Snippets
Chapter Four
"You knew?!" Hermione shouts, looking at her friends incredulously. Surely they aren't saying what she thinks they're saying.
Harry and Ron both shrug, looking at her as if surprised by her outburst. Hermione had floo'd directly to 12 Grimmauld Place following her appointment with Healer Malfoy, and Ron happened to be over, checking on his sister as she creeps further on in her pregnancy, so Hermione decided to vent to them both about her unexpected afternoon.
Evidently, though, both of her friends have already experienced Healer Malfoy, and neither of them thought it fit to tell her.
"Well, yeah. Git was my Healer a few years ago," Ron explains, sipping from a bottle of Butterbeer. "Remember when I got hit with that curse? The one that…"
Ron trails off, but Hermione, of course, knows exactly to which curse he is referring.
"The one that made you think that you and I were still together? Despite the fact that you'd already been with Padma for almost two years at the time?" Hermione frowns. That had been a tumultuous day, which explains why Hermione hadn't been aware that Malfoy was Ron's Healer. She was a bit too preoccupied with cradling a sobbing Padma in her arms at the time to notice.
Padma had been heartbroken at the thought that Ron had forgotten her– though, technically, he hadn't. He'd remembered Padma from their Hogwarts days, he just hadn't remembered that she was his girlfriend, to whom he'd been planning to propose for nearly two months by that point. He'd finally proposed immediately upon having his memory restored, fumbling for the ring he'd been carrying around for weeks, and Padma had said yes instantly.
Hermione supposes that through all of that commotion, it is possible that she hadn't realized that Malfoy was Ron's Healer, especially considering he was nowhere to be seen during visiting hours, but had Ron or Harry never even mentioned it after the fact?
"And he was my Healer for one of the times I got whacked in the head on a mission– can't remember which time, though," Harry laughs, popping open a new bottle of Butterbeer and handing it over to Hermione.
Hermione takes a swig and sits down at the dining table across from Harry and Ron.
"And you were okay with that?" Hermione hisses, still not sure that she's understanding her friends correctly.
Harry scrunches his eyebrows together, looking at Hermione strangely.
"The War has been over for more than ten years, 'Mi. Malfoy served his sentence. I would've thought that you of all people– crusader for the less-fortunate that you are– would've been happy to hear that he's been rehabilitated and is using his knowledge of Dark Magic for good."
Hermione frowns again at that. Her immediate reaction to Harry's words is to scoff and to think that Malfoy, of all people, is not less-fortunate. His family are still among the wealthiest in the Wizarding World, despite their mandated reparations following the War. Her second reaction is to think that it's absurd that someone with Malfoy's history could even be considered for the competitive Healer programmes… But then, Hermione reluctantly comes to agree with Harry. Bugger.
Malfoy– regardless of how he obtained such knowledge– does have knowledge regarding Dark Magic that, perhaps, others might not have. This probably means, much to Hermione's chagrin, that he is likely a damned good Healer in his field.
"Fine. I can accept the fact that he's probably a talented Healer– but he's not my Healer. So long as Healer Greengrass doesn't have any more emergencies, with any luck, I'll never see him again."
Hermione's next vision comes as she's washing up her dish from her dinner of leftover Chinese take-away. When the vision comes into focus, the ceramic dish in her hand clatters to the stainless steel of the sink.
This vision strikes Hermione in a way that none of her visions thus far have because this vision is of a dream of hers– a dream which she's never mentioned to anyone, not even Harry.
Vision-Hermione stands, her hand resting on the crook of vision-Harry's elbow, and inhales a deep breath. Vision-Harry leans toward her and whispers something in her ear that real-Hermione cannot hear, but it causes vision-Hermione to smother a laugh and look up at the ceiling for a moment, as if looking for a reprieve before smiling back at her friend warmly. A single tear slips down vision-Hermione's cheek, which vision-Harry brushes away with a handkerchief from his pocket.
Vision-Hermione is clad in a long, white gown with an off-the-shoulder neckline which exposes her clavicles, and white lace sleeves. Inlaid rose petals adorn the skirt, more dense toward the floor and more sparse as they rise toward her waist. Vision-Hermione's hair is what strikes her as different from any time she might've imagined this scene in the past. This time, her hair is left to its natural curls, however, pinned back on the left side with a sparkling comb which looks like it could be an antique.
When Hermione comes to, she touches the back of her hand to her cheek and finds that it isn't just vision-Hermione who was crying.
Hermione has never even asked Harry, but since removing her parents' memories prior to the War and having to accept the fact that she would never be able to restore them, she has always thought that she would ask Harry to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. She could think of no better man than her best friend to bestow upon the task of giving her away. The idea had first occurred to her when the probability of marrying Ron had seemed high, but even since the dissolution of that prospect, Hermione has held onto the hope that Harry would walk her down the aisle.
Of course, she'll have to find a husband first, but that seems like semantics to Hermione in this moment.
Hermione swipes at her tears again before drying her hands on a dish towel and reaching for her mobile phone. She sends a quick text to Harry, asking if he's able to floo over for a moment. She knows that she just saw him a few hours ago, but after this vision, she decides that it's time to tell Harry about her vision, as well as her dream.
