CHAP 8

(10 years later)

"Harry! Throw that garden gnome over the fence, please darling."

Harry muttered to himself as he bent down and picked up the short beastly creature, swung it around and then threw it over the fence. He heard the gnome's cries of obscenity as it landed hard on its rump.

"Harry! There's one more behind you!" His wife, Cho, called again from the inside of the house.

Harry heaved a heavy sigh as he looked around for the sighted perpetrator.

He was going to be late for work.

Ron Weasley, the newly appointed Head of the Auror Office was no doubt going to take the mickey out of him today.

Funny how fate ends up biting you in arse one day. But Harry wasn;t really too keen on laughing about it now.

Many people had been eyeing Harry as the next in line to be the Head of the Aurors but after a nasty fallout with the Ministry concerning a certain Rubeus Hagrid and an illegal Norwegian Ridgeback egg incident six years ago that blew out of proportion (let's just say that the Ridgeback mysteriously got away and all fingers pointed to Potter as the reason for the slip), a fresh graduate from Hogwarts had a better chance at becoming Head of the Aurors than Harry Potter.

"Harry! Won't you kiss your wife goodbye?" Cho chimed from the front door after Harry had gotten rid of the second garden gnome.

Harry hurried back up the front porch and gave his wife a quick peck on the cheek.

"Children!" Cho called looking back in the house, "Kiss your father goodbye!"

Two black haired children, one a 5 year old boy named William and a 7 year old girl named Emily could be heard running down the stairs and out the door.

"Goodbye Daddy!" The two said simultaneously as they held on to each of Harry's legs.

"Sunshine Daisies, Butter mellow!" Harry chanted as he hobbled along with his children still clinging to him.

"Turn our daddy fat and yellow!" The children finished, taking out their fake wands and pointing them at Harry.

Harry pretended to be hit by their spells, "Ahh! Now I'm a fat banana!"

Both the children laughed and let go of their father's leg.

"There we go! Be good now." Harry said patting both their heads.

"Daddy! Do you have Mummy's anniversary present?" asked William who inherited his mother's eyes and his father's unruly black hair.

"Shhhh!" Harry said as he placed his fingers to his lips. "Not a word from you lot!"

Emily giggled, her emerald green eyes sparkling, "Is it a surprise?"

Harry nodded as he knelt down so he could be eye to eye with his children, "Can you keep a secret?"

The children shook their heads.

"A dragon secret?" Harry prompted.

Emily giggled again.

"What about a TROLL secret?"

Will scrunched up his nose.

"Or how about..." Harry said moving his eyebrows up and down.

William gasped and whispered with a grin, "A hippogriff secret?"

William was extremely fascinated with hippogriffs that his parents were quite certain he'd be a hippogriff keeper when the lad would grow up.

Harry nodded, "Exactly, a hippogriff secret!"

Emily squealed as Harry took out a square shaped box wrapped in shiny silver paper from his robes.

"Now hide that from Mum. We'll surprise her tonight, alright?" Harry whispered and his children nodded enthusiastically, jumping up and down.

Cho smiled from the doorway as she watched this pleasant exchange. Her arms folded across her chest as she leaned against the door frame in her Chinese styled bathrobe which had an exquisite red dragon that hissed quietly every now and then on the back.

Harry had given her that robe almost nine years ago for their first wedding anniversary. Her parents were, of course, thrilled saying it was a symbol of wealth, prosperity and good luck. Harry just said he thought it would look good on her.

"Now back to the house, you little buggers." Harry said affectionately as he pushed both of them back towards the house.

"Mum! Close your eyes! WE have to hide something!" William instructed as he and his sister rushed back to the house.

Emily shushed her brother as Cho covered her eyes playfully.

"I'm not peeking, I promise!" Cho said from behind her fingers.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief as his children and his wife drew back into the house closing the door. He ran a hand through his hair and disapparated.

Meet my life at 32.

I had everything!

1 wife

2 kids

3 drinking buddies (Finnigan, Thomas and Macmillan)

4 loans from Gringott's

5 weeks vacationing in Egypt

6 years in the same bloody division

7 times my weight in paperwork

8 obligatory shags with the wife per quarter

9 times the world's population of Pure bloods, Half bloods, Muggle borns and Muggles themselves.

