Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Doctor Who, just the plot to this story.
Chapter 30: Summer With the Granger's
~ AMY ~
Amy was sitting on the edge of a bed that didn't belong to her, in a house that she didn't live in, that was owned by people she had never met until a few weeks ago. She looked around the room of her friend and admired the countless books that outlined it; it was as if Hermione lived in a library. That last bit didn't surprise Amy at all. In the two years that Amy had known Hermione Granger, she had gotten to know her pretty well: Hermione was a brave, focused, hardworking, badass, genius who Amy looked up to in almost every way possible. Amy had never been the best in school, especially when she was younger and in grade school; back then, she was too busy keeping her best friend, Mels, out of trouble that she couldn't focus on her studies.
When Amy was in grade school, she always had her two friends that were by her side: Mels and Rory. She was a lot closer to Mels than she had been to Rory, but they had all cared for each other the way that children did. Amy frequently wondered what those two were up to nowadays along with whether or not they noticed she went missing all those years ago. Amy took one more look around the room and stopped her glance at a piece of the wall she swore was empty a moment ago. She stood from the bed and approached the wall; she couldn't believe her eyes; she couldn't tell if she was hallucinating or not. She raised her hand and hesitantly moved it towards the wall.
There, on the wall, lay the crack that she had discovered in her bedroom in Leadworth when she was younger. She moved her fingers along the crack and whispered to herself: "Oh, Doctor. Where are you?" She moved closer to the wall and pressed her ear up against the crack, just as her Imaginary Friend had done once before. A voice screamed to her "PRISONER ZERO HAS ESCAPED!" Amy jumped away from the wall.
"Amy, tea's ready!" Amy heard Hermione calling from downstairs. She turned to the doorway and responded. When she turned back to the wall, the crack was gone, as if it had never been there. Maybe she was just going mad. Amy decided to ignore this occurrence as she went down the stairs and into the kitchen. Hermione's mother placed the teapot in the middle of the table followed by a plate of biscuits. The family immediately began eating and continued to ask Amy questions about her bringing up.
Ever since Hermione had brought Amy back to her house to spend the summer with her, the Granger's had pretty much become Amy's interrogators; they needed to know every minuscule detail about her: Who are your parents? I was raised by my aunt. When did you learn you had magic? I was seven years old. Why did you only start Hogwarts in year 5? Because I was sick for the first four. The questions were nonstop. Why couldn't they just be happy that Hermione invited a friend over to stay the summer? As much as Amy loved Hermione, her parents were starting to get on her nerves. She thought about running away to the Burrow, but she knew that it wasn't safe to leave the house, and it wasn't like she could apparate out of there—she was still under seventeen. She had to stop herself—several times—from breaking the wizarding law just so that she could go visit her boyfriend.
After tea, the three Granger's moved into the living room for some 'bonding time,' so Amy decided to retreat back to her friends' room. She opened her suitcase and pulled out her diary. Merlin, it had been a while since she wrote in it; granted, there was a short time when Fred was in possession of it; he had only just given it back after the past Christmas.
She opened the book to the first page and found multiple loose pieces of parchment that had been owled to her over the past few weeks. They were all from Tonks. Amy just couldn't bring herself to respond to any of the letters. She still felt guilty about everything that had happened with Dumbledore; even if it did bring Remus and Tonks, Draco and Tonks, and Draco and her friends together. She just didn't think Dumbledore's death was worth all of that. She skimmed through each of Tonks' letters to see if they contained any important or dangerous information. There was only one that Amy believed to be top priority:
Dear Amelia,
Oh, sweetheart, why won't you answer me? Have I done something wrong? Have I offended you in some way? I just want to make sure you're safe. Merlin, I hope you've been receiving the letters. If not, and the Death Eaters have intercepted them, then they have gained a lot of useless information about me.
Remus and I went through with it all—we got married! Our wedding was on the 6th of July. I'm sorry we didn't tell you, but, we just wanted something small. It was only my parents there with us, and Draco, of course.
Draco seems to be settling in okay. Things are a bit different here than they are at the Manor, but I think that's for the better. He has definitely changed, just like you said. I guess Remus was telling the truth: you are always right.
Not much else has been going on around here; I just wish you would tell me where you are. I know we'll be seeing each other eventually for that assignment, but I miss you, Amelia. A lot. So does Remus. My parents have been asking about you as well. I show them pictures; they say you've grown up too much for their comfort. I agree.
I hope you're doing alright, Amelia. Stay safe.
With All the Love in the World,
Tonks
XOXO
Amy was extremely happy for Remus and Tonks—it was about time that they admitted their feelings for one another. Amy has always been rooting for them: her guardian and her godfather. Amy always thought that their relationships with her meant that they were destined to be with each other; now she could tell them that she was right all these years.
