Unofficial Portkey Archive

New chapter: Letters and Sweaters

The plot moves forward. Finally! Lots of stuff happens here. And none of it involves Tonks (thank God). Although she does make an appearance or two...

To summarize: Harry and Hermione are at an odd place in their relationship. Hermione is still a little thrown by their fight, but she's putting up a brave front. Tonks is still insane and Ron is still under-developed character-wise. Oh, and now Harry and Lupin are gone.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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The next morning, Harry was gone before daybreak just as he said he would be. Their late-night talk made Hermione feel a little better, but she still found herself unable to face Tonks and Ron at the breakfast table. Instead she had coffee sent to her room and afterwards shut herself up in the library. Tomorrow was to be her last day at Godric's Hollow and she hoped against hope that Harry would be back to see her off. Her concerns preyed on her all morning, so much so that her time was spent worrying about her upcoming departure rather than reading her book. During the course of the afternoon she managed to finish only one chapter. She wanted to try for another but that was cut short when a now-blonde Tonks came flying into the room:

"Ohhh!" Tonks cried, punching a curtain. Finding it a fairly fruitless fight, she started tying the thick curtain cords into a tight noose. Securing the noose around her neck , she waved to Hermione. "Goodbye Mione. Tell Remus there's nothing anyone could've done to prevent it."

Hermione looked up from her book. "Don't play with the curtains Tonks."

"I'm not playing with them, I'm using them to commit suicide."

"Oh." Hermione nodded vaguely, still lost in her thoughts.

"And where were you at lunch?" Tonks huffed. "Harry's gone too, so I had to sit for a whole hour alone with Ron! I never knew the simple act of eating could be so disgusting. The man chews on everything like it's shoe leather. Chomp. Chomp. Chomp. Chomp. Plus he had to be a pain in the arse about every bleeding thing possible: he horded the sauce for the fish and used up all the bloody sugar for the coffee and stuck his elbow in the butter dish... And where were you for all this? Here. All shut up in this stinky old library. If you'd been there it wouldn't have been so terribly terribly awful." Tonks shook her head. "You have no idea how horrible it was. Chew, chew, chew… I could feel my soul being sucked from my body. You know, Ron would make a good Dementor. No one would stand a chance against his chewing."

"Uh huh," Hermione said absently.

"And I don't miss Remus either, so stop thinking that."

"Of course you don't."

"And don't take that of-course-you-don't tone with me! I can hear you now: 'Oh poor silly Tonks, she's all lonely since Remus left and that's why she's shouting at everyone. I'm Hermione and I know everything blah blah blah…'" Tonks sniffled and kicked at the curtains. "Well, stop thinking that because you don't!"

"Uh huh."

"And…well…maybe I do feel a little guilty about the cardinals. But he's the one who ran off during our honeymoon. What was I supposed to do? Say, 'Oh, fine darling, just go off and have a fun adventure without me. I'll just stay here and watch Ron gnaw through the silverware.'"

"Hmmm."

"Oh, who am I kidding, it's all my fault." Tonks sighed, sadly tugging her noose tighter. "If only I hadn't been quite so brilliant about Operation…um…I mean…you know…stuff, then Remus wouldn't have left and everything would be back to normal. Well…not normal. But honeymoon normal." Tonks sniffed. "I am sorry, you know."

"Oh Tonks." Hermione set her book aside and gave Tonks her full attention. "Remus will be back any day now and everything will be fine. You'll see."

"Really?"

Hermione picked up her book "Really. But until then, be nice to Ron."

Tonks threw up her hands: "Oh that's impossible and you know it."

"I assure you it's perfectly possible."

"But he's sooooo annoying. I think the gods are punishing me by keeping him here. He's like a plague. A biblical plague. The one with the grasshoppers and flying monkeys."

"Uh huh." Hermione muttered absently, not looking up from her book.

"I mean it! He has the worst table manners of anyone I've met!"

"Well…just don't spell up any more cardinals."

Tonks huffed and untangled herself from the curtain cords. Flinging them aside, she threw herself on the sofa next to Hermione.

"No," Tonks shook her head sadly, "Next time, it'll probably be worse than cardinals. Something like man-eating bats or grizzly bears or something." Tonks paused and suddenly looked nervous: "Or what if I summon both bats and bears at the same time? I can see it all now: We'll all be running for our lives down the hallways and everyone will be saying, 'Oh why couldn't Tonks have summoned cardinals like a civilized person. Now we're all going to die because Remus left and Ron shoved a whole sandwich in his mouth.'"

