A Single Moment

The magical doorbell rang, making everyone start. “Okay,” Harry said, getting up and heading to the door. “Act surprised when you see Hermione’s parents, right?” Everyone nodded, and he walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

The others sat tensely until Ron, realizing they didn’t exactly seem calm and happy, said “Lavender? How’s your training going?”

Lavender looked surprised. “Um…pretty well, I guess. Harry and Ginny seem to think I’m doing okay, anyhow. I got through Harry’s defense right before coming over here.”

“Really?” Hermione exclaimed. “That’s excellent progress for such a short time! Did you manage to keep him out as well?”

“No, but I did push him out eventually,” Lavender answered hesitantly. “Harry seemed to think it was a good sign-”

She stopped talking when the door opened. They all turned and smiled at Ginny and Harry. “Hello-” Hermione began, and then stopped when she saw her parents. “Mum! Dad!” she said, doing a credible impression of shock. “What are you doing here?”

The Grangers looked grim, but seemed a bit taken aback – apparently they’d expected to find Hermione in harsh, depressing surroundings with a mood to match. “We came as soon as we got your letter,” Mr. Granger said shortly. “Are- are you all right…?”

“Of course!” Hermione said with a smile, and held out her arms. Everyone stepped aside for Mrs. Granger, who walked forward but stopped and peered at Ron. She seemed unwilling to hug Hermione while she was leaning against Ron. “Oh mum, you’ve met Ron before,” Hermione said, sounding a bit amused and a bit exasperated.

“Erm…yes,” Mrs. Granger said, looking unhappy. “Hermione, could we speak with you in private?”

“Oh, I knew you’d think the world was ending,” Hermione huffed. “I’m fine!”

“Is that so?” Mr. Granger said from near the door. “Why don’t you get up and hug your mother?”

Hermione didn’t respond for a moment. “I can’t,” she murmured finally.

“Can’t?” Mrs. Granger repeated, looking hurt.

“I tried to explain the Curse I was struck with in my letter,” Hermione said. “It made me physically weak, so I can’t- I can’t walk by myself any longer.”

“Why haven’t the magical doctors fixed you?” Mr. Granger demanded.

“They can’t,” Hermione told him. “No one ever found a cure for this Curse.”

“So you’re stuck like this forever? And you call that fine?” Mrs. Granger exclaimed incredulously.

“I am fine,” Hermione insisted hotly. “My mind and my magic are still just as strong, and I have Ron to help me!”

“Yes, about that,” Mr. Granger said darkly, glaring at Ron.

“Er, maybe we should go,” Parvati said hesitantly.

Harry was about to respond when he heard a faint tapping. “Shh!” he said, and everyone went silent. “Do you-?”

“Harry, it’s an owl at the window,” Ginny said, pointing. Sure enough, a great horned owl was standing on the windowsill and tapping the glass.

Harry went to get the letter from the owl. “Parvati, Lavender, I’ll see you later, all right?” Hermione said, giving the girls a strained smile.

“Sure,” Lavender said, and she and Parvati climbed off the bed and headed out. “If you need anything just send a message, okay?”

“All right,” Hermione agreed, her smile turning genuine.

“Do you want me to-?” Ginny started, but was interrupted when Harry swore creatively and at length. “Harry!” Ginny exclaimed in surprise. “What’s wrong?”

Harry looked up, and flushed when he realized what he’d said in front of Hermione’s parents. “Sorry. Um, I have to go answer this. Ginny, would you come with me? We need to talk about it first.”

“Uh…Hermione, is that okay?” Ginny asked hesitantly, not certain she wanted to leave Hermione and Ron alone with the Hermione’s parents.

“It’s fine, Ginny,” Hermione said calmly. “But you have to tell me what caused that reaction, or I’ll die of curiosity!”

Harry smirked. “We will, don’t worry. We’ll see you later today, okay? Mr. and Mrs. Granger, it was nice to see you again. Bye, Hermione; bye, Ron.”

Harry and Ginny shut the door behind them. There was a pause. “We would like to talk to Hermione alone,” Mrs. Granger said pointedly to Ron.

Ron started to shift as though to get up, but Hermione grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Anything you say to me, Ron will hear later,” she said stubbornly, crossing her arms.

Ron tried not to look smug; Mr. Granger frowned. “Hermione, we just want what’s best for you,” he said. “All of this was so sudden-”

“Are you talking about my being Cursed, or our engagement?” Hermione interrupted. “Or do you think they’re related somehow? Because they’re not – Ron proposed to me weeks before I was Cursed, and he’s made it very clear to me that he has no intentions of changing his mind. We’ve been dancing around each other for years. I’ve loved Ron a long time; we just finally got up the nerve to admit how we feel about each other.”

“Wait- he proposed weeks ago?” her mother asked indignantly. “Then why are we just now hearing about it?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Hermione said sarcastically. “Maybe because I was worried you’d react badly?”

There was an awkward silence. “Why can’t the magical doctors cure you?” Mr. Granger asked finally.

