Chapter 47 - A Different Perspective
"Right. We both know she'll find out anyway but let me think about it," Harry replied, "Julius, this is Hermione Granger, a friend of mine. Hermione, Julius Marsh."
"Pleased to meet you," Hermione greeted the young man who shook her hand and merely nodded.
Immediately, Hermione wondered how he was related to Andy. He seemed both too old to be her son and too young to be her brother. And they also looked too alike for him to be neither. She was leaning towards sibling, unable to imagine Andy having anything to do with something as positive as creating another human being.
"So, where were you?" Harry asked the boy, disregarding the cheek they got from him earlier.
"With friends," the boy answered as they started walking down to the left.
"Which ones?"
"Ted and Jeff. We were over at Jeff's studying; Calculus exam tomorrow."
All the while she was expecting Julius to start flinging profanity but he seemed okay with Harry's interrogation.
"You didn't have to sneak out for that."
"It's more fun this way," he said to them. "See you at dinner."
Julius disappeared under the cloak. She saw his footprints come off the trail and into the backyard of a detached two storey, red, brick house. They followed the fresh marks in. It was clear that Harry was a frequent visitor at the Marsh residence. He also knew Julius enough to know that he snuck out a lot, that Ted and Jeff were okay to hang out with, and that Julius had enough respect for him that he would be willing to answer questions.
Hermione cast an inquiring look at Harry who replied with an amused smile. He knew she had a burning question and what it was exactly.
"You're not going to tell me, are you?"
"It's more fun this way," he repeated Julius' answer from moments ago.
They had reached the house and Harry tapped a rhythmic cadence on the glass side door. A second later, the smiling face of the young man they just met peered through the blinds and the door slid open.
"Hey, Karl," Harry greeted and they exchanged some complicated series of hand slapping and clasping motions. "How's it going?"
Looking more closely, this indeed wasn't Julius, for Karl was a bit taller and his blonde hair was longer. His face had more color in them compared to the boy she met earlier. Twins? She was trying to keep a not-so-surprised expression.
"Just great. Hi, I'm Karl. You must be Healer Granger. Welcome to the Marsh home."
He was definitely more polite. They stepped into the foyer and she shook his hand.
"Thank you. Please, call me Hermione."
He smiled and nodded, "She's starting to worry. I'll tell her not to send out the marines. Is that lemon meringue?"
Karl had eyed the forgotten and slightly abused bag in her hand.
Hermione answered, hopeful the pie had not been ruined by her neglect, as she handed it to him, "Yes, it is."
"Good. Thanks," Karl said, taking the bag from her.
"How did you know it was?"
"Harry always brings lemon meringue," Karl replied then turned to Harry, "The game was awesome, by the way. I can't wait to tell you about it."
Karl swiftly disappeared down the hallway before Harry could even respond.
"Karl plays Seeker on his school's Quidditch team," Harry explained.
"Why do you always bring lemon meringue?"
"The um…family likes it."
"What if I chose something else?"
"I would have had to transfigure it, with your permission, of course," Harry hesitated a bit and added, "I should probably warn you about Sally."
"Sally?"
"She doesn't like Muggle-borns."
"Who's Sally?"
"She's like the old, protective, spinster aunt, kind of like my Aunt Marge but smaller and dog less," Harry said vaguely, and then as if wishfully dismissing that it wasn't serious, added, "Don't worry; it should be fine."
They dried and left their shoes next to the ones she presumed belonged to the other occupants of the house. She counted quite a few pairs, mostly men's. Harry then helped her off her coat and put them away in a nearby closet. Both in their socks, he led her to another room that looked like a study where she was less startled to see another Julius and Karl look-alike. Hermione was beginning to wonder how many more of them she was going to meet.
Off to the left, seated on the sofa at the foot of a narrow tightly winding staircase, the bespectacled version looked up and instantly flashed a wide grin. He put down the wand he had been swishing and flicking in the air beside an open Dilfer's Essential Book of Complex Spells, got up and met them halfway with an outstretched hand.
"Healer Granger, it...it is su...such an honor to meet you," he stammered as he shook her hand vigorously and enthusiastically, which kind of amused and puzzled her at the same time, "I've re...read all about you. Ian, Ian Marsh."
"Hermione."
