A New Beginning – by NearlyHeadlessNic.
Chapter Two --- Settling.
Hermione unlocked the door to her new room. The brass numbers 211 nailed proudly onto it. As it opened, the smell of abusive orange air freshener hit her senses and she quickly pinched her nose and pulled her trunk in. Hermione reached for her wand in her inside jacket pocket and a quick swish and the horrid stench vanished.
Hermione then looked around her room. It was a single, with one bed placed beneath the window, a desk on one side and a worktop with fridge on the other. There was also a door that led to a wardrobe. This will be home for the next two years.
Hermione lifted her heavy trunk onto the bed and opened it. Of course, having to act muggle, she'd have to hide her large collection of books in her wardrobe and keep all of her magical pictures where no one but Harry could see them. She picked out one particular photo. It was she, Harry and Ron, standing proud in graduation robes. Ron had his arm around Hermione's waist and Hermione leant on him, whilst Harry just grinned at the camera. They were so happy then, and Harry and Ron were about to start their Auror training, and Hermione found a career, which she thought she'd most enjoy. She wanted to train to be a Watcher. She had the skills and the knowledge, but Watchers were chosen by fate, and sadly Hermione found out a couple of days after the photo was taken, she wasn't amongst the Potential Watchers.
She sat down on her bed, gazing at the tall redhead. She missed him terribly. Having Ron taken away like that, Hermione couldn't bear to think of it all again. His last words replayed in her mind over and over.
'Remember me'Remember him? How can Hermione forget Ron?
Harry threw himself onto his new bed and stared at the ceiling. Acting the muggle was going to be hard. He was too used to having his wand in his back pocket, despite Moody's warning about blasting his butt cheek off. He loved the way the wind blew back his unruly hair when he was speeding on his Firebolt. He adored the way he belonged in the Wizarding World, and now he was hiding from it. Harry sighed, got up and looked in the mirror. His faded black jeans were so faded they looked gray and his green top was creased and un-ironed. Yes, it was official, Harry looked like a typical, muggle college student. He opened his door and walked out. The hallway was a mass of students, all greeting one another, saying where their from and so on. But all Harry wanted to do was to talk to Hermione.
He kept his head low and walked straight, thankfully, no one approached him. He reached door 211 and knocked. The door swung open and a tearful Hermione stood there.
"Oh Harry," she said and threw her arms around Harry's neck. Harry enveloped her into a hug and shut the door behind him.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" he asked softly.
Hermione was sobbing into Harry's chest, "Thinking … Ron" she muffled. The backs of Harry's eyes watered also. Seeing Hermione like this, as well as his own grievance, it was hard not to.
"Don't worry, Hermione." Harry soothed, "Ron's now in a better place. Your forgetting he is there with Dumbledore, Sirius, my Mum and Dad, as well as his Dad. He wouldn't want to see you like this."
Harry set Hermione down on to the bed and rocked her gently.
"Come on, you can't be like this for all those parties lined up. I wonder if they'll ever be as rowdy as Gryffindor ones." Wondered Harry. Hermione let out a little laugh.
"Never, no one can beat Fred and George's parties."
"This is Psychology 101. My name is Professor Walsh. Those of you who fall in my good graces will come to know me as Maggie, those of you who don't will come to know me as the name my TAs use and think I don't know about, The Evil Bitch Monster of Death." The stern professor paused to survey the class, "If your looking to coast I suggest Geology 105, that's where the football players are."
The woman reminded Harry a lot of Professor McGonagall, stern and strict and Harry was rather tempted to leave for Geology, but considering how he was already there, he decided against it.
Next to him, Hermione was taking notes quickly. Harry found it amazing how quickly she adapted to a pen. Harry was still having trouble adjusting from a quill. Especially as the feeling from rubbing the tip against his chin didn't feel quite the same.
A girl shifted in her seat several rows below Harry and the light caught her blonde hair, which fixed Harry's eyes. The girl turned to whisper to her friend next to her, and Harry saw her face. She was stunning, and he couldn't help but stare.
