A/N: I CANNOT THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH!!!!!! I LOVE YOU! FYI: I definitely
plan to continue now that I know you guys want to hear more. Expect a lot.
This is going to be exchanging POVs, just to make it a little more
interesting. I know some of you are probably expecting a mystery of some
kind, but it's romance, so just bear with me, okay? I STILL LOVE YOU!
Disclaimer: I own none of the Harry Potter characters. Girl Scout's Honor (yes, I was a Girl Scout).
Hermione swallowed. "Hello, Ron." She felt more and more heavy raindrops descend onto her head as she stood outside the London office of her best friends. Her former best friends. Until she had died. Well, supposedly died, really, but that wasn't the point.
"Bloody fucking hell..." was all that would come out of his mouth.
Did he have to make this so hard? "Can I come in?" Her voice quivered due to the extreme conditions outside and her lack of coat.
He blinked at her. He still stood much taller than she had ever hoped to be, and she wondered...no, she wasn't allowed to wonder those things anymore. She watched as he backed away from the door and held it open for her entry. She walked inside, not really looking at anything but what was right in front of her face. Harry Potter, one of her best friends for seven years, was standing right in front of her. With his back to her face.
Obviously oblivious to Ron's reaction of her, Harry casually asked, "So, who's here, Ron? Is it the-" He turned around as he started but then stopped as he looked at Hermione. His jaw dropped. He tilted his head to one side, and then another. "Hermione?"
"Hello, Harry." She gave a very feeble attempt at a smile.
"Hermione, is it you?" Harry looked extremely shocked, but wasted no time in rushing over to her and giving her the warmest of welcome back hugs.
"Yeah," she said, wiping a tear forming in her eye. "Yeah, it's me."
"Hermione?" Ron looked as though he were in some sort of daze, and Hermione wished for more of a reaction from him.
She nodded again, suddenly feeling the urge to sit down. She immediately half-fell onto the sofa she stood in front of, her clothes soaked from the rain. She sighed, but when she did it, it came out sounding like a gasp.
"Are-are you all right?" Ron said the first real words he had ever said to her in three years, and Hermione wished she could rush right back into his arms. But she knew she couldn't. She couldn't because things were different now. And Ron was part of her past.
She nodded quietly in response to his question, and the two boys looked at her for a long time without any words.
Suddenly Harry broke the silence. "You're soaking wet. Here," he said, handing her a towel. "Take this."
She took it gratefully, still looking at the shocked look on Ron's face. She gently patted down her drenched hair. The two others took a seat on the tea table in front of her. It was after she finished drying herself that they spoke.
"So," Harry said, traces of disbelief still in his voice. "You're back."
"I guess I am." She said it with a real smile now, something that came rarely to her these days.
Then Ron asked a question that had been on his tongue for a while now. "Where'd you go?"
"It's a very long story," she said, her voice hinting sadness.
"We have all night," Harry said gently.
She took a deep breath and leaned back into the sofa. "This is very hard," she said, looking them both straight in the eye, an age old habit of hers. "But I want to tell you." She sighed.
"We thought you were dead," Ron whispered.
"I know," came her serious reply. She sighed again before starting. "It was after that night I ran away, remember? After the death of Voldemort, you- you never saw me again."
"We turned around and you were gone." Ron's voice seemed void of emotion.
"Yes. I know. I left. It was too much. Just a little too much for me to take. So I left. I ran out into the halls, into the forest, anywhere, anywhere but there. At first I didn't know where I was going, so I just walked around the Forbidden Forest for days and weeks. And then I saw Hedwig, Harry." She paused and looked at him. "I remember sending an owl to my parents and following the bird out of the forest. And then I was free from Hogwarts and free from everything. I just wanted to go away, can you understand that?"
They nodded. No one really knew what to say. But Hermione's story was not over. "I went away, I left and for a while I was just lost. I had one final visit to my parents before I left for good. I knew I couldn't be here so I planned to run away to some other country. It was lucky that just before I left I received my Hogwarts degree in the mail. So then I just took off. To France, because no one knew who I was and no one could ever pester me. I didn't have to fake my death; according to my parents everyone thought I was dead anyway, they just went along with the rumors. They didn't want anyone to give me away." She looked down at her shirt, suddenly nervous.
"You were in Paris?" Ron asked. He looked quite confused.
"No," she shook her head. "France."
Ron muttered something that sounded like, "Same thing," but Harry cut him off.
"Why did you come back?"
She ran a hand through her hair. "I thought.I thought..." She shook her head. "I'd really not like to talk about it, if you don't mind." She smiled. "I'm back now, and I really don't plan on leaving."
"That's great, Hermione," Harry said, meaning it. He got up from the table. "Do you need a place to stay?"
She looked from Ron to Harry. "Actually, I have a spot in a Muggle hotel down the street for a couple nights. I'll be all right. Thanks anyway, though."
