After the war, Hermione finds that she has drifted apart from Harry and Ron, as their lives head in different directions. As new opportunities come to her and she makes new friends, will the Golden Trio ever reconnect? Cedric lives. HG/CD.
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Disclaimer: Not mine, don't own it – I wish! Unfortunately, Harry Potter belongs to JKR and not to me; I'm just playing in her sandbox.
Author's Notes:
» Thank you to my beta, the wonderful StrongHermione, for all her help and support.
» This story is complete and in the process of being betaed; I'm hoping to update approximately every two weeks or so.
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Chapter 2
A week later, Hermione and Cedric were at the airport, ready to check in under their new identities. Cedric had agreed it would be prudent to change their appearance sufficiently to fool anyone not looking too closely at them and that glamour charms and Polyjuice would be too risky, so the promised visit to a muggle hairdresser had resulted in new hair styles and hair colouring, while muggle casual clothing and trekking backpacks had completed the picture of two muggle students off to backpack around Australia together.
Cedric's hair was now dyed an inky black and cropped very short. He was wearing a comfortable hoodie, ripped black jeans, a Fleetwood Mac t-shirt and black Converses.
"What's a Fleetwood Mac?" he had asked when presented with the shirt.
"A muggle rock band, like the Weird Sisters," Hermione explained.
True to her word, Hermione now looked almost unrecognisable with her trademark bushy hair tamed into a multitude of micro braids and dyed in blue and black, Goth inspired colours. Cedric's jaw had dropped to the floor when he first caught sight of Hermione wearing a cropped denim jacket, a very short, flirty, pleated blue tartan skirt, thick black tights, black Dr Martens and a plain, long-sleeved black t-shirt, which showed a hint of midriff. She had deliberately chosen to avoid all hints of Gryffindor red or gold in her new guise and she looked stunning. "So I don't look like the know-it-all bookworm then?" she smirked. Hermione's amusement grew as she watched her dumbstruck and speechless companion struggle to reply.
After a stopover in Singapore on the way, where they had managed to exit the airport and explore the city a little, the two weary travellers finally landed in Melbourne.
"Where to?" asked Cedric, as they walked out the terminal.
"I've booked us into a budget hotel," replied Hermione. "It's not fancy but it's used by backpackers so we'll be unremarkable there and I'd feel safer than in the wizarding district. I've booked us a twin room, if that's all right with you? I thought it would be better if we were together."
"No problem, but don't you want to go and find your parents?"
"First we need to shower and sleep. We can't turn up on their doorstep looking like ragamuffins or they won't let us in the door, and I need to be alert to reverse the memory charm or I could end up causing permanent brain damage. I'm only going to have one chance to do this because they'll be suspicious of strangers who approach them repeatedly, so I have to do everything right the first time."
With that, the friends boarded a bus which took them close to the hotel in the city centre. They made their way to the hotel and checked in, glad to be able to clean up and rest.
The following morning, Hermione and Cedric sat on her bed with the local telephone directory in front of them, scouring the pages for listings in the name of Wilkins W, Wilkins M, and Wilkins with no initial. Fortunately there were not very many such listings, so she prepared to start making calls. When placing the memory charm on her parents, Hermione had implanted the idea that they were planning to emigrate to Australia in their minds. She had specifically influenced them in the direction of Melbourne, as the small family had been there on holiday the year before Hermione started Hogwarts and they had all loved the city. In fact, Hermione's parents had even briefly considered moving to Melbourne then but had decided against it once they had agreed that Hermione should attend Hogwarts. Hermione hoped that her parents had in fact settled in Melbourne because she did not know how she could possibly search the entire country for them otherwise.
Trembling from nerves and tension, Hermione gradually worked her way through the listings, knowing that at some numbers there would be no answer since the household residents would be out and about on their daily business and that she would therefore probably not find her parents during her first round of phone calls. As the list of numbers she would need to call back grew, Hermione could not help losing hope, just a little.
