Hey guys! I couldn't wait any longer to post my new story! The beginning of a whole new Harry Potter universe….Harry's Mistress style! I'm pretty pumped about this one and I've gotten about a 30 page head start on it. Hope you guys like it!
~HM
Prologue
"He'll be all right," murmured Ginny.
As Harry looked at her, he lowered his hand absentmindedly and touched the lightning scar on his forehead.
"I know he will."
Ginny grinned as she walked up and circled her arms around his neck. "I love you."
Harry leaned down to kiss her. "I love you, too," he murmured against her lips. "Why don't we go home and I'll…"
He nipped her bottom lip, sending a shiver down her spine. "Show you just how much."
Ginny groaned as she gripped his hair while he attacked her neck. "Or you can show me here."
"Okay," he said simply and dragged her onto the ground, completely ignoring the people that walked passed them while he started tugging at her clothes.
"Yes," Ginny cried eagerly. "Take me, Harry!"
XXXX
Hermione paused from her packing when she heard Ginny moaning in her sleep. Or rather moaning Harry's name in her sleep. "For Merlin's sake Ginny, get a life," she muttered to herself as she turned back to her packing. "That's the third night in a row where I've had to hear you moan Harry's name."
She knew all about the dream she was having, Ginny had told her she had been having the same dream for months about how they were all grown up and married and had kids. She was married to Ron with two kids, Rose and Hugo, while Ginny…of course…was married to Harry with three kids of their own. What were there names? Oh right, of course…James, Lily and Albus.
She never could find it in her heart to tell Ginny how incredibly unrealistic the dream was. The whole shagging in the middle of King's Cross…of course that was a way out there, but besides that…Hermione would never, ever, name her son Hugo. Where on earth did she come up with that name?
And her daughter Rose had to be the spitting image of her, she thought with a roll of her eyes. Just because she had been like that and maybe a little obsessed with wanting to learn, didn't mean she'd have a daughter like that.
"She's so cute," Ginny had gushed to her the other day. "She was exactly like you, Mione…isn't that great? And my kids were just adorable of course…James being so much like Harry…and Albus all scared about his first day like I had been. And then there's Lily…the little angel. It has to be a sign right? I mean having the dream over and over again has to mean something…it just has to!"
Hermione had just given a little shrug and a smile then quickly changed the subject so she wouldn't have to hear it anymore. She loved Ginny to pieces, but whenever she talked about Harry or being with Harry in any way…she tended to be a little on the annoying side.
She was just glad she was finally getting away.
She wasn't exactly running away from the Burrow, she just needed a little time to herself. Why was she even here anyway? It had been almost two months since Harry defeated Voldemort and at least a week since the last funeral she needed to attend. Why was she still here? Some might say because of Ron and it was partly true. She knew he was having a difficult time dealing with Fred's death, but he also had his family.
Harry had no one. No family to support him or comfort him. So she stayed longer than she planned, but now she couldn't take it anymore and started to make plans for a fleeting escape. She wouldn't totally leave without a word…she left a note by Ginny's bed to let everyone know why she left. Granted they would be mad and a little hurt that she snuck off but it couldn't be helped. She didn't want to have to deal with Ron because she knew he would do everything in his power to make her stay or try and go with her. She needed to do this alone.
Her only regret was Harry. She so badly wanted to talk to him before she left but couldn't risk it. She decided to send him an Owl as soon as she was settled in to where she was going. She hoped he wouldn't be angry with her…Harry was the one person she felt comfortable around lately. She would miss him fiercely.
With a heavy sigh, she closed her trunk and latched it before shrinking it to pocket size and slipped it into her pocket. She then took out her cat carrier under the bed and opened it. Crookshanks, who had been watching her closely while she packed, darted inside immediately. The Burrow was never really his favorite place to be, but tolerated it for her and, Hermione figured, for Harry. Crookshanks always did adore Harry.
Hermione headed towards the door, pausing to look back at Ginny, who was currently moaning, "Oh, Harry!" With a roll of her eyes she slowly opened the door and backed out of the room as quietly as possible, not knowing that someone else was backing out of the room across the hall.
Backs touched, bodies tensed and a gasp broke from Hermione as spun around with her wand at the ready. She closed her eyes in relief when she saw Harry standing on the other end. "Harry, what…"
He cut her off by putting a finger over his lips. He was fully dressed and had his traveling cloak draped around him. He studied her as well, noticing her cloak along with Crookshanks in tow. They both summed up the fact that they weren't the only ones sneaking out.
Harry nodded towards the stairs before quietly heading that way. Hermione followed, making sure she skipped the fourth step since it squeaked. Harry had done the same…he also grew up in this house and knew it liked the back of his hand.
Once in the kitchen he didn't stop, but kept going out the back to the gardens. He waited for Hermione to shut the door softly behind her…then gestured for her to keep following him. She walked slightly behind him out of the gardens, looking over her shoulder to make sure all the lights in the Burrow were still out and all was quite. They went over the hill and slipped inside the woods, following the tiny trail that led to the clearing that was the small Quidditch pitch the Weasley's have used throughout the years.
Harry kept going and didn't stop until he was in the middle of the field, before turning around to face Hermione. She looked slightly pale in the moonlight and there were slight bruises under her eyes due to lack of sleep. He was quite sure he was sporting the same look. "Going somewhere, Hermione?" he finally asked softly as he slipped his hands in his pockets.
"Yes," she said firmly putting down Crookshanks cage. "Looks like I'm not the only one."
"I left a note…with Ron."
"I left one, too…with Ginny." She shrugged. "I figured she'd pass along the message."
"Yeah," he said understanding. "So…where are you going?"
"Australia. I need to reverse the spell on my parents and give them back their memories."
