We make our own luck, and then we call it a fortune. And what better reason to choose a direction than to declare it's our destiny. But when it all comes down to it, we have to live with our choices- the good, the bad, and the really ugly. No matter who's looking over our shoulder. In Hermione's case, that would be Witch Weekly, Teen Witch, The Enchanted Woman, Cosmo Chronicle, The Beguiling Beat, Quidditch Today, and the list goes on and on. Not to mention more than a dozen pureblood princesses out for blood.

Never had she ever expected the amount of intruding publicity dating a quidditch player would garner. But then, not every player is a rising star, a top chaser in the league, and a former Rookie of the Year. Added in is the fact that the same player is a handsome hunk of a man, and well...

Hermione is used to gossip and people making rude comments about her person. That's nothing new.

The worst thing about talk is that it's cheap, and there's no way to stop it. Every new breeze brings renewed speculation. And really, the truth is that gossip is a tool used to distract people who have nothing better to do with their time except be jealous and envious of those who do. It usually goes hand in hand with boredom and bitterness. So it came as no surprise, well maybe a little surprise, when the new edition of Witch Weekly featured a headline saying "Former Roommate Tells All."

An outraged Ginny and Luna flooed to the chateau (one after the other) with copies of the magazine in their hands. Hermione, who had ignored the morning's owl deliveries, was sipping a cup of coffee with NEWT study guides spread out around her. The friend duo burst through the library doors and slammed their copies on the table in front of her. Hermione looked up and remarked, "Well, good morning to you too."

Ginny started by saying, "No! It's not a good morning. It's an I'm going to murder my brother's hag kind of morning. Then I'm going to do the same to him."

But Luna reminded her redheaded friend, "You don't have to do that. The figgles and poisonous troggleswollops will get her first. She already has warning signs that they're there. If she's not careful, she could be dead by the end of the year."

Their conversation made Hermione wonder, "What and who are you guys talking about?"

At the same time, both Ginny and Luna exclaimed, "Lavender Brown."

To which the brunette commented, "Oh, her." Then she went back to thumbing through the potions NEWT guide completely unphased.

But Ginny wasn't having it. She snatched the guide out of Hermione's hands and replaced it with Witch Weekly. "I'm sorry, but now is not the time to study for something you could pass in your sleep. Instead, you need a snappy comeback. Look at the headline, then read the article."

With a huff of slight annoyance, the witch saw the headline. At first glance, the title New Brews For the Chic Witch did not strike her fancy. She told Ginny so. "I'm sorry, but why do you want me to read about perfumes? I like the two I own. I don't need anymore."

Ginny pinched the bridge of her nose while Luna took her wand and highlighted what Hermione needed to read. When the words stood out, the brunette read aloud, "Former Roommate Tells All... What in the name of Merlin?" Then she opened the article and started examining it word by rotten word. Every so often, she would mutter, "Rubbish, absolute rubbish." At one point, Hermione looked up and said, "I do not use Allure 42. My boobs are real!" When she finished reading, a strange look came over her face.

"So, what are you going to do?" Ginny wanted to know.

Hermione glanced at her and noted, "The article has already been written and published. Every witch from here to Australia has read it by now. There's not much I can do."

But the redhead disagrees. She used her wand to summon a stack of papers. "Oh, there's a lot you can do!" Taking the letters in hand, she waved them in front of her friend's face. "For one, you can conduct your own interview. All of these messages are from publications wanting you and Marcus to give an interview together. If you did that, it would refute any claim the lavender hobgoblin made. An added bonus is it would make her look foolish."

Luna noted, "She already looks foolish." Both Hermione and Ginny agree with that.

Hating the pushy, prying way reporters clamber for tasty morsels, the petite, intelligent witch moved the stack of letters around. Her hand landed on one, but does she want to grant an interview? "I don't know, ladies. I hate interviews. I loathe gossip and people meddling in my life."

However, Luna reminded her, "Hermione, some people talk about other people's lives and make stuff up because they wish they had what that person does. People will always talk, so why not give them something to talk about- something that's true? Besides, the ones who know and love you best realize the article for what it is- paper to line the bottom of an acromantula's cage."

After laughing at the image of Lavender's face getting ruined by magical creatures, Hermione owled Marcus and waited for his response. When she got it, she had her friends help her choose the right magazine to give an interview to. They immediately tossed Witch Weekly and sorted the rest into piles. It came down to three: The Daily Prophet, The Sporting Wizard's Journal, and Cosmo Chronicle.

So a pro and con list was made for all three. Hermione shared her lists while Ginny and Luna listened. They were going to cast their vote for the best one. Daily Prophet got tossed because of Rita Skeeter, who wrote the article in Witch Weekly. That makes sense, considering she'd probably be the one to interview Hermione and Marcus. Then The Sporting Wizard's Journal was discarded because the majority of readership trends male. In order to have the truth spread, there needs to be more female persuasion. That left Cosmo Chronicle, which has both majority female subscriptions and impartial articles. Ginny and Luna gave it two thumbs up.

