查看完整版本: [转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

[这个贴子最后由雪白的海德微在 2004/10/15 05:40pm 第 6 次编辑]

[color=#BA55D3]如果有人看不懂原文或者懒得看，可以去此贴的第6页~~~有翻译文~~~~[/color]
此文原创于Misch~~~~~
Chapter One - Rest in Peace
Summary: War creates misery, as Hermione has learned in the aftermath of the war against Voldemort, which left Harry and Ron both dead. How will she deal with her grief? Will running away and living as a Muggle really help?
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author';s Note: Just remember: reviews make the world go round…this story is dedicated to my wonderful beta-reader Vikki.
Hermione stood at the edge of the grave, looking down at the casket within. It was a simple wooden casket. Nothing fancy, nothing that would indicate the significance of the one inside. Harry. They had been married for 5 years, ever since she was 23.
She should have known it was too good to last. The war had been raging, sweeping them all up in its path. While they were still at Hogwarts they had begun to see their friends fall, first Cedric, then Hagrid, and finally Ron.
Ron.
Just the thought of him brought a fresh wave of tears to her eyes. It had been at the end of their 7th year, a week before they would finally graduate Hogwarts. They had been down at Hogsmeade in the Three Brooksticks having a celebratory butterbeer with Fred and George, who had founded their joke down the street after they had graduated nearly a year before. The door had burst open, revealing a group of Death Eaters brandishing wands. All of the customers started screaming and trying to all get out of the pub immediately, but the Death Eaters ignored them all, instead walking to the back of the room where the trio was sitting with the twins. Harry had stood up, facing the Death Eaters boldly.
The leader, she now knew that it had been Lucius Malfoy, had drawn his wand and taken aim at Harry. Harry had aimed his wand back at Malfoy, he mouth set in a grim, determined line. Hermione and Ron had watched on in horror, frozen in disbelief. Harry tried to disarm him but had been too slow; Malfoy had already said the Killing Curse. Ron, rather than watch his best friend die, had lunged at Harry, tried to bring him to the floor so he would not be hit.
Ron succeeded, partially. The curse missed Harry, instead hitting Ron in the back. He was dead before he hit the floor.
Her memory of the day ended there; she could vaguely recall being carried back to Hogwarts by someone, she thought it was a Weasley, but she wasn';t sure which one.
The words of Arthur Weasley, Minister of Magic, brought her back to her senses.
"We are gathered here today, on this day, July 3, to lay to rest our best friend, husband, and hero, Harold James Potter, who bravely gave his life in the ongoing fight against darkness," Arthur said, tears running down his face.
Hermione dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief, weeping softly to herself. On her left was Ginny, her face buried her hands, the tears running through the cracks between her fingers like rainwater. On her right was Lilith, her daughter. She was 5 years old, old enough to know what was happening. She clung to her mother';s robes, crying. There wasn';t a dry eye in the graveyard, or the world, for that matter. The news that Harry Potter had fallen to the Dark forces had spread like wildfire around the wizarding community.
They had been working together with two others, Gabriel Ross and Cho Chang, as a team of Aurors. It had only been a week ago, though it felt like eternity. They had been raiding the house of a notorious Death Eater when they had been ambushed. The information they had been given was faulty; the team had interrupted a meeting of Death Eaters, 50 in all. Hermione was the only one who made it back to HQ alive.
People were beginning to throw dirt onto the coffin, everyone present was adding a handful. There was hundreds of people present; everyone Harry had ever helped and everyone who wished to rid the world of Lord Voldemort and his followers.
Someone was nudging Hermione. It was Arthur; it was her turn to throw in a handful.
She stepped forward to the edge of the pit and looked down, aware that everyone';s eyes were on her. However, instead of bending down to pick up dirt to throw in, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her wand.
Clearing her throat, she began to speak.
"Ever since I was 11, I have been living in this world, fighting the dark forces. I can still remember sitting in the Library at Hogwarts with my two best friends, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, trying to find out who Nicholas Flamel was. Ever since I was in school I have lost people dear to me. When Cedric Diggory was killed in my 4th year, we were devastated. It was only the beginning. Since that day, it has been a steady stream of losses. Yes, there have been moments of happiness; yes, there have been victories; but at what cost? At the cost of innocent lives we have beaten back the Dark Forces. There were times when I didn';t think I could go on, times when I just wanted to forget this war I was fighting in and live a normal, peaceful life. But I always had Harry and Ron to pull me forward, to remind me just why I was fighting, to give me happiness. They are both dead now; killed in front of me. I have seen both of them hit with the Killing Curse in front of my eyes while I stood by helpless. I cannot afford the cost of victory anymore; everything I have had to live for in this world is dead. As of this day, I resign my post as an Auror. As of this day, I resign my status as a witch."
Snap
Hermione took hold of her wand and broke it in two with a loud snap, sending a shower of red and gold sparks in the air. She threw the two halves of the wand on top of the coffin. Taking her daughter Lilith by the hand, she walked out of the graveyard towards her car, on her way to a new life.
~*~

