* ~ The Eighth Year Universe ~ *
Love Wins
The Landslide Brought Me Down
The chapter title is from the song:
Landslide – Fleetwood Mac.
When Draco walked into Hermione's office, she sat upright, "Draco-"
Draco closed the door and shook his head to cut her off, "I'm not here on personal business."
"Draco, I've been worried sick. I searched the castle for you, and I've been sending you Patronuses all afternoon," Hermione said quietly, "You and Theo."
"Well, I expect Theo's probably ignoring them as well then," Draco said coolly.
Hermione looked at him desperately, "I'm sorry if you think I did the wrong thing-"
"You messed with something that should never have been messed with," Draco said, his eyes flashing, "And then you ruined my career to save your own."
Hermione frowned, "Your career? How…how did I…ruin your career?"
"How did you ruin my career?" Draco asked coolly, "Well, look at me. I'm the cowardly Head of the DMLE."
Guilt flashed in Hermione's eyes, "Draco, I didn't mean-"
"It doesn't matter how you try to paint it," Draco snapped, "You said your advisors and the Head of the DMLE suggested the use of decoys. That makes me look like a coward to the Aurors under my command."
"I can issue a counter-statement," Hermione said weakly.
Draco scoffed, "Like anyone will believe it now."
He crossed the office and said, "And do you know what the worst part is? Because it's not the knock to my ego. It's the fact that the Aurors I spent ten years being Assistant Head to think I'm a coward."
Hermione swallowed, and as she blinked, tears fell down her cheeks.
Draco laughed humourlessly, "You're crying, so you must feel guilty. I suppose that blunts the edge a little."
"Don't you understand why I had to do it?" Hermione asked tearfully.
"No," Draco answered, "No, Hermione, because I wouldn't have done it. I wouldn't have made that call. Losing you would have destroyed me, and I still wouldn't have made the call you did."
Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but Draco threw a parchment file onto her desk before she could.
"I need you to sign this."
Hermione sighed. When Draco shut down like that, she knew she wouldn't get anywhere with him.
"What is it?"
"It's a form to authorise Benedict Smith as the new Head Auror," Draco replied calmly.
"What?" Hermione asked sharply, "What happened to Harry?"
Draco fixed her with a strange look, somewhere between irritated and exasperated, "Head Auror Potter formally resigned this afternoon."
"What?" Hermione asked weakly.
"Hm," Draco nodded.
"In his resignation letter, he cited irreconcilable differences with ministry policy. When he spoke to me, he told me that the Minister had ordered him to stand down, so he did."
Hermione let her head drop into her hands, but Draco didn't move to comfort her as he usually would.
Instead, he crossed his arms and spoke lowly.
"Everything you did to save one man has put the lives of hundreds at risk. We are facing the genuine possibility of a global war, on the scale of that with Grindelwald. And we go into it without Harry Potter, the greatest Head Auror this department has ever seen."
Hermione looked up at Draco. Her eyes were red and bloodshot.
Draco shook his head irritably, "And I'm not worth that. You should have let me stay dead."
"You are worth it to me!"
The outburst of rage, combined with the warm wind that swept through the office, made Draco stand to alert. He knew Hermione was good at keeping her emotions in check most of the time, but these were exceptional circumstances.
"You are worth it to Theo and Sadie, too," Hermione said as she got to her feet.
"And you don't know how it felt when I thought you were dead," Hermione said, her voice breaking, "I felt like my own soul was being ripped out of my chest, Draco."
"I saw what you did after I died," Draco said evenly, "Theo showed me the memory. But when you take on a role like this, Hermione, you have to separate your personal life from your work life. Harry, Neville, Theo and I knew when we were Aurors that there was a possibility we would not be able to save the lives of one of the others. We knew we couldn't jeopardise the mission for the sake of the lives of one of our friends."
Hermione fixed him with a stiff look, "You're saying I was wrong to lose my temper?"
"I'm saying that I can already see the headlines tomorrow morning," Draco said, his eyes on hers.
"About how the Minister was an emotional wreck, about how what you just did only furthers the stereotypical view that women cannot handle positions of power."
Hermione spun around to glare at him, "You don't know what it felt like, Draco!"
"Yes, I do," Draco ground out, "Because I've lost people too, Hermione. I've lost people I loved, and it hurt, but I didn't lose control of my magic and warp time to bring them back."
