Chapter 2:

On Sunday, Harry dropped by Gringotts. After the end of the war with most of the goblins dead at the hands of Voldemort, the building had been given up to a tribe of dwarves.

The building by the looks of it had very little improvements done with it's interior and remained in much of the ruin it had been when he and his friends had broken into Gringotts.

"Can I help you?" A short stout man with long orange hair and a long bushy beard said from behind one of the goblin's desks.

"I was wondering if I still had access to my vault here?" Harry asked.

"What's your vault number?" He asked.

Harry immediately told them the number.

"Do you have the key to your vault?"

Harry handed them his key. Professor McGonagall had given it to him after the war.

One of the other dwarves took him to his vault.

"How much would you like to take out, Mr Potter?"

"Everything."

On Friday, he had Professor Flitwick help him conjure an extendable bag to hold his money in. He wanted to buy a home near the beach something like Shell Cottage, a place he could get away.

Harry set the extendable bag on the floor and opened it wide as the dwarf began to shovel the money in the bag.

"What about the grimoires and the portraits?"

"I'll take those as well."

After he had emptied his vaults he hadn't turned back as it would be the last time he ever stopped by Gringotts.

It was several weeks later after going through the housing columns of the Quibbler that Harry had finally found a home near a secluded beach.

The house was empty for the most part having a large garage and a large living room interior combined with the kitchen. It seemed to have formerly been home to a large private business as it had a hallway with approximately 8 rooms on both sides.

It was fine for right now though, he'd adjust it to his needs later. He had already paid for the building upfront with more than 300,000 galleons. It seemed that witches and wizards were very good at muggle real estate, Harry thought.

With the long day taking it's toll on Harry, he moved into one of the rooms in the hallway and removed several knuts from his extendable bag transfiguring them into a bed, blankets and a pillow and made himself at home.

HPHG

For the rest of the week, Harry bought new things for his home. During this time, Ginny approached Hermione to talk with her.

"So how is it between you and Harry?" Hermione asked.

"He doesn't want to get back together if that's what you want to know."

"Really?"

"You seem very happy about that." Ginny accused.

Hermione's face was flush red.

"What are you talking about? We are just-"

"Don't you dare say it. Don't tell me that your relationship is a brother/sister relationship. I would hardly embrace Ron like you do Harry."

"Really, I don't see Harry like that."

"Don't treat me like a fool. I mean you're shaking, like you're nervous? Were you trying to keep it a secret from me?" Ginny asked. "I would have found out eventually. I thought you were my friend and you were intending on keeping this secret from me?"

"You're wrong. I don't love him."

"Do you know how childish you sound right now? You're pathetic. You told me about how much Ron was a coward for turning you over with a blind eye but you're not even upfront with your feelings." Ginny said. "You may have the advantage of knowing some things about him but you don't even know Harry at all."

Observing him from a distance, Ginny had often sensed that something was wrong with Harry. Now that he had told her about his therapy sessions with the Dursleys there was no doubt in her mind that he hadn't exactly been happy with them and it made sense that Harry would have more deeply embedded emotional scars because of it if what Ron had told her was true.

"You're right. Perhaps I don't understand him more emotionally but I'd like to."

Ginny felt very sorry for her. She must have felt so helpless not being able to help Harry as efficiently as she would have liked.

From the looks of it, Harry already had his share of the burden with the amount of things he had subconsciously blocked with eagerness to protect himself. Perhaps he didn't want to think that his lack of efforts would cause the world's death because that burden was too stressful to bear.

Rita Skeeter had certainly did a good job marring his pride that he had contemplated telling the Wizarding World to screw themselves.

At the time, Ginny had heard about Skeeter she had been shocked by Harry's proclamation but now it certainly made sense.

A small part of her even then had expected Harry to shoulder this burden of the dark lord. She had been expecting him to be her saviour as Ron and Hermione had.

Everyone had been guilty. Harry had told her all about what had happened while the three had been gathering horcruxes.

Ron had been irritable much like any other human being. This had been enhanced solely because he was wearing that horcrux locket.

Harry had told her that he had respected Ron for being so blunt with him. At the time he had assumed he had desired Hermione's flattering lies but he had told her that looking back on it he had been upfront with him while she hadn't.

He told Ginny that he had gained a new respect for Ron because of it.

"I've always been expected to become a saviour since the moment I was born. After Ron had told me the truth I thought that I had been betrayed at first until he came back. It was then that I realised that it didn't matter what he thought because even if he thought that he must have liked me anyway if he returned."

"Yes, because Harry needs someone who he could lean on as an emotional crutch." Ginny said, hoping she was doing the right thing by giving advice to her rival in this love triangle.

"Sometimes I'm quite envious of you, Ginny."

Ginny blushed.

