Hermione had been home for the summer about a week before she decided to call her best muggle friend, Cassie. She needed time to get back into character. She had been seventeen for a while now, so she was used to doing routine tasks with magic. Cassie knew Hermione was off at a prestigious boarding school, but she didn't realize how special it truly was. Hermione stored her wand into her pocket, hoping she wouldn't have to use it, and called Cassie.

"Hermione!" Cassie nearly shouted. She was thrilled to hear from her friend she hadn't seen since last summer.

"Cassie!" Hermione yelled back with equal enthusiasm.

"You're home from you fancy smart kid school?"

"Yeah, and you know what we need to do?"

"Hang out"

"right now?"

"come over"

"ok bye"

"hurry"

It didn't matter how much time passed. They were always completely comfortable with each other. Although Hermione wasn't completely honest with her. She didn't want her friend to know she was a witch. She trusted her not to tell, but she just wanted to keep those two worlds separate. Ron, Harry, and Ginny were her magical friends. The ones she risked her life for and vice versa. She'd weeped her saddest tears with them when Dumbledore died and been the most scared to the point of tears with them on multiple occasions. Cassie, on the other hand, had no idea about the war waging all around her. She didn't wonder every night before she went to sleep if her friends and family would be alive in the morning. Her nightmares consisted of getting lost on the first day of school instead of her parents being tortured for information. Being with her made her made Hermione temporarily forget the challenges the magical world had thrust upon her. What it was like before she first saw that long slender writing for the first time.

Hermione was standing outside of Cassie's house now, debating with herself whether it would be more efficient to knock or ring the bell.

"Knocking would take more effort," she thought, "but the success rate of knock over ringing the bell was greatly..."

Her train of thought was disrupted when the door flew open and almost simultaneously Cassie's arms were around her in joyful possibly too tight hug.

"'Mione, you're so slow. I didn't think you'd ever get here."

She released and looked her friend over.

"Don't they feed you at that school?"

"Yes, there is the occasional meal."

When she said this, she thought of her first day of school. The candles floating in mid air and more food than she could ever want. She really did want to share these experiences with her oldest friend, but she just couldn't. What would Cassie think of her? People had trouble grasping the fact that people could be witches or wizards.

Cassie was leading Hermione into the kitchen, telling her to grab whatever she wanted from the cupboards. Hermione had to look twice at the boy sitting at the counter with half a slice of pizza hanging from his mouth. It was Cassie's younger brother Elliot. She had seen him a million times, but he was much bigger now. More man than boy now.

"You've grown during the school year, Elliot." commented Hermione a little more to her self than to him. Thoughts of love potions darted through her head for a moment, but she quickly remembered the stories Harry told her about Tom Riddle's mother. No need to repeat that disaster.

"My dear brother is a big man now." Cassie said being her sarcastic self.

"Say what you like. The ladies love the new physique." Elliot said while flexing.

Hermione knew Elliot for a long time, since he was a little boy with a high pitched voice telling his mom Cassie was being mean to him. She knew that he acted tough, but he was shy and got his feelings hurt easily.

Hermione had a hard time switching her attention back to Cassie. She found Elliot and his new appearance more than a little distracting. Luckily, Cassie was completely oblivious to Hermione's frequent glances at Elliot. Elliot wasn't though. They made awkward eye contact several times. Hermione made herself focus on Cassie's words.

"So other than that school has been pretty boring," she said finishing a story Hermione hadn't listened to, "How has your schooling been? I want to hear all about fancy pants academy."

"Oh, well. You know classes, classmates, sports." She never knew what to say. She wanted to say, the other day I finally got a potion just right no thanks to the Half Blood Prince and I finally got my apparition license and Harry caught the snitch! But she refrained.

"tell me about some of your friends there." She was practically begging.

"I've told you about them, Harry, Ron, and Ginny."

"You've told me their names, but never anything about them."

"All of last year Harry and I fought about the Half Blood Prince. I thought he was evil, but Harry wouldn't listen. Harry thought Draco and Snape were a death eaters, but I didn't believe him. Turns out Snape was the Half Blood Prince, and he killed the head master of our school, Dumbledore. It was terrible I had never seen Ron, Ginny, and Harry so sad. I've decided to go with Harry on an insane quest and I probably won't even live until next summer."

"God, Hermione why won't you ever be honest with me. You have to make up this crazy shit instead of just telling me the truth." Cassie had dramatically stood up from the table.

"Cass...I..." Hermione was desperately trying to think of something to say. There were a few moments of silence.

"I'm just busting your metaphorical balls. Come on let's go watch TV."

She should have known. Same old Cassie. Cassie's phone rang. She had a short monosyllabic conversation with whoever was on the other line, then told Elliot to keep Hermione company, because she had to run an errand really quick. She was out the door before any questions could be asked.

"Strange" Hermione said to herself.