"Hermione," Ian repeated, dreamily.
"Ian chose to do his midterm Muggle Studies essay on you and your contributions to the Magical World," Harry said to her, pleased about something.
"I'm very flattered that you did," she said to Ian, both of them blushing a bit.
"Harry he...helped me with the details," Ian revealed.
"He got an 'A' plus," Harry added, smiling devilishly.
"Professor Kiggle was very im...impressed," Ian said proudly, "Would you mind reading it? It's not very long...just once…to…to make sure I got it right."
"I would be more than happy to."
"What? My word wasn't good enough?" Harry said to tease the boy, then addressing her, "He didn't believe half of what I said."
"That's not true! The Professor had a few questions!" Ian defended himself, "I'll be right back."
Ian went up the staircase behind him two rungs at a time.
"He's normally very articulate but then he has a crush on you," Harry said in a hushed voice.
"You're enjoying this way too much," she said to him as he stood beside her trying not to laugh.
"Immensely," he answered, grinning from ear to ear, "And, yes. Karl, Julius and Ian were born on the same day, in that order."
"Thanks, that was a tough one to figure out," she said with a smidgen of pretend sarcasm.
Harry's eyes danced and Hermione felt as cheerful as he did. She could tell that, like her, he was looking forward to being alone again so they could continue where they left off. There was still so much to talk about and things she did not think they would ever discuss they probably now had to. It bothered her somewhat that he never brought up the fact that she was as much, if not more, at fault that the Roy Hunt affair happened. He had not mentioned it or used it against her, not even in frustration. She had taken it as a sign of maturity, of him choosing to take responsibility for what happened and not point a finger at her. She wondered if that would eventually come back to haunt them.
While she had not really cared about him knowing some truths before, this push toward openness and honesty made her now worry about what he thought happened. The cheer quickly turned into low level anxiety.
'Roy Hunt' was a Pandora's Box. Already, she was waffling about how honest she was going to be with him. She was concerned about the confession she was forming in her head, how Harry would take it; how he would react to it. How would he respond to the fact that she let him continue the charade even after finding out about him? Should she even tell him how she thought Ron died?
"What is it?" Harry asked, concerned, sensing the change.
She almost admitted that she remembered Ron but it wasn't the time or place for that conversation.
"It's something for later," she said lightly.
Harry nodded, understanding, not pressing.
Way to dampen his spirits.
Hermione looked around the room and found photos on the mantle above the fireplace. They were mostly of the boys, moving magical ones, from whence they were babies. There were a few of an older couple which she thought might have been Andy's parents and, somewhat obscured in the back, one of a handsome man in his mid twenties with wavy black hair and intense black eyes. There were no pictures of their hostess. She was about to ask Harry about that when they overheard heated discussion coming from atop the stairs.
"Back off! You are not my mother!"
"Well, Mom died two years ago and unfortunately for you, I'm the closest thing to one you have!"
She instantly guessed the raised frustrated voices belonged to Julius and Andy. The exchange partly answered one question.
"I don't belong here!"
"I'm sure Aunt Hilda won't mind you staying with her in Timbuktu, rural Saskatchewan! You liked it there so much last year!"
"I can't wait 'til I turn eighteen!" Julius' reply confirmed that what Andy said was far from the truth.
"I guess you'll have to put up with me for another two years!"
Julius loudly stomped down the staircase and walked past them into the hallway fuming mad. Andy followed a few seconds later, more composed with a worried look.
"Glad you could make it," she said to them at the foot of the stairs, then expressed regret, "Sorry you had to hear that."
"Don't be," Hermione answered, "I feel like we're the ones intruding."
"I don't remember giving Mom and Dad as much trouble when I was a teenager."
"Are you going to be okay?" Harry asked Andy, for she had this look that she wanted to vent some more.
"I'll be fine. He won't. He's upset because I took his cloak away. I warned him I would do that the next time he snuck out. I just wish he'd talk to me more so I can start trusting him again," Andy replied, and then they were interrupted by Ian's return.
"He…Here it is."
"I guess you've met my other brother, Ian."
Hands trembling, Ian gave Hermione the rolled up parchment, twelve feet by her estimation. He did say it wasn't very long. Length was obviously relative and while reading about her was something she had never liked doing, for the kid she had to make an exemption, a 144-inch exception. Ian ushered her to a seat.
