Chapter 14: You're a Witch

Hermione thanked the waitress when she set three large coffees and a small draft of cream on the table between them. She quickly took a cup and plopped in a sugar and a dash of cream before bringing the brown liquid to her lips and taking a deep drink.

It took a great effort on her part for Hermia to force her hand to remain steady for fear that she would loose control and shake so bad that the hot liquid would lap over the side and scald her skin. These men made her nervous, but not, she realized, in bad way. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she decided it had to do with the way they were looking at her. The two boys watched her every movement like she was a leading actress in a riveting movie.

After several moments of awkward silence Hermia set her cup down and crossed her hands delicately on the table's surface.

"So… how exactly did we meet?"

"Well," Harry began excitedly, glad that the uncomfortable silence was over. "The first time we met was on the way to school. Ron and I were sitting together in car when you came in asking whether or not we had seen a toad."

"A toad?" she asked with surprise.

"Yes. A friend of ours, or actually someone who later became a friend of ours, named Neville, lost his toad, and you were helping him look for it."

Hermia nodded. "I'm assuming this car was on a train." The two boys nodded. "Where did we go to school that we had to get there by train?"

"It's called Hogwarts." Ron said calmly before taking a heavy pull from his mug.

"Hogwarts?" Hermia's brow furrowed as she went through all the school names she was familiar with, and found she was unable to recall ever hearing of a school called Hogwarts. "I've never heard of that."

"I assure you it exists, Hermione, though it's extremely difficult to find. It's one of those places you can't find unless you know where to look."

"But that doesn't make any sense."

"Sure it does." Ron argued. "The location of the school is on a need to know bases."

Hermia's eyes narrowed in thought. "That seems a little bit odd, doesn't it?"

"Why?"

"Because it's a school. What is so important about it that it needs to be hidden so well?"

Harry and Ron shared a quick glance before Harry lifted his mug to his lips and Ron caught her attention with a question of his own. "I'm surprised you haven't asked us about your parents."

"My parents?" Hermia's eyes lit instantly. "I haven parents?"

"A mum and a dad." Ron confirmed happily. "They're both dentists."

Hermia ran her tongue over her perfect, white, even teeth. "No wonder I have perfect teeth."

Again Ron and Harry shared a glance out of the corner of their eyes. Both were hardly able to keep from laughing at the memory of the long past day when a stray curse had caused Hermione's front teeth to grow like mad.

"Will you two stop doing that?" Hermia snapped, drawing their attention back to her.

"Doing what?" Ron looked away, his ears turning red.

Hermia's hands found their way to her hips, perfecting a pose that she used many times not only on the twins, but Lizzie and Nate as well. "You know exactly what I'm talking about." There was a motherly tone to her voice that demanded answers. "What is it you're not telling me? You keep sharing these annoying, knowing looks that I don't understand."

Ron looked to Harry uncertainty with worry rampant in his beautiful blue eyes and freckled face. "Do you think it's time we tell her?"

Harry shrugged. "We're going to have to someday. It's not something we can keep from her."

"Tell me what?"

Ron nodded to Harry before turning back to Hermia, reaching across the clean table and placing a gentle hand on top of the one that rested beside her coffee cup. "I promise to tell you everything. But not here. There's too many people to overhear us." He quickly drained the last of his mug and set it on the table with a loud crack. Harry quickly downed his own coffee and stood up as Ron dug in his pockets for money to pay the tab.

"Are you going to finish that?" Ron asked as he rose to his feet.

Hermia looked down at her coffee and found that she had no appetite to finish it. "No." She pushed the mug away.

Ron shrugged as he lifted the mug to his lips and quickly finished the beverage. "Let's go." He said setting down the mug and taking her hand to help her to her feet.

"Go where?" She asked, flinging her purse over shoulder.

"We could go to your place." He suggested hesitantly.

Hermia's eyes rounded in fright and she took a step back. "Excuse me."

"I would suggest our place, Hermione, but our flats in London. I imagine your place is much closer."

"How do I know I can trust you? I just met you."

Ron took her hands between his and squeezed them tight as he stared deep into her eyes. "Hermione, I swear that Harry and I will not hurt you. All we want is to bring you back home to the people who love you and miss you."

