When she comes home after her first year, she looks so happy, so excited, she practically glows. She can't stop talking about her friends, about her lessons, about her coursework, about her grades.
She smiles at her husband, because the little girl they know is back, and they get to keep her for two months, before she goes back to that strange, strange world she know seems. to belong to.
XXX
When she comes home from second year, Mrs. Granger immediately senses something is wrong.
She is evasive when they ask her why she didn't answer their letters for so long, and mumbles something about having been sick before she heads up to her room.
Hermione doesn't talk properly to them for two weeks, and then suddenly, one night at the dinner table, starts crying like mad, and lets it all come out.
She tells them about a boy, a boy who looks at her like she is less than the dirt on his shoes, who looks at her like she is not worthy, like she doesn't belong in the world she has come to love.
Mudblood, he will call her, and she will cry at night, when no one can see her, when no one can hear her.
Her friends don't understand. They defend her, and they stand by her but they don't understand. One of them is a pureblood, and the other is Harry Potter, and well, that's all that matters.
They don't understand how much it hurts to see other people look at her in a funny way sometimes, they don't understand how much it hurts being attacked, not because being petrified hurts, just because she was attacked for what she was, for how she was born, and that's the reason people wanted her death.
Filthy little Mudblood, mum, that's all I am, that's all I ever will be. No matter how smart, or brave I am, they will never see anything else when they look at me, nothing but that ugly Mudblood girl, with bushy hair and beaver teeth.
She listens and holds her daughter until she has cried herself to sleep, and then cries with her husband too, because there is nothing they can do about it, in a world they don't belong.
XXX
After third year, she looks like she has lived adventures. She tells about people turning into dogs, and Harry finding a part of his family, and travelling through time and she looks happy again, and so Mrs. Granger smiles at her husband, and he smiles back at her.
XXX
She looks so tired, and so afraid and lost when she comes back one year later. Mrs. Granger doesn't understand, because the letters she got all spoke about an exciting competition, a wonderful ball, a fairytale dance, and a lovely prince to sweep her away.
Hermione had send pictures, and she had loved the blue dress on her amazing figure, and the way her hair fell down in soft curls from the knot in her neck.
She had looked so relaxed there, so safe, and now that is gone from her face.
Mrs. Granger pretends she doesn't notice, but she notices all right. She notices the papers Hermione will hide quickly when one of them walks into her room, the letters she will lean over to block them from reading anything.
So, when Hermione finally talks to her one evening, she hugs her tight, wondering when her little girl stopped being so little, and wondering what next year will bring them.
XXX
She had received a letter from the school, telling her Hermione had been slightly injured but was fine now, with no more details.
No more details. And when Hermione comes home, she doesn't says anything either.
Then, one evening, as she enters the bathroom, she freezes. Because, in the split second before Hermione drops her shirt, she has seen them everywhere.
Gashes and scars. Her whole torso is filled with them.
Is that what they called slightly injured at her school?
"Mum!" Hermione says, annoyed, and Mrs. Granger leaves without a sound.
She doesn't tells her husband.
Three weeks later, when they are all attending the memorial of their neighbours son, who was only two years older than Hermione and died in a car accident, gone in a flash, Mrs. Granger takes Hermione's hand and holds so tight and wishes she will never have to let go.
Because no parent should ever have to bury their own children, and she is afraid because the possibility has started to seem all too real lately.
XXX
When Hermione comes back she wonders when the eleven year old girl disappeared, and when this unknown woman appeared.
She is not unknown though, she is Hermione, she is her daughter, and so she hugs her, and talks to her like everything is normal.
But it's not, and Mrs. Granger knows it. She notices the tense shoulders of her daughter, the crying in her room, and the little things she seems to be forgetting every time Hermione is practising spells.
She wants to lock Hermione up, or take her away somewhere, because she knows what's coming. But she knows she won't be able to protect her, simply because her daughter, who got her strong will from her, will not let her.
When did it became her role to protect them from things, instead of the other way around?
When does a parent realizes there is nothing to do but letting go?
Somewhere she has known it all along, that this moment would come.
So when she finds Hermione with her wand trained on her and an I love you on her lips, she smiles sadly and tells her I love you too, honey and she pretends everything is normal, and she pretends she does not sees the tears.
And she lets go.
XXX
And when Hermione comes back with apologies on her lips, she hugs her and she kisses her and she tells her she understands.
Because she does, and everything is all right now, and she won't have to bury a child of hers after all.
And the best thing is, Hermione will not leave ever again.
Her daughter is home.
A/N: Because I can't seem to stop writing angst. I started working on Change Happens, or whatever it is going to be named (finally) after deciding I was way too lazy and I would never go to the shop to retrieve my old documents, and it was half copied, and in dutch and badly written anyways (more explanations later) so I would just rewrite it, but now, I've hit a writers block again, simply because I make it way too heavy to read.
I love that style, and I've gotten really positive feedback about it- for references see my other stories called 'Falling' and 'That one Despicable Word'- but now I really want to make a long story, like twenty chapters-ish, so I'll need to change the style.
Good news is, I have a week vacation now, and I am planning to work as much as possible on my unfinished stories (about 3). Change Happens is on top of my priorities list, and I'll need to rewrite it, but I am positive.
For all 'Tempus Cambiato' readers, I am so sorry! I know I am taking forever to update, but I don't have a plot, or inspiration. I set a deadline for myself however: If I haven't updated before 2015 I authorize you to come kill me, I'll even tell you where I live.
Well, that was my rambling Authors note. Please tell me what you thought of this one-shot, and if you liked it, feel welcome to check out my other work. And now if you can do me one tiny little favour: write something and click right there, see it? That button that says post review, yes there.
Thank you, and for everyone else as lucky as me, happy holidays!