Chapter 20. The First

Disclaimer. This story has come to an end. But still, I never own him. I'm just borrowing and playing with Harry Potter characters.

Hermione was walking aimlessly. It was dusk, the sun is getting behind the soft-looking clouds. She arrived in London yesterday but decided not to say anything to her friends. She went to her Aunt Ann who was visiting to a friend. They were eager to have her stay at their home.

Hermione decided against calling her friends and letting them know that she's already home. She does not want to bother them with her problems, after all she's adult enough to handle her fights on her own. She was walking along the Buckingham Palace. It was already afternoon, but adults and children are still walking along the pavements and seated on the benches. Some were having their group picture taken, some are feeding the birds and couples just walking holding hands all along.

She saw a park cradled by several trees. They were children playing in the playground. They were all running around, riding the swing or taking turns in the slides. She walk towards an empty swing, under a tree, and sat down. She watched the children laughing and playing nearby.

She took a deep breath. Life is hard. But at least, experiencing difficult things right now would make other problems easier, she thought. I don't have to fear life and love anymore. She rested her head against the chains of the swing.

She was seriously lost in her thoughts and was unaware that a man was walking towards her in the park.

Harry was walking aimlessly. He has arrived in London last night. He went straight to Hermione's flat only to find out that she was not there. Where the hell is she, he thought. He is willing to search the inner and outer skirts of London just to see her again. Last night, he kept calling her phone but her number can't still be contacted. He sighed in frustration. Last night was yet another restless sleep for him. His body is tired, but he can't rest.

This afternoon, Harry had this urge to walk in the Palace. This was one of Hermione's favourite places. She does not care if there are a lot of people and tourist walking around the place. This is the place where the royal family live. This is one of the places where children started to build their dreams of being a prince and princesses someday.

This is one of her favourite places and Harry remembers.

He sat down on a bench and looked at the Palace. He was unmindful of the screaming and laughing children and even the snogging couples, who were only a few feet away.

Harry turned his head and saw the best sight he could possibly see in the last few days. There she was. Seated on swing, only a yard away from him. Hermione, he thought. His heart was caught in his throat.

Hermione felt somebody was staring at her and looked around. And 'lo and behold, it was Harry. Is he an illusion, have I been thinking about him too much, that he actually manifests in front of me, she crazily thought.

She removed her eyes away from him and then again stared at him. Hermione closed her eyes and counted until five.

Harry saw her look at him and then looked away. It's not her, they just looked alike. Is she for real, he thought. He looked away and closed his eyes. He started to count until five.

After five seconds, Harry glanced at Hermione's direction. Hermione at his. When their eyes met, they knew. This was not a figment of their sub-consciousness. This is the real thing.

Harry smiled and walked towards Hermione.

Why is he smiling, Hermione thought. Run, was the first thing her instinct told her. You don't want to get hurt again. But she held on the chains of the swing and waited. A child occupied the swing beside her and Harry has to wait for his turn. It took a few swings before the child got tired. Harry held on the swing and sat down beside her.

"It's really you," Harry said.

Hermione glanced at him. "Yes, it's me," she answered quietly.

"I've been looking for you," Harry said. "You have no idea how many planes I have to catch just to find you. And here you are, seated beside me."

"You're looking for me," Hermione asked. What could possibly be the reason, Hermione asked herself. "Why?"

Harry went quiet and shook his head. He smirked.

"What's so funny?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head again. "You know I have been travelling these days, just to see you. But now that I have seen you, I actually have no idea what to tell you. I told Neville that I have to tell you something, but I can't find the right words."

Hermione shook her head in disbelief. "I have no idea if I should be flattered that you can't find the right words or be insulted because you can't say anything worth to me."

Hermione was about to stand up and to walk away but Harry reached for her hand. "Don't go. If you do, I don't know if I'll still have the strength to look for you and then deal with not finding you."

Hermione looked at Harry. He looks as if he meant everything he said. He has dark circles under his eyes and he looked pale and thinner than the last time she saw him. She can't tell what happened, but Harry looks like he is really tired.

Hermione took her position back at the swing again. She glanced around, thinking that Ginny may appear around the corner. Harry sensed that she was looking for something or maybe somebody, and he was able to figure that out.

"Ginny's not here," Harry mentioned when he noticed Hermione trying not to look too obvious when looking behind him. "We broke up. Well, she broke up with me."

Hermione was caught unaware by what he said. But pain shot into her and could not help but utter, "so that's why you're here. That's why you're looking for me. Cause' she broke up with you."

This time, Hermione did not hold back. She stood up and walked away. She's so angry. The tears that she was trying to control started to flow. She doesn't care if people will see her crying. It's so humiliating. Harry coming back because he has no more options.

Harry caught up with her and tried to stop her from walking. "Hermione, just listen," he said.

Hermione turned around. "Why do I have to listen to you? How insensitive you could get?"

"Hermione, you don't understand," Harry tried to explain.

But Hermione is sick and tired of hearing hurtful things come out of his mouth. "What is it that I don't understand? That I'm the substitute? Just because you broke up with Ginny, you came running back to me? Just because she chose to let you go, you're going to settle for me? I'm not stupid." She turned around and was about to walk away.

"I was looking for you, because I remembered." Harry answered.

