Chapter 36: Epiphany
A/N: Hello. So as I have said before, this is one of those chapters where I haven't got the faintest idea what I am doing (a filler chapter). But all this does have relevance to the rest of the story and previous chapters; I am hoping it seems a bit nostalgic as well. Anyway here is chapter 36!
February 5th 2000
Ron and Hermione sat at the table in their kitchen eating breakfast. All of the snow had melted now and it was fairly sunny outside. The sunlight was bright but there was a cold breeze blowing gently through the air. It had not rained once over the past week which was highly unusual in England as it always rained, for a fact. It was also the day that Ginny was leaving for her Quidditch tournament in Manchester.
"Have you ever been there before? You know, to Manchester?" Ron questioned as he bit into his piece of toast.
"Once, when I was about four years old. My Mum is from Manchester but moved here when she was 20 and her accent has worn off. We went to see my Grandparents but we didn't go again. Why have you?" Hermione said glancing quickly at the Daily Prophet.
"No. It is nice though apparently from what Ginny said when she went to take a look around last week." Ron sighed sipping the orange juice.
Hermione thought back over all the nine years she had known Harry, Ron and Ginny. In that time the only thing she had ever heard Ginny say that she wanted to be was a professional Quidditch player. She had been an incredible chaser at Hogwarts and now she had finally pursued her ultimate dream and was a chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. She knew that this was all Ginny had ever dreamed of but she couldn't help but think how bad Harry would be feeling in this situation. Harry originally wanted to go and stay up there with her before he found out he would have to stay in London due to the fact that at this time he wasn't obliged to have any holiday time. Even if he wanted to long distance commute via apparition it would be difficult and too much of a hassle.
"Look, I know this is all that Ginny has ever wanted and she is pursuing her dream but I can't help but feel sorry for Harry."Ron sighed sadly and Hermione darted her head up from the front page of the Daily Prophet at the surprise that Ron was thinking exactly the same thing as her.
"I agree, all he has wanted for years is to be with Ginny and now he won't have her for 2 months maybe three."Hermione replied miserably, neither of them where particularly looking forward to this day. Then the same thought hit them once again, they had shared a tent for ten months together and apart from the stress of Horcrux hunting they had got on absolutely fine. It wouldn't be much different two years on could it?
"Hermione, you know when we were searching for horcrux hunt;" Ron began and Hermione knew exactly where this was going. "I admit, we were under the influence of horcruxes and we had are arguments but we came out at the other end of the tunnel still all best friends, even when we had lived together for ten months in a tent. It wouldn't be that hard to live together again would it?" Ron asked.
"Do you mean what if he stays with us until he gets back on his feet?" Hermione questioned raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Are you ok with that?" Ron said
"Why wouldn't I be, Harry is like the brother I never had. It will nice for all three of us to be together again. Do you realise we won't be able to do anything of the romantic sort until he goes home again?" Hermione said curiously.
"Yeah. But I am willing to live with that." Ron compromised.
"Ok, then. He can stay." Hermione smiled and Ron kissed her on the cheek.
"Come on; we best get going. You said you would help Ginny pack." Ron smiled rubbing her back lovingly and Hermione smirked humorously,
"Yeah but you also promised Harry that you would help carry the suitcases." Hermione chuckled happily and Ron laughed out loud. "Which job would you rather have?" Hermione questioned.
"Actually rather you than me helping my little sister sort through her clothes." Ron chortled
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"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked, sitting on Harry and Ginny's bed as Ginny lifted a large amount of clothing out of her wardrobe and next to Hermione. Several bags and suitcases where dotted all over the room. The house was very different to Ron and Hermione's. The walls were generally bare in comparison to Ron and Hermione's house where they had a picture frame or painting on nearly every wall in the house which slightly alarmed Ron. Photographs, both moving and muggle of both Ron and Hermione's families where dotted all over the place. The colours of the walls, unlike at Ron and Hermione's house, where different shades of cream and white as apparently they could never agree on a colour but this sounded more like Ron and Hermione.
"Excited, sad, nervous, everything you don't want to feel combined together. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait, but I will miss you, Harry, Ron and everyone else so much. Everything is changing isn't it?" Ginny answered sighing sadly.
"Yeah it is changing, Ginny. But everything has changed for the better, besides; we will come and visit you all the time. Harry is your boyfriend, you are one of my best friends and Ron is your closest sibling, do you honestly think that we are going to let you escape to Manchester that easily?" Hermione questioned rhetorically and Ginny giggled.
