Author's Note: Only one more chapter after this one!

Chapter Twenty-Three

It wasn't her intention to fall asleep on the sofa waiting for him to come home. When he didn't return in time for dinner, Hermione had been concerned, but not worried. She knew all too well how important it was to calm down and clear one's head when they were in a bad mood. After dinner, she sat in her usual spot on the sofa so she could hear him when the front door opened. Glad to finally have the opportunity to read something other than a dusty law book, she picked up a neglected novel at the bottom of her stack of books she hadn't even dared to look at for months.

The creaking of the front door woke her up from a sound sleep. Why none of the residents of the house had yet decided it was worth their time to fix the door, she didn't know, but in that moment, she was thankful they hadn't. If Cormac was able to sneak inside quietly, she might have slept all the way through the night until morning. Even though it had been nearly fifteen years since she last slept inside that horrible tent that smelled slightly of cats afraid any second that they were going to be found by Snatchers or worse, she still struggled not to wake up at the slightest sound in the middle of the night. Sleeping potions helped sometimes though they weren't foolproof. When she was married she used to be jealous that Ron was able to sleep through just about anything. It had been a long time since she could say the same.

Hermione didn't bother to turn a lamp on or even light the end of her wand. Even in the near complete darkness she knew that part of the house as well as she knew her bedroom. Worried that she might miss Cormac if he went straight to his bedroom, she was relieved to hear the sounds of him stumbling around the kitchen. Winky wouldn't go to bed without ensuring she left a plate of food for him on the table. On the nights when Hermione didn't come home until late, she was thoughtful enough to do the same.

"Fuck, Hermione. Why're you sneaking up on me like that?"

The slur in his words told her all she needed to know about where he'd been. He'd already had plenty to drink at the Leaky Cauldron before he rushed off in a huff for some ridiculous reason she still didn't quite understand. Wherever he ended up after that involved even more alcohol. Leaning against the doorframe, she crossed her arms. She cared enough about the man to be blunt, to say what she had been wanting to say for a while.

"You drink too much, Cormac. It's not healthy."

A derisive snort was his reply. She wasn't surprised. No one appreciated when their worst traits or biggest mistakes were pointed out to them. If he wanted to turn the tables, he had plenty he could say about what she was doing wrong to cope with her own pain. She was far from perfect. Never claimed that she was either.

"I disagree, love. I think I should drink more often."

"That's what you do when you go upstairs to be alone in your bedroom, isn't it?"

His blue eyes narrowed into a glare that might've scared her if she didn't trust the man with her life. She knew she'd struck a nerve, but perhaps it was time that she did. When she felt overwhelmed and emotional, she would hide in her room to wallow in self-pity, cry, or indulge in her favorite vice: sleeping too much. Her actions weren't healthy either and she wouldn't pretend that she was somehow better than him because they coped differently. She wasn't sure when she started to suspect that the times he excused himself to hide in his room that he used the time to drink where no one could witness. The expression on his face alone told her that she was right.

"Did Winky tell you about the empty bottles she found under my bed?"

There was shame in the softness of his voice. Uncrossing her arms, Hermione stepped away from the doorframe to enter the kitchen fully. He'd been in the process of eating his dinner standing up when she snuck up on him. Seeming to no longer be interested, he pushed the plate away as she crossed the room to stand just a few steps away.

"Winky would never betray a confidence. She might not be bound to you magically like she was to the Crouches, but she has a strong sense of honor. She wouldn't tell a secret about her family and I think it's safe to say she has adopted the two of us as her family. Probably your mum and dad too."

An odd conversation she had with the house-elf a month or two earlier made a little more sense. Winky was in a funny mood one night when Cormac was out of the country on business. As she slid a plate in front of Hermione for dinner, she'd sighed and asked Hermione if she thought that 'Mister Cormac' would be all right. Hermione hadn't known what to say to comfort the concerned house-elf.

"Winky and Missy Hermione have to take care of him. Mister Cormac needs us both."

Perhaps realizing she'd said more than she intended to say, Winky cleared her throat and excused herself to go upstairs to clean one of the bedrooms that didn't need to be cleaned. Nothing more was ever said on the subject, but Hermione knew that didn't mean Winky didn't have her own opinions. House-elves saw more than the humans in their homes realized.

"You're probably right. I think she loves my mum most of all."

"You think so? Because I've seen the way she smiles when your dad is here. He might be her favorite."

