Chapter 2
A look at her watch told her that it was thirty minutes after noon and the rumbling in her stomach told her that it was time for lunch, but Mr. Barnes, the curator for the Museum of London, was not finished with her just yet. He kept dronning on and on about the acclaimed Dark Age, Saxon and Medieval Gallery of the museum, reminding her a bit of Professor Binns in her History of Magic Class in Hogwarts. If he drops dead right this instant, I swear, his ghost would just leave his body behind and continue lecturing.
She was enjoying herself and finding the lecture informative but she was famished and it was distracting her. She had been too busy finishing her essay on Medieval Political History lastnight to eat dinner, and she skipped breakfast today because she had to rush to the Museum of London for her appointment with Mr. Barnes. The meeting was supposed to have lasted only for three hours, from 8 to 11, but Mr. Barnes, perhaps enjoying the rare chance to speak to someone who was genuinely interested in the museum's collection and could actually understand what he was saying, paid no attention to the hours that flew by.
"Mr. Barnes, I hate to take away any more of your time, and I'd like to thank you again for agreeing to show me your latest collection" Hermione finally said before she thoroughly embarassed herself by breaking open one of the display cases and having an original Chaucer manuscript for lunch.
"Oh, yes. You're most welcome, Ms. Granger. I do hope you found your visit informative." he responded.
"Most definitely, sir. I am definitely considering spending my internship here at the London Museum and I can't begin to thank you enough for your hospitality."
"Oh I do believe that the London Museum would be lucky to have a bright mind like yours here. I look forward to your internship."
Finally, after a few more minutes of exchanging parting pleasantries, Hermione almost ran to the exit of the museum, half-afraid that Mr. Barnes would remember that he forgot to tell her all about the latest aquisitions at the Late Stuart London Gallery and offer to give another mini-lecture. Before she exited the door to museum, she realised that she didn't know a good place to eat in the area, so she smiled at one of the lady security guards and asked her.
"Well one of the best places here is Chip's at Cheapside Cafe. Take a right when you exit the building and head for Cheapside Street. The cafe would be on your left. You can't miss it."
Hermione followed the guard's instructions and was able to find the cafe easily. From the outside, it looked ancient. It was one of those holes-in- the-wall eating establishments that had history and character, and served hot and well-cooked meals. There was a down-to-earth and warm feel to it and even before she entered the cafe, she had a feeling that she would be thanking the guard for the recommendation.
As she entered the cafe, one of the waiters, a young woman with short, spiky green hair and multiple facial piercings nodded at her and motioned for her to take the table near the left wall, close to the door. "Be with you in a minute, ok?"
"Sure" Hermione said as she took a seat with her back to the wall. The cafe was not packed. There were only four tables filled, including hers. Sitting next to her table was a pair of middle-aged men, playing a game of chess, as they ate fish and chips. On the other side of the dining area, nearer to the kitchen sat three young women, who looked like they were in a deep discussion. Probably uni kids, too. The table almost directly opposite hers across the room had a tiny, elderly lady wearing a shocking pink dress, a pretty, red-haired young woman who was smiling and blushing, and a short- haired blond man who had his back to her. From the looks of it, the old lady in the pink dress was regaling her younger companions with stories, her hands waving and motioning.
"Hi, I'm Alice. Don't let the looks fool you, I'm a spanking good waitress. Here's your menu. Today's special is cream of broccoli soup, vegetable lasagne and apple strudel for dessert."
Hermione didn't bother with the menu and told the waitress, "If you can give me today's special in a jiffy, I will be your friend for life."
Alice chuckled. "Hungry, eh? OK I'll tell Chip to work on it pronto. In the meantime, I'll get you some breadsticks to tide you over. What would like to drink?"
"Thank you, and I'll have a glass of iced tea, no sugar please." Hermione smiled.
"Brill. Be back with you in a bit."
As she waited for her food to be served, Hermione rummaged through her large tote and got her notebook and pen out. Might as well begin drafting my letter to the Museum of London about my internship while I'm not doing anything.
As she began drafting her the letter, while nibbling on her breadstick, she heard the sound of chairs being pushed back and people leaving a table. She looked up and had the shock of her life when the blond man finally turned and faced her direction. "Malfoy?!?"
