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SHATTER ME
Chapter 15
It took another two weeks for Hermione to fully adjust to her regime. This was helped partly by the distance and deference between Hermione and Sirius. Hermione put everything into her studies and also in to regaining enough strength that by the time of Professor Slughorn's Christmas Party arrived Madam Pomfrey confirmed that she would be free of the crutches. The party was being held on their last night before school Holidays commenced. She had been undecided on what to do and with the holiday looming closer she felt she really did not want to celebrate. She also did not want to stay at Hogwarts, leaving her with the stark reminder that she also no longer had parents to go home to.
Ginny and Luna both found her weeping in one of the girls bathrooms, after Harry said that Hermione did not show up to the lesson she was supposed to be in. Both girls in their own ways managed to coax Hermione from the stall she had hidden in and walked her back to her rooms she shared with Sirius. Sirius looked up from the scroll he was reading surprised at their entrance. He stood when he saw the red rimmed eyes on Hermione.
"Hermione? Ginny, Luna, why aren't you all in your classes?" He asked as they moved towards the door to Hermione's room. Luna and Hermione entered as Ginny paused to answer Sirius.
"It's Christmas and Hermione's first Christmas without her parents. When Professor McGonagall asked her whether she would be staying or not she got a little upset." Ginny explained.
"Harry got worried, but couldn't exactly follow her so he asked me. Luna said she would to." Ginny shrugged and entered Hermione's room shutting the door and leaving Sirius to stand in shocked silence.
The fire flashed and Minerva's head appeared in the fire.
"Oh, Sirius. Just the person I want to see. Is Miss Granger with you?" She asked.
"Yes, with Ginny and Luna, - I mean Miss Weasley and Miss Lovegood. Both of them are consoling her." Sirius sank back into the armchair.
"Oh good. Please tell them I will write notes to their teachers regarding their absences." The Gryffindor Head Teacher sounding relieved. Sirius simply nodded. He had found the last three weeks difficult to remain cool and indifferent around Hermione.
"Oh and Sirius, please let Miss Granger know that Professor Dumbledore has made arrangements to return to either Grimmauld Place for Christmas or the safe house." Minerva's head disappeared before he could answer her. Sirius groaned in the chair. Not for the first time had he thought about taking either a Thestral or Buckbeak back to the island in the Caribbean to live in seclusion than deal with the crumbling world he was in. The only thing stopping him was the witch in the other room. Well two things he realised as Harry came in unannounced and dropped his bag next to the armchair.
"Hey Sirius, is Hermione here?" He asked, Sirius nodded and Harry knocked on Hermione's bedroom door. Ginny answered.
"Is Hermione alright?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded.
"She will be. Harry can I ask you a huge favour? Can you find Demelza and get her to bring down my things for tonight?" Ginny asked.
"I guess. I heard you're no longer taking Dean to Slughorn's party." Harry quipped.
"I heard you haven't got a date for it yet." Ginny shot back smirking. The door opened a little wider and Luna appeared.
"Hello Harry." She greeted him serenely.
"Hi Luna." Harry answered back then did a double take. "Hey Luna would you like to come to Slughorn's Christmas party tonight?"
Ginny's mouth dropped but quickly recovered as she watched Luna's face light up.
"Thank you Harry. That is such a nice thing to offer." She smiled at him.
"So you will?" Harry asked, his face flushing slightly as Sirius chuckled on the couch behind him.
"Yes." Luna said. "I better go and find that dress father sent me." She stepped out of Hermione's room.
"Bring it here Luna and we can all get ready together. Harry, please go get Demelza!" Ginny said and shut the door on him.
"Come on Luna, I can at least walk you part way back to your dorm." Harry offered kindly, picking his bag up and headed to the door, giving Sirius a cursory wave, refusing to meet his eyes. Sirius just grinned; Harry reminding him a little of his dad and his awkwardness when it came to dating women.
As Harry left he stood and went to the door. Knocking and waiting for them to answer. He was half expecting Ginny again but Hermione answered.
"Just the person I need to see." He said studying her face. She looked slightly pale yet her eyes were losing the redness from crying.
"I have spoken to Professor Dumbledore about your accommodation over Christmas. If you wish you can return with Harry and I to Grimmauld Place, or we can arrange it if you would prefer the Terrace House." He said.
"Oh. Thank you Sirius. Do I need to decide now?" She asked. Sirius shook his head.
