"…so we can take the portkey to France and go from there. Ideally we would find some evidence of this disease here in Britain, but I wouldn't bet on it," Hermione explained as they tried to finalise their plans.
"When are you free to leave?" Bill asked.
"I will need this afternoon to finalise things my end but should be able to start tonight. I'll make a couple of calls and I can visit the archives in Cardiff. You won't have to accompany me for this one, I'll just feel better having extra resources. We can meet first thing in the morning in Edinburgh, at around 7 o'clock?" she suggested.
"Sure, any particular place?" he asked.
"The National Library of Scotland. They have a magical section and will be happy to open it early for us," she explained, making a few more notes in her brown leather diary before putting it into her handbag and leaning back in her seat.
"Just in time," Bill smiled as he smelled their food approaching. The steak and ale pie and thick cut chips smelled delicious, herbal and hearty. He looked over at Hermione's platter and found a beautiful vegetable soup and a thick slice of seeded cob with butter. "Looks great, I didn't know they had such good food here," he mused. He's been gone from Britain for too long…
"Only recently, new owners. Do you remember the Creevey family? Collin was in our year, he was killed in the Final Battle. His younger brother took off after the war and came back from France I think about a year ago. He took over this place in the summer," she explained before a wistful look overcame her. "Best pear and blackcurrant crumble in the whole of London, and I like to eat in muggle restaurants so I can compare," she explained with a smile before dipping her bread in the soup.
"I don't remember you having much appetite," Bill admitted, hoping it wasn't a sore subject. A lot of people their generation refused to speak about the war, some still too pained, others preferring to move on. But that was the time he remembered her most from.
"Thankfully a lot has changed. Our year on the run was…tough. We often went hungry, sharing a couple of tins of soup between the three of us. And since I needed the least food, the majority went to Harry and Ron," she admitted, taking a bite while she shook off the shudder, remembering the cold hungry nights in the tent. "It took me a while but I learned to enjoy food and have quite an appetite these days," she offered in a much lighter tone. "What about yourself? Isn't that steak overcooked for you?" she asked curiously, wondering whether it bothered him when the meat wasn't on the rare side, like it used to bother Remus.
Bill shook his head. "Not this time of the month, but closer to the full moon my opinion will be quite different," he admitted. His lycanthropy broke up his marriage and forever scarred his face, but that didn't mean he would wallow in self-pity. He had bad days, everyone did, but he was part-lycan and that was a fact he couldn't do anything about so he learned to use the best of it.
He saw no judgement in Hermione's eyes, and noticed the small scars littering her face that she didn't hide with a glamour either. A lot of people preferred to do so but here they were, both scarred, too used to wearing their imperfection and just happy to be alive and well. And rather strangely he found himself talking to her about the things he would rarely say out loud to most of his family.
"Protein and carbs?" she asked curiously. "I mean it would make sense," she mused in her straight forward manner.
"Yup, that's it," he agreed and took a bite of the pie with a hum. "Dark ale, very nice," he agreed.
Hermione chuckled at his obvious enjoyment. "I like to come here to pick up lunch sometimes, for myself and Grace, my assistant who runs the shop," she explained.
"She's an interesting one," he mused. "So what made you open the shop?" he asked curiously.
Hermione dabbed the corner of her lips with the cloth handkerchief before reaching for the small glass of wine she was having with her meal. "I worked for the Ministry after sitting my N.E.W.T.s in the summer after the war. I tried to help Kingsley rebuild the departments and lobbied for magical creature rights, but I wasn't making any real change. They would debate my propositions, enjoyed staring and whispering about the war heroine but didn't pass any of the new laws because they were prejudiced old men with no wish to actually preserve anyone's rights other than their own," she said frankly. It wasn't that she was bitter or resigned, she was practical about the fact that sadly some parts of their world were still in the dark ages despite the progression in the general wizarding society.
"That wouldn't surprise me. They tried to lure me into the Department of Mysteries but I couldn't commit to such a corrupt organisation. I just feel sorry for dad that he still has to work with the half-wits," Bill agreed.
"That's why I left, I just didn't want to be a part of the institution when it really wanted no part in change. So I left and went to university in Geneva to gain qualification in runes, arythmetics, and did some courses around librarian magic, and magical book care and restoration back here in London. I've always loved books and decided to do what I enjoy for a living," she explained before sipping some more of her delicious soup.
