DISCLAIMER: J.K. Rowling owns most of the characters and settings here—I own the rest.

This time, I send an extra-super-huge Thank You to all readers and reviewers-as always, due to my prolonged absence from fic-writing. Sadly, real life intervened, as did a bad case of writers' block, but I am back at it now.

Feel free to leave a further review in the box at the end of the chapter...on with the show!

NOTHING ELSE MATTERS
Chapter 27 – Eye on the Sparrow

Everyone (including Evan) stood up at once after Walden's pronouncement. Once the shouting had died down, Hermione was able to say, "I very much doubt that will happen. Didn't you say Harry was supposed to be coming for your parole interview? Perhaps he's not available..."

"I think they doona like that I've asked ye ta marry me," Walden muttered.

"Who exactly do you mean by 'they'?" Hermione asked. "And whoever 'they' may be, I would have appreciated a heads-up, if this is really about that. We just saw Kings at the wedding!"

"Son, I'll go with ye," said Gavin, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "I knew Kingsley at school, fairly well. We'll figure all this out in the morning. Ye two stay here tonight," and he gestured at Walden and Hermione.

"I'm going as well," Hermione said.

"Nay," said Walden. "If they try and send me back to Azkaban, I willna go, they'll have to Avada me first….I'm sorry, lass…and I doona want ye to see that."

"For the last time," Hermione said, rather loudly. "Who precisely are 'they'? If you mean the Ministry in general, up until a short while ago, I was part of it. And as far as 'that'…," she paused, and Walden knew she meant his mention of the Killing Curse, "…I saw far worse at the Battle of Hogwarts." Had either Harry or Ron been present, they would have pointed out to the collected Macnairs, who were all rather aghast at her pronouncement, that Hermione could be more than a little scary sometimes.

"Now if you all will excuse me, I wanted to get in a little light reading before bedtime," she added, levitating a large, teetering stack of books onto the table next to her.

As it transpired, Elspeth, Gavin, and Hermione all accompanied Walden to the Ministry the next morning. The two couples Side-Along Apparated to the visitor's entrance; this time, Hermione remembered to cast the Notice-Me-Not spell before they entered the Atrium. Nobody spoke as they took the lift to the Minister's office, or when Gavin, Elspeth and Hermione sat in the waiting area for what seemed like hours.

When the door finally opened, a rather unexpected bunch of witches and wizards exited, in addition to Walden and Kingsley.

"I'm not sure I exactly understand why I need to go to New York," Hermione said, as she finished her butterbeer.

"I believe that the wizards and witches you meet there will be…useful…for your later endeavours with the Alliance," Lucius said, before spearing a canapé and popping it into his mouth. "Plus, you will be able to spend some relaxing time at…er, my Connecticut estate, and you will also be close enough to visit Salem and Ilvermorny if you wish. You'll find Madam Wilkes to be an amiable companion, of course, but if you wish solitude, there's certainly ample room for that. And the library, while not quite up to the Manor's standards, should keep you amused for a while."

Hermione leaned in close. "What's really going on? Does all this have something to do with Avery and Yaxley?"

Lucius leaned ever so slightly back from the table, picked up his wine glass, and began examining his contents. "I have no idea what you mean." He paused, took a sip, and glanced at the door to the Cauldron's private dining area, just as a quiet knock sounded. "That must be Elspeth and Gavin. I'll be heading back." After setting down his glass, he stood up, assisted Hermione in getting out of her chair and putting on her cloak, handed her a pouch (which he'd explained earlier contained a private Portkey), kissed her ever-so-lightly on the lips, and Disapparated.

"Och, good, we missed the Sassenach," Gavin said, as he and Elspeth bustled in. "We'll go back to the Lodge and help ye pack up. Ye can store anythin' ye like at the castle."

"Look," Hermione said, as she gathered up her satchel. "Can either of you tell me what is really going on? I'm not angry at you, or at Walden. I know all this must have something to do with that meeting he had with Kingsley, and I really don't care if Skeeter publishes another stupid article about us. I just need an explanation!"

Elspeth came closer and put a comforting arm around Hermione. "We know as much as ye do, I'm afraid. Gavin followed him back to the Lodge and he wouldna talk to 'im."

Hermione frowned down at the ring on the third finger of her left hand, and then resolutely slipped it off. "You should probably hold on to this. He told me it was a family heirloom."

"It is, but I'm sure that once he comes to his senses he'll be wantin' you to have it back—"

"I'm not sure that will be any time soon," Hermione interjected. "Please take it."

Frowning, Elspeth accepted the ring and slid it into her reticule, while muttering, partially to herself, "I canna believe he's slittered this up again…"

"I can!" Gavin said. "And he had to do it in front of that Prophet slag, o' course. Lass," and he directed this last at Hermione, who was clutching her bag resolutely and attempting to not completely break down in front of the Macnairs, "If ye'd rather nae go to the Lodge right now, yer friend, Mrs. Potter, is waitin' outside, and she said ye could go to their house. She said ta tell ye she brought her husband's cloak."

Several hours later, after Hermione had consumed most of a bottle of Ogden's (in the form of Mrs. Weasley's Medicinal Hot Toddy recipe), she finally related to Ginny what had happened that morning. They were upstairs on the sofa in the guest suite at Grimmauld Place. James had been packed off to his grandmother's, and Harry was working late.

