Disclaimer: See chapter three.
"Mum!" Hermione rushed forward and lifted her mother into a sitting position. She had pulled her wand out and levitated her mother into the air when Hermione's father came running down the stairs. Mr. Granger stopped dead on the bottom step when he saw his daughter.
"Hermione…" He choked out. Finally being able to move again, he grabbed his daughter into a bear hug. He remembered his wife and picked her up from where she was still floating and carried her to the couch.
A lot of talking, many hugs and floods of tears later, Hermione was on her way to the Leaky Cauldron to meet Harry.
Hermione stepped into the dim room and walked over to the bar.
"Hi Tom, could I get a glass of water?"
"Hermione? Haven't seen you around lately. Sure, coming right up."
Hermione took the glass from Tom and scanned the room. She spotted an empty table and sat down. A few minutes later, a raven-haired man stood across from her.
"Harry!" Hermione got up and hugged him, "I've missed you."
"Missed you too! I'm so glad you came." Harry held Hermione back at arm's length, "Damn, woman, you've changed!"
"Meant in the best way possible I'm sure," Hermione gave her friend's arm a playful slap.
"Hey, I've got a room upstairs. Let's go talk in there, more privacy."
Harry led the way up the stairs so a door with old metal numbers nailed to it. He pulled out a key and opened the door, bowing Hermione in.
"So, how've you been?" Harry asked unsure of what to say. There went 3 hours of practicing in front of the mirror out the window.
"Pretty good, I guess."
"Where have you been? And why did you leave?" He decided just to blurt it out, "Hermione? Why did you… you know, do that to Ron?"
"The U.S., Texas to be exact. I left because, well, I just couldn't take it. You were all mad at me and my parents were shocked that I'd act so rudely and were irritated, to say the least, with me. Everyone was just against me so I just… ran." Hermione had brought her knees to her chest and was threatening to cut the blood flow off by hugging them tightly.
"He loved you. I just don't understand why, why you did that… to him… to everyone."
"He— I— You— My heart just wasn't in it okay?"
"Then why did you agree to marry him in the first place?" Harry at this point was becoming desperate for an answer.
"It was right after 7th year… I was depressed… at the altar I just sort of, woke up. I don't know, I was going crazy and everyone was trying to calm me down and continue the ceremony."Tears hadstarted flowing from her eyes, "They wouldn't stop and I just hexed her. Mrs. Weasley was like a second mother to me for so many years and I hexed her! By the way, is Ginny okay? I know she probably had a black eye for a bit."
"She was fine." He ventured a guess, preparing himself to be yelled at, "So you love someone else?"
Hermione gasped and her head shot up from her arms. It was enough to answer Harry's question and he risked another.
"Who?"
Hermione mumbled something into her arms, where once more her head lay, but Harry didn't catch it.
"Could you repeat that?"
Hermione stared into Harry's eyes and opened her mouth to answer, but decided against it. "Never mind, I don't want to talk about it."
A few days after her chat with Harry, Hermione paid a visit to Diagon Alley. Rather reluctantly at that. She was buying all sorts of candies Lauren asked for when Ron and Ginny walked up. For five minutes the pair stared at Hermione, and she started back. Ron hung his head, unable to look at Hermione, much less talk to her. Ginny on the other hand, had plenty to say and immediately started yelling at the top of her lungs. Hermione quickly paid for the candy and fled. She got to the Leaky Cauldron, Ginny's screams echoing down the Alley and in her head. Tears sprung into Hermione's eyes but she refused to cry. It was, after all, her fault Ginny was mad so she couldn't blame her. Mad being an understatement. Hermione ran to the door leading to the London street, nearly knocking over a man coming in.
"Sor—" She locked eyes with who she'd ran into. Him. She could see the shock in his face and before he could even try to say anything, Hermione scurried away before He could even blink. Behind her sat one very confused, yet curious, Harry Potter. He went back to drinking his ale and reading his newspaper after the man in the doorway regained his senses and walked away.
