The Muggle Project

Claridge Hotel

Unlike the ride to Hogwarts, this one was less cluttered since the only travelers were 7th years. This meant that every one was able to have a compartment to themselves if they wanted to. Several of the females that didn't particularly like the presence of their partners shared a cabin with their friends. The same for the males.

Draco and I took one towards the back of the train. These were normally the ones that the Slytherin's took. For the entire ride I laid with my head resting in Draco's lap. Thirty minutes into the ride, though, I had fallen asleep. When we arrived in London at the Kings Cross Station he woke me up.

"We are here." He said, helping me into an upright position.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and yawned before standing up. For the briefest moment, vertigo hit me and he had to wrap his arm around me to keep me from toppling over.

He ended up carrying our bags for me as we got off the train. From there we exited from the platform and into the main part of the station. Because of the time it wasn't as busy as it would normally be in the early morning.

"This way, students." Professor Tonks called out. She gestured towards the exit.

Draco and I glanced around before we followed. It was a short 5 minute walk to the street and then she stuck out her wand hand. In just under five seconds a double decker bus appeared, as if from magic.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus." A man with blue hair and an eye patch said. "Basic travel for the stranded witch or wizard." He read from a card that he held in his hands. "I'm Julius Walters, your conductor..." he glanced up and paused when he saw us.

"I'm sure you have recieved an owl on my behalf." Professor Tonks said.

Julius tucked away his card in a small pocket and smiled. "Certainly. The itenerary states that majority of your students will be staying at the Leaky Cauldron and a small portion will be taken to the Claridge just down the way a bit." He said before stepping aside to allow us in.

"Come along, students." She said as she climb aboard.

Draco grabbed our bags and we made our way onto the bus, where we took a seat in the first spot we could.

"Okay, next stop, the Claridge." Julius announced once every one was inside and sitting.

"Now, listen up, because I am only going to say this once. Because the Claridge is a muggle hotel, I have hand picked the students that will be staying there for the duration of the trip. Draco, Hermione, you are obviously on that list." She said, as she glanced at a clipboard.

I turned and smiled at Draco, who then put his arm around me and kissed my cheek.

"Luna, Neville, Justin, Viktoria, Tyler, Jamie, Mitch, Samantha, Chris and Rebecca. Those that I have called, you will be staying at the Claridge. This is a privelage, might I add. You will all be on your best behavoir."

Viktoria rose her hand. "Mrs. Tonks, what exactly can we do while we are here in London?" she asked.

"Those that are staying at the Claridge, you will be responsible for getting to your appointment on time, when it is your turn. Each room has a packet, waiting for you and your partner. It will tell you what is to be expected of you. Those that will be staying at the Leaky Cauldron, I will personally tell you, myself. Later." She explained.

The remainder of the ride was in silence. Only when we came to our first stop, outside the Claridge, did that change. Oooh's and Ahhh's could be heard from almost every student as they pressed their face up against the window to get a decent view.

"Nice, I'm so jealous, Hermione!" Faye said. "I bet you have a swimming pool in your room."

"Don't be rediculous, Faye." I said as I rose to my feet.

"To all those that wonder why I have chosen these particular students to stay at this lush hotel, think back to everything you did wrong. This is a lesson in life. They worked hard, were responsible with their assignments and have the highest grades. They are successful."

I felt my cheeks blush. Of course I was used to being near perfect in my grades and work but this was the first I've ever been fawned over by a teacher.

"Enjoy your week." Professor Tonks said as we exited the bus with our things.

The second the last student filed off the bus the doors closed and then it disappeared with a bang. I turned towards the entrance of the building and smiled.

"I can't believe this, can you imagine how much it is to stay here." I began as we made our way inside.

"My father works in the Ministry of Magic along side the Minster himself. He told me about all of this before the term began and mentioned that everything while we are in London is curteousy of the Muggle Prime Minister. I believe the only thing we will be paying for ourselves is our shopping." Viktoria said with a sneer, even Lucius Malfoy would be proud of.

The inside of the hotel was spectacularly beautiful. Even more elegant than the interior at the Malfoy Manor, which was mostly dull and made of stone. I even caught Draco looking around in awe.

We walked up to the front desk and rang the bell. A woman in a expensively tailored suit appeared at the register.

"Welcome to the Claridge Hotel, where luxury begins. May I look up your reservation?" She greeted.

"Hermione and Draco." I said, gesturing between the two of us. "We are with-" Before I could finish, she had typed in our first names.

"Ahh, yes, guests of the Prime Minister. Er, it seems like your Claridge Suit has been double booked. The current residence just checked in twenty minutes ago."

I frowned, turning to Draco. "What do we do?"

"Do you have any other rooms?" He asked her.

I waited, patiently, as she typed away on her computer. After a few clicks of her mouse she looked back up at us.

"I'm afraid we are booked full for the rest of the week."

"Any other suggestions?" I asked Draco.

When he was at a loss for words I went to turn to one of the other students for a suggestion but the last of them were loading onto the elevator.

"We are screwed, we are definitely screwed, Draco."

"I would like to speak to your manager, now!" Draco snapped.

His sudden sharpness caught me off gaurd.

