Six Years Later
Hermione Granger took a deep breath of the salty-sea air and knew she made the right decision.
She buttoned up her coat and wrapped a dark purple scarf around her neck before setting off to walk the streets of the small coastal town in Maine for the first time since she had moved herself to the States.
It had been an impulsive decision, one that had both terrified and excited her, to move so far away from home, but it was one that needed to be done.
Her relationship with Ron had fizzled out nearly as fast as it had started, and her job at the Ministry had become mundane and boring. Plus, while she had hoped she would be able to propose, write, and pass bills to help the Wizarding World at large, all the Ministry seemed to care about was having all three parts of "The Golden Trio" in their employment. While Harry and Ron were thriving as Aurors, Hermione knew she needed something different for herself. It was difficult to figure out what that was when she was one of the most popular witches in London; everyone watched and scrutinized her every move, especially the papers.
So one day, she'd decided to let the fates decide and threw a dart at a map on the wall. It landed in the state of Maine in the United States. Trailing a finger along to the different cities, Hermione felt a pull once she read Bar Harbor on the map.
Her decision made, she quit her job, packed up, and left England a few weeks later. It had been raining in Maine when she arrived, and it hadn't stopped for two solid weeks. She spent that time in the little townhouse that she found to rent, unpacking and decorating the muggle way, just to pass the time.
Now that the streets were dry, she walked along with a smile on her face, the people of the town nodded in greeting and she returned the gesture, happy to not have to look over her shoulder for Daily Prophet reporters. They had gotten relentless the past few years, making headlines and stories of everything she did. Hermione smiled to herself, knowing that she was finally free of the scrutiny for the first time since she learned she was a witch.
As she passed a nearby park, she couldn't help but notice a little girl with curly, blond hair—so blond it looked white in the sunlight that was shining through the few lingering clouds—laughing as she swung high on the swing. Hermione stopped to watch, leaning forward on the wooden fence that circled the park and reminisced about when she was a child.
She loved to swing and liked to pretend she was flying; a few times she was even daring enough to jump off, loving the weightlessness for the few seconds before her feet touched the ground. She half thought about embracing her inner child and going over to the swings to do that again—after all, a jump off a swing was nothing like flying a broom, something that still terrified her to this day. One was a few moments in the air while the other relied on nothing but a charmed branch to keep one from plummeting from the ground.
Hermione returned to the present when a woman, most likely the child's mother, called out to be careful. She was answered with a pearl of laughter, and Hermione couldn't help but chuckle at the child's glee. Still leaning on the fence, the witch took in the sights around her.
The park was in a grassy area, with large oak trees whose leaves were already starting to turn for fall. Beyond them was the ocean, where she could make out a few sailboats still out on the water, most likely heading towards the marina to dock for the night.
Something in the corner of her eye made her glance towards the park again. The little girl had hopped off the swing and was running up to a man in a dark blue trench coat and matching platinum blond hair.
"Daddy!" the girl shouted as she launched herself into his arms.
Once again, Hermione smiled to herself; the love between a father and daughter was special, as it had been with her and her own father.
An ache in her chest bloomed as she watched the two from a distance. She missed her parents, who were still in Australia and unaware of their grown daughter, and while she didn't regret charming their memories away for their safety, she did regret not being able to reverse the charm.
When the man turned, Hermione saw his face and squinted, not believing what she thought she saw.
If she hadn't known any better, she could have sworn the man was Draco Malfoy, which struck her as a near impossibility.
No one had actually seen him since the war, having been on house arrest up until his trial. Once he was cleared of charges, he had moved away from London and no one had seen, or heard, from him again.
The woman who was with the girl walked over to the father-daughter duo, shook his hand and gave the little girl a hug. As the woman walked away, she heard the child call out, "Thank you, Miss Natalie! See you later!"
So the woman wasn't her mother, simply a caretaker, Hermione thought to herself.
Malfoy—at least she thought it was Malfoy—walked in the opposite direction, holding the little girl's hand as she talked animatedly until they reached a car that was parked at the curb.
Baffled, and slightly stunned to see Malfoy driving a car, she watched as it drove past her going towards one of the nearby neighborhoods. She thought she saw him glance at her as he passed, but whether he recognized her or not, she wasn't sure.
Don't be silly, she chided herself as she continued on her walk towards the shops. Why on earth would Draco Malfoy be in the States, and in a small, muggle town no less?
No, the man she saw simply looked similar—there were other people in the world who had that shade of blond, not just the Malfoy's.
The moment she reached the street with the row of shops, all thoughts of Malfoy left, and in their place was excitement about what she would find within the stores.
She had a mental list in her head of all the friends she wanted to buy souvenirs for and entered the first little shop, full of knick-knacks that she knew a certain elder Weasley would love.
Three hours later and laden down with bags of her wares, Hermione finally hit the end of stores. With a tired, yet happy sigh, she glanced across the street and her heart leapt at the sight.
