Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize is mine. JKR is far better than I. This is just my thoughts of what it would have been like.

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Chapter One: The News

The fight was won. The war was over and Voldemort was gone, Harry recovering as the victor. Both sides were suffering from heart wrenching loss and slowly resolving to rebuild their worlds. The remaining death eaters were in hiding, being hunted by the aurors and impromptu squads of Hogwarts' finest.

Molly and Arthur inspected their home, before returning their loved ones to the Burrow. Repairs were to be done and a severely long list of cleaning and polishing was in order. Their remaining children did not argue, knowing this was their mother's way of coping with the loss of her child. She was in auto pilot and likely would not properly grieve until the process was nearly completed.

Harry and Hermione returned with them, upon the request of Arthur. Unsure of where his relationship with Ginny stood, he kept himself at a safe distance until he felt she was strong enough to handle contact with him. Hermione and Ron had finally shared a blissful kiss in the heat of the battle, but had yet discussed anything. Both of them understood their relationship was not a priority of the moment and that the appropriate time would present itself soon.

Molly still set the place for her fallen son, still always referred to him and George as "the twins". This was fine for stories of the past, except she was mentioning the twins handling the garden or other various to repair the orchard and shed. She had yet to accept her son was buried in the very yard he played in as a child. She still counted seven places for her children, three places for Harry, Hermione, and Fleur, and two for her and Arthur. Molly still served made sure his plate and made a fresh list of chores with his name scrawled above every morning. One of the boys usually snatched it from the board without her noticing.

None of her children, nor her husband had the heart or courage to point out her denial. The heart break was almost too much bear. She was resuming her life, firmly believing she still had her children safely nestled at home.

Reality hit when she noticed their family clock had his name facing a different location than the rest of the family, "Lost".

"Arthur, this clock must be wrong or Fred is trying to make me fuss even more. He needs to get back home or he will get a lashing for skiving off on his chores." She called out.

Bill's shoulders slumped and he watched George bite his lip as a fresh wave of tears began to overflow his already irritated, swollen eyes. He watched as his brother made his way solemnly up the stairs. His little brother was the shell of the jokester, a striking tragedy to his former self.

"Mumma, maybe we should fix the clock. Let me and Dad work on it, yeah?" Bill tried to distract his mother.

"Nonsense, if I know the twins, they are anything but innocent. Fred is probably off developing a new prank for the shop. Brilliant, those two are, when they want to be."

"Mumma, I will let you know once it's repaired." He calmly placed a kiss on his mother's hair.

Bill returned to his siblings and motioned for them to walk outside with him. They walked to orchard to avoid being overheard. Arthur brought a sunken George along in the rear of the group. Harry and Hermione tried to offer support and waited for Bill's speech.

"Dad, she is not getting better. Her denial is getting worse, the longer she believes he survived that blast, the more the pain from his death will harm her. Mum needs to accept who we lost at the battle." Bill noticed George's face become rigid and redden.

Arthur sighed and chose his words carefully. "You kids are all we have. Our family was huge and we did not expect to come out whole, but we hoped it would be one of us. Burying your child is the most difficult and tragic thing that can happen to any parent."

George face was still lowered to the ground, but his forehead and temples now rivaled his own flaming hair.

Charlie held his hands behind his head and looked to the cloud filled sky. "Fred was a good soldier and he fought admirably. This denial is almost a disgrace to his name. It makes it seem as though he should not be honored for his sacrifice."

George's fuse broke and he glared menacingly at his brother. "FRED WAS NOT A SOLDIER! He was my twin! He fought alongside us and worked to make this world free of Voldemort and his cowardly followers. He should be honored but do not make light of his death! This denial of him is despicable! I can't go one pretending he is here! He's not here anymore, he died! FRED IS DEAD!"

Shattering glass sounded from behind him and Arthur. The family spun around to find Molly wide eyed and horror struck.

"N- n- no! Arthur my baby! No! No! IMPOSSIBLE!" Molly fell to her knees on top of the shards of glass and wept uncontrollably as the denial left her shattered soul. Arthur rushed to her side and moved her from the glass, mending her cuts. All the while, shushing her cries and telling her how sorry he was, but Fred was not returning.

That night, Hermione lay in her bed reviewing the past year. She resolved her mind to find her family after analyzing all the details in front of her and the desperate need she felt to be hugged by them once more. She knew the Weasleys were on the road to recovering ad now she had to focus on her family. She had performed a complicated memory charm on her parents and sent them to Australia under new identities. They had become the Wilkins and had no children. With a heavy heart, she sent them away and appeared at the Burrow last summer. A year had passed and she missed them dearly.

The next morning, she scrawled a note to Kingsley and attached it to Pig's leg after giving him a treat. She dressed quickly and headed downstairs to join the family and Harry for breakfast.

Ginny was in charge of the meal and was being helped by Harry. Arthur and Molly were still hidden away in the room, soft sobs could be heard through the door outside. The boys were teasing Harry for his cooking skills and Hermione felt herself smile at the blush creeping up his neck. Soft touches from Ginny and silent glances spoke volumes at how their relationship was rebuilding itself.

