Unofficial Portkey Archive

A/N: In the last chapter, I think I said it would be two years later, but I meant three. My bad. Also, I apologize in advance for the next few chapters. As I mentioned, this is epilogue compliant, so the next bit of chapters will be progressing things towards the epilogue, especially in the relationship department. However, there will still of course be plenty of H/Hr stuff as well, but it's going to be a lot of angst for a while. Please stick with me through it! :)

Thanks to EmmaRadcliffe, h/hr4ever11, Meli, and auror_lumos09. VioletE, kinikeens, and any Anonymous reviewers for the reviews! Please leave some more!

Chapter 24: Regret

THREE YEARS LATER - June 2002

Hermione Granger pulled yet another file wearily towards her.

She had been perusing the numerous cases piled haphazardly upon her desk since early that morning, and though it was now past noon, she felt as if she had made no progress whatsoever.

Connor Hemming - Werewolf -- registered as of 5/28/02

She spared a glance at the date and suspected Source of the bite before jotting down instructions for the newly created Wolfsbane Dispersal Office to place Hemming under their clientele. She placed the parchment in its appropriate stack before looking at the next one.

Mitzi - House-elf -relocation due to owner's passing (no known relatives)

Hermione pushed this one to the side with about five other house-elf relocation cases, agitated that whoever had sent these wasn't competent enough to send them to the appropriate section of the department.

She powered through cases concerning an altercation with a pair of hags, a claimed sighting of a giant, and a greatly amusing complaint from a middle-aged wizard asserting he had been seduced by a gold-digging veela before coming across another werewolf registration.

She once more glanced at the Source of the bite and received a jolt - Fenrir Greyback. Frowning, she wrote down the same instructions she had for Hemming and proceeded to duplicate the document with a wave of her wand. With another wave the page had folded itself and flapped its way from her office, headed towards Alec Wahler's desk. Greyback had been one of the few Death Eaters who had evaded capture after the war, and Hermione knew the possibility of a hint of his whereabouts would interest the Auror office greatly.

Now in an even greater state of irritation, Hermione rifled through the endless stack of parchment with increasing speed until she came across an entry that caught her eye.

Donovan Gethin - Known to have employed the use of the Cruciatus Curse upon Muggles and suspected in the murders of Muggle-borns Stephen and Jacqueline Williams

Hermione furrowed her brow in confusion: this had nothing to do with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures in the slightest. Her eyes fell upon the next report.

Jezebel Rajani - Suspected to be recruiting werewolves to attack Muggles and Muggle-borns. *Likely in contact with Fenrir Greyback

Another unrelated case followed:

Blake Sullivan - Pureblood supremacist, several witnesses have verified his use of the Imperius Curse on Muggle/Muggle-born-sympathetic Ministry officials

Hermione leaned back in her chair, pursing her lips as she continued to flip through the files.

Desdemona Rodriguez - Potion-maker guilty of illegal experimentation and testing on unsuspecting Muggle-borns

Malloren Thomas - Suspected in the murders of at least three Muggle families

Damien Marshall - Guilty of the use of the Imperius and Cruciatus Curses to attempt to embezzle Gringotts

With a scream of frustration, Hermione stormed out of her office. Ignoring the greetings of her fellow employees, she strode purposefully to the golden lift and, once inside, began hammering the button that would take her to the second floor. She waited impatiently as the lift stopped and a pair of wizards stepped out into the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Finally, the cool female voice stated her destination: The Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which housed the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, the Improper Use of Magic Office, the Wizengamot, and, most importantly, the Auror Office.

She walked briskly down the corridor and through the heavy oak doors and emerged in a cluttered, open area divided into cubicles. Familiar faces once more shouted greetings to her and once more she ignored them as she made her way down to the very last cubicle.

"Harry James Potter!" she yelled furiously as she rounded the corner. She slammed down the reports she had carried down with her onto an infuriatingly clear desk, staring daggers at the cubicle's dark-haired and grinning occupant.

"Hermione!" Harry said jovially, his arms spread wide in greeting. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"You know very damn well why I'm here!" she spat, tapping the stack of parchment rapidly. "This has got to stop!"

Harry's eyes widened dramatically as he looked innocently up at her.

"But… Hermione, we've been friends for years! I can change, just say the word and I'll -"

"Don't play stupid with me, I'm not in the mood! I swear to Merlin, Harry, if you don't stop sending all of your cases to me I'll report you to Wahler! It's almost as if you have no respect for me!"

"Yeah, almost. And you won't report me."

