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: No long winded notes today- just the usual thank you to everyone for reviewing and a reminder to please review with any comments/criticism you may have!
SEVEN
Hermione's mother was waiting for them as they disembarked their flight. Hermione ran to her and was soon sobbing in her arms. Harry was standing behind them, still feeling numb. He seemed to be able to feel nothing but the numbness. He had ended up drinking most of the whisky previous evening, before packing away his and Ginny's belongings.
He had cried the entire time.
Watching Hermione and her mother, he became distracted by a row of public telephones behind them. He pointed to the phones, showing Mrs Granger where he was going, but she shook her head and pulled a mobile telephone from her pocket.
Dialling from memory, he rang a number that he had only ever rung a few times in his life, but he felt he had to do this.
'Hello?' A woman asked after several rings.
'Dudley please,' Harry said stiffly. The phone was put down and he could hear footsteps and voices and then the phone was picked up again.
'Dudley Dursley.'
'It's Harry,' Harry said simply. He could almost feel Dudley's shock come through the telephone line.
'This is a surprise,' Dudley said slowly. 'It's not Christmas yet.'
'I know. I just felt I needed to tell you something.'
'What?'
'Have you seen the news lately? With that incident in Spain.'
'What about it?' Dudley asked tersely.
'I was there,' Harry said slowly. 'Ginny and her brother, Ron, died.'
The news was met with silence and for a few moments all Harry could hear was Dudley's wife in the background, yelling at their children.
'I'm sorry, Harry,' Dudley finally said. 'Thank you for thinking to tell me. Ginny was,' he paused here and Harry wondered what he was thinking. 'A wonderful woman.'
Harry was surprised. He and Dudley were on alright terms now and they saw each other maybe twice a year, but Dudley had never given an impression that he liked Ginny at all. In fact, Harry struggled to remember when Dudley had ever spoken to Ginny.
They said goodbye and Harry made his way back over to Hermione and her mother. Together they went to claim their baggage and finally they made their way out to the Granger's car. They would be going to the Granger's house, where Harry and Hermione would take the Floo network to Hogwarts. Molly Weasley had arranged for them to arrive in Neville's office, but had not told Neville the reason for their urgent visit.
It took them over an hour to drive from the airport. Hermione sat in the front with her mother, and looked blankly out the window. Harry was in the back and could not believe it when Hermione said it had taken them that long- to his recollection they had only just left the airport when they arrived at the house.
Harry went through the fire first and after the stress of the past two days, the spinning made him feel incredibly ill. He was relieved to step out of the fireplace into Neville's office.
'Harry,' Neville said, shaking his old house-mates hand as Hermione came spinning into view, and looking at him with obvious concern. 'So what is all this about? And where are Ron and Ginny?'
There was silence. Harry looked at Hermione, who looked like she would never speak again. Slowly, and trying to stop himself from crying, Harry told Neville the basics of what had happened. By the end of the story, Neville was in tears, hugging Hermione.
'Can you get the children for us?' Hermione finally said. Neville tore himself away from her and nodded. He crossed to his desk where he wrote out 5 different notes and then he left the office, returning a few minutes later.
'They'll be here soon,' he told them. 'Would you like somewhere private to talk?'
'Yes, please.'
Neville led them through a false wall into his private living area. Harry had been here several times before and it was nice, if not a bit cramped. It was a simple sitting room, which had a bedroom and bathroom coming off it.
He left them there and returned to his office. Several moments later, they could hear all the children as they arrived, confused as to why they were being summoned, especially as Neville was not their head of house. Neville lead them through into the living area and Hermione started to cry as Rose and Hugo rushed over to her.
There was less of a rush from James, Lily and Albus. They were looking from their father and to each other, confusion evident on their faces.
'Where's mum?' James finally asked. Rose and Hugo broke away from their mother, realising that their father wasn't there either.
'Sit down, kids,' Harry said, his voice wavering slightly. Lily burst into tears and Albus helped her to the lounge. All five of them wedged onto it and Harry and Hermione sat on the coffee table in front of them. Neville had quietly left.
'Something happened whilst we were on holiday,' Hermione said softly, tears falling down her cheeks.
'Dad?' James said, looking from Hermione to Harry. 'What happened?'
