Chapter Two: To Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores
Five Years Later
"Momma! Momma! Look!" A high-pitched voice screamed out as she swung higher and higher into the sky. A young woman came out of the small house and looked on as her daughter had her fun. Her brunette hair reached her mid-shoulder and was hanging loosely in ringlets. The woman walked over to the little girl and smiled softly. Her brown eyes shone brightly for the girl. The actions leading up to her creation weren't of the greatest, but Hermione would disagree that the joys of parenting were a downfall. She moved over to where she stood behind the girl and caught her on her backwards swing. "Aw, Momma, I was going so high though."
Hermione couldn't keep the smile to herself as she picked her daughter up off the swing and placed a gentle kiss to her temple. "I know, Evie. And I was so proud of you. But lunch is ready and Liam can't wait to eat." Hermione and Evie walked into the kitchen where a mop of black hair sat, waiting eagerly for his sister's return to the house. Once they stepped through the door, Evie ran over to where her brother sat and pulled up a seat next to him where her own peanut butter and jelly sandwich sat on a paper plate. "Go on, Li." She said softly. "You can eat." The little boy dug into his sandwich similar to his sister's. Moving over into the small living space, Hermione looked around the house. She had called this place home for the last four years when she showed up on the doorstep.
The wind blew fiercely as the rain dribbled down her wet back and matted her hair to her face. She found the first house that had their lights on passed nine at night and gently knocked at the door, unsure of what kind of face would greet her. When the door opened, an older woman looked down on her. She was heavyset but had warm brown eyes that reminded her of Molly Weasley. "My goodness, dear child. Are you okay?" Hermione shook her head as the woman let her into the house. She had Hermione stand at the front door while she went and retrieved a towel for the poor girl. Holding the towel open, the woman responded. "Come, come, would want to catch a cold, now would we?" Hermione shook her head again and walked into the loving arms of the old lady. She had warmed Hermione by the fire and made her some hot tea as they began to talk. "Now, tell me, why were you out in the pouring rain at this time of night?"
Hermione had weighed her options as she thought about what to tell the woman – whom she later found was named Caroline Grant – that she had been searching for a kind face to greet her and help her out. She told Mrs. Grant that she had an awful experience that left her with child. The wonderful old woman took her in and helped Hermione with all the prenatal care that went into having a baby. It didn't take Hermione long to figure out that the neighborhood was a muggle one and left her wand and such within the trunk she brought with her.
One night, Hermione was having terrible cramps that sent her into shock. Groaning, she crept out of her room to call for Caroline. Her surrogate mother – as Caroline insisted she call her since the baby would need a grandmother to fuss over her – brought Hermione to the car where they sped off to the nearest hospital. Seven hours later, Hermione had been with not one baby but two. Fraternal twins. It took a few days to get out of the hospital, having to make sure each baby was healthy and fit and two days afterwards, Hermione found her home with Caroline, each cradling a newborn child. "I still can't believe it, Hermione. Twins." The old woman exclaimed as she blew kisses at the smaller of the two. She proudly held the baby up to look at his mother. "Look here Liam. Mommy is holding Evangeline." Hermione smiled as Caroline gave her new son his nickname.
Looking back into the kitchen where the two rascals were still eating, Hermione couldn't help the frown. Just last year, she had helped Samantha and David laidtheir mother to rest. They had also given her permission to use the house until she found someplace better. The twins took it rather hard, having to see their only grandparent pass before them at such a young age. "Mom, I'm done eating." She heard the small, male voice cry out. She looked up to see Liam getting out of his chair and hold up the plate to show her. Nodding, Liam went to throw the plate in the trash before resuming his earlier playing. It didn't take Evie long to call out that she too had finished eating. Showing Hermione her plate as well, she went to throw it in the trash and went back outside to swing some more.
