Yes, a new story. The bunnies attacked again, argh! This one is complete except for a reread and fixing errors. Will be 12 chapters, approx. 55k words. This story will eventually include a good bit of fluff. There will be some angst in places, but this is not an angsty story. That isn't my style. Some have complained about the fluff, so you've been warned. Now that I've slayed a couple of bunnies, back to working on other things. Hope you enjoy. Reviews appreciated.

Chapter 1 – Wartime

Hermione looked out the window to the brilliant night highlighted by a three quarter moon. In the distance she could see the reflection that told her where the black waters of the ocean rolled along, despite being unable to see the water. Shell Cottage was a beautiful place, but she wasn't able to appreciate it fully. She, Harry, and Ron had been stuck in the small house for nearly a month. Memories of Malfoy Manor were starting to dull, replaced by anxious thoughts of their plans for the following day.

After weeks of planning, it was time to implement their plan to break in to Gringotts. Voldemort hadn't killed them yet, but now maybe the goblins would. Shaking off morose thoughts, she turned to look at Harry and Ron, lost in their own thoughts, sitting in the living room. Unable to take the tension in the air, she almost ran out of the cottage. Using the light of the moon, she followed the shell lined path that led through the small garden and out down the cliffs to the beach. Although it was the beginning of May, the wind was cool and she was glad she wore a heavier shirt. She didn't have a destination in mind, but found herself at the small area of cut grass that marked the boundary of Bill's property on the edge of the overlook down to the beach. Dropping onto the grass, she folded her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them.

Hermione stayed like that for countless minutes, trying to quiet a wide range of thoughts that wouldn't leave her alone. Her reverie was only slightly disturbed when someone came and sat next to her. He remained quiet and at first she thought it was Ron, but then she looked closer and saw that it was George. He was unusually quiet and she was grateful, taking a few minutes before she broke the silence.

"I thought you and Fred left already."

"Hmm? Oh, Fred left. We're splitting up. We have three transceivers now, so us and Lee decided to split up Potterwatch. Broadcasting from separate locations will make it harder to track us. Lee left us just before Fred and I got here a few days ago. I'll give Fred a few hours and then I'll leave in the morning. Try to keep ourselves scattered."

Hermione nodded and grew quiet. That made sense. She and George stayed in silent companionship for a few more minutes. He was the one to break the silence next.

"So, what's up with the three of you? Can you say? You all have been really tense."

"We've got some tasks that we've been handling, as you know. I can't say more, except that tomorrow will be dangerous. But it will be good to do something. Mind you, Bill and Fleur have been great taking us all in, but we're climbing the walls."

"Yes, I heard you and Ronnie fighting last night. Lovers' spat?"

Hermione snorted.

"Hardly. Ron and I care about each other and we both thought we might try to get together, but after a couple of weeks we realized it wouldn't work. That was February. Maybe it's just the circumstances, but it never felt right. He's a great friend, but that's all."

"Interesting. I always pinned you with one of the guys. The three of you have been inseparable."

"Yeah, well Harry is still moping over that damn map. Ginny disappeared off of it a couple of weeks ago. His attitude has been getting worse each day."

"Whoa, did you just curse? Harry must really be getting on your nerves."

"Not just Harry, this whole bloody war…and these thoughts…I just can't sort myself. Why the hell am I telling you all this George?"

"Need a friendly ear? I still have one of those at least."

Hermione laughed at his bad joke. It was the first time she had laughed in longer than she could remember.

"Thanks George. I needed that."

"Well, you know, you put up with me for a reason. So, Ron and you are fighting and Harry's not talking to hardly anyone. That puts you in a hard place between the two of them. Hopefully this will all end soon at least. Maybe then we can try to put our lives back together."

"That's what the three of us are working toward. I can't tell you details, but the next couple of days will be critical. As for after, well I guess I'll wait and see if I live through these couple of days."

