Hermione landed in her parents' back garden. She didn't know where else to go. She sat down on the garden bench next to the shed and pulled her knees up to her chin. If she went inside the house, she could sleep in her own bed, a bed she'd never shared with anyone, in a room she'd never shared with anyone. It was all hers, if she could only go inside. She stared at the house and knew she wouldn't be sleeping in that bed tonight. It wasn't safe, and even if it was, it was too daunting. She couldn't face the house tonight. A gentle rain began to fall. She cast an umbrella charm and considered her options. She could return to the Burrow and face Ron, or if she waited until everyone had gone to bed, she might get away with only having to deal with Ginny's questions. The likelihood that she could sneak in without waking Ginny was pretty slim. She was so tired. The rain was starting to fall harder, so she cast the same wards she used to cast around their tent and then went into the shed. Looking around she saw the work bench covered in old terra cotta pots and hand tools. Rakes and hoes were piled in one corner and buckets and an old push mower were in a another. She sighed and started cleaning. There was a radio on a shelf. She wondered if it's batteries still worked. She turned it on and was delighted when the dial lit up. It was set to Radio One. She smiled as a Depeche Mode song began to play. Her mother had loved them, probably still did, on the other side of the world. She cast charms to remove the dirt and cobwebs, and then put the tools away by hand. When she was done the workbench was clean and clear. There was a pile of old beach towels and rags underneath it. She cast a cleaning charm on those and pulled out a big towel with a Guinness toucan on it to use as a blanket and then piled the other towels and rags up on the work bench and transfigured them into a thin mattress and pillow. Her intention was to sleep for a few hours and then go back to the Burrow. The radio was a comfort. She awoke at dawn.

xXx

Harry and Ginny were both worried when they arrived back at the Burrow moments after Ron. After a quick check of her room, they both went up to Ron's fifth floor bedroom, hoping to find Ron and Hermione working it out, but each knowing that wasn't likely.

Ron was sitting dejected on his bed staring at the Deluminator. He got up when they came in.

"Where is she?" Harry asked without preamble.

Ron shrugged. Harry and Ginny stood there glaring at him. "What?" he said. "She didn't say where she was going."

"Why were you such a prat tonight?" Ginny asked.

Ron shrugged.

"Are you really that insecure?" Ginny said, folding her arms. "Why do you let George and Charlie get your goat? You know she wasn't flirting with them."

"Didn't say she was," Ron grumbled.

"And what was that comment about the jeans? I was lucky to still have them. They look great on her. Why on earth would you say they're too tight?"

Ron shrugged again.

Harry paced back and forth across the room. "We need to find her," he said.

"She probably just went to her parents' place."

"Do you know the address?" Harry asked.

"Somewhere in London," Ron mumbled.

"Somewhere in London," Harry repeated. "Well, that's really helpful. Somewhere in a city with millions of people in it. Fantastic."

"It's not like you know where she lives either," Ron muttered.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Harry shouted.

"Well, she's not mine either!" Ron shouted back at him.

Harry grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "Then what the hell were you doing in her bed the other night?"

Ron grabbed Harry's wrists and Ginny cast Protego and they popped apart as the shimmering magical shield formed between them.

"I can't believe you're doing this again," Harry said.

"I'm standing right here," Ron said. "She's the one that left."

Harry shook his head. "That's just…you're unbelievable." He grabbed his pillow off the cot. "I'm sleeping on the sofa. He stormed out of the room and ran into George, Percy, and Charlie walking upstairs.

"What's going on?" Percy said.

"Nothing," Harry said and pushed past him to go downstairs.

George looked up to see Ginny standing on the fifth-floor landing.

"Hiya Gin," Charlie said.

She shook her head at him and went down to her own room.

xXx

Just to be sure, Ron checked some of Hermione letters to see if she'd written out her address on any of the envelopes, but she hadn't. All an owl really needed was Hermione Granger, Heathgate, London which is all he'd ever written on an envelope to her, but the Knight Bus required an exact address and he didn't have one. He spent all night in the window seat of his bedroom looking out over the garden, hoping he would see Hermione appear or at least hear her say his name through the Deluminator. She didn't, which wasn't surprising, since she'd gone weeks without saying it the last time he'd needed the Deluminator to find her. He wondered where she was. He hoped, if she'd gone back to her parents' place, that it was safe. At least the sun was rising. When his dad got up, he'd ask him about a location spell. He had to do something. He pressed his forehead to the window and saw her pop into the back garden. He'd never run down the stairs so fast in his life. He almost tackled Percy who managed to dodge at the very last second.

