A/N: I would like to quickly thank for all the feedback and support on the story so far. You guys are awesome : )

Also, certain people have found my 'Obliviate Reversal Charm' quite troubling… So let me quickly explain why Mr and Mrs Granger do not remember their past year…

I made my own theory as for the 'Obliviate Reversal' spell. Since Hermione removed her parents' memories and replaced them with different ones, from the moment they were obliviated, the spell was working on them. The moment Hermione reversed the spell, its alternative features which Hermione gave it (the alternative memories) were also reversed. This means their minds were back to the last memories which they had as Mr and Mrs Granger which in this case was having tea in the living room.

I hope that cleared it up for everyone. Sorry for any confusion. As an apology, I'm giving a nice, long chapter : )


Chapter 8: Trust

Emma Granger always considered herself a satisfied person; she had a great job, a nice house, and a wonderful family. She loved her husband and daughter more than anything else in the world. But she knew that the only way to remain satisfied and happy would be to make those close to her happy too.

She thought the world of her daughter, every spare moment she ever had, would be focused on Hermione's well being, safety, and happiness. When Hermione left for Hogwarts she was worried; she didn't know if Hermione would ever find friends. Not because she was unfriendly or mean, but because of how smart, ambitious and mature her daughter was. The day when she heard about Harry Potter and Ron Weasley was one of the most relieving days of her life.

The very first Christmas break when Hermione came home in her first year, all she spoke about was Harry Potter. Emma didn't like to think about it at the time; it was too early for her to think about boyfriends. But she knew that one day, Harry Potter would become something more than just a friend from school. You can call it maternal instincts or just a good old gut feeling. But whatever it was, it was right.

Emma was always a very good observer. She could tell a lie from a mile away whether it was her parents, husband or daughter. Nothing could ever escape her. The day when she met Harry Potter, she knew Hermione picked the right boy. Even if her current so-called 'boyfriend' is Ron Weasley. She knew that it was just a matter of time before Hermione surrenders to her true feelings. Love that young never dies.

Of course, Emma wasn't about to go in and force them to be together; Hermione is a big girl and she can make her own decisions. She is a very sensitive and careful person, and she doesn't allow for her inner emotions to strike. She will go as far as masking them away. But from the day she met Harry Potter, Emma knew it will be more than just 'best friends'.


The doorbell rang which could only mean one thing.

"Daniel, come downstairs. Hermione and Harry are here."She called upstairs and made her way to the front door. She pulled it open to reveal Hermione and Harry smiling at her. They were holding hands.

"Hi mum," said Hermione cheerfully, as she stepped inside and hugged Emma.

"Hello, dear."

"Good Morning, missus Garanger" came Harry's voice, a little less cheerful and extremely polite. Way too formal! She thought.

"Hello, Harry. Dan is getting ready, why don't you two sit down while I go see what's up." She gestured them to the couch and left upstairs. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of seeing Hermione almost glowing with happiness.

She stepped into her bedroom to see her husband standing in front of the mirror, looking down at his khaki shorts and a polo shirt.

"Wendell Wilkins had a really terrible taste in fashion." He frowned.

Emma couldn't help but laugh, "You look fine, Daniel. Come downstairs, the kids are waiting for you."

"The kids?" he asked

"Harry and Hermione," she said

"So, Harry is actually staying with her for the two weeks? I thought he only came to help Hermione get our memory back…" muttered Daniel.

Emma paced towards her husband and looked at him closely, "Daniel, that boy means a great lot to Hermione. For all we know, that could be your future son in law." She told him.

This seemed to have gotten Daniel's full attention, "Seriously?"

"Don't act like you don't know our Hermione. You know perfectly well what she's like. She wouldn't have feelings for Harry unless she was absolutely serious about him."

Daniel sighed, "I can agree with you on that. I just don't like it."

