Leaning Slightly to the Left | HG | Rated: T
Title: Leaning Slightly to the Left: Chapter 13
For: queenb23more who bid for this on the help_chile community.
Chapter Rating: T
Chapter Warnings: Lol, I do hate repeating myself!
Featured Characters/Pairings: Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Harry, OFC, Ron/OFC, Ron/Hermione
Chapter Word Count: 12,122
Summary: Hermione's life is not what she expected it to be and she doesn't know how to change it. Will moving back to what she knows help? Or if she pinning all her hopes on a dream that ended years before?
Author's Note: I know it’s taken me over a month to get this next chapter out, but in my defence a) it’s over 12,000 words long O___o and b) I’ve been without internet since the 18th March and when you need it to check stuff it definitely slows things down, plus you know, I did move house in the middle of writing it. So apologies :)
Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 Part 1 | 13 Part 2
Momentum Part 1
Momentum Part 2
A week had passed since Foy had turned and Ron had been removed from the court. When Hermione wasn’t thinking about the case she would think about Ron and wonder what had been the underlying cause of his outburst. She knew, of course, that Ron was as involved in the case as was possible, but she had never seen him lose it like that in court. He had seen witnesses break down on the stand when cross-examined and it had never made him react the way he did that day.
She had seen him once during the past week and he had looked terrible. He had dark circles under his eyes and his robes were hanging off him like he hadn’t eaten for days. She had tried to make eye contact with him and instigate a conversation but when he had caught sight of her he had quickly started talking to another Auror Hermione didn’t know and she had had to get to Christine’s office before they were due back in court.
She kept meaning to go and see Harry about it but by the time she got home from work these days she had enough energy to eat whatever Mrs. Weasley had left in her kitchen - Harry had since admitted in a note left in the flat one evening that he had let slip his deal with Hermione to Mrs. Weasley who had instantly taken charge of the situation and apparently made Harry uncomfortable for not telling her in the first place - and then fallen in to bed. She slept in late both weekend days and when she did crawl out of bed she read her notes for Monday’s day in court. In short, she was living and breathing her work and would be until this case ended. Christine had promised her a three-week holiday when it was all over and as much as she felt she should protest that it was too much, she had no intention of turning it down.
It was just another Friday night when she got in at half past nine and collapsed on the sofa. After a minute her stomach reacted to the smell of Mrs. Weasley’s home cooking being kept warm by the oven and she managed to drag herself to the kitchen and transfer the food from the pot to a plate.
She never felt very hungry until she started eating, and then after ten minutes and an empty plate she realised she needed to eat more during the day. This was a daily discovery and yet she still had to make the change to her working day.
As she was about to get up and take her dishes to the kitchen the fireplace glowed bright green and a piece of parchment appeared on the floor. She picked it up and read it.
Hermione,
Sorry to do this to you but Harry’s not answering my note and I don’t really want to worry anyone else - I thought you’d be the best to deal with him.
Ron’s at the pub and he’s had a few too many, I’ve cut him off but he’s not capable of getting home safely on his own. I was wondering if you would come and get him and make sure he doesn’t try anything stupid.
Thank you,
Hannah
She sighed, she knew she would have to see Ron at some point but she was hoping it would be when both of them were a little stronger. While she was burying herself in her work, Ron was, apparently, finding comfort in alcohol. For a second she contemplated letting someone else know, George or Percy, but she knew she would just worry about him if she didn’t go.
She pulled on her discarded shoes and picked up a handful of Floo Powder.
‘The Three Broomsticks,’ she shouted and instantly started spinning past hundreds of fireplaces.
When she arrived she looked around the pub and spotted Ron slumped over the bar. She closed her eyes and sighed again, she was thankful she had managed to eat all her dinner before the note arrived, she had a feeling she would need all her strength.
Hannah mouthed ‘thank you’ at her as she appeared at Ron’s side.
‘Ron, come on, you’re going home now.’
He grunted and she put a hand on his shoulder to try and get him to sit up. It didn’t work.
‘Ron, come on, get up.’
