The Minister's Daughter

5. Change of Plans

That night was turning to be one of the best nights of Hermione's life. She had been to an underground club. She had met a group of funny people who hadn't the faintest idea of who she was. She had tried a few new drinks. She had met the handsomest bloke around, who by the way, had helped her to get rid of the agents.

And now she was in the famous Central Park accompanied by said more-than-good-looking bloke. They had explored the park and found a quiet lake. The park was almost deserted since it was supposed to be closed after sunset. A few homeless people could be seen sleeping under the trees or on some wooden benches.

Hermione spotted a couple of homeless men sitting on the grass. In her opinion, they looked helpless, hungry and lonely. She was sure that a long bath and a hot meal would turn their luck around. With that idea in mind, she opened her handbag and pulled out the cash she was carrying.

"Hermione..." Harry said, trying to figure out what she was on about. But instead of replying to him, she walked towards the two men. Harry hurried after her.

Once she reached the men, she placed half of the bills into each man's hands. "Here!" she said, smiling. "Get yourselves a good meal."

Right after that, she turned around and walked away from them. Harry remained standing there for a while, staring from the men to Hermione. Finally, he shook his head and ran after her.

"Hermione," he said once he caught up with her. "You gave those men all your money?"

"Not all of it," she replied nonchalantly. Then, looking into her handbag she said, "I've still got... five dollars!" She pulled out a $5 bill that she hadn't known she still had - otherwise she would've also given it to the homeless. Hermione looked at Harry's open mouthed expression and laughed. "I've got my credit cards, Harry. I can just get some cash from a bank."

"I can't believe you," he said softly.

"I'm sure they can use the money," she said, disregarding the incident.

Forgetting all about it, she walked towards the lake. As she was approaching it, a sudden need to feel the cool water on her body took over her. Without giving it a second thought, she started taking off her jacket.

She tossed it aside carelessly as she continued to walk. Harry looked at her, wondering what was next. Before he could start guessing what she was about to do, he turned towards her just in time to see her taking her top off.

"Hermione!" he called out, running to her. "What the bloody hell are you doing?" he asked as he saw her undoing her pants, her top was now lying on the ground. Harry squinted his eyes as he noticed Hermione was now down to her undergarments.

"I'm going for a swim!" she said excitedly.

Harry's jaw dropped. Frantically, he looked around to make sure the area was deserted. "Are you insane?" he asked while gathering her clothes.

Hermione, however, didn't seem to hear him. She had thrown her pants right at Harry's feet. She threw him a look over her shoulder and smiled coyly. Immediately after that, she ran into the water.

"Hermione! Get out of there," he called out to her from the edge of the water. "We're going to get in trouble for this."

"No, we're not!" she yelled out to him. "I've got diplomatic immunity."

Harry rolled his eyes at that. "Perhaps you do, but I don't!" he yelled as he continued to search the area. When he turned back to look at Hermione, he noticed she was swimming back to him.

"Join me!" she demanded from the water, a wide grin in her face. She seemed to be crouching because the water level reached up to her chest.

"Thanks," he said sarcastically. "But I have a rule that says 'no swimming in dirty water'."

She laughed at his words. "It's not dirty! It's just great." Then, standing up she grabbed hold of his wrist. "C'mon. How often do you get the chance to swim in Central Park?" she said as she pulled at him.

Harry swallowed hard. Right there standing before him, was a wet, quite gorgeous, incredibly irresistible woman. It was hard for him to keep his eyes focused somewhere above her shoulders and not take a peak at her curves, which he could still perceive.

At the corner of his eyes, Harry could see drips of water falling down her body, making his knees weak.

"How often do you get a chance to go to jail?" he replied mockingly. He quickly tossed her clothes aside to loosen her grip. Her hand, however, was holding on tightly with strength she didn't seem to have.

Their pushing and pulling finally ended with him landing on his buttocks in the water.

Hermione let out a sonorous laugh as she looked at his defeated expression while he tried to get up. She was just about to pull him back into the water when they heard a voice calling out to them.

"Hey, you two!" yelled a police officer. "You're not supposed to swim in the lake!"

Harry and Hermione turned to see the policeman running towards them. In one quick movement, Harry stood up and pulled Hermione out of the water. He quickly grabbed her clothes, held tight to her arm and pulled her away.

