Chapter Two - S.P.E.W
"We're going to be late, Ron! Harry could you go see what's taking him so long?" Hermione sighed impatiently as she stood by the door. Harry set off, returning a minute later with Ron.
"Sorry, 'Mione. I just wanted to make sure…" Ron turned a rather violent shade of red that clashed horribly with his already vivid hair. Hermione looked him up and down. He had donned a new jumper, a neat pair of trousers and a brightly colored scarf, all of which were a far cry from his usual plain attire.
"I'm sure Luna will love it," Hermione replied dryly, peering at the bright red radishes stitched into the scarf. Ron's blush increased as he sputtered for an excuse. "Oh Ron, don't be silly. I've known that you fancied her since you started telling Dean off for calling her 'Loony Luna,'" Hermione said. "Now can we please go? I'm sure the others are there already."
"Don't worry, mate. She'll love the radishes," Harry said, failing to keep an entirely straight face.
The three of them set off through the busy streets, again crowded with last minute shoppers. They passed by a lady pulling her child away from a display for the newest line of sports shoes, The Firebolt. "We just got you a pair of Comets two months ago!" An old man slipped his grandchildren some sweets as they walked past Honeydukes. "Don't tell your mother." Raucous laughter drifted out from Zonko's, the joke shop, as kids shot streams of water from flower bouquets at each other and blew through horns that emitted fart noises. Finally, they reached their destination a few blocks later.
The Three Broomsticks was a popular restaurant and bar for casual dining and large groups. Over the years, it had become the go-to spot for Hermione and her group to meet at least once a week and catch up with each other. Harry held open the door for the others as they stepped into the large, warm establishment. Immediately the sound of dishes and the buzz of cheerful conversation enveloped them as the smell of ale and dinner met their noses.
"Over here!" A voice called from their right. They turned to find Ginny already seated at a large booth with Luna and Dean. Ron sat across from Luna with Hermione next to him in the middle facing Dean. Harry and Ginny were on the edge.
"I like your scarf," Luna said in her sing-song voice, and the tips of Ron's ears turned red.
"Thanks," he replied, shifting uncomfortably. "I uh like your radishes I mean earrings, I mean..." Hermione stomped on his foot beneath the table. He was saved from further struggling when a waitress approached their table.
"What can I get you started with, m'dears?" she asked.
"Just a butterbeer please," Hermione replied, with general agreement around the table.
"I'll take tea with an infusion of Gurdyroot," Luna said.
"Er, I'm sorry, Miss, but we don't have that here," the waitress said, a bit bemused.
"Oh. In that case, I'll have peppermint tea."
"Five butterbeers and one peppermint tea," the waitress confirmed before turning and walking away.
"Luna," Hermione asked somewhat reluctantly, "what's a Gurdyroot?"
"It's a plant that wards off malevolent spirits," the blonde girl replied.
"Malevolent spirits?" Harry asked.
"They clog up your ears and cloud your mind. They like cold weather best, so it's very important to protect yourself from them now."
"Right… That makes sense," Dean jumped in, clearly eager to change the subject. He sent a wary glance at Ron before turning to Hermione and asking, "How's your case going?"
Hermione sighed. "Not too good. We really need to have strong community representation, but no one seems to care enough to show up. The city is more interested in making money than preserving nature."
"What, don't tell me that spew isn't winning over the bleeding hearts of this city," Ron said in mock surprise.
"It's not spew, Ron," Hermione said hotly, "it's S.P.E.W! The Society for the Preservation of the Environment and Wildlife."
"What about the survey you put out a month ago?" Dean asked quickly, hoping to remove the spotlight from Ron.
Hermione sighed and shook her head. "We got some great responses, just not enough. With our court date only a few days away, I have most of my arguments already laid out, but I'm not sure if we'll even be able to use the survey. Everyone seems to think that the idea of preserving the forest and placing a small park in one of the clearings is a lovely idea, but not lovely enough to fight for it. Everyone wants to just sit back while someone else takes care of it." She eyed them all sternly and continued, "If any of you felt like pitching in, coming to testify on behalf of S.P.E.W, it could really make a difference." The other shifted uncomfortably, suddenly very interested in the scratched wooden table.
"I would love to!" Luna piped up. "I'm sure they wouldn't want to tear it down if they knew about all the crumple-horned snorkacks and three-bellied glibbons."
"Er, it's okay Luna. On second thought, it could be seen as a personal bias if I have my friends come to the stand," Hermione said quickly, glaring at Dean, Harry and Ginny when they started coughing in a way that sounded suspiciously like snorts. Ron shot them a rather nasty look as well, leaning in to talk to Luna. They were interrupted from their musings when the waitress returned with their drinks. They ordered food as well before returning to their conversation.
