A/N - Thanks so much for continuing to read and review! There is no Remus in this chapter. I wanted to concentrate on what happened when Hermione found her parents. Remus will be back next chapter though. Enjoy!
Chapter 24
Found
2 August 1998
Hermione looked out the window of the taxi as they drove down a quiet street, quaint brick homes lining either side. She couldn't quite believe she was already in her parents' neighborhood.
She had taken the train from Sydney instead of requesting another Portkey. While she had always found Portkey travel to be a bit unpleasant, international Portkey travel was an entirely different thing. It was a good thing Hermione had turned down Molly's offer of breakfast the previous morning. She would have lost it all over the floor of the Australian Ministry if she hadn't.
Hermione had debated for a moment once she'd reached Australia, but in the end decided the train would be her best option. It would give her time to prepare before she actually arrived at her parents' house. She could hear Harry's voice in her head, telling her that she had prepared all she could and she was just putting off the inevitable, but Hermione tried to ignore that. This trip was going to be hard enough as it was. An extra day to get herself ready for it wasn't going to hurt anything. Besides, getting there the Muggle way seemed the right thing to do and made her feel a bit closer to her parents.
Harry had offered to come with her, of course, but Hermione had turned him down. Even if Harry hadn't been busy with Auror training, Hermione knew this was something she had to do alone. If she and Ron were still together, she wouldn't have let him come either. Something Ron wouldn't have liked at all, she was sure.
"Here we are," the driver said as he stopped in front of one of the homes. Hermione looked out the window at the house that held her parents. It was smaller than where they lived in England, although that made sense since it was just the two of them. Everything was well-kept, which Hermione didn't find at all surprising. Her mother had loved to putter around in their garden.
"Miss?" the driver said when Hermione had made no move to get out of the car.
"Yes, right," she said, handing over the money to cover the fare. "Thank you." She slowly got out of the taxi and walked up the drive, her steps slowing the closer she got to the front door. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she had to force herself to breathe evenly. She went over her plan in her mind again as she reached the front door. Taking a deep breath, Hermione rang the bell.
She could hear the echo of the bell and her insides squirmed. A few moments passed and then she heard footsteps. It took everything she had not to turn around and run.
The door opened and her father stood in front of her. Hermione lost the ability to speak as she stared at him. He looked the same as he had a year ago, although he was tanner than he had been. His smile slowly shifted to a frown as Hermione remained mute.
"May I help you?" he finally asked. Hermione bit the inside of her cheek as she felt the tears gather.
"Yes, I," Hermione paused and pulled in another breath to try and calm herself. "My name is Hermione Granger." Her father continued to stare at her, waiting for her to continue, no recognition in his eyes. Hermione shook her wand into her hand and pointed it at him.
"What?" he began, brow furrowed in confusion at the wand.
"Confundo." Her father shuddered, then looked at her in confusion. "You were just about to invite me in."
"Oh, yes, yes of course," her father said, stepping back from the doorway and ushering her inside. He closed the door behind her.
"Wendell?" a voice called from further in the house. Hermione heard her mother moving towards them and readied her wand again. When her mother came around the corner, Hermione's breath left her. Hermione wanted nothing more than to throw herself into her mother's arms and never let go. Her mum looked at Hermione quizzically, then at her husband.
"Who's this, Wendell?" Her mother asked.
"This is Hermione," her father said.
"Hermione?" her mother repeated and Hermione watched her for any signs of recognition. Her mother frowned in concentration, then looked at Hermione again. "What a lovely name." Hermione half laughed, half sobbed as she raised her wand to her mother.
"Confundo," she said again and her mother's eyes went as vacant as her father's. "You were going to ask me to sit down."
"Won't you please sit down?" her mother said, leading her into the living room. Hermione perched on a chair as her parents sat down on the couch opposite her. They were both smiling brightly at her and Hermione simply stared at them for a few moments. She knew the Confundus charm wouldn't last much longer and she needed to get started with her plan to restore their memories, but she just wanted to look at them for a bit longer.
