Henry Granger came to the English Rose bright and early the next morning. He insisted that the bookshelves needed reinforced so they wouldn't topple over from the large book displays he knew his granddaughter would inflict on the poor old wooden shelving units. Of course the bookstore didn't open up until ten as always, Henry found it most useful to arrive no later than seven am, insisting that the most important work took place prior to opening the doors. Emily always held this work philosophy as well. So when Hermione finally made her way down the stairs at 9:50am, Henry laughed and shook his head, "you won't catch the early worm sleeping all morning, sunshine. The work starts at seven." He made his way over to kiss Hermione on the forehead and hand her a fresh, hot cup of tea made to her liking, extra milk, no sugar.
"Oh papa. I'm always downstairs before I have to open the front door. Plus, you are here. It seems you've handled things quite well without me." Hermione smiled behind her rose covered tea cup.
"Well, I won't be around forever, Hermione." Henry belly laughed but was quieted rather quickly by the blanched expression on his granddaughter's face. He saw tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "Oh sunshine. I didn't mean it like that. This old boy has plenty of years left in him. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried." Hermione put down her cup while turning her head into her grandpa's chest. She unleashed a strangled sob that she had been holding onto since her grandmother passed away so long ago. "Oh sunshine. Just let it out. We all miss your grandmother very much. She was so special to so many people. I know Emily would be proud of you and what you've accomplished with the Rose so far." He kissed her on the top of the head as her tears slowed to a stop ending in one last small sniffle. "Now, now. Grandmother wouldn't want you wasting tears on her. What was it she always said, 'it does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live'? That was it, wasn't it? I know she'd say the same about tears wasted on her."
Hermione pulled back and wiped her eyes with her thumb. "You know papa. I think grandma got that quote from a book but every time I asked her she changed the subject. I will find the source of grandma's memorable quotes before I die." Hermione chuckled and excused herself to fix her face in the downstairs bathroom before they opened the doors for their patrons.
Just like every morning, the Johnsons were waiting outside of the shop at ten am. They came in with their usual pleasantries for Hermione and made their way to the window seats to have a sit down with Henry. This usual occurrence lasted a good portion of the morning. It was clear that they had been long time friends and the husband and wife liked to come by everyday to keep an eye on Henry to make sure he was fairing well. It warmed Hermione's heart to see all the love that the townspeople had for her grandfather. A few random patrons came by throughout the morning asking Hermione for assistance picking out the perfect reading material for various occasions. Hermione was truly in her happy place being surrounded by so many books.
After the Johnsons had left in the early afternoon, Henry came downstairs to find Hermione. "Hey sunshine, I'm about to head out for the day. Everything okay down here?"
"Yes!" A soft voice called out from behind one of the book stacks. "I've just been arranging some of the new books that were delivered today. Have you seen this one?" Hermione walked quickly over to her grandfather to shove a book into his hands. "A murder mystery period drama… It looks amazing." Hermione beamed up at her grandfather. "I have to buy one and read it immediately."
"You know that you can take whatever you want. No cost to the owner." Henry smiled already anticipating his granddaughter's response.
"Oh but I couldn't do that. I must pay." Hermione glanced at him with a stern look that Henry knew all too well.
"If you insist," Henry chuckled. "Oh I forgot to ask. Did you get the letter and books into the drop box for our friend last night?"
"Oh yes. No problem at all. That was all a rather peculiar experience, indeed. The letter requested that I put my three favorite books in the drop box." Hermione beamed and Henry knew exactly what that meant.
"How many did you end up leaving for our friend?" Hermione laughed before responding, "well it started out as a pile of 30 but I managed to narrow it down to 5. It took me hours and I swear it was what I imagine parents having to pick their favorite child go through. I felt bad for the books that did quite make the cut."
Henry patted Hermione on the shoulder and scratched his chin as if deep in thought, "say, you don't suppose those books stayed up all night crying because they weren't picked, do you?"
