Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story, except for the plot. The
characters belong to the talented JKR, and the song "How can I help you"
belongs to Patty Loveless.
Chapter 1
How Can I Help You?
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Through the back window of a '59 wagon
I watched my best friend Jamie slippin' further away
I kept on waving 'till I couldn't see her
And through my tears, I asked again why we couldn't stay
Mama whispered softly, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Hermione looked at the picture in her hand. The two girls in the picture were smiling. The two girls were dressed up for the party that they were at. A birthday party as-of-matter-of-fact, since the two were only seven. The little blonde girl was Jamie Carter, who was the birthday girl, had her arm around young Hermione.
Two weeks later, Hermione's parents told Hermione that they would be leaving for Liverpool, England. Hermione was shocked. They had lived in Scotland for a long time. She didn't want to leave her home, her friend Jamie.
¤¤Flashback¤¤
Shavon Granger was deeply upset that her daughter was resisting them about moving. She pulled her daughter off to the side and asked her what was wrong.
"Mama, I don't want to go to England. I want to stay here with Jamie; here in Scotland," young Hermione had answered.
Shavon just sighed and hugged her daughter. She ran her hand through her daughter's curly hair, whispering softly, "Time will ease your pain, hun. In life, everything changes. Tell me what to do to help you say goodbye to Jamie."
The young Hermione sniffed. She looked up at her mother with her seven-year- old honey eyes. Her mother wiped away the tears away from her daughter's face.
"Will you be there with me when I say goodbye to Jamie?" young Hermione asked.
Shavon just smiled weakly, and nodded.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
I sat on our bed, he packed his suitcase
I held a picture of our wedding day
His hands were trembling, we both were crying
He kissed me gently and then he quickly walked away
I called up Mama, she said, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Hermione put the picture back into the shoebox. She picked up the next photo. It was of her and Harry. It was their wedding picture. It was the happiest moment of her life. She couldn't have been happier. But one day, he left and never came back.
¤¤Flashback¤¤
"Harry, do you have to leave?" the young woman asked, sitting on the bed. She had her curly hair up in a ponytail with a few wisps of hair framing her face. Her honey eyes had threatening tears in them. She was watching the man she loved with all her heart pack his suitcase.
"'Mione, you know I have to. The ministry needs me. I can't just turn down my job," Harry replied, shoving a shirt in the suitcase. A tear slid down his cheek, but he didn't wipe it away.
Hermione looked at her husband on just nodded. She knew he couldn't say no to the ministry. He was an Auror after all, and she knew that he had to do his job.
"But why can't they find an Auror in France. Why does an English one have to go?" Hermione persisted. She loved Harry to death, and knew his job was dangerous.
Harry sighed heavily. "'Mione, I love you, and you know that. I have to go, you know that." He wiped the tears away that where streaming down her cheeks. He kissed her softly on the lips, and promised that he would return safely.
Hermione called up her mother, Shavon.
"Hello?" said a sleepy Shavon.
"Mum?" Hermione asked, fighting back the tears that wanted to be free.
"Hermione?! What's the matter sweetie?"
Hermione told her mother everything. She started to cry harder now, and couldn't stop. Her mother was silent on the other end of the phone. She let her daughter calm down before she spoke.
"Sweetie, do you remember what I said when we had to leave Scotland? About how time will help ease your pain, and that life was full of changes?"
Hermione breathed deeply. "Yes mum, I remember."
"He'll be back, you know that," her mother said.
"Thanks Mum." Hermione set the phone back down in the cradle, and sided. A few weeks later she would have to attend Harry's funeral, and her mother was there holding her hand, helping her to say goodbye.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Sitting with Mama alone in her bedroom
She opened her eyes, and then squeezed my hand
She said, I have to go now, my time here is over
And with her final word, she tried to help me understand
Mama whispered softly, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
How can I help you to say goodbye?
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Hermione put the picture back in the box, and put the box under her bed. She didn't know what to do anymore. Her mother was gone. She had remarried, but she wasn't as happy as she was with Harry. Her father had past away when she was eighteen, thanks to Voldemort. Her mother was all she had for the next four years. They always had been close. It was hard saying goodbye to her. She was Hermione's best friend, the person she went to when she had hard times.
¤¤Flashback¤¤
Hermione lifted her head off the side of the bed. She had been next to her mother for the past week, helping her through her last few days of life.
Hermione almost died when the doctor told her that her mother, Shavon Granger, had a brain tumor that was cancerous. It was like a blow to the stomach. She didn't know what she was going to do if she lost her mother. Well, live with Draco of course, but who was going to be there for her now.
Her mother grabbed her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. She looked at Hermione with eyes full of pain and sorrow.
"Don't cry, hun. It's not going to change anything. I have to go you know that." Her voice was soft but raspy. "Remember what I told you. Time will help you ease the pain, and life is full of changes. You don't need my help to say goodbye for this. I love you more than anything in the world Hermione Anne. I will always be with you." And with that, Shavon Granger, 42, took her last breath, and died quietly in her bed.
