Twelve: Apprise

Hermia sat in the Magical Law Enforcement staffroom, trying not to think about the ball by concentrating on a copy of the Daily Prophet. After reading the same sentence three times, she abandoned the newspaper, throwing it onto the table. Pavarti Patil’s smiling face looked up at the ceiling from the head of her divination column. Elspeth breezed into the staffroom, humming one of the songs that The Ashwinders had played at the ball.

“Hello, fancy a coffee?”

“Yes please. What are you doing up here?”

“I came to give you the latest gossip.” Elspeth gave Hermia a wicked grin and set about making two cups of coffee. She started to sing, completely off key;

“I just want to see you
When you’re all alone
I just want to catch you if I can
I just want to be there
When the morning light explodes
On your face it radiates
I cant escape
I love you till the end...”

“Oh do you have to sing? And such a soppy song too?” Hermia grumbled.

“What’s wrong with my singing?”

“Do you really need me to tell you?”

Elspeth turned and poked her tongue out playfully at Hermia. “If you don’t like love songs, you probably won’t want to hear my news.” She placed the cups of coffee on the table and sat down.

Hermia arched an eyebrow, “Go on then, but if Jago is taking you to Paris for your birthday I may have to throw up.”

“You’re a misery guts! No, he’s throwing me a surprise party, as you well know.”

“I know nothing of the sort.” Hermia was lying; Jago was throwing a huge party for Elspeth’s birthday.

“Anyway, I have news. Did you see Phoenix Felicis and Cadence Lark at the Ball?”

“I think everyone saw them. They weren’t exactly discreet, where they?” Hermia’s lip curled with disdain at the thought of them.

“True. They got married.” Elspeth said this matter of factly, as though she were pointing out that snow is white or grass is green.

“Married? They got MARRIED? Are they insane?” Hermia asked her incredulously. Elspeth pressed her lips together, smothering her laughter at her friend’s inevitable reaction.

“Mackenzie owled Jago this morning. He was the only one there. They went straight from the Ball, got married and skipped off on honeymoon to Fiji.”

“Mack was there and he didn’t try to stop them?”

“Why would he try to stop them?”

Hermia shook her head as though Elspeth too had gone crazy. “Had they even met before last night? Cadence used to spend all her time with Jack Mannequin when we were at school. She never had eyes for anyone else.”

“Oh, I think she and Jack were just friends, besides I think it’s romantic. Meet a man at half past nine and marry him twelve hours later. It must be great to be that sure about someone.”

Hermia rolled her eyes. “There’s no talking to you when you’re in this mood.”

“Well how about something more salacious then? Apparently, Wilmot Shacklebolt pulled his lift trick with some flighty tart.”

Hermia blinked but gave no other outward sign of the outrage she was feeling at being called a ‘flighty tart’. “His lift trick?” She asked in a disinterested kind of way.

“Oh yeah, he does it at all the Ministry bashes. He’s been doing it since he was fifteen if I remember rightly. He gets them in there, presses all the buttons and then gets up to no good.” Elspeth wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, but Hermia did not need an in depth explanation; She had first hand experience of Wilmot getting up to no good.

Elspeth breezed on. “What I want to know is how good a kisser Ashtad is.”

Hermia spluttered, choking a mouthful of coffee.

“Don’t bother denying it. I saw you. Half the ministry saw you, you were in the middle of the Atrium! From what I could see it was your idea.” Elspeth was watching Hermia closely but Hermia was avoiding looking her in the eye. All the colour had drained from her face.

“I thought that you hated him?” Elspeth asked tentatively.

“I never hated him, he just always drove me to distraction. He’s behaves like such an idiot and that really annoys me because I know that he’s intelligent, I know that he’s...”

“Right for you?” Elspeth ventured. Hermia gave her a burning look and she changed the subject.

“I saw that mental case Harper lose it too. It was a good job Mr Smith was there really, he seemed to get things under control quickly. You might have been up in front of the Wizengamot if he hadn’t have intervened. You could take the daft mare to pieces with your wand hand tied behind your back.”

Hermia nodded distractedly. “Yes, perhaps. I don’t like him though.” She said quietly. “He’s very... odd. It’s like he knows something that the rest of the world needs to know but he’s not going to tell anyone. He walks around like the cat who got all the cream.”

The door of the staff room burst open and John Smith’s cold, sardonic voice floated into the room. “... you’ll grow up and see what is in front of you boy.”

