Title: Bringing Back You
Author: Lady Refa
Disclaimer: hmmm….lets see...since im not jk rowling, I guess I don't own harry. *cries* o well, I own the plot…sort of. Theres not really much of a plot to own…so far neway….however, if peeps would review this I'd be very happy!! J so I hope you all like it and please please review!! J
Summary: When Hermione was seventeen, Harry broke her heart and left. Five years later, he returns to find a totally different woman than the one he left, one who is independent, glamorous, and breaks men's hearts. Will Harry be able to bring back the real Hermione and teach her the true meaning of love? R&R please!!! J
Chapter One: Nightmares and Memories
Everything was hazy. Hazy, but familiar.
She was at Hogwarts. Near the lake to be exact. It was sunny and she felt comforted by the feel of the trio's favorite tree trunk behind her.
Leaning back, she soaked up the warmth of the beautiful day. There were shapes moving in the background, indecipherable shapes that she knew were her fellow students going about their daily routine.
She closed her eyes with a sigh of contentment. Suddenly, something tickled her nose.
Her eyes flew open, and suddenly her happiness vanished. Vanished to be replaced by overwhelming hope.
He was there.
His face only inches away from hers, his dazzling green eyes gazing into hers.
A lock of black hair fell casually in front of his left eye. Subconsciously, her hand reached up and moved it into place.
He smiled at her, a smile full of sweetness, and she felt her breath catch.
It came out before she could stop it.
"I-I love you Harry."
She waited, holding her breath, staring at his face and waiting to see how he would response.
His smile disappeared. His eyes weren't happy anymore.
Now he was beginning to look worried and she noticed to her horror, sad.
Only she could make someone depressed by confessing her love, she thought sardonically.
She waited for him to say anything. Anything at all to break the silence.
He said nothing.
Maybe he's just surprised, she thought hysterically. Maybe he still doesn't understand what you meant.
"Harry, I love you. As in, I m-mean I really love you."
For a moment, his mouth quirked into a wistful, wry sort of smile. But only for a moment.
Very carefully, he detached her arm from his and started to walk away, not saying anything…almost as if he was ignoring her very prescence.
"Harry!" His name left her mouth, her voice sounding shrill and hollow at the same time with disbelief.
He just kept walking away.
"Harry!" Please, she thought frantically, this can't be happening. Why is he walking away?
Running after him wildly, she screamed his name once more.
He was gone.
*****************************************
"Harry!" Heart beating rapidly and adrenaline rushing through her body, twenty-three year old Hermione Granger bolted upright in her bed, mind spinning as she opened her eyes.
One glance at the clock told her that it was barely three thirty in the morning.
Relax, Hermione, she thought incredulously. It was just a dream. A horrible, terrible nightmare.
Except this dream wasn't just any old nightmare.
She wondered if all bad memories eventually came back to haunt you in your sleep. And if they did, then why this certain memory had waited eight years.
As her breathing became steadier, Hermione crawled out of bed and walked down the spacious hallway of her five-bedroom flat. Located in one of the most posh wizarding neighborhoods in London, its size seemed big enough to host her whole class at Hogwarts.
With a sigh, Hermione went into the kitchen and started to rummage through the cupboard. Her recent diet didn't leave much room for midnight snacks or wallowing food. No, all it seemed to consist of was salad and bits of absolutely tasteless meat.
Oh well, she thought, it has certainly paid off. And it had. Looking at her reflection in the dark glass walls of her breakfast nook, Hermione smiled. Gone was the unkempt bookworm.
Her deep chestnut brown hair fell in sleek curls to a spot just above her waist. Even though she'd just woken up, it looked artfully tousled instead of messy. Thanks to her new diet, her body had slimmed down even more, and looked very fit.
With a cold smile, Hermione thought about her dream. She'd been rejected, watched helplessly as her best friend broke her heart without saying a word. She could recall every instant of that memory as vividly as if it were happening right now.
But that Hermione Granger was gone. Gone was the innocent little girl who let people use her and play with her feelings. This Hermione was beautiful, hot, and best of all, desired. To hell with all the people who thought they could break her now.
**********************
"Hermione!! What are you doing? Don't you know what time it is???"
Ginny Weasley ran an impatient hand through her glossy auburn hair. Standing in Hermione's elegant foyer with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and brushing imaginary pieces of lint off her business suit with the other, she looked every inch the star Daily Prophet reporter she was.
"Coming!" Hermione's voice sounded muffled, as if she was surrounded by fabric. Two minutes later, a slightly out of breath Hermione came rushing down the stairs, still clipping her earrings and trying to keep a hold of her black stiletto heels.
Without bothering to say anything, Hermione grabbed the cup of coffee Ginny held out to her and headed straight for the closet to grab her purse and jacket, ignoring the elegant, questioning eyebrow the redhead raised at her.
"No time to explain now Ginny," Hermione said, fastening her buttons and dabbing on some lip gloss. "My case is in less than ten minutes, and if I keep my client waiting one more second he'll probably sue me."
"I'd be more worried about the Wizengamot kicking out their world famous lawyer when she shows up in those atrocious heels. Your feet are going to be killing you by lunch, let me tell you," Ginny replied. "Anyway, you won't believe who I got an owl from this morning…Harry and Ron just-"
Pop.
