She had spent most of the week either with her parents or with Linus. His company was easy because he held no ties to either Draco or Ron. She could just sit there and read from his vast library, or occasionally they would have rousing discussions on various topics. They were all limited to academia, neither one brave enough to delve further into the other's emotional baggage.
She had just come home from one such visit when two owls came barreling towards the window, a heavy packet in between them. Her editor must have finished the book! It couldn't be more perfect timing. She wanted to get Linus's opinion on it before it went to press in early December.
She opened the window wide enough to let both owls come through. They dropped the large package on the table, causing the plate atop it to rattle.
She handed each of them a piece of toast before digging into the package, anxious to see what her editor said.
It was obvious from the start that she had been mistaken. Instead of a note from her editor, there was a signed letter from A. Greengrass, Solicitor. Her stomach dropped. It was not her book at all, but divorce papers.
She scanned each of them dully, not really paying attention. Hermione felt oddly detached and was surprised to find that she didn't even feel the need to shed a tear. She was to get a monthly stipend to live on as well as their manor home and the car. She felt a bit shocked that he was willing to give up their home, but supposed that he would probably be moving into Malfoy Manor and would inherit that eventually anyway. Sooner, rather than later, if Lucius's health didn't pick up.
She was even more taken aback to see that he had given her Twinkles. Twinkles had been in their family since Draco's birth, when the Notts had given her to them as a gift to celebrate the first-born Malfoy. She supposed that while Draco appreciated Twinkles, he knew that Hermione would have been sad to be without her.
It was all too generous. She couldn't take everything from him. So instead she crossed out the manor home and reduced the stipend a significant amount and only for six months, just enough to get her back on her feet until she could find a job. She then signed on the dotted line – along with fifteen others – and sent the owls back on their way.
It was as if a huge weight lifted from her shoulders as she watched the birds recede into the distance. She stood by the window long after the small dots of the owls had become no more. She was getting a new start. A second chance.
****XXXX
Ginny looked out of the corner of her eye as she sat in the kitchen of the burrow. Ron sat at the end of the table, hastily eating his steak and kidney pie.
"So, Hermione signed the divorce papers a couple of days ago," she said conversationally to her mother. Harry jabbed an elbow roughly into her side, but she just shot him a winning smile.
"Is that right?" Molly glanced over to Ron, though her gaze was more pointed than Ginny's had been.
"Yeah. It's finally done. She is free and clear of the ferret."
"Ginny. That is not nice," her mum admonished, but her lips quirked up in a little grin.
Ron, for all intents and purposes, seemed to be ignoring the both of them and instead focused on forking a piece of steak into his mouth.
"How about those Canons? Looking good this season," Harry broke in.
"Season hasn't begun yet, Harry." Ginny flashed a smile at him.
"Yeah, but they got that new keeper. He should really beef up their game." He tried to engage Ron.
"He's all right," Ron added, though his head was still down.
Harry grasped onto the topic with fervor. "All right? He's more than all right. He is brilliant. Did you see that save he made last year against the Wasps?"
"'Fraid I missed that one." Ron mumbled.
Harry flushed in embarrassment. "Oh, yeah, right, well then."
The room went silent.
"I've heard you're making quite the impression over in the Auror department," her dad interrupted.
Ron's cheeks flushed pink. "Yeah?" He looked up, a small smile breaking through his sullen expression.
"Yeah, Reynolds's said that anyone who can put a smile on that Pixie's face must be a miracle worker."
Ron's frown came back, and he responded tersely, "Her name is Mitzi, not Pixie."
"Oh, sorry I thought…"
"Well you were wrong, weren't you." Ron put his fork and knife down and pushed back from the table. "If you don't mind I'd like to be excused."
"I do so mind," Ginny's mum said. "Now you sit down and eat the rest of your dinner. I made a special dessert for you, and you are going to stay and eat it."
Ron sighed and pulled himself back towards his plate.
The sound of silverware on plates clattered noisily in the otherwise silent room while they each finished off their dinner.
The special dessert was banana pudding. Ron hated banana pudding. Ginny, however, loved it. She dug into the dish greedily. Harry sat beside her, taking surreptitious glances every so often in Ron's direction. She could tell that he was getting worried about him.
She was, too. Sullen Ron she could handle, but this Ron--this I-don't-want-to-have-anything-to-do-with-anyone Ron-- was hard to take. He wouldn't look anyone in the eye and avoided everyone as much as possible.
