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Say Hello	By : Tracey Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 2152 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
Say Hello

Kneazle

Summary: Post-Hogwarts; Hermione is labeled a Bookworm and
it just Won�t Go Away. She decides to show she�s more than a one-dimensional
character. While she�s out finding herself, she learns a little more about the
world and love. Blaise/Hermione

AN: �Say Hello� belongs to Deep Dish.

--*--

Tricky time never slows�

That moment walked me by without bothering to say �

Say Hello�

Lucky time never stops�

That moment knocked me down without bothering to �

Say Hello�

--*--

Chapter One

The bass
was pounding and the lights were flashing all around the large room. A carbon
fog machine spilled out white air in a loud hissing burst; scantily clad bodies
were moving up and down to the beat and against each other. People were sweaty
and thirsty as friends passed water bottles to each other and others danced
looser than others with alcohol in their systems.

Here and
there, scattered around the large club were people with Glo
Stiks performing light shows for those who kneeled on
the floor, staring into the lights as they proceeded to get tripped out, thanks
to the drugs they were on.

Heaven
nightclub, found at Charing Cross Arches was near Diagon Alley. In fact, after doing some pre-drinking at the
Three Broomsticks, which kicked the loud, boisterous group of twenty-something
wizards and witches at 12am, the group then traveled to Heaven nightclub to
listen to some trance until the wee hours of the morning: 6 am.

Ok, so it
was typically a gay nightclub, but that never stopped the witches and wizards
from having fun. That is, except Hermione Granger. The twenty-one year old
witch who worked at Flourish and Blotts as a book binder in their backroom was currently
sitting in one of the lounge areas, her knees crossed and her head propped up
in one hand. She was wearing a sweater and jeans and looked slightly out of
place of her fashionably dressed friends.

They were
on the dance floor, enjoying the music and the drinks and the drugs, while she
played sensible and realized that at 7am, when she got back to her flat, she�d
only have enough time to shower and redress before going to work. In fact,
Hermione didn�t even know why her friends wanted her to come out with them on
Saturday when she worked a Sunday shift.

�Looking lonely there,� commented a voice
from Hermione�s right, as she glanced up at the red-haired young man.

�George,�
she replied.

�Hermione,�
he mocked. Grinning, he settled himself next to her on the lounge chair and
draped an arm across the back. �So what�s up, �Mione?
You seem a bit� down. Why not joining in on the party?�

�I work at 9am, George. Why do you think
I�m not joining?� asked Hermione rhetorically.

�Jesus,� he
whistled, frowning slightly as his sky blue eyes turned a colour that Hermione
could only describe as midnight blue. �What are you doing out here then?�

�Like I
know,� she muttered back, unheard over the pounding music. Sighing, she stood,
smoothed down her jeans and said, �I�m leaving George. I�ll see you later.�

Before
George could say anything akin to begging her to stay, Hermione had gathered
her purse, left a twenty pound note for her one Sex on the Beach and for
George�s Stella that he had with him, and was pushing through the crowd to get
to the main entrance and exit.

Once she
was outside � after bidding the bouncers and two police good evening � Hermione
heaved in a large gulp of fresh city and let out a giant sigh.

Life just
wasn�t easy for her.

-*-

She had
bags under her eyes, her hair was a real rat�s nest, her clothes were slightly
wrinkled and she had a coffee stain on her jeans from earlier that morning.
Hermione Granger was not having a good day.

In fact,
she was rightfully having a shitty day. She arrived home at her flat in the SoHo district at 3am, promptly
fell asleep in her clothes and at 8am woke up, giving her barely half an hour
to dress, eat breakfast, and apparate to work. Her
hot water was all used up, she ran out to a local coffee house and waited in an
impossibly long line, apparated to work only to be
stuck in another long line of signing
forms (security measure post-Voldemort), and arrived,
for the first time she had worked at Flourish, ten minutes late.

