Chapter 3: Unbelievable
That morning Hermione woke up to the smell of fresh coffee and greasy bacon. She stretched her arms above her head and noticed she'd fallen asleep in the same clothes she arrived in. Before heading down to the shop she changed into a fresh pair of blue jeans and decided on a beige T-shirt.
Maggie sipped on a steaming mug of coffee as Hermione entered through the glass door. She wore a different set of clothes but the same green apron. Maggie set her cup down on the small round dining room table.
"Good morning, Hermione! I hope you slept well last night, I'm sure staying in a new place must feel a little strange at first."
Hermione sat down across from Maggie. She assured her that the bedroom was perfect and that she had a terrific night's sleep.
She just couldn't tell her the truth.
After they enjoyed a few pieces of bacon together Maggie got up to open the store. Hermione re-folded a few pairs of pants and plucked little hairs off of a couple of suit jackets. Maggie flipped the switch to the track lights and unlocked the front of the store and just as Hermione expected there was no line waiting to get inside.
The morning flew by as Maggie and Hermione completed small tasks throughout the store.
"So, do you have a lot of tailoring experience?" Maggie asked as she wiped down the top of the front desk.
"My mother taught me to sew and I'm sure I'll get the hang of measuring people's extremities." They both laughed and went back to their jobs.
The store managed to attract more people today and Hermione finally could test her tailoring skills. She got to work on patching a few holes in school uniforms that had been dropped off the day before and paused to assist anyone who came in for a fitting. She was happy to fill her brain with measurement numbers, suit colors, or just keep her hands busy. For the first time in months, she felt…hopeful. The day wasn't engulfed in tears and heartache like it usually was when she was still in school.
After closing the store for the evening Hermione found a vacuum and went to plug it into the wall. Maggie carried out the newly stitched uniforms and placed each of them in car plastic wrapping, but stopped just before Hermione could turn on the vacuum.
"Oh! You don't have to do that!" Maggie reached deep into her sleeve and slid out a beautiful sliver wand, and with a flick and wave the vacuum began to move on its own around the store.
It had been so long since Hermione even bothered to use magic. Her passion for magic and education had been replaced by an annoying voice in the back of her mind reminding her of the pain and agony she'd been left with after Ron broke things off between the two of them.
Hermione offered to make dinner for the two of them that evening but she needed a couple of things from the store. So she slipped on a green sweater and headed out into the streets. An enormous pit grew in her stomach at the thought of Ron seeing her in Hogsmeade, especially if word got back to him about her leaving for London. She sped through the doors of the grocery store and down the few isles she needed to go. Luckily she made it through the checkout line without seeing anyone she knew from school. Released she let her shoulders drop as she carried the bags out of the store.
She turned to head back to Maggie's but ran head-first into the back of a tall man in a long wool coat. The smell of sandalwood and pine slammed into her nostrils. She fell backwards and her bags went flying across the front entrance of the store. She rubbed the tip of her nose. "Excuse me, I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."
As she turned to retrieve the bags and a few spilt items the tall ominous figure turned around. He had long silvery hair and a dazzling broach pinned to the lapel of his jacket. It was Lucius Malfoy. She scrambled onto her hands and knees to grab the rest of her things from the ground, wishing it were anyone else. She expected harsh words or an exaggerated scoff, but instead, Lucius turned around and extended his hand. She stared for a moment, wondering if this was some cruel joke or if he had something smart to say once she was standing.
But there was something different about Lucius. He had dark circles under his grayish-blue eyes and stubble along his cheeks and chin. This wasn't the perfectly polished Lucius she remembered. It almost looked like he had been crying. Hermione internally rolled her eyes at such a silly thought—a heartless man like Lucius could never shed a tear let alone care enough to help her to her feet.
Without looking at him she got to her feet and said: "I'm fine, thank you." But he didn't say anything. Instead, he turned and left in the opposite direction.
Hermione shook off the embarrassment and headed back to Maggie's.
Dinner turned out perfectly! Maggie showered Hermione with a flood of compliments about her cooking. As they cleaned together after dinner, Hermione couldn't help but picture Lucius' pitiful-looking face. She'd never seen him like that before. And what was with him? He didn't bother to insult her or laugh at her clumsiness but instead gestured to help her up. There was no way Lucius was doing it to be nice.
