Chapter 3
*~*
"Oh my goodness! Ethan, you dolt, DO something! He's going to kill us!" Charlotte hissed to her brother, eyes wide in terror as she began panicking.
Ethan rolled his eyes at his sister. "Calm DOWN! Can't you see he's heading towards the bookstore where mum is?"
"But what if he-"
"Enough!" The redheaded man shouted. "Bloody hell, are you two a handful." He muttered to himself, pushing open the door to Flourish and Blotts and letting go of their sleeves.
"Mummy!" Charlotte bolted to the back of the store. "There's a man! And he tried stealing Ethan's sweets! And he took our sleeves and told us to find you! And I think he's really, really angry. You should apologize to him, mummy. Ethan was being a little pra-erm, smart alec." She corrected herself, taking a breath.
Hermione whirled around, four large textbooks in her grasp. "What are you talking-Oh! Sweetheart, I thought I told you not to speak to anyone."
"I know, mum. Honestly. But-"
A very grumpy looking Ethan leading the mysterious man to his mother, cutting off Charlotte. The elder man walked up behind Hermione, and his footing seemed to falter within a few feet. He stared down at the woman who was once his wife. He opened his mouth to speak but his throat went very dry.
Hermione, on the other hand, was accustomed to her children getting into trouble, Ethan in particular. She didn't bother turning around. She flipped hastily through the Advanced Potions book as she spoke, eyes glued to the page. "I'm very sorry that my children have caused you any trouble. They didn't mean any harm, I assure you." She said in a voice that sounded oddly like an old female professor's. Sighing, she continued. "It's just that they've never been here before, and I wanted to get out of here as quickly as-"
"Hermione." The man had cut in, finally finding his voice.
A chill instantly shot through Hermione's body. It was him. There was no doubt in her mind. It was a much deeper voice than what she was used to, and she dropped the massive books to the ground with a loud thud. But she couldn't turn around and be disappointed for what seemed like the thousandth time in the past ten years. She felt silly, and she knew that she'd look ridiculous, but she kept her eyes shut and whispered to herself. "Oh, God... It can't be." Shaking her head, she made herself turn around. Deep cinnamon eyes connected with electric blues and she gasped audibly, numbness overtaking her senses. "Ron."
Charlotte looked to her brother with wide eyes. They knew each other? She opened her mouth to ask her mum how, but she couldn't. Hermione had fainted.
*~*
Her first semi-coherent thought was that it was all a dream. No, a nightmare. An evil nightmare that left her waking up and feeling as depressed and distraught as the day that he left. But the memories were too vivid to have only been a dream. She snuggled into her comforter when realization donned on her. How had she gotten back into bed? Though her head oddly felt like it weighed thrice its normal weight, she involuntarily emitted a soft groan as she forced herself from her supine position, propping herself up to lean back against her headboard on her pillows. That's when another thing didn't make sense. How had she gotten back into her nightgown? Before she was able to jump to any conclusions, her daughter entered the dim room.
"Mummy? Are you awake?" She whispered softly. Her voice sounded terrified, and she was shaking with the tray of food she prepared.
"Yes, Charlotte." She rasped, voice dry. She raised a hand to her forehead to feel a cloth bandage wrapped around her head. How on earth had that gotten there? Once again, her daughter interrupted before she was able to ponder on that thought.
"You fainted in the bookshop, mummy." Squeaked Charlotte, carrying the tray to her mother's bedside. "Gave me quite a fright." She whimpered, sounding much older than a ten-year-old.
Then it wasn't a dream. "But, how in heavens did I."
"The man brought you home, mummy." Charlotte cut in, sitting down on the bed beside her mother. "I TOLD Ethan that it was a bad idea, but of course, he wouldn't listen. And the man insisted! So he bandaged you up and-"
"Wait a minute." Hermione cut off her daughter, eyes wide. "What man?" She asked, terrified of the answer.
"That redheaded man from the bookshop. Don't you remember?"
Hermione shut her eyes. Ron was dead. He had to be. He was pronounced dead ten years ago.
But they never found a body. Nodding lightly, Hermione cleared her throat as she timidly asked, "Is he still here, Charlotte?"
Crimson plaits swayed as she nodded. "Yes. He's downstairs playing videogames with Ethan."
Hermione blanched. He was still there in her home? What if he told them? What if he told them about himself and their past and disappeared again? The thought was unbearable and she grimaced. "He didn't say anything to you, did he?"
Charlotte raised a brow. "Like what?"
"Nothing." Hermione waved her hand, a large sigh of relief escaping her. "Nothing. Could you do me a favor and ask him to come up here, sweetheart?"
"He scares me, mummy. He has guns and knives and-"
"It's alright, dear. He won't hurt you." She leaned down to kiss the crown of her daughter's head.
With an exasperated sigh, Charlotte retired to the sitting room to fetch the fiery haired intruder.
