Luck was on Hermione's side.
Not only had she obtained an interview at the bookstore for the following day, but on her walk home she noticed a car for sale in a neighbor's driveway. And not just any car, but a red VW Beetle. Ever since she was a child, she'd admired their unique shape. It was more whimsy than she was used to, but maybe that was exactly what she needed in her life, especially given the experiences of her youth. While she'd never needed one in England, it seemed like a necessity here. The weather would soon be colder and it wasn't feasible to walk to and from the bookstore if she got the job. She already took care of getting a U.S. license, submitting the paperwork before she arrived in Maine.
Her mind made up, Hermione wrote down the number written on the window and called the sellers as soon as she got home.
By the next day she was the proud owner of a new-to-her car and was on her way to the Sherman's Bookstore to meet up with the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Curtis. From what she had gathered during her conversation with them the day before, they owned and ran the bookshop in town, as well as three others in different parts of Maine, but their main residence was in Bar Harbor. However, their children were grown and their eldest was expecting their first grandchild. They wanted to be closer to their growing family and to step back from the day-to-day operations. Ideally, they wanted to hire managers to run them in their place, while they, themselves, would still own the stores.
Main Street in Bar Harbor was busy as ever, even for a Sunday. Hermione had to drive past the shop and didn't find parking until she was two blocks away. She walked briskly up the street until she could see the coffee shop next to the bookstore, then halted as Malfoy—for it was indeed Malfoy, she was now sure—exited the coffee shop while holding onto the hand of the curly-blond haired girl. They were walking towards the direction of the bookstore, so Hermione slowed her pace to stay behind them and crossed her fingers that they would pass the store and continue on.
However, as soon as they were in front of Sherman's, the little girl started tugging on Malfoy's hand to go into the shop.
Hermione was only a few yards away and heard him say, "You go in, Princess. I need to check on something real quick, then I'll find you."
As soon as the child entered the store, Malfoy abruptly turned to face Hermione, his face impassive, and she stood there, unsure of what to say.
"Did the Ministry send you?"
Taken aback, Hermione shook her head. "No. No one sent me."
His face hardened. "Then what are you doing here, Granger?"
Hermione took a few steps closer, as it felt awkward to speak with so much distance between them. "I live here. In Bar Harbor."
"Really?" he asked skeptically, raising a brow. "Since when?"
"Since two weeks ago. I was on my way to the bookstore when I happened to come across you and…" She glanced towards the shop entrance, her voice trailing off.
"My daughter, Lyra."
"Lyra," she said, a soft smile spreading across her lips. "That's a pretty name."
"Thank you," he said stiffly.
Hermione looked at him again. "I'm honestly not checking up on you. I didn't mean to cause alarm—"
"You didn't, I'm just surprised," he said. "It's been over six years since I saw anyone from London. The fact that it's you is equally surprising."
"What does that mean?" she asked defensively.
"Well, for starters, I don't think I've ever seen you without Potter and Weasley by your side. Unless they're here too?" He made an act of looking over shoulder, as if the two other wizards would appear suddenly behind her.
Hermione couldn't help but smile, just a little, and shook her head. "No, it's just me."
"I see," he said. He stared at her for a moment and Hermione felt like he was trying to decide if he believed her not—Merlin knows if the roles were reversed, she'd be equally skeptical.
He opened his mouth to speak when a small voice said, "Daddy?"
Hermione and Malfoy both turned their heads to the little girl standing in the shop's doorway, looking curiously between the two adults.
"I'll be there in just a moment, Lyra," Malfoy told her, but Lyra walked out and stood next to him, grabbing onto his hand.
"Who's she?" Lyra asked, pointing to Hermione.
"This," Draco said, motioning towards Hermione, "is Hermione Granger. Granger, this is my daughter, Lyra."
Hermione smiled down at the girl and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Lyra. We've actually met before, at the Farmers Market, remember?"
"Oh! Yeah, I remember!" Lyra said, shaking her hand. "You helped me get that necklace!"
Malfoy looked down at his daughter with confusion. "The necklace you got for Emma? You didn't tell me you didn't have enough money for it." He looked back at Hermione, reached in his pocket and pulled out his wallet . "How much do I owe you?"
Hermione waved him off. "Oh, that's not necessary."
"It is when my child is asking strangers for money."
"No! Daddy, I didn't—"
"Actually, I offered," intervened Hermione. "She was trying to pay when the owner informed her of the price. She was only a few dollars short so I covered the rest. Lyra was very polite and thanked me."
Draco frowned and looked at Lyra. "Is that what happened?"
Lyra nodded.
"It was really no big deal," Hermione insisted and was relieved when he put his wallet back in his pocket.
"Well, thank you, for helping her. We need to be going though."
Malfoy turned and started to walk, tugging Lyra along, but the child let go of his hand, looking at Hermione curiously.
"Do you know my dad?" Lyra asked. "From before today I mean."
"I do," Hermione said with a nod. "I used to go to school with him a long time ago."
The little girl's gray eyes brightened. "Oh! So that means you're a wit—"
Draco's hand covered his daughter's mouth quickly. "Lyra," he said stern yet softly, kneeling down in front of her. "Remember what I said?"