Ashtad stormed into the room, apparently far to angry to notice that Hermia and Elspeth where there. He slammed things around, making a cup of coffee. As Elspeth gave Hermia a meaningful look and Hermia glared straight back at her, Ashtad swore violently. Steam rose not only from his coffee cup but from work surface too. His hand had started to swell immediately, a deep red scald marring his warm dark skin. Hermia sprang to her feet, dashing around the table, shouting “Accio Dittany!” as she went. A cupboard door few open and a small bottle soar through the air towards her. She caught it deftly and took Astad’s injured hand in hers, applying the dittany gently.

“Y’know Djalili, this is exactly why the rest of us use a nifty invention called a kettle.” She smiled at him, her small fingers exploring the newly healed skin gently, making sure that she hadn’t missed anything. She was baffled to see his eyes harden against her. He ripped his hand out of her grasp.

“Well, I’m sorry that I’m such a disappointment to you.” He turned on his heel and marched away, banging the door behind him.

“What in the name of Merlin’s cheesy socks was that all about?” Elspeth’s tone was one of utter disbelief. Hermia shook her head.

“I suppose I did kiss him and then leave without an explanation.”

“You two are just a disaster!” Elspeth dissolved into a fit of giggles while Hermia turned away, trying to work out what was actually going on.

*****

Amelia bounced a fretful Cosmo on her hip. “Shh, shh, shh.” She told him, over and over as he grizzled and griped. Teddy came into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around them both, kissing his wife’s slender neck before taking Cosmo from her and asking the toddler, “What’s wrong with you grumpy guts, eh?” He tickled the boy under the chin but his crying only increased.

“I think it’s colic.” Amelia told him in a resigned sort of way.

“Well, if he’s as bad as Genevieve was, I may just lose my marbles.” Teddy’s comment was heavy with memories of months disturbed sleep and worry.

“You mean you’ve still got some to lose?”

Teddy turned and saw Hermia, standing in the doorway, smothering a grin. “Well I’m not sure, you’ve certainly shaken a few loose,” he told her, a small grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.

Cosmo reached out towards Hermia and Teddy passed him over. The little boy curled his fingers around the pendant Hermia wore as she bounced him gently on her own slender hip, whispering to him. Wether it was this distraction or Hermia’s attention which soothed him it was unclear but the boy was soon calmed.

Amelia watched her, reflecting that the teenager in front of her was naturally gifted when it came to young children. Perhaps it was because they did not want to pry into her past; the relationship was based on present moment. Hermia seemed to open her heart to the children and close it to anyone else. It was something which worried Amelia, she had an unsettling feeling that Hermia could easily end up alone, her heart finally hardened to everyone.

*****

Ashtad sat in the Leaky Cauldron, drinking steadily. He had abandoned the butterbeer in favour of elf-made wine and was draining his second goblet when Jago entered the bar. The blonde picked his way across the room determinedly and sat down next to Ashtad. He picked up the bottle, glancing at the label. “Nice vintage.” Jago poured them both a drink and took a sip. “Very nice.”

“Whadda d’you want?” Ashtad demanded, slurring a little.

“So friendly. No wonder Hermia’s got a face like a wet weekend.” Jago said mildly.

“Eh? She doesn’t care ‘bout me. She’s made that more than clear.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you.”

Ashtad frowned, confused. “What?”

“She’s just spent two hours telling me that she made a massive mistake when she upset you.”

“What? She’s never wrong. Well, she never ruddy admits it? Never!” Ashtad banged his goblet down.

“Exactly. It’s the thing about her drives everyone ‘round the twist about her. So if Hermia is sitting in my kitchen, bemoaning the fact that she has stuffed it all up, I think she just might mean it. A bit like you did just before Christmas.”

Ashtad covered his eyes with his hand. “Why are you telling me this?”

Jago shook his head, clearly feeling frustrated with how dense Ashtad was being. “She didn’t send me. In fact, if she finds out I’m sure I’ll have some bits hexed off. I’m here because I hate to see her miserable. She likes you mate. She really likes you. Just stop making such a mess of it, for Merlin’s sake.”

Jago drained his goblet, clapped Ashtad on the shoulder and walked away, leaving the young man staring at his hands.

I Love You Till The End - The Pogues (link chosen for ma clone, you need check it out).