Chapter 9
Later that evening, Harry lay beside Hermione in her bedroom in darkness. She was curled up against him, sobbing quietly into his shoulder. After Hermione's arrival back from her parents, they did eventually sit down to eat dinner, but Hermione left most of her meal on her plate. She apologized profusely to Harry for spending time making her dinner that she didn't have the appetite to eat.
After dinner, Hermione went straight to bed. Harry had knocked on her door to check on her and before he knew it, she had asked him to stay with her.
"You should've seen the looks on their faces when I told them the whole story, Harry. They looked both shocked."
"Well, I can imagine that it would be a shock to learn that they weren't who they thought they were and that they had a nearly grown daughter, to boot."
"I don't think they'll ever forgive me."
"Give them time. They'll come around."
"I'm not so sure. What if they never forgive me? They seem to think I did it all for you, and not for their safety."
Harry sighed and felt guilty. "But you did do it for me, didn't you? If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have had to do this to your parents."
Hermione knew he would do this.
"Harry, please don't blame yourself. If I blame anyone, it's Voldemort - he was the one who initiated all of this, planning to kill you. It was my job to come along and help you and try to keep you safe. I take full responsibility for what I did to my parents, it was my choice, and if I had to do it all over again, I would still take the same measures to protect them."
Harry appreciated her attempt at making him feel better, but he still felt responsible. "I'm sorry for all of this, Hermione. I hate seeing you so upset. I wish I could do something and make it all better. I wish there was some kind of spell I could do to take away all the pain that you and your parents are feeling right now."
Hermione sighed. "I wish there was some kind of magic that could erase all of this, but magic is what got me into this and I need to find a non-magical solution."
An idea suddenly came to him. "Maybe I can help."
"How?"
"Maybe I could go talk to them, you know, on your behalf? Explain everything to them, tell them how brave you were, all you went through to help me and help bring an end to the war. Maybe if they knew all you sacrificed, they might be more willing to forgive you."
Hermione shook her head against his shoulder. "Oh, no Harry, please don't. I appreciate that you want to help me, but I think if you went to see them now, it will only make things worse. They're not very fond of you at the moment. In their eyes, you are this rich teenaged boy who took their daughter away from them."
"But how do they know I'm rich?"
"I mentioned our fancy dinner date to my mum, because she and my dad were planning to go to dinner at Aria tonight."
"I imagine that they never made it."
"Probably not." Hermione paused. "Harry, please promise me that you won't go to see my parents, okay? I know you want to help, but I would prefer that you just left this alone. I need to just wait for my parents to come around, like you said they would.
"How long are you willing to wait?" Harry asked.
"As long as it takes." Hermione said. "I can't leave Australia until this is resolved. Will you promise me?"
"I promise." Harry said in the darkness, although he still felt guilty.
A few days later, Harry was seated on the Bondi Junction bus, returning from his written exam at the motor registry. Well, technically it was a computer based exam, where had to answer 45 questions on road safety.
Thanks to his and Hermione's studying, Harry passed the test, missing out on one question, which was confusing the way it was worded. He could never imagine taking a computer test at Hogwarts, which made him chuckle. If he and Hermione stayed in Australia for another few weeks, Harry could begin his road lessons to get his P1 license.
On his way back home, he thought of Hermione's parents again and the promise he made her. In spite of that, he really thought he could convince them to forgive her. He couldn't sit back and just watch Hermione sit around their cottage, feeling depressed and waiting for them to call her.
The past few days had been frustrating for Harry. He tried to get Hermione to leave the house, but she wanted to hang around in case her parents called. Harry tried to reason with her, that they had an answering machine and kept suggesting that she leave the cottage. But Hermione was stubborn and refused to leave.
He pressed the next stop button on the bus, which was one stop earlier than his usual stop. He got out and walked two blocks and found himself standing in front of the Wilkins house and dental practice.
He entered the office and found Cathy, their assistant at the front desk.
"Hello, Cathy."
"Well, hello Harry, how are you? I don't see you down for an appointment."
"I don't have one, but I was hoping to speak with the Drs. Wilkins."
"Is this a dental emergency?"
Harry shook his head. "No, but I really need to speak with them, if only for a few minutes."
"They are on their lunch break until noon and then they are both booked through the afternoon."
"Are they next door or did they go out to eat?"
"They're next door, but they usually don't like to be disturbed."
"It's very important that I speak with them, please, Cathy."
"What is this regarding?"
"It's a private family matter."
"Are you a relative?"
Sensing that this might be his opening, Harry lied. "Yes, I'm their nephew, I really need to speak with them."
"Oh, why didn't you say so? Please go around to the back entrance and they'll let you in."
