Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter, and I'm still not making any money off this.

"Like I Lived My Life Again"

Chapter 2

The next morning, Hermione woke before Harry. He seemed to be sleeping pretty soundly, so she slipped out and walked quickly to the ladies' room down the hall. She was almost frightened by the reflection that greeted her when she looked in the mirror above the sink as she washed her hands. Her hair was even bushier than usual, her eyes were red, and her exhaustion was evident in her face. And her eyes now held a new sadness -- a grief that can only come from losing so many friends who were much too young to die, from being left behind to pick up the pieces of a shattered world. Yes, her face still looked young, but her eyes were now much older than her eighteen years. Sighing, she splashed some water on her face and took a shaky breath. Harry needed her; she had to get back.

When she returned to his room, Harry was awake. He greeted her with an adorable smile, and Hermione felt warmth spread throughout her weary body. She returned his smile.

"Good morning, Harry. How are you feeling?"

"Better. I was worried when you weren't here, but I'm glad you're back."

Just then, there was a knock on the open door. Hermione turned around and saw Professor McGonagall standing in the doorway. "Professor McGonagall! It's good to see you! Won't you step out into the hallway for a moment?" She took McGonagall's arm and headed out the door. Turning her head, she said to Harry over her shoulder, "I'm going to talk to a friend of mine, Harry; I'll just be a minute." Then she shut the door behind her and turned to face a bewildered Professor McGonagall in the hallway.

"Miss Granger, what is the meaning of this? I wish to speak to Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said, her mouth in its usual thin line.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but…Harry's not…himself. He's suffering from amnesia. He doesn't remember anything -- he didn't even know who I was. I'm sorry, it's just…I didn't want you talking to him unless you knew. He doesn't remember Hogwarts, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to tell him about school and magic and Voldemort and everything, but I haven't figured it out yet, and I'm so tired and worried and I really don't want to have to explain all that to him today, so you see why I had to talk to you alone first, and -- " Hermione was rambling now, but she couldn't help it. It felt so good just to tell someone all the frantic thoughts swirling through her exhausted brain.

"Miss Granger," McGonagall interrupted. Hermione fell silent. "I understand, and I think you made the right decision. It would probably be best if I didn't speak with Potter just yet. Now tell me, has someone been appointed to care for him after he is released?"

Hermione nodded. "Me, Professor."

McGonagall's face changed ever so slightly. Hermione studied it carefully. Could that be the traces of a smile? Then McGonagall spoke, and it was gone. "Is there anything I can do to be of assistance, Miss Granger?"

"Actually, yes, Professor. You see, the Healer told me that I should take Harry to the place where he has the most positive memories and surround him with familiar things. Both Healer Johnson and I think that the best place for Harry would be Hogwarts. Could we perhaps have permission to stay there? I know it's summer and students aren't usually there, but we wouldn't need much." Hermione looked at McGonagall hopefully.

"Well, that does seem like the best place for Potter, given the circumstances," McGonagall agreed.

"And…it's important that there not be anyone else there at all. We don't want anyone to tell the press about Harry's condition."

"I will make sure there is absolutely no one in the entire castle. As for Hagrid, he's taking some well-deserved time off after…recent events, so don't worry if he's not there. The elves will be present, but of course they'll stay out of your way. And I assume you will need food." It was a statement, not a question. "I'll arrange for some provisions to be left in the Great Hall. Is there anything else?"

"Well, there is one other thing. We'll need a way to get in the gate and the front door, since we can't Apparate inside Hogwarts grounds. I suppose we could Floo there, but if something goes wrong and Harry ends up somewhere else, he probably wouldn't be able to find his way back on his own, given his condition. I thought Side-Along Apparition would work the best. Then I can be sure he arrives with me."

McGonagall looked around to make sure that no one was paying any attention to them. Then, waving her wand, she conjured two heavy black skeleton keys out of the air. "This will open the gate, and this will open the front door. Take good care of them, Miss Granger, and destroy them as soon as you and Potter leave. Understand?"

