A/N: Hi, sorry for the delay. So this next chapter comes in two parts, because after I was done writing it, I realised that it was way too long for only one chapter. The second part is written but not yet fully edited. But don't worry, I'll try to get my wife to do it soon ;) In the meantime, let me know what you think of this in the reviews. It's my only way of getting feedback from you guys. Thanks.

Disclaimer: same as always.

Chapter Seven - Sunday with the Weasleys

Hermione and Valerie both woke late on Saturday. Hermione was up a little earlier and got started on breakfast, enjoying the fact that she didn't have to do everything the Muggle way anymore. Valerie came into the kitchen just as Hermione put the soft-boiled eggs on the table.

They ate their breakfast in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Valerie found her voice, "Is everything bewitched in this flat?"

Hermione shook her head while swallowing the last bite of her toast. "No, not everything. I'll change everything back to its original state today and you can watch and ask me things as I go along. If you like." Hermione offered and started swishing her wand to make the dishes wash themselves.

Completely astounded by the spectacle in front of her Valerie decided, "From now on you do the cleaning around here! And now, show me all those hidden magical things!"

They got up and Hermione started to reverse the spells she had put on things. The Books gave up being romance novels and the photographs of Harry and the others started to move. Hermione broke the Disillusionment Charm on the old grandfather clock

„Wow, what does it do?" Valerie asked in awe. Hermione immediately shifted into teacher gear and explained, „See the hands of the clock? Each one has a name on it. There you, me and I installed one for Ginny, Harry and Ron too. There look, Ginny is now travelling. That means she is flooing or apparating somewhere. See, she's at the stadium now. The Weasleys have a clock just like this."

Hermione went to get an ordinary broom from the closet and transfigured it into a perch for her owl, „He'll be so glad to have a place to stay inside", she said. She then went to get his cage that was hidden in her room and placed it next to the perch on top of Hermione's old trunk in the living room. She carefully explained to Val how owling worked and then called for her owl. "Valerie meet Tyton. He's a Barn Owl"

"Hi Tyton. Do you bite?" Valerie asked the owl, who in turn cocked his head and hooted indignantly.

It was almost four in the afternoon when another owl swooped in from the kitchen. "Hi owl," Valerie said good naturedly, "Do you have a letter for us?" But when Valerie tried to snatch the letter from its beak the owl hopped away from. Valerie got up and tried to bribe the owl with a treat but that didn't work either. When Hermione came back from the bathroom she couldn't help laughing at the sight in front of her. The owl was hopping backwards on the ground and Valerie waddling after it with a treat in her hand. They seemed to move around the sofa in circles. "He won't give you the letter if it's not for you," Hermione finally interrupted their awkward dance. She lifted her arm and the owl flew the distance and landed gracefully. Hermione took the letter and brought the owl over to Valerie who finally was able to give away her treat. And with a pleased hoot the owl was gone again. Hermione immediately recognised the penmanship and opened the letter with a sigh, already suspecting what it would say.

Dear Hermione,

We haven't seen you at Sunday dinners in a while and since I have always considered you part of this family I wanted to invite you to join us this Sunday. No excuses!

Ron told us everything about that foul man, Malfoy. Rest assured, we're safe. All our protective spells are still in place.

Ron also told me that you filled in your flat mate about who you really are. Depending on how well she took it, I would like to extend my invitation to her. Please, just let me know if you will come alone or with company so I can prepare enough food. I really don't want anyone go hungry.

Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.

Love,

Molly

PS: I'm sorry, if the owl already took off without your answer. He's not good with following orders.

"Who's Molly again?" Valerie asked. She had read the letter after Hermione had given it to her.
"Molly is Ginny's Mum. Remember the stories? Well, actually those stories weren't exactly true. Molly is warm, caring and always ready to help. She sort of became like a surrogate Mum to me during the summers I spent at their house. They call it the Burrow. I just fed you the stories of how awful Molly is, so that you wouldn't feel left out of something great when I went to those dinners. Weasley family dinners are a bit overwhelming but once you get used to the banter, you'll love it. Do you want to come with me?"

"Hm, she said 'No Excuses'. So I think I'll better give it a try." answered Valerie.
"Alright, then. Let's write her back." Hermione got a piece of parchment and a quill from a drawer underneath Tyton's perch and handed it to Valerie, "You do the honours".
"Wow, it's really hard to write with something like that!" But once she'd gotten the hang of it it seemed simple enough. When Val was done, she put the letter in an envelope and handed it to Tyton, who took it but didn't make any effort to take off.

"You have to either tell him where to go, if he knows the location, or you need to write a name on the envelope." Hermione explained.

"Please take the letter to Molly Weasley, Tyton." Valerie said politely, and off he flew.

Hermione and Valerie spent the rest of the day talking about Quidditch, Hogwarts and Diagon Alley until they were too tired to continue.