Again he grunted. Hermione took his earlobe between her thumb and forefinger and dug her nail into the flesh. He jerked away from the pain and lost his balance off the stool. The sensation of falling brought him from his stupor and he managed to get a foot to the floor before he lost his balance completely.
Hermione took the chance to grab his arm and pull him forward off the stool and then tucked herself under his arm and into his body so she could steer him easier.
‘Start walking, Ron.’
He looked to his left and seemed surprised to see her there but he did as she said and started walking in the direction she was pointing him in.
She got him to the fireplace but his eyes had already started to close. She swore under her breath and decided Apparition was probably the safest way to get him to his flat.
She grabbed his arm with both her hands and concentrated very specifically on appearing next to his bed. That way when he lost his balance when they reappeared he would fall onto the bed and that would be one less journey she would have to get him through.
She closed her eyes, concentrated hard and turned.
Her plan worked as she hoped and when Ron stumbled the back of his legs hit the bed and he landed safely. He collapsed backwards and passed out.
‘Oh, Ron, what are you doing to yourself?’
She untied his boots and pulled them off his feet and after a few minutes' struggle managed to pull his Auror robes off his back. She picked up his legs and managed to swing them into what she hoped was a comfortable sleeping position for him, she must have had it wrong because Ron managed to roll himself over and curled up. She perched on the edge of the bed when he had settled down, stroked his hair out of his eyes.
‘I’m so sorry, Ron. You deserve better than this.’
Before the tears formed she stood and walked towards the door. She heard movement behind her and saw Ron was looking at her.
She smiled and was about to tell him to sleep well when he opened his mouth.
‘I hate… that you… came back. You… ruined my… life. I… hate… you.’
She couldn’t stop the tears cascading down her cheeks. Before he could say anything else, she turned on the spot and Disapparated.
…oooOOOooo…
She was sure she was trespassing but she really didn’t care. Throwing stones as far as she could was giving her some kind of relief and stopping her from thinking too much. Or crying. She was just glad there was no one around when all that hurt and pain came out of her mouth and caused her to collapse in a heap a few feet from where she stood now.
She had run past people as she made her way from the main function room in the stadium and they had seemed shocked but they didn’t stop her. When she got to the door of the dugout it burst open in front of her and she wasn’t going to question why.
She had no idea how long she had been there, but the last light around the stadium had just gone out or been switched off, she didn’t know which.
She heard movement behind her and was waiting for a ‘what are you doing?’ from the groundskeeper or someone similar, but she was surprised when the voice was familiar.
‘Hermione, please step a bit further back from the edge.’
Quintus’s voice was soft, probably not to startle her.
‘It’s warded, Quintus, you of all people know that!’ she didn’t care that her tone was harsh, at the minute she had no idea what to do with herself let alone try and work out how to talk to other people.’
‘Except it’s not, maintenance took it down half an hour ago so they can come in later and fix the damage from the weekend’s game.’
She realised she was only six inches from the ledge and normally she would have noticed the lack of wards but she was somewhat distracted. For a few seconds she let the adrenaline run through her and even contemplated moving a couple of inches closer to the edge just so she could feel something entirely different from what was consuming her, but instead she took a step back. Instantly Quintus pulled her further backwards into his arms.
‘Shit! Please don’t ever scare me like that again,’ he whispered into her hair.
She continued to stare out into the darkness and Quintus just held her. She could feel his heartbeat against her back but she didn’t react to anything because tears had started falling once more and her stomach had started squirming.
Eventually Quintus loosened his grip and walked around her. She met his eyes as he stared down at her and waited for him to start talking.
‘What happened?’ he asked simply.
‘Ron just told me he…’ her breath caught in her throat but she swallowed and carried on, ‘hates me so I’m feeling a bit h…hurt at the minute. Not to mention lost and… did I mention hurt?’
Quintus frowned.
‘Hermione, Ron doesn’t hate you.’
‘But apparently he does, Quintus, and you know what? I can’t really blame him. It’s true that if I’d stayed in France none of all this would have happened. He would have married Mattie and they’d’ve lived happily ever after.’
Quintus took her by surprise when he laughed.
