I do not own Harry Potter. Yawn everything belongs to J. K. Rowling. Blah bah blahblah blah. Etc. etc. etc.
Chapter 5
Sadness and Madness
"I saw my husband today, that's why I am so nervous and that's another reason why I was uptight. To make matters worse the whole gang that went to Hogwarts with me was there. They were my closest friends, Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley now Malfoy, Ron Weasley and Parvati Patil now Weasley and of course my husband Harry Potter. Yeah I knew you would be surprised to hear that all along Harry was my husband. You would never have imagined that I was the long-lost Hermione Granger or should I say Hermione Potter.

I left him, not because he treated me badly but because I had to protect him, I had to at all costs. If to do that I had to disappear out of his life and that my child would have to go fatherless then I would.

In my old life, I was a reputed Auror and as such I made many trips to different parts of the world sometimes, Harry would go with me sometimes not. But anyways, in one of those trips I talked with some leopards, now don't go looking at me that way Emily, I can talk to them because when I'm in my annimagus shape I'm a leopard, you wouldn't know that even if you went to the ministry because I'm an unregistered one.

As I talked to her she told me that in the mountains there were some strange men who practiced magic and that one of them supposedly the leader did not have a permanent body he had to find different bodies to survive. I became suspicious because years before that was what Lord Voldemort had done. So I looked around until I found them. They were at least nine in all, and I heard that they were planning the destruction of Harry, when I heard about the plan I stayed behind some trees and listened, the plan would involve some of Harry's blood some of my own and to make it work some blood of Harry's child.

A week went by after I saw them but I couldn't tell the ministry about it. They would scoff at the idea that Voldemort could still cause harm so I waited and then I found out that I was going to have a baby, and I knew that to protect Harry I had to leave and soon, before anyone knew I was pregnant. I left Harry, for months after, I wouldn't do anything, I barely ate, I was so depressed and I was also out of a job and that's where you come in Em, you helped me get on with my life and you found me a job for which I'm very grateful.

But oh Em! I saw him today; he was playing a prank on Draco like we used to do in our years at Hogwarts. You should have been there it was so funny, I laughed as I sat down to a table, for I hadn't recognized that it was Draco that was being made to run around like a madman and shout out that he loved everyone. My laughing though was untimely because Harry noticed me and told Draco that to make him look like his old self again he had to kiss me. Draco didn't do it, he asked me to go over to his friends with him. He introduced me to them all, isn't it ironic? Here I was, the person who knew the most about each of them, more than they knew about themselves, and they were introducing me.

When Draco got to Harry and as usual jokingly insulted him, I looked up to his eyes and I saw sadness through all of his laughter, I saw it! Then his eyes started to widen and I found that I had to get out of there right away, because I saw that through all of my disguises he had still seen clear through me, just as he had always been able to. If I didn't leave at that moment I would never have been able to leave, and Harry would be killed because of my selfishness. I ran but just as I disapparated I heard him call me Hermione and he also shouted, 'How is our daughter?' I almost returned, I was so heart wrenched when I heard him.

Oh how I wish that Voldemort had never existed, damn him to all hell, without him, Harry would at least have had a chance for a normal life with a father and mother, uncles and aunts, cousins and all that, that make a family, and then we could also live together without all these problems."

Emily just looked out the window and when she turned, she was filled with pity for this young mother and her daughter who had to live without a husband and a father. She could just imagine the loneliness and despair that wracked the whole frame of her friend. She tried to comfort her friend as much as she could.

When Michelle regained control of her emotions she said puzzled, "There is something weird, how did Harry know it was a girl and not a boy that we had? In the letter I wrote to him when I left I just said child, I didn't tell him that it was a girl."

"Now dear we'll worry about that later, right now we have to plan on what's our next move." Emily vowed that she would help them get through this trouble.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Later, in the Restaurant, Harry and the rest of them said goodbye or at least Ron and Parvati did because they had to take their son Woody back home because he had already fallen asleep. That left Harry with Draco and Ginny. They decided that they would take the Knight Bus home, so that they would have a bit more time to talk. When they got on the bus they were asked if they wanted hot chocolate to go with the deal and they each answered that, no, they did not want it. They talked of all sorts of things but the conversation dwindled, then Draco raised the subject of the incident in the restaurant.

"Harry are you sure that it was Hermione? You know it could have been someone else. I don't mean to be a jerk but, why raise your expectations on finding Herm when that girl didn't even look like her or talk like her? You'll just get hurt if it's not her."

"Draco's right for once Harry." Draco harrumphed at this comment while Ginny just smiled at him sweetly and turned towards Harry again, "Don't go looking to break your heart even more than it is already. But if you strongly believe that it was Hermione and you want to look for her, you know all of us Ron, me, Draco, and Parvati will help you look. We'll all take a break from work so that we can help you find her." Ginny said gently.

Harry sighed sadly, "You guys are wonderful friends, but I can't let you take the risk of meeting Voldemort while we look for her. If anything happened to you guys I'd die, I would. I'd feel guilty and to blame for that. I wouldn't be able to live with that."

" Potter you stupid git, you are the same as always. Don't you see we are all in this together? Hermione was our friend also. And if anything happened to you, we would feel very guilty for letting you go on your own. Besides, if anything does happen to you and you die, I would feel terrible. So would Sirius and my mom. Don't you see that at all? We are brothers, maybe not by blood but because we lived through things together, the death of my father, my mom and Sirius becoming engaged, the attacks that Voldemort made towards the whole wizarding world. Maybe we don't share the same easy kind of friendship as you do with Ron but we're still friends. If you leave us, whom am I going to have, to insult and make fun of, and torture? Have you thought of that? No of course you hadn't! The problem with you is that you don't think. You are way too full of pride to consider that others might also want to help."

Draco was getting annoyed with Harry, Can't he see? I'd feel horrible. He accepted me when he saw me alone when my father disappeared he helped me get better friends. And I, I helped him in putting up a brave front by teaching him to look blank and to not let any emotion show when he was in trouble, maybe it's not the best way to handle things but at least it helped him get through it. I would cut my arm off for him before I do or let anything hurt him.

"Thanks Draco for the amazing sentiments but I can not let you do that for me, you guys are going to have your own kid, and Ginny has to be in a relaxed atmosphere so that no problems will arise. And besides I don't intend on kicking the bucket just yet."

"Ugh, Harry I just don't get you, you are serious one moment and then flippant the next, what's the matter with you?" Ginny had been increasingly growing impatient. They stopped talking and sat silently for the rest of the trip home.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

At his apartment, Harry changed clothes after saying good-bye to the Malfoys. He started to pace around his bedroom, asking himself if he had gone mad. He tried to rationalize his reaction to the girl in the restaurant.

I had just read her letter, that's why I saw that woman and thought that it was she; it must be a mistake, but what if it isn't? what if it's her? I have to find out, or I'll really go mad. Wouldn't that be the laugh of the year? I can just imagine it. Harry Potter, the Boy- who- lived has gone mad with grief. What a field day the Daily prophet would have! I will find out if it's her, and I might take my friends with me, oh I don't know!

A/N : Poor Harry, what will happen and what is the plan Emily talked about?