They rose late on Sunday and had only very little for breakfast. "Best to be very hungry for Molly's dinner," Hermione had said, "She'll make you eat third and fourth helpings, especially when you're new," she added.

"What do you think this Malfoy character is up to?" Valerie brought up the touchy subject.

"Nothing good, that's for sure. So until we get him back where he belongs, you should definitely not be alone, without one of us around. I know that might spoil your usual evening plans a bit but I really don't want to risk Lucius getting to you," said Hermione furrowing her brow.

"WHAT? NO, definitely, NO! I can't go out and erm...meet people? You realise that you will have to put up with a very cranky me?" Valerie was obviously not very fond of the idea.

"Look, if you get cranky enough, we might let you go out alone for Lucius to find you. Your cranky self might just finish him off. But until then, no going anywhere without a magical babysitter. Sorry." Hermione defended her plan. She was afraid that Lucius might go for the easy way, capturing the one defenseless Muggle that Hermione cared about except her parents. She knew they were safe, still living in Australia and oblivious to the fact they ever had a daughter. Tears welled up in her eyes. She had not seen them in two years and it would probably be another two until all the Death Eaters were convicted of their crimes, and only then would it be safe to break the memory charm. A single tear dropped down her face.

"Hermione, what's up?" Valerie said softly, taking her hand and squeezing it.

Hermione shook her head, wiped away the tears and took a deep breath, "I just thought about my parents, is all."

"What about them? Lucius can't get to them, now can he?" Valerie said, still thinking they were dead.

"They live in Australia. They are safe. They are safe. They are safe." Hermione repeated her mantra to convince herself. She knew that it was true, they were safe, but she still worried about them.

"I...erm...but you said...oh, Hermione, all that time you had to pretend they were dead while they weren't?" Valerie hugged her flat mate as tightly as she could without squashing her.

"When the war started I placed a memory charm on them, ridding them of all memories of me . They are Muggles and I needed to protect them. They live in Australia now, under a different name. I swore to myself only to break the charm once all the Death Eaters are behind bars," Hermione explained already feeling much more collected.

Valerie hugged her some more until she was sure her friend was feeling better.

"We probably should get going. It's such a beautiful day and we could use a little time in the countryside." Hermione said, getting up.

"Do you think I can bring a camera?" Valerie asked, ever the photographer.

"I'm sure they won't mind. Just tell them it's what you do for a living and that you're not a journalist," Hermione answered.

A couple of minutes later they were standing in front of the fireplace. Valerie looked a little pale but reassured Hermione she was ok. Hermione picked up some floo powder and together they stepped into the fireplace. "The Burrow!" Hermione shouted.

They hadn't even properly stepped out of the fireplace and already Molly had hugged Hermione as tightly as she could, "Oh, I thought you were mad at us, always making up excuses for not coming!" When Molly was done hugging Hermione, she went right ahead and pulled Valerie into a hug, much shorter though since she didn't want to overwhelm the girl. "You must be Hermione's flat mate," she said, happy to have another eating guest.

"Valerie Cox. So nice to meet you, Mrs. Weasley." Valerie said feeling right at home. When Molly's eyes found Valerie's camera, she eyed it suspiciously.

Valerie followed her gaze and quickly explained as Hermione had told her, "I'm a photographer by trade and Hermione couldn't stop gushing about how beautiful the surrounding fields and forests are. I hope it's okay if I snap some pictures of the landscape and maybe one or two of your family. I'd be happy to make copies for you if you want."

"Oh, of course, dear. Go right ahead and take as many pictures as you like," Molly answered, "Hermione? Can I talk to you for a second?" Molly added, her voice hushed.

"Of course, Molly. Val, can you give us a second, you can either go outside and meet the rest of the Weasleys or wait for me in the sitting room over there," Hermione explained.

Valerie opted for fresh air and stepped out of the kitchen.

"What's on your mind, Molly?" Hermione asked as soon as Valerie was out of earshot.

"I don't have much time, Harry will be here soon, and I know you and Ginny are not as close as you once were, but I was hoping you could tell me why my daughter sneaked into her old room just after sunrise on Saturday and then again tonight, just after Arthur and I had gone to bed?" Molly's voice was heavy with concern and Hermione decided on playing the estranged-friend-card. It was not her place to tell Mrs. Weasley about Ginny and Harry breaking up bacause of her.

"To be quite honest, I have no idea. As you said, we have grown apart a bit and I didn't know Ginny hadn't slept at Grimmauld Place," Hermione tried to sound as convincing as possible, but she could tell Molly didn't believe a word she said. Harry, of all people, came to her rescue by stepping out of the fireplace. Molly ran over to hug him hello. Hermione quickly to the garden before Harry even knew she was there.

She found Ginny, Ron, George, Percy, Arthur and Valerie sitting around a table in the garden. Arthur was smitten by their Muggle visitor and asked her question after question about photography. Valerie didn't seem to mind it too much, after all it was not only her job but her passion too. She drew the line though when Arthur suggested opening up the camera to see how it worked inside.

