The Witching Hour

Chapter 1-The Divorce

Hermione was young, only 27, and out of those 27, she had spent seven years married to the man who she thought was the love of her life. Outside of her personal life, she had found herself fairly successful. Despite her young age, she was already the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The Minister himself had told her that she was by far the youngest department head in fifty years. She loved her job and she worked hard at it, but it seemed it was more trouble than what it was worth anymore. The saddest part of the whole situation was that she found she could tolerate her co-workers more than she could her husband nowadays.

At one time, Ron Weasley had been everything to her. She loved him and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, and they had married right after the fall of Lord Voldemort. Soon after he decided to pursue his dream and he went into Auror training, she began her life at the MLE. After about six years of marriage, things had changed between her and Ron. He was becoming more distant towards her, but she ignored it, thinking that it was just a phase, how wrong she turned out to be. They started fighting nearly every day and she was getting more and more frustrated. Ron had begun coming home late and sometimes not at all, blaming it on work. Hermione knew that something was wrong, something deeper than just work. Nothing, however, could have prepared her for what would happen next.

One night after work, she had come home early, expecting to talk to him, but upon entering their bedroom, she found him
having sex with Lavender Brown. Her first impulse was to cry, but that went against her innate Gryffindor bravery, so she tamed that emotion and went for anger instead; it suited the situation better.

“Ronald Weasley, what in the hell do you think you are doing?”

He quickly dismounted the woman at the sound of his wife’s voice, turned around, and glared at Hermione. If looks could kill, she would have died there on the spot. Lavender was also staring daggers at her, but she did not care.

“You’re home... er... early.” Surely, he could have come up with something better than that, but apparently not with such limited brainpower. How disappointing.

“Be that as it may, Ronald, what the fuck do you think you are doing and in our bed, no less?”

At this, that little tart Lavender, spoke up. “What does it look like we were doing? We were having sex; unless you failed to notice, or has it been so long since you have had the pleasure that you no longer recognize what it looks like?”

“I will say this once, you insolent little bitch. Get the fuck out of my house, now! Well, what are you waiting for? A personal fucking escort? Get the hell out! Your little fuck buddy will be along in a bit, now leave!”

Lavender decided it was better not to test the woman any further and apparated away, sans clothes.

“Hermione, I’m sorry.”

“It is too late for empty apologies, Ron. I knew that things were not great between us, but did you have to cheat? Never mind, I do not want the answer to that.”

“Tell me what I can do to fix this,‘Mione.”

“Ron, please don’t call me that. Apparently, there is nothing left to fix since you so obviously chose that harlot over me. The only thing I want from you is for you to go away and leave me alone.”

“Hermione, please?”

“No. It is too little, too late; just get out. If you wanted me, you should have thought about that before you decided to cheat. In this life, you get what you give. I don’t care where you go, or what you do, just forward your address and I will send the divorce papers your way shortly.”

“Bloody hell, Hermione that’s uncalled for! Are you kidding me? One little rendezvous does not call for the dissolution of our bond! Forgive me, I promise that we can make this work.”

“Let’s be honest, Ron. I have heard the rumours at work. I know that you ‘work late’ and rarely come home, but what you failed to
notice is that I am an intelligent witch. I know that you and Harry are on the same assignments, so awhile back, I asked him if he and Ginny were having the same problems with him being gone so frequently, and when he did not know what I was talking about, I came to a conclusion. I figured out that you were cheating on me and that you were too cowardly to talk to me about our problems. I merely chose tonight to confront you on your disgusting behaviour.”

“I am so sorry.”

“Save that drivel of what you call an explanation for someone that will actually believe you. You are not sorry for what you did, you are only sorry that you were caught in the act. I expected better of you, but it seems as though you have let me down yet again. I should have taken people’s advice and never married you. They told me that you would only disappoint and hurt me, and you know what? They were right. Now please, just leave.”

She was trying hard not to cry. She was determined not to let him see her weakness concerning him, but it seemed as though he was
trying his best to push her to her breaking point so that she would forget this and stay; well, that was not going to happen.

