Forget Our Past | Dramione

one | New Beginnings

New Beginnings

"No, Harry, I don't know when I'll be back," Hermione turned to Ron and Harry with an exasperated sigh. "I just need to give them their memories back and take a break from everything."

Harry and Ron hadn't been cheering with joy when she first told them she would leave for Australia, and be there for a while. Harry had been supportive of course and understanding, but Ron... he hadn't been that understanding to be honest.

Ron just wouldn't stop trying to convince her to stay - or at the very least be right back. He had sulked from the moment she told them and tried to let him come with her.

She had not budged, she needed a change; something new and exciting.

"Remember to take a lot of pictures for me." Ginny's eyes were shining and her lips were turned up in a sad smile.

Hermione didn't know what to say or do, a tear ran down her cheek at the thought of not seeing any of them for a long time, probably several months.

She almost fell back as Harry stepped hurried forward and embraced her in a tight, nearly suffocating hug. She hugged him back. The memories of their first meeting and all the years they had known each other came crashing back to her. She would never forget any of them - or their many adventurers.

Ginny gave her a quick hug and gave her a comforting smile, "Give your parents my greetings". Hermione nodded and glanced of at a nervous Ron, that was staring down at his hands.

"Say goodbye to the others for me, and tell Molly she was like a second mother to me and that all of you're my family."

She waved goodbye and felt the tugging in her stomach as she prepared to Apparate.

This was it; her new start. A clean slate, that was waiting for her somewhere and she was intending to go and find it.

* * *

A year and a half later.

Hermione groaned as her alarm clock went of. Staying up late last night to do some extra work had not been a great idea.

She picked up her phone to turn of the alarm and checked the time, 06:45. I better get up she thought to herself as she reluctantly pushed of her warm duvets and her skin instantly got hit with the cold air. She made her way of the bed in the silent dark.

She grabbed the clothes laying on a chair by her bed and ran of to the bathroom. Stepping over a basket with clean laundry in the dark.

The hot shower woke her up and relaxed some of the tension that had been filling her at the though of the day's important meeting.

She had started a firm that helped wizard businesses venture into the muggle market, expand and integrate time saving technologies, like computers and phones, into all levels of their business.

She had mostly worked with smaller businesses and a lot of new companies. Today's potential customers were different, there were several old and wealthy, rich really, wizards and witches that was coming. This was old companies with traditional views and policies, just as their heads, so it would be a challenge. But not a challenge she wouldn't overcome.

Liana, her personal assistant, complemented her outfit when she arrived at the office, a matching nude blazer and heels with black pants and a black blouse.

"You look wonderful today, Liana. Everything ready for the meeting?"

"Yes, Miss Granger," she answered with a smile and nod.

"I keep telling you to stop calling me by my last name," Hermione replied to her with a chuckle.

"Sorry, Jean. Old habits die hard."

"Well, sometimes it's nice with something new."

She closed the glass door to her office and slumped down in the leather chair behind her big glass desk. The office was mostly glass and leather with gold accents, a slight nod to her old home; Hogwarts and her house there.

The office had a breathtaking view, no doubt about it and she would sometimes, when all the staff had gone home, just sit there and stare out over the sea. Sometimes she imagined that she saw Britain far of in the distance, but she knew it wasn't possible.

She wanted to go home one day, meet her old friends. Just not right now, it was to early to go back, and she felt like she had left the Hermione they knew behind with them.

Maybe she would go back if she had children one day, so they could go to Hogwarts. It wasn't the safest school, she had gotten so much there anyway.

It had been really weird in the beginning, when she chose to go by Jean Granger, but she had gradually become used to hearing people call her that.

She had built up an image as a witch named Jean Granger that was good at muggle things and incorporating them into wizard companies, and quiet good at getting the deal. She was not a war hero or Harry Potter's bestfriend here, just another Miss Granger to the world.

Her parents memories were back and they were happy that she had moved so close to them.

Buzz, buzz, her vibrating phone made her sit up straight.

"This is Jean Granger from TGT," she answered with her serious business voice. "What can I do for you?"

"You could come down and and speak with your bestfriend, before the meeting starts," an energised female voice spoke through the phone.

She grinned at that, "So you think you're my bestfriend, huh?"

"It's certainly not Leif," the voice said with mock offense.

"Sure, Paisley, keep telling yourself that," Hermione mocked her friend and added, "I'll be down in a sec", before ending the call.

"It's just you and me today, Mione. Leif called to tell me he was taking Gianna to a checkup, they suspect it might be something wrong with the pregnancy, " Paisley said with a somber tone, her hand was fidgeting nervously with her bracelet.

Hermione's nerves made themselves known, but never to the extent of either Paisley or Leif. Her years at Hogwarts gave her a better ability to function under pressure, guess one good thing came from everything that happened.

She had met Paisley and Leif when she first arrived in Australia with little knowledge, for once. She hadn't known much about the wizard community down under before she came. The culture shook had been real.

Gianna was Leif's soon to be wife, and Leif was her second best friend. She would have to admit Paisley took the gold, Paisley had been the one to encourage Hermione when she got the idea for the company. She had also been Hermione's bedmate for a while, that hadn't quite worked out tho, but an amazing friendship had bloomed out of it.

A friendship she was extremely thankful for.

"Let's hope it's not serious, they were both so happy." Hermione thought about everyone she knew, what was their milestones now?

She had seen from newspapers that Harry and Ginny got engaged when Ginny graduated, George's jokeshop was doing great and that there had been a memorial in the Hogwarts grounds.

She had contemplated to go to the memorial, she had decided not to in the end. It was the past and she had to live in the present.

She had made sure to send Harry and Ginny a congratulations letter. That had been the only communication between them for the last one and a half year.

Paisley checked her wristwatch, "It's time for business."

* * *

"Miss Granger and Miss Williams will be ready shortly." Liana gestured for the whole group to sit down in a conference room overlooking the opera.

The whole entourage was made up of older witches and wizards, except for one young wizard. Liana gave him a flirtatious smile as she made sure everyone was comfortable.

The young blond smirked back, but the smirked faltered when he saw Miss Granger and Williams step into the room.

* * *

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