AN: So now that they are both sacrificing their happiness for the others future it's time to take a time leap to ten years in the future - anyone got a DeLorean? :::steals car from McFly and motions for everone to get in before he notices the car is gone::: Alright, everybody in? Make sure to buckle your seatbelts we got to get this baby up to 88.
Ten Years Later
"Lily! James! If you don't hurry we'll be late." Twenty-seven-year-old Hermione Granger called up the
stairs to her twin children.
"I don't see why we have to go to this muggle school anyway. We'll just be going to Hogwarts in two years and then none of this will matter." Nine-year-old James answered running across the stairwell, frantically looking for his backpack.
"Because you're my children and I think it's good for you - I went to muggle school before I went to Hogwarts." Hermione called back.
"Come on James, it's not that bad." His twin Lily called to him while she ran down the backstairs to the garage.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." James said throwing his bag over his shoulders and running after her. Hermione smiled at the two of them, grabbed her keys off the wall, and went into the garage. They were standing at their car doors giving her identical impatient looks, as if she hade been keeping them waiting.
"Don't give me those looks just get in the car." Hermione said pushing the button on the controller for the automatic lock. She didn't really need to drive them to school, their school was only just down the rode, but after dropping them off she would be continuing to the store she owned which was in the next town.
"Mum!" Lily called at the top of her voice as they pulled out onto the street in front of their house causing Hermione to nearly jump out of her skin and slam on the brakes.
"What?"
"James is levitating my pencils again."
"James you know better then to do magic where muggles might see you." Hermione said in an unforgiving tone.
"But Mum, I wasn't doing anything." James said insisting he was innocent
"Oh no of course you weren't." Hermione said glaring at him through the rearview mirror.
"Sorry," James muttered losing his concentration and causing the pencils to fall to the floor.
"And Lily next time James is doing magic just tell me don't scream about it - I though you had broken your neck or something."
"Sorry Mum."
"That's alright, just don't do it again," Hermione said rolling her eyes exhaustedly and driving on; she went threw this nearly every day. She loved her children, but they were such a handful. They had their father's pension for trouble - though Lily hide hers well, and as much as she loved them sometimes they were just a bit to much to handle. With a prayer they would behave Hermione pulled into the parking lot of their school and dropped them off; promising she would be back at three to pick them up like always. Pulling back out onto the road she drove the ten minute drive to her store Blue Moon.
It was a cheesy name - she knew that, but it worked and people seemed to like it. She had a fairly faithful customer base of both muggles and wizards - since the shop catered to both. The store was actually split in two one half had potions ingredients, precious stones, spell books, and other random things the wizarding community liked. The other half had books, precious stones, beads and other random things that the muggle community liked. Hermione kept the two stores separate by a magical door, if muggles looked at it they saw a door with Employees Only written across it; the wizards knew the door led to a muggle shop and stayed away from it.
She pulled into the back lot where she always parked and got ready to face the day by looking at the picture she kept in the sun visor. It was a picture of her and her best friend and financial backer Harry Potter; he had given her the money she needed to open her shop without asking any questions. Looking at this picture always made Hermione smile, it was of a happier time for them. Before Hermione had disappeared to America; before she had had the twins.
Harry also happened to be the father of her twins, though he didn't know it. But anyone with eyes could see it. They both had his jet black hair; James had hazel eyes, a blend of Hermione's brown and Harry's green, and Lily had the emerald eyes Harry was well known for. Hermione considered herself very lucky that he was the father of her children; they had powerful personalities like him and the potential for amazing magical ability. She also felt sad knowing that Harry didn't know their twins, thought that had admittedly been her choice, and seeing them grow more and more like him everyday was one of the hardest things for her to deal with. It made her wish Harry was part of her life again.
Hermione gave the picture one last fleeting look and slid it back into the visor. She had put Harry behind her, so to speak, for a reason and though looking at the picture made her smile, she knew she could focus on it - if she did she would probably catch the first plane back home. She sighed deeply and got out of the car and like clockwork just as Hermione was stepping across the parking lot her cell phone rang. It was Harry.
"Hello sleepy head." Harry said sarcastically, it was already half past hour in the afternoon where he was.
"Hi Harry."
"About to open the shop?"
"Just like everyday when you call." Hermione said turning the keys in the various locks and pushing open the back door.
"I suppose I'm nothing if not consistent."
"Has anyone ever told you that consistency is the last refugee of the unimaginative?"
"Hermione you are the only person I know who talks like that so if you've never said it to me no one has."
"So what's new?"
"Not a whole lot, Luna is apparently driving Ron mad."
"Pregnant women tend to drive people a little crazy."
"Well Daniel hasn't complained yet."
"Luna is seven months pregnant with triplets, Ginny is only four months pregnant with a single child. They are going to act a little different."
"True. So how are things at your end of the world?"
"Basically the same as they were yesterday. Oh so you had that big date with Becca last night, how did that go?" Hermione asked turning the deadbolt on the front door of the shop and switching the sign so it now read open. The store would be quiet for a while so she could keep talking to Harry.
"Not well, we broke up."
"What was wrong with this one?"
"Eh."
"What does that mean?"
"It means eh. I mean she was alright, but I didn't have those feeling for her, you know? Besides I think she only liked me because I play Quidditch."
"What do you mean you didn't have those feelings for her? You slept with her."
"Yeah well that didn't feel right."
"It never does to you."
"What can I say?"
"Nothing that would convince me you're sane, Becca was a nice girl."
"How would you know? You never met her. Or did you forget that you left home ten years ago and never looked back."
"Harry I like the life I have - don't make me feel guilty because of the choices I made."
"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. I'm trying to get you to come home for a visit or at least let someone visit you."
"I'm fine the way I am - I talk to you every day and Ron and Ginny three times a week. I can't miss you if I talk to you all the time."
"I guess that's true - maybe I shouldn't talk to you so much."
"My phone company would hunt you down."
"Well with that pleasant thought in mind I'll let you go. I'm sure the customers will be piling in soon."
"I'll talk to you tomorrow Harry."
"Bye Hermione."
"Bye Harry." She hung up the phone and sighed. She missed her friends so much, but she couldn't leave her children at home to pop over for a visit and she couldn't take them with her. The life she had chosen wasn't easy, but it was the choice she made.
AN: Poor Hermione, all alone in America and with Harry's twins around to remind her - I wonder what will happen next. ;)
Beppo - : ) Austenlover - I know Hermione's got it all screwed up, but she was young and thought she had the answers as for how often I update I have no idea a couple chapter everyday or every other day, something like that Woodstock - The only person who can tell Harry is Hermione and she's fighting with that decision harrynmione - : ) div - well it actually does take a while for Harry to find out, about ten years actually, but it doesn't take long in the story and well I like the way he finds out - hope you do to, when we finally get there Lara - well Hermione's trying to ignore her emotions at the moment, but once things start to progress you see a lot more of both their feelings - and yeah he is ; ) Natalie114 - I know it sucks to wait and I'll try not to make you wait, but I'm not going to make any promises `cause then if I get stuck I feel like I'm letting you down - well anyway I'm glad you like it so far ginnymalfoy21 - Harry would have been extremely happy, but we'll get to that later ; ) traydr vic - it has to be this difficult because that's the plot ; ) Chancellor - well me might meet someone else, but no one that's worth anything
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