Chapter 35: Three Months Later

The music thudded loudly vibrating the half open car windows as the sedan turned into its driveway. After shutting off the engine Rachel leaned over to grab her book bag from the backseat. With a great heave she managed to pull the, heavier than usual, bag onto her shoulder.

I don't know what Dumbledore did to convince them to make up all my school work, but I sorta wish he could have magically done all this makeup work for me, she thought with a laugh as she exited her car into the spring air.

Even though it had been three months since she had returned Rachel still couldn't help but pause to stare at the home she thought she would never see again. It hadn't changed at all in the time that she had been absent, which was a welcome relief when she finally returned to the States. The front door was unlocked, a sign that Rachel was not alone in the house, and the aroma of dinner cooking told her who else was home.

" 'Ello Mum!" Rachel cried slipping into a British accent, as she closed the door behind her.
Hearing her mother break into laughter from the kitchen caused her to smile as she dropped her bag of books on the stairs. The day that she was returned to her family was a day she will never forget as long as she lives. Her mother and father were overjoyed to have their only child returned to them relatively unharmed, as most of her injuries were healed by that time. After the joyful tears and embraces Dumbledore asked to speak to her parents alone. Excusing herself to her room, Rachel allowed the adults to talk. As she took in the familiar sights and smells of her room she only caught a word or two through the vents. Each time it was when a parent shouted suddenly in response to something. To this day she still didn't know what was discussed, but they never asked her about what happened over her three month disappearance.

"Oh don't start with the accent again," her mother laughed as Rachel entered the kitchen. "You just started to sound like yourself again."
"Well I was over there for how long?" the teen asked rummaging through the fridge. "It was bound to rub off on me!"
"Hey!" her mother cried and jokingly pushed her away from the fridge, leaving her holding an apple. "Dinner's in an hour so you don't need to be filling up on junk. Do you have homework?"
Rachel shot her a look, which caused her mother to once again to laugh. Kicking the refrigerator shut she huffed, "What do you think? Have I had a night off from homework since I got back?"
"I wouldn't be complaining if I was you, at least you still get to graduate on time in June. The next time you talk to Hermione make sure you have her thank Professor Dumbledore again for working everything out with the school board," her mother said turning back to her cooking. "In fact go write her right now so Ripper stops clawing at your door."
"He's still at it?" Rachel asked munching on her apple and flipping through the mail. "It's been two days; you think he's realized he can't get through my door!"
A high pitched whine came from above as the Jack Russell Terrier continued to fight with the solid wood. "Does that answer your question?" her mother questioned as she turned to see Rachel holding an open letter, a look of utter shock on her face. "What is it?"
The smile was the brightest her mother had seen Rachel show in a long time. Ever since she had returned home her daughter seemed somewhat off. It was like a piece of her was missing. So seeing this smile was a welcome change to her mother.

"I-I got in," she stammered the letter trembling with joy. "MOM, I GOT IN!"
Crying out with joy Rachel's mother embraced her excited daughter, both overjoyed and sad this moment had finally come. It was the moment in every parent's life when they realize their child is growing up, the moment they get their college university acceptance letter. "Which one is it?"
"University of Glasgow! I can't believe I actually got in," she stated staring in awe at her acceptance letter. "Holy shi….I mean crap! I'm going to college…in Scotland!"
It took a great deal of debating on her parents' part to allow her to apply to a school so far away. But they could tell that it would be the best option for their child. They felt that she needed to be closer to her friends and her girlfriend, whom she hadn't stopped talking about since she returned. Plus, the university had an excellent international student package that allowed her to go to school for almost nothing. "Well, having the headmaster of a school writing you a letter of recommendation might have helped you," her mother joked, tears shinning in the corner of her eyes.
"I have to tell Hermione!"
Without looking back she turned and bolted from the kitchen. She leapt over her backpack and took the steps two at a time as she raced to her room at the end of the second floor hallway.

"Don't forget to tell her we booked her flight for her, and to tell her parents to be on the lookout for all her flight information!" her mother called after the teen.

Rachel's gallop ended before she nearly stepped on Ripper, who was in the exact same position as when she left for school in the morning. Picking up the brown and white pup she hugged him tightly. "Listen, I'll let you come in if you promise to be nice," she told him as he lapped her face with his small tongue.
Making sure that he was secure, she eased the door to her bedroom open. Ripper's ears perked up almost immediately in curiosity the moment he spotted the source of the strange scent. The light cascaded in from the open window and fell on her desk, warming the snowy owl that stood in the patch of sunlight.
"See it's just Hedwig, she's been here before. Now behave like the gentleman I know you can be," she scolded her dog and set him on her bed on the other side of the room.
Watching him out of the corner of her eye, Rachel approached the owl, extending her hand cautiously. It wouldn't be the first time that Hedwig might nip at her fingers, obviously annoyed that she has to yet again make this long trip. She let out a sigh of relief as Hedwig allowed her to run her fingers across her head. "Get enough rest?" she asked the bird as she sat down to begin her letter.

