'Did they leave an answer? Did they return to the meeting place?' asked Fenrir Greyback.

'No, they didn't,' replied his accomplice. A long silence ensued. 'Did you really expect them to join us?'

Greyback sighed. 'No. In all honesty, I'd have been amazed if they had agreed to my suggestion. I thought it was worth a try though. Potter and Granger would make powerful allies if they'd agreed to my proposal. It's almost sad to have to ruin them now.'

'So, we go ahead and contact the press? Will they believe us?'

'They don't have to believe us,' replied Greyback. 'They will, however, have to investigate. I take it her parents are no longer at their home?'

'No, they seem to have abandoned the place.'

'Just as I thought. They've gone into hiding and this probably means that Potter and Granger have joined them. The media will have a field day once the seed is planted. Accused of being unregistered werewolves and then disappearing? You know how the public will react to this. It won't hurt our cause in the Ministry either.'

'So, who do I speak to?'

'Oh, that's and easy one. Rita. Rita Skeeter. This sort of scandal is right up her street. I've heard she has an axe to grind with Granger too. Other than the pair of them actually joining us, things couldn't have worked out better. All the attention is going to be on the "boy-who-lived" and his bitch; no one will be looking at us for a while. It will allow us to carry out our plan.' He turned to his companion. 'Now go! Get the news out there. Let's shake this place up a bit!'

Greyback watched his follower depart and gave a broad grin. Events were playing out exactly as he had foreseen.

Not long now. Not long until everything changes.

oOoOoOoOoOo

'Are you ready for this?' asked Harry, the concern evident in his voice and in his posture. His heightened senses were telling him that his girlfriend was extremely anxious, but that was completely understandable. He was a bag of nerves too.

Hermione considered the question for a few moments. 'As ready as I'll ever be,' she finally replied.

'You need to do this. We need to do this.'

'I know, Harry,' she replied, a touch of asperity in her tone. 'I'm well aware that I'm on my last chance with my parents. I don't need reminding!'

Harry sighed and stopped walking, pulling Hermione back towards him as she tried to continue to their destination. They were descending from a clifftop path that approached a quaint little cottage that sat sheltered in a small bay. It was actually a beautiful location and in any other circumstances, Harry would have taken some time to survey his surroundings. However, he was acutely aware that neither he nor Hermione had the luxury of being able to enjoy such simple pleasures at the moment. The upcoming conversation was very important. In fact, it was probably going to be life-altering.

'I know you don't need reminding, Hermione. I'm…just trying to help. I just want you and your parents to get along. It's important to me that you do. I'd hate to be the cause of your estrangement.'

'Oh, Harry. This isn't your fault. They're angry at me, not you.'

'They might be angry at you, but they blame me. It's why we need to tell them everything.' He puffed out his cheeks. 'I think your mum wants to fix things, but your dad seems really angry.'

Hemione nodded her agreement. 'Yeah. There's a lot going on there. He's angry at me, but I think he's questioning himself. I think he believes he's failed to protect me.'

'He couldn't protect you from Voldemort. Not without magic.'

'I know that, Harry. But I'm not sure he does. Just try and be patient with him, if you can.'

Harry nodded his understanding and continued on his way, still clasping Hermione's hand tightly. They walked in silence for a few minutes before reaching the door to the cottage. He let Hermione take a few moments to compose herself before seeing her straighten her back, a look of resolution on her face.

'Let's do this,' she whispered, before rapping sharply on the door.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Helen Granger picked up her wine glass from the table and took a much larger drink than she normally would. She was aware that her daughter and her friend were finally wrapping up their story and she was struggling to come to terms with everything that she'd been told. Hermione and Harry had spoken for several hours about what had been going on in the Magical world since the night Harry's parents had been murdered and they had gone into great detail about their own role in the recent war.

When Hermione had restored their memories and brought them home to Britain, she had merely summarised the events of the past seven years. Tonight, however, she'd promised full disclosure and she had delivered on her promise.

