granger; HERMIONE (hgrngr) wrote in reduxpitch, @ 2016-07-26 17:43:00 |
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Entry tags: | !challenge, !thread, character: hermione granger, character: james potter, location: ministry of magic |
who ? james potter and hermione granger
when ? a little bit before lunch, tuesday, 26th july
where ? the auror office, ministry of magic
what ? hermione, like a shit psychic, has a tip from the alternative universe (or something)
status ? complete
What had happened on Saturday at the World Cup had, of course, made the papers. Hermione didn’t care much for Ireland having won. Quite frankly, she didn’t care terribly a lot about the Dark Mark either. It was unsettling, but about as unsettling as seeing people at Neo-Nazi marches. The way she remembered it happening before, though, that was slightly more troubling. Except that was also it. Hermione knew that it had happened before. And literally nothing else about it. It must have been in the alternative universe. But this was not information that was particularly helpful. Hermione couldn’t say when or where or why it had happened.
She had spent most of Monday trying to decide whether telling someone that it had happened, when she had no other information to offer, was in any way productive. In the end, Hermione had decided that it was more productive than not. Though perhaps, if she hadn’t known Harry’s dad, Hermione wouldn’t have bothered. James was an Auror and Hermione presumed that they were all quite busy with the events on Saturday. Maybe the information would be useful? She strongly doubted it, but at least she would have told someone. And James was nice. Hermione doubted he’d tell her off for wasting his time. Even if he thought she was.
Having taken her lunch break early, Hermione hoped to get to the Auror Office before James might depart for his own lunch. Running a hand over her skirt, Hermione located the secretary in the reception. “Hello, could I possibly speak to James Potter?” She asked politely, before being asked for her ID. Apparently security checks had tightened since... well, Hermione did suppose there had been a lot of things going on.
Once Hermione’s documents had been checked, the secretary took her through to the room filled with desks and aurors. Everyone seemed at least a degree of busy. That must’ve been quite nice. To be busy and perhaps even enjoy your job. “Auror Potter,” the secretary said. “There’s a Ms Granger here to see you,” she said before walking off. Apparently not everyone enjoyed their job in the Auror Office after all.
“Mr Potter,” Hermione greeted, taking a seat at his desk. “How are you?” Hermione asked since it was polite, but then failed to give the polite amount of time for him to really respond before she started talking again. “I have some information. Or rather, I don’t. I mean, I expect it to be useless to you, but I felt that I should tell someone and I know you what with Harry and all,” there she bit her lips because now Hermione was just rambling that was utterly unnecessary. “I’ve been getting memories of sorts since the chocolates,” she said much more calmly this time.
--
James was tired. And exhausted. And frustrated. Everything was a mess and there were no answers. The only ideas mulling around the office were ones he knew weren't possible, but the problem was being able to prove that. His own thoughts weren't good without facts and proof to back them up. People had been in and out of his office for days, so seeing figures in his doorway wasn't out of the ordinary and he was about to steel himself for talking to another random person when he recognized who came in.
“Hermione,” he greeted, leaning back in his chair and running his hand over his face. “I'm--” he broke off as she started talking again, and he raised an eyebrow at what she said. “Any information is helpful and I'm sure not useless. What memories?”
-
“Well, I’ve had a few. I think,” Hermione paused with a brief shake of her head. Majority of her memories were rather irrelevant. If they were even memories. It was exceedingly hard to tell what was an actual memory and what was just... something else. Hermione was very dubious about whether James Potter gave a toss about her bizarre need to check up on Ron Weasley. “Whoever induced this bleed over was not very considerate in providing much contextual grounds for what can only be described as sensations,” Hermione explained with a somewhat annoyed wave of her hand. She really would have preferred a more solid basis for the information.
Realising that she wasn’t actually sharing the information she had come here for, Hermione frowned. “This thing with the Dark Mark at the World Cup,” she said finally. “It’s happened before,” Hermione told James before rather unhelpfully adding ‘I think’. “I don’t now anything else. Just that I remember it happening. I’m sorry that’s not very helpful,” Hermione apologised. “I wouldn’t have even said anything, but--” You’re Harry’s dad seemed like a rather ridiculous thing to add.
“It’s hard to make any sense of the memories,” she admitted. “Mostly it’s just confusing,” because it really was. She thought of Ron dreaming about Harry drowning, but that was even less something Hermione should bring up. James didn’t have to worry about that, too. “I know everyone’s experiences have been different. I mean, with what happened between Harry and Evan--” there Hermione cut herself off, eyes widening slightly as she realised what she’d said.
-
James managed a brief, tired smile at her annoyance with the memories and their lack of context. He hadn't experienced any of that himself but he could imagine it would be quite frustrating to have memories but no idea how they fit with anything. That seemed to be the going feeling toward them, anyway - frustrating. He let his charmed quill at the side of his desk scrawl away on a piece of parchment to record what she was saying so he was free to listen, and focus.
