The next day turned out to be just as interesting for the new resident and landlady of Enchanté as the last few had been.

Hermione had slept well the night before and thus was able to, much to the relief of her concerned housemates, look and function like a normal human being upon awakening that morning. In fact, she even decided to roll out of bed a bit early to get started on her day. After all, she knew she had some important tasks to complete. In fact, that included the paperwork for her new position at the JMoM that needed to be returned so that she could start her work there on the following week.

Fortunately, because Japan had long been the heart of the muggle technology world, the magical sector of that country had also worked hard to keep up with the progress, at well. That meant they had figured out ways to easily blend magic and technology long before their counterparts in Europe had. That was especially exciting to a muggleborn like Hermione who did enjoy incorporating modern tech into her everyday life as much as possible...even if she had to do much of it on the muggle side of the divide back in England. In fact, ease of technology access was one of the reasons why she had chosen to live in a non-magical neighborhood back in London in the first place.

However, that did not seem to be a problem in Japan, at all. Therefore, Hermione knew that she could easily send in her JMoM employment forms via email...if she could just figure out how to connect her laptop to Enchanté's internet network in the first place.

It should have been a very easy process, but...for some reason...no matter what kind of troubleshooting she tried, she just could not get everything to work together the way it was supposed to...not even after being fortified with Misyr's excellent coffee.

Oddly enough, while Misyr...with Ignis as his reluctant assistant...made breakfast for them, it was Il who came to Hermione's rescue. Apparently, the gentle and quiet-spoken angel had been serious when they had previously discussed the chore load around Enchanté. At that time, he had informed her that he had always handled all of the technology-related issues around the café because Souan...like many of his generation...preferred the slower, manual, and more old fashioned ways of doing business.

At any rate, Il lived up to his word as he easily linked her computer to the elusive internet connection. He even managed to get the old printer in the office to connect with the network, as well...until Hermione could get around to buying an upgraded one. Not only that, but the angel even downloaded all the forms she would need...along with a cute new desktop theme with the appealing name of Kawaii Kittens.

"You're amazing!" The witch gushed at his success, even though she realized that she should not have been surprised at her housemate's technological prowess.

After all, she knew how much he loved video games and that he was the only non-human at Enchanté who actually chose to use a mobile phone on a regular basis - even if it was mainly to get otome game updates and notifications. Yet somehow she was still astonished by how he managed to upset her apparently still very muggle and religious-oriented preconception of angels. However, in her defense, angels were not a type of non-human that she had ever encountered before...even though she had indeed previously met fairies, beasts, and demons through her work at the BMoM.

For his part, however, Il had just smiled sweetly at her praise. "Helping each other and using kind words is a guaranteed route on the journey to raise our affection levels," he informed her in his soft voice. "Therefore, let us endeavor to do so as much as possible!"

It took Hermione a moment to understand that the angel was using otome game terminology to describe their interaction. However, she was still pleased to realize that Il wanted them to get to know each other even better and to grow closer in the process, as well.

Consequently...not for the first time, either...Hermione had to wonder how such an obviously gentle-natured soul had ever become a fallen angel in the first place. What could he have done? What heavenly laws could he possibly have broken? She knew it was probably a very sensitive topic for Il, however, and she hoped that one day their "affection levels" would be high enough for him to feel comfortable discussing the issue with her voluntarily. Until such a time arrived, though, she knew that she would have to be patient. After all, she never wanted to upset her affable friend.

At any rate, because of his talent with technology, her required employment paperwork was easily submitted. Then, once that necessary chore was completed, the entire group was able to sit down to enjoy the results of Ignis and Misyr's combined efforts in the kitchen before they finished off the satisfactory meal with plenty of coffee and companionable conversation.

That was when Hermione made an announcement to the group as a whole.

"I think I need to do some grocery shopping," she told them.