Tonks waited for Hermione to say something, anything. But Hermione seemed much too interested in her book to be concerned about getting eaten by bats or bothered by the fact that Ron was chewing with impunity. Tonks huffed. "Well maybe you can sit around and wait to get eaten by bats and twenty-foot bears, but not me!" With that, Tonks jumped off the sofa and ran out the door. "And don't miss dinner!" She called over her shoulder.

"Dinner…what?"

"You heard me!" Tonks shouted from down the hallway.

"Bats? Dinner? What is that girl thinking?" Hermione shook her head, muttering annoyances about her melodramatic cousin.

Her confused frown turned into a pitying smile when she saw Dobby standing wide-eyed in the doorway. He was peering around the doorframe, carefully looking around the room. Judging from his nervous expression, he'd been waiting for Tonks to leave. That didn't surprise Hermione. Most of the house-elves were terrified of Tonks (she had a habit of stepping on things that weren't directly in her eye line, i.e. Crookshank's tail, mud puddles, and house-elves).

"Hello Dobby. Did you want something?" Hermione called him forward.

"Um… Yes Miss." Dobby nodded. He was shaking and nervous, but Hermione had often seen him like that. He looked at his feet and shifted uncomfortably.

"Don't worry," Hermione laughed. "Tonks is long gone now."

"Not Tonks Miss," Dobby sniffled.

"Dobby what is it? Is something wrong…?"

"Oh Dobby make mistake!" Dobby cried as he threw himself at her feet. "Dobby made horrible horrible mistake."

"Dobby!" She exclaimed as he pulled at the hem of her skirt. "What mistake?"

"Dobby bad elf!"

"Dobby! Goodness what happened!"

"Letter mistake Miss."

"A letter? What…? Did you lose a letter?"

Dobby nodded and wiped away a tear. He then began banging his head against the hardwood floor and calling himself a "stupid silly elf. No help to anyone."

"Dobby stop that!"

He ignored her: "Dobby a stupid stupid elf!" He shouted over and over again. This went on for quite some time, with Hermione trying to get Dobby to stop and Dobby apparently bent on giving himself a concussion.

"Dobby! Dobby stop it…Do you remember whose letter it was?"

The elf paused mid-head thump. "Letter for you Miss. Letter from Luna Granger. Letter went into pile with Master's things and Dobby never see letter again."

"So it was mixed in with Harry's letters?" Hermione sighed. "Dobby, that's not such a crisis, is it? Where did Harry put them?"

"Master puts them on desk in Old Master's study to read."

Hermione assumed he meant James Potter's study. "Well it should still be there, shouldn't it?"

He nodded excitedly. "But Dobby not go there. Dobby not like to there without permission from Old Master. And now Old Master gone and Master gone too and Miss never see letter again."

"Oh Dobby, I'll go get it. Honestly, it's no bother."

"Really Miss?" Dobby asked hopefully, rubbing his head.

"It's no trouble at all," she assured him.

After a few bows and words of praise (apparently she was the kindest, most generous Miss that Dobby had ever met), Hermione put her book away and hurried towards the study. She'd been eager to hear from Luna all week. Except for the smart-arse note attached to her luggage, she hadn't heard from her sister since she'd sent Luna that letter about Viktor.

Even with the faint sunlight outside, Hermione found the study to be very dark. The sun was setting and the heavy curtains let in almost no light. Muttering an incantation, she lit the fireplace and hurried over to Harry's desk. At first, Hermione didn't see Luna's letter amongst the untidy piles of papers. She carefully leafed through a stack of legal documents, not liking the idea of rifling Harry's papers, but too anxious to hear from her sister to let that worry her. She caught sight of Luna's blue parchment and unearthed the letter from a heap of real estate contracts and mortgage docs.

Hermione turned the letter over in her hand, surprised to find that the blue envelope's seal neatly cut and the flap hanging open. Probably just an accident, Hermione told herself with a shrug. Harry might have missed her name on the address and opened it…

But that wouldn't explain why Harry hadn't mentioned it to her.

When did Dobby say the letter arrived? Sometime yesterday morning? Hermione shook her head. It must've been an accident. Harry wouldn't hide a letter from me…why on earth would he?

Unfolding the parchment, Hermione's eyes trailed down the page. At first she only caught snippets here and there; Luna's elegant writing made her dizzy with its sloping L's and impossibly scrawled H's and tangled E's. Apparently Luna wrote this in a hurry. Her handwriting was almost illegible. Plodding slowly line-by-line, Hermione was able to understand the few crucial parts:

Dear Hermione… start at the beginning…Lavender…Viktor Krum…an elopement…

Shaking her head in disbelief, Hermione re-read the letter, trying to make sense of Luna's indecipherable prose. Luna had enclosed a portkey-a small galleon wrapped in a piece of muslin. It was huddled in the corner of the envelope, barely visible within the tuffs of white material surrounding it. Hermione eyed it wearily, not daring to touch it just yet. She couldn't believe it was true. Any of it.

