Disclaimer: I don't own nor will I ever own Harry Potter.
A/N: I just found this half finsih story on my computer and thought I should finish it and get it out there. Hopefully it's will help with my writers block on other stories.
"Hermione sat in the back seat of her parents' car staring out the window deep in thought a million questions running through her mind.
How was she supposed to tell her parents that she wasn't going back to school? That she was setting out with two other teenagers to try to destroy some random objects to hopefully bring down an evil dictator of a wizard. She hadn't even told them about Voldemort, that would be enough of a shock on it's own without the rest.
Hermione had tried to keep her muggle and magical lives separate. She told her parents basic things about her life at Hogwarts but she never told them anything about her "adventures" with Harry and Ron. She wasn't so sure that she would be allowed to go back to school if they found out the amount of danger she had been in, that she had nearly died several times, well, she didn't want to think about it.
Now, now, there was no choice. She had to tell them. Some of it at least.
"Hermione, love, is there something wrong? You're awfully quiet." Her mum asked, rousing Hermione from her own thoughts.
"Wha-? No everything's fine mum, everything's ok." She lied, still staring out the window.
Tonight. She thought to herself, I have to, Bill and Fleurs wedding is in a few days and then we're off to Godric's Hollow. I need to give them some time to get used to it. Haven't I?
Hermione sat all through dinner that night, thinking about how she was going to raise the subject, but then she realised there was never going to be a good way to raise it.
She set down her knife and fork.
"Mum, Dad, there's something I have to tell you. It's not easy; I'm not quite sure where to begin." Hermiones voice faded as she tried to find the right words.
"What is it love; you know you can tell us anything. What's happened? Are you in trouble?" her mum asked watching her daughter intently and reaching a hand across the table to her.
"Your mum's right hun, you can tell us," her dad inserted, encouragingly, not that this made Hermione feel any better.
Hermione took a deep breath.
"I'm-not-going-back-to-school-next-year." She said without taking so much as a breath. Hoping that if she said it quickly it might be easier for her parents to take.
"Sorry hun, what was that about school?" Her dad asked looking slightly confused.
"I, I'm not, umm going back to school next year." She told the table, unable to look either of her parents in the eye.
Her mum and dad looked at each other at a lose for words. How could Hermione be saying this? She had always been so academic, so happy at school. Why was she leaving?
"What do you mean you're not going back to school?" Mrs Granger asked hoping that this was all some joke.
" Well, you see, the wizarding world is at war. And well, the leader of 'the other side' kind of want Harry dead. So you see Harry, Ron and me are umm," She paused watching her parents expressions, "Going to try to kill him" She finished, her voice fading uncertainly.
Both of her parents started to laugh.
"This is a joke right?" Mr Granger asked, "You had me there for a second. Good one Hermione."
"Dad, Mum." Hermione looked at each of her parents, who stopped laughing at the tone of her voice. "I'm not joking. I'm not going back to school. Me, Ron and Harry have to do this."
"What? Hermione, I think you need to explain what's going on. Starting at the beginning." Her mother said looking extremely concerned by what her daughter had actually just said.
"Well I suppose it all starts with Voldemort." Hermione started once again not looking at her parents, she looked down at her half empty plate instead as if hoping the half-eaten chicken could give her answers, it didn't. She looked back up at her parents both of whom were silent, still unsure what was going on. "Voldemort is possible the most powerful dark wizard of our time."
"When Harry was a year old Voldemort tried to kill him. Obviously he didn't, no one's sure why exactly, but he couldn't. Harry's parents were both killed. That's why he lives with his Aunt and Uncle. Voldemort disappeared. Most people believed he was dead."
"But he's not I take it." Mrs Granger asked, finally having found words. "I mean, you and your friends want to go and kill him, which in itself just seems preposterous, I mean if he's so powerful how are three teenagers supposed to defeat him?"
"If I'm honest with you mum I'm not entirely sure." Hermione said, it was true. What happened if they did destroy all the Horcruxes? They'd still have to find a way to actually kill Voldemort. "But to answer your original question, no he wasn't dead. Some suspected he wasn't but nobody knew for sure until about 5 years ago. When he err came to Hogwarts." Hermione looked at her parents hoping that this revelation wouldn't affect them too much.
"He what?" Hermione's father asked his voice rising slightly.
"He came to Hogwarts to steal the philosopher's stone. It's a stone that turns metals into gold and can be used to make the elixir of life, which basically makes the drinker immortal." She added, answering her parents' unanswered question. "But he didn't get it-"
"Why not? What happened?"
"Well, umm, me, Harry and Ron kind of got through the defences protecting the stone and erm Harry stopped him." Hermione finished, she felt a little like her parents were only humouring her and that they didn't really believe her.
"Hermione dear, I'm sorry but you were, what 12 years old? It's just a little unbelievable that three twelve year olds could stop him. Or in fact that you were allowed to for that matter." Her mother said.