It had been a tale of murder and intrigue. Of monsters and of betrayal. Of sacrifice and of grief. Of genocide and of death.

And, ultimately, of love.

She found it difficult to fully understand just what the two children sitting in front of her had gone through and when Harry had spoken of his decision to face Voldemort alone; to sacrifice himself to destroy the part of Voldemort that lived within him, Helen had found herself overcome with sadness. She found it incredible that this seventeen-year old boy had taken on such a burden. She saw too how badly this part of the story affected her daughter and she didn't want to imagine how Hermione would have been impacted had Harry not returned from death.

Returned from death.

In all honesty, Helen was feeling completely overwhelmed, but she still could not shake off the feeling that there was still something she and Simon had not been told. That they were saving the worst for last.

How can there be anything worse?

'The thing is…' continued Hermione, clearly struggling for words. 'The thing is…'

'The thing is,' interrupted Harry, squeezing Hermione's hand as he did so; a hand he had not let go of since this conversation started. 'The thing is, that in the last battle at Hogwarts, something really bad happened that had serious consequences for both of us.'

'Something really bad?' asked Simon, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. 'It must be something terrible to be worse than what you have already told us. Worse that war? Worse than dying?'

'Some people might think so,' replied Harry softly. 'During the last battle, Voldemort was using Werewolves as part of his army. As a result of that, Hermione and I were both infected with a condition called Lycanthropy. We're both werewolves,' he added.

'Harry…' Hermione began, clearly about to clarify just who was actually responsible for Harry being bitten.

'Hush, Hermione. I've told them what they need to know. The reality is, we were both cursed because of the events of that night.'

'You're werewolves?' Helen interrupted tremulously, placing a hand on her chest as if she could somehow grip the panic that seized her. 'Actual werewolves?'

Hermione closed her eyes and nodded. 'Yes,' she whispered. 'I'm so sorry.' She burst into tears and Helen watched as Harry immediately gathered her into his arms with a tenderness that spoke volumes. There was clearly deep feelings between the two of them, but she knew that was probably a discussion for another time.

'So, what exactly does it mean for you to be werewolves?' Helen asked. 'You don't look any different.'

Harry smiled, despite the situation. 'We won't look any different. At least when it's not the full moon.'

'And when it is the full moon?'

'Then it means we transform into a beast. A very dangerous beast. If untreated we would attack anything we come across. Even you.'

A long silence greeted this revelation, one broken when Harry decided to continue.

'As you can understand, werewolves are…not well regarded in our world. When the news breaks about our condition, it means we will be pariahs. It means our lives will never be normal again. Not that they have been particularly normal up to now,' he added bitterly.

Helen made to reply but her attention was diverted as her husband abruptly got to his feet and approached the fireplace, gripping the mantelpiece with both hands, his head bowed as he tried to come to terms with what had just been divulged.

'Werewolves,' he whispered. 'Bloody werewolves. What next?' he asked, his anger rising. 'I wish we'd never heard of magic. I wish that bloody world had just left us alone!'

'Part of me agrees with you,' replied Harry. 'Part of me wishes that Hermione was spared all of the hardship and suffering that she's went through. That she could have grown up quietly with both of you and gone on to achieve whatever she put her mind to. But the larger part of me – the selfish part – gives thanks to fate every single day for bringing her into my life. To put it simply, if it were not for Hermione, I'd be dead, and Voldemort would have won.'

'You don't underestimate your achievements, do you?' asked David, archly.

'No, I don't. And I certainly don't underestimate Hermione's. I also don't believe she deserves the treatment you are giving her, nor the tone of voice you use when speaking to her. None of this is her fault.'

'Harry, you don't need to do this,' said Hermione.

'If you want me to stop, I will, Hermione. But I feel you hurting, and I see your parents hurting and I'm wondering how stubborn you are all going to be about this. I've never had a family. I honestly don't know how they work and the examples I've seen don't really help. I mean the Dursleys hardly count, do they? And as nice as they are, the Weasleys aren't exactly typical, are they?' he asked with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. 'I just don't want to see you and your parents fall out.'

