Okay. This is my first Hermione/George. Hope you guys like it. This story does not comply at all with HBP or DH so no worries there. Please review and tell me what you think.
P.S. For those of you looking for the sequal to my fic, Untitled, this isn't it. ;-) However, have no fear, the first chapter is in the works. Just know that all your begging paid off. I just had this story ready to start.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story. Unless you don't recognize them, then they're probably mine. :-) Please don't sue me.
Their Companion
Ch. 1
Hermione smiled happily as she, Harry and Ron rode the train back to King's Cross Station for the last time, to meet their parents. It was the end of their seventh year and they were official out of school.
Hermione didn't know what she wanted to do next. Her idea had always been University, but now she wasn't sure she wanted to put herself through that stress all over again. Plus, Professor McGonagall had hinted that there may be a teaching position for her when school started again in September. She had said that with as much experience she had with Harry and Ron, she could find a teaching job almost anywhere.
A small explosion to her right brought her out of her musings. She looked over toward the boys and saw that Ron's eyebrows had been were smoking. They had been playing a game of exploding snap. She could guess the outcome.
"Can you believe it's finally over?" Ron asked, fanning his eyebrows.
"I know," Harry said. "I'm just happy Dumbledore isn't making me go back to the Dursley's."
"I think he was afraid of what you might do now that you can do magic outside school," Ron said with a grin, earning a grin from the other two.
"So what are you gonna do with your new freedom, Hermione?" Harry asked.
"I'm going to spend some time with my parents. Then I'm going to start looking for my own flat. What about you two?"
"We'll probably just hang out at the Burrow for a while. Go get the few things of Harry's that are left at the Dursley's," Ron said. "I think we might be going to visit Charlie in a few weeks, but nothing too much right away, ya know?"
"Yes," Hermione said. "This may surprise you, but all I want to do is lay around the house with nothing to do."
"Sounds good to me," Harry said as the train pulled into the station. "I think the first thing I'm gonna do is take a nap."
They made their way off the train and over to pick up their trunks. Once they had, they began to look around for their parents. They spotted Mr. Weasley first and made their way over to him.
"Hello boys, Hermione," Mr. Weasley said, shaking hands with both boys and giving Hermione a hug. "How was the trip?"
"Pretty uneventful," Ron said.
"Well, that's good," Mr. Weasley said. "Uneventful is the best kind of trip these days. Do you see your parents yet Hermione?"
"Um..." she started, looking around. "No, not yet. Wait, there they are."
Hermione waved to get her parent's attention. Then she, Harry, Ron and Mr. Weasley made their way over.
"Mum! Dad!" Hermione said, hugging each of her parents.
"Welcome home, dear," Mrs. Granger said, while Mr. Granger shook hands with Mr. Weasley.
"Thanks mum," Hermione said smiling.
"Well, we should get going," Mr. Granger said. "It was good to see you all again."
"You too," Harry, Ron and Mr. Weasley said at about the same time.
Hermione walked back over to Harry and Ron and hugged them both.
"Now, you two behave yourselves. Owl me when you get back from your trip and we'll get together and do something."
"Sounds like fun," Harry said and Ron nodded.
"Well," she said, stepping back. "I'd better go. My dad can be kind of impatient. Mr. Weasley," she said, giving Ron's dad a big hug. "Make them behave."
"I'll try," he said, smiling.
"I'll see you guys later."
"Good bye," Harry and Mr. Weasley said as Ron waved and said "Later."
With one last wave, she disappeared into the crowd.
The ride home was quiet. Hermione watched the trees go by outside her window. She was glad to be going home, but she already missed her friends. She was already excited about seeing them when they got back from Romania. Maybe they could go to Diagon Alley and she could start looking for a flat.
"Here we are," her dad said as they pulled into the driveway. "Home sweet home."
Hermione sighed and smiled. It was good to be home.
"Where's your luggage?" he asked as they got out of the car.
"I shrunk it down before I got off the train. It's in my pocket."
"Oh," he said oddly, glancing at her mother, who glanced back. "Okay. Well, less work for me then, right?" he said with a laugh that wasn't quite genuine.
"Right," Hermione said, laughing as well, missing the odd tone in her father's laugh.
"Let's go inside," her mother said and they all turned and went inside.
It was about a week and a half later before it happened. 'It' being the biggest fight between her and her parents she'd ever had in her life.
The morning started out like every other morning. Hermione came downstairs for breakfast with her parents. She sat down at the table where her dad was sitting, but the tension circled around her like clothes that fit too tight. They ate in silence for a few moments before Hermione spoke.
"Okay, what's going on?" she asked, putting her fork down.
"Hermione," her father started. "What do you plan on doing now that you're finished with that school?"
"Well, I'm not sure yet," Hermione said. She was surprised at his tone and was sure that by him calling Hogwarts that school she wasn't going to like where this conversation was going. "I thought I'd relax for a little while, then begin looking for a job. Why do you ask?"
"Well," her mother said. "We were hoping you would want to go to University. That way you can get a sensible job."
Hermione was really getting worried about the conversation now. Her mother put a little too much stress on the sensible part.
"But there are no wizarding universities," she said calmly, watching out for their reactions. "Besides, I think I'm as prepared as I can be for a job in the Wizarding World."
"The Wizarding World," her father said under his breath, but she could still hear him. This was not going to be good. "You want to work in the Wizarding World then?"
"Of course. Is that a surprise?"
"Well," her mother stepped in again. "I guess we thought that once you were finished with that school, that maybe you would settle down and do something normal. You know, once you got it out of your system."
"Normal?" she asked, feeling her anger rise. Hermione couldn't believe her ears. She'd always thought her parents supported her being a witch. Now she had a feeling she knew some of what Harry felt like most of his life. "Out of my system? Mum, it's who I am! It's not something I can turn on and off!"
"But you can't plan on being part of both worlds," her mother said.
"Why not? Loads of people do it and they get by just fine!" Hermione said, trying to keep her cool. It didn't work, however, when her father mumbled something under his breath. "What?"
"I said," he said angrily. "What if we don't want you too?"
"What your father means is..."
"I know what he means!" Hermione yelled. "I want to hear it from him!"
"If you live here," he said, after taking a deep breath. "Then you have to leave that world behind."
"What!?" Hermione shrieked. "You're making me choose!?"
"Yes," he replied. "We are."
"Mum?" she said but her mother only turned away.
"Fine," Hermione said, determined not to let the tears fall. "Fine."
She turned and all but ran to her room. She slammed her door as hard as she could. Leaning against it, she slid down to the floor, slowly dissolving into tears.
When Hermione woke up, it was dark and she was lying on the floor with her back pressed up against the door. She sat up and looked around her room, wondering what had changed. She always thought her parents supported her. She guessed she'd been horribly wrong. She stood up, putting a determined look on her face.
"If that's the way they want it," she said out loud to no one. "Then that's the way it'll be."
It didn't take long before she had packed up all her stuff, shrunk it down and was ready to leave. She looked around the room she'd grown up in and wondered if she'd ever see it again.
Well...there ya go! Remember, reviews are love.