Leveraging Hermione

Howdy one and all! Here's the next chapter. Thank you to everyone that took the time to review! Your words of encouragement have bolstered me, seeing as I didn't know how this crossover would be liked. Here's the next chapter and as usual, please review! Enjoy.

Chapter Six

            “This is getting to be ridiculous,” Harry said, as he joined her at the breakfast table at their favorite diner.

            She looked so haggard and weary that it was painful to see. Her hair was a riotous mess and her clothing—Wasn’t she wearing that same outfit of jeans and a t-shirt yesterday? Yeah, this wasn’t the best of days for his friend.

            “You need to sleep,” he told her. “And regardless of what you may think, coffee isn’t a food group.”

            “So says you,” she muttered, sipping on the hot brew. “We have a problem.”

            “Several if the look of you is anything to go by,” he said, waving their waitress over only to have a hyper man come over with a notebook that wasn’t even an order pad.

            “Hey, I’m Walter and I’ll be your waiter today!” He did a little dance. “What can I get you?”

            Hermione took a sip of her coffee slowly before saying, “Really, Mr. Hardison, if you insist on being undercover, the least you can be is a bit more conspicuous about it.”

            He blinked at her. “I don’t know what you’re…”

            Nate came over and sat down in one of the other available seats. “Miss Granger.” He looked over to Harry. “Mr. Potter.” He looked over to Hardison. “I’ll have a coffee.” Rolling his eyes, Hardison walked away. Nate looked back over to them. “I heard you’re looking for someone.”

            Harry glanced to Hermione, only to find her rubbing her eyes as if to ward off one of her headaches. Looking back over to Nate, he said to his long time friend, “I take it this is one of the problems you just mentioned?”

            “One of them,” she replied, looking over to Nate. “What does our task have to do with you, Mr. Ford?”

            Hardison came back over with Nate's coffee. “This doesn’t make me your servant, you know.”

            “The fact that you are pretending to be a waiter in a diner makes you one to all sitting at the tables you are assigned to work at,” Hermione told him with a matter of fact air. “I want a refill on my coffee, please?”

            Glaring at her, he turned heel and left.

            This had Nate snorting with laughter. “So like I said, I heard you were looking for someone.”

            Hermione looked over to Harry once again. “He knows people and has contacts we could never hope to have here in this town.” When Nate was about to speak, Hermione held up one finger to hold him off a moment. “Harry, you’re not the only one that wants this to be over. We have to use the resources we’ve been given.” Harry only stared at her a moment before she whispered one very tired, “Please, Harry. For me?”

            Letting out a sigh he muttered, “Fine, but you deal with the consequences.”

            Hermione pulled out a photo and handed it over to Nate. “That is Antonin Dolohov. He is not to be approached by anyone. He is a well trained, psychopathic killer, who has and will kill those in his way. And before you even say it, I’ve seen him take out men more trained than Mr. Spencer without breaking a sweat.” That had him looking at her startled. “If you or anyone else sees him…” She pulled out a business card and handed it over to him. “Call this number. It’s my cell. We’ll get there to take him down.”

            He looked it over and slid it into his inner coat pocket along with the photograph she had given to him. Nate was about to leave when a gentleman joined them, sitting in the only other available seat at the table.

            “Why isn’t this cozy?” he asked, his voice low and full of sarcasm. “Is this business or pleasure, Nate?” He looked over to Hermione. “Lovely hairdo, my dear. Professionally done?”

            She sipped on her coffee, looking over to Nate. “Who is the troglodyte in the bad suit?”

            This had Nate grinning, as he said, “A minor difficulty.”

            She nodded slowly. “Hmm, pity.” She finished off her coffee and waved to Hardison, who was doing his best to ignore her as he was now pretending to be on his break. “The service industry isn’t what it used to be.” She waved to the nearest waitress, pointing to her mug. Setting her mug down, she looked over to the man who was now glaring at her. “And your name would be?”

            “James Sterling,” he introduced himself. “IYS Insurance.”

            “Really?” she drawled. “An insurance man? How positively pedestrian.” Hermione looked over to Nate. “But then you would know far more about that than I ever would or care to.” She looked back over to Sterling. “I’ve enough insurance, thank you.”

            She beamed at the waitress as she came over and was about to hand over her mug when Sterling stood up, grabbed the pot of coffee and poured it into the nearest potted plant. This was followed by him hitting the glass vessel against the nearest wall, looking at her after he had done so.

            “Nate Ford is a thief and I’ll do everything in my power to tie you to him.” He leaned in closer to her. “When I’m through, you won’t have a pot to piss in.” He stared at her hard. “How’s that for pedestrian?”

            Hermione’s eyes narrowed dangerously, as she stared at him. She pulled out her cellphone and hit the quick dial on her phone. A moment later she said, “James Sterling. Detain. Ten days. Immediately at this location.” She hung up, standing up.

            Soon enough everyone knew why. She punched him straight in the nose, grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back, she walked him out of the diner and into the custody of several men in a black van that was just pulling up. When it looked like he was going to try to scream, one of the men used a cloth doused in chloroform. His eyes rolled back into his head and he was placed carefully into the van. As soon as they took off, she turned to go back into the restaurant and found Nate standing there stunned.

            “You have ten days of freedom from your Mr. Sterling,” she informed him. “Use them well.”

             Hermione walked back into the diner even as Harry muttered, “Poor bastard. I could have told him the number one rule when dealing with her.”

            “What’s that?” Nate inquired.

            “Never fuck with Hermione’s coffee.”

***

There you go! Chapter six is posted. Have a great Monday!