Reunion
Harry arrived at the Hog's Head before either of the two friends, he had not seen in over five years. He found the table with his name card, pocketed it and sat in the assigned seat.
The room was quickly filling up, when Hermiong Granger arrived and like Harry found her card and sat down. Hermione sat next to a man with longish, shaggy black hair, wearing a black sweater and muggle blue jeans, "Guess I'm not the only one who dressed down, way down," she thought, while looking around the room at her fancily dressed former classmates, while she herself was wearing a silk black long sleeve dress shirt and dark green khakis. Hermione again looked over to the man next to her, his head down on the table, wondering, 'Who is he?' though subconcious, somewhere, she probably knew who, just could not recall at this moment. "Hello," she tentatively greeted her former classmate, or at least former classmates' significant other. Harry lifted his head and turned to the direction of the voice he had heard almost everyday during there seven years of schooling, "Hello Hermione," he answered off hand. "Long time, eh?" "Yeah, I suppose, over five years," then it clicked, "Harry!?" "Hmm?" Hermione hugged her long time, no see best friend and he hugged her back.
The room was almost full, as the two 'best' friends caught up, "What have you been up to... the past five plus years, Harry?" "Auror stuff, you?" "Studying 'House Elves' in there natural habitat." "How was that?" "The elves facinating," she lit up at the subject, "The tempatures on the other hand, frigid." "Asia is where you went, uh... Himalaya region, right?" "Yeah," she smiled, "You got it." "I remember your letters during my early months of training." "So you did get them?" "Harry? Hermione?" asked a surprised voice behind them.
They turned around... Ron. "Hello Ron!" They greeted. "Did they two of you come together?" "No," both answered simotaniously. "By yourselves then?" "Yeah." "Hello Luna... weren't you a year behind us?" Harry greeted the former Lovegood. "I was. Good evening, Harry and Hermione." "Do you know, Harry?" asked Ron. "I do and belatedly, I offer the both of you my congratulations. I saw in the prophet or Quibbler, maybe both." "Why did you return the invitation blank, Harry?" "I never got it. It was most likely sent during one of my stints in Azkaban."
"Stints you say, Potter?" Terry Boot butted in from behind Harry, and Neville Longbottom sat down next to Ron, across the table. "You've spent half of the past two years there, wait more like over a year out of the past two." "Thanks for the commentary on my job, Boot, you don't here me talking about your number of on the job accidents, now do you? Hey, are you not the Auror who happened to be the reason, Ron here got the top Cannons Keeper spot?" Harry put Boot on the spot, whom turned around beet red and ran back to his own table. "Thanks Boot," Ron yelled as the Auror dashed away.
"Hi, Neville. How have you been... the past five years?"
"Excellent, you?"
"Fine."
"Where's Leah, Neville?" inquired Luna.
Harry and Hermione looked puzzled.
"She couldn't part herself from Frankie, he has a cold. Where's Eddie, tonight?"
"With my Mum and Dad," Ron replied.
"Finally getting out for once, eh?"
"Yeah, this is our first night out, since he was born, how about you, Nev?"
"Same here. I just wish Leah hadn't been so adament about staying home with Francis, but it's alright, if it hadn't been for her pushing, I wouldn't be here tonight, either."
"Who was supposed to watch Frankie?"
"Leah's mother."
"Uh, I hope you don't mind me asking, but who's Leah, Frankie, and Eddie?"
"Oh, that's right, you don't know, do you, Harry or you Hermione? Leah's my wife of almost two years now, and Frankie is our son, he's seven months."
"Congratulations Neville! And who's Eddie?"
"That's my baby, eight months next week," Ron answered proudly.
"Congratulations, all three of you, how about you Hermione? Do I have to congratulate you on marriage or kids?"
"Nope. no husband, no boyfriend, and no kids for me. How about you?" She shot back.
"Nothing for me, neither."
"HELLO EVERYONE! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! I'M SEAMUS FINNIEGAN, IF YOU DON'T REMEMBER ME. VINCENT CRABBE AND MYSELF ORGANIZED THIS REUNION. I HAVE TO SAY SOME OF YOU WERE HELL TO TRACK DOWN AND."
"HEY FINNIEGAN! WE CAN ALL HEAR YOU! YOU DON'T HAVE TO SCREAM!" yelled someone from the back.
"Sorry, well as I was saying, some of you were hell to track down, and it seems it was my fellow Gryfindors, hem, hem, Hermione Granger, what? You had to study and study for another five plus years, after Hogwarts?"
Laughs from the crowd, Hermione included.
"And cough, cough, Harry Potter, Do you live anywhere? Seriously, do you sleep in your ministry cubicle? We must have sent your invite ten times before we finally just sent it to the ministry. Sounds like we caught you on an off month. Where do you live? Seriously?"
Silence.
"Don't tell us, some of our yearmates are reporters and they'll plaster it all over the press, I admit, my self included. Obviously, the rest of you were much easier to track down, cause you have normal jobs and hours, unlike Hermione and Harry. Welcome and I hope all of us have good times, since the majority of us haven't seen more then five of our fellow yearmates since that final train ride. Oh, yes, everything is on the house, RUM included."
"Sooo, Harry, where do you live?" asked Ron, "Or are you not goingto tell three of your good friends? Or do you no longer wish to associate with us?"
"That's not it at all. I've just been trying to work things out. I meant to write all of you, but as time passed, I just kept putting it off, cause I felt guilty for not writing, then I never got around to it and have kept putting it off, forgive me?"
"Alright."
"Yeah."
"Not a problem." (Luna was off getting drinks for Ron and herself).
"So, where do you live?" Ron asked a second time, as Luna sat down, "Thanks Love."
"London," Harry answered.
"Where in London, Harry?" Hermione inquired further.
"Muggle London."
"Which part?"
"I'll give you all my address later."
"So do you live in a flat or house?"
"House."
"Sirius?"
"NO!"
"Is it a renter or your own?"
"My own."
"How big?"
"A big old house, six bedrooms."
"What do you need all that space for, mate?"
Harry laughed, "Got a bargain and I just like it. I did live in a cupboard for eleven years."
"Live alone?"
"Remus stays at my place, occasionally, when he's in town."
"Hermione, where are you living, these days?" Ron inquired.
"With my parents. I only got back home last week though."
"Looking for a place?" Harry asked.
"Are you offering?"
"Maybe, I have the space, plus I'm not home all that often."
"Why aren't you ever home?" asked both Ron and Hermione simotaniosly.
"My job, and when I am home, I'm usually sleeping."
Seamus stood up again, "HEY EVERYONE! Quiet down, quiet down, time for dinner, servers will be coming around if you'd like a drink. DIG IN!"
After a fair few hours of dancing, gossip, reminicing and Yes, drinking, it was time to leave old friends and memories to head back to present day, yes reality.
To Harry and Ron and Hermione, it was like going back over five years, back to when they were the trio.
"Harry, Ron, what are you going to do about Hermione?" Neville asked.
"Uh..." Ron answered.
"I'll take her home, you guys get home to your babies."
The three apparated away.
"Bloody hell! I don't know where you live! Hermione where do you live?" She just smiled at him glassy eyed in response to her name. Not knowing where her parents live, Harry apparated them to his house, and set her up in his room, before settling himself downstairs on the couch.
here's chapter one, expect infrequent updates, sorry, i'm a university freshman, who's break starts tuesday! one exam to go, to clebrate i'm posting this!