Lyra dropped her eyes to the ground. "That I can't talk about it when we're not at home." She looked hopefully at her dad. "Can Miss Hermione come over to our house then?" She rounded her wide eyes at Hermione. "Please?"
"Oh, well—" Hermione started to say.
"I'm sure Grang— Miss Hermione already has other plans for today," Draco said to his daughter as he stood.
The little girl's excitement fell from her face. "Oh." Followed by immediately perking up. "How about tomorrow? Do you have plans tomorrow, Miss Hermione?"
"Lyra, tomorrow's a school day," Malfoy reminded her before Hermione could respond.
"But what about after school—"
"Lyra, the answer's no."
Lyra's bottom lip started to tremble at her fathers stern voice and looked down at her feet. "I was only asking because we never see other people like….like us."
Draco sighed and Hermione watched as he knelt down by his daughter once more. "Maybe… maybe we can invite Miss Hermione over another time, but not right now, okay?"
Lyra looked at Hermione then back to her father. "What about Saturday? You always make puh-sgetti and meatballs on Saturdays. She can come over for dinner." Lyra suggested hopefully, looking at Hermione. Lyra nodded her head, as if trying to coax Hermione to agree with her.
"Well… I mean…. if it's alright your dad?" Hermione asked questionably, looking to Draco to gauge his reaction.
She honestly didn't know how anyone could say no to such a sweet child.
Draco lifted one shoulder slightly in a defeated shrug and gave Hermione a slight nod. Apparently, he didn't know how to say no to her either.
"Spaghetti sounds lovely," Hermione said, smiling at Lyra, then she looked at Malfoy again. "I'll need your address, of course, and would six be a good time to come over?"
The wizard nodded. "Six is good. We live on High Street, house number 17."
"Should I bring anything?"
"That's not necessary—"
"—How about chocolate cake?" Lyra interjected hopefully. "That's daddy's favorite…and mine too."
Hermione gave the child a nod and a wink. "Cake it is then"
She looked at Malfoy. "I guess I'll see you next Saturday, Malfoy."
He held out his hand. "Might as well call me Draco, considering you're having dinner at our house."
Hermione smiled and shook his offered hand. "Alright, Draco. See you next week. You too, Lyra," she added, smiling at the girl before heading into the bookstore.
"Bye, Miss Hermione!" Lyra shouted when the door was shut, causing Hermione to chuckle.
The nervousness about her interview all but vanished, and she couldn't help but think it was all due to Malfoy—Draco, she reminded herself—and his precious daughter.
She was hired on the spot.
They even offered the third floor living quarters for her to move into, but she declined, content with her little house she was currently renting.
Hermione celebrated her new job with a bottle of Merlot and some chocolate truffles she purchased from the Chocolate Emporium on Main Street. She indulged in both while taking a bubble bath then followed up with writing in her journal about her day.
She wanted to write letters to her friends, but that would include another trip to the post office as it would be international.
Perhaps it would be wise to purchase an owl, she mused. Her new job didn't start for a few more days—she could make a day trip into Augusta, check out the Wizarding Community there, and get an owl in the process. The trees around her home would provide excellent cover for its comings and goings.
With her decision made, Hermione tucked herself into bed, the excitement of the day finally caught up with her, and she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
Compared to Bar Harbor, Augusta was positively lively, though neither held a candle to London. She sighed with relief when she found her destination, an abandoned Fotomat booth located within a shopping center, and parked her car at the nearby grocery store before walking over. The window near the door of the booth was covered in stickers and Hermione needed to find the ones of the state animal, bird, and flower in order to gain access to the magical community. She glanced around and made sure no one was watching, then tapped the vinyl stickers of a moose, black-capped chickadee, and a white pine cone three times each. The door to the booth opened on its own and Hermione stepped through, and into, Dirigo Square.
The magical shopping district was far smaller than Diagon Alley—more like what one would find in a town like Hogsmeade—but it had all the shops that wizards and witches needed. Hermione first checked out the bookstore, Magical Pages, then had lunch at the local eatery, The Cracked Pot, and explored the rest of the square before she made her way to the pet shop, Bazaar Animals.
There were long-eared, short-eared, and screech owls a-plenty, but the one that caught her attention was a large great-gray owl.
He was beautiful—with silver-gray and white feathers and large, yellow eyes that looked right at her. She had wanted an owl large enough that she could send parcels to her friends, but she hadn't imagined getting one quite this big.
He was more than what she planned on spending, but she didn't care—this beautiful creature was meant to be hers.
She thought Shakespeare might be a fitting name, as his large head surrounded by feathers looked like the ruff the famous writer was known for wearing.
She purchased a bag of owl treats and a cage large enough to hold the magnificent creature—though she imagined he'd spend most of his time outside, then shrunk her purchases for easy transportation while Shakespeare flew off towards his new home. Hermione went back to exploring the rest of the shops in Dirigo Square before she, too, went home, where her new owl would be waiting for her.
AN: Thank you all so much for all the likes, follows, and reviews-it makes my author heart happy 3
Also, Sherman's bookstore is a real book store in Bar Harbor, Maine! If you choose to do so, you can google images of the storefront.
xoxo HufflepuffMommy