Hermione frowned. "Well, no, but Harry -"

"Come on, Hermione, lighten up! It's just like Hogwarts! Did you finish all my conclusions?"

"There aren't any conclusions to write!" she said angrily. "All it does is waste my time when I have to walk all the way up here to give them back to you!"

"Maybe that was my intention," he said charmingly. "Maybe I just wanted to see you."

"I eat lunch with you almost every single day! I don't need to make all these detours for your childish pleasure!" she said, then added, "And besides, I don't have time to do your workload in addition to my own. I'm swamped downstairs."

"Oh, those are already done," Harry said. "All in Azkaban. But that's not the reason I sent those to you. In addition to my entirely well-intentioned desire to mingle with my best friend, I also wanted to put you on the alert - there's a lot of lunatics out there."

"Yes," Hermione said, curling her lip distastefully. "I did notice that most of them involved Muggle-borns."

"Yep. As much as I know you enjoy our little reminiscences of our Hogwarts' days, I'm not always going to be able to watch your back," Harry said seriously. "But, while I can, I decided to catch `em all and throw them in Azkaban. Just for you, babe." Harry winked and flashed her a cheeky grin.

Hermione opened her mouth to retort.

"Oi, Granger! Shut up!"

She turned her head sharply and saw a blonde-haired man's head poking over the next cubicle.

"Mitch," she said dangerously. "You had better -"

"Hey," Mitch interrupted. "Did you get the report I sent you on the werewolf that attacked that kid up north?"

Hermione glared at him.

"Yes, I did, and it's a confused jumble of useless information with a wino's spittle of unsupported conclusions."

Mitch furrowed his brow.

"Wino's spittle?"

"You heard me," Hermione said scathingly. "Look it up."

This interaction was interrupted, however, by a tough-looking wizard who stepped into Harry's cubicle.

"Potter," the man said, "I need those reports by - Oh! Miss Granger!"

Alec Wahler positively beamed at the sight of Hermione: ever since he'd met her three years ago, Wahler had been especially fond of the young witch.

He put a hand on her shoulder in a fatherly sort of way, his eyes traveling suspiciously from Harry to Mitch. He looked down at Hermione.

"They bothering you, Granger?" he said in his raspy voice. "Because I can fire both of them."

She smiled sweetly up at Mitch's terrified expression.

"Oh not at all, Mr. Wahler. I was just wondering why Mitchell here was trying to carry on a conversation with me when he should be working."

"I was just wondering that myself," Wahler said, his face suddenly cold. The glare he fixed in Mitch's direction was wasted, however, as Mitch had already ducked quickly back into his own cubicle.

"So what brings you here?" Wahler said.

Hermione shrugged. She really had no intentions of telling Harry's boss about the paperwork, so instead she replied, "I was just on my break and thought I'd pay a visit."

"Well, don't let me keep you!" Wahler said. He forced Hermione down into the chair opposite Harry. "Just remember I need those reports before you leave, Potter!"

"Yes, sir."

Wahler strode from the room, leaving Hermione and Harry by themselves. Hermione knew that she should be getting back to work, but the unintended break really was doing her some good.

"So are George and Angelina coming over to your place tonight?" she asked.

"As far as I know," Harry said. "Molly and Arthur as well. I'm not sure about Percy's lot."

Hermione noted that Harry was starting to look uncomfortable.

"Is Ginny alright?" she asked casually.

"Ginny…? Oh, right, she's good, really great," Harry said, not meeting her eyes.

Hermione peered into his anxious face.

"What's wrong?" she said abruptly.

Harry shook his head and waved his hand in an unconvincingly indifferent manner. "Nothing's wrong. What would make you think that?"

"You're not looking at me."

"Just have a lot on my mind," Harry replied, making a show of rifling through his desk drawers. "Gotta get those reports done-"

"Harry."

He finally looked up at her.

"I know that's not what's bothering you," Hermione said. "You may have a lot on your mind but it's not unfinished reports."

Harry frowned slightly and turned away from her once more. "Look, Hermione, it's nothing," he said a bit harshly. "Just drop it."

Hermione frowned as well. "I might be more willing to drop it if you could do me the courtesy of saying it to my face instead of your desk." He continued to rifle through his files. "Harry," she said sharply.

He met her gaze once more. They stared at each other for a moment.

"Hermione," he finally said, his voice softened considerably. "Really. It's nothing. Nothing bad at least." He pulled a few parchments closer towards him and dipped his quill in ink. He attempted a reassuring smile that fell somewhat flat. "I'll see you tonight, okay?"

