A/N: Hi! I dedicate this chapter here to Alybaby for her birthday, which is the two year anniversary of when I started this story. Thanks for getting me writing again!
*~~~~~~~~~~*
Hermione sat on a stool in a small cafe in London, with a small smile playing on her lips as she swirled her coffee to the beat of the rain that was coming down outside. It had been two years since she had moved away from the magical world and everyone in it, and she was rather happy on her own.
She didn't own much, since she did something typically Hermione and got a job at a small but prestigous bookstore downtown, but she did have her own place. It wasn't fancy, and it was only 4 rooms, but it was home. She figured Ron would have liked it.
A small sigh escaped her lips at the thought of her late husband, but she had learned to remember the good times, and not dwell on everything they would miss.
She had even dated a few times, trying to move forward with her life, but there wasn't any sparks. Sure, it had been a few nice evenings, but she couldn't imagine spending her life with any of them, and after ten years of marriage, anything less would have just ended up with everyone hurt.
She absently noticed the door bells jingle cheerfully as someone stepped inside, letting in the smell of spring rain. She continued to dwell in her thoughts until someone hit her elbow with his hip, causing her to knock her cup of coffee over.
"Oh!" she exclaimed in suprise. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a flash of blonde hair when she went to reach for the napkins.
"I'm sorry about that. Here let me help you," said the man that had bumped her. It was then that she turned to look at him. As she did, a feeling of de-ja-vu swept over her, and she almost cringed in the expectation to hear the word 'Mudblood' fall from his lips.
It had been seventh year, only a week after Ron had proposed, when Draco Malfoy had done the same thing. She had been reaching for her juice when something hit her from behind, causing her to knock it over. She had only sighed when she heard that drawl.
"Mudblood, how clumsy of you. You should know better than to play with your food. But then I guess muggle parents wouldn't know anything about manners." He sneered as Ron and Harry both jumped out of their chairs, wands raised.
"Oh, what's this? Both of you are going to protect her? There is only enough room on that chubby finger for one engagement ring. So, who popped the question?" His face grew slightly disgusted.
"Or did one of you mean it for the other, and just put it on the Mudblood's finger to save face?" Ron's face grew red from anger, and Harry looked ready to drop his wand altogether, and pummel Malfoy with his fist.
Hermione had had enough. She stood and stuck her finger in Malfoy's face. He looked slightly suprised, but quickly covered it with his trademark sneer.
"Malfoy, why don't you mind your own business? I can marry whomever I please, and it is of absolutely no concern to you. So just take your slimey self back to the Slytherin table, and leave my finace, best-friend, and me alone? No-one wants you here."
His face had darkened with each word, and by the time she was done, he was practically vibrating with rage. He reached out and grabbed her wrist tightly, jerking her forward until her face was only an inch from his.
"Don't push me Mudblood. You don't want to start something you can't handle." She pushed her face even closer, having to tilt her chin up a little bit, since he was taller than her.
"There's nothing you can do that I couldn't handle Malfoy. Don't threaten me. It won't work." He could pratically feel the sparks the were coming from her eyes. He glared right back, never blinking, never loosening his hold on her wrist.
A hand touched her arm, and she jerked, pulling herself out of her memories, as she tried to re-adjust to the world around her.
"Excuse me," she asked, confusion on her face. The man smiled at her, and it was then that she realized why she felt like he looked like Malfoy. They had the same structure to their face, the same color hair and eyes, and there mouth was shaped the same way. Of course, she had never seen Malfoy smile, so she didn't know if they had the same smile or not. They could have had the same nose, only this man's had been broken and didn't seem to have healed straight. It didn't seem to take away from his looks though, as it took the sharp perfection that could have been there, and turned it into something more rugged.
"I asked if you were alright. You seemed, well, frightened of me," he said, his eyes seeming to twinkle at her.
"Oh yes, yes, i'm fine. I'm sorry about that. You just reminded me of someone I used to know. You look alot like him." She smiled at him then, trying not to stare, and took the napkin he handed her and started to mop up the mess.