“I don’t want to leave while you are upset. Tell me where you heard the rumours, Hermione, and who gave you the advice. I would

damn well like to know.”

“Too bad, now get out. I don’t owe you anything, much less the names of those who knew better than I did.”

Ron seemed intent on staying. He crossed the room to her, and then tried to pull her into an unwanted embrace. She was so tempted to stay, but she knew better than that. He would only hurt her again.

“How dare you touch me after you had your hands all over that slut! Get off! If you will not leave, then I am going to.”

With that, she apparated away, leaving him shell-shocked, alone, and naked in their bedroom. She was glad to get out of there, but now the only problem was that she had nowhere to go. Harry and Ginny were on holiday, her parents were in Australia, and she could not bring herself to go to the Burrow and face Molly. She loved her mother-in-law, but she reminded her too much of Ron right now. Since she had no options, she took what little pocket money she had and apparated to The Leaky Cauldron to rent a room for the night.

The next day dawned bright and cold with a fresh layer of snow coating the windowsill. What a lovely Christmas present getting
divorced made. A failed marriage would be the only thing she could start the New Year with. At least one thing was certain, she could not possibly fall any lower.

The holidays were approaching with celerity and she still had much to do, so she decided to call in a favour and take the day off. She went to a solicitor, sought out divorce papers, placed her signature in the appropriate box, paid the post, and sent them along with her wedding ring, to Ron, who would have them in a couple of hours. It was going to be an uncontested divorce, and she was even going to give him the house because that was the only property they shared and she had paid for it. He could sell it for all she cared. She did not want to stay in a house with memories of a life that was a lie. Besides, it was not as though she could not afford another home. She would not venture to own another until she got things worked out. Too many things were wrong in her life at the moment, and purchasing a house did not seem like a good move.

---

A couple of weeks had passed when Ron sent the papers to her signed, along with a short letter, which she chose not to read. The moment she received the note, she incendio’d it and watched it burn. Whatever her now ex-husband had to say to her could not be good, so rather than to read it and get upset, she would let the flames do her bidding. After all, he deserved nothing better from her.Christmas had since come and gone, and now it was back to life as usual, at least as usual as life could be after all that had transpired.

She distanced herself from the Weasley clan and Harry, not desiring the backlash that would surely come. She had been through enough anguish without hearing their opinions on what had happened. Hermione threw herself into her work and followed the rule that she had set long ago: keep your head down and stay focused. Don’t think about what you do not have and be happy for what you do. The only thing was, it was not working. She started to loathe her job and her supervisees. They all gossiped about her, recounting Ron’s escapades with a different lover every week, and speculating over her divorce; it was enough to make her physically ill.

One Friday afternoon in late February, she had returned from lunch and overheard two of her colleagues whispering hurriedly. She stalked catlike up behind them and listened to what they had to say before announcing her presence.

“Excuse me, Miriam, Abigale. If you two ladies have something to say to me, then I suggest you do so, but I will not continue to have you gossip about me behind my back. My private life is just that, private, and if you value your positions in this department, I would strongly recommend you keep your mouths shut and your eyes on your work.”

“Hermione, we...”

“You will not address me by my first name. I am your supervisor, not your friend, and you will address me as such. What do you have to say for yourselves? I am losing patience and have other, more pressing matters to attend to rather than deal with impertinent employees.”Hermione snapped waspishly, daring them to test her further. She was not in the mood to deal with them, and if they kept trying her nerves, they would both be fired.

“Ms. Granger, we apologize for our inappropriate behaviour, but we are merely concerned for you. You are different since losing Ron and we could not help but wonder why.”

“Thank you for your concern, but I am fine, and you are over stepping your bounds. I can handle my life on my own without
your help. Now, before you return to your work, I would like to inform you that if I catch you gossiping again, you will be dismissed from your jobs immediately. Now, good day ladies.”

