Harry and Hermione - Chapter 6 - Goodbye Ginny

Later when the pair were having some lunch Harry asked, "Are you going to go back to Hogwarts, Hermione? And finish your final year?"

"No," she said shaking her head, "I feel too old for school now. I can take my final year subjects by correspondence however, McGonagall said she would supervise me. What about you, Harry?"

"I would like to be an Auror now more than ever, but I wasn't keen on going back to school. It would just be weird to have to line up and raise my hand to ask a question after all we've been through."

"Im sure McGonagall would supervise you too Harry, we could be study buddies - if that wouldn't be too juvenile for you?" she said grinning and digging him in the ribs.

"You wouldn't mind? I wouldn't be cramping your style?"

"It wouldn't feel like study if I don't have someone to disapprove of," she said and Harry suddenly had an urge to kiss her, right there over lunch in the middle of the day!

"What, what is it?" asked Hermione seeing a strange look come over Harry's face. "Food on my face?" Harry still hadn't replied, so she said, "I was only partly serious, Harry, I am not as bad now, as I used to be when we were at school. God, I was a little know it all, wasn't I?"

Harry shook his head, trying to dislodge the twin thoughts of a sudden, unexpected and strong desire for Hermione and a rather sad, feeling that things were just as suddenly over between he and Ginny.

Harry was more sombre throughout the afternoon, not sad exactly but serious and thoughtful. Hermione supposed he was thinking about studying or perhaps even studying with her, but she tried not to panic and pressed on with looking up how to get to Adelaide to track down the third and most likely pair of Wilkins'. If these two were not her parents, there were other lines of enquiry but this just seemed to be the most obvious and perhaps the easiest to follow. Hermione worked out their travel options, had a look into accomodation and then looked at a map to workout the distance to the dental practice where Mrs Wikins was working.

Harry appeared to be busy as well, he seemed to be writing, she caught him looking at her a few times but she pretended not to notice. They had always got along well, enjoyed spending time together, they were very well used to studying together. It was because now, Hermione had developed romantic feelings for Harry, that she was perhaps a little too sensitive, reading into situations things that may or may not be there. The thought of the two of them studying together was exciting, but she had to wait for Harry to make his decision.

Harry wrote the easiest letter first, to Professor McGonagall. He expressed his sadness about the damage to Hogwarts, he enquired into her health and hope she was recovering after the war, the state of the school, the news about people they both knew. He told her of his and Hermione's trip abroad to seek out her parents and bring them home. He expressed his desire to become an auror and enquired whether she would be willing to supervise his studies by correspondence, along with Hermione's.

Then Harry had to face the most difficult letter he had ever had cause to write. He didn't want to hurt Ginny, he still cared about her. But the realisation of his feelings for Hermione had clearly placed his feelings for Ginny in a new light. He would have preferred not to have to say this by letter, he would have preferred that the timing be better but that he cared for her and respected her too much to not be entirely honest with her. He told her all of this, in a very straightforward manner and hoped that he was being sensitive and caring. But at the end of the day - what he had to communicate was going to cause her pain, and they both had to accept that.

He couldn't help looking at Hermione as he thought and wrote. There was just something about her that seemed almost new. She was, of course, the same old Hermjone and of that he was glad but he seemed to be seeing her through a new lens. She seemed grown up, softer, and whilst he always thought her pretty it seemed to him now that he had never fully appreciated her beauty. She wasn't one of those poser types who stood around waiting to be noticed, she was a real live person - clever and competent. She was her own person, she had plans and dreams and the means to make them happen. He admired her, he liked her and now he knew he loved her.

He felt better the next day. He was glad he hadn't procrastinated about that letter to Ginny, she would have received it by now and he wished her well, knowing that he had very likely added significantly to her already heavy burden. He felt quite hopeful about his letter to Professor McGonagall and hoped to hear back from her soon to say that she would be delighted to supervise his studies. Well, he would be happy to know that she would, the delighted was an unnecessary flight of fancy that he was willing to forgo!

That just left Hermione. He had never had secrets from Hermione in the past. Usually she was very good at reading him but could she read something in him that he had not been aware of? Before yesterday, he had not the slightest idea that he had loved her. Today, would it be written all over his face? Could he conceal it from her? Should he? It would be selfish to raise anything efore they had found her parents, certainly. That thought at least provided some guidance as to how he should proceed. He thought it curious however that he had felt compelled to be honest with Ginny and communicate immediately but compelled to conceal his feelings from Hermione and delay, at the very least, his communications with her.

Hermione, feeling that she was really on the right track to finding her parents did not want to delay their journey and Harry was more than happy to follow Hermione's lead. This was after all her journey, he was merely her sidekick. Both were firmly decided against another lengthy train journey and opted to fly to Adelaide, it was an hour long flight, nothing in itself, but the getting in and out of airports, the waiting around and the being searched took far longer and of course was far less pleasant.

"The City of Churches," said Harry looking up from the travel book, "Maybe we will have time to see some?"

"Are you interested in churches?" asked Hermione, eyeing him in surprise.

"Well not especially churches, but history yes, Adelaide yes, and I thought you would be interested?"

"I am, but I'm also a little distracted. I really feel like they are here, Harry. My mum and dad could really be here."

"We will focus on that first and see what happens later. I hope we find them here too, Hermione, I mean we will find them wherever they are but it would be nice for you not to keep getting your hopes up and then feeling disappointed." He was too sweet, the same as always really, but very, very sweet.

"I couldn't get an appointment until the day after tomorrow," Hermioe reported back.

"An appointment?" asked Harry, "Why don't we just go there and sort of bump into her. She won't know who we are, but if it is her we can, I don't know, wait for her after work, follow her home or something."

"Follow her home?" said Hermione, "that's one of the worst ideas you've ever had. Shes my mother, Harry, we are not going to stalk her or frighten her, besides I don't want to catch her doing something."

"Doing something? Like what?"

"I don't know. Like smoking or having an affair or something. It would be too awful. Alright let's just go there and see, but Harry, I think this could be her. For real." Harry could not work out if Hermione was more scared or terrified but she certainly was not looking very comfortable.

"Like a bandaid, babe, we'll just go and have a peep, and take off really quickly and then discuss what it is we think we have found." Hermione was staring at him with her eyes round and her eyebrows hitting her hair line.

"Or not, like a bandaid?" Offered Harry.

"You. called me. Babe." Hermione finally spluttered out.

"No. No didn't." said Harry suddenly feeling very panicky.

"You did," said Hermione a very deep shade of pink.

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to be, you know, smooth, slip in to Mrs Wilkins' work, slip out…"

"Smooth?"