Chapter 26

It took several days, but soon the Grangers had determined that they were going to stay in Sydney through the end of the school year in December. This would allow them to continue working with the students they had been teaching while also allowing the dental school plenty of time to recruit new teachers. It would also allow the American dentist serving at their dental surgery back in England to continue working until he was scheduled to return home at Christmas.

Hermione had initially been sad that her parents wouldn't be returning with them to England. But soon she came to realize that it might work for the best, as she didn't feel like she would be able to stay at her parents' home without Ron for very long anyway. This would allow them to return to England and get settled in a new routine of her commuting to Hogwarts and Ron working at the joke shop before her parents came back.

They had decided to stay in Australia through the next two weekends in order for Hermione to spend as much time as possible with her parents before she left for England. It would also allow George to spend additional time with Rocks in the shop as well as give Ron a chance to join them as well.

They'd let the Ministry know they could stop the hotel so they could move to less expensive lodgings, but they would hear nothing of it and insisted they stay as long as they needed. Hermione tried to protest, but the Australian Auror Department instead said they insisted on covering the hotel, but if Ron and Hermione wanted to come take a picture with them before they went back to England they would love a chance to meet them. So, they promised to do that at the end of their time there so no pictures of them would get out accidentally before they could leave the country.

Today was going to be the first day Ron would spend the day at the shop with George and Rocks. Mrs. Granger had taken the day off work, and she and Hermione were going to spend the day together shopping, getting manicures and pedicures and doing other girlie things Ron wanted no part of. But, he realized it would be the first time since he'd made his way back to her after Christmas that they didn't spend almost the whole day together. And, while he was excited to get to the shop, he was feeling incredibly anxious at the idea of Hermione off without him or any other witch or wizard in a foreign country. He thought Hermione seemed nervous about the idea too, though they were both putting on a brave face for the other. They'd woken up and headed down to have breakfast together. They were being oddly quiet with each other, and the anxiety was becoming too obvious to ignore.

"I'll be ok, you know," she finally said.

"Of course you will," he said as much for himself as for her benefit. "Not that anything will happen. But, you've handled the worst of the worst, so I know you can handle anything that comes up. No matter what."

"I'm getting my nails done and going shopping in muggle stores. We'll be fine. I'm actually more nervous about all that one on one time with my mum. I just know she's going to ask about things we've more or less skimmed over."

"You don't have to tell her anything you're not ready to talk about or you just don't need to think about yet. Just say it's still too difficult and you promise to talk to her eventually but that you don't want to ruin your special day together by remembering painful things."

She nodded. "That would work. That's a great response – I may say it just like that. But," she said with a smile, "what if she doesn't want to hear about the war but really wants to try to get the dirt on what you and I have been up to."

"She wouldn't, would she?"

"She might." Hermione shrugged. "If my only daughter showed up in a hotel with a boyfriend, I would certainly ask questions. Your parents are different because they spend so much time around us. And, well, apparently everyone had us figured out before we did."

"There is that," he laughed as he ate another piece of bacon. "But do me a favor. If you two talk about something I need to know so I can be appropriately mortified in front of your parents, give me a heads up, alright?"

"Ok. I promise," she laughed. "And what about you? Do you need some more tea so you can stay utterly focused and not get pranked by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum?"

"Tweedle who?"

"Nevermind. But, are you up for this? It's been a while since you have been the soul focus of two experienced pranksters."

"Yeah. I know. I'm stuffing myself now because I am certainly not going to eat anything they give me."

"Well, just watch it. But, in the end whatever they do won't be too bad."

"How do you figure?"

"George is scared of me."

Ron laughed and nodded, and then leaned over to kiss her cheek.

They headed back up to the room to brush their teeth and get their things. As they were each about to leave they had a slightly emotional moment saying goodbye.

"This is absurd. I'll see you for dinner," Hermione complained, running her fingers under her eyes to try to keep from crying.

"If you want me to come with you, I will," Ron said earnestly.

"No, we both need to do this. We can't just spend 24 hours a day together forever. It will be good practice for the fall when you're at work and I'm up at school."

"Ok," he nodded, personally unconvinced.

She hugged him and he didn't release her from his arms at the end of them embrace.

"Just promise me you'll have your wand easily accessible and you'll keep your eyes open, yeah?"

