Chapter 4
Hermione eagerly sidestepped through the crowd in the streets of Diagon Alley on her way to the Apothecary. It felt like ages since she’d been out to celebrate anything. With the hard-sought-after success at the Ministry, the news spread around. She had become rather busy the last few days, fielding inquiries about other initiatives and setting up different contact points in her absence. But today was a rare day that Ginny had been available, with a husband away almost weekly as the international recruiter for Hogwarts, Ginny stayed rather busy juggling their home life. She was the head coach for the Chudley Cannons, an underdog quidditch team, and was very involved also coaching Gryffindor’s quidditch team where all three of their children had positions. Albus and James took after their mother, the sibling duo created an unbeatable chaser wall that proved a challenge to beat every game. Lilly, however, was much like her father, and was untouchable on the field as a seeker. Watching them grow had been the greatest joy for Hermione, as she imagined the alternative future they could’ve had if Voldemort had won. Shaking her head Hermione chose to shut that line of thinking, they all had worked hard to move on, one way or another. She needed to focus on the here and now, like how Sam was faring with the move to Malfoy’s.
Sam had volunteered to meet with Daniel at the Malfoy offices in Hogsmeade in preparation for the project moving forward. Big shocker there, Hermione thought, those two had become somewhat inseparable since they met. Now that they were working together there wasn’t one around without the other one close behind. Hermione smiled at herself every time she remembered Sam, tongue-tied and blushing whenever Daniel was brought up or in her presence. Come to think of it, the same could be said for Daniel. Hermione was eager to see how that all turned out. She smiled to herself as she continued sipping her warm morning tea in the brisk weather. It was nice to watch people fall for each other. It was a glimpse into such a wonderful life, one that day after day Hermione was slowly believing, was far beyond her years.
Instead of wondering why she was alone when it came to the romance front, she tried to focus more on the idea that being romantically involved with someone wasn’t the only definition of a well-lived life. She had dedicated herself to the service of others, and that was satisfying and fulfilling in so many ways. She also didn’t know when she began to believe, that not everyone was meant to have that kind of happily ever after. Some of us have to be alone, so the ones that aren't alone, appreciate it a little more. Maybe? she wondered to herself. But just as she was sure, doubt would creep into her thoughts.
Did she make a mistake breaking up with Ron? Threw away the only chance she had at growing old with someone? Yet the more she turned it over in her head, the more she convinced herself it wasn’t. Sure, she would always love Ron, but that love was the same kind she had for Harry. Familiar, friendly, and wholly platonic, when she thought of her relationship with Ron, she didn’t picture the same passionate love her parents had for each other. The love Ron and she shared was routine, comfortable, and predictable. Nothing of the sparks she dreamed should be felt when one thought of their forever after, their sex life was, okay, and THAT was a problem. She wanted more than just okay, she deserved mind-blowing, toe-curling, can’t take my hands off you, addicting love.
Yes, she was passionate about his well-being and his success, but only as one would be for a friend they had survived countless traumatic events with during a war. No different than she was about Harry and Ginny. But if she was forced to think about the one, Ron was not the man she pictured in her mind, at the end of the aisle, or parenting with, growing old with. Was he ever? Or did she force the idea that perhaps they should be together because, by the time she realized they lacked something, it felt like it was too late to change? Like maybe she would have been better off settling, staying in the familiarity of his company. Perhaps she was aiming for too much, that maybe after all the time that had passed, life wasn’t all about the passion she read about in her books, but the comfort and safety in the routine they shared. Nevertheless, it was too late to turn back, and despite the doubts, overall, she was sure of herself, her steps in life, and her direction. Love would come when it was meant for her if it was meant for her, and that would be that.
Ironic, this always happened when she walked these roads. She couldn’t help but always think deeply about her life when she stepped into Diagon Alley, it held such a special place for her. Her introduction to the wizarding world happened in these very streets and alleyways, she could see herself as a small 11-year-old, fascinated by the wonder that was witches and wizards going about their days, magic buzzing about, to her it was beyond wondrous. Back-to-school shopping took on a whole new meaning those days, while her cousins purchased books she was buying cauldrons, potion supplies, and a wand. If only she could talk to that little girl again, prepare her for the journey that lay ahead. What would she even say? But before she had to think of an answer, she was at the Leaky Apothecary’s doorway.