She was about to open her diary up to a new page and continue her writing when Hermione entered the room. Amy smiled at her friend, closed her book, and placed it back into her suitcase.
"I'm sorry, again, about my parents, Amy."
"It's alright, Hermione. I've become adept to know when I'm not wanted somewhere."
Hermione walked over to her friend and sat next to her. "Oh, Amy, it's not like that at all." She took Amy's hands. "My parents are just… overprotective."
Amy scoffed. "That's one word for it."
"They just care about me a lot and, being an only child and all, they're not used to having more than one teenager in the house."
"It's fine, really, Hermione. You don't have to worry about me." Amy looked Hermione in the eyes, hoping to change the subject. "Have you been writing to Harry? Ron?"
"Ron and I have been writing to each other a lot. The Order warned us not to write to Harry, though. It's better if he attracts less attention from the Ministry and all that."
"Now, what exactly is the, you know, relationship between you and Harry?"
"Me and Harry? Oh, wow, we're just friends. Best friends. He's like the brother I never had."
"I know what you mean," Amy sighed. "That's like what I have with Ron. Do you think I could ever have that with Harry?"
"Oh, Amy, he already sees you as a little sister that needs protecting. You should have seen him all those months ago when you were unconscious in the Hospital Wing."
"Which time?" Amy laughed.
"All of them, I suppose. He's very protective over you. When Ginny told him about Fred and Verity, Harry was ready to confront Fred; Ginny had to hold him back."
"How did you know about that?" Amy asked.
"The usual… Ginny told me," Hermione remarked. "As far as Harry's concerned, the two of you are already family."
"Speaking of family..." Amy eyed Hermione sadly. "It's like I said before, I could cast the spell if you feel uncomfortable—"
"No, Amy, it… I have to do it. It's only right if I do it."
"What are you going to replace the memories with?"
"Something… something that will take them far away from here; from the War; from everything." A tear fell down the side of Hermione's face. "From me," she whispered. Amy lifted her hand and wiped the tear from her cheek.
"It's going to be alright, Hermione. After the War's over, you can find them again. Restore their memories."
"But, no one knows if that works."
"You won't know unless you try." Amy smiled at her.
The girls turned their heads to the sound of scratching at the window. Hermione stood from her place and opened the window to let the owl in. Amy recognized the owl as Eura, the Tonks' family owl.
"It's from Andromeda." Hermione began to read the note. "'Dear Hermione and Amelia, Alastor has just left with Nymphadora, Remus, and Draco. I assume that means that it's time for all of you to gather. Alastor left me in charge of delivering this message to you. Please be safe. We all know that there's a war coming, and you never know what may happen or who you may lose. Your friend, Andromeda.'" Hermione looked up from the parchment in the direction of Amy. "I suppose that means it's time." Hermione wiped the tears from her face and cleared her throat. "Amy, if you want to get your things together."
"Hermione, did you pack a bag? I'm sorry to say it, but… you're not coming back here. Not for a while, at least."
Hermione opened the top drawer from her dresser and took out a small handbag. "This is all I need. I, um… I'm going to go… cast the charm." She left the room.
Amy grabbed her suitcase; it had all of her clothes and possessions. Hermione had cast an Undetectable Extension Charm on it before she had packed her things. Amy supposed she did the same with her handbag. She closed her suitcase exited the room. When she descended the stairs, she found Hermione standing by the front door, warning Amy to be quiet as to not attract attention from her parents. Amy wanted to ask her if she was alright, but they were already halfway down the street. The two girls headed for an unsuspecting alley.
"Amy, you're still under seventeen, so you have to use side-along apparation with me." Hermione held out her hand. Amy looked at the hand, then at her face.
"Hermione, I—"
"Come on." Hermione shook her hand, re-emphasizing that it was time to go. Amy took her hand and felt a jolt as they were pulled into the air.
Amy felt a force pushing her down. She couldn't breathe. Amy opened her eyes. She was underwater. She pushed herself upwards, above the water, and exhaled. She took in her surroundings. She and Hermione had apparated right into the lake by the Weasley home. Her heart skipped a beat. "Hermione!" She looked around. "Hermione, where are you?"
"I'm over here!" Hermione was in the lake, just as she was, a few meters away. The two girls laughed at this, climbed out of the lake and came back together. "Sorry about that, Amy. My head must not be in the right place."
Amy and Hermione walked towards the house and, as soon as they were about to enter, the door swung open. Out came Fred and Ron Weasley. Fred caught Amy in a tight embrace, as did Ron with Hermione. Unlike the happy couple, Ron and Hermione soon released each other, blushing an extraordinary amount.
