Harry rolled his eyes as he tucked his wand safely into his pocket. "What happened to Mr. Voice of Reason back there?"
"It's a tough job, but someone had to do it. Besides I think trouble is our middle names." Ron shrugged in response before looking around the empty alley they had landed in. "So do we have any idea where we are going?"
Harry and Ron both poked their heads around the corner of the alleyway, hands on the wands in their pockets. They wanted to be ready for anything, but not draw too much attention to themselves. They stepped out onto the sidewalk, staring in awe of the giant buildings stretching up to the sky.
"Whoa…" Ron whispered as he angled his head up towards the tops of the buildings.
Harry had to grab onto Ron's arm and drag him as they started walking around Hermione's current hometown. They were relieved that they were wearing regular clothes and not robes when they portkeyed across the Atlantic. There were a lot of business suit types walking around, hustling and bustling as they made their way towards their offices downtown.
"Why are so many people going to work this late at night?" Ron questioned.
Harry stuck his arm out in front of Ron, causing him to stop. "Oh Merlin, we didn't think to consider the time change mate," Harry responded, a look of deep thought on his face.
"No wonder the sun was so close to the horizon," Ron laughed, "I suppose we should have noticed."
"What time did we leave home?"
"Let's see, you went for your nap around five thirty and you slept long enough for me to eat that tin of biscuits so that probably was like twenty minutes at the most, so almost six. Then we went to see Dumbledore and then we came back to portkey over. I'd say it was probably close to about…" Ron was looking up as he recounted the many events of yesterday.
"Seven?" Harry sped his friend along. He didn't want to wait around all day.
"Seven sounds about right." Ron concurred with a nod of the head.
Ron stared at Harry quizzically as he mumbled to himself and counted rapidly on his fingers. "I'm guessing it's about seven in the morning yesterday give or take twenty minutes or so." Harry announced confidently.
Ron rolled his eyes, "Okay then 'All-Mighty Granger. I had better keep an eye on you so you don't end up mental like her."
They continued walking down the busy streets, looking for anything that could point them in the direction of Hermione.
"How many bloody coffee shops do they need around here?" Ron asked with a mystified look on his face as they passed the seventh coffee shop in an hour.
"I have absolutely no idea." Harry responded while almost getting ran over by a homeless man pushing a shopping cart down the sidewalk.
The boys continued walking, staring open mouthed at everything that they saw. They passed countless vintage stores and random restaurants, everything from Thai to German. They even walked past a two story bookstore and figured it was the one that Hermione raved about in a number of her letters. Both of them thought they had been walking around for what seemed like forever until they finally reached this open area.
"Excuse me sir, but do you know what is happening over there?" Harry asked this to an older man who was walking by, but he just looked wide-eyed at Harry, mumbled something completely inaudible, and walked away even faster.
"Alright then, let's just go over there and see what's going on."
As they were stepping into the crosswalk Harry instinctively grabbed on to the back of Ron's shirt and jerked him back to the curb. Just as Ron made it back to the sidewalk a train of light rail cars came whizzing past. "Whoa! Thanks mate, what was that thing?" Ron asked while he struggled to regain his breath.
"I have no idea. There were some pictures all over it though. I think I saw one for some news channel or something." Harry answered. He too was out of breath.
This time they looked both ways before crossing the street. When they reached the commotion they saw a large expanse of area. There were steps leading down to the floor of what looked like a gigantic limestone floor. There was a stone gazebo type area as well as an open amphitheater. There were hundreds of people crammed into this block of area. White tents were pitched all over the place and music coming from different parts of the area. There were people in business suits, people dressed in scarcely any clothes at all, those dressed in all black, and several homeless people huddled together on one part of the amphitheater.
"Wow mate, have you ever seen anything like this before?" Ron asked in awe.
"It reminds of the quidditch cup. I wonder what it's for." Harry answered, slowly taking in the bizarre display.