"Hello everyone," Hermione said and waved at all of them. One by one they hugged her hello, even Percy. Ginny was last and after a very short but very awkward moment they briefly hugged. Hermione tensed up,every nerve ending in her body standing on edge and screamimg for more physical contact. They forced their bodies apart, not noticing George's probing look. Something was up, he hadn't seen them hug in forever. They were supposed to avoid each other. The cogs in his head started to turn, but his thoughts were interrupted by Harry coming out of the house.

Harry greeted everyone but stopped short when he realised Hermione was present. "Don't worry," said Hermione, when she realised Harry looked somewhat scared, „I'll be civil and won't chew your head off. Molly invited me and wouldn't take no for an answer. Val is here too but she's busy explaining Muggles to Arthur." Hermione explained. Harry said in a very serious tone, "There was a lot of truth in your words. I deserved them. Don't worry, I have a plan to make up for everything." Oh no!

He then went to greet his soon to be ex-girlfriend and planted a big kiss on her lips. Hermione's insides cringed. Surprised by her own reaction, she thought, I didn't know I'm the jealous type. I never was before, but take your hands off my girlfriend!

Harry beamed as if he had won the House Cup all over again and wouldn't leave Ginny out of his eyes for even a second. Hermione tried to establish eye contact with Ginny to soothe her growing feelings of jealousy, but she couldn't get her to look back.

Shortly, Molly served dinner and everyone dug in. The conversation was merry and easygoing and only got serious for a while when they talked about Lucius Malfoy. But in the end they decided not to let it spoil their dinner and went back to happier thoughts.

After dinner Harry got up from his seat and softly tapped a spoon against his glass. Everyone went silent and looked at him curiously.

"I have a little announcement to make, yes, another one. Even though no one ever talks about it, I know everyone knows that Ginny and I have hit a rough patch a while ago." Hermione started to squirm in her seat, she had a feeling where this might be going and she didn't like it. At all. She looked at Ginny who still seemed utterly clueless.

"Ginny, a lot of what went wrong was my fault. I didn't treat you the way you deserved to be treated, and you know from my letter that I intend to make up for my mistakes. I love you with all of my heart and being away from you for a week made me realise one thing: I don't ever want to lose you," Harry continued. Hermione was raging inside. She knew he was clueless, but what was he doing? Ginny's eyes were wide with what everybody thought was happy anticipation, but Hermione knew it to be sheer panic. She wanted to help her somehow but didn't know how to. Then she watched Harry get down on one knee in front of the woman she loved. Oh Gods, please don't!

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, will you do me the honour and marry me?" Harry said and saw tears in Ginny's eyes. He assumed they were happy tears and patiently waited for her to say yes.

Ginny's mouth opened and closed again without a word coming out. Her mouth was as dry as the desert. She looked down at the beautiful diamond ring Harry was presenting her with, tried to fight back the tears, but failed miserably. Her heart cried out for Hermione to hold her and help her through this but she knew she had to do this alone now.

"I'm sorry, Harry, " Ginny started and swallowed hard, tears in her eyes. She still cared for Harry and really didn't want to hurt him, but her heart hadn't been in this relationship, how could it be in a marriage, "I can't. I'm sorry," she stammered. When she couldn't bear it anymore she got up and fled to her room.

Everyone was silent. A shell shocked Harry still had his knee on the floor and the ring in his hand. George found his voice first, "Maybe someone should go up and make sure she's okay?" he said, looking straight at Hermione. Molly deemed this to be a good idea and nodded, "You should go. You two are best friends after all."

Hermione got up without saying anything, ignoring Valerie's "don't-do-anything-stupid"-look, and left the table. She went up the stairs and stopped in front of Ginny's door. She knocked before entering to let Ginny know someone was here. She found her lying on her bed, sobbing into her pillow. It was heartbreaking. She knew Ginny was not one to cry, and seeing this strong and independent woman break down was too much for her. Hermione closed the door and went over to the bed and sat down. She held Ginny and the pillow she clung to close to her until the sobs died down a bit. Hermione gently stroked the the redhead's hair and told her that everything would be alright. When she had calmed down enough, Ginny lifted her head and looked at the woman holding her. Dammit, she had cried for minutes on end, and still she looked beautiful. Hermione scolded herself and focused back on consoling Ginny. "It will be fine. Everything is going to be just fine," she promised again and again.

"Thank you," Ginny whispered, still holding eye contact. It was as if looking into Hermione's eyes made all the world around her disappear and gave her hope that everything would indeed be completely fine. Hermione lovingly stroked her cheek and Ginny closed her eyes to fully take in the feel of Hermione's soft hands. Hermione bowed down and gave Ginny a soft kiss on the lips. It was then that Hermione saw something move in the corner of her eye.

A/N: So this was part one. Let me know what you think and maybe how you would like the story to continue...