CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
Hermione focused her mind on Sarah's touch, gently on her hips helping her stretch her leg out.
"You're getting pretty good at this, we'll have to get you to proper lessons." Said Sarah switching the music off and having a drink. They had been dancing for nearly two hours.
"I like you teaching me." She said stretching her feet out.
"No; you like me touching you." Sarah said sticking her tongue out suggestively.
Hermione laughed, she couldn't argue with that one. They had gotten news from Viktor that him and Ana had been married in a private ceremony last week and were planning to adopt as soon as possible, they wanted to give lost children the best possible start it life. The news had made Hermione so happy she could have flown.
She'd put together a wedding present and said they were welcome to visit any time.
The news, however, did not wipe her up coming meeting with her parents from her mind. Her stomach shifted uncomfortably at the thought.
"We should go get ready." Sarah said glancing at the clock. Hermione nodded and heaved herself towards the shower.
She let the hot water run over her skin washing away all traces of her workout. She lay on the bed wrapped in a fluffy towel listening to Sarah sing to herself in the shower. They dressed quickly and Sarah carefully teased Hermione's hair into a bun.
"Are you ready to go?" Sarah asked.
Hermione looked herself over in the mirror once more before nodding. They gripped hands and Sarah turned on the spot.
Hermione breathed deeply as the suffocating feeling left her. The waiting room wasn't very busy today so the queue was short for them to get out.
"Reason for attending?" a bored wizard asked them blocking their way out the apparation point.
"Appointment." Sarah said.
"Who with?" Sighed the wizard.
"Does it matter?" Hermione asked crossing her arms, "We've never had to answer these questions before."
"It's a routine survey, ma'am, to see who uses these apparation points, to see if they are being successful."
"We're here to see April Parker." Hermione said before pushing past the wizard dragging Sarah with her.
Hermione gripped her hand tightly as she stabbed the button for the lift.
"It's going to be Ok." Sarah reassured her.
Hermione nodded, "What if they're angry though? I would be angry." Her hands shook slightly.
Sarah squeezed her hand reassuringly, she didn't know what to say. They stepped into the lift with a few other people. They were the first ones out and walked alone down the long corridor.
Hermione paused outside the waiting room door, she could hear voices inside.
"Come on." Said Sarah, pushing the door open and pulling her inside light room.
April stood on the side of the room with her office door, leaning against the wall slightly. She smiled as Hermione and Sarah walked in before returning her gaze to the sofa that had it's back to the waiting room door. Tears trickled down Hermione's face.
"Mum? Dad?" she croaked.
Her parents looked at her from the sofa April was watching.
"Hermione? You've grown so much!" Her dad said standing up and wrapping his arms around her. Hermione hugged back, but not letting go of Sarah's hand.
Her mum walked over to them, "How could you do it?" She asked angrily, crying herself.
"As I've explained, Mrs Granger, Hermione had very little choice in the matter; she did what she felt she had to. Sometimes there's not a good choice, but you still have to make one." April said stepping forward slightly.
Mrs Granger nodded, "I know, I want to hear it from you." She said looking her daughter in the eye.
"I'm so sorry mum, I wanted to keep you safe I promise." Hermione sobbed. Mrs Granger wrapped her arms around her daughter and her husband and sobbed.
After a few minutes they broke apart and sat back down. Sarah and Hermione sat down on the sofa next to them.
"Who's this?" Her mother asked.
"Mum, Dad this is Sarah, my girlfriend." Hermione said slowly.
"Really? That's very... political." Mrs Granger said.
Hermione laughed, "It's not like that mum."
Mrs Granger let out a relived sigh, "Good. I wouldn't want you to be unhappy. So are you good for my daughter?" she asked Sarah.
"I hope so, she's very good for me anyway." Sarah smiled and caught Hermione's hand.
"Umm do you want to tell her now?" April said to Hermione's parents.
"Tell me what?" Hermione asked worriedly.
Her parents looked at each other nervously, "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Mrs Granger asked.
April nodded.
Mrs Granger closed her eyes and buried her head in her hands.
Mr Granger coughed and put his arm over his wife's shoulders, "Hermione we always wanted a child and that didn't go away when we... when you...when the spell happened."