Harry didn't take notes for the rest of the lesson, but kept his eyes on the blonde girl below. After what didn't seem long, students were packing their notes in their bags. Hermione nudged Harry.
"Stop staring!" she whispered.
Harry flushed scarlet and placed his blank notepad into his shoulder bag and left with Hermione. They passed the blonde girl who was talking to two redheads. Harry felt his stomach flip, like it always did when he saw a girl he liked.
Later that day, Harry was waiting outside of Hermione's room. They had arranged to go to one of the freshers parties to meet new people but Hermione was taken forever to get ready. After what seemed an hour, the door opened and Hermione walked out in a black floaty skirt and a purple halter-top.
"How do I look?" She asked, smiling.
"Gorgeous. Now can we go?" said Harry and held out his arm. Hermione smiled and took it. They walked out of Stevenson Hall and across the campus, they were heading down a path lit by the streetlights as it was already night.
"Umm…" murmured Harry.
"You do know where the party is, don't you?" Hermione asked.
"Sure, Krusty Hall, I just don't know where that is."
There was silence as they looked at each other, then burst out laughing.
"Oh well, a stroll is just as good." Harry suggested.
"No it's not, I spent ages trying to look this good," Hermione said with her hand on her hip.
"Yeah right," Harry said unbelievingly, "I bet you used your wand for a bit of it."
Hermione opened her mouth to answer but then was cut across by someone jumping in front of her. Hermione screamed as she saw who it was. His face was de-formed and had an over hanging forehead. He was a vampire.
Harry quickly pulled out his wand due to his Quidditch reflexes.
"Rechazar!" he shouted and the vampire was thrown back twenty yards. Hermione whipped out her wand from her back too as more vampires surrounded and circled them.
"What do we do? What do we do?" Harry heard Hermione mutter.
"Hang on, I'm thinking." Harry thought what Lupin taught them in third year about Vampires, what was the spell? Then it came to him.
"Conquistar!" Harry yelled with his wand pointed at three oncoming vampires. They staggered back and fell down to the floor.
"Actually," came a girl's voice from behind them. Harry and Hermione whirled round to see a blonde girl fighting with a vampire, "the trick is to put a wooden stake through their heart." She plunged a stick into the vampire's chest and turned to dust. She then stuck the stake into the vampires on the floor, and like the first, they no longer existed.
"Nice trick though." She said approaching Harry and Hermione. "What are those?" she inquired about the wands that the witch and wizard were holding.
Harry realised that this girl was the same girl he was watching is Psych earlier that day. He was amazed at her strength and speed. He hadn't seen anything like it for a muggle before.
"Hang on, you can't be … you can't be the Slayer, could you?" Hermione asked. The girl looked rather taken aback.
"Um … well yeah. How do you know about us?" She asked, looking scared.
"We were taught about you, in our school." Hermione explained.
"Me?"
"Well, no not you specifically, but Slayers and Watchers. I never thought I'd meet one though. I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger." Hermione introduced.
"Buffy Summers." She greeted.
"And this is Harry." Hermione said. Harry came back own to earth with a bang.
"Yeah, Harry Potter."
"Well, are you going to answer my question," Buffy asked. Harry and Hermione looked confused. "Those things," she pointed to their wands.
They both paused; this is exactly why they moved away, to get away from interrogation about their lives. What could they say to her about them?
"Er…these are our …" Harry began, trying hard to think of something good.
"Oh come on," Buffy interrupted, "I saw you doing some serious magicks with those."
Just then, someone came running up behind Buffy. A redhead girl, one who was also in their class that morning.
"Buffy!" she called. Buffy turned and saw her.
"Willow, what's up?" She asked somewhat concerned.
Willow caught sight of Harry and Hermione, "Umm…there was an angry puppy back there."
"Right, angry puppy." Buffy turned back to Harry and Hermione, "Well I'll see you around."
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