Chapter Nine
Stay Close
The night they announced their engagement to Joanne, Hermione insisted to an unargumentative Draco that she return to work in the Ministry again, but in order to spend more time with Joanne she would wait until it was time for her to attend school. Draco agreed with her full heartedly, glad that she was getting back what made her happy.
She sent in a formal letter to Kingsley with her request the next morning using Theo's Eagle owl. She doubted that she could get her old job back, but perhaps there would be another. She was a great lawyer, everyone told her this at least. There had to be something she could do.
Things went back to the way they were only it was more jovial. There were no more secrets, and for it everyone seemed much more jubilant.
The next morning before he went to work like he did every day of the week he told her to visit a jewelry shop down the road.
"There's no need to be sly about it, Draco, I know it's my wedding set," she told him.
He smirked and mysteriously said, "that's not all there is."
So after Joanne watched her cartoon and Hermione washed up they hailed a cab to the jewelry store. Even from the outside given it's decorative glass doors she could tell that Draco spent too much money.
She left Joanne to admire a glass case of birthstone rings while she talked with a lady with black and white skunk-like hair behind a counter of over-sized engagement rings.
"Hello, may I help you?"
"Yes, thank you. I'm here to pick up a wedding set. The name is Draco Malfoy."
"Ah," she exhaled. "You must be the soon-to-be Mrs. Malfoy." Hermione smiled watching as the lady took out a box under the case. "He was a very nice man. Handsome too. Makes sense that he chose you as his bride."
"You're flattering. He obviously went overboard."
She giggled handing her the hunter green box with ornate gold trim.
Hermione stopped breathing when she opened it. There in its folds were two silver rings. The stone in one was large, swirling designs in both. She fingered them admiringly. She could only imagine how much they cost.
"Ms., he wanted me to make sure you looked inside of them."
She plucked them out doing as the saleslady asked. On the underside she saw two engraved words. In the engagement ring was the single word "stay." On the band was "close." "Stay close," she muttered. Too touched to say more she placed them back inside and the box into her pocket.
"Are you satisfied?"
She smirked much like Draco had that morning. "I suppose you can't tell me how much he paid?"
She chortled. "He said you'd asked that. I'm sorry, Ms., but I'm on strict orders not to disclose. Mr. Malfoy mentioned that he valued his life far too greatly for you to find out."
She chuckled. "That answers that. Thank you." She spun to peer over Joanne's shoulder at the birthstones.
"These are pretty," she mentioned.
"They are," she agreed. "When is your birthday?"
She moaned, "March first."
Hermione's insides gave a sickening pull. That was Ron's birthday. He would have been twenty-five-years-old that year.
Their second year Hermione rushed up to Ron outside on the grounds with her hand behind her back. He laid in the shade of a large tree watching the giant squid at the lake ahead stretch out its tentacles.
"Ron!"
"Hm?"
"Guess what I have."
He mumbled something intangible and sat up. "I told you I'm not doing homework on my birthday! It's just wrong!
"Guess," she pressed.
"A book?"
She shook her head extending the hidden cupcake to him. "Happy birthday, Ron."
His frown broke out in a smile. "Wow, thanks, Hermione."
She plopped down beside him. "You thought I wouldn't get you anything?"
"Sometimes I wonder how much of a workaholic you are."
"Funny," she muttered.
He nudged her shoulder and she laughed nudging him back.
"Aquamarine," Hermione said albeit sadly. "You know you're birthday is only a few months away. I'll get this for you."
Her grin widened. "Really, mum?"
She smiled at the new name. "Sure."
Hermione paid for the ring, Joanne putting it on the moment it was in her hands. She realized as she was showing it off on her finger that it matched the light blue in her eyes. She wondered when Luna was born, that if she would like a similar ring, but unfortunately she wasn't sure.
"Put up your hood," Hermione told Joanne before they went outside. "It's colder today."
It was indeed colder, the air a bit chilling, but it felt good being outside of the warmth of the store with its bright lights playing off the glittering jewelry, and they decided to walk home. It wasn't that far.
Hermione swung their arms between them, Joanne skipping. It wasn't until she started that she recognized the familiarity of it. Luna used to skip.
They were nearing the alleyway where Hermione apparated to her burning home almost a month ago when the skipping stopped, and Joanne whimpered. Curiously she looked down and at that moment Joanne wrenched left, a large calloused hand on her wrist. She inadvertently jerked Hermione with her crying out in the pain of the stretch, but she didn't let go.
She searched the darkness for a hint of a shape, but there was nothing. She knew though that someone in the blackness of the of the shadows was dragging them towards it. Hermione tightened her grip.
With a last great tug her and Joanne were thrusted forward landing hard in the eclipse of the gloom. She felt her hands scrap the small jagged rocks on the dirty concrete.
"Mum," Joanne cried.
Frantically she felt beside her, feeling her soft hair, before hers was twisted in a fist causing her to roughly get on her knees.
The roots were being pulled and she bit hard on her lip the blood trickling down her chin, but it was worth if it she didn't scream. She wouldn't give whoever it was that pleasure.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here," a man's scratchy voice slurred above them. "Two pretty girls."
Hermione thought she'd puke. Surely he couldn't have called her daughter pretty. She was only seven!
"Looks like I've struck gold!"
"Let me go," she demanded though it came out weak and she flinched not because her hair was being ripped out of her skull, but because she couldn't sound strong enough.
"I don't think so, pretty."
She felt her back for her wand. She didn't think about Draco's orders not to do magic in front of Joanne. Nothing mattered at that point but her safety. She had to get them out of there somehow, someway, and she didn't care about what means she went to do it.
"I'm warning you."
The man guffawed. "Warning me? I think I have you in prime position."