Hermione nodded. She took the keys and looked at them reverently before slipping them in her jeans pocket next to her wand. "Thank you, Professor. I'm very grateful. And I'm sure Harry would be too, if…"

"Yes, yes, of course," McGonagall said curtly, waving off Hermione's thanks. "Miss Granger, we are all indebted to you and Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley. It is the least I can do." She paused and looked closely at Hermione's tired face. "How are you holding up, Hermione?" she asked softly, her voice kind.

Hermione's mind registered Professor McGonagall's use of her first name. She knew that meant the question was asked in a person-to-person manner, and not the usual teacher-to-pupil manner. "I…I'm holding up about as well as anyone else, I guess," she answered truthfully, her voice wavering ever so slightly. "It's better when I'm not thinking about everyone who…" She fell silent, leaving the rest of her statement hanging in the air.

McGonagall nodded. She understood. She, too, had felt the loss of Hermione's classmates. No matter what anyone said or thought about Minerva McGonagall, it was true that underneath her stern exterior, she dearly loved her students. For a few seconds, the two women stood staring at each other, speaking no words, but saying volumes. Each found her own pain reflected in the eyes of the other. One old, one young, both bound by the same feelings…one teacher, one student, suddenly equals.

"Well," McGonagall said, clearing her throat. She looked to be on the verge of tears, but her face was as stern as ever. "I'll make the necessary arrangements. Please give my best regards to Harry, whenever he remembers who I am."

Hermione blinked back her own tears. "Yes, of course. Thank you for coming by, Professor."

McGonagall turned on her heel and walked briskly down the hall. Hermione watched her go, then returned to Harry's room. She didn't feel like smiling, but she put on a bright smile for his sake.

"Who was that?" Harry asked.

"A friend of mine. A…a mentor, really. Her name is Minerva McGonagall," Hermione replied, hoping her voice sounded natural. That was the truth…sort of.

Harry nodded. "That's an unusual name," he remarked, more to himself than to Hermione.

"So, Harry, what do you want to do today? Shall I read to you? I can get a book if I Appar—if I run home and get one. Would you like that?" Hermione asked brightly. Silently, she added, Please, Harry, I don't want to talk about anything today. I'm not ready yet. I have to think of the right way to say it all…

"I guess that'd be fine," Harry replied.

"Great! Just give me a few minutes, and then I'll be back, okay?" Hermione said. She left Harry's room and made her way down the hall, out of St. Mungo's, and out onto the street. She ducked into an alley, made sure no one was looking, and Apparated to her family's house. Almost as soon as she realized she was there, she heard a woman screaming. It was then that she realized why it hadn't been a good idea to come to her house. She hadn't been home for over a year--not since they started on their quest for the Horcruxes. Before she knew it, her mother was engulfing her in a huge hug and weeping. Great. She didn't want to blow off her mum, but she had to get back to Harry.

"Hermione, Hermione Jane, oh it's you, it's really you! We hadn't heard from you in awhile, and we were getting so worried. Oh, honey, is it over, whatever it was that you had to go do? Is that why you're back? Oh, please tell me it's over!"

Hermione carefully disengaged herself from her mother's arms. "Yes, Mum, it's over, and we won. But Harry's in hospital, and he needs me. I just came here to get some books to take back to read to him. I'm sorry I can't stay longer. But see, I'm okay, and I promise I'll visit much, much longer when we get Harry back to normal. Okay?"

Mrs. Granger's face fell. "But Hermione…you don't even have a little time for your parents?"

"I'm so, so sorry, Mum. But you see, Harry needs someone to take care of him right now, and I'm the only one who can do it. Ron's been injured, and he doesn't have the patience anyway. And two of his siblings were killed in the battle, so I can't really ask his parents to take Harry in on top of that. Most of the other people who have been like Harry's family are dead, and we can't send him back to his aunt and uncle. So it has to be me. But I promise it's almost over now. I just have to care for Harry for awhile. You understand, don't you?"

Mrs. Granger nodded. "I suppose. You're a very good friend, Hermione. I'm proud of you. But, dear, you look terrible. You have to take care of yourself, too, all right?"

