London, June, 2011
"At what time she arrives? I miss my niece!" Ron pouts at her.
"She's not really your niece, you know that, right?" She says just to annoy him.
"You offend me, Hermione. Of course she is, by choice, by heart." He's eating at her spacious kitchen, his mouth full.
"Honestly, Ron." She hands him a napkin. "She will be here any minute now, Edgar was going to fetch her at the airport."
"I don't understand why you sent her to this muggle camp thing, there's a lot of things to do in the wizarding world."
"You say that every year. Have you noticed I keep sending her no matter what you say?" She smirks at him. "Besides, she's growing up so fast, she's going to Hogwarts and I wanted her to experience this last summer as an almost total muggle."
"And how do you feel about that?" He narrows his eyes at her. "People will recognize her, Hermione, they'll ask about her father, you know children can be mean-"
"And that's why I'll have a serious conversation with her just before the year starts, okay? I just don't want to stress about it now. There's a few months till then and I want to enjoy them with her."
Hermione never hid the magic from her daughter, but she also liked to live a muggle life, so they found some kind of balance. At a very tender age the little girl already showed signs of powerful magic and Hermione never thought it would be different. She worked at the Ministry but liked to enjoy her free time doing muggle stuff. And that was fine, Ron even enjoyed some things now and tagged along. Well, yes, he was more entertained by the candy than the movie when at the cinema, but it still counted.
However, when the topic was Hermione's childhood and youth at Hogwarts, her daughter knew close to nothing. Of course she knew History and had learned everything about the War, and how… Harry Potter defeated the evil wizard, but she had no idea her mum and uncle were once his best friends. If it was possible, Hermione intended to keep things that way, but the moment her Hogwarts' letter arrived, Hermione knew...
Her daughter had to know everything, even who her father was.
"Okay, fair enough, I guess. I mean, it surprises me that your daughter never found out who her father is with all the history and-"
She flicks her wand at him and his mouth is shut.
"Can you stop now?"
He mumbles at her gesturing to the food in front of him. "Ah, yeah, right, sorry."
"Blimey. Fine… let me eat in peace, woman."
"Seriously, I don't know why you bother having a place of your own since you're never there, you are either here emptying my fridge or at the Burrow driving your mother crazy."
"You know I come here because I miss my favorite person in the world." He smiles at her and she smiles back. "My adorable niece, of course, your daughter." He grins and she slaps his arm.
A second later they hear the front door opening and Hermione's secretary screams from the entrance "Look who's here!"
A young girl rushes in, her brown hair wild in its reckless ponytail swinging behind her. She almost tackles Hermione, hugging her by the waist.
"MOTHER!"
Hermione's smile is wide. "My little pumpkin! I've missed you so much!" She tries to look at her daughter properly but the girl won't let go of her middle. Hermione laughs and hugs her tight in return.
"I've missed you so much, so much! You have no idea." The girl says.
Ron raises his eyebrows, it's been a while since he'd heard her talk like that. Hermione seems as surprised as he is. Edgar shrugs at Hermione's inquiring gaze. "Okay, okay, let me look at you, sweetie."
Just then the girl releases her and Hermione leans forward to look into her daughter's eyes. Every time they take her breath away, those amazing green eyes. But at the moment the tears running down the girl's face are way more alarming. "What is it? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" She presses her hands against her body searching for a bruise or something, but the girl laughs.
"No, it's nothing, I've just missed you so much, that's all." The girl looks intently at Hermione. "You are so pretty, mum." And she hugs her again.
Hermione is stunned. Ron has his mouth open and Edgar is frozen watching the scene. "Well," Hermione says. "I sure am happy you apparently forgot you were very angry with me before you left for camp."
"I was being a child, I apologize."
Her tone is very 'Hermionish', which is fine since she always talk like that, with an undeniable bossiness, but the apology makes Hermione holds her by the shoulder and look at her with worry, strange. "Do you have a fever or something?" Her hand goes to the girl's forehead. They've been discussing a lot more lately and it infuriates Hermione the way her daughter never apologizes properly… almost like a teenager.
"I'm fine, mum." The girl watches around the kitchen. "Uncle Ron!" And she goes to him, hugging him almost as fiercely as she held her mother. "I've missed you too."
"Of course, am I not the best uncle or what?" He laughs and she agrees. Hermione still watches her closely. Something is off. But she can't quite put her finger on it. The girl sits by Ron's side.
"I'm starving! What's for dinner?"
Hermione's mouth hangs open and Ron laughs loudly. "Well, well, Laura Granger, are you finally one of my own?"