Cormac laughed, a good sign. She hadn't meant to get so personal, but didn't regret saying what she had. Even if nothing was fixed that night or any night soon, at least he could be aware that others who cared about him knew he was struggling. She hoped it would help him not feel so alone.

"Dad does have a way with the ladies. Always has. I'm but a poor reflection of him. I've tried to be like him, but I'm not nearly as effective."

"You don't think so?"

"He got my mum to fall in love with him, didn't he? No one can deny she's out of his league. But she loves him. I feel like I've wasted my life chasing after the ones who didn't want me."

His words were a punch to her gut. She didn't know what to say to him in response. It was a feeling she'd felt herself before. When she was in Hogwarts, she remembered vividly how awful it felt when Ron was interested in Lavender. Though it turned out all right in the end, she supposed, the rejection had been harsh. Everything felt intensified when she was a teenager.

"Cormac…"

"No, don't say it. I know I'm just feeling sorry for myself, but that doesn't mean there's not truth in it. My ex-wife didn't really want to marry me. We would've both been happier if we'd just had our fling and didn't try to make more out of it than we did. I sincerely believe she'd been in love with Carlos since they were children and I was just an experiment that lasted too long."

She didn't know if that was true or not. Without the benefit of knowing the people involved and having a full history, she couldn't know. It was still painful to remember how in school none of the boys showed any interest in her. During such an awkward, uncomfortable time in her life, she'd felt rejected every single time one of the boys in her school seemed to forget she was a girl. Was it any wonder she believed herself half in love with Viktor the year of the Triwizard Tournament? Just as he said she made him feel like he was 'only Viktor', he made her feel like she was more than 'just Hermione'. Other girls in the castle had their pick of the boys in all of the Houses. The sting of the rejection, the horrible feeling of not being wanted or desired was hard to shake even as an adult. It was possible that she would deal with that kind of insecurity her entire life. She hoped not, but she was pragmatic enough to know she needed to prepare herself for the possibility.

"Why did you leave tonight, Cormac? Where did you go?"

"What does it matter? I'm sure I wasn't missed. Theo and Rosie only had eyes for each other and you and my uncle were cozy together."

Petulant adults frustrated Hermione like little else did. It was a behavior she'd seen many times in her life. Struggling not to roll her eyes, she sighed instead. How could he possibly think there was anything there with his uncle? If they looked cozy it was simply because the table really hadn't been large enough for five people and they had to move closer to be heard over all of the noise in the tavern.

"Your uncle is still in love with his wife. I'm a stranger and even I could see that."

"Don't let that 'grieving widower' act fool you. He's not some sort of celibate monk staying true to a memory. He's had plenty of witches in his bed since Aunt Caroline died."

"Well, good for him. I'm glad to hear he's not been entirely alone. No one should be."

"And you're just the type he likes: young, beautiful, and ambitious. Someone he can help further their career. He'll offer to help you with your next proposal. Suggest that you come to his office some evening after everyone else in the department has gone home. Just watch. There's a reason why he was all but forced to hire a wizard as his assistant instead of the pretty witches he had before Theo."

Hermione knew there were still some vestiges of a less than equal time of history in certain pockets of the Ministry of Magic. The laws were better than they had been when it came to discrimination and sexual harassment, but nothing was ever perfect. She didn't want to believe that the friendly man she'd spent time with that afternoon and part of the early evening could be so devious and disgusting as his nephew implied. It didn't add up. Not once had she ever heard Tiberius Zeller's name spoken by anyone in the Ministry without a great deal of respect and even admiration. She couldn't believe that a man who could raise a daughter like Rose by himself would be the same sort of cad his nephew described.

"You're being ridiculous, Cormac. Even if I believed that was true about your uncle, which I don't, it doesn't matter. I'm not interested. I'm not the kind of witch to fall for that. And it's not like I want to jump into bed with any random wizard who shows me any interest. The only wizard I've been with since my ex-husband couldn't even bear to spend an entire night with me. Had to run out in the middle of the night with no explanation. Why would I want to put myself through that again?"

Despite knowing that she needed to eventually ask him why he ran out on her Christmas, it wasn't her intention to blurt it out in quite such a dramatic fashion. She'd already been well aware that they needed to talk before Kingsley told her she needed to ask him for an explanation at the beginning of that week. They couldn't keep hiding from each other or avoiding the uncomfortable conversations they didn't want to have. It was childish. If they wanted to behave like adults, they had to do it correctly.

