Disclaimer: Not mine, only in my dreams.
Unexpected
Chapter 2
"I want a full report on my desk next week. Audrey, the tables demanding progress. Could you speed up the Riverbend project? Tom, lab found extra dragon claw in your potion. Readjust it by Wednesday. Blaise, your new intern backed out. You will have to wait another 2 weeks. Ellie, the green house is screaming for nutrients. Owl Neville Longbottom with this list." Glancing away from her parchment, Hermione gazed across the large meeting room. "The rest of you continue your work, and I'll have more comments next week. Until then, have fun and come found me if you need anything." Smiling at the crowd, each member returned the gesture in respect before leaving their boss.
Though the Center was managed by a group of investors or the table they were nicknamed, Hermione had been appointed Chief Executive four years ago. All workers went to her if a crisis or project occurred. Her authority became so efficient that everyone started calling her boss. Soon even the investors adopted the name, because of her skill that triple the company's profit.
Quickly walking into her office, she missed the midnight raven perched on her windowsill. Bringing her boss a strong brew of coffee, Betty jumped at the sight of the creature. Cup crashing and coffee spilling, both the raven and Hermione looked at her surprised.
"Betty are you alright?" Hermione kneeled helping the young girl.
"I'm fine. Sorry," She blushed making her nose red. "I was just shocked to see that." She pointed at the still bird. Recognizing the animal, Hermione took the letter clenched in its claw. After reading the news, she turned towards her nervous sectary.
"I'll be gone this afternoon during lunch. If anyone needs me, tell them to leave a message."
"Yes boss," Betty finished cleaning the mess. "I'll get you another coffee." She turned to leave, hoping not to show her embarrassment.
"Betty," Hermione called out as the blonde reached the door. "We all make mistakes when we start a new job. But don't worry; it gets easier as you become familiar with your surrounding. And being independent becomes the best feeling in the world."
Shyly smiling at her boss, Betty went to wash her hands in the company lavatory. As the warm water hit, she remembered her mother's concern. Working for the Hermione Granger will be challenging Betty, she said. Would leaving straight out of Hogwarts and barely any experience be smart? Glancing at her desk neatly placed before Hermione's office she grinned widely. "I'll just have to owl her tonight. It was my smartest decision."
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your sweet company today?" Hermione asked the scowling man across from her. Taking her butterbeer from the Tom, she innocently smirked at him.
"I could hex you for your cheek." Severus glared at her cheery disposition.
"You could, but than you still owe me a debt and Harry would seek revenge."
"Bloody wizard debt," he muttered to himself. Sweeping her hair, into a ponytail, Hermione spoke lightly.
"You really should get a normal owl. My sectary almost had a heartache from it."
"Nightly is a very obedient bird. Besides why should I do normal?"
"Heaven forbid, Severus Snape be normal!" She raised her hands up with a gasp.
"You're humor is still that of a Gryffindor. I'm disappointed. I would think you would have learned well from me." His voice carried a hint of teasing.
"Oh dear Professor, forgive me. Wait, I'm not your student anymore. Guess I can keep the house points." The stared intently at each other before laughing casually at the normal interaction between them.
Slipping his hand into his robe, Severus pulled out a crumbled letter. Sliding it towards her, Hermione read the letter thinking it was another potion list. Silently he waited for her reaction when he saw her eyes budge at the news.
"Why did you show me this?" Her voice was tight with emotion.
"I would think one of your brain capacity would understand?" He tapped his fingers along the table.
"Severus, just tell me why." Hermione answered the dark man. Carefully leaning forward, he explained in a whisper.
"The broad of governors will not allow him admission into Hogwarts. While Durmstrag said they would take him, the Ministry does not want him to leave the country."
"Then that means," Hermione interrupted, realizing the only choice left. "Oh Harry."
"Yes," Severus stated. "Hermione he said no. If I could take the child I would. But it is out of my
hands. Harry is the only one who can give the boy a chance." He paused giving her another letter. "Convince
Harry to say yes. You're the only one he will listen too."
"Severus, you know Harry hated his parents." She bite her lower lip in thought. "Actually he still does and I don't blame him. Peter Pettigrew and Bellatrix Lestrange deserve nothing close to mercy. But…I do pity the boy. He's been trapped in a cage his whole life because of what his parents did."
"So will you help him?" Looking at his sincere expression, Hermione sighed with doubt.
"I'll try my best, but it all depends on Harry."
"Its all I ask Hermione. Thank you, Timothy will forever be in your debt."
"May I ask, why do you care so much for him?" Her curiosity grew as he sat silently. Glazing with a far away look, he answered softly.
"He reminds me of someone." Severus finished his drink, before waving Tom for the bill.
"That's all your going to say. Rather vague of you." Hermione said, frustrated at the answer.
