Local Chef wins award!

Harry James Potter (35), has won yet another award for his award winning restaurant Lily's Love, which is located in Little Whinging, Surrey. Harry Potter, who is a student of the French Culinary Institute, a world renowned culinary school has been a restaurant owner since the age of 22.

Potter, who prefers to cook foods that would be considered non-traditional compared to the teachings of his classical training have been a huge hit with diners since his doors first opened in early '03. Lily's Love, which is named after deceased mother, has won the prestigious Golden Spatula Award, a Surrey local award for the local Gastro eateries.

Though he declined to comment, Mr Potter's Sous Chef said that the owner and head chef had e been touched by the award. The chef, whose home life had been famous for its ups and downs has been a member of Surrey's culinary fame for years now. His charity work to the local homeless and prevention of child abuse foundations have really touched the locals, who refer to Mr. Potter as the 'Golden Heart of Surrey'. His restaurant is expected to be packed out for the next two weeks, as current reservations are available for the end of the month.

Hermione frowned as she glanced at the paper. The Whinging Whippet was a local newspaper for Surrey. The reason the middle aged witch had it however, was to track down her ex-boyfriend. She and Harry had dated when they returned for their last year of school. Their dating life was short lived however, after Harry caught her in bed with their best friend, Ron Weasley.

It had been a moment of weakness on her part, and one that she regretted greatly. Harry had walked away from her after that, cutting all contact with her and Ron. He'd pop by the Burrow, as long as Molly ensured that she and Ron weren't around. She closed the newspaper, sighing as she sat in the small cafe across from Lily's Love. She didn't want Ronald to come with her. Though she loved her husband immensely, it didn't seem fair to Harry to drop such a bombshell with him there. Plus, he would've probably punched her husband in the face.

She had called the restaurant, explaining that she needed to talk to Harry and that she was in the cafe across the street. She didn't expect him to come, but when he did walk over to her, she was amazed. He hadn't changed much. He had either gotten laser eye surgery or contact lenses, since he was without his signature glasses. He had put on a little weight, but for his frame it seemed to suit him. She noticed he wasn't smiling, though that was to be expected. "Harry. Thank you for coming…"

Harry sat across from her, ordering himself a coffee. "What do you want, Granger?"

"It's Weasley now, actually." Hermione whispered, playing with her wedding ring.

"Is he here?" He asked bluntly, clenching his fist. He wasn't usually a violent man, but right now, he really wanted to smash a certain ginger's head in.

"No. He's at work." She avoided his eyes. "I wanted you to know…" She sighed. She didn't know where to begin. "Harry, do you remember when..? When you caught us?"

Harry nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. "Vividly." He said simply, ordering a biscotti and an eclair. His sweet tooth really started up once he finished a long shift. And he had been up all night cooking a slow roasted pulled pork for the mains. "What's this about, Granger?"

Hermione frowned. "Can you please just call me Hermione? We were close, Harry. And I cannot apologise enough. I should've had the decency to break things off first."

Harry bit the inside of his cheek. "What's this about?" He asked again.

Hermione sighed. "A month or so after that, I found out I was pregnant." She explained, sipping on a cup of tea. "Ron and I had the baby, and when she was born…we knew she wasn't a Weasley." She took out a picture. "You've a daughter, Harry. I don't mind taking a paternity test to proof it to you."

Harry took the picture, carefully examining every part of it. It was a recent photograph by the look of it. The girl had her arms around a redheaded child that could've been Ron and Hermione's son. She had black hair and soft brown eyes. Her cheekbones held a dignified look, while her chin and bone structure screamed aristocrat. The back of the picture read 'Rose and Hugo, Christmas '14' which meant it was only about three months old. "Ok. I'm guessing there's a reason you waited nearly sixteen years to tell me this. What do you want?"

Hermione frowned. He truly seemed to hate her. "Rose has expressed an interest in meeting her birth father." She sighed. "I had to explain the situation that happened between the three of us and she became upset at me. She's beginning to understand now, but she's adamant about meeting you."

Harry stared at the picture again, and couldn't stop the smile from coming to his face. "I've a table set aside for family to use whenever they need it. Bring her by tonight." He took a deep breath. "I want him there too." He handed her back the picture.

"Ok." Hermione placed the picture back in her purse. "Just, no violence. Don't let her first impression of you be someone who's blinded by anger. Let her see the man I fell in love with."

"I don't think you ever really loved that man, Hermione." Harry said softly. "If you did, I wouldn't have found you on top of my best friend."

