Hermione was packing, getting ready for her flight back to England. Part of her was anxious to leave. The sooner the year started the sooner she would be able to be back in Bulgaria with Viktor. And perhaps Australia with her parents.
There was another part of her that just wanted to study, take her N.E.W.T.s and then plan a magnificent wedding. Her birthday was in September, and she would be of age. But she suspected her parents would have a bit of a problem with that.
So she continued putting clothes into her suitcase, so glad for the expanding magic she had put on it. It made transporting her entire wardrobe so much easier.
"How's it going, honey?" Helena Granger asked from the doorway.
Hermione sighed, and flopped the pair of jeans she had been smoothing into the bottomless suitcase before sitting on the bed. She didn't know how to tell her mother how she was feeling. But she didn't know how to not tell her.
"I just don't know how I'm going to leave," she whispered.
Helena sat down on the bed, the suitcase between them. "How did you do it last year?" she asked.
"I was excited to see Harry and Ron. This year, I love them still. They're like brothers. But I find that I'm ever so slightly annoyed with them."
"It's been that bad of a summer?" Helena asked her daughter.
"No," Hermione whispered. "It's been wonderful. But it's almost over, and I don't want it to end. I want to just stay in this idyllic space forever."
"That's how I felt about coming home from my honeymoon," her mother said. "I know it's not the same. But I know how you feel."
"I wish Viktor could come back with me, but he has friends, a job, and a life here. I couldn't ask that from him."
She sighed, and pulled out the jeans she had been fiddling with before. She needed something to do with her hands. But even keeping her hands busy wasn't distracting her brain.
There was a knock at the door and Viktor was there when they looked up. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked.
"No," Hermione said. "I'm just packing. But I don't want to."
Viktor looked at the closet, and then at the suitcase. He peered in, seeing it continue on for longer than it should have. Undetectable extension charm. He should have anticipated that.
"I thought you vere not leaving for two more days," he said.
"We aren't," Hermione said. "I just want to be ready. I hate being unprepared."
Viktor wrapped his arms around her, kissing her hair softly. "I know. But I haff a surprise if you are not busy."
"I think I can fold the rest," Helena said.
Hermione shot her mother a grateful smile and then walked out the door with her fiancé. He almost dragged her down the stairs and out the door. She was glad to have her mind off England and on something else that she hurried after him gladly.
They were out in the yard when Viktor summoned a broom to him.
"Oh no," Hermione said. "You know I don't like brooms."
"It vill only be for a little while," Viktor said.
"Alright, I'm trusting you." She hesitated. On the one hand, she didn't know where to sit. On the other hand, she didn't want to get on the broom in the first place, no matter how much she trusted Viktor.
He pulled her onto the broom in front of him, holding onto her as he steered the broom. She leaned into his embrace, trying to forget that her feet were leaving the ground.
What felt like an age, but was probably only about ten minutes later, they touched down in a field not too far away. It was far enough that they wouldn't be bothered unless something drastic happened, but close enough to be in contact should the unexpected arise.
Sitting there, was a picnic, packed just for them.
"When did you plan this?" Hermione asked.
"This morning. You did not eat much, and I vanted to make sure you took time to eat lunch," he explained.
"You are the best," Hermione said before planting a kiss on his lips.
They sat down on the blanket, eating the food Viktor had packed for them. Hermione kept pointing out clouds and what they looked like. It was a rather enjoyable way to spend her time. Much less frustrating than packing.
When they had finished eating, Viktor shrunk the picnic stuff and packed it away in his pocket. He held out his hand for Hermione.
"Are we flying back to the house?" she asked.
He nodded, still waiting for her to take his hand. He knew she hated brooms. She didn't trust them. In a world where she was surrounded by magic, she was terrified by the idea of flying on a broomstick. But he knew that she trusted him.
They flew back to the house, Hermione more relaxed than she had been on the way there. She was almost relaxed when they landed, but Viktor knew better than to assume that she wasn't shaken up.
"Are you alright?" he asked when she had a moment to calm down and reassure herself of the ground under her feet.
"I will be," she attempted to assure him. "I just really hate flying."
He pulled her close, embracing her until she could feel her pulse beating slow and steady. Her head resting on his chest could also hear his heartbeat. It matched her own.
She didn't want to leave, but knew that she couldn't stop the year from coming. As much as she wanted to, she didn't have that kind of power. Which was probably for the best.
Hermione was glad to spend a lot of the plane ride engrossed in a novel. She didn't want to think about the coming war that was brewing. She didn't want to think about magic. She just wanted a simple novel about a simple life.
She had picked up Anne of Green Gables. Hermione found the story comforting, having read it many times over the years. It was strange to come back to, but it also felt like coming home. She supposed it would be the same way she would feel to return to the house she had grown up in.
They stumbled off the plane in the late afternoon. The taxi to headquarters was short enough that none of them fell asleep. They were all grateful for that.
Hermione didn't have dinner. She headed up the stairs to her room, brushed her teeth and was asleep from the moment she hit the bed. She didn't even discard her shoes. The next morning, she sent a profuse apology to her fiancé.
A/N: So I started my other story. And I'm still working on this one. Goodbye little bit of a social life that I used to have. (I don't have a lot of real life friends. And don't do things. How do you even make friends as a grown up?)