Love Finds a Way
Chapter 1
Hermione stepped out of the floo and into her small flat. It had been a long day full of boring meetings. She quickly dropped her belongings into the nearest chair, taking her shoes off as she did so. With an annoyed look at her arm, she undid the glamour charm. If left too long, it started to itch.
Normally, Hermione wouldn't glamour the damn scar, but with so many important meetings, it just made the day a little easier.
After the dust settled from the war, their entire story was leaked and published. Everyone wanted a glimpse of the Golden Trio. Hermione's mudblood scar became similar to Harry's lightning bolt one. Everyone wanted a glimpse and would gawk at her arm when they did finally see it.
She made her way through her homey flat and into the kitchen, where a bottle of wine was practically screaming her name. Pouring herself a modest dose, she contemplated what to do with the rest of her evening. Crookshanks, her dear aging half-kneazle rubbed against her legs, vying for attention. Hermione picked up her wine class and found a comfy spot on the sofa. The ever-cuddly cat curled into a ball beside her, content to sleep while she watched some favourite programmes. Just as she was about the flick on the telly, the chime of her floo went off.
Green flames assaulted her vision. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to see her best friend standing in front of her. Harry Potter's messy black hair had calmed some with age, but it was still wild in its own right. His emerald eyes, his defining feature, were just as sharp as ever. Age and stability suited Harry just fine. His hair was longer, mostly to cover his scar, but he also grew an impressive beard. It wasn't long, he kept it nicely trimmed. Mostly at the bequest of Ginny.
"Hiya Mione! Sorry to drop in like this but I couldn't catch you at work before you left."
"Hey Harry. It's no problem. Not like I have a lot going on tonight anyway."
Harry looked at her with piercing eyes but laughed good naturedly at her comment.
"Well that's actually why I wanted to catch you before you left. Ginny wanted me to invite you to dinner and..."
Hermione, knowing where this was going cut him off, "… And you being you forgot to ask me when you were told to ask. So rather than go home to an irate Ginny, you came here before you went home."
"Yeah, sounds about right." Rather than look sheepish, Harry looked rather pleased with himself after this exchange.
Hermione sighed. She was really looking forward to this glass of wine. Good thing Ginny always serves plenty.
"Alright, give me a second to change out of these blasted robes."
Hermione then got up from her comfy spot. Crookshanks gave her an undesirable glance before drifting back to sleep. Her room was the only other one in the flat. It was modest, but just the right size for her. The walls where filled with pictures of her friends, most of which smiled and waved at her as she walked in the room. The few muggle pictures that were in the room where of her parents.
These pictures always left a pang in her heart. After the war, she was able to restore their memories. It had taken a few months for them to fully forgive her but once they had, it was like old times. She was incredibly thankful that they were able to forgive her at all. They even had a weekly tea to catch up.
Tossing her work robes off, Hermione found a nice pair of jeans and a comfortable sweater. She saw no point in dressing up just for her best friends. The sweater was an olive green with puffy sleeves. Looking at herself in the mirror, she checked that she looked presentable. Her hair seemed particularly unruly after her stressful day but still nothing like her first year. Thank the gods it had calmed down some.
Hermione walked back out of her room to see Harry sitting in her original spot with Crookshanks curled in his lap. He always did have a soft spot for Harry.
"Ready if you are." Hermione said to Harry as she entered the room.
"Right, lets get a move one then. I don't fancy an irritated Gin."
Stepping into the floo, Hermione took the powder in her hand. "Grimmauld Place!" she shouted as the green flames engulfed her. Once the spinning stopped, she stepped out of the fireplace and into the older Order headquarters. Before she made it a couple of steps in, Harry came out of the floo and strolled quickly past her.
"Gin! We're here!" Harry yelled in no particular direction.
"It's about time Harry Potter! You were supposed to be home forever ago." Ginny hollered back and she flew through the kitchen door and into Harry's arms. Their bickering may sound unkind to some, but Hermione knew better. This kind of batter came from true love.
"Hermione! I'm so glad you're here! Where have you been all week? I wanted to get lunch with you earlier, but your secretary said you were out. You also haven't been answering any of my owls. If Harry hadn't told me he had seen you at work, I would have had an entire search party after you."
"Woah, Ginny. Slow down. I'm sorry I haven't replied. It's been a hell of a week trying to get this new dark artifact inspection bill perfected. It'll be presented at the Wizenagmot next week so the whole department is trying to work out the kinks and kill the loopholes."
With a smirk playing his lips, Harry strolled into the kitchen, "you always were a smart witch. No loopholes will help me out a lot."
"Yes Harry, because I make sure there aren't loopholes so that your job is easier." Hermione rolled her eyes and then sat down at the table across from Harry and Ginny. Ginny filled and handed a glass of wine to her. This was an often occurrence. She loved to spend time with the pair and missed seeing them as much as they did in their youth.
"What have you been up to Ginny? How's work?" Hermione asked her friend as she sipped her wine.
"Same old, same old really. I get up ridiculously early for workouts in Holyhead, have practice, and then come home. Honestly, if they would make practice later in the day, I wouldn't be so bloody bored in the afternoons. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have all afternoon to get my errands done. But I don't have errands every day and everyone else has normal jobs. Plus, there's only so much mum I can take in a week. Anyway, short answer, is that its good. We are getting ready for our game against the tornadoes next week. Which should be a shoe in as long as our new seeker, Genevieve can keep her head out of her arse long enough to find the snitch."
