flu. I actually sent her back home this morning when she came in here croaking like a frog." Ginny said.

The two women conversed more. Until a pupils started to pile in wanting some drinks. When Ginny went off to serve them, Hermione went to her own table and took a copy of The Daily Prophet that was on the magazine table. She hadn't been able to get a single copy throughout the whole storm as owls refused to travel in such wild weather conditions.

Hermione grimaced at the front page.

Muggle-born Murders!   

News like this was becoming more and more frequent in the wizarding world. It was a sharp stab in the back that reminded everyone that Voldemort was out there. And he would to anything to gain power and see the world go his way. Hermione read through the article, her hatred for the Dark Lord increasing with each painful line she read.

***

The man lit his cigarette. How he hated this habit. But as times of stress, one would do anything to calm himself down. And it helped, but only a little. He sat at the corner, as quiet as possible. And remained quite plainly unseen. Such luxuries as sitting in a pub smoking a cigarette would never have been possible for his a few years back. Indeed, finding a safe place to sleep had been difficult. Most nights spent on cold stone or a muddy forest floor because money to rent a room for the night wasn't available. And it was dangerous. There are eye's everywhere, and they can lead you to your death if you aren't careful. Appearance was another thing. You had to appear as common as you could be, that is if you wanted to appear at all. He could maybe pass as an inconspicuous Auror right now. The wear and tear on his robes and cloak would be a very believable lie to tell. But being to remain hidden without anyone else's knowledge was difficult. But if one had the proper clothing it could be done.

But to anyone who may notice him right now. He would look like a man double his actually age. His hair had long ago failed to be cut. And so it just grew. A long shaggy mop, which actually was quite useful to him. He could see why Bill Weasley never wanted his long hair cut. And his beard. He needed to get it trimmed. Badly. It was rather long. He really didn't look like the 25 year old man that he was.   

The door bells jingled as the door was opened. His eyes darted to the door from behind his hood. It had become a natural instinct; anyone could be a potential threat to him. And to his horror, this person was more than a potential threat.

The woman with the hazel eyes, her cheeks rosy from being out in the cold, her bushy brown hair a little longer from when he had last seen her, her front teeth of a perfect size. 'Oh…bugger.' The man kept his face in the shadows and kept his hood well over his face. But it was at times like these that whatever he really wanted, the opposite would happen. Hopefully that wouldn't happen this time round.

The man watched the woman from the corner of his eyes.  She was talking with the barmaid. Luckily, Madam Rosmerta had served him before Ginny came in. That was just sheer luck. But many memories slipped through his head. Sitting in this very same pub after a cold day, sipping on drinks and talking excitedly about the next Quidditch match at hand, or talking about your concerns. The man slipped back to reality to see the woman so recognisable as Hermione Granger walking towards a single booth. Newspaper in hand.  Still the man watched her. A small smile crept on his face. She was bluffing now. She knew he was looking at her. It wasn't natural for one's eyes to be so focused on one spot of the newspaper for 15 minutes. He lifted his head, letting a little more light shine on his face, but kept his hood low. And his eyes shaded.

***

Hermione felt uncomfortable. That man had been looking at her for quite some time now, and she hated it. Hopefully he'd go away soon enough. It was very agitating.  The bell to the door rung again and in came a scruffy looking Hagrid. An idea formed in her mind.

"Hey Hagrid! Care to join me?" Hermione asked the half giant.

"Sure thing 'mione!" he said as he went to order his drink.

Hermione smiled. She then risked a glance at the corner of the pub, to find that the man had disappeared. She nearly did a double take. He had been there a second ago. But when Hagrid came to sit down with her, she stumbled out of her reverie. But outside, on the streets of Hogsmeade, a man forgave the two people who had walked into him, that stormy night.  

***

A/N: What do you think? I tried to make this chapter kind of long! Hope it was successful! Anyways, please R/R!