Ginny turned to Harry and asked, "Got any interesting cases lately?" Harry, who was a police officer, shook his head.
"Sadly no. This town is a little small to hope for a case like the Gaunt murders a few years ago. It's a shame I was still in training then. Never got to work on it myself." Harry took a sip from his butterbeer. "Although, I guess an entire family turning up dead a few days before Christmas would put a bit of a damper on it."
"That's the spirit," Ron clapped him on the shoulder.
"But Harry, weren't you able to visit the crime scene still?" Ginny asked.
"Only briefly. I was with Kingsley when he got the call, and he thought it would be good for me to see firsthand what it's like to respond to such a big incident."
"That must have been awful," Hermione shuddered, imagining walking into a room with three dead bodies.
"Well, the most awful part about it is the fact that it's still unsolved. That poor family. Although… it doesn't seem like they were terribly missed by anyone." Harry said, lost in thought before snapping out of it and changing the topic to something lighter. "Oi Ron, how's Fred and George's joke shop coming along?"
By the time their food arrived, the six friends were happily laughing about the twins' most recent shenanigans. Dinner went along happily, Ron inhaling his food while trying to impress Luna, Ginny was continuing her early conversation with Harry about his police duties, and Dean was patiently listening to Hermione rant about her troubles with S.P.E.W.
"Ohmygod," Ginny suddenly said, her voice cutting across the three different conversations. Don't look now, but I've just spotted the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes on." Five heads automatically turned in the direction she was looking. Tom Riddle was walking over from the waiting area, followed by a tall, busty woman with curly black hair and another man, rather batlike in appearance with long, greasy hair and a hooked nose. Hermione groaned and turned her face away, head in palm.
"What's wrong, Hermione?" Dean asked, noticing her sudden distress.
"It's that awful man from two days ago! The one who made me drop my groceries and complained about his shoes," Hermione hissed, feeling her irritation at this incident rise once again.
"Which one?" Ginny asked vaguely, eyes still trained on Riddle.
"The taller one with short hair," Hermione said, hesitating in her description a bit. Even from afar, it was clear he was attractive. Every head turned in his direction as he walked past, the women shooting him longing glances while the men wished for his effortless masculine grace and confidence. He pretended not to notice, or perhaps he had become so accustomed to being the center of attention that he truly no longer took notice.
"Him?" Ginny asked, flabbergasted. "Hermione, I would be blessed to crash into him. Are you serious?"
"Who cares how he looks?" Harry asked gruffly. "From what Hermione said, he sounds like a total git." He gave a rather nasty look towards Riddle, who had moved to sit at a table somewhere behind Hermione with his companions. The waitress had rushed forward and was eagerly escorting them. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Okay, yes. He is superficially attractive, but the second he opens his mouth it's all ruined. People are too obsessed with their looks. I mean, you should know, Gin." She shot the redhead a you-better-agree-with-me look. Ginny was a photographer, and had begun garnering attention in the high fashion world.
"Mmm, I suppose. But just imagine what it'd be like to capture him. I mean, I don't think he has a bad side!"
"There's got to be something wrong with him. No bloke could possibly be that perfect," Ron said with the same tone of resentment as Harry. "Maybe he's got a deep dark secret, like he keeps his toenail clippings in a jar at home or he likes the smell of old people."
"Why, Ron?" Hermione said, wrinkling her nose. "And I already told you what's wrong with him. Mister 'you ruined my italian leather!' Please."
"Oh I see. You just don't like him because of your spew thing."
"It's not spew! It's S.P.E.W! The Society for-"
"The Preservation of the Environment and Wildlife," finished Ron, "yes I know."
Hermione stood up suddenly. "Excuse me, Harry. I need to use the loo," she said crossly. Harry quickly moved out of her way, and she side-stepped out. She had to cross Tom's table in order to get to the toilet, but she pointedly ignored him. He was deep in conversation with his friends anyway, and did not notice her. Her assumption must have been wrong, however, because when she emerged a few minutes later, he was standing by the door.
"Fancy seeing you here, Miss Granger". His voice was somewhere between a tenor and a baritone, but it held a richness that was very pleasing to the ear.
"And you," she said, eyeing him with distaste. "Waiting to use the ladies' room?"
"Waiting to speak with you."
"Oh." Hermione was momentarily lost for words. "I'm still not going to pay for your shoes."
He smirked. "We'll see about that. The actual reason is because I couldn't help but notice your sweater," he indicated her gray hoodie with a large picture of the earth on the front and the letters 'S.P.E.W' emblazoned above it. When she gave him a questioning look, he continued on. "Well you see, it's just that that happens to be the name of the pesky little group that is temporarily hindering my firm's progress." He raised an eyebrow, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
"Your firm? You're with Borgin and Burke Incorporated?" She asked accusingly.