Hermione turned to look at Elliot. The newness of how handsome he'd become was beginning to wear off and now she was seeing him as the boy she'd known for so long again.

"What should we do?" He asked staring at his plate like he wished another slice of pizza would appear on it.

"Anything, everything" each other she thought. Ginny would have liked that one.

"I moved my room to the basement."

"Really, didn't want to be next to your parents room anymore."

"No, my 'friends' kept waking them up at night with all their moaning." He stood up and started walking towards the stairs.

"I'm sure."

They walked down the narrow staircase and into the basement. He pushed a door open, and they walked inside.

"Wow much bigger than your old room" Hermione said looking around.

"Yeah, my other room just wasn't big enough"

Hermione let out an accidental laugh.

"What?"

"Your room upstairs is probably twice the size of my room at school."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, and most people have to share."

"Is it school or prison?" He said sitting down on the bed. Hermione sat down next to him.

"It's school for sure. We learn a lot."

"Do you learn anything weird?"

Hermione was caught a little off guard by this question.

"What do you mean?"

"Last year when you came to visit for the summer, I saw you fix our broken fence with a stick."

Hermione started to panic. How was she going to explain that? She searched her brain frantically for something to say.

"Well you see...I'm just....amazing." She was the smartest girl at Hogwarts and yet that was all she could come up with.

"I see. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's your business."

The look on his face was so sincere. She couldn't help but smile. Hermione and Elliot had an interesting relationship. She always confided in him more than she did with Cassie. Probably because he listened carefully to everything she said. Cassie did much more talking than listening. There was always a slight undertone of lust between them, but neither of them ever acted on it. She was always at school and what would Cassie think? So they kept it friendly. At this moment though something changed. Hermione couldn't quite figure out what is was. He represented everything safe and consistent in her life. She knew that once this Summer was over she would leave with Harry to face him. And she was terrified. Just for a little while she wanted to pretend that she was a normal girl living a normal life. Just for a little while.

Elliot had noticed Hermione was turned pale and was sweating.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" His voice was filled with concern more than panic.

She tried to gather herself, bring her thoughts off the future and back to the present.

"It's nothing. I just spaced out for a minute."

"It's school. School is stressing you out. You have a tough load next year?"

"If I tell you something will you promise not to tell anyone else."

He nodded.

"I'm not going back to school next year."

"Hermione Granger dropping out of school. Impossible, you love school."

There was no going back now. She wanted to tell someone just how scared she was. She couldn't tell Ron or Harry. They would tell her not to go with them. She told him her whole story, from the day she met Harry to her decision to help him destroy the horcruxes. He remained very calm through the whole story. He nodded occasionally to show her he was still listening even if he didn't quite understand what she was talking about. She finished her story and studied his face. He looked very concerned for her. She knew he would be. They heard Cassie slam the door upstairs.

"Keep this between us?" Hermione said just as a precaution.

"Of course."

Cassie ran downstairs and told a story about the friend she had just gone to see. He broke up with her boyfriend and was very sad. The story was quite dull after the tale Hermione had just told Elliot. Hermione went home after another hour of gossip.

Hermione visited Cassie and Elliot's house everyday for the next few weeks. She gossiped with Cassie then would go discuss her future mission with Elliot. Her and Elliot got closer and closer. By the end of the summer they were the best of friends. The day before she had to go to the burrow to begin her quest, she went to say goodbye to Cassie and Elliot. He arrived at their house. Elliot was home, but Cassie was off with friends. Typical Cassie.

"Hello Elliot."

"Hey 'Mione."

He led her downstairs and they sat on his bed like they did the first day.

"You've come to say goodbye?"

"Yes, I leave for the burrow tomorrow."

"then for the horcruxes."

"then to...him"

"Everything is going to work out."

The way he said it made her believe for a moment that maybe everything would be ok. She didn't hold on to that feeling long though. Thoughts of all the battles she had endured and all the battles sure to come flooded her head. She wanted more than anything to forget about tomorrow even if it was only for a few moments. She looked up at Elliot and thought about how much she cared for him, how sweet he'd been to her this summer. He was only a foot away from. All she wanted to do was to reach and touch him. She wanted to be with him completely. She could tell he wanted the same thing too. They were staring at each other, waiting.

"Thank you." she said.

He understood.

"You're going to do great Hermione Granger. That Potter kid is lucky to have you as an ally."

They walked upstairs and to the door. She walked out and as he was closing the door she pulled out her wand and said "Obliviate" then the door clicked shut.

On the walk home Hermione thought about her decision. She had to make him forget the time he spent with her. She did not want to drag another muggle into her dangerous world. Maybe once he was dead things would be different, but for now she just couldn't. She had a job to do. Even though she was scared she needed to focus and be brave. She was close to him after a summer of talking, but being with him that night knowing that she would remember and he would not would have been unbearable. She loved him and this was the best way she could of to show it.