~~~~
Draco was having a blast. Mrs. Whipstaff was in the middle of one of her stories about the 1960's -- this time about the sneaking into the Beatles' dressing room during a concert on a dare to aquire a pair of boxers from each of the band's members. Helen, much to Draco's surprise, wasn't half bad. She really seemed like a nice, sweet young woman as Mrs. Whipstaff said she was. She hadn't tried any fancy moves on Draco. No footsies or crotch-grabbing under the table. Although, judging from the blush she had on her face and the smiles she kept flashing at Draco, he could tell that she would go out with him if he asked.
"Oops, the time!" Mrs. Whipstaff suddenly said. "Sorry, Draco dear, but Helen and I must go. I've set her up for an appointment with my hair stylist and Ruben would be so ticked off if we didn't show up."
"That's quite alright, Mrs. Whipstaff. Thanks for coming over for lunch and for the wonderful company." Draco smiled back, stood up and helped Mrs. Whipstaff to get up. Then he turned to Helen and offered his hand, "It was nice to meet you, Helen. I do hope you enjoy your time in London." She shook his hand and he was about to ask her if she wanted to have dinner with him sometime when he heard someone gasp and shout from across the cafe "Malfoy?!?"
He clenched his jaw to keep it from falling to the floor and managed to croak out "Granger?"
He forgot about his lunch companions and walked quickly to her table. Her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets and her hands were covering her mouth. She looked so much like the Granger he hated and eventually respected in Hogwarts, her hair still bushy and her nose still with that prissy look about it, he just had to laugh. And so he did. Hermione looked at him for a few more seconds before laughing right along with him.
There was no sound in the cafe for a few minutes except for Draco and Hermione's laughter, which was cut short when Chip, who overheard the rare sound of Draco laughing from the kitchen, stepped into the dining area to check out what was going on and said "What the hell is going on here, kid?"
Hermione's hands immediately grabbed at the lower half of her face to cover her mouth and stop her laughter. She looked just like she did when one of the Hogwarts professors caught her doing something against the rules, which made Draco laugh harder.
"Dammit, Malfoy, shut up." She said in a low, menacing voice, trying to put on her best McGonogall glare.
"Make me, Granger" He tried to stop laughing and gave her his rendition of Snape Looking at Know-it-all Granger Look.
"OK, you two, what's going on? Who are you and what have you done to my head waiter?" Chip interrupting the battle of the McGonogall Glare and the Snape Stare.
Hermione's first thought at that was head waiter?!?! but before she could say anything, Draco spoke up. "Hermione Granger, Chip. We went to school together."
"I see", Chip looked at the petite, fresh-faced, curly-haired girl who looked like she was swallowing whatever she wanted to say and it wasn't going down well. "Well nice to meet you, Ms. Granger." There was no way he could pronounce her first name after hearing it only once.
"Hermione. It's nice to meet you, too, sir." She seemed to have finally collected herself and stood up to shake Chip's hand.
"My name's Chip," he said as he shook her hand.
"Hello, Chip. Sorry for the ruckus we caused. It's just that... um... well... I haven't seen Malfoy in over two years."
"Oh no problem. It's just that I haven't heard Draco laugh that way for as long as I've known him. Feel free to make him laugh more often." Chip smiled warmly at Hermione as Mrs. Whipstaff, thinking that it was finally safe to approach, walked towards Hermione's table. She was curious about this girl.
"Hello, dear. I'm Mrs. Whipstaff."
Hermione turned to face the older woman and shook her hand "Hermione Granger, ma'am."
When no one else said anything for a few seconds, mostly because Draco and Hermione kept on looking at each other with mixed expressions of shock and curiosity, and a hint of being happy to see each other, Mrs. Whipstaff cleared her throat and bade everyone goodbye, promising Draco that she'll be at the Cafe on Thursday as usual. Chip said "Well I better go finish up Hermione's lunch." Both of which were hardly noticed by the two who continued staring at each other. When they were finally alone, they spoke up.
"Granger, what are you--"
"Head Waiter?"
"You firs--"
"You firs--"
Hermione sat down and Draco took the seat across her. "OK, Granger, should we start again?"
"Yes, Malfoy."
"What are you doing here?"
"Grabbing a bite to eat. Head waiter?"