"I'm so sorry," Hermione finally said as she raised her wand again. "Stupefy." They both slumped back against the couch. Hermione finally allowed the tears to fall. She leaned forward and took hold of one of each of their hands, squeezing tightly as she cried. When she had finally composed herself, she turned and put a privacy spell on the room, then pulled a spell book from her beaded bag and opened it to the page she had marked. She studied the incantation and wand movements one last time before she turned back to her parents. She would need to lift the stunning spell before she began, but she also needed them to be still or it could affect the counter-spell. As much as she hated it, she was going to have to bind them.
She had debated which of them to start with and decided on her mother. Her mother was likely to be much angrier than her father about what Hermione had done, but if her father saw her mother unconscious, he would fight much harder to try and help her. Hermione wasn't sure if her binding spell would hold him. Her mother would be able to keep him calm if her memories were restored first.
"Incarcerous," Hermione said, pointing her wand at her mother. She cast another spell to keep her mother's head still and then took a breath. "Reenervate." Her mother's eyes fluttered open and then flew wide as she realized she couldn't move.
"I'm so sorry," Hermione said, forcing back the tears as she raised her wand again. "It will be over in just a few minutes." Her mother tried to struggle, but Hermione had made sure the bonds were tight before she began. Her mum looked so terrified, Hermione almost quit before she began, but she strengthened her resolve and began to chant the counter-spell. It was tricky and demanded complete concentration, something that was difficult knowing that her mother was so scared and her father still unconscious. Hermione shoved those thoughts from her mind and focused. It would be disastrous if she made a mistake now.
When the spell was finished, her mother closed her eyes for a moment. Hermione cancelled the spell, holding her head in place, but kept the bindings on until she could be sure the spell had worked. Her mother slowly opened her eyes, shaking her head as if to clear it. Hermione bit her lip and waited. The book had said there would be some confusion as the memories were unlocked and the furrow of her mother's brow proved that to be true. She didn't even seem to notice the bindings. After a few minutes, she finally looked up at Hermione. She still looked confused.
"Mum?" Hermione whispered hopefully. Her mother's brow furrowed again and she tried to move her arm, looking puzzled as to why she couldn't. At least she wasn't thrashing about.
"Mum," Hermione said again. She wasn't sure what she would do if this didn't work. Her mother stared at her again as if she were trying to place her. Hermione's heart was in her throat. The book had said it would take a few minutes, but it should have worked by now. Hermione hadn't been able to find any instances of this particular spell being used on Muggles. She had probably turned her mother's brain to mush now. Hermione dropped her head into her hands, her shoulders shaking as she succumbed to tears once more.
"Hermione?" Hermione's head whipped up and her eyes widened. Nearly twenty minutes had passed and her mother still looked confused, but she had said Hermione's name.
"Mum?" Hermione replied.
"Hermione, why can't I move?" her mother said, perplexed.
"I'm sorry, here," Hermione said, removing the bindings. Her mother shook her arms a bit and looked back at her daughter.
"Why are you crying?" she asked. She turned to the side. "And what is wrong with your father?" Her eyes seemed to clear as she spoke and soon her mouth dropped open. She leapt to her feet. "What did you do to us?"
"Mum, I'm sorry, I had to, I," Hermione began, but her mother was shaking her head violently.
"No," she said. "No." Hermione watched her mum take a deep breath and then stare at Hermione. "What did you do?"
"Mum, I can explain, I promise, just let me fix Dad," Hermione said raising her wand, but her mother swatted it out of her hand.
"No!" she shouted. "No, you will not do anything to him! Why isn't he awake?"
"I had to stun you both before I did the spell," Hermione explained, trying to remain calm.
"What spell?" her mother demanded.
"The spell to restore your memories."
"You took, you took," her mother trailed off and stared at her in horror.
"I had to," Hermione said. "Please, let me fix things with Dad and then I'll explain, I swear!"
"You promised," her mother said, her voice rising. "You promised when we let you go to Hogwarts that you would never raise your wand to us!"
