Forgotten?

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Author's Notes: I wrote this because, even though I'm a big R/Hr shipper, I like to remember that both Ron and Harry play a huge role in Hermione's life as her best friends, even if Ron and Hermione don't end up together (which they will).

Harry is still a lot like a brother to Hermione, so he shouldn't be left out. And I wasn't going to write a H/Hr fic. No.

Still new to writing fics, by the way!

* * *

Forgotten?

* * *

It's the middle of September, she thought, and we're not at Hogwarts. It hasn't been this way in seven years.

I know that nothing will be the same anymore. And it's too late to turn back...

It was true; nothing could ever be the same anymore. She and her friends had left childhood forever, and were in for something bigger than them, something they couldn't have possibly imagined when they'd first met. She knew there were things to do, more important things to worry about now...

...But it'd be nice they could remember...

* * *

Hermione had been awake for a good portion of the night. She was afraid of having another nightmare. In fact, she was starting to get a good idea of what it was like to be Harry for the summer.

All the previous mightmares of the summer had been the same, but she could hardly remember them in detail. All she could see while she strained to remember was a flash of images in her head, passing by as quick as a hummingbird's heart beat. A big white stone. It had roses all around it. A dark figure, slithering along the Hogwarts grounds to where the big stone was. Darkness.

Sometimes she wasn't sure if the images were actually fragments of her dreams, or actual terrorizing memories, haunting her. Most images were of people in masks, running amock, shouting spells everywhere. Fire glowing over the grounds. Flashes of pink, blue, and purple light, heading in all directions. Anxiety. Desperation. Confusion. All she knew was that she had to avoid the beams of light at all costs. When, all of a sudden, she looked up, and a flash of green light could be seen somehwere over the East Tower. A single, cold, harsh voice echoed throughout the school, destroying any other signs of sound...

"AVADA KEDA--!"

A scream.

As soon as Hermione opened her eyes, she realized the scream had been her own as she woke up from the nightmare in a cold sweat. Somehow her fatigue had taken over and she fell into the dream world sometime in the past hour or so.

Who could blame her, though? Every night, all summer, she tried not to sleep, purposely, otherwise pray she didn't have another nightmare. But she always did.

And that was one of the usual, mild ones. There were others. Some of those others were much worse. Voldemort was in them. Threatening to kill her. Torturing Ron. Standing in front of Harry, both their wands out, ready to kill or die.

Wands at the ready. Silence. A flash of light--

"HARRY!"

The few times Hermione actually got to that dangerous point of that dream, that's the way she always woke up; screaming Harry's name as he faced off the Dark Lord, while she and Ron were held down by Dreath Eaters: Her worst nightmare. Ron and herself waiting for something, anything to happen, for something to determine what their fate was, wishing she could... disappear, die, even, as long as she didn't have to stay and watch something bad happen to Ron, while Harry was left alone, the fate of the Wizarding World as they knew it on his shoulders, standing before the Darkest wizard known in history. Having little chance to survive this time, his two best friends unable to help him.

Ironic, she thought. Harry and Ron were the two people she felt safest with, but she knew that the next time she saw either of them, they'd be in the most danger they'd ever been in, no one to watch over them, no one to help them.

But she couldn't let Harry do it alone. Ron couldn't let him do it alone. If Harry thought his friends were going to let him go through with this himself... he doesn't know us very well.

* * *

Dear Harry,

Gotta keep this short

Sorry I haven't written you much. People are intercepting more and more owls, (ever since... you know) and it's not just the Ministry anymore, if you know what I mean.

Ready, by the way. Neville's coming to the Burrow tomorrow. Luna too. Ginny wants to come.

Haven't written to Hermione.

-Ron

*

Dear Ron,

She's not coming. No way. I don't care if she hates me for this, but I won't let her.

I'll be going to there too, sometime in a couple of days. Things to sort out. We'll get started soon. Gotta start at Hogwarts, though. Dumbledore's office.

Haven't written to her either. You don't think she thought we forgot, do you?

I haven't. Dont' know about you. It's right around the corner!

-Harry

*

Harry,

How could I forget?

-Ron

* * *

Hermione was in her hometown in the Muggle world, bidding her last farewells to everyone and everything before she left them behind to begin her new journey. Her only focus for the next... well, however long it takes. Who knew what she was in for?

