Chapter 26

Hermione was still confused when she returned to the cottage. She had suspected that Lucius was interested in her, but to have it confirmed... It had surprised her, especially considering what she had been seeing in Witch Weekly lately. And she knew that he was right; they absolutely could not act on their feelings yet. Ron was already suspicious, although at the time his suspicions had been utterly groundless, and she knew that he was trying to figure out where she was hiding from the frenzy. Even Harry didn't know – none of her friends knew, and she definitely had no intentions of telling them.

And then there was the matter of Gilles. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about him. For now they were just friends, but she wasn't sure if his flirtatious manner was just how he was or if it meant he was interested in something more.

For lunch she had gone out to a café that she'd enjoyed as a child and had ordered a simple sandwich, mostly to be in familiar surroundings so she could process what had happened that morning. But for dinner decided that she would rather cook dinner for herself than ask Katta to do it for her. Even though a part of her wanted the company of the house-elf, she enjoyed actually cooking a meal, something she had not done much for herself in the last few weeks.

She was not surprised when Lucius did not join her for dinner even though a part of her had hoped that he would, and she'd made plenty in anticipation of his visiting. She wondered when she would see him again and considered sending him a letter, but she had no idea what she would say to him, so she gave up on that idea.

Sunday was another beautiful day, and she decided to spend it exploring the property rather than stay in the cottage. After all, winter weather would be coming soon enough, not to mention she would be moving to flat in London at the end of the week and would not have access to a private garden. While her new abode could not compare to Lucius' cottage, the modest one bedroom was all that she required. Since it came partially furnished, it would require minimal effort on her part to make it her new home.

As she started climbing up one of the hills, she noticed Lucius silhouetted on the top of the hill in the late afternoon sun, his cloak swirling around him in the light wind. She could feel her heart beating faster, and it was not due to the exertion of climbing the hill. "Lucius!" she called out excitedly once she was nearly at the top.

He smiled at her fondly. "Hermione," he said softly.

She was not sure what she had expected, a hug perhaps, but while his greeting was friendly, it was not what she had hoped for.

Neither were his first words. "I never intended to complicate your life in this manner. I had intended on keeping my feelings for you hidden for the time being."

"You weren't doing that a good a job of it," she replied playfully.

He chuckled softly. "No, I suppose not. You make me feel a way that I have not felt in quite some time. I had of course hoped, but never imagined that you would feel the same way about me. After all, we have a rather tumultuous past among other things."

"The past is the past. Despite what those who I thought were my close friends may think about you, you have more than proven you have changed. As to the other things, none of that's very important to me. What's more important is the person, and I like the person you have become."

He took her hands in his. "You do not know what it means for me to hear that."

She fell against his chest and let him embrace her, wanting nothing more than to feel a comforting embrace.

He wrapped his arms around her and she could feel his chin gently resting against her head. "We must be very careful. Your husband already suspects there is another man in your life. There is no reason to make that a reality."

She sighed. "I know. Will I still see you?"

He released her. "I think perhaps it would be best to keep some distance between the two of us for the time being." He brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "The less temptation we present each other, the better. Besides you are moving at the end of the week, and it would hardly be proper for me to be seen visiting you in London."

She hung her head; she knew he was right. There would be no way for him to visit her at her new flat without drawing the wrong sort of attention. She was beginning to regret her decision to live in wizarding London, but she had already signed the agreement. She tipped her head up to look at him. "It's going to be a long six weeks, isn't it? Presuming they grant the divorce at the hearing, that is."

"I'm sure they will see to granting the divorce," he reassured gently. "It may not be as long a time as you imagine. Once the divorce decree is made official, the frenzy will die down in a week or so. I'm sure that something else will happen to capture the attention of the wizarding world. The more you are seen out in the wizarding world, the better it will be for you. I'm sure you've noticed that to an extent."

"I have. It's been bad, but not as bad as I feared after the first article." She looked up into his eyes. "I wish I hadn't signed the agreement on the new flat," she said sadly as she kicked her foot at the dirt in frustration.

"It's for the best. We both know what the reaction would be should anyone find out you are living here."

"I know." They stood side by side on the hill, staring down at the meadow. "How long have you felt this way?" she asked, recalling his behavior at Merlin's Cove.

He stared out at the manicured below. "Since that first evening at the library when you quite literally ran into me; something about you captivated me. Given the hour, I suspected that you had to be unhappy in your marriage. Not to mention you looked like a wilted flower in need of attention."

