(A/N: Hey, everyone! I know it's terribly cliché, but I've always loved a good Dramione Granger family reunion story. I've never read one where we can see Draco and Hermione fall in love before the family reunion, so I decided what the hell, I'll write one myself. This is my first ever fanfiction, and I'd really appreciate some feedback for it. Now onto the story!)

CHAPTER 1

Where Are They Now?

An investigation by Rita Skeeter

Seven years after the end of the Second Wizarding War, this stalwart, unyielding reporter resolved to find out what the heroes of our freedom are now up to. After all, these young, brave fighters are the reason why He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is no longer around to terrorize us. I, Rita Skeeter, have researched extensively to give my loyal readers the scoop on our saviors.

Luna Longbottom is the editor of The Quibbler, the official news source of The Resistance when the war was ongoing. Now, The Quibbler runs pieces about imaginary creatures that have no known evidence of existence (See: crumple-horned snorkack). She is married to Neville Longbottom, and they have one child together.

Neville Longbottom, Slayer of the Snake, is now the Herbology teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is known as one of the best teachers at the esteemed institution, and I have it on good authority that he is a shoo-in for the Head of Gryffindor position.

Ginny Weasley-Potter is one of the highest-paid Quidditch athletes in the world. She's led her team, the Holyhead Harpies, to victory in the Quidditch World Cup for three years. She's married to her school sweetheart, Harry Potter. They have three children together.

Draco Malfoy is perhaps the most controversial of all the Heroes of Hogwarts. He supposedly spied for the Order of the Phoenix during the of the war, and Harry Potter himself testified at his hearing. Malfoy is now the owner of Malfoy Enterprises, and he has expanded into the Muggle world despite serious pushback from most of his pureblood shareholders. He is the second richest man in Wizarding Britain, and the third richest man in the Muggle economy. He has no known familial ties to anyone, other than his mother.

Ronald Weasley is an accomplished Auror. He is the Chief Strategist of Magical Law Enforcement, and he's won numerous awards for his brilliant strategies that led to the capture of many wanted Death Eaters. He is married to Lavender Brown, his high school sweetheart. They have one child together.

Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, is the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. He has had the most captures in the division's history, and his Auror partner is none other than his best friend, Ronald Weasley. He is married to Ginny Weasley-Potter.

Hermione Granger, the Brightest Witch of Her Age, has mysteriously disappeared off the map. She has not appeared in public for quite some time, the last time being last year's Potter anniversary celebration. The public has been clamoring for an interview, but she is nowhere to be found. All our owls sent to her have been returned unopened.

The people want to know: Where is Hermione Granger?

—_—_—

Hermione sighed as she raised the glass to her lips. She stared at the tiny piece of paper in front of her. Its monogrammed, golden letters seemed to mock her in the dimly lit Muggle pub she'd taken to frequenting. This is so stupid, she thought bitterly. I managed to help defeat one of the vilest men in the world, and I'm afraid of my own family.

The glossy invitation sat on the grimy bar counter.

The Granger family cordially invites you,

Ms. Hermione Granger,

To our 10 Year Reunion

Located at the Serpent King Hotel

Save the Date: November 21-23

Hermione rolled her eyes. Her family, contrary to what everyone at Hogwarts believed, was relatively well-off. Her father Daniel had turned his back against his obscenely wealthy roots and married a "poor" woman, Emma. Despite the fact that his parents had all but disowned him, he still lived comfortably. Hermione's parents were nowhere near as rich the Malfoys, but she'd never struggled with money in her childhood. She grew up loved and relatively trouble-free.

Of course, this changed after she'd erased herself from her parents' minds.

She shook herself out of her bleak thoughts. She hated thinking back to that year on the run. Not only had it scarred her physically and emotionally, it had led to the deterioration of her relationship with her family. She'd restored their memory as soon as she could, but their trust in her had been irrevocably ruined.

Apparently, meddling with people's minds makes them upset, she thought wryly as she drank more of her whiskey. Who knew?

Hermione gazed around at her surroundings. This Muggle pub was her favorite spot to unwind after a long day at work. It reminded her of her upbringing, and it was always entertaining to watch drunk Muggles stumbling around.

She worked in the deepest part of the Department of Mysteries as a researcher for magical oddities. She was well established in her field as a brilliant newcomer named Mirage Greenhorn. Hermione smirked as she thought about her alias. Hopefully no one figures out that Mirage Greenhorn is an anagram for Hermione Granger. She'd gotten the idea from Voldemort, and she was pretty smug about how outraged he would've been if he'd known a Mudblood took his idea.

