AN: I'm glad you all liked the last chapter, and I'm so sorry I haven't been updating! A lot of the stuff in this chapter is from the books so instead of going into too much detail I kind of skimmed through the parts you may already know.

Sorry if that wasn't clear, but yes, when Hermione erases her parents memory it is a bit like it was in the movie.

Disclaimer: Hermione Granger and all the other characters in this story belong to the wonderful JK Rowling. I make no money off this story

Hermione was currently standing in Ginny's room, getting ready. It was her fourth day at the Burrow, and if everything went as planned Harry would be there in just a few short hours. She put on her jacket and slipped her shoes on, thinking about her time at the Burrow. The days since she'd arrived had been long ones, and she'd been having trouble keeping herself together. Every night, as soon as Ginny fell asleep, she would get up and walk through the fields surrounding the house and cry. She'd yet to be caught doing this, or at least no one had said anything about it.

Ginny and Ron had caught on to her strange behavior immediately though, and she could tell they were worried. They'd tried talking to her, and while she did appreciate their concern she really wasn't ready to tell them what was bothering her. After a day full of them both persistently pushing her she eventually reached the point where she lost it and started yelling, telling them she just wanted some space. They'd backed off but had continued to remind her they were always there for her if she ever needed anything. They weren't the only people in the house to notice her behavior though, pulling her hair into a pony tail she thought of the head Weasley woman.

The day after her arrival Hermione decided she would just stay in Ginny's room all day, as she did not feel up to being around the others. She sat beside the window reading a book, relieved she'd made it through the morning not seeing anyone besides Ginny, but as soon as lunch was ready Mrs. Weasley had burst into the bedroom and told Hermione she had five minutes to be at the table or else she'd bring up plates and eat with her. After giving her one last look she'd left as quickly as she came, Hermione had quickly gotten ready and was in a seat in less than two minutes. Molly sat by her during the meal and filled up her plate, making sure she ate enough. After she'd finished Hermione had been planning to escape back upstairs, but as she stood to leave Molly asked if she would be a dear and help her clean up.

Hermione helped clear the table and washed the dishes, working quietly beside Mrs. Weasley. As they worked Molly had casually questioned her on the mission, momentarily throwing her off for a second as she didn't know how the woman knew anything about it, she'd calmly answered what she could without giving anything away. The woman had quickly dropped the subject, a little annoyed, but had quickly returned to her normal, happy, self. It had freaked Hermione out just a bit, but she could understand why the woman would want to know. They had continued cleaning up as if she'd never said a word.

They finished soon enough, and with nothing else to do she asked if there was anything else she could help with. Molly had given her a bright smile, one she tried to return with a small one of her own. They'd worked together most of the day cleaning and cooking, and after dinner they sat outside, both drinking lemonade as Hermione read.

Out of the rest of the household she was at the moment closest to Mrs. Weasley, probably because Molly doesn't try to make her talk about what was wrong. Instead she was very accepting, she understood Hermione needed time and was willing to wait till she was ready. And even though it had been strange to her at first she really thought they'd grown closer, and she hoped they'd continue being close.

She grabbed her wand and took a calming breath. It was almost time to get Harry. She started towards the door but before she could reach it the door opened and Ginny stepped in, not saying a word they both headed down the stairs. As they reached the bottom Hermione looked into the kitchen to see Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle, two order members, leaving. As she reached the entrance to the living room she quietly slipped in with Ginny, there were fifteen other people standing and sitting around the room.

The tension of the room was thick, they were all preparing for a battle. The thought made her stomach twist and her palms sweat. Bill, Fleur, Arthur, and Molly stood in a group whispering, while Kingsley and Mad Eye stood talking in front of the fireplace. Tonks and Remus were side-by-side looking out the window as the sun slowly started to set. Hagrid was sitting awkwardly on one side of a couch, which looked likely to break at any moment, while Mundungus sat on the opposite end.

Ginny crossed the room to go stand in the corner where three of her brothers, Fred, George, and Ron, were. Hermione quickly followed, feeling a bit awkward around all these people. As she came to stand with the group Ron scooted closer, giving her a small smile and squeezing her shoulder. She stood quietly as Mad Eye got their attention and paired them together. She was put with Kingsley and soon after she was heading out the door, and promising Mrs. Weasley she'd be careful.

The trip there went by fine, and it was so good to see Harry again especially since he was acting a little more like himself, it was the trip back that had been a problem. As soon as they were in the air they were being attacked from all sides, spells flying past, barely missing her, it had been chaos. She'd started firing out spells of her own, hoping to stun as many death eaters as she could. She'd nearly screamed at the sight of Voldemort flying past, though still confused when he'd vanished quickly. Hoping that was not a bad sign.

When they'd escaped all of their attackers they'd headed back to their safe house, and by the time they'd arrived at what she assumed to be Kingsley's home she was in a panic. They didn't know who'd made it or who'd betrayed them. As they waited for their portkey, a bent coat hanger, to be activate she paced through the dark living room they were waiting in. Kingsley sat in a corner watching as she walked back and forth for a few minutes before standing, leaving the room, and returning with a small dose of calming potion that he forced her to drink. He sat back in his chair to wait again as she also took a seat, letting the potion take effect. And finally, after what seemed like an eternity to them both, the portkey was ready. They grabbed on and soon disappeared.