The place had been changed since the war, renamed, and re-franchised; The Leaky Apothecary was owned by none other than Neville Longbottom. He inherited the bar from old Tom Sturgill, who had been best friends with his grandparents and had no children of his own to pass it down to. Neville rose to the challenge, as it gave him the freedom to explore potions and herbology in a way that was new and extraordinary for the wizarding world while also being able to provide for his grandparents. The eerie environment Leaky was known for remained in the past, now it was modernized to create a place that was inviting for magical wizards and muggles alike. It was important to Neville to bring about a facelift to the establishment that honored its historic place within Diagon Alley. As the gateway between wizarding and muggle London it deserved to shed its seedy past and be a welcoming beacon. He had adjusted the charms to make the inside twice as big allowing him to maintain the bar area of the Leaky, while also adding an apothecary that doubled as a muggle pharmacy as well as herbs and potion supplies for potion makers magical or otherwise. Notice-me-not charms ran heavy throughout the area to ensure nonmagical muggles never saw what they shouldn’t, except for Halloween. Hermione smiled at herself remembering the few Halloween nights their friends have celebrated so far at the Leaky Apothecary, muggles mesmerized by flying fairies, levitating quills and parchments, giants and elves walking about the space, “the special effects and decorations are out of this world!” they kept hearing. As an apothecary it provided all resources needed for potion making, magical and muggle alike, it was also an eatery and during the night hours, it functioned as a good old sports bar for quidditch and football respectively.
Hermione loved the integration, a chance for the world she left behind and her current one to intermingle. When Neville discussed naming it the Leaky Apothecary it made Hermione laugh, “witches, wizards, and muggles alike will come, because it’ll provide the soothing balm for any sickness, physical or the emotional kind!” he had boasted over his business idea.
Crossing the double doors Hermione was greeted with the comforting sight of Neville, sure enough behind the bar, focused on his laptop, and cauldron side by side. There wasn’t a day he wasn’t exploring the extensive menu the apothecary provided for ways to improve it. It was a serious undertaking, dabbling in magic while hiding in plain sight of the muggles that it catered to. But Neville walked that line with Fred and George as business partners like he was born for it. Hermione loved the space he had created; it was Neville, to whom she sounded out ideas when it came to initiatives that called for innovative potion-making or herb use.
“Good morning, Neville! I have got great news!” Hermione greeted as she reached the bar, wafting some of the aromas over the cauldron to her nose to try and decipher what he was trying to create next. Scrounging her face, “Neville, whatever that is, please don’t…” she replied.
Neville laughed “’Mione, one that’s not even close to being finished, and I know the news, Sam already told me. I have already prepared the recipes for the potions we discussed with Daniel’s adjustments” he winked at her as he pushed the scroll across the bar to her. “You’re welcome!” he added as he went back to his laptop. “Thank you thank you! I will let you know the details about next week when I have them!” Hermione smiled as she walked away scroll in hand, spotting Ginny in a booth.
“Hermione Granger! To what gods do I owe the pleasure of your company!?” Ginny greeted her cheerfully as Hermione rushed with a hug. “MY company? You’re a funny one, did your brothers sneak you a chuckleberry!?” Hermione mused as she squeezed her closest friend as tight as possible. “What between coaching TWO teams, one of them professional might I add, while raising three quidditch players, and also never missing a Sunday dinner, I’m the one who should do a midnight ritual to thank the gods!” She squeezed Ginny’s face and planted a kiss on her cheek before holding her by the shoulders and admiring her, “you look aghast Ginny please find some time for a vacation, or maybe just some sleep?”
“Ha ha ha! Hermione Jean Granger, I may look tired but that is only from the multiple orgasms that kept me awake last night. What’s your excuse?” Ginny replied as she sat down and pushed a firewhiskey coffee toward Hermione.
