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CHAPTER SIX: Still Life

Hermione looked at the group of children gathered around her bed. Luna was standing by the door at the rear of the group, keeping an eye on things. Hermione had been told they were worried and, despite not remembering any of them, felt that she should do her best to reassure them.

She looked at the two on her left, an older girl and a boy in his very early teens. They fitted the few facts she'd managed to glean from Harry's description of her children. "You're Rose and Hugo, right?"

The pair nodded awkwardly. "How are you, Mum?"Rose asked.

"I'm fine, thank you."

Hugo looked at her closely. "You don't remember us, do you?"

Hermione sighed. She held out her hand and Hugo took it. "No, sweetie, I'm afraid I don't. I wish I did. But I'd like the chance to get to know you." She looked at the three children on her right. "You're Harry's children, I take it?"

The older of the two boys nodded. "I'm James, that's Albus and Lily."

"Are you still going to be living with us?"Lily asked.

Hermione did her best to give the girl a reassuring smile. "Well, your dad's asked me to come home and I've said yes so…I suppose so."

"You'll be all right,"Luna remarked airily.

Harry was waiting in an office. He'd asked Ron and Neville to join him. He wasn't really sure why, moral support probably. "Who's this guy we're meant to be meeting?" Neville asked.

"I don't know,"Harry replied. "According to Madame Manoharan, he was the assistant of the witch who was working on reversing memory charms."

They all turned to the door as a man entered. Harry stared at him for a moment, sure he'd seen the face before but unable to place it, then it struck him. "Zacharias Smith?!" Harry hadn't seen his old classmate since he'd fled Hogwarts prior to Voldemort's attack, not the most impressive of last views.

Zacharias nodded. "Potter. Weasley. Longbottom."

"You were Harriet Kenwood's assistant?"Ron asked incredulously.

"I was her herbology adviser,"Zacharias corrected. "I provided her with the information she needed about the herbs she needed for the potions side of her research. The magic side she kept to herself."

Harry felt his disappointing mounting. The sight of Zacharias had caused most of his hopes to evaporate and his present revelation was even worse. "So there's no way of reviving her research?"

"Not that I know of. A shame. I could have done with the prestige of being involved in a find like that."

Harry bit back the retort he'd been planning to give. Zacharias had always been obnoxious, there was no point taking out his frustrations on him. "All right, thanks for your help."

"So what do we do now?"Ron asked once the three of them had been left alone again.

Harry turned to Neville. "Don't suppose there's any chance you can pick up where Zacharias left off."

"By the sound of things, there's a whole different side to it he knew nothing about. I can try and work out what she was doing with the ingredients but without knowing how they were applied it could be dangerous."

Harry nodded. He'd been expecting that answer. "Then I guess we're left dealing with the same situation as before. Accepting Hermione as she is."

"Why do we have to come back here?"Lily complained as she, James and Albus filed into the Longbottoms' house with their now apparently long-term hosts.

"It's going to be hard enough for Dad looking after Aunt Hermione,"Albus pointed out. "He doesn't want us getting in the way."

"But we're supposed to be a family,"Lily protested. "She's meant to be part of our family now."

"Rose and Hugo had to go home with Uncle Ron as well,"James reminded her. "It's not like we're being singled out."

Lily continued to pout. "It's still not fair."

"You should probably go and look up your work for third year,"Luna remarked. "You never know what might come in useful."

Lily looked at her as if trying to work out if she was being giving a secret message then ran upstairs.

"Do you know something we don't?"Neville asked her.

Luna shook her head. "I just thought it might help if I sounded as though I did."

James, Martin and Emily drifted off towards the front room as Albus followed Lily upstairs. "You want to have a game of wizard warcraft?"Martin asked.

Emily glared at him. "Considering how you did on your OWLs, you could probably do with looking up your work for next year as well."

Martin raised an eyebrow. "You sounded scarily like Rose there."

"Wizard warcraft sounds like a good idea,"James agreed.

Harry cautiously ushered Hermione into the house. She stood in the large hallway, looking up the stairs and in the direction of the various rooms with some consternation. "This is where we live?"

Harry nodded. "We moved in about a year ago. We bought it a few months after we got together." He knew deep down that he shouldn't expect a response but he couldn't help hoping for a sign her memories were coming back. Instead, she just nodded politely. "We still own my old house, it's used as a meeting place for…a society we belong to." He decided that telling her about the Order of the Phoenix would require too long a conversation at this juncture.

"I'm sorry,"Hermione sighed,"I don't remember any of this."

Harry tried not to let his disappointment show. "We'll put your things in our bedroom, it'll be best if you're around familiar things. I'll sleep in the guest room."

Hermione lowered her gaze awkwardly. "I'm sorry to be putting you to so much trouble."

Harry wanted to hug her, or even just touch her arm, but he knew that any sort of physical intimacy might be too much for her to handle at that point. "It's no trouble,"he said gently. "I want you to be here." She raised her eyes to meet his and gave a grateful smile. "Come on. I'll show you the way."