Chapter 20: Time Apart
"Good morning!" Hermione whispered, leaning over a just-woken Severus.
"Mmmfp," he grunted, sitting up a bit. She kissed him, and he belatedly lifted his hands to her waist.
"What time is it?" he asked, squinting at her.
"Six-thirty," she said. He let his head fall back against the pillows and his eyelids fell closed.
"Today is – "
"I know what day it is," he mumbled.
He opened his eyes again and stared at her before lifting his hand to her face. Slowly, a little smile tugged at his mouth.
"It is a good day," he said at last.
Hermione smiled back at him and said, "I hope you are right. After this evening, we'll no longer know the future. Won't that be odd?"
"I've already written the note for Ron," she said, hopping out of bed. He slowly followed, yawning.
"'I'll go start breakfast," she said.
When he made it to the kitchen a few minutes later, he chuckled and said, "You are acting like a child on Christmas morning."
"Well, it's exciting," she said, flicking her wand at the eggs, which cracked themselves neatly into the frying pan.
He drank coffee while she finished making their breakfast.
"You should follow me to work," she said. "Around lunch time I will leave the Ministry building and go for a walk in the park. I, ah, get sick beside a tree, and go home early. I'll return to the Ministry for a little while before I go home so you'll have time to get into my flat. I'll teach you my key spells to get in. You must first catch Crookshanks and seal him in his basket – it's in the kitchen."
"Anything else?" he asked.
"I think you can handle the rest," she said, thinking. "Oh! You'll need to buy some chocolate. You give it to me to calm me down."
She placed the note she had written to Ron on the table with the vials of the potion, antivenin, and blood replenisher, as well as the directions Severus has scribbled down with the exact time and place she must turn time. Hermione had spent hours that week working out the exact calculations for the time turner.
"Tell me to get the cloak from Harry," she said. "I'll need it to follow you in the woods."
He pocketed the items from the table and stood.
"Go back to my apartment after the other me has turned time," she said. "I'll be there waiting for you. I can't wait to see poor Crookshanks."
"You do realize he won't have missed you for more than a few minutes?" asked Severus. Hermione sobered, looking into his eyes.
"I love you," she said, touching his chest.
"And I you," he said, giving her a quick peck.
"Now, go! I'll be leaving for work any moment!" she urged. He squeezed her hand and left. Hermione felt her heart pounding in the silent, empty flat.
She went back to bed, unable to face the terrible silence of waiting. She was soon woken by dreams, a cacophony of familiar voices and screams, the touch of her lover, the sting of stray magic in the midst of dueling battle, the smells of the potions lab, the slow melting of time as it stopped spinning around her.
Sleep was not an option for distraction, so she cleaned. She tidied the already neat potions lab and then made the kitchen gleam. After reorganizing the bookshelves a few times and dusting the entire flat, she sat down on the sofa and looked at the clock. It was four o'clock. Her younger self was with Severus at that moment. Ron would soon be disappointed. Soon it would all be over.
She must have dozed off, sitting there staring at the wall, feeling the tingling anxiety of the auspicious hour approaching. She woke, sitting up ramrod straight, her back aching. It was six-thirty.
Hermione lept into action, quickly Disillusioning herself and Apparating to her old flat. She went inside and freed Crookshanks. He streaked across the room and hid under the sofa.
"Crooks! It's okay, it's just me," she said. "For now..."
Crookshanks yowled from under the couch. He was not happy with her.
"All right, fine," Hermione said. "Just stay under there – because he's coming back whether you like it or not."
Ten minutes later, Severus returned.
"It is done," he said.
"I suppose everything happened just as it should have, since we're still here," said Hermione.
"I had to make you vomit," he informed her. "It wasn't happening, so I had to hex you."
She laughed and said, "Oh, dear. I'm sorry. Thankfully it didn't last long."
Crookshanks yowled again from under the sofa.
"Did you have a happy reunion?" Severus asked.
"Not at all," she said. "He's angry with me for letting you back in here."
"I wonder what he'll make of Enid," said Severus.
"We won't know for some time, I suppose," said Hermione. "If Enid comes back, I imagine she'll live with you."
Severus handed her the cloak. She threw it on the sofa and reached for him.
"There's only one of me in the world again," she said happily, kissing him.
"Come see my bedroom," she whispered, leading him toward the door. A few minutes later, half-dressed and in no state for company, there was a knock at the door.