"Yes, I started out as the worst of the lot but after about six months of practise, I eventually caught on and got promoted."
"You're deliberately missing the point, Malfoy."
"I know. But can we hold off the explanations for later? I... uh..." Draco looked down and started fiddling with the table napkin.
"No one here knows." Hermione said.
"Yes."
"I understand. You've been here all this time?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"In a nutshell? I was sick of ... of that whole ... world..."
"I know what you mean."
"You do?"
"I was sick of it, too."
"You mean...?"
"Yes, I left."
"Why? You were everyone's Golden Girl. I'd thought by now you'd be living happily ever after with Potter."
Hermioned did not respond for a few seconds after that. "Yeah, well happily ever after did not happen as planned."
"Is Potter alright? I mean... there's nothing seriously wrong with... that place... right?"
"He's fine, I think... I left about a year ago. Things were fine then."
"If things were fine, why did you leave?"
"I thought we were holding off explanations for later."
"Fine. What are you doing for the rest of the day."
"Well hopefully getting an explanation as to why I ran into Draco Malfoy today. You?"
"I'm taking the rest of the day off. I want to know why I ran into Hermione Granger, too."
~~~~
Chip kept his satisfied smile to himself as Draco went to the kitchen to ask if he could have the rest of the day off because he wanted to spend a bit of time with his old schoolmate. He had never seen the young man so ... quietly ecstatic. There was no other word term for it. Draco's silver eyes were bright and excited but other than that, there was no sign that Draco felt anything out of the ordinary. He was still talking in his usual droll and bored voice, leaning against the kitchen counter casually.
"So, Chip, yes or no? I'd make it up to you and Alice, and you can dock my pay for the day. It's just that I haven't seen Granger in a long time and I'm curious about... well about what she's been up to." He wanted to know what Hermione has been up to, yes, but there was another reason why Draco wanted to talk to her immediately. He felt that she would be able to provide him with some clues that would lead to him answering the questions in his head about his future, his potential and his fears. He trusted Granger's well-organised and highly-rational brain enough to want her opinion and her thoughts on his dilemma. Besides, seeing her today made him realised that he did miss the Wizarding World, not enough to ever want to go back to it fully, but enough to be excited at seeing someone who shared a common history and the secret Wizarding World with him.
"No problem, kid. Go have fun with your old friend. If I were as young as you are and I didn't have Mrs. Chip waiting home for be with a huge rolling pin, I'd want to spend time with that pretty little thing, too." Chip smirked.
"It's not like that, Chip." Draco frowned but shrugged the comment away. If he denied it further, it would only egg Chip on.
"Sure, sure, kid. Now go before I change my mind."
He watched from the window as Draco headed back to Hermione's table to lead her out of the cafe. Something told Chip that this girl was just as special as Draco. Smart as a whip from the looks of her, and cute, too. Hope that boy realises that before it's too late.
~~~~
"Aren't you afraid that this is some Death Eater trap to get Harry Potter's girl and hold her hostage until he comes to rescue her so that the Death Eaters would have their way with him and bring Voldemort back to life?" Draco asked the question casually but deep inside, he braced himself for her answer. They had agreed to keep things quiet until they reached a more private spot. Draco led her to a small park two blocks away from Chip's, where they could talk freely.
She snorted. "First off, Malfoy, you're no Death Eater. I know that underneath your snarkiness, you're on the right side. Secondly, I am not Potter's girl. Never have been. Never will be. Thirdly, I've been away from the Wizarding World for a little over a year. No one has come looking for me so if any Death Eater decides to kidnap me to get some attention, they'd have better luck with snatching some random person in the Daigon Alley."
Draco breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't afraid of him. He had no idea how much he wanted someone to tell him to his face that he was no Death Eater until she said so candidly: "Aren't you afraid that I've been sent by Dumbledore or the Ministry of Magic or Harry Potter to check up on you to make sure that you're not reverting to your Death Eater ways?"
Draco laughed. Trust Granger to hit the sorest spot with a candor only she was capable of. "No, for one, I believe you when you said you've been gone from the Wizarding World for more than a year. Plus, sheesh, Granger, if there was anyone in the world who would make the worst spy, it would be you. Your face is too honest and you never could lie to save yourself."