"Yes, Mum, all right. I'm going to go get some books, and then I'll be on my way, all right?" Hermione climbed the stairs to her room and picked a few well-worn and much loved volumes off one of her many bookshelves. Then she went back downstairs to kiss her mother good-bye.

"By the way, Hermione, how did you get here?" Mrs. Granger asked, a confused look on her face.

"I Apparated," Hermione said casually. "Bye, Mum, love you!" And she was gone.

Mrs. Granger stared at the spot where her daughter had just been standing. She blinked her eyes in disbelief, wondering if she were going crazy. But no, there were footprints in the rug where Hermione had been standing. She shook her head. One of these days, she was going to get used to having a witch for a daughter.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Back in Harry's room, Hermione let Harry choose a book and then settled into the chair next to his bed and began to read. Several hours passed in this pleasant manner. For a second, if she ignored the hospital room, she could almost imagine that things were normal. She could almost imagine that she and Harry were passing a happy evening in front of a fire somewhere, like the Gryffindor Common Room, or perhaps their very own house—Hermione blushed at that thought. Where had that come from? She pushed the thought from her mind. My nerves and exhaustion must be getting to me, she told herself.

Two Days Later

Ginny and Bill's funeral was held the same day that Harry was to be released from the hospital. Hermione was going to take him to Hogwarts after she got back from the service. That meant she could no longer put off the discussion about magic and Hogwarts.

Luckily, Harry seemed to trust her more with each passing day. That was good, because Hermione was going to sound completely crazy when she told Harry that he was a wizard. She decided that she would have to demonstrate some magic for him to prove that she really was a witch, and that she wasn't making it all up, and then just hope that he wouldn't freak out.

The funeral was simple, but meaningful to all who had known Ginny and Bill. Hermione didn't feel comfortable sitting up on the front row with the Weasleys, so she sat in the back corner by herself, hoping to avoid attention. Throughout the service, she just sat in silence, feeling too overwhelmed to cry. Bill…brave, courageous… Ginny…her fellow girl among the guys. They had both been so young, so full of life. It wasn't fair. And poor Fleur, a widow after only a year…her silvery hair seemed out of place in the row of redheads, but it was obvious that she was no longer an outsider in the family. Hermione was glad that Fleur would have the love and support of her in-laws, the other people who knew and loved Bill the best.

After the service was over, Hermione managed to get Ron by himself for a few moments. She invited him to come visit them at Hogwarts sometime soon if he felt up to it. Then, quietly and unobtrusively, she slipped away.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Now, back in Harry's hospital room, Hermione knew she couldn't avoid it any longer. At her suggestion, the nurses and Healers had kept everything magical away from Harry during the past two days, so he wouldn't ask questions before Hermione was ready to answer them. But it was time to tell Harry that he was a wizard…one of the most famous wizards of all time, in fact. She just hoped he would believe it.

Harry was sitting upright, his legs over the side of the bed. He was dressed in some of the clothes that Hermione had packed for him during a brief stop at the Burrow the previous day. All of their school things had been left at the Burrow during their quest, so at least that had made packing for the two of them relatively simple. Of course, convincing Mrs. Weasley that Hogwarts was the best place for Harry hadn't been quite as simple. Hermione had had to explain everything: Harry's memory loss, the need to be in the place where he had spent the most time, why it was better not to have so many people around, and why it would be a tremendous mental strain on the grieving Weasley family to care for him in this state. And of course her trump card, which was that Healer Johnson had agreed that Hogwarts was the best place for Harry. Since Mrs. Weasley wanted what was best for Harry, she had reluctantly agreed, but she made Hermione promise to bring him to the Burrow as soon as he recovered.

"Hi, Hermione," Harry said brightly, bringing Hermione's mind back to the present. "I can't wait to get out of here. Mr. Johnson told me that we could leave as soon as you got back. I already signed whatever papers I had to sign." Harry paused, studying her face for a moment. "Hermione, are you all right? You look like something's upset you."

"I'm fine, Harry, don't worry. I just…never mind," Hermione said quickly. She couldn't help but realize the irony of the moment. Harry would probably be grieving for Ginny and Bill even more than she was, especially since Ginny was his girlfriend before they left. Hermione had never asked, but she had always assumed that he still liked her. And here he was, smiling and asking her what was wrong. It was bizarre.