'Maybe if you did have a family you'd understand,' David said harshly. 'Maybe then you'd understand the sense of betrayal we feel towards Hermione for removing our memories.'

Harry gripped Hermione's hand tightly to prevent her from launching a verbal attack at her dad. He could feel her simmering anger at that last comment, and he found himself biting back a stinging retort because the comment had hurt. But he knew that Simon Granger was simply a man out of his depth. Harry could sense his fear and his concern. He took a deep breath and looked Hermione's father directly in the eye.

'It's true that I don't have a family, Mr Granger. But despite the fact that my family was murdered, I actually understand how you feel better than you might think,' he began. 'Most of my life I have had people making decisions for me without consulting me. Dumbledore kept me in the dark even though his ultimate plan relied on me sacrificing my life. So, I do have some sympathy with your anger. To be honest, I had no idea that Hermione was going to do what she did. Much as she might not like to hear this, if she had told me her plans to obliviate you both, I'd have tried to persuade her not to do it.'

'Really?' asked Simon. 'I find that hard to believe.'

Harry just shrugged. 'Believe what you want. But I don't think you are being fair to Hermione or to her motives for wiping your memories of her.'

'She did it to protect us!' snapped Simon.

'From what?'

'From Voldemort, of course!'

Harry sighed. 'You just don't get it, do you?' He turned to Helen Granger and saw that she too did not seem to understand. 'If she merely wanted to protect you from Voldemort, she could have sent you to Australia with a full explanation about the war and with your memories intact.'

'So, why didn't she do that?' asked Helen in a quiet voice and Harry suspected she may just have worked out where he was going with this. He was aware too that Hermione sat perfectly still and perfectly silent in his arms and so took comfort in the fact that she seemed to agree with his approach.

'Because she thought she was going to die in the war. Because she thought that if she did die, it would be easier for you both to live the rest of your lives in blissful ignorance of her and her death rather than spend the rest of your days mourning your daughter or, worse, forever wondering what became of her. She wasn't protecting you from Voldemort; she was protecting you from heartbreak. From the unimaginable grief of losing your only child.'

Helen put her hand to her mouth and turned to her daughter, her eyes suddenly pooling with tears.

'Sweetie? Is this true?' she asked in a broken voice. 'Is this why you took our memories of you?'

Hermione could only nod her confirmation, for she was too choked up with emotion to verbalise a response.

'Oh, my girl,' cried Helen Granger and threw herself over her daughter, clutching her in a fierce embrace that tried to shelter her from a world that had taken her innocence a long time ago.

Harry let go of Hermione's hand and stood away from the two women. He regarded Simon Granger for a long moment, seeing the doubt and the sorrow in the man's eyes. He could sense his uncertainty.

'You should go to them,' he said softly. He noticed a look of resentment flash in the eyes of Hermione's father but continued undeterred. 'If you let your pride get in the way now, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You need to forgive her.' He did not notice Hermione and her mum turn to watch the interaction between the two men, clinging to each other on the sofa as they did so.

'And if I don't?' Simon asked harshly.

'Then you'll lose the best thing that has ever happened in your life. You have a chance to fix this. Forgive her, because if you don't, the bitterness will eat away at your family. You will grow apart, and you will eventually lose your daughter. Think about that. Think about what that really means. You'll miss everything. You'll miss her get married. You'll miss her achievements. You'll miss any grandchildren she might provide you with.' Simon Granger flinched as if slapped at these words and he heard Hermione and Helen both gasp in shock, but he ploughed on regardless.

