I hope it's not as long as WLGO…. Maybe 10 chapters…. *sighs*
Anyways this chapter skips time a bit….read carefully to understand what's going on….
Must Be Approved By Crookshanks
By: Plumgirl
Summary: Hermione maybe successful and thriving, but she still hears her biological clock ticking. Being one of the only few women her age to still be single, Hermione takes drastic measures that Crookshanks is determined against…
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter… though I wish I did… who doesn't? Ms. JK Rowling owns it…
"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Hermione, asked me, putting on her sweater.
I frowned and then resumed my nap. 'It's too early and I'm meeting Kipper to go food swiping from the stores in the town.'
Hermione just told me goodbye and left.
Hermione was going to the muggle daycare center. She's been working there for a month now. After she resigned from her position, (technically she's on sabbatical, since they didn't want to lose her), she moved down here to this quaint little muggle community with a few elderly wizards and witches. A witch who lived next door to our home has an owl, Kipper, who has been helping me adjust to this new life.
I could understand why Hermione wanted to get away from it all and just come here. It's peaceful and quiet, but there aren't any magical creatures to talk to, except a few grumpy owls. I mean I could talk to other cats, but they don't ponder many deep things. And dogs, they're not too friendly. Kipper's the only friendly creature around here. She's a bit eccentric. Doesn't feed on mice. She loves dry treats and cookies. Her owner, Mrs. Tibble, is an old witch, and gives Kipper only healthy dry treats. So Kipper usually goes in town to the bakery to snatch some cookies.
"Shoo! Shoo!" the baker cried angrily, waving a rolling pin, "Get away from my cookies, you silly bird!"
Kipper just hooted and flew around his head. She was distracting the baker, so I sneaked a couple of cookies.
***
'Hey!' hooted Kipper, 'Hey cat!'
I was trotting back to the cottage with the cookies. I turned and frowned at her.
'You owe me half of the cookies!' Kipper demanded.
I just frowned and dropped the cookies.
'Hey I snatched the cookies!' I meowed, annoyed.
'Yeah,' hooted Kipper, 'but I helped by distracting the baker!'
'You didn't even notice me!' I grumbled, 'You were just fighting with the baker!'
'I did!' Kipper hooted, happily, 'I can't miss a big, ordinary, orange cat like you!'
I frowned, 'Extraordinary. I'm half-kneazle.'
'Whatever.' Kipper hooted.
The first two months here, Hermione was really depressed. She would just stay in the cottage. I tried to make her do something, but all she wanted to do was stay in bed. I got really bored and depressed too until I met Kipper. Thank goodness for her and her owner too. Mrs. Tibbles was a volunteer for the day care center. She would bake low sugar treats and knit clothes for the children. She was the one who convinced Hermione to work there at least part-time.
With having a reason to get out of bed, Hermione gradually came back to her usual self. Well a shell of her usual self. She still had moments where she would sit on the sofa and just stare into space. Or she had crying fits in the bed. I know she tried to cover them up from me, but I knew. And every time she did, I got mad at Harry.
'You know Harry never meant to let things go so far.' Hedwig hooted.
'But he did.' I meowed bitterly.
'I know.' Hedwig hooted sadly, 'but he does care about her.'
'I know.'
'And he does love her.'
'…I know.'
But he hurt Hermione too much. I don't think she'll ever be the same again. And Harry and Hermione's friendship was totally demolished. 15 years of friendship. They faced so many obstacles and hardships. School, the war, Voldemort. They went through and survived all of that, but this simple deception was the one that broke them up. How ironic.
Mrs. Tibbles tells Hermione to give it time. Right now it hurts too much. "Time heals all wounds." She says. But I'm not sure. Right now the pain is still blinding for Hermione and my anger towards Harry is great. Will our feelings get better with time?
I don't know.
*** (6 Months Later)
"Come on, Crookshanks!" Hermione ordered me, "The kids really want to meet you!"
I grumbled and frowned. 'I'm not a toy for show-and-tell.'
The kids at the daycare center really wanted to meet me. Hermione told them all about me. I wasn't too fond of the idea. 'Kids poke, pull, scream and stuff comes out of them.' I shuddered at the thought.
