Aftermath
Hermione stared out the widow, splat, the drop of rain slid down the glass quickly followed by a second, then a third.
It was over.
The year, the funeral… maybe even Hogwarts.
Hermione glanced away from her contemplation of the rapidly dampening glass, and studied the two sleeping boys sharing a compartment with her.
Ron slept with his head flung back; mouth open, a trail of drool was starting to make its way down his chin. Hermione smiled fondly, even in sleep Ron managed to make an impression. Of course, as always, it was debatable as to whether it was a good impression.
Harry was huddled next two him, twitching occasionally, disturbed by nightmares, Hermione supposed, it was a wonder he could sleep at all.
Dumbledore was dead.
And Hermione didn't know what to do.
This was a frightening realisation for her; it was generally supposed that Hermione Granger always knew what to do. This time, however, she was honestly at loss. She had of course already agreed to go on Harry's quest, along with Ron.
He needed them after all.
But now, sitting on the train heading away from the magical world and all its dramas, Hermione started to feel the first pangs of regret gnaw at her gut.
What was she going to tell her parents?
Even though she was seventeen and an adult in the eyes of the magical world, in the eyes of her very muggle parents, she was not yet eighteen and still very much a child.
Hey Mum, Dad, you remember my friends Harry and Ron? Yes, well I'm going to go and spend a very dangerous summer all alone with them. That's right absolutely no adult supervision. You don't mind do you?
Because that would go over so well, Hermione bit her lip nervously.
She had to tell them something, and soon, she realised glancing at her watch. Harry and Ron wanted to leave for Harry's straight from the station, and they were due to arrive in less than an hour.
Harry suddenly jerked violently awake with a muffled shout causing Hermione to flinch back in shock.
"Goodness Harry!" She scolded her hand over her rapidly beating heart. "You gave me such a start."
Harry looked around blearily, obviously still confused. Dazed green eyes settled on her and gradually cleared. Harry flushed.
"Sorry Hermione." He mumbled.
"What?" Ron asked, belatedly waking up. "What did I miss?" He asked yawning. "Are we there yet?"
"Nearly." Hermione replied glancing at her watch again. "And nothing, Harry just startled me."
"Another nightmare mate?" Ron asked turning to Harry with a frown of concern. "Your scar isn't hurting is it?"
Harry's hand moved up to rub at the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. "No." He said softly and then repeated himself when he saw the sceptical looks on their faces.
"No, it was just a dream."
The anxious feeling in Hermione's stomach continued to grow as the station approached, Harry and Ron began quietly discussing their plans.
"Hermione." Ron said loudly, drawing her from her thoughts.
"What?" She asked staring guiltily into his freckled face.
"I asked how you were going to get some stuff over to Harry's aunt and uncles, your parents would bring you some things wouldn't they?"
"Yes I suppose so, that would work." Hermione heard herself agreeing while internally picturing the looks upon her parents face when she explained she needed her things dropped around to Harry's abusive relatives.
Sometimes she really wondered at the Wizarding World's placid acceptance of Harry's treatment at the hands of his muggle relatives. Not that the Weasley's had ever condoned it precisely but they didn't seem to find it to terribly unusual either. Of course they always badmouthed Harry's horrible muggle relatives but they seemed to excuse it because they were muggles.
Hermione's parents on the other hand knew something of Harry's treatment and were appalled by it. They had often considered calling social services on the Dursley's. Only Hermione's insistence that this would only cause Harry more problems had stayed there hand.
She could not imagine them agreeing to letting her stay with the same people.
And she didn't know how to make Harry and Ron understand.
Harry was still, even after all these years, perfectly oblivious to the truly grievous nature of his treatment at the hands of the Dursley's. It was all he had ever known after all.
And Ron, well, Ron was a pureblood.
And even the nice, tolerant, accepting purebloods, like the Weasley's, viewed muggles in a certain way. To be exact they, in the most well meaning way, still saw muggles as inferior to them.
Not Hermione of course.
All the Weasley's were more than aware of her talents as a witch.
But that was just it, Hermione was a witch.
Her muggle parents didn't change that fact.
It also didn't make her parents any less muggle.
The Wizarding World did not understand muggles.
Not at all.
It had always amazed Hermione how pureblood's did not understand even the simplest aspects of the muggle world. They didn't understand what light bulbs or toasters were for heaven's sake. Most of them couldn't even pronounce electricity let alone begin to understand it. In fact Hermione privately thought that many purebloods were convinced that muggles still dwelt in hovels reminiscent of the middle-ages.
It went a long way towards explaining the prejudice that existed between the two worlds.
The Wizarding World really should be better educated about the world that dwelt alongside there own, particularly so because the muggle world was by far the larger of the two. Only then could there be any measure of peace and understanding between the two cultures.
