A/N Late again, sorry... Anyhow, Crossy and Bookworm, you guys have once again brightened my whole week! Crossy; Well you know my style... I can't promise they'll be happy for long... But as the description says, she might get a Happily Ever After! Bookworm, I'm glad you like my sumt scenes, because I think they're just cringy haha. And I always love waking up to an e-mail that you've reviewed! Scherherazade, bittersweet is my middle name! And newbyrocks, I am writing and writing, whenever I have free time!
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine... If it was I would be a genius but that title belongs to JKR, I just like to make her characters dance :)
And as always...
Enjoy!
Chapter 13
She woke up briefly to the grey half-light of early morning pouring through the windows, and smiled sleepily as she felt Bill's arm wrapped around her waist, his naked chest against her back warming her in the chilly spring air. Rolling over so she could study his features, peaceful in his slumber, she was once more struck by how handsome Bill was. Her Bill. "What're you looking at?" He mumbled drowsily, cracking an eye open to gaze at her tenderly.
"I thought you were asleep." She whispered back, sighing happily as he kissed her, soft lips running over hers gently.
"Hmm..." He hummed lowly, pulling her tighter to his chest and nuzzling their noses together affectionately. "I like waking up next to you."
She placed a hand on his cheek and rubbed her hand along his stubbly cheek slowly. "Me too." She murmured, before frowning slightly. "What's the time?"
He grumbled incomprehensibly, and she caught brief snatches of, "... No'ven... Sunrise... Back... Sleep..." Then his eyes closed once more and his breathing deepened and she, smiling softly and burying her head in his shoulder snugly, followed him back to a sweet sleep, undisturbed by the nightmares of their pasts.
When she opened her eyes next, the sun was trying valiantly to light the world, though failing to do so very successfully, and she could see icicles hanging from the bare branches of the tree outside her bedroom. She stretched, shivering in the cool air, and moved to cuddle closer to Bill's warmth, only to find that his side of the bed was ominously empty, and freezing to touch. She sat up, wrapping the blanket and duvet around her exposed torso, and frowned, feeling somewhat disappointed and entirely upset at his absence. Her quick mind snapped into action, immediately thinking that he must have regretted their rash actions the night before, and left before she had awoken, something that made her frown sadly, feel infinitely embarrassed, and more than anything else swallowed by guilt, an emotion she was becoming increasingly familiar with. For Merlin's sake, I slept with a married man! My bloody brother-in-law at that! She thought bitterly, and felt even worse when she realised that she couldn't even bring herself to regret her actions. Her guilt was entirely directed as to how Bill must feel now; clearly bad enough to leave without even saying goodbye. She'd screwed up. In Slytherin's stupid name, she'd screwed up.
As she summoned some clothes, rubbing her eyes to wipe away the sleep and increasingly-threatening tears, she took a deep breath to calm herself and- Wait, what's that? Sniffing, a tentative smile flickered on her face and she followed her nose, not even bothering to put on her pyjamas and simply wrapping herself in her dressing-gown, tying the sash and taking the stairs two at a time as the smell became stronger. She poked her head around the door-frame to the kitchen, and her face broke into a full grin as she saw the source of the delicious aroma proved to be just as she expected; Bill, her Bill, was stood, as he had been countless times before, at her kitchen stove, idly whistling as a pan of bacon sizzled away in front of him. He tossed a wordless spell over his shoulder and the kettle clicked on, just as the toaster popped, and as he opened the oven to reveal some sausages whilst magically making some mushrooms cook next to the bacon, her mouth immediately began watering at the scent.
"You know," She began, smirking when he jumped in surprise at her arrival, "I've known you Weasleys for over thirty years, and I still can't get my head around seeing one of you men cooking."
He threw a cheeky wink in her direction before quipping, "Who d'ya think taught my mum to cook?" They both laughed gaily before he tilted his head at her, smiling. "I was going to bring you breakfast in bed; you looked so peaceful that I didn't want to disturb you."
