July 30th, 2004
Harry exhales heavily. "Fuck." His hand goes through his face in an exasperated motion.
He just received another threat. This one is way more aggressive than the others. But he has no idea what to do. The terrible feeling inside his chest is suffocating him a bit and he does the only thing he can think of. He sends Hermione a patronus.
And with the paper in his hands, Harry waits for her. He knows she's coming. He knows she's going to stop everything she's doing to be there. And just this notion calms his heart.
Since she and Tessa made up, their friendship went back to some normalcy. They see each other a lot more now. They talk a lot more and they do have some fun together. He missed this a lot.
Not to mention the way Hermione is helping Tessa with the whole issue of her being a Muggle mother to a magical child. Harry could barely contain his joy when they went to Paris to have lunch with Hermione's parents - who went through the same thing. Tessa came back from that lunch with a whole different posture. Now she acknowledges Rachel's magic in a way that she couldn't or didn't know how to before. She talks with the girl and she explains why she can't do magic like dada and mama Mi. And they found incredible ways of bonding outside the magical atmosphere.
And this also made Tessa confront Leonard. Harry knows the man sometimes complains about the fact that Rachel is magical and such, but Tessa made it clear that he has a choice. He can love his granddaughter the way she is, or he can disappear from their lives again and never come back. Leonard chose to stay. And Harry now can even have a few conversations with the man without wanting to punch him.
So, Harry can't complain. Things are good.
Well, except for this. The threat.
He looks up when he hears the apparition sound.
"Hey." She smiles at him and he smiles back. She's wearing her healer's coat. They share a brief hug. "What is it? Are you okay? Rach?"
He gulps and moves a wrist to magically close his study's door. Tessa is working, Rachel is at the Burrow. They're alone, but even so, he doesn't want their words to leave this room.
"I received another one." He shows her the paper. Hermione's expression completely changes in a blink. "It- the third one, Hermione."
Without a word she takes the paper and reads it. Harry watches the way she purses her lips, angry. He felt the same. How dare someone threaten a little girl's life like this? The words are graphic in the many ways Rachel should be tortured and killed. It makes him nauseous and murderous.
Hermione finishes reading it and crumples the paper, throwing it away on the desk. She also exhales heavily and closes her eyes. He can see that she's white as a sheet. Afraid.
"No one can touch her, Harry. The protections around the place are strong."
"I know."
"And we're always with her-"
"There are times she's only with Tessa and Leonard."
They share a look. They're Muggles. They can't protect Rach. Not against wizards.
"You need to tell Tessa, then."
He makes a face. "No. Hermione I don't wanna worry her. And, fuck-" He stops, running a hand through his hair.
"Harry, she's not going to blame you for this. I told you. It's not your fault."
He shakes his head. "But it kind of is, isn't it?" He shrugs. "If she'd had a child with a Muggle this would not happen-"
"If this, if that, if whatever. I'm so tired of it. Stop thinking about realities that are not. We have to face things as they are, Harry." She looks extremely serious. "Look," She sighs, "you're not supposed to know this, but given this shit, I need to tell you." He frowns. "We're throwing you a surprise birthday party tomorrow."
He groans. "Why?" Hermione opens a tiny smile at his reaction.
"Because we love you."
They hold their gazes. It's- it's been a long time since he last heard these words from Hermione. And he knows she's talking about all of them, but… she averts her eyes first.
"And I mean," Hermione continues, "If you think we shouldn't because of the threat, we can cancel it, it's fine."
He ponders for a moment. In a party people are not paying the utmost attention to their surroundings and such. If they don't see it, someone can enter the house with a spell or a potion. Rachel could vanish under their noses-
"Harry, we're all going to be here, I won't take my eyes off of her. Nothing bad will happen."
"Well, only you, Ron and I know about these threats, right?"
"Gustave knows too."
Harry purses his lips. Now that Hermione comes to the house a lot more, she's always with Gustave. And the times she invited everyone to go to Paris and spend a day with her, Gustave was also there. It's like they're connected to the hip. Since they seem truly happy, Harry does his best to ignore a few emotions that keep bothering him each time he looks at them.
"You share everything, huh?" He can't help saying, though.
Hermione squints. "We do. He also takes care of Rach, Harry."
He bites his tongue not to be unpleasant. He has no right in being jealous. "Okay, so, four of us know. We can keep our eyes on her the entire time… I don't wanna ruin the party."
She lets out a faint chuckle. "Oh, by the way, I'm sorry about it. It was Ron's idea."
"I should have guessed." He snorts. Then, he thinks about his last birthday. It- Hermione made it perfect. The restaurant and the exposition… Their ride on the broom, and that blowjob- He clears his throat, feeling hot.
She blinks a few times, crossing her arms. They're thinking the same thing. Harry might be even blushing a little.
"I- We-" Hermione shakes her head, "I mean, do you wanna take this to the Ministry? The Law Enforcement?"
"I don't know." He says in a low voice. "I've been thinking a lot about this and I really don't know what to do. No one is gonna protect Rachel better than we are. And the more people know about it, the more threatened I feel, you know?"
"I understand."
"If I take this to them, the Aurors will be all over my house all the time. I don't want that. We have no idea who's making these threats. What if it's someone from inside? If I go to them I give them access on my life. On our routine."
