A/N: This is the final installment of my Time is Out of Joint series which includes Hermione Granger and the Wounds of Time and Hermione Granger and the Butterfly Effect.
Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End
Thursday, June 4, 1998 | Magic-run resort in the Maldives
A warm beach breeze blew through the open walls of the private villa. The bamboo structure was constructed above crystal clear water, held up on pillars. The resort was owned and operated by a wizard. Surrounding buildings and other villas were all either outside of Harry and Hermione's concealment charms or had their own charms. As far as it appeared, they were blissfully alone and had a large swatch of the atoll all to themselves. Hermione was surprised how easy it had been to leave everything behind. Their first twenty-four hours they both slept off and on, trying to make up the deficit that had been created after weeks of stress and trauma. Their second and third day was spent enjoying each other and making the most of the opportunity to forget the rest of the world existed.
As Hermione swung gently in a hammock on the porch, she watched Harry swimming in the pool inset into their balcony. It seemed to be an extravagance as they merely had to walk an extra ten steps to be in the Indian Ocean. Extravagance was something she hadn't known they needed. Harry was swimming lazy laps, enjoying the down time as much as she was. He wasn't pushing her and it was appreciated, but they both could feel the pressure mounting to broach more serious conversations about their future. Turning her attention away from him, she studied her hand, ran her fingers over the lightning-shaped scar on the palm of her wand hand. Holding her hand up, the sun shone brightly on it. As she swung, suddenly a shadow blocked the intense light. Hermione craned her neck to see Harry drying off on the deck.
Harry wrapped the towel around his swim trunks and leaned over to kiss her. Drops of pool water dripped gently on her face.
"What do you want to do for lunch?" he asked, pulling up a chair. He took her hand she had been studying and kissed her palm.
"Maybe we can do room service for lunch and go out for dinner?" she said. Wondering if she could mount the courage to start talking about the topics they were avoiding. She needed to do it early enough in the day to perhaps still have a nice evening.
Harry stood and got the room service menu. "I know you wanted to try the Boshi Mashuni. We could each get an order of that and share a vegetable curry. And a bottle of a wine they would recommend."
Hermione rolled out of the hammock, stretched out her back muscles. There were still several lingering sore spots to work out if she stayed in one position for too long. "That sounds great," she said, ready to be out of her swimsuit. Letting him order, she slipped out of the suit and put on a light blouse and matching skirt. Scanning the suite, she wondered where they could sit to have the discussion.
"It will be right up," Harry announced, saw the look on her face. He stood for a beat. "Are you ready to talk about it then?"
She knew she shouldn't be surprised that he was able to read her so well. "I think we need to. Before our vacation is completely over. Maybe we can have this out and then enjoy the last few days." It sounded fatalistic and optimistic at the same time.
"Yeah. Okay." Harry didn't sound thrilled even if he understood the conversation was necessary. A pop announced the arrival of the house elf outside their villa with their food. "I'll get it. Let's eat on the deck."
Hermione nodded and picked up her wand. She rearranged the deck furniture before sitting with the sun on her face. Harry carried a large tray, set it down and removed the warming covers. The banana flower salad looked beautiful and the curry wafted up. Her stomach growled loudly in response.
"Just in time then," Harry said with a small laugh after hearing the noise. Picking up the wine bottle, he opened it and poured them each a healthy portion before sitting.
There was simply no good place to start the conversation. Hermione rubbed her face. "I want to marry you," she blurted out.
"Well, that's settled then. I want to marry you too. That was easy," Harry said, served the curry.
She would have laughed if the topic hadn't been so serious to her. "We need to put everything on hold until we figure out if that was me in the room of requirement and if it was, when I'm pulled back to that day," her voice cracked thinking about what they had seen less than a week before.
Sensing the emotion, Harry put down the serving spoon, and squeezed her hand. "I'm not saying we shouldn't get those answers. I just don't see how it should change our plans to be happy and build a life together."
At that, Hermione pulled her hand back gently and pushed her chair back, unconsciously trying to get some physical distance. "There are so many things we don't understand. We can't just keep going forward like we don't know it could all fall apart. I can't."
Harry backed up himself, mirroring her and giving her the space she seemed to need. "We can put the wedding planning on hold. I don't ever have to marry you, in fact. Having a ring and a piece of paper won't tell me anything I don't already know."