"I know and I'm so, so sorry, but you don't understand, I had to do this," Hermione said. "Please, Mum, please just let me fix Dad and then I'll explain. Please!" Hermione was crying again now and knew she had to get herself under control before she attempted to cast the spell on her father. She pulled in a breath and let it out, then looked back at her mother.
"Please, Mum," she said much more quietly. "I'll tell you what I'm doing as I go, but please just let me do this. It won't hurt him, I swear."
"Wake him up first," her mother insisted. "Let me talk to him."
"He won't understand," Hermione said. "He still thinks he's Wendell Wilkins. He won't know who I am or what you're talking about."
"I'm his wife, he'll know me," her mother snapped.
"Yes, as Monica," Hermione said. "He won't know who Jean Granger is." Her mother glared at her and then looked back at her husband. Hermione was starting to regret reversing the spell on her mother first. Her father was more level-headed.
"Fine, do it," her mother said, crossing her arms over her chest. Hermione nodded and retrieved her wand from the floor. She wiped at her cheeks and composed herself before she turned back to her father.
"I'm going to bind him now," Hermione said. The ropes shot from her wand and wrapped themselves around her father. "This is to keep his head still." She cast the stabilization spell. "Now I'm going to wake him up, but he needs to stay calm. Reenervate." Unlike her mother, her father's eyes snapped open immediately.
"I'll be finished in a few minutes," Hermione said. Her father's eyes shifted to her mother and he began to struggle.
"Richard," her mother began, then shook her head. "Wendell, just stay still. Everything is all right." Hermione raised her wand and began the incantation, her father watching her in shock the entire time. Hermione could tell when the memories began to return as his eyes widened and then he blinked rapidly for several seconds. When she was finished, she immediately cancelled the charm holding his head still.
"Get rid of the ropes," her mother insisted.
"In a minute," Hermione said. "Wait until everything integrates, so he's not so agitated." He looked back and forth between Hermione and his wife, confusion on his face that slowly cleared the more time that passed. Hermione cancelled the binding spell a few minutes later. Her father stared at her for what felt like an eternity.
"Hermione," he finally said.
"Dad," Hermione replied, choking on a sob.
"Where have you been?" he asked and she cried harder.
"I'm so sorry," she managed before he reached out for her arm. He pulled her towards him and she threw herself into his arms as he hugged her.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she kept repeating as her father attempted to soothe her. Her mother stood to the side, arms crossed, still furious. Hermione didn't blame her, she couldn't after what she'd done to them both. But she longed for her mother's embrace as much as her father's.
"It's all right, Princess," her father said, reverting to his childhood nickname for her. It only made Hermione cry harder. "Jean, can you make tea?"
"No, I want to know what the hell she was thinking," her mother snapped.
"I know," her father said. "And I do too, believe me, but I think we all need to calm down first." Hermione couldn't look at her mother, but she could feel her mother's glare.
"Fine," Jean finally said. "I'll be back in a few minutes." Once her mother had left the room, Hermione pulled away from her father. He reached next to him for a box of tissues that sat on the end table and handed it to her.
"Thanks," she said gratefully, wiping her tears and blowing her nose. Looking back at her father, Hermione couldn't help but smile. It was so good to see him again. She had missed them dreadfully and worried about them constantly. Even though she rarely saw them during the school year, they had exchanged letters regularly. To have no contact with them for over a year had been horribly difficult.
Her mother came back into the room with the tea tray. She sat stiffly and prepared cups for everyone, passing them out without speaking. Hermione took a sip and glanced up at her mother, who Hermione knew was still furious.
"You said you would explain," her mother said. "So, talk." Hermione sat back on the couch, cocooning herself into the corner as if the furniture could protect her.
"I'm sorry," she said again and then proceeded to explain what had been happening in the wizarding world from the moment she had stepped foot into it. By the time she had reached the summer she had modified their memories, they both looked horror-struck.
"Things were getting increasingly dangerous," she continued, glancing between the two of them. "People were disappearing all the time and with my connection to Harry, plus being Muggle-born, I knew I would be a target. I couldn't go with Harry to look for Horcruxes without doing something to keep you safe. Once Voldemort realized we were on the run, he would have sent someone after the two of you to try and get me to turn myself in. I couldn't risk it."
