Fade Into You
Chapter 9 - Showtime
"Holy shit, you lot are lucky to have a glamour team," Sebastian says when he surveys his room of presenters.
Hermione rolls her eyes, "Thanks for that insight Seb. I do know that I look like shit."
Harry smiles, "You've looked worse."
Hermione scoffs, "I've had two children, whats your excuse?"
"Years of excessive alcohol ages you," Harry says sincerely, and a little bitterly.
Chelsea yawns, "I just have massive sleep pattern issues."
"Well you'll all need glamour charms, you aren't going on the Visual Radio looking like that," Sebastian says with amusement, "The team are in the next room. Get sorted before we do the run-through."
Hermione mock-salutes her manager and he winks at her as she leads the way into the side room where the glamour team are waiting for them. They have individual seats with their names on them and Hermione can't help but smile a little. This really is like the old days. Her life hasn't been like this for a good while.
"So I heard you on the floo to Cass last night," Harry says from his seat next to hers as the team set about covering up the bags under their eyes and fixing their hair, "The water dispenser is outside your bedroom."
Hermione isn't sure how comfortable she is about Harry's tendency to eavesdrop, especially considering the conversation she and Neville had had later that same night. She swallows a lump in her throat and nods, Harry can't have heard that argument. If he had he wouldn't be acting so normal around her, "Yeah, I was just letting her know I got here safe. She worries quite a lot."
"A bit like her Mother then," Harry jokes.
Hermione smiles weakly, "Yes," she agrees.
"You're nervous aren't you?" Harry asks, as Hermione's hair has its final touches added.
"Terrified," Hermione admits as she catches his eye, "I've never been on camera before. It's always just been my voice and... I'm not young anymore."
Harry smiles and leans across, grabbing her hand, "You were cute at 14, gorgeous at 24 and you're still beautiful at 34 Hermione. Don't worry about that."
Hermione smiles at him, "Thanks Harry."
They are both aware of Chelsea watching them but she doesn't say anything. Harry drops Hermione's hand as the glamour team announce they are done and the moment is over as quickly as it had begun.
The next thing they know they are rushing through the run-through, minus the guests, and checking the connection to England for Oliver's segment. When it is over they grab some food from the local take-away and by the time they have finished eating it is nearing 7pm. The show is starting at 9pm for the pre-cup coverage which they expect to have an audience generally of witches and wizards who were 14+. When the cup begins it will move down to 7pm for a more family friendly show. They still have restrictions of course, but the post 9pm showing means they can use minor swear words and make the odd suggestive comment. Hermione wouldn't normally allow the kids to listen to the radio after 9pm, she hadn't ever let them listen to her chat show but it had been on at 10pm and it really had a lot of swearing in it. She was allowing an exception this time because of the nature of the show and because of the fact she was so far away from the kids for it.
Two hours seems like a long time, but by the time they have all had their glamour charms touched up, their hair fixed once more, the studio set up and have done a final read-through of the script it is time to get into position to start the show.
The Australian studio is a lot bigger than the one in England they had used for the pilot and it is a lot fancier since it will actually be seen on this new visual platform. It has a small circular stage sort of area to the left which is to be used for the challenges and then there is the seating area. There is a large glass coffee table and then a big, comfortable pale blue sofa where the guests will sit. There are two armchairs, one a pale yellow and one a mint green which are seats for Hermione and Chelsea. Then Harry, who is in the studio with them for a lot of the pre-cup coverage (he will be out interviewing players during the actual games) has his own little area. He has an armchair on the other side of the sofa, Hermione is honestly glad that he is a little bit removed from her.
The charms are in place to record the audio and visual signals and send them across the world. This show is airing in all English speaking countries live, so it is going straight to the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South America and a whole load of other places. It is the biggest project Hermione has ever taken part in so as she watches the light go from red, to amber, to green she is incredibly nervous.
"Hello and welcome to QWC Weekly!" Hermione says brightly, "We are very happy to broadcast today from Sydney, Australia. And for many listeners you may now be viewers thanks to the wonderful new invention of Visual Radio."
"But for those of you who are still just listeners," Chelsea says with a smile, "Don't worry, you won't miss out on anything apart from the stupid expressions we all pull!"
Hermione laughs, "We have one hell of a show lined up for you tonight. Our first guest is Roger Davies, the coach of Puddlemere United and the former England coach!"