"Sweet Merlin, that had better not be Ron!" said Hermione, rolling off the bed as she pulled on her top. She shut the bedroom door and hurried across her flat to look through the peephole.
It was Harry. She opened the door.
"Harry?"
It took all of her restraint not to wrap him in a bear hug.
"Ah, what are you doing here?" she asked, wrapping her arms around herself instead, as she realized she'd forgotten her bra.
"Hermione – I just want to – er, can I come in? I'd rather not say out here."
Hermione smiled in what she hoped was a believably friendly manner.
"Sure, Harry. Come in. I, ah, was just about to take a bath. Sorry it took me a while to get to the door."
"Oh, er..." Harry blushed. "It's fine."
"So. Harry," she prompted. "What's the matter?"
"Well, I was thinking..." he said, looking uncomfortable.
"About what?" she asked.
"About why you might need the cloak," he answered. "And I think... no, I insist... that you let me help you. With, ah, whatever it is. You shouldn't be doing what must be something dangerous alone."
"Harry..." she began, unsure of what to say. "Sit down."
He did, and she joined him.
"Here, just take it back," she said, handing him the cloak. "I won't be needing it after all."
"Oh. Are you sure? I don't mind you using it, I just... I was worried about you. It seemed like you were in some kind of trouble. Whatever you're about to do, you can tell me.
Unless it's to do with work, but if that's the case I really don't think you should be using the cloak in case the Ministry gets hold of it and – you know – realizes it's not a normal invisibility cloak."
"Harry, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere or planning anything dangerous at the moment. Thanks for offering to help me, it means a lot."
He took the cloak and frowned.
"You're not going to tell me what it was you wanted to do?" he asked.
"No," she said, smiling. "Don't worry, it was nothing like what you're imagining. It's been... resolved now."
"Okay," he said, looking confused. "Well, I guess I should get home. Ginny thinks I'm at the supermarket buying milk."
"Harry, thank you," she said as he moved to leave. "I'll see you soon."
"Yeah, we'll be at the Burrow Sunday night," he said. "Or did you and Ron want to go out with us Friday?"
"Oh, ah... I don't know, actually," she said. "We'll let you know."
She sighed heavily as she shut the door behind him. Dealing with Ron could not be put off for long.
"Severus?" she asked, opening the bedroom door.
"So it begins," he said ruefully, pulling her down with him on the bed once she was close enough.
"This might be the most difficult thing we've faced yet," she said mournfully, stealing a kiss.
Severus stayed with her that night. She was very reluctant to leave for work in the morning.
"It feels wrong to trudge off to the Ministry with you in my flat," she said. "But I must show up or there will be questions."
"Indeed," he said, helping to nudge her out of bed. "Off you go."
"Oh, fine, I'm up!" she said. She quickly got ready for work, and was surprised to find Severus in the kitchen making tea and toast when she exited the bathroom.
"Are you sure you won't move in?" she asked.
"Eventually," he said, handing her a cup.
Hermione finished her breakfast as fast as she could manage and was out the door. Crookshanks had taken to watching them from the arm of the sofa in silent disapproval, but he leapt down and followed her to the door, looking sad.
Her first day back was dreadfully dull. Gallus was waiting for her in the storage room, and Hermione realized she had almost forgotten about him. He looked happy to see her.
"Good morning," he said. "I'm surprised to see you here."
"Oh, ah..." Hermione frowned at him. "Why is that?"
"I heard you left early yesterday because you were ill," he said, glancing around the room for a moment.
"Oh, that," she said. "Er, I'm feeling much better."
"Good," he said. "I'm glad."
"Thanks," said Hermione. "Ah, shall we get to work, then?"
"Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked.
Hermione stared at him blankly.
"Ah, am I?" she asked.
"Gloves," he said, motioning to the hook behind her which held them.
"Right," she said. "I knew that."
She smiled at him as she tugged them on, then trudged off to find the shelf she had been working on the day she traveled back in time.
The morning dragged on with little conversation, and no exciting finds for either of them. Gallus ate lunch with her, a book open in one hand. Hermione had not remembered to bring one. If he noticed, he did not comment.
"What are you reading?" she asked at last. He gave her a strange look and showed her the cover.
"The same thing I've been reading all week," he said.
"I forgot my book," she said, biting into her apple.