Hermione felt herself drawn to the young red haired man and couldn't seem to turn away from his penetrating gaze. She could literally feel her knees melt under his focus. She would go with him. Allow him into her home, because for the first time in moths when she looked at him as a man, she didn't feel that sinking felling of betrayal in her stomach. And that was enough to convince her.

Hermia nodded her agreement. "Nate should be home, so I guess it will be all right."

"Who's Nate?" Ron nearly barked, finding it impossible to ignore the rise of jealousy inside him.

"My roommate." Hermia explained as they walked out the door and to the bus stop. "I live with two nurses I met at the hospital. Lizzie Connolly and Nate Shanks. They befriended me and took me in when I woke up from my coma. They've been my only family for the past year."

It was a short walk to the corner where the bus would stop. Hermia checked the schedule and nodded with satisfaction. They had timed it just right. A bus should be arriving any minute. When the bus arrived the trio found seats toward the back, Hermia sat facing forward while Ron and Harry took the two seats facing hers. It was a ten minute ride to Hermia's stop and they traveled it in what was a very awkward silence.

Hermia sat with the picture Ron had used to identify her and studied it intently while the two boys watched her with wonder. All three could hardly believe the events of the day were true. Hermia stopped believing anyone from her past would ever find her while Ron and Harry had begun to doubt the truth of the crystal. Deep down, the truth was both boys feared they would never actually find her. But here she was, sitting in front of them her eyes scrunched familiarly as she studied the faces in the picture. It was unmistakable. The wild brown hair what was Hermione's signature. The dark brown eyes, the bottom lip that she caught between her bottom teeth, like she had now.

Hermia pressed her face closer to the picture and her hand came rose to find the slender chain suspended around her neck and ran her finger along the smooth metal while contemplating why exactly the boy standing a short way behind them was holding a stick in his hand.

Glancing up from the picture Hermia saw the familiar buildings that hailed the approach of her stop. She returned the photo to the boy named Ron and rose to her feet, holding tight to the rail over her head to keep from pitching forward when the bus stopped. "We're here."

Ron and Harry followed her off the bus but when their feet touched the sidewalk Harry held Ron back, letting their friend get a few paces ahead of them. "Ron, we should send owls letting every one know what's going on."

"It's too soon to send an owl." Ron countered. "Besides where are we going to find an owl here?"

"What do you mean, send an owl?" Hermia asked with a perplexed expression on her face.

"Umm…" Ron stammered. "Well, you see…"

"Again that's something we have to explain to you latter." Harry stepped in, saving his friend from stumbling on.

Hermia crossed her arms in front of her chest and tapped her toe while staring at them with appraising eyes. "You two are being awfully secretive." She said calmly. "I don't think I like it."

"Hermione," Ron stepped forward, taking her hand. "I'll explain everything to you as soon as we get inside. I promise."

Hermione stared deep into the redhead's eyes, and again, for a reason she couldn't fathom, realized she trusted him. Her gut instinct told her that she needed to find out everything these men knew about her. And if there was one thing she learned from living with Lizzie and Nate, it was that you always needed to trust your gut instinct. Its what had led them all to be friends.

"All right." She nodded. "Follow me." Hermia turned briskly and marched down the suburban street, Harry and Ron following close behind her. As they walked Harry looked around him and was glad to see that this neighborhood appeared to be very different then the one that he had spent his childhood in. Privet Drive was staunchey and uptight. Every house, every garden looked exactly the same. But this development was different. Even though all the houses were similarly built they each had a style all their own. Many of the homes had lawns littered with toys and sports gears, while others had gardens over flowing with flowers of hundreds of different shades and hues. Harry smiled. This is what a neighborhood was supposed to look like.

Hermia turned left through a white picket fence and walked briskly toward the front door of a tall brick building with white shutters and neat flowerbed that wrapped completely around the perimeter of the small lawn. There were several balls, a few toy cars, and a little plastic kitchen set in the yard. He looked at them with wonder until he saw four little children rush around the side of the house, waving their hands and calling out to Hermione, and decided that they must belong to them.

"Mia! You're back!" Lisa shouted happily as she threw herself into Hermia's open arms.