"Exactly."
"And maybe whoever is making them has no way of being an actual threat. Maybe it's just a low life that has nothing better to do and wants to keep harassing me for no reason. You know some people are like that."
Hermione nods, thinking, one fisted hand supporting her chin. "I… maybe we should tell Draco and Gin, then."
Harry makes a face. "Gin's pregnant and-"
"Harry. We all love Rachel to death and we want to protect her. If you're not getting authorities involved in this, then I think we need to be more prepared." Harry hesitates. Hermione comes closer to him, her hands on his arms. "Hey, look at me." He does. "Regardless anything, we want to protect Rach and again, this is not your fault."
He sighs and brings her to him, his arms around her waist, hers around his neck. Harry closes his eyes and lets her embrace do its own magic. It's like Hermione has another kind of healing power. The power of soothing him. No one else does it like her.
It's such a warm hug. Safe.
And when she pulls back, she takes his face in her hands and lowers his head a bit, her lips touching his scar, the softest kiss possible. He inhales deeply and, wanting to return this enormous gesture, he kisses her forehead.
"Tell me it's going to be fine." He whispers, their foreheads touching.
"It's going to be fine." She pulls back with a smile. "I'll tell Draco and Gin, okay? You worry about faking surprise tomorrow, please. Tessa is going to kill me if she finds out that I ruined everything." He chuckles, nodding. "Okay, I need to go back, those patients aren't going to heal themselves. See you tomorrow."
He winks at her, squeezing her hand before she goes.
When she's not there anymore, he feels... empty. Her smell lingers in the room.
But he blinks and shakes his head. He needs to fetch Rachel.
July 31st, 2004
Hermione was surprised by how well Harry faked his surprise when he entered the house and they all yelled 'SURPRISE'. It was a nice moment, fun. He opened a huge smile and kissed Tessa when she went to him. She admits that there are times these kisses are still a bit hard to watch. Hermione knows that a lot is buried deep inside her, a lot that she prefers to keep buried. She deals pretty well with being around them now. Since she talked to Tessa and they made up, things are so much better that seeing them sharing a few kisses is a fair price to pay.
They reconnected incredibly fast after that talk. It was natural and like riding a bike. Like time hadn't passed at all. They really left it all behind. The best in all of this is that Rachel is happier. The little girl loves that she has two mums. She loves the days she spends with Hermione and she loves that they're all together more often now. This is enough for Hermione. She doesn't want anything else. She got to keep Rachel, she has Tessa back in her life, and she can talk normally to Harry without it turning into a soap opera, so, yeah. She can define everything as amazing.
And while she keeps her eyes on Rachel, she enjoys the party. Lately Harry went back to the magical cooking lessons that he had stopped because Tessa didn't like them, but Hermione told her that it was silly not liking something that is so pure and makes everything taste better. And from what Harry told her on one of the last dinners they had, he's excelling in the class and the chefs are very eager to invest in him. So, a lot of people from these lessons are there at the party. Harry is right now talking to one of them, an investor. They want him to open a restaurant at Diagon Alley and Hermione is excited about it. She and Ron are pushing him to do it. Harry resists a bit, but she can see that he wants it badly.
Gustave comes to her with a drink. She smiles at him, accepting it. They're in a nice conversation with a couple - parents from Rachel's School - that Harry has more contact with. Ron is participating and taking over it with his many stories. She gives Gustave a peck and he pulls her closer to him by the waist. Rachel and her little friend, the daughter from the nice couple, come to them and Gustave fetches her.
Hermione imagines that the fact that they're side by side and he's holding a child, brings up the next question:
"Aw, you two are such a beautiful couple." The woman, Lenna says. "How long have you been together?"
Hermione smiles. Gustave one day said to her that he hated relationships because people are always asking questions like these. They share a look. They know the next question is if they're thinking about getting married. And then, having kids. But Harry saves them momentarily when he approaches the conversation. He's smiling, but his eyes are on the way Rachel looks so comfortable in Gustave's arms. Hermione squints at the scene when Harry calls Rach to his arms. Ron nudges her discreetly and they share a glance.
Ron has been fueling this thought. He's always telling Hermione how incredibly jealous Harry is of Gustave. When it comes to Rachel and when it comes to her. But Hermione doesn't want to get into this conversation because this will open a giant list of other questions that she refuses to answer or prod into. Like why is Harry so jealous? He doesn't act like this with any other adult man in Rachel's life. It's only with Gustave. Every time Rachel is having a nice time with her boyfriend, Harry shows up from nowhere and interrupts it. He takes Rachel or changes the whole scenery so they're not close anymore. And with her… she already caught him looking at them with a sour expression. Many times over the last months. Not to mention that Harry is always disagreeing with Gustave. He's not impolite, it's more subtle than what he used to do with Noah, but even so, it's the same thing.
Harry greets the couple and after a few words, Lenna asks again for how long Gustave and Hermione have been together.
"How long, love?" Hermione asks him, smiling. She knows Gustave is pissed. And it's so nice to have some fun at his expense. Harry is paying attention, Rachel already gone from his arms.
"Hmm, for real?" Gustave says, "Like, we've known each other since you moved to Paris, right? I was the first healer you talked to." He makes a cute face at her and Hermione kisses his cheek. "But as a couple I think… around seven months?" He's kind of affirming, kind of asking her.
