Author's Note: I'm putting finishing touches on previous chapters. Also on this chapter it has one part where it's similar to a movie. Let's see who can spot the reference.

Disclaimer: Read chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Chapter 6

Hermione's "Sad" Final Return To Hogwarts

You're a great wizard Harry.

Not as good as you.

(laughs) Me? Books and cleverness. There are more important things: Friendship and bravery.

Friday August 31st, 2007

The Burrow

It was midnight and everybody was asleep. While Harry was sleeping, he remembered what Hermione said to him on their first year of Hogwarts. It was the time where he, along with Ron and Hermione were playing Wizard's chess to proceed to the next room, and Ron who was playing as a knight piece, sacrificed himself so that Harry could check the room's King and proceed. It was kind of sad for Harry to think that this is it. Harry has successfully defeated Voldemort and now Hogwarts will have nothing more to teach him. He will be away from his best friend while he's off Death Eater hunting. His best days with Hermione were the day he first met her, the day he along with Ron helped saved her with the troll, the day they time traveled back to save Buckbeak and Sirius from death using her Time Turner, and the very first day they formed Dumbledore's Army. But the days he remembers most was when Hermione helped him search for those horcruxes.

Hermione I will miss you when you go to Hogwarts.

Harry then after continued sleeping and he was dreaming about Ginny now.

About time. Don't you think?

Oh, shut up.

While Ginny was sleeping, she had just remembered how right Hermione was for Ron. Ginny remembered how devastated Hermione was when Ron was going out with Lavander Brown. In a way Ginny felt like she owed her for her advice on how to get Harry to love her let alone notice her more. Her best times with Hermione was the time they went to the Quidditch world cup in Hermione's 4th year and Ginny's 3rd year before they went to Hogwarts for the Year of the Triwizard Tournament, the time they trained together the year after in the Room of Requirement and the battle at the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Mysteries where they put their training to the test against the Death Eaters and did quite well, and her last best moment of her time was when she and Hermione was in the Slug Club with Harry, despite the fact that Ginny was with Dean at the time, they had fun and everything during the Slug Club.

Thanks Hermione for your advice. It really helped me. But I wished you would have evolved with us. And what would Ron think about you going back?

Ginny continued sleeping and started dreaming about Harry now.

In Ron's mind while he was asleep, Hermione was the only one he dreamt about. He didnt dream about Harry or Ginny, his family, or Fred's death for that matter. He thought about all the times he was with Hermione at Hogwarts. From bickering to loving, from times spent apart to times spent together. Ron had many a good moments with Hermione all throughout the 7 years. His best moments of his beloved girlfriend were just like one ofHarry's best moments, saved Hermione from the troll, trained with her in the Room of Requirement in which in a duel he let her win, but his best moment of Hermione was when he had the time to spend with her in peace after the second war. Within his 6th year when Lavender only wanted to snog him and Romilda who cursed him with a love potion hidden in the chocolates that were meant for Harry, the only woman that was real with him and cared for him whether he was sick or injured was Hermione, she loved him for who he was not because he was a friend of a famous wizard. Suddenly Ron woke up thinking hard about what he is planning to do when he and Hermione are apart for the next 10 months on and off.

Hermione, why must you leave me? I really need you close to me.

The next morning outside the Burrow, Harry and Ron were talking under a tree.

"Harry?"

"Yes Ron?"

"Have you ever wondered why you became some woman's boyfriend?"

"Not really, no. Why?"

"Because, whenever I'm with Hermione I feel like she fills my whole world completely and whenever she's not around it's like my world is incomplete, like my world is half done with the things that I built myself but Hermione helped me with the other half."

At that note, Ron was shedding tears.

"Ron it may feel that her going back to Hogwarts may make you feel like you guys would split apart because the entire time may feel like whatever events that was in the years of our enrollment of Hogwarts stays at Hogwarts. But Ron, know that it's her passion, her achievement, to always want to learn more, it's who she is after all. And would you want to be in her way of being who she is?"

"No, but why does she want to go back I mean that woman's got the brains of 4 past headmasters there and I don't mean McGonagall, Dumbledore, Snape, and Umbridge."

"Yeah I see, as I can recall she almost had the best of me in Defense Against the Dark Arts. She really was the brightest of the three of us. In fact she still is. But then again it's like I said, she wouldn't be Hermione if she didn't go back. She always wants to learn."

