Hermione's day had already been long and wasn't likely to give up any soon. She loved her work, thrived on it, but being a healer at st mungo's was exhausting work when you were well and rested. Doing her job when shed been up fighting with Ron all night was just too much. She moved down the hall, past people in various stages of disease, infection and injury, hoping they didn't see the traitorous tears that threatened to make an appearance and give away the secrets she hid so well behind her prim, proper and capable appearance.
It shouldn't be like this. We were so young and so invincible after Hogwarts… now look at us.
Her husband, Ronald, was a drunk and a wash out. It hadn't always been that way. They'd been through pain and horror and violence and bloodshed and grief and came out strong. What they couldn't handle, it seemed, was life. Just, life. The endless drudging monotone of everyday existence when there were no castles or villains to make them feel so alive.
Maybe it was the day Ron was told her was suitable to be an auror. Maybe, the day she got her dream job and became the breadwinner. Smiling, joking, touching, gone. Replaced with bottle after bottle of fire whisky, a horrible, loathsome man who didn't do anything but sit and wait for her to come home, come home to accusations and scorn and raised fists….
Hermione shuddered at the memory, the bruising still evident under her long sleeves. She didn't want to remember, even though she knew it was far from past. She missed the castle, missed her parents, and missed just being an overly clever child again.
I'm all alone in this now, in this big grown up world.
Harry couldn't help; he and Ginny were so happy, so loving. Besides what would Ginny think of her? The weasleys were her family, she couldn't risk losing them. But logic, her old friend, told her she couldn't carry on like this either.
"Mrs Weasley? Hermione?" her assistants voice rang out down the corridor, louder than was really proper for a hospital.
"Yes, Marta, I'm here." It came out wearier than she wanted.
"Mr Weasley is here to see you."
Oh Merlin, Ron was here at her work. What was he doing? What if he made a scene?
The horror must have shown on her face because her young assistant focused on her with a look of concern.
"Mrs Weasley? Are you quite alright?"
"yes I'm fine, just haven't eaten much is all. Can you please ask Ron to wait in my office?"
Marta's face puckered in confusion before relaxing with understanding
"noooo, Mrs weasley, I'm sorry, I forget. The other Mr Weasley, Fred? The twin that comes by here? The, the very handsome one?" the last statement induced a blush in the blonde freckled girl, and Hermione in her relief didn't fail to experience a pang of envy at the young woman's embarrassment.
Fred's here. Thank god.
With the first genuine smile she'd experienced in days and a much lighter step she set off for her office, where a joking, larger than life Fred weasley, owner of the best joke shop in diagon alley, and her best friend of late, was waiting for her.
"I see dead people….. Oh sorry granger, it's just you without your make up!" Fred's greeting, insulting as it was, lifted Hermione's spirits no end. Fred was the only one who still called her granger, she was grateful for it today.
"Why did you ever talk me into watching muggle films with you Fred weasley!" her tone was carefree and light, and it took her back slightly, she has forgotten how to feel carefree.
"Because I'm brilliant at persuading the ladies granger, and besides they're really cool!"
He looks like a kid at Christmas, bless him.
"Anyway, you, enough dawdling in this miserable place. We're going to lunch, care to accompany the best looking weasley madam?" he held out his arm in the manner of a Victorian gentleman, and she realised with a jolt of her stomach: he was attractive.
Not that she hadn't known the twins were good-looking before; enough girls at Hogwarts had thrown themselves at the twins. But no, since very nearly losing his life at that awful battle in Hogwarts, Fred had grown up, not matured but become more adult. When things were bad with Ron, Fred cheered her up.
Stop it. Stop it now. Just because your marriage is bad, don't you even entertain those thoughts…?
She must have looked dazed because when she focused in again, the red-headed man was staring at her with worry in his eyes.
"Hermione… you okay? We don't have to go you know…"
"No, I'm okay, let's get going!" with her biggest fake smile, she took his arm, trying to ignore the butterfly's in her stomach.
