15 August 1998

"Harry Potter!"

"What?"

"You can't take that!"

"McGonagall ordered a new one! She said that she didn't want a Quidditch cup with the Gryffindor name on it in this state."

"That doesn't mean you could just take it!"

"They're going to chuck it! Oliver would kneel over and die if he knew I allowed them to chuck the original. I'm doing it for Oliver!"

"You're going to owl it to him then are you?"

"Hell no! This bitch is mine!"

"Harry!" Hermione scolded shaking her head, "Ron's mouth is rubbing off on you."

Harry pressed his lips together and shook his head trying desperately not to laugh. "Because you're like my sister I'm going to let that one slide."

"Let what- OH! That's disgusting!"

"So you've never let Ron," Harry smirked. You should.,Ginny loves it."

"HARRY!"

"Sorry, I had a good morning."

"Because you're like my brother, I won't tell Ron you had a good morning with his sister."

"I'm sure he knows. She was just as late as I was."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "I'm heading out, See you tomorrow."

Harry gave her a cheeky grin. "Tell Ron I sad hi and your welcome for giving you ideas."

"I swear!" she said gathering the inventory she was taking on which trophies needed repair or replacing. She hadn't slept well that night and all she wanted to do was go home early to take a nice long nap. She looked one last time at her list. Their sixth year trophy wasn't so bad off. It had a few dents and scratches, nothing a few charms couldn't fix... She pulled a quill from her bag deciding if Harry was going to get an authentic Hogwarts Quidditch trophy to show his children so should Ron. She crossed off repair and added replace then walked over and grabbed the trophy from its mantel place and put it in her beaded bag.

"Hey! You can't take that!" Harry said jokingly.

"Sod off, Harry." She smiled.

"So, Ron's mouth is rubbing off on you."

"Almost every night this week," she countered and left before harry snapped out of his state of shock.

"Have fun!" she heard him call before he burst into laughter. It really was amazing the transformation Harry had gone under since the end of the war. She couldn't remember the last time she saw him so carefree and relaxed. The war was over. Life was good.

"Ron! Ron! Are you home?" The silence that greeted her was good. She looked at her watch and saw she didn't have much time. The look on Ron's face when he walked in his room to see the Quidditch cup he helped win his last year at Hogwarts would be priceless. She was just about to head up when she heard foot step out side the door, hurriedly she hid the cup behind the couch and turned to smile just as the person she wanted to see waked through the door. He looked… terrible.

"Oh my god! What happened to you?"

"Apparated badly- fell down the hill."

"That looks dreadful." she said touching the gash on his forehead. He flinched back making her assume it was as bad as it looked.

"How much does it hurt?"

"What are you doing here?" He nearly snapped at her and she tried not to take offence attributing his foul mood to his injuries.

"Oh," Hermioe turned and pulled the cup out from behind the coach. "We found this in the wreckage. Harry thought you might like it," she lied, if they got caught she was going to put the blame on Harry, her head girl badge could be on the line, but he would always be the boy who lived. "He nicked the one he helped win…" He was just staring at her blankly, "Ron, are you OK?".

"I need a shower."

His voice seemed cold and distant. "Come let's clean you up."

Hermione brought him up to the loo to get him cleaned up all the while glancing side ways at him. He wouldn't look at her just stared straight ahead. Twice in the short walk she tried to interlace their fingers but he didn't respond, it was like he didn't even feel her touch.

She watched almost transfixed as he stared at his reflection. There was this cold numbness around him, a stark difference from the warmth he usually admitted. Hermione shook herself, grabbing a clean washcloth; she wet it under he faucet and began to clean the blood off of her boyfriends face.

"I can do that," he snapped at her again taking the washcloth her hand and it was hard not to get offended this time.

"Don't be ridiculous. It needs to be disinfected and healed and you're rubbish at that."

He didn't say anything just sat down on the toilet. She cleaned and healed his wounds as he stared off in to space.

"There we go. I'll go make us some tea while you shower, okay?"

"Minister."

Kingsley Shacklebolt looked up from his paper work, into the grave face of the head of magical law enforcement.

"Yes Laurie?"

"Sir…"

Kingsley knew that look that was written on Greg Laurie's face. It was the same look everyone in his old department got when the dark mark would appear in the sky.

"Where?"

"Over the Granger house."

Kingsley was on his feet and out the door in a matter of seconds.

"Send a team. Arthur!"

"We have sir but we can't gain accesses until the muggle authorities have finished their investigation."

"Muggle… How could… Arthur!"

Arthur Weasley came jogging around the corridor, red faced in his haste to the summons.

"What's-"

"The dark mark's been set over Hermione's house, find Ron and tell him to check Hogwarts she may still be there, if not…" Kingsley's voice cracked a bit.

