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Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.
Saturday, July 31st, 1976
Harry Potter's Future Birthday
The summer lazily drifted by, with nothing but fluffy white clouds, bright blue skies and warm days—there was an occasionally summer shower here and there, but for the most part the weather was splendid.
Three wix were taking full advantage of the gorgeous day, deciding that they would go to Diagon Alley to grab some supplies before heading home to have a picnic in the Orchards of Potter Manor.
Hermione Potter was nestled in between Draco Potter and Remus Lupin—two of her favourite people—her arms linked through theirs, and she was humming an absent tune.
"Do we have Florean's at home or do we need to stock up?" Hermione asked her boys, who both paused for a moment as they contemplated her question.
"I know we have chocolate," Draco teased.
Hermione and Remus scoffed simultaneously, turning their heads to shoot Draco playful glares.
"I simply cannot understand your aversion to chocolate," Remus said.
"Right? It's downright absurd, and wrong, chocolate makes everything and I mean everything better," Hermione said with a prim nod of her head.
"Whatever, I do know that I'm low on lemon crackle," Draco said, referring to his favourite ice-cream flavour from Florean's Parlour.
"That's—" Remus started, a bright grin on his face when he stopped abruptly—so abruptly that Hermione and Draco jerked backwards, both frowning and peering at their Alpha in concern.
Hermione sought out any alarm on Remus's end, but instead she realised that their bond had grown hot, scorching hot, it was as if something big was about to happen.
"What is that smell?" Remus murmured, head swivelling this way and that, clutching onto Hermione as tried to find the source of the enthralling scent that had wafted into his nostrils.
"Remus, Moony, what smell?" Draco asked, letting go of Hermione and standing in front of his best mate, grabbing ahold of the boy's shoulders.
"I—I don't know. I just know that I need to go to it," Remus answered, still searching.
Hermione began to look around, utterly perplexed until she caught sight of something—someone just past Draco.
There was a tiny girl tapping her feet against the cobblestones as she eagerly pointed up at an owl cage in front of Eeylops Owl Emporium: laughing gaily as her hair faded from bright blue to snowy white, to match the owl that was chirping and whistling down at the ecstatic girl.
"Draco—Draco get him out of here," Hermione said, voice shaking as she turned to the boys and saw Remus's amber and gold eyes on full display.
"What? Why?" Draco asked as he followed her line of sight, eyes round as dinner plates when he turned back to them. "Okay, I'll see you back at the Manor," Draco said hastily, and Hermione took a step back as Remus tried to shove past Draco—who was struggling to hold the Werewolf back as Remus said, "I need to go over there, I just need to say hi." The compelling call blurred all of Remus's senses as it bewitched him, trapping him in its clutches.
"Don't forget my lemon crackle!" Draco called as he held fast to Remus, closing his eyes and with a sharp crack they were both gone.
Leaving Hermione all alone, and in a daze, her attention drifted back to the little girl with the ever changing hair. Nymphadora Tonks.
Almost in a trance Hermione slowly approached the girl, as if Nymphadora was a skittish animal that would flee if she got too close.
Hermione was so out of it that she didn't notice Andromeda standing right beside her daughter, not until the older witch said her name—her tone laced with pleasant surprise.
Hermione's head snapped up to the dark haired witch: Andromeda looked as well put together as ever, curls pulled up into an elaborate hair do, emerald robes with intricate black vines and patterns weaving across them, grey eyes melting into liquid steel as she smiled at Hermione.
"Andromeda!" Hermione exclaimed, despite the shock of seeing Tonks, she actually was delighted to see her Mother.
Andromeda grasped Hermione's upper arms lightly as she quickly greeted Hermione with kisses to both cheeks—which Hermione responded to in kind.
"I haven't seen you since, well, I'm sure you recall," Andromeda said wryly, letting go of Hermione but still sticking close.
"Dear, who is this?" A warm, deep voice asked.
A man had just ducked out of Eeylops, a small bird cage in hand as a petite tawny owl hopped from side to side on the wooden rung that hug from the apex of the cage.
Ted Tonks was a tall man, who oozed mirth, had brown hair that glinted gold in the sun, kind brown eyes, a long nose, pink lips and a heavy handful of pale freckles across his cheeks and nose.
Seeing them separately one might say that they would never fit together, but as soon as Ted tucked his arm around Andromeda's waist and she smiled lovingly up at him, one would say that said assumption could not be farther from the truth. They completed each other and it lit a warmth in Hermione's chest to see a woman she admired so happy.
"Hermione Potter," Andromeda responded with a smile and Ted's eyes widened in surprise.
"Gosh, I've heard brilliant things from Andy about you," Ted said warmly, beaming radiantly at her. "You stunned dear ol' Bella at Narcissa's wedding."
Hermione smiled bashfully, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "I did."
Hermione then turned her attention to the girl peering up at her curiously and she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.
Hermione bent down until she was on Nymphadora's level, placing her hands on her knees as she tilted her head to the side and stared into Tonks's eyes—which rippled from dark blue to match Hermione's hazel ones.
"And who might you be?"
"Nymphadora," Andromeda said proudly, reaching down to affectionately stroke her daughter's short hair.
Nymphadora's face contorted at her name, twisting into a highly unimpressed expression.
"Do you mind if I call you, Dora?" Hermione whispered conspiringly, reaching out to push some of Tonks's long fringe out of her eyes.
Dora's face lit up like a Christmas tree and she nodded, clearly keen on the nickname.
In her excitement, Tonks's hair began to grow rapidly, the roots growing raven first and invading the white, spreading like wildfire until all of her hair was the same colour.
Except it keeps growing—so much so that it pooled on the dirty cobblestones—and Dora was not accustomed to that much weight on her head: there was simply too much of it for her small body to support, and she almost toppled over. Thankfully, Hermione's arms shot out and caught the girl around her middle just in the nick of time, and she can't help the giggle that escaped her lips at the sight.
"I'm so sorry," Ted said, kneeling down beside them and pushing the curtain of hair over his daughter's shoulders.
Dora twisted her mouth to the side as the hair receded until it was its prior length, but the colour and texture hadn't changed.
"It's absolutely fine," Hermione assured the former Hufflepuff: she grinned, bopping the girl on the nose—which pulled a round of giggles from her lips—before standing up.
Ted thanked her once more, glancing at his watch and a low swear fell from his lips—which Andromeda narrowed her eyes at, the wizard gave Hermione an apologetic look and said, "I'm terribly sorry, but we best be off, we have a play date scheduled for Nymphadora."
A low growl came from the girl but both of her parents swiftly ignored it.
"Of course," Hermione said, "it was lovely to see you all."
Hermione glanced down at Tonks and shot her a secretive wink before she ruffled the girl's hair, and the wix quickly finished up her farewells.
Hermione watched them go sadly, but she shook her head and began to walk in the opposite direction, emotion thickly building up in her throat.
It was only after Hermione rounded the corner that she let the tears free, that she allowed them to pour hotly down her cheeks—she ducked into the first alley she could and collapsed against one of the walls.
Hermione needed some semblance of privacy as she fought to breathe, fists curling up against the red brick of the wall, vision blurred.
She knew this day would come, she knew, yet nothing could prepare her for how dreadful it felt. Tonks may only be three, but Hermione knows that Remus belongs to the Metamorphmagus. They belong to each other.
Hermione knows that one day she'll have to let him go, sooner rather than later.
Hermione pulled herself together best she could, inhaling and exhaling deeply: she closed her eyes, the familiar feeling of apparation washing over her and pulling at her navel as she span and vanished into thin air—forgetting all about Draco's lemon crackle ice-cream.