What Happened Afterwards

*NOTES* Okay so it is a short chapter but it covers a lot of stuff and it gives all you readers a recap. I hope you enjoy this new story. Thanks to all the other who have read the first one.

Previously in “The End,” the trio left twelve letters to their love ones. In these letters they told their tails of finding horcruxes. Also in the letters they unfolded a tail of love between Harry and Hermione. Fortunately, the trio doesn't do anything half way and they contacted Madame Pomfrey and told her about their plan to destroy Voldemort. They enlisted her help in healing them after the final battle. They arrived back at the Burrow and now they are on a new journey. One where they have all the time in the world to figure out who they really are, but they already know that they just don't know that they know. Now comes the tail of three best friends and all the what should have beens. Follow them as the go and finish their final year at Hogwarts and find out how they adjust back to a normal way of life and how evil seems to never wants to leave them alone, be it friend or foe.

“This is getting insane,” Arthur said as he, once again, pushed his way through the hordes of reporters that were camping out on his front lawn. Everyone in the house knew why they were there and as he entered the kitchen the three reasons for the madness were sitting holding cups of tea and chatting. “Harry, Hermione, Ron,” he said by way of a greeting and then settled down beside his youngest son. “Don't you think that one interview wouldn't be such a bad thing?” He looked sheepishly at the three of them who just turned to glare at him.

“No offense, dad,” Ron started, “but one interview turns into ten and we just don't want to relive everything that many times.”

“And,” Hermione interjected, “we don't want anyone knowing about the horcruxes.” Over the past couple of days the trio had fallen into their easy pattern of waking up early and going to bed late. They talked little to the others living in the house and after almost two days of almost no words from them Molly yelled at them to say a word every now and then so she would know they were still right in the head.

Two days after they had returned the house had empty, somewhat. Fred and George were living in their flat with Charlie, Hagrid and Minerva headed back to the mostly repaired castle (the trio had gotten a Howler from the Headmistress that same day explaining that the decorating they did to the Slytherin common room was not funny and it would not come down), and Madame Pomfrey had given up trying to heal them anymore than they already were.

As Arthur settled down with his own cup of tea all of them heard a bang coming from the front yard. “Fred and George have set up some of their latest products to test out.” Hermione explained to the bewildered looking man. “Don't worry everything is completely harmless, or so they say. Not like we are going to check anyway.”

It was the first time since the three teenagers had come back that Arthur got a true chance to study them. Hermione, he noticed, seemed much more relaxed about everything while, his son, Ron, seemed much more observant about everything. And Harry seemed to be much more whimsical.

The thing he did notice was that Harry and Hermione rarely showed public displays of affection. Sure they held hands and always seemed to share glances about certain things but they had done this before they became more than friends. In fact if he hadn't been there to witness the proposal he would have been sure that they were nothing more than just friends.

“Well, I'm going to go rest for a little bit,” Harry said as he held back a yawn even though it was the middle of the day.

“I think you all would have caught up on your rest these past two days?”

“Yes,” Ron pointed at him, “Two days that you haven't slept because you know who isn't at your side.”

“Now I'm the newest dark lord or does Harry have some weird sort of fascination I need to know about?” Hermione quipped as she closed her book, it was the first time Arthur even noticed the book, and went to make Ron some more tea.

“That was just wrong, Ron.” Harry cringed at the sight that had come into his head when Ron had said that and then he started to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Arthur watched as the young man left the kitchen and headed up the stairs, he watched as Hermione let out a sigh thirty seconds later and followed him, and he watched as his own son grinned at the antics of his two friends and then also made his way up to his room.

The house had become considerably less crowded in the past two days, Arthur noted as he cleared three cups of tea. Fred and George had put up Bill and Fleur and Charlie had headed back to Romania. Minerva and Hagrid had been allowed back into the castle by two house elfs and Madame Pomfrey had gone back too, he assumed to the hospital wing at Hogwarts. The Grangers had stayed in Percy's room and they planned to stay there for some time but he really didn't mind and neither did Molly. Remus and Tonks went back to their cottage but they popped in every day to check up on Harry and yesterday he saw Hermione and Tonks play fighting in the backyard before Molly stopped them.

It was as he was mussing over the many house guest his house had seen the past week and a half that three of them curled up on their beds in Ron's room to take a nap. But the idea of napping was shortly lived as a knock on the door was heard and a person entered.