The policeman followed them closely. They headed hurriedly towards the trees, making sudden turns to hopefully make the officer lose their trail. Just when the policeman was about to reach them, he tripped over the overgrown roots of a tree. He fell flat on his face, giving the two outlaws the opportunity to get away.

Once they had left the officer way behind them, Harry and Hermione stopped, panting for breath. After Hermione's breathing normalized, she started laughing loudly.

"Shh... He could still hear us," Harry said quickly to quiet her. "Here. You'd better put your clothes back on." As she started to get dress, Harry took a moment to look down at his wet pants. He placed a hand inside his pocket and took out his drenched wallet.

"Brilliant," he said sarcastically. He checked his backpack and was glad to see it was dry. Just then, he remembered something else and pulled his hand into his other pocket. Out came his mobile phone, dripping as much water as Harry's wallet. "Oh no!" he said under his breath.

He tried to turn the phone on, but it didn't work. The water had done its damage. He thought about doing a drying spell, but Hermione was at his side. She looked apologetically at him, feeling a bit guilty about it.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered.

Harry looked at her face. "You should be sorry," he thought, but the expression on her face quickly made him disregard the incident. "It's okay," he told her, shrugging his shoulders. "It was an old thing anyway. I've been thinking of getting a new one. Now, I have the perfect excuse!"

His voice, which now sounded a bit more relaxed, calmed Hermione's worry. Her smile came back to her face. She put her jacket back on and grabbed hold of his hand. Without saying anything, she pulled gently at him, and they walked away.

They were deep in the woods. The sky was clear and a few stars could be seen. They sat on the grass to rest. Harry leaned his back on a tree while Hermione stretched out on the grass, her arms under her head, looking up at the sky.

The night was so quiet and peaceful that she didn't notice her eyes were beginning to close. Harry looked down at her and smiled. He shook his head lightly. "Finally!" he thought when he saw Hermione had fallen asleep.

Gently, he tucked behind her ear a long curl that had fallen over her face. She stirred trying to find a more comfortable position. Harry sighed tiredly, looked at the sky, and smiled. He had enjoyed that night with the Prime Minister's daughter.

...................................................

It was still quite early when Hermione woke up. She was lying on her side, using Harry's lap as a pillow. His leather jacket was nicely placed over her shoulders, keeping her warm. She opened her eyes and a smile quickly appeared on her face.

She still couldn't believe she had spent such a great night. For the first time in her life, she had gathered the courage to sneak out in the middle of the night - in a foreign country no less - escape the overwhelming watch of the agents, and take a little adventure on her own.

It had been wonderful to experience such freedom and normalcy - something she rarely had the opportunity to enjoy.

Now, all she had to do was get back into the hotel before her father noticed she was gone. And... perhaps she could meet Harry again and have dinner with him or something. She had enjoyed her time with him. He was such a nice guy, and to make things even better, great looking.

She looked up to see his face and was surprised to find him staring at her. A smile appeared on his face when she looked up.

"Slept well?" he asked softly.

"I did," she replied. Lazily, she sat up and stretched her arms out, letting out a sigh of happiness and taking one last look at her surroundings. Pleased with her self for welcoming a new day out in the open, unnoticed by any watchful eyes, she stood up.

Hermione took a couple of deep breaths and smiled as the chirping of birds could be heard not far form her. Even though she would have liked to stay there a bit longer, Hermione didn't want to risk her vacation days. It was time for her to head back to the hotel.

"I have to go," she said in a sad tone.

If Harry had heard her saying those words last night during their running away from the agents, during her vomiting session, or during her illegal swimming, he would have felt relived, even glad.

But now that she finally said it, he couldn't explain why, he felt sad and disappointed. Still, he nodded his head and agreement. "Let's see if we can still find the motorbike," he said in a voice than didn't sound much like his.

They went back the same trail they had walked through the night before. Everything seemed different now. Daylight gave the trees, the bushes, and the ground around them a different appearance.

When they reached the place where the bike had been left, they found that it was gone. Hermione looked at Harry with an apologetic look. "It's alright," he said. "It wasn't even mine."

"Whose was it, then?" she asked.

Harry turned to see her. He didn't want to admit he had 'borrowed' it in purpose to help her get away. Harry only hoped that the bike had been taken by the police and returned to its owner. "I borrowed it," he said, avoiding her eyes. "We'll just grab a taxi."