The girl smiles, and right there she resembles so much her father at that age it hurts Hermione's heart.
New York, June, 2011
"Stop it, Malfoy."
"Come on, Potter, don't be such a baby."
Harry looks at the man in front of him. They're drinking muggle beer at Harry's living room, both tired from work. Sometimes he can't believe how close he got to his old enemy. Ten years ago he arrived at the States with a ton of responsibilities and zero friends. He could never imagine Draco Malfoy would become his closest friend… but on the other hand he never thought he would live so far away from where he once considered home. And he wasn't thinking of a place… more like a someone.
Draco moved to New York one year after Harry, and they became friends while training aurors at MACUSA.
"It will be fun! Trust me. I mean, have I ever got us into trouble?" An evil grin plays on Malfoy's face and Harry laughs.
"I can't, really, Lily should be arriving any time now, I want to be with her."
"Oh! That's right! The camp thing. Sorry, man, I totally forgot. Can I invite myself, Ginny and little Dominic to dinner?"
"Draco, Ginny is picking her up already, it doesn't surprise me she's always complaining about your lack of attention with the domestic stuff."
Draco smiles. He and Ginny have been together for ten years now, in fact, their relationship was the reason why the youngest Weasley left England and her family behind. Her brothers, especially Ron, never accepted Draco and their love. And this, unfortunately, had a price. Since she left they never spoke again and that makes Harry a little sad. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He sighs. Harry still talks to Ron from time to time, but it's not like before since many topics are off limits… Ron doesn't even know he has an amazing nephew. Dominic is 8 and a blast of a child. He and Lily are close friends, like cousins, really. On the other hand… Ron never talks about her and-
No. It's too painful to think about that.
He vaguely listen to Draco talking about a new kind of training he studied the day before.
"I mean, it could work, don't you think? We should try it with the slow ones." Draco liked to call the new aurors slow ones since they were… well, slow.
"Well… I don't know-"
"Okay, I can see you're not paying any real attention to me. What's up?"
Harry sighs. "Lily got her letter from Hogwarts."
The letter arrived one day before her departure for the camp and they had a little discussion about it. She wanted to go, of course, but Harry said it was unpractical - because he couldn't think of a better word - since they lived in New York and the amazing AWS - American Wizarding School - had already accepted her as a future student. She stomped her foot. She wanted to go to the same school her father went. She wanted to discover the magical place he used to talk about right before tucking her into bed. She wanted to see the castle. To finally meet some of her dad's old friends.
Harry was very firm with her. It was a resounding 'no'. They weren't moving to England. She went to camp angry with him and now he only hoped she'd forgot about it.
"You didn't mention." Draco says.
"Yeah, I know. She went to camp and work was so crazy I kind of forgot about it." He takes a big gulp of his beer. "She wants to go."
Draco huffs. "Of course, I mean, you painted the place like freaking Disneyland." To hear Draco making muggle references was still a bit strange to Harry. "I would want to go to your Hogwarts too." He laughs at Harry's face.
"Come on, it's serious. I don't know what to do. I told her no, but I feel like an evil father. Like the worst kind. But you know how I feel about it, why I left." He pushes his hand through his hair, messing it up. "I'm angry she even got a letter. Minerva shouldn't have done it."
"You know she never agreed with the way you and Hermione settled things."
The mention of her name is almost taboo in Harry's presence, but Draco never really respected that. He always said they were idiots.
"And besides," Draco goes on. "Harry Potter's daughter not attending Hogwarts? Scandalous." Draco laughs again.
"You're having too much fun out of my misery."
"Anytime." He raises his beer for a toast. "Hey, man… you're an amazing father, don't worry."
"Thanks, I appreciate it. I just-"
Harry is interrupted by the door of his enormous flat opening. Ginny's voice fill the place.
"There's a little someone here to see you, Harry!"
Lily runs to the living room and squeals in delight when she sees him. He picks her up and holds her close to him, laughing. She seems bigger somehow, even if it's only been a month.
"Hey sweetie, I missed you so much! How was camp?"
She doesn't answer immediately and Harry notices she's crying on his shoulder. He looks at Ginny and Draco a little alarmed. Ginny has her head tilted to the side, a clear question on her face, Draco on the other hand just shrugs at him.
"What's wrong, Lily? Are you alright?" He pats her body looking for some kind of injury. "Are you hurt?" His voice is a tone louder, a strange feeling begins to take hold of him.
