A/N This is not my first fanfic, but I do hope you all enjoy it! Love, Harley
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The camera shuttered three times as her finger stayed pressed down on the button. She let the device drop and hang from the cord around her neck. Her fingers curled over a black marker and journal. She scribbled down the street names, the time, and the date. Her wand lay unused in her messenger bag, as it often did these days. In truth, she did not know how long it'd been since she had used her magical abilities. It had to be months, several of them, and if she really dug deep, she'd find it'd been almost a year. It was a habit to carry the elaborate stick around with her, but she found she never had use for it. She'd grown up a muggle, she didn't mind doing things for herself. Her legs dangled over the edge of the fire escape as she shoved the journal back in her bag and picked up the camera again. She pointed it at the couple in the restaurant, watching the man lean in to kiss the lady's neck. The red headed woman giggled, placing her hand over his thigh and sliding it upwards. She was unfazed by this. This was a part of her job, a job she did extremely well.
She looked down at her watch and hissed, "Shit." She removed the camera, stuffing it into the bag and hoisted herself off the fire escape, letting the ladder drop as far as it would go before jumping down the rest of the way. Her feet hit the ground gracefully and she wiped off imaginary dust from her pants. She headed out of the alleyway and into the crowd of people. The Empire State Building loomed large behind her as she removed her cell phone from her pocket. She dialed a number, bringing the phone to her ear.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite wee Brit." It was a male who answered her call. She rolled her eyes. "What can I do for you today?"
"I am late. I am so, so late, Bran, you've absolutely no clue." She turned around and headed to the edge of the street, lifting her hand. A yellow cab stopped in front of her and she nearly had to hide her surprise at how quick that'd been.
"And what exactly are you late for?" Brandon McAllister's voice was teasing and she didn't enjoy it one bit. She slipped into the cab and closed the door, giving the taxi driver instructions. She could hear Bran's smile as he listened to her. "You're coming to visit me? I feel flattered."
"Shut it. I have a meeting with Allison Wades in-" She looked down at her watch again and nibbled her lip. "- fifteen minutes and I'm not there yet. I'm not even close to there, Bran. Besides with all this traffic." She sighed desperately. "It'll take me at least twenty minutes before I get there. And I know! I know!" She continued before he could interrupt. "I should have checked the time earlier, I just got distracted with work."
"You're rambling."
"I need you to stall. Use whatever charm Ms. Wades clearly thinks you have and stall her, Bran. Please. I am begging you." And she indeed was.
Bran smirked at that, she knew he did. She could practically hear it. "On your knees? That's a pretty picture."
"Don't be disgusting, you have a wife." She sat back against the seats, legs crossed.
"Only for the next two weeks. We sign the divorce papers on the 16th." She tilted her head at that, sitting up a bit straighter. He could tell she was curious. "I know I should've told you, but come on, what guy wants to openly admit to his female friends that he found his wife fucking the mail man? It's such a cliche!"
"Oh, Bran...I- I'm so sorry, I had no clue." She shook her head, disgusted. "You deserve better than that."
"I know that now. Which is why, I will stall Allison." She grinned and opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "IF- and only IF- you agree to go out with me this week." She nibbled her lower lip, scratching just above her ear, a habit when she was nervous. It's not like Bran was ugly. He was tall and lean with dark eyes and sandy hair and he was of great intellect. "Hello? Did I scare you off?" He sounded worried.
She let out a soft chuckle and licked her lips. "No. No, you didn't scare me, Brandon." She let out a soft sigh. "Alright. Pick a day and I'll let you know if I'm free."
"Yes!" He sounded excited and she couldn't help but smile. It'd been too long since her last date. She didn't really have much time for that nowadays. "Okay. How far are you?" She looked out of the window and then at the traffic.
"Realistically, still about fifteen minutes. The traffic is horrible." She looked out the window and spotted an alleyway, the urge to apparate was strong. She shook her head to clear that thought from her head. She hadn't done magic like that since she'd moved to New York City almost six years ago. Since then, all of the magic she'd done was small until she'd decided to give it up almost a year ago.
"Okay, then. That means I've got to distract her for at least twenty. I think I can do that." Bran cut into her thoughts and she smiled.
"Thank you, Bran. You're a great friend." She heard the click ending the call and slipped her phone into her jacket pocket. She groaned as they hit another traffic light and leaned forward. "Sir, I will pay you double if you can please, please, drive a little faster."
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Ginny headed down the steps of the apartment she shared with Harry, her long red hair up in its signature ponytail. She smiled as she saw her fiancée sat on the love seat, his back to her. His jet black hair was as unruly as ever, especially from behind. The fireplace danced with flames and she smiled. It was on days like this that she was most appreciative of the life she was able to live. She walked quietly over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling him jump. "Sorry, love. Did I scare you?"
Harry let out a chuckle of relief, looking up at her. "You? Scare me? As if." She giggled and pecked his cheek, jumping over the back of the couch to sit beside him. He let go of the photo album on his lap long enough to wrap an arm around her, letting her curl up against him. Ginny took note of what he was looking at. The pages with his father and mother were long since put in picture frames. No, these were of their time at Hogwarts. His time at Hogwarts. His friends, the Weasley family, Hermione. Ginny frowned silently. She sat up to look at the love of her life and traced the worry lines on his face. He reached up and took her hand in his. "I miss her, Gin. Every day, I miss her. She was like my sister. My only sister. And now- these days is when I feel I need her most. The upcoming wedding and the fluster and flounce and all of it, it can be a bit…much. I would marry you tomorrow, in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, in a brown paper bag if it meant I could have Hermione there." There were tears in both their eyes and Ginny leaned forward to embrace him. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I don't want to make you feel like you're not enough. You are. You-"
"Hush, Harry. Don't do that." Ginny shook her head at him, pulling back slowly, her hand cupping his cheek. "I know what it's like to lose a sibling, remember? Hermione was like my sister, too. I miss her, too. We all do. Especially with the wedding in mind. She's the only person I'd want as my maid of honor. She's the only one. And we don't even know where she is, if she's even still….alive." She said it cautiously and even though a pained look crossed Harry's face, she knew he understood. It'd been nearly six years since they'd last seen their friend. In the middle of the night, they'd received a letter with news of her departure. They'd been devastated. They'd read it so many times they each knew it by memory. Even Percy.