"Always," she said. "And the same goes for you, too." Then she sniffed and tried to lighten the moment by adding, "But you need to keep your eyes open for wayward Death Eaters AND pranksters. So you have a much tougher day ahead of you!"

He chuckled, squeezed her tightly again and kissed the top of her head. "Ok, have a great day. I love you, and I can't wait to hear all about your girlie spa day later."

"Yeah, I bet," she scoffed.

"Well, if you tell me all about it when you're naked I could be very interested."

She just laughed at him, shook her head and gave him one last peck on the lips before apperating to her parents' house. Ron watched her go, sent up a brief prayer for her safety and went to find his brother. It felt strange to be apart after being used to having her there for so long. But, Ron knew it was important to get back to living life independent from each other, and this would just be a small step in that direction. While he was a little leery of what sort of hazing George and his elder prankster pal may have in store, he was also looking forward to spending the day in the shop.

He and George arrived just as the shop opened in the morning. It was a weekday, and the children were back in school, so they didn't expect much traffic through the store that morning. But that would allow them to go over a lot of the products without much interruption from customer. Ron had smiled as he watched George enter the store. It seemed to soften his whole spirit or something. You could almost see his shoulders relax and the hop come back to his step as he more or less absorbed the energy of the place. It felt good to see his brother so at ease again, and it was downright uncanny how comfortably he and Rocks interacted.

They decided to start the day off by catching Ron up on some new product ideas the two had been working out, and then they could talk through how to identify suppliers to get the items created. Rocks talked through how he vetted different suppliers and now had it down to five or six trusted vendors he knew would produce the products reliably. He helped the brothers understand how to negotiate prices down, but helped them understand how not to purchase on price alone, as their products would be trash. Then Rocks talked to them about how he set prices for retail, as well as how he would set discounts for employees but also for bulk purchasers or contracts he had.

Ron was intrigued by the contracts concept, and kept asking questions about how Rocks had developed those, and Rocks was more than happy to regale them with tales of what he had done over the years. The conversation then moved on to how Rocks thought about product generation. As he had told George, this was Al's strength, not his, so he'd had to come up with a more formal, strategic way to approach it. He talked about how he started thinking of his customers as different groups of people, and how different groups wanted different things. For example, grandmothers like to buy what the grandchildren wanted, and didn't really care about the consequences because they didn't live with the children. But, parents tended to only buy the products that would wear off in short periods of time as they knew they would be the ones dealing with the child stuck with a blue nose or whatever it was for the duration. Then there were little girls who liked to buy "cute" stuff, while the little boys often were drawn towards the "gross" stuff. And, he had discovered over the years that he wanted to be sure there were always at least a few products for each group in the shop at all times. He also wanted to be sure there were products at different price points. He said he wanted to ensure that the little child who came in with one coin could always find something to buy, and that kid would grow up and become a loyal customer. And, he was also always sure there was something in the shop that was worth a kid saving up for.

Ron was fascinated by the entire conversation. He had never paid such attention in any of his Hogwarts classes, but suddenly found himself scrounging for parchment and jotting down things he wanted to remember as well as notes of things he wanted to follow up on later. He started asking George if he had done these things at his shop, but George said they really hadn't. They had just invented stuff they would have wanted to buy. Ron then asked Rocks a lot of questions about how he managed the building, how often he hired new staff, what he's learned about how to pick the right staff, and how he handled the accounts for the shop at the bank and what advice he had for them. He went back to the question of pricing and picked Rocks' brain for over an hour on how to set prices for various products. George was clearly a little bored with the pricing discussion and had wandered back to the workroom and continued working on some tweaks to a charm they had been developing.

At some point Ron ducked out to grab sandwiches for everyone at lunch, feeling clever that he could seem nice and protect his food from the two jokesters. As he tucked into his sandwich, he was asking Rocks about how he planned seasonal rotation of products. And suddenly he felt an odd sensation in his head, and before he knew it, his face had transformed into a kangaroo head, and the pair of prankster wizards at the table burst into hysterical laughter.

"Bugger," he thought. "I knew something was coming, and I still fell for it. I am out of practice for sure."

