A/n: Okay, so let's get a few things straight. Number one: This is a one-shot, don't ask for an additional chapter no matter how much of a cliffhanger this story is. Number two: Although it has very small details that are alike with my last story; His Sister, it has a completely different plot. And last but not the least Number three: Please review!!
Update! I'm really happy that you liked this story and of course, I'd also love to make a sequel, that I'll do if I find any time. Thanks for all your reviews! I just added a few things here and there to make it more understandable, Au revoir!
Better Things to Talk About
"Mom, have you seen my shoes?"
"Look under your bed sweetie, I think I put it there last night."
It was a warm summer's day. Hermione Granger was chopping up carrots in the kitchen, and her 15 year old daughter, Carmella, was rummaging for her shoes under her bed.
"Found it!" Carmella yelled. She ran down the stairs to the kitchen.
"Good," Hermione told her as she grabbed the onions. "It's time you learn to organize your own stuff. You're fifteen years old already, for Merlin's sake!"
"Sow-rry," she replied sarcastically as she sat on the dining table. Hermione looked at her, she was a very pretty girl. She had brown eyes and long blonde hair that had curls on end. Her lips were rose colored and she had a curvy figure.
"Get your arse off of the table, I'm serving breakfast." Hermione ordered. "And while you're at it, why don't you set the table too."
"Sure, whatever you say." She answered uninterestedly. "You know what I don't get? You bother with all these muggle stuff when you can just…" snaps her fingers. "Magic them."
"Well, you know what they say, you just can't help doing it, the muggle way." Hermione told her in a sing-song voice.
"Aigh! Who's the dead wizard you quoted that from?" Carmella said as she looked at her reflection at the back of a spoon.
"Actually, he's still alive. His name's Arthur Weasley." Hermione replied as she poured the contents of the saucepan in a bowl.
"You know, I really hate these high cheekbones. I look like an arrogant, conceited brat." Carmella wondered out loud while pinching her cheeks; looking at the back of the spoon.
"Don't look at me. I'm not the one who has prominent cheekbones." Said Hermione as she settled down on one of the chairs.
"So you mean I get it from dad?" Carmella questioned her with enthusiasm.
"Well, who else would you get it from?" Carmella laughed out loud.
"You know, people say that prominent cheekbones are part of aristocratic features. Does that mean my dad was some kind of royalty?"
"Yeah, he was royal. A royal pain in the arse, if you ask me." Hermione retorted.
"If you hate him so much, then why did you have me?" Carmella chuckled.
"You know, the right question to ask is how the bloody bastard took advantage of me." Hermione scoffed. Carmella laughed even harder.
"You know mom, I don't think I'd want to believe that. You're too much of a strong-willed woman to be taken advantage of." Carmella sneered.
"Stop doing that. You look too much like him." Hermione scolded.
"Did he smirk a lot?"
"That would be the biggest understatement of the century. His face was practically made that way." Hermione exclaimed hysterically, waving a piece of fried egg she was eating.
"Hmpf! He's lucky he wasn't a girl. People usually don't notice your flaws when you're a guy." Carmella sulked.
"Let me guess, Natasha said that?" Hermione raised a stern eyebrow.
"Well, er, yeah." Carmella replied skeptically.
"Gah! I've told Ginny a thousand times that she's spoiled that girl too much, but she just wouldn't listen."
"Yeah! Too overly narcissistic. They'll be announcing her wedding to herself anytime now." They both laughed at Carmella's remark.
"I think I heard that somewhere before, weird, I can't remember where." Hermione gazed dreamily into space as if reminiscing.
"Do you think that she's that pretty?"
"Hmm, well I really have to admit, Natasha's a real catch, I mean, her mom was really popular at school and had a lot of boyfriends, add Harry's charm and you've got a blossom in midwinter." Carmella looked crestfallen and uttered an inaudible 'oh'. "But, when compared to you, she'll look like an awful-looking hag in Venice."
Carmella laughed so hard that she sputtered the water she was drinking.
"Anyway, can you tell me more about him?" Carmella inquired tentatively.
"You're father, you mean?" Hermione shot back.
"Yes."
"Hmm, well I guess it all started during our seventh year. I don't know for whatever reason, but I dated the bastard. It was totally bizarre, 'cause, you know, we've loathed each other for 6 years. And, well, how'd you feel when you date someone you hate." Hermione narrated generously, but Carmella giggled.
"You're a poet and don't know it."
"Nice, so, okay whatever. You know how men are, but, he was different, that was the reason I dated him. I thought he changed after all those years. You see, he was a real bastard, got around with Voldemort-,"
"The take-over-the-world, prophecy-believing psycho wizard?" Carmella interjected.