Hermione started to cry again.
"I love you too, Mama."
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Chapter 1
How Can I Help You?
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Through the back window of a '59 wagon
I watched my best friend Jamie slippin' further away
I kept on waving 'till I couldn't see her
And through my tears, I asked again why we couldn't stay
Mama whispered softly, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Hermione looked at the picture in her hand. The two girls in the picture were smiling. The two girls were dressed up for the party that they were at. A birthday party as-of-matter-of-fact, since the two were only seven. The little blonde girl was Jamie Carter, who was the birthday girl, had her arm around young Hermione.
Two weeks later, Hermione's parents told Hermione that they would be leaving for Liverpool, England. Hermione was shocked. They had lived in Scotland for a long time. She didn't want to leave her home, her friend Jamie.
¤¤Flashback¤¤
Shavon Granger was deeply upset that her daughter was resisting them about moving. She pulled her daughter off to the side and asked her what was wrong.
"Mama, I don't want to go to England. I want to stay here with Jamie; here in Scotland," young Hermione had answered.
Shavon just sighed and hugged her daughter. She ran her hand through her daughter's curly hair, whispering softly, "Time will ease your pain, hun. In life, everything changes. Tell me what to do to help you say goodbye to Jamie."
The young Hermione sniffed. She looked up at her mother with her seven-year- old honey eyes. Her mother wiped away the tears away from her daughter's face.
"Will you be there with me when I say goodbye to Jamie?" young Hermione asked.
Shavon just smiled weakly, and nodded.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
I sat on our bed, he packed his suitcase
I held a picture of our wedding day
His hands were trembling, we both were crying
He kissed me gently and then he quickly walked away
I called up Mama, she said, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Hermione put the picture back into the shoebox. She picked up the next photo. It was of her and Harry. It was their wedding picture. It was the happiest moment of her life. She couldn't have been happier. But one day, he left and never came back.
¤¤Flashback¤¤
"Harry, do you have to leave?" the young woman asked, sitting on the bed. She had her curly hair up in a ponytail with a few wisps of hair framing her face. Her honey eyes had threatening tears in them. She was watching the man she loved with all her heart pack his suitcase.
"'Mione, you know I have to. The ministry needs me. I can't just turn down my job," Harry replied, shoving a shirt in the suitcase. A tear slid down his cheek, but he didn't wipe it away.
Hermione looked at her husband on just nodded. She knew he couldn't say no to the ministry. He was an Auror after all, and she knew that he had to do his job.
"But why can't they find an Auror in France. Why does an English one have to go?" Hermione persisted. She loved Harry to death, and knew his job was dangerous.
Harry sighed heavily. "'Mione, I love you, and you know that. I have to go, you know that." He wiped the tears away that where streaming down her cheeks. He kissed her softly on the lips, and promised that he would return safely.
Hermione called up her mother, Shavon.
"Hello?" said a sleepy Shavon.
"Mum?" Hermione asked, fighting back the tears that wanted to be free.
"Hermione?! What's the matter sweetie?"
Hermione told her mother everything. She started to cry harder now, and couldn't stop. Her mother was silent on the other end of the phone. She let her daughter calm down before she spoke.
"Sweetie, do you remember what I said when we had to leave Scotland? About how time will help ease your pain, and that life was full of changes?"
Hermione breathed deeply. "Yes mum, I remember."
"He'll be back, you know that," her mother said.
"Thanks Mum." Hermione set the phone back down in the cradle, and sided. A few weeks later she would have to attend Harry's funeral, and her mother was there holding her hand, helping her to say goodbye.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Sitting with Mama alone in her bedroom
She opened her eyes, and then squeezed my hand
She said, I have to go now, my time here is over
And with her final word, she tried to help me understand
Mama whispered softly, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
How can I help you to say goodbye?
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Hermione put the picture back in the box, and put the box under her bed. She didn't know what to do anymore. Her mother was gone. She had remarried, but she wasn't as happy as she was with Harry. Her father had past away when she was eighteen, thanks to Voldemort. Her mother was all she had for the next four years. They always had been close. It was hard saying goodbye to her. She was Hermione's best friend, the person she went to when she had hard times.
¤¤Flashback¤¤
Hermione lifted her head off the side of the bed. She had been next to her mother for the past week, helping her through her last few days of life.
Hermione almost died when the doctor told her that her mother, Shavon Granger, had a brain tumor that was cancerous. It was like a blow to the stomach. She didn't know what she was going to do if she lost her mother. Well, live with Draco of course, but who was going to be there for her now.
Her mother grabbed her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. She looked at Hermione with eyes full of pain and sorrow.
"Don't cry, hun. It's not going to change anything. I have to go you know that." Her voice was soft but raspy. "Remember what I told you. Time will help you ease the pain, and life is full of changes. You don't need my help to say goodbye for this. I love you more than anything in the world Hermione Anne. I will always be with you." And with that, Shavon Granger, 42, took her last breath, and died quietly in her bed.
Hermione started to cry again.
"I love you too, Mama."
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