02.05.1999

The feelings she had been hiding and trying to push back for a whole year now hit her hard while walking over the grounds of the school that for so long had been her home. So many memories came flooding through her mind and she had a hard time keeping it together, keeping her emotionless mask on her face. She remembered so many good and bad things that had happened here on those grounds. All her memories with Harry and Ron, all the bad and good ones. The most recent ones from the war, pushing their way through and it was almost as though Hermione could see it happening right before her eyes.

"Hermione?" A voice she hadn't heard in so long pulled her out of her thoughts. Slowly she turned around, getting herself ready to hold back and close up again.

"Hello, Ron" Her voice sounded different. She knew it and by the looks of it, Ron noticed as well.

"I didn't think you would come", he said, still giving her a strange look. But she was used to strange looks. All her life she had received strange looks. From people in school to her friends.

"I kind of didn't really have another choice."

"I - we - haven't seen you in quite some time."

"Yeah I was busy", she tried to lie but it didn't work since Ron gave her that look. That look he used to give her when he knew she was lying or hiding something.

"I know there is more to it, but I'm not going to pressure you into telling me. I'm just really glad to see you." Hermione probably never heard such a mature thing coming out of his mouth. She thought he would throw a fit, start yelling and arguing with her like he used to.

"It's just not really the right time and place to talk about things like that." Hermione just nodded, not sure of what to say.

"Do you want to come and see the rest or not just yet?", Ron broke the silence.

"Not just yet", Hermione said, looking down. He lifted his arm, hesitating for a second, before placing his hand on her arm.

"Don't worry, Hermione. Whenever you're ready, I and the rest of the family will be here for you. Never forget that", he said smiling and when she didn't reply he bid his goodbye and turned around.

"You don't have to be ashamed, you know", another voice she hadn't heard in a while.

"I'm not", she said when turning around and actually giving Luna a small smile.

"It's okay. I can tell the last year had been hard on you", Luna says, with that dreamy look on her face, that Hermione almost missed.

"It has been hard for everyone", Hermione shrugs.

"You don't have to push everyone away, you might find peace with people you didn't expect. I can tell why you did what you did. But maybe it's time to open up to someone. There is no need to be alone in this world, Hermione." With that, she gave her one of her comforting smiles and Hermione felt the walls she had built crumble a bit. A feeling overcame Hermione that she couldn't quite understand yet.

"She is something else, isn't she", George says, appearing in front of her. What was it with people, saying random things out of nowhere today. Hermione raised her eyebrow a little.

"She is right, though, you know"

"This isn't really something I want to talk about right now", she says ready to turn away and make her way to the far back of the crowd.

"We don't have to. What do you want to talk about?"

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you?"

"Probably not!"

"Where is that annoying brother of yours? Don't you like, go everywhere together?"

"He is with mum and dad", George says shrugging. She walks over to a tree, closer to the water and he follows her.

"I used to come here all the time", she says after a while, looking out on the water.

"When it was too loud in the common room, when Ron had annoyed me yet again, when I needed some time to breathe. I would come here and just sit, sometimes read a book. Everyone always thought I hide away in the library, that's why they never came to look for me here. This was my safe haven."

"I played a prank here once. On a third year from Slytherin. It was great", George says with a small smile on his face and Hermione couldn't help but snort at his comment, which only made his smile grow wider.

"Fred and I knew you come here all the time", he says suddenly, making her face him, curiosity was written all over her face.

"After we played the prank on that boy from Slytherin we came here to think of new pranks and get away from Percy and the teachers. But then one day you were sitting here, in peace. You looked so content, we left you alone."

"Who would've thought."

"We never told Harry or Ron when they were looking for you because Fred thought, there was a reason you came out here without them knowing. He said it wasn't fair and we should leave you this place."

"There is more to you than I thought, huh", she says.

"Like you said earlier. You don't know us, we don't know you. But that doesn't mean we don't care for you", George says and Hermione sighs, why did she have to start a conversation with him.

"Maybe. Look the ceremony is about to start. You might want to go and find your family. I'm sure they will want you close to them", Hermione says.

"Like they would want you close?"

"I'm fine just where I am."

George wanted to say something else, but closed his mouth and walk away, going to find his family.

And so Hermione sat there on a low branch of the tree, out of view, hiding from the world while still being part of it. She observed everything, listened to every speech, soaking up the feelings so that she can try and sort them out later on when she was back at her flat. Her mind wandered off to the conversations she had with Ron and Luna. Is Ron going to say anything about their encounter? Should she try and contact him in the future to talk about things? She would have to talk to him and the others eventually. She just wasn't sure when she would be ready to do so. It's been so long Hermione feels like as though she had lost the right to be a part of their lives. Not that they really needed her to be a part.

Nearing the end of the ceremony Hermione was sneaking around the crowd to get out, before people started to scatter and merlin knows start talking to her. It would really be the last thing she needed that day. Upon reaching the path back down to Hogwarts someone called out her name, and she stopped.

"Hermione, wait", Harry says, panting from running over to her, moving in front of her so she couldn't continue her way. She didn't quite know what she did to deserve this, but her plan on ignoring everyone didn't work out that well.

"Harry", she says with a sad smile. She would never admit it to him, but she missed him the most. For 7 years he was her family, her brother. The only person that knew her inside out. The only person she trusted with everything. It hurt her more than she was willing to show, just looking at him, knowing he was doing well without her. He looked happy. Of course, he was. After the war and with everything going on Hermione had thought that out of everyone Harry would be the person to understand her to most, she thought he would always be in her life. Balance her out.

"What happened, Hermione?"

"I just needed time for myself. I couldn't - I just needed to breathe you know. I didn't. I was really busy lately, you know", she tried to explain to him. She knew she didn't make much sense, but she was certain that Harry would understand.

"Busy doing what?", he asks and Hermione was just ready to tell him a lie as to why she wasn't in touch or why she didn't come to see him.

"Well, as a matter of fact, Mr I-am-the-boy-who-can't-be-killed", George's voice rings out from her right.

"Our dear Hermione here recently started working for us", Fred continued his twins sentence from Hermione's left.

"You know, brewing potions, developing new products, bookkeeping,"

"She has been a helping hand for us."

Hermione tried to hide her own surprise at that statement but didn't argue with the twins, as it gave her a perfect excuse as to what she had been busy with and maybe everyone would lay off her if they thought she was actually working for the twins. So she forced herself to smile a little, hoping it would convince him.

"Really?", Harry couldn't believe them.

"Yeah. You know. They needed some help and I had some time on my hands, so I thought, why not", she says.

"But we must be going now, we've got some work to do", Fred said, patting a very confused Harry on the back while walking past him, followed by George.

"It was nice seeing you", Hermione says offering a week smile and following the twins down to Hogsmeade.

"You're Welcome", Fred says once she caught up with them.

"I didn't ask for this", she bites back.

"Neither did you deny it in front of Harry. So don't act as if it didn't help you", he turns around grinning at her knowingly.

"Damn you Fred and George", she mumbles.

"Almost sounded like a thank you there Hermione", George says.

"Okay okay. Thank you. Now leave me alone you two lunatics", she responds upon reaching their house unable to fight back the feeling of gratitude, she quickly opens the door and leaves the twins behind. There was only so much social contact she could take a day.