Disclaimer: Don't own HP or M&MS
Mr. & Mrs. Evans
Chapter 11: Confrontations and Tito
[AN] Last gloomy chapter before things start to look up!
Thanks to Ahsun and Cosmo for the beta.
---
Harry and Hermione sat on the bench in the empty park, watching the sun set over the French sky.
Harry turned his head to watch Hermione's face snuggled up in the crook of his neck. He smiled and looked back to the coloured horizon.
"What are you smiling about?" Hermione murmured from his neck.
"How beautiful you look," Harry replied with a sly grin.
"Sweet talker," she said with a small smile.
"You like it."
"I like you," corrected Hermione. She had never been able to enjoy mindless yet lovable banter between a person before. Just another reason why Harry was so wonderful…
"I love you," he said back cheekily, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
Hermione smiled and leaned her head up to kiss him fully on the lips.
"I bet you couldn't go ten minutes without kissing me," Hermione said competitively when they pulled apart.
"Wasn't it you that just nearly snogged me to death?"
Hermione shrugged smiling, "No matter, I still think you couldn't."
Harry scoffed, "Could too."
"Wanna bet?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and a wry grin.
"Name your terms," he said back playfully.
"Okay if you loose you owe me all the money in your pockets, if I loose…" she stopped and bit her lip, thinking of a justifiable punishment.
"You'll be my slave for a whole day," Harry said.
"A whole day?" Hermione asked with a crinkled brow, "That's hardly fair…"
"You're the one so sure that you'll win," Harry replied cheekily.
Hermione scoffed, "Fine. You're on."
Harry smiled as they both settled back into their peaceful serenity. Not even ten seconds later, Harry's lips were back on Hermione's.
Hermione laughed triumphantly, "See, told you!"
"I guess you're just too irresistible," Harry said smoothly.
"Guess so," she said with a smile before poking him in the side, "Pay up Evans!"
Harry dramatically winced, "Easy their Troy…"
Hermione giggled, something she had been doing more and more of these past few months as Harry shoved a hand in his left trouser pocket.
"Let's see… nothing in there," he said as he pulled an empty hand from the pocket.
Hermione huffed, "You better have something for me, even if it isn't money."
Harry smirked at her cluelessness, "Hmm, nothing in that one," he said wryly, pulling another empty hand from his bum pocket. He quickly checked his other two pockets, extracting nothing from either of them.
Harry shrugged innocently, "Sorry love. I got nothing."
Hermione frowned. Harry thought she looked positively adorable when she was about to go into one of her lectures, "That's not fair. You said pockets- you never said just your trouser pockets!"
"So?" he asked smiling.
"Evans, you better empty your coat pockets now before I throw you on the ground and frisk you," she threatened with raised eyebrows.
Harry shrugged, "That doesn't sound too bad-"
"Harry…"
"Alright, alright," he removed the arm that was wrapped around her shoulders and moved it towards the left breast pocket of his blazer. "Nothing," he said with another grin, about to go into hysterics at the look on his girlfriend's face.
"The other," she said lowly, motioning towards the other pocket.
"Alright," Harry dove his hand inside his pocket and shuffled around. Just as Hermione thought he was again going to come out empty handed, he smiled and pulled out a clenched fist.
Hermione smirked arrogantly, "That's right, give it up."
"Alright, you won it fair and square," he said, dropping the object into her open palm.
Her victorious look faltered as she closed her hand around the mysterious object in her hand. It felt like a…
"Harry?" she whispered, looking down to the breathtaking diamond ring in her palm.
"Do you like it?"
"I-I… is this what I think it is?"
Harry grinned, "Depends what you think it is…"
"Harry," she started softly, not knowing what else to say.
Harry squeezed the hand he was holding and looked her in the eyes, "Do you want to get married?"
Hermione started sputtering when Harry cut her off, "Sorry, let me rephrase that- Hermione Troy," he said, moving off the bench to kneel in front of her, "I love you. Will you marry me?"
"Really?" she squeaked. The intensity of his eyes were making her want to melt on the spot.
Harry smiled adoringly at her, "Yeah, really."
Hermione started sputtering again, "Uh- I mean… we've only been seeing each other for four months…"
That wasn't the answer Harry wanted to hear, but he recovered smoothly, "I know when I want to spend the rest of my life with someone. What's it matter we've only known each other four months?"
Hermione swallowed nervously and looked down to the magnificent ring in her hand, "Harry… marriage is forever you know? I'll be your wife for the rest of your life…"
Harry nodded, "I know. And honestly, I can't think of any better thing then to call you Hermione- Evans… for the rest of our lives," he finished, catching himself before he said Hermione Potter. That would take a lot of explaining…
Hermione was silent for a few moments before she smiled shyly at him, "You know, I've never met a man quite like you before Harry Evans."
Harry grinned, "Well I guess that's a good thing or you might've left me for that bloke…"
Hermione let out a laugh before gazing back at the ring.
"Forever," she told him again, staring back into his green orbs.
