Chapter 16
"Well, I didn't mean to be there…I just…was."
"Oh, nice explanation."
"You don't understand! I was looking for Dean; I had to give him some paperwork. I daresay, I never imagined I would hear all of that." Hermione paced her office clutching the phone to her ear. It had been a few weeks since she had seen her best friend. They had met while Hermione was traveling; they had been best friends for 6 or 7 years now. She had been kept up-to-date on everything that had happened in the weeks that Hermione had been home.
"So divorce? Harsh…and very final."
"Yeah, I can't believe it. I hate to think that it was because of me."
"See! I told you that it wasn't a good idea to go back. You know I am always right. You should have stayed with me." It was true that she was always right but Hermione wasn't going to give her that.
"But this is my home," Hermione said reproachfully.
"It was but you have to get used to the fact that you have been gone for so long, things can't just fall back into place."
"Actually you are the only proof that it can't. Everything else is the same."
"Oh really? Come on! I mean, how can it all be the same? It has been eight years, things change Hermione."
Hermione glowered, that had been what Harry told her as well as everybody else. "You know, I kept track of everything that went on."
"And yet you seemed to pass over the fact that Harry is married with a five year old daughter. Look I know you feel guilty about all of this. And I know what you want to do. You want to go talk to Bridge and apologize or talk to Harry and tell him to rethink getting a divorce. But you can't do it and you know it too."
Hermione cringed because that was exactly what she has been planning to do. Talking had always gotten her everywhere, she didn't want to believe that it wouldn't help her in this situation.
"Remember that there might be other reasons as to why this is happening, it is probably not just your fault. Just promise me that you won't do anything rash."
"Fine, promise."
She hung up the phone after they said goodbye and sat down, swinging her legs up to rest on top of the desk. Surveying the room she marveled for the second time that day at how easy it had all been. It had taken no effort at all to get this job with and the position that she had been placed in. for eight years she had been abroad and had gotten terribly out of practice with the normal working world. But then as soon as she had come back it was like no time had passed and she was just dropping right back into her rightful place. Of course that wasn't exactly true, a lot of things were different now. But maybe being Hermione ranger had its perks after all.
She had been sitting in her office for at least an hour trying to puzzle out what had happened since she had left the Potter residence. They had seemed happy together, the marriage so perfect.
"On the outside at least," Hermione murmured to herself. That was half true at least. Mostly they looked like a perfectly functioning family on the outside but then there were also times when she saw some signs that things weren't as wonderful as it looked. She had noticed some instances when they looked uncomfortable around each other or Harry acting as if he had to prove something. She then she could see Bridget shoot Harry some sad, meaningful glances when his back was turned. Even though she really hadn't been around them enough to get a good analysis it was hard to believe that everything was as ideal as it looked. Maybe it was because of her but then maybe it wasn't.
So maybe she was right, Hermione thought idly, maybe there is something more. She was always right. That was part of the reason that Hermione went to her with everything, besides the fact that she was her best friend.
As she was trying to get back to work there was a knock at her door.
"Come in!"
The door opened and closed. "You really made yourself comfortable." He was obviously referencing the pictures on the desk and the comfy chairs replacing the stiff, wooden ones. Papers covered the whole desk which seemed a bit off since working as an Unspeakable didn't involve a whole lot of written work.
She looked up. "Oh Dean, I didn't know that it was you. You know that you don't have to knock; you are my boss after all."
"It is not polite to walk in on a lady without knocking."
"Oh, Dean, I daresay your wife is a very lucky woman."
"I wouldn't know."
Hermione gasped softly. "But you mean…? Any woman would be fortunate to have you as her husband. Have you not found anyone?"
Dean shook his head, plopping down in the chair across from Hermione.
"No one?" Hermione had a hard time believing that, she didn't even try to mask her incredulity.
"Well…there is someone but... Well she is a bit unreachable." He glanced involuntarily at the picture Hermione had of Harry and Ron, laughing and smiling out of the frame, and she understood immediately.
"Well not anymore."
