Disclaimer: See Prologue!
Chapter 1
Hermione Jane Crystal Rogers-Granger had become simply Crystal Rogers. Her hair was blond and straight as a ruler, curling under slightly at the bottom. Five hours of constant work at a beauty salon had produced someone completely different from the girl who had once attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She had worked her ass off (literally and metaphorically) after Cody's birth, over three years ago, to lose the ass and stomach that she'd gained during the pregnancy. She hadn't had a muggle degree...so all she could do for a living was wait tables. So that's what she'd done for three years.
Until, that is, Cody's sitter had gotten sick and she'd had to take him to work. That had been a week ago, and she was still out of work. She looked over the billboard on her favorite diner before hoisting her two year old up further on her hip and walking in. "Hey Bill."
"Hey Crys." The big, burly morning manager smiled and leaned down. "Hello, Cody." The toddler giggled and curled his tiny hand around Bill's finger. "Found a job yet, Crys?"
"No..." She slid a slender hand into her blond hair in stress...flipping it back. "And diaper costs are starting to add up." She glanced over at a table and watched three young women sitting there...laughing and talking. "Do they always come in here?"
"Yup. In their line of work, they need to take some time to wind down afterwards." Bill said. "The usual?"
"Yes, please." Crystal sat and put the exact money on the counter. "What's their line of work?" She balanced Cody on her lap as the food was put before her, feeding him bits of her hash browns and eggs as she began to eat.
"They work over at Coyote Ugly...hey, you dance don't you?" Bill said, suddenly.
"I used to, yeah. Why?" Crys arched an eyebrow as she settled Cody into a high chair and handed him a piece of toast smeared with Grape Jelly. The two year old began to eat it, looking around the diner with bright black eyes...his father's eyes.
"Chloe there..." He motioned to a petite black woman dressed in an orange miniskirt and matching tank. "Is going off to Law School in a week...it's her last week. I bet Tiff would hire you, if you asked."
"Where's Coyote Ugly, then?" Crystal asked, looking over at the women. Bill dug into his pocket and tossed her a matchbook.
"Me and the Missus would be glad to watch Cody for you when you have to work, Crys." Another waiter said...a good friend of Crystal's.
"Thank you, Tom. I might take you up on that." Crystal smiled, finishing her food. "I think I'll go check this bar out later today..." She stood up and picked up Cody, walking back across the street to their flat, which was filled with toys and such for the baby. She kept in contact with her mother through mailing and calling, and her mother had sworn never to tell her dad or anyone from her old life...and her mom kept Cody utterly spoiled.
Crystal changed his diaper and handed him a cracker before going about cleaning the house, leaving the three year old to watch TV. "Mommy!" She heard after a while, coming into the living room. "Mommy, I wanna, I wanna watch Stitch!"
"You wanna watch Lilo and Stitch?" Crystal asked, acting concerned.
"Yeah!" Cody crowed, smirking at her triumphantly. Crystal's heart melted. He looked so much like his father...
"Okay, Lilo and Stitch it is." Crystal said, smiling and putting the movie on.
"I want juice, Mommy!" Cody said. Crystal sighed and walked into the kitchen, pouring a sippy cup full of the gatorade that Cody was so hooked on and handing it to him. He ran off into the living room to sit on the bean bag and stare at the TV. The flat was well furnished...mostly thanks to the money that Crystal had brought with her from England. She had gone somewhere that nobody would ever think to look for her...and it had cost her. She had gone to the American Muggle World.
She regretted leaving, sometimes...but Severus had told her early on in her apprenticeship that he had never had nor ever wanted children...and Crystal loved her son more than she loved anything else...even Severus. Her mother had done her part...Crystal's father had been killed in the war, one of the many casualties...and Anne Rogers-Granger doted upon her young grandson. She visited twice a year, sent presents for Cody and Crystal year round, and kept their secret. Crystal supposed that when he was old enough, she would just send Cody to an American school for wizardry and Severus would never know. As far as anyone in England- save her mother- was concerned, Hermione and her child were dead.
That afternoon, Crystal packed a diaper bag for Cody, put him in his stroller, and walked off into New York, finding the bar with ease. There was a case of beer on the ground to one side and she looked at it warily as she left Cody at the bottom of the steps, climbing up and reaching to pull the iron door open. It was padlocked.
"Who's up there!" A demanding Alto voice shouted from somewhere below where Crystal was standing, so she walked down the stais and wheeled Cody over to a square hole in the ground.
"I need to speak with the owner!" She called back.
"Come on down! Bring that case of beer with you!" Was the reply. Crystal grimaced when she looked between the stroller and the case of beer. Finally, she lifted the stroller in one hand, Cody squealing the whole time, and hooked her arm back over her shoulder so that her shoulder was bearing the weight of her son and his diaper bag. She then reached down and hoisted the case of beer, balancing it on her hip and walking down the stairs with grace. A woman of about thirty or so was moving cases of beer around, organizing them. "What do you want?"
"Where do you want me to put this?" Crystal asked, setting the stroller down.
"Depends on what you want." The woman said, walking to her.
"I heard you might have a job opening." Crystal arched an eyebrow as the woman took the case of beer and paused, looking the young mother up and down.
"You dance?"
"Some." Crys rested a hand on the stroller's handle.
"Do drugs?"
"No. I have Cody to think of."
"Cody the toddler?" Crystal nodded. "He can't come to work with you."
"I know, but his sitter has the Chicken Pox."
"I see..." The woman set the case down and walked over to her again. "Let me see your arms."
