Heroes Assemble!

Taking Stock

"Good to see you back, Ms Granger," Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister for Magic said as he entered her office.

"Thank you, Minister," Hermione replied, making the man frown, after all these years, she still insisted on being formal, well, at least at work.

"And how's our wayward boy?" Kingsley asked.

"All things considered, he's doing well," Hermione replied.

"I was glad to hear that those charges were dropped, utterly ridiculous. He should never have been charged in the first place," Kingsley stated.

"Yes, well, Harry's never had much luck in that department," Hermione replied, referencing, of course, the time in Harry's fifth year when similar charges were laid against him by the British Ministry of Magic. "I didn't know that you were going to petition to have Harry extradited back to Britain."

Kingsley shrugged. "Figured it wouldn't hurt to attempt it. We could easily drop the charges once he was here."

"Thankfully, it wasn't needed; Mister Murdock did a brilliant job of defending him," Hermione replied.

"How did a muggle lawyer end up as Harry's defence lawyer?" Kingsley frowned.

"A friend of a friend," Hermione shrugged, not willing to give too much information away, even to an old friend who also happened to be the Minister of Magic. "And, again, Minister, thank you for the portkey to get me over there as quickly as possible."

"My pleasure, Hermione. After what the two of you did for Britain, a few perks here and there seem a small recompense," Kingsley smiled.

The two were interrupted by a knock on the door and a shock of red hair poking in.

"Hermione?"

"Ron!" she replied with a smile.

"I'll leave the two of you to catch up," Kingsley stated before making his exit from the office.

"Heard you were back," Ron said as he dropped his lanky frame into a convenient chair.

"I arrived home last night," Hermione confirmed.

"Alone?" Ron asked.

"Well of course alone, what did you expect?" she asked.

"I don't know," Ron shrugged. "Thought maybe you could have convinced Harry to come home with you. Six years, Hermione. Nearly seven, really. That's how long he's been gone and he really only sends letters back to you. Stopped sending them to me years ago, didn't he?"

"You know what Harry's like and I told you every time I got a letter. He was never able to send letters regularly, not knowing where he'd be from one day to the next," Hermione defended her best friend.

"Yeah, but it's not like that now, is it? He's settled now; bought a place and everything, not that any of us can work out why New York instead of here. He hasn't even visited once!" Ron stated.

"He's promised that he will," Hermione protested.

"When, Hermione? When's he going to visit?" Ron asked.

Hermione sighed. "I don't know, Ron. He's not the only one who could visit, you know. You could go visit him."

"Me? In New York? Are you barmy, Hermione? I wouldn't last a day in a muggle city like that," Ron protested. Then, after a couple of heartbeats, Ron continued in a smaller voice. "Is he at least happy?"

"Yes, Ron, he is," Hermione smiled. "I think, after all this time, he is finally happy."

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