"Why?"

"You're very blunt about your feelings. You tell people about what you feel." Hermione explained. "There are times I feel that if I took the time to tell people how I really feel they wouldn't even listen. Does it seem so selfish to desire that people listen to me instead of tuning me out?"

"I remember that one story from the Tales of Beedle the Bard, 'The Wizard and the Hopping Pot'. Mum used to theorise that the father left his son that pot to teach him the virtue in good will. I always wondered what he had expected to receive from his father but the thing is the whole purpose of the story was the son giving to people not receiving things from other people. There are conditions where only good will would certainly help. Perhaps instead of preaching perhaps you might try listening every once and a while."

Hermione seemed to contemplate this. Looking back she had been very selfish always reprimanding the world for demanding her help with things. She had thought Harry had wanted her help not her sympathy. With this revelation came the desire to know more about Harry.

"Thanks, I'll try that." She said.

Ginny saw that she wore a smile on her face.

HPHG

It was later that same week that news had gone about that some death eaters were still lying about.

Professor McGonagall had expressed concerns that Harry and his friends might be in danger but at this time Harry had his own unplottable place and Hermione was staying at the Weasleys.

She had dropped by the Weasleys to tell them the horrible news and Molly seemed to have big concerns about it.

Ron came downstairs the next morning beside Hermione.

At the look of Molly's dire face, Hermione grew worried.

"What's the matter?"

"It would seem that the war isn't over." Molly said gravely. "We can hide but it will only be a matter of time before they kill us."

Hermione figured the toll of war must have hit her hardest since her family contributed a lot in the war. Her eldest son had his scars from the war, one of her twin sons was dead, and her youngest son and daughter were nearly killed.

Ron voiced her worries out loud.

"It would be naïve to think that the death eaters would stop after their leader is gone wouldn't it?" He asked shakily.

Hermione glanced at the clock that showed where the Weasleys were at all times. All the Weasleys were marked on 'Grave Peril', Harry was the only one that was marked as 'safe'.

He had been dubbed a Weasley since their second year at Hogwarts.

"We should live life to our fullest." Molly said. "Your father and I would support your marriage should you decide you want to marry our son."

Hermione's eyes widened.

"I've even did the honour of filling our your marriage contracts for you."

Ron's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Marriage contracts are easy to come by."

"Are you crazy?" Ron asked. "How could you give up hope so easy? Do you think my last dying wish is being obligated to stay with Hermione forever?"

It seemed the thought hadn't crossed Molly's mind.

"What if Hermione desires someone else? I'll practically be forcing myself upon her just to satisfy my selfish desires. She might even break up with me someday. I don't want to take that freedom from her and ask her to marry me."

"Son, you're surely not in your right mind." Molly said grabbing his shoulder and looking in his eyes.

Ron was a bit frightened by the haggard look of her face. Her eyelids were sagging, her eyes were bloodshot and her face was sunken. He wondered if she was alright and worried about her sanity.

"Me, take a good look in the mirror mum."

"Are you certain you're all right? Your girlfriend might be a harpy trying to brainwash you. What if she was preventing you from being happy."

"Enough." Hermione snapped. She was getting a little creeped out by Molly's persistence. The news of the death eaters must have brought up paranoid thoughts. It toll seemed to beat down hard on Molly's psych.

The war it seemed hadn't faded away from her mind.

Hermione grabbed Ron by the arm and dragged him away.

"Where are you taking my son?"

"Away."

"It isn't safe out there?"

For the sake of her sanity, Hermione decided to ignore her. She didn't want to think that Molly might have taken a walk off the deep end.

With everything that had gone on, Hermione hadn't expected Molly to go on the deep end. Thinking about it her nights were probably plagued with nightmares of her son's corpse. With every nightmare she had slowly lost her mind.

"Are you scared, Hermione?" Ron asked her.

Hermione had given herself a lot of credit for looking calm in a situation like this. She had never thought she would be afraid of Ron's mother.

"You'll be with me no matter what?" She asked, suddenly feeling very insecure.

Ron noted that she had bit her bottom lip when feeling particularly nervous.

"Sure."

Hermione of course knew it was half-hearted at best. Ron never thought through his answers carefully.

"No matter what happens. It'll be alright? You'll be there with us no matter what?" She asked softly.

"We're going to Harry's?"

"Yes."

"Harry's my friend, Hermione. I love you both like my close friends. If it really matters to you, I'd stay with you forever."

Hermione cried inwardly because she knew his words were genuine. It didn't matter though because in her heart she had always denied the horrid truth. She had denied she loved Harry and it became apparent that she was a fool thinking that it was nothing more than friendship. It had been foolish of her to allow Ron into her life.

