A/N: Hello! So I seem to be on a roll this week. *cheers*. I don't quite know how this chapter will go down, especially the second half but this is how I saw and imagined it...but I do hope you like it. I have decided to change the structure of this fanfic, I wont bore you with details here, otherwise this will be a very long Author's note, please see bottom of this chapter for details. This chapter has only been half edited, I looked over it myself but my editor has not so if there are any mistakes let me know and they will be corrected! Hope you enjoy please read and review! Love xAx
DISCLAIMER: STILL DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER, IF I DID I WOULD HAVE MADE IT A LAW THAT RUPERT MARRIED ME YEARS AGO!

He had never told Ginny about the Malfoy Manor, nor did he inform her of what the locket had done to torture Ron. But the dreams still plagued him. To begin with his nightmares consisted of the battle, the images of Fred, his eyes cold and blank, staring up at him with unseeing eyes, often these images were followed by Ron, Hermione, Ginny and everyone else who participated in the battle lined up in the Great Hall, dead. Slowly the dreams had faded, sometimes they would feature Ron, Hermione or Ginny, their bodies battered and bloodied and sometimes unrecognisable. He wasn't sure whether that dream was gone simply because he had accepted his guilt or if he had started to believe everybody's words of "They made a choice to go into battle, you can't blame yourself." He found the battle dream was replaced with the night they were caught and taken to the Malfoy Manor and the night Ron had returned to him and Hermione. Sometimes they would merge together; Hermione's screams matching the images that came from the locket. He found the dreams came when he was especially worried about either or both of his best friends, and ever since they had travelled to Australia, Harry had been on edge. Harry knew he had been unbearable company for all the occupants of The Burrow; even Ginny was giving him more space than usual. He felt like he was missing an arm or leg, he was so used to them being around and being near him, he felt strangely exposed without them, especially since he had no way of contacting them. Harry knew there was no way a owl would be able to fly to an from Australia within the short time Ron and Hermione were there, plus he considered it cruel for an owl to travel such a distance, so he had been on high alert ever since they left.

Harry knew Ginny had worked out that he had missed out parts of the story. He had felt somewhat relieved when he lifted a considerable amount of knowledge and guilt from his personage when he had completed his story to Ginny, that day he suddenly felt he could look to the future. Be she knew he hadn't told her everything and that Harry hadn't planned to; he felt like he was betraying Ron and Hermione by telling their own personal stories he knew they both wanted to forget; they had done too much for him.

Harry knew they were never happy about revealing their year, although Hermione seemed to give Harry her permission that morning in the very kitchen he now sat, Harry knew she was trying to think of his welfare, and the welfare of his relationship with Ginny, but her eyes screamed for him to change his mind and keep Ginny in the dark.

Hermione never allowed them to talk about the night of her torture; she refused to talk about it, mainly because she didn't like the blame being passed onto Harry. Ginny had once asked how Hermione had required the scars and starches on her stomach which she had linked to the identical ones on Ron's hands, Harry vaguely remembers mentioning a chandelier, feeling sick at the memory and excusing himself from her presence for two days.

He had already slightly betrayed Ron by letting it slip that he had left them, for that Harry wasn't sure whether he would forgive himself for it. To start with Ginny had been furious with her brother; by the time she had calmed down, which had taken a lot of convincing on Harry's part, he convinced her that there was a good reason, he simply used the words:

"You should understand more than anyone"

Harry knew the locket was to blame for Ron's mood swings, along with dealing with Fred's death, it feared and worried Harry that he would suffer with this depressed moods forever, he just hoped that everyone learnt to watch when they were coming and how to deal with them.

He hadn't noticed the three eldest Weasley children wonder into the kitchen, it had become routine, they would come down in the night when everyone was asleep, Bill and Charlie saw it as a way of re-establishing their relationship with Percy. It wasn't until Charlie placed a fresh cup of tea in front of Harry that he came out of his stupor, with a nod of thanks he wondered what Ron and Hermione were doing…

Knock, knock, knock…

Hermione woke with a start, she had been dreaming about a strange banging before they gradually got loud enough to wake her, with a few seconds confusion, and with a glance at Ron, who was still sleeping soundly, she headed for the door before the knocks woke him up.

She was greeted by the hotel porter, who had clearly escorted her parents to their room, he explained that he wanted Hermione to confirm that the man and woman, who had been demanding that they were shown to their daughter's room since dawn, were who indeed they say they were. Hermione quickly gave the information to the porter before ushering her parents inside the threshold embarrassedly. It had soon became apparent to Hermione that news of their success in the movement to bring down Voldemort's rein had travelled to Australia; the minute they had walked into the hotel reception they were treated with complimentary drinks and an upgrade to one of the best suites in the hotel. Hermione pushed her parents into the lounge area while closing the door to the bedroom, she was ready for the confrontation that was coming, she was going to delay her parents finding out about the one bed she and Ron were sharing.

She could see that the initial shock of the previous day events had worn off and had now been replaced by anger.

"Get your things, we're leaving." Her father said abruptly, he hadn't even taken the chance to sit down unlike her mother.

"We can't just leave, what about the business, the house? If we just vanish back to England what are the Mugg- I mean people, like your neighbours, and customers going to think, it will look too suspicious."

"Suspicious?" Jasper looked incredulous at this. "And explain to me how it wasn't suspicious to our neighbours in London when we uprooted with- what happened to our house and the surgery?" while he had been shouting Hermione had cast a quick silencing charm at the bedroom door so not to wake Ron with her fathers shouting, however as it dawned on him that he didn't have any real information his fire seem to burn out. He still looked furious, even Emily looked frightened; both of them eyed her wand cautiously.

