Disclaimer - I do not -and will most likely never- own the rights to the Harry Potter world... I'm just doing what every one else on this site is doing and that's using J.'s (or any other author/director) pre-established world to create other scenarios that never happened.

Chapter one.

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!" sang everyone as Hermione brought out the large tiered birthday cake, the candle's floating magically just above it. The icing flashed blue and white, and an edible golden snitch fluttered above it. She set the cake down in front of her younger, squib sister. Emily had turned twenty and the entire family had gathered to celebrate, as well as congratulate Hermione on her new post as the Hogwarts Transfiguration professor.

Unlike what many had thought, Hermione was the only witch in a family of Pureblood squibs. Her older brother, her father and Emily also loved Quidditch and truth be told, Hermione did too, but was unwilling to impose on the one magical thing they could do. As a result, she had grown up the muggle way and when teased about her (supposed) heritage she comforted herself with the thought that it would be worst to grow up surrounded by magic, but unable to use it.

Her family now lived as muggles anyway and she had been raised as one, her parents were deep in the muggle community, supporting a lot of endeavours for the youth financially. Not only that, but they were the heart and soul of the squib community, those un-magical people who knew of, grew up with and could use small portions of magic, such as seeing things normal muggles couldn't. The squib community itself was tight-knit and Hermione was so glad she could grow up experiencing three different communities (Muggle, Squib and Wizarding).

Emily's face burst with happiness, as she blew out the candles and when asked about what she had wished for, Hermione didn't miss the quick glance Emily sent her boyfriend of two years, before replying. Neither did Nathan so it seemed; as he promptly turned to her and crouched onto one knee, the gathered crowd quickly hushed and Emily's hands covered her mouth in happiness and shock.

"Em, I've known you as a friend for ten years and I've known you as a lover for the last two,' Emily blushed and Hermione laughed out loud, along with other rellies, 'So, I was wondering,' Nathan fumbled with something in his jeans pocket, before pulling out a small velvet box and looking her in the eyes, 'If you, Emily Felicity Granger, would consent to be…my wife?"

Emily's large squeal covered all other noise the family made and she launched herself at him. He barely managed to catch her before they both tumbled to the ground. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Hermione grinned and surreptitiously flicked her wand at the large, flashing 'Happy 20th Birthday Emily' banner to alternate between that and 'Congrats Em and Nat'. The family laughed and the cake was promptly cut up and handed around, a couple of old aunts sat in a corner of the large white tent gossiping and trying to outdo each other in the romance and extravagance of how they were proposed to and Emily and Nathan giggled and swayed to the soft music. Hermione smiled at them softly before looking around, trying to find her friends and their dates. Finally spotting a crop of red hair, she made her way to the other side of the tent. "Hey everyone! Thanks for coming!' Hermione greeted them, 'Wow! How exciting was that? Em has been going on about getting married for ages!"

Harry grinned, his arm around Parvarti Patil's shoulders. He had grown to be even taller than Ron (much to everyone's surprise) and was lean and muscular from his Auror training. He had also gotten very handsome, deemed one of the 'Sexiest and Wealthiest Bachelors in England', alongside Malfoy (for reasons Hermione couldn't understand; Malfoy being sexy that is, or even desirable!). Ron was stuffing his face with cake and Padma Weasley (nee Patil) rolled her eyes.

Ron had also grown up, tall and handsome, but had decided against being an Auror and instead became a wizarding architect. Somehow the Patil twins had forgiven the boys for their first date at the Yule Ball during Fourth Year (admittedly Harry had done a lot of the convincing, arguing that they had been fourteen and that a lot of first dates go bad) Parvarti and Harry soon discovered they were better off as friends, but still occasionally accompanied each other to odd events if they had no date or none of their other friends wanted to go. Padma and Ron… not so much. They had fought and squabbled, broke up and then made up so many times that Ron, in a fit of frustration, had said they should just marry to make it more convenient. And they did, much to everyone's surprise. They were soon expecting a little bundle of joy and Padma's dress flowed over her now bulky stomach and even though they fought more then ever (Pregnancy hormones) they never left each other's side.

"It was a very romantic proposal, their joining must've been written in the stars." Luna's dreamy voice drifted over the crowd, her head laid gently on the shoulder of a softly grinning Blaise Zabini as she sat in his lap, her long blonde hair in stark contrast with Blaise's dark figure. During Harry, Hermione and Ron's hunt for the horcruxes, Luna and Blaise (even though he was a Slytherin) had together helped many of the younger students survive the reign of the Carrows and that small respect for each other blossomed into romance and they married soon after Luna had graduated from Hogwarts.

Hermione smiled, all her friends had found a partner and were so happy. She just wished she could be as lucky as them; that she would find someone who looked past her plain and bookish exterior and find something in her interior that could make them love her. Harry smiled and nudged his best friend when he saw her face fall slightly. He knew that Hermione was once again lamenting her lack of love life and that she thought herself too dull to hold a man's attention.

