The Great Hall was scantly populated with fellow students tucking into breakfast, no more than as many might be found using the Great Hall as a study hall during exams, but it was more people than Hermione and Harry had seen in the castle since their return yesterday evening. It was a bit refreshing to see other people; Hogwarts took on the aura of horribly tomb-like and glum when it was empty. No one was wearing their school robes, though a few of the pure-blood young wizards and witches wore other fashions of robes, what no doubt constituted regular attire in their homes.

The Gryffindor table was sufficiently bare that Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were able to find a place well away from anyone else so they might talk. While they filled their plates Hermione was the first to ask their redheaded comrades, "What are you two doing here, anyway? Shouldn't you still be at the Burrow with your family celebrating?"

Ron nodded and spoke around a mouthful of food, "Wu wure." He stopped to forcefully swallow his food and resumed, his eyes shifting to Harry in the process, "When your aunt and uncle's house was attacked some folks at the ministry contacted Dad. Plenty of people he works with at the ministry know you're close to our family so they were good enough to floo us as soon as they knew it was something to do with you."

Harry was eating heartily during the telling but he paused to nod for Ron to continue.

But it was Ginny who spoke next. "Mum was going spare. I don't know why, she knew you weren't at the Dursleys' for Christmas, we'd told her you'd gone off with Hermione, but she sent Dad right off to the ministry to keep his finger on things. Our whole Christmas day was Dad popping in and out giving us the latest reports on what was going on."

Harry frowned at that. Hermione could practically hear him thinking that he'd ruined two family Christmases, even if it was through absolutely no fault of his own. She didn't care for his feeling guilty for something Voldemort did (when Harry could have done nothing to prevent it), but she didn't think a lecture on his tendency to shoulder blame was appropriate at the moment. Instead, she asked Ginny, "Does the ministry know anything more about the attack? When we were at Privet Drive the Aurors on the scene didn't seem to have any real leads on finding the Death Eaters that did it."

Ron's eyes widened and his fork froze halfway to his mouth. "You two actually went there? You saw the house and everything?"

Harry nodded as he set down his glass of pumpkin juice. "Yeah... it was pretty bad."

Hermione winced. He wasn't merely talking about the state of the house. She touched his arm supportively and did all she could to draw the attention back to her. "Dumbledore showed up at my grandmother's on Christmas morning and told us about the attack. Harry insisted that he go see his aunt and uncle before coming back to Hogwarts."

Ron grimaced. "Ow. I can't imagine that went well."

Harry shook his head. "I've finally been disowned."

"Oh... I'm sorry, Harry," Ginny said.

"It's not that big a deal; they've wanted me out of their lives permanently from the day I was left on their doorstep. Ironically, it would have been better for them if they had gotten rid of me. Would have saved them and me loads of grief. And Dudley would still be alive." Harry stared down at his plate.

Ginny narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at Harry. "Did you get that cut on your lip getting disowned?"

Harry touched his fingers to the healing wound (almost completely healed now thanks to Madam Pomfrey's expert tending) at the mention of it, and he made a queer face. He didn't relish discussing how the Dursleys abused him. In fact, he tacitly avoided it. "Yeah," was all he said in answer to Ginny's question. His tone stated clearly that he would not elaborate on the incident.

"Those bastards," Ron growled.

Harry sighed. "You can't really blame them for hurting me this time."

"Sure we can," Hermione said sharply.

Harry looked at her wearily. "Dudley died, Hermione."

Hermione's jaw set firmly as that protective fire flared within her, then she countered, "You didn't kill him."

"I near as well did; Voldemort's followers went there because of me." When Harry saw Hermione about to protest his reasoning, and quite probably go into a tear, he blocked her by turning to Ron and saying quickly, "But the attack on my aunt and uncle doesn't explain what you two are doing at Hogwarts when it's still Christmas holiday."

Hermione pursed her lips as she regarded Harry closely, fully aware of his blatant diversionary tactics, then she gave in and looked toward the Weasleys.

"Oh, well, Dad found out you'd be coming back to Hogwarts, for safety and all, and me and Ginny asked to come back early and keep you two company. Dad managed to speak with Dumbledore about it so we could use his floo to get here. We got in just this morning."

"Thanks, Ron, Ginny. You didn't have to give up your Christmas because of us."

