AN: Happy Tuesday! I hope you're all well. This is the penultimate chapter! :O I can't believe it. Just a few more things to wrap up and then this story will be finished.
As always, my betas are wonderful and challenge me to make sure I'm staying true to character. Also, when you get five, check out the new cover photo for this story made by the wonderful The Groove. It's absolutely brilliant, and I'm such a lucky writer!
I hope you enjoy this update. If you do, don't forget to let me know. Your comments feed my soul and keep me writing xxx
It's finally time for Hermione to attend a meeting with Sirius to discuss her contract renewal. What happens when his offer isn't quite what she wanted? What will this mean for Hermione and Ron.
Saturday morning came, bringing with it a raging hangover for Hermione, something she blamed the Weasley brothers for one hundred per cent. They were very persuasive and keen to include Hermione in all their fun, and she had eagerly allowed it to happen. Fortunately, Ron knew the proper antidote, and the couple spent the majority of the weekend watching shit TV, eating junk food and making up for lost time with each other.
And it was glorious.
By the time the new week began, she felt like a different woman. The past six weeks had been hard, but Draco's sentencing had brought with it a sense of closure. Over the following days, she had resolved to draw a line under the experience and use it to be a better person. She was looking forward to what came next.
Hermione woke up with an uneasy feeling Monday morning. The main focus of her day would be her meeting with Sirius, and, although she hadn't given her boss a reason to terminate her contract, she couldn't stop the thoughts of 'what if' from venturing through her mind. Although she enjoyed her job, watching the judge deliver Draco's sentencing had given her a longing for law again. As far as she could see, she had two options. She could stay closer to Ron and continue doing a job she knew she was good at, or she could step out of her comfort zone and pursue the urge to do something new and exciting.
With a sigh, Hermione forced her eyes open. The first thing she noticed was that she had at least half an hour before her alarm clock would go off. She reached across to her bedside table and turned it off before snuggling back under the duvet.
She planned to lie in bed for a little longer and contemplate her options, but her attention was soon distracted by the soft snores filling her ears. Ron was still fast asleep. She rolled over to watch him, hoping that seeing his face might help her make a decision.
Ron was sprawled on his back, a peaceful smile on his face. During the night, their covers had pooled around his waist, revealing the freckles that adorned his pale chest. She followed them down as they mingled with the light trail of ginger hair that eventually disappeared under the material. Hermione licked her lips as memories of their weekend came flooding back.
She fought the temptation to wake him up and get lost amongst the sheets with him again. Hermione had important things to concentrate on this morning, and there would be more than enough time for them to have sex after she met with Sirius. It would be too easy to get distracted by Ron.
Before drifting off to sleep last night, he had cuddled closer to her, his nose buried amongst her curls.
"How do you feel about tomorrow?" he murmured.
"Nervous, but in a different way from Friday." Hermione tightened her grip on him. "Working with you lot is unusual, but I'm not sure I'm ready for it to end."
Ron chuckled. "Unusual in what way?"
"I guess I've had it drilled into me by my parents that the nine-to-five life was the norm, so it took me a long time to adjust to the fact that as long as I completed my work and turned up to my meetings, I could do what I want." Hermione reached back to play with Ron's hair.
"It's good. It means we get a lot of spare time to do other things." He started to press kisses against the back of her neck.
"Yeah, like the work Ginny and I have been doing with the support group. It's gaining so much traction. We're going on Good Morning Britain at the end of the week. I'd love to do more with that."
"You're going to be more famous than Harry soon. You have to promise to hire me as your bodyguard."
"Ugh, I hope not." Hermione wrinkled up her nose. "Ginny can be the face of the campaign. I'm happy to remain firmly behind the scenes."
Ron stopped kissing her and propped himself up on his elbow, a frown on his face. "You should take all the credit and glory as it comes, love. You're brilliant. And you don't need Harry and Ginny's name to carry on the good work. There are other options out there."
Rolling onto her back, she kissed him with a smile. She was so lucky to have such a supportive boyfriend.
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow. I might have my hand forced."
"Well, whatever Sirius says, know that it won't change us, okay?" Ron returned her kiss then flopped back to the pillow, snuggling closer to her. "I love you."
"I love you too." A happy sigh escaped her lips. "Night, sweetheart."
⁂
A loud snort roused Hermione from her daydream, a soft laugh escaping her lips. Rubbing her eyes, she started to move out of the bed, but Ron's firm grasp stopped her and pulled her back to the mattress and into his arms.
