This takes place right at the end of DH, it assumes the epilogue was a dream of Harry's. Here's my take on a Harry and Hermione go to Australia story. Hope you enjoy and leave a review if you feel like it!
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Chapter 1 - The Aftermath
Harry Potter lay in his four poster bed, having just woken up from a dream. He was trying to remember the details. Something about being at King's Cross station sending two of his three kids off to school and Ginny was his wife.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Harry, are you awake?" a familiar female voice called.
"Come in Hermione," Harry replied, sitting up against the pillows, even though part of him wanted to be alone.
His best friend of the past seven years cautiously entered the room. She was dressed in jeans and a fair isle sweater, with her dark bushy hair pulled back in a ponytail. Harry noticed how thin she looked and her eyes still bore dark circles under them, vestiges of spending months wandering around the country with Harry in an effort to save both him and the Wizarding World.
It had been about twenty-four hours since the final battle and Harry was still exhausted. He wondered if he would ever feel refreshed.
Hermione approached his bed and sat gingerly on the edge opposite him. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
Harry shook his head. "I'm not sure, kind of numb, actually. And I just had the strangest dream."
"What kind of dream?"
"I dreamt that I was married to Ginny and we had three kids. You and Ron were married and had a son and a daughter. We were at King's Cross and sending the oldest kids off to school."
"Ron and I were married?" Hermione smirked, "That's strange."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Why is that strange? You kissed him right in the middle of battle!"
Hermione blushed. "Yeah, I suppose I did, didn't I? I think I must've been suffering from temporary insanity."
"What do you mean? You didn't like kissing Ron? From where I stood, you seemed to be enjoying yourself."
Hermione shook her head. "It just wasn't what I thought it would be. I kept on kissing him because I wanted to feel something but we haven't kissed since and I don't think I want to do it again."
"Are you going to tell him that?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. I feel awful about it, Harry. Poor Ron and the whole family are grieving over Fred. I can't just tell him that I don't want to be his girlfriend."
"Well, you're going to have to tell him eventually. Ron might get suspicious that you don't want to kiss him."
"Yes, I suppose I have to do that eventually," Hermione sighed. "So, this dream you had - you said it was strange."
"Yeah, it just felt weird. I named my youngest son Albus Severus."
Hermione wrinkled her nose. "After Dumbledore and Snape?"
"Yeah, poor kid," Harry agreed. "I don't know why I dreamed that I named him that."
"Well, maybe in your subconscious mind, you felt that you wanted to honor them somehow."
"Maybe. But I suppose the weirdest thing was me being married to Ginny."
"Why is that weird? Don't you love her, Harry? I know you spent a lot of time staring at the Marauder's Map, looking for her while we were on the hunt."
"How did you know that?" Harry asked.
Hermione blushed. "Some nights when I got out of bed to use the loo, I saw you sitting up in your bunk with the map and your wand lit. I figured that you were missing Ginny and looking for her."
"Yeah, I suppose I did miss her," Harry sighed at the memory. "But now that we're back and I've seen her again, I'm not sure about getting back with her. She was really possessive when Cho offered to take me to the Ravenclaw common room, so she asked Luna instead. Apparently Ginny thought I was going to go off and snog Cho in the middle of battle."
"Really? That's a bit petty of her," Hermione said.
"Exactly, and I'm not technically her boyfriend at the moment."
"You know, she really wants to see you," Hermione said. "That's one of the reasons I came up here, to see if you wanted visitors."
"One of the reasons?" Harry asked.
"Well, I wanted to check up on you, and I also suppose I wanted to get away from Ron. I told him he should be with his family, I also suggested that to Ginny but she just wants to be with you."
"Can't you tell her that I want to be alone?" Harry asked. "I don't really know what to say to her right now. And I imagine she wants to be comforted over losing Fred. You know I'm not good like that."
"Of course I can tell her that. But you know how Ginny is - she's persistent and stubborn, she'll find a way to see you."