"No, we can work it out in the morning. Regardless where you go you will still need to go through Grimmauld Place." Sirius explained, Hermione nodded relief showing on her features. Behind him knocking on the door to the corridor echoed. Sirius stepped aside as Hermione slipped from her room to answer the door.
Luna had returned with Demelza, who was floating several clothing bags and what seemed to be an extremely large case, of what Sirius guessed to be makeup supplies. Sirius was reminded of Marlene in that moment, despite Demelza looking the exact opposite of the sassy blonde from his past. Demelza looked Sirius up and down with an appraising eye nodded to him and dismissed him as quickly as she walked straight past, and into Hermione's room.
Sirius chuckled and told Hermione that he had to go to Hogsmeade and would be several hours, and headed out into the castle leaving the girls to dress for the party. He made his way casually still smirking about the raven haired Gryffindor Chaser. He knew that Harry's choice of Chasers for the team were one of the best he had seen. One of the reasons was simply that each of the girls were striking enough to distract even the hardest Slytherin player by their looks alone. Yet each of the girls were extremely talented in their own right. Something that Harry had picked them for regardless of their looks. Sirius knew though that Harry himself became slightly distracted at times at practice with his team. Sirius chuckled again, Harry was but a boy still.
Sirius was not completely lying about going to Hogsmeade, though how long he would need to be was for Hermione's benefit to get ready free of him and let her be cheered up by Ginny and the girls presence to get ready for the party later that night. He was still unsure in attending even when He was asked to be there in a supervisor capacity. Those thoughts would have to wait as he stepped into the Three Broomsticks shaking the snow off his cloak to meet with his associate regarding his uncle's business.
Hermione sat with her feet curled up on the window seat looking out at the snowy scene below as Ginny, Demelza and Luna chatted and got ready for the Christmas Party. Luna was presently sitting on a chair as Ginny fixed her hair and Demelza worked her magic with the makeup kit to enhance Luna's ethereal beauty. Demelza had already helped Ginny with her hair and makeup, as Ginny helped Demelza with hers. They became good friends through the Quidditch practices and neither thought much of the boys on their team. Both were comparing the Ravenclaw Keeper with one of the Hufflepuff Beater's looks and builds.
"Harry has a nice body." Luna said shyly, causing all three girls to stare at her. "He used to be so skinny," She continued, either not noticing that the other three girls were staring or just ignoring it.
"He is broader and his face is quite handsome." She finished, picking up the small hand mirror and looked at what Ginny and Demelza had achieved.
"Goodness I look like a fairy from one of those muggle stories!" She smiled at her reflection.
"Well that is what we were aiming for Luna!" Ginny smiled at Luna, first to recover from Luna's revelation about Harry's looks. Luna stood up and moved over to Hermione.
"Come on Hermione, your turn." She handed the mirror to Hermione.
"Yes Hermione, your turn! Now move your ass over here so Demelza and I can work our magic!" Ginny ordered, threatening her with the hairbrush in her hand as she would her wand. Hermione stared, in her mind she felt like she was a million miles away.
Hermione was in a bedroom that wasn't hers. Dresses hung off the open wardrobe door, a long white dress with a veil and two navy blue dresses. In front of her a stunning blonde witch with curly hair, and makeup done to the nines stood in front of a red headed witch whose normally long red tresses were now curled and styled into place with a combination of bobby pins, magic, and hairspray.
The Blonde witch stepped back and Hermione looked into the greenest of green eyes so like Harry's shining with brightness as she looked at herself in her mirror before meeting Hermione's eyes through the reflection. She grinned at her, turning in her seat to face Hermione. Both momentarily overcome with words in that moment, as the happiness of the day swelled and blossomed from the gorgeous red head in front of Hermione.
She stood taking her hands and lead her to the seat she had vacated settling her on it and hugged Hermione, their faces looking into the mirror together.
"Seeing as his royal pain in the ass doesn't know you are here, you are getting the Marly Makeover Treatment so we can surprise the hell out of him."
Hermione stared in amusement at the witch, "The Marly Makeover Treatment?"
Through the reflection she saw the blonde come out from behind the screen dressed like a model like Marilyn Munroe. She was grinning at the two women before her.
"I'm famous for them, and we need to make it hard for Sirius to know it's you. Trust me Hermione, you are not going to regret it!"...
Hermione blinked and the vision? - was gone. Ginny stood in front of her with a frown on her face. Demelza also was looking at her concerned.