Dear Hermione,

Oh, I'm so sorry to write you like this. I know you're coming home soon but something terrible has happened and everything's so up in the air. How I wish you were home right now. You would've handled everything much better than I have. It's just too dreadful. And Aunt Aurora's just locked herself in her room and won't come out, except to see Septima, who's come round at least three times now.

Oh dear, I'm not making any sense, am I? It' s just that I don't know exactly what to say about poor Lavender because she's never been in this sort of trouble before. I know you never trusted her around so many red cloaks. If only I had listened to you. I should've gone with her. I should've never let her go off by herself.

No, I'm sorry again. Let me start at the beginning. Last night we received an express Owl from Denny and Parv who wrote to say that Lavender had disappeared. They said she'd gone off around lunchtime. At first they thought she went shopping, but when she didn't come back for dinner they searched her room and found a note.

Hermione, she's eloped! With that Viktor Krum person you told me about. Colonel Denny's traced them to Kingsford but no one's seen them since. She hasn't written to me or Parv and no one's heard anything from Viktor Krum. Oh Hermione, I know they're going to be married. I just know they are, but I have this terrible feeling that something awful has happened.

Mr. Kettleburn, Aunt's solicitor, has been kind enough to go to Kingsford on our behalf. He's hired a detective of some sort and they're combing the city looking for them. Please please please come home as soon as you can. I know I've made such a mess of everything and Aunt Aurora's been asking for you since the Owl arrived.

Luna

P.S. I've enclosed a porkey with the letter. Again, please come home as soon as you can.

Staring at the pages, Hermione felt an icy chill slowly making its way up her spine. She couldn't possibly read the letter again because her hands were shaking too much…

How could Viktor do this?" she asked herself in a daze. "And Harry had it hidden away in his desk? How could Harry hide this from me!? How could he? How could Harry…? How could Viktor…? What was Harry thinking? And Viktor? Why on earth did Lavender agree to run off with him? She hardly knows the man. There must be some mistake. It can't be true. He would never…Harry would never…Viktor couldn't possibly…

Her anger swung violently from Harry to Viktor and back again. Soon the two men were completely bound up in one livid, muddled thought racing through her head. She silently counted the number of painful, boil-causing spells she could lob at Harry's head. Or Viktor's head. Or whoever's head came into view first.

How long has he had the letter? What did Dobby say? That it arrived yesterday? Or the day before? When was he going to tell me? How could he do this? And poor Luna….left to face all this alone… Did Harry really read the letter? What was he thinking?

She couldn't believe Harry would keep something like this from her. She didn't want to believe it. But it was the only explanation for his odd, distant behavior last night, his sudden disappearance today-it all suddenly made sense. She paced around the room, muttering curses as red flames danced in front of her eyes.

So this is what despair is really like, Hermione thought during one of her less-coherent moments. She had always thought despair was a black, cold thing. A loss of passion, of hope, a deep hole that one could throw oneself into. But she was wrong. Despair was like a fire burning in a hearth. It was red, flaming, angry, violent thing. She wondered why she always attributed despair to the color black. Perhaps it was because she was used to working with the color black in her potion making. Black brought a sense of calm, of distance-raven's feathers, onyx, fur, oils and lace-they were all objects she could manipulate and control. But red belonged to order of peppers and cayenne, things that made her fingers burn and her eyes water. Just as they were now…

And who cares about colors for goodness sake, she muttered as she hurried back to her room. As she climbed the grand staircase, a shaking sense of dread overtook her. She understood that her life had changed forever, but she didn't have the faintest idea about what to do about it.

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Twenty minutes later…

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Tonks stormed into the foyer where Ron was greeting a just-arrived Harry.

Ron said hello with a nod and Harry smiled a greeting as he hung up his green cloak. Ignoring them both, Tonks shoved past Ron, took Harry by the ear and twisted his arm around his back.

"What did you do to Hermione you stupid git?" Tonks shouted as she squeezed Harry's ear lobe.

"Owwww," Harry cried. He tried to shove her away, but he'd never had to contend with an angry Tonks before. "Oww. Ron get her off!"

Ron carefully stepped forward. "Um…Say Tonks…I'm over here. That's Harry you've got there."

Tonks shot Ron a murderous look. "I know Ron. Now shut up and go stand in the corner!"

Ron gave Harry a "Hey, I tried mate" look.

