A/N: I reedited Chapters 1 to 5, because there were many mistakes and some incoherence (some awkward English as well). I upload this Chapter early to apologize for that. I'm going to reedit twice from now on. Thanks for sticking with this story so far! As always I'll be thankful about reviews.
Chapter 7 – Crystal Clear
Hermione was having lunch alone as usual, while she skimmed over some wizarding law books she had gotten from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She tried to find better arguments for some recommendations she planned to write into a report about an incident which had occurred a few days ago. It had been a really nasty one. Some wizard had set free a bunch of Blast-ended Skrewts in the middle of Trafalgar Square and made their ends go off among a crowd of panicking muggles. First, the Ministry had assumed that the culprit was a Muggle hater, which led to the fear of another anti-Muggle movement among many Muggle-borns. But soon they had found out that he was just mentally ill, so they had sent him to St. Mungo's, where he was receiving treatment now.
Nonetheless, the incident had prevented Hermione from working on her project again and a quick glance at the overtime-work-meter showed her that she had overtaken Mrs. Woodstock, making her first place. She was not sure if this was something to be proud or to cry about. Maybe both. Maybe neither.
Just as Hermione was about to toss the book away and reach for another one, she heard someone clearing their throat behind her. Hermione flinched, almost dropping her sandwich.
"Sorry, Granger, I did not mean to scare you."
Yeah sure. Hermione mentally rolled her eyes at Pansy. One week had passed since Pansy had started working at their office. There had been no major provocation from Pansy, but Hermione felt that something was off. She just could not put her finger on what exactly it was. She had tried to look at the situation from Ginny's perspective. The redhead had told her that Pansy was probably not having any ulterior motive. Yet, Hermione was not convinced. Oftentimes, Mrs. Woodstock and Pansy were together in the Chief's office for longer than necessary and Pansy seemed to receive special treatment as well. Even though she always arrived at nine and went home as soon as the clock showed five, there was a considerable amount of pearls in her overtime-work-meter. By far not as many as in Hermione's, but still. Clearly, something was going on.
Hermione turned around to face Pansy, trying to put on the most annoyed expression possible, but fake-smiling at the same time. In Hermione's imagination it looked pretty cool, which it probably wasn't. "Yes? What is it?"
Pansy smiled at Hermione derogatorily as usual and answered: "Well, I had some leftover sandwiches and brought them to work today, because I'd hate to see them go to waste."
"So?", Hermione asked in annoyance.
"I thought we could have lunch together?", Pansy suggested, and before Hermione could come up with an excuse to reject the suggestion, Pansy sat down on the free chair next to Hermione.
Hermione's insides fumed with anger, but she kept a straight face. Being professional was something she should practice as much as possible, so why not now.
"Sure, how nice", Hermione said to Pansy, though she actually screamed some not-so-nice words at her in her mind.
Eating their sandwiches, Pansy asked Hermione about the incident and the books she was reading. Hermione relaxed a little because she liked explaining things even to people she did not like and was able to finish her sandwich without throwing it at Pansy.
"If you know so much about this legal stuff, why don't you work at the Law Department?", Pansy asked and took a bite from her own sandwich which looked way more delicious than Hermione's.
"Because usually they only take in more experienced people", Hermione replied. "Even brilliant witches and wizards supposedly need at least five years of experience on the job. But maybe I apply for a position in there in a few years. Or I just stay here." Saying this made Hermione realize that she had no plan for her future whatsoever. Apart from improving wizarding society. But how to get there? She had no idea.
Hermione could not get rid of the thought for the rest of the day, which distracted her from work and made her mood even worse. Pansy had again disappeared into Mrs. Woodstock's office, probably having a chat and drinking tea.
Hermione's head was full of thoughts. Was she doing the right thing? Would working here really enable her to make a change? And was this really her dream? The more she thought the more she felt desperation swelling inside of her. Well, maybe there was a way, but- no, no, no, stop it!, she thought. She had successfully managed to forget about Professor Trelawney's prediction for a whole week, so why was the thought knocking on her mind's front door now?
Desperately, Hermione buried her face in her hands and closed her eyes. Breathing deeply a few times, she tried to calm herself. You will find the way… it was only a faint whisper inside her head, but she could hear it clearly and the words started to fill her head. The door to her mind had opened just a fraction of an inch. But it was enough. A lonely soul…will not find the way…by itself…you will find the way…The faint whisper was everywhere. It was in her head. It was in her body. It was in her heart. In her mind. And in her soul.
Then, the door to her mind burst open, unable to resist the force of words anymore. They flooded through her and over her…someone is needed…guide the soul…find that person…you can find the way…not by itself…recognize…by the sign!…The whispers had become screams, shouting at Hermione from every direction. She put her hands over her ears, but to no avail. Find the person…find the way…miss the person…loose the way…forever…recognize the person…the sign…the sign!…It was as if hundreds of people were screaming at Hermione in unnatural high and low pitched voices. She could not take it anymore. She had to make it stop or she would go crazy.
"I believe it", Hermione whispered her eyes shut tightly her hands still over her ears. "I believe your words."
