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Happy reading!
Chapter 4
Hermione woke up an hour early in anticipation of meeting Ron at the gym Monday morning. Every scenario raced through her mind. What she would say. What he would say. Should they be on a run through Hogwarts when she pressed her lips to his?
While anticipation filled nearly every pore, there was also an ounce of fear. How would they make it? Their own faults led to so many mis-steps and lonely nights crying herself to sleep. Would now be any different?
She did admit that she had grown up a lot since then. Her time with different cultures and beings really brought to light all the ways people survive and thrive in this world. If a werewolf could be happy in a world that mistreated and disrespected them, then she could buck up the courage and give it another shot with Ron.
She waited in the gym until five before she came to terms with the fact that he wasn't coming. For some reason, after every single scenario she envisioned, the one she hadn't was the one where he didn't show up. Her heart sank. After the Calla Lilies, she was sure he'd be here waiting for her on the rower.
Monday and Tuesday passed by with no word from Ron. He didn't show up for their morning run on Wednesday either. Hermione would have tracked him down if not for the fact that she would be leading a seminar on Elvish arrest and apprehension procedures to the majority of the Auror department. It was perfect timing and would give her the opportunity to stop by without looking too desperate to see him.
Hermione stepped into the Auror department and as usual, it was the most cluttered and disorganized department at the Ministry. There was only one desk that she found clean and ideal for work, and it was Jeremy's.
Hermione made her way towards the large Auror conference room she had reserved, but her eyes cascaded towards Ron's desk. There, across the room, side-by-side were Ron and Aliesha Avery hovering in deep conversation, looking at a map on Ron's desk. Then, with a sympathetic head tilt, she watched Avery place her hand on Ron's arm and give it a gentle squeeze, then gave his side a gentle nudge with her hip. While Hermione managed to stifle the pained noise that rose from her throat, she unfortunately didn't manage to avoid the chair in the path in front of her.
A yelp issued from her lungs as she slid towards the floor. Just as she was about to give way to the impending bruises, someone caught her.
"Jeremy." Hermione breathed. "Thank you."
"No worries." He muttered as he pulled her to her feet and disappeared into the conference room without another word. Hermione knew very well why he suddenly slinked out of sight, but there was nothing for it.
She glanced over at Ron who was watching the scene.
She gave a half-hearted smile in his direction, but bee-lined for the conference room. After another five minutes most of the Aurors had mulled into the room. Everyone chatted amicably with one another. Some joking, some discussing Auror business in hushed tones.
Harry had sat near the front, as he always did in a show of support for her work. Jeremy sat a few seats back from his normal spot across from Harry at the front of the conference table. Ron and Avery sat mid-way back and they were still deep in conversation.
Hermione cleared her throat. The audience, minus Harry and Jeremy, ignored her. She did note that Ron glanced her way.
"Good afternoon!" Hermione called out to the crowd. While she always had the answers, she was never the best at inspiration, so her tone, as usual, came across as somewhat condescending.
The volume reduced a few decibels and there were only a few errant conversations.
Good enough. Hermione thought as she got started.
"As a refresher, in past sessions, we've gone over appropriate Werewolf negotiation tactics, Centaur interrogation protocols, and limitations on patrols in Goblin territories."
Hermione watched as a few heads nodded, while others leaned back in their chairs.
"If you were unavailable for any of these previous sessions, please reference the Ministry of Magic's official book on relations with Goblins, Werewolves, Centaurs and Elves. If you have not received your copy, please raise your hand."
She watched as a woman with long white hair in the back raised her hand. Hermione levitated a book to the back of the room. She looked around the room and spotted one more hand up, Ron's.
He seemed somewhat uncomfortable in his seat, and Hermione was sure she knew why. He was now right between two of his past lovers, and he was caught canoodling with Avery at work not three days after he had given her the flowers and the note. The note that gave Hermione the hope she didn't want, and didn't need. Here she was, yet again, face to face with the man she never stopped loving, who stopped loving her a long time ago.
She slid an extra book over to Ron, who stopped it with his palm. Despite the dread, she watched as he opened the book and started flipping through.
"Now - today we will be discussing the new procedures for entering a home unannounced with elves under employ."
After the next thirty minutes of Hermione's long-winded explanations, she could see the audience growing weary. Finally, a voice in the back spoke up and shared what most Aurors were probably thinking. She had received this comment before, and it always led to bickering and eye-rolling.
"These are just house elves. Most of them stick to their cupboards. In all of my raids, I've never had to worry about a single house elf getting in my way. Besides, my neighbors house elf had such brittle bones, they had to keep him wrapped in gauze just in case he fell."