Harry nodded, "And ever and ever."
Hermione beamed at him before leaning forward to kiss him heavily. Harry snogged her back with equal force, prying the ring out of her palm and slipping it on her left hand ring finger.
A car honked loudly, causing Harry to jump back suddenly. The driver of the car flipped him a rude gesture before speeding off. Harry glared after the wanker who had caused him to break out of his memories.
He scoffed at his wife's words in the memory, "Forever my arse…"
Harry drudged up the steps of Grimmauld Place as the rain continued to pour down on him. 'This just hasn't been my day,' he though grudgingly as he opened the door of the secret house.
Once inside he cast a quick drying charm over himself and called out for his godfather.
"In the kitchen, Harry!" Sirius called back.
Harry walked into the kitchen silently where Sirius and Remus were looking over some papers and dropped down into the nearest seat.
One glance at Harry and Sirius knew that he wasn't in the cheeriest of moods.
"Can I get you a drink, mate?" he asked in a voice like he was testing the waters.
"Whiskey," Harry muttered.
"How about a coffee?" Remus interjected waving his wand so that the coffee pot along with a cup would float over to Harry.
"Thanks," he said, again in the same tone. After a few sips of the hot liquid, Harry looked over to the papers and asked, "What are you two doing?"
"There was another group of wizards in on the mission last night," Remus told him.
Harry looked at him sharply, "And I'm just being told this now?"
"Well, with all do respect Harry- your mind wasn't really worried about the mission last night, now was it?"
Harry grumbled something and then continued, "Was anyone hurt?"
"Well… Fred was attacked by a "bloody demented pigeon", or so he described it, but other than that no."
"Did we get-"
"Yes, we got Donavinci's device."
"Oh, good," Harry nodded, happy to know at least his professional life wasn't falling apart.
"So…" Sirius started lowly, not sure if now was the right time to bring it up or not, "Last night-"
"She didn't come home. But she did sometime this morning to clear out all her stuff," Harry said calmly, not looking either of the older men in the eyes.
"Well didn't you stop her-"
"Apparently I passed out. I just woke up a few hours ago to find this," he said, pulling the divorce papers out from his pocket and enlarging them.
Remus and Sirius peered down at the file of papers. "Wow, she sure does work fast," Sirius said after reading them over.
"I'm sorry, Harry," Remus told him, trying the more sympathetic role.
"You haven't even talked to her yet. Don't you think she's being a little extreme?" Sirius asked rhetorically with a frown.
Harry shook his head with a scoff, "Extreme? I think extreme is resigning from your job and paying your colleagues to tell me that they've never heard of a Hermione Evans so they can't give me the whereabouts of her…"
"What?" Sirius and Remus asked together.
Harry nodded sullenly, "When I woke up I tried calling Sienna but got her voicemail. So then I called her office building and asked for her but they said I had the wrong number. So when I went down to the building and asked for her office the receptionist told me that she's never heard of her…"
Remus and Sirius sent each other strange looks, "That's a bit odd, Harry."
Harry shrugged, "I know Hermione did it. I expected for her to come try and get her things but not for her to go this far…"
"Well, maybe you should give her a little time to cool off Harry," Remus tried gently.
"Yeah, that's a good idea. You know Hermione's as stubborn as they come. Give her some space to think rationally," Sirius agreed.
"Space and time I can give her- but I'm sure as hell not giving her a divorce," Harry said heatedly.
"What do you mean, Harry?"
"I mean, it takes two signatures to make a divorce final. She'll have to come back sooner or later to try and get me to sign them!" he finished, anger for his obstinate wife starting to ebb away at his sadness. 'Honestly, how could she think I could do something like that to her anyway? She should be wanting an explanation from me right now so where the hell is she?!'
Remus sighed, "Look Harry, Hermione's a sensible woman. She'll come around eventually."
Harry relented, knowing he shouldn't be taking his frustrations out on them, "Yeah, I know. I just miss her already. I can't stand to think of what she must be thinking of me right now…"
Sirius and Remus were about to reply when Ginny and Draco came through the door- both wearing smiles.
Sirius smirked, "Well well, what do we have here?"
Ginny had the decency to blush while Draco continued to smile smugly.
"So, um, what are you guys talking about?" Ginny asked heading for the refrigerator to get a water bottle.
"Oh no, you're not going to change the subject Miss Weasley," Sirius said with a taunting grin, "Now, answer honestly. Did you two just christen one of my bedrooms?"
"Let's just say life's pretty good right now," Draco answered evasively coming over to sit beside Harry. "What about you Potter, how's life treating you?"
Harry looked up to him with furrowed eyebrows. 'No… it was just an innocent question… he doesn't know anything about Hermione.'
"Alright," he chose to answer instead.
Draco grinned, seemingly oblivious to Harry's mood or simply not caring, and got up from the table, "Well, I have to be going. I have an appointment to get to…"
"When will you be back?" Ginny asked him.
