Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.

Chapter Twenty

Facing Her Parents

"Are you sure you really want to do this right now?" Ron asked as they reached the gates, the sun was setting in the background, and it was starting to get really late. "Maybe we should wait until the morning."

"I want to do this now, Ronald!" Hermione said sternly, this was the tenth time he had asked her since they started walking here from McGonagall's office and she was now really annoyed by the question. "I have to deal with this now, if I wait, it will only make things worse."

"All right," Ron sighed in defeat, he hated that he was stressing her out more by constantly asking this question, but he couldn't seem to help himself. Still, he wrapped his arms around her tightly as he prepared to Apparate them, before realizing there was a problem that he had to address. "Where do your parents live again?"

"Why do you want me to wait, Ron?" Hermione asked instead of answering him, as she was able to realize how anxious he was when he put his arms around her.

"You mean besides thinking you should cool down before you go see them," Ron said and then smiled at the glare she was giving him. He took a breath and answered honestly, "I didn't think this was how I was going to meet your parents. I've been worried about that for a while … and this is not the situation I was imagining. I know it's not the point today, but I still want to make a good impression on them."

"You don't have to do that," Hermione said coldly, her eyes hardening, as she listened to the last thing he said, "I don't really care what they think anymore."

"For right now, love," Ron kissed the top of her head. "You're angry with them, and you have every right to be, but I'm not sure how long that's going to last. Not to mention, I'm quite angry at them myself, and I don't want my temper to get the better of me."

"Ron, I told you that doesn't matter," Hermione said trying not to listen to him. "Even before this you know …."

"They're your parents, Hermione," Ron interrupted. "No matter what they say, they will always matter to you."

Hermione didn't make a response to that, instead she just leaned against his chest, of course she knew what Ron was saying was true, she was trying so hard to let her anger take over right now, but the emotion that was really affecting her was hurt.

"I'm sorry," Ron sighed and wrapped his arms around her in support, and not as a means of transportation.

"Just take me to my parents," Hermione whispered. "I'll try to be civil towards them long enough for you to show off your good side," she added, and he chuckled at the effort she was making for him.

"Okay, I just need to know where I'm going, love," Ron said. "I can't Apparate to a specific place that I've never been to before."

"You just have to think about Apparating to my parents' house," Hermione said. "As long as you are holding onto me tightly you should be able to access my will …."

"Er … what are you talking about?" Ron asked looking completely confused.

"I read in Apparating a G- …" Hermione started but Ron groaned impatiently. "Fine! In side-along Apparition, the person who is doing the Apparating can go to the place the person they are Apparating with is thinking about, as long as the Apparator is thinking about the same general location."

"Huh?" Ron said furrowing his eyebrows, looking confused, though he knew exactly what she meant.

"Just clear your mind and think about my parents' house, Ronald!" Hermione huffed, reading his motivation for his playing dumb and wasn't amused by it.

"Okay, okay," Ron said and they both concentrated on the place and a second later they were standing on the porch in front of a beautiful house. "Mione, you should have thought of the backyard … anyone could have seen us arrive."

"All our neighbors are old and probably in bed by now," Hermione tried to wave him off.

"This is serious," Ron said firmly, "the Statute of Secrecy isn't something you want to mess with. We should be okay today but be more careful in the future."

Hermione just nodded her head, still not caring about that right now, because she wasn't likely to do it again anyways. Instead, she was concentrating on the front door as she raised a hand to knock on it, and she was starting to feel more nervous than she would have liked to admit. Not that she needed to, seeing as Ron had already grabbed her free hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

"Coming," Hermione heard her mum say and it was only then that she realized that they would be home, that a part of her really wanted to put this off, but it was too late for that now. The door suddenly opened, and her mum was standing there with a slightly exasperated expression, until she noticed who was at the door. "Hermione! What are you doing here?"

"Hi Mum," Hermione said with a strained voice as she let her mum hug her. It felt strange, as she both welcome the embrace and wanted to flinch away from it.

"How are you? You haven't been around in ages," her mum gushed.

