11 - Australia Pt. 2

A/N - The hardest part of this chapter was coming up with names for Hermione's parents. A lot of fanfics use predictable names, but since the name Hermione is so unique, I thought her parents deserved special names too (especially now that they'll be some of the main characters in this story)...hence, I picked two of my favorite names for them!

Hermione hadn't known what to expect when Ron cast the reviving spell, but she was especially surprised when the first thing her parents did upon waking was rush to give her a hug.

"Oh, Hermione," her mother said breathlessly, "It's been so long since we've seen you!"

"What happened to us?" her father asked after releasing her. "We spent the last year here in Australia, but we weren't ourselves…we didn't even know you!"

Hermione gave them both a sympathetic smile and relished hearing their voices again. How could she admit what she did to them?

"I promise I'll answer all of your questions, but it's a long story that shouldn't be rushed. I just need to confirm a few things first…do you both know who you are?"

"Well, I'm your mum, of course. Arla Granger. Although I guess I thought I was Monika Wilkins for a while…whoever that is." Hermione's mum laughed nervously.

"And I thought I was Wendall, which is an awful name, so I'm glad I'm really Kaleb." Her dad paused and let out a defeated sigh. "Why are we here, Hermione? We should be in Cambridge right now. It's June, so you should be coming home from Hogwarts. From your graduation, actually."

Hermione knew that's how things should've been. And it hurt to hear it out loud. Life had been more unfair to her family than her parents realized.

"Ron?" Arla asked suddenly.

Ron emerged from the back of the kitchen where he had retreated once Hermione's parents woke up.

"Hi, Mrs. Granger…it's really good to see you both again." He moved to stand beside Hermione awkwardly.

"Perhaps we should sit down," Kaleb suggested. Hermione knew he was making no effort to diffuse the tension, and it would likely worsen as their reunion progressed.

As they gathered around the table, Ron waved his wand and a boiling pot of tea and cups appeared in front of them. Hermione's parents flinched in shock and Hermione sent Ron a reproachful look. Horror and guilt washed over his face.

"Oh, right, I'm - I'm sorry," he stuttered. "I thought everyone might want some tea."

"Yes, that's very nice of you, Ron," Arla said in a strained voice. "Hermione, I know you'll explain everything, but I must know…you're okay, aren't you? That's the only important thing to us."

"We're okay, Mum," Hermione sighed. "It was a hard year, but it's over now."

"And what Hermione's about to tell you," Ron said gently, "just remember that she did it to protect you."

And with that, Hermione dove into a long and detailed explanation of Voldemort's second rise to power and her involvement in the war. She emphasized how families of muggle-borns were targeted, and how her relationship with Harry and the Order of the Phoenix put them at an even greater risk. She outlined the events of her fifth and sixth year at Hogwarts before delicately recalling her decision to send them away and alter their memories. Her parents' reaction was expected, but just like her, they were extremely curious, so they let her continue. They all knew there would be time for questions and remarks later.

Hermione shared many details of their year on the run, mostly to highlight just how cruel Voldemort and his followers were, and how the three of them didn't have much say in their own lives; she hoped this would help her parents understand why she sent them away during such an awful time. But she also shared their victories and how without them, the wizarding world would still be under Voldemort's rule.

"Harry was the only one who could end it…and he couldn't do that without our help," she repeated many times throughout the discussion.

For the time being, she chose to omit any mention of the locket or Ron leaving or her torture. Those were long stories in themselves, and they could wait. So after almost an hour of talking, Hermione allowed for silence for them to contemplate everything. And after rehashing it herself, she needed a moment to re-process it too. Her parents wore solemn expressions, and they seemed frustrated. But it wasn't directed towards her.

"You were let down, Hermione," Kaleb said eventually. "By the adults in your world…they shouldn't have left three teenagers responsible for all of that. And by your mother and I. We aren't able to do a single thing to help you when it comes to this stuff. I'm not saying I agree with what you did to us…but I understand why you did it. We were a liability."

"Don't say that, Dad." Hermione felt tears forming. "I did it because I wanted to keep you safe. If I could've had it my way, I would've taught you magic or given you some way to defend yourself. You were never a liability that I needed to take care of…you're two of the most important people in my life, and I love you so much that I just had to ensure you would be away from all the horrors that happened back home."

"You didn't need to be so selfless, Hermione," her mother said quietly. "I mean, it sounds like we have an infinite number of reasons to be proud of you, but you gave up too much. A whole year of school, adequate shelter and food and safety, your wellbeing…"

"It wasn't something we took lightly, Mum. We knew the risks and we accepted them. You don't know the wizarding world like I do…but it has the potential to be a wonderful place. It's not as dangerous anymore."

"I know there are things you still haven't told us, Hermione," her dad reasoned. "And after hearing about what you went through, I won't pressure you to share any more. But from now on, your mother and I are here for you. You don't need to hide anything from us. Ever."

"I won't, Dad. I promise." Hermione really started crying this time, and Ron placed his hand on her thigh lightly.

"There's certainly more to share," Ron said with a knowing glance at her trembling hands. "But your patience means the world to both of us."

Arla and Kaleb nodded and silently made their way back to the kitchen, likely sensing that everyone needed some space. Hermione wiped her tears and faced Ron.

"They took it really well," she sniffled.

"They're just like you." Ron smiled. "Nothing phases them and their judgment seems pretty sound. So of course they took it well. They knew better than to doubt you."