*~*
"Oh my goodness! Ethan, you dolt, DO something! He's going to kill us!" Charlotte hissed to her brother, eyes wide in terror as she began panicking.
Ethan rolled his eyes at his sister. "Calm DOWN! Can't you see he's heading towards the bookstore where mum is?"
"But what if he-"
"Enough!" The redheaded man shouted. "Bloody hell, are you two a handful." He muttered to himself, pushing open the door to Flourish and Blotts and letting go of their sleeves.
"Mummy!" Charlotte bolted to the back of the store. "There's a man! And he tried stealing Ethan's sweets! And he took our sleeves and told us to find you! And I think he's really, really angry. You should apologize to him, mummy. Ethan was being a little pra-erm, smart alec." She corrected herself, taking a breath.
Hermione whirled around, four large textbooks in her grasp. "What are you talking-Oh! Sweetheart, I thought I told you not to speak to anyone."
"I know, mum. Honestly. But-"
A very grumpy looking Ethan leading the mysterious man to his mother, cutting off Charlotte. The elder man walked up behind Hermione, and his footing seemed to falter within a few feet. He stared down at the woman who was once his wife. He opened his mouth to speak but his throat went very dry.
Hermione, on the other hand, was accustomed to her children getting into trouble, Ethan in particular. She didn't bother turning around. She flipped hastily through the Advanced Potions book as she spoke, eyes glued to the page. "I'm very sorry that my children have caused you any trouble. They didn't mean any harm, I assure you." She said in a voice that sounded oddly like an old female professor's. Sighing, she continued. "It's just that they've never been here before, and I wanted to get out of here as quickly as-"
"Hermione." The man had cut in, finally finding his voice.
A chill instantly shot through Hermione's body. It was him. There was no doubt in her mind. It was a much deeper voice than what she was used to, and she dropped the massive books to the ground with a loud thud. But she couldn't turn around and be disappointed for what seemed like the thousandth time in the past ten years. She felt silly, and she knew that she'd look ridiculous, but she kept her eyes shut and whispered to herself. "Oh, God... It can't be." Shaking her head, she made herself turn around. Deep cinnamon eyes connected with electric blues and she gasped audibly, numbness overtaking her senses. "Ron."
Charlotte looked to her brother with wide eyes. They knew each other? She opened her mouth to ask her mum how, but she couldn't. Hermione had fainted.
*~*
Her first semi-coherent thought was that it was all a dream. No, a nightmare. An evil nightmare that left her waking up and feeling as depressed and distraught as the day that he left. But the memories were too vivid to have only been a dream. She snuggled into her comforter when realization donned on her. How had she gotten back into bed? Though her head oddly felt like it weighed thrice its normal weight, she involuntarily emitted a soft groan as she forced herself from her supine position, propping herself up to lean back against her headboard on her pillows. That's when another thing didn't make sense. How had she gotten back into her nightgown? Before she was able to jump to any conclusions, her daughter entered the dim room.
"Mummy? Are you awake?" She whispered softly. Her voice sounded terrified, and she was shaking with the tray of food she prepared.
"Yes, Charlotte." She rasped, voice dry. She raised a hand to her forehead to feel a cloth bandage wrapped around her head. How on earth had that gotten there? Once again, her daughter interrupted before she was able to ponder on that thought.
"You fainted in the bookshop, mummy." Squeaked Charlotte, carrying the tray to her mother's bedside. "Gave me quite a fright." She whimpered, sounding much older than a ten-year-old.
Then it wasn't a dream. "But, how in heavens did I."
"The man brought you home, mummy." Charlotte cut in, sitting down on the bed beside her mother. "I TOLD Ethan that it was a bad idea, but of course, he wouldn't listen. And the man insisted! So he bandaged you up and-"
"Wait a minute." Hermione cut off her daughter, eyes wide. "What man?" She asked, terrified of the answer.
"That redheaded man from the bookshop. Don't you remember?"
Hermione shut her eyes. Ron was dead. He had to be. He was pronounced dead ten years ago.
But they never found a body. Nodding lightly, Hermione cleared her throat as she timidly asked, "Is he still here, Charlotte?"
Crimson plaits swayed as she nodded. "Yes. He's downstairs playing videogames with Ethan."
Hermione blanched. He was still there in her home? What if he told them? What if he told them about himself and their past and disappeared again? The thought was unbearable and she grimaced. "He didn't say anything to you, did he?"
Charlotte raised a brow. "Like what?"
"Nothing." Hermione waved her hand, a large sigh of relief escaping her. "Nothing. Could you do me a favor and ask him to come up here, sweetheart?"
"He scares me, mummy. He has guns and knives and-"
"It's alright, dear. He won't hurt you." She leaned down to kiss the crown of her daughter's head.
With an exasperated sigh, Charlotte retired to the sitting room to fetch the fiery haired intruder.