Yes I'm back with a new chapter for Over Tea Leaves. Sorry about the very long delay... I try to blame it on the combination of a broken down computer and exams.
This chapter I'm afraid, and may not be as enjoyable as the others. I'm touching on some stuff that makes Hermione's family look superficial, and some people may not like it. But what I am trying to show is that they don't necessarily understand what Hermione been through (ie.the war) and therefore there may be some sort of distance between them, like some of us have with our own relatives. I'm also trying to add more layers to the characters. Don't worry, all these are very subtle.
As usual I plead to you (or command muhahaha) to leave behind a couple of reviews.
Chapter Three
An Unobstrusive Tea Store
It was days like these that Hermione Granger appreciated the least.
She had lie awake in bed all night. It was only until she heard the shriek of her alarm clock though, did her eyes pry open grudgingly, even though of course, she wasn't really asleep. She wasn't really a morning person, and she guessed she never will be one. Nevertheless, her spirits couldn't help but dampen. She just want to sink into her lovely bed and stay there.
Of course, that wasn't the main reason why she particularly disliked today.
Reluctantly, she dragged herself out of bed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and freshen up. Washing her face in the basin, she wondered if she should chicken out, but then immediately banished the idea. Duty calls, no matter how much she hated it, and there was no way to escape. Today was the visit to her Aunt Gloria's house for morning tea.
It wasn't that she didn't like her Aunt Gloria. Oh no, on the contrary, she liked her very much. Out of all her relatives, it was this dear aunt of hers who showed the most enthusiasm in witchcraft, and was the most supportive in her chosen career. Her other relatives never really forgiven her for not becoming a dentist.
No, it was all the gossiping that bothered her. Another few of her relatives would be there, and no doubt they would be eagerly prying for information about her non-existent love life or lack of career. All the tsk-tsk irritated her, and they would telegraphing sympathetic looks to one another, about what a disaster she turned out to be.
She had to look her best, to show how happy and successful she was. She hated pity; especially from her relatives. Hermione was determined to not to be sympathized. She slipped on a fresh cream-coloured long sleeved dress and looked into her mirror, examining her reflection. She looked well in the dress, and the high neckline was modest enough for her conservative parents. Finally satisfied that her hair looked neat enough, she put on her favourite red hat and left her flat confidently.
Everything from then onwards went downhill. Mother Nature decided for no reason at all to blow up a gust, and she had to chase after her red hat whenever the wind picked up. She liked that hat very much, and she couldn't bear losing it, so she went trailing after the little hat, getting splashed in puddles and grass stains on her dress. Naturally her attempts to neaten her hair failed miserably, and her long brown hair was rumpled up.
By the time she arrived at 2 Pinewood Lane, she was in a state of mess. She was hot and messy, and her dress had earned several wrinkles as well as stains. She groaned silently, watching as her impeccably neat relatives gawked at her.
"Hermione, darling!"
Ignoring her relatives, she proceed to hug her dear Aunt Gloria, inhaling the familiar scent of gardenia perfume. She caught her merry aunt blue eyes twinkling, as if enjoying the joke very much while she embraced her niece back. It wasn't more than a few seconds later she found herself engulfed in the arms of her beaming parents. She kissed the both of them on the cheeks, and the tugging in her heart finally made her realize how much she missed them.
She was glad she came, at least, to see her father and mother.
"Glad we got you here for company. Can't imagine having to see through this boring thing without you." Her father whispered loudly, chuckling as they led her into the dining room.
Hermione smiled widely. Her father may be greying slightly, but he wasn't one to be crusty in his speech. He hadn't lost his sense of humour, and she knew that he hated this whole affair as much as she does. He was probably one of the only rare few who understood her.
Yes, she know she was supposed to love her family, and she knew deep down inside she did. But they were regular normal people, who didn't understand what she had went through. They were just a family of nice suburban people who had a proud family background, where order and attire was important to them. They didn't go to school for magic. She went through a War that they were oblivious too, and they couldn't possibly understand how she feel. She just want to embrace life and not lived in a busy, shallow world anymore.
As they all settled on the long dining table she noticed her uncles and aunts staring diapprovingly at her. Her hair, she winced inwardly, catching a glimpse of her reflection at the window. Hastily she attempted to flatten her hair, but knowing her attempt was failing miserably. This must be how Harry felt like all the time, she thought miserably as she sat down.
There Hermione Granger (blacksheep of the family) was, in a state of mess, owning a little cafe and having a not-so-glamorous career. Her hair was tangled and fell all over her face, and she just noticed a grass stain on her skirt, much to her dismay. Some of her relatives were gawking at her openly.
Suddenly she found the china very interesting.
"How are you of late?" Emily Granger asked smugly as she tipped a couple of sausages into her porcelain plate. "I have been terribly busy, what with the Watson case and all."
"I'm fine, thanks," Hermione replied, clenching her teeth. It was a good time to concentrate on the scrambled eggs on her plate if she didn't want to make a scene.