"Well, true in most cases, Malfoy. But I've been known to lie on occassion." She said, recalling how she lied to the professors in her first year during the troll incident and how she lied to Umbridge in their fifth year to lead her to centaurs.
"No wait, you can lie. You lied to Umbridge! Of course, you had your face covered the entire time." Draco chuckled. "So are you spying on me or not?"
"I've better use of my time than to spy on the likes of you, Malfoy", she stuck her tongue out at him and smirked.
"Well glad to have that covered. Anything else we need to clear up before we start with the explanations?"
"None here. You?"
"Nope. So why are you here? Why aren't you in the Ministry of Magic as the youngest Minister of Magic in the history of the world, fighting for house- elves rights, and living happily ever after with Boy Wonder?"
Hermione's smile, which had grown steadily over the the light banter between them began to wane and she kept quiet, looking at the ground.
"Did I hit a nerve?"
"Yes, let me collect my thoughts for a second." She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "OK. Ready. Well, where do I start? After the war, when the whole Wizarding World was throwing parties and galas left and right, and heaping awards and citations on everyone who had anything to do with the victory, I just suddenly got sick of the whole thing. I remember thinking that you did the wisest move of all by disappearing and having your own victory in some secluded tropical island. I remember envying you for that. So I left."
"What do you think I am, Granger, I reporter for Witch Weekly? Don't give me pat answers, please. Don't insult me that way."
Hermione looked at him for a few seconds, trying to assess if she could trust him enough to tell him the real and deepest reasons for her leaving the Wizarding World. She had gotten to know him better during seventh year. She had no choice, they were practically joined at the hip as Head Boy and Head Girl. She had learned to read Draco. She could tell when he was being secretive, when he was troubled, when he was truly angry, when he was pissed off, when he was afraid, when he was being sincere. But this Draco in front of her now was shockingly different from the Hogwarts Draco. He seemed calmer, deeper, more subdued.
"If I tell you my reasons, do you promise to be just as honest as I am?"
"Yes. You might not have noticed, Granger, but I am genuinely happy to see you. Shocked, yes. But happy. You showed up at a very opportune moment."
"Why?"
"Answer my questions first, then I'll answer yours. Deal?"
"Deal."
They shook on it.
Over the course of the afternoon, Draco and Hermione talked about the past two years. Hermione talked about realising that Harry Potter would never fall in love with her and the later, and more importantly, realisation that her entire Wizarding identity was wrapped up in Harry Potter. In order for her to aquire an identity of her own and to get over her pain, she felt she had to leave that world behind.
"But I didn't really leave it all behind, you know. I'm studying at a Muggle university now, getting a degree in Medieval History and Sociology, but I've continued to do things for the Order of the Phoenix and Hogwarts."
"Things like?
"Well not spying on you, definitely. Things like inventing new charms, hexes and jinxes. Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonogal presented a good opportunity for me to continue practising magic without having to live in the Wizarding World by bringing me differents project I can work on in secret. They're the only ones I've kept in touch with in the past year. I venture out into the Wizarding World once a month, mostly going to Hogwarts so I can discuss ideas, theories and projects with the professors."
"Why do you it?"
"Because I spent seven years of my life learning to become a witch and I did that 100%. There was no way in the world that I was going to give up everything I've learned, the witch I've become, and what I can be just because the boy I had given my heart to failed to see it and ended up trampling all over it. Please. I'm better than that."
Draco looked at her with renewed respect. No one could do dignity and grace quite the way she could -- and it never failed to amaze him.
"Why are you looking at me that way?"
"Because, I've never told you this before, Granger, but you've always amazed me. Even when you were slapping me for all to see when we were 13, you didn't fail to amaze me. I'll say this once and I expect you to believe it: if there was one proof that would blow away the entire dogma on not allowing Muggleborns into the Wizarding World, that proof would be you, Granger."
Hermione bit her lip as her eyes watered. She reached for his shoulders and hugged him tightly. "You have no idea what it means to me to hear you say that, Malfoy." She let go of him and smiled while looking into his silver eyes "If there was one thing that would prove to the world that change is possible, that there is innate goodness in everyone, no matter where they come from and how they were raised, that would be you, Malfoy. That would be you."
Right there and then, looking into Hermione's eyes and reveling in her words, Draco knew that everything would be alright.
