This story was actually inspired by a wonderful fan fiction that I read many years ago called "Homes, Places We've Grown" by WhenLighteningStrikes. It's a beautiful one-shot that I highly recommend. It's told from Ginny's point of view as she realizes that Harry and Hermione love each other. I've echoed that idea here.
Disclaimer: Of course I am not profiting from this.
About this story: This story starts up about nine months after the final battle.
Loving Her- Prologue
Looking back now, she should have seen it all a lot sooner than she did. Ginny was a smart witch, but her heart had always gotten in the way of her brains. She knew, eyes fogged with infatuation, she must have missed thousands of glances and touches. But now, at this moment, she knew without a doubt that her boyfriend, Harry Potter, was inconveniently and irrevocably in love with Hermione Granger.
March
Ginny apparated into Harry's apartment, only to find herself suddenly in the middle of an already unfolding scene. She was surprised to find Harry sitting on the floor with his arms around a crying Hermione. Ginny took a moment to process the scene before she rushed to Hermione's other side.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" She asked, her eyes connecting with Harry's in concern. "Harry, is she okay?" Hermione was already wiping her eyes and covering her face, trying to pull away from Harry.
"I'm sorry Ginny, I didn't know you were coming here, I just didn't know where else to go." She said with a sniffle. She paused, looking off into the distance, pursed her lips, and then burst into tears again. Harry gently cradled her head back into his chest, his hands softly touching her back.
"Could you get her some water, Gin?" He asked softly. Ginny nodded silently, standing up and walking to the kitchen. She took out a glass from the cabinet and took in a deep breath. She had no idea what was wrong with Hermione. She assumed it was something to do with the war- some unknown aftermath that still seemed to rock through the core of trio. It had been nearly a year since the final battle and Harry still woke up in a sweat a few nights a week. She had to give them credit though, they had all tried their best to move on after the end of the war.
Hermione was the first to try to return to normalcy. Everyone was surprised when she didn't return for a final year at Hogwarts. Instead, Ginny had ran into her at Hogwarts on a chilly October day while Hermione was on her way out after taking a seventh year equivalency exam. Hermione had then quietly applied to and accepted a position at St. Mungo's in medical research.
Ron was next to begin moving on. He took his equivalency exam in January, and landed a position with the Chudley Cannons that February. "I didn't even need this stupid thing." Ron had told Hermione the day he accepted the goalkeeper position, motioning to the diploma on the wall. Hermione had given him a pointed look that turned into a shared smile between the two.
Something had shifted between Hermione and Ron after the war. There was hardly as much bickering, but they also hadn't gotten together like everyone assumed they would. Ginny had ventured to ask Harry about the whole thing once and he had simply replied, "How am I to understand the complete inner workings of those two?"
Harry took the longest to return to some variation of normalcy. For a while, he had retreated further into himself. When Ginny returned to Hogwarts in September, she and Harry had hardly spoken. But the night before she left, he had come to visit her, and apologized for his behavior. "I'm still just trying to get back to feeling like myself," he had said, looking down at his empty hands. "Well, when you do, I'll be there for you." She had said, clasping his hands and kissing him softly. She didn't hear anything from him until November, but since then, they had been rebuilding their relationship brick by brick.
Ginny came back from the kitchen with the glass of water and was surprised to see Hermione looking mostly composed with a small, watery smile on her face. She handed it silently to Hermione who smiled a thanks and took a big gulp.
"You shouldn't have gone alone. I could have helped you," Harry chastised. Hermione gave him a sidelong glance and took a deep breath.
"I appreciate the offer but I didn't want to involve you." Ginny wanted desperately to ask what was going on, but she had learned long ago that probing into the issues of the trio usually just got her further pushed out of the conversation. Hermione, however, took mercy on Ginny's curiosity.
"My parents," she said, turning to Ginny, "when I obliviated their memories, I knew there was a chance that I wouldn't be able to restore them. It's looking more and more like that's the case. I've been trying to restore their minds a little at a time, but it's proving to be difficult and I think that if I continue, I could truly hurt them. So I have to stop trying." She said cutting the sentence short in an attempt not to start crying again.
