No surprise here, I'm not JK Rowling and I do not own the Harry Potter characters.
'This is it. The day we find out what exactly is in Remus and Tonks' will. I'm ready but fidgeting, hoping Harry will hurry along before we're late,' Hermione thinks to herself.
It was quite a shock when she got the owl telling her to come today. She marveled over being included in their will; Harry had been much closer to the pair, for they were a part of what his parents' world had been. He seemed a little surprised when she mentioned it but soon settled into a comfortable smile, telling her that she was always Remus' favorite.
Ginny, on the other hand, was not impressed that Harry and Hermione had been asked to come by ourselves. The redhead narrowed her eyes at the curly-haired brunette sitting on the couch at Grimmauld Place, waiting for Harry to come flying down the stairs with apologies by the dozen for making her worry. Ginny hated the kind of thoughtfulness he tried to show to Hermione, ever since she'd left Ron. Hermione suspected Ginny believed that she wanted to be with Harry. Nonsense. Even if she was in love with Harry, she just wanted him to be happy with Ginny.
"So sorry. I got called into work early and got back late and I do hate to make you worry." Harry's apology could be heard before he was seen and then he shuffled into in the room, hair askance and collar unbuttoned. Ginny made a big show of trying to fix both and giving him a kiss, telling him dinner would be ready when he got back and decidedly not offering a dinner invitation to the girl on the couch, but Harry seemed not to notice. 'Oh well, this is our new normal, so be it,' she thought again.
Grabbing a huge handful of floo powder, he threw it into the fireplace and half -yelled "Banning and Bilkes offices!" She did the same and arrived a few moments later.
"Already let the witch at reception know we're here, you can sit down." He was sitting in one of two squashy purple chairs, which instantly reminded me of Dumbledore's conjured chairs and calmed my nerves as I took a seat in the other.
"What does brightest witch if her time think we will be here about?" He grinned as he flipped boredly through an old witch weekly.
She grinned, looking at the clock. "Well, it must be serious to warrant asking both of us to attend." I grabbed my planner out of my bag, trying to pretend to be engrossed in it, so I could avoid the unpleasant questions he was likely to ask. Things like 'why haven't you been around?' and 'so, are you and Ron completely over?'. I hate those kinds of questions; I'm done with Ron, but I have no good answer besides Ginny for why I haven't been around. As I stared at next week's pages in the planner, I contemplated just leaving as soon as I knew whatever I was there for.
But before my charade went too far, he whispered, "I know she is being weird around you, I'm sure it will be over soon." I looked up at him in surprise, only to hear our names being called as he winked. Oh Harry. Let's not pretend things are how they once were.
I followed him into the office, sure that the next few minutes were going to pass quickly. I had no idea just how quickly, though.
"And to Miss Hermione Granger and Mister Harry Potter, we do them the honor of naming them the Godparents of our son, Theodore Remus Lupin, and all the duties that entails." The solicitor, Mr. Banning, put down the document and looked at the two for a moment. "I must ask if you know what this means."
Hermione's surprise was still evident on her face as she shakily spoke up. "Well, s-sir, I think it means we are to jointly raise Teddy?" She glanced over at Harry, whose eyes appeared glazed as he was lost in thought.
Mr. Banning coughed, then nodded. "Precisely, Miss Granger. Unfortunately, this guardianship is to begin soon. Andromeda Tonks, young Mr. Lupin's grandmother, has been taking care of him but is no longer able to do so. She asked that I meet with you today to inform the both of you.
"But I-," Hermione began, but stopped herself. "Okay, sir, what time shall we meet here next week?"
"Same time, same place Miss Granger. Mr. Potter appears to need a little more time to digest this knowledge. I'll hope to see the both of you then."
"Certainly, Mr. Banning. I do appreciate it." Hermione stood up, and pulled on Harry's arm. He, too, stood up and nodded at Mr. Banning, still looking rather lost.
"Goodbye, Ms. Granger. I do hope that the two of you can be suitable for Teddy. He does need the sort of parents that can be devoted to him, with all that he has been through in his short life."
Hermione smiled. "I have never turned down a challenge yet, nor failed at one. I am sure Teddy and I will figure it out together." She walked out the door and out of the building, toward the Leaky Cauldron. Tomorrow, there would be time to figure it out, but this afternoon, she needed a butterbeer and some dinner.
She didn't notice Harry following her until she slipped into a booth and he sat across from her.
"Harry! Why are you here?" She tried to sound exasperated, but felt a bit pleased inside. No, Hermione. Stop it, she told herself.
He merely shrugged. "I need food."
"Yes, but you agreed to go eat with Ginny at your home." She tried not to sound cold. "Not that I don't appreciate company, but I have quite a lot to think about."
He looked up at her. "Me too. I- you know, I'd better go home after all. I really don't want Ginny to be angry." Sighing, he stood up. "We should get together tomorrow or the day after to discuss what we're going to do. We have to figure out arrangements between the two of us."
"Of course," she replied, sipping her butterbeer. "I'll devise a working plan, then we can change it to suit us." As her food came, he left, seemingly still in the cloud of thought that he'd been caught in at the law office.
She mentally kicked herself. Was there a way she could get out of this?