Exclusive Interview: Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley
"she would have to go and call me Ronald in print…"
"Stop laughing Harry and you read the article Ron!"
"Yes dear…"
"Ow!"
On that fateful night over four years ago, once Voldemort was reduced to ashes, a small band of his remaining supporters struck for the last time, and changed the lives of three young people forever. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley have spoken little of what happened that night, the night more significant to them for the loss of their best friend that the return of freedom to our world. It is widely known that Hermione Granger was attacked that night as the final battle drew to a close by Bellatrix Lestrange. Lestrange suffered the Dementors kiss for her actions not only that night, but throughout the first and second wars.
Though not widely known, friends, family and ministry officials have always known that Hermione was not killed that night, and several days following her disappearance her magic was traced to a remote area of North America. It was widely believed that if she was ever found, she would have no memory.
Now, over four years later she has found her way back to her home and her friends and the famous trio have agreed to tell their story just this once, and allow photographer Colin Creevey to capture Hermione's return to the Wizarding public.
"Merlin, wouldn't you love to be looking at Rita Skeeters face as she read this?" Harry asked his friends with a laugh as they sat around the large living room of Grimmauld Place.
"Most definitely" Hermione laughed as she snuggled into his side on the sofa, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Read the rest of the article Ronald" Luna said dreamily, a happy smile on her face as she sat cross legged on the floor in front of Ron, her back resting against his legs. He looked down at her with a bemused smile, his eyes thoughtful as he looked at the messy blonde hair in front of him.
"Alright, alright, I'll get back to the article - which is beautifully written, may I say?"
"Yes you may Ronald, now you'd better read before your friends succumb to the niffle blithers" Hermione smiled, Ginny covered a snort and Ron looked down at their friend affectionately before continuing.
When commenting briefly on her years away, Hermione is cautious not to reveal too much of her life, but it's clear that she had no problems living in the muggle world, having grown up in it. "I did feel at home there, but there was the feeling that something was missing, and the feeling never went away that it was more than just my memory that I was missing - as soon as I found out the truth, things began to make more sense. I began to remember things which could only be explained by magic. I guess it was a little like being a child again and having no control over my magic, it just appeared every now and again, and on one memorable occasion blew all the light bulbs in a hospital when I was told that the loss of my memory was probably permanent."
Luckily for Hermione, and her friends, the loss of her memory has not been completely permanent. "There are still significant parts of my memory which are blocked, but I'm remembering more and more every day, especially now that I'm surrounded by my family again, and I have the chance to read through my old diaries and relearn everything that's missing. It's actually incredibly exciting, blinking and the next second remembering whole days or conversations."
At this point Harry interrupts to tease that in less than one second she remembered more about Ancient Runes than he's ever managed to learn. Hermione shoots him an amused glance and smiles back at me. We speak for some time about memories she has regained, and others which remain elusive. "I haven't remembered the final battle yet. To be honest I think it's one memory that I will never regain as it was when the curse was activated, and the curse would most logically erase my memories in reverse chronological order. At best I'll only completely lose a few months, at worst maybe the last year or two before the battle. Harry tells me he's glad I won't remember what happened that night, but in some way, as horrific as it will be to see or remember what I've been told about, maybe it's a step that would be helpful in gaining closure on what happened. I've had a few tough moments when I remember some of the worst times - some of the skirmishes during the hunt for the Horcruxes, and I forget that Voldemort's gone now, and that we can relax as I have no memories of the Wizarding world in peace."
Perhaps there's no better time than this to mention the man who was central in bringing that peace to the Wizarding world, a man who is sitting next to Hermione as she speaks, their hands entwined, their bodies curled up against one another. There were always rumours, even before her disappearance about the true nature of their relationship, but neither spoke to the press, and after that fateful night Harry has never spoken to anyone other than close friends about Hermione. I raise the question that people will automatically ask when they see the images Colin has captured this evening, the trio happy together once again, beaming smiles, all three strewn across one large sofa, Hermione resting her feet in Ron's lap as he occasionally tickles them, her back resting against Harry's side, her head perfectly placed on his shoulder, hands entwined. Ron grins a rather cheeky grin as he watches his two best friends sharing a rather uneasy look. "As if they could deny it!" He chuckles, looking over at them, clearly delighted to see them together. Hermione pretends to kick him in protest, but she's smiling, as Harry answers the question at last.