"I don't understand." Hermione said shaking her head.
"Hermione, dear, we had another baby." Her mum said tearfully, "A little boy, he's just coming up to ten years old."
April went over to her office and opened the door, a young lanky boy walked out.
"He looks just like me." Hermione whispered. He had the same buck teeth and frizzy hair, he even walked in the same way.
"Yes he does. Mark, this is your sister." She said holding her hand out for him.
He walked over shyly and gave Hermione a small wave. She waved back, her brain on autopilot.
"Is he magic as well?" Sarah asked
"Yeah I go to the primary school near the house." Mark said, "They have magic schools for all ages in Australia. I don't want to move."
"We're not going to move sweetie." Mrs Granger reassured him.
"You're not going to move back to England?" Hermione asked.
"No. We actually really like it where we are and Mark's education is very important." Her father explained.
"I get that but, I thought..."
Her father sighed, "I know Hermione but... it's been over eleven years."
Hermione nodded and tried not to brake down.
"Hermione are you ok?" April asked, "Mark why don't you go back though to my office, stick the DVD back on?"
Mark nodded and waved goodbye.
"I've sound proofed my office so that you can talk freely." April said, "Hermione?"
"I haven't seen you in over a decade and you're not even going to move back so you can see me?" she snapped.
"We haven't seen you! You cursed us! Cut us out of your life leave us with no knowledge of our lives for over a decade!" Her mum shouted getting to her feet.
"Darling, come on..." He said trying to get her to sit down.
"I did that to protect you! You have no idea how bad it was! I was on the run, tortured! I nearly died! I wanted to come and see you earlier but April said to wait, I wasn't ready it's taken me over a year to get to this point."
"You had no right running off! You're a child!" Her Dad said sternly.
"I'm not a child, I wasn't then. I grew up long ago you gave me no choice! Are you doing the same to him? Forcing him to be the best when all he wants to do is play in the street?"
Her mum sighed, "No, we're a lot more, flexible with him, since we remembered that you'd left." she said bitterly.
"Wait, what?" Sarah asked sitting up, "What do you mean since you remembered?" Hermione looked at her and then to her parents.
"When Mark was born we started getting flashes of you, by the time he was four we remembered everything." Her Dad said slowly.
"What! Why didn't you come to find me?!" Hermione cried.
"Because we thought you didn't want us!" Mrs Granger shouted, "You got all magical and special and didn't even come back for the holidays! YOU LEFT US!"
Hermione let the tears run down her face. April walked over.
"I think that neither of you are looking at things from the other persons point of view." She said holding her hands up to stop any irruptions.
Hermione took a deep breath and crossed her arms over.
"Mrs Granger, I think that it's difficult to understand how bad the war was if you weren't affected by it. She kept you safe and made it so you could have that beautiful little boy, you said it yourself that you were very... pushy with her. Hermione you did leave them, even at school you sometimes didn't go home. Your friends came first as they do with most teenagers but it's hard for your parents, you didn't even talk to them before you wiped their memories." April took a deep breath, "And neither of you went looking for the other one."
They all nodded.
"I'm sorry we put so much pressure on you, that you didn't think you could talk to us. We would have helped." Mr. Granger told her softly.
"I thought I was going to die. That's why I didn't tell you, didn't include you, let you help. I honestly thought I was never going to make it through alive." Hermione sobbed, "For years afterwards, I wish I hadn't survived."
"Oh sweetie." Mrs Granger clapped her hand over her mouth and tried not to cry.
"I am sorry Mum, I should have put you first more and April's right I didn't look at how it would feel for you."
They were silent for a few minutes.
"We do love you, Hermione but you're right, you're all grown up now and Mark isn't. He's got a good school and friends, it would be really unfair for us to drag him away from all that."
Hermione nodded, "I know. I wouldn't want you to either. But maybe can I visit sometimes?"
"Oh course you can, I would expect you to." Her father said, "We should getting going, Mark has school tomorrow."
They stood up and hugged goodbye.
"It was lovely meeting you Sarah." Mrs Granger said.
Sarah smiled and waved them goodbye.