Chapter 32

27 June 2003

Hermione had come into the Ministry early. She was going to try to talk to Croaker about the Universe Hopper again. She knew she could go to Kingsley, but she really didn't want to do that. In the first place, she couldn't guarantee that the Minister would side with her and for another, thinking about talking to Kingsley made her think about…well. She wasn't actually sure she could talk to him without turning crimson. She knew what he looked like naked. Merlin, she hoped that the more time that passed the less she would think about it. While she didn't see them often, she did interact with Kingsley and Neville sometimes. Hell, she even ran into Malfoy occasionally. Even though she'd never actually slept with him, she'd snogged him plenty.

Shaking her head to clear it of those thoughts, she turned back to the problem at hand. There had to be a way to make Croaker understand. She would apologize for her outburst yesterday. And then she would talk to him calmly and rationally about why keeping the device was a mistake. Her brow was furrowed in thought as she walked towards his office. A thumping noise caught her attention. It sounded like something heavy had hit the ground.

The DOM had been quiet when she'd come in. She was nearly an hour early and it was rare for anyone else to be here at that time. Even though she knew what the security protocols were and that no one that wasn't authorized could get in, Hermione still drew her wand and began to walk towards where she'd heard the noise.

She was heading towards Croaker's office. She peeked into other offices and workrooms as she passed but they were all empty. Just before she reached her boss's office, there was a quiet groan and then a hiss of pain. Hermione hurried on, reaching the closed door a moment later.

There was no light coming from under the door so if someone was in there, perhaps they shouldn't be. She pressed her ear up against the door and definitely heard a rustling noise. Hermione bit her lip trying to decide what to do. If she knocked and someone other than Croaker was in the room, she would give them a warning. But if it were Croaker, she couldn't just barge into his office. When there was another pained groan, Hermione decided it didn't matter who was in the office. They were obviously hurt.

Still, she announced herself as she opened the door. "Sir? Is everything all right? It sounded like you were hur-"

Hermione trailed off as she took in the scene in front of her. Croaker was sitting on the floor of his office, one of the chairs in front of his desk overturned. His robes were ripped and there was a large gash down one side of his face. He was cradling his left arm in his right hand, his face full of pain.

"What happened?" she asked as she dropped to her knees next to him.

"Just took a spill," he said. "I'm fine, Granger."

"You are most certainly not fine. Is your arm broken?" She looked up at him and that was when she saw it. The Universe Hopper was around his neck.

Hermione immediately recoiled. "You, you used it?"

Croaker's eyes met hers for a moment and she knew he had. And, from his appearance, he had gotten into some kind of trouble when he did.

"Close the door," he said. "And ward the room. Then get this thing off me."

Hermione stared at him for a few seconds before she stood and did as he'd asked. She lit the lamps as well before she gingerly took the Universe Hopper from around his neck and settled it back into its box. Then she waved her wand to close the gash in his cheek. She righted the chair, helped him to his feet and sat him in it. She cast a stabilization charm on his arm. While she knew several healing charms, she'd rather a qualified Healer look at the arm. Croaker nodded his head in thanks.

He sighed and scrubbed his good hand down his face. "Yes, I used it."

"What the hell happened?"

He snorted and shook his head. "The first time I landed in an Azkaban cell."

Hermione ignored the 'first time' comment for the moment and let him continue.

"Voldemort had put my other self there after he took over the Ministry. Along with most of the other Heads."

Hermione gasped. The Universe Hopper always took you to the same day in time in whatever universe you jumped into. Meaning Croaker had jumped to June of 2003 in the other world.

"You ended up in a world where Voldemort won the war?"

"Either that or the war was still going on. My other self wasn't all that coherent to be honest. He'd been in Azkaban for six years under the Dementors' influence."

"Oh gods."

Croaker nodded. "I didn't stay there long, of course. When I jumped the second time, I ended up here, in the DOM. My other self was working late, and it took me a bit to convince him I was who I said I was and where I'd come from. But that world wasn't much better than the first one I'd been in."

"Why not?"

"Voldemort was dead, along with many of his Death Eaters, but so was most of the Order. In the chaos that was left behind, Delores Umbridge took over the Ministry. I'm sure you can imagine how she was running things."

Hermione shuddered. In some ways, Umbridge was even worse than Voldemort. To think of her as Minister of Magic, was just, well, Hermione didn't want to.

"You left as soon as you found that out, I'm guessing."

