Portrait of a Tragic Woman
Session 25: The Weekend
Saturday morning you realize with a start that you made plans to meet with Ron to go watch a movie. You rush out of bed, tossing the covers aside and pull the clock off the night stand, groaning at the time. You are supposed to meet at 11 am. It's already 10:30. Hastily you wash up, get dressed, and have a quick breakfast of cereal and milk. Then you are out the door and driving over to the movie theater. The parking lot is packed with lots of car; the weekend is always prime time for movie going. Glancing at your phone screen let's you know that you've made it with a minute to spare. You exit the car and find Ron waiting inside the movie theater lobby and holding two tickets. "I hope you don't mind, I got us tickets to see Romeo and Juliet. I heard the reboot is good."
You shrug. You don't really care what the two of you go to see. Originally Ginny was also supposed to come but something came up and she couldn't come. You have a sneaking suspicion she is trying to hook the two of you up and had pretended she couldn't come. So it was the two of you, and you really hoped Ron wouldn't think of this as a date. You already had a handful dealing with your feelings for Bellatrix and didn't need someone else to muck up your heart and thoughts. "I'll get refreshments and popcorn then. Wouldn't want you to pay for everything."
"It's fine, I'll get the drinks and food," Ron offers eagerly and you cringe internally. Maybe you should have canceled this. The offer to buy the snacks was classic date stuff, when the guy would try to impress the girl with his generosity and money. You didn't want to lead him on. "I'll get it," you say in a tone that is forceful but not too aggressive. You don't want to be rude to him. You like Ron as a person, there is no need to be mean to him just because you don't like him romantically. You will have to let him know this soon in case he thinks he can pursue you. You just have to double check if he really is interested in you. You don't want to reject him and look like a fool if he really wasn't aiming to woo you.
You stand on line and buy the snacks, getting separate drinks and popcorn buckets so that there will be no 'accidental' brushing of the fingers when reaching for popcorn. The two of you then enter the theater, Ron gratefully accepting the offered food although you can gleam a slight disappointment from him that he won't get to share the food with you.
The two of you make casual conversation during the trailers and when the lights finally dim the two of you grow quiet and settle down to watch the movie. The movie is alright. The acting could be better and the dialogue delivered more smoothly, but it's not the worst you've seen. Halfway through the movie Ron's hand inches towards yours on the armrest and you subtly shift it towards your lap, crossing your hands together. This stops his arm's progression and he let's out a small sigh of annoyance that you try hard not to laugh at. Poor Ron is not smooth at all. And the way he casts quick glances at you during the romantic parts of the movie is not smooth either. You pointedly keep your eyes glued to the screen and ignore his stares each time until he looks away.
For the rest of the movie you keep your hands to yourself and so does Ron, instead focusing on shoveling as much popcorn as he can into his mouth before the movie ends. When it does end, the two of you clean up after yourselves and head out into the bright day.
"What did you think?" Ron asks as he tosses out the trash.
"It was okay. Could be better," you say, not really paying too much attention to the conversation. The movie sort of made you long for spending time with Bellatrix and you minutely curse Ron for picking out a romantic movie. You try to knock her out of her thoughts but her red lips curled up in an inciting smirk prance around your head in a mad dance.
Only one more day, you repeat to yourself. And then I can see her.
"Yea, I thought the same," Ron agreed only to get more on your good side. "I think some better movies are coming out. We should go check them out."
He wanted more dates? It wouldn't be good to encourage him. You would like to make the message clear that you didn't want to romantically engage with him but he hadn't really opened up an opening for you to smoothly input your statement. So you were stuck with giving a lukewarm response. "I guess we could. I might be busy in the upcoming weeks. I just got a load of new patients." This isn't entirely a lie. You've been assigned three new patients and judging by their thick files they did not come from easy backgrounds. They would be a lot of work.
"Oh, I see." Ron's disappointment is audible and you pretend not to notice. "Then will you let me know when? I could give you my number."
Ugh, the exchanging of digits. You keep from rolling your eyes and hold out your phone. "Sure. What's your number?"