"Hermione, I…"

She waited for him to explain himself, to say something. Once his mouth was open, he promptly shut it again. In the past she would've just walked away to leave the conversation for another day. Though it would be awkward between them for a couple of days, they would eventually get back to a superficial place where they could try to move on without really dealing. It was exhausting to keep living like that. For the first time since her ordeal began exactly a year earlier, she finally felt like she had the emotional energy required to have the tough conversations.

"You told me weeks ago that I wasn't undesirable, but how do you think it made me feel to wake up alone? And then for you to avoid me for a week? Why did you do that?"

The note of desperation in her voice when she asked her 'why' would've embarrassed her with anyone else at any other time in her life. She hated when her voice went to the shrill place it used to go to a lot. It was something she wished she could've changed when she was younger. In that moment, though, she didn't care. All she wanted to know was why. What was so wrong with her that he couldn't bear to spend another moment with her? Just as he'd said earlier that he felt like he'd spent his entire life chasing after those who didn't want him, she didn't think she could bear being with another person who wanted to be anywhere she wasn't. She'd had her fill of that when she was married. In the last few years of her marriage, Ron found it easier to avoid her than to come home.

"Because I was scared."

It was honest even if it didn't make any sense. What did he have to be scared about? Hermione began to think that it was odd that the more she learned about Cormac, the less she thought she knew him. She hoped it was the copious amount of alcohol he'd consumed that night that made him difficult to understand.

"Of what?"

He sighed, running his hand through his hair as he did so. A lock of his blond hair stuck out at a strange angle that would've made her laugh under ordinary conditions. Quite without thinking about what she was doing, she reached out to smooth it back down. A sharp intake of breath was his only response. Realizing she was being entirely too familiar, Hermione dropped her hand to her side. Cormac continued to stare. When he didn't answer her question and just kept looking at her, she felt uncomfortable. Her annoying habit of babbling took over the rest of her remaining sense.

"I can't understand what you would possibly have to be afraid of that night, Cormac. You didn't do anything wrong. I was the one who took advantage of you in a vulnerable moment. You were much more intoxicated than I was and you'd already made it perfectly clear to me on the night of my wedding anniversary that I shouldn't kiss you when I was drunk."

"You really think that you were the aggressor in that situation?"

A snort came out of her mouth that she didn't intend. What a bizarre description.

"I hardly think that either of us could call ourselves 'aggressors'. We didn't attack each other, but as the more sober… less intoxicated one, I should have put a stop to it before we let it progress as far as we did. And if you recall, I was the one who dragged you to the bed and I was the one who started taking my clothes off first."

"I'll never be able to forget that moment, love. But…"

"Then stop feeling guilty about it. I was the one who was wrong. I was sad and lonely and I hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you, Cormac."

Her eyes burned with tears she'd been trying so desperately to keep from crying. She despised that even as a supposedly mature adult she still struggled with keeping her emotions under control in tense moments. Would she be doomed to spend the rest of her long existence being the same sad, scared little girl crying in the girls' lavatory with a mountain troll?

Without warning or waiting for permission to do so, Cormac wrapped his arms around Hermione and pulled her close to his chest. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine they were back in the Ministry stairwell on that terrible night she felt her world come crashing down all around her. So much had happened in a year and she finally felt like she was back on her own two feet, but standing there in his kitchen, she felt lost again.

"I was scared because I fell in love with you that night in the stairwell."

Never before had she been able to hear a soft whisper so clearly. Desperate to hear more and afraid she would ruin the moment if she said anything or dared to even move, Hermione remained as still as she could. She took a deep breath, finding comfort in the familiar scent of the man that clung to his robes.

"I was the one who touched you first, who kissed you first. I started it all because when I saw you standing in front of that bathtub, I couldn't control myself. Blame it on the alcohol, if you want. I was very drunk that night because I hated knowing you were alone on Christmas just like I had been the year before. All I could think of was getting home to you so you wouldn't have to be by yourself. I shouldn't have touched you. It wasn't what you wanted."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"I'm not stupid. Never have been. You got caught up in the moment. I took advantage of you in a lonely, vulnerable moment. I was there. That's why you let yourself give in. When I woke up in the middle of the night, I thought it had all been a dream until your hair tickled my nose and I panicked. I was scared to be there when you woke up and realized what a terrible mistake you'd made because that was the best night of my life."

