CH. 1

::This story is mostly compatible with the Harry Potter series, except that the war was more intense. There were far more battles and things Hermione experienced upon entering the magical world. As you will find out in later chapters, her history isn't limited to the adventures written about in the books.::

Disclaimer: I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga, I'm just playing with the characters.

(HPOV)

I arrived in Port Angeles, Washington after taking a red-eye from London, England to Chicago and then Seattle before I boarded a connecting flight to this small community. Looking around at the tiny uncrowded airport, I could tell that this small town would be exactly the escape from the magical world that I needed.

You see, it had been three months since the fall of the darkest wizard in history. It had been three long months spent in mourning for all of the lives lost. Three months of depression as the magical world struggled to recover from the bloodiest war in history. Even after I'd found my parents and restored their memories, my life hadn't seemed to gain any meaning. I had still been lost. My life had changed irrevocably that warm night in late June and I didn't know what to do or who I was anymore.

When Lord Voldemort had fallen, I had no longer been a teenager fighting an adults war. I had no longer been fighting for the right to live in a society dominated by pure-blooded aristocrats. I had no longer been bound by feelings of duty and commitment to protect my best friends. I had no longer been forced to live every minute of my life looking over my shoulder for those trying to kill me.

And I had no clue how to handle these changes…how to move on with my life. I had no idea how to live again. I had no inkling of who Hermione Granger was anymore. All of the things that used to define me no longer applied because after seven long years of excitement and danger, I'd been thrust back into a not-so-exciting world free of war.

With a saddened heart, I scanned the airport for my parents. They had been more than a little upset with me after I restored their memories. But given time, they had been able to understand my reasoning. They had even been thankful that I had cared enough to spare them that pain and worry. But instead of returning to England like I wanted, they had decided to move to another place they had always wanted to visit: America. Not days after I had found them, they had been making contacts in America to open another dental practice. A fresh start was what they called it.

And here I was, hoping it could be a fresh start for me as well. The magic... I just needed a break.. an escape from it for awhile. I just couldn't take living in London or being apart of the Order right now. The memories around headquarters were overwhelming, suffocating even. London was haunted by the ghosts of those who had died for the greater good. I was tired of seeing those ghosts day in and day out when my wounds were still so fresh.

I had thought my parents wouldn't want me back after the stunt I pulled when I sent them to Australia, but they were willing to help re-build our relationship. I was beyond thankful they were welcoming me back with open arms. With a new place to distract me, I was bound to begin healing.

My honey brown eyes finally caught sight of a woman with long dark brown hair standing next to a man with curly blonde hair and I felt a rush of excitement. It rose to an all time high and I began vibrating with happiness for the first time in months as I met eyes the exact same shade as my own.

I gave my parents a heartfelt smile. "Mum! Dad!" I exclaimed.

They grinned and crushed me into a three way hug. "Hey, love! If you're all set, let's go!"

I chuckled at their enthusiasm as we gathered my luggage and headed towards their new car. I gave a low whistle as we approached a black Mercedes SUV. "Nice car!" I complimented as I slid into the back seat.

My dad shot me a sly grin via the rear-view mirror. "You know how much I adore cars, sweetheart."

I nodded in understanding as he maneuvered the luxury vehicle through the meager traffic. The drive to Forks was extremely quick. I stared out of my window most of the drive, amazed by all the colors. I've never been anywhere this beautiful. London, well, it was always dingy, grey, and full of smog. Even the rolling moors of Scotland had nothing on the sheer greenness of this place.

Noticing my awe, Mum commented, "Crazy how much green there is here, huh?"

I nodded with wide eyes and she reassured me I would get used to it- maybe even learn to love it.

When we drove through Forks, everybody stopped to stare at us. It wasn't too surprising because small towns are notorious for gossip, but it still set me on edge to know that I would become the center of attention in the coming weeks.

Mum chattered away as we passed through town. Apparently she was extremely excited about introducing me to their co-workers and for me to finish what would be my last year of muggle education.

It would be pointless for me to try and claim the idea of going back to school didn't excite me. My love of knowledge was a widely known fact. And it would be a good distraction. But the cultural shock I was bound to experience – being not only magical, but British as well – had me a bit on edge.

We finally pulled into a driveway just outside of town. We drove along it through the forest for approximately a quarter mile before a large, two story white brick house situated in the midst of a meadow came into view. I stared at it in awe; it was a beautiful home. It was certainly much larger than our house in England, not to mention twice as elegant. Mum chuckled at my expression as Dad parked the car. I quickly got out of the SUV and grabbed my minimal amount of luggage.

Before I could walk into the house, my parents pulled me towards the garage with barely veiled anticipation. I followed skeptically. What met my eyes when I entered nearly caused me to faint.

Sitting next to my mum's BMW was a car with a humongous silver bow on it. But it wasn't just any car. It was an Audi TTS Coupe. Literally the car of my dreams. A car I've been fantasizing about owning since I was sixteen. It was a beautiful, eye-catching electric blue.

While I stared at it in shock with drool dribbling down my chin, my parents approached me. They gushed about it being an early birthday present and how I was scheduled to take my driving test tomorrow so that my license could be switched over. It was a test I knew I would not fail. To miss a chance at driving this car would be a shame.

All I could do is nod at their enthusiastic chatter as I sat inside of it caressing the supple leather interior and shiny dashboard gadgets. The car was phenomenal, but I would never expect anything less than that from my father. He loved cars. Growing up, I spent countless Saturday afternoons attending various car shows with him throughout the United Kingdom. It was sort of our father/daughter bonding time.

After my parents dragged me from my car, walking into the house was a surreal experience. It was just so homey with its warm color scheme and open floor plan. It felt so right to be here. When I got to my room, it was thankfully fairly bare except for the matching wrought iron bedroom suite. I got to work decorating it with magic.

The first thing I did was place silencing charms around my room so that my parents wouldn't be woken up if I had a nightmare which happens nearly every night. Then I turned the walls a pale silver color that glittered even without the light hitting it. On top of the silver I made medium sized diagonal black stripes across the wall to give my room an edgy feel. I changed the color of my bedding to a deep purple while I transfigured the fabric into the finest silks. The curtains in my bay window soon matched my bedding. In the far corner of my room I made a relaxing area of pillows of every shape, size, and color. It would be a place where I would be able to settle down with a good book and cup of hot cocoa on a rainy afternoon.

With the basics out of the way, I opened my luggage and sent all of my clothes to their proper places with the use of a quick unpacking spell. Then I pulled my school trunk out of my pocket and enlarged it. I sent both my muggle and magical books whizzing to their proper spots on a bookcase.

At the bottom of my trunk, carefully wrapped, were all of my pictures. I took them out and gazed at them longingly. Most of them were from the better days at Hogwarts with Harry and Ron. They were before the fate of the entire magical world had rested on our shoulders; days when we could be happy and carefree. Some were of all three of us, others were with various members of Dumbledore's Army or the Weasley family. Some were a gift from Colin Creevey's parents. They had made copies of every picture he'd ever taken while at school for each member of the Golden Trio to keep his memory alive.

As if it was going anywhere. His death haunted us.

There was one picture that Harry had given to me right before I'd left. It was probably my favorite. It was a perfect shot of me punching Draco Malfoy during our third year; one of the best memories of my life.

By the time I was done putting them up, my room looked magnificent.

It looked like home.