Chapter Two
Two Years Time

Six months earlier…

Amelia Granger had not seen her older cousin in nearly two and a half years. Once as close as sisters, the girls sat in silence, the unspoken betrayal and plea for understanding suffocating. Amelia realized that it wasn't awkward because there was so much unsaid. She knew it was awkward because it was like her cousin wasn't even in the room with her.

The two years in which they had not spoken had not faired Hermione Granger well.

The once unbearably bossy, bucktoothed, bushy haired brunette had returned out of the blue like a mere ghost of the girl Amelia had grown up with. Sure, there was much she didn't understand about her cousin's life, attending a boarding school in another country made it impossible for them to be as close as they once were. But the unexpected silence from her in the previous years had deeply wounded Amelia.

But to see Hermione now, Amelia knew it was more than the other life she had when she was away at school. What had happened? And why did the rest of the family seem oblivious?

The family had been gathered for their yearly reunion, Hermione and her parents' absence once again noticed but not unexpected. They always had kept more to themselves, the Granger's dislike of Hermione's mother had not inspired the dentists to remain terribly close. All the same, the odd couple and their even stranger daughter's avoidance of the reunion in the past few years was surprising.

So, when the door blew in, bringing with it a warm summer breeze and a ghostly Hermione Granger, the family stared in utter shock. The once out spoken, intelligent girl hovered uncertainly in the doorway, her eyes seeing but unfeeling, cold and haunted. Despite the warmth of May's summer air, the girl shivered. Her extended family remained frozen. Amelia was the first to act.

"H-hermione?" she questioned, knowing it to be her cousin but not daring to believe. The small girl took a few cautious steps toward her cousin. She approached slowly, feeling as though she was coming upon a wild animal she didn't want to frighten. Hermione fit the role of a timid animal well. She looked like one sudden movement would send her running.

When she didn't seem like she was going to run, Amelia threw her arms around Hermione. "Oh, Hermione, where have you been?"

Hermione remained silent but clung to Amelia like she never planned on letting go. She buried her face in the girl's neck and pulled her as close as possible. Amelia felt her fighting back sobs and swayed her from side to side. It felt odd to her. Hermione, two years her senior, had always been the one comforting her. It didn't feel right with the roles reversed.

Hermione felt another presence and pulled away enough to look down. Steven, Amelia's nine year old brother, gazed up at her innocently. "Hi, Minnie," he greeted happily, "I missed you. No one plays dragons with me anymore."

With a laugh that sounded dangerously like a sob, Hermione fell to her knees and tackled Steven with a hug. He patted her bushy curls clumsily and returned her hug quite contently.

"Hermione, dear, it's so good to see you," a kind faced man said softly. Hermione smiled sadly up at her favorite uncle. His wife came to his side and offered her a generous grin. "Now, let's get you fed, darling. You look starved!"

And she did. Hermione, prettier than anyone had ever expected her to be, looked as though she had missed more than a few meals.

The rest of the family had yet to react while Amelia led Hermione to the kitchen. Alone, Hermione finally spoke. "Mi, I'm so sorry," she whispered. Amelia grabbed her hand and squeezed. "I never meant to lose touch. I've missed you all this time."

"I've missed you, too. But Minnie…it's been two years. Where have you been?" she wondered, concerned that whatever her cousin had been up to was not good judging by her haggard appearance.

"Everywhere, Mi. I just-I had to stay away for a while. But, now I don't. And I didn't know where else to go," Hermione answered with a distant look in her eye. Her Uncle Amos appeared and enveloped her in a bear hug. "Well, you're always welcome here, Min."

"Oh, Uncle Amos, I've missed you so much!" Hermione cried, trying to fight back tears.

With a teasing smile, the goofy man sniffed, "Well, doesn't feel like it, love, with naught a word in these past two years, you know?"

"I know. I'm terribly sorry. The, uh, time got away from me," Hermione apologized. "And I completely forgot it was the reunion. I feel awful for intruding."

"Intruding? Min, you are family, whether you've been around or not. I'm sure you had your reasons for staying away," Auntie Amber stated warmly.

Hermione's heart swelled in love for the family she had to leave behind years ago. She knew it was for their safety, but she had adored them and it hurt to not see them.

"Are your parents coming?" Uncle Amos asked with a thinly veiled hope. His face fell at Hermione's miniscule shake of the head.

"I'm afraid they're, um, traveling abroad at the moment. The empty house was too much for me."