Hermione closed her eyes. "I told you…I'm sorry about that."

0o0o0

Rose placed her 'good dress' on for the dinner. She only ever wore it at weddings and other family gatherings. She fixed her hair down, which was the only way she liked to wear it. She couldn't believe she was finally going to meet Harry. True, she loved her mother and father with all her heart, but she wanted to know who helped bring her into the world. Her mother had returned in an upset state, telling her father that Harry still had the same attitude about them. Her heart broke until she was told that Harry had wanted to meet her too.

She put her shoes on, staring at her reflection in the mirror. "Hugo, Mum said you've to get ready." She said to her baby brother. The six year old didn't seem to comprehend her request, since he just sat on her bed.

"Mummy said we're going to meet your Daddy tonight." He said, his voice unusually soft. "Does that mean you're going to live with him..?" He asked worriedly.

Rose stopped what she was doing. How could he think that? "Hugo…" She knelt down beside him. "Of course not, sweetheart. I just want to meet him." She whispered softly, giving him a hug. "Why would I move out?"

"Melinda from my school. Her brother went to live with his Daddy because he was sick of her…" Hugo held onto her.

"Hugo." Rose kissed his forehead. "I'm not leaving. You're stuck with me until September, then I've to go back to Hogwarts."

Hermione watched her two kids from the door, smiling gently. Rose had such a gentle soul, just like her father did. She hoped the night would go right for them. "Are you two ready?"

Rose nodded, smiling at her mother. "I am. Hugo here needs to put on fresh socks." She smirked. "Those ones smell worse than Dad's last attempt at cooking pasta."

Hermione grimaced. "Nothing could smell worse than that." She said softly, bringing her son to get changed.

Once Hugo was changed, the four of them disapparated to the alleyway close to the restaurant, taking the small walk to the place. Hermione couldn't believe the difference before her eyes. Unlike the afternoon, the evening seemed to have a line out the door. She walked into the restaurant with her family, approaching the waitress. "Excuse me, I believe there's a reservation for four under either the name of Granger or Weasley."

The waitress scanned the bookings for the night. "Hermione Granger, two kids and two adults?" She asked softly.

Hermione nodded. "That would be it." She should've known that Harry would've used her maiden name for the reservation. He was still the same after all.

Once they were seated, Harry appeared from the kitchens after a minute. He was wearing a nice casual suit jacket and pants combo. He approached them, smiling at the teenager. "Hello Rose." He said softly. "It's nice to meet you."

Rose stared at the man for a moment. "I-It's a pleasure to meet you too, Harry." She said nervously. It was a funny sight for Hermione and Ron. Their usually confident daughter had seemed to become tongue tied at the sight of her birth father.

Harry gave her a small hug, staring at Ron. "Ronald." He said blandly.

Ron looked up at him. "Hi Harry. It's um, it's good to see you." He said softly, avoiding his eyes. "Hugo, this is Harry Potter. He's an old friend of your Mum and I."

Harry wanted to correct him, but the young boy was just staring at him in awe. "Hello Hugo. Would you like a colouring book and some crayons?"

The young boy nodded at the man, hiding his face in Ron's shirt. Hugo had heard loads about Harry Potter. He had defeated the evil man who tried to hurt his family. His nana spoke highly of him, so he had to be a nice man.

Harry called a waitress over, asking her for the things to occupy the boy. He sat down in the centre of the table. "I'd recommend the lasagna." He said to Ron. He knew his ex-friend was a huge fan of foreign cuisine.

Rose took a look at his menu. "Wow, you really have a weird menu. I've never heard of half of these dishes." She said excitedly.

Harry smiled at her. "I spent a year abroad, learning some classic dishes from Italy, France, Germany and Holland before coming back here and combining them with some American and British dishes."

Hermione noticed one certain thing on the menu. "You do coddle?" She asked softly. Her grandmother had been a Dublin woman, and as such the dish was something she prided herself on. Coddle was a Dublin dish, almost a peasant's dish. The country's Catholic influence meant most lower class families ate the dish on a Thursday. "What's in it?"

"Rashers, sausages, onion, carrot, potatoes, some pork meatballs and a little mariana sauce to give it a colour and rich taste." Harry said softly. "I stole your grandmother's recipe and tweaked it a little." He admitted.

Hermione nodded, smiling weakly. Her grandmother had met Harry a couple of times once the war had ended. She had been disappointed when she had heard of their breakup. "I think I know what I'm ordering then." She whispered.

