Authors Note: this chapter is entirely a flashback over several years. I almost made it into three different chapters for three different years but I didn't want to take too much time into this, I just wanted flashbacks here and there and they're all too short to be put into chapters. enjoy (authors note to follow concluding chapter)

Hermione, La Petite Librarie, 11 March, 2001

Hermione glanced up from the counter as the bell above the door dangled loudly. A laugh escaped her lips as she looked at the man in the doorway.

"Fancy seeing you here" He closed his umbrella and placed it near the door "You've been here every single day I've been in this week."

"Well my American friend," Hermione stood up as the man got closer to the counter "you've been here five times this week already and as the owner you're going to see me a lot here." She shrugged and shut the book she had been reading. "The only time you haven't been here this month is over the weekends."

"Well, it's hard to stay away when the owner is so beautiful."

Hermione blushed and turned around grabbing a book off the shelf behind her "I found the book you had been looking for two days ago." She turned around and held out the book "I have to admit, it was quite hard to find. And..." she let out a laugh "And it's not something I'd expect you to read." She watched as he curled his long fingers around the book and jumped slightly when his skin touched hers.

"It's for my wife." He shrugged "She's out of town and I thought I'd mail it to her. She's going to be gone a while."

"Oh, you have a wife?" Hermione glanced down at the counter feeling disappointed. She had been trying to get out and date ever since Scorpius had been born two years ago but it was proving difficult and the one man she felt attracted to had a wife. He had been coming to her shop for a month and he had never told her. She felt betrayed for a few moments before she realized she didn't even know his name, he didn't know hers or that she had a son "Then she's going to love this!"

"I hope so. She's not much of a reader" he glanced at the back of the book and handed it back to Hermione.

Hermione gingerly grabbed the book from the man in front of her and rang out his purchase. She bagged it gently and reached out toward him, catching the time on her wristwatch.

"Oh! Look at the time!" she gasped and rushed out from behind the counter "I really do appreciate your business Mr. -"

"Sanders, Philip Sanders."

"Mr. Sanders but I must ask you to leave, I lost track of the time. I have to go pick up my son." She ushered Philip out of the door grabbing his umbrella on the way "thank you for shopping at La Petite Librarie."

"Hold on, hold on." He laughed "I didn't just come here for the book, you know." He glanced at her "I came to ask you if you'd like to join me for coffee but seeing as you have a son-"

"And you have a wife"

"-To tend to tonight-"

"Maybe come around tomorrow and ask again?" she questioned "Just because my answer is no right now, doesn't mean it won't be yes tomorrow." She smiled and opened the umbrella she grabbed from her bag "Have a good night, Mr. Sanders."

"Call me Philip!" he called after her, a small smile etched on his lips.

.xx.

Hermione locked the door to La Petite Librarie and slid the key into her pocket before walking down the sidewalk a bit disappointed. Philip had been absent from her store for more than two weeks, she had really been looking forward to coffee the next night and had set up a babysitter for Scorpius. She rounded the corner when she spotted him. She frowned slightly and turned to head back toward the bookshop.

"Hey! Hey wait up!"

Hermione walked faster, she wasn't sure where she was going but if Philip was okay to disappear for two weeks then he could wait just a little bit longer to see her.

"Hey!" he ran up next to her and matched her pace, the fact that he wasn't a little bit out of breath surprised Hermione, as she had been struggling to keep the fast pace without exploding her lungs "Am I too late for the bookshop to be open?"

Hermione stopped and looked at him "You had two weeks for it to be open. It's closed."

He sighed and looked at her pinching the bridge of his nose "I'm sorry. I had to leave unexpectedly for business. I know, I should have called the store and told you but" he shrugged.

Hermione looked up at his dark brown eyes and chewed on her bottom lip. He was handsome, stood tall at about 188cm and his eyes were dark but warm, his jaw was strong and his hair was the color of caramel, it was thick and cascaded down a little past shoulders. He had stubble on his cheeks and chin that was darker than the hair on his head and broad shoulders that looked like they could protect her from the world. He was currently dressed in a navy blue button up with a pair of khaki pants and brown shoes. His wedding ring glittering in the March sun. She glanced down at his ring and chewed on her lip a bit more. Coffee with a married man was not something she did, it went beyond everything she believed in, but also so did dating Draco Malfoy and falling madly and deeply in love with the ferret.

