Chapter 2
Draco awoke to see his fiancé sitting on the edge of their bed already dressed for the day ahead. She stared off at the wall in front of her. Draco crawled up behind her, pulled her hair back and placed a kiss on her neck right below her ear. This broke Hermione out of her trance and a small smile crossed her face. Draco put a leg on either side of her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Everything is going to be fine, my love." Hermione stood up, causing Draco to almost topple off the bed. She faced the mirror on the wall and straightened her dress. She had picked a dress that reminded her of her mother. The lace in the sleeves reminded her of the dress her mother would wear when they would visit her grandmother on Sundays. The pattern on the rest of the dress was of the blue flowers her mother grew in her garden. She grabbed a hair pin off the dresser and pulled her hair back the way her mother used to do. Used to do. Hermione had noticed the day before that her Mother's hair cascaded down her back. She never used to wear her hair like that, she said that she couldn't let fly free otherwise she'd never get it under control again. Hermione knew, however, that that wasn't the only thing that had changed about her parents.
Draco left the room and returned a few moments later with a cup of coffee. "I've got some biscuits in the oven, so we can take them with us." Hermione walked into the kitchen while Draco got dressed. She sat at the table with her cup of coffee and looked at the paperwork spread out in front of her. She had had a surveillance team track down her parents here in Brisbane as soon as she even thought it was remotely safe to do so. She knew they'd be here somewhere simply because this is the memory she had planted. She not only erased herself but planted a memory of only being in London on holiday, but their home was in Australia. Just that one memory had changed so much. She looked at the pictures of her father working the bar at a pub. He looked so happy handing a glass of ale to a patron. Large step away from being a dentist. She turned to the next page to see her mother standing behind a counter of a flower shop. This wasn't too far from the mother she remembered. When she wasn't at the office, her mother was in the garden. Draco walked back into the kitchen, dressed in an emerald sweater with a pair of jeans. Hermione loved the way he looked when he played it casual. The green played well off his grey eyes. He tried to stay away from the color at most points as it reminded him of the times at school when he was a complete jackass, his words though Hermione didn't disagree. Hermione had bought him that sweater last Christmas, the same Christmas he had proposed to her, and wearing it reminded him of the beauty he now had in his life.
The timer on the oven went off and Draco turned to remove the biscuits. The smell filled the kitchen and Hermione was transported back home.
Mrs. Granger bent down to the oven and removed the biscuits from the oven as a young Hermione came bounding into the room. The smell of breakfast filled the whole room. Mr. Granger walked into the room and wrapped his arms around his wife. He kissed her on the cheek. "Ew gross.", the young Hermione exclaimed from table. At this Mrs. Granger giggled as Mr. Granger spun her around to plant a big kiss on her.
Hermione let a tear trail down her face. She loved to watch her parents be in love. Its how no matter what was going on in the world, she knew true love would prevail. Draco put the warm biscuits into a bag with a jar of strawberry jam. He placed a kiss right in the place of the tear on his fiancé's cheek. "Well my love, if we want to catch them before they head to work we should leave now."
Hermione sat in the car holding the biscuit from breakfast as she stared at the door across the street. According to the intelligence she had received, her mother would be leaving the house any minute now to open the flower shop. Sure enough the red door opened and out walked her mother. The shop was only two blocks over, so the woman walked to work most days. The couple sat in the car and watched as the woman rounded the corner. They decided to drive the car the two blocks and parked in the lot next to the shop. They arrived right before her mother walked up the sidewalk. They watched as the woman walked inside and turned on the lights. She disappeared from view for a few moments before she walked back to the front window and flipped over the open side.
"How do you want to play this out, love?" Draco took Hermione's hand is his and brought it to his lips. "We stick close to the truth without scaring her. We are an engaged couple looking for a florist for our wedding." Draco nodded his head and followed the lead the young woman had laid out. They both exited the car and Draco took Hermione's hand. They entered the shop and the little bell over the door rang.
"Welcome!"
The woman came from behind the counter and greeted the young couple. "Hello, my name is Monica. How may I help you two lovebirds?" Draco looked at his bride and could tell words would not be coming anytime soon. "We are getting married soon. Couldn't let this beauty get away, you know?" He squeezed Hermione's hand and brought it to his lips again. The older lady smiled. "We're looking for a florist. Flowers are quite important to this one." Hermione finally broke out of her gaze and chuckled. "Oh honey," she said as she playfully slapped Draco's chest. Monica laughed, "Well if you follow me over to the counter we can look through a few catalogs and work out what you like." The couple followed and Hermione spotted the blue flowers sitting on the counter. "These flowers…. They're quite beautiful." The woman's eyes looked distant for a moment. "Yes, they are. When I look at them I always think of a different life. That sounds crazy though, doesn't it?" Hermione smiled. "Will you please excuse me?" She turned and walked quickly out the front door.