With that idea in mind, they walked back to the street. Even at that early hour, people could already been seen walking around the streets, ready to start their day. Harry and Hermione walked to a corner.

"I'll go with you," he said, turning to see her. "I want to make sure you get there safely."

Hermione smiled at his words. She was more than glad to remain at his side a while longer. Then, a thought came to her mind. "Do you think $5 will be enough to pay the taxi?"

Harry chuckled, remembering Hermione giving her money away to the homeless people from the park. "It's okay," he said, looking right into her eyes. "I'll get it."

"I can't let you do that," she quickly replied. "I can just ask the driver to wait while I go get some money."

"Sure," he said sarcastically. "You're going to ask your dad for money to pay a taxi that just brought you back after a wild night in the city."

Hermione bit her lower lip. He was right. The last thing she wanted was for her father to find out what she had been up to the night before. "Alright," she said. Just then, she looked across the street and she thought of a way to repay him. "You get the taxi and I'll get us some coffee. I'm sure $5 will be enough for that."

Harry turned to look into the direction she was pointing. Across the street, was a little coffee shop. He smiled and grabbed her hand. Minutes later, they walked into the café. Harry headed to the counter to order two cups to go while Hermione stood back, watching a TV that was turned on.

A woman was giving the morning news. "In other news, earlier this morning a car bomb was detonated just outside the British Embassy in Tel Aviv. It's still unknown whether the attack was directed to the Embassy. No injuries were reported, although the building sustained considerable damage."

Hermione didn't hear the rest as her mind went into a frantic swirl of ideas. Seconds later, Harry joined her with a couple of coffees in his hands. He had also listened to the news and his expression was troubled.

When Hermione sensed Harry's presence next to her, she turned to him. "I have to go," she said in a very serious tone.

"Of course," he replied in the same tone. Forgetting he wasn't supposed to know her identity, he said, "Your father's not going to be pleased when he hears that."

Hermione quickly looked up at Harry with a look of surprise.

Seeing he had said too much, Harry thought it was best to tell her part of the truth. "I know who you are," he said, responding to the question he could read on her face, but not mentioning a thing about him being hired to look after her.

Hermione nodded. "Of course," she thought. "Being British..." Hermione realized that it was quite logical for him to know her identity since she was a public figure. "Why didn't you say anything last night?" she asked as they walked out of the café.

"I didn't see the need," he simply said.

Hermione smiled at that. It felt good to know that he had not seen her as the Prime Minister's daughter, but just as a regular girl. Without saying a word, she took a few steps away, not really paying attention to where she was going.

She could already hear her father ranting about those violent lunatics, as he called them. Hermione knew that lately the troubling situation in the Middle East worried her father. This attack would only make him feel even more threatened.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks as her eyes opened wide. "Oh no!" she said.

"What is it?" asked Harry, looking into the direction her eyes were focused, but she didn't seem to be watching at anything in particular.

"I can't go back!" she said, not looking at him and mainly talking to herself. With the same look of shock in her eyes, she tried to continue walking, but Harry grabbed hold of her elbow and made her stop.

"Why?" he said, turning her to face him.

Hermione looked at him, realizing she had been thinking out loud. She sighed and looked right at him.

"My father's going to freak out," she said as if that would be clear enough for Harry to understand her situation. Seeing his still confused expression, she continued. "He was supposed to go back home today and I was to stay here. But after what happened, I'm sure he's going to want me to go back with him. And I don't want to do that."

She pulled out of Harry's grip and resumed her walking without direction. "He had already agreed to let me stay here on my own until the end of next week." Turning to see him, she added quickly, "Of course that means along with a couple agents and... someone else." She didn't fancy mentioning she was to have a chaperon.

"I haven't had a real vacation in years, Harry. I deserve to have a few days off," she said as she stopped walking.

Harry gently placed a hand on her arm trying to soothe her. "Talk to your dad. I'm sure he'll understand if you tell him what you just told me."

Hermione made a disbelieving noise with her throat. "You don't know my father, Harry. I mean, you do... but you don't know what he's like. He's going to back away on his promise." She looked right at Harry's eyes and added sadly, "It wouldn't be the first time."