She was
promptly yelled at, and then told to get straight to work; which she did, only
the books she was rebinding were old and dusty, causing her to sneeze and spill
her coffee all over her jeans. Scourgify worked lovely usually, but Hermione�s nerves were
already frazzled so all she got out was some of the stain.

And it was
only eleven in the morning.

Hermione
was muttering under her breath various spells and hexes when Harry walked
through the backroom door.

He took one
look at her, and stopped. �Wow.�

�Thanks,�
replied Hermione snidely, rolling her eyes at her best friend, once she had
looked up. �You�re looking absolutely peachy.�

�Liar!�
laughed Harry affectionately, as he ran a hand through his overly messy hair.
�I should�ve done what you did and leave early.�

�I doubted
that anyone would notice my disappearance.�

�George
told us.�

�Oh.�

The two
were silent as Hermione continued with her duties. Her wand tip ran across the
old bindings of the ancient book she was fixing, turning the spine golden as it
was repaired.

�Molly�s
having a dinner tonight,� said Harry suddenly. �I crashed at the Burrow last
night, so she mentioned it to me when I left this morning. Since we�re both
honorary Weasleys, we�re invited.�

�When are
we not?� smiled Hermione, looking up finally. �I suppose I�ll be there. I only
work until four.�

�Want me to
pick you up?� asked Harry, a tiny smile forming on his lips. Hermione laughed.

�You only
want to do that because you know my fridge is stocked with food and because you
want to snooze on my couch!� Hermione sighed and nodded. �Sure. I�d appreciate
it.�

Harry
grinned. �Not a problem, Hermione. I�d do it anyway, even if you didn�t have a
full fridge or that awesome leather couch.� He then frowned and looked over at
her. �You don�t look too good, though. Are you� are you okay?�

Hermione
shrugged. She didn�t know what to say; despite having partied most of the
morning, Harry looked fine � his shirt wasn�t rumpled and he was dressed
nicely, as the Black and Potter heir is wont to do. He didn�t look tired, but
had a weary look in his eyes that was common since the war. In fact, Harry
looked perky.

�I guess
I�m okay. I just feel like I�m trapped �� Hermione�s voice dropped to a
whisper. ��here. Like I can�t go out and have fun and like I�m never going to
go anywhere in life. After everything I did in Hogwarts, with you and the
Horcruxes, I just end up as a bloody book binder.�

Harry
blinked. �We all thought you were happy. You love books.�

�Sure I
do!� agreed Hermione, �I love books because I love to learn. This is just�� she
looked around at the piles upon piles of books stacked everywhere in the room �
on the three walls of shelves, the desk that sat in the middle, piled on the
floor and chair � and her face crumpled. �Boring.�

Harry managed
a tiny smile, walking toward Hermione and leaning against the desk she was
working at. �Take a few days off, then. You can, right? You�ve been here long
enough for vacation time, right?�

Hermione
sighed. �Maybe. I�m not sure.�

Harry
grinned wickedly and leaned in, closer to his best female friend. �Then quit.�

�I can�t!�

�Of course
you can!� whispered Harry back, slightly harsher than he meant. At Hermione�s
disbelieving look, he drew his eyebrows together and began speaking again. �Are
you not the same girl that solved Snape�s logic
riddle in our first year? Figured out it was a Basilisk in the Chamber of
Secrets? The very same girl who helped Sirius escape from the Dementors and from Fudge�s idiocy? Taught me the best damn accio there has
ever been performed at the TriWizard Tournament?
Fought next to me in the Department of Mysteries, despite knowing it was a
trap? Wanted to free House Elves? Helped Ron cheat to stay on the Quidditch team �
which, by the way, neither of us has told him about?�

Hermione
hung her head and looked away as she backed from Harry slowly. �That girl is
long gone, Harry. She was a silly schoolgirl, not a young woman knowing what
the real world is like.�

Harry
sighed and ran his hand through his hair, messing it up more. �Whatever,
Hermione. It�s your life and decision.�

He then
leaned forward, pecked her cheek, and murmured, �I�ll be here at four to pick
you up.�

Hermione
didn�t say goodbye.

