"Are you serious?!"
"Yes."
"You're not messing with me?" Daniel Granger asked.
"No, Dad." Hermione said, rolling her eyes.
When Hermione returned to her father after Qualifying, she found him to be greatly concerned for her, not understanding what had happened for her to miss the rest of the session. Hermione quickly gave him the recap, along with telling him her discovery that the Harry who helped them out earlier that day was the same Harry Potter who was a Formula One driver, and her meeting with his father James.
His reaction was predictable.
"That's… that's amazing! I'm so jealous of you!"
"Jealous of being kept out of the circuit by security?" she asked in a joking tone, already knowing the answer.
"Of course not! I'm just…! I mean - you got the chance to be in a team's garage! You met two drivers!" he cried.
"Two?" she said, confused at his words. "Uh - Dad, I didn't meet Harry's teammate, only him." And her father also met Harry, so she didn't really see his point.
"Oh, I wasn't talking about Villeneuve." he said with a dismissive wave of the hand. "I was talking about James Potter!"
"Excuse me, what?" Hermione blinked, shocked. "What do you mean?"
And so her father explained. Apparently, Harry's father James also was a Formula One driver back in the 1980s. Her father explained his career in detail. James apparently entered his first race as a driver in 1982 to replace Gilles Villeneuve at the prestigious Scuderia Ferrari after the man's unfortunate death (who coincidentally is the father of Harry's own teammate). He did surprisingly well at Ferrari too for a rookie.
Unfortunately, it also happened to be the peak of James' career as he spent the following years alternating between teams at the bottom of the standings for the search of a permanent seat. His misfortune was not a result of lack of talent or bad results, for he had more than enough, in Daniel's own opinion, but a set of very unfortunate circumstances that stopped him from ever getting a proper chance in Formula One. Finally, after the 1989 season, which was spent with the French team Ligier, James officially retired, citing his wishes to focus on his family and his lack of faith in forming a proper career as reasons.
Hermione's dad called him the unluckiest driver in the history of Formula One. It was his belief that James could have fought for a championship if he had the chance to drive a good car for an entire season. But that important chance never came.
The explanation of James Potter's career had been so lengthy that, by the time Daniel was done, their cab had arrived at their hotel. Because of the exorbitant costs of hotels close to the circuit on a race weekend, the Grangers opted to sleep the night somewhere further away. Thus, the ride to and from the hotel was practically an hour long.
"Wow." Hermione said when they entered the hotel, though more because of the tale her father shared than their location. "He never hinted at it."
"Well, the Potters are rather private people, and who can blame them, so I'm not surprised. Especially since he complimented you for treating Harry like a normal man." he told her, giving her a proud look.
Having already rented the room earlier that day to drop their luggage before making their way to the circuit, the Grangers had no need to go to the reception, already having the key to their room on them. It was a two-bed bedroom, and her dad claimed the bed nearest to the window with childish glee, to Hermione's own amusement.
After arriving at their room and dropping some of the paperwork from the garage, the Grangers decided to go explore the public spaces on the lower floors. Their hotel was on the classier side, Hermione deciding to make their stay an hour away from the circuit worth it. There was a pool outside with tables surrounding it. There was also a bar which served all kinds of beverages - alcoholic or not - and tables where people could eat food.
"Well, if I'd known, I would have suggested we bring our swimsuits." Hermione told her father as they observed the pool.
It was surprisingly empty for a Saturday afternoon. Only three people were in the water while there were just enough people to count on one hand lying around the pool. One of them was a rather beautiful red-haired woman in a bikini and sunglasses. She, Hermione noticed, was looking around, like she was trying to find someone. Some of her facial structures looked familiar, though Hermione did not recognize her.
"I saw a small shop inside selling goodies." her father said. "Let's go check if they have anything there. I really want to take a swim in the pool."
So, they made their way back inside. They quickly found the shop Daniel mentioned. To their relief, the shop did in fact sell swimwear. Hermione decided to buy a conservative blue one-piece while her father took a pair of red swimming shorts for himself.
It was while making their way back to their room to change that Hermione heard it. There was a cry of pain followed by a "Stop it!" and a whimper, all coming from a younger girl. It was followed by the rumble laugh of three boys.
"Dad, did you hear that?" Hermione gasped, looking around.
Her father was tense. "I did." he said, his tone stern. He immediately ran forward, Hermione following after them. They tracked the sounds coming from a nearby women's bathroom.
