Chapter 2
Dad went home after we moved all my stuff, and we made plan to have dinner next weekend.
It took all afternoon to clean up my room and organizing my stuff. By six p.m., I was all unpacked and ready for a shower.
"Hey, Hermione. Wanna' get something to eat?" Daphne called from the couch when I stepped out of the bathroom.
"Yeah, sure." I shrugged. We didn't have anything in the fridge and I wanted to see around too. "You know a place where we could get a satisfying meal without being broke?"
Daphne chuckled. "You just leave that to me. Go get ready."
I went into my room and changed my towel for jeans and a loose T-shirt. My bushy hair was a mess, and it took me about five minutes to comb them down.
When I get out, Daphne was ready in her wrap coat and a small Gucci chained bag hanging on her shoulder. She also had put on a little makeup which accentuated her cheekbone and made her cerulean-blue eyes pop.
She looked stunning… and it made me shrink a little. Shaking my head at my insecurity, I straightened myself. I always prided myself for being smart, so I tried not to be bothered by my appearance.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked, putting on my puffer jacket.
"It's a surprise." She winked.
We walked for about fifteen minutes along the street, in which we discovered there was a gym and pool for students across the apartment, a grocery store two blocks away and a bookstore right next to it, before stopping in front of a small diner with a crooked sign above the door that said Hagrid's.
"They say this place has the best chicken soup in town."
"Who's 'they'?" I asked as we made our way inside.
"Friends." Daphne shrugged.
The inside of Hagrid's left an impression of warmth, probably because of the earth tone palette the diner went for. The wall was made of dark brown woods, the burgundy upholstery on the booths, and the copper-colored counter with matching seats. But what I found interesting were paintings of different kind of animals above each booth. Horses, sheep, cows… even mythical one like the Loch Ness monster.
The diner was almost empty, aside from a plump man who sat near the door with a pitcher of beer in his table, and a girl in mustard waitress uniform who was wiping the counter absentmindedly.
I raised my brow. For a place which was known to have the best chicken soup around town, this place looked pretty dead.
"It's a hidden gem." Daphne said quietly, as though she could read my mind.
We took the booth at the very back where a painting of a puppy was hanged above bottles of condiments.
"Wow, this place feels…" I looked for a right word, "…homey?"
Daphne nodded. "Yeah, I kind of like it. My friend said the owner was a huge animal lover and has his own ranch somewhere on the outskirts. Hence the pictures."
"Must be a nice man." I commented just as a waitress came over and handed us the laminated menus.
"I'll have the chicken soup and water." Daphne said, not even touching the menu.
"I'll take the burgers and ice tea, please." As much as I loved to taste the soup, my body needed something heavier after all the labor I put all day.
I was relieved Daphne didn't make a disgusted face at me like my friends usually did whenever I ordered anything other than a salad.
The waitress jotted down our orders and went away, then come back with our drinks.
"So, your mom…" I began. I'd been itching to ask her since I finished my packing and had a chance to thought back at my bizarre meeting with her parents. "…she said something about having people look into me."
Daphne winced. "It's not as bad as it sounds. She didn't mean any harm by it; she just wants to know who my future roommate would be."
"Yeah, okay, I get wanting to make sure her daughter won't share a room with an addict or felon or something. But she can just read my profile on the university server, right? That's what my Dad and I did."
"I know, I know." She sighed. "Mom tends to go overboard sometimes."
"You don't say."
"Again, sorry about that."
Watching her shoulder drop and her mouth turn downwards made me feel bad for bringing up the subject.
"I told you before, it's not your fault." I said soothingly, patting her hand gently a couple times. "Let's change the subject. So, what kind of foods do you enjoy beside chicken soup?"
Daphne's face brightened. "I love wraps. Maxime – oh, that's our housekeeper – she makes the best chicken salad wrap."
"Chicken soup and chicken salad wrap, huh? I see you have a type, Greengrass," I teased, stirring my ice tea with straw.
"Guilty." Daphne raised her hand and laughed. "I also love her fried chicken, her chicken schnitzel… oh, and that chicken piccata!" She went on listing every chicken dish she could think of. "I'm going to miss Maxime. I bet the cafeteria food won't hold a candle to her cooking."
"Well, you know I cook," I said. "If you don't mind splitting the grocery bills, I can make our meals on the weekdays."
Daphne's blue eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yeah. I mean… I don't know if I can compare to the great Maxime, but I've been cooking every day for my family since I was ten, and Dad never complained… Actually, that's not true. When I first started learning, he complained a lot. Too salty, too watery, burnt and frozen at the same time…" My heart warmed at the memory and I couldn't help the nostalgic smile forming on my lips. I was going to miss my Dad, but at least I still got to see him in the weekend. One of the reasons I choose to stay in Oregon was because I wanted to stay close to Dad. We're all each other had since Mom died after all.
"You and your dad sound so close," Daphne said with a similar expression I saw earlier when Dad and I were goofing around. It almost looked like… she envied me…?
"Yeah, we've been through a lot," I answered as the waitress returned with our food.
