Return to Hogwarts

September 1, 1998

Just as she closed her school trunk, there was a knock on the doorframe of the room Hermione shared with Ginny. She looked up and smiled. Ron.

"Where's ..." He gestured over to his sister's side of the room, where her trunk sat waiting to go, Arnold's cage perched on top.

"Harry showed up half an hour ago," Hermione explained. She was already dressed in her school robes, as they would all be Apparating directly to the platform this year, now that Ginny had her licence.

"So we would all do well to avoid any broom closets for a while," Ron muttered. He reached down and pulled her up against him.

She released a breath she didn't realize she was holding, and relaxed into his embrace.

"Well, I guess this is it," he said reluctantly, releasing her just enough so that he could look down at her face.

Hermione sighed. Then she tensed again and grabbed the front of his shirt, burying her face in it. "I don't know if I can do this," she admitted.

He sat down on the bed and pulled her down next to him. "Hermione, you've ridden the train to school for seven of the past eight years."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Of course I have," she said. "It's just that ..." She looked down at their twined hands.

With his free hand, he turned her face so that their eyes met. He saw deep pools of chocolate drowning in tears. "What, love? What is it?" He looked at her with concern.

"I just don't know if I can go back," she explained, begging him with her eyes to understand, but she was met with confusion.

"But you love school," he observed.

"But I've never been there alone before." She buried her head in his shoulder, and he stroked her hair. "It's ... it's always been the three of us, and now with Harry going into Auror training, and you helping George ... it's not going to be the same."

He kissed the top of her head. "No, it's not," he agreed. "But Gin will be there. And Neville and Dean and Luna, and you'll have lots of new responsibilities to keep you busy," he observed, fingering her Head Girl badge.

"I could stay here, and revise and sit my N.E.W.T.s early, and get a job with the ministry."

He nodded. "You could," he admitted. "But there would still be that part of you that would always wonder, wouldn't there? This is what you've always wanted. To finish school, to be Head Girl. You need to do this. You'll regret it if you don't."

"But I'll miss you terribly," she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Oh, Hermione." He pulled her tight to him, tears welling in his own eyes. "I'll miss you, too. I don't know how I'm going to ..."

The two had been inseparable since the beginning of May. At first, they had even slept in his parents' sitting room, not able to bear not being in the same room long enough to even sleep. Along with Harry and Ginny, they would stay up late together, talking late into the night, afraid to sleep, and to be apart. Sleep always claimed them eventually. Gradually, as the scars of the battle faded, they moved back to their respective bedrooms. When the time came to go to Australia to bring Hermione's parents home, Ron had accompanied her. When they had returned to England, Ron had slept in the Grangers' guest room until he and Hermione returned to The Burrow to celebrate Harry's birthday. For the past four months, the longest time they had been apart had been the three days earlier in the week when Hermione had spent the Bank Holiday weekend at the beach with her parents. Even then, Hermione had convinced her parents that taking a holiday in Devon would be lovely, and the Weasleys had joined them on Monday.

Ron released his grip on Hermione. "I should go back too. I know McGonagall will take me back. I can run back to Diagon Alley after the train leaves, get my things and Apparate straight to Hogsmeade before the banquet."

Hermione cupped his cheek in her hand and smiled sadly up at him, shaking her head. "No, you couldn't."

"But I could," he insisted.

"But you won't. You didn't ever really like school that much. I'll help you revise over the holidays and then next summer, and you'll write your N.E.W.T.s as you're ready, like you've already arranged."

"School wasn't all that bad. I could get my N.E.W.T.s faster if I just went back, yeah?"

"You'd worry about George the whole time."

"I'll worry about you the whole time if I stay," he pleaded.

"I'm so proud of you for what you're doing, getting George back on his feet. And you're absolutely brilliant at running the store. Percy was telling George that profits are already up to what they were before the war." He was a bit taken aback by the look of admiration in her eyes.

She smiled at him and caressed his face. "You were right, I'll be fine. I'll either be holed up in the library or attending to my Head Girl duties. You'd get frustrated when I couldn't spend enough time with you."

"But surely we could sneak some time in during rounds. Even though we weren't together then, I used to always enjoy doing rounds with you. Just think how much more enjoyable they could be now." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Hermione chuckled. "The Head Girl and the Head Boy traditionally do rounds together."

Ron harrumphed. "So you're telling me that you'd rather do rounds with Neville?" He pushed her away and tried to act offended, but didn't completely succeed. She rolled her eyes and he grinned back at her, pulling her back to him.

"Of course not, you prat," Hermione laughed at him, pushing away gently. "But I will be doing rounds with Neville, whether you're at Hogwarts or not. It will undoubtedly be more effective that way than with you." She looked up into his eyes. "I will still miss you terribly, though."

He leaned down and kissed her gently. The next kiss turned more passionate.

"Hermione! It's time to go, dear," Mrs. Weasley called up the stairs. "Ron, are you up there? Bring your sister's trunk down, please."

Ron and Hermione both groaned.

"Ron? Hermione?" They heard his mother's footsteps start up the stairs.

"We'll be right down, Mum!" Ron called down.

"Good, now bring your sister's trunk. I need to see where she's gotten off to this time." "Check the pantry," Ron snorted. He leaned down for one more kiss before standing up and pulling Hermione up with him.

He grabbed Ginny's trunk and stacked it on top of Hermione's while Hermione coaxed Crookshanks into his cage. He grinned at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as he levitated the stacked trunks ahead of them onto the landing.

"Show off," she teased him.

"It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa." He snickered.

She swatted him. "Prat."

"But you love me." He smiled winningly at her.