She pushed away from the wall and went to pour the boiled water into a coffee jug, pouring them both a large cup whilst he began serving their food. "I haven't slept that well in years." She told him softly, meeting his eyes with affection.
"Me neither." They sat at the table and quickly tucked in, Hermione closing her eyes blissfully at the heavenly taste. "How are you feeling?" Bill asked after a few moments of quiet chewing. Her eyes snapped up apprehensively; was this the 'morning after' talk? However, he merely indicated to her wrist and chest. "Your bones?" He prompted.
"Oh!" She flexed the muscles in her face and hand, touching her ribs experimentally and grinning when there were only slight pangs of discomfort. "They're infinitely better. Thank you."
He shrugged her apology off, and they finished their meals in comfortable silence, magically sending their plates to clean and leaning back comfortably with their topped up coffee. "So..." Bill started tentatively. "Last night was..."
"Yeah." She replied simply, the guilt of what they had done coming back full-force, making her bite her lip anxiously. "Listen, I'm sorry if-"
"You regret it." Bill sighed.
"No! I just thought you might."
"Me?! Why would I regret it?"
She spluttered for a few moments, thoroughly confused, before blurting, "We're both married! And, I mean, we cheated on our partners! No matter how we try to rationalise this, that's the truth. I was worried you'd feel, you know, bad or something."
He reached out to hold her hand over the table, staring sincerely into her concerned eyes. "Hermione, I told you years ago, I'll never regret being with you. I meant it then, and I mean it now."
She gnawed at her lip, before sighing heavily. "I don't regret it either, Bill, and I won't. But... Neither of us are cheaters, and I don't want us to be. This can't happen again."
He nodded. "I know." His expression noticeably hardened. "But I'm not staying with Fleur any longer. I'm sorry, I just can't."
She frowned. "Why are you apologising?"
Holding his head in his hands, he murmured, "She might cause trouble with you, about Rose."
She shrugged. "Maybe it's about time this all came out. I can't stay with Ron anymore either, so maybe now is the time to finally tell the truth. It'll be hard, but..." She groaned quietly. "Merlin, I just don't know what to do."
He stood up and took her hands, pulling her into a tight hug and rocking her gently, quietly telling her, "The first thing we do is get out of our sham marriages. Then we can move on from there."
She nodded against his shoulder. "You're right, though we should both talk to our kids, make sure they understand things and try to make this as stress-free as possible for them."
He hummed in agreement. "Louis and Dominique are visiting Gabrielle and their cousins at the moment, but they're coming back on Monday. I'll meet up with them and Victoire then. When are you seeing Hugo and Rosie?"
"I was going to ask Minerva if I can take Rose out of school when I go to Hogwarts on Saturday, so I'll bring Hugo too, if he's not busy. I guess I'll take them out for lunch and... Well, ask how they would feel about Ron and I divorcing, and make sure they know that it's nothing to do with them." He nodded against the top of her head, still holding her snug to his chest. "Bill, what are we going to do about Ron and Fleur? They could make life hell for everyone." Her voice was quiet and scared, as she unconsciously rubbed her head where her husband had hurt her.
"They could." He agreed quietly. "But we won't let them. We're stronger than they are, 'Mione, and we've put up with their threats for too long. All they can do is try to stir up trouble in our family and in the press, but they won't get away with ruining our lives any longer. I mean, what's the worst they can really do?" A shudder of foreboding ran up her spine and she moved even closer to Bill's safe warmth, dreading what was to come, yet unable to stop her smile at the thought that finally, finally, she and Bill could be together. Granted, there was still a mountain to climb, and much more stress and grief to be had, but the sooner she got away from Ron, the happier she'd be.
As she pressed her ear against the steady thumping of his heart, she dispelled the grimly prophetic words he had spoken from her mind, and smiled. "You're right. What's the worst they can do?"
They stood there, enjoying each others presence, for a good ten minutes before pulling away, feeling as if it was much too soon. "What are you going to do until Saturday?" Bill asked as he followed her upstairs to dress for the day.
She shrugged. "Stay here, I guess. I'll do a shop after work today for kneazle food and owl treats, and any other things I need, so I shouldn't need to go back to the house or see Ron at all."