"We were together for just less than a year before that night, at first it was something so new that we didn't want to share it with anyone. We were enjoying being together, but in the middle of a war it's pretty impossible to have anything too close to normality. After a month we told Ron, who had of course known all along, but gallantly pretended to be oblivious…and other than Ron it was only family who knew." Hermione interrupts here to say that "Harry's always had a `saving people thing' and it was bad enough when we were friends, but add a relationship to the mix, and he was in full panic mode because he knew that Ron and I would refuse to be left behind in safety when the time came." Ron confirms that with a laugh, "Oh yeah, ever since you got cursed in the department of mysteries he always had one eye on you and one eye on Voldemort in fights, determined that it wouldn't happen again."
"I didn't succeed though, did I?" Harry replies softly. Ron and Hermione both sit up in their seats and turn to him.
"It wasn't your fault!" They exclaim in perfect unison.
As Ron and Hermione try to convince Harry that it was Lestrange's fault rather than his own, I observe their group dynamic once more. It has changed little since our Hogwarts days - Harry the bashful and reluctant leader/hero, Ron the comic relief and master strategist, and Hermione, ever the logical one, and the most loyal person you'll ever meet. As we move back to the original question, Harry and Hermione confirm that they are once again a couple, and are very happy, but would prefer to keep their relationship out of the media as much as possible.
"Just yesterday we had a photographer following us around Hogsmeade, it's a bit like no time has passed since the Tri-Wizard tournament with yet more private moments stolen and splashed across the newspapers. It's hard as I know that to so many people in the Wizarding world we're public property, and they see us as symbols of the end of a terrible time. I'd never want to take that away from them, but at times it's incredibly frustrating to have aspects of your life controlled by others." Harry speaks eloquently of his problems with the press, an issue he's always had trouble expressing himself over, usually clouded by the actions of unscrupulous journalists intruding on his life. Hermione speaks for the entire trio when she says that "we've only just been reunited, and while some people may see it as selfish that I've stayed hidden for a bit, for us it's been time for the three of us to catch up and get back to what we had before, to see how we've all changed, and to get our lives back on track. It may anger people, but I'll freely admit that if our hand hadn't been forced on this issue I would have stayed out of the public eye for another week or two, just to give myself a chance to settle back into the Wizarding world, and to make the most of my relationship with Harry without wondering if anyone's going to see us kiss on the street, or hold hands while shopping…I probably wont remember most of the year we already had together, other than the little fragments I already have, so this is like starting all over again and I wanted to savour it for as long as possible."
"Oh god, I got really carried away didn't I?" Hermione moaned, head in hands. Harry chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head. "I think they'll appreciate your honesty `Mione".
"Exactly" Ginny confirmed, "and who could blame you for opening up, Luna could get water from a stone, everyone opens up to her." Ginny grinned across at her enigmatic friend.
"C'mon, let me finish, it gets better, and you guys haven't even seen the pictures yet! You did a cracking job with these Colin, they're so real." Ron said raising the magazine in tribute to Colin who was perched on the sofa next to Ginny, still looking a little excited and apprehensive about being brought into the inner circle of his idols.
We spend much of the evening reminiscing about the past, adventures at Hogwarts, and the brief times of laughter and togetherness during the long years of the war, times which kept us sane, and gave us a glimpse of what we were fighting for.
"That's beautiful Luna" Hermione sad with a wistful smile across the room at her old friend. "It really is" echoed Ron, who's left hand was now trailing through Luna's hair of it's own accord, though Ron didn't yet appear to have noticed this development.
