Summer Woes – Hermione's Place
Hermione Granger sat at her desk staring at a calendar as if the longer she stared at it, the quicker it would become the middle of her summer and the sooner it would become time to go meet with Draco. She made no show of even trying to pretend that she didn't want it to come, there was no one to put on a show for in any case. All Hermione found herself thinking about was how much she missed Draco and Hogwarts and everything else she had gotten accustomed to.
Though it had only been a few weeks, she had already had the feeling that it had been a lifetime since she had last seen him, and she didn't know if she would be able to keep her sanity much longer either. The real truth of the matter was that he was the only thing that was keeping her grounded at the moment, because nothing else was how it once was.
With everything else in her life thrown into such horrible disarray, Hermione had barely managed to keep up pretend charade that her life was normal, which, in a few short years, it became apparent that it wasn't. Magic, evil Dark Lords, the fate of the earth in teenagers' hands. . . sometimes it was all too much to handle, even for someone like Hermione who was thought to be capable of handling everything that was thrown at her. Sometimes it just was too much.
When times like these seemed close to taking their imminent toll on Hermione, she would go do something carefree and fun, just to get her mind off of the destruction of the world. Her summer had consisted of two extremes – being careless, peppy and completely brainless, like when she went swimming in the river or on a complete candy surge or being depressed, moody and thinking way too hard, like she was at this precise moment.
She had done a lot of thinking and it might as well not matter, because for all of the good it did she was no further ahead. Nothing made any more sense, and if she had done anything at all it was to confuse herself further than she had been before.
One of Hermione's main subjects of focus was relationships. Mainly the ones that she had managed to pull herself away from over the last year. She hadn't realized it then, but now realized that many of the people she had left behind herself in the dust would prove to be important figures in their lives later on.
The first relationship she wanted to make sure was fine was the one that was between her and her mother. This relationship was one that she wasn't sure about where it was headed. Despite their differences over a great many things that had happened in Hermione's life and the choices that she had made, her and her mother tried to stay as close as their differences and arguments allowed them to. They soon learned which subjects not to venture too deeply into and which subjects not to mention around each other altogether and coexisted in relative harmony.
Or as close to harmony as you could possibly get in the situation that Hermione and her mother were in. No father or husband in the house, the looming threat of disaster striking the universe . . . Sometimes Hermione wished it hadn't been her and that she was still that simple, young girl that she had once been, but those thoughts were far from her mind nowadays.
Hermione sighed and took one more longing glance at the red "x" across a date in the middle of the summer. Two weeks. All she had to do was make it through two more weeks and she would see him. She only had to make it two more weeks.
Two. Weeks.
It soon became apparent to Hermione that she may very well not make it another two weeks without seeing someone that could help restore her mind, which was being driven into a never-ending panic. She wasn't sure why, but lately she had been having this feeling that something wasn't right, which may have been caused because weird things were beginning to happen.
Not like she could 'pick up the table' weird, a different kind of weird that was strange, even to a person who had been going to Hogwarts for five years. No, this wasn't things out of the ordinary, it was things too ordinary. Everything was too calm, and it was beginning to appear not as docile as it once seemed, and this never happened.
She hadn't ever known the Dailey Prophet not to deliver messages of terror, and it was completely unheard of for Lord Voldemort or one of the Malfoys to be completely silent, not a small squabble or war to be heard of, and if her mind wasn't set on making it through the summer, she may have looked into it.
Hermione brushed the matter aside, however, and continued to suffer through her summer, the thought of meeting with Draco being her guiding force through everything that was thrown her way.
Hermione woke up to the rather annoying sound of an alarm blaring near her head. Her mother was already gone, probably at work already, like she always was, and she was on her own for the day. Her mother had expected her to be sitting around the house all day, but that wasn't what today was all about, not for Hermione. Today she was meeting with Draco. After waiting and wishing and hoping for so long, it was finally time to see him. It was finally time to assure herself that she wasn't going insane and having completely vivid dreams.
