Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter and the canon characters belong to J.K Rowling and I am only borrowing them to write for my and other people's enjoyment, without any intention of profiting from it. I thank this creative lady for blessing us with such a rich ground to build up our creativity on!

She took a deep breath, swallowing hard, as she slammed her Occlumency shields down forcefully, tucking her wayward rioting emotions away to the back of her mind. This was neither the time, nor the place to be an emotional basket case. She could break down later, when she was safely secluded from prying eyes, and she would not make a spectacle of herself.

"Are you alright, dear?" Monica asked softly, growing concern gleaming in her intelligent eyes.

Hermione plastered a tight smile on her face, and struggled to reign in her shaky voice. "Y-yes, Mu-, m'am." She whispered, her eyes widening slightly, as she almost slipped up.

After the war ended, and the funerals and memorials were settled, the young witch traveled to Australia looking for her parents, to restore their memories. After a few weeks of roaming the countryside, she arrived in the town of Ayr, located near Burdekin River.

She was surprised to learn how much her parents' lifestyle had changed with their new identities. They had given up working in health-care, and got in with the agriculture, harvesting sugar cane, and living a simple life.

Hermione introduced herself to Monica, and Wendell Wilkins, and when they turned around to invite her inside their home, she had attempted to return their memories that she had previously erased, to no avail. She tried several more times through having tea with them, and it was slowly sinking in that it was not possible to undo her rather desperate version of the Obliviate spell.

"Are you sure you are alright?" Wendell asked in a worried tone.

"Yes," She choked, desperately trying not to utter the word "Father".

He nodded, and lovingly caressed his wife's cheek, in a display of tender affection.

She swallowed hard once more, and stood up. "Thank you for the tea, and your hospitality." She said softly, as they walked her to the door.

"It was nice talking to such lovely young folk." Monica smiled brightly, leaning against her husband's side.

"Indeed, we never had the blessing of having children," Wendell said sadly. "I dare say if we had any, they would be around your age."

Hermione paled at his words slightly, clenching her hands into small fists, sinking her nails into her palms to stop reacting too strongly.

"You w-, would be amazing parents." She said softly, her voice quivering.

"Thank you, dear." Mrs. Wilkins replied fondly, reaching out to pat her cheek.

The brunette witch swallowed, gazing into her Mother's eyes. "I know this might sound silly, but may I hug you, before I leave? I r-really miss my p-parents, and you remind me of them."

The couple shared a glance between them, and smiled at her. "You may." Mr. Wilkins answered, and that was all Hermione needed to envelop both of them in a warm embrace, holding on to them like her life depended on it. They gently engulfed her in their shared presence, and it had taken all the strength she possessed not to burst into tears. She lingered in their touch and smell as long as she dared, reluctantly pulling back when it was appropriate.

"Thank you." She smiled a small bittersweet smile.

"Take good care of yourself, dear." They told her, and she nodded.

"I wish you both a long life of happiness." She chimed, and left their home.

As the door of the small cottage closed behind her, she turned around, giving it a last longing look, and disappeared into thin air, the sharp clicking sound of apparation echoing in her wake.

A/N: This is going to be another story with casually short chapters, similar to Vengeance, centering around the lives of Hermione and George. We are going to take a look at how they deal with the consequences of the war: Hermione losing her parents to her Memory Charm, and George losing his twin. Will they be able to find comfort in one another? Only time will tell.

The basic story plot of Hermione, and one-, or both of the Weasley twins happening upon her dancing her sorrow - after she was unable to restore her parents' memories - away was Buffybot76's brain child, and I am writing this as a gift to her. The dancing will obviously happen in later chapters, as I will have to lead up to it first a little bit.

Hopefully you will all find something to enjoy in reading this. Thank you for the inspiration, Rose. :)