‘Oh, Hermione, it doesn’t matter that you can home five months ago or if you came home five years from now, Ron’s feelings for you would have remained unchanged, and you know what? You did nothing but come home.’
She shook her head. ‘Not true, I kissed him once.’
Quintus snorted. ‘One kiss, in the grand scheme of things, is nothing. Even if you hadn’t kissed him, things would have played out in the exact same way.’
Again she shook her head. ‘Whatever you say to me will not stop me thinking his misery is my fault.’
Quintus nodded. ‘I know that because you’re a good person, but I know that it’s not your fault.
Thunder filled the air and she could hear the rain starting to fall at the edge of the dugout.
‘Look, Ginny’s in the corridor, she spotted you about the same time I did and I persuaded her to let me come and talk to you. Now, I can find you a room here for the night if you don’t want to go back to an empty flat, or I can stay with you tonight when I’ve finished here. I’ll take you anywhere and do what you want. You only have to say the word.’
The only two places in the Harpies' complex she was familiar with was the largest function room and the VIP spectators' box but at the minute, it felt the most familiar place she had to stay.
She swallowed hard and managed to keep any stray sobs at bay. 'Do you… do you think Ginny would mind if I stayed with… her tonight? I won't disrupt her sleep; she won't even know I'm there.'
'I'd've been offended if you hadn't asked.'
Hermione turned around. She wasn't expecting relief to wash over her when she saw her best friend, but it did and a fresh wave of tears overtook her.
'Come here,' Ginny said as she walked forwards and wrapped her arms around Hermione.
She didn't know how long she cried into Ginny's shoulder. When she tried to think about what she was doing she tried to tell herself her reaction was over the top; Ron had been drunk when he said what he did, after all, but it didn't help to stop the tears.
Half an hour later when she was wrapped in a warm blanket and sat on Ginny's couch she tried to remember exactly how she had got there, but all her thoughts had been directed to Ron and what had transpired since she had returned from France.
'I'm going to go to bed, I know I'm not playing for another week but I've got into a routine and I want tomorrow to be as normal as possible just without the actual playing part. Silly I know.'
Hermione managed a half smile. 'It's not silly at all, I'm so sorry I haven't… I dunno, been a better friend since the accident, it's just-'
'You're in the middle of the biggest court case in years. Hermione, believe me, I understand how busy you've been. Harry hasn't stopped talking about how Christine would be lost without you.'
Hermione smirked. 'I'm sure Christine would be fine without me and with someone more experienced.'
'Well, she been singing your praises to Kingsley who told Harry just in case your confidence left you at any point and he had to talk you round, so there!'
Hermione managed a chuckle. 'Well, obviously I'm never going to win an argument in which you've said 'so there' so I'll just accept the compliment graciously and bid you good night.'
Ginny perched on the edge of the sofa. 'If you fancy eating anything help yourself to anything in the cupboards or the fridge. If you want it there's a bottle of Firewhisky hidden underneath the plant pot by the front door, a revealing charm will show it.'
Hermione snorted. 'I won't even ask!'
Ginny grinned. 'Best not to! Anyway, if you need anything, to talk or whatever, just wake me up. Like I said I'm not playing tomorrow so it doesn't really matter how well I sleep, okay?'
'Thank you, Ginny, but I wouldn't dream of waking you in the middle of the night. I might, however, make an attempt to find your hidden alcohol stash.'
Ginny smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes. 'Help yourself. Anyway, try and sleep well, yeah?'
Hermione nodded. 'I'll try. Goodnight, Gin.'
Ginny stood and walked towards her bedroom. While Hermione was content to sleep on the sofa, Ginny insisted Quintus move one of the decent beds out of another of the flats into the box room. Thankfully this was a situation where magic came in very handy.
'I know you won't believe me, but… Ron could never hate you, Hermione, and deep down you know that.'
Before she had a chance to think about how she would reply, Ginny had closed the door and left her to her thoughts.
She wrapped the blanket tighter around her and waited for more tears or a wave of emotion she couldn't control but for the minute, nothing came.