"It's not your job to protect us," her father said. "It's a parent's job to protect their child."
"There's no way you could have, Dad," Hermione said. "I had to get you out of the country."
"Don't you think that decision should have been up to us?" her mother demanded.
"Would you have gone if I'd asked?" Hermione countered.
"You didn't give us the chance to decide, did you?" her mother retorted.
"Mum, I'm sorry, I'll say it a hundred times if it helps. But I love you and I couldn't risk anything happening to you. I wouldn't have been able to bear it."
"And if something had happened to you?" her father questioned. Hermione looked at her lap.
"You wouldn't have remembered me," she said. "You would have lived out your life here, happy and safe."
"Happy?" her mother demanded. "Happy, Hermione? How could we have possibly been happy if our only child was dead?"
"You wouldn't have known that you ever had a child," Hermione tried to explain again. "You never would have known what happened. There wouldn't have been anything for you to miss." Her mother stared at her for a moment before she rose from the couch.
"If that's what you think, you aren't as intelligent as I thought," her mother said softly. Then she left the room. Hermione heard the click of a door moment later. She looked to her father helplessly. He scrubbed a hand down his face and sighed deeply.
"Dad, I'm sorry," she said again.
"I know you think you are, Hermione, but if you had to make the same decision again, would you have still done it?" She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, swallowing hard.
"Yes," she said.
"Then you're not really as sorry as you think you are." He stood as well. "I need to check on your mother. It might be best if you left for a while." Hermione looked up at him in shock. "This is a lot to take in. We just, we're going to need some time." Hermione pressed her lips together to keep from crying.
"There's a hotel a few blocks from here," he said. He reached into the pocket of his trousers. "Let me give you some money."
"No," Hermione said as she stood. "I have my own." She began to walk towards the front door, desperate to get out of the house before she broke down again.
"Hermione," her father said and she stopped, but didn't turn to look at him. "We both love you." She nodded and hurried from the house, hand covering her mouth to stifle her sobs. She walked as quickly as she could down the street until she could no longer see through her tears. Sinking down on a bench at a bus stop, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
Hermione woke with a start, the last bits of her nightmare still sharp in her mind. Her gaze darted around the room, frantically trying to remember where she was. It was only when her eyes fell on the pamphlet on the bedside table that she shook off the last of the dream. Australia, the hotel, right. Pulling in a breath, Hermione tried to run a hand through her hair, but her curls were hopelessly tangled.
Flopping down on her back, she stared at the ceiling wondering what her parents were talking about. Her mother had been furious, but by the end she had almost seemed sad. Her father had just been disappointed. Hermione's gut twisted. Her parents' approval had always been the most important thing to her as a child and even at almost nineteen, it still carried a great weight. She had hated seeing the disappointment in her dad's eyes just before she left the house.
His question still rang in her ears, but Hermione knew that if she had to do everything all over again, she would have made the same decision. No, she hadn't been honest with them about everything that happened to her while she was at Hogwarts. Even when she was petrified, her parents were only told it was a magical accident that left her unable to write to them and that she would be good as new in a few weeks. Her mother had questioned her about it when Hermione came home for the summer, but Hermione had kept her answers vague. The summer after her fifth year, when she had been taking the potions to counter Dolohov's curse, her mother had grilled her with questions for days afterward and didn't seem to think much of Hermione's explanation.
Hermione could tell that her mother, at least, had been reluctant to let her return for her sixth year. She could just imagine what would have happened if they had known that not only were they in danger, but Hermione was as well. No, Hermione had done the only thing she could have. She would just have to make her parents understand that. If they gave her the chance to explain, that is.
Sighing, Hermione sat up again. A glance at the clock told her she'd been sleeping for over two hours and it had been six since she left her parents' house. Her stomach rumbled, but she needed to get cleaned up first. She pulled her bag toward her and summoned her kit and a change of clothes before she rose to go into the bathroom.