"We both know that no one will ever be good enough for our Hermione. But she really seems to like him, Dan. Didn't you notice how she acts around him? She's so… different." Explained Emma.

"I just don't know if I'm ready for it." He muttered.

"Hermione isn't a little girl anymore, Dan. And I can't help but feel good about Harry. My first impressions of him are really good." She smiled at her husband, "Promise me, you'll give him a chance."

Daniel looked back at his wife, "I promise."

Emma pecked him on the cheek, "Now, let's go downstairs. Hermione has made a busy schedule for today."

"What schedule?" he asked

"Well, you know Hermione. Her ideal type of vacation isn't sitting around on a beach. She wants to explore and learn new things. Besides, we can get to know Harry better. I need to see what it is that our Hermione likes in him so much" she chuckled.


Hermione decided to walk down from the house towards the beach. This would allow for Emma and Daniel to see Harry and Hermione's cabin. Daniel seemed to be a little alert. He was most likely wondering if they slept in the same room. Emma knew this would not be the case; Hermione might be secretly in love with Harry, but she had hidden those feelings very well. Not to mention that Hermione was too precious and good to do something like cheat. Though after hearing about the Horcrux hunt, she wouldn't be surprised if the teenagers slept together after doing so for ten months. But it would be nothing more than that, sleeping. Hermione would never approach anything further; she would feel too guilty about it. Emma knew that if Hermione was to ever admit her feelings to Harry, she would have to break up with Ron first.

After doing plenty of sightseeing and stopping by a couple shops, they reached the beach. They walked along the beach for what felt like hours until they reached a rather rural part of the shore. Emma looked to the left where a couple trees stood. Right behind them, a lovely looking cottage could be seen. It had a rather large porch which Emma liked; It must be great during sunset.

"Here we are…" Hermione pointed at the cottage.

Daniel stood clear of them for a minute and admired the cabin. "Hermione, from the looks of this place, it must have been very expensive! Is there some form of treasury you didn't tell us about."

Hermione gave an awkward smile and turned towards Harry who frowned, "I paid for our stay." He mumbled.

Emma turned towards Harry, then turned to Hermione in awe. "Harry, dear that's very generous of you, we'll pay you back of course." She smiled at him. Being a dentist had its perks when it came to good pay.

Harry's face turned rather defensive and alarmed, "Absolutely not. I have already settled the matter with Hermione. It was my idea to rent a cabin instead of going to a hotel, so I'll be paying for it."

Emma didn't like the idea of it, but if Hermione wasn't able to fight her case against Harry, she doubted it would work with her. "That's very sweet of you."

"No problem at all," Harry answered.

They sat on the porch for a while, admiring the view of the ocean. Then Hermione invited them inside. Emma was in love with the simple and yet fascinating theme which the cabin had. From outside, it looked like a house taken from the 70's. But inside, it was very much modern and new.

Daniel looked very relieved when he heard Harry and Hermione slept in separate rooms. But Emma was still very keen on seeing Hermione's bedroom. From the looks of the bed, she knew that it was almost impossible to sleep as a two, which confirmed her thoughts. She sat on the bed with Hermione and looked up at her, "Only fit for one… quite a shame." She teased.

Hermione blushed fiercely and scowled, "Mum, please." But this was enough to confirm it for Emma. They definitely slept together, at least once. She knew her daughter too well. Emma was certain that if she teased Hermione about it, she would know the truth. She stood up and went towards the door. Instead of leaving, she closed it and sat back down next to Hermione.

"Honey, why didn't you tell me that you slept together?" she asked.

Hermione was surprised at her question at first, but she knew better than to deny. "It wasn't what you think it was." She answered.

"So how did Harry end up in your bed?" she smiled.

"Well… I think I should start by saying I was the one who ended in his bed." She muttered.

Emma's hand went straight to her mouth, "No, you didn't." She couldn't believe it. Her Hermione would never dare to do such thing.

"Once again, it isn't what you think…"

"So, what happened? And when?"