A look at her watch told her that it was thirty minutes after noon and the rumbling in her stomach told her that it was time for lunch, but Mr. Barnes, the curator for the Museum of London, was not finished with her just yet. He kept dronning on and on about the acclaimed Dark Age, Saxon and Medieval Gallery of the museum, reminding her a bit of Professor Binns in her History of Magic Class in Hogwarts. If he drops dead right this instant, I swear, his ghost would just leave his body behind and continue lecturing.
She was enjoying herself and finding the lecture informative but she was famished and it was distracting her. She had been too busy finishing her essay on Medieval Political History lastnight to eat dinner, and she skipped breakfast today because she had to rush to the Museum of London for her appointment with Mr. Barnes. The meeting was supposed to have lasted only for three hours, from 8 to 11, but Mr. Barnes, perhaps enjoying the rare chance to speak to someone who was genuinely interested in the museum's collection and could actually understand what he was saying, paid no attention to the hours that flew by.
"Mr. Barnes, I hate to take away any more of your time, and I'd like to thank you again for agreeing to show me your latest collection" Hermione finally said before she thoroughly embarassed herself by breaking open one of the display cases and having an original Chaucer manuscript for lunch.
"Oh, yes. You're most welcome, Ms. Granger. I do hope you found your visit informative." he responded.
"Most definitely, sir. I am definitely considering spending my internship here at the London Museum and I can't begin to thank you enough for your hospitality."
"Oh I do believe that the London Museum would be lucky to have a bright mind like yours here. I look forward to your internship."
Finally, after a few more minutes of exchanging parting pleasantries, Hermione almost ran to the exit of the museum, half-afraid that Mr. Barnes would remember that he forgot to tell her all about the latest aquisitions at the Late Stuart London Gallery and offer to give another mini-lecture. Before she exited the door to museum, she realised that she didn't know a good place to eat in the area, so she smiled at one of the lady security guards and asked her.
"Well one of the best places here is Chip's at Cheapside Cafe. Take a right when you exit the building and head for Cheapside Street. The cafe would be on your left. You can't miss it."
Hermione followed the guard's instructions and was able to find the cafe easily. From the outside, it looked ancient. It was one of those holes-in- the-wall eating establishments that had history and character, and served hot and well-cooked meals. There was a down-to-earth and warm feel to it and even before she entered the cafe, she had a feeling that she would be thanking the guard for the recommendation.
As she entered the cafe, one of the waiters, a young woman with short, spiky green hair and multiple facial piercings nodded at her and motioned for her to take the table near the left wall, close to the door. "Be with you in a minute, ok?"
"Sure" Hermione said as she took a seat with her back to the wall. The cafe was not packed. There were only four tables filled, including hers. Sitting next to her table was a pair of middle-aged men, playing a game of chess, as they ate fish and chips. On the other side of the dining area, nearer to the kitchen sat three young women, who looked like they were in a deep discussion. Probably uni kids, too. The table almost directly opposite hers across the room had a tiny, elderly lady wearing a shocking pink dress, a pretty, red-haired young woman who was smiling and blushing, and a short- haired blond man who had his back to her. From the looks of it, the old lady in the pink dress was regaling her younger companions with stories, her hands waving and motioning.
"Hi, I'm Alice. Don't let the looks fool you, I'm a spanking good waitress. Here's your menu. Today's special is cream of broccoli soup, vegetable lasagne and apple strudel for dessert."
Hermione didn't bother with the menu and told the waitress, "If you can give me today's special in a jiffy, I will be your friend for life."
Alice chuckled. "Hungry, eh? OK I'll tell Chip to work on it pronto. In the meantime, I'll get you some breadsticks to tide you over. What would like to drink?"
"Thank you, and I'll have a glass of iced tea, no sugar please." Hermione smiled.
"Brill. Be back with you in a bit."
As she waited for her food to be served, Hermione rummaged through her large tote and got her notebook and pen out. Might as well begin drafting my letter to the Museum of London about my internship while I'm not doing anything.
As she began drafting her the letter, while nibbling on her breadstick, she heard the sound of chairs being pushed back and people leaving a table. She looked up and had the shock of her life when the blond man finally turned and faced her direction. "Malfoy?!?"