After all, it had not taken her long to realize that the non-humans tended to cook...and (especially in Ignis's case) eat...far more food than ordinary humans would. Not only that, but Rindo had also stayed all afternoon on the day before, plus he joined them for the dinner that she and Canus had prepared from what was left in the storeroom on the previous night, as well. Consequently, after the meal that Ignis and Misyr had just made, the supplies that she had brought back from England only a couple of days ago had diminished to practically nothing.

Plus, she had been motivated after checking into the contents of the office safe during her all-night cleaning and organizing spree on the third floor. The sight of the pre-existing piles of Enchante's unusual source of income (as well as the cash and the receipts as proof that Souan had been trading the goods quite legally through a jeweler in the town) had comforted her with the knowledge that she no longer had to rely on her own meager savings to survive. She may have been famous in the wizarding world, but fame on its own merit did not pay very well and, unfortunately, neither did her government work.

Consequently, with the additional income from Enchanté to bolster her finances, Hermione finally knew that she could actually afford to purchase all of the necessities of living for herself and her non-human tenants. She had to admit that she had been a bit worried about making such ends meet, otherwise. She had not been looking forward to bringing that topic up to her housemates, either.

Since the matter had been so easily resolved, however, she was able to cheerfully mention the subject of shopping to her blokes, instead. She even directed a request for assistance to the ones who had told her that their chosen chores had included providing the necessary brawn for Souan whenever he needed it.

Unfortunately, it turned out that Ignis would not be able to help her because he had to return to Bestia. After all, he had cut his visit to his home world short on the previous day, but he still had his responsibilities to fulfill there. If there was anything Hermione understood, though, it was responsibility. Therefore, she waved off his unspoken-yet-still-obvious concerns that he could not be there for her.

"Even though we'll miss you here, I'm very proud of you for handling what needs to be done there," she told him sincerely.

Those words reassured Ignis and made him feel a type of warmth inside that had nothing to do with being a fire demon beast. That feeling only increased, however, when she added even more.

"I hope that you'll be able to join us next time, though. After all, I was looking forward to visiting the town with you," she informed him so earnestly that Ignis found himself sorely tempted to stay in the human world again, anyway.

However, he did not want her to think that he was shirking his responsibility – especially after what she had just said. Therefore, he just grunted his agreement. Plus, it helped that he knew that she would still have assistance. After all, Canus had cheerfully volunteered to go with her in his stead.

"Just leave the heavy lifting to me," the chivalrous knight proclaimed. He proudly banged a fist against his chest as his helmet suddenly reappeared to cover his neck flames, as well. "You can count on me. I also vow to protect you from whatever perils seek to obstruct our path."

"Well, it's just grocery shopping, so I do hope there won't be too many perils," Hermione replied to the obvious sincerity of his words as seriously as she could. As a result, she had to repress the smile that instantly rose to her lips at the thought that only a knight would treat a shopping trip like a foray into battle.

After all, even in another country, the shopping process could not be that much different than what she was used to – especially since she had taken the time to study the currency and how the rates compared to those she was used to in England. Plus, she knew there should be no language barriers because her automatic translation spell would handle that issue for her until she could learn the language for real...which was something she did plan to do as soon as possible.

Consequently, she thought everything would work out fine – especially if she went into town with someone who was experienced with the area and was familiar with the shops that were located there.

Nevertheless, she had to admit to herself that she was a bit speculative about going out with just Canus. It had nothing to do with him personally, of course. After all, the knight had been nothing but kind and considerate towards her since her arrival at Enchanté and she had thoroughly enjoyed his company the entire time, as well. It was just the fact that...out of the entire non-human group...he was the one who stood out the most. It would be extremely hard for anyone to ignore the fact that he did not have a head.

Regardless of her concerns, the talented witch felt reassured by the knowledge that, if necessary, she could simply use a disillusionment spell of her own to disguise the headless knight even further than what Misyr's power had accomplished. She also realized that, in the very worst case scenario, she could instantly apparate them both back to the secluded safety of Enchanté and its magical barrier.

"This will certainly be interesting...at the very least!" was all she said aloud, however.

