Miles Apart

-~| Chapter 4 - Heart Talk |~-

"Hey, Mon!" Liz waltzed into their room as if floating on air.

"I really hate it when you call me that, Li!" Hermione gave her a disapproving look, which softened after glancing at her overjoyed friend.

As if not listening to her at all, Liz plopped on her bed and sighed dreamily, stretching languorously like a cat on the bed. Hermione raised an eyebrow and looked closely at her roommate, who had become a friend very early on.

Where Hermione had once been upfront and blunt, a slight reserve had developed in recent years. Now she manipulated her behavior according to other people's disposition; which was quite unlike her, because she never shied away from doing everything right and the hard way. However, her experiences in Italy had been something to the contrary.

After running away from London - as she reminded herself time and time again - Hermione had accepted a transfer to Rome, Italy. She'd been assigned to study the sudden increase in decay of the ancient monument Colosseum, which was equally important for both the wizarding and Muggle community--but for different reasons.

For Muggles it had historical importance as in the olden days it was the center for thousands of hand-to-hand combats between gladiators, contests between men and animals, and many larger combats, including mock naval engagements. What Muggles didn't know was that before the establishment of the Ministry of Magic in every country, wizards and witches from all over the world used to congregate there for keeping up to date. Incidentally, the four founders of Hogwarts originally met in one of those assemblies' and decided to build a school of witchcraft and wizardry.

With the establishment of Ministries all around the world, the Confederation of International Wizards and Warlocks started to gather in more covert and desolate places rather than such open environment of the Colosseum. Therefore, many of its preserving charms had been lifted but an element of magic still remained in the walls of this ancient edifice and some of it started reacting badly on its foundation for worse, and that was how the Magical Research Department came into play.

Hermione had been working as an Auror for a year when this particular assignment came to her attention. At that time she had been facing a lot of stress, and her breakup with Victor Krum--which had been due for quite a while--happened, and all of this and many other elements came into play that gave her the opportunity to run away from London.

Her parents had tried their best to stop her. However, they just couldn't understand what hell she went through every day.

She mostly excelled in whatever she did, but she never seemed able to grasp the Italian culture. It wasn't that she couldn't get by with her knowledge but somehow she seemed too lonely and doomed there. Her direct and workaholic nature was frowned upon and she didn't find anyone she could get along with. Everything looked wrong and the primeval voices of the city seemed to fill her head, making her feel that she didn't really belong there. Her two years in Rome were nothing short of disastrous as she worked herself to death, got addicted to copious amount of coffee and almost lost herself in the whirlwind of work.

"Why are you grimacing?"

Liz's voice echoed in her mind and she came to the present. "I was not!"

"Yes you were!" Liz narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at her. "There's something up with you. I'm sure of it. C'mon, out with it!"

"There's nothing wrong with me, Liz." Hermione waved her hand as she shot down her friend's concern.

Liz poked her tongue out. "Okay, don't tell me. But, I already know; it's about that bloke you ran away from."

Hermione's features hardened. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do; you just don't want to tell me," said Liz, seriously, sitting up on the bed.

"I don't know what you're getting at...." Hermione crossed her arms. "Why don't you tell me where you were last night?" Hermione inquired, changing the subject.

"I know what you're trying to do, young lady." Liz looked at her shrewdly "And I'm letting your efforts of trying-to-change-the-subject-because-you-don't-want-to-talk-about-it bullocks go this time. But, I won't be so generous next time around."

Liz smiled smugly, and continued on, "So, guess."

Hermione sighed in relief, and stated candidly, "I think either you found someone special or you're still on your bloke-hunt."

"What bloke-hunt?!" Liz feigned hurt.

"You know, the one you're always on." Hermione changed stances as she looked at Liz's scowling face. "Tell me about him."

A dreamy expression gripped Liz, as her blue eyes twinkled with a light of their own. She gave a girlish giggle and got ready to spill. "Well, one thing that I can tell you honestly is that he's a complete dreamboat!"

Hermione raised an eyebrow but urged her to, "Go on."

Liz gushed as her eyes sparkled. "I met him two days ago in the Cairo Museum. I was just retracing my steps in the room of Kings when we just came face to face. It was like a breath of fresh air came over me in that damp and dirt ridden room. It was as though we were the life itself among those long-gone Kings and Queens. Obviously this was true, but I did feel something in the air--something electrifying..." Liz paused as if contemplating, and then continued on, "It was great, really. He introduced himself and we hit it right off.

"Alexander Graham, Alex,"--She gave her a meaningful look--"is an archeologist and currently working on one of his theories about a buried tomb. As if that was any news! I really didn't want to smother his hopes of ever finding such a spectacle, when many of the wizards and witches of our century have already gone down that road and came out successful. I wasn't ready to tell him that we just have better means."

Liz frowned. "His only drawback is that he's a Muggle, but I'm not biased like many of us are. I don't want to reject him because of that."

"Obviously not!" Hermione said vehemently. "Many of the Muggles are oblivious to us but that doesn't mean that they're dim-witted. They just don't know."

"Yes, exactly. And he's charming, intelligent and we definitely share some chemistry."

"He sounds quite a catch, Liz." Hermione smiled at her.

"Definitely!"

"So, when will I be meeting him?"

"Soon. Very, very soon," Liz replied. "But till then, you can see his picture." Liz fished out a photograph from her purse and handed it to Hermione. "It doesn't move and you know the reason."

Hermione nodded. She completely understood as her parents were Muggles. She looked at Alex and Liz's picture and had to consent; they seemed to be made for each other.

