Chapter One
I blinked. Was I hearing things or had those word actually came out of his mouth?
"Are you bloody out of your mind?" I blurted out before I could help myself. His wolfish grin said everything I needed to know. My face, already flaming from the question he had asked, got even redder as I started to splutter out half words and indignant noises.
"I-erm- you- me?! BROOM CLOSET??" I finally seemed to utter an actual phrase before fading back into an embarrassed silence.
"If I had known that was all it would take to send the great Hermione Granger into a tailspin I would have asked ages ago," Sirius Black laughed as he kicked his feet up onto my desk. After Harry and Dumbledore had worked tirelessly to clear Black's name after he had been captured in the Ministry during the showdown in their 5th year, he had taken to freedom quite nicely. 5 years after his release and three years after the defeat of Voldemort, Sirius started to look like a human again. Long gone was the gaunt face of a man haunted by unexplainable horrors and the skeletal body of a starving dog. His smile was bright enough to light up my dim office in the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
I opened my mouth as if to reply but then quickly snapped it shut. How was I supposed to reply to that type of statement? I thought for several seconds, his bemused face not helping one bit.
"And suppose I said yes to your ludicrous proposal?" He rolled his eyes at my word choice and then opened his mouth.
"Well you'll just have to wait and see, won't you Granger?"
Three Weeks Prior*
"GET THE BLOODY HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE RONALD WEASLEY," I screamed throwing things at him and brandishing my wand. That absolute arse had the audacity to bring another woman into my home, my bed. I let out a scream of unbridled rage and flicked my wand so hard he flew all the way down the stairs. He stood there, red from head to toe, boxers the only clothing he managed to pull on before I had put a full body bind on the stupid bint in our room. He just stood there, saying nothing and taking my abuse because he knew he dserved it.
He started to reach a hand out and from 15 feet away I still felt a shudder of revoltion go through my body. I flicked my wand again and he froze, unable to move or speak. I turned and headed back into the bedroom. Frozen on our bed, Cho Chang looked at me, the fear evident in her gaze. I mentally played through my current options, each more sinister than the last. I finally decided on the least problematic of options; I quickly packed my beaded bag, unfroze Cho and Ron and Disapperated before either one could say a word.
I opened my eyes and the comforting view of Shell Cottage greeted me. Fleur came out of the front door, her largely swollen belly preceeding her. She waved and grinned widely and I felt a twinge of guilt for not visting her more often.While I was never fond of her while in school and in the weeks leading up to her and Bill's wedding, using Shell Cottage as a safe house during the hunt for Horcruxes brought us closer together than I would have thought possible. Three years later and she's become a sister to me in the same way that Ginny had. And thankfully, she was too pregnant to do anything about what had just happened. Which was the main reason I went to her instead of Ginny because if I had seen the redhead first I'd have to explain to Molly why one of her children was maimed and another was in Azkaban.
I rushed forward and squeezed Fleur tightly, doing my best to avoid her protruding stomach. She laughed throatily and squeezed me back.
"Ah I've missed you too but if you squeeze any harder, the baby might pop right out!" The years of working at Gringotts had lessened but not entirely removed her accent. We grinned widely at each other, my anger momentarily gone but still burning in the back of my throat. We turned around and headed into the cottage before I opened my mouth to tell her why I was here. As if she could read my mind, she grabbed my hand after carefully lowering herself into a kitchen chair and said, "I'm happy to see you but it is unexpected. Did something happen?"
My throat burned and my eyes started to water against my will. My thumb started to twist the engagement ring that sat on my finger, it's place for the last two years. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.
"I caught Ron in bed with another woman," the silence that followed my statement deafened me. Before I knew what was happening, Fleur's face contorted in anger. Her hair started waving as if from an unseen wind and she looked more Veela than I had ever seen her. She let go of my hand and struggled to stand, reaching for her wand and cursing violently in French.
I quickly got up and gently pushed her back into the chair. "Please don't! The last thing I need is Bill coming for me because I sent you into premature labor," I half-laughed as she huffed and her hair slowly came to a standstill. Her face was still full of rage and redder than I thought her pale skin could get.
"Explain," she said breathing heavily, one hand still on her wand and the other slowly rubbing circles on her stomach. And before I could even stop it, everything flowed out. The weeks leading up to today, Ron withdrawing and "working late", the angry outbursts when I asked simple questions about his assignments, the late night floo calls and finally finding Cho in our bed. At her name Fleur snorted derisively and rolled her eyes.
"Years later and she still is an annoying connasse." I laughed, my knowledge of French slang and cuss words far more vast than I would ever admit to anyone. She huffed again and I knew I wasn't off the hook yet. She narrowed her eyes and studied me, correct in her assessment that I truly wasn't okay. I looked down at my finger again and wrenched the ring off, setting it on the table between us. This ring- a symbol of love and the promise of a happy life together- now made me physically ill to look at. Oh Merlin- the wedding. It was set for a month from now and the thought of having to tell everyone sent me into a spiral. I gasped and swiped the ring off the table, tears running down my face.
Fleur reached out and grabbed my hand and I started to cry harder. I heard my own gasps for air between choked sobs and I knew this was going to be a long night.