He'd already made that concession. "I don't want to rehash everything. You know my concerns. I know your response to them. I don't think either of us can change each other's minds. That's not what I think we need to talk about." She wasn't being dismissive. She really wanted to come to some resolution over what should be a priority. It wasn't something she had any business doing without him. They could go several more rounds of her explaining why she couldn't marry Harry until she knew she wasn't destined to die in the near future and he could explain to her that nothing was certain. They could both die tomorrow or they could live for decades to die of old age. They belonged together, however long they had. He could say those words and she would know in her heart that he was right. Her head said other things.
"We can talk about whatever you need to," Harry said despite the apparent uncertainty.
"Right. Okay, so the way I see it, we have three priorities," she started, speaking quickly. She didn't want to lose her courage. "Find out what dates could have aligned with that night in the room of requirement. Find out where Bellatrix left the time turner. Witness the entire vision from Cassandra's prophecy."
Harry had been nodding with Hermione until she mentioned the vision. "You know that means you have to touch it again. You have to experience it. No one else can."
It was, of course, a fact she understood. She just hoped Harry wasn't going to be so quick to work that out. "I know."
The look on Harry's face was clear. He wasn't happy with the idea, but he also didn't have a good argument as to why she shouldn't do such a thing. He pushed back from the table a few more inches. "Hermione," he started quietly. "Listen. I won't stop you and I can't say we don't need that information. We've just spent years doing what was necessary despite what was best for us. Either of us. This isn't new. You've caught glimpses of that vision twice now. Both times left you rattled."
Hermione knew the word he chose to describe her mental state after both encounters was kind. Witnessing the future destruction of their world hadn't come through simple images. There were feelings and a pressure she couldn't explain. "I don't want to. We both know I need to. Maybe there's a way to experience the vision without being so consumed by it. I do know now that I can control how it progresses. I think I can control what I see my next attempt. And if you're there to make sure I don't lose myself in the vision, I don't think it will be so overwhelming."
"Maybe Fiona has some recommendations."
At that Hermione felt some guilt. It was apparently evident.
"You already talked to Fiona," he said with some resignation.
"I did. When I met with her on Sunday. She said we could talk about it when I got back. This is important to me."
"Well, then it's important to me too. I just want to make sure we do everything we can to limit the impact the prophecy seems to have on you. So we see if there's any information in the vision about… what? Where the time turner is? Find out who the half-blood is in the Shrieking Shack? Figure out when Tom changed the past?"
Hermione grimaced at the list. "Yes," she said, not intending to sound glib. "Maybe. There could be clues for any of those things."
"How does that help us? How does that make you comfortable moving forward with us," he asked, sounding desperate for a solution.
"I don't know." Her words were unintentionally sharp. She took a small breath. "It's one of three things I think need to be done to make sure Tom is no longer a threat."
At the wizard's name, Harry stood to pace. "Tom's in custody but he's still controlling our life. It's too much, Hermione. Maybe the best place to concentrate our efforts is just to make sure Tom never gets out of prison. Maybe we're looking at this from the wrong perspective. You're trying to prevent something that hasn't happened yet. Instead of figuring how it could happen, let's just make sure Tom never gets the chance."
His words were desperate. She couldn't blame him. She was desperate too. "That sounds like something that should be a priority too. The stakes are so high, every angle needs to be explored. I'll be more comfortable once we narrow down when Tom may have taken me from the future. Let's see what can be done to prevent that from happening," she explained. "That's the answer I need to feel like it's not irresponsible to move forward."
"Irresponsible." He echoed her word back painfully. "And what if we identify hundreds of possible dates? Years into the future. We just put everything on hold? Or worse, break up." His voice cracked.
"No. No, of course not, Harry," she said, standing to stop his perpetual movement. Even as she assured him, down deep she knew that was exactly what would need to be done. She wouldn't let him commit to a life with her if she thought that life had a premature expiration date that couldn't be avoided. It was something she had come to terms with, and she knew it wasn't something Harry would ever tolerate. Besides, they still needed to figure out when the threat was going to be. Hermione also knew that as long as they remembered seeing her dead body in the room of requirement, the future was destined to happen. It was a simple truth. Taking his hands, she led him back to the table. Handed him his glass of wine. "There's too much we don't know to be making any decisions."