Tonks squeezed Harry's ear: "She wants to leave. She wants to leave! After everything I've done, you've gone and mucked it up! I give her to you on a silver platter and this is what happens! Don't think that I haven't seen the two of you running off and sneaking nauseating lovey-dovey looks at each other. And now she wants to leave. I don't know what you've done to her, but you're going to un-do it or else you and the ginger-haired glutton are going to be sorry. You hear me?" Tonks shook his ear for good measure before Harry pushed her off.

Harry stumbled away from her and rubbed his injured ear. He looked at Tonks murderously. "I haven't done anything to Hermione," he growled.

"Well, that's wonderful," Tonks replied sarcastically. "That just great. She's just sobbing and shaking and all because you did nothing. Yes. Of course. It all makes sense now. Because that's what poor single girls do all day. Cry about nothing. Right." Tonks looked at Harry with a deadly glint before stomping out the door. "You'd better go apologize or else I'm coming back with scissors," she called over her shoulder.

"I told you mate. Plain nutters," Ron said, watching Tonks leave. Harry nodded in agreement before he rushed toward the stairs. "But she has a point," Ron called after him good-humoredly. "There have been lovely-dovey type looks. And they were nauseating…"

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Hermione paced around her room. Most of her clothes were still carelessly strewn around her open suitcase. Her heart was pounding and her head was spinning and she still couldn't believe any of it was really happening. She took a moment to catch her breath and caught her reflection in the mirror. For a moment, she didn't recognize herself. This wasn't her. Her dress was disheveled, her eyes were red and her skin was deathly pale. It didn't look like her at all. She was staring at a stranger. A frantic, panicked stranger.

Calm down Hermione, she told herself sternly. She knew that somewhere, somehow, there was a stubborn, rationalizing part of her that had to know what to do next. She looked down at the letter…then down to her shoes... Yes, her shoes were on…

That's something at least, she muttered. Although she didn't know why having shoes on was so important. She supposed it meant she could run. Run home, run anywhere. So running wasn't a problem. Wonderful. Then why was she still standing in the middle of her room?

She looked at the letter again, which by now was just a crumpled piece of parchment in her hands. She felt the tears on her cheeks. She felt the paper in the hands. She felt the shoes on her feet…

Stop it Hermione. Right now you need to pack. Then you can take your bag and your shoes and go home. What you don't need to do is sit here with your clothes tossed around you in a Tonks-like way.

Hermione started folding her clothes and quickly tossed them into her suitcase. She hadn't bothered to use a Reanimater charm for them. The last thing she needed was floating sweaters and dresses trying to crawl under the bed and out the window. Besides, it didn't matter if they were wrinkled beyond belief, she just needed to get home.

A flash of green glint caught her eye, and she noticed Lily Potter's ring on her nightstand. Picking it up, she watched the glints of green, blue, and orange swirling in its depths as it merrily reflected the firelight. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear the footsteps coming down the hallway.

"Hermione?"

Startled, she shoved the ring in her pocket and looked up to find Harry standing in the open doorway with a nervous expression. He didn't say anything as their eyes met, but something in his stare made her uneasy. The usual feeling of fluttering that Harry normally caused were replaced with an aching sense of dread. There was no warmth in his expression, just an unfamiliar emptiness and defeat.

Guilty. He feels guilty… she muttered. Her heart sank as the realization dawned on her. He knew about the letter. He knew about the letter and he'd kept it from her. He'd hidden it, knowing full well that Luna was frantic and Lavender was in danger.

A wave of revulsion washed over her. Finding she had to turn away, she wondered if she shouldn't have just left at once after she found the letter. She almost laughed aloud at the thought. For the whole of the last week, she'd been desperate to have just a few more precious seconds alone with Harry, but here she was, so anxious to get away from him she couldn't stand still.

Furiously folding a sweater in her hand, Hermione shoved it into the suitcase and slammed the lid shut. Looking down, she found herself gripping the latch on the suitcase so tightly that her hands were turning white. She chewed on her already tender lip, trying to keep her anger in check.

"Hermione…" Harry started again, his voice lacking any recognizable emotion.

Hermione started when he put a hand on her shoulder. She hadn't realized he was standing right next to her. She didn't say anything as she brushed his hand away. As much as she wanted to scream and curse at him, there were much more pressing matters at hand.

"You're leaving?" He asked carefully.

"Of course I'm leaving," she acidly replied.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "You're angry."

She looked at him a moment before nodding.

"Because of the letter? I can explain that…"

He wiped a tear from her cheek, but she batted his hand away and did it herself. She hadn't even realized she was crying. "Well I'm anxious to hear it," she said in a hollow voice.

"I was going to tell you…"

"Were you?"

