Roads – Chapter 1

Silence prevailed in Number 12, Grimmauld Place. The London townhouse stood between two other muggle dwellings, and yet curiously removed from its neighboring area. It was as if the sounds of the streets, the honking, sirens, and barking dogs stood on the other side of a thick glass bell jar.

Only dust particles moved, as if in a slow dance, through the air in the long hall that lead to the front door. The room was light and elegant, with white walls, polished hardwood floor, a long black and white rug that stretched from the front door to the stairs, a large mirror that took over a big portion of one of the walls, and in front of it, a long narrow table, over which rested a copper vase with some pink peonies in it and, besides it, a wooden bowl with some keys.

The handle on the front door shook and it squeaked as a brunette woman stepped inside, closing the door behind her and immediately hanging her purse, and then her coat on hooks on the wall by the door.

Hermione took a few more steps and stopped in front of the large mirror, resting her wand on the table and running her fingers through her hair, in an attempt to comb back the hair that had freed itself from the messy bun she had quickly tied up after leaving the subway station. It turned out to be a quite windy afternoon and she had grown tired of being assaulted by her hair on every corner.

But, apart from the messy hair, Hermione really enjoyed windy days. There was something almost magical to the atmosphere when it started blowing and how within minutes the weather could change from sunny to stormy, which seemed to be the case that day. Apparently the warm, sunny days they had been having in this early spring were not going to stay all the way through April.

Hermione didn't mind, though. She could exist in peace with the weather whatever it was like. There were many more things she could concern herself with daily. Like the fact she didn't seem to be making much of a difference with her work lately. She put in many hours and a lot of effort into bending laws so that all magic creatures could be treated with due respect and care, but lately all the hamper of the politics involved were tiring her and driving Hermione to the edge of her patience.

There was also the fact that she sometimes felt so lonely. She knew it was just a fleeting feeling, but it always came back to her sooner or later. She couldn't help but compare herself to her friends, even though she knew better than it. Harry was a happy married man, the father of two children already, Luna had been dating Neville for over five years now and they shared a flat, Ron was happy to date around, even though his relationships rarely lasted longer than a few months, even George had found his happiness in another, and had recently got married to Angelina.

Hermione was starting to worry that she would end up single. Not that she would mind never getting married, but she just felt that life was always better when shared with a better half. She should know, as she had now had some long committed relationships, and a few failed attempts here and there. But they just never worked out in the end.

There had been Ron, of course. Her first serious relationship. They had been quite happy for some time, right after the war. They had discovered together what it meant to take care of each other and how to love someone. But relationships take more than love to work out, and it came to a point when all they had in common was that love and respect they felt for each other. So, in honor of those, they decided it would be best to stop expecting things from each other which they could not offer, and go their separate ways. It was hard at first, to everyone involved. There were awkward lunches and parties, moments of weakness on both of their ends, but with time, their friendship became as strong as it had once been, and they moved on.

Sometimes, Hermione still wondered if it had been a mistake to end things, not to try any harder. But she knew that what was done, was done. She believed that If they were meant to be together, they would find each other again, eventually.

There had also been Oliver Wood. They started dating about a year after Ron and Hermione had broken up. Oliver had made the first move at a Ministry Ball, probably encouraged by some liquor, as he later revealed to Hermione that he had had a crush on her for many years but never acted on it, afraid to rouse Ron's anger. Hermione absolutely adored Oliver's company. He was funny, polite and intelligent. They were together for a little over a year, but things just cooled off between them and it came to a point where they more like friends who lived in the same flat, than anything else. Hermione had done the breaking up this time and it was pretty harsh at first. Oliver didn't want for things to end like that. However Hermione's mind was set, and after some time and some long conversations, she made Oliver realize that it was probably for the best. They still met on the occasional party or event, and were cordial to each other, but that was pretty much it.

At 24 Hermione had felt a bit disillusioned with love. That is, until Viktor came back to her life. It was a Friday evening and Hermione was at a pub in Diagon Alley with Harry, Ginny, Fred and Ron. They had gathered to share a few drinks and celebrate the Chudley Cannons first win in 92 years. Ron was rapt in the celebration, she had never seen him so happy. So, there she was, making another trip back from the bar with a couple more pints when a tall, strong man stood on her way. She nearly dropped the pints as she looked up and recognized her childhood flame there, all muscles and kind eyes, with a shy smile on his lips.

Things escalated pretty quickly from there on. The years had done them both well, and a childhood infatuation became a passionate affair within weeks. Hermione just couldn't get enough of Viktor and the feeling seemed to be mutual, that was for sure. However, Viktor was in England for a short time, only staying there for the remainder of the European championship, and then having to go back home with his team. So, they visited over the weekends and holidays, but it just never felt like enough. They couldn't get enough of each other and the distance was becoming unbearable. Viktor proposed they get married and live together in Bulgaria, but Hermione felt that that was too much of a big step for them. She pondered for some time and, not standing the distance anymore, decided to accept his proposal to move to Bulgaria, leaving her job, friends and family behind, she followed her heart instead of her mind for once and took the chance to experience this relationship in a new place.

She had taken some time to adjust, but she and Viktor were so taken away with each other, that they barely had eyes, and time, to anything else. This bliss lasted for two years and five months, which were some of the happiest Hermione had ever experience in her love life. However, a moment of scare had tipped the scale, when she thought she could be pregnant. Her period had been late for over two weeks, which was very odd for her. Viktor and she had been cautious about this, taking steps to prevent any accidents, but these things always had a way of happening, she felt. Regardless of how it had happened, the fact was that Hermione was surprised by how unprepared she had been for it, how unsure she felt about being a mom and maybe starting a family with Viktor. She sort of went out of her mind during those weeks, waiting for it to be just a fright. Viktor noticed, but she was too scared of her feeling to actually talk about what was going on. And that was the moment when things started to change for them. When her period finally came, she felt the most relieved she ever had in her life, and that was saying a lot.