Surprisingly, it was Ignis who was the one who tried to reassure her at that point. "I think you'll be okay, but come back right away if anything happens. You have your phone and Il's contact info, right? After all, Misyr will be here with him at Enchanté, as well, so help will be close by if you need it."

"Yes. Thank you, Mum!" Hermione replied with an amused, but also quite pleased, smile at the usually irascible firewolf's unexpected show of concern for her.

"It's just his own way of expressing love," Il replied gently from the side where he had been watching the scene unfold. The others laughed at his comment.

All except for Ignis, of course. "Urgh! Just shut up and get off my case!" he growled at them in reply, even though he knew it was his own fault for slipping and allowing his emotions to show in the first place. He should have known better. He was the top fighting demon beast, after all, and he had a reputation to maintain!

Hermione could not help but to smile at him again, though - especially since it was obvious that the hotblooded Ignis was quite easy to rile. However, at least she now knew that he meant well. They all did. Therefore, she did not take his harsh words personally. Instead, she simply gave the firewolf an affectionate pat on the shoulder as she admonished him to be careful during his trip back to his world and to hurry back home to them at Enchanté whenever he could get away again.

The firewolf was left both calmed and amazed by the unexpected, but always pleasant, physical contact. Not only that, but the fact that the woman seemed to care about his welfare, too, as well as her reference to their home, left him temporarily speechless in her presence again. He could not help but to notice that it was a state of being that seemed to happen to him a lot around her and, consequently...wary of those soft emotions...he could only grunt his farewell in return when she said goodbye. However, he watched her intently as she left Enchanté in Misyr and Il's care with just one last casual wave behind her before she walked out the front entrance with Canus.

...

As soon as they had exited the building, much to the fairy knight's initial surprise, Hermione immediately placed one hand in the crook of his arm as they walked. After all, she would have done the exact same thing if she had gone out with Harry or one of her other male friends...and even some of her female ones, as well. It was simply a comfortable and convenient way to walk together.

Canus had never escorted someone in such a way, however. The chivalrous knight soon realized, though, that he very much liked both the unaccustomed contact as well as the indisputable fact that the woman would be much easier to protect if she continued to stay so physically close to his side. Therefore, he soon relaxed into the pleasant, yet still strategic, position. Once he was comfortable with it, he was also able to easily answer her questions about the neighborhood and explain the different kinds of shops around them...and the products they sold...that were so unfamiliar to the British witch.

For her part, Hermione marveled again about how easy it was to be in the knight's company. As they walked, she simply enjoyed listening to the pleasant deep bass rumble of Canus's voice as she held onto his muscular arm. She was also impressed that the knight was so knowledgeable about the area. She soon remembered, however, that such familiarity was probably because it was one of his self chosen chores. He had already mentioned that he often aided Souan with the shopping in the past, as well.

The biggest surprise to her, however, was that Misyr had been absolutely right about their reception. The people in town really did accept Canus just as he was. In fact, they genuinely seemed to like him...helmet and all.

After all, she heard several different lighthearted and good-natured helmet-inspired nicknames and monikers addressed to him when they stopped and had friendly conversations with both the people on the street and the shopkeepers whose stores they patronized. In truth, it even seemed as if everyone went out of their way to greet the polite knight and...since she was obviously not Japanese...they wanted to meet the foreign woman who was with him at the same time.

Once they found out that she was a relative of Souan's, as well, her presence was accepted...as western and British as it was...quite easily. In fact, some of those shop proprietors were even old enough to remember when the obviously very different and very French Souan had first joined their community himself, too. Consequently, they were happy to welcome his great niece. This was especially true since she was also accompanied...and therefore vouched for...by one of their favorite customers.

Probably the most amusing part of the trip for Hermione, however, was when they were surrounded by a group of giggly and happy-go-lucky high school girls who obviously knew the knight, as well.

"Who is this?" they asked Canus in a knowing, teasing way. "Your girlfriend?"