"Yes… I was actually. That's why I came back today…"

She didn't let him finish. "Harry, when did it arrive?"

Harry looked gravely at the floor, refusing to meet her gaze. "Yesterday morning. But I didn't open it until last night."

"Why would you open it at all?"

"I didn't know it was addressed to you. Then when I opened it and saw Viktor's name…I read what happened and…I just…I wanted to…"

"You wanted to keep it from me."

"Just until I found out more," he corrected her.

"Oh well in that case, thank you ever so much," she replied bitterly.

"I didn't think…"

"No you didn't think. You didn't think at all did you? Oh, Harry. How could you do such a thing?" She pushed him away and wiped off another tear.

Harry took a step towards her. "Now before you get mad, just listen. I wanted to find out more. I wanted to see who this Mr. Kettleburn was. I'd never heard of him. I needed…I wanted…"

"Oh yes," Hermione snapped angrily. Her haze of heartbreak had given way to outright anger. "You needed…you wanted…Oh I understand Harry. You needed to feel better about this. You needed to be sure of the situation. You couldn't let Viktor get away with something like this again. But what about me? What about Luna? She's all alone in this. And you kept me here. I should be home now, helping her …"

"I know..."

"You don't know! Because you don't know Luna. She doesn't understand any of this. Luna actually thinks they're going to be married. Can you believe that? She actually thinks Viktor Krum would marry a penniless sixteen-year-old with no connections and no dowry. Of all the ridiculous…irresponsible…ugh!"

Hermione began to stalk back and forth across the room. Anger at Harry, at Lavender, at Viktor, as well as at herself, seeped through every pore of her skin. She reeled on him, suddenly furious: "Did it even occur to you that you should have told me? That you should have given me the letter as soon as you read it?"

Harry didn't say anything. He just studied her with empty eyes. His silent stare answered her question and fanned the flames of her anger.

"Don't just stand there! Answer me!"

Harry's eyes flashed. "No, I didn't."

"Arrrrgh!" Hermione growled, and began pacing back and forth again. "How dare you! How could you do that?"

"Hermione, I'm sorry…" Harry grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her, trying to stop her frenzied pacing. "I thought if I could find out more. I might even find Lavender on my own and…and I know that I was wrong… I know made a mistake, I know that. I came back today to tell you."

"Well thank you for that," Hermione said sarcastically, struggling to get away.

"I was just trying to protect you."

"I DON'T NEED YOUR PROTECTION!" Hermione shouted.

"If you'd just let me explain…"

She jerked away from him before he could finish. "You've already explained enough," she said breathlessly.

Unbelievable as it was, in that moment she felt nothing for the man. Every ounce of tender concern she felt was for her poor sisters. In her mind, Harry didn't deserve sympathy. Hiding the letter from her was a hateful thing to do. The more she thought about it, the more furious she became. Just looking at Harry made the bile rise in her throat. What was it she called him once? An inconsiderate prat? A selfish idiot? Well, she was right on that score. She recalled their argument clearly that fateful night in Meriton and took a moment to remember the particulars, all the while trying to keep her unbridled anger in check.

Hermione spoke in a low voice without looking at him. "This is just what happened with Luna and Ron. Do you remember? You thought you knew best for everyone involved and broke Luna's heart. I always knew you were impetuous and headstrong but I never thought…I never thought you could hurt me like this…" she shook her head sadly.

"I didn't mean to hurt you…"

She didn't let him finish. "It doesn't matter Harry. " Hermione took a deep breath and steeled herself.

"What are you going to do?" Harry asked expressionlessly. All color seemed drained from his face.

"I'm going home and then I'm going straight to Kingsford."

"What? Alone?"

"Yes."

"But why!?"

"I'm going to find Lavender." Hermione calmly adjusted the ties of her cloak. "And then I'm going to drag her home by her hair."

"That's absurd."

"What's absurd? Finding my sister?" Hermione snapped.

"No I mean, your going to Kingsford. They could be miles away by now."

Hermione started to protest but Harry silenced her: "No, listen to me… I talked to Mr. Kettleburn this morning and he's checked all the hotels and boarding houses. They've already left, assuming they were there in the first place."

She shook her head sadly. "I don't know Harry…but I have to try… Lavender's just a child. She has no idea what she's doing. And you know what Viktor's capable of. What he did to Georgiana…what she did to herself afterward…" Hermione's voice gave out as she contemplated what could be in store for her younger sister.

Harry didn't answer. He scarcely seemed to hear her.

Wiping away the last of her tears, Hermione set her bag on the floor. "I have to get going..."

"Right now?"