"Oh, if you consider the first time you said 'I love you', then, yeah." Hermione jokes, smiling. Harry is not smiling and Ron nudges her again.
"That's right!" Gustave says, chuckling. "She's a tough one, this one." He squeezes her waist. "I said the words first and she tried to distract me with sex because she couldn't say them back at the time." This earns a few laughs from the others. Not Harry's, though. He's looking at her with an intense gaze. "But that's why I'm not letting her go. No matter what." Gustave says in a serious tone and Hermione can't believe when he turns to Harry to say these words.
"And what about marriage?" The man, Marius, asks.
Hermione and Gustave share a laugh and a look.
"We're not thinking about-" Hermione begins.
"We aren't?" Gustave asks her. "Maybe we should, then." He says to her, not joking.
Hermione tilts her head, not worried about the others now. "Yeah?"
He winks at her. "Yeah. Right, Ron?" He tries lightening the mood and Ron smiles.
"Only if I'm best man!"
"Of course." Gustave says, smiling.
And then the conversation changes and Hermione tries to avert her eyes from Harry's, but she discovers that she can't. She discovers that they're trapped in an elaborated standoff. He's openly looking at her with jealousy in his eyes. And she's not backing away from his emotion, she's intrigued. He's saying something to her, and she's asking what the hell he wants with this. She wonders if he's about to make a scene with her boyfriend. Harry raises an eyebrow. Clearly saying that he won't ruin the party. She squints, she wants to know why he's jealous. Why it bothers him. Harry shrugs and drinks from his beer, not quite knowing the answer or not wanting to reveal it.
"Hermione." Ron calls her, "Can you help me with something? In the kitchen?"
"Sure."
She internally thanks Ron for saving her from this moment and as they walk to the kitchen, he squeezes her arm. "Fuck, the way you and Harry talk without words still freaks me out."
"You noticed?" She frowns. "Do you think Gus-"
"No. I can tell because, well, because I'm me and you two are you."
Hermione chuckles, that's enough explanation. When they enter the kitchen, she asks him, "What do you want my help with?"
"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to save you."
"My hero." She jokes and they share a laugh.
"What's so funny?" Tessa enters the kitchen with an empty bowl of food, her eyes on them, lingering on Ron.
He clears his throat, "The way Hermione was all flustered because Gustave was talking about marriage."
Tessa widens her eyes, "Is that so? Oh, tell me everything." She's smiling.
"It's nothing, really. Gus was just joking."
"It didn't seem so." Ron says, giving Tessa a pointed look. "But a wedding in Paris is going to be nice, isn't it? You should marry at the Eiffel Tower."
"Uh! Yes! It would be so beautiful." Tessa backs him up on the idea.
Hermione only shakes her head. "Well, if he happens to propose, we'll talk about it, but until then, let's just leave things as they are."
"Yeah, yeah." Ron is walking inside the kitchen looking for something. "You can't even let us have this!" He keeps searching, his eyes going from one place to another, "I mean, I can help you plan everything and-"
Ron stops when Tessa extends to him what he was probably looking for. Hermione observes the scene. Ron blushes and takes the bag of chips from her hands. Tessa and Ron share a look. And Tessa also blushes. And there's so much happening that Hermione can't even process it all at once. They look shy. Tessa knew exactly what he was looking for. And suddenly she gives Hermione a smile and exits the kitchen, going back to the party.
Hermione turns to Ron, he's already trying to run away from her and she goes after him, holding his arm. "Oh, don't you dare. What the hell was that?" She asks in a low voice, both close.
"Nothing, don't be crazy."
"Ron." Her voice carries the clear alert. "Don't lie to me."
He rolls his eyes and grunts. "I-" He shrugs. "I don't know, we're friends, what's wrong in that?"
"Friends?" Hermione scoffs, shaking her head. "Did something else happen between you two? Something you're not telling me?"
He hesitates but then he sighs. She waits. "Not the way you're thinking. We- We can't talk about this now." He says, nervous.
Hermione purses her lips but nods. "Okay. Fine. But you're going to tell me everything."
"It's nothing, really. But, yeah, okay."
He leaves the kitchen and Hermione leans on a counter, turning to the other side so she can see the backyard and the party happening outside - the backyard is beautifully lit and it's a full moon. Rachel is with the Weasleys, Draco and Gin with them. They were shocked when Hermione told them about the threats. Draco was so angry, she's sure she never saw him like that. And Ginny cried. Then she exploded into a fit of rage. Then they laughed at the way the pregnancy is messing with her emotions.
But Hermione is calm. She knows nothing bad will happen. Everyone inside this party already came here. The people from the Wizarding School are with Rachel every week, if they wanted to harm her they would have done it already. And the rest is practically family.
So, she summons a glass of wine and sips on it, thinking.
About Ron and Tessa.
She knows they shared two kisses. She knows Ron sometimes has private conversations with Tessa, an example is the one when he told her about the diary. Everyone is getting together all the time now and Hermione can't tell if Ron and Tessa disappear at the same time, she's not usually paying attention to this because she imagined that nothing more would happen…
Tessa never mentioned the kisses to Hermione. She probably thinks Hermione doesn't know and most of the time Tessa pretends that she barely likes Ron, but what her eyes just saw in this kitchen says otherwise. They talk and they share moments. They pay attention to one another or else Tessa wouldn't know what Ron was looking for, what kind of chips… the only one he eats.
