I am fully aware that I still have some uncompleted works up an I promise that I am currently working on finishing them all, I'm just working on making sure that I'll have enough to post more than one chapter when I do upload it all.
Thanks to my betas Judi and Gaia, I love you both
_
I know the things you think I don't
'cause I've been alone too
– Ella Eyre, Alone Too
Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes as she took in everyone that had been seated with her in the old Transfiguration classroom, everyone in this forced therapy session was a person she had a problem with. Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, Marietta Edgecomb, Lavender Brown. Every single person in this room had a problem with her too. Wonderful.It only added fuel to the fire that this…'mental health expert' had suggested that they all stand up and talk about what they disliked most about everyone else in the room. 'It would encourage honesty' he claimed, she couldn't help but scoff at that. No one in this room wanted to fix their issues, they were all more than happy to pretend that no one else existed and then carry on with their lives.
"Mr Potter, why don't you start us off here? Is there anything you would like to share with the people in this room?" Mr Banner asked. Harry took a breath before he stood up and turned to his right, where Pansy was sitting with her eyes focused solely on the wall ahead of her. "Parkinson, I dislikethat you tried to sell me off to Voldemort during the Final Battle. Lavender, I spent sixth year dry heaving whenever you baby-talked to Ron. Edgecomb, you sold us out to Umbridge when we were trying to help save the Wizarding World. Nott, you're a death eater and your father tried to kill me. Malfoy, if you don't know why I hate you then you're denser than you look. Weasley, you're a traitor that abandoned us when you got hungry. Hermione Granger, you are the most selfish person I have ever met. There you go Mr Banner; I feel much better" Harry sneered before he sat back down in his seat.
Of course Harry would accuse her of being selfish, it's not like she had given up everythingto go on the Horcrux hunt with him. Her parents hated and disowned her for taking away their memories. Ginny hated her for spending a year with Harry right after he had dumped the youngest Weasley. Molly Weasley hated Hermione for encouraging Ron to run off during the War when he could have gone back to school. Ron hated her because he was sure that Hermione and Harry had had a fling when he had abandoned them during the War. Lavender hated her because she was sure that Hermione had stolen Ron away from her. Nott hated her because she had imprisoned his father. Malfoy had always hated her for her blood status. Pansy hated her for the same reason as Malfoy. Marietta hated her because Hermione had refused to remove her pimpled truth from her face. Harry hated her because she refused to give up any more for him, he didn't seem to understand that she didn't have any more to give. And those that didn't hate her were either trying to use her because she was famous or they wanted any exclusive information about how they had defeated Voldemort.
"Alright…that was a good attempt Mr Potter but remember we are talking about what we dislike, not about what we hate. Hate is a very strong word" Mr Banner smiled. That poor Mr Banner didn't seem to catch that no one in this room simply disliked one another, there were very real problems that everyone here had. Problems that wouldn't be solved with a single group therapy session done by a man who seemed that he had only just stopped being afraid of his shadow. They would need countless sessions to make sure that they would even speak to one another without any malice or low jabs. "Now, Ms Parkinson, can you share what you dislike about your friends?" he asked quietly. Hermione suppressed the urge to laugh, yes, please do ask the most malicious person in this room to mention what she hates about everyone else in the room.
"Brown, you've always been annoying. I hated seeing you kiss the Weasel. Weasel, you've always been foul and vulgar. It's disgusting. Draco, you only ever used me for sex even though you know how I felt about you. Edgecomb, as much as I hate Granger I can see why she cursed you like that, there is nothing worse than someone betraying you for a gold star on their parchment. Nott, you might be the only person in this room that I can stand. Granger, your little testimony in the Wizenmagot ruined my father and my family. Choke and die. And you Potter, for someone who spent the first few years of his life afraid and angry you would think that you would be able to notice when someone was being coerced into something they didn't want to do. You're the biggest hypocrite in this room" she hissed. Pansy hadn't even bothered to look at anyone while she addressed them but Hermione could only assume that it was because she was trying to do all she could from losing her temper.
"Again everyone, we're not talking about hatred. But Ms Brown why don't you go ahead and address everyone in this room?" Banner asked.
"Marietta, after years of bullying me because you thought that I looked horrendous I must say that I'm more than happy to love what you look like. I can't even express just how happy it makes me. Theo, you always seemed like a nice enough guy in school. You were too quiet for me to think any differently. Draco, you've always been mean to my Ronald. Mean to everyone really. Ron, I know that you broke things off with us but I am more than happy to let us get back together…because I hate that you've let Hermione dictate our lives. Hermione, I hate that you keep trying to steal my boyfriend and friends from me, it makes you look pathetic. Harry, I hate that you used my best friend as a date to the Yule Ball and never spoke to her again. She really like you and that was a rotten thing to do. Pansy, I hate that you've always been jealous of my relationships and did everything you could to make me feel bad about how well liked I am" Lavender snapped.
Without any preamble Marietta stood. "Theo, I hate that you kissed me in third year and then pretended that I didn't exist just because you found out that I was a half-blood. Malfoy you've always been arse, I've always hated it. Granger, you're a bitch and you know exactly what you did to me. Potter, I hate that you expected everyone in this school to be as brave as you are-we were children when I told Umbridge what happened. You can't honestly still be keeping that grudge. Pansy, I hate that you were all over men that very clearly didn't want you. Just how many times did Draco send you away anyway? Womankind took a step back because of you. Lavender, I hate that you still think that Ron ever cared about you-he only ever did it to make Granger jealous. And Ron Weasley, I have literally never even cared about" Marietta smiled.
