As always, not mine! Enjoy!

And so she stayed back.

Hermione sat at the edge of the small pond in the Weasleys' garden, watching as they said their final goodbyes to Fred.

As she smoothed down her robes, she sighed and looked at them intensely. For the first time, in a long time, Hermione no longer felt like she fit in.

There were the Weasleys'.

Then there was her.

Hermione turned pushing her now shortened hair back and looked out over the pond and rested her chin on her knees as she wrapped her arms around her legs.

Harry always fit in with them, never a doubt that he wasn't an honouree Weasley, every year a Weasley jumper arrived for him.

And her?

Scarves, hats and in sixth year she had come so close, but not quite enough with a sweater vest. She had cried her eyes out when her parents had left her alone for a bit.

It all seemed far too pathetic now, crying over not-quite jumpers and boys, she relented and shook back her sleeve to see the carving in her skin.

Mudblood.

Ever since second year that word had followed her like an unwanted shadow. No matter how Ron and Harry fought back, it was still there lurking, whispering at her, that she didn't belong.

And now... she was forever branded with that shadow, that darkness embedded into what seemed to be her very soul.

'You may want to leave that alone, Hermione.' Hermione started slightly as she looked up to see Harry looking down at her, or more specifically her arm. Which she had idly begun to scratch and the 'M' was beginning to bleed again.

Damn it to all hell.

'I didn't even notice I was doing it.' Hermione shook back her sleeve and watched as Harry slowly lowered himself down next to her, wincing every so often.

They sat there in contemplative silence, for how long, Hermione couldn't say, but it really didn't matter anymore.

'I used to scratch at my scar as well.' She blinked round at Harry who was staring out ahead of him, eyes clouded by the past.

'Used to drive Aunt Petunia mad, especially when it bled. Said I was causing everyone to judge her.'

'Daft woman.' Hermione commented grabbing his hand and they both looked at the Weasleys, in time to see Ginny crumple against Ron's silhouette and Harry's hand gripped hers tightly.

'They- they-' Harry tried to speak, but he seemed to be too choked up to get anything out. Hermione just laid her head on his shoulder and they sat there in the dwindling light.

Eventually Hermione lifted herself up slowly, her body still aching from the abuse she had recently gone through. Harry followed suit pressing a hand to his chest and trying to suppress a wince.

They both stood up and stared out the broken family making their way back to the battered Burrow. Hermione could still see the glaring 'Blood Traitors' emblazoned on the north side wall, in what looked to be blood.

Her second home, like her arm was forever tainted by those words. It was at this, that Hermione felt tears sliding down her cheeks. Harry pulled her into a hug and she felt him crying as well, it was all far too much.

Hermione jolted awake on the cusp of hyperventilating and ran into the bathroom and vomited. She closed her eyes, panting heavily and leaned back against the cold tiles.

'Hermione?' A gentle knock issued at the door and Harry popped his head round the door. At seeing her trembling form Harry came in and carefully pulled her up and half carried her downstairs.

He sat her down at the kitchen and headed out into the utility and Hermione laid her head down on the kitchen table. She could hear him bustling around and she swallowed heavily before she darted into the kitchen and began to dry heave at the sink.

Harry came up behind her, rubbing her back and summoning a glass of water for her. She nodded gratefully before guzzling down the water and taking in a deep breath and resting the cool glass against her forehead.

She sat back down at the kitchen table and Harry sat down opposite her with his own glass of water.

'Does that happen often?' He asked, looking over the lenses of his glasses at her.

'Not as often now, Ron and Fleur had to deal with me every night after that evening.' Hermione looked down and ran her finger around the rim of her glass so it sang a merry note.

Both of them sighed and sat in silence for some time, once again. Hermione continued to run her finger around the glass.

'Ron was beside himself the whole time, drove Fleur completely mad.' Harry stated looking out the window behind her head.

'So Fleur kept muttering to herself. Though I was glad he refused to leave.'

Harry smiled gently at her and Hermione noticed the dark circles under his eyes and frowned.

'Were you up for the same reason?' She asked tilting her head and taking a sip of water. Harry looked down and took off his glasses. He cleaned them with the end of his t-shirt and placed them back on rather lopsidedly giving her a look.

'Not much gets by you does it?'