Hermione sighed. Evangeline had grown into her nickname when they were just starting to talk. Liam was trying to call out his sister's name when it came out as "Evielyn." The cute shorter version just seemed to stick with the little girl. Walking into Liam's bedroom, she watched as he played with his toys. "Having fun, baby?" She asked him, a smile on her face. "Mind if I join you then?" He nodded appreciatively and Hermione went to go sit on the floor next to him. He was playing with a bunch of toy cars and trucks that Caroline's son David gave to Liam. She didn't talk to them now most days, just a few simple hellos and goodbyes that passed between them. Sometimes a conversation would strike up if Hermione had the kids with her.
Liam had set up his racetrack and held two cars at the top. Looking at Hermione, he softly, called for her attention. "Mom, you need to put up two cars." He said matter-of-factly. She smiled fondly at her son and picked up two random cars. "Not those. Those are the bad cars. I picked out the red one and the white one." Placing the two cars she had picked up back in their place in the box, she picked up the two cars Liam had taken out for her. "Are you ready?" he asked and looked to his mother expectantly. Hermione just gave him a simple nod, waiting for his next instructions. "On the count of three. One, two, three." At the last word that came from his lips, Hermione let go of her two cars just as her son had done. She watched as the looped and twirled around each other and was satisfied when one of the cars Liam had won. "You came in second, Mom." He said happily, hugging her. Hermione nodded, placed a kiss on his forehead and said she was going to check on Evangeline.
As she made her way to the kitchen and through the glass door, she watched as her four-year-old daughter played in the sandbox Caroline had bought for them a year before she passed. Evie turned around and smiled at her mother. Hermione walked over to Evie and sat in the wooden sandbox where Evie was making a sand castle. "Hey Evie. Think I could play with you for a bit?" The little girl nodded and went back to making the moat that went around the castle walls. Picking up a pail and shovel, Hermione began putting dry sand into it, making a mold.
"Momma?" The little girl's voice peeked out.
"Yes?" Hermione looked to her little girl, waiting for her to say what she had on her mind. When Evie wanted to, she could act her age, younger, and sometimes even surprise Hermione saying things that put her wise beyond her years.
"Can we go out and have lunch and then go to the water park tomorrow?" The brunette placed a kiss on the girl's matted hair. She nodded once before placing the full pail upside-down and pulled out the molded sand to look like a castle tower. Taking a spoon she had let Evie and Liam take out to the sandbox, she began to dig out a hole for the door and some windows. When she was finished, Hermione stood up and began walking back towards the house. She had a few chores she needed to get done before calling the kids in. They usually would watch a few cartoons while Hermione thought about dinner and what to make.
As Hermione passed through the door, she went to go sit at the table. Her mind went to the past where her roots lay. She hadn't been back there in so many years. Closing her eyes, she pictured everyone. Ron and his red hair, talking animatedly to Harry about God only knew what. There was Ginny riding on her broom as she played her position in Quidditch. Harry with his green eyes and black hair, he had always listened when she needed to talk. Molly, Arthur, Fred, George, Luna, everyone she pictured within her mind. She wasn't sure who survived and who passed on with the war. She had read that Harry defeated the menace. Suddenly, her parents came to mind. They still hadn't met their grandchildren yet. Biting her lip, she looked towards Liam's room and then out where Evie was playing. "I want you both to meet them. All of them." She looked down at the table and thought for a moment. She closed her eyes to keep the tears from falling. "But I can't go back. I can't face them. I can't tell them who your father is…" When she opened her eyes, she saw Liam coming out of his room. Walking up to his mother, he gave her a big smile. Grinning at her son, she pulled him into her lap and kissed his cheek. "I was thinking about having macaroni and cheese for dinner, what do you think?" She couldn't help the laugh when his smile grew a few inches as he nodded furiously. Placing him back on the floor, she patted his bottom towards the glass door. "Go get your sister and I'll put on something for you to watch."