Appearing in the yard of the Burrow she ran to Harry as he came out the kitchen door and caught him up in a tight hug, happy to see he was alright. Lupin followed behind him and she watched as both Kingsley and Remus pulled out their wands, Kingsley asked Remus a question and she let out a breath as it was confirmed there were no imposters among them. She felt sick as she was relayed the news of what had happened to George, she watched as Harry's expression darken at the mention of Snape and as he quickly retreated back into the house. She also discovered they were only the third group back out of seven, and she stood beside the others as they watched for the rest of the groups, hoping they were all safe. And, for the second time that night, she was left to wait, worried and in the dark.

The minutes passed slowly until finally Mr. Weasley and Fred appeared, both running in at the news of what had happened to George. Tonks and Ron arrived soon after, coming in fast on a broom. She ran to Ron as soon as they'd landed, hugging him tight, Harry soon join in and she pulled back smiling at the two. They joined the others and she listened as everyone told their part of what had happened that night, Kingsley left not long after and they all returned to waiting. The arrival of Bill and Fleur also brought the news of Mad Eye's death, and though she'd never been close to the man she was still sad to hear he was gone. Seeing as how everyone was there now they all moved indoors.

They gathered in the living room, all squeezing in around each other as Bill sent glasses of fire whiskey their way, they gave a toast and drank. She sipped at the drink, enjoying the numbing burn. The day had gone by in a blurred rush, and she was glad it was almost over. She sat back and as everyone talked, and listened as Harry stood to tell them they all would have to trust each other. She silently agreed, but knew it was easier said than done. She watched, sipping at her still almost full glass, as Remus and Bill headed out to retrieve Mad Eye's body.

After they left the others had started to quiet down, things were settling down when Harry suddenly decided he leave. Of course she and the others had immediately objected and after yelling at them he had left out the kitchen door, she looked to Ron and they both moved to follow after him. They caught up to him in the fields, were he'd been having a vision, it scared her knowing Voldemort had access to her best friend's mind. And it really needed to stop.

They quietly returned to the house, slipping back inside Ron let everyone who was still there know they were back before heading upstairs with Harry. She grabbed her fire whiskey and heading back outside, she sat in the garden beside the house. She laid back and looked up into the clear night, it was a warm and she could hear the slight rustle of the wind through the tall grass. A small pop, which she identified as apparition, startled her. She grabbed her wand, wondering who it could be, and as she sat up to look the dark figure turned towards her and started walking to her fast, as they got closer she suddenly recognized the mystery person to be none other than Minerva McGonagall.

She got up and was pulled into a tight hug which she returned just as tightly, she was thrilled to see the woman though very much confused about what she was doing there. She pulled back looking Minerva up and down, her hair was in a long braid thrown over one shoulder and though she was wearing a plain red outer robe Hermione could see green night gown under it, it was obvious the woman had either been sleeping or had been about to. "Minerva what are you doing here?" She whispered, hoping the others wouldn't hear her.

"Well I just spoke with a slightly drunk Hagrid, and he told me what happened tonight. I had to come make sure you were alright." Hermione blushed, "I'm fine Minerva," She raised an eyebrow, giving the woman a confused look. "But I thought you knew we were getting Harry?" Minerva shook her head, a frown on her face. "I knew the order would be moving Potter to a safe house sometime soon, but I didn't know the exact date or how they would do it. I am a bit annoyed I was not informed of this plan though."

"Well I think the only people who knew where those directly involved, and since you're so busy with Hogwarts they probably didn't want to bother you." She said running one hand up and down Minerva's arm while the other one squeezed her shoulder. Minerva sighed, "Maybe, but I'm still going to have to talk with Remus and Kingsley about it." They both slowly sunk to the ground, sitting side by side. Hermione picked up her glass of fire whiskey taking a few sips and leaning into the woman beside her, putting her head on Minerva's shoulder and sighing.

She could feel Minerva's eyes on the top of her head, and then the woman reached one arm around her, pulling her closer to her side. As Hermione took another sip of her drink the woman gently took the glass from her lips, bringing it up to her own and downing it all in one gulp. She looked up at the woman watching as she licked her lips and looked down at her, staring into her face. Minerva quickly leaned down and kissed her forehead, and then looked up at the twinkling stars. Hermione closed her eyes and sighed, enjoying their silent closeness, slowly giving in to the exhaustion she felt.

She awoke the next morning in her bed in Ginny's room, wondering for a moment how she had gotten there before realizing Minerva must have brought her up. This realization made her feel warm and as she remembered the time she'd spent with Minerva the night before she, for the first time in days, smiled a real, genuine, smile.

Once again I am so sorry for the delay, but the good news is that now that it's summer I should be able to update more frequently! Yay! -Fae