'There was probably a punchline about my muggle parents,' she thought. 'or maybe he knew I dropped out of school and couldn't wait to humiliate me once he'd helped me up.'
"Everything okay?" Maggie's voice snapped Hermione back into reality and she answered with a shrug. She wasn't sure what Maggie had already known about the Malfoy family and the infamous Lucius.
"Well if it's anything I can help with, let me know okay?" Maggie smiled and went back to washing the dishes.
Hermione began to wipe the counters down with a wash rag and thought about whether or not she wanted to bring it up. Even if she simply asked her about Lucius, maybe it wouldn't seem so malicious. She threw the washcloth onto the dining table and turned to Maggie. "Do you know Lucius Malfoy?"
Maggie flipped the water off and began drying the last couple of dishes. "Of course I do!" She said. "The posh wizard with the white hair and black and silver cane. He was quite the jerk the first time I met him, but recently I heard rumors about how he's supposedly different after what happened." She stacked the dishes back into the cupboards and wiped her hands with the towel.
"After what happened?" Hermione pulled one of the chairs out from under the table. Maggie did the same.
"I'm not sure I should say." She finally said. "It's none of my business and I try to stay out of the gossip circle as much as I can."
Hermione nodded not wanting to pry any further, but Maggie continued anyway.
"But I heard that he and his wife Narcissa recently divorced after she was found in bed with a high-ranking magic official."
Hermione's mouth plopped open in shock. This was the first time she's heard about this.
"But you didn't hear that from me." Maggie winked and started to stand from the table but for some reason Hermione was curious.
"Is Lucius upset about it?"
Maggie stopped and sat back down at the table. "Well, who wouldn't be? I heard he'd let himself go pretty bad and went from a snooty, arrogant asshole—to a man of little words. Did you know how he was before?"
Hermione nodded. "He used to act like he hated me because my parents are both muggles. There were some points where I'm sure he wished I was dead." The street lights outside suddenly came on and illuminated the room.
Maggie was silent for a moment and Hermione wondered if she said too much. Maybe Maggie felt the same way about non-magic parents.
"Well I hear that's not the kind of man he is anymore," she said. She stood back up from the table. "After his wife moved out of their home with their son, Lucius became what some might say 'more tolerable'." She headed for her bedroom but stopped just as she was about to enter, she stopped and faced Hermione. "What made you want to ask about Lucius?"
Hermione was stunned by her question. She wasn't sure if she should be honest about the interaction at the store. She was having a hard time believing that a man like Lucius could love a person enough that after losing them be devastated. She shrugged. "I was just curious."
Maggie said goodnight and closed her bedroom door behind her, leaving Hermione alone at the table. She sat for a moment and stared at the glowing street light just above the window, lost in thought about what Maggie said about Lucius. Could he have changed?
'He must have loved Narcissa to be so crushed about her leaving,' she thought. Why did that seem so impossible? But Hermione knew. After years of ridicule by Malfoy induced by his father's beliefs, she grew to hate the Malfoys. From day one they made her life miserable any chance they had while she was at Hogwarts, and she couldn't imagine the situation being any different even if Lucius was destroyed about his wife leaving.
She left the kitchen and headed up to her bedroom. After changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top she had the urge to look out her bedroom window. She saw the moon just above one of the rooftops across the street and thought about Ron. They'd always sneak out during a full moon to sit beneath it together. The theory that it improved their magical ability was always their excuse if they got caught.
Hermione laughed at the memory and wondered if Ron was looking at the same moon. She bit her lip and struggled to keep the tears at bay. When she wasn't occupied with work or time with Maggie, her relationship with Ron was all she could think about. How much she missed him, wanted to see him, and how badly she wished he felt the same.
'Could this be the way Lucius was feeling?' The intrusive thought zapped her back to reality. Why was she thinking about him again? She couldn't care less what Lucius was feeling. As far as she was concerned he probably deserved it.
'There was no way a man like Lucius could be a loving husband.' And it was a wild thought to think those two were anything like her and Ron.
With that, she crawled into bed and wondered if she was going to be able to sleep peacefully tonight. She didn't want the thoughts about Ron to consume her this time. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, begging for sleep to come.