"My heart cares so much," he mocked pain heartache. "Till morrow, for I have much to do."
"Leave me then, for I care not." Hermione returned the tone of voice.
"Better, but still lacked conviction." Severus gave a small smile, before leaving the crowded Leaky Cauldron. Waving goodbye to Tom, she passed through the streets of Diagon Alley in a blur. Hermione for the first time in her life had no idea how to approach the problem.
The house was noisy, filled of laughter and music. In the transformed ballroom were couples swaying to the rhythmic beat. Smack in the center stood a dark haired man, surround by a sea of women. Confidently he moved around them, sending their hearts pumping faster at his charm.
At the side his childhood friends chuckled from his obvious display of smugness. Always up to challenge his friend, the unruly haired man, grabbed his wife's hand, twirling her onto the dance floor.
Soon a towering cake appeared, with layers of candles piled on. Happily smiling at the object the attractive man pulled his closest friends into a picture. Once the cake was cut, champagne followed with a heartfelt speech from the usually quiet shaggy blonde hair man.
As the night worn on, the earlier couple stood back watching the chaotic scene before them. Silently the blonde and dark haired men joined the couple in the far corner of the room.
Smiling with her green eyes, she whispered softly towards the other men, while her husband stood back grinning. Finally registering the news she shared, both men stared shocked at their best friend. Shrugging his shoulders lightly, he felt his glasses slip from the impact of two men hugging him. Breaking away, they returned the gesture towards the glowing wife. Gently they rubbed her stomach, murmuring soft words towards the future baby boy.
Knock Knock
Opening the heavy door, Remus stepped in with concern clearly written on his face. Taking the opposite seat across Harry, he noticed the pensive tightly held in his hands.
"Harry, its late. You should be in bed." He placed his hands, over the still figure. Not answering, Remus leaned closer towards Harry face. "What's wrong son?"
"What did you think life would be like after this?" Harry presented the pensive. Grabbing the silver bowl, Remus watched as the familiar images passed by. Sighing at his naive younger self, he gently placed the memory down.
"I thought we would defeat Voldemort and live happily ever after. James and Lily planned on having more kids. Sirius mentioned once he wanted to settle down or maybe just found a decent girlfriend. I wanted to write." Harry glanced up, surprised at the unknown knowledge. "I had some great ideas. Lily said I should write an autobiography loosely based on my life in Hogwarts."
"What did he think?" Harry's voice quaked with strain.
"Harry,"
"What did he want Remus?" He asked more demanding. Pinching his nose bridge, Remus closed his eyes in memory.
"He said he wanted to do something big. He wanted people to forever know his name and be proud of him." Shaking his head in regret, Remus softly spoke, "I should have known. We all saw it, but we were all so blind. Or maybe we just thought it was impossible for him to do something to well planned."
Standing from his chair, Harry walked to his window looking into the great open sea. The crescent moon was high above the sky, shining moonbeams onto the waters. Only the gleaming fins of meripeople were seen perched on the beach rock shores. Taking his scotch filled cup, Harry gulped the rest in one take. Worried at Harry's quiet reaction, Remus stood beside the younger man. Letting the silence over take them, they both stood watching the sea move up and down.
"How do we pass it Remus?"
"Pass what Harry?"
"The guilt of living." His green eyes blurred moving to meet misty blue ones. "I have grown to accept all the dead, who left fighting by my side. I'm slowly letting the affects of the living scars heal. But how do I pass the simple guilt of being here when they're not? Are we forever plagued with the lost? Does it never leave?"
Placing his hands on Harry's shoulder, Remus gave a bittersweet smile. "Their memories will forever be by our sides. We are creatures of emotions. We cannot forget. Yet it will ease because of their love. Don't let their love be sacrificed for nothing Harry. Remember this simple fact…they loved you. Never lose sight of life, instead embrace it knowing it was battled with love."
Meekly smiling at the older man, Harry reached out hugging Remus tightly. Gently patting his back, Remus sighed not knowing how else to sooth the surviving hero's worries.
"Marco!" A skinny nine year old screamed.
"Polo!" The group of children shouted back. Giggling among themselves, they ran around the open court, waiting for the blinding charm placed on the girl to find them.
"Marco!" She called out, hearing footsteps on the pavement. Reaching out, she happily grabbed the new victim. "You're it!" Her eyes blinked at the sudden light. Gazing up, she saw an elegant woman smiling down at her. Not knowing who she was, the little girl, landed hard on her bottom.
"Oh, are you alright?" The pretty lady kneeled down, helping her to stand. Once hearing the yelp of pain, all the children's attention landed on the familiar face.
"Hermione!"
"Dr. Granger!"
"Mione!" Chorus of shouts echoed through the air, as the kids smiled excitedly.