"Won't you see him at work?" Bill asked, concern evident in his tone.
She could understand his worry as to get to her office on floor two she had to walk straight through the auror offices, but she simply smiled as she pulled her days outfit from her wardrobe. "There are some advantages to being in senior management." She said, smirking. "The Department of Mysteries have been asking for my help with something for quite some time now; I'll lock myself away down there until things calm down and I'm sure he won't cause a scene or anything worse." Bill still looked uncertain, so she gave him a radiant smile. "It'll be fine. What's the worst he can do, right?" He nodded, looking slightly placated, before respectfully turning his back as she slipped off her dressing gown. Well, as respectfully as he could when he knew the main reason he looked away was that one look at her bare body and, cheating be damned, he'd take her back to bed and not leave for at least a day. Or week. Or year.
When she was decent and he'd cast a quick cleaning charm over his clothes from yesterday, they retreated back to the living room, where she asked, "What about you?"
His concentration had been entirely devoted to not watching the way her black top dipped to reveal the most teasingly tantalising glimpse of her cleavage, and so it took an amused Hermione calling his name and waving her hand in front of his eyes to rouse him. "Sorry, what?" He said, jumping and flushing red. Clearly trying not to laugh, she repeated her question, confusing him further. "What about me?"
"What are you going to do until you have a chance to talk to your kids?"
Now it was his turn to shrug. "Go back to Shell Cottage. Fleur wasn't there last night so I guess she's in France again, thank Merlin."
"You could stay here, if you want to." She murmured softly, noting the darkening of his eyes and feeling a treacherously pleasant tightening in her lower abdomen.
"Don't tempt me." He replied hoarsely, his voice made rough and low as memories of the previous night swam through his mind. "It wouldn't be right. What you said before... Well, I don't want either of us to be cheaters, I don't want what we have to be tainted by us sneaking around. And if I stay here..." He trailed off, but she nodded in understanding, caught between relief that the temptation of having him stay wouldn't be something she had to fight, and selfish disappointment that she wouldn't have a chance to give in to said temptation as they had the previous night.
"Do you know what I do want?" Bill asked after a while, before giving a small smile, eyes twinkling at her. "I want to ask you out on a date, when we're both single again."
She laughed openly. "Don't you think we're past the dating stage by now?"
His grin grew as he took her hand and kissed the back of it gently. "A beautiful woman such as yourself deserves to be romanced." He moved his mouth to her ear and whispered huskily, "And then I'll take you to bed and devour you." A shiver of raw desire passed through her and, as he moved back and their eyes locked, she saw that his had sharp flecks of amber sparking in them. However, obviously remembering their agreement to keep things decidedly PG, he merely ghosted his lips over her cheek and pulled back, plastering a strained smile on his face. "I'd best get going, or the goblins will have my head. I hope you have a good day and... I guess I'll see you soon." He gave a small, awkward wave, before heading to the fireplace, and Hermione blinked a few times, somewhat surprised by the abrupt and unsatisfactory farewell.
Before she could change her mind and listen to reason, she found herself calling, "Bill?" He turned questioningly to look at her, only to find that she was strolling towards him with determination, a fierce look in her eyes. With quick reflexes, he caught her as she launched herself at him, and immediately, with a passion that still surprised them, they crashed their mouths together in a fierce kiss, her legs moving to wrap around his waist and hands fisting in one another's hair. When finally their tangling tongues separated and they pulled away, he slipped his hands to rest below her thighs, holding and keeping her close whilst she touched her forehead to his. "I love you." She breathed. "I love you so much."
He gave her a chaste kiss before sighing and releasing her, letting her slide down his body until she stood on her own feet, and once more had to look up at him. She refused, however, to meet his gaze and instead blushed furiously. "Sorry, I shouldn't have done that, I-"
"Hermione." Bill's voice was gravelly and he seemed to be in pain, making her snap her gaze to his. "Don't apologise. That was..." Giving a shuddering breath, he ran his fingers through his hair and gave a weak smile. "That was amazing. Just... Don't tempt me."
