LIVING ROOM

"She needs space," said Ginny, as Ron appeared with a bang.

"But-"

"Space." Said Ginny firmly, "Didn't want to talk to me, doesn't want to talk to you. Besides, I take it you found them, and I want to hear all about it. In payment, for taking her to that spa yesterday,"

"Right, because it was torture being pampered all day,"

"You have clearly never been in a sauna in the tropics." Said Ginny pointedly, "I thought I might die. Hermione's hair inflated if such a thing is possible, and for reasons unbeknownst to me, the masseuse decided to rub us all over with boiling hot rocks. And just when we thought death by heat exhaustion was our ultimate fate, we were sent to a plunge pool and nearly froze to death. The only good part about it was the pink bubbly with strawberries, and my extremely glamorous talons," she waggled her manicured fingernails at him. They were enormous and a sort of metallic eggplant colour. Ron pulled a face. Ginny grinned.

"Terrifying, aren't they," Her grin widened, "Harry's being very polite about them. Come on, sit down and tell me all about it, you big hero, you."

Ron flickered with annoyance, and nearly told her to get stuffed. But she did really want to know. Her particular variety of self-interest meant she never asked out of politeness; she was a bit like Fred in that way.

Besides, he had to tell someone about it.

BALCONY

"Hermione, would you stop pacing? Ron found them, they're ok- hell, they're better than ok, they actually remember you and they're on the mend. That's like, unprecedented recovery from obliviation. I think I'd be deliriously happy. So what's wrong? Do you think it might be a trap?"

"I just- I can't- I'm overwhelmed, Harry, I don't know what to do, there's just too much, I feel like I'm going to explode- I just- no, it's not a trap- I mean, I know it's them, I mean it's really them, and they don't hate me for doing what I- what I did- I just-"

Harry frowned.

"So what do you want me to do?"

Hermione uttered a sound of complete frustration.

"Just- just- argh! I'm confused, Harry, I just need- I just need you to be my friend for a moment, ok-"

"I am your friend," said Harry, puzzled.

"Well then, just listen," said Hermione crossly.

"I am listening," said Harry, starting to get annoyed, "But you're not really saying anything,"

Hermione let out a little shriek of frustration and flung round at him. Harry took an accidental step back.

"What if it was you, Harry, hmm? What if your parents, your dead parents were suddenly miraculously alive, living like hippies out the back of beyond. What if they were alive, despite everything, despite all the time you- What if you'd accepted it, and you knew they were dead, and that it was your fault, and then suddenly, here they are, not even bothered that it was your fault, and telling you that they were really worried, Harry, really worried, about you when we were off chasing horcruxes, and they were reading the paper, and thinking about you, and congratulating themselves on being so clever at not being dead, and all the while you're there, stuck in that fucking tent, waiting to be slaughtered, and thinking that at least they were safe and nothing could hurt them, and all the while they're living in plain view, under their own fricking names and hanging out with hippie-dippy crystal-hugging clairvoyants, and planting mango trees," she paused to breathe. "As though they weren't at any risk of being tortured to death,"

Harry blinked and scratched his head. He felt a bit sick.

"Oh. Yeah, ok," He thought he did see what she meant. "But, they're ok, so-"

"Harry," Her voice was pleading now, she sounded desperate. Her tear smudged eyes were seemed to be begging him to do something unspecified.

"What do you want me to do?" He asked, "Investigate for you? I mean, we can get them checked again, if you like, probably should do that anyway-"

"I know, I know, it's not that, look, I'm just confused, I don't know- I'm not- I don't know what to feel- I don't know if I want to work at the ministry-"

"Sorry, what?" said Harry, baffled by this sudden unexpected segue, "What's that got to do with-"

"Nothing!" Hermione was practically pulling her hair out, "Nothing, I- It's just-"

"So what do you want me to do?" Harry was starting to feel like pulling his own hair out.

A kookaburra cackled somewhere nearby and Hermione bit off a reluctant laugh, and wiped her eyes.

"I-" she frowned and tried to think about it without getting tangled up in all the feelings.

"Validate," said Ginny from the door way. She clicked her purple nails on the door sill, "Tell her she's allowed to be confused, then tell her it'll all work out fine, and give her a hug,"

Harry cast Ginny a look of deep relief.

"Why don't you-"

"Nope," said Ginny, "She'll tell me about it later. She came to talk to her best friend. That's you. And, if I had to guess, I'd say you're the only person she doesn't feel confused about right now. I bullied her into buying sexy underwear yesterday after the spa and she hasn't forgiven me yet."

"What about-"

"Oh you think she has clear-cut, easy-to-understand, non-confusing feelings about Ron?"

"Er…"

"Ginny, it's not that you're not- I mean, I do want to talk to you about- it's just-"

"Harry's your best friend," said Ginny firmly, "Don't sweat it, really. And we are extremely good friends now, and that's awesome, but I'm not Harry. And I know you're a teensy bit mad about the lingerie,"

The kookaburras raised their cackling to a whole new level of din.

"Even they think the idea of me in lingerie is funny," said Hermione grimly.

"Oh, they're just birds," said Ginny blithely. "I only came to check on you because all the yelling was freaking Ron out. He thinks he's done a good thing, you know, finding your parents. And I have to say, I think he has done a good thing. I'm going to tell him it was very clever to look in the one place none of us would've thought of looking, that should bolster him up a bit,"

With a flick of orange hair she was gone, slamming the sliding screen door behind her.

"You know, I'm crazy about her, but she can be very annoying sometimes," said Harry, opening his arms for what was apparently a compulsory friend hug.

Hermione gave a watery chuckle and stepped into the hug. Harry got a faceful of sweaty fuzzy hair and tactfully decided not to mention it.

"Everything is very confusing and overwhelming," said Harry experimentally, "But you're very smart and it'll all work out fine," He patted her back, "And you're right about everything,"

Hermione gave a gurgle of laughter.

"The most ridiculous thing of all is that even though Ginny just told you to do that, and even though I know you don't really know what you're doing, it still works,"

"Er…"

"Well, don't stop,"

"Oh right, ok then. Everything is all muddled up. Is that right?"

Hermione nodded.

"And topsyturvey and upside down, and confusing." He tried to think of more synonyms. "Erm. Everything is an enormous confusing tangle."

She was still nodding. The fuzz was tickling his nose. Harry tried to pat her back in a way that shifted the hair out of his face.

"And Ron's an idiot,"

"He's not an idiot," said Hermione fiercely,

"Ok, Ron's not an idiot," said Harry, "But Ginny is annoying?"

"Yes,"

"Ok," Harry found he was grinning.

"They're both really lovely, but just very confusing right now, and I can't even be nice to them when they're trying to be helpful because I'm just so- so-"

"Overwhelmed?" supplied Harry, feeling more and more pleased with Ginny's bizarrely invasive advice.

"Yes," Hermione sighed and let go of him, "I know it's hot, but I want to eat really expensive Italian food. Can we go have dinner, just us this evening? And you can tell me all your problems?"

"Erm…" said Harry, feeling put on the spot, and alarmed by the thought of telling Hermione all about his problems which at this point included, but were not limited to, mild panic about how fast things were moving with Ginny.

"Look, I know you're all upset and confused about Teddy Lupin,"

A wave of relief washed over Harry, promptly followed by a little puff of stress and anxiety.

"Oh. Right. Yes. Yeah, I am. I don't know what I should do really-"

"Not now, I'm too hot and confused- at dinner. I'm going to go have a shower." She gave him another hug. "Thanks Harry,"

"No problem," said Harry, hoping Ron wouldn't overreact at Hermione's upsettingly date-like proposal.