Years after the war, the wizarding community celebrated the lives of The Golden Trio, of the people who they felt they owed their lives to. For many wizards and witches, the two boys and the one girl were their saviours, they were the people to save them from the hell that had been the last few decades. But the trio were merely children. Children forced to grow up far too quickly and carry on the fight to peace and justice. This fight was supposed to be fought by adults, but many forget that these were adults who started the fight when they were children.
Wizarding history books only recorded the marriages of the Golden Trio, the births of their children, the occupational achievements they made and, when the time came, their deaths.
Hermione Granger became a noted Politician, whose own personal experiences with injustice, persecution and prejudice against something that was not something she chose, solely something she was born with, passed laws that prevented any such action repeatedly occurring and gave life to races and classes and Muggle-borns who previously had been unable to receive any Government Support. She married famous Auror Ronald Weasley and they had two children, Rose and Hugo. To the public they had the typical family who lived a perfect family life. They were not wrong, Hermione loved her life; her children were wonderful, her marriage to Ron was strong and unwavering, and she felt very content.
But the Hermione that existed now was very different to the Hermione who existed in the days after the War.
When the War finally ended, Hermione lay in her bed in the Gryffindor seventh year girls' dormitory for three days without moving from it except when she needed to go to the bathroom. Her bed of choosing was quite deliberate. Firstly, she didn't want to go back to the Burrow so soon after Fred's death because selfishly, she couldn't cope seeing the family she had come to know looking so lost and a shell of the former family it was. Secondly, she didn't want Ron to see her looking so broken because that would hurt him further and he was still unable to climb the staircase to the girls' dormitories. And finally, Hogwarts was more her home than her childhood home. After her third day of hibernation, she decided to pay a visit to her old home. After dressing, Hermione walked to Hogsmeade and apparated to the alley near her house that she knew would be empty. Her street was empty, all the houses looking bare. She walked to her gate and as she stood looking at her house, she felt the urge to punch something. The deatheaters had clearly paid a visit to her house. The residents of her street had run away, been evacuated, or most probably killed. As for her house, she couldn't really call it a house. It was also a shell, something similar to the Potters' place in Godric's Hollow. Refusing to stare at the devastation any longer, Hermione apparated back to Hogsmeade, bought several crates worth of Firewhiskey, Butterbeer and Madame Rosmerta's finest mead and carried them back to her dorm at Hogwarts. For the next week, Hermione drank more alcohol than she had ever consumed. She drank, she slept, she vomited, she slept, she ate, she drank. It was a routine that she had no intention of breaking. Until the day Harry appeared in her dormitory door.
"Harry! I thought you would be with Ginny" slurred Hermione who was sitting on the floor of the dorm, surrounded in bottles.
"I was. Shouldn't you be with Ron?" Harry looked at Hermione with a mixture of annoyance, concern and slight awe. Prefect Hermione was getting wasted. Harry didn't blame her; he'd spent the first few days after the war getting drunk with Aberforth and the Hog's Head.
Hermione shook her head at Harry. "Ron can't see me like this. So I'm staying here until I show him I'm fine!"
"Hermione, he needs you, Ginny needs you, everyone misses you...Are you alright?" Harry stopped speaking as Hermione stood up swaying and vomited all over her shoes. Harry vanished away the vomit and picked up Hermione. He took her to the Hospital Wing where Madame Pomfrey gave her a sleeping draught.
When Hermione woke the next morning, Ron was sitting next to her bed. She quietly explained to him what happened to her childhood home, why she was getting drunk every day, and what she planned to do.
"You're going to Australia?" Ron stared at Hermione.
"Yes. And I'm going alone. I have to find my parents, and well, myself. We've all be robbed of our childhoods and I need to find peace with that."
"Can't you do that here?" Ron looked at her pleadingly.
"I'm sorry I can't. There are far too many memories." Hermione bowed her head "I'm going to miss you Ronald."