Hermione playfully shoved Henry on the shoulder, "oh stop. I feel bad enough as it is. I already apologized to them again this morning." She said as she pointed to the pile of discarded favorites on the far table that Hermione claimed as her 'special spot' where she could hide away when the store wasn't busy. It was comfy with the relaxed arm chair and quiet but she could hear the doorbell chime and be up the stairs in a flash to wait on the customers. "I wrote a letter to put alongside my books. It felt oddly normal to write to this perfect stranger." Hermione smiled at Henry. "Oh!" She snapped her fingers remembering the end of the night. "Pretty close to midnight, I heard the box shut but by the time I looked out the window I didn't see anyone. But just then, I heard a laugh and I looked down and saw her. She was very short and had long black curly hair. I didn't get to see her face though but I must admit that I'm even more intrigued to receive her letter next month."
"You saw the writer?" Henry asked, a little shocked. "No, my love. You weren't supposed to look. Part of the game is the writer wishing to remain anonymous. They made it clear in their first letter that they didn't want to have an in person relationship. The mystery is part of their game."
Hermione felt a little taken aback by the accusatory tone her grandfather was using, "well," Hermione started defensively, "it's not like I waited out by the box to jump out at her. I heard a noise and I was making sure Crooks and I weren't being robbed. I didn't mean to see her leave. I wasn't spying as you seem to be insinuating." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest reminding her grandfather of the stubborn child that would come stay with them over the summers.
"Calm down sunshine," Henry's words were met with a glare coming from the younger woman standing with her arms crossed before him. He knew he had to backpedal in order to make sure she heard his words. "I wasn't insinuating that you were waiting for the writer. I just wanted to explain this person's wishes so they wouldn't feel uncomfortable and still remained a loyal customer. Just wait and see what they write in the next letter. I'm sure your books were amazing." Henry saw his granddaughter soften her stance and smiled, "did you include The Princess Bride?"
Hermione shook her head and pointed to the table, "sadly no, she didn't make the cut. If this woman asks for more of my favorites it'll be in the next group of books to go."
—
Two weeks had passed since Hermione had last thought about the pile of favorite books sitting by the wayside down in her special spot. She had spent many hours with her grandfather repainting the upstairs and fixing up the old shelving units. She didn't want to change any of the original furniture, she only wished to update wherever necessary. Hermione also found a few occasions to grab lunch or dinner with Ginny. Her redhead friend was a very determined and strong willed individual. It was hard to say no to her so she often found herself going out to lunch regardless of her current schedule. Hermione had to admit though, she was happy to have a friend in town. Especially since it had been about a month since she had regular contact with her girlfriend. It was clear that Laura was less excited about Hermione's move and she didn't hide her feelings. One night during the previous week, Ginny had come round to Hermione's after she closed the shop to hang out at her place. Unfortunately that happened to be the night that Laura had decided to FaceTime Hermione. Laura instantly became jealous over the fact that Ginny was in her house after hours and insisted that she was coming out for a visit the following weekend.
Friday afternoon had arrived, Hermione had put the closed sign out shortly after 2 that afternoon to prepare for her girlfriend's arrival. There was a chime on the door which caused Hermione's heart to jump up into her throat. She peered around the corner and saw Ginny standing there grinning at her, holding a small bag with a piece of parchment. "Hi!" The red head greeted her loudly.
"I'm going to regret giving you that key, aren't I?" Hermione rolled her eyes, walked over to her friend and held her hand out.
Ginny smirked, "if you think I'm giving you back your key, then you will have to pry it out of my cold dead hand."
"No, I just want the stuff you've gotten out of the drop box." Hermione pointed to the parchment.
"Oh this," Ginny held out the stuff for Hermione to grab. "Is this the letter writer you were telling me about?"
