Hermione desperately tried not to show the cloaked figure how much her legs were shaking. To cover up her fear, she allowed her face to show no emotion. Her wand was still on the figure as it took a step closer. Hermione froze as it came closer. All she could think about was the time Harry told her about the dark shape that had unicorn blood dripping from its lips he had seen in the Forbidden Forest during their first year. Although it had only been Quirrel, she was still frightened of the image.
The figure tilted its head and examined her more closely. Hermione took a deep breath before tightening her grip around her wand and demand, "What do you want?"
"I wanted to see you." It answered, but the figure's deep voice sounded more like a man's. But she did not put her guard down just yet.
The cloaked man strolled around her with his hands behind his back. She still could not see his face even as he went into the moonlight. She could feel his eyes on her the whole time, making her feel uncomfortable.
"That was an interesting speech you gave, Ms. Granger," he continued. "Were you frightened at all, I mean, during your time with Roland?"
Hermione lowered her wand and glared at him. "No, of course not," she answered and made sure the annoyance in her voice was loud and clear.
"Well, what did you do after he died?" The man asked and crossed his arms.
Hermione's free hand curled into a fist. "I told you in the speech, I stayed at the cottage."
"There was no one else in the picture?"
She had to admit she was shocked by his question. It angered her, a complete stranger asking her personal questions like this. She crossed her arms and gave him a murderous look. "How can I see someone else after all of that?"
His eyes beneath his hood lingered over her for a second. He moved silently around the bench, studying her. She kept her eyes on him at all times. Hermione felt goose bumps appear on her skin as he would occasionally take a step closer and then back again. And throughout the entire time one thought kept flashing through Hermione's mind: Who did this guy think he was?
"So there's nothing going on between you and that red head?" He asked her. He almost spat out the words 'red head'.
Hermione's eyes widened as she knew he meant Ron. "We're not seeing each other like that."
"Have you seen the way he looks at you?" The man shot back, making her turn scarlet. She was thankful it was dark out. She did not wanting whoever this was under the hood to see her turn as red as a tomato.
"We're not dating," Hermione replied angrily. "We never did and we never will."
She could have sworn she heard him let out a sigh of relief, which was followed by a small chuckle. Hermione's face fell and she looked around frantically, seeing if there was any one near enough to hear her. He took another step closer to her. Now he was three feet in front of her and she still could not see his face, not even the outlining of his nose. Her breathing became quick and heavy as her heart began to pound against her chest.
"So after all these years, you didn't have the heart to replace me?" The man asked and she heard the amusement in his voice.
Hermione gave him a strange look, wondering what on Earth he was talking about. But it was enough to make her snap. She stamped her foot down and snapped at him, "Who do you think you are?" And with that, Hermione pulled off his hood. She gasped when she saw his face.
They stood in silence for what seemed like hours but were merely seconds. Hermione was in shock as she looked upon his scarred face made by all the curses thrown at him. His black hair was slightly longer and hung over his tired eyes. She could not believe he was standing in front of her, alive. She could not help but bring her hand up against his cheek to make sure he was actually there.
"Roland?" Her voice cracked as his hand rested on hers. He nodded as he watched her brown eyes begin to water. He could not believe she was there, right in front of him. He was actually touching her hand that rested on his cheek while his other wrapped around her waist.
"But… how? You died right in front of me." Hermione said quietly.
Roland smiled at her. "I told you the Dark Lord wouldn't come between us. That heartless father of mine only managed to knock me out for a few days."
"But there was so much blood and you were in so much pain. I don't know–"
He quieted her by putting a finger on her lips. "Shush," he said to her softly. "Let's ask questions later. You don't know how long I've been searching for you."
They were so close now that Hermione could feel his breath touch her face. Roland was inches apart from her lips. Her eyes began to close as his hands fell to her waist, bring her so her body was pressed against his. Hermione's hands wrapped around his neck and she looked into his gently green eyes.
Roland's lips barely brushed against hers when they heard the sound of little footsteps behind them. Hermione's head fell onto his chest as Roland cursed under his breath. His eyes searched around for the source of the sounds. Caden came out from around the corner of the bush, looking excited and rather pleased with himself.
"Mama, Laurie and I–" He stopped when he saw her with Roland.
Hermione felt her heart race with excitement, causing her to give him a huge grin. After all these years, Caden was finally going to meet his father for the first time. She felt Roland's embrace slowly loosened as his head turned towards the direction of Caden. Hermione cleared her throat and smiled at Roland then at Caden.
"Caden," she said softly. "This is–"
"Daddy, you made it!" The little boy said happily and ran up to his father. Roland grinned at him and picked up his son. Hermione gapped as Caden hugged him and then proceeded to inform him of whatever happened between him and Laurie.
"We got a hold of one of the flying ribbons and it tripped that woman Mama doesn't like. What's her name?" He asked turning to his mother. "Isn't it Skeeter?"
Hermione stared at them both dumbfounded. Caden gave her a confused look as Roland placed him down on the ground. He tugged at Roland's pant's leg, saying "Come on, Daddy. You've got to see this. Her wand turned her hair green, eyebrows too!"
"Hold on a second," Hermione told her son. She looked at Roland. "You know each other? When did you meet?"
"Daddy went after my bear when an owl took it away," Caden answered for him. "Remember that day when we went shopping?"
She was not sure if she should have been angry that Caden talked to a complete stranger that might not have been his father, or at the fact they both kept it a secret from her for three days. Caden noticed the look of rage that had formed in her eyes. He quickly explained it. "I knew it was Daddy because he looked exactly like you told me. You said he had that scar on his eye."
"Hermione," Roland said to her, trying to calm her down. "He looks exactly like me, only," he looked down at Caden. "He's got your eyes." She sent him a murderous look.