"Our second guest is Daphne Greengrass, model, actress, singer and radio presenter," Chelsea says brightly, "She is of course known for her photoshoots for Quidditch Magazine, and she is a massive Quidditch fan so she'll be here to share her predictions for the cup."
"And later in the show I'll be joined by Ricky White, former captain of the Australian Quidditch team, to hear his predictions for this cup and his theories behind the huge jump Australia made between this cup and the last," Harry says with a smile.
"We will also be joined by Oliver Wood," Hermione adds, "And he has an exclusive interview with Angelina Weasley, former chaser for England, so that is all to come later in the show."
"Along with the first real challenge of the show," Harry adds with a grin, "So you better up your game ladies, it's all worth points now."
Hermione and Chelsea both laugh, and Hermione says, "But for now, our first guest joins us on the sofa, Roger Davies!"
Roger walks in via a doorway in the back of the studio and waves at them all as he sits down. He is older now, a few years older than Harry and Hermione but he hasn't aged badly. He smiles broadly as he shakes Hermione's hand.
"Thanks for coming all this way Roger," Hermione says.
"Thanks for having me," Roger counters, "I'm delighted to be here."
"And we're delighted to have you," Hermione says, "I think my little boy and my not so little girl at home are going to be very jealous. Our family are huge Puddlemere fans."
Roger grins, "Ah now a little birdy told me that. I saw you at our friendly with the Appleby Arrows on Saturday with your children so I did a bit of research and found out their names."
Hermione is frowning as Roger pulls something out of his pocket and enlarges it.
"So these are for your kids," Roger says, "A signed photograph each, from the team."
Hermione is so touched by that, she smiles broadly, "Well thank you so much. You have no idea how popular that will make me at home."
Roger just laughs and says, "Hey, anything for an old high school friend."
Hermione smiles back, "Well thank you again Roger. But I suppose we should talk about Quidditch now. You are of course the coach for Puddlemere, but you also have a book coming out, is that right?"
"Yes," Roger says, leaning forward on the sofa, "I wouldn't call it a biography, or an autobiography. It's more of a history of the English Quidditch team."
"It drops in stores next week worldwide," Hermione says, "And like you say it's basically an encyclopedia of British Quidditch."
"It is building on 'Quidditch Through the Ages', but it's a more specialised version," Roger says, "I just thought I would have loved to read something like that as a kid, so I wrote it for my kids."
"You have two children, don't you?" Hermione asks.
"Yes, two boys," Roger says happily, "A 3rd year, and a 1st year."
Hermione smiles, "And have they read the book?"
"They got to read the pre-publication copy," Roger says, "And they loved it, so here's hoping everyone else does too."
Hermione laughs, "I'm sure it will be fantastic," She says, "Do you and your sons have any big predictions for this year's QWC?"
"Well my youngest son, Toby, he seems to think that Ireland are going to win, but I think it's going to be Australia," Roger admits, "I'd love to say England but I don't think we'll quite manage it this year."
"What makes you say that?" Hermione asks curiously.
"Australia have just been training relentlessly. One of my friends out here actually told me that she saw a practice and said it looked more like Auror training than Quidditch practice," Roger says, "England just don't train like that. So I really don't think that they will be able to compete with that level of commitment."
"Well some of the countries that compete are far harsher of course when it comes to training conditions," Hermione says, "Japan I believe has Quidditch training camps."
Roger nods, "Oh yeah, it's crazy how committed some of the other countries are. I think that's our problem when it comes to the QWC, we're just too lazy," He laughs.
Hermione chuckles, she can't help but agree, "Well it has been a pleasure speaking to you Roger, and I hope you enjoy watching from your sofa with your boys."
"Oh we definitely will," Roger says.
Hermione smiles and says, "Roger Davies everyone!"
Chelsea smiles too, "Such a down to earth guy you are considering you managed England for a good 5 years Roger."
Roger just laughs and Chelsea says, "And joining Roger on our sofa is our next guest. Daphne Greengrass is esteemed in the entertainment world because she can do everything and apparently she's also pretty nifty when it comes to Quidditch!"
Daphne walks out into the studio and waves at everyone. She is wearing skyscraper heels and a fairly short, tight black dress, her long blonde hair is left down and flowing. Hermione can't help but curse inwardly at the fact that they are the same age.