"Come on Hermione, sit and we can at least make you look like a thousand galleons." Ginny said, guiding her to the chair. Hermione, still a little dazed, allowed the girls to make her over. She joined the conversation when Luna came out of the bathroom in the dress she had chosen and complimented her earnestly on the total effect. Luna indeed looked like she could have fit easily into the world of Alice in Wonderland.
"That is one of my favourite stories." Luna said as she put her shoes on. Demelza and Ginny both got changed, used to changing together for Quidditch.
"Not many here know muggle stories." Hermione commented as she waited for Ginny and Demelza.
"My mother loved them. She said that they seemed more magical than the ones from the wizarding world." Luna explained, "She used to read them to me when I was little."
"So did mine." Hermione choked. She didn't want to cry again.
"I still read them sometimes. I feel like I can almost hear her again reading to me." Luna said. Hermione couldn't answer as Ginny and Demelza finally came out of the bathroom giggling about something they had said in the bathroom. Hermione took the opportunity to grab her dress, one that Ginny picked out for her and dashed past them to change and regain her equilibrium; something that seemed to be harder and harder to do.
When she emerged, dressed in a form fitting, just above the knee black cocktail dress, her room was empty. Voices from the sitting room beyond indicated that Harry had returned to collect Luna. She also heard other male voices, she assumed were Ginny and Demelza's dates. Hermione grabbed her beaded purse and put her wand in it, happy that the extension charm in it would allow for it; stepped into the black pumps Ginny left out for her and walked out of her room.
"Blimey Hermione! I almost didn't recognise you!" Harry exclaimed as soon as he saw Hermione. She blushed slightly as his comments caused the group to all turn and stare at her. Ginny stepped forward and grinned.
"Sounds like he didn't know how hot you are under the bookworm façade." Ginny scoffed, taking Hermione's hands, drawing her further into the room. She made introductions to the three other boys that were standing slightly awkwardly with Harry. Two of them she recognised as the boys that Ginny and Demelza gossiped and compared who looked better from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Quidditch teams respectively. The last standing slightly smugly was Cormac McLaggen.
"He seemed to insist that you were his date for the night." Ginny whispered in her ear. Hermione gave Ginny a sidelong glance and smiled at her weakly.
"That is because he is. I kind of asked him after Ron was being a jerk instead of trying to apologise." Hermione explained. Ginny's mouth dropped open.
"Godric's balls Hermione! I thought you detested Cormac?" Ginny whispered. The others were now making moves to leave. Harry, ever the gentleman offered his arm to Luna and lead her out. The other three taking Harry's cue, followed suit, cutting off further whispered conversation between Ginny and Hermione. Ginny sent her a backwards look as she exited with the Ravenclaw Keeper telling her the conversation was far from over.
"You certainly scrub up well," Cormac's voice brought Hermione's attention back to the pompous boy standing in front of her offering his arm. She tried to smile at his awful compliment yet felt like it came out more of a grimace. McLaggen didn't seem to notice as he took her hand and nearly dragged her from her rooms.
Almost as soon as she entered the party, McLaggen put his arm around her waist and tried to guide her to one of what seemed to be many little dark corners around the room. As soon as he let go to greet one of the many celebrities that Slughorn seemed to have invited to the party she slipped away and hid behind a curtain at the other end of the room. From behind the curtain she watched the guests, while keeping an eye out for when McLaggen realised his date disappeared and begin searching for her.
Hermione watched as Slughorn, who stood quite nearby, introduced both Ginny and Demelza to the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch Captain, praising the girl's talents in their own team, not that he took sides of course. Their dates both stood to the side with slightly sour looks on their faces, both also being on Quidditch teams, yet solidly ignored by Slughorn.
The curtain moved and Hermione sighed as Harry appeared, smirking at her.
"Hiding from your date? Or playing hard to get?" He asked her smugly.
"Oh ha-ha. And yes I am hiding. He seems to be all hands and lips." Hermione said sourly.
"Almost makes Ron less of a prat for all the heavy petting Mclaggen was doing." She added. Harry snorted in laughter, having watched Hermione, trying to figure a way to get her away from her date.
"Better go, he seems like he is on the prowl so to speak." Harry sniggered. Hermione's eyes widened and ducked behind Harry to sneak past the end of the curtain and skirt around the party to try and avoid her own date. She wasn't looking where she was going as she was checking to make sure that he hadn't followed anyone, and walked straight into someone else. Hands caught her and straightened her up.
"Everything alright Hermione?" Sirius asked, hands still holding her arms. He had only just walked into the party and was scanning the crowd for her. He didn't quite recognise her until she walked straight into him.