"I was there." She knew all too well the fear that the only reason why someone might be interested in her was simply because of her close proximity. Hadn't she worried that she was trying to make what she felt about Cormac into more than it really was just because he was the only man she really spent any amount of time with? She'd had the same fear when she thought back over that night to try to figure out why he would leave her so abruptly. As painful as it had been to recognize, she knew it was entirely possible he only went along with her seduction because he was drunk, lonely, and she was convenient. Were they both living in fear of the same thing? It was frustrating and yet comical enough she almost had to laugh.

Hermione lifted her head off of Cormac's chest. Still remaining in the circle of his arms, she simply wanted to look at his face when she spoke. Hadn't they both run away too frequently when they should've spoken plainly? Communication was important in all relationships, not just marriage. She feared that she still hadn't learned as much as she should have from life.

"I was afraid when I woke up alone that you'd only gone to bed with me because you were sad and lonely and drunk and I was there. I didn't think you cared about me as anything more than a friend."

"We're both stupid, aren't we?"

After the tense topic of discussion, it felt good to laugh again. Once she nodded in agreement and began to giggle, he wasn't far behind. The tears that rolled out of her eyes then weren't shed out of sadness.

In hindsight, she shouldn't have been surprised when Cormac kissed her, but she was. One second they were laughing and the next he had her back pressed against the kitchen counter, his hands twisted amongst her messy curls, and his lips hungrily sought hers. She didn't know how it was possible that one man could do such a thorough job of stealing her breath away. He tasted strongly of the fire whiskey she knew he'd been guzzling all night to cope with his own feelings of inadequacy and sadness. There was enough passion between them that she was tempted to let him lift up her skirt, rip off her knickers, and take her right there on the surface Winky used to prepare all of their meals. Only the constant reminder of the fire whiskey kept her from giving in to that delicious temptation.

A hand on his chest and a gentle press was all it took to get him to stop kissing her mouth. Even intoxicated he was still a gentleman. Seeing the serious expression on her face, Cormac's shoulders slumped. Without speaking a single word, he already knew what she was going to say.

"I think I'd rather wait for a sober Cormac instead."

It hadn't been her intention to slap him with his own words. As soon as they slipped out of her mouth, she feared she'd made a mistake. She could've been gentler, kinder. Cormac's entire face changed. No longer open and honest as he'd been just a few minutes earlier when he confessed he'd been in love with her for a year, she felt him push her further out with a veritable fortress surrounding him, closing him off completely. He stepped back, freeing her from the counter. His interrupted meal forgotten, he spun on his heel. He was out of the room and halfway up the stairs before she could form the words to beg him to stay.

She feared she'd hurt him again. It was all she ever seemed to do where he was concerned. When she climbed into her beautiful bed a few minutes later, Hermione knew that a serious decision would have to be made soon. If all she could offer him was pain, it was past time that she found somewhere else to live.

When Cormac didn't enter the kitchen for breakfast with a cheerful, bright smile and try to pretend like the previous night never happened, Hermione felt sick to her stomach. It was worse than she realized if he wasn't even trying like he had every time before. Despite Winky's cooking being as delicious as ever, she could hardly eat. Only when she'd forced a few forkfuls down her throat did she rise from the table, thank the house-elf, and escape to work. She didn't want to offend Winky when she'd done absolutely nothing wrong.

All morning long she tried to get her focus back on the work of the subdivision she was in charge of, but it was difficult. After studying all of the laws and feeling like she'd actually been able to accomplish something important that would have a positive impact on the lives of others, reviewing job placement reports for an entire species of creature that had no desire to be free, she felt useless. How could she go back to her boring job?

The furtive looks that the newly affianced witch on the other side of the desk kept sending her way didn't help matters either. Rose radiated joy. Hermione couldn't help but be envious. It seemed petty and wrong, but she was only human. The younger witch had all of the best parts of her life to look forward to when Hermione worried she'd already seen her best. She went to sleep in the arms of her love content with the knowledge that they would have the rest of their lives to spend together. Hermione tossed and turned all night alone in a bed that was much too big for a single person.

"What is it, Rose?"

By mid-afternoon, she'd finally had enough. There was evidently something on her assistant's mind that she was hesitant to discuss. They'd worked together long enough for Hermione to recognize the signs.

"I know it's none of my business, but I'm going to ask anyway. What's going on between you and Cormac?"