"I noticed," he said. After a moment's consideration, he closed his book and stared straight ahead. Hermione was about to ask if he was okay, when he spoke.
"Do you drink?" he asked.
"Are you asking me if I drink alcohol, Gallus?"
"Yes," he said.
"Ah... yes, occasionally," she said. "Why?"
"Just wondering..." he trailed off.
Hermione peered at him, mystified.
"Just wondering if you would want to accompany me to a party," he said quickly, looking at her again. "It's at a bar. It's an engagement party. I wasn't going to attend, but..."
He looked away again.
"It's for my ex."
"Oh..." said Hermione softly.
"She's marrying someone..." He cleared his throat. "Someone I hate."
"Gallus... why are you asking me?"
He thought for a moment before answering.
"If I don't go, she'll know... how I feel. I don't want to lose her friendship. We've managed to keep it going, after... everything. You would be a pleasant distraction from my own misery."
Hermione pressed her lips together.
"Gallus, I would like to help," she said. "It's just that my life is a bit, ah, odd at the moment. I'm sort of... working through some things of my own. Relationship things."
"I see," he said unhappily. Hermione took a breath and closed her eyes.
"When is the party?" she asked.
"Tomorrow night," he said.
Hermione laughed a bit to brightly.
"Wow. Okay, look... I'll go on one condition."
He looked at her hopefully.
"That you understand I'm in a, er, complicated relationship, I don't want to talk about it, and that I just want to keep you from drinking too much and saying something you'll regret."
"I understand," he said.
"Good," she replied.
"Thank you, Hermione."
He got up and left, off to complete his work day dealing with matters above her security clearance. Hermione shook her head and finished her apple. An idea was forming in her mind, one that Severus would not particularly like – but then, she did not particularly like his insistence on living apart.
Hermione finished her workday, managing not to nap in the storage room despite the temptation. She went home to find Crookshanks waiting for her, alone. She immediately burst into tears and slumped onto the sofa, where Crookshanks tried to comfort her.
"Oh, Crooks! This feels so wrong!" she cried, pulling him into her arms.
Severus had left no trace of his visit, not even a note. Did he expect her to show up at their flat that night? He had made it clear he did not want to spend much time at her place, thinking it too risky. Crookshanks would be heartbroken if she was never home, but she was not about to take him along with her.
Her flat felt smaller and sadder than ever in that moment. Hermione rallied her spirits after a good cry with Crookshanks purring on her lap, and prepared to go back to Severus and the flat she truly considered home.
"I'm sorry, Crooks," she said before leaving. "I'll be back."
She snuck out of her flat, Disillusioned, and Apparated back to Severus.
"Crookshanks is very unhappy with me for leaving," she said after walking in.
Severus was making dinner. He glanced up without comment.
"How was work?" he finally asked, after she sat down at the kitchen table with a heavy sigh.
"Mind-numbingly tedious," she said.
He plated their meal with a few flicks of his wand and sent her plate floating across the room. It landed in front of her gently, followed by cutlery and a glass of wine.
"This looks wonderful," she said, sipping her wine.
They ate in silence for a few minutes.
"Severus, if we're going to do this, it can't feel like this flat is the real one."
He raised a brow at her.
"I just mean, I can't live in my old flat if you'll never be there. It feels like I'm living in someone else's home. We should make it a bit more... equal. Besides, how else will Crookshanks ever get used to you?"
He set his fork down.
"I've spent only one night there and we were interrupted by Potter. I do not like it, but... I agree. You should not live as if in exile."
She smiled at him and began eating again.
"You might give it a few days, to get used to the arrangement," he said.
"I'd rather not get used to it," she said. "But I suppose in time it won't feel so wrong to be back there."
She finished her wine and took a breath.
"So... there's been an interesting development," she said.
"Already?"
"Yes," she said. "Remember me telling you about my coworker, Gallus?"
"Vaguely," he said.
"So, of course he was there today. I almost forgot he'd be there to supervise me."
Severus watched her, waiting for her to continue.
"Well, today he asked me to be his date to a party. It was so odd. I was going to turn him down, but then he explained that it's an engagement party for his ex, who is apparently marrying someone awful, but he's got to go so as not to ruin their friendship..."
Severus was beginning to look impatient.
"Anyway, then I thought – this is perfect. I'll tell Ron I never want to marry him and can't see him anymore. I'll skip out on our Friday night plans with Harry and Ginny and go with Gallus instead. As I'm still something of a celebrity these days, Ron will find out I've been out with Gallus, and hopefully he will get over me... a bit faster."
