The You I Never Knew, Part 4/?
The You I Never Knew
Author: MuseMe87
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Ron/Hermione
Beta: PigWithHair
Rating: G
Word Count: 5,627
Disclaimer: All characters and canon situations are property of J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: Originally written prior to Deathly Hallows and is considered AU.
Summary: Adele Granger never knew about the Wizarding world until the day she receives her admissions letter to Hogwarts. Now her mother, Hermione, must return to the world she left eleven years prior, and Adele will begin to search for the answer to her biggest question: who is her father?
++++++++++
As Adele stepped off the train, she tried to take in her surroundings. Except for the voices in the distance and chatting between the students, everything was eerily quiet. Adele had difficulty understanding why they stopped in the middle of nowhere. Weren’t they supposed to be in Hogsmeade?
“Say, Gawain,” she called.
He fiddled with the collar of his robe before turning to her. “Yeah?”
“Aren’t we supposed to get off at Hogsmeade station?”
“This is the station. It’s on the outskirts of town.”
Seeing that he was much more interested in fixing his robes than giving her any more information, Adele turned from Gawain with a huff. She stood up on her tip toes, trying to see over the other first years’ heads and between the taller upperclassmen to view the village down the road.
Hogsmeade? She wondered what kind of place it was. Was it an all-Wizarding community, or were there Muggles living there too? Did a lot of people travel to the village beside Hogwarts students? More specifically, could she ask around about her father there? Of course, that would have to be after she found out what his name was. There wouldn’t be much sense in going before then.
As Adele turned around, she nearly squeaked when she heard a booming voice coming from the hill. A great man carrying a lantern walked up to the students. The older ones didn’t look terrified in the least, but Adele was frightened. She’d never seen anyone so tall or wide in her entire life.
“Firs’ years!” He waved a large hand in the air. “Firs’ years! Yer comin’ with me.”
Adele shook her head. She couldn’t believe it, didn’t want to believe it. The last thing she wanted to do was go anywhere with the giant-like man. Trying to stay positive, she told herself that Hogwarts wouldn’t hire anyone that would hurt children. It was a school after all, but then again, she knew nothing about Wizarding schools. They could be very different from the schools she’d been exposed to.
“Adele, hurry up! We’re going to lose Gawain,” Akemi said, tugging Adele in the direction of the large man.
When they got to the front of the first year group, Adele tried to hide behind Gawain as much as possible. Much to her displeasure, it wasn’t a second after they stopped that the giant man turned to them.
“Hey, don’ I know yeh?” He paused, his gaze falling heavily on Gawain and Adele. “O’ course! Yer Gawain, Oliver Wood’s boy. Why, the last time I saw yeh, yeh was jus’ a little thin’.”
“Hagrid, right?”
“Ah, so yeh do remember me. I bet yer goin' ter be quite the Quidditch player, followin' in yer dad's footsteps an' all.”
Adele, feeling a little better about Hagrid, stepped out from behind Gawain, as Hagrid turned to another group of first years. She didn’t miss the blush on Gawain’s cheeks. It was the second time that someone brought up Quidditch in his presence, and it seemed like he was embarrassed about it. Adele wasn’t sure if it was the fact that his father was famous, or the fact that Gawain was “ruddy awful” at Quidditch that bothered him the most.
“So, you’ve been to Hogwarts before?” Adele asked him.
“Yeah, a few years back when my dad came to a Gryffindor Quidditch match. He thought it would be something I’d enjoy.”
By the tone of his voice, Adele could easily see that it was not something he’d enjoyed. She couldn’t help but wonder if the game was something that his father pushed on him without considering that maybe Gawain didn’t like it. The situation was similar to hers. Like Gawain never had the chance to really decide for himself whether he was interested in Quidditch, her mother never gave her the choice between the Muggle world and the Wizarding world.
“Do you know a lot of the staff here, Gawain?” Akemi asked as the first years began to follow Hagrid down the hill.
“Mm, not really. I think it’s the other way around. My dad talks about me a lot when he’s at Hogwarts. Tells people… ah never mind.”
“Well at least you know he’s proud of you, right?” Akemi said with a sad smile. “My parents pretend I don’t exist most of the time.”
The statement was one that shocked Adele. How could Akemi’s mum and dad just ignore her? For as long as she knew Akemi, she thought that she was a really smart girl and didn’t seem like a trouble-maker. What reason could they have for disliking their daughter?