"Yes," he said simply, "I am. We were intending to have construction cleared for the spring, but I think we might have to push it back to the summer if this… spew," he emphasized the word, "group won't budge."
"It's S.P.E.W! And that forest is home to a wealth of creatures and preserving our wildlife should be our top priority! You think it's fine to go and kill our environment just so you can set up a stupid little mall that will pollute it even more?" Hermione's eyes blazed as she settled into her save-the-planet routine. "What happens when all the trees are gone because people like you have chopped them all down just to build structures that feed into the consumerism culture, when that same culture causes our landfills to overflow and-"
"I take it you're some kind of leader?" Tom interrupted cooly. His facial expression hadn't changed, except his eyebrow had perhaps lifted a bit higher, and his eyes had taken on a different gleam.
"I am the founder and C.E.O," she said defiantly.
"That explains," he said, his eyes drifting carelessly over her worn jeans and beat-up sneakers, "why you were so indignant about my italian leather. Working for a non-profit is rather, well unprofitable." He sneered down at her. "I do admire your passion, though, however misguided it may be."
"Misguided!" Hermione started indignantly, "I have never-"
"I would like to say, however," Tom bent down slightly, looking straight into her eyes, and Hermione caught a whiff of aftershave. Subtle, yet enticing. Barely-there, then gone. She hated that she found herself unconsciously leaning towards him. His next words, however, jolted her out of her reverie. "You don't stand a chance against me. Your little ten-person club is facing down a very notable corporation who happens to fund many of the government's operations. Your efforts are futile. You have only postponed the inevitable. I advise you to give up before it becomes embarrassing. I could even find you a job with my company." He paused, then added with a cruel half smile, "I'm sure you'd make a lovely secretary."
"How dare you!" All thoughts of aftershave were gone as she replied indignantly, "Well, I can assure you that you are going to be more than just delayed. We will never allow you to tear down that forrest. I will not be intimidated by a few words by some nobody," Hermione felt her face flushing. "Now if you will excuse me, I was enjoying dinner with my friends before you decided to crash it." She turned her eyes away from Riddle for the first time to find her friends' staring between them, all with looks of astonishment.
"Friends, hmm? I had assumed it was a group date," he said, looking at Hermione's table where Harry, Ginny, Ron, Luna and Dean were now trying and failing to hide their staring.
"What gave you that impression?"
"Well it's clear the ginger is after that blonde girl and Glasses has been trying a little too hard with the other ginger. I assume they're related? And the dark one has probably been listening to you ramble on about spew all night, so he must have some ulterior motive."
"First of all," began Hermione hotly, "it's not spew. Second, your intuition needs a tune-up. It is not a group date, thank you. We're all friends from university. Also, why were you watching us?"
"Why were you watching me?" he countered, not a hint of embarrassment.
"I wasn't. I-"
"Well that's strange, considering you made a rather obvious point of pretending to ignore me when you passed by."
"Maybe you just couldn't take a hint."
He cocked an eyebrow and smirked slightly, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Well then, I'll leave you to your," he paused before saying, "friends" in a way that implied something else. " And I'll see you in court on Tuesday." He departed, leaving behind the lingering smell of his aftershave that Hermione sternly told herself was awful. She stomped back to her own table, the occupants of which were now staring at her open-mouthed.
"Hermione!" Ginny said as Harry stood up to allow her to pass by. "What was that?"
"It was nothing!" Hermione said defensively, gulping down butterbeer.
"That didn't look like nothing," Dean said with his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What did he want to talk to you about?"
Hermione told them about his connection to her fight to preserve the forest, but left out his last comments about the group date. She flushed a little when she realized that Dean did seem a little bit more interested in her words than most people tended to be. "So we're basically mortal enemies. Trust me, there is nothing but mutual dislike."
"People have a way of coming together in the end. It's just a matter of adjusting your aura to another's," Luns said. "You used to call me Loony Lovegood," she nodded sagely at Ron, smiling slightly, "but now you're wearing a scarf with radishes."
"I don't think my aura would ever adjust to his. My soul couldn't possibly turn that black," Hermione glowered in his direction.
"Souls and auras aren't the same thing," Luna said.
Hermione sighed in a defeated way before replying under her breath, "Of course they aren't." She watched as Riddle gave a small chuckle at something the hook-nosed man had said. He had a faint dimple that appeared on the otherwise smooth surface of his cheek. She was suddenly anticipating the upcoming court date with more nerves than before.
A/N: Anddd the plot thickens. I hope to do a chapter soon from Tom's POV, though it is a bit trickier to write. Thank you for reading! I promise updates won't always be this fast, I'm just on a roll here.
- WillowRose :)