"I don't know how long I can live with this hanging over us. At some point you have to decide if this is worth fighting for or if you're going to let Tom destroy us."
Hermione's eyes went wide. It was the first time he had been so blunt. Part of her had been surprised it took him so long. At the same time, she wasn't surprised at all. He was understanding to a fault. His patience with her had been nothing short of heroic. She knew she was hurting him every time they discussed the topic of her leaving him to spare him. She also knew his pain would only increase if Tom managed to succeed with his plan. "I'm not doing this intentionally. I don't want to do this to us. I just… Harry. I don't know what to do. I can't be the reason you have to bury another family member."
Tears pricked his eyes. "How can you say that? How can you think you're not already family."
This wasn't where she wanted the conversation to go. It was, as she feared, just a rehashing of their positions. "Listen. Harry. I wanted to talk to you about what I need to do before I'm comfortable committing you to whatever this future is. I love you. Maybe too much to make rational decisions. When we get back to England we have work to do. I'm not sure though that everything will be settled by the end of the summer, which means our wedding plans may need to be adjusted."
"That's… I… I already agreed. We don't ever have to get married. I want to marry you, in front of our friends and tell the world how much I love you, but if you're not ready then we're not ready. I need a timeline. I need milestones for each task to know when this is settled. Otherwise there will always be uncertainty about the future. I won't let you destroy your life just because you think it's your responsibility to save mine. That's not how this works."
It was enough to stop her breath. It wasn't an ultimatum. She deserved an ultimatum. Why was he so effing understanding and patient with her? It made her feel worse. "I don't think I can define milestones," she whispered.
"Scenarios then. What if we can't narrow down the possible dates to such a degree that we can't have a plan for each one?"
"I guess that depends how far into the future those dates reach."
"A year," he fired off. "Five years. Ten."
"I don't know!" she responded loudly, then regretted her tone. "I don't know. Let's just… let's just figure out what we need to figure out and then decide what to do with it."
He rubbed his face in frustration. "Why are we having this conversation when we're so far away from the information we need," he said to himself.
"You wanted to get away," she said quietly. Sensing they were on a precipice that could lead to an actual fight, she tried to take a step back from the emotionally charged topics.
It didn't seem to be the case when Harry shot her a hard stare. "You needed to get away." The low volume of his voice matched hers but the tone was decidingly sharper.
Holding up her hands in surrender, she nodded. "You're right. I did. There was never going to be a good time and everything we'd been through… we needed to get away."
"Everything you'd been through," he said, saw her rising attempt to contradict him he pressed on. "No. Hermione. I know we went through it all together, but you took a significant physical toll. From the stab wound to the torture to Sadie's betrayal to the killing curse. You don't even know yet how much this last month has affected you. You can't know. And that was on top of the year we survived before Tom was even a threat. For obvious reasons I won't ask you to see a therapist, but you need to talk to someone."
He wasn't wrong. She didn't know who she could talk to that she could trust. Harry seemed prepared for this topic, and she had to consider the idea that while she had an agenda for the necessary conversations, he had his own. "Who? Who could I talk to that I can trust and isn't emotionally invested themselves?"
"McGonagall."
The truth of the recommendation hung in the air. It wasn't a terrible idea. Her former head of house already knew about most of her situation. She was certainly qualified to counsel students. Not a trauma counselor to be sure. After surviving two wizarding wars as a professor at Hogwarts, Minerva would have had her fair share of traumatized students to deal with. "I'll send her an owl."
"You will?" His words carried surprise and a small amount of disbelief.
"I will. I'll talk to her."
Harry's posture changed so significantly due to his relief it was almost comical. It looked like a literal weight was lifted from him.
"Who are you going to talk to?" she asked, eyes flat.
"Me?"
"Yes. You. You've had trauma of your own. Years worth in fact. I'm guessing you've never talked to a qualified counselor about any of it."
They sat in silence as each one considered her words.
"You're right. I'll make an appointment at the ministry."
Hermione didn't really like that answer considering what she had been through. "Just… make sure they've been investigated."
"I'll sick Tonks on them," he promised.
Hermione picked up her fork, twirled it between her fingers. Staring out at the crystal clear water out in front of them, a gentle breeze washed over the small space. She had said her peace. She wasn't sure if Harry had. "There's something else that's bothering you," she said, hedging her bet.
