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Chapter 12

Part of Ron wished Hermione hadn't told him the date she was due to come back, because the next few weeks dragged. Every day, he'd wake up, get ready, then he and Harry would head off to wherever it was they were asked to show up for training that day. At first, it had started with simple tasks within the Ministry, but more recently, they branched out and were taken to various locations around Britain. It was fun, but completely exhausting, and by the time they got home, neither Ron nor Harry could be bothered to cook for themselves.

Word must have reached Molly about this (perhaps through Ginny, who insisted on spending every second night sleeping over), because she now dropped by every so often with food and berating them for not eating properly.

Ron had to admit, he was grateful for it, because on the few occasions he or Harry had attempted to make something, they had both failed miserably.

At the end of each week, they were tested on all the new skills they'd learnt, and much to the chagrin of those who hadn't spent many months of the last year camping and searching for Horcruxes and experiencing all kinds of Dark magic, Ron and Harry found themselves finishing with the highest marks each time. Ron had the sneaking suspicion that their fellow trainees' initial awe in working with the Harry Potter had waned ever so slightly.

But that didn't bother either of them. Ron's confidence in his ability to become an Auror had skyrocketed when he discovered he could actually do most — if not all — of the tasks asked of him.

But slowly—very slowly—the end of July came, and it was just one day away before Hermione was due to come home.

He'd only received one more letter from her since the first, which had mostly consisted of her being pleased that he and Harry had their own space, that she was happy training was going well, and a brief update on what was happening with her parents.

She'd been successful in restoring their memories, and each day, more and more came back to them. They still remembered their time as their aliases as well, so Hermione was keeping them company and helping them get through their disorientation of feeling like two different people. But she said everything had gone as well as it could have. Even in the letter, Ron could tell she was pleased with herself.

Stepping out from the fireplace after a particularly exhausting day, Ron tossed his bag on the couch and was about to collapse beside it when Ginny appeared in the room.

"Why don't you just move in here," he said spitefully. It bothered him that she was staying over so often, but not nearly as much as the irritation he felt about Hermione not staying with him. He just wanted her home.

Harry stepped out a moment after Ron and grinned at Ginny standing before him. "Hey!" he said brightly, coming over to kiss her.

Ron scowled and looked away.

"Oh, cheer up," Ginny said. "Why don't you come into the kitchen?"

"Why?" Ron asked, his tone harsher then he intended. He was just so tired. "It's not more of your cooking, I hope."

"Shut up and just come!" Ginny said, and she and Harry left the living room.

Ron followed reluctantly, wishing for nothing more than to go upstairs, shower, and go straight to bed. He still had two more days in the week left, and he needed a good night's sleep.

But the bad mood he'd felt creeping up on him disappeared the moment he stepped into the kitchen. His heart almost leapt out of his chest and he couldn't quite believe what — or who — he was seeing.

"Hermione!" he cried, and he didn't waste anymore time in closing the gap between him and her. He engulfed her so tightly he wondered if she was able to breathe, but it didn't seem to bother her. She threw herself into his hug and held on just as tightly.

"You weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow!" he then said, hugging her even tighter, afraid that if he let go, she'd disappear.

"I know," Hermione said warmly. "Mum and Dad reached a point where they just wanted to come home, so I arranged something with the Australian Ministry." She pulled away and smiled up at him. She looked as tired as Ron felt, but she also looked happy.

Not being able to help himself, he kissed her, over and over, making up for their lost month.

"How are your parents, Hermione?" Harry asked.

Pulling away completely from Ron — Ron shot Harry a disgruntled look — Hermione nodded and looked at him. "They're good. As good as can be, I mean. The memory of their life in Australia is beginning to fade, and they're starting to feel more like just themselves. It'll be a long process, but they'll eventually forget that they were once Monica and Wendell Wilkins and just remember being… them." She smiled sadly around at Ron, Harry and Ginny.

"Where are they now?" Ron asked.

"Home," Hermione said. "I left them to settle in a bit and came over to see you all. I only got here about five minutes before you did. I'll need to go back soon, as they sometimes have bouts of amnesia such as forgetting how to use a television or something simple like that. I don't want them misusing knives or anything. I think it's a side effect of altering their memories for so long, but no one can tell me if it's temporary or permanent." She sniffed.

Ron pulled her towards him again, wrapping his arms around her and resisting the urge to never let her go. "I'm glad you're back," he said.

"We all are," Ginny added. "You've been missed."

Hermione beamed at them, then glanced down at their feet, where a large, orange ball of fluff was slinking in and out between Ron's legs, purring loudly.

