Lost Pieces

A/N: This is a direct sequel to my other work, “Continental Holiday”. It follows a lot of the same themes: the aftermath of the war and how our young heroes deal with the world they now live in. Will continue the slow build towards a Harry/Hermione relationship. Hope you enjoy! Please review! Cheers!

It was one of the worst rainstorms Harry had ever seen. Rain fell in sheets that blew over the bay, reminding him forcefully of the flailing limbs of the Whomping Willow. The thunder was a constant low rumbling that never seemed to relent. Nothing within a hundred yards of the hotel window could be discerned with any real credibility.

Ron and Hermione were sharing the small couch in the sitting area of their hotel room pouring over the final details of the plan. Hermione had confirmed the day before that her parents were indeed here in Sydney, running a small practice out of a medical pavilion not far from where they were. They lived in a modest condo overlooking the bay directly across from them.

“Okay, let’s go over it one last time.” Hermione was jittery and had gone over the plan with them at least a dozen times since they had arrived in Australia two days previously.

“Give it a rest Hermione, we know the plan. You need to relax.” Ron whined next to her.

“Relax?! How exactly am I supposed to relax Ronald!” she snapped back.

“Okay, okay, one last time, where do we start?” Harry attempted to defuse the situation by giving Hermione one last time to go through the plan.

“Okay. We’re going to take a bus to their condo tomorrow when the Wilkins’ have returned from work.” She had taken to calling them by the fake names she herself had provided them. Harry thought it helped her focus without reminding herself that it was her own parents she was talking about.

“Ron, you and Harry are going to pretend to work for the company that they bought the condo from checking up on their satisfaction. I will be with you under the Invisibility Cloak. Hopefully, knowing the Wilkins’, they will invite you inside. This will allow me to slip in unnoticed. All you have to do at that point is to get them both seated and facing you. I will then lift the memory charm. Then, well, we play it by ear.”

Hermione hadn’t lost the manic look in her eyes. Harry felt so powerless to help her; he had rarely seen her this way, like she was about to come apart at the seams and explode.

It was then that he had an idea. Ron would have to be quick on the uptake, but he trusted his friend to be up to the task.

“Hey Ron, maybe you should take her out for some fresh air and I’ll brew some tea. You do need to at least try to relax Hermione.”

While Hermione didn’t seem to register how ridiculous a notion going outside in this storm was, Ron certainly did. Harry shot Ron a meaningful look, moving his eyes from his face to Hermione’s handbag and back. His friend was not one to disappoint, picking up on Harry’s plan beautifully.

“Come on Hermione, up you get.” Ron placed an arm under Hermione and tried to get her standing up. Hermione stood like a zombie and followed Ron’s prodding out the door and towards the elevator.

With them gone, Harry took out his wand and pointed it to her handbag. “Accio potions!”

Four different vials flew from Hermione’s bag towards Harry who, with the true talent of Hogwarts’ youngest seeker in a century, caught them effortlessly. Harry recognized the purple liquid of dreamless sleep potion in a larger vial that was nearly empty. She had clearly used most of her stock during their holiday on the Continent.

Harry took the vial to the small kitchen in the lobby downstairs and spiked Hermione’s tea with the last portion. He knew what she needed more than anything was some rest for her mind.

Returning to the room he only waited for about five minutes before Ron and Hermione returned in the midst of a heated argument.

“They may never get their memories back Ron! What if I mess up the spell?! What if they get their memories back and hate me! That might even be worse! So STOP telling me to calm down! I will not calm down! Just because they won’t be your in-laws doesn’t mean that you should be so flippant about their fate! What about me Ron! How do you think I feel?!”

“Just stop! I care about you and your parents and you know it! I’m trying to help you! You’re so scared of messing up the counter spell, but if you stay like this until the time comes then you are not going to be in a right state to cast it anyways!”

Ron’s ears were the color of his hair and Hermione’s hair looked like it had an electric charge.

Harry walked to Hermione and slid his hand into hers, gently rubbing her fingers with his thumb.

“Hermione?” he kept his voice as calm as possible, “Would you please sit here and drink some tea? I really think it will help.”

She briefly looked like she might breathe fire in his direction, but his calm demeanor seemed to disarm her. Wordlessly she took a seat on the edge of the king sized bed and took a deep gulp from the teacup. Before she had even finished setting the cup back on the trey her eyes closed and she fell asleep.

Ron caught her before she hit the ground and Harry pushed the blankets back on the bed. Once she was situated both boys watched her sleep for a few moments.

“Do you really think this is going to work?” Ron was looking at Harry with a worried expression. Secretly, they were both as concerned as Hermione was, but they had kept that to themselves for her sake.

“I think if anyone can set this right she can.” Harry tried to make his voice sound confident, but he wasn’t sure Ron was convinced. He hadn’t convinced himself either.

“You know she didn’t mean that right?” Harry thought Hermione had gone a bit far by insinuating Ron had only cared about her parents as potential in-laws.

“I know, but she does know how to get under my skin.” Ron sighed mightily.

“Will you keep an eye on her? I’m going to sit in the lobby a bit.” Ron nodded and Harry made his way downstairs to the main lobby.

Finding a seat with a view of a small park that lead to the water’s edge, Harry watched the rain pound the window.

It hadn’t occurred to Harry before they reached Australia, but he had serious concerns about what was going to happen once the Grangers realized who they really were. If they realized who they were. As much as Hermione needed them there, he thought that his presence might complicate things once they realize that it was primarily his fault that she had done what she did.

He was so tired of dealing with the aftermath of the war with Voldemort. The first month after the Battle of Hogwarts had been spent going from funeral to funeral, family to family, letting them know how much Harry thought of them. How they: Remus, Tonks, Fred, Colin, and so many others, were the real heroes. Harry had never been given a choice to fight Voldemort, they had had every opportunity to run or hide, yet they stood anyways.

He had been grateful for a week at the Burrow before spending three solid weeks on holiday with his two closest friends. It had been great to get away and process things, but he had known that there was still unfinished business. All the loose ends hadn’t been taken care of yet.

Once Hermione had her family back, Harry thought that maybe it would give him the closure he needed. The assurance he so desperately wanted that the war was indeed over and that they could get to some sense of normalcy. However normal things could be in this new world.

Harry placed his head against the cool glass. The rhythm of the rain was soothing to his mounting headache. He was very worried about Hermione. This trip had been hard on her and they hadn’t even seen the Grangers yet. He hoped beyond hope that they could forgive her. She had done it to protect them, to keep them safe so that she could go with him.

It hadn’t really sunk in what Hermione had given up to be with him last year until their plane had landed here in Sydney. It hit him all at once when the wheels hit ground that his friend had given up her entire life in order to stand by his side. She erased herself from her own parents, the only family she had, for him.

Every day since they had left England, he seemed to learn yet another way in which she had gone above and beyond the reasonable for him. A strange warm feeling settled in Harry’s chest. He had only had brief glimpses of what it was like to be truly loved. The Weasleys certainly did, but he had never been able to spend enough time with them and Sirius….Sirius had died before Harry got much of a chance to be with him either.

Hermione however, had followed him to the very depths of hell and back. She had stood by his side, helped him solve the mystery of the horcruxes and Hallows, healed his wounds, protected him, visited his parents graves with him, and been willing to walk into his own grave with him.