Having all but given up hope of finding her parents that day, Hermione was stunned when about two-thirds of the way through her list of possibilities, her call was picked up by an answerphone and she heard a message in a very familiar voice. Her face lit up as she listened to her father reciting that no one was available to answer right now and would the caller please leave a message. Hermione held the receiver tightly in her hand as she listened avidly to the simple words, crying with relief at having found her parents. As she shakily returned the receiver to its cradle, Cedric lifted his diminutive friend onto his lap and held her in his arms while she sobbed. She nestled in closely as he stroked her hair and made reassuring shushing sounds.
"All right?" Cedric asked when Hermione finally quietened. She nodded, taking strength from the comforting feeling of being gently rocked in strong arms. Lifting her tear-stained face towards him, she nodded. "I found them," she said.
"That's wonderful, Hermione," he said, hugging her tightly. "So, shall we go and see them now?"
"No, they're out at work. We can go this evening when they're home."
"Right. Well in that case, we're going out for the rest of the day. Go wash your face and get whatever you need. We'll get something to eat and do some sightseeing. Go on, go and ready." Cedric stood up, tipping Hermione off his knee. Finding herself suddenly sprawling on the floor, Hermione scowled up at her friend, who just laughed in response, completed unfazed by the surly look on her face. He reached down to pull her up, putting his arm around her waist to steady her when she stumbled against him. Smiling down at her, he tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "I'm glad you found your parents, Kitten," he whispered, cupping her cheek tenderly and gently thumbing away the remnants of her tears from her face.
Brown eyes met grey. "K... Kitten?" she asked hesitantly.
"Kitten," he replied firmly. "You definitely have the personality of a cat, my little Gryffindor lioness. Fiery, strong and independent but fiercely protective of those you care about. You show your claws when you're angry but you purr you're when stroked. Yet although your personality may be ten feet tall – just like that ugly orange furball you used to own! – you, my feisty little witchling, are in fact tiny. So Kitten, not cat."
Hermione beamed at Cedric. "I like that," she whispered.
"Good." He kissed the tip of her nose as she looked up at him. "Now go and get ready."
Ten minutes later, the laughing teens headed out to explore Melbourne. After an enjoyable day whereby Hermione had made a conscious effort to focus only on the fun she and Cedric were having, they finally stopped off at a café to rest after their day of sightseeing.
"So what's the plan?" Cedric asked reluctantly. He had enjoyed seeing a light-hearted Hermione without her worries weighing her down and regretted bringing the serious and anxious look that she had worn for so long back to her face. It had been a very long time since the little witch had been truly carefree but, hopefully, when they restored her parents' memories, she would be able to relax and would remember how to be happy again.
"Well, we'll have to use subterfuge to enter the house. Once we're in, I have a video to show them if they're willing to watch it. After they've seen it, I hope they'll agree to let me restore their memories. If not, we may have to use the body bind curse and do the restoration without their cooperation. The former would be less distressing for them so I hope they'll agree but, frankly, I don't think it's likely."
"Okay, first of all, what's a video? And, secondly, do you have an idea how you'll trick your way inside?"
"A video is kind of like a muggle version of a pensieve memory. The video is a message from themselves to themselves, just before I modified their memories. Hopefully, they'll believe and trust it."
"So how do we get in and get them to watch it?"
"I was thinking of saying that I'm the niece of one of their secretaries and that when she heard I was coming to Australia, everyone at their dental practice made this video for them, which they asked me to deliver. Mum and Dad may not want to watch it while we're there, though. We could leave the phone number of the hotel so they can contact us once they've seen it but they might call the police – that's the muggle Aurors – if they think it's some kind of hoax."
"So regardless of whether or not they watch this video thingy, we may need to use some force?"
Hermione bit her lip and nodded sombrely.
"Kitten, I know you don't want to hear this but perhaps we should just do that from the start? We can still use that excuse to get us in the house but prolonging the process will just be more painful for everyone. What's that muggle phrase you keep using – ripping something?"
