When she returned home she had only minutes before Michael would be there. She hurried to gather a few last minute things when she heard him arrive.
"Hermione?"
"I'll be down in just a minute, Michael!"
She grabbed her bags and walked down the stairs. She barely had time to put them down before she was wrapped in a hug and twirled into the air. When Michael finally set her down, he had a huge smile on his face. But that smile disappeared when he saw the bags and smeared mascara under Hermione's eyes that meant she'd been crying.
"Hermione, what happened?"
"It's nothing I just got into a fight with Ron. I'm sure we'll make up when we get back. Anyways, we need to leave now or else we'll miss our flight." She smiled, but he knew she was worried. He let it go and they Apparated to the airport.
The next few hours on the flight were spent with the two of them catching up. They literally talked until Michael fell asleep on the plane. Hermione found herself geniunly happy for the first time in a long time. She had missed Michael, only getting to see him a few days out of the summer since she spent so much time at the Burrow. She smiled as she remembered their childhood days together. The time Michael had spent the night at her house and accidentally dyed his blond hair bright red. It had taken days and a whole lot of shampoo to get it back to normal. And the time they had gone horseback riding when they were ten. She fell off the horse and broke her arm. Michael had picked her up and carried her to the stable where they called an ambulance and then held her hand the entire way to the hospital. That had been their last full summer together. Their last summer before they found out the truth about themselves are were sent to different schools. Since then, they had barely seen eachother. But she found that he hadn't really changed. He was still the young hearted, competitive boy that he had been when they were kids. But there was a side to him, one that she could barely even tell was there, that hinted at something different.
All too soon, the flight was over. They gathered their things and hailed a taxi to take them to their hotel. The taxi ride was short and they quickly arrived and went to check in. Their room was on the top floor, much to Michael's dislike as he was afraid of heights. It was a small room containing one bed, a small table with a lamp, a TV, a chair, and the bathroom. The Ministry had agreed to help on her trip to find her parents and had already paid for their hotel room and had sent ahead an owl with money for food and the location they believed her parents to be living. As soon as they entered their room, Hermione quickly put away her things and began casting protective enchantments and charms around them. It was nearly midnight by the time they were settled, so they crawled into bed and fell asleep.
The next day was spent planning out their next move. As were the next several. Michael was all for simply going out, finding them, and removing the enchantments. But, of course, Hermione wanted to be sure everything went right with no surprises. They spent three days planning out what to do next. Hermione probably would've planned for a week if Michael hadn't put his foot down. They left the hotel and walked down the street to the shop her parents had been working at. When she walked through the door and saw her mother standing behind the counter, it was all she could do to keep from running and hugging her. Instead she began pacing around the store, seemingly looking at the merchandise, but really studying her parents actions. She needed to find a way to get them alone so she could perform the counter charms, but there were too many people everywhere. They would have to leave and come back after closing time that night to get them alone.
They walked outside and Hermione sat down on a bench and put her head in her hands. She had been so stressed lately that she barely ate and rarely slept. Her head was pounding. Michael had noticed her health slowly getting worse. He was worried about her. So he hailed a cab, pulled her in, and they were on their way downtown.
"Michael, what are you doing?"
"You need to relax. This stress is getting to you. You're taking the day off, we'll go back to the store at sunset when they close. Until then, you're not doing anything except relaxing."
He took her hand and they stepped out into the town. The rest of the day was spent going from place to place, taking pictures, seeing sights, they even saw a play. Hermione felt as though she couldn't be happier in a million years. The only thing missing was her family.
And Ron. She hadn't even thought about their fight since their plane had landed, but thinking about it just made her angry. She was so frustrated with him. He was just so damn stubborn! She pushed her anger away and tried to focus on those precious moments with Michael. He made her so happy, even when she was so upset about her parents and Ron. As they walked through the town, she found herself wishing this would never end. Wanting to go on like this with him forever. She couldn't remember a time she'd been happier.
As the day passed by, the sun began to set, which meant that it was closing time. They returned back to the shop just as her parents were locking up. They began to walk down the street arm in arm, neither of them noticing Hermione and Michael following behind them. They walked about three blocks before turning and walking through an alley that lead to their apartment. Hermione and Michael, who were walking about ten feet behind them, were about to turn the corner when suddenly, the alley is filled with a bright white light and a scream rings through the air. Hermione breaks into a sprint and runs around the corner. She nearly faints when she sees her parents backed against a wall by two Death Eaters. She tried to run to them, but they were surrounded by a magical shield. She could do nothing but watch as a green light flashed from the Death Eaters wands and her parents fell lifelessly to the ground.
Hermione began screaming. She threw herself against the shield, pounding her fists into it, trying to get to her parents. The shield disappeared and the Death Eaters went with it. Hermione scrambled to her feet and ran to her parents. She shook them, hoping, praying that there was still something left in them. But there was nothing. They were gone. Tears poured down her face. Her chest clenched as she held her dead parents and sobbed.
Michael came up behind her, silent tears streaming down his face as well, and put his arms around her. She burried her face in his chest as her body shook with sobs of grief. In all her life, she had never known just how much pain one person could feel. And now, all the pain she had ever felt was doubled on her chest. She felt like she could die. After what felt like hours, she pulled herself together. Tears still flowed from her eyes, but she stood and spoke without a quiver in her voice.
"Michael. Call the minister. I'm taking my parents home."