"Amy, allow me to ask… why are you all wet?" Fred grasped Amy by the shoulders and looked at her with disgust.
"That would be my fault, Fred," Hermione interjected. "I accidentally apparated straight into the lake."
"Come on inside, you two," Ron gestured. "Mum'll have some blankets for you."
They all entered the house and Amy saw that everyone had already gotten there. She looked around and saw Molly, Arthur, Remus, Tonks, Kingsley, Hagrid, Moody, and Mundungus Fletcher all sitting together in the kitchen. On the other side of the staircase were Bill, Fleur, George, Ginny and, to Amy's surprise, Draco. She had never seen him conversing so calmly with the Weasley family. It was a summer miracle in her eyes. Ron left to go back over to the rest of his siblings while Hermione and Amy followed Fred into the kitchen.
"Oh, my goodness, Hermione! Amy! You must be freezing! I'll go get you some fresh clothes!" Molly jumped from her seat and practically ran up the stairs.
Amy was hugging herself, still freezing from the outside. She kept her eyes set on Fred, smiling up at him, but every few seconds she would glance over towards Tonks; she looked so happy. She was laughing, enjoying herself; her hair was bright pink and around her left ring finger lay a small wedding band. Amy smiled to herself. She was so happy for Tonks. But she couldn't help but keep it in her mind that she killed Dumbledore. It was all her fault. She couldn't bring herself to telling anyone about it just yet. She had made the Unbreakable Vow to Dumbledore, to keep his secret but—now that he was dead—she was able to share the information with whomever she desired. But she couldn't do it. Amy saw how the others first treated Draco when they learned the role he had played in the Headmasters' death, she didn't even want to imagine what they would say to her. What Fred would think of her. What Tonks would think of her. Though she wasn't the same little girl from Grimmauld Place anymore, Tonks still saw her that way. And finding out everything about Dumbledore would just break her heart.
Molly arrived again and wrapped both Amy and Hermione in thick blankets, smiling at them. Amy could tell that Tonks was eyeing her from across the room and took this as her chance to approach her. Amy plastered a smile across her face and walked up to her guardian. Tonks immediately wrapped Amy in a strong embrace, regardless of her being drenched in water, and whispered in her ear, "Amelia, I've been so worried." The two pulled away from each other, but Tonks kept a tight grip on Amy's shoulders.
"Sweetheart, why haven't you been answering me. I was afraid something had happened to you." Tonks' eyes wandered around Amy's face, searching for any sign that something had gone wrong. Amy took Tonks' hands in her own.
"Tonks, I'm fine. Really. I just… decided to stay with Hermione for the summer. You know, keep my distance from you and Remus: the newlywed couple." Amy lied through her teeth. "I figured you'd want some time on your own."
"'Time on our own,' Amelia?" Tonks laughed. "Remus and I have been living with my parents and Draco for the past few weeks. I wouldn't call that 'on our own.' There's, um… also, something else that I need to talk to you about—"
"Alright then, everyone! Gather 'round!" Mad-Eye stood from his chair and limped into the living room, everyone from the kitchen following closely behind. Everyone piled into the living room; it was a tight space for seventeen people. Mad-Eye spoke through the entire plan for extracting Harry from Privet Drive. He explained how half of us would be using Polyjuice Potion in order to turn into Harry so that, if the Death Eaters happen to find us, they wouldn't be able to figure out which was the real Harry. Hagrid was to be paired with Harry, Mad-Eye with Mundungus, Bill with Fleur, Remus with George, Kingsley with Hermione, Tonks with Ron, Arthur with Draco, and Fred with Amy. All of the latter's were to drink the potion. Amy had to fight with Fred over which one of them would be drinking the potion; they both knew that whoever became Harry would be in the most danger, and Amy just wouldn't stand for her boyfriend risking his life for her.
To Amy, Draco Malfoy being paired with Arthur Weasley seemed like one of the strangest combinations. Although everyone gave the two strange looks, including Draco, himself, Arthur insisted that he would look after Draco, just as Draco had looked after Ginny when she was taken prisoner at Malfoy Manor.
Ginny also fought with her parents. She wanted to know why four of her brothers were able to risk their lives for her boyfriend, while she had to sit at home, waiting. Everyone agreed that she was too young and that it wasn't right for her to go out into a world like this.