"What? Don't say that Hermione!"

"It's the truth George. There's a very strong possibility one or more of us may be dead tomorrow or soon after. If not dead, then in prison and wishing we were. Now you know why I had to get out for some air."

George scowled, although Hermione couldn't see it. Silence descended again as George tried to figure out how to talk. All the wit and smarts in the world didn't seem to be helpful at that moment. Hermione sniffled a bit and he realized she was fighting back tears. He scooted over closer and put one arm around her loosely, giving her room to back away if she wanted. Instead, she turned and buried her head in his chest and let the sobs loose. George felt an ache in his gut as he longed to help her, but didn't know how. At least he could be a shoulder, or a chest to cry on. After a few minutes, she quieted and sat back a bit. He wiped her tears and their eyes met.

"Hermione, is there anything I can do? Can I come with the three of you and help? I can leave Potterwatch to Fred and Lee."

"No George. What we have to do would only be more difficult with someone else."

"Damn. I hate feeling useless."

Hermione looked into his blue eyes, darkened in the moonlight. She knew what she wanted to ask, but did she dare? George looked down on her and they both moved in simultaneously. Their lips met in a tender kiss. As each pulled back, they stopped and then kissed again. This time neither wanted to pull away as lips parted and tongues met. They snogged for a couple of minutes and Hermione summoned her courage. Pulling back, she was breathing heavily.

"George, there is one thing you can do. If you agree."

"Of course, what?"

"I'm looking at the very real probability of dying in the next couple of days. I've never been with a man and I want to know what it's like. Just once. Will you make love to me?"

George was shocked silent for a moment as his mouth grew dry and his blood rushed south.

"Bloody hell, really? What about Ron? Harry?"

"I already told you, Ron and I agreed we would never work. Harry…well, he belongs to someone else."

"But you care for him don't you?"

"It doesn't matter if I do. I won't ruin his chance with Ginny. Look George, I understand if you don't want to. I know I've not always been the nicest to you and you certainly have your pick of much prettier girls."

George put a hand under her chin and tilted her face up.

"Hermione, don't say that! You've grown into a very pretty witch. And, don't tell Fred I said this, but we probably deserved it when you were giving us a hard time. Look, if you're really sure, then I would be honored. I mean my brain is already losing oxygen from blood loss. Are you sure?"

Hermione nodded and leaned up to kiss him again. George eagerly reciprocated as they kneeled and snogged. Gradually he pulled off her shirt and then fondled her for a couple minutes before tossing her bra aside. When his lips teased a nipple, she gasped and felt her need heighten. Soon she had his shirt off and ran her fingers through the thatch of ginger hair that covered his chest, thinned and then dipped down into his pants. George was now kissing her belly and reached to unbutton her jeans. As he lowered them, she stood and kicked off her shoes as he removed the jeans completely. As he kneeled, his face was near her knickers and he breathed deep of her arousal before lowering those as well. Once she was naked, he looked up at her in awe. Then he did something unexpected as he explored her with his fingers before delving into her with his tongue. When he found her clit, she yelped and grasped at his hair. Encouraged, he continued working her while reaching down to lower his pants and free his pulsing erection. Suddenly, Hermione called his name and came as he held her thighs and helped her back to the ground as her muscles failed her.

Once she recovered, he moved his kisses back up to her breasts and then to her mouth as they snogged again. She felt him hard and ready against her leg and reached to stroke him. As he groaned, she pulled him closer and he waited before entering her. With a nod, she encouraged him and he slipped into her tight embrace with a moan. His entrance hurt a bit, but she was beyond caring as she finally felt the delight of being full. He met little resistance and continued until he was buried in her completely. Then she begged him to move and he began to set a steady rhythm. Hermione grabbed onto his shoulders as she met his thrusts, crying out each time he hit one delightful spot inside her. She felt her peak coming quickly and George changed his position slightly as her panting grew uneven. The change was perfect and she came with one more stroke, clamping down on him with impossible tightness as she screamed into his mouth. Once she released a bit, George picked up his pace, desperate for his release. As he felt himself getting close, she came again and her climax milked him before he could warn her as he ejected hot streams deep inside her. They held each other as their orgasms finished and he kissed her hard as he slipped out of her. When he pulled back a bit and looked down on her, she looked radiant under the moonlight.

