BACK HOME MALFOYS!

How it started (Part 2)

Hermione Granger sighed deeply as she sat on her bed. She faced out of the window as the waves crashed into the beach, though she was oblivious to it. She wondered what she was doing, really. 

She had done all she could. She had checked with the Magical and Muggle Ministry; there was no family called Wilkins. 

She felt utterly lost. The war had gotten over two years back. She had had trouble in sorting out her emotions and remaining stable. The memories in which she was plunged into whenever she saw the scar on her forearm, proclaiming her a mudblood.

And just, JUST when she was finally settling down; she had worked her way up in the Ministry, she was good friends with many people, had many important connections, had FINALLY made peace with the teenage Death Eaters of her time, had a steady boyfriend, and her two best friends, Ron had cheated on her.

Harry and Ginny, her practical brother and sister, had sent several owls in the beginning. After a few weeks though, they had stopped. She wondered why. 

A brown curl tickled her cheek, as she watched the sunset. She was utterly alone in the world. She wondered if this was how Malfoy felt all the time. It was not a very nice feeling. But at least he had his mother, who had been pardoned for helping Harry and the Order. 

A tear traced its way down Hermione's cheek. A hopeless feeling engulfed her. Her parents.. She remembered the way they had comforted her when she had been bullied; the way, even when they knew the Wizarding World was dangerous, had allowed her to continue at Hogwarts; the way they had embraced her and cried when she had returned fine after her petrification; the way they had thrown her birthday parties; the way they had been so supportive of her crush on Ron, even if they felt he was not the right person for her to be with; the way her dad had been so overprotective; the way they had welcomed Harry to their home; And the way they had been supportive of whatever choices she had made. 

And Hermione... What had she done? She had wiped her parents' memories of her. Even if she found them, would they even forgive her? 

Maybe if she had still had her best friends and ex-boyfriend... Maybe she wouldn't have been so hopeless. Maybe she had missed something, but she just didn't have the energy to do anything. She felt drained. 

Peri cooed from nearby, and rubbed her beak against Hermione's cheek. She always left Peri free. The beautiful owl was trained excellently, and would not scare muggles. Peri perched on the special leather band Hermione had had made for her wrist especially for her owl to perch on. As she absently rubbed the owl's feathers, she wondered what she should do next.

Go back home and face Ron, and the paparazzi, hounding her about her break up and what being a war heroine was like and what her plans for the future were, and what she had for breakfast. 

Or start afresh here in Australia, where she was not as famous as she was in Britain; maybe work her way upto the top. If she needed to, she pondered, she could always change her identity. 

Determination flooded into her features. She had to be brave.

The second option it was then.

 (Almost two years later)

Hermione Jean Granger blew a strand of hair out of her face as she made a face at her reflection. She really was going to be late, she mused as she checked the watch once more. Alina was going to kill her. She had to go all the way to Perth for the party, and the flight was in an hour. Alina, of course, a muggle, didn't know that Hermione could be in Perth in a few seconds, but that was just as well.