She glanced up at Philip and smiled slightly "its fine. The time difference, I get it."

He seemed to visibly relax and he smiled "So, do you have time for coffee?"

Hermione nodded and started walking "Josie, my babysitter, is taking my son and her son to a children's play today. They won't be back until eight." She looked up at him and smiled slightly, coffee was going to be interesting.

Hermione, La Petite Librarie, 20 May 2002

Philip sat on the counter of La Petite Librarie and looked down at Hermione. His sudden movement caused her to look up from the paper she had been reading, secretly scanning the paper for any mention of Draco.

"I didn't hear you come in." She smiled and stood up leaning toward Philip. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips "I missed you."

He ran his hands through her hair before kissing her again "I have dinner reservations for us tonight at La Petite Chef, if you could find a babysitter for Scorpius."

Hermione bit her lip and glanced up at him "I had imagined that when you got back from New York you'd see me first instead of your wife and I already arranged for a babysitter."

Philip grinned and kissed her again "you're the smartest woman I know."

Hermione smiled slightly and nodded "So I've been told." She moved around the counter toward the door changing the sign from open to close "Scorpius would love to see you too, he hasn't seen you in a couple of weeks and keeps asking." She glanced back at Philip before walking toward him at the counter.

"I could stay with you this week. Anita will be in Bulgaria until next Thursday. I'm all yours."

Hermione inhaled sharply at the mention of his wife. She had always felt guilty when she and Philip's relationship had moved from platonic to more like friends with benefits. He often told her that he and his wife had an open relationship and that he knew her week long business trips to Bulgaria were not always fashion related.

Harry and Ginny had disapproved of her rich muggle businessman in the beginning. Ron, however, had thought it was time for her to loosen up and have some fun. He told her repeatedly that she deserved to have fun and not to wait for a git like Malfoy to come around. It took some convincing for Harry and Ginny to come around to the idea of Philip, but ultimately agreed with Ron. That Malfoy was a git and that at least Philip made her happy.

Hermione smiled and sauntered over to Philip "That sounds lovely, Scorpius would be so happy." She stood up on her tip toes and whispered in his ear "And I have a lovely lace covered surprise for you tonight." She nipped at his ear before she walked toward the back of the shop.

"You can't just say things like that and walk away, 'Mione!" He jumped down off the counter and chased after her, loosening his belt along the way.

.xx.

Hermione sat in her chair at La Petite Chef and Philip pushed her chair in.

"You look beautiful tonight, 'mione."

Hermione looked down at the table and blushed. After all they had did earlier in her office she still managed to blush under a compliment "In part to you. This is a beautiful dress."

After their tryst in her office they made their way back to her flat where he presented her with a stunning red off the shoulder dress. It hit her mid-calf and was paired with the pair of Christian Louboutin's he had bought her on the first trip he took. He was dressed smartly in a white button up, a blue blazer and his Khaki pants.

"I was thinking that maybe you and Scorpius could go to New York with me. I have to go back next month, and it'll be a while that I'll be gone."

"How long are we talking about?" Hermione looked up at him from her menu

"A month."

"A month? I can't leave the bookshop closed that long, I can't be in New York a month." She reached out to him and grabbed his hand, running her thumb across the top gently. "I'd love to go but I can't afford a month."

Philip sighed and nodded "A week then? Two?"

Hermione leaned over the table a bit and kissed him gently "I can do that."

Philip smiled slightly and kissed her again "I can't wait until desert."

.xx.

"Uncle pwillip!" Scorpius jumped into his arms and wrapped his tiny arms around his neck "how long are you staying this time?"

Philip glanced at Hermione who stood in the kitchen dressed in one of Philip's tee-shirts and a pair of shorts "A week!"

"Oh wow!" Scorpius grinned "presents?"

Philip put Scorpius down and dug in his bag "How about these NINJA TURTLES!?"

