Disclaimer: JKR started it.
A/N My first fanfic :D Reviews and constructive criticisms are super welcome.
Chapter 1
They say you realize how much time has passed through the smallest of changes. Repainting of your neighbour's house, construction of a new building across the street, innocent little kids now adventurous teenagers, old trees cut down, new ones planted....
For Hermione Granger it is the exact opposite. It's the fact that nothing has changed at all that shakes her down to the core. It's like London is telling her, Hermione Granger, look at me, I haven't changed at all, and yet you did! You did! Oh look at you now. Everything is exactly how she remembered it. It's like she never left. Yet she did.
Five years ago, she was offered a post as head Healer in France. S.P.E.W., by then a success in England, was also starting to gain attention in France. She had every reason to go to France and people thought her infamous break-up with Harry Potter was simply because she chose her career over love (and yes, she was in the headlines of Daily Prophet, Granger Says Yes to France, No to Potter and she received a lot of hate mail and howlers for months for allegedly breaking Harry's heart).
And because the Prophet doesn't get anything right at all, what people didn't know back then was that it was a peaceful break-up, a mutual decision to let go. No angry Harry, no shrieking Hermione, no broken china, no howlers, nothing of that sort. What they didn't know either was that the perfect pair wasn't perfect. It hadn't been working out for months and the break-up was just an official declaration that it was over. Hermione and Harry were young, busy, and they had different dreams. Hermione was set on being a Healer, Harry on being an Auror. Two years after they graduated in Hogwarts, they just knew they already had different lives and they had to let go of their five-year relationship.
It's funny how falling out of love happens, Hermione thought. It just happens. A couple of missed phone calls, letters you forgot to write, dates rescheduled...and then you realize both of you have been like this for a year now. You and him are just....different now. You can't read his mind like you used to. He can't figure out what to give you on your anniversary because really, you just don't know each other anymore. The war changed both of you. In fact, the war brought out exactly the same change in both of you. Ah, there it is, that's what went wrong, Hermione told herself. You were both so eager to change the world. You were both so fired up to work. You devoted yourself into curing people, giving them another shot at life, changing the world. And he devoted himself into catching dark wizards, depriving them of another shot at taking someone else's life, changing the world. You both became too busy saving other people's lives that you forgot about your own.
"Thinking about going back to France already?", a voice snapped Hermione back to reality...a very familiar voice she hasn't heard in five years.
"Yeah right, I can just picture the headlines again: Granger breaks Potter's heart, not once, but twice!", Hermione retorted.
And just like that, they were there, outside Harry's house, laughing hard, clutching their stomachs, and to an outside observer it doesn't seem at all like they hadn't seen each other in years.
"Oh Harry, it's so good to see you!" Hermione exclaimed and wrapped her arms around Harry. Harry hugged her back, not believing that after five years, Hermione was the same Hermione he has known since he was eleven, the same Hermione he loved, and loves still? Whoa, stop right there Potter, no need to ruin the reunion by going with that train of thought, Harry chided himself.
"Okay Harry, you can let go now."
"Huh?"
"I said let go. We look silly. We've been hugging for over a minute now."
Harry blushed and immediately released Hermione. "Sorry," he mumbled.
"S'okay. I missed you too. Now let's go inside, I'm freezing here."
Inside, Hermione was surprised to see that even Harry's house was the same. It was messy as ever, used clothes lying on the sofa, unwashed plates in the sink, the picture frame of Harry, Ron, and Hermione on their graduation day hanged on his wall...
"Harry, your place is still awful."
"Gee, thanks Hermione. You're the best guest this house has ever had," Harry said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "But it's true! Honestly Harry, it's not that hard to clean up." And with that, Hermione pulled out her wand, muttered a few spells, and everything became clean and organized.
"Wow, it looks decent Hermione! You are officially the best guest ever."
"And you're the worst host ever."
"Now, now, I'm trying to be nice here."
"Oh really, then what---"
Hermione was interrupted by a knock on the door. A female voice called out: "Harry! Are you in there?"
"Oh, you didn't tell me you were expecting someone else today," Hermione whispered, her mind going overboard at the sudden surge of jealousy she felt. Well what did you expect Hermione, it's been five years. You two didn't exactly work out back then.
Harry looked at her strangely and then said, "Look Hermione, I'm sorry. I'll just go talk to Sarah, she's my uh...well...uh...she declared herself as the official head of my fans club. I know. Don't laugh. You're starting to embarrass me."
"Fans club eh?" Hermione didn't know why but she felt relieved Sarah wasn't Harry's girlfriend. Are you sure she isn't? But Harry would've said so if she is! What if he's just keeping it a secret? I don't think so. And why do you care anyway? OH SHUT UP!
"Huh? I haven't said anything yet Hermione. And you're making weird faces."
Oops, you said that out loud honey.
"Oh what I meant was uhh...show up, yeah...show up...you uhh, open the door and show up. We wouldn't want the fans waiting, do we?"
"Haha, very funny Granger. Right, uhh...you go ahead upstairs, there are lots of rooms available, just pick any one of them, just not my room, unless...."
"Oh get your mind out of the gutter Potter. And go now, Ms. Shrieking Duck over there is freezing, didn't you hear?"