Chapter 1: The Muggle Life
"Maybe Hermione was right. Maybe it is easier." He took a sip of his espresso and put down the muggle newspaper he was reading,
Harry glanced over the top of his glasses at Ron with his eyebrows raised in surprise. When did Ron ever admit that Hermione was right? Espeically about this?
Ron took a bite of his muffin and looked out the window of the café, watching the muggles walk the busy streets of London. He seemed almost deep in thought. "I never wanted to admit that she could be right about that because it just seemed so preposterous. I've been a wizard my entire life, as opposed to you or her or Dean, so the thought of it seemed scandalous. But now…now it makes sense." He looked Harry in the eye. "I kinda like it."
Harry smiled. He knew that for Ron to admit that Hermione was right about anything used to be like Snape smiling – a very rare occurance. But it also amused him that Ron had conceded about this.
"Well its not like we're living on a deserted island without magic. We're just living like muggles, without as much magic."
"I know, it just seems weird to me that I would, could, like it, ya know? I was never as into muggles as my father or Ginny was. I thought they were rather silly. But…" he took another sip of his coffee, "but, its not that different. They have their magic too. Ours is natural and theirs is man made. Like this." He pulled out his cell phone. "Now this, this is magical. Call anyone you want whenever you want, without having to be around a fireplace, or needing an owl or one of those little two way mirrors. Its just brilliant."
Harry laughed. "I remember the day Ginny convinced you to get one. You were like kid with a new toy. Ginny was so embarrassed to be in the store with you. she - " Harry started to laugh again remembering Ron's reaction to the dozens of different ring sounds, and the look on Ginny's face when Ron started going on about the 'amazing advances in muggle technology' when he got to choose which color phone cover he wanted. " – she turned redder than her hair. Her eyes got so big…she…" he couldn't stop laughing. It seemed that nowadays even the slightest things amused Harry. Though Ron was glad Harry had once again found humor in life, he was not enjoying this particular moment. He just glared blankly at his laughing friend.
"And your face…it was - "
"I think I get it. Anyway, what I was saying - " But at that moment his cell phone started playing the 1812 Overture, causing Ron to jump slightly and sending Harry into another fit of giggles.
Ron rolled his eyes and answered his cell. " 'Ello?….Uh huh…..Yeah sure…..No, he's right here. He's just fine…..no…ok. Yep. We'll be right over."
He flipped his phone shut and slid it back into his pocket, eyeing his raven-haired buddy across the table with narrow eyes. "You better watch it, mate."
"Why?"
"That was Ginny." He watched Harry's mouth twitch before settling into a calm, thin line. "She wants to show us something at Mum's. She found something in the attic."
The young men stood from their table, leaving a small tip, and walked out of the café. "To cab or not to cab" said Harry thoughtfully.
"Not to cab. Lets apparate. She sounded excited." They turned a corner to an empty alleyway and disappeared.
Hermione opened her eyes slowly. It was nearly 10 o'clock and she was uncharacteristically still in bed. Pushing the covers reluctantly off her body, Hermione lifted herself out of bed and into a standing position. I've got to stop going to bed so late, she thought. Rubbing her eyes and face, she walked into her bathroom and turned on the shower. But before she could even get undressed, her doorbell rang.
Bugger, who wants to see me this early in the morning? On her way to the door she glanced at the clock, now reading 10:04, and reminded herself that it wasn't that early. She flung open the door to find her neighbor, Elise, standing in jeans and a t-shirt excitedly holding the newspaper in Hermione's face.
"Hermione! Look! They published my article! I'm a real reporter now! I can't believe they published my article!"
After congratulating her friend and promising to call her later, Hermione shut the door and wearily made it back to the bathroom. She shut off the water, not in the mood for a shower. She wasn't that dirty anyway. ;-) She walked back into her small, but excessively neat, bedroom and stretched. She was obviously still in her pajamas – a black tank top and red and black plaid men's boxer shorts. She looked at herself in the mirror with scrutinizing eyes. In the years following the War, Hermione had put on a little weight. Not enough to be considered overweight, but enough to give her more shape, some curves – she could even be described as voluptuous. Her face had become fuller, her breasts bigger, and her bottom rounder. She sighed as she took off her PJs so she could change. She was not entirely happy with her appearance. For so many years of living on sugar-free food, she had started at Hogwarts a scrawny girl with hair that should have weighted her head backwards. Then while at Hogwarts, she had grown upwards, but not so much out – she was constantly skipping meals to study in the library, and the amount of stress she was in those last years under often took an unhealthy toll on her form. But now, nearly 21 years old, Hermione was eating regularly, enjoying her peaceful, relatively stress-free life and her body was living proof of her changed lifestyle.
Her body didn't bother her as much as her hair. Still big, still brown, still boring as ever. Or so she thought. Hermione's hair had matured just as she had over the years. Its bushiness had decreased (minimally) and she found that with certain charms or even muggle conditioners, she could tame it to a manageable volume.
Sighing again, she turned away from the mirror and put on clean clothes. She had to be at work by 11:00 and she wanted to eat breakfast before she left. Just as she was jumping into her jeans, the telephone rang.
"Hello? Yes, Mrs. Murphey…..I'll be able to tutor Anna tonight…yes, after class….no I'm on my way to work right now, I don't have class till 5….it's no problem Mrs. Murphey. I'm happy to do it….buh-bye." Of course I'm happy to do it, its $20 an hour…
She quickly converted $20 to Galleons, smiling to herself that she was still able to do it, especially since it was harder to convert American currency to wizard money as opposed to British currency.
But that made her think of England and London and – but she stopped herself before she got that far.
She'd moved to Salem after the War because she needed a change. Desperately. She didn't care that no one understood or agreed with her. She did what she felt was right at the time. She grabbed a muffin on her way out the door as she recalled the day she revealed that she was leaving ….
"You're doing what!" Ron shouted.
"Going to Salem. I know that –"
"Going to Salem? Why? Are you mad? Why would you even think of leaving?"
"I've been thinking about it for a long time, Ron, please understand, I need – "
"Understand? You want me to understand why you are leaving? LEAVING? Going hundreds of miles away, just like that! How do you expect me to understand – "
"But you have to."
"I can't."
"You can't or you won't?" she shot scathingly back at him.
He glared at her, red in the face, his hair on end. Her eyes began to sting as she felt his bore into her face. Tears were streaming down her face as she pleadingly looked at him. His face softened a bit as tears welled in his eyes, but he turned away from her, sending a wave of pain through her heart. She picked up her suitcase and walked out his apartment door…
Hermione pushed the memory from her mind as she approached the bookstore. She didn't work long on Saturdays because of her 5 o'clock class, but she worked none-the-less. Money doesn't grow on trees, but for someone as smart and talented as Hermione, there should have been a better way of earning it than working at the local bookstore.