She loved him. He had never truly appreciated it until very recently, during a conversation they had while in Greece, but it was still sinking into him. It made him appreciate her all the more.

And he loved her. He had said it once before, when he told Ron that he loved her like a sister, but that had been something said at the spur of the moment to a boy who desperately needed to hear it.

He knew now that he loved her. Not that he was in love with her. But he cared for her more than he cared about life itself. He was determined to do everything he could to help her put her life straight.

He would start by helping piece together her family again and nothing would stop him. They wouldn’t hate Hermione because he wouldn’t let them, he had formed a plan in his mind and he was now determined to follow through with it.

He hoped more than anything that Hermione would understand.

A/N: Oddly this is one of my favorite Harry/Hermione scenes I’ve written. Maybe it’s just because it speaks so much of their personalities. Anyways, hope you enjoy it! Cheers!

Hermione woke with a start, the last thing she remembered was drinking some tea at the edge of the bed and then….

Harry had spiked her drink with the last of the Dreamless Sleep potion. While her first instinct was to be furious, she remembered that she had done the very same thing just a few weeks before to both Harry and Ron when they had needed it. They had just been returning the favor.

She surveyed the room. It was early, only eight o’clock. Ron was snoring over on the couch. Harry’s small cot was empty. Wondering what had him out of bed; Hermione took a quick shower before changing into a loose pair of jeans. She first grabbed one of Ron’s old quidditch jersey’s by instinct, but decided that it was still a little too soon and went with one of Harry’s instead. It still smelled vaguely of him and it soothed her nerves.

Feeling invigorated, she went downstairs to look for Harry. She found him asleep in a chair in the lobby.

“Don’t tell me you slept down here all night?” She gave him a concerned look. Harry woke and ran his hand through his already messy hair groggily.

“What time is it?” He muttered, stretching out his lean arms.

“It’s almost nine. Did you sleep down here?” she repeated.

“No, I came down here when I woke up late last night and couldn’t get back to sleep. Just thinking.” Harry rubbed his eyes and gave her a reassuring smile.

“Okay. What were you thinking about?” He had a determined look in his eyes that puzzled her.

“I was thinking that you have given me so much, that it is time for me to give something to you.”

Hermione’s mind went into overdrive to figure out what he was talking about. Surely he didn’t mean some kind of physical gift, that much was apparent. That could only mean it had something to do with today and her parents, but what could that possibly have to do with anything?

“Harry I don’t understand. You’re helping me get my parents back, that’s wonderful of you, but I already knew that so what are you talking about?”

Harry had a borderline mischievous look in his eyes. He was certainly up to something and it certainly had to do with her parents. She was growing more frustrated the more she thought about it. It didn’t seem fair that he would put any more stress on her by keeping her in the dark about his plans.

“Harry, please tell me what you’re planning. I really can’t take anymore worry in my life right now.” It felt satisfying to see his reaction to the edge in her voice. She was in no mood for games.

“Hermione, I’m just trying to do right by you.” Harry looked apologetically at her but didn’t offer anything else.

“Harry James Potter, you tell me this instant what you are planning!”

She could tell by the look on his face that he regretted bringing this whole thing up to her, but seeing the fire in her eyes she saw him relent.

“I’m going to tell your parents the truth: that this entire situation is my fault.”

Hermione felt her brain go numb for a split second before it was quickly replaced by white hot anger.

“And why would you do something stupid like that?” She asked coldly.

“Because it’s true. There were other ways that we could have protected them, protected you, but I was selfish and wanted you with me. I didn’t stop you from doing this when I should have. I let you gamble your whole life just so you would be with me and Ron.” Harry had his patented guilt on full display, but if anything it made her even angrier.

“Harry stop trying to feel guilty about every little thing!” her voice was getting higher and louder by the second, but she couldn’t care less that they were in public. She needed him to know how mad she was.

“This was my decision! I’m not some boy crazed teenager who did something stupid just for your sake! I made a hard decision because I knew it was for the best. It kept them safe and allowed me to fight. I wanted to fight! Dumbledore trusted me as much as he trusted you to do what had to be done! Don’t you think there was as much at stake for me as there was for you?! Don’t you dare try and take responsibility for my actions! What good do you think that would do? Then my parents wouldn’t want me to see you again and then what am I supposed to do? It would be a disaster!”

Harry looked dumbstruck. His mouth just hung open stupidly.

“Let’s just get one thing straight Harry: I am not some helpless lass for you to save! I know you, I know you want to save everyone, but Harry you can’t do this.”

Hermione felt her rage leaving her to be replaced with a knot in her chest. She always found it hard to stay mad at Harry.

“I’m already very grateful for you coming with me and helping me, for slipping me the potion to help me sleep. I know you want to help, I know you have good intentions, but you can’t just take responsibility for things you didn’t do.”

There was a ringing silence between the two. Harry’s face was screwed up in thought. Hermione closed the gap between the two of them, taking his hands in hers. She met his eyes with hers, his emerald orbs full of hurt. He shifted his gaze down to the floor.

“I just….I’m supposed to protect you Hermione.”

By Harry’s standards, this was being quite effusive about his feelings. He had never been one to talk about how he felt. She felt privileged that he let her even a little ways past his barriers. She knew he felt like a failure, it was the same look he had worn when she saw him in the hospital wing after the Department of Mysteries.

“Harry, you haven’t failed me. You’ve always protected me.” She took his chin into one of her hands and forced him to look into her eyes again. “But you can’t save me from everything. The best you’re going to do I’m afraid is be there for whatever happens next. I know you will be.”

Hermione gave him her most reassuring smile as they parted. She knew he could understand that she trusted him completely, that he hadn’t betrayed her with his inability to protect her from the consequences of her actions. He always seemed to know these things.

He answered her with a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Something behind her then caught his eye. Hermione turned around to see Ron walking towards them, smiling cheerfully.

“Get a good night’s rest Hermione?” Ron gave a huge wink to Harry who chuckled behind her.

“I did Ron. Thanks for asking, I have no idea of course how I fell asleep considering the right state I was in, but I’m grateful none the less.” Ron started laughing and she turned to give Harry a wink of her own. It was fun, not to mention distracting, to be playing this little game with Ron.

“I guess the world will never know.” Ron gave them both a huge grin. “You two had breakfast yet?”

“No, have anything special in mind?” Harry grinned back.

“I saw this café I wouldn’t mind trying yesterday….Oh! I nearly forgot, mum sent each of us a letter! Hermes showed up right when I woke up.” Ron handed Harry and Hermione both sealed letters addressed from Mrs.Weasley.

Not really thinking about what the topic of the letter could be, Hermione opened hers and quickly read through it. By the time she began to read it a second time, she could feel tears building behind her eyes.

Dearest Hermione,

First of all, I hope that this letter has found you before you found your parents. I wanted to encourage you that, speaking as a mother, the largest emotion I’m sure your parents will be experiencing upon seeing you again will be relief that you are safe and sound. I can safely speak on your parents behalf: your parents love you more than they love anything else in the world. They may be upset, they may even be angry about what you have done, but you did what you thought was right. Any grudge they may wish to hold will be outweighed by the knowledge that the awful war is over and they now have a lifetime to safely spend with their only daughter.

