"Goodbye." she said and shut the front door from behind her. Hermione closed her eyes for a brief moment before moving away from the porch and taking slow and steady steps towards the sidewalk. The realization of her actions slowly dawned upon her. She had done it.

She had just erased her parent's memories of ever having a daughter.

The spell itself had been tedious. She had to work very carefully with this type of magic and her cloudy eyes hadn't helped a single bit. It was annoying having to wipe away tears while preforming the incantation to perfection. Despite the overwhelming emotion in her body, she went on controlling the magic as it bent to her will. She knew better than to let her emotions distract her from reciting the incantation. One wrong slip could be disastrous due to the fact that this type of magic needed some delicate tweaking.

It wasn't as simple as robbing them from all their memories until they couldn't recall anything. She needed to keep a few things in and take only a necessary amount out. Hermione left the memories of their lives and how they met but she carefully mended the memories that involved her in it. Birthday parties, school, and anything relating to wizards disappeared in a flash. Yet summer holidays, vacations, and celebrations stayed. But she had to make sure that they occurred without her in the picture. For example, her father's promotion was still an important memory in both her parents' minds however their celebratory dinner had a missing person in the third chair.

And then along with the mended memories, she needed to add a few new ones, such as their ambitions to go to Australia and how they purchased a summer home in Sydney. Eventually she managed this as well.

With one last wave of her wand she, had transformed them from Mr. and Mrs. Granger to Mr. and Mrs. Wendell and Monica Wilkins.

When Hermione finally finished, she immediately apparated to the doorstep and rang the doorbell. Her voice cracked as her mother answered the door and she was forced to say hello. Hermione patiently described that she was the neighbor's cousin and came to collect the mail when she found tickets to Australia in the wrong mailbox. For a moment, her mother's face held wrinkles of confusion but she was put to ease as her father beamed and thanked her for the tickets. The spell was successful in transforming their memories. Her parents instantly recalled a fake memory of buying those tickets and gladly took them with several thank yous while accepting her lie. She said her goodbyes to them and walked away with a heavy heart.

Hermione's eyes traveled across the neighborhood. Children were running outside while joyfully laughing and playing. They had no worries in the world and could live their lives innocently. She felt something inside of her as she watched them. Almost a protective instinct in her body. If Voldemort had the upper hand he'd soon destroy their lives by inhumanely abusing muggles. She wasn't going to let that happen. Not if she could help it.

Hermione went on walking until she was out of the neighborhood and into the open road. For the first time since she left Hogwarts, she actually felt like she had started her journey. There was no one accountable for her actions anymore. She was independent and stepping into a world of prejudice and war. Fear bubbled inside her but she steeled her nerves and walked forward with her head held high. It was definitely going to be hard but she wasn't alone in this. Harry and Ron would be with her and she'd trust them with her life. In fact she had trusted them with her life before.

After two hours she made it to London and had enough money for one night at The Leaky Cauldron. She took the closest room and crashed on the bed slipping into an oblivion of peace, where the world wasn't partly rested on her shoulders.

Hermione dreamt of the night she told her parents the truth. It was on the day they returned from King Cross Station.

Throughout the entire car ride her parents talked about nothing but their dentist work. She felt the Guilt squirming around in her stomach and growing in size. "Stop wasting time listening," the Guilt screamed at her "just tell them already." but she couldn't. She didn't know how.

What would they say when they find out? She was afraid they'd have heart attacks after learning about what she'd been doing the past six years of her life and they'd (without a doubt) forbid her from even setting foot in the magical world again. Hermione wouldn't have even been surprised if she found herself trapped in her room for the next ten years as punishment.

Never mind her punishment, how the hell was she going to even approach the subject at all. She couldn't just go up to them and say "Mum, Dad, I've been fighting a dark lord all this time and you never knew."

She scoffed at the thought "That should end well."

"What should end well?" someone said. She glanced up in surprise at her mother who was watching her with a mix of concern and curiosity.

