Chapter 5

I often wondered why I never sought out birth control as a pregnancy preventative option. One day decided to ask Aunt Jean, she said, "Your mother would have seen the medical claim when she received the quarterly statement. If Helen discovered you were on birth control, she would have complained to everyone in the Burg. You had enough problems fighting off unwanted advances from the Morelli boys. This would have put them and other horny teenage boys on high alert."

"It really doesn't make any sense to me."

I could tell I was trying her patience. "Steph, Sweetheart, if you went on birth control, it would have increased the magnitude of your surges. A seer met with your father and me after you were born. She warned us of the implications. Sadly, she said it wouldn't prevent a pregnancy. We were attempting to keep your surges at a more manageable level for you," she gently explained. "Very few witches experience this issue. Unfortunately, there isn't a spell available to prevent pregnancy. Potions would have behave in the same manner as the muggle birth control in a magically bound witch with your affliction. Maybe a witch or wizard would be able to create a more effective potion or spell."

"How does a witch or wizard prevent pregnancy?"

"Mostly the same way as muggles, by using condoms. We also have potions to prevent pregnancy, provided the witch's magic has not been bound." I nodded as her words sunk in. Unless I used a condom, pregnancy was inevitable. From what the seer told her, it was going to happen anyways.

The years seemed to fly by too fast for my liking. Hermione just received her letter to attend Hogwarts School of Wizardry. She was fascinated with receiving her letter through Owl post. Over the years, I became quite familiar with Owl post. I still received letters through snail mail, the method most Americans call their typical postal delivery service. Most of my correspondence is completed using Owl post, but in order to communicate with the muggle population, I used email.

I was scheduled to move back to North America the day after Hermione boards her train for Hogwarts. She said I could leave at any time I wanted, but I was looking forward to seeing the Hogwarts Express. Sending my daughter off to school seemed too important of a milestone to miss. Hermione was a bit apprehensive about starting a new school. She is a very intelligent, disciplined girl. Her marks were perfect. She was constantly studying. "I've rented a room at the Leaky Cauldron. We can access Diagon Alley through the courtyard wall. Do you have your school supply list?"

"Yes, Mom. Is Dad going to be there too?" she constantly asked about her father. I never kept him a secret and talking about him was never taboo.

"I doubt it, Sweetie. He still doesn't know you exist." I could see the disappointment on her face. "I'm moving back to Trenton. I promise to tell your father about you. Before you ask, yes, I will give him all the gifts you made for him over the years. I really should have contacted him long ago. He's going to be justifiably angry." I gave her a small hug before tugging on her wild, curly hair. She mostly resembles me, except she has Carl's eye colour and shape, along with his chin. Everything else, including her wild hair, is all me.

"Do you think he'll want to meet me?" she timidly asked.

"I can't find a reason why he wouldn't, but I honestly can't make that promise." I held her hand as we maneuvered to my car.

It will take close to 4 hours to drive to London and another 20 minutes to park near the Leaky Cauldron. We planned to shop today then explore Diagon Alley without the rush of shopping for supplies. "What's on the itinerary, Mom?" she excitedly asked.

"We'll check into our room at the Leaky Cauldron then shop for your wand and school supplies. If we complete your list, we can use tomorrow to further explore everything Diagon Alley has to offer. I have another hotel room rented in Kensington where we'll stay until September 1st."

"I love our trips. Visiting Grandpa in Paris last year was so much fun and Italy this summer too." She continued to ramble, comparing the pros and cons of each trip.

Hopefully I can bring Hermione to Trenton during her Christmas break. I really want her to meet her father and cousins. Valerie and her husband recently divorced. She was living with our parents and dating a waif of a man named Albert Kloughn. Dad mentioned she was pregnant again. I wasn't sure if I would stay in Trenton over the summer or if I would return to Manchester. Decisions... decisions. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Our shopping trip at Diagon Alley was so much fun. The sheer joyful expression pasted on Hermione's face was amusing. Jean, Robert, William and I occasionally used magic at home, but it wasn't blatantly obvious as it is here. She took in all the sights the following day. I insisted she bring her wand. "Why do I need to bring my wand?" she asked.

"We need to make a trip to Gringotts. It's the bank we use in Britain. They'll use your wand as proof of identity. I want to ensure you can access the family vault," I patiently explained.

"Family vault? Our family as in you and me?"

"No Sweetie. It's the Granger family vault. All money Mama, Papa, Grandpa William and I earn at the Ministry of Magic is deposited directly into our vault. We share all our earnings."

"Okay. Thank you for explaining the reason." I knew she required a logical explanation for everything before she would accept it as fact.

We continued our exploration after the Gringotts Goblins added Hermione to our family vault. I arranged to have a weekly allowance sent directly to Hermione at Hogwarts. When she asked why I was giving her an allowance when I never have before, I answered, "It's always a good plan to have disposable cash on hand should the need arise."

She laughed before saying, "In other words, I may find something I want to buy and will have money for that specific purpose."

"Exactly. How did you get so smart?" I joked. She smiled from the implied praise.

We held hands as we walked among the witches and wizards rushing around to purchase their supplies. I noticed several families curiously watching us. One very nervous boy kept dropping his toad. Hermione picked it up when it jumped into our path. I could hear the boy frantically call, "Trevor. Where did you go? Come back to me, please."