Though Adele had Muggle friends, she’d never experienced something like that before. They all lived fairly normal lives, not having any problems other than the normal differences between parent and child. Ever since she learned that she was a witch and had started to hold a grudge against her mother, Adele felt a bit different from her friends. But Akemi and Gawain could understand her.
“Why do your parents do that?” she inquired.
“My little sister is really gifted. She can already do all sorts of amazing things with her magic. The wizards and witches that live near us say that she’s going to be something great, so I get pushed to the side.” Akemi grinned, acting like the situation didn’t bother her much. “It’s not a big deal really. Who would want to be in that kind of limelight all the time anyway?”
From the sound of it and the look on Akemi’s face, Adele thought that maybe Akemi would like to be. She didn’t know what it was like to have a brother or sister, but Adele imagined that it would be really hard to have to compete for attention and affection.
Adele, lost in thought, nearly ran into Gawain’s back. Behind Hagrid was a large lake with little boats docked on the bank. In the daylight it might have been clear, but right then the water was an inky black. The idea of not being able to see what was in the water made her nervous. She didn’t know anything about magical creatures, but she figured that not all of them were as cute as the ones she saw at the Magical Menagerie.
“Alright, yeh'll be goin' across the lake, so load up inter the boats. No more’n four in one. Wouldn' want the boat ter tip. We haven' lost nobody yet ter the giant squid, but tha' doesn' mean accidents can' happen.”
Giant squid? Who in their right mind would keep a giant squid in the school lake? She didn’t know anything about squids, but they certainly sounded dangerous, especially the big kind. And she was going to have to go across the lake in a little boat that would leave her helpless to the creature? Adele wasn’t sure if going to Hogwarts was worth becoming potential squid food. However before she was able to protest, Akemi was leading her to a boat where Gawain and a boy with mousy brown hair sat.
Words couldn’t explain how happy Adele was to be off the boat. For the entire ride, her eyes kept straying to the water to see if she could see anything moving underneath her. Once, she thought she did, but the others seemed to think that it was just her imagination.
Since her terrifying ride across the lake left her little time to concentrate on the scenery, Adele got her first good look of Hogwarts after coming out of the stone passageway. It was absolutely magical. She couldn’t have dreamed of something so perfect. It was definitely worth braving the squid.
As the group walked up the stairs to the castle, Adele was trying to take everything in. If it was that wonderful at nighttime, she could only imagine what it was like in the daylight. She could hardly wait for morning.
While they waited on the steps, Hagrid knocked on the large doors three times. When the door opened, Adele held her breath. That was it; she was finally going to be at Hogwarts, inside the school she’d been dreaming about for weeks.
A round faced man stepped out onto the steps. Adele thought that there was nothing very intimidating about him when she first looked, unlike Hagrid.
“This here is Professor Longbottom. He'll be teachin' yeh Herbology.” Hagrid turned to the professor. “Here's the firs’ years, Neville.”
“Thanks, Hagrid.” As Hagrid walked off, Professor Longbottom motioned for the students to follow him. “This way. It’s almost time for the Sorting.”
The professor led them into the entrance, and Adele couldn’t seem to keep her mouth closed. She couldn’t take in enough of the entrance hall. From the corner of her eye, she saw something move. When she turned to see what it was, she found that there was a ghost. Though some part of her told her that she should be afraid, she wasn’t. Her mind was far too busy absorbing the fact that those kinds of things to exist. And if ghosts were real, what other things were?
Adele expected to be going towards the loud voices coming from a big room to the right, but instead they were going in the opposite direction. Soon, she found herself in a small room along with the rest of the first years. She wondered if they were going to be sorted in there.
“Welcome! I suppose you’re all wondering what you’re doing in here while everyone else is in the Great Hall. Well you’re going to be sorted soon. Don’t be nervous or anything. I know I was my first year, but there’s nothing to worry about.
“For those of you who don’t know, the Sorting ceremony will determine which house you will belong to while you’re at Hogwarts. There are four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. You can both gain and lose points for your house, and at the end of the year, the house with the most points wins the house cup. Any questions?” He waited for a moment, but no one spoke up. “Alright then, I have to make sure everything is ready. I’ll be back in a minute.”
When he left, the first years began to talk amongst each other. Professor Longbottom was the topic of most conversations. Adele had to wonder why. He seemed like an ordinary man. With the best of her ability, she tried to listen in, but because everyone was trying to talk over each other, it sounded like a garbled mess.
