Authors note: Sadly I own nothing of the Harry Potter realm...*Sigh* All contents, save the plot, belong to the lovely J.K. Rowling.

If you haven't read Love Found In War yet, you should read it before reading this story!

Chapter 1 - Her New Life

Waaaaaa!

Hermione Granger sighed and flung her warm blankets to the side of the bed. She crossed her room and the hall into her 6-month-old daughters bedroom.

"Hey, Athena Rose." She cooed picking up her little girl. She went to the rocker and pulled down her nightgown to feed Athena. She studied her daughter while she ate. Athena looked almost exactly like her, which Hermione was greatful for. Athena opened her eyes and Hermione sighed again. Her eyes were exactly the same shape and shade as Remus Lupin's, her father. Hermione sat and thought about her current situation. She missed her friends more and more everyday. She felt bad about not telling Remus about his daughter. She placed Athena in her crib and went back to bed.

The next morning she dropped off Athena at her first day of day care and returned to work after an 8-month maternity leave. She started the day at Comstocks Bookstore then went to Jenny's Cafe. Halfway through her shift at Jenny's she approach a table with a man about her age istting alone.

"Hello, what can I get you?"

"Hermione?!" Hermione looked up in shock. The man had jet back hair and briliant emerald eyes covered in round glasses. It was Harry Potter, savior of the Wizarding World.

"Harry! What are you doing here?" She asked shocked.

"I could ask you the same thing. Is this where you've been this whole time?" Hermione nodded. "When to you have a break?"

"About 15 minutes." She said looking at the clock.

"Come have a bite with me on your break and we'll catch up. I'll take a bowl of your clam chowder and a coffee. Oh, and a peice of toast." Hermione took his order and brought it back to the cook.

15 minutes later she had a ham sandwich and she was talking to one of her best friends.

"So why did you leave?" He asked her.

"I didn't want people to judge me."

"Why would anyone judge you?"

"I have a 6-month-old daughter Harry." She admitted. Harry stared at her like she was stupid.

"And why would anyone judge you for that? No one is judging me and Ginny. We have a little boy named James. He was conceived the morning after the celebration party, as, I'm guessing, your daughter was."

"Ginny was pregnant too?" Harry nodded and pulled his wallet out. He took out a picture and handed it to Hermione. The baby in the picture looked just like Harry, with jet black hair and bright green eyes.

"And Ginny's pregnant again," Harry grinned. "It's a girl. She's 4 months along."

"Wow," Hermione said gazing at the picture. "How is everyone else doing? Ron? The rest of the Weasleys?"

"Ummm, well Ron and I are Aurors now. I make enough money that Ginny can be a stay at home mom. Ron is dating someone, but won't tell anyone who. George is still trying to run Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes by himself and doing pretty well. Percy is trying to help him but George is dead set on not having any help. Bill is still married to Fleur and she's pregnant with their first child. It's a girl. He's still working at Gringotts. Charlie is back in Romania and he's dating a girl named Melanie. Arthur got a promotion. He's now head of Muggle Realtions at the Ministry. Molly is still having bouts of depression. Neville and Luna got married about a month ago."

"Wow! Neville and Luna?"

"I know, right! No one expected it. Let's see. Draco Malfoy joined the Aurors about a month after Ron and I did. He's dating Cho Chang, they're engaged actually. She's playing Quidditch for the Hollyhead Harpies. He, Ron and I are on the same Auror team, so we've gotten pertty close, suprisingly." Hermione laughed. "Remus, is teaching at Hogwarts again. Defense. McGonagall is still headmistress. And that's pretty much it."

"I've missed you guys so much." Hermione admitted.

"Then come home 'Mione."

"I don't know if I'm ready, Harry. I don't want anyone to know who Athena's father is. It would never work out between us."

"Do you have a picture of her?" Hermione nodded and pulled out the picture she kept in her back pocket. She handed it to Harry and he studied it for a few seconds.

