The Right Thing To Do

Chapter 9

By Tuesday morning, everyone on Level 4 knew not to look for a ring, ask her about her coming nuptials, or even glance her way. The rest of the day on Monday had been so tense after she had screamed at Aiden for filing a case file incorrectly, that Mathilda probably sent out some kind of a memo. Word must have traveled up to Level 2, because Harry appeared at her cubicle on Wednesday just before lunch.

"How's the bride-to-be?" He smiled.

She glared at him, and continued throwing files around in an order only she knew.

"Come on. Let's go down to the café."

"I'm not hungry," she bit out.

"Well, I am and I want some company." He grinned at her. "Besides, those files will still be here in half an hour, and they will still be in need of some roughing up."

She looked down and realized that every file she'd touched had now been crumpled, torn, or bent. She sighed and grabbed her coin purse.

Once alone in the lifts, Harry turned to her.

"So who is it you're really upset with? Ron or Skeeter?"

"Both, but mainly me." She closed her eyes and pressed her temples. "I'm so angry that I let him kiss me."

There was silence. The gates opened and a few memos flew out.

"Do you want to get back together with Ron?"

She looked up at him. Harry's face was completely open to her. He wasn't hoping for an answer. He was asking her from honest curiosity. She tried as honest an answer as she could.

"Not really, no. Or maybe it's 'not now'? I'm not really sure." She pushed up the sleeves of her robes. "I just don't like feeling like the choice is being taken from me. By Rita bloody Skeeter!"

The lifts arrived at the Atrium. Harry led out, saying over his shoulder, "Most sensible people know that Rita publishes absolute drivel most of the time. I mean, look at what she said about Malfoy over the weekend! He's been in a right state too!"

Hermione stopped, letting Ministry employees push past her to get into their lift. Her mind flitted through the events of the weekend, and found no Malfoy article.

"Which article was that?" She found her legs again and followed.

Harry turned to walk backwards as he led the way to the café. "You know, the one about him visiting his father? And her guesses at why they were meeting? But, she wasn't there. She couldn't have known. Absolute drivel."

Hermione didn't bother reminding him that she could have been there, a fly-on-the-wall. "What day was this?"

"He visited Saturday, after our Quidditch practice I guess," Harry said, lowering his voice as they entered the café and joined the back of the line. "The article was published Sunday."

The faint memory of a blonde head on the front page, Ginny not letting her read the article.... Hermione made a mental note to check the rubbish bins for Sunday's paper.

"What did it say? What was she hypothesizing?"

Harry turned to her and she could see now the same look on his face when Ginny told him not to share the paper with her.

"Just... why he was visiting Lucius." He grabbed a tray and stared at it.

"Harry, I'm going to find it and read it anyway."

Harry sighed and scratched his jaw. He looked around the café to make sure no one could eavesdrop. "She brought up Draco's inheritance, and how he might be trying to get it released to him early."