Harry Potter 1. Prologue

Prologue

Hermione Granger made her way to the Great Hall at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for her morning meal. This was her seventh and last year attending this school and, in only three days, she would walk across a stage that had been magically put up in the Quidditch Field and receiving her diploma along with her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

At the thought of the later of the two, Hermione's heart jumped again and she spotted the handsome red haired young man saving her a seat at the Gryffindor table with Harry. Ron hadn't really changed a lot to her. Sure, he had grown taller even developed a more muscular abdomen from all of their encounters with Lord Voldemort over the last seven years, but, really, he seemed like the same old Ron to her.

The Dark Lord was gone, for good this time. It had been a hard battle, one that ended in many senseless deaths, including the one of their own great mentor, Professor Dumbledore, who had been Head Master of Hogwarts. In the end, it was his selfless sacrifice that had enabled them to win the horrible battle against Lord Voldemort.

Tears gathered in Hermione's eyes. It had only been two months since Dumbledore's Death and the Dark Lord's downfall, but it still hurt so much to think of the head master and the fact that he was no longer with them.

She felt a hand squeeze her own under the table.

"Thinking of Dumbledore?" asked a familiar voice kindly, with a hint of sorrow.

"Ron, it just won't be the same without him with us. He should be there when we graduate..." Hermione was ready to burst into tears yet again but tried to gather her strength up and hold them back. She had to be strong, not crying like a baby when it had all happened two months ago.

"I know," he said, actually gathering her up and holding her close in comfort.

Hermione buried her face in his chest even has she felt another hand on her back. She knew that had to be Harry. 

Hermione, Ron, and Harry had been the ones present when Dumbledore died, no one else had been there, they had all come too late. It had been these three students who had seen Dumbledore's sacrifice, had seen his eyes glaze over and his body crumple in a heap at the Dark Lord's feet.

The battle between Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort had left the Dark Lord so weak that it had given Harry, Ron, and Hermione a chance to all hit him with the Avada Kedavra Cruse, one of the Unforgivable Cruses, the one that kills, destroying him for all eternity. 

It was than that they mourned the loss of their mentor as well as all the other lives that had been lost during that horrible war.

"It'll be okay, Hermione," Ron whispered reassuringly.

"It's just not the same," Hermione whispered.

"I know," Ron said. "I know." 

It was than that the owls came with letters for everyone. Every single seventh year had received some sort of letter of congratulations or graduation present.

Hermione pulled away from Ron, ignoring the little ping in her heart, and caught her own bundle of mail and began sorting through it while Ron and Harry followed suit.

~*~

Later that same day after classes, Ron and Harry made their way to the Gryffindor Common Room, to clean up and meet up with Hermione before going down to dinner.

"I hope she hurries," Ron said, growled. Harry and he had already washed their faces and hands and where now waiting, rather immanently in Ron's case, for Hermione to make her appearance. "I'm starving."

As if on cue, Hermione rushed into the room, all smiles. She was breathing heavily as though she had run from the entrance of the castle to the common room.

"Hermione, what is it?" Harry asked, a bit alarmed at her appearance.

"I finally got it! The letter!" Hermione said, holding up a manila envelope with words written in red on it. It was addressed to 

Ms. Hermione Granger

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Seventh Year Gryffindor Girl's Dorm Room

"I came late," she informed them. "I just got it!"

"You mean? Its from?" Harry began, eyes wide.  


"Yes!" Hermione said, grinning.

"And you?" 

"YES!" Hermione said, before Harry could finish the question.

  
"Hermione, what is all this about? Whose the letter from?" Ron demanded, he hated being left in the dark.

Hermione looked at Ron. He was a full head taller than her, so she had to look up. "Ron, the letter is from Hogford University!" she stated excitedly. She looked so happy that she might bust. Hogford was the best university for Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was as highly esteemed as Hogwarts. Only the best and brightest were excepted there and Hermione had received a full scholarship. "I got in! I'm going to Hogford University!"

"Hogford? Isn't that in the United States?" Ron said, confusion lifting as fear entered his heart. He did his best not to let it register on his face. "How can you go if it is in the United States?"

"I'd move there of course," Hermione said laughing. "But, can you believe it?! I, Hermione Nora Granger is going to be a Hogford girl!"

"I'm not surprised at all, Hermione," Harry stated, hugging her tightly. "You are our Valedictorian after all. Congratulations."

Hermione grinned. She was so caught up in her own joy she didn't see Ron going though an emotional hell.

She was leaving. Not just the school, not just the town, but the COUNTRY! She seemed so overjoyed by it all...

