Chapter 5 - Ron
Hermione sat contentedly curled up in a large armchair in the corner of the living room of Grimmauld Place, Crookshanks purring in her lap. She looked up as Harry re-entered the room, and smiled her thanks as he passed her a cup of tea before kneeling before the fire place. She opened her mouth to ask why they had a fire going when it was so lovely and warm outside when she remembered what she had learnt from the books and diaries, and her eyes widened in anticipation as Harry grabbed a handful of powder from a dish on the mantle piece and threw it into the fireplace, his words muffled by Crookshanks purring.
From the angle she was sitting Hermione saw a face appear in the fire, a face topped with a mass of red hair, and a smattering of freckles.
"Hey mate. What's up?"
"You want to come over here before we go out to Mum's?" Harry asked.
"Sure. I was just going to floo you actually and see if you fancied a drink. I'll be right over."
Hermione watched as the head disappeared, only to be replaced to two feet which were swiftly followed by a tall, man.
Ron Weasley grabbed the hand Harry offered and got to his feet. The two friends hugged in greeting and Hermione drank in the sight of the two men she knew were her two best friends, the greatest friends she had ever known. Crookshanks leapt to the floor and wound himself around Ron's legs in greeting.
"Good to see you again too you old fleabag." Ron spoke to the cat teasingly.
"You watch who you're calling a fleabag." Hermione said in a mock stern voice as she stood.
Ron spun around and stared at her, shock evident in his bright eyes. The three friends stood frozen in place for a moment before Ron's face broke into a grin and Hermione smiled at him.
"Do I not get a hug hello?" She asked in a teasing voice, knowing why Ron wasn't moving. It must be strange for them, as if she'd almost come back from the dead. Although she didn't have any memory of Ron or the others, she felt as if she had come to know and love her honorary family since reading about them in her own words, and coming to understand their relationships. She grinned as he ran the three steps between them and picked her up in a bone crushing hug. As she hugged him back she was overcome with an emotion not connected to her new memories, she was remembering a feeling from before, and happy tears filled her eyes as Ron spun her around before putting her back down on her feet.
Harry looked at the two of them for a moment before walking over to join them, his smile appearing to be glued to his face. As he reached them Hermione threw her arms around his waist and hugged him tight, he instinctively wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, and resting his chin on the top of her head. They stayed that way for a few moments before she pulled away with an expression on her face he's always called her `Mona Lisa' smile.
Suddenly the room was full of voices as the three of them seemed to be talking all at once, then laughing, and talking again. As Harry took a seat on the large sofa he chided himself for reading something into Hermione's choice to sit beside him as Ron regaled Hermione with tales of his Quidditch heroics. Harry chuckled as he heard the stories for possibly the hundredth time, as Ron told them with extra enthusiasm, thrilled to have a new audience. Harry tuned out, not listening to the stories he had heard so many times before, simply soaking up the atmosphere, his best friends together again, as if no time had passed.
He felt a hand on his shoulder after they had sat talking for almost an hour and looked up to see Remus standing at the end of the sofa. Harry looked at the expression on his face and stood, following his friend to the doorway of the room, looking back at Hermione and Ron when he reached his destination.
"It's as if no time has passed isn't it?" Remus said wistfully following Harry's gaze. At that moment Hermione interrupted Ron's tale of his heroic efforts to save Buckbeak the Hippogriff to correct him on some of the vital details. Harry chuckled and they both looked over at him and Remus, Ron grinning sheepishly, Hermione's eyes meeting Harry's her eyes shining, her whole face lit up somehow before she and Ron returned to their conversation.
Harry continued to watch her for a moment before turning back to Remus who was looking at him knowingly.
"Well, that answers my question." Remus said quietly with a slightly raised eyebrow.
"What question?" Harry asked, bringing himself back to the conversation.
"Whether you love her." Remus stated.
"You've always known the answer to that question. You knew before I knew, just like Sirius did." Harry said sadly.
"Why that tone of voice?"
"I just feel like I missed out on so much time with her - if I'd realised how I felt before - but then again, you know what I've been like since she's been gone, it surely would have been even worse If I'd loved her longer…the strange thing is that since she's been gone every now and again I'd start to wonder what was the real Hermione in my memory and what was just an idealised notion that I'd created since she'd been gone."
