Obvious but needed bit where I tell you I do not own any part of the characters. the world they live in or any other references to said world. They belong to J.K Rowling.
Chapter 1:
Diagon Alley
Hermione took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to tune out the bustle of the busy London street around her. Cars were honking, people were bumping into her trying to get around her, their chatter coming and going in a cacophony of sound. The noise was overwhelming, and next to what she was about to do, she knew she needed to control her anxiety.
In through your nose, fill your lungs, Hermione thought, mimicking what her therapist had told her to do in these situations. After the war, Hermione was introduced to many high-level members of the Ministry of Magic. A sympathetic member of the Auror Department had referred her to a squib who was a distant relative of his who had taken a muggle profession. This was convenient because it allowed her to speak about the wizarding world and the war.
Sophie's great and everything, Hermione thought, her frustration growing, but she isn't here experiencing this and therefore can't understand breathing is next to useless to calm down. Hermione scoffed and opened her eyes before pushing open the door to the Leaky Cauldron.
It took her eyes a minute to adjust to the dim lighting of the familiar bar she had known for almost a decade now. No one looked up as she made her way through the main floor and out the back, the patrons cupping their glasses in sad desperation. The war may be over, Voldemort may be dead, and many Death Eaters have been arrested, but not all of them. There were even rumors that now that the Dark Lord had been defeated, the title of the most powerful dark wizard was up for grabs.
Walking out the back door made her feel slightly better and she turned to face the familiar brick wall. She felt her mouth go dry as she raised her wand, tapping the correct bricks to allow her entrance into Diagon Alley. Her stomach was full of butterflies and she felt as if she may vomit, but she took a few steps into the alley, faintly aware that the bricks were closing behind her. Going back to Hogwarts to officially finish her seventh year was something Hermione felt she just had to do. She hated not finishing school, even though she had been exempt from graduating considering her actions in helping defeat Voldemort and his horocruxes.
She pulled her supply list from her purse- her mother had bought her a new one to help her put everything behind her. Her parents weren't exactly sure what to do with her. Their once obedient, even-tempered daughter was emotionally unstable, since she wasn't able to control it or understand it, she was angry. She didn't lash out at her parents, but she stopped hanging out for family nights, and she shut off all her muggle friends. Harry and Ron still wrote to her, but she hadn't responded in weeks. The only person she had stayed semi-in contact with was Ginny. Hermione took another deep breath and started to the first shop on her list, the apothecary, to get her potion ingredient.
Two hours later, Hermione was finally almost finished with her list. She scanned the paper and her eyes narrowed on the final item: formal robes/dress. She had a slight inkling this was for some sort of dance just like the Yule Ball in her fourth year, and it was something she was not looking forward to. She grudgingly made her way past shops full of other students, many staring as she passed. She was starting to get exhausted of it all; the whispers, the staring, people stopping her and asking for autographs, all of which made her even more sympathetic to Harry and all his years at school. Not that it had stopped any. Her, Harry, and Ron were like celebrities now, which was one of the reasons she had been dreading entering the wizarding world.
After politely declining offers of lunch, random supplies, and goods - one person even offered her money as thanks for her help - but she faked being in a rush, she finally made her way to a new shop recommended to her by Ginny called Madame Telarius': One Size Fits All. They had plans to meet here later in the afternoon, but Hermione would be very early.
A small bell tinkled as she opened the door, enchanted to echo longer than was natural. Hermione took in her surroundings and was pleasantly surprised. It had a muggle feel in the air. She was instantly reminded of the time her muggle friends took her to a dress shop when they were searching for homecoming dresses. Hermione released a breath she didn't know she had been holding and felt her body relax.
Hermione walked over to the closest rack and ran her hand over the fabrics. She looked around and noticed one side of the store was dedicated to gowns and the other dress robes. The dance itself will be a waste of time, but…. She let a silky dress slide through her fingers before someone spoke behind her, making her jump in surprise.
"Welcome, my dear! How may I be of assistance?"
The shop owner was a thin woman, Hermione judged her to be in her late 30s. Her hair was two different colors, split right down the middle- the right side lavender and the left was sky blue. Her robes were also just as eccentric as her hair, dark purple with blue and pink swirled in reminding Hermione of a tye-dye shirt she had made as a child. Hermione judged this woman to be one of the most eccentric people she had ever met, only in competition with Luna Lovegood.
"Hello," Hermione responded, "and yes, please. I need a dress for school, I'm not sure what-". The shop owner cut her off.
"Hogwarts," she said with a smile. It wasn't a question, just a statement. "Follow me to the dressing room, we will make you more comfortable."
A little put off by the interruption, Hermione followed the owner to the back of the shop. There were armchairs and mirrors arranged in a semi-circle to get a good view of your outfit. The woman turned around and motioned to the seats with her hand.