"Later," he said vaguely. He waved goodbye to Sirius, Harry, and Remus and kissed Ginny on the cheek before apparating away.
Ginny turned back to the group to find Sirius giving her a chesire grin, "Ginny and Draco, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…" he sang gleefully causing Remus to chuckle.
"Oh shut up Sirius," Ginny scoffed at him, trying to save of her giggles.
Harry however didn't find the situation amusing. It only made him miss his absent wife more…
---
"Bloody. Fucking. Hell," Sienna spoke out with a dropped jaw and wide eyes. She and Hermione had just flooed in to the sitting room of their new home. Immediately, the two were met with a beautiful view of the city through the large glass windows on the opposite side of the room.
Hermione, who was just as fascinated, looked to Sienna and said, "You know Sienna, you have the mouth of a bloody dock worker."
Sienna, obviously not paying attention, squealed and ran forward to the door that opened up to a balcony, "Look how amazing this is! I can see into the neighbours bathroom!" She finished in an excited whisper.
Hermione let a small smile form on her face as she looked around the rest of the room. There were already soft cream coloured sofas placed about the room, sitting over Mabel wood floors. Along with the sofas there were black pieces of table furniture throughout the room, some holding potted plants, others below vibrant canvases hanging on the wall.
Hermione walked to the opposite side of the room to find a very posh looking kitchen, with steel appliances and granite counter tops.
She sighed after absorbing the house for a few more seconds, 'This is nothing like home…'
'But it is. This is your home now,' she reminded herself with a slight shake of her head. This was her new beginning. From this point on, no more thoughts of-
"Hermione!" Sienna said from the balcony, knocking on the glass to get her attention, "Hermione, our new neighbour has a tattoo right on his bum! These people are so strange!"
Hermione sighed again and looked at Sienna in a scolding manner, "Sienna, stop spying into our neighbour's house."
"You know, beside that barbaric tattoo, he does have a pretty nice body…" she continued, looking back over the railing.
Hermione wanted to laugh at Sienna's bluntness of trying to get another look at their naked neighbour. She was about to call her in when suddenly Sienna crouched down below the railing and clapped a hand to her mouth.
"I think he seen me," she whispered while crawling back to the door and coming inside.
Hermione smirked, "Well that's what you get for staring into other people's loos."
Sienna shrugged, "The blokes back home didn't mind when I did it."
Hermione shook her head bemusedly, "You, my friend, are hopeless."
"Hey, let's go see our bedrooms!" Sienna said with renewed brightness.
Hermione nodded in agreement and Sienna wasted no time with grabbing her arm and leading her over to the staircase in an excited hurry.
When they got up to the top floor they saw a loft that also had a clear glass window on it's right side, looking over L.A. There was flat screen telly surrounded with bookshelves full of books that lay opposite of a few comfortable looking sofa chairs and a shag rug.
Hermione, wanting to stay and examine the many books, was still being dragged forward down the hall that led to two doors.
"I call this one!" Sienna announced, pushing through the door that conveniently faced the tattooed bum guy's house.
Hermione was left to enter her own bedroom. Opening the door, she was delighted to find that it was a large, very warm looking room, similar to the one she had back at Beauxbatons in her final year when she was student president. Their was a king sized bed against one wall and a large bookcase with a fireplace against another.
'Father must've known I'd get this room… or rather that Sienna would choose the room looking over the neighbour's house…'
Hermione walked over to the sophisticated bed and lay down on the white satin comforter. It was comfortable… her old bed was more comfortable, but none the less, it would suffice.
"Hermione!" Sienna yelled running into her room with a ecstatic smile, "Ooh, your room's nice too! Too many books, but I guess you like that… hey, what's your window look in to?" she finished running over and throwing the curtain back. Sienna looked deflated, "Oh- just trees and stuff… Guess what? My room is like, perfectly aligned with tattooed-bum-guy's room! Isn't that bizarre?"
Hermione smirked, "Bizarre or fate?"
Sienna looked thoughtful, "Hmm- good question." Her face lit up as another idea came to her, "Hey let's go check out our cars!"
Hermione smiled, her friend's exuberance starting to rub off on her, "Okay." She got up and they both together hurried out of the room and down both flights of stairs.
---
A few hours later, Sienna let out an exhausted breath as she dropped down on one of the couches in the sitting room.
"I'm knackered," she groaned, throwing both arms over her head.
Hermione looked up at her from the kitchen where she was putting some dishes away, "You can go to bed, I'll finish up in here."
"Really?" she asked, opening an eye to look at her. The I'm-so-tired-can't-lift-another-plate card hardly ever worked on Hermione…
Hermione nodded, "Yeah, I'm almost done anyway. We can finish up the study tomorrow."
"Okay, see you in the morning," Sienna responded, rolling off the couch and padding over to the staircase.
She heard Hermione respond with "Night" before she started her ascent up the stairs. It seemed as though Hermione was doing okay for being a recent divorcee and moving to another continent. Sienna hoped her friend's optimism improved over the next few weeks.