"Oh gods, thank you. That was…wow. I'm glad I got to experience that once."

"And you'll experience it again Hermione. Please, just keep that in mind. And I hardly think you should be thanking me."

Hermione smiled and he gave her one more brief kiss. Then they got up, cast cleaning charms, and dressed quickly. George took her arm as they walked back to the cottage slowly.

"George, I will never regret this, but I want it to be our secret."

"Of course Hermione. One incredible night with two friends who needed each other in the middle of a war."

They reached the cottage and separated as Hermione said goodnight to Harry and Ron and went upstairs to the bedroom she shared with Luna. Her sleep later that night was better than she expected and she woke the next morning, ready to face the task at hand.

-Thirty six hours later –

The battle was over and Hermione had managed about six hours of sleep. She had joined the Weasleys and Harry in retreating to Gryffindor tower once the healers started to move the bodies out of the castle. She had been so tired that she had fallen asleep without a shower. Now she stood under the warm spray of the shower, trying to banish memories of friends now gone. At first she had been numb, which was probably a blessing and let her get some sleep, but now it all was hitting her.

Finishing with a long shower, she made a token attempt to tame her hair and then steeled herself as she made her way down to the common room. Most everyone else was already there, including Harry and all the Weasleys. Ginny was curled up in Harry's arms and it looked like they were already patching things up. Hermione tried to be happy for some measure of joy for them. Ron looked up when she came in and walked over to give her a hug. It was friendly, but nothing else. He traced the scratches on the side of her face and she assured him she was fine. Or as fine as she could be after the past couple of days. Two house elves popped in to deliver breakfast and then everyone sat down to talk. Arthur took the lead, choking out the news he had to deliver.

"Everyone, I've talked to Minerva and Kingsley. He's been named interim Minister for now. No surprise really. Minerva is acting headmistress of course. She's amazing, I don't think she's slept yet. She's been busy with arrangements. A plot has been mapped on the far side of the lake, on the hill. They're offering to bury all combatants of the battle in a memorial graveyard there, with each family's permission of course. The memorial will be held in three days. Molly and I have discussed this and we think Fred should stay here. He fought to protect the school. But we want everyone else to tell us what you think. George?"

George was leaning against Charlie, holding a half eaten bun without appearing to notice it. Everyone was quiet, but a few nodded. George found his voice for a moment and gave a slow nod.

"Yes…dad…here…he should…stay here."

"Alright, I'll confirm with Kingsley's staff. Minerva has offered for us to stay here as long as we need, but your mother and I both think we all need to get back home. Kingsley is loaning us an Auror for a couple of hours. I'm going to take Bill and Charlie along as well and check on the Burrow. Once we are sure it's safe, we'll all go back. Harry, Hermione, you're included in that of course. I know you probably need time to think about what's next. You're welcome however long you need."

Hermione mumbled her thanks, as did Harry. Everyone agreed to the plans and then finished their food. Mr. Weasley left with his eldest sons and went to find the Auror who would be helping them. The rest of the group dispersed and Hermione found herself sitting with Harry, Ron and Ginny.

"So Harry, any idea what next?"

"A bit. I need to get to Gringotts to straighten out my inheritances, but that can wait a couple of days. I guess I'll stay at the Burrow for now. There's always Grimmauld, but I'm not sure what shape it's in. How about you Hermione?"

"Well, I'll stay at the Burrow until the memorial of course. Then I'd like to go find my parents. I thought I'd see if Kingsley could give me a reference at the Australian Ministry to help."