I also wanted to express to you that as long as me and Arthur are under this roof, this house will always be a home for you. You are as welcome here as any daughter or son of mine. I know that you and Ronald find your problems irreconcilable (Charlie passed along to me what happened), but listen Hermione: I of all people know the faults of my children. I can’t begrudge you doing what is best for you. I am disappointed for sure, he is my son, but you are my daughter, regardless of your future with Ron. Know that nothing that happens between you two will ever make me or Arthur feel any differently. We love you Hermione.

Speaking of Ron, please look after him and Harry. I know you wouldn’t let anything happen to my boys, to your boys. I worry about them so much. I worry about you so much. I know you will all make it home safe. Do send word when you will be headed back. We will want to welcome you home properly! Send a return note to let me know you lot are alright.

All my love,

Molly

Molly’s words sent warm waves radiating through her whole body. Despite what had happened with Ron, the Burrow would still welcome her home. If Molly could put aside her breaking Ron’s heart, maybe her parents could put aside what she had done to them. If not she still had family, a home, to belong to. It made her heart melt and strengthened her resolve.

“Are you alright?” Ron was the one who asked but both boys were looking concernedly at her.

“I am actually.” She looked from Ron to Harry. It wasn’t just Molly or the Burrow that would love her no matter what. Feeling better than she had in a solid week, she accompanied them to find Ron’s café.

~

It turned out to be a small hole in the wall a couple blocks from their hotel. “These places tend to have excellent food. If you don’t mind ‘em being a bit shabby.” Ron cheerfully noted as they walked in.

Shabby described it to a tee. The sign looked like it was from another decade, the paint was peeling from the walls, and the entire place seemed to have an air of neglect about it. However, as was often the case when it came to food, Ron was correct. It was some of the best breakfast food Hermione had ever had.

“This was an excellent idea Ron.” She shot him a smile. His eyes seemed to gleam in triumph as Harry enthusiastically nodded his support. His mouth was too full to verbally assent.

Hermione thought to herself that Ron was particularly handsome when he had the airy confidence on his face as he did now. It was a shame that his insecurities kept him from feeling that way more often. Maybe it was best for him that he found someone other than her after all; Hermione had always felt like she was a major source of his insecurity instead of a bulwark against it.

Molly’s letter had her feeling better about Ron than she had in weeks. It brought her a sense of closure to know that the Weasley family knew of their breakup and hadn’t decided to shun her. Her greatest fear had been that both the Weasley’s and her own family would abandon her with all that she had done. That would leave Harry; until he married Ginny and then Hermione would be truly alone. Molly had laid that fear to rest and she felt like a massive weight had been taken off of her shoulders.

This newfound relief could only do so much to alleviate the tension in her gut about her parents. As they spent the day moving restlessly around the neighborhood Hermione found herself nervously checking the time every few minutes or pacing the sidewalk whenever they came to a stop. She noticed that both Ron and Harry were nervous too and where not as interested in the shops they perused as they pretended to be.

Finally six o’clock came and they knew the Wilkins’ practice had closed and they were most likely home. It was time.

They all boarded a bus and took a seat together on the back row, Ron and Harry on either side of her. They both held one of her hands and spoke the occasional word of moral support. Hermione kept running Molly’s words through her mind to calm her nerves.

They reached their stop at six-thirty. A short walk brought them to the condominium and to the Wilkins’ front door. Ron and Harry checked that the coast was clear while Hermione donned the Invisibility Cloak. They each gave her a thumbs up and a reassuring smile before knocking on the door.

A/N: Yes, I unabashedly named her parents after Dan and Emma from the movies. Not to mention I just like how Dan and Emma Granger sounds. Sue me. Haha. Cheers!

“Oh please do come in!” Mrs. Wilkins chimed. “Dan will be right out. Dan! We have guests!”

Emma Wilkins guided them to a sofa in their small sitting room and offered them tea, Dan Wilkins appeared moments later out of the bedroom to shake their hands.

“To what do we owe the pleasure gentlemen?” Dan inquired politely.

“We’re from the realtor’s office.” Harry answered, “We are here to ask you a few questions about your lovely home here. We aim to ensure our customers are one hundred percent satisfied with their purchase.”

Dan looked puzzled for the briefest of moments before a smile leapt across his face.

“Well then! It is a bit odd, but it’s nice to work with someone who genuinely cares! Emma join us please.”

Emma and Dan took a seat in the loveseat opposite Harry and Ron. Now it was a simple matter of giving Hermione the time she needed.

“Alright then, has there been any major problem since you bought the condo?” Ron asked, pretending to be writing on a clipboard.

“No sir, not the slightest. We haven’t even replaced a bulb since we got here!” Dan gave a hearty chuckle. Harry spared a glance to the empty space behind the couple.

~

She couldn’t do it. They looked so happy. They didn’t miss her at all. Well, of course they didn’t, they didn’t remember her after all; but it crushed Hermione to see them so well adjusted and happy in their life. She couldn’t just take it away from them, plunging them into a world where their daughter broke her biggest promise to them.

She held her wand in a shaking hand behind the couple’s heads, willing herself to say the incantation.

All she could do was whimper silently.

~

They had been sitting there for almost twenty minutes now. Harry was beginning to panic. Ron was clearly running out of questions to ask the Wilkins. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, but Harry was worried that they were soon to be dismissed. Then what would they do?

What could possibly be holding up Hermione? He looked again at the space behind Dan and Emma. Willing himself to somehow make eye contact with a person he couldn’t see. He pictured her standing there, biting her bottom lip, unsure what to do.

Then it hit him: maybe she wasn’t sure she wanted to do this. After all, her parents were quite oblivious to the life they had left behind. They were very happy and content. It seemed cruel to lift the veil on their eyes and expose the truth, but Harry knew that Hermione had to do this. She would spend her whole life regretting it if she left them here.

~

Hermione was just about to lower her wand and walk out of the condo when she looked up at Harry’s face. He was no longer looking at her parents, he was looking straight at her. How he had managed to make eye contact with her when she was invisible was a riddle for another time, because the look her was giving her rooted her to the spot.

She had had these sorts of silent conversations with Harry before where each seemed to telepathically speak into the others consciousness. She could hear Harry’s voice speak calmly in her mind: “You have to do this Hermione. They need to know the truth. You need them to know the truth.”

Her eyes began to water. Her wand hand shook more violently than ever. Harry’s eyes looked softly into hers. “It’s okay. We’ll be right here with you. You can do this.”

Forcing her hand to steady itself, she looked at the back of her parent’s heads, focusing on the incantation with all her might.

~

Harry knew he had gotten through to her the moment that Dan and Emma stopped mid-sentence and a milky glaze came over their eyes. Their expressions took on a blank look and they lolled slightly from left to right.

Ron looked relieved, he had been stretching the conversation as long as he could but Harry knew he had been close to running out of ideas. The moments seemed to pass on for an eternity before the Wilkins’ (now Grangers again Harry corrected himself) eyes took on their natural color again.

They both looked like they had been bludgered over the head. Dan was frowning and had a hand on his temple while Emma was frantically searching the room with her eyes. They were both obviously very confused as to their surroundings.

“Mr. and Mrs. Granger?” It was Ron who spoke; they were more likely to remember him than Harry.

