Re-writen (14/05/2020) Thank you to my beta who is awesome Lib McGranger. Reviews are always appreciated.
27th August 2006 21:15
"'Mione, darling. Come to bed it's about time you slept. You've had a busy day moving everything in." Hermione's girlfriend sauntered into the room clutching a cup of coco. "I can't believe the Headmistress asked you to have a walk with her on your first night back. Really you would think she would have waited". Taking a sip of her drink, "You know these house elves really do know how to make a good cup of coco."
"We have been here less than 12 hours and you are using the house elves already? You know how I feel about them, especially in this school. They have given up so much to help us all and you are getting a bloody hot chocolate when you could have very well made one yourself." Hermione huffed as she headed into her kitchen area to make one of her own. "They deserve respect not being summoned for your every beck and call, and for a bloody coco." She slammed her cup on the countertop to emphasise her point.
Her girlfriend moved up behind her and tentatively placed a hand comfortingly on the small of her back. "I know you are tired my dear, but please do not take it out on me for getting a drink from the elves that work here. I know you think highly of them but they were more than happy to help." She knew this Hermione, this was the stressed Hermione, the highly strung something has hit a nerve Hermione and every time it would be taken out on her. "We have talked about this, you need to think about what is bothering you and direct your anger in the direction it should be and not at me." She ran her hand down the bushy haired witches back. "I would think your anger is clearly meant to be directed towards our lovely spinster Headmistress, clearly she has nothing better to do with her time than pester you when you should have been here with me." She attempted to pull Hermione closer to her and was met with a clear restraint fromm the woman. "I have given up my life to move here for you and your dreams, I do not wish it to be an unpleasurable experience."
Hermione pulled away, spinning so the two women were face to face. She stared into the eyes of the woman who had brought her some form of happiness in the past couple of years. She had been a distraction and someone to keep her mind away from what she knew was an impossible force to fight. "Do not give me a shrink talk now," she ground out through gritted teeth. "I will not have you think you know what I am thinking or accuse of me misplaced rage. Not here, not in this place, not in my home." Hermione moved towards the sofa she had been settled on before being interrupted. "I invited you into this place, and I will be the one to uninvited you if needs be. She grabbed the cup off the counter top and stormed towards the sitting room, "Get off to bed if that is where you want to be. I am going to sit here and read for a while."
"I want to be in bed, with you." Her girlfriend retorted as she followed at a safe distance. "I want to spend my time with you, but instead I have to fight for your time with that woman." She gesticulated in the vague direction of Minerva's quarters. "Merlin, only 12 hours in and you already have your priorities mixed up."
"For your information, I was the one who asked her to go for a walk so we could catch up. You have had me to yourself for the past 4 years. I want to get back to interacting with the people I call my friends." She collapsed onto the Chesterfield sofa. Recognising for the first time that it was the same one she had claimed as her own in Minerva's rooms many years previous and a smile tugged at her lips at the thoughtfulness of the elder witch. "And, not that you need to, nor deserve to know, but she is married and has been…" She paused to steal herself for the lie about to come out her mouth, "happily married for the past 22 years. No matter what you think of her, she is one of my closest and dearest friends and if you think I am going to apologies for spending time with her and not with you, you have another thing coming."
Her girlfriends left without another word, the heavy footfall clear to Hermione that she would pay for her words in the cold shoulder for a few days. She would come round though, she always did. She was left alone with her thoughts, thoughts consumed, as they had been for many years, by the woman who still had her queen beside her. In years gone by she would seek council in Harry or Ginny, even on a drunken occasion, Nevil. Yet the one person would have confided these thoughts in only days ago, was the one person she had no intention of letting slip to, leaving four women in a situation that was going to be anything but easy.