“Wow, what a bitch!” Abigale said to Miriam and Miriam just shook her head.

“Abby, she is a good woman who is merely having some personal problems right now. You should just let her be and not talk about her. Hell, she was the one that ensured that you were hired, or have you forgotten. You should be glad that she managed to convince Minister Shacklebolt to give you a second chance. This is no way to repay her kindness.”

“Still, Miriam, she does not have to act like a cunt just because her husband left.”

Hermione had come back to apologize to Miriam, but once again came upon a disturbing scene and decided to listen in. She was pleasantly surprised that Miriam had defended her in her absence. However, Abigale was another story.

“I heard that, Abigale; you are fired. You have one hour to clean out your desk and an Auror will then escort you from the premises.”

Just as she finished addressing her now former employee, a young Auror passed through and smiled at her. “Excuse me, Mr. Barron; will you do me a favour?”

"Yes ma'am, how may I help you?"

Eric Barron was a handsome young man that stood about 6 feet tall, with black hair and ice blue eyes. He was also newly out of Hogwarts and eager to rise up through the Ministry, and saw an opportunity to do just that with Hermione.

“Mr. Barron, would you kindly make sure that Miss Brunswick promptly clears out her desk? Once she is finished, will you please escort her out of the building?”

“Certainly ma’am. Have a good day.”

“Thank you, Mr. Barron.”

---

What Miriam said about Hermione ensuring Abigale’s job had been true, but she did not have to convince the Minister, she simply called in a special favour that he owed her since the fall of the Dark Lord. Now she was whole-heartedly regretting that decision, for Abigale Brunswick had been nothing but a gossiper and lousy employee from the beginning. Speaking of the Minister, that reminded her, she needed to go see Kingsley; it had been too long since they last spoke. After exiting the magical elevator, she continued to walk down the hall and stopped just shy of the end, where she made an inquiry to his secretary.

“Susanna, is he in?”

“Yes, Madam, though he is finishing a meeting. Would you care to wait? He will be done shortly.”

“Yes, thank you Susanna, I shall wait here.”

Hermione waited quietly and was letting her thoughts drift when she heard Kingsley’s rich voice calling out to Arthur Weasley and
wishing him a good day. Arthur saw her, nodded and left quickly, whilst Kingsley, extended his hand to help her up from her seat.

“Hermione, doll, how lovely to see you. Come by for our weekly chat have you?”

“Of course. You know me, I can’t stay away from you too long, now can I?” She winked at him in their usual flirtatious manner. It did not mean anything between them since they were only friends, but it was fun all the same. He took her by the hand and led her to his office, where deeply chuckled once the door was closed.

“So, tell me luv, how have you been?”

“About the same I suppose, but I must admit, Kingsley, that this is not a completely social call. I had to terminate an employee this afternoon and needed to notify you.”

Kingsley let out a long puff of air and cocked an eyebrow at her, which distinctly reminded her of Professor Snape. “Which one? No, let me guess. Ms. Brunswick? I know that she has been little more than an annoyance since she was first employed.”

“You are correct, dear.” Hermione said, rolling her eyes. “I should not have used that favour on her. Abigale ended up making me look like a complete fool. So I believe that I owe you an apology, and a return favour.”

“I like the sound of that,” Kingsley said and smirked at her. “The favour can easily be taken care of by doing two small things. First, you have to tell me what she did, and second, you have to have dinner and drinks with me.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Minister, but yes on both accounts.”

“Very well, Hermione, now if you will indulge me, I would love to hear what she did to raise your ire enough for you to terminate her.”

“You know how I have been having a difficult time lately, what with the dissolution of my marriage, separation from friends and family, and the overall crumbling of my life. It started there. I got tired of hearing people talk about Ron’s new playboy attitude and gossip about me.

