The Road

Hellos

Six months later...

Hermione Granger liked to move boxes herself. Sometimes she didn't trust magic, and the way it just places things one on top of the other, or scattered to where she can't remember where she put it. If she puts it down in one spot physically, she'll remember. She also didn't quite trust anyone to help her. They understood it to be her 'special project.'

Hermione looked about her to see what she was missing. She had dusted ever nook and cranny of the new shop, and now everything was ready to be shelved. When Blaise had given her the investment for this shop, she didn't know what to say. Perhaps because she was still torn about....well, that didn't matter now.

Clipping her hair back, she took the first box and set it on top of the counter, where she unpacked the register, ledger book, and candy dish that Ginny had gotten her. Next she walked about the shop checking inventory of every genre she would be selling, which in this case was just Hermione's favorites.

Which was all of them.

Her favorite feature of the store was the mix of muggle and wizard works that she'd have dispersed through the store. It was an amalgamation of her two loves, where she didn't have to hide one or the other. She figured it would encourage people to read from both worlds. Hermione sighed at the thought of the muggle world, and her mind immediately danced to the trees in Cherrywood. But she shook it out of her quickly, like Ginny suggested. It wasn't like she'd ever see that place again.

By the time she had started unpacking the store, it was already the late afternoon. Now, seeing as Hermione hardly ever had an 'off' switch, it was well into the night. As she piled books onto their designated shelves, the bell at the door startled her. And for a moment, it brought her back to Cherrywood again and how...he would come to see her at work. Her back was turned to the door, and she cursed herself for not locking it. Grabbing her wand, she spun quickly but was relieved to find a shocked Harry Potter at the end of her wand.

"Hermione!"

"Harry!" she yelped and lowered her wand, "Jesus, don't sneak up on me like that!"

"You know you could have locked the door," Harry muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Harry said quickly before changing the subject, "I was just coming to see how you were doing. It's late, you know."

Hermione sighed and moved a pesky strand of hair from her eyes. "I know," Hermione calmed, "There's just so much to do, and the store is opening in two weeks and I haven't quite figured out the layout-

"You should come home," Harry interrupted her. She looked at him strangely, to which he replied, "I- I can just tell you're tired."

"You can tell I'm tired?" Hermione felt herself question. She sighed and tried to swallow that bit inside of her that had been more irritable as of late.

"Look, just come home, alright?" Harry said and grabbed her arm, "Ginny's making you some tea."

"Look, I-"

"Agh!" Harry let go of her arm in frustration. Hermione narrowed her gaze, "Is something the matter?" She could tell he was getting frustrated, but not at her, and more at himself. "Are you alright, Harry?"

"I-I'm fine, it's just..." Harry sighed and mumbled, "I don't know why Ginny sent me to do this."

"Do...what, exactly?"

Harry tilted his head upwards, and with a distant gaze in those familiar green eyes, he told her, "He's come back."

Hermione's mind immediately jumped to Ron, who had been away on holiday with Lavender. But something in his eyes told her it was much more important than that.