After almost thirty minutes Rachel leaned back in her chair and stretched. A smile appeared as she saw the reflection of herself in the mirror and her brightly shinning necklace. Most of the day while at school she had to keep the stone tucked inside her shirt because of the glow. It was always a pleasant sight when she a glimpse of the star.

Shouldn't you be studying, she thought imagining Hermione sitting in the library surrounded by books, and instead she was daydreaming.
"Rachel, dinner!"
"All right, I'll down in a minute," she answered her father folding the letter into an envelope. Obediently the bird took the mail and flew out the window into twilight without a look back.

"Fly safe!" Rachel called out the window causing her neighbors to look up at her like she was a lunatic.

Flashing them a goofy smile, she pulled her head back inside and slammed the window shut, causing Ripper to wake.
With one final stretch she grabbed the half asleep dog and turned to exit the room for dinner. But before she left her eyes fell upon the photo on her nightstand. It caused her to smile as the image moved in its continual loop of the smiling couple laughing and embracing one another. "I love you," she whispered and shut her bedroom door again.

The Great Hall was as noisy as ever as the students all chattered about the impending exams. Even though they were a few weeks away everyone was already beginning to prepare for the longest week in the school year. Since the muggle incident died down months ago nothing exciting had peeked the students' interests, and everything began to return to normal. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all sat in their normal section of the table, laughing and joking away the morning meal. A sudden screech filled the hall and soon the room was full of fluttering wings of the multitude of owls delivering the day's mail.
Hermione's head lifted toward the ceiling. It was easy to spot Harry's white owl amidst all the brown and black feathers.

About time, she thought with a smile as the envelope fell into her waiting hands. Ripping it open she eagerly began to read her long awaited letter.

Hermione,
You are never going to guess what happened to me today! I finally got my letter from Glasgow and drumroll please . . . I GOT IN! That means that starting at the beginning of next term we will be in the same country again! I can't wait ... I miss you like crazy and I hate not seeing you every day. It will be nice to at least be in the same time zone. Oh before I forgot my mom told me to tell you to once again thank Dumbledore for pulling whatever strings he had to pull to get me caught up in school.

Also, we got your airplane tickets for your visit this summer, so let your parents know that they will be coming to their house. I know what you're thinking, it's a waste of money when you could just apparate here, but I can't really tell my folks that. . .I think it might kill them if I bring the magic thing up again. I think they are happy being blissfully ignorant.

Just imagine in three months you will be here with me for a whole month! And then it's only two months till school and then who knows what. Well I hate to do this but I have to go, dinner will be ready at any moment and I have a ton of homework. I will write again as soon as I get your owl. I know this isn't my longest letter but if my guess is correct it's breakfast there so it's the middle of the night here, which means I should be dreaming of you. I don't know what our future holds, Hermione, but I can't wait to discover it together. Can't wait to see you!
Love always,
Rachel
PS. Say hi to everyone for me

Looking up from her letter Hermione sighed and slipped the note into her bag. It still doesn't seem like it's been almost four months since she last saw her, but with the school year drawing to a close she knew she was one step closer to their reunion.

"Rachel says hi everyone," she announced as the students were dismissed to begin yet another day at Hogwarts. "And she got into University of Glasgow, so she'll be back over here in September!"

"Brilliant! We'll have to figure out how we can visit her at some point," Ron said as he weaved his way through the crowd. "At the very least I'm sure Mum will be happy to have her over for holidays again."

"I still say you two should come to the Burrow for a while in the summer," Ginny said as Harry draped his arm around her shoulder. "You should ask her if she wants to come back with you."

"I just hope that you guys can make this long distance work, until you're both done with school," Harry added over his shoulder as he was pushed through the doorway. "You know I wouldn't wish anything bad on you two, but long distance relationships are some of the toughest."

"I know but wouldn't worry about it, Harry," she said as she caught up to him on the trio's way class. "I know that the two of us are going to be together for a long time."

"How do you know?"

Smiling, she began to play with the red star pendent, that glowed brightly, from around her neck. It was true that even in her dreams, Rachel was thinking about her. "Because she promised me, and I've never known her to break a promise."

-Author's Note

So concludes the beginning of Hermione and Rachel's story. I am currently working on the sequel and have the first 13 chapters finished.

Please be on the look out for the next installment of their tale... Gone

-RP