DISCLAIMER: Not my world. Not my living. You know that.

A/N: I sense some of you want me to cut to the chase and give you either the juicy details or the "Happily Ever After" bit. This is a journey. While it begins in a present, it looks into two troubled pasts and explains how these two main characters journeyed from there to here. I've had loads of fun (for me) on this journey and am now writing the later chapters (much more fluffy, but still with "new" issues as things come together).

Both main characters must go through a lot before they reach New York and then, in the later chapters I'm writing move beyond, and by going through their journeys they are finally ready for their futures.

Life is not a bed of roses. To truly appreciate the beauty of the dawn, one must first suffer through the darkness of the night.

One reviewer has already picked up on a major plot point. If you are into redheads (one in particular - and no more hints on this) - stand by for heavy rolls in later chapters!

This next chapter begins my musings on the greatest story not told in canon: Hermione's search for her parents after the war.

CHAPTER FOUR

SATURDAY - JUNE 17, 2006 - NEW YORK CITY, N.Y.

"You knew Lavender was pregnant before you left," Harry said.

"Sorry, forgot."

"What's worse is while he was cheating on you with Lav, he was also cheating on her. For all I know, he still is. But unlike you, Lav was a bit of a doormat. The gossip is he has several 'love children' out there."

"You're kidding!"

"It's true. Or at least it's true that there's a rumor about Ron's love children. A lot has changed."

"Now I'm glad I never returned!"

"Can I be honest with you, Hermione?"

"Can you?"

"When I said goodbye to you at Heathrow when you left to search for your parents, part of me felt it was - it was final. I felt you were not coming back. The War had messed everything up. I felt that once you found your parents, you'd move on. Did you find them?"

MONDAY - AUGUST 9, 1999 - SIDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA.

Hermione had been in Australia almost a month. So far, all she had really seen was Sidney and the surrounding area, but the city had amazed her. No sooner than she first stepped off the plane from London and she was looking at a large sign proclaiming SYDNEY 2000! with a picture of strange but amazing looking white walled and glass building that for some reason reminded her of clams that she soon learned was the Opera House. There was a symbol below it: five interlocking rings, three on top and two below. She knew she had seen that symbol somewhere, but could not remember where.

On her first ride through the city to the very nice hotel she stayed in upon arriving, there were similar signs seemingly all over the place. Some showed landmarks, but others showed what were clearly athletes. A large Nike sign caught her eye showing a young man in incredible shape and mostly naked. "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie," it said. Again, the rings! It then hit her - the Olympics. After eight years as a witch living in the insular work of magical Britain, she had totally forgotten about a lot of "Muggle" things such as the Olympics. She remembered what they were - the largest sporting event in the World with athletes from all over the planet competing. She had seen something on the telly when she was eight. Her Mum and Dad had been glued to the telly during February of that year and again in August watching a myriad of sports. She vaguely remembered something about "Eddie the Eagle," a British ski Jumper who barely could ski and a sledding team from a country where it never snowed. She had been fascinated with the figure skating and later that year, gymnastics. She wanted to be one of those graceful young women, one day.

So it seemed the Olympics were coming to Australia next summer, she mused. I wonder if I'll still be here to see them.

When she arrived, she was confident she would find her parents fairly quickly. She was the best student in her school and could research any topic. Besides, there were only about twenty million people in all of Australia. How hard could it be? Now, a month later, she was beginning to think it was damned near impossible. She had hoped to move from place to place, just as she had during the war. But moving around Britain was easy. In Australia, the distances involved were daunting to say the least.

Hermione had entered the country as Jane Granger. She used her middle name because she knew Ronald did not know it. She met up with her first Australian witch and wizard while passing through customs. To her surprise, the Aussies had magical customs at their international airports. After she had been thoroughly checked out by two members of the Australian Magical Police, they explained to her that they were looking for refugees from the recent war in Britain - in particular, the evil witches and wizards from the losing side. They explained that magical transport across the oceans was practically impossible so the fugitives would only come through on Muggle transport. The Aussies used the term "non-magical."

Once it was determined she was not a dark witch on the run from the repercussions of the lost war, she was asked what brought her to Australia. She explained that soon after the war had broken out, she had sent her parents here to be safe. They were not magical, and the enemy was hunting down people like them and killing them for having a magical child. Magical Customs was able to confirm that Wendell and Monica Wilkins from her home town had indeed arrived in country on July 7, 1997. While there were some records indicating the Wilkins' had left for Thailand and other vacation spots, the current records indicated they had returned to Australia through Perth about a year ago and had not left since. Perth was a city on the west coast, over two thousand miles away.

