Hidden in Plain Sight

Another trip back to 1999! Make sure you're paying attention to time lines folks - I promise it will clear up a lot of whats going on. I've really tried to stay true to dates and years ...the only thing you'll see is a discrepancy between Hermione and Lucius' age - but thats because the man was also apparently a September babe and again Hermione decided to hit up that time-turner one too many times, sooo yep ... thats about it!

And thanks to my fabulously amazing hunk of a beta.

Chapter 6:

August 26th, 1999

Andromeda was rather worried about her young friend. She had been watching Hermione over the past few weeks since the “disagreement” and she wasn’t pleased. Hermione had become much quieter and sedate, even around Teddy. Andromeda wasn’t sure what to do.

She had unfortunately followed the youngest male Weasley to his job at WWW in Diagon and she regretted it the minute she saw him with a rather striking, blonde girl. She tried to avoid hearing anything, but ultimately the harder one tries not to hear, the more one hears …

“Lav, I’m sorry about everything. Last night was a mistake, I can’t keep doing this to Hermione.” Ron had said pleadingly.

“Keep doing this?!” thought Andromeda.

The young woman had replied shortly, “Well I don’t know what you want me to say Ron. You search me out, you plead with me, and it’s not me encouraging you.” Andromeda had attempted to flee the exit, but had gotten caught in a rush of students presumably shopping for their return to Hogwarts.

The boy had snorted, “All you have to do is stand there, Lav. I just … I want to make this work with her, and I’m sorry, so sorry about last night. I just don’t know how to handle everything that's going on. I know I’m supposed to end up with her, it’s just how it’s always been supposed to work.” Andromeda caught the shrug of the red-head’s broad, muscled shoulders.

The blonde had shown her own strength stating, “Ron, I want you two to be happy and I never had anything against Hermione, but is it fair to her to deny what we feel together either?” Andromeda had only heard the clicking of heels and the firm closure of the door after the statement, along with a loud groan from the residing Weasley …

Now Andromeda had no clue how to help the young woman who had helped her so much. She knew, however, that meddling in others affairs never ended up well and that she would simply have to be there for the dear when it was necessary.

She glanced towards the play area where she heard the young blue-haired Lupin asking his sitter, “Niney no happy?” Andy grinned slightly at the innocent little-one’s loaded question and waited for the reply.

“Oh, my little one, I’m just tired,” the girl answered quietly. “I’m sorry I’m no fun today. Would you like to maybe read a story instead?”

Andy sighed and turned away to go make a pot of tea, if Hermione was going to read Teddy a story, he’d be asleep within a few minutes.

She moved into the kitchen to await the explanations she hoped she would receive.

**

Hermione closed the Bard’s book softly, careful not to wake the miniature metamorphmagus sleeping half in her lap. She whispered softly, “Oh, my little one, what would I do without you? How your parents would love you. You know they’re probably looking down on us as you sleep, making sure your dreams are happy and playful.” She grinned at the thought and remembered briefly the bright, courageous parents that had created the beautiful little boy in front of her that she had quickly come to adopt as her own.

She levitated him gently up and into his adjoining bedroom, careful to place extra wards so he wouldn’t wander out while sleeping again. She shook her head at the marauding spirit the young boy had inherited from his father.

She moved out to the kitchen to find Andy waiting with a cup of steaming hot herbal tea and a knowing look in her eye. Hermione rubbed her temples as she sat down and took a whiff of the chamomile tea.

“Too smart for his own good, isn’t he?” asked Andy slyly.

Hermione nodded, “Most one and a half year olds can barely string a few words together – that one picks up my mood and asks me about it when no one else will. Well, aside from Lucius bloody Malfoy of course.” Hermione growled slightly, “Sorry, Andy, I didn’t mean to curse.”

Andromeda laughed, “If anyone’s worth a curse, it’s that old snake. What’s eating you, dear? Tell me all about it.”

Hermione groaned and laid her forehead on the table, muffling her next words of, “I can’t even put it into words.” She sat back up and looked at Andy through misty eyes, “I’m just so tired. I go to work and all I see is Ron chasing after some girl entering W3. I go to lunch and any red-head I see, I think he’s out with another girl. I get home and all I can picture is the two of them on our bed together. And then when I get to sleep … it’s image after image of people telling me I’m just not good enough.”

Andy snorted and Hermione held up her hand.

“I know, I know – it’s stupid. It’s just … I don’t even know anymore. I’m stressed with this job, because I want to do it right – it’s right where I’ve wanted to be; but that witch! She just makes it so hard, you know?” Hermione ran her hand through her hair and Andy nodded sympathetically.

“Smattery is an old goat. She went to Hogwarts while I was there and I can say, no Hufflepuff was ever more disliked by the other females.”

Hermione grinned through the anxious tears that were now falling from her overloaded body. “And with Ron, I know he’s sorry. I can tell, he’s really trying to make it work. But I just don’t know if it’s right anymore. We haven’t kissed in almost three weeks, and you know what?! That works for me!” Hermione broke down into tears and Andy shuffled her into the living room.

“Shhh, baby, shhh,” was all the older woman said as she rubbed the brunette’s back softly on the couch.

Hermione’s word babble began again, “I hate saying that, because I know, know, everyone expects us to get together. But we’re so strained now, and yes, I love him … but is that enough? I love him. I love him. I love him. But do I want to marry him? Do I want to have children with him? Do I want to grow old and have to wake up to graying red hair for the rest of my long life? I just … I don’t know anymore.” Hermione laid her head on Andy’s shoulder and simply cried her heart out.

