Craving happiness

This might become a crossover not sure it really depends on if I get excited to write more than this first chapter. This will be a Harry and Hermione focused story set post deathly hallows.

Harry did it, he finally won. The war was over and Voldemort was dead and he was alive. Now it is time to rebuild. After the final battle Harry Neville and Ron were given order of Merlin 1st class while Hermione was given a 3rd class. This never sat well with Harry after all if it wasn't for Hermione he never would have survived half of what he did nor would he have lasted on the run.

Harry is quickly ushered into the Auror department only to find he is basically a PR stunt and nothing more. While Ron gets to go on missions Harry has to give speeches and go to dinner parties and be reminded of all the awful things he did during the war. After a couple of years of this he simply can't take it any more and resigns wanting to go have a simple life, even after he left the Auror core he was still hounded by the same people. They simply would not leave him alone.

Hermione after the war was treated as a second class citizen not even getting equal honors to Ron. While Ron Neville and Harry where given positions in the ministry Hermione wasn't even considered and so she went back to school and got her NEWTS and even that was not enough to get her any job worth having. This is what we fought for, for nothing to change. She eventually moves in with Harry after he left the Aurors. A few years pass and she simply moves forward or be seen as anything worth anything.

"Hermione, I can't stand whats going on here. I am going to Gringotts tomorrow and liquidating everything. They have a muggle side and I am going to have them transfer everything over there and leave the wizarding world, at least for awhile." Harry says after he sets down the dinner he just cooked for the two of them.

Hermione looks up at this, not sure what to do with this information. "Are you asking me to go with you? You know I am tired of this whole thing. I can't advance or do anything worthwhile. Perhaps its time I go to University and see if I can't make a difference out there."

Harry nods "I am planning on going to french culinary school. I would love to have you come with me, your the only one who still sees me as who I am not what I have done. University would be good for you I think. I'll pay for it Sirius left me enough money."

Hermione nods "French Culinary school huh? That sounds totally like you. University would be good for me. You're all I have left, Ron left for the fame he got and no one has seen Neville in over a year. A fresh start where we have nothing hanging over our heads, that sounds wonderful."

That next day Harry does indeed liquidate everything, all property, all magical stocks, all magical companies, everything except for the books. He transfers it into a muggle bank account and has most of it put into an investment account. He gets himself and Hermione their proper papers and he leaves, once he sets foot out of Gringotts he aperates away.

They take the ferry to France neither in any big rush but wanting to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Once they arrive they get a hotel and begin planning their futures. Hermione gets into a fancy French college in La Rochelle while Harry gets offered a chance to study under the finest chefs in Paris. While they don't want to be apart they agree it's likely for the best. Harry gives her access to his account with a promise to meet up after she is done with school and discuss the future.

With that they each go their separate ways for a few years. Hermione, always a quick study, was able to get her masters in 5 years deciding she wanted to be a teacher. While she had met a few people and been on a few dates no one really stuck out. Deciding she would surprise Harry at the restaurant he was working at that night, she boards the train and arrives in Paris to see his face for the first time in 3 years.

Harry simply absorbed the information quickly learning French, Spanish and Italian. A normal apprenticeship was supposed to take 2 years; he did it in 6 months. After that he simply went from high end chef to high end chef learning all he could. He just finished his last apprenticeship, this one an Italian one as he had run out of French the year before. He knew thanks to various emails and phone calls that Hermione had finished school and they would be meeting up soon in Paris. While he made many friends especially among the cooks and waitstaff he had very few romantic partners and nothing serious.

That night he is running the kitchen when he has a waiter, one of his favorites come back and ask to talk to him. "Hey I have this beautiful young lady in my section requesting Treackle Tart said you would know what that means. Do you have any idea?"

Harry smiles and all the stress of running the kitchen disappears off his face. "I certainly do. Is she brunette with a simply elegance that wouldn't make you look twice but when you do you can't stop looking?"

The waiter smiles "you described her to a tee."

"That is my best friend she saved my life more than once whatever she wants its on me and tell her I will join her for desert."

That next morning in Harry's apartment they are standing in front of a map of the world. He gives Hermione a dart and tells her to trust her magic and throw it. She gives a quizical look.

"I worked on the enchantments on the dart and map for almost a year. You throw the dart and your magic guides in to where it wants you to go. This will be where your heart and head want to be even if you don't actually know it. Since I picked France it's your turn. Throw the dart and lets see where we are headed." Harry explains

Hermione looks at him "If I do this and we go together then we do this right. I have loved you since the moment you out flew that Dragon. I had feels for you before but that was the moment I fell in love with you. Nothing has changed I love you Harry Potter."

Harry smiles "I have loved you since you walked down those stairs at the Yule Ball. You showed me that I had been an idiot. I love you as well. Throw that dart and lets begin our next chapter together."

Hermione throws the dart and it flies straight and true stopping an inch before it hits the map, it then moves on its own accord over to America finally settling in Sioux Falls South Dakota. Harry stares at the map for a second "Well I guess every small town needs a decent restaurant."

Hermoine hits him playfully on the arm "You prat you would have said that anywhere we go. Small town though that sounds nice. Somewhere away from it all. Should be a welcome change."

They spend that day looking at Houses and finally settle on one its 5 beds 3 baths 3500sqft on a decent amount of land. They buy it and contact the goblins really the only magical contact they have anymore and have marriage documents and imigration paperwork drawn up and submitted. By the end of the week they are married and moving to America. Harry even has his new restaurant all picked out and construction began on it.

They arrive in Sioux falls and the house is simply more beautiful than what the pictures showed. They walk in and begin unpacking glad for shrinking and featherlight charms. Once they get their stuff unloaded they realize that even though they are in America and no one knows where they are they should still put up strong wards as neither want any uninvited guests. This of course sets off an alarm in MACUSA and they send someone to investigate.