Additionally, Hermione had found a spell a year after the war that allowed her to change her features more reliably than Polyjuice Potion. She hated the public spotlight being a Hero of Hogwarts had thrust her into, so she worked under a different name and face.

Unfortunately, she couldn't do that at the Granger Family Reunion.

She had strongly considered not coming to the reunion, but a tense conversation with her parents had changed her mind. They said that the family would be suspicious if Hermione didn't show up, and her dad couldn't afford to be alienated from his family any more than he already was.

She rolled her eyes. Her family was so obsessed with maintaining appearances. It's a good thing that she'd learned how to tame her hair, or else her mom would never let her hear the end of it for the entire weekend.

Hermione tossed her head back and downed the rest of her drink. She met the bartender's gaze and motioned for another one. She closed her eyes briefly and ran a hand through her hair.

"Hey lady," a voice slurred.

Hermione slowly opened her eyes and slid them over to her right side. A very drunk man was leaning on the bar, blinking blearily as he tried to focus on her face.

"May I help you?" she asked good naturedly.

"Why is such a beautiful woman like you looking so sad?" he hiccupped. "Come to my place and I can turn that frown upside down."

She smirked at his words. "Does that line usually work for you?"

He nodded jerkily. "Yup. That line and my baby blue eyes."

"Your eyes are brown."

He shrugged. "I may not know my colors, but I do know true love when I see it."

Hermione burst out laughing. He grinned wryly. "This isn't working, is it?"

Hermione shook her head, still giggling. "No, but I appreciated the laugh. I needed to get out of my head."

He stepped closer. "I can give you something else to appreciate," he said while eyeing her up and down.

Hermione shook her head, no longer laughing. "Back off, Romeo. I'm not interested."

He pouted and sidled up closer. "You sure? I can change your mind." He reached up and tried to stroke her cheek. She slapped his hand before it could make contact with her face.

"Nope."

"Come on, pretty lady. Come back to mine." He tried to touch her curls but ended missing and nearly poking her eye.

"The next time you try to touch me without my consent, I'll rip your arm out of its socket."

"Don't be like that, baby. Why are you being so mean? I'm a nice guy," he whined. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Sure. Whatever."

"Is this guy bothering you, miss?" asked the bartender as he set down her new drink.

"Yes, actually, he is. I've asked him to leave me alone quite a few times now, but he insists on persisting." Hermione smirked. "Such a shame when a bloke has more dick in his personality than his trousers."

"You bitch!" the drunk cried out angrily, his face flushed. "Just because you're a frigid whore doesn't mean I have a small… you know!"

"Did you just call me a frigid whore? What an oxymoron!"

"Who're you calling a moron?!" the man bellowed.

"No, sweetie. An oxymoron. Like a figure of speech."

"I may be drunk, but I'm not stupid. That's not a real word. You're just trying to confuse me!" he snarled. Then, in a haze of inebriated fury, he swung a meaty arm at Hermione's head.

Hermione ducked under it and in a fluid motion, popped up behind him and slammed his head down on the bar countertop. She grabbed one of his flailing arms and shoved it behind him, twisting his shoulder painfully.

"Next time a woman tells you to leave her alone, you better do it," she hissed in his ear. "I've been having a really bad day, and I would hate to take my anger out on you."

She twisted his arm a little more for good measure, ignoring his yelp of pain, before letting go and stepping back. She tossed a few bills down on the bar to pay for her drinks before turning sharply and heading towards the exit.

Unbeknownst to her, the drunken man behind her had pushed off the table and was advancing on her quickly. She registered a sudden shout of warning from the bartender before her instincts kicked in. As the man lunged forward to tackle her, she brought her elbow up and allowed his momentum to carry his nose straight towards her bony joint.

She heard a dull crack followed by a squeak of pain. She whirled around, and this time her knee shot up to make contact with his crotch.

He crumpled to the ground, out cold. Hermione noticed that the pub was now silent, all the patrons watching the altercation. "Erm… sorry to interrupt your evening, folks." She blushed brightly, then all but sprinted out the door.

Through her embarrassment, she noticed that her stress levels were much lower.

I should kick people in the balls more often.

(A/N: Well, there we go. One chapter down! It was mostly exposition, but I hope you guys will stick with it. I promise it'll get more exciting, haha. Let me know what you think about it, please. I'd love to hear what you guys think about the concept and execution. Until next time!)