Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

The Path to the Platform

Inescapable Truth

August 1998

"Wake up, Mum's got an owl for you," Ron shouted as he knocked repeatedly on Ginny's door. "Hermione, you have one too."

Hermione opened the door as she shoved her arms into her dressing gown. "Ron, aren't you forgetting something?" she asked accusingly. She was still blinking the sleep out of her eyes. Ron was up abnormally early, but he and Harry had an early morning meeting at the ministry.

"Oh yeah," Ron said. He leaned forward and kissed Hermione squarely on the lips. "Good morning," he smiled cheekily.

Hermione blushed. "No, that's not what I meant. Wish your sister happy birthday," Hermione ordered as she crossed her arms.

"I didn't forget," Ron smiled. "Open the door," he ordered. Hermione opened the door and ushered him inside.

"Happy seventeenth birthday, Ginny!" Ron said as he plopped on his sister's bed.

Ginny startled awake. At the same moment, there was a loud pop behind Ginny's bed and George appeared. "Happy birthday Gin," he said from the corner.

Ginny spun her head around to look at George. Ron's hand dashed under Ginny's pillow while she was not looking. "Looking for this?" he asked as he twirled her wand in his hand. George disapparated with a pop. "Meet you downstairs," Ron laughed at Ginny as he disapparated with a pop.

Ginny jumped up and shoved her arms into her dressing gown and began searching for her slippers. "What was that?" Hermione asked.

"A strategic maneuver for self-preservation," Ginny grumbled. Hermione looked at her curiously, but Ginny was already running down the Burrow stairs having located her slippers. "You two better run!" Ginny shouted.

Hermione pulled on her own slippers and met Harry at the landing. "What was all that about?" Hermione asked.

"Ginny's apparently been threatening Ron and George with hexes when she turned seventeen for years, but it's gotten worse this summer. I think they're trying to prevent anything too painful, but I'm afraid it might backfire," Harry laughed as he explained to Hermione. The two made their way into the kitchen. "Good morning Mrs. Weasley," Harry said brightly.

"Good morning you two," Mrs. Weasley said. A smile was plastered on her face, but other than that she seemed completely unconcerned with her three children who were chasing each other outside. Charlie was already seated at the breakfast table munching on a piece of toast. Mr. Weasley was also there drinking his tea.

"I'll go see if I can help Ginny get her wand back," Harry said as he went outside.

"I need to get going to work," Mr. Weasley said as he looked at his watch. He walked to the opened kitchen door. "Happy birthday Ginny," he called.

Hermione could hear Ginny shout back thanks. Mr. Weasley headed to the fireplace and flooed to the ministry.

Hermione smiled and sat at the kitchen table as she smiled to herself. Things were beginning to return to normal. She had spent the night at the Burrow for Ginny's birthday. She would return home tomorrow for the last few weeks before she went to Hogwarts. The floo network had been reconnected to the Weasley home. Ron told her that each day the throng of reporters at the end of the lane grew smaller. She was growing more excited to go back to school with each passing day.

Hermione saw jets of red and blue flying by the windows outside. It appeared that Ginny had recovered her wand and the tables had been turned. Charlie sighed. "I guess I should got stop them before someone hexes the birthday girl," he stood up and reached into his pocket to grab his wand. He jogged outside and had to dodge a spell. "Come on guys, watch the face," he said. Hermione laughed.

An owl flew to the window. The Weasleys' copy of the daily prophet was tied around his food. Hermione went to retrieve the paper. "Oh my god!" Hermione exclaimed as she unrolled the front of the paper. She dropped her mug of tea and it shattered on the floor. Harry, Ron and Hermione smiled and waved from the front page. It was a photograph taken during their fourth year after Harry had completed the first task in the Triwizard Tournament. The headline did not match the picture, but Hermione supposed it was the only one of all three of them the paper could find. She went over the headline again, hardly believing what she saw: "The Golden Trio? Leaked Notes Tell the Sordid Tale of Love Triangles, Abandonment, and Being on the Run." Hermione looked down the to byline and whimpered. "Oh no," she moaned.

"What's wrong," Mrs. Weasley rushed over. Hermione handed the paper silently and walked over to the kitchen table and plopped down. She dropped her head between her hands. "That bitch!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. Hermione looked up for a moment shocked at Mrs. Weasley's exclamation. "It's okay Hermione, no one takes this woman seriously." Mrs. Weasley threw the paper down on the table and sat next to Hermione. She began to gently rub the girl's shoulders.