Because she certainly was! Sienna's was extremely excited to get out to the clubs and start broadening her social sphere in L.A. Maybe even get more acquainted with tattooed-bum-guy then she already was.
As she entered her room, there was a small beeping noise coming from her purse that she had thrown on the corner table. Walking over to it, she searched through until she found her small compact mobile which read '1 New Voicemail'.
Sienna frowned and brought the phone to her ear as the voicemail started to play;
"Hey Sienna, it's Harry. This message is for Hermione. I'm pretty sure she's been with you because I haven't been able to get a hold of her. Look, can you just… tell her that what she- well, the both of you saw wasn't what it seemed. And I know that that's a terribly clichéd thing to say, but it's the truth. You know I love her so much and I wouldn't fuck up our relationship like that unless it was something… important…" Harry's voice sighed like he was trying not to reveal too much while still trying to convey that he was innocent. The notion that he was still keeping things secret made Sienna want to strangle him. 'Can you please just tell Hermione that I love her and I miss her and I'd like to talk and explain things to her… please Sienna. Just do that one thing for me…' The line clicked dead and Sienna dropped the mobile from her ear.
She was terribly conflicted. Should she tell Hermione about Harry's call or act like it never happened? Hermione had seemed to be getting along so well that day- when they were moving their things into the house, she acted happy and not like living here would be her death sentence.
If she told her that Harry had left that message then it might just get her thinking about him again… she might start to regret the move…
'No… I can't let her listen to Harry's shite rubbish. I have to protect her. Plus it's my mobile and I get to say who and who doesn't get to listen to messages left on it,' Sienna added in a cheerful tone with a refreshed smile.
Nope, Harry Evans had caused her friend so much hurt in the past few days, whether Hermione actually admitted it or not. And now, it was Sienna's job to bring that old spark back to Hermione's eyes. Harry Evans be damned!
"Ooh," Sienna sounded as a lighted room out her window caught her interest. She looked downcast a few moments later, "Aww… he's wearing clothes…"
---
"Hermione, I'm home!" called out Sienna as she walked in the front door laden with large shopping bags on either arm.
"I'm in the sitting room!" Hermione replied from the second floor where she was perched on the couch, flipping through a thick folder.
Sienna trotted up the stairs as fast as she could considering the weights on both sides of her. When she finally made it to the sitting room she dumped the bags down and fell onto the sofa adjacent to Hermione.
Hermione smirked but didn't look away from her papers, "Familiarizing yourself with Rodeo Drive yet again Si?"
Sienna scoffed, trying to be convincing, "No."
Hermione raised an eyebrow at her.
It seemed you couldn't lie with her eyebrows, "Okay, but just for a little bit." She finished pinching together two fingers.
Hermione let out a laugh, "And I believe that. You've only been gone since before I woke up…"
Sienna shrugged as she grabbed a magazine off the coffee table, "I got my shopping done in a jiffy. I went to a bloody bookstore- that's what took so long."
Hermione closed the folder in her lap and sat up to give Sienna her scary inquisitive look, "Bookstore? Why the hell were you in a bookstore? Last time I even mentioned going to a bookstore I had to threaten you with telling Todd about Brandon. And in the end, the only book you decided to look through was the Kama Sutra."
Sienna grinned midway through Hermione's rant, "That book is better than the Bible…"
"-And did you just say jiffy? Who says jiffy?"
Sienna got an excited look on her face as she threw the magazine down and starting digging through the shopping bags, "Look what I found in the stupid bookstore!" She pulled out a rather large book and held it out for Hermione to read.
Hermione, however, groaned, "The American Slang Dictionary?"
Sienna didn't take notice to the despondent tone in Hermione's voice, "Uhuh, remember a few days ago when you told me that you needed to get a new dictionary for the library upstairs?"
Hermione lifted a hand up to soothingly rub at her temple, "Actually I was telling myself that- I thought you were sleeping."
Sienna rolled her eyes, "Okay, whatever. But out of the goodness of my heart, I went out of my way to go to the bookstore and get you one!" She finished triumphantly wiggling the book in front of her.
Hermione grabbed it and set it on the coffee table, "That's lovely Si, but I meant a real dictionary."
"That is a real dictionary. It says so right on the cover."
Hermione raised her eyebrows and smiled, clearly unconvinced.
"Okay… maybe it's a little different than those fancy ones, but this one is of the heezy!"
"Heezy?" Hermione choked out, about to roll over and laugh but trying to save face in front of Sienna who thought she had done something nice for her.
Sienna nodded with enthusiasm, "Yeah, that's a part of Snoopy Dog Dog's chapter. There's a whole section in there about how he's modernized the English language and what not."
"Uh, Sienna- I'm no expert on this matter, but I'm pretty sure it's just Snoop Dog…"
"That's what I said," Sienna amended, moving over to Hermione's couch and taking the book from her hands. "This book is loaded with good stuff- look, there's even a chapter with American pick-up lines."
"'Am I dead, angel? Because being here with you is heaven'…" Hermione read over Sienna's shoulder, again trying to save of her laughter.