"Are you serious?"
"Do I look serious? The arms." Crystal complied and the woman checked them over thoroughly. "Mhm...Where are you from?"
"Does it matter?"
"Do you want the job?"
"London." Crystal said.
"Hmm...alright." The woman walked into the back, through a plastic flap.
"Look...are you really the owner? The past few days have been rough and the last thing I need is some waitress on a power trip wasting my time." Crystal said. The older woman's head poked back out of the flap in surprise, short blonde hair falling into her eyes.
"You start Friday night. Be there at eleven...that's when we get busy."
"You're giving me the job?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"I'm giving you an audition. We'll see if you get the job, later." The woman turned around. "By the way...my name's Tiff. Welcome to the club, London."
Crystal walked into the bar at two till eleven, looking around. There was a bouncer standing near the door who stopped her. "Can I see some ID?"
"I'm supposed to start work here tonight..." She said, meeting his eyes. He nodded.
"Go on in." She smiled and walked into the bar, wading through the bodies towards the bar. She walked up to Tiff, who turned around and grinned.
"Ah, there you are. Come on over." She looked up at the bar where the other three Coyotes were dancing. Crystal glanced upwards before sliding over the bar easily. "Great shirt!"
"Oh thanks, I got it on sale at..." Tiff wasn't listening...instead, she was ripping the arms off and about six inches off of the bottom.
"What kind of experience do you have doing this?" Tiff demanded as she ripped.
"My last two years of school I was a barmaid after school." Hermione said. "I was also in a band for a short while, but in that time we were beginning to get our start in the public life."
"What changed?"
"I got pregnant and when the hormones started flaring up, I froze on stage." Crystal said.
"Great. Now...the other girls...that's Michelle. You can learn a lot from her." Michelle's hair was a brown so dark it was nearly black, her complexion deep tan.
"She just cut some guy's ponytail off..." Crystal arched an eyebrow.
"She's been taking anger management for beating up some guy who tried to cop a feel. He pressed charges, I gave her a raise." Tiff said, serving out beer. "We don't have mixed drinks, we don't serve water. We have hard liquor and beer."
"Right." Crystal nodded.
Tiff raised a megaphone to her lips. "Alright, y'all...this here's my newest girl, named..." She paused and put her ear close to Crystal.
"Crystal..."
Tiff paused for a moment more before continuing. "London!" A deafening cheer met her eyes. "She's an exchange student from England and she just loooves men with American accents! How about buying her a round!"
Crystal stuttered. "B-but..."
"Well...hop to it!" Tiff said, scooting off down the bar. Crystal quickly settled into a routine, working the bar quickly.
"Hi!" The last woman said...she was a pretty blonde with a baby face and blue eyes that made men want to swoon. "I'm Amy, the Russian Tease!"
Crystal laughed and shook her hand. "Crystal, the London Exchange Student!"
"Really?" Amy perked up.
Crystal laughed again and shook her head. "It's a good front."
"Oh...well, that's Michelle, the New York Bitch!" She had a slightly Boston accent. "She's really a bitch. I'm really a tease!"
"You're only a tease if you keep your legs closed, Ames!" Tiff called over Crystal's shoulder.
"Oh yeah..." Amy smiled, sheepishly. "I always forget that part."
"What can I get you?" Crystal asked one guy.
"A scotch and water."
"Do we serve water with our beer, here?" Michelle asked to make Crystal nervous as she grabbed a glass.
Tiff lifted up her megaphone again. "This guy just ordered a water! Do we serve WATER in this bar?"
The crowd began chanting "Hell no, H20" as Tiff sprayed them down with water from the hose. A country rock song came on and Michelle and Amy hopped up onto the bar.
"Sink or Swim time, London!" Tiff called. "Get up there and show off your stuff!"
"But...I don't...I don't know this song!" Crystal stuttered.
"Well..." Tiff piled her things in her arms. "Here's some money for your work tonight...nice knowing you. Thanks for coming by."
"What...? I'm fired?"
"I told you! This was audition!" Tiff said.
"But...let me watch the dance and I can pick it up!"
"Sorry...bye!" Tiff waved cheerily and Crystal sighed, bowing her head and walking towards the door. She heard something and looked up to see two rather large guys about to get into it.
"Hey!" Tiff shouted from the bar, just as Crystal dropped her things and slid between them smoothly, holding up a ten dollar bill.
"Look...the way I see it you can start a fight here in the bar, make fools of yourselves, and get a bloody nose or so...or you can..." She glanced to the girls with them, "Go buy these lovely ladies a round at the bar. What do you say?"
The men looked at each other for a long moment before one of them snatched the bill. "TO THE BAR!" They pushed past Crystal and she sighed, leaning over to pick up her things.
"Hey!" Tiff said, walking up to her. "I'd sure LOVE to know where that came from."
"The money? It was what you just gave me." Crystal shrugged.
"No...breaking up the fight that smoothly." Tiff corrected.
"Oh that." Crystal smiled wryly. "Try breaking apart Ron and Draco when they've had a few shots of firewhiskey and the Hornets have beaten the Cannons." She shrugged. "It wasn't that big of a deal, really."
"I tell you what...be at this store..." Tiff handed Crystal the address... "At noon tomorrow. My fashion coordinator will meet you there. Report to the bar Monday night and I'll give you another try." She said, smiling. "I seriously doubt you'll survive another night, though."
Crystal laughed. "You'd be surprised. Thanks." She put the card into her pocket and headed out.