One Fine Day

Chapter 3: Meet, greet, and say goodbye

Previously:

"Children! Who will explain this?" One of the boys raised his hand. "Yes, Gage?"

"I'm sorry Miss."

"That's good Gage. Do you have anything else to say?"

"Yes Nana. I'm sorry to my cousins. I miscalculated. It was supposed to land on Harry."

Hermione sat at the familiar table and watched a scene she had long missed. No one really noticed her at first then some people started looking at her, clearly not recognizing her.

She sat at the table and listened to their whispers trying to figure out who she was. When she heard some, mainly from Fred and George, she just started chuckling.

"Well, maybe she's some inspector checking up on the kids" They said quite loudly causing the two sets of twins to straighten up and act just a tiny bit better, before setting off Fillibuster's Fireworks in the house.

"No, dear brother of mine, she must be Ron's new girlfriend. Though, I don't see why. She looks half normal." This recieved a subtle chuckle from Hermione and Harry who had been listening too and a roll thrown at both of their heads from Ron. Mrs. Weasley just had a huge smile on her face, for she had been told, and liked the satisfaction of seeing her son's trying to figure out something that was so obvious.

After dinner, Tonks got up and announced that the baby needed changing and that she would be right back.

"Well, why'd she have to tell us?" Either Fred or George said, "We could smell it from over here!" The other one finished. This caused a round of laughter from the whole table.

After dessert, Harry stood up and gave the impression that he had an announcement.

"Everyone, I have quite a big surprise. Next year, at Hogwarts, many changes will be taking place. I thought it would be best that I tell my family before the school. Now, Dumbledore is retiring this year, though he tells me that next year he will be coming quite a lot, that he can't stand to be away for too long."

"Dumbledore's retiring? So, does that mean that McGonagall will be taking his place?"

"Um, no. She's retiring too. Actually, we've found someone quite marvelous to take the place of Transfiguration teacher. In fact, she's sitting right here." Harry pointed to Hermione, but purposely didn't say who she was. "Okay, well, Dumbledore has asked me to be Hogwarts Headmaster next year. I'm asking you to keep quiet about this, for Dumbledore wants to announce his retirement at the graduation ceremony. He won't be announcing that I'm getting the job until the Reunion." Harry paused and Mrs. Weasley shot up from her seat to give Harry a huge hug. Everyone congratulated Harry, but Hermione stayed in her seat, afraid to say anything so it wouldn't give her away.

After everyone settled down, Ron spoke up.

"So, Harry. Who's the girl?" Ron pointed to Hermione.

"Well, I'm glad you asked. Everyone. After a lot of looking, I found the perfect person to fill the Transfiguration spot. Now, I want to introduce you, well, re-introduce you to Hermione Granger." Everyone was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

"H-Hermione?" Ron looked at Hermione and was astonished.

"Uh... yes, Ronald. It is I. I is Hermione. Hah, ha. Hm..." Hermione laughed but then when no one else did, she bottomed out.

"Why did you leave us though?" Ron was still the only to speak.

"I-I... I'd rather not say just yet. Not till I find out a few things."

"Find out what?"

"A few things and that's all I'm saying."

Hermione apparated to the Leaky Cauldron after a long evening reuniting with the Weasleys and answering a few questions, asking some her own. She went up to Tom the bartender, rented a room for the night, and retired for the night. The next morning she woke up and decided that she should go visit Hogwarts, as Harry suggested. Hermione packed her belongings back in her suitcase and placed them in a corner with a note to be delivered to her parent's house that morning.

She walked down the stairs and as she was about to step on the ground, she stumbled and fell. The problem? Well, there was someone standing there. Hermione got up and helped the man up that she knocked down.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going." Hermione dusted herself off then looked at the man she knocked over.

"Oh, it's okay. I was just heading to meet my cousin to eat. I should go." Hermione nodded and looked at the man more closely.

He looks so familiar. Where have I seen him before? She noticed he was wearing a baseball cap, a button up mutil shaded blue vertical striped shirt, and khaki pants. When she looked at him again, she noticed something she hadn't before. Oh my God. His eyes. They're exactly the same as Marli-Jane! This is her father!