Harry was living with the Muggles again too. Hermione wished he'd stayed with her at her house; it wasn't much, but her parents would be courteous to their daughter's friend (and not just any friend, as she'd explained to them), and at least there he'd be with a friend, warmly welcomed. Harry couldn't stay with Ron because everyone in the Wizard world was after him, whether it was to annoy him with interviews, harass him, use him, pester him... not to mention a certain group of wizards ready to kill him. Besides, staying at the Weasleys' would mean an awkward summer with Ginny in the same home.

It was just then that Hermione noticed the morning sunlight was beaming through the crack between her curtains, around her room and right in her face. She groaned and shut her eyes tightly; she didn't want to get up yet. It was going to be her last day before venturing out into the... well, the unknown, with Harry and Ron. Tomorrow she'd be packing up to leave for the Burrow in the late afternoon.

Nevertheless, she did get up. not for lack of sleepiness, though. She groggily walked over to the bathroom, where she brushed her teeth, washed her face; the usual morning routine. After she finished taking her shower, she walked past the foggy mirror and into her own bedroom to get dressed. Then she looked out the window to properly greet the morning. If she didn't know any better, she'd say the future looked as bright as this day. The birds were chirping, people out on the streets with their kids, nothing to worry about, the small pond nearby shimmering in the sunlight, ducklings wandering about, trying to follow their mother, the older, wiser figure of the pond, guiding them through. Sounded almost like...

Hermione almost felt like she was at Hogwarts. Just sitting by the windowsill up in the Gryffindor girls' dormitories, about ready to go to Charms, or Transfiguration or... or Potions. Her back shivered at the thought of being in that class again, with their... usual teacher.

A tear almost escaped Hermione's eye at the thought of what that certain someone had done just months ealier. She smiled and thought of what it would be like to be at Hogwarts, right at that very moment, the sun shining like there was no tomorrow...

Her smile faltered when she thought, Unfortunately, that's what the Wizarding world is afraid of, now that there's no one to stand in Voldemort's way, no one he fears anymore.

* * *

It was alreday late in the afternoon, about 4 o'clock, but Hermione had nothing to do. It's my last peril-free day in a really long time, she thought, but there wasn't anything she'd rather do but lay in bed all day. Her parents were at work, since they'd spent the last month or so with Hermione all day every day. She'd told them what she'd be in for (what was certain, anyway, which still wasn't much) after the summer.

Her room was spotless, though who could expect less from Hermione? The entire house was rather clean, actually. The only books she hadn't read that summer were the old fairy tale books from when she was little. Funny how things change, Hermione thought. She smiled as she prepared to take a walk down memory lane, running her finger across the spines of books she hadn't opened in ten years, inside the dusty old wooden shelf in her room. About seven or eight years ago, her biggest worry was making sure in didn't get overstuffed with books about princesses, dragons, witches and half-human creatures, ending with happily-ever-afters. Now that she'd seen three of those four, she could use similar books as referances.

Still, she spent hours readong through the books, laughing at the little notes she had written herself at the margins of the pages (like in her Cinderella story, she write things like "remember to never take big shoes to school" and "important!" by where the climax of the story was; she was like that even when she was five). She also took time to scratch out certain things, like "remember: witches = evil". How could she ever have imagined that she'd grow up to be one? Hours, and hours passed, since she had nothing better to do, stopping her reading only to drink a glass of pumpkin juice. This was rather fun, actually. Looking into her five-year-old mind wasn't something she'd ever really thought about, but since it came up on such an uneventful day, she wished she'd thought about it earlier.

It was only when Hermione was about halfway done with all her fairy tale books that she noticed how late it was getting. It was about 8 o'clock, actually, and the sky outside was a nice cerulean color, but she needed to get some rest for tomorrow, she knew. So she thought, Just one more, as she got up from her bed and put back the "Snow White" book she'd finished, er, "editing" (Okay... rewriting. She'd never really thought it was a very good ending. There needed to be more danger and romance, and it was way too cliched.), back on the shelf, and picked out one she didn't think belonged in there. It was a bit bigger than the others, with a silky red spine. Hermione knew she knew which one it was... she justs forgot it. So, she picked it up and turned it to the side, reading the cover:

OLD MEMORIES. It had a little note stuck on it, whichi read, "Bad day, self? Look at this!"

Hermione smiled as she remembered exactly what it was. It was an album, in which she'd inserted some of her favorite pictures of all time, Muggle and wizard, one time when she was in about... fourth year? It wasn't too long ago, that she knew.