To my family,
I am sorry I could not do this in person. I'm afraid my Gryffindor courage has failed me here. I write to you because I am leaving. I don't for how long and I don't even know where, but I do know this. I have to. I'm afraid if I explain it further to you, you'll try to convince me to stay. It's not what I want. I need a life away from the horror. I know you all have nightmares, even 2 years after the war. I still have them, too. But you've got someone that holds you when you hear a bump in the night. I've made my decision and as you're reading this, I've already gone. The owl who arrived with this had specific instructions not to give it to you until I'm no longer in the country. I promise I will write to you. Maybe not every day, maybe not every month, but I will try as often as I can. I hope to see you all again someday. Just let me work out what I need to. I love you all and the family you've given me.
Thank you, Hermione Jean Granger.
Of course, after two more letters, spaced out between 10 months, no more came. They hadn't hear from her in five years. Ginny sighed and lay her head against Harry's chest, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around him. "We'll see her again, Harry. I'm confident in that. You must be too."
Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes. "After six years, I'm not so sure." He wrapped his arms around his fiancée and let them comfort one another. How he loved Ginny. His wonderful, hot-headed, stubborn Ginny Weasley. She was his and soon, she'd have his last name. At 26, it had taken Harry too long to propose to his best friend's sister. In his defense, he wanted it to be perfect. And it was. He graciously asked Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts, for the permission to use the Quidditch field. After it was granted, he filled the entire stadium with rose petals and candles, something Ron would never let him live down. They got engaged over the summer, so they were uninterrupted. The weather was great, as it always was at Hogwarts and when he removed Ginny's blindfold, she gasped. The ring was enclosed in an elaborate Snitch-like box. He didn't even have time to get down on one knee before she'd flung her arms around him.
The memory made Harry smile and he leaned in to press his lips to her cheek. She grinned at that and giggled, something very rare for Ginevra Weasley. "Harry." The 25 year old sat up and turned to straddle his waist, a mischievous glint in her eye. Harry couldn't help the goofy grin that appeared on his face. "You know what your lips do to me."
Harry laughed and nodded, his arms wrapping around her waist. "Of course I do, love. That's entirely the point." Ginny let out a loud laugh as he pulled her down onto the couch, her legs around his waist. They wasted no time ridding each other of their clothes, the light from the fireplace dancing upon their skin.
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"Late, late, late. I am so late!" Hermione practically jumped out of the cab as it came to a stop, grabbing her things and getting ready to head inside when the driver called her to his attention. She'd almost forgotten to pay him! "Sorry. I- uh…" She looked through the folded bills and handed him a hundred-dollar bill. "Keep the change. Thanks for the fast driving." She nearly ran to the door, flinging it open and almost bumping into a tall dark-haired woman. "Oh! Sorry!"
The woman regarding her with elegance and poise. She wore a tea dress and cardigan with her hair down over her shoulders. "Ms. Granger! There is no running in school, you know?"
"Huh? What?" Hermione moved a strand of curls from her face, looking at the teacher. "Oh! Yeah, no, I'm so sorry, Grace. It won't happen again."
"I'm only joking, Hermione. You really need to lighten up." The woman squeezed her shoulder gently and smiled. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yeah, I'm supposed to be meeting with Mrs. Wades in…." She checked her watch and made a face. "Five minutes ago. I've- I've never been to her office. I mean, I had a tour when-"
"Of course! I'll walk you over! School is almost out, so the children will be flooding this hallway in a few minutes." Grace walked the younger lady down the hall. "Might want to get to the principal's office before all that starts! Otherwise, you'll never meet with Allison." Hermione nodded and smiled. Grace Steinberg had a way of acting way too perky and honestly, it made the former Gryffindor on edge. She wasn't used to people being so happy. It wasn't until two minutes of silence passed that Hermione noticed Grace was looking at her oddly. She cleared her throat, snapping the woman out of her reverie. "I'm sorry, dear. It's just- Allison Wades is very particular about the people she meets with. I'm- I'm not sure you're dressed properly."
Hermione looked down at her clothes and realized she'd forgotten to change. Usually she would have been well presentable, in dress pants or a skirt, but not today. No, today she had to forget. She wore a pair of dark wash boyfriend jeans and a plain black t-shirt under a green utility military jacket. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she had on a pair of black sneakers. She frowned and then looked up at Grace. "I have nothing else to wear."
"Oh!" Grace gave her a tight-lipped smile before plastering a grin on her face. "Well, I'm sure Allison will make an exception for today." The bells rang just as they turned another corner and were immediately bombarded by noise. "Oh, I'm so sorry, dear. I have to go. I'm on bus duty today. The office is just down this corridor to your left. You can't miss it. It's all glass." She smiled and squeezed her shoulder again. "Good luck. I hope to see you again soon."
Hermione rolled her eyes as she watched the woman retreat down the opposite way they'd come. Honestly, the lady made it seem like the punishment for informal clothing was death. The children, ages 5-10 were running around, excited that the day had ended. Hermione smiled as she headed down the hall, towering over the little ones. She was about to make it to the office when she heard a squeal and she turned in time to catch the small body jumping into her arms. "Mama!"
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