It was true, Hermione hadn't been home since Christmas. Though she didn't see her parents as much as Ron saw his, she would usually visit at least once a month, and it had now been over four months. She could feel the familiar pang of guilt hit her, but she angrily pushed that aside, she refused to feel guilty about avoiding her parents in light of everything she had just learned.

"And who is this?" her mum asked as she couldn't help but noticed the handsome young man that was with her daughter.

"Mum, this is Ron, my boyfriend," Hermione said trying to be civil and she even smiled at her mum, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"Your boyfriend … Really!?" her mum smiled back excited by the idea that her daughter had brought a boy to their house. Not to mention he was really cute as he shuffled forwarded and she reached a hand out to him and said, "Jean Granger."

"Ronald Weasley, it's nice to meet you Mrs. Granger," Ron said still feeling nervous meeting Hermione's mum for the first time. Hermione had told him that she had given him the wrong impression of her mum and it wasn't until this moment that he realized what she meant. He had been expecting Mrs. Granger to be strict and critical, but after the greeting she seemed more friendly and welcoming. Though he was grateful for the greeting, it made it all the clearer the effect having her memories erased had on Hermione.

"Honey, guess who's here," Jean said as she turned to walk into the house and Hermione and Ron followed her to the living room.

"Hermione!" her dad exclaimed when she got there and hugged his daughter. Ron watched this reunion with a sad expression, he could see how genuinely happy the Grangers were to see their daughter and he knew that Hermione was about to shatter that in a few minutes. Though he was quite angry with them for what they had done to their daughter in the past, he couldn't help but feel sorry for them right now, since they had no idea, a storm was coming their way.

"Hey dad," Hermione sighed, hating to admit how much she loved his embrace, but it still felt wrong now … tainted.

"Don't be a stranger so long next time, kid," her dad said smiling and then he looked at Ron, his eyes narrowing a little as he surveyed the young man in front of him. "And who are you?" he asked trying to be polite, but it came out more stiffly than he intended.

"Ronald Weasley sir, I'm your daughter's boyfriend," Ron said offering his hand.

"Jonathan Granger, it's a pleasure to meet you," her dad said taking the hand and finding the whole situation unnerving for more than one reason. First of all, it was unlike his daughter to just show up to their house, especially this late at night. Then there was the fact that Hermione had never brought a boy home before, though he had met her last boyfriend that was more of his wife planning than something Hermione wanted. He had never thought much of Hermione's last boyfriend, as that relationship seemed more like a show than anything real, and he was grateful when they broke up. And lastly, the guy in front of him now was different from her last boyfriend. His daughter had met him all on her own and he could tell that there was something deeper going on just by watching how they were behaving around each other. His daughter was in love, an altogether terrifying and pleasing thing to think of.

The other thing that unnerved him was that the man now sitting across from him, listening to whatever it was his wife and daughter were talking about, wasn't afraid of him at all. Not that he, John Granger, mild mannered dentist was a terrifying man in the least, but still it was the principle of things. You were supposed to be a nervous wreck when you met your girlfriend's parents for the first time. This brought up the question of why they were here again, and he felt a lump form in his stomach. There was no reason he could see that his daughter would just show up here with a new boyfriend to boot unannounced like this … something wasn't right here.

So, he looked at the young man sitting across from him and could see that he was holding Hermione's hand supportively, her knuckles white, and knew that his daughter was holding something in that she was very upset about. Just then the young man looked at him, and as their eyes met John could read the worry the other man hand, it just wasn't for his own sake.

"Do you fancy a drink in my study, Ron? We can let these two girls catch up?" John asked. It was the best he could think of, he was never one to put off his problems when he was face with them and this was either going to let him have a chance to speak to the boy alone (and hopefully he would get some answers that way) or his daughter was going to get to the reason why she was here.

Ron looked at Hermione to gauge her reaction to this offer, which was to tense and squeeze his hand even harder than she was already doing. He knew that she wanted to get the conversation started already but he whispered so only she could hear, "I'm going to talk to him. There are a few things that I need to settle before … everything happens."

