Second chance with Granger CH.1

Summary - Ten years later, after Ron ended their friendship, Harry gets another chance of having Hermione in his life. This time, he wasn't going to let her slip through his fingers. He would show his old friend everything she'd missed in the past ten years until she became his completely.

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Harry Potter whistled jauntily as he apparated on the hills surrounding St. Ottery Catchpole. The sleepy little village - a curious mixture of Muggle and magical families - was located in the southwest of England, away from any huge settlements.

It had been years since Harry had last visited the area, yet it still looked the same. The wide, rolling hills and sprawling green fields spread out in every direction, a world apart from the crowded streets of Paris or the looming skyline of London. Ever since his fallout with Ron and the rest of the Weasleys, there had been no reason for Harry to visit the countryside, yet the place still looked as familiar as ever.

As he turned his head, Harry spotted a familiar building in the distance. On the outskirts of the village, hidden behind some large trees, he could see the Burrow - home of the Weasley family - with smoke coming out of its chimney. For a second, Harry imagined Molly Weasley bustling in the kitchen, heard her calling out over the clatter of pots and pans for her large brood of children as she prepared a delicious meal for her extensive family. Harry felt a sense of nostalgia as he remembered the long summer holidays he'd spent in that place, but he quickly shook it off. That part of his life was over now. He was no longer Harry Potter - the poor orphan boy-who-lived. Now, he was a superstar. An international Quidditch player who'd won the World Cup twice for his country and was now the highest-paid athlete in the Wizarding world.

So, instead of heading towards the Weasleys' home, Harry began to walk in the opposite direction. Small pebbles and wild grass crunched beneath his dragonhide boots as he made his way down the slope towards the large open fields, leaving the Burrow shrinking behind him with every step. After the end of the war, Ron and Hermione bought a small plot of land to build their new home, away from the nearby villagers, to start their new life. Surrounded by hills and large trees, the location provided them the secrecy they needed to live their life away from the media and the spotlight.

After a twenty-minute walk through the countryside, Harry finally found himself at his destination. It was a small two-storey cottage with a small garden to go alongside it. Harry's eyebrows climbed upwards in surprise as he noticed the state of the building. When he'd last visited the place some ten years ago, the cottage was a charming little place, painted a warm yellow colour with timber-faced exteriors and large glass windows. It was a newly built building with a thatched roof, standing amongst a beautiful country garden filled with gorgeous flowers. None of that was the case now, however.

The beautiful flower garden was overrun with weeds and huge grass, clearly not well-maintained by anyone. Harry could see several gnomes lurking in large holes in the ground, giving him the stink-eye as he passed them by. As he approached the front door, Harry noticed the glass missing from the tall windows and the paint peeling from the cottage's outer walls.

All in all, everything around Harry painted a bleak picture as he rang the front doorbell and waited for someone to answer.

A few seconds later, the door opened from the inside. Harry felt his breath catch in his throat as he found himself face-to-face with Hermione Granger after almost a decade.

His old friend still looked the same as he remembered. She was still as beautiful as she was when she was eighteen, with her full lips painted red with lipstick and her long, bushy hair pulled back in a loose bun.

Hermione smiled nervously as she looked at Harry, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Hi, it's good to see you, Harry. It's been so long," she said softly, hesitating for a moment before quickly rushing forward to hug him.

"Good to see you too, Hermione," Harry replied, hugging her back. He inhaled slowly, taking in her scent. Her sweet smell of citrus and parchment brought back so many memories for him. Harry had to admit he had missed her.

As they broke apart after a few seconds, Harry noticed that Hermione was dressed in an old blue jumper and grey jeans that were fraying on the edges. His eyes then took in the tense set of her shoulders and the deep tension around her eyes, showing how worried she was.

"Come on, Harry. Let's go. We'll talk inside," said Hermione, as she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the cottage.

Harry followed her into the living room, and the two of them settled beside each other on a large sofa. Harry couldn't help but notice Hermione's left hand was missing her wedding ring, and his heart skipped a beat.

"So, I was surprised to get your letter, Hermione," Harry spoke first, deciding to break the tension between them when Hermione didn't say anything for a few seconds. "I didn't think we would ever speak again after the last time."

