Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my ideas. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling
Author's Note: this chapter got all screwed up somehow, my HTML was showing, but hopefully it's fixed now. If not, just let me know. my apologies. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! this is my first published harmony story (as I am a true dramione shipper) so please bear with me!
Chapter One: A New Life
Dear Hermione,
Please come home for a visit! We all miss you so much. I don't think any of us have ever gone this long without seeing you since we met! The boys are sad without you - both of them. I actually don't know who's more torn up about it, my boyfriend or my brother! A few months without you is far more than enough.
Give your parents our love from England to Australia,
All my love,
Ginny
. . .
Dear Hermione,
It sounds beautiful over there! I do wish you'd let us come visit, but I understand if your parents aren't up to people from their old life. Things are strange here - Ron's moved into the flat with me and Harry. I think Mum's been driving him mad at the Burrow. I can't believe you've been gone for over a year already! We all wish you a very Happy Birthday! How does it feel to be 20?
Write back soon!
All my love,
Ginny
. . .
Dear Hermione,
Harry's proposed! I'm so happy I can't even believe it. We haven't picked a date for the wedding yet, but once we do I'll let you know. We haven't seen you in two years. You can't miss our wedding, you know that! Please be my maid of honour, it would mean everything to me - and Harry as well. Speaking of Harry... he hasn't gotten any better, Hermione. Since the war... he hasn't gotten out of his slump. I see the possibility of him being happy sometimes, but... it's just not all there. Something is missing for him. I know he would listen to you if you wrote him. But aside from that, he's happy about the wedding, too. Mum's over the bloody moon, of course. I'll let you know the date as soon as I can.
Write me back,
All my love,
Ginny
. . .
Dear Hermione,
You haven't answered my letters in a while and it's worrying me! I hope you're alright. If you don't answer this one soon, I think I'm going to come over there to see you in person. The wedding is on September 1st, Hermione. Only twelve weeks away! You have to be there, it won't be the same without you.
Twelve weeks!
All my love,
Ginny
. . .
Dear Hermione,
Nine weeks! I'm so excited! Thanks for finally answering me, you were worrying everyone. I'm so happy you're coming. It's been over three years since we last saw you, and that's far too long. I can't believe I'm getting married, Hermione - and to the boy I've loved since I was eleven! Harry's still... you know. Maybe you coming home will help him. I really do hope so. I know he's excited about the wedding, too. Deep down in there.
See you next week! We're going dress shopping ASAP for you. I can't wait to show you mine. I've been waiting for you to get here so you, Luna, Angelina, Fleur and I can go bridesmaid dress shopping finally.
See you soon,
All my love,
Ginny
. . .
Just reading Ginny's last letter made Hermione Granger hyperventilate. She had never planned on going home to England ever again. Of course, she had never told anyone from her life that.
Hermione set the letter down and took a deep breath, wiping her eyes. She was nowhere near ready to face her past - but she knew she didn't have a choice. There was no excuse for her to miss Harry and Ginny's wedding - none at all.
Almost immediately after the War, Hermione had gone to Australia without saying a word. She had eventually written Ginny, instructing her to tell everything that she was going to reverse her parent's memory charm and bring them home - of course, she never had any intention of bringing them home. Her parents, however, went happily to England a month or so later, leaving their home in Australia to Hermione after she had begged and begged for it.
July 1st, 2001.
Hermione hadn't seen any of her friends since 1998 - June 17th, to be exact. Even staying as long as that after the War had been pushing it for Hermione. Of course it had killed her to not stay and help her friends get through their trauma, but she hadn't been able to do it. Someone else needed her far more than they ever did - than they ever would.
Hermione got up and padded into the kitchen, beginning to boil the kettle to make herself some tea. As she waited for the water, she leaned against the counter, placing her head in her hands and taking a deep breath.
"Are you alright?"
Hermione turned around to find her roommate, Bliss Stevens, staring at her with concern. Hermione didn't even bother to lie - she knew it was written all over her face. She shook her head slowly and Bliss cocked her head to the side, rubbing her pregnancy swollen stomach.
"Oh, darling. It's going to be okay, I promise." she said, walking closer to Hermione.
"I don't know if it is. I'm going to make a real mess by going back there." Hermione said quietly.