Today, I had a relatively peaceful lunch and I come back to hear the same story yet again, this time with Abigale Brunswick and Miriam Anatoly, who to her credit, just looked at her companion like she had a hole in her head. I caught a few snatches of what Abigale was saying and I dressed her and Ms. Anatoly down for their behaviour and told them if I caught them at it again, that they would both be fired. I did leave, but returned to apologize to Miriam, when Abigale called me a bitch, and I caught her in the act of calling me a cunt. I had enough of her insubordination and terminated her on the spot. I gave her an hour to clean out her desk and leave. I never did get a chance to apologize and thank Miriam for standing up for me. She did a good thing.”

“You were right to fire Ms. Brunswick, she had no right to call you those things and talking about your private life is definitely a rule breaker here, so she deserved what she got. However, Ms. Anatoly should be rewarded for her behaviour. I think a nice bonus on her next check would do nicely, don’t you? 200 galleons and a nice note should do the trick. In addition, I believe that I will call in that favour tonight. Say, 7pm?”

“Wow, Kingsley that is generous of you. Especially so soon, funds are released to individual accounts in about an hour. About that favour, tonight is fine, as I luckily do not have other plans. Would you like to know where I am staying in case you want to meet me there. If that is not amenable, we could meet elsewhere if you like.”

“Indeed. That reminds me, I better go ahead and sign the release of funds sheet. I have it right here anyway.” He signed the parchment and it disappeared. She assumed that it went straight to Gringott’s. “I thought that you still owned the home in Fox-Hart Hills.”

“No, I moved out in early November, due to the divorce. I just gave the house to Ron because I did not feel like being in court battling over it, even though I was the one to purchase it. I figured the less I had to see him, the better it would be, and I was right, too.”

“From what Arthur tells me, it could have been a nasty divorce were it taken to court. He also informed me that you have not since been in touch with any of them, even Harry.”

“I am afraid that is the truth. I am just not ready to face the firing squad yet, Kingsley. They were my family, but Ron took that away. I am almost positive that none of them would want to hear from me anyhow. I figured that I would save the row and keep my silence. It was hard enough to go though without their opinions.”

“I understand how you feel, I went through something similar with my ex-wife’s family. When Colette and I split, I did not even speak to any of her family for a year, and regret to this day, that I even spoke to them then. However, they were nothing like the Weasley’s. Granted, Molly is fiercely protective over her children, but I think she would understand. I know that Arthur is curious as to what happened between you and Ron. If anything, you should talk to him. He, Molly, and the rest of the family, including Harry, had no clue that you and Ron were even having problems, therefore, this divorce happened unexpectedly for them. For all intents and purposes, they feel abandoned and they have no clue why. I think you at least owe it to them, to let them know.”

“You have a point, but I just cannot face Ron yet. Maybe I could manage Harry, Arthur, and Molly, but not the rest, not yet. Anyway, I do have to get going. I will see you tonight.”

She got up and started to leave, but before she could reach the door, Kingsley caught up with her and pulled her into a tight embrace. His strong arms wrapped around her, which made her feel safe and okay for the first time in months. She nearly broke down as he held her close and whispered his apologies for all she was going through. This was what she truly needed... a hug to let her know that she would be fine.

“Hermione, you forgot to tell me where to pick you up.”

“I’m... I’m sorry. I am currently staying at The Three Broomsticks. I will meet you down in the main area.”

“Hermione, why don’t you take the rest of the day off? I will not dock your pay for it, but I do think that you need a break. I know that this is the first partial day off that you have had in months. Go have some fun and I will see you tonight.”

“Thanks, I will. Before I go, I need to find someone to take over for me for a few hours.”

---

With that, she left and walked back to her office to find Miriam. After all, she needed to apologise to her, and ask her if she would fill in the rest of the afternoon for her. Hermione never took time off, even when she was ill and needed to, but today would be different, she had something important to do, and if she did not do it now, then she never would. She was walking so quickly that she nearly ran into Miriam, and she apologized for her clumsiness.

“Miriam, would you come with me to my office?”

“Yes, Ms. Granger. I am not in trouble am I?”

“No, you are not; I would just like to have a quick word with you in private. I figured that you would appreciate that, I know that I would.”