She took a few steps and jumped onto her bed. Hermione sighed.

"I'm gonna miss this bed."

She took a moment and turned so she lay on her stomach, her feet in the air, and cracked open the album.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Letter owled at 8:12 PM, September 18th

Ron,

I've got mine. Need any ideas for yours? It's almost time.

Think we should warn Hermione?

-Harry

*

Harry,

No, I've got mine. No, we can't warn her. She'll know when the time comes.

-Ron

P.S. Ginny still hasn't left

for Hogwarts. Says she's coming.

*

Ron,

I said it once, I said it twice, I said it a million times, and I'll say it a million more if I have to: NO.

-Harry

*

Harry,

I'm going. I don't care what you say. I'm a big girl I can handle this.

-Ginny

*

Ginny,

You're not coming. After we get Hermione, we'll be heading out. I'm sorry, but you can't come. I don't care if you hate me.

-Harry

*

Harry,

Ginny says she doesn't hate you, but she's not talking to you.

Girls...

-Ron

* * *

Finally, after the worst summer of her life, Hermione was having some of the best laughs, and genuinely smiling.

The first thing she saw when she opened the album was a Muggle picture of her at the age of three. She was sitting with a teddy bear in one hand, a picture book in the other, showing off her two missing front teeth proudly as she posed for the picture.

Many similar, kooky pictures followed, one of them of Hermione in a bath tub with a rubber duck, her dad at her side. There was another right next to it of Hermione and her mother, as well. Then Hermine suddenly realized how much of her life she had spent in the Muggle world with her family. Nearly twelve years! It was strange to acknowledge that it was all now a part of "The Past". It was still a part of Hermione's life, though, and she decided to pull one of the pictures, one with both her parents at Christmas, all smiling, and keep it in her pocket along with her wand until she returned.

While flipping through a few more pages, Hermione noticed how quickly the album had moved on to showing wizard pictures. One of the ones she liked best was the first one she, Ron and Harry took together. It was taken at the end of first year, and quite frankly, she was nervous to tkae that picture. Hermione laughed at her own smiling reflectoin of a younger self, back when she was a bit self-counscious about taking a picture with two boys she'd met about nine months ago, smiling, but not so used to Harry having his arm swung around her, Ron on his other side. All three of them were smiling, sure, but in a somewhat nervous way. True, Hagrid had arranged them that way, but... it was just... strange. Still, it was Hermione's favorite picture, as it was taken at the end of the first chapter in a lasting friendship, with those true friends that were hard to find. The ones she was lucky enough to come across one day in a train.

But suddenly, Hermione felt lonely. She hadn't written to those friends in months. The last time was about a month ago, and it was the shortest letter she'd ever received from Harry, telling her to be ready around September. It was one of the only two Harry owled to her, one of the only five letters she'd had all summer, with the exception of Viktor's (she wrote back saying only that she wouldn't be able to write for a long time, and that he'd been a great friend). The picture didn't even really seem as alive as it had been when it was taken.

It was then that Hermione noticed it was very dark now, and as her gaze followed the ticking of the clock on her wall, noticed she'd been looking through her album for over three hours. It did hold hundreds of pictures, after all, all of which were specifically hand-chosen one day when she was fourteen or fifteen, to cheer her up on a rainy day. Well, it served its purpose, better than it would have on an actually rainy day.

It was now 11:54 PM. All day she'd spent watching the Muggle morning news for any sign of Voldemort's doing, or Death Eaters' little parties in the Muggle world, as Harry had instructed her to do since the beginning of summer.

Hermione yawned as she lazily tossed her album onto the dresser in her bedroom and yawned as she walked to the bathroom for her nighttime routine (brushing her teeth, washing her face, getting a glass of water, etc.). Just on her way there, she could already feel butterflies forming in her stomach, the ones that would be keeping her awake (thankfully) that night, all night.

Just as Hermione prepared to lay in her bed, she heard a noise. PLEASE don't let me be in another nightmare again, please, she prayed. She heard a crash at her window, and instinctively pulled out her wand from her back pocket.

"Who is it? Who's out there?" she asked loudly. The only response she got was a whisper. She could barely hear it.

"I think she heard--"

"Nice one, now you've ruined the plan."

"I ruined the plan? Who was the one who chose a broom over Apparating--?"

"Remember, we were supposed to put Anti-Apparition Charms around our houses, McGonagall told us--"

What? Brooms? Apparition? Was this what Hermione thought it was?