“Bit early don’t you think?” Hermione asked as she took the seat across Ginny breathing in the delicious coffee aroma. “Shush, it is my only day off we’ve got tons of catching up to do, if you expected anything other than day drinking and carbs from me, you’ve summoned the wrong friend!” Ginny answered as she motioned for Hermione to start her drink.
After a strong gulp or two of what was more firewhiskey than coffee, Hermione settled for what she knew would be a long, amazing day.
“So, seriously what is your excuse it looks like you haven’t slept in weeks?” Ginny inquired, a concerned look on her face.
“Nothing worrisome, just the usual I’ve just been busy with work, you know how the Ministry is,” Hermione answered eyeing the butterbeer biscottis on the table. Jax, the apothecary’s werewolf cook, was nothing short of a purely magical wonder when it came to her baking. The cookies always melted in Hermione’s mouth followed by a small fizzle from the fizzing whisbee extract she used as a secret ingredient. She knew the plate was already charmed with endless refills of the dessert.
“Yes, but I thought things were going well?” Ginny asked confused.
“Yes, they are, though the Malfoy Trust sponsoring my initiative, I’ve pulled long hours making sure everything is perfect,” Hermione said in between bites.
Ginny rolled her eyes, “You don’t have to make sure everything is perfect because you’ve already done so, I know you know that. Nothing leaves the desk of Hermione Granger without it being perfect. You can’t singlehandedly run this bill, you sold Malfoy Trust on it, Narcissa Malfoy is no novice when it comes to business and investing galleons. You’re not some young Ministry official; you’re an executive officer who’s worked her way up and earned the ranks. Learn to delegate things to Sam, whose praises might I add, you’ve sung about on multiple occasions. Trust. Your. Gut. It’s never steered you wrong.”
Hermione looked at Ginny’s serious face, raised eyebrow, and all-knowing smirk thinking Yeah well my gut is telling me to jump Malfoy’s bones too, so. Without missing a beat Ginny asked, “What’s that face about?” while snacking.
“What face? I don’t have a face!” Hermione replied defensively, even as she felt heat creeping up her neck surely reddening her cheeks and giving her away. Quickly looking at her coffee she asked, “Salazar, did you put veri juice in here?!”
Ginny giggled as she saluted her with her drink, “With the way our face just ousted you, I don’t need to,” she finished with a wink, “so spill. Start with whatever reason that just made you blush and end with what is bloody Malfoy like?!”
“Well, that would make for a short event of our day-drinking then” Hermione confessed, “he’s…” her eyes drifted, sexy, taller and wider than I remember, highly fuckable, “fit. Very fit. And tall, so tall, and…. proper.”
“You’re stalling, spit it out” Ginny urged.
“I’m not stalling, I’m just at a loss for words. He’s not the lanky skinny annoying boy we knew. He’s a big man, those years abroad surely did him well,” Hermione raised her eyebrows staring off into space as she remembered his tall physique, the strong muscles around his shoulders, how his pants hugged his thighs just right, and his soft hands on her face. Snap out of it! “He reads, before I saw him officially at the Ministry, I ran into him, well bumped into him is more like it, at Tonk’s,” she finished, rolling her eyes at the embarrassing memory.
“He’s covered in tattoos, a beard and keeps his hair on the longer side. His hands are callused so he does more than push papers around the office,” Hermione stared off into space, lost in the memory of watching Malfoy exist at Tonk’s space as he navigated the isles towards the exit. She had run to hide and get a better look at him from her booth. The way he smiled at the elves by the registers, “he chats with elves, he has a much better relationship with Tonk’s it seems, a lot closer than I would’ve imagined.”
Ginny chuckled, “Big man you say? Words I’d never use to describe Draco Malfoy for $200 Alex! And of course, he reads he’s not illiterate!”
“I meant for leisure Ginevra! And that’s all you got from that?” Hermione said in between laughs, “I walked into him, well my arse did actually,” she leaned forward, “it is very taught from what I remember,” she said in between giggles.
“So, he not only looks like pure sex, does he smell like it too?” Ginny asked.
“Yeah, sex, like Tom Ford’s Oud Wood-” Hermione replied staring off into space before her eyes widened, “-that was an intrusive thought,” she yelped looking at Ginny who burst out laughing.
