Always Goodbye
Hi there. Couple of things before I start. First, I am SO sorry about how long of a wait it's been, my life has been more than crazy lately. Still is, really, but oh well, I missed Ron and Hermione! Also, thank you for the reviews everyone! Anon, I tried to add more magic, thanks! I really appreciate all advice. So now, please, read and review! Oh and one more thing. I know I said this would be the goods chapter, but after such a long time away I needed (and maybe you do too) an in between chapter to get them going, and also I don't know when I'll next post, as it's the last semester of my senior year and I'm running on like two hours of sleep haha. Anyways, happy reading! :)
-muggletribute
"Ronald, please! Come back!" She ran out of the tent, ran towards him, but he disappeared with a crack. "NO!" She grabbed at the air where he had been, and dropped to the ground, sobbing. She ignored Harry's soft touch on her shoulder and finally he left too. She was all alone.
Having spent almost a year on the run with a lumpy bunk bed in a smelly tent, and the last few months on a spare cot in Ginny's room, waking up in the girl's dormitory felt great. It was like she was home again. Even the nightmare, usually one of the worst ones she had, didn't feel quite as real or painful here.
When she had stayed at Hogwarts to help with the restoration process, she had been so exhausted each night that she hadn't really had time to think about it, and had just taken its normalcy and comfort for granted.
Hermione had instantly fallen back into her old 'Hogwarts' routine, waking up around dawn, getting up and putting robes on, and then laying in bed and reading until breakfast. Except this morning she didn't have anything to read so she quietly got up and dressed before grabbing her wand. Unlocking the door with a wave of her wand, she stepped outside before the door quietly shut and relocked itself.
Looking around the common room and finding it empty, Hermione was at a loss of what to do. Finally she decided to go to the library.
Three hours later, that's where Harry and Ron found her, seated in a hunter's green armchair near the fireplace, her nose in a book. They almost hated to disturb her; Hermione looked happier than she had in months. Finally, though, Ron cleared his throat.
With a far-off look, Hermione slowly looked up and then grinned when she saw the two of them.
"Ron! Harry! You're up, finally! I'm half-starved." Hermione again waved her wand silently, and the book closed itself and wandered back to its rightful place.
"Wow Hermione, you've really got nonverbal spells," Ron said admiringly. "I don't even know the verbal spell for that, much less have it down nonverbally." Hermione blushed happily.
They headed down to breakfast, with Hermione still in her own little world. Now that the day had come, Hermione could do nothing but worry about the trip and her parents. What if they got into trouble, met dark wizards? Or rogue magical creatures? What if she couldn't perform the spell that would make her parents remember her? It was a difficult one, and required multiple uses.
She had no idea how long it would take. It could require just three weeks, but it might take the rest of their lives. It was like muggle medicine, for say, depression. Some people only needed enough to get them back on track, and others never truly got better and took medicine the rest of their life.
There was also the chance of the spell not working at all. What she was going to try had little to no research or testing behind it; Healers had only just begun to look at its effect and potential.
Ron reached for Hermione's hand as they entered the Great Hall, pulling Hermione out of her worrying in time to see that there were only two tables pushed together in the middle of the great room. Harry steered them towards seats directly across from the Headmistress and Minister.
Hermione was uncharacteristically quiet throughout the meal, with Harry keeping the conversation going and Ron trying to remember his manners to not try to fit as much food as possible in his mouth. The talk was about things that Hermione had no knowledge of anyways, Ministry work, and although normally she would try to find out, she couldn't bring herself to care. She was more determined to make this trip go according to plan, and easy, unlike the latest camping trip they had gone on; being wanted by the Ministry/Lord Voldemort had put a bit of a damper on the fun of camping.
When Ron looked over at her, he noticed her lips soundlessly moving, and figured she was going over 'the plan'. And she was, of course. He chuckled but kept the information to himself, to spare her the embarrassment. It worked for a while, until she made a mistake that caught the attention of the table.
"…then Erdgluck." Harry looked at her in confusion, along with the rest of the table. Hermione didn't even notice, until Ron lightly pinched her wrist between his thumb and forefinger. "huh?" She looked at everyone staring at her.
