Request: "Come on. Let's go home." on romione and you wrote lovely headcanons

The Australian cul-de-sac was quiet, as was to be expected for mid-morning on a Saturday. Birds chirped from the bare trees, unbothered by the winter wind that rustled the branches. Everything was as it should be.

A young woman burst out of the house at the end of the street, slamming the door behind her with a frustrated cry. She took a huge breath, letting the ice-cold air fill her lungs in the hope that it will tether to her last shred of sanity. Tears burned behind her eyes, and she brushed them away angrily.

It was so unfair.

Hermione had been through a lot over the past few months. One of her best friends had died then returned to life to defeat Voldemort. The other best friend had fallen in love with her. Against all odds, she'd located her parents in the middle of Australia and restored their memories.

But it wasn't all plain sailing.

Finding her parents and performing the charms that gave them back their memories had been easy enough. But then Hermione had to sit them down and explain what had happened. Already cautious of their brilliant, magical daughter, Jean and Hugo Granger had been terrified to hear that she'd turned her wand on them.

After spending two days telling them about the war, Hermione had finally given up trying to make them see things from her perspective. It seemed Hermione's desire to protect her parents and not disclose any information about what had happened during the time she'd been at school had backfired.

Her parents were scared of her. It was a feeling that had probably been simmering away deep inside of them for years since Hermione received her invite to Hogwarts. The shock of learning they'd spent the past year living as Monica and Wendell Wilkins was the straw that broke the camel's back.

She hadn't even realised she was walking until she found herself in a park. Throwing herself down on the nearest bench, she finally let the tears come in huge, racking sobs. Pain coursed through her body as the realisation of what she lost washed over her.

Hermione was so consumed in her grief that she didn't notice someone sitting down next to her until he gathered her up in strong muscular arms. His scent—sandalwood mixed with peppermint—brought her little comfort, but just having him near to her helped.

"It's no good," she mumbled into his jumper. "They just won't forgive me."

Ron sighed and tightened his grip on her. "They will eventually. It's going to take them a while, but you did what you thought was right. They'll see that in time."

A shuddering sigh escaped her lips, and Hermione nestled closer to Ron, letting his rhythmic stroking of her hair calm her.

"I've soaked your jumper." She sniffed and wiped her nose with her hand.

"'S'okay. It's been better days anyway. There are about twenty holes in it, and it's going thin in places too."

He pulled his coat around her. He was always so good at protecting her and looking after her.

"We should go and buy you some new clothes."

"Yeah, at some point. Maybe before Auror Academy begins, we have more important things to worry about right now."

"Yeah, I guess." Hermione shrugged and nestled her head under his chin.

"Come on, let's go home," Ron murmured into her hair.

"Where's home now? I have no family."

He kissed the top of her head. "Well, that's a lie. Home is with Harry and me, at the Burrow. Well, for now, until we decide where to go next after you've finished school. And your family?" Ron scoffed. "I'm pretty sure my mum and dad had had you labelled as one of theirs long before we got together. You're a Weasley already. They'll welcome you back with open arms and look after you."

"Do you promise?" She gazed up at him, her heart filling with love as she took in his beautiful blue eyes. They sparkled with hope for the future, and for once, Hermione let herself believe in it.

"Cross my heart." He slipped his hand into hers and pulled her to her feet. "Plus, I wouldn't last a minute without you now. I learned that the hard way."

Squeezing his hand, Hermione planted a firm kiss on his cheek before letting him lead her away. He was right. It was time to go home.