She was given the name of a contact at non-magical customs to inquire further. The problem was that the contact was on holiday for three weeks. Fine, she had thought, I'll just do what I can to find them between now and then. Three weeks! If she was going to be here that long, she wondered if she could rent a flat rather than pay through the nose for a hotel room.

The two magical customs agents also told her about The Billabong, Sidney's equivalent of the magical center of London. After settling to her Hotel, Hermione went to check it out the next day. Whereas Diagon Alley in London looked like it had been torn from the page of a Dickens novel, Billabong looked like a modern shopping district. The only clue that it was for magical folk was the means of entry and the wares on display for sale. Being Hermione, she headed strait for the nearest bookstore. To Hermione's surprise, even in the Billabong (which she soon learned was an Aboriginal term for a river or pond) there were posters declaring the upcoming Olympics. It seemed that magical Australia was as excited about the event as the rest of the country.

The store was huge! She spent several hours there browsing and selected several books on magical Australia for her reading. What shocked her was the large section with what looked like non-magical things. She saw what she knew had to be a section with Compact Disks of music, another with movies - non-magical movies on tape and in the new DVD format her parents had been talking about getting a couple of years ago. There were also computer programs. She wondered how that could be? I Britain, she had been taught that magic and electronics don't mix. Apparently, the rules were different here in so many ways. In the Charms Section, she found a book on Electronics Protection Charms that she added to her growing collection.

The bookstore was not the only surprise. There were stores that actually sold electronics: radios, televisions, computers, cell phones, stereos, video recorders and a whole host of others. There were even digital cameras that took the moving magical photos she had grown accustomed to in color - which she had never seen in a magical photo. She was flush with money from her reward for her part in the downfall of the most evil wizard in ages and bought a phone, camera and a laptop computer - as well as a book on using a computer.

To her surprise, she also found adds for flats or asking for roommates. She collected a few of these and returned to her hotel. She returned to her hotel, laden down with books and new gadgets. Fortunately, she had kept her special purse she had made herself some two years ago and was able to carry everything out without difficulty. For the next three days, she stayed in her room and read. She was Hermione Granger, that's what she did.

By the end she came to a realization. Her home, Britain, was backwards. It was a third-world country - at least the magical part was. The Aussies only hid their magic from their neighbors. So unlike Britain. Australia was enlightened compared to her insular magical home. The magical Aussies were fully integrated into the greater Australia. Their government - while secret - was part of the greater Australian government. Their children attended magical schools - or programs. But they would also attend university and grow up to get jobs in and outside of magical fields. At least four potential members of the Aussie Olympic Team would be magical - of course, they could not use magic at the Games. Still!

The longer Hermione stayed in Australia, the less she wanted to go home. She would, of course, if her parents wanted to. But what if they didn't? Australia was amazing! Maybe they would not want to leave. The only reason to even consider going back was Harry. She missed him so much. But he had not … she would not go back just to be his friend.

Within a week, Hermione was sharing a flat with another young witch named Amanda O'Hare. Amanda was a couple of years older and studying Literature at a university in Sydney. When they met, Hermione explained that she was in Australia to find her parents and had no idea how long it would take. Weeks for certain, maybe longer. Amanda seemed thrilled to meet someone from England. She and Hermione hit it off to Hermione's surprise. Amanda was a little disappointed that Hermione might not be a long term roommate, but she liked her. She soon made certain that Hermione saw the sights and learned as much about Australia as possible. Of course, Amanda knew Hermione as Jane Granger.

She tried to set Hermione up on a date a couple weeks ago. Her boyfriend Roger had a friend and such. Hermione had to tell Amanda about her recent experiences. She used Harry and Ron's middle names and avoided their last names altogether. Bill (Ron) had cheated on her. James (Harry), well their relationship was confusing at best. She needed time before she could consider dating again. Amanda - bless her - did not press the issue.