Harry's insides hurt at the look on her face. He didn't know why, but it affected him seeing her beautiful brown eyes looking so sad. Obviously, Hermione knew her father better than anybody else, but he still wanted to find a way to make her feel better.

"I'm sure he only wants you to be safe," he whispered.

"Sure," she said in a mocking way. "If he could, he'd lock me up in a tower to keep me safe. But I want to live my life, Harry. Is that too much to ask?"

"Of course not," he quickly replied. After a few silent minutes, he asked, "What are you going to do then?"

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest while biting her bottom lip. Her brilliant mind was trying to find a way out of the hole. "Well, I'm not going back to the hotel..."

"You already said that," he reminded her.

"I'm going to start my vacation right now. I'll... I'll call my father to let him know that he can go back to London as he had planned." She took a couple steps away from Harry. "Once he's gone, I'll go back to the hotel."

"Okay," he said resignedly. He was afraid his helping her could cause him trouble with her father, but he thought staying with her would be better than leaving her on her own.

"Could I borrow your mobile phone?" she asked.

"It's dead, remember?"

"Right..." Hermione scanned the area and quickly spotted a pay phone. Without one more word, Hermione walked straight to the phone booth to let her father know the decision she had made.

...........................................

"Hermione, where are you?" said the Prime Minister once Thompson informed him his daughter was on the phone. "I need you to get here immediately. We're leaving as soon as you arrive."

Hermione sighed, shaking her head as she confirmed she had been right. "I'm sorry Dad, but I'm not going back," she said in an emotionless voice.

"What do you mean you're not going back? You don't know what just happened," he said. He was about to tell her about the attack to the Embassy when she interrupted him.

"I know! I know what happened, but like I said... I'm not going back just yet," she said, thanking god they were having this conversation over the phone. She didn't fancy arguing with her father in person. "We agreed I'd be staying back, remember?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Mr. Granger asked her. "It's not safe for you to stay here! We have to go back and deal with this situation."

"I know you have to do that, but you don't need me. I'd do no good," she tried to reasoned with him. But he had also made up his mind and was as stubborn as his daughter.

"That's not the point, Hermione, and you know that. I cannot have you in a foreign country while our kingdom is under attack."

"Under attack?" she repeated incredulous. "You speak as if we were in the middle of a war! Dad, nobody even knows if the attack was directed at the embassy. There were no injured people! I think you're making this bigger than it is."

"You are not taking this situation seriously," he quickly replied. "And on top of that, you're being selfish putting your enjoyment over the safety of our people."

"Selfish?" she asked. Perhaps she was. "And don't you think I deserve to think about myself at least once in my life? I've always done what it's been expected of me. I've given you no reason for complaints. I need to have some time off and enjoy my life for a change."

But no matter what she said, Mr. Granger wouldn't hear it. He was afraid that her desire to enjoy a few days would put her safety at risk.

"I've heard enough, Hermione," he interrupted her. "You're not going to act like a spoiled girl at this point. You are to come back here this instant and go back to London with me."

A few silent seconds tickled away. Hermione closed her eyes. She was hurt that her father wouldn't give her a chance to think for herself and make her own decisions. "Dad," she finally said. "I'm sorry to see we can't agree on this, but I've already made up my mind. I'm staying here, and there's no way you're going to change that."

Immediately after that, she hung up the phone.

Harry, who had walked away to give her privacy, came back when he saw she had ended the call. Hermione was still standing in the phone booth, looking down. He leaned on the booth, waiting for her to talk.

Just by seeing her disappointed look, Harry knew what her father had said. Hermione looked up to face him, resolution on her face. "I have to leave the city," she said simply.

"Leave the city?" he repeated.

Hermione walked out of the booth. "If I stay here..." she started saying as she walked down the street. "...my father's going to send out every agent available to find me and take me back." Looking at him, she quickly said, "I do not fancy that! The only way they can't find me is if I leave the city and go somewhere else."

"Like where?" he asked.

Hermione gave it some thought. She hadn't planned going anywhere else. All the traveler's guides she had bought were about New York City. Just then, she remembered something, or better said someone. "Cynthia!" she said.

"What?" asked Harry a bit confused.

"My friend Cynthia Reynolds!" she replied stopping in her tracks. "I can go to her. I'm sure she'd be happy to take me for a few days."

"And where does you friend live?" he asked.

"Chicago," she simply said.