'As you already pointed out, I've never had a family. I have relatives but they're not my family; they were the real monsters in my life. I really, really hope I'm lucky enough to make my own family with your daughter one day and I'd rather the grandparents were around to love and spoil any kids we might have. Voldemort made sure that my parents will never have the chance to do that, and when I think about it, I now realise that hurts me more than anything else he ever did to me. You still have that chance, so don't waste it because that would be a crime. As much as I want us all to get on, I actually don't care what you think about me. I do care about Hermione. I will do everything I can to make her happy. Forgive your daughter. Really forgive her, or you'll lose it all.'

A long silence followed this remark; a silence only broken when Simon Granger drew himself up to full height, took a deep, shuddering breath and finally approached his wife and daughter. After a long moment, he fell to his knees in front of the couch and gathered both women into his arms. Harry watched as his girlfriend and her parents started to mend the bonds that had been damaged but, ultimately, had not broken. He decided to give them some privacy and make himself useful, so went into the kitchen to put the kettle on.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Rita Skeeter glanced up from the parchment she was reading and grunted her thanks as the mail boy dropped a pile of packages and letters into her "In" tray before hastily departing. She sat up and reached across for the pile of envelopes, safe in the knowledge that each had been screened for curses, jinxes, and other potential threats before being sent to her personally. It was a hazard of the trade and one she was more than used to.

She started flicking through the pile to see if anything caught her eye. She recognised the writing of her usual "loon Squad" as she called them; the conspiracy theorists that were constantly sending her information about lurid plots and schemes that the Ministry were supposed to be covering up. She sighed, wishing that they would pester the Quibbler rather herself, although part of her wished that one of the nutters was on to something because she'd had a lean couple of months.

It should have been so very different. With Harry Potter's defeat of the Dark Lord, she had expected a raft of exclusives and wall-to-wall coverage of the biggest news story of the century.

Instead there had been nothing. Instead there had been a war hero who had shut himself up in Hogwarts Castle and who had refused to speak to anyone officially other than Minister Shacklebolt. And the Minister in turn had briefed the press pack as a whole and so denied Rita her chance of an exclusive.

It was all very frustrating.

Rita paused in her sorting and plucked a non-descript envelope from the pile. In her many years as a reporter, she had developed almost a sixth sense for a story and there was just something about this particular envelope that had her antenna twitching. Reaching for her letter opener, she slid it under the fold and broke the seal, removing the parchment within and leaning back in her chair as she began to read.

Her eyes widened at the words and she read it again just to be sure.

Then she read it a third time before placing it on her desk. She took a few moments to gather herself.

This was it! This is what I've been waiting for!

She leapt to her feet and headed towards her Editor's office.

'Barnabas! You're never going to believe this!' she shouted. And then she uttered the words that had been missing from her life for some time. The words she lived to say.

'Hold the front page!'

oOoOoOoOoOo

Ten minutes after exiting the conversation and leaving Hermione and her parents by themselves, Harry nudged the living room door open with his hip and entered, carrying a tray of tea and biscuits before him. He took a few seconds to place the tray on the coffee table but before he'd even had the chance to stand up straight, he was almost knocked arse over tip by Hermione, who threw herself at him and gripped him in a hug so tight, he actually found it hard to breathe.

'Thank you, Harry,' she murmured into his chest.

'You're welcome. Did you sort it all out then?' he managed to squeak out.

'Not yet, Mr Potter,' replied Helen. 'But we've made a start.'

'Harry,' he replied in a more normal voice as Hermione eased her grip on him. 'Please call me Harry, Mrs Granger. And I'm glad you've made a start. The first step is often the most difficult.'

'I'll call you Harry on condition that you call me Helen,' she replied with a smile. 'And if I may say so; you are very wise for your years, Harry.'

'It must be the company I keep,' he replied with a smile, giving Hermione a squeeze as he did so. 'And we've packed quite a lot into our years,' he added.

Helen seemed to come to a decision at these words and approached them. Reaching around both of them, she gave Hermione and Harry a warm hug. After a few moments, she broke contact and invited them to sit down and started to pour the tea. It was not lost on anyone that Harry and Hermione did not let go of one another. She looked up to her husband.