Hermione dressed herself, what she didn't notice was that she was trying to look nicer than she usually did when she dressed herself. She was subconsciously dressing nicely, putting on a slight touch of makeup, the smallest change in her walk and blink. It was almost as is the thought of seeing Draco had changed her, but only slightly.
She surveyed herself with a very critical eye, making sure that everything as perfect. Even if she was wearing simple jeans and a tee shirt with her hair pulled back, she had to make sure that she looked very presentable. She hadn't seen Draco for a while, after all, and she didn't want his first thought to be that she had woken mere minutes before she came to see him.
With one last glance at herself in the mirror, Hermione nodded her silent approval and prepared to leave for Diagon Alley.
Hermione tapped the bricks behind the Leaky Cauldron with her wand and slowly made her way through the archway, no longer amazed by the magic that had taken place right in front of her very eyes. It had become as natural to her as the ringing of a telephone or the ding of a doorbell.
Hermione began searching through the shops for the tea shop that would let her through the fire to make it to the place she and Draco had set up. It was strange, meeting in a muggle place, but Draco had insisted, and who was she to want to meet in a wizard place? Especially if it was Draco Malfoy, a Malfoy, who wanted to meet her, a Muggle born, in a muggle establishment? It was almost surreal, almost, but she could just barely believe it.
Hermione pulled her long overcoat closer to her as a gust of wind blew against her, chilling her to her bones. Perhaps it would have been a smarter move if she had dressed for cold weather instead of looks, but it was too late to change that. A simple warming spell would do nicely, however.
She reached for her wand and it wasn't in her pocket where she normally kept it. Undeterred, she reached into her other pocket, again emerging without a wand in her hand. Now confused, Hermione proceeded to search every place her wand could be and realized that she must have left it at home.
She took a few more steps toward the shop she was looking for before she stopped and wheeled around, realizing her mistake. Had she not just used her wand to get into Diagon Alley? She had had it when she was tapping the bricks, she hadn't gone too far from there, her wand had to be somewhere. It had to be, because if she didn't have it, that would mean. . .
Someone would have stolen her wand, because she didn't have it. . . and she didn't see it on the floor. . . Hermione's eyes grew the size of baseballs as she realized her problem. She was stranded in wizard central without her wand, and someone else had her wand, with her name. They might as well have stolen her identity. Some wizard that had had their wand taken away now had hers, which had to be one that was compatible with the greatest array of wizards. It just had to be her wand, didn't it?
Hermione sighed and began trudging around, desperately trying to find her wand but having the feeling that there was not a single hope she would find it. She was now torn between leaving and meeting with Draco as planned or staying and looking for her wand while he waited for her to show up.
What a great way to start the day I've been looking forward to for the entire summer, Hermione thought bitterly. Could it get any worse?
Unfortunately for Hermione, and anyone else that has asked that question in a time of dire trouble, it could and would get worse, simply because she had to ask the question.
While Hermione was trudging through the crowded streets of Diagon Alley, shoving her way through the hoards of people trying to make their way into the newest book signing and the masses of children drooling over the most expensive new broomstick in the window of Quality Quiddich Supplies, she found no sign of her wand, not that her hopes were high.
Her wand, meanwhile, was clutched in the sweaty palm of a strange figure, it wasn't tall enough to be human but not short enough to be dwarf. It shoved its way through the crowd, drawing itself further and further away from where Hermione was while she had no clue at all.
Hermione wanted to scream as she continued her way through, finally deciding that she might have better luck if she went to talk to Draco and had him help her look instead of looking all on her own.
Hermione walked into the shop and her eyes landed on Draco immediately. Her thoughts jerked directly to Draco and shoved any worry about her lost wand completely out of her head. She strode over to him and he looked up when he heard footsteps coming his way.
The smallest hint of a smile spread across his features and although it hadn't been the romantic welcome she had been hoping for, she knew it was a rather large stretch for him, and accepted it all the same. It was much more than she should have been expecting from him.
Hermione took the seat that he motioned to and he leaned forward. Even if the muggles here didn't know who they were, there was always the chance that there were people here that weren't muggles, and if they recognized Draco or Hermione, there was no telling what horrible things would be happening next. Draco didn't need anything more on his plate, and, if she were to be honest with herself, she really didn't need any more either. She would be working on that single plate for quite some time.