"Evening Chelsea, thanks for having me!" Daphne says as she sits down gracefully on the sofa.
"It's a pleasure having you here," Chelsea says, they are obviously friends, "Thanks for coming all the way over!"
"Oh it's alright, I'm here for a photoshoot to promote the QWC anyway, we're all on the same team here," Daphne says happily.
"Yes, we are," Chelsea says brightly, "You of course are the cover girl for this year's QWC."
"Which is a huge honour," Daphne grins, "I've been a fan of Quidditch since I was tiny, so being here and promoting like this is just a dream come true."
"You must be a good player yourself," Harry says from his armchair, "You have the build of a seeker."
"I can seek," Daphne admits, "But I actually like to be a chaser more than anything else. I don't know how good I would say I am honestly, but I think Quidditch is a great sport and it's also really good exercise which is why I would encourage so many people to do it at Hogwarts."
"It's great for team building," Hermione says with a smile, "And getting to know people out of your social circle."
"Definitely," Daphne agrees.
"You must have played Roger at some point during your Hogwarts days," Chelsea says, "With their only being a few years in age between you both."
Harry laughs, "Merlin Chelsea, you're just making us feel old now."
Chelsea frowns very slightly, "Why?"
"Well when we were at Hogwarts, girls weren't allowed on the Slytherin Quidditch team," Hermione explains.
Daphne smirks, "But I made sure that wouldn't be an issue after I was refused entry to the team 6 times."
Harry laughs again, "Now you really have to elaborate on that."
Daphne laughs, a melodic sound, and says, "Well I returned to Hogwarts after the war, as some other students did, to finish my N.E.W.T's. They called us an '8th Year', and we were to an extent outside of the rules so there was scope to do what we wanted."
Hermione chuckles, "I had heard that from friends of mine who returned to Hogwarts."
"You of course were far too busy being famous," Daphne says as she looks from Hermione to Harry with a smile, "We loved your show at Hogwarts, it was always on the radio."
Hermione smiles happily, "Oh, I'm so glad. We had great fun making it, didn't we Harry?"
Harry returns her smile, "It was great," He says honestly, "But back to your story, Daphne?"
Daphne nods and continues, "I thought it was about time for a fresh start so when Theodore Nott, who is now of course an esteemed and fantastic lawyer, was appointed as Quidditch captain I wasn't particularly happy. I went to the Head of House about it, and I was told rules are rules, girls don't play for the Slytherin team. So, can I swear? Am I allowed to swear on this show?"
Chelsea laughs, "Minor swear words are fine," She says.
Daphne chuckles, "Well, in that case I told him frankly that I thought that was bullshit. He was so shocked he didn't even bother giving me detention and I told him I would be at try-outs and I would prove that girls were just as good as guys. So I got a bunch of friends who were all good players and we sort of stormed the Quidditch pitch at try-outs. The rest of the story is fairly long, and complicated, but long story short, I was captain a week later, and Theodore Nott got a broken nose. Which I must say, in hindsight, I'm very sorry about that," She turns to the wall where the recording charm is and says, "So if you're watching Theo, sorry!"
Hermione can't help but laugh and Harry notices. He chuckles, "I'm sure you'll be forgiven by now."
"Oh I don't know, Slytherins tend to hold grudges," Hermione says with an amused smile.
"Now this is a story I have to hear!" Daphne says excitedly.
"I punched Draco in our 3rd year," Hermione admits sheepishly, "Quite hard, I think."
"Very hard," Harry smirks, "That's not something I will ever forget."
Hermione cringes a little, "Yes, and he still reminds me of it, frequently! But he must have forgiven me, because he married me."
Daphne laughs and waves her hand, "I remember when he came back to the common room after that incident. Oh he was so angry, but at the same time I think I overheard him say that he respected a woman who could stand her ground."
Hermione smiles weakly, she doesn't expect he thinks that now. She doesn't think Draco thinks much about her now if she is honest, "Yes well, I think it was great that you made a stand. There was an issue in our time at Hogwarts, women weren't quite equal with men."
"I think that's fantastic Daphne, what you did for the Slytherin Quidditch team," Harry agrees with a smile.
Daphne smiles back, "Well thank you very much."
Chelsea cuts in, "And now that is time for an advert break! Join us in a couple of minutes when Harry will be talking to former Australian captain Ricky White!"