"Malfoy, I hate that you started pretending that we weren't friends the second our parents went to Azkaban. The first time. Weasley, I hate that you've been riding Potter's coattails and acting like you've made your own success. It's sad. Granger, you put my father in prison, I mean you put Malfoy's father in prison too but you testified for Malfoy when he was being tried at the Wizenmagot. For whatever reason you seem to think that you're help is good enough for house elves but not anyone else who was forced to be a death eater. Potter, you've always been annoying but you are now the most entitled prat I have ever met, and you don't seem to care that anyone else suffered in this War. It wasn't just you. Pansy, you are the only person in this room I can tolerate too. Brown, the first time I ever heard about you was when Greyback attacked you in the Final Battle, other than that I have no idea who you even are. Marietta, I agree with Pansy there is nothing worse than betraying your friends" Theo said coldly. She had to fight the urge to smile, it wasn't often that harry was told that he could be selfish. Everyone was so busy falling at his feet that they hardly ever realised that he was just like everyone else.
"Mr Malfoy, you're next" Mr Banner sighed, he had very clearly given up on the dislike versus hate distinction.
"Potter, idiot. Weasley, a pain in the arse. Granger, insufferable. Nott, clearly delusional. Pansy, you're just as crazy as Theo. Edgecomb, you're weak. Umbridge barely even threatened you before you spilled all of your secrets. Brown, your very clearly annoying. And sensitive" he said quickly. Hermione was sure that he had much more he wanted to say about any of them but he had sworn that he wouldn't speak any more than was needed in the beginning of the session. Clearly he meant it.
Next was Ron and he seemed more than ready to discuss his dislikes in the group. "Harry, I hate that you think that you're better than me just because you stayed on the hunt. You had to stay on the hunt, Dumbledore never bothered to tell you anything else about what you had to do. And you just had to live up to being The Chosen One. I also hate that you very clearly shagged Hermione when you knew how I felt about her. Hermione, I hate that you keep lying to me, you say that you and Harry never kept any secrets from me but I know that you did. Malfoy, I hated you since our very first day here, and you know why. Nott and Parkinson, I hate you both for the snakes that you are. Hate you too Marietta, we were stuck in Umbridge's office while she threatened us with veristasserum and blood quills. Lavender, I hate that you can never take a hint. We're not together anymore, I want to live my life without you breathing down my neck" he said plainly.
And lastly everyone turned to Hermione to see just what she had planned to say in response to all the things they had said about her. She was sure that they wanted her to her temper or break down and cry. Hermione knew that not many people cared about her or even pretended to care. Once she had made it clear that she wouldn't give anyone a sneak peek into Harry's life her friends had dumped her and made sure that she knew it. "I don't think that I'm interested in talking today Mr Banner. I realise that these sessions are meant to be compulsory but I really don't see how this exercise is supposed to help anyone here get over the War" she stated. She was aware that the people around her were rolling their eyes and mumbling under their breath but she didn't care. It was clear that no one wanted to be here anyway.
"Mrs Granger is it true that your parents are recently deceased? Is that why you feel so reluctant about participating in this session? Would you prefer more personal sessions later on? I know a very good grief counsellor who would be more than willing to come to you" Banner offered.
Hermione felt the blood rush from her face, of course he would know that he parents had passed away. He probably thought that she would just jump right up and spill her guts to this perfect stranger…and the seven other people in the room. "You know that they died Mr Banner, it isn't that hard to find out. But my parents have nothing to do with this conversation. Why do you think that it would do any of us any good to talk about why we don't want to be around each other? In fact, why choose any of us to be in this group in the first place? It's not a secret that neither of us gets along. You know what, you don't even have to answer that question, I have assignments to complete and tests to study for, good day Mr Banner" she said stiffly and made her way out of the classroom, the only place she wanted to be was in her dormitory and under her blankets.
_
I guess I'll love you forever
I guess that's all my fault
– Ella Eyre, Love Me Like You Do
After listening to Professor McGonagall rant about the bad example Hermione had set by walking out for almost twenty minutes, the Gryffindor student had decided that she would spend the rest of her weekend near the Shrieking Shack. Her little sanctuary in the library had been invaded by Ron and Lavender weeks earlier and she had long since given up on spending any time there at all. She was no longer sticking to her old hiding places, instead she had endeavoured to find a new place to hide away every week. There was no chance that either Harry or Ron would ever come looking for her but she liked the idea that they wouldn't find her even if they tried. It was petty but she was happy to focus on just herself for once.
"Seems like you've been keeping secrets, Hermione" George smiled. While she had very little patience for those with red hair George had become a recent exception, the once fun-loving Weasley twin had become almost…compliant after the death of his other half. In the beginning she had actively avoided him knowing that she wasn't in any kind of place to treat him the way he probably deserved to be treated, but still the redhead sought her out. It soon became clear that he liked that she was just as miserable as he was, and while they didn't entertain each other's moods they still got on very well. George was still quiet but he had managed to retain some of the spark that he had had before Fred passed away, and he used that spark to entertain Hermione without ever getting on her nerves. They weren't friends but they certainly comforted one another.
"What on Earth are you talking about George?" she asked curtly, but she already knew the answer to that. She had never told George that her parents had passed away, and if he knew then she knew for sure that someone in her therapy group had spread the news. Yes, it wasn't a secret but she obviously hadn't told anyone about what had happened either. Clearly she didn't want it to be discussed. She wouldn't begrudge George the opportunity to talk about it though after all he had helped her mourn it-even if he didn't know that he had. She had once likened Harry to being the brother she never had but she had seen that it wasn't true, George was more a brother to her than Harry had been.
"Your parents Hermione, why didn't you say anything? I've been going on and on about Fred for months and you never even mentioned that you were going through something too" he sighed. Sweet Morgana, she hated that sigh, it made her feel like she had disappointed him and she wasn't in the mood to feel any worse than she already did. So what if she hadn't said that her parents had died? It wasn't like they had been speaking to her at the time, they had removed her from their wills and told her that they never wanted to see her again. She didn't even feel like she had any right to mourn them, but she had done so because it was what she wanted to do. And she had promised herself that she would start focusing on her own needs.