-*-

The Weasley dinners are large family events. They include a
large number of redheads, all with near bottomless stomachs. The women who have
married into the Weasley family are known as the
�Missus Weasleys� and command respect and attention
over the single Weasleys � male or female. The talk
would depend on who you were talking to, but mainly central topics were Quidditch, Muggle technology,
Hogwarts, children, finding yourself a good, suitable match, Witch Weekly, Gladrags
and the Ministry of Magic.

Hermione
hated Weasley dinners with a passion.

She never
failed to miss one, though; she went to every, bloody, single dinner and
endured constant hours of needling and whining of the other Weasley
females about why she was still single, how they knew a brilliant young wizard
to match her up with, why she didn�t try out Gladrags
new dress robes, and that blue was her colour, so why didn�t she wear it more
often?

Hermione,
plainly and simply, hated it.

But she
loved the Weasleys. They were her second family. They
took her in every summer, sent her Christmas cards and gifts, and treated her
like a daughter or sister. They were there for advice, to be brothers and poke
and tease her, to protect her when she needed it (and that wasn�t often) and to
make her smile.

She didn�t
smile that much anymore, either.

Hermione
and Harry arrived promptly at six, already hearing Molly Weasley
screaming at Ron for sneaking a finger into a pie early.

Sharing an
exasperated look, the two walked into the Burrow without knocking and
immediately found themselves in the middle of hugs and hello�s. The Missus Weasleys were grouped together, with Ginny Weasley, the youngest and only still single Weasley female � but as Hermione walked over to say hello,
she realized that Ginny wouldn�t be single for that much longer.

�Hermione!�
squealed the young girl, of barely twenty-years-old, bouncing forward to grab
her best friends� hands. �Can you believe it? Neville proposed!�

The girl
was glowing, and Hermione fought down an ugly, sick feeling in her stomach that
she didn�t want to think about to smile.

�That�s
wonderful, Gin,� laughed Hermione, �Congratulations! Is that what the dinner is
about? An engagement party?�

Ginny
blushed. �Yes and no, Hermione. Neville proposed last night when we were at the
club. It was so romantic, we were outside and the sun was just starting to rise
when he turned to me, got down on one knee and just plainly asked, �Marry me?��

Hermione
smiled, if not a bit wistfully. No man, not Viktor, Ron, or anyone else for
that matter, had ever been that romantic to her.

�Lucky
you,� she said sincerely, squeezing Ginny�s hands and then letting go. She was
acutely aware of the Missus Weasleys in the
background � Fleur Delacour, Penelope Clearwater and
Angelina Johnson � staring at her and Penelope opening her mouth to start
talking to Hermione� about something not-so-good, she was sure.

�Sorry Gin,
Harry and Ron will want to talk to me,� Hermione smiled apologetically,
glancing briefly in the direction over Ginny�s shoulder at the Missus, �I�ll
talk to you later. Congrats again!�

Ginny looked
a bit put out, but waved briefly, her diamond ring flashing as it hit the
light. �Oh. Okay. Um, bye, Hermione.�

-*-

Dinner was
tense; at least, to Hermione it felt that way. George sat on her left and Harry
on her right. The large table was accommodated to fit the entire clan, and
Molly was beside herself that everyone could make the dinner, even Bill, who
had been feeling under the weather due to his semi-Lycanthropy.

Neville and
Ginny were smiling and Ginny was bouncing lightly in her seat, both beaming at
each other and being annoyingly couple-ish. Penelope
was avoiding any alcohol, as she was four months along, while Percy looked
decidedly smug and was cleaning the same lens over and over on his robes.

�So,
Hermione��

Hermione
inwardly groaned. Not this again�

�� Have you
met anyone in your life?�

Hermione
forced a tight smile and politely replied to Penelope. �No, I haven�t. I�m
really immersed in my work at Flourish
and Blotts right now. It�s time consuming.�

Fleur
looked confused. �But I thought �� she looked over at Bill and frowned. ��did
you not go out to ze disco last night?�

Hermione
gritted her teeth as Harry stopped eating next to her to watch. He knew she
hated this. Absolutely hated. And George was no help, being un-twin-ish and not helping her out of the situation.