Hermione's cheeks turned a little red as her mind flashed back to how their friendship ended. She glanced at Harry guiltily, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

"I-I'm really sorry about how things ended, Harry. I hope you know I didn't want us to stop being friends," she told him in an imploring voice. "Everything was just so confusing back then, and you and Ron were always fighting. And I thought it was best if we stayed away from each other for a while. I just never thought it would go on for so long."

Harry couldn't help but smile at Hermione in return. She looked so cute right now, biting her lips and giving him sad, little glances.

"It's alright, 'mione," he reassured her, shaking his head. "I know it wasn't your fault. Ron made the decision that all of us were done, that we can no longer be friends anymore. It was all that idiot's fault that we no longer talked."

For a moment, Harry expected Hermione to chide him for insulting her husband, but to his surprise, she didn't say anything. She stayed silent, causing Harry to raise his eyebrows.

"Okay, what's going on here, Hermione? Are you not going to stop me from going after your husband?" he joked, trying to lighten the mood in the room.

Hermione shook her head in response, however. "No, why would I stop you? It's not like you're lying now, are you, Harry? Ron is an idiot, as you said. The biggest idiot in the world!" she said, her nostrils flaring.

Harry leaned forward, feeling his curiosity spike at Hermione's words. Clearly, things weren't going smoothly in the Weasley-Granger household right now. His former best friends were obviously fighting with each other, which wasn't completely out of character for them. As long as Harry could remember, the two of them had been at each other's throats, but it would usually blow over with time. This time, however, things seemed a bit more serious.

"Why? What did he do this time?" Harry asked Hermione, eagerly. He couldn't help but wonder how Ron had messed up to make Hermione so mad at him.

Hermione humphed, puffing her cheeks out in agitation. "Where do you want me to start, Harry? How about the fact that he is so lazy and has no ambition?! You were there when he turned down the Minister's offer after the war. We all had wonderful jobs lined up at the Ministry, but he turned down Kingsley because he didn't want to go through the trainee program for the Aurors. He wanted special treatment and a senior position in the department right from the start. As if he deserved that without having his NEWTs and passing the mandatory training. Instead, he decided to work for his brother at the joke shop," she ranted at full speed, her face red in anger. "That was years ago. I was annoyed with him for that for a while, but I decided to let it go because I thought his heart wasn't in it, so he shouldn't do it. After all, you also didn't join the ministry like him. And look at you, you made things work. So, I thought, let's not be too hard on Ron. Let him work with George if he enjoys making joke products so much. Well, apparently, I was wrong. He didn't like that as well, because he quit his job just six months later and decided to try out for the Chudley Cannons—"

Harry's jaw dropped open in shock. "Excuse me! What?!" he asked Hermione, interrupting what she was saying, completely bewildered. "Did you just say Ron tried out for the Cannons?! When was that? Why did I never hear of it before today?"

Hermione snorted. "Because he didn't want you to know," she told Harry with vindictive glee, eyes shining with mirth. "Kept it all a big secret from everyone just so that the news would never reach your ears. The first time, he tried to get the Cannons' owner to hire him directly, but Mr Ogden didn't care for his fame from the war and told him he wanted talented players on his team, not celebrities. Then he told him to try out for the team like the others, but Ron failed there spectacularly.

When that didn't work out, did he return to George to ask for his job back? No! Instead, he decided to spend his entire savings on hiring a private coach to improve his flying. He spent five years trying out for the team again and again but never succeeded. Finally, it got through his thick skull that he's just not good enough for Professional Quidditch, and he has let it go. Since then, he's been spending his days getting drunk by bar-hopping from one pub to another all over the country."

As Hermione finally finished her story, Harry couldn't help but shake his head in amazement. "Wow! That's...that's something. I can't believe so much has happened in the last few years. I guess that's what happens when you're always on tour and out of the country."

Hermione snorted bitterly. "You think that's all you've missed, Harry. No, that's only just the half of it. If all that wasn't enough, Ron also got me fired from my job last week."

"What?! How?!" Harry asked her in shock.

"He showed up at the Ministry, drunk out of his mind. I was in a meeting with Kingsley and a group of foreign dignitaries from China, and he barged into the conference room," Hermione told him, her perfect red lips thin in anger. "He started ranting about how I've ruined his life. That I don't support him in his dreams, and how he should've never married me. He completely embarrassed me in front of so many people, Harry! The Minister tried to make him stop, but then Ron turned on Shacklebolt about how the compensation he received from the Ministry for helping in bringing an end to the war wasn't enough and that he wanted more. Took out his wand and started making demands. He was lucky Kingsley only stunned him and didn't have him arrested."