"Don't leave me," a sleepy voice protested against her temple.
"I have to. My meeting with Sirius is at nine." She sighed and turned her head more to capture his lips with hers, giving him a slow, loving kiss. "Our weekend of sex and debauchery is over."
"And now, we come crashing back to reality." Ron opened his eyes, gazing up at her with a smile.
"Like our reality is so awful."
"Oh, it's gross here, for sure." Ron chuckled.
Hermione reached up to push his fringe off his forehead before giving him one last kiss. "Absolutely terrible. Imagine having to work and live with your girlfriend."
"I petitioned Sirius to let you go; I hate it that much."
"Well, maybe your luck will be in." She pressed her lips against his once more before wriggling out of his grip. "Are you going to let me out of bed so I can get showered? I should at least try and be presentable for my firing."
Ron grumbled but did as she asked, untangling his arms from around her then sitting up in bed. He yawned and stretched before giving her a lop-sided smile. "And I guess you want me out of bed to cook you breakfast?"
"I was going to let you go back to sleep, but since you're awake, I'm not going to say no to a proper breakfast."
She started to move out of bed, not bothering to cover herself up. Ron's eyes burned into her, and her stomach fluttered. Maybe she could just ignore the meeting and spend today in bed with him instead?
"Alright. Go and shower. I'll head downstairs and make a start. And Hermione?"
"Yes, love?" She stopped at her bathroom door.
"You'll smash it today. I reckon Sirius will make you a permanent member of the team if that's what you want." He gave her a knowing look.
"I hope so." She smiled in return before blowing him a kiss and heading for a shower.
⁂
Hermione entered the kitchen half an hour later, dressed in a smart floral blouse and comfortable work chinos. As soon as she stepped over the threshold, she was hit by the strong smell of fresh coffee brewing and the sound of Harry, Ginny and Ron chattering away. Hermione felt a surge of love for her boyfriend and close friends. How could she give this up? Not many people got to work with a group of people they loved and got on with so well.
She poured herself a mug then settled at the breakfast table opposite Harry and Ginny, just as Ron served up her breakfast. Their conversation and light banter went someway to distract Hermione from her conflicted thoughts, but as she finished her eggs, the uncomfortable churn of nerves crept back in.
She pushed her plate aside and opened her laptop, deciding to check the support group for any updates. As she clicked the desktop link for Facebook, she marvelled at how far she'd come—from the social media-phobe who had to ask for help to access the PotterWatch groups to running her own area on the website. She settled back into her seat as she read the latest messages.
At ten minutes to nine, Sirius poked his head into the kitchen.
"Ah Hermione, there you are. The representative from Godric Staffing will be here shortly. Will you keep your ears peeled and bring them through when they arrive? I have a quick call to make before our meeting."
She nodded mutely and swallowed the mouthful of coffee she'd just taken. It travelled down her throat like a lump before pooling in her unsettled stomach.
"Okay," she managed to mutter after taking a gasp of breath.
"Great. I want to speak to her first, and then you and I will have a chat."
Sirius disappeared as fast as he'd turned up. Hermione closed her laptop then pushed her mug away with a disgruntled harrumph, regretting her decision to pour herself a second serving.
"If he doesn't make you permanent, then I'm going on strike." Harry blurted out, sending a surge of guilt through Hermione's heart for even considering doing something different. "I mean it," he continued, "I'll refuse to do any interviews, and I won't even turn up to my concerts next month."
The guilt soon disappeared as Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "You do know I've just done a whole load of work to set up those concerts, and we've had to add two additional dates because you keep on selling out, right?"
"I'm up to four dates at the O2, now? Oh, well, that would be pricey to cancel, and a lot of fans to let down."
Ron punched his best friend's shoulder. "You're so dedicated to your team, Harry. Well done, mate."
Hermione opened her mouth to chastise Ron but was interrupted by the buzzer for the security gate as it rang through the house. She let out a hard puff of air and got to her feet, forgetting to kiss Ron or say goodbye to her friends as she hurried to the front door to answer it.
Locating the buzzer with well-practised ease, Hermione pasted a massive smile on her face before answering the call. "Hello, Black residence?"
"Oh, hello. It's Mrs Bagshot from Godric Staffing. I have a nine o-clock meeting with Sirius Black?"