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

11 Years Later; New York City
Hermione sat at the kitchen table looking over her reports. She had enrolled in medical school when she and Lilith had moved to America and was currently a heart surgeon at Mt. Sinai Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in New York City, and far across town from the entrance to Kramer Alley, New York's version of Diagon Alley.
"Hey Mom," Lilith burst into the kitchen, she was now 15 years old and attending high school in the city. "Guess what? I got a perfect on my science test!"
Lilith had inherited her mother's intelligence and motivation for hard work, along with her father's eyes and hair. Sometimes when Hermione was particularly depressed, looking in her daughter's eyes made her cry.
Hermione had never told her daughter about anything. Not about magic, not about Hogwarts, not about the war, and especially not about Harry or Ron. The only sign of her previous life visible to Lilith was a small picture on the wall that had been taken in her 6th year at Hogwarts and which was charmed to be still. It was a picture of the three of them; Hermione in the middle, flanked on either side by Harry and Ron who had their arms draped over her. She had told Lilith that they were wearing black robes and pointy hats because it was Halloween.
Lilith never asked about her mother's past; she learned quickly that questions along those lines usually ended with her being grounded and her mother weeping. Hermione cried less and less as time distanced her from that period in her life. Recently, at a reception for her colleagues, when someone asked who her husband was, noticing the wedding band Hermione still wore on her finger, Hermione didn't even get a lump in her throat as she usually did when she thought of Harry.
To be honest, she was relieved that she was able to distance herself from her past somewhat, though at times she felt disloyal when she wished she could just forget everything. That wasn't entirely true; she never would want to forget Harry, with his emerald eyes and ability to make her knees weak with just a few choice words. At times she could still hear him saying 'I love you'.
"Mom, earth to Mom, can you hear me?" Lilith was waving her hands in Hermione's face.
"Oh yes, sorry sweetie, I've had a long day in surgery," Hermione said, walking over to the refrigerator. "What do you want for dinner tonight?"
"Oh I dunno, I think Donna is coming over for supper so can you make something that tastes good perhaps?"
Donna was the name of Lilith's best friend; they were inseparable, like she and Harry and Ron had been. But no, she couldn't let herself think those thoughts now; it had been 11 years for goodness sake and she a dinner to cook.
"Oh, I thought everything I cooked was good," Hermione said, sounding seemingly affronted.
"It is, just some things are gooder than others."
"Better than others, goodness Lilith where did you learn to speak?"
"Sorry, it must be that British accent of yours, getting me all confused with my grammar."
"Hmmm, take off your shoes, I'm not cleaning the floor again."
Lilith dropped a pile of mail on the kitchen table, careful not to go through it. Hermione had never let her daughter go through the mail, in fear that a letter would come for her calling her to Hogwarts or its American equivalent. Even now, though Lilith's 11th birthday had come and gone and a letter was yet to arrive, it was still tradition that Hermione go through the mail. Hermione often wondered why a letter had never arrived for her daughter, but assumed that the Minister of Magic Arthur Weasley, or whoever his successor was, had taken her daughter's name off the list to save Hermione the pain. Either that, or Hogwarts had finally fallen to Voldemort. Hermione preferred to think her first instinct was correct.
Knock Knock
"I'll get it, it's probably Donna," Lilith ran over to the door to let in her friend.
"Hi Dr. Granger, what are you cooking? Smells good."
"Humph, did you hear that Lilith? Someone here appreciates my cooking."
"Yeah, Yeah, Mom, whatever, we'll be in my room, we need to work on a history project." Lilith and Donna ran off up the stairs.
~*~
An hour later, everyone sat around the dinner table eating and chatting calmly. Calmly, that is, until Donna brought up the taboo topic.
"So, Lilith, my mom is inviting both sets of grandparents over this Saturday for Memorial Day. We're going to have a 'family outing'" Donna said, rolling her eyes, "you are so lucky you only have one set, they're your mom's parents, right?"
"Umm, yeah," Lilith tried motioning to Donna to change the topic, but Donna didn't notice.
"When did your other grandparents die? Did you ever know them?"
Hermione sat up straight in her chair and responded, "Lilith's father's parents died when he was one year old, neither him, nor I, nor Lilith has ever known them. Let's not talk about that now though, happy thoughts people, happy thoughts. So, how's your history project going?"
They continued with this innocent chatter until dinner was finished, when Donna said she had to go home. Lilith showed her to the door and was about to close the door when a cat walked up the path.
"Oh, poor little kitty, I'll give you some milk, come inside."
Hermione was at the sink washing the dishes when Lilith came back inside with the cat.
"Hey look Mom, look who I found outside. Can we keep her? Please?"
Hermione looked up to look at the cat, whom Lilith was waving in front of her face. The cat was a tabby cat, with curiously square markings around its eyes.
Hermione dropped the plate she was cleaning. It shattered on the floor.
"Minerva?" Hermione asked.
The cat nodded.