'Harry? Hermione?' Ginny stood at the bottom of the stairs with a bedraggled Ron standing behind her, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Hermione blinked awkwardly as she noticed that Ron was, once again, shirtless. Both siblings padded over to the table and sat down with them at the table. Ginny laid her head down on Harry's shoulder and Ron wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulders.

'Nightmare?' Ron whispered quietly to her and Hermione nodded slowly. He pulled her in closer and Hermione buried her head into the crook of his neck. She closed her eyes and curled up in the chair next to him.

She couldn't help but think back to the night after the events at Malfoy Manor. All memories of that day were like snapshots lodged in her mind.

Ron screaming for her.

Bellatrix leaning over and demanding answers.

Malfoy staring at her in what seemed to be horror.

Greyback looking at her hungrily and licking his lips.

Ron and Harry bursting into the room.

Glass showering her and a pair of arms lifting her up.

Ron refusing to leave her side, arguing with Fleur and Bill over it.

Harry's strained face as he hugged her.

Ron lying with her in bed as she cried endlessly and murmuring soothingly to her.

Her eyes opened as she felt someone watching her and she looked round to see Ginny looking at her with an arched eyebrow.

Hermione half smiled and looked past her, both boys looked at each other for a moment and then down at her.

'Are you guys ever going to tell us what happened? Or even why?' Ginny leaned forward tangling her fingers with Harry's and looking up at them curiously.

The trio stared at one another and they sighed in unison.

Ron and Hermione looked at Harry who had closed his eyes and was rubbing at his scar avoiding Ginny's piercing stare.

Hermione bit her lip and looked up at Ron who was scrubbing a hand through his hair.

'Gin, it's a really long story and do you think now is the best time?' Ron ventured leaning forward to grab his sisters other hand and frowning slightly.

'Now is as good a time as any. It'd be good to finally know why good innocent people died and why it was necessary for you three to disappear for almost a year.' Ginny huffed folding her arms across her chest and glaring at the three others.

Ron sighed and got up and heading into the kitchen and started to move around. Harry looked up at him with an incredulous look.

'Tea?' He asked derisively, turning to watch as Ron looked around for a snack as the tea cups floated out to the table as the kettle boiled.

'Old habits die hard.' Ron muttered more to himself than anyone else. Ginny continued to scowl from one to other and back again. Hermione got up, grabbing both empty glasses and followed Ron into the kitchen.

'She's going to kill us if we don't tell her what was going on.' Ron told her as he grabbed a jumper from the utility and pulled it on. Hermione smiled ruefully at him as she poured water into the teapot.

'I think she may try to kill us either way.' Hermione mused looking up at Ron as he bit into a cookie, who looked at her innocently before offering her one. She giggled quietly taking it and taking a bite and closing her eyes in chocolate fuelled bliss.

'Oh my charming little sister.' Hermione turned her head back as she grabbed the teapot and headed out to the others and smiled.

'She's as charming as her brother.' She countered and laughed softly.

Ron blinked at her for moment before smiling at her. It was probably the first smile Hermione had seen grace his face since the day after the battle. The last smile was in the last moments before they fell asleep after... After they admitted they loved each other, the last happy moment she could recall.

Hermione slowly woke up and winced as she discovered a crick in her neck. She moved almost heavily and blinked blearily around her. Ron was asleep next to her, head resting on his right arm and drooling slightly. Harry was opposite him, glaring red dents in his nose and across one cheek from his glasses and Ginny was staring at him with shining eyes.

She sniffed quietly and looked round in surprise at Hermione, before blushing slightly. Both girls jolted and looked around as they heard someone enter the room.

A white faced Charlie padded past them, without even acknowledging them and headed straight out into the garden. Ginny stared at his retreating back and refused to meet Hermiones' eye. She got up and stretched, wincing as her muscles groaned at the movement.

She picked up the teapot and levitated the cups out and into the kitchen. They had explained everything to Ginny and to say she hadn't taken it well was an understatement. Hermione had to silence the room to prevent her from waking everyone up. Ginny had shouted herself hoarse and nearly hexed Ron and Harry to pieces. For Hermione, the worst thing was; that after explaining how she had received her newest scar, Ginny was now refusing to look at her.

Hermione stopped at the sink and stared out the window at the sunrise.

'It's horrible isn't it?' Hermione turned to see Harry potter into the kitchen and lean up on the counter next to her.

'I can never figure out what's worse; the pitying look or the avoiding looking at you.' Harry mused; crossing one arm across his torso and his hand up at his chin in a contemplative manner.

