This Subdued Fire

*Evanesco Lawyers!* Wouldn\'t that be a useful spell in real life? :D Anywho...angst abounds.
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Thursday dawned cold and clear. Hermione arose, showered and dressed in the hated black attire by rote. She pulled her hair back in a tense French braid that hung halfway down her spine. Going downstairs, she found Harry and the Weasley family sans Percy, sitting in the living room drinking tea and juice. Hermione noted with a macabre amusement that Arthur had managed to dress in appropriate Muggle attire for the occasion, even if his hat was a bit on the odd side. To her surprise, Dumbledore, Snape and Professor McGonagall were there, too, along with Remus, Kingsley, Tonks, Neville, Dean and Seamus.

Molly saw Hermione first and was a bit shocked by her appearance. Hermione looked as if she were drawn tighter than a bowstring. She was paler than pale and deathly silent. The plump witch got up and attempted to enfold Hermione in a hug, which Hermione fended off with a small noise which sounded astonishingly like irritation.

\"How did you all get here?\" Hermione asked.

\"Dumbledore had the Ministry put your grandmother\'s house on the Floo network for today,\" answered Arthur.

\"I see.\" Hermione stepped over to the curtains and peered out. \"The cars are here.\" She reached into the coat closet and pulled out the long black melton coat and shrugged it on dispassionately. Opening the door to the house, she stepped out, inhaling the icy air, wishing she\'d have put a scarf on.

She went down the steps and climbed into the car, the others following silently. They rode, continuing the silence until they arrived at the chapel. Hermione got out first, Harry and the Weasleys following. The hearses parked and the funeral home attendants pulled Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Snape, Kingsley, Remus and Neville and Dean aside. They were acting as pallbearers that day. The men grasped the handles of the coffins and proceeded into the church, the family following behind.

When Hermione walked in, she saw nearly all of Gryffindor there in the pews. The sight was enough to bring tears to a person\'s eyes.

But she did not cry; one cannot weep ice crystals.

The vicar gave a lovely service and Hermione\'s Tante Renee, her mother\'s oldest sister, gave the eulogy. It was short and simple and soon the were back into the cars rolling to the cemetery.

The graves were freshly dug and there stood two piles of dirt a little ways away from the burial site. They stood around the rectangular holes, Hermione\'s French family weeping softly. Her grandmother Lydia had tears rolling down her cheeks. Others were either crying opening or had tears in their eyes. Hermione had no tears to shed, her head was high and her face set in granite lines. The funeral goers tossed their flowers onto the lowered coffins and the family tossed in clods of dirt as the vicar intoned \"ashes to ashes, dust to dust.\"

The sun, mockingly bright overhead, shone down on the heads of the departing le. le. Everyone was nearly gone except for Hermione, Lydia, Antoine, Harry and Ron. Then Antoine left: he couldn\'t take it; then Lydia left: she couldn\'t take it. And then there were three: the trio, bruised and wounded but still standing. Harry and Ron stood by the remaining limosine discussing how long to let Hermione sit there at the gravesite. The gravediggers had already approached them once about her: they couldn\'t close the graves as long as she sat there.

Harry started to walk over to Hermione, to try to get her to come with them to the repast. Ron grabbed his arm. \"Leave her be, Harry.\"

\"Ron, it\'s not good for her to sit there all alone.\"

\"Today, of all days, I think Hermione should be able to do what she likes. And you are not going to disturb her.\" Ron spoke fiercely and there was something in his voice that made Harry pause.

\"You\'re right.\" Harry managed to smile. \"When did you get so sensitive?\"

\"Don\'t you worry about that, mate. We\'ll just sit here until she\'s ready to leave.\"

And so they did. The winter sun began to slip lower into the sky yet Hermione showed no signs of wanting to move. Finally Ron agreed to approach Hermione about leaving.

\"Herm?\" He laid his hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to look at him.

\"Harry and I were wondering if you were ready to leave. It\'s late, nearly dark out.\"

\"I\'m not ready to leave.\" Her voice sounded harsh, even to her own ears.

\"Hermione, you\'ve got to come with us.\"

She leapt from her chair so fast that it toppled over. \"I don\'t have to do anything I don\'t want to do! I think you\'re forgetting that Ronald Weasley! Now why don\'t you two toddle along and leave me in peace!\" Her eyes blazed fire in her waxy face.

\"Alright. We will. Come on Harry.\" Harry nodded at Hermione and the two got in the car and they drove off.

She stood there looking until the car disappeared from sight. Dropping down to her knees, Hermione stared at the open pits of earth. She shivered, but still did not cry. The gravediggers eventually gave up and stuck their shovels into the piles of dirt and walked away. Hermione wrapped her arms around herself and began to rock back and forth. Her heart was empty and she felt her soul was, too. There was only anger, anger she was afraid to unleash for fear that it would somehow shake the pillars of heaven.
nallnally feeling the cold, she got up, dusted her knees off and began the walk back home. Unbeknownst to her, a small four-legged companion kept up with her every movement.