He shoved his hand into his pocket were a small, velvet wrapped box lay and wrapped his hand around it, his heart shattering. Inside lay a ring, a beautiful, diamond ring that he had saved the whole year to buy for her. He had had it with him ever since he had purchased it a month ago, deciding that he would ask Hermione to marry him.

How could he now? She just seemed to happy with the thought of leaving England, leaving him... How could he ask her to marry him and stay here? He had, as much as his two best friends, suffered over the years, but nothing could have prepared him with the thought of a life without Hermione with him. It felt as though, even now, with her standing right there, a huge chunk of him had been wrapped away and was, even now, floating across the seat to America, never to be seen again.

"Well, now, how about we go get some dinner," Harry said cheerfully.

"No thanks," Ron said, a little numbly. "I'm not really hungry." He turned and headed up the stairs that would lead him to the Seventh Year Boys Room.

"Ron, are you alright?" Hermione asked all too concerned. Why did she have to be concerned?!? 

Ron turned and smiled. "Yeah. I'm just tired. I think I'll go to be early tonight," he said, and, for effect, added, as best he could, a jaw-breaking yawn and stretch.

"Alright," Hermione said. Ron didn't catch the sound or look of disappointment in her voice. "Sweet dreams."

"Yeah," Ron said, turning his back and hurrying up the stairs.

Hermione's lower jaw quavered for a few moments. She had half hoped he would have demanded her to stay, to not leave, but she saw that was not to be. He didn't even seem to care that she was leaving, possibly forever.

She forced a smile as she felt Harry's hand on her shoulder. "Lets go eat," she said, full of cheer.

Harry pursed his lips he watched her back as she lead the way to the Great Hall. He wanted to say something to her about Ron and his behavior, but also felt it wasn't his place. He hated to see his friends suffer like this though, but what could he do?

Harry had kept his mouth shut about how Ron was head-over-heels in love with Hermione and he watched the two in their silent suffering. A wall seemed to have erected itself between the two of them. They didn't really talk anymore, barely looked at each other. Only Harry could see that it was tearing them apart and if it hadn't been for his promise to Ron that he wouldn't mention anything to Hermione, Harry would have given in long ago and told her, but a promise was a promise and Harry Potter always kept his promises.

So the last of their school days trickled away with silent suffering all around. They marched across the stage in the middle of the Quidditch Field for their graduations, not one eye was dry for the fact that Dumbledore was not among them anymore.

Than, the next day, Hermione, bags packed, got off the Hogwarts Expresses and into a Taxi that drove her to the Airport, where she left from Hogford in the United States of America and away from Ronald Arthur Weasley, the man she loved and, unbeknownst to her, loved her in return.


	2. Catching Up with Harry

Chapter One

Catching Up With Harry

Hermione Granger stepped off the plane and looked about herself. She was in London, England, a place she hadn't seen in nearly five years. She looked about her for the person she was here to meet.

She saw many people with luggage either loading a plane or coming off of one as well as people holding up cardboard signs that had names written on them, obviously for people they were waiting for to get off the planes.

It was than that she saw him. She would recognize that messy black hair and brilliant green eyes hidden by those round rimed glasses if she had been gone for fifty years instead of five, even without the lightening like scar on his forehead. Her lips blossomed into a beautiful smile. He had grown taller than the last time she had seen him, though he still wasn't very tall, maybe 5'10" to 5'11", she couldn't really say anything, though. She, herself, only stood about 5'6".

"Harry!" she called out waving a hand over her head.

"Hermione!" he called back, waving even more enthusiastically as he rushed forward and picked her up into a bone crushing bear hug. He seemed to have developed a more muscular build, most likely from all the Quidditch games and practices. He was Seeker for the Chudley Cannons now and had been for the last three years. Hermione was so proud and, whenever they had games in the United States she got to see him. "Welcome home, Hermione."

"Its good to be back," she said softly, returning the hug before stepping back. It was than that they heard the giggling.

They turned to see a woman who was nearly as tall as Harry with long, dark brown hair that hung down pass her waist. It was somewhat curly but not nearly as much has Hermione's hair, which hung to her mid-back. She was very lovely but what one really notice when they looked at her was her eyes. She had the most oddly colored eyes. They held mixtures of blue and green in such a way that one could stare at them for hours and still not tell which color they were. Sometimes, when wearing the right color, they had a gray or even silver tent to them.

"Hello, Harry," she said a very distinctive American accent. Her eyes twinkled with the amusement she felt toward their display of affection as well as the excitement of being in a new country. "How are you?"

"Hi, Brione. How was the flight?" Harry asked greeting her warmly. 

Harry had meet Brione the first time he had had a Quidditch match in America. She was Hermione's roommate, though she didn't go to Hermione's collage. They had shared an apartment that was between both of their schools, Hermione going to the magical college of Hogford and Brione going to a Muggle school the Culinary Arts. Brione was very much a witch, though, her specialty being potions and charms.

