The carriage was a beautiful white stagecoach on the outside but the inside was much bigger. Two rooms, a sitting room with enough space for four people and another room with four single beds. Patriotic in its colors, the Minister for Magic of Australia had offered her own personal transportation as a way of keeping the tension between their two great nations down. It had been fitted with the best food Australia had to offer as well as a full potions cabinet. A healer had been offered to accompany them but had been declined.

Mr. Granger had been carefully levitated inside onto one of the beds with his astonished wife at his side. Hermione had taken her place beside her mother while Severus and Harry made themselves comfortable in the cabin. Shacklebolt had ensured the Minister that one Auror was more than enough to keep everything on course. That and he wanted to make Snape squirm, just a little, for having caused him so much trouble.

They had taken to the air without incident. Now four hours in, everyone was in various states of rest. Severus had his head down on his chest with his arms crossed while Harry had laid down completely on the bench and was happily snoring away. They hadn't said two words to the other choosing to look out the window or sit in pensive silence.

Inside the bedroom, Mrs. Granger held her daughter's head in her lap, her fingers lightly running through her tangled curls. The emotional roller coaster they had both been on had simultaneously invigorated them and exhausted them. Hermione had joined two of the beds into one, allowing her mother to stretch out beside her husband. Nothing about the world she was experiencing made any sense but her daughter had explained everything that she could. She had taken it as it was, but her heart was still worried. More and more memories were starting to fall back into place now. Bringing a whole new series of questions. Though her first and foremost priority was the safety of the two she loved most in this world.

Jean tilted her head down to look at Hermione's face, her fingers tracing over the faint lines that were starting to appear around her eyes. The marks of womanhood. Her heart told her it had been a long time—too long—since she'd held her. She didn't want to let her go now, especially in a world that made no sense. All this magic around her was more than she could possibly take in at once. She felt honored to share in the world that her daughter had become apart of but she was no fool, with every light there was a shadow.

"Hermione...?"

"Mmm?" Hermione hadn't realized how much she had missed her mother's hold, not until she had laid down against her, too exhausted to remain awake.

"Who is that man in the black coat?" Jean shifted slightly when Hermione turned her head from her stomach to look up at her with sleep-heavy eyes. She glanced over at Robert when he let out a soft sigh turning his head on his pillow.

"Black coat...?" Hermione's brain took excessively long to click into place, "Severus?"

"Stern face, glare that would turn any army around screaming for their mothers."

Hermione grinned ever so slightly bringing her hand up to rub at her eye, "Severus."

Jean's brow rose at the grin that was forming on her daughter's face and her mother's intuition kicked in. "Something I need to know, young lady?"

The grin straightened out quickly but the blush that took over was telling enough to a mother's eye. Still, his strict appearance worried her. "Is he kind to you?"

"More than kind..."

"What does he teach?" Jean had overheard the title when they'd gotten into the carriage, though the man didn't seem all too thrilled about the title.

"He doesn't teach anymore..." Hermione kept her eyes closed, too embarrassed to be having this conversation given the circumstances.

"Okay. What did he teach?" Jean pushed some hair from Hermione's face trying to move the hand hiding her embarrassment.

"Potions..." Hermione sighed softly, turning her heavy eyes up to the grin crawling over her mother's face waiting for the realization to finally hit.

"Like mother, like daughter." Jean turned her head, smiling lovingly at the man beside them. When she looked back into Hermione's wide-eyed and partially horrified face she couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes, he was my teacher. Though we were in college at the time."

Hermione made a face, like any child she didn't want to think about her parents' romantic entanglements and most certainly didn't want to be compared to either one. Her mother chuckled softly, reaching down to tickle the horrified look off of her daughter's face. Her nails dug into Hermione's sensitive sides eliciting a full-natured laugh.

Hermione squirmed in her hold until one of her long nails pressed into her scar causing her body to jolt. Her laughter turned into a cry of pain and she tried to roll out of her mother's lap.

"Hermione? What's wrong? Did I scratch you?"

