Not Family
By the time they returned to England, both Hermione and Viktor were well rested. Viktor's games were in the UK for the next few weeks. Hermione set her schedule so she could attend the matches and the after parties without having too much of an impact on work. She had a new idea for how to teach Apparition and to make it easier for people to do side-along, but she wasn't ready to present it. She didn't want another incident of presenting something that wouldn't be approved, so she spent most of her time making sure the Arithmancy worked to make the spell as simple to cast as possible.
Two weeks later, she and Viktor went to a house party celebrating Puddlemere United's win over the Chudley Cannons. Although, it was less of a win and more of a mercy killing. They were so far ahead of the Cannon's by the time Viktor caught the Snitch that it was mostly a relief that the slaughter was over. Nonetheless, the party was fun. They'd danced late into the night. As they popped back into his flat, Hermione pulled off her coat and put it on the rack. Viktor wasted no time reaching for her.
"I have wanted you all night," He growled as he pulled her top over her head and left it on the parlor floor. She stepped out of her shoes as he backed her into the bedroom, leaving her bra hanging on the doorknob.
"My goodness, if I'd known that, we could have come home earlier," she teased, running her hands under his shirt and depositing it on the floor. They were both still in their jeans when he pushed her back on the bed. She let herself fall and pulled him with her.
"I do not have training in the morning. Do you have to go into work?"
"I can go in late," she gasped as he ground against her.
"Good. I think we will be up late."
She smiled and pulled him down for a kiss.
"Hermione," Ginny's voice said. "We need you at St. Mungo's right away. Harry's been hurt."
Hermione looked up to see a silver mare standing by the bed. "Get off," she urged Viktor, pushing at his shoulders as she tried to get up. He rolled off her. She shot out of bed, grabbing her bra from the doorknob and pulling it on. She looked around frantically for her shirt, remembered it was in the parlor, and grabbed his T-shirt from the floor and pulled it over her head. "I've got to go," she said grabbing her wand.
"Wait!" Viktor said. "You don't have—"
But she was gone.
xXx
It wasn't until she landed in the hospital waiting area that Hermione realized she was barefoot. "Bollocks," she muttered, but walked up to the reception desk anyway.
The Welcome Witch was writing on a piece of parchment.
Hermione cleared her throat but the witch didn't look up. "I'm here to see Harry Potter."
"You and the rest of the world love," the Welcome Witch said. "Take a seat."
Hermione looked back at the crowded waiting area with its rickety chairs and old magazines. It was full of people, many of whom didn't appear ill or injured in any way. "Look at me," she said firmly. "I'm Hermione Granger, and I'm here to see Harry Potter."
The receptionist glanced up and blinked.
"Hermione," Viktor said from behind her.
Hermione didn't turn to look at him and instead said to the receptionist, "Well?"
"Right," the Welcome Witch said. "Just through those doors. Take the Elevator to the third floor." When Viktor went to follow, the Welcome Witch said, "Excuse me, sir. You'll have to wait."
"He's with me," Hermione said in a tone that brokered no argument. The Welcome Witch sniffed but didn't say anything as Viktor followed Hermione through the doors.
In the elevator, he held out a pair of backless loafers. "I thought you might want these."
"Thank you." She slipped on the shoes. The elevator took them to the third floor, where it appeared most of the Weasley family was gathered. "Hermione's here," George shouted down the hall.
Ginny waved for her to come quickly. As Hermione hurried down the hall past a sea of redheads, Viktor hung back, unsure what he should do. It seemed the right thing to follow her and bring her the shoes, but he wondered if he should go back to his flat. As she walked away from him, he realized her shirt was on inside out. He grimaced. Nothing to be done about that now. He decided to stay. These people were part of Hermione's life and so was he. She would just have to learn to reconcile that.
"Hiya, Viktor," George said, sticking his hand out. "George Weasley."
"Hello." Viktor shook George's hand. "How did Harry get hurt?"
xXx
"What's happened?" Hermione asked Ginny as she walked up.
"Harry went out with the Aurors and got hit with a curse that removed the bones in his right leg."
"Oh no," Hermione said, recalling the agony of re-growing bones that Harry had gone through second year.
"But that's not the real problem," Ginny said. "He fell back into some kind of temporal bomb and lost time."
"Lost time?" Hermione asked.
"What does that mean?" Ron asked as he walked up behind her.
"It means, he thinks it's the height of the war. When he saw me, he freaked out. I'm supposed to be safely tucked away somewhere. He refused to relinquish his wand or be treated until we found you two."