"Bloody hell, Ron!" Percy shouted, but Ron was already out the door.

He skidded to a stop when he reached Hermione.

"I'm sorry," He gasped. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me." She stood there blinking at him in the morning light. He tried to read her expression and found he couldn't, which was disconcerting. "Actually," he sputtered. "I do know. I'm a giant git, and you don't deserve that."

"No, I don't," she agreed.

"Right," he said, nudging a rock on the ground with the toe of his shoe. "Where did you sleep last night?"

She looked at him and quirked her lips as if trying to decide whether to answer, and then said. "In my parents' garden shed."

He looked at her in confusion. "You slept in a garden shed, rather than come back here," he said, sorting it out in his mind. I am the world's biggest git, he thought.

"Yes."

A pair of magpies were chattering to each other in one of the apple trees. Hermione looked at the black and white birds. Ron knew they'd always been her favorites.

"But…" Ron said.

"Look," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "We've been on this roller coaster with Harry—"

"We've been on what?" Ron asked.

"Roller…never mind. This quest with Harry has been going on…well, for years really, but then this last year in such close quarters, I think we got…I don't know…confused maybe, but now it's done and it's hard to know what to do next, because for so long…" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Let's just get through the funerals. If I could stay here until the funerals are done—"

"You can stay here forever," Ron said.

She looked up at him. "I can't. I have to figure out what I'm going to do with myself. I need to find a job, do something about a place to live, figure out how to be an adult now that the war is over. It's weird because I honestly didn't think—"

"You'd have to do that stuff." Ron finished for her.

"No, I guess I expected—" she said.

"To be dead," he said. "I know. I'm surprised every morning when I wake up."

She nodded. "Me too."

"Okay," Ron said. "Okay. Last night, I was a prat, I know that. And I know that we have to get through the bloody funerals and decide how to be adults. And I know that you can't live here forever. But can we just…just for a little while…can we just let all that go. When the funerals are done, can we just take a few weeks and just...I don't know…take a break. I feel like I've got all this stuff buzzing around in my head and I can't get it sorted because it's just too much."

She bit her bottom lip and looked at him. "Fine," she said. "We'll just back it up."

He let out a relieved sigh that she understood. "We should get changed. The first funeral is early today." She nodded and headed indoors.

xXx

When Hermione walked into the kitchen, Harry and Ginny were sitting at the table with her parents and Percy. Harry stood. "You're back."

She nodded. "Yes."

"Can I speak to you for minute?" Harry said, as Ron came in behind her.

"Sure," Hermione said. It was clear from Harry's tone that he was upset, and it was equally clear that he was only talking to her. She glanced at Ron as she followed Harry out into the garden. He went through the gate and up the hill to the orchard. Hermione sighed. If he wanted to be that far from the house he likely expected to do some shouting. When they were surrounded by apple trees he turned to face her.

"Have you completely lost your mind?" he started.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I should have told you where I was going. I just didn't know I was going there until I was doing it."

Harry shook his head. "I want the address."

"What?"

"I want the address to your parents' house. I can't have you running off and not know where you are. It's terrifying. I didn't sleep a wink last night and I doubt Ron or Ginny did either."

"Fine. I'll give you the address, but it's just for you. Don't go sharing it."

He frowned at her. "It's as bad as all that?"

She shrugged. "He's overwhelmed, which is completely understandable given everything that's happened. He wants things to go back to the way they were before the war, before all these funerals, when things were…"

"Simpler?" Harry guessed.

"I guess," Hermione said. "I understand the impulse."

"Well, I don't," Harry said, firmly. "We won. I don't want to go backwards. I want to finish these funerals, get that situation with Gringott's sorted, and then talk to Shacklebolt about what my options are."

"Your options for what?" Hermione asked.

"A job," Harry said. "I can't live here forever. I'm guessing they'll reopen Hogwarts at some point and Gin will finish school, but then, well, I want to have something to offer her when she's done. You know?"

Hermione smiled at him. "I do." She sighed. "But Ron's not there. He wants a break, so I guess we're on a break, although to be honest, I'm not sure what that means."

"What about what you want?" Harry asked.

She felt tears threaten. "I can't have what I want. Now, I just need to figure out what I can have."

