Title: Adrift
Summary: It was supposed to be the perfect holiday, but a tragic accident plunges Harry and Hermione adrift in to a new, uncertain life.
Rating: PG-13 for language and adult themes
Authors Notes: I'm back people! Hope you're still enjoying reading this- I promise there is a few more twists and turns to come!
So as usual, please don't forget to review! And if you don't get an update next week, I do apologise, it just means I forgot to email myself the file as I'm actually going on holiday to see my oldest friend who just had a baby! So if you don't hear anything from me next week, I promise the latest the next chapter will be will be next Sunday.
TWELVE
Christmas day passed quickly and as he Flooed home with his children, Harry felt as if it hadn't been that much more different that usual. Molly had cooked up a storm and they'd all had fourth and fifth helpings of everything, and taken some home too. Harry believed he had an entire turkey sliced up and served in the containers of leftovers he had been forced into taking.
The children had all been spoilt with presents, including a hand-knitted sweater from their grandmother. Harry often marvelled at how Molly managed to do as much as she did- she knitted sweaters for each of her children and grandchildren.
Harry went straight into the kitchen with the leftovers when they arrived home and the children all slumped onto the soft chairs in the lounge room.
'Why does Grandma cook so much?' moaned Albus, undoing the belt buckle on his jeans and sighing heavily.
'Well you chose to have seven helpings,' James snapped.
Harry heard this exchange from the kitchen and just shook his head. Teddy had filled him in on his conversation with James and Harry was hoping that James would change his attitude. But no such luck- he had been just as angry and miserable and argumentative. Harry was starting to count down until the day that he put all three of them on the train back to Hogwarts. He loved his children dearly, but he needed a break from them.
'Hot chocolate?' he called out and heard nothing back. Instead, he flicked his wand at the kettle on the stove and when the water boiled, made himself a strong cup of black coffee.
He walked back into the lounge room and smiled. Lily had fallen asleep with her head in Albus's lap. Albus looked as if he was fighting sleep, holding onto his sisters hand. James wasn't in the room and Harry walked upstairs, looking into all of the rooms as he went. He found James laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
Harry knew better now than to go in and try and speak to James. Instead he kept walking into his own bedroom and shut the door. He had bought a few files with him that he wanted to review and whilst he knew it wasn't very Christmas-y to do so tonight, he needed something to distract himself.
Setting the coffee down on the desk in the corner, he bent down to pick up his work bag.
'Harry?'
He jumped whilst holding the work bag and papers went everywhere. He looked wildly around and saw Hermione's head in the fireplace.
'You scared the hell out of me,' he growled, crouching down.
'Sorry,' she said, but with a smile. 'I just wanted to get the rest of the story you were telling me.'
'Which story?'
'About Grace and Jack.'
'Oh yeah,' Harry had completely forgotten that he'd started to tell her about his encounter that morning. 'They invited us to spend New Years with them at the village pub.'
'I hadn't even thought about New Years,' Hermione said sadly.
'Well, we've still got a few days. And I didn't promise that we'd be there. We'll see how we feel.'
'I'm just glad we got through Christmas.'
'Me too, Hermione. Me too.'
~*~
New Years came around a lot quicker than Harry was expecting. The morning of New Years Eve found Bill and Fleur offering to take James, Lily, Albus, Rose and Hugo up to Shell Cottage for the night. The kids all jumped at the chance to be by the sea, even if it was snowing and cold.
Harry and Hermione waved goodbye to them as they climbed into the fireplace and both sighed heavily once they were gone.
'I do actually feel sorry for Bill and Fleur,' Harry said with a small chuckle. 'I hope James behaves himself.'
'I'm sure he will- they wouldn't dare misbehave for their favourite 'cool' uncle.'
'So, about New Years,' Harry said as they walked into the kitchen. Hermione sighed.
'I guess it wouldn't kill us to get out of the house for a bit,' she said, shrugging her shoulders. 'We can go see Jack and Grace, be polite and come home.'
'Sounds like a good way to spend the night,' Harry agreed. 'Why don't I come and meet you at your place, say at 7pm? You're closer to the village then I am.'
'I guess I'll see you at 7.'
~*~
Harry dusted off his best pants and shirt that were stashed in the back of his cupboard and got dressed. He then pulled on his long muggle coat and walked to Hermione's house and found her waiting outside.
'You look nice,' he said, giving her a brief hug and kiss on the cheek. She was wearing a long skirt with boots underneath and a jumper that he knew Molly had made.
It wasn't that far from Hermione's to the pub and the snow held off whilst they were walking. It was just starting to snow by the time they arrived and the party inside was in full swing.
Hermione found a table whilst Harry went to the bar and got drinks. He wove and ducked through the crowd to get back to her, trying not to spill the drinks and failing miserably, suddenly grateful that his shirt was dark coloured.