He quickly rattles off the digits and you type them down. "Saved," you announce as you save the contact and put your phone away. "I'll see you around then," you wave to him. "Maybe even at the bar." You have to stop by and ask Ginny if she is trying to hook her brother and you up together. Not that it makes you mad, just that it is annoying and something not needed right now. You've never really been a fan of the opposite sex. Ever since your failed relationship with Blaise Zabini in grad school (the last relationship in a slew of other miserably failed relationships with men) you'd given up because you had realized that you didn't really care much for guys. Harry had been very supporting and your biggest confidant during your transition.
Ron cheers up at those words and with a parting wave you head back to the car. Thinking about failed relationships, it was time to give Sasha a call. You were dreading meeting with her, but you figured that it was best to end this in person rather than over the phone. She deserved that much. The only thing was, what were you going to tell her was your reason for breaking up with her?
After that 'wonderful' break up with Sasha, you decide you need a drink. And to conclude this unpleasant day with more unpleasantness in the form of coming out to Ginny. You are a very reserved person, who doesn't like to divulge personal information unless it is absolutely necessary. This is the reason why so few people know about your sexual orientation. And now Ginny will have to be one of them. You reassure yourself that since she is a friend and knows so much about you and Bellatrix, then you might as well tell her about your preference in the romantic department.
You quickly change out of your soaked clothes, courtesy of Sasha throwing a drink at you, and head down to the bar. The conversation with Sasha could have gone better but then again break ups were never good conversation. You had been honest with her, telling her that work was preventing you from giving her all the attention she deserved (that work being Bellatrix) and that you also had sort of lost amorous feelings for her. She had gotten mad; her fury no doubt fueled by how you had ignored her for several days, and she yelled at you, saying she was a fool to think she could carry a relationship with you, before she splashed you with the glass of soda.
People in the restaurant had stared as she stormed off and as you sat dripping in your chair. The memory still stung to think about but at least it was over. Now you would no longer have to feel guilty about liking Bellatrix behind Sasha's back.
You make it to the bar and you open the door, happy to see your favorite bartender serving. "Hermione, what will it be?" Her British accent carries over the din of the bar. Surprisingly today it is packed and you wonder why. You squeeze in between two people on the bar stools. "What has got the place so packed?"
"Special drinks. Fred and George decided to spice up the menu and wouldn't you know it, the bar is seeing better business."
"What kind of drinks?" you wonder, full knowing the twins love of weird and wacky things.
"Take a gander," Ginny shoves the menu at you before she gets called off to take an order for a drink.
Willy Wonka's Chocolate Dream
Nasty Witch Brew
The Flying Starship
The list goes on and on of highly creative drinks. And frankly they all look interesting and delicious. The Flying Starship comes with sparklers sticking out of the sides and promises to take one on an "adventure through the stars" probably because it contained a blended form of weed in the alcohol and juice mix. Was that even legal?
"This stuff looks great," you hand the menu back to Ginny who smiles. "I know. Mother and father should have allowed the twins to make this stuff up before but my parents are staunch traditionalists. Kept the menu the same ever since great grandpa Prewitt opened the bar. Fred and George had to muscle this new menu into my parents head for the good latter portion of the year. The only thing that remains to be changed is the indoor decor. The place looks drab and if we want to invite other people besides these old farts then we need flashing lights and pumping music."
"That's what I told mum," Fred cut in as he appeared behind the bar by Ginny's side.
"But mum is stubborn as an ox," George added as he came in from the other side. "We'll have to drill it into her, make her think it was her own idea just so that it can get done." The two twins stood behind Ginny's shoulders. "Hey Mione," they both greeted you.
"Have you tried any of our new drinks?" Fred asked. "It's on the house, of course. We need a friend's opinion on the matter because we plan on making more and need your intellectual thoughts on which ones are a go or a no."
"I haven't tried any of them yet. They all look too good to just pick one from," you admit.
"Then why not try them all?" George winks at you and you laugh as Ginny swats him with her towel. "Stop trying to drive Hermione out of her money. And get to work. It's your shift now."
"Hey, we offered her a free drink. Any and all other purchases she makes are of her free volition," George defends himself, putting his hands up.
"Seriously, pick a drink. And we'll make it for you," Fred said as Ginny took off her bartending frock and hung it somewhere under the bar. Fred and George had already put theirs on. "I'll be back," Ginny informs you before she goes upstairs. You nod your head in response to her.