His confession alarmed her. "So you set about tearing us apart?" she asked pointedly, though there was no anger in her voice, trying to rationalize the timing of his statement. Had he planned all this? Would he?

He shook his head. "You don't really believe that, do you? I merely helped you realize what you already knew. As you will recall, I never said anything to undermine your marriage, not even during that week at the resort."

She quickly recalled everything she could about their conversations and actions; he was right, he hadn't. Not directly. "And speaking of that, did you know I was going to be there?" she asked, hoping she sounded playful.

His answering grin was playful. "You expect me to tell you all my secrets?"

"Yes, well, that one at least," she said and watched him. He smiled and turned to look out at the garden again. She realized he was not going to answer it, but his non-answer was not one that made her think it was anything other than chance. "Will you ever answer that question?"

"Perhaps one day," he replied evasively.

"You always get what you want, don't you?"

He gave her a mischievous look. "I think you know that isn't true, but I will relentlessly pursue that which I want. Now, it's getting late, so why don't we go inside and enjoy Sunday dinner?"

The day of the hearing arrived and she was pacing nervously as she mentally prepared to present her case. If it had been an uncontested hearing, she would not have had to attend, but as Ron had chosen to contest, they would both have to be there. At least Reg had been able to arrange for a closed hearing.

"Ah, good, I'm not too late," said Lucius after he Apparated to the cottage.

It still made her jump that he Apparated silently, but not as much as it had initially. She had taken the day off from work since she would not have been able to concentrate anyway. "Almost. I was just getting ready to leave." This would be the first time she would be back at the Ministry since she left her job there and it felt a little odd.

He crossed to her and placed his hand on her cheek. "Everything will be fine," he said reassuringly. "I'll come by after the hearing," he said.

She understood, knowing that he could not be there for her. "Thanks."

Since she was so nervous, she took the Floo to Reg's office, not trusting herself to Apparate. From there they would travel to the Ministry and her whole life would change. Reg had assured her that the hearing should be perfunctory since the Wizengamot had the depositions from each side. She and Ron were there to answer any questions the members might have. But that didn't make her any less nervous.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Weasley," Reg said reassuringly. "This should take an hour at most, but I don't anticipate it will take that long. We've outlined your reasons in a way that keeps with wizarding sensibilities. I can't see a single reason they would have for denying your petition."

"Thanks, Mr. Forsythe," she replied nervously.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ron and his solicitor, but she just looked straight ahead, not wanting to meet his eyes. He had had a chance to end this amicably, but instead he had chosen to have a tantrum and turn things ugly. Had he just signed the paperwork without contest, they probably could have divorced with a minimum of fuss. Instead he had thrown both their lives into turmoil.

Finally the door opened and they were called into the hearing room. While Ron hurried to be the first into the room, she decided to look more dignified and composed.

When Hermione walked out of the hearing room, she didn't feel the relief she had expected. Instead she felt a profound sadness. This time it was Ron's turn not to look at her, though he was doing so out of anger. His ears were bright red, betraying his emotional state.

A part of her wanted to say something to him, but she had no idea what she would say, so she said nothing.

Once she and Reg were away from the hearing room, he said, "Well, that was the hard part. As you know there is a six week waiting period for the divorce to be final. As long as you don't change your mind, my office will file the appropriate paperwork at that time, and you should receive an owl within two days with the documents making it official."

"Right," she replied numbly.

"During that time, I would recommend that you don't do any dating. It's not illegal; it's just one of those things that would not be received well by the wizarding world. We've won the public relations battle to this point, and it would be a shame for you to do something now that would turn the tide."

She thought about Giles, the dinners they shared that could be misconstrued as a date, she supposed, and then thought about what Lucius had said. "Okay."

He smiled sympathetically, watching her. "I know that you did not want to hurt him, that you did not want to drag his name through the mud like that, but remember, he was the one who started down that path. You didn't do anything wrong by defending yourself."

"I know, and I know that we had to go on the offensive, but it still hurts. We were friends for a very long time. And it hurts to lose that friendship," she admitted.

"I understand. Oh, now that the proceedings are over, there is no reason you can't talk to any mutual friends you have. I was sorry to have done that to you, but I didn't want to risk you accidentally letting anything slip."

"I understand why you did it. Thank you for your help, Mr. Forsythe. I wish I had never had reason to have met you, but your assistance has been invaluable. I couldn't have done this without you."

He bowed slightly. "It was my pleasure. Good day, Miss Granger."

It was odd to hear herself referred to as Granger after all these years, but she had got the Wizengamot to agree to the name change. She just felt it was necessary for the clean break and to start over. Oddly, that seemed to hurt Ron even more than the actual proclamation of divorce.