“Kem, what are they talking about?” Adele asked.
“Oh, Professor Longbottom is a war hero. He fought in the Second War alongside Harry Potter.”
“Oh, right. I remember now. Sorry.”
To be honest, she didn’t remember. In fact, she didn’t know even know who Harry Potter was. Apparently though, he and Professor Longbottom must have done something big. Maybe they took down an evil warlock or something. As much as she wanted to find more out, she didn’t want to ask for fear of looking stupid.
It wasn’t a moment later that Professor Longbottom returned to the room and the talking quickly ceasing. He told the first years to line up and led them towards the Great Hall. Before taking them into the room, he wished them good luck.
The Great Hall was even more amazing than the outside of Hogwarts and the entrance hall way combined. The first thing to catch her eye were the candles floating in mid air. Not many of the other first years were shocked by this, and she was jealous of them. If her mother hadn’t kept her from that world, she would have grown up like all the other Wizarding children.
The second thing and most wonderful yet, was the ceiling. It took her a few minutes to actually notice it, but when she did she let out a tiny gasp. It looked like there was no ceiling at all. There was nothing but black sky and shining stars above her. She hoped that her bedroom ceiling might be bewitched like that too.
As the line rounded the corner to go in front of everyone, Adele began to grow very nervous. What was it like to be sorted? Was it painful? She hoped not. She also hoped that she didn’t have to do a magical test or anything along those lines. Her mother had refused to help her learn any magic before she left, and it would be embarrassing to have to do that in front of everyone and fail.
Which house had her parents belonged to? It was something that she’d wondered when her mother first explained to her that there were different houses. She guessed that her mum was probably in Ravenclaw because she was really smart. None of the other houses seemed like they would fit her personality. But what about her dad? She wondered if he could have been in the same house as her mum. Maybe that’s how they met. It would make sense.
As Adele looked to the left, Professor Longbottom sat a stool in front of the first years. Then, he took out a shabby looking hat. Adele grimaced. So she would have to do something with a dirty old hat? But what could they possibly have her do? Just as she was about to nudge Akemi in the side and mouth her question, Adele noticed that everyone was quieting down and staring at the hat as if it were going to do something.
Suddenly, a voice sounded from a great big tear near the brim of the hat. It startled her at first, but as soon as the hat got to the second verse in its song, she became more interested than anything. It sang about the four founders and their houses then finished up with announcing that the Sorting was going to begin.
When applause erupted around the room, Adele grew nervous again. What if she didn’t belong to any house? What if the Sorting Hat said that she didn’t belong at Hogwarts, that she wasn’t talented enough? This place was the only connection she had to her father, and if she got turned away, she would never be able to find him. Adele was nearly in tears.
“When I call your name, sit on the stool and put on the hat, please.” Opening a long piece of parchment paper, Professor Longbottom cleared his throat. “Atkins, Henry!”
A sandy haired boy seemed almost startled to hear his named called. Quickly, he shuffled up to the stool and sat on it. Donning the hat, it only took moments before it shouted, “HUFFLEPUFF!”
The Hufflepuff table erupted in cheers, welcoming the boy to his new house. He didn’t seem as nervous when he sat down and began to chat with the rest of his housemates.
Several more students were sorted before “Glanville, Edward.” He became a Gryffindor with an enormous amount of cheers hailing from the table on the far right.
Knowing that it wouldn’t be long before she was called, Adele prepared herself. It didn’t seem like it hurt, so there shouldn’t be any worry there. The biggest question she had at that point was where she was going to be put. Before she had the chance to think anymore, the next name was called.
“Granger, Adele.”
As Adele walked to the stool, she noticed several people giving her odd looks, one of which was Professor Longbottom. Was there something on her face? Were her robes put on wrong? She didn’t think so. She checked to make sure she looked all right before she left the train. Of course, why should she be surprised that people were staring at her? All witches and wizards stared. At least, that had been her experience.
Adele plopped herself down on the stool and put the hat on her head. She wrinkled her nose. How many heads had that hat been on anyway? It even felt a dirty. She hoped that it didn’t take much longer for something to happen.
“Ah, yes, it has been some time since I have seen one of you,” the hat said suddenly, frightening her. “But this is interesting… yes very much so. Not like the others before you. No, not at all. You have courage, it is certain. There is something else though. You are in search of something very important to you. There are answers that you seek. You have a thirst for knowledge. There is only one thing that can be said in that case… RAVENCLAW!”