"I'll take the Californian Sunrise," you say, recalling that was the drink that looked the most normal.
"You're taking a lame one?" Fred teasingly jeered. "You don't want to try some others?"
"I figure I have enough time to eventually try all of them, no need to rush," you say. "I'll drop by for a new drink each week."
"Fine then," George says with a fake pout. "One Californian Sunrise coming up." He then sets to work, mixing in several bottles and juices.
"So, while you're here, would you take a look at this?" Fred takes out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and unfolds it. On it is a list of drinks and their descriptions as well as ingredients in tiny sloppy writing. "George and I were thinking of making a sort of magic series of drinks. Based off of Nova Luna's Hogwarts series." He leans closer to you and so do you so you can hear him over the chattering of the patrons around you.
A small smile graces your lips at this. That's the book series that Luna writes. It seems she has fans and closer than you would have thought. Fred continues on. "There would be four simple drinks, one for each of the houses in the book series. The Gryffindor drink would be red and meant to be spicy. It would take courage to drink it, and it would inspire bravery in those who did drink it. The Ravenclaw drink would be purple and is very bitter, as knowledge can sometimes be bitter because it takes away the veil of peaceful obliviousness. The Hufflepuff drink would be yellow and it would be reminiscent of honey in flavor. Because loyalty to others is like the sweet bond, or honey, that keeps them close. And lastly Slytherin's green drink would be sweet at first but then it would turn sour. As Slytherin's can be deceptively sweet but they are in truth sour and conniving tricksters."
At this George brings up your drink and you accept it gratefully before he has to go over and make more drinks. "This is really well thought out," you say in a highly pleased and surprised voice. The idea is eclectic and you are sure the younger generations will love it. "You spent a lot of time to make this work. I would love to drink such drinks. Maybe a version for children would be a nice touch too. I'm certain a lot of Nova Luna's fans are younger teens."
"I've never considered that!" Fred exclaims before he calls over to George. "George, did you hear that?"
There is a "what?" from the other side of the bar and Fred rushes over to tell his brother what you have suggested in excited words. You take this time to sip your drink and appreciate the fruity taste. The drink itself is artful, looking like a sunrise. The bottom of the glass is dark but gets lighter in color as it gets up higher, turning a light pink hue.
Fred comes back after a while. "George says it's a brilliant idea. In this way we can get family's to come here. It'll be like a family bar/ restaurant. Come for the drinks and stay for the food. There are other drinks we also thought of making. These would be based on the potions used in the book. So far we've only managed to make three of them." Fred licks his finger as he unfolds the paper more and turns a page. He then taps at the words on the paper.
There's Skelogrow, Felix Felicus and- "Polyjuice potion?" You wrinkle your nose up. Luna told you about this drink. The potion is supposed to taste nasty and smell even nastier.
"Yes. We're going to make it look like a brown toxic sludge and make it really strong as well as grotty. And people who can finish this drink in one go can get it for free; in other words they have to pay for it unless they can finish it. We could make like a competition night with it or something."
You nod your head as you follow along, listening to Fred explain in great detail what else he plans to put on the menu and you offer your words of advice to them. Fred would go into more detail but apparently more people have come in and the bar is even busier. Too busy for George to handle by himself. Fred leaves to help his brother and you nurse your drink, wondering if Ginny is going to come back. The whole purpose of your visit tonight was to talk to her about romantic issues but it wouldn't work if she wasn't here.
Just as you drain your drink and are about to step away from the stool, a warm hand on your shoulder makes you look back. "Let's sit in a booth," Ginny suggests and jerks her thumb back in direction to an empty spot. You follow her there and slide in. "I'll be back with some drinks." She goes off and returns five minutes later with two more Californian Sunrises. You gladly take the proffered glass.
"So, what's up?" She asks as she takes a sip and the glimmer of curiosity in her eyes suggests she is asking the question to probe the movie situation earlier in the day.
"You know what's up," you decide it would best to be straight to the point. "You set me and your brother up on a date."
She shrugs helplessly. "He made me do it. He said that since I was close to you that I should invite you to the movies and that he would work his magic from there. Trust me, I didn't want to do it. But he blackmailed me into it."