As much as she wanted to believe what Ginny had said, Lavender's voice rattled around her mind. ’Everyone tells the truth when they're drunk, whether they should or not' Ron was definitely drunk and normally she would care about why he was doing this to himself. It was obvious that something had triggered it but she didn't know what. There was only one other time she had seen him as angry as he was in the court room and that was when he was wearing a Horcrux, was shouting at Harry and he thought Hermione had chosen Harry over him. She wondered what had had the same affect on his heart as part of a psychopath's soul.
She was so tired but her mind was going round in endless circles and she actually laughed out loud at the thought of being able to sleep.
She leant back and tried to bury her head into the back cushion of the sofa and just as she found a comfortable position a soft tapping at the window made her sit up. Before the noise could disturb Ginny she crossed the room and pulled back the curtains. She had to squint into the darkness before she spotted the tiny owl even smaller than Pigwigeon with an even tinier parcel tied to its leg. She struggled with the lock on the window but after a minute opened it and relieved the owl of its charge. As it took off into the night she caught a glimpse of the tail feathers and saw the Harpies' corporate colours; whoever had sent this parcel was close by. She had a feeling she knew who it was.
She untied the string around the tiny parcel and found a small phial of potion and a note.
As Ginny's assistant coach I should have already confiscated her stash of alcohol she hides under the plant in her flat, but I'm an understanding coach so haven't. (However, should Gwenog EVER find out I'm denying ALL knowledge!)
I know drinking until you pass out isn't your style so I've sent a measured dose of Dreamless Sleep potion which will last you until about 9 tomorrow morning. Take it or don't, I just didn't think your brain would shut down and let you get some sleep and I know you're exhausted right now, hence the potion.
Try and sleep well, Hermione, and know that you can knock on my door ANY time.
Quintus x
Tears burned her eyes as they did every time she was emotional and people were being nice to her, but she took a deep breath and walked directly into the box room of the flat.
She didn't care that she was still fully clothed as she got into bed and dimmed the lights. She knew she just needed a break from thinking about everything.
She pulled the stopper out of the bottle and drank the whole lot in one.
A minute later she was sound asleep.
For: queenb23more who bid for this on the help_chile community.
Chapter Rating: T
Chapter Warnings: Lol, I do hate repeating myself!
Featured Characters/Pairings: Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Harry, OFC, Ron/OFC, Ron/Hermione
Chapter Word Count: 12,122
Summary: Hermione's life is not what she expected it to be and she doesn't know how to change it. Will moving back to what she knows help? Or if she pinning all her hopes on a dream that ended years before?
Author's Note: I know it’s taken me over a month to get this next chapter out, but in my defence a) it’s over 12,000 words long O___o and b) I’ve been without internet since the 18th March and when you need it to check stuff it definitely slows things down, plus you know, I did move house in the middle of writing it. So apologies :)
Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 Part 1 | 13 Part 2
Momentum Part 1
Momentum Part 2
A week had passed since Foy had turned and Ron had been removed from the court. When Hermione wasn’t thinking about the case she would think about Ron and wonder what had been the underlying cause of his outburst. She knew, of course, that Ron was as involved in the case as was possible, but she had never seen him lose it like that in court. He had seen witnesses break down on the stand when cross-examined and it had never made him react the way he did that day.
She had seen him once during the past week and he had looked terrible. He had dark circles under his eyes and his robes were hanging off him like he hadn’t eaten for days. She had tried to make eye contact with him and instigate a conversation but when he had caught sight of her he had quickly started talking to another Auror Hermione didn’t know and she had had to get to Christine’s office before they were due back in court.
She kept meaning to go and see Harry about it but by the time she got home from work these days she had enough energy to eat whatever Mrs. Weasley had left in her kitchen - Harry had since admitted in a note left in the flat one evening that he had let slip his deal with Hermione to Mrs. Weasley who had instantly taken charge of the situation and apparently made Harry uncomfortable for not telling her in the first place - and then fallen in to bed. She slept in late both weekend days and when she did crawl out of bed she read her notes for Monday’s day in court. In short, she was living and breathing her work and would be until this case ended. Christine had promised her a three-week holiday when it was all over and as much as she felt she should protest that it was too much, she had no intention of turning it down.