Andy held her close and attempted to soothe out the tension in the young woman’s back. The petite, curly haired brunette was one of the strongest girls she had ever met, and she knew that to break down like this was a long time in coming, even for her young almost twenty years. “Shh, darling. Everything will work out. Give it one more week and then you and Ron will have to talk. Sort it out, tell him how you feel. Sort out how he’s feeling. Then work it out.” Andy grinned to herself as her fingers got caught in Hermione’s rather nutty, curly hair; she was about to say something else after the slight quiet, but was cut off once more by Hermione’s cracked words.

“Harry and Ginny are so happy. I’m happy for them! But it isn’t fair! And they’re so caught up in each other and yes, Harry has time for me and we go to lunch; and Ginny and I owl each other at least once a week. I just feel … I feel like it’s so inconsequential. We talk about work and each other and how our days are, blah blah blah. We went through so much … how can anything mundane ever keep us together? I want them happy, truly I do! But with Ron and me both being their friends, its not like I can really talk to them about it – least of all Ginny, who’s his bloody sister! And Molly! Good Heavens, I love the woman, but sometimes I want to strangle her. I swear!”

Hermione took a deep breathe and plundered on, “My parents still haven’t really forgiven me for just packing them off to Australia, not that I blame them – but at least they’re alive! Granted, their practice went down the drain, but it’s not like they can’t rebuild it – they aren’t exactly paupers! They love me, they do – they say they've forgiven me, and I know they think they have ... but I really just want to be a little girl and all I want to do is cry and have my Mummy make it all better.” She broke down sobbing again, but this time into one of Andy’s pillows.

Andromeda scrunched up her nose and made a note to clean the pillow later, “You need to focus on yourself, my dear, and not everyone else. It creates so much less stress.”

Hermione looked up, face blotchy and tear stained, but with a small grin on her face, “But, Andy, I’m a Gryf – we’re not supposed to care about ourselves.”

Andromeda rolled her eyes and gave Hermione a slight shove, “Oh yes, I forgot, self-denial and courage and all that.” She patted Hermione on the arm, “why don’t you go clean up, dear and then you should probably get hopping to that healer’s appointment, no?”

Hermione groaned again, “Ugh, I don’t want to go to some medi-wizard, I can probably check myself out better.” She ran her wand in front of her face and it magically cleared. “I swear, there is nothing wrong with me. That stupid scar has been there since fifth year and I don’t care how nasty it looks, its fine!”

Andromeda laughed and said in a taunting voice, “Sounds like someone’s a little afraid of the healing wand!”

Hermione threw a pillow at her, “Am not! There just isn’t anything wrong with me … and ever since … “ she sighed, “well you understand Andy, it just doesn’t bring back good memories.”

Andy nodded and motioned the girl over for a hug, “I know. But in time, the hurts heal. I can never thank you, Hermione Granger, for all you’ve done. You took pity on an old washed-up hag and her crazy grandson and helped them out of the pathetic mire they were in.”

Hermione stepped back from the embrace, eyes glistening once more, “I never saw an old washed-up hag; a wise witch in her prime that needed a little boost, maybe. I needed you and Teddy as much as you needed me.” She waved her hands at her eyes, “Pesky tears! Now I’ve got to go before I break like a dam and flood all over your house. I’ll be back soon, Andy, promise!”

Hermione walked towards the front door, and Andy called after her, “If you don’t I’ll come hunt you down!”

**

Lucius set his whiskey glass down on the mantle and rubbed his temples. He had lost his wife, his son, and now he was slowly losing his principles. Damn Mud … Muggleborn! He couldn’t even think of her derogatively in his thoughts! She kept over-throwing all of his ideas at work and he couldn’t stand that mopey face she had on all the time.

He flicked his hair out of its ponytail, letting the hair fall free past his shoulder. He threw his cloak onto a chair, where a House Elf would come and pick it up some time later. His dragon hide boots were discarded near the door and he paced his study in an unbuttoned charcoal waistcoat, white Oxford shirt with sleeves rolled up and his favorite pair of black trousers.

He couldn’t understand why the girl wouldn’t leave her personal issues at home. No, instead she just let herself get depressed and takes even less care of herself than before. Her hair had always been a mess, but at least he could respect the fire in her eyes and fight in her stance and attitude. Now though, she looked barely put-together at best and he hated that dead look in her eyes – even during the war, a time he really, really didn’t want to think of, she had never looked defeated.

He shrugged it off and took another large gulp of whiskey. Who was he to care about a mousy know-it-all that was twenty-five years his junior? He needed to focus on more important things anyways – like how he was going to explain his wife moving to Italy to the press, and whether Draco would ever talk to him again.

**

Molly Weasley wasn’t sure, but she knew something was going on with her youngest son. He wasn’t the brightest of her flock, but she loved him just the same, and she prayed that he hadn’t done anything to mess up his happy ending.

She had been very unsure about him and Hermione living together, but had finally been persuaded, well told, that even if they didn’t live together – it wouldn’t really stop them from anything. She loved Hermione like a second daughter, but she wasn’t sure if the two were really meant to be.

Molly knew she seemed like a busybody to everyone else, but really, she only had the best intentions at heart. However, she knew that this time, she had to let time run its course and be there for Ron should he need it. And of course, Hermoine … not that it wouldn’t be awkward, but really, after surviving a war – anything can be overcome, and I’ll be darned if my son pushes her away.

She also knew that Harry and Ginny were getting rather close, too close if you asked Mrs. Weasley. However, she knew that after a year of Ginny being away at school while Harry worked, the two were entitled to some private time. She would simply make sure Harry had another dinner with the Weasley men … just to reinforce the ground-rules. She shuffled away from the window, planning out the details as she went. She just loved getting everyone together.