Everything belongs to the lovely J.K Rowling

Chapter 1

(Nov. 2nd, 1998)

"Thank you, Professor," I said as I accepted my diploma and parchment proving I had finished all the classes required. "It's Minerva to you, Hermione," Minerva said as she hugged me. "Let me know what you're going to do okay. Let Termaine know I will be seeing her soon." I nodded and hugged her back just as tightly as she was doing before replying,"I will, Minerva. Take care." Letting each other go for what felt like the last time but knowing it wasn't I waved once before putting away my stuff in the bag and grabbing a bit of Floo powder. "Granger Cottage."

I felt a weird sense of contentment that I had finished my schooling in just two months. Only because of the special classes that I had taken with all professor's and sitting in the library day and night to the point of getting constant nose bleeds. I had always known I would go back to school but I hadn't known that being there would never ever be the same for me. The moment I had stepped into the school back in September I had felt far older than the students who surrounded me, who were laughing like nothing had ever happened. Occasionally I would see a child here and there looking really sad but it wouldn't last long before I would see somebody come up to them and wiping that expression from their face.

Within a few days, I couldn't see past the images in my head. Instead of seeing the repairs done to Hogwarts I saw what had been the aftermath of the battle. Cobblestone on the floor that had been blasted. Blood splatter on the floor and walls. Instead of hearing the chatter of the students I would instead hear shouting and cries of pain.

Bodies lying too still to be believed alive. Some students who had not made it to safety limping and crying. Death Eaters, wolfs, giants, and everything evil just smashing into the castle and its inhabitants. As soon as this started getting worse to the point where I couldn't stand up straight and had to lean on the wall or table. I remember going straight to Minerva and asking her if there was a way for me to graduate early and if I could go home on the weekends. I still remember her face as I told her why I couldn't stay. I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I didn't get mad. Just wanted to get it done and over with. She had hugged me and told me to wait while she went to speak with Kingsley who was the step-in minister since the end of the war.

Stepping into the living room I saw my mother sitting by the window just gazing out into the rain. It was barely lunch time but it was pretty dark outside because of the heavy rain. "Mother, Minerva said she will be getting into contact with you soon," I said as I dropped my bag on the table and moved towards her. My mother, Termaine, turned around and gazed at me with a little-broken smile on her face. "I know she will. She wanted to take me to a tea shop, later on, today. But I don't this-" She stopped mid-sentence as her breathing hitched and broke. She gasped softly before releasing a small sob.

Immediately I grabbed her by the shoulders and hugged her tight. "It's okay mother. He wouldn't want you to stop living. You know this, mom." I said in a gentle but firm voice. I felt her nod against my shoulder before she pulled away and brushed stray tears away. "I know darling."

Grabbing her shoulders, which felt a bit too thin, I moved her towards the kitchen where I could smell food already made. Sitting her down I moved away so I could open the window and let the sound of rain in knowing it will make her feel better. Like mother like daughter. Looking over at the table I saw two plates already filled with pasta and cups filled with juice. I grabbed a couple of napkins before sitting down in my seat.

"So, you're done with schooling. What will you be doing? Will you go to some sort of college here or..." Mother asked as she filled her cup with more juice. I pulled my wand out and set it near me for easy access. Battle made you weary, even in your own home.

"I don't know honestly. I know I received all O's on my Newts. Plus Kingsley is sure to become minister permanently and he offered me several jobs. Not adding the other offers I had received in the past two months. I just need time away from everything. I have money saved up from both muggle and wizard world so it won't be a problem not having a job for a while," I thought about the money I had received from the Ministry. I wouldn't have to ever work again but I wasn't one to just sit around and let my education go to waste, " Everybody just expects many things from me but I know I can't ever work with a lot of people. It's not for me. I'm going to look into this one idea later on after my meeting with Harry and Ron." I said as I forked a bit of pasta into my mouth.

Mother just nodded and played with the pasta a bit. "I don't want to go back. I can't go back and just keep working when it will be a constant reminder of him. So I will think of something else to do." Nodding slowly at that reasoning I looked at her seriously before replying, "I understand mom, just don't let it stop you from living your life. Father...would not have wanted that. If my idea works then I think you could help as well." Looking curious she finally scooped up a bit of pasta and ate it before asking, "I'm sure whatever you decide on will be fine.

Once we were done eating I moved all the dishes into the sink and watch my mother head towards the stairs saying she was going to take a bath. I didn't want to leave her alone especially with some Death Eaters still on the loose but I needed to floo to Kingsley's office since I was meeting Harry and Ron to talk about said issue. Harry had decided to go into the Auror Department while Ron went into Wizengamot administer services.

I was mostly surprised that Ron decided to take that road. Kingsley assigned him a seat for the Weasley family since they were purebloods and they were considered heroes as well. I knew that Arthur hadn't wanted him to do it. Especially since he himself didn't want the seat. When I had asked him why would he do that considering that most families that had a seat would try to bad mouth him behind his back for being blood traitors? All he had said was, "I need to make my own road and not be the shadow to Harry for the rest of my life. Losing George and Fred as well as Percy just put a lot of things into perspective, Mione. I need to change stuff and the only way to do that would be like this."