Harry ran his hand through his wet hair. There was an internal struggle going on. "I think this is inevitable. I wasn't sure if I was going to tell you."
She swallowed. There was a lot of trust between the two of them. If either one decided to hold back it was out of a need to protect the other. "You don't want to tell me."
"It's not that. I just know that you'll think you have to," he fumbled over his words. Hermione let him work it out. Finally he confessed, "Tom has demanded to speak to you. He's not giving any information up. To anyone."
"Well," she said, relaxing. "I can't say that surprises me. Of course he wants to try to toy with me one last time. There's still a piece of Voldemort out there. We should do what we have to, to learn what Tom knows about where Voldemort went. Or what Sadie knows for that matter." Intentionally leaving Bellatrix's name unspoken.
"You see. I knew it," he said, sounding genuinely frustrated. "You don't think Tom is so self centered, so impressed with himself that he won't just start talking to an Auror once he figures out we're not putting him in a room with you?"
Her mouth opened to answer and then closed it. "What do you think Tom can do to me without a wand? What can he say to me that he hasn't already said?" It was a genuine question. Harry didn't appear to be impressed with her reasoning.
"If that's really what you think, I'll go to Williamson and convince him to bar you from talking to the prisoners." The words weren't meant to hurt or scold, yet they seemed to do both.
Hermione's shoulders squared back, her body ready to fight, even if it was only a verbal conflict. "Harry. I know Tom better than anyone at this point. Particularly the clone. I know exactly how he would try to manipulate me. I'll admit, it's possible he's been holding back some piece of information that will cut deep. But they'll be just words. You can do whatever you need to ensure he's not a physical threat. The small risks would far outweigh whatever insults he'd level at me. Don't you think?" When he didn't answer, she stood, pulled him to his feet and walked him over to the oversized chair inside the villa. It was big enough for both of them. Once he was seated, she settled in next to him, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm not trying to be a martyr. Of all the things we're facing right now, seeing Tom Riddle in shackles and leg irons, completely powerless. It's just not something that worries me. In fact, I would really like to see him bound to a chair."
She meant the last sentence as a joke, but Harry shifted. His green eyes met her brown eyes. Hermione was never prepared for how many emotions can swirl within his irises. "I should have killed him."
Suddenly Hermione was transported back in time. The day after Voldemort attacked her in the room of requirement in 1967. Albus also admitted to his regrets over not killing Tom when he had a chance. Shifting, Hermione took his face in both her hands. "Harry. You don't mean that."
"Don't I? He was so shocked by what had happened, he had no defenses. I wouldn't have used the killing curse, but I could have shot an energy lance right through his heart. It would have all been over."
"And what about you? How would it have affected you? To kill Tom out of revenge, not in defense?" she asked, truly worried about his state of mind.
"Not in defense in that moment. In defense of what he might do in the future."
"Might do. Might. Harry, I know what you're thinking. We can't kill someone because of what they might do in the future," she said. He started to shake his head. She stopped him. "No Harry, listen to me. Tom hasn't technically done anything that would be considered a capital crime. The clone hasn't. If you killed him you could have been arrested. I won't let you ruin your life for revenge. Do you hear me? We're going to beat Tom and we're not going to forget who we are doing it."
Anger and fear transformed to understanding. Harry wasn't thinking clearly yet either. It was a wake up call for both of them. "You're right," he said, turned to kiss the palm of her hand again. "You're right. I hadn't thought it through. I just… it seemed like the simplest solution to all of our problems."
"Death is too easy," she proclaimed. "Too easy on Tom, and too high a cost for us. I can deal with him. You can be there if you want. We're not going to assassinate him though."
At that he finally smiled. "Always with the rules," he said, kissing her.
~~/~~
"If you're going to spend so much time here, we should put you on the payroll," Fiona said after passing through the event horizon into the time chamber.
Albus turned and nodded. "It's exam week. There's not much for a headmaster to do. I thought I could be useful here." He motioned to an older wizard sitting on the far side of the room. "Humphrey could use the company." Even as he spoke, the look on the grumpy man's face protested the assessment.
"My shift is almost over," Humphrey grumbled. "Babysitting books isn't a good use of my time."
"We're protecting time," Fiona corrected. He might be her senior in age, she out ranked him. "If time changes we need someone in this room immune to the change."