"Tried to," he said, grunting when he brushed his bad arm against the chair. "My other self wasn't too keen to stay either, so there was a bit of a struggle."

"He tried to steal the device?"

Croaker nodded. "I only got out of there because I was able to stun him. The next one, well, that's where all of this happened." He pointed to his face and arm. "My other self was extremely paranoid. Didn't believe a thing I said. Course that was probably because he was completely mad." He shrugged. "Think Mad-Eye Moody and multiply his paranoia by about a thousand."

"Do you know why he was like that?"

"Might have had something to do with the fact that he was living in a cave in some forest somewhere."

"What?" Hermione exclaimed in shock.

Croaker shook his head. "No idea. The duel started in the cave, but we ended up outside. The cave was warded with every cloaking spell you could think of. I think he mentioned something about Inferi armies roaming around but by that point I couldn't be sure. He was ranting about all kinds of things. It was hard to keep track. I managed to get away from him and that's when I came home."

Hermione had sunk down into the other chair in the middle of Croaker's tale of the last universe. She was a bit surprised, actually, that his experiences had been so much worse than any of hers. And he hadn't found anything he was trying to discover. Certainly, Voldemort or Umbridge would never have cared to cure lycanthropy or find treatments for the Cruciatus. They definitely would not have wanted to live in peace with Muggles. And as the final world had apparently been taken over by Inferi, well, she was sure that whoever was running things there wouldn't have cared about any of those things either.

"You can say it," Croaker said after a few minutes of silence.

"Say what?" Hermione asked.

"I told you so."

She shook her head. "I never expected anything like this to happen. And in every universe no less."

"Yes, well, you were right. The device wasn't designed for what I was trying to use it for." He sighed. "Rookwood invented it to try and find his wife again, to find love again. It wasn't meant for what I wanted to use it for."

"Well, no but it's not as if your intentions were bad ones. You just wanted to help people."

"Still. The magic inherent in the device, the spells that were woven into it, they had one purpose. Even when Rookwood ended up in a universe where his wife had died as a child, he still found love and the home he'd been looking for, didn't he?"

Hermione nodded. She'd suspected as much but still, to put Croaker in those worlds in particular?

"I suspect that the device was punishing me, for lack of a better explanation, for trying to use it in a manner it wasn't intended for."

"But I didn't start out using it for what it was created for," Hermione said. "And it didn't take me anywhere like that."

"No," Croaker agreed. "But you had no intent at all the first time, save to try to figure out what it was. Your first jump was an accident. And after that, your only intention was to try to get home, which, technically, is what the device was trying to show you. I wanted something different, something it wasn't made for, no matter how good my intentions were."

'Home isn't always a place.' Rookwood's words echoed in her mind.

Croaker grimaced as he turned to face her. He really needed to get that arm looked at. "You were right, Granger. As much as I hate to destroy an artifact like this, it needs to be done. I could keep it warded and store it away somewhere but there's no guarantee some future Head Unspeakable wouldn't try to do the same thing I did. I won't risk unleashing something into our world that doesn't belong here."

He looked pained as he said it and Hermione knew how hard the decision was for him to make. Unspeakable were curious, always wanted to know why and how. To have something like this and make the decision not to, at the very least, study it, must be killing Croaker. It even bothered her a little bit and she'd spent more time with the thing than anyone.

"It's the right decision, sir. As much as I know it pains you."

He nodded, then tried to stand. Hermione jumped up to help him. "Shall I take you to St. Mungo's? You need to get your arm looked at."

"I'll be fine until the Ministry Mediwitch gets here," Croaker said.

Hermione opened her mouth to protest but he waved her off. "I need to get that thing secured until I figure out how to get rid of it." He pulled his wand from his pocket and waved it at the wall. A small door was revealed and with another incantation, it clicked open.

"If you would, Granger." Croaker nodded toward the box while he held his wand on the door in his wall.

Hermione guessed he had to hold the spell to keep the wall recess open and obviously couldn't pick up the box with his bad arm. She grabbed the box and placed it inside the wall. Croaker waved his wand in a pattern so intricate Hermione knew she wouldn't be able to replicate it if she tried. Which was the point, she supposed.

The door closed, clicked as if it had locked, and then disappeared once again. Croaker waved his wand again and his robes were immediately repaired. Then he walked around his desk and sat down heavily in the chair. He was clearly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

"Are you sure you won't go to St. Mungo's?" Hermione asked in concern.