"I can't even bring myself to read it. Kingsley said this wouldn't happen," Hermione exclaimed. She looked at the paper with disgust.

The Weasley children and Harry entered the kitchen, all laughing. They abruptly stopped in their tracks when the saw Hermione and Mrs. Weasley huddled around the kitchen table.

"What's wrong?" Ron demanded.

"Uh-oh," Charlie said as he picked up the paper from the table.

Ron snatched the paper from his brother. When he read the headline he paled. "What the bloody hell?" His mother did not even scold him for his language.

Harry grabbed the paper from Ron. He nervously ran his hand through his hair as he read the headline.

Ginny grabbed the paper from Harry. "Well happy fucking birthday to me," she mumbled. She threw the paper onto the table, disgusted.

"I'm going to kill Kingsley," Ron shouted suddenly. His exclamation made Hermione jump.

"Of course, the obvious solution is to kill the Minister of Magic. That will make people think the article is lying," George said dryly as he scanned the paper.

"It's not his fault Ron, it said the notes were leaked," Hermione said as she looked up from the kitchen table. It seemed as if she was trying to hold back tears.

"Well I kill Margaret Kettleburn. She ought to keep better tabs on her notes," Ron thundered.

"She had to turn her notes over to the Wizengamot. They probably made copies. Support staff probably saw them. Anyone could've leaked them," Harry mumbled as he sat down heavily at the kitchen table. Ginny sat down next to him. She placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"Well thanks for the help mate," Ron said. "Someone has to be held responsible for this. Kingsley told us we would have control of the story."

"He never promised us that, Ron," Hermione said. "No one is responsible for this, except us because we told people the story. I knew this would happen eventually, I just hoped we would have longer."

"It's not that bad," George said as he looked up from the paper. Several pairs of eyes turned to glare at him. "Honestly, I think the title is a bit sensational to try to capture readers. But none of you come out looking horrid. It's pretty similar to the parts you told us about, although it looks like they only got ahold of the notes that deal with last year after the wedding, nothing before that," George said.

"Let me see," Ron demanded. He grabbed the paper back from his brother. Ron winced as he read, but the further he got in the article, he could see that George was right. Even though that Skeeter wench created a love triangle where there had never been one, she portrayed Ron's abandonment with a positive spin since he was able to come back and provide information about the wizarding world.

"He's right, mate," Ron mumbled as he handed the paper back to Harry.

"Let me see," demanded Hermione. She reached up and roughly grabbed the paper from Harry's hands before he even had a chance to look at it. She sank back into her chair at the kitchen table. She ran her hands through her hair nervously as she quickly ran the article. She finished the article and threw it aside with disgust. "This is not the drama I need for when I go back to school. I'm going to kill that bitchy bug!"

"It's really not that bad," Ron said to Hermione.

Hermione looked up at him with burning eyes. "This coming from the bloke who looks like the hero who eventually wins the girl. She makes me look like a right tart Ron!" Hermione tapped her finger angrily against the paper. She picked up the offending document and cleared her throat and then began to read. "'Throughout the trio's travels they stayed in a small tent, apparating throughout the English countryside. Evenings were spent together by candlelight. Often, the young Ms. Granger would read to her male companions. Although I suspect she paid less attention to the texts and focused more closely on how the young Messrs. Potter and Weasley reacted to her reading, always trying to discern which one might be more deserving of her attentions.' Now Ronald, does this seem like something that is 'not that bad,' because this certainly better not be how you remember it." Hermione once again threw the paper aside. She had stood at one point and was glaring at Ron while she dug her pointer finger into his chest.

Ron had winced throughout her reading of the quote. It sounded much worse when Hermione read it aloud than when he had read it in his head. She waited for an answer from him, but he simply sputtered. She spun on her heels. "Oi, where are you going?" Ron demanded.

"For a walk," she huffed.

"You don't have any shoes," he called after as he tried to follow her.

"Protego," Hermione shouted when he got close to her. The force of her spell pushed him backwards.

"Hey!" Ron tried to regain his breath after walking into the solid protection spell. "What was that for?"

"I'm going for a walk alone," Hermione thundered. Ron stayed back this time and Hermione was grateful.

She was so angry that red starks were blasting out of her wand every few steps. She shoved her wand into the back pocket of her denim shorts. She screamed animalistically into the orchard. She did not know where she was walking, but she just needed to get away from everyone for a moment.

