A/N- Thank you to all my loyal readers for your continued interest in Soleada! Your uplifting comments and reviews inspire me to carry on with this mystifying little tale! ;-)
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"So, are you going to tell me what's bothering you or am I going to have to hex it out of you?" Ginny asked wryly, swinging her leg back and forth to propel the old wooden glider forward while studying her friend's sullen face.
When a soundless fraction of time passed without an answer, Ginny looked up at the sky to where a pickup game of Quidditch was well underway in the backyard of the Burrow. They were finally able to get outside to enjoy the grounds after Mr. Weasley acquired the spell to clean up the stink sap. "The boys will be up there for at least another hour," she assured her, "so there's no chance we'll be overheard."
Hermione looked up to where Harry flew at a breakneck pace toward the golden snitch, disappearing just out of sight beyond the tall oak trees lining the yard. She glanced at Ginny, finally letting out a long-suffering sigh. "I'm starting to think Ron is right that I'm Imperiused."
Ginny tried to stifle her laughter. "You are not Imperiused! Why would you even say that?"
Hermione lowered her head, massaging her forehead in circles with the tips of her fingers. "I say that because I've been so out of sorts lately. In fact, I've been acting so unlike myself I barely recognize who I am anymore."
"Oh, stop! You have not! Apart from seeing you sitting here looking like the back end of a blast-ended screwt, you're exactly the same Hermione we all know and love. Now snap out of it!" she said, smacking her on the leg. When she didn't get a reaction, she studied her forlorn friend for another moment or two before asking the question that was beginning to niggle in the back of her mind. "Wait, did something happen with him?" When Hermione looked up at her with knitted brows, she added, "With Malfoy?"
Hermione dropped her head back down groaning into her hand. "I don't even know how to answer that question."
"Well, you two sure looked chummy when I saw you yesterday. So, what did I miss?"
She glanced up, resting her cheek in her palm seeming to search for the right words to relay to her friend exactly what had happened. She wasn't even sure she knew what had happened. She groaned again, mounting frustration bubbling in her throat before finally exhaling another heavy sigh. "I saw Malfoy again after he left Hogsmeade. We actually had dinner together last night."
Ginny's ears piqued with interest. "Well, that was unexpected," she crooned. "I thought he said he'd see you again on Monday."
"He did," she agreed. "But, later on, I got an owl from him inviting me to have dinner with him at the Manor." When she saw Ginny's eyes widen with obvious elation, she added, "It was nothing like that, Gin. It was completely casual. I mean, we had pizza."
Her captivated eyes widened even further. "Wait, you had arguably the most Muggle meal possible at Malfoy Manor? Excuse me while I have a moment to myself to take that in." She covered her slackened mouth while studying Hermione's troubled expression. "So, what happened there that has your knickers in a twist?"
Hermione's face flushed recalling the conclusion to their casual little evening. When Ginny noticed her questionable reaction, she gasped. "Shite! You guys didn't snog again, did you?" When Hermione's face ignited a guilty shade of crimson, Ginny tried and failed to contain her excitement. "Gods, I knew it! Didn't I tell you he's got it bad for you?" She smiled, clapping her hands together and bouncing up and down on the settee like a wide-mouth tree toad.
"Ginny, please. Just stop, ok? The fact of the matter is, Malfoy's presence in my life has quite literally turned it upside down. It's awful. And I'm not sure how much longer I can go on living like this. It's taking all my attention away from what it should be on, which is work."
Ginny's smile only grew wider with her admission. "So, you're not denying it then. You guys snogged?"
"That's not the point. What I'm trying to say is that being around him is not good for my mental health. And yet I have no other choice but to interact with him seeing as we're partners at the current moment. Gods, this case can't get solved quickly enough," she groaned, dragging a hand down her face.
Ginny waited until her feeble diatribe had ended before fixing her with a dubious stare. "Look, the sooner you come to terms with the fact that you fancy him, the sooner we can work through this little conundrum. Until then, these denial seshes are getting us absolutely nowhere. So, what's it going to be?"