After scribbling off an inquiring letter to the Chronicle, Hermione sat with her friends talking. They discussed Hogwarts and how the rebuilding was going ahead of schedule. Both younger witches told her they were going to return in the fall. "It beats the alternative of sitting at home and denoming the garden," Ginny explained.

Later that afternoon, once the girls had left and Hermione finished studying, she pulled out a piece of poster board paper. In the middle of it, she wrote: The Future. With those words in mind, the witch began to dream out loud. The young woman breathes life into it by envisioning how she wants her future to look. There's a little something for every area of the future: career, house, friends, family, and so on. There's even something for herself, personally. She'd like to get rid of the anxious feelings when she looks at her arm. It's like she's taken right back to Malfoy Manor, and Bellatrix is standing over her reading to carve. It would be nice to just breathe and be okay. Although, everyone's told her it takes time for that to happen. So patience is a virtue.

That's how Marcus found her, sitting on her heels admiring the poster board. He came to stand behind her and asked, "What's that? And why am I hovering in the middle of it?"

Hermione stood and used her wand to attach it to a blank space on the library wall. Once completed, she explained, "It's a vision board. I allowed myself to put my dreams on paper. You're in the middle because all my dreams come back to you. By admitting them out loud, it gives me something to aim for. They'll turn into goals, you know."

Her explanation made sense, and he could see what she was talking about. It's funny because his dreams differ slightly. They all have her in the middle of them, yet it's comforting to know they both have similar thoughts.

At that moment, a large grey owl wearing a pearl collar swooped in, handed Hermione a letter, and flew out again. She took it, examined it, and told him, "Cosmo Chronicle says they're looking forward to our interview. They'll be here tomorrow afternoon." Glancing up from it, she mentioned, "We need to coordinate our outfits. I really don't know why we're doing this other than setting the story straight, as Ginny said. Our life is not that interesting. I stay home and study while you practice and play quidditch. It's normal stuff."

Except they're not entirely normal. She helped rid the wizarding world of one of the evilest wizards, and he's a star athlete. They came from opposite upbringings and managed to fall in love. It's fascinating material. And while Hermione was talking about the interview, Marcus stood looking at the vision board with her dreams. His dark eyes flicked from the board to her and from her to the board. And finally, he came to a conclusion: "Screw it."

With his wand, he summoned a box and then used the wand to add a few embellishments to the vision board. Turning around, he called out her name. "Hermione, can you come here? I need you to look at something."

Leaving the interview letter on the coffee table, she joined Marcus in front of the wall. Her eyes questioned him, and he mentioned, "I think there's something wrong with some of those pictures on your board."

Moving directly in front of it, Hermione began inspecting her creation. She didn't catch it at first, but then a few pictures did stand out. Coming to stand even closer, her hand reached out to touch one. "What on earth? I don't remember putting that there," she stated. It's a picture of a person holding a sign. "Wait! That's not just anyone. It's Pucey. What is he doing?" That's when she realized the sign said something. Her honey eyes flickered from picture to picture until it all made sense, and she gasped. It started with Adrian holding the words Will. Then Montague was in the next image with the words You. Next came Cassius carrying Marry. Finally, in an overwhelming but thoughtful fashion, her parents bore the words Me. Putting it all together made her cry, and her hand flew to her mouth.

Turning around with a massive lump in her throat, tears in her eyes, and a shakiness she couldn't explain, Hermione saw Marcus looking equally as emotional. But while she couldn't speak, he did. "When you first sat in front of me at tutoring, I felt like I knew you. I knew you would change my life. I just didn't know how, but as I got to know you, I couldn't stop seeing my life without you. A life that isn't stuck in the pain of the past but rooted in love. I fell in love with you without really knowing what love was. I continue to love you because there's no one or nothing I want more than you, only you."

He moved to take her hands and continued to speak. "Hermione, you healed pieces of me that I didn't know needed healing. You cared for me when I needed extra love, and you brought out happiness in me that I didn't realize existed. You did that through some tough times and fighting a war. I'm so grateful that I was stupid enough to need a tutor and that you took a chance on me. And now I never want to let you go."

Then he dropped to one knee and told her, "Marry me, Hermione, simply because I love you. The kind of love that burns so intensely that it feels like an explosion of fireworks in the soul. A love that brings you closer to the brilliance of life and gives you a sense of purpose, and makes you feel more like yourself with each passing minute. Because that's what you do, Hermione. You make me more alive than flying on a broom and playing quidditch."

Somehow, through weeping, she found her voice and said yes. She's really unsure how that was possible, but an answer was spoken that much was clear. Somewhere between kissing the love of her life, admiring the gorgeous ring on her finger, and receiving teary congratulations from the house elves, Hermione wondered, "How did you get that picture with my parents?"

Marcus took her hand and led her out of the room. "Let's take a little trip," he announced.

