If You're Not Here With Me

Chapter 6

Dear Fred,

Of all the letters I have written to you, this is perhaps the hardest. I've been putting it off for a few days because I know what it means when I send it. It means that the dim light of hope I've been chasing has finally gone out. It means accepting what I have feared for the last few months. It means that you've moved on.

The night before Christmas Eve, Hermione and Nico stayed late at the shop. They planned on closing early the next day and then all day for Christmas, so they wanted to try to get rid of as much holiday stock as possible. Their goal for the evening was to reprice certain items in hopes of seeing the shelves bare the following afternoon. Kelly had a family commitment and Hermione insisted she go.

"Isn't Lucas due to pick you up any minute, now?" Hermione asked, and Kelly nodded. "Don't make the poor guy wait around a boring shop for an hour. Go and enjoy your evening. Nico and I can take care of everything here."

'And I need something to keep my mind from plummeting down a sad hole of what-ifs,' Hermione mentally added.

"If you need me, I'm just a floo call away," Kelly assured as someone knocked on the door." She ran to open the door and a tall, olive-skinned man with long, dark hair stepped in and gave a small wave. "Lucas, this is Hermione and Nico. Hermione, Nico, this is my boyfriend, Lucas."

"Nice to meet you both," Lucas said. He turned to Kelly and kissed her, then asked, "Ready to go, sweetheart?"

"Yup!" She kissed his cheek and summoned her coat. "Have a good night!"

"Have a good night," Nico said and then locked the door after the couple had left.

Hermione watched as the couple made their way up the street, with Lucas wrapping his arm around Kelly's waist and pulling her closer to him. With a morose sigh, she moved behind the counter to start writing out new price signs and Nico started unboxing the last of the children's holiday books.

Ginny wrote and told me you've started seeing someone. I'm sad that things with us didn't turn out how we thought it might. Well, at least how I was hoping they might. But I want you to know that I'm really glad that you've found someone that makes you happy. After everything you've gone through and worked to overcome, you should be grabbing every good opportunity that life throws at you.

"Earth to Hermione!"

Hermione's head jerked up as Nico's voice broke through her forlorn thoughts.

"You still with me over there?"

"Yeah, sorry. My mind took a wander. What were you saying?"

"I said that I already have so many ideas for Valentine's Day," Nico said, shelving the last of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas. "If you give me permission, I will make it look like Cupid vomited all over this shop, but you know in a classy, not at all tacky kind of way."

Hermione gave him a weak smile and shook her head. "Maybe bring the vomit down to a violent sneeze?" She finished writing up the new price signs and started floating them to the appropriate shelves and counters. "Let's just get to New Year's, shall we?"

The thought of dragging out an already overly sweet day of love and romance into a full month made Hermione feel sick.

Nico paused for a second and turned to Hermione. "You are keeping me on after New Year's, right?" they asked.

"You bet your arse I am. How would you feel about making an Unbreakable Vow of Employment?"

Nico brought a finger up to their chin and gave it a pondering tap. "I'd definitely need a raise."