"Funny, she wasn't that persistent or stubborn when I broke up with her last year. She didn't fight me on it at all, unlike you and Ron."
"Well the situation was a bit different, right? She was your girlfriend and Ron and I are your best friends. We had been through everything together and we chose to stick with you."
"No, you stuck with me, Hermione," Harry corrected. "Ron deserted us for weeks, remember?"
"But he came back and you forgave him," Hermione reminded him. "We forgave him."
"Yes, we did. But when I look back on the past seven years, I think you were the only one who consistently stood by me and believed in me."
Harry reached over and took Hermione's hand in his. "Thank you."
Hermione looked down at their joined hands and then into Harry's green gaze. He wasn't wearing his glasses, and she noticed how big his eyes were. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand.
"You're welcome."
There was a moment of easy silence and then there was a loud rapping at the door.
"Harry, it's me Ginny! Please open the door."
Harry sighed and pulled his hand from Hermione's grasp. "Shit."
"Do you want me to tell her that you're still sleeping?"
"Could you, please?"
Hermione nodded. "Just to be safe, you should lie down and close your eyes and pretend."
Harry followed her suggestion as Hermione went to answer the door.
"Hermione, what are you still doing here?" Ginny asked in surprise. "I asked you over an hour ago to come up here to check on Harry."
Ginny pushed her way past Hermione into the room but stopped short when she saw Harry, apparently asleep in his bed.
"Oh, he's sleeping." She whispered. "Damn, I was hoping he'd be awake."
Hermione put her arm around Ginny and led her to the door. "Ginny, let's leave Harry alone in peace."
The two girls left Harry's room and Hermione closed the door.
"So Harry's still sleeping? I thought he'd be awake by now," Ginny said. "I really want to talk to him."
"Well, he's been though a lot, so he needs his rest," Hermione replied.
"I know." Ginny paused. "Hermione, were you in Harry's room all this time?"
"Yes, I was."
"Did he wake up at all? Did he mention me?"
"He was only awake for a minute after I arrived," Hermione lied. "He said I could stay, so I sat by his desk and read a book."
"It's not fair," Ginny said. "Why do you get to stay with him, while I'm trying to console Mum and the rest of the family?"
"Ginny, your family needs you. You've suffered a great loss and you should all be there for one another."
"But what about what I need? I've spent months waiting to be with Harry again, worrying about him, wondering how he was, if he was thinking of me. Now that he's okay and back, I can't even see him? After the battle was over, he didn't even come over to hug or kiss me, he just ran off with you and Ron! I'm his girlfriend, dammit!"
Hermione didn't think it would be wise for her to remind Ginny that technically she wasn't.
"Ginny, Harry will see you soon. Just give him some time to recover, okay?"
"It's not fair," Ginny repeated. "Why do you get to see him and I don't?"
"Well, I'm his best friend," Hermione said.
"I wish I was his best friend," Ginny said. "Then he would talk to me, or perhaps he would've taken me on his big adventure."
"Ginny, the big adventure you talk about was no picnic. We were hungry, tired and cold most of the time. We were under a lot of stress, in constant danger and sometimes had no idea what to do next. It was probably the hardest time of my life."
"Yeah, but at least you went through it with him. You were there by his side. That's something I'll never have."
Hermione realized that Ginny was right. She would never share these things with Harry. She might have kissed Harry or made him laugh, but she would never know the things they discovered about Dumbledore, or about the horcruxes or the Deathly Hallows, or know what it was like to see Harry see his parents' graves for the first time. To hold his hand and watch him cry, or offer up a wreath of roses for the graves at the exact moment she sensed Harry's regret for not bringing anything. There were so many things that only she knew or understood about Harry. How could another witch ever understand him the way she did?
"Hermione?" Ginny's voice brought Hermione out of her reverie.
"Sorry, what?" she said.
"I'm going to go back downstairs to my family. Hopefully, Harry will wake up soon and see me," Ginny said. "Are you coming?"