'Here's to the New Year,' Hermione said, lifting her glass in a toast. Harry did the same and as the glasses connected, they heard a short, sharp laugh from behind.
'Bad luck to toast the New Year before midnight,' Jack said with a laugh. Grace was behind him, smiling widely at Harry and Hermione.
Jack and Grace joined them at the table and Harry was surprised at how quickly the time was going. The drinks kept flowing, and so did the conversation. Harry was fascinated by some of Jack's stories. He kept looking at Hermione worriedly, but she seemed to be having as much fun as he was. By 11:30 the pub was really rocking and Harry'd had enough of sitting down.
'Wanna dance?' he asked Hermione who laughed.
'I don't dance!'
'Oh yes you do,' Harry said and they both laughed. 'You're a damn good dancer.'
She took a deep breath and held out her hand. He took it and led her out near the band that were playing, in the middle of the already dancing couples. The song changed as they got there and Hermione smiled even wider.
'I used to dance to this song with my dad!' she exclaimed, taking hold of Harry's hand and pulling him closer.
Even though the song was a lively one, it called for close dancing and Harry just followed Hermione's lead. He'd never really got the hang of the dancing thing.
The song ended on a high note and Hermione joined in the clapping. Jack and Grace had made their way over to them and they were holding out glasses of champagne for them.
'Well, we're about to begin the final countdown!' the lead singer of the band called into the microphone. 'Make sure you've got a drink and someone to kiss!'
Harry was suddenly very aware how close Grace was too him.
'Ten!'
The tops of their arms were brushing.
'Nine!'
She was starting to blush.
'Eight!'
Hermione was staring furiously.
'Seven!'
Jack had seemingly vanished into the swelling crowd.
'Six!'
Harry was starting to feel uncomfortable.
'Five!'
Grace had started to turn towards him.
'Four!'
Hermione took a step closer to him.
'Three!'
Harry wished he wasn't in a room full of muggles so he could grab Hermione and disapparate.
'Two!'
Grace was way to close.
'ONE!' the singer called and streamers exploded everywhere.
'Happy New Year!' chorused around the pub as couples began to kiss.
Even though Harry knew it was coming, he wasn't quick enough to duck out of the way as Grace came in for a kiss. Their lips met, and almost as quickly they were parted and Harry saw an arm go flying past his face.
'What do you think you're doing?' Grace spat, straightening herself and glaring at Hermione, clutching the side of her face.
'What do I think I'm doing? What do you think you're doing?' Hermione said fiercely. 'Harry's wife only just died, and you're making a move?'
'Making a move?' Grace laughed. Harry, sensing danger and the eyes of the entire pub on them, grabbed Hermione's still outstretched arm.
'Let's go, Hermione,' he said. He half dragged her across the pub to get their jackets and then out the door into the snow.
'That bitch,' she growled as they got outside. 'Who does she think she is?'
'Did you have to punch her?' Harry asked, stopping Hermione and staring her in the face.
'So you wanted her to kiss you?'
'No,' Harry said honestly. 'But there was a better way to handle the situation!'
'Well you didn't seem to want to handle it,' she snapped. 'You were just going to let her do it!'
'Is it that big of a deal?' Harry asked. Hermione shot daggers at him. 'I saved her life, Hermione.'
'So that gives her free reign?'
'No! But it does change things slightly!'
'How? How does saving her life change things 'slightly'?'
'I don't know, it just does!'
'Harry, you don't even know this woman!'
'Neither do you! And you just almost knocked her out!'
'Should've just hexed her.'
'Hermione!' Harry exclaimed. He hadn't seen her like this in years, and he was pleased he hadn't.
They walked along in silence, back to Hermione's. He walked her to the door and she stopped in the doorway and looked sheepish.
'I guess I did kinda over-react,' she said simply, kissing Harry on the cheek and opening the door. 'Night, Harry.'
Harry walked away, feeling confused. Why did it not bother him so much that Grace had tried to kiss him? He stopped walking for a moment and counted slowly in his head.
Over the course of the night he'd had twelve drinks of different natures. Could it be the alcohol coursing through his system that was helping block the reality of the situation? Could it be the alcohol helping him not feel guilty? Certainly the more he drank, the less he thought about Ginny. Was that a good thing? Did he want to think about her less?
He mulled this over as he continued to walk to his own house. The longer he walked the more convinced he was of the alcohols influence- he was starting to feel angry with Grace, even though he hardly knew her and would probably never see her again. Yes, he had saved her life, but as Hermione said, it didn't give her free reign. She should've respected that he had just lost his wife.
And he knew that Hermione's reaction, whilst extreme, had been justified. It was just strange to know that it took him so long after the actual thing for him to come to this conclusion, and that made him even more confused.
Mind spinning, Harry collapsed onto the bed as soon as he got home and within minutes, had slipped into a deep sleep.