Lyra was relaxing in the Burrow with Ron and Hermione, them on a sofa and she was on the floor leaning against the chair opposite. It was in a brief period of silence that Lyra voiced the thought that she had been thinking about for days.
"I'm going to go and see mum and dad again."
The two on the sofa looked at her quickly, concern blossoming in their eyes. Lyra blushed and studied her feet, wrapping her arms around her legs as she waited for them to speak.
"Why?" Hermione asked, "it's been over a year and you've barely mentioned them!"
"I have mentioned them!" Lyra cried out in anger, "I have! I just.. Not to you. I think about them all the time."
Ron looked sympathetically at her. He couldn't imagine being in her situation. He couldn't imagine even being near it. He had nearly lost his dad in their 5th year, nearly lost his brother a year ago, but he still had them. Lyra had lost both her parents, and had been brought up by people who hated her. Out of he and his girlfriend, he knew that he probably understood how she was feeling better than Hermione did, who had never lost anyone, but even then, he couldn't begin to comprehend how Lyra felt.
"Then we'll come with you, won't we Ron!" Hermione said, "when are we going to go? What should we take? Will we need anything?"
"I'm going to take Charlie" Lyra replied quietly, "I think it's time he met mum and dad."
"Well when is Charlie free?" Hermione asked, "adding him in will make this a bit more complicated because I've got to go on holiday with my parents for a few days and Ron has work."
"I don't think you understand" Lyra finally said, "I'm just going to go with Charlie. We've never gone together and I've only visited them once."
"I think we should come with you!" Hermione exclaimed, but Ron finally interrupted.
"Hermione" he said, "Lyra wants to do this on her own. She probably only told us because she does tell us everything, which is more than either of us do to her. But she doesn't have to take her friends along every time she visits Godric's Hollow. It's not like she's going on her own anyway, she's taking Charlie with her."
Lyra bristled at the implication that Ron didn't want her to go alone either, but then caught the subtle glance he sent at her and relaxed. Hermione's shoulders dropped at her boyfriends words, before she looked across the room at Lyra.
"I'm sorry Ly- Lyra-" she said quietly, "I should have realised. It's not my place to insist we go with you every time you go to visit your parents." Lyra smiled tentatively at her, before Hermione continued, "I'm glad Charlie will go with you though, I think you need someone - whether it's Charlie or me or Ron or anyone else. I don't think you should be alone when you go to see them."
The trio lapsed into silence, the couple absorbed with themselves and Lyra studying the pictures filling the walls. The quiet of the house was eventually interrupted by Hermione again, who quietly asked,
"Have you never gone with Sirius?"
Lyra nodded her head, "we went once - with Uncle Remus, Tonks and Teddy, a few days after the war ended. Just to tell them" she paused, "tell them it was over." She blinked the tears that had suddenly appeared in her eyes away, before being enfolded in a hug by Ron, who, although he wasn't a very tactful friend, he was very good at hugs.
The friends were again, silent. But it was a comfortable silence, a silence of three people who know each other so well that they can just be quiet in each other's presence. Eventually Lyra broke the silence.
"So how's working with your brothers? Still fun?" She asked with a cheeky grin on her face. Ron sighed exasperatedly, rolling his eyes at her as he answered.
"Oh yes, so much fun changing colour nearly every time they offer me a drink!" He said, the sarcasm obvious in his voice. The two girls laughed, but Ron flushed.
"I don't want to join the Ministry yet, I know Kingsley said we were welcome but it still feels wrong there - it's getting better but I'd rather not start work with the Aurors or any other office until you start working there as well." He said, looking at Lyra as he finished.
She grinned at him, but said nothing. All three knew that Lyra wanted a year off before starting work - a year she had spent with her family, friends, Charlie and Teddy. Ron would have to wait until September before he could start work away from his brothers, because Lyra wasn't prepared to start work now until after she returned from her honeymoon.
A/N Sorry this has taken me so long, real life has taken over recently. Been volunteering more than ever preparing for a large event which was on Friday, so didn't have a lot of free time on my hands. I've also been working, which means my days have been cut short as well. This chapters taken a while to write and it's not really how I intended it to go.. But it's better than it has been! I thought I'd post it before I deleted it again.