Harry watched as Ian took Hermione away, buoyed by how things were going with her. At least he could see some light at the end of the tunnel.
"So, what took you guys so long to get here?"
Harry answered, quickly, "The traffic was horrible."
"I bet it was. Julius told me the second he got into his window," Andy replied with a piercing look of disapproval directed at her partner.
"That rat. I'll get him later. Should I have to point out that you are not my mother either?" he was joking.
"Very funny," Andy countered, then added more seriously, "If Julius got that close to you before you noticed imagine how much closer someone like Floyd could have."
"I thought we agreed that he's not coming tonight."
"Let's just not protect her tonight then," she quipped.
She had a good point.
"Tell me honestly. Can you keep your head on the job?"
"Taking me off her detail is not an option."
"Not relying on you as part of it is. You didn't answer my question."
"I'm on the job," he declared to her boldly, more to tell himself that her.
"For her and your sake, I hope you are," Andy let it go, taking his word for it, "So, I see things with her are getting better."
"It seems that way."
"She obviously doesn't know about the ghost yet."
"No," he confirmed, "Coming here for dinner was stressful enough. I'll let her know later, after."
Harry took the opportunity to tell Andy about what was happening in London and their thoughts about the Potion Master, including how he and Ginny thought Malfoy was a potential suspect. Andy merely raised her eyebrows and said nothing about that. Her silence meant she was reserving judgment on the merit of his suspicion for a later time.
"We should rescue her from Ian," she suggested after, motioning to her brother. "Do tell her not to encourage him too much."
"Lighten up. So, he fancies her a bit. Big deal," Harry said to her.
"Easy for you to say, you don't have to live with him after he finds out you and her are more than just friends. Teenage mood swings are a bitch to deal with and with Julius pushing my limits I don't think I can handle another one having a meltdown."
Meanwhile, Hermione finished reading Ian's paper and found it as accurate as anyone could have made it. It was insightful too, so much so that she wondered how much of it was because of Harry's influence. Hermione was trying her best to be supportive of Ian without providing him with any heartening ideas. It was just something she was never good at. She looked over to where Andy and Harry had been talking seriously for quite some time, likely about work, quite relieved when seconds later Andy asked Ian to help his brothers set dinner up.
"Have you met the rest of the family?" Andy inquired after Ian left begrudgingly.
Hermione replied, "I haven't met your Aunt Sally."
"My Aunt Sally," Andy repeated.
Harry added, "And Colin. Is he around?"
"They're in the kitchen," Andy answered, leading them down the same hallway Julius and Ian had disappeared into. "Lemon meringue?"
"Karl has it. I thought you were cooking."
"I was but I had to call Colin in. You know..."
"Culinary disaster?"
"Uh-huh. After I mentioned you were coming for dinner, Ian slipped and tipped her off about Hermione being Muggle-born. She's in one of her moods. I should have just worn the apron," Andy countered then said to her, "It might be better if you don't speak to her directly."
"Okay…" Hermione's concern was escalating.
"You didn't warn her about Sally," Andy gave him a reprimanding look.
"I did," Harry said defensively, "But I may have downplayed it a bit."
Hermione was slightly panicky about meeting Aunt Sally she glared at Harry and he apologized. They went past the dining room where Karl and Julius were setting the table. Ian just joined them with a bowl of soup cupped in both hands. Andy swung and walked through the connecting door where Ian just came from and into the kitchen. They followed her in.
A tall, attractive, physically imposing man with dark brown hair was behind the counter holding a metal tray full of steaming oysters and salmon he had just taken from the oven. Mittens covered his hands and he wore a tight apron with the words 'SOUS CHEF' printed boldly in the front.
"This is perfect, Sally! Great work," he said to someone beside him.
"Colin and Sally is a great team," answered a confident high pitched voice, "Mistress Andrea and Sally, now there's a different story."
"And a story we can talk about some other time," Andy interrupted. "Harry and his friend are here."
Hermione and Colin shook hands after he set the food down and took the oven mittens off.
"Colin, live-in boyfriend, preferred Marsh household sous chef."
"Hermione."
"Thief!"