Ron was thinking about Hermione the entire moment that Harry was stating why Hermione wanted to go back to Hogwarts one final time.

"Ron, you'll miss her, I'll miss her, Ginny will miss her most definitely because tomorrow she will be practicing with the Hollyhead Harpies. And need I say more about how much your family will miss her not to mention her friends, Parvati, Padma, Neville and the rest?"

"Yeah I'll definitely miss her, but then again I don't want to miss her."

At that point, Harry turned to Ron.

"Why Ron?"

Ron looked back at Harry.

"Because in some way it makes me feel like these past months that we shared, seem like it was just pleasurable dreams, like all the times we shared were just fantasies and nothing else, and Harry, I love Hermione too much to let what we shared all these years, become unreal."

Harry could feel Ron's pain of being seperated from Hermione. He knew himself that he will miss Ginny for 6 months each year she signs for the Hollyhead Harpies.

"Ron, you know Hermione will always love you. And right now I'll bet that she is really thinking hard about whether or not she's really going through with what she said over 3 months ago."

"I guess you're right. I hope she's not doing this out of spite that I left you guys on our horcrux hunt. "

Ron remembered how massively upset and angry Hermione was when Ron came back to them that day.

You... Complete... Ass, Ronald Weaseley!

To Hermione she must have thought that to Ron, missing Christmas and her and Harry almost getting killed by Voldemort's snake Nagini was nothing to worry about. Especially on that day when he left when he heard Hermione call out for him that he really had to make that up to her.

"Harry I really, really meant to come back."

"I understand Ron and I seriously doubt she's not going back to Hogwarts to punish you."

"Well, if you say so." Ron said as is he was unsure. "So Harry, where did you get that necklace made for Ginny?"

"At a locket shop in Diagon Alley. Your dad knows the place."

"Oh, okay. Well I'll ask him, then I'll be there to get one made for Hermione."

"Oh well okay then."

When they got up they hugged each other before Ron went back inside and soon he was gone for several hours. It was late afternoon at the Burrow and Harry was in George's old room laying down with his eyes closed but he wasn't sleeping. Ginny came in and straddled him and they both laugh.

"I guess tomorrow's it huh? We stay together but go our seperate ways." Ginny said.

"Yeah, I mean it's a new beginning for all of us but it isn't as peaceful as we thought it would be."

"I know. Just think: The four of us with steady jobs able to see each other on a daily basis with me and Hermione wondering when will you guys ask us to marry you two then the planning of our weddings, our honeymoons, and the life of us being one big happy family."

"Ginny, you're making peace itself look too good."

"I know." Ginny suddenly lifted Harry's upper body up and wrapped her legs around him. "That's what I want for all of us."

"Well Ginny, I'll always be an Auror while I will also be out catching dark wizards but I will assume that in two years, when all the Death Eaters are captured. When you retire from Quidditch, and when Hermione finally works full time in the Ministry, that wish will come true for all of us."

Harry was kissing Ginny deeply for what seems like a long time it was almost the same as it was on Harry's birthday when they kissed inside the Tunnel of Love. It was almost supper time and Ron came back he headed up to George's room he went in and saw Harry kissing Ginny.

"Hey."

Harry and Ginny broke from the kiss when they saw Ron and Ginny got up from Harry and left the room.

"So where'd you head off to Ron?" Harry asked.

"Well after I has custom ordered this locket..." Ron showed Harry a locket with the shape of Hermone's face on it. "I went to her house to speak to her. And eventually she was still so happy about going back to Hogwarts. It's like she denies how much she will really miss me going back and do you know what she told me?"

"I'll take a guess. It's only ten months?"

"Yeah which kind of makes me not want to miss her now."

"Ron..."

Just then Ron stormed into his room until dinner was ready. Harry then borrowed Ron's owl Pigwidgeon and sent a letter to Hermione. When dinner was ready, Harry went downstairs as well and had dinner with the family. After that for a few hours until everybody was asleep, he went outside to think about what was going to happen tomorrow. He and Ron will become Aurors, Ginny's first season will begin, and Hermione will go to Hogwarts for one final time. Just before he started thinking more about what he will miss, Ginny apparated next to Harry. She was in her silver nightgown with matching slippers.

