Harry frowned and softly squeezed the tomato, sniffing it to see if it was fresh then popped a few into his bag. He handed the merchant his due and said, "Keep the change." After all, a few pennies don't add up to much. He was staying at the Snowy Owl in a room on top of the pub. In return, he offered to work for meal and rent. Just like old times. His final assignment was completely finished, papers and all. The entire summer was his to utilize and he was trying to make the most of it. The news of his arrival died down, as did speculation about his love life. Paparazzi soon found his normal routine boring and gave up. But to Harry Potter, the boy who lived, it was a welcomed change and a sort of relief from the life he had been living.
Moving over to the lettuce, he spotted her. It was the woman with those warm hazel brown eyes. Her hair was now in a ponytail. And her clothes fitted to her slim figure. Hermione was trying to figure out what to eat for dinner tonight when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
"Hey stranger." Harry said with a twinkle in his eye. "Haven't seen you around for a while."
"I've been away in Dublin, speaking to some publishers." She replied.
"Does that mean you're done?"
"No… not yet. I still have to run through some drafts. In my eye, it's far from done."
"I'm sure it's well written." He said picking up a lettuce head and handed the merchant the amount. "May I walk with you?"
"Of course." She said popping the change into her wallet.
"So who are you Hermione Granger? Tell me about yourself. Are you happy with your writing? Are you married? Kids? Werewolf on the prowl?"
"No!" she laughed "no, no, no. I'm just a boring girl with a pen in my hand."
The time blew by as they were discovering things about each other. Harry's bag was getting full from all the food he had gotten and as was Hermione.
"Have you figured out what you want to eat for dinner yet?" He asked her
"Erm… probably just pasta. Nice and easy for a single dinner." She smiled at him. "How about you? Barkeeper again tonight Harry?"
"Yep. I'll pop into the kitchen and just whip something up."
"That's great." She paused. "Well… gotta go."
"Wait… say… want to bump into me around 4 tomorrow? Say around… There?" He pointed to the coffee shop across the street.
"No…" She said, Harry's shoulders slumped, then added "How about 3?"
"3's fine. I'll see you at 3 then."
"Okay."
"Okay."