She thought about how unfair all of it was. The boys had come off as victorious and young and brave in the article. Skeeter had made Hermione look like a slut. Harry was used to having articles written about him. This one probably was not the worst article that was out there. Hermione suspected that Ron secretly harbored a jealousy of Harry's fame. In a way, Ron's dreams were coming true with the the article. He was portrayed as a hero as well, albeit a flawed hero when he left and came back, but still a hero. Hermione on the other hand, felt as if she had come across as some sort of lustful distraction from the real mission. A part of Hermione wanted to be recognized for what she had done, but not like this. She screamed into the orchard again. There were no words for the frustration she was feeling. It was not fair.

Hermione had not realized that she had started crying. Angry tears flowed freely down her face, and after her last scream had turned into a sob. She made it to the clearing before she collapsed onto her knees. The unfairness of the portrayal kept playing through her mind. Why was it too much for her to be remember for her contributions instead of her gender?

Her sobs turned into nausea. She moved her knees around to her front and placed her head between them. She tried to take deep, steadying breaths. "This is stupid to be upset," she whispered the mantra to herself over and over again. After one particularly deep breath, she looked up. Unknowingly she had collapsed near Fred's grave.

She regarded the stone with Fred's name on and felt a wave of guilt was over her. Her sobs were renewed. "I'm so sorry, Fred! Here I am complaining like a teenage girl about how the world perceives me. And here you are, not even alive. You would do anything to be in my shoes I'm sure." Hermione continued to cry. She tucked her knees under her chin and hugged her knees close to her chest. She had started crying for Fred instead of for herself. She had no right to be worked up because of some stupid article. She could have died. She should not care how the world learns of what they did.

"Hermione?" Ron asked cautiously. He looked at her curled up figure next to his brother's grave. It was a bit unsettling to see, but Ron could not identify the feeling that was forming in the pit of his stomach. "Are you okay?" Ron asked. He walked over to Hermione and sat next to her with crossed legs.

"I'm sorry Ron, I shouldn't have been cruel to you," she mumbled. She moved her head from her chin and leaned it on her shoulder. "It was a petty thing to be upset about," Hermione sighed.

Ron did not respond, he was staring at the gravestone. He took a deep breath. Hermione could hear the emotion behind it. "He would have given all three of us a hard time about that article, would have ragged on us for being called the 'Golden Trio," Ron mused.

Hermione laughed gently. "I'm sure he would have," she said. She removed one of her hands from around her knees and brought it up to Ron's opposite shoulder. She hugged him closer to her. "That probably would have made me less upset. He always had a way of making big things seem trivial," Hermione mused.

"I miss him a lot," Ron sighed.

"I know you do," Hermione sighed. She paused, "I didn't mean to come up here, I just sort of walked, but - I dunno, it's like being here made me remember how small our problems are now in comparison," Hermione said quietly. "It's like I needed to be here."

"I brought your owl," Ron said. He reached behind him into his jeans pocket and retrieved the crumpled parchment.

Hermione took it and turned it over in her hand. She saw the Hogwarts seal and began to laugh. "Ron, it's my Hogwarts letter," she leaned against him. "This feels really strange to get one without you and Harry." She tore open the envelope and unfolded the parchment. She quickly read through the list of books and courses. There was an additional small piece of parchment written in Professor McGonagall's hand. Hermione moved it to the front and read through it quickly. Ron looked over Hermione's shoulder and read along with her.

"She's letting you decide whether or not you want to be a prefect?" Ron asked with surprise. "No one ever gave me that choice," he mumbled under his breath.

"I don't think I want to be a prefect again," Hermione said as she read through the parchment again.

"Really? I thought your dream was be to be Head Girl!" Ron exclaimed.

Hermione laughed aloud. She continued to laugh until she began snorting. She finally was able to compose herself. "No, I don't think that has been on my radar for a long time. It would have been nice, of course, but the only thing I have thought about this past year was staying alive and now the thought of being Head Girl seems, well, it seems so fucking trivial!" Hermione exclaimed.

Ron looked at her with shock. It was unusual to hear Hermione curse, but he liked it. "So you're not going to be a prefect?" Ron asked slowly.

Hermione nodded her head. She leaned into his shoulder shyly. "It would be weird to do rounds without you," she mumbled into his shirt.

Ron's ego swelled. "Would it now?"

"Everything is going to feel so different without you and Harry there. I just want to focus on my classes, get through the year. It's going to be painful to be back at Hogwarts and think about everything that happened there in May, but it is going to be worse to remember what it was like when I had you and Harry with me."

"You'll get through it Hermione, you're the brightest witch I know," Ron patted her hair a bit awkwardly.