"You know Harry if you're thinking about Hermione..."

"No Ginny, I'm thinking about how much Ron will miss Hermione. He told me that Hermione is still happy about going back. And it's like she really wouldn't miss Ron that much."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you can be most assured that they really will miss each other, especially when they both are in denial."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how Ron plans on not missing Hermione, but I can only hope he does it on a safe proportion."

Ginny could feel Harry be overly concerned again. She was now fully focused on Harry.

"Harry, look at me." Harry obeyed by looking deep into her eyes. "I love my brother Ron and of course I'll definitely miss Hermione too. I mean, she is my best friend. And I'll miss Ron when I leave to begin my career in Quidditch."

"And me?"

"That's why I apparated here for, to drag your lovely, overly concerned, completely handsome ass back to my room so you could give me the first love making session of my career, even though I will miss you for goodness knows how long."

Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry and apparated them back to her room so she could make love to him, meanwhile Ron was still awake, although he couldn't hear Harry and Ginny's sounds of love making due to the fact that Ginny cast her silencing charms around, he knew that Ginny would want Harry to make love to her before she left. Through gritted teeth he was angry, but not at Harry or Ginny, but at Hermione because Hermione didn't feel like making love to Ron before she left for one final time she felt that she needed him to wait until June, because she and Ron will have all the time in the world for each other, while Harry and Ginny would toggle six months back and forth from Quidditch for God knows how many years. His last lovemaking was in Australia and that was like a week ago and to Hermione that was all she needed. Ron then felt that he shouldn't worry about her for too much and went to sleep to think about how to give the locket to her. Meanwhile, Harry and Ginny were just about done, when Harry and Ginny were sitting up together making love for like 2 hours. Their juices were spilled on the bed. They collapsed with Ginny on top of Harry.

"My turn." Ginny said as she waved her wand and cleaned up the bed and themselves. Then she looked at Harry with much love.

"You sure know how to keep me sane."

"Good, glad that I also have that effect."

"I will miss you too Ginny."

"Harry, just promise me you won't miss me too much."

"Ginny, I'll think about you every single day if not every free moment. And I'll dream about you every single night, so that I won't miss you as much wherever I am. That's a promise."

"I love you Harry."

"I love you too, Ginny."

They shared a kiss or two before they went to sleep dreaming about the morning coming.

Meanwhile at Hermione's house, Hermione was asleep and she already opened the letter that Harry sent to her. The letter was set aside her bedside table.

Dear Hermione,

I'm writing to you to let you know that I know we will see you in ten months, and I know that you will miss Ron too. If only you knew how much Ron misses you now and how much when you leave. And you know Ginny will miss you too, in fact I will assume that she will play as if she wanted you around Ron on a daily basis. But as I already told Ron, you wouldn't be you if you didn't want to do what your heart told you to do. I'll be at the station along with Ron and Ginny to wish you farewell because Ginny have to go to Hollyhead stadium to start her season as well. But know that I along with Ginny and Ron will always be with you. Have fun in your final year.

Sincerely,

Harry.

Hermione looked at the letter from a while ago before she was sleeping. She remembered every moment that she, Harry, and Ron had. Like the conversations on the train, and in the Griffindor common room, like the missions for the Sorcerer's Stone, knowing where the Chamber of Secrets was, in helping Harry win the Triwizard cup and/or survive the tournament, and more. But most of all the mission for the horcruxes. Hermione knew that she will always keep these memories with her. As she slept she thought about what her final year was going to bring her, as well as Ron who she knew that deep down she would really miss him but she needed to stay strong she couldn't let her feelings of Ron cloud the issue at hand, she knew that in ten months she will be done of Hogwarts and she and Ron will be together longer than that. After all it was just ten months, and she figured, If Ron could be away from her for weeks, she could be away from him for months.

Just relax Hermione, it's only 10 months, no need to worry. Before you know it they will be done and over with and you will finally be with Ron. He shouldn't be worried about me.

After that thought, Hermione slept through the rest of the night she already had her bags packed and was ready to return.

Saturday September 1st, 2007

King's Cross Station.

It was 10:15 While Hermione was walking inside the Train station. While she was walking by herself, in which she already bid her parents farewell before heading in, she saw Parvati and Padma wishing her farewell before going to Dean and Seamus who also saw Hermione leaving and said their farewell as well. A little while later, Hermione ran into Neville.