Ron pointed up to a colossal banner hanging between two poles. "I'm thinking it's an outdoor concert series at this Pioneer Courthouse Square place." He turned and looked at Harry with a grin.
Harry rolled his eyes, "Who is the smart arse now?"
"Alright, I don't know about you but I am starved. Because of your dramatics yesterday I got to miss out on dinner and now here it is time for breakfast." Ron grumbled and started making his way down the stairs, weaving in between the mass of people.
"Food, of course." Harry mumbled as he took off after Ron, not wanting to lose him.
*~*~*
"Come on Hermione, I'm leaving without you. If we're going to make the start time of the band, we've got to get there sooner than later."
"Oh honestly Alex, I'm right here." Hermione came out of the bathroom. "Do I look alright?"
Alex looked over to Hermione who was wearing a khaki colored skirt that fell right at the middle of her thighs, a white halter top, a red sweater since it was still early, and a pair of chunky black sandals. Her bushy brown hair that had been partly calmed by some Sleekeasy product was cascading down her back only to be held out of her face by a pair of sunglasses.
"You look great as usual. How many times do I have to tell you this?"
"Are you sure? I can go back and put on that…" Alex came and dragged Hermione out the door by her arm before she could say anything else or turn around.
"We're leaving 'Mione. I'm not missing the beginning of the set."
Alex and Hermione made their way out of the Hermione's parents' house and down the block to the train stop for the MAX Train. Alex had practically moved into Hermione's after they graduated from Gullveig.
They rode the MAX down near Pioneer Courthouse Square where their concert was going to be. Surprisingly enough, they had managed to arrive a little bit early.
"Hey Alex, we're early. I'm going to go check out the book store really quick." Hermione looked at her friend with a pouting look on her face. Alex liked the book stores as much as Harry and Ron liked the library.
"Fine, fine, but you're going alone. I'm going to head over to the Starbucks. You want the usual?"
Hermione was already walking down the block towards the bookstore and just held up her hand in a thumbs up position to indicate a yes.
*~*~*
"How could have we have been so thick?" Ron groaned. "We're never going to find anything to eat with some sickles and knuts."
They had waited in a huge line at one of the vendors only to get to the front and realize that their money wasn't going to do them any good.
"We'll manage. We just need to find a wizard who can point us in the direction of somewhere where we can exchange what we've got." Harry said, feeling as equally as dense as Ron did. "Let's head down the street to see what we can find."
As they made their way from the square they were having no luck. It didn't help that Ron would complain even more each time that they passed a restaurant. Harry continued to look around hoping to find something that resembled wizardry.
"Oh Merlin…" Ron whispered.
"What mate?" Harry responded, his eyes still searching.
Ron smacked him in his arm to get his attention and pointed forward. As Harry looked up he saw one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. She had long brown hair that glistened when the sun hit it, and was wearing a red sweater and a khaki skirt that would flip out with every step of her long beautiful legs. Harry swore they would go on for miles.
"Why don't they have girls like this at home?" Ron questioned with a whimper.
Almost as soon as they'd seen her, she disappeared into one of the shops on the right. As the boys passed it they decided to peek inside the window.
"A book store?! Why would such a beautiful thing go into a book store of all things?" Ron grumbled. "Either way I think I'm in love."
Harry just kept looking in the store for some glimpse of their mystery girl but all he saw were rows and rows of books.
Finally Harry tore his eyes away with a sigh, "Lets continue looking mate. We're not going to find food just staring through the window."
Harry turned and pushed Ron away from the window until he finally moved reluctantly, and they slowly made their way up the block.
"Mate if we don't find a ruddy thing soon, we're going to go diving in those dumpsters. I won't be able to go on." Ron whined.
Harry just rolled his eyes.
*~*~*
Hermione came out of the book store about twenty-five minutes later with two huge sacks full of books, one in each hand. She looked around thoughtfully before stepping behind a huge dumpster. When she was sure no one was looking, she put both bags in one hand and pulled out her wand and reduced the size of her bags to fit inside her sweater pocket. Looking around one more time, she stuffed the bags into one pocket and her wand into the other.