The accusation was punctuated by a loud crash of metal utensils on metal sink. A diminutive figure with large bat-like ears and angry bulging eyes suddenly appeared from behind Colin, one hand on her waist and the other pointing a finger at her. She had on a red, flowery printed dress and a black wig that was slightly askew. The words HEAD CHEF covered every inch of the size appropriate apron she was wearing. Aunt Sally.
"Sally! That's rude!" Andy admonished, surprised.
When Harry spoke of her as an 'aunt' he was obviously talking in the figurative sense. Sally was an elf; a free elf from how she was dressed and a very old one from how she looked. Eyes squinting at her, Sally made Hermione feel like she was naked under a microscope.
"Sally read what Master Ian write about you. Sally not trust Muggle-borns, believe they steal magic from someone else. Sally read Gamp's Law, create magic only from magic."
Hermione felt warm in the face. The elf had a point about that. She bit her lower lip, reminded of Andy's suggestion. She knew the old elf would not listen to anything she had to say anyway. It was helpful that Harry had come closer and was now holding her hand.
"Sally, Hermione is a guest!" Andy said firmly, at a loss about how to calm down the outspoken magical creature. "She brought your favorite, lemon meringue."
"Sally not care. Mistress Andrea wrong to invite thief into home. Muggle-borns are reason for Squibs, for people with magical blood not do magic. Half-bloods bad enough and now thief in home! Bah! Disrespect for parents! Disrespect for Master Julius!"
"Hermione is cool, Sally," Julius appeared from the adjacent room just as Sally mentioned his name, just in the nick of time for Andy was about to blow from an obviously sensitive point.
"But Master Julius…" Sally tried to argue.
"Really, she's alright," Julius said calmly, as if soothing a small child, and showed her something, "Look, she brought us our favorite pie."
"Lemon meringue?!"
Julius nodded.
"Okay," Sally's expression changed.
Sally took the pie from Julius and carried it back into the dining room as if the entire incident never happened. The heat in the kitchen lifted.
As Sally disappeared through the swinging door Julius turned to Hermione and said, "Just to let you know, no one else in the family thinks the way Sally does about Muggle-borns. My parents never did. You are welcome here. She's just very loyal, especially to my parents because they set her free. Except for her being set in her thinking and in her ways she's wonderful. I hope you don't take this against her."
"Of course not."
If her volunteer work with magical creatures taught her one thing it was the fact that it was very difficult to change old thinking, especially those that painted Muggles and Muggle-borns in a negative light. Come to think of it, that was the same for witches and wizards.
Colin announced that they should eat. As they moved single file into the other room she glanced back and saw brother and sister lagging behind. Andy attempted to ruffle Julius' fixed spiked hair and thanked him for diffusing the unfortunate situation. Her bother told her not to mess with his 'do' and apologized for his earlier behaviour.
Dinner went better than expected. The Marshes had a magically self-adjusting round dining table centered in the square room which expanded and contracted depending on the number of people who were to be seated. It seemed that seating arrangements had been determined beforehand.
At first she was disappointed she and Harry would not be sitting beside each other but between conversations with Colin and Julius, she found the time quickly pass away. She did not even notice Sally leave the table after eating the entire lemon meringue pie by herself, save for the sliver that remained untouched on Julius' plate. Sally politely said goodnight to everyone, even to her.
"What do you do aside from being sous chef?" she asked Colin after answering his questions about her work.
"I'm a Persuader for the Toronto MLE."
"What exactly does a Persuader do?" she asked further, not remembering there being a British counterpart.
"I persuade witnesses, suspects or known criminals to do the right thing."
Andy overheard and chimed in, "He says persuade, I say smooth talk. He tells them what they want to hear."
"We met on the job a few years back."
"Five, to be exact."
"I hated her…" Colin said, looking at Andy.
"The feeling was mutual…"
Julius groaned beside Hermione, telling her under his breath, "Here they go."
Perplexed, she asked Julius what he meant while listening to Andy and Colin at the same time, "What is it?"
Julius merely motioned over to the Andy and Colin, and they watched them banter.