Recognizing the dismissal, Hermione stood up and left without a word. She looked back at Harry just before she stepped into the corridor to see him staring after her with an odd look on his face - regret?

She crossed her arms as she waited for the lift to take her back to the fourth floor.

He would tell her what was on his mind eventually. He always did.

***********

"I think Hermione knows something."

Harry sat nervously in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place as he observed Ginny darting around in the act of preparing an elaborate meal for her family.

"What do you mean?" she said sharply, slamming yet another pot on the stove.

"Just what I said - she knows something."

"The first time you said you think she knows something."

"Well, that was a lie. I know she knows something."

"How could she possibly know? Because you, of course, would never have said anything without asking my permission first - and I already blatantly told you not to."

Ginny set a set of knives to work chopping vegetables and rounded on Harry.

"You didn't tell her, right?"

"No!" Harry said hastily. "Of course not!"

"Then she can't possibly know."

"But she does! I don't think she's aware of exactly what's going on, but she definitely suspects something."

"Then stop worrying. She might not suspect anything - you're probably just being paranoid. Grate that cheese, will you?"

Harry pulled the large chunk of cheddar and a grater towards him and began grating it by hand, finding the repetitive task soothing to his nerves.

"I don't think so. She specifically asked what was wrong with me."

"Apart from being an obvious prat who can't lie worth a damn? Kreacher!" she said abruptly.

The house-elf appeared with a crack - though he worked at Hogwarts most of the time, he frequently came to Grimmauld Place to assist with more extravagant meals or intense cleaning.

"Yes, Mistress Ginny?" Kreacher said.

"Is the dining table set?"

"Yes, miss."

"The library and drawing room dusted?"

"Yes, miss."

"The floors swept?"

"Kreacher was just finishing when Mistress Ginny called."

"Excellent. Thank you, Kreacher."

Kreacher bowed low, and disappeared with another crack.

"I can lie just fine, thanks!" Harry said indignantly. Just not to her, he added silently.

"Obviously not, or she would never have suspected anything." She swept the vegetables from the cutting board into the simmering pot.

"Hermione's just abnormally perceptive. You didn't seem to suspect anything when I said your stew last night was delicious."

Ginny threw a wooden spoon quite forcefully at his head, but he caught it before it made contact.

"This isn't the time for jokes! Everyone will be here soon!" She spared a glance to look him up and down, then frowned a bit distastefully. "You'll probably want to go change before they arrive."

Harry glanced down at himself. He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Ginny, in contrast, looked as though she had stepped out of a fashion magazine.

"Alright," he said, and proceeded up to their bedroom. After a few moments of looking through his closet, he selected a deep blue button-up he hadn't had the chance to wear yet. He then chose a pair of black trousers, made a vain attempt at combing his hair (as usual), and walked back to the kitchen.

Ginny looked up from the roast chicken she was adding garnishes to and nodded her approval.

"Much better. Though you might've opted for a tie."

"What for?" Harry said. "I think I surpassed the whole `making a good impression stage' about ten years ago."

"Fine," Ginny said irritably. "At least your dressed. And just in time, too," she said as the doorbell rang.

Harry made his way to the door and opened it to let in Molly and Arthur. Therefore, he was quite surprised when he saw Ron and Hermione.

"Oh - hey, guys," he said.

"Hey," Ron replied, grinning.

Hermione said nothing, but gazed at him with penetrating eyes.

"Er," said Harry, staring very pointedly at Ron. "Ginny's in the kitchen…" He trailed off, turned abruptly and led them through the house.

"Hey, Ron - Hermione!" Ginny said brightly when they entered the room. "You two are the first ones here! I've made chicken for dinner!"

Harry could still feel Hermione's eyes on the back of his head as Ron expressed the extent of his hunger to his sister, and leapt to his feet the instant the doorbell rang again.

"I'll get it!" he said and quickly raced to the door. Molly and Arthur were now at the door, accompanied by Andromeda Tonks and the four-year-old Teddy Lupin.

"HARRY!" the small boy yelled, wrenching his hand away from his grandmother to dart forward and leap to Harry.

He caught Teddy and hugged him tightly; as Teddy's godfather, Harry had taken a very active role in seeing his godson -- a role that Sirius had only begun to fulfill for Harry before he died. Teddy adored him, being as Harry was the only constant male figure in his life.

Harry smiled at Andromeda as he set Teddy down. "I didn't think you could make it!"

"Freed up my schedule at the last minute," she replied. "And Teddy was quite anxious to see you, so here we are!"

"Has anyone else arrived?" Mrs. Weasley asked as everyone stepped into the house.

"Ron and Hermione are here, but George and Angelina haven't arrived yet."

