No, I sadly do not own Harry Potter, that's all J.K. Rowling
She couldn't delay her plans anymore. She had to get up and go now because she knew that if it wasn't now then she might never be able to work up the courage to do what she knew was best. With this thought Hermione pushed herself up off of the stone floor of the castle and started walking towards the Great Hall where she knew Harry would be. She had to tell him at least, what her plans were so just in case, if anyone happened to wonder what ever happened to her, someone would know. Before she knew it she had entered the Great Hall, which was crowded with people sitting with their families, enjoying the fact that they could do this again without threat of being torn apart. The hall had a slight hum to it where people were talking to one another, you could hear the occasional person crying, out of both joy, and sadness. To her right, Hermione spotted a mass of fiery red heads all of which she knew to belong to the Weasleys. A few feet from them sat another red head whose face was buried into the shoulder of someone with a mop of unruly, jet black hair. As she got closer, she could tell that the girl with the red hair's shoulders were shaking, she was crying. The boy with the black hair was stroking his hand through her hair, while silent tears glistened down his cheeks. Hermione did not want to interrupt Harry and Ginny's moment but she knew she had to say something, she couldn't just leave. So she sat back down opposite the recently reunited couple and cleared her throat softly.
"Um…Harry?" Hermione said quietly.
Harry looked up, startled to see Hermione sitting there. Apparently he hadn't even realized she had entered the roon.
"Oh hey Hermione, I was wondering where you'd gotten off to," Harry replied, his voice cracking from lack of use. Hermione guessed that it had maybe been hours since he'd talked, and that he'd just been sitting here wordlessly comforting Ginny.
"Yes, well I just wanted to tell you about…" Hermione started, but was cut off when Harry held up a hand.
"Hermione, I know what you're going to say. Save it, you aren't going anywhere," Harry said softly but firmly. Hermione knew that over the years the two began to know how each other thought, but she didn't understand how he could possibly know what her plans had been.
"You do?" Hermione almost whispered. She wasn't really sure why she was speaking so softly but she knew that it had to do with the fact that she was suddenly close to tears again.
"Yes Hermione I do and it's just stupid…" Harry started. Hermione could tell that he was about to go on with one of his noble speeches. She didn't want to push her luck and make him angry but she also wanted to get her point across. He just didn't understand.
"Harry," she started to interrupt.
"No!" Harry yelled while simultaneously standing up in anger. "Do you even have a plan, Hermione? Were you just going to take off while you have no idea where to go or what to do? The last year, we sacrificed everything so that we could just be safe and happy and have everyone together and now you want to go and run away again? Well I won't let you. And I'm not the only one here to stop you…" Hermione could feel the Weasleys looking at her. She could feel Ron's eyes burning a hole in the side of her face where he was staring so hard.
"Believe it or not Hermione," Harry continued to yell, oblivious to the attention he was starting to attract. "People do want you here," his voice had started to soften. "If anyone's not wanted it should be me…" Harry sat back down on the bench and Ginny clutched his arm. Mrs. Weasley walked over to them and patted Harry on the shoulder comfortingly.
"Oh no my dears. Arthur and I have arranged for you two to come back to the burrow with us by portkey in about half an hour. You two will come to live with us at the Burrow until something else can be arranged but, you two are welcome to stay as long as you want," Mrs. Weasley explained.
Mixes of, "Oh no's" and "We don't want to inconvenience you," filled the air for a couple of seconds before Mr. Weasley joined his wife's side and waved the two teenagers down.
"It's no trouble at all. We all want you two there," Mr. Weasley stated. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione could see all of the Weasley children, now minus Fred, nodding their heads in agreement with their father and mother. Ginny was nodding furiously as she wiped her tear-stained cheeks. Hermione chanced a glance down the table to see Ron still staring at her- a questioning look in his stunningly blue eyes. Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but then, as quickly as it had started, the moment was over and Ron had broken the eye contact and looked down at the table again as if his eyes had been trained to do so.
Hermione decided it was time to look away, she didn't want convey the emotions she was feeling. Suddenly, just because of the five seconds she had connected with Ron, her mouth had become dry, her palms had started to sweat, and if she had to make a guess, she would say that her heart beat was around 200. How did he do this to her so unknowingly? No boy, no person, had ever made her feel this way before. Not Viktor Krum when he had kissed her the night of the Yule Ball, and certainly not the egotistical Cormac McLaggen. So how was it that just by looking at Ron Weasley all of her senses had been blurred?
And then she thought of his family, his parents, what they must be going through. How was it that Hermione and Harry had taken their son away for a year without ever giving any news that they were even still alive and breathing, let alone safe, and these two people could still welcome the two into their home as if they were their own children? She always knew that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had pure hearts but she didn't think she would ever be able to understand just how good of persons they really were. They never failed to be warm and kind, even in the worst of situations. It reminded Hermione of her own parents, who she knew would do the same if given the opportunity. But they wouldn't be given the opportunity, because it was impossible now, and all because of Hermione's actions to save them. She had done the memory charm so that she could protect them while she made things right, but she had never thought what would happen if she had survived. Now what was she supposed to do with her two parents who had no idea who she was? Then, Hermione remembered with a pang that her parents were now somewhere in Australia and didn't even know that Hermione existed, let alone that she was their daughter. And with this thought, the tears started to freely flow from Hermione's eyes as if they had never stopped.
The next twenty or so minutes were a blur or tears to Hermione. It seemed that no time at all had passed before she, Harry, and the Weasleys were making their way outside to catch the portkey back to the Burrow. This was it, she realized. Hermione was leaving Hogwarts behind forever, and with it all of the memories and experiences she had gained in the last six years. If Hogwarts was to reopen and Hermione was to be invited back to the school, she would not accept. She couldn't do it, and have to face all of the things that had happened there, it would just be too much for her. Of course, she had always planned on finishing her education, getting her N.E.W.T.s, but now, now things had changed, as had her plans. Now, was the time to make things right with her parents, and possibly even Ron now that it had been decided that she would be staying with them. It wasn't what Hermione originally had in mind obviously, but she did want to make things right with Ron. She didn't think that she could live without him especially since she was one of the few people who knew how wonderful he really was. And if what made Ron happy was just being friends, than that was what needed to be done. She was determined to have Ron in her life, even if she did have to pretend like she wasn't hopelessly in love with him. It was a sacrifice that she was willing to make. And she knew what she thought was right the second she looked over the mirror-turned-portkey and saw Ron's electric blue eyes glistening with tears. She didn't want to see tears in his eyes ever again, and the sight caused something inside of her to break, and she too started to cry once again. As the portkey glowed blue and she felt a lurch somewhere behind her bellybutton, Hermione thought; if being friends with Ron means I'll never have to see tears in his eyes again, then friends is what they will be…no matter how much it hurts.
A/N: so what did you guys think? i spent all day thinking this up and this is what i came up with. (then it took me an hour to figure out how to upload grrrr)
anyways, thank you SO SO SO SOOOO much to the people that favorited this story and put it on story watch ! i got so excited and i am so grateful ! please review it and let me know what you guys wanna read so i can do my best to keep you interested. i do have an idea for the third chapter so i think i'm gonna upload chapter 3 tomorrow.
much love and happy reading! =)