Today she woke up and began her morning routine which would eventually find her in the library a few miles away pouring through books and, most critical for her mission, phone directories. She was fairly certain her parents were not in Sydney and her search was slowly expanding to the north, south and west. She was methodical and she prayed that they had not settled in Perth to the far west. First of all, the library had no directories for Perth and second, it would be the last place her search would look. She figured that at the rate she was going, she might just get to see the Sydney Olympics before she found her parents. She had mixed feelings about that. She was falling in love with Australia and its cosmopolitan - as she saw it - magical community.

There were only two reasons to ever consider returning to Britain: she was from there - not reason enough at all - and Harry was there. If only he had given her a clear reason to return, she mused. He hadn't. Mixed signals. She was suddenly hit by a massive wave of nausea. Soon, she was face down in the loo losing what little her pre-breakfast stomach had contained. For a week she suffered through her first ever bouts of heartburn, now this? Must be the stress.

SATURDAY - AUGUST 21, 1999 - SIDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA.

"Janie?" Amanda called. "You're not throwing up AGAIN?"

Hermione could not say anything because she was. Something was wrong with her and she knew it. Stress, she was convinced. Still…

"Janie, you need to see a Doctor!"

"I'm fine," Hermione called from the loo. "It's just the stress of…"

"Bollocks! Something is wrong with you, Janie! I'm your friend, Janie! I may be sharing a flat with you, but I am your friend. I won't stand by and watch you die."

"It's not that bad," Hermione complained.

"You've been losing your lunch for over a week, Janie! Every day! You are either suffering from an acute eating disorder - but you're not losing weight as far as I can tell - or you got something else wrong with you."

"It's just stress!"

"No it's not, Janie! Something is wrong with you. You need to see a Doctor."

"I - "

"I insist!"

"But I am a witch. I need to see a Healer, just in case…"

"Same difference here. Healer is such a quaint term. Not even our Aborigines use it except for the most primitive of magical medical styles. I have a Doc in mind. She's real good. She'll fix you up proper."

"It's Saturday, surely her office is closed."

"Probably. But I can see about getting you an appointment early next week."

"How? I mean if the office is closed, how can you schedule an appointment?"

"On the Internet. Her Website can be used to schedule appointments."

"The what? Her what?"

"Crickey! You've never heard of the Internet?"

"Should I have?"

"Everything is on the Internet. It's a world wide computer network. You can find anything on it. Most businesses have their own sites - some better than others. Dr. Mears site allows patients to schedule appointments. Course, you can also ring the office, but the Internet doesn't put you on hold of shuffle you to voice mail. I'll show you."

Hermione followed Amanda to her room where Hermione could see a computer set up on her desk. It was already running. Amanda sat at her desks and Hermione watched in awe as her friends fingers flew over the confusing keyboard. How did she know where the letters were? They seemed to be in random order. She also used a separate device that Hermione say seemed to move a pointer across the screen. Amanda asked Hermione a series of questions, the answers appeared on the screen soon after Hermione spoke. With a final flourish, there was a click and Hermione heard a whir as the machine next to the computer began to do something. Soon, Amanda handed Hermione a couple of sheets of paper.

"There," Amanda said. "You have an appointment with Dr. Mears at 11:30 Monday morning - the top sheet is the confirmation. Beneath that are directions to her office."

"Amazing!"

"You've never used a computer before?" Amanda asked?

"I bought one soon after I arrived," Hermione said, "but no. Not really."

"Why not?"

"Erm," Hermione seemed embarrassed, "we were always told that magic messed them up."

"Don't they know the Electronics Buffer Charm in Britain?"

"I don't think so," Hermione responded. She then remembered Harry. "Then again, I do have a friend back home who's got a telly and a lot of other electrical devices. Still, some consider him a bit odd."

"Why?"

"Well, like me, James was raised by Muggles, so he's used to that. Most of those who I know who were raised in magical families - all, in fact - have no interest in or understanding of technology."

"Daddy always said you Brits were a backwards lot," Amanda said.

"Came to that conclusion practically the day I arrived here," Hermione shrugged. "Can you find anything on here?"

"If the information is out there in cyberspace, yeah. Pretty much."

"Wow! Can I try?"

"Sure. What do you want to look up?" Amanda asked.

Hermione could not help but roll her eyes. Amanda actually laughed. Hermione looked at the keyboard and frowned. "This makes no sense at all," Hermione complained! "Q-W-E-R-T-Y… It's illogical."