"Nothing. I'm fine!" Her voice and curled position betrayed her lie. She covered her side protectively taking slow even breaths to try and work through the pain.

"Don't you lie to me." If there was one thing she wouldn't tolerate it was a lie, especially when she'd obviously put her daughter in great distress. She shifted her position and started to push the back of Hermione's shirt up.

"No!" Hermione struggled to reach behind her and roll out her mother's reach simultaneously. Unfortunately, the stitch in her side and her newly repaired shoulder gave protest leaving her unable to hide her scars.

Severus' eyes snapped open to her startled command. He was on his feet, wand in hand, not a second later. He jostled Harry's foot so hard he woke the boy from his sleep when he made his way to the door. He opened it with his trademark flourish, running his eyes over the room for the possible reason for her outburst.

Hermione closed her eyes tight when her mother gasped, her soft fingers pushing up further to see the long whip marks that had yet to fade. She tried to turn away but her mother's hand between her shoulders kept her in place. She had done well to hide the scar from her fifth year from her mother, choosing to leave that part of her year out of her retelling. There was nowhere to run now.

Jean could hardly suppress the grief over her face, her free hand coming up to cover her mouth with shock. What had happened to her baby? Her eyes shot up when Severus opened the door. The force and look on his face dangerous. Her stomach turned cold as her mind jumped to a logical—if erroneous line of thinking.

"What did you do to my baby?"

Severus' eyes turned to her, his brow furrowing deeper as he tried to catch up, his mouth open but he simply had nothing he could say. It was dangerous to get between a mother bear and her cub.

"Mum, it wasn't him..." Hermione took small breaths trying to turn herself to look at Severus. She made a face when she twisted before putting her hand over the scar on her rib.

"You don't have to protect him," Jean came to her feet coming to stand between her daughter and the man four steps away. "I won't let him hurt you."

"I assure you, I have no intention of harming your daughter..." Severus looked over her shoulder trying to see Hermione but the irate woman blocked his line of sight. His wand raised up on instinct.

"Why do I find it difficult to believe you?" Jean narrowed her sharp eyes into the face of the man before her.

"If you would just let me pass...I can ease her pain."

"Don't you dare." Her eyes flicked down to the wand in his hand and she did something that would have cost anyone else their life.

"Mum, please! It wasn't him!" Hermione let out a shocked noise as the wood that had been back-handed out of his palm clattered hard to the floor, her eyes wide at what her mother had done. Her face turned white and she unknowingly held her breath to see what Severus would do. To her great surprise, Severus merely tightened his jaw, letting his hand come back slowly to his side. Hermione shifted her weight slowly coming to rest on her knees, "He's never hurt me. I promise!"

"How did you get those scars then? They certainly weren't from climbing a tree." The one time Hermione had tried to lie to her had been in her elementary days; when a group of kids had bullied her. Pushing her off of the jungle gym scrapping her leg and leaving bruises in all sorts of places.

"Mum...please...let him pass..." Hermione took a deep breath pulling down the back of her shirt, her eyes filling with tears.

"No. Not until you tell me where they came from." Jean crossed her arms, making it very clear that neither of them were coming within five feet of the other until she got her answer. "The truth, Hermione Jean Granger."

"It was the war, okay?" Hermione took a deep breath before hanging her head.

"The what?"

Severus' brow ticked, had she not told her parents anything? How could she have kept them so far in the dark? He hoped that it was still the obliviate spell reversing itself but the shame and guilt on Hermione's face told him that it wasn't the case.

"Mum...just sit down okay?" Hermione shifted to the edge of the bed, her breathing still somewhat tight but manageable, "I'm okay Severus...just...go back with Harry..."

Severus didn't want to leave her side, but he also found himself the slightest bit afraid of the short woman blocking his path. He had fought many battles in his life, won many if not most, but he knew that getting past her was a fight he'd never win. He silently called his wand back to his hand, turning his eyes to her mother one last time before turning to make his way out. Perhaps a bit childish, he closed the door with a subtle flick of his wand to try and remind himself that he was a powerful man.