Frowning, she blinked with confusion, the action making her notice... "Oh!" She squeaked, the lump in the front of his jeans obvious as his erection strained to be released. Smirking slightly as she revelled in the fact that she was able to arouse him so much from a single kiss, she took his hand gently. "Kind of reminds you of when we first started seeing each other, doesn't it?"
He nodded, giving a chuckle. "You were so worried that I'd judge you for being a virgin."
Swatting his arm playfully, she teased back, "Well you were worried I'd judge you because of your scars, so I guess we're even." She ran a finger along the longest of the scars on his face and smiled when he leaned into her touch, before sighing and stepping back, much more satisfied with their goodbye but all too aware that if he remained for much longer he wouldn't be leaving for a day. Or week. Or year.
"You should go." She murmured quietly. "I rather like you as you are, and if the goblins take your head off I'll be very angry."
He nodded and once more headed to the fireplace, grabbing some floo powder but pausing before he threw it in. "Hey, 'Mione?"
"Yeah?"
He gave a brilliant smile that made her knees melt. "I love you too. Gringotts, London!" With that he was gone in a flash of green, and she couldn't help the small smile that seemed determined to remain on her face, even as she shook her head at Bill's antics. Her Bill.
Refusing point blank to let guilt ruin what had, on the whole, been a pleasant morning, she quickly checked her wards a final time before following him through the fire, calling, "The Ministry of Magic, London."
Given her habit of arriving at least an hour early for work, it was a surprise when she stepped out of the floo to a packed Atrium, and the 'fans' that immediately flocked her served as a stark reminder as to why, even twenty years after the end of the War, she avoided crowds. She had done a fair job of avoiding her 'adoring public' in the time since Harry and Ginny's funeral but now, blind-sided and frozen by the unexpected attention, the group of witches and wizards took no time before beginning to offer their condolences for her loss. The mass of people were all clamouring for her attention, calling out to her and weeping, attempting to shake her hand or cry on her shoulder, and one man even had the audacity to run forward and kiss her square on the lips, much to the delight of the reporters that had quickly conglomerated. Eyes wide and terrified adrenaline pumping through her veins, there was nothing more that she wanted than to whip out her wand, cast a monumental shield charm, and either run for her life or hex everyone in sight. It was the War all over again.
As the tension within her was at breaking point, the security of the Ministry ran forward and started forcing the crowd away from her, and a small arm wrapped around her shoulders and led her towards the lifts quickly. She followed blindly, only pausing when her breath was coming easier and her mind had calmed somewhat. "Hold on." She muttered to her companion, before pointing her wand behind her and sending a wordless spell of her own creation out. The charm, which she had designed shortly after the end of the War when the paparazzi had been at their height of irritation, was designed to subtly destroy the inside of cameras, though in her distress, she managed to effectively blow them up, and an acrid smell of smoke followed a small boom at the other end of the hall.
She and her saviour reached the lifts and, due to the commotion caused by her arrival and the flocks of people rushing to see what had exploded, found a mercifully empty lift fairly swiftly. As the view of the Atrium flew quickly away, Hermione rested her hands on her knees and bent over, willing her heart to stop pounding. "That's a very useful charm." Her companion commented in a light voice. A light voice she was sure she recognised.
"It's a mixture of the bombarda spell and- hold on!" As her eyes lifted to reach what appeared to be a luminous pink shrivelled ear, hanging from an incredibly normal human ear, she cried out in recognition. "Luna!"
"Hello Hermione, that was quite a dramatic entrance."
"It wasn't deliberate." She grumbled, before her face split into a wide grin and she grabbed the younger woman into a tight embrace. "It's so good to see you Luna, I didn't even know you were back!"
The blonde looked, as per usual, as if she was living in a different world, but gave her a warm hug in return, and Hermione couldn't even bring herself to worry about whether the strange earrings currently bouncing against her neck were dangerous or not.
