A/N: Hey, me again, but with a different story. I'm writing this because I need a contrast from my slow burner, 'The Return'. So enjoy these sort of 'missing moments'. Runs with the same time as the books, and most of the events will be the same apart from the fact I got Romione together a bit earlier because I'm sorry but I am not waiting until the Battle of Hogwarts for them to kiss lol. Thank you for reading as always xx
Chapter 1 - Motherly Worries
Dinner at the Granger's was always a pleasant affair, Hermione and her parents always had stories to exchange, and the conversation never ran out and it was one of her favourite things to do, something she had always reminisced upon while at Hogwarts. However, tonight, dinner was awkward and tense. Hermione could barely look up from her bowl of soup where she swirled her spoon around absentmindedly. Neither of her parents had much to say either, not even to each other. The unusual silence didn't stem from a lack of conversation however, but from how awful things had happened earlier that day between the three. Hermione couldn't help but think about it, the mere thought of the conversation caused a lump to rise in her throat.
"Hermione, could you come downstairs please? Your mother and I need to speak with you." Her dad asked as he stood in the doorframe of her bedroom. Hermione didn't even notice the tentativeness of her father's voice.
"Of course, just finishing this letter to the Burrow" Hermione replied, her attention not averting from the piece of parchment before her.
"Well actually, Hermione. That's what we need to talk to you about." Hermione did actually look up at her father this time, brows furrowed as she acknowledged the - what was it? concern, fear? in his voice.
"Um, o-okay" she answered and returned her quill to its inkwell. She followed her father downstairs to find her mother sat sternly on the sofa of their living room. Her hands clasped together on her lap. Her face displayed a perfect expression of worry and dread. Hermione's heart rate quickly began to rise with nerves. "Mum? Is everything alright?" she asked cautiously, sitting on an armchair opposite the sofa.
"Well, Hermione dear" her mother began, "your father and I have been discussing you and-and your school."
"My school? Hogwarts? What about it?"
Hermione's mother, Jane Granger shared a nervous glance with her husband, Richard, who spoke this time. "As you know, Hermione, we don't know much about the world you're part of. But what we do know is that there is trouble rising surrounding this dark wizard business, and - and -"
"We don't think it's safe for you to return" Jane blurted it out, finishing Richard's stammered sentence for him.
Hermione looked at them both incredulously. "What?" She asked, although it wasn't really a question, she heard them perfectly. And, much to Hermione's disdain, they were not completely wrong for worrying about her safety. Hermione wasn't even sure what was going to happen, but what she did know was that it wasn't going to be easy, or possibly safe. But she had to go back, this was her world, as her father had said.
"I know you're going to be disappointed, Hermione. But if even we can see it's unsafe, then you shouldn't go back." Jane Granger added.
"But Mum, I-" she began, feeling the tears rise already. "I have to go back. My friends, they need me. I can't just stay and do nothing" she argued but her mother didn't seem convinced.
"Yes, you can, Hermione." Her mother countered sternly. "And I cannot believe that your friends' parents are at all pleased to be sending their children back there"
"They don't have a choice, Mum!" Hermione cried. "Therefore, I don't"
"This is exactly what you do not understand" Her mother argued. "You have been given a choice. A choice to stay, and be safe. It's far too dangerous, Hermione. Don't you think that we've worked out that all of these incidents they're televising have something to do with your world?" Jane's tempter seemed to be rising which upset Hermione, yes. But this was exactly why it was important. She had to go back.
"What? So, so I'm just meant to stay here, am I? Why do you think it's any safer here than there, as you've just pointed out, horrible things are happening all of the time here. There I can protect myself, there I can protect you!" she pleaded.
"If you stay here, Hermione, we can protect you!" Her mother argued but Hermione just shook her head.
"You don't understand. If I stay here we will all be in danger, Mum. And I can't just leave my friends. Also, Dumbledore is there! Nothing can harm a soul in Hogwarts if he's there." Hermione argued with more conviction than she even believed herself. But this was her strongest argument.
Her mother studied her carefully. "Why can't you understand that we just want to keep you safe?" She asked, disappointment obvious in her voice.
"Why can't you understand that I want to keep you safe?" Hermione cried incredulously.
"This is ridiculous. I am your mother!" Jane stood abruptly and made her way to leave the room. "And what we say is final, not you!" She added before marching upstairs.
Hermione watched her furious mother and the minute she had escaped from sight, Hermione let her fighting tears win, allowing them to finally cascade down her face. She turned to her father, who just looked upset as opposed to angry.
"Dad, please. You must understand what I'm saying," Hermione sobbed.
Her father sighed and seemed to contemplate his response. "I do," he said softly and quietly, as if an attempt to not be heard by his wife. "But you can't blame your mother for worrying. She will come around, though. Just give her time," he consoled.
