Disclaimer: Do I have to keep repeating myself? Oh all right, if it makes you happy. Harry Potter doesn't belong to me but to the extremely magnificent J.K. Rowling.
CHAPTER XVIX: REMEMBERING THE PAST
After dropping her kids off at school, Hermione made her way to the Three Broomsticks. She was scheduled to meet Harry there, where Ron would soon join them. Dumbledore had left his two best friends in charge of making his memory come back to him, until he and the rest of the talented wizards found a spell that would reverse the Memory Charm and make his memory come back to him. Thus, she was left with no choice but to face Ron; she, however, had no idea from where to begin. She definitely couldn't go up to him and say that he was the father to her kids.
Hermione sighed heavily as she entered the parlor and noticed Harry sitting at a secluded corner at the right. Evidently, the Minister of Magic had made it quite clear that no one was to bother either him or Ron with questions about what had happened for five years. Harry had, however, made a statement in the Daily Prophet, on Ginny's request, to say that once Ron remembered whom he was Harry would reveal the truth. Everyone around Harry, though, was aching to ask him some questions. Harry spotted her standing in the doorway and waved her over. Securing her purse over her shoulder, she approached him and accepted the chair he had offered him.
"Ready for this?" he asked.
She nodded her head weakly and tightened her grip around her purse. She was just ordering her drink, when she saw Ron enter. She gulped as she watched him ask a waiter where he could find them. She stole a quick glance at Harry, whose emerald eyes were eying her curiously.
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," Harry muttered kindly from the corner of his mouth.
"It's not that I don't want to. It's just that I need to," she replied cautiously, reaching for his hand underneath the table and squeezing it tightly. "For Ron," she added to herself.
Ron wasn't entirely ready to become acquainted with his so-called best friends. His family was nothing compared to this. The waiter pointed towards the table where a raven-haired boy and a bushy-haired girl were sitting. The young man was deep in thought but the girl was fidgeting nervously in her seat.
When he looked towards her, however, he felt a pang at his heart, something he'd never felt. She was saying something to the other boy, when she suddenly turned towards his direction. Her brown eyes bore into his blue one and his heart skipped a beat. Heaving a deep breath, he regained his composure and walked towards them. When he reached their table, neither of them spoke for a while. They were too busy observing each other.
The raven boy, however, broke the silence. "Hi Ron," he stated warmly, extending his hand at him.
"Hi," Ron answered, shaking it.
"I'm Harry," the boy continued.
"So you're the famous Harry Potter," Ron remarked, snapping his fingers at him.
Harry smiled at him. "I'm glad to know that you know who I am."
"No it's just that Ginny was talking about you nonstop," Ron informed him.
Harry secretly grinned to himself. "Yes, Ginny would talk about me," he thought to himself. Shaking his head, he gestured towards the empty chair. "Take a chair," he offered gently.
Once Ron was seated, he nodded his head in Hermione's direction. "And who's this young lady?" he inquired.
Hermione mentally smacked herself for not introducing herself. Hoping to make up for her awkwardness she reached forward and declared, "My name is Hermione Granger."
Ron smiled at her. "Nice to finally meet you."
"Would you like anything?" Hermione questioned, but Ron declined the offer.
"So," Harry began, clapping his hands together. "Are you ready to know about your first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"
Ron tore his gaze off Hermione, who had been squirming uncomfortably under his observance. "Ready when you are Harry," Ron replied, now extremely tense about this whole situation.
Harry smiled at Hermione. This certainly was going to be an interesting day.
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"So let me get this straight," Ron began, leaning forward in his chair. "We were just eleven-years-old yet we were determined to take matters into our own hands and defeat Voldemort?"
"Don't say his name," Hermione hissed, while Harry nodded his head. She glanced around her to make sure nobody had heard him say the awful name.
Ron smiled apologetically at her but continued, "So then what?"
"Well, we had to go through many difficult and dangerous obstacles to defeat him," Harry answered, recalled those past events.
"Yea," Hermione mused, tapping her chain. "There was the Devil's Snare, Flitwick's charm on the keys and then McGonagall's chess set."
"Ahh yes." Harry turned to Ron. "Your moment of crowning glory."
"Really?" Ron was evidently impressed. "What did I do?"
"You sacrificed yourself so Harry could make it across the board in time to stop him," Hermione informed him, while the waiter came to clear away their dinner plates. They'd started with an early breakfast and ended up spending the entire day at one table. Hermione, however, had arranged for her children's departure from school, without Ron knowing.
"Wow," Ron murmured, as he dabbed at his mouth with his napkin. "Did Harry stop Snape?"
Harry grinned. "It wasn't Snape, Ron. It was Quirrell."