~~~~
Draco was having a blast. Mrs. Whipstaff was in the middle of one of her stories about the 1960's -- this time about the sneaking into the Beatles' dressing room during a concert on a dare to aquire a pair of boxers from each of the band's members. Helen, much to Draco's surprise, wasn't half bad. She really seemed like a nice, sweet young woman as Mrs. Whipstaff said she was. She hadn't tried any fancy moves on Draco. No footsies or crotch-grabbing under the table. Although, judging from the blush she had on her face and the smiles she kept flashing at Draco, he could tell that she would go out with him if he asked.
"Oops, the time!" Mrs. Whipstaff suddenly said. "Sorry, Draco dear, but Helen and I must go. I've set her up for an appointment with my hair stylist and Ruben would be so ticked off if we didn't show up."
"That's quite alright, Mrs. Whipstaff. Thanks for coming over for lunch and for the wonderful company." Draco smiled back, stood up and helped Mrs. Whipstaff to get up. Then he turned to Helen and offered his hand, "It was nice to meet you, Helen. I do hope you enjoy your time in London." She shook his hand and he was about to ask her if she wanted to have dinner with him sometime when he heard someone gasp and shout from across the cafe "Malfoy?!?"
He clenched his jaw to keep it from falling to the floor and managed to croak out "Granger?"
He forgot about his lunch companions and walked quickly to her table. Her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets and her hands were covering her mouth. She looked so much like the Granger he hated and eventually respected in Hogwarts, her hair still bushy and her nose still with that prissy look about it, he just had to laugh. And so he did. Hermione looked at him for a few more seconds before laughing right along with him.
There was no sound in the cafe for a few minutes except for Draco and Hermione's laughter, which was cut short when Chip, who overheard the rare sound of Draco laughing from the kitchen, stepped into the dining area to check out what was going on and said "What the hell is going on here, kid?"
Hermione's hands immediately grabbed at the lower half of her face to cover her mouth and stop her laughter. She looked just like she did when one of the Hogwarts professors caught her doing something against the rules, which made Draco laugh harder.
"Dammit, Malfoy, shut up." She said in a low, menacing voice, trying to put on her best McGonogall glare.
"Make me, Granger" He tried to stop laughing and gave her his rendition of Snape Looking at Know-it-all Granger Look.
"OK, you two, what's going on? Who are you and what have you done to my head waiter?" Chip interrupting the battle of the McGonogall Glare and the Snape Stare.
Hermione's first thought at that was head waiter?!?! but before she could say anything, Draco spoke up. "Hermione Granger, Chip. We went to school together."
"I see", Chip looked at the petite, fresh-faced, curly-haired girl who looked like she was swallowing whatever she wanted to say and it wasn't going down well. "Well nice to meet you, Ms. Granger." There was no way he could pronounce her first name after hearing it only once.
"Hermione. It's nice to meet you, too, sir." She seemed to have finally collected herself and stood up to shake Chip's hand.
"My name's Chip," he said as he shook her hand.
"Hello, Chip. Sorry for the ruckus we caused. It's just that... um... well... I haven't seen Malfoy in over two years."
"Oh no problem. It's just that I haven't heard Draco laugh that way for as long as I've known him. Feel free to make him laugh more often." Chip smiled warmly at Hermione as Mrs. Whipstaff, thinking that it was finally safe to approach, walked towards Hermione's table. She was curious about this girl.
"Hello, dear. I'm Mrs. Whipstaff."
Hermione turned to face the older woman and shook her hand "Hermione Granger, ma'am."
When no one else said anything for a few seconds, mostly because Draco and Hermione kept on looking at each other with mixed expressions of shock and curiosity, and a hint of being happy to see each other, Mrs. Whipstaff cleared her throat and bade everyone goodbye, promising Draco that she'll be at the Cafe on Thursday as usual. Chip said "Well I better go finish up Hermione's lunch." Both of which were hardly noticed by the two who continued staring at each other. When they were finally alone, they spoke up.
"Granger, what are you--"
"Head Waiter?"
"You firs--"
"You firs--"
Hermione sat down and Draco took the seat across her. "OK, Granger, should we start again?"
"Yes, Malfoy."
"What are you doing here?"
"Grabbing a bite to eat. Head waiter?"