�Yes, I
did, which was a very large mistake, and I left early because of the mistake.�

�Oh.�

Hermione
held her breath; were they going to end it there?

�Did you
meet anyone? Is that why you left early, and are calling last night a mistake?�
Penelope continued.

Molly
gasped. �You weren�t compromised,
were you, Hermione dear?�

Ron�s hand
hit his head and he groaned under his breath, ignoring Arthur�s inquiries about
indigestion.

�No, I
wasn�t compromised, Molly.� Hermione gave a steely glare at Penelope. �I had to
work this morning, so it was a mistake to go out when I knew I wouldn�t get
enough sleep.�

�Well,
sleep didn�t help you much if you left early, Hermione!� laughed Penelope
lightly. �You still look tired. Are you all right?�

�I�m fine.�

�Have you
tried that make-up spell clipping I gave you from Witch Weekly a month ago? It has some great spells about hiding
bags under your eyes and freshening spells,� continued Angelina, looking
concerned and ignoring Fred�s tugging at her sleeve.

Hermione�s
knuckles were going white. She had gone through this before, damnit! Why didn�t
they just get the message?

Fleur
clapped her hands and the table�s eyes went to her next. �I know ze perfect outfit, �Ermione! Gladrags �as a super sale going on right now��

�It�s the
hair, Hermione� it�s so bushy! It�s such a rat�s nest. How are you ever going
to find someone who�ll love that tangle?�

�You�re too
pale, why don�t you use Tammeline�s No-line Tanning
Oil? I�ve got a bottle from Katie that she never used��

�Ze French use perfume, it is quite wonderful! All ze smells and delights one finds in picking out ze right scent� you are a flower, I think, �Ermione!�

Nag, nag,
nag, criticize, criticize, criticize. They never grew old of it, and they
enjoyed it. Maybe they didn�t realize how much they were hurting Hermione and
her self-esteem every time they took a jab at her less-than-desirable
appearance, but Hermione was at her breaking point.

�I bet
you�re still a virgin too, right? Ron didn�t take care of that back at
Hogwarts, did he?�

Ron�s jaw
dropped, a piece of half-chewed chicken unattractively showing.

Hermione
stood up abruptly, slamming her hands on the kitchen table, making the china
rattle.

�Enough!� she hissed. She glared at
Fleur, Penelope and Angelina, before saying frostily, �Thank you for the
invite, Molly, but I need to go now.�

She then disapparated right out of the kitchen with barely a pop.

-*-

Shaking,
pale, and angry, Hermione appeared in her apartment with tears on her cheeks.

She never
did anything to the Missus Weasleys in her life and
yet every time she left the Weasley dinners she felt
so horrible about herself and proceeded to cry herself to sleep.

So
frustrated, Hermione took to pacing the hallway of her flat, her hands
clutching at her hair as she stared at the floor. Finally, she went to the
bathroom, flipped the light switch and looked at herself in the mirror.

And cried
some more.

Her hair was a rat�s nest, a huge tangle that was
knotted and messy and all over the place like Harry�s. She did have bags under her eyes, dark blue ones that showed she hadn�t
been sleeping well. Her skin was pale and blotchy in some areas from her crying
and she was wearing frumpy, librarian style clothes that made her look forty
instead of twenty-one.

Hermione
did not like what she saw. In fact, Penelope, Fleur and Angelina were right.
She had, sometime between Hogwarts classes, work, Horcruxes, Voldemort, the war and moving on with their lives, Hermione
had lost track of herself and had slipped into this woman that she didn�t know.

She didn�t
want to know her.

In a
split-second decision, Hermione was rummaging through the cupboard under the
sink and pulling out her toiletries case. She dumped in her shampoo, brush,
toothbrush, floss and toothpaste; her glasses case (for reading. Reading by candlelight
hurt her eyes in the long run), necessities, and her basic lip-gloss.

