Chapter 5
She should have been dead. Her heart had definitely stopped beating, her brain was in overload, her whole body had shut down and she had forgotten to breath. Yes, she should be clinically dead. Her entire life was flashing past her eyes in the space of a few minutes.
"You're married?" she blurted out before she could put a filter on her mouth. Everyone turned around to look at her but Harry wouldn't make eye contact with her.
"Yes." his voice was quiet but she heard it.
"Mr Potter has been married for two years and currently resides in town, his wife arrived last night. He came earlier so he could set up his home for him and Mrs Potter." Professor Dumbledore said.
Hermione stared at him and she knew before she completely lost it, she had to get out of there. She looked around at her workmates and seeing that they were all giving their attention to the new staff member, that she realised she didn't know, she turned around and walked out of the hall.
She stepped outside the door and set off for a run to her quarters. She ran through her door and slammed it shut. She was panting and the threat of her stomach emptying its content was quickly becoming a reality. She flew into her bathroom and emptied her breakfast. She washed her face and cleaned her teeth and went to lay down on her bed. The overwhelming feeling of despair took over and she cried and cried. She went through the motions, shock, sick, and tears. She tried to think of ways of getting around this, the absolute and complete loss she felt was so overwhelming she didn't think she would be able to work with him. Maybe she should resign, yes, resign. What a brilliant idea. She could get a job in any country in the world, the further the better.
She got up from her bed and sat down at her desk and started writing her letter of resignation. A knock to the door, interrupted her train of thought and she stood up to get rid of the intruder.
Hermione pulled open the door a little rougher than usual and went to tell the person to leave she was busy but it was Harry standing at her door. She didn't speak, she just slammed the door with as much force as she could muster. He caught the door before it shut and walked into the room.
"Hermione, please let me explain?" Harry pleaded.
"YOU'RE MARRIED, you bastard, how dare you use me?"
"I wanted to tell you but it didn't really come up and..." Hermione huffed and spun around with her back to him. She couldn't keep herself from crying and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction.
"You didn't really ask Hermione."
"Oh my merlin are you insane, I didn't ask!!! I DIDN'T ASK are you out of your mind Harry, you mean to tell me that in two weeks of me LIVING there, you didn't think to mention you had a wife, you didn't think to tell me that I was choosing curtains for your WIFE. It didn't cross your mind to tell me I was organising your wife's kitchen!" Harry walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulders. He turned her around to look at him and the sight of her tears broke him down.
"Hermione, it's not what it looks like, please understand, I never wanted to hurt you, it's the last thing I wanted."
"Well you did Harry in the worst possible way," he tried to hug her but she pushed him away. Another knock to the door interrupted them and Hermione looked at him with such pain in her eyes it threatened to destroy him.
"Please leave Harry, I can't deal with this right now, I can't deal with you!" Harry nodded and stepped back towards the door that was continuing to beckon at them. Harry stood behind the door while Hermione quickly fixed herself up. A student was waiting for her to open the door.
"Professor Granger, Professor Longbottom is waiting for you and if you see Professor Potter, Professor Dumbledore is looking for him as well. Thanks Professor." She laughed as she walked away from Hermione's door, probably at the amount of time she had to say the word professor. Hermione waited till the young girl left and she moved away from the door, motioning for Harry to leave. He walked towards her and lifted his hand to take her face in his hand but she looked away.
"I love you Hermione." she gasped and looked at him. It was the one thing they hadn't actually said to each other all though she came close to it so many times.
"You can't say that to me Harry, it's not fair and it's too late." Harry shook his head and stepped in closer to her. She wanted to stop him, she wanted to push him out her door, she wanted to slap him, but she couldn't because she knew she loved him and she loved him so much that her mind was confused.
He leant in and kissed her, it was hard and passionate. He held her head in place and kissed her hard. It was quick and full of passion. He leant his head on her forehead and whispered to her,
"It's never too late Hermione, I love you and I am not letting you go." Harry then kissed her forehead and walked out the door. She stood there staring at the space that Harry had just occupied.
It was getting close to dinner and Hermione contemplated whether to go down for dinner or not. If she wasn't so hungry from losing her breakfast earlier that day, she would have skipped it, but she realised she couldn't avoid him forever. She put on a pair of jeans and a white loose shirt. She wasn't in the mood for feeling good so she grabbed the first thing she put her hands on. She walked down to the great hall and quickly glanced around for Harry, she spotted him and quickly diverted her eyes to Neville. There was one seat free and it was next to Harry, so she quickly formulated a plan. She walked over to Harry and he looked at her but she took the chair and moved it over to Neville. Harry's face changed, he was getting annoyed.