"I didn't know you could do that."
"You can, but it takes longer…I can't just flick my wand and all's well. They'll start to remember stuff slowly…like a déjà vu sort of thing. I intend to stay with them until their memory is fully restored. And you?"
"What about Ron?" he asked ignoring the question.
"What about him?"
"Well…wouldn't he be upset?" he asked with a hint of irritation in his voice. "He's been awfully lovey-dovey with you lately." Harry didn't dare add that the sight of them together started to irritate him immensely. "Ron can't seem to be away from your side longer than a second."
He was right of course, it was one of the reasons she felt the need to escape. But she wouldn't dare admit it. "I'm sure Ronald will understand if I want to spend quality time with my parents. If he doesn't…well that's his problem. You still haven't told me where you're going."
"It doesn't matter…just away. I'm thinking of traveling…like a Muggle so no one will recognize me."
"And Ginny?" she asked with one brow raised.
He shifted uncomfortably. "It's not like she'll see much of me anyway…she'll be at Hogwarts most of the year."
"She told me the other day that she didn't want to go to Hogwarts for her last year so she could be with you."
Yes, she told him the same thing. The way she was clinging to him, gazing up at him with pure adoration in her eyes…it had terrified him the way she saw him. So perfect, she would seem to say. My boyfriend is perfect…he could do no wrong. She didn't understand how bloody wrong she was. "All the more reason for me to go. She needs to finish school."
"So you run away? Just like that?"
His eyes narrowed. "You're the one to talk, Hermione. At least have the decency to admit you're doing your fair share of running."
She lifted her chin. "I am not. I'm going to visit my parents."
"Bullshit."
She blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
"You're using that as an excuse…a shield to hide the real reason you're fleeing."
Hermione's cheeks flushed with anger. "That's ridiculous."
"No, it's not," he said taking a step towards her. "If it was about that, you wouldn't have snuck out. You would even ask Ron to go…he would of course drop everything to go with you…but you didn't. Instead, you write a letter and sneak out in the middle of the night. So don't bullshit me, Hermione…I know you too well."
"Fine!" she hissed when she had enough of Harry's extremely accurate accusations. "I felt…trapped. I needed to get out…clear my head without Ron looming over my shoulder all the damn time. I needed to get away from the Weasleys…from the Burrow…so there…you happy now? I'm running away just as you are. So go! Leave!" She leaned down and grabbed the carrier "And have a nice trip."
"Fine!" he exclaimed also furious as he threw up his hands. "I'll be sure to send you a damn postcard."
"Ha!" she snapped back as she fought back the tears. "I'll believe it when I see it. Goodbye."
Harry opened his mouth to stop her but with a loud crack…she was gone.
XXXXXXX
She had been in Australia for barely a week when she got a postcard. She had been lounging by the pool of her parent's house after a long grueling memory session they had every morning. They now knew her as their daughter, and today they remembered a few new memories, but they still had a long way to go.
When the owl had perched on her lounge she rolled her eyes, because she thought it was another letter from Ron. Ever since she'd been here she'd gotten at least five letters from him, begging her to come back home…to come back to him. She tried her best to explain why she needed to do this, but he just didn't seem to listen. However when she saw the postcard firmly clamped in his beak she knew it definitely wasn't from Ron.
The postcard was a picture of the Statue of Liberty with the skyline of New York in the background. She took a moment to admire the picture, running her hands along the glossy surface. She imagined him there…walking the crowded streets filled with Muggles without a care in the world. A huge part of her wished she could share this experience with him. She finally flipped over the card and her heart melted as the threatened tears filled her eyes.
Forgive me. -H.P
XXXX
A thousand miles away, over the big pond, Harry stood on the balcony of his suite in New York. He was exhausted from his day, spending it like any other Muggle tourist. He had been in New York for over a week but there was still so much of the Big Apple he wanted to see.
A few more days, he told himself as he took a pull of his beer. Then he'd go to another city and the great thing was…he didn't know which city that would be. He was free to go anywhere he wanted…when he wanted.
So what if he felt lonely at times. For someone who was used to having people around, it was normal to feel that way now and again. He thought of Ginny and hoped she took his sudden departure well. She would be leaving for Hogwarts in a few weeks. And what of Ron? Poor bloke was probably miserable without Hermione around.
His gut clenched painfully at the thought of her. He could still see the hurt he had put in her eyes when she left. He still didn't know why he was so harsh on her. A part of him was angry…angry because he knew she was planning on sneaking out without so much of a goodbye. The fact that he was planning on doing the same thing made him feel like a hypocrite.
She should have gotten the postcard by now. Would she write back? No…of course not, he thought as he scowled into his half empty beer, before tipping it back to finish it off. It had been stupid to think that she would forgive him just by sending a stupid postcard. Maybe he should go to her? "No," he said aloud, shaking his head. She deserved to have her alone time with her parents; he wasn't going to bother her.
He was about to turn to head inside when he saw something in the distance flying above the New York City skyline. His heart lifted in anticipation when he realized the owl was heading right for him. He set the empty beer bottle down when it landed on the railing and smiled when he took the postcard with a picture of the Sydney Harbor on the front. He flipped it over and his smile bloomed into a full out grin.
G'day, from Down Under. Only if you forgive me. Keep in touch.
See you when I see you. - H.G
"See you when I see you," Harry answered back aloud then sighed. "Damned if I'm not going to miss you, Hermione."
Harry tucked the postcard safely in his back pocket and decided that he would send her a postcard from every place he visited. He wanted her to know where he was and where he'd been. He may not say much on the postcards, but with the picture she'd know exactly where he was. And with that comforting thought….he no longer felt lonely.
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