You resist the urge to groan out loud. He had used his sister to get a date with you. Not cool. "No offense to your brother but I do not like him in that manner. So could you not encourage his pursuit of me? And I'll do my part in turning him down."
Ginny is not offended in the least. "It might take a while for him to understand that you don't like him. He has a thick skull when it comes to certain things."
"Then what can I do to drive it through his head?"
Ginny shrugs. "Keep telling him no?" she offered unhelpfully. "If you had a boyfriend or something that would work. You could bring them over and then introduce him to Ron. Then that would get the message across."
There were two issues with that plan. One, your boyfriend was a womanl that was notorious among the Weasley siblings. And second, she was one of your ex-patients. You shake your head no. "The situation is a bit complicated. So I can't do that. Although it seems like the only thing that would work."
This talk did not garner the results you wanted, and there was no point in telling Ginny now that you were gay. You couldn't see it in anyway contributing to the conversation.
"What's so complicated with your romantic situation? Are you seeing someone? If I tell Ron that then it might convince him otherwise," Ginny questions.
This sparks an idea. "I am, but it's nothing serious yet. He's one of my old colleagues," you begin as you pull out your phone, swiping through pictures quickly. Landing on the pic of you and Harry at the conference together you pass the phone to Ginny. She appraises the bespectacled man and hands the phone back to you. "He's cute, in the nerdy way. Send me the picture and then I can tell Ron all about how you're actually dating this guy. It should put the breaks to his moves on you."
"I hope so," you answer and send the picture to Ginny along with several excited statements about how great Harry is. Hopefully she won't ask anymore about him, but you can see she is intrigued about this guy so you decide to stay put and answer her questions as vaguely as you can despite the urge to leave the bar increasing.
Sunday cannot come fast enough and you wake up early. The birthday party is at 2 in the afternoon and you spend the rest of the morning picking out outfits for it. What is appropriate for a kid's birthday party? You don't know. You've never been to one before. As a kid no one ever invited you to one although you desperately wanted to go to one and with a bitter laugh you realize that you got your wish years later. You were going to a kid's party but as a twenty something year old. How amusing indeed.
You finally settle on a flowery and white sundress, brushing your brown hair over your shoulder in a ponytail. Grabbing the gift wrapped Lego set for Draco, you head to the car, jittering with nerves. It's ridiculous that you're feeling this excited to see Bellatrix but you are. You even made sure to linger extra long on what outfits to wear so that you could look your cutest, which is totally not like you.
Throwing the car into gear you drive over to Narcissa's mansion not surprised to see that already the gates have been opened and that there are cars parked around the giant fountain in the middle of a rotunda. You park yours by a red Porsche and begin to feel just the little bit out of place. And poor.
Maybe you should have worn a better dress?
Too late for that now. You knock on the front door and a butler opens it up, requests to see your invitation which you show, before leading you inside down countless halls and rooms and to the back patio of the mansion. There are people milling outside, ladies in long evening dresses and men in suits, all sipping something out of a champagne flute, or snacking on some appetizers and talking to one another. You palm the huge gift under your arm and try not to let the sense of out of placement worry you. You figure you'll say hi to Narcissa, drop the gift off, and then go talk to Bellatrix. If you can find her, that is.
You weave your way through the crowd towards the assemblage of green and white balloons in the middle of the giant lawn. There are rows of tables set up, all with balloons and bouquets of flowers on their white table clothed surfaces. Music plays out of speakers that have been set up everywhere and you spot a tent with a platform under it and a bar that is serving adults alcohol. There are bouncy castles on the other side for the kids to partake in and you can hear the squeals of laughing little kids as they run around, dressed in clothes that make them look like the miniature version of their parents.
The sun is bright and you shade your eyes as you descend the steps of the patio and go onto the grass towards where you have spotted a singular table dedicated to presents. And you can see stacks of presents on top of stacks of presents. Something tells you this boy is spoiled. You are about to stack your present somewhere when a voice calls your name. The hope that it is Bellatrix dies in your chest when you turn around to see that it is Narcissa who has called for you. She is bringing who you can only assume to be Draco and her husband with her. She holds Draco's small hand in her's, Lucius glued to her free side, arm around her waist and glass in his other holding something dark and amber. They are immaculately dressed, all matching golds and whites and blacks.
