Disclaimer: Don't own it.

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"Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood."

- George Orwell

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Harry was briskly walking to the auror offices from meeting with the minister of magic. Ever since the muggle-borns had left he had been meeting with him at least once a week to give a progress report and he reported the same thing every time, nothing. Kingsley, Ron and him had been tasked with finding Hermione thinking that they new Hermione the most they might know how she works and thinks. But Harry didn't think he knew Hermione. The Hermione who was his best friend would never have killed those Aurors in France.

Ducking when an office memo flew too close to his head Harry rounded the corner and went to the cubicle her shared with Ron. "I'm going to go talk to Neville's grandmother again, see if she is more willing to talk."

"you know she won't, just ask the minister for an arrest warrant." Ron stated leaning back in his chair interlocking his fingers behind his head. "We can't arrest her Ron, she hasn't done anything all of our questioning proved that.

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Knocking on the enormous Georgian manor Harry looked around at the expansive garden with it's immaculate lawn, beautiful flowers and trimmed hedges. Probably Neville's work, Harry thought. He tried to name a few of the plants and flowers but didn't know most of them, the garden had a mixture of muggle and magical plants and flowers. The door swung open revealing an older elf wearing a blue toga with the Longbottom family crest visible over his heart. "Lady Longbottom is waiting for you in her study.

Harry looked at the elf surprised, stepped in to the manor and waited for the elf to show him the way. Walking through the halls of Longbottom manor Harry could not help but notice how different it was from Grimmuald Place. The elf knocked on what Harry assumes was lady Longbottoms study before opening the door and gesturing for Harry to enter.

Behind a large dark wooden desk sat Neville's grandmother looking stern as she normally did. Pushing her chair back and walking toward Harry gracefully. "Welcome to Longbottom manor Mr. Potter," she said gesturing towards the sofa that was on the other side of the room. Harry always felt uncomfortable when dealing with the formalities of purebloods. He sat on the comfortable egg blue sofa waiting for her to do the same before he spoke. She sat on the armchair across from him, " are you here to harass me about my grandson again?"

"No harassing just wanted to know if you have heard from Neville." Harry said trying to look the older witch in the eyes but failing miserably. She waved her wand over the coffee table separating them and a tea set appeared. "Mr. Potter if I would have heard from Neville I wouldn't tell you or anyone working for the ministry," she said while serving him his tea just the way he liked it. She must have remembered from his last visit Harry thought.

Augusta sat back and took a sip of her milky tea looking at the younger wizard before her, "Mr. Potter may I ask what you are doing?"

Harry swallowed the hot tea too quickly burning his tongue on the way down, trying to think what he could have done wrong. He hadn't hit the sides of the tea cup when he was stirring like Hermione had taught him, he had thanked her for the tea and welcoming him to her home before he could continue thinking of all the ways he could have possibly made a faux pas she elaborated.

"I know because of your less than stellar childhood, Dumbledores manipulations and other myriad of reasons that I'm not going to get in to, you seem easily led." she sipped her tea placing it on the saucer and looked him in the eye, "you can not be blind to what is going on in our world." Harry cast his eyes down and looked in to his black tea. "That's why I am working as an auror, to make a difference in the wizarding world and make it safer."

Augusta shook her head, "do you think hunting down muggle-borns who only left a world that was ostracising and subjugating them is going to accomplish that?"

Harry didn't know why but he felt like he was being reprimanded and he hadn't done anything wrong. "With all due respect Mrs. Longbottom I am here to discuss if you have heard from your grandson not to delve in to my life." Harry said placing his tea cup back on the coffee table. "They killed five aurors in France."

"Yes five aurors who executed eight muggle parents and then slowly killed their four teenage muggle born children." Augusta spoke harshly. Harry was taken back by the information, "that wasn't in the ministry report."

Augusta let out a cold laugh, "yes the ministry that called you a deranged, attention seeking, glory hound liar for a year. The same ministry that sent a man to azkaban for twelve years without a trial. Oh let's not forget the same ministry that tried using you as the poster boy to assure the wizarding world that everything was okay during the war, is that the ministry you were talking about?"

Augusta stood up from her seat and looked down at Harry, "the same ministry that is passing muggle-born laws taking away their rights, the same ministry that has Lucius Malfoy walking in its halls again having secret meetings with the minister, the same ministry that made your best friend leave?" she sat down running her hands over her skirt attempting to iron out the non existent wrinkles.

They both sat there in silence lost in their own thoughts. Harry thought back over the events that happened after the war. He was just so happy that it was all over and Voldemort was gone, for so many years that was all he had focused on. When he had wanted to join the auror in fifth year he thought he would be fighting Voldemort and his death eaters for years in a long drawn out war, not defeating him at 17. He had wanted the training that Dumbledore wasn't offering him. When the war was over and the ministry asked him to join the aurors and hunt down the remaining death eaters he had agreed thinking it was his responsibility.

