A Dance Through Thyme (Harry Potter)

Abendessen

Chapter 45: Dinner

 

Authors’ Note: A pet peeve of mine is long authors’ notes, so I will try to keep this short.

First – apologies for taking so long to update. I’ve had a few stressful life events recently.

Second – When I first started writing this story, I had a different plan for the ending and the chapters I wrote then for the ending are now obsolete. So, rewriting everything is taking far longer than expected.

Thirdly – even though I’ve been terrible with updates, could you find it in your heart to vote and comment?

It had been several weeks since Hermione had collapsed into Remus’ outstretched arms and she hated herself every day for it.

‘It was a moment of weakness,’ she kept repeating to herself, hoping that one day she would actually believe it.

Despite the continuous mental berating that she was living with, Hermione still managed to put it to one side and get on with her day-to-day activities. Tonight, that included a six-thirty dinner with the Potter family. It was the first of its kind since Harry had been born. Lily and James had finally emerged from the cocoon that was parenting, realising that life had not stopped around them whilst they were feeding, changing and adoring their son.

Living so close, Hermione had found it easy to visit them quite regularly since Harry had been born. At first it had mostly been to check that the Fidelius charm was working and that they were safe, but it was easy to forget about that when Harry gave her his first smile and would lift his pudgy hands to her for a cuddle.

The summer had been blissfully warm, but now that Halloween was approaching the nights were cooling down quite dramatically from the daytime sun. Hermione wrapped a thin cloak around her shoulders before checking her wand was in her pocket and jogging down the paths and alleys that created Godric’s Hollow.

Their home came into view as she rounded the last corner, and she smiled when she saw the warm glow of light coming from behind James as he opened the door for his guests, unseen to anyone else in the street. Sirius had already arrived, and Hermione’s heart gave a lurch in her chest when she saw Remus was beside him.

He looked less gaunt than the previous times she had seen him, but was now unsure of how to deal with the situation. Obviously she expected him to be there, but it was still slightly unsettling given the face that the last time she had seen him she had been sobbing into his chest. It was not exactly the look that she had been going for.

Now her brain was crowded with thoughts of what the appropriate course of action was. A part of her brain had engaged the fight or flight response, and she was definitely considering the ‘flight’ part of that.

“Hermione!” James peered around Sirius and Remus to greet her, giving her a brief hug when she approached him. Forcing a smile onto her face, Hermione hoped that she fooled them for long enough to get through the dinner.

James ushered them all inside, ready to ply them with food and drink.