"I was negotiating a hostage crisis…"
"Giving hardened criminals time to hatch a plan to escape…"
"When Miss Rambo here stormed the scene…"
"Took control of the situation…"
"Without clearance…"
"I made an executive decision…"
"Undermining my authority…"
"I made him look bad, stomped on his ego…"
"I had no choice but to make an example of her insubordination…"
"He talked me into going out with him after I rescued the hostages unharmed…"
"I had to teach her who's in charge, show her who's boss, put her in her place…"
Andy laughed, "He thinks he has. He is such a man…"
"Just admit it. You're in denial…"
"And you're delusional…"
Then they started kissing right then and there, and it wasn't just a simple peck or smack. The public show of affection was a surprise and a discomfort. She had to turn away the moment Colin's hands disappeared from sight.
Julius said to her, "Colin has an excuse; she is part Veela. But you'd think they'd be a bit more considerate knowing there are three hormone-crazed teenage boys around."
The boys weren't the only ones.
"So, calculus," she said to Julius. Talking about that should help distract her, "Do you like math?"
It turned out that Julius did and he was pretty good at it. He was a member of the Math Club and told her about the interschool competitions that he had been a part of. That got them into talking about other Muggle professions he could go into if he decided to become a math major. His face lit up when she mentioned that she knew of a non-magical former university math professor employed by the Ministry in the Department of Mysteries, although she didn't know exactly what it was that he did. Julius intimated that he had always wanted to work for the Ministry but preferably in law enforcement like his dad and like Andy. Colin heard this and rejoined their conversation, informing Julius of certain careers in the MLE where non-magical people were preferred.
Every so often their attention would drift over to the animated Quidditch conversation between Harry, Karl, Ian, and Andy, and she and Harry would exchange knowing glances. Harry did not seem to be in a rush to meet the informant. The time passed quickly and before she knew it, dinner was just about over and the boys started teasing their sister about her competing and winning the Miss Canadian Witch title at their age, bringing out pictures which their sister had supposedly gotten rid of, ignoring warnings of bodily harm from Andy.
Unmindful of the time, they helped the Marshes clean up. The boys disappeared swiftly. Andy said that was expected and foretold Colin making up some excuse about helping with Ian's homework. Even Harry stepped out of the kitchen to take a phone call; his phone must have been on vibrate because she didn't hear it go off.
"It's good to see Harry happier," Andy said to her.
The kitchen looked pristine after a few wand motions from the hostess. They were sitting at a small working table sipping hot chamomile tea.
"It's good to see him."
"I've known Harry for a year and he's a nice guy. He wouldn't say much more except that he betrayed Ron but you were at fault, too. That's what I didn't understand and I was ticked off by how you were treating him," Andy said to her and then asked, "I know I'm being nosy and you can tell me to fuck off anytime but what was it that he did that was so horrible?"
Hermione thought for a moment, tempted to tell Andy to 'fuck off' in a less abrasive way.
"What makes you think it was something he did?"
"I'm not blind. You care about him and you wouldn't do something like that without reason. And being the man, he's obviously the prick to blame."
They both smiled at her prejudiced remark. Hermione thought that if Harry didn't tell her about his deception she wouldn't. It wasn't about that anyway.
Hermione explained, "I wanted him to stay away not so much because of what he did but because of what I did and wanted to do. I didn't think I could live with that. I still don't know if I can."
"Guilt is hard to live with but harder to run away from," Andy seemed to understand. "I hope you sort it out. He thinks it was entirely his fault. You should tell him."
"I will," she nodded. "I was also upset at him because I thought you and he were, you know."
Andy laughed and she did too, embarrassed.
"You can't imagine how many tall blondes I've seen him go out with over the years. It wasn't much of a stretch for my imagination," Hermione defended herself.
"If it makes a difference, he never showed any interest."
"Are you sure it wasn't because of what you said to him the first time you met?"
Colin had rejoined them and sat down beside Andy, sipping from her cup of tea. He was teasing her again.
"It definitely wasn't. If it was then he'd be the first man to listen."
Colin turned to Hermione, "Do you know what she tells all her new male partners?"
"No. What?"
He asked for help, "How does it go, honey?"
"Stop it. It sounds ridiculous. Hermione doesn't need to know."
Colin ignored her and pressed on, "It goes something like, 'I only have three fucking rules! I drive unless I tell you to, I don't take lead on any case after ten unless I want to, and most importantly, keep your fucking hands to yourself and your fucking dick in your pants if you don't want me to cut them off!'"