"No, you didn't when you lost Pansy," Hermione agreed sarcastically.
"But if it hadn't been for Neville, the explosion of magic that you couldn't control when you thought you saw Theo die would have killed you."
Before Draco could argue that it was different, Hermione took another step forward. She continued, "Yes, I lost control of my temper, but not my magic. I controlled that cascading jinx; it only hurt the insurgents, not the civilians."
"And you meant to destroy all the glass in the ministry, did you?" Draco asked coolly, "Because the last time I checked, that had only happened once before, and it was done by Lord Voldemort."
Her eyes flashed, "You cannot be comparing me to him right now."
"You played God," Draco said, his eyes on hers, "And when someone plays God, when they meddle with time, there are always consequences."
Hermione swallowed.
"Whether you will be able to live with them remains to be seen," Draco said, turning to leave the office.
"Draco," Hermione called, her voice breaking, "Please, don't do this."
"I'm not doing anything, Hermione," Draco said. He had stopped with his hand on the door handle and his back to her.
"You're my wife, and I will find a way to forgive you, but right now," Draco swallowed, "I just need some time."
Hermione refused to let the sob in her throat out until the door clicked firmly shut behind him.
Daphne hadn't witnessed anything that had happened in the atrium earlier that day. She had gone straight home after the Wizengamot meeting because she knew that her children needed her.
"Hey, Mum," Andrea said quietly when Daphne stepped into the drawing-room.
Daphne smiled sadly in response.
"Did the Wizengamot vote the way you wanted?" Andrea asked.
Daphne shook her head and sat down heavily, "No, they didn't."
"So we're not at war?" Thea asked.
"Not yet," Daphne replied, rubbing her eyes and letting out a sigh, "How are you girls doing?"
Thea shrugged, "It sucks that Grandpa is sick, Mum."
"It's not fair," Andrea said quietly. She hid her face in her book to cover up her tears.
Daphne sighed and nodded, "No, it isn't. But unfortunately, life isn't fair sometimes."
They were all silent until Daphne asked, "Where is Alastor?"
"In the greenhouse," Andrea replied, "When I checked in on him, he was crying."
Daphne pushed herself to her feet. She was exhausted, but her son needed her.
"I'll talk to him. Look after each other, girls," Daphne said, her eyes flitting between her daughters, "Like you always have done."
Alastor wasn't crying when Daphne walked into the greenhouse. But he had re-potted half of the mandrakes, and he was currently hitting the back wall with bombarda after bombarda, with power and accuracy that Harry would have been proud of.
"What did the wall ever do to you?"
Alastor jumped and turned around. His eyes were red and puffy, his cheeks streaked with tears.
"It….it needs to come down for the extension," Alastor said weakly.
Alastor and Neville were renovating, and part of that did involve a large stone wall being torn down.
"I know it does," Daphne said softly, "But I didn't think bombarda was standard demolition practice."
Alastor sighed.
"I think maybe it's your way of coping with the news about Grandpa," Daphne prodded gently.
Alastor sat down heavily and let his head drop into his hands, "I don't want Grandpa to die. He…he taught me that it's okay if I don't live up to some great family legacy. He taught me that it was okay to be myself, whoever that is and….I don't want to lose him."
"I don't want to lose him either," Daphne promised. She sat down on the wooden bench and leaned forward, "He taught me an awful lot too, about love and life."
Alastor looked up tearfully, "I didn't need him to teach me that it was okay to love whoever I wanted; you and Dad always did that anyway. But I did need him to tell me that I wasn't obligated to get married and have a baby, just because I'm the only male child with Potter blood in my veins."
"You know the world doesn't work like that anymore, baby," Daphne said softly, "Not in this family, anyway."
Alastor nodded glumly, "I'm gay, Mum."
"I know, sweetheart."
Alastor laughed weakly, "You do?"
Daphne smiled, "I do. I've suspected since you were quite young, actually."
"Andie said I was living in a glass closet," Alastor said as he laughed, with tears in his eyes.
"You were," Daphne agreed. Her smile was tearful too, "Even your dad knows, and that's saying a lot."
Alastor laughed, and then somehow it descended into tears, and Daphne tried to stay strong and hold her son, but her tears fell thick and fast too.
She put an arm around Alastor, and he turned into her, hugging her tightly.
