Disclaimer: J K Rowling owns everything which has to do with the Harry Potter series.
A/N: My thanks to my wonderful Beta Indie, adjectives are not enough. Without her my story would have been an absolute failure. This story disregards some parts in DH such as the state of the Potters' home; in my story it is not destroyed but badly damaged with the second floor all but gone. The fate of the Malfoys is also non-complaint with DH. The epilogue in DH as you can imagine has been ignored.
If you are expecting a fast pace story mine is not it. I tend to explore my characters' feelings and thoughts. The story starts on the lighter side only to get a bit darker in the middle, but there will be a happy ending, it is a romance story after all.
Both my beta and I are very busy therefore updates could take weeks, maybe more. This story will end just be patient. I am translating my story (Spanish) too, a task I enjoy but can be time consuming.
Any questions or concerns don't be shy. Hope you enjoy it. Reviews, comments are welcome of course!
Elena
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Chapter I: And The Rain Keeps Falling Down.
In spite of the rain and how cold it was, her pace was slow. May had come with the promise of spring only to cling to the last vestiges of winter. People rushed by, hugging themselves, head down to avoid the wind and the rain in their faces.
Rain did not bother her; in fact she cared for little... That was not exactly true... John Albus was everything to her. A smile appeared, a faint smile that is, because laughter was not longer part of her life.
There it was, her home. Mum was in the kitchen. She could see her through the living room window. The little bungalow stood at the corner of St. George and Plum St. A big oak tree right in the corner gave shade to the house. Its wide trunk was surrounded by a half metre fence, which protected the flowers around it. The red brick house has been her home for more than two years, hers and her son's.
"Oh, you are home!" Her mother came out of the little kitchen with a tea towel on her shoulder, apron around her waist. "And you are wet, Hermione! You knew it was going to rain! Did you forget your umbrella again?" Within seconds her mother was taking the coat from Hermione, and started to dry her hair and face with the tea towel. Hermione sat on one of the two armchairs, situated in the living room and closed her eyes for a few seconds. It felt good being pampered. After a while, she opened her eyes sighing. She was wet and needed to change before dinner.
"Mum, I think I can do this all by myself," said Hermione, pulling away from her mother's grasp. She turned her gaze to her mum's frown. She was still beautiful and young; after all Hermione was born when Candice Granger was barely twenty years old. That was a little over twenty one years ago. Her Dad was only three years older.
"Is daddy home?" she asked, and looking at the play pen she added, "John ?"
"Your son refused to take a nap today. I mean a day of non-stop activity. Maybe it was the rain and having to stay in but let me tell you, the energy of this child! He fell asleep not five minutes ago. He'll be up early," answered Candice as she walked back to the kitchen.
Hermione bent over and picked a toy from the floor, a little baby dinosaur and she smiled. She looked forward to putting her son to bed; it was the best part of her day. John had been walking for a few months now, running more than walking. He would run around the house with a toy in his hand making all sorts of sounds. His curly almost white blonde hair waving, his silver/blue eyes sparkling with delight. Merlin! He looked just like his father!
"... took it and buried it in my favourite pot. I just gave him a very stern look, didn't even speak a word to him and he burst in tears!" Candice was still talking from the kitchen.
Hermione blinked. Her mother had been talking and she was not even listening. She got up from the worn out arm chair and went to the kitchen; Candice was putting a few dishes away. Hermione gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. "Mum, I am sorry we have invaded your space ... I ... you should..."
Her mother put a finger on Hermione's lips. "You are our only daughter, John Albus is our grandson. This is your home." Candice big light brown eyes showed kindness and compassion. She knew of her daughter's not so well hidden sadness, of the emptiness in her life. Something was missing because Hermione was not whole. Twenty one years old, and her life was turned inside out and upside down.
John, her husband, would swear out loud if he knew his daughter felt like an intruder. They almost lost her; they did not know all the details but the fading scars on her body were enough to tell them that two and a half years ago something terrible happened. The fact that she came back to them pregnant and saying very little did not diminish their love for her. She tried to explain but tears would start falling down so they gave her time. Eventually, sometimes without thinking Hermione would let a detail slip and they started to have a better idea of her years at Hogwarts.
There had been a war and some of her friends hadn't made it. The Weasley family and Harry Potter were also involved, and the Grangers knew that they were Hermione's closest friends. Were as in the past tense, because they were sure that Hermione wanted nothing to do with Mr Potter or the Weasley family anymore. John and Candice would do anything to have their daughter back though; she was changed.
"John Albus keeps me busy and your father can not wait until his grandson is old enough to take him fishing. You both bring so much joy to us!" Candice added.
They were sitting in the kitchen. Candice had both of Hermione's hands in hers and her eyes were looking directly at her daughter. "Darling, whatever little we have is yours. We love you and we want you to be happy." She gently wiped her daughter's tears. "Please, don't ever think you are a burden and, Hermione, we promise you, no one is ever going to hurt you again."
Her mother's sudden darken eyes made Hermione uneasy. Her parents had been so excited when she received the letter from Hogwarts, so proud of her being a witch! As time went by they were more proud every year. A totally different story could be told now. Hermione spoke of betrayal and humiliation at the hands of those she thought her friends. As a result Candice and John Granger wanted nothing to do with the wizarding world anymore and they were sure neither did Hermione.
Hermione made an effort and forced a big smile on her face. "I had better go and get changed, but first I am going to kiss my angel goodnight," she said in a mocking tone.
She gave her mother a hug and a kiss. Candice watched her daughter leave, a thoughtful expression on her face. She sighed and got up to set the table; dinner was ready.