After receiving all of their assignments, the large group dispersed into smaller groups of three and four for the last few minutes of regular conversation. Amy sat by the fireplace with Fred, George, and Ginny, while also eyeing another group across the room:
Standing together in a circle were Ron, Hermione, and Draco. Amy knew that both of the boys had distinct feelings for Hermione, but she wasn't sure if Hermione was aware of it. Both Draco and Ron seemed to be competing for Hermione's attention, trying to strike up a conversation which excluded the other wizard. Amy rolled her eyes, wondering if she shoulder save Hermione from that nightmare. Ginny nudged her.
"They've been like that all night, those two." Ginny nodded in the direction of the trio. "I can't tell you how awkward it's been seeing Malfoy and Ron trying to have a conversation while having them both gush about Hermione. It's dreadful, really."
"What's dreadful?" George butted in.
"The two of them," Amy nodded towards the group, "pining for Hermione."
"Oh, that?" Fred smiled. "She's going to have to make a decision soon."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if she doesn't, both of them are probably going to end up moving onto someone else."
"But, who else could they fall for? There's no one better than Hermione. She's perfect."
"I disagree with that statement, Amy." Fred threw his arm around Amy and pulled her close. "You are better than every other woman on the face of the Earth." He placed a kiss on her forehead and she smiled.
"Ugh." Ginny threw a pillow at them. "Get a room, you two."
"Says the girl who I once caught fully making out with Harry in our room."
"What?" The twins spoke at the same time. Ginny's face went red and Amy laughed.
"We're going to have to give Harry the talk, aren't we, Freddie?" George crossed his arms.
"I expect so, George." The two nodded at each other. Amy shook her head as she stood and walked towards the group.
As she walked towards them, she began to hear their conversation.
"... Malfoy, I'm just saying, I was a better Keeper than you were a Seeker."
"Unbelievable, Weasley. Only you would try to compare two of the most incomparable positions in Quidditch."
"Hey, Draco!" Amy decided it was time to bring the rivalry to an end, at least for the night. "How've you been?"
"In a word: better. Though, I have been enjoying some quality time with Hermione and Weasel."
"Why don't we talk over there, Draco?" Amy motioned anywhere other than where they were standing.
The two walked away, leaving Hermione and Ron to a conversation, most likely one about Harry. They found themselves outside in the garden.
It was a beautiful night in July. the sky was a dark blue, but the stars in the sky lit up the ground. The moonlight twinkled in the small lake at the back of the Burrow. There was a slight breeze, just enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, but only for a second. Amy wrapped her arms around herself and sat on the bench against the wall. She patted for Draco to join her. After looking out at the horizon for several moments, she struck up a conversation.
"You know, Draco, you could refer to Ron by his actual name every once in a while. Not 'Weasley,' not 'Weasel.' Just 'Ron.' I'm sure he'd appreciate it."
"I don't think he appreciates anything I say, to be perfectly honest with you."
"Probably because you're trying to steal Hermione from him."
Draco looked at Amy, wide-eyed, with his mouth open. "What… Amy, how… why…"
"It wasn't that hard to figure it out, Draco." Amy had a smug looked on her face. "I figured it out a while ago. Apparently, so has Ron."
"So what, if I have a small liking for Hermione? Is that against the law?"
"No… no. It's just, it's not what anyone ever expected from you. To end up having feelings for a Muggle-Born."
Draco made a face. "Just because I was raised a certain way, it doesn't mean that I end up living that way." He stood from his seat and threw his hands in the air. "I don't care who knows it, because I'm not ashamed of it: I like Hermione Granger. I do." He let out a laugh.
"You… you what?" A voice came from the doorway.
Draco's face became as white as a sheet. He and Amy turned their attention to the door. There stood a young witch with long brown hair.
"Draco… what did you say?" Hermione asked in a whisper. She didn't take her eyes off of him.
"Hermione," he breathed out. Draco walked towards her and stopped only a few inches from her face. "I… I care for you. A lot. I think I like you."
"You think?" Amy called from her seat, arms crossed. The other teenagers squinted their eyes at her. She mouthed 'sorry' to them as they turned to face each other.
"Draco, I think I have feelings for you, as well, but—"
"But you also feel the same for Weasley, don't you? And he cares for you." He turned his head away from her, as to avoid any direct eye contact.
"Hey," Hermione whispered. She placed one hand on his face and used the other to grab his hand. "I don't like Ron in that way. Or not anymore, at least. I think I did at some point, but that's gone. That feeling is gone. It has been for a while now." She moved closer to him. "I want you, Draco. Only you."
Draco leaned in, eliminating the remaining space between himself and Hermione, and kissed her. Amy couldn't help herself, she jumped from her seat and began clapping for the two of them. The new couple turned towards Amy with puzzled looks.
"What?" Amy asked. "I'm happy for the two of you."
