Chapter 4: A Secret for an Old Friend

Hermione managed to get a decent night's sleep but still felt groggy the next morning. She held the steaming mug of coffee between her palms, its warmth sending a calming sensation throughout her arms and chest. The clock was ticking and Maggie still hadn't come out of her room. Hermione decided she could open the store by herself and let Maggie get a few more minutes of sleep.

She pulled the key out of her pocket and went to unlock the front door when she saw a small note taped to the glass.

"Hermione, I've gone to complete a few outside tailoring services before opening the store. Please help yourself to the pot of coffee on the counter. If I don't make it back in time please open the store for me. I know you can do it!

Thank you!"

-Maggie

Hermione smiled and stuffed the note in her pocket. She wondered who Maggie would be delivering to this early. She flipped on the open sign in the window and unlocked the front door. Like the day before there wasn't anyone waiting outside for the store to open, so Hermione went ahead and tidied up the fitting area before any of the scheduled appointments were supposed to start. She stocked up the fitting stations with a few new sewing needles and more black and blue threads.

After she was finished she started polishing the windows of the store when the bell for the door chimed. Hermione turned and sucked her breath back into her chest. She knew him from somewhere. It was Dean Thomas. They were both sorted into the Gryffindor house as first years and shared a few classes throughout her time at Hogwarts. She gave an awkward wave as Dean's face went from curious to completely shocked.

"Hermione?" He scratched his head. "I thought you'd returned to London!" Finally, his shock turned to joy as he rushed Hermione and swooped her into a giant hug.

She'd thought about how she would feel if she ran into someone from school. She anticipated shame, humiliation, and maybe even regret, but she never thought she would be this excited to see a fellow student. It felt amazing to see such a familiar face, especially Dean's. He'd always remained impartial when it came to the rumors about her and Harry and seemed to have nothing to do with its wild spread.

He set her back down. "What are you doing here?"

Hermione knew she could be honest with Dean. "I decided not to go home when I found out Maggie needed an extra pair of hands." She was incredibly thankful that out of all the students that she could have run into, her first one was Dean. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

Dean suddenly looked embarrassed as if he didn't want to admit his reason for coming into the store. He rubbed the back of his neck and said: "The school is having another one of those stupid dances and I needed a new set of dress robes." He rolled his eyes and looked around the store. "I'd never heard of this place but I saw a flyer in the window at Flourish and Blotts and decided to check it out." He turned to Hermione and smiled. "I'm glad I did."

Having Dean at the store gave her the feeling that she was home. "I'm glad too." She had so many questions but decided work should come first. Dean was looking for traditional black dress robes, so she brought out a few different pairs for him to choose from and set them down next to her tailoring toolset. He took off his jacket and stepped up onto the stool. She told him the story of how she'd found the store's flyer at the train station and changed her mind while she measured his thighs, calves, and ankles.

"I'm really happy to see you here Hermione," he admitted while trying to keep perfectly still. "To be honest I was really sad to hear you'd left Hogwarts. What would we do without your incredible brains?"

She laughed and shook her head. "You'll manage." She wrote down his measurements and began measuring his waist and torso.

"I'm sorry about everything that happened between you, Ron, and Harry," he said. "I know that has to be hard, but I promise I never participated in the gossip. Honestly, after the first couple of days, it just became annoying." Hermione shoved the urge to ask about Ron deep into the back of her brain.

"I know Dean." She wrote down more measurements. "And you have no idea how annoyed I felt."

"Probably more than how I felt," he laughed. She giggled as she started taking the measurements of his arms. "Does Ron know you chose to stay?"

Something in the air changed to a more pressing tone. Hermione's chest started to feel heavy. She shook her head and said: "no, I doubt Ron even cares that I left if he even knows."

"Oh, he knows." Hermione's heart felt like it could explode any second. So Ron did know that she left. She wanted to ask him if Ron seemed like he cared that she was gone. Other than Dean the rest of the school population thought she'd returned home to London.

She finished taking down all of his measurements and started writing in a ticket for his choice of robes when the door chimed again and Hermione saw Maggie enter the store. She was carrying a few sets of robes in clear plastic covers.

She smiled and waved as she headed to the back of the store to get the robes ready.

"Who was that?" He motioned to the back of the store.

"That's Maggie, my boss." She replied as she stuck the ticket between tomorrow and the next day's calendar pages.

"Oh, Maggie as in 'Maggies Tailoring'." He smiled and hopped down from the step stool. "Thank you for all the help. I truly am sorry about everything that happened at Hogwarts, but I am happy you're still here."

She embraced him for a hug. "Thank you, and your robes should be ready in two days so make sure to stop by to pick them up."

Dean threw his jacket back on and zipped it up to his chin. He took one step outside before Hermione stopped him.

"Dean?"

He halted and kept the door open, letting in a draft that felt freezing. "Could you please not tell anyone, you know about me being here?"

He gave Hermione an accusatory look. "Not even Ron?"

She nodded. "Especially not Ron."