"I would've thought they would be here by now," Mrs. Weasley said as Harry led this second group to the dining area, where Ron, Hermione, and Ginny sat.

"Mum, Dad!" Ginny said, standing up to hug her parents. Harry distracted himself by settling Teddy into a chair while Hermione greeted Andromeda and the Weasleys.

"Teddy! Nice hair, buddy!" Ron exclaimed, referring to Teddy's fiery red fringe.

Teddy stared placidly up at Ron for a moment, and with a pop his hair changed into a vibrant lime green.

Harry laughed. "I think you've gone and upset him," he said, ruffling the lime green locks. Teddy laughed as well, pleased that his godfather had liked his transformation.

The doorbell rang for a third time, and Ginny went to answer it this time, returning with George and Angelina in tow.

"Sorry we're a bit late," Angelina said. "We were just dropping off Fred with Bill and Fleur."

Fred Weasley II had been born less than a year previously and George had immediately dubbed the child after his late brother. Since George had been adamant of naming the child Fred from the moment he'd learned of his wife's pregnancy, Angelina had been quite relieved when she had given birth to a healthy baby boy.

"Don't think Bill was too pleased," George added pleasantly. "Victoire and Dominique are giving him a run for his money as it is. Can't imagine why he'd be displeased with three toddlers rampaging through his house."

Everyone settled themselves at the table as George spoke, which was now loaded with Ginny's meal, and proceeded to dig in. Harry seated himself next to Teddy, not only because of the boy's insistence, but because Hermione was sitting at the opposite end of the table.

He entertained Teddy throughout the meal, levitating his utensils and causing the wine in his glass to swirl into various shapes and colors. Harry was quite pleased that Andromeda had brought Teddy, as it provided him the perfect excuse to not meet Hermione's eyes. He couldn't technically be positive that she was looking his way at all, but if he knew Hermione at all she would almost certainly be shooting him fairly frequent glares along the table. It would be over soon, at least…

He barely paid any attention to the conversation until dinner was almost complete, when Ginny finally nudged him slightly and fixed him with a meaningful look. Harry swallowed and nodded.

"Everyone," Ginny said, drawing the group's attention to her and Harry. "We have something we want to tell you."

Harry almost felt like cringing at the traditional-ness of this scene, but felt that a grimace might be construed the wrong way.

Ginny beamed around the table, making sure to look at each member of her family.

"Harry and I are getting married!"

There was the briefest pause of silence before an exclamation of glee erupted from the center of the table.

"This is absolutely wonderful!" Mrs. Weasley cried, leaping to her feet. Noise then exploded from every which direction as everyone else stood up as well.

"Congratulations!" Angelina enthused to Ginny and Harry.

"Yeah! It's about time you came into the family officially, Harry!" George said.

Mr. Weasley simply grinned in a dazed sort of way.

Ron clapped Harry happily on the back and Mrs. Weasley kissed his cheek.

However, Harry immediately noted the absence of one person's voice in particular.

He glanced up the table and saw that Hermione had left the room.

***********

Hermione leaned heavily against the staircase, taking deep, calculated breaths.

So this is what Harry had been hiding all day - he had proposed to Ginny.

She retreated farther into the depths of the house as she thought about what he had told her earlier, the complete lie he had fed her: It's nothing. Nothing bad at least.

This situation was the complete opposite of his statement - this was without a doubt something, and it was something very bad at that.

Ginny's announcement had landed in her stomach like a physical blow, and each subsequent thought reiterated in her abdomen like follow-up punches:

Harry proposed to Ginny.

Harry didn't bother telling me he'd proposed to Ginny.

Harry is going to marry Ginny.

Hermione blinked back tears as she swallowed back the sob that threatened to escape her.

She had known this was going to happen eventually - Harry and Ginny had been together for almost five years, after all.

But why did it still surprise her?

Because you always had hope that he'd come to his senses, said a small voice at the back of her mind.

Hermione shook her head, trying to rid her head of these painful thoughts.

No… I just want him to be happy, she told herself firmly.

But you wanted him to be happy with you.

Hermione buried her face in her hands as she felt hot tears slide down her cheeks.

************

Hermione found the group in the drawing room. She walked in rather surreptitiously, but there was really no need for caution - everyone was still talking aimlessly about Harry and Ginny's engagement.

"I'm assuming Harry proposed?" Angelina asked as Hermione sat herself quietly next to Ron.

"Of course!" Ginny said, seeming slightly affronted.

"Just a question. You can't really blame me for asking…you are rather assertive." Angelina smiled as she turned to George. "Would you have married me if I had asked you?"