They ate dinner and he couldn't catch Hermione's eye at all through dinner. He was getting frustrated. The staff all organised to meet at the Piano Bar in half hour and everyone agreed. Hermione stood up to leave when Neville spoke to her,
"Hermione what about inviting your boyfriend, that way we can all meet him?" Hermione froze and at first she thought Neville was being cruel to her but then the innocent look on his face told her otherwise.
"No, Nev, it didn't work out, he wasn't the man I thought he was."
"OH sorry Mione, I know how much he meant to you,.." he stood up and walked over to her and hugged her, "... are you ok?"
"Yeah I will be Neville, thank you, you're a true friend." she hugged him back tightly and tried her very hardest not to look at Harry.
If she did, she would have seen the murderous look on his face.
She walked into the Piano Bar with Neville and Jenny and sat down in between the other staff, she didn't want to give Harry a chance to sit near her. The other staff arrived and while they waited for the guest of honour, Neville ordered drinks. He was standing at the bar and was trying to remember Hermione's drink when someone walked up behind him.
"Hello Professor," Harry spoke to Neville. He turned around and shook Harry's hand animatedly.
"Oh Hey man, call me Neville please." Neville smiled and Harry couldn't help but relax at the kindness that was in his face.
"I'm trying to remember Hermione's drink... I just can't think..."
"Banana Daiquiri?" Harry tried to look like he was only guessing, and luckily Neville didn't catch on.
"Yeah that's right, what a lucky guess, you know what don't tell her Harry, I have been her friend for years and I should know these things, but I forget so easily." Neville carried over some drinks and Harry carried the rest. Hermione's eyes immediately sort him out and she tensed in her seat.
There was a chorus of hello's and hi's from the others but Hermione remained quiet. Neville introduced Harry to Alice and her husband Mark, then his fiance Jenny. He also met the five other Professors and two of them had partners. He sat down on the only chair that was free, it was next to Jenny and the corner of the table. He sat in front of Alice and her husband and Hermione was leaning back away from the table. He looked over a few times but she was only looking into her drink or talking to the person sitting next to her.
A few heads turned towards the door and everyone went silent. It was like the entire bar stopped for the entrance of someone. Hermione looked over and saw what or who everyone was looking at. Standing inside the bar door was a blonde lady with a large fur coat on. She walked in and it looked like she was waiting for someone to tend to her coat. She looked irritated and then she turned and walked over to the bar. Rosemerta was standing there looking at her as well and she removed her coat and threw it on the counter, she also dropped her handbag on top of the coat.
"You need a door man, madame," her voice dripped of sarcasm and rudeness.
"We don't have a doorman Lady, look after your own coat and bag." Rosemerta walked away leaving the coat and bag with her.
Harry stood up and his face was red. He apologised under his breath and walked over to take the ladies hand. Hermione nearly died, that woman was his wife.
You could tell she was complaining all the way over to the table. Harry's head and shoulders were hung low and he nodded at every thing she said. They approached the table and the silence was deafening.
"Umm, everyone, this is Elizabeth St John, Elizabeth these are the people I will be working with." The lady nodded and made eye contact with Hermione straight away. Hermione looked at her and then forced a small smile on her face with a slight nod.
Neville stood up and put his hand out to shake hands. Elizabeth looked at him and smiled and then placed her hand in his with her palm down, it looked like she wanted him to kiss the back of her hand. Neville shook her hand quite hard and then introduced everyone by name. Harry went to sit down and she glared at him and then he stood straight away. When Neville was finished introducing everyone the chairs were shuffled around to make room for one more person and as luck would have it, Hermione ended up next to Harry. It didn't matter as the look on his face was nothing short of pain.
"Harry, a drink now, if you will." her tone was berating but what was more annoying was that Harry stood up straight away and 'fetched' his wife a drink.
When Harry left for her drink, Jenny asked her a question.
"Umm Elizabeth, I thought you and Harry were married?"
"Yes we are, two long years, why do you ask?"
"OH it's only that you don't have the same surname, I wondered why?" Elizabeth seemed to be agitated by this and Hermione noticed she clenched her hand into a fist. At this point Harry had returned,
"Yes we don't have the same surname as Harry dear will not change his name to mine. I mean where does it say you HAVE to take the husbands name, I mean is this the twentieth century or what?" Elizabeth laughed but Harry looked very uncomfortable.