They arrived in her office and Hermione gestured for Miriam to take a seat. Instead of sitting behind her desk, she crossed her
legs and leaned against it, hoping that her body language would assure the woman that she was in no danger.

“I wanted to thank you for earlier, Miriam. You did a noble thing by defending me. You were correct in assuming that I am experiencing a difficult time right now, but I did not call you in here to discuss my personal life. I merely wanted to extend an apology to you, my behaviour towards you was reprehensible, and you did nothing to deserve it. I also wanted to inform you, that for your defense of me, you will be receiving a 200-galleon bonus on your pay. You have the Minister to thank for his generosity, for he was the one that agreed to that amount. I was also wondering if you might do me a favour.”

“It really is not a problem, Ms. Granger. I did not think that you deserved Abigale’s crude comments, nobody does, so I merely did what I thought was right. Everyone in our department knows that you get what you give, and you are never unfair to any of us. Thank you for the bonus, but I really do not feel as though I did anything to deserve it, but trust me, I will not complain about the extra galleons. Now, about that favour, what can I do for you?”

“First off, you may call me Hermione, and second, I would like you to fill in for me for the rest of the afternoon. I have something that I need to do, and you are the only one that is qualified to be my substitute. So, would you?”

“I sure can, Hermione, it would be my pleasure. Is there anything important that I need to attend to, or do I just handle things as they come in?”

“I have everything completed for the day, so all I need you to do is take things on a case by case basis. If any disciplinary action needs to occur, please follow protocol and notify the Minister. That is about it. The people in our department are well behaved and I trust that you will have no problems. I will see you on Monday.”

---

Hermione took her leave and apparated to the Burrow. Molly would be home, and Arthur would be finishing his late lunch, so this was the perfect time to explain without having a lot of other ears around. She gave a loud knock and Arthur answered the door, his face registering shock at the sight of his ex-daughter-in-law.

“Hermione! What a surprise to see you! Do come in.”

“Thanks.”

Molly appeared next to her husband and gave a small smile before taking Hermione’s hand and gathering her into that famous Mrs. Weasley motherly hug. It felt like a welcome home embrace from someone that you have not seen in ages, and it made her very happy.

“Can you both spare a little time to talk? I have some important things to say that you need to hear, and after many months of my silence, I owe you an explanation. I understand if you do not have the time right now, but I need to know that you want to hear what I have to say.”

“Of course, dear, we have the time. Arthur just arrived home for a late lunch and I believe that he still has a while left. It has been so long since we have talked and we were curious to find out why you did not remain in contact with us after you and Ronnie... split.”

“That is exactly what I came to discuss. I owe you my side of the story and an apology for not coming sooner, but you know how work can often be. By the time that I get off in the evenings, it is simply too late for a social call. Before I begin with my explanation, would it be too forward of me to ask what Ron has told you, if anything?”

Molly, Arthur, and Hermione walked through the house and into the kitchen where there was a full repast newly prepared. Molly
offered Hermione food, and she had graciously declined, but did accept the proffered tea. Arthur took it upon himself to answer Hermione’s question since his wife was clearly ill-prepared for this conversation; after all, she had told him that she did not expect that they would ever see her again.

“He did not have much to tell us, except that you threw your marriage away. You worked too much, he never saw you, and that you had grown distant.”

“Wow, Arthur. I cannot believe... no, wait, I can believe that he would say that. It is a convenient explanation albeit an untruthful one. What happened is exactly in reverse. He had been working and staying out late, sometimes not coming home at all. He grew distant and people started talking. I was wise enough and caught on; after all, I am an intelligent witch. I figured out that he was doing the unthinkable: cheating. I came home early one night and found him in bed with a former schoolmate of ours. I was completely humiliated and I left. I would not stay with a man that clearly did not want me. I am aware the truth is not as pretty as he told it, but the fact remains, it is honest. I can even share the memory with you via pensieve to confirm your suspicions, if you would like.”