He watched her clean the table, noticing just how pretty the woman truely was. A slightly upturned nose, high cheekbones, soft brown eyes, and lips that looked as if they were meant to smile. She wasn't someone who would turn every head when she walked into a room, but when she smiled, she seemed to shine, and it could make any man look at least twice. But when she reached up to tuck a stray brown curl behind her ear, he realized that she reminded him of someone too.
"Yes," he said absently, mind working away at trying to remember who it was that she looked like. "You seem to remind me of someone too." She glanced at him then, a slightly troubled look, before she quickly looked again at the table.
That sent his curiousity bells ringing. He had to figure out who this woman was.
"Here, let me buy you another one, as i've wasted yours," he spoke, as he picked the soggy napkins up and tossed them into the trash-can beside the counter.
"Oh, no, I couldn't. Thank you though." He gently grasped her elbow as she looked to be starting to slip away towards the door.
"I insist." Hermione could do nothing but nod as the hand on her back gently propelled her along towards the register. She was working furiously in her head, trying to figure out ehy he would know her. If he did, he had to be from the magical world, for she had made sure that she didn't draw attention to herself in this one.
"Order whatever you like," he told her, glancing at the waitress behind the register when she flashed him a bright smile and a wink. He gave her a cold nod in return, and returned to watching the small woman in front of him as she told the waitress what she wanted.
The waitress was only one of many women who gave him inviting looks. In his younger days he would have given her a big smile back, and set right to work at tumbling her into a bed somewhere. Now, he simply accepted that women, and the occasional man, liked his looks and went on. He had discovered that if there was anything worthwhile in their heads, they wouldn't take one look at him and decide that he was the one they wanted. He knew, because he used to be one of those people who saw a pretty face and couldn't keep his pants up. He knew exactly how shallow people thought.
"Would you like to get a booth, so we can talk," he asked the woman, as she picked up her coffee, who looked suprised, but catiously nodded. Smiling a bigger smile at her, he motioned for her to lead the way as he laid down the money for the drink. He only shook his head as the waitress flashed him another smile, before she went to check on a couple in the corner.
He walked to the booth where she had sat down, and noticed that she had gotten closest to the door, which would be an easy escape in this rain.
They sat there for a few moments in silence, the voices of the other people murmuring in the background.
"So," she finally asked, "What did you want to talk about?" He blinked before he remembered that he had said he wanted to talk.
"Well," he said slowly, "I'm not exactly sure. But we both think we resemble someone we used to know, so how about...where did you go to school?" The woman's eyes flashed something, but it was gone before he could figure out what it was.
"Actually, I was home schooled for most of my time, before I went to a small private school in my hometown. You probably wouldn't have heard of it. How about you? Did you grow up around here?" The man seemed to hesitate for a second.
"Oh around here and there. I moved alot. I attended several schools throughout the years. You probably wouldn't have heard of any of them, either." She nodded and sipped her coffee as they fell back into a semi-uncomfortable silence. He decided to try again at conversation.
"So, any great accomplishments? You know, write a book, kill someone, make tables float?" He grinned at her. "I think i've set a record for being the most clumsy individual in existence."
Trying to slow her heart down from the 'make tables float' joke he had made, she forced a smile. Could he be a wizard? Was he sent here to find her, and was trying to trick her into reveleing herself?
"Actually," she said, "I did write a book once." She glanced down at the table. "It was back when I was married, before my husband died." She looked back up at him, and could read the sympathy in his face. Not wanting to see the pity, she looked away again.
"I'm sorry. May I ask what happend?" She nodded, blinking for a second as she had a flash-back of a face that looked exactly like his sneering. Shaking her head slightly, she tried to put Draco's face out of her head.
"He was a...police man. They were doing a raid one night, and he was...shot." He noticed the slight hesitation before her words, but decided not to say anything about it.
"Well, it was nice talking to you, and I thank you for the coffee, but I have work in about 30 minutes, so I need to go." He watched, his curiousty tingling in the back of his mind. He couldn't just let her walk out that door.
