Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter or Twilight. I want to thank you all for the amazing responses I've had to this story after only one chapter!
"We did it." Hermione breathed, staring in shock at the pile of ashes that used to be Lord Voldemort before turning to her best friends who were standing next to her in just as much shock. "We actually did it." Harry snorted, stumbling over to her before bringing her into his arms, her body still limp with shock.
"And we all survived!" Harry added, laughing slightly with delight, the shock wearing off to be replaced with delirium and happiness. "Well, I almost didn't but we did in the end." Hermione came out of her stupor and brought her hands up to tug Harry closer, fisting her hands in his jacket as she cried.
Ron joined them seconds later and the trio rearranged themselves so that were all touching and hugging. "Shh, Mione, it's okay. We can kick his ass later for making us think he was dead." That seemed to bring a new wave of hysteria over the bushy haired girl and the two boys exchanged a worried yet happy glance – they hated crying girls but for Hermione and the situation they were currently in, they'd take it every day.
"Harry Potter you bastard!" She hissed, pushing him away and wiping her tears away with a furious hand. "I thought you were dead! I cried over your dead body!" He shrugged sheepishly, offering her a smile and opened his arms wide, trying to get another hug out of her. Her face went pale as she stared at her best friend. "I thought you were dead." Her voice caught on the final word and a sob erupted from her involuntarily before she pounced back in his arms.
The war had finished two weeks ago and people were still celebrating, whether it be in pubs, homes, streets or shops, the joy was being spread. It was hard to celebrate, however, when you'd lost your family and friends or when you'd been tortured to the point where you felt your mind almost snap or when you'd had a degrading term carved into your arm. She couldn't hate other people for sharing their joy though.
"Any change?" Ron asked, walking into the room and wiping his mouth clean from any crumbs. She sighed and shook her head, turning back to the book that she was reading to Remus and Tonks; they'd been placed into the Great Hall during the Final Battle, everyone believing them to be dead but when the war was over and the injured were being treated to, it became apparent that they were merely unconscious.
They were yet to wake up.
"Sometimes I think it would be easier for Andromeda if they didn't wake up." She mumbled, wiping away a few stray tears.
"Hermione!" Ron reprimanded, eyes wide. "Don't say that."
"Why not?" She argued, placing the book down on the table beside Remus' bed. "It would be easier for her. She lost her husband in the war and she's grieving for him, she's looking after little Teddy almost every hour of every day because of all the work that everyone is doing to rebuild their families, the wizarding world and catching down stray Death Eaters and on top of that she has to come here and both pray and be prepared to grieve again." Ron stood there, staring at her with wide eyes before pulling her into a hug.
"You're not thinking straight."
"I'm thinking like someone who is still in a war Ron, i'm not ever going to get out of that mindset."
"Maybe you should try," a voice offered weakly and her breath caught in her throat as she whirled around to see a smiling, half awake Remus. Tonks was blinking herself awake on the bed next to him. "Teddy's okay?" She nodded, barely noticing that Ron had left to get a Healer and Andromeda. "Harry?" She nodded again, returning to her seat to hold both his hand and Tonks'. "You?" She nodded slowly – yeah, she'd get there.
"I owe you an apology." She offered another two weeks later, standing at the first of many celebration parties that the Weasley matriarch was going to host. "I said some things that you most likely heard and I didn't mean it in a way that I wanted you gone but I was just fed up of people being hurt and-" Remus cut her off with a chuckle, pulling her into his side.
"You'd barely had time to get yourself out of your war mindset Hermione, nobody can blame you for that."
"I've got a brilliant idea!" Ron suggested, bursting into Grimmauld Place's drawing room; Hermione was laying on her back on one settee, her lazy clothes on whilst she read a large tome with a title that hinted to stuff way beyond his brain parameters, whilst she drank a glass of wine. Harry was laying on the other, a bowl of popcorn in his lap, a smaller book in one hand and his other hand throwing popcorn at Hermione who would catch it.
"Did it hurt?" Hermione asked curiously, not looking up from her book.
"No!" He grumbled, shooting her a glare.
"Did you steal it from someone else?" Harry offered, eyeing him over his glasses like an old man before proceeding to grin at him and throw some popcorn his way.
"No I didn't, now can I tell you?" Hermione mumbled an affirmative though her mind was clearly still on the book. "With your full attention?" She sighed and shut the book with a slam, looking at him upside down with innocent eyes. "Let's go travelling, see the world and act like teenagers who haven't just fought in a war and almost died multiple times."
He watched as Harry perked up at the idea and how Hermione looked dejected, like it was something she wouldn't be doing.
"Well, that's a great idea." She said, smiling stiffly as she sat up, receiving a bit of popcorn on the forehead due to her movement. "But I can't join you i'm afraid." Ron nodded, knowing that she wouldn't – they'd had enough adventure to last them a life time. "I'm going to America for a few months, catch up with family that I had to leave alone for the past four years."