Hermione shrugged helplessly, dropping her hands into her lap. "I don't know how I feel, honestly. One moment we're fighting and the next he's planned the most thoughtful evening ever. Half the time I can't decide if I want to throttle him or snog him senseless. Gin, I'm not used to this type of inner turmoil," she confessed, her expression bleeding with discomfiture. "It's all a bit off-putting. So, I've decided at least for now to keep my distance. Only partake in matters that concern the case. Which admittedly will be a bit complicated given our upcoming trip to Egypt."
"Yeah, Harry told me about that. When do you guys leave?"
"I imagine sometime this week," she replied absently, dipping her head to get a better view of Ron dodging a rogue bludger.
"Well, before you go off globetrotting again, we better get this sorted out, then. Do you have any idea how Malfoy feels about all this?"
Hermione huffed out a mirthless laugh. "How Malfoy feels? Gin, he's a walking contradiction. An enigma of epic proportions. You'd have to be an expert curse-breaker to ever break down the walls he's built around himself. But regardless, I'm certain he's not the least bit interested based on the things he's said. I can't count the times he's uttered the word regret when speaking about the kiss that was plastered all over the Daily Prophet. At least that was slightly understandable given the circumstances. But the one this morning, he actually called a misguided mistake."
"Wait, what?" Ginny barked, eyebrows flying into her hairline. "This morning? You never told me you saw him this morning! I thought you had dinner together last night?"
A fierce blush crept up her neck onto her cheeks where it blazed with embarrassment. "Yeah, about that," she muttered, looking anywhere but at her friend.
"Yes, about that!" Ginny all but shouted. "How did you end up with him this morning? Unless-" A lightbulb seemed to go off in her head as she worked through the mystery. "Oh, my gods! You didn't stay overnight at the Manor, did you?"
"I mean-"
"Holy shite! You did! Hermione! What other sinful secrets have you been keeping from me?" She smacked her unnecessarily hard on the leg eliciting a high-pitched yelp.
"Look, it's not like I planned to sleep there," she defended. "We both just happened to fall asleep while we were star-gazing."
"Star-gazing?" she squawked, shifting forward in her seat. "Are you mad? When were you going to tell me this! Wait- let me ask you something- when was the last time you star-gazed with one of your coworkers?" As Hermione moved to open her mouth, Ginny cut in, "Stop! I can answer for you- it's never! Because a man who doesn't fancy you is not inviting you over to star-gaze on a Saturday night! Gods, Hermione, for being the brightest witch of our age like you supposedly are, you are so clueless when it comes to men!"
"While that may be the case-"
"That is the case," she asserted, now fully immersed in the unraveling story. "So, what else happened that you aren't telling me?"
"Well," she began hesitantly, "he gifted me tickets to meet with Bridget Clausius. But that was as an apology for a row we'd had earlier in the day." Seeing Ginny leaning forward expectantly, she added, "Then, we had pizza from my favorite childhood pizzeria. We talked- there was some light conversation about the various constellations. We unexpectedly fell asleep which you already know," She waved her hand dismissively, eyes suddenly looking anywhere but at her friend. "And when we woke up this morning, we may or may not have snogged for a moment or two before I realized how kissing him would complicate our already erratic working relationship. So-"
Ginny's jaw was lying slack in her lap. "So- let me get this straight," she finally managed. "He invited you over, served arguably your favorite meal ever, showered you with presents, romanced you under the stars, then snogged you into oblivion the next morning- and you're still not sure how he feels about you?" Her incredulous look devolved into full-blown laughter as she tried to muffle her howling with the palm of her hand. "This is too much, Hermione! You can't possibly be that daft!"