Draco is a small thin boy with severely sharp features and pale, pale blonde hair. He is holding onto his mother's hand, his features morose and schooled into stone. You give him a wide grin which he does not return before you bring your gaze up to Narcissa. "Miss Granger. Nice to see you. I hope you did not have difficulty in finding this place?"
"No, not at all," you respond with, holding out your present towards Draco. "This is for you, birthday boy." You offer him another wide grin as he accepts the present in his small hands.
"What do we say Draco?" Narcissa demands.
"Thank you for the gift. And I hope you have a pleasant time at the party." He is the very image of a gentleman as he gives you a practiced smile in return. Narcissa takes the gift from him, tucking it under her arm before shooing him away. "Go off and play with the kids dear. But don't get too wild. We have to cut the cake and you need to be there for it." Draco nods his head and runs off.
Narcissa watches him go before she turns to you. "This is my husband the filmmaker. Lucius, this is Hermione Granger." The two of you shake hands, his grip a bit too firm on your hand. His hair is long, tied in a ponytail at the back and pale just like his son's.
"Pleasure to meet you," he rumbles, his voice thick. His eyes are elsewhere, clearly not caring who you are. To him you are a nobody. You're fine with that. Not that you care much for who he is.
"Same," you respond with, trying to imbue the word with earnesty and awe although you don't really care to be in his proximity. "I am honored to have been invited here." You throw that in for good measure.
He nods his head at that, done with this, and tugs his wife by the waist to let her know he wants to leave. She smiles at you as she slowly retreats. "You'll find what you need by the bar. I trust you to take good care of everything." Narcissa's words are vague and mysterious and you wonder if her husband will question what she means but apparently he has better things to do because he is impatient to drag her off. "Have a good afternoon," Narcissa adds, placing your gift down on the table, and then the two of them are striding off towards an affluent looking man who is surrounded by a bunch of women.
Figuring that Narcissa meant you could find her sister by the bar, you set off in that direction. The area around the bar is packed and you don't want to start shouting out Bellatrix's name and risk looking like an idiot so you casually make rounds, peering at people's faces out of the corner of your eye. But you cannot see anyone who looks like her. Frowning and feeling slightly frustrated, you settle down at the bar stool for a drink. The bartender takes your order of a whiskey on the rocks and you just receive it when someone sits down on the stool next to yours.
"What's a pretty young girl like you doing alone by herself?" There is no mistaking the familiar timbre of this speaker and you turn around, a relieved grin on your face, which quickly turns to a slacked jaw when you see what she's wearing. Bellatrix has put on a black dress. It is form fitting, and is tied up by a thick sash around her neck. There is an tear shaped opening on her chest, giving a peek of her cleavage. Black satin gloves come up to her upper arms, covering up her scars perfectly.
Her hair is also designed perfectly, the thick mass of curls pinned up in an updo, with a few choice strands hanging down and framing her face nicely. Her eye makeup is aphotic and heavy, making her hooded eyes even more Stygian. And her lips are incarnadine, and hitched in a smirk.
You are rendered speechless for a good few seconds and Bellatrix laps up your shock happily. "You...look nice," you stammer out after you realize you have been staring for quite some time.
"I gathered, given your reaction. Come, let us leave this place. I haven't seen you for a week and I want to have a conversation with you away from prying ears." She gets up and you follow. The two of you go inside and she leads the way. Inside it is much quieter and you are more available to enjoy her figure blatantly. She knows you're staring and she enjoys every minute of it, especially your flushed expression at being caught.
She takes you to the library and gives you a moment to enjoy the room. You immediately fall in love with it. The ceiling stretches up a good three stories and the bookshelves reach up to touch it, crammed to the brim with all sorts of books. The windows reach the limits of the ceiling too, letting in a lot of light which is perfect for reading. To accompany the enjoyment of the literature are numerous comfy leather chairs and couches as well as a fireplace. "This room is amazing," you breath, instantly jealous of it. You wish you could afford this. Some of the books here look to be ancient and they are encased in glass, held up on stands strategically placed around the vast room. The room is so big that the rows of bookcases could make a maze. One that you wouldn't mind getting lost in.