Just as she put this together she looked up to notice he was gone. She turned around and saw him going out the back door. Hermione ran and followed him out the door. When she looked into Diagon Alley, he was lost in the sea of people busy walking from place to place. Who IS her father? I just saw him, but I don't know who it is!

Hermione turned around and walked to the fireplace to floo to Hogwarts. Maybe Harry would know something. She stepped in and yelled "Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts!" and was immediately encircled in a swirl of green flames. She landed and stepped out to see not Harry, but Dumbledore.

"Professor! Hi. How have you been?"

"I've been good, Hermione. And you? I expect your daughter will be joining us in two years?"

"Yes sir. May I ask, how did you find out about Marli-Jane?" Of course! If anyone knew something no one else did, it would be Dumbledore! Maybe he knows Marli's father!

"Well, Harry told me. He came and we talked about what happened yesterday. I'm guessing you came for a copy of the Prophecy?"

"Yes sir. Sir, I was wondering. Is there any way I can find out, like do you have some kind of record, like who Marli-Jane's father is? Do you know?"

"I'm sorry, Hermione. We only have it written down, when you find out. We are completely blind in that subject. Only that she is written down in our list for a student to come to Hogwarts in two years. Now, I expect that you would like to go visit your parents again? Tell them I said hi."

"Yes sir. Thank you for the list." Hermione took the parchment from him, folded it and placed it neatly in her purse before going back in the fireplace and leaving for her parent's house.

Three months passed and it was time to go to the Reunion.

"Amanda! Oh, I'm going to miss you so much! First it was my best friend that moved! Now I'm moving away from my best friend! How will I survive?"

"I don't know! I do know that we'll have to try and keep in touch! Have a great time. I hope you enjoy teaching at that school of yours." Hermione and Amanda hugged and then Marli-Jane walked in. She hadn't said much since her mother told her that she would be moving to London.

"Mom! I want to stay here with Amanda and all my friends!"

"Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry about this. But we've talked about this. It's best if we go. Plus you'll get to see Grama and Gramps more often than you do now!"

"Yeah, I know. But I really like it here." Hermione started crying and held her daughter in her arms who was also crying.

They were leaving their stuff in America until after the Reunion, then if the father was nice, Hermione would return to retrieve their stuff. All the stuff was boxed, excluding the bed, a few outfits and all the furniture. Hermione was leaving this with Amanda so when they came to visit (which they promised they would!) they would have a permanant place to stay. Amanda liked this. But most of Hermione and Marli's outfits were packed away and they were stored in boxes. Amanda was under the impression that they would be getting picked up after a week, if Hermione called, while Amanda was at work. She didn't know that if everything worked out, while Amanda was at work, Hermione and a few other friends would Floo back to America to pick up the boxes and take them wherever they were to go.

After another teary goodbye, Amanda left for work and Hermione grabbed Marli-Jane's hand and grabbed her own suitcase and Marli, hers.

"Mom, how are we getting there? Are we going to take a plane?"

"No, sweetie. We're going to travel by an old wizarding way called Floo. Now wait just a minute, and then we can leave. But we have to wait for Harry to get here."

"Harry? You mean your friend Harry. The one you said is like really famous and killed some bad guy?"

Hermione chuckled and agreed.

"Mommy, is Harry my father?"

"No angel. He isn't. He's married and has a daughter half your age. I never told you this, but when I went to London in March, just after your birthday, I actually ran into your father. I didn't know it until it was too late. I still don't know who he is." Hermione looked down then Marli-Jane screamed as the fireplace erupted in green flames and Harry stepped out.

"MOM! What is happening?" Marli-Jane dropped the suitcase and hid behind her mother.

"Oh, Mars, don't worry. It's just Harry traveling by Floo. Now, what we're going to do, is step in the fireplace, throw this powder down and I'll do the rest. Harry will take our bags then we'll follow. You'll be going with me. It's kind of like transporting from one place to another. It's perfectly safe and you'll be with me. Just don't let go of my hand." Eyes wide, Marli-Jane stepped out from behind her mother.