Rose bit her lip. "Any good samplers?" She asked curiously.

Harry nodded. "I'd recommend the World Sampler. It has a little bit of everything." He chuckled. "Though some people find it a little intimidating, since some of the dishes are unique."

Rose nodded. "I'll have the World Sampler." She said softly.

Ron glanced at the menu. "Shepherd's Pie with mushy peas."

Hermione glanced at the kid's menu. "Chicken fingers with the homemade chips for Hugo." She watched the boy colour.

Harry handed their orders to the waitress, sitting back down. "So, what house are you in?" He asked curiously.

"I'm in Ravenclaw." Rose said softly, staring at her birth father. "I'm starting my sixth year in September, and I'm hoping to be made Quidditch Captain."

Harry smirked to himself. "What about a Prefect?" He inquired.

"Oh god no!" Rose shook her head. "Who in Merlin's name wants to be a bloody Prefect?" She looked horrified at the idea.

Harry chuckled. "I don't know, maybe those two." He pointed at Hermione and Ron. "Only one of them actually done any work though." He smirked.

Ron's ears turned slightly red. "Well, hard to work when someone we knew kept getting into severe trouble." He chuckled.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah." He took a deep breath. "So, when did you two tie the knot?" He asked.

"2003." Ron said softly. "The same day you opened this place, actually." He bit the inside of his cheek. He had invited Harry to the wedding, and gotten a letter containing two words. Fuck. You. He didn't show the letter to Hermione, instead he just told her that he didn't invite him so their day wouldn't be ruined.

Harry chuckled. "Funny how things work like that, isn't it?" He didn't want to start a scene, but it was obvious that Ron wanted blood too. "You were probably a pretty flower girl, right Rose?" He asked.

Hermione snorted. "No. She immediately jumped into a pile of mud when she got the chance. I lost count on the amount of times I had to Scourgify her dress."

Rose blushed a little at the memory. "I told you, I do not like pink." She said softly.

Harry smiled. "So, what subjects are you taking for your sixth year?" He asked.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Alchemy and Potions." Rose said softly. "Alchemy's my expertise though."

Harry grinned a little. "Really? Your mother and I were actually able to save Nicolas Flamel's Philosopher's Stone when we were kids." He said softly.

"Yeah. Dad helped too, didn't he?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah. To some degree." Harry shrugged.

Rose frowned a little. "I know what happened, Harry. But that was in the past." She whispered softly. "If history has taught me one thing, it's that people need to forgive in certain situations." She was glad Hugo was occupied with his colouring. "What they did to you was truly awful, but you were the one who walked out of their lives." She said softly. "You've avoided them for a long time, Harry. And in the process of doing so, you've missed out on my life, and I'm sure on a lot of other peoples too…" She played nervously with her hands. "I just wanted to meet my birth father. The man who vanquished the Dark Lord. The one who reunited the Hallows. Who learnt from the Prince. Who fought alongside the Order. The man who survived against the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Who freed the Prisoner. Who found the Chamber. Who saved the Stone." She felt his hand gently take hers. "I wanted to meet the man who helped bring me into the world, not someone who stews in anger…"

Harry gave her another hug. "I'm sorry sweetheart. Sometimes the past just doesn't allow someone to forgive so easily." He kissed her forehead, feeling disgusted with himself.

Rose held onto him for a moment, nodding slightly. "So, are you married?"

"I'm widowed actually." Harry smiled sadly.

Hermione felt her heart break. "Harry…I never knew you got married." She whispered.

Harry ordered some wine, something he really wished he had done earlier. "It was six years ago when she passed away. I met her when I was abroad. We were both orphans, so we found ourselves falling in love of the course of the year." He poured wine for everyone, except Hugo and Rose. "We were married when I opened the restaurant…then, the accident happened." He played with the wine glass. "We were driving home one night from a party. Neither of us had drank anything that night. Leslie was pregnant, and I wasn't that much of a drinker. We were halfway home when some idiot drunk driver rammed into us at 100mph. Leslie died instantly…I was in a coma for two weeks." He felt tears welling up. "I um, I missed her funeral. I was in a coma and never got to say goodbye." He smiled tearfully. "Guess it just wasn't meant to be."