Entering, they found three boys towering over a girl with a black eye and a bloody cut on her cheek. While the boys looked Hermione's age, the girl didn't look a day over eighteen. The girl was trying to look strong, like she wasn't intimidated by the three boys, but the fear in her eyes broke through her mask.
"Hey! Leave her alone!" Hermione's father yelled. The three tensed and turned around.
"Who the fuck are you?" one of the boys growled. He had platinum blond hair and carried an air of snobbish nobility around him. The other two, short and burly, could pass for bodyguards, if they weren't bullying an older girl.
"Who I am does not matter." he said. "All I want is for you to leave this girl alone. Leave, and we'll forget it. Don't, and…" he trailed off, letting the threat hang in the air.
The blond raised his fists, followed by the other two. "Make us." the blond spat spat before throwing a punch in the Grangers' direction.
Daniel raised his arm and blocked the punch with his forearm. He immediately returned the favor by giving the boy a strong uppercut, sending him crashing on the ground. One of the burly boys, enraged at seeing his mate fall, immediately threw himself at Daniel, who hit him in the ribs with his elbow. Distracted by the first bodyguard, he did not see the other throw a punch of his own before it was too late. The hit landed and broke Daniel's nose. The man tried again but, this time, Daniel dodged and once more used an uppercut, which also landed successfully. The man joined his mate on the floor, groaning in pain.
While her father was fighting the three men, Hermione used the opportunity to run around them and join the girl. Without needing prompting, the girl grabbed Hermione's extended hand, allowing the young woman to pull her away from the wall and lead her out of the bathroom.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, looking at the younger girl. She had long black hair and hazel brown eyes which Hermione found strangely familiar. Her facial structure also reminded her of the redhead woman she had seen lying next to the pool. Could they be related?
"Yes. Thank you." the ravenette thanked.
At that point, they noticed the blond boy run out of the bathroom holding his jaw, the other two quickly behind. Daniel exited last on a strolling pace. Noticing the girls, he moved to them.
"Thank you for helping me." the girl told them both.
"You're welcome." Daniel said. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, covering it with the blood of his broken nose. "Who were they?" he asked her, curious.
"Malfoy and his gang." the girl said with a slight growl. "My mum's the Director of a massive non-profit charity organization while Malfoy's dad runs a for-profit charity. They don't like us because, ever since my mum and my aunt started their charity, the Malfoy's own suffered."
"So, he attacked you to get revenge, or something?" Hermione asked, baffled that someone would do that.
"Or to intimidate my mum away from the business. One or the other, probably. The Malfoys aren't as good hearted as they like people to believe." she said.
"They sound like jackarses." Daniel commented.
The girl laughed quietly. "They are." she agreed. Then, suddenly, she hissed, bringing a hand to her black eye.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked quietly, taking a step toward her.
"Yes. It's just - ow! My eye!" she exclaimed, the last words said louder in her pain.
"Well, that's what happens when you get beat up." Daniel said with a shrug.
The girl went to say something to him when she suddenly looked right behind him, her expression surprised. Before Hermione could ask, she noticed in the corner of her eye a woman whack some kind of baton right in her father's skull. "HEY!" Hermione yelled, making to defend her father, who'd let out a yell of pain.
"Wait! Mum, stop!" the girl yelled. The woman, who Hermione now recognized as the beautiful redhead in a bikini lying on the side of the pool (though she'd since slipped clothes on her body), froze. "They're the ones who saved me!"
The redhead dropped her baton in shock. Then, she ran to the younger girl and hugged her. "Oh, Athena! I was so worried about you! When you didn't come to the pool, I was afraid of the worst!"
"Malfoy and his friends ambushed me. But I was saved by this man and his daughter. You know, the man you just struck in the head!" the girl exclaimed, looking mightily unimpressed with her mother.
The redhead winced. She turned to Hermione and her dad, the latter of which was still holding the back of his head, his facial expression full of pain. "I can only apologize for my actions, sir." she said. Her own expression conveyed how guilty she felt. "When I heard my daughter say her eye was hurting, saw both of you injured and heard you say that it was what happened when you get beat up, I assumed you were the one attacking her and - well, there's nothing else I can say but apologize to you."
Hermione was sure the woman expected to be yelled at for what she did. Thus, there was no doubt she was surprised at her father's words.
"I have a daughter of my own," he started, giving a small nod toward Hermione. "So I understand where you're coming from. I would have done the same if I thought someone was attacking Hermione." he then gave her a small grin. "Just give me an ice pack and we'll call it quits."
