"Her heart did whisper that he had done it for her"
"Charge your glasses everyone, I want to make toast," Hermione spun toward the sound of Ron's slightly slurred voice as he stood up unsteadily. The light murmur of conversation around the Burrow sitting room died and Ginny cut her eyes to Hermione's with a speaking glance. Ron cleared his throat, "I'd just like to say, thanks to my family, for having faith in me and never doubting me," Ginny snorted and Molly shot her a filthy look. Ron paused for a second but then continued, "I'm truly proud to be a Weasley today and all days," he weaved a little as he raised his glass.
"Oh for fuck's sake," Ginny hissed as she took an obligatory sip of her drink. Hermione supressed a laugh and shook her head slightly before sipping hers. She couldn't believe Molly had actually gone through with the welcome-home party. The gathering thus far had been awkward and strange, with everyone except for Ron and Molly very half-hearted about their reason for being there. But luckily Harry and Ginny would be hijacking the farce of an event at any moment with their actual cause for celebration.
Hermione raised her brows at Ginny and nodded toward the kitchen where she knew several bottles of champagne were chilling and Ginny nodded back, but just then Molly moved to Ron and took up his hand, launching into an inane speech about how happy they were to have him back and how excited she was for the future. No mention of fraudulent schemes or narrowly avoided prison sentences.
"It's really too bad Jack couldn't be here, though," she trilled, and Hermione felt more than heard the shocked intake of breath around the room. "So unfair that he has to, well you know," she motioned with her glass, "for such a small thing!" The murmur started up again, the group seeming to have decided as one to try and drown Molly out. She turned to the side and muttered something that Hermione, still focused on her, didn't quite catch. Then her voice rose again, cutting through the quiet chatter as she turned to Fleur, who was standing nearest her, "Anyway, I maintain that the real criminal here is Draco Malfoy." Hermione felt a rushing in her ears and sensed Ginny tensing beside her. She also saw Charlie's quick glance dart to his mother, who waved her arm, the gesture loose. "If he had only given Jack the money he owed, it never would have come to this."
Hermione felt the blood heat her face. She was really tired of Draco being blamed for Jack's shit. Her anger erupted and her voice rose, "You know what, Molly? Draco did give Jack money. And Jack gambled it away. And then when Draco wouldn't replace it, Jack set out to deliberately harm him and his family. And I should have said something about it long ago, but I was too afraid of upsetting everyone. Although," Hermione paused and swung toward Ron, "I did try to tell him. Not that he would listen." Ron reared back and blinked and Hermione realised the room had gone totally silent, but found she didn't care."The only thing surprising about this whole scenario is that your money," she pointed at Molly, "was somehow found before Jack gambled it away too."
Molly started to sputter, but then Ginny's voice piped up, "Yeah, it's certain there was at least one idiot and one criminal in this scenario and neither of them are Draco Malfoy." Hamish's sharp laugh cracked through the silence as did a sound of protest from Ron and a quelling murmur from Arthur. Hermione noticed Charlie's gaze on her.
Molly harrumphed and subsided into silence as Ginny wheeled away and pulled Hermione through the door to the kitchen, where Harry was lining up the bottles of champagne on the counter. "Well, Hermione and I have just set the stage in a really lovely way for our announcement," she snorted. Hermione laughed, shaking her head.
Harry threw a concerned look at them and raised his brows. Ginny moved across the room and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Don't worry, it will be fine. Typical Weasley gathering." He turned and kissed her over his shoulder.
"What's all this!?" Hamish came through the door and gestured at the frosty bottles, his eyes glinting at Harry and Ginny. "Ohh, I think I know! Please get out there and cut the tension. Molly's rambling again and I don't know how much longer I can hold Chuck back. Nor do I want to." He winked, taking a handful of glasses from the counter and moving back toward the doors. "I'll start distributing these."
"So pushy," Ginny sighed. "I love him more than over 50% of my brothers." Hermione laughed and grabbed a trayful of glasses herself, moving back into the sitting room and handing them out to various surprised Weasleys.
"Heyyy, what's this," slurred Ron as she pressed a flute into his hand. She just raised her eyebrow and moved away. In her peripheral vision she saw Harry and Ginny emerge from the kitchen, Hamish behind them with the wine.
