Ronan O'Reilly was now twenty-one years old. He had just successfully completed four full years at Salem Center of Higher Magical Learning and Advanced Magical Techniques. He also graduated top of his class. His father, Erik O'Reilly, was very proud of his son for his hard work and dedication to his magical learning. Ronan had changed over the years. He was no longer scrawny or awkward. He was now built much like his father.

At this moment Ronan is sitting in a rather plush office, reading several pieces of parchment. His brow is furrowed. "Where do they come up with this stuff?" He stands and rubs his eyes. He had been going over articles for hour at his fathers request. "I need a break." He grabs his wand. He would have to change out of his scarlet robes before he went outside. They were identical to his fathers but instead of the word Minister being printed under the crest the words Minister in Training were there.

He flicks his wand over his appearance and sighs. He was now wearing a pair of black pants and a light emerald green turtle neck. He also had a pair of light yet very warm boots on since it had begun to snow. He grabs his coat off the back of his chair and exits the office, locking it behind him. He waves to the receptionist when he leaves the building. He pulls the coat tighter around him. He disliked winter and even more so when it was around Christmas. He snorts and begins to walk down the street heading towards his favorite restaurant, Half Baked. Their food was marvelous.

He steps inside the quietly little restaurant and looks around. A small smile playing on his lips. He keeps his head down as he seats himself in a dark corner. Away from prying eyes. Or rather prying eyes of women. They seemed to flock around him no matter where he went. He annoyed him to end. A waiter quickly brings him a menu and takes his drink order which was a glass of imported Italian wine. He eyes the menu and makes up his mind. When the waiting comes back he orders a plate of Lasagna with garlic bread and a side salad with Italian dressing. He hands the menu back to the waiting and lets his eyes wonder. The place was quiet for a reason. They only let certain people in at the request of the owner. Which meant the place was never packed unless it was for a party. He runs a hand through his short blonde hair. Something was bothering him. But what was it? He could put his finger on it. Soon his meal is served and he begins to eat, slowly. Savoring the delicious food. His savoring his interrupted by a ruckus at the door where the host was trying to make a women leave. He blinks and tilts his head to the side. Listening.

"How can you stop me from entering a restaurant? I thought you bloody American's prided yourselves on this being a free country!" She was more annoyed than angry.

Ronan stands and makes his way over to where the situation was becoming increasingly worse. "Is there a problem here?" He looks at the host then to the women.

"No sir. This young lady was just leaving. She was lost. But I'm sure she can find her way now." The host said in a snobbish french accent.

"I was not just leaving. This man has been rude and inhospitable to me every since I stepped foot into this establishment." The women eyes the young man.

Ronan chuckles. "It's ok, Frederick. She may enter. And next time please try and handle situations a little less...loud. Your interrupting the other guests." He then steers the women over to his pervious table and pulls out a chair for her. "Please sit. Excuse Fredericks behavior. He has been told time and time again about being nicer to the customers. He just don't seem to grasp the concept."

The young lady nods and sits down in the offered seat. "He acted as if you own this place. But it's ok. I'm fine. Just a little frazzled."

Ronan blinks. "I am the owner of this restaurant. And please enjoy a complementary meal on us for his rudeness." He holds out a hand over the table. "I'm Ronan, Ronan O'Reilly."

The young women blinks and covers her mouth to stifle a gasp. This young man was the owner of the restaurant. He didn't look any older than she was. She takes his hand and shakes it. "I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger."

Ronan's eyes widen just a bit at the name but he quickly hides his shock. "Pleasure to meet you Hermione. If you don't mind me asking...Your not from around here are you?"

Hermione chuckles and shakes her head. "No. I'm from England. I'm here with several friends. We are actually hunting for someone." She stops to tell the waiter to bring her the same thing that Ronan was having. He again scurries off to fulfill the order. Now that I answered you question. Let me ask you one. Are you really the owner or is that some pick up line? You can't be any older than me." She picks up a fork and begins to fiddle with it.

It was Ronan's turn to chuckle. "I can assure you that I am indeed that owner of this fine establishment. And I'm 21. My father is Erik O'Reilly. The Minister of Magic."

She drops the fork and stares at the young man. He knew that she was a witch. His words were not just a slip of tongue. He knew. But how?

He begins to eat once again only stopping once to thank the waiter for bringing Hermione's food. "I didn't mean to startle you. I've read a lot about you in several magazines. You were Witch Weekly's Top Witch this month." He smile softly.