"So, what clothes should I take?" Ginny asked knowing her highly intelligent friend and soon to be sister in law always had an answer to everything.
"As much as you can, I guess, but you know that you need to vary the season because by the time you come back to London it will be halfway through the spring. It will be colder in Manchester though because it is further north. Have you packed everything else you want to take?" Hermione questioned informatively.
"Yeah, but have you seen how many bags and pieces of luggage I have got. It is like going to a suitcase shop when you walk into this room." Ginny smiled.
"One or two will do, Ginny. Besides you can shrink your shoes and clothes so that they all fit into a minimal amount of suitcases with magic." Hermione put forward.
"I knew that I needed to meet a smart friend. Thanks Hermione." Ginny said and shrunk all of her clothes before packing her suitcase and zipping it up with her wand.
"Ginny, are you nearly ready?" They heard Harry call up the stairs calmly.
"We are coming down now, Harry." Hermione called back to her best friend and they both grabbed a suitcase and bumpily hauled them down the stairs.
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"Are you ready?" Harry said taking the suitcases off Hermione and Ginny, Hermione had a few bags of belongings in her arms and Ron was struggling to remain standing under the weight of the three large boxes he was carrying.
"Yeah, I am ready." Ginny smiled slightly, though the smile wasn't big enough to naturally be convincing.
"God Ginny, how much stuff do you need to take? You are only going to be staying there for two months." Ron breathed from behind the stack of boxes in his arms.
"Hey, you should have seen how much stuff I have actually left behind. It is more than this, Ron." Ginny said before getting her coat on and saying one last goodbye to Harry and Ginny's new white owl, Apollo.
"Let's get going, I have to be at the apartment by two or they won't give me the keys today." Ginny quickly added and they all left Harry and Ginny's reasonably small house. One by one the disapparated, the compression of a tube sensation lasted a lot longer than it normally would as it was a long journey half way across the country from London to Manchester. The city seemed reasonably quiet for a Saturday morning, however they knew that the wizarding area wouldn't be as busy as where the Muggles lived as the majority of them didn't have a clue about magic, wizards or witches. In their eyes, muggles were lucky to never have to hear of such a cruel person as Lord Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange or Death Eaters.
The apartments looked incredibly modern for the year 2000 and stood proudly and tall above many buildings surrounding it. It was like Ottery St. Catchpole, which was generally a wizarding village. People walked around carrying cauldrons and broomsticks. A woman pushed a child in a buggy as a large pile of books levitated beside her. The majority of people wore wizard and witches robes along with wizarding hats.
"Wow." Ron breathed at the sight of this mini wizarding city.
"Yeah, wow. It is like one giant Diagon Alley." Hermione smiled and Ron laughed. "I think we should come here more often." He added and they followed Harry and Ginny up into Ginny's new apartment.
The apartment was modern and elegant; it was reasonable small but had a warm and welcoming feel to it as soon as you stepped in. Each apartment all ready had furniture and furnishings in it as the owners were only temporarily living there whilst playing Quidditch. It also had a magical sense and glow to it that made it seem just like being back in London.
"It is lovely Ginny." Hermione smiled as they started helping Ginny unpack all of the bags and boxes she had brought along with her.
"Yeah, and I have a fantastic view as well." Ginny beamed and from the window they could see for miles and miles into the distance that looked like a fuzzy oasis if you concentrated on it too hard.
They remained in Ginny's apartment for a few more hours until the sun started to set and the sky became as beautiful as a picturesque oil painting. A painting in soft hues of amber, orange, peach, yellow and pink and the clouds were just large pieces of candyfloss with a levitating spell (wingardium leviosa) on them. By 6 o'clock, they decided to call it a day and set off home.
"We will come and visit you as soon as we can." Hermione said, hugging her best friend warmly, sort of as if they didn't want to let go of each other.
"Promise you will owl me with Apollo as soon as you get back?" Ginny sniffed tears seemed to be forming in her eyes.
"I will owl you a letter every minute if I have to, Ginny." Harry forlornly said and Ginny laughed happily. Ron then came walked up to Ginny and beamed proudly at his younger sister, who had always been his closest sibling. There was a slight sparkle in his eyes that showed even he couldn't hide his sadness.
"I am really going to miss you, Ginny." Ron sighed embracing his sister in a strong and loving hug.