Taking the Sorting Hat off her head, Adele sat it back down gently. Ravenclaw, then? Well if she was right, her mother had been in Ravenclaw too. Her situation was looking good. Now if only she was lucky enough to find that her dad had been in Ravenclaw as well.
The sorting went quickly after that. It was probably all the nervousness and anticipation that made it seem like a long time. But after her sorting, Adele felt like she could relax. However when it was nearing Akemi’s turn, Adele grew antsy. Akemi had to be in Ravenclaw, just had to!
“Kano, Akemi!”
Though it couldn’t have been longer than a couple moments, Adele swore it was taking forever. As she crossed her fingers, she held her breath. Please, let her be in -
“RAVENCLAW!”
Her heart must have skipped a beat. She wouldn’t have to worry about making new friends or being lonely. Now she had Akemi with her.
Adele and Akemi sat side by side, watching as the last of the first years were waiting to be sorted. Gawain was still up there, and Adele was worried for him. It wouldn’t be fair if he’d made friends with them just to have to make new friends again. And Adele liked Gawain. He was really nice to her even before he knew much about her. Not to mention that she felt like she had a lot in common with him.
“Wood, Gawain!”
“RAVENCLAW!”
Smiling, Gawain made his way through the group of older Ravenclaws, who were congratulating him, to sit beside Adele and Akemi. Akemi tried to say something to Gawain, but Adele couldn’t hear over the shouting and cheers of the Gryffindor table who were welcoming their newest addition. With one final Hufflepuff, the sorting was finally over.
The students began chatting away until an older witch stood up from behind the staff table. Everyone hushed up, and Adele got the feeling that she wasn’t anyone to mess around with.
“Students and faculty, I welcome you to another magnificent year at Hogwarts,” she said. “I know you all must be terribly famished, so let us make this short and sweet, shall we? No student is permitted to enter the Forbidden Forest. Do not let me catch you letting this slip your mind.
“Secondly at the request of our caretaker, Mr. Filch, I am to remind all of you that there is to be no magic performed in the corridors between classes. Please consider that.
“Quidditch trials will be held during the second week of term like previous years. Contact your heads of house for more information.
“Lastly, I want to inform you all that Professor Telford will not be joining us this year. He had a rather unfortunate accident with an engorging potion and is currently hospitalized in St. Mungos. For some time I thought we were finally going to break this yearly Defense Against the Dark Arts curse. However, it seems that we must once again hire a new professor. It is my pleasure to have Professor Harry Potter on our staff this year.”
The once silent students immediately began to gossip. Adele didn’t know what to think of all that. Harry Potter? He must be someone very important. She thought it would probably be a good idea to look him up in a book once she got settled into school.
“Harry Potter? Really? Do you here that, Jim? The-Boy-Who-Lived-Twice teaching us Defense?” said a boy across the table from Adele.
“Yeah, my dad mentioned something about it. Rumors have been going around the Ministry for a week now. Dad couldn’t believe Mr. Potter would leave his position, but he reckons it’s for the greater good. No better defense against the Dark Arts then The Defense Against The Dark Arts.
It was a lot for Adele to take in. Ministry? Mr. Potter was a minister? But why was he teaching defense? None of it made any sense to her.
“Professor Potter couldn’t be with us tonight due to some last minute business. But rest assured, he will be here tomorrow in time for your class. Now, I think it’s time that we feast,” the witch announced.
With that, the long tables filled themselves with marvelous looking food. Ham, turkey, and chicken were the main courses. They were served with potatoes, sprouts, and peas. What looked even better were the desserts. Masses of ice cream, pies, and gateau replaced the meats and sides as the banquet proceeded.
Night was creeping on as the students were ushered to their respective houses. It was quite the walk to Ravenclaw tower at the west side of the castle. One prefect explained that it was conveniently placed near the owlery. Others disagreed that it might have been a blessing during the winter months, but the tower didn’t smell so great as summer approached. Another older student noticed the first years’ panicked faces and told them that air freshening charms were cast.
Stretching his arms, Gawain let out a loud yawn before running his fingers through his hair.
“I’m stuffed.”
“It could have been the huge piece of pie,” Kip, the boy from the boat who had managed to befriend the trio during dinner, offered.
“Or maybe it was the two pieces of gateau,” Adele added.
“They weren’t pieces, more like slivers. Besides, I’m a growing boy,” Gawain defended.
