Hm.... it's been an extremely LONG time. I'm truly sorry to those who requested an update about a year ago...i will try and post the next chapter a.s.a.p. thank you for your patience!

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Black. Darkness. yet as soon as her eye's adjusted to the dim light coming in through the window from the moon, Hermione started to familiarize herself with what she now came to know as her new bedroom. The room with it's pastel colors brought her no comfort. she quickly closed her eyes trying hard to remember the shades of maroon and gold that once lined the happiness of her old life. she released the tension in her body and shuddered.

"what a dream" she said softly, turning to her side thinking of all the things Harry and Ron had said in the dream. Her cheek tingled at the same exact place that harry had kissed her. Her hand flew to her cheek. Not only was the tingling evidence of the dream, but, now she also felt the slightly damp residue of tear tracks on her face. She hadn't cried in years. Hermione thought she would never be able to cry again - simply due to the fact that she cried at the drop of a hat for nearly two years at the end of the war. Anything and everything had reminded her of her friends after the war. -She thought maybe she didn't have the strength or fuel to cry anymore after that. she was wrong. It had been so wonderful to see her friends again. Hermione tried very hard to remember everything Harry and Ron had said to her.

Hermione furrowed her brow, sat up suddenly opening her eyes finally to the unfamiliar, seemingly lifeless and empty walls. She turned on the lamp on her night stand and pulled her journal from under her pillow. Quickly, before she forgot anything important about her dream, she jotted down everything she could recall about the surprise meeting with Harry and Ron. Hermione made another resounded sigh as she finished scribbling down her last few words, returned the journal, turned off the lamp and plopped down onto her bed suddenly weighed down with emotional and physical drain the dream had caused her and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

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"ding, ding" the door bell chimed.

Hermione's breath hitch in her throat ans suddenly started chocking on her morning tea. Hermione coughed violently a few times trying to dislodge the tea from her air passage.

It was her first customer.

Hermione suddenly felt light headed with anxiety and excitement at the thought of a new customer, or was it the lack of oxygen? She quickly composed herself, grateful that the cashier-desk was located behind a few shelves of random medications and herbs. "i need to get used to this or else ill be dead before the week is out" she thought chastising herself. After Collecting herself, Hermione suddenly felt aware of the hair's on her neck go up, as if the room had been filled with an electrical current. Something wasn't right.

Whoever the customer was was quiet and maneuvering through her shop with a tact she hadn't witnessed in a long time. This behavior sent Hermione in a mental frantic. Quickly and as quietly as possible Hermione shoved her hand into her pocket and got her wand ready....for anything. Hermione glided through the store to find this person. She hated feeling paranoid like this, It got her into a lot of trouble after the war. Hermione had reported dozens of false attacks; directed at her safety, to the ministry. At the beginning they had believed her and Aurors would arrive within the blink of an eye thinking that some stray death-eaters were still on the loose; promoting what was left of You-Know-Who's rebellion, only to arrive to find out that Crookshank had tipped over a vase or was stepping on an out of place floor board. After a year, Hermione's fictitious stories and ramped hysterics became less of an urgency for the ministry and sometimes were left unanswered until the following day. So, even in this moment Hermione felt that the ministry would not respond to her due to her false claims in the past. As for now? she was on her own... no matter the outcome. With no luck scanning the front of the shop in which was more open... safer, Hermione made her way slowly to the back shelves where she kept the vast collection of medical, herbal & chemical books she sold. Hermione came upon the first isle and peaked around the corner for the mystery person. Nothing. Hermione peaked through to see the second isle.

A blood curdling scream erupted from Hermione's lips as a large mass bumped into her sending her to the ground. Getting over the initial shock and her slight lapse of awareness, due to the collision, Hermione looked up at the figure before her stupefied.

"Professor?"

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Ha,Ha! please review. ill update soon *Promise*!