It took no time for Hermione to start questioning her reaction and why she had felt the way she did. Her constant overthinking made her push Viktor away somewhat, and soon she was questioning all her choices, from leaving London and moving to a new country, to breaking up with Ron, leaving her job at the Ministry, separating herself from her parents, it all just started to haunt her, taking away from any happiness she could experience. Things carried out like this for some months, with Hermione refusing to share her feeling with anyone. She was getting more and more depressed, until one evening Viktor sat her down and demanded to know what was the problem. When Hermione still tried to hide her doubts from him, Viktor suggested she should go back home, and stop lying to herself. Hermione had been furious that he would suggest so, but all Viktor did was take her anger in silence and reply very gently, once she had been done telling him off, that she was not happy with him and he had no desire to keep her miserable, he loved her too much.

Viktor left her alone in the flat after that and didn't return for a few days. When he did, they sat down once more and discussed their feelings and current situation, and then decided it would be best to take some time away from each other.

And that had been it. Hermione hadn't seen Viktor anymore since returning to England eight months ago. Whenever she thought about him and their relationship, she couldn't help but wonder at how far away it all seemed to be now. It was like years had gone by.

Hermione couldn't explain how she had let herself go so much while she was away in Bulgaria, but the fact is that she had put her whole life on hold for a chance to be with the man she loved, once again forgetting that love is not all there is to life. She should have known better.

With a sigh, she looked up into the mirror once more, realizing it was now dark all around her. How long had she been standing there, lost in thought? This was not something foreign to her, as she would often find herself frozen in space, wondering about any and every possible thing. Harry, Ginny and Ron had all noticed this habit already, and would often snap their fingers in front of her face and share a laugh over her spacing out. Hermione didn't mind in the least, and would join in, most times relieved to be brought back to Earth.

She had gone upstairs and taken the most relaxing bath, marveling at the old claw foot tub, the pattern of the tiles and the beauty of the old house, as she often did. Harry had offered her the house, when she came back from Bulgaria with a broken heart, no job and no place to stay but her parents' house. Since it had been locked and empty for almost ten years, Hermione agreed to take care of the place while she stayed there, it seemed like a fair trade, and to be honest, Hermione had always been fascinated by the history in that house, all the hidden treasures and secrets she could dig up while studying the ancient and extensive collection in its library, the family heirlooms and furniture, it was all so fascinating –and, given, probably dangerous too – but Hermione loved a challenge.

So, in the next months she had spent most of her free time going through the rooms, cleaning, rearranging, renovating and adding some touches here and there to make the house a home. Every now and then someone would pop in to help her, and she found Molly Weasley to be one of the biggest enthusiasts in this endeavor. Hermione's mother was also quite pleased with helping around, especially when it came to shopping for new furniture and fabrics.

And now number 12, Grimmauld place was a wonderful place, gone was all the darkness surrounding the house, the chipped walls and damaged furniture. Hermione felt that the house could easily be featured in an interior design magazine. Not that she would try that, Hermione appreciated all the privacy she could get. Even so many years after the war, it was still common to find her face and her friends' faces on the news.

Heading downstairs to the kitchen, Hermione started working on her dinner, she was absolutely famished, and had already started cooking some pasta when her fireplace came to life, the flames green and soon displaying Harry's face in them.

Hey, Hermione – He greeted joyfully – How are you? I haven't seen you at the Ministry today.

Hey, Harry. I know, I went in earlier for a meeting with the Winzegamot representatives, and it went on for ages, you have no idea. I missed lunch, so I took the liberty of getting off earlier.

Oh, I can imagine, what a nightmare. – Harry frowned at the thought – Did you make any progress then? – Harry was familiar with her latest battle to increase wages to all registered werewolves.

Not in the slightest, I'm afraid. It's like no one cares about this. – The issue frustrated Hermione immensely.

They probably don't, Hermione, that's the thing.

I know. But they will. I'm telling you Harry, these people are not going to tire me out of this cause with all their stalling. I can hold a grudge as well as the next person.

Don't I know. – Harry ducked in the fire when Hermione threw a piece of onion at him. – Ouch.

You should know better than teasing me about serious matters – Hermione was smiling now, not at all bothered by her friend's teasing. – So, are you guys coming over for dinner tomorrow?

The next day was a Saturday, and it was common for Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and the kids to have dinner together on Saturday evenings. It wasn't set in stone, but at least a couple of times a month they would share a meal and some laughs around the dining table.

-Yes, we are. Ginny is picking the boys up at the Burrow and then we'll come over, around 6, is that alright?

- Yes, perfect. I can't wait to see James and Albus, I miss them so much!

- You'll get plenty of them tomorrow, they keep asking about auntie Hermi-nee – Harry laughed and waved goodbye through the fire – Goodnight, we'll see you tomorrow.

- Goodnight, Harry. – Hermione waved and waited until the flames died out, turning back to check on her pasta with a smile on her face. She really did miss her friends, especially the little ones. James and Albus were just adorable, and she had a lot of fun hanging out with them.

It was funny how the idea of her own baby had scared her so much, but when it came to her best friends' children she felt so at home and at ease. Go figure.

Pouring the sauce over the pasta and serving herself some of the deliciously smelling food, she made her way to the living room, where she had placed a TV set - which took quite some effort for her to make work in a magical dwelling – and sat down in front of it, on the new armchair she just loved, ready to watch some telly and have her dinner before heading off to bed. She was pretty tired, it had been a long day and Hermione couldn't wait for the weekend to start, it felt like it would be a special one.