"Wait. Please, what's your name? I'd like to see you again, if it's ok. Where do you work? Where can I find you?" She turned and started to tell him no thanks, that it wasn't ok to see her again, when the words died on her lips. She stared into warm silver eyes that were pleading with her to stay, and she felt an attraction she hadn't felt since she realized that she was in love with Ron. Her face flushed as she realized that she had been staring at him, as if she was star-struck.
"I...yes, it's ok. I work at 'The Bookshelf' over on the other side of town. I'll get off tomorrow at five if you want to stop by." He smiled at her.
"I have a better idea. How about I do stop by, but I take you to dinner. Would that be ok? Nothing fancy, I promise." He held his smile, hopeing that she would say yes.
"All right. That sounds nice. I'll see you at five tomorrow then." She picked up her bag that had been resting next to her feet, that he hadn't realized she had with her. When she hoisted it onto her shoulder. the alarm bells started going off again, this time making him want to hit the table. It was like trying to remember a name you had forgotten. He supposed, in a way, that was exactly what he was trying to do.
She paused at the door, and looked back over her shoulder at him standing there. Her heart gave a slight flutter, and she decided that yes, there was some attraction there. She smiled as she waved, and then ducked out the door and disappeared into the rain.
He stared after her, not sure why it was so important to him to find out who she was. He was jolted out of his reverie as he felt a hand snake around his waist. He turned sharply to find the waitress standing there.
"Is there...anything...I can get you?" She raised her eyebrow in a way that left little doubt as to what she was referring to. Trying to not give her a disgusted look, he shook her off his arm, and walked out of the coffee shop, with the bells jangling cheerfully behind him.
*~~~~~~~~~~*
A/N: Yep, nearly two years later, here is chapter two. It's not very long, but i'll try to post often enough to make up for it. I promise it won't take another two before I post the next chapter. I'd like a beta-reader, if anyone is interested. I'd also like a plot idea, since i'm no good at those. And on to the thank-yous!
Kay: Hey, first reviewer! I hope you're still interested. Thank you for you review, and I hope you send in more!
Tenebrae: Haven't heared from you in a while! You still around? Thanks for reviewing, and IM me sometime if you get around to it!
Akili Daniels: Hey! Thank you! I think your story is awesome! I hope you come back and read this!
Thorned Rose: Lol, way over five, and you are completely right, it would be a waste to let this sit here and go no-where. I hope you come back and read this chapter! Thanks!
TroubleMaker: Lol, it's been more like years. It's awesome that you like my stuff. Thank you so much. I hope you like this chapter as much.
MorganMalfoy: Thank you! Lol, I don't know about a plot, I couldn't write one of those if it danced around me naked bonking me over the head with a frying pan. Thank you again!
Anonymous: Thank you so much! I hope you like this just as much!
Toni: Lol, hey girl. Remind me again how I ever talked you into to reading this? You avoid written work like the plague. Your review was sweet, and thank you for it. Of course, you're probably going to beat me for not calling you, but hey. That's ok, 'cause you a featherdancer! Haha! Luv ya!
Devil666: Thanks for reviewing! And I know, I need all the help I can get! I kind of described Hermione's looks in this chapter, and i'll get to Ron's death, but the house had nothing to do with this story, and Harry won't play a part until much later. Thank you though! If you have any other things you think I need to do, please tell me!
Demon_Child2: *Smile* I promise i'll try. Thank you for reviewing.
Kleopatra: Hey! Thanks for reviewing! I'm pretty sure that I have read your story before, but i'm going to go back and read it again, if you still have it up. I'll send you a review. Thanks!
NumberOneNightOwl: Lol, I know, I know. I'm the laziest person I know. I'm so sorry I didn't update this sooner. I hope you like this chapter too!
Alybaby: *Sigh* I sincerely apologize. I should have done this last year for your birth-day, and I didn't. So, this is for you. I dedicate this story for you. You got me writing again, got me wanting to write again, and i'm not sure why, but you did. So thank you, for your review, and for motivating me!