"What do we know?" the minister rounded on Laurie.

"Three dead. Our men are in the crowed waiting for entry. They saw three bodies taken from the house. Overheard the muggle police…One's throat slashed, two with no signs of what caused their deaths. They seemed to have just dropped dead."

Three dead.

"Find Ron and Harry. I'll floo Molly." With a nod Arthur was off.

"Where's Witter?"

"In his office, sir, he's handling it."

Kingsley threw Lurie a scathing look and headed to the head of the Auror departments office. It seemed to take forever for him to reach the door which didn't do anyone any good, the usually calm minister was gaining anger with each step so by the time he entered the office he could do nothing but bellow.

"HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED!"

"Minister… please."

"We put up enchantments. Our people should have been there before the muggles! They will do nothing but contaminate the crime scene! How were you not aware of magic being preformed in that house?"

"We were sir… but a witch lives there, we thought it was her, we get alerts of magic several times a day!"

"That much magic? In such a short period of time?"

"We thought she invited friends, the war is over, we didn't think it was anything till the dark mark came through."

"Didn't think… didn't think! You're incompetence and false sense of security could have just lead to the death of Hermione Granger!"

"We're aware of whose house has been attacked." Scott said in a small voice. "We're sorry!"

"Sorry. Humph."

Throwing a hand full of floo powder in to Mr. Witter's fireplace he called. "The Burrow." And was gone in a flash of emerald flames.

Kingsley stumbled in to the kitchen at the burrow and the sights that meet him there nearly made him cry.

"Hermione!"

Hermione jumped at her name being nearly screamed and turned just in to see Kingsley as he pulled her in to a tight hug.

"Uh-Hello!"

Kingsley held her out at arm's length looking as if he didn't believe she was standing there.

"You're here," he said relieved but before she could answer Harry, Mr. Weasley and Professor McGonagall came bursting through the door. Pulling her into a hug one by one. To say she was confused would have been an understatement.

"What's going on?" she asked, an ominous felling crept over her as the four looked at each other not knowing how to answer.

"What's wrong?"

"Maybe you should sit down."

The sound of the front door being swung open forcefully and crashing to something could be herd a split second before Ginny's and Fred's panicked voices and running foot steps on the stairs filled the house.

"RON!"

"MUM!"

A moment later George came running into the kitchen and skirted to a halt staring at Hermione for a moment longer be for he too pulled her in to a hug. The fear she had begun to feel grew. Never had either of the twins shown this type of affection towards her.

"SHE'S HERE!" George called behind him.

"SHE'S IN THE KITCHEN!" Fred related as he too ran in to the kitchen with the sound of Ginny's footsteps thundering back down the stairs before she entered and flung herself at Hermione.

"What's going on?"

Fred flung an arm around his twin and wagged a finger at her with a relived smile.

"Rumors of your death have been greatly exaggerated."

"Rumors of my what?" she asked confused.

"I could kill Lee for scaring us like that."

"Hush George, Hermione might start to think we care about her."

"Boys," Mr. Weasley said in a solemn voice.

"What's going on dad?" Ginny asked and Hermione hoped someone would answer that question. She herself wanted to know why every on thought she was dead. "Lee came in to the shop talking about how you showed up at Hogwarts and something about Hermione being killed by Death Eaters."

"She looks alive and well to me," George said.

"Slow day at work? Thought you could use a bit of excitement?" The smiles on the twins faces faded when their father ignored them and turned to Hermione.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ginny walk over to Harry and whisper something to which Harry said nothing but just shook his head. The confusion on Ginny face matched her own.

"Ginny, why don't you and Harry go over to Andromeda's."

"Is something wrong with Teddy?" Hermione asked.

Mr. Weasley didn't answer. Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and tried to pull him along but Harry didn't budge. "I need to be with Hermione." he whispered. Ginny tightened her grip on Harry's hand.

"I'm fine Harry. See" She said holding out her arms. "Perfectly healthy. Honestly." She said looking everyone firmly one in the eye. "I don't know how these rumors started, but I'm not dead."

"I'll get Molly, Arthur," McGonagall said quickly departing.

Mr. Weasley sighed resigned.

"They're not rumors. Or at least the ones about you are but…"

"Your parents were attacked, Hermione."

Every one turned to see Bill and a man Hermione only knew by face standing in the door way of the kitchen.

"It's all over Diagon Ally- that you were dead. I left work and ran into Scott." Bill explained gesturing to the man next to him.

Hermione reeled "I need to get to St Mungo's." she said turning this way and that looking for something she couldn't remember. "My wand. My bag. I need my bag. My beaded bag. I need to get to-"

"Hermione, sit down," Bill said trying to lead her to a seat but she pulled out of his grasp.