"I knew you would love this room. Come, there's more," Bellatrix impatiently grabs your hand and tugs you deeper into the library where the bookcases tend to block out the light. The scent of paper and ink permeates the air. You leave what you quickly label as the atrium of the library into the heart of it. And in the center of it is a mini garden. A skylight sheds light on it, the rays of light filtering in through the giant tree's branches. The tree is a weeping willow and it overlooks a small brook that is channeled from some underground water source and disappears into a small pond where koi fish are swimming merrily around. This whole encasement is on a little island of sorts that is only connected to by a bridge as water separates the circle of perfection from the carpet library floors.
"T-this is crazy. Who has this in a library? In their house?" You can't help the pitch of your voice from going up. Bellatrix merely chuckles at this. The answer is obvious. Her sister would do something like this. You go onto the bridge, passing over the small water moat which has pretty lily pads floating on it. You approach the weeping willow tree and sit down on a rock under it, Bellatrix quickly joining. "I could read books here forever."
"It's certainly a good place for it. And a nice place for conversation too. I wish I could show you the rest of the mansion but there are too many people around and they could start asking questions. Questions that will make Narcissa suspicious of us. I'm already surprised she agreed to let you come to the party. It makes me wonder if she has ulterior motives."
You shrug. It's a possibility. But not one you can stop as you have no clue what she wants from you other than a second chance. "I told her I would help the two of you overcome your personal problems. So I'll be visiting you two quite soon."
"I'm excited about you coming over. Not so much about the first part of that statement though."
You playfully swat Bellatrix on the arm. "If you want to spend time with me then you'll have to do it."
"I should have just stayed at your house. But you didn't want me there," Bellatrix sighs wistfully and pouts her full lips, reminding you how much you want to kiss them.
"It's healthier this way. You needed to reconcile with your sister at some point." After this the two of you lapse into comfortable silence and listen to the gurgle of water into the pond. You could stay like this forever with Bellatrix.
"I missed you," Bellatrix admits, making you turn to look at her as she breaks the silence. Her eyes are soft and focused on you. "I've missed you and all your stupid annoying know it all behaviors," she adds, a teasing twist to her lips at this.
"And I've missed you too and all your intrinsic Bellatrix activities," you snap back playfully.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Bellatrix asks but forgoes the answer to the question in favor for reaching up and picking the fallen leaf off of your hair. She twirls it around in between her forefinger and thumb and you watch her do it, as she absently watches you. It feels a bit odd to be finally seeing her after all the time you spent apart. To be fair it was only a week but still. What do you do now? You want to kiss her and decide to just roll with it. Confident that no one is in the library but the two of you, you reach out a slightly shaking hand and cup her chin. She raises intrigued brows but says nothing or does nothing to stop you. Gently you press your lips against hers and sigh at their sinful softness. She responds for a split second before she pulls away, a mischievous grin in her eyes. She gets up, swiftly sliding her heels off and carrying them in her hand, the same hand that carries her hand purse.
"It seems someone is eager. We can't have that." She clicks her tongue as she reprimands you. "Not yet." Tossing that over her shoulder she makes a come hither motion with her finger and you rise up as well, like a puppet on the puppet master's strings and go back in between the lines and rows of books. She is being alluring and tempting and frustratingly out of reach. Is this pay back for you kicking her out of the house? You want to whine out loud like a little kid for her to slow down.
"I think we should play a little game first. I think you should come and find me. Before you get your reward."
"Bellatrix," you whine but she shushes you by putting a finger up to your lips. "Be a good girl and you might just really enjoy your reward." Her voice is low and pure velvet to the ears. You dutifully swallow down your protests and she lowers her finger. "Think of it as a scavenger hunt."
"But what will I be searching for?" The two of have made it back to the library atrium.
"Easy. You already know the answer." At this she drops a heel down by the closed doors of the library. "And try not to get caught snooping around. Wait in here ten minutes to give me a head start." And with a lascivious wink she is out the door, closing it and leaving you in the library by yourself with only your awakening arousal as your companion.
Well, this certainly just got interesting.
A/N: I think we all know where this is going ;)