A/N: Hello readers. Not sure where I'm going with this story, but if you seem to enjoy it enough, then I should be able to figure my way through it. Happy reading.
In a small village of Cambridgeshire, a crooning is heard from a distance.
" Come and play.." it sings.
A girl of six wakes from her slumber, and is entranced by the peculiar sound. Peering out of her window into the darkness, she see's nothing out of the ordinary except the pale light of the moon.
"Don't you want to play? Come out and play" it hums again. She silently walks down the steps, passes her parents' bedroom and exits her family cottage.
"Let's have fun…" it cackles.
From across the street, an elderly neighbor watches confusedly as he observes a line of barefoot children heading towards the direction of the woods.
In an office located on the second level of the Ministry of Magic, sits Harry Potter hovering over an endless stack of paperwork. Glaring at the black letters written on the parchment in hopes they would disappear, he tosses his quill on his desk and emits a deep sigh. He is interrupted by three soft knocks against his door. The scruffy haired man frowns.
"I told you Flora. No more interruptions please." Harry states exasperated. He is shocked when the door opens nonetheless. "Flora I mean it - "
"Really Harry? I come all the way from America to see my best friend and he thinks of my presence as an interruption. I am thoroughly insulted." Sarcasm dripping off of every word said by the curly brown haired witch.
Harry leans back against his chair, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. He takes in the 24 year old woman tapping her foot impatiently against the floor, blinking his green eyes at her.
"Hermione?" Harry uttered squinting at the young woman whom he hadn't seen in five years. Hermione let out a tinkling laugh.
"Hiya Harry. Missed me?" She smiles. Harry immediately gets up, causing his chair to screech back, and tackles the short witch.
"What the hell are you doing here? Are you on holiday? Or are you back for good?! Tell me you're back for good! I won't let you leave if you're not!"
Wanting to put a cease to her friend's incessant questioning "None of the above actually" she laughs nervously.
Harry pauses. His forehead creases as he thinks of other possible reasons for Hermione Jean Granger to return to London. Upon realization, he shakes his head and chuckles. "Of course. Hermione Granger is here in London today for none other than work." Harry throws his hands up in the air. "Now everything is starting to make sense."
Hermione grins and rolls her eyes. "So dramatic Harry. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures asked for me."
Harry gestures her to take a seat, while he perches on the edge of his desk facing her. "Ah yes, the Missing Children Erkle case is it?"
"Erkling." She corrected.
"Right. Errrr - kling." Dismissing this conversation about work with a wave of his hand, Harry again begins his inquisition. "How's America been? MACUSA treating you well, yeah?"
After completing her 8th year at Hogwarts, Hermione had left Great Britain to start fresh. Though many job offers were thrown her way, including many from the Ministry, Hermione opted for a new setting.
Having been offered a job in the Body for Protection of Magical Species at MACUSA, Hermione immediately jumped at the chance. She found that she fit perfectly in the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle. As much as she loved New York City, she still struggled in calling it home.
"It's been amazing. You know that." She pauses. "Well you should if you read my letters. You read my letters don't you?" She chastised, raising her eyebrows at him.
He gasps and puts his hand to his heart. "Of course Mione. Who do you take me for? Ronald?" He snickers.
Hermione clicks her tongue. "Where is the great Ronald Billius Weasley anyways?"
"Working a case out in Brighton I believe. Should be back soon. A wizard is out terrorizing and obliviating muggle women."
"Hm. How's Lavender?"
Harry responds with his arms spread wide open over his belly. "Big."
Hermione laughs at his ridiculous display of pregnancy. "You're incorrigible."
"What? I'm not lying. That woman is huge."
"And Ginny and the kids?"
"Amazing. They miss their Aunt Hermione."
"Harry, I haven't even met them yet. Or well, I haven't met James."
"They don't need to meet you to miss you. As Teddy calls it, the felly tone was one way we got in touch no?" Hermione giggles. "And how's Lysander? Is he here?"
"Yes he is. We rented a flat nearby. He's with Poppy currently."
"How does he like London so far?"
"We've only arrived today Harry. He's quite excited on meeting everyone for the first time finally."
"So that settles it. You and Lysander are coming over for dinner tonight. I'll let Ginny and Molly know. The burrow will finally be a full house." He piped clapping his hands.
Hermione relaxed in her chair thinking of the reunion to come later that night.
Remembering the work he was failing to get through before his best friend's arrival, Harry returns to his desk fingering the parchments spread out all over the wooden surface.
After what is about five long minutes, Hermione stiffens up instantly. "Tell me you're working this case with me Harry."
Harry's eyes turn away from his desk and into Hermione's anxiety ridden eyes. "I turned down the case."
Hermione grabs a crumpled paper ball on his desk and throws it at his head. Harry shoots her an annoyed look.
"Why?!"
"Well you see, your best friend and my wife, Ginerva Weasley Potter, insists that I spend way too much time with deviants than I do with her and the children." He quipped. "I have four cases already Hermione. I'm not about to take another one, especially this one. I would rarely be home if I did."