"Hi Mrs Bagshot, it's Hermione Granger. Please can you hold up your ID to the camera for me to check?"
The middle-aged woman held up her plastic driver's license. Hermione checked the details on the grainy screen against the email the agency sent over at the end of last week. She felt a wave of relief as everything matched up.
"Thank you very much. I'll buzz you in now. Come straight up the drive to the front door." Hermione let Mrs Bagshot through the security gate, then welcomed her into the house. "Please follow me straight through to the office. Can I get you a drink or anything, Mrs Bagshot?"
"No, thank you, Hermione. And you can call me Bathilda. This house is charming."
"Oh, it's beautiful, isn't it? I've enjoyed staying here." Hermione's belly lurched. She didn't want to leave.
"I think I would too. I'll have to see if Mr Black needs a permanent HR consultant." Bathilda chuckled as she followed Hermione to Sirius' office.
On arrival at the room, Hermione knocked on the wooden door. She waited until Sirius called for them to come in before pushing it open, giving her boss her biggest smile.
"Come in, Bathilda." Sirius got to his feet, holding out his hand for the recruitment agent to shake. "Please take a seat. I assume Hermione has already offered you a refreshment?"
"She has, thank you."
"Perfect. Thank you very much, Hermione." Sirius gave her a curt nod, and Hermione closed the door.
She debated returning to the kitchen and joining the others but decided to linger where she was. Although there was a comfortable chair outside the room, she wouldn't be able to sit still. Needing to do something with all her nervous energy, Hermione took to pacing the floor outside the room, trying to tread lightly enough so that the click of her heels wouldn't annoy Sirius and Bathilda. She didn't want Sirius to know she was apprehensive about their meeting.
⁂
Hermione wasn't waiting long. Soon, the door to Sirius' office opened, and Bathilda stepped out of it, a sympathetic smile on her face.
"Hermione. Mr Black has just brought me up to speed with everything that has happened. I'm so glad you're okay. You've been through such an ordeal, haven't you?" Bathilda touched Hermione on the arm before turning back to Sirius. "Thank you for meeting with me today, Sirius. I'll be in touch with all the paperwork soon."
"Thank you. I'll see you out," Sirius replied, then turned to Hermione. "Hermione, why don't you make yourself comfortable? I'll only be a moment."
Waiting until they were out of sight, Hermione let herself into the office and settled in the seat opposite Sirius'. She fiddled with the sleeves on her blouse, rolling them up then unfolding them again. Her inability to settle down was beginning to annoy her, so she sat on her hands. Immediately, her nervous energy transferred to her legs, and her foot bounced against the plush carpet, a habit she must have picked up from Ron at some point. She tutted at herself—she was spending far too much time with him.
Sirius eventually came back into the office, shutting the door behind him before giving Hermione a huge grin. "Sorry about that. Bathilda is such a lovely woman. Are you ready?"
He took a seat behind his large oak desk, a smile appearing on his face as Hermione let out a shaky breath.
"Yes, I think so." She tried to match his smile, but it fell from her face. The uneasy feeling that had been sitting low in her stomach all morning was now ten times worse. "Before you begin, I just want to say how much I've enjoyed working with you, Harry and Ron, and how grateful I am for the opportunities you've given me. It's only been five months, but it's been a real pleasure. You've been nothing more than supportive, providing the counselling and everything else that you've done for me since the incident."
"Well, that's good to hear." Sirius splayed his hands across the desk then leaned back in his chair. "It's been a pleasure having you working for us. You have transformed everything."
Her heart soared. She'd worked hard to get up to speed with the work and perform to a high standard. She loved hearing that she'd done a job well. But that feeling didn't come with the rush of excitement she'd been expecting. Sure, it looked like her contract would be extended, but was that really what she wanted?
She was unsurprised when Sirius continued, "I would like to extend your contract and make you a permanent member of the household."
Sirius beamed across the desk at her, but Hermione didn't feel as happy as she thought she would when she heard the words. In fact, the opposite happened, and her stomach tightened. Wringing her hands, Hermione avoided Sirius' gaze. She didn't want to let anyone down, but her reaction told her a lot about whether she wanted to continue in the job.
Tears burned in her eyes, and she pressed her lips together as her fingers curled under her legs.