"I've had worse than this, believe me. Although, I won't say no to a pain potion."

"I'll get one, sir." The DOM kept basic Healing potions on hand for experiments gone wrong. Hermione moved towards Croaker's door but paused when she reached it. "I know this was a difficult decision but it's right one." She gave her boss a small smile before leaving his office to fetch the pain potion from the storeroom.

Hermione sat at her desk once again, mulling over everything that had happened since she'd returned. After fetching the pain potion for Croaker, Hermione sent a memo to the Mediwitch's office, asking her to come to the DOM as soon as she arrived for the day. Hermione stayed with Croaker discussing possible ways to destroy the Universe Hopper until the Mediwitch arrived.

Hermione was extremely glad she hadn't had to experience anything like Croaker had while jumping. She'd been very lucky, she knew. Although, given her boss's theory about the device, it made sense why she hadn't.

Hermione was also still contemplating the fact that both Padma and Harry had some sense that she'd been gone for quite some time, even though she arrived back at the same time she'd left. She and Padma had discussed it the night before and had wondered if it had more to do with the closeness of the relationship or something inherent within the person. Or perhaps a combination of both. As far as Hermione knew, no one other than Harry and Padma felt that way. Croaker hadn't mentioned anything, even after she'd explained how long she had actually been gone. Ron hadn't seemed to notice either. She hadn't interacted with anyone else since she'd been back; maybe other people had experienced the same thing. She really needed to talk to her parents and see what their reaction was. She would go see them this weekend.

Hermione turned back to the books she'd pulled from the DOM library. Croaker had tasked her with researching a way to destroy the Universe Hopper without causing an adverse reaction. Their biggest issue was they didn't know what the sand inside the center disc was or where it came from. They might have to dismantle the device first. Doing that without causing it to activate was what Hermione was looking into.

She had been reading and taking notes for about an hour when a memo flew into her office. Hermione plucked it out of the air as it hovered near her head.

Lunch? Need to talk to you.

Harry

Hermione quickly scribbled back her acceptance, telling Harry she would meet him in the Atrium at half twelve. She refolded the memo and cast the spell to send it back to him.

She wondered what he wanted to talk about. Maybe he'd spoken to Ginny again. Perhaps he'd even decided to end things. Hermione's heart began to beat a little faster. Or was it about his talk with Ron? Hermione hadn't spoken to Harry since he left her flat two nights ago to check on Ron. What if Ron had said something that made Harry rethink what he'd said to her? What if he really didn't want to be in the middle and he'd chosen Ron? He'd done it before, with the broom incident.

No, Harry wouldn't do that. They'd been kids then, barely teenagers, immature. Adult Harry was nothing like that. She was overreacting.

Taking a deep breath, she looked back at her notes. She would forget about it for now and continue with her research. Everything was fine.

Hermione waited nervously in the Atrium for Harry to arrive. She'd managed to concentrate and get more research done after receiving his memo. But once she'd stopped and begun making her way here, her thoughts had gone a little haywire and now she had a pit of foreboding in her stomach.

"Hey, Hermione."

Her head whipped up at Harry's greeting. The look on his face didn't make her feel any better. He gave her a small smile, but he looked troubled.

"What's wrong?"

"Let's wait until we get to the café."

She nodded and followed along beside him, stomach churning with anxiety. He didn't say anything as they walked the few blocks to the Muggle café they frequented. Hermione had transfigured their robes before they left the Ministry and Harry had his hands shoved into his trouser pockets, the same expression on his face as when he'd greeted her.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked again as soon as they were seated at a table and the server had left with their orders.

Harry sighed. "Ginny wants to go away this weekend."

Hermione stared at him for a few moments. He didn't exactly look happy about this development. She wasn't sure what to think about that. Harry had asked Ginny to do just that earlier in the week and she'd said no. Surely the fact that she changed her mind should have made him happy. Of course, it made Hermione extremely unhappy, but this was Harry's marriage.

"That's…good, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I mean, yes, it's good but-" he trailed off shaking his head.

"Harry? What is it?"

"I don't know," he said with an incredulous laugh. "I asked her to do this very thing a few days ago and now that she's agreed, I," he sighed again. "I don't know if I want it."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, brow furrowed, even as a spark of hope flared within her.

"I mean, I don't understand. A few days ago, she was too busy to even consider it. And now, all of a sudden, she agrees? Why?"

