Despite all the pain she'd ever known, Hermione wasn't prepared for this unimaginable pain she felt now. She cried out, her arm moving to cover her abdomen. It drew the attention of everyone in the Burrow sitting room. The Weasleys, including Charlie, who was home visiting from Romania, but minus Percy who, in Ron's words, was still being "a right git", Harry, Remus, Tonks, and Kingsley.
Hermione dropped to her knees, screaming, tears falling fast, tracking down her face. Kingsley bent down and pulled her chin up with a finger so he could see her face, and she could see her.
"What's wrong?"
"My abdomen… it hurts so bad," she said through the tears.
"May I take a look?"
Her breath hitched. She nodded though, and got to her feet and moved to the couch, which was abandoned by the twins and Ginny. Kingsley gently lifted her shirt. The purple ropey scar that marred her umber skin had changed. Kingsley knew that scar well. He kicked himself on a daily basis that it was even there. He helped Madam Pomfrey with the wounded after the battle at the ministry. He applied dittany on that scar, and took inventory of it. The scar that ran from her shoulder to her hip in a near diagonal line had changed. The scar looped around into words: I will find you. Kingsley cursed. Gasps of rage sounded around the room as people shuffled closer to get a look.
"What the fuck?" asked Charlie. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's Dolohov. It's his curse. But he's in Azkaban," said Kingsley.
"What is it," asked Hermione.
"Your scar," Charlie said, "it spells out the phrase 'I will find you'." He was livid. Venom spewed from every syllable uttered.
Hermione gasped.
"Don't worry, Hermione. We'll protect you," said Kingsley.
She nodded, not trusting her own voice. She had no doubt that they would do everything in their power to keep her out of the hands of the madman who tried to kill her, but still, she worried. He was supposed to be in Azkaban, but with Voldemort out in the open, he wouldn't be there long, if he was even still in there. It wasn't the fortress everyone thought it to be. Sirius proved that.
Sirius. Tears slipped out from their ducts and fell down her face. She wiped them away, angry about her weak resolve. Angry about her inability to do anything to protect herself from this man, because if he could reach her via her scar, he had access to her body. She shuddered at the dark thought.
"You okay?" Harry asked, Ron hovering over his shoulder.
She gave them a bright smile, as bright as she could manage anyway.
"Yeah. Just a minor set back."
Harry grinned.
"There's always one," he said.
"Or more," Ron chimed in. "We'll take care of you, Mione."
"Ronald!"
"Sorry. Habit."
"It wouldn't be if you'd listened to me the first few thousand times I told you not to call me that."
"Fair enough," he laughed.
Kingsley and Charlie came back from discussing the circumstance with the other Order members.
"Hermione, we've decided to put you into protection. I'm afraid you won't be going back to Hogwarts." Kingsley's face was grave as he spoke, but his low baritone voice was a balm to her, but she protested.
"But… I have to go to school! It's beginning of N.E.W.T courses, I can't miss that. And Harry, he needs us now more than ever."
"Harry will be just fine in the castle. But Dolohov is a monster, and you must be protected, Hermione. I fear he'll kill you if he gets his hands on you."
"So what am I to do? What of my parents?"
Charlie placed a heavily scarred hand on hers. She looked into his bright blue eyes, slightly obscured by his flaming red fringe.
"You'll be coming with me. I'll tutor you, and where I can't, someone I work with can. You'll take your exams via correspondence. We'll be moving your parents to a safe house."
Hermione nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
"Is that okay with you?"
"It is," she said.
She sat up, fixing her shirt right. She looked around the room. Harry and Ron shared worried looks upon their faces. She stood despite their cries for her to stay sitting.
"I'm fine, boys. Calm down."
She turned to look at Kingsley and Remus, who were talking quietly with Molly and Arthur. Ginny and Bill were sitting off to the side, watching closely. She then turned her attention back to Charlie's anxious look.
"So, when do we leave?"
He smiled.
"I'm due back at work tomorrow, so we'll leave tonight. Tonks, Remus, and Kingsley will take you home to gather what you need, and to talk to your parents. You'll meet me back here and we'll take the portkey back to Romania.
She nodded and crossed the room to Kingsley and Remus.
"I'm ready when you are."
They nodded.
"We'll be on our way then. Thank you, Molly, as always, for your hospitality," said Remus.
"Nonsense," she said, "it's always lovely to have you."
