The Wrong Time

Nancy Drew

Hermione looked at the parchment, filled with excitement. She had never heard of Potions Master Silvano Scolari, and his terms were a little bit bizarre, but if Minerva felt he was as gifted as her letter stated, then Hermione had every reason to trust that he would help her with her lycanthropy cure.


Josiah was spending the day with Molly and Arthur, so Hermione had the house to herself. She was glad that Ron was not home. Josiah was very good for covering up the ever building tension between his parents, and with him gone, it might have been unbearable to be around his father. She sat down at her roll top desk and began to write a letter.


Mr. Scolari,

I thank you immensely for agreeing to assist me. I have never sent a letter to Italy before, so it is a bit thrilling to write this. I am enclosing a sample of my work, and I anxiously await a response in regards to your opinion.

Respectfully,

Nancy Drew


Hermione smiled to herself. She doubted whether the wizard would understand the muggle reference, but it was truly the first name that popped into her head. She had filled a small crystal vial with her work in progress, just in case she had the opportunity to send it. She hastily addressed the parchment and called for Eros.


“This will be a long journey, Eros. Longer than you have taken in a while. I trust that you will get it there safely, and I will reward you greatly when you return,” she told the owl, who clucked his beak approvingly.


She tied the small parcel to the owl’s leg. She watched as he soared out of the open window and then she decided to take a nap. She felt drained despite her excitement.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Silvano studied his reflection in the mirror. His black roots were beginning to show through. He carefully pointed his wand at them and gave it a wave. He had become an expert at nonverbal magic. He studied his face for a moment, obsidian eyes looking brighter than they had in years. Perhaps it would be good for him to have a correspondent.


He walked out to the patio and took a seat in a lounge chair. The sun was beginning to set. He sipped his cognac lazily. It had been over a week since he sent his reply to Minerva. He imagined that he would be getting a response from the mystery woman any day.


Almost as if on cue, a large tawny owl dropped a parcel on his head. He took it hastily, tearing open the paper. A crystal vial fell into his lap, and a sheet of parchment fluttered to his lap. He picked up the parchment and read it. He smiled when he reached the end. Nancy Drew, he thought to himself. Well it seems the witch is either Muggle-born or well versed in Muggle literature.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Hermione was very surprised when Ron came home from work on time.


“Not going out for drinks tonight, then?” Hermione asked him.


“No, not tonight,” Ron said, somewhat distantly.


Either they are on the outs, or Lavender is out of town, Hermione thought to herself.


Ron hung his coat in the closet and took off his boots. He came into the kitchen, where Hermione was making a pot of soup.


“Where’s Josiah?” he asked her.


“With your parents,” Hermione replied, not even looking at him.


“Oh,” Ron said, his ears reddening a little.


Hermione set a parcel on the countertop.


“Happy Anniversary,” She said, and left the room.


Ron stared at the package for several minutes before he removed the paper. Inside was a new pair of twig clippers for his Firebolt. His face fell. He followed Hermione into the bedroom.


“Blimey, Mione. Thanks,” he said sheepishly. “I didn’t really get a chance to---”


“It’s fine, Ron. I didn’t really expect you to remember, anyway. After all, it has been twenty years,” she said, not meeting his gaze.


He placed a chaste kiss on her lips. Hermione fought not to wince. She had hoped for a fleeting moment that perhaps he was home tonight because he had remembered their anniversary.


She crawled under the covers and rolled over to face the wall. A single tear slid down her cheek. How had it come to this?


A/N: Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Darque: I suspect it was a bit of both…I imagine Hermione looked quite menacing when she burst through the door like that. LOL