They break for the ad break and Chelsea rolls her eyes at Harry and Hermione.
"What?" Hermione asks a little irritably.
"This isn't the Harry and Hermione show!" Chelsea exclaims angrily, "It isn't for you to make googly eyes at each other and reminisce about the old days! It's a Quidditch show!"
"Chelsea, calm down," Harry says quietly.
Chelsea opens her mouth to object but Harry doesn't let her get a word in, "Did you go to school with Roger?"
"Well…no."
"Did you go to school with Daphne?" Harry asks pointedly.
"No," Chelsea replies, almost huffily.
"Then you don't understand. Hermione and I did, it brings back memories," Harry says, "We aren't trying to take over the show and we certainly aren't making googly eyes at each other. Unless you had forgotten Hermione is married."
"I'm sorry okay?" Chelsea sighs, "But you two have this whole history and sometimes I feel like I'm just left on the side-lines."
"Sorry for making you feel that way Chelsea," Hermione says honestly, "We aren't trying to push you out."
Chelsea nods curtly and then looks to their two guests, "I apologise, for my…outburst."
Roger just smiles and waves his hand, "You're young, your temper hasn't cooled down yet."
"I'm not young and I still have a temper," Harry jokes, trying to make light of the situation.
Daphne chuckles, "You were a Gryffindor, they are renowned for their tempers."
Hermione smiles, "You have a point," She glances at Harry, "We both have a bad temper, and so does Ron."
"And Merlin, Ginny," Harry shakes his head, "Her temper is…terrifying actually."
"Who would have thought the chosen one was scared of his ex?" Daphne teases.
Hermione frowns slightly at the flirty nature of their conversation and she notices that Chelsea seems to look a little hurt too. That surprises her, she had thought Chelsea was using Harry, she hadn't ever expected feelings to be involved. The light flashes amber in the studio and she sits alert once more, "We're about to go back on," She tells the others.
The small-talk ends and the light flashes to green. Hermione smiles, "Hello and welcome back to QWC Weekly where we are joined by Roger Davies and Daphne Greengrass. Joining us now is Ricky White, the captain who engineered Australia's miraculous improvement over the last 4 years. He has just retired due to illness but his son has taken over his role as captain for the lead up to this year's QWC. Welcome, Ricky!"
Ricky walks onto the stage and waves at the recording charm wall. He is in his early-40's, with greying auburn hair and a typical Australian tan. He sits down at the other end of the sofa, on Daphne's other side and Harry welcomes him to the show.
"Thanks so much for being here Ricky," Harry says as he shakes his hand, "I know things are a bit tough at the moment with your health."
"Oh, I'll be fine," Ricky says in a strong Australian accent, "I couldn't pass up the opportunity to appear on this show in my home territory."
"Can you tell us anymore about why you had to retire?" Harry asks curiously.
"Well it's a recurring problem actually," Ricky says, leaning back against the sofa, "I got hit in the back with a bludger way back when I was about 21. I was just starting out in Quidditch, we don't have it in our schools the way you do in Britain you see."
The others nod and listen intently. Ricky continues, "So I got hit, it barely hurt and I didn't get it checked out. I was fine for years, then I hit 40 last year and I was playing an international friendly against Hungary and I got elbowed by a beater while I was trying to score. It hurt like hell and within a couple of days I was in agony so they took me to Saint Mary's hospital in Sydney. I found out I'd slipped a disc in my back, they rushed me in for an emergency internal operation and they had to replace the disc. So that was when I made the decision to retire from Quidditch, I was going to be out for 6 months anyway and then the healers said that if I played professionally it increased the chance of it happening again. I thought, I've had a good run, I'll give someone else a chance at it. And by complete chance they go and make my boy Daniel captain, so it worked out best for us all in the end."
"Do you think this change in captaincy so close to the start of the cup will make a difference for Australia?" Harry asks, "I mean the team have gone from having a 41-year-old captain to having a 19-year-old one with only a few weeks to go."
Ricky smiles, "Well Harry, I would have thought you would understand this better than most. Age doesn't define us, if you train at something from an early age you can be just as experienced as someone older who came into the sport later. Danny's being training since he was 5, he's got a great deal of experience and he's a well-respected captain. If he wasn't, the team wouldn't have elected him."
Hermione nods, "Because of course in Australia the team elect their captain in the form of a vote. Rather than a governing official making the decision as they do here."