Ron pushed his fingers back through his hair. "Bloody hell."
A healer stepped out of Harry's room, closing the door behind her. Ginny looked at her. "Any luck?"
The healer shook her head. "No. But I see you found them."
"Yes," Hermione said. "What do we need to do?"
The healer handed her a potion. "Get him to drink this. It'll knock him out for ten minutes, but when he wakes up, his timeline will be restored. Then we'll be able to use Skele-Gro to fix his leg."
"You're sure it was a temporal bomb and not a memory charm?" Hermione asked.
"Absolutely. We had one of your kind come out and check to be sure." Healers knew who all the Unspeakables were due to the dangerous and unusual nature of their work.
Hermione nodded. "Right."
"Ginny wiped a stray tear from her cheek. You two need to look like you did during the war. Then you should be able to convince him to take the potion."
"You can use the room across the hall to get ready," the healer said.
"Right," Ron said. He held the door open for Hermione and they both stepped into the empty hospital room. He closed the door behind them and turned to her. "Your shirt is on inside out."
She blushed and turned around and whipped the T-shirt over her head and then back on right side out. When she turned back around Ron grimaced when he saw the Puddlemere United logo. She noticed then that he was wearing a Chudley Cannons shirt. "You were at the match?" she said.
"Yeah," he muttered. "You need to fix your hair."
"You'll need to lose the beard." She pulled her wand and cast the charm to allow her hair to revert to its natural state and then cast the charm to braid it the way she did during the war.
"What about the scar. I didn't have it during the war," Ron said.
"Just glamour over it."
He pulled his wand and cast a shaving charm that left him beardless.
Hermione's breath caught. She wasn't ready to see the scar again or to see him looking like his old self.
Ron looked around. "Can you do it? There's no mirror."
She lifted her wand and for a moment their eyes locked. Mountains of memories stood raw between them until Hermione said the glamour charm that would cover Ron's scar. It was even harder to look at him without it.
"Does it look all right?" Ron asked.
"Perfect," Hermione said in a breathy whisper.
He smiled. "Not surprising since you did it. Go on then. Let's take care of this."
She nodded and followed him into Harry's room, ignoring the looks from his family as they passed through the hall. Harry sat in bed with his wand tightly gripped in his hand. When he saw them an expression of relief came over him. "Where have you two been?"
"We got delayed," Hermione said.
"But we're here now," Ron said.
Harry pointed his wand at them. "Tell me something so I know it's really you."
Hermione sighed. "You and I saved Buckbeak and Sirius with a Time-Turner."
Harry nodded and pointed his wand at Ron.
"Giant spiders chased us through a forest once because Hagrid has weird friends."
That caused Harry to crack a smile, but it quickly faded. "Did you see Ginny? She was here, but it's not safe. She can't be here."
"Mum and Dad came and got her," Ron said smoothly. "She's safe with them now."
"Good, good," Harry muttered. He was sweating and in obvious pain, his right leg was at an awkward angle and flat without it's bones.
"Harry," Hermione said. "You need to drink this, so we can heal you and get out of here."
"Right," Ron said. "We can't stay here. It's not safe."
"But my leg," Harry said.
"Drink this and then we can fix your leg," Hermione said.
"Yeah?" Harry said.
"It'll be okay, mate," Ron said. "Just drink it."
Hermione uncorked the bottle and held it out to him. Harry took it, looked at both of them, and then drank down the contents. He was out so quickly Ron had to catch him to keep him from falling out of bed. He lay Harry gently back against the pillow while Hermione removed the wand from his hand.
"I'll go get Ginny," Ron said.
Hermione nodded. She leaned over and pushed back Harry's fringe and kissed his forehead. When Ron came back in with Ginny a moment later, Hermione handed Ginny Harry's wand.
"Thank you," Ginny said. "Thank you both. He was absolutely bonkers until you two got here."
"How did this happen?" Ron asked.
"He was out with the Aurors breaking up a dragon ring run by some former Death Eaters."
"What the hell was he doing that for?" Ron said.
"He's meant to be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts not doing it," Hermione added.
"I know," Ginny said. "But if the Aurors ask for his help, he goes. He says it makes him a better teacher to keep his hand in."
"And you didn't stop him?" Ron said.
"I'm his wife," Ginny snapped. "Not his keeper. I don't own him."
"Why didn't he ask for help?" Hermione asked.
"He had help. He was with the Aurors."