"I'll be down in a little while, I think I'm going to my dorm to take a nap, I think I need it."
She watched Ginny head for the stairs to the common room, but instead of going to the girls' dorms she turned around and went back into Harry's room.
"The coast is clear," she announced but Harry did not move. She moved closer to the bed and realized that he was really asleep this time. She watched his chest rise and fall as he slept on his back. Hermione yawned, feeling sleepy herself. She grabbed a Gryffindor blanket off one of the other beds and wrapped it around her shoulders before gingerly laying down beside Harry. Soon she was fast asleep.
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The morning light streamed through the window, waking Harry from a deep sleep. He had been dreaming, but he couldn't remember the details. He rolled over, stretching his right arm out. But instead of hitting the blanket, he felt his hand land on top of something that felt like a sweater.
Harry opened his eyes and saw a blurry figure asleep beside him. He could tell by the coloring that it had to be Hermione but he squinted just to confirm. Yes, she was dressed in the same outfit as yesterday and her hair was still in the ponytail, albeit some curly strands had come loose while she slept.
He really wasn't that surprised to see her lying next to him but wondered why she had fallen asleep here. The last time he saw her, she was ushering Ginny out of his room.
Harry smirked at her sleeping form, grateful for her help in keeping his ex-girlfriend at bay for the time being. He still wasn't 100% sure why he was avoiding Ginny, but deep down he started to realize that perhaps it was truly over between them and he didn't want upset her any further. She had just lost one of her brothers and the timing would be bad, to say the least.
At that moment, Hermione stirred and opened her eyes, immediately realizing where she was and who was lying beside her, with his arm draped across her waist.
"Harry!" she exclaimed, feeling a bit exposed, even though she was fully dressed and had the Gryffindor blanket covering her legs.
"Morning, sunshine." Harry said lazily.
"I'm so sorry!" she said as she sat up, while Harry removed his arm. "I was feeling tired after Ginny left and I just meant to take a little nap. I didn't mean to spend the night!"
"It's okay, Hermione. Really. No harm done."
"Are you sure, Harry? You're acting as if finding me asleep in your bedroom is a normal occurrence!"
"Hermione, we slept in the same tent for weeks. It's no big deal."
"Do you know what time it is?"
Harry reached for his glasses so he could read his bedside clock. "It's 7AM."
"I should go and get changed and then get some breakfast, although I imagine the Great Hall isn't ready to serve us."
"So, why don't you go check out the kitchens and see if you can bring us back some breakfast?"
"Harry, are you ever going to leave this room?"
"I like this room. Sure beats a tent that fits in your handbag."
"Ha, ha." Hermione said sarcastically. "You're going to have to leave it sometime."
"I will, when I'm good and ready."
"I can't keep making excuses for you, you know."
"Yeah, but you're really good at covering for me, you know that?"
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Potter."
Hermione looked in the mirror to fix her ponytail before heading for the door. "I'll be back in a little while."
She walked out of the boys dorm, down the stairs to the common room and then up the stairs to the girls' side. The place seemed to be deserted as she went to the girls' lavatory to relieve herself and wash up.
She was just about to leave the lavatory and head back to her room to change her clothing when she nearly bumped right into Ginny, who was dressed in her bathrobe.
"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed. "There you are, we've been wondering where you disappeared to!"
Hermione inwardly groaned - the last thing she needed was Ginny asking her all sorts of questions about her whereabouts.
"Disappeared?" she asked innocently. "I told you yesterday that I was going to my room to take a nap. My nap lasted longer than I intended and I slept through the night."
"Did you? Why are you still dressed in yesterday's clothing?" Ginny asked, looking suspicious.
"I didn't change my clothes because I was too tired." Hermione explained.
"You know, I knocked on your door, but you didn't answer."
"Well, I was asleep, Ginny."
"Where are you heading now?" Ginny asked.