Hermione realized she had said her thoughts out loud "Nothing mum. Nothing at all."

It took hours for her to pluck up the courage and move her arse off of the ground to say something.

It was shameful. She didn't even deserve the Gryffindor badge for being so dreadfully cowardly.

Her parents were watching TV in the living room. She took the opportunity to talk to them.

They saw her come in as she walked down the stairs and they shut the TV off. "Hermione," her mother said with a warm smile "I'm glad you're down here. I was just about to call you for tea."

One look from her was enough to change their warm expressions into concerned ones. "Hermione, what's wrong?" her father asked while straightening in his seat. Hermione ducked her head down "There's something I need to tell you both and you're really not going to like it."

She started off with her third year in Hogwarts and watched as several emotions reflected in their faces. Shock, Anger, Shame, Disgust, Fear and most of all, Pain. She wished there was a way for her to take it all back but she couldn't.

After describing each year and the struggles she encountered she came to her final statement "I'm sorry I kept this from you both but you need to understand that I thought I was doing the right thing. This wasn't just to make sure you don't take me out of Hogwarts. The less you knew the better because I didn't know when a death eater would pop into the house and hurt you two. Dumbledore put up some security spells but I was skeptical on whether it was enough."

Her father shook his head in disgust "I never expected this from you Hermione."

It hurt when he said it but she went on "Dumbledore is gone dad and Voldemort has the upper hand. There's no one else to fight him but the three of us. We know what we have to do and exactly how to kill him. We have to try!"

"Other people can fight." Her father stated coldly "It isn't your job to be a hero."

She gaped at him "No one else knows how to kill him. There's a certain way you have to do it or else he'll never die."

"Then tell the Order of the Phoenix, how to kill him!" her mother cried.

Hermione watched in shock as tears rolled down her cheeks "Mum I can't! If they find out they'll try to do the job themselves and it won't work. Voldemort will never die unless it's by Harry's hand."

"Why not?" she asked firmly "Why can't other people try? You, Harry, and Ron have just started your lives. You can't risk them for a job that more experienced people can do."

Hermione shook her head, the curls of her hair bounced to the side "Mum you don't understand. The prophecy we found in the ministry states that Harry is the one who needs to do it. He's the only one who CAN do it. Voldemort went after him when he was a baby because he found the prophecy and read it. If Harry weren't important, why would Voldemort even consider killing him?"

Her mother continued to glare "It's all coincidence. You said this man was a mass murderer right? Mass murderers don't choose their victims."

She shut her eyes in anticipation. "Your wrong mum. Harry's life has always been connected to Voldemort's. Why do you think Voldemort only goes after Harry every single year if more experienced people could end his tyranny?"

Neither of her parents answered.

"It's because he's the Chosen One. It's because it was an act of blasphemy that turned into destiny as he watched his parents die in Godric's Hollow."

Her father glared at her "So because your friend wants vengeance, you're willing to risk your life to help him?"

Her eyes widened "Dad, that's not it at all. How could you think this is only for vengeance? Voldemort's targeted Harry from birth! He's never left him alone. The prophecy states that he's the Chosen One and his parents died at Voldemort's hand while he was a lone survivor. Could that all be coincidence?"

"No," her mother snapped "But that doesn't mean he's some sort of savior. Hermione, if he's being threatened then call the ministry! Get people to protect him! But don't, under any circumstance, fight his battles with him. You both are children! You can't do things like this!"

"I can't just leave him!" she defended him.

"YOU CAN AND YOU WILL!" her father roared. He stood up briskly and darkly glared at her "I forbid you to see those boys again and if I find you ever trying to get back into that world I'll forbid you from leaving my sight! We'll have you redo your education and find a job here but under no circumstances are you to bring up the word magic again! Let their government and their people deal with these problems and you, stick to your own life."

She was stunned "You can't do this dad! Magic is a part of me. It's my identity."