"No! I need to get to St Mungo's; I need to make sure they're OK."

"Hermione…"

"Don't look at me like that!" she practically yelled at Kingsley. He was looking at her with such pity in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Hermione."

"No."

"When the dark mark came through…"

"No!" she sobbed collapsing in to a chair. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. It was a mistake; a prank. She had just seen them this morning at breakfast laughing and smiling and – they can't be dead they just can't she had just gotten them back! They had only been back two months, a hand full of weeks. They had just gotten their practice back up and running. This can't be happening the war was over.

Hermione jumped out of the seat running up the stairs she didn't know where she was going but she couldn't stand still. She made it to Ron's room only to find it empty. The shower he said he was going to take a shower.

"Ron." She knocked but got no answer.

"Ron, can you hear me?" no answer.

"Open the door." Nothing

"Ron please open the door." Still nothing.

"I need you Ron… please!" She sobbed sliding down the door falling to her knees unable to do a simple thing such as stand. All her energy had been drain from her as it all began to sink in. Her parents were dead. Her family was gone, just like that, she was alone.

She needed Ron to come out. It would all be OK if Ron would just come out, He would hold her and it would be OK. She would feel warm and safe and protected and…

"RON, OPEN THE DOOR!" she yelled pounding on it. She thought she could hear anguished sobs coming from the other side, but then they could just be her own.

If you asked her how she got here she couldn't tell you. It seemed like one minute she was pounding on the door of the loo and now she was with Bill and Mr. Weasley walking down the corridor to the morgue. The morgue. To identify her parent's bodies. The only feeling she could register was that her legs felt like lead and that every now and again Bill would rub her back to try and comfort her. He had become so paternal since his daughter was born not two weeks ago. He was going to be a good father-Her dad was a good father- A sob escaped her and immediately both Bill and Mr. Weasley wrapped and arm around her. She was surrounded by fathers, but not her own.

"I can't do this!" Hermione stopped and buried her head in her hands.

"It's best to get it over with quickly," Bill told her moving her along.

"I don't want to do this!" Hermione said shaking her head.

"Dad are we sure it's them?"

"Quite sure son."

"Cant we just… confound them? Make them think she identified them?"

"Using magic on muggle is illegal."

"But dad -" He gestured to Hermione. "Hasn't she seen enough death? Haven't we all? We're not hurting them."

Hermione looked pleadingly at Mr. Weasley with watery eyes. He didn't want to see her parent's lying on a cold slab.

"OK… OK." Mr. Weasley nodded slowly to himself. "Take her home, I'll… handle this."

Hermione let out a sob. "I don't want to go home! Can't I stay at The Burrow tonight?"

Mr. Weasley gave her a sad but firm look. "That's what I meant. The Burrow is your home. For however long you need it to be."

When they got back to The Burrow Mrs. Weasley true to form fussed over her. Tried feeding her hugging her doing every in her power to ease Hermione but nothing help. She graciously declined any offer of food comfort and offers to talk claiming she just wanted to go to bed.

"I fixed up Bill's room for you. He won't mind."

"Not at all," Bill agreed.

"And I set up a bed in Ginny's room in case you would rather be in there." After a long hesitation and an enormous inward battle she also said. "And Harry's old camp bed is up in Ron's room… if you prefer to sleep in there. The camp bed." She stressed.

Hermione simply nodded and began to make her way to Ron's room. This wasn't supposed to happen, she thought. Every thing was going so well now. They were going to fix Hogwarts; they would attend their last year; she would be Head Girl and when they graduated her parents were going to take her and Ron to Rome. Her parents had just started to love Ron. Really, truly, love him. Her mother had already begun to plan their wedding, jokingly at first but she had really begun to plan it. Her Father had promised Ron his chair. This wasn't part of the plan. The war was over they were all supposed to live happily ever after.

"He's still in the loo." Harry said descending the stairs in front of Ginny. "I think he put up a silencing charm."

A distant memory floated to her mind. "He fell down the hill earlier. He's probably relaxing."

"That's no excuse."

"There no way he could have known this would-" Hermione dissolved in to tears and Ginny hugged her just as they heard the distant sound of the loo door open. They all looked towards the sound and Hermione stomach sank. He didn't know. She would have to tell him. He loved her parents.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Ginny asked her.

She shook her head and started up the stairs. Stopping a his open door as he pulled a shirt over his head.

"Ron?"

He turned to face her and Hermione could feel the break down coming.

"My p-p-parents…they're…g-gone… d-dead." She crumpled to the floor and Ron quickly sat beside her, pulling her in to his arms as she sobbed. She heard a sniff and felt, more then heard, Ron's own sob as he cried with her. They stayed like that, sitting on the floor of his room grieving together.