"Being confused about why she changed her mind I understand. But why did you say you weren't sure if you wanted it?"

He sighed again. "I don't know. I think after I talked to her the other day, I'd started to resign myself to the fact that it wasn't going to work." He paused. "I'd actually been thinking about what I was going to say to her about, about getting a divorce."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said.

"And now, all of a sudden, she decides that she wants to go away this weekend?"

"Maybe she thought about what you said and realized that you were right. That the two of you really need some time together." It was killing Hermione to say it, but she knew that Harry still loved his wife. If he wanted to stay married to Ginny then Hermione wasn't going to stand in the way of that, no matter how much it hurt.

"Or maybe she's just trying to placate me with the hope that I'll keep sticking around if she puts in a tiny bit of effort."

Hermione bit her lip. He sounded rather bitter. "Do you think she would do that?"

"I know she's been talking to Ron."

"Ron? What does he have to do with this?"

Harry's gaze flicked away from Hermione. "Nothing."

"Harry," Hermione warned.

Harry raked a hand through his hair. "When I talked to Ron the other night, he was rambling on about how if he'd just gone to dinner with your parents none of this would have happened."

"That's not," Hermione began but Harry held up a hand to interrupt.

"He'd been drinking, so I was taking what he said with a grain of salt. But at one point," Harry paused and looked at her again.

"Just tell me, Harry," Hermione said with a sigh. She could only imagine what Ron had been spouting off.

"At one point, he said that it wouldn't have taken much to keep you off his back. A few dinners with your parents or taking you to some lecture and you'd have been fine."

Hermione's expression was thunderous. Ron thought he could throw her a few crumbs of attention and she'd fall all over herself to stay with him? Bastard.

"Like I said, he'd been drinking," Harry said quickly, obviously seeing her growing ire. "And I told him he was being a wanker, that it was about more than just not having dinner with your parents. That relationships took more work than that."

Hermione's anger deflated somewhat at Harry's defense of her. Besides, she and Ron were done. She wasn't going to let him upset her anymore. "What does this have to do with Ginny?"

Harry sighed. "She'd been there before I had, apparently. If he told her the same thing, then maybe that's why Ginny changed her mind. Maybe she's thinking the same thing that Ron was, that if she spends a token weekend with me, I'll forget all about everything else."

They were interrupted by their server bringing their sandwiches to the table. Hermione studied Harry until the woman left. "Do you really think she'd do that?"

"I have no idea at this point. Maybe she really did think about what I said and decided I was right." He shook his head and met Hermione's gaze. "The thing is, how do I know? And if I'm doubting that she's genuine, then maybe that's the most telling thing of all."

Hermione couldn't help but agree with him. If he couldn't trust Ginny, then their relationship was doomed, regardless of how they tried to save it. She shoved down the tendril of hope in her gut. This wasn't about her; this was about Harry.

"I think that maybe you should go," she said. Harry looked at her, brow furrowed. "I mean, at the least it will give the two of you a chance to really talk about things without interruptions or worrying about schedules or work or whatever. And I'm confident that you'll know if she's serious or not. You've got great instincts, Harry. You just need to follow them."

Harry stared at her for a few moments before he nodded. "Maybe you're right."

"And don't you want to be able to say that you did everything you could to save your marriage? If things don't end up working out, you don't want to second guess later."

"Yeah," Harry said.

Hermione reached across the table and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. "I'm sorry, Harry."

He squeezed back. "Thanks, Hermione."

29 June 2003

"Mum? Dad?" Hermione called as she stepped into the house from the back garden where she'd Apparated.

"In the kitchen, Hermione," her mum called back.

Hermione took the familiar path to her parents' kitchen. When she walked through the doorway, her mother was standing at the counter mixing what looked like biscuit dough. Hermione's parents had become much more lax about sugar intake since Hermione had become an adult.

Her mum looked up when Hermione entered and gave her a big smile. Her mum dropped the spoon into the bowl and stepped over, pulling Hermione into a hug. "How are you, darling? It seems like ages since we've seen you."

Hermione wrapped her arms around her mother, swallowing over a lump in her throat. It had actually only been a week in this world since she'd had dinner with her parents. But her mum had felt it too, the amount of time Hermione had actually been gone. It had to have something to do with the closeness of the relationship. Which said a lot about her and Ron, given he hadn't seemed to notice.