"Mum...please..." Hermione couldn't raise her head. She had hoped they could have had a proper conversation but she was starting to understand Severus' hatred of the fates.

Harry pushed himself up onto his hands blinking at Snape's retreat and restraint. He wanted to do something to help him. "I know a way we can listen in..." The man just frowned deeper coming back to sit on the bench facing the door, his arms crossed and his face ambivalent, "I'll take the blame if we get caught..."

Severus lifted his eyes, his mind turning. He did want to listen but he didn't want to lose Hermione's trust either. He stayed silent for a long moment weighing the pros and cons before finally nodding his head ever so slightly.

Harry gave him an understanding look before pulling his wand from his partially unbuttoned coat. He turned to the wall before mumbling the spell Luna had taught him. The wall between them wavered for a small moment before the sound of voices filled the cabin.

"You lied to us. All this time we thought you were living your dream surrounded by caring and understanding people."

"I was just trying to keep you safe..."

"That's not your job. We're your parents, we're supposed to protect you."

"I...I know..."

"You could've died and we-we would never have known..."

"I'm sorry...please I just..."

"No. No more apologies and no more magic...Come home...be with your family..."

"I can't...just stop being magical... it's who I am..."

"Who you are...is my daughter...my blood... Hermione, please...I can't bear the thought of losing you to something I can never understand..."

"Magic saved Dad...I...I can't just..."

"Come home...I beg you..."

"The war is over, everyone is safe now..."

"Everyone?"

There was a long pause and Harry turned his head away to look at Snape. His face was unreadable but if Harry looked close enough he could see a deep sadness filling his eyes.

"Please... don't make me choose between you and the world I belong in...I would never be able to live without magic, it's everything to me..."

"Then just tell me. You've never kept secrets from me before. Just tell me what happened. How all of this happened. Hermione, I love you to the moon and back but I need to know that you're safe. That your choices haven't put you in a position that you're not grown enough to get out of..."

"Severus is a great man, he saved my life. Countless times. I trust him with everything inside me..."

"Then tell me why. You know I only want your happiness but you've got to give me more than this..."

Another long silence filled the carriage. Harry could feel his heart breaking for Hermione and knew he had to do something. The discussion was just going in circles. Maybe if she wouldn't listen to her, maybe she'd listen to him. Harry pushed himself up going to the door. He looked back at Snape one last time before knocking his way through.

"I can tell you everything you need to know..."

"Harry..."

"It'll be alright Hermione..." Harry gave her a brave smile coming in just a step further. He took a deep breath before closing his eyes for a long moment. He could feel her mother's eyes boring straight into his soul, but he wouldn't be deterred.

Hermione sniffled heavily, a fear crawling up her spine. She knew if her mother ever knew the full extent of what she'd been through, what they'd all been through, she'd most likely lock her away for the rest of her life.

"Your daughter—my best friend is the brightest, kindest, bravest person I have ever come to know. She's a hero. Not just to me, but to the entire world. Without her, I never would have been able to do what I was destined to do. She has saved countless lives at the risk of her own. Her keen wit and caring heart saving countless others. She is the embodiment of what every magical and non-magical person should strive to be. Her self-sacrifice, her scars, are just a testament to just how kind her heart is. She is, your daughter but she is also a witch. One of the most powerful the world has ever come to know. It's everything to her, and honestly, I don't think things would be as they are if she'd never stepped onto that train all those years ago."

Mrs. Granger felt her hurt and anger slowly melting away. The passion in which Harry spoke going straight into her heart. Her lips pursed tight, a slow tear rolling down her cheek. She turned her head towards her daughter, her baby. It was so hard to see the woman who now sat beside her, but in her heart of hearts, she knew it was time to let her go.

"This war... it's over?"

"Yes." Harry stood up just a bit straighter his chest filling with the hope that he had done something good.

"How long have you been gone? Truly been gone?"

"Nearly two years...I...modified your memories during the summer before my seventh year...the...final battle took place in May..."

"Why did you wait this long? How could you have let us continue to believe we never had a daughter?"

