The Wrong Time

Decisions

“Nancy?” Silvano said into the radio.


“Yes?” Hermione said, wiping her eyes.


“Is everything alright? You sound like you are crying,” Silvano said, concern laced in his voice.


“Yes, it’s…well, actually no,” Hermione admitted, her eyes daring to well up with tears again. “I just talked to Lavender.”


Silvano hesitated. Lavender? Could she mean Lavender Brown?


“Lavender?” he asked.


“Yes, my dear husband’s mistress,” she said, tears spilling over her cheeks again.


Silvano hesitated. Then, the Slytherin in him spoke.


“Well, it seems you have your proof now,” he said silkily.


Realization dawned on Hermione.


“You’re right,” she admitted. “I guess I will have to talk to Ron, then,” she said, instantly regretting it.


“Ron?” he asked. Ron Weasley?


“Rod,” she corrected herself.


She did not want to betray his trust.


“It seems that a conversation is certainly in order,” he agreed.


“I have been working on the potion,” Hermione said, desperately wanting to change the subject.


“Oh?” he said, surprised.


“I am planning to add moonstone to the elixir. I think it might strengthen the properties,” she said.


“I think that is an excellent idea,” he said.


He couldn’t believe he had not thought of moonstone himself.


“Powdered?” he asked her.


“Yes,” she replied.


“Let me know of any changes. If it improves the elixir, I will add powdered moonstone to my brew,” he told her.


“I will let you know tonight,” she said.


“Goodbye, then,” he said.


“Goodbye,” she said, and then tapped the radio with her wand, closing the connection.


She went to her basement lab and added two teaspoons of powdered moonstone to the elixir. It was the full moon, so she would be administering a sample to her niffler at nightfall.


She walked back upstairs and opened the floo.


“The Burrow,” she said into the green flames.


Molly Weasley’s face appeared a few moments later.


“Yes, dear?” she asked.


“I was wondering if you would mind taking Josiah this evening,” she said.


“Of course, dear. I’ll come pick him up in an hour or so,” Molly said cheerfully.


“Thank you,” Hermione said gratefully to her mother-in-law.


She walked to her roll top desk and took out a fresh piece of parchment.


Ron,

Please come straight home from work. We need to talk.

Hermione


She folded the parchment and called Eros.


“Take this to Ron,” she told him, giving him a biscuit for his trouble.


The owl clicked his beak in understanding and soared off through the window.