Dan and Emma both jumped a little and looked at Ron with shocked expressions as though he had simply materialized out of thin air.

“I know this is all a little confusing, please just relax.” Ron was doing his best to sound reassuring. Emma still looked quite panicked until Dan took her hands in his own. Sparing a glance at Harry, he turned to Ron with a puzzled expression.

“Ronald right? Where are we? Where’s Hermione?” Harry looked over his shoulder. Hermione had chosen not to appear just yet. It would probably do more harm than good at the moment. Harry steeled himself to explain.

“Mr. Granger, we’ve met in passing before. I’m Harry Potter, do you remember?” Harry tried his best not to sound condescending. When Dan nodded Harry continued, “You’re in Sidney, Australia. Almost a year ago, Hermione….” Harry paused to take a deep breath, “Hermione modified your memories and sent you here to keep you safe. We were in open war with Lord Voldemort and it was too risky for you to remain in England. Hermione felt like you would never leave on your own or let her take part in the war, so she sent you here.”

Dan and Emma both gasped. Emma was already in tears and Dan looked stunned.

“Where….where is she?” Dan looked at Harry pleadingly.

“W-Where’s Hermione? Where’s my daughter?” Emma was becoming frantic, looking wildly from Ron to Harry.

“She’ll be here in a minute, she is safe. I promise.” Harry sent a look to both Ron and Hermione communicating that they were to hold tight, he had something he wanted to say.

“Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I want to tell you that Hermione did what she did because she loved you. She couldn’t bear the thought of Voldemort or his supporters getting to you. We’re here now because the war is over. Voldemort is gone and his supporters are either dead or on the run. We never could have done it without Hermione; she is truly the brightest witch of her age. I hope you can remember that when you see her.”

Harry stood up with Ron following suit. Emma had dissolved into tears and Dan was holding his wife, a deep furrow in his brow. It reminded Harry forcefully of the look Hermione got when she was deep in thought.

“When can we see her?” Dan asked.

“Me and Ron are going to step out.” At that moment Hermione took off the cloak behind her parents. “If you will turn around, you will find Hermione just as we promised.” Harry gave her one last reassuring smile before turning to walk out the door.

“Hermione!” Dan and Emma gasped together. Harry heard them both jump to their feet and rush to wrap their arms around their daughter. Emma Granger was sobbing uncontrollably and Hermione couldn’t stop saying “I’m so sorry!”

Ron clapped Harry on the back and they both stepped out to give the family some privacy.

~

Ron and Harry had decided to find some dinner to give Hermione some time with her family. They were so wrapped up in each other that they hardly realized they were gone.

Ron was extremely happy that it all seemed well with the Grangers. It felt good to see another family restored, even if it reminded him painfully of the gaping hole in his own family. It had been hard to push Fred out of his mind these past few weeks, and it simply wouldn’t leave him alone after he had read his last letter from home.

Dear Ronald,

I hope that you are safe and enjoying your time away. Heaven knows that you deserve it. What you children went through is simply mind numbing for me to comprehend. Oh Ron, how I wish that I could make these horrors disappear as easily as I did when you were small and your troubles even smaller. It pains me to know that I can’t simply vanish away the scars on your heart.

I’m so sorry things didn’t work out with Hermione. I know how deeply you love her. I know it must hurt and on top of everything else I can’t imagine how you deal with it. You’ve always been so much stronger than you realize.

Please son, do not be too hard on Hermione. I know she still means a lot to you. I know how she’s the best friend you have besides Harry. Please don’t throw it all away because of this. It may never be as it once was, it can’t, but it doesn’t mean you have to lose her completely. She’s a part of you, and it’s up to you whether or not it becomes a cancer or a cure.

I know you’ve been thinking of Fred. We all have dear. I don’t think there will come a day when I don’t think about him. George’s voice sounds so…small without Fred there to finish his sentences. Your brother is struggling Ronald. We’re all struggling, even if we don’t want to admit it. Bill and Charlie left to escape into their own worlds. Percy can’t even focus on his work. Your father and George both look like someone shut off the light in their eyes. It’s almost as if no one is home behind their dull, vacant expressions. I’ve never seen them so broken. Ginny felt so suffocated she left for the Lovegood’s weeks ago. I haven’t gone a day without breaking down crying. I know you needed to get away, that’s how you’ve always handled things, that’s what makes what I am about to say that much harder.

We need you Ronald. We need you to come home. I know you’re helping Hermione with her family. It’s so very sweet of you, especially under present circumstances with her, but the second she finds them…..please….please come home. I can’t do this alone. Your father, George, Percy….it’s more than I can handle. Someone has to hold us together and Ronald, I don’t think I’m up to the task by myself. Your wit, you’re optimism (sarcastic as it may be), your love….these are things this family needs now more than ever.

I know you plan on going back to Hogwarts, I know it won’t be long, but please give us all the time you have. It will mean more to me than anything.

Pass on my letters and my love to Harry and Hermione. Make sure they’re safe before you leave them. Have them come to the Burrow before school.

Hope to see you soon

All my love,

Mum

As badly as he was dreading it, as much as he wanted this escape to last forever, he knew what he had to do.

He and Harry had sat down in the corner booth of a small, out of the way pub when he decided to break the news.

“Harry, I need to leave.” He looked pleadingly at his friend, hoping he would understand. Harry looked crestfallen, but nodded solemnly.

“I understand. Your family needs you Ron.” Ron thought his wording eerily similar to his mothers’. It must have shown on his face. “Molly wrote me too mate, remember? I really do understand. You need to go. Hermione will understand too. Are you going to tell her goodbye?”

There was a genuinely concerned look in Harry’s eyes that had nothing to do with the Burrow.

“Yeah, I’ll pack tonight and see you both off tomorrow morning. I hate to bug out, but I just have to go. How long will you stay here? We need you too you know.”

“I’ll stay until the Grangers figure out their plans. I want to know Hermione’s affairs are in order before I leave.”

They both gazed in silence at the drinks in front of them.

“It’s really starting to feel over isn’t it?” Harry didn’t even look up when he asked.

“Yeah. Now that her life is in order, the funerals are over, and we’re going back home…..it finally feels like it’s over and done. It’s a new world now.”

Ron watched the liquid in his glass move as he tilted it back and forth. Nothing about this his life felt familiar anymore. Everything had something attached to it. A memory. Most of them reminded of people he’d never see again, or a feeling he’d never get back.

The Burrow used to feel so safe, so secluded from the cares of the real world. It used to be the one place where Ron felt like he could just be a kid: carefree and oblivious to the maelstrom surrounding it. Now the real world had permanently shattered the protective charm of its walls. An empty chair at the table would be a constant reminder of just how fragile it had always been.

He had always thought the war would be the hard part, but it was now dawning on him that it would take more courage now to face the peace. The end of war didn’t bring back its dead. Without an enemy to focus on, picking up the pieces of a shattered life took its toll.

He thought of his father. Of two brothers who couldn’t even live their life’s ambitions. Of his mother crying every night. Of two brothers and a sister who simply ran from their grief.

Not him. He wouldn’t run anymore. He had done what he needed to do for himself; it was time to do what his family needed him to do. He would be strong for them. He’d pull them together if it took everything he had.