"Nonsense," Amanda said. "It's a standard typewriter keyboard. It makes no sense if you only use one or two fingers to type. It makes perfect sense if you use both hands, but that takes practice. There is a logic to it based upon which fingers people use more often and which letters are most frequently used, or so I'm told. Did not take a typing course myself. Few do these days. Most kids learn to type before they learn to write, I'm told."

"Blimey!"

"Let me guess," Amanda laughed, "they probably use fountain pens back in Jolly Ol' England."

"Quills, actually."

"You're joking!"

Hermione shook her head.

"And Owl Post?"

Hermione nodded feeling somehow inadequate.

"Well, that might work in England, but it never worked here. Didn't work well in the Americas either," Amanda said. "Owls traveling by day tended to wind up as dinner for some predator or another. So much for mail. Besides, the distances are too vast. Mind you, there are some nutters who keep Post Owls for nostalgic reasons and Clubs that breed and show them, but we don't use them to carry the post."

"What do you use?"

"We use regular post for letters and packages that don't have to get there immediately. If I need a package to get to its destination tomorrow, I can pay a little extra and use one of the parcel services. I could send a package to England today and it would get to its destination tomorrow. Increasingly, everyone is using e-mail for letters and such."

"E-mail?"

"Computers," Amanda said. "If you have an e-mail account, I could send you a note or letter. I type it in here and send it. It would reach your account within seconds, even if you were half way around the world. When you checked your account - which I do daily - you would have my note. It would take days or weeks otherwise."

"I guess we really are a little backwards," Hermione confessed. "So, how do I use this to find my parents?"

"Type in their names and let's see what happens," Amanda said.

It took Hermione a while, but the names "Wendell Wilkens" and "Monica Wilkins" soon appeared on the search bar. Amanda showed her what to do next. The computer flickered and a list of things showed up.

"What's all this?" Hermione asked.

"The computer searched all accessible databases for the terms - your parents' names. It lists every site or reference on the network from anywhere on earth. It guesses which is the most likely. Any look promising?"

"This one," Hermione pointed. "Sun Coast Dentistry. It appears to be here in Australia and my parents are dentists."

"Click on it and see what happens."

Tentatively, Hermione clicked on the title as Amanda had instructed. "It might take a minute or two," Amanda said. "I really need to upgrade from dial up to DSL or something."

"What?"

"DSL is a high speed internet connection. I use the phone lines. They're bloody slow. We have DSL at the University. Lightening fast that is, but this flat isn't wired for it and I can't afford to have it installed. My landlord's one cheap bastard! Ah, here we go!"

A new screen appeared on the computer with a banner headline "SUN COAST DENTISTRY, SHOALWATER, WESTERN AUSTRALIA." It advertised that it was a family practice specializing in pediatric dentistry and orthodontics, her parents' specialties. The page said appointments could be made online or by phone and it gave the address and phone number. There was no other information. Hermione frowned.

"It says nothing about who the dentists are," she began.

"This is the homepage," Amanda said. "See the bar along the top?"

Hermione nodded.

"Click on 'About Us," Amanda suggested.

Hermione did and after several excruciating seconds, the screen changed. There was a picture of a man she recognized, beside the picture was a name and brief biography: "Dr. Wendell Wilkens, DDS," it began. She knew who it was and scrolled down to another picture of a woman: "Dr. Monica Wilkens, DDS." Hermione gasped and her hands instinctively covered her mouth.

"Janie," her friend asked, seeing tears forming in Hermione's eyes.

"My - those are my - my parents," Hermione said.

"See," Amanda said, "the internet is the future, friend."

"Three weeks," Hermione thought out loud, "three weeks in a library and it took all of five minutes on a computer! If I had continued, it would have taken months!"

"If ever," Amanda added.

Hermione nodded in agreement. "Where is this Shoalwater?"

"It says Western Australia," Amanda replied. "Probably on the West Coast - about three thousand kilometers as the owl flies. Aside from that, bugger all if I know."

"How could you not," Hermione began in protest!

"This isn't England, Janie dear. We may have fewer people, but this country is huge. I've never been out west and I've lived here me whole life. I know of Perth, Fremantle and Darwin and that's bloody well it. Sorry."

"Can we find out?"

"That too is easy," Amanda said. "You can get maps and directions off the internet as well. Give me a moment to print hard copies and I'll show you." She then showed Hermione how to print.