"How was work?" Andrea asked as she watched Hermia hoist Lisa onto her hip.

"Did you watch anyone die?" Lisa asked with wide eyes.

"No, Lisa." Hermia patted the girls bum before setting her on her feet. "I didn't see anyone die today."

Andrea sighed heavily. "That's boring." She said with disappointment. Shaking her head she tagged her brother. "Jacob's it!" She called before dashing away, the other three children at her heals.

"They're Lizzie's sister's children." Hermia said at Ron's raised brow. "They live next door." She nodded her head to the house next door whose lawn was even more littered with toys and was most desirably completed with a playground unit with two slides, two swings and a climbing rope.

Hermia turned and climbed the steps to the front door. She thrust her fingers to the very bottom of her purse and groped around for her key ring. When her fingers curled around the warm metal she cried out in triumph. Harry's lips quirked when his eyes fell upon the golden lion dangling from her fingers. He nudged Ron in the ribs and directed his sight to the small figurine. "You don't think…"

"Hermione," Ron asked, taking the keys out of her hand. "Do you mind if I ask you where you got that key ring?"

Hermia looked at Harry than down to the golden lion. "The lion? I saw it displayed at the zoo and I decided that I had to have it. Why?"

"Because," Harry explained, taking the keys from Ron to look at more closley. "The lion was the symbol of our house at Hogwarts and gold was one of our colors."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up, reminding Ron of the brightest star. "Do you think that means that perhaps deep down I might remembered?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "Could be."

"Definitely a possibility." Ron agreed.

"Wonderful." Hermia took the keys back, jammed the proper one in the lock, gave her wrist a sharp turn and shoved the door open. "Nate! Lizzie!" She called into the silent house. "Is any one home?"

"Up here, Mia." Nate called from the top of the stairs. "What do you need?"

"Nothing." She deposited her purse on a side table placed against the wall in the dim hallway. "I just wanted to make sure someone was home."

"What are you doing home early?" He called down again.

"They let me go early. I'll explain it to you later."

"All right. Call me if you need anything."

"I will."

Hermione had already discarded her coat in the closet along with Harry's and Ron's. She closed the door and turned to head further into the house. "Come with me." She directed over her shoulder.

Harry and Ron followed her through the house noticing signs of a recent birthday party still lingering in the kitchen and living room. Ron paused momentarily when he saw the pile of toys in the TV room. It was one thing to have toys in the yard, but in the house? He rushed ahead when he heard the familiar sound of Hermione clearing her throat. She stood to the side of a door that Harry had just disappeared through. Ron followed his friend through and stopped with a happy start in the doorway when he realized what room this was. Hermione had brought them to a library.

"I should have known."

"Should have known what?" Hermia pinned him with her large, questioning eyes.

Ron flashed her an impish grin. "When we were at school you were constantly off to the library to check facts and look up information. It had to have been your favorite place, short of the Gryffindor common room."

"So I take it reading isn't a new found love of mine."

Harry snorted loudly. "Are you kidding? Hermione Granger is famous for having an answer to every question and for always having her nose embedded in a book. I wouldn't be the least surprised to discover you memorized every book in the Hogwarts library."

"I always said you'd form a hunch back from carrying around all your books." Ron chortled merrily.

Hermia smiled cheekily at them. "Yes. That sounds about right."

"Of course it does." Ron concurred. "There's not a person on this planet who knows you better then we do."

"So you two can answer all the questions I have?" She asked as she walked around them to sit in the chair closest to the empty fireplace. Following her lead Harry and Ron took the other two seats that faced towards hers.

Once they were settled, Ron leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. "Before you ask any questions, which we'll be more than willing to answer, I promise, I think you better let us inform you of a few things first."

Hermione swallowed past the lump that had suddenly gathered in her throat. "What ever you have to say must be really horrible if you are so worried about telling me."

"No, no." Harry tried to assure her. "It's nothing like that."

"It's just that you're going to have a hard time believing what I, what we," Ron said, nodding toward Harry, "have to tell you."

"Just out with it." She insisted. "If I can handle amnesia and waking up from a coma and hav…I think I can handle anything."