Uncle Amos frowned as Hermione turned away from him, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. He couldn't understand it. His vibrant niece had become a mere shell of herself. Her distant and withdrawn behavior was something he had seen before but never on an 18 year old girl. The rest of the family interrupted his thoughts, bursting into the kitchen, questions and accusations flying.

The others were less forgiving of the girl's unexplained absence and were rather put out when it continued to go unexplained. Hermione only responded with guarded and vague answers, seeming to careful gauge her words. Uncle Amos had seen such behavior before. He had seen the haunted eyes, the withdrawn behavior, the nervous shifting, as if waiting for something terrible to happen. He had seen her nearly jump through the roof when Auntie Sharon's cackling laughter cut into the quiet atmosphere. The look of terror in her eyes only held one explanation. But that explanation couldn't make any sense.

Why would his 18 year old niece be reminding him of the veterans he treated in his office day after day? Hermione looked like she had been through war. And one hell of a war at that. He kept quiet, especially when his siblings gossiped about her odd behavior and unexpected appearance. A shared glance with his daughter, Amelia, was telling him he wasn't the only one who noticed.

Amelia, sharing a hall with her cousin, woke up that night to screaming. Started out of her deep sleep, she rather thought she had just imagined it. But sitting up, she listened, just to be sure. And there it was again. Coming from across the hall. Without another thought, the 16 year old bolted out of her room and into Hermione's.

The screams were agonizing. They froze the blood in her veins, chilling her to the bone. Hermione was tangled in the sheets, thrashing about violently, screaming bloody murder. "No… Fred…Tonks…where's…Lupin…Sn-nape…Lav…" Completely lost as to what to do, she approached her warily, softly murmuring, "Shh, Hermione, it's okay. Hermione, wake up. You're having a nightmare."

Amelia gently rested her hand on Hermione's shoulder and her response was instantaneous. She bolted upright, nearly giving her a heart attack, screaming her bloody head off. Gasping for breath, she searched frantically for something until her eyes locked on the petite blonde in front of her.

"Hermione, I-" But she didn't get to finish what she was saying because she burst into tears. She threw her arms around the girl and held on for dear life. Sobs ripped through her body as she wailed, "They're dead. Merlin, th-they're all d-d-dead!"

Thoroughly freaked out, Amelia demanded, "Who's dead, Hermione? What are you talking about?"

She didn't say another word the rest of the night. Her cries eventually died out and she fell into an exhausted slumber. Amelia stayed with her, afraid to leave her alone. What the hell was going on?

In the morning, she acted as though nothing had happened. Hermione had seemed confused to find her cousin in her bed when she woke but only offered a small smile in acknowledgement. Amelia was dying to know what she had been talking about but had no desire to push her.

The days following Hermione's arrival consisted of valiant efforts on Amos' and Amelia's behalf trying to keep the family under control around the prodigal Hermione. Amelia did all she could to comfort Hermione and to open her up. Hardly any words escaped her cousin's lips, however, and her concern grew.

The constant barbs from the less than supportive family were not helping. Hermione knew her behavior was not exactly pleasant. She was acting as though someone had died. And well, so many had died. So many. But how was she to explain such a thing? It only isolated her more. She felt she was suffocating. So many deaths, so many tragedies. And nowhere to go. No way to understand, no way to be understood. She was struggling to keep it together as it was.

At last, the traditional, all out Granger meal was set to take place. With over 15 members present, the household was buzzing around Hermione. She was numb to it all. Unbeknownst to them, the Gryffindor was planning a silent departure in the middle of the night. Staying put did not seem to be helping, so why not run some more?

"Oh, dears, would you mind setting the table?" Auntie Amber requested sweetly as she entered the room. Hermione trailed after, shoulders hunched, arms wrapped around her stomach as if to keep herself from falling apart at the seams. Amelia bit her lip and handed Hermione the plates. Slender, pale fingers grasped them and shakily set them down. She pretended not to see how empty Hermione's hazel eyes were.

Uncle Bill and Auntie Sharon arrived, as usual, right in time for dinner. Their 17 year old twin daughters, Anna and Lisa, sat at the table, lips curled in distaste at their surroundings. Auntie Emma's son and daughter took their seats across from them and launched into a conversation that was terribly one sided on their part.

Amelia watched Hermione from the corner of her eye as she took a seat beside her.

"Hermione, aren't you hungry?" Auntie Sharon questioned.

Hermione jumped at her voice, startled to be addressed. In a small voice, she answered, "Oh, I suppose I just don't have much of an appetite tonight."

"Well," scoffed Auntie Sharon, "I daresay you could do with some food. You're a walking skeleton. Have you become anorexic? So much can happen in two years without any word, you know?"

