Chapter 20

Don't count your predictions before they've come true

Hermione was running late for work. In all her time at the ministry, she had never even once been late. To her defense she would say that in all her time at the ministry, she had never woken up to Ginny Weasley hugging her and mumbling not to leave her, effectively stealing all of Hermione's motivation to get up. In the end however, she had managed to leave the bed and used some modified spells to speed up her morning routine.

"I don't think we can walk. Let's just disapparate here," Hermione said to Ginny, who had ultimately decided to accompany her to the ministry, since she had to get some Quidditch documents signed at the Department of Magical Games and Sports.

Ginny nodded and they disappeared behind the trash containers Hermione usually used as her disapparating spot. When Hermione reached for Ginny's hand and was about to initiate the disapparating process, Ginny held her back.

"Just one thing," the witch said.

Hermione tilted her head and gave her a questioning look.

"I just want to tell you that I love you," Ginny said softly and smiled.

Hermione felt heat creeping into her cheeks as she smiled at her girlfriend.

"You're so cheesy," she said but couldn't hide the fact she liked being all cheesy and silly with Ginny.

"And You're amazing," she added and placed a kiss on Ginny's lips. "I love you, too."

A second later they had disapparated and found themselves inside the entrance hall of the ministry. It was quite crowded at that time of the day as hundreds of witches and wizard where either heading to work or using the visiting hours for all kinds of affairs. A continuous mixture of voices filled the air and owls were coming from all directions.

"I have to go that way," Hermione said and pointed towards one of the elevators.

"Right. And I have to go over there," Ginny replied pointing towards another direction, but then she looked around indecisively.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, placing a hand on Ginny's shoulder and squeezing lightly.

"It's just that I wish I could kiss you goodbye, like all couples do," Ginny shrugged before she met Hermione's eyes.

After Hermione had pondered over what she had said for a few seconds, she replied: "Why don't we just do it then?"

Ginny looked at her in surprise before she started laughing nervously. "What? Are you sure?"

"We have nothing to lose anyways, don't you think?" Hermione said as she let her hand wander from Ginny's shoulder to her hand until their fingers intertwined.

Ginny seemed to have gained back her confidence and she nodded with a mischievous look in her eyes. "Well, have a great day at work then, 'mione," she whispered and leaned forward.

"Thanks, Gin," Hermione replied before she leaned in to meet Ginny's lips with hers.

"Ginevra?!" a shocked voice suddenly said behind them, making the two witches flinch and turn around in unison.

Hermione instinctively ducked her head when she recognized Mrs. Weasley standing a few meters away from them. The older witch was shooting accusing looks at her and Ginny.

"Ginevra, what do you think you're doing?!" she raised her voice and a couple of wizards passing by stopped walking and turned their heads towards the scene starting to unfold.

Hermione felt Ginny clench her hand tighter, but she remained silent, obviously still shocked by the sudden appearance of her mother. Hermione initially felt angry about this coincidence, but then she remembered what she had told her girlfriend the night before and she raised her head, finally able to meet Mrs. Weasley's eyes. She would finally confront her and there would be no turning back.

"Mrs. Weasley," she addressed her, trying to sound confident and self-assured. "I am sorry you had to find out like this, but neither I nor Ginny have any intention of ending our relationship. No matter what anyone says, we want to be together." She took a deep breath and was about to continue, when Mrs. Weasley interrupted her.

"You broke my son's heart!" she pointed at Hermione. "And now you seduced my daughter!"

"No, mum! It wasn't like that!" Ginny interfered, while her face became all red at the sight of numerous wizards and witches observing the scene.

"Molly," another voice joined the dispute and a second later Mr. Weasley was standing behind his wife, placing his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.

Hermione felt her palms growing sweaty as she sensed that the situation was about to get out of control. A look at Mrs. Weasley's face told her she was ready to start screaming at them again and to her side she could feel Ginny's anger getting bigger. She let her eyes wander briefly in an attempt to process everything that was happening right now when her eyes fell onto another redhead looking down on the scene from one of the balustrades lining the inner walls of the foyer. Ron met her eyes with an unreadable expression, but at least he didn't join the argument.

Hermione inhaled deeply and closed her eyes as she tried to ignore everything that was happening for just a second, so she could think about what to say. However, it was impossible. Ron's expression was still burned into her lids and she heard the mulled voices of Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and Mr. Weasley, all accompanied by the mumbling of the wizards and witches surrounding them. To Hermione it felt like an ill-sounding symphony that had just reached its grand finale.

But then she realized something. That she could be the conductor of that symphony. She had no idea where that thought had come from, but suddenly she was convinced that she would be the one who had to bring this to an end. So she inhaled and exhaled once more before she opened her eyes again and said: "Enough."