Hermione moved back, standing with tears in her eyes as Harry and Ginny told the family their happy news and a real wave of joy swept the rancor out of the room. Corks popped, people hugged and shouted. Hermione laughed and her tears spilled over. She felt an arm slide around her waist and looked to the side to see Hamish, smiling at the scene.
"Some truly good news for once," he said.
She nodded then touched her head to his shoulder. "I'm so happy for them."
He stepped back and looked at her, "and what does this mean for you?"
"Well, I'm flat-shopping!" she said brightly, wiping at the underside of her eye.
"Hmm," he murmured, and she could hear in the one small syllable the fact that Hamish, as always, knew how she was really feeling. Her eyes started to well again and he gave her a quick look. "Sayyy, you wouldn't want to consider moving to Romania and keeping an old friend from going mad, would you?" He laughed and wrinkled his nose.
"Ha! Believe me that actually sounds tempting." Hermione smiled and shook her head.
"What's tempting?" Charlie walked up and clinked his glass to hers. "Cheers."
"Ooh I'm just weaving an irresistible portrait of life in Romania in a desperate bid to get Hermione to move there now that she's going to be homeless," Hamish said.
"He forgets I've already been." Hermione winked at Charlie and he laughed.
"What will you do, though?" Charlie asked, sobering.
"Oh I'll find a nice flat, try living on my own for a while. Maybe get another cat." Hermione lifted a shoulder and absolutely refused to let in the melancholy that was threatening.
Charlie gave her a long look, his brow slightly wrinkled. Hermione felt Hamish shift next to her and the air was suddenly charged with something unsaid. Her gaze darted between the two men, catching Hamish's raised brows and Charlie's very slight head shake. What could this be about? She had just opened her mouth to ask, when Ron collided into their group, wielding a half full bottle of champagne.
"Refills!" he called, sloshing wine into Hermione's glass. "Lots to celebrate today! It got lost in all that engagement rot, but Fred and George have given me a job at the shop. Junior Partner too. Good news all round!" He seemed determined to ignore the earlier awkwardness and Hermione mentally shook her head. It was so like him.
Hamish said something under his breath and flicked his wrist, shaking off the champagne Ron had spilled on his hand with a fastidious sniff. Hermione murmured her congratulations with a sense of unreality.
Charlie reached out and braced his brother's upper arm, holding him steady. "That's great, Ron. That will be a good fit for you."
"Yeah, turned out property development wasn't my bag," Ron shrugged. "Although I still think Jack isn't as bad a guy as you make him out," he pointed a wavering finger at Hermione. "I mean, what did he do wrong?" He asked the room at large. Hermione caught Hamish's monster eye roll. "All the money was returned. No harm, no foul."
"Ron," Hermione started, thinking of the seventeen year old witch found with them and unable to keep silent.
"No, no, no," he talked over her, wagging his finger in her face, "you've just been poisoned against Jack. By Malfoy, of all people." His face twisted. "Still can't believe that, Hermione. You and him." He shook his head and inhaled sharply. "But he hates Jack. Old Lucius liked Jack better, you see. Wanted to raise him up like a son and ickle Draco didn't like that. No he didn't."
Hermione had subsided into staring in shocked fascination at this recital.
"He didn't like it and he still doesn't." Ron turned to Charlie and elbowed him in the side, "You could see it in Monaco, couldn't you? Malfoy hates Jack." He laughed wheezily.
Charlie's eyes widened and darted to Hermione, who felt her mouth drop open. She saw Hamish grin out of the corner of her eye, even as Ron's hand slapped over his mouth. "Oops, wasn't supposed to say anything, was I? Oh well," he chortled, then looked at the champagne bottle, "Heyyy, this is empty. I'll go get 'nother." He leveled a strangely flat glance at Hermione, then walked away.
There were several beats of silence as Hermione stared at Charlie and he stared back. "I think it may be time to have a little talk. Outside," cut in Hamish's smooth voice. Hermione nodded slowly, never taking her eyes off Charlie. He dipped his chin once and they turned to go.