Alex was tall with a muscular build; with a mop of curly brown hair, deep black eyes, highlighted by an aristocratic nose, all encased in an overall pleasant personality. He looked great with her vivacious friend, who was blonde and pretty with pleasant features. And she was quite intelligent unlike the blond-dumb saying went. For Hermione that was her best quality; Liz begged to differ but only jokingly.

From the outside, Alex seemed nice enough. Hermione had turned her nose up on few of her friend's previous choices but she had the feeling that this one might stay for good.

Reflexively, Hermione asked, "Liz, are you ready to tie the knot?"

"Let me enjoy the fruits of courtship for a while, woman!" Liz exclaimed mischievously, while Hermione chuckled.

Their girlish chatter was disturbed by a ringing not unlike of an old phone. Liz picked up her Powder box and from the conversation it sounded like it was Tommy on the other end, because Liz's frown deepened and turned into a scowl. After she was through, she looked towards Hermione gloomily.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked with concern.

"Tommy wants to know the progress of my research... Now." She made a sad face and started sulking.

"What's wrong in that?" Hermione inquired, innocently.

"It means that I can't go out with Alex in the evening!" Liz whined.

"Oh! That is bad."

For Liz that was a fatal offence. "Tommy's such a dear, but he can be such a slave-driver sometimes!" Liz bellowed in frustration.

"I'm sorry, Liz. Can I do something for you?" asked Hermione, concernedly.

"No, I'll be okay. I'll just reschedule the date for tomorrow." Liz groaned audibly.

Something was clicking in Hermione's mind seeing Liz's behavior. It was as if many levers in her head were getting inline to form an illustration.

"I better be off.... Bye." Liz sulked out of the room dejectedly.

With a sense of foreboding in her heart, the picture in her mind was completed as Hermione's mind raced to a day, six years ago....

-*-

Hermione had been sulking in the Gryffindor common room of Hogwarts, not unlike Liz. She was, as usual, hiding behind a thick book: Advanced Arithmancy. Only one week remained between the seventh-years and their freedom. All of them were edgy with tension for the preparation of their last N.E.W.Ts paper. However, for Hermione--as she took more courses--two papers stood between her and the end of term.

After a week of their N.E.W.Ts, the seniors had a mega event to look forward to: the Graduation Ball. A ceremony in which they all would gather for the last time before entering their practical lives.

A night they would all remember for the rest of their lives.

"Hermione, doesn't your arm hurt with all that weight?" Harry asked, sitting beside her on the couch.

"No," Hermione replied, shutting the book.

"Too much practice?" Harry asked, grinning at her.

Hermione narrowed her eyes and looked at her friend, Harry Potter; his smiling face always gave her hope that everything would be all right. She relaxed and thought about her other friend who she was worried sick over.

"How did your Charms paper go?" Hermione asked, conversationally.

"It went well..." Harry trailed off, seeing Ron enter the common room through the portrait hole.

Hermione followed his gaze and to her dismay found Ron in one of his foulest moods. His face darkened seeing her sitting with Harry and, as if making a split-second decision, he bounded towards one of the unlikeliest groups he could approach: the girlie-girls of Gryffindor.

Hermione almost gaped when he grabbed Lavender Brown's attention and started talking to her.

Hermione's heart started beating in her head from its original place, as the realization dawned on her. Ron Weasley was about to ask Lavender Brown to the Graduation Ball, not Hermione Granger.

Something seemed to break inside her, as she slumped heavily on the couch. Harry sensing the unexpected stood up to stop his best mate. But he was too late. Parvati Patil's elated shriek of laughter echoed in the suddenly quiet common room. Everyone stared at their star Keeper and his unexpected choice for a date.

Harry stood motionless, halfway from where Ron was still standing and staring every offending glare down, including his best mate's. Half of the Gryffindors already knew one or the other version of Ron-Hermione banter; most of the seventh-years had predicted that they would hook up soon enough as it was inevitable, the way they behaved. Nevertheless, nobody, not even Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister, could predict his rash decision later. Not even Hermione herself knew why he didn't ask her, when she fully expected him to, especially after saving his life the week before.

Most of the Gryffindors had thought that their Head Girl and star Keeper would windup together. Because, there was something electrifying between them, as sparks shot whenever they were near each other--not always of the nice-kind--but their chemistry had been clearly evident from the start.

Harry shook his head angrily at Ron and turned to console Hermione. However, he saw no one where he had left her just seconds ago.

The moment many heads were about to turn towards Hermione for ogling her reaction, she had used the Disillusionment Charm on herself and had become invisible to all of them.

Harry, and even Ron for that matter, could have spotted her. But, Harry looked in the wrong direction and Ron wasn't looking for her at all.

Heart wrenching with pain, Hermione slipped out of everyone's path and swung the portrait open. Harry followed her, seeing the portrait move, but Hermione had already sped down the steps and out of sight.

Finally, the bossy know-it-all of Gryffindor had been reduced to tears--a torrent of them. She had only been expecting the same as everyone else. Wanting nothing but good memories from the Graduation Ball, but it wasn't to be.

Ron didn't ask her out... He didn't like her the way she did anymore... He never understood her feelings of possessiveness for him... He didn't understand her at all....

She had spent the whole day hiding behind one of the secluded shelves of the Library, crying her heart out.

It was the day she resolved, never to love again....

Hermione flinched as she came back to the present and the realization of pain hit her. She had balled her hands into fists and her fingers were digging into the soft flesh of her palms for quite a while, before she noticed.

She sighed heavily and stared at the pronounced fate lines on her palm, trying to decipher them out. It was then she suddenly remembered that she needed more coffee.

~*~