They All Love You

part sixteen

Hermione didn't wake up until she heard a voice. 

"Hermione, Hermione wake up," a soothing voice came. 

Blinking, Hermione opened her eyes to stand up and see her parents infront of her.

"Mum? Dad?" she whimpered in disbelief. One moment she was seeing Bellatrix, the other she was seeing her dead parents. She must be loopy. "Where am I?" she cried out.

"Hermione, it's alright. You're in Erised," her father smiled, giving Hermione a small hug.

"The place of desire?" Hermione questioned. Her parents nodded and gave her a warm smile.

Hermione took in her surroundings. She was in the middle of a street near her old neighborhood. She smiled as she spotted her old home, sitting at the end of the street. 

"Hermione, we only have a few minutes- please, we need to show you something," her mother cooed, grabbing Hermione's hands and taking her to another home she once never recognized. It was pale yellow, almost beige, and had a small lawn with lily flowers planted around in white planter boxes. 

Hermione cocked her head slightly, confused at what she was seeing. In a moment, an older version of Hermione stepping out of the home, carrying an infant. Behind her, none other than Harry Potter came out, smiling at her. Hermione' eyes widened at older Hermione and older Harry's quick kiss while they held hands at took a walk down the street. 

"What is this?" Hermione interrogated.

"It's what you want," her father whispered in response.

"But-but this isn't what I want! I-" Hermione started in disbelief at the scene. 

Her and Harry Potter? Plus children? Was this really what she wanted?

Before Hermione could keep asking, the feeling of apparition occurred as she felt abruptly on the ground near her camp. 

"Hermione!" Theo called, worriedly running up to her, looking at her with scrambling eyes looking for injuries.

Hermione was crying again, missing the presence of her parents. It's not real, they weren't real she kept telling herself, but she wanted it to be. So bad. With all of her life she wanted her parents to be alive and real. "Hermione, where've you been! You found the portkey and, well, we all were taken back here!"

Hermione looked up at him, trying with all her might not to cry infront of another human being.

"Stupid award taking me to stupid Erised-"

"Hermione! There you are! Where did the portkey take you?" Cho's excited voice came bustling out of the tent, Malfoy curiously following her, not saying a word. "Merlin, you're crying!"

Theo was about to burst from his anxiousness, "Hermione, you said Erised, right? As in the place of desire?" 

Hermione just nodded, sniffling as she wiped her tears of quickly.

"So you're crying because you got to see what you wanted?" Cho questioned, raising a confused eyebrow.

"I'm crying because I saw my bloody parents, Cho!" Hermione snapped, trying not to cry again.

"You're crying because you saw your parents? Don't you, I don't know, live with them besides school?" Malfoy chimes in, seemingly just as confused as Cho was with the whole ordeal.

"Draco-" Theo warned, him apparently only knowing what happened to Tom and Sarah Granger.

"Or maybe I'm crying because their bloodied bodies were found in the attic of Borgin and Burkes! And maybe I'm just a little bit sensitive of the fact that they were killed like animals because of their fucking blood status by Death Eaters!" Hermione screamed at Malfoy, storming off to Merlin knows where.