Sienna simply shrugged and remained optimistic, "I guess American's like lines like that. I wonder if tattooed-bum-guy would like them?"
"I dunno, but you should go over and try 'There's a party in my pants and you have a V.I.P. invitation'."
Sienna looked thoughtful, "You think?"
"No," Hermione responded concisely, snapping the book shut.
"Fine, grouch."
Hermione sighed and rubbed another hand at her temple, "Sorry, it's just… it's been a long day. I've been looking through all these potential employees and…" she stopped shaking her head, not wanting to repeat what she had heard earlier that day.
"And?" Sienna probed.
"My lawyer called. Apparently, he can't file the papers because Harry hasn't signed them," she said lowly, looking away from Sienna's shocked face.
"It's been like two weeks though! He still hasn't signed them?"
Hermione scoffed bitterly, "It's just like him to do this…"
Sienna was quiet, thinking back at the message Harry left on her mobile the day they first moved in. "Well what's the lawyer going to do?"
"He's arranging a meeting later today with Harry to get him to sign the papers. If Harry doesn't or doesn't show then there's another process where the lawyer will have to go through the courts and get a judge to terminate it."
Sienna's mouth had fallen open, "And you have to go too?"
"According to the lawyer, both parties must be present and accounted for. But that's codswallop to me!" Hermione started off heatedly, "I've already signed them, I don't see why I have to go do it again! It's a waste of my time!"
Sienna was quiet as Hermione ranted over the unfortunate turn of events. She was unsure if she wanted Hermione to go or not. After all, it was just supposedly a harmless meeting where they would get Harry to sign the papers…
But Sienna knew better than that. She knew why her mate was battling so hard and it wasn't because of the inconvenience of it all.
"So, do you not want to go because you have other things to do or because you don't want to see Harry?" Sienna finally asked cautiously.
Hermione's betrayed eyes shot up to Sienna, "I have other things I n-"
"Be honest, Hermione."
Hermione scoffed, "I was before I was rudely interrupted. In case you haven't noticed, I've been doing research on all the impending agents. Someone has to continue this, it won't just do itself!"
Sienna shrugged, "I'll do it."
Hermione rolled her eyes, clearly agitated, "Please, if I left this to you we'd have a crew of Chippendale dancers instead of qualified agents."
Sienna pressed on, "You know what I think? I think you don't want to go back to London because you loved that git Evans more than you cared to admit and seeing him again will only rub in your face that he's not yours anymore. Am I right?"
Hermione hated how Sienna could be so intellectual when she wanted to be. Of course she was bloody right! But she wasn't going to give her the satisfaction. Instead, Hermione folded her arms and looked away from Sienna like a five year old would.
Sienna sighed, "Look, I don't want you near the prat anymore than you want to go near him. I just think you need to go and get the closure you deserve."
Hermione and Sienna got into a stubborn staring contest before Hermione huffed and stood up from the couch.
"I don't like you sometimes," she said, making her way over to the staircase where she could descend into the garage which was their apparation range.
"Love you too BFF!" Sienna called out merrily, loving the way she could be so influential.
"BF- what?" Hermione asked, stopping a few steps down. "What the hell does that mean?"
"Best friend forever… duh…" Sienna chided like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Hermione shook her head dully and Sienna then held up the American Slang Dictionary.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "I'm burning that when I get back."
---
Harry clicked off the phone and set it back in it's charging dock. Finally, Hermione and her daft lawyer were getting the message that he wasn't going to sign those cursed papers until elephants walked the moon.
"'Oo was that?" Ron asked from his pantry, biscuit crumbs spilling from his mouth.
"Hermione's lawyer," Harry said.
Ron stopped from feeding himself another biscuit to stare at his mate, "What'd he want?"
"A meeting. With me, him, and Hermione." He said her name softly, hoping beyond hope this would be the day he would convince her to come home.
"Why's he want a meeting?"
"Probably to persuade me to sign the papers. But there's not a chance in hell…"
Ron nodded knowingly. He understood how much his relationship with Hermione meant to him. "So when is it?"
"I've got to be down town in about twenty minutes," Harry replied looking at the wrist watch that Hermione had got him for their first Christmas together. He smiled at the fond memory.
"Best of luck, mate," Ron said, coming forward to clap Harry's hand. He knew that Harry probably wanted to be alone until he had to leave- Harry Potter needed his brooding time just about as much as any normal human needed sleep.
"Thanks Ron. Say hi to your mum and dad."
"Will do. I'm just gonna borrow these," he finished holding up the bag of biscuits.
"You know that's the seventh bag you've "borrowed" this month," Harry informed him with a comical grin.
"Yeah- good thing Hermione doesn't live here anymore or she'd wring my neck for it," Ron responded, beginning to laugh at his own joke before suddenly realizing what he just said.
"Sorry Har-"
"Is sticking your foot in your mouth your favourite past time?" Harry asked him levelly.