A/N: This is a section I’m worried about. I feel its weaker writing on my part. Will appreciate any feedback you can give me. Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing so far!

After all the crying had stopped, Hermione found herself in a heavy silence with her parents. The weight of what had truly happened seemed to be sinking in.

“Why?” Dan finally blurts out. “Of all the things you could have done….why this?”

She flinches at the hurt in his voice. She knows she’s upset them both. She can see in both of their demeanors the disappointment.

“I…I thought it was the best thing….for everyone.” She takes a deep steadying breath, “You don’t know what it was like, everyone was scared. Muggleborn families were being tracked by the Ministry, to allow them to track you would have been a death sentence because of my relationship to Harry….to hide from the Ministry in the U.K. would have been no better. I had to get you out of the country, I couldn’t do what I had to do without knowing that you were safe.”

Hermione felt the tears start to prick at the back of her eyes again, but they faded as she filled with conviction. She had done what was best; her parents would have to understand.

“I knew you wouldn’t go, that you wouldn’t let me go.”

“Sweetie, how could they have needed a seventeen year old to fight a war?” her mum was trying, Hermione gave her that.

“Because, Harry was the only one who could defeat Voldemort, and he needed Ron and me to do it.” She registered how strange it was that her parents didn’t flinch at the name.

When her parents took matching incredulous looks, she launched into explaining the truth of what had happened the past two and a half years. The Prophecy, the Death Eater attack at Hogwarts, the revelation of the Horcruxes, Dumbledore’s death, the Hallows, and the final battle. Her dad took it in quietly while her mum covered her mouth and sobbed at the particularly bad parts.

When she finished it was again followed by a heavy silence.

“So…that’s the truth of it. I had to be there. If I hadn’t gone, we would have never finished Voldemort, Harry would be dead and…”

She abruptly stopped. The memory of Harry in Hagrid’s arms swam into her mind. It was still too close and too real to her. She had to take a couple of deep breaths to steady herself.

He didn’t die. You were just with him.

She sometimes had to remind herself of that truth. That Harry was indeed alive. She had caught herself numerous times over the past couple of months going to his room in the middle of the night just to ensure he really and truly was there.

“Hermione..?” Emma brought her attention back to the real world.

“I’m sorry that I’ve hurt you. I’m sorry that I couldn’t find another way,” she steeled herself to say the truth, “but I’m not sorry for what I did. I did what I thought was right and given the chance, I would do it again.”

It took a moment for her words to really sink into her parents. Emma grasped it first, a knowing look entering her eyes before she joined Hermione in gazing at Dan. She could see the wheels turning in his mind; she knew he was examining all this information every which way. She was so like him in that regard. Finally, he slumped his shoulders and nodded his head.

“I hate to say it, but I can completely understand where you’re coming from.” Hermione loosed a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “But that doesn’t mean I like it. You promised us Hermione.”

Her mind flashed back to the day before her first day at Hogwarts. She had stood in the living room with her parents and promised them that she would never use her magic on them. That she would never betray their trust by hoodwinking them with something they couldn’t hope to defend themselves against.

She had gone over that promise a thousand times back during that summer, before she broke it once and for all. It had nearly torn her in two to betray them, but she had done the best with the time and resources she had. It hadn’t been an easy choice, but she would do it a hundred times over to see them safe.

“I know, you’re entitled to be angry. You deserve to be hurt and I don’t deserve any sympathy or forgiveness from you.” Emma yelped. “It’s true mum. I don’t, but I want you to know that it’s all worth it to me now that I can see you now: safe and whole. The war is over and here you are. That makes it worth it a million times over to me.”

Having said all she was planning on saying, Hermione took a seat on the couch and faced her parents. Dan and Emma didn’t say anything to one another, but she knew that her parents didn’t always need words to communicate. She knew that they were silently coming to an agreement over how they were going to handle this.

They finally broke their gaze at each other and looked at her. Emma’s eyes were watery and Dan’s were glazed over with anxiety, but there was softness in their demeanors that lifted Hermione’s spirits.

“We…we know you did what you thought was best.” Emma started, “And it may take us some time to work past how hurt and confused we are.”

Dan finished for her, “But we forgive you Hermione. You’re our only daughter. You’re all that we have and cherish in this world. Everything else pales in comparison to the fact that you’re safe and sound.”

Hermione’s felt her heart catch in her throat and she stood and took her parents in her arms. They both wrapped their arms around her as a fresh batch of tears spilled from everyone’s eyes. There would be more decisions to make and more discussions to be had, but they were all here. They had their whole lives ahead of them to figure out the details.

That was enough for her.

~

Ron scanned the beach for the Grangers. A waving hand soon directed him to a collection of chairs in a more secluded part of the waterfront.

“Why do you have your bag Ron?” Hermione looked worried.

“I need to go Hermione.” He smiled to let her know that everything was okay. She looked from him to Harry, as if to ask if it was somehow her fault. Harry shook his head.

“Don’t worry Hermione; you know he wouldn’t go without a good reason. He can explain it to you.”

Harry gave Ron a firm embrace before leaving to join Mr. and Mrs. Granger at the beach front bar, leaving Ron and Hermione alone.

“How are your parents?” Ron twiddled his fingers together, not sure what else to say.

“They’re adjusting. We ran the gamut of reactions last night: surprise, relief anger, sadness…..it took a lot of explaining, but I think we’ll be okay. Things will just be…strained for awhile.” Hermione was biting her bottom lip and wringing her hands together.

“Ron, what’s going to happen to us?” So that was bothering her too. She always was straightforward.

“I…I don’t know.” Hermione looked downcast. “I wish I had something better to say, but I don’t.” Ron sincerely wished he had been gifted to be as comforting as his mother could be.

There was a hurt look in Hermione’s eyes and worry etched across her brow. “Ron, we’ll still be friends….right?”

Ron knew that his future with Hermione hinged on his next words. He could either start building a bridge or burning one.

“Hermione, nothing will ever change that.” he gave her a small smile, “We’ve been through too much to call it quits now.”

He thought she would be relieved, but instead she looked, if possible, even more disappointed. Just when he thought the mystery of women would forever elude him, a thought occurred to him.

“You know that I care about you right?”

“It’s always nice to hear it.” Her voice was quivering. He knew she was close to tears.

“I do Hermione. Regardless if you’re my girlfriend or my best friend, I love you.”

There was a long moment between them, simply looking into each other’s eyes. Ron could see the wheels turning in her mind. She could probably see the worry on his face. He didn’t want to mess this up.

“I love you too Ron. You’re my best friend.” Her smile reached up and touched her eyes. In that instant he knew everything was going to be alright. He couldn’t help himself but laugh.

“I thought Harry had that honor?” He threw her a mischievous grin. Hermione briefly looked scandalized before catching onto him. Yes, they’d be just fine.

“Thank you Ron, for everything.”

“Of course Hermione. Now that you’re family is taken care of, it’s time I returned to mine.” The smile vanished from his face. The image of Fred’s face crept across his mind.

Hermione took a step closer and gave him a signature Hermione hug. “You’ll help them Ron. You’re much stronger than you think.”

Ron laughed. “My mother said that too.”

Hermione laughed into his chest. “Mum knows best.”