Hermione glared at him. "Well, I should've been home yesterday morning. So yes, now seems an opportune time."

"Oh…then …goodbye," Harry started. He leaned towards her. She felt his breath on her lips and for a moment Hermione thought he might kiss her. And for a split second Hermione almost wished he would. She always managed to lose herself in his kisses. They were soft, firm, and sweet. The world invariably melted away whenever he took her in his arms, but this time she turned away at the last second. She didn't want that. She didn't want him. Anger had soured whatever tender feelings she once had for him. All she wanted was to go home, that was where she was needed.

Harry hesitated for a moment but then gently kissed her cheek. He whispered "everything will be fine" in her ear.

She pulled away and shook her head. "I don't think I can believe that."

"I'll do what I can from here…" Harry trailed off.

Hermione set her jaw and picked up her bag. "There's nothing you can do. Lavender is gone, and my family is disgraced. There's nothing that can be done now."

She then looked into Harry's eyes for what she believed to be the last time. They were still the same lovely green color she loved, but now she wasn't moved by them. She didn't feel anything for him.

"I don't want to leave things like this," he said in a low voice as he stepped towards her.

Never taking her eyes off him, she unwrapped the portkey Luna sent. "Not everything is about what you want Harry."

She couldn't hear what he said next. She thought he reached for her, but she probably imagined it. It was only a split-second later that she felt the familiar pull and found herself standing in her Aunt's foyer.

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And just like that…it was over. Hermione was home, and Godric's Hollow and its master were hundreds of miles away.

She looked around at the dark house and shook her head. Grief for Lavender and concern for her family had been swallowed up by a gapping hole in her chest. Dazed, tired, and drained, she stumbled towards the staircase. Leaning against the banister, she felt like she was losing air, losing life. Faced with losing Harry once and for all …it seemed a horrible way for their relationship to end. He had hurt her. Yes, that much was certain…just as Viktor was sure to hurt Lavender. Lavender had thrown herself into the power of the most amoral, untrustworthy man possible and Hermione had let it happen. She knew what Viktor was capable of, and yet she did nothing. She didn't even warn her little sister who was visiting his encampment…Harry tried to tell her about Viktor once, but she had stupidly thrown away his letter and now Lavender was paying the price for her own stubbornness. Harry had tried to help…Harry had, in his own way, tried to help…

"Oh Harry," she muttered sadly to an empty hallway. Her voice echoed down the dark corridor and only a gaping silence answered her. It was too abrupt, too sudden. A seeping sadness flowed through her and she felt an odd ache, a self-collapsing sensation, as though she were bleeding inwardly. It happened so quickly, being suddenly, violently torn away from Harry like that. The anger she felt for Harry suddenly subsided into a painful pang of remorse. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she replayed their argument in her head…

No! Not now…There's too much to do…There's too much at stake. She wiped away her tears, furious for lapsing into self-pity. Someone had to be steadfast and clear-minded for Lavender's sake. Her family needed her now.

A door opened on the upstairs landing and Hermione decided then and there that she couldn't let her private concerns with Harry affect her. Straightening her dress and pinching some color into her cheeks, she resolved not to think of him.

However, that steeled resolve was soon shattered when she realized she still had Lily Potter's ring in her pocket. Hermione felt its heavy weight hidden in her pocket, like a blind little burrowing creature searching for warmth. She knew that as long as she had it, Harry wouldn't be far from her thoughts.

She didn't know whether to be worried or relieved by it.

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"Luna?" Hermione called. Her voice echoed down the empty hallway. She heard a distant clip-clop of footsteps as she set her bags down on the foyer floor. She saw a shimmer of pale moonlight against Luna's loose blonde hair as she came hurrying down the staircase to greet her.

"Hermione!" Luna cried as she enfolded her sister in a tight hug. Even in the dimly-lit corridor, Luna looked haggard. Her eyes were red from crying, and her clothes were tussled and unkempt.

"I'm so glad to see you."

"Oh Luna," Hermione squeezed her tightly. "What you must have gone through…are you all right? Are you feeling well?"

"I'm much better now but poor Lavender…"

"I know," Hermione sighed. "Have you heard anything at all?"

Luna shook her head. "Nothing. Not one word, and she's been gone for three days. I can't understand it…there must be something wrong. She'd never leave like this and not write…"

Hermione hushed her. "Where's Aunt Aurora?"

"Upstairs in bed. She hasn't left her room since we received the news and she's only eating soups and always complaining about her head and I don't know what on earth to do. Hil's been wonderful but…oh, I'm so glad you're home!" Luna gave Hermione another hug.

Shedding her cloak, Hermione told Luna that she'd see Aurora at once. Luna followed her upstairs.