When her mother pulled back, she frowned. Reaching up, she wiped a tear off Hermione's cheek. Hermione hadn't even realized she was crying.

"What's the matter?" her mother asked.

"I, I," Hermione began but she could only shake her head. Everything came crashing down on her at once. All the stress of the last two months, her breakup with Ron, the uncertainty of what was going to happen with Harry, if anything. Knowing that no matter the issues they still had in their relationship, her mum had missed her was too much for Hermione. She began to cry in earnest and her mother gathered her back into her arms, shushing her and whispering soothing words in her ear.

Her dad walked into the room a few minutes later. "What's all this then?" He reached out a hand and rested it on Hermione's back. "Princess?"

The term of endearment only made Hermione cry harder. Her dad had called her that her entire childhood, but she hadn't heard him say it since she'd taken their memories and sent them to Australia. He'd never once called her that since she'd restored their memories, and Hermione hadn't realized how much she'd missed it. She let go of her mother and threw herself into her father's arms.

"It's all right," her dad soothed. "Tell us what's wrong."

Her mum kept a hand on her back while Hermione hugged her dad. "What is it, Hermione?"

"I broke things off with Ron," Hermione managed. It was the only thing she could really talk to them about at the moment.

"Oh, sweetheart," her mum said. "You and your dad go and sit down, I'll make tea."

Richard Granger led Hermione back into the living room, sitting down on the couch and keeping an arm wrapped around her. Hermione leaned into him, relishing the comfort he was offering her. It wasn't that her parents weren't ever affectionate with her since she'd restored their memories, but it wasn't as automatic as it always had been before. They all seemed to walk on eggshells around one another, no one wanting to upset the fragile peace they'd established.

They'd been angry with her, so angry after she had explained what she had done to keep them safe. They hadn't spoken to her for several weeks. In time, Hermione had come to realize that it was more they'd been upset that they could never have kept her safe. There was nothing they could have done without magic, save taking her out of the magical world altogether. Even that might not have worked, given how close she was to Harry. Voldemort would have likely still sent Death Eaters after them to try and gain some kind of leverage over Harry. It was a parent's responsibility to keep their child safe and knowing they wouldn't have been able to was the hardest thing for the Grangers to accept, especially her father.

They were also still upset that she'd used magic on them. Before she'd even gone off to Hogwarts when she was eleven, she'd sworn she would never raise her wand to them without their permission. She still wasn't sure that the trust she'd broken was fully mended. For now, though, she was going to take the comfort they were offering. If things went back to the way they had been after, well, she'd just deal with that if it happened.

Her dad leaned down and kissed the top of her head. Hermione snuggled further into his side, and he squeezed her shoulder.

"Here we are," her mum said as she came out of the kitchen carrying the tea tray. She quickly prepared three cups and handed them out before looking back at Hermione. "Tell us what happened."

Hermione pulled herself away from her dad to sit up properly. He kept his arm around her, however, resting his cup and saucer on his thigh.

She sighed. "Things hadn't really been working for a while. And after he cancelled dinner on you again, I just, it was just the last straw."

Her parents glanced at one another, doing that thing where they carried on a conversation with only their eyes. Hermione had always wanted that; someone that understood her so completely, they didn't even need to speak to communicate. She definitely hadn't had that with Ron. Why had it taken her so long to see that?

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," her mum said. She looked up at her husband, who remained silent for a few moments. Hermione could tell that her mum was waiting for her dad to say something.

"He was never good enough for you," her dad finally blurted out.

"Richard!" her mum admonished.

"What? He wasn't," her dad said a bit petulantly. Hermione hid a grin behind the rim of her cup.

Her mother sighed and rolled her eyes. "That's not exactly supportive." She gave her husband another look.

Her dad rolled his eyes, then looked down at Hermione. "Are you thinking the two of you might work things out?"

"No," Hermione said. "I have no desire to get back together with Ron."

Richard gave his wife a significant look. "Then I stand by what I said."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. Her mum shook her head in exasperation, muttering 'honestly' under her breath. But she smiled at Hermione. "How are you doing then?"

"I know I'm the one that ended things but, I'm still, I don't know." She sighed, resting her head against the back of the couch. "It's still hard."

"You were together for a long time," her mum said, taking a sip of her tea. "And he was one of your best friends before that."

Hermione nodded, tears forming in her eyes again. "I think that's the worst part of all this. That I've lost my friend. He's already moved out of the flat. It's strange being there by myself."