He could have stayed this way for hours and been content, but just when he thought it she let go. Another tense silence fell between them. He wondered if it would always be this way between them now, the ghost of what used to be hanging between them.

Her brown eyes stared back into his. His chest felt constricted as numerous feelings fought for control. He wanted to kiss her and he wanted to run away all at once. A mixture of pain and love filled his heart.

It was Hermione who broke the spell. She lifted her hand and gave him a small wave with her fingers.

“Goodbye Ron.” Her voice sounded small and distant. She smiled, but this time it didn’t reach her eyes.

Ron smiled weakly back, one last time fighting the urge to kiss her. “Goodbye Hermione.”

~

He turned on the spot and was gone.

The weight that had been constricting her windpipe settled into her chest. She felt movement and a presence behind her. She knew who it was without turning around.

“Will it always be this way Harry?”

Harry stepped in front of her, his emerald eyes meeting her brown ones.

“No.” and he gave her a genuine smile.

It wasn’t elegant, but it did the trick. Hermione felt her own smile slide across her face. She would have to tell him sometime how much progress he’s making in the “comforting an upset girl” department.

~

Ron walked up the steps of his childhood home with purpose. He had no illusions of why he was here, of what had brought him back.

The surroundings felt like they were a part of him. The small, overgrown garden, the cobblestone steps, the chimneys and windows; they all felt so familiar and small warmth fluttered in his chest. It wasn’t much, but it was home.

Yet, even before he reached the door there was something, the feeling of a missing piece. Like it would forever be an incomplete puzzle or a nearly finished painting. Amid the familiar was the sickening feeling of loss.

But Ron stood for a moment and took it all in. It was still home. Nothing would ever take that away from him. To let that feeling slip away would be letting Voldemort win. Fred would turn in his grave knowing that his boisterous and happy family would never be so again. They would be so again and Ron would make sure and see to it.

He didn’t bother knocking, walking straight into the small kitchen. His mother was watching several pots and pans clean themselves. His father, his stomach lurched, was staring blankly at a Daily Prophet from last week.

“Mum? Dad?”

Molly jerked around and flung herself at her son, crushing him in her arms. He thought he heard the muffled sound of sobbing coming from his shoulder. The smells of the kitchen bombarded him: soap, bread, musty wood, and grease. Seemingly every memory of this kitchen went flying through his brain.

That time that Fred and George transfigured the bread into spiders when Ron was slicing it, the time they tricked Ginny into the cupboard and locked her in, all those times that washing the dishes had turned into soap fights.

When Ron finally broke away from his mother, Arthur was still looking blankly at his paper.

“Dad? I’m home.” Arthur finally looked up and, to Ron’s relief, a small twinkle of recognition flared in his eyes before quickly ebbing away.

“Ron?” He spoke so softly it was barely audible. Ron walked over and embraced his father who, to his surprise, broke down in his arms. His father had never been the demonstrative type. He had always been the cool one in the family. Ron had always reckoned that was where Bill got it from.

Molly soon joined them in an awkward group embrace. They might have stayed that way for minutes, hours, or years. Ron would never know and never care. He had never been more grateful for his parents in his whole life. He could sit here for the rest of his life in their arms and it wouldn’t be a wasted life.

Here, when all the war’s business was finally over, they were: broken, but still together.

It wasn’t much, but it was home.

A/N: It’s so fun to be in Hermione’s head. She’s a classic analyzer, and since I’m one too I can totally relate. Big step gets taken this chapter! Cheers!

Harry had wanted to give Hermione time alone with her family, but it seemed as if she didn’t want a moment to go by without him. After three days he finally moved the remainder of their stuff over to the Granger’s condo and simply stayed there. He had only been sleeping at the hotel anyways.

They didn’t venture very far. The Grangers had taken a few days of holiday and they spent most of the time doing simple things like walks on the beach or evenings out to dinner. It felt somewhat strange for Harry to be treated so nicely in the muggle world, he was used to the neglect and rude stares of Little Whinging.

He thought that the Grangers on the whole were taking this whole thing very well considering, it was by far better than he had dared hope. They were upset for sure; and they and Hermione both were being extra polite with one another, but it seemed like they were more grateful than anything to hear of the war’s end and to have their daughter back.

Dan and Emma were very kind to Harry. It was sometimes hard to hold conversation, since Harry’s exposure to the muggle world was small for having been raised one, but he could tell they were doing their best to make him feel welcome. The more he got to know them, the more he liked them.

Dan was an avid football fan so he taught Harry the basics of the game. While Harry knew he would always prefer Quidditch, it wasn’t too bad and it was nice to have some male company. He missed Ron.

Every evening he and Hermione would go for a walk by themselves. Hermione would talk about her upbringing and tell stories about her parents while Harry would primarily listen.

It was while on one of these walks that Harry finally brought up the topic he knew everyone had been avoiding.

“Hermione, what happens now?”

They stopped walking and sat on a park bench. The beach was largely empty except for a small family with a son and daughter building a sand castle in the dimming evening light.

Hermione let out a long sigh.

“Harry, I’m not sure. My parents are very torn; they really have grown to love it here. Maybe it is just a symptom of the memory charm, but they feel like they’ve lived two lives and right now this seems the more real of the two to them.”

He could see the anxiety written on her face, the uncertainty of her decision and the effects it was having on her life. Harry held her gaze, reaching out to stroke her hand.

“What about you?”

“I…I don’t know.” She was biting her bottom lip and she was shuffling her feet: Classic Hermione symptoms of having more to say and not sure how to say it.

“Hermione, you can tell me the truth.” Her eyes seemed to take on a weary sheen.

“I just…I know that I ought to spend time with them. Give back some of what I took away by staying with them, even if it’s here. But….that would also mean leaving you and Ron behind and that’s...that would be very hard.”

Hermione’s eyes were pleading with him. He knew she wanted him to talk her into going back with him to England. She wanted him to tell her that he needed her and that would give her the excuse she needed to leave. It pained him to purposely let her down.

“Hermione, this is your decision. It’s your life. It’s time that you made a decision for yourself instead of wondering what would happen with other people.”

He raised his hand to stop whatever retort she had opened her mouth to give, “No, I mean it. Don’t think about what it would mean for me and Ron. We both care about you and want what is best for you. You make that decision and we’ll both stand by you one hundred percent.”

He could see the warring emotions in her eyes. The affection, the guilt, the worry, and the pain.

“What if they want to stay?”

Harry took her hands into his and looked hard into her face.

“Then you’ll have to make a choice. I’m not telling you one way or the other.”

He had a preference, of course, he didn’t like the idea of returning to England without her the slightest bit. However, it was time to pay her back for all the sacrifices she had made to fight with him. It was time that she started living her life for herself. He was determined to give her that at the very least.

They simply looked at each other for a long time, bright green into chocolate brown. They didn’t need words. She knew that he giving back to her for seven years of devotion and he knew that she was grateful to have him put her life back into her hands.

~

Hermione loved sitting in between her parents on the couch. It made her feel like she was a little girl again, before life had handed her seven years of school, adventure and death. Harry had opted to stay out by the beach a little longer. She knew he was trying to stay out of the way of the conversation she knew she had to have. She hated to spoil the moment, but better to have it now than put it off.