Oh, shit. Hermione can feel that this is not good. And what the hell is Tessa thinking? What about Harry? What about that whole shit of him being the one? The love of her life? Has this changed? Is she falling in love with Ron? What the hell is happening?
Too many questions to answers that… not really concern her. Hermione snorts and drinks some more wine. Indeed. She has nothing to do with their little mess. She's happy with her life, with Gustave, so…
Her eyes stop at Harry outside. He's laughing with his arm around Tessa. Hermione exhales heavily. She doesn't want him to get hurt. She doesn't want Harry to suffer. She knows he loves Tessa. He wants Tessa. She's the one for him.
But Hermione won't tell him a thing. She's not doing this.
Tessa and Ron need to solve their shit and Tessa needs to be honest with Harry, come clean, because if she's feeling something for Ron, it's not fair to Harry, not fair to-
No.
She shuts down the thought. She's over Harry. Their story is over.
Drinking the rest of the wine, she heads back outside.
Ron is looking at some photos, smiling. He took some nice ones with Harry. The party is ending and most people are already gone. Hermione and Gustave already left and he's thinking about leaving with Draco and Ginny, but they're still talking to Harry downstairs. Rachel is in bed, sleeping like an angel. Ron is glad that nothing happened, glad that no one tried to kidnap her or anything. In his opinion these threats are ridiculous. No one is gonna kidnap Harry Potter's daughter, for fuck's sake. But they're right in worrying and keeping an eye on her.
He hears the door opening but he doesn't look up. He knows it's Tessa. They've been meeting inside this room for months now. Since that kiss at Rachel's party.
"Hey." She whispers, coming closer to him, a smile on her face.
"Hey." He also smiles. He can't help smiling when they're together.
They haven't shared more kisses. But Ron is not sure if what they share now isn't more… dangerous than a few kisses. When they meet like this, they mostly talk. They talk and laugh and he can't stop himself from admiring her. It's like they created a dome for themselves. These talks are different from the ones they have when everyone is together. They don't measure their words, they don't try to hide the ugly or the bad.
They simply open up about life. About routine. About everything.
It astonished him how many things in common they have. There are times that she goes on and on about her photographs and he absorbs her every word. The times he tried to explain to her what being an Alchemist actually is, they couldn't stop laughing. Tessa can't understand a thing, but she keeps nodding her head. She always listens to him with a smile on her face too.
And Ron knows this is getting out of hand. He knows he's in love with her. But he's not sure how she feels. He can't tell. Yeah, it's true that her relationship with Harry is at a good place now, but he doesn't see that same fascination in her eyes when she talks about Harry or when they're together. Ron feels like they're putting up an act to the others. They're playing their roles as Rachel's parents. And that's it.
A huge indication for him is the fact that Tessa is not jealous of Hermione anymore. She doesn't care if Harry and Hermione are alone inside a room. She doesn't mind their few hugs and kisses on the cheek. It's clear that Tessa is finally, in a way, healing.
Ron talked a lot with her about therapy. As she usually does, she listened to him. It didn't seem like she would take his advice, but then, she surprised him when, one month ago, she told him that she had seen a therapist. That she liked it. She continues to do so. Ron thinks Harry doesn't know about it.
But it was an amazing thing. She's so much calmer now.
In his opinion, Tessa is blooming.
She finally woke up.
And he's so glad he gets to be part of it.
He watches while her mouth moves, she's talking about something he's not quite listening. He's mesmerized by the way she squints her eyes or opens them widely depending on what she's talking about. He's fascinated by the way she moves her hands and tucks her hair behind her ear-
"Are you listening?" She snaps two fingers in front of him and Ron blinks a few times.
They share a chuckle.
"I-" He clears his throat. His heart is pounding inside his chest. She's looking at him tenderly and- "I'm in love with you." Ron blurts out.
Tessa widens her eyes. She clearly stops breathing. Then, she opens and closes her mouth.
"What?" Her voice comes out strange.
He gulps. Now that he started he's not backing off. "I- I can't take this anymore, Tess. I wanna be with you."
She gulps and averts her eyes. Tessa combs her hair with her hands and shakes her head.
"Ron, I-"
"What are you afraid of? I can see you feel the same."
Tessa makes a face, crossing her arms. "I have a daughter I need to think about and-"
"We can make it work. We can-"
"I'm not going to ruin my life with Harry for-" She stops.
Oh.
He looks down, sad, gulping.
She tries to mend it, "Oh, I didn't mean-"
"I get it. You're not gonna ruin your life for me, right? After all, who am I?" He snorts. "Years ago I would go completely mad because of this, but you know what? I've grown and I'm tired of playing games. I wanna be with you. I love you." She widens her eyes again, shocked. "But I'm not gonna beg." He takes her hands in his. "I can see that you feel it too, Tess, you do." She's shaking her head. "Give us a chance, I know we can make this work."
"No. Ron. No." She pulls her hands from his and takes a few steps back. He sets his jaw not to cry. "I choose Harry. If you want a decision, there, you have it."
He nods, his heart breaking. "Okay, then. Be happy, Tess."