"You can come home anytime," her dad said. "You're always welcome to stay with us."

Hermione smiled. "I know. Thanks, Dad."

"Give it time, love," her mum said, reaching over and taking her hand. "It's not something you're going to get over in a few days."

Hermione nodded. "I know."

Her parents hadn't asked about the rest of the Weasleys and Hermione was glad for it. She tried not to think about them herself. It was the monthly Weasley dinner at the Burrow today. Molly had supper every Sunday for whomever could come but once a month, the whole family gathered, even Charlie. Hermione wasn't going for obvious reasons. She wondered if she'd ever be welcome back again. Molly could have a vindictive streak, especially when it came to her children.

Hermione wondered if Harry and Ginny would get back from their weekend in time to attend. Or if Harry, like her, wouldn't be going this time. It was why Hermione had come to talk to her parents early in the afternoon. She wanted to be back in her flat by suppertime in case Harry needed her.

She spent the rest of the afternoon making biscuits with her mum as her dad sat at the kitchen table, chatting with both of them. Hermione felt like it was the most relaxed afternoon she'd spent with her parents in a long time. Maybe the tension she'd always felt was partly her own anxiety about how things were going to go. Perhaps she'd been trying too hard. Perhaps they all had.

Whatever the reason, when she left that afternoon with a tin of biscuits in her hand, she felt lighter, happier, just for spending time with them.

"Don't be a stranger," her dad said, hugging her tightly before she left. "If you need us, we're here."

"I love you, Daddy," she whispered.

"I love you too, Princess." He kissed the top of her head and gave her one last squeeze before releasing her.

"I know you were just here last weekend, but I swear it feels like it's been longer," her mum said, hugging her as well. Her dad nodded in agreement. "Come over more often, will you?"

"I will," Hermione promised. She kissed her mum's cheek. "Love you, Mum."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

Hermione waved to the two of them and Disapparated.

30 June 2003

Hermione looked down at the parchment in front of her, worrying her lip between her teeth. She hadn't heard from Harry and she wasn't sure what to think about it. He hadn't said that he would speak to her last night, but she'd been hoping that he would.

Had things gone so badly that he didn't want to speak to anyone? Or had things gone so well that he didn't need to talk to her? Maybe it wasn't either one. Maybe he just needed some time to process whatever had happened. If that were the case, then Hermione should just let him be until he sought her out.

But she was worried about him. He did have the tendency to close himself off and brood. She'd planned to send a memo and ask him if he wanted to meet, but decided she would just go down to the Auror office and talk to him in person. He couldn't ignore her that way. It was nearly lunchtime anyway.

Hermione left her office, leaving word with the DOM secretary that she was taking an early lunch, and made her way to the lifts. Her mind was working overtime aa to what might have happened with Ginny over the weekend. Hermione tried to shut off her thoughts and ended up having to resort to putting up her Occlumency shields to stop them.

She stepped into the Auror offices and smiled at the department's secretary. "Hello, Celeste. Could you tell Auror Potter I'm here to see him."

"Auror Potter isn't in," Celeste replied.

"Oh, is he on a case? Or taking an early lunch?"

"No, no, he owled in sick this morning."

Hermione could count on one hand the number of times Harry had missed work because he was sick and still have five fingers left over. Because he never had.

"Oh, all right, thank you," she said to Celeste and turned to leave the department. After a few seconds, she turned back. "Do you have a piece of memo parchment and a quill I could use?"

"Of course," Celeste said, offering the requested objects.

Hermione thanked her and sat down in one of the chairs in the waiting room, scribbling a quick memo to Croaker. She told him she would be taking a longer lunch than usual, and she would let him know when she was back in the Ministry. Sending it off, Hermione hurried back to the lifts. She was going to Grimmauld Place.

Hermione landed on the top step and knocked on the door. Normally, she would have just Flooed in but as she'd strode through the Atrium toward the Floos she realized that Harry might have owled in sick because he and Ginny were extending their weekend. Hermione had stopped in her tracks and almost turned around to go back to her office. The only thing that kept her from doing so was that Harry would have just taken a personal day or used holiday time if that were the case. He wouldn't owl in sick if he weren't.

Still, she'd decided to Apparate instead. If he really were sick, there was a chance that Ginny had stayed home to take care of him. It would be better if Hermione knocked on the front door instead of just barging in.

She knocked three times before Kreacher finally answered.