He handed it back to her and said, "Well, I wouldn't worry about anyone figureing out her father. She looks just like you."

"Yes, but her father knows that there's only one person I slept with around the war."

It took Hermione 3 days to make her decision and another 2 weeks to find a buyer for her house, pack everything up and in to a storage space, and quit her jobs. She missed the wizarding world, missed her friends. She knew she could get a better job in the wizarding world, where she wouldn't have to lie about her schooling and where everyone knew that she helped save their world. Harry had invited her to have dinner at his house with the Weasleys and she was getting Athena ready when Harry knocked on her door. She picked her daughter up and opened the door.

"Hey Harry."

"Hermione." Harry said stepping into the house. "I'm so glad you've decided to come back. Everyone will be thrilled to see you and Molly will just adore Athena. You've got a free babysitter whenever you want it." He laughed.

"Well, I'll be thrilled to see everyone as well. I've missed you all terribly." She finished dressing Athena and grabbed Harry's hand. "Can we make a quick stop?" Harry nodded his agreement and they walked down the road to a coffe shop. Hermione ordered something called a strawberry banana Rockstar. They walked down the road to an alley and Hermione grabbed Harry's arm. They Disapperated away to Harry's house in Godric's Hollow. They landed in front of a white house with blue trim. It had a wrap around porch with a wooden swing. There was a large willow in the front yard and it had a small marble bench in front. Walking by it she saw that it was engraved with the words 'In Loving Memory Of James Edward and Lily Marie Potter'.

"Do you remember Blaise Zabani?" Harry asked, noticing that she was looking at his bench. She nodded. "He made it. He owns his own business making furniture. That was the first thing ha made out of marble." They walked up the path and into the house. The front hall was paneled in dark wood. There was a living room to the left and a staircase to the right. They walked down the hall and Hermione looked at the pictures on the wall. There were various pictures of Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny in Hogwarts, a current picture of the Order of the Pheonix, a picture of what Hermione guessed was the Auror Department, a picture of the Weasleys, various pictures of James and Lily, and a few family photos of Harry, Ginny and James. They passed the staircase and went into the dinning room. There were 6 redheads sitting around the table, along with a little boy and a dark blonde haired man.

"Everyone! Look who I found about 3 weeks ago." Harry announced. Everyone turned towards the door.

"Hermione?!" Ron squeaked. Everyone got up and surrounded her giving her hugs and "Where have you been?"'s. Two redhead women came out of the kitchen.

"Did I hear someone say..." Ginny stopped in the middle of the dining room. "HERMIONE!" She pushed past everyone and gave her friend a huge hug. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!? WE'VE BEEN WORRIED SICK AND... Who's this?" She looked at Athena who was gazing around in wonder. Hermione laughed. Harry told everyone to sit down and Hermione would explain when everony was settled down. Hermione couldn't help but notice that the dark blonde haired amn hadn't moved from the table. Everyone sat down and Harry flicked his wand and duplicated James's highchair. Hermione placed Athena in the highchair and sat down next to her, handing her a breadstick.

"First of all," She began, "I have to apologize to everyone. The decision to leave was made very hastily and it wasn't thought through very well."

"You can say that again!" Ron said. Everyone laughed and Hermione continued.

"Second, I'd like to introduce you all to Athena Rose Granger, my daughter." Everyone looked at her dauther who was knawing on her breadstick and grinning.

"Well, she's just adorable!" Cooed Mrs. Weasley. "Who's the father, dear? She looks just like you! How old is she?"

"She's is almost 7 months." Hermione said ignoring the womans first question.

"Where have you been all this time?" Remus spoke up for the first time.

"A small coutry village on the outskirts of England. I found a cute little cottage and got a job at a bookstore and antoher at a cafe, which is where I ran into Harry." The dinner continued and they continued to ask Hermione questions. It was nearing the end of dinner when Remus spoke again.

"So, what are you planning to do now?" Everyone looked at her.