"Because it doesn't matter George, it doesn't change anything. I wasn't living with them, they weren't talking to me, we hadn't seen each other in months anyway. Nothing changed when they died, so why would I mention it?" she challenged. But he still looked like he would sigh at her again if he got the chance. And he probably would. "Besides, that wasn't the point to the whole therapy thing…we were supposed to talk about why we all hated each other so much. Fun times!" she told him.
George had been exempt from their compulsory counselling, his grief counselling over his brother's death had been deemed to be enough healing for everything he had experienced during the War. Yes. The Ministry was clearly trying to make sure that no one would ever bother them with the claim that they had been forgotten, cast aside or denied any assistance. Kingsley had made sure that the Ministry paid for it's decision to ignore that Voldemort had returned, and its smear campaign against those that had first tried to get rid of Tom Riddle.
"We'll talk about this later then, when you've stopped being so difficult. I actually came over here to tell you that I'm going to go to the Sunday dinner this week. It's been too long since I made everyone incredibly uncomfortable with my presence" he smiled. He didn't wait for her to tell him that he was finally moving on, or that his family must have missed him, he didn't even wait for any acknowledgements, he just stood up and made his way out f the school. Presumably to go back to his flat in Hogsmeade.
_
I've been waiting all night for you to tell me what you want
tell me that you need me
– Ella Eyre, Waiting All Night
"I'm so glad that you've decided to join us Miss Granger, we've certainly missed you these last three sessions" Banner smiled. In the time that she had been gone there had been some additions to their little therapy group, Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood and the Patil twins were seated amongst the others that had been there before. Everyone had seemed surprised that she had returned but no one had commented on it either, making her think that they must have discussed how they would behave if she were to return.
Ginny looked much better than the last time Hermione had seen her, she still looked like she was mourning her brother but she also looked like she was starting to take care of herself. Hermione had heard from George that Ginny had fallen into some kind of depression after Harry had broken up with her, for months she had barely eaten, barely slept and she had had to be forced to keep up with her schoolwork. No one had known that she cared about The-Boy-Who-Lived that much until they had seen what his absence had done to her. While she hadn't looked nearly as bad as she had during the time that the Chamber had been open she was still a terrible sight to behold, her family had been worried about her. As far as Hermione knew the two still hadn't gotten back together again, but she couldn't be too sure knowing that she didn't speak to either of them.
Luna, like Ginny, was only just beginning to take care of herself after the War had ended. During her time as a hostage in Malfoy Manor she had lost some of her whimsy and turned into a little girl that was too jumpy to functions around large crowds. Clearly Luna had joined their little group because she was struggling just as much as everyone else in the room. That and she had shared many horrible experiences with almost everyone in this room.'
For the life of her Hermione could not even begin to guess why the Patil twins had joined their sessions. The girls who were usually known for their love of boys and gossiping had been quiet since they had returned to Hogwarts, but Hermione hadn't really paid them any attention. Yes, they shared a dorm but they hardly even looked at one another before the War, there was absolutely no basis for any kind of friendship now. The twins would be in much better company if they focused on Lavender Brown.
"The last time we met, Miss Granger, the group was discussing what they felt was their most difficult moment. Mr Potter talked about the danger he felt he put everyone in, Miss Parkinson discussed her father's execution, Mr Nott told us about having to take the Mark and Mr Malfoy discussed his mission to assassinate Dumbledore. Today we'll have Miss Lovegood, Mr and Miss Weasleys, Miss and Miss Patil and yourself" Banner smiled. And then he motioned for Luna to begin speaking.
"My most difficult moment was with you, Hermione, in Malfoy Manor. I was so afraid of what Greyback threatened to do, how he kept trying to touch us both…you were being tortured by Bellatrix and you still protected me. I was so scared to move, I was juststanding there while you screamed, and you still kept trying to get up and push me behind you. You took care of me…eve after my father sold you out to those death eaters, you protected me when I should have been able to protect us both. I know that Greyback and Bellatrix hurt you when they sent me back down to the dungeons, and I know that I will never understand what you went through there…the screams alone have been enough to give me nightmares…" Luna sobbed.
"Miss Granger…would you like to say anything about what Miss Lovegood has spoken about?" Banner asked.
"It wasn't your job to save me Luna, I didn't think that you would have known how…and even if you had I still wouldn't have expected it from you. You were a child, you're still a child, children aren't supposed to be in situations like that" she said earnestly. The moments Luna had spoken about had been the worst moments of her life, only tied with how her parents had ended their relationship with her. Greyback hadn't gotten the chance to do what he wanted to her but his whispers and touches still kept her up at night, if he had gotten his way she would probably be in a shallow grave. That foul creature had promised to do things that would have made her turn her wand on herself, before he told her that he would have killed her. She had been more than happy when Remus Lupin had killed him during the Final Battle.
"Do you feel that people had expectations for you, Miss Granger? Even though you yourself were still a child at the time?"
"There were expectations for every person in this room. They weren't fair but they were there. It would be impossible to not have anyone expect anything from you" she said plainly. People expected Harry to save them all. People expected Nott and Malfoy to be death eaters. People expected Hermione to be smart enough to keep the Golden Trio alive. People expected Ron to stay with his friends no matter what. The world was filled with expectations, and she wasn't sure that she could blame the world when she had had expectations of her own.
