A/N: I don't own any of this. Nope. Nada. Zip. Sue me if you must, but all you'll get is $1.72 and a mint mocha frapuccino.
A/U fic; Can the savior of the wizarding world find true love with a muggle waitress? Will she believe in his magical world? Find out!
Chapter 1
Harry Potter's life was living proof that you could have all that life could give without being truly happy. Having saved the wizarding world from Voldemort during the Final Battle, he was given anything his heart desired. Harry owned a huge castle in the countryside of London, two limos, an exotic animal menagerie, and the most advanced gaming electronic system of all time. Since his defeat of the Dark Lord, he had had more girlfriends than he could count, but he had never felt like himself around him. Many of the girls only wanted him for his sex or his money, but he had never truly loved any of them. Truthfully, despite all that he owned, he was still lonely and saving his first kiss for the one girl who would truly set him free from the captivity he had placed upon himself.
Although everybody in the Wizarding World knew Harry, no one even knew his name in the muggle world. On days when he was feeling especially confined by his life, he would don street clothes and go out to explore muggle London. When he was on London's streets, he could blend in with the crowd and not be given more than a passing glance. The women that he saw didn't see him as a god of their world but as a normal 21 year old, very attractive man. He had come close to asking one or two muggle women out, until they saw the thin lighting bolt scar on his forehead. They often stared only at his forehead during conversations and rushed away soon after.
Tired of his lack of social activities, Harry decided to go for a walk in the park on a cool, crisp October day. He wrapped up in a long, black woolen coat and carefully placed a scarf around his neck. As he walked down the worn trails, he took the time to look at his surroundings. The tall trees waved their slender branches in the breeze as squirrels scurried about. The birds were filling the air with their song. A young couple was holding hands and waltzing slowly along, lost in their love. As Harry viewed the two teenage lovers, a pain of longing entered his heart and chilled him to the bones. He shuddered and wrapped his coat more tightly around him before sitting down at the nearest bench.
As he sat and watched the birds flit about in the park fountain, Harry felt his loneliness increase. Merlin, he thought, Send me a miracle. As he thought these words he felt the presence of somebody in front of him. Harry looked up and saw that a woman was watching him curiously. His heart began to pound as he examined her and saw her beauty.
At about 5'8", she had a soft look about the apparent curves of her body, carefully covered by a long, slimming gray wool coat. Her bushy hair was pulled into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, but long curly tendrils seemed to escape the clip. She had warm honey brown eyes and a smile just behind her lips. She looked him straight in the eye and gave him a little smile.
"Excuse me, but you seem to have dropped this." She held up his long black scarf in her small-gloved hand. He raised his hand to his neck and noticed his scarf's absence. She sat on the bench beside him and wrapped the scarf around his neck. "So, what brings you out here on such a frigid day?" Harry's heart pounded at her sweet voice.
"Oh, just gettin' away from the world. I'm Harry, by the way."
She laughed. "Hello, Harry-by-the-way. I'm Hermione Granger. Nice to meet you." Harry shook her hand, all
the while wishing he could get to know this stranger better. Why on earth would I want to know her? She's a
complete stranger who just happened to find my scarf! No mystery, no nothing-I'll probably never see her again! She
looked into his deep emerald eyes before standing up abruptly. "Well, it was nice meeting you Harry, but I've
got to go. I can't be late for work. I'm sure our paths will cross again." She walked away from Harry down
the path towards the street. As Harry watched her walk away, his heart pounded as he felt a strange feeling that
something crucial just happened in his life.
******* *******
Life was not a bed of roses; Hermione Granger had learned that long ago. Life was cruel, and sadly there was no such thing as fairy godmothers, magic wands, or happily ever afters. Her father had abandoned her and her mother, Milea Hooper-Granger. Hermione had grown up on her mother's amazing tales of fairies, wizards, witches, and all sorts of magical things. But when Milea lost her battle with leukemia three years ago, Hermione had realized life wasn't as magical as Milea made it out to be. Milea's death left her penniless and alone at the time she needed money the most. Before Milea had died, Hermione had been a perfect student with dreams of traveling far away to study in the most elite academies. Now, at 21, her dreams were shattered as she made her living working at the Bison Witch Café.
The cold, crisp air rushed into the little bistro as Hermione stepped inside. The bell hanging on the door announced her presence and a short, slim middle-aged lady with jet-black hair soon greeted her, running from the kitchen area. Melba Anders was Hermione's only true friend. Despite her young age, Melba had taken Hermione under her wing and treated her as a surrogate daughter and employee at her café.
"Hermione, where have you been, dearie? It's a quarter to eight already, and you know The Bison Witch opens at eight A.M. sharp!"
Hermione gave a little smile at Melba's motherly chiding. "Sorry, Melba. See, I decided to take a little walk in the park before coming to work, and I would have been here on time, but I stopped to, uh, appreciate my surroundings, and I saw this guy drop his scarf and I had to pick it up and when I returned it, oh Melba! I saw his eyes; he has that same aura about him that my mother did! Like he knows a secret that you'll never know, but when you're with him you know you'll be safe forever, and you know the strangest thing about him? He has a scar shaped like a lightning bolt right in the middle of his forehead, yet it didn't disfigure him, it made him look…handsome."
Melba gave a little chuckle. "Excuses, excuses. So, was it love at first sight, m'dear?"
Hermione gave Melba a death glare. "Of course not. You know that I've given up on the entire male race. Now, if you'll excuse me…" She pushed past Melba and went into the back of the café to avoid letting Melba see the tears forming in her eyes. Certainly she could never trust another guy. How could she have fooled herself? The only thing that her many dates had ever given her was heartbreak and pain. Men made her feel worthless; she would never let another one into her life.
"Mom," she whispered. "I know you can hear me. I'm so sorry, Mom, sorry that I'll never be half the girl you wanted me to be. Merlin, if there's any hope in the world for me to have more to life than just a waitressing job at a coffee shop, give me a sign." She wiped her eyes and laughed at her silliness, offering up a hope to that imaginary god of Milea's stories. She pulled off her coat, grabbed her waist apron, and tied it around her as she rushed to the dining area to set up for the day.
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