She continued her way back down the street up to Pioneer Courthouse Square where she knew that Alex would be waiting for her.
"What? Hermione without a dozen books in her possession after a book store trip? The world must be coming to an end." Alex chuckled.
"Ha. Ha. Ha. I'll have you know that my thirteen books are stowed safely in my pocket." Hermione patted her pocket for good measure.
Alex only responded with an eye roll. "Anyways one soy sugar-free decaf almond roca mocha with extra foam for the lady."
Hermione happily took hold of her drink, glad to have something warm in her hands. "Cheers?"
"Cheers." Alex replied as both cups touched each other briefly. "Now let's go get a good spot in front of the stage. The band is about to start."
Alex grabbed on to Hermione's hand pulling her through the masses of people towards the stage.
*~*~*
"All we've managed to find is $2.56 on the ground. What in the world are we going to buy with that?" Ron groaned as they were approaching the square again.
"We'll find something Ron, besides I'm sure once we find Hermione we'll be able to get some food from her."
"Speaking of girls mate, look who it is!" Ron pointed excitedly.
Harry looked up seeing none other than their mystery girl standing only fifty feet away and closing. They kept walking getting really close when Harry noticed something. There was something sticking out of the girl's pocket. Whatever it was it was skinny, long, and brown. It looked just like a…
"Hey mate, look what she's got in her pocket!" Harry whispered loudly so as not to attract attention.
"I don't see anything, oh wait. Is that? Oh it is. That means..." Ron drifted off.
"She's a witch. She'll be able to help us." Harry finished for him. They had almost reached her when someone came up to her handing her a drink. They stopped and waited, not knowing whether the newcomer was magical or not.
The person handing her the coffee was a little taller than the mystery girl and had short blond hair. They were awfully friendly by the way they were acting towards each other. Finally they locked hands and drifted off through the crowd. Almost instantly both boys let out a breath they didn't know they had been holding.
"Well that confirms it. Life is cruel. Of course she has a boyfriend. She's the most bloody beautiful thing on the Earth." Ron grumbled.
Harry clapped Ron on the back. "Come off it mate. You've got Luna anyways." Ron smiled and nodded at the mention of her name.
"Well let's go follow them. They're our only hope so far. Hopefully we'll get her alone and then we can ask her about helping us get some money and find that school of Hermione's." Harry suggested.
Both Ron and Harry made their way through the crowd, looking for any sign of the two. Ron had finally caught sight of them sitting on one of the random benches in the area. Almost instantly the band on stage came out and started playing.
"Does it have to be so bloody loud?" Ron yelled right near Harry's ear.
Harry just shrugged in response, keeping his eye on the girl. Almost as if a blessing, the boy she was with said a couple words to her and made his way up to the front of the stage to go into one of the mosh pits that had formed.
"Now's our chance." Harry dragged Ron by his sleeve.
Behind her back Harry and Ron silently argued back and forth on who would do the talking. Both had evidently gotten cold feet about talking to her.
Finally Harry stepped forward to talk to her. He tapped her on the shoulder and she looked up at him.
Almost instantly, he froze and his mouth went dry. Those eyes. He knew those eyes. "Harry?" The girl shouted into the music.
Harry couldn't even say anything as the girl jumped out of her seat into his arms, overwhelming him with a hug that he'd never had before.
Ron just looked on in awe of the scene unfolding in front of him.
"Harry say something." The girl said as she backed away from him, her arms still locked around his neck.
"'Mione…" was all Harry could muster. Feelings and emotions came swarming at him as his hands lay loosely around her waist. It had been so long since he had seen her. He couldn't believe that he had just run into her like this. Then there was the fact at how much she had changed. She was older, much older, and beautiful. He had always thought Hermione was beautiful in her own little way, but now she was stunning. This was the beautiful mystery girl. Then unforgettable feelings of a new sort that he had felt one other time some two years ago came washing over him. His stomach turned into knots almost instantaneously.