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

Chapter Two - Come Home
Summary: War creates misery, as Hermione has learned in the aftermath of the war against Voldemort, which left Harry and Ron both dead. How will she deal with her grief? Will running away and living as a Muggle really help?
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Hermione took a step backward, putting her hand on the countertop for balance.
"Mom, what's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost," Lilith said, rubbing the tabby between its ears.
"Lilith, put the cat down on the floor, don't touch that cat, you don't know where it's been. It could have fleas."
"Why did you say 'Minerva', Mom? It's a nice name, I suppose we could name the cat that, it seems to like it, I could have sworn it nodded."
"No, we will not be keeping this cat, this cat will be leaving NOW!" Hermione pushed the cat with her foot, trying to move it towards the door.
"Mom, don't kick the cat, that's horrible, it's just a cat, don't hurt it," Lilith said, looking upset and puzzled at her mother's frantic behavior.
"No I'm not," said a familiar voice from where the cat had been.
Standing in Hermione's kitchen was none other than Minerva McGonagall, looking the same as she did all those years ago when she had taught Hermione.
Hermione let out a small scream. "Get out of my house now, Minerva. You are not welcome in my home anymore." Hermione said sharply, opening to door in an attempt to throw Minerva out of her house.
"Mom, mom, what the hell happened, that lady, the cat, who is she, what…" Lilith said as she backed away from Minerva, confusion and terror written on her face.
No one answered. Minerva and Hermione were too busy glaring at each other.
"Of all the reactions I thought about when I decided to visit you, my best student ever, I never ever thought I would be met with this level of hostility. Hermione Potter, honestly." Minerva said, looking as if she wanted to follow this statement with points taken off Gryffindor.
"My name is Dr. Hermione Granger. I am a surgeon at Mt. Sinai. I do not ever want to see any of you again in my life, please leave me alone. Whatever you want you aren't going to get it. Just leave and do not ever mention the name Potter to me again."
"Whose Potter? Our last name is Granger." Lilith asked.
"Our last name is Granger, honey. I do not know what this lady is talking about," Hermione responded, still glaring at Minerva.
"Hermione," Minerva said sharply, "honestly, I take it from your untruthful response you haven't told your daughter anything."
"There is nothing to tell."
Minerva sighed. "This is going to be harder than I though, why don't we all have a seat and I'll explain why I came."
"No, there will be no sitting down, no explanations, you will just be leaving," Hermione was nearly shouting, "NOW!"
"What is going on? Who are you? Mom, what haven't you told me?" Lilith said, curiosity winning over her fear of this strange cat-woman.
"Has anyone every told you that you have your father's eyes?" Minerva said, turning to Lilith, "and his hair too, though I see you take more care in combing it than he did."
"Minerva, I will ask one last time, please get out of my house," Hermione moved over to the phone, "if you do not leave now I am calling the police and you can do whatever explaining you want to them."
"Hermione Potter, or Granger, whatever you are calling yourself, put down that phone and sit down at the table," Minerva said, pulling out a seat, "you will listen to what I have to say or you will be in severe trouble with the Ministry."
Hermione let out a soft sob, "Please Minerva, I'm begging you, just leave me and my daughter alone."
"I will be doing nothing of the sort, now sit down before I summon some less caring people to help me," a slight grin appeared on her face, "perhaps you would like Severus to help me explain why I came."
Hermione sat down at the table.
"Lilith, leave us alone and go to your room, do not listen in on our conversation."
"No, Hermione, your daughter needs to hear this too. She cannot live her life in ignorance of what her past is. I cannot believe that you have not told her about Harry."
"Who's Harry?" Lilith asked as she sat down at the table across from her mother who had her head cradled in her hands.
"That's your dad'd name; he was my husband," Hermione said, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Minerva waved her hand, summoning a red silk handkerchief, and handed it to Hermione.
"Is he the one in the photograph in the living room? Next to you and that red haired boy? You know the photo I'm talking about, Mom. The one with you three in those ridiculous robes and hats all dressed up for Halloween."
"I know what photograph you're talking about sweetie, and yes that's him."
"Why haven't you told me about this before?"
"That is a very long, complicated and depressing story. One you do not and will not be hearing tonight."
Minerva cleared her throat. "Sorry to interrupt, but I'd like to explain why I came."
"My apologies, do continue," Hermione said, sounding not very sorry at all.
"Thank you," Minerva said, not put out by the hostility in Hermione's voice, "I'll start at the beginning. After you left our world, Hermione, the fight continued, albeit less successfully than before. Harry's death and your speech at the funeral disheartened many of us. We changed battle tactics. Instead of making many strikes, we planned carefully for a large showdown. We were planning for 8 years. After 8 years, we attacked. The battle that followed was successful; Voldemort was killed. Since then we have been rebuilding our society, beginning with tracking down all remaining Dark Arts practitioners. The Malfoys were all murdered along with scores of others and Knockturn Alley was closed. Finally, we feel that our world is safe enough to re-open the schools, many of which were closed down during the war or turned into safe-houses. Hogwarts itself was turned into the HQ for the Aurors and Enforcers about 7 years ago. Now we are reopening it, but we need staff. Many of our teachers are too old now to teach. Dumbledore has died; I am the new Headmistress. Remus Lupin has agreed to return to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts; Severus Snape will remain the Potions master; Sirius Black will be teaching Transfiguration; Fleur will be teaching Divination, and Neville Longbottom will be teaching Herbology, but will still have many open spots to fill. This is what I have come here to ask you about. Will you accept the position of Charms teacher and Head of Gryffindor House?"
Hermione rubbed her hands over her face, sighing. "I don't suppose you came all this way to accept the simple, out-right refusal that I really want to give to you."
Minerva shook her head.
"Then give me time to think about it."
"Take all the time you need, don't worry, the school is not due to open until September."
Hermione stood up from the table and walked down the hall towards her bedroom.
"Okay, what the hell is going on? Would someone care to explain this to me?" Lilith demanded of Minerva.
~*~

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

Hermione sat on the floor of her bedroom, half hidden inside her closet. In front of her was a large black trunk. On the top of it was stenciled a gold dragon above the words "Hermione J. Granger Potter". Thinking about those words brought a fresh wave of tears to Hermione's eyes; she could still remember Ron and Ginny 'fixing' the name on her trunk after they had discovered her and Harry in the broom shed celebrating Gryffindor's victory over Slytherin. She almost smiled as she remembered the looks on their faces when they had opened the door to the broom shed and found her and Harry lying on top of the pile of extra robes making out.
She opened the lid of the trunk and lifted out the hat resting on the top of the pile of books and robes. The hat was black, pointy on the top, circling the brim of the hat was a red silk sash, upon which was pinned a silver Head Girl badge, tarnished with age and dusty with neglect. Putting the hat in her lap, Hermione looked at the next object in her trunk and a lump rose in her throat.
She lifted out the maroon robes and held them to her face. On the back of them, painted in gold lettering, was printed the name 'Potter' above a large 'C'. They were Harry's old Quidditch robes; breathing deeply, Hermione could still smell Harry's sweat on them, but that might have just been her imagination. Burying her face in the heavy material, Hermione started to weep. The memories overpowered her; she had not opened the trunk since the day of his funeral, the memories she had tried so long to suppress flooded back into her memory. Harry, grabbing the Snitch after a long game; Harry, Ron, and her, sneaking around Hogwarts in the dark under the protector of the Invisibility Cloak; Harry, kissing her in the back of the greenhouse.
She had been sitting in her bedroom for about on hour, going through the trunk and thinking about Minerva's offer when she heard the door to her room open quietly.
"I explained everything to your daughter, Hermione," Minerva said, coming to sit on the bed behind Hermione. "I must admit, I thought she would at least know she was a witch." Disapproval of Hermione's decision to conceal the truth from Lilith was blatantly apparent in her voice.
Seeing Hermione's tearstained face and realizing that Hermione had been looking through her old school trunk, Minerva's tone softened. "We were worried about you, Hermione," Minerva said, putting her hands on Hermione's shoulders, "even Severus was concerned, as difficult as that might be to believe."
"Wh, wh, why?" Hermione asked. "I was living a fine life, if not the happiest one. Harry's dead, Minerva, what do I have to return for?"
"Everything, everything you ever fought for, everything Harry died for."
"No, you don't get it, Minerva! Everything I fought for died with Harry, including most of me." Hermione put Harry's robes back into her trunk. "You don't know how hard it was for me to go on, to keep living after his death. Every day I battled with the idea of suicide, every day I was alive was a victory. Every moment I lived I wondered what I was living for, and you know what? I never found out. I have been living the past 11 years hoping I could move on and forget the past; I never could, but I found I could live with it. I haven't contemplated suicide in nearly 3 years, Minerva, and now you come back, asking me to return? Why, Minerva, why? I haven't done magic in 11 years, surely there must be someone better qualified for the job."
Minerva sighed into her hands.
"Yes Hermione, you're right, there are better people qualified for the job; many people have applied, and yet I still came to offer it to you. Do you know why? Because you are the best student I have ever had, hands down. No one at Hogwarts could bear to think of you living as a Muggle, wasting your talents, and wasting your life. Yes, Harry is dead, but living as a Muggle isn't going to make that pain go away. Yes, you will mourn for Harry for the rest of your life; you two were in love, more than anyone two people I have ever seen in my life. But don't you want to make your memories of the wizarding world end happily, don't you want to be able to die knowing you have not been living in denial?"
Hermione sat down on the top of her school trunk and rubbed her eyes to clear her vision. They sat together in silence for nearly an hour. After an hour of silence Hermione stood up and opened her trunk. She bent down and took out her school hat, putting it on her head.
She turned to Minerva. "I'll accept the job, but only if you agree to call me Professor Potter, seeing as that is still my legal name, though I chose not to use it in everyday life"
Minerva turned to her best student, smiling broadly. Grasping her in a bone-crushing hug she said, "Welcome home, Hermione, welcome home."