Hermione walked towards the boy and handed him the frog. "Is this Trevor?" she asked. When he nodded she said, "You should get a carrying bag for him so he doesn't escape again." The boy's face flushed red.

"Why would you say that to him, Hermione?" I wondered. Her tone had a very as-a-matter-of-fact-you-should-know-better ring to it. "Sweetie, is this how you communicate to your peers?" I quietly asked.

She nodded, "Yes. There's no excuse for not following the rules or exercising proper safety protocol." I finally understand the underlying reason she had few friends at school. Not only did she throw around her intelligence, but she also used a tone that made others feel inferior to her.

"You need to learn how to relax your stance on protocol and rule following. You are a brilliant girl, but you don't need to constantly show everyone else how intelligent you are," I gently said. "You'll make excellent friends this year. They will be fiercely loyal to you and appreciate your intellect. Just relax your rules and welcome them into your life."

"How can you be so sure?" she asked.

"I can feel it." I said as I gently squeezed her hand. "Let's see what other interesting items we can find." As we browsed, we heard chatter about a boy named Harry Potter attending Hogwarts this September. Hermione dragged me to the bookstore to find everything we could about him. She wondered how a baby could defeat the evil wizard Voldemort. I had to stop her from purchasing 5 different books on the subject. After quickly reading the books, she selected the 2 containing the most information. I had a feeling the boy named Harry Potter would become a very important person in her life.

September 1st quickly arrived. I parked in the parking garage across the street from Kings Cross Station. Her train is scheduled to leave promptly at 11 am from platform 9 3/4. I was thankful when Papa Robert and Mama Jean arrived to help me send Hermione off to school. "Are you listening Hermione?" Papa asked attempting to redirect her attention.

"Yes Papa. I'm listening," she distractedly answered.

"You just walk through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Don't worry, I can push the trolley through. Grab you mother's hand and walk through together." We watched as both Papa and Mama walked through the barrier. After checking to ensure we weren't being watched by muggles, Hermione and I walked through the barrier.

"Wow. This is amazing," she gushed.

"Very impressive," I agreed. "Papa found you a compartment." I pointed to where Papa was standing near the front of the train.

Hermione quickly entered the compartment as Papa and I lifted the trunk onto the overhead rack. "How will I ever get that down?" she asked.

"No need to worry about it. The luggage is handled by the team at Hogsmeade. They'll make sure your belongings makes it to your dorm," Papa explained.

We said our tearful goodbyes as we watched Hermione take her seat beside some other first year students. I watched as the students were loaded onto the train by their families. As the train pulled away from the station, Papa walked me back through the barrier to my car.

"I'll ride with you to the airport," he offered. "I can drive the car back home. Have a safe trip Stephanie. Call us if you need anything." I could have apparated to Trenton, but the Ministry of Magic felt it was best to behave as muggles do.

I gave a final wave goodbye as I walked through the security gate to board my flight. In less than 10 hours I will be in my new apartment in Trenton New Jersey. It was almost time to tell Carl about our daughter Hermione.

Dad and his friends furnished my apartment. There wasn't a lot of furniture, but there was more than enough for me to get by. All I really wanted at the moment was a comfortable bed. My job at E E Martin starts in a few days.

The ministry of magic determined abnormal activity was occurring at E E Martin and managed to find me a job as a lingerie buyer. I quickly learned the job title was more interesting than the job itself.

My apartment was 45 minutes away from my job in Newark. I could move closer to the job, but I really wanted a good buffer between work and home. Dad gave me Carl's current contact information.

I used my recently installed home phone to place a call to Carl. His answering machine picked up, 'I am unavailable at the moment. Leave your name and number.' Huh... straight to the point.

"Hi Carl, it's Steph. Please call me at..." before I could finish my message, someone picked up the phone.

"Stephanie? Is it really you?" he hesitantly asked.

"Yes Carl, it's really me. Do you have some time available to talk? There's a lot we need to talk about."

"My shift doesn't start for another 6 hours. Would Pino's work? I could be there in 10 minutes."

"Ummm... the conversation we need to have requires more privacy than Pino's can offer. How about my apartment, would that work for you?" He readily agreed. I gave him my address and apartment number. He promised to be here in 20 minutes.

I grabbed photos from every stage of Hermione's life. Most of my photos showed people moving about. I purposely had photos created to keep the subjects stationary. It wouldn't be wise for him to discover I'm a witch.

A loud knock echoed throughout the apartment. I used a charm to quickly view the person on the other side. Carl, Eddie and Big Dog were patiently waiting for me to grant them access. I opened the door and said, "I was only expecting you Carl." He was as handsome as ever, but the attraction I once felt for him was long gone.

"Eddie and Big Dog were visiting me when you called. They wanted to tag along. I didn't think it would be a problem," he admitted.

"In for a penny..." I muttered. "Okay, so I guess I only need to tell this story once. Take a seat boys. Can I offer you water, coffee, soda?"

"Coffee," they all answered. I quickly brewed coffee and carried a tray to the coffee table with cream and sugar. After they doctored their coffee, I decided to explain the reason for the visit request.