"Well… it started at Harry's house…"

Emma gasped, "He owns a house?"

Hermione nodded, "His godfather left it to him."

"Sirius Black, wasn't it?" Emma asked some of Hermione's stories from years ago were coming back to her.

"Yes, that's him. Well, I was staying at his house for the night after I had a little argument with Ron—"

"A little… argument?" asked Emma, raising her eyebrow, "Hermione, knowing you it probably wasn't a big argument if it made you leave and go to Harry's."

Hermione chuckled, "Okay, fine. It was a big argument. Or maybe I just overexaggerated. Either way, I was sleeping at Harry's house and I had a bad nightmare… I was so terrified when I woke up, I needed to feel someone's presence and Harry was the only person in the house. So, I went to his room and asked if I could sleep with him for the night."

"And it stayed that way until now?" she asked.

"Well, no. I realised that the nightmares only seem to come when I sleep by myself…"

"Well, you have always slept with someone… ever since I stopped sleeping with you, you started sleeping with Crookshanks. Though from what I remember, when you were twelve you actually slept by yourself for a whole year…" said Emma.

"Yes, but that was before Voldemort." She muttered.

"Ok so, you slept with Harry and then what?" Emma asked, eager to hear more.

"I asked Harry to just sit with me for a while until I fall asleep. Maybe it would work if we had a bigger bed, but when he would get up to leave, I would wake up and ask him to stay. I wish I could describe the feeling of it. It's so terrifying. Like, in that moment… I don't care about anything. All I want is just to have him next to me." She finished and looked down.

"Oh, Honey… come here" Emma took Hermione into her arms.

"But yesterday was completely fine!" Said Hermione, as pulled back from her mother. "Most of my dreams were actually about you. And ever since I got you back, the nightmares haven't bothered me." She smiled.

"You said most? What are the other ones about?" Emma asked.

Hermione's smile faded and she looked down again, "Harry…" she muttered.

Something inside Emma seemed to have broken. She was rigid and frozen for a while, a part of her wanted to run into the kitchen and force Harry to ask her out right now. But another part of her knew that in time, they would come together anyway.

"That's so terrible, honey." Emma croaked and rubbed Hermione's arm.

"Some of them are so horrible, mum." Gasped Hermione and set her head on Emma's shoulder.

"You know… something tells me those nightmares will pass. If they haven't already, they will. I'm sure of it."

They embraced in a tight hug and departed to the living room.


"That is absolutely fascinating!" Came Daniel's voice

Emma and Hermione entered the living room to see Harry and Daniel sitting together on the couch. Daniel was admiring a wand as he held it in his hands and admired its details.

"What's that?" Emma asked as she turned to Daniel.

Her husband looked towards her and smiled in excitement, "This." He pointed at the wand, "Is the Elder Wand!"

Emma gave an unexcited gasp, "Very fascinating indeed."

Daniel rolled his eyes. It's something Hermione inherited from him. They both rolled their eyes whenever they were annoyed or passive about something. "That's not the interesting part. Harry just told me this is the most powerful wand in the world!" he exclaimed.

Emma turned to Harry, "Really?" she asked, eyeing the wand with more caution.

Hermione laughed, "I can't believe you're showing off your wand." She said to Harry.

"Hey, I wasn't showing off! You know I would never do that. I was just checking the safe to make sure it's still there and I realised Mister Granger would probably like to see it." He explained, shrugging his shoulders.

"It got me interested, I'll give you that!" said Daniel, gripping the wand in his right hand, "So, how exactly is it different from other wands?" he asked.

"Well, let's start that the wand was made from Elder wood which hasn't been used for any wands in many centuries. Mostly because it's very hard to carve and it's also extremely rare.

"The wand is also an infamous Hallow, which was supposedly created by death itself. It was also wielded by some of the greatest wizards to ever exist like Peverell, Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore. Oh, and of course Harry Potter." She smiled.