The redhead sighed in relief while her daughter let out a small laugh. The woman then smiled. "I can do that." she said.
"Hey, mum!" the girl suddenly spoke. "You should invite them to dinner tonight with Dad and-"
"Wouldn't your brother be uncomfortable?" the redhead asked her daughter.
The girl shrugged. "He needs to get over it. We can't just stop having guests because he doesn't like it."
"Alright." the woman said with a small sigh. Not a disappointed one, but one of exhaustion, hinting that they had this argument many times already. She turned to the Grangers. "Will you be willing to spend dinner with our family this evening?"
"We don't want to make anyone uncomfortable-" Hermione began. She was immediately shot down by Athena.
"Don't worry about it." the girl said with a dismissive wave. "He's just shy. He'll get over it."
"We'll be happy to go to dinner with you and your family." Daniel spoke.
"Thank you." the redhead smiled.
With that done, they soon made their way downstairs where the woman gave Daniel some ice for his injury. It was only after they left that Hermione realized they never got the woman's name.
That afternoon, the Grangers went to the hotel's restaurant, which was located on the first floor, where they expected to find Athena and her mother.
"Do you have a reservation?" a waitress at the entrance asked.
Father and daughter gave each other uneasy looks. "Uhh-" Hermione hesitated.
Thankfully, the Grangers were saved by a familiar voice heard behind them. "Ah, there you are!" came the red-haired woman's voice. They turned together to see her walk toward them alone. "I only recently realized we never once shared our names. You can call me Lily, by the way." she said. She extended a hand toward both of them, who shook it in turn.
"Dr. Daniel Granger. But you can call me Daniel." Hermione's father went first.
"Hermione, his daughter." Hermione went second.
"It's nice to meet you, properly this time." she said with a smile.
"I can't agree more." Daniel said, rubbing the back of his head where a bump could be fell.
"Where is the rest of your family, Ma'am?" Hermione asked, looking behind her.
"They would be here already if they weren't bickering." she told her with a roll of the eyes. "I swear, both adults, yet my children still act like they're twelve."
"And sometimes, we can only wish they were still twelve." Daniel said, sharing a wise word from one parent to another.
"Indeed." Lily said with a smile. "Still, I-"
She was interrupted when Hermione suddenly let out a loud squeal. "Harry!"
Lily gave Hermione a bemused look before looking behind her were her son Harry Potter, his father James and her daughter Athena had just appeared on the other end of the hall. Harry gave a start upon hearing his name before his eyes found Hermione's. His jaw dropped.
"Hermione?" he exclaimed, surprised. He all but ran to her. "What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding shocked by her presence.
"Wait, you know each other?" Athena suddenly asked, having followed her brother. And now, Hermione could see the family resemblance between the four Potters. Harry looked like James, but with Lily's eyes while Athena looked like Lily, but with James' hair.
"You know Hermione?" Harry asked his sister in turn, surprised.
"She and her father saved me from Malfoy's gang today. I mean, that's why we're having dinner with them."
"My dad did most of the saving." Hermione said with a small blush when Harry gave her an impressed and awed look.
"I- It… it's good to see you again, Hermione." Harry floundered a bit. Athena gave her brother a curious look, one who quickly turned to mischief when she noticed Hermione turn redder at his words.
"It's g-good to see you too, Harry." the brunette returned, also floundering a bit.
There was suddenly loud laughter. "Well, I'd say this is a happy coincidence." James Potter spoke, having just reached them. "Nice to meet you again, Hermione." he told her with a charming smile.
"Nice to meet you again too, Mr. Potter." she said, briefly looking away from Harry. Since the Potter patriarch had yet to meet him, she decided to introduce her father and him to each other. She quietly hoped he wouldn't fan-boy to the two Formula One drivers. "Mr. Potter, this is my father Dr. Daniel Granger. Dad, you already met Harry, and this is his father, James Potter."
Her father, thankfully to her, managed to reign himself in. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Potter." he said, extending a hand which James shook. "Your son was mighty helpful to us that morning. I don't think we would've made it to the circuit in time if it wasn't for him."
"You can both call me James. And I heard the tale from your daughter." he told him with a smirk. "I'm not surprised Harry helped you out. He's a great man. He got his heart from his mother."
"Dad, please." Harry groaned a bit. Being an adult doesn't stop one from feeling embarrassed at compliments given by their parents. James chuckled.
"Well, anyway," Lily suddenly spoke. While the fathers got introduced to each other by Hermione, she had gone to talk to the waitress to get their table. "Our table is ready."
