Disclaimer: All characters and things associated with Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. This writing is for pure entertainment only.
Summary: Set in the distant future. Hermione and Ron are about to get married, though Hermione isn't sure if Ron is ready. However, when she is given the chance to see all of her options, Hermione must choose the right path for herself.
CHAPTER 2
The next thing Hermione knew, she was waking up on the couch in a small flat. She let her eyes adjust, glancing around the room. Everything seemed in order, nothing out of its rightful place.
As she glanced around, immediately, she spotted a picture of a slightly older version of herself with Harry at her side sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch she was on. She was sitting over a birthday cake that had the number twenty-eight on it and she was about to blow the candles out.
Hermione shook her head, trying to remember what had happened and where she was, as she sat up off the couch. She remembered taking the potion Mrs. Weasley had given her and moving to the couch. After that—
"Good to see you are up, Miss Granger…" A monotone and familiar voice broke the silence of the room.
Hermione jumped out off of the couch, holding her heart as her head snapped up to see none other then Professor Severus Snape standing in front of her, looking rather bored.
"Professor?" Hermione squinted her eyes, knowing what she was seeing was utterly impossible. Snape had died years ago.
"Don't look so surprised, Miss Granger…when you tamper with old potions sometimes you must realize that the consequence may be dire…"Snape spoke to her as if she was still in her fourth year, meddling over his potions.
Hermione went to say something, but Snape cut her off.
"At any rate, this is not one of those situations. The potion you ingested was one that allows you to look into your futures with the proper guide…" Snape continued to emphasis the words he felt most important in his sentences, just as Hermione remembered him doing years early.
"And you're that proper guide?" Hermione asked. She was slightly surprised that he would guide her anywhere. Sure, she owed him a proper thanks, she owed him her life, but she had never been close to Snape, so she found it odd he would be doing something so personal with her.
"Apparently for this future I am. For each option, a different guide will be provided…" Snape explained.
Hermione nodded, wanting to ask another question, but she was cut off by the front door of the flat opening, and the older version of herself, nearly the same one as in the picture of her and Harry, enter the flat.
Hermione quickly moved behind Professor Snape, worried she would be seen.
"Relax, Miss Granger. You're future self cannot see you…" Snape rolled his eyes at Hermione.
Hermione cleared her throat and nodded, stepping back out around him. "What…what future is this?"
"The one where you end up alone…" Snape gave a small smile.
Hermione furrowed her eyebrows and watched the thirty-year-old version of herself move into the kitchen, swatting Crookshanks off the table.
"Crookshanks, down! I've only got an hour for lunch from the Ministry…" The Older Hermione swatted at the cat.
"In this future, you left Ron before the wedding…but you weren't over him and you end up with no one…" Snape said, his eyes glued to the older version of his former student.
Hermione nodded. It seemed fitting that he would be the one to show her this future, given what she knew about how much he had loved Lily Potter and never ended up with her. Maybe this was her future if she stayed on the path that Snape had when it came to love.
The older version of Hermione picked up a newpaper from the table that Crookshanks had been sitting on, reading it quickly.
"Looks like Harry had another baby…a little girl…" Older Hermione told Crookshanks as she put the paper down.
Hermione's brow furrowed at the mention of Harry's baby. Why would she have to read something like that? They were friends, weren't they?
Snape seemed to read Hermione's mind. "After you left Weasley, things became strained with you and Potter because Potter married that Weasely girl…"
"Ginny…" Hermione corrected Snape.
Snape nodded. "Potter tried to stay friends with you, but it proved too difficult and well…he married into the Weasley's…"
"So it was easier to lose me." Hermione nodded, understanding now that in this future, she would lose Ron, Harry, and the Weasley's.
A knock on the door startled both Hermione and the older version of herself.
"Coming!" Older Hermione yelled, moving swiftly toward the door and opening it.
Hermione was shocked to see the thirty-year-old version of herself stepped aside to let none other then the thirty-one-year-old version of Cormac McLaggen enter her home. She was positive it was him; he looked practically the same.
"I've only got twenty minutes left on my lunch break…lets make it quick." Cormac was tossing his jacket off.
"Oh…okay…" The older version of Hermione seemed flustered but nodded and took Cormac by the hand, leading him into a room off the kitchen.
Hermione went to step forward, to follow the older version of herself. She was so confused. What was McLaggen doing there and where were they going?
Snap stopped Hermione, putting a hand in front of her. "I don't think you want to go into the bedroom and see that…"
"See what? Is that Cormac?" Hermione pointed at the room.
Snape nodded, saying nothing, as the sudden grunts of Cormac penetrated the air.
Hermione made a face at Snape before horror struck across her features as she heard the older version of herself moan a bit from the bedroom.
"What…are…" Hermione blushed at Snape, mortified at what she and her least favorite professor could currently hear.
Snape cocked an eyebrow at Hermione. "As you can tell from the lovely noises, Miss Granger…you and Mr. McLaggen are…involved…"
Hermione's face blushed red as she avoided eye contact with Snape, the noises still coming from her bedroom.
"Miss Granger…don't you want to know why you are with McLaggen? He isn't exactly who you thought you would end up with, is he?" Snape asked, speaking over the sound.
"Uh…sure…" Hermione nodded uncomfortably as Cormac's grunts from the other room got louder.
