Outlaws of Love - A Romione Story (Prologue)
Title: Outlaws of Love
Author:
Pairing: Romione
Rating: PG (this chapter)
Warnings: None at the moment.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters used in this fic, I don't own Harry Potter, and I give credit to Adam Lambert's song for the name of the series.
A/N: Hello everyone! This is just somnething that came into my head after reading the story "My Muggle Maid" on fanfiction.net. I liked the idea and decided to do my own version of it. It's not going to be the same way that story is, but it just has the whole 'maid' idea in it. So credit to the author there for that idea! Anyway, this is my first Romione fanfic and purely out of love for the couple. Enjoy it and any comments are appreciated!
The letter had come in on a nice bright summer day, all but a month before school started for young eleven year old Hermione. The bright eyed darling with brown hair that stuck up every which way had been sitting on her best friend Ella's swing set, her eyes intently reading every little word printed on the page while Ella swung next to her without a care in the world.
"Do you know if you'll be going to school with me this year, Hermione?" Ella curiously asked, gazing up at the clouds as she rocked back and forth.
Hermione shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. Mum told me that she would like me to because of us being friends and all, but I haven't got the slightest clue. I do hope so though. It would be nice to know someone going in to school this year."
"You never really do know until the first day of school, I heard."
"True."
"Ella," a motherly voice suddenly called, coming from inside the younger blonde girl's house, "Ella, where are you dear?"
Ella frowned and slowly stopped her swinging, looking at Hermione with a deeply disappointed expression. Had it really already come time for Hermione to go home? It had definitely seemed like they had only been outside for a short while. There was no way that time had flown that fast.
"Outside mum, what is it?"
Moments passed before an equally as blonde but much taller and more mature woman came out from the house wearing an apron around her waist. She had warm, caring eyes and a smile that always would welcome Hermione in, even when it was forced. Hermione absolutely adored her friend's mom. Walking up to the two girls, Ella's mom turned her attention immediately to Hermione, causing her to have to regrettably close her book and look up at her.
"Hermione dear," she cooed, "you um....your mother wanted me to tell you that you have an important letter awaiting you at home and that you might want to hurry home to open it. I'm not saying you should go home this instant, but-"
"Bye Ella," Hermione yelled, already across the yard and on her way out the back fence faster than Ella or her mother could blink, "I promise to phone for you if it's exciting!"
And with that, Hermione went of to receive one of the best and worst things she would ever get in the mail.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time Hermione had made it back home to her quaint little house, the sun was just about to set. Her parents were engagded in their afternoon activities like they always were. Hermione's mother was busy cooking what was sure to be a delicious dinner and her father like he always would was in the middle of reading the newspaper and half listening to the TV on in the background. It was a simple and ordinary day.
However, what was about to happen was not simple or ordinary.
"Hermione dear," Mrs. Granger called from the kitchen, the sound of water brewing and bubbling masking her voice slightly, "do come to the kitchen. We've got a letter for you that came in the mail, it looks very prestiegious."
Setting her book down on their living room table, Hermione walked cheerfully on into the kitchen and sat on one of their many dinning room chairs. It was there that she waited until her mother finished working on the food to receive whatever letter was, her little mind racing at the speed of a rockets. Certainly this had to mean she most likely wouldn't be attending the same school as Ella. It wasn't a pleasent idea for Hermione, but the thought of going to an amazingly high-prized school for children just as gifted as her made those worries go away. Maybe now, she could have her chance to be normal. Maybe at this new school, she could finally fit in.
"I must admit dear," Mrs. Granger told her daughter as she began to set the table, "the school's name according to the letter has an odd name, but I think it looks splended. Go on and get it, it's sitting on the counter near the stove. Be careful though, it's still hot."
"Yes mum." She ran immediately from her spot in the wooden chair and grabbed the interesting letter off the countertop like her mother had asked, bringing it back in record time. Once sitting down again, Hermione began to pick at the seal on the back on the envelope madly, not stopping even for a moment's rest until it was pried open. She then took the contents out of it and flung the envelope onto the table.
Hermione's mother smirked at her daughter's bewildered face as she read through the letter inside. "Well dear, do go on and read it. I need to know where I'm sending you before the first day comes along."
Looking up at her mother hesitently, Hermione nodded and then began to read off the carefully printed words on the parchment letter.
"Dear Hermione Granger,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress"
It was only moments after she finished reading that Hermione's mother snatched the letter out of her hand to look it over. The look on her face wasn't one of disapproval, but one of utter confusion. Wizardry? What in the world was this letter even talking about? Hogwarts? Was that even a place? Mrs. Granger, even with all of her schooling and years of searching for a top-notch school for her daughter had no clue what the letter meant.
"Hermione," she said after a minute of silent debating, not making direct eye contact with her, "go upstairs please. I must talk to father about this."
"Can I begin on my letter while you speak with daddy, mum?"
Mrs. Granger bit her lip and placed a hand on top of Hermione's head softly, almost as an act of pity. "Just...just do whatever your heart pleases, Hermione. Run along now. I'll call you back down for dinner."
"Yes mum."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, you have to go away to boarding school?"
Hermione nodded regrettably to her best friend, spending their last day together for a year huddled in her treehouse with a bowl of popcorn in between them, a way she hadn't liked but had to agree on doing. Her parents, always the skeptics, had spent day and night researching to find out about Hogwarts. It took another letter sent by an owl to convince them it was real, the contents this time telling them even more about the school and directions on how to get Hermione to the train that would take her there. The night after the owl came, Hermione's parents sat her down and talked to her all about things such as what the school was like to what powers she had within her. They agreed to allow her to go through with the school as long as she kept it a secret to her friends. It was a lot to ask for of a girl like Hermione, but she had agreed to their conditions and she wasn't going to push the limits of them.
Not even for her best friend.
"Mum says that the opportunity is too good to pass up. I have to go there or else I'll be missing out, or something."
Ella frowned. "There goes our plans of going to school together this year."
"It's okay," Hermione managed to say through her own sadness, "it's not like I'll be there all year. In the summer time I'll be here and I'll get to tell you everything I learned and cool things about who I met. It'll be great, I promise you, Besides, we can always write to each other."
"Just promise not to have too much fun with your new friends, Hermione."
Smiling, Hermione reached over and hugged Ella tightly. "I promise you Ella, I won't."
Little did she know, that comforting yet empty promise would soon become the truth.