Bile rose in the back of her throat at his suggestion. Her eyes were adjusting to the dark and she could see the man was huge. Three times the size of Draco. But he was Muggle. It was plain by his shirt with a Muggle band's logo across it.
She relished in the fact that they were safe. A Muggle couldn't hurt them not when she had her wand, and she did.
Then she saw the small figure beside her leap to their feet. "Let go of my mum!"
The man laughed harder.
"Don't move," she warned her.
"Listen to your mum here. We're going to have fun."
Hermione felt her backside under her shirt. She grazed the wood of her wand before she fell on her face, her forehead hitting with a crack. She saw bright flashes in her eyes, but it was the man yelling that made her forget her pain and spin quickly to see him bent at the waist holding his shin. Joanne had kicked him.
The man raised his hand in attempt to hit the girl and Hermione grabbed her pulling her safely behind as she stood wobbly. She clutched her wand bringing it in front of her.
She allowed the man a glint of victory before she bellowed, "stupefy!"
He became rigid before collapsing which she swore shook the Earth, it vibrated the soles of her shoes. Slowly she lowered her wand and glanced at Joanne worried for her reaction.
Her face was white as a ghost, and Hermione knew that because she had seen ghosts, there were at least five in Hogwarts.
"How..." Joanne shook.
"I'll explain later," she assured her shoving her wand in her back pocket covering it with her shirt. "We have to get home, I have a call to make." She seized her hand forcing her along.
The whole way to the apartment which seemed longer then than it ever did she thought of what she had to do, making a list in her head. She had to sit Joanne down, calm her, talk with Theo, and then she had to talk with Draco.
There was a sinking feeling inside of her. The one thing that Draco asked her to do she failed at. He would have to understand, it was about his daughter's safety not his difficult dealings with the Wizarding world. He had to understand - she would make him understand.
Joanne was silent, and though Hermione was glad for it at the same time it worried her. She was too quiet. Was she in shock? Was she cold and sick? She observed the girl out of the corner of her eye and saw that she wasn't shivering. She was staring blankly ahead of her. It was better than screaming.
Hermione ushered her into the apartment sitting her on the couch. She knelt in front of her. "Joanne?"
She didn't answer.
"Joanne, listen to me, okay?"
She nodded.
"What did you see?"
"Light," she mummered so quietly that Hermione leaned in to hear. "Sparks..."
"Okay, okay, it can be explained, I promise, but there are things I have to do, I have to report this, because what that man did was wrong. Can you stay here and wait?"
She nodded again.
"Good, good."
She rushed across the hall banging on Theo's door. "Theo, open up, it's Hermione. Theo!"
The door opened and Hermione who was in mid-pound fell forward, Theo catching her arms.
"Whoa," he exclaimed. "Hermione, what's wrong? What's happened? Where's Joanne?"
"She's inside," she said straightening up. "I went to pick up the wedding set and coming back there was this Muggle man. We didn't get hurt, but I had to use magic."
"That's self-defense, Hermione, you were in your rights. Hold on. Wedding set?"
Hermione shook her head, "Draco and I are getting married, but that's not the point here!" She thought of that man. What would've happened if she didn't have her wand. It made her shiver. She only came out of her revere when she felt Theo's hand on her shoulder, but she didn't stir.
"Hermione... It'll be okay. Self-defense, remember?"
"That's not what I'm concerned about," she said honestly. She wasn't worried about being prosecuted. Harry and Ron reformed the Ministry and there was no possible way they would find her guilty, because she wasn't. They couldn't prosecute her for what she did, especially when there was no chance that he would remember anything. He hit his head pretty hard. They were safe from the Ministry who would never find out, and that man whose memory would be foggy. She wasn't worried... "Joanne saw me use magic."
"Oh," he breathed. "Well..."
"I don't feel bad about it," she said forcefully. "I'm not sorry that I did it!" She waved her hands over her head in a mad gesture. "This isn't about me though. I need to tell Joanne the truth."
Theo blanched. "You should wait for Draco for that one."
"She deserves the truth, Theo!"
"What is the truth?"
Hermione and Theo rounded on the door where Joanne stood. Her cheeks gained back a portion of their rosy color, but she still resembled too much of a ghost.
"Uncle Theo?"
Theo led her over to the sofa as he looked expectantly to Hermione.
She moaned, she should've known that Theo wouldn't put his head on the chopping block. Hermione sat next to her. How had Dumbledore explain things to her parents when she received her acceptance letter to Hogwarts? Could she use the same lines as he had? Why couldn't she remember it then?
"You know all those fairy tales?" It was as best as she could come up with on short notice.
"Yeah..." Joanne swung her legs out from the couch dropping them with a thud.
"Not all of them are stories, or tales," Theo said.
"They're true," she asked eagerly... Happily.
"Not all of it," Hermione warned.
Joanne broke into smiles. "Really? Magic is real?" She squealed, "does daddy know?"
"Your dad should talk with you about that."
"Are you a witch?"
Theo sighed reclining beside her. He pinched his nose. "Hermione's a witch, and your father and I are wizards." Hermione gave him a sharp look. In all rights they should have waited for Draco. Theo had a big mouth.
Joanne springing from the couch bouncing up and down. "This is amazing! The best!"
"Ruddy brilliant," he mumbled. "I'm dead."
"You're the one who told her," she snapped.
Joanne grabbed her arm still jumping in place. "Do I have magic too?"
Hermione froze. She never gave deep thought to the girl having powers. Hermione began showing signs when she was six months old. Joanne was seven, and in the time that Hermione had been staying with them there should've been something, some signs. Joanne was scared when that man attacked them, she wouldn't know how to control any magic she would display in high emotions. There was nothing though.
She glanced nervously to Theo who dipped his head to her fears.
Little Joanne Luna Malfoy was a Squib.