"To my room to change clothes and down to the kitchens for some breakfast, I haven't eaten since yesterday and I'm starving," she replied. "Ginny, where is the rest of the family this morning?"
"They headed back to the Burrow last night, Ron included." Ginny sighed and looked down. "We're making plans for Fred's funeral."
"I'm sorry again about Fred," Hermione said, placing a hand on Ginny's shoulder. "But why did you stay behind?"
"Well, I was hoping Harry might want to see me today, so I convinced Mum to let me stay an extra day. It took me a while to convince her, but she wants Harry as a son-in-law someday, so she agreed."
"I see," Hermione said, wondering how Harry would react to that little tidbit.
"Hermione, are you going to come to the Burrow soon? Maybe you and I can extract Harry from his bed and we can all go together! Ron must be missing you and I imagine you must be missing him."
"Ron told you about us?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, he told me about your big kiss and how you're finally his girlfriend. He seemed really happy about it, in spite of what has happened to us. He's really lucky to have you."
"Yeah, lucky," Hermione repeated, feeling guilty. "Ginny, why don't you take your shower and I'll go get something to eat. I'll catch up with you later."
"Well, right after I shower and eat, I'm going straight to Harry's room and I'm not leaving until he sees me!"
With a resigned sigh, Hermione went to her room to change into fresh clothing and then rushed down to the kitchens where a few house elves were preparing breakfast for the people who had stayed behind after the war ended.
She approached Winky, who was preparing some scrambled eggs and bacon.
"Hi Winky."
Winky curtsied when she saw Hermione approach. "Miss Mione, how may I serve you?"
"Please arrange for two trays to be brought up to Harry Potter's room in Gryffindor tower."
"Mr. Harry Potter's room?" Winky replied excitedly. "Oh, I'd be honored to serve such a hero who defeated the Dark Lord so bravely. What shall I prepare?"
"Scrambled eggs, bacon and toast with some Earl Grey tea, please."
"You said two trays, Miss Mione?"
"Yes, make it a double order, please Winky."
"Thank you, Miss Mione. Your food will be ready very soon and I shall bring it personally to Mr. Potter's room."
Hermione thanked Winky, left the kitchens and hurried back to Harry's room.
"Where's the food?" Harry asked, still sitting up in bed. "I'm starving."
"Winky's bringing it up for us soon. She seemed awfully excited to prepare a meal for you."
"Why?"
"Because you're a great hero now, Harry."
Harry snorted. "Some hero. I just got lucky that Voldemort's curse rebounded on him."
"Well even if you did "get lucky" as you say, you're still a hero to a great many people."
"Hermione, do you think I'm a hero?"
"I think you were very brave, so yes, I do. I also know the person behind the hero and I know there's more to you than that. But I also think you're going to have to get used to people calling you a hero from now on."
"All the more reason for me to stay in here as long as possible," Harry said as he leaned back against the pillows.
"Well, you might want to rethink that because I saw Ginny again this morning in the girls' lavatory and she seems hell bent on seeing you today. The rest of the family went back to the Burrow to plan Fred's funeral but she stayed behind to see you."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Just great."
Just then there was a knock on the door. "Mr. Potter, Miss Mione, it's Winky with your breakfast."
Harry signed in relief as Hermione went to answer the door.
Winky entered with too small trays in her hands and placed them on the bed, restoring them to normal size. She then approached Harry and did a little curtsy before him.
"Mr. Potter, I want to say it is an honor to serve you breakfast and I want to thank you, on behalf of the rest of the kitchen elves, for making our world a safer, better place."
"Thanks, Winky." Harry said sheepishly.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Winky asked.
"No, thanks," Harry said as the little house elf excused herself and left the room.
Harry and Hermione tucked into their breakfasts while sitting on the four poster bed.
"I'm famished." Harry said as he put a fork in his eggs and took a bite. "Mmmm. This is so good. Merlin, I miss real food. No offense to you and your mushroom soup."