Hermione gasped, bending down to pick up Crookshanks. "What's he doing here?" she asked in amazement. "Crookshanks, I thought you were…"

Crookshanks nestled into Hermione's arms, continuing to purr.

"He was found at Hogwarts a few weeks back," Ron said. "Then, they gave him to me to keep until you returned." Instinctively, he reached out and scratched behind the cat's ears, earning a rather bemused look from Hermione. "Er —"

"He won't admit it," Harry said, "but he's become rather fond of Crookshanks. Was really worried the other day when we couldn't find him."

"Really?" Hermione asked, a smile slowly reaching her lips.

"Well… I…" Ron wouldn't have called it fond, but he had, admittedly, enjoyed the company and also how Crookshanks curled up against him at night. It oddly made him feel less lonely.

Hermione's small smile broke into a wide grin. "Would you like to keep him here?"

Ron, surprised by the thought of it, found he would like that very much, but he said instead, doing his best to sound disinterested, "I've only been looking after him until you got back. He's yours —"

"I'm not sure Mum and Dad would appreciate a cat at this time," Hermione said, and she placed Crookshanks back on the ground. "You'd be doing me a favour if you could look after him some more. I can get the food, of course. And everything else. You just need to provide the space."

"Okay," Ron said. "I don't mind." And he didn't. He'd do whatever to make her happy.

"Thank you," Hermione said.

"Alright, we better be off then," Ginny said. "Harry and I are going to the Burrow for dinner, so better get ready."

"We… are?" Harry asked, looking as if it was the first time he'd heard about it.

"We are now," Ginny said, and she grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the stairs. "They want to be alone, Harry."

"They could have just asked," Harry muttered, his voice soft as he climbed the stairs.

The moment they were gone, Ron wanted nothing more than to pick Hermione up and carry her upstairs himself, but he resisted and instead, asked, "How was it, really?"

"Hard," Hermione confessed. "Really hard. But we have plenty of time to talk about that later." She eased her arms around his neck, drawing herself closer to him. Then she kissed him, but it wasn't like all of the other times they'd kissed. There wasn't the urgency, the desperation; it was comforting, like something that had always been there, and always would be.

Ron pulled away, watching her, confusion rising in him. He'd missed her more than anything for the past month, and he'd fantasised often about what it would feel like to see her again. He'd imagined sweeping her into his arms, nights filled with passionate moments, holding her and never wanting to let her go.

But he'd not imagined this feeling of contentment, of just wanting to hold her, to kiss her, to be with her.

"What?" Hermione asked, her arms still around him.

Ron shook his head, smiling. "Nothing," he said, and he kissed her again. "I've just missed you. I almost forgot what you looked like."

She laughed. "I've missed you, too," she said, squeezing him tightly. "It really is good to be back."

They held onto each other for a moment longer, and then Ron said, "You want to tell me all about it? I've only heard snippets from Percy and your letters. What are Australian wizards like?"

But Hermione shook her head, dropping her arms from around his neck. "Tell me all about training!" she said excitedly. "I want to hear about everything. I bet you and Harry are fantastic at it. What kind of things have you done so far?"

Grinning, Ron took her hand and led her over to one of the chairs at the table. "It's amazing," he said as they both sat. "Really, really good. A lot of it, yeah, we know, but there's heaps of new stuff too. And at the moment it's all about teaching us signs to look for — not just spells or anything like that, but instead the way people behave. Can't say I'm great at that part, but I'm sure I'll get better."

Hermione watched him for a moment, an uncharacteristically huge smile plastered across her face. Ron suspected she was trying to push down her worry about her parents, but he didn't press the matter. He loved her smile.

Feeling his face heat at how impressed she looked, he averted his gaze to his hands and shrugged. "It's great."

"You'll make a wonderful Auror, Ron," Hermione said, and he heard the sincerity in her voice. "You have a rather tactical mind, which will be great for such a job. No wonder you're doing so well."

"... thanks," Ron said. "That means a lot."

He saw Hermione move ever so slightly. Ron thought she was going to kiss him again. But at just the same instant, Harry and Ginny reentered the kitchen, now with Harry out of his training robes, and Ginny with her hair done up.

So this was what it was like living with your best friend when your girlfriend was over. They chose the most inopportune moments to walk in.

"Well, we'll be heading out now," Ginny said cheerfully. "We'll get out of your hair. We probably won't be back until late tonight. See you."

They then left for the fireplace, and Ron turned back to Hermione, hopeful she might have wanted to pick up where they'd left off, but her mind seemed to be elsewhere now.