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

太难了！但还能看懂大意！
文章不错！

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

写得真好！是原创吗？

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

If you can add some Chinese translations, then it'll be great!!!

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

好的，但我要先把原文写完！然后再翻译！

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

Chapter 3 - Of Red Hair and Reunions
Hermione and Lilith sat on the plane, awaiting takeoff. It was mid August; they were heading to England; Hermione, to return to the life she had long denied; Lilith, to enter a new world she had never known existed. Minerva and Hermione had explained everything to her, the magic, the wars, the fight against darkness, and Harry and Ron. Her mother had told her everything about her husband and her best friend, showing her the photo album Harry had of Lily and James and the photo album that Hermione had been given at her wedding by Remus Lupin and Sirius Black.
The album was a heavy white book with a large red heart on the front that flashed the phrases "Harry and Hermione" and "Together Forever". Frequently, while going through the photos which catalogued Hermione and Harry's life from the first year of Hogwarts until their marriage, Hermione had to pause to regain her composure.
For Lilith, the album had seemed foreign. Everything in it, from the moving pictures, to the castle, to the black haired boy with the scar on his forehead, was unfamiliar. She was scared, scared to enter the wizarding world, which had brought her mother so much pain and anguish.
"Please buckle your seatbelts, we will be taking off momentarily," the flight attendant's voice rang throughout the cabin.
The plane shuddered to life and began rolling down the runway, taking Hermione and Lilith to a foreign world, more foreign than any of the Muggles on the plane could imagine.
~*~
As the plane flew through the sky, Hermione thought about how she would return to the magical community. Overblown entrances, Daily Prophet headlines were definitely not the way to go. She, personally, merely wanted to appear in the front of the classrooms and let the children write their parents home about it. Minerva ruled this option out, reminding Hermione of the speed with which rumors spread at Hogwarts, and about the frequent inaccuracies in all of them.
Hermione decided that she would find a balance between these two extremes. After she and Lilith had settled into their temporary apartment in Hogsmeade where they would be living while Hogwarts was fixed up, she would send a letter to Arthur Weasley, inviting his entire family over for dinner. She doubted that they would accept the invitation, and she fully expected that Molly would show up at her door the minute she received the letter, dragging both her and Lilith to The Burrow.
"Mom," Lilith nudged her shoulder, "the pilot said we are getting ready to land soon."
"Good, I'm getting a little sore from all this sitting," Hermione said, grinning at her daughter.
"Umm, where did you say we were staying tonight? Some magical inn or something?"
"The Leaky Cauldron, it's a restaurant and inn in Diagon Alley, the magical area of London.
"Oh, I thought it was called Hogseed or something."
"No, we are just staying in London for a day or two so we can buy some supplies, like wands and robes, and then we should be moving into a small apartment in Hogsmeade, the only wizarding town in Britain. It's near Hogwarts."
"I see, what did you say we needed to buy?"
"Wands and robes, as well as books. Actually, I still have most of my books, Minerva added them to the Library at Hogwarts, but she is going to give them back to me."
"Robes?"
"Yes, wizards and witches wear robes. You will look incredibly out of place in jeans, darling, robes are actually quite fashionable."
"Like the robes you were wearing the photo album. Those dorky things? They look like something I would wear on Halloween."
"Well, you're going to have to wear them now, you haven't really got a choice."
Lilith sighed. She hoped the culture shock did not kill her.
~*~