Hermione bit her lower lip in pensive silence, seemingly oblivious to Ginny's undisguised outburst. "I mean, when you say it like that, I can see how it sounds a certain way. But, trust me, it wasn't at all how it seemed when I was there. Besides, I think the kiss only happened because of how blurred the lines have become with this whole charade we've undertaken for the papers. I highly doubt any of this would have occurred otherwise. If it weren't for me agreeing to help with his parents' marriage contract rubbish-"
Hermione hadn't noticed, but the entire time she was talking, Ginny was shaking her head with renewed vigor. "Nope. You're wrong," she declared, pointing an admonishing finger at Hermione's face. "I stand by what I said yesterday in Hogsmeade. There wasn't a reporter in sight and he kissed you anyways. So you can't tell me that was for the press. Then he owls you for a Saturday night date at the Manor which from what you've said, he put a lot of time and effort into planning. Hermione, Malfoy's no fool. He's not some disoriented sod walking around mistaking your interaction for something it's not- he's a Slytherin. They're calculating as fuck. You of all people should know how mercilessly they go after what they want- and Malfoy wants you! Why can you not see that?"
"Even if he does- which I'm not entirely sure I'm convinced- what would that even look like? I mean, Ron's basically given me the cold shoulder ever since the news from France broke. Your parents look like they're in mourning every time they glance my way. And Harry- you should have seen him in my office when he thought there was a Hade's chance in hell I was actually dating Malfoy. He quite literally was choking back sick. And that's all based on the false notion that we're a couple. Can you even imagine if it were real? I'd be a pariah in my own life!"
Ginny waved her hand dismissively, chuckling to herself. "That's just Harry. He has a notoriously weak stomach. And my parents- they'd come around. I think they're both still adjusting to the fact that you and Ron will never be a thing." She looked over to where Ron was actively blocking the quaffle from the goal on their end of the field. "And you can just safely assume Ron will lose his mind no matter who you end up dating. But at the end of the day, I think they'll recognize that your happiness is far more important than any schoolyard grudges. Besides, who really cares what they think anyway? You'll be too busy shagging Malfoy to even notice!"
Hermione flushed crimson, rolling her eyes while also trying not to laugh. "Gods, you're the worst. Well, at least I know I have one person in my corner should it ever come to it- but really, I think it's best for now if we just keep our distance. It's been nothing but a distraction and I really need to keep my focus on work."
Ginny crossed her arms over her chest appraising Hermione through narrowed eyes. "I know you're not asking my opinion, but I'm going to give it to you anyways. I think you need to stop running away from how you feel. Don't shake your head," she admonished with her finger, in exactly the same way Mrs. Weasley was known to do. "I know you have feelings for Malfoy! And I think that if you don't tell him, you run the risk of losing him."
Hermione bit her lip, seeming to take in her friend's advice but ultimately just giving a half-shrug. "It's a bit more complicated than that," she said, her voice trailing off.
"Well, just say you'll at least think about what I said. And I mean, this work trip to Egypt could very well be the perfect opportunity for you to muster up some of that Gryffindor courage I know you have in you. Gods, if Harry and I weren't practically married and I happened to accidentally wake up with Malfoy one morning like you seem to have done, it'd take a herd of wild hippogriffs to pry me off of him." She shook her head back and forth, fanning herself. "Please tell me you realize how bloody gorgeous that man is."
"Uh, yes- that I've most certainly noticed. But really, there's so much more to him than that."
Ginny fought back a knowing smile. "So, are you bringing him to Ron and Lavender's party then?"
"What?" she asked, taken aback by the sudden change of subject.
"Oh, c'mon- don't expect me to believe you haven't at least thought about it!"
"I mean, well-"
"Yes, Ron will have kittens, but as I said before do you really care?"
"Of course, I care. I just-"
"Well, I think you should bring him. If you want, I can read Ron the riot act beforehand so he won't give you a hard time about it." She absently rocked the settee back and forth while searching the sky for Harry.
"I plan to feel Ron out myself- you know, if it comes down to it. But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a little backup."
"So, you've already thought about bringing him?" Ginny's eyes danced with delight at catching Hermione in her trap.
"I mean, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't," she said, her mouth morphing into a wary smile. "That's not to say he'd ever agree to come, but I suppose you never really know. Though I'd be surprised if he even wants to see me again after how we left things this morning."
Ginny quirked her brow. "And how did you leave things?"