"And the fact he was chasing after my bear confirmed it," he added quickly.
"Mama," Caden said, "You understand, don't you?"
She shook her head and glared at Roland. "I don't know why you both kept this from me. Roland, I had a right to know you were alive and back. It would've made my speech a lot easier, knowing you were alive. I was practically bawling my eyes out in front of everyone!"
"But Mama," Caden protested as he stamped his foot on the ground. "We needed to do this. I was in… de-denial!"
Her eyebrows rose. "Why were you in denial?"
"He didn't know what to get you." Roland explained quickly.
She looked back at him. "Why would he have to get me anything?"
Roland rolled his eyes and slapped his forehead. "I don't think she even knows what day it is, Caden." He muttered to his son, who nodded in return.
"Of course I know what today is," Hermione told them. "It's September 19th."
They both exchanged glances and rolled their eyes. Roland finally wrapped his arms around her waist and said to her, "Happy Birthday, Hermione," before his lips pressed against hers. Though she did not expect it, Hermione eagerly deepened the kiss as she wrapped her arms around Roland's neck. Words could not describe how happy she was to be back in Roland's strong embrace and having her chest pressed against his. Caden could not help but turn away in disgust as his cheeks redden.
In all of his 32 years of living, Roland had never experienced heartache much like this. When he was five and his favorite uncle died, Roland was miserable for sometime, but had to learn to hide it. No one, not even his mother, seemed to care that his uncle was gone. Perhaps it was his father who had forced him not to show any signs of weakness that made him become so cold towards others. But Hermione changed everything. He had never felt this empty before.
He would have never believed he could love anyone else, either as a brother or a lover. He never tried to show affection before because whenever he did, he would end up getting hurt. He gave up thinking one day someone will love him in return and he would be happy. He never thought about becoming a husband or a father. If you had told him on his twenty-fourth birthday that he would actually fall in love with a muggle-born girl in less than a year's time, Roland might have cursed at you to shut up and made the rest of your life a living hell for the fun of it. He never once had dreams in which he would settle down and become a family man. It had, and would have always been a Death Eater's life for him.
Roland had been sent to an abandon village one day when his father received news that Potter and his band of friends might be hiding out there. His father told him specifically to destroy the other two that were with him after they had killed four of their best Death Eaters. His father wanted Potter to suffer a horrible loss that would make him vulnerable and easy to defeat. He had been surprised that his father had honored him with such an important task. But Roland did what he was told without asking a single question, but had second thoughts about the assignment when he discovered the person who had dared to throw a rock at the back of his head.
After a few years, Hermione and the baby became the one and only thing that made him wake up in the morning. Roland never found out what exactly made his father realize that he had been hiding Hermione in the old Riddle house, much less figure out that she was pregnant. But he and several others came that night and demanded for him to hand her and the baby over. Binky was able to warn him and Roland was able to tell her how to escape from her cell. After trying to attempt murder on him and discovering Hermione had escaped, his father left the house. Roland spent the next few years trying to track Hermione down and had no luck.
When Voldemort finally fell, Roland could not have been happier than the day Hermione told him he was going to be a father. Although Roland was able to search for Hermione without the worries of his father and his crew, he had to keep it low. If anyone was to discover that he had been a Death Eater, or even Voldemort's son, he would get a one way ticket to Azkaban. He was also positive that those who had yet to be caught would search for him and demand for him to succeed his father. Roland spent his nights in Muggle London and a few hours of his day eavesdropping on conversations for any news of Hermione in Diagon Alley.
As the days of Hermione's birthday approached, the fourth one he had missed since he knew her, Roland kept his time occupied by trying to find the perfect gift as though he would be seeing her. He had his heart sent on a lovely green dress he saw as he passed by a shop. He had been picturing her in the dress when he heard a young boy's voice begin to panic behind him. He looked up and saw a blue teddy bear in grasp of a large gray owl.
Roland could not help but notice how much it looked like the one he had when he was little. Within a flash, his wand was in his hands and he was muttering a spell for the owl to drop it. It would not harm the owl, just give him a shock that would cause him to let go of the bear. Roland caught the bear as it fell down into an alleyway. It felt an awful lot like his old bear, the one he had asked Hermione to give to their child after he or she had been born. He looked more closely at the bear's left foot, and right above the small hole, Roland could barely make out the two letters 'RR', practically invisible to the naked eye. Roland's eyes widened, this was his bear.
"Sir, can I please have my bear back?" The boy's voice he had heard earlier asked from behind and caused him to turn around.
They both said nothing for a while as each examined the other. One look at the boy and Roland knew this was his child staring back at him though he barely believed it. Roland did his best to act as normally as he could, even with the realization his long-lost son was standing before him and he was looking at him for the first time. He looked as though he could have passed for Roland when he was a child. Roland had been keeping track and the boy was around four, same age as his child would be. And Roland would have known those beautiful brown eyes anywhere, they were Hermione's.
"I… um, here," Roland said and handed back the teddy bear. He silently cursed himself. After four years of constantly searching and waiting to meet his child, that was the best he could think of? Roland felt his cheeks go red as the boy continued to look at him as though he had no right to own a wand. He did not take the bear back as quickly as Roland would have expected. Rather, the boy studied every inch of his face.
His dark eyes lingered over the scar that vertically crossed Roland's own eye. "My daddy has a scar like that." The boy told him as he took a step closer towards Roland. "My mama said he got it from You-Know-Who. How did you get yours?"
Roland ran his fingers over his scar, remembering that day. "I got it from the Dark Lord, too. I wouldn't do what he asked of me." Roland said softly, and looked back at the boy.
The boy's face fell and his eyes widened. "Daddy?"