"Your reputation proceeds your name these days," he observed.
Hermione raised a curious brow. "Where did you hear about me? Well, about my business?" she asked, remembering he was surprised it was actually her he was seeking.
"At the Ministry. This is now an international issue as the dragons at the Romanian reserve are from all over the world, and the worry is that the disease will spread beyond its boarders. I was talking to the International Wizarding Relations liaison and he recommended your shop for the literature that we are seeking," he explained.
Hermione chuckled. "Let me guess, it was Draco Malfoy," she smiled.
Bill nodded. "It was, he had that particular smile on his face as well when he mentioned your shop," he observed.
"You know he was never particularly kind to me and he is still an absolute prat these days but he did apologise after the war and now regularly uses my services to repair some of tomes that were affected by Voldemort's stay in his Manor," she explained. "We're on amicable terms, and don't tell her but he has an eye on courting Ginny," she added.
"My sister, with a Malfoy?" Bill asked incredulously.
Hermione nodded. "Of course, they have a lot in common actually. She could keep him grounded while he treated her as she deserves," she explained as they finished their meal.
"I'll have to see that one before I believe it," Bill admitted.
"Maybe one day you will," she smiled like someone who knew more than they let on.
"Prrrawr," came a demanding sound from her feet and she looked down to see Apollo staring at her unimpressed.
"Hello handsome, how did you get out of the shop?" she asked, glad they have finished their food so she could pick him up into her arms. He purred and nuzzled her cheek, clearly having missed her. "He shouldn't be in a restaurant, we should head out," she said and got up.
"He's yours? I thought you had a ginger cat?" Bill asked curiously as he picked up her cloak and settled it over her shoulders, helping her put it on while she tried to keep a steady hold on the kitten.
"Crookshanks was old and sadly passed away a few years ago. This is Apollo, he's half-kneazle and my traveling companion," she explained as they stepped outside into the chilly street. "Apollo, meet Bill, my colleague in a way, and friend," she introduced.
"Hello Apollo," Bill smiled and offered him his hand.
The kitten smelled it and observed him with his large orange eyes before purring and rubbing his cheek against his knuckles.
Hermione chuckled. "He likes you. I hope you don't mind but I will be taking him with me when we travel. He's proved to have a good nose for books though he does avoid dust. And he is comfortable around other magical creatures," she promised.
"I do not mind in the least," Bill promised, quite charmed by her eccentric ways. A beautiful, smart witch with her own business and traveling the world with her cat. He did wonder how in the world she was still single, if she was at all. He decided to find out. "I hope your partner won't mind you traveling with another wizard?" he asked as they began walking back towards the shop down the long alley.
Hermione chuckled. "I don't have one of those and if he did mind such a simple thing, he would not be my partner for long," she shrugged as they stopped outside her door.
Good answer, Bill had to admit to himself. "Thank you for agreeing to work on this with us, and for a lovely lunch," he said gallantly.
"Thank you for coming to me with this, I'll do anything I can to help. And it was a lovely lunch, I look forward to more of those," she smiled. "If I may, I want to keep the file you brought? I'll see if there is anything else we can access for research," she proposed.
"Absolutely, that is your copy for you to keep. I'll see you tomorrow morning in Scotland," he said and leaned down to kiss her cheek.
"It's good to see you again, Bill," she smiled and return the quick peck before he headed off and she went inside to get Apollo to the fire for another cat nap.
She saw how swamped Grace was so lent her a hand for half an hour and posted the advertisement for a full time or two part time assistants for the shop. She would have to leave the interviews to Grace as she was about to leave and wasn't sure how long it would take them to find the cure for the dragon disease. Grace took it all in stride and they agreed for her to stay in touch and report to Hermione every evening after close of business. After wrapping up the last of the paperwork, she locked up her office, gathered Apollo and headed home to pack and make calls to the Glamorgan Archives in Cardiff. The archive had a muggle and magical section both, and was one of the most widely utilised archive by researchers in the whole of Britain, and Hermione had several contacts in the different sections of the archive that she used regularly.
She had no idea just what kind of journey she was embarking on...