"I know it's hard," Daphne said, blinking hard to shake away the tears, "But we will get through this the same way we have gotten through everything else that has hit our family – together."
"Together," Alastor murmured, "Family First."
"Exactly," Daphne said, placing a kiss on Alastor's forehead and hugging him tightly.
Daphne heard Harry's voice before she saw him. She had gone into work after talking to the kids.
It wasn't entirely by choice. She had asked them if they wanted or needed her to stay, and they said they were fine – Alastor included. Daphne had convinced him to come into the house for some food before disappearing back to the greenhouse.
So, Daphne had dragged herself into work as a distraction from everything that was going on with her father. It didn't help that Astoria was obviously angry about the situation and was ignoring Daphne's letters, Patronuses and floo messages.
As such, she found herself taking a closer look at the cursed chest that had been brought in. It was probably futile, but she was trying to work backwards to figure out how the Statute Saboteurs had managed to weaponise the imperius curse.
"Hey Cheryl, how's it going?"
"Hey, Mr Potter," Cheryl's dulcet tones floated upwards, "It's all good."
"Yeah, you and Kenny still going strong?" Harry asked.
Daphne could tell from the clattering sounds that he was making himself a coffee while speaking to her.
"Oh yeah, he's been out of jail two months now," Cheryl said brightly, "Tryin' to find himself a proper job, y'know?"
"Good," Harry said, "Got to start providing for the two kids he gave you, right?"
"Yeah, damn right, you get it, Mr Potter."
Daphne shook her head in amusement, but she didn't smile. If Harry was here during office hours, then it meant that something was wrong.
"Anyway, is Daphne around?"
"Uh-huh. Queens in her office."
Harry chuckled, and then Daphne heard heavy footsteps on the staircase. Harry wasn't heavy-footed. On the other hand, Neville had been heavy-footed before he had to rely on a cane. But Harry had spent most of his time at Hogwarts sneaking around. Then he had grown into a man who made a career out of that sneakiness. He had always been light-footed unless he was dragging his feet.
And Daphne knew the minute he walked into the office that something had happened. His shoulders were just a little hunched, and even though he smiled when he greeted her, it just didn't reach his eyes.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Daphne asked, raising an eyebrow.
Harry laughed half-heartedly and sat down opposite her. Taking a sip from his cardboard coffee cup.
"I'm surprised you came into work."
"The kids practically forced me out of the door," Daphne said with a small smile, "They said I would wallow otherwise. Thea called me pitiful."
"Well, they're not wrong," Harry said.
Daphne looked him up and down. When he was at work, he wore black trousers, a black shirt and a red tie. Over the top, there was always a black vest with brass buttons to match all the gold stitching on his red leather robes.
But today, something was missing – the red robe, with the badge that had the words 'Head Auror', embossed on it.
"What happened, Harry?" Daphne asked perceptively.
Harry sighed, "I quit."
Daphne's eyebrows shot up so high, they were almost lost in her hair, "You quit?"
Harry just bowed his head.
Daphne leant back and surveyed him for a long moment, "Okay. Why?"
Harry frowned into his coffee, "I had a disagreement with Hermione."
Daphne laughed, "A disagreement? For you to give up the job that you have been doing for 15 years? The job that you love?"
She shook her head, "I can't believe that you would do that when a war is brewing because of a disagreement. What the hell did Hermione do?"
Harry's eyes flitted to the radio in the corner of the room, "That hasn't been on today, has it?"
Daphne followed his line of sight and frowned, "No. Bill and I turn them off when we're concentrating on something, and Cheryl listens to some awful pop music on the reception one. Why?"
Harry leant forward and sighed, "Bill hasn't come back from the Wizengamot meeting?"
"No, but he didn't intend on it," Daphne said with a frown, "He had the rest of the day off."
"Well, he's not here because the Wizengamot was told it would be regrouping again today. You will get an urgent call on your orb when they set the time."
Daphne frowned, and Harry continued, "Most people stayed in the ministry because we know another session will be called today. I didn't because I wanted to speak to you."
Daphne's gaze met Harry's eye, "What happened?"
Harry glanced around and cast a few silencing and warding spells. Daphne watched quietly but with concern as he did so. When all of his protective enchantments were in place, Harry told her the story.
"Hermione authorised an order I don't think I can forgive today," Harry said.
"She gave Sadie the okay to use a time-turner to go back and save someone's life."
