Note: Coffee Shop!AU, Modern!AU

Hermione pushed through the doors of Knights and Thestrals Cafe, her usual collected demeanor replaced with tension and irritated. The force in the push made some of the other customers inside look at her funny, but she paid them no mind. Instead, she slid into her usual chair, a table in the corner next to the last window.

She was mumbling to herself, her arms folded when a blonde slid a cup in front of her.

"I've been waiting for you to arrive," she said. "You're never late, and you were today." The blonde slid into the chair across from Hermione wearing a seafoam apron with purple polka dots. "What's wrong?"

Hermione grabbed the cup in front of her with both hands, enjoying the warmth pool through her fingers.

"It's nothing, Luna," she murmured. "I'm handling it."

Luna shook her head. "It's something. You were late, and your aura has darkened a shade or two." Luna tapped the table three times. "Was it your coworker again?"

Hermione inhaled the chocolate scent in the coffee Luna brought her, and it began to help her nerves. She was just as bad as her mentor, Remus; they were suckers for chocolate. She was going to need it given the morning she'd had.

"He took my idea again," she told Luna, a bit of bitterness in her tone. "Went into the conference room and presented it like he came up with it all by himself. He doesn't have the mental capacity to gather files! How dare he take my idea! Then, when I went to confront him, he 'spilled' his water from the fountain over my suit. I had to go home and change." She then muttered something about the one day she didn't prepare a second outfit in her trunk.

"Hmm..." Luna tapped her chin. "We could always handle him if you need it."

Hermione waved her hand dismissively, taking a sip from her coffee. "I shouldn't waste my energy on the prat. It just infuriates me when he does things like this."

Luna shook her head once more. "It only gets worse if you let him get away with it, Hermione. You know that."

Hermione glanced down at the cup in her hands, sighing. She knew Luna was right. She was always right; it would be irksome if Hermione didn't do the same thing to her.

Grabbing a pen from the pocket in her apron, Luna began to doodle on her hand. She appeared concentrated on it until Hermione grabbed her attention.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm planning a scheme, Hermione. Give me a second."

"What?"

"Hermione, please. I have to concentrate. The alibi is easy, you'll be right here while I'll be collecting inventory according to Alastor. He won't suspect anything as long as nothing's missing from his bean stash."

Hermione blinked at her friend. She could be serious about this. There was no telling with the whimsical blonde.

"Please tell me you're joking," Hermione whispered so no one around would hear anything that would prompt the police. "I want to hurt the guy, not murder him."

Luna chuckled softly to herself. "There's no murder if there's no evidence, Hermione. Besides, if I were, you wouldn't know about it until it was over. You always try to talk me out of my ideas."

She continued to scribble, and Hermione peeked over at her hand. It looked like a bunch of stars and flowers, but Hermione knew that it was never that simple with Luna.

As she sipped her cup, Hermione suddenly had the urge to laugh. And she did. As she did so, she could see Luna beginning to smile.

"There it is," Luna said. "Now my job here is done." She began to stand.

Hermione looked up at her. "So you're not going to murder or harm anyone?"

Luna placed a finger to her lips. "What did I tell you, Hermione. You wouldn't know. Plus, the plan was to do something to make you smile. It worked." She patted Hermione's shoulder. "I have to get back to work, but I'll be back at my next break. There's a new flower patch in the park that I want to lay in." She left for the counter, stopping to help other customers while Hermione watched her walk away.

Was she sure that Luna didn't actually plan a murder? Not at all. Was she happy that she had a friend like Luna? Absolutely.

Word Count: 740