It turned out that Shoalwater was a beachfront town just south of Perth, the large port city on the west coast of Australia. The web sites seemed to suggest is was, as Amanda said "Posh." Her parents must be doing alright in their knew home, Hermione thought. She was so excited. She kept pestering her friend for information on how to make plane reservations and such online. It was clear she wanted to leave right away.

"Damn it, Janie," Amanda protested!

"What?" Hermione replied.

"You promised me!"

"What?"

"You promised me you'd see the doctor! I'm not letting you leave here just to drop dead on your parents' doorstep. They look like they're doing well, Janie! They'll be there when you are well."

"It's been so long," Hermione complained.

"I know, Janie. I know. Still, it may only be a few more days. Please? For them? For me? Please wait until we know what's wrong with you?"

Amanda had been such a friend during Hermione's time in Australia. Hermione had no idea what she would have done without this woman. Amanda understood her more than she expected. Amanda had lost her parents a few years ago in a plane crash. Like Hermione, Amanda's parents were not magical. They were scientists and on a trip into the Outback to study rocks and such, the bush plane had crashed. There were no survivors. Amanda was all too happy to help her roommate - potential orphan friend find her parents. Like Hermione, though, Amanda was practical and would not allow her sick friend to risk further damage to her health when Hermione's parents seemed safe. Hermione - reluctantly to be sure - agreed to see the Doctor and await any results before jumping on the first plane to Perth.

MONDAY - AUGUST 30, 1999 - SUN COAST DENTISTRY. SHOALWATER, WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Hermione sat in her rental car in the small parking lot. She had booked an appointment for 4:30 in the afternoon - the last open appointment of the day. It was 3:00. Perhaps she should drive around and see the sights, but she was too scared and excited. She had found her parents and was eager to see them finally.

She had seen the doctor and found out what was wrong. The good news was she was not sick or dying. The bad news was she had know idea what she was going to do now. Amanda had been such a friend. She never had a girlfriend like that back home and she told Amanda that as she boarded her flight from Sydney. Amanda had taught her a lot about computers - or at least using the internet and e-mail. Hermione promised her friend she would keep in touch, and she meant it. She even hoped she would be back in Sydney soon. They had talked about becoming volunteers for the 2000 Olympic Games - for it was said that off duty volunteers might get free tickets to the events. Amanda wanted to see the swimming - she had a thing for the Australian swimming sensation Ian Thorpe.

First things first, Hermione thought. I came here to find my parents!

She sat in the car and watched. Her parents' practice seemed to be even busier than their practice had ever been back home. It pleased her in a way, although it gave her pause as well. This place was a lot prettier than England. The ocean was blue, skies clear, weather warm, there were palm trees and such. Paradise, she thought. No way her parents would want to return to dreary ol' England. It was the end of the Australian winter and the weather had been cool - but seldom cold. England was a dump compared to this place. That's okay, though, she thought. If Mum and Dad like it here, I'll stay as well. Although, she thought, I'll probably choose to live in Sydney. She liked it there and she could hook up to the Australian Magical Transit to visit her parents whenever she liked.

At 4:15 she left her car and entered the office.

"May I help you?" The young receptionist asked.

"Jane Granger," Hermione said. "I have an appointment." She had booked one online the week before.

"Not from around here, are you?" The receptionist asked.

"I - no. England."

"Thought so. You sound like the Wilkens'. Good people they are. Me Dad always thought you Limeys were useless, then again he's big into the Ashes."

"What?"

"Cricket love! Blimey! Don't you know?"

"Sorry. Never was into sports," Hermione said.

"Makes two of us," the receptionist replied with a laugh. "Although that Ian Thorpe bloke - I might just have to change me mind 'bout swimming. Have a seat, please." The receptionist giggled. The whole bloody country was mad about the Olympics, Hermione thought to herself.

Soon, Hermione found herself in a room having her teeth x-rayed. Then she was in an examination room as a technician cleaned her teeth and gave her a fluoride and whitening treatment.

"Brit," The technician asked.

"Argh," was all she could say in reply.

"You smoke?"

"Arraah," she growled an attempt at a negative as the cleaning tools kept her mouth opened.

"Drink tea?"

"Nah Mugh," Not much, she meant.

"Coffee?"

"Ouooos," Loads, she meant.

"Explains it. Aside from some staining, you really have taken good care of your teeth. Two years since your last dentist visit?"

"Uh Huh," Hermione replied.

"Well, tartar seems to be a minor problem. You should use a whitener, though. Either that or give up on coffee."