Bobby Singer the local crazy guy owns the junk yard in town and as far as the people in town are concerned thats where he gets his money. Really he works for MACUSA as the local agent. Honestly he has a good gig all things considered, easy work out here in South Dakota. No one magical ever moves out here which means he basically gets to introduce people to magic. He used to enjoy this job back before his wife died. Now he works because he has nothing else to do besides drink. Now imagine his surprise when he gets an alert in town not to accidental magic but rather new wards and war wards at that. He quickly grabs his badge looks for the address and drives over. For things in town he finds its easier to drive that way he can stop at the bar after he is done.

Bobby pulls up and he sees a young couple walking out to their car. "Hello, my name is Bobby Singer can I talk to you a minute?"

Harry and Hermione decide that since they haven't gone grocery shopping yet they will just go to the local pub and try some local food. Imagine their surprise when they see a hagrid looking middle aged man in a beat up truck pull up and ask to talk to them for a moment. Harry tells Hermione to get in the driver seat while he talks to this guy. Harry walks over "Hello Mr. Singer my name is Harry what can I do for you?"

Bobby pulls out his badge and hands it over to Harry "Your address flared in our system as setting up war wards this of course has us all worried. Can you explain why exactly you felt the need to do this?"

Harry sighs "Well Bobby its rather complicated you see. My name is Harry Potter and I guess I am rather famous in Europe. Me and my wife left wizarding Britain A few years after the fall of Tom Riddle. See after the war we both got Order of Merlins and they turned me into a propaganda piece and basically blackballed my wife out of any decent job. We decided after a few years we where done and so I liquidated everything but my books went to culinary school while she went to Univeristy and then we married and moved here. We still have people that don't like us or who would drag us back to Britain and make me divorce my wife or worse kill her because she is beneath me or some other crap. Either way we both felt that since we are living here long term we wanted to be as secure as we could be so we based our ward scheme off the Black estate and the Potter estate and added a few that we found or created."

Bobby blinks at hearing this "Well Mr. Potter that sounds like a valid reason for those wards. I will get them updated in our registry. Of course my boss will need to know you are here but what name would you like in our registry?"

Harry thinks on this for a second "Why don't you use Granger? It was my wife's maiden name. Now if you'll excuse us, me and my wife are headed out for dinner to see what the locals like so I can tailor my new restaurant."

Bobby nods "That should be fine. Know that you might get asked if some of our people can meet you. We try and do interviews will all new magicals that come in I'm surprised you didn't have one."

With that Harry and Hermione head to dinner and Bobby heads home this information can't be held for to long. When they get to the restaurant Harry lets Hermione know what Bobby wanted and they decide that if MACUSA wants to meet with them they will but neither wants to work for them. They enjoy dinner and go see a movie afterwards just enjoying each others company.

While work on the restaurant is going well Harry is working through the menu. He decides he doesn't want to be a burger joint but realizes the town wont want a 5 star restaurant either. Finally after a couple of weeks he settles on a steakhouse, even has the name 'Magical Menagerie of Meat' he decides he wants to do a bit of everything. He decides on a rotating menu of special meat while having a classic steakhouse menu as well.

While he had been deciding this they had been asked to meet with the head of MACUSA imigration. They of course accepted not that they had much choice but seeing as how they came in the NoMag way its not like MACUSA could do anything to get rid of them. They were sent a portkey that would activate the morning of their meeting.

Once they arrive in MACUSA in DC the first thing they notice is that it looks just like any other government building in America. No paper airplanes no robes no strange way to get in. They approach the desk and are asked to register their wands. They comply of course simply wanting to get this over with so they can return home. They are escorted to the imigration office and told to wait.

Steve was a nice guy his family had left England after the Grindewald fiasco and had been in America ever since. He graduated top of his class and was immediately brought into the ministry and after a couple of years moved to the immigration department. After the last dark lord in England fell he had been appointed to the head of the imigration department. Normally he didn't do intake interviews but the couple before him was anything but normal.

"I want to make this as easy as we can for you guys. You immigrated NoMag side so its all legal. Basically all we are going to be doing is making sure you don't have any illegal items and talking about your plans for the future." Steve informs them

Harry nods his head "Well we didn't bring any magical items save our trunks in the move. All our books are stored at Gringots I can have them send you a list of them. As far as our intentions, I am opening a steakhouse and my wife was hoping to teach science at the local school. We left the magical world behind because England soured it for us but we understand our children will likely be magical and will need to be taught everything. Thats why we left England we didn't want their education to be like ours. I can't say we won't have any interaction with the magical world here in the states but I can't say we will be regulars anywhere either."

Steve nods "If you can have Gringots send me the list that would be much appreciated it will make it easy. Your talking all the bigotry and falling educational standards I am assuming? I hope you find America to be more to your liking. I can't say we don't have any because no one is perfect but we are far better than all of Europe. I can give you a few books to read on what to expect in MACUSA vs Europe if you would like. Those sound like good plans. Now I read the report on the reason for the wards and I have to say I agree I would want them that way as well. Do we need to worry about them coming over here and causing a ruckus?"

Hermione answers this one "Those books would be lovely. That was part of the reason yes but also as Harry here is lauded as a hero any children would be living with that while being told their mother was unworthy of their father. The list should be on your desk by the end of the week. As far as them coming over I don't know. If they found us I would imagine they would want to drag Harry back and would likely want to kill me or somehow force our marriage to be undone. They haven't found us yet and I doubt they will but they might, hence the wards."

Steve nods "I'll make a note in your file. Your welcome to leave. Thank you for your visit and I hope you find what you are looking for here"