*My e-mail is mordsith_goddess@yahoo.com if anyone wants to e-mail me. I really do love getting e-mail! Thank you for reading this!*
*~~~~~~~~~~*
Hermione sat on a stool in a small cafe in London, with a small smile playing on her lips as she swirled her coffee to the beat of the rain that was coming down outside. It had been two years since she had moved away from the magical world and everyone in it, and she was rather happy on her own.
She didn't own much, since she did something typically Hermione and got a job at a small but prestigous bookstore downtown, but she did have her own place. It wasn't fancy, and it was only 4 rooms, but it was home. She figured Ron would have liked it.
A small sigh escaped her lips at the thought of her late husband, but she had learned to remember the good times, and not dwell on everything they would miss.
She had even dated a few times, trying to move forward with her life, but there wasn't any sparks. Sure, it had been a few nice evenings, but she couldn't imagine spending her life with any of them, and after ten years of marriage, anything less would have just ended up with everyone hurt.
She absently noticed the door bells jingle cheerfully as someone stepped inside, letting in the smell of spring rain. She continued to dwell in her thoughts until someone hit her elbow with his hip, causing her to knock her cup of coffee over.
"Oh!" she exclaimed in suprise. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a flash of blonde hair when she went to reach for the napkins.
"I'm sorry about that. Here let me help you," said the man that had bumped her. It was then that she turned to look at him. As she did, a feeling of de-ja-vu swept over her, and she almost cringed in the expectation to hear the word 'Mudblood' fall from his lips.
It had been seventh year, only a week after Ron had proposed, when Draco Malfoy had done the same thing. She had been reaching for her juice when something hit her from behind, causing her to knock it over. She had only sighed when she heard that drawl.
"Mudblood, how clumsy of you. You should know better than to play with your food. But then I guess muggle parents wouldn't know anything about manners." He sneered as Ron and Harry both jumped out of their chairs, wands raised.
"Oh, what's this? Both of you are going to protect her? There is only enough room on that chubby finger for one engagement ring. So, who popped the question?" His face grew slightly disgusted.
"Or did one of you mean it for the other, and just put it on the Mudblood's finger to save face?" Ron's face grew red from anger, and Harry looked ready to drop his wand altogether, and pummel Malfoy with his fist.
Hermione had had enough. She stood and stuck her finger in Malfoy's face. He looked slightly suprised, but quickly covered it with his trademark sneer.
"Malfoy, why don't you mind your own business? I can marry whomever I please, and it is of absolutely no concern to you. So just take your slimey self back to the Slytherin table, and leave my finace, best-friend, and me alone? No-one wants you here."
His face had darkened with each word, and by the time she was done, he was practically vibrating with rage. He reached out and grabbed her wrist tightly, jerking her forward until her face was only an inch from his.
"Don't push me Mudblood. You don't want to start something you can't handle." She pushed her face even closer, having to tilt her chin up a little bit, since he was taller than her.
"There's nothing you can do that I couldn't handle Malfoy. Don't threaten me. It won't work." He could pratically feel the sparks the were coming from her eyes. He glared right back, never blinking, never loosening his hold on her wrist.
A hand touched her arm, and she jerked, pulling herself out of her memories, as she tried to re-adjust to the world around her.
"Excuse me," she asked, confusion on her face. The man smiled at her, and it was then that she realized why she felt like he looked like Malfoy. They had the same structure to their face, the same color hair and eyes, and there mouth was shaped the same way. Of course, she had never seen Malfoy smile, so she didn't know if they had the same smile or not. They could have had the same nose, only this man's had been broken and didn't seem to have healed straight. It didn't seem to take away from his looks though, as it took the sharp perfection that could have been there, and turned it into something more rugged.
"I asked if you were alright. You seemed, well, frightened of me," he said, his eyes seeming to twinkle at her.
"Oh yes, yes, i'm fine. I'm sorry about that. You just reminded me of someone I used to know. You look alot like him." She smiled at him then, trying not to stare, and took the napkin he handed her and started to mop up the mess.