As she waits for a response from Harry, she plucks her journal out of her beaded bag and sets to the task of documenting this vision for her next appointment with Healer Greengrass. A not-insignificant part of herself is eternally grateful that this vision happened after her appointment with Healer Malfoy because Merlin knows what he might've had to say about her dream of asking her best friend to give her away at her wedding.
Harry arrives through the floo a moment after Hermione finishes writing and takes a seat beside Hermione on her sitting room sofa.
"Are you alright, 'Mi?" Harry asks, looking intently at Hermione as if trying to solve a puzzle.
Hermione can almost hear the thoughts churning through her best friend's mind. She believes that he is likely thinking about how she had been fine when she left his house not three hours ago, so what could possibly have warranted another visit so soon? Hermione chuckles at the predictability of her friend's compassion.
Hermione sniffles, fighting back a second uprising of tears.
"I had another vision," Hermione begins, squeezing the tip of her left ring finger with the thumb and index finger of her right hand. "About you."
Harry tilts his head in confusion, so Hermione elaborates.
"The visions feel like memories that haven't happened or like looking into a pensieve, but this one… This one is the first one that felt like a memory and a dream," Hermione mumbles, leaning her head to the left and resting it against the back of the sofa. "It was… You were walking me down the aisle at my wedding."
It seems to take a moment for Harry to understand her meaning, but when realization dawns on him, he reaches out and squeezes Hermione's hand.
"I would be honored, Hermione," Harry says, seriously, meeting Hermione's eye and maintaining eye contact. "Absolutely honored."
Hermione sniffles again, this time allowing the tears to fall as Harry scoots toward her and slings an arm around her shoulders.
"Once I realized that I couldn't restore my parents' memories, one of the first thoughts I had was that my dad couldn't walk me down the aisle at my wedding," Hermione explains, tucking her head onto Harry's chest. "It broke my heart. But then I realized that I have you. You're the closest thing I've ever had to a brother. I just thought– if anyone had the right to give me away at my wedding, it would be you."
Harry rests his chin on the top of Hermione's head as he tightens his arm around her in what Hermione assumes is supposed to be a half-hug without moving too much.
"You don't even have to ask," Harry says, quietly. "When the time comes, I'll be there. Although, I hope this isn't your way of telling me that you're running off with some wizard that I haven't had the time to run a proper background on."
Hermione sniffles one last time as her tears slow and laughs a wet, light laugh.
"Certainly not," Hermione scoffs playfully. "Despite your wife's insistence that I finally accept her offer to set me up with some of her quidditch friends, I have yet to agree, nor do I intend to."
Harry chuckles and his laugh shakes Hermione along with it, which she finds comforting, if a bit silly.
"Ah, well, perhaps a retired quidditch player, then? I'm sure Krum would still be game if you owled him."
Hermione rolls her eyes, but smiles despite herself. Harry's comment does remind her, though, that she should owl Victor, if for no other reason than that it's been a few months since she has. They're still friends, but with her recent health concerns, she has fallen behind on their correspondence. In his last letter, he mentioned wanting to send Hermione tickets for a Bulgaria match when she's available so that she could see how his team performs now that he's coaching.
"Despite being married to and madly in love with Padma, I'm still not sure that Ron would ever forgive me," Hermione laughs, glad that she can finally make jokes like this again after repairing her relationship with her other best friend.
Harry's face twists into mock-pensivity, as if thinking hard about something before he bursts out laughing too.
"Probably right. Better safe than sorry, then."
Hermione is awoken the following morning to something heavy landing on her stomach with an oof.
"Aunt 'Mione!" the voice of a child– Albus Potter– shouts, wriggling himself on top of his aunt until she finally opens her eyes.
"Al, for the love of Merlin," a distinctly adult voice groans. Hermione looks to her right and laughs quietly at the comical position into which Ginny Weasley-Potter has twisted herself– shoving pillows under her belly and legs in an attempt to keep herself level.
"Sorry, Mum," Albus snickers, crawling off of Hermione and snuggling up beside his mother. Ginny, in return, wraps her arms tightly around her younger son and nuzzles her nose into the messy mop of black hair atop his head.
After Hermione had called Harry over yesterday evening, Harry had determined that Hermione was not in a fit state to spend the night alone, and therefore that the entire Potter brood would spend the night at Aunt 'Mione's. That decision was how Hermione had ended up with her pregnant best friend in her bed, along with said pregnant friend's husband– a.k.a. also Hermione's best friend– and their two existing children sleeping on transfigured mattresses in her sitting room.
Hermione rolls onto her side and reaches over to brush some of Ginny's mass of red hair away from her eyes so that she can see the sincerity in Hermione's expression when she speaks next.
"Thank you, Gin. You didn't have to come, or drag the kids along with you," Hermione whispers, pulling her quilt up under her chin defensively.
Ginny– as only Ginny Weasley would at a time like this– rolls her eyes.
"When are you going to get it, 'Mione? We're your family. This is what family does for each other."
Hi, friends! Happy Tuesday! (:
I am absolutely loving hearing y'alls theories and the things that you notice in each chapter! Keep it up! (:
I, for once, don't think that I have much to say about this chapter, though it is one of my favorites of the early chapters! (: I hope y'all enjoyed it as well!
As always, thank you for spending a bit of your time here with me this week and please, if you feel so inclined, review! Like I said, I'm loving hearing all of your thoughts and theories and the clues you're picking up on! (:
Thank you again and see you again next week!