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

It was dark by the time the taxicab dropped them off at the corner of the block where the Leaky Cauldron was located. Holding onto Lilith with one hand and dragging her suitcase behind her with her other, Hermione started walking down the block.
Seeing the Leaky Cauldron in front of her, Hermione stopped, holding Lilith back as well. Up until this point, she hadn’t really realized the full impact of what she was doing. Talking about magic and Hogwarts and Harry with Minerva and Lilith had been one thing, but actually entering the Leaky Cauldron meant no turning back. She would have to face all her old friends and enemies. She would have to talk to Remus, Sirius, Arthur, Molly, Charlie, Bill, Percy, Fred & George, Ginny, and everyone else. She would have to explain why she left for 11 years, leaving people to wonder if she were even still alive. Minerva had told her that the Weasley family knew she was alive, but did not know where she was or what she was doing with her life. Sirius and Remus, she had said, knew she was coming back to teach, as they would be teachers at Hogwarts themselves, but Hermione was nervous, terrified even, to see them again.
Look what has happened, Hermione thought to herself, I'm afraid to face my old friends. 11 years ago I would have trusted any of them with my life, and now I'm too afraid to even face them. What has happened to me?
But in her heart she knew what happened. Time. Time changed everything, there could be no changing what she had did, not that she fully regretted living as a Muggle all that time; the distance she had put between herself and magic had helped her rebuild her life, had helped her be able to live without constantly being reminded of Harry.
Here goes nothing.
Hermione and Lilith stepped inside the Leaky Cauldron. It was the same as Hermione remembered it, the tables and the bar were the same as they were all those years ago when she had first come here, on a trip to buy school supplies.
Life comes full circle, they always say, guess they're right, whoever they are.
Hermione walked up to the witch at the counter, praying she wouldn't be recognized. Even though her appearance had changed in the 11 years, her hair was shorter and her face was decidedly older and more wrinkled, she prayed that no one would notice her.
"One room for two nights please," Hermione said. "I'm sorry, but I haven't got a chance to change my money yet, just in from the U.S., do you accept American money?"
"No, but don't worry, you can pay tomorrow morning when you get a chance to go to Gringotts," the witch said, handing Hermione a key.
"Thank you so much. How much will the room cost?"
"Just 15 Galleons."
Hermione and Lilith picked up their suitcases and headed towards the staircase, Hermione keeping her head down. Reaching the top of the landing, Hermione headed down the hall, trying to find their room. It was the one at the end of the hallway; Hermione opened the door and went inside.
Lilith turned to the wall, feeling for a light switch and finding none.
"Hey Mom, where's the light?"
"Oh, right, there isn't one."
"WHAT!! No electricity, I thought this was London, for goodness sake."
"No, it's Diagon Alley, there is no electricity or telephones here."
"But, but, where does the light come from? Does everyone just go to sleep when the sun sets?"
"Don't be condescending, darling, just because there's no electricity doesn't mean wizards are backward rustics. We are actually quite advanced, much more so than Muggles in certain respects. There just aren't any electronics."
"Fine, fine, sorry, wizards might be more advanced than Muggles, but it's still dark in this room and I can't find my pajamas in the dark."
Hermione felt her way over to the desk in the room and opened the drawer, pulling out a candle. She handed it to Lilith.
"Just put that in the holder on that nightstand, honey, that ought to do it."
"One candle, that's it? I'll barely be able to read by its light, and where are the matches, how am I supposed to light it?"
"You aren't, just put it in the holder and you'll see," Hermione grinned, recalling her first experience with the lighting system at the Leaky Caldron.
Lilith put the candle in its holder and the room suddenly lit up.
"What the.." Lilith stared at the candle.
"It's a simple combination of charms, a Room-Lighting and a Matchless Igniting charm. They were put on the holder and the candle so that guests who were staying here wouldn't have to go by the light of their wands at night."
"Right, simple, of course. Sorry for being rude, I've got a lot to learn about this magic stuff, I guess."
"Don't fret about it honey. I managed to do it quite fine, but no more chatter, it's time to sleep. You had a long day today, and tomorrow will be even longer."
Lilith walked over to the mirror to take out her contact lenses; she had also inherited her father's vision along with her eyes.
"Lovely eyes you've got there, deary."
Lilith jumped back a few feet, "Who said that? Mom?"
"No, it was me" said the mirror, sounding like what one would imagine a grandmother to sound like.
"Oh, of course, talking mirrors. Why didn't I guess?" Lilith said sarcastically. "What's next, talking pictures? They already move."
Hermione had come out of the bathroom just in time to catch Lilith's last comment.
"Of course portraits talk, wait until we get to Hogwarts and I'll introduce you to the Fat Lady and her friend Violet. Maybe Sir Cadogan will even be there, but I think someone has probably thrown him into the lake by this time," Hermione said, lying down in bed and putting out the candle.
Lilith just sighed.
~*~

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

Stepping into Diagon Alley, Hermione was overwhelmed with a sense of nostalgia. Memories of eating ice cream with Harry and Ron, memories of getting Crookshanks, who was long since deceased, memories of the brawl that broke out in Flourish and Blotts between Arthur and Lucius. Shaking her head, as if to clear it of these thoughts, she and Lilith walked briskly to the gleaming white building that still dominated the Alley.
Seeing how crowded Diagon Alley was on this summer day, Hermione pulled her hat down on her head firmly and put on her pair of sunglasses.
As she walked up the steps, Hermione raised her hand in greeting to the goblin that guarded the door.
"Mom," Lilith tugged on Hermione's sleeve, "what is that thing?"
"It's a goblin, they guard Gringotts."
"Oh, it's kinda ugly."
"Shh Lilith, do not ever insult any magical being, beast, or human, you never know what kind of magic they can use against you."
Walking through the heavy brass doors, Hermione moved towards the row of counters, keeping her head down to avoid being noticed by the witches and wizards who were going about their business. Lilith moved more slowly, taking in all of the amazing things she was seeing. The goblins, writing on pads of parchment in front of them, the owls that kept swooping in and out of the windows at the top of the ceiling, the hundreds of doors that lined the walls, all leading to who knows where.
"Come on Lilith, follow me," Hermione called to her daughter, who was busy watching a wizard walk in carrying some sort of creature that looked like a cross between a bowling ball and a pillow.
Hermione and Lilith followed the goblin that was leading them, walking down a narrow passage that led to the cart. Piling in, the goblin muttered a few words and the cart shot forward, leaving Lilith holding on for dear life.
Careening madly around and between stalagmites and stalactites, the cart dashed downwards, carrying with it the goblin and two passengers. Finally coming to a stop in front of a vault, Hermione and Lilith got out.
Hermione put the key into the keyhole and pulled open the door, revealing piles upon piles of gold and silver.
"Wow," Lilith said in awe, "I never realized we were so rich."
"Well, we are, most of this was Harry's, left to him by his father, but a fair amount was from my salary. I haven't been here since I left, and the interest has really accumulated."
Hermione pulled out two money bags and filled them both with Galleons, Sickles and Knuts, hardly making a dent in the large piles of coins. She tucked both bags safely inside her purse and got back into the cart with Lilith.
~*~
Standing back outside Gringotts, Hermione looked around the changes in Diagon Alley from when she had last visited. Most of the stores were the same, Quality Quidditch Supplies remained, as did Flourish and Blott's, Madam Malkin's, Eeyops Owl Emporium and Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. From her position on the top of the Gringott's steps, Hermione could watch the various magical people as they went about their business.
She could see families eating ice cream together, laughing happily; she could see old wizards searching the top shelves of Flourish and Blott's, using self-levitation spells to reach the books. Her eyes drifted over to Knockturn Alley, expecting to see the usual collection of shady looking characters, the type that in her previous life as an Auror she wouldn't have turned her back to.
Instead, however, Knockturn Alley was gone. She vaguely remembered Minerva mentioning that at some point, but she had never told Hermione what had replaced it. Motioning to Lilith, they walked down the steps and headed towards the old Knockturn Alley. In its place was a corridor of white marble that seemed to glow in the sunlight. The ground was covered in large silver tiles. Walking through the corridor, Hermione noticed that carved into the white marble and the silver tiles were words.
"Hey Mom, what's this?" Lilith asked, running her finger over the words.
"I don't know, this is new, I've never seen this before."
Hermione squinted at the words carved into the marble. They weren't words she realized; they were names.
Maria Bones
Patrick Bones
Frank Longbottom
With a start, Hermione realized what this white corridor was.
"Lilith," Hermione said, turning towards her daughter who was looking at the names, "this is a memorial, probably in honor of all the witches and wizards who lost their lives fighting the dark forces."
"But, Mom, look how long this is, there must be hundreds or thousands of names here," Lilith said, confused. "How many people could have died?"
Hermione looked at her daughter's face.
"Now, you understand perhaps, what drove me to leave this world," Hermione was speaking very softly; Lilith had to strain to hear her.
Lilith nodded. "Mom, wouldn't Dad's name be here?"
Hermione looked down at her feet, her vision getting blurry. She noticed the words on the silver tile she was standing on.
Ronald Weasley
"The Best Son, Brother, or Friend Anyone Could Ever Wish For"
In honor of Ron, who was murdered in Hogsmeade by a Death Eater. The highest praise goes to Ron, who died to save the life of his best friend, Harry Potter. We miss you.
Tears began to fall from Hermione's eyes. Leaning against the white wall, she buried her face in her light jacket. Lilith put her arms around her mother, hugging her close.
~*~