Ricky nods, "Precisely. And as I said Harry, you defeated the darkest wizard of our times when you were 17. So why can't a 19-year-old captain an international Quidditch team?"
"No, I don't have any objections with it," Harry says, raising his hands in the form of defeat, "I just wondered if it was going to present any problems. Changes in captaincy can be quite drastic so close to big events like this."
"I think you just said it yourself, can be," Ricky says, "I've got full confidence in Danny. His style of captaincy is pretty similar to mine and I don't doubt that he'll lead Australia to a win this year."
Chelsea laughs, "Well I think we might be inclined to disagree given that we're all British," She joked.
Ricky laughs too, "No, you're entitled to it. It's only natural that folks support their own team after all, and their own country."
"You might be struggling with loyalties this year Ricky," Hermione says with an amused smile, "Given your recent nuptials."
Ricky shakes his head in amusement, "I thought that might have come up, yeah I just married for a second time. Daniels Mother, my first wife, died in an apparition accident about 6 years ago now. I'm really happy with Maria, but she's Spanish, and of course Spain qualified third for this year's cup."
"Which means Australia will most likely play Spain if they win the first game against Japan," Chelsea says with an amused smile.
"Yes," Ricky says sheepishly, "There will be arguments in our house that day, I tell you!"
Hermione laughs and says, "Well good luck to you both on your marriage and thanks for coming on Ricky. We now head to England where I'm sure the sun is shining for Oliver who is about to interview former England chaser, Angelina Weasley."
With a rather nifty little charm that Hermione herself has helped engineer, an image of Oliver is projected onto the wall behind them and they all turn to look at him. He is standing in a Quidditch ground with an umbrella over his head, and underneath it with him is Angelina. He waves at them, "Hello to you all in Australia. I am feeling incredibly unlucky for pulling the short straw and being the one stuck here where the sun is not shining and the rain is most definitely falling."
Harry laughs, "This is an interview, not a weather report Oliver!"
Oliver chortles and says, "Come to think of it, I would make a dashing weather man. But even more dashing than me is Angelina Weasley former England and Holyhead Harpies chaser and former Holyhead Harpies captain. She's retired now but she's still fully involved in the Quidditch world having launched her own magazine, aimed at female fans."
Angelina smiles and says, "Hey Oliver," She then waves, "Hi to everyone in the studio over in Australia. It's a pleasure to be here in this horrible weather with you all."
Harry laughs, "Sorry Angelina, we would have gladly had you over here but you had too many commitments."
Angelina laughs, "I'd call three children under 10 a nightmare, not a commitment," She jokes.
Hermione laughs too, "I second that, and I only have two!"
"Oh they run havoc on you though, don't they?" Angelina chuckles.
Hermione laughs her agreement and Oliver chuckles, "So Angelina. The big question on all of our minds is this; how are the British teams gonna do? What's your best bet?"
"Well as much as I hate to say it, I think Scotland will fare the worst," Angelina admits, "They've made a big break but they've been out of the big leagues for a long time. I think in the next cup they could really be contenders."
"So it's between England and Ireland for you then?" Oliver asks.
"Definitely, both teams have potential and good players. England placed 2nd and Ireland placed 4th so I really think either of them could get the upper hand," Angelina says.
"The title is certainly in the grasp of both teams this year," Oliver agrees, "But we aren't here just to talk to you about the QWC. We're pretty interested in this new magazine of yours."
Angelina laughs, "Yes, well it's a magazine aimed at female Quidditch fans. I'd say it probably appeals to the Hogwarts student most of all. It features the information we all crave, the gossip about what the teams are doing, the scores, etc. But there are interactive aspects and…well, a less male spin on things."
"I think that's great," Oliver says honestly, "Quidditch appeals to a lot of young girls who then grow into women who become great players!"
Angelina laughs loudly as he looks pointedly at her, "Well thank you for the compliment Oliver, but I owe a lot of credit to you. You were the best captain I ever served under in our Hogwarts days."
Oliver smiles, "Well I am honoured Angelina," He says, "Thank you so much for joining us today and enjoy the cup when it comes!"
"Oh, I will!" Angelina assures him, then the connection is cut and he disappears from the wall. They go to an ad-break and make small talk, then the final segment of the show begins to air. Hermione and Chelsea do the round-up of events, with the occasional comment chipped in from the guests. And then it comes to the final part of the show, the challenges.