"Yes, I started out as the worst of the lot but after about six months of practise, I eventually caught on and got promoted."
"You're deliberately missing the point, Malfoy."
"I know. But can we hold off the explanations for later? I... uh..." Draco looked down and started fiddling with the table napkin.
"No one here knows." Hermione said.
"Yes."
"I understand. You've been here all this time?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"In a nutshell? I was sick of ... of that whole ... world..."
"I know what you mean."
"You do?"
"I was sick of it, too."
"You mean...?"
"Yes, I left."
"Why? You were everyone's Golden Girl. I'd thought by now you'd be living happily ever after with Potter."
Hermioned did not respond for a few seconds after that. "Yeah, well happily ever after did not happen as planned."
"Is Potter alright? I mean... there's nothing seriously wrong with... that place... right?"
"He's fine, I think... I left about a year ago. Things were fine then."
"If things were fine, why did you leave?"
"I thought we were holding off explanations for later."
"Fine. What are you doing for the rest of the day."
"Well hopefully getting an explanation as to why I ran into Draco Malfoy today. You?"
"I'm taking the rest of the day off. I want to know why I ran into Hermione Granger, too."
~~~~
Chip kept his satisfied smile to himself as Draco went to the kitchen to ask if he could have the rest of the day off because he wanted to spend a bit of time with his old schoolmate. He had never seen the young man so ... quietly ecstatic. There was no other word term for it. Draco's silver eyes were bright and excited but other than that, there was no sign that Draco felt anything out of the ordinary. He was still talking in his usual droll and bored voice, leaning against the kitchen counter casually.
"So, Chip, yes or no? I'd make it up to you and Alice, and you can dock my pay for the day. It's just that I haven't seen Granger in a long time and I'm curious about... well about what she's been up to." He wanted to know what Hermione has been up to, yes, but there was another reason why Draco wanted to talk to her immediately. He felt that she would be able to provide him with some clues that would lead to him answering the questions in his head about his future, his potential and his fears. He trusted Granger's well-organised and highly-rational brain enough to want her opinion and her thoughts on his dilemma. Besides, seeing her today made him realised that he did miss the Wizarding World, not enough to ever want to go back to it fully, but enough to be excited at seeing someone who shared a common history and the secret Wizarding World with him.
"No problem, kid. Go have fun with your old friend. If I were as young as you are and I didn't have Mrs. Chip waiting home for be with a huge rolling pin, I'd want to spend time with that pretty little thing, too." Chip smirked.
"It's not like that, Chip." Draco frowned but shrugged the comment away. If he denied it further, it would only egg Chip on.
"Sure, sure, kid. Now go before I change my mind."
He watched from the window as Draco headed back to Hermione's table to lead her out of the cafe. Something told Chip that this girl was just as special as Draco. Smart as a whip from the looks of her, and cute, too. Hope that boy realises that before it's too late.
~~~~
"Aren't you afraid that this is some Death Eater trap to get Harry Potter's girl and hold her hostage until he comes to rescue her so that the Death Eaters would have their way with him and bring Voldemort back to life?" Draco asked the question casually but deep inside, he braced himself for her answer. They had agreed to keep things quiet until they reached a more private spot. Draco led her to a small park two blocks away from Chip's, where they could talk freely.
She snorted. "First off, Malfoy, you're no Death Eater. I know that underneath your snarkiness, you're on the right side. Secondly, I am not Potter's girl. Never have been. Never will be. Thirdly, I've been away from the Wizarding World for a little over a year. No one has come looking for me so if any Death Eater decides to kidnap me to get some attention, they'd have better luck with snatching some random person in the Daigon Alley."
Draco breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't afraid of him. He had no idea how much he wanted someone to tell him to his face that he was no Death Eater until she said so candidly: "Aren't you afraid that I've been sent by Dumbledore or the Ministry of Magic or Harry Potter to check up on you to make sure that you're not reverting to your Death Eater ways?"
Draco laughed. Trust Granger to hit the sorest spot with a candor only she was capable of. "No, for one, I believe you when you said you've been gone from the Wizarding World for more than a year. Plus, sheesh, Granger, if there was anyone in the world who would make the worst spy, it would be you. Your face is too honest and you never could lie to save yourself."