"Truthfully, we were all too happy to come back. Mum's cousin Wulgrig was spending this year with us. He gets passed around to a different person in our mum's family every year, and this year was ours. Cousin Wulgrig's a nice enough bloke, but too much like Fred and George for his own good. Twenty years ago he was pulling a prank on a friend and it backfired and he got covered in magicked permanent stink sap. He's smelled bloody awful ever since. He doesn't notice it anymore, but everyone else around him sure does. Fred and George volunteered to come back early, too, to keep you company, but Mum wasn't buying it from them."

Harry smirked crookedly and shoveled a forkful of sausage into his mouth. Hermione had been eating just as steadily while Ron and Ginny talked about their disrupted Christmas day.

Ron paused to watch Harry tucking into his breakfast with gusto to do him proud. "Really have to say it's good to see this whole nasty business with your cousin hasn't killed your appetite."

Harry swallowed and returned with an accompanying vague gesture at Hermione next to him, "Hermione and I haven't eaten since the day before yesterday."

"Oh... well, we'll not tell Mum that part. She really worries over you, you know."

"Yeah, I know, but she needn't... next time you talk to her let her know I'm all right."

Ron nodded and gave a one-shoulder shrug. "I keep telling her that you're just fine, but it does no good. I think it's that she hasn't had the opportunity to fuss over you in quite a long time that she gets bothered with thinking that you're not being properly taken care of."

Harry's expression softened a little. "Miranda more than took that responsibility upon herself, I'd say."

Hermione smiled into her plate without looking up.

"Miranda?" Ginny queried.

Harry ticked his head in Hermione's direction and gave a small, sheepish smile. "Hermione's mum." Harry paused then and his face turned stormy. "That's the worst part of all of this mess."

"What's that?" Ron asked.

"Hermione's parents and her grandmother had to leave everything and go into hiding." Harry scowled at his cup. "I wasn't willing to risk them being harmed, not after what happened to Dudley, so I packed them off to Remus Lupin with a bag of money to see them somewhere safe where I hope Voldemort can't find them."

Hermione looked up then and rejoined the conversation. "They went willingly, Harry, no one forced them to go, and they know you're just concerned for their well-being."

"That doesn't make it any less buggered. Your family and Ron's are the last people I would ever want to see put in danger because of me," Harry groused dourly, then he shook his head.

Ginny tapped the tongs of her fork against her plate as she thought. "They went to Lupin you said, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then I'm sure they'll end up somewhere safe."

Ron nodded agreement. "She's right there, Harry. Lupin's not about to let you down."

"I hope so," Harry mumbled.

"They will be safe with Lupin, there's no question about it," Ginny insisted, then her expression went from fiery to sad. "We really are sorry about your cousin, Harry."

Ron nodded. "Yeah... real shame, that."

"Yeah..." Harry's face screwed, "it's weird. I don't... I'm sorry that he was killed, but I'm not sad that he's dead. I'm more upset about the Grangers and Gram than about Dudley, or about Vernon and Petunia. Guess that makes me a pretty rotten person."

"Hardly. Of course you'd be more concerned about the people who love you than those mean-spirited relatives of yours. That doesn't make you a bad person." Hermione's tone brooked no argument on the subject.

"Mean-spirited or not, they didn't deserve that."

"No, but you're not happy your cousin was murdered. You're just not crying over the family that made it a point to make you feel unwelcome in their home from day one. If not being torn up about that makes you a bad person, then I'm a bad person, too."

Ron held up a finger. "Here, too."

"Same here," Ginny said.

Harry looked at each of them in turn.

Hermione gave a curt nod and turned to Harry. "There... so if you're going to say you're a bad person for not shedding a tear over Dudley Dursley then you're also saying we're all bad people."

Harry broke and gave Hermione a very faint, lop-sided smile of deep appreciation. Naturally, he could never think ill of her. He wouldn't categorically deem Ron and Ginny bad people. Hermione knew all of that full well. Therefore, he had to let go the notion he was bad or face Hermione's indignant passion. Harry knew the ferocity of the lioness when it was loosed, and he had no desire to be on the business end of her claws for being a 'thick git'. It managed to work loose a knot of guilt that had lodged in his chest that was not so much for Dudley's death but the fact Harry wasn't more anguished by it. Hermione said it was perfectly normal that Harry wouldn't mourn Dudley's passing... when he knew it was okay that he wasn't sad, he felt a burden lifted from his chest. He had been smothered by the presumed responsibility that he grieve for a person he'd never loved.

For a few seconds there was only the sound of silverware on plates and cups returning to the table as the four friends ate breakfast the morning after Christmas day. It was telling that they had not breathed a word about their gifts in favor of talking about Death Eaters and murdered family members. If there was ever a sign of the times it was for four teens to converse as they did on a day like the day after Christmas.