As soon as they crossed the wards, she took hold of Remus' offered hand and they apparated to her childhood home.
Helen and Richard Granger sat on the couch, looking at their daughter. They couldn't quite believe what they were being told.
"So, this is Hermione's best chance to stay protected? You don't think Hogwarts would be safe enough for her?"
Remus smiled at them kindly.
"Hogwarts is about the safest place you could be," he started.
Hermione stifled a laugh and he shot her a warning glance.
"However, in this case, with all that's going on in the wizarding world, we think it best that she keep a low profile, away from the UK. That's why we've set up a place for her in Romania. She'll be safe there."
"And we'll need to go into hiding? What about our practice? Our house?"
"We hope to have this matter resolved soon. I would recommend taking some vacation time. We can reevaluate in a couple of weeks," said Kingsley. "We'll put some strong enchantments on the house to make it safe and to temporarily freeze it in time, if you will."
They exchanged worried glances.
"We do have enough time to take, and David and Mira can take over our clientèle," Helen said. Richard nodded, combing his fingers through his hair.
"Okay," he said. "Obviously, we would do anything to protect Hermione. If you think this is the best course of action, then of course, we'll agree to it."
Hermione sighed in relief.
"I know it's been hard, ever since we found out about me…" Hermione started, but her father stopped her.
"Hermione, we've known since you were born that you were special. We are so incredibly proud of you and all that you've done. You are brave and selfless and so intelligent it scares me sometimes. We have always supported you, and we will continue to do so."
Hermione got up and hugged him fiercely. She could feel her mom's hand on her shoulder. She embraced her as well, worming her way in between them.
"I love you both so much," she said.
"And we love you," her mother said. "We always have and we always will."
Hermione cleared her throat.
"I guess I'll go pack."
Remus nodded at her and she got up. They started talking logistics about where they would be and for how long with Kingsley as Remus stood to start placing some protective enchantments on the house. Hermione looked at them before ascending the stairs. This was the hardest thing she'd had to do, and somehow, she felt like it was just the beginning of the hardest part of her life. She shook the thought away as she entered her childhood room.
Her four poster bed was pressed up against lilac walls. Black tulle hung loosely around the bed. Next to the bed was a stand with a lamp and an alarm clock. On the opposite side of the room were a few bookshelves, stuffed with books. She walked to them, scanning the titles, and pulling what she thought she might need. Some were magical books, mainly on defense, ancient runes, arithmancy, charms, and transfiguration, as she felt those were the most pertinent subjects. Some were muggle books, some classics and some fiction, mainly fantasy, but some romance as well. She crossed diagonal to her closet and pulled out her luggage. She placed the books inside of one, leaving some room. Then she began picking out clothing to take with her, a mix of muggle and magical, formal and informal, and placed them in the other.
She crossed the room again to her bedroom window and looked out it. It faced her backyard. She was hit with a flash of nostalgia. Summers spent swimming in the pool, reading under the big tree along the fence line, gardening with her dad. She felt a pang of sadness. She'd upended their lives. They deserved more than that. She sighed and looked around the room. She took a couple of pictures and odd ends and placed them in the luggage.
A knock at her open door drew her attention there.
"Ready?" asked Kingsley.
"Ready," she said.
They descended the stairs, and Hermione spent a few minutes telling her parents goodbye and asking them not to worry too much. Of course, she knew they would anyway.
Back at the Burrow, the Weasleys were all gathered in the living room, much as they had been when she'd gone, including Harry and Tonks. She took time saying goodbye to everyone, saving Harry and Ron for last. When finally it was time to go, she hugged her boys tightly.
"Please, for the love of Merlin, have a quiet year! I won't be there to save you from whatever trouble you might find yourselves in."
Everyone in the room laughed.
"Us stay out of trouble, 'Mione? You might as well tell water to stay dry."
"Ronald!"
"Right, the nickname. Sorry."
She smiled at him.
"It's fine. I guess I should stop fighting it as this point."
Harry squeezed her shoulder.
"I'll miss you, more than you'll know, Hermione."
"I'll miss you too, Harry, so much."
She kissed his cheek, then Ron's, and then turned to the smiling redhead waiting for her with a key in his hand. She dragged her luggage toward him, holding one in her hand and giving him the other. They said a final goodbye before the portkey was taking them away from the Burrow and into the unknown.