Harry was completely speechless for the next few seconds. His mouth worked, but no sound came out. Finally, he said, "Merlin's Beard!"

Hermione let out a surprised giggle at his reaction.

"Wait! But why did you get fired for Ron's misbehaviour? Surely, Kingsley can't blame you for that idiot acting like a prat, can he? Harry asked Hermione in outrage once he got over his shock.

Hermione shook her head sadly. "It wasn't the first time something like this happened, Harry. Ron and I have had our fair share of fights in the Ministry. Usually, it's whenever he arrives at my office absolutely drunk, and I tear into him. But the last time it happened, Kingsley warned me to keep our personal drama out of the office. This time, it was just the final straw, and he fired me."

Harry placed his arm around Hermione's shoulder and pulled her closer. "It's alright, Hermione. Don't worry. I'll go talk with Shacklebolt and convince him to take you back," he said comfortingly as he rubbed her shoulder while she rested her head against his chest.

"Thanks so much, Harry," said Hermione softly.

"So, is there anything else I can do for you, 'Mione?" Harry asked her after a few seconds of silence.

Hermione lifted her head up and looked him in the eyes. "I need a place to stay, Harry. I can't live with him anymore. It makes me sick just by looking at him. I would go to my parents, but they now live in Australia, so I have nowhere else to go."

"You can stay with me. I have the entire Grimmauld Place all to myself. You can live with me there." Harry replied immediately, without hesitation. His eyes lit up with excitement as he imagined living with Hermione. Ever since his fallout with his two best friends, Harry had wondered whether he'd made a mistake by not pursuing Hermione romantically. During his school years, Harry had always thought of her as a sister, but as time passed and he grew up, he realised just how beautiful she was and how he wanted her for himself and not in a relationship with Ron.

That was, in fact, the major reason Ron broke up their friendship all those years ago. Even though Harry never voiced his feelings to anyone, the redhead realised deep down that Harry's eyes were on his girlfriend. Despite his usual lack of brains, Ron somehow figured out that Harry wanted Hermione more than as a simple friend, and he had no desire to face the competition. He ended their friendship and made sure Harry no longer interacted with Hermione. But now, after everything that had happened, here was the chance for Harry to win Hermione back.

Deep down, Harry knew things were different now. He was no longer a lovesick puppy. Ten years ago, he was heartbroken when he realised Hermione was no longer going to be in his life, and he'd lost her to Ronald Weasley. But that was before he had travelled the world and met other beautiful witches out there. He was a stupid virgin back then with no experience with the fairer sex. Now, a decade later, Harry was a completely different person. He didn't feel about Hermione in the same way as he did before. Where before he loved her with all his heart, now Harry was mostly focused on how she still looked as fit as he remembered her to be. Despite the poor and ugly clothes she was wearing, her silky, smooth skin was flawless with a lovely pinkish undertone. Harry felt desire course through his body as he returned Hermione's look and gazed into her chocolate brown eyes.

In all the years he'd known her, Harry had harboured countless fantasies about his former best friend. Before today, he'd thought those fantasies would remain that way, and he would never be able to fulfil them. However, here was the perfect opportunity for Harry to accomplish what he'd always wanted. To have Hermione Granger screaming his name at the top of her lungs as he shagged her silly.

While Harry was lost in his thoughts, Hermione's eyes had widened at his generous offer. "Are you sure, Harry? You wouldn't mind me staying with you for a few days?" she asked with slight hesitation.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure," said Harry energetically in reply as he pulled her to his feet. He knew he had to act fast before Hermione changed her mind. "Come on, let's grab your stuff and get out of here."

"Well, most of my stuff is already packed. So... I-I guess we can leave now," Hermione said as she waved her wand in the air and summoned her suitcases from the bedroom upstairs.

As a half dozen suitcases lined up in front of them, Hermione waved her wand once again and shrank them to the size of matchboxes before stuffing them in the pocket of her jeans.

"I'm ready to go," she said as she tucked her wand back into her sleeve and turned to face him.

"Excellent," said Harry enthusiastically as he offered her his hand for the apparition.

Hermione grabbed his hand, and Harry twisted on the spot, taking them away to his home in London.