Healing the Broken

Chapter 28- Hermione Teaches A Class

The snow had melted away, for it was mid March now, and even Ron's birthday has passed.

"How does it feel to be nineteen?" Harry asks him, and Ron shrugs.

"Not much different- and not very special either. You asked Hermione the same question when she turned nineteen in September." Ron says, and Hermione grins, looking up from her book.

"Yeah, you guys are youngens."

"Youngens?"

"Hermione, you're only seven months older than me."

Hermione laughed. "Only?"

But now it was the middle of March, the snow gone and a few brave buds on the trees daring to have a go at making a flower bloom so early. There was even a lucky flower here and there, one that had made it even in the more colder part of the season. Harry lay on the grass right on the edge of the lake beside Ron and Hermione, looking up at the bright blue sky.

"Well this is terrible." Ron blurts.

Harry looks up. "What is?"

"That we have to say goodbye." Ron says, and his voice cracks with sadness. Hermione lets a tear drip down her face. "I mean- this place. This place is where we've been for years. And we've made so many memories here. This place- without Hogwarts, we never would have met. I never would've gotten to meet three of the most important people in my lives."

Harry coughs, trying not to cry. "Yeah. Yeah you're right."

"Maybe we don't have to say goodbye."

"Blimey, Hermione, of course we do. We can visit, but stay here? We can't go to school here again, and as soon as we leave it'll be time for us to grow up." Ron smacks the hard ground with his fist. "And maybe I don't want to grow up."

Harry pushes his hands behind his head. "We don't have to. We still have to... take care of ourselves, but we can still be young."

Hermione frowns. "You can't."

"What?"

"You can't. You'll be forced to grow up faster because you'll be taking care of Teddy." She says. "I don't want you to have to grow up as soon as you leave."

"Yeah-"

"RON!"

Ron looks back, where Luna sits, waving for him to come over. Ron gets to his feet, brushing the grass off of his butt and combing through his hair with his fingers. "Luna wants me. I'll catch up with you guys later."

When he leaves, Hermione scoots over next to him, and he props himself up on his hands. Hermione sets her head on his shoulder. "Hermione. There's something I wanted to ask you."

"Yeah?"

Harry takes a deep breath, wondering if this was all to much for her. "Well, when I... adopt Teddy, I'm going to move into an apartment, or maybe a house, I don't know. I want him to have some sort of experience living in a house, with well... I don't want to call myself his dad, because I'm not, but-"

"Harry, calm down. It's alright- you can tell me anything, you know that." She takes her head off of his shoulder and pushes a lock of his hair out of his eyes. "Now- continue."

He pushes away the stutter that was building in his throat- her touch still made his heart stop. "I want him to have a proper childhood- I want him to grow up happy. And, I figure that he should be in a house, or some place he can call home, instead of crashing at the Weasley's with me." Harry calms his jittery nerves- this was the part that he was worried to ask. "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to... move in with me?" He rushes to cover it up, expecting her to say no. "But, if you don't want to-"