The door to Aurora's bedroom was slightly open, and Hermione peered inside. Aunt Aurora was sitting up in her enormous antique bed whose mahogany headboard stretch up to the ceiling. Covered in pink chintz and lace curtains, the room had an old fashioned luxury that Hermione always found a little oppressive. Smelling salts covered the nightstand, along with empty teacups and a half-eaten muffin.

Aurora was in her dressing gown and her frilly nightcap. She was pressing a cold compress to her head and groaning when Hermione and Luna came in.

"Oh Hermione!" Aurora tossed the compress away as Hermione hugged her. "Where have you been? Oh, it doesn't matter. My poor Lavender. Have you heard? My poor darling girl!"

"Yes, I heard. Luna wrote to me…"

"Of all the silly things for her to do, running off with a nobody like Viktor Krum! What was she thinking? He's not even a colonel!"

Hermione glanced at Luna, who was just stared out the window, nibbling her lip.

"And going to Kingsford of all places. Who gets married from Kingsford? Have you seen it? It's a grubby little farm village in the middle of a cow pasture. Imagine, my little Lavender getting married in a cow pasture!"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably. "That's only where they were traced Aunt… we don't know if they're still there. They could be halfway to Scotland by now…"

"Well that's no better is it? Who gets married in Scotland? Besides convicts that is. My poor sweet little girl. We didn't even give her a trousseau."

Hermione shook her head. "Aunt Aurora…."

Aurora waved her hand dismissively. "And all this during your week at Godric's Hollow…Oh Hermione, I do hope you sent my congratulations to Remus. Did you meet Sir Sirius?"

"Oh…well…no…"

"No?" Aurora looked disappointed. "Well it doesn't matter. You're bound to eventually. And when you do, send him my regards. And try to be as obliging as possible. Don't bore him with all that talk of your potions. Remember, he's a very influential, unmarried man, and he doesn't have time for your silly hobbies." Aunt Aurora paused. "And tell him he's more than welcome to pay us a call if he's in the area. I'll save my best vintage for him…but remember to ask him what sort of wine he prefers. And ask about his favorite dish. The particulars I mean. I'm sure its something very exotic but I'm certain we could manage it if we had the recipe."

Hermione hid her impatience with masterly self-control. Aunt Aurora seemed less concerned with Lavender's safety than Sir Sirius's favorite wine.

Luna spoke up for the first time. "Mr. Kettleburn has gone to Kingsford for us."

"Such a nice man." Aurora nodded. "He'll find them and if they aren't married, he'll make them marry. Lavender will have to marry him now I suppose. Even though Viktor is some nobody that nobody heard of. If you're parents were alive I know they'd be very disappointed in her choice of husband."

"I'm sure Viktor's social standing would be the least of their concerns," Hermione said shortly, quickly losing her last shreds of patience. Sensing her sister's anger, Luna spoke up, asking her aunt about some household matters.

Hermione took her leave and hurried along the corridor to her bedroom. Anger at her aunt quickly turned inward at herself. After seeing Aurora, it was obvious that going to Kingsford was out of the question. Aurora had a history of working herself into states of nervous agiation, and Luna couldn't be left alone with her. Hermione had to resign herself to stay in Meriton and let Mr. Kettleburn track Lav and Viktor alone.

Crookshanks looked up and gave a curt "meow" when Hermione closed the door behind her.

"Hello Crook," Hermione greeted him tiredly.

He twitched his tail dismissively and settled further down into his pillow. She supposed he was angry about her staying away so long, but that couldn't be helped. She'd make it up to him later.

Collapsing into the seat of her vanity, Hermione lit a candle and sighed sadly. She sat in the dark for some time staring at a miniature Muggle portrait of her mother. The pale blue moonlight made her mother's features all the more luminous and haunting, and Hermione was suddenly overwhelmed with a guilt she couldn't rid herself of.

"It's not Aurora's fault, Mother." Hermione spoke up suddenly, not really understanding why. "She's not a fit parent for Lav. She never was. …and Luna doesn't have a stern bone in her body. It fell to me to raise Lav…it's my doing entirely. I didn't listen to Harry's warnings about Viktor. I never bothered to tell Lavender what kind of man he is. Idiotic, I know. I've been such a fool, and now poor Lavender's suffering for it."

Hermione paused to take a breath. "In any case, Lavender never should have gone to Brighton alone. I know that now. Lav needs only the slightest encouragement to attach herself to anyone. Sometimes one officer, sometimes another... Compliments and attention are how she measured the merit of men. And Viktor has charms enough for anyone. Lav needed only the slightest encouragement to believe herself to be in love."

