'Bloody 'ell Mione!' Ron cursed as he emerged from Hermione's fireplace and found her hunched over body, asleep on the sofa clutching an empty firewhisky bottle. He knew it was bad when firewhisky was involved, the witch usually sipped her butterbeer while the boys and Ginny downed the hard staff. He knew she would be knocked off kilter by Luna's appearance but wasn't expecting this. Ron quietly shuffled back towards the floo, whispering '12 Grimauld Place' as he dropped the powder.
Not 15 minutes later another ginger head popped through Hermione's fireplace. This one, a lot less inclined to leave the witch in her drunken slumber.
'Hermione Jean Granger! What in Merlin's blasted name do you think you're doing, wasted on a weekday like some… are you taking career advice from Mundungus now?' Ginny scolded Hermione in an uncanny impression of her mother, no-one dared to mention to the younger witch just how similar she had become in some ways for fear of her reproach.
Hermione blinked back to consciousness, her head fuzzy and pounding, her stomach churning with every word Ginny squawked at her.
'Gin? Wha…', Hermione croaked, pausing to clear her throat and look around for a drink, 'What are you doing here and why are you yelling at me?'
Ginny waved her wand towards the older witch's kitchen and summoned a glass of water, handing it to Hermione without softening her demeanour in the least.
'What am I doing here? My brother came frantically tumbling into my home, waking up the baby that I spent an entire hour getting to sleep and fretting because "Something's wrong with Mione". So, I leave my now screaming son with his questionably capable uncle to run my ass over here and what do I find? My best friend, who practically needs to be forced to take a day off, passed out drunk at 1 o'clock in the afternoon when she's meant to be at work.'
In the back of Hermione's whisky addled brain, some semblance of self-preservation tried to tell her that laughing right now was a really bad idea, but the fog won out and she couldn't help the giggle that slipped out. Especially looking at Ginny's face progressively growing redder.
'Don't make me hex your drunk ass Hermione,' Ginny scowled at the giggling witch before stomping into the kitchen to find the emergency stash of sober up potion. The redhead knew she probably shouldn't be so harsh, if Hermione was drunk on a work day then she really wasn't in a good place.
'Here take this and then you're getting in the bath.'
'Don't wanna, just leave me to rot. I'm obviously not worth it,' She slurred, slumping back onto the couch.
'C'mon 'Mione, don't say that. It's just the whisky talking. You'll feel better soon.' The redhead coaxed, her heart aching at the sight of the strongest witch she knew, barring her mother, looking so broken. Ginny knew that Luna leaving had been hard on Hermione, but she definitely did not expect this kind of reaction to her return.
After much back and forth, Ginny finally managed to get the older witch to begrudgingly swallow the potion. She summoned a headache potion and handed it to Hermione, predicting the thumping that started in her head as soon as she started to sober up.
Hermione groaned, the blissful numbness instantly subsiding into the cold emptiness sitting heavily in her chest which drove her to pick up the bottle in the first place.
"Mione, what's going on? It's been a long while since I've seen you like this"
"I don't want to talk about it Ginny", the older witch mumbled, not making eye contact at all.
Ginny sighed and gently took Hermione's hand, slowly pulling her up out of the chair she was trying to melt into. Complying begrudgingly, the older witch stood, letting Ginny give her a quick hug before shuffling towards to the bathroom.
"Do you want some tea while you soak?"
"It's ok Gin, you've done enough. I'll just have a quick shower and be out".
As soon as the door closed Ginny started tidying up and straightening up the living room, throwing out the empty bottle, before setting the tea kettle on the stove. She pottered about trying to be useful while wondering what had caused Hermione to break down like this.
Behind the bathroom door, the brunette slumped against the sink. Taking deep breathes she tried to catch her breath before the tears could start. Turning the tap until the water was scalding, Hermione quickly undressed and stepped into the steaming shower. She slumped to the floor and let the water flow over her. For thirty minutes she stayed, her mind whirling as the alcohol worked it's way out of her body.
Ginny finally decided it was time for Hermione to get out, knocking on the door. "Mione, there's a cuppa waiting for you".
Hermione got out slowly, knowing that Ginny wouldn't hesitate to barge through the door if she didn't. The witch didn't know where to begin explaining herself to her best friend. Merlin, she didn't even know how to explain it to herself.
As she wandered back into the living area, dressed in fresh pyjamas and feeling a little more alive, Hermione's heart warmed to see tea and fresh cookies waiting on the coffee table for her.
"You really didn't need to go to all this effort Ginny".
"Sure I did, my best friend's apparently in crisis and if my mother taught me anything it was how to provide comfort through food". The two women shared a soft smile at that, the wound of Mrs Weasley's death stinging no matter how much time passed.
Hermione dropped onto the couch with a sigh, "It's not even that big of a deal Gin, honestly I'm just being dramatic".
"Hermione, you haven't been 'dramatic' since you were like 12. No matter how big or small it is, something is obviously upsetting you".
Hermione sipped at her tea and tried to work out how and where to begin. "Let me have a cookie first and then I'll try to explain".