"Yeah, that's the one. During our sixth year at Hogwarts, he joined the Death Eaters and was tasked to kill the headmaster at that time; Albus Dumbledore, but he wasn't the one who killed him." Hermione said immediately after seeing Carmella's horrified face. "Please, do you think I'd have dated a murderer even if he's changed? Anyway, he didn't get to kill Dumbledore because he was such a chicken, not that it's a bad thing, I mean, he didn't become a murderer or anything, our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher; Professor Snape, who was also a Death Eater, mind you, killed him to save your father. So after killing off Professor Dumbledore, they fled from Hogwarts. We were so surprised to see them come back the next school year, Snape said something about having escaped, I heard it all, I was Head Girl at the time, we all talked to the Headmaster's portrait and found out that he ordered Snape to kill him to protect Malfoy, I mean your dad, because if he didn't, Voldemort might've killed the both of them. And he also said that we must remain at school and finish out education at all costs. Harry and Ron didn't want to stay; they wanted to kill Voldemort so badly, so I stayed, to protect the school. During those times, your father sought a chance to court me, Harry and Ron weren't there to beat him to smithereens at the very least. So we became a couple and lived happily ever after. Eww, I just totally grossed myself out." Carmella giggled yet again at her mother's childish behavior.
"So that's when I come in?"
"More like come out, actually." They both chuckled at Hermione's remark. "When we graduated, I found out that I was pregnant. And of course, who else would be the father? Being a logical and practical woman, and knowing that he was a complete bint and not ready to be a father; I didn't tell him."
"What!?" Carmella exclaimed. "So you mean, he doesn't know I even exist?"
"Believe me; you would want it to stay that way when you meet him, which is not humanly possible." Hermione sighed heavily.
"Is that the reason you want to live the muggle way? So you can avoid him?" Carmella sounded sure.
"Well, that's most of the reason, yeah. I also did it to avoid your uncles Harry and Ron. I know that they know what I did. And I didn't want them to be right next door to tell me off for the rest of my sodding life."
"Oh." Was all Carmella could muster to say.
"Ell, I know how this must have made me look, but I had no other option, I always set my priorities straight and among those priorities, my pride is number two." Hermione told her gently as she held her daughter's hand.
"It's okay. It didn't change anything between us. It's much easier to have a single parent. You raised me just fine, and besides, you're the coolest mom anyone could ever have. I love you." Hermione embraces Carmella and kissed her on the forehead.
"I love you too."
"Carmella, hurry up! We better get to Diagon Alley now!" Hermione called out to her daughter.
"Coming!" Carmella brushed her blonde hair in front of the mirror inside her room. It was draped in dark burgundy, even though she was in Slytherin. She grabbed her brown messenger's bag and rushed down the stairs.
"About time! By the time we get there the place'll be jam-packed." Hermione scolded. They went to the Leaky Cauldron by car and arrived there at 9:00 am.
"Now, we don't want them to think we're out of fashioned would we?" said Hermione as she transformed their muggle clothes into robes.
"Wicked!" Carmella exclaimed as they entered the pub.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Hermione Granger. I haven't seen you around here for ages!" said Tom, the barman.
"Sorry Tom, been busy." They rushed over to the back and tapped the bricks to enter Diagon Alley. "So, what do you want to buy first?"
"Why don't we go to Flourish and Blotts first?" Carmella suggested.
"Sure." They proceeded to Flourish and Blotts, which was, thankfully, not that crowded.
"Okay, so it says here in my booklist that I need Intermediate Transfiguration, The Philosophy of the Mundane: Why Muggles Prefer not to know by: ProfessorMordicus Egg-," Carmella was cut off by her mother's rant.
"I still can't believe you're still taking Muggle Studies, I mean, you're practically living a muggle life!" Hermione cried out.
"I think it's fascinating to see it from their point of view, don't you agree?"
"I think I've heard that somewhere before."
"Harry!"
"Uncle Harry!"
"Hello ladies!" Harry Potter greeted the two. "How have you been? Hermione! I haven't seen you for ages! What happened to you?"
"Oh you know, the usual, out in hiding from her, ahem, husband." Ginny Potter came out of nowhere with her daughter; Natasha and son; Nathaniel.
"I haven't got a husband, Potter!" Hermione shot out sarcastically. "Do you see any letters changing in my surname?"
"So, what makes you come out from the safety of your house?" Harry interrupted.
"I guess I just wanted a leg stretch, that's all. My job's killing me."
"I thought you would've lived to work?" a redheaded man came from behind a bookshelf.
"Ron?"
"The one and only."
"Merlin! I've missed you so much! What's happened to you? Are you married? How many kids do you have?" Hermione fired her questions at her friend.
"Whoa! Slow down will 'ya!" Ron cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair. "Am I married? Most definitely not, I prefer to keep my most-eligible-bachelor-in-Britain title if you don't mind. Kids? What makes you think I'd have kids when I don't even have a wife?"
The long-lost trio finally got together once again. They talked for a little, while their kids set out and did their shopping. Carmella decided to drop by the Apothecary since she was running out of ingredients and of course, she'd rather die than to shop along with Natasha, the most vicious and vain creature after Narcissus. She went inside and grabbed the ingredients that she needed. She was reaching up for the hellebore on top of the shelf when a tall, pale figure took it for her.
"Thank you, sir." Carmella politely thanked him. He was a really handsome man; she'd say around his thirties, he had blonde hair, cold-steel gray eyes and a pale pointed face with prominent cheekbones. They were so identical in awfully obvious ways. Apparently, the man noticed the likeness too.
"What's your name?" he asked offhandedly.
"Sorry, but I don't give my name to people whom I think are not safe to affiliate myself with." Carmella replied with a smirk. He watched her pay for the ingredients and strode out of the Apothecary towards a woman he knew, only too well.
"Maybe it's just a coincidence." Draco Malfoy shook the thought out of his head and carried on with his life.