"Finally, it's not like your never going to see her again! It may not even take a day" Ron exasperated
"Yes, but it may take longer than a day too." Hermione said
"We know they're in Australia. How big is Australia anyway?" Ron asked
"Well, will you just concentrate on Australia, you too Harry. We can side apparate there."
But for Harry, it took all that he had to remain concentrated on Australia with everything swarming in his head, but he managed to do it. And with a crack, they were standing in the middle of Australia.
"OK, so Australia can be this big, and this hot! Can't we just like summon them or something?" Ron asked
"You can't summon people, sheesh did you never listen in class Ron?" Hermione laughed.
"Well I have a pretty good idea where they might be, lets ask around for a Wendell and Monica Wilkins. There's some people over there, lets ask them first."
"Uh, excuse me." Hermione started talking to a couple nearest to the towns grocery store, as she motioned to Ron and Harry to go ask the other people that they saw. "Sorry about this, but have you by any chance heard of a Wendell and Monica Wilkins? They're dentists."
"Yes, yes... the name rings a bell. I think I saw they're names in the yellow pages when I needed to get my Root Canal" Answered the stout lady, with dirty blonde hair, tied up into a messy bun, her skin looked sun kissed as if she had spent the entire day at the beach. "Your not from around here are you? Judging by your accent, and your very pale skin. What's your name? My names Sheila"
Hermione was taken aback by the bluntness of this lady, but she felt that she would be a lot of help in this case, because she seemed to be outgoing.
"No, actually I'm from England. My names Hermione."
"Nice to meet you Hermione, but what are you doing in Australia?"
Hermione dug deep down inside for a reasonable lie that would make this lady seem sympathetic and want to help. "Well, when I went off to college I didn't want to be a dentist, and they were very disappointed, so I've lost contact with them. But I wanted to apologize for all of those times."
"Oh, shame shame. Well do you need any help looking?"
"Well actually, where do you think would be the best place to look for information."
"Probably the newspaper I suppose, but call me if you need any help. Just go over there to the bar and mention the name sheila, you'll find me best that way."
"OK? thanks" Hermione said as she rushed over to Harry and Ron.
"Any luck?" Hermione asked, but judging by their solemn faces she guessed no.
"Well actually we found this..." Harry answered as he handed over a battered newspaper.
"Couple injured in car accident" Hermione read the outline out loud. As she read ahead her eyes got bigger and bigger, until they began to swell up with tears. She read it out loud, but most of it was incoherent, as her voice was muffled by Ron's shoulder.
"Wife critically injured, Husband in a coma. Names have not been released yet, but there's a picture of them in the article." Harry explained to her, as she cried on Ron's shoulder. This was the most awkward time for Harry, he felt out of place, like the third wheel on a three wheeler; only needed until the rider grows up and moves on.
"I'll try to find a map, so we can find that hospital." Harry said absentmindedly, leaving Ron and Hermione in the middle of the sidewalk.
"I just don't understand." Hermione wailed. "After all I went through to protect them, they die by muggle means."
"It's not your fault." Ron said soothingly into Hermione's ears. "At least they didn't suffer at the hands of Voldemort."
"And what do you think being in a coma feels like, or being critically injured in a car accident." Hermione wailed again.
"Ron didn't have an answer to this, because to be honest he didn't really know what a car crash felt like. The only times he had ever been in a car is when his dad had that car from the ministry. But from what he had gathered, that was different from the muggle types of cars.
"I found a map, it's just down the block from here." Harry piped in, when they weren't saying anything.
"Are you going to be ok?" Harry asked Hermione, though he knew it was a stupid question, but it was all he had. He wanted Hermione to know that he was there for her too. Hermione just shook her head in response to this, while Ron just flashed a questioning glance towards Harry. "Well, here it is. Capital Care Hospital"
Hermione walked up to the front desk wiping away her tears as Ron stood back with Harry.
"Tragic." Ron sighed.
"Yeah, I feel really bad. But hey, they maybe they'll make it out ok."
"Yeah, let's hope for the best." Harry mumbled as Hermione walked up to them again.
"They're in room 202, she said it was on the second floor, first room to the right."
"OK" Ron sighed, wrapping his arm around her waist.
Harry just walked by Hermione, feeling like a deadbeat.
"Uh, isn't this the room?" Harry asked, as they were about to pass the room marked 202.
"Yeah, I guess it is. The lady didn't tell us very good directions I guess." Hermione said blushing, either that or she didn't really pay attention that much. As they walked into the room Hermione gasped, her mother was in such horrible condition that her face was distorted, she didn't look like her normal self. The nurse tried to explain to her that it probably happened when her head hit the steering wheel. Causing Hermione to cry again, Ron just tightly hugged her reassuringly, this time Harry joined in on the hug. Just as they were pulling apart, they were interrupted by someone walking into the room. Harry was the quickest to look around his shoulder, causing his jaw to drop.