"Hermione…Hermione was supposed to keep us out of trouble, keep us alive. That was what we expected from her" Harry said quietly. She turned her head to look at him but his gaze was firmly set on his shoes, he hadn't even bothered to look up at her. But he hadn't lied, that was the expectation. She still very clearly remembered the Order members gathering her and Ron in their Headquarters where they had been sworn to protect Harry. No matter what Harry lives.
_
I could play any game for you
I could say what you want me to
I could lie
– Ella Eyre, If I Go
The therapy sessions continued over the next three months and though she loathed to admit it they had worked. Her friendship with Harry was…polite. He never told her just what it was that had made him so angry with her but they were trying to move on from it, they had light conversations whenever they saw one another but they never made plans to meet up. What they had was fragile and no one was in a rush to return it to its former glory. Her friendship with Ron was a completely different story.
Ron maintained the idea that Harry and Hermione had kept secrets from him, and he was sure that they had been intimate the second he had left them during that year on the run. It didn't seem to occur to him that regardless of whether or not that was true, he had never been her boyfriend. He had barely even mentioned that he felt anything at all for her. And yet he punished her for his hurt feelings. They never spoke unless it was in therapy and even then it was only with Banner there to play mediator. But she never expected to have any kind of relationship with him ever again.
George was really the only Weasley she was close to these days. Bill and Charlie were never truly a part of her life anyway, they hardly ever went to The Burrow when she was there and she had no reason to ever seek them out. Percy knew her from school but they had never interacted, and now that he worked at the Ministry she could never see it very happening-the Ministry had defamed her during the War and there was no way that she could ever trust them. Mr and Mrs Weasley seemed to take Ron's side in their supposed spat, believing that Hermione was behind the heartbreak of their baby boy. Ginny was…Ginny was strange.
Ginny was often looking at Hermione like there was something that needed to be said, something that she wasn't addressing. She didn't know what that might be but the redhead would often gape at her like a fish before deciding that she wouldn't say whatever it was that needed to be said. It seemed that Ginny Weasley didn't have much in the way of friends anymore and Hermione wasn't sure why that was, even Ron hadn't been spotted anywhere near his baby sister. Harry never even looked her way if he could help it, it seemed that the former lovers wouldn't be reconnecting any time soon.
"I'm sorry for blaming you…Hermione" she heard a quiet voice say. She lifted her head from the book she had been reading to find Theodore Nott awkwardly standing at her feet while she lounged in the courtyard. Nott had been friendly in recent weeks after Banner forced her, and everyone else in their therapy group, to talk about everything they had experienced at the hands of the death eaters. Nott had confessed that he had been forced to join Voldemort's cause and Hermione had stated that she had been permanently affected by the curses they had thrown her way.
"And what is it that you are, or were blaming me for?" she asked him. She had a good idea that it was for his father's arrest. She had long since realised that he truly hadn't expected her to testify on his behalf during his trial, especially since they hadn't known one another at that time.
"You aren't the reason my father was imprisoned. You never made him commit those acts and…and he would have been caught anyway. He hurt a lot of people" he said stiffly. She wasn't sure if he was holding back anything he might have been feeling or if he had not been genuine with his apology, but either way she thought it better to move on from this as quickly as possible.
"No problem" she said evenly.
There was no need to give a long speech reassuring him that she understood and wouldn't hold his actions against him, and she wasn't going to say that any of it had been okay. He had annoyed her with his actions but she had hardly paid them any attention, there were things so much bigger than Theodore sneering her way every time that he saw her. She had seen too much…bullshit to even register whatever it was that he had been trying to do.
Theodore gave a quick nod before reminding her that they were due for another therapy session after dinner and that he would see her there. She could have easily told him that she knew that there was a session happening after dinner, they had three sessions a week, every week, for the last three months-but she held her tongue.
Just before Banner called their session to order Ginny and Ron walked up to her and took a seat on either side. She wasn't sure what they were up to but she did know that she wouldn't act until either of them did. And they didn't, not until they had all dealt with the topic of the day-how the War had influenced their family relationships. Harry and Hermione had obviously had very little to say.
"You haven't been to a Sunday dinner in a long time" Ron started.
She suppressed the urge to remind him that he had been the one who had told her to stay away from his family when he had seen her at the Final Battle.
"No I haven't been"
"We'd all love to have you there, we've missed you" Ginny smiled.
"'Mione…Hermione, I'd really like it if you would come to dinner this week. We all need to talk and, and there are things we all need to say. Harry will be there too" he said quickly.
She knew that this was his way of reaching out to her and Harry, she knew that neither of them had spoken very much during the last few months. Tensions had been high, they had all been suspicious of one another and there were clearly things that the others didn't know. Ron was providing them with an opportunity to make sure that they end everything they had been fighting about.
"And McGonagall promised that she would let us all use her Floo so we don't even have to apparate" Ginny smiled.
She was going to give them all a chance to say what they needed to. And she would say everything she had been holding back.
_
The night is young, so are we
Let's just get to know each other slow and easily
– Ella Eyre, We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off
Dinner in the Weasley home had been quiet, it was the first time that everyone was there at the same time-except for Fred, but he had had his portrait right above George, looking down at them like he was waiting for something to happen-but it felt like everyone had agreed that they needed to be quiet. For the time being. Ginny had been the only one that had truly tried to start any kind of conversation but no one else seemed interested in helping her carry out the small talk. When dessert was passed around it became clear that this family dinner hadn't been something that everyone had agreed to. George was friendly as always but Charlie had looked at her like she had killed one of his prized dragons.
"Why don't we all take a seat in the living room so that we can…talk" Ron offered, he made his way from the dining room table without waiting for an answer.
