Bon Voyage

The invite

Hermione entered her one-bedroom apartment in sorrow. It had been a long and tiring day.

As she reached the sofa in her living room, her legs turned to noodles and instead of sitting on the sofa, her whole body landed on the sofa, front first.

It pained her to see her home so empty. But it had been ghost-quiet, every time she entered it for the last year. Only if she could move on.

—------ A slight recap —------

It had been three years since the war and a year since she had been alone.

After the war, McGonagall had called all of Hogwarts students to complete their last year. She had been given the title of Head girl, while the head boy title was given to the one and only Draco Malfoy.

At first, their relationship was something everyone expected. They would argue every time they saw each other. But then it abruptly became a cliché love story that nobody expected. On the surface, the story seemed to be about the bad boy falling for a good girl. But to the ones that knew them, knew it was so much more.

Hermione heard him having nightmares of the night of her torture. It broke her heart and made her feel guilty, because she was the only one who was suffering through the nightmares of that night. Her friends, Harry and Ron, didn't know much except the mark and her screams, but Malfoy was there. He saw everything. And it haunted him.

Hermione helps Draco through his nightmare and they come to a common ground.

With their intelligence and quick wit, it wasn't long before they started sharing things that were personal. She told him about her family and that she obliviated them to keep them safe. Draco told her that he took the dark mark to keep his family safe.

She found a new side of Draco.

One where he thought he was a coward, that he took the dark mark instead of fighting Voldemort, she discovered that there was a different type of bravery.

One who would fight anything for anyone, when they see injustice being done and another one where one would fight anything and anyone, if it meant the people closest to them were saw, which meant they were willing to kill for the people they love.

After about two months of friendship, the two knew there was something more in between. Heck! Everybody else knew it too.

As much as it pained Harry and Ron to admit it, he did seem like someone who could break her but break anyone else who hurt her.

During the Christmas ball they went together as friends and came out as a couple sharing their first kiss under a mistletoe in front of everyone, while the others howled and whistled.

Days, months went by fast after that. Each day was filled with happiness, until the day Lucius announced Hermione won't be accepted into the Malfoy family.

Lucius gave Draco an ultimatum and of all the things she had learned about Draco she didn't let him choose and till this day she doesn't regret the decision she made.

But not regretting didn't mean she didn't miss him.

Everyone thought that Draco loved Hermione more than anything in the world, but she knew otherwise.

But all of that was a year ago. And in a year, Hermione did the only thing she could to repress the heartbreak she felt. She dove into her work.

In a year, Hermione had restored her parent's memories and taken a part time job as a healer, mostly consulting people with PTSD – which were a lot since the war – at St.Mungo's and also had her organization S.P.E.W grow and branch into other magical creatures like werewolves, giving them a voice as well.

However, her main achievement was that she had managed to start and grow a business of fashion, in both the muggle and the wizarding world.

Her way of escaping Draco but all the heartbreak but also the money was able to large scale projects and organizations in both worlds

The Malfoy Co., CEO Draco Malfoy, was one of the few that were growing strong. Another was the Zabini Drinks. In both worlds, Zabini sold muggle alcohol, however in the muggle they also sold medicine and wizards their potions for many needs.

Hermione found her passion for dressing, designing and styling with her friends, Ginny Potter and Luna Zabini, so they collaborated into making the company they named Multicrofors.

Hermione had done what she could to take her mind off one Draco Malfoy, but at the end of the day, her mind drifted back to him. Hoping he is doing ok.

—------ Back to present day —------

Hermione was just about to drift off to sleep on her couch, where she heard a knocking on the window.

There was a great horned owl, waiting for her to open the window. She groaned as she walked up to it. She gathered some treats she had to give to the owls when they came, and fed them to it.

​​With her finger she scared underneath the owl's chin and it leaned in on cue. After eating her treats she took the letter, waiting for it to fly away. But it waited.

She read the names of those who had sent her the letter. It was her parents. The envelope was pretty thick at touch, like something had been squeezed in to make more space. She sat on the couch and opened the envelope. She was right.

It was more than just a letter. It had a piece of parchment and a plastic advert or sorts. She opened the letter first.

Dear Hermione,

How are you doing? I hope you would wish us more. We lost one entire year of our daughter's life and now she is all grown up, living in her own apartment. But just because you are a grown up, doesn't mean you don't have to visit. We are not getting any younger love; we want to spend time with you. I miss talking to you. It is not like I have lost a daughter; it also feels like I lost a friend.

Hermione started to tear up. Of course, she misses her mom. She told her everything. From the war, to her and Ron to even Draco. Her mom was her first and best friend.

However, she couldn't face them, especially when in the state she was in now. She knew her parents would baby her if they found out about her nightmares and panic attacks.

She was taught to be strong, and thought that they would be mad to see her broken over an event that happened a year ago.

You father misses you too. He misses his little princess. He doesn't say it, but I can see, when he looks at the old albums or pictures in the attic

She smiled at it.

And no matter how much I wish, I was writing you to just tell you to visit. I am not.

Dear your grandparents have won a lottery and are going on a cruise. Your cousin – you know how they are – wanted to go to, so they told your grandparents, and they had an idea to call the entire Granger family on board with them. And when I called, it was more like demanded.

They hate that we live so separately, so they have ordered us to join them and bring you along. You know, we can't make any excuses to them. I know you dislike some of your cousins, but you are a strong beautiful woman now. Maybe you should tell them to shut up now.

It will allow us to re-bond as a family together and give you a break from the wizarding world.

As much as she loathed her two cousins, her mom had a point.

She could use a break from all the routine days and also a break from thinking about Draco. So she did. She replied to her parents on a small parchment and sent it with the owl that brought it to her.

I accept.