“Don’t look at me like that! Sometimes I enjoy walking the muggle fragrance aisles for men's cologne. I am touch starved!” she replied to yet another all-knowing Ginny smirk before finishing her coffee and tapping the table, the tables having been charmed to notify staff of patrons needing assistance. It was Neville’s way of providing privacy and ensuring the secrecy Leaky had been known for, “good morning ladies, what will it be?” a purple-haired fairy named Luxly asked as she appeared hovering next to their table.
“Another round of firewhiskey coffees please, light on the coffee” Ginny winked, “and also starry night macaroons please.” The fairy disappeared with the order, leaving glitter residue in the air. “If Harry asks, I’m lying and saying I went to one of those muggle strip clubs with you,” she said as she swiped nonexistent glitter off her sleeves.
Hermione laughed, “Pff with me? Yeah, he won’t believe that, you’ll probably have better luck if you say you went with Ron.”
“Oh yes, Saint Hermione, patron of all things modest and pure. So cutesy and demure as they say, sitting across from me daydreaming of 58 different ways of riding Malfoy as we speak, trying to make yourself a whorecrux on his dick?” Ginny asked.
“I am not! One, it’s only been a month or two since I broke things off with Ron, and two, it’s Draco bloody Malfoy!” she replied offended more so that Ginny read her like a book and less that it was in fact, bloody Draco Malfoy.
Ginny chuckled, “Salazar, YOU don’t even remember WHEN YOU broke up with Ron, it’s been three months, not one. I know this because he has yet to stop sulking during Sunday dinners every time he comes over. Speaking of, please continue to skip those until further notice, though we love and miss you, he might need to be committed if you show up. Furthermore, it's ok Hermione. You are allowed to move on, to have relationships outside of the circles we’ve created since Hogwarts. You’re allowed to lust after Draco Malfoy, or anyone else if you so chuffing choose to.” Ginny leaned forward, reaching for Hermione’s hand across the table, “It’s been five years since Hogwarts Hermione, you’re allowed to move on, that doesn’t mean we forget. You buried yourself under the workload of school, and then under the Ministry. You did everything to make Ron happy, and to keep us moving forward, you forgot to figure out what it was you wanted. What it was you needed.”
Hermione remained quiet, the sting of tears threatening to spill from her eyes, she took a deep breath, “I did not want today to get so damn deep Ginny!” She exclaimed as she wiped her eyes, “I am not hiding, I am not avoiding, I’m only focused on living my life, finally!”
Hermione pulled her hand back into her lap, “I’m fine! Everything is fine, I’m busy working, doing what I love helping people. That’s got to count for something! Plus, just because Draco Malfoy suddenly waltzed into my life, after years of being absent doesn’t mean I’m going to act like a stupid teenager and throw all caution to the wind. There’s more at stake here than just heartbreak and professional sabotage, might I add.”
“Stop acting like there isn’t a part of you that wants to explore that path,” Ginny stated as she eyed Hermione behind her cup, a single eyebrow raised.
“Just because you won Muggle trivia night by guessing biscuits and gravy does not MEAN you’re ALWAYS right Ginny!” Hermione sighed frustratingly rolling her eyes.
Ginny beamed a smile at Hermione, “Yes, yes it does mean exactly that.”
“Ginny…” Hermione groaned, “Don’t encourage this. I was just… caught off guard, I didn’t expect a tall, bearded, well-read Adonis in place of Malfoy. Anyone, not just me, would have cause for pause when those broad shoulders breached their entryway too, okay!”
“Oh, well-read you say? Gone on bookish dates already have you?” Ginny’s inquisitive look was driving her mad as if she knew there was something there, and no matter how hard Hermione wanted to hide it, Ginny would find it.
A bookish date with Malfoy, this Malfoy? Probably a dream come true, she could see it, walking into Tonk’s hand in hand, or him waiting for her at her booth, nose in a book until he looked up and saw her. She could almost get lost in those deep blue eyes, the smile he’d have on his face, her hands caressing his beard. I wonder what that feels like.
“No! I happen to have visited his office once or twice in the last few days and saw his bookshelf!” Hermione defended, “Oh I thought you’d be busy already under his desk,” Ginny replied, making Hermione almost choke on her drink.