Her father was still shaking with rage "You lived without magic for eleven years. You wouldn't have known about it without that letter from that damn school. You're eighteen now and you've invested a good amount of time in controlling it. I don't think you need more than that."

She looked helplessly at her mother but her mum refused to meet her gaze. Hermione turned into a sobbing mess as her father walked away from her.

Her mother extended a hand to touch her shoulder but then pulled back knowing that nothing she could say would help. Instead, she got up and went to leave the room as well. Before she left she murmured "You can keep your wand." Hermione did not even look up to acknowledge these words as she sobbed into the couch.

As her sobs quieted down into the late hours of the night she rested her head against the armrest and thought about what to do. Her parents would not let her leave but she knew where her priorities were. She had to go with her friends. Her plan was already set a week ago before she'd even gotten on the train to go home.

Hermione choked on her tears "I guess I'll have to erase their memories sooner than I thought." She twirled her wand around in her hand and thought about the spell. Before leaving Hogwarts, she talked to Tonks and knew exactly what to do and how to do it. Now the only thing left was to get the plane tickets ready and make the correct arrangements.

For any normal person this would be extremely hard to do but Hermione was no normal person. If she worked efficiently enough, she could get a house in Sydney and plane tickets in less than three days. She had a way to get them quickly and make the transition as smooth as possible thanks to Tonks and Kingsley who were able to pull a few strings. Her plan was completely flawless and left her room to walk back into a world that wasn't so flawless.

"I will go." She stated firmly "and I'll fight until my last breath."

Hermione gasped and woke up from the dream. It haunted her as she pressed a shaky hand to her clammy forehead. I can't believe I dreamt that she thought as she shivered in her bed. The night she revealed the truth was horrible. She felt as if she was torn in two different directions. One side wanted her to be Hermione Granger the muggle and the other side wanted her to be Hermione Granger the witch.

It was a night of hard decisions and every decision she made came with a sacrifice.

She chose her path to serve alongside her friends but she knew this was the easiest part of her journey. There was still more to come. A lot more.

Hermione sighed as she saw the gray morning light, outside of the window. It was time to get moving.

And speaking of time…..she looked at her watch on the bedside table to see what time it was.

8:30 the digital watch read. She got out of her bed and slipped into the bathroom with her bag of toiletries. After brushing her teeth, showering, and pulling her hair back into a pony tail, she finally deemed herself presentable and packed all her stuff into her magically enhanced beaded bag.

Just as she was about to leave, vigorous thumping on the glass pane of the window caught her attention.

Hermione jerked around to see a very small owl forcing its body against the window. A startled laugh left her lips as she went to open the pane. "Pigwidgeon you scared me," she stated as the bird flew into the room and clumsily perched on top of her bed post "here we are in the middle of a war and you make random noises while people have their backs turned? It's a good thing I looked before I acted or else you could've been stupefied in a second." She pulled the letter he was holding out of his beak as she spoke.

Her name was scrawled in Ron's typically untidy hand writing. He replied on time she thought as the paper creased underneath her fingers. She smiled as she opened the letter.

It didn't say much.

At around 9:15am, go to Diagon Alley and walk into Flourish and Blotts. Hand the store clerk this letter and then wait for him to hand you another. It has the directions in it. Make sure he burns this note before giving you the other. See you soon.

-Ron

Hermione felt uneasy by the complicity of the whole thing but nevertheless, she decided to follow his instructions. "Pigwidgeon you can go now." she said and watched as the little bird flew off into the cold air.

Immediately, she went to the brick wall that lead to Diagon Alley and tapped it with her wand three times before the bricks moved away to create an entry. Without wasting a second, she ran down the empty streets and into Flourish and Blotts.

The store clerk was there wiping down the counter as she entered the book shop. She cleared her throat and saw him snap his head up. With trembling fingers he set down the cloth he used to clean the counter with and neared her "What d'you want?"