And without another word, he apparates.
Tessa and Rachel are already asleep but his mind is working fast. He can't stop thinking about that conversation about marriage. It- Gustave was serious when he said that they should consider. And Harry was openly jealous about it. At least to Hermione. She knew what he was feeling and she couldn't understand his emotion. Which is fair. Sometimes he doesn't understand it either.
It's not like things with Tessa are bad. They're not. They're finally good and they enjoy each other a lot-
Harry groans, walking to his study. The house is silent and he magically makes some tea in an attempt to calm his nerves. It was a stressful day. His birthday and the looming fear of something happening to Rachel really sucked all his energy. Now, he can relax a little and the only thing he can think about is Hermione.
He enters the study and stops on his tracks. There's a wrapped gift attached to a green balloon on his desk.
His heart swells and he opens the biggest smile ever. Slowly he walks to the present - that's obviously a book - and he sees a card over it:
Hey, there, old man.
It would make me sad to break this tradition. You deserve your balloon. Rachel told me I should pick the green one. It suits your eyes.
I didn't want to give it to you in front of the others because, you know, it's our thing. It's personal. And I don't usually get too emotional on birthdays, but there are a few things I wanna say to you.
Harry, you're always going to be my best friend and I wish you the best things this world can offer. You deserve to be the happiest man who ever lived. You deserve to feel loved and you owe to yourself to love with all your heart.
I don't know what I would do without you in my life, so, I'm glad I don't have to find out.
Happy birthday,
Hermione.
P.s. This book is worth it, I swear.
He swallows the lump in his throat. He's shaking a bit when he tears the wrap. And he laughs loudly when he sees the title: Hogwarts, A History. Oh, Hermione. His hand goes over the cover, he can tell this is a special edition and when he opens the book, there's another little note from her: FINISH IT!
A tear runs down his cheek and he wipes it, a huge smile on his face. Harry sits down and closes his eyes, clutching the book. His heart hurts. From longing and from happiness. It's a mixture of emotions. Each time he's in the same room with Hermione it's a small torture. He can't touch her. He can't kiss her. He can't smile at her the way he wants to, he can't even admire her. And he has to watch while Gustave does it all. He has to smile and kiss Tessa's hand while that idiot is kissing Hermione. He has to pretend that their conversations about their life together don't bother him. He has to listen to how amazing their job is and how lucky they consider themselves because they found each other. Harry remembers how his blood boiled one day when Gustave was stating how glad he was that St. Mungo's treated the staff badly because that way he got to meet Hermione.
But he's also happy for her. So happy. So proud and so eager to see her strive even more. Even if he has to watch from afar. Even if he has to accept the role as her friend. He snorts at the thought. He's not even her best friend anymore. Hermione said so in the note, but he knows that Ron is much closer to that than him now.
All these emotions and sensations are always in conflict with the life he's trying to build with Tessa. Harry feels like he owes this to them, he owes this because of the accident. Because they would have lived it if it weren't for that-
But-
As he said many times to Hermione… the accident happened. And they're not the same anymore. He doesn't feel what he felt for Tessa, the way he felt, anymore. However, Tessa is doing her best, trying her best and he would feel like the worst ass now to ruin this. Specially not being sure if Hermione… feels something for him still. He has to confess that he can't tell. She doesn't act jealous. She loves Tessa and she's always rooting for them as a couple and as individuals. She never touches him in a different way and the times she looks at him with some longing are extremely rare.
And, fuck, she does look happy with Gustave.
Harry gulps. However, he heard something today that- Gustave said that the first time he said 'I love you' to Hermione she didn't say it back. This… because she loves me? Or at least, she did. Apparently now she has no problem in loving Gustave.
Running a hand through his hair he looks at the green balloon. Their thing. Their tradition.
Drinking his tea, he puts the book in a special place on the shelf along with her beautiful note. Then, he magically puts the balloon with the others at the ceiling. Tessa had taken them to the basement but Harry made a clear point when he brought them here to his study.
He has no idea how long he stays there. His heart torn with heaviness and happiness.
September 3rd, 2004
Hermione is reading one of her cases when Gustave apparates inside. He has a mischievous smile on his face and she immediately knows he's up to something. He stays there in front of her, his hands inside his pockets.
"What?" She asks, tilting her head and also smiling, closing the file.
"I have some good news." His smile gets wider and he takes the steps to the couch where she's sitting, leaning to her, his mouth on hers, he says, "Very good news."
"Hm." She kisses him, pulling him to her. With a natural understanding, he sits and she straddles him. "What kind of news?" She asks, nuzzling him. Hermione likes his smell a lot - something musky and manly.
"Well," He's squeezing her waist. Hermione moves her hips against his, their eyes meeting. "It's been a year since you started the program, right?" Her hands go into his marvelous blond hair. "And you know that after a year they reassess the healers' status."
She stops moving. Her heart is beating faster. She applied for a permanent spot. She wants to stay.
"Did I get it?" Her voice is low, expectant.
"You did." He smiles, "Of course you did."
Hermione opens her mouth and then they laugh together, hugging and celebrating. Both wanted this. Gustave was more anxious than her if she's honest. He kept saying that the Hôpital's Head would be completely crazy not to include her in their staff.