"But of course, you must have quite a bit of free time. I mean, not much to do in a... coffee shop. Don't worry, Hermione, it will get better." Her cousin added sympathetically, with a pat on her shoulder while she daintily sipped her tea.
It took all of Hermione's strength not to scream at her and remind them that she chose to be this way. She didn't want to work in a stuffy office, she wanted freedom.
But of course, they wouldn't listen. None of them ever would. Instead, she forced herself to smile at them, hoping it didn't seem too much like the grimace it was meant to be.
"How are you Hermione darling? Uncle Em and I are so worried about you," asked Aunt Polly, two seats down the table. Uncle Em nodded absently.
"Fine."
"If you need any help, don't be afraid to ask us darling..."
"I'm fine," Hermione repeated, feeling slightly irritated
"How's your love life going? Allison here recently got engaged..." Aunt Clementine nodded towards her daughter at the other end of the table. As if on cue, Allison immediately shoved her ring into Hermione's view. It was a gold band which an indecently sized diamond, no doubt, purchased by her very rich successful fiancé.
"Nice," Hermione said with an disinterested look, but continued stabbing her bacon viciously.
"Three Carats and all!Of course it's specially designed..."Aunt Clementine droned on as she nodded politely. She knew where this conversation was heading, and if anything, hated it more than their pity for her so-called "lack of career".
" You haven't answered Clementine's question, dear," commented Aunt Gloria, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. She knew how Hermione felt about this whole situation, and enjoyed looking at her favourite niece squirm.
"Which one?" She asked, glaring at her merry aunt.
" The love life one," Aunt Gloria innocently said, well knowing the impact of this question.
" Er..."
" Now, now Gloria! Don't go around embarrassing the poor girl!" said Aunt Polly with a titter. " Don't despair too much, I'm sure you will meet a nice boy somewhere..."
" Oh, but there is one, though," She interrupted nonchalantly.
There was a clatter of forks, and Hermione was now well aware of the silence at the table. Even Uncle Em perked up. She heard her father wheeze, and her mother was trying not to laugh.
"Go on," Aunt Polly urged, trying to sound as disinterested but failing.
" His name is William." It was a fit of inspiration and exasperation that compelled her to do this.
" How's old is he?" Emily prodded.
"Almost fifty." she answered, enjoying the effect of her words.
" Fifty! That's so old! He's..."
" Perfect. He drinks, smokes, lives in a one-room flat with two dogs, works as a garbage man and just came out of jail."
Aunt Polly let out a shriek, appalled. Her mother was smiling, well aware that her sister was unconscious of the fact that it was a joke.
" He owns a gun, was formerly in rehab for drug abuse..." Hermione ploughed on, continuing where her absurd imagination took her. " And of course, I am his mistress waiting for him to end his one-month marriage."
Her last statement finished her wailing aunt and her father. Aunt Polly burst into tears, while her father could no longer control his shaking and burst into laughter. The rest of the table laughed, immensely relieved and thoroughly enjoying the joke.
"Polly, she's joking." Aunt Gloria comforted.
"Oh."
" Nice tea, Aunt Gloria," Hermione said, breaking the silence and feeling refreshed from the mischief she just done.
" Of course, dear, I got them at the Bennet's," her aunt replied breezily.
The rest of the breakfast went well enough. After her fiasco, none of them cared to addressed her directly anymore, and frankly, Hermione wasn't bothered. Not caring how she looked anymore, she ran around the garden with the dog, upset the pot of tea by accident, and wore her very unbecoming pair of spectacles just to scare her relatives. By the end of the morning, most of them were almost too eager to see her go.
She should have thought of this long ago, she thought as she skipped down the London streets again. The whole morning didn't went as bad it should have, though it could have been better. Trying to push the fiasco out of her head, she continuing skipping down the pavement, feeling the sunlight tingling on her skin and very much alive again.
Fifteen minutes later, she appeared outside a little store, looking down at the little note paper she had been trying to decipher. After breakfast, she asked Aunt Gloria where was Bennet's—she wasn't kidding when she said the tea tasted good—and her aunt had given her its address. But in her haste to get away, she scribbled it down illegibly onto the paper and she wasn't sure she got the right one.
The shop in front her was small and tucked away, and only a little wooden signed with 'Bennet's' engraved on it betrayed its identity. She smiled lightly as she straightened her hat. Hermione liked that about this shop. Unobstrusive, small, hidden from the crowded streets. Just like a secret.
Entering the shop, she was greeted by a very lovely smell of tea. Not over powering, as if too overly impress, but delicate and pleasantly faint. It was the very type of scent that was there one minute and when you sniffed the next minute it disappears, very much like the the exterior of this shop.
There wasn't a very wide variety of tea either, nothing too commercial to cater to a wide variety of people. It wasn't like a supermarket—overwhelmed by too many choices so as to boost sales—but there were enough to choose from. As if they only sell the finest quality and what they liked. Not snobbish or pretentious, but... selective. Hermione liked that too, and grew even more fond of this shop.
