Chapter Text
It’s late November when Harry sees an ad online he has a feeling will have a severe impact on the course of his life.
He pinches himself as he reads the post; this quaint little bookshop that’s just been put up for sale in London sounds like exactly what Harry has been looking for ever since graduating from university.
After secondary school, he enrolled at his local university to get a degree in English literature. He didn't really know where that would lead him in life at the time, but he didn’t have any other real interests besides reading, so that seemed like the most logical path to go down back then.
He’d gotten himself a part-time job at the school’s library during his first term, not expecting much to come out of it except for a bit of extra money to help pay for his studies as well as his growing book addiction.
The newfound passion for working with books and caring for them that had come along with the job was unexpected, but Harry welcomed it with enthusiasm. He kept working there throughout his whole degree, and thus was born his dream of one day owning his very own bookshop to share his love for literature and storytelling with the rest of the world.
The library was only allowed to employ students of the university though, so he’d unfortunately had to say goodbye to his beloved bookshelves when he graduated, and traded them for a Starbucks apron.
The barista gig would only be temporary though, or so he told himself, hopeful he’d soon get to work among shelves filled with dozens of books again.
That was two years ago now, and Harry is still donning the green apron most days rather than walking among rows of books, not for lack of trying though.
He’d looked into opening his own bookshop, but quickly realised it was actually a lot more complicated than he thought to start one from nothing, and he definitely currently didn't have the funds necessary to make that happen.
He’d applied for jobs at every bookstore and library within a two-town radius without much luck.
Jobs in the book industry were getting harder and harder to find these days thanks to online giants forcing many owners to close shop for good.
He was seriously starting to consider finding another career path to go down when life seems to finally take pity on him and sends him a perfect once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The ad seems almost too good to be true, and Harry finds himself getting more and more excited the further down he reads.
Linda’s Books has been open for almost fifty years, and has always been run by this one man named Richard in honour of his wife, Linda, who had a fervent passion for books, and apparently has a very loyal clientele. Unfortunately, the man recently passed away, and neither of his two children have the means or time to keep the shop going themselves.
Richard’s one wish was that the bookshop be sold to someone that would cherish it just as much as he and his wife had, rather than be bought by some overzealous entrepreneur only to be turned into fancy modern apartments or something potentially even worse.
They’re selling the shop along with all of its books and history, and Harry would be stupid to pass up this perfect opportunity.
He gets to work immediately, making a plethora of phone calls for the rest of the day until his head is spinning and he’s thoroughly exhausted, but also the happiest he’s been in a long time.
Taking over the bookshop will cost him all of his life savings, along with a decent-sized loan from the bank. He’s going to have to move away from his tiny hometown of Holmes Chapel where all of his friends and family are, and find himself a flat in London, which is all a tiny bit daunting.
Still, his brief chat over the phone with the previous owner’s daughters is all it takes to seal the deal for him. They’re just as delighted to have found someone as passionate as their parents to take over the business as Harry is excited about all that’s to come.
It’s definitely a gamble, especially in this day and age, but it’s one Harry is ready to take on. Or as ready as he’ll ever be, he guesses.
Things move really fast after that, and Harry enlists the help of his sister to aid him in finding the place he’ll call home for the foreseeable future.
They only have to visit two tiny, dingy apartments before Harry finds The One. Third time really is the charm, apparently.
“This is perfect,” Harry says dreamily after he’s looked at every room twice. “I love it,”
“Are you sure?” Gemma asks him, looking a little more unsure about it than he is.
The flat in question is a one bedroom just a few minutes' walk away from the bookshop. It’s rather small, but it’ll be just Harry living in here, so that shouldn’t really be a problem. The space is old in a charming sort of way, light and airy, and Harry immediately falls in love with all the quirky little details most people would call flaws; he calls it character.
“I am.” Harry gestures to the place. “Look at it, it’s perfect.”
“If you say so,” Gemma concedes after a while.
Harry signs the lease that same day, his head already filled with tons of projects to make the flat feel a little more like his own.
He moves in the week after that, after packing his whole life away in a few boxes, and gets the keys to the bookstore on the first day of December, mere days after first seeing the ad online.
Harry’s parents and most of his friends think he’s gone a little insane, saying he’s crazy for upending his life in such a drastic way for a bookshop he barely knows anything about.
Though he’s usually a very practical and reasonable person, and he definitely understands his loved ones are only trying to look out for him, Harry finds he doesn’t actually care what any of them think about this adventure. Owning a bookshop has been his dream for many years now, and he could not be more excited about the journey ahead.
Sure, there will probably be some bumps along the way, but he’ll deal with them in due time.
It’s slightly chilly outside when Harry goes to check out the store in person for the first time, so he bundles up in his warmest layers before making the short trek over.