And 10 years of not seeing my father.

Pure unparalleled bliss!

The tyrant outfit I dreamt of as a kid.

That was being adult.

Having a 24 hour day

Spending 23 hours and 50 minutes of it asleep.

Caught in an endless droning slumber of routines and routes.

Harry stood a few feet away from his old home in Godric's Hallow.

Gazing into the kitchen window, watching his father cooking himself breakfast.

Harry had spent the better part of those 10 years imagining himself knocking on the door, his father opening it and slamming it in his face.

It would be emotionally heart-rending and humiliating.

But at least it was some form of interaction between them.

At least it might somehow convince him to stop wasting every 10 minutes of his morning before work by just standing motionless outside his father's house.

As James levitated the bacon from the pan towards his plate and conjured a napkin from thin air. He paused and turned around feeling as if someone was watching him.

He thought he saw a figure cloaked in dark black robes outside his house but when he did a double take. The figure was gone and the street was deserted.

About 40 such mishaps with my Dad had occurred during those 10 years.

40 times where he would catch a glimpse of me outside the house before I disappear.

As Harry apparated into the Ministry, a flying purple memo hit him smack on the forehead.

"Bloody hell!" Harry muttered as he rubbed his forehead while bending down to pick up and unfold the memo.

Potter! You are bloody late and you ARE GOING TO BLOODY PAY FOR IT! Your updated reports ON MUNDUNGUS FLETCHER BLACK MARKET TRADES ON MY TABLE IN 10 MINUTES! 10 MINUTES POTTER!

The note was scrawled in the unmistakable penmanship of Ronald Weasley. Harry knew his arse was going to be pretty fried by now. Sighing as he scribbled on the back of Weasley's note.

Sorry. Had some family trouble before leaving. Son accidentally blew up kitchen. Be up in ten (years) minutes.

96 lies to my boss.

No wait... make that 97.

Harry sent the interdepartmental memo away and heaved a deep sigh again as suddenly hundreds of wizards started apparating into the Ministry.

Brilliant. Bloody brilliant. Rush hour.

Harry walked briskly towards the elevator, fighting his way through the crowd of people already milling around it.

When he had exited unto his floor, Weasley burst out of his office, his face as red as his hair when his eyes landed on Harry.

"That report should have been on my desk yesterday, Potter! YESTERDAY!"

Harry took a deep breath trying to allow himself to keep calm.

"I'll have it on your desk in 10 minutes, sir."

"It bloody better be there Potter! Or your shite is going straight up to the Minister!" Weasley roared pointing at Harry threateningly before returning to his office.

Seamus Finnigan peeked up from his cubicle and whispered, "Wow, you got Weasley riper than a tomato, Potter. What d'you do this time? And what's that on your head?"

Harry rolled his eyes as he took a seat in his own cubicle and pointed to his forehead which had a slight dash of pink from where the memo had hit him, "Bloody bastard nearly chucked my head off with that memo of his."

Seamus chuckled, "Watch it there, mate. If Weasley hears you, there's gonna be more than a memo burn on that pretty forehead o' yours"

Dean Thomas who overheard their conversation from his cubicle, stood up to join in, "Memo burn eh? Hope it didn't leave a scar."

"I bloody hope not either." Harry said, looking at his reflection through his two way mirror which he used to keep in contact with other Aurors in his department.

As Harry fingered the dent in his forehead, Seamus slapped him on the back and laughed, "Looks almost like a lightning bolt, eh Potter?"

"Yeah!" Dean agreed, "Lucky it isn't a scar then we'd have to call you Scarhead, Potter!"

"Oh, sod off you gits!" Harry muttered as he flattened his hair over his bump to cover it while both his friends doubled over laughing.

He sifted through his parchments, looking over the Black Market reports and then deciding he didn't have enough time to revise them, gathered them in his arm and headed towards Weasley's office.

'Good luck in there, Scarhead!" Seamus teased as Harry closed the door behind him.


123 nightmares of me being a tyrant at last...

But it wasn't meant to be

The Wizarding World had changed.

Death, too.

489 hours spent lingering next to my mother's grave in the night.

