The Last Goodbye

"Oh no, Hermione. I wasn't trying to upset you." Harry said, struggling to get off the old camp bed, but with a great creaking of springs, Ron bounded off the bed and got there first.

One arm around Hermione, he fished in his jeans pocket and withdrew a revolting-looking handkerchief that he had used to clean out the oven earlier. Hastily pulling out his wand, he pointed it at the rag and said, "Tergeo." The wand siphoned off most of the grease. Looking rather pleased with himself, Ron handed the slightly smoking handkerchief to Hermione.

"Oh... thanks, Ron... I'm sorry..." She blew her nose and hiccoughed. "It's just so awf-ful, isn't it? R-Right after Dumbledore... I j-just n-never imagined Mad-Eye dying, somehow he seemed so tough!"

"Yeah, I know." Ron said, giving her a squeeze. "But you know what he'd say to us if he was here?"

"C-Constant vigilance." Hermione said, mopping her eyes.

"That's right." Ron said, nodding. "He'd tell us to learn from what happened to him. And what I've leaned is not to trust that cowardly little squit Mundungus." Hermione gave a shaky laugh and leaned forward to pick up two more books.

A second later, Ron snatched his arm from around her shoulders; she had dropped The Monster Book of Monsters on his foot. The book had broken free from its restraining belt and snapped viciously at Ron's ankle.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Hermione cried and I wrenched the book from Ron's leg and retied it shut.

"What are you doing with all those books, anyway?" Ron asked, limping back to his bed.

"Just trying to decide which ones to take with us." Hermione said. "When we're looking for horcruxes."

"Oh, of course!" Ron said, clapping a hand to his forehead. "I forgot we'll be hunting down Voldemort in a mobile library."

"Ha ha." Hermione said, looking down at Spellman's Syllabary. "I wonder... will we need to translate runes? It's possible... I think we'd better take it, to be safe." She dropped the syllabary on to the larger of the two piles and picked up Hogwarts: A History.

"Listen." Harry said. "I know you said, after Dumbledore's funeral, that you wanted to come with me." Harry began.

"Here he goes." Ron said to Hermione, rolling his eyes.

"As we knew he would." Hermione sighed, turning back to the books. "You know, I think I will take Hogwarts: A History. Even if we're not going there, I don't think I'd feel right if I didn't have it with-"

"Listen!" Harry said again.

"No, Harry, you listen." Hermione said. "We're coming with you. That was decided month ago- years, really."

"But-"

"Shut up." Ron adviced Harry.

"Are you sure you've thought this through?" Harry persisted.

"Let's see." Hermione said, slamming Travels With Trolls on to the discarded pile with a rather fierce look. "I've been packing for days, so we're ready to leave at a moment's notice, which for your information has included doing some pretty difficult magic, not to mention smuggling Mad-Eye's whole stock of Polyjuice potion right under Ron's mum's nose. I've also modified my parent's memories so that they're convinced they're really Wendell and Monica Wilkins, and that their life's ambition is to move to Australia, which they have now done. That's to make it more difficult for Voldemort to track them down and interrogate them about me- or you, because unforntunately, I've told them quite a bit about you. Assuming I survive our hunt for Horcruxes, I'll find Mum and Dad and lift the enchantment. If I don't - well I think Wendell and Monica Wilkins don't know that they've got a daughter, you see." Hermione's eyes were swimming with tears again. Ron got off the bed, put his arm around her once more and frowned.