"I sort of departed in a bit of a hurry is all. And from what I could gather, he wanted me to stay a bit longer to talk through everything." When Ginny sighed, running a hand through her hair, Hermione continued, "It was all a bit awkward if I'm being completely honest. I just needed some space to process everything. Staying would have done nothing more than drag out the uncomfortable tension between us."
Ginny wrapped a lock of hair around her finger examining the tips for split ends. "I'm sure things will be fine by tomorrow. Just try not to stress about it too much. If you're not careful, Ron and Harry will pick up on your mood and then they'll have all sorts of questions. So, slap on a happy face and let's go get some of my mum's treacle tart." She patted Hermione on the knee before standing up and stretching her arms above her head. "C'mon," she said, holding out her hand to help Hermione up. "If we wait any longer, the boys will be done and then there'll be none left for us."
As they made their way back into the house, Hermione leaned in. "Please keep everything we talked about between us. The last thing I need is for Harry or Ron to get wind of anything before I have a moment to see it through myself."
Ginny lowered her head conspiratorially. "I invented girl code. Nothing gets past these lips."
"I should know by now you have way too much invested in this to ever sabotage the outcome."
"Do I ever," Ginny said, wagging her eyebrows just as Lavender nearly careened into them in the doorway of the kitchen.
"Oh, I was just coming out to get you two. The treacle tart is done. Better hurry up and get some before the boys come in," she said, flipping her long blonde locks over her shoulder.
"You read our minds." Ginny grabbed her by the elbow and ushered her back into the kitchen where Molly stood wrenching knots in her battered apron as she watched a feud erupt between Ron and Charlie high in the air outside the kitchen window.
"Someone needs to smack those two upside the head for allowing a silly game of Quidditch to get between them!" Just then, Ron gave Charlie a swift shove, nearly causing him to slip from his broom and Molly gasped. "Oh, dear! I'll be right back. You girls help yourself," she said, before charging out the door into the backyard.
Just beyond the Burrow walls, a piercing, "Ronald Weasley, you get down here this minute!" could be heard followed by a muffled, "He started it!"
The girls rolled their eyes in unison as Lavender Summoned several plates from the cupboard and began slicing single portions of the treacle tart for each of them. "That red-hot temper will be the undoing of that man," she griped, grabbing a fork and levitating it to Ginny.
"At least you know what you're getting with him." Ginny shrugged indifferently, taking the first bite of her dessert and carrying her plate to the other side of the table to sit down. "He's never going to change. He's been acting like that since he was knee-high to a garden gnome."
"Well, if he keeps it up, I told him we're going to have to see a Muggle therapist. I've heard they can work miracles for that kind of thing."
"Trouble in paradise?" Ginny asked, eyes peering over her plate with interest.
Lavender's eyes snapped to Hermione who was standing there waiting to be handed a plate. "Won-won's been in a mood ever since the news of you and Malfoy broke." She sighed sourly as she cut another slice of treacle tart and placed it on the dish. "I told him you never looked happier when I saw you together yesterday, but he just refuses to see it." She tossed her hair back before reaching down and passing Hermione the plate.
Hermione cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Ron's never been able to see reason when it comes to Malfoy. I'll have a word with him." She eased into a seat next to Ginny before looking up to find Lavender standing over the pie tin looking distressed. "There's no reason he should be making everyone around him so miserable, least of all you. I mean, with your celebration coming up, you'd think he'd at least put in a little more effort into focusing on that instead of what the papers are saying about me and Malfoy."
Ginny snorted over her plate, crumbs tumbling down her chin. "Good luck with that! My brother is the last person on Earth I'd count on to focus on party planning details. It will be no small feat just to get him to show up not looking like something Crookshanks dragged out of the sewer."
Hermione stifled a laugh against her napkin, glancing over to find Lavender looking less than humoured. "He's going to ruin everything if he doesn't snap out of it," she whined, making a point to meet Hermione's mirthful expression with a severely affronted one of her own.
"I'll have a talk with him. I've been meaning to anyways in regards to my plus one." She shot a covert glance over to Ginny who looked surprised by the admission. "But maybe I should ask you first before I say anything to Ron."
