A/N: I would like to quickly talk about the reversal of the memory charm…
In the books, J.K Rowling never actually specified whether the spell Hermione used was 'Obliviate'. But since that was the spell which she used in the movie, I will assume it was. J.K Rowling never really explained how the charm can be reversed, which means that I had to come up with my own theory. This is not the real or actual way to reverse it. It's just my personal idea of how it could work. I hope no one finds it too troubling.
Chapter 6: Adjustments and Failures
It all went very nice and quick. Hermione paid the witch for the floo transportation, and after being told about nice places to go and things to see, they were on their way to the cabins.
Although Hermione has been in Brisbane before, she was still in awe. The city was incredibly dense and beautiful. Harry was equally amazed at how different Australia was to England. Even during Autumn, the temperature managed to spike quite high. They spent a long time choosing the best cabin.
Harry insisted on getting the cabin closest to the ocean, even if the prices were sky high. After finally settling on a fair wooden cottage with a large porch, Harry paid the two week's worth of rent to the landlord who gave them the key.
The moment Hermione entered the cottage, she was in love with its simplicity and the cosy feel it gave. The living room was connected to the kitchen making an overall huge room, there was one bathroom with a bathtub and shower and two small bedrooms. It was perfect.
Hermione left to her room to unpack while Harry left to take a shower; he felt dirty after taking the floo network. She placed a couple of books on her temporary nightstand and placed some clothes in the wardrobe. She was glad to see that the bed was big enough to only fit one person. It made sure nothing unintended would take place.
Hermione desperately wanted to speak with Harry about her nightmares. She felt horrible for sleeping with him like that. It was unfair on Ron who trusted her. Of course, nothing happened; Harry only kept her company for the night. But it was the way in which they slept, the way she woke up… like next to a lover. It had to stop. She didn't have control over her dreams, and she barely had any control over the fear which takes over her when she woke up. The only person who could make sure it never happened again was Harry. That's why she needed to speak with him.
She could hear Harry leave the bathroom and decided now was the time. She met him in the corridor. Thankfully, he was already dressed.
"Harry… I want to speak to you." She told him.
Harry's happy mood seemed to leave him as the words reached his ears, "It's not anything bad, right?"
"No… I just… it's about the nightmares I've been having." She explained.
"Okay, sure." Harry nodded.
Hermione led him outside to the porch where they took a seat and admired the blue ocean. The sun was coming down.
Hermione looked over at Harry who was also admiring the view, "You know, we've only been here for about twenty minutes and I'm already in love with this place." He told her.
Hermione smiled and nodded in agreement.
"So, what is it? The nightmares, do you think they might mean something?" He asked.
Merlin, I hope not! She thought. "No, they're just normal nightmares I've been having. But they really get to me…"
"Hermione, I know what's it like to have a nightmare. I've had more of them than probably anyone else my age. If you don't want to speak about them, I'm fine with that." He told her.
Hermione smiled, "thank you, Harry. I don't think the nightmares will last very long. I've just been dreaming a lot… about my parents… and about the battle. I think once I get them back, they might finally stop."
Harry's face turned rather uncomfortable, "I've been meaning to ask… what do you want me to do when you wake up from them? I mean, I'm perfectly happy to sleep with you until they pass. I can't hide that sleeping with you is really nice, but I just can't stop thinking what that looks like. I can't stop thinking about Ron. I feel like I'm betraying him when we sleep like that." He was looking anywhere but Hermione.
"That's what I wanted to talk about… I've been feeling the same way about it. I just think you have to leave me to deal with them." She said.
This seemed to alarm Harry; he turned his gaze right to her, "Hermione, I will not."
Hermione couldn't help but smile, "I know what that sounds like Harry, but it's the only way. If a nightmare like that happens again, just sit with me for a while and then leave. Promise me that."
Harry sat there for a while, looking her right in the eyes. Finally, he spoke, "I promise."
They sat on the porch for at least 10 more minutes, staring at the setting sun.
"What should we do now? We only woke up a couple hours ago and I'm not even close to tired." Said, Harry.
"We could always walk the beach…" Hermione suggested, Harry seemed to like the idea.
They locked the cottage and made their way to the beach. The sand was still warm from the sunlight and it made Hermione feel ten times better once she started to pace through it barefoot.
"Wow…" Harry muttered.
"What is it?" she asked
"The sand feels so nice."
Hermione laughed, "Yeah it's lovely."
"Last time we were on a beach was back at the Shell Cottage, at Bill and Fleur's. Feels like a million years ago." Said, Harry.
"It does." She glanced towards the ocean.
"You're thinking about your parents, aren't you?" he asked.
Hermione nodded.
"Hermione, I'm sure it's going to be fine. You'll reverse the spell. I know it." He assured her. "How exactly does it work?"
"Well… from what I read, the 'obliviate' charm can only be reversed by the person who cast it. The person must also know the memories which he or she erased. And since I only erased the memories of me, it shouldn't be too much of a problem." She explained.
"That sounds relatively simple… but wait, what about memories of you as a baby. You don't remember those, do you?"