"Ripping off a plaster. It's a muggle cover for cuts and sores, because muggles can't heal things like that instantly. It protects the cuts and sores and keeps them clean while they heal naturally, so they don't become infected. The plasters have an adhesive, a sticky substance, on them to keep them in place but because they're stuck down it can sting quite a bit when they're taken off. So it's better to rip it off quickly and get it over with than to try and peel it off slowly because that just draws out the pain and makes it worse. You may have a point," she mused. "We probably should bluff our way in and then once we're inside, do what we need to do. I just don't want to scare them, that's all." Hermione looked at Cedric, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Don't worry, Kitten. We might scare them a little but we won't hurt them, and they agreed that you should modify their memories, didn't they? So once we restore them, they won't be angry with you. They'll be so happy to see you again, Hermione," he reassured her, scooting his chair closer to hers and wrapping his arms tightly around her.
Hermione laid her head on Cedric's shoulder, taking strength from his embrace. After a few minutes, she reluctantly sat up and called over their waitress to ask for their bill. Once they had paid, Cedric took Hermione's hand and led her out the café, where they made their way to a payphone. Hermione dialled her parents' number, anxiously listening to the phone ring as she waited for one of her parents to answer.
"Hello?" It was Hermione's mother.
"Is this Monica Wilkins?" she asked tremulously.
"Yes, it is. Who's speaking, please?"
"My name is Hermione. My aunt, Ruth, was one of your secretaries in Britain. When she heard I was coming on holiday to Melbourne, everyone at the practice prepared a video message for you. I'm sorry for the short notice but I was wondering if it would be convenient for me to come round this evening to deliver it?"
"Of course I remember Ruth. We'd be delighted if you came round this evening, Hermione. Do you know how to get here?"
Hermione quickly wrote down the directions and hung up, taking great, gasping breaths of air. "That was my Mum, Cedric. I spoke to my Mum!"
Cedric took Hermione in his arms and held her while tears silently slid down her face. "You must be fed up of me crying on you," she sniffled into his shoulder. Cedric gently guided her chin upwards with his finger until she was looking at him. "Never," he said as he leaned down and kissed her lips tenderly.
"C... C... Cedric?" Hermione stuttered.
"Yes, Kitten?" he smiled at her serenely.
"You… you k... kissed me?"
"Yes, I did, Kitten, and I'm going to do it again," he whispered in her ear before kissing her once more. "Come on, let's go and find your parents. We're attracting attention here."
Hermione glanced round and blushed as she saw passers-by looking at them with smiles on their faces as they walked past the young couple. Cedric took her hand in his and towed her along with him. That brought Hermione out of her daze and she quickly caught up with the handsome young man.
Too impatient to wait for a bus, Hermione flagged down a taxi and gave the driver the address. As they drove off, Hermione peeked at her companion, who was looking out the window at the bustling city. "Cedric?" she said, getting his attention. Seeing him look at her inquiringly, Hermione slid one hand around his neck and tugged lightly. He willingly brought his head down and she kissed him sweetly on the lips. "Merlin, that was good," Hermione thought to herself as she smiled warmly at Cedric. Her face lit up when he smiled fondly back at her.
"I'm beginning to care very much for you, Cedric," she said quietly. "I don't know what I'd have done without you the last few days. I originally planned to make this trip alone and I simply can't imagine now how I would have coped on my own. You make me feel very happy and very safe and I don't want to be without you."
"Good," he said earnestly, "because I have no intention of letting you go." They spent the rest of the short journey gazing blissfully into each other's eyes.
They soon arrived at Hermione's parents' home and as the taxi drove off, Hermione stood gazing apprehensively at the house. Cedric put his arm around her shoulders reassuringly. "It'll be all right, Kitten. Come on, let's go in."
Squaring her shoulders, Hermione led the way up the path. She rang the doorbell and a moment later, heard footsteps coming towards the door. When it opened and she saw her mother standing there, Hermione could not contain the smile that spread across her face.