"You don't know that." Bliss said. "You've just got to have a little faith in yourself and the situation, okay? I know how strong you are. You can do this."
Hermione chose not to answer. Bliss was always super supportive of Hermione, and she knew that she would not have made it through the last three years without her. Bliss had been the first person Hermione had met upon coming to Australia. They had gotten along immediately. She had been looking for a place to live, and Hermione hadn't been ready to live without the comfort of someone else so soon after the War.
Bliss was British, having left England before the true terrors of the War had begun. She had coincidentally gone to : with Fleur Delacour - in the same year as well. While they hadn't been friends, they had still known one another.
"Speaking of faith, where is Faith?" Hermione asked, referring to Bliss' daughter.
Bliss smiled. "Bedroom with Izzie."
Now Hermione smiled.
Izzie.
The reason Hermione had left home in the first place - the person who needed her more than anyone in the world.
Isobel, her daughter.
"Izzie was apparently showing Faith the correct way to draw a cloud." Bliss said with a smirk.
Hermione shook her head and sighed, unable to control a small smile. Isobel reminded Hermione so much of a younger her, it was laughable. Of course, she also reminded her an unbelievable amount of her father. Just the thought of Isobel's father made her heart hurt and her smile drop.
"Hey, hey. No frowning. There are bright sides to going home, okay?" Bliss said, placing a comforting hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Are you going to drop in on your Mum and Dad?"
Hermione nodded slowly. "Yeah. They said I'm not allowed to bring Isobel home without dropping in."
Her parents were the only ones from her old life that knew about her daughter - and Fleur Weasley, née Delacour due to unforeseen circumstances. But she had sworn never to say anything to anyone. It wasn't that Hermione was ashamed of her daughter - not that at all. She was unbelievably proud of her, and the best thing that had ever happened. Hermione wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.
But the circumstances hadn't been right. It had been all wrong. She couldn't mess up the father's life like that. There had been too many people that would have been hurt. Running away had been the only option - that way she could take all the hurt for herself.
Of course she had planned to introduce Isobel to her old friends at some point - just in the very very far future. She had only planned to go to the wedding originally and then leave immediately afterwards - but Ginny had convinced her to come back eight weeks early and help her prepare.
Hermione wasn't ready to introduce her daughter to everyone from her old life, especially right before Isobel's third birthday - but now she had no choice.
Isobel was born on September 21st, 1998, leaving her birthday to fall just 20 days after Ginny and Harry's wedding. She knew that she was absolutely going to cause rifts by dumping the truth on everyone - she just hoped it would die down before the wedding, as so not to steal Ginny's thunder.
"You're over thinking it, darling. You've already told them that you're coming. There's not much we can do about that, can we?" Bliss said.
Hermione shook her head. "I suppose not. I'm just so scared."
Bliss pulled out her wand and cast it at the kettle, summoning up a mug filled with tea and sending it to the kitchen table where she sat down and directed Hermione to do the same.
"Of course you are. Telling someone they've got a kid... well, that's not something that you've got to do everyday, is it?" Bliss sighed, rubbing her stomach.
Bliss was seven months pregnant now with her second child. Hermione had met her actually at the hospital for Wizards in the Maternity Ward. Faith, her daughter, was born a month before Isobel - and they had been inseparable since.
Hermione looked at Bliss and bit her lip. Bliss had been such a rock for her since she had come to Australia. She almost was scared to be without her. Hermione opened her mouth and closed it, she couldn't ask. It was too selfish.
"What?" Bliss sighed.
Hermione shook her head. "Nothing, nothing."
"Don't even try to lie, Hermione. What is it?" she asked again.
Hermione took a deep breath. Couldn't hurt to ask, she thought.
"Would you... would you like to come with me?" Hermione asked quickly. "You could bring Faith and you can still travel at seven months! You don't have to come for the whole time - just maybe for a week, or so..."
Bliss laughed and reached across the table to grab Hermione's hand, squeezing it once before letting it go.
"Alright, relax. Jesus, I've been waiting for you to ask me. I knew if I asked you to go, you'd say no. Of course I'll come. Faith'll love a trip." Bliss said with a grin. "It'll be nice to go back to England for a bit, I think."
Hermione's heart filled and she could hardly contain a squeal. "Oh my god, you're the best. I mean it."
