*NOTES* Okay once again I am posting this without proper editing but get over it. Anyway a few comments about Ginny: She kind of seems to go back and forth on the subject of her and Harry. And I know it is aggravating but lets face it would be going back and forth too if you were in her situation. She needs to hold on to some sort of hope and right now that only hope is Harry coming back to her. It might wane but it is constant. A couple things on Hagrid: I had an incredibly difficult time writing his letter. So if you don't like it write me one you do like, send it to me, and maybe I'll post it. This is just Harry's letter to Hermione ONLY. It seemed fitting and with all the stuff going on in this chapter I felt like anymore would overload the emotions. So please enjoy, please review, and as always read several times for the hints I leave about the future. Cause they are there and I think by now you can tell who is going to live and who is going to die.
"Are you kidding that was classic. That was like…Wow!" Fred said and George hit him upside the head. "Well two more letters are left. Do you think, ladies and gentlemen, giant, werewolf, and you muggles, that we will finally get that confession out of him? You know the one we've all been speculating about for three years now."
"You really do have a way of bring that subtly up, don't you Fred?" Ginny's voice interrupted Fred's ranting. For a minute he forgot about his little sister, it was kind of easy when you are one of six to forget about one of the younger ones, but this time it was a big mistake. He opened his mouth to apologize but Ginny shook it off. "What I don't need is for all of you to being feeling sorry for me. Stuff happens when they are in situations like that, but I trust Harry."
The grown-ups all shared looks of discomfort. Was it wise to crush the dreams of this young girl, Remus wondered? After all he was the only one, besides Ron, who knew. "Well, we still have two letters to read. I think that we should do that right away but tomorrow we should go clean out Grimmauld place." He let out a sigh as he glanced at the paper Tonks was studying.
"There is something written on here if anyone wants to know what it is." She said in a soft voice. Everyone fell silent and they all focused their attention on her.
Tonks,
I have an account set up in your name it is for you and Remus. Use it to make him happy. Also I'm sure by now that Remus has collected the ring that I had put at the Shrieking Shack. Please give it to her.
Harry
"Well Harry also has to have the last word," Tonks said as she turned her hair into a rainbow full of colors. "I swear if I hadn't gotten to know him so well last year..." She suddenly stopped as Remus elbowed her in the side. "OW! You know you aren't suppose to abuse the person who happens to do ungodly things to you…Oh wait I get it now."
"What do you mean Tonks?" George asked. "We were under the impression that only Remus was allowed in the house."
"Go ahead big mouth," Remus spoke up as Tonks shut her mouth and was stuffing her hand in her mouth. "You mentioned it and now we aren't going to get any farther without you telling them."
"Now just remember they asked or else I wouldn't have done it," She was gazing at Mrs. Weasley. "During the second week of them staying at Grimmauld place we got a fire call. It was unexpected to the boot or else I would have done something about clothing…Anyway there comes Harry's head spinning into view his eyes shut after the first second or so and yelling something about needing major help. Well Remus and I thought something was seriously wrong. So Remus had the wards set up to recognize me."
She took a deep breath and look at her wolfie. He nodded for to continue, "Well Remus was the only one beside the three teenagers who could change the wards to recognize a new person and so he did it for me. We arrived at Grimmauld place ten minutes later and there sat the three teenagers at the kitchen table. Ron handed some money over to Harry and then he handed it to Hermione. They had taken bets to see how long it would take us to show up and whether or not I would come in clothes. Those buggers," She smiled at the memory. "We both sat down as they explained that while fixing up the house was good exercise and all they needed something more. They needed to be trained. And they choose me. From that point on I was sworn into their little club. Hell Remus here doesn't even know half of what I trained them to do but hell they are good. Which is why I'm not too worried about them not surviving."
Everyone seemed to take a moment before they exploded at what Tonks just shared to them. Quickly and quietly she exited the room and ran for outside as far as her legs could carry her. She made it to the orchard where the Weasley's played Quidditch before she collapsed.
