Disclaimer: Don't own HP or M&MS
Mr. & Mrs. Evans
Chapter 10: A Strong Heart
I kind of got reamed by you guys about me taking a BRIEF hiatus. When I said brief I meant by maybe prolong updating by a few days to get my bearings for this story. Anyway, I felt kind of bad for leaving with the chapter I did so here is the next post. Warning though, this is more or less a filler chapter.
Thank you to Ahsun and Lana for continuously putting up with me :]]
…
Harry woke up and groaned at the sharp pain in his head. He moved his hand to clutch at his forehead when he realised he had an empty whiskey bottle secured in his fist.
'How'd that get there?' he thought groggily as he pulled himself up from the floor, using the counter for support. Looking out the window, he could see that it was already well into the afternoon.
'Hmm… must have dozed off…' he figured, walking towards the rubbish bin and throwing the empty bottle in. He turned back around and froze after seeing something sitting on the counter top.
Harry's mouth fell open as he limply picked up Hermione's engagement and wedding rings off the envelope they were laying on. His breathing turned ragged as he continued to stare at the two rings that used to mean so much to Hermione.
Still clutching the rings in his hand, he turned his attention to the envelope underneath. He ripped it open, dreading what he was about to find inside.
Hermione Jane Evans is petitioning for divorce from Harry James Evans…
The papers fell from Harry's trembling hands. Without another thought he ran from the kitchen, up the stairs and into their bedroom, heading for Hermione's closet.
He made a strange noise in the back of his throat when he was met with a bare room.
How could this really be happening? She wasn't even going to give him the chance to explain!
A wave of anger came over him at his wife's stubbornness. He knew one thing for sure, he wasn't just about to let her walk out of his life and away from their marriage, however weak it may have been at the moment.
Doing some quick thinking, he walked out of Hermione's closet and ran downstairs into the kitchen where he had left his mobile the morning before.
Luckily for him it was still there. He picked it up and scanned through his contacts for Sienna's number.
Breathing a sigh of relief when he found it, he pressed the call button and held the phone to his ear, praying to any god that could hear him that she would answer.
---
"Alright, alright, how does my hair look?" Sienna asked breathlessly for the twelfth time, as she and Hermione waited in the lift that was taking them to see Father.
"Si, relax- he's not going to fire you if one strand is out of place," Hermione said back.
"Where?!" Sienna gasped, raising both hands to pat her hair.
Hermione snorted, "I was joking. Calm down…"
"You don't joke with hair, Hermione," Sienna said back, sighing a breath of relief.
"Of course not, my deepest apologies," Hermione returned dryly. Sienna was about to retort when one of the mobiles in her purse mobile's rang.
"Si, I thought I told you to shut those off," Hermione said to her as the doors to the lift pinged, opening to reveal the door to Father's penthouse.
"I thought I had," she replied as she searched through her purse for the phone. Sienna paused as she grasped the phone and read the caller ID on front.
"Is it Pete?" Hermione asked, referring to one of Sienna's latest flames.
Sienna shook her head and then looked up at Hermione with a blank look.
Hermione frowned in confusion at her friend's expression, "Who is it then?"
"It's Harry," she said lowly, holding out the phone so Hermione could see the name, 'Hermione's Hubby'.
Hermione stared at the mobile in Sienna's hand as it continued to light up with every ring.
"Hermione- are you going to answer it?"
She didn't answer, but continued to look at it with a distant look in her eyes. If she answered it, she knew that hearing Harry's voice would only make her not think straight. Who knows what he would be able to convince her of…
"Hermione-"
"Father's expecting us," she finally said, walking out of the elevator and ringing the door bell.
Sienna sighed and turned the mobile off before stashing it away in her purse and followed Hermione to the door.
---
Harry ran a hand through his hair as Sienna's voicemail came over the line. He wasn't about to give up this easily, that was for sure.
He had to make Hermione listen. He needed her back.
---
"Ah, Miss Granger, Miss Cosveaux, please take a seat."
Hermione sat down in the chair across from Father's desk and then folded her leg over the other in a business like manor. Sienna however, remained standing and staring at Father like he was Jesus himself.
"Sienna," Hermione hissed at her. They had talked about her not doing that when she first saw him…
"Sir, it is an honour to like, be in your presence," she said shakily, trembling from excitement and awe.
Father chuckled, "The pleasure is all mine Miss Cosveaux. Please, have a seat."
"Okay," she squeaked out before nearly falling down into the chair.
Hermione shot her a warning look before turning back to Father, "Everything's on track sir- both houses have been packed up and are awaiting the move."
"Fantastic," Father said jovially, "I suppose we should get down to the business of what this job exactly entails."
"Yeah, that'd be nice," said Sienna, trying to stay in the conversation with Father. Hermione shot her an annoyed look while Father smiled charmingly.
"As you know, you'll be heading to an office located in Los Angeles, California," he started off, snapping his fingers so that two folders appeared in front of Sienna and Hermione. They both opened the cream coloured folders to find a picture of a luxurious building on top of other papers.
"Granger/Monroe Financial Group?" Sienna read aloud.