"Just make it quick," Hermione said. "It's going to hurt more the longer I'm here." Which was true, the longer she was here the mixture of comfort and pain was only going to grow.

"I will, love," Ron said kissing the top of her head, wishing he didn't have to do this but knowing that he needed to talk to her dad.

"So, Ron, what do you do for a living?" John asked as he handed the young man a glass of whiskey.

Ron took the glass of whiskey and downed the whole thing, noticing that it didn't burn quite like Firewhiskey did, but the alcohol was just as potent. "I'm sorry, I don't have time for small talk," Ron said putting the glass down and glancing out the door to where Hermione was, he had to make this quick.

"Go on then," John said, still unnerved by this rash behavior, not to mention the worried looked on the young man's face as he looked out the door (or his drinking so quickly, the lad was obviously nervous about something, just not him), but he did appreciate his directness.

"Mione … er … Hermione is the most important person in my life, and I intend to marry her one day so that we can have a life together," Ron said looking directly into John's eyes, the intensity there could never be questioned. "I'm not sure when this will all happen … we're not ready for all that quite yet, but I know that Mione is my future, and I'm going to take care of her no matter what."

"I see," was all John could say to that. It was unnerving to hear this since just thirty minutes ago he had no idea his daughter was even dating anyone and now he was listening to this man declare himself. He had been hoping to get this information, but he hadn't expected the boy to just state this so freely and honestly that John couldn't question the truth in the statement. What was more, he just realized in that sentence that he had originally been almost hoping that his daughter was pregnant, though he never thought it was the case today, he had still been hoping it was because whatever she had to say was going to be much worse. "Why are you telling me this so openly?" Bluntness seemed to be the theme today.

"I think you'll see in a few minutes why," Ron sighed as he stood up and then made his way to the door, "I just needed you to understand my intentions first, in hopes that it gives you some peace of mind."

"That bad, huh?" John muttered to himself before he drank his shot of whiskey in one gulp and followed the young man out of the study to rejoin his wife and daughter. He noticed that Ron had reclaimed his seat next to Hermione and she immediately took his hand and leaned into him, looking relieved that he was there again. John chose to sit next to his wife, and she raised an eyebrow at him since he would always sit in his chair while they were in the living room. However, he felt that he might need to be close to his wife once everything starts and she will definitely need him.

"So, Hermione was just about to tell me what you do for a living, Ron," Jean said smiling at the young man, but she noticed that her daughter had stiffened and then the two of them shared a glance, seeming to communicate silently.

"I'm an Auror," Ron answered after looking at Hermione and realizing that she didn't want to be the one to actually break the news to them and needed Ron to do it. Her parents gave him confused glances, though he saw a foreboding look in her dad's eyes and thought he knew what was coming. "It's like a detective, only in the wizarding world."

"What !?" both of her parents gasped.

Now Jean was no fool, so she knew that her daughter showing up here at this time of night with her boyfriend was highly irregular. When you factor in the fact that her daughter had been distant since the moment she got here, starting with the awkward hug they shared to the brisk conversation they had while the boys were in the study talking, she knew something was up. However, never would she have guessed that it would involve magic. And it hadn't gone unnoticed that the way that Ron had said 'wizarding world' that he knew that the Grangers were aware that magic was real.

John on the other hand felt like the floor had just disappeared from underneath him and he was falling aimlessly. Images of the last conversation he had about magic thirteen years ago on this very couch filled his mind and the pain of guilt stab him for the damaged that had been caused that day.

"Don't you have something to say to that?" Hermione asked after more than a minute of silence, it seemed the anger that was building in her as she watched their guilty faces was about to explode and she couldn't take it anymore. "An exclamation that wizards aren't real perhaps … of some kind of …."

"Hermione," Jean interrupted but her voice was small, and she couldn't seem to say anymore when Hermione glared at her.

"Fine then, no games," Hermione said besides herself, she didn't like seeing her parents like this, quelling under the rage she was showing them, because she wanted to yell, and this made it difficult. But not impossible so she added harshly, "You had my memories erased!"

"You agreed to it," Jean started with a look of indignation on her face (and Ron could see where Hermione had gotten her temper from).