It was just another Friday night when she got in at half past nine and collapsed on the sofa. After a minute her stomach reacted to the smell of Mrs. Weasley’s home cooking being kept warm by the oven and she managed to drag herself to the kitchen and transfer the food from the pot to a plate.
She never felt very hungry until she started eating, and then after ten minutes and an empty plate she realised she needed to eat more during the day. This was a daily discovery and yet she still had to make the change to her working day.
As she was about to get up and take her dishes to the kitchen the fireplace glowed bright green and a piece of parchment appeared on the floor. She picked it up and read it.
Hermione,
Sorry to do this to you but Harry’s not answering my note and I don’t really want to worry anyone else - I thought you’d be the best to deal with him.
Ron’s at the pub and he’s had a few too many, I’ve cut him off but he’s not capable of getting home safely on his own. I was wondering if you would come and get him and make sure he doesn’t try anything stupid.
Thank you,
Hannah
She sighed, she knew she would have to see Ron at some point but she was hoping it would be when both of them were a little stronger. While she was burying herself in her work, Ron was, apparently, finding comfort in alcohol. For a second she contemplated letting someone else know, George or Percy, but she knew she would just worry about him if she didn’t go.
She pulled on her discarded shoes and picked up a handful of Floo Powder.
‘The Three Broomsticks,’ she shouted and instantly started spinning past hundreds of fireplaces.
When she arrived she looked around the pub and spotted Ron slumped over the bar. She closed her eyes and sighed again, she was thankful she had managed to eat all her dinner before the note arrived, she had a feeling she would need all her strength.
Hannah mouthed ‘thank you’ at her as she appeared at Ron’s side.
‘Ron, come on, you’re going home now.’
He grunted and she put a hand on his shoulder to try and get him to sit up. It didn’t work.
‘Ron, come on, get up.’
Again he grunted. Hermione took his earlobe between her thumb and forefinger and dug her nail into the flesh. He jerked away from the pain and lost his balance off the stool. The sensation of falling brought him from his stupor and he managed to get a foot to the floor before he lost his balance completely.
Hermione took the chance to grab his arm and pull him forward off the stool and then tucked herself under his arm and into his body so she could steer him easier.
‘Start walking, Ron.’
He looked to his left and seemed surprised to see her there but he did as she said and started walking in the direction she was pointing him in.
She got him to the fireplace but his eyes had already started to close. She swore under her breath and decided Apparition was probably the safest way to get him to his flat.
She grabbed his arm with both her hands and concentrated very specifically on appearing next to his bed. That way when he lost his balance when they reappeared he would fall onto the bed and that would be one less journey she would have to get him through.
She closed her eyes, concentrated hard and turned.
Her plan worked as she hoped and when Ron stumbled the back of his legs hit the bed and he landed safely. He collapsed backwards and passed out.
‘Oh, Ron, what are you doing to yourself?’
She untied his boots and pulled them off his feet and after a few minutes' struggle managed to pull his Auror robes off his back. She picked up his legs and managed to swing them into what she hoped was a comfortable sleeping position for him, she must have had it wrong because Ron managed to roll himself over and curled up. She perched on the edge of the bed when he had settled down, stroked his hair out of his eyes.
‘I’m so sorry, Ron. You deserve better than this.’
Before the tears formed she stood and walked towards the door. She heard movement behind her and saw Ron was looking at her.
She smiled and was about to tell him to sleep well when he opened his mouth.
‘I hate… that you… came back. You… ruined my… life. I… hate… you.’
She couldn’t stop the tears cascading down her cheeks. Before he could say anything else, she turned on the spot and Disapparated.
…oooOOOooo…
She was sure she was trespassing but she really didn’t care. Throwing stones as far as she could was giving her some kind of relief and stopping her from thinking too much. Or crying. She was just glad there was no one around when all that hurt and pain came out of her mouth and caused her to collapse in a heap a few feet from where she stood now.
