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Platform 9¾ at Kings Cross Train Station hadn’t changed much since the last time Hermione had been on the Magical Platform preparing to depart to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for her sixth year at the hallowed educational institute. Yet it felt like a millennia had passed since that moment when she’d been excided for another year of learning and adventure with her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. That moment had been two years ago, before Dumbledore’s death, before the war had truly broken out. It had been before she’d gone on the run, hunting down Horcruxes in what should have been her Seventh year at the school that had become her home in the Magical world. An entire war had been fought, she’d been captured and tortured and many people, including friends had died during that final year before Harry had defeated Voldemort at what had been named by the media, The Battle of Hogwarts or the Final Battle.
Yet as Hermione looked around the magical platform, it looked almost identical to how it did when she’d been here setting off for her sixth year. The Hogwarts Express gleamed scarlet, its steam billowing into the air. There were students with their families gathering on the platform, giving their final farewells before boarding the train that would take them to the magical castle in the Scottish Highlands. Large trunks were getting loaded onto the train as were cages with student’s familiars inside; Hermione had Crookshanks cage held tight in one hand, her old familiar sleeping peacefully despite the chatter on the platform. She observed the platform, noticing what had changed since the last time she had been here.
There were less students than in previous years, even with the Eighth Year that had been offered for Hermione’s year group. This was understandable, she knew some like Harry and Ron had declined to go back to school while some students had opted to be educated abroad. Then there were the ones who had been lost in the war, who would never be able to return to Hogwarts. Hermione took a deep breath and wiped away a single tear that escaped her eye. Far too many had died during the war, but they’d made it and she was about to head back to school, to complete her education. Their deaths were not in vain and they would be remembered. Despite the horrors of previous years there was a calmness to the platform, an ease, these people who were gathered around to send their children to school were relaxed compared to the last time she had been here. Voldemort was dead and most of his followers had been captured. Last time she’d been here, parents had been nervous to send their children away, but while some still appeared apprehensive, the majority seemed to be embracing the fact that they were safe and living in a post war peaceful climate.
“You know its not too late to send a patronus to McGonagall and tell her you aren’t going back,” Ron commented, drawing her attention to him, she let out a watery chuckle and smiled at her redheaded friend.
“No, I have to go back, I need my NEWT’S,” she told him quietly.
“We all know you could sit them today and pass with flying colours,” Harry told her seriously, she smiled up at him.
“I need to go back, I can’t let my final memories of Hogwarts be the battle, I need a year of normalcy before joining the real world,” she commented.
“It will be boring without us,” Ron told her, nudging her with his elbow, she chuckled again and gave him a brief hug.
“I’ll actually be able to get work done without you guys making me break a million school rules, every term” she grinned and gave Harry a hug too. “I’ll be able to have a peaceful year sitting in the library and drinking hot chocolate in front of the Common Room fire,” she continued.
“No, you are not becoming a workaholic this year, I have exciting plans for us,” Ginny called, the redheaded which had been stood with her parents a short distance away, saying her goodbyes. She approached their group quickly and linked her arm through Hermione’s.
“What kind of plans,” she asked wearily.
“Oh you know typical girl plans; sleepovers, makeovers, gossiping, drinking, partying, lots of snogging. We’ll be doing all of the things you missed out on while you were saving the world each year,” Ginny commented with a proud look upon her face, Hermione shook her head in dismay while Ron blanched, his mouth falling open in shock.
“Ginny I’m Head Girl, I can’t be partying and snogging, besides I have a boyfriend,” she protested.
“Ginny, I forbid you from snogging Hermione,” Ron told his sister seriously, having finally found his voice.
“I didn’t mean each other you dunderhead, obviously I’ll be snogging Harry and she’ll be snogging Fred, but just so we’re clear, I can snog anyone I like without your permission” Ginny told her brother with a glare.
“I like that plan, though please don’t snog anyone but me,” Harry grinned, pulling his girlfriend into his arms, Ginny melting into his embrace as he placed a sweet kiss on her lips.
“Ginny how exactly are we meant to do that,” she asked ignoring the grimace Ron was making in reaction to his best friend kissing his only sister, Ginny pulled away from Harry and smiled at her.
“It’s simple, we are going to routinely sneak out of Hogwarts, or they can sneak in, I’m sure they are more than capable of doing that, aren’t you Freddie,” she beamed over Hermione’s shoulder.
“Most certainly Gin-bug,” a familiar voice spoke, a voice that made her gasp, turning hurriedly to the man who stood behind her.
Fredrick Weasley, the bane of her existence and love of her life was stood looking very dapper. He was dressed in dark jeans and dragonhide boots, he also wore a pressed white shirt over which he wore an orange patterned waistcoat and a long navy herringbone jacket. Around his neck was an orange bowtie made from the same silken material of his waistcoat. He looked incredibly handsome, his hair was long like it had been in his sixth year and he had a glittering silver earing hanging from his right ear. Fred had one arm swung over George’s shoulder while the other held tightly onto a flamboyant wooden cane, that looked more like a sceptre than a mobility aid. The cane was elegantly carved and had iridescent gemstones in its hilt.
“What on earth are you doing here,” she questioned him, “Healer Sage hasn’t discharged you from St Mungo’s has she,” she asked knowingly, her eyes narrowed on his hazel pair.