She clears her throat and begins to eat. "I just didn't realize that there would be any magical people in a restaurant called Half Baked."

He blinks and sips his wine. "This is a safe haven for both magical and non-magical people. They come here to converse and eat in peace." He smiles fondly at a distant memory.

She shakes her head. "You amaze me, Ronan. Nothing like your father. I had the honor of meeting him for a brief moment when I was younger. Lets just say I wasn't very impressed by his style."

He nods. "My father tries to keep things in order the best he can. But sometimes his ideas don't always work out as planned. Now. Can we please stop talking about my father? I've been stuck up in my office for hours working on a project he gave me. This is my time to relax."

Hermione nods. "Of course. One of my friends would be a relative of yours. Luke O'Reilly. I believe he is your cousin." She says quietly.

Ronan chokes on his drink as it goes down. "I didn't even realize that Luke was still alive. We don't talk about him much. Dad said he turned his back on this family. That's why we never see him anymore. He had a brother. James. If I'm not mistaken. Very bright boy. Very tragic end."

Hermione blinks. "What about James? Tragic end? How?" She was very curious about James since that was the very person that they were hunting for. Because James was really her former best friend, Harry Potter.

He sighs. "Dad don't like to talk about this much either. James lived with us for awhile. He had gotten badly injured at the boarding school he attended and we had to take care of him. Poor boy lost his mind about four months after we got him home. Dad sent him off to one of those very expensive mental health hospitals that specialized in treating witches and wizards. He's been there ever since. The doctors call once a month to give a report. They said he will never be normal again. Some kind of trauma caused him to revert back into a time where pain seemed less abundant. They figure he has the mind of a two maybe three year old." He nods to the waiter as he clears their table of everything except their drinking glasses.

Hermione looks down at her hand. It couldn't be true. Harry had a strong mind. But the boy that she had come to know as James, did not. She didn't know what to say. All she do was sit their and listen to her heart break.

"Who are your other traveling companions? You mentioned Luke but I'm sensing that there are more." He asks cutting into her thoughts.

"Oh. Of course there is me and Luke. Then there is my best friend Ron and his wife Lavender. Ron's two brothers, Fred and George. And Luke's wife who just happens to be the only girl in Ron's family, Ginny."

Ronan swallows hard. Luke was married. So was Ron and Lavender. He can't help but feel a dull aching in his heart. He had missed so much. But it wasn't his fault. They took it all away from him. If only that had treated him like a boy and not some bloody weapon, none of this would of ever happened. "Luke is married?" His voice his cold when he asks about the other boy.

"Yes. Him and Ginny got married right out of school. They had a pregnancy scare but luckily it was only that. Mrs. Weasley would of killed both of them." Hermione chuckles at the memory of them trying to tell the Weasley clan that Ginny might of been pregnant. It was a sight to see. All five brothers, excluding Percy, had chased Luke out of the house and halfway back to London, all on foot.

"I'm glad my cousin is enjoying his life while his brother sits locked away in a mental hospital. We choose to ignore the fact that Luke is related to us. What he did to James was unacceptable. I suggest that you steer clear of the Ministry unless he is not with you. Dad will literally flip his lid. And he really don't need to have a charge of murder against him. I'm not ready to take over yet." He stands. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Granger. I would be delighted if you would come by my flat tomorrow evening for dinner. I promise I can cook." He digs around in his pocket and pulls out a magical business card. It had his name, title and address. It was also muggle proof. Meaning that if any muggle got a hold of the card they wouldn't be able to see anything but a blank card. He hands it to her.

She also stands and takes the card. "I will be sure to keep Luke away from the Ministry. But I'm sure that he will not be deterred for very long. He is a very persistent boy. And it would be an honor to have dinner with you. As long as you keep your promise about the cooking." She raises an eye brow.

He chuckles. "I am a man of my word. I have to be. Who would want a liar for their next Minister of Magic? Come by around six. That should give me enough time to prepare everything. Good day." He strides out of the building with a small smile playing on his lips. But before he exits he is sure to add Hermione's name to the guest list.

Hermione follows him out and can't help but grin at the look Frederick was giving her after Ronan added her name to the list. She couldn't wait to tell everyone about her day. Who would of thought that she would actually get to meet the Minister's son. And who would of through that he was very charming and handsome to top it all off. She lets out a content sigh as she heads back towards the hotel where she and her companions were staying.