"That sounds good. Do you want someone to come with you? There are still some Death Eaters on the loose."

"Thanks Ron, but you need to stay with your family while I go find mine. If I can get help from the Ministry, I should be fine. Australia is a long ways from here."

Ron nodded and they talked a bit more, mainly remembering friends and discussing what it would take to put the castle back together. After a while, Hermione excused herself and went for a walk. She found Professor Flitwick in a hallway floating debris out of the main path. He turned and gave her a nod.

"Hi professor. I was wondering if you know where the headmistress is, or if Kingsley is still around?"

"Yes he is. You're in luck, I saw them in the staff lounge just a short while ago. Feel free to go check there."

"Well, I don't want to interrupt…"

"Not to worry Miss Granger. You've done so much for us, I'm sure they'll want to talk to you."

Hermione thanked the tiny professor and turned to go to the staff lounge. As she did, she noticed a blood stain on the stone floors and shuddered. She may be considered a hero, but she certainly didn't feel like one. She walked in a bit of a daze until she reached the staff lounge and knocked on the door. Kingsley's voice boomed and called her to come in. When she entered, he looked up and smiled at her.

"Hermione! How are you doing?"

"About as well as can be Minister. I did get some sleep and a shower. Hello headmistress."

Kingsley scowled for a second.

"Enough of that formal nonsense, we're all friends here. What can we do for you?"

"Well, I know we're having the memorial in a couple of days, but after that I need to go find my parents and I was wondering if you could give me a contact name at the Australian Ministry? I guess I'll need an international portkey also. Are those being allowed right now?"

"Alright, I should be able to help with that, but what do you mean by finding your parents?"

Hermione sighed and sat down as she looked between the headmistress and minister. She was feeling decidedly old as everything weighed down on her.

"That's a bit of a long story sir, but I'll summarize. When Harry, Ron and myself were preparing to begin our quest last summer, I knew my muggle parents would be targets. So, I came up with a plan to send them away to Australia. I probably broke some laws, but I did what I thought I had to. I created an excuse with their professional colleagues that they were leaving on a sabbatical to a health retreat in the States. Then I put the house under a property management company, rearranged their bank accounts and authorized payments for the upkeep. I had to modify some of their friends and colleagues memories a bit. Then I obliviated myself from their memories and put them in a taxi to the airport with fake identification and tickets to Australia. I gave them alternate identities under the names of Wendell and Monica Wilkins, as well as a cover story. Then I carefully packed up any evidence of myself in the house before leaving for the Burrow."

McGonagall hadn't been looking great, but now she blanched even more while Kingsley blew out a slow breath before responding.

"Merlin's beard! Really? Of course, you're one of the few that I would believe could actually manage that. Yes, maybe a few laws were broken, but I can certainly understand and we have bigger concerns. Alright, let me talk to some friends down under. Do you want help restoring their memories?"

"I think I will be able to manage, but having a professional available if something goes wrong would be reassuring. I put certain keys and traps on the memories so that they have to be unlocked in a specific sequence."

"Damn, okay. It will take me a few days, but you're staying for the memorial at least. Will you be staying with the Weasleys?"

"Yes sir, and I appreciate the help. I know you have a thousand things to take care of right now."

"No thanks are necessary. It's the least we can do. I'll let you know what I can arrange in a couple of days."

Hermione nodded and excused herself. Not wanting to return to Gryffindor tower yet, she decided to get out of the castle and go for a walk.

Several hours later, Hermione wandered back and helped herself to the buffet of luncheon foods that the elves had left out for everyone to graze freely. She sat with Harry and Ginny, but none of them talked much. The two of them seemed to be attached to each other and she was happy they had the comfort as she carefully pushed aside any other thoughts.