"None taken," Hermione agreed between mouthfuls of eggs and toast.
Once they cleared their plates, they sipped their tea in silence. Finally, Hermione spoke.
"So, are you going to see Ginny today?"
"I suppose I'll have to," Harry said.
"Why don't you want to see her Harry? I mean I know you said yesterday that you're not sure if you want to get back with her, but don't you want to know for sure?"
"I guess," he shrugged.
"Harry, you can't leave things in limbo with her. You owe it to her to let her know where you stand."
"Hmm, and I could say the same for you and Ron," Harry countered.
"Harry, it's complicated."
"Listen, don't you think you and I are going to look like heartless gits if we tell Ron and Ginny that we don't want to be with them, especially with the timing?"
"So what do you think we should do? Pretend to be their boyfriend and girlfriend for the time being?" Hermione asked.
"I suppose that's what we'll have to do," Harry sighed.
Later that morning, Harry heard a knock on his door. Hermione had left him alone in anticipation of Ginny's visit. He even took a shower and put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
"Harry, it's me Ginny. Can I please come in?"
"Come in." Harry said, steeling himself for her visit.
She opened the door to find him sitting in a corner chair reading Hogwarts, a History.
"Harry, it's so good to see you!" Ginny said as rushed towards him and put her arms around him.
He had to admit that she looked and smelled good as he put aside the book and returned the embrace. She always used a strawberry scented shampoo that he found irresistible. But at the same time, he wasn't filled with the joy he used to when he held her, instead he felt empty.
Ginny pulled back to look at him. "You look rested."
"Well, I've been getting lots of sleep." Harry said with a shrug.
"I know, I came to see you yesterday but Hermione told me you were sleeping. I've really missed you, Harry."
"I've missed you too." Harry replied. "Um, I'm sorry about Fred."
"Thanks, Harry," Ginny said sadly. "I keep telling myself that he died bravely and was a hero. It's been really hard on the family, but it's been hardest on George. Fred was like his other half."
Harry sighed guiltily. "I kind of feel responsible, Ginny. Not just for Fred, but for everyone who died in this war. I can't believe how many friends we've lost."
"Harry, you are not responsible," Ginny replied fiercely. "You are a hero and I don't think anyone blames you for a second."
"But I'm not a hero, Ginny." Harry said as he got up from his chair and paced his room. "Don't you get that? I just got lucky again."
"But you are a hero, Harry! And you should get used to that. There are going to be celebrations and balls held in your honor. And I am going to be so proud to be standing beside you!" Ginny said, her face shining.
Harry shook his head in frustration. She would never understand him. She would never get it. She wasn't the one who lived through the horcrux hunt with him, or learned about Dumbledore's past, or the Deathly Hallows, or saw his parents' graves. No, that was someone else. Harry thought of Hermione and how she had been through everything with him. Yes, he had thanked her, but was that enough?
"Harry?"
"Sorry, Gin, just thinking."
"So, tell me, when do you think you'll be ready to leave here and come home to the Burrow with me? I'm sure the whole family wants to see you."
All through the hunt, Harry had longed for the warmth and safety of the Burrow and the adopted family that had welcomed him with open arms. But now, with the war over and what he had been through, it did not have the same appeal. Perhaps because there would always be one less Weasley in the house, a constant reminder of what he had lost, what they had lost.
"Um, I'm not sure, I think I need some time away." Harry said, thinking aloud.
"What do mean, away?" Ginny asked.
"Ginny, I've been through a lot the last few months, and I'm thinking of taking a trip somewhere to clear my head. Maybe to America or Australia, where nobody knows who I am."
"Do you want me to come with you - it might be good for us to have some time, just the two of us?"
Harry turned around to face her. "No, I think you should stay here, Ginny. Your family needs you."
"So you'll be going alone then?" she asked in a small voice. "For how long?"
"I don't know yet, maybe a month or two. I mean I'll be here for the funerals but then I'll be going."