"I told our neighbours that you, we were going away for an unknown amount of time while the house was having construction work and being refurbished. I did that very morning I put the charm on you, and sent you away. I made the house look like it had builders in, placed scaffolding and barriers around it "Hermione as calming as she could.

"And the surgery Hermione?" His voice was low and cold, it frightened Hermione; and as her mother tried to reach out to him he pulled away, eyes piercing his daughter.

"I sold it." she whispered.

She could feel their shock, hurt and disappointment. Jasper had stumbled back and fell in the chair behind him as she spoke. She knew the surgery was their life; they had owned it since they finished medical school, built up clientele, even lived in the small flat above for many years until Hermione came along and it was gone, their lively hood, gone. Hermione knew she would never be forgiven for that.

Her father had been too furious to spend another minute in the hotel room; he had stormed out leaving Hermione with the mother. Hermione couldn't remember a time when it had been just her and her mother, whenever she was home from school her parents still had to work, many nights their work went into the evenings leaving Hermione alone, then after a couple of weeks the invite from the Weasley's would come and she never hesitated to decline. Hermione knew her parent loved her, she had never doubted it, but they never understood her, and sometimes she felt they never really tried.

Unable to stand the uncomfortable silence and tension, Hermione went to check on Ron. He was still sleeping, Hermione forgetting the early hour was about to wake him before stopping herself. It had been the first real peaceful night he had had, and she intended to allow him break from reality for as long as possible. Feeling safe, even in his sleeping presence she set about tiding the room, it wasn't long before her mother joined her.

"I was thinking of getting some breakfast, care to join me?" she was speaking in her loving tone that had a way of making Hermione into feel guilty and begin admitting things. Hermione knew what she doing and simply shook her head.

"He just upset Hermione. That surgery was his life, sometimes it was the only way he could cope with you being away." Again Hermione stayed quiet, knowing her retort would be too hurtful in their current situation.

"Are you going to say anything to me? Explain the real reason why you…" she paused gathering her words "why we are here right now?"

Hermione felt like she was five again, her parents talking to her as if she didn't understand without their patronising tone.

"I already did." She mumbled into her chest, she looked at her mother for first time and spoke a little louder.

"You got more information than the Weasley's, we didn't tell them anything" she could hear the sadness in her own voice, and hated it. Emily seemed to sense it too.

"I wondered where you were hiding him." She nodded over to Ron before turning to look around the room. "I'm just hoping there is another bedroom in this suite."

Hermione half cringed at the statement, they had come onto the one subject she desperately didn't want to discuss with her parents. Her silence confirmed what her mother didn't want.

"You are being safe aren't you, with your heart and body?" Emily seemed mortified at asking, it was after all the last conversation she wanted with her daughter, who suddenly seemed too grown up, "I never did give you the talk"

"Mum its fine, Mrs Weasley gave me the lesson before I went into fifth year; she wanted me to know both the muggle and magical options, Ginny got it as well, when she turned the same age." She could see both the relief and regret in her mother eyes.

"And your heart Hermione? I know how he has hurt you, well I know about the times you have told me."

It was Hermione's turn to feel regretful. "I've hurt him too; I just never told you that side. Besides right now, all our hearts are a little broken."

Just as Emily was about to speak the door slammed open and shut, forgetting her father had swiped the key when he stormed out, Hermione pulled out her wand so fast the human eye couldn't see it and ran for the door.

"Get that thing away from me." If anything Jasper looked more crazed than when he left. "When we get home there will be no more stick waving, your will be going to a normal school and staying away from, from them."

"And what if I don't want to do that? What if I want to go and live in the Wizarding world, my world?" Hermione hadn't noticed her tone was matching her fathers.

"You don't have a choice Hermione, I'm father, I chose for you and I've made my decision."

She didn't even pause to allow her emotions take over her; she fought him like she would fight a Death Eater.

"You have no right to make my decisions; I'm a legal adult in both your and my world.

"Hermione please, understand why…" Hermione lost sense when her mother seemed to be included in this plan.

"Understand? All I have ever done is live by the way you wanted; you never tried to understand me. I don't belong in the Muggles, I never did and I can't turn my back on a world I fought so hard for, I didn't watch people I love get hurt and killed."

"We don't want to watch you being hurt anymore sweetheart, think about how we felt when we got another owl saying you'd been injured after running off after that Harry…" Her mother cut off by an angry retort from Jasper.

"And talking of boy wonder you care so much about, why isn't he here to defend himself?"

"He wanted to come, but he's at the Weasley's, looking after things." Her voice dropped considerably, tears pouring from her eyes.

"Well if he cared so much about you why isn't he here? What's so important he's not here to apologise to us?"

Gritting her teeth together Hermione said the words that pained her to her very core. "He's looking after the Weasley's, one of Ron's brothers, Fred died in the battle."

There was shuffling from the bedroom and Hermione prayed Ron hadn't heard her last words; he however took one look from Hermione's tear stained face to Jasper's stance over her, and took to the defensive immediately.

"What's going on?" he asked as he made his way to Hermione and wrapped a hand round her waist.

"Nothing, my parents were just leaving."

A/N: Hmm Hermione might have some kind of relationship with her mother...let me know what you think.

FriendofMolly: Thank you so much for your review, its nice to know I got through the emotion I really wanted in there. My Ron really is close to my heart, and it helps to know you are there with him in spirit! Thank you for your support!

Okay so I decided that I probably set too much of a challenge to include nineteen years in one story, so this story will go up to when Hermione and Ginny return for their school year at Hogwarts. I then plan to complete Release and Left Behind (which has been on hold for far too long) Once they are complete I will begin the sequel for this story and post it when it is actually complete on my hard drive.

Thanks for all your support and love.

JamyGrint
xxxxx