A/N: Yes, I know that Ginny has brown eyes, but for the sake of the story and making the last line work, I fudged that. Besides, I like the idea of red hair and blue eyes. I also know that there's nothing about what has happened to Voldemort and his crony's, but the story is not about him, it's about Harry. Thanks also to Allie, my beta extraordinaire who though she doesn't read Harry Potter, agreed to at least check my spelling/grammar for me.
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Hermione walked quickly from the house for a few strides before breaking into a blind run. She just needed to get away
from everything. She knew Molly meant well, but right now she didn¹t give a damn.
She hurried through the trees, barely feeling the sting of the branches slapping her face and arm as she ran on. A slick rock underneath her foot stopped her mad dash. She lay where she had landed, trying to catch her breath as the damp ground cooled her face. She pushed up slowly, glancing at the small pond in front of her for a moment. She felt the tears start to come when she thought about all the hours they had wasted away here.
She and Ron had coaxed Harry into the water and convinced him that swimming was fun when there wasn't someone trying to drown you. She noticed the old tree with the branch Ron had broken when he was trying to show off to her. He nearly broke his neck at the same time.
She sniffled a little as she sat up, pulling her knees to her chest and just sat, trying not to cry because she knew what would happen if she started to cry. She'd feel guilty about throwing Molly's cup across the wall and then she'd feel guilty for walking out and for not being able the help Harry and tell him what he wanted to hear or to help him save Arthur or Dean Thomas or keep Sirius from falling through the veil. . . .
"I'm tired," she said out loud. Her control broke and racking sobs shook her whole body as if everything that hurt her were trying to leave at the same time. It wasn't long before thunder roared and rain fell upon her bent head.
If she hadn't been so distraught, she would have laughed at the irony of it all, but instead she stayed where she was, and the rain soaked her to the skin, carrying away her tears.
She sat in the rain until her fingers and toes were numb, but she still didn't leave. She stayed until her hair was soaked. She stayed until she couldn't cry any more and felt numb all over. She stayed until the wind picked up and the storm turned nasty.
She stayed until she could see the lightening in the sky, breaking her out of her reverie. She finally got up, her common sense finally swaying the confusion in her brain enough to allow her to leave the little grove.
She slogged her way up to the house, whipping her nose on her sleeve like she had so many times when she was little and she looked up to see Molly waiting for her in the door way, blanket in hand to wrap her up in. She looked away from Molly's eyes, not ready to meet her gaze yet and kept her eyes on the ground for the last few meters before she got to the house.
Molly held the blanket out and wrapped Hermione up in it, holding her close for a moment before guiding her to a near by chair. Hermione sniffled as Molly took off her shoes and fingered the small tear in her pants, deciding if it was fixable or not before pulling her to her feet and leading her up the stairs. She pointed Hermione toward the warm bath and left when she was sure that Hermione was getting in.
Hermione sat in the tub for ages until the warmth soaked all the way to her bones and the feeling came back to her fingers and toes. She pulled herself out slowly, finding the clothes Molly left for her. She slowly dried off and slipped into them, trudging downstairs to a waiting Molly. She sat quietly as the older woman brushed and braided her hair before placing a cup of tea in front of her.
"Thank you," she said quietly, a sniffle escaping now and then. Molly Weasley patted her hand and got her own tea; in the cup Hermione had broken earlier.
"Good as new," she said with a smile. "Sooner or later, everything is as good a new," she told girl
and sat quietly waiting for Hermione to start talking, which she eventually did.
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