Harry hugged her and she let herself cry for a minute on his shoulder. "We're going to be okay," he whispered. "We've handled rougher stuff than this."

She nodded and stepped back, wiping her face on her sleeve. "We should get back. The first funeral is soon."

"Yeah," Harry said and they walked back to the house.

xXx

When they got back to the kitchen, Molly was cooking, not porridge, but eggs and bacon and mushrooms and toast. It wasn't long until the whole family was assembled and eating. Hermione was in her usual seat beside Ron. He'd said he wanted a break and she'd said they could back it up, but as she sat there amid his exceedingly noisy family, she realized she had no idea what either one of them meant. Did he want a break from the stress or a break from her or both? When she'd said they could back it up, what had she meant? Back it up to where in their relationship? They'd been inching toward each other for some time now. How far back did he want to go?

Ron leaned over and whispered. "You're not eating." She looked down at her plate and realized she hadn't touched anything. She didn't even recall putting the food on her plate. Had he done that? "You've got to eat," he continued. "We've got a long day of funerals in front of us."

She sighed and picked up her fork.

xXx

Attending the funerals had become like a job. Other people's grief became a reason to get out of bed, get dressed, and leave the house. Her responsibility was to get Ron and herself to the funerals in one piece and then stand around saying the things she was supposed to say, shake hands, and look somber. Depending on the popularity of who was being buried, the four funerals took between six and ten hours. In a bizarre way, the funerals had become the easiest part of her day. It was negotiating the rest of it that was difficult.

The day after they'd all gathered to clean it, Percy had returned to his flat. Bill and Fleur had gone back to Shell Cottage once Molly resumed feeding her family. Harry had moved into the room they vacated. Hermione continued to share with Ginny. Not knowing what else to do, she did what she'd always done, she read. She'd already read everything she'd brought with her in her beaded bag, so she went through the Weasley's books, which were thankfully plentiful. In addition to a lot of history (both Muggle and Magical) the Weasley house was full of spell books. The books mostly concerned domestic spells, but there was also a good selection of defensive magic books. Hermione started working her way through the domestic spell books. She'd had enough of defensive spells for a while. When she wasn't reading, she steeped herself in everyday magical living in ways she'd never had the opportunity to do before. She learned more cooking spells, more gardening spells, more knitting spells, more cleaning spells, and more healing spells. Anything Mrs. Weasley was willing to teach, she was willing to learn. Ginny taught her how to feed the animals, collect eggs, and milk the cow. She stayed as busy as possible, helping to do whatever needed doing in the desperate hope to fall into bed at the end of the day so exhausted that she would sleep, preferably without dreaming. It didn't work. Most nights she woke up at least once from a nightmare, they ranged in intensity from sitting up in bed, to screaming, to standing with her wand in her hand. At least she hadn't had another dream bad enough to send her running into the garden to empty her stomach. On the nights she managed not to have a nightmare, Ginny often had one, so they were up anyway.

xXx

Ron and his siblings that were still at home took turns taking long walks in the countryside with their mother in the afternoons before his father got home. When it wasn't his turn, Ron did chores. He did them without being asked and without complaint. Sometimes Harry or George would help but he never asked them to. He and his father cleaned out the broom shed and reorganized his dad's shop. Ron repaired the chicken coop and then the pig pen, not just patch jobs, but proper sturdy repairs. He degnomed the garden, but mostly, he chopped wood. He wanted his parents to have enough wood for the entire winter. He generally worked three axes at a time. He swung one and two were charmed to chop when he did. It was hot work. His goal was to be able to fall into bed exhausted every night so that he could sleep, preferably without dreaming. He wasn't very successful. Several times a week, nightmares woke him. He'd taken to Impreturbing his door at night and he was fairly certain that Harry and Hermione and possibly George and his parents were doing the same thing. He thought this, because he never heard anything but often after a nightmare, when he went down to the kitchen for a cup of Chamomile tea, someone else was already up. Unfortunately, it was never Hermione. He hoped that it was because she was sleeping through the night, but he suspected it was because she and Ginny stayed in their room talking to each other when one of them had a nightmare.