"It's nothing horrible, Hermione, it's just a bit fantastic." Harry ran an unsteady hand through his unruly black hair and gave a short, shaky laugh. "Merlin, now I know how Hagrid felt when he first told me."

"Told you what?"

Harry let out a deep sigh. "You're a witch, Hermione." He finally said in a rush.

"Excuse me!" she rose insultingly to her feet. "That was uncalled for. What did I do to you?"

"No, you don't understand." Ron and Harry both bound to their feet. "You really are a witch. Complete with magical powers and everything." Ron told her, "And Harry and I, we're wizards."

Hermia stared at them with disbelief written on every corner of her face. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" She finally asked. "Because if it is it's not very funny."

"I swear, Hermione, this is no joke." Ron stepped forward to take her hand but she snapped it away and moved around to the back side of her chair, putting it safwely between her and the two men.

"You, stay over there." She ordered, exerting more certainty in her voice then she felt. "I must be dreaming." She rationalized, murmuring incoherently to herself. "I knew this was too good to be true."

"Hermione please," Ron moved to step around the chair but Hermia shirked away, keeping it between them. "It's true." He tried again. "I swear it. You really are a witch. Harry and I are wizards. We attended Hogwarts Scholl of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Which is why you never heard of it. That's where we met and became friends."

Tears of frantic fright gathered in her eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

"Hermione please. I can prove it to you." He reached up his sleeve and pulled out a long wooden stick.

"What's that?" She asked her eyes widening with a mixture of fright and intrigue.

"This is my wand." He explained holding it out for her to look at.

Her mouth dropped open and a credulous look came over her face. "And I suppose the next thing you'll be telling me is that I have one too."

"You do." Harry concurred. "The Ministry of Magic put it in your parents care when you disappeared."

Shaking her head and smothering a disbelieving laugh, she pressed her hands to her eyes. "And I suppose we do…magic with these wands."

"Yes, we do. I can show you." Ron waited until Hermione was watching him before muttering silently under his breath and pointing his wand at the empty fire place. Almost instantly a blue flame shot from the end of his wand into the grate where it burned free of any wood.

Hermione's mouth fell open with shock. "Merlin." She fell to her knees in front of the hearth to better inspect the magical flames. "This just isn't logical." She extended her hand toward the flame and felt its warmth wrap around her fingers. "How can this be?"

"That's a charm that you're particularly good at." Harry smiled down at her. "You saved Ron and my neck with that one, in our first year of school. We tumbled into a plant that was trying it's best to strangle us and you cast the blue fire at it and saved us."

Hermia looked up from the floor at them like a gapping fish. Her tongue darted out to lick her dry lips as she rose to her feet. "Here." Ron handed her the photo he had first shown her in the hospital waiting room, this time after giving it a sharp tap with his wand.

Hermia looked down to see that the occupants of the picture were no longer standing still but moving around and waving up at her. As she watched she saw her younger self in the photo glance up adoringly at the redhead while Harry snickered and jabbed her in the side with his finger.

Hermia moved slowly around her chair, her eyes wondering between the bluebell fire and the moving picture. She sank into the over sized chair, flipping the picture over to its backside then again to its front. "How is this possible?"

"Magic." Harry answered as he swished his own wand and cast Wingardiam Leviosa and lifting Hermia's chair into the air with her still sitting in it.

The picture fell from her hand and onto the floor when she latched onto the arms of the chair with fright. "Put me down!" She cried with fear, pushing back into the seat.

As soon as the feat of the chair landed on solid ground her eyes grew wide and her fingers slowly relaxed. "Oh my God," she leapt to her feet and spun around to look at the chair. "This isn't a dream is it?" She turned, her breath heavy with fright, "You're not playing with me are you? You're telling me I'm a witch."

"Yes." Ron said summoning the photo from the ground before it could be trampled under foot.

Before she had a chance to let his words fully sink in a male voice called frantically to her from outside the door.

"Hermia!"

She turned toward her head toward the door, her mouth still open in shock. "I'm in here, Nate." She called in a shaky voice.

Working quickly Ron tapped the picture causing the occupants to go still before slipping his wand back up his sleeve. The door burst open, colliding into the bookcase set behind it, and a man dressed in a pair of gray slacks, and a tight, black t-shirt hurried into the room. Ron immediately sized the man up and hated him for his bright blue eyes, slick black hair and well toned body.