Rose wasn't as emotionally strong as her father. She was already in tears when he finished. She hugged him tightly, feeling upset that she didn't know a thing about him. "That's so unfair…"

Hermione watched Harry comfort their daughter. It was obvious now why he hated them. While she and Ron raised a loving family and had loads of loving memories, Harry had lost his wife and unborn child while he was still young. All he had was the anger to hold on to. There was no happiness in his life. No one who loved him. No one who he could confide in. "Harry. I'm so sorry." She whispered softly, looking at Ron. She couldn't imagine her life without him.

Harry poured Rose a small glass of red wine, winking at her. He kept an arm around her, comforting her. "After that, I just put all my time and energy into the restaurant. Now I've more awards than I really want." He admitted. "It's a bit boring now to be honest. I opened this restaurant to be the best…now that I've done it, it's just boring as hell."

Rose thought for a moment. "Why don't you just sell it and build a new restaurant in Diagon Alley?" She asked curiously. "People would freak out to try some of your dishes." She said softly.

Harry chuckled. "I got away from that world for a reason, sweetheart." He shook his head. "I don't really have that many good memories of the Wizarding World."

Hermione frowned. "None? Really..?"

"I had loads, but they slowly became realisations that you and I weren't really meant to be." He explained. "That, and let's be honest, we had shit school years."

Hermione couldn't really argue with that. "You know something, we should really try and catch up more." She said softly. "I think Rose would love to have you around now."

Rose nodded. "It would be nice to have someone I can threaten to leave you guys for." She teased, stopping once she saw Hugo's lip quiver. "I'm joking, Hugo. You're stuck with me, ginger snap."

Harry looked at them. "I suppose I can give it a try, for Rose's sake of course."

Rose smiled at him for that. Anger was an awful thing for a man to hold onto. She smelt the good coming over, and took a large sniff of it. "Wow." She felt her mouth watering. "What exactly is in this Sampler?"

Harry smiled. "The European dishes are foie gras, escargot, meatballs and some bratwurst. The African continent stuff is mostly Ethiopian dishes and some from South African culture. The Asian components are just basic takeaway foods. The American stuff is small Philly cheese steaks, a Native American dish known as the 'three sisters' and Cincinnati chili."

Rose smacked her lips, grinning to herself. "Food coma, here I come!" She took a knife and fork, devouring the meal. "Did you train the chef who made this?"

Harry nodded slightly. "She's my niece through marriage. She's probably one of the best cooks I've ever met in my life." He smiled at her.

Hermione took a spoonful of the coddle, feeling memories flood to her. "It's exactly the same." She whispered softly, looking at him. "My mother can't even make this as authentically as you." She dipped some of the homemade bread into the broth.

Harry smiled. "Do you remember the first time she made it for us when we were together?" He chuckled. "She nearly smacked your dad's head off with that spoon for bitching about me being there."

Hermione laughed. "I keep telling ya, Daniel. If my Lizzie has said that he's a good lad, then he's a good lad." She recited her grandmother's words. "Thank you for the wreath. It was lovely." She whispered.

Harry shrugged. "Your grandmother was a lovely woman. I was sorry to hear that she passed." He sighed a little. "How about we go to mine after this? Have a chat in a more private setting."

Rose smiled. "I'd like that, Harry." She whispered.

Hermione nodded, watching Ron. "Just as long as you two meatheads play nice." She said sternly.

Ron turned to Harry. "I don't mind playing nice."

Harry nodded slightly. "Ok." He finished his wine.

"You didn't order anything." Rose had only noticed.

"Sweetheart. I work in this place for unsociable hours. I hate ordering food from this place." Harry laughed a little, heading out with them once they were all finished. It was a short walk to Harry's house. "Welcome to Casa de Potter." He chuckled, opening the door. "So, what is everyone's favourite drink?"

"I'll have a glass of red wine." Hermione smiled.

"Scotch, neat." Ron shrugged.

"Juice!" Hugo grinned.

Rose grinned slightly. "One measure of vodka with three ice cubes and exactly 100 ml of whatever lemon and lime mixer you keep around." She said in a haughty tone. "That is to say, soda please." She rolled her eyes at her mother's lack of humour.

Harry got everyone a drink, bringing them to the back garden. It was a nice night out, and the space heater made it possible to relax in the large garden. "Ignore Shadow. He's a little friendly." All of them raised an eyebrow, until a large husky moved closer to him. It was easily as big as Hugo when it was sitting down. The dog barked happily at Harry, jumping on the man. "Down boy!"

Rose ran up to the dog, burying her face in his fur. "Hello! Who's a good boy?" She asked, kissing the dog's fur. "You're a good boy!" She loved dogs. "He's so cuddly and cute!" She sat on the grass, rubbing the dog's soft fur.