“Mum, dad, can we talk about…what’s next?” she felt a lead weight enter her navel region. Her parents looked anxiously at one another.

“Well…” Emma began before looking to her husband. Hermione recognized the look, her mum still had misgivings.

“We were thinking about…about staying here.” Dan finished, a look of determination entering his features. Hermione felt her stomach hit the floor. “England, sweetheart, it feels like another life now and we truly love it here. Besides, we’re just getting our finances straight after the last move.”

“So, you’re just never going to come back?” Hermione blurted out.

“Honey, we may go back….eventually.” Emma tried to soothe her, but shot another anxious look at her husband. Dan’s brow furrowed and Hermione knew her parents were having a silent conversation. It was time to apply the pressure.

“Well I’m not staying here. I have to finish school.” Her parents well knew she only had a year left. If nothing else, it would at least buy her some time. It was the best card she had in hand.

“We know how much it means to you to finish school and we want you to finish.” Dan took a deep breath, “but we also want our daughter. We feel like you’ve been slipping away from us and we don’t want to lose you. We may not be a part of your world, but you’re still our daughter.”

She had been afraid of this. She hadn’t felt this trapped between the wizarding world and her parents since she first received her Hogwarts invitation.

“Sweetheart, there are plenty of good schools for you to enter once you finish there. You could go right here in Sydney and live with us again.” Emma’s eyes were pleading with her.

“But, this isn’t where I belong.” Hermione began, “I belong at Hogwarts, I belong in the wizard world, I belong..”

“You belong with him.” Emma finished for her. Her mouth hung open, she had actually meant to say “with her friends”, but her mother seemed to think otherwise.

“What do you mean? I belong with my friends.”

“Hermione, we know this is about that boy, just be honest with us.” Dan entreated.

“Me and Ron aren’t even together anymore!” she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She sincerely hoped they were talking about Ron. She had always been honest with her parents about her love life, but her worst suspicions were confirmed by the look on her mother’s face.

“We’re not talking about Ron. We’re talking about Harry.” Emma’s voice had that quality of explaining something to a small child.

“Harry? What does he have to do with this?” the room seemed a lot warmer all the sudden.

“We’ve been watching you the past few days. We see the way you look at him. We remember everything you told us about what you went through with him. We’re grateful that he looked after you and kept you safe. We knew asking you to part with him was going to be hard. But we’re your parents, your family. We’re not forcing you to stay with us. We’re asking you to.”

Daniel Granger’s face was set as firm as his words, but Emma looked torn. Hermione knew she agreed with her husband, but clearly she knew what they were really asking of her. Asking her to stay was asking her to choose them over the world and the people who had grown to be her life for seven years.

“We’ll give you some time to think it over.” Emma pulled her husband away with a final knowing look to her daughter, leaving her alone to the torment of her thoughts.

She hadn’t foreseen the possibility of this particular consequence. She knew her parents were bound to be upset over sending them here. She knew that she had betrayed their trust by using magic on them. She had expected that they might want to stay, but she had thought if they were that upset that they wouldn’t have wanted her with them.

The more she thought about it, the more sense it made: she had chosen magic over them in sending them here. Now they wanted her to choose again and they expected her to choose them this time.

“It’s not fair.” She voiced out loud. But then again, what she had done had not been very fair either. In fact, very few things in her life had seemed very fair up to this point. That was simply a fact of life.

She thought of Hogwarts, of Ron and the Burrow, of the friends who had become as good as her extended family in all the time she had known them. She thought of the future she had planned out of helping rebuild Hogwarts, finishing her N.E.W.T.s and entering the Ministry to make this new world a better one. It all seemed to be on the edge of her fingertips, the slightest slip in her grip and it would be gone.

She was sure that she could be a part of the magical world here. There had to be wizards and witches here. She could get a fresh start, maybe that more than anything is what she really needed. Maybe her parents were right; maybe it was time for her to choose her own flesh and blood.

Then she thought about the one person she had consciously been trying not to think about: Harry. She tried to picture a life where he was alive and not beside her. It filled her with a sense of emptiness and loss. But it was there. She had never even been able to picture it before.

But who would help him rebuild their world? Who would comfort him from his nightmares? Who would notice that something was wrong when he was doing his best to hide it? Who else had been there for it all and could understand what he had gone through.

He has Ginny for that now.

A reasonable voice in her mind told her. The logical part of her brain told her that Harry would be just fine without her. That he had enough of a support structure to not need her to survive. He had even told her to make her own decision. He clearly did not want to be a part of the equation. So why was she letting him enter it anyways?

The logical part of her brain only had one real answer for her. If this wasn’t about Harry needing her, then this was about her needing Harry.

Her parents had no idea what she had been through. Even now that she had sat them down and told them the whole story, the disconnect between them and the magical world would always mean they wouldn’t be able to empathize like parents normally could. The fact that they hadn’t been present for any of it, of her own doing no less, kept them from understanding. They would never be able to understand.

When it came down to it, it wasn’t just that she would be leaving behind a lot of people who understood: the Weasleys, Luna, Neville, or any of the remaining Order. It was that she would be leaving the only person who understood completely.

But could she keep living in this dependant relationship with Harry? Surely once he started going with Ginny he wouldn’t be around as much to help her anyways. Then what would she do?

It seemed like she was doomed to lose Harry anyways. If that was the case, wouldn’t she be better off just staying here and making a clean break of it?

She thought of all the times she could have left him behind. There had been plenty of opportunities. He had never asked her to go anywhere with him, in fact, he usually tried to convince her not to. What if, just once, she allowed him to talk her into it? What if she simply walked away and tried for a normal life?

Then she remembered catching herself looking at Harry as her ears took in the words “bonded for life”. Her mind might have told her one thing, but her heart knew that her choice had already been made. She had chosen him.

The fact of the matter was she needed him. It wasn’t just a romantic notion; it was simply a fact of life. She needed Harry Potter and come hell or high water she was going to be by his side.

She didn’t even try to deny anymore that there was a romantic part of the equation. She had been secretly dreading it for weeks, months, maybe even years now, but she knew now that she harbored feelings for him in her heart. Feelings that she had never meant to feel for him, but there was no stopping it now. She would simply have to deal with it.

All of this left her with only one realistic option. She knew that he had given her this decision to make on her own. He would just have to realize that she was making her own decision. She just wasn’t going to make it without him.

Filled with new resolution, she marched out the door into the night.

A/N: The final chapter! Thanks so much for reading.

Harry was cold, but it didn’t make him budge. It was quiet here by the sea. Only the sound of the whistling wind and the crashing waves to soothe his mind. He wanted the Grangers to have all the time it took to figure out their future.

He was anxious that Hermione would choose to stay here, but his determination to give her the freedom to live her life overrode any doubts he might have had. She deserved this. His mind went over the words to the letter folded in his pocket.

Dear Harry,

I hope to goodness that you are enjoying yourself sweetheart. No one on earth should have to experience the life you have lived for so long. Ever since I first laid eyes on you at King’s Cross I have wanted nothing less than to make your life as care free as I could. It brought me boundless joy to see your friendship with Ron, Hermione, and my other children. I was more than happy to think of you as being as much my son as any of my own. I shudder to think of letting Lily Potter down looking after her son. Especially now that…..now that she can look after one of mine.