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

An hour or so later, Hermione and Lilith exited the corridor, refreshed.
"So, Lilith, your choice, what do you want to get first?"
"A wand, absolutely, a wand."
"I agree, I need to buy one as well," Hermione grinned, "though I doubt Mr. Ollivander will be too thrilled with how I treated my last one."
They entered Mr. Ollivander's store, Maker of Fine Wands since 382 BC. Lilith once again was amazed by the interior, by the thousands of boxes lining the walls of the narrow and shabby shop. Hermione stood nervously, holding onto the back of the chair.
"Greetings, greetings, good afternoon, my name is Mr. Ollivander, how may I help you?" Mr. Ollivander seemed to Apparate into the middle of his shop, his silver eyes gleaming as he looked over his customers. Looking at Hermione's eyes which were hidden behind her sunglasses, a flash of recognition passed over his face.
"Ms. Granger, I believe. What a pleasure to see you again, it's been a long time since you were in these parts. I take it you and your daughter, Lilith is it?, need new wands. Well, I'll just be needing your daughter's measurements."
He gestured with his hand and his magic tape measure began measuring Lilith. Mr. Ollivander himself began scuttling around the room, selecting various boxes from the shelves.
"Hermione, we'll just be starting with you, it will be easier as you are already attuned to the use of a wand, now just try this one."
He put a wand into her hand and immediately her arm began to tingle pleasantly just as purple and silver sparks shot out of the end.
"Perfect, perfect," Mr. Ollivander clapped his hands together, "9'', unicorn hair and cherry wood, the same as your old wand."
"Thank you sir," Hermione said as she handed the money to Mr. Ollivander. "Would you mind if I tried some quick spells; I haven't done any magic in 11 years."
"Oh no, not at all, not at all, I'll just fit Lilith to a wand while you practice."
Hermione opened her purse, pulling out a pen. Mumbling a few words to herself, she levitated the pen a few feet in the air before tapping it, turning it into a white hamster. The hamster looked around itself wildly, wondering what happened to the ground, but before it had a chance to get its bearings, it was a pen again.
Lilith clapped.
"Nice work Mom, that's so cool, do you think I could do that?"
"Not yet, darling, not yet," Hermione said, laughing as she tucked her new wand into a pocket of her robes, "it'll take a while before you get to that level of Transfigurations."
Meanwhile, Mr. Ollivander was trying a large selection of various wands, none of them suiting him. Muttering to himself, he scrambled around the store, reaching to the far back of shelves to find wands he had not yet tried on Lilith.
"Ebony and unicorn, no, try this, willow and phoenix, not that one either, maple and dragon heartstring, still no."
Just then, Mr. Ollivander jumped up and ran into the back of his shop, coming back with a battered white case containing just one wand.
"Now, just try this, I think it might.."
Mr. Ollivander was cut off as a large burst of gold sparks exploded from the end of the wand.
"I though that might be the one."
"What is so special about that wand, it doesn't look unique," Hermione took the wand into her hands, examining it.
"Oh, it isn't anything special, as far as wands go, but in your family I believe it carries a fair amount of significance."
Hermione and Lilith looked at him inquisitively.
"You see, ladies, that wand is holly and phoenix."
~*~
They completed their shopping for the day, Lilith thrilled at all her new belongings, and Hermione thrilled that no one had recognized her, though she had attracted a few second glances from the older wizards and witches.
Hermione and Lilith were sitting in the Leaky Cauldron at the corner table, Hermione with her back to the crowd.
"Mom, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"What did that weird guy in the wand shop mean when he said my wand was holly and phoenix. Why should that matter?"
Hermione sighed, "Your father's wand was holly and phoenix, as was Voldemort's."
"Does that mean I have the same wand they did?"
"No, not at all, the feather in your wand comes from a different phoenix than theirs did."
"Oh, that's kinda cool that I have the same type of wand as Dad did."
"Yeah, it is kinda cool," Hermione smiled slightly.
They finished eating and Hermione went to pay the bill. She began chatting with the witch at the counter, who, it turns out, was from Norway, while Lilith sat on a chair, tapping her foot impatiently.
"Hey Mom," Lilith called. "Can I go take a walk around, it's so nice outside."
"Sure, have fun, but be back in an hour, I'll be in our room doing some work."
~*~

