Morning came all too soon on the 1st of September and with it the dreaded departure. Mr. and Mrs. Granger accompanied their daughter Hermione to King Cross Station as they did every year, yet this year their usual smile was no more. They walked silently through the station and on to platform nine, when Mrs. Granger spoke.
"Darling, are you sure about this? I mean, many of our schools will be more than thrilled to have you, and…"
Mrs. Granger stopped mid sentence as words seemed to leave her as they continuously did ever since she found out the truth. She wanted to say so much, to say everything, yet every time she tried she failed. She hated herself for that. What kind of a mother does that? What kind of a mother lets her 16 year old daughter throw herself in the midst of a war? She sighed as the answer came to her again as it did every time she had posed that question: the mother of a witch.
"We've been through this" said Hermione trying to sound brave and determined, though she was neither "I need to go back!"
"Honey" said Mr. Granger firmly "I know education is essential, but so are you. There's a war at the gates of that school, and I don't want my only daughter to be in this sort of danger"
Hermione lifted her eyes form the trolley filled with all sort of bags, Crookshanks' cage and her school trunk and looked at her parents for the first time since they arrived at King's Cross.
"I need to fight for this" said Hermione pointing at the trolley "for everything I am."
"That's exactly my point!" said Mr. Granger "Here, with us, you wouldn't need to fight for anything. You would be… like everyone else."
"You mean normal." Hermione sighed "That's impossible. I'm not normal, dad, I'm a witch. I can't do normal. This is what I am, what my life is."
"Hermione, try to understand where we're coming from." said Mr. Granger grabbing her hand "We love you too much to accept this. I don't mean to accept what you are - we've accepted that the second you've received your letter from Hogwarts and never regretted it since, 'till now that is – I mean accepting this war and your part in it."
"Harry needs us, needs me! I can't abandon him anymore that I can abandon who I am."
"You mean you're willing to die for him?" asked Mr. Granger shocked.
"Yes!" said Hermione sincerely "I'm willing to die for him, the same way I am willing to die for what I am and what I believe in."
"I'll not allow it!" shirked Mr. Granger and many of the people around the three glared at him.
"Well, that's that, then?" said Hermione raising her voice "You won't allow it, will you? I have news for you, dad! I stopped asking permission a long time ago."
"Hermione…" gasped Mrs. Granger.
"No, mom, I'm sick and tired to be treated like a child!" roared Hermione "I'm not a child anymore. I'm not some ignorant little girl. I know the risks and I'm ready to take them to fight for what I believe in."
"Now, Miss Granger, there's no need to shot! I'm sure your parents have no trouble hearing."
"Professor!" gasped Hermione as she turned around to face the man that spoke.
Right next to the barrier stood Alistor Moody, her former Defense Against the Dark Art teacher, accompanied by the entire Weasley family. Hermione gazed lovingly at them for a minute, before turning towards her parents again.
"This is why I need to do this." said Hermione pointing at the wizards behind her "For them, for me and for you too. Volder…"
"Miss Granger!" hissed Moody disapprovingly.
" Sorry Professor!" gasped Hermione "You-Know-Who won't stop at killing us. He'll come after muggles next." she added to her parents.
Moody limped towards the Grangers and placing his enormous scared hand on Hermione's shoulder forced her to step behind him.
"Miss Granger is right." said Moody "There are dark times coming and that goes for you too. I don't mean you in particular – though I'd be surprise if you weren't targeted already – but the entire muggle world. No one is safe. Your daughter is brave enough to face all of this and smart enough to do it well."
"You're supposed to protect her, not the other way around!" yelled Mr. Granger.
"We're all protecting each other and all of you too. Miss Granger made her choice a long time ago and so did you. The magic world is not all sparks and smoke. It's a world not some different from your own, that the same as your own has its drawbacks."
"Drawback? Drawback?" demanded Mr. Granger "My daughter's life is in danger and you say that's a drawback? You're barking mad, all of you. You're not going Hermione and that's final!" he said glancing his daughter behind the massive man.
Hermione felt anger growing in her as she watched her mother shivering and sobbing quietly and her father jerking the trolley away. Why were they so blind? She was doing this for them, to keep them safe. How could they not understand that this was bigger and far more important than she was? She felt herself burning with rage and frustration and all she wanted to do was scream at them and the world that death was coming.