Title: Harvesters
Author: Emmylou
Summary: Grief is a selfish emotion, and when Harry and Ron become desperate for the things that meant so much to Hermione, will these things give them comfort or rip them further apart?
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, the characters, creations, and settings are the property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and other associated trademarks. This is a fictional piece created solely in respect of the original work with no infringement intended, nor any profit being made.
As usual with these sort of situations, Harry hadn't been angry for long, and by the next morning his stomach ached with guilt and general misery that he and Ron were on such uncertain terms.
He had dumped all the photos he had of Hermione, even ones that had not been in the box before, and tucked them under his robes before leaving for the bank.
As he meandered through Diagon Alley he tried to figure out what to say. He had browsed Flourish and Blotts and peered guiltily at the Owls in Eyelops before deciding to come clean totally. Maybe Ron would forgive him. He purchased a new water bowl for Hedwig and marched determinedly to the bank.
The bank was busy with Witches in Power-robes and Wizards browsing the Financial Times (Galleon Supplement). Families were clearly rushing to get out money for Christmas.
"Not another one wanting to see their Finance Officer?" said a girl at the Personnel counter with a put-upon sort of disposition. "No Gunthor!" she said suddenly as a burly man clutching a bag of what seemed to be goblets and crowns pushed Harry aside. "You want Treasury to see your Official Weighing-In Assistant. That's counter seventeen- where it deals with Curse-Breaking. You see?"
Gunthor the Curse-Breaker grunted and thundered off.
"Anyway back to you," she said, tucking her wispy hair back into a rather ambitions sort of bun. "You want to see your Finance Officer?"
Harry had rather distracted by a Goblin climbing up a ladder to fill in an enormous chequebook hanging from the domed ceiling, somehow managing to write with a quill at least as tall as he, Harry, was.
"I don't have a Finance Officer," said Harry blankly.
"So you want to arrange to meet one for an introduction? You've picked a very busy time you know…"
Harry felt rather put-off by the girl's 'Don't say because I already know' attitude. He glanced back to the gigantic cheque, where the Goblin was filling in the amount.
"For charitable donations over three hundred Galleons," she explained shortly asfter noticing where he was looking. "Now I can't get you an appointment until-"
"I want to see Ron Weasley," said Harry quickly, one arm clutched firmly around the box of photos.
"Don't be silly!" said the girl absent-mindedly. "Ron works in the Curse-Breaking and mapping department. He wouldn't be able to help you arrange your financial needs. Aha!" A pebble, with an ancient sort of rune pattern on it, seemed to drop from nowhere into a bowl on her desk. "You're in luck! Madame Kettleday has cancelled her appointment…I can see you myself in ten minutes."
"No- I want to see Ronald Weasley."
The girl cocked her head- as if finally hearing him.
"Oh very well," she said irritably. "I'll let you through…but remember your appointment with me in ten minutes!"
She tapped a velvet cord with her wand and it opened to let him through. Baffled at the people Gringotts employed, and feeling a bit nervous about the confrontation that was about to arise, Harry wandered through the marble corridors.
Harry had been to his own vault at Gringotts many times, but the dark twists and turns of the cart was nothing to the utter confusion caused by the endless corridors in the administration part of the building. Goblins moved about carrying gigantic books and every now and then he moved into open areas in which hundreds of them were sitting at desks, counting, calculating, and filling in ledgers. He walked past a room filled with nothing but abacuses and several more which seemed to have nothing but large books.
When he found signs to the mapping department, they never seemed to lead to anywhere of use. He was half wondering whether this was some retaliatory trick of Ron's when the woman from the counter bore down upon him.
"I've been waiting for ten minutes you know. I have other clients to think of…follow me."
She started walking away at an incredible pace, turning sharply at corners and not slowing down, even as Harry breathlessly tried to explain.
"You see…I don't want the appointment. I'm trying to talk to Ron Weasley…I can't find his office…"
The woman wasn't listening though, for she stopped at a door that seemed identical to the fifty or so others in the corridor, tapped it with her wand, and stepped inside.
