Flourish And Blotts: Dramione One-Shot

Flourish And Blotts

"And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad.
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had.
I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take,
When people run in circles it's a very, very
Mad World."

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When Hermione entered the renowned bookshop at Diagon Alley, the bell at the entrance jingled merrily and the owner appeared with a polite and grateful smile. Grateful that her first customer wasn't just the Brightest Witch Of Her Age, a War Heroine, Harry Potter's best friend, the Golden Girl or one third of the Golden Trio, but also one of the most polite and avid readers she had ever met. She couldn't wait to see the girl haunt the aisles of the bookstore like a ghost, flipping through every single book that caught her attention and made her eyes light up with fascination. She smiled absently at the memory.

"Miss Granger, pleasure to see you here," she said pleasantly.

Hermione grinned at the woman and said, "Same here, Mrs Brocklehurst. How are you?"

"Oh, I am very fine dear, thank you for asking. Come in, please." She smiled yet again; any outsider would have wondered if their faces ever hurt from smiling so much.

Mrs Brocklehurst let Hermione in and led her to a seat at one end of her shop, talking nonstop about how everything was. Never did she ask about Harry or Ron, only about the eighteen-year-old in front of her, for which Hermione was secretly grateful, though surprised on the outside. Explaining how Harry still suffered from nightmares and how Ron had gotten himself confined to his room, crying over Fred, sometimes even trying to destroy everything, would be difficult, to say the least. Thinking about Ron shattered through her heart like Defodio. He had given her up to be consumed by grief and guilt over his lost brother. What little potential they had was also snatched away from them. She hurt because she didn't want to see her best friend whom she loved so dearly get drowned in a sea of grief because he downright refused to accept help. Yes, best friend, because she had realised that they weren't going to work just before the meaning of Fred's death hit Ron hard. But still, to her, it was heartbreaking because Ron denied the apparent allegations of having loving friends and an ex girlfriend who loved him just as dearly, even though it was platonic. 

"How are your parents, dear? Did you succeed?" Hermione went rigid at the question. She knew very well what the woman was asking and it pained her to think about what she had done. After a moment or two of silence, she answered, "Yes. I did succeed, Mrs Brock- Amanda. They are fine. Just the fact remains that they refuse to talk to me. They are still angry at what I did to them. They know I love them, so why can't they understand why I did it? It's been one whole week now and they haven't talked to me once." As she said this, her eyes welled up with unshed tears, waiting to be exposed. Amanda understood and rubbed comforting circles on her back. She did not offer the young witch any sympathy, only the fact that she understood and that she was there for her. Once again, Hermione was thankful.

Quickly recovering, she said, "How silly of me! How is Mandy, Amanda? Is she fine? You must be worried, it's your first day here, is somebody there with Mandy? Shall I go check up on her?" 

Mandy Brocklehurst was another student at Hogwarts in the same year as Hermione. She was a Ravenclaw. The battle at Hogwarts had injured her badly. Around five Crucios had hit her, alongwith a Sectumsempra. Needless to say, she was recovering at St Mungo's. Hermione had been at the hospital when she met Mandy's mother. She had quickly warmed up to her. Though Hermione and Mandy had never been friends, they were aquaintances. They had often passed each other in hallways and were partners every year in Ancient Runes. Both worked really hard and had the same passion for learning.