"Yes! Let's go eat! I'm hungry." Athena exclaimed as she took the lead toward their dining table. With a chuckle, Harry followed after her, with Hermione right next to him. It left the parents alone to converse quietly out of earshot from their children.
"Seems like your daughter is enamored with our son." Lily said with a pleasant smile. Daniel let out a small groan.
"Don't remind me."
"What? Don't think our son's good enough for Hermione?" asked James. While his tone was light and teasing, neither Lily nor, more importantly, Daniel, missed the small edge in his voice.
"More like I'm not ready to see her in a serious relationship, rather." he said. James, also having a daughter old enough to date, understood where he came from and nodded in agreement. "Still, I doubt she could do better than Harry, if I'm being honest."
"Is this the father in you saying these words, or is it the Formula One fan?" James smirked. This time, his teasing was entirely genuine.
Daniel let out another groan. "The father." he quickly answered before asking "Hermione's told you about it, didn't she?"
"Told him about what?" Lily asked, being out of the loop.
They were only just reaching their table. Their table was in a booth large enough to allow six people to sit comfortably around it. The three young adults were already sitting on one side, Athena next to the wall, Harry in the middle and Hermione on his other side. Lily moved to the free side first, sitting in front of Athena, followed by James and, finally, Daniel who sat in front of his daughter.
"How this man is apparently the biggest Formula One fan around." he answered. They heard Harry snort, who remembered his conversation with Hermione in the car.
Daniel leaned toward Hermione and mock-whispered "Traitor!" to her, earning him some laughter from the others.
"Are you a fan as well, Hermione?" Athena asked curiously.
Hermione shook her head. "Most of my knowledge of the sport came from listening to my dad over the years." she told her. "I didn't even know Harry's name before I met him."
"You called me 'Porter' if I remember right." Harry said with a fond smile.
Hermione chuckled. "I did." she confirmed. She then looked back to Athena and Lily who, unlike James and Harry, did not already know the answer to the girl's question. "I never followed the sport myself. If it wasn't for my dad's birthday, I wouldn't even have come today." she said.
"You did enjoy it though, right?" Harry asked her.
"I did." she smiled, remembering their short meeting in the garage. By the look on his face, so did he.
They weren't the only ones. "I still can't believe you went inside a team's garage." Daniel whispered in awe. James snickered.
"If I'd known it was your birthday, I'd have invited you too, mate." the man said. "Well, I guess there's still tomorrow. That's the least I can do for the man who protected my daughter." James finished with a grateful tone. Hermione's father looked at Harry's dad with shock and excitement.
"Hermione said you came here for your birthday. Is it today, Daniel?" Lily asked, thinking about Hermione's words.
Daniel shook his head, looking away from James. "It was in January. The tickets for tomorrow's race were a gift from my amazing daughter." he said, beaming. Hermione's cheeks pinked, as was her reaction whenever she was complimented.
"Sounds like I'm not the only one who has a child with a golden heart." Lily said, giving Harry and Hermione a smile.
"And what am I? Corned beef?" Athena exclaimed in mock-outrage, eliciting a fresh wave of laughter.
The dinner was a pleasant affair, with both families growing more and more comfortable with the other. By the end of the evening, one could hardly tell they'd only met that day.
Then, there were Harry and Hermione, who were practically in their own world, talking quietly to one another. More than once, they heard one of them giggle or laugh at something else the other said, earning them subtle smiles from their parents and sister. But, from time to time, they would interrupt the happy duo to ask questions of their own.
"So, Hermione, what career do you want to go in once you graduate university?" Lily asked at one point. Hermione had already told them she was attending Oxford.
"Well, I'm studying at the Faculty of Law at Oxford University because I want to become a lawyer." she said.
"A lawyer? I'm sure you will be a great one." Harry said, earning himself a smile from Hermione.
"Thank you." she said.
"What kind of lawyer do you want to be?" Harry's mother asked her.
Hermione shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure yet. What I know is that I want to help the little guy. I want to help people who need it. I want to help children be happy, and to help innocent men and women get the justice they deserve when odds are stacked against them."
All four Potters looked impressed at her words. Harry was giving her a look of awe that made her blush.
"Are you looking to work for a specific firm? Or do you want to be an independent lawyer?" James asked.
"Well, I don't know about a firm or being independent, to be honest. But I'd really like to work for the Flowers of Cokeworth Foundation ." she said, not noticing the looks of surprise on the Potters' faces. "Did you hear about them? They raise money to help impoverished, single parents raise their children, put food on their table and a roof over their heads and give both the children and parents a happy life together. They are great and I really admire their work. I'd love to work for them!" she finished with a smile.