And suddenly the voices stopped and total silence fell over her. After a few seconds she heard the scratching of quills and the faint noise of talking from the Chief's office. Hermione hesitantly raised her head and looked around. Nobody was paying attention to her, so they had apparently not noticed her almost-breakdown. She looked at Sera. He was studying what seemed to be 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'. Noticing her staring, he looked up, gave Hermione an encouraging smile and concentrated on the book again.
Hermione felt empty. Looking around she realized that she did not feel attached to anything or anyone here. She liked Sera, but she knew nothing about him. The same was true for her other colleagues. And Pansy…she did not want to know anything about her. Her work felt meaningless. It did not make a difference. At least not to her. The only thing she felt passionate about was her house elves project, but she never got the time and resources to work on it properly. Working hard and diligently had not helped her in any way so far.
Then the clock hit five. Hermione got her bag and cloak and got up. For the first time since she had started working at the Ministry – apart from the day she had almost died – she left the office before everyone else.
"So, what do you think?", Hermione asked and looked at them expectantly.
"Ehrm…you know I'm not good at these things", Ron said a little taken aback. "Harry, you try it, you have experience with prophecies and stuff, don't you?"
"You took Divination for three years!", Harry said jokingly.
The three of them were sitting at a table in the corner of the Leaky Cauldron attempting to analyze Hemione's prediction. She called it prediction, because the word 'prophecy' seemed too heavy and scary.
While having their drinks – Harry and Ron had beer while Hermione had ordered a glass of lemonade – Hermione had told her two best friends everything that had happened during the last weeks and how her live had been completely shaken up.
Fortunately, both had agreed to meet after Hermione had send them a message via Patronus right after setting foot outside the Ministry. Ron worked at Diagon Alley anyways, so it was easy for him to come. And Harry had just returned from an Auror-workshop in Germany. It really had been a while since they had met and Hermione had felt better the instance she saw them.
"Okay, let's sum up the things we know", Ron said. "So apparently you will find your way in life. But you cannot do it alone, so someone has to help you. The problem is that you have to recognize that someone yourself by the sign. But what is the bloody sign?"
"I have no idea, Ron, that's why I asked you two", Hermione smiled at him patiently.
"Trelawney didn't give you any hint?", Harry asked. Hermione shook her head.
"It is mental she's believing the old hag anyways", Ron said and emptied almost half of his beer at once. "You used to call her a fraud, remember?"
Hermione watched him in amusement. "There is no need to remind me, Ron. But it is the only option I have now and some of her predictions have turned out to be true after all."
"Maybe we should discuss about the sign later and think about persons who could be the one from in the prediction?", Harry suggested.
"But we have to know the sign first before we can find the person!", Ron said and turned to Hermione again. "Let's think about possible signs. Maybe a rune? Or something the person wears? Or maybe something that suddenly happens when you look at them? Like something falling from the sky? Bloody hell, so many possibilities." Hermione could see he was slowly getting frustrated.
"You know what?", Hermione said, "Let's just leave it at this for today. I'll try to get some research done soon, maybe I can find out something that helps us." The young men nodded and looked relieved. Even though they were not much of a help in encoding the prediction, being with them made Hermione feel happy and loved. Almost as if she was with Ginny. But only almost.
"How about we talk about your special persons?", Hermione said with a teasing grin. She looked at Ron, then at Harry, who both looked bashful suddenly. Hermione thought of Neville and his crush on Harry. She tried to imagine them as a couple which worked quite well. Yet, it would never happen.
"Nothing going on at the moment", Harry replied. He seemed not especially bothered by the fact. "How about you mate?", Harry asked his best friend.
Ron blushed a little. "Uhm, well Hannah Abbott introduced me to her sister, but we only met a couple of times. Nothing serious yet", he said and finished the remaining half of his beer in one gulp. "One more beer please!", he called out to the bar tender.
"So, do you fancy her?", Harry asked curiously. "Is she pretty?" Hermione rolled her eyes at that. As if being pretty was everything.
"Yeah, she's really nice", Ron said and blushed a little more. "Quite pretty as well. Though not as pretty as Hermione. Just saying", he added as Hermione gave him an disapproving look. "You know I'm over you. That's why I plan to ask Sophie, that's her name by the way, to be my girlfriend. Probably I'll do it right before Christmas."
"Wow, that's amazing", Hermione said happily. She was glad, Ron had found someone who could make him happier than she would have.
"Congrats", Harry said nodding in approval.
"You're not interested in dating, Harry?", Hermione asked. "You know, Luna is still single and I reckon you and her would match quite well."
"Loony Lovegood?", Ron blurted out. "With Harry?" He laughed and started drinking his second beer.
"Don't be an idiot, Ron", Hermione scoffed. "You know she's really nice and lovable".
"I don't know, Hermione", Harry replied thoughtfully. "Right now, is not a good time for dating I think. I am abroad often and the work is dangerous as well."
"Just think about it", Hermione said softly.
"Sorry to bring it up again", Ron spoke up. "But do you think that special person from the prediction might be someone you will fall in love with? Maybe that is meant by 'the sign'?"
"Good thought, Ron", Harry agreed. "That would make quite some sense. What do you think, Hermione?"