As Liam rushed out the door, Hermione walked over to the living area and turned on the television. The twins were fans of the nick show networks. Turning to one of the channels, she found Dora the Explorer on. Evie loved the show, but Liam wasn't the biggest fan of it. She turned to another kid friendly station. She then found an episode of Bob the Builder on and frowned once again. Liam loved the show, but Evie just couldn't sit still long enough to get through an episode. She then changed it to the last kid friendly channel she was aware of and was pleased to see that Sesame Street was on. "Elmo!" She heard Evie yell as she ran over and sat on the couch. Hermione couldn't hide the smile when she then saw Liam plop up on the couch as well and watched the show. They were truly two peas in a pod. With the black hair of their father and the brown eyes they inherited from their mother, Hermione swore they acted like each other more and more. Walking back into the kitchen, she grabbed out a box of macaroni and placed it on the counter before going to the refrigerator and grabbed the box of spread-able cheese. She could hear the twins talking amiably between each other.
Hermione grabbed a large pan from under the sink and poured in about half of the box of macaroni. She then added water into it and turned on the stove to let it come to a boil. Every once and a while, she would stir around the noodles so that they wouldn't stick to the bottom. She was beginning to place the cheese on a microwavable bowl when she heard the nice chatter begin to sound sour. Placing the plate down, she peeked into the living room. The argument wasn't too bad and so she went back to the kitchen. Usually, they could work it out. It wasn't until someone got hurt did Hermione have to intervene. Placing the bowl in the microwave, she closed the door and went back to the stove. She began to stir the cheese again when she heard a sharp cry from the living room.
Quickly running into the room, she saw Evie holding her head, tears pouring from her eyes and Liam standing there, holding something behind his back. Walking over, she picked Evie up and held her to her chest as she shushed the girl. Looking at Liam, she calmly asked, "William, what do you have behind your back." She gave him a minute to answer and when it seemed as if he wasn't going to tell or show her, she asked him again. "Show me what you hit your sister with." Her voice was stern as she looked at the four-year-old. Again, she gave him a minute or so to answer her. When he didn't, she kneeled down to his level and forcefully – but still gently – turned him around to see one of his hollow, plastic baseball bats in his hand. "William James, what in the world were you thinking?" The little boy began to tear up as he began to understand that he was in trouble. "Give Mummy the bat and go to your room. Now." Giving his mother the bat, he ran to his room. She looked at her daughter and checked for any bruises or bumps where she was holding her head. "Are you okay, baby girl?" The little girl shook her head as a new fit of tears began to erupt from her. Thinking on her feet, Hermione looked at the kitchen. "Want to help Mumma make dinner?" Evie loved playing "Mommy" and would help Hermione make dinner for her "babies". The babies usually consisted of Liam and a few of her baby dolls she had gotten over the few years. Evie nodded, wiping her eyes of the salty residue and let her mother put her down. They both walked into the kitchen and Hermione pulled out the stool for Evie to stand on. "Can you push the numbers 2, 3, and 0 for Mumma?" The little girl looked for the numbers and made sure Hermione was watching, making sure she was pressing the right numbers. She then pressed start and walked over to her mother. Smiling, Hermione placed a hand on the girl's head, caressing the long hair.
The two girls made dinner for a good twenty minutes before placing three bowls of macaroni on the table. Hermione told her daughter to get out three forks and place them on the table. She could then begin eating while Hermione went to go speak with Liam. Opening his door, Hermione heard him say, "go away" and then there was silence. Peeking in, she saw as her son lay in his bed, his pillow over his head and stuffed duck under his right arm. "William, would you like to tell Mommy why you hit Evangeline?" She got silence from her son and she walked over to sit on his bed. "You are not going to get any macaroni and cheese if you don't tell Mommy why you would hit your sister with the bat." Liam stuck his head out from under the pillow, his eyes tear-streaked. She sighed and looked at her four-year-old son. "Please tell me." She added softly, brushing a hand through his raven locks.
"She hit me first." He said quietly, looking away. He was well aware of what she was going to say next.