"I'm going to miss you," Hermione said.

"I'm going to miss you too," Ron responded automatically.

"No you won't. You and Harry are going to be incredibly busy. Auror training takes loads of time. And then once you're through training, you'll be busy working: long hours, raids, drinks with your colleagues. You won't have a moment to think about me slaving away in the library," Hermione said.

"Oh really?" Ron asked with a cocked eyebrow. "I think you'll be the one who is utterly distracted. I'll be thinking of you every night while I sleep alone in my room." Ron's voice sounded huskier than usual.

Hermione looked up at him and licked her lips. "Every night, you say?" Hermione winked at him.

"Every. Single. Night."

"Oh, really?" Hermione leaned into him again. She nuzzled her head against his neck and breathed the words against him. Ron shivered against her breath.

"Do you want to go back to the Burrow?" Ron asked quietly.

"Not really," Hermione sighed.

"We're by Fred's grave again. I don't really want to make snogging by Fred a habit," Ron said.

Hermione popped her head up and looked at the gravestone in front of her. "You're right," she said quickly. She untangled herself from Ron and jumped up. "Let's go back."

"I didn't mean we had to leave," Ron started to say.

"No, you're right. It was a bit cruel of me to make you sit here and talk about our lives, in front of Fred," Hermione trailed off.

"No, that's not what I meant!" Ron stood up and dusted off his jeans. "I just, well I don't know. I've always loved this spot. I spent years playing Quidditch here. I grew up here. It was an excellent place to run around. It's home. And now, it's Fred's permanent home in a sense, but it's also where we've all sort of left him behind. And it just feels a bit morbid. In a way, bollocks, I don't know how to say this better. You're my future, and Fred is my past in a lot of ways," Ron rambled on. Hermione looked at him with a confused expression.

"Okay," she said slowly. "So do you want to go back to the Burrow, or do you want to walk around a little bit?"

"Walk around?" Ron asked hopefully.

"Sure," Hermione smiled. She reached for Ron's hand, he took it eagerly. The pair walked into the orchard in silence.

"So you're really not going to be a Prefect?" Ron asked.

"No, I don't think it's for me anymore." Hermione said.

"So you're going to be able to sneak into Hogsmeade, maybe for a long evening out?" Ron asked hopefully.

Hermione laughed gently. "I don't really see myself fearing detention anymore," Hermione laughed.

"I'll keep that in mind," Ron smiled back at her.

They walked in happy conversation. "It's going to be so weird being back there without you," Hermione said as they closed in on the Burrow. "I honestly do not know what I'm going to do. I only remember Hogwarts with you and Harry. It's going to seem so boring," Hermione said. She slowed her pace. There was fear written all over her face. "And i'm worried about you and Harry. You're going to be going all about doing dangerous things and capturing those horrible people. It won't be safe! And I'll be at Hogwarts, so far away from you and Harry. I'm just going to worry, you know?" Hermione's eyes searched his, darting back and forth across his face.

Ron drew her closer to him. He pressed down her hair against the side of her face, holding her head still so he could look in her eyes. "Take a deep breath." Hermione breathed in and out. Then Ron leaned forward and kissed her squarely on the lips. "It's all going to be fine. It is one year. You'll do amazingly in your courses. Harry and I will be fine. We'll have Neville for backup actually. He's just agreed to go through the training as well. And then you'll graduate, and you'll get a job at the ministry. Not as an auror, obviously, but you'll be doming something else and we'll see each other every day. It's only ten months really!" Ron rambled on. He occasionally punctuated his phrases with kisses. He was trying to distract her with whatever means possible. He was not in a mood for a sad conversation about how little they would see each other in the upcoming year. It worried him, but he did not want to show her the worry.

"Get in here you two! We're celebrating!" Mrs. Weasley had opened the kitchen window and was calling them in. Ron instantly let go of Hermione face. He rolled his eyes at Hermione. She laughed at him.

"Coming, Mum!" Ron shouted back. Hermione pressed her forehead against his chest.

"A year until we're both working and at least one of us will have a flat and we can finally have some privacy," she giggled. Ron blushed deeply. The two of them quickly walked back to the Burrow.

"I thought we were doing a birthday dinner for Ginny. Why are we celebrating so early?" Hermione asked as the pair burst through the door.

"I'm Quidditch captain!" Ginny explained as she ran towards Hermione and showed her the Hogwart's letter. "Can you believe it?" Ginny asked excitedly.