And Muggle Studies was such a joke! Hermione snorted in disgust thinking about that pathetic excuse of a subject. It was worse than Divination, it was no wonder nobody took it seriously! She was so caught up in her increasingly agitated thoughts that she failed to notice the concerned glances Harry and Ron had started turning her way.
She needed an acronym, something like S.P.E.W., awareness was the answer! She was sure of it, if the Wizarding World simply understood muggles better… well it would certainly solve a lot of problems before they begun.
She wasn't suggesting that the muggle world be made aware of the Wizarding World as a whole of course. Hermione wasn't an idiot she could see the problems that would cause on a religious front alone. She shuddered, imagining a newly founded Inquisition, hell bent on renewing the witch burnings of old. No, no, those rules of secrecy were in place for a good reason.
But there was no need for the Wizarding World to remain ignorant. They knew about muggles, it only made sense that they should have some basic understanding of them and of muggle culture. Perhaps that was what she could do next year to help Harry. Start an awareness group, in between her research of Horcruxes of course.
What to call it… Muggle Educational Awareness Nation? M.E.A.N.?
"Hermione are you okay? Did you just say M.E.A.N.?" Harry asked cautiously.
"Mean?" Ron asked, his face scrunching up in confusion.
"M.E.A.N." Hermione snapped automatically. "And yes Harry I'm fine."
"Good, because we're here." Harry said simply. He started to gather Hedwig and the rest of his things.
"Oi, Hermione this Mean thing isn't like another Spew is it?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"No Ronald." Hermione replied snappishly.
"Good, because if you start in on the rights of the poor mistreated Thestrals next… I don't know what I'll do." Ron said sounding relieved.
"How do you know those poor beasts like hauling us around in carriages anyway Ron. Why they're practically slaves!"
"Guys!" Harry cut in before the alteration could escalate into a full blown Hermione verses Ron argument. After all she attacked him with birds the last time. Ron might not survive another encounter.
"Oh, sorry Harry." Hermione said, belatedly recalling herself to the situation. She briskly took out her wand and started shrinking her luggage. All except for Crookshanks of course, she didn't think he'd appreciate being made miniature.
"Well come on then." She said, after stowing her things in her pockets, leading the way out of the carriage.
She ignored the increased pounding of her heart as she heard Harry and Ron huffing and puffing their way behind her onto the platform and through the barrier, and started scanning the crowd for the familiar forms of her parents.
She caught sight of them almost immediately.
They were standing, nervously far back from the magical barrier; her mother looked faintly queasy as she watched people pop in and out of what looked to be a solid brick wall.
In that moment Hermione's decision crystallised.
She couldn't go, not immediately at least.
She owed it to her parents, her understanding parents who already gave her up for three quarters of every year to a strange world, to spend at least some of the summer with them.
She owed it to herself.
Who knew what the next year would bring? She needed to spend some time, with her family at her childhood home, while she still could.
"Here comes Uncle Vernon." Harry's voice intoned dully from behind her. Hermione followed his gaze and saw a large Walrus of a man bearing down upon them.
"Don't both of you need to let your parents know you're coming with me. He won't wait." Harry added, eyes flickering again to the man coming towards them who was going red in the face from exertion. Hermione found herself feeling absently concerned about his blood pressure, he was only walking quickly after all, not running a marathon!
"I let mum know in a letter. She wasn't happy but she knows I'm going with you. What about you Hermione?" Ron asked. Hermione turned to see her two best friends looking at her expectantly. She looked back at her parents who had caught sight of her and were waving and smiling. She turned back to Harry and Ron with a deep breath.
"I can't go with you." She said simply. "Not right away at least." She added hurriedly seeing the flabbergasted looks on their faces.
"But Hermione…" Ron started to say, turning red around the ears. A sure sign of impending temper.
"I'm Sorry Harry." Hermione said, focusing on her dark haired friend. "I will join you I promise. I just need to spend some time with my parents first. I need some time to try and make them understand."
"I understand Hermione." Harry said softly, forcing a weak smile. "You'll owl us?" He asked.
"Of course." Hermione agreed surging forward to give him a quick hug. Then turning to Ron and doing the same, effectively cutting off whatever he had been about to say. "Also don't forget I'm always just an Apparation away!" Hermione reminded as she scooped up Crookshank's carrier and started hurrying towards her parents.
She just missed the arrival of the blustering red faced man and heard him growl out to Harry as she retreated.
"Well boy, come on I haven't got all day, say good bye to your freak friend…"
I'm making the right decision Hermione told herself firmly as she headed towards her parents smiling faces. It's true I am just an Apparation away. Besides she thought as she was enveloped in her parents loving embrace I will join them… eventually.