Hermione nearly snapped back the words, 'I haven't got time', but she stopped herself, knowing that the fact at least one of her parents was willing to see her side of things, was pushing her luck enough. So instead, she went upstairs herself into her room and crashed onto her bed in upset.
Back in the present now, Hermione was still too torn to look up to her mother's face. She absolutely despised the thought of disappointing her mother, it was one of her largest fears. But she had no choice. And it wasn't just something she had to do, she wanted to go back to Hogwarts. Back to the Burrow. Back to her friends, she couldn't fight the slightly warm feeling at the thought of one friend in particular. But she tried to suppress this emotion because as it stood, she wasn't going back. The silence remained for the remainder of the dinner which Hermione was still yet to begin, let alone finish. Her mother, however, did not cease to wait for her daughter to eat anything, and instead stood and left the room. Hermione tried to stop the tears that emerged, yet again. She returned to her room, and in a state of heightened emotions, she tore off a new piece of parchment from her note book and scribbled a letter for her owl to send.
"Ron!" The tall redhead stirred in his sleep as he tried to ignore the faints of his name being called, but his mother's voice was growing more shrill and less easy to fall asleep during. "Ron! Come down here now, please!"
Ron groaned as he flipped onto his stomach, allowing his eyes to adjust to their now wakeful state. It was the delectable smell of toast that pried Ron from his bed. He stretched audibly and eventually clunked his way down the five flights of stairs that took him to the kitchen.
"Oh good, you're up!" His mother stated as he slumped down on a chair around the table, reaching for some toast as Mrs Weasley rushed around the kitchen, tidying away the mess from making breakfast. "Have you seen the post? This was addressed to you." She informed as she handed him an envelope. He took it in his free hand, the other still occupied with his toast. He could recognise that looped and posh handwriting anywhere, his heart seemed to stop as he realised that Hermione had written a letter, directly to him. "Well?" His mother watched him sceptically from across the table.
"Well what?" Ron asked dumbly.
"Well, what does it say then? And who is it from?"
"Funnily enough it's my letter, so why do you want to know what it says or who it's from?" He asked, annoyed at his mother's sudden intrusiveness. She rolled her eyes.
"There are uncertain times we are living in, Ron. What if it's from a Death Eater or something equally as dangerous?" She exclaimed as if it was obvious. "And don't be so rude to your mother!" She added.
"Mum, I think we're safe if that's what you're worried about," Ron replied, wondering how she insinuated everything was a threat to their very lives. But his attempt at cooling Mrs Weasley only seemed to stiffen her expression. "Alright, alright. I'll open it." He exasperated as he ripped open the envelope. He unfolded the parchment and read it in his head.
Dear Ron,
My mum and I have argued, she insists that Hogwarts isn't safe anymore and doesn't want me going back. My father is trying to talk to her about it, but she can be very stubborn. I don't know what's going to happen, but I thought I'd warn you for as long as I still have my owl.
Hopefully I will speak to you soon, send my love to the Burrow but please don't tell them of my mother's concerns.
Hermione.
Ron read the letter twice over, shock hitting him. But as he analysed the parchment a second time, he noticed that the letters 'Lo' had been drawn a line through right before she wrote her name. He couldn't help but wonder where those letters were leading or why she had thought twice about writing them. He was quickly pulled out of his musings however, when his mother cleared her throat audibly, reminding him dreadingly of Umbridge.
"So?" His mother asked impatiently.
"It's from Hermione," he answered casually.
"Oh," his mother retreated and her expression softened. "Is she alright?"
Ron hesitated but quickly nodded, remembering her request to not share what was really going on. "Just uh asking about when it's okay for her to come over," he lied, not even convincing himself.
"Oh, tell her that she is welcome whenever." Mrs Weasley said calmly and resumed her housework. Ron nodded in acknowledgement and took the letter, rushing it upstairs before anyone else saw it and asked questions.
Hermione had spent most of the day in her bedroom. Her and her mother very rarely argued, they both seemed to want to spend the time Hermione was back from Hogwarts in harmony, but this time was evidently different. Hermione decided to use this time to pack for Hogwarts, she knew it would be far too optimistic for her mother to allow her to go back. But, and much to Hermione's own dismay, she was going back to Hogwarts with or without her mother's permission. She had decided that last night while she struggled to find sleep as she listened to the news on her radio. It had become unusual for the news to depict anything other than tragic 'accidents' that sprung up around the country. Hermione would toss and turn in guilt. She knew that there were no such accidents, they were very much planned and intended.