"Sit down then," she said. There were two hard little chairs and a table. Harry got the impression that the bank did not seem fond of people who wanted to empty their vaults.
"Name."
"Er, Harry Potter."
"Everyone's a comedian at Christmas," she sighed. She looked up, her eyes darting to her forehead and paused. "Oh, right. Potter, Harry."
She tapped an in-tray with her wand and pulled out a file which now read 'Potter, Harry James.'
"Well Mr. Potter, you have five-thousand Galleons, seventeen Sickles, and three Knuts in your account. How much are you intending to take out?"
"Er…I dunno…fifty?"
"Fifty?" she echoed incredulously. "Mr. Potter, you are in the wrong department. You go to any of the main desks and they'll lead you to your vault. You can take out fifty Galleons there. Your Finance Officer deals with withdrawals of over one-thousand Galleons. Anything less and you're just wasting my time."
"But I don't want to draw out money…I want to see Ron Weasley."
"You've already seen him once," said the woman quite impatiently. "You can't see him again anyway…its lunch in ten minutes and we're going to get something to eat."
"We?" said Harry.
"Me and Ron," said the woman. "I offered to buy him lunch."
"Did you listen to his answer?" muttered Harry. "Listen, er…"
"Janie, Janie Wechsler."
"Janie…" the name clicked. Surely, surely, this wasn't the woman Ron had been planning to go for a drink with?
It all made sense now…the woman's bossy, no-nonsense, attitude, her strange brown hair piled up high, even her name…Janie…Jane. Ron was trying to keep a little piece of Hermione by going out with a woman who if you didn't really listen to her and squinted a bit, might bring Hermione to mind.
He clutched the box of photos tight under his robes.
"Listen Janie…"
"Madame Wechsler…" a Goblin with a scowl burst into the room. "Oh…" he saw Harry and paused. "I've got some documents regarding the sale of Bookworm Place for you."
Harry froze, and watched with fascination as the documents were handed to Janie.
When the Goblin had gone, Harry leaned forward to peer at the parchments.
"Are those regarding the sale of the house formerly belonging to Hermione Jane Granger?" he asked innocently.
"Yes," said Janie shortly. "Anyway…about this withdrawal…"
"How much is the bank predicting that the house will be sold for?" cut in Harry.
Janie attempted to pin some fallen hair back up. "With fittings? Well it could be for anything really…probably about ten thousand Galleons…"
"I want to buy it," said Harry.
"Don't be ridiculous," said Janie. "That would require a substantial loan…"
"How do I get one of those in time?"
"In three days?"
Harry nodded. He couldn't accept some cheap imitation of Hermione as Ron seemed to be able to…he needed the last, final piece of her.
"Well," said Janie. "You are currently unemployed?"
"I wasn't sure about what to do…after the war and everything." Still, if there was ever a time or reason to start working this was it.
"Well, you would have to bid for the house, and then pay back the amount you'd have overdrawn and pay it back at a fixed interest rate. You'd need to have a job by the time the payment would go through in the New Year otherwise the payment would become null-and-void…and Merlin help you if you don't keep up with your payments…"
"I'll do it," said Harry, shrugging off her warnings. "Can I bid anonymously?"
"Your Finance Officer would be your official representative at the bidding…I would be entitled to bid anonymously on your behalf up to a specified amount."
"Whatever it takes to get the house," said Harry quickly. He got up and left without saying goodbye, and as he left the building he hoped fervently that this time he didn't bump into Ron.
The next two days were spent in a rush. He brought all the newspapers he could find, and began taking notes on all of the jobs he was applicable for. A disgruntled Hedwig barely had time to rest at all as she was sent back and fourth with applications for jobs. In between this (and usually flipping through the job sections at the same time) Harry wrapped up his gifts. There was a handbag for Mrs. Weasley, a book on aircraft and piloting for Mr. Weasley, a toilet-seat that howled in disgust when you sat down on it for the twins (Harry had some difficulty wrapping that one) and a watch for Ginny all still to be wrapped and sent. Ron's gift (a gigantic box of Chocolate Frogs and a Card Collectors book) was sitting in its bag.