She wandered over the back of the shop, where cannisters of tea and open, wooden boxes of them were displayed. She leaned in closer to one of the wooden boxes, inhaling the sweet aroma that came with it. She was definitely getting one of those.
And Earl's Grey too.
There weren't many people in the shop. Looking around, she spotted a well-dressed men chatting animatedly with a greying man, obviously enjoying their conversation. Peering closer to see if one of them was Mr Bennet, she did a slightest double take.
"What are you doing here?"
Both gentlemen spun around, and she saw surprise register on the blond man's face. And then Draco Malfoy smiled, and the both of them headed towards Hermione.
"A better question for me to ask you, though I know the answer. You are finally taking my recommendation to this place to buy tea leaves from this place." Draco Malfoy said, gazing at her. It was more of a statement than a question.
So that was why she found the name Bennet's so familiar. He had mentioned it before.
" It appears my aunt have the same taste as you," Hermione told him honestly.
"This is Mr Bennet." He gestured casually to his elder companion, who was smiling warmly at Hermione.
"Please to meet you sir," Hermione greeted, heartily giving a hearty handshake.
"You must be Hermione," he said, his eyes giving a familiar twinkle.
"Yes, how did you know?" she asked amazed, making her wonder whether Draco had been talking about her.
" Your Aunt Gloria speaks of you often. The resemblance is there," he chuckled.
She couldn't help but keep smile at him. There was something so kind about his eyes that made Hermione feel welcome.
"Lucky for you, we are both experts in tea and can help someone as inapt as you pick a prime selection of tea." Draco told to the brunette.
" I want that tea over there please," she said pointedly to the shopkeeper, ignoring Draco's comments.
" Ah, you must be mistaken, Draco. Your lady friend has fine taste!" exclaimed Mr Bennet, shaking his head, "One of our best tea here! She can tell what is quality!"
" I assure you, when she offered me a cup of tea the last time, I didn't think so."
"Well, then, we just have to bring this lady around," Mr Bennet said, his eyes twinkling as he took her around the shop, very much like the way Aunt Gloria's did this morning.
After a quick recommendation of the best tea leaves, he taught her the perfect way to brew tea. "Like this," he told Hermione, " you are able to taste the tea better."
She spent an hour chatting with him, who had been very enjoyable company. There was something about his grave face that made him seem so wise, like a book. Draco, on the other hand, kept making little malicious comments, and they both of them would always end up quibbling. Mr Bennet would then lean back onto the counter to watch the two silently, amused.
As Mr Bennet let to attend to other customers, Hermione turned to Draco, looking expectedly at him. He raised his eyebrows.
" What is it?"
" You never answered my question you know," she said, quoting her aunt's words.
"Which? One tends to forget a lot when he is busy arguing with a girl." Draco said pleasantly.
" Why are you here?" She asked again, curious for the imperative truth. Even though she tried not be bias, there was something in her mind which found this entire day unbelievable. Somehow,she just couldn't imagine Draco being friendly to a muggle, let alone to someone so normal and old. And yet, she saw the both of them chatting away happily, engrossed in conversation. And unless her eyes deceived her, the both of them were good friends.
"Can't I visit a friend?" He answered, eyebrows still raised.
"How did you know him?"
"Business transactions at first. Then a couple of quick pop down the shop, a few casual conversations, and then friends."
"But that's so... Unlike you," she picked her words carefully, fearing to offend him.
He sighed, but sis not reply straight away.
"He is a wise man, and not so many of them come by these days," He finally said.
" But..."
At this point, Draco cut in.
"Do you find him wise man?" He suddenly asked.
" Yes," she replied, stunned by his abrupt question.
" Don't you find him easy to talk to, and enjoy his company?"
"Yes."
" Do you like him?"
"Yes."
" Then there's your answer." He finally told her.
For some reason, she liked his answer very much. It was simple, almost too simple an answer. It wasn't like him to answer like this, but somehow she knew it was the truth. Not everyone had motives, and sometimes you just didn't need or have reasons to like someone. Mr Bennet had this winning way of charming people,and she knew that. That, frankly, should be enough to like someone. It pleased her that Draco knew that.
His answer had surprised her, but she liked it all the same.
" Okay," she told him as they exchange glances briefly, and he smiled back at her, thanking her. By then Mr Bennet came back, and the three of them chatted as before, the pair unconscious that he had been watching them from afar.
Hermione had no hesitation in buying many cannisters of tea from him, resisting his every attempt to give her some for free. After paying for her purchases at the till, she thanked him once again for his help before she left.
"Thank you so much for your help, Mr Bennet. Unlike some people, you were actually nice and useful," Hermione said as she glared at Draco Malfoy, who protested loudly.
"Always a pleasure to help people," Mr Bennet said, a hint of humour in his voice as he stared the two. " You were every bit as Draco described you to be."
I hope you like it... And leave behind plenty of reviews for me.
The original chapter I written wasn't like this, and it ended up being too long, and I have to separate the chapter and rework it. Instead, I will be writing it under a one-shot, as a light hearted companion piece to this, so look out for that.
REVIEW!!!