Humphrey waved her off and got back to his puzzle in the Daily Prophet. Fiona saw the headline and and shook her head, Tom Marvolo Gaunt has returned, publishes philosophy . "I can't believe Jacob printed that whole thing."
"He waited a few days to give Kingsley time to mount his rebuttal," Dumbledore offered. He was equally as horrified. "They printed both side by side. It's likely the best we could hope for."
"Did they really print both sides?" Fiona asked. "Sure Kingsley explained how Bellatrix cloned him and brought from the past. He didn't reveal how Bellatrix was able to stabilize the clone, nor that Voldemort was still a threat. Both of those things seemed to be necessary information. We shouldn't repeat history."
The comment wasn't lost on Albus, standing surrounded by literal history. "I understand he plans to address this. They're waiting for decisions to be made regarding charges. There is much work to do by the Wizengamot to prepare for Tom's trial. Some information needs to be held back. For now."
"Have you heard from Hermione?" Fiona asked, pulling out a Tempus Semita they had abridged to track changes to recorded history around events specific to Tom Riddle.
"Thankfully no," Albus answered. "It seemed she and Mister Potter took their vacation seriously."
"Are we sure they're okay?"
With a grimace he nodded. "There's an Auror team staying at the villa next to them. They're not aware of the protection. I'm not sure if Henry plans to tell either of them."
"She wants to experience the prophecy when she gets back," Fiona said.
Albus stood straight, didn't look at his friend right away as he processed the information. "I don't know if we'll have another option. The recorded transcript of the prophecy contains none of the details from the visions it's able to induce. She, Tom, and the mysterious half-blood are the only two who would be able to experience them." It wasn't a good answer. It was just the only answer to their situation.
Frustrated about many things, Fiona closed the tempus tome shut with some force. "I haven't been able to focus a proper scriptum for the clone. It's tracking both Tom Riddles after the doubling and can't distinguish between changes to time and the existence of the anomaly. The clone is a paradox and it's broken every method we have to untangle this mess."
Dumbledore understood her outburst. He motioned to some chairs near a reading desk. "You've established every protocol possible to protect the past and the future," he said, sitting next to her. "Snape's memory protection potion is in here, fully stocked. An Unspeakable will always be assigned to stand watched within the time chamber. And the two time turners are safely stored here. We can study these records all day. Until there's a threat to respond to, I'm not sure doing more is even a wise course of action."
They sat in silence for several minutes. Fiona checked her watch and a small smile pulled at the corner of her lips. "I'm taking Edsel's shift. You can go whenever you like."
Humphrey looked up from his paper incredulously. He seemed to hold his tongue as he gathered his things. "Could have mentioned that sooner," he said under his breath and left the time chambers specifically designed to protect the occupants from any and all changes to the time around them.
"Some of my fellow unspeakables don't believe these measures are necessary. I think they just find the task boring," she explained then her face grew serious. "Have you considered what Hermione accomplished? The shield theory I mean?"
Albus rubbed his face. "That's all I can think about," he said honestly. "I think it's best to keep that accomplishment secret for as long as we possibly can. Especially from Tom. He's still a threat in the future. It's best he thinks his killing spell just didn't work. I told Williamson and Kingsley as much."
"I read the full report. There are too many variables to consider. We can't know that it can be repeated by Hermione, let alone anyone else."
It was a truth that nagged at Dumbledore. There were many variables. Hermione's unique wand, her curse scars, her clear sacrificial love for Harry. He remembered his conversation with her about the killing curse. He agreed with her that it didn't seem right that a person could cast the unforgivable curse repeatedly with no apparent effect on the caster and no emotional connection between the caster and the victim. And yet, the only defense was irreparable harm and unconditional love. Her actions had confirmed one thing, there was a way to redirect the spell's damage without condemning someone to death. "We'll have a lot of work to do when the director is back."
At that, Fiona pulled a folded parchment out of her pocket and handed it to her friend. She looked at it sadly. "Those are the possible dates in the near future that would constitute the alignment Tom will need to pull Hermione back in time to the room of requirement."
Albus unfolded the document. It covered a two-year timeframe. There were several dozen dates. It was better than he anticipated. He was expecting hundreds. Still it was two years. It was hard to believe a scenario where anyone would allow Hermione to be on school grounds during any of the dates. That was the problem though. He'd have to evacuate the entire school each date to ensure there wasn't a hostage situation. "Thank you for doing that. I confess I'd been avoiding that task. I was afraid the possible dates would be overwhelming."