She had run past people as she made her way from the main function room in the stadium and they had seemed shocked but they didn’t stop her. When she got to the door of the dugout it burst open in front of her and she wasn’t going to question why.
She had no idea how long she had been there, but the last light around the stadium had just gone out or been switched off, she didn’t know which.
She heard movement behind her and was waiting for a ‘what are you doing?’ from the groundskeeper or someone similar, but she was surprised when the voice was familiar.
‘Hermione, please step a bit further back from the edge.’
Quintus’s voice was soft, probably not to startle her.
‘It’s warded, Quintus, you of all people know that!’ she didn’t care that her tone was harsh, at the minute she had no idea what to do with herself let alone try and work out how to talk to other people.’
‘Except it’s not, maintenance took it down half an hour ago so they can come in later and fix the damage from the weekend’s game.’
She realised she was only six inches from the ledge and normally she would have noticed the lack of wards but she was somewhat distracted. For a few seconds she let the adrenaline run through her and even contemplated moving a couple of inches closer to the edge just so she could feel something entirely different from what was consuming her, but instead she took a step back. Instantly Quintus pulled her further backwards into his arms.
‘Shit! Please don’t ever scare me like that again,’ he whispered into her hair.
She continued to stare out into the darkness and Quintus just held her. She could feel his heartbeat against her back but she didn’t react to anything because tears had started falling once more and her stomach had started squirming.
Eventually Quintus loosened his grip and walked around her. She met his eyes as he stared down at her and waited for him to start talking.
‘What happened?’ he asked simply.
‘Ron just told me he…’ her breath caught in her throat but she swallowed and carried on, ‘hates me so I’m feeling a bit h…hurt at the minute. Not to mention lost and… did I mention hurt?’
Quintus frowned.
‘Hermione, Ron doesn’t hate you.’
‘But apparently he does, Quintus, and you know what? I can’t really blame him. It’s true that if I’d stayed in France none of all this would have happened. He would have married Mattie and they’d’ve lived happily ever after.’
Quintus took her by surprise when he laughed.
‘Oh, Hermione, it doesn’t matter that you can home five months ago or if you came home five years from now, Ron’s feelings for you would have remained unchanged, and you know what? You did nothing but come home.’
She shook her head. ‘Not true, I kissed him once.’
Quintus snorted. ‘One kiss, in the grand scheme of things, is nothing. Even if you hadn’t kissed him, things would have played out in the exact same way.’
Again she shook her head. ‘Whatever you say to me will not stop me thinking his misery is my fault.’
Quintus nodded. ‘I know that because you’re a good person, but I know that it’s not your fault.
Thunder filled the air and she could hear the rain starting to fall at the edge of the dugout.
‘Look, Ginny’s in the corridor, she spotted you about the same time I did and I persuaded her to let me come and talk to you. Now, I can find you a room here for the night if you don’t want to go back to an empty flat, or I can stay with you tonight when I’ve finished here. I’ll take you anywhere and do what you want. You only have to say the word.’
The only two places in the Harpies' complex she was familiar with was the largest function room and the VIP spectators' box but at the minute, it felt the most familiar place she had to stay.
She swallowed hard and managed to keep any stray sobs at bay. 'Do you… do you think Ginny would mind if I stayed with… her tonight? I won't disrupt her sleep; she won't even know I'm there.'
'I'd've been offended if you hadn't asked.'
Hermione turned around. She wasn't expecting relief to wash over her when she saw her best friend, but it did and a fresh wave of tears overtook her.
'Come here,' Ginny said as she walked forwards and wrapped her arms around Hermione.
She didn't know how long she cried into Ginny's shoulder. When she tried to think about what she was doing she tried to tell herself her reaction was over the top; Ron had been drunk when he said what he did, after all, but it didn't help to stop the tears.
Half an hour later when she was wrapped in a warm blanket and sat on Ginny's couch she tried to remember exactly how she had got there, but all her thoughts had been directed to Ron and what had transpired since she had returned from France.
'I'm going to go to bed, I know I'm not playing for another week but I've got into a routine and I want tomorrow to be as normal as possible just without the actual playing part. Silly I know.'