"What's an erdlick?" Harry asked bemused. Hermione blushed as she realized her mistake.
"The Clucking Erdgluck," Ron announced to the shock of the others. "is the name of a pub that is famous in Hamburg, Germany." He grinned at his best friend's sudden chuckle at the name. "It is a stop on our tour of Europe… Hermione assures me that Erdgluck is the name of a creature that looks like a big, bright orange chicken. Its feathers apparently can create a peaceful environment and mood when worn around the neck…however, I picked it purely because it sounds oddly like a swear I heard the death eaters use two months ago." At this even McGonagall giggled, and Hermione felt a lot better, as the attention was now on Ron.
"Ah," McGonagall tried to straighten up and control her normally tight, stern mouth. "If I recall rightly, Albus was fond of the bartender there, an Herr. Krause." Hermione, Harry and Ron all looked at each other with surprise. What were the odds of picking a pub that Dumbledore had connections with? Then again, who knew when it came to the ancient wizard.
"Where else will you be going?" This time it was Neville who spoke up, and Hermione could see the longing in his eyes. She had always been nicer to him than most in school, and so she knew that he wanted more than anything to travel the world. And, Hermione thought proudly, he would someday soon. Neville had taken on Voldemort and Nagini; he could do whatever he wanted now; he was brave enough and admired by the entire wizarding community.
"Well," Hermione said excitedly. This was her favorite subject lately. "First we're stopping at the 42nd World Cup Quidditch Stadium near Tielt, Belgium, they have a tour there that Ron and I are very excited about. Then, we're going to stay in Maastricht in the Netherlands for the night, at a cute little cottage. We're going to tour the city, there's a beautiful basilica there, and a muggle museum…"
She went on for the rest of breakfast in excruciating detail that made everyone at the table feel exhausted just listening to it except for Neville, who was listening raptly.
Somewhere in China, Harry winked at Ron and cleared his throat, effectively drawing Hermione's attention and stopping her story.
"Well I'm jealous! You and Ron are going to have a blast. And speaking of, you remember how I said I had a surprise for you two?"
"Yes?!" Ron and Hermione said quickly. Harry grinned.
"Well, I think it's a good time as any to give it to you." From under his chair Harry pulled up a sleek, metal object. Hermione gasped.
"Merlin's Pants! That's a—that's a Canon EOS-1v!"
Harry looked at Hermione in surprise. "You know what kind of camera this is?"
"Well…yeah. My dad used to joke about how if he ever got to the point of having enough money to throw it away, he could buy that camera…that is insanely expensive!" Harry handed it to her and Hermione took it gently, holding it even more carefully than the old books falling apart in the library.
"Well, this will be a bit different than the one your dad wanted. This one has been enchanted. It will balance itself, auto-correct the lighting even better than a digital camera, and the film is already loaded—it has about three hundred photos allowed and from 30 photos will announce at every multiple of five how many photos are left." Hermione looked at him in awe. "Er- don't worry 'Mione. It's just a little gift."
Harry reached into his pocket. "I also got you a solar charging water purifier, might come in handy." He smiled at them, and they both grinned back, Hermione was already absorbed in the many buttons and features of the camera.
Leaving Hogwarts this time, and especially Harry, was one of the hardest things Hermione had done. It felt like it was always goodbye for the three of them lately. Would she ever feel comfortable, and have a stable life? She laughed. With Harry as her friend, and Ron as her—she grinned—boyfriend, that was probably not very likely.
She hugged Harry, afraid to let go. The last time she had hugged Harry on the steps of Hogwarts, he had died. He had also come back to life admittedly, but still. It made it hard to leave him. When Ron had hugged Harry goodbye, the two had waved and slowly walked towards the gate, looking back and smiling while waving frantically every few steps.
Once off the grounds, Hermione looked at Ron with an adventurous look in her eyes. "Ready for Hamburg, Germany?"
Ron grinned. "So ready." They grabbed hands and apparated on the spot.