Just as she had started the shower, Hermione heard a ringing. Stepping back into the room with a furrowed brow, she realized it was her room telephone. Her heart sped up. Only her parents knew she was here. Rushing across the room, Hermione grabbed for the phone.
"Hello," she said breathlessly.
"Hermione, it's Dad." Hermione's eyes closed and she couldn't help the hitch in her breath. She sat down on the bed.
"Dad, hi."
"Your mother and I have been talking," he began, then paused. Hermione bit her lip, her heart pounding. "Have you had dinner?"
"No," she said wondering at the change in topic.
"We're going to order take-away," he said. "We'd like it if you joined us."
"Yes, yes of course," she said immediately, hope blooming in her chest. "I'm just getting cleaned up and then I'll be there."
"All right, we'll see you in a bit." Her father hung up. Hermione stood for a few moments staring at the receiver in her hand. She finally set it down in its cradle and then ran to the loo.
Hermione glanced at her parents again, but neither of them spoke. There had been very little talk since she'd gotten here. The food had arrived only moments after she did and they had all sat down to eat right away. A few questions about the state of the hotel had been all the conversation they'd had. It was all terribly awkward and Hermione hated it. She was just about to speak when her father pushed his plate away and looked at her.
"I assume since you've come and found us now, that the danger is over," he said. Hermione looked at him quizzically, then realized that she hadn't finished telling them about the Horcrux hunt and the Final Battle.
"Yes," she said. "Harry destroyed Voldemort and his supporters have been arrested."
"And what did you have to do with all of that?" her mother asked.
"I was with Harry all last school year," she said. "We searched for and destroyed the rest of the Horcruxes, so Harry could kill Voldemort. And I fought alongside him in the battle." Her mother shook her head.
"I still don't understand why your government allowed children to fight their war for them."
"The government was infiltrated by Voldemort," Hermione explained again. "And we were all of age, Mum."
"But from what you've told us, you've been doing this since you were twelve, Hermione," her mother said, getting angry again. "Who allows children to do that?" Hermione didn't say anything. She couldn't deny that she had wondered the same thing herself over the years.
"It was the prophecy," she finally said. "Harry had to be the one to get rid of him."
"What I don't understand is why you want to continue to live in a world like that," her mother snapped. Hermione saw her dad put a hand on her mum's arm. Her mum glanced at him and sighed.
"We're concerned, Hermione, that you're going to get pulled into something else like this," her dad said.
"There's nothing to be worried about," Hermione assured him. "Voldemort is gone and as I said, his followers are in prison. There's a new Minister, one who's fair and doesn't want another war any more than the rest of us do."
"But you are still Harry's friend," her mother said. "And if he's considered some kind of savior, what makes you think the public won't call on him again if there's another dark wizard?"
"I can't say what might happen," Hermione said. "But you've always taught me to stand up for what was right and to support my friends and my family. That's what I did and I'd do it again." Her parents glanced at each other, communicating silently. Hermione spoke again before either of them could say anything.
"I know you're angry with me," she said. "I took away your memories without asking you and I am sorry for that. I know that sounds hollow since I've said I'd do it again if I had to, but you must understand. There is no way you could have fought against the Death Eaters. There weren't wards safe enough to leave you in England. I had to do this. It was the only way I wouldn't lose you." She began to tear up again.
"Do you know that ever since we've been here, I've felt like there was something missing?" her mother said quietly. "I couldn't figure out what it was, didn't even know if it was a piece of furniture or a friend's address or some picture or other, but it was always there, nagging at me." Her mother looked up at her. "It was you, Hermione." A tear slid down her mother's cheek. "And if something had happened to you and you'd never been able to come back for us, I would have felt that until the day I died. I know you took away all our tangible memories of you, but you could never erase yourself completely. Not ever." Hermione was openly crying now and she rose from her chair and came around the table. She sank to her knees next to her mother's chair.
