The First Time In 10 Years

~S (L) ~

Shala calmly walked back into the dining room and sat down at the table. She smiled at Hermione who was looking at her expectantly.

"Who called?" Shala racked her brain for an answer.

"A friend from camp." She said smiling flakily. She then started to shovel the chicken into her mouth. Hermione stared at her, her eyebrows raised. "I'm going to my room." Shala announced and stood up. She was about to leave when something caught her attention. Nigel was standing at the door and gawking at her. She walked his way and grabbed his hand. She pulled him towards the stairs and he started whispering to her.

"I knew something was different about you! I can't believe you're Shala!"

"Nigel!" she said in her normal voice, sounding quite shocked. "You were eavesdropping!"

"Yes I was, it was because Lily sounded like…oh you get it."

"Yea…" she glanced at him with an understanding look. "I get it. But you have to help me and Lily!"

"I wouldn't dare!" he said nodding his head to say yes.

"Dad isn't the same as mom remembers so she's going to be pretty shocked. He looks pretty much the same but no glasses." Nigel gasped. "And he's lost his English accent."

"Ok…a few things to deal with but everything should be ok. I'll go get your mother."

"Thanks." She intertwined her hands and started to squirm. Soon Hermione was there with a concerned look on her face.

"Darling what's wrong?"

"I have to go out of the country."

"Where might Lily be going?"

"That's just it! I must go see Lily."

"And where might my Lily be?"

"In Providence, Rhode Island. With her father, Harry Potter." Shala said in her American accent.

"You're not Lily?" Hermione sat down on the steps in disbelief.

"That would be correct." Shala hid behind her hands while Hermione thought things over.

"You're Shala?"

"That would also…be correct." Hermione stood up and wrapped her daughter in a large hug. "Do you hate me?"

"Hate you? Darling I have loved you every day you have been alive and will love you forever!" Shala smiled and hugged her mother again.

~L (S) ~

In the states, however, all was not as well. Lily was burning a hole in her rug from all the pacing she had been doing when a knock at the door scared her out of her skin.

"Who's there?" She called in a shaky voice.

"It's Ginny." Lily sighed with relief.

"Come in." Ginny opened the door and walked into the red room. She held one of the cordless phones in her hand.

"It's Shala. I told her I know and she told me she told your mom and wants to talk to you." Lily grabbed the phone.

"Hello?" Shala called into the phone.

"Hey Shay." Lily responded.

"We have a slight problem."

"On no! What is it now?"

"We need a way to get mom and dad to meet and I want to meet this Crystal Valentine character…"

"Trust me…you don't."

"Well I propose we meet in New York at the Ritz Carlton."

"Geez! That's a fancy hotel! Are you sure we can afford it?"

"Well considering Dad's a Galleonaire…I'm pretty sure we'll be ok. And Grandfather said he'd help out. And you know how they met for the first time since they got out of Hogwarts on a cruise?"

"Yes…mom always told me that story."

"Then got married on the cruise…right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Well Grandfather and Nigel suggested that we rent a boat in the New York Harbor and we can have dinner on it…to remind them or the Princess IV."

"That's a great idea!"

"Oh yea…Nigel's going to be coming with us so set it up and we'll see you on Saturday!"

"Love you Shala."

"Love you too Lil, bye."

"Bye." 

Lily hung up the phone and explained the plan to Ginny. Ginny picked up the phone and started to help set it all up.

~S~

Hermione Granger flung her clothes out of the closet and grabbed her old Hogwarts trunk from the back. Her short stylish hair was in curlers and she was wearing a light periwinkle skirt suit. In between her fingers was an unlit cigarette. She would never light it. She didn't even smoke; she thought it was a disgusting habit, so there was no reason to actually have it. She didn't even know how it got there. There was a knock at the door and Shala's head peeked through.

"Mom, are you packed?"

"Almost!" she lied.

"You're kidding me! Your suitcase is totally empty!"

"Have you, by chance, talked to your father?" Hermione asked, completely changing the subject.

"Uh, yea…we're meeting them at two o'clock tomorrow afternoon at the Ritz Carlton hotel in New York City."

"My that's soon, isn't it? How did he sound?"

"Excited."

"Nervous excited, or happy exited?"

"Happy exited…definitely."

"Thank you darling, I need to finish packing, could you tell Nigel I need him? Thank you." Shala walked out of the room smiling to herself. Nigel grabbed her arm and whispered to her.

"You liar! You haven't talked to your father!"

"Cut it!" Shala ran down the stairs and to the awaiting car. A few minutes later, Nigel and Hermione joined her.

When they stepped out of the car in New York City, Shala was astounded. The hotel was huge! And not to mention very extravagant. She looked around the lobby and saw one person she had been looking forward to seeing very very much.

"LILY!" she shouted as she ran across the lobby. They hugged and Shala went off to find Nigel as Lily decided to go see their mom, who was sitting on the couch and who was a little bit tipsy. That's the understatement of the year…she was totally smashed. Which, Lily supposed was not a good thing.

"Hi mum!" she said smiling.

"Lily?" Hermione pulled her into a big drunken hug. "How are you darling?" her words were slurred and slightly hard to understand.

"I'm fine…well…I'm going to see Shala, I'll talk to you later." She stood up and hurriedly rushed to find her sister.

"Hey Lily." Shala was standing in front of a marble table, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Shala…come on lets go up to the room." Across the lobby they saw Nigel grabbing their mother's hand and taking her into the elevator. They followed. Before they went to the room Hermione was in, they grabbed Ginny, so she could join them.

A/N this took forever I know but it was giving me problems…so have many of my chapters…it's so much easier to just start a new fic…o well here it is folks. Everything u recognize is obviously not mine…prolly JK Rowlings or Disney's.