“The Curse I was hit with was very old,” Hermione answered softly. “It’s been around for decades, and it- no one has ever figured out how to remove it. It’s been banned for almost seventy years, and no one’s even seen it used in almost half a century.” She swallowed. “The- person who used it on me probably did so because it was permanent.”

Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked shocked; despite knowing Hermione had been Cursed, it apparently hadn’t occurred to them that the Curse had actually been cast by someone. “And is the person- is he in jail?” Mrs. Granger asked tremulously.

“No,” Hermione said. “She’s dead. My friend Neville, who I was visiting…he defended us, and she was killed.”

“Oh.” Mr. Granger considered that. “Good,” he said fervently.

“Daddy,” Hermione said pleadingly, “I’m happy. Despite all the horrible things I’ve seen and what’s been done to me, I’m happier than I’ve ever been.” She clutched Ron’s arm and pulled it tightly around her waist. “I know…that it’s hard to understand. But witches and wizards can live long, happy lives even after things like this happen. It’s really no different than- than losing a leg, for example. There are ways to compensate. And wizarding methods are much, much better than a prosthetic,” she added with a slight smile. “I honestly don’t see my life changing much because of this Curse. I still wouldn’t give up life with Ron– and in the Wizarding world – for anything.”

“Sweetheart,” Mrs. Granger said hesitantly, “that man you told us about. The one who… who killed your friend Harry’s parents. Is he still out there?”

Hermione dropped her head. “Yes,” she whispered.

“Did he have something to do with your being Cursed?” Mr. Granger asked.

“Not directly. But the woman who did it was a follower of his.”

“This man, this terrible, evil man, is after your friends, and most likely you as well? Sweetheart, can’t you see how much danger you’re in? How can you want a life so full of peril?”

“Because this is where I belong!” Hermione snapped, raising her voice as much as she could. “It’s taken my entire life to figure out why I always felt different and odd, but I’ve finally found- myself! Who I really am! And,” she added, twisting around to look Ron in the eye, “I’ve finally managed to lay my doubt of my own self-worth to rest. And Ron put the final nail in the coffin.”

Mr. and Mrs. Granger exchanged a look as Ron blushed. “You don’t think you’re a bit young to be marrying…?” Mr. Granger asked hesitantly.

“Oh, honestly,” Hermione huffed, turning back to her parents. “Harry and Ginny are married already, and they’re-”

“They are?” Mrs. Granger exclaimed, her eyes widening.

“Yes. And they’re both younger than us; Ginny was only just sixteen when they married!”

“Is that, er, common for wizards?”

Hermione shrugged, but Ron, who’d kept silent throughout the Grangers’ argument, spoke up; “Not really common, but more common than for muggles…er, non-magical people,” he said.

Mr. Granger considered Ron. “That girl, Ginny, is your sister, correct?” Ron nodded. “Did your parents approve of her marrying your friend?”

“Yeah, of course they did,” Ron answered, deciding that mentioning the long feud between Ginny and their mother and father could wait. “They like Harry a lot.”

“They weren’t worried about his being…well…”

“A target?” Ron finished. “Yeah, they’re still scared, but mostly for Harry, not of him. Harry’s been my best friend since I went to Hogwarts, and he’s always been in danger from one thing or another. But that just made my parents treat him more like another son. And Harry and Ginny…they kind of remind me of my parents; you know, really good together.”

“Made for each other,” Hermione agreed with a smile.

“Mr. Weasley…that is- er…” Mr. Granger stammered.

“His name is Ron,” Hermione said pointedly.

“Fine, then, Ron. What are your plans regarding Hermione?” Mr. Granger asked.

“Er…what do you mean?”

“I mean, Hermione is a very intelligent young woman. Even after this – this Curse – her mind is still just as sharp as ever. She could still do a great deal, like go to University, or take up any number of excellent jobs. What do you expect her to do once you’re married?”

Ron looked very confused. “Uh…whatever she wants,” he said like it was obvious. “Why wouldn’t she?”

“You wouldn’t want her to give up those plans in order to protect her now that she’s less capable?”

Ron shrugged. “Hermione knows what she can do. If she says she’s capable of going to University, or joining the Ministry or whatever, then she is. And anyway, magic would help her with all that.”

“So you’re prepared to support her if she continues her schooling?” Mrs. Granger asked.

“Yeah, sure. ‘mione’s never happy unless she’s reading six new books at once anyway.” Hermione slapped his arm lightly.

“That isn’t what I meant,” Mrs. Granger said awkwardly. “Your family…well, I was under the impression that-”

Ron stared blankly for a second before something clicked. “Oh, you mean support her,” he said. “Er…so I guess she didn’t mention-?” He looked at Hermione questioningly, and realizing what Ron was doing, Hermione shook her head, feigning embarrassment.

“Mention what?”

“Um, my family…well, we just came into some money,” Ron said. “We’re pretty well off now.”

