The next morning, I sit at my desk in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, absentmindedly fiddling with the ring on my finger.
"Maam?" says Lillian, my secretary, appearing at the doorway to my office . "Mr Potter, from the auror department wishes to speak with you."
I honestly don't understand why she is so formal when it comes to Harry, Ron, or even Ginny for that matter.
"Tell him to walk right in." I reply.
She goes, and I hear her conversing with someone, obviously Harry, and a moment later, Harry Potter enters my office with a huge grin on his face.
"Hermione! Ron told me about you two, I just wanted to stop by and congratulate you. Is that the ring? Wow, never knew Ron, out of all people, had a good taste in jewelry."
"Well, it just so happens that he does. How about you? I think a pink diamond would look nice on Ginny's finger, don't you think?"
"What-what are you talking about?" Harry stutters nervously.
"You've been dating for-what? 7 years now? Not to be nosy, but out of curiosity, when will you pop the question? I mean, you guys are sharing a flat, you are head of the auror department, Ginny's a leading journalist..."
"Ok ok, I get the point! I have been thinking about it though...but, on a completely different topic-"
Harry is cut off by a particularly violent ministry memo viciously attacking his head, messing up his raven hair.
"Ow! Ow! " He yells, grabbing the paper and wrenching it open. As his eyes travel down the page, his expression grows alarmed.
"Sorry, Hermione, I have to go. Some Ex-Death Eaters causing some trouble at Knockturn Alley."
"No problem, I, too have some paperwork to catch up on, go ahead."
Harry nods and leaves my office, muttering under his breath.
The rest of the day passes normally, and at the end of it, as I am packing my bag, I hear a knock on my door.
"Come in!" I call out, and in enters Ron. I smile."Hey." I say.
"Hi, are you done?" he asks.
"Just about. Shall we go?"
As we walk out of the ministry entrance. he strikes up a conversation.
"So, when do you want to hold the wedding? I was thinking around 5 months from now, in spring."
"Spring sounds fine. So, you told Harry?"
"Yes, did you meet him?"
"He stopped by. So, what about Mr and Mrs Weasley? How did they react?"
"They were ecstatic, of course. But, it did raise a question. Who's going to give you away..." he trails off, biting his lip.
I think he realised that my parents are a sensitive topic. I still remember the incident as if it were only yesterday. I remember pointing my wand at them, saying that one word 'obliviate' ,first my mother, then my father. I still remember their expressions before I did it, so desperate, so unwilling. Telling them to move to Australia, making them forget about me...it was the hardest thing I have ever done. However, along with my job at the ministry with my long term ambition of Minister, I have taken on a seperate project- fing them , and then restoring their memories. Hopefully, I'll be able to find them before the wedding. I haven't told antone about this- people would just ecourage me, get my hopes up. It would just make the fall harder if I don't succeed. But, I have been making progress. I have narrowed down my parent's location, and I'm really close to developing a spell to restore their memories. So I say "I don't want to talk about it."
We spend the rest of the evening at Ron's apartment, just talking and eating treacle tarts. It could be perfect; if only my parents are here.
"I don't want to talk about it."