Harry sighed and began explaining the explosion at the market. Lily cried even harder, setting Rose off. Hugo was holding his mothers hand and was wearing an expression of shock and disbelief. Albus was trying his hardest not to cry, but the tears were escaping his eyes and dripping down onto his lap. James was staring at his father, a furious look giving away his anger. As Harry finished the story, James stood up and stalked angrily to the other side of the room and stared out of the window.
Leaving Hermione to console the others, Harry followed his oldest son and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
'Why,' James said, his voice shaking. 'Did you go there, to that muggle place, in the first place?'
'It was partly your mothers' idea,' Harry said gently. 'James, please don't get angry.'
'Tell me how I'm supposed to feel, father,' he said, turning around and facing Harry. 'You've just burst in and told me that my mother died two days ago. Don't you realise how I'm feeling?'
'You seem to have forgotten that I never knew my mother,' Harry said and his voice was cold and James suddenly looked apologetic. 'And that two days ago, I lost the woman I love.'
This seemed to sate James' anger and he backed off, turning around and looking out the window again. Harry left him there and went back over to the others. He sat down on the lounge and Lily climbed into his lap, something she hadn't done since she was a little girl. Albus was sitting beside him and he leaned into his father.
'Do we have to stay at school?' Albus asked softly. All of the children looked at Harry, who in turn looked at Hermione.
'I don't see why you can't come home for a few days,' he said slowly, still looking at Hermione. She seemed to understand that he was thinking ahead, to the day in the not too distant future when they would hold funerals.
They sat in Neville's living room for a long time. Neville popped in a few times to see them and on the last occasion, Harry asked him if he could fetch Hagrid.
Hagrid was too big to fit in Neville's office, so he waited out in the corridor. Harry went to him and told him the news and Hagrid sobbed into one of his gigantic handkerchiefs.
'How… how are… the kids…' Hagrid sobbed, mopping his eyes.
'Terrible, considering,' Harry said and Hagrid sobbed louder.
Harry was starting to feel uncomfortable with the sobbing half-giant and was relieved when Neville came out and escorted Hagrid down to his hut for Grawp to comfort him. Harry went back into Neville's office, but found he didn't want to go back to his family just yet. He had hardly been alone since it had happened and he felt as if he had a barrel of Madam Rosmerta's mead on his chest. The rage that had surfaced the previous day when he had gone running was bubbling close to the surface and he wished again that he could rant and rave and smash things.
'Are you alright, Harry?' Neville asked and Harry jumped, having not heard him come back into the room.
'I'm fine,' Harry said dully. 'Neville, could I borrow a quill and some parchment? And an owl?'
'In the desk,' Neville said, pointing. 'And you can borrow Shirley.'
'Shirley?' Harry asked, bemused.
'My owl,' Neville explained, rolling his eyes. 'Hannah named her.'
Harry sat down behind Neville's desk and pulled out a sheet of parchment and a quill. He wrote a short note and then rolled it up and attached it to the leg of the owl that Neville had bought over. Neville released her out the window and Harry sighed.
As he stood up, Hermione came through the concealed door and smiled weakly at the both of them.
'I think we should be going,' she said softly and Harry nodded. She looked at Neville. 'Neville, I don't think that Rose and Hugo will be back at school until after the Christmas break. There's no point in bringing them home and then sending them back for them to come back home a week later.'
'I agree,' Neville said and then looked at Harry. 'Will it be the same for James, Albus and Lily?'
'I think so,' Harry nodded at Hermione. 'It will give them a good bit of time to grieve and recover.'
Neville nodded and as he did so, the kids all appeared from the concealed door one at a time, with James coming last.
Neville set up a fire and tossed Floo powder in. One by one they called 'The Burrow' and vanished from sight. Hermione was second last and as she stepped into the fire, Harry grabbed her arm.
'I won't be too far behind,' he told her. 'I'm going to see Kingsley.'
She nodded as she called 'The Burrow' and spun out of sight.
Harry was one of the few people in the Ministry who knew the code name of the Minister's office, enabling them to have direct access by Floo powder. It was a silent incantation to enable it to stay a secret. Harry thanked Neville for his support and stepped into the fire and vanished from the office.