She went to
the bedroom next, pulling out a duffle bag and a roll-case, and began filling
both with clothing.

She was on
the floor, sorting through her panties and bras when George, Fred, Harry and
Ron walked in.

Harry and
Ron, she had expected. They were her best friends and she loved them like her
own. They knew her inside-out, as only people who spend all their time together
for four months hunting down dangerous Dark Artifacts do.

George and
Fred, however, were unexpected. She had become close to George, during the war,
as he had asked her to come up with some nifty spells for their products that
were now going to serve as primary weapons for the Order and Aurors. It was then that she began spilling secrets to the
Twins and considered them friends; but she didn�t think they�d arrive at her
flat to make sure she was all right!

�Hermione?�
asked Ron tentatively. �Are you okay?�

Fred
snorted. �I hardly think she looks okay. Look, Ron, you scared her away with
your de-virginizing ways!�

Harry
glared at the Weasleys.

Squatting
down next to Hermione, he helped her fold her panties and place them at one
corner of the roll case.

�Where are
you going?� he asked.

George sat
on Hermione�s bed while Fred took her desk chair and Ron lounged against her
closet door.

�Away,�
Hermione replied.

�Running
doesn�t solve anything, �Mione,� said George from
where he was.

Hermione
looked up at her friend. �I�m not running away.�

�Then why
are you packing?� asked Harry.

Hermione
looked back down at the bra she was folding and fell lightly on her bum, before
crossing her legs and hugging herself.

�They were
right you know,� she whispered, barely heard but understood by the men in the
room.

�They
weren�t, they went too far in their teasing of you,� snapped Ron. �And they
weren�t teasing lightly, either, especially that last comment about you being a
virgin!�

Ron
hesitated before going, �� you�re not, right?�

�Ron!�
George and Fred admonished.

�I am,�
replied Hermione evenly.

Harry
gaped. �You mean� when you and Viktor got back together� you never� the two of
you didn�t�.?�

�Fuck, I
believe, is the word you are looking for, Harry,� replied Hermione, flashing
the stunned Boy-Who-Lived a tiny smile.

Harry turned
red and squeaked, �Hermione!�

�What?�
asked Hermione loudly, turning to face her friend and scrambling to her feet.
�I can�t say �fuck� now? I bet I can�t say �shit,� �wanker,�
�bitch,� �ho,� �cunt,� and �penis� either, right?�

Ron and
Harry were blushing red and the Twins were staring at her.

Hermione
sighed. �I can curse. And they were right, despite how harsh they were.
My hair is a rat�s nest, my complexion is splotchy and I dress like Madam
Prince.�

�You� you
do not,� stated George finally.

�I do!�

�No, you
don�t,� snorted Fred, �You look more like Arabella Figg.�

Hermione
sneered at him. �Thanks, Fred.�

He shrugged
helplessly.

�Look,
guys� my life sucks. I had to leave the first night I went out in two months
early because I had to work the next morning. I have no social life, I haven�t
dated anyone since Viktor and I split nearly two years ago, right after the
war, and I�m lonely, okay?

�I want to
have fun in life. I have a boring job that I can�t stand and I was Hogwarts�
Head Girl, top of every single one of my
classes, and I�m rebinding books for a living.� Hermione sighed.

�So what
are you going to do?� asked Harry quietly, standing and facing Hermione.

Hermione
looked around her flat and, for the first time since she bought it, really
looked at it.

There was
her bed and desk, but all her books were still packed away in boxes stacked
next to her desk, unopened. She had a simple quilt and bedspread, but no
pictures or knickknacks around the room saying it was hers. Even the living
room and kitchen looks the same.

It looked
unlived, and at that very moment, Hermione felt unlived.

�I think,�
The woman said slowly, �that I�m going to take a vacation.�

-*-

Bright and
early the next morning, Hermione was standing with the same men from last
night, in a small circle as she held her train ticket. They were near Platform
3, waiting for her train to Spain
to announce that passengers were to board as a final call.

