A/N: Thank you BooksandMoons4ever, for point out that the document loaded funny... it should be fixed now. And thanks to Smurfette for being a quick and wonderful Beta.
Hermione woke up the next morning, naked, content, and pressed up against her best friend turned lover. She let out a yawn followed by a stretch and a smile before cuddling closer to the warm body she was currently entangled in.
"Morning," a groggy voice whispered from behind her.
Hermione smiled and turned over, "Morning."
"How did you sleep?" he asked.
Hermione blushed a little, "Better then I have in a long time – way better."
Harry let out a chuckle and pulled her closer to him, "No regrets, yeah?"
"No Harry, no regrets." He leaned over and pressed his lips to hers once again. "So what do you want to do today?" he asked after pulling away.
"Ministry – I want to file for divorce so I can start to live again."
Harry smiled and rolled on top of her, placing himself between her legs. "We'll go in a few minutes," he said while wiggling his eyebrows causing Hermione to giggle.
Two hours later, Harry and Hermione entered the ministry and went straight for the department that handled marriages and divorces. They walked into a small waiting room where Harry took a seat and Hermione went up to the window.
"Can I help you dear?" the elderly witch asked with a smile.
"Uh, umm, yes ma'am, I would like to file for divorce and I need to know what it takes to do so."
The elderly witch looked at Hermione with a sadness in her eyes, "Divorce is never easy but I will try to make it as easy for you as possible."
Hermione gave the woman a smile.
"Come dear, we will talk in my office."
Hermione waved for Harry to follow and the woman led them through the halls to a small office.
"Now dear, Is this your husband?"
"No, this is Harry Potter... my best friend."
"And your name dear?"
"Hermione Thomas, formally Hermione Granger."
"Will you be going back to Granger or keeping Thomas?" the old woman asked.
"I am going to be Granger again," Hermione replied firmly.
The old woman smiled and nodded, "Alright, what is your husband's full name?"
Hermione took in a deep breath, "Blake Edward Thomas".
The old woman sitting across from her suddenly dropped her quill and looked right at her, "This isn't the Blake Thomas who's parents are Dave and Wendy?" (couldn't resist)
Hermione swallowed thickly and nodded a yes. The old woman sighed and slumped back in her chair, "You're a lucky one, you are."
"Come again?"
"I said you are a lucky one for getting away from him."
Hermione looked over to Harry, who shrugged in response. "Did you know my husband?"
The woman nodded, "I've know him since he was a boy... that one's just not right."
"How?"
"Alright, do you have a few minutes for a little story?" Hermione and Harry nodded immediately.
"I was a neighbor of Dave and Wendy Thomas. I was even there when young Blake was born." The woman paused for a minute, "Blake was never quite right – something always seemed off even when he was a baby."
"How so?" Harry asked.
"Cried all the time, he would manipulate people starting at 6 months old. The older her got, the more he released odd vibes and I started to distance myself. When he was 7, I caught him torturing a cat and when I confronted him, he told me the voices told him to do it... I stayed away from him altogether after that."
"What happened then?" Hermione asked.
The old woman shook her head, "I didn't see him again till he was a teen – 15, I believe, and he had a young witch with him – Matilda Bricksworth. Matilda was reported as missing a few days later and never seen again – I told the Ministry that I saw Blake with her but they disregarded me and classified her as a runaway."
"They never investigated?"
"Never... said he was only a kid and couldn't be responsible for anything. Two years later, his house burnt to the ground with his parents in it. He acted upset when others were around but I saw different. His parents were buried in the back of the property. One day I watched while he visited them -- he sat on their graves and burnt matches while laughing – I moved a few days later and never went back."
Hermione sat there with her mouth open while Harry went bug eyed.
"A divorce normally takes a few weeks to process," the woman stated. "But under these circumstances... I will push the papers through immediately and you will be Hermione Granger again by the time you leave here."
Hermione sighed in relief – her husband was a nut case. The entire process had only taken three hours and by the time they walked out, Hermione was Hermione Granger once again.
"How do you feel?" Harry asked.
"Free," she replied. "I feel free and I feel as if I'm getting a chance to start over."
Harry smiled and looped her arm into his, "I say a celebration lunch is in order."
Hermione giggled but her thoughts were elsewhere. She couldn't help but wonder about Matilda and what became of her – she knew what her husband was capable of and she didn't have a doubt in her mind that Blake was responsible. When lunch arrived, Harry and Hermione shared the same looks as if they were considering something – Matilda.
"What do you think? Do you think she dead?" Harry asked.
Hermione shrugged, "It's possible, but something just feels wrong about it – like there's more to it."
Harry nodded in agreement before his face went into a large smile. "What's the look for, Harry?"
"Oh, I don't know. I guess I was just thinking on how long it has been since we'd gone on a little – adventure."
She quirked an eyebrow.
"Matilda – what if there is more to it? What if she wasn't the only one?"
"Oh Merlin, Harry. Are you really considering search for her?"
Harry nodded a yes, "The adventure of it might bring the old you back."
Hermione considered him for a bit and the situation. A little adventure would probably do her some good, after all, she just couldn't sit around and mope – it was up to her to get her life back and a little research and good old fashioned brain work might just do the trick.
"So we head to Kent tomorrow?" She asked with a smile.
"Tomorrow," he replied with a grin.
She felt bad about Matilda, but if they could find her or discover what happened to her, maybe they could put a family at peace. She also couldn't help but feel excited at using her brain for something other then remembering what days her EX-husband came home early, or his favorite meal or what sleeping clothes he preferred. She was excited and anxious to get started.