They came to the floo, where he grabbed a handful of powder, threw it in, and called out, "Granger residence." The moment they stepped from it, Hermione spied her parents unpacking boxes. Again her hand flew to her mouth, and tears ran down her face. She stood motionless until Marcus lightly pushed her toward her mother. Jean ran to her daughter and engulfed her in a huge hug, the kind only a loving mother could give. While the women were hugging, the two men shook hands and embraced as well (but, of course, it was a manly embrace).

Once Mrs. Granger finished hugging Hermione, her father did the same. Jean stood by Marcus and held his arm. At last, the four sat in the family room, where they discussed events. It started with the newly engaged witch sobbing, "I'm so sorry, Mom and Dad. Please, can you ever forgive me?"

Paul Granger spoke for his wife and himself by saying, "Yes, Love. We understand why you felt the need to do what you did. I won't lie, it bothered us at first, but Marcus and his friends explained it. Once they did, it bothered us less because we realized we were bait. However, we would appreciate it if you discussed things with us in the future. You know we pride ourselves on being reasonable people."

Those words took a load off Hermione's mind and a brick from the pit of her stomach. She promised, "In the future, I'll be more forthcoming. But I'm so glad Marcus and his friends found you. How did your memories get restored?"

That's when Marcus explained that Cassius aided in that regard. "He's very handy with spells and spell casting. Once upon a time, he wanted to work for the ministry but realized its corrupt nature. So now he's bored working for his father as must purebloods do, you know."

Oh, she knows. It sounds like Warrington has a lot of similar thoughts as she does. And that gave her an idea. One she filed away for later use. While Hermione was thinking of something, Jean inquired, "How is Cassius? I miss him. Paul and I see Adrian and Graham weekly, but we haven't seen Cassius in a while."

Hermione eyed her parents. She wondered, "What do you mean you see Pucey and Montague weekly?" That's baffling.

Jean waved her off. "Well, what do you expect, Dear? You form a bond when you spend time with people every day for months. Marcus and his friends are like extra children. Did you know Graham is an excellent baker? He comes to the house weekly, where he bakes with Grandmother Florence. The two get on famously, but then who wouldn't with Graham's charismatic personality?"

Hermione's eyes were large with surprise. Grandmother Florence loathes people in her kitchen. She also despises anyone who tries to show up her baking skills. The woman is incredibly persnickety. To know she gets on with Graham is odd. But then her mother explained how "Adrian comes over to play bridge with myself and the ladies. Hermione, close your mouth. It's unladylike. Did you know Adrian wanted to be an Auror? The ladies and I told him he should open a freelance business if the training school didn't accept him. He did such a fine job protecting your father and me in Australia. We also mentioned that he should ask out that sweet, blonde friend of yours. What's her name again? Stella? Moon? Celeste?"

Completely confounded, Hermione declared, "Luna. Her name is Luna."

Paul invited the newly engaged couple, "Won't you stay for dinner? We can order out." They said yes, and the Grangers phoned an order at a Japanese place they all love.

Meanwhile, Hermione whispered, "Did you know your friends are moonlighting as my parent's other children?"

Marcus chuckled and replied, "Yes. It's a win-win. My friends have a safe place to retreat from the wizarding world. Plus, they get to learn about the muggle one. And your parents get to dote on them, which all parties love, by the way. Especially Adrian because his parents were influenced by old pureblood ways. I love it because all the people I care about get along."

"That makes sense," Hermione remarked. It's odd but not so strange that it's awkward. It's actually quite lovely, except for that part about her mom pushing Pucey to ask Luna out. Although, "Why didn't Adrian ask Luna to the Middlemarchs?"

Marcus chuckled. "Well, why would he want to sick the hounds on her for their first date? That would suck. They darn near ate you alive were it not for my aunt, I would have hexed them all."

That's when Mrs. Granger returned and commented, "Hermione, look." She pulled a copy of Witch Weekly out and showed her daughter a picture from the Mid-Summer Night's Party. "You look so pretty in that dress. But I do wonder what you were thinking wearing that fairy costume."

Hermione rolled her eyes and picked at a thread on her white t-shirt. Then she shared all about the dinner from hell and the party. To which her mother replied, "Good for your aunt, Marcus. I'd like to meet her and thank her." She told Hermione, "Don't let the behavior of negative people get you down, Love. Life is too short for that. Instead, spend your days with people who love you and have your back."

Then the tears of a different kind came. Her mother's words reminded Hermione of how Ron left her and Harry in the forest. It also made the carving on her arm seem big and bold. So, the witch told of everything that happened during the war. Marcus had already heard it, but her parents had not. So he did what he does best, held her hand. Though horrific in detail, it was the kind of soothing balm Hermione needed. She needed to release it to continue to repair the internal damage of the spirit.

And when all was said and done, a mother's love is like nothing else. It's pure and liberating. With her mother sitting on one side, her fiance' on the other, and her father in his recliner, Hermione was finally at home. That's a certain beautiful magic all its own.