"Oh, shit, Gustave!" She's so happy.
"I know!"
They share another kiss and he rises from the couch with her in his arms, her legs around his waist. He's heading to the bedroom. Hermione internally chuckles. He hates making love on the couch or in the kitchen, or whatever. He said that they need to be comfortable and there isn't a better place for this than their fluffy bed. She kind of agrees.
When he lays her down and starts to spread kisses all over her collarbone, Hermione eagerly tries to unbutton his shirt. They chuckle and he moves back to get rid of the shirt himself. She watches him with a smile on her face. This is-
He stops when he gets to the last button. Hermione waits, frowning. "So? Are you taking it off or…?" She jokes.
But he's not laughing. There's a different expression on his face that she never saw before. He's serious. And he's looking at her with so much love that it takes her breath away for a second.
Hermione supports herself on her elbows and Gustave leans to her, his mouth on hers. He gives her the softest kiss ever and Hermione can feel the atmosphere around them changing…
"Hermione, mon couer." He's caressing her cheek. "Marry me."
She widens her eyes. Shocked. So extremely shocked. It's the first time someone proposes to her. And just hearing the words make her stomach churn. From excitement and… fear.
But… she's smiling.
And he's smiling too.
While he waits for an answer, he kisses her cheek. Then the other. Her jaw, her chin. Her forehead and her nose.
Then he looks into her eyes again. Gustave's eyes are black. Like the night, they shine just the same. And she loves them.
She loves him.
"Yes."
September 5th, 2004
The moment the patronus reached him while he was fetching Rach at School, Harry apparated home with her, yelling for Tessa. Gladly she was there and now they're entering St. Mungo's together. He can feel a few eyes on them, but he keeps her hand in his, Rachel holding the other while they walk to the maternity wing.
It happened fast. Draco said that Ginny's water broke and her contractions were impossibly strong. In a blink they took the magical car - because it's not advised that she apparates when in labor - and in a bit more than an hour, baby girl Linda was there.
Harry is so happy for them. Rachel is also excited. She loved the idea that a baby was growing inside Ginny's belly. Each time they met Rachel wanted to hear the baby inside or see the belly moving. And she was very curious to know how a baby would come out of aunt Ginny. Harry and Tessa had a good laugh about it.
The Weasleys are all there. And it's a huge celebration at the waiting room. Ron appears later, coming with a sandwich in his hands. He has a huge smile on his face. Harry's sure he never saw it this wide. Ron is jumping in place like a kid while he tells Rachel that she has a cousin now. It warms Harry's heart. So fucking much. They're family.
"Hey, Ron, how are you?" Tessa asks when Ron stops talking to Rachel and greets Harry. It… Tessa looks nervous. Harry tilts his head.
"Fine. Excuse me, guys." Ron answers and goes talk to George.
Harry frowns. What? He never saw Tessa talking to Ron so directly like this and he never saw Ron treat her so badly. He looks at Tessa. She seems… sad. Harry squints. His eyes go back to Ron. Then to Tessa… she's looking at Ron in a way that-
She blinks fast and smiles at Rachel. "Are you excited to meet your cousin, then?" Rachel lets out a little yell and they chuckle, then, she goes to Molly, trying to bribe her 'fake' grandmother into giving her some candy.
"Can you imagine if Hermione has a child?" Tessa asks, watching Rachel. Harry's heart starts to beat faster. "I mean, the kid would be practically Rachel's sibling and cousin at the same time."
Harry doesn't answer because, exactly in that moment, Hermione and Gustave appear at the end of the hallway. They're walking with their hands clasped together and they look so happy that Harry has to avert his eyes.
Tessa and Hermione hug and he shakes hands with Gustave. Hermione doesn't move to give him a kiss on the cheek or a hug, she just stays there with her hand glued to her boyfriend's.
"This is so amazing!" Hermione exclaims. "I can't wait to meet little Linda! Oh, I hope she has red hair."
Gustave chuckles and agrees. Then, he says, "I'm sorry if we look too excited, we only see tragic cases at the Hôpital so, a birth is always a reason to be happy."
Hermione agrees, smiling. Harry has no words. It's like his throat is closed. He's still thinking about what Tessa said. Hermione with children of her own. And he barely pays attention when Rachel comes to hug Hermione. He barely hears what they're talking about. It- A pregnant Hermione would be the most incredible and beautiful thing in this world-
"Oh, my!" A healer comes from the room Ginny and Draco are in with their daughter. "I often forgot how many Weasleys are there." The woman jokes and then she looks at Hermione. "Hermione!" They share a half hug. "I guess that's the only way of seeing you in St. Mungo's again, huh? Visiting. I heard about the news, congratulations." They all kind of frown. Surely these are news Hermione hasn't told them yet but she thanks the healer, blushing. "You can go in now." She says to the others, "But not everyone at once, okay? Mama and her baby girl are fine."
They kind of chuckle and thank the healer. When she leaves, Hermione shares a look with Gustave. He kisses her cheek. To Harry's relief, he doesn't need to ask what the healer was talking about because Ron does it for him.
"Hermione, what news? What haven't you told me?" He makes a face at her and Hermione rolls her eyes.
"I just heard about it two days ago and I don't think this is the time or place-"
"Love, just tell them." Gustave says, shrugging.