"Umm, well, I'll probably check into a hotel until I can find a place to live. I have quite a bit of money saved up, so I can afford a fairly decent house. After that I'll need to find a job, I'm thinking either a healer or a teacher."

"You can stay at Grimmauld Place with me." Remus suggested. "Just until you find a place."

"Oh, umm that's nice, Remus. Thank you." She stuttered. "I'll consider it." They slowly migrated to the living room after dinner. Ginny laid out a blanket in the middle of the floor and Harry placed little James and Athena on the blanket. They looked at eachother for a few seconds then Athena laid down and closed her eyes. James laid next to her with his head near her shoulder and they quickly fell asleep together

"Aww! How cute! Maybe they'll get together some day." Mrs. Weasley said.

"Mum, don't you think it's a little early to be thinking about that? They're only 7 months old." Everyone began talking and Hermione sat back and gazed at her daughter, considering Remus's suggestion. Everyone started slowly departing until it was just Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Remus. Ginny got up a put James to bed. Athena was sound asleep on Ron's shoulder and he didn't seem to mind.

"So, Ron," Ginny said, coming back into the living room. "When are we gonna meet this mystery girl?"

"She's uh, She's busy a lot" Ron said turning red.

"Well, what's her name?" Hermione asked join Ginny in their favorite game, 'Gang Up On Ronnykins'

"I'd uh, I'd rather not say."

"So we know her?" Harry joined in. "She probably went to Hogwarts." Ginny nodded. "What house was she in?" Ron mumbled something incomprehensible. "What was that?" Harry asked grinning.

"She was in Slytherin ok?!" Ron blurted.

"Slytherin? Really?" Hermione said.

"Oh, no! Not Millicent Bulstrode?!" Ginny gasped.

"No Ginny! You know she's in Azkaban with her parents." Ron said.

"Well then, who is it?" Harry asked.

"Ok, I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to laugh or judge!" They all nodded and he took a deep breathe. "I'm dating Pansy Parkinson." Their jaws dropped. Pansy Parkinson looked very much like a pug in Hogwarts. She had sepnt a few years in the muggle world and gotten plastic surgery, she was now quite beautiful. She had sleek black hair that fell in layers to the middle of her back and a smooth face, without that horrible upturned nose. She played Chaser for Puddlemere United, very well.

"Wow Ron" Harry said. "Good for you. How long have you been together?"

"About 6 months." Ron replied, still red. "Speaking of, I gotta get going. She'll be home soon." He got up and handed Athena carefully to Hermione and said his good-byes.

Hermione made up her mind to stay with Remus for a while and they left.

"So, I think I figured out who Athena's father is." Harry said. He and Ginny were laying in bed.

"Ya, me too. Who do you think it is?"

"Well, I'm not sure. But I think it might be Remus."

"I was thinking the same thing."

"So you can stay in whatever room you want." Remus said. They had arrived at Grimmauld Place and Hermione was amazed at how much it had changed. It no longer had an air of neglect and forbiddenness. They had finally take Mrs. Blacks portrait down. "I'm in Sirius's old room, so if you need anything that's where I'll be. Either there or the Drawing Room." Hermione nodded and he continued akwardly. "You can stay as long as you like. I go back to Hogwarts next month." With that they headed up the stairs. Hermione choose the room next to his and they went into their rooms for a night of rest. For one of them.

Remus laid in bed, listening to Hermione put Athena to bed and climb in to bed herself. A few hours later he gave up on sleep and went down to the kitchen for a cup of tea. He finished making his tea and wandered back to his room. He stopped in front of Hermione's room. He set his tea on the railing and pushed her door open. He walked quietly over to Athena's crib and studied her. There was a very good chance that he was her father and he knew it. But the fact that she looked just like Hermione made it difficult. He walked over to Hermione's bed and gazed at her. He couldn't beleive she was home again. Just like that. The wolf inside him howled in happiness and he pushed it away. If Athena really was his daughter, she had made it very clear that she wanted nothing to do with him by running away. He sighed and left her room.