'I am now terribly sorry for all the looks I gave you over the years. I never realised how awful it is, being the recipient of them.' Hermione braced herself on her arms and looked up at Harry who had now sat himself on the counter top.

Both of them looked out of the kitchen and out to the table, where the remaining Weasley's had joined Ron and Ginny. She was now, literally on the outside looking in as this loving, generous family grieved.

'I talked to my parents you know.' Harry whispered as he watched Ron hug his mother and holding the hand that was clutched around Fred's clock hand.

Hermione paused and looked up at Harry once again, who was staring at Mr and Mrs Weasley in an almost wistful sort of way.

'The resurrection stone?' Hermione asked incredulously blinking widely up at him. Harry chuckled reluctantly down at her disbelieving face.

'Yes, I think you owe Mr. Lovegood an apology. But it worked and I saw them, Mum, Dad, Remus and Sirius. In some aspects I think I should have kept it, but...' He trailed off with a painfully melancholic face and swallowed heavily.

'Having it would stop people from moving on and as bad as grief is, being stuck in the past is far, far worse?' Hermione suggested, turning around and placing her hand down on his and squeezing gently.

'Yeah, but now I can't help but think on how lucky you and Ron are. You have families that love and want you all I have left is a bunch of bigots who might have actually been relieved if I had stayed dead.' Hermione frowned and moved to stand in front of him, hands placed on her hips.

'You do have a family you absolute twat. Harry James Potter I mean honestly! Mrs Weasley knits you a Weasley jumper every year, worries over you like another son. And me? My parents pretty much lost their only daughter from the moment I got my letter! I barely spent any time with them! I was home for a handful of Christmases and only spent a couple of weeks with them at the summer before running off here! And then what do I do to them? I change their memories and send them off to Austrailia!'

At the end of this speech Hermione crumpled and began to cry loudly.

'I. Don't. Even. Know. If. I. Can. Get. Them. Back.' Every word was punctuated by a sob and Harry awkwardly held her as she bawled into his chest.

She quieted down after a few minutes and by the lack of Ron charging in to see what Harry had done to her, while sweet Hermione found it a tad hypocritical, Harry had cast a few privacy charms on the kitchen.

She shook her head and took in a deep calming breath.

'You are a brother to me. You have a family and we love and want you! And if I ever hear you say anything along those lines again I will hex you into the next century.' Hermione poked his chest pointedly and narrowed her eyes warningly at him. Harry in response raised his hands in a surrendering gesture smiling ruefully.

'Note to self: No self deprecating comments in front of Hermione.'

Hermione nodded happily as Harry looked apologetically at her and jumped off the counter.

'Sometimes it's like I'm on the outside looking in with them.' She muttered half to herself, almost forgetting that Harry was standing next to her.

'I get what you mean. They're missing a puzzle piece and...'

'We're the mismatched pieces that are close but don't quite fit.' Hermione finished watching as Ron hugged his mother gently and pried the fallen clock hand, Fred's clock hand from her grasp.

'I wonder if I'll ever fit in properly, you do, but sometimes it's like I'll always be just a little bit further away from you all.'

'Well that's just nuts! I won't have you; Hermione Jean Granger, say such things in my presence. You are on the inside with us, with all its barminess and insanity.' Harry teasingly mimicked Hermione's earlier stance and manner, poking her in the shoulder and Hermione laughed lightly at him.

'What's going on in here?' Ron leaned against the doorframe into the kitchen and watched as the pair laughed quietly.

'Oh nothing just discussing how Hermione was going to apologise to Mr Lovegood for not believing!' Harry fluttered his hands at believing and rolled his eyes at Hermione who was now jokingly huffing at him. Ron started to laugh and Harry joined in, to which Hermione just rolled her eyes before she started laughing along with her boys.

The old puzzle was never going to be what it was, but now they could create a brand new one all their own. Finally, Hermione realized, with these boys at her side, she'd always fit in.

Oh good god the ending was terribly cheesy wasn't it? I simply adore the Harry/Hermione bond and I thought that this would be a good chance to try it out... Good? Not good? Please let me know!

Anyways as always I beg for reviews and after my last story seemed to flop somewhat I would like to know where I'm going wrong! Don't be afraid to speak your mind, I respect that!

But I digress... Thanking you very muchly for stopping by!