Before Daphne could start asking questions, Harry pressed on, "At the press conference, after the Wizengamot refused to carry the motion, the Statute Saboteurs, some of them anyway, were at the ministry. They targeted Hermione, and Draco jumped in front of the killing curse to save her," Harry said, his voice shaking a little.
Daphne brought her hand up to her face, "No, she couldn't have authorised that."
Harry observed his wife's reaction, hoping she would understand why what Hermione and Sadie had done was so risky.
"If this happened at a press conference, then a whole crowd of people saw Draco die. How could she fix that without creating a paradox?"
"Because she's smart, and although we all forget it, Sadie was in Slytherin," Harry said distastefully.
"You don't have to make that sound like such a bad thing," Daphne pointed out.
Harry sighed, "I'm sorry, but the things she did to save Draco…."
He shook his head, "She took an inmate from Azkaban, imperiused him, forced him to drink polyjuice potion and pretend to be Draco. Then she stunned the real Draco and locked him up in Blacknot Castle."
"So Draco never died. It was always a fake Draco; hence there is no paradox," Daphne murmured, "I mean, it's smart, but it is so immoral."
"And risky," Harry cut in, "Sadie claimed she knew there wouldn't be a paradox but Unspeakable or not, she couldn't have known that. If anything had gone wrong, she could have created an alternate timeline."
Daphne bit her lip, "You're right to be angry, Harry, but you also seem pretty triggered by what Sadie did. Is this because of what happened in our third year?"
"No," Harry replied honestly, "What happened in our third year happened because Dumbledore manipulated me into it. I was 13. I didn't know right from wrong, especially in a world I was just beginning to navigate. Now I see that what we did then was stupid, but that isn't why I'm so angry at Hermione."
"Then what is the reason?" Daphne asked, cocking her head at him.
Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Time turners don't fix things, not really. They are a quick fix, but quick fixes often do more harm than good. Yes, we saved Sirius in third year, but at what cost? He was living on borrowed time, and then death finally caught up with him two miserable years later."
Daphne said nothing as Harry paused to take a breath.
"When it's someone's time to go, you shouldn't try to stop it," Harry said darkly, "Because when you do, there are always consequences."
Daphne nodded and reached over to take Harry's hand, "You think Draco is going to die in another way, that Death is determined to take him?"
Harry nodded and let his head fall into his hands.
Daphne sighed and walked around the desk, kneeling to hug Harry.
"I understand where you are coming from, Harry, but there is every chance Draco was never supposed to die. That the decoy was always going to be a decoy. Maybe the universe has a plan for him that has to involve him overcoming this, or maybe it was a test for Hermione."
Harry cleared his throat and nodded, looking up at her, "Maybe."
Daphne brushed his hair out of his face and asked, "Is Draco okay?"
"No," Harry answered honestly, "Draco is furious at Hermione and," he shrugged, "A little lost, I think. He has spent his whole career proving he's not Draco Malfoy, and now, thanks to Hermione's statement, everyone thinks it was his idea to use a decoy. He doesn't know how anyone in the DMLE will respect him when they think he's a coward, and the truth is, they won't."
Daphne's jaw set, "So she made the call then blamed it on him?"
With a shake of her head, Daphne added, "I would be furious too."
"Yeah," Harry sighed, "Either way, I'm done. I've given enough to the ministry. It's time for Ben to step up and shine like I know he can."
"And you and Hermione?" Daphne asked perceptively.
Harry's eyes darkened, "There is no me and Hermione at the moment, Daph."
Daphne sighed and nodded, pulling him into another hug.
When the Wizengamot was recalled, Harry sat down next to Daphne and refused to make eye contact with Hermione, even though he could feel her eyes on him.
He glanced across the room and noticed that Draco was sitting very stiffly in his usual seat behind Hermione. Theo's eyes were flicking over to Draco in concern every few minutes. Sadie was sitting by his side, but her stance was stiff too, and there was a cold chill emanating between those two.
Hermione rose to her feet, cleared her throat and addressed the room.
"You all know why you were called back here today," She said, her voice firm, "You all saw what happened at the press conference. Had it not been for the clever use of decoys, our Head of the DMLE would have been killed earlier today in an attack that was meant to kill me."
Draco looked down, refusing to make eye contact with anyone in the room.