But then she laughs. "No, daddy, I'm fine! I'm just so glad to be home, to be with you!" Her tiny arms squeeze him further. "I missed you so much, so much, as if all my life!" She laughs again and her odd manners make Harry laugh too.
"Okay, okay."
After a while he finally puts her down and looks at her. His own green eyes look back at him and Harry tenderly pushes a few locks of her hair out of her face. That brow and wild hair that in Harry's opinion makes her look exactly like her mother.
"Hey, don't I gain a hug too?" Draco asks her, and she turns to the man.
"Of course, uncle!" She hugs him tightly too and Harry watches as Draco swings her from side to side, complaining that she's gained weight.
Ginny comes to Harry's side and just then he sees a little boy and his incredibly blond hair walking from behind her and joining his father and Lily.
"Harry, do you care to explain why she's been talking about going to Hogwarts all the way home?" Ginny asks quietly, gesticulating the words with just one side of her mouth.
Harry lets out a sigh.
London, June, 2011
Hermione walks around the silent house. Hours passed since they had dinner, Ron left and Laura went to bed. She should be sleeping too, but tonight in particular she can't. She's not sure why, can't even understand what's keeping her up, and at the price of sounding a lot like her old divination teacher, she can't shake a feeling, a sensation or a voice inside her screaming that something is wrong, that something is out of place and is right in front of her but she can't see it.
Okay, Hermione, think. You can't rely on a feeling or whatever… that isn't logical.
She sits on her favorite chair in front of her cozy fireplace, her eyes roaming the many pictures on its mantle. Laura is in all of them, smiling brightly. Hermione remembers each picture, each moment, each day. Them at a picnic. At the museum. At Hogsmeade. At Diagon Alley. Some pictures move, others are plain old muggle pictures. In many Hermione is with her, laughing or just gazing at her daughter. Pictures of Ron and the Weasleys - and she really doesn't want to think about the missing one - are also part of the composition. Her parents are there too, with their granddaughter, totally oblivious to the fact that-
Don't.
She closes her eyes and her mind wanders to other pictures that she keeps hidden inside a magical locked box, one that she's glad to say she avoids successfully all the time. Or almost. It's been a while since she thought about those pictures, but Laura's return from camp and her impending departure to Hogwarts stir Hermione inside. Her daughter is smart. If she hasn't discovered by herself she will soon enough figure it out who exactly her father is. And when she does, Hermione is not sure on what to do or how to tell her the truth. She used to ask about him, but not anymore. She accepted this is a touchy subject for everyone - especially for her mother - and has dropped it.
Hermione massages the side of her head in an attempt to keep away a certain headache. 2 months till Hogwarts.
2 months till I need to tell her. She knew this moment would come and she wished she had prepared herself better for it. Sure, no one knows for sure he is the father, but everyone suspects. Everyone talks about it. About the way he suddenly left for the States. About the way she had a daughter and no one knows who the mysterious father is. Everyone talks about Laura's eyes. Every time that happens Hermione wants to curse something.
And what she is most afraid of is… no. We settled it. Never again. A clean and total rupture.
They almost made an unbreakable vow on it… but decided not to, or better, she convinced him not to. She thought it too extreme. A bidding magic stopping me from talking or seeing him ever again… it was too much - way too much. But they really kept their promises, never talked, never saw and never acknowledged each other over the last ten years. She knows Ron talks to him from time to time, but she never asked him anything, even if the curiosity on-
Don't.
It's exhausting to think about him, because she always - like it or not - always remembers how it hurt, how it totally tore her apart when he left, when he took with him their-
Fuck. Keep it together, Hermione. Does it hurt for him the same way it does for me?
She was a wreck but she moved on, of course she would. She raised her daughter, she got an amazing job, she had many boyfriends - even if they weren't quite right for her - and she found happiness. She's not sure it's a full happiness the way it should be, but it's good enough for her. And now, at 31, she's found a man she really loves. She tries not to compare affection, but deep down she knows it's not the same way it was with… Harry. But-
Maybe it's better… look how that turned out.
And Laura likes him. Jack is a good auror, a decent man and he never pressed Hermione, never asked her about Laura's father, never insinuated anything. But above all, he makes Hermione laugh, makes her carefree, gives her the liberty to be herself. And he's amazing in bed.
Yes, she's happy. Life is good. No dark wizards lurk around trying to kill her and nothing - nothing - will ruin it for her.