"Yes. No. I'm not sure. I'm starting to regret my choice of date." Hermione grimaced at him. Sirius's hands dropped away and slipped into his pockets, his face going blank as he tried to choke down the sudden rage that came howling to the surface at the word 'date'. He looked her up and down quickly taking in what she was wearing, raising a brow at her. Hermione flushed a little at his blatant appraisal of her.
"And whom is the 'lucky' boy?" He asked coldly.
"Hey Sirius!" Harry interrupted, smiling at his godfather as he joined them.
"When did you get here?" He asked, forcing Sirius to turn his glare to his Godson. Sirius gave Harry a small smile.
"Just now. Be careful, Slughorn may grab you and introduce you to all the ex-students." Sirius said quietly to Harry he chuckled, telling Sirius that Slughorn had done so already and found it not as bad as he thought.
"I better go. Snape just told me Dumbledore wanted to see me right away." Harry said. Smiling in farewell Harry headed out of the party. Sirius turned back to where Hermione stood to find that she was no longer there. Sirius looked around the room, unsure where she went.
"You look like you have swallowed something awful." Ginny mused as Sirius moved through the crowd passing her. Sirius turned his attention on her.
"Maybe, don't try the brown stuff." He quipped. Ginny snickered and took a sip of her drink.
"You won't find her. Neither will her date for that matter." Ginny grinned over her goblet.
"Oh and you know I am looking for someone?" Sirius asked raising a brow.
"Males can be really thick. Yet I never dreamed you would be." Ginny rolled her eyes, shaking her head.
"But then you are Harry's godfather so it explains why both of you can be so dense sometimes." She smirked. He smile faded as Sirius scowled.
"She isn't at the party anymore. Maybe she retired early." Ginny stated, shrugging and moving off through the crowd.
Sirius watched her retreating form and begin flirting with the Ravenclaw boy that must have been her date. Sirius almost choked out a laugh at the thought of Molly seeing her daughter. Filing that idea away he glanced around the party and quietly took his leave.
She wasn't back in their rooms when he returned. Sirius began to grow concerned began pacing undecided whether he should find her or wait. Sirius turned as the door opened and slammed shut, expecting it to be Hermione but instead seeing his godson, face red in anger and wand pointed at Sirius.
"How could you?" Harry asked, his voice heavy with emotions. Sirius slipped his hands into his pockets and stared impassively at Harry, confused at Harry's change in behaviour.
"How could I what?" He asked quietly. His calm tone did not seem to help Harry, instead seemed to make him angrier
"How could you fuck her?" He yelled. "She is my best friend! You fucked my best friend!"
Sirius's face remained impassive, yet his insides felt as though they wee melting through the floor.
"You seduced her and fucked her!" Harry continued, not allowing Sirius a moment to speak. Only Sirius saw the door open quietly as Hermione slipped in, her shoes in one hand. The sound of the door shutting made Harry turn on the spot, his wand now aimed at Hermione. Her eyes widened at Harry's anger, the heels dropping to the ground beside her.
"What's going on?" She asked timidly, flicking her eyes to Sirius as she asked before returning to look warily at Harry, not moving.
"What's going on?" Harry repeated, seething.
"YOU FUCKED MY GODFATHER!" He exploded. Hermione stared at Harry in shock and disbelief. Even Sirius was surprised at how fast she recovered to retaliate.
"I most certainly have not!" She denied, shaking her head at him. Harry snorted.
"Oh, right. You don't remember. Do you?" Harry fumed. Hermione's face paled. Harry snorted again and pushed past her out of their rooms. Hermione stumbled backwards her eyes tear bright. Sirius could see her shaking visibly. He stepped towards her and she skirted away, eyes now angry.
"Don't! Just don't!" She hissed. Edging around him she bolted to her door slamming it shut. He guessed that she was also adding spells against it for good measure. Sirius stood in the middle of the room struggling with one of the hardest choices he ever had to make. Run after Harry, or, try and help Hermione. With a final glance at the spell shut door he walked slowly out to go find his Godson, before he could say anything else to anyone.
Hermione stood on the other side of the door, tears streaming down her face. Struggling hard to breathe; shattered fragments of faces and odd scenes blinking across her vision, none of it making any sense. She heard the faint click of the door outside shutting and knew Sirius had gone after Harry. Choking on a sob, she slid down the door, shocked by the pang of jealousy that Sirius chose Harry over her.