She inhales deeply. Along with Ron and Tessa, Harry's paying attention, curious.
"Okay, fine." Hermione says, "I- I'm part of the Hôpital staff now. I'm staying in Paris. For good."
He… Harry wants to cry. And he tries to swallow but his mouth is dry. He's not having a reaction and while Tessa and Ron hug Hermione telling her that this is awesome, he's unable to function. Gustave is looking at him with a raised eyebrow and some smugness.
But when Hermione looks at him, waiting for something, he moves.
"Congratulations!" He says in a high pitched voice, hugging her. "I know how much you wanted it. I'm happy for you." He says into her ear. And then, not giving a damn, he kisses her cheek, lingering a bit.
She's smiling when he pulls back from the hug. A very faint blush on her neck.
"Thanks." Hermione says, her voice low.
And for an infinitesimal moment… it's only them.
Everything they could have been flashing before his eyes-
It's Gustave who breaks their contact when he kisses Hermione's cheek.
And then, they all go meet little Linda.
September 19th, 2004
"I can't believe Hermione ditched us to travel with her boyfriend on her birthday." Ron mumbles.
He's in a sour mood. The only thing that stops him from feeling totally depressed is his niece Linda. The girl is just the cutest baby he ever saw. All wrinkly and small hands and feet. And she looks like Ginny. Thank fuck.
But, yeah. Hermione has been away with Gustave for more than a week now and he hates his days in Paris without her. He hates that he can't stop thinking about Tessa and the fact that she broke his heart. But he's trying to move on, so, that's why he brought a date tonight.
They're at Draco and Ginny's. Linda is asleep now and they're having dinner while enjoying a nice conversation - Rachel is watching some cartoons at the living room where they can see her from the table. Before Hermione ditched them, they had already thought about a gathering on her birthday, and even if the birthday woman isn't there, they'll celebrate.
Harry also seems to be in a sour mood. He's barely talking and Ron knows why. Because he misses Hermione. Because he loves her and he's a coward who's afraid to fully embrace the feeling and end things with Tessa.
Tessa, however, is talking a lot, which is odd. She's making all kinds of questions to Ron's date, Ingrid. She's also British and she works with Ron at the French Ministry. They've already gone out a bunch of times, but it was never serious. Maybe now they can take things a step further. Ron's considering. That's why he brought her. He wants to know what Ginny thinks.
And well… Hermione told him to man up. He didn't share with her everything that happened between him and Tessa, but he told her that he was indeed in love and Tessa chose Harry. Hermione shook her head and said that Ron should prepare for the day that they're going to announce their engagement and so on. Second child. Stuff like that.
Yeah, he agreed with her. It seems like even imprisoned in a loveless relationship, Harry and Tessa are going to sink with this ship just to show others that everything they went through to be together was worth it.
Pathetic.
"Right?" Ginny says, agreeing with his observation. "But don't get me wrong, Gustave is worth it." She chuckles at Draco's face. Tessa lets out a faint chuckle too. "Do you know him, Ingrid? Do you guys go out together a lot in Paris?"
"Yeah, we do. I mean, not all the time because we all work like crazy." Ingrid smiles. "Gustave and Hermione are so nice. We always have a good time, don't we, Ron?"
"We do." He says with a small smile.
"Is that so? What do you guys do?" Tessa asks in a sharp tone, drinking some wine. Harry seems about to explode from anger.
Ron squints. "You know, double dates and such. We walk down the Seine at night. We visit restaurants, sometimes we go to clubs, Gustave knows a bunch of good ones, that stuff."
Ingrid agrees by his side, taking Ron's hand over the table. Tessa is looking at them and if Ron is not mistaken… it looks like she's jealous.
It infuriates him. She has no right. She chose Harry. And she should be angry at the way the love of her life is so openly jealous of Gustave, not at the fact that Ron is holding hands with another woman.
"Oh," Ingrid says when she looks at her watch. "I need to go."
"Okay, we should-" Ron begins, but she cuts him.
"No. I mean, stay, Ron." She smiles. "I need to sleep, anyway." She winks at him and he chuckles. "I have an important meeting tomorrow morning." She says to the others. "I still need to prepare and such."
"Are you sure? I can go with you-"
She gives him a peck. "I'm sure. It's fine. Gin, Draco, thank you so much for having me."
Ron stays put while Ingrid says her goodbyes. She hugs Ginny and Draco but she waves from afar to Harry and Tessa. Tessa doesn't return the gesture, the only thing she does is open a sarcastic smile.
Then, when Ingrid is gone, Linda starts to cry. Draco and Ginny leave the table to see what's happening - she's probably hungry - and Ron is left with Harry and Tessa.
"So, mate." He says, ignoring Tessa - who keeps looking at him. "What about the restaurant?"
Harry sighs, "I'm thinking about it, I mean, they made me a pretty good offer…"
"Do it." Ron says and sips on his drink. "It's gonna be huge."
"Yeah, but, you know me." Harry shrugs. "I don't know if I want something like that… will people go to the restaurant to eat my food or to meet Harry Potter?"
Ron tilts his head. Tessa's still staring at him. "Well, I think it might be the second case at first, then the food."
Harry snorts a chuckle. "Yeah, maybe." Then, he clears his throat and makes the question that Ron knows he's been dying to make, "Do you know where Hermione went with Gustave?"