"Well, you should probably dry off or else you'll catch a cold..." Harry mused.
"You sound like my mum," Ron said, and the three shared almost laughter for the first time in a long time. Hermione remembered how he used to make her laugh. He had been so funny. She wondered if he still was.
"Harry's right," she said, standing up. "I should be going."
"Do you need some Floo?" Ron asked, handing her a small flowerpot and showing her the fireplace.
"I actually think I'll walk," she said, surprising them.
"But you're drenched!" Ron exclaimed in protest.
"Why do you think I walked over here? I like the rain, Ron. The rain is actually quite nice to me now."
He nodded, not exactly sure of what to say. "Shall I walk you then?"
She nodded, nervous and very unsure. She looked to Harry who nodded quietly. She supposed he was guessing they needed to be alone, for the sake of their own sanity.
"I'll be back later, Harry," he said as he closed the door behind them. He began to pull out an umbrella, but she stopped him.
"No way you're using that thing, not with me around."
"But Hermione," he whined. "It's pouring out here."
"Yes, I recognize the signs when I see them. I think you should learn to enjoy rain, though." She smiled at him.
They walked with raindrops beating heavily on their heads, a silence looming over them.
"What'd you do in France?" Ron asked suddenly. "As a job, I mean."
"I was a wrote textbooks in French for Beauxbatons." She looked down at the cement walkway.
"Just like you," Ron said, shaking his head. "Never really left school." When he realized what he had said, the smile left his face. "I'm sorry."
She felt his hand brush hers gently, and then again. But she pulled away. She didn't want him to see what was on her hand.
"I'm sorry," he whispered a second time.
"It's okay," she replied. "Just...just be here, okay?" She looked at him and she didn't even make sense of her own words, they just seemed to come to her.
They stopped in front of a tall building where Hermione said, "Goodnight Ron."
"Goodnight, Hermione." He stood there as she turned her back , but then she heard him call out to her.
"Hermione?"
"Yes?" She turned around from the top of the steps.
"I'm glad you came back." He smiled that all too known Weasley grin, and, for the first time in three years, Hermione Granger felt happiness. ****************************
Okay, so how was that? Surprised with the direction it's going in? Good, I hoped so. PLEASE REVIEW, I MIGHT NOT CONTINUE IF I DON'T GET FEEDBACK!!!!!!! I'd just like to take the time to say that if you liked this story, you might like my other one: The Silver Key. It's a Harry Potter R/Hr fic, and it's probably even better than this one. Check it out and I LOVE FEEDBACK!!!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: I own none of the Harry Potter characters. Girl Scout's Honor (yes, I was a Girl Scout).
Hermione swallowed. "Hello, Ron." She felt more and more heavy raindrops descend onto her head as she stood outside the London office of her best friends. Her former best friends. Until she had died. Well, supposedly died, really, but that wasn't the point.
"Bloody fucking hell..." was all that would come out of his mouth.
Did he have to make this so hard? "Can I come in?" Her voice quivered due to the extreme conditions outside and her lack of coat.
He blinked at her. He still stood much taller than she had ever hoped to be, and she wondered...no, she wasn't allowed to wonder those things anymore. She watched as he backed away from the door and held it open for her entry. She walked inside, not really looking at anything but what was right in front of her face. Harry Potter, one of her best friends for seven years, was standing right in front of her. With his back to her face.
Obviously oblivious to Ron's reaction of her, Harry casually asked, "So, who's here, Ron? Is it the-" He turned around as he started but then stopped as he looked at Hermione. His jaw dropped. He tilted his head to one side, and then another. "Hermione?"
"Hello, Harry." She gave a very feeble attempt at a smile.
"Hermione, is it you?" Harry looked extremely shocked, but wasted no time in rushing over to her and giving her the warmest of welcome back hugs.
"Yeah," she said, wiping a tear forming in her eye. "Yeah, it's me."
"Hermione?" Ron looked as though he were in some sort of daze, and Hermione wished for more of a reaction from him.
She nodded again, suddenly feeling the urge to sit down. She immediately half-fell onto the sofa she stood in front of, her clothes soaked from the rain. She sighed, but when she did it, it came out sounding like a gasp.
"Are-are you all right?" Ron said the first real words he had ever said to her in three years, and Hermione wished she could rush right back into his arms. But she knew she couldn't. She couldn't because things were different now. And Ron was part of her past.
She nodded quietly in response to his question, and the two boys looked at her for a long time without any words.
Suddenly Harry broke the silence. "You're soaking wet. Here," he said, handing her a towel. "Take this."
She took it gratefully, still looking at the shocked look on Ron's face. She gently patted down her drenched hair. The two others took a seat on the tea table in front of her. It was after she finished drying herself that they spoke.