The Weasley's seated themselves in such a way that Harry and Hermione were forced to sit together on the loveseat, something that made the dragon tamer much angrier than he had already been during dinner. She wasn't sure what it was that had upset him so much but she was sure that he wasn't too pleased with her being in the room. Or maybe he was just upset that she had had been sitting next to Harry? It was no secret that Harry and Charlie had been close friends in the time it had taken to plan Bill and Fleur's wedding. They had gone from barely speaking to having a set time every morning to have their coffee together and discuss various things.
"Hermione, dear, we were so sad to hear that your parents had passed away. I wish that we had all been on much better terms when it had happened" Molly started, "That's when families come together, it isn't right that you were alone"
"I wasn't alone, Mrs Weasley, but thank you for your condolences" she answered. She tried very hard to keep the venom out of her voice, there were still issues with the Weasley matriarch. Molly Weasley had proven once again that when things became difficult she would never choose Hermione's side. First with Rita Skeeter's articles in The Prophetand now with any altercations that happened between her and any of the Weasley offspring.
"Oh? Who did you have with you?" Harry asked curiously, it was the first time he had spoken to her that day.
"Neville and Lady Longbottom were very kind during that time. George was there for me too" she answered. She didn't know if his family knew that they had grown so close and she hoped that he wouldn't get into any trouble for it. But the smile on his face convinced her that he didn't care much about what they might have thought about it.
"Right…well…Hermione I actually asked you over here today to talk to you. These last few months I've been a real arse, there's no excuse for it. And I shouldn't have dragged my family into it either. Firstly, I'm sorry that I was so upset about you and Harry being…whatever you are. Were. I didn't have any right. You aren't my girlfriend and I shouldn't have made it seem like you had done anything wrong. Secondly I want to say thank you, no one else in this house knew how to help George like you have. The poor sod doesn't shut up about how amazing you are…and how we should have treated you better-and he's right. And thirdly, I hope that we can, at the very least, go back to being friends someday. I won't lie, I want us to be more but I know that I can't push for that right now, not when things are so tense" Ron finished.
"I want to say sorry too Hermione, when Ron came back that year without you we should have tried to make sure that any of you were okay. It was difficult at the time with the War…and I was so upset all the time, we all jumped to conclusions when he said that the two of you had been keeping secrets and shutting him out. It's obvious now that those Horcruxes did a lot of damage to the three of you, what else could make three best friends stop talking to one another? The diary…it did a lot of damage to me and that was only one Horcrux for a few months, the three of you dealt with more than one for almost a year. I just hope that you're still willing to give all of us a chance" Ginny added quickly.
One by one the Weasley's went around saying more or less the same thing 1) they were sorry, 2) they shouldn't have shut her out, 3) they were sad that the Horcruxes ruined everyone's lives, 4) they were so focused on Ginny's depression and Ron's anger that they didn't consider her or Harry and that 5) they were sure that they could all go back to normal now. It was all very repetitive and it seemed like they must have all rehearsed what they had to say together, but it was clear that there was still something that hadn't been said. She just hoped that they would say what it was before the day ended.
"Are we all going to pretend that those two aren't the reason Ginny was depressed in the first place?! Harry lefther for Hermione!" Charlie yelled suddenly, angrily pacing from one side of the room to the other, "He knew, he knewhow much Gin cared about him and he still walked away from her without a backwards glance. And you, Hermione, you fucked over not one but twoof my siblings with your actions. Ron clearly loves you and Ginny loves Harry. So why would the two of you run off together and leave them heartbroken? What we didn't have enough heartbreak as you two? You just didn't care? Why are neither of them good enough for the two of you?!"
"That's what all of this was about Ginny? Because I dumpedyou?! Are you insane? What else are you lying about?" Harry demanded.
_
It doesn't matter who I am
It doesn't matter I do
It's all about you
– Ella Eyre, All About You
No one was prepared for the long tale Ginny had told, once everyone had eventually calmed down enough to understand why Harry had accused the youngest Weasley of lying. While Ginny had in fact been depressed it seemed that it had nothing at all to do with Hermione, it didn't even have anything to do with Harry, the only person Ginny had ever been in love with was Dean Thomas. Ginny had allowed her family to believe that she was in love with Harry because she had felt guilty for breaking up with him just before he had taken on another dangerous mission, she was afraid that she had once again stirred up his abandonment issues and that he would have done something stupid. She wasn't love sick, she just felt like a horrible person.
After Ginny's confession both Harry and Hermione excused themselves to the kitchen, where they hoped that they would not be dragged into what was very clearly a family matter. Ginny's reasons for breaking up with Harry were her own and she wouldn't need to explain herself to anyone other than Harry, but the reason for why Ginny had let her family believe a lie for so long was something they would have to discuss together. Harry was still upset that this seemed to be the reason why the Weasley's had had such a strained relationship with him and he said as much as soon as they were in the safety of the kitchen.
"I just can't believe that she wouldn't tell them after all this time, we've been over for almost two years" he said angrily.
Hermione kept her mouth shut knowing full well that that situation had nothing to do with her. She understood why Charlie had been upset with her, he thought that she had stolen his little sister's boyfriend, and she thought that it was completely ridiculous. Ginny was old enough to fight her own battles and she could have confronted Hermione if that had truly been the case, her brother's needed to understand that they couldn't hate Hermione for a schoolgirl's heartbreak.
"You know that none of them have spoken to me since the Final Battle? I was sending owl after owl trying to figure out what the hell had happened and they refused to speak to me…and I did the same thing to you, Hermione" he realised. She hadn't expected to be able to solve her own issues with Harry but she had hoped that the spirit of reconciliation would reach him. Like in the case of Ron, she wasn't sure that they could ever be the friends that they used to be but she wasn't in the mood to play around the situation any longer.
"I wasn't going to ask about Harry" she told him, but she saw him sigh anyway. Harry had always been obvious about when he was going to do a thing that made him uncomfortable.
