A/N hey ya peoples how are you? I myself am doing quite well. I don't know what made me want to write this but the idea comes and I write it down, tell me your opinion, good or not, continue or discontinue.
Prelude
Hermione's Pov.
This was not how I wanted to start my first year of university. I was meant to train as an Auror with Harry and Ron, somehow defeat the rebel Deatheaters and then live the rest of our lives in each others company.
That is not how it is at all! How were we supposed to know that the remaining Death eaters would strike so soon afters Voldemort's defeat. Parties had taken place and all of the Wizarding race was in celebration of the defeat of big bad Voldy. Then about a month later they spring an attack on us when we were at a public reunion of the order.
Flashback
Me, Ron, and Harry were taking down death eaters as they came and eventually we split up as the fight moved into full swing with the arrival of more Death eaters. In the end we lost almost a quarter of the order and a few children of the members that got caught in the cross fire. As it was, I couldn't believe that this had happened, death had been almost apart of life now but the children brought the world to a stop. It was as if I lost my own kids, little brothers and sisters for I had often opted to baby sit at Grimmauld place. I knew that children had died in the war and it hurt that they were involved, but now it was as if someone had ripped the heart out and taunting me with it.
As if this wasn't enough the worst was still to come. Me and Harry met up and went to scour the area in search of Ron when we were looking about where survivors were he was no where to be found, not with his family or getting treatment from the various medi-witches. We then moved outside the area of the fight and moved into the corridor outside the hall more dead bodies but mainly of death-eaters, they seem to trail into a path and when we turned the corner there he was. He was sprawled out on the floor, I inched closer with Harry at my side and saw that his blue eyes were blank and glassy almost as if he were somewhere else, it was almost peaceful. His face held no trace of pain or terror, just blank like his eyes.
It was almost as if everything that happened was a dream. After that I don't remember much only that I was escorted home, and my parents were telling me things I could not understand as I headed up to my room. I lay on my bed for a while as the days events whirled around my head in a dizzying cycle, until I fell asleep. I woke up thinking that everything was as it was before and then when I met Mum and dad downstairs they said that I had to see Ron for identification purposes at St Mungo's. I didn't register it I just followed mum into the fire place as we flooed to St Mungo's, where I met Harry. His eyes normally a fresh green, eyes that were now as dark as the depths of the sea and we just sat there in silence along with apparently with the Weasley 's, but I failed to notice in my current state. Harry's eyes had awakened something in me though and I felt a wave of fear wash over me and I noticed that all of the faces around me were grave. When we (as in me, Harry and the Weasley's) were called in I told mum that I would go in alone it wasn't like he was gone, he'd come back from that peaceful place and tell us all about it. When we walked into the cold windowless room, I saw a long black bag with a silver zip that was too bright for the dullness of the bag itself. A medi wizard came in and opened the bag. It was as if every sound except for that zip was lost and everything was focused on that one bag. The zip moved in slow motion, as it was pulled down and when it hit the end it was pulled apart.
As soon as I saw his face it was like everything had suddenly moved and everything from the day before hit me with such force it was like the earth around was spinning and the realisation slapped me in the face. He was gone, lost in what may exist in the afterlife. He wouldn't be the tall redhead in the crowd anymore, or the one to come up with strange explanations for Professor Snape's weird ways, or the person she could talk to about almost anything. Even if we weren't romantically involved with him he was my support, sure we had tried going out in sixth year, but it was just freaky on both sides when it came to kissing and things that couples did. We were more like long lost brother and sister that had rest of the time left to spend time with each other, and now that time was all ripped away in the blink of an eye, all I could think of was him and all the small things that we had shared.
All else was nothing and I broke down. It was too much, too quickly and I cried like I never had before. Not once had anyone close to me died before, and just as my fear of that happening was leaving, it came back and caught me when I least expected it, first with the children and now Ron. I felt weak as went to grab onto something to hold me up, when both twins were on either side of me and held me close. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder, my other wrapped about the arm of the twin behind me, whose head was on the back of my shoulder. My forehead was on the other's shoulder and his chin was on my head, as I cried myself into broken pieces.
I don't know how long we stayed there, we all calmed slightly, my tears were still silently pouring down my face but eventually we slowly pulled away from each other and I saw the others around me. The small frame of Ginny, with her head buried in Harry's chest as he held her tight, face tear streaked with eyes closed. At the side of the bed, a sorrowful Mr Weasley's arm wrapped around Mrs Weasley's shoulder whose head was dissolved in her hand with a handkerchief while the other was holding on to Charlie's hand who was rubbing his eyes with his sleave, all of whom were along from Harry and Ginny. Next to us was Bill who now had a hand on what seemed to resemble Fred's shoulder. As he gazed at Ron as if lost in oblivion. Percy would have been there but he too was killed but at the beginning of seventh year at Hogwarts and he was probably the only one who could see Ron as we had only days ago.
end flashback
That was eight months ago and I'm still not completely over it, every now and then when I was alone and got lost in thought it would all come back like it was yesterday. I hardly talked to anyone after that for more than a week and another week more following the funeral. If it weren't for Fred and George I have no idea what would have happened to me it was like the time we shared at Grimmauld place had shown me the compassionate side to them. They loved the work they did because it caused a smile to that person's face even if it was only a joke shop. They had shown me that I could rely on them and I often found myself talking to them both before and after Ron's death. They were like an extended family that I never had and it was nice knowing that I could go to them about anything.
