Disclaimer: It's not mine!
Thanks to my reviewers, the comments are all great, and all suggestions are welcome. I am currently unemployed (and it's summer!), so I have lots of time to write, and hopefully I'll be able to get fairly regular updates out in a timely manner. Now, on to Chapter 2!
'The Bachelorette'
Hermione woke the morning of August first to the sound of her annoyingly loud phone ringing. Glancing at the clock on
her bedside table as she turned over to grab the phone, she saw it was 8:00 am.
"'lo?" she said groggily into the receiver, shifting slightly so she was in a more comfortable position. It was a Saturday, so she wasn't in a big hurry to get up yet.
"Miss Granger?" said the man on the other end tentatively.
"Yes, that's me. How can I help you?" she answered, feeling a bit more awake.
"Good morning, this is Mike Smith from ABC's the Bachelorette, and I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to appear as our next Bachelorette!"
Hermione almost dropped the phone in her surprise. Sure, she had remembered sending in the application, but she never
thought she'd actually be chosen.
"Are you sure you have the right person?" She asked, still unsure if this was a prank.
"Certainly," the man answered with a laugh. "We found your application to be the best out of the hundreds that we received. If you accept, the process will take approximately a month, so your employer will have to agree to an extended leave of absence. Assuming that can be arranged, you will be flown to L.A. in two weeks time to begin taping. Does all of that sound alright to you?"
"Yes, it certainly does. I will just need to arrange for everything to be taken care of at work, but I'm sure it won't be a problem," Hermione answered, still in shock with the news.
"Great, someone will be in touch in about a week with the final details. Thank you for your time and your interest in our program."
"No, thank you for choosing me. I'm sure you won't regret it," Hermione said, excitement beginning to take over the shock. She hung up the phone, jumped up out of bed, and began dancing around her room.
"I have to call Lavender and Luna!"
*****
An hour later, Hermione was sitting on her bed, clothes piled up all around her, watching Lavender and Luna throw
things out while helping her decide what to pack.
A few minutes later, Lavender emerged from the closet looking somewhat somber.
"What's wrong, Lav?" Hermione asked worriedly. Lavender looked like she had just lost her best friend.
"This just won't do,"Lavender answered, shaking her head slightly. "We are definitely going to have to go shopping!" Luna came out just behind her and nodded her head.
"Absolutely," she agreed, smiling bigger than Hermione had ever seen. "This is going to be good!"
The girls made plans to go shopping the next Saturday and agreed to meet in Diagon Alley. That way they could not only visit the Wizarding shops, but they would also be close enough to Muggle London that they could shop there as well.
The next Saturday, Hermione waited patiently in The Leaky Cauldron for her two friends to appear. Minutes later, Lavender and Luna came through the fireplaces and stood up, dusting themselves off. They both had big smiles on their faces. They were in their element. Shopping was one of their favorite things.
"Are you ready?" asked Hermione, wanting this to just be over with.
"Yes," answered Luna in her dreamy manner that had not quite been lost since school.
Seven hours later, the three sat in a small cafe in Muggle London, their shopping littering the chairs and floor around them.
"Do you think we bought enough?" said Hermione sarcastically, eyeing the bags that surrounded them.
"Oh, I'm sure it'll have to do," said Lavender, looking defeated. "I wish there was more that we could do, but I'm afraid this will just have to be good enough."
The next morning, Hermione received another call from Mike Smith, the ABC rep that had called her last time. This time, she was given specific instructions about her flights and schedule. She was to meet another rep when she got to LAX who would give her instructions as she was driven to what would be her home for the next month.
A week later, Hermione, Lavender, and Luna were all at Heath row Airport, awaiting the time that Hermione's plane would begin boarding. Since ABC was paying for her ticket, she was being flown First Class and would be among the first people to board the plane, but they still had a few minutes to wait.
"I'm nervous," Hermione said, stirring her tea for about the millionth time since they had been sitting in the small airport cafe.
"I know," said Lavender understandingly. "You'll be wonderful though. You're going to go have a great time, and if that isn't enough, you're going to meet twenty-five great guys. It's any girl's dream come true."
This made Hermione feel better for about a minute until she heard her flight being called over the intercom to begin seating. She must have had a horrible look on her face because both Lavender and Luna started laughing.
"You'll be fine," they assured her before they left some money on their table to cover the bill and headed out the door toward the correct gate.
Once they arrived at the gate, Hermione turned to her two best friends, and smiled uneasily. "Thank you both for all of your help. I couldn't have done it without you."
"It's no problem, really. What are friends for?" Luna assured her, giving her a big hug. Hermione hugged them both and turned to show the attendant at the desk her ticket. After it was approved, she turned once more to look at her best friends before turning and entering the walkway that lead to the plane.
What have I gotten myself into? She thought absently as she found her seat. Soon all of the passengers were boarded and the Flight Attendants were at the front giving their notices before takeoff. Before she knew it, Hermione was on her way to L.A. and what could possibly be either the best thing she's ever done, or the biggest mistake of her life.
(Please review! Also, for the sake of my story, we're going to pretend that the good guys at ABC wouldn't think twice before taking British applicants, and that Hermione hasn't met alot of the people she really has. I also realize that because of the nature of the story that some (probaly all) of the characters will be OOC. That's what makes it fun and AU!)