She Drives, He Walks- Chapter Five

Disclaimer: All belongs to the one and only JK Rowling. Only the plot is mine.

WARNING: DH spoilers

Authors Note: Sorry for the delay guys, I had some Internet issues. But here it is! Cher, you rule girl! Best beta EVER!

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She Drives, He Walks – Chapter 05

The alarm clock is beeping somewhere in her room. Hermione raises her head and curses the annoying sound. That crazy gadget is wonderful to wake her up, but it is bloody evil. She sits on her bed, rubs her eyes, and starts searching for the thing. It is a clock with wheels, very interesting indeed, but not at six in the morning. She finally finds it stuck in the corner against the wall behind her wardrobe. She grabs it, and turns it off. Yawing, she stretches herself like a cat, standing on the tip of her toes, before grabbing some clothes and shoes. Humming some song, Hermione walks to the bathroom, going straight to the shower.

Once she finishes her bath, she wraps herself on a fluffy towel and stares at the mirror. She brushes her teeth, washes her face, and uses a body lotion that smells of fruit orchards and garden flowers. She puts on her underwear, and starts managing her hair. Dry, mousse, brush, and finally she uses this spell she learned from a hairdresser witch for final touches. That beauty course was so worth it for her self esteem. She reaches for her smart pants, and that pretty linen tunic, and dresses up. Now, makeup. While she grooms herself, she starts remembering when she first thought it would be a nice idea to learn these simple cosmetic procedures.

She had arrived in London a year before, had a miserable job at some old bookstore, had no friends at all, and no one, not a single person looked at her twice. But she wanted that way. Hermione just wanted to be alone.

She was so tired of all the fighting, of the war, of Ron, of all of it. She felt utterly worn out. And house elves were starting to annoy her a lot. And without Dobby to help her convincing the other elves to fight for their rights and freedom things were pretty much going downhill. So, she left all of it behind, broke up with Ron, gave Harry a hug, made him promise not to contact her until she did so, and said goodbye to her folks, claiming she needed time for herself and fled to London. Not on a broom, anyway.

So, she found that shabby old bookstore and practically imposed herself upon the owner to work there. Not that he minded. She didn’t want a huge paycheck, she lived in the tiny flat behind the store, and she minded her own business.

Hermione stayed there for almost a year. She wrote to Harry and her parents, and occasionally to Luna. And it was Luna that made her rethink about what she was doing. In a reply letter, the Ravenclaw wrote:

“… can’t believe I’m graduating. It’s wonderful actually, but I find it hard to know what I’m going to do after this. Something worthy of me, surely, but what?...”

That just hit Hermione like a lightning. She looked around the book shop, and at her miserable home. What was she doing there anyway? She could do better. She KNEW better! The last strike was the sight of herself in the mirror. Her reflection looked at her, made an utterly sad and angry look and said: You look like shit. Get a grip on yourself, will ya? And that did the trick. She really needed to get up, go out, and move on.

Being in a little bookstore God knows where was hiding, not moving on. And it wasn’t truly worthy of her. So she quit her job, and stormed out of the store. She was walking to her new life when she managed to find a place that had speaking courses, and posture, beauty, and some other courses. Hermione felt she had the right to do them. So, she took them all. Why not, anyway?

Her life changed a lot after that. Feeling more confident in herself, she mixed her new looks, behavior, and intelligence and made big improvements. She found a job at the university library, found her lovely cottage, got a promotion shortly after, and made few good friends. She was no longer hiding.

Maybe just a little. From Harry and Ron mostly. But Hermione was feeling light as a butterfly at last.

She stares at the mirror, her face with simple (but efficient) make up, her very nicely done hair, feeling just fine. She smiles.

She gets out of the bathroom, makes some coffee and eats an apple. Remembering her guest, she quickly sets a small breakfast and leaves it in the kitchen table. While she is at it, she wonders what happened to Draco Malfoy. The war was terrible for his family as far as she knows. And why the hell is he working as a prostitute? That didn't make sense at all. Shrugging, she writes a small note and places it next to the food.

I'm off to work. There is breakfast in the kitchen. Please leave the spare key in my mail box when you leave. Call me any time you need. Really.

And with that, she gets her things in her purse, places her wand in the drawer by the door, and flees to a new day.

Continues...