Even though at the time all he wanted was time to think and cherish the feeling of not being in constant danger, which Hermione had suggested. He had planned on quitting after catching the death eaters but never did. Ron and the Weasley had pushed for him to stay on take the exams and training to become a full fledged auror. Then the marriage law had been introduced and Ginny and Molly had been so excited they had both been hinting at him and Ginny getting married for months, he saw it as a sign that this was what he was supposed to do and just went with it. Then hermione and most of all the muggle-borns leaving he had never really had a chance to just stop and think.

"I'm sorry Lady Longbottom but I have to go, thank you for the tea." Not waiting for her to acknowledge what he had said he raced out of her home.

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Harry hadn't gone back to the ministry after leaving Longbottom manor, he had spent the last several hours sat in the library at Grimmuald Place. The sun had set hours ago leaving the room dark, he could hear Ginny calling his name. He didn't make a move to answer her or alert her to his presence. The door opened letting in the light from the hallway gas lamp, "Merlin Harry, you gave me such a fright. What are you doing sitting in the dark." Ginny turned on the lamp, sat next to him, "Ron has been looking for you, said you left and didn't come back to work."

"Just needed to think."

Ginny looked at Harry and sighed he was in one of his moods again. "What about?"

Harry looked at Ginny with such sadness in his eyes, it made her heart clench painfully. "I've let her down Ginny, Merlin I can't believe how much I have let her down." He gripped his hair painfully placing his head in his hands trying to reign in his emotions. "You are upset over Hermione, she left us...you. Why does she matter now?"

"because she is my best friend. I was so caught up in my own life i didn't notice.I should have noticed that she wasn't coping, that she was sad, that she would never agree with that stupid law."

Ginny was angry, she didn't understand what Harry was upset about, Hermione had left them.

"I was so caught up in my own life I didn't realise what was going on around me..."

Ginny stood up, " I don't want to hear this, she betrayed us. My brother died fighting so people like her wouldn't die. George left to join her, breaking our family again. She broke Ron's heart, he loved her since fourth year." Her chest was heaving from her rant, "after everything my family did for her, we took her in and this is how she repaid us."

Harry looked at her and he felt like for the first time he was truly seeing her. "Was marrying me repayment to you family for taking me in, was Hermione marrying Ron her repayment?"

"What...of course not. We got married because we are in love." She sat back down grabbing his hands, "please stop this Harry, you are scaring me."

Harry removed his hands from her grasp, "you should go to your parents for a few days Ginny, I just want to be alone for a while." Ginny blinked back tears and stood up quickly making her way for the door.

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Harry spent a month looking in to what he and Lady Longbottom had spoken about. He saw how unfairly the muggle-borns and a lot of half bloods who didn't come from well know families were treated. He was the only half blood in the auror department. Tonks had been the only one for fifty years before he joined, Lady Longbottom had explained it was mostly because she was a Black. Even a disowned Black was still a Black.

Going through the Black library he came across Hogwarts a History, thinking of Hermione he smiled. The moment he touched the book it turned in to a folder, he could see Hermione's neat script on the note attached to it.

Hello Harry,

If you are reading this then you have had sometime to think and came looking for clues to why i left or have accidentally stumbled upon this, I'm hopping it's the first one. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you what I was planning or why I had to go but everything that led me to leaving will be in the folder.

You were my first true friend Harry wish it hadn't taken a troll to make us friends but i will always cherish the memory.I'm happy that I got to know you. Wish things would have turned out differently but I don't regret the adventures we had and the years of friendship.

Take care Harry and I hope you don't hate me too much.

-Hermione

Harry read the note a few more times, he sank to the floor and cried. He thought about his lost friendship with the one person who had never abandoned him. All the times she had comforted him and brought him back from the darkness and grief that seemed to take hold of him at times. How she nagged him to be better and study harder. Hermione had protected and saved him just as many times as he had for her. She had been a true friend even when he hadn't, when he had picked Ron over her time and time again. She had left the note not in the hopes of him finding her but to offer him answers that she knew he would be looking for. Even when she was gone she was still looking out for him.

She hadn't signed "love Hermione" like she always did when writing to him. It hurt but he understood, he didn't deserve that love that Hermione had offered so many times but he had never truly returned. It was simply a goodbye note. Harry folded the note and placed it in his pocket, leaning against the bookshelves he opened her folder and begun to read Hermione's research about muggle-borns and half bloods in England.

A/N; Harry and Hermione don't have feelings for each other. I'm a huge Harry/Hermione shipper, but not this story.