Hermione grinned, "Well no. But I don't need to. You see if I bring back the majority of memories, the rest should come back too. This means that any memories of me that my parents have, such as birth, should all come back."
Harry smiled, "That's great. It will basically be like nothing ever happened."
"Yep… if everything works." She muttered.
Harry stopped and took hold of her hand, "I'm sure it will, Hermione."
Hermione smiled back at him, "I'm happy you came with me."
"Me too." He answered.
They spent the rest of the evening walking the beach until they returned to the cabin past midnight.
"I'm starving," said Hermione.
"Yeah, me too. Do you think I could summon Kreacher down here?"
Hermione gave him a bewildered look, "You absolutely won't! Kreacher is taking care of Grimmauld Place and he's also working at Hogwarts. Do you really want him to constantly jump between three different locations? He's not a hybrid."
"I guess you're right. But he makes great food." Harry muttered.
"We can manage." Said Hermione, reaching for her map. "I know a couple of good restaurants nearby."
"At this time?" Harry chuckled.
"Well, maybe not at this time." Said Hermione.
"What about Bars? A lot of them would still be open at this time." Suggested Harry.
"I don't want to go to a nightclub." She shook her head, "Besides, there won't be any good food there."
Harry shrugged, "I guess that leaves us only one option."
"What's that?"
"We cook something up," He said.
Hermione was sceptical at first, but it actually sounded fun. "That could work… but where will we get food?"
Harry reached over to the fridge and opened it, "The Landlord stocked us up with some vegetables and dairy. We could cook an omelette."
Hermione grinned, "That sounds interesting. Do you know how to do it?"
"I learned just about every type of breakfast back at the Dursleys. I made breakfast almost every day." Harry said.
Hermione scowled at him, "So how come you never cooked during the Horcrux hunt?" she demanded.
Harry looked cornered, "Well… because you always did it." He mumbled.
Hermione stared at him in disbelief, "You're horrible" she couldn't hide the grin towards the end.
"Hey, if you ever asked me, I would have cooked. But you never did." He smiled back.
"In that case, you're cooking on your own, I'll make the salad."
Harry laughed, "I guess that's fair." He said as he started taking stuff out from the fridge.
Hermione was mixing the salad, while Harry fried the omelettes. In a matter of minutes, the kitchen was filled with wonderful smells. Harry served both omelettes on the plates and Hermione added a handful of salad on the side. It was dinner well done. Even if it was a breakfast meal.
"We make a great team in the kitchen," Said Harry, before biting into a large chunk of his omelette.
"Yeah, I think we should cook more, it's a very useful skill." She added.
They ate dinner while discussing tomorrow. Both Harry and Hermione were nervous about meeting the Grangers. Harry would meet them for the first time and Hermione had to work the spell, then explain everything. All the nerves seemed to tire out both of them. They bid each other good night and retired to their rooms. Hermione decided on a quick shower before bed, which turned out to be refreshing and it calmed her nerves. She re-read the extract on reversing memory charms again, before falling asleep.
Harry was admiring the marauder's map which he decided to take with him. It was very odd to see the castle completely empty; Not a single person could be found within the walls. It was disturbing. Usually, a lot of teachers would stay behind for the summer. As for most of them, Hogwarts was home. But even the headmistress was gone now.
"Mischief managed" Harry whispered and tapped the map with his wand.
He was about to turn off the lights when a piercing scream came from next door.
He swarmed from the bed on his feet and dashed for the door, he was in Hermione's room in a matter of seconds.
She was sitting up, sobbing quietly. The moment she saw him, her face light up.
"Harry…" she croaked.
Harry paced over to the bed and sat down. Her arms were around him before he managed to say anything.
"It was so scary" she gasped into his chest.
Harry's hands seemed to work without his consent as he started to stroke her back. It seemed to have worked on Hermione as her breathing was slowing down. They remained in that position for a while, until Harry slid lower into the bed. It was slightly harder to do so, as the bed was made for one person. It caused for Hermione to be almost sleeping on top of Harry. He decided to wait until she fell asleep, then he would make his escape.
Hermione was now fully relaxed and resting on his chest. Her arms still tightly wrapped around his. You promised, Harry fought with himself as he started to shift out of her grip. He managed to get out of bed without waking her up. He was walking back to the door,
"Harry…" came Hermione's voice. He didn't need to see her, to know she was still shaken up. Her voice was weak and rigid.
He turned around towards the bed, her face was barely visible in the dark. "I'll be in my room right next door if you need me…" he told her and started to back up towards the door. His hand was on the doorknob when…
"Please don't leave me… " she cried, as she started to cry again.
Harry was stunned, "But… I promised you—"
"Harry, please… stay with me." She pleaded, crystal tears rolling down her cheeks.
This was a different Hermione which he didn't know. She was broken and afraid. It wasn't the brave Hermione which Harry came to know so well. It took a lot to make her cry, Harry only ever saw her like this during horrible moments; events which would make anyone cry. He hated seeing her this way. It was painful. She was one of the bravest people he knew and encountering her like this was hurting him. The hardest part was being the reason for her tears. Like now.