"Well, okay. So can we go?" Harry asked eagerly.

"No, Harry, not just yet. Soon, very soon, I promise. But there's something I have to talk to you about first." Hermione took a deep breath. "I'm going to take you back to our school, Hogwarts. It…it's a boarding school…for magical people." She paused and waited to see Harry's reaction. He just stared at her. "You see, Harry, I know you don't remember, but you're…well, you're a wizard. A very good one, too."

"Excuse me?" There it was. There, on Harry's face, was the look Hermione had been dreading. The look that clearly said: I'm talking to a crazy woman!

Hermione stooped and opened one of the three small bags she had packed for them, lifting out his wand and handing it to him. He took it, but looked at it and then her with an incredulous expression on his face.

"That," Hermione declared, "is your wand. The Healers gave it to me for safekeeping after you were brought here." She pulled her own wand out of her pocket. "I have one too, see? I can do magic. I'm a witch, even though my parents are Muggles—that is, non-magical people."

"But…I thought I'd always been told there's no such thing as magic," Harry said slowly.

"Well, your aunt and uncle told you that when you were little, I'm sure. Are you remembering them at all?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"Not really," Harry shrugged.

Hermione sighed. "Well, never mind. There is such a thing as magic, Harry, and you can do it. Here, would you like me to show you?"

Harry nodded. Hermione took off her watch and placed it on the bedside table. "Wingardium Leviosa," she said, pointing her wand at the watch. Under her control, it began to float higher and higher in the air. She looked at Harry to gauge his reaction. He was staring at the flying watch, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking. "Now watch this," she said, and she proceeded to use non-verbal spells to transfigure the watch into a pencil, then back into a watch. Then she held out her hand and let the watch fall into it.

"So you're…a witch, and that's why you can do that." Harry was still staring at the watch, now resting in Hermione's palm.

Hermione nodded. "Yep. And you can do that too, you just don't remember how at the moment. But is that enough of a demonstration for right now? Do you believe me?"

Harry paused, thinking. "I think so. C-can I try that thing you did when you made the watch fly? Or is that too advanced to try first thing? I want to see that I can do it…"

"Sure, I guess. Point your wand at the watch, there you go. Now repeat after me, 'Wingardium Leviosa!'"

"Wingardium Leviosa," Harry said. The watch didn't budge. Hermione tried not to let herself think of what the great Harry Potter had come to.

After two more unsuccessful attempts, Hermione was about to tell Harry that he hadn't been able to get that charm to work right away when they learned it the first time around, and that he shouldn't be discouraged, when Harry tried one more time. The watch slowly began floating into the air.

"Look, Hermione, look! I got it!" Harry said excitedly.

"Wonderful, Harry," Hermione said with a smile. "Surely now you believe me?"

Harry nodded, grinning. "Yeah. It still seems weird, but I don't think I can argue with a flying watch."

"Well then, Harry, you said you already signed everything you need to sign?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, all done," Harry replied.

"Well then, if you can grab the biggest bag, I'll get the other two, and we'll be on our way," Hermione instructed. She led him out of St. Mungo's and into the alley where she'd found she could Apparate without being seen.

"How are we getting to this…Hogwarts, was it?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Hogwarts. We're going to Apparate. I know you don't remember how, so I'm going to use Side-Along Apparition, and you're going to come with me. Basically, I need you to hold on to that bag and, more importantly, hold on to me. Okay? Apparition feels weird, but it won't take that long."

Harry nodded solemnly and grabbed her arm.

"Ready?" Hermione asked, with one last check to make sure there were no Muggles in sight.

"Ready."

"Here we go…"

OoOoOoOoOoO

Next thing Harry knew, he was standing in front of a big gate. Behind the gate was a huge castle. He blinked his eyes, not believing what he was seeing.

"Okay, now I really know you're a witch. We just…we were just there, and now we're…wow," Harry said. "Is this our school?"

"Yes," Hermione breathed, eyes shining. "Oh Harry, we're home. At last, we're home."