CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Summary: Nine years after the war, Hermione's the Head of the Auror Department that specialises in dealing with Magical Creatures and fugitive Death Eaters that are loose in the Muggle World. With the fugitive Death Eaters no longer hiding in Britain, she's tracking rogue Death Eaters in the United States, which leads her to The Winchester brothers. The Witch and The Hunters are a dynamic trio that no creature, being or beast wishes to mess with, Magical or Supernatural. Hermione/Dean pairing. Rated M for a reason.
Disclaimer: I don't own original canon characters or events, just those that I create myself. Everything belongs to J.K Rowling and the creators of Supernatural. I am not making a profit posting this fanfic.
Page count: 8
After Hermione and Dean changed back into their clothes, of which Dean couldn't stop staring at Hermione when she put her leather jacket back on, they made their way into the living room before taking a seat beside each other on the couch.
Romilda sat on the arm chair, preparing the spelled quill to note down their answers to the questions, whilst the photographer appeared to be using the kitchen table to develop all of the photos that had been taken.
"Right, let's begin."
"You are aware of the questions we have approved of, should you ask anything that we deem unwelcome, the interview will be terminated and you will leave, whether you got what you came for or not, understood?" Hermione said.
"Of course," Romilda replied with a smile they both knew to be fake. "So, first of all, just to clarify, you are now Hermione Winchester?"
"Yes, I am, and this is my husband, Dean Winchester."
"How did the two of you meet?"
"I am based out of the US, since my department works in conjunction with other Ministries around the globe. I met Dean when I was working a case and he and his brother helped me to solve it."
"Was it love at first sight?"
Dean chuckled. "Not exactly," he answered this time. "When we first met we didn't see eye to eye, but it didn't take me long to see the kind and compassionate person Hermione is, and before I knew it, we were married."
"And how long were you together before you decided to pop the question? How did you propose to her?"
Now came the part where they lied through their teeth.
"We don't believe it matters how long we were together, only that we knew we were it for each other. As for the proposal, it was unexpected. I knew I wanted to marry Hermione, but I had to make the moment perfect. It wasn't romantic or surrounded by hundreds of people, it was just the two of us. Hermione had been working a case and she was injured, so as she was healing I took care of her. I was so worried about her, I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if she was taken from me and I never had the chance to marry her, so I asked her to marry me, at the time I thought she was asleep until she replied with a 'yes.'"
"And just how long have you been married?"
"Six weeks," Hermione replied.
"Why keep your wedding a secret? Why keep your relationship a secret?"
"I did not keep my relationship with Dean a secret. I'm not as well known in the US, and therefore I can have a fairly regular life where no one cares about what I do, what I wear or who I surround myself with. My relationship with Dean wasn't followed by the American media, it was public, but because it wasn't in the media it wasn't known to the world. My family and friends knew of our relationship, as did Dean's, and that's all that mattered to us. As for our wedding, we wanted it to be private with just our families and closest friends. We both have busy work schedules so it was difficult for us to plan a wedding, so one day, when we both had time away from work, we called our family and friends and we decided to marry on that day. We married on a lovely piece of land that belonged to one of our friends and the ceremony was short but meaningful."
"I don't see wedding rings, why is that?"
"We decided against wedding rings, they can be lost or damaged. Instead we went for tattoos as it's a permanent fixture, and no matter where we are in the world, we'll always have that little reminder of the other."
"Hermione, what first attracted you to Dean?"
Dean looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, looking curious to hear her answer.
"His relationship with his younger brother," Hermione answered. "They bicker back and forth and they're always finding ways to tease and taunt each other, but it's very clear that they care for one another. Dean has an unwavering loyalty and protectiveness towards his brother and those that he cares for, and he would lay down his life for anyone that requires protection. He's loud, annoying and sarcastic, but he's kind and caring. He's so unbelievably brave and self-sacrificing that he puts all Gryffindors to shame. He protects me, for the first time in my life, I'm not the one that has to protect everyone; he takes care of me. He makes sure I'm sleeping; he makes sure I don't miss meals and he keeps me safe. And he never asks for anything in return. Dean is so incredibly special, that sometimes I can't believe it's me that he's with."
Dean smiled at her, before placing a kiss to her forehead and a camera flash went off, breaking them out of the moment.
"Dean, what first attracted you to Hermione?" Romilda had a scowl on her face, seeing the way he was looking at Hermione.
Dean's lip twitched in amusement and when Hermione saw the mischievous sparkle in his eyes, she shifted her hand until it rested on his thigh and she dug her nails into him as a warning.
"That's not where your claws belong," he muttered into her ear, reminding her off the permanent scars he had on his back that were caused by her. She moved her hand a little higher and dug her nails in harder and he chuckled; he loved winding her up.
He turned his attention back to Romilda, shifting on his seat slightly so Hermione's hand couldn't be seen on his thigh, and he was a little uncomfortable with how close she was to his groin; he could feel himself twitch at the close proximity of her hand.