"Thank you so much, Sirius. Up until this weekend, I was sure this is what I wanted. But Draco's sentencing made me miss law. My original career plan was to become a barrister, and with the work I've been doing with the victim's support group, I've been wondering if there's something I can do that combines the two. I don't know; maybe I could do my vocational training and then support members by representing them in court? Maybe I could campaign to make things easier for them."
"I see. So that means you're rejecting my offer?"
Hermione pulled a face. Sirius showed no indication of how he felt about this; his face remained completely neutral.
"I love working for you. But this wasn't supposed to be a permanent job for me. It was supposed to be an opportunity for me to take a breath and work out what I wanted to do next. I didn't expect to fall in love with working here."
"Or with Ronald," Sirius quipped, his moustache twitching.
Hermione laughed, the joke going someway to expel the tension in the room. "Or with Ron. And whilst he's a big part of me wanting to stay here, I also wanted to stay because I enjoy the work. There have been so many brilliant opportunities, and I haven't even really scratched the surface."
Sirius sat forward in his chair, pressing his elbows into the desk. He frowned, then shifted again, tapping into his laptop furiously. Hermione stayed quiet, watching her boss work with curiosity. Had what she'd said been okay? Did he think she'd been leading them on or taking advantage of them? Was she about to be thrown out of his office and the house without warning?
Eventually, Sirius' steady tap on his keyboard stopped, and he sat back in his chair again. He regarded Hermione with a smile. "The truth is you are far too qualified to work as our Assistant. Your file tells me that you have a first degree in Law from Oxford? Why didn't you continue with your studies?"
"I had an awful experience during my last year of studies, and I suffered from burnout. I wanted to take some time to work out what I wanted."
Sirius nodded in understanding. "Well, I have to admit that you are wasting your talent chasing around Harry and me, but I'm not sure I want you to leave the company."
His frown deepened, and Hermione tried to ignore the worries invading her mind and focus on finishing this honest conversation with him. She'd always had a ton of respect for her boss, which helped her to speak so openly with him.
"I don't want to leave either, but I'm not sure if this is a role I see myself doing for the long term. Not while I know there are other things I could be out there doing."
"Okay, what about this?" Sirius clasped his hands in front of him. "What if I keep you on, but instead of being our assistant, you complete an internship with me. Padfoot Enterprises would be more than happy to sponsor you to complete your BCAT and vocational qualifications."
"You'd do that?" Hermione stared at him with wide eyes.
"I'd be willing to take a risk on you, Hermione. I still feel so guilty about what happened to you and Ginny, especially because you were under my watch when it happened. Maybe you can use your qualification to make something out of this support group you've started. Plus, we always need legal help. If we ever find ourselves in court, I'd rather have someone who knows us and cares for us representing Harry and the company."
Hermione's heart pounded in her chest, but the uneasiness she'd woken with that morning had disappeared entirely. Of course, she'd always wanted to finish her qualification; otherwise, what would have been the point in completing her degree? What Sirius had offered her was the best of both worlds—she could still work with her friends, for a brilliant company, but do something she was passionate about. But would she be able to handle going back to university now? Where would she even study, and what would that mean for her and Ron?
"That's…" she paused, giving herself an extra moment to compose her thoughts as she let out a long breath. "That's a kind offer, Sirius. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect of this meeting, and I promise I didn't come in with any sort of agenda."
Sirius chuckled. "I can tell by the look on your face that this was completely unplanned. Listen, I know this conversation has been a bit of a game-changer, and it would require a lot of work from both of us. I'd need for you to help me recruit a replacement and handover to that person. The lead up to the concerts in the O2 might be an excellent opportunity for that.
"Of course, if you decide this isn't for you, then the offer to remain as our assistant still stands, or I will let you go with no hard feelings."
"H...how long can I take to decide?"
"How about you let me know by the end of the week? I'll need to notify Bathilda to pause the paperwork straight away and instruct her to help us find a replacement. I have a good working relationship with the agency, so I'd rather give them as much notice as possible."
"Thank you, Sirius." Hermione relaxed into the seat, relieved that the conversation had gone so well. "I would appreciate the opportunity to speak to Ron about it before I make my final decision. I'll try and let you know by tomorrow, though."
"Brilliant. Then I will let you get back to your daily tasks. You have a lot of thinking to do." Sirius got up and offered her his hand, which she shook enthusiastically. "Can you find Ronald and ask him to come and see me? I need a quick word with him."
"Sure! I'll send him down straight away."
