Chapter 1
There was no pretty way to put it, Hermione was isolating herself. Soon after the end of the war she had moved to muggle London in hopes of getting away from the turmoil and upheaval, and bit by bit she’d withdrawn further from the wizarding world. She barely even spoke to her friends anymore; her correspondence with Harry was rare at best, and things were still so painfully awkward with Ron after she’d turned him down she couldn’t bear to put pen to paper. To be honest, though, she sort of preferred it that way at the moment. Better to separate herself than deal with all the scars and emotional baggage quite yet.
She hummed along to the soft music in the coffee shop as she filled in some ministry documents. It was boring stuff. All work was nowadays. She paused for a moment to stretch into the armchair, her toes curling in her boots. It was raining outside- one of London’s biggest charms, but it made her feel more warm in comparison as she sipped her coffee and gazed absently out the window.
There was a figure outside- a woman- running as fast as she could in heels towards the shop, a red handbag covering her dark hair. Hermione couldn’t help but quirk her mouth at the sight, holding back a giggle as the woman entered the shop, swearing and wringing out her posh shirt. She must not have been as discreet as she’d thought because the woman spun towards her with a huff before her dark eyes widened. Hermione’s did too. Pansy Parkinson. She had admittedly changed since their school days; namely in that her signature sneer was nonexistent. It made her look a lot softer. It suited her. Hermione shook her head. Anyway, what the fuck was Parkinson doing in a muggle coffee shop of all places?
‘Hello.’ The words slipped out of Hermione’s mouth before she could think, and she reddened slightly at Pansy’s gape.
‘Erm- hello granger,’ she replied, ‘it’s been awhile.’
‘It has.’ Hermione supplied helpfully. Parkinson looked surprisingly flustered as she stood there by the doorway so for whatever reason Hermione smiled slightly and beckoned her over with an awkward gesture to an empty seat, strangely hoping the woman would oblige. She did, albeit a little stiffly, sitting down with surprising grace considering she was soaked head to toe.
Parkinson smoothed her damp skirt and let out a breath. ‘So, what brings you here darling?’
Hermione raised an eyebrow. ‘I could ask the same of you. Why are you suddenly happy to be around muggles?’
Pansy frowned and retorted, ‘Merlin, Granger, it’s been five years since the war. We’ve all changed.’
Hermione had the dignity to look embarrassed, and quickly changed the subject. ‘So… what have you been up to?’
Parkinson’s cheeks took on a slight tinge of red as she waved her hand vaguely, ‘A few things here and there. I live a few streets down. I bought a townhouse a few months ago.’
‘Me too! Well- not the townhouse bit- I have a flat, but I’m quite nearby as well.’
Pansy nodded and glanced outside. ‘I um, I think it’s cleared a bit. I’ll get going- can’t waste too much time here. I’ll see you around Granger.’
Hermione gave a little wave as the woman left and stared as she disappeared around the corner. It was still pouring.
She bit her lip and tried to bring her focus back to goblin accommodation. It didn’t work. She went home.