"Oh, well, it was... nice?" she said, turning a bit green at the memory. One of the oddest things about this American Witch was that she didn't know how to fly because, well, she had an acute fear of heights.

Harry laughed. "Well, come on you two. Since you fear heights so much, Brione, I have arranged it with Professor MacGonagall to let us ride the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmead." Professor MacGonagall had become the Headmistress of Hogwarts after Dumbledore's death just five years before.

"That's very nice of him," Hermione mused.

"Not at all. I think she is as impatient for Brione to open her candy shop as much as the students. You know she had quite a sweet tooth for gourmet chocolate. I am also equally sure she can't wait you to take up your position as the new Transfiguration Teacher. I hear you're going to be Head of Gryffindor as well." 

Through Harry, being that he lived in England, Brione had been able to secure a lovely store in which to open a gourmet candy shop called Chocolate Dreams. It would mainly have different chocolate deserts that she had learned to make over the years as well as other fine goodies. It would be reasonable as well. The best thing, to her, about making chocolate was seeing people enjoy it and her chocolate was special. Brione's recipe for Chocolate was very old, dating back past her own ancestry. This recipe is a prized secret and also have some interested side effects... 

Hermione grinned. "Yes. She continued teaching Transfiguration until I graduated and promised to return to teach it. I'm a bit nervous."

They had been walking as they talked, Brione had gathered their trunks together and was pushing them on a trolley. Harry, being the gentleman that he was, took it from her and was walking beside them.

It was than they had come to the area between the platforms 9 and 10. "Here we are," Harry said, grinning. "Boy, does this bring back memories. Except, instead of Hedwig in the cage, its Bartholomew." Bartholomew was Brione's pet Fruit Bat. There was also another, smaller cage that held Crookshanks, Hermione's orange cat that she had gotten in her third year at Hogwarts.

"Okay, Brione, its just like I told you before. Just run between the wall of Platforms 9 and 10 and you'll get to Platform 9 3/4, okay?" Hermione asked.

"Righto," Brione said, brush some of her hair back.

"I'll go first, than you and Harry, you follow, k?" Hermione said, sounding a lot like Mrs. Weasley use to. The other two nodded, smiling.

Hermione than took off on at a brisk walk and went right though the wall. Brione followed suit. Harry went at the wall at a run, like he use to with Ron.

Once on the other side, Hermione, Harry, and Brione took their seats on the Hogwarts Express. They had their own privet car, so they didn't have to worry about students bothering them, especially Harry. Not only was he still the Boy Who Lived and defeated Lord Voldemort TWICE he was also a world renowned Seeker who had just won the Quidditch World Cup.

They rode the whole way to Hogsmead talking about things that had happened to them in the past five years. They made sure not to leave Brione out of anything. They explained everything to her, from their adventures to happy times and sad times, including how effected they were by Professor Dumbledore's death.

When they were nearly to Hogsmead and the conversation was running low, Brione finally asked: "So, where is this Ron Weasley I've been hearing so much about?"

"Well," Harry cleared his throat a bit uncomfortably as he gave Hermione a sidelong glance before turning back to Brione. "he had a bit of work to do. 'Fraid he couldn't really get away."

"Humm.." Brione said, noting this. "What does he do?"

"Do?" Harry said, as though he had never been asked this. "Oh, do," he chuckled nervously. "He became an Auror after school. I did some of the training as well, but than I was picked up by the Chudley Cannons. Ron is in charge of his own team of Aurors now."

"I see," Brione said, smiling her smile. It was a lovely smile, the kind no one forgets very easily. When Brione smiled it seemed to genuine, that you thought that she had been thinking of you all day and couldn't be more overjoyed at seeing you at long last. "Well, he certainly seems to have a very important job."  
  
"Yes, I would say so," Harry said and the subject dropped.

It wasn't long after that that they arrived at Hogsmead, the only all magical town in England. It was night by this time, far too late for them to see much of anything.

"Well, Hermione," Harry said, turning to his childhood friend. "Professor MacGonagall gave instructions for you to ride in one of the carriages with the students and than meet her in her office." He handed her a piece of parchment. "Here's the password."

He than looked at Brione. "I'll take you to your shop. There is an apartment just above it, just like you asked."

"Wonderful," Brione grinned.

"I'll meet up with you later tonight to see how things are going at Hogwarts, alright, Hermione?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded. 

  
Brione grinned and hugged Harry and than Brione. "Good luck," Brione said in her ear before pulling away. "Owl me tonight, alright?"  
  
"Alright," Hermione smiled, her blood was pumping, she was full of nervous energy.


End file.

Harry Potter, Humor, Romance