Chapter Text
In a park, somewhere in Hampstead Green, sat a young woman, only a month away from becoming 19 years old. She was dressed in a loose dark red sports jersey with yellow accents, a faded and worn number 7 on the back. Denim jeans and some converse trainers in a pale blue. She was under a tree for shade from the sun, reading away at a book she rested on her legs.
Her name was Hermione Granger, and while she may look like an average girl, she was a witch. And further, she was 3 months post winning the 2nd wizarding war. Which sounds like it should be a celebration. She helped win a war. But the one who won the war for them had disappeared. Leaving only a few traces of evidence that he had even existed.
She had recently rescued her parents from her own memory wipe on them, getting them back from Australia and just about reconciling with them. That had been one of the traces of him. He had spoken to the minister of magic to give her a free and simple transport to Australia.
He sold everything. He wiped Grimmauld Place clean and removed the charm. And he sold it as a muggle home. There's rumours he went to Europe to join the ICW Hit Wizards. Others say he went to America to escape the fame. And some think he went fully muggle....abandoning the wizard world without care for those he left behind.
She is snapped from her thoughts as a short convoy of a dark grey coupé, that Hermione had never seen before, followed by 2 moving vans driving towards the house down her road that had recently been displaying sold boards.
'New neighbour? Dad might be interested in the car.' She thought to herself. Smiling a little at her dad's newest fascination. Since he and her mother came back from Australia, bits of their 'fake' lives seeped into their normal selves. Such as her dad's new love of cars and her mother's interest in watching golf and going with Daniel to golfing ranges, having a new activity to bond over together.
Deciding shes spent enough time hiding away in the park, she gets up and heads home. Passing the newly sold house and she pauses seeing a mop of Raven hair. She shakes her head quickly. 'It couldn't be. Why would he move here. Plenty of people have black hair.' She scolds herself for considering the possibility.
***
Hermione sits in her room at her parents home. Re-reading her letter inviting her to retake her 7th year at Hogwarts and the offer of being Head Girl. "I already have all the stuff....I know Ron is going....wonder if he got the Head Boy position." She looks at a picture on her bedside table of her, Harry and Ron. Taken just before the world cup before 4th year.
'Harry. Where are you?'
***
Ron was in the lounge of the Burrow, the house he has lived in his entire life, holding the letter that Head Mistress McGonagall just handed him. "I'm thankful for the offer of Head Boy Professor." He says graciously. "But I'll only have it on a....god whats the word....Hermione would know....temporary? Basis. I'll have it unless Harry comes back. Then he should be Head Boy."
The youngest Weasley looks at Ron like he's mad. "You're only taking it if he doesn't show up? But Head Boy is an amazing thing!"
"Yea I know. But I don't want to be Head Boy if Harry is there. The Man-Who-Conquered should have it. And I need to help Lavender." He replies strangely diplomatically for the usually most hot-headed of the Weasley's.
Minerva nods. "I accept your terms of conditional duties. Thought if you wish to keep them if he does return, I will not hold it against you." With that the leaves calmly.
Fred pipes up. "Strangely humble from Ronnekins"
George replies. "Are we sure this isn't someone polyjuiced as Ron?"
Ron rolls his eyes. "You two have a duplicated stuffed rabbit with your names on them which you used to swap to annoy mum with"
"How did-"
"You know?"
The twins look annoyed at one of their secrets being revealed.
Ron just smiles and goes to his room, planning to call Hermione on the Mirror and see if she's Head Girl.
***
"You got Head Boy? Oh thank god I'll have someone I know." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.
Ron didn't want to say what his conditions were, unwilling to get the poor girls hopes up as he knows she's been struggling despite her attempts to hide it. "Yea. I'm guessing you've got all your stuff ready now havent you?"
"If you have to ask me that, I'm going to assume you don't know me at all." She laughs a little but her face doesn't really show it. "Have you....heard from him?" She asks timidly.
He shakes his head slowly. "I haven't. I'm sorry Hermione."
"I thought I saw him today. Some new guy moved in down our street with black hair and I thought for a second it was him." She says, just about keeping her emotions in check.
Ron thinks for a minute, thinking of the last thing Harry said to him.
'All of it, all of the bullshit in my life...all of the suffering was Dumbledore. That bearded arsehole stuck me with my shitty relatives! I was meant to be abused. I was meant to be weak. I was raised to be a child soldier and I was meant to die. I was meant to be this weak non-existant boy who would walk into deaths arms to reunite with my parents and that bastard would take the credit for killing Voldemort. Pity he didn't plan on ol' Tom deciding to axe him first. You know he put magical blocks on me? Redirected my owl mail to himself? He fucking planned every single thing so I wouldn't know. He made sure Sirius was put in Azkaban. He made sure my parents were attacked. He made sure Remus was away so he couldn't raise me. He locked my parents wills away. I didn't even know my parents left me any money aside my trust vault until yesterday. And those fucking quill pushers just brushed it aside and didn't do anything. No one ever believed me until someone died. I'm fucking done. I'm....done. I'm sorry Ron...tell Hermione I'm sorry...please. I need to go....figure out who I am when I'm looking at a real future.'
"I can't blame him for wanting to leave. The realisation of his entire life being scripted for an early end made him angry...worse than 5th or 6th year." Ron said slowly. Harry's anger playing in his mind.
Hermione mumbles softly. "I wish he would've talked to me...I could have helped. Given him somewhere to stay...given him something...."
"You....love him don't you?" The redhead asks.
The girl nods slowly. "I...I'm sorry Ron."
He laughs a little. "That makes me wonder even more why you thought I would be suitable?" He says between chuckles.
"You're...not mad?"
"Why the bloody hell would I be? God us together would have been worse than if Snape actually had a bad day. It'd just be fight after argument after row and we'd never get along. We're better as friends. Bordering on siblings...we argue as much as me and Ginny do." He has a big smile on.
The brunette laughs a little. "Besides, I hear from some undisclosed source, a certain Miss Lavender Brown has come back in your life?"
Ron blushes a little. "Who are you and what did you do to Hermione?? Since when did you listen to gossip?"
"When it concerns one of my best friends who's been keeping secrets from me." She responds with a small smile.
Ron sighs. "Yes. Lavender has come back. She's getting used to her arm. And I've offered to help her."
"Lets hope you take more notes than all your other years." Hermione teases.
"Yea yea. I'll definitely be taking better notes. And stealing yours. Anyway, do you want to come to the Burrow to join Me and Ginny to the train or are you going with your parents?"
"I'll be going with my parents. They want me to drive them there and they can take my car back. They say it'll be good for me to drive through London at a busy time."
"Just don't miss the train. I don't think your car flies." He laughs.
"Ah. The one moment of peace I had during any sort of Hogwarts time." She laughs with him.