Amelia's blood boiled.

"Not anorexic, Auntie Sharon, I promise."

She couldn't help but worry, though. Hermione was terribly skinny. Her face was drawn and pale and had hardly eaten anything since her sudden arrival.

"So, Hermione, do tell us. What have you been up to? We're all terribly curious," Lisa insisted with a smirk.

Hermione visibly paled and Amelia noticed her wringing her hands under the table. She was looking everywhere but them. She cleared her throat. "I, um, I've been finishing my studies. And-and getting some hands on experience."

"In what?"

Amos closely watched her formulate a response. "Um, well, r-research and it's, um, implementation, I suppose," she stuttered.

Anna frowned. "How dull. Though, being the bookworm you are, I guess I'm not surprised you'd have such a boring job."

For the first time, the corners of Hermione's lips twitched upwards. With the tiniest, most wistful smile, Hermione calmly said, "Oh, it was anything but dull, I can assure you."

"Whatever you say," Anna scoffed, waving her cousin's words away.

Her grandmother finally stop scrutinizing the girl and asked, "Well, Hermione, certainly there's a man in your life by now. You're not getting any younger, after all."

The weak smile on her lips vanished completely. The color drained from her face so rapidly that Amelia and Amos shared a worried glance. The girl beside her was frozen.

"Ha!" Lisa snorted. "As if someone from that snooty boarding school would be into her."

Hermione jumped up suddenly, startling everyone at the table into silence. Hazel eyes that cried despair were brimming with unshed tears. "I-I'm sorry," she choked out. "P-please excuse me." And without another word, Hermione bolted from the table.

"What a freak," Anna admonished, shaking her head. Lisa agreed as her parents tutted disparaging things about their niece.

No one chased after her. Either because they weren't particularly fussed by her sudden exit or they figured she needed some time. By the time the food was finally served, Hermione slid back into the room and wordlessly took a seat.

"Are you quite done with your dramatics, girl?" her grandfather demanded disapprovingly.

"Y-yes," Hermione whispered.

Her grandmother frowned at her, displeased by her disheveled state. It was obvious to everyone that Hermione had just had herself a good cry. Her cheeks were tear stained, her eyes puffy. The brunette wiped the corner of her eye with the end of her sleeve. "What's the matter with you? I asked a simple question. It's the least you could do to answer after ignoring us the past two years."

"Oh, Nana, isn't it obvious why she's upset? Clearly whoever was dumb enough to date her just dumped her sorry self," Anna explained as if it were obvious. Her grandmother nodded at the explanation.

Amelia watched Hermione carefully. She was absent mindedly rubbing the locket around her neck. She had admired the dragon pendant with awe when she first caught sight of it. She had a sneaking suspicion that the emerald egg the dragon was protecting was in fact a real emerald, though she couldn't say why.

Drawing a shaky breath, Hermione spoke up on her behalf. "While that is an understandable theory, Anna, I'm afraid it's not quite accurate."

"Oh yeah?" she challenged. "Then where is he? If he hadn't dumped you, why wouldn't he be here with you?"

Hermione squeezed the dragon pendant like it were a lifeline, closing her eyes for a brief moment. A single tear slid down her cheek. "I wasn't dating anyone," she murmured mournfully, "but it's just...I l-lost my b-best friend only a month ago. It's been hard accepting that he's gone."

The silence following her statement was deafening in the way that only the absence of sound could be.

Hermione cleared her throat. Her voice wavering as she tried to sound strong, she said, "Now, if you'll forgive me, I'd rather not talk about it."

No one had the heart to say anything negative for once. Amos, hating to know his sweet niece had lost someone so dear to her, he was pleased that at least his family had stopped harassing her.

They mostly ignored her through the rest of the meal. She had retreated into herself again, worse than she had in the three weeks she had been staying with them. Maybe the admission of her lost friend was too much for her to handle.

"Does anyone want any more tea?" Hermione questioned in a flat voice. She received several 'no's' and wandered into the kitchen. The table collectively let out the breath they had been holding in.

"Well, at least that somewhat explains why she's acted like a zombie since she's returned," Lisa observed coldly. Amelia silenced her with a fierce glare.

Nothing could've prepared the arguing Grangers for what was to come.

The table was once again silenced. Only this time, it was the door blowing in and the arrival of a tall, blonde stranger that froze them.

A/N: I'd ask you to guess the 'stranger' but I think the story's description rather gives it away. Still, I hope you like it, let me know if you do! :)