Chapter Two
Hermione rose early the next morning. She gently walked around Ginny who was sleeping on the cot on the floor. She reached into her expanded purse and pulled out clothes. She would need newer thing when she gets back to her home after she restores her parents memories. She put her new clothes on and walked downstairs to make tea. She saw Harry sitting on the kitchen table with his head in his hands.
"Harry," She said carefully. He lifted his head and faked a smile. Hermione could tell that he had been crying.
"Oh Harry," She through her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. She felt him cry into the hug. She wanted to apologize but those words seemed so mocking and meaningless so she just let him cry. It's hard to cry to your significant other even though they should be your main source of care. You don't want to add to their struggles. Hermione understood that and there is some care than only friends can provide. She had an even better understanding of that. He pulled back.
"I'm going to make tea," She spoke while giving him a warming smile.
"Perfect," He said weakly.
"How long have you been awake?" She asked as she heated the water with her wand.
"I never went to sleep," He let out an empty chuckle.
"Are you taking care of the new house today?" She poured the tea into two cups.
"I'm going to try. I'm not sure of the incantations and I'm sure you know more about it," He blew on his tea and sipped.
"Why don't you and Ginny go back and help at Hogwarts? You might be more useful there. You're not so domestic, Harry, and neither is Ginny," She laughed and sipped her tea, sitting down next to Harry.
"Who is going to take care of the new home?"
"Ron and I will when we get back. We will be quick," Harry turned to face her.
"Why? Don't you miss your parents?" Hermione looked out the window across the kitchen.
"I miss them terribly but even when I restore their memory I will no longer be apart of their life. I am grown now and they have been for a while. There are people that need me more than them and there are people here that I need more than them," She sipped her tea like she had though about this a lot.
"Hey," Ginny slipped into the kitchen and sat next to Harry, kissing him on the cheek.
"Ron and I are going to have to leave soon. We'll be back soon," She hugged Harry and Ginny.
Hermione ran upstairs and knocked on Harry's bedroom door, expecting an answer from Ron. She heard nothing. She knocked again.
"Ronald!" She half whispered half yelled. Still no answer. She pulled her wand out of her pocket and unlocked the door. When she walked in she saw Ron stirring in his sleep, sweat dripping down his forehead. Hermione rushed to the foot of his bed and pulled on his leg.
"Ronald wake up!" He kept stirring and he didn't wake up. She moved forward and pushed stomach in. "Ronald!" He still kept stirring. Finally she grabbed the glass of water by his bed and threw it on his face. Ron shot up.
He looked terrified for a brief moment but saw Hermione and his face softened.
"What was that about?" She asked taking his hand in hers.
"Nothing…" He trailed off and got out of bed. "Did you bring my clothes?" Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out clothes for Ron. She looked at him worriedly.
"You can talk to me, Ronald," She reached for his hand and squeezed it. Ron leaned down and kissed Hermione softly.
"I'll be ready in 10 minutes. Transcontinental apparation is very difficult, I've heard you say," Hermione smiled very wide at this.
"I have said that. Brilliant, Ronald," She pulled him down to sit with her.
"Always a tone of surprise," He kissed her nose.
"I was thinking we could go separately. I could tell you exactly where we are going and we could meet there. Does that sound okay?"
Ron nodded his head at this. Hermione told him exactly where they were to meet and they both disapparated.
Ginny and Harry appeared on the Hogwarts grounds. It was looking extremely better than it was the day before but it was still pretty torn up. Harry and Ginny separated hands at they walked through the entrance hall.
Professor McGonagall met them at the entrance, "Mr. Potter and Ms. Weasley! I wasn't expecting to see you until after I sent an owl. I was just about to anyways! I need you guys to help me with something," Professor McGonagall ushered them into an office up the stairs opposite the Great Hall.
"I need you guys to retrieve all of the subjects in the portraits and get the students belongings out of the dorms and into the Great Hall. I will also need you to tidy up the dorms. Both the general dorms and the Head Boy and Girl dorms. Off you go," She shuffled them out of the office.
Harry and Ginny made their way around the castle decided to go to the Hufflepuff portrait first.
"Harry, don't you think the sorting system is a little outdated?" Ginny questioned, tipping a portrait so the subjects fell into place.
"Lemon drop," Harry had changed all the passwords to match Dumbledore's original password. "What do you mean, Gin?" He grabbed her hand and helped her through the portrait hole.
"I mean like maybe if we resorted, say in the fourth year, things would be different. Like maybe Malfoy would've been re-sorted into a diff-"
"Ginny!" Harry cut her off. He had trouble hearing his name. Ginny took her hand out of his and looked at him.
"Harry, you know what I mean. It had nothing to do with him personally. I wasn't talking about him just about him," Harry wiped his eyes.
"Let's just get to work, Ginny," Ginny and Harry went into the boys and girls dormitories respectively.
"Hermione!" Ron shouted when he landed in the field. He heard a female cry and started running as fast as he could towards it.
"Ron!" He heard mixed in with the whimpering's. He ran faster until he came upon a girl crying on the ground, clutching her leg. He crouched down next to her and kissed her forehead, reaching into her bag and looking for the dittany. He found it and put a drop on her leg. She screamed in pain and he started to tear up. He put another drop on her leg and she screamed louder. He grabbed her head and supported it with his hands, kissing her head repeatedly.