"She means us," Ron said testily. "Why didn't he ask us?"
Ginny frowned at him. "Do I even have to answer that? Look, he's still Harry Potter. He took out six of their guys before that curse hit his leg and the Death Eaters are on their way to Azkaban. Hagrid, Charlie, and Luna are rounding up the dragons now."
"Luna?" Ron said.
"Yeah," Ginny said.
The healer came in then. "Did he take the potion?"
"Yes," Hermione said.
"Good. I'll go get the Skele-Gro. He's got a long night ahead of him, but we'll put the leg right in the end." She left again.
"Skele-Gro again. He's going to hate that," Ron said.
"It's so much better if they just break the bones," Hermione said.
"No, it isn't," Ron argued. "That bastard broke your leg, and you almost bled to death."
"Yeah," Hermione said. "But it was quick to fix the bone."
"Right, and then you were on blood replenishing potion for months," Ron said.
"It should only have been weeks," Hermione argued.
"That wasn't my fault," Ron said hotly. "I didn't ask you to do that."
"I didn't say you did," Hermione snapped.
"Stop!" Ginny said. "This isn't about you two. Feel free to go home now, but don't stand here arguing."
"Sorry," Hermione said. "I don't want to go home."
"Me neither," Ron grumbled.
"I am going to go have a fag though," Hermione said. "I'll be back in a tic." She left and Ginny stood frowning at Ron.
"What?" Ron said.
"What the hell happened to you two?"
Ron shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged.
xXx
When Hermione stepped back into the hallway, she saw that Bill and Fleur had arrived and Viktor was talking to them.
Fred, Angelina, and George were standing next to the door.
"I need a fag," she said to them. "Is there somewhere I can smoke."
"Down this way," George said. "I'll show you. I could use a ciggy myself."
Hermione followed him down the hall and onto a balcony that ran the length of the building. It was Muggle shielded but looked out over the Thames with a nice view of the London Eye. Hermione realized she didn't have cigarettes with her.
George held out a pack to her and snapped his fingers to light the cigarette she set between her lips. "Rough night?"
Hermione blew out a long stream of smoke. "Yeah."
"Harry doing okay?"
"He's out, but he should wake up in a few minutes with his timeline restored. Then it's just a matter of growing bones."
"That sounds painful," George said.
"It was excruciating last time and that was just his arm."
George nodded. "Oh yeah, that's right. Bloody Lockhart." They stood quietly looking at the twinkling lights of the city beneath them as they smoked. "How are things going with you these days?"
Hermione shrugged. "They're going."
"Can't help noticing you're wearing Viktor's shirt," George added with a twinkle in his eye.
"It was the closest thing to hand," Hermione said dryly.
"Right."
She stubbed out her cigarette. "I should go back in." George nodded but didn't follow her.
She walked down the hall and Viktor touched her arm as she passed him. "You okay?"
She nodded. "I'm just going to check on Harry. I'll be right back."
She took a deep breath before opening the door to Harry's room. She vowed to keep a cool head and not rise to any bait Ron might throw at her. She went to Harry's bedside. He was just starting to stir.
"Harry?" Ginny said, leaning over him.
He barely opened his eyes. "Gin?"
She smiled at him. "Yeah, how are you feeling?"
"Like I've been run over by an Erumpent."
Ginny ruffled his fringe.
Harry looked around to see Ron and Hermione standing on either side of his bed. "What are you two doing here? Wait. Where am I?"
"You're at St. Mungo's," Ginny said gently.
"What? But I was with…where are—?"
"Everything is fine. The mission was successful, but you fell into some kind of temporal bomb, but you're fine now."
"What's wrong with my leg?" Harry asked.
"No bones, mate. But you'll grow 'em back good as new," Ron said.
"Where's your beard?" Harry asked. "How long have I been out?"
"You've only been out a little while. I shaved the beard, but I'm going to grow it back. Using a glamour to cover the scar is too much hassle every day."
Harry looked at Hermione. "Hullo. Haven't seen you in a while." She hugged him and he gave her a questioning look. "Been drinking?" he asked quietly.
"I was at a party," Hermione replied.
"Nice shirt," Harry said, raising an eyebrow.
Hermione blushed. "I just threw on the first thing that came to hand. Ginny said to come right away, so I did." She smiled. "Viktor had to bring me a pair of shoes."
Harry chuckled at that. "Sounds like quite a party."
Ron scowled.
Hermione opened her mouth to explain, but a healer came in then to give Harry his first dose of Skele-Gro.