She didn't shout, no, she didn't even raise her voice, yet, everyone suddenly fell quiet and looked at her expectantly.

"What exactly is your problem?" Hermione addressed Mrs. Weasley. "What in the world is so wrong about Ginny and me being happy with each other?" She looked at Ginny and gave her a small smile before she looked up to where Ron was leaning over the balustrade. "And you? Why do you even care? You have a new girlfriend! You have nothing to hold against me!"

Then she looked around at the crowd of curious witches and wizards and she recognized a few of her co-workers from her department.

"Do you know what?" she said to no one in particular. "I am sick of this. I am sick of this job and even more I am sick of this attitude you all have. Pretending to be better than me and thinking you'd be the ones to decide about my happiness. About our happiness."

She slightly shook her head before she looked up toward the ceiling. "Some called me the brightest witch of our times, but only know I realized that I was actually too stupid to do the things I really want and love who I want to love. There is so much I don't know, but I know at least two things: I want to change my job and I love Ginevra Weasley. And that is all I need to know. I finally know how to be happy." She looked at Ginny who was observing her with teary eyes.

"You showed me how to be happy," Hermione said and smiled at her. She turned towards her girlfriend and took her other hand into hers as well.

And suddenly, without any prior warning, tiny yellow sparks were rising from the floor, increasing in number and getting bigger and more radiant until it looked like they were surrounded by a million lightning bugs. Hermione never had seen anything comparable in her life, so she couldn't help but look around in awe.

The sparks now started to spin around the the two girls faster and faster, almost like a tornado. And then Hermione inhaled sharply when she realized that she and Ginny were drifting upwards into the air. They hovered maybe two or three metres over the floor and Hermione finally managed to think again. "What is this?" she whispered.

Ginny only shrugged and looked just as confused as her. She was still holding onto Hermione which gave the older witch a feeling of safety despite the mysterious situation.

"It's the sign!" A voice from below them suddenly exclaimed. It took hermione a couple of seconds to recognize it as Pansy's.

Then, just a second later, a whisper arose from the sparks and even though it sounded like a thousand voices talking at the same time, the message was oddly clearly understandable.

"You found it. Another lonely soul. Two lonely souls destined for each other.

You are on the road to happiness. Now it is up to you whether you take it or not."

While the voices faded out and the sparks became increasingly transparent until they were not visible anymore, Hermione and Ginny were lowered back to the floor.

"Blimey!" Ginny laughed. "That was intense."

Hermione had totally forgotten about the dozens of eyes on them when she said: "I can't believe the prediction was real after all. Of course it was you." She smiled before she leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on Ginny's lips.

When someone suddenly cleared their throat the two witches jumped apart and finally were pulled back into reality.

Mrs. Weasley had stepped forward and was biting her lip, before she looked up and looked at her youngest child. "Ginevra," she began and cleared her throat again.

Ginny looked at her with an uneasy expression as if she were afraid her mother might get angry at her again. But instead of the expected scolding, Mrs. Weasley closed the distance between her and her daughter and embraced her.

"Mum?" Ginny sounded confused, but after a moment, she reciprocated the hug and closed her eyes. "It's hard for me to accept," Mrs. Weasley finally said as she stepped back and wiped a tear from her eye. "I don't know why, but ever since Fred left us, I couldn't stand changes. I thought you'd be happy with Harry, and Ron would be happy with Hermione." She looked at Hermione directly for the first time and Hermione noticed that the anger in her eyes had evaporated.

"I just couldn't understand that the same person who broke my son's heart could make my daughter happy. But this event has showed me that I was wrong." Mrs. Weasley turned her head and smiled at her husband. "I have seen something like that before. Do you remember, Arthur?"

Mr. Weasley nodded while the eyes of the witches and wizards surrounding them wandered between him and Mrs. Weasley.

"Many, many years ago, my mother had moat her husband, my father, to one of the early death eaters. She was devastated and believed she'd never find happiness again. But one day a fortune teller in the streets told her that something would happen to her and it would be a sign she could feel happiness again. In her case it wasn't another wizard, but a little puppy. When she picked it up, the same thing that had just happened happened to her. And she finally smiled again." When Mrs. Weasley finished her story she had teary eyes and she sniffed quietly. Then her expression became more serious, almost threatening and she looked at Hermione.

"I swear if you hurt her or break her heart-" she began, but suddenly got cut off by another voice.

"Mum, stop it, you're embarrassing!" Ron called from the balustrade. Hermione looked up to him and met his eyes. After a second he curled his lips into a hesitant smile and scratched his head. Hermione didn't smiled back at him, but she raised her eyebrows to signal acknowledgement.

"So what are you going to do now? Seems like you just resigned," Ginny asked.

"I don't know," Hermione said and smiled widely. "I have absolutely no idea."

All she knew was that they were going to be fine.