Hermione waited for me impatiently as I slowly padded my way out the door. She carried me and put me in the front basket on her bike. I must say, I don't mind this type of transportation. No queasiness, no dizziness and no ashes.
Wizards think they're all smart because they don't rely on electricity and they have faster modes of transportation.
Please, I think muggles have the upper hand, although there are some really stupid muggles. So I guess neither is better than the other.
As Hermione stopped in front of the daycare center, I hopped out of the basket. Hermione parked the bike and carried me inside.
"Be nice." Hermione whispered to me, as she greeted the kids with a warm smile and 'hello.'
There were about 12 kids, a few workers and Mrs. Tibbles. Kipper was here too and she had a pink and white bow tied to her neck. I inwardly grinned at her appearance.
"Kitty!" a kid cried as she started petting me.
'Ugh.'
"Kitty cat!" another kid cried, as she pet me.
'Ugh.'
"He's so cute!" a little girl said, petting me.
'Hmm… not so bad.' I thought, pleased with her compliment.
"Cool!" a little boy cried, as he yanked on my tail.
'Never mind.' I thought, as I tried not to scratch him. Hermione gently told him not to pull on my tail. Thank goodness he listened.
All the kids surrounded me, petting and poking me. It wasn't so bad, no accidents and only that boy yanked on my tail.
After the kids got bored of me, they resumed playing with their toys. I crept towards Kipper, dying to tease her.
'Nice bow.' I meowed, snickering.
Kipper hooted happily, 'I know! Isn't it beautiful?"
She turned around on her perch to model the bow. I grumbled. 'She can be no fun.'
'I would have gotten a rise out of Hedwig.' I thought, frowning.
I watched as Hermione played with some of the kids and helped Mrs. Tibbles set out the snacks. As the kids all settled at the table to eat their snacks, a little boy and a woman came in.
The woman was petite and kind-looking with brown hair and blue eyes. Her son was very small, with a darker shade of brown hair, but with his mother's eyes. The woman talked to the advisor for awhile. Then the advisor smiled and took the boy's hand and led him to the table.
"This is Harold, everyone!" The advisor said to the kids, introducing him.
"Hi Harold!" chorused all the kids.
I saw Hermione flinch at the name.
The boy beamed at everyone.
The mother waved goodbye to him, and was crying. But the boy just waved back happily and sat down. The director talked to a few of her associates and Mrs. Tibbles. Then, she went to her office to get the mom some papers to fill out.
While his mom was filling out the papers, the little boy just smile happily at everyone and drank his milk. He saw the boy next to him eye his cookie, so the little boy gave him half. He seemed like a happy child. But he looked really young compared to the other kids. He looked around 3 or 4. Most of the kids were 5 and up.
"Bye baby!" the mom cried. The boy just waved back happily.
The mom said goodbye again, still crying and she left reluctantly.
As the other kids finished their snacks and resumed playing, the little boy watched them. After awhile he joined a group of children making blocks. He smiled as he played with them, but then soon moved to another group of kids, smaller and joined in with their games.
I saw Hermione eye the little boy as she helped clear the table. At first she seemed a bit cautious, but she noticed how friendly he was.
He was an adorable little boy. Even I found him to be endearing.
He was very gentle when petting me and Kipper. Kipper kept making him laugh by spinning around and modeling her bow.
Later on I saw Hermione join him and the other kids in their games. She seemed happy.
***
Only about 3 hours later, Harold's mother came back. The parents wouldn't pick up the kids for at least another 2 hours. I watched as Harold waved goodbye to all the other kids and too the volunteers. Mrs. Tibbles gave him a kiss on his cheek and put a treat in his pocket and winked. Harold smiled. He went to his mother who gave him a big hug and looked relieved. She held his hand and thanked the advisors. Harold looked straight at Hermione, smiled and waved. Hermione smiled back and waved.
We watched as Harold left with his mom.
That seemed to be a special day. Hermione seemed a little bit happier.
***
It was also that same day when she took Mrs. Tibbles' advice on writing letters.
"Write letters!" Mrs. Tibbles said, "Write letters to this Harry and tell him how you feel!"
Hermione stuttered and was flustered.
"I don't mean you have to owl them to him!" Mrs. Tibbles tisked, "Just write to him, for your own sake!"