Harry's cheeks went pink as he turned to Hermione, "I am not even remotely comparable to those wizards."

"If you say so…" she muttered, still smiling at him.

Daniel turned back to Hermione, "So, does this mean its spells are like… more powerful or something?" he asked.

"Well, yes. With a wand like that, any magic is possible. There are certain wands that are simply not as good when it comes to duels and powerful spells. But with the Elder Wand, nothing should be a problem." She explained.

"It's almost hard to believe that just a couple months ago you didn't believe this wand exists…" Harry chuckled.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, "Well I'm sorry if I didn't believe in a story taken from a children's book." She snapped, though she couldn't hide a smile.

"Wow, so you're the owner of this wand?" Daniel asked in awe.

"Yep, as far as we know…" Harry answered casually.

"Fascinating…" Gasped Emma and Hermione sarcastically at Daniel.

They all laughed as Daniel gave an affronted look, "What? It is!"

"Well, I think it's time for some lunch." Said Emma.

The three of them nodded at her.

"The question is… who's up for cooking?" she asked.

Daniel stepped up and patted Hermione on the shoulder, "Hermione and I haven't cooked in a while. Well, as far as I can remember, at least." He chuckled.

"I can help, dad. What are we cooking?" Hermione asked.

Daniel marched over to the fridge, he scanned its interior and picked out a couple things, "We could make some chicken wraps…" he suggested.

"That sounds great." Said Emma, she glanced over at the windows, "Hey, since it's such a wonderful weather… maybe we could eat outside on the porch."

"Yeah, we could do that," said Hermione enthusiastically.

"In that case, Harry would you mind helping me set up the table outside?" Emma asked. She knew this would be her chance to get a one on one conversation with Harry.

"Not at all." Harry smiled and made his way to the counter to get forks and knives.

Emma looked at Hermione who was giving her a cautious look. Emma winked at her daughter and stepped outside into the porch, Harry right behind her.

She was setting up the chairs while Harry placed the forks and knives on the table. Once everything was set up she looked through the window to see Daniel and Hermione looking busy and focused. She sat down on one of the seats, "Hey, Harry. Sit with me for a while. I was hoping we could have a little chat." She said, trying to sound as warm and inviting as possible to not intimidate him. Though, it didn't work very well, as Harry turned slightly pale and sat down next to her, almost reluctantly.

Emma knew exactly what she wanted to ask him. Most of the questions she was hoping to ask, were already answered by Hermione. But the answers which Harry gave would make all the difference in the world.

"Harry, I hope this doesn't make me sound nosy. I wanted to speak to you about Hermione and I also just really wish I could to get to know you better. Afterall, my daughter speaks very highly of you." She smiled at him. "I would also like to point out that everything we discuss will forever stay just between us," she said, making sure she looked and sounded serious.

He returned a polite smile, looking slightly more confident.

"Harry, I wanted to ask about Ron and Hermione…" she began.

Harry's face seemed to have changed into something she could not decipher. It was a mixture of surprise, relent, and could it really be anger?

"So… you know they're together?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, Hermione told me yesterday. I won't lie to you that it has been slightly frustrating for me. I didn't get a chance to ever meet Ron because of all this memory thing. Of course, I understand why Hermione has done it, but it still hurts." She confessed.

"What would you like to know about them?" Harry asked.

Emma smiled, "Well… how are they? Are they a good couple?"

Harry seemed to have turned rather uncomfortable as she asked this. Clearly, he didn't like the idea of sharing his thoughts on Hermione and Ron's relationship.

"I guess they're ok…" Harry muttered, as he loudly breathed out. "I'm sorry, I know you want to know more. But… I just don't know if I should be the one to speak to you about them. It just seems a little wrong."

Emma chuckled, "Harry, dear. I don't want you to tell me everything there is to know about them. To think of it, I would rather you spear me any details. I just want to know if Hermione is happy at the moment." She explained.