'Aren't you going to join us, Simon?' she asked mischievously.

Simon Granger sighed, recognising when he was fighting a losing battle. He sat down on the sofa across from his daughter and her…friend. Knowing what was expected of him, he leaned forward and extended his hand.

'Mr Potter?' Thank you. Please accept my sincere apologies for my previous behaviour.'

Harry took the offered hand and shook it firmly. 'Thank you, Mr Granger. I appreciate that. I know this has been very difficult for you all.'

Simon Granger grimaced. 'Please call me Simon, and if you have no objections, I'd like to call you Harry.'

Harry simply nodded his wary agreement.

'When Hermione was born,' continued Simon, 'I promised myself that if the day ever came when my daughter brought a boy back to meet us, that I wouldn't be an utter arse about the whole thing. Seems I'm not very good at keeping my promises,' he added with a wry smile.

'To be fair Mr…Simon, we weren't meeting under normal circumstances. If we were, you would have taken me aside and intimidated me a bit, then threatened me with harm if I was to ever hurt Hermione,' replied Harry, a hint of careful humour in his voice. 'Under normal circumstances, I'd have been suitably cowed,' he added.

Simon Granger mock scowled. 'I know I have no chance of intimidating you, Harry. I can only pretend to be a big scary monster. You've fought dragons!'

'And trolls. And Dementors,' interjected Hermione.' 'Hmmm, let's see' she continued, counting with her fingers as she did so, 'there's also the acromantulas, the giants and a Cerberus. Not to mention defeating the greatest Dark Lord in centuries, along with his vile army of blood purists, and ending a genocidal war that has been plaguing the magical world for decades. Did I miss anything, Harry?' she asked archly, a wicked smile on her face.

'Only that you were with me every step of the way,' Harry replied. 'The only one who was,' he added softly.

Helen Granger smiled at the interaction between the two of them but knew she had to steer the conversation back to a more serious topic.

'Harry? You said something earlier on that I'd like to ask you about?'

'Of course.'

'You said "when the news breaks" about your condition. You said it as if it was a certainty.'

Harry grimaced but before he could reply, Hermione cut in.

'It is a certainty, mum. It's also the reason we had to uproot you again.'

'Why? What happened?'

'The head werewolf, Fenrir Greyback, found out about our condition. He tried to blackmail us. He asked us to join him in attacking innocent people. He said if we didn't, then he'd leak our secret to the Ministry and to the press,' replied Hermione.

'So, we were forced to move because your secret is coming out?' asked Simon, more than a touch confused.

'No, dad,' replied Hermione. 'The only reason we met Greyback in the first place is because he threatened to hurt you both if we didn't. When we did meet him, he gave us the option of joining him or outing us. We came straight to see you after that meeting in order to get you somewhere safe.'

'So, what now?' asked Simon.

'I'm not sure,' his daughter replied. 'When the story breaks there is going to be major repercussions. Harry and I will effectively be outlaws as they brought out a new law requiring all werewolves to register by a certain date. Harry and I didn't register so the Ministry will be after us.'

'Could you go to jail?' asked Helen, shocked by the news.

'Probably not, mum, but there is a group in the Wizengamot – that's like our Parliament – that is pressing for interment. Kingsley, the Minister, won't want that.'

'What Hermione is not telling you,' interjected Harry, 'is that she is incredibly close to creating a cure for our condition. If she can achieve that then that changes everything.'

'A cure? Really? That's amazing!' cried Helen.

'Hermione is amazing, but you already know that,' replied Harry.

Hermione blushed at the praise. 'There's a good bit of work ahead of us before we reach a cure,' she began. 'But, if it's all the same to you, mum, can we talk about something else for now? I'd really like to sit down for dinner; just the four of us and talk about ordinary things for a bit. I promise we will come back to this tomorrow, but it's been a long day and I'd be grateful for a break.'

Helen Granger smiled sadly at her daughter. 'Of course, dear, whatever you want. Do you want to help me make dinner?'