xXx

Harry didn't know what to do with Ron and Hermione. They weren't fighting, but they were definitely being weird. They attended the funerals with him and Ginny and sat together. They kept their same seats at the kitchen table too, but otherwise they didn't spend any time with each other. Ron was a chore machine. He seemed hellbent on repairing everything that needed even the slightest bit of work around the house and he was chopping wood like he was expecting an ice age. Hermione was in full sponge mode. She'd asked Molly about every imaginable domestic spell like she was planning to buy her own plot of land in the country any day now. He'd seen her milking the cow yesterday morning. He shook his head, he didn't understand it, but Hermione's new fascination with country life had left Ginny with more time on her hands and that was only good for Harry. He'd missed Ginny so much during the last year, it was such a relief to be back with someone who understood him in a way that no one else did. Ginny was such a joy to be around. Despite being very sad about Fred, she continued to have such good energy and was such a fierce spirit, not to mention, she was ridiculously beautiful and snogged like a dream. She shagged like a dream too, but that had been impossible to repeat given that the Burrow was the least private place in the universe.

xXx

The thirty-sixth funeral was the last of the day and not widely attended. Only his fellow Hogwarts professors and the remaining members of The Order of the Phoenix attended Snape's funeral. Harry had suggested he be buried in Godric's Hollow in a quiet corner of the cemetery. At least then he could be in the same cemetery as Lily. Harry felt like he could give that to Snape. McGonagall delivered the eulogy. As she was finishing up, Harry saw out of the corner of his eye that Narcissa and Draco were there, standing among the headstones away from everyone else. He glanced at Hermione. She had her eyes on McGonagall and hadn't noticed. Harry caught Ron's eye and glanced in the direction of Narcissa and Draco. Ron looked and then raised his eyebrows at Harry. McGonagall finished speaking and everyone stood to begin the procession past the grave to toss in the white roses, which is when Hermione realized Draco and his mother were there. Harry could see her posture stiffen. Ron put his hand on the small of her back and whispered something in her ear.

After everyone processed by the grave, generally the four of them stood to the side and shook hands and spoke to people, but this time, Ron said, "I'm taking her home." Hermione had a glazed expression and was trembling.

"Go," Harry said.

Ron raised his wand and Disapparated with Hermione. It was only the second time he'd ever taken her side-along and she didn't even seem aware it was happening.

xXx

By the time Ron and Hermione came into the Burrow's kitchen, she was shaking so hard she could barely stand. Ron got her seated on the bench at the table.

George came in from the parlor. "What's wrong?"

"Can you get a her a cup of tea and put a shot of Ogden's in it?" Ron said, as he took a seat sideways next to Hermione and wrapped his arms around her. "You're safe," he whispered. "We're home and everything is fine. I've got you."

George pulled his wand and got out the kettle. A minute later he was handing Ron a cup of tea.

"Aright," Ron said, holding the cup for Hermione. "Have a sip of this." She reached for it but her hands were still shaking, so he held on to it too. She clenched her eyes closed. "You're fine," he repeated. "Look around. You're at the Burrow, in the kitchen, sitting at the table. I'm right here with you."

She opened her eyes and nodded.

"Yes," Ron said.

She was on her second cup of tea before she could manage to stop trembling. Harry and Ginny and his parents returned. Harry went immediately to Ron and Hermione. Hermione pressed her face against Harry's stomach and he kissed the top of her head. The three of them held on to each other.

Molly made more tea and set the pot and a tray of cups on the table. She opened a packet of biscuits and set them out too.

"I'm so sorry, about Narcissa and Draco being there," Arthur said, taking a seat at the table. "No one knew they were planning to attend. I would have warned you."

"It's alright," Hermione said quietly. "I shouldn't be so upset. It's not as though either of them really did anything. They just stood there watching." She pressed a hand over her mouth.

Ron rested his forehead against her ear.

Hermione closed her eyes again and blew out a shaky breath. "I should go get changed," she said. Harry stepped back and Ron got up. She got to her feet. "I'm sorry for being so…dramatic. I'm fine."

"You weren't—" Ron said.

"I was," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to go get changed."

"Speaking of that," Molly said, "All of you bring down your laundry. I think those funeral robes need a good wash. They've been charmed enough."

Hermione nodded and slipped upstairs.

"Well, go on then," Molly said to the others. "Get changed and bring your laundry out back."

"I should get to work," Arthur said.

"Alright dear," his wife said, patting his chest. He leaned down to kiss her before taking the Floo to the Ministry.

Everyone else trudged upstairs to change except George, who went to drag the laundry tubs outside for his mother.