Between guffaws and loud shrieks of laughter, Rocks and George explained he'd made the mistake of turning around to unpack the crisps from the bag which gave the two mischief makers just enough time to slip some "Roo Powder" into his sandwich. The trick wore off within half an hour, and Ron quickly jumped back into the discussion of seasonal displays, and Rocks explained with great flare his most successful Halloween display ever. Before he knew it, it was 5 in the afternoon and time to close up the shop. The day had flown by, and Ron was energized about the idea of working with his brother in the weeks ahead. George was going to stay and have dinner with Rocks, but Ron was heading back to have dinner at the Grangers' home that evening. As he left, he smiled as he could hear the pranksters arguing over the best way to sneak puking potions into food. They were definitely a match made in heaven, and he was rather confident Al and Fred done exactly that.

Hermione hadn't been sure how she felt about the idea of spending the day with her mum. She was extremely aware that she was away from Ron for the first time since basically he'd plucked Harry from the frozen lake. But, even more than that, their last two weeks together in Australia had been incredible. She had grown so comfortable with him there that it was an odd sensation to be apart from him. She was also a bit anxious about the day ahead of her. While she was looking forward to seeing her mum, she was not totally sure how much George had told her, and she was also not sure what her mum would ask her about her time on the run – or about Ron. Hermione tried hard to put it out of her mind and focused on enjoying the pampering yet to come.

Her mum had made them appointments for facials, manicures and pedicures at a salon near their home. They started with facials, which was a very relaxing start to the day. Then the salon ladies brought them mimosas to sip on while they had their nails done. They both picked out polish colors and returned to side by side tables to have their manicures first. They were sipping their drinks and chatting about the colors they had chosen as the manicurists worked on their hands. Hermione knew her nails must look terrible between her nutrition issues and her nervous habits, so she didn't think much of it when the manicurist had to really work at her cuticles and nails. And she made up a story about a spill when the woman questioned her ink stained fingers. Finally she was finished with that part and began to massage her hands and wrists, which Hermione had to admit felt great. But then before she could think about it, the lady pushed up Hermione's sleeve to begin massaging her forearm with the lotion and quickly saw the "mudblood" scar.

Even before the manicurist or her mother could say anything, Hermione yelped and shoved her sleeve back down her arm. That might have been ok, but she managed to knock the mimosa over in the process, splattering her mum with the drink, but also sending shards of glass against the skin of her own arm and leg. The rapid succession of these events triggered her, and suddenly she was sobbing hysterically and re-living her prior trauma. The salon ladies quickly jumped up to clean up the mess and bring her some towels, but them hovering over her and trying to mop her up only managed to increase the panic. And, as Hermione's sobs increased, the women eventually backed up a little to give her some privacy.

Hermione felt instantly as if she was in some sort of vortex. She could see her mum, and could hear the salon ladies distantly apologizing for upsetting her, but her sobs were so strong, and this made it difficult for her to breathe. She felt as if she couldn't breathe at all, and as she hyperventilated she could feel that panic overcome her. Suddenly it was as if she was once again pinned to the ground by Greyback as Bellatrix reached for her arm. She heard herself screaming for Ron, and she was listening for his voice pull her out, to rescue her again, but then she realized he wasn't there. The knowledge that he was far away and didn't know she needed him hit her like the chandelier.

As she began to give into the panic, she caught her mum's eyes. Her mum looked so scared but also strong. It was a strange sensation, as she had always been told she had her mum's eyes. She suddenly wondered if she had that same strong yet fragile look as well. And somehow, the distraction of this thought for just a millisecond began to allow her to catch her breath and ground herself back in the present reality. She was able to take a steadying breath, and then a second. Soon she could feel herself settle into a more regular breathing pattern. She wasn't in Malfoy Manor in England; she was in a spa in Sydney. No one was trying to torture her, they were trying to pamper her. Within a few minutes she had calmed to normal breathing, and her mum had sent the salon ladies off to get them some tea.

Her mum was now stroking her hair like she did when she was a little girl. Hermione had forgotten how soothing her mum's touch was. Ron stroked her hair sometimes, and even Mrs. Weasley - but there was no one in the world who could ever replace her mum.

"Hermione, dear," her mother said quietly. "Hermione, are you doing better? Are you able to breath normally again?"

Hermione simply nodded and leaned into her mum's hand as it stroked her hair.

"You're ok, darling. I'm here. You are completely safe, honey. Is there anything I can do to help right now?"