⁂
Hermione saw herself out of Sirius' office in a bit of a daze. She tried her hardest to digest everything that had just gone on and was so distracted by the information; she collided with Harry as he left the kitchen.
"Hey, Hermione. How did it go?" he asked, bringing her out of her little daydream.
"Hey… yeah… it was fine. Thank you. Where's Ron?"
Harry ignored her question. "So you're staying with us?"
"Maybe, I don't know," she snapped. "Where is Ron?"
"Oh, he's gone up to his office to work. What do you mean you don't know?"
Hermione softened towards her friend. "Sorry. I need to speak to him quickly. I promise I'll come and find you as soon as I can and tell you what happened."
"Oh, okay, cool. I'll just be in my music room and writing. Ginny is out an—"
"Thanks," Hermione interrupted before hurrying away, kicking off her heels in the foyer before taking the stairs two at a time. She rushed into Ron's room without knocking, causing him to spin around quickly in his desk chair to face her.
"Heya, love." His smile fell off his face as he took in her fraught appearance. "What's wrong? What did Sirius say?"
"I don't even know where to start," she gushed, finally letting the excitement sink in. "Sirius wants to speak to you."
"What? Why?"
Hermione started to pace, wringing her hands. "I don't know. Listen, the conversation downstairs didn't quite go as I'd expected."
Ron shot up from his seat; his hands clenched at his sides. A thunderous look clouded over his face, and he looked like he was about to march down there and have a few stern words with his boss.
Grabbing his hand, Hermione tangled their fingers together to keep him from doing something he might regret. "That sounded a lot worse than it is. It's fine. At first, he offered to make me a permanent member of the team, but something just didn't feel right. So I told him how I'd hoped eventually to get back to law or do some further work with the support group. We had a nice long chat, and he's decided to offer me an internship with Padfoot Enterprises while he sponsors me through my qualifications. He doesn't want to lose me."
"Wait? Sponsor? Internship?" He let out a low whistle. "Didn't you tell me the qualification was expensive? Sirius hates spending money, so you must mean a lot to him."
"I think I took him by surprise, but maybe that worked in my favour? It's going to be a hell of a lot of work, working for Sirius and studying. I mean, the BCAT isn't a worry for me. I'm more than ready for that." She knew she was babbling, but Hermione knew that she might explode if she didn't empty her brain. Sirius was waiting to speak to Ron, and he might get fed up and start looking for him.
Letting go of Ron's hand, Hermione started to pace the bedroom again.
"If I pass the exam, I'd have to find somewhere to do my qualification. I might get into a London university, which will be easier, but I don't fancy commuting from Watford every day, so I should probably rent a place closer to the city. And that would mean being away from you."
Ron chuckled and started to walk towards the door. "Okay, Hermione. You need to slow down because there's a lot to take in and unpack. You need to give yourself time to digest this properly and make a decision. Why don't you think about it while I go and see what Sirius wants?"
"But what about you, Ron? We discussed marri—"
"What about me?" he interrupted, turning around quickly. Passion flashed in his eyes. "This is your career and has nothing to do with me. I don't care what job you have as long as you're happy. If you want my opinion, I think it's a brilliant opportunity, and if you're still working with Sirius, then we'll have plenty of time together. But that shouldn't be a deciding factor."
Hermione chewed her lip. What Ron was saying was right, but it did nothing to quell her worries. Letting out a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck.
"What did Sirius want to talk to me about, anyway?"
"He didn't say." She frowned. "Maybe it's something about the concerts?"
"Maybe. I guess I should go and see him before he comes up here and hauls me downstairs?"
"You probably should."
"Alright. Please don't wind yourself up too much while I'm gone. We have the rest of the day to talk about his offer."
Hermione nodded, then held her arms out for him. "Can I get a quick kiss first?"
"Of course." He crossed his bedroom with two enormous strides then pressed his lips against hers. "You sure he didn't give you any indication of why he needed to speak to me? I submitted my concert plans last week."
Hermione shook her head and untangled herself from him. "He has a free diary. Should we be worried?"
"Nah, I don't think I've done anything wrong, for once."
"Alright, just keep a cool head, okay? I'm not qualified yet."
Ron began to walk back towards the door, giving Hermione a wink. "I'm not sure what you're talking about, Hermione. I always have a cool head."
He disappeared before she could even respond. Hermione threw herself down on the bed and began worrying about something new: Ron.