Winds of Abomination

Drop Your Guard

Hermione sits down across from Ron again in the Ministry cafeteria after she regathers her thoughts after his sudden news and starts to cry. Ron watches her with concern and surprise, he had expected Hermione to be shocked but he didn't expect her to cry- he thinks fast on what to say.

"Erm Hermione, why are you crying? Have I upset you?" Ron wonders as his light blue eyes focus on Hermione's brown ones with a concerned expression.

She locks eyes with him and shakes her head. "No Ron, it's not you. I guess I am more shocked than I realize, that's all. Things have been rubbish at home lately so I am not currently in my right state of mind," she admits, embarrassed because she is usually the one who has it all figured out. She never lets others besides Draco see her vulnerable. Well, Draco and Ron, obviously.

"I'm sorry things haven't been going well. Would you like to talk about it?" Ron asks her, hoping she will open up to him and tell him what is really going on with her like she used to when they were good friends. He is also rather worried because Hermione never acts like this especially in a room full of people- especially not coworkers.

"No I'd rather not talk about it with anyone. I'm sorry, but it is between Draco and me. I haven't talked to anyone about it," admits Hermione, tears still coming out of her eyes. She then picks up her brief case a second time and stands up to leave the booth. "I'm going to leave now. It was nice catching up briefly Ron," whispers Hermione with a sniffle.

She makes her way to the elevators from the cafeteria and she is luckily alone as it levitates up to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She walks through the doors and her fellow colleagues watch their boss as she walks to her office and closes the door in a slam behind her. She locks her office door with a quick "colloportus" so no one can come in and investigate why their Head of Department is crying. Sure enough, her friend and coworker, Luna Longbottom (as she and Neville just married last summer), comes knocking at the door moments after Hermione sealed it shut.

"I am not available right now," mutters Hermione, trying her best not to crack her voice so it wasn't obvious that tears were still coming down her eyes.

It is just a ruthless day. There is no way around it. Draco and she are fighting and Ron is having a baby with Lavender Brown. It just can't get any worse.

"Let me in Hermione!" Luna calls from the other side of the opaque office door.

"Luna, I said no. I am busy in here," barks Hermione. Luna is a good friend but she is one of the nosiest people Hermione has ever come to know and she has no desire to talk to her dotty friend right now. The doorway goes silent as Hermione hears Luna's large awkward combat boots walk across the floor back to her office on the other side of the department.

Hermione does not want to go home to her daughter like this, and she wants to make-up with her husband, but she doesn't know how to start. Not being able to take being at work any longer, Hermione curses as she looks at the six inch pile of parchment she still hasn't touched and reaches under her desk to grab a large vanilla envelope. She places the parchment inside and takes out a quill and writes Finish Tomorrow. She then opens the right drawer of her desk and places the large packet inside. She decides it is time to go home and is working on gaining control over her despondent demeanor in preparation for being around Arabella.

She locks up the Head office and tells her assistant, Camilla Prattle, whose office is near her's, that she is leaving.

"Have a good night all!" Hermione calls to all her colleagues as they just look on with a blank expression as her back faces them when she walks toward the department's doors. They start to chatter even before Hermione reaches the doors for their boss pretty much never leaves her office because she works so hard all the time.