Hermione shook her head.

"George mentioned that sometimes you have struggles, and Ron seems to be the only one who can help. Do we need to go find Ron?"

Hermione thought about this for a moment. As much as she knew she would feel so safe if Ron were to swoop in at that moment and handle everything, she also knew she needed to figure out how to face this on her own. She took a deep breath and then very quietly replied, "No. I will be ok. I just need a few more minutes I think."

Her mum smiled, relieved to hear her voice.

"Ok, darling. I will do whatever you need me to do, ok? Just let me know how I can best help."

Hermione smiled at her mum and nodded. She was trying to stay calm, but she couldn't understand why she had panicked as terribly as she did. Her arm didn't hurt when it was touched, so what caused her to react like that? As she racked her brain, a thought finally came to her that made sense. Here she was in a muggle salon with her mum, enjoying a perfectly safe, muggle outing and somehow Bellatrix had snuck into it. She hadn't ever thought about what to say to a muggle about her arm. And between the woman holding her arm down, the shock of being caught unaware and then the shattering glass, it had all combined to set off the panic attack. It had all caught her off guard. Maybe she should call that squib counselor woman that Healer Helen had recommended. As her thoughts continued down this track, the salon ladies brought back tea.

"Do you think you can drink some tea, dear?" asked her mum.

Hermione nodded. "I am so sorry," she apologized to the salon ladies. They nodded and gave her kind but sad smiles.

"I'm so sorry, Mum. I have ruined our special outing."

"You've done no such thing, darling. Please don't worry about a thing. All I want to do today is spend time with you."

"Thanks, Mum," Hermione smiled. Her mum hugged her and held her tightly for a few minutes as they drank their tea.

"What would you like to do, dear? Do you want to finish our nails here, or would you prefer to skip out and go chat somewhere for a bit? Or do you want me to take you somewhere to rest a while?"

"Well, let's have them do our nails. I – uh – I think I will skip the lotion part," Hermione laughed a bit to herself. "And then maybe we can go get some lunch somewhere and talk a while."

"I think that's a great plan, dear."

Soon Hermione's mum had the salon ladies back at their work, and had clearly let the women know not to mention the earlier incident or rub any lotion on Hermione's arms. An hour later the mother and daughter had lovely nails, and were off to find lunch.

They had found a small café with a private booth for the women to share where Hermione could see the door. Soon they'd ordered their meals, and Hermione could tell her mum was trying very hard to not ask her about what had just happened.

"Mum, we can talk about it."

"Ok, dear. I just – I just don't want to make anything worse. I love you so much and the last thing I want to do is make you hurt more."

"I know, Mum. And I appreciate that. But, I love you too, and I need you to know and understand all of this."

"Alright, Hermione. I am all ears. What do you want me to know?"

"Well, I am guessing you put together that I just had a panic or anxiety attack? Or maybe some kind of trauma flashback. I'm not sure the official name."

"Yes, I put that much together. I am a dentist – I've had more than a few people collapse in that manner in front of me over the years. But, what I don't know is what set it off, and how to help you both handle them, or better yet – avoid them - in the future."

Hermione took a deep breath. "Well, I am not totally sure I can answer that. Um – let's back up. I gathered that George told you about what happened to me last spring?"

"Well, somewhat. He said he knew you had been captured, and that he thought – well – he thought you had been tortured, but he said he wasn't there and wasn't totally sure about the details. But, he also said Ron rescued you somehow, and then – in a very George Weasley manner – told us not to ask you about it."

Hermione chuckled at that. "Sounds like George."

Her mum agreed. Hermione proceeded to explain in detail what had happened at Malfoy Manor, including how Ron had tried to volunteer to be tortured instead. Both women were crying by the time their food arrived.

"So what set this attack off?"

"Well, after all the magical torture, she carved my arm, mum." And at that, Hermione pulled up her sleeve to show her mother the scar.

"I don't even know what that word means, honey."

Hermione went onto explain the word, as well as how it was done with dark magic, so that it couldn't be easily healed. She told her Mum about what Healer Helen had said with some new ointments that could make it fade and easier to cover with glamor charms. She assured her Mum that it didn't hurt, but she also confessed how much she hated it.