"But Hermione, there's got to be something." Harry said with an impassioned voice that Ginny hardly ever heard. "There's got to be some other way." Hermione laughed.
"Come on, Harry. You of all people ought to know that what I'm doing is borderline illegal. I'm lucky you don't arrest me now." Harry smiled and rolled his eyes.
"You're lucky I'm off duty." He said shoving his shoulder with her own.
"I thought an auror's job was a 24/7 type of gig?" Hermione asked with a smile. They shared a look that made Ginny uncomfortable. She broke the silence.
"I'm so sorry to hear about that, Hermione. Is there anything I can do?" Hermione tightly smiled a thanks.
"No, I'll go back and research some more, but it's not looking promising." She said, her smile turning to a grimace.
"Well, at least stay for dinner. We could order in."
"I'll even order from the Indian place you love that makes my apartment smell funny for a week," Harry added. Hermione looked between Ginny and Harry before shaking her head.
"As tempting as you make that sound, I'm just going to go home. I'm exhausted from the trip anyway." She got up off the couch and Harry rose with her to walk her to the door.
"Really it wouldn't be any trouble. Eat. Stay." Ginny could hear Harry coaxing Hermione as they walked nearly out of ear shot toward the door. "Let me be there for you." She heard him say softly. There was a pause from Hermione.
"I really should get going." More silence.
"Hey," Harry said softly and Ginny strained to hear the rest, "it won't feel so bad in the morning, yeah? One day at a time, just like you tell me." More silence, and perhaps the rustling of a hug, and then the opening and closing of a door. It was a long moment before Harry walked back into the room and Ginny suddenly felt like she was intruding.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" she asked quietly, disturbing Harry from whatever inner monologue he was writing.
"Yeah, I've never seen anything that could break Hermione." They sat in silence for a moment longer and Ginny feared asking the next question.
"Do you want to be alone?" He looked up at her and for a beat his face remained blank, then he blinked as if he were coming back to life.
"No, stay, we made plans." Ginny smiled her relief. Over the past few months it seemed like Harry was trying more and more to let her in. The memories of the war were still a wall between them, but oh so slowly, Harry was beginning to let her in.
April
Harry lived on the opposite side of the city from Hermione and Ron, which Ginny always found strange since they seemed to spend so much time together. Hermione's flat was close to both the hospital and the Ministry of Magic while Harry's was flung on the other side of the city, but he liked the quiet and anonymity that his location provided him. Ron, on the other hand, lived a few blocks from Hermione and loved being part of the hustle and bustle of the city. He also loved the new-found attention from his Chudley Cannons position. He had done a good job of rewriting his celebrity from being the-boy-who-lived's friend to being a sports figure. He lived in an expensive high rise while Hermione had found a quiet two-bedroom apartment on a side street lined with trees. Somehow, each of the trio's dwellings seemed to suit them perfectly.
Today Ginny was at Ron's to remind him of Bill and Fleur's baby shower next weekend.
"Mum, said you hadn't RSVPed so she wanted me to make sure you could make it." She explained as Ron toweled off the rest of his hair.
"Yeah, we have a game that Saturday night but Sunday afternoon is open. I can be there. Can you do me a big favor and pick out a gift from me though?" He said with a big smile. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"God, you need a girlfriend so she can do this stuff for you." She said while examining a picture on his mantle. It was a picture of the trio, of course, from sometime in fifth year it looked like. Her eyes landed on a smiling Hermione. "Speaking of which, do you know why Hermione can't make it?" Ron made a face.
"Didn't know she wasn't going." He said as he headed back to the bathroom to put his towel away.
"Do you think it has anything to do with her parents?" She called down the hall as he started to walk back to the living room. Ron blew out a big breath.
"Not sure, last time I brought that up with her, we ended up getting into a fight. Haven't brought them up since." Ginny nodded in understanding. She looked back at the picture. Hermione smiling in the middle of the two boys, each one looking to her and smiling.
"Do Harry and Hermione ever fight?" She asked Ron.