“Hermione, we are so sorry. We had no clue that he was lying; we never thought to question him. I always considered us to be rather close. I never thought that he would lie about something like this.” Molly started sobbing and Arthur gathered his wife in his arms to try to soothe her. “Why didn’t you come sooner? We would have listened to you.”

“To be honest, I did not know if you would. I was not prepared to have my closest friends shun me over the lies that were undoubtedly circulating. I thought that you would turn me away and I was not ready to face that. I would have rather stayed in complete silence that to lose everything I had.”

She had spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with Molly until it was nearly time to meet with Kingsley. She excused herself and made promises to not be so scarce in the coming weeks. In addition, she had left with most of the food that had been prepared for lunch, which was a good thing; it would save her from having to cook over the weekend.

---

She did not have time to change from her work clothes, so she merely transfigured her blouse into something more appropriate for eveningwear, and changed the light blue colour into a flaming red. Her trousers were the customary black, so she at least matched. Kingsley was already waiting for her when she stepped through the pub entrance.

“Good evening, luv. You look nice, though I did not expect you to come through the front entrance. It gives me the impression that you only just arrived, and piques my curiosity to what you spent your day doing.”

“Nice to see you as well, Minister. I did just arrive back from taking your wonderful advice and I am ever so pleased that I did.”
He guided her to a secluded spot in the back of the pub and sat down, and then called over Madam Rosmerta. Once their drinks and
dinner arrived, they began to talk in earnest.

“So, tell me what you spent your day doing, Hermione.”

“After I left your office, I had a quick word with Miriam, and then I took off for the day. I was on my way back here when I gave some thought to what you had to say. What you said about the Weasley’s and Harry made sense, so I decided that there was no time like the present to make amends, although I still need to see Harry. The most pleasing thing of all is that Molly and Arthur understood and did not judge me for leaving Ron, in fact, they are angry with him for lying. Not that I am pleased that there is now a rift in the family, I never meant to cause that.”

“I am glad that you decided to visit with the Weasley family, they are good people, unlike Colette’s family, and they understood why you did what you had to do. I am pleased that you were at least able to make one thing right in your life even though you have much more that needs to be repaired.”

Hermione looked at him, shocked at such a revelation. Of course, she knew that it was true, but how could she be so clumsy as to show it to the world? If Kingsley knew, how many others did? Maybe she was not so good at hiding her displeasure after all.

“I know what that look is, I have seen it before, though it was reflected at me in my own mirror many years ago. It is not that you do not hide well, Hermione, it is the fact that you hide, period. Normally, you are such an open book, wearing your emotions on your sleeve for all to see. Those of us who know you well, know that there is something wrong when you withdraw, it is simply not who you are. Though as of late, I really doubt that you know who you are anymore. I am sorry I am thrusting all of this upon you; I know that this is hard to hear, but surely, you cannot be surprised that it is being said. I love you and I hate to see this happen, that is why I am telling you now, before it is too late.”

Hermione looked crestfallen at his stinging words, but then again, she knew that he spoke the truth. His words were ones that she had pondered since before her divorce. “I know that you mean well and are trying to be my friend here, and it means a lot to me that you care so much. You hit the nail right on the head when you said that even I don’t know who I am anymore. Too many things have happened and so much is wrong in my life, that I do not know where to begin, or even if I can. The only thing that I know is work and Ron, as sad as that sounds.”

“True, it does sound sad, but it makes perfect sense. You spent all of your adolescence and the greater portion of your adulthood with him, so of course you will need to build a life outside of him and those memories. As for the work, you are a driven young woman that has gone pretty far in a short span of time. However, work is all you do. Hell, you even come in on the weekends or take work home with you. It is no wonder you are burnt out. It is with this that I ask you, Hermione, what is it you want? Setting aside your current position, what do you want in life? I suggest you think about it and figure it out, because in the meantime you are doing yourself a disservice, and the ones that love you are tired of watching you suffer.”


A/N: I want to thank my beta, Snape's_mistress for making this chapter much better than what it was.