A/N: If this story seems familiar, it's probably because it is. I started writing it in November of last year, but when I started rereading it, I wasn't happy with the way it was written. I've decided to delete the story and start anew. The plot is going to stay the same and the characters will as well. The only thing that is going to change is the writing and maybe me adding in some more details. Maybe even a bit more Ron, because I'm an idiot who neglected him.

I really hope you like it and I hope you'll favorite it and review! Every little bit will help me feel better about my writing haha. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! (I'd also like to know if you're okay with me rewriting the story. I just got invested in changing it and making it better)

If you were to ask anyone in the township of Filey where to find a peculiar little house that lay by the sea, they'd stare off for a few moments to try and remember what had happened to that house that seemed to have just disappeared. They'd get quite frazzled and then eventually say something along the lines of, "Well, good riddance to it. Ugly abandoned little thing it was. Someone made the right call in getting rid of it." Then they'd walk off, putting the little house by the sea out of their minds.

But, the house had not been rid of at all. It lay right where it always had been and in perfect condition. The little house was cozy and the family that lived there loved it more than anything, especially the young boy who was no older than three.

He currently sat on the house's back steps watching the way the waves crashed upon the shore. The sea wasn't anywhere near calm today and for some reason the clouds were a darker shade than what the news forecast had promised. Had it not been the time of the year for weather like this, the boy's mother would have been worried.

It had been years, five years to be exact, since the battle at Hogwarts had taken place. Hermione Granger had tried to move on from everything that had happened. She had decided that she couldn't stay in London to work for the Ministry of Magic as Harry had. She couldn't be around familiar faces without seeing the pain and destruction Lord Voldemort and the war had caused. Of course, she still kept in touch with Harry and Ron, along with the rest of the Weasleys, but she didn't see much use in always being there with them. She decided that the best thing for her to do was to leave it all behind.

It was only a month after the war that Hermione moved to the mostly muggle town by the name of Filey with the idea that it would be good for her to step away from the magical world. That didn't mean that she stopped using magic, though she didn't use it as much as a witch should. She disillusioned the house from muggle eyes and put up protection wards to keep ill-intentioned people out.

She had enough money to survive for as long as she needed to after receiving an Order of Merlin, First Class. Using this money bothered her, but the other alternative was going back to the wizarding world and working a job that she wasn't ready for. Taking her wand, her few belongings and fleeing out to the house by the sea was really the best option.

Some would say that it wasn't the Gryffindor thing to do, her running away, but she felt that she had more than proved herself when she helped Harry defeat Voldemort. Plus, she was out of Hogwarts now; she had been for a while. She couldn't spend her whole life being measured by which house she got put into in school.

No, she definitely couldn't spend her whole life being measured up to preconceived expectations that everybody else had made for her. She needed to figure out who she was on her own. In essence, she needed to find herself.

It was on a Friday in the middle of August when she had decided to go to Diagon Alley to visit Harry and Ron, who she hadn't seen since she first left. The guilt settled into her quickly and she had to force herself to take deep, steady breaths to prevent a panic attack.

Ron was the first person she noticed. He was sitting down at a table in the back of The Leaky Cauldron, chatting with someone who Hermione couldn't quite see yet. She assumed it was Harry.

As she got closer, she saw that her assumption was correct. A smile couldn't help but spread across her face. Though, she didn't miss the magical world; Hermione did miss her best friends. The two boys noticed her and waved her over. It took everything in her not to rush over and tackle them to the ground.

"Well, if it isn't Hermione Granger." Harry said, a slight smirk playing at his features. "I was starting to forget how you looked like."

"You're very funny, Harry." She muttered, but allowed herself to be pulled into a tight hug.

When he let her go, she turned to Ron. She didn't really know where she and Ron stood. After the kiss that happened in the middle of the battle, they both decided to pass it off as an adrenaline moment.

Hermione let out a small sigh of relief when he flashed a smile and pulled her in for a hug. "I've missed you so much. We all have."

The guilt, which she had forgotten about, found its way back into her and made it's bed in her stomach. "I know. I'm so sorry. I had been meaning to come back sooner."

"We know, Hermione. Don't worry. We were a bit upset at first, but we understand why you did what you did." Ron said softly, releasing her so they could take their seats.