Ginny stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'll miss you, Harry. It always seems like you're leaving me."
Harry closed his eyes and held her, still feeling empty. "Well, I won't be gone forever."
Ginny looked up at him, "Good, because when you return, I think we should start talking about our future."
"Our future?" Harry repeated.
"Yes, you know, marriage, family."
Harry let go of her and ran his hand through his unruly hair. "Marriage? Ginny, I'm not even eighteen yet!"
"So? My parents married right after they graduated Hogwarts and didn't yours do the same?"
"Yeah, they did marry young, but I don't know if I'm ready for all of this yet!"
"Well, why don't you think about it during your long holiday?"
Well at least she wasn't insisting that he propose here on the spot. "Okay, I'll think about it."
"Good," Ginny said. "So you know, I've been here all of fifteen minutes and you haven't even tried to kiss me."
"Well, I thought we should talk first." Harry said. "We've barely talked to each other since my birthday last year."
"Ah, yes, your birthday." Ginny repeated with a gleam in her eye. "Do you remember what we were doing last year on your birthday before Ron interrupted us?"
Harry remembered fondly what they were doing, but it seemed like another lifetime. Before he knew it, Ginny's lips were pressed to his and she was pushing him towards the bed.
Harry did not resist her actions. It had been almost a year since he had snogged anyone and his hormones took over. They continued on for a few minutes while Ginny's hands became quite adventurous and began to roam below his waist and reached for the fly on his jeans. In their brief time together before Harry left, she hadn't done that. As much as he was enjoying the sensations, he felt that he was leading her on, so he took her hand and moved it to a less erogenous zone.
"What's wrong, Harry?"
"Gin, I just don't think we're ready for this, that you're ready for this."
"Harry, I spent many nights thinking about just this, while you were away. You can't tell me that you haven't thought about it, too."
"Sure I have, but I think we should wait." Harry said, not looking at her.
"Don't you want me, Harry?" Ginny asked.
There was the question. Did he want her? He certainly didn't mind snogging her, but to move their relationship to the next level involved more than just his hormones. It involved his heart, and Harry had to admit that his heart wasn't in this. But what to tell Ginny?
"Gin, of course I want you. But not like this. I think we should wait until marriage."
Ginny's eyebrows rose. "Oh, Harry, so you are thinking about marriage!"
"No! What I mean is I want to wait until marriage. I would've thought it was the same for you."
"Sure, you want us to be virgins on our wedding night. I understand."
Ginny still didn't quite get what he was saying, but it would have to do for now. She started to kiss him again, but the mood was gone.
"Are you okay, Harry? You seem distracted."
"I'm fine, Ginny. I just think I'm feeling tired again."
"So why don't we take a little nap, I'm tired too."
Harry knew he wasn't going to get rid of her so easily so he agreed. Ginny snuggled against him and soon she was asleep, snoring lightly against him. Harry stared at the ceiling and thought wryly that this was the second witch who had fallen asleep in his bed in the past twenty four hours.
Having Hermione asleep next to him didn't faze him at all - her presence didn't bother him, in fact it comforted him. But with Ginny he felt claustrophobic; there was no way he could spend the rest of his life sleeping next to her.
He thought about his trip. The idea came to him in almost a revelation - that was the answer to his problem. Sure he was avoiding responsibility (and the Weasleys) but he had spent the past seven years with the weight of Voldemort on his shoulders and the unwanted job of eradicating him and his followers. A little time away was certainly a reasonable course of action.
He thought again of Hermione. He hadn't had a chance to ask her about her parents yet, and what she had planned to do with them. He assumed at some point she would go to Australia, restore their memories and somehow repair her relationship with them. He envied her in a way - at least she still had parents to reunite with. He made a mental note to ask her about her plans, and maybe somehow he could help her out. After all, she had done so much for him and he felt like he owed her. Feeling satisfied, Harry let himself drift off.
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