Things will soon go completely sideways... Hang tight!
xx
The Little Darkness Within You
Chapter 4: I heal you.
Monday came way too soon. Hermione felt like she had barely set her head on her pillow that her 6:30am alarm went off. She begrudgingly left her warm bed and headed in her bathroom to start her morning routine. She knew the day ahead was bound to be trying and stressful, therefore it was in her best interest to indulge in some needed self-care. More than anything, she needed to be fully awake by the time she met with Kingsley.
Once showered, dried, and dressed, Hermione realised she had been a lot more efficient than she expected. With three quarters of an hour before she had to be at work, she got started on a pot of tea and some toast for her breakfast. It gave her also plenty of time to answer the sweet note her pen-pal left her before bed.
Morning Handsome,
Your note last night was the sweetest. I went to sleep with a smile on my face. As we have both kept things quite vague about our identities, I am not sure what in your life has made you feel like you have no friends, but I am happy to fill the spot if you need.
I have distanced myself from my friends quite a bit over the years as well. My work has taken such a big place in my life, that I regularly stay in office until late (and as you are aware, I even come in on weekends). I'm well aware that by doing that, I have left very little space for my friendships. It does not help that I'm often too knackered to join them for dinner or a drink, even on the weekends. Consequentially, my best friends are now just friends, or even acquaintances, we try to check on each other here and there, but it is hard to maintain strong relationships with people you used to see daily in school when all of you are chasing different goals in the adult world.
I was the one everyone went to when they needed help with their homework, but that has barely changed now that we are all grownups. I'm still the person they go to when they want solutions to their problems, and in turn, it makes me not want to engage with them like we used to. All they ever offer me as advice is to work less and find a partner to settle down with, although I have made it clear that I will no longer compromise my career for a relationship.
On a lighter note, the way the In-and-Out works reminds me of Muggle emails or SMS. Have you ever heard of them, or is your blood too pure?
Also, my eyes are brown, slightly golden, like honey. It isn't much but they are probably the only thing on my person that I do like.
I hope you have a good day today. I am myself just nibbling on some toast before heading in to work.
Speak soon.
Maybe.
Satisfied with her answer, Hermione finished eating her breakfast, downed the rest of her tea and cleaned the dishes. She was about to exit her house to Apparate to the Ministry, when she heard the now familiar hum of the box she left on the kitchen table. Curiosity getting the best of her, she walked back in and picked up the note.
Kitten,
You do have a way with words, don't you? I feel like we are both on the same metaphorical boat, despite it being for totally different reasons. I would be more than happy to fill in the spot as your friend, same as you do mine. Though there are a few other things I would not be opposed to filling… wink wink!
I am not sure if you will be taking the In-and-Out to work with you today, but if you do, I promise to only write when you do. I wouldn't want you to be oh so distracted by the handsome man pestering you with smutty words all day long. I would hate for you to need a knickers change mid-way through your day when I am not there to see it for myself.
I do have a job to attend as well, but it's quiet most days so you would hardly be bothering me if you wanted to shoot me a little note.
I have no clue what email or SMS is, but please teach me. I have always been quite fascinated by the things Muggles come up with when they don't have magic to rely on, although my first time properly meeting one, I was already out of school. I take it you are a half-blood or Muggle-born? Or maybe you work in the Muggle Liaison Office?
Your eye colour sounds divine. Hopefully one day I will get to see them for myself.
Have a good day at work today Kitten, don't exert yourself too much, the world will keep turning even if you take a few breaks. Remember to eat and stay hydrated as well, if not, I will personally come and spank you silly until you do.
Yours,
Handsome
Hermione let out a frustrated sigh. This stranger was the embodiment of a puppy, she could tell he was trying his hardest to get her to take the smooth little black box to work with her. She hesitated for a minute, before realising that she would have nothing major to do before her 9am meeting with Kingsley, so she might as well have something to fill her time with until then. Or fill something else as he seems so inclined... Shaking her head to dislodge all the inappropriate thoughts that swam through her mind, she shrunk the box and put it in her pocket before locking her door and Disapparating to work.
She liked to arrive at the Ministry a bit early, to avoid all the masses trying to push their way to the lifts. The Atrium being not yet filled to the brim, she managed to secure a spot in a lift right away.
Beth, her secretary, was already at her desk when Hermione arrived. She was the first in a long line of secretaries that offered her more than satisfactory work. Hermione could be quite demanding with her subordinates, but Beth has been the first one to accept the workload with a smile. She was in many ways a lot like Hermione, also a Muggle-born who worked hard to prove her worth through all her years at Hogwarts. And in her professional life, she was no different.
"Good morning, Hermione! I got you some coffee. Anything you need done today?" she said with a bright smile, handing Hermione a paper cup filled with caffeinated deliciousness.