There was a moment of silence before James started snickering, followed by Athena. Lily looked greatly amused. "Well, maybe I can sneak in a good word to their Directors for you if you want." Harry commented, quickly glancing at his smirking mother.
But Hermione was looking at him with narrowed eyes. "Wait a minute! I recognize the expression on your face. It's the same one from when you told me you were 'just a fan' of Formula One! What are you hiding?" she asked with a bit of impatience. It was then her own father started snickering behind his hand, telling her she was the only one out of the loop.
Harry looked at her, only continuing to smirk at her. "Hermione, do you know the name of the two Directors of the Flowers of Cokeworth Foundation?"
"Yes. Their names are Petunia Dursley and Lily Potter." she said confidently.
It took only a fraction of second for her mind to finally put together all the glaring clues she'd been given. She turned bright red and buried her face in her hands in sheer embarrassment, letting out a loud groan at the same time. Upon seeing it finally click, the others let their laughter flow out freely, Lily herself being the loudest of the bunch.
"What is it with you Potters and me not recognizing you?" she moaned in her hands. Harry, who was shaking with laughter, slipped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze in comfort.
"Don't worry about it, Hermione." he said, whispering close to her ear, enough to give her a few shivers. "I quite like that you didn't recognize us. We're so used to people interacting with us to get something from us, it's quite refreshing to have the opposite. And, with you not knowing who we were at first, we know that your interactions are entirely genuine."
Hermione dared to raise her head out of her hands and look at Harry. The smile he gave her made her legs feel weak. She was thankful she was sitting!
"Thank you." she muttered.
Still smiling, Harry extended his other hand toward her for her to shake. "Friends?" he asked.
Hermione smiled in turn. She shook it. "Friends." she said, making him smile wider.
Other than her brief moment of pure embarrassment, Hermione found the evening with the Potters to be greatly enjoyable. She was already hoping for another opportunity even before she was done with her meal, thinking how great it would be if her mother could be here was well. She was sure her mum would enjoy the company of Harry's mother, especially when their husbands started geeking about Formula One like the two did that evening.
But every great thing has to end at one point. Full, Hermione was starting to feel tired when she heard Athena yawn loudly. "I could really go to sleep now, I'm tired." she said.
"So could I," Hermione said, nodding in agreement.
"I'll walk you to your rooms. I need to get up early tomorrow anyway to get to the track." Harry said.
The three parents nodded and gave the teenagers their goodnights before the three left.
"Where is your room, Hermione?" Harry asked as they walked out of the hotel restaurant.
"On the fifth floor. Yours?" she asked.
"Ours' on the third floor." Athena told her, letting out another yawn.
Hermione bit her lip. "You don't need to follow me to my room, Harry, if you don't want to." she said, not wanting him to do a two stories detour just for her.
Harry shook his head. "No. I said I'd walk you to your room and I intend to do so." he told her.
Hermione smiled. She gripped one of his hands and gave it a squeezed, which was promptly returned. Noticing this, Athena gave her a grin, making the older girl blush.
They went to Grangers' room first. When they arrived, Hermione gave Harry an intimate hug. "Thank you. I had a lovely evening." she told him.
"So did I," he said, returning the hug.
Soon, they left each other's embrace and Athena decided to give a hug of her own, one feeling much friendlier than intimate. "It was nice to meet you, Hermione." she said.
"It was nice to meet you too." she returned. She then unlocked her door. "Goodnight." she told them.
"Goodnight." they returned just as she closed the door.
Harry stood in front of her door staring at it for a few seconds before Athena prompted him to move. While they were making their way downstairs to their own rooms, Athena said "You know, you should really ask her out at some point."
Harry groaned. "Not you too."
"Me too?" she asked. Then, she grinned in understanding. "Did dad also-?"
"Yes." he confirmed with a sense of dread, knowing his sister was going to tease him relentlessly.
"Oh, this is excellent! Then you should totally ask her out! I can already hear the wedding bells!"
Having reached their rooms, Harry unlocked Athena's before pushing her inside. "Go to bed, squirt!" he told her, red in embarrassment. Athena laughed loudly.
"Don't forget to close the door linking our rooms before you go to bed! I don't want to hear you moan 'Hermione! Oh, Hermione!' during the night."
Harry refused to answer her, simply closing the door instead, leaving the girl to snicker alone at her brother's plight.