“Well if you’re not careful, you’re going to be growing wider instead of taller,” Akemi said matter-of-factly, as she passed the boys to walk beside Adele.
Gawain made a face while Akemi wasn’t looking, which sent Kip into a fit of laughter. Soon, Gawain joined him. The two girls looked over their shoulders and rolled their eyes.
“Boys,” they said in unison before walking through the threshold to the Ravenclaw common room.
Adele thought the room looked very comfortable. There were bookshelves everywhere. Adele didn’t think that there were that many books in Florish and Blott’s. Everything was done in shades of blues and bronzes. The ceiling was painted with stars, but Adele didn’t think it was enchanted like she’d wished.
Aside from the books, some comfortable looking blue chairs and couches surrounded the fireplace area, and desks were scattered about the room waiting to be filled. Several pictures of former students hung on the wall waving at the new comers. Adele had never seen magical pictures before and was quite engrossed. The thought occurred to her that there wasn’t one dull thing about the Wizarding world. She’d only wished she’d been a part of it sooner.
After saying goodnight to the boys, Adele and Akemi made their way up to the girls’ dormitory. They shared their room with two other girls who seemed to be quiet friendly, which the girls were thankful for. They chatted for a bit, but it wasn’t long before the four were agreeing that it was most definitely bedtime.
As she pulled the deep blue bed curtains together, Adele couldn’t wait to go to sleep. Falling back onto the bed, she immediately curled up in her blankets and began to take in the day’s events. She’d met some great friends on the ride to school, which was a plus. But all that sorting business was more stressful than it should have been. She’d learned so much over the course of a day, yet all that information came with new questions. The biggest one still remained, however. How long would it be before she found her father?
*******
It didn’t matter whether he worked an eight-hour shift or a twelve, each day of the week seemed to stretch on longer than the last before the weekend came and went with a blink of the eye. Life as an Auror was hard, stressful work. In the end though, Ron knew it was well worth it. He could at least say he’d made a difference in the world when he looked back as an old, graying man.
As of late he hadn’t found much time to visit his family, which was why he was looking forward to Harry’s welcome home party. He’d been abroad on an Auror mission for longer than Ron cared to count. It’d be nice to reunite with his best mate; now he wouldn’t be so bloody bored at the office anymore.
Ron strolled up the path to the Burrow with little thought until something caught his eye. He couldn’t help but smile. Near the front of his parents’ house were his sister-in-law and nephew looking up at all the stars. He wasn’t expecting Charlie and his family to be able to make it.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite sister-in-law. How have you been, Nicoletta?”
“I’ve been doing well. And you? We didn’t think you would be coming tonight. Molly said you haven’t been coming around much.”
“They’ve been keeping me busy at the Ministry. Hardly have a moment to breath nowadays.”
“If they keep that up, Molly will go there and give them hell. She’s been complaining to your brothers about it all evening, as if they can do something about it. But really, Ron, you should try to come by more often. She worries about you,” she said.
“I know.”
Ron’s attention quickly turned to the toddler on Nicoletta’s hip. When he offered his hands, his nephew quickly took them. As Sammy began to giggle and coo, Ron felt a dull ache inside him. As he watched his niece and nephews grow up, Ron came to a conclusion. He wanted children more than anything. Children were something very precious, and Ron partially understood why his parents had so many. However, he could never truly understand the joys of fatherhood; that was something only Bill, Charlie, Percy and Fred would understand.
“Hey, Sammy. Did you miss your Uncle Ron while you were away?”
His nephew gurgled, tiny bubbles forming on his lips, and smacked Ron on the cheeks. Ron batted the hand away before placing a kiss on the child’s head.
“Honestly, Ron, don’t you think it’s about time you settled down? You’d make a wonderful father.”
Would he? He hoped so. He did want to get married and have children. He had watched all of his siblings, save for George, get married and start a family. Maybe it was time to start settling down. But the problem arose when he remembered he definitely needed to have someone to settle down with.
“Got to have a girl in order to make babies, Nic. In case you didn’t notice, I happen to have no girl.”
“You know, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you bring a girlfriend home.”
Ron sighed. “I haven’t had one in years.”
“But you’re so handsome. You must have women begging for a date with you.”
It was true enough. There were a few women in his department that showed interest in him, but he’d never taken them up on it. The women he dated after… her were inadequate. He went in with the wrong mindset, dooming the relationship before it even had the chance to blossom. He couldn’t help it. They just weren’t her.