"Morning Beth, thank you for the coffee. I think I will for sure be needing one today. I have a meeting with Minister Shackelbolt at 9am, could you remind me at a quarter to?"
"Of course! I've left your mail on your desk. Let me know if you need anything else."
Hermione trotted over to her office whilst sipping on her coffee. She was not looking forward to her meeting with Kingsley, as those often started with ten minutes of him berating her for working too many hours and taking no time off.
She hardly had anyone to go home to, and since Crookshanks' passing, she found it too hard to get a new pet that would force her to go home to feed it. Her relationship with Crooks was too special for it to ever be replaceable. She thought him lost forever after Bill and Fleur's wedding, as Molly had said that he had not been seen since. Hermione was sure that her familiar had passed during the attack. It was a surprise to everyone when he showed up the day Hermione went to the Burrow after the Battle of Hogwarts. He seemed in perfect health, albeit dirty, which was not made better when Hermione drenched him with tears.
Crookshanks had been her only friend, and confidant when things were not easy between her and Harry or Ron over the years. His death was a blow and had put quite the strain on her relationship with Ron at the time, as he could not understand why she would be so hurt over the death of her cat. Ron had obviously forgotten how it felt when he was sure Scabbers had died at the claws of her cat. He never liked Crookshanks and made sure to remind her every chance he got, making snippy comments if she would allow him on their bed, or if she was spending too long petting him instead of giving her undivided attention to her partner instead.
Pushing away the memories that were from another life, Hermione settled on her desk, and took out the box and the mystery man's latest note. She could not help but smile and blush all over again to his words. Although his identity was a well-kept secret just like hers, she seemed inexplicably drawn to him. It was hard to explain why she felt the way she did about someone she has never met before. Part of her felt a thrill at the anonymity, although she spent a lot of time trying to imagine what he would look like. He seemed self-confident enough about his looks that she might think him to be at the least conventionally attractive. His silver tongue must have convinced a great deal of witches into his bed for sure.
Grabbing a quill and a fresh roll of parchment, Hermione started drafting a response.
It's hard to refuse you anything, is it? As you might have guessed, I ended up taking 'you' to work with me. I've got an hour to kill before my first appointment of the day, but thankfully I have a fresh cup of coffee, so I should be fully awake by then.
To educate you further, Muggles use different means of communication than we do, they are in many ways faster and a lot more efficient, and if it were up to me, I would make my entire Department switch over. You know what a telephone is? Muggles use it to call each other with it. You dial the phone number of the person you wish to speak to - each person can get their own personal number. The second person's device starts ringing, and when they answer the call, they can hear the other person as if they were standing right next to them. Nowadays you can even have a video call, it means that your phone uses your camera, and you can see and be seen in real time during a call. An SMS (Short Messaging Service) is like a small letter, you type it in your phone, and send it to the person of your choice for them to read. It's called 'texting'. An email is the same concept as an SMS, except you write it on a computer, and it is generally slower paced than texting and the contents are longer. Probably a lesson for another day…
You were right in assuming, I do happen to be Muggle-born. My parents insisted on me having a phone so they can text me or call me whenever they please. They can't reach me when I am at work, though, as the building is underground and there is simply too much magic around for the reception to be any good anyways. I can't see them as often as I would like, what with being busy with work, and them being retired and constantly off on some adventure, but it is comforting to know that I can hear their voice or see their faces whenever I need.
Now I need to be a good girl and go through the stack of letters that are waiting for me on my desk, maybe today is the day where I will be told something interesting… who knows!
Content with her note, Hermione did exactly what she said she would and started reading her mail. As it often was the case, there was nothing interesting for her to read. A lot of interdepartmental memos she did not care about or did not affect her or your work in any way, and even ads. The only letters she read with great interest were the weekly reports on the Death Eaters out on parole, or those currently working on getting one.
Today, one report in particular caught her attention. It came from the Mind Healer that still met weekly with the Death Eaters. In her report, Healer Harris mentioned that nearly all her patient had felt alone, withdrawn from society. It's true that the program was harsh on the first year. The house arrest can get very lonely, and although the walls are not the same, it is still a prison in its own way. They could still get visitors of course, but until their first year is up and they are given a muggle job, they barely saw anyone bar the Healers and ministry officials. Their friend circle having been mostly shipped out to Azkaban alongside them, and those on the outside were trying very hard to keep up appearances by not being seen with parolees. The media backlash was mostly directed to Hermione, but often someone would make the front page and would be outed as visiting one of the twenty-seven Azkaban ex-convicts.
An idea popped into her mind to fix the issue, and she was quite mad at herself for not thinking about it sooner. As she made a mental note to bring it up with Kingsley, Beth came through the door to remind her it was time for her meeting.
Hermione made her way out of her office, grabbing her half drunk coffee along with her.
