Everyone was busy for the next few days preparing for the wedding. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all kept busy by Mrs. Weasley so they didn't have time to talk to each other. All three of them knew that Mrs. Weasley knew they weren't going to Hogwarts, and she didn't want them together to talk about what they were going to do.

However, Hermione was able to talk to Ron and Harry occasionally, especially when Mrs. Weasley told her to do something she had already done.

One night, Hermione tossed and turned in her cot next to Ginny's bed, restless. She couldn't stand what she did to her parents anymore, and she needed to tell someone. She got up and wrapped a dressing gown around her body, tiptoed out of the room (careful not to wake Ginny) and climbed the stairs to Ron's room.

When she approached the room, she saw a crack of light shining through his door, and was relieved to see that someone was awake.

She knocked on the door, and it opened almost instantly to reveal a sleepless-looking Ron. "Hey." He rubbed the side of his head and grinned, looking as if he had expected her.

"Hi. I need to talk to you. Were you asleep?" Hermione asked.

"Nah," Ron said. "I couldn't sleep. Should we wake Harry?"

Hermione looked over Ron's shoulder, and saw Harry sleeping peacefully, and it seemed like the first time she had seen him sleep without screaming out loud. "No, he needs the sleep."

"Alright, let's go down to the living room," Ron said. He closed the door behind him and led her downstairs. Hermione noticed he was wearing a Chudley Cannons shirt she had given him a few years ago for his fifteenth birthday, and a pair of maroon pajama pants. She smiled in spite of herself: it all completely fit Ron.

Ron sat down on one side of the couch and drew his legs up so he could rest his chin on his knees. He crossed his arms over his legs and looked at Hermione. "So, what's up?" he said, as if they meet down in the living room of the Burrow every night to discuss important topics.

Hermione sat down in the same way as Ron on the opposite of the couch so she faced him. "I did something - something that I'm not very proud of."

Ron scoffed. "You're Hermione – what could you have done that's that bad?"

Hermione fixed her eyes to stare at the armchair on the other side of the room, away from Ron. "You'd be surprised."

"Right, so what is it?"

Hermione kept her eyes on the armchair. "I – I put a spell on my parents – to keep them safe, mind you – and it completely rearranged their memories."

Ron looked almost scared of her. "What happened?"

"I made it so they think that their names are Monica and Wendell Wilkins and their life ambition is to move to Australia. A few days ago, I Apparated back to my house when I knew no one would miss me and checked to make sure they had moved to Australia."

Ron was gaping. "Hermione, why would you do this?"

Hermione gave an impatient sigh. "Because, Ron, I couldn't explain anything about the war to them. They don't understand, and they would just tell me I couldn't go on the hunt with you and Harry. And…well, I needed to keep them protected. Just in case Voldemort tries to hunt me down to get to Harry by interrogating them."

Ron looked absolutely staggered. "Wow. I can't believe you would do that, Hermione."

"I know and I feel terrible about it!" Hermione buried her face in her knees, feeling the tears come to her faster than she could hold them back. She raised her head to look at Ron. "They don't know I'm their daughter," she said quietly.

"What?" Ron's voice went up a few notches in volume. "They don't even know they have a daughter? My God Hermione, what the –"

"I couldn't, Ron!" Hermione shot back angrily. She had expected Ron to side with her. "You don't understand and you never will! If they knew I was their daughter, they would just come after me! The spell would have been entirely useless!"

At the last word, she completely broke down into sobs. Ron immediately rushed to her side of the couch and put an arm around her. She hid her face in his neck and she felt him rest his chin on her head. "Hermione, I'm sorry! I didn't know this had happened –"

"They mean everything to me," Hermione interrupted. "They're my only family and I couldn't stand it if I lost them. And…I'm not even sure if I can lift the spell. If I can't, they'll still be safe and happy, but I just hope I can lift it."

Ron squeezed her tighter at this. "Hermione, you never fail at anything. You'll be able to lift the spell, I promise."

Another promise. Hermione hoped for Ron's sake that he could keep the promises he was making.

"Anyway," Ron said. "As far as family goes, you're parents aren't your only one. You'll always have a place here, Hermione. I – we all care about you in my family."

Hermione gave him a watery smile. "Thank you, Ron. That means a lot." She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him back. "I don't want to back upstairs. That cot is really uncomfortable."

"Me neither," Ron admitted. "Harry snores too much."

"Harry?" Hermione said disbelievingly. "Are you sure that's not you?"

Ron laughed, which made Hermione smile. "Let's stay down here, then."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, sure that her face was turning red. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, why not?"

Hermione shrugged. Ron lay down, and Hermione lay down in his arms, knowing that she was reading his mind. "Good night," she said, glad that she was finally in his arms.

"'Night."

Hermione felt herself fall asleep with a smile on her face. She could finally sleep peacefully.


She heard snickers. She opened her eyes to find Harry, Ginny and the twins above her, obviously laughing at her and Ron sleeping on the couch.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed in mock horror. "I had no idea you would ever have the nerve!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and ignored him. She withdrew Ron's arms from around her waist and got up, which stirred Ron.

"I believe Miss Granger was entranced by our dear brother," Fred said.

"And then was forced to do whatever he said, thus leading to this," George finished, indicating what they had found.

Ron woke, and was also teased by his siblings and Harry, but Hermione knew it was just a matter of time before she could laugh with them about their jokes about her and Ron.