"I've had him seven years now. He was a birthday present from Leslie." Harry explained, smiling at his daughter and the dog.

Hermione relaxed in the back garden. "Have you seen Teddy much?" She asked curiously.

"Not a lot. I see him on Christmases and his birthday, but other than that we kind of fell out of touch." He admitted, smiling sadly. "We had a huge fight a year or so ago about my problems with you and Ron."

Hermione sighed. "He's asleep. So say whatever you want to say." She said, pointing to a sleeping Hugo.

Harry chuckled. "I've rehearsed what'd I say a million times." He admitted. "But none of it matters now." He walked into the house, tossing something into her hand. "I was going to give you this that night."

Hermione's eyes watered instantly. She knew what it was. She opened the box slowly, stopping once she saw the ring. "I'm so sorry." She whispered, closing the box. She should've seen the signs back then. "I…I was going to tell you. Ron and I, we were just…Merlin we were just being teenagers."

Harry shrugged. "Yeah." He sighed, resting his head against the picket fence. "I was angry. Extremely angry. So I left. Well, that's not entirely true…" He chuckled weakly.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

"I may have…well that is to say…" Harry sipped his whiskey. "Ok. So I decided to have a little revenge." He chuckled weakly. "I slept with the Ice Bitches."

Hermione spit out her wine. "All of them?!"

Harry nodded. "It was a good night." He laughed. "I was angry. I wanted to hurt you. My original plan was to sleep with Ginny, but she would've loved it too much. Then I thought about breaking into McGonagall's office and changing all your records to fails."

Hermione frowned. "You absolute fucker!" She chuckled slightly.

Harry smirked. "Then, I ran into Parkinson. She and I got to talking, then insulting, then insulting you! Well, one thing led to another and I ended up sleeping with her, Greengrass and Davis." He shrugged again. "Then I just left Hogwarts. Moved into Privet Drive for a few days, shouted at Vernon and took a well deserved swing at the old bastard, then moved here."

Rose listened to him, still cuddling Shadow. "You slept with three women in one night?"

Harry nodded. "I was a bit of a stud in my day." He puffed out his chest.

"More like a puppy. Fun at first, then it starts whimpering all the time." Hermione winked.

"Coming from the queen of the shelves?" He asked. "Merlin I had to put a bed in the Library one time just to spend some time with you."

Hermione smirked. "I remember that weekend. I had a big Potions assignment due." She sighed. "We had good times, Harry."

Harry nodded a little. "We did." He smiled sadly. "Remember the weekend from hell?"

Hermione snorted. She had nearly forgotten about that one. She smirked a little, sipping her wine. Rose gave her a look, so she decided to explain. "Harry and I decided to have a romantic weekend away, it was before we were due to go back to school. We got a hotel room. Champagne. All the works." She let out an un-Hermione like giggle. "We were enjoying ourselves immensely, until there's a knock on the door."

Harry laughed. "Turns out that the hotel doubled booked us in the same room as an extremely irate couple on a cheap honeymoon." He took a sip of his drink. "So they're shouting at us, while I'm in boxers and your mother is topless." He noticed Hermione's blush. "Then, it turns out they were swingers, so they offer a couple switch for the night!"

Rose spit out her drink. "Really?!"

Harry nodded, wrapping his arm around her. "So once we get our new room, we find a goddamn newborn baby abandoned in the bathroom!"

Hermione shook her head. "We waited two hours for the police, then another three to give statements and stuff."

Harry smirked. "Then, we finally get a chance to be alone…until your grandmother calls." He chuckled. "Your grandfather had managed to fall off a ladder and bust his hip!"

Hermione laughed. "I forgot about that too. That was the first time I ever heard my mother curse." She held Hugo on her lap, stroking his hair as he slept. "That was a good weekend though."

Harry nodded, closing his eyes. "I forgive you." He said after a few minutes of pure silence. "I know you didn't do out of maliciousness." He whispered.

Hermione felt a tear come to her eye. "I…" She handed Hugo to Ron, hugging Harry gently. "I'm so sorry." She whispered softly, holding onto him.

Harry kissed her cheek, smiling softly. "Though I have to admit, you were so vanilla in bed." He teased, feeling her fist on his arm. "OW!"

Hermione smirked to herself. "You're an arse!" She said softly, kissing his forehead. "I did love you, Harry."

"I know." He smiled, staring at Ron. "Just not anymore." He whispered back, giving her a small hug.