Now, Hermione prided herself on not being overly shallow or image-obsessed, but even she was somewhat surprised at her friend's attire. The matching earring to her shrivelled ear set was, rather than pink, a dramatic azure, and hanging from her neck was, to complete the set, a small, wrinkled foot that was orange with purple polka dots. However, when one was friends with Luna Lovegood, one expected such things. Just as one would expect the headband with golden snitch bobble-tops and the monocle that enlarged her silvery iris and coloured the white of her eye bright green. However, even given their many years of friendship, Hermione had not expected Luna to arrive at the Ministry of Magic in what appeared to be a green and yellow scaled onesie. She somewhat resembled a human trapped within a large snake, an odd effect only emphasised by the orbs bouncing atop her head, as if an unfortunate golden snail had taken home within her hair moments before her body was swallowed. Well, at least her headband matches her outfit... Hermione thought, biting back a laugh.
"Yes," Luna said in her dreamy voice, snapping her out of her reverie, "Rolf and I returned earlier this morning. I have to drop off the Half-Headed Insolitus we found immediately; they're really quite dangerous, if you don't protect yourself."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Yes... They like to release their spores into the air and make boils appear everywhere. That's why I want to drop it off quickly, though I'll have to warn the Ministry of their second head." Luna nodded seriously, and she had to school her features into something other than incredulity and amusement.
"Their second head?" She asked, trying to sound polite. Luna explained that the second head, where the poison was released from, was located behind the left knee on their third leg (when counting from the right of course) and Hermione smiled slightly at her friend's strange antics. "And how do you protect yourself from them?" She asked.
The younger woman indicated to herself and gave a grave frown. "Snakes are their natural enemy, so wearing their scales stops them from attacking." Her whole expression brightened. "But don't worry, Hermione, I'm carrying them so as long as you're with me you should be fine! And even if you do break out in boils, all you need to do is spread gillywater, parsnip and basil paste over them and they'll be gone."
She nodded somewhat dumbly, before frowning. "Wait, it's with you? Where?"
"Them," Luna corrected gently, "and they're in here!" She started rooting around in the money-belt around her waist and produced a tiny animal cage, resembling one used for a dog or cat, but small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. "We managed to catch seventeen of them, just by putting some blackberries out. They love berries, you know; they might be ten feet long but one berry is enough to fill them for three days."
She blinked in shock, not at the thought that so many creatures could be in the container, but at the container itself. "You still use that?" She blurted, eyes flicking up to look into Luna's, both magnified and normal.
The blonde smiled. "Of course. It's one of the nicest gifts anyone has ever given me."
She flushed red and felt unexpected tears well in her eyes suddenly, as she hugged her friend once more. The small barred box was designed to shrink and expand at the owners choice, though the creator had adapted what was, in essence, a very simple charm, to affect everything inside the cage, including almost all magical animals. Everything from the Impedimenta to Patronus charms had been weaved into its making, so it could even hold a dragon, which was renowned for being immune to most magic. A Dementor would be rendered helpless, if for any reason Luna wanted to catch one, and Merlin help a Boggart if it was confined within. For the more peaceful animals, it was designed to represent their natural habitats, from mountains to forests to deep seas. Hermione knew this as, over fifteen years ago, when her curious friend had first begun searching magical creatures with her husband, she had made the cage herself, to try to keep Mrs Scamander safe and ease her troubles regarding transport. However, she had no idea that her friend was still using it, and given the vast amount of equipment in the wizarding world designed for her career, the knowledge that she continued to place her trust in such an old present touched her heart.
"It's lucky, you know." Luna stated suddenly.
Hermione peered at her curiously. "What is?" Luna pointed to the box in her palm, and Hermione frowned. "The Half-Headed Insolitus things are lucky?"
Luna laughed then tilted her head to the side, smiling mildly. "No, where they live is lucky. I like to call it their home." She pointed once more to her hand. "The present you got me is brilliant, I can't imagine using anything else. Besides, it reminds me of you, Hermione. I like to imagine you're thinking of me."
She blinked back her tears. "Of course I think of you, Luna, all the time."
"That's nice." Luna tucked her cage back in the bag around her hips and turned to face her again. "Why did all the reporters want to speak to you?"