Her Mum was quiet for a few minutes until she finally spoke, "I know I should probably be asking you a million motherly questions about how all this made you feel. But, bear with me - I have a thought. I am still in clinical dentist mode for a moment. I know I don't understand all about magical healing and dark magic, but that scar looks like regular scar tissue to me."

"I think it is. But, the healing they would usually use is somehow blocked by the curse that was used to create it. The ointment eases the scar tissue some I think, but it then leaves a regular scar."

"Well, then – wouldn't it just stick it to that bitch if we treated a 'mudblood' scar in good old fashioned muggle style?" her Mum said with a wicked laugh.

"I don't understand, Mum. What are you talking about?"

"Well, that crazy woman may have used a cursed knife. But, she didn't know your mum is rather good with lasers and scar removal in her dental practice, did she?"

"You think you can remove this with a laser?"

"Well, I am not 100% certain, as I don't understand all the magic part. But, if that were a regular scar – then yes – I am rather certain I could fix it to a faint mark as a worst case."

"You're serious?"

"Yes – I am. I have to warn you, it does hurt though. So, psychologically it could be difficult. But wouldn't it be somehow full of cosmic karma to eliminate the word 'mudblood' from your arm with a muggle tool?"

"I think it would be brilliant!" Hermione beamed. "And, I don't know – I think if I went in knowing it would hurt, then I wouldn't be surprised by it. I think today I reacted because no one besides Ron and his sister in law, Fleur, have really touched my arm at all. They took care of me after it happened, and everyone has just either not known about it or tiptoed around it. Out here no one knows about it, let alone understands the word. But I am ready to not have this reminder with me all of the time."

"OK, I will inquire at work tomorrow about reserving the laser for early next week. I think it will take several hours to do it. Ron could certainly be there to help you through it."

"Thanks Mum. You know – this is the first time I have gotten through a panic attack without him. Actually, I am almost glad it happened, because now I know I can get through it on my own. I was beginning to wonder if I would be able to get along without him by my side all of the time. Sounds so ridiculous doesn't it? Not that it was enjoyable – but it at least gives me the confidence to know I can handle it alone if I have to. That said – I will totally want him there for the laser treatment."

"Darling, I know this year has been awful in ways I can't comprehend, but several things are clear to me. First – you are the same strong, intelligent, amazing young woman you have always been. Suffering from anxiety doesn't make you weaker, if anything it makes you stronger, as it forces you to work through additional obstacles to do what was once simple. Second, you and Ron are so blessed to have each other. You clearly love each other very much, and you take such wonderful care of each other. It eases my heart to know you are so treasured. But it is not easy to love like that. There are costs to loving sacrificially and unconditionally as you two seem to do. The 12 year old idealist Hermione would never have understood that. But, I think that the young woman in front of me does. Am I right?"

Hermione nodded, with tears in her eyes. "I am so lucky to have him, Mum. He has been so incredible to me. But it is rather scary to give your heart so fully to someone. I guess you are never able to be 100% sure you will get it back in one piece."

"Oh, I feel rather certain that at some point you will both break each other's hearts a little – probably unintentionally – and not irreparably – but we are humans. It seems we always are destined to hurt the ones we love the most, no matter how we try to avoid it. But, the good news is that when you heal from those heartaches that you will inflict on each other, your love will be even stronger and deeper than it is now. I may not be a witch, but I can assure you that there is magic in love and forgiveness. It is rather amazing – even us muggles can see that!"

After lunch the pair decided to go shopping. Hermione's mum said she wanted to get a nice outfit, so they were looking through a rack of dresses.

"Are you still a size 4 dear?" her mum asked.

"Well, actually – I am not sure, but probably not," admitted Hermione.

"What does that mean, honey?"

"Well," Hermione sighed as she hung up the dress she had been looking at. "Unfortunately I lost a lot of weight last year, and I have had rather a difficult time gaining it back."

Hermione's Mum looked concerned. "How much did you lose?"

"About 25% of my body weight," Hermione said quietly.

"Hermione! That can really harm your body, darling."

"I know, Mum. I actually saw a healer before we came, and she reinforced that same idea. We didn't have a lot of food when we were on the run, and so we survived on what we could forage, which wasn't much. It seems like my stomach actually shrank during that time, so now it is hard to eat a lot in order to gain the weight back. She said I needed to take it one pound at a time, but to really work at it."