"Oh! Hi! You must be Marli-Jane. I've heard so much good things about you!" Harry stepped up to Marli-Jane and shook her hand.

"Yes, sir. I am. And I guess you're Harry Potter, my mom's friend, but not my father." Marli-Jane looked down and Harry and Hermione exchanged glances.

"No, I'm not your father, but I think you might get to meet him this coming week."

"Yeah. That would be nice. Now can we get a move on! I'm hungry and my mommy said that we could eat the most fabulous meals at this school we're going to!" Hermione laughed and handed the bags to Harry, along with a box or two of Hermione's stuff that was staying in London, no matter the father problem.

Harry stepped in the fire, bags next to him, powder in one hand and two boxes in the other. He threw down the powder and yelled, "Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts!" and he disappeared in a swirl of emerald flames.

Hermione held Marli-Jane's hand tighter and led her into the fireplace. She grabbed the tin Harry left, and got a reasonable amount of powder and yelled the same thing. She felt the familiar feeling of being sucked in a tube then landed in the same office she'd been in three months previous. Hermione looked at Marli-Jane and noticed she was astonished at all the moving portraits on the walls.

"Mom, we're definately not in Kansas anymore!" Hermione laughed and led her daughter out the door and caught up with Harry who had all the bags and boxes levitating behind him.

"Harry! Wait up! Where are we staying?"

"You'll love it. Trust me."

Harry, Hermione and Marli-Jane continued up endless amounts of stairs until Marli-Jane got so tired Hermione had to carry her. Finally, they stopped in front of the Fat Lady.

"Password?" Marli-Jane shot up when she realized the portrait was talking to her mom's friend.

"Caput Draconis" Harry replied and they stepped inside the portrait which opened to reveal a whole to step through.

"Harry? Are we actually staying in our dorms? And was that?"

"Yes, Hermione. It was the same password from our first year. I'll announce it at lunch, but Dumbledore and I thought of the most brilliant plan. We spent seven years at Hogwarts, and we are staying at Hogwarts for the reunion seven days. Today, is year one. It's the original password from our first year, along with the other houses, and you will stay in the First year's dorms. They have been modified to accommadate everyone who has come. Giving a room for each person who was originally in the dorm. You walk in the dorm and there is a long hallway instead of the original dorm. Then there will be doors with your name on it. Since you are not married, the part that it keeps your maiden name, is irrelevant."

Hermione smirked and replied, "Thanks Harry. That's the boost of confidence I needed. But that's a really cool system. So does that mean that since tomorrow would technically be year two, we would have a totally different password? And have to sleep in a different dorm?"

"Well, technically. But it's not going to be a change. They're just moving the hallway to each dorm each night. It will be Dumbledore and McGonagall. No, the house elves won't be doing that." Hermione scoffed at his comment and grabbed her daughter's hand and led her to their dorm. They walked in the hall and saw that the first door on the left had 'Hermione Granger, 2' written on the name plate.

"This is us." They walked in and there were two beds, identical to the beds when she was there. They had the heavy gold and crimson drapery and bed sheets and comforters as she had in school. Hermione noticed the two nightstands, vanities, one door leading to what she assumed was a bathroom, a bookshelf and two deep-colored wooden dressers opposite the beds. Hermione retrieved her wand and flicked it at the two suitcases and the clothes immediately began to sort themselves in the dressers, leaving Marli-Jane astonished.

"Okay... Mom? I just have one question. If you could do this, why did you make me clean my room these past ten years?" Hermione laughed at her daughter's comment.

"Sweetie, I didn't want you getting into magic too early. I loved having the background of someone who could do my own chores, then learn to do them another way. I hoped you would like it too."

"Well, yeah. I like doing it myself. It's really satisfactory."

"I'm so proud!" Hermione wiped a fake tear from her eye. "You're just like me! You want to learn!" Hermione and Marli-Jane laughed as they inspected the job Hermione's magic had done. Everything was just the way they liked it.

"Perfect!"