Harry had had many ideas about what to do with in these last few days, but he decided that he would regret it later were he to throw them away. Finally he decided to wrap them after all. He closed his newspaper (for it seemed wrong to look for work when wrapping Ron's present) and tugged a new sheet of paper and spellotape in front of him.
He was just trying to decide whether to wrap the two gifts separately or as one, when the doorbell rang.
He padded to the door to find Ginny stamping her feet in the snow outside. He didn't quite know what to say. Had Ron sent her?
"Hello Harry. I just came to say hello…and to drop off my present of course."
She held up a bag with little snowmen on the front and a gold bow stuck to the side. Harry nodded and let her in.
She tugged off her hat and hung up her coat on the peg before smiling at him in a friendly way and wandering through into the sitting room.
"Wrapping presents too, eh?" she smiled. "It's one of my favourite jobs…Percy used to pay me to do his…he never mastered the corners and the ones done by magic just fall apart after a few hours."
"Hair cut?" asked Harry, he had just noticed her long red hair was now considerably shorter.
Ginny nodded with a big smile. "You're the only person who's seen it yet…I've just had it done. Hermione…I was talking to her about it a couple of weeks ago. She said it would suit me…and with one thing and another I never managed to get it done."
"It does suit you," said Harry. She looked even prettier now.
"Thanks. This isn't for me is it?" she asked cheekily, peeking down at Ron's unwrapped gift.
Harry shook his head.
"Oh good!" she laughed. "I hate those cards. At least I hate the way boys seem to obsess over them."
"It's for Ron," said Harry awkwardly.
Ginny straightened up. "He spoke to me about the pictures," she said softly.
Harry thought of the picture, nestling under his bed. He was angry at Ron right now, but he wasn't angry at Ginny. Would he blurt out the truth?
"I know it was an accident. Hedwig's usually so reliable…" she shrugged. "Maybe the tie came loose or something. There are other ways of remembering Hermione."
She sat down, pulling her scarf onto her lap and slouching back.
"I'm sorry," said Harry. He throat seemed stuck.
"It's okay. We'll always remember her. I still have some pictures." Even this reassurance sounded bitterly disappointed. Harry had a very strong urge to sprint into his bedroom and return with the pictures just for her. He stamped it down.
He made a decision there and then. After Christmas, he thought. I'll give them to her then…say I found them in the Garden. This took some of the weight off of him. He could look through the pictures once more and then give them to the person who deserved to have them next.
"Would you like a drink?" he asked awkwardly. He and Ginny had not spent much time alone since they had broken up so long ago. They had stopped off at each others homes to drop things off and pass on messages, and they had spent lots of time together in a group with Ron and Hermione, but they were rarely alone together for more than that. Harry expected they would be alone like this a lot more without Hermione around and him and Ron on unsteady terms.
Ginny asked for tea with an alarming four sugars. He wandered into the kitchen to make some and to scavenge some biscuits he had bought in early December.
"Are you coming to mum's tomorrow?" asked Ginny as he returned with the tray. She had made herself comfortable, stretching out in front of the fire and pulling her cardigan onto her lap.
"I'm not sure-"
"Ron wants you there too," she said quickly. "He was upset about the pictures. Knowing him he said something stupid. Please. It'll be Christmas day."
Harry nodded unsurely and slumped down next to her.
"To Hermione," said Ginny. They clunked their mugs together and sipped at the tea. They ate the biscuits (declaring them to be awful, but still finishing off the plate) and after a while Ginny got up and completed wrapping Ron's present in a much more professional way that he would've been able to manage.
"I won't even charge you the customary three Knuts a parcel for this," she smiled.
After a while she moved onto insulting his previous wrapping efforts (although she admitted that when it came to the toilet seat, his guess was as good as hers) and unlike being around Ron, Hermione didn't feel quite as obviously missing. When they sat and talked it almost seemed possible that Hermione was still in her home reading a book or out doing a bit of last minute shopping.