After only a few bites of his pudding, Ron pushed away from the table once more. This time he did not ask permission, rose quietly, and headed up the stairs. Ginny poked Harry in the side and gestured towards the stairs with her eyes.
He got the hint and went to follow. Her mum was about to object when Ginny shot her a look and shook her head.
Trying to fill the awkward void, Ginny chatted endlessly about plans for the baby's room. She was thinking of doing a Quidditch theme. She had just told them about the crib she intended to buy that had slats made out of old broom handles when a loud crash rang from above their heads.
Her mum went to get up, but Ginny stood and pushed her back down. "Harry will work it out. Just let them be for now."
Her mum didn't look happy, but she sat back down and they all pretended to be very interested in the plans for the nursery.
****XXXX
He had come up there for peace and quiet. When he heard footsteps behind him, he turned around and scowled.
"What do you want?"
"Stop it." Harry said easily.
Ron ignored him and continued up the stairs and to his room. Harry followed.
"Can't you just leave me be?"
"I've let you be long enough. What's going on with you?"
"You know damn well what's going on with me." Ron slammed the door to his bedroom.
"No, mate, I don't. You won't talk to me, or Ginny, or anyone other than Pi…er... Mitzi." Harry came around and sat down on the edge of Ron's bed.
"What's wrong with Mitzi?" Ron bit out.
"Nothing that I know of."
Harry's calm demeanor only infuriated Ron more. He wanted Harry to be angry, as angry as he was.
"Look, Ron. I am not going to pretend that I know what you're going through. I don't, mostly because you won't tell me. But we're worried about you."
"Well don't be. I'm fine."
Harry crooked an eyebrow.
"You're right; you have no idea what I am feeling. You couldn't possibly understand. It's not that I won't talk to you and Ginny. It's that I don't want to."
Harry sat back further on the bed and stared at Ron.
"Why?" Harry finally broke through the tense silence.
"Why? Because every time I look at either of you I am reminded of her."
"Okay." Harry nodded his head in understanding. "She's getting a divorce now, you know?"
Ron shot him a scathing look. "How could I not know? It's all Ginny will talk about."
"So maybe you could try to… patch things up."
"You've got to be bloody joking. She married Malfoy!" His anger began to resonate throughout his body. He needed some sort of outlet or he felt he might explode. Harry's calm demeanor only fueled the fire. He wanted to hurt something. He wanted to punch, maim, or kick the ever-loving shite out of something. Instead of letting his anger out on Harry, he ended up forcing his desk to the ground.
The breaking of wood and shattering of a couple of inkbottles resonated throughout the room. The sound almost eased some of his anger… almost.
Harry flicked his wand towards the desk and everything flew into repair, put back to its original state.
"So what?"
"So what, what?" Ron was confused, his short bout of released rage made him temporarily forget what he had been saying.
"So what if she married Malfoy? She is leaving him now."
Ron stared at Harry, who was still relaxing easily on his bed. How could he not understand?
"So what? So what? You can't be serious. He's Malfoy! He is the symbol of all things evil and horrible in this world, and Hermione went and married him. She forgot about me! She left me for dead and married the one person in the world whom I hate more than anything."
Harry's calm demeanor abruptly changed, and his voice lowered into a growl.
"You are wrong! Hermione never forgot about you. Not for one minute. Stop being a selfish prat for once in your life and recognize just how devastated she was. She cried herself to sleep every night for over two years. Malfoy, who may be a git, was there for her. He helped her get through the pain of losing you. She married him because she felt she owed him. You were gone. Was she supposed to wait for you forever?"
"I was kidnapped!" Ron yelled.
"Yes, but how was she, or any of us, supposed to know that you would ever return? We all thought you were dead. Did you expect her to become an old maid on the off chance that you might someday return?"
"But I did return," Ron said a little less forcibly.
"And we are all grateful for that, but you can't hold what happened while you were away against her. You have to stop this rubbish. You have to stop ignoring me, you have to stop bypassing Ginny, and you definitely have to talk things out with Hermione. Even if you two can't get it together, how else are you ever going to be able to move on?" Harry stood and took a steady look at Ron. "I will see you tomorrow."
With that, Harry exited the bedroom, leaving Ron with only his thoughts and a too small bed.
****XXXX
A week later, Hermione was walking through Diagon Alley with Linus. He had just brought her by a small bookshop that Hermione had never heard of when she suggested that they go for lunch.