We share favourite memories, the general consensus being that one particular night spent locked in a hidden room beneath Hogwarts to celebrate Neville Longbottom and Harry's birthdays being one of the best nights of the war. Though names and details will remain anonymous for the time being, it was a hysterical night of enchanted muggle games, some rather contraband firewhisky and a legendary game of `truth or dare'. Hermione comments "God, I wish I could remember that night, I'm sure I'd have some fantastic stories to tease you all with then" she muses. Myself, Harry and Ron dissolve into childish giggles at this point and I'm afraid dear reader that the interview got rather off course at this point as Hermione came to the realisation that she had clearly embarrassed herself more than anyone else present. An impressive achievement considering that the infamous Weasley twins were present on the night in question. She elicits a promise from Harry that he'll tell her later whatever she did or said, though she looks a little apprehensive as Harry and Ron once again dissolve into giggles. She glances at her two best friends, whom she often affectionately refers to as "my boys", and simply grins a rather mischievous grin and raises an eyebrow. "You may laugh now boys, but I've regained another memory since yesterday…I wasn't going to say anything, but…if you will force me to bring up Paris…" Her grin widens as they freeze before simultaneously leaping on her in a tickle attack. "You wouldn't dare!", "You swore on your first edition of Hogwarts: A History that you'd never tell!" Their words overlap one another, as the trio act like teenagers and tease each other senseless.
"So what was that about Paris Hermione?" I ask her when their laughter has subsided. "I'm afraid I really did swear on my first edition of Hogwarts: A History about that one" she says with a grin and a wink in my direction that neither Harry nor Ron catches.
"I still can't believe you mentioned Paris" Ron moaned. I'm having flashbacks again. "I told you that absinthe wasn't a good idea, particularly after all that garlic!" Hermione replied with a laugh, "and I promise I'll never mention it in public again, especially now I know all about that game of truth or dare…seriously, what was I thinking, you'd all guessed about me and Harry anyway, why on earth did I choose dare when it was Fred's turn to pick a dare?!" She blushed just thinking about it, and was glad for the moment that she couldn't remember that portion of the evening, though she was eager to remember the rest of that infamous night.
"Let's hear the conclusion of the article then." Ginny prompted her big brother.
Four or five years ago if you had asked one of the trio about the future they would not have looked beyond the next step of their fight. In truth, they couldn't let themselves dream beyond that next step, for their futures were more uncertain than any other witch or wizard in the world, facing dangers on a daily basis that even the most hardened of aurors would blanch at. The difference in them now is remarkable in that a weight has visibly been lifted from their shoulders, a weight that did not disappear with Tom Riddle, but with the return of a third of their soul. Speaking to them about their plans for the future now, their eyes are full of hope and love. Ron's career will be well known to all, and he remains as boisterous and charming as always. Harry plans to remain at Hogwarts in his current post teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts whilst spending as much time as possible with his best friend and his girlfriend. Hermione hasn't yet decided entirely on her future, "right now I'm focusing on regaining knowledge and skills that I've lost. Harry's been working through the Hogwarts curriculum with me to get my magic back up to scratch, and beyond that I'm really not sure. I spent a lot of my time in the muggle world writing and I might return to that, but I may take a break and just savour being back home again.
Whatever these three remarkable individuals choose for their futures, there will now once again always be at least once constant in their lives, their famous and enviable friendship. It is this friendship, and a rekindled relationship that will carry them through the inevitable media frenzy which will follow this announcement of Hermione Granger's return to the Wizarding world, and the discovery of a relationship that will break many a teenage girls' heart and will inevitably have a big impact on Witch Weekly's Most Eligible Bachelor list for the coming year.
"That was perfect Luna" Hermione said gratefully as Ron finished reading aloud and passed the magazine around so that they could all look over Colin's elegant and simple black and white photographs, perfectly capturing a relaxed trio, laughing, smiling, thinking, happy, back together, and a very in love Harry and Hermione.
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