The Holes in our Heart

A/N : Alright, I know I see it everday when I'm reading other peoples FF, but it almost seems like a right of passage to tell you all to be gentle, this is my first story. I'm hoping to be able to update weekly or even twice a week, depending on the response this gets. Well, here it is!

Since the Battle of Hogwarts, just two days past, Harry, Ron and Hermione had been staying at the Burrow, helping Kingsley set up a temporary Ministry of Magic, drafting letters to foreign dignitaries, and, probably most difficult, helping Molly set up, and attend the many funerals.

The worst part had been meeting with the parents of the Muggle-born students of Hogwarts. Knowing full well the lengths at which she had gone to hide the turmoil of her world from her parents, Hermione was more than sure the parents of others like her had no idea the goings on of the magical world, much less that their child had been caught in the tangled web. The thought occurred to her the day after the battle, as families from both sides came to claim fallen loved one. With a jolt of her heart, Hermione realized that not one Muggle born had been claimed yet, and she felt a pang of guilt for not thinking of it earlier.

She sought out the Headmistress, and prompted the elderly woman about her cause. The second the words had left her mouth however, the venerable lady's face fell. It seemed that she too, had let things fall through the cracks.

Headmistress McGonagall had immediately organized a group of lingering houselves, with desperate looks on their faces, to find and retrieve the student files of everyone who had been in the battle, agreeing with Hermione that not only do the families of the slain need to be notified, but all who had participated. She mutely nodded her head at Hermione's tentative suggestion that the families would need to be prepared for the wounds, both physical and emotional, of their returning loved ones. The houselves were back within the hour, seemingly eager to be of use, and ready for the next task. Hermione immediately began putting together a group of people to be the ones to talk to families. Neville and Parvati agreed to talking to all the pure blood families of the living and deceased, while Luna, Ginny and Dean Thomas would talk to the families of the half-bloods who would have some idea of the events at Hogwarts. Hermione desperately tried to think of someone able to talk to the Muggle families, wanting to send someone capable of delivering the news and explaining the events in a way that Non-magic people would understand.

That task had been left to Hermione and Ron. Harry had politely declined all but a few visits, saying he didn't want to tarnish the fallens memory by him showing up, and turning the whole thing into a spectacle. Already, he was being swarmed with foreign and domestic requests for his presence and story. Hermione knew that, given the choice, Harry would have shown uop to each and every house, of all involved. Although she would have appreciated her friends help, especially since he would have been a perfect person to join her in talking with Muggle born families, given his own upbringing, she knew that it was a decision to forgo visiting families was already very difficult for him.

The first family he'd appeared at to offer his condolences to, was Lavender Brown. Hermione had been going over her list of family names that she and Ron would be talking with the following day, another trying day of telling families that had no idea what was going on in the magical world, that their child was never coming home, and all the names seemed to blur together in her moist eyes, when one name popped out at her. Lavenders name. Although Ron and Lavender had called it quits more than a year ago, she somehow didn't feel right going with him to tell his ex-girlfriends family the tragic news.

She knew that Ron would never ask her not to go with him, but she was sure that he would not be able to open up once they were there, the way that he needed to, even though she so wished that he would let her in. On the other hand, sending him alone to face Lavenders family was not something that she could do. Although she'd love for it to be her, she knew that after the entire ordeal was over, he would need someone to talk to. She considered briefly asking Ginny, but Ginny had a long full list of visits the next day as well. Finally, she knew what it was that she had to do.

She found Harry exactly where she had thought he'd be, sitting in the small, cramped room just off the kitchen that Arthur had sometimes used as an office, talking low with Percy, who was acting as a go between for Kingsley and Harry. She stood in the doorway and cracked a forlorn smile at the small head of powder blue hair that was Teddy Lupin, and the scarlet head of hair next to him. Since getting settled, Harry never seemed to want to be to far away from Teddy or Ginny, and they both were more than happy to stay within arms reach of him. Hermione sighed and caught Harry's eye and beckoned to him. He roused Ginny, whose head has been resting against Harry's arm, and passed Teddy to her, and made his way through the clutter. He looked at her expectantly outside of the door, and with a lump in her throat, she silently held the list out to him. She opened her mouth to explain, but no words came out. He took the list quizzically, and looked down at it. He scanne dthe page or a second, and she saw the look of sad comprehension cross his face.

"I can't.." she barely managed to croak before her voice seemed to die in her throat.

Harry nodded, and wrapped his arm around the back of her head and brought it to his chest. "I know." He sighed into her hair and pressed a light kiss against the crown of her head and said, "It's probably all the best if I go anyways. Ron might need to talk, and I'm sure he's not going to want to bring it up to you with everything going on."

She just nodded at him. Since the battle of Hogwarts, she and Ron had been trying to find a moment to talk about them, but with all the activity over the past few days, they just hadn't had an opportunity to be alone yet. Ron was sure not going to mention his former girlfriend and all of the lingering feelings when he and Hermione didn't even know where they stood yet. "Alright.", she whispered, "I'll use that extra time to finish up the letter of thanks to Ambassador Dufour in the French ministry, for sending some ingredients from their potions stores. It's really helped, St. Mungo's was compleatly wiped out. I already took care of that other thing for you." She hesitated, not quite meeting his eye, knowing the emotions that were surely in his eyes, would push her's over the edge. "Kingsley already agreed to and signed the paperwork. He had the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot sign everything this morning and Percy brought them up to me before he found you."

She snuck a peak at him and saw him nod, stony faced, and he said gruffly, "Thanks 'mione, I don't think I'd have been able to-," he stopped, his voice coming out slightly strangled, and she just nodded back and took the list from his hand. "I'll let Ron know you're going with him tomorrow instead of myself." Harry nodded as she walked away, emotion still thick in his throat, and he turned back to the room to finish his meeting with Percy, desperate for Teddy and Ginny to be back in his arms.

"Oh, and Harry?" He turned back to her, eyes searching her face.

"Thanks."

A/N: Well, that's it! It's out there! Let me know what you all think, please please please, and if you notice awful mistakes please let me know! I should have the next chapter out in the next two or three days! As always, thank you all so so much!