Ron didn't know whether to laugh or tell him that honestly eating was his favourite past time, and that sticking his foot in his mouth was just something given to him at birth when he was actually born with his foot trying to shove itself in his face.
"I'm just gonna go now…"
"Bye Ron." Harry said, scrubbing a hand over his face. The nerves of seeing Hermione again was starting to set in on him. He wondered how'd she look. Since he hadn't seen her since the accident, as he was calling it, he hadn't had the chance to see if she was a crying mess or not.
Honestly, he hoped she was. It would make him feel better about his own blubbering self. Just last night he slept on her side of the bed, tearing like a little girl about how they were supposed to have remodelled their room that day.
Looking back down to his watch, he observed that only a few minutes had passed. But, he though, Getting there a little early couldn't hurt. Maybe I'd get a chance to see Hermione before hand…
He went into the foyer and grabbed his blazer off the coat rack, feeling more optimistic about the upcoming event. Deciding it was safe to do so since he was home alone, he apparated from the foyer to a hidden place close to where the meeting was being hosted.
---
"Ah, Miss Troy! I'm glad you could make it!" greeted the tall imposing figure of Raoul Gatineau as Hermione walked into the London offices that Father was letting them meet at.
Hermione mustered a smile for the lawyer, "Hello Raoul."
"I trust it wasn't too much of a bother to come today?"
"Well, you did catch me in the middle of something important. Are you sure it's necessary for me to be here?" she asked, hoping that he would feel a little remorseful for bringing her here and let her go. She was relieved that Harry had yet to arrive- that still gave her a chance to weasel out of this.
"Blast, well I do need for you to at least sign these new documents," Raoul said grabbing a few papers off the desk behind him.
"New documents?" Hermione asked, beginning to skim over them.
"Yes, these ones state that if Mr. Evans doesn't comply to sign them then the judge will be able to forcefully exonerate the marriage."
Hermione nodded, "So he really doesn't have a choice does he? The divorce will happen anyway?"
"Exactly right," Raoul assured her with a wry grin, holding out a pen for her to sign her name with.
Hermione thanked him and scrawled her name neatly over the paper, catching herself before she began the start of a 'G' and replaced it with a 'T'.
"Now, I wanted to go over the-" Raoul was cut off as a door opened and closed behind them.
"Mr. Evans I presume?"
"Yes," Harry replied, his eyes immediately going to Hermione standing next to the man. She was turned away from him so he couldn't see her face.
"Please have a seat Mr. Evans, I just telling Miss Troy about splitting up your assets. Will your lawyer be coming as well?"
Harry shook his head, "Don't need one."
Raoul hesitated at Harry's crisp tone, "A-Alright, then we might as well begin. Please," he said again, motioning for him to come sit opposite of him and Hermione, who had yet to look at him.
Hermione was struggling with herself, trying to remain calm and collected so this could go as smoothly as possible. The easier this is the faster I can get out of here, for good this time.
Finally she turned and sat in the chair next to where Raoul had just plopped down and raised her eyes to meet Harry's.
His full attention was focused on her, staring at her like his life depended on it. Hermione didn't want to notice that Harry looked gaunter then last time she had seen him. His hair was more scraggly then usual and his face had worried lines all over. What bugged Hermione the most was the small pang of guilt she felt while examining him. That was the last thing she should be feeling regarding Harry, she heard Sienna's voice tell her.
Serves him right, it's his bloody fault we're even in this position.
"I trust you understand why you're here Mr. Evans-"
"No I can't fathom why," Harry replied, glaring at the man and causing Hermione to scoff. Well what did she expect? For him to be nice to the man that was overseeing their divorce that shouldn't even be happening?
Raoul looked confused, "Well, your wife is petitioning for a div-"
"Over something she doesn't understand."
Hermione had had enough, "Oh please, you snogging some girl in broad daylight- what's not to understand?"
"You're overreacting. If you'd just let me explain-"
Hermione chortled sarcastically, "What, were you wiping something off her face with your tongue?"
Harry sighed impatiently and turned to Raoul, "Can you give us a minute? I'd like to talk to my wife alone-"
"Ex-wife."
"We're not divorced!" he shot back at Hermione.
"Yet," Hermione persisted darkly.
Harry gave her an annoyed look before looking back to Raoul, "A minute please?"
Raoul shared a look with Hermione who nodded once before getting up and walking just outside the office door.
"What else could you possibly have to say to me?" Hermione bit out, forcing to keep her icy demeanour.
"To explain! For fuck sake's you just left, leaving me with your rings and bloody divorce papers!"
"Well what did you want me to do?" Hermione fired back, "Give you a lolly pop and a pat on the head for cheating on me?"
Harry faltered at her hard words, "I didn't cheat on you…"
"Oh right, right. You love me and would never do anything to hurt me," she said bitterly, not missing the hurt look in his eyes. "Yeah, I remember you telling me that the night before. Remember that night? That same night you were playing around with someone's lip gloss?"
Harry glared at her, "That's not fair."