"Now, the real question is if you're ever going to ever invite us over to see your new home." Harry laughed, but she knew he was being serious.

"Of course, I've just been busy making the place presentable before everyone inevitably comes over. I'm also in the middle of debating with myself whether I should connect my fireplace to the Floo Network." She sighed. "I'd love the easy access to you all, but I don't like that it'll allow me that much access to this world."

"Do whatever feels comfortable, Hermione. You know that there's always Apparition." Ron said consolingly.

"You're right." Hermione said, waiting for whoever was going to serve them to come and take their order. "What's taking them so long?"

"Oh, I really hope you don't mind, but we ordered ahead. We didn't know how long you'd be and Ronald here was dying of starvation." Harry flashed a sheepish smile.

"That's alright. It'll give me enough time to get some things that I need for the house."

The food came shortly after and as per Hermione's request after seeing half of Ron's meal in his mouth when he let out a bark of laughter, there was hardly any conversation.

Ron had to leave shortly after for a meeting with work and Harry had made plans to go to the Burrow to visit Molly and the rest of the Weasleys. Hermione ignored the stirring guilt in her stomach and declined the invitation to join him.

It wasn't even an hour later, when she was skimming through the shelves of Flourish and Blotts, that she noticed one of the workers looking at her over one of the shelves he was stocking. She smiled uncomfortably and kept on looking through the books.

Nathaniel Cooper hadn't meant for her to catch him looking at her. He wanted to hit himself with the book in his hand.

He knew who she was, of course. He was only a few years older than she was and had heard about her through his cousin in Ravenclaw. Though, all he really did know about her was that she was a brilliant witch, smarter than anyone her age and of course, friends with Harry Potter.

At the time when all his cousin could talk about was the trio, he had told her that it 'didn't really matter'. Seeing her now, though? He wasn't quite sure he should have opened his mouth so quickly.

She must have forgotten that he was there, because she suddenly found herself falling to the floor. He caught her arm just in time. Hermione laughed awkwardly and bent to retrieve the book that she had ungracefully dropped on the ground. "I should be more careful."

"It's alright, it happens a lot more often than you would think." He smiled. Hermione finally took notice that he was the worker who was looking at her earlier and awkwardly smiled back. His smile shrunk a little at the change of her expression. "I'm sorry about being a weirdo earlier. I don't usually stare at customers and honestly, it was weird and rude and I'm horrible. I'm sorry."

Hermione didn't know what to say or do to the man, who had a deep red blush slowly consuming his face. "It's okay. I'm used to people staring at me."

This wasn't the right thing to say, since his jaw dropped. "You must be so annoyed by it. I'm sorry again, Miss. Granger."

"It's alright… I'm sorry; I didn't get your name."

"I'm Nathaniel." He said, extending a hand to her. She shook it and drew back her own hand. Nathaniel pulled back his own hand and ran it through his hair.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Nathaniel. I hope if we meet again, we aren't horribly awkward." Hermione joked.

"I hope so, too. Though, I wouldn't bet on it because I'm rubbish at conversations and talking to people I want to impress." He mentally hit himself for that last part.

Hermione laughed and that settled his nerves just a bit more. "I wouldn't think I'm worth impressing, really. Plus, you did great. I'm leaving in great spirits, at least."

His laugh was somewhere between a cough and a chuckle. She smiled, this time it was genuine and turned to go purchase her books. It wasn't until she was almost out of the store that Nathaniel tapped on her shoulder, causing her to jump and drop her book again.

She was about to reach down to get it, but he was already picking it up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright." Hermione said. "Did you need something?"

"Well, you've seen how horrible I am at this whole talking thing and all, but I really need to ask before I regret it. I was wondering if you'd maybe like to go on a date with me?" His words were a bit rushed, he knew that, but he didn't care. He needed to ask.

Hermione frowned a little. "I'm not actually looking to date. It has nothing to do with you, I promise. I just don't think it's the right time for me."

"Then we can go as friends? Completely platonic." He tried. She seemed to think about this for a few more seconds before reluctantly agreeing.

"Great, I'll see you on Sunday then?" Hermione nodded, still unsure of how the whole situation would play out.