He reached across and grabbed her hand. "I love you," he said. "And they'll be alright."

She smiled at him, and this time he noticed a stray tear that she blinked away. "I love you, too," she whispered. "And I hope so."

Ron spent some more time talking about the training. Every time he tried to ask her about Australia, though, she'd respond by asking him another question about him. He got the message well enough that she wasn't interested in talking about it just yet and gave up asking.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" he said after a moment, jumping to his feet.

Hermione also stood up, looking at him curiously. "A walk?"

"Of course," Ron said. "You didn't think the block ended at Twelve Grimmauld Place, did you?"

Hermione smiled. "Of course not. But when we were hiding out here, I never really thought about the neighbourhood. It would be nice to see it." And she accepted his hand.

Ron didn't know why he'd thought of a walk when they had the whole of Grimmauld Place to their disposal, but it felt like the right thing to do. He'd come to value his time with Hermione when he couldn't have it, and as much as he would have liked to take her upstairs and then proceed to take off her clothes as well, he had a feeling her current concern over her parents would not have set the right mood.

So, a walk it was.

They got halfway down the street before Hermione spoke. She looked around at the Muggle houses surrounding them, frowning. "It's not a pleasant place, is it?" she said. "Grimmauld Place, I mean?"

"Not really," Ron said. "But it'll do for a while, I guess. I don't plan on living there forever. That'd be depressing."

"How long do you plan on being there?" Hermione asked.

Ron took a moment to reply, contemplating his answer. Truthfully, he hoped that one day he and Hermione could live together. But he didn't know if she wanted to hear that right now, so he said, "I guess until Harry kicks me out."

"I don't think he'll ever do that," Hermione said, smirking. "He likes your company."

"Sure he will," Ron said. "When he wants Ginny to move in, and then I'll be in the way all the time."

"I think it's great that you have your own space, though, even if it's only for a little bit."

They continued a bit further in silence. They turned down another street that was lined with more Muggle houses. Ron had never ventured this far into the Muggle world — he hadn't dared without Hermione. Now that he was in it, it seemed a pretty simple life, if he was being honest.

Hermione's mind seemed to be on the same thought, because she said, "Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if we didn't have magic?"

"Not really," Ron said. "I grew up with it. It's all I know."

"That's true, I suppose. It's different for me. I feel as if I've lived two very separate lives. I do sometimes wonder what it would be like if I'd just been born —"

"Don't say normal," Ron said.

"I don't know what other word there is for it." Hermione was thoughtful for a moment. When she looked back at Ron, tears had formed at the corners of her eyes.

Ron stopped walking and gathered her into his arms, running his fingers through her hair. "It's alright," he soothed.

"It's just," Hermione sniffed against him, "had I never been born with magic, had I never gotten my letter, then I never would have been able to alter my parents' memories. We never would have been in danger. I would have —"

"We never would have met," Ron said, the very thought of not having Hermione in his life a strange one. She'd been a part of his life in one way or another for so long now, to never have met her almost seemed unthinkable.

Hermione smiled, pulling away and wiping her eyes. "I just feel awful for what I did to them. They were so confused, so unsettled. They just weren't my parents."

"You kept them safe," Ron said. "And they'll be grateful for that. It means you have many more years together with them. When you think what the alternative could have been…"

Hermione nodded. "I know. I just hope they'll forgive me."

"They haven't yet?" Ron asked, wondering if this was why she hadn't wanted to talk about them until now.

Hermione shook her head. "They have. They just… maybe I need to forgive myself."

Ron reached for her and cupped her face in his hands. Then, in the middle of the street, he kissed her. Like earlier, it felt different, but his heart beat furiously against his chest with just the touch of her lips against his. His head suddenly swam with so many thoughts and one of them was why did it now feel different?

Her absence, the longing he had felt for her return, had changed everything about their relationship. Not in a bad way — far from it — but it was different. The desperate desire he'd felt for her, trying to make up for years of not knowing how to handle his feelings, had passed. He knew how to handle it now, and that changed everything.

For him, at least, this was forever. This moment, standing in the middle of a street, lost in her kiss, was how he wanted it to always be. He was completely and utterly in love with her and Merlin was that a good feeling.

Pulling away, looking rather flushed, but also thrilled, Hermione said, "What was that for?"

"I just missed you," he replied. "And I'm glad you're back. Please don't ever go away again."

She beamed up at him, her mouth finding his once more. Her arms snaked around his shoulders, drawing him closer towards her. He gladly obliged.

He knew that in a month she would be going away again, but at least they now had another whole month together where he could pretend that it would be forever.

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