A Chaotic Encounter

Hermione Granger sipped at her lemonade thirstily as soon as the large, pink-faced man handed it to her with a cheerful smile and found a table, trusting that Harry would help Ron at the counter. It was a sweltering hot August day and she was grateful that the café was air-conditioned. Her best friends Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were ordering their meals and she set down her bag before settling into a white plastic chair. She looked through the glass and watched the Muggles weave in and out of shops, most carrying water bottles. She glanced at the Leaky Cauldron, the small, shabby looking shop overshadowed on either side by a huge, hulking bank, and a bright looking department store. It never ceased to amaze her how she'd never even noticed it before she'd received her Hogwarts letter.

Harry sat down at the table and started on his fish and chips as Ron set down his plate, mouth already occupied with chewing his hamburger.

"So what are we up to?" Harry asked, opening his cola.

Hermione shrugged, "I don't know... how much time do we have?"

"My mum said they'd meet us at Flourish & Blott's at four-thirty," Ron informed them, "That would give us two and a half hours... maybe we could see one of those movlies or something? Do they have those around here?" He looked between his friends eagerly.

Harry shrugged, "I've only been to the movies twice with the Dursleys... and both times we weren't anywhere around here."

Hermione looked out the window thoughtfully, "I think there's a cinema about a block down..." She swept her quick gaze over all the stores and stopped at the sight of a large banner hanging over Bernard's Books that read, "Special guests J.K. Rowling, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and more, 10:30AM to 6PM" and a young man with dyed red hair wearing a what looked like a black, unfastened cotton bathrobe join the excited looking queue of customers that she could see milling around the shop. The sight lifted her spirits instantly.

"Do you guys mind if we stop at that store over there?" she asked pleadingly, pointing out the window, "I haven't been in a Muggle bookstore in ages..."

Harry and Ron exchanged knowing looks and Ron turned to her, "You best know exactly what you're getting..."

"Because we won't stay longer than ten minutes." Harry finished.

"Five." Ron amended, throwing him an exasperated look. Hermione frowned.

"That's not fair, I waited twenty minutes for you guys outside Quality Quidditch Supplies! And you didn't even buy anything!" she cried heatedly. Ron opened his mouth to retort.

"Fine. But remember, we're still going to that cinema so don't take too long." Harry cut in before Ron could speak. Hermione smiled happily and waited for the two to finish eating.

-:- -:- -:-

"Muggles sure love reading, don't they?" Ron said sarcastically as they crossed the street and found themselves caught the large crowd trying to get into the shop. "Must be bloody bonkers."

"Don't be silly, Ron. Look at the sign," Hermione said, pointing to the banner. Ron looked up, shading his eyes from the sun with one hand.

"So what?" he asked stubbornly. Hermione grabbed his hand and Harry's elbow and pulled them through the crowd rudely. They entered the shop and she led them towards the row of bestsellers.

"There must be someone here doing booksignings or something," she muttered, pointing out the obvious. A boy of about 16 sporting perfectly round, black, plastic spectacles and a bright orange, thick mark to one side of his forehead knocked right into Ron.

He straightened up and looked the three of them up and down, impressed, "That's pretty good!" He smiled at them and left.

"Er..." Harry said, looking after him with raised eyebrows, "Was it just me or did he have an orange marker stain on his head?" Hermione smiled and shook her head. Ron looked around.

"Something weird is going on..." he said uncertainly.

"Let's get on that line and ask," Hermione suggested, excited at the prospect of a new investigation. They moved to the end of the line.

"There are way too many people with those glasses in here..." Ron said, looking vaguely frightened.

"And no offense but a lot of people with fake red hair," Harry added after a boy with chocolate colored skin and an orange wig strolled by.

Hermione tapped the girl in front of her as they spoke and asked, "Excuse me? But what's this for?" The girl stared at her for a moment and then laughed.

"Ha! That's funny. That's a good one, no one's ever tried that. I'm Christine Balch, you are...?" she asked, stretching out a hand. Hermione shook it with a small smile.

"I'm Hermione Granger. I don't understand--"

The girl interrupted her with another laugh, "Well, you're just full of them, aren't you? I'm Hermione Granger too. But what's your real name?"

"Her name's Hermione, she already told you!" Ron exclaimed. He looked increasingly distressed by the peculiar crowd and the conversation. He was sure he'd heard someone say, "Harry Potter". The girl swept her eyes over his attire, from the shock of red hair, over the old blue jumper and trousers, to the battered trainers on his feet. She smiled.

"You could have done better, you know. Like... even throwing a nice, black, cape over that," she pointed to his Muggle jumper, "would have made the whole look more realistic. Otherwise, you're a natural."

Ron stared at her.

Hermione frowned in confusion.

Harry stepped forward, "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is this for? Who are they?" he pointed to two boys and a girl a few years younger than them who stood at the very front of the line, smiling and taking pictures with very enthusiastic fans. The girl looked him up and down as well and cocked her head to the side.

"You're actually looking very good. I like the glasses, they've got a genuine look to them. The hair's good, kind of messy but you still get the shaggy style... the only thing is... the scar. It's really on the right side of the forehead, yours is too close to the center. And the color - it's a little too dark." She beamed at him and pat his arm as though to console him for this tainting flaw. Harry was beet red, and from the second she'd mentioned his scar he's started to smooth down his bangs.

"Let's get out of here," Ron suggested fearfully. He looked like a claustrophobic sealed in a cardboard box as he bit his lip nervously and threw everyone wary looks out of the corner of his eye.

Hermione, ever eager to solve a problem, turned her back on the girl who was now criticizing the attire of a frizzy-haired brunette, and smiled at the man behind them. "Excuse me, but would you be so kind as to tell us what this is all about?" she asked politely. He gave her an irritable look and examined their attire.

"Well," he glanced at them each suspiciously, obviously thinking this was some immature prank, and pointed to the three figures up ahead, "Well, them three - Watson, Grint, and Radcliffe, they're the stars of that darn Harry Potter film. I get on this blasted line just to get a bloody book autographed for my Rachel, and there they are, taking bloody pictures!! As if they don't do that enough already..." he trailed on.

Three jaws dropped simultaneously.

-:- -:- -:-

A/N: Well, that's the end... a cliffie.

I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with this, it just came to me and I had to get it down. This probably wasn't much of a Riddikulus fic but I didn't know where else to put it - it's not romance so that ruled out Astronomy Tower, it's not lengthy enough for Schnoogle, and it is by no means TheDarkArts.org material.

I hope you liked it! If you want to sample anymore of my writing, check out "Turn Me Green, Kiss Me Pink" at Schnoogle.com and "Living The Riddled Life" at TheDarkArts.org.

Please review, it'll encourage me to write faster!