"It's almost over, 'Mione, I promise! Just please stay with me please!" He kissed her head again. Greenish smoke billowed upward and when it has cleared, Ron saw that the bleeding had stopped. The blood on the pant leg cleared and her crying ceased. He lifted her to hold her while sitting on the ground, still kissing her head furiously.
"Ronald, you're going to give me a concussion," She laughed faintly and Ron's tears started clearing up. "We use muggle methods with your parents, 'Mione," She laughed and tried to get up.
"Bloody Hell!" She said as she felt back down.
"Hermione! Language!" They both laughed as Ron got down with her.
"Still a little tense I suppose. Dittany only goes so far," Hermione started spitting out fast and Ron didn't listen.
"You'll just have to let me do the work, Hermione. You can get on my back while we walk to the home. You said it's not that far away from here?" Hermione nodded.
"Yes, it's those homes right over there I believe. I sent them to a very specific address so I could find them again easily," She climbed on Ron's back and Ron set out to the house.
"Professor, may I speak to you for a second?" Ginny shut the door behind her. Harry was still in the Gryffindor common room, being nostalgic over times past.
"Of course, Ms. Weasley," Professor McGonagall sat down and motioned for Ginny to do the same.
"I was thinking about the sorting system and-" Professor McGonagall put her hand up.
"Say no more, I was thinking the same thing! When do you think we should re-sort? You're a student, I think you may have some valuable insight," Professor McGonagall poured both her and Ginny tea.
"Fourth year, maybe? I don't know. Some people aren't going to be happy about it but I just think that the brain has time to develop and mature. Don't you think that will make the difference? Maybe fixing some stereotypes?" She sipped her tea.
"Fourth year. That sound's wonderful! I'm assuming you and Mr. Potter will be returning?" McGonagall questioned.
"Of course! Can't risk another year without quidditch!" Ginny said standing up. "I'm going to go find Harry and we better get going back to the—erm—place we're staying?" She said it in a questioning tone. She didn't want to call it home because it wasn't. It was Harry's former home and it never was her home. It felt very cold in there and unwelcoming. Harry was starting to feel cold and unwelcoming, too. Ginny knew she had to just be patient with him but she though maybe he would be a little more- she didn't quite know what she thought he would be but it definitely wasn't this cold and distant.
Ron set Hermione down at the door and she began exaggerating her limp, just as they had discussed. Ron knocked at the door and held Hermione under his arm. Hermione's mom opened the door.
"May I help you?" She asked, looking worried at the two children that were standing outside her front door.
"Please, ma'am. My—um- friend and I got into an accident and we need a place to get help—"
"To call someone!" Hermione interjected frantically. Her mom let them in immediately. Hermione looked very sad and longing towards her parents.
"I'm going to the restroom to clean myself up. Ronald, can you wait until I get back to call my – parents?" She said it with strain in her eyes. Hermione left to the bathroom. Her dad walked into the room and sat with his wife. Hermione peered around the corner and pointed her wand at her parents. She whispered the incantation and her parents shot out of their seats. Hermione walked around the corner and stared at them.
"Hermione! Where have you been?" Her parent's embraced her. Hermione spent an hour telling them everything and reintroducing them to Ron.
"Mr. Granger? May I speak to you for a moment, sir?" Ron was shaking to the core. Mr. Granger got up and motioned for him to go to the kitchen. Ron stumbled on his words.
"I didn't know I was – um—going to erm do this right now, or – erm—today I suppose or maybe this soon even but um I think that," Mr. Granger put his hand on Ron's shoulder and smiled at him.
"Go ahead, my boy," He smiled harder.
"Well, I love your daughter, sir. I haven't told her exactly that yet but I'm pretty sure she knows it. I try very hard to make sure she knows, at least. And I don't have a lot of money and I know I'm pretty young but when she's ready I would like permission to ask for her to marry me. If that's okay with you, sir?" Ron looked down at his feet, surprised that the words came out of his mouth.
"What about when you're ready, Ron? You spoke about me and my daughter, but what about you?"
Ron looked up and made full eye contact with Mr. Granger for the first time in this conversation. "Sir, I was ready from the first moment I saw her. You have wonderful—erm—offspring?" Mr. Granger laughed so loudly Hermione came around the corner, looking worried.
"Is everything okay?" Hermione was still limping but it wasn't as bad.
"Yes, Ron was just asking me…" Ron's heart stopped. He wouldn't tell her, would he? "…about what you were like as a kid," Ron smiled so wide at that. He wanted to know exactly what she was like as a kid.
Hermione blushed "I'm assuming she was quoted textbooks by the time she was three?" Ron questioned, winking at Hermione.
"Oh, my boy, you know her so well!" They shared another laugh.
Ron, Hermione, and the rest of her family took a plane ride. Ron was so intrigued and scared. Hermione held his hand the entire flight and even though she wanted to sleep so desperately, she vowed to stay awake with Ron. She would always stay awake with Ron when he needed it, no matter what it meant for her.