Chapter Ten
The next morning Hermione made the trip to Hogwarts and officially accepted the position of Care of Magical Creatures Professor.
"I can't tell you how happy I am to see you home Miss. Granger." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.
"Though I think perhaps, there's another who's even happier to see you settling down."
Hermione nodded and smiled, understanding Dumbledore's meaning.
"Professor…"
"Please, call me Albus."
"Albus, would it be possible to make some arrangement so that I could live for part of the time at The Three Broomsticks with Harry?"
"Ah, so the rumours are true, Harry is the new mystery owner." Dumbledore chuckled.
"James would be pleased." Dumbledore laughed.
"Of course we can arrange something Hermione, though you will of course still be needed at the castle for certain mealtimes and school events as well as your lessons, but we can work all the details out at another time. I suppose we should get all this bothersome parchment out of the way today though, you know how the Ministry is about parchment…"
Hermione nodded and smiled as they set to work arranging her contract with the school.
It was as Hermione walked through the grounds after her meeting with Dumbledore she realised just what she had asked him. Could she live with Harry? Not with Harry, Ron and Lavender. She stopped and her face fell into a sad smile as she saw where her feet had taken her.
She was standing exactly where she'd been standing that day.
It had been only weeks after the final battle and she; Harry and Ron had been sitting in silence in a secluded spot near the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Sheltered by the dark trees, their faces half in shadow each had been lost in their own thoughts. Hermione had been lost in thought when she swore she heard Ginny's voice calling hello to the three of them. She had looked up to smile at her friend, and as she realised it was just the whispering of the trees she had held back a choked sob. Harry and Ron had both looked at her and moved closer, saying nothing, not needing to.
Hermione had recovered herself and as the boys began talking softly she came back to them and joined their conversation. It was the first time the subject had been broached, what would they do now? Hermione was unsurprised that Ron had rethought a Quidditch career in the aftermath, it was Harry's answer that she had been waiting for, it was the answer to what she would be doing after Hogwarts, it was the answer to everything really. Just looking at the confusion on his face as Ron posed the question broke Hermione's heart.
"I guess, well, I guess I'll accept the auror position they're offering me." Harry said, sounding like a lost boy. Hermione wanted to reach out and touch his arm, and tell him it wouldn't make him happy, but she knew he had to figure out for himself what he wanted. It was going to take time just as she'd feared. That was when she made the decision. Travelling and continuing her NEWTS research project on magical creatures was something she had always wanted to do, but what she wanted to do more than anything right then was to stay and be there for Harry.
Ron and Harry had both turned to look at her, for her response to the question, both suddenly realising they had no idea what Hermione wanted to do next.
"Well, what about you `Mione?" Harry had asked.
"I've decided to continue my research." She told them, her voice threatening to break.
"You're going to study more?" Ron asked incredulously. Hermione rolled her eyes but had never been more thankful for Ron's teasing than at that moment. It not only took the heat off herself, but it signalled Ron's return from wherever he'd been for the last few weeks.
"No, I'm going to go travelling, all over the place, to properly study magical creatures in their natural habitats and then write new studies of them." Hermione said, her passion for the subject making itself heard as she spoke.
"So, you're leaving?" Harry asked. Hermione avoided his eyes, focusing instead on the faded image of the lightning bolt on his forehead.
"Only for a while, I'll be gone for a few months at a time I think, and then I'll be back to write things up. I don't know how long the whole project will take. The Ministry wrote to me offering me several research grants, I haven't organised anything yet though." Hermione told them.
Everything had stemmed from there. Once she'd told Harry and Ron, the decision was made. She would let Harry find his own identity in a post-Voldemort world: a world where he needed to be something other than The-Boy-Who-Lived, or The-Boy-Who-Defeated-Voldemort. If she and Ron were helping him every step of the way he wouldn't realise who he really was, and she knew he was searching.
Yes, that was when she had decided not to tell anyone she loved Harry Potter, not until he was ready to hear it himself.
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