When I received my Newt's results I felt that I no longer wanted to be an Auror, even though part of it was because of Ron, another side came up in me. I didn't want to spend at least six years of my life having to train to be an Auror. And afterwards I would be at risk of my life, anything could happen and I wasn't up too having to be a spy if need be. I was being selfish but I knew that I couldn't do it, even if Ron was here. Something in me said that I had to live life, when Ron died I realised how short it can be, no more hiding in the library anymore and staying indoors, I wanted to do something that I was truly passionate about, and then I decided to go to Atlantis university.
This was one of the best places I could go and as a plus, the range was tremendous including Muggle degrees and bachelors. Yes Atlantis was the lost city but only to the Muggle world, it still existed and was a mainly a university campus with a main city and a couple of villages outside of the campus. The main reason was that this place was specialised in Arithmancy and also Muggle texts. This was a major option for me for Muggles truly knew how to have fun and balanced it quite well with work and plus there were options of doing double degrees which was even better.
Slowly but surely I was coming out of my shell. Victor and I were still friends, we too tried going out in the holidays before seventh year but realised that we had a more friendly relationship. And so we did wilder things that Harry and I never did. After Ron's death we got together more and decided life was too short to miss out on anything even if it was Muggle. So we did, we went and did numerous things like clubbing, bungy-jumping, hang-gliding, and we did Magic things too like going to a wizard gypsy fair which was far better than those of the Muggle world! It was as if the air itself was a mystical and wild wilder land and the gypsies themselves still had the bohemian clothes but it was slightly different. And I am proud to say that I am over my fear of heights after Victor had teamed up with, Harry, Fred and George and got me in the air onto a broomstick and I noticed the spectacular views I was missing out on and the adrenaline rush I got as I swooped through the air. That was a one off though cause all of them had wanted to get me on a broom and they couldn't do it alone and plus, Victor didn't know them as well as I did but did it anyway for my benefit.
The great thing was that I learned to try things out even if they were a bit scary, hence why I picked Atlantis. It was run mainly by The English but did have some Europeans as teachers, but it was all taught in English so I would have no language barriers. Another good thing was that it would be close to Bulgaria so I could always contact Victor and go clubbing or just talk or do something spontaneous. It wasn't as if he was Ron's replacement, no one could replace Ron, but like my other friends he brought out a good side of me. Even Harry was impressed with the way I took my new lease in life. Harry and I kept in touch all the time through floo and owl.
He and Ginny were now going on proper dates even though they started small I thought it was good that Harry could finally move on without the weight of the world on his back (as some may say). I went and visited him often seeing as now he was the soul person living in Grimmauld place.
Apart from the weird relationships with Ron and Victor, I didn't have any other relationships, I just didn't think that I could find that one person out of the entire world, as some would put it that was just mine. Most marriages turned into divorce, having screwed one another over. I wasn't going to go out and look, if I was meant to find someone I would. I was only eighteen for crying out loud! The girls at Hogwarts went about men as if it was their last chance to snag one of them, I mean for Merlin's sake its not like when high school ended so did life, I had learn that. I simply was not going to go out with some random hoping that he was Mr Right.
And plus it was fun being single, you didn't have to worry about boyfriends getting jealous, or having to spend a certain amount of time with him every week. I am very pro-feminist, I love the idea of being an independent woman. Heck I was one! I had earned plenty of money doing several jobs during the summer holidays before fifth year and even then some of the parents of the children I had baby sat had given me hefty sums of money even when I refused them. My parents had even gotten me a car even if it was an old beat up mustang. I slowly but surely got it fixed up (with the help of Victor) and it was now a classic, well conditioned car, even Harry who had no interest in cars before, did after seeing my mustang. I had to beg my parents to let me get my motorcycle licence since Uncle Bryan moved away to America he gave the motor vehicles to my dad to deal with. And there it was. My life was in that bike when I saw it and I begged my father if we could keep it. And Dad being the softy that he is said yes. Uncle Bryan said that we could keep it for a measly five hundred pounds and when I said I was willing to pay the full price, he said it was a present for all the birthdays and Christmases he had missed. See my Dad and his brother (Uncle Bryan) didn't get along for a long time, they had hardly said any thing to each other in donkey's years. When I was in my fifth year he came back when grandpa died, and realised that life was too short to hold grudges. And ever since they began to build their relationship back up again.
Even if I was very independent I was not afraid to ask for help from Harry, Victor, the twins, Ginny, and even the other Weasley family members including my own parents. I didn't ask them for loans or anything, but advice or knowledge on things I didn't know of in the Wizarding world. I'm glad I know everyone that I do because they all in their own way care for me. It's nice to know that I'm not alone. Which leads to my decision to come to Atlantis University. I applied to every single wizard university there was and I got accepted into all of them, so then I picked the ones that held my interests. That narrowed it down to three and then I obviously choose Atlantis over the rest.
I decided to get there as soon as the doors opened. It was a lot like Hogwarts. No charge on school fees and there were rooms that students could pick from to stay in, except that there was more privacy in the dorm rooms. I had read through the pamphlets with information on the accommodation there and picked out the best one. It was called the 'The hub' and was about a five minute drive to the main building on campus. It was almost a small settlement and consisted of houses that contained one or two bed rooms with a fully functional bathroom and kitchen with a living area and for some of them garages. Now I'm not one to be mean, but I don't like the thought of sharing, having spent five years with two of the most girlish of girls having to wait upon the hour for them as they 'fixed' their hair. I think I deserved a place of my own. Not many people came so early since the semester hadn't even started yet but I wanted to have a good look around and put my name down for the place I found appropriate.
I asked Fred if he could come with me and help me sort out where I was staying and details of my residency. So we decided that at 8am sharp we would be at the gates of Atlantis University.
A/N: now be honest good or not just REVIEW!