"And that is not what we represent," Hermione said firmly, "The Statute Saboteurs have made their position very clear. This is war, and it is time for us to take that fight back to them."
Hermione looked around the room, "I nearly lost my husband today, but your loved ones could be next because it is always the same. I understand why you do not want to go to war because I don't either. This is not a war; it is a tactical decision to prevent that very thing."
She took a breath, "Because when you fire that first spell, no matter how right it feels, you have no idea who is going to die. You do not know whose children are going to scream and burn, how many hearts will be broken, how many lives shattered or how much blood will spill."
The Wizengamot all watched her warily, everyone holding in their breaths without even realising it.
"That is why I do not want a third war," Hermione said firmly, "All of that pain and suffering in vain until everyone does what they were always going to have to do – sit down and talk."
She drew in another breath and steadied herself, "If we take the fight to them now, if we force them to sit down and talk, then we can prevent that third war, and we have to. We cannot allow them to crumble this world we have all built and spent decades working towards to dust."
Harry looked around the room. From the severe expressions, he supposed the Wizengamot were re-thinking the situation.
"When I became Minister, I knew I would have to fight for what was right through all of the politics and prejudice," Hermione continued.
"I don't know how the hell it ever came to this, but in this room, everybody picks their side, and they stand by it, but sometimes we need to compromise. It doesn't matter who's wrong or right because if we don't do something, this will affect all of us."
Hermione breathed in shakily, "But we are all witches and wizards, and we ought to stand together. We were not made to quarrel amongst ourselves while the world burns. We were made to be here for each other. If we stand together, we cannot fall, but we can put a broken world back together again."
Harry did meet her eye, albeit reluctantly, as Hermione delivered the final lines of her speech.
"And I know we will win," Hermione said confidently, "Because we all fight for the same reason, for the love of our husbands, wives, children. To save our families from going through what we all did in the wars against Voldemort. Love is the only thing worth fighting for, and in the end, it always wins."
There was a round of applause, and when it all died down, they began the vote.
As expected, the motion was carried, and by a landslide too.
It was official. They were taking the fight to the Statute Saboteurs.
When Hermione got home that night, the air in Blacknot Castle was more tense than usual.
"We need to talk about what happened today," Draco said, from where he was sitting by the fire, "Before the papers speculate."
Ada and Dora looked up in unison, "Are you going to tell us why nobody is talking?"
"I'll hazard a guess it has something to do with the fact the radio went crazy because of magical interference at the press conference today," Almina said. Her suspicious eyes landed on Hermione.
Theo sighed and nodded, "We had a fight today."
Ella frowned and looked between them, "All four of you?"
"All four of us, yes," Theo answered.
Sadie was remarkably quiet from where she was sitting on an armchair, her knees pulled up tightly beneath her.
Draco sighed and looked out at his children. Almina and Charlus had more of an idea of what was happening; they had both heard rumours throughout the day.
"Your Mum was attacked today," Draco said quietly, "I dove in front of the curse to save her, and I was hit by a killing curse."
Cas snorted, "Good one, Dad. You're not exactly Harry Potter though, are you?"
"No," Draco said coldly, "Because I didn't survive the curse, I was brought back. Your Mothers used a time turner to place a decoy and hide me away. I woke up in the cellar here and discovered that the decoy me had died."
"That's illegal," Almina said quietly.
"Not to mention a complete misuse of power," Charlus said, frowning over at Sadie.
"It brought your Dad back," Sadie said as her sole defence.
Almina nodded and crossed the room, pulling Draco into a tight hug. He sighed and hugged her back. Over her shoulder, Charlus swallowed and gave him a slight nod, which he returned.
Ella ran at Draco and hugged him too, tears falling from her eyes as she did so.
"I'm glad you're okay, Dad."
Cas swallowed his pride and hugged Draco too, "Yeah, me too."
He stepped back, and Ada and Dora ran at Draco, hugging him tightly, one on each side. He managed a small smile as he placed a kiss on their foreheads.
"And this is why I did it," Hermione said, her voice choked with emotion, "Why I gave an order I shouldn't have done. Because I couldn't stand to see our family ripped apart."
"And I am not saying you should have let it fall apart," Draco said, his eyes meeting hers, "But you gave an order you never should have given today. You abused your power, both of you, and you put my career in jeopardy when you told the press that using a decoy was my idea."