"I'm sorry Hermia, I didn't want to bother you, but I swear to God it happened again." Nate came to a stop in front of Hermia and at first failed to notice the two men standing in the room.

He turned away from his friend, his head tilted playfully to the side as he gave both men long appraising looks from head to toe. "And who are these two fine, specimen of men? Hello." He stepped forward, extending his hand to Harry. "I'm Nathan. Nathan Shanks. What's your name?"

Taken aback Harry stammered a moment before taking Nate's offered hand. "Er. I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

"Nate." Hermia, called sharply, drawing his attention away from Harry and back on her. "What happened?"

Nate reluctantly turned back to her. "What? Oh right. I almost forgot." He cast a quick glance at the two men. "Perhaps we could take this into another room." He said pointedly.

"It's all right, Nate." Her eyes scrunched in thought. "I think you can speak freely in front of these two."

Nate cast another glance at the two men but stopped this time on the redhead. Studying his appearance more closely this time he noticed the man's crop of bright copper hair, his dazzling blue eyes, his long, built torso. He turned back to Hermia with one knowing eyebrow arched, and his arms crossed confidently in front of his chest. "Hermia, is this who I think it might be?"

"I don't know." She looked over at Ron and their eyes caught. "I haven't been able to talk to them long enough to find out." She felt her insides begin to tingle and felt the sudden urge to move across the room just to be nearer to him.

"Mia." Nate waved his hand in front of her eyes. "Mia, are you there?"

"Sorry." Hermia forced herself to break the hold his eyes had on her and look away. She blinked several times as she refocused on Nate, forcing down a swallow as her throat felt suddenly dry. "What were you saying?"

Nate smirked knowingly at her. "I was saying, that it happened again. I don't know how she does it, but I watched her do it. I swear I did."

Hermia's mind was spinning. "Who was it this time?"

"Helena."

"And what exactly did she do?"

"All right, I put Helena in her crib." Nate said moving away from Hermia to take one of the three empty chairs. "I was changing Hero's dipper," Ron and Harry glanced over at each other, their eyes wide with confusion. Ron's mind was buzzing with thought. Hero and Helena? Why did those names sound familiar? "Apparently Helena wanted her bottle and I wasn't quick enough getting it to her. So she got it herself."

"So?" Hermia raised a questioning brow.

"Mia. It was across the room. One moment it was sitting on the table along with Hero's and the next moment I turn around and there it is flying past my head, narrowly missing my ear. It's like we have a fucking poltergeist, or something. There is something supernatural going on in this house, Mia. I swear there is."

"Hero and Helena Doe!" Ron shouted suddenly, his eyes widening to the size of silver dollars. "Hero and Helena Doe."

"What are you on about, Ron?" Harry watched his best mate, taking a step toward him in concern.

Ron turned to Harry. "The night we went to see Dumbledore he had McGonagall's book in his office. I was flipping through it and I saw the names Hero and Helena Doe."

Hermia's spine stiffened until she was rigid as a board. "Wait a moment. Why are my daughters' names recorded in some book at Hogwarts?"

"You're a mum?" Ron asked his voice quivering with rage and pain. He would kill the bastard who dared touch his Hermione.

"Yes, I have two daughters. That's not the point." Hermia marched angrily towards him, her hands firmly on her hips, her eyes a blaze with rage. The sight was enough to make anyone else cringe back in fear, but to Ron who had had those same eyes penetrating into him many times before, the sight was merely off setting. "Why did you read my daughters' names in a book?" her voice was calm and cold, demanding answers.

"Can you trust him?" Harry asked, drawing the attention away from Ron while nodding towards Nate.

"With my life." Hermia said, setting her chin defiantly.

Harry nodded before turning to Nate. "What you hear today you can never tell another living soul."

"What about Lizzie?" Nate looked to his bushy haired friend.

Hermia nodded her head when Harry once again looked to her. "I trust Lizzie with my life as well."

"All right." Harry agreed. "Ron, do you want to explain about McGonagall's book?"

