*EDIT- I just had to change some ages I really hadn't thought through considering later chapters. All that has changed is Nicole and Jack's ages from 16 and 17, to 18 and 19.*

AN: I feel kind of proud at how much faster this update came out than the last one. Thank you so much to my new Beta reader GarnetAles who made this chapter infinitely more readable. This chappie is Mrs Granger centric, so more background information for you guys. I recently started driving lessons, I am really excited. I pity for other drivers. And pedestrians. Enjoy

-EtB-

She was broken out of her musings by the sound of the front door opening and two pairs of footsteps bringing bags of shopping in. Once the front door closed finally, she heard a female voice call out.

"We're back."

Miranda Granger looked towards Hermione as she came through the door from the hallway. Her daughter looked around at everyone in the room and called out, "Hi."

A chorus of hellos sounded in reply from across the room as Hermione leaned against the doorjamb.

Miranda could hear Draco opening and closing cupboards in the kitchen, no doubt putting the shopping away. Hermione moved out to go and help him unpack the groceries when Anne called out to halt her, "Hermione dear, how have you been?"

Hermione turned back to the occupants of the living room, sticking her head through the door frame to converse with her aunt, "I'm good, thanks, and how are you?"

"I'm well, thank you. So are you going to tell us about your fiancé out there?" Miranda could see how excited Anne looked at the prospect of knowing all about Draco before the others got there later, just barely refraining from bouncing in her seat.

Miranda wondered how Hermione was going to explain her and Draco's history together. She could hardly tell the truth! Somehow: 'We met at my school for people with magic. We fought together against a dark wizard, and then together we took a memory charm off my parents, that, by the way, is why they were in Australia. They didn't even remember me!' didn't seem like a reasonable way to put it.

"Yeah, just give me a second. I'd better go and help before he starts complaining about putting everything away on his own. Be right back." Hermione said before leaving the room.

Miranda looked towards her husband. Richard also looked intrigued as to how their daughter was going to describe the story. He raised an eyebrow, Miranda silently chuckling in return. Both could hear the start of male grumbling from the kitchen.

Analise seemed impatient, Miranda noted. Analise had never been a nice girl; she grew up very spoiled by her parents. Hermione was an only child too, but they had never acted the way Anne and Sam did towards Analise. She always seemed to be on the lookout for some sort of malicious gossip or new information she could boast about knowing before others, rather like her mother in that respect. Miranda expected this time to be no different.

Martha on the other hand, she thought, was a sweet girl at heart. She however, was so wrapped up in idolising her cousin, Analise, being a year younger and attending the same school that she had lost her own identity entirely. It was a pity Miranda thought. If only she got a chance to be herself and not a reflection of Analise.

Hermione's other cousins were a mixed bunch. Tom, the oldest at 24, was Richard's eldest and only brother, Daniel's, son. He had grown into a pleasant man and got on well with Hermione. He always seemed to stick up for Hermione when they were smaller. Tom's younger brother Jack, who was 19, was always grouped together with Martha's 18 year old sister, Rachel. No doubt because of their similar ages.

Hermione had two other cousins on the Granger side of the family, Rory and Nicole. They were Emma's children.

-EtB-

Miranda could hear Hermione and Draco making their way towards them, as they came through the doorway; she had to hold back a laugh. Draco looked pained at having to meet people. They sat on the sofa next to Analise and Martha up against the back wall of the room, opposite the fire place. Draco sat smoothly and hid all manner of nervousness (which only Hermione and her parents could still identify) behind a straight but pleasant facade. Hermione sat next to him, close enough for their knees to be touching, but not enough for her aunt Anne to raise her impeccably drawn on eyebrows.

Hermione then introduced everyone to Draco and vice versa.

"So you're Hermione's fiancé?" spoke Sam before anyone else could speak from the chair adjacent to Draco's end of the curved sofa.

Draco replied with an 'I am' coupled with a nod. There was a hesitation as to where this line of inquiry was heading noted Miranda Granger.

"Go on then Hermione, how did you two meet? When did you get engaged?" rattled Anne.

Ah, thought Miranda, we finally get to the questions she had wanted to ask ever since she found out about Hermione and Draco.

"Well Draco and I went to school together, we had a few classes together but we were never friends. Draco's cousin Tonks and I are good friends, and we became closer through her and her husband Remus." Hermione answered with no hesitation, almost as if she had rehearsed. Knowing Hermione, reflected Miranda, she probably had. Draco smiled in response to her answer; Miranda knew how happy the boy was to be reconnected with his previously estranged relatives.

Miranda thought back to what Draco and Hermione had shared with them just after they had regained their memories in Australia. Hermione and Draco had been in the same group together rebuilding the astronomy tower after the battle. All hands were needed to get the school up and running in time for September, only four months after the end of the war. From what she and her husband had been told, they had become friends after they agreed to put all past prejudices behind them.

While working together, Hermione had told Draco about how her parents were under a memory charm in Australia with no recollection as to who she was. For the next two years they met frequently at social gatherings until September 2000 when Draco revealed that while searching through his fathers' old belongings he had found a way to reverse the charms. In November the charms were reversed and they all sat down to talk.

This was the meeting in which Richard had terrorised Draco about his intentions towards Hermione and how he better be treating her right. Unaware that Hermione and Draco were in no such relationship, this was very awkward for all parties involved. Shortly afterwards just before Christmas Draco and Hermione started seeing each other romantically. A fact Richard always contributed to his stern talking to of Draco in the aforementioned November, an idea everyone ignored whenever he brought it up, due to no one wishing to break his delusions of masculine intimidation.

Out of the corner of her eye Miranda saw Analise paying very close attention to what was being said by her daughter. She didn't like the malicious look in her eye; it was almost calculating.

Miranda, from the small loveseat she and Richard were sharing, shot a look towards Draco. He was watching Analise warily. When he glanced up to catch her eye a message was passed between them. If anyone would cause trouble over the carefully created fabrications Hermione and Draco were telling, it would be Analise.

-EtB-

AN: I seriously just spent 10 minutes trying to get rid of a pesky black line from the bottom of one of the pages. As for Remus and Tonks, they may happen to just slightly be alive. Ummmm... I love them too much alright. They will not die, not on my watch.

Disclaimer: Nothing you recognise is mine. I just like to play with other peoples characters when they aren't watching. However, if you don't recognise anything and think I am an absolute genius for creating all of this, I won't correct you.