Chapter One

Catching Up With Harry

Hermione Granger stepped off the plane and looked about herself. She was in London, England, a place she hadn't seen in nearly five years. She looked about her for the person she was here to meet.

She saw many people with luggage either loading a plane or coming off of one as well as people holding up cardboard signs that had names written on them, obviously for people they were waiting for to get off the planes.

It was than that she saw him. She would recognize that messy black hair and brilliant green eyes hidden by those round rimed glasses if she had been gone for fifty years instead of five, even without the lightening like scar on his forehead. Her lips blossomed into a beautiful smile. He had grown taller than the last time she had seen him, though he still wasn't very tall, maybe 5'10" to 5'11", she couldn't really say anything, though. She, herself, only stood about 5'6".

"Harry!" she called out waving a hand over her head.

"Hermione!" he called back, waving even more enthusiastically as he rushed forward and picked her up into a bone crushing bear hug. He seemed to have developed a more muscular build, most likely from all the Quidditch games and practices. He was Seeker for the Chudley Cannons now and had been for the last three years. Hermione was so proud and, whenever they had games in the United States she got to see him. "Welcome home, Hermione."

"Its good to be back," she said softly, returning the hug before stepping back. It was than that they heard the giggling.

They turned to see a woman who was nearly as tall as Harry with long, dark brown hair that hung down pass her waist. It was somewhat curly but not nearly as much has Hermione's hair, which hung to her mid-back. She was very lovely but what one really notice when they looked at her was her eyes. She had the most oddly colored eyes. They held mixtures of blue and green in such a way that one could stare at them for hours and still not tell which color they were. Sometimes, when wearing the right color, they had a gray or even silver tent to them.

"Hello, Harry," she said a very distinctive American accent. Her eyes twinkled with the amusement she felt toward their display of affection as well as the excitement of being in a new country. "How are you?"

"Hi, Brione. How was the flight?" Harry asked greeting her warmly.

Harry had meet Brione the first time he had had a Quidditch match in America. She was Hermione's roommate, though she didn't go to Hermione's collage. They had shared an apartment that was between both of their schools, Hermione going to the magical college of Hogford and Brione going to a Muggle school the Culinary Arts. Brione was very much a witch, though, her specialty being potions and charms.

"Oh, well, it was... nice?" she said, turning a bit green at the memory. One of the oddest things about this American Witch was that she didn't know how to fly because, well, she had an acute fear of heights.

Harry laughed. "Well, come on you two. Since you fear heights so much, Brione, I have arranged it with Professor MacGonagall to let us ride the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmead." Professor MacGonagall had become the Headmistress of Hogwarts after Dumbledore's death just five years before.

"That's very nice of him," Hermione mused.

"Not at all. I think she is as impatient for Brione to open her candy shop as much as the students. You know she had quite a sweet tooth for gourmet chocolate. I am also equally sure she can't wait you to take up your position as the new Transfiguration Teacher. I hear you're going to be Head of Gryffindor as well."

Through Harry, being that he lived in England, Brione had been able to secure a lovely store in which to open a gourmet candy shop called Chocolate Dreams. It would mainly have different chocolate deserts that she had learned to make over the years as well as other fine goodies. It would be reasonable as well. The best thing, to her, about making chocolate was seeing people enjoy it and her chocolate was special. Brione's recipe for Chocolate was very old, dating back past her own ancestry. This recipe is a prized secret and also have some interested side effects...

Hermione grinned. "Yes. She continued teaching Transfiguration until I graduated and promised to return to teach it. I'm a bit nervous."

They had been walking as they talked, Brione had gathered their trunks together and was pushing them on a trolley. Harry, being the gentleman that he was, took it from her and was walking beside them.

It was than they had come to the area between the platforms 9 and 10. "Here we are," Harry said, grinning. "Boy, does this bring back memories. Except, instead of Hedwig in the cage, its Bartholomew." Bartholomew was Brione's pet Fruit Bat. There was also another, smaller cage that held Crookshanks, Hermione's orange cat that she had gotten in her third year at Hogwarts.

"Okay, Brione, its just like I told you before. Just run between the wall of Platforms 9 and 10 and you'll get to Platform 9 3/4, okay?" Hermione asked.

"Righto," Brione said, brush some of her hair back.

"I'll go first, than you and Harry, you follow, k?" Hermione said, sounding a lot like Mrs. Weasley use to. The other two nodded, smiling.

Hermione than took off on at a brisk walk and went right though the wall. Brione followed suit. Harry went at the wall at a run, like he use to with Ron.

Once on the other side, Hermione, Harry, and Brione took their seats on the Hogwarts Express. They had their own privet car, so they didn't have to worry about students bothering them, especially Harry. Not only was he still the Boy Who Lived and defeated Lord Voldemort TWICE he was also a world renowned Seeker who had just won the Quidditch World Cup.

They rode the whole way to Hogsmead talking about things that had happened to them in the past five years. They made sure not to leave Brione out of anything. They explained everything to her, from their adventures to happy times and sad times, including how effected they were by Professor Dumbledore's death.

When they were nearly to Hogsmead and the conversation was running low, Brione finally asked: "So, where is this Ron Weasley I've been hearing so much about?"

"Well," Harry cleared his throat a bit uncomfortably as he gave Hermione a sidelong glance before turning back to Brione. "he had a bit of work to do. 'Fraid he couldn't really get away."

"Humm.." Brione said, noting this. "What does he do?"

"Do?" Harry said, as though he had never been asked this. "Oh, do," he chuckled nervously. "He became an Auror after school. I did some of the training as well, but than I was picked up by the Chudley Cannons. Ron is in charge of his own team of Aurors now."

"I see," Brione said, smiling her smile. It was a lovely smile, the kind no one forgets very easily. When Brione smiled it seemed to genuine, that you thought that she had been thinking of you all day and couldn't be more overjoyed at seeing you at long last. "Well, he certainly seems to have a very important job."

"Yes, I would say so," Harry said and the subject dropped.

It wasn't long after that that they arrived at Hogsmead, the only all magical town in England. It was night by this time, far too late for them to see much of anything.

"Well, Hermione," Harry said, turning to his childhood friend. "Professor MacGonagall gave instructions for you to ride in one of the carriages with the students and than meet her in her office." He handed her a piece of parchment. "Here's the password."

He than looked at Brione. "I'll take you to your shop. There is an apartment just above it, just like you asked."

"Wonderful," Brione grinned.

"I'll meet up with you later tonight to see how things are going at Hogwarts, alright, Hermione?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded.


Brione grinned and hugged Harry and than Brione. "Good luck," Brione said in her ear before pulling away. "Owl me tonight, alright?"

"Alright," Hermione smiled, her blood was pumping, she was full of nervous energy.