"Oh!" Ron said suddenly, "almost forgot, we brought Hedwig back from the Burrow with us. Though I think she would have preferred to get back here on her own. Don't think she cared much for the floo."

"Can't say I blame her," Harry said, "she and I would both much rather fly to get somewhere."

"I don't understand how any of you can enjoy—" Hermione began to say, but a matronly voice broke into her statement.

"Miss Granger."

All four teenagers turned their heads to watch Professor McGonagall walking down the Great Hall toward them, a letter in her hand. She stopped before where they sat and smiled kindly at them all, then purposefully at Hermione. "Miss Granger, Headmaster Dumbledore asked me to give you this."

Hermione took the letter. "Thank you, Professor." Her expression reflected puzzlement, but then when a student got a letter it was typically delivered by owl, not by the head of one's house. Everyone else at the table noted the oddity in McGonagall playing post.

McGonagall nodded, her smile fell slightly, and she took a step further to rest her hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'm so terribly sorry about your cousin, Mister Potter."

Harry nodded graciously. "Thank you, Professor."

McGonagall gave his shoulder a gentle pat and she left them to their business. Harry turned at once to Hermione. "Who's it from?"

Hermione tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter. The second her eyes took in the handwriting her entire energy shifted to razor-sharp acuity. "It's from Mum and Dad."

Harry immediately slid over to sit pressed closely to her side so he could lean in and read the letter over her shoulder. Hermione moved to hold the note farther to her left to make it easier for him to read it along with her.

'Hermione and Harry,

'We can't say anything about where we are, but we wanted to let you both know that the place Mr. Lupin found for us seems to be very secure. We are certain we'll be safe here, and we don't want either of you two to worry about us. Just concentrate on watching out for yourselves. We still have a family holiday to finish.

'We don't know how often we'll be able to communicate with you, but whenever possible we'll let you know that we're still safe. Please do the same.

'Until next time, all our love,

'Mum, Dad, and Gram'

Harry let out a huge sigh of relief. Hermione looked up at him, their faces so close they could have very easily kissed, and she looked to be just as relieved as he to hear from the Grangers, if not more so. With a beautiful smile gracing her features, she wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and hugged him. Harry returned the embrace with one arm around Hermione's back while another kink in that knot in his chest unraveled. The Grangers and Gram were somewhere safe, at least for now.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

Hermione and Harry broke apart and Hermione, her face relaxed and the lovelier for it after the good news, answered, "It's a note from my parents and grandmother that they've found a safe place to lie low for a while."

"Oh, good. See? Told you Lupin would come through."

Harry gave a nod. "Of course, we won't really know how safe it actually is until this is all over and nothing's happened to them, but... still, it's good to hear that they're settled and hidden." Harry had had more than his fair share of horrible scenarios running rampant in his imagination where the group was attacked en route to their safe house.

Hermione tucked the letter into her pocket, a considerable load off her mind. "What shall we do now that we're here waiting for the term to start again? I suppose we could take back up with the wandless magic."

Ron groaned. "Please, no. The quill is never going to move, Hermione. It's best that we just accept it. Not a one of us is going to learn to do wandless magic. It would have been wicked if we had, but it won't happen."

"You don't know that," Hermione countered.

Ron gave her a patented 'are you completely touched in the head?' look. "We spent half of last term wasting hours of our free time staring at our quills like a bunch of bloody idiots. Half the school thought we'd lost our collective marbles."

Hermione's lips pursed but just when she looked ready to launch into another classic Ron/Hermione argument she calmed down and said coolly, "All right then, what do you suggest?"

"It's the holiday. I suggest we don't do anything that might even remotely resemble any kind of work."

Hermione's mouth opened and closed soundlessly a moment as she visibly tried not to get into it with Ron, but compelled by her nature to protest his laziness and the suggestion that she do the same.

Harry reached over and touched her hand. It distracted her from getting into it with Ron. When she wasn't on the cusp of a row anymore, Harry directed his words to Ron placatingly. "You know Hermione can't just do nothing. She wouldn't be Hermione if she kicked back and lazed away the day without accomplishing something."

"Tell me about it," Ron grunted, "drives me nearly mad. Just proves that she was always better suited for you than me."

Hermione's fight to keep from bickering left her in a rush at Ron's off-hand remark, and she cast Harry a soft, demure smile. Harry smiled back and withdrew his hand.

"Surely we can think of something," Ginny said.

When Hermione didn't offer up another recommendation the four returned to their morning meals, content for the time being to take things one at a time and make up their activities as they went along.