"Bags are packed?" Molly asked, pulling the girl she considered a daughter into her arms. "You know, I want weekly letters of how you're doing, if I don't get one then i'm sending Fred, George and Charlie to check on you." Hermione laughed, pulling away from the cuddle and kissing Molly on the cheek.
"Mrs Weasley-"
"What have I told you to call me?" Molly asked, interrupting her with a pointed look. Hermione blushed weakly before turning to face Arthur.
"Well, my portkey leaves in a few minutes, i've said goodbye to all the friends, thought i'd come see you guys last." She walked into his open arms, breathing in his scent and feeling calmness take over her before she pulled away again. "So all my bags are packed, letters will be sent on a weekly basis, i'll make sure to eat a suitable amount, i'll talk to someone about my nightmares, i'll try to find a nice, young lad who'll make an honest woman out of me and i'll never be afraid to show off my scars – did I get it all?" Molly nodded, a small smile on her face as she watched her walk away to a safe distance.
"Have fun!" Molly shouted after the bushy haired girl, smiling when she turned round and waved back.
"Will do... mum!" She disappeared in a flash, the portkey taking her away.
"Did she-?" Arthur chuckled at his speechless wife.
"Yes Molls, our daughter called you mum."
The portkey dropped her off in a back alley in Port Angeles, knowing that it wouldn't take her all the way to Charlie's house because of her surprise arrival and the fact that she'd turn up out of nowhere with all her luggage – that'd be suspicious.
She hailed a cab with minimal difficulty and settled in for the short journey, her mind wandering to her uncle's reaction and whether Bella had been back to visit yet. The cab driver seemed to sense that she didn't want to talk and only disturbed her when he pulled up at the Swan's residence.
Taking a deep breath, she started up the path.
It was only ten in the morning, early for the weekend but still late enough for her to know that he should be awake – unless he had work.
It looked exactly the same on the outside as it did four years ago; not that that surprised her, Charlie had never been one for change. His car was in the driveway along with a truck that looked like a death trap – how had she not noticed they were there before? She vaguely recognised the truck as what Billy used to have when he could drive and a small bounce to her step appeared. She knocked hard before she could talk herself out of it and waited.
"Who the hell is knocking on the door on a Saturday at ten in the morning?" Charlie grumbled, pulling himself away from the tele and ignoring Bella's amused glance as she sipped her coffee. "Shut up or I'll ground you." This only served to make her laugh out right. "Hello, how can I-" He was cut off as he opened the door, his jaw dropping and his eyes widening.
Bella frowned, standing slowly and walking towards the open door and her frozen dad, wondering what could be the cause. "Hey Uncle Charlie." No. Was that-? Bella ran the short distance to the door, bumping into Charlie's side and grinning when she saw the one person there who she hadn't seen in years.
"Hermione!" The two girls squealed and Hermione had to stumble back to support herself from the weight of her taller cousin who threw herself in her arms. "You have so much explaining to do!" She said sternly, only tightening her hold.
"Bells, move over, let me at her." Charlie's gruff voice interrupted them and Bella stepped back for Hermione to be swept into his comfortable embrace. "I've missed you so much sweetie." Hermione chuckled, tears filling her eyes from happiness. This, this was what she needed.
"We better sit down inside Uncle Charlie, we have some things to talk about."
"You're so brave!" Bella breathed, eyes wide with awe and shock as she stared at the small girl who used to be her best friend – obviously the years of no contact (Hermione's rule) and the distance they were apart led them to drift away but she had no doubt that since Hermione was back, they could find themselves there again.
"Shut up Bella, anyone would've done the same." Bella shook her head at her bashful cousin.
"No, they really wouldn't have. If that was me in that situation, I would've ran as far away as possible and tried to take as many people with me as I could. I wouldn't have pushed my family away, lost contact with friends to save their lives. I wouldn't have sacrificed myself for my best friend or sent my parents away with no memory of me whatsoever. You're so undeniably brave and ridiculously blind at how amazing you are." Hermione started crying softly again, the tears sprouting up again even though she'd been crying on and off for the past three hours as she caught her family up on the war.
"So Jean and Richard," Charlie started, "they have no memory of us – of their daughter or their brother?" Hermione shook her head, her bottom lip quivering.
"I tried to get it back but the damage was done. The obliviate charm is powerful, one used when you want to keep a secret and I obviously wanted to keep myself a secret so they could live so by the time I had found them and got a team of memory specialists, there was nothing to be done." Hermione wiped a tear away with a shaking hand. "I'm sorry Uncle Charlie."
He pulled her into his arms, shrugging. "They're still alive and so are you; what more could I ask for?"
So here we are, two chapters into a new story. Nothing major has happened – the first setting the back story and this setting the start of the story but still. My update dates aren't set and they are normally not often due to a broken laptop and a current crap one with no internet so I work with what I get; I also don't let a finish leave unfinished so no worries there, but still, let me know what you think and i'll see you soon.