October 1999

"I love you both. Stay safe. I don't want to have to flue to Mungo's on short notice."

"Okay, Mione. We'll keep an extra watch out just for you." Ron leaned in and kissed Hermione on her forehead.

Harry grinned. "We love you too. I'd wish you luck with your studies, but we all know you'll probably have your Bach in 2 years and your PhD in 4." He lowered his voice so only the three of them could hear. "I'm sure you'll have your parents back soon. If anyone can develop a memory restorative potion, it's you." He pulled her into a tight hug.

"Give Ginny my best. I've already got her next game on my calendar."

Ron laughed. "And we all know how much you're looking forward to that game. Bye, Mione. Go kick some pharmacology arse at Cambridge."

Hermione kissed them both and waved goodbye as she boarded the train towards her new school.

After the war, she, Ron and Harry had helped rebuild Hogwarts, showed support for Kingsley as he tried to stabilize the Ministry, and tended to their collective family as they mourned for their friends. Hermione had located her parents in Australia, but was unable to find a spell that could reverse her memory curse. She had then spent a year apprenticing under a potions master, who proved to be a much better teacher than Snape. But after spending half a year working with him on memory potions, she realized that Muggle medicine had eclipsed some of the potions work years earlier, leading her to believe that she needed to combine both Muggle pharmacology with potions. Kingsley was able to secure her admission into Cambridge.

Ron and Harry had gone into Auror training while she was studying potions. Harry and Ginny worked their relationship out during her last year at Hogwarts and now that she had graduated, they were happily dating whenever her Harpies schedule coincided with his Auror schedule.

Midway through the previous winter, she had plopped down on the sofa in the flat she shared with Ron and Harry, still smelling of potion ingredients. Ron was on one of his infrequent evenings off. That sat there in silence for a couple minutes. "Mione," Ron started. "You know I love you, but …"

"Yeah," she sighed. "But, this isn't working out right now. We're both head over heels in work and it doesn't seem like either of us have time for a relationship."

Ron nodded. "You're my best friend." He leaned over, pulling her into a hug and kissed her brow. "You'll always be my best friend."

Hermione had laughed and then sighed again as she leaned into him. "You're mine too. You'll make someone a good partner someday. And next time, I promise not to get jealous."

Ron choked out a laugh. "Just don't send those bloody birds after me again!" He pulled her in closer and they sat there on the sofa the rest of the evening.

The following summer had Hermione picking out a dorm room and helping Ginny move into their flat. Now, Hermione was on the train from Kings Cross to Cambridge.

Just as Ron had predicted, she had most of her first two years done in one, and had entered into a research program for her final undergraduate year. Her undergraduate research was pointed towards brain chemistry and its interactions specifically with drugs for dementia and Parkinson's. Her research adviser was giving Hermione more advanced work than she was giving to her Master's level students, and Hermione was completing the research more quickly. After approving the publication of Hermione's Bachelor's degree thesis, Professor Eleanor Carter pulled her into her office.

"I have a research assistantship lined up for your PhD work. The work specifically involves research into restoring memories in Alzheimer's and dementia patients, and in the regeneration of their neural pathways."

Hermione almost succeeded in keeping the grin off her face.

"We won this project grant joint with the University Pierre and Marie Curie and a student of Professor Henri Rousseau will be conducting this work with you jointly. Professor Rousseau has said that his student is also highly motivated and appears to make the same quick and unusual suggestions of holistic interactions as you do." Professor Carter smiled. "I suggest you take this summer to brush up on your French."

"Thank you, Professor. I can't wait to work on it! I'm sure that we'll make a significant breakthrough."

"I sure you will. The contribution you've made as an undergraduate is more than some do for their doctoral dissertations. I'll look forward to continuing our research this fall."

After commencement, she moved back into her room in the the flat for the summer, which now housed the four of them. Now three years post-war, they found an easy existence that summer, spent between work and visits with friends. And if Ron groused about watching television in French with English subtitles at first, he was soon studying French with her after Ginny brought home a teammate who had matriculated from Beaubatons.