"Yeah, yeah. I've already started packing. I knew you'd come around at some point." Bliss said with a wink. "And I'm staying the whole time, by the way. You're going to need some moral support when the wedding happens."
Hermione's spirits immediately fell once more.
The wedding.
She almost wished that she was being forced to go back for anything else. She wasn't sure how she could sit back and watch Ginny marry...
Marry Isobel's father.
. . .
Harry Potter heard his fiancée knocking at the door, but made no movements to let her in.
"Harry!" she called again.
He knew he couldn't ignore her forever, but he wanted a few more moments to himself. He looked down, staring at the photographs spread out on his bed. Ginny couldn't come in and find him looking at them - not again.
"Harry?" she asked.
Reluctantly, Harry pulled out his wand and cast the photographs away.
"Oh yeah, sorry. Come in." he called out, trying to keep the dulness out of his voice.
Ginny walked in, a huge smile on her face and parchment in her hands.
"Hermione's bringing someone!" she exclaimed sitting down next to him. "She wrote me and asked if it was okay of her to bring a guest to our wedding. Who do you think it is?"
Harry shrugged, his heart stinging painfully. "I don't know. You know I haven't spoken to her since she left. You're the only one she keeps in contact with - and hardly even you."
Ginny's smiling face faltered and Harry immediately regretted his tone. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, kissing her temple.
"Yes, well, I'm so happy she's coming, Harry. Maybe we'll finally understand why she left." Ginny said.
Harry didn't say anything - he couldn't. Talking about Hermione's abrupt departure and silence was his absolute least favourite thing to do.
"She'll be here day after next, I think. I've told her they can stay here, so we've got company until the wedding." Ginny continued.
Harry's stomach turned at the thought of Hermione and some guest staying in his flat for the next eight weeks. He wasn't sure he could handle it. In fact, he knew that he couldn't handle it.
"Did she say who she's bringing?" Harry asked, his voice hard.
"Not really. Just her name, which is..." Ginny said, looking down at the letter. "Bliss. God, what a funny name."
Relief filled Harry's entire being. Bliss, a girl. Harry pulled Ginny closer, relaxing ever so slightly. At least Hermione wasn't bringing her boyfriend, or something. Harry absolutely would not have dealt well with that. Of course, it wasn't as though he could do anything. She was coming specifically for his wedding.
"Why's she coming so early?" Harry sighed.
Ginny sat up and narrowed her eyes at him. "She's my maid of honour, Harry! She should've been here the whole bloody time. Besides, this is her home. Not Australia. Don't you miss her?"
Harry sat up as well. He could feel the anger building in his chest and knew it wasn't a good sign. He hated taking things out on Ginny - she didn't deserve it one bit.
"Of course I miss her, Ginny. She's my best friend - or she was. But she hasn't bothered to contact me after she left five seconds after the bloody War ended." Harry snapped.
Ginny got up and crossed her arms, stepping towards the door.
"Well, that's not my fault now, is it?" Ginny said. "I know just as much as you do. She's never told me why she left. All that matters to me is that she's coming home. The rest we can deal with later."
Harry looked up at her, knowing she was right. He picked up his glass of FIreWhiskey from the bedside table, draining the rest of the glass before tapping it with his wand to refill it.
"Here. There's a letter for you, too." she said, tossing a piece of parchment down in front of him and leaving the room, slamming the door behind her.
Harry looked down, instantly recognizing the handwriting. Handwriting he hadn't seen in years. On the rare occasion Hermione actually wrote Ginny back, Harry refused to read it. But now, he could see this one was addressed to him.
Dear Harry,
Congratulations on the engagement. I'll be there in a few days with my housemate, Bliss. I'm sorry I haven't written, and that I left without a word. There's so much you don't know... so much I haven't told you, Harry. I know I can't make up for anything, but... at least I'll be home.
See you soon,
Mione
The minute his eyes started burning he downed the next glass of FireWhiskey.
Mione.
He was the only one who had ever called her that - and again, only in some moments. He wasn't sure how he would react to seeing her again. There was so much left unsaid between them, so much that she didn't know...
If she hadn't left, Harry knew that everything would be different.
He closed his eyes, picturing her long, cascading brown hair; her deep, intoxicating honey brown eyes; her pale cream coloured skin; the sprinkle of freckles on her nose; the sound of her laugh...
Harry decided to down the rest of the bottle.