"I'm sorry, Mum, I'm so sorry," she choked out. Her mother stared at her for a moment before she wrapped her arms around Hermione and pulled her close. Hermione returned the embrace and a few moments later felt another set of arms around her as her father hugged them both. She wasn't sure how long they stayed that way, but even when her knees began to protest, Hermione ignored it, relishing in the embrace of her parents.
4 August 1998
Hermione stepped into the back garden where her mother was weeding her flower beds. Things had been tense the last two days, but at least they were still talking. After Hermione's break down two days ago, her father had insisted she stay the night in their guest room. The next morning, her father had gone to work, unable to reschedule all his patients at the last minute. Surprisingly, her mother had not elected to continue working as a dentist once they had arrived in Australia. She had gotten a job at a local nursery instead. Her mother had always enjoyed gardening, but Hermione had no idea she would have liked to make it a career.
Her mother had requested a few days off for a family emergency, even though Hermione had insisted it wasn't necessary. Her father was seeing a few patients this morning as well but had cleared his schedule for the rest of the week. He expected to be home by lunch.
"Can I help?" Hermione asked as she neared her mother. Jean looked up at her, squinting in the sun.
"If you like," she said. Hermione knelt in the grass and began to pull weeds. They worked in silence for a few minutes. Although they were talking, things were still awkward between them. Hermione knew that her parents had lost trust in her and she couldn't blame them, really. It would take time to gain that back.
"I suppose this would be easier with magic," her mother finally said and Hermione forced herself not to react. Her mother had been making comments like this over the last two days, even though Hermione had put her wand away after she had restored their memories and hadn't taken it out since.
"Actually," Hermione said, "Molly does most of her weeding by hand as well. She says that it's faster than casting a spell on each weed."
"Really," her mother said, trying not to sound interested.
"Yes," Hermione said. She chose not to tell her mother that there were charms that could be cast when the initial planting was done to discourage the growth of those same weeds. She didn't think her mother would appreciate it just now.
They drifted into silence again. Hermione really wanted to talk to her mother about her relationship with Ron, but she wasn't sure if her mother would be receptive. They had been polite to one another and Hermione had given them more details about what had happened during her year on the run and the Final Battle. But she hadn't really shared anything overly personal. Her parents were aware she had been staying at the Burrow but had moved back into their old house a few weeks ago. They hadn't asked why.
"Hermione?" her mother said a few minutes later.
"Yes?"
"Why did you move back into the house?" Hermione's hand stilled on the weed she was pulling. "I know you said you have Crookshanks, but it's got to be lonely there all by yourself. Did something happen with the Weasleys?"
"Sort of," Hermione said sitting back on her heels.
"What do you mean 'sort of'?"
"Ron and I," Hermione trailed off, biting her lip. Her mother looked at her quizzically before her eyes widened in understanding.
"The two of you are together?" her mother asked. Before Hermione could answer, her mother continued. "I have to say, I didn't see that coming. I thought you and Harry maybe, but Ron?" Her mother shook her head.
"Harry?" Hermione said in surprise. "Harry's like my brother."
"Fair enough," her mother said. "So, the Weasleys asked you to leave because you were dating their son?"
"No," Hermione assured her. "I left on my own."
"Why?" her mother asked again. Instead of answering, Hermione posed her own question.
"Why didn't you see Ron and I coming?"
"Well, you're so different," her mother said. "And the two of you argue quite a bit. You were always complaining about him for one reason or another. Although, I suppose there is the whole 'opposites attract' thing."
"I suppose," Hermione agreed. Her mother's brow furrowed.
"What's the matter?"
"Well, maybe we are too different," Hermione said. "We broke up actually. That's why I left the Burrow."
"Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry," her mother said. Hermione's eyes teared up at the endearment. Her mother stood and held out a hand to Hermione. "Come inside. I'll make tea and we'll talk all about it." Hermione took her mother's hand and pulled herself to her feet. This is what she wanted, to be able to talk to her mother like they used to. Before her mum could walk away, Hermione put her arms around her.
"I love you, Mum." Her mother's arms came around her and she hugged Hermione tightly.
"I love you too, Hermione."