Four Years Later
Albus Severus Potter was now in year 4 at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was a member of the Slytherin house, together with his best friend, Scorpius Malfoy. Their friendship was born during their first year at Hogwarts, and every moment the young wizards spent together only strengthened it. The boys were inseparable: always together, helping and supporting one another. They leaned into each other, and that support was a crucial part of their friendship, as both their lives were far from easy. Albus struggled with the unwanted attention from the other students, who always compared him to his famous father. Not a day went by without someone calling him "The golden boy's son" or asking him if he was the chosen one like his dad.
Scorpius also didn't have an easy life at Hogwarts. Not long ago, someone started a rumour that he is the son of none other than the dark wizard Voldemort himself. The bullying and ridicule followed both boys everywhere. They could never hide from the taunting and the sneers from their peers.
"Hey, is it true that you speak parseltongue?" shouted someone from the crowd.
"Tell us, how does it feel to know that you were not raised by your real father?" added another cruel voice.
"Stop it! Do you even hear yourselves? You sound absolutely ridiculous!" Albus stepped up, defending his friend.
"You know what is really weird? That you of all people, being the son of the famous hero – Harry Potter – would be friends with Voldemort's son. Didn't your dad kill his dad?"
The cruel cawing laughter surrounded the boys from everywhere.
"What is going on here?" The loud voice of Headmistress McGonagall immediately quieted the young wizards.
"Nothing, Professor. We were just going to class." Albus put his hand around Scorpius's shoulders and led him away.
As soon as they turned around the corner, Scorpius stopped and said, "Thanks for defending me, but you really shouldn't do that… I am kinda used to it now, and I think that it's better to keep your head down and just leave."
"I honestly don't know how much longer I can tolerate it, Scorp. All that bullying and the way they mock you… Even the fact that everyone always compares me to my dad. I'm just so tired of this." Albus closed his eyes and hung his head, sounding defeated.
Scorpius straightened, pulled his friend into a hug and said, "We can do this. We only have a little left, and then it's Christmas break. We'll go home and leave it all behind."
"Yeah, Christmas in my dad's company doesn't really reassure me." Albus smiled without mirth.
"Hey, be grateful that at least your dad is not Voldemort." Scorpius chuckled sadly and led the way to the Potions class.
"Hermione, are you here?" Ginny Potter's head appeared in the fireplace and took in the spacious office.
"Ginn, is that you?" The door to the office opened, and the minister of magic looked inside. "Lesly, please fill in the documents and then bring them to me for signature," said Hermione and closed the door.
"You're so bossy." Ginny chuckled. "Listen, can I pop in here real quick?"
"Of course! You never need to ask. You know I am always happy to see you." Hermione paused and then quietly added, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you…"
Ginny's head quickly disappeared from the fireplace, replaced with green flames. A second later, Ginny Potter stepped out, dusting herself off. She walked to the little sofa near the bookshelf along the wall. Hermione sat beside her, giving her friend a warm hug.
"Coffee?" asked the minister.
"Already had a couple of cups this morning. And if you don't want me running to the loo instead of talking to you, I'm gonna pass," said Ginny with a loud laugh.
"Got it. No coffee." Hermione joined her friend's infectious laugh. However, the mirth quickly faded, replaced with a more sombre mood. "Ginny, you wanted to talk about something?"
"I know that you wanted to talk. So, here I am."
Hermione stared at her best friend. "How?"
"Dear, we've been friends for more than two decades, and you still acting shocked? I can always feel when you're hurting. Plus, the kids are coming back this week. So, how are you? Spill."
Hermione let out a heavy sigh and closed her eyes. Ginny was always there for her. Their friendship first began back in 1994 during the Quidditch World Cup, when the girls were sharing a bedroom. In the next years, that connection between them only grew stronger. When Ginny was heartbroken that Harry never noticed her, it was Hermione who helped her move forward. The women were always there for each other and could share the most intimate things. Hermione also told Ginny everything about her complicated relationship with Ron. Ginny knew Ron better than anyone, knew his temper, and could always calm her friend and give helpful advice. Their friendship grew stronger with every shared secret, with every spilt tear, and with every hug. After all the years of friendship, they were still very close and tried to see each other as often as possible.
Ginny had been seeing the changes in her friend for some time now. But it became obvious that something was wrong when Hermione became the Minister of Magic three years ago. The witch was so excited about the promotion, she worked so hard to achieve it. Hermione should have been elated when she finally reached her goal. Instead, everything went downhill from there.
"Hermione, you know you can tell me absolutely everything, right? If you're not ready yet, I'm not going to push it. I know you too well to do that." Ginny smiled kindly and hugged her friend.
"Ginn, you really do know me better than anyone" Hermione opened her eyes and looked at her friend. "Everything is such a mess. I'm so confused…"
"I can guess that the problem is with my brother dearest?" asked Mrs Potter.
"Shrewd as always." A sad chuckle left Hermione's lips. "I think the tipping point was me getting that promotion. I started spending more time at the ministry and less time with Ronald. I'm rarely home in time for dinner, and I stopped cooking altogether. I come home absolutely exhausted and often bring more paperwork with me. In the beginning, Ron was happy for me. So proud and supportive. But it didn't last very long. Everything was soon replaced with reproach and quarrels. When I come home from work, I'm greeted with a rebuke in his eyes and a cold embrace.