"Of course it isn't. Poor Harry, his wife's not going to let him walk all over her any more…"
Harry was beginning to get increasingly angry, "Oh please, like your so bloody perfect!"
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, genuinely missing his meaning.
"What about all those calls you got at odd hours? Hmm?" he persisted as she looked away, trying to avoid answering.
"They were calls from work," she said flatly, showing no emotion otherwise. The important topic at hand had clearly been forgotten.
Harry scoffed, his irritation getting the better of him, "Yeah and you were always rushing out to do you "job" weren't you? You never once chose to stay home and spend time with me over doing your supposed work!"
"You're forgetting the fact that you were the one caught! You never caught me snogging strange blokes in restaurants."
"Just because I hadn't caught you didn't mean I never had reasons to believe!"
Hermione jerked back like a wounded animal. Had he really had superstitions about her being unfaithful? But Hermione would have never done that! She cherished her marriage to Harry too much… she would have never done something to endanger what they had. Well, except for that one night- but that kiss was for the sake of the mission!
Harry knew he shouldn't have said that by the hurt look that flitted over her face. She tugged her eyes away from his just as he started to apologize, "God Hermione, I'm sorry." He got up and moved around the table to kneel beside her, grabbing the legs of her chair to turn her towards him.
"I shouldn't have said that. Of course I know you were really doing work. I'm just so angry at myself! And you know me… I have to take it out on someone…"
Hermione snorted in response, having had many first hand accounts of Harry's broody nature. Funny thing was, she was usually the only one to cheer him up. Now she was the target of his rage.
Harry waited for her to say anything else before he added softly, "I know you wouldn't lie to me."
Hermione bit her lip and turned her head from his gaze. Truly, he had no idea how much she had lied to him ever since they first met. But those lies couldn't be helped- he'd probably jump out a window if she told him who she really was… what she really was…
Harry took her silence for her starting to give in, "'Mione, I still love you. I'll always love you… we can work this out. There's no need to get a divorce." He started rubbing his hands over Hermione's legs, trying to comfort any last doubts she still had.
"That's perfectly dandy Harry, but you still haven't explained why you did what you did. If you did it once you could do it again…"
Harry sighed. There was no other way- he had to tell her his biggest secret. "Alright, I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise not to-" he was cut off by Hermione shaking her head.
"That's just it Harry, I-I don't care to know anymore," she finished quietly, her words slicing daggers through her heart. Her mind was telling her that it was no longer important to know but her heart was screaming for her to listen.
Even if she wanted to listen to him, and take him back, she had already made her decision. She couldn't take him back now. Her future was now promised to Father and the agency. Her life was in Los Angeles now.
Harry stared at her with furrowed eyebrows. "What?"
"It's just… It's over. What's done is done and I just- we need to move on from it."
A flicker of a smile began to spread across Harry's face before Hermione shook her head solemnly, "I mean separately."
Harry's face dropped and shoulder's sagged. All this and he still hadn't gotten through to her…
"That's it? You just want to give up five years of marriage for one mistake?"
"Six, Harry. I'm giving up six years of marriage."
Harry rolled his eyes, "That makes it loads better."
Hermione didn't reply to that, just said quietly, "We should have never been married."
Harry's glowing eyes shot up to hers, "You don't mean that."
Hermione shrugged, "We were too young-"
"We were 20!" Harry scoffed.
"We were 19, and had only known each other for four months!" Hermione fired back inexorably.
"That's rubbish, we loved each other! Even you can't argue that!"
Hermione didn't answer him but instead averted her eyes back to papers on the desk. This needed to be over with- she couldn't stand to sit there and have him look at her with those intense, beautiful eyes of his anymore. Pulling the papers forward, she began in a subdued tone, "Harry-"
"Hermione, please just give us a chance! Give me the chance and I'll make everything right, I promise!"
She began to shake her head but before she could say anything Harry grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her into a mind numbing kiss, trying to remind her of what they had and what she was willingly giving up.
"I love you," he said when they finally parted for air. He was still nose to nose with her as he continued, "And I don't care what you saw two weeks ago, I'll never be able to want anyone more than I want and need you!"
Just when Harry thought she was starting to concede, she pushed a sheet of paper into his chest, "It's too little too late."
She got up from the chair and grabbed for her purse on the table, avoiding Harry's helpless expression.
"Just sign the papers, Harry," she said, gesturing to the paper she had pushed into his chest, "Please." Without another word or glance to him, she walked towards the door to the office and quickly made her exit.
"Is everything okay Miss Troy?" Raoul asked kindly from outside the office as Hermione leaned herself against the door.
Hermione nodded, her face not deceiving her mood, "Yes Raoul. He should be signing the papers- he can have the house and everything. I just want the divorce finalized."
Raoul nodded, "Of course Miss Troy. I will contact you once everything has been settled with the courts."
"Thank you," she choked out, before walking down the hall quickly, wanting to get home as soon as possible. It had taken all her self control and then some she didn't even know she had to remain collected and not give in to Harry and run back up there into his arms. The rotten bugger could be convincing as hell when he wanted to be. Blast that gentle tone and his stupid beautiful eyes!