Ron stood up. He pressed his lips to her temple and left the Hospital Wing. Hermione packed that night and the next day went to the Burrow. She apologised to Molly and Arthur for her absence, gave her thanks to Bill, Charlie and Percy, hugged George and Harry goodbye, and waved goodbye to Fleur who was in the garden. She approached Ginny and pulled the girl into a hug. Ginny, who felt like her big sister was leaving her, tried not to cry when Hermione moved her arms away. Ron escorted Hermione to the Burrow's apparition spot where the Port Key was waiting for her. This wasn't his choice, Mrs Weasley had almost pushed Ron and Hermione out the door together. She turned to him and the words she had prepared to say evaporated from her tongue. It wasn't fair of her to ask him to wait for her, so she hugged him instead, not caring that he wasn't responding and that he was a statue beneath her arms.
"'Mione, Port Key." Ron's reminder forced Hermione to release him and turn to face the rusty spoon on the ground. She picked up the spoon and stared at Ron's face. She tried to remember every little detail because she didn't know how long she would be gone.
Ron stood staring at the spot where Hermione had vanished. He had no doubt that he had just let the love of his life go for potentially forever without telling her how he felt. He wondered if the only reason he'd been put in Gryffindor was because he was a Weasley. He certainly wasn't brave.
Hermione Granger spent the next year of her life travelling all over Australia. It took her three months before she found any trace of her parents. She removed the spell as soon as she could and the three of them spent the next six months together as a family. Then, when Hermione's ninth month away from England ended, she waved goodbye to her parents and continued to travel all over Australasia.
She had started a journal when she first arrived in Australia, first just letters she wanted to send to Ron but knew she never would and then the journal became filled with her musings and her thoughts on life.
Exactly a year after she left, Hermione returned to England. The port key took her to the Burrow, where Molly had seen her land and rushed to meet her. Hermione looked so much more like Hermione when she arrived back that Molly burst into tears. Startled Hermione began worrying but Molly smiled at her and just pushed Hermione towards the Burrow. Ginny was in the kitchen when her mother burst through the back door with Hermione in tow. Hermione didn't expect anyone to be particularly happy with her but when Ginny just hugged her, Hermione burst into tears as well.
Arthur Weasley came down the stairs to find the three women hugging and laughing. He joined in the laughter easily and the four settled down to hear about Hermione's last year. A couple of hour later, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter walked into the Burrow to find Hermione and Ginny playing Wizard's Chess in the living room.
"Hermione?" Harry stared at his best friend. She jumped when she heard his voice but smiled shyly.
"Hi Harry." Harry smiled back at Hermione and quickly ran to embrace her. After Harry pulled away and moved to greet Ginny, Hermione turned to where Ron was still staring at her.
"Hello Ron" she said softly.
Ron carried on staring. He was having difficulty believing that Hermione was actually standing there. He knew that she had been gone for three hundred and sixty five days, but he didn't think she'd actually return.
Moments passed and Ron still hadn't said anything. Hermione stared at him, drinking in every feature on his face. She was relieved to know that nothing had changed since she had been gone. Neither of them realised that Harry and Ginny had left the room. They were too busy staring at the loves of their lives.
Hermione tore her eyes away from his and rifled through her bag until she found her journal.
"I know that you are very angry with me. I know I would be if the roles were reversed. But I wrote down everything I felt when I was away and I would like you to read it before you yell at me. When you've finished you can say anything you like to me and I won't fight back."
Hermione handed the journal to Ron and walked out of the Burrow. Ron found her several hours later, sat underneath one of the blossom trees in the garden. He sat down next to her and took her hand in his. Hermione looked at heir clasped hands and smiled. She leant her head on his shoulder and he rested his head on hers.
To Hermione Granger, this is the most important moment in her life. It is the moment when she discovered who she was, when she found peace with her lost childhood, and when she knew the man she loved dearly loved her back.
But this moment isn't mentioned in history books. Wizarding history books only recorded the marriages of the Golden Trio, the births of their children, the occupational achievements they made and, when the time came, their deaths. It appears to have missed some important moments in the lives of the Golden Trio.