"So have you gained any weight since then?"

"I don't know, actually. I have been too nervous to find out. But, I feel like my appetite is better, and the past week or so I think I have been eating more."

"Well, that is good. Have you tried protein drinks?"

"I don't know what those are."

"Well, when we have dental patients who have oral surgery and they can't eat for a while, we tell them to buy these protein and calorie dense drinks at the shops. All of the markets have them – and they come in different flavors. We'll pick some up on the way home. Maybe you could just add in one or two a day, and it would boost your calories each day by just a bit. They sell them back in England too, though apparently not at magical grocery stores. Some people find them a bit thick in texture, but they aren't bad, especially if it's only for a little while. You can have one mid-morning and one mid-afternoon, and that way it won't take up any stomach space during your regular meals."

"Great idea, Mum."

"Honey, have you stopped menstruating from all of this?"

Hermione teared up at this question, and her Mum immediately came and hugged her.

"I haven't had a period in over a year, Mum," Hermione sniffled. As she regained her composure she continued, "When I saw the Healer I said I assumed it would start back once I gained some more weight, but she said it might not. Apparently the curses I was tortured with can leave something like magical scar tissue that can interfere with everything as well."

"Oh, Hermione," her Mum said as she hugged her again.

"I completely freaked out when she said that. Poor Ron, I made the Healer tell him and his Mum together because I couldn't handle it."

"Oh dear," her Mum laughed. "Ron had to discuss your periods with his mum and a healer? He must love you a lot."

The two ladies were laughing now. "I know – true test of love right?" Hermione chuckled. Her Mum just nodded as she was laughing too hard to respond.

"So, the Healer said my first goal was to regain the weight and see if my periods come back. But, if they don't there are some procedures they can try, but that I am too weak right now to even try them. When I was freaking out the Healer kept reminding me that I am a teenager who doesn't want to have a baby anytime soon anyway, which is of course true. But, it is still rather overwhelming, you know? I mean, I don't know – it just seems like a lot to ask of Ron to take that risk with me. He is from such a big family, and clearly wants kids, and what if I can't give him that?"

"Hermione, honey, if Ron was willing to be tortured by a maniacal witch for you, I think this is a much more manageable problem to overcome."

"That's what he said. He mentioned adoption and things as well as options, but it's hard to think about, you know?"

"Oh, Hermione, that seems to be getting way ahead of things, don't you think? Gaining weight could solve the whole problem. And if it doesn't then there are still other options to try and fix things before you get there. You can't solve problems that aren't here yet. And, you never know. You may be able to get pregnant but choose adoption anyway. Life has a funny way of reminding us our plans are often irrelevant."

"That's true."

"You've been through so much these past months, I think you have enough on your plate right now. Don't borrow tomorrow's troubles yet."

"Ron said that too."

"I am liking him more every minute," her Mum smiled. "OK. Here is what we are going to do. We are going to find you an absolutely smashing sleeveless dress, and I am going to buy you the size that is one size too big for you. And then I am going to buy Ron an incredible outfit as well. And, as soon as you can fit in the dress, you two will go out and celebrate the accomplishment – both gaining the weight and shedding the stigma of that scar, and your father and I will pick up the tab for the whole celebration. How does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect, Mum. Really a wonderful idea."

"I can't get rid of that mad woman who tortured you, but I can help you heal."

"Mum, uh, just so you know – she's dead."

"She is?"

"Yes. Actually, Mrs. Weasley killed her."

"Molly killed her?!"

"Yes. It was the final battle, and Ginny, Luna and I were all fighting her, and Mrs. Weasley swooped in and took over and won. She dropped dead right in front of me when Mrs. Weasley hit her with a killing curse."

"I always knew I liked that woman. You don't get in between a mother and her child, you know. We all just turn into crazy mama bears or something. There is a fierce love there."

"That's what Mrs. Weasley said."

"When talking about the war?"

"No," blushed Hermione. "I was crying one night because I was so scared you would never forgive me and never love me after what I had done. She said that motherhood is magical, even for muggles, and that a mother's love would never be affected even by the memories being erased. She gave me hope we might be ok."

"Oh, Hermione. She's right, you know. My heart kept loving you even if my mind wasn't aware of it. That could never change. You will see someday – I know you will."