"Liam, two wrongs do not make the situation right. If she hit you, you should have come and told me. I would have dealt with it." She watched her son's actions carefully, seeing what he would do next. The boy sat up and crawled into his mother's lap, apologizing for hitting Evie. "I'm not the one you need to tell. Go tell Evie that you are sorry."
The boy nodded and got up off her lap and went out of the room with Hermione right behind him. They came into the scene of Evie eating her dinner peacefully. She eyed Liam warily as she placed her fork in her mouth. Hermione looked down at Liam and pushed him closer to his sister as if telling him to say he was sorry. "I'm sorry for hitting you Evie." He said quietly. It looked as if Evangeline was going to accept his apology before Liam added, "but you shouldn't have hit me. Mommy said it wasn't nice." The girl's mouth closed immediately, looking at her mother, afraid she was going to be reprimanded.
Hermione looked down at Liam and shook her head. "There was no need for that last part, Liam. I can handle that when I need to. Now go and eat your dinner before it gets too cold." Liam walked over to his seat next to Evie and sunk down in the seat. He began to pick at his food as Hermione sat down across the table from them. When Evie showed her mother the clean plate, Hermione nodded and told her to go and watch what was left of Sesame Street. Hermione and Liam ate in silence and when he showed his mother the clean plate, she nodded and told him to return to his room. Appalled, Liam began to argue with her. "William. You hit your sister. You are being punished. Go back to your room." Liam sulked all the way to his room and closed his door. Hermione stopped eating for a moment to rub her eyes. She hated when the twins didn't behave. She knew that children don't behave all the time, but there were times Hermione liked to believe that her kids were better than the average four-year-old. Looking over, she watched as Evie sat on the couch, her stuffed dog in hand as she watched the show. Her fingers were stuck in her mouth as she sucked on them. "Evie, fingers out of your mouth, baby." Hermione called over to her. The years of her parents' work in dentistry had helped Hermione figure out that sucking one's fingers would leave you with bucked teeth – something her own parents tried to warn her of when she was a mere child herself. The girl instantly dropped her fingers from her lips as she turned to look at her mother sheepishly. A smile came to Hermione as she shook her head at Evie. The girl was brilliant – wiser than her age let on – but she still couldn't break the nasty habit. I guess the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree. Hermione thought amused. Turning back to her dinner, she finished it up before bringing her own plate to the kitchen and washed off the dishes to place them in the dishwasher.
Walking into the living room, Hermione shut off the television just as Sesame Street was ending and looked at Evie. The girl knew it was bath time. Getting off the couch, Hermione watched as her daughter went into the bathroom. She walked to Liam's door and knocked on it. Without letting him answer, she opened the door and told him it was time for his bath. Complying, he went into the bathroom with his mother where his sister – already stripped down to her panties – was standing, waiting for the other two. Hermione went to turn on the water to warm up the tub. She helped Liam get off his clothes and then checked to make sure the water was at a nice temperature. Liam was first. He was the easiest to clean. She washed his hair as Hermione let Evie play with the bath toys she had bought them to keep the other child entertained. Rinsing his hair completely, she placed the cup back down and grabbed a wash cloth to clean his body. Evie was next. Evie's long hair reached her back and ended in little ringlets. Gathering up the hair, Hermione placed a generous amount of shampoo on the damp hair and began working it into a lather. Soon, she was having Evie put her head back and rinse out her hair before adding a step she hadn't done for Liam. She combed her fingers through her daughter's hair as she placed conditioner in her hair to make it soft and workable before bed.