"Is Harry here?" Hermione asked. Kreacher nodded and opened the door wider. Hermione stepped inside. It was quiet and dark. None of the drapes had been opened. Hermione waved her wand to light the sconces in the entry.

"Why is it so dark in here?"

"Master Harry is not taking visitors," Kreacher replied.

"But he's here? He's all right?"

"Master Harry is here."

Hermione didn't miss that Kreacher didn't say that he was all right.

"Where is he, Kreacher? What's wrong with him?"

Kreacher stood staring at her for a few moments, then pointed towards the stairs leading to the upper floors of the house. "Drawing room." Then he disappeared with a pop.

Hermione hurried up the stairs and down the corridor to the drawing room. The door was ajar, and she peeked around it to see Harry lying on one of the couches. One arm was flung over his eyes, the other hung over the side of the couch, holding a bottle of what looked like Firewhiskey. His clothes were rumpled, his hair sticking in all directions as if he'd been running his hands through it continuously. What in Merlin's name had happened?

"Harry?" Hermione said softly.

His arm moved away from his face, and he looked over at her. It seemed as if he were having a tough time focusing on her. He was clearly drunk.

"Harry, are you all right?"

"Peachy," he said taking a drink from the bottle in his hand. She could see that it was nearly empty.

"What's going on?"

"S'nothing. Go way, 'Mione." His speech was slurred and there was a glassy sheen to his eyes. She wasn't sure if it was because he was so pissed or if it was tears. She moved closer to him.

"Harry," she said softly. "Please talk to me."

"Don' wanna talk." He took another swig from the bottle.

"Okay, I'll just sit with you then." Hermione angled one of the armchairs towards the couch. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Dunno."

Hermione sat down facing him, looking over him with concern. Harry continued to drink from the bottle in his hand, ignoring her for the most part. Her heart ached for him. Obviously, things hadn't gone well with Ginny. Still, Hermione didn't say anything. She knew he'd talk eventually. Or pass out. Either was an equal possibility.

"Kreacher," she said softly, and the House Elf immediately appeared. "Will you please bring some sandwiches and a jug of water? And a hangover potion if you have one?" Harry needed to get some food in his system to help soak up the alcohol. And he was going to need the hangover potion at some point.

Kreacher nodded once and then disappeared again.

Harry turned to with a scowl. "'m not a child."

Hermione snorted. "You're acting rather immature right now, so I can't say as I believe you."

Harry muttered something under his breath that she couldn't make out, but she was sure it was some insult against her. She didn't let it bother her, given the state he was in. She was amazed he was still somewhat coherent.

Kreacher returned a few minutes later with a platter of sandwiches and a vial of bright blue potion. She thanked him and he looked at Harry, then back at her with as grateful a look as the old elf could muster. Hermione gave him a reassuring smile before he left again.

Hermione set the platter close to Harry, taking a sandwich herself. Harry ignored her and the food. He stared at the ceiling, twirling the bottle of Firewhiskey between his fingers. Hermione ate her sandwich in silence, and it took her a few moments to notice the tears rolling down Harry's cheeks.

"Oh, Harry," she said, setting her half-eaten sandwich back on the plate and hurrying over to the couch. She waved her wand to expand it and sat down next to him, running her fingers through his hair. She gently took the Firewhiskey bottle from his hand and set it on the table. "What happened?"

He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist and clung to her, crying into her lap. Hermione ran a hand up and down his back, trying to soothe him. It took a few minutes, but he finally spoke.

"'s over."

"What is?"

"Ginny. And me. Over."

Hermione's heart clenched. No matter what her feelings were, she hated this for Harry.

"What happened?"

Harry shook his head. "Don' wanna."

"Okay," she said quietly. "It's okay, Harry."

He tugged on her arm and pulled her down towards him. Hermione hesitated but ultimately laid down next to him. She knew she shouldn't, given how she felt, but with the state he was in, she couldn't deny him. Harry wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck. She wrapped an arm around him, hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I'm so sorry."

They laid there for a while and Hermione thought he might have fallen asleep. She pulled back from him slightly, but he gripped her tighter and she stopped. He lifted his head, and his eyes met hers. Hermione brought a hand to his cheek at the pain she saw in his face.

Harry closed his eyes as he leaned into her hand. She tipped her head to kiss his forehead. When she pulled back, he was staring at her again. Hermione felt trapped in his gaze, unable to look away from him. And then he surged forward and kissed her.