Harry gazed at her for a long moment, "You promise this will stay with us?" He asked.

"Harry, of course. When it comes to my daughter, all I care about is that she is happy and well. I want to know if she's happy in this relationship. I would've been able to establish that myself had I never been put under a memory charm. But since it has gone exactly that way, you are my only hope of understanding what she's like." She told him.

Harry took a deep breath, "I don't think Hermione is happy at the moment." He confessed. Emma couldn't help but notice frustration in his voice. "Only a couple days before we left, they had a really big argument. I don't really know the specifics but I know it was bad since…" his voice faded.

"-Hermione came over to sleep at your house." She finished for him, giving an encouraging smile to continue.

Harry was unsure for a while but decided to speak on, "It was about their future plans. Ron wants to work at a Joke shop with his older brother, and Hermione is planning on going back to Hogwarts to finish her seventh year."

Emma smiled, "That sounds like Hermione."

"I don't exactly know what happened but it led to an argument and Ron teased her for wanting to go back to school. It hurt her." He added, not trying to hide his anger.

Emma gazed at Harry for a while. This boy clearly feels something towards her, alright, She smiled internally.

"As for their relationship outside of arguments, I just really would rather not say. I feel like I'm betraying Hermione's privacy by doing this. Sorry." He finished, giving an apologetic look.

Emma didn't say it but that was exactly the answer she was looking for; The whole point of this was to see if Harry has respect for Hermione. Something was telling her that a part of Harry was not happy with Hermione's relationship with Ron. This is why he told her about the argument, it was probably stirring inside his head and he wanted to speak his thoughts about it. As for Hermione's private life, he was loyal to her. Emma couldn't show that, but she was very pleased with Harry in that moment.

"Well, I guess that's all the gossip I'll be getting out of you about them, eh?" she gave a tight smile. "Now, Harry. Tell me a bit about yourself. Of course, I know pretty much everything about you from Hermione's letters, but I want to hear something new from you too." She looked up at him with interest.

Harry scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly, "Well you see, Ron himself once said that Hermione knows more about me than even I do. So I really don't think there is anything especially interesting I can tell you." He explained.

"Well, there is one thing." She muttered.

Harry looked up at her, curious. "What's that?"

Emma smiled, "Not a single of Hermione's letters ever spoke about your girlfriend." She sat up straight, "Of course, I know that it's a very personal matter so don't pressure yourself to tell me your deepest secrets. I would just like to know about her." She smiled.

Harry swallowed and stared out into the ocean, "I've had two girlfriends." He mumbled.

Emma found it quite strange; she would expect a teenage boy like Harry to boast about his experiences with girls. He was either very humble or embarrassed.

"The first one was called Cho. She was very pretty." He muttered, looking down.

"What did she look like?" Emma asked, curiosity bursting through her voice.

"She had very long black hair and…" Harry was clearly not enjoying this talk. Emma decided to stop. She placed her hand on his.

"Harry, If you don't want to speak about them, that's fine." She told him.

Harry gave a weak smile. "It's not that, it's just… I think I'm a terrible boyfriend." He confessed. The sadness in his voice was heartbreaking.

"Why is that?" Emma asked. She knew that if Harry spoke about it, they would reach a very new level. Harry would be more than just Hermione's friend. He would become Emma's friend too. That would be a huge leap.

"I didn't have a very good childhood. I think Hermione told you that." He muttered, clearly upset.

Emma tightened her hold on his hand, "She did sweetie, it sounds so terrible."

"I never really had the chance to find out how a boyfriend should behave or what he should do and not do…" he began.

Emma had no idea where he was going with this, but she couldn't withhold her anxiety. Harry was talking about personal matters, she doubted that he ever spoke about it with anyone before. If this was the case, it would mean Emma has won his trust.

"When I was with Cho. She would become very jealous about Hermione. She said I spent too much time with her. I thought it was just a girlfriend thing. Until we broke up a couple months after that."