When Hermione was finished washing the twins, she dried each of them off and sent them to their respective rooms. A set of Bob the Builder pajamas were set out for Liam. She moved into Evie's room where she saw her daughter getting out a princess nightgown and a pair of panties for her to wear to bed that night. Once tucked in bed, Hermione went to check in on Liam. He was already dressed in his underpants and bottoms and looked to be having trouble with his top. She quickly went to his side and helped him pull the shirt down. "It's time for bed, Liam. We're getting up early to go feed the duckies and meet up with Lauren and Sasha." The boy's eyes widened as the names came up. Lauren was a mother she had met when Hermione enrolled Liam and Evie into a daycare and she had introduced the twins to her youngest daughter Sasha. "I was also thinking about going out to lunch." The boy nodded and quickly shut his eyes to show his mother that he wanted to go to sleep. Giving the boy his duck teddy, she placed a kiss to his forehead. "Good night, son." Hermione shut off his light and closed his door, leaving it open a crack so that she would hear if he was whimpering or crying. She walked back into the room adjacent to Liam's. She saw her daughter in her bed, a book in her hand as she looked at the pictures. Evie and Liam were just beginning to get the hang of reading and it warmed her heart when she saw a book under their arm. "Evangeline." Hermione called out. The little girl looked up and smiled at her mother. "What are you reading, angel?" Evie held up a book that bore Dora on the front. It was the book they had bought just a week ago. Evie had thrown a tantrum due to wanting it and just once, Hermione gave in to her daughter's whines – mostly because it was a book. "Time for bed, Eves." The girl nodded and placed the book on the table next to her bed. Hermione did the same to her door as she had done Liam's, leaving it open just a crack.
Hermione woke up that morning to find the sun shining brightly in her face. Opening her eyes, she looked to see two blurry figures standing at the end of her bed. "Morning Momma!" She heard the voice of her daughter as she crawled up on the bed. "Liam and I have been waiting for you to get up for a long time." Disoriented, Hermione blinked a few more times to see Liam at the end of her bed and Evie kneeling on her bed.
Sitting up, she pulled her daughter into her arms and smiled, giving her a hug. Hermione watched as Liam stood there, trying to act like a good boy. Urging him to come up on the bed, he quickly scampered up and lay in her arms. "So we're going to get dressed and meet up with Lauren and Sasha to feed the ducks?" The twins nodded and not wanting to waste any time, they both jumped off of the bed and went to their rooms to get dressed. Hermione quickly followed to make sure they got out items of clothing that matched. She watched as Liam pulled out a pair of jeans – she would have to help him with the button – and a button-up shirt – again, help him with the buttons – and found underpants and socks. Liking what he chose, Hermione moved to Evie's room to see what she chose. Hermione watched as her daughter had chosen a jean skirt with white leggings. She then went in search of a shirt. Frowning, she looked at her door where she saw her mother.
"Momma, I can't find a shirt that will go with my skirt." Walking into the room, Hermione browsed around in Evie's closet to see what it had to offer. She took out two shirts that looked nice on Evie and placed them on the bed. Hermione watched as her daughter chose from them. "I really like this green one, Momma... will it go though?" Hermione nodded and placed a soft kiss on her temple.
"Mommy..." Hermione looked to where her son stood in the doorway and smiled. He had on the button-up shirt opened and waiting for her to button it and his jeans on with the button still undone. Smiling softly, she moved to help her son and then brought him out into the kitchen to find some breakfast. "I'm sorry I was bad." He said quietly, looking at the table where he sat. He had decided to have a bowl of cereal with milk and was waiting for Hermione to bring it to him.
When she placed the bowl in front of him, she moved to sit down next to him. "I know you're sorry Liam. And I thank you for the apology." A sigh came from Hermione as she looked at the dark-haired boy. "I just don't understand why you thought you could hit your sister." At that moment, the little boy next to her placed a heaping mouthful of cereal so that he didn't have to explain to her. "You'll tell me sooner or later." She said before standing up. Just as she was about to go to her room, she saw Evie come out of her room. "What would you like for breakfast, baby girl?"
Evangeline looked up at her mother and thought about it for a minute. "Can I have cereal?" She asked. Hermione nodded and grabbed another bowl from above the sink and poured the same cereal for Evie as she had done for Liam. She put milk in the bowl and grabbed a spoon as she made her way to the table where Evie sat next to her brother. "I'm going to go get dressed and then we'll be on our way." Both children nodded as they ate their cereal.