So as to avoid an uncomfortable silence, a few people nodded and then someone changed the subject very quickly. Hermione could feel Harry trembling through his leg that was touching hers under the table and she looked down at his hand resting on his leg, his fist was clenched hard.
"Either way, my family has the money and the status, therefore it is in Harry's best interest to change his name to mine, Potter doesn't really have a ring to it or hold any upstanding?" Harry's head flew up to look her in the eye and he responded without thinking it through.
"That was my family's name Elizabeth, I am not losing it, there are no other living Potter's anywhere, why should I lose everything?" Everyone looked at them both and then Elizabeth did the most bazaar thing, she laughed really loud.
"Lose everything, oh come on Harry, what do you have to lose that didn't belong to my family in the first place?" Yep the uncomfortable silence returned. Hermione couldn't help herself, she placed her hand on Harry's hand and he grabbed it.
The music increased and then after a few minutes, Jenny asked her what line of work she was in, Elizabeth then talked for the next half an hour about the family business. She spoke for so long and she really didn't answer any questions. It was quite clear that she looked down on Harry and everyone noticed it.
Hermione tried to ignore everything she said but it was a bit difficult since she monopolised the conversation all night. She excused herself to go to the bathroom and when she came out she saw a familiar mop of red hair at the bar. She watched him for a second and when she saw he was only with his brother, she snuck up behind him. She put her hands around his eyes and whispered in his ear.
"Hey sexy, what are you doing in a place like this?" Ron stiffened and Charlie turned to look at her and put his hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing out loud.
"Umm, lady I think you're mistaken?" Ron was sweating and it took all her resolve not to burst out laughing.
"Oh no, no mistake big boy, you're hot" Ron actually slipped off the chair and Hermione had to uncover his eyes so she could grab his body.
From across the room, Elizabeth was watching the exchange.
"Looks like your workmate has found her boyfriend." she addressed it to everyone. A few of the staff turned around and looked but it wasn't until Neville spoke that they understood.
Harry was ropeable.
"Oh no that's her step brother, well sort of. Ron has always had a special spot for Hermione, they actually dated once in high school."
"What, she dated her step brother, that's just weird?" Jenny piped up. Harry's temper was rising by the minute.
"No, they weren't in a family situation yet, Hermione's parents were muggles and they died in a plane crash, at the end of that first year, after the accident, the Weasley's took her in. It was mostly because of his sister, Ginny, that they took her in but the parents wanted her just as much." There were a few wow's and umm's going around the table except for one person.
"Her name is actually Hermione Weasley and she used it for years but when she started working she took her family name on before she started working. That's sort of like you Harry, she is the last Granger and she didn't want her name lost." Elizabeth huffed at that comment.
"Anyway, needless to say, Ron still holds a soft spot for our Hermione." Everyone looked over to watch the interaction between the two people. They watched as Hermione put her hands on his eyes and then they saw him slip off the chair, they watched as he turned around and then hugged her tightly and then as he picked her up off the floor and spun her around. They sat down at the bar and then Ron looked over to where everyone was sitting, Neville waved and motioned for him to come over.
As they approached the table, Neville stood up and introduced everyone.
"Hey Ron, how are you mate?" they shook hands and Neville introduced the people around the table.
"Hey Ron, this is Harry Potter, Elizabeth St John, Jenny, Alice, her husband, Mark and everyone else you already know" he laughed as Ron knew the older staff.
He sat down and since the only chair that was free was Hermione's, he sat down and pulled her onto his lap. She would not look at Harry at all, but she could imagine his expression.
The tension at the table was so thick, Hermione decided it was time to leave. She leant down and spoke into Ron's ear, she said she was heading back to Hogwarts and he nodded and stood up. He grabbed her hand and picked up her handbag.
"Sorry, everyone I have to get this Princess home before she turns into a pumpkin," Ron laughed, he always found that muggle story was so funny and Hermione didn't have the heart to tell him he had got it wrong.
"Good night everyone, see you tomorrow night for the feast." Hermione said to her workmates.
"Aren't you coming back up to Hogwarts Hermione?" Neville asked and Ron answered for her.
"No Nev, I'm taking her home where she belongs." he said this as he looked at her and made a mock cranky voice.
"Yeah yeah Ron, you couldn't handle our Hermione even if you tried..." Neville laughed and then Harry knocked over his drink all over his pants. Neville laughed and quickly used a spell to clean him up and Elizabeth rolled her eyes but nobody but Hermione saw it.
Hermione walked out with Ron's arm around her shoulders and Harry's eyes boring into her back.
That's it for this chapter, hope you like it. You have finally met Harry's wife.
Sirius