"Yeah," Ron said, thinking about it, "they fight. Not too often. They had a big one back in October though."
"Really? About what?" Ron shrugged his shoulders.
"Hermione had just gotten her Hogwarts equivalency test back. I wasn't there, but from the sounds of it, she was pushing Harry to start trying to get back to a normal life but he wasn't ready. Things got kind of heated. They didn't talk for weeks after that."
"Really? That doesn't sound like them." Ron nodded.
"I know, it was weird being the one in the middle for once. I'll tell you though, as much as Harry might deny it, after that fight is when he started to get his act back together. By November he started interviewing with the Ministry, and made an effort to go out and see friends again." Ron headed to the kitchen and began opening cabinets. "Do you want anything to eat?"
"No thanks, I'm heading to Hermione's now. Want to come?" Ron paused and then shook his head.
"I'm heading out with some of the guys on the team. Where's Harry by the way? I tried to invite him."
"He's in Ireland on business and won't be back for a few days." Ron nodded.
"Oh yeah, I think I knew that."
Ginny said her goodbyes and then walked the couple of blocks to Hermione's. She knew that Hermione didn't like visitors apparating into her flat, even with all the safety wards. Muggles Ginny thought with a wry smile as she pressed the buzzer for the 3F.
After being buzzed in and climbing the flights of stairs she was greeted by a smiling Hermione at the door.
"Ginny! It's good to see you! What brings you to the neighborhood?"
"Just making sure Ron shows up for the shower on Sunday, you know how he is with dates and times and pretty much anything." Hermione laughed and closed the door behind Ginny.
"That I do. I'll try to remind him too."
"Thanks. You're not able to make it, are you?" Hermione hesitated for a moment then shook her head.
"No I have to work on Sunday unfortunately."
"I'm sure someone could cover for you or something." Hermione shook her head.
"No, I asked and no one could. I've already sent along a gift though." Of course Hermione had. "Do you want anything to drink?" Ginny shook her head.
"I could use the loo though."
"End of the hall on the left." Then Hermione waved her hand embarrassed. "You know where it is." She said with a laugh at herself. Ginny couldn't help but notice Hermione was acting a little strange.
Once she had gone to the bathroom she took her time peeking into the rooms along the hall. Sure, she had been to Hermione's apartment, but only a handful of times. She knew the door at the end of the hallway led to Hermione's room, while the one across from the washroom was the laundry room. Next to that was Hermione's guest bedroom. Ginny peeked her head in, the sight of a gray sweatshirt thrown over the back of a desk chair catching her eye. It was Harry's. She walked into the room and looked around. It was a standard guest bedroom with painted white wood furniture and big sunny windows. Opening the top drawer of the dresser, she found a toothbrush and razor. She wanted to be surprised, but she wasn't.
She turned to see Hermione standing in the doorway, looking at her hesitantly.
"It's Harry's stuff," she explained, obviously deciding honesty was the best policy. "Once in a blue moon when he's working a crazy case he'll crash here." Ginny nodded slowly, trying to be neutral about how she felt.
"That makes sense." She said quietly, closing the drawer.
"It's really just a convenience thing. Usually I'm not even here when he is." Ginny nodded, picking the hoodie off of the chair.
"You can give that back to him. He left it a while ago, and I know it's one of his favorites." Ginny could tell Hermione was feeling anxious and for one reason or another, Ginny felt the need to assuage her guilt.
"Oh, yeah, he's been looking for it," she lied. "He must have forgotten he left it here. I'll bring it back." There was a beat of silence.
"Did you want to stay for tea?" Ginny shook her head.
"No, I ought to be going." She said, making her way out of the room and toward the door.
"Okay, Gin. Do you want to set up a lunch sometime next week? It's been so long since we've hung out just the two of us." Ginny nodded, hand on the doorknob.
"Sure, you pick the time and place and I'll be there." Once outside Hermione's she inhaled the sweatshirt, which still smelled like Harry, and then apparated back home to the burrow.
Reviews are always welcome! I've actually written other stories before but that was a few years ago and I have since lost the info for that account. If you're interested my other two stories are under the username Seersucker.