"Ann ooh Aaah," Can't do that.

"Who can, love. Whitener then, okay?"

"Arrr."

After the cleaning, a young looking man came in. "I'm Dr. Smith," he said. "I'll be checking you out."

"What about Dr. Wilkens," Hermione asked in a near panic.

"No worries, Love, I am competent."

"It's not that," Hermione said. "I'm from England and they were my dentists there."

"Well, Dr. Wilkens has made it clear that once my exam is done, she wants to meet you - okay? She's up to it in paperwork right now. Now open your mouth, Love."

Even though her parents were dentists, Hermione never had gotten used to the plink, plink, plink of the pick searching for cavities. It had always bothered her.

"Still got your wisdom teeth," Dr. Smith said. "And they came in strait. You're a lucky one." Plink. Plink. Plink.

After a rinse, he was finally finished. "Well," he said, "you should be pleased to learn that you have no cavities. Oddly, you have incredibly good and strait teeth for a Brit. Then again, Dr. Wilkens is - it's an honor to work for such a quality dentist."

Hermione soon found herself in a large office by herself. Dr. Wilkens was apparently dealing with a difficult patient, but would be with her directly. Although it had been almost a year, Hermione had spent nearly three months as an Auror before she returned to school and years at war. Her suspicions were aroused and she was on guard, but she had lost some of her tactical senses. Her back was to the door, for instance as she surveyed the office. Before she could take it all in, she heard the door open and a woman's voice asked cautiously: "Hermione?"

Hermione turned around and saw her mother. Her first thought was joy, followed closely by how did she know it was me? I haven't lifted the charm? She nodded and was suddenly smothered in a hug the like of which she could barely remember from her mother and kisses as well, another oddity.

"Oh, my darling girl," her mother gushed! "Thank God! Thank God you're back! When I saw that a 'Jane Granger' from Britain had booked an appointment - well you can imagine! I prayed it was you! And it is! And I had thought you had died in the War! Thank God!"

Through her own tears, Hermione suddenly thought something was wrong. How could she remember me - before she saw me, Hermione thought. The charm she had used was supposedly foolproof. The only way for her parents to remember their true past was if they saw her up close and in the flesh as it were. There was no way that her Mum could remember her before this moment. No way, but…

"Y-you remember me?" Hermione asked.

"Of course," Rose Granger replied.

"H-how? That charm was…"

"You told us, remember? You told us it would last until either you found us again or we died, right?"

Hermione nodded.

"Have a seat."

"I…"

"Please, Hermione?"

Hermione sat on the couch. She watched in silence as her mother pulled some papers from a drawer in her desk.

"So, my charm did not work," Hermione began.

"It worked just fine, Love," her mother replied as she sat beside Hermione.

"But how then?" Hermione began again.

"You told us - your father and me - that there were only two ways to break it. There were only two ways we might ever remember you were our daughter: first, you found us and we saw you, and second when we died."

"I don't understand," Hermione began.

Her mother handed her some papers. "Read, my Darling," she said gravely, "it's from your father."

17 June, 1999

My Little Angel:

I hope and pray you are reading this. I hope this letter finds you and finds you well. Your mother and I have feared these past few hours since your charm lifted that it meant you had died. If you are reading this, then our fears were silly. Forgive us, please?

We understood why you had to do this to us. You know we never liked it, but we did understand. We've tried so hard to understand you, always. We are now in Australia where they are more understanding and compassionate with us non-magical parents. Mum will explain.

Hermione, I am very sick. I think - no I pray - that's why your brilliant charm is failing and why you mother any I are remembering our perfect little girl. You told us that the spell would last a lifetime, and it seems it has. I am dictating this letter for I am too weak to write. I have cancer, and the Doctors have told me there's nothing left to be done. I have but a day or two left to live at best.

We are so proud of you, My Darling! So proud! I remember the first time I ever held you! I remember how perfect you were! I remember everything about you and how proud I was in every one of your accomplishments. You were and are so smart, so compassionate, such a joy to know. You have made our lives so much more meaningful just by being. I was and am so proud of you. I loved your studiousness and loved it even more when I learned you had friends. We were so worried when we sent you off to Hogwarts that it would be more of the same for you, but it wasn't, was it?

