Chapter two: Call

Spencer couldn't stop thinking about the pretty girl he met outside of the coffee shop. He had even gone by the same shop twice, but hadn't seen her again. He had debated on calling her, even going so far as to save her name in his phone- a simple thing only needed for text and calls. He found himself rereading A Winter's Tale. But he didn't call her, sure that once they had a proper conversation, she would regret offering.

Then they had a case and he flew off to Rhode Island to investigate a series of murders where the unsub targeted young brunettes from the local colleges. It made him think of Hermione more. She seemed college age. Early to mid-twenties, but a tough history that left her guarded. He wondered if she went to Georgetown University.

When they came back home, luckily after a short trip, he and the team were going through their individual mails and Garcia came to greet her boyfriend, Derek Morgan. She turned to Spencer, and her bright yellow skirt and red sweater reminded him of Hermione again. He struggled against a smile.

"So, Boy Wonder," she asked as he tossed a stack of lecture requests into a drawer to go through later. "I'm told you have paramour. I want to hear all the sordid details."

Spencer felt his cheeks redden and he looked down to the papers. "I was given a phone number by a girl, nothing more."

She gasped in disbelief. "You didn't call her?"

He quickly motioned for her to keep her voice down, but it was no use as Morgan walked over to join them. "Didn't call who?" Then he looked at Spencer's blush. "You didn't call Hermione?"

"No, I didn't call her." Spencer said as if it were obvious. "That would be ridiculous."

Morgan grinned. "You're nervous, aren't you?"

"Of course not. 'To show his nervousness was not shameful; only to admit it'- Ernest Hemingway. Death in the Afternoon." This all came out rather fast.

"So- that's a yes." Morgan quickly grabbed Spencer's phone, which he had laid down on the desk, and ran. Spencer followed him around the room and its desks- the team watching with their own amusement. "Oh! He saved her name!" The man said playfully over his shoulder. He held the phone up to his ear.

"No! Morgan, give it back."

"Hello, is this Hermione Granger?" He asked. Spencer stopped in both horror and embarrassment. "She's British!" Morgan stage whispered loudly to the team. Then to the phone, "I'm Derek Morgan, I work with Spencer. He talks about you all the time." He did not. "Yeah, it's a bit creepy." So, maybe he mentioned her necklace. Or how she drank her tea. Once. "He really wants to ask you out, but you see, he's nervous."

Spencer finally caught up with him and snatched the phone away from him, not thinking he had ever blushed so hard. "Hermione?" He asked, slightly out of breath.

"Hello, Spencer."

"Yes, I am so sorry about Morgan. He's just a joker."

"Then you didn't want to take me out?" She asked teasingly and he could almost see her coy smile. The same smile she had when they quoted Shakespeare. He fumbled for an answer, stuttering a series of random sounds and she laughed, a hearty, feminine sound. "What a shame."

Spencer stopped and leaned against the wall, facing away from the rest. "R-really?"

"Well, I'm not usually in the habit of handing out my number to random victims of my inattentiveness." She responded smoothly.

He let out a breath. "Oh. Well, in that case, would you like to?"

"I would love to."

Spencer grinned wide. "How does tomorrow night sound, around seven?" His chest pounded and he couldn't believe he was doing this.

"Tomorrow night sounds wonderful." He could hear the smile in her voice.

After they hung up, he turned around with a red face, an unbelieving smile, and a fluttering in his gut. Morgan nodded to his accomplishment. A moment later he received a text with an address, approximately three blocks from his own in a nicer part of town consisting mostly of old money. He couldn't wait to see her again.

*

Hermione hugged Remus first when she came through the Floo to Grimmauld Place.

"Happy birthday, Remus," she said with a smile before moving on to Severus. After the war and the truth was found of his loyalties, they fought to lose the tension between them and became close. He was able to tell Harry stories about his mother and he and Hermione discussed new advancements in the wizarding world. He talked potions and logistics of his pranks with George and had become family just as much as Remus and Teddy were. Severus absolutely adored Teddy.

The little boy in question launched himself at her with a strong grip and blue hair that he always had. "Aunt Mi!"

"Hey, little bear." She laughed, hugging him close too. "You know, next month I will be coming here for your birthday. What do you want?"

"Don't you already spoil him too much, Mia?" A drawling voice asked over the greetings.

She rolled her eyes at the blond. "He's my godson, I don't spoil him any more than Harry does." Severus snorted at that.

"That isn't saying much," Draco retorted as he offered a hug. She took it with a chuckle before moving on to catch up with Astoria.

