Harry Potter and the Year After

Chapter Twenty-two: Four Tiny Hooting Owls

Chapter 22: Four Tiny Hooting Owls

When Harry shut the door to Grimmauld Place behind himself, he took a deep breath and stopped there on the top step.

As long as his spell held, things would be as they should be again. Ron and Hermione belonged together. He did the right thing in making her forget.

He didn't know where he was supposed to go or who he would be with, if anyone... ever. Maybe he'd be alone for the rest of his life? Harry Potter, the Man who Died Alone.

Hermione knew who she wanted. She knew that she could have kept things going with him and she chose not to. She chose Ron. That was the end of it. And now, with Hermione Obliviated, Ron need never know.

It hurt Harry a little to realize that Hermione did have feelings for him at all, they just weren't strong enough to overpower her feelings for someone else. He was glad--overjoyed even--that his relationship with Ron need not be destroyed. However, it still felt like losing a contest.

And it made Harry wonder. If Hermione, who knew him completely, didn't choose him over someone else, then was anyone else very likely to?

He wished that Lupin was still alive. Or Sirius. Or Dumbledore. Or his parents. Who did he have that he could actually talk to about this?

Everyone in the wizarding world knew his name and yet he had no one.

***

When Ron woke up, he was disappointed to find himself alone. He was afraid for a moment that the night before had only been a dream. But then he quickly realized that it could not have been: he was in Hermione's bed.

Pulling on his pajama bottoms, he wondered if Hermione had put her clothes back on in the morning or sometime during the night. He'd fallen so deeply asleep that he couldn't be sure.

Coming downstairs, he saw that Hermione had already finished her tea and was eating a piece of toast while reading something. She looked the same as she did every morning and yet today she was even more beautiful.

Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head.

"Mm, morning," she said with her mouth half-full of toast.

"Good morning," he said. He put the kettle on the stove and started making himself toasted cheese. "What are you reading?"

"Oh, some papers... of Harry's."

"Oh yeah?"

Hermione glanced up from the papers. "He told me to look at them. They're from his vault at Gringott's."

Ron sat down at the end of the table while he waited for the kettle. "Anything interesting?"

"Erm, well he has the birth certificate for Remus and Tonk's baby..."

"Does he? Is he supposed to take care of their baby? I hadn't even thought of that--he'd agreed to be the baby's godfather and all."

"I don't know. He left quickly this morning after having tea. He was already late for work but said he was quitting today."

"Oh. Right, I supposed he did mention that last night." The kettle started screaming so Ron hopped up. His toasted cheese popped up in the toaster then too. "Do you think we should try to find the baby for him? Help him out?" Ron asked over his shoulder while he was busy making himself tea.

"Well, I don't think there's much question as to where the baby is. I'm sure Tonks left him with her mother. He must be there."

"Oh, yeah. I'm surprised this didn't come up earlier. Like at the funerals."