"Draco, not in front of the children," Hermione said quietly.
"No," Draco cut in, "We need to have this conversation in front of the children because they need to know that the next few weeks are going to be difficult."
He turned to their six children, "This family has always been dysfunctional, but one thing it has always had is trust. That trust has been broken, and there is a divide in our feelings over what happened today."
Ella's eyes widened, "You're not…but you're not splitting up?"
"Nobody is going to leave the grounds of this castle," Draco promised. He swallowed and said the hardest words.
"But things cannot go back to normal straight away, and some of us might be sleeping in different places for the next little while until everyone can work through what happened today. You are all teenagers or adults now. You understand that relationships are never simple. You were owed the truth, even if it is hard to hear."
Ada and Dora nodded, they were the most visibly upset by all of this, but they were the youngest.
"I understand that, Dad," Almina said quietly, "But…I can't be mad at Mum or Mama for doing what they did because…."
She looked tearfully over at Theo, "I remember Pops dying. I remember the funeral and how sick he was when you found him, Dad."
Theo swallowed hard, and Draco reached over, placing a hand on his knee.
"I remember it all too," Charlus said, casting his gaze down, "Even if the others were too young."
Almina wiped her eyes and said, "I'm not mad at them for making sure we didn't have to go through that again."
Charlus grabbed his twin sister's hand, and Hermione let her head fall into her hands as she tried to control her emotions.
Draco sighed and got to his feet, brushing a hand against Theo's shoulder as he did so.
"Regardless of anything else that happens, we are still your parents," Draco promised the children, "And none of this is your fault. We love you all, even in hard times, and we will all be here for every single one of you. Okay?"
There were nods and murmured sounds of agreement, so with a nod to himself, Draco left the room to pack a bag and move into one of the many outbuildings on the castle grounds.
When Hermione stepped into her and Draco's bedroom that night, it was empty – unsurprisingly. So she walked to the balcony and looked out at the evening sky, wondering where in the castle Draco would sleep tonight. It wasn't like he didn't have much choice. There were spare rooms galore in this place.
A click from behind made Hermione turn around, and when she saw Sadie, mixed emotions bubbled up inside her.
"Are you okay?" Sadie asked quietly.
Hermione shook her head and leant against the railing, "No. Are you?"
"No," Sadie admitted.
Hermione blinked, and a few tears fell, "Is Theo in there?"
"No," Sadie replied. She leant against the railing with her friend, "He packed a bag, so wherever he is, he's not in the castle."
There was a light on in the coach house, and Hermione studied it for a moment, "Wherever he is, he's with Draco."
"It feels like sides have been drawn," Sadie said, her own voice weak with emotion, "Them against us."
Hermione shook her head, "You say that like we are splitting up."
"We all heard Draco's speech to the children earlier," Sadie said dryly, "It sounded exactly like that. Theo and Draco will always have each other; they will always have that unconditional love to fall back on. At some point, you have to wonder if we are surplus to requirements."
"Surplus to requirements?" Hermione echoed in disbelief.
"We gave them children, and we raised those children," Sadie said, her eyes dark and her tone bitter.
"If you really think that's all we are to them, then I don't know who you are anymore," Hermione said quietly, "They love each other, but they love us too. They wouldn't just choose each other and leave us behind."
"Not even after what you did today?"
Hermione frowned, "What I did?"
Sadie looked up in surprise, "Are you blaming me for this?"
Hermione looked at her in disbelief, "Seriously? You don't think you're at fault here?"
"You made the call!" Sadie exclaimed.
"And it was your idea!" Hermione snapped.
"Maybe Draco and Theo see through your perfect, infallible little Sadie bullshit, but I didn't go through seven years of school as your housemate, so I don't!"
Sadie scoffed, "I can't believe you, Hermione. You just can't accept when you're at fault, can you?"
Hermione glared at her and took a step forward, "It was your idea to throw Draco under the bus, not mine. You suggested saying that he was the one to suggest a decoy."
"To save your career," Sadie said in disbelief.
"At the expense of his!" Hermione snapped, "But if I tell the kids that, I suppose that will make me the bad guy, won't it?"
Sadie shook her head and glared at Hermione, "Pick your battles, Hermione. Before this conversation, I was the only person in this family who was on your side."
She turned on her heel and left, slamming the connecting door to the bedrooms behind her.
- TBC -