Were they who she thought they were?

She cautiously walked to her balcony window, wand at the ready. She quickly pushed the door open, closed her eyes, and yelled, "EVERTE STATUM!"

Noramally, the very clever Hermione would have thought of something a bit more... clever, but in the middle of not knowing what to do, it was the first thing that came to mind. Well, it was actually the second, but common sense clouded up "Avada Kedavra", obviously.

Hermione opened her eyes only to see Harry and Ron, who'd been thrown a few feet away and landed on their backs, and were obviously in some pain.

"Wha--? You---! I'm sor-- I didn't-- What are you-- Harry! Ron! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're fine=," Harry assured. He was holding the elbow he'd landed on, though.

"I'm so sorry, I didn' know you--"

"Well," Ron interrupted, and he too, was rubbing an aching limb, "it was supposed to be a surprise."

"A-- a surprise?" Hermione asked, still in a slight state of shock.

Harry and Ron exchanged a smile, and stood up, walking over to where a couple of brooms were leaning against the wall. There was a brown bag, Hermione saw, right beside them. Harry reached into the bag and pulled something out, something Hermione couldn't see, for Ron was purposely stading right in front of him. This was apparently part of the surprise. Hermione, who still hadn't moved a muscle, stood there staring at them in bewilderment, wondering if this was just some sort of hillusination.

"Yes, and now, siss, it is time to present..."

Ron did a mock drumroll with his fingers on his knees.

"... the most delicious chocolate cake an eighteen-year-old ever tasted, made specially for today's new eighteen-year-old, Hermione Granger!"

And with that, Ron stepped aside as Harry revealed a brown cake with Hermione's name on it with little colorful sprinkles around it and a dancing chocolate frog on top.

Hermione blinked, still confused, thinking she must be dreaming.

And then, the bells rang, heard all the way from across the town. Once, they rang. Twice... thrice....

The three stood there for about twelve seconds in near silence, until the bells had managed to ring twelve times.

"Happy birthday, Hermione," the boys exclaimed.

Hermione blinked. Then a second later, all of a sudden, realized that after an entire summer her friends were standing before her giving her the best birthday surprise she'd ever recieved. Unable to contain her intense emotion of the moment, Hermione leapt toward Ron and threw her arms around him. He was certainly shocked, and stood frozen for a moment with a surprised expression on his face while Harry grinned at him. But quickly, Ron's hesitation faded and he returned the friendly hug. When they finally broke apart, Harry noticed Hermione's misty eyes.

"Hermione," he asked, concerned, "are you okay? Did we come at a bad time, or did you not--"

He was interrupted by an identical hug by Hermione as she'd given Ron. Harry sighed and hugged her back, then smiled.

"No, no," Hermione sniffed, "you came at a great time. I just... I don't know... I'm just so glad t o see you!"

Hermione gently pulled away from Harry and unconsciously bit her lip as she looked at him and Ron. "I'm glad to see both of you. Ecstatic, really," she laughed as she brushed away a slipping tear. "I don't know what to--"

"Wait."

Harry walked to retrieve the brown bag again and pulled something else out. It was a book.

"Here," he said as he handed Hermione the book, "'Advanced Spells and Charms aganst the Dark Arts'. I thought you might like it. I mean, I don't think there's any spell you couldn't do, but I wasn't sure if you came across some of these before, and I just thought... I don't know..."

"Thanks, Harry! No, I haven't seen spells like these before... wow, thank you!"

Hermione hugged her friend again, and the whle time, she hadn't stopped smiling.

Ron, who'd been standing by a corner during the whole thing, came out and muttered something incoherent.

"What was that, Ron?"

Ron suddenly turned pink in the face a bit. "I, uh," he began stuttering, "well, I... I'm sorry, I- I couldn't get you something like tha but..."

He pulled out a single white lily from his pocket and stretched his hand for Hermione to take it. Surprised, but flattered, Hermione reached and grasped it, grinning from ear to ear.

"...I couldn't afford... I couldn't afford those kind of books you like, and- If I'd had more time, I would have loked for something... bigger and... flashier, y'know, but... If you don't like...."

Hermione laughed. "No, Ron. I don't. I love it! I really do, its perfect, I love lilies. Thank you... both of you." And she engaged Ron and herself in another huge bear hug, this time giving him a small kiss on the cheek, something Ron really hadn't expected, and only reddened in return.

