Chapter Forty
"Hermione... HERMONE!" A voice shouted and then Hermione felt somebody shaking her by the shoulders. Hermione opened her eyes squinting in the dazzling light, to see Aurelia's smiling fresh face beaming down on her. Hermione pulled the soft quilt up over her naked body.
"What are you doing here?" Hermione mumbled, her voice not quite fully awake.
"Ooooh, what's this?" Aurelia said, picking a note up off the night stand.
"To my angel," Aurelia read aloud.
"Give me that!" Hermione said, trying to reach out to snatch the letter from her irritating visitor, but Aurelia jumped away and continued reading;
"I had a magical night with you last night. I hope you did too!
Sorry I had to leave, I was going to wake you to say goodbye
but you looked so beautiful and peaceful that I just couldn't
bring myself to disturb you. I promised my mother that I would
take her shopping today, so I couldn't let her down. Join me for
dinner tonight at Gianni's 8pm.
All my love,
Draco
xxx"
"So, no need to ask what you got up to last night then?" Aurelia laughed. "Finally, I've been trying to get you two together since I read Draco's book!"
"You mean you knew he would be here?" Hermione asked.
"Of course!" Aurelia said, "I saw his name along side his mother's on the VIP guest list last week. I didn't know about the double room though until we ran into each other in the reception, he let me use his key card to let myself in!"
"Why the heck didn't you tell me?" Hermione asked, "you know I have been upset about losing him, I told you everything yesterday."
"I wanted you two to have the fairytale ending," Aurelia said smiling, "I knew were meant to be together. So how was it?"
Hermione rolled her eyes but then a big smile stretched across her face and she said, "It was wonderful. Everything I ever dreamed it could be."
"Oh, I am so happy for both of you." Aurelia sighed happily.
Hermione told Aurelia all about their magical evening as she got washed and dressed.
"That is soooooo romantic," Aurelia swooned when Hermione had finally finished her story. "Now what do you want to do today? My treat, Narcissa spent more in one night than Malkin's Robes for all occasions makes in a whole year and there were plenty of other customers besides, we could work solidly for five years without making that many galleons! If my Aunt doesn't give me the okay for the new collection now, she's a bloody fool."
"Wow, congratulations Aurelia," Hermione said, "You deserve it, your dresses are magnificent. I would like to do a bit of shopping myself today, what do you think?"
"Sounds good to me." Aurelia smiled.
The girl's went down to the hotel's beautiful dining room and ate a healthy breakfast, before setting off into the chilly morning air.
The streets were very busy, as tourists and locals alike went about their shopping. Hermione and Aurelia explored the alleyways and calles with joy, Hermione loved the eccentric layout of the city with it's dead ends and open waterways. The snow from the previous night hadn't settled but there was a glittering dusting of frost upon the paths, making everything sparkle. The girls found some wonderful shops and markets, from tiny rustic boutiques to fancy designer stores with gleaming marble floors and columns. Hermione liked the ambience of the markets most of all. There was a market in almost every square with merchants selling their wares from under bright canopies of every colour you could imagine. Aurelia led Hermione through the labyrinthine city to a tiny little antique/junk shop.
"Occulta veneficas," Aurelia said to a small, ancient looking man behind the counter. The man nodded slowly and then pulled a lever on an a dusty old till on top of the counter. To the side of the counter a bookshelf slid sideways to reveal a stone passageway and an old and foot-worn stone staircase.