“Old Gleamender gave me a special dispensation to come here today, after all I am her favourite patient,” he told her with a cheeky grin.
“She doesn’t know you’re here does she,” she asked him, her eyes narrowing in the same way they’d done many times before when catching him setting up pranks during her prefect rounds at Hogwarts.
“Not a clue love, George helped me escape,” he confessed with a boyish smile on his face.
“Why would you do that Freddie,” she asked him, carefully lowering Crookshanks’ basket to the floor she stepped closer to him and he took hold of her arm letting go of his twin as he did so.
“I’ve been here every time you’ve gone off to Hogwarts and I didn’t want to miss you going for your final time,” he told her tenderly.
“That’s sweet, but I don’t want you to exhaust yourself unnecessarily, not after all the hard work you’ve put into your recovery so far,” she told him as she helped to support his weight.
“I’m okay Hermione, in fact I’ve been working towards a special goal,” he confessed, letting go of her, he took a step backwards using his cane for support.
“What kind of goal,” she asked, her hands nervously held out to help him should he need it.
“Today was my goal, the first day of September, because today is a very special day to me,” he continued, smiling at her tenderly.
“Why,” she questioned.
“Because today is the anniversary of the first time that I met you,” he smiled at her and slowly lowered himself down onto one knee, Hermione gasped as he did so, her chocolate coloured eyes welling with tears as she looked down at the man she loved, the man who was now staring up at her with devotion, a navy coloured ring box held open in his grasp, it had the most beautiful, elegant diamond ring inside.
“Freddie,” she gasped.
“Shush love, I have a speech planned,” he admonished her and she gave a watery chuckle, her heart pounding with excited adrenaline.
“I love you,” she whispered, he smiled at her and reached for her left hand, taking it tenderly in his own.
“Hermione Granger, I am in love with you, I have been for a long time, far longer than we’ve been together,” he told her, smiling softly up at her. “It only seemed right to do this in the spot where we first met. I’m not sure if you remember the day but I do, you were tiny with wild curls, the only person to arrive already dressed in their uniform,” he grinned. “I helped you with your trunk and went off to sit with my friends. Then you bounded into my compartment demanding if I’d seen a toad, got sorted into Gryffindor and became the bane of my existence, constantly trying to put a stop to my pranks,” he chuckled and she wiped at her face with the hand not in his.
“It became my not-so-secret joy to rial you up, to make you turn the most beautiful shade of red. It’s the old cliche of opposites attracting, for I a lowly prankster fell unequivocally in love with the smartest, most beautiful and perfect prefect and by some miracle convinced you to not only date me but to fall in love with me too,” he said his voice choked.
“I really do,” she breathed through her tears.
“We’ve had our challenges, but our relationship has grown from strength to strength, and in distance the heart does grow fonder, last year can attest to that. In your absence my love for you only grew stronger, and I know that you are it for me love, you are the one, the other half of me, my soulmate. You quite literally saved my life at the Final Battle and I am so thankful to you for that because I want to live a full life, a life by your side,” he confessed, both of them were crying now and she didn’t have to look around to know that many of the onlookers were too.
“You are the first person I think about when I wake up and the last person I think about when I go to sleep. My dreams are filled with you and the future I envision for the both of us. I want a house in the countryside with a library you can get lost in, I want fields where our children can fly around and play Quidditch. We’ll have beautiful children with your chocolate eyes and curly red hair, each of them mischievous but with their mothers brains,” he grinned, so did she, she could envision that future, had done several times in her own dreams.
“I want to support you in your aspirations to overthrow the ministry, I’ll be by your side as you rewrite outdated laws and help magical creatures, as you become the youngest Minister of Magic. Whatever you dream is my dream too and I will be by your side supporting you every step of the way,” he promised.
“I know you will,” she replied through her tears.
“I want to grow old with you in a house that is never quiet because, we will always have family around us, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, not to mention many nieces and nephews,” he confessed.
“I want that too,” she breathed.
“But before all that I have a very important question ,” he grinned at her, his eyes sparkling with devotion.
“Ask it then,” she whispered.
“Hermione Jean Granger, I love you, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife and making an honourable man of me,” he asked the first hint of nerves spreading across his face.
“Of course I’ll marry you, there’s never been anyone else, you are my soulmate Freddie,” she responded.
“Can you hold my cane for a moment love, I need two hands for this next bit,” he confessed, she nodded, taking the cane with the hand that was not in his. Fred took the beautiful sparkling ring out of its box with his now free hand and placed it onto her ring finger.
“A perfect fit,” he breathed, she grinned and knelt down alongside him.
“Just like the two of us,” she told him, leaning in to give him a heated kiss as those on the platform around them let out cheers and whistles. She could hear Ginny and Molly sobbing but only had eyes for the man in front of her, the man who she kissed, conveying all the love she had for him and the hopes for the future that they’d have together.
A lot had changed since the first time she had come to Kings Cross, ready to depart for Hogwarts. Friendships had been made, wars had been fought and she’d fallen in love along the way. Hermione was happy at where she had ended up and knew that the future would be a happy one. As the train whistle sounded signalling that it was time to get on board for her final year, Hermione realised that this was the start of her happy ending. The war was over and she was ready to embrace this next great adventure.
The End