~oOo~
"So that's all of it," Charlie finished, running his hand through his hair and glancing at Hermione. "The money was totally gone, but he restored it. And he won't hear of any sort of repayment from dad or me or any of us. And it was supposed to stay completely confidential." He shook his head once, his eyes focusing on one of the Burrow's sitting room windows where Ron was framed in warm light.
Hamish rubbed his hands together and blew on them to ward off the evening chill, his eyes bright on Hermione's through the gloom of the almost-dark garden. "I wanted to tell you all along. So difficult—dealing with stoics."
She snorted an almost-laugh, her mind reeling with what she had just learned. It felt like finding a crucial piece of a jigsaw. Everything made so much more sense now.
But what did it mean?
The question reverberated through her whole being like a depth charge.
Hamish, ever the mind reader, took her hand, "you know what this means, don't you?" She just looked at him. He waited for a beat, then patted her arm. His eyes twinkled. "Do make sure he builds a little west-facing deck on the vineyard guest house will you? I so like to sit in the evening sun..."
Charlie snorted and Hermione shook her head slowly, one corner of her mouth starting to lift. Then suddenly she stood up.
"I, I have to go," she said, her voice faint.
"Yes," Charlie said, rising with her.
"I'll get your things and we'll make your excuses," Hamish added, already moving toward the house.
"Will I see you before you go back?" Hermione said to Charlie, feeling as if she were looking at him through a thick pane of glass.
"If not, you'll see us soon enough." He took her hand and she could see Hamish moving back through the living room, her coat and bag in his arms. "And Hermione?"
"Yes?" her attention moved back to Charlie.
"I'm very happy for you. He's a good man."
She took his other hand and squeezed.
~oOo~
Back at her flat, Hermione sat down on the first horizontal surface she encountered, the sitting room sofa, and stared into space for a long time. The last of the light eventually sank from the sky and the room went totally dark. Still she sat, until suddenly she started up with a sharp inhale and reached out to turn on the nearest lamp. It created a pale circle in the gloom.
Tea, she'd have some tea.
She walked to the kitchen and flicked on the kettle, then stared again as it boiled and flicked off, the sound startling her out of her reverie. She looked around— god, it was bloody cold— then moved out of the kitchen and to her bedroom, where she donned her warmest flannel pyjamas.
She drifted back into the kitchen. Oh, she'd forgotten to make the tea. She boiled the kettle again, and leaned against the counter to wait. Hamish's words returned to her for maybe the twentieth time since he'd uttered them.
"You know what this means, don't you?"
Did she? Her heart did whisper that he'd done it for her, although her mind couldn't quite believe it. He might have just been trying to make things right… But to do so much? And he hadn't wanted her to know. Why? She flashed on Narcissa Malfoy's angry face in her office the other day and something seemed to slide into place. The last piece of the jigsaw.
She took a deep, sobbing breath and sagged against the counter, tears starting to her eyes and her hand sliding to her throat.
At that moment, a tapping came from the darkened window over the sink. She turned to slide it open and a pale barn owl swooped in.
Theo's bird.
She held out her arm and it landed softly, then offered its foot. She undid the scroll with unsteady fingers and unrolled the parchment.
"He's back. As of tonight. At his flat in town." An address and then Theo's scrawled signature.
Hermione dropped the paper to the ground and ran for the door.
A/N: Oh my dears, I can't believe we're almost at the end. One more chapter, then the epilogue and then our journey together is over. It really does feel bittersweet for me, as I've loved doing this so much, but am also looking forward to starting new things. I hope you'll come check them out when I do!
But I did want to let you, all my lovely FFN readers, know that I'm running a fun little thing on tumblr to celebrate hitting the 1k kudos mark on Ao3 with this story. Basically, I'll be writing a another installment/companion piece for this fic - possibly a 'deleted' scene, or maybe an alternate POV of a chapter, or even an event that happens after the epilogue - something fun like that. And you readers will get to decide what it is! I'll be running a poll once the epilogue is posted (so that there are no spoilers) and you can come and vote your choice. Then I'll write and post it in the next few weeks after we're all finished. Who knows, maybe I'll even write two! So come visit me on tumblr at /scullymurphy to find out more after the epilogue is posted in two weeks. Thank you all! xoxo ~SM