Chapter 2 - Mistake
3 Years Later
Hermione opened her front door dressed in her pajamas, which consisted of small shorts and an overlarge T-shirt. She smiled at Harry, who she hadn't seen in a couple days. "Hi, Harry! It's great to see you, but…why are you here unexpectedly at nine at night?"
"Hermione…er…" Harry's cheeks were bright red and he wordlessly held out a beautiful red rose.
"Thanks, Harry!" said Hermione, who smiled at Harry and couldn't help the flutter in her chest and the warming in her heart whenever he was around.
"Yeah…er…sure," said Harry. Hermione was getting confused-what was wrong with him? "Hermione, the reason I'm here is to tell you something. I want to tell you that I think you are the most beautiful and wonderful woman a guy could know, and that I am completely and utterly in love with you. I couldn't hold it in any longer, I just had to let you know before it was too late," finished Harry.
Hermione stared at Harry in shock, a tense silence enveloping them. This was Hermione's wildest dream coming true. Harry actually loved her! All these years of loving Harry with all her heart and he really loved her back! The most…eligible bachelor…in the wizarding world.
Yes, Harry loved her, or so he thought. But Hermione knew better. This was just a passing fancy, a crush, there was no way he could love her-a plain bookworm. Her heart was screaming yes but her brain was screaming no even louder. What would Harry do when he finally realized that he could have whoever he wanted in the wizarding world? He would leave her, that's what he would do, and she knew that it would break her heart. No, maybe it would just be better to save herself from that heartbreak now.
So, decision made, Hermione tried to focus on Harry again but found that her vision was blurred by her tears. She whispered, "I'm sorry, Harry. Just to let you know though, you weren't too late. You just…it just wasn't meant to be. I love and always have loved Ron."
"NOOOO!" shouted Hermione, bolting upright in her bed. She looked around for a second, disoriented, before falling back on her pillow and crying into it, just like she had done twice a week every week for the past three years. "No," she moaned again, feeling the pain and regret as if it had happened yesterday.
It was only a week later when Harry left that Hermione realized what she had done. She had been and still was very in love with him. And when he left, she realized that he really had been in love with her. He had been in love with her, and like an idiot, she had rejected him. Rejected him for Ron!
Ron. Two weeks without Harry there to balance out their personalities and their relationship had fallen apart. And when Hermione had realized this and tried to break things off with Ron, he went berserk on her; screaming, crying, laughing, going into denial, and all of that fun stuff. He and Hermione didn't talk so much anymore, and when they did it was strained and awkward.
She and Ron were done and Harry had left, her chance was gone. Not that she hadn't tried to find him. She even took the first month of that next school year off in her efforts to find him, but to no avail. He was gone, gone because she had broken his heart.
Hermione had denied Harry because she had feared he would break her heart. Instead, she not only broke her own heart but Harry's as well. And now she was forced to live with the consequences of her idiotic actions. She was 28 years old, turning 29 in 18 days, and was sad and alone. She hadn't dated even once since her break-up with Ron even though she had many offers from some very handsome men. She taught Transfiguration at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and lived there year-round. The only times she went off campus regularly were to go to her parents' house for Christmas or somebody's birthday, and even then it was only for two or three days at most.
Her big chance to leave Hogwarts for more than a couple days ended today because today was September 1st, which meant another school year. This was very good for Hermione because it allowed her mind to be focused and not wander to the depressing aspects of life as frequently.
Rolling out of bed, she got ready for the day, making sure to put on her robes instead of muggle clothes.
***GMAC***
Hermione seated herself at the staff table next to Hagrid, who still taught Care of Magical Creatures. "Hello, Hermione."
Hermione smiled at her favorite half-giant. "Hey, Hagrid. Ready for another school year?"
"I sure am!" said Hagrid excitedly. "Did yeh know, Hermione, me and Olympe saw a Nundu in Africa?"
"Really?" said Hermione. "That must have been absolutely terrifying!"
"It wasn't tha' bad, actually," said Hagrid. "It was sleepin'."
"Oh," said Hermione. "Did you-"
At that moment the Great Hall's doors opened to a mass of students. Hermione put a smile on her face along with Hagrid, and quite a few students smiled back. The Gryffindors in particular were keen to smile and even wave up at Hermione, who was their head of house (and a much more likeable one than McGonagall, to say the least). Hermione was glad to see all of the familiar faces and sad that the previous seventh years had graduated. But of course, she would be gaining new house members at the sorting, which was just about due to start at any second.
As soon as the doors opened again the older kids' chatting stopped and the little first years came in behind Professor Lupin, the Deputy Headmaster and the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Lupin had gained great standing in the wizarding world after it was learned by the general public that he spied on the werewolves led by Fenrir Greyback. He had been reappointed the Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor the year following the war.
The sorting hat sang its song of unity and about the history of the founding of the school while the first years watched on in awe. The rest of the student population watched the first years in awe, wondering if they had really been that small when they were that young.
After the song was finished, Lupin stood up in front of the school and informed the first years that when he called their names, they were expected to sit on the stool and place the sorting hat on their head. Then when they were sorted they were to join their house at their table.