"I forgot," Desperately she curled herself up into a ball and she began rocking back and forth. Strong arms cradled her as she sobbed. "I forgot, Remus. I tried to tell myself every time I went over there that I was doing it to protect them and then somewhere along the way I forgot that they were just kids. They were kids' thrusts into the middle of this terrible war and they had no way out but to fight their way out. And then that week came where Ron finally mastered the killing curse. I remember it so vividly because I went over on my day off and there was Hermione sobbing in the hallway cause she thought Ron was never going to snap out of it. And she was crying because she had screwed up." It took several minutes for Tonks to get out the words but once she did she felt better. Remus and she stayed out in the orchard for many more minutes before they started back to the house.
Jane Granger saw Tonks and Remus coming through the garden gate and she rushed out to give the girl a hug. She was proud of all that Tonks did to make sure her daughter stayed safe.
"Well I guess I'll go next," Jane said as she entered the kitchen. "After all it seems fitting that Arthur goes last." No one questioned her as she glared at everyone in an oh-so-Hermione way.
She took the letter that Harry had written to her daughter and carefully looked at it and then at the clock that bore their names. Sighing she broke the seal. This was it the last two letters she thought as she pulled out three sheets of parchment. She did a quick glance and saw they were filled with neat handwriting on both the front and back. This was it.
Hermione,
I got to these last two letters, you and Ron, and I have no clue what to write. That is to say that writing the other two weren't easy but these are extra hard. You want to know something you really are a bossy know it all. You are always butting in and you always complain that we get into trouble, but you help us out. But I love you anyways.
Best friends forever is what we started saying this year. We would get up early, well early for Ron, and before he even woke up we would spend an hour talking. You said this was time for relaxing and it was. You have always been the easiest person I've known to talk to. You listen to everything I say even if you don't agree. During these talks we discussed everything from favorite colors, mine is deep blue and yours is purple, to our favorite foods, mine is your chicken noodle soup and yours is pumpkin pie. I loved those mornings that we spent talking but lately they have become more like mere minutes because we are so absorbed in our own thoughts. I just thank the heavens above to know that even if I have nothing to say you still sit with me during that first hour of the morning.
Lately we have been spending more nights in the kitchen, Ron, you, and me. Each cradling a cup of tea or something a tad bit stronger, each lost in our thoughts. Who will live, who will die, but eventually we all turn to those times when this war was not everything we thought about. We start talking about school and teachers and classes and friends. I decided sometime one of those nights that if I survive I'm going to go back and finish my education. After all you will be going back too.
There is so much I wish to tell you. So much has happened. I keep thinking about our last mission and how it was so stupid of me to use you as bait. You should have said something, Hermione. One word of protest out of you and we would have done it another way but you didn't and so we went through with it. We apparated to that graveyard and there you stood as Nagini came forward. You didn't let us come near until you were certain she couldn't make a quick escape. You were so close to being bit when you finally gave the signal. It was Ron who actually destroyed Nagini and I was the one who caught you as you fainted. Getting you back to the house was no problem but Ron and I were surprised when you went for the firewhiskey.
We leave tomorrow morning. I want to give you one last chance to stay. I never wanted you involved in this war but I knew there was no stopping you or I should have know since the first time you tried to stop me. Remember that stupid duel in first year. It was the first time Malfoy set us all up and of course he didn't get away with it. You tried to stop us but you couldn't and I knew that there was no stopping you. So you came with us and you got us out of trouble but you also helped us to discover Fluffy.
Night has fallen pretty quickly and I know that we will be heading off to our separate rooms tonight. But I know that somehow during the night I will wake and go to the kitchen and there I will sit until Ron and you join me. We will sit there and wait for the dawn, our last dawn before we head to the school.
I promise that I will try to come back, Hermione. I'll come back for you and Ron. I want you to be laughing and smiling and I want all of our tears to stop. I just want to live after all of this. But if I don't survive you have to promise me you will move on.
And that is saying that yes you can cry, I'll be very hurt if you don't, and yes you can grieve, but don't let it consume you. If anything I want you to smile and laugh for me. I want you to go to France and Italy and all those places you've dreamed of going to and I want you to take me with you, even if I'm only in your heart.