"You know what Ron? You have surprised me many times in my life and just did again because believe it or not I am really going to miss you too." Ginny cried, tears were now streaming down her face.
"Are you sure you are going to be alright?" Harry asked as they moved towards the doorway to leave.
"I will be fine, Harry, honestly. I will be back before you know it." She smiled through a lucid, transparent stream of tears before pulling Harry into a hug.
"I am going to miss you so much." Harry sniffed over her shoulder and Ginny laughed. "Shut up Harry, you are going to end up steaming up your glasses." And with that everybody laughed happily at the cheeky remark. "All the same I am going to miss you more than the world." Ginny added.
"I love you." Harry cried
"I love you too." Ginny sniffed and kissed Harry softly on the lips. Ron still found it hard to look at them kissing and so just turned red and quickly glanced in the opposite direction.
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Ron, Hermione and Harry were silent as they left the block of apartments. A river of tears was streaming down his face and his circular glasses looked misty and blurred to see out of. As they approached the apparition point- underneath the shade of some large oak trees, their branches spreading out for what seemed like miles- Hermione reached for Ron and Harry's hands and disapparated.
As soon as they landed in Ron and Hermione's warm living room, Harry turned away towards the hallway and front door and muttered a quick "I will see you at the Ministry," before opening the door.
"Harry wait!" Hermione quickly stopped him and Harry closed the door so he would be able to hear what Hermione had to say as well as the complimentary outdoor sound of cars trundling along on the cold winter evening.
"What is it Hermione?" Harry raised an eyebrow; he still looked like he might cry.
"I had an idea, and we have both been thinking. We know you are going to miss Ginny more than anything- I certainly missed Hermione when she went back to Hogwarts. We both know how it feels to be on your own and how it feels to live on your own. And we would understand if you don't like the idea but would you like to stay with us for a while? Just until you get back on your feet." Ron questioned softly and Harry smiled.
"Are you sure, I mean thank you." Harry said speechlessly. "That is really kind of you but are you sure that I won't be invading your privacy for a few weeks?" His eyebrows were raised and they both knew what he was talking about.
He was right. Harry would be invading their privacy but they had shared a tent and been on the run for the best part of 1998 searching for Horcruxes together. They had got used to the concept of that there was no privacy in a tent. They could have been sat on top of each other for a lot longer but they hadn't driven each other around the bend and they were all still best friends.
"Harry, we shared a tent for ten months. We also shared it with part of Lord Voldemort's soul. I think we will manage; besides it will be like living with a brother." Hermione smiled and Harry beamed.
"Thank you." He said happily and pulled both Ron and Hermione into a friendly embrace.
"This is going to just be like at Hogwarts isn't it?" Hermione said and they all laughed happily. It would be like when they were sharing a tent two and a half years ago, except without all of the angst, confusion, worry, panic and fear that came in tow with hunting for Horcruxes. But this time, it would be better than that, a lot better. There would be no yelling or anger or fights over the uncertainty of their future lives. Nobody would be storming out of the house with steam coming out of their ears. This time they would be happy as life was happier. Life was how it should be.
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After that everything seemed to happen very quickly. Harry went back to his and Ginny's house to get his necessary belongings, clothes, work etc. Ron went and made a bed for Harry in one of the spare bedrooms and Hermione made dinner for the three of them which wasn't much harder than making it for her and Ron, it just meant higher quantities of ingredients.
It was nice the three of them being together like when they were at Hogwarts. They just sat around the kitchen table, laughing and beaming at each other. It was nothing like being in that dark, cold tent for ten months pitched somewhere in a forest or coast of England. They were in a warm, cosy, inviting house that screamed out for happiness and cheer, this was how things should have been two and a half years ago.
"I could get used to this." Hermione smiled as they clinked their glasses together and drank some sort of concoction that the muggles called red wine.
"Yeah but I still feel like I am invading your privacy, don't worry I will be quiet so that you two can sleep." Harry said
"I will just have to make sure that the only Ron does at night time is sleep." Hermione said and they all laughed at the remark, despite being best friends, it wasn't uncomfortable talking about things like that because they were more like siblings. As long as they had each other, everything in life would be fine.
Authors Note: Hi, so it has taken me two weeks to write this chapter because I have been busy at school and it has taken me so long to write this that I have forgotten why I thought this chapter might be slightly nostalgic (sorry about that). I am also in the middle of completing the story "Forgive and Forget" but I will try and get up another chapter of this story soon. PLEASE REVIEW!