"There a lot of papers on here," she said, getting back up and returning to the couch. Harry had got up to light the lamps. "The Daily Prophet, The Quibbler…The Job Supplement?"
"I was thinking of getting a job," said Harry wretchedly. "I'm sending off some applications."
"Lets hope Hedwig doesn't loose those them," said Ginny ironically.
"Yeah," said Harry awkwardly.
"It's good you're getting work though," she said suddenly. "I mean Ron seems- I dunno – better for going out and doing something. He's not booked much holiday time this year…I think he wants to be doing something."
'Spect he wants to see more of Janie, thought Harry cruelly.
"And you?" asked Harry. "Have you booked a lot of time off?"
Ginny smiled. "Ah…but we people of the anti-theft division are always at the ready! At any given moment we might have to Apparate to a place being broken into by ne'er-do-wells and save the day. I'm getting fed up of wizards breaking into their neighbour's home to steal those in-demand Harry Potter dolls. If you've hexed one you've hexed them all."
"I'll tell my publicists to make more next year," smiled Harry.
"Maybe I could see about finding you a job with us," said Ginny thoughtfully. "You're more than qualified; you just have to Apparate to the place that's being broken into and hex the burglars."
"I'd like that," said Harry eagerly. "Are there any jobs going? I haven't seen any adverts."
"You're really serious?" asked Ginny incredulously. "Well Harry…I think we at Wizarding Securities will be happy to have you on the team. I'll ask my boss."
"Thanks," said Harry, feeling more hopeful about this than any number of the applications he had sent off.
The rest of the afternoon was spent putting up the decorations that Ginny had demanded should go up. A tree, considerably more wonky than the one Harry and Ron had conjured, had been created and pushed into a corner and a few baubles and bows had been found and were being put up. One pathetically knotted row of fairy lights had been found and sorted into something usable and Hermione's reindeer ornament was placed in pride of place on the highest branch.
"You know," said Harry suddenly, realising what it was about her outfit that was bothering him "I'm sure I've seen Hermione wear your cardigan before."
Ginny looked down at it on her lap. "Yeah, Hermione left it at my flat when she last came…I'd hate it just to be forgotten about, so why not wear it? I'll always think of her then when I wear it. It's better that keeping it unwashed an unused as though she'll come back for it."
Harry nodded, looking at it and trying to remember where Hermione had been wearing it.
They talked for a little while longer, Harry had never been so grateful for Ginny's company. He remembered why he had enjoyed going out with her so much. She was fun to talk to and be around, even when you were sad.
Ginny went to look for something worth eating for dinner, leaving Harry on the sofa, the wireless playing behind him. He picked up the cardigan, it was a chocolate brown. Utterly Hermione.
Ginny walked back in with more tea and some pathetic looking sandwiches. He dropped the cardigan.
"You don't like shopping much do you?" she asked as she plonked the tray down on top of the newspapers.
Once the sandwiches were eaten (and complained about even more than the biscuits) they tidied up and Ginny grabbed her scarf.
"I better get going," she said. "I want to go and show off my new hair to mum and everyone. I'll be stopping there tonight, so you might see me in my pyjamas tomorrow morning!"
"I'm coming wearing a hat made of mistletoe then," grinned Harry.
"I hate mistletoe," she said.
"You've not seen my hat yet," said Harry.
They smiled and looked at the floor.
"You know," said Ginny. "I was thinking. I could go out there and get hit by the Knight Bus right now. Hermione thought she had her whole life ahead of her after the war…how does that make me any different?"
"It just-"
"So, if you don't mind…" said Ginny. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek.
"In case you get hit by the Knight Bus?" said Harry.
"And because I wanted to," said Ginny honestly. "Goodnight Harry."
"Night Ginny."
It was only when Ginny had disappeared up the path and he had sat back down that Harry noticed that she had left Hermione's cardigan behind. He tucked it under his bed with his stash of pictures.
After Christmas, he reminded himself.
Thanks for reading!