Wolfblood

CHAPTER ONE

Page count: 12

"You want another?"

Hermione Granger lifted her eyes from the empty glass she was fiddling with and up to the handsome bartender.

"Well, there's not two of you, so I'm obviously nowhere near drunk enough to forget this rubbish week," she replied.

He chuckled at her and she pushed her glass over to him and he caught it smoothly, quickly refilling her glass with her choice of poison, double vodka and coke, before pushing it back over to her and she caught it before it tipped over the edge of the counter.

He pulled the cloth that was hanging over his shoulder and picked up a glass, polishing it as he spoke his next words.

"So, what brings you here? You're a long way from home," he spoke.

Yes, she supposed her accent was a dead giveaway as to where home was for her.

"I've been relocated in my job; I had a meeting with my new boss to iron out the final details before I make the move permanently."

He raised an eyebrow and picked up another glass.

"Not going to tell me what it is you do?"

"No," she replied, picking up her glass and downing her drink, before pushing it back over to the blue eyed, brunette and he refilled her glass silently.

"Okay, I like a little mystery," he winked at her. "I'm betting I know all of your secrets by the end of the night, I can be very persuasive."

"There's a pretty blonde over there that hasn't taken her eyes off you for the last ten minutes," she spoke, gesturing with her head to the right and effectively turning his attention away from her and to someone he actually had a chance of charming into his bed that night.

He turned his head to the right, his mouth twitching into a smile and he turned his eyes back to her.

"Off you go, I'm sure she'll happily give you her full attention, I'm not in the right frame of mind to do so." He tilted his head slightly and she sighed, before lifting her hands and shooing him away. "Go on, she may have her eyes on you, but the red-head sat at the booth behind me has his eyes on her."

He gave her a slight smile and strode off down to the other end of the bar and she sighed in relief, allowing her head to drop and her eyes to fall back down to her glass. She lifted her hand to push back the fallen curls from her face, and then rubbed at her tired eyes. When she pulled her hand back, she caught sight of the small diamond glittering in the low lights of the hotel bar she was currently in.

The silver band was a little too big for her small, thin fingers, but it wasn't so big that it would fall off. The small round diamond sat in the centre of the band, looking innocent and simple. The ring was a reminder of the love she shared with another, a promise that they would spend the rest of their lives together, and love no one but each other.

What a load of crap that was!

She ran her thumb over the ring that sat on her left ring finger and her eyes looked at it distractedly, painful memories that were still fresh in her mind playing on a loop. She shut her eyes tightly, fighting off the tears. She wasn't sad, or hurt, she was angry, and her hand clenched around her glass tightly before she took a calming, deep breath, reminding herself to count to ten and allowing positive thoughts to fill her mind.

You're strong. You're powerful. You're Hermione Granger, don't let him win.

She breathed out slowly, her hand loosened its grip on the glass and her eyes fluttered open, the ring once more filling her vision.