Screw it, he thought and made his way back to her bed. Her arms were tied around him once again. But it was different this time, she held him even tighter. Harry was almost certain he wouldn't be able to leave even if he wanted now. But he had to stay with her; she needed him.
Morning came faster than expected. Hermione was the first one to wake up. She wasn't surprised to see, hear and smell Harry's presence. After three nights, she was starting to get used to it, and it was disturbing. She could remember everything she said. She wanted Harry to stay and it wasn't his fault that he did. She just wanted these nightmares to end. A part of her knew why the dreams take place, another part was still confused. Every breath and touch which she connected with Harry reminded her of Ron's words. Was she betraying him by doing this? Does this count as cheating?
"I'm sorry" came Harry's voice. It startled Hermione as she looked up at him.
"It wasn't your fault Harry. I was fully conscious last night. I… I wanted you to stay. I don't think I would have changed my choice if I could go back." She answered.
This seemed to surprise Harry, but he didn't press on her. "Hermione, do you think… maybe you should take a potion of dreamless sleep?" he suggested.
Hermione sat up and shook her head, "I don't want to do that, Harry. I just… these dreams are not like yours. They aren't visions or actual events. They're just nightmares which I create with my own mind." She told him.
"But I'm sure the potion would work—" Harry began.
"It would… but I don't want to take it. I need to defeat these nightmares, Harry. I don't want to retreat and hide from them. The only way I can get rid of them is by… bringing back my parents and…"
"And what?" Harry asked.
"I don't know." Hermione lied. The nightmares usually involved her parents. But every single one of her dreams always had Harry too. She knew she couldn't tell him that. What would he think of her?
"Do you think… maybe you should speak to someone about them… I mean, I know that when I had my nightmares, I just wanted to keep them to myself. But just like you said, these are not real."
Hermione smiled, "In order to do that… I have to get her back first."
"Your mum?" Harry asked.
Hermione nodded. She knew that her mum could always be there to hear about her problems and secrets. Being without her for so long was painful. She missed her mum more than anything.
Harry smiled to himself.
"It's stupid I know…" began Hermione.
Harry looked at her, "No it's not. I think it's wonderful." He looked down, "It makes me wonder about my mum a lot. I wonder if she would be like that… you know, like a best friend." He muttered.
Hermione gripped his hand, "I'm certain she would be, Harry." Hermione didn't know what else to say. Whenever she thought about Harry's parents, something inside her broke apart. Harry never got a chance to have a mum and dad because they loved him and sacrificed themselves so that he could live.
"You know… I'm sure my mum will like you. Maybe she could be your best friend too." She smiled at him.
Harry looked up at her and smiled for a brief second before breaking his gaze. He stood up from the bed and looked back at her, "Well, I think it's time to cook up some breakfast. Big task ahead of you today, best be well fed." He chuckled and left to his room.
Hermione sighed, nerves from yesterday coming back to her, as she stood up and reached for her wardrobe.
Breakfast was very quiet. Harry seemed to be just as nervous as Hermione. Both of them were picking at their food. Harry pressed his spoon down and looked up at her,
"Hermione, do you really think it's a good idea for me to come with you?" Harry asked.
Hermione was not expecting a question of that kind. "Of course, it is. Why not?"
Harry looked back down at his cereal, "I just… I mean, it's my fault that you had to erase their memories in the first place. So, wouldn't it be better if I wasn't there?"
Hermione slammed her spoon down on the table and her bowl of cereal almost turned over, "Harry. That was not your fault."
"If you never came with me, your parents would still remember you." He said.
Hermione decided to place her next words very carefully, "Harry… I chose to come with you, remember? I went with you because you needed me… and because I needed you."
Harry looked back at her, Hermione saw something close to a smile form when his gaze fell back down to the table, "Well, when you put it like that… But I still can't help but feel slightly guilty about it." He confessed.
Hermione smiled, "Ok. In that case, the only way you can stop feeling guilty is by helping me."
This seemed to have worked; Harry smiled, "You're right. I will."
"Great. I'm glad we could sort that out. Now that I think about it… I'll actually need your help."
"What is it?" he asked.
"Well, I can't exactly just take out my wand and point it at them, right? I will need to get behind them which means you will have to distract them in some kind of conversation. Do you think you can do that?"
Harry grinned, "I can think of something."
Hermione grabbed everything that might be useful and stuffed it in her handbag. She met Harry on the porch who looked rather excited now.
"Are we apparating there?" He asked.
"They live about an hour from here on foot so apparition is probably our best option. Unless you feel like a walk?" she grinned.
"No… I think I'm good. The faster we get your parents the better." He said as he reached his hand towards her.
Hermione took hold of his hand and thought about her parent's house.
They opened their eyes to a medium size Bangalow with a pretty front garden. Hermione's heart seemed to have jumped up into her throat as she paced towards the door.
She was about to ring the doorbell when she looked back at Harry, "Ready?" she asked.
Harry smiled and gripped her hand tightly, "Ready."
She pressed the doorbell and heard a loud tune erupt from inside the house.
"Coming!" came a familiar warm voice.
The door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman with light brown bushy hair just like Hermione's. Her eyes were blue, her smile was warm and welcoming.
"Good morning, how can I help you?" she asked.