Prefect! Top of your class! Great friends! And most recently, so brave. My little Boudicca! How could I not be prouder? (I guess you could win gold medals at the Olympics, but all said, that's probably asking a bit much, although I have no doubt that if that was your goal you would be there as well!)

I was blessed, My Angel. I was blessed with being able to watch you grow as a person. I was blessed in watching you turn from an awkward, yet studious child, into a stunning young woman. I am so proud of you and so blessed by being able to say that I was lucky enough to have you as my daughter. I could not ask for more in this life and therefore my life is complete and I leave it soon without any regrets.

I know this is a lot to ask, My Angel. But, I do not want you to mourn me too much. I have lived a full life. I had the perfect wife and marriage, more than most can hope for. And, I had you, the perfect daughter. I have loved you since the day you were born - maybe even before then. I loved you even after we learned about your abilities. Despite what you may think, when we learned of your abilities, it explained a lot and we could not have been prouder or you.

I love you, My Angel. I always have and always will. If this letter never finds you, then we shall soon meet again in Heaven. If it does, then I want you to know that I do love you. I shall watch over you and do what I can to keep you safe and happy. We will meet again in better times. Try not to shed too many tears for me, because I face not the end, but a new beginning and we shall meet again and I look forward to that day - although I pray it's a long, long time from now. All I want for now is for you to be happy, My Angel. Please try?

I want to thank you, My Angel. I want to thank you for being born and for being my daughter. I even want to thank you for Australia. It turned out to be our second chance - your Mum and me. As painful as this time is, we would not have missed this for the world and if we had to do it all over again, we cannot envision a life without our Hermione in it!

Goodbye, My Hermione!

Love always:

Daddy

"No," Hermione whimpered weakly, "no…"

"You're father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March. He passed away two days after this letter, 'Mione."

"NOOOO!" Hermione lost it and cried inconsolably. Her mother held her as she let go.

"I-it's all my fault," Hermione finally whimpered, "all my fault!"

"Hush Love," her mother said stroking her hair, "hush. It's not."

"I-if I-I hadn't s-sent y-you away…"

"Don't be silly! If we had stayed, you know what would have happened!"

"I could have - I should have…"

"Hush! You did the right thing, Love. You told us why you had to do it. We knew the risks you were taking and how necessary it was for you to believe we were safe. We understood, even if we did not like the idea of having to forget you for a time. We knew you'd find us one day if you lived and were grateful that we would not have to be there to bury our perfect little girl in a way. We understood."

"But Daddy! If I h-hadn't…"

"Your father would still have died, love."

"M-my fault!"

"Hush, Love! It's not your fault! Your charm did not give him his cancer, neither did Australia. In all probability, he would have gotten it anyway. It's practically incurable, yet mercifully quick. And as you will see, we both are so thankful for the opportunity you gave us."

"Wh-what d-do you mean, Mum?"

"You will see, Love."

"I should have b-been here! I could have been!"

"I know."

"H-how?"

"After your charm broke - apparently it broke for both of us when it was clear he was going to pass - after it broke, I learned that the War had ended a year earlier and that you were probably alive. It was in the Wizarding papers even here, 'Mione. Still, a year had gone by and…"

"I wanted to, Mum, honestly! But my ex-boyfriend begged me to stay and Harry did as well. There was so much to do. Then, I learned I could finish school if - and only if - I returned last September First. I knew you would want me to, so… I'm SO SORRY!!!"

"Don't be, Love. We would have expected you to and you know it."

"I-I should have been here!"

"You know how important your education was to us, Mione."

"Still…"

"Your father would have insisted you finish school."

"I should have been HERE!"

"Don't you beat yourself up, Hermione! Don't you dare! Your father would have wanted you to finish your education! He would have wanted you to take your - what are they called? Your Seventh Year exams?"

"N.E.W.T.s - Nastily Exhausting Wizards Test."

Her mother chuckled. "Did you take them?"

"Yes."

"Do you know how you did?"

"I had the scores transferred here, yes. All Outstandings."

"Your father would be so proud. I am."

"I should have been here!"

"Nonsense! How could you have known?"

"That's not the point, Mother!"

"It's entirely the point! You sent us here because the Enemy would probably have killed us, right?"

"Definitely, really. They got vicious not long after you left."

"So, we were spared out right murder. But there are no promises in life that fate cannot break. Your father could just as easily died in a car crash. Then again, this is Australia. It's loaded with deadly snakes and insects and man eating crocs - and that's just on land. Walking out in the grass could be a life ending experience on a bad day. Cancer? That was unexpected and there was nothing you could have done to save him."

