{"id":72,"date":"2011-10-03T22:04:56","date_gmt":"2011-10-03T12:04:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.avada-kedavra.net\/hermione\/charlie\/?p=72"},"modified":"2011-10-03T22:04:56","modified_gmt":"2011-10-03T12:04:56","slug":"wasting-away-by-florahart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.avada-kedavra.net\/hermione\/charlie\/rec\/72","title":{"rendered":"Wasting Away by Florahart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wasting Away<\/strong><\/p>\n

Somehow, despite everything, she’d never expected she was going to be the one trying to move on.<\/p>\n

It had come up early on, of course. Before they really had been all that serious, even. They’d been sitting around the fire, along with everyone else, and someone had raised the topic, and then, later, in the tent they were sharing–they were sleeping together, just not so much seriously<\/em>–he’d said if anything happened to him, she should definitely move on.<\/p>\n

Actually, now she thought about it, that might be when they started to become<\/em> serious; his expression as he’d said it had been intense and loving and had made her feel like her happiness was incredibly important to him.<\/p>\n

In any case, she’d laughed and said of course, and when he’d made her promise, she’d tickled him, told him it wasn’t going to come to any such thing, and made him do the same, and here it was come back to haunt her. Because she’d not given it much more thought than that, but clearly, he had.<\/p>\n

Eight months and a bit, and no word, and Ginny and Fleur were here, helping her box up his things because, after all, he’d been declared officially lost, and she shouldn\u2019t have to do it alone.<\/p>\n

She looked down at the ring, currently on her finger though she had generally worn it on a chain around her neck, then looked at the envelope she’d found at the bottom of the second drawer of his nightstand.<\/p>\n

To be opened by Hermione in the event of my death<\/em>, it said.<\/p>\n

Underneath that, in smaller letters, it also said, and don’t you be opening it if I’m not<\/em>, which made her smile, just a little.<\/p>\n

She turned it over and slid a finger under the flap, then peeled up the wax. The note inside was short.<\/p>\n

You promised, and I expect you to keep it. Mourn at least a bit, but don’t waste away. Find someone else who will make you happy, too.<\/em><\/p>\n

b29;<\/p>\n

She’d never thought he’d really get himself killed. She sat there staring at the note until Ginny and Fleur came up to check on her.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

The trouble was, she had<\/em> promised, and she knew he didn’t mean for her to mourn for years.<\/p>\n

It was no help Ginny had seen the note and known Hermione would delay–not technically breaking her promise, exactly, but putting it off–and was clearly on the lookout. Not, she said, for someone for Hermione to fall in love with, but for someone to make her forget for a bit. Hermione had argued she wasn’t ready, but Ginny had hugged her and said really, it was going to be awful at first, but it would get better.<\/p>\n

According to Ginny, she needed a rebound man.<\/p>\n

According to her own sense of self, she needed a nap, fuzzy pajamas, and lasagna. Twice.<\/p>\n

Really, neither seemed to much help. She went out on occasional Saturdays, not on dates at first because Ginny–and Molly, who was obviously in on it, and Harry<\/em>, who shrugged helplessly and did what Molly told him to–weren’t that cruel, but in groups where it was clear she and Bob-Marco-Emile-Ned-Jean-whoever this week was were the odd pair. She tried to smile. They held doors and were charming.<\/p>\n

She wanted something they didn’t have, though, and so far they hadn’t set her up with the same man twice.<\/p>\n

The anniversary came and went, and her ring was back around her neck but still, always on. Wallace-Jamie-William-Aldo kissed her cheek and saw her to her door sometimes, and then she went in and fed the dog–his<\/em> dog, really, who had stolen one of his shoes, one of the ones she hadn’t packed, and put it on her blanket in the corner–and went to bed.<\/p>\n

At least it was keeping her from turning into a hermit, doing nothing but working and hiding out at home.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

The knock at the door was early, and Hermione sighed. Another week, and was it Lewis? Leslie? Some L name. L name was to take her to supper.<\/p>\n

She checked to make sure she was presentable–she had neither illusions nor intentions regarding fashion and beauty, but it would<\/em> have been wrong to go to the door with her blouse half-unbuttoned–and turned the handle. Leigh. That was it.<\/p>\n

“Le–”<\/p>\n

She stopped short, blinking, knowing what she was seeing wasn’t possible.<\/p>\n

She closed her eyes, just for a moment, as though to start again.<\/p>\n

He had his arms around her before she opened them again. “Sorry,” he whispered into her hair. “Bit of a \u2026complication.”<\/p>\n

She pulled back and looked at him. His hair was long–really<\/em> long; possibly the whole fifteen months’ worth of long, and while he’d obviously got cleaned up, he’d also obviously not wasted time doing so. His clothes were torn and he had a new scar in his hairline, above his left ear, and he was perfect. “I. I was just–”<\/p>\n

“Am I early?”<\/p>\n

Hermione looked past Charlie. “\u2026Leigh?”<\/p>\n

Charlie looked at her, confused, then blushed and let go, backing away. “I. Right. My own note–”<\/p>\n

Hermione paused, then laughed. Really laughed. “No, Charlie. I sort of wasn’t very good at keeping that promise.” She shrugged at Leigh. “Apparently, I am in fact, not widowed.”<\/p>\n

Leigh looked from her to Charlie and back, then grinned broadly. “I think I’ll go tell, uh, Ginny.”<\/p>\n

“You do that.”<\/p>\n

Hermione hooked a finger into Charlie’s waistband as Leigh went back up the walk away from their home, and pulled him close again. “I imagine we have ten minutes until everyone shows up,” she said.<\/p>\n

He kissed her gently, then looked at her closely. “You’re thin. You’ve been mourning, haven’t you? Wasting away.”<\/p>\n

“Not any more,” she said. “Despite the best efforts of your entire family. Except Percy, oddly enough, who had the good sense not to bother me about it. Nine minutes.”<\/p>\n

“Not enough time for anything good.” He grinned, a gentle leer replacing the worry as he realized that whatever his concerns, seeing him was all she needed.<\/p>\n

“Later.”<\/p>\n

“Promise?”<\/p>\n

“Promise.”<\/p>\n

“But I’m given to understand you aren’t very good with promises\u2026”<\/p>\n

She lightly punched his shoulder. “I have better motivation, this time. Eight minutes.”<\/p>\n

“Then I suppose I should change. Mum will go spare if she sees me like this.”<\/p>\n

Hermione nodded and let go of him, ignoring her hands’ need to not stop touching him again.<\/p>\n

He turned toward the stairs, then looked back over his shoulder. “Or, we could leave a note that yes I’m fine and to check back in the morning.” He spun back around and picked her up, snagged her wand from the bookcase to make the note, and Summoned her wallet, then looked down at her. “Where to?”<\/p>\n

She shrugged, feeling light in his arms. “Doesn’t matter, Charlie. Anywhere will feel like home.”<\/p>\n\n\n

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