New York, June, 2011
Her eyes are mesmerizing. He's hypnotized by them. He's hypnotized by the way she moves above him, by the messiness that is her hair, by how swollen her lips are from his kisses, by the way her breath is short from pure pleasure. Everything is perfection. The way she says his name, the way she moans against him, the way she feels. He holds her close, tight. He can see his fingers digging into her flesh, into her waist. Holding on to her, to her warmth.
But he's not prepared when she begins to slip away. He tries holding her closer. He screams her name the moment she vanishes.
"Hermione-"
He jerks awake. He's sweating, his breathing is erratic and he can hear his heart pounding. And he's aroused.
"Shit." He murmurs, trying to calm down. He breathes one, two… ten times before really slowing himself down.
His room is in total darkness, the only sound comes from the rain outside. Harry watches the light that comes from the lightnings, and then the thunder that comes right after, while he sits on the edge of the bed, holding his head.
He used to dream about her all the time. Especially when he first arrived. But it's been so long. He's almost sure more than two years passed since he dreamed about her. Why now? Why?
"Shit." He repeats.
Against his better judgment he begins to worry. Is she okay? What if something happened? What if something happened to- no, Ron would tell me. Wouldn't he? Yes, yes. Okay, you don't need to worry, everything is fine. It was just a dream. Nothing more. And she doesn't want you taking care of her, she made that perfectly clear, didn't she?
"Dad?" A small voice comes from the door.
Lily stands there looking at him, her eyes a little wide. Harry extends his hand to her. "What's wrong, sweetie?" She goes to him calmly. Harry notices she's holding her favorite stuffed animal and he gulps at the sight of it - it's a mama bear Lily began to call my mama since she didn't have one. She sits on his lap and he embraces her. "Couldn't sleep?"
"Yeah, I don't know, really…"
"What?"
"I guess I'm a little afraid."
"Afraid? That's why you're holding mama bear?"
She looks at the bear in her hands and smiles a little at him. When she got so big? "Yes, the rain scared me and I thought mama could protect me, but I guess I need my dad too." Harry's heart hurt.
"The rain?" He raises his eyebrows, Lily never lost sleep over a few thunders. She snuggles closer to him.
"Can I sleep with you?"
Harry's not sure what it is in her voice, but she seems different. The same, but different. He looks at her as she stares at him waiting for an answer.
"Of course."
He holds her close and in a few minutes they are both fast asleep.
London, June, 2011
"Mum?"
Laura's voice carries the question through their living room. Hermione looks at her daughter at the bottom of the stairs. From her chair she calls to her.
"I can't sleep."
"Why is that, pumpkin?" Hermione holds her close, both looking at the enchanted fireplace.
"I don't know, I-"
Laura hesitates. Hermione waits. She flicks her wrist and fire made figures begin to dance around the fireplace. "You always liked this trick." She says, kissing her daughter's head. Laura doesn't say anything and Hermione begins to worry. "What's wrong?"
The little figures keep dancing and Laura looks at her, her eyes sharp and bright. Hermione knows what that means. A question. A burning one.
"I was just thinking about… my father."
Hermione stiffens and hold her breath. Where is this coming from? Should I tell her already? "What about him, sweetie?"
"You never talk about him."
"What do you want me to say?"
"I don't know… what is he like?"
The first thing that comes to Hermione's mind is those beautiful green eyes she got used to lose herself into. Then his smile. His voice. The way he said her name.
"He's…" Should I tell her the truth? I can't say bad things about him, of course not, but if I can only think of good things, how come he's not here with her? With his daughter? Her chest hurts a little and she feels hot, uncomfortable.
"Mum, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it, I was just wondering…"
Hermione feels the sadness in her voice and it guts her, but the mighty Gryffindor is nothing but a coward right now. She should tell her, tell the truth. But she can't, she just can't.
Not being able to talk about Harry after so many years scares Hermione more than anything.
She holds Laura closer and whispers to her. "How about we go to the beach tomorrow?"
The little girl smiles. "I would love to."
As both parents watch their daughters sleep they think about each other, totally unaware that their lives is about to change. And that the daughter they are watching isn't the one they think it is.
3 weeks earlier (May, 2011)
"Hey, Laura, have you seen the girl from the other side of camp? She looks exactly like you! It's super freaky!"
"What are you talking about, Elena? No one can look exactly like me, I don't have a twin!"
"So go there and see for yourself!"
Laura looks at the other girl in shock. She knew Elena liked the attention but also knew her friend had zero creativity to come up with something like that. So she went to see it with her own eyes. Midway to the other side of camp she bumped into a girl, a girl exactly like her.
"YOU!" Both say at the same time.
And three weeks later they changed places.