He nodded. "Not anymore." Dean didn't even take the time to think about how she could have possibly known about anything. For a second he just sat there, finally snapping out of it when Hermione asked him why he had come.
"Not, of course, that I don't enjoy your company greatly."
He smiled. "Three things. Well first of all, I would like to express my compliments. You are doing great in your job; I have heard lots of praise about your work. They are glad to have you with them. And then second of all did you need to give me anything? Karen said that she saw you but then you left."
Hermione blushed. He probably figured that she had heard about the whole divorce thing. She bustled around the room trying to find what she had wanted to give him. Dean must have noticed how frazzled she was.
"Don't think it is your fault because it is not."
She stopped with her arm extended midair. She turned around slowly, tears already glittering in her eyes. "That is what everybody is telling me. But how do you know? It could perfectly well be because of me, I don't want that to happen. I didn't mean to do this…the whole situation just lost control."
"I know. And I might console you to know that Bridge is the one who asked for a divorce, not Harry."
She shook her head fiercely. "That can't be true. Why would she want….? she trailed off.
"I wouldn't give yourself all the credit if I were you. Things weren't all what they seemed, I should know because Harry tells me everything. Not that they weren't happy but with both of their harsh pasts and everything else…they just needed something to push it off. You just seemed to be the one to do it."
He got up and headed towards the door. She brought the papers over to him. As he opened the door Hermione stopped him.
"Didn't you say that there were three things?"
He stopped. "Oh yes, I almost forgot. Your friend is up in the lobby. She demands to see you and they would have let her right down but you need to be authorized to come down into the Department of Mysteries."
Hermione raised her eyebrow. "Who is it?" She had her suspicions but it couldn't be her. But it then they were confirmed.
"Someone by the name of Hannah Marlan."
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"Han, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, no `I am so happy to see you!' for me today, is that it? Now open the door, these bags are frighteningly heavy. You wouldn't think that would you?"
Hermione opened the door and surveyed Hannah struggling with the bags. "Of course five bags wouldn't be heavy at all. Who ever got that idea?"
"Well I couldn't very well leave any of my stuff at home, who knows when I am going back."
Hermione held her head in her hands. As much as she loved Hannah she wasn't really sure if she wanted to live with her. She tended to get a little crazy when she was in a confined space…or any place at all for that matter.
Hannah looked hurt. "Well I figured that you might enjoy a friend's company during these tough times that you are having.
"I could have used you a long time ago but as it is you took me out of work. I have only been employed there for about a week; I can't start taking time off already."
"You are friends with your boss, the Minister, so it really shouldn't be much of a problem. Dean isn't it? He's kind of cute." She tapped her fingers on the wooden doorway as she looked inside the homey little house. Not seeming to notice Hermione's wince at her comment she went on, "This is your parent's house? Nice. Seriously, it is. Though of course I live in a shack so my opinion is a bit biased because, you know, anything is better than that."
"You did not grow up in a shack." The reply came out a bit testier than either of them had expected, to say Hermione seemed just a bit annoyed would be the understatement of the year.
"Whoa there `Mione you don't have to get all huffy on me."
"Don't call me that, and I am not being huffy." That was a lie because huffy was exactly what she was. She sucked in air through her clenched teeth. When she spoke again she still sounded angry. "Han, I know you better than most people and besides the Marlan Mansion is by far the most renowned in all of France."
Hannah grimaced slightly and continued to walk into the house, finding the guest room with ease. Nodding, she remarked, "This will do."
Hermione, who had still been perched at the door, called up to her. "Hey, I was just thinking something."
Hannah snorted in a most unladylike way. "Well that's new."
"Oh shut up," Hermione told her laughingly, rolling her eyes as she dragged herself up the stairs. "You lived in France and Bridge lived in France. You both went to Beauxbatons. Is there something that you aren't telling me?"
Hannah looked at a spot over Hermione's shoulder, her eyes glazing over. "Beauxbatons is a big school, I daresay I didn't know everyone there; I just stayed with my own smaller group of friends. Bridget was a pretty popular name in my year, it could have been anyone."