Hermione took a breath. She looked down at Harry who was staring straight ahead, clutching his wand. The memory of Dobby flashed through the back of her mind.
"Mr. Ringold, the Ministry now only uses the term Elves. House elf has been deemed by the Elvish Delegation and Ministry of Magic as disrespectful. Moving forward, please use their proper name."
Ringold crossed his arms. It didn't phase Hermione. She had dealt with worse.
"To respond to some of your comments, while elves that are under the employee of wizarding families, especially those families or groups that have criminal dealings, remain out of the limelight, some voluntarily or are forced to act on behalf of their employer."
"So." Ringold stated.
"So, Mr. Ringold, do you have any idea how powerful an elf is?"
"Obviously, not very. Look at the little buggers."
"Actually, they are quite powerful. While we need wands, they have the ability to do wandless magic. They can pull magic from the Earth and if I was a betting woman, in a fair duel, your neighbors elf would have wiped the floor with you."
"And you would know this? Elves can write a lot of things and slap it in a book." Ringold gruffed, taking Hermione's snarky comment personally.
"She wrote the book on it, Ringold. Shut your yap." Harry called across the room.
Hermione glowed in appreciation of her friend's remark.
"You wrote this?" Ron's voice perked from the sidelines. She watched as he flipped it over and looked for her name on the cover.
Hermione nodded. "It's an official Ministry Rule Book, but yes, I wrote it based on my time, experience, and negotiations with the first participants of the Fair Beings Council."
Hermione felt herself flush, but powered through.
"Though on first glance, elves may appear fragile, they are powerful. Some have been mistreated and brainwashed by ill-mannered wizarding families, so much so that they will defend that family with their dying breath. While this isn't as common, it still occurs and if you aren't prepared for elven magic…" Hermione took a breath. "The elves have given us much insight on how to handle elves facing this mistreatment and you will do well to learn the defensive spells and the communication terminology. It may very well be what saves yours or your partner's life in the future."
"Really though, have you actually seen their power? This feels like a joke." Ringold pushed further.
"I lived in an elven community for six months and experienced the breadth of their power first-hand."
Ringold finally quieted down.
"Furthermore" Hermione continued, "if you are unable to learn and utilize the best practices and procedures outlined in this book, you will no longer be an Auror for the Ministry of Magic."
Hermione glanced over toward Ron. Avery was leaning into his ear whispering something to him and pointing into her book. Ron chuckled and nodded. Hermione could feel the heat rising within her.
"Can I answer any questions?" She asked Avery tersely.
Both Avery and Ron shifted in their seats.
"Nope." Avery smiled at Hermione.
"Well then," Hermione said, collecting her materials, "please continue to read through the book and we will do one more review in a couple weeks. After that, you'll have two weeks until your certification exam. Please don't wait until the last minute to read and ask questions."
With that, Hermione grabbed her materials, gave Harry a quick nod and left without looking back.
I'm such an idiot. Of course we're over. Such an idiot. Hermione mentally kicked herself as she replayed Ron and Avery whispering in her head. She moved as quickly as she could down the hallway.
"Hermione!" A voice called from behind her.
Hermione recognized the voice in an instant and he was the last person she wanted to see.
"Hey, wait up." Ron jogged to her side.
"What do you want." She turned on him with a scowl.
Ron took a step back surprised by her forceful response.
"I just wanted to say congrats on the book." He said crossing his arms.
She could feel the tension, the return to their old habits. Fighting without saying what they actually wanted to say. Hermione was in no mood to be vulnerable. She had prepared to tell him her feelings Monday and today and he clearly chose Avery. Ron and Avery worked so well together, they had all that time together during training. It only made sense. They had so much in common, were so much alike.
"Thanks." She then turned and sped down the hallway and out of site.
It's easier this way. Hermione convinced herself.
Hermione's first act of misery after she got home that evening was to scream (and then cry) into her pillow. She hated feeling stupid, and giving in to hope. It made her furious. She didn't want to be jealous. She didn't want to be pathetic. She didn't want to be the person that the tabloids made her out to be.
It didn't take long for her sadness to morph into anger, and she stomped into her living room. There on the coffee table was the vase of flowers from Ron. She grabbed it unceremoniously, stormed outside to the nearby bin and threw it in and screamed at it.
"We're done!" She yelled into the bin.
A neighbor walking her dog watched Hermione's display curiously, but Hermione didn't care. She stormed back up the stairs and into her flat and spent the rest of the afternoon escaping into her favorite books.