They laughed.
"Her partners eventually become infatuated. Muller has been annoyed she keeps losing partners because of that."
"The bane of a few drops of Veela blood. Harry's been the exception. Him and Tony, who I later discovered was gay."
"We actually thought Harry was gay we asked him if he would like to go out with my cousin Jerry," Colin added, laughing at what happened, "That suggestion finally nudged him to tell us about you."
The door from the dining room swung in. It was Ian.
He smiled at her and then addressed Colin, "Karl's given up. Can I practice with you?"
A peeved Karl corrected Ian from somewhere within the house, "On you! He wants to practice on you!"
Colin got up and excused himself, "First, cooking with Sally and now, getting hexed by your brother. You know you're going to pay for this."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
A thorough kiss later, Colin ushered a wistful Ian out, giving her an opportunity to ask Andy a more personal question.
"I'm curious, and you can tell me to 'fuck off' if you don't want to answer," she echoed Andy's earlier statement, "Why did you become an Auror? It just seems an odd career path for Miss Canadian Witch 1991."
Andy replied quickly, "The short answer is retribution."
"And the long answer?" Hermione asked; her curiosity piqued as Andy took some time to think of what to say.
"My dad was a detective for the Vancouver police and I was seven when I told my parents I wanted to be a cop like him. My Mom was totally against that, horrified by the idea, and my Dad, already feeling guilty about the amount of time he was spending at work, agreed with her. I was molded and shaped into what my Mom thought was more 'appropriate'," she motioned quotes with her fingers.
"I was fine with that. I won the title in '91 and had a promising career in modeling. That was the same year Karl, Julius and Ian were born. My Mom needed a lot of help taking care of them and it was great that she finally had someone else other than me to fuss about. Everything seemed so easy then; everything was good. Things got even better two years later. I fell in love."
"The man with black wavy hair, on the picture on the mantle."
Andy nodded, "Alex was an Auror who occasionally worked Muggle cases with my Dad. My parents didn't approve but we didn't care. You know the feeling; forbidden fruit usually tastes better."
They chuckled. There were no judges in the room.
"So, what happened?"
"We finally convinced my parents we were serious. I was twenty and he was twenty five when we decided to marry. Then he died. And my Dad died. They died on the job a few days before our wedding."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
Andy shrugged.
"It was a long time ago. So, anyway, after that I just couldn't go back to what I was doing before, especially when those responsible for their deaths were never brought to justice. There's nothing like good ole revenge to fire one up."
"I agree," Harry said as he joined them. "But only if you're not talking about avenging something I did."
"A bit defensive now, are we? It's not always about you, you know," Hermione said to him, smiling.
"I'm crushed that it isn't," he countered. "So what girlie thing were you two talking about?"
That drew protests from both women at which he just laughed. Harry took her tea cup, his hand lightly brushing against hers as he did, and took a sip from it just as Colin did from Andy's earlier. She felt good about that.
"I was just telling Hermione about why I became an Auror."
"And she wanted the long version, no doubt. So, did you tell her about Al Pacino?"
"What about Al Pacino?"
"She has a thing for Al Pacino."
"No, I don't," Andy denied, "Have you, Colin and boys been conniving to embarrass me as much as you can?"
"We can only conspire to try," he countered, then asked Hermione, "You know Al Pacino, right?"
"The actor; of course I do."
"Andy liked him in Scarface the most."
"Shut the fuck up, Harry!"
Andy was not really serious.
"Right there, perfect example," Harry continued, "She didn't use to talk this way."
"I did when I met you."
"What was the question you drew in the interview during the 1991 pageant?"
"It was so long ago. I don't remember."
"You were asked about your most fervent wish," Harry refreshed her memory then said to Hermione, "The boys have the entire thing on tape."
"It's too bad I can't go beyond threats when it comes to family."
"What was your answer to that?" Harry asked rhetorically.
"It was something lame like world fucking peace."
"I think it's safe to say you would not have won Miss Canadian Witch 1991 if you answered it that way," Hermione joined in and they all laughed.
"I had to do what I had to do," Andy finally admitted, "It was a hard transition from modeling to joining the MLE, and I'm not talking about the spells. You can imagine how much flak I got not only to prove that I deserved a spot in the Auror Academy to train but also that I had what it took to be one."