Hoping I could hear Hermione sing "All you need is love" one more time.

But it seems... I don't need her anymore.

To think that Mum flew without a broomstick because of the game.

I was way off...

"Potter!"

Weasley's voice sprang Harry out from his reverie.

"Would you get your bloody head out of your arse for one minute!" Weasley sniped as he slammed his fist on the table.

"Sorry, sir. I was just about to say that we have ten years worth of evidence against Fletcher and his black market endeavours."

"Six months, Potter." Corrected his partner, Padma Patil.

Harry nodded, "Right, right. What did I say?"

"Ten years." Muttered Padma, still annoyed that she had to endure 20 minutes in Weasley's office waiting for Harry so they could give their report.

"Sorry. I mean we've ten months – err, six months of evidence comprised mostly of written confessions from traders under Veriteserum...."

I was doing fine.

Hadn't heard from Hermione for ten years.

The dare ended today with the stress of a ticking clock.

And no news, no sign of her.

Seems she has already forgotten me.

I hadn't.

How could I when I saw her husband all over?

He'd become a national hero. That Bulgarian yeti!

Ever since United Kingdom recruited him as their seeker

His face was never out of the papers.

Adulated by men, dreamt of by their wives

"Viktor: Bulgarian Heartthrob" of Witch Weekly

Top Seeker of the Year

The man made me hate Quidditch forever.

Hate Quidditch with every fiber in my body.

As for Hermione's life... I could just picture it...

It sucked.

Helen Granger stormed out of the Krums' residence. Throwing a stack of Witch Weekly's magazines and photos in a rubbish bin and setting it aflame before she disapparated.

Apparently, being Viktor Krum's publicist wasn't an easy task, it becomes even more difficult when his wife turns out to be the one running the show... but when the wife happens to be your sister and could care less about you and your job, being Viktor Krum's publicist was an absolute NIGHTMARE.

Inside, Hermione and Viktor were oblivious to anything but each other.

"You really did not vant those pictures?" Viktor asked as his wife straddled him on his lap.

Hermione nuzzled Viktor's neck, "You looked like a bloated pygmy puff in those robes."

"But Natasha Stroenge, the Prophet's own star class photographer took those photographs." Viktor reasoned as Hermione hiked up her skirt.

Hermione drew back and rolled her eyes, "House elves could do a better job than that fat hag."

Viktor frowned but was suddenly appeased when Hermione gave him a long, lingering opened mouthed kiss.

"Umph!" Viktor suddenly groaned, "Vait... something is hurting my back."

Viktor leaned forward and pulled out a shining crystal ball from behind him.

"Oh look, Hermy! Your little teddy!"

Hermione took the glass orb and threw it behind her, "Teddies aren't made of glass you twat."

They shifted position with Viktor on top and Hermione underneath him.

Hermione ran her hands underneath her husband's shirt, "Tell me, Mister Viktor Stanislav Krum, have you said 'I love you' to your wife recently?"

Viktor grinned, "No. Not since yesterday. And you, Mrs. Krum, have you said you loved your husband?"

Hermione smirked, "No. Not for a hundred years. Nor have I ever said, '' But I think it's high time I did."

She leaned in to whisper in Viktor's ear, ""

Viktor leaned down and gave Hermione a passionate kiss.

"Do you have to go out tonight?" Hermione asked as Viktor pulled away from her.

Viktor nodded, "Have to. Ve have a victory party over at Mclaggen's house."

Hermione pouted, "Well, then. Before you go, will you not comfort your wife in the mean time?"

Viktor laughed, "I like that idea."

No doubt about it. Hermione's forgotten all about me.


Harry's eyes stared hard at the front page of the Daily Prophet.

KRUM LEADS UK TO THE QUIDDITCH FINALS!!!

The rest of the page was made up of a gigantic photo of Krum with his fist in the air as his teammates collided into him on their brooms.

"I hate Quidditch." Muttered Harry.

Emily and William were busy tying their father up with ribbons and string.

"I dare you to do this and this and this and this and this!" William blabbered as he jumped up and down.

Emily was tying a bandana over her father's head.