Hermione watched the sorting and applauded each student (applauding a bit louder when a student was sorted into her house) and the sorting passed normally. That is, until Lupin hit the P's.
"Pearson, Robert," he called.
The young boy nervously walked up, sat on the stool, and put the sorting hat on his head.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Pinkworth, Melissa."
"SLYTHERIN!"
Then Lupin hesitated. He took a deep breath and looked up at the first years, eyebrows furrowed. He gave his head a quick shake, cleared his throat, licked his lips, and shakily said, "P-Potter, Jade."
Hermione quietly gasped, much like everyone else in the hall did before breaking out into hurried whispers. A cute young girl with jet-black hair and beautiful green eyes walked up to the sorting hat a little nervously, though not as nervously as Robert Pearson had.
Hermione barely heard the hat shout "GRYFFINDOR!" over her jumbled thoughts.
Harry has a child? H-How is that even possible, the girl's eleven! The only thing I can think of is adoption, but…the black hair and green eyes…how is this even possible?
Hagrid seemed to have recovered more quickly than Hermione, for he leaned in close to her and whispered, "He musta blood-adopted her."
Hermione blinked at that. Of course, blood-adoption! The adoptee is magically bound to his/her new parent(s), which modifies his/her DNA as if the adopter(s) is actually his/her parent(s). So therefore, Jade Potter would have black hair, green eyes, and most likely very similar traits to those of Harry, including his parseltounge ability.
"Potter, Raven," came Lupin's strong voice again. Another girl that could have been the twin sister of Jade (in fact, Hermione guessed that it most likely was her twin sister) jumped eagerly up the steps to the sorting hat and jammed it on her head.
Meanwhile, Hermione was still staring on in shock.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
As she weakly clapped for Raven, Hermione felt her heart twist uncomfortably in her chest. Harry had adopted two girls. It made perfectly good sense. She had-Hermione took a deep breath through her nose-rejected him, and to keep himself going and not just giving up after having his heart broken, he started his own family so he could be loved.
A small smile made its way onto Hermione's face. At least Harry had found happiness somewhere, he definitely deserved it.
After the sorting had ended and the feast had started, Hermione studied the two girls that bore the last name Potter. They were talking to each other and some other first years around them and giggling and acting like any other 11-year-old girls that attended Hogwarts. But they did seem a little shy, too, acting more nervous when they talked to older students.
It was funny; they were acting very similar to how Harry acted at the beginning-of-term feast in his first year.
It seemed that Hermione had been caught staring, for Raven looked up and caught her eye. Hermione smiled at her, and she smiled back before turning to a prefect close by and asking her a question. She was obviously asking who Hermione was, for Raven pointed at Hermione and the prefect looked right at her before answering the young girl.
Raven stiffened, which caused Hermione's smile to falter a bit, before turning to Jade and whispering something to her and pointing at Hermione. Both girls looked up at Hermione and Jade's eyes widened as Raven's seemed to narrow a bit. Then Jade's expression came to match Raven's. All three of them sat there studying and trying to get a measure of each other as if they were about to face off, and there was indeed a small bit of tension in the air.
Hermione looked away first, looking down at her food. It was obvious from their reactions to the knowledge of who she was that Harry had told them about her, and not everything that he told them were good things.
"So waddya think, Hermione? Do yeh think those two'll be as much of a handful as you three were?" Hagrid asked Hermione, his smile hidden behind his beard.
"Oh, Hagrid," Hermione said, a smile playing on her lips. "We may have been a handful, but life was a handful for us and we had to be more of a handful than it to beat it."
"Aye," said Hagrid somberly. "Tha's true, that is."
A silence fell over them, then Hermione asked, "Hagrid, does this…does this feel a bit…odd, to you?"
"What, teachin' yer best friend's kids?" Hagrid asked, a hint of humor in his voice.
"Yes," replied Hermione, who thought that everything felt surreal at that moment.
"It was fer me my firs' time. But yeh get used ter it, yeh do," replied Hagrid.
"Oh," was all Hermione could say in response.
"Trus' me, Hermione, it's gonna get weirder before it starts ter feel normal again," said Hagrid wisely.
This broke Hermione out of her weird spell and she laughed out loud. "That was very well put, Hagrid." The feast ended and the two teachers stood up. "Tea on Friday as usual?" she asked.
"O' course," replied Hagrid. He began walking away. "I'll see yeh then!" he called over his shoulder.
Hermione shook her head and smiled, then began walking towards her living quarters, which were accessed by going through the staff room to the wall opposite the entrance and stating a password, a different one for each teacher to access their separate, individual living quarters.
Hermione got ready for bed and laid down. As she fell asleep, she couldn't shake the image of the stares from Harry's girls. To Hermione, they seemed to promise retribution for hurting their father so much.
Hermione knew she was in for a rough day tomorrow, and knew, once again, that it was all her fault.
A/N: Oh my gosh! Did anyone see that one coming? If you did, then take 5 house points. And another 5 if you review.