Hermione gave a mirthless laugh and said, "Do you want to know the reason why?" Hermione watched as her parents' eyes widened and there was a look of pain in them clearly saying they didn't want to know but she wasn't going to let that stop her from telling them. "Because I couldn't take the fact that you couldn't accept who I was, that you were afraid of me for what I was!"

"Hermione!" Jean gasped, honestly looking shocked by what her daughter said. Jean had realized that they hadn't handled finding out what Hermione was very well, and sometimes she wish that they had reacted differently, but she had honestly believed that everything would have been harder on Hermione if she had those memories.

"Don't even try to give me your excuses," Hermione hissed, she noticed that her dad had paled and looked ashamed. "I could see it every time I showed signs of magic!"

"What do you expect from us? We didn't know what was going on!" Jean tried to defend herself.

"Yeah, that might have been an excuse if you didn't have my bloody memory erased!" Hermione shouted. "You couldn't even stand that I knew what I was … no, I would be too different …!"

"Hermione, that's not it at all!" Jean shook her head as she shouted back at her daughter, how could her daughter interpret her motives so incorrectly? "I just thought you would have been happier without knowing about magic!"

"Not knowing who I really was … how could I ever be happier that way" Hermione said gravely.

Jean opened her mouth to ask why Hermione didn't just tell her she felt that way when she was eleven (knowing from this conversation that Hermione felt that way then), but her husband started speaking first.

"It was dangerous for you in that world," John said, his voice was very soft, and he still looked ashamed. "I couldn't lose you."

"You're right that it was dangerous for me in that world," Hermione admitted, "but I was in danger whether I knew the truth about magic or not."

Ron looked at her oddly with that comment, but he didn't say anything not wanting to interrupt the conversation. It was just the way she said that sounded off, or more like she had some actual experience with said danger, but that couldn't be.

"What do you mean by that?" Jean asked, jumping on the chance to justify their decision.

"There was a second wizarding war," Ron answered this time, not wanting Hermione to be the one to say it. He wasn't sure how she would explain the war and didn't want to find out. "It was the worst war in our history … er … that is in England."

"And Muggle-borns were targeted?" Jean asked and Hermione flinched at her mum's use of the term so casually, it angered her more than anything else that her parents were allowed to know terms like that when she couldn't.

"Yes," Ron answered simply as he squeezed Hermione closer to him noticing the tension she was feeling. "Along with anyone else that sided with them … I lost two brothers."

"I'm sorry," Jean said reaching a hand out to touch Ron's for a moment and her expression softened to show her remorse she felt for him. Before that moment she was trying to keep herself in check, because she knew as long as she was still fighting to prove herself to her daughter, she couldn't show how upset she was about all this conversation.

"Would you have wanted Hermione in this war?" John asked, the young man had said that he would look after his daughter (now he could see she would really need him), and he wanted to see how much the young man knew about her.

"I would never want her in any kind of war," Ron said and Hermione glared at him, but he just gave her a sad smile and continued this time talking to her, "I couldn't stand it if something were to happen to you. But I wouldn't have stopped you from joining in the war, as long as that was what you wanted." He then turned back to John and added, "and I wouldn't have stopped her from knowing herself and what she is."

"That's better," Hermione muttered leaning back into him. "See, Ron's only known me for six months and he already knows me better than you."

"Don't sell me short, Hermione," John said, he knew the answer to that too. He then shot Ron an appreciative glance before his expression became glum again. He really was glad the young man had made sure he knew that his daughter would be looked after, because at least he didn't have to worry about that among everything else he will already be worrying about.

"You've known him for six months … but I set you up with Brian after Christmas," Jean frowned.

"Don't remind me," Ron grumbled under his breath.

"Thanks a lot for that," Hermione glared at her mother. "I almost lost Ron because of that."

"Hermione you could have just told me you didn't want to go," Jean said frowning, looking confused about how her daughter could blame her for that. Though she noticed that her husband had flinched at both Hermione's words and her own. "Or you could have told me that you had a boyfriend. I would have loved to hear that."