George looked confused. "You did ask me!"

"I did not!"

"Yes, you did. You said, `Are we ever going to get married?'"

"That's not a proposal!" Angelina said, scandalized.

George threw up his hands in exasperation. "Now she tells me! After we've had kids no less! We obviously have to stay together for the children's sake now."

Angelina scowled at George as everyone else laughed.

"Oh, I can't wait to begin the arrangements!" Mrs. Weasley said excitedly. "There's so much to do…there's the venue of course…"

"Mum…" Ginny said.

"We'll have to begin considering your dress as well, Ginny - the cake, the decorations, music -"

"Mum," Ginny said more insistently.

"- invitations will be a major priority as well, hundreds I expect, and the food required to feed the lot -"

"MUM!"

Mrs. Weasley looked at Ginny in confusion. "There's really no need to shout, dear."

"Mum, we don't want a big wedding," Ginny said quickly.

Mrs. Weasley looked still more confused. "What…? Why wouldn't…?"

"Harry - Harry and I - we would prefer a small wedding," Ginny said, though the tone of disappointment in her voice hinted that her desires were quite contrary.

"We just feel that a quieter wedding would be better," Harry said, placing his hand lightly on Ginny's knee. Hermione quickly averted her eyes to her lap. "I'd rather not give the press a field day during an event that's supposed to be special," he continued.

"Of - of course," Mrs. Weasley said, clearly caught a bit off guard. "I hadn't considered that. Whatever you two want -"

She was cut off as Ron gave a start of surprise.

"Perce!" he yelled, staring at the fireplace.

Hermione turned to see Percy Weasley's head floating in the flames, looking very pale.

"What is it, dear?" Mrs. Weasley said.

"It's Audrey," Percy said. "She's gone into labor."

Squeals of excitement came from Mrs. Weasley, Angelina, and Ginny.

Percy continued hurriedly, silencing the giggly women. "Do you think you could come pick up Little Molly?" he asked his mother.

"Of course!" Mrs. Weasley said, and Percy's head disappeared instantly. Mrs. Weasley then clapped her hands together happily as she stood up.

"Another grandchild and an engagement, all in one night!" she said in delight. "Could it get any better?"

Hermione gripped the edge of the sofa tightly to prevent her hand from shaking.

She stood up with Andromeda and the Weasleys and followed them as they made their way quickly to the door in anticipation of the newest addition to the family.

Before she had stepped over the threshold, however, she felt a strong grip on her wrist. Harry stared at her intently as he held her back.

Hermione wrenched her hand away before he had even begun to speak.

"Congratulations, Harry - I'm happy for you," she said with the best attempt at gladness she could manage. She turned and walked from the house, forcing herself to not look back. She said a quick goodbye to Ron as she reached the street and finally Apparated to the quiet solitude of her flat.

Barely thinking, she dropped herself immediately into the chair at her desk and wrote a letter to her mother:

Mum,

How are you? I'm sorry I haven't been to visit for a few weeks - work has been hectic. I was made head of the Being subdivision of my department. The work can get a bit tedious at times, but I'm glad to be in a better position where I can help others.

Ron is fine - he's still working with George at the joke shop. The babies (all four of them) are getting so big, and a fifth should be added to the mix within hours. Audrey (Percy's wife) went into labor not even an hour ago. Mrs. Weasley is ecstatic, of course. Harry and Ginny are engaged as well.

Give Dad my love. Hope to see you soon.

Love, Hermione

Hermione sealed the letter without bothering to read through it and attached the letter to Marcellus, who had thankfully returned from hunting early.

"It's to Mum," Hermione murmured, petting the snowy owl. The owl gave her an affectionate nip on the finger and soared from the window.

Hermione watched the owl until he had been swallowed by the darkness, and then sank onto her bed. Her stomach still ached painfully. She lay back onto her pillows and shut her eyes tightly, hoping to dispel any more unbidden thoughts from rising to her mind, and eventually drifted into a restless sleep.

*********

Hermione opened her eyes blearily as the first pinpricks of morning light flickered through the open window. She rubbed her face groggily before she became aware that Marcellus had already returned. He hooted a greeting to her.

Not even bothering to gather the will-power to stand up, Hermione beckoned the owl over. Once she had removed the letter from his leg, Marcellus fluttered back over to his cage, clearly intent on taking a nap of his own.

Hermione ripped open the note and saw four words of her mother's handwriting. A fresh wave of tears came to her eyes as she read the response to only one line of her letter:

I'm so sorry, Hermione.

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