'Actually, mum, it might be a better idea if Harry helps you. He's a better cook and it will give you a chance to get to know him. Besides, I want to talk to dad if that's OK?'

'It's OK with me if it's OK with Harry,' replied Helen.

Harry just smiled. 'It's fine with me. Lead on; it will be nice to work in a proper kitchen for a change,' he replied, standing up as he did so. 'I will be nice to work with a proper cook too,' he added with a wink before quickly moving out of Hermione's reach.

Helen Granger could not help but laugh at the look of faux indignation on her daughter's face at this remark and she suddenly realised how much lighter she felt now that her family was putting itself back together. She glanced over at Harry.

Not just putting itself back together. We seem to be making an addition.

oOoOoOoOoOo

'You gave her the information?' asked Fenrir Greyback.

'I did. I heard she asked Cuffe to hold the front page. No doubt there will be a juicy story in the morning.'

Greyback smiled his appreciation. 'I suspect they will mention the existence of a rumour about Potter and Granger and then highlight how the two of them have disappeared. Rita's good at that sort of thing. She knows exactly how to direct her readers to a particular conclusion. That should keep Potter and Granger out of our way for a while.'

'Did you think they could affect things?'

'They've huge influence,' Greyback mused. 'It's possible that they could have been an inconvenience.' He turned to his companion. 'Did you manage to arrange things as I asked?'

'I did. One of our people identified a candidate in Magical Maintenance. Apparently, the Ministry is full of back-door entrances; the ventilation system covers the entire building. I don't foresee any issues in getting access.'

'Good. Keep me informed. My plan depends on that access,' replied Greyback.

'I understand.' A pause. 'And you can't tell me the details?'

'No. You don't need to know right now. I'll tell you nearer the time. Trust me; you'll appreciate the need for secrecy once you know the full plan.'

Greyback watched as his colleague accepted the logic of this approach and felt a surge of elation. Everything was coming together beautifully and in a few short weeks, the Magical World in Britain would be irrevocably changed.

I can't wait.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Harry opened his eyes as Hermione stirred in the bed next to him and murmured some indecipherable words in her sleep. He found that he could not relax enough to drift off himself after what had been a very stressful day. The only plus point in his opinion was that Hermione and her parents seemed to be well on the way to mending their breach and they had even seemed to be warming to him, despite everything that had occurred.

He'd enjoyed making dinner with Helen. They'd very quickly worked out a system that prevented them from getting in each other's way in what was a rather small kitchen. He'd chopped ingredients while Helen had created the sauce and they'd worked together on seasoning and cooking the meat. Between them they'd managed to create a rather nice Greek chicken tray bake and both Hermione and Simon had been very complimentary when they'd sat down to dine.

It had turned into a very pleasant evening, the only awkward moment arising when they'd finally decided to go to bed. It was at that point that all three Grangers had remembered that there was only two bedrooms in the cottage.

Blushing furiously, he'd been about to offer to sleep on the couch, but Hermione had very firmly taken his hand and had declared to her parents that "we are going to bed." Both Helen and Simon had given her a long look and it had felt like an hour passed before Helen gave Hermione a nod of agreement.

"We'll have a chat in the morning, Hermione. Good night to you both."

He had to admit, he much preferred being here with Hermione, rather than on the couch, even if she was an unbelievably restless sleeper.

'Something on your mind?' he heard her ask quietly.

'I just can't get to sleep. I'm still too wired after everything that's happened today. I'm worried.'

'I know, Harry. I can feel it in you. I'm worried too. But there's nothing we can do about it right now. I've a few ideas but we can talk about it in the morning.' She turned over and placed her head on his chest, one arm draped across him. 'For now, let's just enjoy the peace while we have it.'

Despite his worries, he smiled wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. 'Goodnight, Hermione,' he whispered. He could easily sense her heartbeat as it began to slow down into a steady rhythm and before he knew it, he too was sound asleep.