That evening, I watched Hermione go to the closet to find some parchment and a quill. She kept most of her magical possessions in there. I watched her as she sat at the kitchen table, thinking for a moment then writing furiously. The first letter she wrote, she started crying and was crying as she wrote it. She'd write for hours at a time. At first the letters were about her anger, betrayal and frustration at him. 'How could you do that to me?' 'How could you deceive me like that?'
In the beginning she wrote letters everyday in the evening. She would cry when she wrote, but as weeks wore on, she kept crying less and less. A few more weeks had past and she wrote less often. 4 times a week, 3 times a week, and a couple months later, she would write twice a week, usually Mondays and Fridays.
Then her questions were less angry, but still frustrated. 'Why couldn't you tell me sooner?'
Now, Hermione still writes those questions, but her letters are more about the past. The Hogwarts days. When they were younger and now as adult, those times seemed so simple. Sometimes I'd watch her reread her letters and just cry or reminisce. After she wrote a letter she would put it in a small box. She never reread her letters after she put them in there.
***
It was the only time she actually acknowledged her past. During the rest of the day she would go work at the day care center and participate in social events in the town.
Hermione had changed. She was no longer the fast-paced workaholic always working hard for promotions. She's more relaxed and calmer. More mellow, but a bit sad. She wasn't Hermione Granger the brilliant witch, but Hermione Granger the simple daycare worker. I don't know if I like this Hermione better than the old one, but she's changed.
Now, two years later, Hermione is an assistant director at the daycare center. She still plays with the kids. She loves them all. She loves playing with the kids and I usually go with her on Fridays for show-and-tell. Plus they have the best snacks then.
But soon after she was promoted, Harold stopped coming to the daycare center. At first Hermione thought maybe he was ill and at home, but after two weeks had past she got worried.
Hermione particularly liked Harold a lot. He was very sweet, polite and innocent. His smile was so contagious. He was able to make Hermione smile with his grin. I liked seeing him on Fridays too. Mrs. Tibbles would give the kids a break with her low fat treats and make her special oatmeal raisin cookies. They were divine. Harold would always share his cookie with me and Kipper. He'd break it into thirds and give me and Kipper a piece. He was really sweet and definitely my favorite kid out of the whole daycare center. Actually all the workers and volunteers thought so too. Even the children.
The little girls adored him and would baby him. They'd play house with him and he would always happily be the baby. The little boys adored him as well and all tried to be big brothers for him and protect him.
"Where's Harry? Where's Harold?" they would ask.
After a two week absence from day care, Hermione asked the advisor and director about Harold.
"Is he sick?" Hermione asked, worried, "or is his mother sick?"
They didn't know either. Hermione looked for Harold's home address and went to visit him that day. She took a couple of Mrs. Tibbles' famous oatmeal cookies, for Harold. I sat in the basket, as I watched Hermione knock on the door. No one answered.
Finally Hermione gave up hope and went home.
Another week had past until everyone found out. It was another usual Friday morning. The volunteers and workers were greeting the children and parents who signed them in. Hermione was helping Mrs. Tibbles carry her tray of freshly baked cookies. Kipper and I watched them, eyeing the tray filled with the delectable treats.
The advisor came out from the office with a paper in her hand. She didn't look too happy. She talked to the director and the director looked upset too. That's when Hermione found out.
"Harold died of heart failure last night, at the hospital. He's been sick for a long time." the advisor said, with tears in her eyes, as she quietly told the other workers.
They were all sad and a few of them cried. Hermione was white and frozen stiff on her spot.
"Do we tell the children?" a worker asked, still crying softly.
Mrs. Tibbles nodded sadly, "We have to. They deserve to know."
The advisor and director agreed. "We'll tell them after snack time."
***
The children took the news better than the workers did.
"So he was really sick?" a little boy asked.
The advisor nodded, "He was sick for a long time. Since he was born."
"What was wrong?" a little girl asked.
"His heart wasn't very strong and wasn't working properly." The advisor replied.
The kids frowned. A boy raised his hand.
"Was he in a lot of pain?" the little boy asked, frowning.
"He might have been, yes." the advisor replied.
The children were all deep in thought. All of them quite upset with the news. The same boy raised his hand.
"So now he's not in pain anymore?" the little boy said.
"No pain."
"So he's not hurting anymore." another boy declared. The other kids nodded.
