It was nearing nightfall by the time they reached their destination, and despite the fact that the sun had all but set as they pulled up the driveway, Hermione could still see the exterior of the house well enough.

Much like the nearby village, it too was built in the Tudor style with stone masonry on the lower level and half timber of the upper level. The windows were all fitted with stained glass. The house itself was surrounded by acres and acres of sprawling trees, a testament to the past occupation of the house's former owners.

"Welcome to Renshaw House, Miss Granger," said the elderly driver seated beside her. She had since learnt that his name was Baldwin Munch.

Hermione smiled from ear to ear. It was only the first time she had laid eyes on the place, yet in her heart she felt as though she had known the place all her life. She couldn't explain why, but it just felt right… like she actually belonged… That was a feeling she hadn't truly felt in the last seven years.

The hearse came to a halt in front of the modest-sized house. Baldwin climbed out and hurried around to open the passenger door for her before going to unload her luggage from the back. Noticing that the elderly man was struggling with the load, she went over and lessened the load, grabbing a suitcase and Grimalkin's carrier.

Leading her up to the front door, Hermione was surprised when the door opened all on it's own. She glanced over at the driver. He didn't seem to be taken back by it. Could it be that he had done so himself? She wasn't sure if he was a muggle or wizard, but judging from the fact that he worked for her grandfather, she could only assume that he had at least some knowledge of magic.

A moment passed before Baldwin shuffled in, turning to walk in sideways as the luggage in his hands didn't quite fit the other way. Hermione entered after him. No sooner were they inside, then the door promptly closed just the same as it had opened. Hermione raised a brow. She was pretty sure Baldwin hadn't caused this. He had been busy setting her luggage down when it happened. Unless he was skilled enough to perform silent wandless magic.

A chill filled the air just then, alerting Hermione of her grandfather's presence. Looking up, she saw her former professor descending the staircase. No longer required to wear the wizard robes he wore as a professor, he had changed into something a bit more ordinary; a plain white shirt and black trousers with a matching tie and vest. She eyed the outfit approvingly. It appeared that, unlike some hopeless wizards, her grandfather actually knew how to dress to blend in with muggles.

"I've brought your granddaughter safe and sound, as promised, Master," said Baldwin with a slight bow.

"Thank you, Baldwin. You may retire for the night."

And with that, Baldwin shuffled off out of the room, disappearing down a darkened hallway, leaving Hermione alone with her grandfather.

"I take it your trip was pleasant?" he asked.

"I was a bit sad to part ways with all my friends, especially Tom," she admitted. "However, I know I'll see them all again."

She couldn't help but notice that her grandfather seemed rather uncomfortable. His posture was rigid, even more so than usual, and every now and then his eyes would dart elsewhere.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded his head. "Forgive me for being a bit on edge. I have not returned to this house since before I was married. It holds some… less than pleasant memories."

She could understand that. From what she could recall him telling her, he hadn't left home on the best of terms, what with his parents being disappointed in him for abandoning the family trade.

The sound of meowing and clawing at the carrier door brought her back to reality. Setting the carrier down on the floor with the rest of her luggage, she unlocked and pulled open the door, reaching in to scoop the fluffy black cat into her arms.

"This is my cat, Grimalkin," she introduced. "I hope you don't mind that I brought him with me. I would have left him with the Riddle's, but Tom isn't too fond of him. He's more of a snake person."

"No, I don't mind. He wouldn't be the first cat to take up residence in this house."

Reaching out a spidery hand out, he held it a few inches away from Grim's face, watching as the cat picked up his head and sniffed it. Seemingly pleased with what he smelled, Grim then proceeded to lick his fingers.

Hermione smiled. It was good to see that Grim was getting along with her grandfather. Cats were a great judge of character, as had been proven by Crookshanks with the Scabbers fiasco. If Grim liked him, then that meant he was a good person.

"Well, I'd best show you to your room," he said after a while. "I'm sure you're tired from your journey."

Retracting his hand, he turned and headed back towards the winder staircase, levitating her luggage to follow him. Hermione followed shortly after.


Hermione remained at Renshaw House for a week in order to get used to the nocturnal lifestyle she would have to live for the next year or so. As with most transitions, it wasn't easy at first, but after a while it started to become gradually easier. By the time it came for them to depart, she was fairly confident in her progress.

Their first destination was America, a place that neither Hermione nor Kieran had been to before, making it a completely new experience. The country was still recovering from the recently ended war. Bombing sites were being cleared and houses were being rebuilt. Certain foods were still being rationed, but with the promise of the products coming back into full stock, things were starting to look up.

They made their home in a two bedroom townhouse in Uptown New York that they rented for a couple of months. It was homey and comfortable, and reminded Hermione a bit of her childhood home back in London. Kieran promised to go with her to see if her future house still existed once they returned to Britain.

All things considered, America was a lot of fun. The two of them browsed through almost every museum they could find. Hermione made a point to take lots of pictures with the muggle camera she had gotten from the Riddle's for Christmas the previous year. One of her favorite photos was of Kieran visiting with the mummy of a priest who served under Pharaoh Thutmose I. Kieran made a new friend that day. It made sense, seeing as they were both creatures of the undead.

They made a trip over to Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry one evening, and were given a tour of the school by the Headmistress herself, who in turn told them of the school's history as well as it's founders. Hermione was surprised to discover that one of the founders of Ilvermorny, Isolt Sayre, was actually a distant relative of Tom's, through her mother and wicked aunt, Gormlaith Gaunt.

"I've heard stories of Grindelwald's defeat at the hands of your Tom Riddle," said the headmistress. "I admit I am concerned about his possession of the Elder Wand. He is a Gaunt after all."