"Of course. Who else would they choose?" Hermione replied

"I should try to catch up with Angelina, get some advice, you know," Ginny rambled.

Hermione noticed George's head pop up at the mention of Angelina's name. She regarded George curiously.

"Oi, what about me?" Harry asked. "I was captain," he started.

"You don't understand. You're a natural leader, Harry. Everyone follows you. Plus it's a different position for a girl to be in," Ginny rambled, thinking aloud.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked as he leaned over the stove and stole a taste of whatever his mother was cooking.

"It just is, Ron," Ginny said as she sat down next to Harry at the table.

Hermione joined Ginny at the table. She saw the paper discarded from earlier. She had not realized how long she and Ron had been walking and talking. The day had flown by. She picked up the article again. It made her blood boil just to read it.

"Put down that rubbish, Hermione. Don't worry about what stupid Rita Skeeter writes. You have your friends, and we all know who you are and what you're about. Don't worry about what anyone writes," Ginny declared. She had risen in her seat. She took the paper away from Hermione and had begun tearing it to shreds.

"Ginny, you're making a mess," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "You better clean that up."

"When can we go to Diagon Alley mum?" Ginny asked as she collected the paper shreds into a pile.

"We can go this tomorrow." Mrs. Weasley answered from the stove. She began setting out the things for lunch.

The five Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione settled into casual conversation over lunch. Hermione found it easier to push out of her mind what the article had written about her. She enjoyed being around the Weasleys. They were her safe haven. Nothing could touch her in the Burrow. The realities of their victory were inescapable once they left the Burrow. Hermione was comforted that there remained two weeks until she and Ginny had to return to Hogwarts, until the boys had to begin auror training. She had two more weeks to wrap her mind around what her new life looked like.


The train whistled in the distance. Ginny felt the air change as she emerged from the platform wall. She breathed in the familiar scents of the train and students' pets. Everything around her was familiar, but she felt a pit of nerves form in her stomach. She scanned the crowd for Hermione or Luna, she needed a familiar face. The last time she had been here, boarding a train to Hogwarts, she had been filled with such fear for what the new school year held. Her worst fears had been confirmed. She felt her breathing increasing. Her Mum was standing next to her. Ginny reached for her mother's hand.

"Are you okay, Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley whispered. Ginny shook her head and turned to lean against her mother's shoulder. She felt so small, so scared. Mrs. Weasley patted Ginny's hair. "Shh, it's okay. You're safe." Mrs. Weasley cooed quietly. Ginny was so grateful for her mother. Ginny took several deep calming breaths. She started to feel calmer, better. "Look, here's Hermione," Mrs. Weasley said. Ginny removed her head from her mother's shoulder and looked up. As promised, Hermione was approaching the pair of women. She did not carry her trunk, she simply held her small beaded bag.

Ginny smiled at the sight. "Already breaking the rules?" Ginny asked Hermione mischievously.

Hermione looked down at her bag. "I'm just used to carrying it," she mumbled. "A trunk is so inconvenient. And I just apparated here. My parents didn't want to come. Anyways, there is no rule that says you must bring a trunk." Hermione lifted her nose in a familiar expression.

"Is Crookshanks in there?" Mrs. Weasley asked with shock.

Hermione winced. "That's why I'm carrying it very steadily," she mumbled.

Mrs. Weasley tutted over her the thought of her temporary furry tenant staying in his cat carrier in Hermione's bag.

"When are the Harry and Ron getting here?" Hermione asked Ginny. Just as Hermione had predicted, her parents had commandeered the remainder of her time before school. After Ginny's birthday, Hermione had only managed to see Ginny at Diagon Alley. She had not been able to return to the Burrow. Ron's auror training had started the week after Ginny's birthday, and so Hermione had not seen Ron in that time period. Her nerves tingled with the anticipation of seeing him.

Ginny looked down at her watch. "They should get here soon. They were able to swing an early lunch break. Should we see if we can find Luna in the meantime?" Ginny asked.

Hermione nodded her agreement. Mrs. Weasley offered to stay with Ginny's things. Hermione could not bring herself to part with her beaded bag. She mused to herself that she would probably always feel as if she needed to carry enough things to survive life on the run with her at all times.

The two young women walked around the platform looking for Luna. Hermione noticed many eyes on her. She tried to keep herself from wondering what they might be thinking. "Ginny, are people looking at me?" Hermione asked.

