Hi everyone! I'm a bit nervous seeing as I have never written a multi chapter story before (well I have but it was a reading the books one and it was taken down) so please bear with me. I must have revised and changed this chapter countless times but I had to get it out. Anyway, please sit in for a long ride because this story will go all the way to the trios 7th year.
Pairing: Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley. This also examines a relationship between Hermione and Sirius but is platonic and more of an uncle/niece relationship.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series. If not those two would never have died.
"Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand."
― W.B. Yeats, The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats
"Hermione," a voice said startling her from her thoughts. "We're here," her mother continued unbuckling her seatbelt. "Your father and I will gather your things from the trunk. Why don't you go inside and freshen up and meet us in the living room after for some tea?
"That sounds lovely mum," Hermione replied as she unbuckled her seatbelt and exited the car. She turned to look at the two-story brownstone home she had been raised in her whole life. She walked up the stairs and entered the house barely glancing at the rooms quickly making her way to her room.
Lavender walls adorned with carefully selected artwork met her eyes. She quietly walked in placing her bag on the nightstand next to her bed. Her single bed groaned under her weight as she sat on the edge. Her eyes quickly glanced over her room taking in the books littering her shelves, the gorgeous vintage styled desk and teal armchair in the corner.
She stood up and walked towards the collage hanging near her bed and looked over the montage of photographs highlighting the numerous trips around the world with her parents they vacationed at. Her eyes stopped at a picture of them in Scotland and a tear traced down her face. It was at that moment she realized she had been crying since she entered her room.
"Hermione, darling is everything all right," Emma Granger asked. Hermione had been unusually quiet on the ride home. Usually her daughter chatted their ears off about all she had learned while Dan and her smiled glad to have their daughter back again.
"Everything's fine mum," Hermione answered curtly. They were seated in the parlor enjoying their tea while Daniel stepped out for a few hours to handle an emergency at their practice.
"Who won the tournament you wrote about in your letters," she asked curiously, setting her drink down eager to hear more about the past year. She noted her daughter's shoulders tense up.
"Harry did," Hermione responded keeping her answer short.
"And?"
"And I am incredibly proud of him for succeeding in his tasks. However, I am still against those barbaric games from ever reoccurring. Much too dangerous to happen, especially among school children," Hermione said passionately ending any questions about the third task.
Sensing her daughters desire to shift the conversation she changed it to the recent developments that had started to take place this year. Hermione's love life. "How is Viktor," she asked teasingly.
Hermione blushed a deep red. "Perfectly fine. Before we left he asked me to keep in touch with him."
Emma chuckled. She had gushed over the photos her daughter owled her of the two of them at the Yule Ball. She loved her daughter dearly but while her daughter had thrived in the academic world she had thrived socially as a teenager and couldn't relate to many of her daughter's issues growing up. Especially her lack of interest in boys. Hermione had taken after Dan in being socially awkward and academically driven. However, Hermione was like her in their bossy personalities and passion for social justice. "Do you plan to," she teased.
Hermione paused, glancing out at the window for a moment. "I'm…well I'm unsure about it. I like Viktor but…," she trailed off lost in thought.
"He's too far away," Emma guessed.
"I suppose. Also, he's finished with his schoolwork and he's a famous quidditch star," Hermione spoke voicing her thoughts.
"Very logical answers," Emma noted," you're clearly not in love with him." Hermione opened her mouth to argue but stopped knowing her mother spoke the truth. "What about Harry? Or Ron? Any romantic feeling there?"
Hermione's nose curled up in disgust. "Never with Harry. I know you and father never wanted any other children after me despite all my pleadings. I think the world made up for it by sending me Harry," Hermione answered her face lighting up thinking of her best friend.
"Ron?"
Hermione quickly sipped her tea and pretended to dust off some crumbs from the pastries they had eaten off the table. "Ron is impossible," she responded angrily. "An utter oaf. Perhaps, if he could get his head out of his arse for two minutes he would-"
"Hermione," Emma scolded. Hermione's cheeks pinked and their eyes met for a minute before they both dissolved into giggles.
"I'm sorry mum. There' something about Ron that turns me into a silly petulant little girl again. He knows exactly what buttons to push and our arguments are long and exhausting," Hermione said regaining her composure.
"Well if you want my advice darling I think Ron might be better off as a friend then. Passion can make the best of us act like children. It's healthy. However, it should be enjoyable. When you meet the one you'll notice you are a better version of yourself because they inspire you to be.," Emma said wisely as she started to stand up from her seat.
"That's beautiful," Hermione whispered as she approached her mother's open arms. She allowed herself to melt into her mother's embrace and let go. "I've missed our talks terribly."
Emma sighed pulling her daughter closer into her embrace. "I've missed you too darling." She chose to ignore the small damp spot forming on her blouse from her child's tears. Right now, Hermione needed love not questions.
"Dan," Emma whispered from her spot in bed.
"Yes love," Dan asked turning to face his lovely wife of 23 years.
"She's different," she noted sadly.
"Well she is growing and away from our supervision. There's bound to be several changes," he said pulling his wife closer to him.
"No Dan. She cried earlier today after our little chat about her love life," she paused noticing her husband's disgruntled face," Oh Dan she's fifteen not a child. Anyway, her hug was filled with need. Almost as if she craved the love and warmth I could give her."
Well you are her mother Emma," Dan said chuckling.
"Daniel…I think something dreadful happened this year. And I'm not sure why but I'm frightened Dan," Emma admitted. Her husband held her whispering sweet comforting words to placate her worries.
A few doors down from their room Hermione Granger sobbed into her pillow despairing over what had happened and what was to come.
Reviews welcome and expect an update soon! I have the first few chapters ready but I want to make some last-minute edits.