He’s so eager even his normally quick walking pace doesn't seem to bring him there fast enough, and he forces his long legs to walk just a bit quicker against the cold grey pavement.
He squeals when the place he’d only seen in pictures so far appears into view after he rounds a nearby street corner.
The exterior of the shop is quaint but well-maintained. An imposing wooden door stands in the center of two large display windows, all under a deep green awning that read Linda’s Books.
Harry fumbles with the keys as he steps up to the front door, his hands shaking slightly in anticipation.
A gasp falls from his lips as soon as the door finally swings open and he pushes inside. It’s perfect.
Hundreds—no thousands—of books of all kinds fill every square inch of this place in the neatest way Harry has ever witnessed.
The decor is a little outdated, but the bones are there, and they are glorious. There are large windows at the front of the shop that provide abundant light throughout, even in the middle of the cold, dreary London winter. The dark wooden floors are probably original to the building, if Harry were to guess, but it looks like they’ve been well taken care of over the years, and cosy, plush rugs cover some areas of it. Tall ornate shelves stand in rows around the bookshop, serving the dual purpose of holding the countless books that are up for sale, and giving the space an air of grandeur and sophistication.
He takes his time walking around, taking note of all of the different sections and categories, and falls in love even more with the place every step he takes, if that’s even possible.
There truly is something for everyone here; children’s books, comics, novels in dozens of different genres, biographies, encyclopedias, and so much more. Harry can’t wait to delve deeper into each of them. There’s even a small trinket section near the back that he’s immediately enamoured with.
No one has been in here in a couple of weeks, and it shows just a tad in the way the shelves are getting a bit dusty and the air is a little stale.
Harry wastes no time getting to work though, cracking a few windows open to let the air circulate before going to find a broom and duster in the backroom to bring the place back to its original beauty.
It’s starting to get dark outside by the time he finally gets rid of every last bit of dust and clears all the dark hidden corners of cobwebs.
He makes his way to the backroom again to put his cleaning supplies back in their place when he spots a box on the top shelf out of the corner of his eye.
It’s labelled “Christmas”, and that immediately has Harry curious to know what’s inside. He reaches up to grab the box and sets it down on the floor before cracking it open.
A small smile creeps up on Harry’s face as his eyes land on the holiday decorations the box holds; fairy lights, garland in multiple seasonal colours, and a family of four adorable porcelain snowmen.
This is just what the place needs in order to look alive and festive again, and Harry spends the next half hour stringing up the lights and carefully placing the garlands on the shelves until the shop looks like it’s gotten a makeover from Santa’s elves themselves.
He takes a moment to look at the four snowmen, a small teary smile creeping on his face when he notices the names of the members of the family that owned the bookshop before him painted on each of their little hats: Linda, Richard, Vivian, and Monica.
Harry takes the four snowmen to the counter at the back and places them by the cash register so that they can keep him company as he works. This way, Richard and Linda will be able to watch over him, and Harry feels a little better with the knowledge that he’ll be keeping their spirits alive in here in this way.
Once he’s satisfied with the way things look, Harry pulls out the old key to lock up for the night, knowing he’ll be back here tomorrow to prepare some more ahead of the reopening next week.
He’s just about to leave when he notices a fluffy white thing in the display window. He’s not sure what it is at first, so he unlocks the door again to go investigate.
The thing looks up when it hears Harry approach, and Harry smiles when he realises it’s a white cat, curled up and napping in the window among the books.
He’s always been a cat lover, and this one looks so fluffy he can’t resist reaching over to pet it.
The cat purrs when Harry gently scratches behind its ears, clearly used to human affection.
He wonders how long the cat has been here for, or how it came to be here in the first place. It seems to be kind though, so Harry has no issue letting it stay warm in the bookshop if it wants to stay.
He makes a mental note to stop by the pet store in the morning to get it some food, petting the fluffy animal one last time before locking up the shop again.
His cheeks ache as he takes the short walk back home, and his head is swarming with ideas for projects and improvements for the place.
He spots a Chinese takeaway restaurant on his way, and makes a quick decision to get some food for dinner before going back home.
He’s only been in his flat for a few days, and he hasn’t really had the time to fully unpack all of his kitchen boxes yet, so cooking dinner for himself would have probably been quite the challenge.
He pulls his phone out whilst he waits for his order to be ready, sending a quick text to Gemma to tell her about how amazing the bookshop is in person before opening his notes app and jotting down all of his ideas before he forgets them.
There’s realistically no way he’ll be able to get it all done before the place opens, but he can always dream, right?
He eats his dinner alone on his couch and unpacks a few more boxes before calling it a day.
He’s got a lot more work to get done in the next few days to get the place ready to open by Monday, just in time for people to do their Christmas shopping, but he has a good feeling about this.
He really, really hopes he’s right.