A/N: This has a slight spoiler warning for book 7, but not beyond the part where Harry first gets to the Burrow at the beginning, so no worries. This is just a missing scene between Hermione and her parents.

Protecting the Grangers

By Redheadwannabe

Hermione had been home for a week, but she knew that she couldn't hold off on this anymore. She couldn't leave her parents unprotected if she was going to join Harry find the Horcruxes. She had spent a week with her parents pretending like everything was all right, but it wasn't and it was time.

"Mom, Dad, I need to talk to you." She told them when they were sitting down for breakfast on that Sunday Morning.

Her mom looked at her daughter, "Of course dear, what is it?"

"I have to leave soon. I'm of age in the wizarding world, and there is something I have to do."

Her father was confused. She had never told them anything about Voldemort or the war that the Order of the Phoenix was waging. She knew that her parents would try to keep her from danger. "Why do you have to leave now? You've only just come home."

"I've kept a secret, a very big secret for the last two years. There is a war going on, and I am about to become a target, which means that you both will become targets."

"What are you talking about, Hermione?" Her mother said, her voice was shaking, "Why do you have to leave us to fight these people's war? You're only just 17?"

"Mum, Dad, I love you so much… but I have to help Harry. Professor Dumbledore before he died left a mission for Harry, Ron and I. I can't let him down."

Her mother now had tears in her eyes, "No, you are not fighting a war, you hear. I will not have my child risk her life for this…"

Hermione was crying now along with her father, they had moved to the floor in each other's arms. "Don't worry, I'll do my best to come back to you, but you won't miss me."

"What are you talking about, you're our daughter, of course we'll miss you!" Her Dad exclaimed, "Have we ever done anything that would make you think otherwise."

"Never dad."

"Then how could you say this?"

"Because, you have to go away, far away, outside the country."

"That wouldn't make us forget you!" Her mom exclaimed.

"I am going to alter your memory. You will believe yourselves to be different people, without a daughter. When this is all over, I'll reverse the memory charm. I promise, but I can't do what I'm supposed to do wondering if you'll become a target for Death Eaters trying to get to me because I'm traveling with Harry."

Her mother looked horror-struck, "Hermione Granger! How could you ever think that we would agree to make you change our memories, make us forget you!"

"It has to be done. You have to be protected. I'm sorry, but you have no way to defend yourselves, and therefore are a liability to Harry. All my stuff is packed. Do you have any requests on where you'd like to go?"

Her mother started crying again, but she could see that her mother was trying to be strong for her daughter, "You be safe, you hear! We will see you again. What do you think honey?" Mrs. Granger said looking at her husband, "I've always wanted to go to Australia."

At the agreement, the three members of the Granger family held each other crying for the next hour. She heard the chime on the mantel clock ring nine times to signal that it was 9 O'clock, "I have to go now. I love you both so much, Mom, Dad…" She said kissing each of her parents goodbye. And at that moment she said, "Obliviate! And she was no longer their daughter. She silently implanted their false memories and Disapparated to Ron.

He was alone in his bedroom. Looking out the window as the Order members kept watch over the new headquarters, his childhood home. He couldn't believe that in a few weeks he would be leaving this place, perhaps forever, and Hermione appeared in his room in tears, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I did it for their own protection."

"Did what?"

"Altered my parent's memory so they have different names, no daughter and an insane need to move to Australia." Ron caught Hermione, his best friend and love of his life before she collapsed from emotional exhaustion. And that is how they fell asleep, in each other's arms as Hermione cried herself to sleep.