Hermione shook her head. "Don't be. Tom is as much a Gaunt as Isolt was. Besides, he's a half-blood, who I might add, has a relatively good relationship with his muggle father and grandparents."

"I see."

That seemed to put the headmistress at ease, as she raised the subject no more after that.

However, it did trigger a bit of concern in Hermione's mind as a result. She hadn't really thought about it before, as she had been focused on graduating and what not, but now that she was, she realized that it was risky. In her original time, Voldemort had taken the wand from Dumbledore's grave, or so she had heard. She supposed it was a bit dangerous for the most powerful wand ever made to be in the hands of one of the most powerful wizards to ever live.

Not only that, but Tom was, unknowingly, in the possession of two out of three of the Deathly Hallows. She wasn't entirely certain, but she had a hunch that the black stone in Gaunt Family Ring was actually the Resurrection Stone. He had these powerful artifacts at his disposal. Should he start to turn to darkness, it would be all too easy for him to inflict some real damage.

She shook such thoughts from her head. She had kept a careful watch over Tom these past years and had never seen reason to believe he was turning evil. He knew how she felt about the idea of him turning into a dark wizard. He was ambitious, yes, but so was she. She trusted him.

They stayed and talked with the headmistress some more. She even offered Kieran a teaching position within her school. Kieran was a bit taken back by the offer, but turned it down, claiming that he was tired of teaching for the time being, though he did promise to keep her offer in mind in the future.

Seeing that Kieran had never been to see a movie, Hermione saw fit to rectify that and dragged him to the nearest cinema. It just so happened that 'Sherlock Holmes: The Woman in Green' was playing, and Hermione was so excited at the prospect of watching a movie based on her favorite detective novels when it first came out.

They had to sit in the back, mostly because of Kieran's advanced hearing, but the movie was still quite enjoyable. Even Kieran seemed to like it, once his ears got used to the volume. For the hour duration of the film, Hermione felt like a normal human girl, sitting in a crowded theatre with a bucket of buttery popcorn on her lap, with her grandfather seated beside her. It was almost surreal.

She felt a bit bad about the fact that Tom wasn't with her to experience this with her, but she reassured herself that perhaps she could bring him with her next time. She didn't know what the future had in store for her, but if she had any say in the matter, this wouldn't be the last time she travelled.

Though there were so many things she would have liked to do in America, she knew she couldn't do them all, and instead chose to categorize which she wanted to do the most.

Her last stop in America was to visit a Reservation of Native American Witches and Wizards. She had read about their outstanding skills as Animagi and was thrilled to see actual demonstrations as well as hear their side of the outlandish legend of the skin-walkers. Their distrust of muggles, or no-maj's, as the American's called them, ran deep, and no amount of her insisting that not all of them were bad would change their mind. She chose not to press the matter much more.

Despite their differing opinions, the Native Americans treated her well, as she did as well. The Chief's wife, Maiara, even offered to teach her how to become an animagus herself. The offer was extremely tempting, as she had thought about trying to become one in her original time, but had always held off, knowing how risky the process was. She didn't want to end up looking like a half-animal, half-human hybrid again. She thanked her for the offer but politely turned it down.

"I hope that you will remember our hospitality," said the tribal chief as she prepared to leave. "Know that you are always welcome in our tribe."

Hermione bowed in respect. "Thank you. I will put in a good word for you with Tom when I return home. If anyone can help your voice to be heard in the Ministry, it's him."


Their next destination was Hawaii. In theory, Hawaii wasn't the best place to take a vampire, as the sun was even more powerful and the temperature sweltering. As a result, Kieran was forced to hide away in his coffin for even longer than usual, leaving Hermione to go out and explore the chain of islands whenever she wanted.

Hermione chose to visit Tahiti for sentimental reasons. It wasn't actually the first time she had ever visited the place. Her parents had taken her there on holiday once when she was five-years old for some sort of dentist retreat. She had fond memories of the place; the warm golden sand running through her fingers as she attempted to build a sandcastle with her dad, playing in the water with both her parents, watching the sunset over the volcano.

It seemed only right that she should go back and experience it again as an adult, especially with the only family she had left.

Despite the sun's extra power, Hermione managed to get Kieran out of his coffin to go swimming once.

"I look ridiculous. We both look ridiculous," Kieran grumbled, crossing his arms in front of his bare chest as he stood at the very edge of the water. "I don't care if the heat is unbearable. It's simply improper to show so much skin. We're practically naked!"

Hermione rolled her eyes as she waded out, letting out a sigh of relief as her skin came into contact with the refreshing salt water. She had purchased swimsuits for them from one of the local shops. For her, a colorful, floral print two piece with a skirt, and for him a pair of high-waisted, navy blue swim trunks.

"I'll admit, this style of swimwear is a bit strange, but it's not nearly as bad as what people wear swimming in the 1990's," she said.

He shuddered. "I don't even want to think about it."

It took a while before he was willing to venture out with her again. She even managed to get a nice tan while they were there, something that she hadn't had for a while. Seven years living in the Slytherin Dungeons had seemed to drain the color from her skin. It was nice to have her healthy golden brown coloring back.

Towards the end of their time there, she got him out one last time to hike up a volcano with her. He didn't mind this too much, as he had never actually seen a volcano before, let alone one that was active. Luckily for them it didn't erupt that day. They even managed to get their guide to take a picture of them near the edge.

While Hermione smiled straight at the camera, Kieran couldn't help but glance back nervously.

"Blasted Gryffindor's and their bravery," he mumbled. "Why do I always let them talk me into such dangerous situations?"

Hermione just laughed. He had a point. Maybe there was some Gryffindor left in her after all.