It had been years since that fateful day when she paced the quarters of Minerva McGonagall and since then the change in her life didn't go unnoticed by friends and family. She had withdrawn with great force. Talking rarely, sometimes even Ginny couldn't reach her. Hermione worked passionately, wanting to take all that negativity and thrust it forward into her studies and her wand movements as she worked on charm after charm.

The young girl with all the love in her heart which had been bruised horribly had not even though about looking at an other. She was focused and ready in her belief that if love stood the test of time she'd be the one to prove it.

"Hermione... are you even here right now?" She looked away from the window and to the young man sitting opposite her in her kitchen. Her tea was quickly getting cool so she took a deep draw of it in her mouth tasting the sweetness of honey.

"I'm sorry Harry, sometimes my mind just wanders off." Hermione softly stated as she rejoined the quiet conversation with her dear friend. Sometimes the only one she believed she could talk to. He appraised her.

"You think too much for your own good love." The term of endearment he often used softened her and she sighed and nodded. She knew. She did think too much for her own good, but it was an act she couldn't help even before that day but since that day all she could be curious about was what she had done wrong. She hadn't been to Hogwarts since as many as the people who graduated that year had. Much had gone on, great wars, the loss of many of her friends and even close to family. She couldn't bring herself to stand by that building even though it was a horrible excuse that the only reason behind this was because of one woman.

Harry got up from his chair across the table and finished his tea with a gulp, then quickly rinsed, washed, dried it and put it away. He walked slowly back to her, his robes swaying as he did so and leaned down to give her forehead a kiss. She leaned into his comfort.

"I must take my leave, I need to stop by the Ministry and have a talk with Ron before picking up Ginny from Molly and Arthur's." The brunette nodded her head and gave him a soft but waning smile.

"Give Ron, Ginny and the Weasley family a kiss from me." He bowed his head and returned her smile before he left. She sat for a long while at the kitchen table before a hard pecking noise reached her ear and she saw her owl, Romulas, at her window. She hurried to open it for him.

"Don't look at me like that you know how I get." He gave her a loud "Hooo" and a few clicks to express his displeasure of being stuck hanging onto a ledge for so long. She placed a finger under his sharp beak and got down to his level.

"Alright, forgive me, it will not happen again my dear." She leaned forward and gave the bird a kiss on top of his head. An act you wouldn't usually be able to do to most post owls but he was different. More human than bird and in an instant he was on his perch and cooing contentedly. The letter she plucked from his leg went unnoticed until she said down on her sofa. The large crest on the front was unmistakably Hogwarts. She raced to open it not caring that parchment was flying from her fingertips as the envelope and pieces of it were now littering her floor. It read:

Dear Dr. Granger,

Our dear Professor Flitwick is here by retiring at the end of this semester. He was known as on of Hogwarts favorite professor's of Charms. A great man, and a great warrior who fought for those who couldn't in a time of darkness and despair. He helped rid this world of a great evil.

We would very much so enjoy your presence at the last supper, the Grand Feast, at the end of the year (two weeks today), also Head Mistress McGonagall has something very important she'd like to discuss with you personally.

Thank you for your consideration,

Deputy Headmaster

Professor Slughorn

She sat dumbfounded. Minerva has private matters with me? I was unaware. The sentence left a sour taste in her mouth and for the first time in a long time. She felt the need to talk about this... with her friends. In a moment backs were packed and charmed to fit in her pockets and she quickly showered and changed, placing her chocolate brown waves into a tight bun. She found nice robes of ivory and royal blue in her closet and quickly put them on. Quickly she informed Romulas of where she was going to be staying for a couple weeks. He seemed to appraise her strangely before flying again out the window.

Hermione reached into a small satchel hanging by the mantle of her fireplace. She took a moment to regain her thoughts and turned around swiftly reaching on her coffee table to pluck the Hogwarts letter from a heap of parchment, then dispensing it into her pocket for later reference. She tossed the powder into the fire place and stepped in announcing clearly The Burrow before green flame engulfed her being and she began to swirl downward feeling her stomach reach her throat as she passed floo after floo almost able to catch family after family sitting in their living room, children playing chess, fathers in fold back chairs with the Daily Prophet held up high before her feet made contact with floor and she stepped out into the living room of the Weasley's, Ginny clutching Harry's hand in surprise and Mrs. Weasley running to check on the commotion. She stood brushing soot off herself and smiled as Mr. Weasley finally caught up to his stout but quick wife.

"Hermione Granger!" The eldest Weasley woman rushed forward and hugged the life out of the brunette who stood awkward and now much taller than her. The smile she had been supressed for years came through in a glimpse, replaced hastily by a soft tug of the corners of her mouth.

"Molly..." She greeted softly. Ginny came up and quickly hugged her friend giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"What are you doin' here miss, we never see you anymore." Arthur strode forward and gave her a tight squeeze of the shoulders.

"I was curious if you wouldn't mind me bunking hear for a little while," The shock was evident which filled Hermione with a sense of guilt; it really had been a long time. "There's a gathering at Hogwarts in two weeks over the retirement of Professor Flitwick I've been invited too and thought what better time to take a vacation and spend it with my friends." Molly looked close to tears while Harry and his young wife expressed their utter elation.

In a few hours Harry and Ginny had left announcing they'd return tomorrow to come spend time with their brunette friend while Molly made herself busy fixing a large dinner. Hermione and taken to helping her in the process charming food to cook and hand washing some small dishes.

"Ron will be so pleased," The red headed woman stated as she began to magically mash some potatoes that had been on the boil. Hermione just smiled. "You know the poor boy works his arse off at the Ministry all day and comes home all a gloom, quite unbearable to deal with sometime."

"What has he been up too?" Arthur just sat at the table listening to the exchange with a grin while reading some muggle magazine. Molly clucked.

"Well, as you know, he has his fathers job after Arthur retired, been very passionate about it aye?" Hermione nodded her response as Weasley senior decided to join the conversation.

"Wizards and witches these days 'Mione, always charming and spelling muggle products, more more muggles having to be obliviated than ever I think." Hermione's brows came together in slight annoyance.

"I never could understand such things, poor people being injured just because a witch or wizard has something against muggles," The brunette shook her head. "It's a damn pain." Arthur chuckled.

"Be sure to tell Ronald that, he'll be happy to rant about it I'm sure." At that moment the door swung wide open which startled her but apparently not the elder Weasley's who must have been accustomed to such an entrance.

"Bloody hell father how in the name of Merlin's pants did you ever deal with this complete shit!" He shouted and Molly just winked at Hermione. Ron had his back to them as he dropped his briefcase in the corner with a loud thud and turned around taking his heavy work robes off. He looked up and for a moment stopped what he was doing. Hermione was leaning against the counter with a soft smile.

"Hermione... bloody hell." He rushed forward forgetting about his days anguish and embraced her.

"Ronald, you really must stop ranting as soon as you get in the door, it'll come right off it's hinges." He grinned and kissed her cheek.

"It already has, thank god for wands."

Dinner was a quiet but comfortable affair. They ate silently with interjections of small talk added in, after dinner was done, the men thanked the women graciously for the meal as the dishes were spelled away they sat for tea in the living room. The familial atmosphere was comforting to Hermione even after they had parted and drawn themselves up to bed.

That night Hermione felt content as she slept. The feeling of being close to the family she had almost been raised by was comforting. Her friends close at hand, maybe, possibly she could bring herself to do the impossible. Bring herself to Hogwarts and face Minerva.