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Written for World Cup, Hermione Granger

WC - 524

With a Little Help From Friends

It was all over, or that's what they kept saying. She'd heard it time and time again, and it filled her with anger because it wasn't all over at all.

The war, perhaps.

She supposed that yes, the battle part of the war was over, but she also was a realist and she didn't think that the wizarding world would be fixed just because Voldemort was gone.

There were inherent problems that wouldn't just vanish because Voldemort had breathed his last breath.

That wasn't what was on Hermione's mind though.

Now that the fighting was done, and the biggest threat to muggleborns' safety had been dealt with, she could finally turn her attention to her parents. Since she'd obliviated herself from their memories, she'd fought with her mind not to think of them.

Not that it was easy, but since she felt actual physical pain whenever she thought about them being out there somewhere with no memory of her, it wasn't as hard as it probably should have been to neglect her thoughts of them.

She knew they were in Australia. She even knew that they were in Sydney. But finding a couple with the last name of Granger wasn't going to be easy. She searched and searched via the muggle libraries and databases, all to no avail.

"We could go to Australia?" Harry'd offered, shrugging his shoulders. "A break… a break would be good. For all of us."

Hermione had appreciated the offer, she really had, but Ron had been making noises about making their relationship into a real thing, and she just didn't have the focus to deal with that along with her search and so she'd declined Harry's offer and closed herself away.

It was the only way she knew to deal.

And if she cried into her pillow at night, well, only she was there to hear the sobs.

…

"Hermione, can you come to mine for a few minutes?" Harry asked, via the fireplace.

She hadn't seen him for over a month, hadn't seen anyone now that she thought about it. She hadn't even seen Harry's new place.

The earnest look on his face made so that she couldn't deny him as she had been doing though, and so she sighed and nodded her head.

He vanished from the flames and she followed through a moment later.

What she saw when she stepped through Harry's fireplace was almost enough to make her faint. There, sitting at the kitchen table with mugs in their hands, were her parents.

"H… how? How?"

Harry grinned at her, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "I called in a few favours. I'm heading out, but help yourself to whatever you need, and I'll see you later."

"Harry," she whispered, tears falling down her face. "Thank you, thank you so much."

He winked at her. "What else could I do when my sister was hurting?"

He nodded to her parents and left the room, whistling as he went. She knew she'd have to thank him properly later,perhaps even attempt to bake him a cake or -

"Hermione Jean Granger! You've got some explaining to do!"