Hermione's Surprise

Hermione knocked on the door to Grimmauld Place. After waiting five minutes she huffed and turned around, deciding to go to the Leaky Cauldron and book a room.

“I’ll send Harry an owl and see where he’s staying,” she mumbled to herself.

After her argument with Harry a few months ago she’d gone to Australia to find her parents and return their memories to them. Initially she thought it would take a few weeks at most but it turned out that they had decided to travel around Australia so she had to go looking for them.

They hadn’t been pleased with her once their memories were returned to them and to her shocked horror they had contacted the Australian Magical Ministry who had provided the former Mr and Mrs Granger with amulets that would stop any and all mind magic from being performed on them in the future. As Hermione had initially wiped their memories when they lived overseas she was given a warning and not charged like she would have been had she performed the act in Australia.

Afterwards they had sat down and discussed what they planned to do going forward. Hermione had realised that they just didn’t belong to the same world and even if they moved back to England, she would hardly ever see them as she planned on living in the magical world.

She still had a trust account they had left to her and they agreed to give her another ten thousand Australian dollars and while she was welcome to call and visit, they would be remaining in Australia.

Hermione wasn’t oblivious enough to miss the hurt in her parent’s eyes when they mentioned what she had done to them. Yes, she did it to save them but she didn’t think to ask them what they wanted and how they would feel. The fact that she took away their choice and used magic to make it happen had them clearly feeling uncomfortable, especially since she was their daughter.

She’d stayed with them for a bit but it wasn’t long before she was making her way back to England. They’d promised to stay in touch but Hermione knew deep down that they’d never be as close as before, she’d broken their trust and she knew they were probably thinking about what else she had done that they didn’t know about.

After arriving back she had immediately gone to Grimmauld Place, hoping that Harry would be there. All she wanted at the moment was for him to take her into his arms and hold her tight; telling her everything would be alright.

She could just imagine him, the smile on his face after seeing her for the first time in months. The way he’d open his arms to her, hug her tight, and then he’d profess his love and kiss her.

Hermione sighed dreamily, before focusing on her destination. It wasn’t long before she had a room booked for a few days, lunch on its way with copies of a few newspapers so she could catch up on what’s been happening. The room was basic but Hermione didn’t mind, she wasn’t expecting to be staying there for long. She’d showered and dressed by the time lunch had arrived.

As she ate lunch she couldn’t help but imagine Harry sitting next to her, bantering, laughing with her as they ate their meals together. She could just imagine sharing breakfast together before starting their days; he’d be a successful auror while she’d work in the ministry. They’d get married and she would finally be Mrs Hermione Potter and after a few years they’d have their first child.

Hermione sighed happily. She couldn’t wait to see Harry again and talk to him about their future. Over the years she had easily fallen in love with her best friend and although they hadn’t spoken about it, she knew he loved her too. She’d be lying if she said that she hadn’t worried when he’d shown interest in Cho and later Ginny but after spending a year together hunting horcruxes she knew they were closer than ever. She’d have to think about who would be her maid of honour when they got married seeing as Harry would probably pick Ron as his best man.  

After refilling her cup of tea she picked up the first paper lying face down on the table. She was about to throw it away when she saw it was The Quibbler until she registered what the headline said and froze.

CONGRATULATIONS HARRY AND LUNA POTTER ON YOUR BONDING!

In a secret ceremony witnessed only by those closest to the couple, Lord Harry Potter has bonded with his fiancé Lady Luna Potter nee Lovegood.

Although not widely known, Lord Harry and Lady Luna entered into a betrothal before what should have been Lord Potter’s seventh year at Hogwarts.

After the Battle of Hogwarts where our Boy-Who-Lived became the Man-Who-Conquered, Harry Potter stayed by the side of his then fiancé as she spent time helping her father, Xenophilius Lovegood, heal from his imprisonment.

The couple were the first of their friend group to bond, but the others are unlikely to wait long before following in their footsteps now that the world is free from the shadow of You-Know-Who.

For anyone who is unaware, unlike a marriage, a bonding is where a couple merge their magic and souls through a ritual blessed by Lady Magic. Also unlike a marriage, it’s not reversible, there is no ‘divorce’ when a bonding is performed.

The bonding ritual calls upon Lady Magic to bless the union and will be rejected, and the offending parties punished, if there is any type of coercion involved.

Have no fear, our Saviour entered this bonding of his own free will and was not forced in any way.

We wish the new Lord and Lady Potter a happy future.

Under the article was a photo showing Harry and Luna waving, bright smiles on their faces, before turning towards each other and sharing a kiss.

All the glass in the room with Hermione exploded as she lost control of her magic for the first time since before she started Hogwarts.

“LOONY?!”