As it turned out, their dinner 'date' went surprisingly well. It led to months of them talking and getting to know each other. Nathaniel had meant it when he said that they'd be friends, but she slowly found herself trusting him more and wanting a relationship with him.

When she let him know that she was ready for them to attempt at dating, he smiled brightly and said that she could go at her own pace.

It wasn't until a month later that she let the relationship truly progress. She hadn't realized just how fast she was getting comfortable with Nathaniel. With the exception of Ron and Harry, he was the only one who knew all of her troubles and fears.

It didn't matter which part of herself Hermione chose to show him, he stood by her through everything. He never made her feel bad about the decisions she had made. Never once did he make her feel selfish or inconsiderate.

Before she even knew what was happening, she was getting ready to walk down the aisle. Their wedding was a simple muggle affair, which was Nathaniel's idea. He knew how she felt about wanting her muggle heritage to still be prominent in her life and he was prepared to give her anything and everything she needed to make her happy.

Hermione's parents respected this about their new son-in-law. It was a relief when she found out that both of her parents had given their blessing. It was an even bigger relief when she saw Nathaniel and her father laughing together and making conversation. She had never felt more blessed.

It was about a month later that Hermione realized just how much more blessed she could feel. The newlywed couple were going to be welcoming a new baby into the world.

Her pregnancy was normal, filled with both muggle and magical worries. Worried if the baby would be born healthy or if they were going to be able to do magic or not. But, nearly eight months later all their doubts and worries were swept away when their beautiful son, Landon Elliot Cooper was born.

He was absolutely perfect.

That brought her to the present. She had been sitting in the kitchen of the small house, looking out at her son through the back door.

He was everything that she could ask for and more. He took brains from both of his parents and had the most brilliant imagination. He looked a bit more like his father than he did Hermione, but he did procure her curly hair and freckles. His eyes were green like Nathaniel's and he definitely had the trademark Cooper nose; which was thin and slightly turned up. Hermione had never been so proud of anything she had created before.

Nathaniel sat next to her, muttering about how ugly the weather looked. "Don't you think it's time to bring him inside?"

He had been saying all morning that the weather was unnatural, but Hermione assured him that everything would be alright.

"No, look at how much he's enjoying the wind." At this moment, the thunder clapped so loud that she was positive the house shook a bit, but Landon's laughter took the worry straight out of her mind. "He loves it."

"I honestly don't know where he got that from. I hate stormed." Hermione laughed lightly.

There were very few moments in which Hermione was completely okay with everything that happened in her life. She felt that she would go through every pain and miserable moment again if it meant that she could have this ending every time.

Nathaniel and Landon meant everything to her. They were the reason she could sleep at night without nightmares. The reason she could live her life without any regrets.

"I do seriously think we should bring him inside, though. The wind is getting worse and it's getting darker out."

"I know, but look at him. If we bring him in now, he'll be devastated. You know how much he loves to be outside and especially when there's thunder." He gave her a contemplative look, but quickly dropped it when he noticed a bold of lightening landing closer than he was personally comfortable with. "Okay, okay. I'll bring him in."

Hermione went outside and picked up her son. "Daddy and I think it's time to go inside."

The little boy frowned, but nodded. "Otay, mumma."

It had taken a while for them to finally get Landon to sleep. It was half past one in the morning and Hermione was about ready to go to bed as well. "Do you think he has regular dreams?"

"Regular dreams? Like about toys and superhero wizards?" Hermione smiled at the thought of the amount of innocence her child possessed. "I hope he does. We don't need our little boy having bad dreams."

"I reckon he does, though. Have bad dreams, I mean." Nathaniel frowned and sat on the bed. "He told me about one once, but I didn't think anything of it since Harry had just told him the story of what you three went through."

Hermione found that she had a strong urge to hit her husband and her friend upside the head. "Why on earth would you even allow Harry too tell him those stores. He's too young!"

"I know, which is why Harry didn't tell him anything too disturbing. He just wanted to let Landon know how brave his mother is. I think he's just afraid of losing you." Nathaniel looked at his wide and sighed. "To be honest, I am too."

Hermione sat next to her husband and held his hand. "I haven't even thought about putting myself at risk to be hurt. I am as far away from danger as I possibly can be. I won't risk Landon growing up without a mum or you without a wife."