They would not listen to any explanations or denials on the matter, however. Nor would their singleminded determination let the two Enchanté residents leave until Canus had put down the grocery totes he carried so that he and Hermione could allow the girls to take a picture of them forming heart hands together.

The girls did not notice...probably due to the residual influence of Misyr's magic...even from such a distance away from Enchanté. However, Hermione certainly did see it when the knight's neck flames flared the hot pink color of acute embarrassment rather than the red of anger. In fact, that particular color lingered for quite a while – especially after the girls pushed them even closer together.

"You're too big, Helmety-kun!" they told him cheerfully. "Put your arm around her, so you'll both fit into the camera frame better."

For her part, Hermione did not really mind, at all. In truth, she knew the girls were just having fun and did not mean anything by it. Plus, she was pleased that she was beginning to understand her kind and gentle housemate better...even without being able to read his non-verbal facial clues for the simple, but extremely odd, reason that he did not seem to have a face to read! In addition to all of that, though, it certainly was not a hardship for her to be so up close and personal to such a fit guy – nonhuman or not! After all, she had already noted that Canus definitely had an impressive and muscular physique.

Fortunately, even though the knight was obviously embarrassed, he did not seem to be offended by the actions of the girls, either. Otherwise, he could have easily freed them both from their clutches with just a tiny fraction of his strength.

"Please don't mind them. It's probably better to let them have their childish fun and be done with it," was all he said, however.

In fact, he had realized himself that, while it might have been unfamiliar territory for him, it was definitely not a punishment to be so close to Hermione. Therefore, as long as she was not in danger...and did not seem to be uncomfortable with the situation, either...he would allow it.

Consequently, the two of them simply humored the girls for a short while longer until they finally left them and went on their way to do whatever typical teenage girls did in their free time. Hermione certainly did not remember...or perhaps she did not even know in the first place...what those kind of things could be, though. That was probably because at no point during her teenage years could she have ever been considered typical.

Nevertheless, Hermione made certain that she was sent a copy of the picture of her and Canus first before the girls left. After all, even though it was a bit embarrassing, it was also quite adorable in its own way. Therefore, she knew that she would definitely print it out and pin it on the cork board back in her office at Enchanté . Plus, as soon as she received it, she went ahead and sent it to Harry, as well, so that he could show it to Ginny and the others.

In fact, at that moment, she decided that whenever the chance arose, she was going to get pictures with all of her other Enchanté friends, as well. That way, those who were important to her back in England could put faces...(or in Canus's case) a helmet...to their names whenever she talked about her new housemates of whom she had grown so fond.

...

Despite all of the interruptions...as amusing as they had been...the witch and the knight were still able to finish their shopping in a relatively reasonable amount of time. Because of his strength and her magic to lighten the loads, they were even able to buy enough groceries and supplies to last the hungry group of non-humans at Enchanté for quite a while. They were also able to make it back to their residence without any further issues.

Once there, Hermione noticed immediately that Ignis was gone and that Il had already retired back to his room before their arrival. However, her heart was still warmed by her other two housemates when both Canus and Misyr insisted on helping her to put everything away in their proper places despite her offer to do it herself.

"What kind of men would we be if we just watched and let you do all of the work?" Misyr scoffed, however.

"Indeed!" was the knight's hearty second to the demon's response.

Thus, with both muscle and magic, the chore was done in next to no time, at all. That made Hermione happy because it was important to her to have the place fully stocked - especially since she knew she had to leave and return to England for a few days.

After all, she still had to wrap up her unfinished projects at the BMoM, assign the incoming work to her colleagues, and clean out her office before she had to report to the JMoM on the following week.

In addition to all of that, she needed to clear out her London flat, also. Since she would be living in Japan for the foreseeable future, she no longer needed that space, as well. Consequently, there was no reason to continue pay for it with her limited funds. Plus, she had always kept a room at Grimmauld Place anyway, so Harry and Ginny had easily convinced her just to stay there with them whenever she came back to England to visit or work. At any rate, that meant she needed to pack up all of her belongings in the flat, first. Then, she had to decide what she wanted to take to furnish her rooms on the third floor at Enchanté, what she should store at the Potters' house, and what she could simply donate or give away.