She just smiled back at him. "If you're here, then where is…Ron!" She shouted as she turned around. She broke free of Harry's loose embrace to go hug Ron. The hug wasn't nearly as fatal as the one Harry had received. Harry glanced at Ron who was shooting him the same petrified and inundated look that Harry had only moments earlier. After they had broke their hug, the two of them came back to meet up with Harry.
"What in the world are you two doing here?" A look of alarm came over her face and she spoke again before either of the boys could. "What happened? Did something happen? Is everyone alright?" She was speaking a mile a minute.
Ron took it upon himself to speak seeing as Harry was still off in his own little world, trying to get his bearings on the situation. "Remember how you mentioned us coming to see you? Well we decided we would take you up on your offer. Surprise."
"Merlin," she gasped, "look at the two of you. Your pictures do you no justice what so ever. You two are quite the handsome boys, erm, men now." She looked from Ron to Harry, blushing profusely as she caught herself checking Harry out a little too long. Neither became aware of the roll of the eyes Ron had given.
She grabbed onto their hands, pulling them out of the fray of the concert so they could hear each other better. "So how did you guys know to find me here anyways?"
"We didn't. We came on impulse to see you, so as you can tell we have nothing. We were hungry, okay well I was hungry, so we went to get some food but we realized we didn't have any muggle money. We went looking for something, anything that looked like a wizard or witch so we could get some help. Then we saw you and decided to take a shot." Ron coughed loudly, not wanting to indulge Hermione on the gawking that they had done earlier.
She looked intently at both of them, her arms flailing out wildly as she spoke. "And how did you know I was a witch? You could have got yourselves in serious trouble just asking random people!"
At this, Harry reached out and grabbed one of her arms causing her to stop. He leaned in slowly and put his hand her pocket, poking her wand against her side. Whispering into her ear he said, "We saw this. You really ought to be careful."
She tensed up feeling his presence so close to her. She slid her hand over to where his was, putting her hand on top of his. Quidditch had done wonders for the scrawny body of his. She had to keep her knees from going out from under her. She could feel a deep heat flush her cheeks.
Harry slowly backed away, giving Hermione some space. Ron continued to grin and shake his head at the two of them.
"So you don't mind us crashing your party 'Mione?" Ron asked, trying to break them out of their staring contest.
"Wha, huh? Oh yeah not a problem. I know Alex has been dying to meet you guys since I never shut up about you."
"That's right, your friend." Harry reiterated with a veiled discontent.
Almost at that precise instant the music had stopped. "Oooh perfect timing. Let's go so I can introduce you to Alex." Hermione grabbed onto both boys' arms and dragged them back to the stage.
Ron looked over to Harry sympathetically, but Harry's face remained impassive. Hermione let go of them and vanished into the crowd.
"Mmm we get to me the legendary Alex." Harry muttered under his breath, but unfortunately Ron heard him.
"He can't be that dreadful mate. Besides, by the looks of things Hermione has other people on her mind besides Alex." Ron grinned, knowing that they had never talked about Harry's obvious crush on Hermione.
"What are you talking about?" Harry looked at Ron as if his hair had just turned purple.
Before Ron could say anything they heard a voice behind them.
"Guys, I'd like you to meet Alexis Eldwin."
As Ron and Harry turned, the look of shock on their faces couldn't be more evident. "Uh…hi." They looked quickly to each other knowing that they were thinking the same thing.
**A/N: Thanks for support we've been getting. It's really great to see what you guys think of our progress. This was a really fun chapter for us to write, we hope you guys enjoyed it as much as we did. Chapter 7 is almost complete, and we're putting the finishing touches on it as we speak. So please, drop us a line in that convenient little box down below to let us know how you feel. Thanks so much!!**