Hermione managed a half smile. 'It's not silly at all, I'm so sorry I haven't… I dunno, been a better friend since the accident, it's just-'
'You're in the middle of the biggest court case in years. Hermione, believe me, I understand how busy you've been. Harry hasn't stopped talking about how Christine would be lost without you.'
Hermione smirked. 'I'm sure Christine would be fine without me and with someone more experienced.'
'Well, she been singing your praises to Kingsley who told Harry just in case your confidence left you at any point and he had to talk you round, so there!'
Hermione managed a chuckle. 'Well, obviously I'm never going to win an argument in which you've said 'so there' so I'll just accept the compliment graciously and bid you good night.'
Ginny perched on the edge of the sofa. 'If you fancy eating anything help yourself to anything in the cupboards or the fridge. If you want it there's a bottle of Firewhisky hidden underneath the plant pot by the front door, a revealing charm will show it.'
Hermione snorted. 'I won't even ask!'
Ginny grinned. 'Best not to! Anyway, if you need anything, to talk or whatever, just wake me up. Like I said I'm not playing tomorrow so it doesn't really matter how well I sleep, okay?'
'Thank you, Ginny, but I wouldn't dream of waking you in the middle of the night. I might, however, make an attempt to find your hidden alcohol stash.'
Ginny smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes. 'Help yourself. Anyway, try and sleep well, yeah?'
Hermione nodded. 'I'll try. Goodnight, Gin.'
Ginny stood and walked towards her bedroom. While Hermione was content to sleep on the sofa, Ginny insisted Quintus move one of the decent beds out of another of the flats into the box room. Thankfully this was a situation where magic came in very handy.
'I know you won't believe me, but… Ron could never hate you, Hermione, and deep down you know that.'
Before she had a chance to think about how she would reply, Ginny had closed the door and left her to her thoughts.
She wrapped the blanket tighter around her and waited for more tears or a wave of emotion she couldn't control but for the minute, nothing came.
As much as she wanted to believe what Ginny had said, Lavender's voice rattled around her mind. ’Everyone tells the truth when they're drunk, whether they should or not' Ron was definitely drunk and normally she would care about why he was doing this to himself. It was obvious that something had triggered it but she didn't know what. There was only one other time she had seen him as angry as he was in the court room and that was when he was wearing a Horcrux, was shouting at Harry and he thought Hermione had chosen Harry over him. She wondered what had had the same affect on his heart as part of a psychopath's soul.
She was so tired but her mind was going round in endless circles and she actually laughed out loud at the thought of being able to sleep.
She leant back and tried to bury her head into the back cushion of the sofa and just as she found a comfortable position a soft tapping at the window made her sit up. Before the noise could disturb Ginny she crossed the room and pulled back the curtains. She had to squint into the darkness before she spotted the tiny owl even smaller than Pigwigeon with an even tinier parcel tied to its leg. She struggled with the lock on the window but after a minute opened it and relieved the owl of its charge. As it took off into the night she caught a glimpse of the tail feathers and saw the Harpies' corporate colours; whoever had sent this parcel was close by. She had a feeling she knew who it was.
She untied the string around the tiny parcel and found a small phial of potion and a note.
As Ginny's assistant coach I should have already confiscated her stash of alcohol she hides under the plant in her flat, but I'm an understanding coach so haven't. (However, should Gwenog EVER find out I'm denying ALL knowledge!)
I know drinking until you pass out isn't your style so I've sent a measured dose of Dreamless Sleep potion which will last you until about 9 tomorrow morning. Take it or don't, I just didn't think your brain would shut down and let you get some sleep and I know you're exhausted right now, hence the potion.
Try and sleep well, Hermione, and know that you can knock on my door ANY time.
Quintus x
Tears burned her eyes as they did every time she was emotional and people were being nice to her, but she took a deep breath and walked directly into the box room of the flat.
She didn't care that she was still fully clothed as she got into bed and dimmed the lights. She knew she just needed a break from thinking about everything.
She pulled the stopper out of the bottle and drank the whole lot in one.
A minute later she was sound asleep.