Ginny looked around at the crowd and shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno, maybe. Of course, they could be looking at me. I am shagging Harry Potter," Ginny laughed. Hermione laughed along with her. It amazed Hermione that Ginny could refer with such cavalier to the horrific article that had appeared in Witch Weekly a few days ago. It had attempted to dissect the relationship between Harry and Ginny. The author had enjoyed speculating that while Harry Potter's exact whereabouts were unknown, many people suspected that he had been staying in the Burrow, shacking up with the Weasley's youngest.

Hermione sighed dramatically. "I wish I had been there to see your mum's reaction when she read the article."

"No you don't! She was livid. Imagine having to lie to her about something you had actually did! I had to get a bit creative with my storytelling," Ginny laughed. "There's Luna!" Ginny exclaimed when she caught a glimpse of the other girls long blonde hair. "Oi, Luna!" Ginny shouted. It took shouting her name a few more times for Hermione and Ginny to attract Luna's attention.

"Hello Ginny, hello Hermione," Luna said in her unique voice once she made her way over to the other two young women. "Where are Ron and Harry?"

"They're on their way," Hermione replied. "How was your summer?"

"Oh, it was much better once Dad was released. We spent the summer restoring the house. How was yours?"

Ginny and Hermione both winced at the bluntness with which Luna approached the rebuilding of her decimated home. Nevertheless, both launched into an account of their summers beginning with after Fred's funeral.

"There's Harry and Ron now," Luna said as she looked past Ginny and Hermione. Both girls spun around to see the boys. A smiled crossed Ginny's face. Hermione ran towards Ron and nearly knocked him down as she jumped into his arms and the pair engaged in a passionate kiss. "Harry, you look quite tired," Luna observed.

"We had to be up at training early so we could take lunch off to come here," Harry responded. He walked up next to Ginny and snaked his arm around her waist. He pulled her tightly into a hug. "How was your summer, Luna?"

Luna launched into another explanation of what her summer had been like. Ginny turned over her shoulder and turned back, shaking her head and laughing. Hermione and her brother were still locked together.

"Oh, I've missed you so much," Hermione whispered as she broke away from Ron for a moment of air.

"I've missed you too," Ron said gruffly.

"How has training been going?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"It's been going well. Exhausting, but well. I think you would be proud of me. I finish my written assignments before Harry," Ron said proudly.

"I'm already incredibly proud of you," Hermione replied. She looked around her quickly. "Let's go find somewhere private to chat."

Ron looked down at his watch. "We only have fifteen minutes until the train leaves."

"That's all we need," she said with a wink. She grabbed Ron's hand and looked around fervishly for some place hidden from prying eyes. She focused on a rather large pillar and dragged Ron there. "You've no idea how much I've missed you," Hermione said. She punctuated each word with a kiss along his jaw. She finally found his mouth and pressed her own against his lips eagerly. She asked entrance with her tongue and Ron allowed. Ron's hands went to her hair. They kissed passionately and lost track of time. They were startled away from one another when the train whistle sounded loudly. "Shit!" Hermione hissed as she pulled Ron's wrist toward her and looked at the time. She tried to straighten her hair and adjust her clothing as she ran from behind the pillar and toward the train. Harry stood apart, waving to Ginny. "Bye Harry," Hermione called as she jumped onto the train in the nick of time.

Harry laughed "Bye Hermione." Ron appeared next to Hermione, straightening how black auror robes and trying to smooth down his hair. "Cutting in close," Harry mumbled to Ron.

"I'm going to miss her," Ron said.

"You'll see her in a few weeks in Hogsmeade," Harry said, trying to hold back a laugh.

"That's ages," Ron groaned. He watched the train disappear listlessly.

Harry looked down at his watch. "We need to head back. Neville can only cover for us for so long." He clapped Ron on the back and steered his friend back to his mother. "Bye, Mrs. Weasley. We need to head back now."

"You'll be back in time for dinner tonight, won't you?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

Harry grimaced. "We'll try. Some of the other trainees suggested we go out for drinks after work," Harry said.

"You'll see us in the morning, Mum," Ron said. His mood was improving the more the train disappeared.

"Oh alright. I know you're both busy. Come here," Mrs. Weasley ordered. She hugged both the the young men close and kissed each one on the cheek. The three apparated from the platform.

They had all been oblivious to the eyes of passerbys that had not once left the Boy Who Lived and the man who was his best mate.


A/N: This is the last chapter that deals with the summer right after the Battle of Hogwarts. The pace of this story should now become a bit quicker, mostly because I do not want to follow Hermione and Ginny around Hogwarts. Also, the next chapter will focus more on a different character.

As always, thank you for reading and please review.