"I couldn't have done this without you," Hermione whispered. "Thank you for being here."

"I'm sorry for scaring your parents with the teapot."

Hermione laughed and leaned towards him, pressing her lips to his. Feeling Ron beside her and knowing that her parents were safe and sound was everything she needed. For the first time in months, she felt a missing piece return to her heart and it was whole once again.

…

Later that evening, Hermione helped her mother prepare dinner while her father sat on the balcony with Ron. Hermione could only imagine how that conversation was going, and she hoped it would allow for civil terms between the two of them. Ron was an important part of her life now, and she wanted her parents to know him like she did.

"How long have you two been together?" Arla asked her, breaking the comfortable silence they had been chopping vegetables in.

"Only a few weeks actually." Hermione shrugged. "But we've both had feelings for each other for a long time now. It was just hard to act on them while we were on the mission last year. There were other priorities."

"Of course," Arla responded. Her eyes lingered on Hermione's shaking hands and clumsy knife work before returning to her face. "Some things are worth waiting for."

"I thought about you guys every day," Hermione admitted. "Sometimes, the only thing that kept me going was that I wanted to get back to you."

"And now you are." Arla looked at her again. "And you get to have a future and build a life of your own with Ron and - "

"With you guys, too," Hermione interrupted her. "You'll be a part of it this time. I'll - I'll do better at including you."

"That sounds lovely," she said after a moment.

They returned to working in silence, and Hermione wondered if that was how it would be from there on. Short conversations and making amends and unreadable expressions. She knew her parents weren't angry with her and they were making an effort to understand, which was comforting, but the dynamic was different. Of course, it had only been a few hours, but she was impatient like always.

Once the cooking was finished, Hermione and Arla joined Ron and Kaleb on the balcony to eat. Hermione realized this was the first real meal she ate in two days, and they conveniently had all the ingredients for her favorite baked ziti recipe. This seemed to please Ron as well, and the mood lightened. Kaleb and Ron seemed relatively calm around each other, which was all Hermione could hope for.

Kaleb eventually cleared his throat and looked around the table seriously. "I don't know what your plans are, Hermione and Ron, but I know Arla and I would like to return to Cambridge as soon as possible…and we don't really know how to go about that."

"I didn't sell the house," Hermione said quickly. "We saw it a few days ago and nobody's been there since last summer. Ron and I would love to stay and help you tie up loose ends here and get back home. I know plane tickets are expensive, but we'll likely be able to get reimbursed once we get to England because international portkeys aren't available."

"And what about the dental practice? We can't just abandon our receptionists and hygienists without a place to work."

"We've become quite close with them over the last year…it's not like we can leave them with two random dentists we find off the street. We'll need to hire someone else to take our place."

"We understand, Mum. As nice as it would be to go home soon, we're prepared to stay and help until you're ready. We're in no rush, and this is about doing what is best for both of you," Hermione said calmly.

They both looked grateful, but Hermione suspected that they were struggling to be so patient. They were just like her, after all.

They remained on the balcony until the sun began to set, talking quietly and somewhat resuming their conversation from earlier. Hermione's parents asked about Ron's family, to which he bravely told them about Fred's death and how his family was grieving but also thankful to be back together again. This news seemed to be a huge eye-opener for Arla and Kaleb, and once they recovered from their subdued state and showered Ron in their condolences, they acted much more sensitively towards the topic of the war. Perhaps they were further realizing just how involved they had been.

By the time they made their way back inside, Hermione was exhausted and emotionally drained. Between the long two days of travel, her poor sleep on the plane the night before, and attempting to appear remotely sane in front of her parents, she had nothing left to give. Her muscles began to spasm and her tremors worsened as they often did when she let herself get tired, which she had discovered over the previous weeks.

Once they approached the kitchen, Ron quickly took Hermione's dinner plate out of her shaking hands before she dropped it. The gesture did not go unnoticed by Arla and Kaleb who stared at her hands in concern, but continued to load the dishwasher in silence. They finished tidying up, and Arla led Hermione and Ron to the guest room. Hermione was immensely surprised that her mother was allowing them to share the bed, but after giving her a slight questioning look, Arla just responded with a sad smile and gave Ron the directions to the bathroom so he could take a shower. Hermione expected her mother to also leave and get ready for the night, so she was surprised when Arla sat beside her on the edge of the bed.

"I know you're sick, sweetheart," she said gently. "Or injured. We may have been apart for a long time, but I know you never used to have tremors like this. And some of your movements seem out of sync."

Hermione sighed. She knew this conversation had been coming.

"It's not a nice story, Mum." Hermione turned away from Arla and closed her eyes. "But I'm okay."

"Perhaps we could talk about it tomorrow after you've had some rest. It sounds like it's been a long few days of getting here."

"I would appreciate that…thank you."

"Whatever it is, Hermione, doesn't change how much your father and I love you. Although we may not have realized it at the time, we really did miss you."

Hermione nodded and Arla pulled her into a tight hug.

"I missed you too, Mum," Hermione whispered.

Although Hermione easily could have shared the truth right then and there, she was eternally grateful that her mother offered to postpone the discussion. It had already been an overwhelming day of information for them, and she knew their reactions to this particular story would be too much for any of them to handle at the moment. Hermione felt at peace, and it seemed her parents did too. For the time being, she would not plague them with any more horrors of the past. Instead, she would savor her mother's embrace and the joy and love that had led them back together again.

The rest could wait.