Chapter 2.
"'Mione, come in!" Hermione's glasses clad best friend opened the door and greeted her. "Hi Harry." she hugged him, looking over his shoulder at Ginny coming into the room, picking a blue-haired Teddy off the floor and placing him on her hip. "Ginny..." Hermione smiled as she looked at her best girl friend. ""Well, I see you two have been busy." Hermione mentioned, slyly, throwing a wink at Harry, who blushed. Ginny self-consciously put a hand on her swollen belly and smiled brilliantly. Hermione kissed little Teddy's forehead before he pulled away, looking confused. "It's been 2 years." she shrugged. Ginny and Harry smiled sadly at her. They both knew the struggle Hermione was going through over Ron's death was very different from their own . Sure, they had both loved Ron, but not the way Hermione did. He had made her laugh. He was the perfect balance for her. He made her laugh, he protected her, he made her feel special. He loved her. Through her stubbornness, bossiness, strict dedication to her schoolwork, and the tough time the trio went through together, he cared for her. Hermione missed that in her life.
"I hope the room is big enough, Hermione. There is a small bathroom adjacent to your bed room. It has a tub and all. So you won't have to wander out into the hallway after you're done." Ginny smiled at her as Hermione placed her trunk at the foot of the full sized bed. "It's lovely, Gin. Thank you." Ginny nodded, then headed downstairs to finish making dinner. Hermione sat down on the bed and gazed around her. The walls were tinted a light green, with white trim. The down comforter on her bed was also white, but had gold-colored thread that held it together. Hermione felt like she stood out in the room, even though she was alone. With her bushy brown hair and bright red scarf. Actually, her hair wasn't as bad as it was in 1st, through 5th year. It had tamed it's way down a little. Now it was mostly large, teased curls that hung past her shoulders. She took another look around her, before she shedded her clothing and hopped in the shower to put off unpacking.
The water felt wonderful as if washed off the remains of her journey. She had taken the Knight Buss, instead of the much more dangerous alternative of flying on a broom. Which she didn't own anyway. She combed out any loose bobby pins in her wet hair and began to take a washcloth to her soaped up skin. Gently, she washed her entire body before coming to her left arm. She traced the two-year-old slur on her arm. Now a red, screaming scar against her milky white skin. Mudblood it seemed to scream at her. A face flashed into her mind. And it wasn't the giver of the scar's. It was the face of a sad man, standing off in a dark corner on the same night she received her label. His white blond hair stood out against the dark walls of Malfoy Manor. The only thing of color on him was his eyes. Red from what could have been crying. His normal smirk was pulled back into his face that now looked like a grimace. His red eyes looked full of regret.
A knock on the bathroom door brought her out of trance. "Hermione? Are you in there?" Ginny Potter's voiced called from the other side. Hermione shook her head and splashed a little water on her face. "Yeah." she murmured, wondering if it was loud enough for Ginny to hear. "Okay, take your time. I was just coming to tell you that dinner is ready." "Thank you, Gin. I'll be down in a minute." Hermione answered, turning off the water and reached for her towel.
Hermione came downstairs in a red flannel shirt and black skinny jeans, her damp hair pulled up into a ponytail on her head.
Ginny and Harry were sitting at the table, trying to coax Teddy to eat instead of changing his hair purple. Harry looked up and patted the chair across from Teddy. "How have you been?" Harry asked, turning his attention away from Teddy for the moment. Hermione shrugged and forced out a smile, "Well, I found out that you're put on a waiting list if you want to be a Healer at St. Mungo's, so I'm waiting. I've kept busy. A few tutoring lesson's here and there. Mostly for squibs and Hogwarts prep students. Anything really to keep my mind off of-" here she stopped at the sad look Harry gave her. So she just shrugged and poked her food with her fork. "I bet you're a wonderful teacher, Hermione. Are you sure you don't want to be a Hogwarts professor?" Ginny asked, laying a napkin on her lap. Hermione smiled and shook her head. "I thought about it, but decided that I couldn't go back there. Not for awhile anyway. Besides, I don't think I'm quite cut out for teaching." Herimone looked at Harry and Ginny before scooping up a mouth of salad and gobbling it down. "Well, I think you'll find enough to amuse your around here." Harry smiled, and they were quiet for the rest of the meal.