Just like that, the look was gone and replaced with excitement.
"Oh god," she moaned after taking in a spoonful of soup. "This tastes just like Maxime's. How is that possible? I'm going to thank Draco for this."
I smiled bemusedly. She looked just like a kid on Christmas morning, so excited for the present. "Who's Draco?" I asked as I dug into my own food. It was delicious. The meat was tender and juicy, and the bun was perfectly toasted.
"The friend who told me about this place," Daphne answered in-between slurps. "He really knows my taste."
We chatted a little more between bites and slurps, and I found out Daphne was going to major in Business. I told her I hadn't decided on a major yet, so I was taking a bunch of different classes to see what would interest me the most. We also found out we're going to share a few classes together, including English 101 tomorrow morning. At one point, Daphne insisted I try her chicken soup, and I had to admit, it was pretty delicious.
We decided to share a carrot cake for dessert when the door swung open and a group of guys walked in. Their loud chatting blared through the quiet diner.
"Oh, my god." Daphne gasped and leaned in closer to me as he took in the group. "Isn't that the guy we spied on this morning?"
I whirled my head over my shoulder, and just as she had said – there he was, the same handsome guy I saw through my window.
They didn't seem to notice us, and luckily, they choose a booth at the opposite corner to ours.
I couldn't help but admire how handsome he was with the mischievous smile plastered in his face the whole time as he spoke to his friends. Just as handsome as this morning.
This morning!
"Oh, my god! We have to get out of here," I said, trying to be quiet and not hyperventilate.
Daphne looked at me like I just suggested we start strip dancing on the counter. "Don't be ridiculous; why do we have to leave?"
"Are you kidding me? He caught me spying on him, Daphne."
"He's hot, Hermione. I'm pretty sure people spied on him all the time." Daphne said like it was the most common thing in the world. "Besides, you don't see a guy that hot every day. I mean… just look at him." She gazed at their table with a dreamy look. "Hey, why don't we introduce yourself?"
"You're joking right?" I asked in disbelief.
"I'm very serious." From the look of her face, I had no doubt she meant it.
But there was no way I was going to just strolled up there and introduce myself. What should I even say? 'Hey, remember the creeper who watched over you this morning? It's me!'
"Fine, you do what you want. I'll wait outside." I put down a twenty-dollar bill on the table, hoping it will cover my share of food and quickly made my way toward the door with my head low and my gaze to the floor.
The door was five steps away when I bumped into something flabby. The next second, I was drenched with something cold which smelled like beer.
"Hey, what the hell bitch?" An angry voice came from above me.
I raised my head to find a plump middle-aged man glaring down at me with red face.
"S-Sorry," I croaked. I didn't want to anger him; he looked like he could snap me in half like a twig.
"'Sorry' ain't gonna' put my beer back!" He yelled and I took a step backward, scrunching my nose at the strong smell of alcohol. His clothes – unlike mine – was dry, so no doubt it came from his breath. "What's with that look? You think you're better than me?!" His nostril flared as he raised his fist like he was about to hit me.
Someone suddenly grabbed his hand. "Hey! You're really going to hit a girl?!"
My breath got caught in my throat when I saw who it was: the guy I was trying to avoid.
"Who the fuck are you?" The man spat, trying to wiggle his arm free. "You're playing Superman for this hag now?"
His expression tightened. "You don't have to call her that."
"Why? The bitch's fuckin ugly!"
I bit my lip, trying to hold my anger and embarrassment. I could feel my eyes stinging with tears that threatened to spill out.
No. I couldn't cry. I wouldn't cry. Not in front of this guy, and certainly not in front of this drunkard.
Daphne suddenly appeared next to me. "Sir, we're sorry about your drinks. And we'll be happy to pay for it." She offered calmly.
The drunkard eyed her up and down and a nasty smile crept into his face. "Fine. Then give me your number."
"Excuse me?" Daphne raised her brow.
"You hear me – give me your number. You up for a booty call?"
Daphne's jaw dropped like she couldn't believe the audacity of this man.
"Okay, that's it!" I exploded, losing my patience. "My friend will not give you her number because I bumped into you. I'll pay for your beer, and I'll get you a new one, so just take it and go away."
"Nobody's asking you, bitch!" The man retorted.
"Cedric, is everything okay?" A voice came from behind the guy.
I tilted my head slightly and saw his friends striding toward us. There were three of them and they all look pretty ripped.
"This man is being a jerk to the ladies." The guy – Cedric – answered.
"Need some help?" A tall burly man asked Cedric. He cracked his knuckles as to demonstrate how much damage he could do to the man's face.
"Depends on him." Cedric tipped his head at the drunkard and stared with a challenge in his eye.
The drunkard looked at the guys and probably noticed he had no chance against them, so he stormed out after yelling at the waitress 'the bitches' were paying for his tab.
"Hermione, are you alright?" Daphne asked, eyeing the wet spot on my jacket.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I nodded. "Thanks, Daphne. And…." I turned shily at the guy in front of me. "Thanks, em… Cedric, is it?"
Cedric nod and gave me a smile which made my knees week. "Yeah. Hermione, is it?"
