Hey guys! This is my first shot ever at a fic. Any mistakes that you find are all my fault. I ask you to R&R, but that doesn't mean you hafta. Constructive criticism is appreciated.
*kisses*
lil_irish_girl
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"I hope you had a wonderful stay at the Wizarding Embassy hotel. Have a wonderful night!"
Ugh, Hermione thought as she pushed a strand of her now perfected ringlets out of her eyes. Why do I sound so perky now? I've been working for sixteen hours straight. No breaks, no lunch. And yet I'm finding myself completely and totally up and happy and smiling. I'm working four different jobs all in the same building. Why am I doing that again? Oh yeah, because I'm getting paid a shit load of galleons every month.
A person was walking towards the counter. It looked like a young man, but his hood was pulled over his head, so she couldn't see him. When he finally reached the counter, her brown eyes met his green ones.
"Hello," he said, his smile friendly as he carefully took the hood off his head. "You don't have to say the speech that you normally give to new guests for me."
"Thank you," Hermione breathed. "What room would you like?"
"Any one you've got, really," he replied. "So long as it has a view of Hogwarts, if that's at all possible."
"Yep," she said, typing some information onto the computer in front of her. "Let me just get you a key."
She turned around to the key rack as her eyes grew wide in shock.
Oh my God, Hermione thought. Harry Potter- the man I haven't seen for ten years- is right in front of me and he doesn't recognize me. I suppose ten years has done a lot to my face, hair, and body.
She turned back around, a key in her hand. She placed it on the counter for him to take.
"That's room 123 to a Mr.--?"
"Harry Potter," he said in an undertone so as not to be heard.
"To a Mr. Harry Potter," Hermione repeated in the same undertone.
"Thank you very much," Harry said as he turned around and began to walk off.
"I hope you enjoy your stay at Wizarding Embassy hotel!" she called after him.
Oh boy, she thought. This could be interesting.
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"Hermione...... Hermione...... HERMIONE!"
"Ugh. Yes, Mr. Smith?"
Hermione ran into her boss' office, completely out of breath.
"Hermione, I need you to get the entertainment committee down to room 123. The guest there would like to be entertained."
"Um, OK," Hermione replied slowly. "And who's the entertainment committee?"
"Oh!" Mr. Smith said softly, as if in surprise. "You are."
"Me?" Hermione asked incredulously. "But when did I become the entertainment committee?"
"Just now," Mr. Smith replied matter-of-factly. "I'm adding forty galleons a month to your salary. Now go up there right now, before he checks out."
"Yes sir," she mumbled before she turned on her heels and began to walk out. Then Hermione froze.
"Mr. Smith?" she questioned. "What room did you say I had to go to?"
"123," was the reply.
Hermione sped out the door, thinking hard.
Holy crap, that's the room I gave to Harry. Oh, I pray to God he doesn't recognize me.
When she got to room 123, Hermione softly knocked three times on the door and took a step away from it, waiting. A minute later, the door was slowly opened and a mess of uncontrollable black hair peeked out.
"Entertainment committee at your service, sir," she said, dipping into a curtsy. "May I come in?"
"Of course," Harry replied, swinging the door wide. Hermione stepped in. "I'm sorry I made you wait," Harry apologized. "The knock was so soft I wasn't sure if anyone was actually there."
"It's quite alright," Hermione replied. "I should have knocked louder. It's my fault."
Harry took a seat on one of the queen beds in the room, and faced Hermione.
"Would you like to sit down?" he asked.
"Oh, no," Hermione replied, shaking her head slightly. "I'd much rather stand, if that's alright. Now what would you like me to do? Juggle? Gymnastics?"
"Do you sing?" Harry asked somewhat hopefully.
"Yes," Hermione replied. "Relatively well, according to my shower head."
Harry laughed. "Would you sing for me?" he asked.
"Of course, sir," she said. "What would you like me to sing?"
"Anything, really," Harry replied as he ran a hand through his hair. "So long as it's music."
Hermione thought about it for a minute, then decided to sing her favorite song.
Turn down the lights, turn down the bed
Turn down these voices inside my head
Lay down with me, tell me no lies
Just hold me close, don't patronize
'Cuz I cant make you love me if you don't
You cant make your heart feel something it won't
Here in the dark, in these lonely hours
I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power-
Hermione stopped when she saw Harry looking at her strangely.
"Hermione?" he asked softly- incredulously.
"Pardon?" she asked, deciding against revealing who she was.
Harry shook his head. "Nothing," he said. "That just reminded me of one of my best friends- and you look a lot like her."
He still considers me his best friend, she thought, but what she said was, "What happened? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"No, no, it's fine," Harry replied. "That's the exact same song she sang to me back in my seventh year at Hogwarts- the last day of school, graduation. That's the exact same song she sang to me before she ran away. I haven't seen her for almost ten years and I still remember the song she sang to me. Isn't that pathetic?"
"Not at all," Hermione replied. "I don't think it's pathetic, at least." Then she decided to go out on a limb. "Do you miss her?"
"Every day of those ten years," Harry replied slowly, looking up at Hermione. "I miss her so much. I miss having her to talk to- having her to laugh with, you know? It's not that fun when one of your best friends runs away without even a goodbye and you don't see them for ten years."
"I suppose not," Hermione said thoughtfully. I'm so stupid, she thought, I should have remembered that I sang that song to him ten years ago. "Well, if your entertained, then I should be going. My boss might have a fit."
"Hey," Harry said, stopping her. "Don't you work at the front desk?"
"I do that as well as five other jobs including this new one," she replied.
"Whoa," Harry said in amazement. "You probably would've given Hermione a run for her money- she's awesome at multi-tasking too."
"I bet," Hermione said as she inched her way to the door. "Well, I should probably get back to one of my jobs."
Her hand was on the door knob when he stopped her again.
"Wait-" he said. "What is your name? And would you mind singing to me again tomorrow night?"
"My name is," Hermione started, racking her brain for a name she could use. Mione- no. He called me that. Herms- no. Ick. Mia. Mia could work. "My name is Mia, and I would love to sing to you again tomorrow night."
Harry smiled widely. "Alright then," he said. "Around nine o'clock OK for you?"
"Yes," Hermione replied automatically. "Nine o'clock would be fine. Well, goodnight Mr. Potter."
The door was open when he stopped her yet again.
"Mia?"
"Yes?"
"Call me Harry."
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There we go! First chapter. What did you think? Liked it, hated it? Somewhere in between? Please tell me!! Like I said up top, constructive criticism is appreciated.
I'll work on updating as soon as I can!
lil_irish_girl