"Hermione.." Harry said, tapping her shoulder.
"MOM!" Hermione squealed, you didn't get into a car accident.
Hermione's mom laughed. "You must be Susan, Monica said she had a daughter that encountered severe head trauma when she was little. It's nice to finally meet you, my names Monica also. Me and your mom met at a convention."
"Mom, cut it out. It's me Hermione" Hermione cried, forgetting at the moment that her mom wouldn't of remembered her.
"I'm terribly sorry dear about your mother, she's right there though"
"Why doesn't she remember me?" Hermione whispered to Ron. "Oh yeah.." She mumbled remembering it all.
Hermione whipped right around abruptly saying "unconfundo" before anyone else around her could witness this, or her mom could get any body's attention.
"Mom!" Hermione said tearing up.
"Hermione, dear!" Mrs. Granger responded, as she swiftly swooped her daughter into a huge hug. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too, I almost thought you were going to die the past hour."
"I'm sorry you were put through that."
As this whole scene unfolded before Ron and Harry, they just stood back awkwardly, not really sure what to do.
"And who are these two boys?" Mrs. Granger questioningly asked.
"Oh, you've met them before. This is Harry, and this is Ron" She said Ron a bit dreamily, as she introduced them to her mom.
"Oh yes, I remember now. My they have grown up, their dental hygiene is satisfactory. How do they do it?"
Hermione laughed, it was as if that was the first thing her mom always noticed.
"Where's dad?" Hermione asked.
"Oh, he's at the office. I just came here to bring Monica some roses you see. We became really good friends this past year."
"Oh, I'm really sorry about that." Ron chimed in
"Me too, but I'm glad that Hermione's protection protected you." Harry added
"Well, we better go over there and lift that charm before he can say plaque." Hermione said. Mrs. Granger laughed at this.
That night after they had lift the enchantments off of Hermiones parents, they went back to Hermione's hometown. Not knowing what to expect. Surprisingly the House was still standing, as were the other houses around it. The inside of the house was another story. It looked like the gryfindor boys common room after a tornado had gone through it, and that's maybe under exaggerating. Hermione was really glad that she had took the precautions that she had, and erased all traces of her or her family, she didn't even want to think of what might have happened.
Two girls ran up the street as they saw the familiar red corvette pulling into the driveway.
A chorus of, "Where have you been". and "There were these men, that came to your house and they looked like they were looking for something" and "we were worried about you." Rang throughout the neighborhood that night.
"Well I'm very tired right now, as are my two friends that you'll just simply have to meet another time. Can we hold off the questions and answers until tomorrow?" Hermione explained to her two friends.
"Well, I guess. But we missed you, and were worried sick. We feared the worst, that letter you sent us last year scared us. 'I just want to say goodbye because I don't know if I'll ever see you again, so this is my proper farewell' we were convinced it was a suicide letter. But Amber said she thought she knew you better than that." The taller girl with strawberry Blonde, pin straight hair explained.
"I'm sorry Elizabeth. But, hey I'm here, and very much alive."
The three girls hugged, and went their separate ways.
"I didn't know you had muggle friends you still kept in touch with." Ron gasped as they walked into the disastrous house.
"What did you expect, that I just lived in a hole the first eleven years of my life?" Hermione retorted "I bet Harry had muggle friends." But Harry just shook his head no in response to this.
"I was always considered the weird kid, and if anybody ever even showed that they wanted to be my friend, dudley would sure squash that opportunity." Harry said, releasing some of his bottled up anger.
"I'm sorry." Hermione said touching Harry on the shoulder.
"Sorry, I guess I've just never really thought about it. I guess sometime it would be cool to meet them." Ron apologized
"Well of course I'd introduce you."
"Hermione!" Mrs. Granger shouted up the stairs
"What mom!" Hermione yelled back. Ron collected that instead of apparating when they were being lazy, they just yelled up and down the stairs.
"Can you come down and help us clean, I know your tired, but we'll get it done a lot faster that way."
"Sure mom!" Hermione said as she ran down the stairs.
"Why can't you just use magic?" Ron asked.
"Oh, I am." Hermione replied.
"Here mom, I can do it a lot faster, the joy of magic!" Hermione said, and with a flick and swish of her wand the house looked as spotless as they had left it.
"WOW, I wish you could've done magic all of your life" Mrs. Granger laughed.
"Me too, Love you mom. Good night" Hermione said, hugging her mom.
"Good night, love you too." Mrs. Granger responded.
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