"I'm not even going to talk about sex. After we had Hugo, I forgot what it's like to be intimate with my husband. The romance and passion are completely gone now. I know that I don't look like a romantic type, always working or surrounding myself with books and documentation. But you know me, Ginny. I want to feel that warmth. I want to feel needed and loved. I want to get a handkerchief when I cry, to receive a bouquet of pink tulips and to be kissed under the stars - " Hermione abruptly stopped. "You know what, Ginn? I think our problems with Ron started much earlier. Our whole relationship was moving with the speed of lightning. The war was over and we were in a hurry to live. When Ron proposed, I said 'yes' straight away. I thought I was in love with him, Ginny. After that kiss in the Chamber of Secrets, I knew for certain that he loved me. But I didn't even stop to think if what I was feeling was something more than just puppy love.
"Now everything feels so far away. The love, the tenderness… I honestly don't even remember the last time he said a compliment to me. I know that people say that it's a normal turn of events and that every marriage goes through this at some point, but I can see that you and Harry are different. In Harry's every look and gesture, it's obvious how much he loves you. I don't know, Ginn. Sometimes I think that I chose the wrong person, that I shouldn't have acted so hastily by marrying Ron, because - " Hermione abruptly stopped, looked her friend in the eyes and said, "Sorry, Ginny. He is your brother, and I said all those things about him. It's just, I honestly don't know what to do. When the children come home for their school breaks, Ron acts like a completely different person. He starts acting so caring and attentive, so I think the kids don't notice anything's wrong. I don't think anyone notices anything's wrong. But I'm just so tired, Ginny." Hermione closed her eyes and laid her head on her friend's shoulder.
Ginny hung to Hermione's every word. She knew that something was wrong with her friend and had been noticing it for a long while. Hermione stopped smiling; the fire that always burned in the witch's eyes was nothing but an ember now, dying with every day. Others may not have noticed the changes, but nothing could escape Mrs Potter's sharp gaze.
"Hermione, listen to me." Ginny looked her friend in the eyes. "You can tell me everything, and I will always listen to you and try my best to help. I'd known something was off for a while now, and I know my brother is not the easiest person to be around. I honestly still don't know what you saw in him in the first place. I am not going to tell you that you should work on your marriage and so on just because this is my brother. No. I'll say this. You need to think and decide if you even want to fight any more and if it's worth it. Or if it's better to let go and stop suffering. Believe me, Hermione, it does not matter what people will think or say about it, it concerns you and only you. It's up to you to decide how to live your life.
"Don't think that I'm saying that you should drop everything right now and go dump Ron. No. I'm just telling you that you need to think about what it is that you want. Not Ron. Not my mum. Not anyone else. You. It doesn't matter what your decision will be. I want you to know that no matter what, I will always be there for you."
Hermione felt her eyes burn. She hugged Ginny and, through that hug, channelled all her gratitude for her friend's support. She murmured a quiet "thank you" when the door to her office banged open and through it appeared a dishevelled Harry Potter.
"Hermione, I need to talk to you! It's urgent!" Harry stormed into the room and came to an abrupt halt when he saw the scene before him.
"Mister Potter, don't you know how to knock?" Ginny rebuked her husband and dropped her arms from the embrace.
"Sorry, girls, but it's really important." Harry looked chastised when he looked at Ginny.
Mrs Potter just smiled, stood up from the sofa and whispered to Hermione, "I'll see you later."
Ginny kissed her husband and quietly vanished into the fireplace.
"And what's so important that you couldn't wait?" Hermione looked at her friend expectantly.
"There are rumours around the ministry about the remaining Time-Turner," Harry whispered.
Hermione stared at Harry in horror, all the tears forgotten.
"What? Where did you hear that? No, wait." Hermione stood from the sofa and quickly moved to her table. She grabbed her wand and muffled the room. "Now tell me everything."
"There's nothing specific, I just heard a couple of ministry workers discussing it in the lift. They kept saying that there is a last Time-Turner and it belongs to someone from the ministry."
"I don't think we should panic just yet. Those rumours have been circling through the ministry for some time now, and we have been too careful in our research to elicit any suspicion. So even if there's talk about the Time-Turner belonging to someone in the ministry, no one will think of us. However, maybe you are right to worry, and we should be even more careful. It's probably best if we stop the experiments for now," said Hermione.
"Yeah, you're right. Is it safely hidden?" Harry looked much relieved by the news.
"Yes. The Time-Turner is here in the ministry, and I don't think it's in any danger." Hermione's voice was full of conviction, relaxing Harry even further.
"Alright, I'll go then. I have a ton of work waiting for me." Harry paused by the door and frowned, taking a closer look at his friend's red-rimmed eyes and tired expression. "Are you alright? You don't look well."
"Everything's fine, Harry. Don't worry." Hermione put on her fake smile.
Potter watched his friend carefully and knew that she was hiding something, but he didn't press the issue. Harry left the minister's office, and Hermione became lost in her thoughts.