He still doesn't deserve you, a voice started in her head, he still cheated on you. He took advantage of you- who's to tell that he'd do it again? You have to be strong, this is for the best.
Hermione frowned at the voice. She knew it was right, she just didn't like to be reminded of Harry's betrayal like that.
Taking a deep breath she made a split second decision that from this moment on, she would apparate back to L.A. and no longer have any lingering thoughts about Harry Evans and what he did to them.
Hermione disapparated seconds later.
---
Harry scrubbed both hands over his face and through his hair as Hermione's lawyer came back into the room.
"Shall we get started with the signing Mr. Evans?"
Harry didn't answer but did lift himself up into the chair his wife had just been sitting in.
Raoul looked hesitant before pressing on, "Miss Troy has given you full possession of all your marital assets."
Harry looked up at the pesky lawyer, "She doesn't want anything?"
Raoul shook his head and sorted the few papers on the table before setting a pen on top of them.
"Do you know where she'll be staying?" Harry asked again after a few moments of silence.
"I know that she has already moved into a new home but I do not know where," Raoul said, finally providing an answer.
Harry looked at him severely, arguing with himself whether or not to occlumens the ponce to see if he was lying or not. He knew he wouldn't be able to march over their again and demand for her to take him back but he did want to know where she would be. Who knew? Maybe Hermione just needed a little more time to clear her head about the whole situation…
"I'll just need you to sign here and here," Raoul told him, pointing to two different spots on two separate papers. He held the pen out for Harry to take.
But Harry only stared at him with moody eyes, wishing he could hex this bastard into next week for his help in ruining Harry's marriage. Instead, he grabbed the pen out of his hand and threw it to the opposite side of the room.
"You can shove them up your arse," he muttered before leaving the room, not sparing the frazzled man a loud slam of the door.
---
Hermione walked up the two flights of stairs, wanting to go straight to her room so she could crawl in bed and not come out for another week. Sienna was no where in sight so Hermione figured she had already turned in for the night.
Opening the door to her room, she threw her purse down on the night stand and flung herself down on her bed, not even bothering to take off her flats.
Sleep had almost succumbed her when she felt an odd movement next to her head and then something wet touch her ear.
Hermione shot up and snapped her fingers so the lights in the room would turn on. What she saw curled up in her bed made her jump off and scream bloody murder.
"SIENNA!!!" she screamed again, moving as far away from the large blonde rat as possible.
"What?!" Sienna asked, coming into the room. She looked over to where Hermione was pointing at the thing yapping and wiggling its tail on her bed.
"W-What the hell is that?!" Hermione asked her, clearly scared out of her wits.
"Oh," Sienna started like it wasn't that big of a deal, "That's Tito." Tito started yapping again and Sienna gave him an adoring smile, "Yeah, the little tyke needed a kip and your bed was empty so…"
"Little tyke?" Hermione asked incredulously, finally standing from the ground, "Sienna what is it exactly?"
"A Chihuahua."
Hermione had to control herself from throttling Sienna with her lackadaisical tone, "And where did it come from?"
"Tito is a he, not an it, and has feelings just like the rest of us," Sienna scolded gently making Hermione's cheeks flush with anger. Obviously Sienna hadn't seen what the big deal was.
"Answer the question."
"Well, I went out shopping again after you left and fate just sort of brought us together," she finished lovingly looking back at the dog who was wagging it's tail happily at it's mistress.
"Oh, so you bought a dog."
"Mhmm."
"Without consulting me first?"
"Well you were at a meeting with your husband…"
"Ex-husband and that's not the point. What if I just went out and bought a cat all the sudden?! How would that make you feel?" She knew that should hit home with Sienna. She would head for the hills every time her old cat, Crookshanks, entered the room.
Alas, Sienna only frowned, "Why would you want a bloody cat when you can have Tito!" she finished fondly at the dog. Tito whined and tilted his head to the side, giving Hermione his best puppy-eyed look.
Hermione sighed and looked away. She was knackered and had just had one hell of a day; the last thing she wanted to do was deal with some small blonde rat wearing a pink collar with diamonds on it.
"Get him out of here," she told Sienna with a tired look saying they would discuss this in the morning.
"Okay, I'm going to go conjure one of your books into a mattress for him," she said brightly, scooping Tito up into her arms.
"No don't-"
"Say goodnight Tito!"
Tito barked and Sienna imitated him, giving Hermione a happy wave before closing the door.
Hermione sighed and slapped a hand to her face, letting it slowly drag downwards.
I go from married life to living with an overly optimistic party hound and her pet rat. Brilliant.
---
So, this chapter was originally much shorter. Lucky you, I decided to add the fun bits so this chapter wasn't just a filler. Look, I've never been divorced so I have no clue how it goes about. Sorry if it seems unrealistic.
Thank you all for the reviews! They're brilliant!