The price of being blonde and beautiful was something she didn't think she could ever relate to. Andy continued.
"Rumours would crop up every now and then about how I got in, how I finished the course and who I slept with to get my job. I was fed up about not being taken seriously so I moved to Toronto, rented a library of cop/bad guy Muggle movies and reinvented myself. I haven't had that problem of not being taken seriously for a long time."
"So, the swearing is all an act."
"Well, yes and no," Andy replied, a bit ashamed. "It was before but now it's a part of who I am, especially at work. It's kind of pathetic because I've had to sign up with a support group to keep it in check."
"Judging from your profanity word count today you might want to attend more meetings," Harry advised.
"Fuck off Harry. You're not my mother."
Everything just seemed funny at that point. It was then that Harry mentioned the time and suggested that they got going. They went back the way they came in. As they said their goodbyes she could not help but think how coming to dinner tonight to meet Andy's family and see this more human side to her had made her gain a lot more respect for the Auror.
A short distance from the house beside the Marsh tool shed where they were concealed from view, Harry took her hand in his and they Disapparated, this time maintaining their balance as they reappeared under a leafless tree. The full moon that had lit the night earlier was not in sight and it was dark. It took some time for her eyes to adjust. Harry tugged on her hand slightly and they walked towards the outline of a large house that on closer inspection was in a state of disrepair.
He had been vague about the informant they were meeting and he had said very few words since they left Andy's place. She knew there was something he wasn't telling her about what they were there for and that he was about to.
They stopped in front of the porch and she waited for him to speak. There was not a stir coming from within. Harry lit his wand with his free hand and faced her.
"This house is designated," Harry said softly, looking very serious and concerned. "Andy and I found out yesterday. We came to check it out after Jane Doe gave us the address."
Her pulse quickened and, in mere seconds, she felt her chest vibrate from the ruckus of its contents within. It wasn't hard to figure out why Harry was telling her this, why he had trouble doing so and why the grave expression on his face.
She felt herself look away, unable to think at all. He squeezed her hand to get her attention back.
"He asked me to bring you here. He wants to talk with you," and when she didn't answer, he added, "He's kind of desperate."
Her mind was frozen. Vaguely, she recalled that at some point she wished she could see him again, even if he was a ghost, to talk with. But how come the thought of doing just that was, right now, paralyzing?
"I probably should have told you sooner but with everything that went on today the right moment never presented itself until tonight and when it did, I didn't know how to tell you. I'll spare you the other excuses," Harry filled the silence, "Of course, you can refuse to see him if you don't want to but I really think you should."
Hermione didn't answer. She couldn't think of anything to say. She didn't know how long they stood there but she felt her grip on his hand loosen and his reluctantly let hers go. She saw her feet go up the porch steps one after the other, not even noticing that Harry was walking beside her with his lit wand to light her way. He got to the double doors first and lifted the heavy ornate knocker that looked like a beaver, the sound it made echoing many more times and much louder than the three original taps.
The right side of the entrance creaked open, enough for the both of them to enter at the same time. They stopped walking a few feet in and the door behind them closed with a groan and a soft click. It was dark and dusty and there was no other source of light except for Harry's wand, which seemed not able to illuminate farther than a couple of feet around them.
An irritated voice came from several directions, "Who are you and what do you want at this ungodly hour?"
Harry answered, "I'm Harry Potter. I'm here with Hermione Granger to see Ron Weasley."
"He didn't expect you to come back so soon. I'll see if he's available."
What if he wasn't available? Ghosts had lives to live, too. That might be better because as hard as she tried she could not decide what to say to him first. There were lots of things to talk about and she was having difficulty understanding why she kept on thinking it was important to ask him where he kept his old Gryffindor keeper gloves, the ones Harry had given him, for Molly had promised to donate it to Hogwarts.
A sudden gush of cold air jolted her back to where she was and without further warning, the familiar figure of Ron appeared in front of her. No amount of notice could have prepared her for seeing him like this; transparent, ghostly, with the same sad expression he had the last time she told him it was over between them.
"Boo!"
At the sound of Ron's voice, her heart stopped and she couldn't breath. Hermione was engulfed by the sensation of being spun like a top, faster and faster, until she blacked out.
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A/N. Ron finally!