Disclaimer: See Ficlet #1.
Author's Note: Because it occurred to me that Hermione's parents should know what's going on in their daughter's life.
Follow the Heart
Her mother was crying.
Softly and trying to hide the tears, but crying nonetheless.
And the sight of it sent a sharp pain made her heart clench. Her mother didn't cry; her mother was so strong, so capable. She didn't think she'd ever seen her mother cry. But she was crying now.
It had started with the owl that arrived that afternoon.
No, she acknowledged with a silent sigh, it had really begun from the moment she had seen her parents again at King's Cross just a few weeks ago. She hadn't decided yet what to tell them, how much to tell them, of what had happened in the Department of Mysteries but in the end, she hadn't needed to decide that.
Her parents had studied her sharply on seeing her and once they had arrived back home, had asked, "Have you been ill, Hermione? Or were you hurt?"
She hadn't thought that they would be able to see the difference in her, sense the difference in her. But the eyes of love could see what would have been invisible to anyone else and her parents had guessed that something had happened and she'd been badly hurt.
And so she'd had to explain, as gently as possible, about the Department of Mysteries, about Dolohov's casting the Eviscerating Curse on her. That she would be fine, felt very little discomfort anymore, but would still need to be careful about what she did for a few months and would need to continue taking potions to help her insides heal for the next three months. She had left out the truth that the Eviscerating Curse was usually fatal; only the silencing curse placed on Dolohov had mitigated the effect of it enough that she should, after some months of continual treatment, be fine.
She had always tried to spare her parents worry about what went on at Hogwarts, had laughed off the Polyjuice mistake in 2nd year, had shrugged off being Petrified, and hadn't really told her parents much of what had happened in the following years. Her letters home, while admittedly filled with Harry and Ron and their doings (increasingly with what Harry was doing), emphasized the classes, the Quidditch games, the Hogsmeade visits more than anything else.
And now, it was all out. The truth that the Wizarding World was actually at war, that Harry and because of her closeness to him, she too was at the center of it. But even that hadn't been enough to make her mother cry.
No, that had been the owl she had received earlier that day.
Hermione,
A few members of the Order will be arriving tomorrow to escort you back to Grimmauld Place where you will be safe.
Professor Dumbledore has decided that your parents should be placed under additional protection than what they have already been provided; he recommends that the Fidelius Charm be performed with a member of the Order as the Secret Keeper. Your parents will, of course, be able to continue going about their daily lives as the Fidelus Charm is only effective on wizards and members of the magical community which should be an effective protection for them against Voldemort and his Death-Eaters.
Hermione, I'm sure you understand that, in this, your parents are not being allowed a choice. Send back by return owl the name of the person whom you would like to be the Secret Keeper.
We should be arriving at your house around 4 o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Have your trunks packed and ready.
Remus Lupin
Hermione swallowed back the lump in her throat. "Mum, please don't. Really, I'm going to be fine."
Her father grumbled a little. "Surely there are other wizarding schools you can attend. Elsewhere in Europe or in America even. You can finish your magical education there, where you'll be safe and not in the middle of a war."
Her mother looked up, hope shining in her eyes. "Your father's right, Hermione. Surely there must be some other school you can go to. Hogwarts can't be the only wizarding school in existence. Just transfer to another school."
She sighed. "There are other schools. Beauxbatons in France and Durmstrang in northern Europe but Durmstrang doesn't admit students who are Muggle-born like me. And there's the Salem Witches Institute in America. But Mum, Dad, that doesn't matter. I can't transfer; I'm not going to transfer. I can't just leave Harry to fight Voldemort on his own; I can't just run away now. I can't!"
Silence fell and then, her mother asked quietly, "Your friend, Harry- you feel more than friendship for him, don't you?"
She flushed but had to answer honestly. "Yes." Her voice was soft but confident.
"Is- is he your boyfriend?" her dad asked, beginning to frown.
"No!" she burst out in automatic reaction, not able to bear the hurt in her parents' eyes at the suspicion that she could have started dating someone without telling them. She had told them all about Viktor, had also told them that he was only a friend.
"No," she repeated more quietly. "He- he doesn't feel that way about me," she finished, her voice the merest whisper with a tiny thread of hurt at the admission.
Her mother sighed. "Hermione, can't you--"
"No, I can't!" she interrupted fervently. "I can't and I won't leave him alone. He- he needs me and I- I need to help him. I do."
"But- but think of the danger, Hermione! How are your father and I supposed to live, seeing you only a couple times a year and knowing every day that you might be seriously injured or- or even killed in this war! Please, Hermione," her mother pleaded. "For our sake, won't you consider transferring?"
she couldn't hold back the tears any longer but neither could she agree. She hated knowing her parents would worry so much about her, hated knowing she had to go against their wishes in something so important to them. But she couldn't… "I- I can't do it, Mum, Dad," she said miserably. "I can't leave Harry alone. I- I love him and I can't leave him now." She moved closer to her mother, taking her mother's hands in her own. "Mum, please try to understand. If Dad were in trouble for some reason, could you leave him to face it alone? Would you leave him to face it alone?"
"No," her mother sighed, her shoulders slumping. "No, I couldn't."
And she knew she'd won. But it was a bitter victory to have, knowing she left her parents to worry about her so much and knowing she couldn't really say or do anything to alleviate their concerns.
It was dangerous; she was in danger. She'd been hurt before and she very well might be again. She knew that.
And yet, not even for a moment, did she consider doing anything else.
There was no choice, no decision to be made. Or rather the decision had already been made for her, the moment she realized she loved Harry.
She loved him and that was all she needed to know.