Ron walked up behind her and brushed her hand. Flushing, he sighed awkwardly and stuffed his hands in his pocket. Even after their desperate kiss during the battle, they were still unsure of how to approach their feelings.

"Clever, git. He's helping her cook for everyone. He must be trying real hard to warm her back up." He laughed softly and then motioned at the table with his head.

Taking the hint, Hermione sat at the table as the food was set out. Eating slowly and discussing the leftover chores and repairs, the group enjoyed the company.

A knock on the door alerted Bill. Eight wands readied themselves under the table. Bill opened the door to reveal Kingsley looking very downtrodden and reluctant to step inside the home.

"Kingsley, welcome. What do we owe this please? Do you wish to see Mum or Dad?" Bill greeted the guest politely.

"Actually, I am here to speak with Miss Granger." His eyes sought Hermione, then flitted away, regretting his action.

"Brilliant, Mr. Kingsley. Shall we speak in the other room? It concerns a private matter," Hermione requested as she stood from the table.

"I would prefer that we spoke here. I fear the support will be necessary." Kingsley's hollow expression frightened Hermione.

Harry, knowing about Hermione's illegal attempts at protecting her family, sprung to her defense. "Kingsley, surely you do not need to do this? Her actions were done to protect her parents, not cause harm to muggles. Arresting her will do nothing but tarnish her-".

"Harry, I assure you I am not here to arrest Miss Granger." Kingsley stepped closer to the other side of the table, contorting his hands anxiously.

"Kingsley, my parents are across the world. I would like to bring them home," she explained relieved she was not being tried for her crime.

"Miss Granger, we have been investigating crimes done to muggles with traces of magic recorded in the last year. We came across a report involving a particular home on our flag list."

Harry turned to face Hermione, fearing he knew the news she was about to receive. Hermione seemed to be struggling as the information was given to her. The room was silent, able to predict the outcome of this visit. Ron stared blankly at the table, unable to look at her.

Kingsley took a breath and continued, "I personally went to the scene and investigated the remains of a home, barred from the public with yellow caution tape. We discovered, to our horror, the identities of those inside the home at the time of the blaze." He gulped and tried to take a step towards Hermione.

She began shaking her head, mumbling her denial, and stepped away from him. Tears were already leaking from her terrified eyes.

"Miss Granger, I am sorry. Your parents were not able to leave. They were found before leaving the country and murdered by death eaters."

"No, No, NO! I personally watched them board their plane before coming here." Hermione was holding her head and shrieking her denial.

"One of the death eaters persuaded them to leave their aircraft and they were taken into their custody. I am so sorry, Hermione. I know this is devastating and hard to hear! When you are ready, we will escort you to the authorities to claim them and give them a proper burial. They were labeled as a Jane and John Doe." His sincerity cut into like a knife.

Hermione spun from the room and broke down in the living room. Harry tried to comfort her, but her hair was already sparking and he feared she would hurt him with her accidental magic. Ginny ran to get her parents, who appeared at the door way. Molly and Ron tried to approach her small, defeated form on the floor, only to be slid back by the force of her emotional magic. Kingsley, fearing she would loss control, tried to place a spell on her to make her sleep. Hermione saw his movement and deflected the spell with a wave of her hand. She stood, her magic dancing around in her hair wildly.

"It didn't matter. No matter what I did, they were doomed to die because I couldn't be normal for once in my life. It wasn't enough for me to be a loner and be an outcast among the other children. No I had to possess this dangerous side of fairytales and cause my family to be murdered! My magic killed them! I KILLED THEM!" Hermione shoved her fist into her eyes. She paced in a circle, her magic growing increasingly strong and dark as her sorrow deepened.

Molly tried once more to reach her, but Hermione rejected her attempt. Molly pursed her lips and became the mother hen her children were used to.

Hermione was muttering to herself, her friends watching her carefully. Molly was done watching her and, against the advice of Kingsley, stepped forward.

"Hermione, you are not responsible for their deaths. Those foul demons are. You did your best to protect them according to Ginny and nothing more can be expected from you. Allow us to help you, dear." Molly touched her once more.

As soon as Hermione felt the touch of the first finger, her magic flared once more and exploded. Molly was thrown back against the wall. The walls shook violently and the glass shattered everywhere. Scorch marks appeared on the floor and carpets. Hermione's curls were in place once more, but her eyes were glued to the scene of Mrs. Weasley being helped up by her husband.

Holding a hand across her mouth, she muttered her apology, tears streaming down her face. Hermione felt she was responsible for Ron's mother being harmed and stared across the room at the destruction her raw magic left in its wake. Ron tried to reach for her, but she shook her head.

"What have I done? Oh Merlin, what have I done?" Hermione shrieked and turned to apparate.

Ron recognized her motions and reached for her, but narrowly missed her departure. He stood there while the cries of his mother and the worried whispers of his family filled his ears. Harry had tear streaks down his face as he mumbled reparos to the broken artifacts.

A/N: I encourage you to read "The Forgotten Disgrace", my other full-length Romione story. Happy Reading!