Three Witches
Hermione Granger

"Do you want to go to Australia with me?"

"What about Fred's funeral?"

The words stuck in her brain, refusing to dislodge as Hermione looked out the airplane's window. Kingsley Shacklebolt sat nearby, chatting away with her parents, who still thought they were Wendell and Monica Wilkins. Despite everything else on his plate as Acting Minster of Magic, he'd volunteered to go with Hermione to retrieve her parents personally when he learned Ron refused to go.

"Or more so, he simply hadn't gotten it," Hermione thought to herself as she looked out the window, her mind trying not to think about what her parents would say when they learned she used magic to modify their memories. "Even after attending Fred's funeral, he still didn't get the importance of this trip." Hermione took a deep breath, her mind turning to the book she picked for reading on the flight, remembering Ron asking why she was there after saying she wanted to take a trip to Australia. She'd said, "It's not as if I want to go there for vacation, Ron!"

"What other reason would you want to go on a trip to a foreign country?" Ron asked.

"If you're going to be this dense, Ronald Weasley, then we should just break up here and now!" Hermione said, furious at Ron for not understanding the importance of going to Australia and for causing a scene at his brother's funeral. She still didn't know what everyone else thought, as only a few knew she'd sent her parents to Australia, and there was no guarantee they would make the connection that Australia was the foreign country Ron was referring to. Nor did she expect him to explain further while she was gone, instead spinning his own story regarding the breakup.

Kingsley, on the other hand—

At the back of Hermione's mind was the needling feeling something might go wrong in restoring her parents' memories which in turn made the decision to be honest with the Ministry of Magic regarding what she'd done to her parents easy, even if doing so meant spending time in Azkaban, the wizarding prison. " There 's also the risk of my parents never forgiving me, but it was worth it. Keeping them safe. "

She felt a tear form at the corner of her eye. A hand lifted, wiping the tear away on the sleeve of her cardigan before she left with a sigh just as the flight attendant announced they would be landing at London airport. " You won 't be punished, Ms. Granger. We all did what we had to during the war, but your reasons for breaking the law were to keep your Muggle parents safe. I'll also arrange for a Healer I can trust who is capable of undoing this kind of magic. "

Hermione let a deep sigh escape, knowing one more step in getting her parents' memories back was finished, yet the fear of something going wrong was at the back of her mind. She watched from her seat as Kingsley personally led her parents off the plane, nodding his head and smiling the entire time as if there was nothing amiss about the situation, which in turn meant her parents—particularly her father—wouldn't panic.

Her eyes closed, a sound almost like a cut-off hum escaping before she followed after, smiling and saying nothing, her nerves on edge. She watched the Acting Minister lead her parents to a car that would take them back to Middleton and their family home before getting into another vehicle. A sigh, this time, escaped from her, the dread of something going wrong not going away as the car headed from London to the small town.

Eventually, Middleton drew into sight. Hermione's eyes blinked, the strange thought crossing her mind that, for some reason, the small town felt untouched by the war she'd just participated in. Nothing appeared to have changed outside of her modifying her parents' memories and sending them away for their safety. She lifted a hand, taking in the brightness of the town where she spent her formative years before attending Hogwarts until the car pulled up in front of the Granger family home.

Stepping out, Hermione took yet another breath, this time taking in the summer flowers blooming in her father's garden. " He 'll want to tend to that when he gets his memories back. He can be quite particular about that kind of thing. "

Closing her eyes briefly, she headed towards the front door, knowing Kingsley had already entered the home. She could hear the Healer calmly speaking with her parents as Crookshanks wove around her feet, greeting her now that she'd come home. "Was the trip good?"

"Ginny," Hermione said, smiling before letting the other young woman reach out to hug her. "Thanks for taking care of Crookshanks for me."

"What's a few days longer?" Ginny asked. "Mum says he was a delight to have while you three were on the run."

"And about what Ron said?" Hermione asked.

"Harry clarified you were taking a trip to bring your parents home, which resulted in mum laying into Ron for being the inconsiderate one. I mean, you wouldn't have left before the funeral, right."

"Of course," Hermione started saying, knowing full well she wouldn't have missed Fred's funeral when the sound of someone Apparating away came from the other room, followed by a crashing sound from the bathroom. Hermione stiffened, her eyes widening, as did Ginny's, before they rushed into the room, expecting either Kingsley or the Healer to have Apparated because something went wrong with returning her parents' memories. Instead—

"Mum?" Hermione swallowed. "Where's dad?"

Kingsley stared at her, his eyes wide with shock as the Healer continued looking at a spot next to where Hermione's mother was sitting. Her mother's eyes were wide as well, but the look on her face was one of horror instead. Hermione watched her mom swallow and then say, "Well."

And that was it. Her mother swallowed, almost as if she were unsure of how to say what needed to be said. Kingsley cleared his voice, regaining his composure. "Hermione, it was your father who Apparated."

Hermione felt her eyebrows shoot up. "That's impossible. My dad is a Muggle."

"Yes. Hermione's parents are Muggles," Ginny added. "Right?"

Hermione's mother looked right at her, but the look on her face—

"Mother? What's going on? Where's dad?" Hermione repeated before remembering she'd heard a crashing sound come from the bathroom. She turned, heading in that direction. Gently, she knocked on the door. "Dad? Are you in there?" There came no answer from the other side. "Père?"

"What," Ginny started saying. Hermione turned. Ginny took a deep breath and said, "I'm as confused as you are."

Hermione turned, preparing to knock again as her lips pushed together only to hesitate. Her hand lowered, going for the doorknob instead. It didn't turn completely. She frowned, turning to look at Ginny. "He locked the door."

Her mother peeked from around the corner with a worried look. Kingsley stood behind her, his face completely visible. Hermione sighed, turning to rest her forehead against the door, knowing questions were going to be asked, questions she knew she didn't have the answer for. Her hand reached for her wand, which she held to the doorknob. "Alohomora."

A clicking sound was heard as the door unlocked, and Hermione slowly opened the door to peek in. Crookshanks slipped past, gliding over to the figure sitting on the bathroom floor, head buried in his arms as his entire body trembled, not noticing the half-Kneazle trying to comfort him.

Hermione gripped her wand tightly before moving to sit on the toilet nearby. The wand rested in her lap as her mouth pushed together before saying, "That was quite the fright for you, wasn't it? Seeing someone with a wand?"