Hermione walked into her room and looked around. She knew it was going to be a warm day for November. Sometimes I miss London... the summers are too warm here and the winters are just as warm. She thought as she picked out a pair of flared jeans. Why in heavens did I come to Florida? She questioned herself. Leaving it unanswered, she pulled on a light shirt that fell just below her waist. Pulling on socks and sneakers, Hermione walked back out into the kitchen where her kids were just about to place their bowls in the sink. Walking over to them, she looked inside and was proud to see that they had both finished their breakfast. "Go brush your teeth and we'll be on our way." They nodded and ran off to the bathroom.
It didn't take long for them to get ready and get into the small car Hermione had bought after receiving her license. They made their way over to Mountain Lake in Spring Lake, Florida. Hermione was trying to get the twins out of their car-seats, but found herself having trouble due to their eagerness in seeing their friend. Hermione grabbed the bag she packed for the kids and herself and shut the door, locking it. She watched as Evie and Liam shot off to see Sasha. Hermione heard as Lauren stifled a giggle. "They seem so excited to be here today." Said Lauren as she came in step with Hermione far behind the kids. Hermione couldn't help the nod as she watched the twins shove off towards the lake. "How are you holding up, Hermione." She heard her friend say. She knew only parts of the story – being the first and only person besides Draco Malfoy to hear her sob story.
A sigh escaped her as she watched as the three kids ran to the lake's edge, trying to get the attention of the ducks. "It's been hard, Lori." Hermione looked at her friend. "They've been acting out more and more. It's hard to keep track of them sometimes." Her friend nodded.
"Ever think of going to see their father back in London?" Hermione knew this question was coming. Lauren had asked it many times before and Hermione would give her the same answer of It's more difficult than that. I don't even think he wants to see me. They sat down at a bench as Liam poked Evie with a small stick. The little girl pushed him away and then went back to looking at the ducks. "He has a right to know, Hermione." The brunette just nodded as she watched her children interact with their friend. She knew Lauren was right, that part she would never doubt. It was the fact that she was afraid to go back that restricted her from going to see Severus.
When Hermione noticed a tugging sensation on her shirt, she looked down to see Evie crying, blooding beading at her arm. "Liam poked me too hard with the stick." Hermione's eyes instantly singled out Liam and glared at him. The boy sheepishly stepped back in fear of his mother's wrath. "It hurts..." Hermione brought her attention back to her daughter's situation and opened the pack and searched for the small first aid kit. Cleaning it off, she dried it before placing a Hello Kitty bandage over the small cut and placed a loving kiss on it.
"I think we're going to go soon." She told her daughter before standing up. "William, over here please." The boy sulked over to where his mother called him and refused to look into her eyes. She kneeled down so that the only place he could look at was her face. "Didn't you learn from last night?" She asked him, her voice incredulous. "I just can't believe this. William, what happened to my sweet baby boy? Where did he go to be placed by this monster?" Liam teared up at his mother's words. Sighing quietly, she pulled him into a hug as the tears began to drop. "Oh, Liam, I still love you. I will always love you. But you need to behave. I don't like punishing you any more than you like being punished."
William just seemed to nod as his eyes drifted from his mother's face. "I'm sorry Mommy." Looking over to his sister, he called out to her. "I'm sorry Evangeline." Satisfied with her son's ability to apologize to his sister without being asked, Hermione hugged him again and then stood up. Looking at his mother, Liam curiously asked, "Are we still going out to lunch?" Hermione smiled and nodded as she took his hand.
Hermione took the kids to a small sandwich shop just outside their hometown to grab a bite to eat. As she walked in, she saw a patch of platinum blonde hair peek out from behind a newspaper. Her mind curiously thought of who it could be since she had never seen him here before. Shrugging it off, she stood in line where she waited to give her order. "Eves, what do you want for a sandwich." Her daughter asked for a ham and cheese and white bread. She had also explained how she didn't want it brown because it was too crunchy for her. Nodding, Hermione asked if she wanted mayonnaise on it and Evangeline nodded. "And what would you like, Li?" She asked her son.