"If I were to answer that question fully we'd be here all day. In short, it's her kindness and compassion to those less fortunate, her determination and ability to help those in need. Her unbelievable strength and bravery in the face of danger, her humour and quick wit and her intelligence. She has her flaws, like her bossiness, stubbornness and a severe lack of a sense of danger and self-preservation, but to me they're part of who she is and I wouldn't change anything about her, she's perfect the way she is. She's fearless and she's delicate, but she's not afraid to put me in my place when I need it. From a young age she's dedicated her life to helping and protecting those that need it, and I love that she allows me to take care of her, even though she's more than capable of doing it herself. She's allowed me into her life and she's made me a part of it, of which I'm grateful for. She's changed me and I'm a better man for it."
"So it has nothing to do with her money then?" Romilda muttered, her eyes flittering about Hermione's expensive apartment.
"No, it doesn't," Dean said instantly, his tone bordering angry and he took a deep breath when Hermione's hand squeezed his thigh, once more a little closer to his groin that it was previously. "I discovered Hermione's financial standing after our wedding, not before."
"One more comment such as that, and not only will this interview be over, but I will make sure you never write another article for any paper again," Hermione said, her own voice deepening, too.
Romilda cleared her throat and changed the subject. "Do your parents approve of the other?" She asked.
"As you know, my parents were murdered during the war and I lost them when I was seventeen. The Weasleys have always been my family, and they approve of Dean, and Harry has known Dean since the day we met as he was with me on that particular day. My family have a good relationship with Dean."
"I lost my mother to a house fire when I was four years old and my father died in a car crash a few years ago," Dean said. "There's a man I look up to and he's like a second father to my brother and I. And I discovered that he and Hermione had met previously, and so he approved of her and he thinks of her as family. As for my brother, he and Hermione are best friends, and he thought of her as a sister long before we married. Hermione's family have welcomed us into the fold, just as mine has done the same."
"We all know what Hermione does for a living, but our readers want to know more about you, Dean. What is it you do for a living? Where did you grow up?"
"I was born in Lawrence, Kansas, in the United States, and after my mother passed, my father took my brother and I away, but due to the job he had we lived on the road. We never stayed in a place longer than a couple of weeks, so my childhood was spent travelling the US and helping to care for my brother. And now, my brother and I have followed in my father's footsteps, and we travel the US doing the same thing he did, it's the family business."
"And that is?"
"We wish to keep Dean's career off the record, should it be revealed it can put him in a lot of danger and get him in trouble with a lot of people."
Romilda looked curious but she was smart enough not to press the matter. "Are children in your future?"
"I know people assume I'm pregnant and that's why I was wed in secret, but I am not pregnant. Despite that, both Dean and I wish to have children in the future; we just don't know when that will happen."
"Do you plan to move to the US permanently?"
"Not at the present time. I am mostly based in the US and I return to England for a couple of days every few weeks, so that I may attend to my responsibilities within my career, as well as visit with my family. If I were to relocate to the US, it would mean giving up my career and my position as the department head, which I am not ready to do yet, seeing as The American Ministry does not have a department remotely similar to the one I currently run. And if I were to transfer over to the US, it would limit my reasons for coming home to only visiting my family, and it would be likely that visitations happen less and less the longer I am in the US."
"Alright, that's it with the questions," Romilda said. "As you may or may not be aware, this month The Daily Prophet is in partnership with Witch Weekly, and upon discovering that The Prophet won the exclusive of the year, they have asked that we play a little game with you, that they may publish in their next issue."
"Is that so?" Hermione questioned, narrowing her eyes atn Romilda, since she hadn't approved of it and it was the first time it was being mentioned.
"Yes, it's nothing to worry about, just a little game to see how well you know each other, it'll be good fun and the readers will just love it."
Hermione sighed. "Fine," she muttered and Dean froze. "Relax, Dean, you'll be surprised by what you know about me, we've got this," she whispered.
Hermione and Dean were handed some parchment and a quill each, which Dean looked at strangely, before they stood opposite each other.
"When it comes to answering the question, we would like for you to write the answer for yourself, as well as your partner," Romilda explained and they both nodded. "Let's begin. What is your partner's favourite colour?"
Dean looked to Hermione to see that she was scribbling away at her parchment. He took a breath before writing the first answer that came to him.
"Aright, Hermione, please show us your answers."
"Mine's purple and Dean's is brown."
"Dean?"
Dean looked relieved when he displayed his answers, showing he had written 'brown' and 'purple'.
"Well done, next question, favourite food?"
Hermione snorted before writing down the answer, and Dean seemed less hesitant this time.
Dean showed his answer first. "Mine's pie and Hermione's is everything."
Hermione showed her answers, showing she had written 'pie' and 'everything', too.
"Favourite sex position?" Hermione glared at Romilda. "Just kidding, favourite musician?"
Hermione turned her parchment first. "Muggle classic rock artists," she said, and Dean's answer showed the same.
As the game continued, Dean had relaxed to the point where he barely had to think about the answers, and he realised that he knew more about Hermione than he originally thought, until the final question was asked and panic set in.