For this part there are two chalkboards in the performance area of the room. One says "Hermione" and "Chelsea" in its two columns and the other says "Harry" and "Oliver". They go over the fact that there is no prize but something horrible and embarrassing will happen to the loser in the final episode of the show. Then they throw themselves into the actual challenges. Hermione wins a fast-paced Quidditch related quiz and puts a tally next to her name. Harry and Oliver's physical challenge of who can catch the most snitches in a minute is of course a victory to Harry. They wrap the show up, then it is over and they are off air.
The following week for Hermione and Chelsea will be spent writing. Harry will be off researching across Australia and Oliver would be doing the same across Britain. Hermione has some small relief knowing that she will likely only really have to see Harry once a week for their Monday night shows. But all the same they are staying in the same hotel.
"Do you want to walk back to the hotel together?" Harry asks Hermione as they wrap up the show and grab their jackets and bags.
Hermione nearly says no out of habit but then she remembers Draco's lack of interest in her, and his newfound interest in Pansy. She looks up and makes the mistake of catching those mesmerising emerald eyes of his. After that she definitely can't say no.
"Sure," Hermione answers, taking his outstretched arm with a smile and walking out of the studio door with him.
"I've missed this."
Hermione shoots him an amused look, "Walking across a bridge in Australia?"
Harry laughs and shakes his head. They have come to a stop on the foot bridge and are looking out at the city as its buildings shine in the bright sunlight, "No, seeing the world. Do you remember when we used to tour with the show? We saw so many beautiful places together, then it all stopped."
"It stopped because I had to put my family first," Hermione says, a small frown forming on her face as she looks at the city rather than at Harry, "It wasn't a good lifestyle, for either of us."
A dark shadow passes across Harry's face, "I hope you know how sorry I am, for everything I did back then."
"I do," Hermione says honestly, "I know that it wasn't you. I know that it's all in the past now. I've forgiven you Harry but I can never forget."
Harry nods and turns away from her. Hermione suspects that he is hiding his emotions from her by doing so, "I never deserved you back then. You did the right thing… marrying Malfoy."
Hermione swallows a lump in her throat, "Do you really think so? Because I doubt it myself sometimes. I wonder whether I did it for the right reasons or entirely for the wrong ones."
Harry takes his right hand off of the railing and takes Hermione's hand, "You married him because you were pregnant, didn't you? I'm your friend so I didn't say anything but I can do math Hermione. Cassie was born in August and you married Malfoy in January. You must have been about 2 or 3 months pregnant."
Hermione can only nod at first as she tries to find the words to share this part of her life with Harry. There has always been this silent agreement that they don't talk about Hermione's relationship with Draco because it is too complicated.
"When I found out that I was pregnant, Draco said he wanted to do the right thing by me. His Mother even agreed, she said even though I was anything but pure he couldn't let me have his bastard child," Hermione says quietly, "But that wasn't why he proposed. He didn't want his child to be raised in an unhappy home, like he was. He wanted us to be together, to raise Cassie together, not separately."
"So you married him," Harry says, and it is hard to read his emotions.
Hermione nods, "I married him because he had a stable job and because I did love him. I knew he would provide a safe, happy future for Cassie and I. Sometimes I think that I should have thought with my heart, not my head, when I agreed to marry him."
"Is that why its falling apart now?" Harry asks, "Because of your doubts back then?"
Hermione shakes her head, "No. The doubts went away for a long time. Scorpius wasn't an accident Harry, he was planned. He is the proof that we really did love each other once but there comes a point when...love just isn't enough anymore."
"Isn't love the only thing that matters?" Harry asks, squeezing Hermione's hand gently.
Hermione pushes herself away from the railing and shakes her head, "No. It doesn't matter if you love someone when you can see them becoming the person who bullied and belittled you. Running for Minister is putting Draco back in with the pureblood crowd, it's giving him back the prejudices I thought he had forgotten. It's turning him back into the boy that stood and watched me get tortured, not the man I raised my children with."
Hermione hasn't let go of Harry's hand so he keeps it firmly there as they begin to walk across the bridge once more.
"I'm sorry that it's all falling apart," Harry says honestly, "I know things have always been complicated with us but I've never wanted you to be unhappy."
Hermione squeezes his hand and offeres him a sad smile, "I know."
TBC :)
