Of Finding The Truth – Rebecca
"Oh, Rebecca…I absolutely love your hair!"
"What have you done with it?"
"It's so curly…I wish I could get my hair to do that! Don't you, Beth?"
"Oh yes, Mary…my goodness, Beccy…how do you do it?"
Rebecca blinked at her cousins. They stared expectantly at her, their faces mirroring that of the other. Was this how twins were supposed to act? "Oh…er…" she began wittily, "it's…natural, I suppose."
"Oooh…Didcha hear that, Bethy? It's natural?" Mary smiled at Rebecca. "So…how's life been for you?"
"Have you been absolutely swamped with work since we got back?" asked Beth, her green eyes wide.
"Well, I…"
"Or have you been relaxing like you're supposed to be doing?" Mary raised her eyebrows.
"You know Professor McGonagall thought it best if you slow down a bit," Beth reminded her dumbfounded cousin.
Rebecca stared at her.
"Although she finds your effort simply astounding…" Mary trailed off.
"In the good way, of course, dear…" said Beth, nodding earnestly.
"Of course," said Rebecca quickly. She sighed. At least she got two words in edge wise with these two loud mouths.
"Oh, of course," said Mary, as she and her sister exchanged nods.
"But you know how it goes, don't you, dear?" Beth questioned.
"Wha—?"
"One year you're at the top of your class, and then the next, your marks go down because you're so exhausted you've just given up." Mary nodded solemnly. "I've seen it happen before, dear."
"So've I," said Beth, sounding somber.
"Well…I can assure you, it certainly won't happen to me," said Rebecca briskly. She was starting to get a bit insulted. How could these two make-up queens know anything about how hard she worked? So what, she spent most of her time in the library and only had a few close friends, but did that mean she was by any means capable of a breakdown?
"You know it's possible, Beccy," said Mary softly.
Rebecca shook her head stubbornly. "Well, it's not possible for me."
"It happened to your mother," Beth shot back, looking insulted.
Rebecca stared at her. "What are you talking about? My mother never went into a breakdown. That's rubbish…"
"Call it whatever you want, Beccy," said Mary, "but we heard Mum talking about it to Dad. We told her about your doing too much work and she said, 'Oh, Harry…I hope what happened to Hermione doesn't happen to Rebecca. That was horrible…'"
"I don't believe you," said Rebecca stiffly. But that wasn't it. The truth was she didn't want to believe them. A person like her mother, Mrs. Hermione Jane Granger-Weasley, Healer extraordinaire, actually went into a mental breakdown? No way.
"Don't be so stubborn, Rebecca," Beth said. She frowned at her younger cousin, and then exchanged significant glances with her twin. Rebecca sighed agitatedly.
"What is it that you two want?" she asked irritably.
Mary and Beth looked slightly abashed, and pursed their lips almost identically at almost the same time.
Well, they were twins…
And then, perfectly, Alex chose that very moment to casually stroll up to the conversation. Rebecca rolled her eyes and let out another agitated sigh.
Great…just what I need. My pretty-boy brother, right after I've had to deal with my loudmouth cousins.
"Hello ladies," said Alex, grinning at Beth and Mary. "How're you two doing? Got Professor Longbottom's essay done yet?"
"No," they said at the same time.
"Oh?" said Alex, sounding surprised but not looking it. He smiled smugly in between Mary, Beth, and Rebecca. It took him all of thirty seconds to take in the tense air surrounding the girls, and when he did, a wide smile crept upon his face. Rebecca crossed her arms over her chest and stared defiantly up at her brother. She just now noticed how tall he really was.
"What do you want, Alex?" she snapped, looking him coldly in the eye.
"Oh, nothing," he replied coolly, meeting her stare with an icy stare of his own. "I was just curious as to what you girls were talking about. Rebecca here looked so cross…" he trailed off and tutted his tongue, provoking Rebecca even more. "Just what have you two been doing that's gone and upset my dear little sister…?" And with that, he draped an arm over Rebecca's shoulders.
That was it: the straw that broke the camel's back. Rebecca shrugged Alex's arm off of her shoulder while saying, "Thank you for your concern, Beth and Mary, but I suppose I'll be just fine. My mother and I are two different people." Her voice was prim and she swiftly whirled around before they could say anything else, but the look of pure bewilderment on their faces was enough to say everything in the world.
"Er…Mum." Rebecca cautiously approached her mother and aunt where they sat at the kitchen table, sipping tea.
"Rebecca," said Hermione, smiling at her daughter. "What's wrong, love? You look…troubled."
"Oh." Rebecca shrugged slightly. "May I sit down?"
"Of course…" said Hermione, confused. She glanced at Ginny, who shrugged. "What is it, Beccy?"
Rebecca shook her head unconvincingly. "Nothing…it's just…" she trailed off, eyes fixed in her lap. "Never mind…it's not important."
"Don't be silly," said Hermione affably. "Of course it is."
"Oh, um…" Rebecca bit her lip.
"Just spit it out, Beccy," Ginny piped up. "I find that whenever I have something hard to say, that makes it much easier."