She took notice of her friend's matted hair and the dark under eye circles forming from behind his glasses. Hermione begrudgingly nodded her head in understanding. Her eyes then glimmered with hope.
"Ronald then?"
"Lavender's about to pop, so I really don't think so." Hermione crossed her arms and harrumphed.
"So which auror do I have the pleasure of working with?"
Harry took a moment to think. "I haven't a clue actually. You might have to talk to Kings - "
"POTTER. Shacklebolt says you have the Missing Children case file." A deep voice loudly interjects.
The double doors of Harry's office are flung open against the walls with an ear-splitting noise. With the loud clacks of his black pointed leather boots against the marble floor, Draco Lucius Malfoy stops and sneers over at the seated man.
Beside the towering blond man, an unnoticed Hermione digs her nails into her arm rests, glaring at the boy across from her. Harry slides down his chair in irritation meeting Malfoy's sneer.
"Ferret." He mumbles in greeting.
Turning towards Hermione, he heaves a great sigh knowing exactly what message his frazzled friend was irately trying to convey to him.
Harry Potter, you better not give him that file or you will find that your wife will be husbandless and your children fatherless.
Harry Potter knew one thing for certain. He needed to fire his secretary. Letting people barge into his office when he specifically said -
"Harry take the case." Hermione growled interrupting his thoughts. Finally noticing the witch in the room, Malfoy crinkled his brow in confusion.
"Granger?" He whispers. Hermione ignores him. Still observing her, Malfoy noted that the mudblood certainly grew into herself. She was still short, however her frizzy hair became - well not frizzy. He couldn't explain it, nor would he have wanted to. She was different. Definitely more easy on the eyes now. Especially with wearing that blue sundress. Her curls escaped the bun she amassed on her head, subtly framing her face. Her eyes. Well, they showed irritation. Coming out of his trance, he looked back at boy wonder.
"The case Potter." He demanded holding out his hand.
"No Harry, don't!" Hermione's eyes pleading. "Work this case with me." She said in a low voice grabbing at his arm.
"You know I can't do that." He met her eyes sympathetically.
"Just sign your name and I'll do all the work!"
"Hermi -
"Would both of you shut the fuck up. I'm really not in the mood to get in between a lovers spat with you and Pothead. If you would give me the case file I'll be out of this shithole of an office" Malfoy snarled looking around disgustedly at the cluttered, mismatched furnished room.
Hermione turned to face the grey eyed man looking as furious as possible, however only meeting his chest. Pointing her head up she raises her eyebrows at him.
"This is my case Malfoy."
Malfoy takes a step back and chortles. "Like hell it is Granger."
Hermione's eyes flashed.
"Tell me Malfoy, what do you know about Erklings? I doubt you know much about them. What do you know about magical creatures hm? Because to solve this cause, you would need to know how to handle them in the least. Enlighten me." She however failed to give him a fraction of a second to enlighten her and continued with her tirade. "Might I remind you the incident you had in third year when you were mauled by a hippogriff?" Hermione was goading and she knew it.
Refusing to be talked down by a girl who stood at 5'3, he spat out "Don't tell me you're the bloody American sent to work this case."
"The one and only" Giving him a small smirk.
"Fucking Shacklebolt."
"Do run along and tell him you won't be taking the case." She turned back towards Harry, once again ignoring the blond man's presence.
"Now wait a fucking minute. I'm not turning this case down. Anybody lined up after me is not nearly as adequate or intelligent enough to solve this case. I'm staying on and if you don't like it, you can bring that up with Kingsley."
"I don't need a partner." Hermione crossed her arms looking at everywhere else in the room but him.
"Hermione," Harry called out to her friend in shock. "I strongly advise against that. This is a dangerous case. A case in which we know very little information. Children are missing, and one has yet to be found."
"Are you questioning my skills as a witch Harry Potter!?"
"No! I just - "
"Cause it sounds like you are!"
"Hermione I'm not. I'm just saying if it can't be me or Ron to protect you, I rather it be, as much as I hate to say this, Malfoy." Harry's face twitched in pain.
Hermione's jaw dropped. Malfoy didn't know whether to smirk or look disgusted.
"If you take this up with Kingsley, I will not back you up on this. I will not have you traipsing around with this case with no protection." Harry yelled.
After losing a battle of glares, Hermione stomps her foot and rushes out of Harry's office leaving two disgruntled men watching her as she barges towards the lifts.
"She still does that?" Malfoy questioned with his gaze never leaving her distancing form.
Harry raised an eyebrow at him.
Turning back to Harry with a sneer and his hand held out, "Case Potter!"
A/N: I'm sure you've got loads of questions.
There may be some references to the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them throughout this story.
*MACUSA: Magical Congress of the United States of America located in NYC. (Similar to the British Ministry of Magic in London)
***If you haven't watched the movie, I strongly urge you to do so.