Yesterday's Tomorrow

Chapter Two

Hermione opened an eye and instantly wished she hadn't. The sun was bright and waking up wasn't something she liked to do, not lately anyway. She was well aware that to people all over the Wizarding World, Voldemort was nothing more than a long ago nightmare. But for her, the aftermath wasn't almost as bad as the War. She closed her eyes again. Weighing the pros against the cons, she at least had Harry and Ron then, her two best friends. Now, Harry was gone and she only had a shadow of who Ron used to be.

Then there were her parents. She had spent most of the War trying to find somewhere safe for them and then right after the War ended, they were killed by a drunk driver. She knew the Weasley's didn't understand about drunk drivers or why it hurt her so badly, but they were kind. They didn't press her to talk about it and Molly treated her like a second daughter.

Pulling her blanket over her head, she hoped Ginny wouldn't wake her when she got up. She knew the Weasleys planned on taking Ginny to Diagon Alley for school supplies, new quills, extra parchment, things like that. She hoped that just maybe, if she pretended to be asleep, they wouldn't ask her to go. She wanted to stay here and wallow in self pity and maybe eat her body weight in chocolate.

There were days where she was okay, she could function, she could laugh and smile; then there were days like today when she wanted to scream at everyone to just go away and then proceed to never leave bed and eat whatever she felt like putting in her mouth at that precise moment.

There was the sound of bed springs and Hermione immediately closed her eyes tighter as if willing Ginny to not notice that she was awake. She began breathing deeper, a trick that had worked on Parvati and Lavender for years; it also helped her to relax some. Maybe after the Weasleys left, she could take a nice long bath with some of the lilac bath soap she saved for special occasions.

She opened her eyes a bit later and realized she must have fallen asleep. She yawned and peeked out of her blanket to see if Ginny was gone. Good, Ginny's bed was made. Hermione stretched her arms over her head feeling her shoulder pop. Throwing the blankets off, she shoved her shoes into a pair of slippers and rummaged though her toiletries to find the soap. She pulled out the bottle and slid on her dressing robe, a nice long bath followed by some chocolate was just what the doctor ordered today.

She closed the door behind her as she entered the toilet and locked the door, even though she knew the Weasleys were gone, she didn't want a nasty surprise if they came home earlier than planned. Running the water, she dipped her foot under the faucet to test the water's warmth. She adjusted the knobs and began arranging her toiletries as the tub filled with water.

Closing her eyes, she inhaled the scent of lilac. She was relaxed already and had yet to step into the tub. The tub neared full and she undressed. She went to light the candles with her wand, only to discover that she had forgotten it. Not wanting to forgo a bath without the luxury of candle light, even though it was mid afternoon. She wrapped her dressing robe around her and entered the hallway, quickly running back towards her and Ginny's bedroom.

"Hermione?" Surprised, she turned around. Ron was standing near the steps, looking as if he was about to head downstairs. "What are you doing here? I thought everyone was going to Diagon Alley today."

Hermione felt herself blush slightly. "Oh. I stayed behind, I was still asleep when they left.." She pulled her dressing robe even tighter around her.

"Oh. Well, I'm going to eat something," Ron mumbled.

Hermione nodded and smiled, unsure of what to say. "I'm...I'm going to take a bath."

"Right," Ron said, nodding. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence and then Ron went down the steps. Hermione entered the bedroom and sighed. She wondered when they would be back to normal again.

~*~

Molly hummed as she finished making breakfast the next morning. Ginny would be leaving in a few days for Hogwarts. She would miss her only daughter, but she always loved back-to-school time, even if it was expensive. She cracked another egg into the pan and turned to make sure the bacon was cooking correctly. Once she was satisfied, she went to call her children down for breakfast. However, she was stopped by two owls that landed on the breakfast table.

She unburdened them of their load and sent them on their way. Looking at the envelopes, they were addressed to Hermione and Ron. She frowned and wondered what it could be. She placed them back on the table and called her children to breakfast. There was the pounding of feet on the stairs and everyone but Ron and Hermione arrived.

"Morning, mum," Ginny said, kissing her on the cheek. "Breakfast looks wonderful."

"Is Hermione awake?" Molly asked.

"She was still asleep when I came down," Ginny said, sitting down and eating a piece of bacon in one action. Molly swatted her hand and gave her a stern look. "What? I'm hungry."

"Honestly, you remind me so much of Fred and George everyday," Molly said.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Fred chimed in from where he was sitting. He was grinning.

"Would you mind going to wake Hermione, Ginny?" Molly asked. Ginny gave her mother a look and swiped another piece of bacon. "She has an owl."

"Don't let Fred eat all the eggs," Ginny replied, running up the stairs. Everyone else was making their plates and filling them with food.

"Dad already go to work?" George asked through a mouthful of eggs.

"Yes," Molly replied. "He left early this morning, and please do not talk while you have food in your mouth. How many times do I have to tell you?"

"I seem to keep forgetting Mum," George said, grinning.

"Obviously," Angelina teased across the table.

Ginny was back, this time with Hermione at her heels. "Good, Fred didn't eat all the eggs," Ginny said, sliding back into her spot at the table. Hermione slid next to Molly on her other side.

"Good morning," Hermione said quietly. Molly noticed that there were dark circles under her eyes.

"You've received an owl," Molly told her good naturedly. "You and Ronald."

Hermione looked confused as Molly handed her the envelope. She watched as she carefully undid the seal on the envelope and pulled out its contents. There was a thick stack of paper and Hermione's face went white as she read whatever had been sent to her.

"I've gotta go wake Ron," she mumbled, grabbing her papers and running up the stairs. Molly shared a confused look with George across the table.