There was raucous applause, many cheers and even something resembling a howl as Harry, Ron and Hermione walked into the kitchen of the Burrow.

"Congratulations you three!" Bill called over to them as Charlie, the twins, Angelina, Luna, Neville and Percy (although reluctantly) showed them with one of the twins' new inventions - 'Brand Spanking New Celebratory Whizz Bangs'. Fred and George pulled them into a group hug, cheering and jumping around. Finally, after three years of hunting and secret Order missions the last Death Eater was executed and the Light could finally live without the fear of the Dark.

"Is it all over?" Bill asked Harry seriously. He nodded in reply to the older redhead, and seeing the relief in his face pulled him into a one armed hug.

"Come on, tell us who you caught then!" Fred asked as he detangled himself from a hug with Hermione.

"Yeah, who got who? George added.

"You know who was left" Ron reminded them with a grin, loving the feeling of knowing something the twins didn't. "But I'd like it known that I pummelled that Malfoy shit into the ground before he was carted off to the Dementors" he added proudly.

"Ron? Pummel? Surely not!" Charlie added with a smirk as Bill laughed. In reality Ron had benefitted massively from the rigorous training all Aurors are put through before they can take their positions. Harry, although physically smaller had gained confidence and presence as he fine-tuned his training with Kingsley and the remaining Order before they went on this particular mission.

"Yeah, bit of a difference from when he had that pink teddy when he was a kid" Bill added, dodging a well thrown bread roll from the youngest Weasley.

"When he was a kid, Gred?"

"Yeah, Forge. I'm sure I saw that thing last week before they went off on their top secret Order thing" the twins added getting their already laughing family into hysterics. The situation was made worse as Ron tried to get them both in a headlock at the same time, plunging everyone in the room into uncontrollable guffaws.

"Fuck off you two" Ron added slightly haughtily. "I pummelled the shit out of him, you know, for Gin". Although they knew nothing of what happened before her death, the boys knew Ginny was with Draco Malfoy, and it was him who cast that final curse. A morose silence was about to fall, but three years on they had come to terms that their little sister was never coming back. They could talk about it now, despite how hard it was in the past for them.

"Harry, who got the Lestrange bitch?" Charlie asked. Harry didn't answer but turned to Hermione. She had been the most quiet out of the bustling crowd in the kitchen.

"You did Hermione?" Luna asked.

"Hermione?"

"You ok there, Bookworm?" Fred asked when there was no reply. She was quiet as she leaned against a worktop.

Hermione realised that all eyes in the room were on her, so she turned and gave a very unconvincing "I'm fine" and excused herself. As she left, she heard Harry and Ron singing her praises about how she brought down Bellatrix one-on-one. After being crudioed and tortured all those years ago, Hermione wasn't herself and brought her down with a swift killing curse. It was only two days ago, but since she had not been herself. She had been with Harry and Ron for nearly a month, in their old tent, hunting down the Dark. Just like old times.

That last day when they were packing up for the final time felt different. She wasn't herself, she was Hermione Jean Granger; mudblood, house elf activist and the smartest witch of her age. She wasn't the killing curse wielding person she was then. No matter how many times she heard Harry, Ron, Kingsley or any of the Order that she had seen before she got back to the Burrow say she it was 'a spur of the moment thing' the less she believed it. She wanted to be told how it was, not get the sugar-coated version from her friends and peers.

After a considerable amount of time alone in one of the upstairs bedrooms (Hermione didn't know which one, she was only after a quiet place and decided that this one will do), she heard footsteps on the stairs. Not wanting to be disturbed just yet, Hermione slid off the bed and crouched down. Without warning, the door burst open and a tall, well-built man walked in while pulling a tee shirt above his head. Even without seeing his face, she could tell who it was.

And he was moving towards her, instinctually knowing where to place his feet without the floorboards creaking too much. Hermione watched as the figure tugged at the clothing to stop it snagging on the ponytail hanging down his back. Still walking, the man moved closer to his wardrobe, and without knowing it, a crouching Hermione.

Too little too late, Hermione's knee and the man's foot collided and they ended up in a heap on the floor.

"Shitting hell!" the man exclaimed as he fell to the floor onto Hermione.

"Bill! I'm so sorry" Hermione stammered as she huddled under him.

"Hermione?" Bill asked, puzzled as to why his youngest brothers best friend was now underneath him on his old bedroom floor while he was shirtless