"Well, true in most cases, Malfoy. But I've been known to lie on occassion." She said, recalling how she lied to the professors in her first year during the troll incident and how she lied to Umbridge in their fifth year to lead her to centaurs.
"No wait, you can lie. You lied to Umbridge! Of course, you had your face covered the entire time." Draco chuckled. "So are you spying on me or not?"
"I've better use of my time than to spy on the likes of you, Malfoy", she stuck her tongue out at him and smirked.
"Well glad to have that covered. Anything else we need to clear up before we start with the explanations?"
"None here. You?"
"Nope. So why are you here? Why aren't you in the Ministry of Magic as the youngest Minister of Magic in the history of the world, fighting for house- elves rights, and living happily ever after with Boy Wonder?"
Hermione's smile, which had grown steadily over the the light banter between them began to wane and she kept quiet, looking at the ground.
"Did I hit a nerve?"
"Yes, let me collect my thoughts for a second." She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "OK. Ready. Well, where do I start? After the war, when the whole Wizarding World was throwing parties and galas left and right, and heaping awards and citations on everyone who had anything to do with the victory, I just suddenly got sick of the whole thing. I remember thinking that you did the wisest move of all by disappearing and having your own victory in some secluded tropical island. I remember envying you for that. So I left."
"What do you think I am, Granger, I reporter for Witch Weekly? Don't give me pat answers, please. Don't insult me that way."
Hermione looked at him for a few seconds, trying to assess if she could trust him enough to tell him the real and deepest reasons for her leaving the Wizarding World. She had gotten to know him better during seventh year. She had no choice, they were practically joined at the hip as Head Boy and Head Girl. She had learned to read Draco. She could tell when he was being secretive, when he was troubled, when he was truly angry, when he was pissed off, when he was afraid, when he was being sincere. But this Draco in front of her now was shockingly different from the Hogwarts Draco. He seemed calmer, deeper, more subdued.
"If I tell you my reasons, do you promise to be just as honest as I am?"
"Yes. You might not have noticed, Granger, but I am genuinely happy to see you. Shocked, yes. But happy. You showed up at a very opportune moment."
"Why?"
"Answer my questions first, then I'll answer yours. Deal?"
"Deal."
They shook on it.
Over the course of the afternoon, Draco and Hermione talked about the past two years. Hermione talked about realising that Harry Potter would never fall in love with her and the later, and more importantly, realisation that her entire Wizarding identity was wrapped up in Harry Potter. In order for her to aquire an identity of her own and to get over her pain, she felt she had to leave that world behind.
"But I didn't really leave it all behind, you know. I'm studying at a Muggle university now, getting a degree in Medieval History and Sociology, but I've continued to do things for the Order of the Phoenix and Hogwarts."
"Things like?
"Well not spying on you, definitely. Things like inventing new charms, hexes and jinxes. Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonogal presented a good opportunity for me to continue practising magic without having to live in the Wizarding World by bringing me differents project I can work on in secret. They're the only ones I've kept in touch with in the past year. I venture out into the Wizarding World once a month, mostly going to Hogwarts so I can discuss ideas, theories and projects with the professors."
"Why do you it?"
"Because I spent seven years of my life learning to become a witch and I did that 100%. There was no way in the world that I was going to give up everything I've learned, the witch I've become, and what I can be just because the boy I had given my heart to failed to see it and ended up trampling all over it. Please. I'm better than that."
Draco looked at her with renewed respect. No one could do dignity and grace quite the way she could -- and it never failed to amaze him.
"Why are you looking at me that way?"
"Because, I've never told you this before, Granger, but you've always amazed me. Even when you were slapping me for all to see when we were 13, you didn't fail to amaze me. I'll say this once and I expect you to believe it: if there was one proof that would blow away the entire dogma on not allowing Muggleborns into the Wizarding World, that proof would be you, Granger."
Hermione bit her lip as her eyes watered. She reached for his shoulders and hugged him tightly. "You have no idea what it means to me to hear you say that, Malfoy." She let go of him and smiled while looking into his silver eyes "If there was one thing that would prove to the world that change is possible, that there is innate goodness in everyone, no matter where they come from and how they were raised, that would be you, Malfoy. That would be you."
Right there and then, looking into Hermione's eyes and reveling in her words, Draco knew that everything would be alright.
