Parchment

Chapter 1

As she awoke with a jolt she felt as though her world had come crashing down around her feet. Why? Why did they have to be there? Why did they have to die? Her parents had been at the station, waiting for her when the Death Eaters had shown up. They didn’t make it out alive.

Hermione curled up in a tighter ball and cried herself back to sleep.

~~~~~~~

When she woke up the next morning, she couldn’t remember where she was. As she looked around and saw the burgundy and purple curtains enclosing the bed, she remembered. Harry’s new home in Godric’s Hollow. His parents’ house had been rebuilt by the Muggle family down the way; they had been good friends of the Potters before that fateful Halloween. She felt miserable as she remembered why she was here. She hadn’t gone to her parents’ old house because it just seemed…empty. She rolled out of bed and went over to the mirror next the giant wardrobe. Her hair was at its utmost frizziest, she had dark circles under her red, puffy eyes, and her cheeks had the stains of tears she had shed in the middle of the night. She sighed and was about to crawl back under the thick comforter and behind the satin curtains when Ginny knocked on the door and came in.

“Hermione, you need to get up, it’s been a week since the battle and you haven’t even ventured out of this room.” Ginny came over and sat on the bed next to Hermione. “They wouldn’t want to see you wasting away like this. They would want you to celebrate the end of the war, don’t you think?” Hermione just sat there, looking at the mirror.

“I should have told them not to go to the station, I should have told them that I wasn’t coming back on the train like the rest of you, that I hadn’t really been at Hogwarts this last year. It’s because of me they are dead.” Hermione started to cry again.

At this Ginny pulled Hermione up off the bed and into the bathroom next door. Hermione realized that Ginny was going to get her downstairs and there was no use in protesting. Together they washed her face and brushed her hair. When Mrs. Weasley had tried to do this earlier on the week, Hermione had gone into a fit of hysterics. She was too much like her own mother. Hermione went back into the bedroom and pulled some clothes out of the wardrobe. As she was pulling on the pair of jeans she stopped and looked at Ginny.

“I had the nightmare again.”

“I know, I know. Come on, lunch is ready”

Hermione finished getting dressed and followed Ginny out the door. They made their way downstairs to the kitchen. For the first time in what felt like ages, she felt something other than her grief. She was hungry. As they entered the kitchen, Hermione hung back a little, afraid that everyone there would pounce on her, asking if she was alright, if they could get her anything. She didn’t want pity. She wanted things to be like they were before. To her relief, the only people in the room were Harry, Ron and Tonks. Those three she could count on to be understanding. As she sat down at the table, a plate of food was pushed in front of her. Lemon chicken. Apparently, Harry had remembered that this was the only thing that she really ate when it was his turn at cooking. She started to eat and listened to the conversation around her.

“So, when exactly did you learn to cook, Harry” Tonks asked.

“What? Harry can’t cook anything except this. We got a recipe book from the Muggles next door. You know, the ones who kept this place up? We got tired of sandwiches about halfway though September and we went over there for help.” Ron explained.

“Yeah, amazingly it was Ron who kept us fed after that” laughed Harry.

Hermione smiled the faintest of smiles at the memory of the ‘bottomless stomach’ calling cooking an art form. When they were not off searching for Horcruxes or at Hogwarts, they had stayed here, studying the various obscure books on ancient dark magic they had found at one of Voldemort’s old hiding places. It was here that they discovered that Ron was almost as good a cook as his mum.

They continued to chat about little things that had happened the past week; Hermione suspected it was to fill her in on events without actually saying that as their intention. Luckily, no one else was killed at the station, those that had been injured were sent to St. Mungo’s. They also talked about the various celebrations that were still going on around the world. The only ones that they agreed they would go to were either hosted by the Weasley twins or the big formal ball to be held at Hogwarts.

“You know, Hermione, you really should send an owl to Krum inviting him.” Ron commented. Harry and Ginny looked at each other out of the corners of their eyes.

They’re up to something. Hermione was too tired to argue the situation. “Yeah, I think I will. The earliest he would be able to get here would be in a few days though. He hates to Apparate so he would fly.” I just need a few more days, I don’t want to be in the public spotlight so soon. He’ll understand.

“Well, that’s settled! Tonks, weren’t you going in to London later to pick something up?” Ginny asked.

“Yeah, I told Remus I would pick up a book for him. I take it you want to get away from the guys for an afternoon?”

“Yeah, that would be nice.”

Hermione decided that maybe she needed to go with them to get her mind of things. “I’ll come with you if could give me a minute to get my stuff.”

“Of course.” Ginny looked very pleased with herself.

Hermione left the table and ran upstairs. She decided to change into something a little more appropriate for an afternoon of shopping. As she did this, she remembered the letter she was supposed to write. She crossed the room to the desk in the corner by the window. As she sat down she pulled out a fresh piece of parchment from the drawer. She paused a minute breathing in the scent. She remembered that day in Potions in sixth year. Why did she smell freshly cut grass and parchment wafting up from the cauldron filled with Amortentia? She merely shook her head in slight confusion. She began to write. She felt that the news about her parents would be better left to be told in person. Frankly, she didn’t want to ruin the letter with her tears that were guaranteed to start flowing as soon as she wrote the awful truth. Instead she left the letter to sound as though nothing was really wrong. I can explain it all, later.

Dear Viktor,

How are things? I probably should have written earlier to let you know that I was unharmed in the Last Battle at the train station, but things have been rather hectic. My friends and I have been invited to some celebrations here and I wondered if you would like to come visit and partake in some of the festivities with us? It has been so long since we’ve seen each other, and since you said in your last letter that the Quidditch season was over, I know that you don’t have practice to occupy your time. Please let me know. I look forward to seeing you!

~Hermione

She finished the letter and grabbed her money and wand and ran back downstairs.

“Harry, can I borrow Hedwig?”

Harry looked a little embarrassed. “Um, she hasn’t returned yet from the last letter I sent.”

At that moment, however, she flew in the open window and landed in front of Harry. He quickly removed the letter from Hedwig’s outstretched leg, read it, and tossed it into the fire.

“Well, I guess she’s back. Is that the letter to Krum?” He wasn’t going to tell them what the letter he had just burned was about.

“Yeah, if she’s not ready for the journey, that’s fine. Ron? Is Pig here?”

“No, she’s fine. She can take it. It’s not that far really.” Harry broke in.

“Well, alright.” Hermione wrapped the piece of parchment around Hedwig’s leg. “Take this to Viktor Krum.” Hedwig just looked at her and Harry in slight confusion and annoyance. She then seemed to shrug and flew off.

“She’s taken letters to him before, why did she seem confused?”

“No idea.”

Tonks then spoke. “Alright, we got everything? Everyone who’s going? Ok, let’s go.” They then Apparated to Diagon Alley.



A/N: Please let me know what you think!