She pulled out Ron's letter from her pocket and handed it to the man. He used his glasses to read the lines before setting it down. "Here." he said, handing her another letter and then drawing his wand out to engulf the old one in flames. She nodded gratefully as the parchment withered away and eagerly opened the second letter.

Hermione

Glad to see you got my letter. I guess Pig is useful sometimes. Anyways, walk down the alley and into that old ice cream parlor we used to go to as kids. Dad and I will be waiting for you."

She pocketed the letter, ran down the cobblestone streets, and turned left at Gringotts. Her eyes scanned the shops until she caught a faded sign with a picture of a blurred strawberry cone on it. For a moment Hermione stood still, recalling the old memories of her, Ron, and Harry eating ice cream while talking about random, silly things. A smile made a way to her lips as she ran to the shop without a second thought. Her eyes looked through the window to see two red headed men sitting down at one of the tables.

The one on the left was an aged man with wire rimmed spectacles at the bridge of his nose and laugh lines across his face. Her smile widened as she recognized Arthur Weasley, a man she respected greatly and was more than happy to see. Next her eyes traveled to the much younger redhead who was leaning against the chair and looking around the room with a bored expression.

Her breath caught in her throat. Ron hadn't changed at all since she last saw him. His red hair had grown a little bit in length but his face was still the same. His face was fixed into an expression of boredom as his nose, splashed with freckles, crinkled a little. His electric blue eyes were wandering around the room as he tapped his foot impatiently against his chair. She waited for his eyes to travel to the window and when they did, they widened greatly in size.

She watched as Ron Weasley bolted out of the ice cream parlor and onto the sidewalk, only about three to four feet away from her. For a moment all they did was stare and she saw his eyes watch her with a calculating stare. She smiled at him and waited for him to speak. Instead he raised his wand and pointed it at her with a fierce expression engraved into his face "What was the last thing Hermione Granger said to me the first time we met on the train?"

She was shocked "Ron what is this?"

He shook his head "Not the right answer. Try again."

She raised her hands up in surrender "I told you that you had dirt on your nose. I said 'you have dirt on your nose. Did you know? Just here.'" And for emphasis she did the exact motion she did to show where the dirt was when she was eleven.

She watched in relief and annoyance as he lowered his wand and then slowly, his fierce expression melted into a smile. He raised his arms out to her and before she could even think about it, she barreled into his embrace. He caught her quickly and enveloped her in a tight hug as his tall, lanky form completely covered her thin, petite one. She didn't care about anything else, even the fact that Ron had turned his wand on her merely seconds ago. All she could think about was how happy she was to see him.

As he rested his chin on top of her head she heard him murmur "It's good to see you again Hermione."

Yes, yes I know. I'm quite aware of how crappy I am at the moment. Here I am not updating for a long time and even when I do update it's a short chapter like this. And I leave you at a little cliffhanger as well.

I'm despicable.

I understand if you're extremely pissed off with me at the moment. But I promise you an update will come a lot sooner this time thanks to the wonderful work of my friend MindlessMazes (who's just been absolutely fabulous so far in editing my chapters) and my own personal goal of not being lazy and prioritizing my schoolwork more so I won't end up doing things at the last minute.

So here's one for the fans…

rhmac12: I'm glad that you're liking my story so far and taking the time make comments. I'm not this pathetic of an updater. I promise.

pam1990: It's nice that you find this interesting so far. I think Hermione is intriguing as well. She's insecure about things but she's also strong and independent so I can't help but love her. I had to do something in her POV but in third person :). I'm no good when it comes to first.

Guest (erm….if your reading): I know it's a bit slow but don't worry. Things are about to get a lot more heated. Thanks for the compliment of saying it's nice.

Thank you all for being so patient and I hope you enjoyed the chapter despite its length :)

Until next time,

Make sure to never procrastinate. Procrastination is opportunity's assassin (I totally just googled that)