I nodded dumbly.
"You might want to take off your jacket. It's pretty warm here anyway." Cedric said.
"A-Ah, right." I fumbled with my zipper. My hand was shaky from the confrontation, and also because Cedric's gaze still lingered on me as I shrugged off my jacket.
"Hey!" One of the guys called. He caught sight of Daphne and an appreciative look crossed his face. "You guys should join us. Wouldn't want any other jerk to cause you trouble."
"We were just l-"
"That sounds fun. Hermione and I are just talking about sharing a carrot cake." Daphne cut me off. She turned to Cedric and batted her eyelash. "I'm Daphne, by the way."
"Cedric," Cedric said with a friendly smile.
"I'm Zacharias," the burly man said. "This is Ernie and Justin." He pointed to the blond and brunet respectively.
We introduced ourselves again before tailing the guys back to their booth.
"Are you crazy?!" I hissed at her.
Daphne just stared straight ahead like she heard nothing.
Cedric, Daphne and I ended up sitting on the same side, while Justin, Ernie and Zacharias sat in front of us. We ordered our carrot cake while the guys went for burgers and colas.
"You guys are freshmen, yeah?" Justin asked, his eyes glued on Daphne. "What do you think of Hogwarts so far?"
"It's pretty great." Daphne answered cheerily. "Our apartment is amazing."
"Wait? You guys lived at Andromeda?" Ernie said, his blond brow furrowed.
Daphne and I nodded.
"Wow." Justin whistled. "You guys must be pretty loaded, huh?"
Daphne shrugged nonchalantly.
"I'm not rich, actually." I shook my head. "I got Andromeda as a part of my scholarship."
"Wait, really? I thought the scholarship only pays for tuition. Right, Ced?" Justin looked at Cedric, who nodded in response.
"It's a new scholarship starting this year. I had a lot of special conditions to fulfill besides my GPA," I answered, darting my eyes between the guys. "You guys on scholarship too?"
"Nope. Just Cedric." Ernie replied.
Cedric leaned forward and rest his elbows on the table. "I tried to get free boarding too, but I only won the tuition cut." He looked at me with a spark of admiration in his grey eyes. "You must be pretty genius to be able to snag the full package."
I blushed at his comment. I thank god for the dim lighting and hoped nobody noticed it.
"Yeah, you must be like super smart," Justin added. "Er…" He looked like he was trying to remember something. "Sorry, what's your name again?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but Cedric beat me to it,
"Her name is Hermione."
"Hermione?" Justin repeated like it was the first time he heard it, even tough it was less than ten minutes ago I introduced myself. "That's a weird name."
"I thought it was pretty." Cedric shrugged and turned at me. "The Winter's Tale, right?"
I was stunned. Nobody had ever realized where I had got my name before. Most people I knew weren't a big fan of classic literature.
Unknowingly, I smiled. "Yeah. My mom was a big fan."
"Mine too." Cedric said quietly. A glint of sadness flashed across his eyes, and I couldn't help but wonder what put it there.
"Have you decided on your major?" Justin asked, staring at Daphne again.
"I'm majoring in Business… and Hermione hasn't decided yet," Daphne said politely to Justin. She then put her chin in her hand and smiled at Cedric. "What about you?"
"Same." Cedric answered.
"Really?" Daphne almost squealed. "We're comrades, then."
Cedric chuckled. "I guess so."
"Can I come to you if I have trouble with the lesson, then?" She shifted closer to him, twirling her hair around her perfectly manicured finger.
"Yeah, sure."
"Great. Thanks. Hey, do you mind giving me your number?" She asked, pulling out her phone.
"Sure. As long as you gave me yours." He grinned flirtatiously and that made her giggled.
I felt a painful tightness in my throat.
The conversation continued around small talks like cool hang out spots around campus, or which professors gave the hardest assignment.
Daphne moved a little closer to Cedric every five minutes or so. Sometimes, she ran her hand over his arm or sneaked fries off his plate, and they shared gazes with each other. The worst part was Cedric seem to really like it.
I kept hoping he would notice I hadn't contributed to their conversation for a while now and called me out on it, but he never did. His attention was either on Daphne or his friends, who also seemed to forget about me.
I shouldn't be surprised. Daphne was a beautiful girl, way prettier than I was. But for when our eyes met back at the apartment, and when he smiled at me, I thought we had a moment. And then, when he saved me from that drunkard, I foolishly thought that maybe, he was interested in me.
But I should've known better. What guy choose me over Daphne?
Cedric helped me because he was just a nice guy. And Daphne… I hadn't known her very long, but she seemed very nice and humble, I liked her.
And if they liked each other, then I'm going to be happy for them. I didn't want to be a jealous bitch who came between them, especially since Cedric was clearly not interested in me.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
Today, I squandered the hope of being with Cedric.
A/N
Hello again. Sorry it took a while to update. The new trailers for Final Fantasy XVI and Hogwarts Legacy broke my brain for a few days.
Anyway, hope you guys like the new chapter ^^
Special thanks to my beta reader, ekaterina016.