She wasn't quite sure how she managed it, but she found herself outside. She had turned so many corners and gone down so many hallways; she could have never recounted how she got here. The moving staircases were certainly an eye-opening experience. But now she stood on the bank of the lake the wind swirled around her. She pressed the photograph and the map against her chest as she slowed her breathing. After a few moments, she collapsed down onto the ground and folded the cloak over her lap. She stayed there gazing out onto the lake.

She looked down at the photograph again. Most of the people in the frame were redheads. In the center of the room to the left of the tree sat a rather plump older woman in a large comfy chair. An older man leaned on the armrest smiling down at the two toddlers that the wiggled around in the woman's lap. Another man with a scar across his face stood behind the chair. His arm was wrapped around the waist of a blonde woman and winked at the little girls when they turned around.

In front of the tree, the couple she had met yesterday, Harry and Ginny, sat on the floor watching a blue-haired boy unwrap what appeared to be a broom. In the corner of the frame, a tall woman with long black braids appeared briefly carrying a baby on her hip. She exited the frame as she appeared to be scolding someone out of sight. Another red-haired man entered the frame and took a seat on the floor to join those watching the boy open the broom next to 'Hermione Granger.'

But all of the people in this photo looked like they were her friends. Maybe even family. How come she didn't remember them? If they were that close, why was Harry trying to make her forget? Was he responsible for why she couldn't remember? Who is to say they won't do it again?

But why would Harry have told his children about her then? Why did everyone seem to know about this Hermione Granger? It was as if she was some sort of celebrity. She wasn't sure how much time had passed as she contemplated her situation.

Across the way, she saw two people approach her. She stood up and gathered her things. Fight or flight? She had nothing at her disposal. As real as magic appeared to be, it didn't seem wise to take her chances. Investigate. She crouched down though and moved forward to get a better look. She had no knowledge to guide her path. Somewhere along the way, her tennis shoe snagged the edge of a rock. And then another. On the third trip, she had enough momentum that she fell hard to the ground. The map and photo flying out of her hands and into the wind.

"No!" She shouted and began to frantically head in the direction they flew. They were the only true clues she had that made this whole experience feel real. She clamored back down and over the slight hill only to come face to face with the two figures.

She froze. She could see the blue-haired boy from the train and another boy just behind him. He slowly lifted his left hand holding the map and the photo he must have caught. She simply stared at his outreached hand for a moment before taking them out of his grasp.

"Thanks."

He nodded and then turned to his companion, "Hey Towler, why don't you head back up the castle? Check in with Professor McGonagall." Towler gave him a curious look but eventually took his cue to leave.

The blue-haired boy turned back to her and smiled. "Hi."

She studied him. While she doubted that he intended her harm nor to misinform her, she wasn't entirely sure whether to trust him. She kept her tense stance and distance but responded. "Hello."

They both awkwardly stared at each other for a few minutes. He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "That's me in the photo there."

She looked him and then back at the photo. "The little boy with the broom."

He nodded again and dropped his hand back to his side. "I take it you don't wish to return to the castle."

She gave a brief uncertain smile. "Honestly, no."

"Well…that makes sense." He replied awkwardly.

She considered her options. She needed answers. He knew "Hermione." But could she trust him? She wasn't sure that she could trust Harry or Ginny given their involvement the day before. Draco seemed to keep her intentionally misinformed, and Blaise may have been lying to her for years.

"So, you knew…her?" She asked him tentatively pointing at the girl in the photo that resembled her. He nodded. "How old were you?"

He looked off to the side as he counted. "Five, six?"

"So, you have memories of… Hermione Granger?"

He nodded. "Some."

In turn, she nodded. Her eyes looked at the ground as though searching for the best question to follow up with.

"S-she was my favorite." He offered quietly. Her head snapped up. He sheepishly smiled back his hair shifted to a red color. "Aunt of sorts that is."

"Really? Why?"

He shrugged. "Ginny was great of course, famous Quidditch player to top it off. And Susan's nice. Hannah and Angelina always played along with games and tricks. Whenever Luna was in the country, it led to …interesting adventures." He gave her a lopsided grin with a slight chuckle that faltered when she didn't get the joke. He cleared his throat before continuing. "But Hermione always had more of a link to my father than the others. Books, cleverness, creature rights." He paused. "She always read to me. Not just kid books about knights and Tales of Beedle the Bard, but Hogwarts A History and some muggle books."