"During the Final Battle Lavender told me about how she had seen you and Ron kiss in the Chamber. She wasn't supposed to be there but she was sure that she could get Ron to take her back if she only spoke to him…" he trailed off.
Hermione was confused, she wasn't sure what Lavender's hopes had had to do with Harry and his being upset with her. Lavender had never been fond of her and she had made that very clear from the very beginning, things only got worse once Ron had managed to snake his way into the equation. Yes, Hermione had loved Ron too, once upon a time, but she had long since gotten over whatever feelings she might have had. Ron was quick to shove Lavender in her face during their sixth year, only to call for her in the hospital wing when he had been poisoned, a week later he was back at Lavender's side and taunting Hermione with his new…conquest. During their year on the run Ron had implied that they would finally have a future together after the War, but then he had abandoned her and Harry. He was always so angry before he left, he was downright volatile when he returned. The accusations that he had thrown at her-that she had kept secrets from him, that she was sleeping with Harry, that she was in lovewith Harry-were more than enough to convince her that she didn't need a love like that in her life.
"Ron wasn't crazy when he made the assumption that there was something between us, well I thought that there was something between us. When he left and we danced together I was so sure that we had had a moment, that we both realised that we could have some kind of future together, but you were still thinking about Ron. I thought that we were on the same page, that we were angry with him but we knew that we needed the extra help to destroy all of the Horcruxes…but you took him back. I thought that you had taken him back. Lavender…she damn near killed me when she told me that she had seen the two of you kissing" he confessed.
Hermione could feel her blood boil, Harry had abandoned her, ruined years of friendship over a crush?!After the Battle he hadn't even looked at her, instead he left her standing in the Great Hall while he apparated away. He had ignored her owls for months. She knew that he had read everything she sent him but he had never bothered to write her back. And it was because he had a crush on her for four months. Was she the only one who never took these schoolboy crushes seriously? Was she the only one who believed that people should voice their issues instead of holding petty grudges?
"How could you?" she said from between her teeth.
"Hermione what are you talki-"
"How dare you Harry Potter. I gave up the last years of my childhood for you, helping you fight every single thing that tried to hurt any of us. I obliviated my parents for you. I took a curse from Dolohov that nearly killed mefor you. I was tortured by Bellatrix for you. Fenrir Greyback groped me while whispering all those filthy things in my ear. I starved. I fought a war. I stayed. For you. And you ended everything over a crush you probably only had because the two of lived in close quarters for all those months?! How dare you treat our friendship like that? Is that how little I meant to you? Is that how easy I was to throw away?" she demanded.
She was sure that she had caused a scene when the Weasley's came running from the living room and into the kitchen, Mrs Weasley looked more than ready to separate the two of them.
"Stay away from me. We are done" she told him, and she walked out the door to apparate back to Hogwarts.
_
It's not about me, it's not about who I want to be
It's not about you, don't you know that we're better off as too
We are more together
– Ella Eyre, Together
Life after graduating from Hogwarts was easily the best time of her life. While she had managed to end up with the second highest marks in her year she had made the decision to spend some time in the muggle world, it was easy to missed the new developments there with all the time she had spent in the wizarding world. At almost twenty she was figuring out how to send an email and how to fax things to other people, it seemed that the muggles were creating their own kind of magic. And best of all, no one thought of her as one third of the Golden Tron, no one knew that she was the unofficial Gryffindor Princess, no one even knew that she was Harry Potter's best friend-former best friend. She was just Hermione Granger, a normal young adult taking a gap year.
Neville and George often came around her new flat to tell her how everything had progressed in their lives and give the occasion dose of gossip they had picked up on. George had partnered up with Ron to run their joke shop in Diagon Alley while Neville had started dating Hannah Abbott. She was glad that her friends were moving on but she was happy to have her life stand still for a moment, even if there had been scathing articles from Rita Skeeter proclaiming her a coward for leaving. The article Rita had written nearly two weeks ago was still on her mind.
In a new Wizarding Britain, where two thirds of the Golden Trio remained to help rebuild our world, Hermione Granger has been noticeably absent. Sources close to Granger have confirmed that she has indeed 'taken a break' from the wizarding Britain-how long you ask? That is the question, dear readers. Mr Potter, who earlier this year became the youngest deputy Head Auror the DMLE has ever had, and Mr Weasley, who had taken on the responsibilities of his recently deceased brother, have been clear and calming lights in a currently dark society. Miss Granger, on the other hand, has decided that this would be the perfect time for a…vacation?
The young witch who was awarded an Order of Merlin alongside the heroes of the War, has been noticeably absent from the side of Viktor Krum (professional Quidditch player and Triwizard Tournament champion), Harry Potter (Chosen One, Order of Merlin first class recipient, deputy Head Auror, Triwizard Tournament Winner and hero of the Second Wizarding War), Ronald Weasley (Order of Merlin first class recipient, successful businessman), George Weasley (successful businessman) and Cormac McClaggen (auror and former professional Quidditch player) all men she has been romantically linked to in the past seven years. This reporter has to ask herself, has Hermione Granger abandoned Wizarding Britain in its time of need to…find another successful boyfriend? And if she does indeed find him, will she be able to finally keep him?
The article had made Hermione laugh for a full ten minutes before she realised just how hysterical she sounded. Skeeter had labelled her both plain and ambitious, was she sure that Hermione really could land all these men? That she had started landing all of these 'successful' boyfriends from the age of thirteen?! The woman was clearly delusional. But Hermione was more than happy to discover that a retraction had been printed hours later-with a public apology-once Viktor and his family had threatened to sue the 'journalist' for defamation. Truthfully the article had not made him look bad and she knew that he was only standing up for her like he always did, they had continued to remain friends after all these years.