Standing in front of her window, Hermione looked over the view of the street of houses that sat behind her own. She sighed, not a soul in any of those houses had any idea what was really going on. She pitied yet somehow envied their ignorance all at the same time. Something caught her eyes in the corner of her windowsill and she picked up a particular photo frame that displayed her, Harry and Ron all laughing together in their first year at Hogwarts. Hermione smiled at the scene, before enchanting it so it was a stand-still photograph, not wanting to attract any suspicion from visitors while she was gone. She returned her gaze to the scene that now froze, her smile never leaving her face. Her mind travelled to wonder if Harry was okay, the summers he had described with his Aunt and Uncle were never short of unbearable. She then shifted her gaze to the ginger in the photograph and a sensation of nerves emerged in her stomach. It was strange really, how during the time of that photo Hermione saw both of the boys as just friends, maybe even brothers. But now she loved them, she loved Harry and viewed him as the brother she never had - no questions asked. But when she thought of the love she held for Ron, there was nothing brotherly about it in the slightest. In fact, the love she held for Ron frightened her and she wasn't even prepared to admit to herself, let alone to anyone else. Including Ron.
She put down the photograph and picked up another in its place. It was a photo of her and her parents when she was around five. They had such high hopes for her then, high hopes that Hermione felt she crushed the minute she entered Hogwarts. They were proud of her, yes, but Hermione couldn't help but feel she had robbed them of watching their only child grow up to be something amazing, in their world. Hermione could feel her nose tingle as she watched the still-standing image, a lump forming in her throat.
"I always forget how different your view is to the one in our room". Hermione spun around quickly and noted her mother in the doorway, looking wistfully out of the window. Hermione tried to suppress the lump that was growing heavier, bracing herself for the argument her mum was undoubtedly about to start. But it never came. Hermione turned her head to look out at the view herself. "I remember when you were younger," Jane began as she took a seat on Hermione's bed, "you used to love scrambling on that windowsill. It would drive your father mad because he was so worried you'd open it and fall out. He used to think I was insane for not sharing the same worries, but I never gave in. I always knew that you were far too smart to do something like that." Hermione turned to her mother with a soft expression. She sat tentatively beside Jane yet continued to watch the view.
"I-I'm sorry that I disappoint you." Hermione confessed in a small voice, not having the strength to look at her mother.
Jane sighed. "You could never disappoint me, Hermione." She said, sadly.
Hermione felt somewhat saddened by her words, even though she was delighted to hear them. "I have to go back, Mum." She said, firmly, turning to face her mother this time.
Jane sighed again but she didn't have the same hard expression on her face that she had when they had spoken it about it previously. Instead she just gave a weak smile. "I know." She sighed. "Well, I don't know to be honest, I don't know anything about what's going on, which frightens me. But I do know that I trust you, Hermione. I trust that you are far more intelligent than your father and I. And far more brave. And if you need to go back then I will just...have to accept it."
Hermione turned her whole body swiftly and hugged her mother tightly. Tears fell down her cheeks slowly. "Thank you, Mum. For everything."
"It's alright, dear. What are mothers for? But just do one last thing for me, Hermione?" Her mother requested, releasing her daughter and taking her hands in her own.
"Anything, Mum" Hermione confided.
"Stay. Just for the rest of the summer, I know you usually go to your friend, Ron's house-" She turned and looked at the same photo Hermione held a few minutes ago. "-but please, just for the rest of the summer. You finish school soon, and will be off doing amazing things. Just please stay here for the last few weeks."
Hermione nodded weakly. The thought of not going back to the Burrow upset her, but she needed to be with her parents. Just for these last few weeks.
Ron's heart sank as he opened another letter from Hermione. He was relieved of course, over the moon really, that her parents had seemed to give in to letting her return to Hogwarts. But he couldn't help the rush of disappointment as he read she would be staying at her own house for the rest of the summer. She apologised many times in the letter, her sweet rambling only made Ron miss her more.
"Right, guys. Gather round." Ron was pulled out of his trance as his father clambered through the door into their house.
"Uh, Dad, we are gathered." Ginny noted from her seat on the sofa.
"Ah, so you are. I forget now there's only two of you." Mr Weasley said as he fumbled to take his coat off. Ron couldn't help but chuckle softly to himself. "Right, well." His father began, clapping his hands. "Your mother is starting on about Hogwarts again." Ron rolled his eyes, the whole summer Mrs Weasley had been changing her mind over and over about whether or not he and Ginny should return to Hogwarts.
"But Dad, we've told her a million times. Harry has to go back, he has no choice. So we have to, too." Ron argued.
"Yes, Dad. If Mum won't let us go for ourselves, she must understand that we've got to be there for Harry." Ginny added. Ron furrowed his eyebrows at her, yes she had been a friend of Harry's, but she had never seemed this bothered about being there for him. He brushed it off, though.
"I know, I know. But maybe just be extra kind to her for the next few weeks, she'll soon come around again. She always does." Mr Weasley assured. Ron nodded as he rolled his eyes again.