The three story bookstore, sandwiched by two other shops—a coffee shop with a bakery on the right and an apothecary on the left—looked like heaven to the book-loving witch.
She nibbled her bottom lip as her arms protested about buying anything more. She'd need to save her exploration for another time. It had been a full day, and she was already planning on returning the following day, as she heard that the Farmers Market was something she couldn't miss.
With another longing glance towards the bookstore, she turned back the way she came and headed home.
The light-gray colored house was nestled between trees, with neighbors just far enough away to give some privacy. There was a small front porch which was big enough to fit a small wicker chair and matching side table. The door, which was the same navy blue as the trim, reminded Hermione of her father's favorite show, Doctor Who, and helped in the decision making when picking a place to live.
The walk from the shops took less than a half hour, but by the time Hermione walked through her door, her arms were screaming. She dropped her bags as soon as she entered, sighed with relief at the loss of weight, and vowed to either buy less next time or bring her wand so she could at least make the bags weightless.
She walked around the house, opening windows to let in some fresh air and sunshine. The two-story, 1,000 square foot home might have felt cramped to some, but it was just right for Hermione. The front door opened up to a living room area that flowed straight into a small dining room and kitchen towards the back, with a small powder room off the side and a set of stairs that led to her bedroom and master bath. A sliding door at the back of the house led to a large back porch, big enough for an outdoor table, some chairs, and even a grill. That was all she needed for now, she rationalized, especially if she decided in a year or so to move to another place if this one didn't suit her. As of right now though, the town of Bar Harbor was exactly what she needed and her little house on Strawberry Lane suited her just fine.
Hermione started taking things out of her bags and sorted them for shipping. She planned to send everything the muggle way to Harry, who would then distribute the gifts among friends through owl-post.
She spent the next hour writing letters to go along with the gifts, then shrunk and boxed everything so she could drop the package off at the post office the next day. Exhausted from her outing, Hermione put a quick meal together before settling down with a book and a glass of wine and looked forward to another day of exploring her new town.
The following day had a few more scattered clouds and a gustier breeze. Hermione brought an umbrella, just in case, as well as a few cloth bags—and if they were charmed so that whatever she put in them would weigh next to nothing, no one would be the wiser—and made her way into town once again on foot.
The Farmers Market was even better than she thought it would be and she took her time checking out all the stalls of fresh produce, seafood, baked goods, and homemade crafts. As she mingled and shopped, she made sure to talk to local people and introduce herself so she could learn about her new community at the same time. Already she'd learned the bookstore she saw was currently looking to hire a new manager since the current one was planning on retiring within the next few months. Hermione made a mental note to stop by the shop on the way home, to both inquire about the position as well as check out the store's wares.
As she browsed a stall with trinkets, a little girl with curly, blond hair—the same little girl from the park, Hermione realized—entered, going straight to a set of necklaces. The child picked out a pair of "Best Friend" necklaces and Hermione watched from the corner of her eye as she proceeded to pay the owner.
"I'd like to buy this, please," the girl politely said as she handed a fistful of dollar bills into the woman's hand.
The owner counted out the bills then looked apologetically at the child. "I'm sorry sweetie, but you're a few dollars short."
"Oh… But that's all the money I have from the tooth fairy."
"How about I hold onto it for you while you get the rest of the money, okay?"
"Alright…"
Hermione heard the sadness in the little girl's voice and after a moment's debate, went up to the owner. "I couldn't help but overhear… You said she was missing a few dollars?" She took out a five dollar bill from her pocket. "Will this cover it?"
The owner gave Hermione a smile. "Yes ma'am, it will. What do you say to the nice lady, sweetie?"
The little girl looked up at Hermione and gave her gap-toothed grin. "Thank you!"
Hermione couldn't help but smile back. "You're welcome."
With her purchase in her hands, the little girl ran off.
"That was very kind of you," the woman said, handing Hermione the change from the purchase.
"It really wasn't a problem. I remember when I was a child and—" she lost her train of thought as the tall, blonde man from the day before walked past the stall and turned down another aisle. "Sorry," she said, giving the woman a quick, apologetic smile. "I have to go. I think I just saw someone I know."
Before she could get a response, Hermione left and quickly walked in the same direction she saw the man going. She had had a much closer look at him this time and was sure it was Malfoy. However, after she walked down a few aisles and having no luck, Hermione decided that maybe it wasn't him after all—just her overactive imagination.
Resigned that it was all in her head, she made her way to the bookstore, where she hoped she'd find a job opportunity, and perhaps a book or two.
Happy New Year everyone! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews so far! I'm excited to continue to share this story with you all!
Also, I forgot to post the tags for this fic in the first chapter so I will do that now and also add them to the Prologue. xoxoHufflepuffMommy
Tags: memory loss, single-father Draco, Lyra Malfoy, infertility, epilogue what epilogue, slow-burn, rivals to lovers, friends to lovers, 6th year compliant, hidden pregnancy, shop-owner Draco, bookstore Hermione, eventual smut