A silence settled over them. "Muggle?" she asked tentatively.

"Non-magical," he replied.

She nodded. "…Quidditch?"

"Um…flying sort of sport." He rubbed the back of his neck and contorted his face trying to envision the right answer.

"Creature rights?"

"Oh…um…you know…equal rights for magical…beings." He continued to rub the back of his neck nervously.

She looked at him puzzled before accepting that it may be a conversation for another time. Another silence stretched out. "Did you not know your father?"

"He died shortly after I was born." It was a solemn statement spoken with a rehearsed candor.

"Oh." She shifted her weight, "I'm sorry."

He picked his head up a little further with pride. "He died fighting alongside my mother in the Battle of Hogwarts."

She nodded mutely before processing. "Wait, battle? Hogwarts is here. There was a battle here? Recently? Well somewhat recently, I suppose I mean."

"Yep." He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. His face twisted as he tried to choose his next words. "It's a long story."

"Oh," she said as the awkward silence descended upon them once again. "For being five or six, you seem to remember…Hermione very fondly."

"I mean it's not like that wasn't the last time I saw her."

"Oh," she replied quietly.

"…Hermione was around a lot for a couple more years after that picture …And then there were the stories."

She studied him. "Stories?"

He nodded and nudged a pebble with his shoe. "Stories in the paper about y-h-her history whenever there was a new sighting or …incident." She furrowed her brow but allowed him to continue, not wanting to miss anything. "To the wizarding world, she was the brilliant muggleborn friend of Harry Potter that tried saving the world one group of magical creatures at a time. 'The perfect beckon of shining light.' But to my family and her friends, she was a force of nature 'as terrifying as she was brilliant.'" He smiled fondly at her before shifting his glance to the pebble on the ground again. "So there were always stories."

"Why?" She asked him without even meaning to.

"Why what?" He now looked puzzled.

"Why does everyone care? Why does everyone know her? What happened to her?" She poured out just a few of the questions she could no longer hold in.

"Yeah, I am probably not a great person to ask. For any of those questions." He said, and a rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Oh." She said feeling deflated remembering again this was just a boy. She trusted him because of his innocence, but that also meant he knew less of the world.

"But…" Teddy said, and her curiosity peaked. "I know what they told us when we were kids."

She motioned for him to continue.

He sighed, "I don't think they knew what was going on at first. I was told she was going away for a while. But after weeks, I overheard Harry and Ginny talking. They found me out in the hall and told me that Hermione was sick. Too sick for visitors. But I shouldn't worry because she would be home soon. But…"

"…She never came home." She filled in for him as he nodded.

"More and more time passed. There were lots of hushed whispers and even a couple arguments about it. But they just told us, eventually, that we probably wouldn't see you again."

He didn't correct himself that time, and neither did she.

Silence settled on them. A sickness? Could a sickness cause memory loss? None of them tried to help her? Let her know what was going on? What did this have to do with Harry attempting to put a spell on her the night before? She was oblivious to the silence that settled upon them as her mind whirled through these thoughts.

She turned and looked back up to the castle and bit her lip. She suddenly became aware of the fact that this boy was probably waiting for her to head back to the school. "Um… well…you should head back up to the castle. I'm sure you have studying to do."

He the corner of his mouth twitched into a smile. "Of course." He gestured towards the path indicating she go first.

She bit her lip again with hesitation.

His smiled faded. "They're good people you know? Harry, Ginny, and the rest. I get that there's a lot going on right now. But they are good people. Helped raise me. You know, after my parents… You can trust them. …Hermione was important to them, so if nothing else know they would never mean to hurt you. If you are-I mean-if they think you are her. It's not a bad thing." He blushed, and his hair shifted color briefly as he stumbled through his words and she smiled at him.

"Thanks, I will try to consider that. But," She paused. "I think I'll make my way back on my own. You should go on."

He looked torn but eventually took his leave, and he smiled at her as he walked away. Or maybe it was a smile to someone just behind her. It was hard to tell.

AN: Thanks for reading! Please read and review.

To the guest that left a comment on the last chapter: Thanks for reviewing! Once the plot really starts to move along the chapters will get longer. Also any specific mistakes you would like to point out, I'd happily look into. Thanks!