I hope our story has a happier ending

we're sleepless and lost

The room is quiet, for a moment.

She doesn't meet Sirius or Harry's eyes—without looking she knows Sirius's face is dark with grim understanding.

(this is what she was hiding, why she refused to speak about it, why—)

"Mia," Harry says softly—so, so softly.

She runs.

Out of the room, through the floo to Tonks manor, past Ted, past where Tonks and Andy sit watching a movie, smiles morphing into frowns asking if she's okay—

Into her room, locks the door, clambers into bed and buries herself under a heap of blankets—

(it's not even cold but she needs to feel protected and separate and closed off from the world, the weight of the many layers a reminder that she's alive.)

She tugs out her vodka and begins taking long pulls of the burning liquid, regardless of the fact that it's barely past noon; she can't handle this, can't handle life, needs to not feel—

She falls asleep, eventually; wakes a few hours later.

"Winky?" she croaks; within thirty seconds the elf is there.

"Oh, poor Mistress," Winky says gently. "You is having rough day. Can Winky bring Mistress tea?"

The elf looks so sad—worried, Hermione's sure, that she'll ask for more alcohol.

(Not now—not yet.)

"Yes, please, Winky. And—Advil, if you can."

"Okay." Winky bites her lip nervously. "Miss Tonks has been asking I to tell her when you is awake, Mistress—she wants to bring in your dinner."

Hermione's brows pull together in confusion. "Andy?" Winky shakes her head. "Oh. Dora?"

"Yes, Mistress. She is—she is putting up a shield to keep Masters Harry and Sirius from coming to break down the door. They wants to comfort Mistress, but Miss Tonks says Mistress needs space and will talk to them when she's ready."

"Oh." She swallows, moving to a sitting position and pulling her knees to her chest. "That's—nice. She can bring the dinner, then, that's—that's fine. But—just her, for now, please."

Winky nods before popping away; a few minutes later, there's a gentle knock on her door.

Hermione waves her wand to unlock it, and Winky steps inside carrying a tea tray, Tonks right behind her with a smile and a carton of ice cream.

"I thought you were bringing dinner?"

Tonks's lips quirk upward. "You've had a bad day. I think you deserve ice cream for dinner."

A broken laugh escapes her. "Percy's going to pull his hair out if the two of you have kids."

"Don't I know it. Poor boy isn't ready." They sit in silence for a moment. "Harry and Sirius are worried, by the way, although I'm sure you guessed as much. They want to see you whenever you're ready."

Hermione bites her lip. "Winky said you were keeping them out?"

"Yeah, I—" The older woman sighs, seemingly searching for words as she takes a seat on the edge of the bed. "After something like...well, agency is the most important thing for you to have right now. Control over your own life."

She swallows. "They told you."

"No, actually, they didn't have to. I—I suspected." Tonks grimaces. "Some things...you just know, if you've been there. You can just—tell, when someone else has. You know."