"Hermione, we'd feel a lot better if you weren't crying, y'know," he said.

"I'm sorry, I just... I- wow. Thank you, thank you for remembering..."

"What?" Ron asked. "You didn't think we'd forgotten, did you?"

"Yeah, Hermione, you know us better than that!" Harry swung his arm over Hermione's shoulder. "We've been couting the days, as a matter of fact."

Hermione laughed and looked down at her shoes, slightly embarrassed. "I just thought... Well, figuring out the Horcruxes, and it's been a long summer... and, I don't know... I love that you two remembered. I wouldn't blamed you if you had."

Ron looked at her with a confused look on his face. "What d'you mean, you wouldn't blamed us if we did?"

"Well, you know, if, distracted by your own lives, you'd... forgotten--"

"We wouldn't forgive ourselves," finished Ron. "Honestly, Granger, your eighteenth birthday, and you thought we'd forget?"

"Not even Horcruxes could distract me enough," Harry agreed.

Hermione blushed, as she was embarrassed for some reason, but laughed again as she swung her arm around Ron, linking the Trio to each other. She looked from one boy to the other, and realized just how proud she was to have friends like these. "You guys are the best. Oh, and I'm sorry for that little--er--accident"

Harry and Ron shared identical grins, for their plan had worked in its purpose: gave Hermione one the best birthdays, and the best day she'd had in a long time. It didn't even matter that she'd thrown them on their backs a few minutes ago.

"Apology accteped," they said in unison.

"Okay, now," Harry began in all seriousness, "tomorrow, well, in the morning, we're off to hunt for the Horcruxes. Neville, Luna, and Ginevra"--Harry muttered the name--"are coming too..."

"Ginny's coming?"

"She's a Weasley," Ron whispered, "we're as stubborn as they come, and you know her, she's the queen. Anyway, Harry's not to happy about it."

"... So I think we should be going to the Burrow early in the morning."

"Why not now?" Hermione asked. "The sooner the better, right?"

Harry thought for a moment and smiled. "You're right, Hermione. But we'd have to go by broom, and you hate flying--"

"I can manage this one time..."

"--and there's only two brooms..."

"So what? Harry, there's no time to waste."

Same old Hermione, Harry thought.

Hermione sighed. "Harry, you two thickheads came all the way over here to wish me a happy birthday in the middle of the night. You know, midnight?! What am I gonna do until morning? Sleep? You've ruined those chances..."

The three friends laughed. How could a day that began almost a nightmare, end like this?

"Fine, then. Anything you need?"

"I'm all packed."

"So... you're ALL ready to leave?"

"All ready," responded Hermione, feeling the picture in her pocket.

"Alright then," said Harry, "I didn't think we'd be leaving tonight, butI don't think it should be a problem anyway."

"Yeah," Ron said, "Mum'll be happy to see you. Ginny too."

Hermione smiled.

"So... uh, Hermione, you wanna get on?" Harry asked, already mounted on his Firebolt and tapping the empty space behind him, motioning Hermione to climb on too.

"Hey," Ron protested, "how come--?" He suddenly stopped as his ears turned red and a blush began creeping up his face, much to Harry's amusement. "Er- I mean... why should you get to ride with the birthday girl?"

"Well," Harry began, "why should you?"

"Because... BECAUSE I'M--"

"CALLED IT!"

Ron opened his mouth to say something, then quickly closed it, obviously not knowing how to respond to that. Boys, Hermione thought.

"That- that's not fair! I was going to call it! Right, Hermione?"

"But I called it first," laughed Harry.

Ron, finally exhausted, sighed and asked impatiently, "Hermione, who would you rather ride with: Harry Potty, or Weasley, the Hogwarts King?"

"Hogwarts King?"

"Yes, don't you remember, 'Weasley is out King'? Come on, Harry, even the Slytherins were singing it..."

"That's only because you..."

Hermione wasn't even listening anymore. She was just smiling, as she had been doing for the past half hour. At that moment, Hermione knew it: No matter what destiny had in store for them, no matter what lay ahead of them, no matter WHAT happened, Hermione would always have her two best friends, the best friends in the world, and among them, she'd never be left behind, and that she should never, ever think that for one moment, that she'd be forgotten.

* * *

Author's Notes: kinda fluffy, I know, and not the best ending, but I liked the plot. But it doesn't matter what I think, I wanna know what others think!