Hermione turned around and looked at him. She wanted to believe him. She wanted so much to have him back in her life. "You remembered what?" she asked sarcastically. "You remembered that I would be available. You remembered that you could always come back to me, no matter what happens?"

"It's not that," Harry started but faltered in the middle of his explanation. How could I convince her that I am really back?

"Then what is it Harry," Hermione demanded angrily. "What is it?"

"I remembered you love chocolates," Harry answered immediately.

Hermione was surprised. "You remembered that I love chocolates?"

Harry nodded and walked towards her. "I remembered that you can't fly a broom and I tried teaching you. I remembered that you have a great singing voice. I remembered that you love reading books. I remembered that you suck at playing chess. I remembered you hate divination. I remembered your patronus is an otter."

Hermione blinked. He remembered or did he really, she thought. She's no longer sure. "Surely Harry, you can do better than that. Snooping around, asking other people about me is not going to help you." She started to walk away.

"I remembered teaching you how to wish on an eyelash. I remembered that you were wearing blue green the night we were stranded on our way to Cardiff," Harry continued.

Hermione turned around. Nobody knew that other than him.

"I remembered telling you that I would take you to a vacation in Greece with me. I remembered when you took a day off because I was so sick and you stayed with me the whole day and night to watch over me. I remembered when you massage my head, my back, my arms and I would tell you have god-like hands," Harry continued while walking towards Hermione.

Hermione was rooted on the spot. He remembers me. Hermione was crying when Harry finally neared her. Harry wiped away her tears and held her face in his hands.

"I remembered when I asked you to marry me with just a rubber band that I found on the church floor," Harry whispered. "I remembered telling you that I don't want to be empty anymore."

Hermione was crying and said between sobs, "You remember me. You remember me."

Harry hugged Hermione tightly. "I am so sorry."

Hermione was lost for words. She softly whispered, "I thought you would never ever come back."

Harry hugged her tightly, "I'm never going away again. Even if I have to record everything every day, every hour, second and minute, I would, so that I would never ever forget again."

"I would never give up on you," Hermione answered back, burying her sobs on Harry's shoulder.

Harry let Hermione go and looked at her. "Will you marry me again?" he asked. "I don't have anything, nothing. I don't even have a rubber band. All I have is this." Harry placed his hand over his heart. "My heart."

Hermione wiped her tears. "Of course, I would not take anything less." She smiled.

Harry hugged her again. Silent tears fell from his eyes. He was crying but he was the happiest man on earth.

"You know what, there's still something good with all of these?" Harry asked, holding Hermione's chin with his fingers.

"What?" Hermione asked while looking at his green eyes.

"I get to remember and experience falling in love with you again," Harry answered with a smile and inched his lips closer to hers. He kissed her. He kissed her, just as the sun kissed the earth beyond the horizon.

They were unmindful of the adults who were whispering and looking at them. Unmindful of a middle-aged lady wiping her tears away with the moment. Unmindful of the children who were screaming happily in the playground.

Harry slightly pulled away and whispered against her ear before tightly embracing her.

"I love you forever."

More than nineteen years ago…

In a small playground near the Buckingham palace, there were children running around. A little girl raced towards a vacant swing, but at the same time she reached it, a boy also grabbed the chains of the same swing. They looked at each other.

"I'll give you a push," volunteered the five year old boy. The little girl in pigtails nodded eagerly and sat down. The boy started to push her hard and she was giggling in delight while her toes and tried to reach the sky. After a few swings, the girl slowed down the swing movement.

"It's your turn," the little girl told the boy. The boy sat down on the swing and the girl pushed her with all her might. The little boy was surprised with the girls' strength and he did not forget to tell her when he got off the swing.

"You're strong," said the boy. "How old are you?

The girl smiled and showed her right hand. "I'm five but I'm going to be six in a few days."

"The same age as me. Just turned five last month though," said the boy.

The little boy and the girl sat down on an old bench and watched the sun settle down.

"Look the sun going to kiss the earth," the girl pointed out.

The boy looked at the horizon and laughed, "You have a wild imagination. They're not kissing. The sun just hiding."

They laughed hard and started to watch the ants which were walking in front of them. They followed them on the anthill and inspected the insects. They were laughing really hard while drawing circles with a stick on the ground when the girl's mother called her.

"Hermione, let's go," said the mother.

The little girl stood up and said goodbye to the little boy.

"Hermione's a weird name," said the boy. The girl's forehead creased when they heard the boy's father calling out to him.

"Harry!" called the father and motioning him to get closer.

"Harry is a very common name," countered the girl.

They both laughed with what each other said. The girl picked her book she left on the park bench. Then the boy asked. "Will you be back here?"

The girl shook her head. "No, I'm going back to France tomorrow. We live there. I just visited my aunt."

Harry nodded. "I'm leaving for Hogwarts tomorrow too. We will visit an old family friend."

Where is that?" asked the girl.

The boy shrugged and shook his head. "My dad says it's very far. Oh well, bye."

"I guess there's no chance we'll see each other again," said the girl and waved goodbye to her new friend.

The boy waved back and went to his father who escorted him back to their car.

Both of them didn't know that they would have all the chances that they could possibly get.

THE END.

AN. Thank you for those people who have stick with me from beginning to the end. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This story is now finished. See you on my next fic. Hopefully. :)