"It's fine if you bring Malfoy," Lavender said evenly, not even looking up from her plate. "I assumed you would anyways."
"Oh," she muttered, admittedly taken aback by Lavender's keen perception. "I wasn't sure given Ron's undisguised hatred for him that you'd even consider it a possi-"
"Everyone is going to have to get used to the idea sooner or later." She closed her mouth to chew. "I mean, I imagine you'll have an engagement announcement even before we will with the way things move in aristocratic circles."
Hermione nearly choked as she swallowed her last bite of treacle tart, grasping for a glass of water just out of reach. "Oh, Merlin. I'm certain that won't be the case," she finally managed, washing down her shock with a gulp of water.
Ginny watched the display from her chair, the corners of her mouth surreptitiously turning up.
"Well, I'd be willing to place Galleons on it," Lavender said flatly, patting her lips with a napkin just as she noticed Molly out the kitchen window furiously shaking her finger in Won-won's face. "It's the way it's been since the beginning of time- produce the well-bred heir to carry on the family name." She cleared the crumbs from her plate with the edge of her fork and took one last bite. "It's a well-known fact."
"Right, well, I don't think we're quite to that point yet." Something coiled in Hermione's stomach at the mention of a betrothal. This ruse was taking a disastrous turn in her mind now that she was being driven to sell the charade to her own friends and family. It was one thing having to convince Malfoy's parents and a handful of worthless reporters, but it was quite another to walk around living the lie behind the scenes. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure how much longer she could keep this up. At least Ginny knew the truth.
In an effort to avoid any further commentary about her and Malfoy's very public pairing, Hermione slipped out of the Burrow largely unnoticed well before the boys came in from playing Quidditch. Her use of the excuse that she had to work on the case was beginning to lose its sway seeing as there was hardly anything relevant that could be accomplished before their trip to Egypt, but she found herself defaulting to it nevertheless.
Back at her flat, she thumbed through her notes on the conversation she'd had with Ingrid, recalling that she'd yet to relay the new information to Malfoy. And despite her assurance that she wouldn't move forward on the case without him, she found herself studying the family crest pictured on the last several pages of the Malfoy family tome. No question, it was an exact match to the one in Evidence at the Ministry, right down to the Latin inscription, "Solve et Coagula," which Hermione knew to mean dissolve and coagulate, something she'd come across many times in her extensive study of alchemy and potions.
The mystery now facing them was how a family that went by the name Helion, with scarce information listed about their genealogy, tied into the brooch found at the scene of the Strout murder. And furthermore, how and why did this family become part of the Sacred Twenty-Nine? She stared at the inscription for what seemed like forever, intrigued by the alchemical reference. Perhaps it wasn't alchemical at all- maybe given the time period of the Dynasty, it signified the dissolving of an enemy nation and then coagulating the conquered people into a society of their own design. It would make sense considering the notorious bloodshed among ancient civilizations.
Although, perhaps the inscription held a more straightforward implication- a framework of sorts to reduce solid to vapor and condense vapor to purified solidity in order to realize some alchemical potential. That supposition tied nicely into the Soleada mystery if only they could discover the method to effectuate its use. Perhaps the inscription represented neither of these notions, but it was the best she could come up with at the time.
Possibly more pressing was who was MacNair's partner in this endeavor? She was certain that identifying him held the key to marking a major development in the case. But for now, that matter continued to elude them.
It was clear nothing more could be accomplished from the sitting room of her flat, so she slid the worn book and her notes back into her beaded bag and padded over to the loo to ready herself for bed. Tomorrow would bring new challenges- many of which had nothing to do with the case.
On her way to her bedroom, she withdrew a vial of Sleeping Draught from her potions cabinet and downed it in one go. If nothing else, it would ensure she'd have a restful night to begin the grueling week ahead with vigor. Despite her best efforts to clear her mind of the day's events, the last image her mind conjured before sleep overtook her was lusty grey eyes raking over her prone form.