Scorpius looked at him confused "what are ninja turtles?"

Philip gasped dramatically causing Hermione to laugh from the kitchen "What are Ninja turtles? Why they're the best crime fighters New York City ever had!"

The next thirty minutes while Hermione cooked breakfast for the two boys in her living room, they played with the ninja turtles. Philip explained to a three year old Scorpius which turtle was which and told elaborate stories of the shelled crusaders. By the end of breakfast Scorpius was obsessed with the turtles and his new toys.

Hermione, Philips apartment, Manhattan, 3 January, 2004

Hermione sat across the table from Philip, her hands wrapped around a steaming to go cup of coffee and she decided that coffee wasn't her thing, tea was much better and much better prepared by her and her favorite shop than a barista who hated her busy job in the middle of Times Square. Hermione had left Scorpius with Emeline, who happily took him so that the two love birds could have time to themselves and Hermione had missed him terribly.

"Philip" Hermione looked at the man at the stove, he stood shirtless making pancakes. She smiled sadly and looked into her cup. They had a wonderful New Year's Eve, they had spent it in Times Square ringing in the New Year with their lips locked. Later that night, they had what Philip had called, the best way to ring in the new year in between the sheets and more than once. They didn't leave the bed for almost two days when Philip's wife had come to the apartment finding Philip and Hermione in a compromising position. "Philip" She tried again looking at the muscles in his back tense as she said his name "We have to talk about what happened last night."

"There's nothing to talk about, Hermione." He turned his neck and looked at her before going back to his pancakes.

"Yes there is" She stood up from the table, Philip's rolling stones tee-shirt hit her right above the knee. She walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, her head resting on his back and his hair tickled her forehead a bit.

He sighed and turned around looking at her "what do you want me to say? That I regret what happened last night? Because I don't. She knew we were going to be here, I had told her I was using the apartment. It was her choice to come in on us and to bring her nightly boy toy."

Hermione looked up at him and played with some of his hair between her fingers "You're bothered by this and she was bothered by me." She looked at him and bit her lip "I think that after we get back to Paris, we should end things. For good this time."

He looked at her baffled and Hermione glanced at his chest "what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I think it would be best for us to—"

"You don't mean that"

She stared at his chest at the scars that had adorned it. Hermione learned that he had done a tour in Afghanistan after 9/11 and had some pretty terrifying stories to go with his scars "I do." She looked up at him "I can't be the other woman anymore, Philip. You don't love me, you love her and that's okay" she cupped his cheek and he leaned into it.

"How long have you thought about this?"

"A while." She smiled at him sadly.

Philip sighed and leaned down and kissed her "so if we never leave New York?"

Hermione laughed slightly and pressed her lips into his, and her hips onto his "We have to leave New York. Emeline emailed me this morning about Scorpius missing me, and I miss him." She looked up at Philip "you were really good with him, you know and you're going to make a great father."

"You know?"

Hermione threw her head back and laughed "Oh honey, it's not that hard to see her tummy." She pulled him away from the stove, but Philip ever safe paused and turned off the stove "let's make this the best two days we have left, shall we?"

Philip grinned "maybe we can join the mile high club on the way back." He stated as Hermione drug him back into the bedroom.

Hermione laughed and shook her head "As soon as we're in the air Philip, we're out of new York."

.xx.

Hermione made her way back to her apartment with Scorpius on her hip and tears in her eyes. She didn't realize how much she would miss Philip, but it was for the best. She wasn't going to be the other woman and she wanted the child he was about to have with his wife to have a father who was attentive to their mother, not his mistress. She kissed Scorpius on the head and placed him down on the couch where he continued to play with his ninja turtles.

It was a pretty great three years.

AN: Hi. Hello. Welcome to the only chapter that mentions Philip in a whole. He's going to show up in a later chapter so I needed him to be introduced and given some back story. Yes, he's a married man, yes it's OOC for Hermione but also so is Hermione dating Draco so let's not read too much into this yes? It's fanfiction so liberties are taken! I didn't want it to be too long, you can fill in whatever details you want about his relationship with her, what they did, where they went, etc. Hope you enjoyed!