Emma couldn't believe her ears. Hermione was the reason Harry broke up with his first ever girlfriend. It was shocking.

She pulled her hand over to his shoulder and tightened her hold on it, "Harry, dear, I don't think you were a bad boyfriend at all. I think she was being a bad girlfriend." She told him.

Harry looked up, he was clearly surprised at her answer, "Really?" he asked.

"You see, Harry. Relationships are all about love and trust. If you don't trust your partner, your love can fall apart. Trust is foundational."

Harry looked dazed. She could tell he was thinking hard about her words.

"If Cho didn't trust you to stay loyal to her, she was being a bad girlfriend. But the question is… did you ever think about cheating on her?"

Harry's expression turned serious and genuine, "No, never." He said.

"Well then, in that case, she was in the wrong. Let me explain it to you this way… My husband is a dentist. Sometimes his clients turn out to be very beautiful women and even celebrities who come to get teeth whitening. And you see, as his wife, I might perhaps be jealous that he spends time with very beautiful women, even if it's work-related. But I'm not jealous because I trust him." She finished.

Harry smiled, "That means you love each other and have a strong marriage."

Emma could feel herself blushing, "Exactly!" She smiled. "And just between you and me… sometimes I also get very handsome clients myself." She laughed.

Harry laughed along with her and turned his gaze to the kitchen. Daniel and Hermione were putting last touches on their meals.

"So, what about your second girlfriend?" She asked.

Harry turned to her, "Well, her name is Ginny and she is Ron's younger sister."

Emma gasped, "Wow, you were quite brave with that one, eh?" she asked.

Harry chuckled, "Ron was very nice about it, actually. But it doesn't matter now because we broke up. And I think I ruined the chance of ever getting back with her." He finished, smile fading with every word.

Emma turned his gaze to Hermione. She already knew that Hermione felt responsible for Harry and Ginny falling out. This meant that Hermione was the reason for both Cho and Ginny for falling out with Harry. At this point, it was stupidly obvious. Emma couldn't help but quietly sigh as she stared at her daughter. Hermione was an incredibly smart girl, but very dense when it came to love; she was a master at hiding her feelings and she was blind to seeing clear signs of affection from others.

Emma quickly came to realise that her daughter was most likely not in a relationship with Harry yet, because of her own resistance to notice plain and clear signs of attraction.

"That sounds horrible, Harry. But you know, allow me to let you in on a little secret. If a girl really loves you, she will show it in more ways than meet the eye. When it comes to it, you have to look at more aspects than just girls smiling at you or literally telling you their feelings. You need to be very observant." She hinted.

Harry looked very confused for a moment, "What do I need to observe for? Could you tell me any signs which girls might give?" he asked, almost desperately.

Emma laughed, "That, my dear… is left for you to discover." She gave him a warm smile. She stood up and looked down at him, "Well, this was a nice little conversation, wouldn't you say so?"

Harry stood up and gave a weak smile, "Yeah, I guess it was okay."

Emma patted him on the shoulder and started pacing towards the door, "Let's see what they cooked up…"

"Missus Granger…" came Harry's voice.

Yes! Now just wait for the magic words… she thought.

"Yes, Harry?" she asked.

"Thank you, for talking to me about all this. I've never… I never really had anyone to talk about this kind of stuff… so, thank you." He gave an embarrassed grin.

It worked! She cheered internally. "You're very welcome, Harry." She gave him a sincere smile and moved towards him. "Whenever you want to talk, I'm right here… I'm happy you trust me. Because I definitely trust you." She smiled and embraced him in a tight hug.

She could feel Harry's immense pulse. The poor boy never had anyone to speak with, she cried in her head.

She pulled away from him saw him smiling, "Now, let's see about those wraps. I'm starving!" she cried, as they walked into the cabin.

She was starting to understand why Hermione liked this boy.