"Still…"

"Hush! He is probably happy now that you did come back."

"How can you say that?"

"Because, there is something he would have wanted you to learn about. The reason why we both forgive you completely."

"Why's th-that?"

"You'll see."

Hermione had hoped she would be forgiven and prayed she would be invited to "come home." In such hope, she had checked out of her hotel before she drove to the dental clinic and her bags were in the car. After what seemed like a good cry, one in which she believed her mother joined her, her mother invited her home.

"Are - are you sure?"

"Don't be silly, child," her mother said. "You're my daughter and I've missed you so much. And - you've obviously got a lot to tell me. Might take months," she laughed. "Of course you should come home!"

They decided to ride home in Rose / Monica's car. Hermione's rental would remain at the clinic until the morning, when she would return it. As they buckled in, Hermione surprised herself. She knew she would have to face this, she just had not been sure she wanted to so soon after learning about her father.

"Mum?"

"Yes Dear?"

"If - if it's not too much trouble, could we see Daddy?"

Her mother looked over and smiled at her long lost daughter. "Of course, Dear."

LATER THAT EVENING

Later, Hermione realized she was not as ready for the experience as she had hoped. Still, no worries as the Aussies' say. In a way she was glad she did not put it off. It was so hard doing it on the spur of the moment. It might have been unbearable had it been scheduled.

She had stood there, staring at the headstone that marked the last resting place of her Daddy. Her Daddy probably never stopped seeing her as his little girl, she thought as she sobbed, her mother's arm around her shoulder and her head resting on her mother's shoulder. She had never stopped seeing him as she had when she was much younger - when she was nothing more than her Daddy's Little Princess and when the real world of magic as nothing more than fantasy fiction she had loved to read. The fact that she would never see him again was a crushing weight. But what really had gotten to her and turned silent tears into loud sobs was the inscription on the headstone.

WENDELL WILKINS

14 November 1949 - 19 June 1999

Loving Father & Husband

Little Princess: If you are reading

this, remember I will love you

always…Daddy.

"He had to be buried under that name?" Hermione cried.

"All of our paperwork is under that name, Dear," her mother explained in as soothing a voice as possible. "He did not even realize it was an alias until…"

Hermione nodded.

"He was very happy as Wendell, Hermione, just as I was very happy as Monica. I am sure he does not mind it one bit."

"And the other inscription? Little Princess?"

"We did not know if you were alive. We did know that if you were, one day you might come looking for us. One day, you would find him. One day you would look upon this stone. In case you found him first, he wanted to make sure you knew just how special he thinks you are, Love."

Hermione cried for several minutes. She was not keeping track of the time. All the time, she thought about and remembered her father. There were unpleasant ones. No two people can live close to one another emotionally and not have an occasional spat. No parent or child can live their lives without some pain between them. Mostly, though, there were good memories. Memories of holidays, of reading together, of talking, of his smile, his laugh, his pride in her accomplishments all came back and slowly drowned the pain of loss she was feeling. Finally, with the red and gold sunset illuminating the western sky over the Indian Ocean, Hermione broke free of her mother and walked up to the headstone. Gently, she touched the polished granite. It felt so cold and final. She steeled herself, trying to reign in her emotions. No, she thought. I've done that most of my life. No need to anymore.

She cried some more. She thought she had never cried so much as in these past several weeks. She had probably shed more tears since the day she found out about Ron than she had her entire life. Yet, she was feeling better in some way she did not yet understand. She felt free - free from her past. She bent down and kissed the stone, all that remained of her father - the one man who had never let her down, she thought.

"You were far too young to die, Daddy," she squeaked. "Far too young. You should have lived to see your grandbabies. You should have lived to see so many things. But, I feel grateful for every day I had with you and it was far better for me to have known you for so short a time than not at all. Thank you for being my Daddy. I will never forget and I will always love you. Goodbye."

Hermione stepped back and looked around. Aside from her mother, no one was there. She pulled her wand from her jacket pocket and gave it a wave. A large wreath of roses appeared with a sash proclaiming: "With Love Always, Daddy. Hermione." Her wand back in her pocket, she waved goodbye and turned to her mother who she could see was crying as well.

"Thank you, Mum," she said. With that, the two women walked back to the car.