Around four in the afternoon, Arthur and his eldest sons returned and announced that the Burrow was a mess, but was free of curses and traps, as well as having the wards rebuilt. Bill especially looked exhausted, but all of the Weasleys were happy to be able to return home. Most of the rest of the survivors had already left the castle, so Hermione had no need to stay and joined the exodus to the Burrow.

The following couple of days were spent keeping busy with the cleanup at the Weasley home. Hermione didn't mind, glad to have her mind distracted. Magic helped with the cleaning some, but the Death Eaters had ripped up the house badly and it took the efforts of everyone to start putting it back together.

The afternoon before the memorial service, an unexpected visitor stopped by. Kingsley stopped to talk to Arthur for a few minutes, but then he sought out Hermione and they went out to the garden to talk.

"Hermione, I've been in touch with the Australian Ministry and they are going to help you find your parents. I told them the names you established and they had a lead, but it didn't go anywhere. They're going to keep looking, but I also arranged a portkey for you. The memorial is tomorrow morning and your portkey will leave at six tomorrow evening. I thought you'd want to get started soon. Due to the long distance, you'll need to take two jumps with a two hour break in the middle. With the time difference, that will put you in Sydney shortly after eight in the morning. Does that sound alright?"

"Wow, thanks Kingsley. Yes, the arrangements are fine."

Kingsley nodded and wished her luck. Hermione pondered for a moment and then went to continue hanging up the freshly cleaned curtains.

That night at dinner, Hermione told everyone her plans. Her friends were accepting, but Molly grew anxious.

"Hermione dear, do you really think this is wise? I worry for your safety."

"I'll be alright. The Australian Ministry will be helping me and Australia is a long way from here. I need to do this. My parents may end up hating me, but I have to try to make everything right again."

"Fine. Ron, why don't you go with her and help?"

Hermione held back a frustrated sigh as Ron gulped a large bite and seemed surprised. Molly was still harboring hope that they would get together, despite what they had both told her.

"Molly, I appreciate the concern, but Ron needs to stay here with his family while I go to find my family. It's what needs to be done."

Hermione stated the last with a firm tone and refocused on her food as the table remained silent for a couple long minutes. Molly seemed to want to say something else, but her husband put his hand on her arm and she finally desisted. Soon casual conversation returned to the table, although Hermione stayed quiet.

The next day, shortly before ten in the morning, everyone departed the Burrow and apparated to Hogsmeade. From there they all walked in near silence up to the school and the new memorial graveyard on the far hill overlooking Black Lake. The ceremony included fifty-five burials with either a friend or family member saying a few words for each. Due to the number, it took over two hours. Harry was holding Ginny and Hermione let Ron wrap his arm around her. They both needed the comfort and had come to a mutual acceptance on their friendship. The service finally wrapped at half past noon and they all spent some time mingling and talking to friends before returning to the Burrow.

A number of friends followed them back to the house for a late luncheon that Mrs. Weasley, Fleur and Harry had prepared. A few of the extended Weasley clan were also in attendance. George tried his best to liven the day as a token to his brother's memory, but his grief dampened the efforts. Around three everyone left and the Burrow fell silent again.

Once the luncheon was cleaned up, Hermione went to the room she was sharing with Ginny and finished the last preparations for her trip. Promptly at five in the evening, she said her goodbyes as everyone hugged her and wished her well. Harry and Ron both admonished her to call if she needed anything and she knew they would happily portkey across the world if she asked.

Once all the hugs were complete, Hermione apparated to Diagon Alley. From there she walked to Gringotts, arriving a short while before they closed. She withdrew a large sum of money from her account to cover expenses since she had little idea how long her search would take. Prior to Bill and Fleur's wedding, she had closed out the muggle trust account her grandmother had set up for her and deposited the money in Gringotts. She had kept some cash, but had been hopeful that she could access the money later. Unfortunately, once the Ministry fell, it was no longer safe for her to visit Diagon Alley and the funds had been left mostly untouched. With her withdrawal complete, she then made her way to the Ministry to pick up her portkey.