"I'm fine," the confused girl answered.
"You must be new here." Hermione stood up, towering over the children ranging from 7-12. "I'm Hermione Granger. What's you're name?"
"Emma Breteon, mam." She curtsied
"Please, call me Hermione, or Dr. Granger."
"Or Mione," the children chuckled at the nickname which Mr. Weasley or Ron told them to call her. Shaking her head with a smile, Hermione couldn't help but laugh with them.
"Well I must be off to found your Headmaster. See you later!" She waved, entering into the castle.
"She's sweet." Emma finally said, as everyone settled on the grass ground.
"Oh, I think she's beautiful." The older girls exclaimed wishing they were as sophisticated as Hermione Granger. The older boys agreed but only shrugged at the idea.
"Yep," Anna the youngest girl replied. "They're perfect for each other."
"What are you talking about?"
"Hermione and Harry. They're perfect for each other." She stated in a matter of fact tone.
"They're just friends silly. Everyone knows that." Her older sister replied.
"So it doesn't mean they're not perfect for each other. They're soul mates." Her statement made everyone wonder. Pushing the boy next to her, Anna screamed. "You're it!" Soon the children resumed their game of Marco Polo. Yet little Emma couldn't help but smile at the idea of Hermione Granger and Harry Potter together. They are perfect for each other. Nodding to herself at the fact, she followed John's lead and ran around the courtyard.
Grinning at the antics from the younger children, Hermione casually walked through Outreach. Rarely she saw anyone, but those she met were the older students either studying or working on some sort of project. If she were ten years younger, she definitely would have love this school. Of course Hogwarts would always have a place in her heart, but Outreach did have something special.
Nearing the destination, Hermione could see Harry's unkempt hair through the small crack in the door. Confidently knocking, she was greeted with a welcoming voice.
"Come in," it was slightly muffled. Looking up from his desk, Harry grinned upon seeing her face. "Hermione, I was expecting an owl, not the real thing."
"Well, you know me. I always go over the top." She paused seeing his pile of paper work. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Not really, just have a list of names the Ministry and Confederation sent me. I still have this pile sent from my searchers." He pointed at the messy stack beside the desk. "I think I need to hire more staff. This school seems to get bigger and bigger."
"You say that as if it's a bad thing." She teased fully knowing how much Harry loves this school.
"Sometimes it can be." His tone was so serious Hermione almost believed him. But those sparkling green eyes gave it away with mischief.
"You will never grow up Harry Potter."
"I certainly hope not." He smiled, making his face ever more attractive. "So what's up?"
"Does there have to be for me to be here?" Hermione retorted, not fully ready to tactical her main objective.
"No," he hesitated, not sure if he should mention last Sunday's events. "But last time I saw you, it was rather emotional. I thought maybe you wanted to talk about it." Perplexed at what the whole topic of Timothy, Hermione had absolutely forgotten about David. "From the look on your face, I take it you haven't been thinking about that."
Smiling at how well Harry knew her, she answered frankly. "To be honest, I have not thought about him since Sunday. I've spent this whole week so involved with work, it was the last thing on my mind."
"Okay. Well are you going to talk to him? I mean, its not good to fester as you always tell me."
"Yes I know." She tiredly sat on top of the empty desk. "I think I'm going to break up with him. It's becoming too much for me. Between the Center and his needs, it's ripping me apart." Hermione rested her head, against the palm of her hand. Noticing the sign of a headache, Harry moved to gently hold her.
When hearing her conclusion, Harry couldn't help but feel happy at the news. Frankly Hermione was too amazing to be dating men like that. In honesty, all the men she dated were nothing deserving of her presences. Yet somehow they luck out, with a chance with her. Sadly while others stood quietly on the sideline.
"You agree don't you?" She asked as Harry ran his fingers through her hair.
"Yes," he said quickly. "But only because that's what you want. You deserve someone you will support and understand you. If David can't handle the idea of his girlfriend being smart and independent, then he shouldn't bother. You're the greatest mind to grace England. You shouldn't have to deal with petty problems of a man who doesn't appreciate an amazing woman before him."
"Oh Harry, what would I do without you?" Hermione looked deep into his piercing eyes.
"Be extremely boring," he yelped at the impact of her fist against his stomach.
"Run Potter!" Taking the advice, the Great Harry Potter zoomed through the halls, screaming for help.
"Ah! Help me! I'm being attacked by Granger!" Loud noises filled the corridors, as staff and students remained unflinching.
"I didn't know Dr. Granger was coming today." Mark asked still reading his textbook.
"Probably had some thing important to say." Professor Lupin continued tutoring several students, but hid a small smile of joy.
A.N.
Thank you for all the comments! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This is mainly a H/HR story, but I will be having other couples in here as well. Please review and stay tune for the next chapter!