“Ron, Harry,” Ginny's voice floated over from the doorway. “I've got these boxes for you and some for Hermione. Sorry if they are all mixed up but well your house was kind of hard to clean. Did you know that Dobby wouldn't let anyone touch Hermione's books? Crazy if you ask me, how anal she is about them.” At that she heaved a sigh and dropped the boxes on the floor.

Hermione knowing the two boys weren't going to move sat up and looked at the younger girl, “thank you for that assessment of my anal ness.”

Hermione had noted that ever since their first night at the Burrow Ginny had done a successful job at ignoring her and doting on Harry and Ron. Now normally she just would have passed it off but as Ginny narrowed her eyes and fled the room she decided to face the girl. Quickly she untangled herself from Harry's arms, gave him a glare, and left the room.

“Wonder what I did?” Harry asked as Hermione slammed the door behind her.

“I don't think it is you exactly mate, but I do have the feeling that we are going to miss one hell of a cat fight if we don't get out of these beds.”

Hermione entered Ginny's room and was ready for anything the girl could dish out, but she wasn't ready for the book that was flung her way. Instinctively she hit the ground and then brought the younger girl to the ground by a sweeping motion of her legs. Just as Ginny hit the ground Ron and Harry entered the doorway along with the Grangers.

“I want to know who stuck your wand up your ass?” Hermione asked as she jumped up into a fighting stance.

Ginny gradually got up and she held her lower back as she did. “I just don't get why you have to get everything?”

`Everything?” Hermione cried out in confusion. “Tell me one thing I have that you don't.”

“You have Harry,” Ron and Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked at him and Harry let out a sigh. This was going to interesting.

“You had your chance with Harry. And you know what you were the one to let him go. Harry was miserable during the summer and you were partly to blame and no Harry and I didn't just fall in love to spite you.” Hermione said as she saw the look on the girl's face. “I don't want have to defend my love for him because to be honest there is no way to. I just know that I do love him and I also know you love him too. You loved him enough to give him away,” Hermione said in a whisper. “I don't think I would have the strength to do what you did.”

“Yes, but now I want him back,” Ginny said as she winced at the pain in her back.

Hermione felt herself feeling an unusual amount of compassion of the girl and she looked to the door way. It was possible that without the ever looming threat of death over their heads that Harry would get bored with her or the other way around. She would always be happy if Harry was and if Ginny was going to make him happy then she would give him up. Yes, she realized, she did have the strength because just like the other tough decisions in her life she would do whatever it took to make him happy.

“You can have him back if you can promise me you will make him happy,” Hermione said as she avoided Harry's green eyes.

“Um…Don't I get a say in this?”

“No!” Both of the girls shouted and glared at Harry.

“Well, I want one.” Harry said as he stepped into the room. He looked from Ginny to Hermione and then realized that this was going to be easier than he thought. “I love you Ginny, I do.” He held up a hand as she opened her mouth to speak, “but Hermione is the love of my life. Now she may not want me because she knows it will make you unhappy and Hermione always wants to see her friends happy, but I faced death for her and I think that should be taken into consideration.”

“But Ron faced death for her too?” Ginny argued and Ron just shook his head, “not like Harry did little sister.”

“I'm just so confused. I thought everything would go back to the way it was once all was said and done. This just wasn't how it was suppose to end,” Ginny let out a strangled cry and Hermione turned to drag Harry out of the room. If there was one thing she could do was let Ginny grieve in piece.

The three heroes turned to head back up stairs when Hermione was called back by her parents. She had hardly seen them the past couple of days and to be truthful she had been avoiding them.

“We were thinking about heading back home at the end of this week,” Her mum said as Hermione leaned against the wall and sighed. She looked at them and let their words flow over her, was she ready.

“Mum and Daddy want me to go back with them,” her voice was small and the two boys turned to look at her, standing in the doorway, as if they hadn't heard her correctly. “Well, only for about two weeks or so. I'm trying to get them to bump it down to one or even less then that.”

“Remus wants me to spend some time here at the Burrow and we all know that your mum doesn't want you to leave, Ron.” All three looked at each other and, “We seem to be doing this a lot lately,” Harry forced at laugh at his statement.

“I don't think I know how to live without you two,” Hermione felt completely small as she said this. Had her world become so small, she thought, that it didn't include her parents anymore.

“So much for trying to adjust back to a normal life,” Ron ran a hand through his hair as Hermione plopped down next to him. “We don't even where to go from here.”

Hermione looked up at Ron as he spoke and she suddenly found herself smiling at his statement. “But we should give it a try…This whole trying to adjust thing.”