Hermione took the parchment and brought it up to her nose subconsciously smelling the alluring scent of the paper. She sighed in contentment with the familiar earthy smell that filled her nostrils as she inhaled the new parchment. "Yes, look. Actual parchment." Hermione held the letter up. "Where do you even find parchment these days?"
"No idea." Ginny offered the bag of returned books which Hermione happily took and peered inside. She didn't take the time to look at everything and just counted and saw that five books were returned. "Are you going to read it now?" Ginny asked, pulling Hermione from her parchment high.
"No, I think I'll wait until later. That way I can pick out the new books and write her back." Hermione looked up, put the items on the counter and saw Laura's Jeep pulling up in front of the bookshop. The younger woman appeared to be busy on a phone call so she didn't notice Hermione standing in the front window with the red head. "Listen, Gin. I think it's best if you leave out the back door."
"Oh," Ginny said looking out the window. "That's the girlfriend?" She asked, pointing out to the woman in the Jeep. "Pretty. But it's also ridiculous to think that you are interested in me. I'm flattered but straight and did you tell her I had a boyfriend?"
"Well for starters," Hermione said while interlocking her arm through Ginny's, swiftly guiding her to the back door. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend. Who is the lucky guy?"
"Do you remember Harry?" Ginny smiled, stopping them from moving momentarily.
Hermione took a moment to ponder the name before her eyes widened. "You mean you are dating little Harry Potter? That nerdy kid who was always getting in trouble with Ron? That's wild Ginny."
"Well he's still kind of nerdy." Ginny laughed, "but he's my nerd. We've been together for almost four years now."
"That's amazing! I'm so happy for you," Hermione's smile faltered when she heard the chime of the door. "But you really need to go. Love you. Text you later." Hermione rushed as she pushed Ginny out of the back exit.
"Yeah, I'm feeling all of the love right now," Ginny whispered back shaking her head and she made her way down the alley.
Hermione smiled as she watched her friend retreating down the roadway. She was nervous and had terrible moths in her stomach. They weren't exactly butterflies. Hermione couldn't put her finger on it but she wasn't entirely happy to have Laura for the whole weekend. It seemed weird to her for her girlfriend to be in her space for that long after having a few months apart. Dread filled her senses and she took a few moments to breathe deeply when she heard her girlfriend call out her arrival signaling that she made it okay. "She's your girlfriend," Hermione said to herself, "you love her. Just get through this weekend and everything will be back to normal." Hermione kept the mantra running through her head as she made her way back to the front of the store. She put on her best smile but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw that Laura had broken the seal on her parchment and was reading her private letter. Hermione's eyes were dripping with red. Her fists were balled up at her sides and she spoke harshly, "what are you doing with that?"
Laura turned around holding the parchment out, "who uses paper like this?" She asked not registering the angry tone of her girlfriend. "It seems so archaic to write letters today. Just email, text or order books online. I mean… who even shops for books anymore?" Laura finally looked at Hermione and her eyes widened, "shit. Baby. I didn't mean that. Plenty of people shop at bookstores."
"Why did you read that letter?" Hermione asked again, trying to calm her breathing. She walked over and avoided her girlfriend's open arms and took the parchment from her hand. "This letter was meant for the shop owner to open. It's private."
"I'm sorry. I wasn't aware it was a big secret. You already told me about the first letter. I didn't think it would be a big deal."
"It wasn't yours to open." Hermione sighed and closed her eyes. She needed to relax and check her attitude to try to salvage the weekend with her girlfriend. It had been months and Laura was here. She needed to put in the effort that she was asking of her girlfriend. "It's okay. You didn't know. Let's just forget this," she said, putting the letter and bag of books in the top drawer of the filing cabinet, "and start over." She finished walking over to Laura and pulling her into a tight embrace. She felt the younger woman relax into her touch which caused Hermione's heart to ache a little from the worry she felt earlier and the stress she caused from escalating the greeting. She turned her head so she could place a kiss in Laura's hair, "I'm glad you are here."