She was talking to thin air. Hermione had apparated. With a sigh, Ginny proceeded to do the same. She would just have to inform Hermione of her great news later.
*********************************
"All rise for the verdict of the Wizengamot."
Holding her breath, Hermione stood, silently cursing her wobbling heels. She'd done all she could, used all methods she could to prosecute for this case, and it all came down to one moment. She couldn't be certain of anything, there were still too many conservative muggle haters on the Wizengamot…
"Vincent Crabbe, you are hereby found guilty of numerous proven crimes against muggles and the order of the Ministry of Magic, and are hereby sentenced to fifteen years in Azkaban by the Wizengamot."
The courtroom filled with cheers as Hermione stood up feeling a giddy sort of relief. Crabbe was lead away, and Ministry members crowded around Hermione, congratulating her profusely on what one senior member who was shaking her hand said was "her most spectacular case yet."
Forty-five minutes later, Hermione was walking happily to her office. Since this had been a highly publicized case, she knew there would have to be a press conference, and she would rather get that over with sooner than later.
Running through times and dates in her head, Hermione knew she would have to sit down with her secretary to schedule it. She still had piles of work for her next case to get through, and it was already late afternoon.
Winking at Derrick, her secretary, Hermione made her way into the room that she now spent most of her life in. It was much more suited to her taste than her flat. High ceilings, wall covered with bookshelves, a brightly burning fireplace, and squashy armchairs and desks covered with stacks and stacks of parchment completed the workplace. Yep, this was definitely her home.
As she settled down to review papers and go through files and documents of research, Hermione felt contentment mixed with regret. Her work appealed to her, almost too much. If it weren't for Ginny, Hermione knew of several times when she would have probably broken down from strain. But then again, no matter how hard she tried to delve into her work to take her mind off certain other things, it didn't really work.
Hermione sighed. A part of her had disappeared five years ago. Now all she had to do was get used to her almost perfect life and make sure it didn't return.
***********************
Ginny Weasley was calm. Ginny Weasley was collected. And at that moment, Ginny Weasley was downright boiling with rage. She was going to kill Draco bloody Malfoy. She was going to kill Hermione. Hell, she might as well kill Harry and Ron while she was at it too.
Murderous. That was a good way to describe her mood. For starters, her day had been terrible. Thanks to Hermione, she'd arrived ten minutes late to a very important board meeting. Where she'd been informed that Rita Skeeter had printed her usual rubbish, and that meant Ginny had had to come up with a hasty article redeeming the paper. Matters didn't improve much when two employees admitted they'd slacked off and didn't have their drafts ready for the deadline.
As if all this wasn't enough to try a girl's patience, that absolute git Malfoy had to be hanging around her place of work, disturbing the press and messing with her mind. Why did he have to be there all the time? Didn't he have a family company to run? All Ginny knew was that it had taken her fifteen minutes to get away from Draco. Ginny had been tempted to Bat-bogey hex him, but that would have ruined his pretty face, so why bother.
And then, in the midst of this, she'd gotten a bloody owl from Ron early in the morning. All day she'd been trying to tell Hermione about it, but no, Miss Granger had to be involved in some big shot case and holed up in her office. Apparently she'd told Derrick she didn't want to be disturbed.
Well, she was going to be disturbed all right. And Ginny was betting that in less than twenty minutes, Hermione was going to be far more than disturbed.
Bang.
Startled, Hermione looked up. She was settled behind her desk, scribbling madly on a piece of paper, and looked, in Ginny's opinion, stoned.
"What's going on, Ginny? You know how much stuff I have to get through," Hermione stood up and stretched, looking distinctly annoyed.
Ginny snapped. If anyone had the right to be annoyed, it was her. With two movements she had snatched Hermione's papers away and was standing in front of her. "You, Hermione Granger, are going to go change into something incredibly fancy and sexy and are going to be at the Rain Locus in less than ten minutes. For the rest of the night, you are going to enjoy yourself and stop working so hard that you look dead. There's no time to explain right now."
Ginny held up a hand as Hermione started to speak. "Ten minutes, Hermione."
Pop.
Hermione threw up her hands in confusion, and was already yelling to Derrick that she had to go before she got her jacket on. With a distinct pop, she too disapparated.
*****************************
"So, care to explain what the hell I'm doing here?" Hermione's voice cut sharply as she strode toward Ginny at the main entrance of the Rain Locus.
The Rain Locus was a very expensive restaurant that appealed to both Muggles and Wizards, as the owner was a muggle born wizard. However, all wizards who attended had to conceal their true identities.
With an approving glance, Ginny nodded at Hermione. Thank Merlin the girl had decided to take her advice. Now all Ginny had to do was quickly prepare her for what was going to happen before Hermione had time to bolt.
Ginny lead the way to a private dining room in the back, and took a deep breath as Hermione followed behind her. "This morning, I got an owl from Ron."
"So?" Hermione's brow furrowed, and she looked put out. "We always get owls from Ron."
Ginny stopped in front of the door. The glass windows surrounding the exclusive area were darkly tinted, so all that could be seen were two indistinct shapes moving around inside.
"He sent me an owl telling me that he's coming back to London today. For good. Ron wanted us to come here for dinner at seven to meet them both, something I've been trying to tell you all day. By both I mean him and Harry."
"What?"
Ginny ignored Hermione's freak out and just pushed her through the door.
Review…please?? J