"Hey," she finally said, breaking the silence when she had gotten herself seated, and he nodded slightly in return.
"I've been thinking a lot about you." He said.
Whatever Hermione was expecting him to greet her with, that wasn't it. She didn't really know how to react, should she be happy and thank him or do the 'hard to get' thing and pretend that she didn't even notice? What would he be expecting from her? She didn't know or care.
"R-really?" Hermione stuttered out stupidly and the second it left her lips she longed to rewind what she had just said.
"Well, yeah, not just you though. I've been thinking a lot about last year. I'm sure you have too." Draco said. Hermione brain seemed to take an infinitely long time to process this information, as if English was her seventh language or something, but she finally understood the message and nodded.
"Yes." She said, still nodding her agreement. "A lot happened last year, didn't it?" she asked, realizing just how much did happen last year that she had been thinking about. The last year had completely changed her life. Forever.
Draco nodded his silent agreement and then they both lapsed into silence, not knowing what to say. Hermione felt that dreadful calm settle and she got an uneasy feeling again about nothing happening. She nimbly reached for her wand to reassure her now unsettled nerves and she instantly remembered her previous predicament, but she wasn't so sure how she was going to tell Draco what had happened. Should she tell him at all? Wouldn't he be angry or panic?
Hermione was on the verge of not telling him when she realized that if anyone was going to be able to help her, it would have to be him. There really wasn't anyone else that knew her or would help her.
"Draco?" she said quietly, not sure how he would react, so she braced herself for the worst possible reaction ever.
"Hmm?" he said, his head jerking up so she was eye to eye with him. She felt even more uncomfortable now that he had listened to her. She would have been better if he had ignored her, because then she would have had an excuse to not tell him. She steadied her breathing and spoke again.
"I. . ." She said, again stopping, not knowing how to tell him. She swallowed and then said, "I think I, think I, may have, just may have, lost my wand." She said, her voice getting steadily quieter as she continued so that when she got to the 'lost my wand' part, it was barely above a whisper, in some horrible attempt to keep him from actually hearing what she said.
He simply stared at her for the longest time before making any kind of motion to show that he head her, then, finally, "What?"
Hermione squirmed uncomfortably, not wanting to know what he was thinking at the moment because she was sure that it wasn't the nicest of compliments. She had to admit, though, that it did sound pretty stupid once she said it out loud.
"Did you report it?" he asked.
"No. . ." she said, beginning to realize just how irrationally and immaturely she had acted.
"Did you tell anyone?"
". . . No, I didn't. . ."
"Did you look for it?"
"Yes," Hermione said triumphantly, now happy that she had done at least one responsible thing. "Yes I did."
"And?" He asked, obviously probing for more information.
"And what?" Hermione asked, not knowing exactly what it was that he was expecting from her now. She had been stupid, she knew that, but there was nothing else she could do now. Besides, how would she report a missing wand? They would laugh at her and tell her not to misplace things later.
"Maybe, like, where did you lose it? When?" Draco said, obviously annoyed at her naïve actions, but Hermione wasn't exactly thrilled at the moment either. Her wand was missing and she didn't need him on her case as well, she was mad enough at herself as it was.
"I don't know, that's why it's called losing it." Hermione said pointedly, thoroughly annoyed he was treating her this way. She had looked forward to seeing him all summer and now she wasn't quite sure what it was that she had been looking forward to.
"I know," He said. "But haven't you been reading the Daily Prophet?" he said, his expression softening slightly, letting Hermione know that he wasn't about to kill her. Not yet, anyhow.
"Of course I have," she said, affronted that he would even think that she was staying ignorant, especially after what had happened last year. She was looking for any mention of Lucius Malfoy, Voldemort or anything suspicious.