Along with going all these places and doing all those amazing things I know you are going to do I want you to stay grounded. Remember your roots, and remember what we fought for.
I sit here at the kitchen table taking it all in. This year has been hard as hell on us. All three of us have found each other and lost part of ourselves at the same time. You lost the ability to always be right, but you gained something much more important. Hermione, you gained humor. God between Ron and you sometimes I feel like I might have cracked a rib from laughing so hard. I don't want you to ever lose that laughter. Please tell jokes wherever you go. Tell our story in those voices you use. You know what I'm talking about those outrageously high pitched completely out of character voices. I especially like the one of Voldemort and how you make him sounds like a four year old girl and how you make his death eaters call him ridiculous names like "the guy who couldn't defeat a baby."
Oh wait that might have been my name for him!
But seriously Hermione, do everything you've ever wanted to do. Take every chance you get. And don't let anyone tell you that you aren't worth it because I know you are. You are my strength and if anyone ever asks you what makes you special you can tell them that you are Harry Potter's rock and that he thinks that you are the brightest star in the night. I will come back for you.
Take care, my Hermione. I love you.
Harry.
Jane Granger let the last piece of parchment fall to the table. Her daughter wasn't really fighting a war, she thought, she was fighting to make sure that Harry survived. That he was happy and always there because Hermione didn't want to know what life was like without him. She thought back to the beginning of all of this and wondered how she never saw it before.
***
A pop was heard outside the Granger's household. No one moved as Tonks made sure that everything was all right. Not only had the young girl taken over being their daughter but she had also taken over for their secretary. Hermione had made it clear that her parents were to survive this war but she also made it clear that they were to have nothing to do with what was going on in the wizarding world. She said it would only put them in much more danger then they already were. They were thankful, though, for the two days a week Tonks was off duty and another member of the order came to hang out with them.
"It's Hermione," Tonks said as she opened the door to hug the real version of her role. The two girls began chatting away about what not as both her parents came forward to see their daughter.
"Mum, dad, we need to talk." She didn't embrace her parents instead she wrapped her arms around herself in a tight hug. The talk was more of a one-sided conversation that Hermione seemed to be having with herself, "I just need to tell you guys I won't be going to school this year. I'm not going back. I have things I need to do, important things. When I first went to Hogwarts I thought I finally knew my place in the world. I was a witch and there I could, finally, fit in with others, but it didn't come that easy. I did though, after some time, get friends. Harry and Ron are so important to me…" She went on to explain everything that had happened during her school years. "Mum, dad, he is too important for me to lose."
Jane could tell her daughter had drifted off in thought for a moment. She reached out to hug her but Hermione pulled away at the sight of her hand. For a moment she felt something beyond hurt it was more like she was losing herself.
"I can't. I know you think is stupid, giving up my future for a boy, but we are all he's got. I'm not going to take that away from him. I…I should get going. Harry said he had something to take care of before he went to Grimmauld place. I hope to god he didn't go see those relatives of his. Sometimes he is too good for his own good." She once again seemed to be talking to herself and she missed the look that her parents shared.
She watched as her daughter took in the living room and from the look on her face she expected to never see it again. She saw her facial expressions change with each picture she took in, and then her eyes finally rested on her. Quickly Hermione rushed forward she gave her mum a hug and kissed her dad's cheek. "Tonks take care of them." She whispered as she grabbed her bag which suddenly appeared beside her. "I promise you I'll come back."
****
"How comes it seems everyone is making promises they can't keep?" Tonks said softly as she watched Jane's face. She knew exactly what the mother was thinking. The older woman gave her a small smile as she turned back to the letter. It was amazing how much was in that letter and yet how much was kept out of it. She knew that if her daughter was the one actually reading this and not she there probably would have been more. Silently she wondered if Harry had charmed the letter to reveal different stuff for each reading.
Arthur cleared his throat and he took the letter that his hand had put before him. It was now or never, he thought as he glanced at the seal and broke its connection to the paper. The clock situated on the wall in the Weasley's living room once more came to life.
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