"You ran into McLaggen at the Ministry. He was visiting his uncle though he made a point of coming by your office on more then one occasion. After a few months you broke down and allowed him to buy you a drink. Before you knew it, you were drunk, a wonderful sight that was I may add, and next thing you knew…well…" Snape motioned to her bedroom of the future.
"I…I don't believe that…" Hermione shook her head. She was not that kind of women.
"Oh, believe it, Miss Granger. You had a rather large amount of time on your hand when you walked away from Weasley, considering not many of your mutual friends took kindly to you hurting him…" Snape said, no emotion in his voice.
"How long have I been dating….Cormac…?" Hermione struggled on the name as she noticed the sounds from her room had now silenced.
"Oh you are not dating him. No, rather, he comes here to get what he needs…" Snape said.
Hermione's mouth dropped opened just as the older version of Comrac emerged from Hermione's bedroom. This made no sense; she was not the kind of girl who slept with just anyone, just especially not someone she was not even dating. She wouldn't even sleep with Ron yet, and they were engaged!
"Thanks!" Cormac fixed the top button on his pants and grinned at the bedroom door he had just emerged from. Without waiting for a response, he was quickly out of the flat.
Hermione stood next to Snape, her mouth starring at the door Cormac had just walked out of. She could not believe she allowed his to happen in the future. Cormac was clearly just using her for sex, why wouldn't the future version of herself not be able to see that?
As Hermione tried to wrap her mind around what she was seeing in this version of her future, the thirty-year-old version of herself emerged from her bedroom, looking rather flushed and guilty.
"Don't look at me like that…" The older version of Hermione said to Crookshanks who was standing in front of her as she moved into the kitchen.
The cat purred to at the older version of Hermione.
"Its better then being alone…" The older version of Hermione said to the cat and then grabbed her purse, moving toward the fireplace and flooing out of the flat.
Hermione felt tears rising in her eyes as she watched the older version of herself disappear from the flat. She felt numb, used, though she had not been the one actually used. She felt awful for herself in the future. This couldn't be what she wanted, not really. Even the older version of herself could not possibly want this.
"Perhaps…we should go see how Mr. Weasley is coping in this future…" Snape said.
Hermione shook her head. She did not want to see Ron hurting, or worse, happy.
"You don't have a choice, Miss Granger. Not to mention, there is more to this future then what you saw right now…this isn't your life forever…" Snape said.
Before Hermione could respond, she felt Snape grab her hand and a swirling sensation filled her already spinning mind.
Hermione focused her eyes as she felt her feet connect with the ground and Snape let go of her hand. She immediately recognized their surroundings as the Leaky Cauldron. It looked exactly the same as it had when she was eighteen and in a way it comforted her, knowing that certain things never changed.
As Hermione began to scan the room her eyes immediately fell on a flaming redhead sitting at the bar. She knew that hair, those broad shoulders, instantly. It was Ron; an older version of Ron, but it was Ron, and he was just as handsome as ever.
"Ah, yes…Weasley…" Snape nodded in the direction Hermione was looking in. "And Potter."
Hermione turned her attention from Ron to the dark-haired, older version of Harry sitting next to Ron, a smile on his face. It was so strange to see the two most important men in her life sitting there in their thirties and she wasn't with them.
"Hey! Two more please! We are celebrating!" The Older version of Ron shouted at the bar tender, pointing to the two shot glasses in front of himself and Harry.
"What are they celebrating?" Hermione asked, though she wasn't exactly sure she wanted to know. Both boys seemed so happy, despite her absence, and she couldn't help but feel slightly bothered. It had always been the three of them, not just the boys.
"The birth of Potter's youngest daughter…Lily…" Snape seemed to choke on the name.
Hermione nodded silently. She remembered watching the older version of herself read that news in the paper.
Hermione watched as the shots of fire whiskey were sent to Ron and Harry and Ron stood up, holding his shotglass high and turning to the rest of the bar. "Attention, everyone! Lets congratulate my good friend Harry over here for finally having a beautiful little girl! My niece is perfect!"
The crowd in the Leaky Cauldron cheered wildly, clearly not forgetting what Harry had done for the Wizarding World.
Hermione couldn't help but smile a bit at the goofy grin on Harry's face. She was happy for him; he deserved to have a wonderful family in the future.
However, Hermione's smile quickly faded as she watched the door to the Leaky Cauldron open and an older version of Cho Chang enter, briskly making her way over to Ron and Harry and landing a kiss on Ron's lips.
"Congratulations, Harry! I came back from Bulgaria as soon as I heard!" Cho told Harry, warmly hugging him.
"Thanks, Cho." Harry smiled back.
Hermione fought back the tears in her eyes as she watched Ron lovingly rub Cho's back and order her a drink.
"Wondering what Weasley is doing with Miss Chang?" Snape guessed.
Hermione nodded silently, a tear spilling out of her eye. She hated to see someone touch Ron like that. It reminded her of sixth year, when Lavender Brown had spent most of her time on top of Ron, sickening Hermione even then, when she was still unsure of her feelings for Ron.
"After you walked out on him, Potter thought it would be a good idea to take Weasley to a Quidditch Match…at the match he ran into Miss Chang, the two reconnected and eventually began dating…" Snape explained.
Hermione nodded silently again. It was her fault that Ron was with Cho. Still, she needed to know one thing, since it seemed she had caused Ron so much heartache. "Is…is Ron happy with her?"
"Why don't we see?" Snape said, grabbing Hermione's hand again and instantly the same swirling sensation from earlier entered the young witches head.