This last bit had Hermione practically rolling. She still wasn't much into quidditch but tried for the sake of her friend. It wasn't that she didn't understand the sport, just that she didn't understand why it all was such a big deal. There were so many other, more important ways to pass time that to watch or talk about Quidditch.
"I'm glad she's starting to work out for you. You had a couple of really rough games there at the beginning."
"You have no idea. She was a nightmare. How she was ever recruited onto the team is still a mystery to me."
Conversation flowed nicely over the chicken pot pie supper that Kreacher made them. Hermione still wasn't happy about the slavery of house elves, but she managed to calm down some. She saw firsthand how much an elf loves and needs their own family. With the right treatment, Kreacher had become a part of the Potter family.
"Alright, so I have a confession Mione. I had a bit of an agenda for tonight."
Hermione should have expected as much from the red headed witch. She was always scheming something. Usually on behalf of her love life.
"What's the agenda, Gin? It better not be another blind date. The last guy was absolutely terrible. I would have preferred to be stood up than dealt with him."
Ginny just waved off this comment. "It is technically a blind date…But! Not a bad on like last time. I've already apologized for that. He was the brother of my teammate. How was I to know he would make a troll look like merlin. Anyway, I have actually met the guy before. However, in the interest of it being a true blind date, I'm not going to tell you his name. You'll just have to trust me when I say that he's bloody gorgeous and would suit you just fine."
"You're really not going to even tell me his name? That doesn't even make sense Gin. How will I know who he is or set up the date?"
"Oh pish. Stop your fussing. It's already been taken care of. He knows who you are, and not because you're the golden princess, I might add. He proposed three dates and times for you to pick from and I will relay the message back to him. He will then meet you at the restaurant for a lovely dinner." As she finished, Ginny looked mighty pleased with herself.
"Why the secrecy though? And if I already know him, then why can't he just ask me himself?" Hermione questioned, her curiosity winning over the more logical side of her.
"He would ask you himself, but he asked me for advice and its more fun this way. Besides, what's life without a little adventure?" Hermione gave an unlady like snort at this. Oh, the adventures she had taken.
"I've had enough uncertainty and adventure to last me a lifetime."
"Here, here!" Harry seconded Hermione's retort.
"Says the man who heads the Auror department. You have a new case every other week and adventures to follow. I'll never know how you do it Harry."
"You make it sounds so glamourous. Without old Voldy and his band of idiots, it practically a walk in the park."
"Alright, whatever you say. Do you know who this bloke is your wife is trying to set me up with? I really don't want a repeat of last time." Hermione asked Harry. Ever since her last relationship, he's been overly protective of her when it comes to dating. Sometimes it's rather annoying, but if he approved, then it really couldn't be all that bad.
"For once, I actually do know of my wife's antics and I really do think you should go out with him. The only thing I have to say is this: it's been five years since the war ended. Make sure to give the guy a real chance. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the outcome."
This had the gears in Hermione's head working overtime. Who could this man possibly be? Both seemed to like him well enough. Harry was even encouraging her to overlook possible past indiscretions. Too curious to pass this up, she asked Ginny for the proposed dates and times.
March 7th, 12th, or 22nd all at 7.00.
"Well the 12th won't do since that's usually my long day at work. I suppose the 7th would be the best date. Will you help me before the date though? I never know what to wear to these things. Also, where is the date? You know I like to be prepared."
Ginny simply rolled her eyes at her best friend. "Of course, I'll come over to help. I know exactly what you should wear! I'll let him know you've accepted and what day. He'll tell me where you're going, but you should expect moderately fancy."
"Merlin help me Gin. This better not be some ridiculous, flashy wizard. I'm tired of going on dates with men that think I'm simply a way to boost their credibility." Hermione would never forget the seemingly nice, normal man she went on a date with before Christmas. He was only capable of talking about himself and how wonderful it would be to have invitations to the more upscale parties if it were known that he was close with any member of the golden trio. That night ended very abruptly when she had informed him that she didn't party and had intentions of starting.
"You'll be fine. Promise. It should be a really good date. I'll let you know where you're going when I come to help you get ready on Friday. Make sure you leave the office by 5:00. If you aren't in your flat by then, I will come get you."
Hermione just waved her off. Her threats didn't scare Hermione in the slightest. "Yeah, yeah. I'll do my best." As she said this a realization hit. "Bloody hell, really not giving this any time, are we? Two days isn't much time. What will he think of me?"
This time it was Harry that spoke up, "Don't you worry about that. He wouldn't have offered up a date that was so soon if he didn't want to go at that time. It's going to be alright and I think you'll have a good time if you let yourself."
With a sigh, Hermione relented. They weren't going to slip up and give her more information anytime soon. She'll just have to wait until Friday.
"Alright, I'll do my best. You know I'm not good at this stuff. Anyway, I should get going. It's getting late and it's been a long day." Hermione went to hug her friends goodbye before she left. Harry still had a hard time accepting hugs, but he long ago accepted that Hermione was a hugger. When she got to Ginny, she gave the witch a stern look and said, "You tell me if he has any qualms about the 7th. I don't want to start out on the wrong foot."
Ginny just hugged Hermione without a reply. No need to encourage the ridiculous witch's worries.
"Night Mione, I'll see you at work tomorrow. I have a case that needs consultation."
"Night. Alright I'll see you then. Night, Gin." At the last goodbye, Hermione stepped into the floo and began her quick travel home. She loved spending time with her friends, but she had really been looking forward to a night for herself.
When she stepped out of the floo, she checked the clock hanging on the wall. It was almost 9:00 and she had another long day ahead of her. Sighing, Hermione made her way to her bedroom to get some much-needed sleep. A shower could wait until morning.