Hermione looked down at her hands, "I wanted to find you but... I was injured... The Ministry took over the case...they sent out Aurors to find you a couple months after...but they weren't able to locate you...until now... I came as soon as I got the message...I left everything to find you..."

"It's true Mrs. Granger, I was there. She just walked out from work, she'd just been promoted too..."

Hermione gave him a weak smile but still couldn't raise her head. She didn't need to be a mind reader to know that she'd hurt her mother deeply. All of the emotions proceeding their reunion started to rise once more in her heart, making it difficult to breathe. She never wanted this...

Mrs. Granger's shoulders slowly relaxed; her own anger and hurt gradually turning to that of love and compassion. The room went quiet, the tension that had been building towards explosive levels dwindling down to a gently flowing river. Her eyes pulled away from Harry's face to the man who sat behind him before her head turned to fully look at her daughter. An ambivalent smile crawled over her lips before she reached out to take the hand that laid limp in Hermione's lap. What could she ask for? She was alive, she was there.

"A hero, huh?"

"That's what they tell me..." Hermione wiped her eyes, lifting her repenting eyes to search her mother's face for any hope of forgiveness.

"Oh, my beautiful baby girl... My sunshine... I just...I love you so much... "

"I know... I love you too...I never wanted all this to happen..." She looked at her father, taking a shaky breath.

Jean closed her eyes too, swallowing down the emotion that tightened her throat, "Come here... "

Hermione sniffled softly raising her head, her mind a complete and total mess. She gave her mum's hand a tight squeeze before wrapping her arms around her, completing the offered embrace. She closed her eyes tight, hiding her face into her neck just letting go of everything that had threatened to tear her apart.

Harry smiled woefully before slowly backing out of the room, he turned his head towards Snape, the tension on his face was still present but he no longer looked as though his life had come to its end. It was a step, a small one, in the right direction.

"When you're ready to tell me... I'm here to listen..."

oOOo

Night had come and gone outside the window. Four more hours had passed with them chasing the sun. Harry had canceled the spell allowing them to hear inside the room though he had occasionally heard a raised voice he hadn't felt the same protective desire as before. He was sure Hermione was more than taking charge of the situation now that she had been reminded of who she was. He hadn't just made that speech for her Mum but her as well, he'd never seen confidence so low before. He'd eaten something small before having fallen back asleep on the bench. The emotional ride as well as being woken in the middle of the night having messed with his inner clock.

Severus likewise had kept an ear out but found that whatever was being shared didn't need his involvement. Not that he had much to contribute to Harry's little one man speech. A tiny little voice in the deepest shadows of his heart had to commend the boy for his words, but the louder more present voices kept him from having too much of a character building revelation. He had eaten only enough to keep his body from protesting, choosing instead to try and rest as much as he could. His were eyes closed but his ears were tuned in for any disturbance. It was just as his body was finally about to completely fall asleep that the door to the room came open. His head came up slowly, his eyes struggling to open. He blinked at the woman standing in the doorway, and for a split second his eyes decived him.

"Mrs...Granger..?"

"I think she needs you...She won't rest..." Her own eyes were darkened with the knowledge of what Hermione had shared. Though it wasn't detailed, Hermione had given an abridged account of what had led up to the final battle. She hadn't directly explained where any of her scars had come from, though she had shown her many. Jean was a clever woman herself and was able to fill in the holes left behind. Even still, it was going to take her a long time to process.

Severus nodded his head, carefully coming to his feet. He supposed this was as close as he was going to get as acceptance under the current circumstances. He wasn't about to argue either way, "There's some food...in the ice box..."

"Thank you..." Jean stepped aside giving the man as much room as possible to pass. She could see the warmth hidden in the corner of his eye and despite her earlier fears, felt comforted by his attention to her daughter. She turned to watch him take Hermione into his arms. Gingerly moving her from the two beds that had been joined so that they could sit next to her husband, to the other two on the other wall. The beds joined themselves the same way they had under Hermione's control before he called back the covers and made her shoes vanish. Though it was the way he laid her down that spoke to her heart. The gentle way he pushed her hair back and the way he spoke softly into her ear.