Laura sighed and melted further into the hug, "I'm glad I'm here, too. I've missed you so much."
—
The rest of the weekend with Laura went smoothly. Hermione was thankful for the time together and she felt that they had reestablished their relationship in the short time together. When Laura left early Sunday evening, Hermione felt calm and more confident that their relationship would last. She knew the change was hard for her girlfriend but she appreciated Laura's willingness to drive from the city and she had promised to make it a more regular occurrence. Laura even suggested meeting some of her friends next time. Hermione took all of these as positive signs and could rest easy putting any ill feelings behind her.
"Oh crap!" Hermione thought while getting up from the couch upstairs, this startled Crooks into a mild state of frenzie. "Come on Crooks. I completely forgot about the parchment. I hope I didn't miss the drop off date." Hermione threw a jumper over her spaghetti strap tank and rushed downstairs to the shop. She quickly made her way over to the filing cabinet and pulled out the bag and parchment. She took the items down to her special spot and took a seat in her oversized armchair. Pulling the string on her side table lamp which shone a soft white light, Hermione first peered in to look at the books and what she saw confused her. "Wait a minute," Hermione thought, "these aren't at all the books I placed in the box." Hermione sat and stared at five different books. "Wait. What?" Hermione asked, glancing over the spines of what appeared to be well worn books. "I'm so confused." Hermione said aloud as Crooks joined her, rubbed up against her leg and purred loudly. "You're right, Crooks. It's probably explained in the letter." Hermione pulled out the parchment that was already opened thanks to her girlfriend and unfolded it.
The letter read:
Dear Curious Granddaughter,
It is nice to make your acquaintance. I've been quite fond of your grandfather the past few years. He's always been kind and had surprisingly good book recommendations. I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened your package. To say I was surprised that there were more than three books would be a lie. Your grandfather mentioned in one of his letters that you are as he called it a 'book addict'.
All five of the books you recommended as your favorites are quite honestly some of my favorites as well. I couldn't bring myself to part ways with them this month so I thought in place of the five books you gave me that I could send you five of my favorite books. I thought it might add a fun twist to this game as you called it if we trade favorites back and forth until you run out of favorite books to send. I'll be at the shop to pick up your next five books next Friday.
I am very intrigued to read what you thought about the books that I've left for you.
Until next time,
The Peculiar Requester.
Hermione read the letter five times over making sure she exhausted every word. She had never been more intrigued and excited about a game in her life. She didn't know anything about this woman but the simple fact that she wanted to exchange favorite books with her was something Hermione craved. Someone who seemingly got just as excited with the written word as she did. Hermione couldn't explain it but she felt a pull into this little game and she wasn't in a rush to leave it.
Finally tearing herself away from the parchment, Hermione folded the letter and put it on the table beside her. Her heart thumped a little as she picked the bag up off of her lap and peered inside. She would never be able to explain why she was nervous to look at these books. Unbeknownst to her, she built up expectations of this correspondence relationship and had hoped that whatever books were in this bag were in good taste. Hermione held her breath and closed her eyes as reached into the bag and pulled the five books out, placing them onto her lap. Opening her eyes, she shifted through the pile of well worn books one by one, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The BFG, The Secret Garden, Frankenstein and The House Mirth. It was just an interesting combination of books that sent Hermione's head into a spin. She was very familiar with every title here and she smiled to herself. She exhaled the breath that she didn't know she was holding and examined the books again. Flipping through the books and looking a little closer, Hermione came to the conclusion that these must be from the writer's personal library as they all had extensive handwritten notes throughout the margins of the pages.
Hermione had never been so excited to start rereading a group of books in her life. She felt a little silly with the current emotion she was having because she knew that her thought process and the idea she just had wasn't an actual thing. But then again, maybe it was a thing that nobody had discovered yet. For one moment, Hermione let herself get lost in the feeling that she had finally found her book soulmate.