All of that would take a while, but at least Hermione could rest easy knowing that her housemates would not go hungry...or have to rely on convenience store food...while she was gone.

When the time came, however, Hermione found that she was much more reluctant to leave Enchanté than she thought she would be...even though her absence would only be temporary. Apparently, the former café had already come to mean home to her in just the short amount of time she had spent there with her new friends. That was especially true since she was already beginning to consider the unique non-humans who lived there with her as her new found family, as well.

In fact, she had originally considered asking Il to come with her to England since he spent the majority of his time alone up in his room at Enchanté, anyway. Plus, she suspected that he would get along very well with her English friends. She thought about Luna, in particular, since they both had the same kind of serene personalities that quickly transformed into borderline obsessiveness when it came to their special interests and hobbies.

Nevertheless, when she brought the idea up to Misyr first, she realized that the demon was very uneasy with the thought. In fact, he immediately explained to her what kind of trouble the angel tended to get into when he ventured out on his own.

"He was kidnapped?!" Hermione exclaimed in disbelief after his story.

"He's so inexperienced with humans and the outside world that they thought he was a child of a foreign dignitary who could not even speak the language...and he was too polite to correct them...or even to use his powers to escape. I really don't know what would have happened if I had not found him."

"Oh, Il!" Hermione did not know whether to sigh, laugh, or cry in exasperation at the idea of the gentle angel being so considerate of his kidnappers. She simply shook her head, instead.

"Therefore, you can see that even though I do not doubt your ability to protect him, I know you will be very busy with everything you have to do and may not be able to entertain him or predict the actions of a bored otome-loving angel in a foreign city."

"I understand," Hermione admitted as she thought about how innocent and baby bird-like Il really was. "Maybe it will be better to wait until next time, then, when I just go to visit and not to work. I will be able to keep a better eye on him, then."

Misyr nodded in agreement before his face fell a bit. "I would love to go with you myself, but..."

Hermione patted his hand in both gratitude and understanding. "Don't worry. I get it. I know that you have your own responsibilities and have to be back in the Demon World at night." She thought about it a moment. "So...I guess that means you'll stay here with Il during the day, and then either Ignis or Canus...or both of them...will be here overnight?"

"Yes, that's correct. In fact, Ignis should be back from Bestia soon to take over for tonight and Canus said that he would return from Medio tomorrow. Therefore, it should all work out fine. As an absolute last resort, I guess we could even ask Rindo to stop by if nobody else can be here. After all, even though Il does not usually even want to leave Enchanté by himself, one can never be sure when he will act on some spur-of-the-moment-otome-inspired idea. Now that Souan is no longer here...because your great uncle was almost as much of a homebody himself and was usually happy to stay with Il...we just have to make sure that our favorite angel is never alone long enough to get into any serious mischief on his own."

"Of course. In fact, let's save that for the experts, instead...us!" Hermione replied playfully and Misyr laughed before she added a thought. "When I get back, though, why don't we take Il on an outing? Since I still don't know much about the area, either, it will be a good learning opportunity for us both. After all, between you and me, we should have enough magic and common sense to be able to keep him out of trouble...and teach him some important things about the outside world in the process."

"I'd like that," Misyr replied with a gentle smile at the idea that grew into a wide grin as he continued with a mischievous thought of his own. "It could be like a family outing with us as the father and mother and Il as our little angel."

"Our little fallen angel," Hermione agreed amiably and they both laughed again.

By that point in their relationships...both new and established...it would not have surprised any of the residents of the former cafe to realize that the affection levels...as Il would describe them...between all of the housemates at Enchanté just kept rising steadily on their own.

In fact, some of them...especially the ones that involved Hermione...were even skyrocketing!