"Honestly Hermione you aren't even listening. Neville, the poor sod, has been rambling on for ten minutes bout how happy he is to be a father and you haven't heard a word" George scolded. The admonishment made her sit up at attention and look at her other Gryffindor friend, he was going to be a father.
"Congratulations Neville I am happy for you both, you will make a wonderful father" she said earnestly.
Though Hannah and Neville had only been dating for a few short months it was clear to her that the two of them were meant to be. They didn't finish each other's sentences or do large displays of affection but they were every bit the envy of women and men everywhere. Hannah knew when to look up to catch Neville smiling at her, Neville knew when to hand her a cup of tea or a mug full of coffee, and they both seemed to know when to leave each other alone. They were perfectly domestic without even trying, they seemed to just know these things about one another. Hermione was sure that people like that would make amazing parents.
"Thanks 'Mione, I've been nervous about it but I'm excited. Even my parents were excited when we told them over the weekend" he admitted.
Hermione gave her friend a tight smile, trying not to show how the casual mention of parents reminded her that she didn't have her own. She didn't have her muggle family and she just barely had her wizarding family. She got along with Ronald and the two of them had had the occasional lunch in muggle London. Ginny tended to write more than visit, it seemed that the youngest Weasley was doing very well for herself as a professional Quidditch player. Mr and Mrs Weasley tried very hard to stay in contact but she felt very reluctant to let them back into her life, she had the feeling that they would disappoint her in the same way once again if she let them. She was polite but she never offered to get them any more involved in her life. Bill was very much the same that he had always been, doing whatever he did at Shell Cottage. Charlie continued to ignore her, but she knew that it was embarrassment and not anger this time around.
"What has your grandmother said about it? She must be excited too" George asked.
"She's…she wants us to get married before the baby arrives. She doesn't think it's right to have a…illegitimate heir to House Longbottom" Neville sighed.
"You were always going to ask Hannah to marry you Neville, even your grandmother knows that" she reminded him. She already knew that Neville carried around the engagement ring in his robes, he was just 'waiting for the right time'.
"Of course I was going to ask her; I just don't want her to think that I'm only doing it now because of the baby. I want her to know that I want to marry her" he said firmly.
"On to other things" George sighed, "Tell us why you never said that you were going to meet up with Harry last weekend?" her best friend wanted to know.
"Because it was none of your business. And I know you George, you would have shown up and made it a lot more awkward than it was already going to be" she said plainly.
"And what did Harry want?" Neville asked curiously. Neville already knew all about her past with her former best friends and often tried to convince her that she had been too harsh with Harry. He was convinced that Harry was truly in love with her and hadn't known how to act once he thought that it might never work out.
"He wants us to be friends again…and he wants us to go out on a date in the future. He still thinks that he loves me, but apparently he and Ron have talked things out together. Whoever I decide to go out with" she sighed, "won't hold it against the other one. They're leaving it all up to me" she said.
_
Tell me what it is that you need
'Cause I think I'm on to something
'Cause I feel the good times coming
– Ella Eyre, Good Times
"Good to see you back where you belong, Hermione" Kingsley Shacklebolt smiled.
The current Minister of Magic had been owling her for weeks about a position as an Unspeakable for the Department of Mysteries, he seemed to think that she would make a nice edition. And after her year and a half living the life of a college student she was more than glad to have some structure and honest work ahead of her.
"We haven't seen much of you over the last year…Sunday dinners have been quiet without you" he started.
She had heard that the Weasley's had invited all of the surviving members of the Order over to Sunday dinners, and that it had become something of a tradition amongst them but she had been happy on her own. Occasionally visiting with George or Neville. Things had been better between the Weasley's and herself, there was the occasional owl, but she had stuck with her decision to keep the Weasley's at arm's length. Their love and affection were conditional and she no longer entertained relationships like those.
"I'm sure that they were still enjoyable without me" she smiled.
The rest of the meeting went by smoothly, Hermione was shown around her new workspace and introduced to her new co-workers. There were some that commented on her absence from the press and Wizarding society in general, but other than that she managed to blend in quite nicely. Her first day had only consisted of a few hours of orientation and a reminder that there was an open door policy in terms of everything-she noted just how much they seemed to emphasise that sexual harassment would not be tolerated in any way.
George was comfortably waiting for her in her flat when she got home, she had long since given up on kicking the redhead out and eventually keyed him into her wards. He wasn't her brother but he was as good as, and she took his…presence with as much patience as a sister could.
"How is the big bad of…unspeakables doing today?" he asked.
"It seems to be managing Georgie, I didn't do much anyway. First day and all" she smiled, she had been anxious to start working once again but she was more than happy to be home again.
It had been a very long three weeks as an Unspeakable, mostly because her co-workers had been trying her nerves and she had more than one awkward run-in with both Harry and Ron. Harry she saw almost weekly on her way down to the Ministry cafeteria, but she had quickly learnt that he was less likely to be there when she had her lunches early. It had been awkward trying to maintain conversations they had once had so easily, even more so when he introduced her to his co-workers as his very best friend.
The run-in with Ron had occurred when he had gone down to the Ministry on business-business George had not warned her about. They had spent nearly half an hour in each other's presence as they waited on their appointments with Minster Shacklebolt, who seemed to be running uncharacteristically late with every one of her appointments that day. They had spoken some and agreed that their first…whatever they were doing should include Harry too. They would all try to be friends together, and that was why she was seated between her former best friends.
Their meeting had started off awkwardly, it seemed that Harry and Ron had patched up their issues and were more or less friends once more. She was the odd one out in that particular situation. She had managed to keep things light and friendly enough that they managed to get comfortable amongst one another once more. Harry shared how stressed he felt at work as the man in charge, it seemed that the paper work was hardly worth the pay raise. He missed being in the field.
