August | Hermione Granger x OFC

Epilogue Part 10: I'm Mr Mug

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"I wanted to say thanks, by the way."

"Mhm, for what?"

"I don't know if you heard me, but I was at the trial," Astrid explained. "I saw the memory: the one of you and Fenrir Greyback, the one where he called me... delectable, was it?"

Robyn hummed.

"It actually rattled me. I was totally oblivious, but you - you kept him away from me. And, I can't remember if I thanked you for saving me from Rowle, either. I guess you're sort of my hero. So, thank you."

"You know what? Thank you, Astrid."

"For what?" Astrid copied her.

"For- I don't know. You've always treated me... normally?" She scoffed. "Or maybe you're just mean."

"Maybe," Astrid nudged her. "But I am sorry - for your loss and everything. I know you've probably heard that a hundred times today alone. I know you're probably tired of hearing it. But it's true. I might also add, though: welcome to the Dead Dads Club. It's crap."

"I don't give a toss about him."

Astrid hummed, perhaps not believing her. "Lucky you. Here," she waved her wand and conjured a single ​​white chrysanthemum for Robyn to take, "your welcome gift."

"Hm. Ta very much," Robyn said sarcastically, though deep down she was touched as she twirled the stem between her finger and thumb.

They were sitting on the floor together, backs against the wall, after having destroyed the family room of Robyn's house. She'd decided to destroy this room in particular because "there's practically no family left" and Astrid had kept her mouth appropriately shut.

There were portraits of her ancestors ripped in half (to their great displeasure), bookshelves and sofas toppled over, severed cushions, a destroyed chandelier, and, of course, a smashed bottle of Firewhisky amidst it all, of which Robyn had drunk the majority.

"By the way, how d'you know how to Apparate? You're the year below. You're... Young-er."

Astrid laughed harder at the pun than she probably would have otherwise (Robyn might have drunk the majority of the Firewhisky, sure, but not all of it).

"Nice," she said. "I don't know if you're aware, but there was this big war, it was a whole thing..."

"Really, was there?" Robyn said sarcastically.

"Yeah, so, I wasn't going to leave myself open to being, like, stuck somewhere. If I needed to escape I was going to escape - to Inverness, Wales, Timbuktu, wherever necessary."

Intrigued, she asked. "You've been to Timbuktu before?"

"Not the point," snorted Astrid.

"You taught yourself, then?"

"You seem surprised," she shot back. "I'm a Ravenclaw like you, aren't I?"

Robyn eyed her, her light mood souring a little. "Who, me? That's funny, 'cause I remember you being very conveniently quiet the day they kicked me out."

Astrid stayed conveniently quiet again for several moments before conceding a simple, yet genuine, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah." Robyn looked away, kicking some of the glass from the broken chandelier. "Me too. Sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm snapping at everyone all the time and I can't help it. I'm all out of sorts. I walk into a room and suck out the happiness and everyone's all on edge suddenly. I might as well be a Dementor, or the D- Voldemort himself." She frowned. "But then, I do know what's wrong. I know it's the PSDT crap."