A Dance Through Thyme (Harry Potter)

Einverständnis

Chapter 44: Understanding

Hermione wandered around from room to room of her house looking at the dust-free surfaces and perfectly pressed fabrics. The silence was drowned out by ticking clocks and dripping taps.

It was that odd time of the afternoon where it wasn’t quite evening, but there was not enough day left to do anything meaningful with it. Usually there was some washing or ironing, or general tidying that needed doing; but Hermione had just finished all of those things. The house was as clean as it was empty.

She thought about asking some friends around for dinner before it occurred to her that she did not have that many friends to invite over anyway. Lily and James were in a perpetual state of exhaustion and refused to go anywhere. The only conversation she had with Remus these days was polite and in a group setting. Sirius, on the other hand, was still grieving and Hermione did not want to pressure him with her sob story. Still, it was worth a try. He was feeling lonely. She was feeling lonely. She also had a brand new bottle of fire-whisky in the cupboard that was begging to be tasted. 

Snatching her wand from where it had been sitting on the coffee table, she circled it in the air a few times before a crisp and new piece of parchment zoomed towards her, accompanied by a bottle of ink and a quill. Pulling the stopper from the bottle, she carefully dipped the nib of the quill into it and began to write a brief invitation to Sirius.

Her first instinct had been to use the Floo network, but Sirius and Remus were still living together and Hermione did not want to create an awkward situation. A letter was far more private, and he would be able to reject her offer without nearly as much embarrassment. It would even give him time to think of an appropriate excuse if he didn’t feel like coming over at all.

Sealing the letter with some string, Hermione wandered over to the large metal cage that took up an entire corner of her lounge room. Inside sat a tawny barn owl. Dumbledore had gifted her this owl. It was technically a school owl, but Dumbledore said she was close to retirement anyway. She had only been with Hermione a short while, and was yet to receive a name.

Coaxing the owl over with a gentle nudge of her hand, Hermione attached the letter firmly to its leg, and opened the window just enough so that she would be able to spread her wings and take off into the dusky sky.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

It was a little over an hour before Hermione heard a knock at her front door. Sirius must have decided to come over after all. Putting down the book she had begun to read, Hermione stood to allow her guest in. It had begun to rain outside, and she didn’t want him to track too much mud onto her freshly cleaned carpet.

Only it wasn’t Sirius when she opened the door.

Remus was standing on the top step, underneath the meager alcove waiting to be let in as though it was the most normal thing in the world. Hermione didn’t know what to make of the situation.

“But I sent a letter to Sirius…didn’t I? Tell me I haven’t gone completely bonkers. I did address it to the right person. I’m sure I did.”

 Despite the fact that he was steadily getting damper as the intensity of the rain increased, Remus let out a laugh.

“Hermione, you really need to relax. You did address the letter to the right person. It was just the wrong person who read it. By wrong person, I mean me.”

Hermione instantly looked annoyed and huffed out air from her mouth.

“Oh, go on then, come in,” she said taking his wet coat from him as she ushered him into the warm lounge room. Placing the coat on the back of the chair she continued to speak.