"I'm not sure. She said something about healing villages and stuff. They're weird with the whole being a healer thing. But I know they must be at some paradisaic island, bathing in the sun and celebrating Hermione's birthday in some fun way." He implies the obvious on purpose. He's so done with everyone's bullshit.
Harry chokes a bit and Tessa finally looks at him, squinting. But soon her eyes are back at Ron. There's a strange silence between them. Harry is not paying attention at the way Ron is raising an eyebrow at Tessa. She purses her lips.
"I'll watch a cartoon with Rach." Harry says, kissing Tessa's cheek and leaving the table.
They both watch while Harry sits on the couch with Rach and the girl snuggles closer to him.
Tessa opens her mouth, but Ron stands from his chair, fetching a few plates and heading to the kitchen, ignoring her completely. Since the day she chose Harry, he's been trying to pretend that she doesn't exist. And lately Tessa is doing all kinds of stuff to get his attention, failing. He knows she keeps waiting for him at the photo room. But he never went back there again.
He's not giving in to whatever sick game she wants to play. And when he enters the kitchen and notices that she followed him, Ron sighs. He sets the plates down and turns to her.
"What?" He asks sharply.
"Are you going to keep ignoring me?"
"I'm treating you as a friend, Tessa. As my best mate's girlfriend."
"Oh, don't be ridiculous! You're not even looking at me."
Their voices are low but they're both angry.
"What do you want? I'm respecting your choice. I've moved on."
"Oh, with Ingrid?" She says the name with disdain. "Or are you just trying to make me jealous?"
Ron snorts. "Please, I already told you that you're not the center-"
"Because if you're trying to make me jealous, you're succeeding." It's almost a whisper.
He gulps, widening his eyes. She wets her lips, looking down and breathing hard, shaking her head as if confused by her own emotions. He stays quiet, keeping a distance from her. The silence stretches and when her eyes go back to his, he says:
"I'm only trying to move on." His tone is a bit gentler now.
"You said you loved me." She closes the distance between them. "I- fuck, I can't stop thinking about it, I can't stop thinking about you." She shoves him with a hand, as if Ron is the one to blame. "And you're ignoring me while I'm trying to understand-"
He snorts. "While you're still trying to understand the obvious, Tessa, I've moved on. So, excuse me."
She holds him there by the hand, Tessa looks desperate and he doesn't know what to do either. But when she clearly moves to kiss him, he steps back and away from her.
"No." He says. "I'm done with this."
Tessa bites on her lower lip, there's some pain swimming in her eyes. "Ron, I-"
"Enough, Tessa. Enough." He says a bit more harshly, but his voice is low. "What the fuck do you want from me?" She gulps, making a face, but not answering. "I can't do this to Harry. Shit. I- I was ready to face everything to be with you but you rejected me. So, respect me now. Don't come after me ever again. I'm moving on and I don't love you anymore."
"You don't?" Her chin is trembling, her eyes are wide. Ron only shakes his head, doing his best to make it believable.
Letting out some air through his mouth, he goes past her and leaves.
She stays there. Alone.
All their ride back home was made in silence. Harry's mind is taken by Hermione. And he has no idea what's consuming Tessa, but she looks broken… sad.
So, when they enter their bedroom - Rachel already asleep in her bed - he asks, "Are you okay?"
Tessa only nods, entering the bathroom and closing the door behind her.
Harry sits on their bed, running a hand through his hair and sighing. He keeps looking at the door Tessa closed. He's… tired. That hollowness that's been inside him since Hermione told him she was moving to Paris is the only thing he can feel. He was distracted by other things in his life, but this hollow got bigger. It consumed him. Hermione's absence consumed him completely. He doesn't feel like himself anymore. Even seeing her all the time now, not having her on these kind of dates - like her birthday - is something that cuts his heart open. He wished he could've been with her all day.
He snorts. He gave up on a lot while trying to help Tessa. Also for Rachel's sake, of course. And he doesn't regret it in that regard, but… he sacrificed his love for Hermione. He tucked it away inside him and kept on living as if it never existed. He rolled over. He accepted the way Hermione first introduced what they had to Tessa like a minor thing-
Fuck. He can't help hating himself a bit for this.
But he feels like today was a breaking point. He cannot take this anymore. He's suffering. It feels like everyone else moved on and now he's stuck.
I need to end this.
And it's not like he didn't try. They tried. A lot. He tried more than he thinks was doable. But they need to face reality. They're both miserable. He can't stop thinking about Hermione. And it's been a while since he last felt that Tessa was in this relationship. The only thing keeping them together is Rachel. It feels like they're only going through motions, getting things done… sleeping and eating and taking care of their daughter. But they're not connected. At all.
And he doesn't love her anymore. He doesn't know how she's going to react, but he's had enough. Months ago he felt that ending things would send Tessa over the edge, but he doesn't feel this will happen now. He-
She comes out of the bathroom and stops in front of him. She's been crying.
There's a heavy silence between them.
Tessa crosses her arms, looking down.
"Tess, we need to talk-"
"We need-"
They say at the same time and stop together. Harry inhales deeply. And she does too.
And he can see in her eyes that she wants to have the same talk he does.
So, they begin to talk.
(…)