"Oh. Right." Rebecca nodded. "BethandMarysaidyouhadabreakdownMum.Butidunwannabelievethem."
Hermione's eyebrows shot up into her hair, just as an amused smile started to creep onto her face, but she quickly wiped it away. Rebecca wouldn't like that.
"Can you repeat that again, Beccy?" said Ginny. "You sounded just like your father when you said that. And Merlin knows he can't speak English even if he wanted to."
"That's just what I was thinking!" said Hermione, looking around at Ginny. "It's amazing sometimes. I mean, just this morning we were saying how much Rebecca is like me, but then she turns around and acts just like Ron! Isn't that funny, Ginny? I just never realized—"
"Mum," Rebecca interjected quickly. Hermione blinked at her. "Mum…I've got something important to say."
"Oh of course," said Hermione, turning her attention back to Rebecca. "Go on, Beccy. And try it slower this time."
"Oh, all right. Well, I was talking to Beth and Mary and they said that you went into a mental breakdown when you were in Hogwarts." Rebecca looked at her mother, almost pleadingly. "It's not true, is it, Mum? I mean…it can't be true, can it…?"
But her mother and aunt were looking at each other in such a way that gave her the impression that it was, in fact, true. Rebecca's mouth shut at that thought and she finished her thought with a lame, "Oh."
Hermione looked back at Rebecca and sighed. "Oh, Beccy…I didn't want you to find out this way."
"Neither did I," said Ginny. "And I promise you I will hunt down the girls before they do anything like that again." Her voice was firm and hard, unlike her usual happy tone, and she got up from her chair, obviously in pursue of her daughters. Rebecca got the impression that Mary and Bethany often gossiped too much, which lead to complicated situations, which lead to unhappy people. It wouldn't surprise her if they did; she loved her cousins dearly but there was a time and place for everything.
"So it's true, then? You had a breakdown?"
"It wasn't really a breakdown, Rebecca." Hermione hesitated. "It was more of a…a…relaxation period."
Rebecca's eyes went wide. "Did they…send you somewhere? To an institution or to an asylum?"
Hermione shook her head, frowning. "No…people aren't often sent to asylums because they work too much." She bit her lip. "No…it was nothing like that. Professor McGonagall was the Transfigurations teacher while I was at Hogwarts, and she noticed that during my sixth year I went a little overboard with my work. You see, I was just so concerned with N.E.W.Ts, and I had got O's on all of my O.W.L's and I started to feel the pressure. Soon, everything kind of went downhill. I separated myself from your father and Uncle Harry, I spent most of my time in the library, and I wasn't eating much."
Rebecca's eyes widened. "Did you really? Well, I mean…what made you stop?"
Hermione smiled distantly. "Your father," she said truthfully. "One day he came into the library and said, 'Hermione Granger…I'm going to make you eat something, even if it kills you.' And I said, 'Ronald Weasley, if you don't let go of me, I'll kill you.'" She laughed softly. "But I didn't. And we sat in the Great Hall for the next thirty minutes, him forcing food down my throat and me reluctantly taking it. I think it amused him in an odd sort of way."
"Oh," said Rebecca, her voice flat. She blushed slightly at her mother's revelations, but didn't say much of anything else. "Well…that's good to know. I mean, that you weren't…well, you know…"
"I know," said Hermione. Then she became curious. "Rebecca, why did Bethany and Mary say that to you?"
Rebecca blinked. "What?"
"Why did the girls say that I had a breakdown?" Hermione inquired. "What were you lot talking about?"
Uh-oh…"Oh…er…" Rebecca shook her head slowly. "Nothing, really. I mean…they just noticed how much work I do, and they said to make sure I didn't go into a breakdown like you did…"
Hermione looked surprised. "Just how much work do you do, Rebecca?"
Rebecca shrugged, avoiding her mother's sharp gaze. "Enough to keep me busy," she said smartly.
But Hermione saw right through her. Rebecca cursed under her breath because of that. "Beccy," said Hermione, "don't lie to your mother."
"Fine," she said, and she sat down and told her mother about McGonagall's "advice" that she should not take as many classes as she was, and that she should maybe become a little more social.
"She said that?" Hermione looked surprised. "You're not taking the mickey, are you?"
"No," said Rebecca, shaking her head. "I just…Mum…I'm not a social person. I only have a few close friends. And it's not my fault, either…I just think getting an education is more important than going to parties."
Hermione nodded understandably as she rubbed Rebecca's back. "I know you do, Beccy, but she has a point, love. I thought the same thing you did, but at some point you've got to slow down. What's the use in being successful if you can't enjoy it with your friends?"
Rebecca bit her lip. "I see your point, Mum." She smiled nervously. "And thanks…I mean…"
Hermione nodded. "I know, Beccy. Now go have fun."
Rebecca smiled one of those rare smiles that truly showed her beauty before she leaned down to give her mother a hug. "I love you, Mum." And as she walked away, she saw her mother lay a hand across her heart just as a single teardrop trickled down her cheek.
A/N: Thank you for reading, and Happy Holidays to all of you!