"What about this unfortunate sod, Gallus?" asked Severus. "Does he fancy you?"
"No," said Hermione dismissively. "It's obvious that he's still in love with the ex-girlfriend. If I don't go, I'm not sure he has anyone to stop him doing something foolish."
"Very well," said Severus.
"Really?" she asked.
"Should I object?"
"Of course not," said Hermione.
"Do be careful," he said. "He may get the idea that a pretty young coworker would be just the thing to take his mind off his lost love."
"What are you suggesting?" she asked.
"If he likes you enough to share intimate details of his unrequited romance, the invitation may mean more than you think."
"I'll be careful," she said, laughing at the idea. "I don't plan to break any hearts other than Ron's."
"It's not his heart I'd worry about," said Severus.
"Oh, stop!" she said. "I'd much rather tell Ron the truth, but that won't do, and I couldn't bear to continue the charade of casually dating him for even one day. The timing is perfect."
She paused.
"Ron is going to hate me, which will be for the best. I won't have him hanging around, hoping I'll change my mind again."
"If you are satisfied with this plan, I shall support it," he said. "Gallus is your superior at the Department of Mysteries... don't get too friendly with him. He may begin to suspect you're not the same person he used to know."
"He barely knew me before," Hermione said. "However, I will be careful."
Hermione left late that night and returned to her own flat. Crookshanks met her at the door and swatted at the hem of her robe.
"I told you I'd be back," she said, picking him up. The flat would be unbearably lonely without Crookshanks for company. It seemed a lifetime ago that she was uncertain about giving up her single life to date Ron again. She realized now that the decision to ignore her doubts about Ron had been an incredibly foolish one. What if Severus had not come to send her away? She might have very well married him.
Hermione soaked in a warm bath and contemplated the future. Gallus had not given her any details about the party. She assumed it would be somewhere in London, likely in Diagon Alley, just as she assumed that his ex was a witch. What if it turned out that nobody at the party would recognize her, and she would have to tell Ron about Gallus herself? It was not what she had in mind, but in any case, Ron would still be angry enough to avoid her for a while.
The next morning she hurried off to work, trying to put the lonely feeling of an empty bed to the back of her mind.
"Good morning," said Margaret, as Hermione walked into the department's front office.
"Good morning," Hermione called as she headed to her dusty storage room.
"Did you cut your hair?" Margaret called out as she passed. Hermione stopped and smiled self-consciously.
"I did," she said.
"Yourself?" Margaret asked.
"I always do," Hermione said, making an effort not to grit her teeth in annoyance. Margaret gave her a long, appraising look.
"It looks... nice," she said, adjusting her glasses and picking up her quill.
"Er, thanks, Margaret," said Hermione, turning to go.
Hermione was not sure if she was glad her skill with hair-trimming Charms had improved enough to earn a compliment from Margaret, or if she was nervous that the haircut was so obvious. Nobody would think a routine haircut was out of the ordinary... but she had tried very hard to match the length it had been before she left and apparently had not succeeded.
Gallus was not waiting for her, so she reluctantly pulled on her gloves and got to work on her own. A few minutes later, he appeared.
"Sorry I'm late," he said. He looked tired, and Hermione was pretty sure he was wearing the same shirt as the day before.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Overslept," he said. "I'm glad to see you remembered the gloves."
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"How could I forget?"
They worked a few aisles apart for most of the morning. Gallus worked silently except for his brief answers to Hermione's occasional questions and attempts at conversation.
"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked after a while. She heard him drop something that sounded like a book on the floor.
"Gallus?"
"I'm fine," he said, limping around the shelf. "I just dropped a book... on my foot. It was heavy."
He sat down on the floor next to her, rested his hands on his knees, and stared off into space.
"You don't seem okay," Hermione said.
Gallus sighed and said, "I'm not. Thank you, again, for agreeing to accompany me tonight."
"Should I be worried?" she asked.
He glanced up at her and shook his head.
"I didn't get much sleep last night, that's all."
Hermione sat down beside him.
"Tell me about tonight," she said. "I don't even know where we're going."
"It's at The Gargling Goat," he said. The Gargling Goat was a bar in Diagon Alley. Despite it's whimsical name, it was an upscale establishment.
"What time?" asked Hermione.