Emily took a pillow and smashed it into her father's face while William playfully slapped his father's cheeks still chanting, "And this and this and this—"

Harry suddenly grabbed William's arms and shook him, "Do you DARE make a girl cry at her wedding? Or Laugh when you're sad? Keep silent for TEN YEARS! Are you game for that?"

William's lip slowly trembled and Harry, forgetting himself, released him slowly.

"William, I'm sorry. I didn't—"

Emily and William slowly withdrew and walked away quickly, afraid that their father might explode on them again.

Harry fell back on the couch with a groan.

Cho came out of the kitchen ranting, "I told Marietta that I would cover for her only once. ONCE! Just because I'm the resident Healer of the ward as well as her best friend doesn't mean that I could take all her patients in one go!"

Cho stopped and looked at Harry covered in multicoloured ribbons. She stifled a laugh as she started helping her husband out of the mess her children put him in.

"Honestly, you would think that I had five arms and twenty legs... Harry, are you even listening?" Cho laughed as Harry had not once glanced at her, instead his eyes fixated on the ceiling.

"No more than for the past ten years." Harry mumbled back.

"So, that's a no?" Cho asked teasingly as she untied the bandana from Harry's head.

Harry didn't say anything.

"Harry, darling, life after work does exist, you know?" Cho said as she trailed her finger down her husband's cheek and then smothered kisses on his lips.

Harry just let her do it almost as if he was a potted plant willing to get pushed around.

"Got problems with Weasley, today?" Cho asked.

Harry didn't answer as he looked back down at the newspaper.

"Darling, look at me!" Cho said as she tried to make Harry face her."You should have married him instead of me then."

Cho sighed exasperatedly, giving up trying to catch her husband's attention.

"Here." Cho said, handing him a package, "Look what he sent you by owl."

For the first time, Harry was zapped back to reality as he looked at what his wife dropped in his lap.

"My reports? Why here and not at the office?" Harry asked, confused, given that he remembered Weasley explicitly telling him that the Ministry wouldn't have his report reviewed till Friday and it was still Monday.

He looked at the tag on the box and only saw his name and address in black bold letters.

I held my breath for 10 years

I felt like a dog that pissed on the rug

Waiting for a beating

And one Monday evening, it came.

What a relief!

Harry tore open the wrapping paper but just before he could open the box, he heard voices coming from the kitchen.

Harry got up slowly, putting the package aside on the couch.

"How are Harry and the kids?"

"They're great! Oh, it's so good to see you! And on our 10th anniversary!"

Harry walked into the kitchen finding his wife hugging a woman with long brown curls.

"Harry and the kids asleep yet?" the woman asked, still with her back to Harry.

"No, no." Cho answered back.

Harry swallowed hard as he ran a hand through his hair, he couldn't believe it. After all these years...

"Harry, darling, look who dropped by!" Cho said happily when she saw her husband.

The woman slowly turned around to face Harry.

"Hermione?" Harry whispered.

But to his dismay, it was NOT Hermione. It was one of Cho's old friends from Hogwarts.

"Hello Harry."

Harry felt tears start to cloud his vision, "Oh, hi Claudia... Good to see you. Excuse me, I have... I'll be right back."

Harry hurried out of the kitchen, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. When he looked up, he noticed a stream of bright orange and blue light shining from underneath the wrapping paper he had torn off earlier.

Harry's heart literally skipped two beats as he tossed away the wrapper to find his mother's crystal ball, right there on his living room couch.

A note was attached to it. It looked like a business card with Viktor Krum's pic on the front hugging a familiar brown haired woman and an address was typed out neatly underneath.

Scrawled in red ink on the back was a short message,

Are you game?

-Hermione-

Harry bit into his fist as he smiled and then laughed out loud with relief.

(A few minutes later)

"Can't you postpone your meeting?" Cho asked Harry as he made his excuse and was preparing to leave.

Harry shook his head, "I'm sorry Cho. I have to leave."

"But Claudia is here." Cho reasoned as she stood in front of the door, blocking it.

"Cho, please."

"Why won't you stay?" Cho said angrily as she pushed Harry back.

Harry ignored her and reached for the door knob.

"I want you to stay!" Cho ordered.

But after struggling for a few moments, Harry managed to slip out the door and disapparate.

Cho slammed the door hard as angry tears streamed down her face.