"I want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But I only want apple jam." Hermione nodded.
"I don't want peanut butter and jelly." Hermione smiled at her son.
Hermione laughed and patted her son on his shoulder "You don't have to have the same as your sister, what do you want instead?"
"I want a ham and pickle sandwich," said Liam defiantly, folding his arms across his small chest. Hermione smiled, her son always knew what he wanted.
As she waited in line, she looked around at what she wanted to get and as soon as they reached the counter, she ordered the twins' sandwiches and asked for a roast beef sandwich with Swiss cheese and toasted bread with mustard. She paid her bill and they went to go wait for the order at the end of the counter. As they waited, Hermione surveyed the area of the small eatery and noticed the strange blonde hair again. She felt it reminded her of someone she knew, but she just couldn't place her finger on it. "Mommy, the sandwiches." Nodding, she looked back at the small plump man and smiled. Taking the three plates. She brought the twins over to a table and helped them each sit in their chair.
Hermione paid for their order and once everything had been placed upon a tray she led the twins to a table, though all the while she could not shake the feeling that she had seen something familiar and the thought was beginning to scrape at the inner wall of her skull. She had looked around a few times before trying to ignore the sensation and went back to eating. Hermione couldn't ignore the sensation any longer when she heard the soft voice reach her ears. "Hello Hermione. It's been quite a while since I last saw you."
Choking on her sandwich, Hermione turned around to see the blonde hair and steel grey eyes that belonged to Draco Malfoy. "I know our last chat wasn't one of our great conversations, I need you to hear me out."
Hermione looked at her children as they ate oblivious to the man who stood at their table; dumbfounded by his presence she returned her glance to her former friend. "We need to talk, but not in front of them" she gestured her index finger towards her children "You can meet us in the park."
At the mention of the word 'park' the twins looked up with large smiles of enthusiasm and as Draco nodded and slipped out of the café, Hermione had her hands full to prevent Liam from trying to swallow his pasty whole.
Hermione found Draco waiting for her on a bench opposite the play area; she let Evie and Liam run gleefully into the wood-chipped grounds before she seated herself cautiously next to Draco. "It's been five years" she began.
"Hermione," Draco said but Hermione held her hand up so she could continue.
"It's been five years but I still remember how you made me feel that night, it took us nearly half a year to reach speaking terms and I never got an explanation as to what I did to you."
Draco sighed and tucked some of his blonde locks behind his ear "We weren't alone that night" he said "In the common room, my father was there, he was hiding. He suspected that I was growing close to you and becoming your friend, he couldn't allow that and he needed me to prove myself to him."
Hermione said nothing, she watched as Evie and Liam climbed either end of a seesaw and began to bounce up and down.
"They're cute," said Draco "What did you call them?"
"Evangeline Hollie and William James" She told him "Evie and Liam for short." She watched as they played together nicely for a change. "They've been tough to raise but I think I've finally got the hang of it." She looked to Draco and then back at her twins. "How is everyone?"
Draco quirked his eyebrow before he answered. "Potter and Weaselby have been searching for you since you disappeared. I heard that your parents had just given up on trying to find you." He looked at the twins; they both reminded him of Hermione as much as they did Snape from their hair to their noses. They even walked like him – or at least the girl did, having an air of arrogance to her, which to Draco's mind could have come from either one of their parents. He smirked at that and began to wonder which house they would both end up in. "You really should come back" he said, "muggle life is wasted on you."
"I've been thinking about it" she said "I want to but I just… can't." She did not turn her gaze from her children and she sighed softly "How did you find me?"
He turned his eyes to her "I didn't, it was a complete accident." Draco tilted his head in the direction of the café "As much as I would like to take the credit of course I have to confess that I'm on a case for work…"
"Work?" said Hermione "You?"
"Alright, no need to be cute" said Draco with a slight smirk "I happened upon that café and thought it made a nice change, it can be nice once in a while to be away from magic."