Hermione had to respect the blunt boldness of her simple question. It would be too easy to 'beat around the bush' as Muggles often said. Even though she admired Rose for asking the tough questions, she didn't know how she was going to answer. Or even if she was going to answer.

"I don't really know, Rose, and that's the truth."

"He's in love with you. I've known that for a while just watching him when he doesn't think I'm paying attention. The way he looks at you… well, it doesn't matter. How do you feel about him?"

It should have been a simple question, but it wasn't.

"He's my best friend. He makes me laugh even when I want to be angry or I'm feeling sad. There's not a single person whose opinion means more to me than his. My favorite evenings are the ones where we sit together on the same couch, sometimes talking and often in a comfortable silence. I worry about him when he's upset. When he's sad, I'd commit murder just to make him smile again. When I hurt him, I hate myself."

"I'm not an expert, but it sounds like you're in love with him too."

Was she? After such a rollercoaster year of emotions, Hermione wasn't sure she could always trust what she felt. Everything felt more intense. The fantasy of a life with Cormac was often present in the back of her mind, but she tried not to dwell on how lovely it might be to be more than just his friend. It seemed too messy, too complicated.

"Maybe, but I don't think it matters. Last night I thought we… well, details don't matter. He closed himself off again and stormed away. Didn't even bother to come downstairs for breakfast. I'm sure that when I get home, I'll find out he's scheduled another one of his conveniently timed business trips just to avoid me for a few days."

"If there's one thing I've learned falling in love with Theo, it's that no matter what you do, you can't tear down his walls for him, Hermione. Just like he can't tear down the walls you've built around you either. He has to make that decision himself and so do you."

"But how..?"

"You have to be patient. You have to leave yourself open, but wait for him to poke his head up out of the sand. And you know, it might not hurt to… never mind."

Hermione trusted Rose's advice. Many times in the years she'd known her assistant, she'd proven herself to be perceptive and wise beyond her age. Perhaps it was the due to the tragedy of losing her mother at such a young age in a horrific manner. There had been little time for her to remain a child. Her experiences with Theo helped her understand how complicated love could be.

"Please tell me, Rose. It might not hurt to what?"

"Move out."

"I was afraid you were going to suggest that."

"Just for a little while. It doesn't have to last forever. It'll give you both some time alone to think and decide what you want to do next."

Of course there was sense in her suggestion. It was why Hermione had been thinking the same thing the night before. Actually going through it would be difficult, but perhaps it was for the best. She would have to give it some serious thought.

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a purple interdepartmental memo zooming through the air to land gracefully on Hermione's side of the desk. For a few moments there, she'd managed to forget she was at work and the rest of the world still ticked on.

My schedule this afternoon opened up and I would like to discuss a proposal of my own with you. Please come to my office as soon as you are able. -Kingsley

A personal summons from the Minister for Magic was hard to ignore. Tempted to stay behind in her office a little longer to continue her conversation with Rose, Hermione knew she was just being selfish. She explained the memo, wished the witch a good evening if she wasn't back in time for the end of the day, and made her way to the Minister's office.

Kingsley was seated on the edge of his assistant's desk when she arrived. Catching them in the middle of some joke, Hermione couldn't resist lifting a single eyebrow at her old friend when their eyes met. Immediately he cleared his throat, stood up, and showed her inside. Only when the door was closed and they were halfway to the comfortable armchairs by his fireplace did she finally tease him.

"You weren't kidding when you said your afternoon opened up. Would you like me to hurry back to my office so you and Gemma can be alone again?"

"Absolutely not. What you just saw out there was all perfectly innocent."

"I would hope so. Our Minister for Magic is supposed to be setting an example."

His deep, loud laughter was contagious. Even if he did have a relationship with his pretty assistant that wasn't entirely professional, it wasn't any of her business and she didn't really care. They were consenting adults. She knew the wizard well enough to know that he wouldn't neglect his duties for an illicit affair.

"Now, what sort of proposal did you want to discuss?"

"Straight to business, are we? I was hoping we could discuss what I walked up on outside of the courtroom yesterday afternoon."

"I should've known you would cancel your appointments just to make time for gossip. You're incorrigible, Kingsley Shacklebolt."

Hermione couldn't keep a straight serious face even as she admonished him. It wasn't exactly a surprise she'd been summoned to his office. If anything, she was surprised he didn't owl her first thing that morning to invite her to breakfast. Perhaps he hoped she would be too tired from celebrating the night before that she wouldn't be able to attend. There was a romantic hidden beneath the former auror's tough exterior.