"Well, it could be possible", Hermione replied slowly. She had not yet thought about it from this perspective. But she did not even know what love really was, so how would she recognize it?
Suddenly, someone sat down on the free chair next to Hermione, startling her almost to death. "Hi, Hermione", Ginny greeted her with a wide grin on her face.
"Ron told me you lot would meet today and invited me to join. Sorry for being late, we had to revise some Quidditch strategies today."
"I forgot to mention I invited her", Ron said apologetically.
"Hey Gin", Harry said and smiled at Ginny. Hermione suddenly felt annoyed as she heard him using this nickname and wished he would stop smiling at Ginny.
"So, what did I miss?", Ginny asked looking around.
Hermione explained about their unsuccessful attempts at interpreting the prediction. Ginny just listened and nodded. "Oh, and your brother is dating Hannah Abbott's sister", Harry added as Hermione had finished.
"Yeah, I know", Ginny replied.
"You know?", Ron said disbelievingly, his eyes wide open. "But I didn't tell anyone yet. Wait, does mum know!?"
"I talked to Hannah the other day and she told me you were meeting Sophie. And no, mum does not know. I didn't tell anyone", Ginny said, obviously enjoying the situation.
"Okay then", Ron said in relief.
"Do you have any idea what 'the sign' could be?", Harry asked Ginny. "Actually, we thought it might be love or falling in love, something like that. What do you think?"
Ginny rested her chin on her hand and thought about it for a moment. Everyone stared at her expectantly, especially Hermione. "Might be", Ginny finally said. "Might be not."
Ron groaned, Harry just nodded and Hermione kept staring at Ginny. She noticed that the redhead had put on some mascara, which made her eyes even more beautiful. Her gaze wandered over Ginny's face until it got stuck on the girl's earlobe. A pretty camellia-shaped earring was drawing her attention. I's petals where white and a small piece of gold sat in the middle. It was really beautiful.
"Uhm, Hermione?" Hermione startled and looked around. Now, everyone was staring at her.
"I was just thinking about something, don't mind it", Hermione uttered, fixating her eyes on the glass of lemonade in front of her.
"So", Ron started speaking. "Just hypothetically speaking, if love really was the sign, who could it be? It's obviously not me. It's not Harry as well, right? You're not interested in Harry, are you?"
"Don't talk nonsense!", Hermione scoffed at him. "I've never been interested in Harry, he's like a brother to me." Harry showed her a thumps-up.
"It could be someone in this room!", Ron continued. "You never know, it might be possible." He leaned over towards Ginny, mustered her with a conspiratorial expression and asked: "Could it be you?"
Ginny just stared at him for a second, blinking a few times. Hermione held her breath though she did not know why.
Then, Ginny suddenly stood up and hit Ron right on the head.
"Ouch!", Ron cried holding his head. "What was that for? I only joked, Gin! I didn't mean to offend you".
Ginny gave him a disapproving look. "Offending me by what? By suggesting Hermione could like me? Or that I might fancy girls?"
Harry and Hermione were just staring at them, their eyes wandering from brother to sister and back again.
"Oh don't be stupid, Gin", Ron tried to calm her down. "I know you fancy boys, it was just a joke, really I-"
"Well you're wrong", Ginny cut him off angrily.
Ron's mouth fell open and he was dumbfounded. He blinked a few times and cleared his throat to say something, but Harry was faster. "You fancy girls? By Merlin's beard, I had no idea, but it's cool with me."
"Thank you, Harry", Ginny replied and smiled at him. "I am sorry I didn't realize sooner."
"It's okay", Harry replied. "What's in the past stays in the past." He winked at Ginny.
"B-but, you dated Dean, and-"
"Oh cut it off, Ron", Ginny snapped. "This does not mean I cannot like girls. Oh, and don't tell mum or I will tell her about you and Sophie."
"Okay, okay, got it", Ron said, holding his hands up in surrender.
"Are you seeing anyone?", Harry asked curiously. He really seemed to be okay with the issue, Hermione noticed in relief.
"No." Ginny shook her head.
"How about Hermione?", Harry asked jokingly. "You would make a nice couple, if Hermione would fancy girls as well". He rammed his elbow in Ron's side seeking for approval.
Hermione could feel Ginny's body tensing up next to her. Concerned, she looked up at the redhead's face. Harry had only made a joke, hopefully she had not misunderstood it. She startled when she saw the sad expression in the redhead's eyes. But it vanished the same second, she noticed it. Maybe it had been just her imagination.
"If I was that person, Hermione would have noticed the 'sign' by now, wouldn't she?" Ginny raised her eyebrows looking at everyone at the table.
"Right", Harry said and nodded. "If love really was the sign, Hermione should start looking at the men around her now, I reckon."
"Yeah, probably…", Ginny sighed. Hermione glanced at the young woman next to her. Something was off about her. Or was she only imagining things? Ron and Harry did not seem to notice anything, but they were usually bad at sensing other's feelings.
Hermione wanted to shrug off the idea, but it had already started to grow in her mind, like Venoumus Tentacula. Or like white camellias.
Could it be that Ginny had a crush on her?!