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

Lilith sat on a bench in the middle of Diagon Alley, holding her new wand in her hands, watching the people go by. Diagon Alley, Lilith had decided, was the best place for people-watching. She had already seen an old warlock walking down the street carrying what appeared to be a mutant ostrich, as well as a fair number of boys her age who were marveling at the broomsticks in the window of one of the shops.
Although she had spent her entire day in the Alley, she was still amazed by it. The shops lined the way selling things she had never known existed. She decided to take a closer look at some of the shops she had missed before. Walking around a corner, she noticed a small shop hidden between two larger ones. She had not come down this way before with her mother; Lilith doubted that her mother even knew these shops were here. Lilith opened the door to the smaller shop. As she closed the door behind her something squawked loudly.
The walls were lined with open boxes and displays, selling such things as Dungbombs and Canary Creams.
Cool, what are these things? Mom didn't mention anything like this
"Can I help you with anything?" A girl Lilith's age stood behind her. The girl had bright red hair and freckles and looked vaguely familiar.
"Oh no, I'm just looking, what are these things?"
"Excuse me?"
"I mean, what are Canary Creams, is this a bakery?"
The girl laughed. "No, this is a joke shop, those are pastries that turn the eater into a canary for a few minutes, my dad and uncle invented them."
"Awesome, that sounds so cool. Sorry if I seem a little confused by all this magic, I was raised a Muggle, my mom was a witch, but she never told me."
"Oh, I'm sorry," the girl's eyes widened. "A Muggle? You lived as a Muggle? That's awesome, did you have a telly vizin."
"A what?"
"A telly vizin, you know, the talking Muggle box."
Lilith looked at the strange girl for a few moments before she realized what the girl was talking about. "Oh, a television. Yes, of course we did, all Muggles do."
"Cool, I like studying Muggle things. My grandpa, he used to be the Minister of Magic, and I like learning about all those electricity thingamabobs. It annoys my grandmother to no end, my grandfather is great at it though, he even made his car fly once."
"Fly? That's so cool, I wish my mom's car could fly, it would help a lot in traffic jams."
"I could show it to, if you want," the girl stuck out her hand, "my name's Celia, by the way."
"I'm Lilith," the two girls shook hands.
"Lilith, hmm, do I know you from somewhere?" Celia asked, examining Lilith's face.
"I don't think so," Lilith said. "I've lived in New York City from when I was 5 and I've been living as a Muggle."
"Oh, what about before you were 5?"
"I lived in the magical world, but my mom never really talked about it so I don't remember anything much. I barely even remember my dad."
"Why not? I can remember some thing from when I was younger than 5, that's why I think I remember you from somewhere."
"I'm not really sure, my mom said it was a really difficult time in the magical world and then my dad died. I think it's called repression or something, when someone forgets bad memories."
"Oh," Celia replied, "hey, do you want to go out for a walk? It's my cousin's turn to watch the store."
"Sure, why not?"
Celia ran to the counter, hitting the bell. An older boy, who looked to be about 20, came out of the back room holding a wand. The boy was wearing a pair of goggles to protect his eyes, when he took them off he looked like a raccoon; there was smoke all on his face except where the goggles had been. He also had red hair, but Lilith couldn't tell if he had freckles or not, there was too much smoke to see his skin.
"Hey, James, I'm going to go out for a walk." Celia reached for a cloak hanging on the wall. "This means you have to watch the store."
"Fine, I'll just clean up the workroom."
Celia laughed. "Why bother? My dad never does."
"I know, and that's why I can never find anything."
"Suit yourself."
Lilith and Celia exited the store and walked down the Alley.
"So, Celia, what's your favorite place here?" Lilith asked.
"Hmm, I like the joke shop a lot, but the Magical Menagerie is also great."
"I know, my mom and I bought an owl there this morning."
"Sweet, what kind was it?"
"A great big snowy white owl, my mom named it Hedwig Jr."
"Why Junior, who was the original?"
"I have no clue, it might have been her first owl though."
~*~

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

An hour later, Lilith and Celia headed back to the Leaky Cauldron so Lilith wouldn't be late.
"Hey, Celia, before I go, can I ask you one last question?"
"What is it? If I know the answer, I'll tell you."
"Okay, what is that white corridor? My mom said it was a memorial, but do you know anything more about it?"
Celia sighed. "Yes, I do. It was built after the war to honor all those who had died fighting this war and every war in the past. The Minister of Magic at the time, my grandfather, had the idea to build it after he went to America and saw something like it there."
"Yeah, I thought it looked like the Vietnam Memorial."
"Right, that's the one. Anyway, it's called the Road of Heroes."
"What are the silver tiles for?"
"Those are special. Only people who got special honors have their names on them."
"Special honors? What are those?"
"They were given to active soldiers or civilians who died to protect others or to people who were killed because they refused to give away classified information."
"I see."
Just then the reached the Leaky Cauldron. Celia was going to hang out for a bit with Lilith because she was waiting for her aunt, who lived in Hogsmeade, to come pick her up. Celia was going to visit her aunt, uncle and little baby cousin who was only 3 years old. Lilith and Celia sat down on some of the navy poof chairs in the lounge area.
"What's your aunt like?" Lilith asked. She had never had any relatives of her own except her mother and grandparents and she loved to hear about other people's family.
"Well, she's really cool. Her name's Virginia, but everyone calls her Ginny, she's a reporter for the Daily Prophet"
"The Daily Prophet? What's that?"
"Oh, it's the name of the wizarding newspaper. My aunt Ginny writes the weekly commentary on what the Ministry did that week."
"Sounds fascinating," Lilith said sarcastically.
"I know it sounds boring, but she gets to interview all these people and travel a lot."
"Well, I guess that makes it a little bit better. You said she was married, right? What's your uncle do?"
"Oh, well, Uncle Nev used to be an Auror, that's what we call people who fight against the Dark Forces, but I think he's going to teach at Hogwarts next year."
"What subject? I think my mom's going to teach there too"
"Probably Herbology, they have this awesome garden in the back of their house. What about your mom?"
"Charms, I think she's also going to be the head of the Gryffindor House."
"Wow, that's really cool, what did you say your mom's name was again?"
Just then, Celia was interrupted by Hermione, who had just come downstairs looking for Lilith.
"Lilith," Hermoine called, "where in the world have you been? You're half an hour late."
"Calm down Mom, geez, I'm 15 years old; I can take care of myself, there's no need to be paranoid."
Hermione glared at her daughter, her hands on her hips, but was distracted by Celia running to the door to hug her aunt who had just arrived.
"Oof, Celia, calm down" Ginny said, taking a step backwards after being hugged by Celia, "It's nice to see you too, dear."
Hermione was staring at the woman who had just walked in through the door.
"Hey, guess what?" Celia asked her aunt. "I met a new friend today, she's going to Hogwarts too."
"Oh really? What's her name?"
"Lilith."
Ginny turned to look at Lilith, but was distracted by the woman standing a little behind her. Ginny opened and closed her mouth several times, having been rendered speechless by the shock. "Hermione? Is it really you?" Ginny asked, wrapping her arms around her long lost friend.

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

very good!
I like it very much!
Hurry up!