I know that the scar on your forehead isn’t the only one you have now. This awful war has left many more on your heart. Sweetheart, there’s nothing I can do or say to make the feelings go away, but what I can say is this: let your friends in. Ron and Hermione both care for you like they care for no one else on earth. If you haven’t figured out now that you can trust them with your very life then I have failed you as a mother. No one can go through these things alone dear and you don’t have to. Our house is always a home for you, such as it is. You are my son and I will do everything in my power to help you, come what may.

I hope that you will consider Ginny’s feelings Harry. She feels very left out in the cold with you gone. I’m not presuming anything about your relationship with my daughter. What you decide is right for your relationship is your prerogative, but as her mother I would ask that you set things right with her. Whichever direction you take, she needs that certainty to move forward with her life. I know you will do the right thing.

Look after Hermione for me. I worry about her. If something were to go wrong….make sure she knows she can always come home to the Burrow. Take care of her as you always have and I know she will be fine.

Please come by the Burrow whenever you can. We do miss you and our family needs all the support it can get right now. I hate to ask Ron to leave you, but I know that you will understand. We need him right now. We need you too.

Do send word that you are alright. Again, look after Hermione and send her my love. Make sure to stop in before heading to Hogwarts.

All my love,

Molly

He knew that Mrs. Weasley would understand that letting Hermione make her choice was the best way for him to look out for her interests. It bolstered his conviction that he was doing the right thing, even if it pained him to think of leaving her behind.

He felt her presence before he saw her. She took a seat next to him in the sand. They didn’t say anything for awhile. Her silence seemed to confirm his worst fears. She was going to stay.

He felt an icy cold go down his spine. He had spent years thinking his worst fear was living his life with her dead, but living a life where she was alive but still not with him was worse. Much worse.

He felt sick. He suddenly doubted that she had ever really wanted to be with him. Maybe she stuck around for so long because of Ron or because it was simply the right thing to do to get the job done. Maybe it had simply been a cold calculation on her part. Now that she had the opportunity to make a choice for herself, she was choosing to leave him.

But this wasn’t just about him, he reminded himself, she had a family. It was easy for him to choose his friends because he had no real family. He had often taken for granted that his two closest friends had blood relatives that should come before him in their considerations.

He forced himself to look over at her. To his surprise she was already looking intently at him. Their eyes met and he instantly knew that she knew everything he was thinking.

“I always chose you Harry.” Her voice was whisper soft.

“I just…I’m being selfish. I told you to make your choice and you’ve made it. I’m genuinely happy for you. You deserve this.”

He took her hand, but to his surprise she shook her head.

“I haven’t made my choice because I have to ask you something first.”

“No.” Harry surprised himself with the strength of his reply. “I don’t want to figure in this. This is your life Hermione.”

“I know that Harry.” The softness of her voice instantly disarmed him. “I’m asking you this because I want to. There’s something I have to know.”

Harry’s mind went into overdrive, he didn’t like this feeling that her choice swung on his answer. For that matter, what could she be planning on asking him?

“Okay.”

“Harry, if….” She took a deep breath, “if I asked you to stay here…with me….would you?”

Time seemed to stand still. He had time to take in the fact that Hermione was holding her breath and refusing to break her gaze on him. Molly’s words rang through his ears.

Take care of her, as you always have.

He weighed the cost. It would mean leaving the Weasley’s behind. Leaving Ginny behind. Maybe he could convince Andromeda to move here with Teddy and make a fresh start, but maybe she wouldn’t. It wouldn’t make much of a list, he had never had that many attachments, but each carried a weight that Harry knew outstripped how short a list it was.

He could always visit, but there was a knowledge in the back of his mind that it would never be the same.

It would also mean leaving behind every reminder of his former life. Every reminder of those he had failed to protect. He could leave a world that wanted him so desperately to be the hero and the savior that he knew he never wanted to be.

All these faded into the background when compared to the girl sitting beside him. He had never once asked her to stay. He had never had to persuade her to go with him anywhere. She was simply a part of him that went wherever he went, a voice in his mind that spoke even when she wasn’t physically present. He had gone over all she had done for him in his mind a hundred times in the past few weeks and he found that whatever his mind told him, the matter was already settled in his heart.

“Yes.”

A small genuine smile curled on her lips as a tear escaped from her eyes.

“Harry, I want to go back to England.”

“But…”

“Harry, I never wanted to stay here. I just had to know that whatever I chose, that you would be there with me.”

“But this choice wasn’t about me.”

“Harry, all my choices are about you. Don’t you get it?” She sounded slightly frustrated. “It’s the same choice I’ve made over and over again. It had nothing to do with not having control over my life and everything to do with the fact that I always wanted…..always needed you. Not my parents, not Ron…you.”

Harry was at a loss for what to say. The night felt a lot warmer and fuzzier than it had a few minutes ago. He always knew he needed her, but to know she needed him….he couldn’t put into words what it was he felt.

“Wh…what about your parents?” He finally managed.

“I love them Harry, more than they could know. I know they see it as me choosing magic, choosing you over them, but there’s really nothing else to do. I’m an adult now and my life isn’t here. They will understand that. They got over me going to Hogwarts, they will get over this too. Eventually.”

Harry saw her face slide into that determined look Hermione always had when she had made up her mind. It would take forces of nature beyond his control to change it now. He wracked his brain to find something acceptable to say, something to put words to what he felt in his chest. He never had been any good at it.

Then he remembered something she had said just a week or so ago on a warm clear night in Athens.

“I love you, Hermione.”

Her eyes watered and her hand squeezed tight on his, “I love you too.”

She promptly crushed him in one of her trademark hugs. He felt her start crying into his chest as a few tears escaped his own. He knew that it wasn’t just because they were going home or because she had her parents back, or because they had decided to stay together no matter what; they were both crying because for the first time in months, it finally felt over.

After all they had been through, all they had sacrificed, and all that they had fought so hard for; it was finally, really over. Their lives no longer hinged on the next few moments and the future stretched welcomingly before them.

They sat there next to each other long into the night. Harry had never given much thought to the future. He had long felt like he didn’t have the luxury.

Now, however, he indulged himself in picturing the many years that stretched hopefully before him. He thought of the years filled with time spent at the Burrow for holidays, the small house decked out in Christmas colors or filled with Easter eggs. He thought of being able to spend all the time in the world with Hermione and Ron with nothing to come between them. It filled him with an overwhelming sense of peace and seemed to fill in the many wounds in his heart. For the first time in his whole life,

All was well.

A/N: I was sorely, sorely tempted to end my series right here. These first two parts have done so much to bring closure to the war and the series for our three favorite Hogwarts students, that it almost feels wrong to keep going. However, it also drives me forward, knowing that the characters are free to move forward with their lives.

It would simply be too much fun to do a “normal” year of Hogwarts to let it go! Besides, it would do a disservice to my heart and my promises to bring Harry and Hermione together for good were I to stop there.

Nearly all the pieces are on the board, now we get to see where they all move to. Not just with our pumpkins, but with Ron and Ginny as well.

As always thanks to JK Rowling for such a wonderful world to work with. Thanks to my readers who fuel my passion and thanks for my reviewers who truly make me feel wonderful in giving of their time and opinions. On to a seventh year at our favorite Scottish castle!