"Seven o'clock," he said. "It'll be a large crowd. My ex has a lot of friends."
"What's her name?" asked Hermione.
"Mindy," he said. "Mindy Malkovich."
"How long has it been since you two were, ah – "
"Four years," he said, shaking his head again.
"Did the two of you attend Hogwarts together?" asked Hermione. Gallus looked surprised.
"No, ah... I forgot you wouldn't know. I didn't attend Hogwarts. My mother is from Canada, and she sent me to school at her alma mater – Nordaigles Académie de Haute Magie. I met Mindy here, actually. She was the receptionist before Margaret."
"Did Mindy go to Hogwarts?" asked Hermione.
Gallus nodded.
"Yes. She wasn't here long – she got a job as a translator about three months after we met. I was still doing level one paperwork back then. We were together for two years. Then..."
"Then Voldemort ruined everything," guessed Hermione.
"She's Muggleborn," said Gallus. "I made her leave. A few of us in the department helped her get a portkey and flee to her relatives in Ukraine. Her father is a Muggle priest – her parents don't tolerate the idea of magic and all but disowned her from the day she went to Hogwarts. She made the mistake of showing them magic one day, trying to win them over, and they said they never wanted to see her again. She had nowhere else to go, and she couldn't stay with me. I was interrogated about our relationship, which I had to prove was over. It had to be real... they were using Veritaserum, among other things, at the trials."
"You broke up with her," said Hermione. "Surely she knew why?"
"Well, I wanted to be sure they didn't find her," said Gallus. "And that she wouldn't try to contact me... so I immediately started dating a pureblood witch. It was, ah, Margaret."
"Margaret Margaret?" asked Hermione. "You are speaking of Margaret, the current receptionist?"
Gallus nodded. Hermione laughed.
"How did you manage to date her without charming her mouth shut to stop the giggling?"
He looked as if he was recalling unpleasant memories.
"It didn't last, but it was enough to make Mindy hate me. Margaret is, ah, highly affectionate... in public."
Hermione gave him an empathetic look.
"I suppose she met her fiance in Ukraine?" she asked.
"No," said Gallus. "She returned to her job as soon as the war was over. She hated living with her Ukrainian relations – they're all Muggles and kept trying to convince her to give up magic and reunite with her parents."
He sighed and said, "She's marrying a brilliant wizard – a savant in the field of theoretical Charms. He's written four books. They met when she landed the job of translating his latest work. She speaks five languages, two of which she learned while in hiding. They're perfect for one another."
He spit out the last comment with a pained expression on his face.
"I see," said Hermione, taking the story in thoughtfully. "Other than the obvious, why do you hate him?"
Gallus scoffed. "He's full of himself. Mindy is an incredibly talented, intelligent witch, but everything is always about him. She talks of nothing but his work, his ideas, his family, his friends, his success..."
"Have you met him?" asked Hermione.
"No," said Gallus, after a beat.
He sighed heavily.
"Tonight will be the first time I've seen Mindy in a year. We've been corresponding since she came back, and we used to occasionally meet for lunch until she met him. She's determined to remain friends, has apologized profusely for neglecting our friendship, and says she hopes I'll come and meet Warren tonight."
"Oh. Wow," said Hermione. "There's, ah, rather a lot more to your ex than I assumed from what you said yesterday."
"Well, it doesn't matter," he said. "She's getting married to Warren Lowell, Jr. and she wants to be friends. The rest of it... doesn't matter anymore."
Hermione sighed and stood up.
"Are you sure you want to go?"
He looked up at her with a wry smile and said, "It might be the last time I see her before she's married."
He stood up and stretched.
"We should get back to work," he said. "I apologize for my mood."
"Don't worry about it," said Hermione.
They finished the morning in melancholy silence. Hermione's mind was back with with Severus, wondering how he felt having their flat to himself and if he would ask her about her night with Gallus when she got back from the party. She was beginning to worry things might not go well for Gallus that evening.
"Hermione, I'm off," he said just before lunch. "I have a meeting. Shall I pick you up at your flat tonight... or would you rather meet me in Diagon Alley?"
"Oh, ah... let's meet at The Goblin before and get a bite to eat," she said. "At six, perhaps?"
"If you wish," he said.
"Okay. I'll see you then," she said.
He nodded and turned to go.
"Gallus," said Hermione. He stopped and looked at her.
"Why didn't you go with her?"