Used to Luna's random subject changes, but unable to give a suitable answer, she shrugged. "I guess they wanted to talk about Harry and Ginny."
Both of their faces and spirits fell at the reminder, but her companion was not one to be miserable for too long. "That's sad; it's been months but... I suppose it's good in a way, that they'll always be remembered."
She sighed heavily. "I suppose... But it's not really in the right way, is it? I mean, no one who mattered to Harry and Gin will ever be able to get over their death."
Luna stared at her for a few moments before speaking. "We can either choose to live solely in our memories and be forever trapped in misery and death, or choose to move on and respect the legacy of those we've lost by living the happy lives they wanted us to have. We don't have to forget anyone, but it's like you said at their funeral; the best way we can honour them is to live like they did for those years after the war. Happily." Hermione, now uncaring that tears were once more streaming from her eyes, opened her mouth to claim that she was happy(ish), but Luna suddenly became unusually angry. "Don't Hermione." She snapped. "I know what people say about 'Looney Lovegood; they've said it for years, but that doesn't mean that I'm an idiot. Because I also know that you are not happy."
She turned her head away and wept openly, hearing Luna sigh and place a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry." The blonde said quietly. "But I think you needed to hear that."
Wiping her tears away and turning, she gave a wobbly smile. "I did. Thank you, Luna."
Luna gave her stereotypically dreamy look, though it was transformed by her watery eyes, her friend smiled. "I just want you to be happy Hermione. It's what Harry and Ginny would've wanted too."
"I will be soon, I hope."
"Don't hope. Make it so you are."
She nodded, knowing that the blonde's under-appreciated wisdom had shown itself in its full force, and gave a weak smile. "Thank you Luna, really."
Luna gave her dreamy look. "I like to think we're friends, and what are friends for?"
Hermione gave a bark of laughter, before once more hugging her. "Of course we're friends Luna. I've missed you, you know."
Luna grinned. "I've missed you too." The lift groaned to a halt on the floor which included the Magical Creatures department, Hermione's past source of employment. "I hope to see you soon, Hermione. I've been invited to the Burrow on Sunday, will you be there?"
Her heart seemed to stop for a few moments; due to Ron's, well, 'issues' recently, they had both neglected to go to most of the traditional Sunday meals at the Weasley family home. Though she missed the other members of her family-in-law, the idea of being there, in the place where Ron had grown up, whilst possibly (and dare she say, hopefully) on the way to a divorce with said man, sent a chill up her spine. How would the Weasleys react? Would she still be considered a surrogate daughter? The implications of her choice to leave Ron came down on her tenfold, and it was only a quarter past nine. What of her children? Rose and Hugo, who adored Molly, Arthur and their Uncles; would they still be considered family if Ron did as he had threatened to?
Luna, who had stepped out of the lift, gave her a small smile. "Be happy, Hermione. Things will work out in the end. I imagine I'll see you on Sunday. Just... Stay strong, no matter what. Things will end badly if you don't." She walked away, and as the grills slid shut Hermione wondered if she'd mastered legilimancy. Smiling a small, sad smile, she pressed the button for her own floor and, though she felt foolish doing so, cast a disillionment charm over herself when an aged woman entered the lift at the next floor, glancing at her and giving the customary British, 'Good morning.' She had to stifle a laugh when the woman did a double take as her mind caught up to her eyes and told her that yes, it was the Hermione Granger that she had seen, only to turn and find herself alone in the lift, mouth opening and closing dumbly as she circled on the spot as if expecting to find her moulded to the wall.
When the lift juddered to a halt at her floor, she slipped silently past the woman, unable to stop herself from whispering a goodbye in her ear, and grinning as she jumped in shock. Quickly, however, her mirth was dampened, as she rounded the corner and was met with the large polished sign stating; The Auror Department. A cold shiver ran up her spine and she consciously re-checked the charm that kept her invisible, dread running like ice through her veins as she accepted what she had been attempting to avoid for the last few hours; this might very well be the first time she would see Ron since seeing the children off. And she was terrified.