FOR GRANTED

H/Hr:

Summary: Harry, Ron and Hermione go through their seventh year with a lot on their minds. Hermione has doubts about Harry and Ron's friendship and wonders if they truly think of her as their best friend.

Harry and Hermione will take place at a later stage. This is my first ever fanfiction so please do give reviews and correct me.

Chapter 1

Bill's wedding:

Due to the recent events, Bill and Fleur's wedding took place a little earlier than planned. It was a quiet and hushed event, with Bill still a little weak and threat of Voldemort plus death eaters so obvious. Harry was taken to Burrow first before Harry even left for his uncle's place because of the wedding. Hermione on the other hand had to go and meet her parents and somehow break the news of the recent events and her decision to accompany Harry.

Hermione sat deep in thoughts while the wedding took place; she noticed how everyone seemed to have a smile and adoration in their eyes during the ceremony. But she had other things on her mind, she had been thinking about what took place when she went home.

"Last year things were different, she easily got away with not telling her parents about anything that happened, the ministry adventure, her getting injured or Sirius's death. This year she didn't know how to break the news of Voldemort's return, Dumbledore's death or even the fact that there will be no school this year. She felt a great pain in lying to her parents, technically she was not lying; she just never told them about those things because they never asked. Hermione kept assuring herself with these thoughts. She felt guilty for not spending that much time with her parents, half the holidays were spent at Ron's place and last year it was Grimauld place. She was glad that she spent the Christmas of her 6th year with her parents; they had been delighted to have her over for Christmas.

This year she informed her parents that she had to go attend Bill's wedding and then she had to go to Harry's where the three of them will prepare for their last year project and finish homework. Her parents didn't like the idea much ,"why don't you invite Harry and Ron over to your place, we hardly even met them..", was Mr. Granger's reply. "Yes, honey I would love to meet your best friends, people you talk about so much, please…", added Mrs. Granger.

"But Mum Harry is not allowed to leave his uncle's place, due to some guardian rule this year, Dumbledore's orders. He has to be at his uncle's for his last year for him to legally leave them. Besides Mum, Dad its our last year, from next year onwards, you will be begging me to leave you guys alone…" Hermione said with a smile. Amazingly her parents bought the whole lie and took an entire day to give her their positive response. She hated herself for lying to them so much, but she knew they would never allow her if she told them the real reason. "Since when did I become such a big liar", sighed Hermione. She was scared as hell for Harry and was ashamed of her actions last year, her not believing him, her following Ron around like a puppy dog and what not. All in all she failed him during the attack that took place at the end of the year. Where was she? She was not even out in the battlefield. "I am a horrible, horrible friend, but this time, I won't leave Harry till the death of Voldemort no matter what". She was all determined to keep Harry alive even if it meant some sort of sacrifice on her part. She was quite surprised over the last thought but it was so genuine that she didn't question herself about it.

With these thoughts invading her mind, her eyes wondered off to Harry sitting next to her, who seemed to be in deep thoughts too, he would look at Ginny every now and then, who was looking lovely as always in lavender dress robes. Harry then felt Hermione's stare turned to look at her and smiled, she smiled back and gave his hand a squeeze that made Harry genuinely smile and in return he squeezed her hand back. They turned their attention back to the reception and saw bill and fleur kiss. Harry and Hermione both noticed how Ron seemed to be mesmerized by Fleur's younger sister, Gabrielle. Harry shot a worried look towards Hermione and couldn't read her expression. He thought Hermione looked pretty with her hair tied in a loose but neat braid and two white clips to hold her hair back but some managed to fall on face, wearing a white flowy skirt with delicate silver trimming at the edges and the waist, over which she wore a sleeveless silk light blue top with sequence around the neckline; on her feet, she had white strapy flat scandals – she looked elegant and pretty. Harry wanted to tell her that but decided against it and turned away.

People started congratulating the couple, and a dance took place. Ginny came and ask Harry to dance with her, Harry hesitantly got up and proceeded towards the dance floor, Ron was busy dancing with Gabrielle, all of a sudden Hermione felt an immense feeling of being the ODD ball…no one had asked her to dance. She got up to go towards the drink in order to gain some attention but in vain. So decided to go back the rows of chairs and sit where she had been sitting earlier but without Harry this time and some empty rows of chairs ahead of her. Tonks and Remus were dancing, Charlie was dancing with Professor McGonagall, Fred was busy with Molly Weasley, and George with Fleur's mother, Fleur's father was talking to Arthur Weasley and Moody over some drinks and… – the point being that Hermione was the only one sitting while everyone else was busy. She felt bad and hoped to catch Ron's attention, she decided to get up and ask him to dance but by the time she got there – there was a sudden blast. She didn't know what happened but turned around and saw some death eaters… everyone took out their wands as if they expected something of the sort to happen.

Harry stunned two or three deatheaters and then saw Ginny telling him about something. He got hold of Ginny's hand and ran towards one corner where it seemed like everyone else was running, Hermione with her wand out threw a spell or two towards a death eater who was about to throw a curse at Charlie and the next thing she knows someone sent a cruciatus her way and she ended up screaming with pain, Lupin stupefied the death eater and ran towards her but not before a death eater came in front of him, they struggled a bit …. Hermione after gaining a little strength tried to run towards where everyone else was running. She found them all grabbing hold of this plate which seemed to be a portkey, Harry had dragged Ginny towards it and they disappeared right in front of her eyes; everything seemed to be happening in slow motion, Bill carrying Fleur in his arms and then Ron holding Gabrielle grabbed the portkey as well which was a goblet this time. Charlie told her to go towards the portkey, but another deatheater attacked her that very moment, it hit Hermione and blood started appearing on her light blue top, she looked up from where she fell and saw that Prof. McGonagall, George, Fred, Molly, Harry etc were nowhere to be seen. Only Charlie remained along with Remus, Tonks and Moody … they were having a fierce duel, Hermione stupefied a death eater thereby saving Tonks from a spell, before she knew five more death eaters came out of no where, Tonks, Charlie and Moody got hold of the portkey, Remus screamed at Hermione to run…Hermione ran towards Remus, she tripped and before she knew it Remus was surrounded by deatheaters and he had to take the portkey and was gone. Hermione panicked and tried to dissaparate. She was successful but she couldn't concentrate on her location.