�You�re
sure about this?� asked Ron, one last time. �No Owls, no magic, just going on a
vacation as a simple Muggle?�

�Yes.�

Hermione
was sure. She deserved this. While looking for Horcruxes, the Trio had traveled
all over England and
Hermione was privileged to travel during her summer and winter vacations with
her parents, but she had never gone anywhere by herself, or to Spain.

�You have
my mobile number in case you need help, right?� asked Harry, pushing his
glasses up his nose nervously.

�Yes.�

�You�ll
take lots of pictures and get us souvenirs?� George and Fred were rubbing their
hands together.

�Yes, that
too,� laughed Hermione.

�And you�ve
sent in a letter to your boss at Flourish and Blotts
that you�ve quit?� Ron asked, wringing his hands together.

�Yes,�
smiled Hermione.

Harry sighed.
�Well� then you�d best go. But if we don�t hear from you when you get there,
I�m going to track you down personally!�

Hermione
teased, �yes, Mother!�

�Train 15-156 to Valencia,
Spain
is now boarding. This is the final boarding call for Train 15-156 to Valencia, Spain.�

Hermione
hugged Ron, George, Fred and Harry goodbye, took a deep breath, and stepped
onto the train. She found a compartment and opened the window to lean out and
wave at them.

Blowing
kisses, she called, �I�ll call when I�m settled in! See you!�

The men
waved back and Hermione lost her balance slightly as the train lunged forward
and began to pick up speed. The men were soon a speck in the distance and then
disappeared completely as the platform disappeared from view.

Hermione was
alone for the first time in her life, without her best friends, friends and
parents.

It was
scary. It was exhilarating.

And she
didn�t speak a word of Spanish.

Deciding
that was the first thing to do, she pulled out her Spanish-English dictionary,
and began to memorize words.

However, it
was near midnight when she felt the familiar sensation in her lower regions and
bit her lip.

Looking up
from her book and her backpack, Hermione gathered everything, slipped her book
into the bag and left her compartment, looking up and down the hallway.

She needed
to find a loo. Badly.

Picking one
direction and starting off, Hermione politely asked the first person she came
across to where the bathroom was. The man pointed her in general direction she
was heading in and told her she couldn�t miss it. Thanking him, and grateful,
because her bladder was screaming at her to release it, she walked quickly to
the bathroom and yanked open the door.

And froze.

A young
man, near her age or just older than her, was sitting on the lowered toilet
seat, his head thrown back. His black wavy locks were slightly damp and one
curled over his closed eyes. He had a tanned complexion, one that was natural,
and a lean but toned body. His button-up green shirt was rumpled and slightly
unbuttoned, but his gray slacks were pooled at the bottom of his ankles.

One hand
was gripping the sink edge tightly while the other was wrapped around his cock
and moving up and down rapidly.

Murmuring
under his breath � in what Hermione could only guess what Spanish or Italian �
the young man then bit his lip and his body began to tense.

Hermione
quickly but quietly closed the door and leaned against the wall, her heart
pounding and her breath coming out in quick, erratic pants. She was sweating
and her nerves were racing and she was sure her pupils were dilated.

Biting her
own lip, Hermione made her way back to her compartment, her needs to pee
forgotten.

When she
told Harry and her friends that she wanted a vacation, one that wasn�t boring
like her ex-job at Flourish and Blotts, she hadn�t
expected it would start with her walking into the loo
to see a really gorgeous man wank off.

Grinning as
she sat down on her seat, Hermione laughed lightly.

Boy, would she have a story to tell
when she came back!

-*-

AN: [jan.17.06]

So� my first foray into
Adultfanfiction.net! I�m quite excited to be here (although I know that my
chapter lengths are mostly NOT found on AFF); the er�
�softer� version can be found on FFnet, dutifully
labeled under �Kneazle� as that is my pen name.
Chapters there are posted earlier than here, mainly because of editing while
writing and then going back and inserting new parts to adhere to their rules.

Smut shall come soon. Promise!
- 1
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