"Right." Ron turned on his heal and began pacing the short distance in front of the fire place, drawing Nate's attention to the blue flames that Ron had forgotten to extinguish. "At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, there is a book that is kept by Professor Minerva McGonagall, the transfiguration teacher and Deputy Headmistress, that records the name of every magical child born in Great Britain. Which is why the names of your two daughters have been added to it. When I read the names Hero and Helena Doe I had no idea they were linked to you. I assumed the babies were muggle born."

"Muggle?" Hermia interrupted.

"A none magic person." Ron explained, "Like your friend Nate here."

"When Hero and Helena reach the age of eleven," Harry continued, "they will join their fellow students at Hogwarts, the same school that you attended."

"Hermia?" her eyes snapped up to see the astonishment written on her best friend's face. "What are they talking about? Who are they?"

"Nate." Hermia sank onto the seat next to Nate and took his hand protectively into hers. "There talking about the reasons why strange things always seem to happen around us. Why you saw that bottle fly across the room today. Why the girls can find a way out of the cribs when they shouldn't be able to. Apparently, my daughters and I are witches." Hermia's voice had steadily risen in pitch as she struggled to maintain control. "Merlin." She let her face fall into her hands. "This explains everything."

Unconsciously her hand drifted up where the chain of her necklace disappeared under her shirt. She tugged the crystal free and her fingers wrapped around it, her thumb moving back and forth as she worried the same smooth side. A habit she had formed when she was feeling lost or concerned. Her mind spinning a thousand miles a minute, Hermia struggled to take in everything that these two men, people who were suppose to be her best friends, had just told her. They claimed she was a witch. That didn't make any sense. It was illogical to think that magic really existed in the world, but even as her mind tried to logically discredit it, she knew she couldn't deny the truth.

She had seen Ron conjure fire out of thin air and make people inside a picture move on their own. Harry had levitated a chair with her in it and she knew he had never been in the house to rig up some illusion before hand. And then there were all the things her daughters had done over the year that she couldn't explain. Things that could only be explained by magic. She and her daughters were witches. And these two men were wizards.

Hermia struggled for a minute longer, her brain racing though all her options. Finally her head snapped up and she looked Ron straight in his magnificent blue eyes. She would know those eyes anywhere.

"We were more that just friends, weren't we Ron?"

Ron nodded his head sadly. He tried to force his jaw to relax but he couldn't shake the idea that someone else had put his hands on Hermione. Someone else had touched her in a way he thought only he would ever be allowed. "Yes, Mione. We were. You were, and you still are the love of my life. I never stopped looking for you. I couldn't bear not to. Even when the Ministry declared you legally dead, I couldn't. Believing you were really gone was never an option. And then I found my proof." His hand found the crystal hanging around his neck. He pulled it out from beneath his clothing and showed it to her. "I gave you a matching crystal like this the night before you disappeared. I don't know how to explain it to you but this one shows me how you're feeling. If you're happy or sad, or injured, if you're in grave danger or, ultimately, if you're dead. It never turned red, Mione. So I knew. I knew, even though this was all I had to go on."

Hermia stared transfixed at the crystal suspended between Ron's fingers. "And what about mine?" She asked lifting the chain from around her neck. "Does it show me the same thing about you?" Ron saw the crystal suspended from her fingers and his heart gave a sharp lurch inside her chest. She still had her crystal.

"Yes." Ron finally croaked as he reached out and touched the smooth stone, noting that it glowed a warm, gentle pink.

"So that it explains why it changes colors. I thought it was some sort of strange mood necklace type of thing" She stared down at the crystal intently.

"Well, it is." Harry said. "But detects Ron's, not yours."

Hermia took the crystal back from Ron, her fingers once more wrapping tightly around it. "Ron," she began after she slipped the crystal securely under her clothes. "I think, maybe, I have something to show you."

Hermione stood up and held out her hand. Hesitantly Ron took it and followed behind her as she walked towards the door. Ron hesitated in the doorway and looked back over his shoulder at Harry.

Harry nodded at Ron to go. "I'll stay and explain any questions Nate might have."

"Good." The skinny nurse said, "Because, I have a lot of them. Like first, who in the hell are you?"

Ron threw Harry a thankful look before Hermione tugged him fully out of the room, towing him determinedly towards the staircase.