"Oh, bloody hell," Harry said, grimacing. "That's even worse than I remember."
"Sorry, Mr. Potter," the healer said. "There's nothing to be done about the taste."
"It's fine," Harry said. "Do I have to stay here to take it though? Can't I take it at home?"
"Do you have a house elf that can take you?" the healer asked. "That's the only way I'll allow it." She turned to Ginny. "You'll need to administer the dose every hour."
"Not a problem," Ginny said.
"Dobby!" Harry called.
The little elf appeared and Harry asked him to take him home.
"I'll follow and bring the Skele-Gro," Ginny said.
"Do you need help getting him settled?" Hermione asked.
"That'd be great," Ginny said.
"I'll help you. I'm sure Viktor and Hermione would like to get back to whatever they were doing," Ron said acidly.
Hermione's cheeks grew redder. "I'm fine to help."
"I don't know why you brought him anyway," Ron continued. "It's not like he's family."
"Neither am I," Hermione said quietly.
"That's not true," Harry said.
"But it is," Hermione said with a sad smile. "You'll be fine. Ron's right. I should go." She turned to leave.
"I didn't say you should go. I said Viktor should," Ron corrected.
Hermione looked back at him. "He's with me." She stepped into the hall and was gone.
Harry and Ginny exchanged a look that irritated Ron. He followed Hermione out, but she and Viktor were already entering the elevator when he stepped into the hallway. Without saying anything to the family, he ran down the hall and took the stairs. When he reached the lobby Viktor and Hermione were already gone. "Bloody hell," he muttered and pulled his wand.
xXx
"Hermione!" he shouted as he Apparated into her parents' London townhouse. The house was dark and then he remembered she'd moved into Viktor's flat in Diagon Alley. "Fuck!" he shouted into the empty house. He wanted a drink more than he'd wanted one in months, possibly more than he'd ever wanted one. He did a sweeping gesture with his wand and lit several lamps. Perhaps there was booze in the kitchen. The icebox was empty and no longer had a cooling charm. The cabinets had dinnerware, but there wasn't any food or a stray bottle of whiskey or wine. Ron ran his fingers through his hair and looked around. He wandered through the house, noting the changes since he'd stayed here as a teen. He went into Hermione's study to see if perhaps she kept a bottle of something in her potions cabinet. There were several potions in there including two bottles that looked like they held memories, but the labels only had dates on them without a description. Whatever it was it had happened several months ago. Curious as to what she'd pull out of her head and leave bottled, he looked around for a Pensieve, but there wasn't one. There wasn't any liqueur either, so he put the memory bottles back. He sat down at her desk. A photo of her and Viktor taken on a beach somewhere was in a silver frame. He was shirtless in swim trunks and looking ripped. Hermione was in a bikini and a sarong. She was deeply tanned and her hair was straight and sun-bleached. She'd glamoured over her scars and looked fit. In the photo, Viktor kept leaning in and kissing her cheek causing her to smile. Ron hated the sight of Viktor's hands on her, hated the sight of him kissing her, hated the sight of him. He put the photo face down on the desk and began opening drawers. He was curious as to what she'd leave behind. An answer appeared in the bottom drawer. Her photo album from school lay abandoned. He opened it but closed it again almost immediately. It was too painful to look at them young and happy. He put the album back in the drawer and made his way upstairs. The first floor was all bedrooms, so he started opening doors. The first room had clearly been lived in and he wondered if she hadn't switched to this bedroom from the second-floor room she'd had as a child. The closet was empty except for some hangers. The drawers were mostly empty too. There was an old camisole and a pair of tube socks he assumed belonged to Viktor, since they had bands of Puddlemere United's colors at the top. Ron picked up the camisole and brought it to his nose, but it was clean and smelled like detergent instead of like her.