Hermione looked up sharply, "Granger sir? I won't be going as Hermione Troy?"
Father grinned and slid two passports to the girls, "Hermione Granger, meet Sienna Monroe."
"Sweet," Sienna said wearing a large grin on her face, looking as if she was just given a pass to raid a Marc Jacobs warehouse.
"Indeed, Miss Cosveaux. From here on out you will both take on the identities of your counterparts," Father continued on his spiel as Hermione read through the papers in the folder. According to it, they had both grown up in Cambridge and graduated from the University of Bristol. Afterwards they partnered up, working in various banks across England before starting their company in L.A.
"Also in your folders is a list of old friends of mine. I'm sure they'd be able to point you in the right direction of a few choice agents for the firm."
"So we'll be doing our own hiring and finding our own case investigations?" Hermione asked in her infamous professional tone while Sienna continued to stare at the papers in the folder like a kid in a candy shop.
"Ooh! Hermione we share a house in West Hollywood! Look!" Sienna said excitedly as she shoved a picture of a house in front of Hermione's face.
Hermione pulled the picture back to get a good look at their new home. It was a beautiful three story that had a clear view over the rest of Hollywood and L.A.
"I would have arranged two separate homes, but Miss Granger here only sprung her desire for you to tag along yesterday," Father said gracefully. "And to answer your previous question Miss Granger, you will be doing your own hiring yes, but the cases will come through here before being dispatched to your firm. After you become reputable enough you will start to initiate your own cases."
Hermione nodded, controlling her excitement as opposed to Sienna who was bouncing in her seat eagerly.
"When do we get to leave?" she asked keenly, wanting to get up and leave for their new life that instant.
Father chuckled, "Not quite yet, Miss Cosveaux. Here," he said, holding out to them two identical mobiles, "Are your mobiles used for office work only. Those are how I will get in touch with you to do your weekly reports."
Hermione and Sienna accepted the new state of the line mobile phones as Father continued, "These are your keys. The brass ones are for the office and the silver ones are for the house. The other is for your autos, which are in the name of Granger and Monroe. You already have your American driver's licenses and citizenship papers. You have another card in there which is your bank cards, one for each of you and one for the office in which you will make divisions for all your employees. The way you pay out your agents is up to you- I recommend the higher the risk of the mission the higher the cheque…"
Father continued off on his monologue, telling them tips on how to find those to hire and contracts over which they must sign. Hermione felt fairly confident- she had always been a naturally bossy person so being an actual boss of people wouldn't be too difficult.
It was, however, overwhelming her how quickly this was all coming together. Just a few days ago she was happily coexisting in peace with her husband and now she was divorcing him and moving to a country where he would never be able to find her again.
In the span of seven years she had gone from being Hermione Granger to Hermione Troy to Hermione Evans and now again Hermione Granger.
Hermione sighed, 'Christ, I need a vodka…'
"Hermione?"
"Huh?" she asked jerking her head up.
"I asked if you were ready to go?" Sienna asked impatiently.
"Oh, yeah, is everything set?" she asked looking back up to Father.
Father nodded and gave her a comforting smile, "Everything's good to go, Miss Granger."
"It's so not fair you still get to be Hermione Granger," Sienna said as they got up.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Sienna, the public hasn't really known me as Hermione Granger since Beauxbatons."
"Yeah, I guess. Plus Sienna Monroe has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
"Whatever you say," Hermione responded half-heartedly as they approached the door of the penthouse.
Father chuckled from behind them, "I'll definitely miss having you two around."
Sienna turned and beamed at him while Hermione lifted the corner of her lips. Father studied her for a minute, "I have no doubt you two will be extremely successful in Los Angeles."
Sienna looked like she had one the lottery and thanked him profusely while Hermione nodded her head, reassuring herself that this was definitely what she wanted and needed. However, there was a small nibbling in the back of her mind that was telling her that this job might not turn out as successful as Father wanted it to be…
"Well, au revoir Sienna Cosveaux and Hermione Granger."
Sienna held out her hand to shake Father's, "It's been a pleasure, sir."
"I assure you, it was all mine," Father replied back before holding his other hand out to Hermione.
"A strong heart will get you everywhere in life Miss Granger," he finished quietly, looking eerily into her eyes.
Hermione frowned, wondering why Father was telling her that. Regardless, however, she nodded, "Yes sir."
He smiled at her a final time before Sienna and Hermione walking out the door and into the open elevator. Hermione looked up at him one last time before the elevator doors closed and caught him giving her a proud wink.
Hermione felt herself smile and straightened out her shoulders. She could feel a new aura of confidence about her at the thought of someone as regal as Father having so much faith and trust in her. That thought alone made her feel like she could take on the world… and definitely get over her soon-to-be ex-husband with her head held high.
---
As Father watched the elevator doors closed, he let out a deep breath of accomplishment. It was quite a win-win situation for him; now Hermione would be his successor and she would be moving far away without her husband.
'Harry Potter didn't deserve her anyway…'
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So I gave you a bit of something to chew on. You may think what you want of it, just know that it's one of the many tricks I now have up my sleeve concerning this story.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You guys really did show me you cared last chapter :]