“I wondered…your brothers’ store seems very successful,” Mr. Granger mused. “What constitutes well off in the Wizarding World?” Realizing what he’d said, Mr. Granger looked mortified. “I’m sorry, that was very rude…”

“No, that’s okay,” Ron said. “It’s-” He hesitated; they hadn’t discussed an amount with Harry. “-my share was about two hundred thousand Galleons,” he said, trying to pick an impressive number.

“Hmm. Well I do hope it’s well invested, because two hundred thousand doesn’t go as far as it used to these days,” Mr. Granger said, sounding unimpressed.

“Daddy, Ron said two hundred thousand Galleons,” Hermione pointed out acidly. “For your information a Galleon is worth slightly over five pounds.”

Mr. Granger’s expression while he processed the new information was rather amusing. “Oh,” he said weakly.

“And you’re prepared to support Hermione if she needs it?” Mrs. Granger asked.

“Well yeah, of course. She already has access to my vault,” Ron said, sounding offended. “She can do anything she wants, and I’ll support her any way I can.”

Mr. and Mrs. Granger had no response to that; Hermione frowned at them. “Now that you’re through picking apart every single one of your unwarranted fears about Ron and me, could I have my hug?”

*****

Ron shut the door behind the Grangers and hurried back to the bedroom. When he got there Hermione appeared to be asleep – it was clear her argument with her parents had taken a lot out of her – but she opened her eyes and smiled tiredly at Ron when he shut the door. “That went about as well as could be expected,” she said wryly.

“Yeah,” Ron agreed, returning to his place behind her and flushing happily as she snuggled back against him. “Er…do you think they’re really okay with everything now?”

“No, not entirely,” Hermione answered. “They still think we’re too young, and they’re still afraid that this Curse is far worse than I’d prefer them to.”

“Well, they’re your parents, so that makes sense; they’re worried about you,” Ron said, and Hermione nodded her agreement. “’mione? What do you want to do?”

“What?” Hermione turned her head so she could peer at Ron’s eyes from very close. “What do you mean?”

Ron wasn’t sure what he was about to ask was a good idea (or that he’d like the answer) but he asked anyway; “Your mum…when she asked me about what I’d, well, let you do…” Hermione snorted. “I realized I don’t even know what you want to do. I mean, she’s right, you could go to university, or work at the Ministry, and magic would make it so your being Cursed wouldn’t matter. I think I always kind of figured you’d keep studying forever,” he added, and Hermione scowled indignantly. “So, er…what do you want?”

Hermione glared at Ron for a moment longer, and then, unexpectedly, she grinned. “I don’t know,” she said pointedly. “All I’ve ever really wanted was to survive the war, and be with you. I apologize if it’s not planned and analyzed and measured out to your satisfaction.”

Ron stared at Hermione, the familiar words sinking into him and leaving a warm, happy feeling behind. “Okay then,” he said, matching Hermione’s grin. “Well let’s just keep on, and when the war’s over we can decide then what we’re going to do.”

“That’s not very well thought-out, Ron,” Hermione admonished softly, reaching up to wrap her arm gently around his neck and pull him closer. “But I think just this once I can let it slide.”

The tender kiss was interrupted by a knock on the door. Hermione and Ron gazed sadly at each other, and then chuckled. “Come in!” Ron called, making Hermione wince slightly.

Harry opened the door, and seeing that Hermione and Ron weren’t in a compromising position, edged into the room. “We saw your parents leaving,” he said as Ginny appeared in the door. “Can we come in?”

Hermione and Ron waved them in, and once they were safely inside Harry cast a Silencing Charm on the room. “How did it go after we left?” he asked.

“Reasonably well, I suppose,” Hermione replied. “My parents are still being…well, my parents; but at least they’re no longer as upset about everything. They’re on their way back home now.”

“Thanks, Harry,” Ron added. “I think telling Hermione’s parents that I’d come into some money turned things.”

“It definitely helped,” Hermione agreed.

“No problem,” Harry said distractedly.

“But Harry- um, I told them-”

Ron looked so humiliated that Harry hesitated in his interruption. “Ron? What’s wrong?”

“I told Hermione’s parents I had two hundred thousand Galleons,” Ron blurted out quickly.

“Oh, okay,” Harry said dismissively. “We’ll go and set that up later today.”

“What? You don’t mind?” Ron exclaimed in shock. “But it’s a lot of money-!”

“Ron, I told you I didn’t care about that stuff,” Harry interrupted with a frown. “We’ve got more than enough, so don’t worry about it. We have more important things to worry about right now.”

“We do?” Hermione asked, finally noticing how tense Harry and Ginny both looked. “What’s happened?”

“This letter I got,” Harry said tensely, holding out the parchment he’d received earlier. “It’s from Ernie; we have to go meet with him tonight. He says that he’s managed to secretly purchase something of Voldemort’s – something personal. He wanted to know if it was important,” Harry added with a twist of his lips.

Hermione gasped, and Ron’s eyes widened enormously. “You mean-?” Ron murmured weakly.

Harry nodded grimly. “Ernie couldn’t know it, and it’s a long shot anyway, but it’s possible he’s gotten his hands on another of Voldemort’s Horcruxes.”