Like a stupid romance novel with those stupid love triangles where the woman always winds up inducing drama between the good looking guy and the friendly guy, she had stupidly created this nasty love triangle denying her feelings to begin with.

If she were any stupider she would have fallen for a guy who hadn't been upfront with her about his feelings to begin with but luckily Harry was no such guy. Ron had told her that Harry had immensely disliked her and had addressed his reasons with much clarity and certainty, he didn't love her. He often found that she was always very confrontational and persistently naggy. He had told him he couldn't imagine himself ever liking Hermione more than his sister.

'Girls like you are definitely not his type.' Ron said at the time. He had been highly amused but that had been before they had gone on that mission to destroy the horcruxes.

HPHG

Hermione looked at the building on the edge of the beach. It stood there near the edge of the cliff and looked like the business-like buildings in London.

Ron knocked on the door.

Harry opened the door.

"Oh, it's you two."

Ron and Hermione walked inside.

"Wow Harry, your place is huge." Ron said.

"I've been trying to figure out what to do with this place. It looks like one of those buildings used so that some muggle business could thrive."

"That's the same idea I had."

"Why are you two here?" Harry asked.

"My mum has gone off the deep end. Can you believe she tried to marry us off?"

Harry looked at Ron then at Hermione.

"What so wrong about it? The two of you look cute together."

Hermione gave Harry a funny look.

Harry looked away irritated by her scrutiny. He hated her pitiful glances. It was as if she were expecting him to see sense out of something obvious, out of what though Harry couldn't even comprehend.

"What's wrong about it? There is plenty wrong about it. How would you feel being forced into a marriage even with someone you love or learn to love? Knowing you, you wouldn't like it at all."

Harry sighed. What Ron said was true but he always thought that their love was so genuine.

He got up from the floor and showed the two to one of the spare rooms in the hallway.

When Harry had finally left them along, Hermione sat quietly. How could she tell Ron that she wanted to break up with him...that her heart belonged to someone else?

"Hermione, is something wrong?"

Hermione looked up and was bewildered by Ron's blue eyes. There was a combination of enticement and fear.

What would he say to her? Would he scorn her? Would he abandon her?

She was silent, her voice lodged in her throat.

"Hermione, it's alright you can tell me. I'm not going to abandon you."

Hermione finally gathered her courage.

"I've been lying to you. Most importantly I've been lying to myself."

Ron's eyes lit up with encouragement.

"I wanted to deny it, I wanted to tell you that my heart belonged to you but that would be a lie. Truth is, I love Harry."

Ron was stunned, speechless. All this time, he knew she loved Harry but he hadn't expected her to admit it.

"Throughout our relationship why did you ever feel the need to keep it a secret. You two weren't having it when I wasn't looking were you?" Ron asked angrily.

"Of course not." Hermione protested with distraught. "Harry doesn't have feelings for me."

"Yes, he was quite blunt about that." Ron said before chuckling wholeheartedly.

"I broke up because I can no longer sit back and allow my heart to betray you."

Ron sighed.

"Y'know I have a newfound respect for you Hermione. Every time we insulted one another, I remember we'd always leave to sulk in our little corners. You never told me when you were upset."

"Neither did you."

"I would have liked to comfort you if I had known what was wrong."

"I would have liked that." Hermione admitted with a smile on her face.

"Oh, you wouldn't have protested that the thought of touching someone so vile and mean was an insult to yourself as a woman?" Ron inquired cockily.

Hermione remembered calling Ron often calling Ron by these insults whenever they had their little anger spats.

"No, at least not at this point."

"When are you going to tell him?"

"Probably never."

Ron immediately got to his feet.

"Ron?"

Ron grabbed her and pulled her over his shoulder carrying her as if she were a sack of flour.

"Ron, let me go."

"Nope."

He opened the door and headed to the living room quarters to find Harry was lying on a bed near the window.

"Harry, Hermione has something she wants to tell you." Ron said before he set Hermione down so she was standing in front of him.

"What is it, Hermione?"

Hermione was speechless, Ron used his elbow to bump her on the shoulder. She turned to smack him.

"What was that for?" Ron asked defensively.

Hermione glared at him before she faced Harry.

"I like you. I love you. I can't go on denying it anymore. You say you only see me like a sister and I wanted to believe I saw you as a brother but you are much more than that to me."

Harry sat up and looked at her with surprise.

"Hermione, are you alright?"

She scoffed.

"A woman declares that she loves you and the first question you ask is if she's alright?" Ron asked incredulously. "She's clearly sick and distraught if she loves a naïve fool like you."

"Not funny." Harry said sternly.

"If you want to see it as a joke fine but it's what I feel." She said. "I know more than likely you'll refuse but can you please give me a chance to prove myself to you. Maybe over time you might grow to love me."

Harry sighed in defeat.

"Alright."