"All right. Proposal first, but then you, my dear, will tell me everything I want to know."

It was an easy agreement to make. Once satisfied that he would get his necessary gossip, Kingsley explained why he wanted her in his office.

"You did a marvelous job yesterday, my dear. You impressed a number of the esteemed members with your thorough research and your passionate drive. The Chief Warlock and I had a long talk afterwards. He's in agreement with me that it's shameful that we've allowed these wretched pro-Pureblood laws to remain in effect for as long as we have. He wants to commission a task force whose sole purpose is to weed out these horrible laws. I agreed. We want this new office to research all of the egregious laws, present their findings to the Wizengamot, and help us to get rid of them once and for all."

"That sounds like a very ambitious project. The amount of research it took me just to get one overturned was incredible."

"You're absolutely correct. We've agreed on a five-person team to start with the option to add more as time goes on, if needed. You, my dear, are being offered the position of leader. If you accept it, which I must insist that you do, you will be granted a much larger office on Level Two and a significant bump in salary."

She felt overwhelmed, but in the most positive way possible. Being able to enact real, tangible change in the world was something she'd always dreamed of. The older she grew and the more she understood how the world actually worked, the less she thought it would ever happen. Idealism was for the young. Age usually stripped it away bit by painful bit.

"Kingsley, I don't know what to say. My subdivision…"

"I spoke with Mr. Towler at length this morning. He's in agreement that your subdivision can be easily absorbed into another in the Beast division. And because I knew you would be concerned, Miss Zeller has the option of remaining in the Beast division or she can join your task force."

There was no reason to reject his offer and Kingsley knew it. His smug smile might've been obnoxious at another time in her life. In that moment however, all she wanted to do was kiss his handsome face and thank him for his generosity. So she did. Laughing once more, he gently pushed her back in her chair.

"You deserve all of this and much more, Hermione. Never doubt that. Now, what happened in the corridor? Don't try to tell me 'nothing' or I'll hex you."

With very little prompting, it came out. All of it. She spared the wizard nothing. If she could trust him with her life on the back of a thestral while curses flew all around their heads, she could trust him with the truth of her feelings and the most uncomfortable of thoughts she possessed. Kingsley merely sat back and listened. When she brought him all the way up to the moment she received his memo, he nodded his head once.

"Miss Zeller is absolutely correct. You need to move out. Not forever, but for a little while. A month, at least. If both of you are afraid that the only reason the other would have feelings for you is because of your close proximity, put some distance between you. Don't make it so easy to see each other."

"But, Kingsley…"

"No, I'm right and so is Miss Zeller. 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'. Trite, but true. You needed Mr. McLaggen when you first divorced because of your financial situation and your ridiculous Gryffindor pride." Wink. "Now you don't. Your new salary will more than pay for your very reasonable rent on a charming furnished home in Hogsmeade that you can move into immediately. Take away the dependence and you can finally be on equal footing."

The thought of moving out of the home she'd come to love dearly even temporarily was heartbreaking. She knew she had to do it though. Everything that both Kingsley and Rose said was true.

"Okay. I'll give it at least a month."

Kingsley pressed a key to his late grandmother's house into her hand as she walked out of the office. Wanting to get started on packing lest she lose her nerve completely, Hermione went straight home when their meeting ended. The house was quiet except for the usual sounds of Winky moving around in the kitchen.

"Missy Hermione, you're home early."

"Yes, I am. Is Cormac here yet?"

She would figure out what she was going to say to the frustrating man when she saw him again. Winky shook her head and pointed to the calendar on the kitchen wall where Cormac marked down his frequent business trips. 'Morocco' was written on Thursday through Monday. While it was possible that he'd already planned to make that trip before their disastrous kiss in the kitchen, somehow she doubted it. At least his absence would make moving out easier.

Winky helped Hermione pack with tears streaming down her little face. Desperately afraid that her temporary relocation would turn permanent, nothing the witch said could calm the house-elf down. She was grateful that she still had Rose's trunk in her possession since she moved out of her flat with Ron. It made packing simple. A few spells rearranged all of her belongings inside the cavernous trunk. With another promise that she would see Winky again, Hermione Disapparated from the front garden straight to Hogsmeade.

Kingsley's grandmother's home was quaint and comfortable and lonely. She hated it from the first moment she crossed the threshold.