“Whatever sound that was, please don’t make it again, you’re scaring the villagers” Ginny warned as she laughed looking at Hermione coughing into her napkin.
“Ha! Ha! Ha!” Hermione rolled her eyes before going for the desserts, yea well he likes the sounds I make so, taking her time to choose a macaroon.
“I’M SORRY?! HE LIKES THE SOUNDS YOU MAKE?! And what sounds are those Hermione Granger!? When did you have time to make sounds for Draco Malfoy??” Ginny asked in hurried whispers.
The urgency of her voice drew Hermione out of the daze remembering that moment had put her in, making eye contact with her smirking best friend, “It’s not what you think!”
“Well, enlighten me then, and don’t leave out a single thing,” Ginny demanded as she finished her drink.
Their day went on, drink after drink, desert after desert until they were both stumbling out of the apothecary into Diagon Alley.
“Bloody hell why is it so bright!?” Ginny scrunched her face looking around, as she stumbled hand in hand with Hermione. “Umm..” Hermione pulled her wand out casting a tempus to display the time, “Oh apparently it's 430 in the afternoon” she shouted.
“Not so bloody loud Hermione! I sent Harry a patronus, we can’t bloody walk much less apparate,” Ginny offered as she giggled.
As if summoning him with her words, Harry apparated a few feet ahead of them, with a charming smile on his face, “Ladies! How lucky am I?”
Hermione smiled widely at the sight of the boy who’d been her biggest supporter and worst critic all their adult life. “Heeeeeyyyyyyy!!” they both drunkenly shouted arms up in his direction. “Aren’t you glad we didn’t leave him in the Forbidden Forest?” Ginny asked as she aimed to grab his backside before Harry smacked her hand away with one arm and hugged Hermione with the other.
“Unruly as always my love,” he greeted Ginny as he kissed her lips, then turned “‘Mione, you look ravishing with red drunken cheeks,” he squeezed her into him. Hermione couldn’t stop smiling in his hug, they always felt the safest place for her.
“We need escorting my knight in… what are you wearing?” Ginny asked, looking him up and down, “I like it, keep it on when we get home, I want to tear it off!”
“Ew! Please stop it, stop it!” Hermione giggled with wrinkled eyebrows. “Okay okay ladies, let's get you home and tucked in, you’ve done the day in!” Harry instructed before holding on to both girls and apparating them back to Grimmauld’s Place.
The next morning, Hermione woke with a throbbing head and a parched tongue, for all magical things at the Apothecary, Neville hadn’t found a way to deviate from the hangover his delicious drinks provided. Because “who’s going to buy my morning-after remedies ‘Mione!” She rolled on her side, groaning, finding a pepper-up potion ready for her, with a soft knock on the door she turned to find Ginny. Equally disheveled, she was holding two steamy mugs that promised the soothing they most definitely needed.
“Morning starshine…” Ginny greeted handing her the mug.
“The earth says hello…” Hermione mumbled as she sat up and inhaled deeply from the cup, the aroma of Earl Gray, lemon, and honey lessening the pounding by her temples.
Ginny grinned as she cozied up to Hermione’s side taking a deep breath than making eye contact. “What does mum always say?” she asked, and together they recited, “I find the conversations we avoid the most, are the ones we need to have most,” both laughing before Ginny sighed. “So, stop avoiding the uncomfortable, even if not with me, be honest with yourself. You’ve hidden behind walls higher than Azkaban, prioritized everything and everyone over yourself because that’s easier than dealing with the demons inside your head.” Ginny leaned forward, clasping her hands together, “Sit down, have dinner with them. Exorcise them before they bury you so deep you forget which way is up.”
Before Hermione could reply, a Slytherin green envelope with silver lettering appeared on the nightstand next to them. Miss Hermione J Granger beautifully scripted on the front. No return address, both stared intently, unsure of how to proceed before Ginny reached for it and slowly handed it to Hermione. She turned it over and surely enough there it was, beautifully scrolled DM
“Your demon awaits,” Ginny chuckled, bringing the mug to her lips.