"So," Harry said, traces of disbelief still in his voice. "You're back."
"I guess I am." She said it with a real smile now, something that came rarely to her these days.
Then Ron asked a question that had been on his tongue for a while now. "Where'd you go?"
"It's a very long story," she said, her voice hinting sadness.
"We have all night," Harry said gently.
She took a deep breath and leaned back into the sofa. "This is very hard," she said, looking them both straight in the eye, an age old habit of hers. "But I want to tell you." She sighed.
"We thought you were dead," Ron whispered.
"I know," came her serious reply. She sighed again before starting. "It was after that night I ran away, remember? After the death of Voldemort, you- you never saw me again."
"We turned around and you were gone." Ron's voice seemed void of emotion.
"Yes. I know. I left. It was too much. Just a little too much for me to take. So I left. I ran out into the halls, into the forest, anywhere, anywhere but there. At first I didn't know where I was going, so I just walked around the Forbidden Forest for days and weeks. And then I saw Hedwig, Harry." She paused and looked at him. "I remember sending an owl to my parents and following the bird out of the forest. And then I was free from Hogwarts and free from everything. I just wanted to go away, can you understand that?"
They nodded. No one really knew what to say. But Hermione's story was not over. "I went away, I left and for a while I was just lost. I had one final visit to my parents before I left for good. I knew I couldn't be here so I planned to run away to some other country. It was lucky that just before I left I received my Hogwarts degree in the mail. So then I just took off. To France, because no one knew who I was and no one could ever pester me. I didn't have to fake my death; according to my parents everyone thought I was dead anyway, they just went along with the rumors. They didn't want anyone to give me away." She looked down at her shirt, suddenly nervous.
"You were in Paris?" Ron asked. He looked quite confused.
"No," she shook her head. "France."
Ron muttered something that sounded like, "Same thing," but Harry cut him off.
"Why did you come back?"
She ran a hand through her hair. "I thought.I thought..." She shook her head. "I'd really not like to talk about it, if you don't mind." She smiled. "I'm back now, and I really don't plan on leaving."
"That's great, Hermione," Harry said, meaning it. He got up from the table. "Do you need a place to stay?"
She looked from Ron to Harry. "Actually, I have a spot in a Muggle hotel down the street for a couple nights. I'll be all right. Thanks anyway, though."
"Well, you should probably dry off or else you'll catch a cold..." Harry mused.
"You sound like my mum," Ron said, and the three shared almost laughter for the first time in a long time. Hermione remembered how he used to make her laugh. He had been so funny. She wondered if he still was.
"Harry's right," she said, standing up. "I should be going."
"Do you need some Floo?" Ron asked, handing her a small flowerpot and showing her the fireplace.
"I actually think I'll walk," she said, surprising them.
"But you're drenched!" Ron exclaimed in protest.
"Why do you think I walked over here? I like the rain, Ron. The rain is actually quite nice to me now."
He nodded, not exactly sure of what to say. "Shall I walk you then?"
She nodded, nervous and very unsure. She looked to Harry who nodded quietly. She supposed he was guessing they needed to be alone, for the sake of their own sanity.
"I'll be back later, Harry," he said as he closed the door behind them. He began to pull out an umbrella, but she stopped him.
"No way you're using that thing, not with me around."
"But Hermione," he whined. "It's pouring out here."
"Yes, I recognize the signs when I see them. I think you should learn to enjoy rain, though." She smiled at him.
They walked with raindrops beating heavily on their heads, a silence looming over them.
"What'd you do in France?" Ron asked suddenly. "As a job, I mean."
"I was a wrote textbooks in French for Beauxbatons." She looked down at the cement walkway.
"Just like you," Ron said, shaking his head. "Never really left school." When he realized what he had said, the smile left his face. "I'm sorry."
She felt his hand brush hers gently, and then again. But she pulled away. She didn't want him to see what was on her hand.
"I'm sorry," he whispered a second time.
"It's okay," she replied. "Just...just be here, okay?" She looked at him and she didn't even make sense of her own words, they just seemed to come to her.
They stopped in front of a tall building where Hermione said, "Goodnight Ron."
"Goodnight, Hermione." He stood there as she turned her back , but then she heard him call out to her.
"Hermione?"
"Yes?" She turned around from the top of the steps.
"I'm glad you came back." He smiled that all too known Weasley grin, and, for the first time in three years, Hermione Granger felt happiness. ****************************
Okay, so how was that? Surprised with the direction it's going in? Good, I hoped so. PLEASE REVIEW, I MIGHT NOT CONTINUE IF I DON'T GET FEEDBACK!!!!!!! I'd just like to take the time to say that if you liked this story, you might like my other one: The Silver Key. It's a Harry Potter R/Hr fic, and it's probably even better than this one. Check it out and I LOVE FEEDBACK!!!!!!!!!!!