"Favourite spell to cast?"
Dean's eyes shot to Hermione, since they were trying to keep Dean's lifestyle quiet to avoid backlash, and they had done a remarkable job so far, they just had to get through the final question. Hermione locked gazes with Dean, before writing down her answers, and Dean reluctantly did the same.
"Mine is the Patronus Charm, Dean's is the Silencing Charm," she said, and she had picked it for Dean, knowing it was the one he had seen her use the most so it would be familiar to him.
Dean showed his answer with relief written as clear as day across his face, as he put the same answers as Hermione.
"That's a full house," Romilda muttered, seeing as they had gotten all ten questions right.
Hermione walked over to Dean and hugged him and he breathed a sigh of relief. "See, I told you we could do it, have more faith in yourself," she told him.
She pulled back from him smiling, before making her way over to the photographer so she could look through the photos, which took her twenty minutes. After deciding, she allowed them to take a photo of them in their formal wear, where Dean was stood with his legs shoulder width apart and he had one hand in his pocket as he stared at the camera with a brooding look on his face. Hermione had her body angled towards his and she had one hand resting on his chest and his arm was wrapped around her waist, as she stared at the camera, too.
The second one she chose was of them in their casual clothes, where they were in a similar position to the previous photo, only Dean was staring at her intensely rather than the camera. She chose the photo of Dean kissing her forehead during the interview and for the final photo she choose the one of them on the bed and cuddled together, just as the camera caught them looking at each other, smiling and then kissing, and they both looked truly happy in that moment.
She made copies to keep for herself before handing them over, and she kept all of the other photos, as well as taking the camera film from the photographer, so no photos could be used without her permission as she was in possession of the originals.
Hermione showed them both out before returning to Dean, seeing that Sam had come out of his room and they were both looking through the photos on the table, slightly amazed by the fact they were moving.
"Magic is awesome," Sam commented and she smiled at him. "Some of these are really good, I mean, even Dean looks alright." Dean scowled at him and Hermione chuckled.
"Yeah, they're keepers," she agreed.
"You wore white on purpose, didn't you?" Sam questioned, looking at the formal photos.
"Yes, they would've been on our backs asking for photos from the wedding and reception and seeing as we didn't have either of those, I gave them me in a white dress and Dean in a suit, which they can put a bridal angle on if they wish to."
"I can't wait to see what the article says."
"Neither can I, since we don't like the reporter," Dean said amused.
Sam raised an eyebrow. "And why don't we like the reporter?"
"Because I don't like her, so we don't like her, that's the way it works." The brothers chuckled at her. "She's almost as bad as Skeeter. We went to Hogwarts together but she's a few years younger than me. She's a female version of Cormac McLaggen and be grateful you've never met him, he's like a bloody octopus and can't keep his hands to himself," she shivered. "She once gave Harry a box of chocolates for Valentine's Day and they were laced with Love Potion, which Ronald found and ate, so it was him that was the love sick puppy for the week," she rolled her eyes. "And on top of that, she's tried it on with three of my ex-boyfriends whilst we were still together. She hates me."
"I kind of wish I was more brooding," Dean commented and Hermione burst out laughing.
~000~000~000~
"Hermione, owl's here!" Sam called.
Hermione ran out of the bedroom dressed in Dean's t-shirt, and with her toothbrush still in her mouth. It was barely seven o'clock, but she'd had a busy day and she was going into work early the next morning so she could make up for the time going to Hogwarts would take out of her work schedule.
She went to the window and gave the owl its payment, before it flew off; leaving the newspaper behind and she sat herself down on the couch beside Dean.
"Alright, give it to us," he said, taking her toothbrush from her.
"Hermione and Dean Winchester. Upon discovering that Hermione Winchester nee Granger had secretly wed, we at The Daily Prophet promised you the truth and as always, the truth is what you shall have." Hermione snorted. "Liars," she muttered. "This reporter was given the opportunity to the exclusive of a lifetime, as I went behind the scenes of our Golden Girl's marriage, and what a treat it was. Hermione Winchester is married to a man that has now been identified as Dean Winchester, an American wizard, and as you can see from the photos below, he is one hunky husband and we can only imagine the beautiful babies that will be made by this newly wedded couple. During the interview and photo shoot, this reporter was able to witness the relationship between the couple and it's evident to anyone with eyes that this marriage is based off of love and trust. For the full article and interview with the newlyweds, more photos and statements given by Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Molly Weasley and George Weasley, turn to pages eight through to twelve."
"Well, that wasn't too bad," Sam commented.
"You said she hated you," Dean said.
"She does," she answered.
"Then why was the article tame?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Hermione gave him an innocent look. "Did you threaten her when you showed her out?"
"No," she said.
"You did, didn't you?" He said amused.
"Of course I didn't," she huffed, crossing her arms and he looked at her disbelievingly. "I simply reminded her that I was not a person to be messed with."
Dean's laughter and Sam's look of disbelief is what she left behind, as she snatched back her toothbrush and went back to her bedroom.