"Hey Hermione, Going back?"

"Yes I am, and what are you doing here."

"I just got through saying good-bye to Hannah, she's going back to her final year as well. Voldemort and the Death Eaters robbed her of her final year with their abusive authority at the Ministry."

"Oh, Well okay. Where are you heading now?"

"I'm staying with my Gran for a few months, then I'll be working with Harry as an Auror. Then when Hannah comes back. I'll be opening up a plant shop in Diagon Alley."

"Wow, that's great Neville!"

"Thanks, well anyways be safe okay?"

"I sure will."

Hermione gave Neville a hug before continuing on to platform 9 and 3/4. At the barrier she saw, Harry, Ginny, Molly, Arthur, George, and Angelina waiting for her.

"Hey guys." Hermione said.

"Hey Hermione." Ginny said being the first to speak.

"So I guess this is it huh?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, it is but you know this isn't good-bye." Ginny said.

"Of course not." Hermione said as she hugged Ginny.

"Good luck, Ginny. Win the cup for us okay?"

"You know I will."

Then she hugged George, Angelina, Arthur and Molly. Then suddenly she turned to Harry.

"Books and cleverness, hey?"

"Harry, you should know me better that I prefer..."

"Friendship and bravery." Harry said as he interrupted Hermione.

"Just as much." Hermione finished out. "Just be careful you and Ron, and please look out for him."

"I'll do my best, Hermione. You know nothing's guaranteed."

"I know." And with that Hermione gave Harry the best heartwarming hug he ever got from her.

"I'll miss you, Hermione."

"I'll miss you too Harry. I'm angry that Ron's not here but glad at the same time."

"Why?"

"Because this would break his heart, seeing me leave."

"Hermione if you only knew..."

"I'll know how much Ron will miss me."

Hermione and Harry broke from the hug and Hermione was in aligned with the barrier. She gave one last look at the six of them before she went on through the barrier and into Platform 9 and 3/4 Harry and Ginny along with the rest made their way to Ginny's train. Once there, it was 10:50, she was proud that she faced her friends and family with their farewell. However Hermione was not home free yet. She spoke a little too soon about Ron not being there, for she saw him waiting for her. Slowly Hermione walked up to Ron and then looked at him.

"Think I would not come?" Ron asked.

"To tell you the truth Ron I was mad when you weren't with Harry and Ginny, but I didn't know that you'd be waiting for me here. But then again..." Hermione started to laugh after a good 5 second laugh, she continued. "I should have known that you'd be last to say good-by to me."

"Hermione..."

"Ron, it's just..."

"Ten months?" Ron interrupted. "Ten months can be a long time you know."

"I know you'll miss me." Hermione said. But Ron knew that he wouldn't miss her. How in denial could they be? normally they would shed tears and talk about how much they would miss each other. But here they both have invisible emotion masks to hide their true feelings for each other. Ron was trying his very best to fight back tears. He needed to do something.

"Ron, in ten months we'll be together longer than this."

At that point, Ron went close and put the locket necklace on Hermione. When Hermione looked at it, it was the most beautiful gift that she had ever got from Ron.

"I love it, Ron."

After looking at it for a while, she hugged Ron and the hug was time consuming. When she broke from it she then spoke to Ron again.

"Ron when my year is finally over, I will let you know where to meet me at. And I'll be wearing something so stunning that you will be able to remember forever." Hermione said.

"I can't wait for June." Ron said.

"Me neither. But we have to. So until then, as somebody would say..."

"Somebody would say what?"

"Keep a weather eye on the horizon."

"All Aboard!"

After the conductor said that, Ron pulled Hermione into a deep kiss which would confuse somebody if it was not meant to change somebody's mind about a situation like this. Hermione didn't refuse the kiss at all, she kept on kissing him back. When they broke apart, Hermione boarded the train and sat down at the window closest to the car she boarded in from the door. As the train pulled off, Ron saw Hermione leave, even after she was out of view. He would still stay there for another hour. If Ron was to really miss her, he would have ran with the train to catch Hermione's car and placed his hand on the window to match Hermione's until the car was out of range from the platform. As he stood there looking at the train fade from his vision, he would think about the ten months that he would not see Hermione as well as the day Hermione promised him that they would have together.