He watched her clean the table, noticing just how pretty the woman truely was. A slightly upturned nose, high cheekbones, soft brown eyes, and lips that looked as if they were meant to smile. She wasn't someone who would turn every head when she walked into a room, but when she smiled, she seemed to shine, and it could make any man look at least twice. But when she reached up to tuck a stray brown curl behind her ear, he realized that she reminded him of someone too.
"Yes," he said absently, mind working away at trying to remember who it was that she looked like. "You seem to remind me of someone too." She glanced at him then, a slightly troubled look, before she quickly looked again at the table.
That sent his curiousity bells ringing. He had to figure out who this woman was.
"Here, let me buy you another one, as i've wasted yours," he spoke, as he picked the soggy napkins up and tossed them into the trash-can beside the counter.
"Oh, no, I couldn't. Thank you though." He gently grasped her elbow as she looked to be starting to slip away towards the door.
"I insist." Hermione could do nothing but nod as the hand on her back gently propelled her along towards the register. She was working furiously in her head, trying to figure out ehy he would know her. If he did, he had to be from the magical world, for she had made sure that she didn't draw attention to herself in this one.
"Order whatever you like," he told her, glancing at the waitress behind the register when she flashed him a bright smile and a wink. He gave her a cold nod in return, and returned to watching the small woman in front of him as she told the waitress what she wanted.
The waitress was only one of many women who gave him inviting looks. In his younger days he would have given her a big smile back, and set right to work at tumbling her into a bed somewhere. Now, he simply accepted that women, and the occasional man, liked his looks and went on. He had discovered that if there was anything worthwhile in their heads, they wouldn't take one look at him and decide that he was the one they wanted. He knew, because he used to be one of those people who saw a pretty face and couldn't keep his pants up. He knew exactly how shallow people thought.
"Would you like to get a booth, so we can talk," he asked the woman, as she picked up her coffee, who looked suprised, but catiously nodded. Smiling a bigger smile at her, he motioned for her to lead the way as he laid down the money for the drink. He only shook his head as the waitress flashed him another smile, before she went to check on a couple in the corner.
He walked to the booth where she had sat down, and noticed that she had gotten closest to the door, which would be an easy escape in this rain.
They sat there for a few moments in silence, the voices of the other people murmuring in the background.
"So," she finally asked, "What did you want to talk about?" He blinked before he remembered that he had said he wanted to talk.
"Well," he said slowly, "I'm not exactly sure. But we both think we resemble someone we used to know, so how about...where did you go to school?" The woman's eyes flashed something, but it was gone before he could figure out what it was.
"Actually, I was home schooled for most of my time, before I went to a small private school in my hometown. You probably wouldn't have heard of it. How about you? Did you grow up around here?" The man seemed to hesitate for a second.
"Oh around here and there. I moved alot. I attended several schools throughout the years. You probably wouldn't have heard of any of them, either." She nodded and sipped her coffee as they fell back into a semi-uncomfortable silence. He decided to try again at conversation.
"So, any great accomplishments? You know, write a book, kill someone, make tables float?" He grinned at her. "I think i've set a record for being the most clumsy individual in existence."
Trying to slow her heart down from the 'make tables float' joke he had made, she forced a smile. Could he be a wizard? Was he sent here to find her, and was trying to trick her into reveleing herself?
"Actually," she said, "I did write a book once." She glanced down at the table. "It was back when I was married, before my husband died." She looked back up at him, and could read the sympathy in his face. Not wanting to see the pity, she looked away again.
"I'm sorry. May I ask what happend?" She nodded, blinking for a second as she had a flash-back of a face that looked exactly like his sneering. Shaking her head slightly, she tried to put Draco's face out of her head.
"He was a...police man. They were doing a raid one night, and he was...shot." He noticed the slight hesitation before her words, but decided not to say anything about it.
"Well, it was nice talking to you, and I thank you for the coffee, but I have work in about 30 minutes, so I need to go." He watched, his curiousty tingling in the back of his mind. He couldn't just let her walk out that door.