"We sat in Kings' waiting area for what seemed like hours," Hermione said, her voice shaking a bit. "We were mostly reading, nobody wanted to talk, really. Walden's parents had tried on the way in, but he wouldn't speak to them, or me. Of course Kings had his office warded and soundproofed, so when the door opened and all those people came out, we were quite surprised. Rita Skeeter and that wretched photographer of hers seemed to appear out of nowhere, like she'd been Summoned!"

"Er, who was there, besides Skeeter and…you know, Walden and Kings?" Ginny asked, softly.

"Well, Harry was there, along with what seemed like all the Auror Department and a lot of the MLE senior staffers. And Lucius was there as well. Walden came right over to me, and…, well…I asked him if he was all right, if everything had turned out all right and he said…'Sorry, Miss Granger, but I've made a big mistake, I really doona think witches of…your kind and wizards of my kind should be together. It's nae gonna work, so I'll be asking ye to move on with yer life now.' He had this horrible, cold look on his face, the way he looked back when he was…you know….at the school that time, for Buckbeak. Or like when we all saw him at the Department of Mysteries. It was like I didn't know him at all, like we'd never spent any time together. And then that Skeeter woman shoved her way in and started asking questions and taking pictures…and…." Hermione sniffed. "I suppose it's a story in the paper now," she added.

Ginny nodded. "The Evening Prophet was downstairs on the table when I went to get those snacks earlier." The story was on the front page, entitled DEATH EATER HEARTBREAK, and the picture accurately reflected Hermione's description.

"He even shoved his mum out of the way when she tried to talk to him, and we followed him down to the Atrium and out to the street, but he went into an alley and Disapparated. Gavin tried to follow him, but he's gone. He's left the lodge and the elves don't know where he is, they told me."

"It just seems so odd," Ginny mused, "that after the meeting, he'd be like that."

"Maybe it does have something to do with Kings…or Harry…not liking Walden's marriage proposal, and they put pressure on him, threatened him with losing his parole…." Hermione's voice drifted off as she flicked her wand and poured herself another mug of toddy. "I shouldn't have any more of this. I've got to figure out when I should leave for New York…."

"New York?" Ginny said. "What's that all about?"

"Oh, Lucius was following behind us, and after Walden Disapparated, he took me to a private room at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. He explained that as my first assignment on behalf of the Alliance, I should visit New York and network with the wizarding community…and he offered me lodgings at his residence in Connecticut as well as a private Portkey booking."

"Are you going?"

"I am," Hermione said. "Although he didn't say it specifically, it will help get my mind off everything here…." She took a sip of toddy. "I suppose I don't have to leave straightaway."

"You absolutely do not have to leave straightaway! You can stay here as long as you like. The room is warded, and you can borrow Harry's Cloak if you need to go out."

"I do need to retrieve my things, though," she replied, looking down at her bag, which she'd packed with books for the Ministry visit, which now seemed as if it had been a million years ago.

"Miranda's here, by the way," Ginny said. "She's in the attic with the rest of the owls."

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door. Ginny flicked her wand to open it.

"Mistress Ginny," Kreacher croaked, bowing low in her direction. "There is an elf here called Binkus, asking for Missy Hermione."

"Let him in, please, Kreacher," Ginny said, standing up; Hermione stood up behind her.

"Missy Hermione, Binkus has your things," Binkus said, after he bowed at both Ginny and Hermione. "And I took Master Evan to Missy Melissa's house in Hogsmeade. He sent you a letter!" The elf handed Hermione the letter and a magically-reduced trunk.

"Have you—have you seen, er, Walden?" Hermione said, her voice shaking a bit.

"Master Walden is being very bad," Binkus said. "He is taking his things and going away and not speaking with Binkus or his parents. And Malfoy Manor elves are coming to help me close up the Lodge again."

"Oh…." Hermione said, as she collapsed back down onto the sofa. "Er…thank you, Binkus, er, I guess that'll be all for now." She sat the trunk down and opened Evan's letter.

Dear Hermione,

My dad is being stupid and I don't want to talk to him! I'm going to my sissy's house but I want to come to America with you. Can I?

Love,

Evan

"I suppose that'd be all right," Hermione muttered.

"What?" Ginny asked.

"Well, Evan wants to come along to America and I suppose that'd be all right; he won't be starting Hogwarts until the fall."

"And maybe his dad will have stopped being a wanker by then," Ginny levitated the trunk onto the floor and waved her wand in its direction, returning it to its normal size. "Isn't this your old Hogwarts trunk?"

"I never saw the point of getting rid of it," Hermione said, as she opened the lid. Inside, her clothes, books, and other items had been magically reduced and neatly packed. She bent over and picked up a small black item from the top of the pile, sat it on the side table, and tapped it with her wand. It was the obsidian raven sculpture that she'd given Walden for Christmas.

"Well, how nice of him to give this back," Hermione said, with a grimace. "Shame I've already tossed the shop receipt."

"Wasn't that the pressie you got him for Christmas?"

"It was. I suppose I should send back the necklace he gave me but since I don't exactly have a forwarding address…" and with those last words, she broke down and began sobbing. Ginny sat down beside her and pulled her into her arms for a hug.

Neither one of them noticed that the raven slowly blinked.