They turned a corner when Linus suddenly grabbed her hand and whispered, "I'm sorry, you can slap me later."
Then, quicker than she had time to react, he kissed her. She stood stock-still, not exactly sure what in the world was going on. When he pulled away a second later, she looked full into the sight of a red-faced Ron.
He was standing beside a small girl with short-cropped hair. The girl's face held extreme loathing, and Hermione felt baffled at why she would direct such a look her way. She did not know that witch, nor did she care to at this point.
The short haired girl grabbed Ron around the collar, a mighty feat considering the height difference, and pulled him towards her. He did not seem to put up much of a fuss when their lips met.
Ron's eyes never left Hermione's face. The kiss continued well past a normal peck on the road, and with every moment that passed Hermione grew more and more saddened. It was too late; she would never be able to get him back now. That was what he was trying to tell her, he had moved on, and he seemed quite pleased about it.
She brushed a stray tear from her eye and pulled Linus away, headed down the direction they had just come from. When they had walked far enough away from the sight that would sear into Hermione's brain for weeks to come, if not forever, she finally looked over at her friend.
She was about to berate him for kissing her like that, she was sure that it had invoked that horrible display from Ron, but when she turned her head all she saw was a ghost. His face was pale white and sweat poured from his brow. A second more and he would probably vomit.
"Linus?" She brushed the back of her hand across his forehead, but did not feel a temperature.
He didn't respond.
"Linus…" She pulled on his arm. "Let's go back to your place. You don't look very good."
He looked very similar to how she felt, in fact.
They popped outside of Linus's manor home and she led him towards the library, where she laid him down on one of the couches.
His body stood stiff and he didn't blink. Hermione began to get worried.
She called out in the hall for help, and the slippered man from her first visit came waltzing into the room.
"Sorry to disturb you, sir, but something seems to be wrong with Li… Professor Wentworth."
"Oh, something does, does it?" The man moved closer to the couch and took a good look at Linus. "What's wrong boy?" The man snapped. He poked Linus's shoulder, but elicited no reaction.
"Hey!" He shouted, and clapped his hands loudly in front of Linus's face. There was still no movement from the professor.
Then the old man slapped Linus across the cheek, the smack was so loud that it made Hermione wince. A red hand mark shone brightly on Linus' left cheek. Linus blinked.
"Is anybody home?" The old man knocked on Linus' head.
Linus blinked again, twice, in rapid succession.
"I know you're in there boy, now come out!"
Linus groaned and lifted his hand towards his cheek.
"See," the old man said, "he's fine. Just a rotten faker, he is." The old man looked daggers at Hermione, as if she had interrupted him for something so trivial, and then sauntered out of the room without so much as a look back at Linus.
Hermione rushed closer to the couch. "Linus, are you okay?"
He rubbed his cheek. "I am not," he said succinctly.
"What in the hell just happened?" Hermione said a little more shrilly than she intended.
"Ah, yes, sorry about the kiss. I got a bit carried away, won't happen again."
She had forgotten about the kiss while she had been trying to revive Linus.
"Not the kiss you fool!"
"Oh, well. I believe I had a bad reaction to some pixie dust that must have been on the street. It happens from time to time. Don't worry about it. I'm all right now." He sat up, the welt on his cheek beginning to swell.
"You should do something for that." Hermione gestured towards his cheek.
"Yes, yes," he said distractedly, as he rubbed at his reddened face again.
"Can I ask you something?"
Linus nodded.
"Who is that man?"
"That's my Grandfather. This is his house, actually."
"Really?" Both eyebrows rose along with the tone of her voice.
"Yes, really." Linus's voice sounded more defeated than before.
"Well that's nice, isn't it? That he lets you stay with him."
"There's nothing nice about it. I do it out of necessity, that's all."
Hermione didn't know what to say to that, so she stayed quiet. The awkwardness filled the room. Hermione picked carelessly at a hangnail as she tried to think of something else to talk to Linus about. She didn't want him growing more downtrodden than he already appeared to be.
She wasn't able to come up with anything, and by the glazed look in Linus's eyes, she didn't think that he would be able to either. So even though she was filled with curiosity, she left it alone for the moment, deciding instead to go home. She had some thinking of her own to do anyway.
A/N: So let's hear it... what'd you think? Does anyone want to kill Linus or Mitzi at this point? Any fun theories? What about Ron's talk with Harry? And how about that nice A. Greengrass hint? Love me, hate me, tell me :)