"Wait. Please, what's your name? I'd like to see you again, if it's ok. Where do you work? Where can I find you?" She turned and started to tell him no thanks, that it wasn't ok to see her again, when the words died on her lips. She stared into warm silver eyes that were pleading with her to stay, and she felt an attraction she hadn't felt since she realized that she was in love with Ron. Her face flushed as she realized that she had been staring at him, as if she was star-struck.
"I...yes, it's ok. I work at 'The Bookshelf' over on the other side of town. I'll get off tomorrow at five if you want to stop by." He smiled at her.
"I have a better idea. How about I do stop by, but I take you to dinner. Would that be ok? Nothing fancy, I promise." He held his smile, hopeing that she would say yes.
"All right. That sounds nice. I'll see you at five tomorrow then." She picked up her bag that had been resting next to her feet, that he hadn't realized she had with her. When she hoisted it onto her shoulder. the alarm bells started going off again, this time making him want to hit the table. It was like trying to remember a name you had forgotten. He supposed, in a way, that was exactly what he was trying to do.
She paused at the door, and looked back over her shoulder at him standing there. Her heart gave a slight flutter, and she decided that yes, there was some attraction there. She smiled as she waved, and then ducked out the door and disappeared into the rain.
He stared after her, not sure why it was so important to him to find out who she was. He was jolted out of his reverie as he felt a hand snake around his waist. He turned sharply to find the waitress standing there.
"Is there...anything...I can get you?" She raised her eyebrow in a way that left little doubt as to what she was referring to. Trying to not give her a disgusted look, he shook her off his arm, and walked out of the coffee shop, with the bells jangling cheerfully behind him.
*~~~~~~~~~~*
A/N: Yep, nearly two years later, here is chapter two. It's not very long, but i'll try to post often enough to make up for it. I promise it won't take another two before I post the next chapter. I'd like a beta-reader, if anyone is interested. I'd also like a plot idea, since i'm no good at those. And on to the thank-yous!
Kay: Hey, first reviewer! I hope you're still interested. Thank you for you review, and I hope you send in more!
Tenebrae: Haven't heared from you in a while! You still around? Thanks for reviewing, and IM me sometime if you get around to it!
Akili Daniels: Hey! Thank you! I think your story is awesome! I hope you come back and read this!
Thorned Rose: Lol, way over five, and you are completely right, it would be a waste to let this sit here and go no-where. I hope you come back and read this chapter! Thanks!
TroubleMaker: Lol, it's been more like years. It's awesome that you like my stuff. Thank you so much. I hope you like this chapter as much.
MorganMalfoy: Thank you! Lol, I don't know about a plot, I couldn't write one of those if it danced around me naked bonking me over the head with a frying pan. Thank you again!
Anonymous: Thank you so much! I hope you like this just as much!
Toni: Lol, hey girl. Remind me again how I ever talked you into to reading this? You avoid written work like the plague. Your review was sweet, and thank you for it. Of course, you're probably going to beat me for not calling you, but hey. That's ok, 'cause you a featherdancer! Haha! Luv ya!
Devil666: Thanks for reviewing! And I know, I need all the help I can get! I kind of described Hermione's looks in this chapter, and i'll get to Ron's death, but the house had nothing to do with this story, and Harry won't play a part until much later. Thank you though! If you have any other things you think I need to do, please tell me!
Demon_Child2: *Smile* I promise i'll try. Thank you for reviewing.
Kleopatra: Hey! Thanks for reviewing! I'm pretty sure that I have read your story before, but i'm going to go back and read it again, if you still have it up. I'll send you a review. Thanks!
NumberOneNightOwl: Lol, I know, I know. I'm the laziest person I know. I'm so sorry I didn't update this sooner. I hope you like this chapter too!
Alybaby: *Sigh* I sincerely apologize. I should have done this last year for your birth-day, and I didn't. So, this is for you. I dedicate this story for you. You got me writing again, got me wanting to write again, and i'm not sure why, but you did. So thank you, for your review, and for motivating me!
*My e-mail is mordsith_goddess@yahoo.com if anyone wants to e-mail me. I really do love getting e-mail! Thank you for reading this!*