"Then you know there have been wand robberies all over the world. Why would you think of leaving your wand-"
"There've been what?" Hermione asked, not even caring that she had just cut him off from his sentence. "No, no there haven't." she said firmly, still not caring about interrupting. "I've been reading the Prophet and there haven't been any stories at all that look like something is happening. It's all been happy news." Draco gave her a shrewd look as though he thought she were an ignorant one.
"Have you been reading the happy section?" he asked sarcastically, the old Draco that she had known for years seeming to seep back into the conversation. She stood up and nearly glared down at him.
"Are you saying I've been ignoring the news?" She asked haughtily.
"If you haven't seen any of the other stories, there really isn't much of another explanation for it. So yes, I am." Draco said, also standing up and glaring right back. By now there were many people staring, which was twice as bad because they were in a muggle establishment, which meant that talking about wands, or Voldemort or anything related to the magical world would be a big no-no with the Ministry.
Unfortunately, neither of our two lovebirds were thinking of such things at the moment. So far, the only foreign term that anyone could have heard would have been Prophet, but if this went any further, it could be rather ugly.
Hermione gave him a challenging glare and stared him down for a minute before nearly yelling back in return.
"I know that there hasn't been anything in the Prophet about wand robberies, or any other kind of robberies, or goblin rebellions from Gringotts, or dragon troubles in Romania or anything else you might accuse me of being ignorant of. I've read the paper every single say and there's never been anything in it!"
"What kind of witch are-" Draco would have continued on, but there was a collective gasp from the small audience that had been watching them argue, and it was now that Draco and Hermione chose to remember that they were in a muggle establishment, which meant that everything that had been mentioned had been heard by the customers and owners.
Both of them locked gazes and realized, at the same time, that they were in serious trouble. It was increasingly obvious that everyone had just thought Draco had called her some horrible profanity and other than that, they thought the entire conversation as completely crazy.
"And," Hermione said, stretching for time, trying to think of an excuse. "That is just one of the many, colourful and interesting lines from an upcoming play, 'What in the World is Going On?' that will be at the local thearte. I hope you all attend." Hermione grabbed Draco's arm and forced him down into his chair, trying to look nonchalant and make everyone think she was crazy.
He leaned across the table and whispered, "Are you crazy?"
"Perhaps, but I know that there's nothing in the paper." Hermione said pointedly, trying not to pay attention to the people now watching them closely in the room, almost as if they were waiting for another interesting outburst.
"Forget the bloody paper," Draco hissed, trying to keep his voice very low so that none of the nosy people watching would get a chance to overhear what was being said. "We have an entire coffee house full of muggles that think we're heading to Loony Town."
"Well, just pay them no mind." Hermione said.
"And how do we do that, Miss Loony Toon?" Draco asked derisively as he rolled his eyes and tried not to draw attention to the two of them, sitting at their table, now whispering.
"Don't make eye contact." Hermione replied sharply, knowing full well that she had made a complete fool of herself but not willing to let him realize that she realized the same.
Draco seemed to be suppressing a growl but obliged and didn't make eye contact or make any move to look at anyone. Finally, when it seemed that people have given up on watching them to find some entertainment, they went back to their hushed conversation.
"You can't tell me you haven't seen anything. You read everything." Draco said.
"I know, I read the paper, cover to cover, and there was nothing, and I mean nothing, in the entire paper, any day, about robberies or activity of any sort that looked suspicious." Hermione said, waiting for him to grin and say that he had tricked her.
"I've already found something suspicious and I haven't had to read the paper." Draco sighed and waited for her reaction.
She stared, "Well?" Draco pulled out a rolled up copy of the paper, trying almost desperately not to draw attention to them, because that would mean that someone would notice that the pictures moved. Meeting in a muggle place was beginning to seem more and more stupid by the second.
Hermione rolled her eyes and glanced down at the paper, the headline catching her eye:
Mass Wand Robberies Reported, 2 Ministry Officials Captive
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Muahaha, I am so evil, leaving you there. I'd like to take this time to apologize for taking so long to update, between writing my assigned story for school, homework, TaeKwonDo, life and everything else, I haven't had much time. I've rewritten this chapter a few times too, hope you enjoy!!!
--Saquoia--