Without a word the woman picked up a walkie talkie and called for one. After waiting, for almost ten minutes a manager finally arrived.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"That would be nice." Draco replied in the same hard voice.

"What seems to be the problem?"

"Well," Draco began as he leaned in towards the manager. "My pregnant wife and I traveled all the way from Scotland for a doctors appointment. We booked a suite at this hotel for the next week and she tells us, upon checking in, that our room was double booked. Not to mention, every other room is full. I demand that you take action."

"Sir. If our rooms are all booked up, there is nothing else that I can do."

The woman cleared her throat. "Sir, they are guests of the Prime Minister." I heard her whispered into his ear.

The demeanor of the Manager changed and he began typing away on the computer. "Ok, so we keep these rooms for our VIP's when they come into London. Fortunately, we have one that is expected to be vacant for the remainder of the month so for the next week it is all yours." He handed us a couple card keys and an envelope.

"What is this?" Draco asked, his tone still the same.

"Complimentary passes to our restuarants, spa and any Master class you two may choose to attend. Everything is on us for the remainder of your stay, just make sure to tell the Prime Minister that you were well taken care of during your stay."

"Hmm." Draco glanced at the envelope with a unimpressed expression on his face and then looked back up to the manager. "Lets just see how the rest of the week goes, first." He sneered before turning to pick up our bags.

"Sir, I can have our bellhop attend to your bags for you." The manager said.

Draco lifted our bags into his hands, and without turning to face the manager, he replied. "Oh, I think you have done enough." Though the comment wasn't intended for me, I felt the sting.

When we were finally in the elevator Draco stuck in the card and we began moving upwards.

"What was that?" I asked, my arms crossed tight.

"What was what?" He asked, his tone was kind again.

"Your attitude, you didn't have to be so rude." I snapped.

"But I did. In these types of places, in order to get what you need you have to be assertive and let them know you mean business."

We were passing the 15th floor.

"You've stayed in a muggle hotel before?" I asked in complete disbelief.

Not even in a million years could I ever imagine Lucius and Narcissa bringing their son into a muggle hotel to stay. They were uptight purebloods that abstained from anything having to do with muggles.

"Obviously not, Hermione. But I figured, since we are all human, it works the same. And I was right. If I didn't act the way I did, back there, they probably would have given us the boot. Then where would be stay?"

Draco was right. What he did was a little extreme but it worked and now we were staying in a VIP suit and we had passes to everything. I was already imagining spending time in the spa.

"Are you still mad at me?" Draco asked, pulling me into his arms.

"I was never mad at you to begin with, Draco. Just slightly put off." I told him as I wrapped my arms around him.

The elevator dinged, announcing our arrival to our floor. I dropped my arms and took a step back just as the doors opened. The scene that unfolded right infront of me was breath takingly gorgeous. And this was just the foyer.

"Wow." Draco said, stealing the words right from my mouth.

We passed through the foyer and into the living room. The back wall was entirely glass, framed by floral curtains. Sitting center was a large cream color couch with a matching over-plush chair nestled to its left. Opposite the couch were two brown leather chairs, and nestled between the four items, an ivory coffee table.

Both the ceilings and walls were painted. The walls a champagne color and the ceilings, white with a single black strip that ran through it. Hanging here and there were abstract paintings and in the corner, near the entrance to the next room, was a potted plant.

"It's like we never left home." Draco said as he ran his finger across the fabric of the couch.

"I'm going to go and look at the bedroom, Draco."

He glanced up and nodded his head and then I walked into the next room, which was a small hall. The first door let to the dining room and the beautifully styled kitchen. The second door was a bathroom. Not only did we have a large shower, but a huge bathtub that reminded me a spa, only slightly more rectangular.

The next room was a bedroom. From it's size, in comparison to the other nextdoor, it wasn't the master. The masterbedroom was like the rest of the house, elegant in its look. Sitting in the center of the room was a large four-poster bed. It's curtains and sheets white and cream. Across from the bed was a pair of french doors framed by pastel yellow curtains with a sheer white drop. The walls were papered with inverted blue and yellow striped wallpaper, with intricate 6 inch moldings running the base.

Against the wall that led into the ensuite bathroom, there was a built-in vanity. The mirror reaching all the way to the ceiling.

"Merlins beard, I take it back, Hermione, this is better than our house!" Draco exclaimed as he entered the room.

"The quality and decor is quite extensive. It's actually starting to make me uncomfortable. I mean, we technically shouldn't even be in here." All this fancy stuff was making me nervous. What if we spilt something on the carpets or furniture? We weren't allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts.

"Hermione." Draco said as he placed his hands on my shoulders. "Don't think about it like that. Look at this as us celebrating our hard work and effort that we put into our project. We are going to enjoy our week away from school and then when the time comes we will find out whether we are having a boy or a girl. Then-" Before he could speak another word I remembered the packet that we were supposed to recieve to give us details on our appointment.

I turned to look at the bed and there it was. I walked forward and picked up the packet and began skimming through it until I found what I was looking for.

"Our appointment is tomorrow at 11 am." I said.

Suddenly I began to grow nervous. Why was I getting nervous? It was just an appointment that would tell us whether we would have a son or a daughter for the project. Then I understood why. I wanted it to be a girl.