"Please, make yourself comfortable. Feel free to peruse the selections while I get you a refreshment. We have fire whiskey, elder wine, and butterbeer," the woman smiled at Hermione warmly, clasping her hands in front of her. Hermione smiled back at her.
"A butterbeer would be perfect, thank you." Hermione waited until the shop owner was out of sight before setting her shopping bags and purse down next to an armchair. She looked around on the wall for a clock, spotting a small grandfather clock propped in the corner reading it was half past one. Ginny wouldn't be here for another half hour and as Hermione looked around she felt deeply out of her league. Glancing around to ensure she was still alone, Hermione walked over to a rack full of ballgowns with tight bodices and big skirts. She heard footsteps and turned to see the owner setting a tray with a couple of bottles of butterbeer and two glasses on the table in the middle of the seating area. Hermione walked over and sat in an armchair as the owner poured her a glass and, to Hermione's surprise, herself one as well.
"My name is Aya. I was informed by the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts there would be a ball this year." Aya beamed at Hermione. Hermione gave her a small smile and sipped her butterbeer, waiting for Aya to continue.
"To help the students, they gave me, along with other shop owners in the area, a small hint to the theme of the ball. I think everyone is going to be pleasantly surprised. So," Aya put her glass down and clapped her hands enthusiastically, " Did you see anything that caught your eye? All the racks in the dressing area are theme-appropriate." She gave Hermione a dramatic wink. Her happiness was contagious, and despite Hermione's hesitancy to attend a school dance, she couldn't help but be slightly excited to find a dress.
"Well," Hermione started shyly, "I do like the ballgowns, they remind me of the dresses the princesses would wear in the stories my mum told me as a child." Aya's face softened, and her eyes went out of focus as she looked off into a world of her own.
"Ah, the perfect fairytale princess!" she said dreamily. She took Hermione's hands in her own and stood up, Hermione standing with her. "I know exactly the kind of dress you need. Stand right here." Aya pointed to a platform in the middle of a semi-circle of floor-length mirrors.
Half an hour later, Hermione was giggling along with Aya standing in front of the mirrors, admiring the Victorian-inspired ballgown she was wearing. It was robin blue with a sweetheart neckline, the bodice had a layer of dark blue lace and was covered in clear crystals. It hugged her torso tightly, showing off her figure. The skirt bloomed out like a bell and glimmered with every turn with thousands of blue and white crystals, the hem lined with dark blue lace. Aya had just handed Hermione a pair of elegant light blue satin gloves. Hermione was putting the second one on when the enchanted bell rang through the shop.
"Just a moment, my dear!" Aya said apologetically before attending to the new customer. Hermione studied herself in the mirror. She looked beautiful, like Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, the princesses from her childhood stories.
"You look gorgeous!" came a sudden squeal. Hermione saw Ginny gaping at her dramatically. Ginny dropped her things on the spot and rushed up to the mirrors.
"Merlin! Look at you!" Ginny exclaimed. It took a few minutes to get Ginny to calm down. Hermione was pleased by her friend's reaction, but the attention was too much. She quickly veered Ginny to Aya to get a dress for her as well. After another hour of trying to find Ginny a dress, drinking too much elderberry wine, and gossiping together, Ginny was finally satisfied with the gown Aya found her.
"I do like a challenging client," she had stated after the eighth gown Ginny had turned out. Ginny was wearing a forest green mermaid dress with a deep V in the front. Aya also handed her satin gloves, but Ginny's were the same shade as the dress she was wearing and had a lighter green floral embroidery. Ginny and Hermione were standing at the register, both flushed from the wine and glowing with happiness. As Aya was finishing packaging the gowns, she slipped a small box into each garment bag.
"What are those?" Ginny asked. Aya smiled at her mischievously.
"You will have to wait and see," she answered maddeningly, "and don't try to open them and see. I've put a clever charm on them to stay locked until the night of the ball. As per the request of the Deputy Headmaster," she added quickly as Ginny opened her mouth to protest. "All shop owners in town have done the same. It will be worth it, I think. You both should enjoy yourselves."
Hermione and Ginny walked down Diagon Alley, gowns and bags in hand. They chatted and stopped for tea, Hermione even got a small cake. After they parted ways, Hermione made her way back through the Leaky Cauldron, feeling much lighter, despite the load she was lugging with her. Out the door, she stepped back into London, back into the muggle world. And as she stood there, watching her parents pull around the corner and then later, help load her things into the boot of the car, she hadn't even paid attention to the chaos of noise around her, and the thought pleased her as she sat in the back, answering her mother's questions politely, staring out the window thinking that maybe this year won't be as bad as she had thought.