Nathaniel squeezed her hand and pulled her closer into him. "You're an amazing person. The best mother and definitely the best wife. I'd be lost without you."

"Trust me, you'll never be without me." Hermione whispered.

She couldn't blame her family for worrying about her. Hermione was worried, too. She hadn't fooled herself into thinking that she was completely safe and she knew that there were still some of Voldemort's followers hiding out somewhere.

Then there were the nightmares that she had. They had stopped for the most part, but they would find their way back on days when she worried the most.

Usually, her nightmares were of a world where Voldemort hadn't died and she was fighting to protect Landon from everything. She always woke up with a panic attack.

"Now you're worrying." Nathaniel noted.

"Can you blame me?" She sighed.

"No, but I do know that it doesn't help when you worry." He placed a kiss on her head.

"I can't help it, sometimes. I just want you and Landon to be safe."

"I understand that, love, but you can't let yourself worry yourself sick. It's not healthy."

Hermione knew that her husband was right and pushed the thought out of her head before she thought of other reasons to continue worrying. Instead she pulled out of Nathaniel's arms so she could face him. "You're right."

"I always am." He smiled. "Anyway, it's time for bed. I don't think I can stay up another minute."

"Yes, please."

They weren't in bed for a minute when a large crash sounded through the house, followed by the cried of the three year old.

Nathaniel turned to his wife, fear etched across his face. "Go get Landon and hide."

He took his wand off the bedside table and left the room. Hermione grabbed her wand with a shaky hand and ran to her son's room, locking the door behind her. She picked up the crying boy. "Shh, quiet love. It's only thunder. You love thunder don't you?"

She tried not to flinch when she heard the muffled yelling and quickly put a soundproof charm on the room. Hermione looked down at her son, who was still crying. "It's okay, Landon. Daddy is going to be right back and then we'll read you your favorite bedtime story. He'll even do the voices."

"Oh love, don't you cry. Everything is okay. You know mummy and daddy won't let any-

The door blew open causing Landon to scream and distract Hermione long enough for the man to disarm her. She felt a sudden wave of despair knowing that she now had nothing to protect her son with. "Well if it isn't the Mudblood. It's been a while since I've seen that look on your face. Aren't too brave this time around, are you, Granger?"

The man seemed to look around, his gaze stopping on the crying boy. "And you've got a little mutt with you. Rather disgusting if I should say so- WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?" The man in the long black cloak flicked his wand, smirking. Hermione, who was trying to find her way to the window, lost control over her body. She fell to the ground, causing Landon to fall out of her arms. She tried reaching for her son, who was crying for his mother, but it was no use. She was hopeless.

"I've been planning this for a very long time. You, Potter and Weasley have ruined my life. Did you honestly think that you could just run off and live a perfect little life?" The man walked over to her and kneeled down. She couldn't see his face, but a peek of white blond hair showed from his hood. "You're going to pay, Granger. But for now, I think this will do just fine."

Pulling off his hood, she saw the boy who had tormented her when she was in school. The man who up until now, she thought had changed and made a life for himself. He smirked, malice flashing through his eyes, when he saw the realization in her eyes. "Funny isn't it, Granger? You spent all of your time trying to prove you were better than me and where did it get you?"

He got up and walked toward the crying boy, picking him up. "Look at you. Pathetic. You can't even protect your own child. Your husband couldn't either, though he never really stood a chance."

Hermione's whole body felt like it was ripping apart. She tried as hard as she could to move, to do anything to get Landon away from Malfoy. He must have noticed this and put the boy down on his bed. "I've killed your husband, I shall spare the boy. You should consider this a warning, Granger."

He walked back to the door way, but turned around to face them. He smirked at the pure helplessness in her eyes. "You have always underestimated what I could do. Now you won't be naïve enough to continue to think so."

Malfoy turned to leave, but hesitated. He pulled out his wand and aimed it at the boy. Hermione could feel her body threatening to give in on itself from the pure force she was using to break the hold of the spell. She needed to get Landon before Malfoy could.

Malfoy looked directly at her, wand still focused on the crying boy. "OBLIVIATE."

Then with another flick of his wand, she felt her muscles slowly start to relax. She was up and had her wand in hand within seconds, but he was faster than her.

"Just one more thing, Granger. Who's the father?" and with a pop, he was gone.