Staring at her mother, Hermione realized the mistake she'd made in neglecting and indulging her little sister. Until now, Hermione had never understood how gravely she'd erred in bringing her up. Aunt Aurora was indulgent by nature, never disciplinary. And Luna could never be strict with anyone. It had fallen to Hermione to look after her, and Hermione had undoubtedly failed. She had allowed Lav to spend her time in the most idle and frivolous ways. Her mother and father would never have given Lavender so much freedom…

Hermione cringed, thinking how ashamed they'd be with her, their "always responsible" daughter who prided herself on her cleverness and respectability.

"I'm so sorry Mother." The apology escaped from Hermione's lips in a raspy whisper.

The picture didn't provide much comfort though. Even with all her imaginary conversations with her mother, Hermione couldn't imagine what Jane Granger would say to all this.

Hermione heard Luna's soft step at her door, which was followed by a gentle tapping sound.

"Hermione?"

"Come in Luna," Hermione called, taking one last look at her mother's picture before setting it on the vanity.

Luna quietly floated into the room and took a seat on the bed. Her blond hair flowed loosely down her shoulders. Her stooping shoulders made her head bow slightly, as if reciting a sad prayer. Hermione hated to see her sister looking so helpless and lost, but she couldn't think of anything encouraging to say. Instead, she took a seat on the bed and asked Luna about the day Lavender disappeared.

"Luna, tell me everything. Is there anything else I should know?"

Luna sighed. "On the day Lavender left, Colonel Denny and Parv found a note," Luna took a letter from her pocket. "It was on Lavender's pillow."

Hermione unfolded the parchment and read aloud:

Dear Parv,

I can scarcely write for laughing at the thought at how surprised you'll be at finding this. By now you've surely missed me, and I don't mind telling you how proud I am that my plan worked. Because I did not go shopping as I told you. As a matter of fact, I've left Brighton all together. Right now I'm on my to Kingsford to be married! And if you cannot guess with whom, I shall think you very slow indeed. Don't bother writing to tell Aunt about what I've done. It's awfully naughty, I know. I'll write them myself, and sign my name Lavender Krum. What a good joke that will be, don't you think? I'll send for my clothes when I get back to Meriton. Could you please tell Mary to mend the slit in my muslin gown before it's packed. Goodbye. Give my regards to Denny.

Much love,

Lav

Hermione threw the note aside angrily. "Impossible little…ugh! How could she write such a letter at a time like that?"

Luna picked up the note and neatly folded it. "She didn't mean any harm by it."

"Harm? No. I don't think she meant anything by it. I don't believe there was a thought in her head, apart from the ones about officers and red cloaks and Viktor Krum. I have half a mind to…erh…ugh!" Hermione made a strangling motion with her hands.

"Hermione calm down."

"Calm down?!"

"Why are you shouting?"

"I'm shouting because I want to strangle her!"

"I thought this letter would make you feel better."

"How on earth is a letter like that supposed to make me feel better?"

"At least we know she went with him assuming they'd be married. The whole situation isn't completely without hope."

Hermione grumbled and stopped choking the air. "At least there's that," she grudgingly admitted. But it was a small comfort to her that Lav had left with the intention of marriage. She doubted that neither Lav's virtue nor her savvy would prevent her from falling victim to Krum as easy prey.

Luna shook her head. "I can't help but feel that this is all my fault. I should've been with her."

"How on earth is this your fault?" Hermione snapped. "You were ill, you couldn't go to Brighton. Denny and Parv are responsible, respectable people. How were you to know this would happen?"

Luna wiped away a tear and sniffled. "I didn't even know Lavender and Viktor were friends really. She never once brought him here."

"I knew they were friends," Hermione admitted bitterly.

"But after all, they could be married." Luna's voice was hopeful. "Viktor may be sorry for what he did to Harry. Perhaps he's changed for the better. Remember, he did enlist in the Regulars. That must mean he has some sense of duty. And Lavender …well…she obviously intended to marry him and…and perhaps it's all been a mistake. They could be married right now and all this fuss could be for nothing."

Hermione took her sister's hand. "Oh Luna… I hope you're right," she replied sadly. Luna obviously needed to believe everything would work out for the best, and Hermione couldn't bring herself to argue with her. It was only natural that Luna would come to Viktor's defense, Luna could never think ill of anyone. But this was one time that Hermione didn't envy her optimism. The cold, hard fact of the matter was that Viktor Krum wasn't the sort of man who'd think about the consequences of his actions, or what they might mean for Lavender's future. In her heart of hearts, Hermione knew that Viktor may not be capable of risking his own interest, but he was capable of risking everything else.

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