"He must be in heaven now." another little girl said.
"He could be an angel." another girl added. All the kids agreed.
Most of the workers were filled with tears.
"Do you think he'll miss us?" a girl asked, "We'll miss him."
"Of course he will." The advisor replied.
"No." a boy said. The other children turned to stare at him. The workers and the advisor looked startled.
"If he's an angel," the boy said, "he'll probably watch over all of us from heaven. He'll see us everyday."
The children nodded.
"But we won't see him." the boy finished sadly.
"Until later." a girl said, wisely.
The kids nodded.
The workers were surprised and comforted by the children's insights. They watched as the kids decided to finger paint paintings of Harold and the times they played together.
Mrs. Tibbles cried, softly watching them. Kipper flew to cookie tray and got a cookie. She brought it too me and crushed it into three pieces with her beak. We both ate two of the pieces, but left the third one uneaten.
For Harold.
***
I heard Hermione's sobs from her room, that evening. She showed no emotions or tears, but once she came home, she ran to her room and shut the door. I heard her sobs throughout the night. She stayed in bed the next day. Mrs. Tibbles came by around the evening with a casserole.
"You should eat something dear." Mrs. Tibbles said, "It's not doing any good if you starve yourself."
Hermione sniffed as Mrs. Tibbles led her into the kitchen and set her a plate. Mrs. Tibbles watched her as she had a few bites.
"I know you cared about him a lot." Mrs. Tibbles said, "And I know what he meant to you."
Hermione looked at Mrs. Tibbles, saying nothing.
"He's gone from you." Mrs. Tibbles said, "Now you have to face your demons."
I watched as Hermione started crying and Mrs. Tibbles comforted her. I knew exactly what Mrs. Tibbles meant. It would have been hard for me to accept it 3 years ago, but now, I think I can.
Harold was her link to her past. When life wasn't as complicated. When things were hard, but easy to overcome. When she didn't feel alone and hopeless.
Now Hermione had to face the present and her future. She had to face Harry. But I don't know if she can. But I sure as hell will try.
I scampered through the kitty door to Mrs. Tibbles' place, where Kipper was. I meowed a couple times and she finally came out the window.
"What's up, Crookshanks?" Kipper hooted, she was wearing a bib. She must have been eating her dinner.
"I need your help." I meowed urgently, "Please."
Kipper frowned, "What's wrong?"
"Can you fly to London with a package?" I meowed.
"LONDON?!" Kipper hooted, "That's so far from here!"
"I know." I meowed, impatiently, "Please."
Kipper thought it over.
"Well I will need sustenance for the long trip." Kipper finally said.
"I'll give you the cookies before you deliver it." I meowed.
"Alright." Kipper agreed, "I'll do it."
***
I waited for next Tuesday. That morning as soon as Hermione left, I went into action.
***
Kipper came back on Wednesday night. As soon as I saw her land, I ran outside to her.
"Did you do it?" I meowed, impatiently.
Kipper huffed and puffed for a few moments.
"Yes." Kipper hooted, "I delivered it."
I thanked Kipper and went back inside. Tomorrow would be an interesting day.
***
It was late afternoon. Hermione dragged me to the vet's office, after work, and then went shopping for groceries. I grumbled as we headed home because her groceries were in the basket and I had to run along side her bike. Even without the groceries Hermione wouldn't let me ride in the basket.
"Well Crookshanks seems to have gained weight." the vet said with a frown, "He needs a healthier diet and more exercise."
'Evil she-devil.' I thought, glowering.
"Keep up with me, Crookshanks!" Hermione ordered, riding on her bike, "Vet said you needed exercise!"
'That evil woman needs exercise.' I thought, grumpily, 'she should go on a diet!'
"And I better ask Mrs. Tibbles about you new diet food." Hermione said.
'Argh.'
As Hermione pedaled ahead to our home, she suddenly stopped. I was panting and surprised that she stopped. I'm glad she did, though, because I needed a break.
I frowned as I stared at Hermione. She was white. I looked to our porch. A man was sitting with a box.
It was Harry.
***
Part 7 Completed.
AN: Was that an evil cliffie? How many of you will be upset? Will I be flamed?
Oh goody….
Comments and Constructive Criticism are always welcome…