"Quirrell?" Ron gasped. Of all people, he'd never expected the stuttering professor to be in league with Voldemort.
"Did he attack you?" He nodded his head, while Ron persisted with his inquiries. "But how did you survive?"
"The love my mother had for me saved me. She died while protecting me," Harry explained quietly.
"So love really is powerful," Ron muttered to himself.
The other boy grinned. "You're right," he agreed. He glanced at Hermione, who was busy observing Ron. "Love can be funny sometimes. Don't you agree, Hermione?"
She turned a deep scarlet and fingered her teacup. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," she replied.
"Are you sure?" Harry teased, his emerald eyes sparkling while the intense sapphires bore into her chocolate ones.
"Shut up Harry," she whispered, whacking him playfully with her hand, while he feigned a look of hurt.
"So remember anything yet?" Harry queried, while the waiter appeared with the bill.
Ron shook his head. "It's so frustrating. I try and try and yet I can't remember a thing. I don't know if I'll ever know," Ron moaned, burying his face in his hands.
"Ron, don't give up hope," Hermione reassured him, placing her hand on top of his. He looked up at her expectantly, while she went on, "Don't forget we do live in the wizarding world and the wizards are bound to find some spell that'll help you remember."
"She's right," Harry reaffirmed her statement. "Don't worry. It'll come back to you. In the meantime, I suggest you pay a visit to Diagon Alley. There's loads of good stuff you can buy there, including your brothers' joke shop," Harry finished.
Ron grinned. "I know. George is taking me tomorrow and Perce's gonna teach me how to apparate."
"Percy's going to teach you?" Hermione's eyes widened. "I thought Percy's always busy with Penelope or with the Ministry.
"Yea, but he's finding some spare time for me. Apparently, he feels he's the only one capable to teach me, since he doesn't want me to end up being splinted. After all, I did hear he was Prefect and Head Boy at school." They laughed, as they got ready to leave.
"Well, it's rather late," Harry, remarked, gathering his coat.
"I should head home, as well," Hermione added, glancing at her watch.
"C'mon, I'll walk home with you," Harry offered Ron. "That'll way I'll explain to you the rules of Quidditch and arrange a day for us to meet to play Quidditch and talk about our second year at the school."
"Excellent," Ron agreed happily as he and Harry left the room, talking and laughing as if nothing had ever happened. Hermione sighed as she watched them depart. Somehow she wished nothing had ever happened to them, at all.
***
CHAPTER XVIX: REMEMBERING THE PAST
After dropping her kids off at school, Hermione made her way to the Three Broomsticks. She was scheduled to meet Harry there, where Ron would soon join them. Dumbledore had left his two best friends in charge of making his memory come back to him, until he and the rest of the talented wizards found a spell that would reverse the Memory Charm and make his memory come back to him. Thus, she was left with no choice but to face Ron; she, however, had no idea from where to begin. She definitely couldn't go up to him and say that he was the father to her kids.
Hermione sighed heavily as she entered the parlor and noticed Harry sitting at a secluded corner at the right. Evidently, the Minister of Magic had made it quite clear that no one was to bother either him or Ron with questions about what had happened for five years. Harry had, however, made a statement in the Daily Prophet, on Ginny's request, to say that once Ron remembered whom he was Harry would reveal the truth. Everyone around Harry, though, was aching to ask him some questions. Harry spotted her standing in the doorway and waved her over. Securing her purse over her shoulder, she approached him and accepted the chair he had offered him.
"Ready for this?" he asked.
She nodded her head weakly and tightened her grip around her purse. She was just ordering her drink, when she saw Ron enter. She gulped as she watched him ask a waiter where he could find them. She stole a quick glance at Harry, whose emerald eyes were eying her curiously.
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," Harry muttered kindly from the corner of his mouth.
"It's not that I don't want to. It's just that I need to," she replied cautiously, reaching for his hand underneath the table and squeezing it tightly. "For Ron," she added to herself.
Ron wasn't entirely ready to become acquainted with his so-called best friends. His family was nothing compared to this. The waiter pointed towards the table where a raven-haired boy and a bushy-haired girl were sitting. The young man was deep in thought but the girl was fidgeting nervously in her seat.
When he looked towards her, however, he felt a pang at his heart, something he'd never felt. She was saying something to the other boy, when she suddenly turned towards his direction. Her brown eyes bore into his blue one and his heart skipped a beat. Heaving a deep breath, he regained his composure and walked towards them. When he reached their table, neither of them spoke for a while. They were too busy observing each other.
The raven boy, however, broke the silence. "Hi Ron," he stated warmly, extending his hand at him.
"Hi," Ron answered, shaking it.
"I'm Harry," the boy continued.
