HarryPGinnyW4va: Soon I reveal more! Stay tunned!

Nirvana: Me alegro mucho que te guste hasta ahora, hago lo mejor que puedo. Espero que éste también te guste.


Chapter 14: Living like Muggles is so boring III

The small coffee shop in town was bustling with activity as Hermione Granger entered, her arms laden with bags of groceries. A familiar pang of nostalgia struck her as she shuffled past the familiar tables, missing the days when her biggest concern was studying for exams at Hogwarts. She managed to find her usual corner table by the window, providing her with the perfect vantage point from which to observe the world outside.

She unloaded her groceries onto a nearby chair and sighed deeply as she settled into the comfortable seat. Not long ago, Hermione had been surrounded by friends and laughter, fighting for their lives, but now everything had changed overnight.

As if on cue, her usual waitress Louise appeared beside her table, a warm smile crinkling at the corners of her eyes. "Hermione! It's been a long time! Would you like your usual?" she asked cheerfully.

Hermione nodded gratefully and soon found herself staring at a steaming cup of coffee with milk and a buttery scone laid out before on a plate small her.

Lost in thought, Hermione mulled over her new life, adjusting to her shared existence with Snape and their increasingly complex relationship. As she contemplated this new reality, she began idly picking at the scone before realizing that she may have bought too much food now that she was no longer living alone in their now less cramped quarters.

Recognizing Hermione's change in mood, the observant waitress asked, "Is everything all right? Do you need anything else, my dear?"

Hermione managed a rueful smile and replied, "Thank you, but no. I think I got too many groceries, that's all."

The waitress raised an eyebrow and jokingly asked, "Oh? Is there a lucky person you're shopping for now?"

Hermione hesitated for a moment before answering, "It's complicated." Her gaze shifted outside the window as she continued to ponder the uncharted and tumultuous path before her—one in which destiny seemed to have had a hand in guiding.

"My shift ends in a few minutes, if you're willing to wait and need someone to talk to," the woman in her thirties smiled, winking. She was always marveling at how long and shimmery her black hair was and how sparkly and vivid her blue eyes were, inspiring so much joy.

Hermione sighed for a moment and wondered how bad it would be if she just lied a bit and changed the names for her own and Snape's protection.

"I'm afraid I might bore you with all the details."

"Oh, don't worry! I'm always up for a good conversation, and you always seem to know so much. It always amazes me!"

She was perfectly sure that Snape was not waiting for her anyway.

As she drank her coffee, Hermione stared around, wondering what would someone like Snape order in a place like this. Even though he was a half-blood like her, he didn't seem to enjoy it as much as she did. And after everything she had learned about him, she could understand why.

"Let's see if I can find an empty chair," she heard Louise say after a while, with Hermione barely registering what she was doing.

"Are you still sure that you don't have anything better to do?" Hermione asked, but the woman refused, taking off her apron and hairnet, folding them neatly over the table.

"Don't worry, nobody is waiting for me!" The woman laughed and Hermione thought of how strange it was that she had been in the same situation just a few weeks or months ago, just beginning her new life as a young, single witch.

Hermione sighed, biting her lip and wondering how to translate a marriage law into something a Muggle could understand.

"We are supposedly soulmates, but we don't seem to agree on so many things that it feels like we are two complete strangers," Hermione started explaining. "So... Steve and I decided to move in together and see how it works."

"Well, my dear, love isn't always easy and I guess you know that. Soulmates must go through so many challenges before realizing how connected they truly are."

"I always thought I had a connection with someone else. Someone I went through a lot with, and it seems like we aren't even soulmates," Hermione replied, looking down at her hands on the table.

"Love happens in the most unexpected ways. Maybe you and Steve will soon find out how much you need and love each other," Louise smiled gently. "And you seem to know a lot, so it might come in handy!"

"I believe he might know a bit more; after all, he's kind of older than me."

It was true; she had only recently moved, a couple of months perhaps, but she was grateful to still have a friend. Even if it was a Muggle and they couldn't understand anything of what was she going through.

"I sincerely hope to be able to meet this lucky man," Louise chimed in. "You're a really beautiful young lady, so he is really lucky to have you." Hermione stopped a frown from forming on her face and tried to smile instead.

"I can't promise anything," Hermione replied, sighing. "He isn't really a man who enjoys being outdoors. But perhaps, I could try to convince him somehow."

"Bah! I'm pretty sure soon he will be so madly in love that he will follow you wherever you decide to go."

"Thank you so much for listening, really," she smiled. She wondered if her new-found friend, Louise, would be offended if she decided to tip her for her kindness.

"I should pay you more for always listening," she offered gently and the woman raised both hands, laughing.

"It's all good! Maybe next time," the woman joked as Hermione stood up, wondering where she could hide to use her magic and carry the bags more easily.

Minutes felt like hours as she prepared to pick up her bags and shake Louise's hand. It was somewhat of a relief, even if it didn't offer much advice.

"Maybe I should call you a taxi," Louise offered, but Hermione shook her head gently.

"No worries, I can do it myself, and I'm pretty sure Steve will be glad to help me anyways," she lied. As soon as they said their goodbyes, Hermione walked out of the coffee shop, turning into a dark alley and taking her wand out to reduce the amount of bags to one, reducing the size of the items inside it.

"There is no danger," she told herself after the hours she spent in the coffee shop. "It's not as if he would be worried about where I am or he would be here already."

Walking back to her apartment, she remembered that she had now Snape's "vows" in the form of a love poem and wondered if the man was really capable of writing loving words.

Taking out her keys, she sighed at the thought of finding Snape sitting on her couch in the living room and wondering where she was.

She yelped at the voice of the man sitting exactly on her couch in her living room with both arms crossed. "I guess you bought the entire store and that's why it took you so long".

"Like if you care," she said, walking to the kitchen counter and placing the bag over it.

"Of course Granger, I just cast a spell on both of us for no reason," he replied bitterly.

"You could feel and know everything about me, Professor. So why you didn't come running to my rescue then? It would have been helpful with all the bags I had to carry."

Standing, Severus walked from the living room into the kitchen, staring at Hermione's back as she used her wand to return the groceries to their original size.

"There might be still Death Eaters around there," Snape said gruffly.

"It's not like I had a reason to come running back to the apartment," she replied harshly, remembering everything Louise had said and sighing heavily. "As if you were a great company."

"I didn't know you needed to talk so much, Miss Granger. But sadly, I can't replace your friends. We are living among Muggles now, so I'm truly sorry that there isn't anything fulfilling for you to do."

"Can I just finish replenishing the kitchen cabinets and go back to my room without any of your sarcasm for the day?"

Louise's words ached in her heart and made her wonder if their relationship would improve to at least be cordial. "You promised to at least be respectful. Is it so hard?"

"And I also promised to protect you."

"Thank you," was her only reply after finishing her task and filling a kettle with water to make some tea. "I didn't know what you wanted to eat, so you can freely pick whatever you like. I suppose you can use a Muggle cooking pan and do something for yourself. Or do you expect me to cook for you too?" She turned to look at him defiantly, holding the kettle. "It's just like making potions, right? And since you have a Muggle upbringing too, it shouldn't be too hard."

The look on Severus's face reminded her so much of her days at school.