"You know very well that I couldn't just say no to you … I never been able to say no," Hermione huffed, but Jean just furrowed her eyes in further confusion. "And I was terrified that you wouldn't have accepted Ron! Or our relationship!"

"If he was who you wanted …" Jean started to say.

"If you didn't like him … if you asked me to breakup …" Hermione said feeling sick just at the mere idea of losing Ron, and how that had nearly happened. "I almost effing lost him just because I couldn't disappoint you, but luckily I picked him, because he loves me no matter what!"

"Hermione," Jean said starting to cry now, how could her daughter doubt her love? She loved her daughter more than anything. "We love you."

"Every part of me?" Hermione said doubtfully.

"Yes," Jean answered firmly.

"Do you even realize what you have done to me over the years?" Hermione said looking at her mum, but she couldn't take the crying anymore, so she shifted her glaze onto her dad. "Do you even see what you made me?"

"What w-we … w-what are y-you talking a-about?" Jean asked sobbing.

"How I'm your perfect little daughter who would do anything you said," Hermione said coldly. "How manic you made me about my grades because I was terrified of what you would think of me if I wasn't the best! How I couldn't decide what classes I should take until I talked to you … I knew exactly what I wanted to take, but what if you wanted me to be a dentist or a businesswoman! I couldn't just decide for myself! And then I bloody almost had a nervous breakdown when I decided to go to the University of London instead of Oxford because I thought you would hate me for it, but I knew you couldn't really afford to send me to Oxford …!"

"Is that why you decided to go to the University of London?" John asked glumly, his shoulders sagging as his arms were wrapped around his sobbing wife both to comfort her and to support himself. Unlike his wife, nothing his daughter had said was too shocking to hear (except the last part), because he knew that there was lasting damage done the day that he refused to let her go to Hogwarts. He had seen how neurotic his daughter had become, and he tried his hardest to be as supportive of her as he could be. It seems that he had failed miserably at that.

"Yes," Hermione said coldly seeing in her dad's guilty expression that he had some idea what she had gone through. "And I probably would have stayed with that prat Mark if you hadn't said that it was okay if I dumped him, despite what he tried to do."

Ron tensed as she mentioned staying with her last boyfriend after he tried to force himself on her (and realized now that she had used magic to throw him off of her) and tried to remind himself what she had told him about this. She wouldn't have just stayed with that arsehole; she would have just talked to her parents in more detail about what happened. Though he was still rather upset with the Grangers (especially after what she just said) he could tell that she was right about them loving her and not wanting her to be with someone that would do that to her.

"What did he try to do?" John asked suddenly, looking shocked, Hermione had told him that Mark had pushed her for more, but now he realized that what happened was a lot worse than he had thought.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Ron growled. "Let's just say, I would probably have done something to him by now if she would have let me."

John nodded his head at Ron, glad that Hermione seemed to be open with the young man and he was willing to do anything for her but listened to what she wanted too. John never thought it would be possible to be so appreciative of Hermione's boyfriend moments after meeting him, but he was. And that feeling only grew as he felt more miserable about how things were getting worse with the situation with his daughter. He turned to look Hermione in her eyes, he could feel tears starting to form in his eyes as he said, "I'm sorry … I …."

"I don't want to hear this," Hermione said getting up and not allowing him to apologize. "I just wanted to let you know what your decision has done to me!"

"Hermione, maybe …" Ron started to say, thinking that listening to her parents reasoning might be helpful.

"Look, I can't take this right now," Hermione said. "I'm not in the mood to listen to any of the apologies … they know where I stand."

"But …" Ron tried again.

But Hermione wasn't listening, she was glaring at her parents again, and he knew she wouldn't hear any of their pleas anyways, not until she calmed down some.

"You were wrong to not allow me to go to Hogwarts," Hermione said looking at them. "I know it was scary for you to let me go, but you should have let me be the person I was meant to be. I could have forgiven you for that though, and not only because you were right about the danger, but because it was a big step for you.