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

恩````>>汗~`
我还是等你的翻译好了```哈哈``>>汗``

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

等我翻译？
看不懂吗？（不会吧）
当然有些词可能看不懂，但应该能看懂大意吧！
加油吧！~~~~~~

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

really nice~~~ Hope you can add some translations for us~~ ^_^

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

[这个贴子最后由雪白的海德微在 2004/02/02 10:02am 第 1 次编辑]

Chapter 4 - OBHWF
Celia and Lilith stared at the adults, confusion written on their faces.
"Wait a minute Lilith. Your mom is Hermione Potter?" Celia asked her friend incredulously.
"Yeah, but she's always called herself Granger," Lilith answered. "Anyway, what's so special about that."
"You don't know?"
"Know what?" Lilith asked, throwing her hands up into the air, "good god, it feels that everyone knows more about everything than I do."
"Your parents were two of the most famous wizards in our entire history."
"Well, I knew they were famous, but I didn't know that." Lilith said, her forehead creasing in thought. "Wow, were they really?"
"Absolutely, they were also honorary Weasleys."
"Um…honorary Weasleys?"
"My grandparents gave them honorary membership into my family, since neither of them really had parents. Well, your mom has parents, but they're Muggles."
"Wait a sec, if our families are really close, wouldn't I have known you." Lilith asked, "I did live in the magical world until I was 5, I told you that earlier."
"Actually, I think I did know you earlier. I didn't recognize you because you look a lot different from when you were 5, but I remember that I was good friends with Harry's daughter."
"So why didn't you remember my name?"
"Oh, I do now, but it wasn't on the top of my mind when I first met you. We don’t talk about you often, in fact, talking about your family is a kinda taboo topic at family reunions, seeing as it usually makes everyone start to cry."
"Oh, what great news," Lilith said cynically.
"Yeah, it's really annoying, there are so many things that we aren't supposed to talk about at family reunions that it gets very very hectic, more so than one would expect with 50 wizards and witches gathered in one place, even when a large part of the family runs a practical joke shop."
Lilith laughed. "Wow, 50 relatives, how are there so many?"
"Well, I have 4 uncles, one aunt, one father, one mother, two grandparents, 10 cousins…"
"Yeah, I get the picture."
~*~

[转译+连载]赫敏的悲痛 Hermione';s Grief（07/26更新第9章 16页）

Meanwhile, Ginny had dragged Hermione off to a table in the corner, refusing to let go of her. They were talking, holding hands (actually, more like Ginny had a death grip on Hermione's arms), about where Hermione had been for the past 11 years.
"You were living in New York?" Ginny asked.
"Yes, I was resident doctor at one of the hospitals there."
"Why?"
"Well, I wanted to dedicate my life to saving others. I'd had my fair share of death."
"No, I mean, why New York?"
"Oh, I don't really know. I wanted to get out of England, and I'd never been to the U.S. so I decided to go there. I wasn't really thinking clearly at that time."
"So I noticed," Ginny said dryly. "Actually, we had a Weasley family meeting about whether or not to track you two down and drag you back home."
"I take it you decided not to."
"Actually, we still haven't decided. Fred and George figured that when you were ready to come home, you would, and they threatened to hex anyone who tried to find you."
"Well, I'm grateful to them."
"Why did you come back then? You certainly didn't tell any of us about it."
"It wasn't entirely my decision, Minvera McGonagall showed up at my house in late May offering me a job at Hogwarts teaching Charms and heading Gryffindor House. We talked for a long time about it and she convinced me to give it a try."
"Fantastic, Neville, you remember, my husband?"
"Of course I remember that you and Neville are married, I was your maid of honor. How could I forget that?"
"Just checking, anyway, he's going to be teaching Herbology. We have a house in Hogsmeade."
"Really? Lilith and I are going to go there once I find an apartment."
"Don't bother looking, Fred and George have a space above their joke shop they recently opened there, you two can stay there until school opens in 2 weeks. I take it you will be living at Hogwarts, right?"
"Of course, you think Minerva managed to run to Hogwarts that quickly from Hogsmeade to tell us to go to sleep when we were making too much noise?"
Ginny chuckled. "You've got a point there."
"I must admit though, I'm horribly nervous about all this coming home business. I still hadn't decided how to tell your family I was back. I was debating sending your parents a letter but everytime I sat down to write it, I chickened out.
"Why? What were you scared we would do?"
"I really don't know. I wasn't sure if you all would be mad at me for leaving for 11 years. I though you might think I was leaving because I was unwilling to fight and was now only coming back because it was safe."
"How could we ever think of you like that? Hermione, chicken out of a fight? Who was it who turned Malfoy into a snake and tied him around the top of the Quidditch goalpost during our 6th year when he insulted Neville? Who was it who was the one who motivated the rest of your Auror team whenever they were getting cold feet? Who was the one who didn't let Harry have a nervous breakdown after Ron's death?"
"Yeah, but you forgot one."
"What?"
"Who was it who sat still while Ron took that curse for Harry?"
Ginny stared Hermione in the eye. "I promise you that no one in my, no, our family has ever ever thought that about you. We have never resented the fact that you and Harry lived while Ron didn’t."
"I know, I know," Hermione said, "but I couldn't bring myself to write that letter to Arthur, I was afraid I would die if that were the case."
"You wouldn't die, Hermione, even if that were the case, which it isn't. You are the strongest person I know of."
"No I'm not, I ran away from my problems, I ran away for 11 years."
Ginny sighed. "Hermione, my entire family supported your actions, we all thought that was the right thing for you to do if it was you wanted."
Hermione looked at Ginny quizzically. "Why?"
"You and Harry were the happiest couple I have ever seen. I never knew anyone more in love than you two. Do you remember your wedding?"
"Of course, how could I forget? It was the happiest day of my life."
"Well, do you remember what Sirius did?"
"He did a lot of things, not all of which were entirely appropriate for a man of his age."
"I'm talking about a specific incidence."
"Which one?"
"Remember when the minister asked the obligatory question requesting that if anyone had any reasons why you two shouldn't be married they should stand up now? Remember what Sirius said when he stood?"
Hermione began to grin.
"He said that you two shouldn't get married because you were too in love with each other and that anything that makes a person as deliriously happy as you two obviously were is usually a highly illegal and controlled substance."
Hermione laughed, a grin on her face. "Of course I remember that, and them Remus pulled him back down remarking that Sirius must be right, as Sirius was the expert on those sort of controlled and highly illegal substances."
Ginny starting laughing as well. After she regained her composure, she continued. "Anyway, my point was that you had just lost your most favorite thing in your life and you needed time away, time to yourself, time removed from anything that would make you unhappy." Ginny grimaced. "Now, no one in my family thought it would take 11 years, but we knew you were still alive and we didn’t want to drag you back to a place you obviously didn't want to be."
~*~