"And what was the truth?" Remus asked softly, neither noticing that the conversation across the room had become much softer.
"She's so much more perfect then I remembered, than I even imagined. It's strange, she's still Hermione, who I loved more than anything - if she'd returned and not wanted anything to do with magic then I could have left everything - it sounds awful - you're my family but if I had to cope with only one thing, one person, it would be her. And then, since I've got to know her again, who she's become as Kate - I'm falling in love with her all over again. She's subtly different, she's lived such a different life and yet she's still so strong, she's still got that sense of humour that no one else really ever understood or acknowledged…she's just…" Harry trailed off and looked down at his hands.
"So what's the problem?" Remus asked, placing a hand on Harry's arm, causing Harry to look up once more.
"How do I tell her? It's so hard now that she understands our collective past, but she has no knowledge of so much of our personal history…what we meant to each other…it all happened so quickly I suppose - and all the diaries she kept - there wasn't one for that last year, or if there was I've never found it. Of course she would have hidden it away or enchanted it in case it fell into the wrong hands - but she's learnt about her past in her own words and I just don't think it would be right for me to try and tell her how she used to feel - she has to discover it for herself… Is that stupid?" Harry asked in an anguished voice.
Remus paused for a moment and as he glanced up he caught the compassion and understanding in Hermione's eye before she could look away. He looked back at Harry who's eyes were focused on a photograph on the wall opposite him showing the marauders, Lily and James, arms around one another in the centre of the photograph, laughing and smiling at one another.
"No Harry. It's not stupid at all. It's the right thing to do. You know the risk that she'll never fully regain her memory - if you two are meant to be together then I believe that things will work out. If Hermione never remembers the year you had together then you just have to make new memories together."
"Thanks Remus."
"Anytime Harry. You lot should get ready to head over to the Burrow. It would probably be best if Hermione got a chance to catch up with Molly and Ginny before the rest of the clan descend - it could be rather intimidating."
Harry glanced at the clock and nodded, smiling gratefully at his honorary parent before returning to sit next to Hermione on the sofa. Ron was in the middle of trying to convince Hermione that it had in fact been his idea to bewitch the coins for the DA. Harry laughed and Hermione simply gave Ron her best Professor McGonagall look until he caved and laughed.
"Oh well, you can't blame a guy for trying." He said with a slight blush creeping up his ears.
Hermione turned to look at him.
"Everything ok?" She asked, her eyes seeming to take in everything about him.
"Yep, Remus was just saying we should probably get a move on over to the Burrow. Mum will be dying to tell you that you haven't been eating enough." Harry said with a smile.
Ron stood and stretched, yawning widely.
"I'm starving. Lets hope it's Roast Beef for dinner", he said rubbing his stomach in anticipation. Harry chuckled and Hermione smiled at Ron as he ambled over to the fireplace, grabbing some floo powder before turning.
"I'll let her know you're on your way - try and get some of the fussing out of her system." He said with a wink before disappearing into the flames and out of sight.
Left alone, Harry stood and held out a hand to Hermione.
"You ready to go?"
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before nodding and reopening her eyes. Taking his hand she stood, their fingers interlaced, as he moved to let go of her hand she squeezed his hand gently. Harry smiled down at her and squeezed her hand in return, not relinquishing his hold.
"Are you going to be ok with this?" He asked, after they had stood quietly for a moment. She nodded in reply, but Harry could feel the hesitation in the tenseness of her hand, and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a comforting hug, dropping a kiss on the top of her head.
"I promise that it will be ok. They're family. They don't expect anything from you - they'll just be grateful to see you." Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist, and they simply stood, arms around once another for several minutes.
Hermione broke the silence, and Harry reluctantly released his arms from around her.
"Thanks. I think I'm ready to go now."
They smiled at one another, and Harry grabbed a handful of floo powder, pausing briefly before throwing it into the fire to warn her:
"Oh, and be careful around Fred and George…"
Hermione interrupted him with a knowing smile.
"Don't worry I wont be accepting any kind of food or drink from those two - and if they manage to slip me something I've been rereading Ginny's instructions on the BatBogey Hex." She winked and Harry grinned back at her as he said `The Burrow' and they stepped into the flames and began their journey home.
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