"But I can't forgive that you wanted my memory erased!" Hermione said her voice was colder than it has been during this whole conversation. "Because it took away who I was and just made me into the perfect daughter … and I know that wasn't your intention but that is what happened, and I hate that. I hate that I couldn't be myself with you … that I had to hide behind a face … and I hate even more that I didn't even know that's what I was doing because I couldn't remember why I felt that way!

"One day I'm going to want to hear what you have to say about this, but that's not right now. I just … I can't stand to look at you right now," Hermione finished, looking flushed, she was feeling so much right now that she couldn't tell what was driving her. All she knew was she had to get out of there, now. She looked at Ron, who seemed to know what she wanted immediately, and he walked to her.

"Take me home," Hermione said, her voice was weak but only Ron could hear it.

"Okay," Ron said and without looking at the Grangers again, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and Apparated them to their flat.

Hermione clung to him as the tears that she didn't want to shed in front of her parents started to finally come and Ron just held her to his body as tightly as he could. After a while, he moved them to the bed (he had Apparated them directly to the bedroom knowing that she would probably react this way once she was home), so that he could hold her more comfortably.

Hermione couldn't stand the feelings that were warring within her. She had the feeling of being inadequate, and she was even guilty for yelling at her parents, a part of her was mortified that she had actually done that. Another part of her was pleased that she was able to do that, was able to show her anger towards her parents, something that she hadn't done for at least thirteen years, and maybe ever.

Then she thought about how her life would have been if she was able to be a witch. Would she have met Ron sooner … most definitely they would have been in the say year if not in the same house. Would they have fallen in love sooner? She couldn't help but think that they would have. Somehow, she knew that he was more than just someone she fell in love with, but he was her soul mate. They were always supposed to meet … and nothing could have stopped that from happening. However, this just seemed to make her angrier at her parents.

She didn't want to think about them anymore, not tonight, she didn't want to think about any of this. She wanted everything to melt away so she could just enjoy resting in Ron's arms. She turned to face him, and he was looking at her with concern eyes that did nothing to make her feel better at the moment. So, she leaned up and kissed him, kissed him with everything she had, and was pleased to see that the sensation made her feel a little better. His kisses always seem to have that effect on her.

"Mione, I don't think …" Ron said pulling away, looking uneasy, he didn't want this to go too far.

"Please," Hermione said in a small voice that he had always hated to hear in her. "I … I need you to make me forget everything that happened today."

Ron sighed looking in her eyes and all he could do was whatever it was she asked of him. So, he turned them so that he was hovering above her and kissed her hard. When he pulled away, he went to her ear and whispered, "I love you," and then he went to kiss her neck. After a moment he leaned up so that he could look straight into her eyes. "I love it when you argue with me … how you always get this superior look in your eyes when you know you're right," he then kissed her softly. "I love how excited you get when you get a new book … even those horrible textbooks seem to get you thrilled … and I don't need to remind you how worked up I got after we went to the bookstore," he said smiling as his hand moved to start unbuttoning her shirt. "I love how you always try to keep your hair straight … and I love even more that you never quite manage to," he chuckled as she made a face at him. "And I love that annoyed face," he kissed her hard for that one, he could see in her eyes that she was taking in his words, and they were helping. "I love everything about you … even the things that annoy me, I love it all."

"Ron," Hermione said as tears fell down her cheek but this time it was different.

"Shh … don't say anything," Ron said kissing her softly again.

So, she didn't, but he didn't need to hear it anyways. He knew that she loved him the same way, because of how easily he had been able to know exactly what to say and do to make her feel better. She had shared everything she had with him, and he did the same, and now, no matter what happened, she knew that he would always be there for her. Ron continued to state all the reason why he loved her as he made love to her, and then he held her in his arms where she always felt safe and loved. Yes, things were still going to be difficult tomorrow, but she would get through this, and he would be there. And in the end, that's all that really mattered.

A/N: From my original notes, and I feel the same way now, I don't normally use John and Jean as Hermione's parents name (I like using Duncan and Juliet, I think that two people that have Shakespearean names would be more likely to name their daughter Hermione) but these aren't exactly the parents I like her having so I thought it was better to give them these name.