He did have a point. Harry and Hermione were both awful at drowning the five-year-old, almost six, with anything he could ever want. She didn't think she would ever live past that birthday where she gave him a tree. He had wanted a treehouse. Like he had at 'Greasttergood', which is what they named their home in Virginia, but the back yard of Grimmauld Place had no trees. So, she bought him an oak tree and then proceeded to build him one. But, at least she wasn't the one who tried to buy him a Pegasus.

"So, what is new with everyone?" Remus asked after dinner when they sat around the living room.

"We've set a date," Seren told them from her spot at Neville's side. "We're hoping it will curb that harpy's flirting with Nev."

The Herbology professor blushed. "Harpy?" Severus asked. He and Neville moved past their differences as they now worked together.

"Arwen Hulistser," Neville answered.

"The new Muggle Studies professor?" At Neville and Seren's nod, Severus added with a smirk. "I can fix that easily."

"Luna's pregnant," George said with the same grin. Then, to Hermione, Harry, and Ginny. "We already told these prats, but we did not, however, mention we are having twins."

More screams and shouts and laughter followed this, accompanied by a smack to the back of his head from Ginny for not telling. Luna beamed and brightened at everyone's congratulations. Teddy only understood he would have a cousin and jumped around in excitement, despite it being after ten at night in London. It was always late when they visited each other. Severus picked Teddy up and held him close, hoping to settle the ball of energy into falling asleep without hassle.

"Hermione has a guy." Everyone looked to her and she glared at Ginny.

It had been a week since she gave Spencer her number and had told both Ginny and Luna about it, being teased about being so uncharacteristic. She hadn't seen anyone since she and Ron split up four years ago. Sure, her friends had tried to set her up on dates, the operative word here being tried, but she just wasn't interested. She should have known one of them would mention this.

"I do not have a guy." Hermione said firmly. "I gave him my number. That's all."

"A Muggle?" Draco asked apprehensively.

Luna smiled the smile that usually meant she knew something you didn't. "And he's Muggle law enforcement."

"Like that couldn't end badly," Severus remarked with a raised set of eyebrows.

"Severus, be kind." Remus interrupted. "I think it's great, Hermione, but you will be careful, won't you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It isn't a problem, because he hasn't called me." She took Teddy from Severus and carried him up the stairs to his bedroom and tucked him in. It never failed. Severus could get him to sleep faster than anyone. She placed a gentle kiss to his forehead and found it darling that his hair turned his natural light brown when he slept.

Her phone, which she always forgot to silence, rang as she walked downstairs. She wondered if it was the substitute she had for the day and had just come into the room when she noticed Harry with it. It wasn't a saved number. With a small frown, she answered.

"Hullo?"

A rich voice sounded. "Hello, is this Hermione Granger?"

Hermione knitted her eyebrows and glanced around. "This is she."

"She's British!" She heard in a mock whisper to someone else. She could tell he was moving around with the phone. "I'm Derek Morgan, I work with Spencer. He talks about you all the time."

"Really?" She asked with a smile. Ginny started mouthing to ask who it was. Hermione shook her head and held up a finger.

"Yeah, it's a bit creepy."

"I see," she still smiled and Ginny crowded her to ask. Hermione waved her off, trying to push her towards Harry- who being decidedly unhelpful in her predicament.

"He really wants to ask you out, but you see, he's nervous." She was giggling like a schoolgirl when a new voice came on.

"Hermione?"

"Hello, Spencer." Ginny and Luna's eyes and mouths widened into grins and ganged up to chase after her in hopes of listening in. She could guess this was what that Morgan had done as indicated by Spencer's pace of breathing.

"Yes, I am so sorry about Morgan. He's just a joker."

"Then you didn't want to take me out?" She asked, wondering where this flirt had come from. From the looks, her family was having this thought as well. "What a shame."

"R-really?" Hermione bit her lip against the grin forming.

"Well, I'm not usually in the habit of handing out my number to random victims of my inattentiveness." She admitted, kicking herself for being so transparent.

Then he asked. "Oh. Well, in that case, would you like to?"

"I would love to." She tried hard not to squeal that answer.

She could tell he was smiling. "How does tomorrow night sound, around seven?" A lump in her throat formed.

"Tomorrow night sounds wonderful."

Hermione finally hung up and squealed a bit, jumping up and down. Everyone looked at her, not seeing her act like this in a long time- if at all.

"Well?" Astoria asked with a smile at her friend.

Hermione bit her lip and glanced around. Remus, Harry, Luna, Seren, and Ginny looked amused, Neville looked confused, Severus looked expectant, and Draco and George both smirked in a way that she knew would mean teasing later.

"I have a date tomorrow night," she said through her hands on her face.