"Were you friends with a Bridget?"
Hannah shook her head. "I used to be friends with a Bridget once...but then again that was once." It clearly hadn't occurred to Hermione that she had never told Hannah about who Bridget's parents where or her maiden name.
Hermione stood up. "Well you make yourself comfortable. You can wander around town; you have a great instinct so I am sure you will be able to get yourself around fine. I have to head back to work; I was in the middle of something pretty important. Have fun." Then she was gone.
Hannah hummed a tune to herself as she started to unpack. Something at the back of her mind kept nagging her. The thought had never occurred to her that Hermione's Bridget could be her Bridget. Anyway it couldn't be. But what if she was? That, she realized but a second later, would make all the difference.
Leaving her bag she picked up her coat and left the house. She had no idea where she was going but yet the directions she took felt familiar and so right. After about twenty minutes of nonstop driving she came into a busy section of London. Coming to a place called The Leaky Cauldron she parked and let herself inside. It was dark and a bit musty inside. She made her way to the back and came to a brick wall. Remembering vaguely something that Hermione had described to her over the year she took out her wand and tapped the bricks until they broke away in a whirlwind to make a doorway for her to enter Diagon Alley.
She smirked. "Hermione was right. My instinct is wonderful." Mentally patting herself on the back she made her way into the busy lane.
She checked out a lot of the shops but soon got bored because she couldn't possibly buy anything. She was almost completely broke because when she had come up with the idea to go and see Hermione she had been so excited at the prospect that she completely forgot that being a witch there were easier ways to get places. The expenses for driving from Paris to London really racked up as did the long house of sitting in the car bored to death but that was a whole other story.
She also found herself very hungry so she tracked down a nice little café that wasn't completely packed with people. She was sitting peacefully at a little table with a good book and a cup of tea when she heard raised voices off to her right.
"Luna, tell me you don't know anything about this. Because god so help me-"
A cool voice cut in. "I don't know anything about it."
"Oh no, you are only the editor of the paper."
Another person joined the conversation, his tone decidedly annoyed. "Do you doubt my wife? If she says she doesn't know about it then she doesn't know anything about it."
Hannah shifted in her seat to look. Admittedly she was pretty nosey. Hermione never seemed to miss a time to remind her of that. There was a small woman with long, dirty blonde hair sitting next to a redheaded man. Hannah assumed the woman to be Luna but while she hadn't heard any other names she felt that she recognized the man as well. Not from the conversation but almost as if she had seen him before. Looking past them there was another woman who was half obscured by her companions. She was tall with light brown hair and she was waving around a copy of the Daily Prophet frantically. Hannah again felt that feeling but this time it was stronger but she couldn't quite place her. While Hannah was trying to put a name to a face the argument went on.
"Well excuse me for thinking that her being the editor of the paper she might have been able to screen an article like this."
"She has a lot to worry about besides the newspaper. She is a busy woman. And besides Ginny most likely put it in, the Hermione story was big but this is even bigger. Huge actually."
"Ronald," Luna seemed to plead, "I hardly think…"
But Hannah didn't pay attention to the rest of what she said because three words seemed to stick out, actually they were names but same difference. Ginny. Hermione. Ronald. Suddenly Luna's name seemed to fit into the pattern as well. But that meant… Hannah got up to get a better view of the third woman and her suspicions where confirmed.
She was suddenly overcome with the feeling she had not only met that woman before but had known her and laughed with her and confided in her. The realization hit her hard and she sat back down as if her knees had been kicked out from under her only to crash to the ground seeing the in getting up she had moved a few feet away from her chair.
The threesome at the other table turned to her at hearing her muffled `umph' and got up to see if she was okay. Ron helped Hannah to her feet and she mumbled and thank you to him while continuing to stare at Bridget.
Bridget noticed the attention and looked a bit uncomfortable. "Is…er…everything alright?"
Hannah nodded and gripped the table with shaky hands.
"Bridget? Bridget Lupin?"
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