The streets were bathed in the glow of the setting sun, and some of the shops had already lit their lamps.
Hermione was rather angry. She stopped and shook off his hand, saying sternly, "Draco, what are you doing? Why the hurry? Besides, I am perfectly able to pay for myself!"
"Oh, honestly, you silly girl!" Draco said, frowning. "Do not tell me you did not notice."
"Notice what?" Hermione asked, puzzled.
"That witch had no feet beneath her skirts! She was a ghost!" Draco said, his face pale. "Do not expect every ghost in the world to be as friendly as the ones at Hogwarts."
"Oh, I never noticed..." Hermione exclaimed in surprise.
When she looked back towards the shop, it had vanished entirely, leaving nothing but a blank wall behind.
It really was very strange.
She stood there, stunned, and murmured, "I ought to have noticed... I was too caught up in that book."
Draco studied the wall, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind.
Like England, France, too, had its wizards. They had their own independent Ministry of Magic, their own wizarding communities, their own magical shopping districts. Just as London had Diagon Alley, Paris had its own street where wizards gathered and shopped.
Occasionally, magical shops like this one opened in smaller towns. But they usually clustered together, appearing in groups, much like Hogsmeade. It was unusual indeed for a magical shop to stand entirely alone in a small town, as it had that day, appearing and then vanishing again so suddenly.
"She probably meant no real harm; likely just a ghost who enjoys running a shop."
He looked at Hermione's uneasy expression, and could not bring himself to say anything further to unsettle her.
He simply cast a wary glance at the book. "In any case, you must be careful with that book. Do not let it turn out like that old diary, with something dreadful hidden inside."
"Then I shall open it and have a proper look." She hurriedly unwrapped the brown paper, and examined it carefully alongside Draco, turning it over and over.
Aside from being a little old, the book seemed no different from any other.
Draco frowned and handed it back to her, still suspicious.
"Do not go looking through it carelessly. Once you can cast spells, use Aparecium and Specialis Revelio on it first, to check for any hidden charms or curses," he instructed her.
"All right, all right, I shall be careful." Hermione put the book away, taking care not to touch his hand, and gave him an apologetic smile. "I am sorry, I misjudged you. I should not have snapped at you just now."
Draco shook his head at her, to show it did not matter, though his brow furrowed once more.
After meeting Hermione again this time, he felt she seemed less familiar with him than before, more formal, and there was even a faint sense of distance about her now.
She always seemed to avoid meeting his eyes. She always seemed to shy away whenever he drew close.
"I think I ought to look at the fridge magnets again..." she said quietly, putting the book away, and headed back towards the stalls.
Draco watched her walk ahead of him, puzzled.
She took in everything around her with such liveliness, occasionally letting out a soft sigh at some Muggle curiosity beside her.
Her carefree eyes reflected the whole bustling world around her... but not him.
What, had she lost interest in him so quickly?
After only a single summer break?
Had she shut that door once more?
In this little town, filled with the scent of flowers, the sound of voices, and the flicker of lamplight, Draco Malfoy meets Hermione Granger once again, and along with her, all the troubles that come to a boy of fourteen.
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