Stepping into the office and seeing Ron and Harry talking quietly to the side. Kingsley must be elsewhere. "Hey, Mione." They both said as they moved to give me a hug each. Harry's lasting longer than Ron's. I moved over to the seats in front of the desk. Ron sat on my left while Harry just stood a little to the right of me. Harry laid his hands on my shoulders. "Congratulations on your early graduation." I touched one of his hands, feeling my heart give a painful jolt as he kept touching me. "Thank you, Harry." I felt a nudge to the side of me, turning to see Ron holding out a present.

I smiled ruefully as I accepted it. "It's a little something we put together and thought you would like it," Ron said quietly. I almost wanted to cry since I knew that before the war before anything bad had happened he wouldn't have thought of ever getting me something. He had gone withdrawn and quiet all the time and only spoke when he really needed to unless it was just us three. He would have to work on that since he was going to be speaking a lot with the new seat he had gotten. "Thank you, both."

I was about to open it when the door opened. All three of us turned in one go with our wands pointed at the figures standing at the soon as we saw who they were we looked away from them without apologizing. Ron and I had stood up so fast that we toppled the chairs over. With a flick of my wrist, I set them up right.

"It's just us," Kingsley said as he walked in with his hands out. Arthur, Remus, Bill and Dedalus Diggle were behind him. They all looked at us three with somewhat cautious faces. I tried to relax but it was hard to. I could see the boys struggling to do the same.

Remus had survived but it had taken him three months to recover from the spells that Antonin Dolohov had thrown at him. One which I had personally have felt and known that I had almost died from unlike him who had 3 of them to recover from. But his wife Nymphadora Tonks had died by her own aunt's hand. Bellatrix had killed her without hesitation and had then tried to kill her own sister Andromeda thought she didn't get a chance to battle her because Ginny and Luna had stepped in had tried to take her on. But Molly had killed Bellatrix in the end when she had threatened the girls. I had never seen Molly get so angry before but at that moment her anger had turned cold and deadly.

Teddy had lost his mother and now only had his grandma and father. And Harry as his godfather. Remus had asked me to be Teddy's godmother right after I had started school again and I had accepted but every time I saw the baby it hurt to know that Tonks would never be able to see him and hold him again.

They all stepped into the room and I resumed my seat with Ron on my left again. We all nodded at the men but stayed away from them. We still couldn't handle being touched by other people. Even close family unless it was children or one of us. The same reason Ginny and Harry struggled to be together. Ron and I just couldn't handle being together when we were so...

"I have the confirmation list of the escaped and dead Death Eaters. We think the escaped will act up once again soon." Kingsley said as he sat behind the desk. I looked down at the present the boys had given me without looking up. There wasn't a question whether they would do anything. We knew they would. It was just a matter of time before they decided to rise up again. Arthur moved near us and handed us an envelope each with the information. I opened it and pulled out the first one in the file. I felt Ron get up and move closer to look while Harry leaned down over my shoulder to look at it too.

Alecto Carrow

Amycus Carrow

Antonin Dolohov

Fenrir Greyback

Augustus Rookwood

Rodolphus Lestrange

Yaxley

Crabbe Sr.

Thorfinn Rowle

They were listed as missing or escaped. I gave the rest of the files to Harry so he could look more closely at it. Ron stood up and moved over to him to look the files too. I looked up as Kingsley started talking again. "We were able to narrow it down to them after rounding up everybody else. Some had gone far and wide to hide but we got most of them. Thought out of the list we think Alecto Carrow is dead but we can't be sure. The others remain unknown for now until we find them. Just keep your wards up and don't go out at night alone."

He pulled out a couple of papers, "I'll have all Auror's working day and night so that we can have this matter taken care of. Harry, I need you to lead the main group of Auror's while Ronald will try and get the pureblood families to give us any information on the whereabouts of this individuals. Hermione, I know you haven't decided on what career to choose but I would like for you to search for most of the properties that these Death Eaters own and send the information to Harry." I nodded slowly, knowing that I didn't really want anything to do with this but neither could I ignore it.

Not many people knew who my mother was but the Daily Prophet had given out the information that my mother was living with me but not who she was or where we lived. I got up and said goodbye but before I stepped into the floo I heard Remus call me. Turning around to see Remus behind me. He knew not to touch me and stayed a couple of feet away. "I was going to ask if Teddy could stay with you for a couple of days. I'm going to be a little busy with helping them and Andromeda will be helping over at St. Mungo's and helping the last of the patients." I was already nodding before he finished talking. "You know it won't be a problem. I love having him with me."

Just thinking of Teddy filled me with warmth. He was almost seven months old and yet he was so smart. "I'll drop him off after I'm done here." I nodded and left with a wave in his direction with they boy's present clutched in one hand. The last thing I saw before the green flames swallowed me was the boys staring at me with a hint of desperation in their eyes.

Being away from them for long periods of times was unbearable but being close hurt as well. They still needed me but sometimes it felt like I was the only thing holding them together. The weight of that knowledge weighed heavy on my heart.

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Vane