Title: Solid Ground

Summary: Hermione no longer feels enchanted by the world of magic; her mum and step-father are angry and staying in Australia; and Hermione just wants to feel like a normal person again. Her dad agrees to let her move in with him in Sunnydale for a while. What could possibly go wrong with her fool-proof plan for a peaceful, non-life-threatening year of studying and catching up with her father?

Spoilers: Basically anything from any book/season of Harry Potter, Buffy, and Angel is fair game, but if you haven't read/seen all of them yet, why are you reading my crazy ramblings instead of the real thing?

Disclaimer: I don't own them - which is probably a good thing...

A/N: Okay, so this is not even remotely related to my little oneshot that I posted ages ago about Ginny. I obviously have some kind of fascination with the Harry Potter characters escaping the wizarding world after the war. Who knows why? In any case, this is a short chapter, but I'm interested to know what people think - should I continue? Reviews are always appreciated. Enjoy!

Chapter One – Muggle Transport Isn't Much Fun Either

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She felt the inexplicable urge to glare at her reflection as she stood in the airport bathroom, the grimy mirror mocking her from its position above the once-white sink. The flight had been both long and horrible, and had left Hermione feeling really quite filthy. She was forced to sit next to an incredibly tall man who seemed to have a hard time fitting his long limbs into the tiny space, and so had encroached on her little slice of said tiny space.

The seat behind her had been occupied by a young father with his tiny daughter, who couldn't have been more than a few months old. The baby had been quiet for the most part, except for a two hour screaming session, throughout which the father fussed about, trying desperately to figure out what was wrong. The row in front had seated three small children, none of whom seemed capable of behaving themselves for more than five minutes at a time. Their mother, across the aisle, with the youngest of the children, appeared disinterested in the disruptions her children were causing in the cabin.

Hermione had been exceptionally glad to escape the aircraft, and had, thankfully, only had to wait a further ten minutes or so to claim her luggage.

Now she stood in the bathroom, contemplating her appearance. She wasn't a vain girl, but she still couldn't stand the sight of the bird's nest that currently sat atop her head, nor was she particularly pleased with the dark circles beneath her eyes. The small amount of makeup she had put on before her flight did nothing to hide her fatigue. Add to that the strange griminess that seemed to go hand-in-hand with public transport of any kind, and she was seriously contemplating pulling out her wand.

The bathroom door swung open, hitting the wall behind it with a loud bang that startled Hermione from her thoughts. She turned to see the same group of small children from the plane rush through the door, their mother trailing after them, looking harried and, once again, disinterested in their behaviour. With a last glance at the wild children, Hermione shelved the wand idea and made her way out of the bathroom. She had truly not wanted her father to see her looking so unkempt, but there wasn't much for it. Perhaps she would have a chance later to make herself presentable before he arrived.

Glancing at her watch, she realised she had at least another quarter hour before her father arrived. She sighed, wishing she had followed her friends' suggestion to travel to California on an International Portkey. It would have been faster, cheaper, and simpler than arriving by plane, not to mention cleaner. But, Hermione had been determined that she would travel via muggle means, considering she was intending to live predominantly as a muggle for at least the next year. She had wanted to get into the swing of things after spending the last seven years relying on magic for numerous tasks, and flying into Los Angeles had seemed like a good way to do so.

Now all she wanted was to reach her father's house, have a warm shower, and collapse into a nice bed.

Lugging her suitcases behind her, Hermione walked the length of the airport, until she located a small coffee shop that smelled like heaven. Ordering a very large coffee and a muffin, she sunk into one of the almost-comfortable chairs to wait for her father, pulling a novel from her carry-on to read in the meantime.

Half an hour passed without notice as Hermione finished her coffee and, shortly afterwards, her novel. It was only then she glanced at her watch, and realised her father was almost twenty minutes late.

It was rather odd, she thought, her father was never late for anything. The thought sent a spark of panic running through her, and horrible scenarios filled her mind. Hermione shook her head, exasperated with herself. She was so used to things going wrong that she was getting worked up about something as simple as her father being a little late to pick her up. Gathering her bags and dumping her rubbish in the nearest bin, she glanced around the small cafe, looking for someone who might be able to give her directions.

"Excuse me," She captured the attention of the young woman who had served her at the counter. "Could you possibly point me in the direction of a public phone?"

The girl, whose nametag read 'Trina' in bright letters, spoke with a thick accent that was decidedly American, but otherwise unrecognisable to Hermione. "Sure, honey, you just head back down that way, towards the baggage claim. There's a little alcove off to the left with about half a dozen phones."

Hermione thanked the cheerful woman and hurried off to follow her directions. Locating the alcove easily, she set her bags down and punched in her father's number. "Pick up, pick up, pick up," she murmured under her breath, annoyed when it went straight to his answering machine. With a sigh, she left a short message before deciding to walk about the airport a bit in the hopes of finding him somewhere amongst the masses. She grinned at the thought of him wandering confused around the huge building, as she set off towards some of the other cafes dotted throughout the airport.

It was almost an hour later when she finally had enough of hearing her father's voice on the answering machine. After half a dozen calls, and just as many messages, she decided to simply inform him that she intended to get the bus into Sunnydale, and find her own way to his flat. During her hour of wanderings and unanswered phone calls, she'd enquired about the next bus to Sunnydale, and was pleased to find out there wasn't much of a wait. "I hope you're okay, Dad. I'll see you in a bit," Hermione finished before she ended the call and made her was to the bus terminal, fretting over her father's whereabouts.

As the half-empty bus pulled out of the terminal, headed for the little town her father currently called home, Hermione couldn't help but worry that something was seriously wrong.

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