"You know, Albus. As long as we remember she was killed in the room of requirement we haven't changed the future," Fiona said to him quietly.
It was clear from his expression that he was painfully aware. "I've considered destroying the room of requirement. Thinking that might destroy it in the past."
"I have found through the years, dealing with changes to time, that taking action too soon or without all the information never leads to the outcome you expect. We'll keep working on this," she said waving at the time records, "Until there's something to be done."
Standing stiffly, Albus patted her shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow. Same place." With a small breath, he walked through the waterfall door.
"No. What… how…" Harry's words were whispers. Then he went running in. Albus followed behind Williamson to see what had disturbed Harry.
Albus stood still, processing the sight. Hermione's lifeless body was stretched out on the stone table. Memories of her hurt in the same positions decades early ran through his head. The two sights merged.
"Hermione. Don't come in. Stay out there." Harry's panicked voice pulled Dumbledore from his shock. He turned to the entrance and saw Harry trying to protect Hermione from the scene. Albus knew it was a futile effort. She was going to enter the room. The only thing Albus could do was find Tom. Catch him. Stop the horrible reality from coming true.
On the other side of the event horizon, Dumbledore shook off the memories. Not for the first time since she and Harry left for their vacation, he had an urgent desire to see her. To make sure she was still alive. Through his mental fog, he walked through the ministry. It was a surprise to him when he arrived at the conference room for his next meeting.
"Alright there, Albus?" Williamson asked from his seat. He was sorting through reports, clearly using the pre-meeting time to stay on top of his mountain of work.
Nodding in greeting, Dumbledore took a seat across from the head Auror. "Henry. Just lost in thought, I suppose. Not an unusual event these days."
"Myrtle sent a memo down. The Minister is finishing up a meeting at the international magical cooperation offices."
"It's just the three of us then?"
Williamson nodded, not looking up from his file. "The Minister is still trying to keep this information need to know. Right now, we're the only ones who need to know."
"I trust Nelson and Penny are enjoying their special assignment?"
At that, Henry laughed. "They seemed to be grateful for the location Harry and Hermione chose to visit. It's been sunny and peaceful. I suspect all four of them will come back tan and relaxed."
"Tan and relaxed. That sounds like something I don't have time for," Kingsley said as he entered the room. Albus and Henry stood out of habit and were waved back to their seats. "It seems we might have a mess on our hands. Tom's manifesto is raising a lot of questions from all corners of our community."
"I think it's the group who aren't asking questions that should be a greater concern," Williamson commented.
"Spoken like a proper Auror," the Minister observed. "It does raise questions about what to do with Tom exactly."
"We can't deny him a trial. That will play into his hand," Dumbledore observed. He knew the problem with that answer, it was the best worst option.
"And if the Wizengamot decides he can't be held responsible for Voldemort's crimes?" Williamson asked.
Kingsley shifted uncomfortably. "He technically can't be held responsible for anything that happened after he was cloned. We can only charge him with his crimes. That he committed."
"Kidnapping, torture, the cruciatus curse, treason," Albus listed. "It should be enough to put him away."
"Not without Hermione's testimony," Henry countered. "Or get Bellatrix to flip. That's not bloody likely. We'll need Hermione for Sadie's trial too for that matter. Gratefully, Bellatrix won't need a new trial. Her previous conviction stands. She's back where she belongs." Neither Shacklebolt nor Albus were comfortable with the truth. Henry seemed to finally understand the main thrust of this particular agenda item. Find a way to protect Hermione. "He has Voldemort's memories now. All of them. There could be a case to be made that he is Voldemort now."
"Trial prep has just begun for each case. They've already requested a deposition from the director. We can measure her response to the request," Shacklebolt concluded, ready to move on. "Lucius believes his cover is still intact. He's reported increased interest in the ritual Tom outlined. No surprise. I suspect that even if there's a healthy skepticism to the idea of purging muggle blood from a halfblood, that doesn't mean there won't be a line of witches and wizards ready to claim they underwent the process."
"You think we need a public trial," Albus said. Not sure how he felt about the idea. It would be a spectacle. Precisely what Tom would want. Certainly not a spectacle Hermione would want to be a part of.
"It's something we need to consider. Pros and cons. I want you both to think about it and get back to me."