“It happened before, in these memories you've had?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “At the World Cup?” He ran his hand through his hair and hummed in thought. “It's not helpful per se but it's good to know, because who knows if it might be helpful in the future as we figure this out…”
His attention was drawn away from the Cup and the Dark Mark completely by her mention of his sons, and his brow furrowed as he looked across at her. Her eyes were wide, and with the way she was looking at him it was clear she hadn't meant to say anything about them. “Harry and Evan?” he asked calmly, folding his hands on his desk and leaning forward onto his forearms. “What happened between them?”
-
A ‘good to know’ was probably better than ‘a waste of my time’, so Hermione counted that as a victory. At least now the information was off of her hands and James could do whatever he wanted with it. Perhaps it would come to mean slightly more than ‘it happened’. Hermione nodded at James’ questions, confirming that it had been a World Cup. Except she didn’t know which one. Or where. Or why. Or anything of any use, really. And now she might have accidentally told him more than she should have, too.
It was a silly mistake, really. But then, Hermione did also presume that either Harry or Evan would have told by now. Or should have, at least. She was rather surprised there hadn’t been an investigation. “In for a knut in for a galleon, I guess,” Hermione muttered under her breath, before looking at James more properly. “Harry forgot who Evan was. He believed that he didn’t have a brother, so he thought Evan was an intruder and hexed him,” Hermione told James. “I would apologise for breaking their trust and telling you, but frankly, I’m not all that sorry. I feel that you should know,” she informed him. Why either of them had attempted to hide it in the first place was beyond Hermione. Not when it was clearly dangerous.
--
James let her words sink in, his mind racing back to when Evan had been in the hospital, Harry the one who took him there and the mess of a note he'd written to alert the family. At least this made more sense, if he could call it that, than Evan not remembering anything about what happened - in the sense of not telling them, not in what actually happened. There was so much to unpack in the small version of events she'd told, and James was already feeling overwhelmed by everything else going on, but that didn't mean he wouldn't find a way to make time for it.
“Thank you,” he said after a long moment. “For telling me. I won't tell them who did, whenever I figure out how to bring it up with them.” He didn't want to ask if she knew why Harry would think he didn't have a brother, since she had memories from the other world, because he wasn't sure he wanted to know. “As to the World Cup, like I said I don't know how what you remember might come in handy, but if it seems to be pertinent you may be requested to come in and give a formal statement.”
-
As nice as it was of James to say he wouldn’t tell his sons that Hermione had been the one to disclose the information, it was also unnecessary. “They should have told you,” she said with a dismissive wave. “I think they’re okay now,” Hermione added since she knew Harry had gone back to live in the flat. “But Harry--” She paused with a frown. “I guess he’s worried, which makes sense,” Hermione explained. No one wanted anything like what had happened to happen again, obviously. That didn’t mean they could guarantee it wouldn’t, if only because no one really knew why it had in the first place.
When James suggested that Hermione might need to come in and give an official statement, she nodded. “Of course,” Hermione confirmed. “Anything that you think might help. I’m sorry I can’t offer much of anything else, but I certainly will if I... remember, I guess?” It really wasn’t a very solid line of information. Nonetheless, Hermione was more than happy to tell the Aurors anything she might know, for as long as it was helpful.
--
“Yes, they should have told me,” James agreed with a wry smile. He understood, though, or at least partially understood why they hadn't. It had been a bizarre situation, and a scary one, for everyone involved. It would have been helpful for the Healers to know exactly what had happened, but everything had turned out fine. It didn't do to dwell on situations that were in the past and resolved, though he did plan on telling Lily at the very least. Because they also should have told her.
“It's alright, Hermione, I appreciate anything you can remember about it. While we’re still trying to sort out exactly what happened, at least we know it's not… well, I don't know what we can say about the memories from the other world. At least we know something happened there as well. If you do remember anything else, please feel free to let me know. I’d certainly appreciate it.”
-
Hermione was tempted to ask what the Aurors knew about the chocolate thing. If there was any information on who had caused it or why. If there was someone collating the information people recalled (remembered? Experienced?). Except Hermione logically knew that even if James knew the answers to such questions, he would not be able to disclose the information to her. Hermione was, after all, only a lowly clerk at the Wizengamot. She was not someone privy to such investigations.
“I will,” Hermione nodded, before standing up. “Thank you for sparing your time to see me,” she added politely. Hermione was still not convinced that her information was of any use at all to James or the investigation as a whole, but she did feel better for having shared it. “I hope you can figure out what’s going on quickly,” she offered because there wasn’t much else to say to that. A sort of ‘good luck’ without obviously wishing an Auror good luck with their job. That was probably insulting.
--
“Anytime,” James said sincerely, because even if she'd been coming into his office for no work related reason at all, he meant it. She was a friend of one of his kids, after all, and that made her part of the extended family in a way. Plus it was a nice break in the chaos to see someone other than the people who worked in his department.
“Thank you, I do as well. I'd like to be able to put minds at ease sooner rather than later.” He offered her a parting smile. “Have a good rest of your day, Hermione.”