It wasn't that at all, she had grown up from that small, bucked toothed and bushy haired, eager and ready for knowledge eleven year old to be a young twenty–one year old woman with a beautiful smile, soft and curly hair, a mouth-wateringly curvy and slim body, a feisty and quick wit and with the thirst for knowledge now being (slightly) quenched she had learned how to be wise. (She and Harry had often discussed the differences between knowledge and wisdom; everyone could be knowledgeable but it took insight, compassion and observation to be wise as well.)

Not to mention she was the most powerful witch he had ever known, able to easily beat him in a duel and she had unmeasurable kindness (he had found out that she actually loved to fly and play Quidditch and had a Pureblood squib family one night when they had gone to a pub to lament their lack of love life. They had gotten so pissed that they were blurting out various secrets that they had held on for ages. Most of them embarrassing. She had been sober enough though, to tell him to give it another try with Parvarti. Somehow, in the way only Hermione could, she had gotten Harry to tell her about his long lasting crush on a Healer he had met on the battlefield during the war, but had never seen again and she had suggested the best way to get over her was to date and see some nice girls, like the Patil twins)

Besides, he knew all the guys at Uni (where she had just graduated) were nuts about her, she had been the most popular and sought after girl on campus. Unfortunately, Hermione's wisdom didn't extend into the romance department, so she had declined any dates, not realising they were offers, in order to study. That and the fact that Ron, Harry and any of the Weasley boys around would go all 'Protective Big Brother' on anyone who they even suspected had any designs on Hermione.

Especially since Ginny had broken Neville's heart by cheating on him with five other guys, Harry, Ron and the other Weasleys had retracted their protective status on her and decided that their other sister, at least not by blood but in bond, would need their protection more than the other one. Ginny was hardly in touch with anyone of her family now, as she went around the country with Lavender, mostly following the Quidditch games and their players.

Neville, now handsome, strong and muscular from all his work and research in Herbology, had lost all confidence with the ladies when he had caught her cheating, but was slowly regaining it due to the 'help' he was getting via Harry and any other of their single mates, usually Seamus, Dean, Charlie, Fred and George, as they bar hopped their way around Wizarding (and occasionally Muggle) London on Friday nights, occasionally Malfoy and Blaise would join them, as Malfoy and Harry had put past grievances behind them when they trained together at the Auror Academy before Malfoy had decided that he'd rather pursue a career with Potions and the two Slytherins had been made friendly in the large group of Gryffindors.

They were also eventually accompanied by Hermione when she got sick of all the calls she got from the Gryffindors when they were too drunk to apparate home. The Slytherins were smart enough to have a back-up plan in the event that they got too drunk, the Gryffindor's only plan was 'call Hermione', in spite of all that, Hermione never saw the blond-haired git. That would all end soon though, when school came back on, as Neville had accepted a position as the Herbology Professor at Hogwarts at the same time as Hermione.

"This is great Hermione! I can't believe you did all this and kept it a secret from Em!" Ron exclaimed.

"Yeah, it was hard, especially when Em loves to snoop! I think she knew something was up though, it was harder to hide things then usual this last month!"

The party was held in the large gardens on the Granger Estate, the stately mansion rising just behind them. The actual party was held under great white tents, simular to the one that held Bill and Fleur's wedding.

Hermione chatted with her friends, every now and then, one of them would get up to dance or grab some more food and eventually when the sun started to slip behind the horizon Hermione pried herself away from them to give congratulations to her sister and bring some light to the slowly darkening party, caused by dusk. As she glanced through the crowd, she saw Emily walk outside and she grinned. Racing up behind her little sister, she encircled her arms around her and hugged her. Emily let out a small squeak of surprise before turning around and hugging her back.

"Congrats Sis." Hermione whispered into the younger girl's ears. She had the same hair as Hermione did, but just a shade darker. Suddenly she felt tears on her shoulder. Pulling back, Hermione looked into the younger girl's eyes, which were overfilled with tears. "Hon? What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"N-nothing, I'm just so glad you're my sister and that I'm getting married! Oh God, I'm getting married! Can life get any better? Thank you so much 'Mione! I can't believe you organised all this! And to think I thought you were just out pub hopping and getting laid by cute guys!" Hermione's fond smile fell and she spluttered.

"Wh-what? THAT'S what you thought I was doing? THAT'S why you snooped even more, making it even HARDER for me to hide this? That's ridicu-"

Emily looked at her sister deadpan, "Yep, I was right, you REALLY need to get laid." Ignoring her sibling's blushes and splutters, Emily smiled and walked back into the tent. After staring at the empty spot for a while more, mortified, she shook her head and turned to go back to the party, the sun was only just peaking behind the tall trees so with a small flick of her wand, little coloured balls of light floated out of the tip and decorated themselves outside the tent and inside, shining more light then looked to be possible.