He didn't join her beneath the covers but he did lay himself down beside her, letting her adjust herself over him the way she wanted before letting his head relax back on the pillow. His eyes closed without so much as a glance in either direction and his arm held her head protectively under his chin. Yes, there was no question in her mind, that despite his harsh knife-edged appearance, her daughter had captured his heart.

She left the door open, more for her own sanity than anything else. She wanted to be there if Robert woke and needed anything. She wasn't sure what they'd done to him but he didn't seem to be in any pain at all; just resting peacefully. She had actually been surprised that their little disagreement hadn't even so much as caused him to stir. It was only when Hermione had cast a diagnostic spell and translated the results did she find the strength to worry about herself.

oOOo

"Jean?" Robert groaned softly turning his head away from the wall. He felt surprisingly healthy, his chest clear and free, his limbs without an ounce of pain. His mind too felt clear, if a bit confused. He had only a small headache, something akin to a growing sinus cold but nothing he couldn't manage.

He turned himself slowly trying ro blink the world around him into focus, for a split second he'd believed he'd suddenly gone blind when the low lamps inside the carriage started to come into view. A soft purring noise greeted his ears next and he managed to turn himself fully into his side looking out into the odd room he'd found himself in.

The now separated bed beside him was empty but the bed farther on the other wall was occupied. A man in dark clothes laid with his back to him. He gave it little thought deciding to bring himself up to his feet instead. He felt so invigorated, so renewed. It was odd and made him extremely curious to find his limitations.

When he came to his feet he realized that the man across the way wasn't sleeping alone, the light was too dim to make out clearly who it was with him but he decided it was none of his business and shuffled slowly towards the now closed door.

He could make out soft voices just on the other side and he opened the door. The lights in the room were only marginally brighter, the cabin had taken on a comfortable glow. It took his eyes only second to see the woman he'd seaching for sitting with a cup of tea in her lap.

"Jean."

"Robert!" Jean hurriedly placed down her tea coming to her feet to wrap her Husband in a loving but gentle hug, she couldn't believe he was standing! The doctors had told him he'd broken both legs and dislocated his hip. As much as she'd learned about the dark side of magic in the last few hours there was no denying how brilliantly the light-side shone.

"Hello, beautiful." Robert smiled softly and kissed her for all it was worth. It felt wonderingful to have her in his arms but felt as though the embrace wasn't complete. That there was someone missing from their family, "Where's Hermione?" He was sure he had seen her in the hospital, though he didn't know how he had gotten here, he was sure he'd seen her.

Jean couldn't speak for the emotion in her throat was too great, tears spilled down her eyes and she held him even tighter than before, "You remember?"

"Of course...How could I forget my own daughter?"

"The accident...do you remember that too?"

"I remember something...and pain...then waking up in a hospital before well, this." He held her close but did raise his hand to motion around them. "It feels like we're flying..."

"We are...its uh...a private plane..." Jean was a little wary of disclosing too much information on the fear that her husband might have the same reaction she did to seeing all this magic first-hand. She let out a slow breath and stepped back to bring him further into the cabin. "Are you hungry?"

"I could eat." Robert gave her a gentle smile coming further into the room, he blinked when he saw Harry sitting in the bench he hadn't been able to see from the doorway, "You look familiar."

"Harry, Harry sir. Harry Potter." Harry came to his feet extending out his hand, he actually couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Hermione's parents. It had definitely been before their fifth year.

"Ah yes, Hermione's friend. You've grown." Robert furrowed his brows a bit. Hermione had brought home pictures through the years but he didn't actually recall seeing any of them past their fifth year. In fact, he couldn't recall going to any graduation ceremony or even speaking to his daughter in a very long time. The more he thought about it, the more troubling it became. "Where's Hermione, Jean?"

"She's in there, resting. We have a lot to tell you..." Jean resigned herself to doing what she and her daughter both thought was something that should wait. Empathy filled her heart for Hermione's position as she guided Robert down to sit on the bench.