"Well actually mum, we weren't allowed to, we kind of risked expulsion and stuff and Harry was eleven at the time not twelve." Hermione said matter of factly before she could stop herself. This wasn't going well and she had a feeling it wasn't about to get any better.
"But that's not the point. Voldemort didn't get the stone, thanks to Harry, and disappeared again."
"But he came back I take it. Why haven't you told us this before?"
"Well I thought you'd get mad and not let me go back there. Especially after the whole Chamber o-" Hermione stopped herself realising what she was about to say and how it wouldn't make matter any better. "After everything that's happened." She amended rather lamely.
"The whole chamber what, Hermione?" Her father asked his temper obviously rising.
"Well in my second year Ginny was given a diary by one of Voldemorts supporters and well it took control of her and she opened a thing called the Chamber of Secrets and set a Basilisk, a giant snake, on the school. See now the thing is it wanted to kill all the muggleborns, that's people with non-magical parents."
"People like you?" Her mother asked slightly upset that she had never known any of this, that her daughter had never confided in her.
"Well yeah," Hermione said, her parents looked horrified, "But it's ok. No one died. I figured out what it was, just before I was petrified and Harry and Ron went down to the chamber and Harry killed the Basilisk and destroyed the diary. Everything turned out fine." She finished trying to reassure the two people sat in front of her. She seemed to be failing though.
"Everything turned out fine?" Her father asked, clearly slightly annoyed by his daughters dismissive attitude towards the whole situation. "Don't you think we had a right to know that something was trying to kill you?"
"Dad it wasn't me personally, it was all the muggleborns." Hermione said reasonably.
"Hermione that's not the point and you know it. What else haven't you told us? From what you've told us so far, something seems to have happened every year. What about your third?" He asked.
"Oh well nothing really." Hermione replied, which was the truth, now that she thought about it. "I spent the year travelling back in time to go to all my classes. A convicted murderer escaped to come after Harry. I nearly got my soul sucked out. And then helped Sirius, the man who escaped, to escape again, because really he wasn't after Harry but Ron's pet rat, who betrayed Harry parents."
"Ok so you're telling me that a rat betrayed your friends parents. Ok Hermione you've had your fun this is just silliness now. You really expect us to believe this?"
"Well he wasn't really a rat, he was a wizard. He can just turn into an animal. But this is the truth, I swear to you."
She looked at both of her parents as if pleading with them to believe what she was saying, it was so important to her that they understood what was going on and why she had decided what she had.
"The point is Voldemort is alive. He's back. He's at large and he just happens to want on of my best friends dead. No matter what happens or has happened Voldemort wants Harry dead. I can't let that happen. I can't stand by and watch while millions of helpless people are murdered. I'm going with Harry to help him defeat Voldemort. Ron is too. We've all been through too much together to leave each other now. That's why I'm not going back to school."
She looked her mother in the eyes before turning and doing the same to her father.
"It is so so important that you understand this. We aren't going back to school. Dumbledore is gone now, he's dead-"
"Dumbledore?" Mr Granger cut across her. "Wasn't he your headmaster? What happened to him?"
"He was killed. A group of Voldemorts supporters, Death eaters, found a way into the castle and well, Snape, one of the teachers, killed Dumbledore."
"One of the staff killed the headmaster? What sort of school is this? I mean what else don't we know? Next you'll be telling us that you went on a little adventure on the bottom of the sea." Mr Granger said clearly restraining his anger with great difficulty.
"Not quite dad. I did spend an hour at the bottom of the lake in my forth year. But it was ok because nothing could have happened."
"But the Triwizard Tournament is beside the point right now. Well actually no, it's not. That's possibly one of the reasons Voldemort is back. He used the Triwizard cup to kidnap Harry. He used Harry's blood to regain his body. Over the last year he's been gathering strength and followers. This war is going to affect everyone not just magical people. Everyone. I need to help. I need to do this. I can't let my two best friends go off on some stupid hunt on their own. I have to go with them. I need you to understand that."
"Hermione, I think your father and myself have just realised that we don't understand anything, we don't know anything really. You don't tell us. I know that your world is at war, but you're only 17. What can you possibly do? You're still only a child." Her mother said.
"No mum, I'm of age in the wizarding world. I'm an adult. I've grown up a lot and whether I like it or not I'm involved. I've fought the Death Eaters before. Last year. We kind of flew away from school, to the Ministry of Magic. I thought Death Eaters there. We got quite a few put into Azkaban. They not going to just leave me alone if I decide not to go with Harry and Ron. They'll come and find me."
"We're not going to be able to stop you going are we?" Mr Granger asked looking at the daughter he realised he didn't really know.
"No Dad." Hermione whispered.
"I'm not going to say that we're happy with this pumpkin, I don't think any parent would be but, we're going to respect your decision. You're right, you have grown up."
"Thank you both of you." Hermione said looking between her parents. "I have to do this I have to help win this war."
"We know dear, we know." Her Mum said reaching across the table to touch her hand.
Hermione smiled. Yes help win the war….
A/n: Hope you liked. And remember to review. Go on press the button.