“The problem is I don’t want just any woman.”
“Well the right woman is bound to come along, right? She’s got to be out there somewhere.”
“I… don’t know. She’s out there somewhere, yeah, but I think she’s already come and gone.”
Nicoletta rubbed his back to comfort him. “I don’t know what happened, Ron, and it’s not really my business to ask. But everyone deserves a second chance. I’m speaking from experience here. Charlie and I have -”
“Charlie told me about that. It’s not the same thing though. We’re not… I didn’t… She’s the one…”
He was at a loss for words. How could he explain to her what happened and for what reasons when he didn’t know why things had turned out the way they had. She looked up at him, waiting for him to collect his bearings. That was one of the things that made him connect with her so well; she was always so compassionate. Nicoletta had always wanted to help anyone with their problems. But this time she had to understand, some things just can’t be repaired.
“I’m not much in the mood to talk about it, Nic.”
“Alright then. Well if you ever need someone to talk to -”
“You’ll be the first I floo. I promise.” He looked down at his nephew in hopes of steering the conversation elsewhere and noticed his eye lids growing heavy. “Looks like this little guy could use some sleep.”
Nicoletta took Sammy from him and smiled. “He’s been up since early this morning. Charlie made the mistake of telling him that he might get to see his Uncle Ron today. You know how much he adores you. Poor thing could hardly contain himself. I should probably put him to sleep now.”
“I’ll see you in a bit then.”
“You’re not coming in?”
“I’m going to sit out here for a few. It’s a nice night and all.”
“Alright. I won’t tell your mother you’re out here. She’d have a fit if you didn’t come see her directly.”
“Thanks, Nic.”
After hearing the sound of the door closing, Ron began to dig around in his back pocket for his wallet. He unfolded the leather and thumbed through the side pocket. Behind several business cards, his old apparition license, and his Auror badge, was a folded piece of thick paper.
Sitting down, Ron waited several moments before opening it. Every time he did, he swore it would be the last. Just one more look was all he wanted. But not surprisingly, one more time had turned into another, until he became aware that he would never be able to stop.
Unfolding the paper, Ron’s heart began to beat loudly in his chest. There was that smile, the one he fell in love with. All he had left of it was his memories and the photo, but neither one seemed to do it justice. He wished he could see it in person one more time. But that was impossible and he knew it.
He’d tried to find her. Loads of times he took out books to find the spell for a locating charm. But whenever he did, he couldn’t bring himself to perform it. He had pushed it aside, telling himself that he’d come back to it, that he needed a little more time to work things out. Then time had passed, and he still didn’t know what the bloody hell had happened between them. Years went by and before long, he realized that she’d probably settled down with a Muggle, probably had children, none of which had red hair or freckles. That thought saddened him the most. He’d lost his chance with her, and he didn’t even know how.
Was it the sex that upset her most? They’d never really talked about it. It was too awkward after the fact. But they had talked about other things. In fact, Ron thought that Hermione might even forgive him for breaking the promise. Then she had acted strange again.
He wasn’t sure what triggered that either. It’d been around the time that he started working with Eva, but it wasn’t like he was interested in her. Hermione was the only woman in his heart. Though over the years, Ron had to wonder if perhaps Hermione got jealous of their partnership. If that was the case, he would have done anything to assure her otherwise.
Nothing bothered him more than living life with questions unanswered and regrets. Hermione had up and left without so much as a word. It was if she exited his life just like she entered. It was sudden, and he wasn’t sure how to take her.
He wondered if there was more to Hermione than she ever let on. She was such a complicated person who was so difficult to figure out sometimes. He thought that he knew all there was to know about her, but he guessed that he was wrong.
It was eleven years since she had left. That seemed like a lifetime to him. From time to time he wondered what it would be like to see her; he envisioned what their reunion would be like. Would they run into each other on the street one day? Would she show up in the Wizarding world where he could easily find her? It all seemed unrealistic to him.
If they did meet one day though, by some chance, what would it be like? He couldn’t help but be angry with her for leaving without so much as a word or owl. In the beginning, he felt a fine mix of rage and guilt. But that dulled overtime to an unbearable sense of loneliness. He still loved her deeply. However he would be willing to let go of her if he knew she was happy.
As his stomach growled, Ron realized that he must have been standing outside for a good twenty minutes. He was starving. Placing the wallet back in his pocket, he took several steps to the door and walked inside, immediately being greeted by his family.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Epilogue