Second Chances

Authors Note; I know Molly seems to be acting a little out of character for someones mother but there's logic in my madness. Harry hasn't come out the other side of the war the same man he was, but more will be explained about that later. Molly was allowing him his 'mad moment' and then she would put her foot down but it all unravelled before that could happen. Anyway I fear I've said too much, trust me when I say everything will tie together at the end.

***

Hermione felt worlds better after she had had a wash and dressed in some of her clothes from home. She pulled her jumper tight around her body, hugging herself into action. She needed to go downstairs but she didn’t want to. She could see Barty’s jacket on the bed, tempting her back in. She could just lie there for hours imagining she was with him again.

She made her feet march her from the room and shut the door behind her, leaning against it to stop herself going back. Hesitantly she began climbing down the stairs, one at a time, listening for the sounds of anyone but Molly and Ginny. She approached the final landing before she the final set of stairs leading to the kitchen and stopped listening to the conversation taking place below her,

“But mum, we can’t do that, we can’t cross Harry, he’s as good as family.” Ginny’s voice wasn’t whining, a habit she had picked up of late.

“If you were wrong about something wouldn’t you want me to help you see the truth?” Hermione could hear the kettle begin to whistle and jumped slightly, “Harry has simply become dogmatic about right and wrong since the war. We have to show him there are many shades of grey in this world.”

“I still don’t think doing what you’re saying wll make Harry understand, more than likely it’ll hurt him more. He thinks he’s protecting his friend, a woman who’s like a sister to him.”

Hermione held her breath as she listened to the silence that followed that. Molly had obviously not shared what she had worked out with Ginny and for a moment she feared she would tell her right then. Thankfully Molly spoke again, “Be that as it may she’s proof that that man has changed. For Hermione to feel this for him he must be worth it.”

“But…”

“No buts, Hermione is far more sensible with her heart than some people I could mention.” Ginny didn’t understand that the point was made at her expense and Hermione decided to descend now, avoiding more eavesdropping.

As she entered the kitchen they both turned to her, the kettle Ginny was levitating to the table halted for a second before carrying on to the tea pot to pour the boiling water in.

“Hermione, come and sit down, you still look a bit off,” Molly said, patting a seat beside her and casting a glance at Ginny, “Did you brew that potion right?”

“Of course I did,” Ginny replied indignantly, “Maybe she needs some more.”

“In a while,” Molly said, taking in Hermione’s appearance. She brought a plate over containing a couple of slices of toast. “Eat this, slowly mind.”

Hermione lifted the toast to her lips taking a hesitant bit and chewing slowly after she swallowed she spoke, “What’s going to happen to Barty?”

“Harry’s got him under house arrest at the Crouch Manor,” Ginny said, looking at her hands, obviously feeling torn between two people she was close to. “The Ministry have decided he’s to go back on trial.”

“Trial?” Hermione said, putting down her toast and wringing her hands together. “For what he did before he received the Dementors Kiss or after?”

“Both,” Ginny replied, quietly.

Molly picked up the toast once more and handed it to Hermione, forcing her to pay attention to it and eat.

“This is a show, Hermione. They can’t send him back down for a crime he’s already done his punishment for. It’s not just muggles who have double jeopardy laws you know. They just want to show that they are taking his recapture seriously. You can bet that it’ll be a highly publicised trial.” Molly began to pour the tea, her eyes never ceasing their hawk like inspection of the toast as it slowly began to disappear. “They’ve decided to leave you out of this Hermione.”

“Fat chance,” Hermione said, suddenly feeling oddly like herself, “I’ll force myself back into if I have to.”

“Why do that?” Ginny said, finally looking at Hermione, “You’ve been let off the hook, they’re not out of your blood anymore. Why make it your problem again?”

“Because of what I promised him,” Hermione replied, “I promised that whatever he came up against, I came up against too. He’s on trial then I’ll stand with him in the docks if I can. But if not I’ll damn well make sure I’m there, fighting for him every step of the way.”

“Calm down,” Molly said, brushing Hermione’s hair away from her face and passing her a cup containing strong sweet tea, “You’ll get your chance.”

“I never got to help him,” Hermione said, staring into her cup, “I never got to find out how or why he was back.”

“The ministry knows,” Molly replied, turning Hermione’s face up to hers, “I wish you’d asked Arthur, he would have told you and he wouldn’t have asked why you wanted to know. It’s being kept under wraps but several Death eaters have been restored as Barty was.”

“How?” Hermione asked.

“Remember the final battle took place near Azkaban? Well You Know Who had been on his way to retrieve the bodies of several of his followers who had been victim to the Dementors Kiss or so we assume. He’d created a spell, a powerful one to pull the soul from the Dementor that contained it and back into the body. When he realised he was under attack he set something into motion whereby when a soul was located in a Dementor it, along with the body, were teleported somewhere away from everything and reintegrated. What You Know Who didn’t realise was the actual process itself cleansed the people in question. They were returned as people well balanced between good and evil, only needing a push in the right direction to be rehabilitated.”

“So Barty came to me and…” Hermione began.

“Yes, you were his push towards good.” Molly smiled, “Now I know your dying to know the exact semantics of how You Know Who achieved this but honestly I never understood it so you’ll have to ask Arthur or Ron perhaps although I don’t think Ron got it either.”

“Ron didn’t get it mum,” Ginny said, “He had his vacant yet interested expression on, he was lost after the first sentence.”

“What can I do?” Hermione asked, turning her mug in her hands.

“You can go to him,” Molly replied, standing to retrieve a cloak from the coat peg behind the door, “I’ve spoken to Arthur, he’s agreed to allow you into the house to see him. He had to go over Harry’s head about it but they’ve agreed. Don’t assume you’re in private when you’re with him. They will have justified letting you in as some kind of test no doubt.”

Hermione’s heart began to race as she accepted the cloak, hooking the links together around her shoulders. She saw Ginny was pulling on a cloak of her own.

“I’m going to take you there,” Ginny replied to Hermione’s questioning glance, “If I’m going to be a rebellious wife I might as well get some practise in while we’re engaged.”

Hermione looked at Ginny feeling every inch the traitor she was. Molly turned her to her, pulling her into a hug, whispering in her ear, “This isn’t the time or place for telling all. There will be a day when it is, but not now.”

Hermione pulled away nodding and went to the door followed closely by Ginny, “We’ll apparate to nearby and walk the rest of the way.” Ginny said, following Hermione out.

They walked down the path together, Molly calling out to them, “Be careful and don’t do anything stupid, I mean you Hermione.”

Hermione understood her words, she wasn’t to try anything. She couldn’t break him out, she had to follow the path the system had laid out and hope she could win. For now she had to be thankful that she could see him, be near him. Taking a deep breath she gripped Ginny’s hand as she allowed her to apparated them to Barty.