Hermione nodded, being away from magic was something she definitely understood. "I haven't used my wand for almost five years, I don't need it." Draco looked at her with an expression that read half confusion, half disbelief. She smirked and looked back at him "Well I haven't, the kids don't even know they could be wizards."
"They are wizards" said Draco "I doubt that an infuriatingly talented witch such as yourself could ever spawn a squib."
"Draco, I've tried my hardest to keep that part of their life away from them, they need a normal life. The way they came into this world," she paused and sighed slightly before continuing, "They don't need to ask questions which they are too young to understand the answers for."
"You should go back, Hermione, everyone deserves to see them." He paused and bit the inside of his cheek; before they had become friends he hadn't exactly been Mr. Considerate. Even though it had been some time since they had last spoken, he didn't like the niggling part of his conscious that wanted him to choose his words rather than speak his mind. "He should see them too. My father told him about your outburst that night. He came to me and spoke with me about it. He couldn't trust my father and had noticed how close we got during seventh year."
"I don't know what I would say to him" she admitted "it's been so long since I've seen them. Since I've spoken to anyone in the wizarding world, the only connection I've had is the Daily Prophet." Hermione bit the inside of her lip as she brought her eyes back to Liam and Evie. Frowning, she watched as her daughter held her head once more. "One Moment." She told Draco before stalking off in the direction of the twins. "What in the world is going on with the both of you?" Evie looked at her mother as tears poured. "What happened?" She looked to be in no mood for games as she looked from one child to the other.
Liam was the first to speak. "Evangeline threw sand at me."
His sister quickly spoke up after her twin accused her of throwing sand. "Well, it was only because he hit me again, Mommy." She pointed at her head and then at her brother. "He used that stick over there." Hermione followed her daughter's arm and saw the medium sized stick on the ground. Looking to Liam, she sighed before taking them each by the hand.
"You two are going to have to learn to play nicely together." Hermione said as she brought the two young children toward the bench Draco was still sitting on. She lifted each child one at a time and placed them onto the bench "I love you both but you drive me to distraction, you need to be trusted to be able to spend ten minutes together without hitting one another."
Draco smiled and stood up, scooping Liam into his arms. "This is why you should come back; Potter and Weaselby would be falling over each other to help you." He smirked slightly "Though if you left them for any length of time with Mother Weaselby they'd be practically spherical."
Hermione laughed a little and lifted Evie into her own arms "I know, Draco, it's just been so long and… and I'm scared of what people are going to say to me."
"Sod people, your friends miss you" he smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder "We all do." He helped Hermione across the road to the café and put Liam back on the ground as Hermione did with her daughter; both children quickly slipped their hands into their mothers. "Just think about it."
Hermione watched Draco take his leave, he walked around a corner and she heard a pop sound, the sound of apparation was something she hadn't heard for a long time. She took her children's hands and began walking them back to their house.
"Mommy, who was that?" asked Evie.
"That was an old friend of Mummy's," said Hermione "An annoying but possibly right friend of Mummy's." Hermione squeezed her daughter's hand and gave both her children a large smile "So tomorrow we're going to take a trip and go meet some of Mummy's old friends." The little girl nodded and began happily counting the paving stones as they walked. That night Hermione would retrieve her wand from the place she'd left it five years before and make sure she hadn't forgotten how to use it.
Coming Soon: Y'know... people move on with their lives with or without you; 'tis a fact of life.
Author's Notes: Well, here we go, another chapter popped out. I personally think this one was much better than my first one. First off, I wrote more. Secondly, I feel I may have made the twins sound a bit more mature than they are for that age. I've been around small kids all my life and each one of them has been different in every possible way. Liam is more like a cousin I have while Evie is more like a little girl I know through someone else. They're both good kids and I love them to death. Tell me what you think! I am also thinking about changing the name of the story. What do you think it should be? The only thing that belongs to me is Evie and Liam; everything else is JK Rowling and Warner Bros.
Chapter Title courtesy of William Shakespeare