Coming Home
"Are you almost ready to go?" Hermione called out as she pulled on her sweater. She walked into the sitting room to find that Harry was no longer there. "Harry, where are you?" she called as she headed toward the kitchen. With a quick scan of the room, she realized he wasn't there either. She wondered if he'd left without her, but that was unlikely. He always waited for her when they were headed out, unless they'd had one of their very rare arguments. She debated whether or not she should just head to the Burrow and see if he was already there. After a moment's pause she decided she'd keep looking and continued to search Grimmauld Place. He wasn't in the sitting room, library, dining room, or his bedroom. "Homenum revelio" she uttered in exasperation. The glow from her wand indicated that someone was on the floor above. Only Sirius and Regulus' old bedrooms were up there. With a frown she quietly headed up the stairs to the third floor. When she reached the top step, the sight before her made her heart ache. Harry stood before Sirius' old bedroom with his hand on the silver nameplate that adorned the door and bore his godfather's name. His broad shoulders were shaking.
A bit bewildered at this sight, she silently she walked over to him and placed her small hand on his shoulder. Surprised, he jumped slightly at her touch and turned to face her. A few tears slipped silently down his flushed cheeks as he gave her a rueful smile. "What is it Harry, what's wrong? Why are you up here?" she asked. He sighed deeply and leaned back against the closed door. "Nothing Hermione, let's just go" he answered. She folded her arms and looked at him expectantly. He recognized that practiced look – it was the one that had rarely failed to make him divulge whatever worry or pain was plaguing him.
After a few moments under her intense stare, he relented with a sigh. "I've just been missing him so much lately Hermione. Now that Ginny and I have started to make plans for the wedding, it bothers me more and more that my family will not be there that day" She began to protest this but stopped when he held up his hand. "Yes, you're my family, my sister in every way but blood, and I can't tell you how much it means that you're going to be there. But those chairs, the ones in the front where my parents and godfather should be sitting will be empty. I thought that I had accepted that fact a long time ago, even before I asked Ginny to marry me. However, with all of Molly's talk of seating charts and wedding toasts, it's just another reminder that those chairs will be vacant."
Without a word, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. He returned her strong embrace briefly then stepped back. "The bride is the one who is supposed to cry and be all emotional, not the groom," Harry muttered as he wiped the tears from his face with the sleeve of his shirt. "You must think I'm an idiot." Hermione felt her own eyes fill with hot tears as she shook her head. "No Harry," she said softly, "I understand how you feel. Trust me, they'll be watching over you on that day. They are right here." she laid her palm on his chest. His steady heartbeat strummed beneath her hand. He took a deep breath and in a low, barely audible voice said, "I know my parents will be with me in spirit. They told me as much when the resurrection stone let me see both of them. But they never said anything about Sirius. I really thought that he would have been with them when they appeared. And considering the situation I was walking into that night, well, I didn't think to ask about him. Lately I've been wishing that we had managed to get back to The Veil and tried something…anything." His voice trailed into silence as another tear rolled down his cheek.
"Harry, I don't know what to say" whispered Hermione. She knew that he'd begged Dumbledore to help him find a way to retrieve Sirius, but the headmaster had convinced him that it was hopeless. He had told him that he needed to accept Sirius' death and let him go. He urged Harry to keep his focus on finding the horcruxes and preparing for his eventual encounter with Voldemort. Harry adjusted his glasses and attempted a small smile. "There's nothing to say Hermione. Let's just get over to the Burrow before Molly sends out a search party to look for us." He grabbed her small hand in his and pulled her along the hallway. They hurried down the stairs and over to the gleaming marble fireplace. One at a time they each grabbed a handful of floo powder and stepped inside shouting "The Burrow!"
Hermione stepped out of the fireplace in the Weasley's sitting room, followed closely by Harry. She was heading towards the kitchen when she felt Harry's hand upon her arm. She turned and saw a look of trepidation on his face. "What Harry?" she asked. "Please, just don't say anything about what I told you. I don't want to put a damper on the fun that Molly and Ginny are having as they plan everything" Harry whispered. Hermione looked up at him with a sad smile. "All of your secrets are safe with me, as you know. I won't say anything. But Harry, you might want to share this with Ginny. She would want to know how you feel, good or bad." With a shrug, Harry said "maybe" and ran up the narrow stairs to find his fiancé. She watched him leave and shook her head.