Realizing that she was alone, she decided to return to the cottage – her home for the rest of the week.

Once there she saw that Katta had left out an assortment of snacks. Hermione nibbled at the food as she waited for Lucius. As she reached for a chunk of cheese, she saw the glint of gold on her left hand and lifted her hand up and stared at the ring. When she had first begun wearing her wedding ring, it had felt odd, but over the last five years, it had become a part of her. Slowly she removed it and examined the gold band, seeing the inscription on the inside, 'Love always, Ron'. It hurt because she did love him, just not the way you were supposed to love your spouse, but that chapter was closed. Now it felt odd to no longer wear it and there was a definite indentation in her finger that she tried to rub away, but it would be some time before her finger returned to normal. For now she tucked the ring in her pocket. She would decide what to do with it later. Maybe transfigure it into a pendant.

A half hour had passed and still Lucius had not come. She tried to think of why he might be running late since he had indicated he would return as soon as the hearing was over, but gave up because there were far too many scenarios to consider.

Finally she heard him calling her name from the foyer.

"In the drawing room," she replied.

He came in and sat beside her. "Forgive me, my dear. I had an urgent and unplanned meeting that I just could not leave. Reg sent me a message that said the divorce was granted."

She nodded. "It has been."

Picking up on her somber mood, he said, "I presume that it was as ugly as you had anticipated." He placed his hand on her leg for comfort.

She collapsed against his shoulder. "It was horrible. I knew they were going to read the depositions and that they might ask questions, but some of them..." She buried her face in his shoulder, trying to block the memory, but it would not go away.

Gently he used his fingers to guide her face until she was looking into his eyes. "Tell me about it. It will make you feel better to let it all out."

She did not want to look into his eyes while she was talking, so she leaned her head against his shoulder, drawing strength from his presence. "Well, it started with the reading of the depositions." She didn't go into the details because he was familiar with them.

"Then they started the questions, and that's when it got ugly."

Hermione stood stoically before the Wizengamot. Having heard the petition for divorce read aloud hurt more than she had expected. She reminded herself that Ron had a role in the failure of their marriage, that it was not her fault alone.

"Such as? Do you share any common hobbies?" Whitmore asked.

"It all went downhill for him from that point," Hermione explained. "Ron's always had a special skill of making an idiot of himself, and that's what he proceeded to do for the next fifteen minutes or so until it culminated in Madame Davenport asking him why they should deny the divorce petition. Needless to say he couldn't come up with a good reason and that's when it ended."

For a long while Lucius said nothing, but rubbed her arm reassuringly. "Well, it's over now," he finally said. "I wish you had not had to go through that, but I presume that you don't have any regrets."

"No. I'm glad it's over. It feels as though a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, but I just wonder what the paper is going to make of it. I saw Rita Skeeter skulking around the Ministry."

He gave her a reassuring squeeze. "I wouldn't concern yourself with that. Now, I really do hate to have to leave you, but I unfortunately have business that I absolutely must see to. I'll return for dinner, though I may be quite late, so I would forgive you for starting without me." He gently pulled away from her.

"I think I can wait." She felt an emptiness as he pulled away from her. His touch had been so reassuring, something she could draw strength from. Even though the hearing was over, she still felt drained.

"I'll try not to be too late, but I can make no promises. It's a very busy time for me right now," he said apologetically.

"I understand," she replied and watched him leave. Just a few short weeks and she would not have to hide her feelings anymore. And she was relieved that Ron had no idea she and Lucius had been spending time together. Even though it was just as friends, the last thing she would have wanted was for Ron to bring Lucius up at the hearing. That would have made their blossoming relationship look even more suspicious to everyone, and she knew that Lucius would have been labeled a home-wrecker.

A/N: First off, many thanks to my beta beaweasley2 for all of her assistance. I can't thank her enough for all the input she has given me throughout the course of this story.

Second, I'd like to apologize to everyone for the delay in getting this chapter up. We've had end of summer vacation and back to school going on here and the oldest has suddenly found a pretty rebellious streak. Hopefully now that she's getting settled in school and I'm looking at putting the youngest in preschool that will give me some me time when I'm not exhausted to put the finishing touches on the rest of the story. Other than the next chapter, most of it is written in draft form, so it's making some minor changes and filling in some holes. As long as time can be found on my end and beaweasley's end, I would like to post chapters about once a week. Don't despair, this story has not been forgotten and won't be put deep on the back burner again. Thank you all for your patience and encouraging reviews.