Sorry for not having posted in...years. I think that it has literally been a year or two since my last post. Whoops. Anyway, here’s a little story that I thought up that I hope isn’t too cheesy…(It’s pretty long though, I guess)
“So, you’re telling me that you moved all the way out here with no plan, with barely enough money to pay for a month’s rent, and no job prospects?” Y/N’s friend, Margaret, said to her on her first day in the country. Y/N nodded. “Bloody idiot.”
“Well, I’m here now. And here I will stay,” she said defiantly to Margaret. Her friend looked at her with worry, and Y/N felt her heart warming. “Don’t worry about me, Meg, I’ve got it all under control. The bookshop next door might be hiring, and even if they’re not, that won’t stop me from making a living somewhere.”
“Just… take care of yourself, Y/N. I have to go - Ministry work and all that - but please call me if you need anything.”
Y/N nodded and smiled at Meg as she apparated away. She breathed a sigh of relief once she was gone. Y/N was terrified. Moving all the way from some random suburb in America to cute, little Brighton was quite the change. She really hoped that the bookshop next door was hiring, or she would be struggling to pay her rent this month.
“Do you do anything other than work, like, ever?” asked a concerned Margaret, two months later. The sky was bright, and the light shone from the single window in Y/N’s cramped kitchen. “I feel like you only take the day off when I show up. I bet you’re itching to go back and sort those books, aren’t you? Are you even listening?”
Y/N’s gaze rested on the view from the window as she thought about sorting books onto the correct shelves of the bookshop. What new books were in stock? Maybe she could find a new one to read for tonight… Her mind snapped back to the present as Meg addressed her. “Hm? No, I actually wasn’t thinking about work, thankyouverymuch.”
“Then what could you have possibly been thinking about?” Meg asked, with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh, uh,” Y/N’s mind raced for something to say. “Oh! I was thinking about this guy… who I saw at work a few times.”
Meg sighed. “Baby steps,” she mumbled under her breath, unaware that Y/N heard her. “A guy you say? Tell me about him!” Best friend mode was immediately engaged.
“Oh, no, no, no - it’s nothing like that,” replied a wide-eyed, blushing Y/N. “He’s very handsome, but he’s only come in twice. And he’s engaged, so it’s not like it could go anywhere - not like I want it to…” Her rambling was cut short by a giggle from her friend.
“A homewrecker! Oh, my, how scandalous.”
“Oh, shut it! It’s nothing! Were you even listening?” Desperately, Y/N sought to change the subject from her little crush. “Tell me how you’ve been, it’s been ages.”
At the bookshop, Y/N was clearing away books from one of the reading tables when her favorite blonde-haired boy stepped into the store, the bell above the door signaling his entrance. “Hello, how can I help you today?” greeted Y/N.
It had merely been two days since her conversation with Meg, and thoughts about this customer raced through her head in between conversation.
“I need a book to take my mind far, far away.” He spoke distantly, with an emotionless look in his eyes.
Y/N hesitated at his tone. Did something happen? Her mind held onto this curiosity, but she forced it back before the words could escape her lips. “Sure, are you looking for a fantasy novel, or something more emotionally gripping, as opposed to adventurous?”
Until then, he had avoided eye contact with Y/N, but in that moment he looked her straight in the eyes. She saw a mixture of pain and sadness that caused a lump to form in her throat. “My fiance and I just split up this afternoon, so what would you recommend for that?”
Y/N’s eyes widened. Unsure of how to respond, she remained silent, her mind racing. His voice was laced with bitterness and sarcasm, and she didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. “Well,” she cleared her throat, “I can try to direct you-”
“I’m sorry, but I think I’ve changed my mind. Sorry to have wasted your time,” he said, turning around and walking out of the stoor. When the jingle of the bell above the door stopped, Y/N’s mind cleared. Her eyes scanned the books on the shelves in front of her and, spotting the exact book she was looking for, grabbed it and threw it into a newspaper parcel tied with string.
She looked towards the register, where the store owner motioned for her to hurry up. Her legs took her swiftly outside of the bookshop, where she spotted the blonde-haired customer with the gray eyes walking down the sidewalk. She sprinted towards him and managed to catch up before he rounded the corner.
The man stopped and turned around, likely due to her loud footsteps. “I’m sorry, that was incredibly unprofessional of me back there,” Y/N managed in between her panting. She took a second to catch her breath before continuing. “So, please take this as a gift. I think you may like it.”
She handed him the parcel. “Right,” she said with a new breath, “I should get back to work.”
“I’m sorry, but what is your name?”
He caught her by surprise, but she replied, “Y/N, sir.”
“Right. Well, take this. I don’t have very much cash on me so I hope it’ll do,” he said, handing her a golden coin. “I’ll be on my way.”
Before she could protest, he was already around the corner. She looked for him, but he seemed to have disappeared. In her hands sat a shiny gold galleon. So, he’s a wizard, she thought. Well, I have no use for this.
She put the galleon into the pocket of her overalls and turned to return to the bookshop, wondering where the man had apparated to, and what his name was.
“BREAKING NEWS: POWER COUPLE DRACO MALFOY AND ARABELLA ABBOTT BREAKUP”
The headline was everywhere, with the couple’s faces plastered over every magazine article, and every newscaster speaking about them. Y/N couldn’t care less. Their faces seemed familiar, though she chalked it up to seeing them everywhere. Why Meg felt the need to have the TV on celebrity news channels at all times was beyond her.
At any rate, she was glad to have returned to the bookshop for the night, for some tidying up before closing time. “You know, you don’t have to spend all of your time here. You should go out and do whatever it is young people do these days,” said Eve, the owner of the shop.
“I’m happy right here,” Y/N said with a smile. Besides, it’s not as if she had anyone to talk to in this country other than Meg.
Y/N moved to the back of the store, where there was a nook that was only a few feet across - about enough space for a maximum of three people to fit - with three walls lined with books on shelves. Because it was such a popular spot, it was a small mess. The single beanbag chair in the spot always had books laying underneath of it that kids had probably tried to hide.
Being in the back of the store meant that she hadn’t heard the bell above the door jingle with the entrance of a single customer. “Oh, hello,” she said with surprise as he stepped around a bookshelf to see her in this space.
“That book you gave me,” he began, stepping into the confined area of the nook, “was exactly what I needed.”
She smiled. “I’m glad you liked it. How can I help you today? I do have to let you know that closing time is-”
Y/N stopped as his arm reached over her shoulder to the wall behind her. In this space, he had to bend his head down to fit, causing their faces to be quite close together. Y/N could feel her face flush as his breath invaded her space. The smell of his cologne hypnotized her, but before she could say anything, he pulled back, book in hand.
Not realizing she was holding her breath, she audibly exhaled. “That one’s, uhm,” still quite flustered, she struggled with what to say about the book in his hand.
As she was about to speak again, his eyes flicked up to meet hers and suddenly their lips met. The taste of spearmint overwhelmed her, and the smell of his cologne again captivated her.
As he drew back, their eyes met once again. This time, Y/N recognized him from the faces plastered all over the wizarding world news this morning. For a moment, she wondered about that again. Her thoughts dismissed themselves when Draco Malfoy spoke.
“That was horribly inappropriate,” he stated about himself. Y/N nodded. “Would you like to go out for a coffee, by any chance?” Y/N nodded. “Brilliant.”