"So you're the famous Harry Potter," Ron remarked, snapping his fingers at him.
Harry smiled at him. "I'm glad to know that you know who I am."
"No it's just that Ginny was talking about you nonstop," Ron informed him.
Harry secretly grinned to himself. "Yes, Ginny would talk about me," he thought to himself. Shaking his head, he gestured towards the empty chair. "Take a chair," he offered gently.
Once Ron was seated, he nodded his head in Hermione's direction. "And who's this young lady?" he inquired.
Hermione mentally smacked herself for not introducing herself. Hoping to make up for her awkwardness she reached forward and declared, "My name is Hermione Granger."
Ron smiled at her. "Nice to finally meet you."
"Would you like anything?" Hermione questioned, but Ron declined the offer.
"So," Harry began, clapping his hands together. "Are you ready to know about your first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"
Ron tore his gaze off Hermione, who had been squirming uncomfortably under his observance. "Ready when you are Harry," Ron replied, now extremely tense about this whole situation.
Harry smiled at Hermione. This certainly was going to be an interesting day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*************************~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So let me get this straight," Ron began, leaning forward in his chair. "We were just eleven-years-old yet we were determined to take matters into our own hands and defeat Voldemort?"
"Don't say his name," Hermione hissed, while Harry nodded his head. She glanced around her to make sure nobody had heard him say the awful name.
Ron smiled apologetically at her but continued, "So then what?"
"Well, we had to go through many difficult and dangerous obstacles to defeat him," Harry answered, recalled those past events.
"Yea," Hermione mused, tapping her chain. "There was the Devil's Snare, Flitwick's charm on the keys and then McGonagall's chess set."
"Ahh yes." Harry turned to Ron. "Your moment of crowning glory."
"Really?" Ron was evidently impressed. "What did I do?"
"You sacrificed yourself so Harry could make it across the board in time to stop him," Hermione informed him, while the waiter came to clear away their dinner plates. They'd started with an early breakfast and ended up spending the entire day at one table. Hermione, however, had arranged for her children's departure from school, without Ron knowing.
"Wow," Ron murmured, as he dabbed at his mouth with his napkin. "Did Harry stop Snape?"
Harry grinned. "It wasn't Snape, Ron. It was Quirrell."
"Quirrell?" Ron gasped. Of all people, he'd never expected the stuttering professor to be in league with Voldemort.
"Did he attack you?" He nodded his head, while Ron persisted with his inquiries. "But how did you survive?"
"The love my mother had for me saved me. She died while protecting me," Harry explained quietly.
"So love really is powerful," Ron muttered to himself.
The other boy grinned. "You're right," he agreed. He glanced at Hermione, who was busy observing Ron. "Love can be funny sometimes. Don't you agree, Hermione?"
She turned a deep scarlet and fingered her teacup. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," she replied.
"Are you sure?" Harry teased, his emerald eyes sparkling while the intense sapphires bore into her chocolate ones.
"Shut up Harry," she whispered, whacking him playfully with her hand, while he feigned a look of hurt.
"So remember anything yet?" Harry queried, while the waiter appeared with the bill.
Ron shook his head. "It's so frustrating. I try and try and yet I can't remember a thing. I don't know if I'll ever know," Ron moaned, burying his face in his hands.
"Ron, don't give up hope," Hermione reassured him, placing her hand on top of his. He looked up at her expectantly, while she went on, "Don't forget we do live in the wizarding world and the wizards are bound to find some spell that'll help you remember."
"She's right," Harry reaffirmed her statement. "Don't worry. It'll come back to you. In the meantime, I suggest you pay a visit to Diagon Alley. There's loads of good stuff you can buy there, including your brothers' joke shop," Harry finished.
Ron grinned. "I know. George is taking me tomorrow and Perce's gonna teach me how to apparate."
"Percy's going to teach you?" Hermione's eyes widened. "I thought Percy's always busy with Penelope or with the Ministry.
"Yea, but he's finding some spare time for me. Apparently, he feels he's the only one capable to teach me, since he doesn't want me to end up being splinted. After all, I did hear he was Prefect and Head Boy at school." They laughed, as they got ready to leave.
"Well, it's rather late," Harry, remarked, gathering his coat.
"I should head home, as well," Hermione added, glancing at her watch.
"C'mon, I'll walk home with you," Harry offered Ron. "That'll way I'll explain to you the rules of Quidditch and arrange a day for us to meet to play Quidditch and talk about our second year at the school."
"Excellent," Ron agreed happily as he and Harry left the room, talking and laughing as if nothing had ever happened. Hermione sighed as she watched them depart. Somehow she wished nothing had ever happened to them, at all.
***