Ron seemed to be much happier in his profession, he seemed to struggle with the creativity aspect of his work but everything else was more or less okay. He talked about how much he enjoyed working with potions without Professor Snape over his shoulder, and how walking on the floor had forced him to be more personable. He no longer put his foot in mouth as much as he used to, it seemed that working with children was the cure to having a careless mouth. But overall the two of them seemed to be doing very well.
She hadn't wanted to talk about herself but she was very much forced to. She talked about her job, being the new one in the office had made her seem incompetent and she hated that feeling, but it couldn't be avoided. She spoke about Neville and his big news, mentioned that George had more or less become a permanent houseguest in her home, and that she had managed to get in touch with some relatives on her father's side of the family. She was the only Granger left but she was certainly not alone anymore (she even discovered a cousin who was also a witch).
"And what about…a relationship? Are you seeing anyone new?" Ron asked. She could see that he had tried to be as casual as possible as he asked the question but it had fallen flat. It seemed that working with children didn't fix everything.
She had hoped that they would avoid this topic of conversation-it was the reason she had suggested that all three of them meet one another.
"We won't get upset if you have. We promised that we would all be friends first and that's what we want to be" Harry added quickly.
"I'm not dating anyone. I don't have any plans to get into a relationship any time soon" she answered. Her eyes had remained on her now cool cup of tea. She supposed that this conversation would see just how honest the boys had been about wanting to have a friendship with her, especially if she had lessened the chances of any romantic relations happening.
"I can see you wanting to stay single…Mindy tell me that a lot of the guys in your department are afraid of commitment" Harry said nonchalantly.
"Who the hell is Mindy?" Ron asked.
"My secretary. She's dated nearly all the blokes down there and none of them would marry her…sounds like they've all told her that they've been too busy to settle down and get married. Can't imagine what the workload must be like" he answered sarcastically.
And just like that she felt like she might truly get her friends back.
_
On the surface I look good, but I don't feel this way inside
Something's wrong and I know you can tell
– Ella Eyre, Home
She was nervous, more than nervous she was scared. It had been almost four years since she had last been on a date, two years she had last had sex and forever since she had last kissed someone. Truly kissed someone. So she was scared. It didn't help that George had insisted on staying at her flat to be there when her date picked her up, he really did his best to fulfil the 'brother' role.
"I don't know why you're pacing around like that. He already loves you, he's not going to care that you're all dressed up…except to maybe see how he'll undress you" George sighed. His words of encouragement were not very encouraging. She wanted her date to care.
She heard the sound of her doorbell and felt the panic rise once more, she didn't feel like she had put enough effort into her appearance. She hadn't wanted to look like she was trying too hard, he had already seen her when she was bushy-haired and still wearing her shapeless school uniform. But she didn't want to seem like she hadn't been at all interested in dressing up just because he had known her from when she was a child. She wanted to dress like this mattered to her.
"It's Harry and Ron" George announced.
Her two friends made their way into her home, each with a small bunch of flowers in their hands. Harry had gone with pink roses and Ron had carried in a small bunch of daisies. Both gestures meant very much to her.
"Hermione, you look beautiful" Harry smiled, her hands fidgeting around the bouquet.
"Yeah 'Mione, you're a knockout" Ron added happily.
She was grateful that her friends had eventually understood that she didn't feel that she would ever date either of them, it had taken time but they had stuck to their promise. The three of them truly were friends once more.
"Yeah, Viktor's going to have a right stroke looking at you. He won't believe his luck" George smiled.
She was glad that they all approved of her simple mustard summer dress and brown leather heels. It had been different from her usual jeans, blouse and ankle boots but it seemed that it was worth it. Her hair, which was no longer curly, sat in a neat ponytail so that she could show off her wild, and healthy, curls-her new prized possession.
"You look nervous kid" Ron said quietly, once Harry and Ron had taken the flowers into the kitchen.
"I haven't been on a date in forever, Ron, I don't think that I'll even know how to act. Viktor's going to regret asking to take me out" she confessed.
Yes, the Trio was back once more, but her friendship with Ron was now much deeper than her friendship with Harry. Harry still seemed to carry a torch for her, and she was sure that Ron still had some feelings too, but she felt that Ron really had put in more effort than he had ever done before.
"Viktor has been in love with you since the Yule Ball, he's loved you longer than any of us has. And he's seen your absolute worst, 'Mione, he was at the Final Battle too remember. He's not going to hold you on some pedestal you'll fall off of, he's not going to expect that things will be perfect. He's not even going to push you to go onto a second date. Trust me, he's just as nervous as you are. Probably more, he knows how lucky he is to have you" Ron assured.
"Ron's not lying. We both had a talk with your Bulgarian Bon-Bon. He's hoping for the best, he just wants a chance to make you happy" George smiled.
"He's not going to mess this up. He knows what it's like to wait for the love of your life" Harry added softly
Hermione Krum, nee Granger, has been nominated for the position of Minister of Magic, leaving some to wonder if her husband's fame is the driving force behind her possible promotion. Viktor Krum, former Bulgarian seeker and captain, may not have been in the spotlight for some time but his last name surely still holds some power. Or, dear readers, maybe Mrs Krum has perhaps used the influence of former head auror Harry Potter or successful business man Ronald Weasley.Mrs Krum, who was known to be very friendly with former Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt, had no comment on her recent nomination, and whether or not she felt that she had any right to take the seat from those better suited to lead the Wizarding World.
The above article, written by former Daily Prophet employee Rita Skeeter, had been retracted. We at the Daily Prophet formally apologise to Minister Krum and her family, the views of one employee are not the views of the Daily Prophet as a publication. We would also like to congratulate the Minister on her third pregnancy.