On impulse, he folded back the covers on the bed and picked up a pillow. The first one smelled of a spicy aftershave. He grimaced and dropped it. The second pillow had what he was hoping for. He brought it to his nose and was rewarded with the warm smell of Hermione. He breathed it in deeply before putting it back on the bed and moving on to the next room. He tried the door, but it was locked and Alohomora wouldn't open it. He couldn't understand why she would lock off a bedroom. He went to the next door and realized it was her parents' old room. It was in a partial state of refurbishment. The wallpaper and carpet had been removed but hadn't been replaced. The closets and the bathroom were empty. There was another door that at first Ron thought was a closet, but then realized connected to the locked room next door. He tried the handle but it too was locked. He couldn't figure out why she would do that, but he couldn't break the locking spell. He went back into the hallway and upstairs. The first door on the left was the room he'd stayed in when he and Hermione had visited her parents before they'd started hunting for Horcruxes. He looked at the bed and remembered their disastrous first time. He'd been overexcited and hadn't taken his time with her. He could still recall her anguished cry and the tight heat as he'd plunged into her. That memory brought forth another, something just on the edge of remembrance, something more recent but he couldn't quite catch it. He shook his head and sat down on the edge of the bed. Choosing instead to remember making it up to her, the delightful little noises she'd made as she'd squirmed beneath his tongue, the taste of her, the smell of her. He dropped his head into his hands. How had he managed to lose it all? How was he ever going to get her back?
His idea for charmed televisions was a good one, even Fred and George thought so, and the magic was going well. He was just about there. He was planning a test run at a Hogwarts Quidditch match next month. If he could just make it work, that would impress her. He could prove he had something to offer on his own. He wasn't just the sidekick and comic relief for the chosen one and the brightest witch of her age. He had his own skills and his own ideas. He wasn't just about the past. He was making his own future and he'd be successful, if not with the televisions, with something else. He just had to keep at it until she noticed. He blew out a frustrated breath and stood. He wouldn't go crawling into his cups either. He wasn't that bloke anymore. He was better than that, better now in general. The fog had finally lifted from his injuries, so he could think clearly, and his magic was fully restored, so he was strong. He was starting to put some weight back on and was playing Quidditch on the weekends with Harry and Ginny, Angelina and his brothers. He felt strong and clear headed in a way he hadn't felt in ages. If he could only get Hermione back, his life would be completely on track.
He wandered down the hall to her old room. It looked largely untouched. Most of her books were still there. He reckoned there wasn't enough room for all of them in Viktor's flat. Her bed was still made with the same floral bedspread. The only photos he saw were Muggle prints pinned to a bulletin board. One was of her and Harry in Diagon Alley circa second year. Another was of a family ski trip. She looked to be about fourteen. There was another family photo of a picnic when she was perhaps six or seven. There were none of him and her and he wondered if she'd removed them or had never put up any to begin with. Out of curiosity, he opened the drawer of her nightstand and there was a frame face down. He picked it up and looked at the two of them. He had his arm casually around her and was looking at something out of the frame. She had her head resting against his chest, and had a look of such contentment, it made his heart ache. It wasn't a magical photograph, so it must have been taken by her parents. He wondered why she'd chosen this one. He remembered her mother snapping several when they'd visited that time before the war. He looked at the photo and wondered if it was taken before they'd made love or after. He thought after. He was much too casual in the way he held her for it to have been taken before. This was a man who thought he knew the world, thought he'd won the girl, and that she'd be his forever. Idiot, Ron thought. He left the picture on the nightstand and drew his wand and Disapparated home. There were no answers in the townhouse only haunted memories.
xXx
Back at Viktor's flat, he was wise enough not to suggest they pick up where they left off and asked Hermione if she wanted a cup of tea.
She shook her head. "Let's just go to bed. I'm exhausted."
Viktor nodded and went into the bedroom. As they undressed, she watched him and felt strangely alienated as they got into bed.
"Nox," Viktor said and plunged the room into darkness. He turned on his side to face her as she lay on her back staring at the ceiling. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. It's just been a long night."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
Viktor sighed. "Okay."
xXx
Hermione lay there staring at the ceiling for hours. Viktor had long since fallen asleep. She thought about getting a drink or maybe having a smoke on the balcony, but she was too tired to move. She glanced at Viktor through the corner of her eye. He was a good man, a kind man, generous, intelligent, a good lover. All of those things were true, so why wasn't she in love with him? What was wrong with her?
She felt stuck. She couldn't go backwards. Ron was either affable and pleasant like he'd been that day at Hogwarts or scowling and irritable like he'd been tonight. He still hadn't apologized for the way he'd treated her when they were together. At best, he seemed occasionally to want to be friends again. She couldn't move forward either. She felt like she was running in place with Viktor, waiting for feelings to surface that she didn't currently feel but thought she should. For some reason, part of her was walled off from him and she wasn't sure how to break down that barrier. She wanted to. Maybe she just needed more time. After all, the last year had been brutal. It wasn't like Viktor was professing his undying love either. Maybe they both needed time. She closed her eyes, desperate for some sleep before she had to go to work.