Harry smiled. "Thanks, Cathy. I appreciate it."
He left the office and headed to the back door of the Wilkins house. He knocked and Dr. Wilkins came into view.
"Well, if it isn't Harry Potter. Did Hermione send you here?" Wendell said, with a bit of a sneer that reminded Harry of Snape.
Harry shook his head. "She doesn't know I'm here. I know I'm the last person you want to see right now, but I really need to speak with you."
"Why should I give you the time of day? It's because of you we lost a year of our lives and just found out we have a daughter we never knew!"
Harry nodded sadly, feeling guilty. "Hermione said you blamed me. And I have to agree with you. All of this is my fault. If you let me in, I could tell you why you shouldn't be angry with her. Blame it all on me."
Monica appeared behind her husband. "Come eat your salad, it's...Wendell, who is this?"
"This is Harry Potter, Monica."
She folded her arms and stared at him. Harry immediately recognized her as Hermione's mother, she had her bushy hair and brown eyes. He couldn't help but smile, feeling affection for the woman who brought his best friend into the world.
"What are you smirking at, young man?"
"Nothing. It's nice to finally meet you."
"Harry wants to talk to us about Hermione, Monica. It seems that he wants to take all of the blame."
"Really? Why?" Monica asked her husband.
"Well, if you let me come in I can tell you," Harry insisted.
Monica sighed. "Okay, we'll let you come in, but only for a few minutes. We have to finish our lunch and then we have a full afternoon of patients."
She opened the screen door and ushered him into their kitchen. There were two Cobb salads on the table. Harry smiled again, Hermione loved Cobb salad.
Wendell eyed Harry's pocket suspiciously. "Is that your wand?"
"Yes it is."
"Would you mind taking it out and putting it on the table where we can see it?"
Harry chuckled. "I'm not going to do any magic."
"Yes, but when Hermione was here, she froze us or something so we couldn't move from our seats, we'd prefer not to go through that again."
Harry thought they were being silly, but in order to gain their trust, he agreed. He removed his wand and placed it on the table.
"So, shall I begin?"
Wendell and Monica nodded, looking wary.
"I just wanted to come here and explain what happened. I know what Hermione told you about altering your memories to protect you. That is true, she did want to protect you. Voldemort was serious - he and his followers killed many people that I knew and loved - I lost so many during the war. I am certain if Hermione hadn't done what she did, you both wouldn't be alive either.
"But I also blame myself. While I did not force or ask her to do this, Hermione has always done so much for me and to help me save the Wizarding World. I am certain without her, I wouldn't be alive talking to you right now. She stayed with me, under the worse possible conditions, and never gave up on me. I should've pushed her away, and sent her here with you, possibly altering her memories so she wouldn't remember me and would be safe. But I couldn't do that, I needed her too much, I was selfish. Not only is Hermione brilliant, she's the most loyal person I've ever met. She was one of my first friends at school and she remained by my side to this day. She's my family."
Harry paused and took a deep breath.
"You see, I lost both my parents to Voldemort when I was very young, I was just a baby. I never really got to know them. I learned a lot about them from their friends and through photographs, but it wasn't the same. I don't remember what it was like to hug or kiss them, or hear them tell me they were proud of me or that they loved me. I don't have those memories. I just think it would be a shame for you to turn your backs on your only daughter while you are all alive. You have the chance to make some great memories as a family. I don't want Hermione to feel like an orphan. I know what it's like and I don't want that for her."
Harry finished and looked at Monica and Wendell's faces. The room was quiet except from a sniffle. Monica's eyes were filled with tears, but she wiped them away.
"You must really love her, don't you?" she asked quietly.
Harry nodded. He did love her. He hadn't told her, but he did.
"You have a wonderful daughter, who only wants a second chance with both of you. She wants to spend time rebuilding your relationship and get to know you again."
"Is that all you wanted to tell us?" Wendell asked.
Harry nodded again. "Yes, that's it. I should go and let you finish your lunch. I am sorry to have bothered you, but I just wanted you to know the truth. I hope you get in touch with Hermione soon."
He picked his wand off the table and headed towards the back door. "Thanks again for letting me in. I hope to see you again soon."
Once Harry had gone, Monica turned to Wendell, who looked a bit skeptical. "So, what do you think?"
"He's very manipulative, wouldn't you say?"
"Maybe, but I bought every word. He was really speaking from his heart. And he's right, that we're alive and have an opportunity to be a family again. Harry doesn't have that - it may have been manipulative but he put things in perspective for me. I think we should reach out to our daughter. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon."
"I guess we'll have to think it over."
They both ate their salads in silence, Harry's words still hanging over the kitchen.
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