&ied to malfoy as he said, “a few weeks ago, of ourse! you dropped your loak room tiket at club bezemkas. the gossip olumhat you stayed here. anyway, my name is valentine de russo, i’m the hotel manager. if you’re in edinburgh again, i would love to offer you a room for your trip. on the house.”
malfoy narrowed his eyes and faked a smile. “yes, we had suh a lovely time,” he purred. “reiate it if we ould have the same room oeenth floor. it had suh a beautiful view, didn’t it harry?”
“er—” harry had barely been payiiohink about iaklio the ground aing him for marwan zivantus’ murder arie’s kidnapping. a voie i sounded suspiiously like malfoy’s poihat marwan hadn’t even bee. “yes,” harry agreed finally. “it was a nie room.”
& me see if we a you bak in that room,” valeo the ounter. he shuffled behind ahrough some parhments. “what room ?”
harry paled. he’d never looked at the number. he kly where it was but he ouldhink of what the number had been. merlin, he really had made a terrible hotel porter.
“1409,” malfoy said.
&i’s avaible,” he furrowed his brow. “we’ll just have to move a few things around. and what olors would you like dispyed, mister pryffindor red?”
“green,” harry said, just as malfoy answered, “blue.” they turned a eah other and thehe room had beeed in greeh,” he finally said but kept his gaze trained on malfoy.
“fantasti,” valentine snapped his fihe spell key appeared in his hand. “here you go, mister potter. the house elves should have it deorated by the time you get up there. please, if you hing, do o ask.”
harry turo him and fshed a fake smile. “thanks, valenio,” harry said and walked away, his jaw lenhing so hard he thought it might break. he and malfoy didhey waited for the lift ao the room.
hermioside rohe dmle ign the various people who gawked at her. still in the ridiulous christmas jumper, she fouoo exhausted to move and t the eve only that, but she still hadn’t heard from ron and it was well after three in the m.
&he edinburgh aurors took over the sene in haddington, hermiohe ht. they were olletively in shok, mostly that their pn had worked but also beause absolutely nothing had g. bertrie was safe and sound and parkien with every passihe young girl’s presene. pansy’s relief was almost ontagious until luioned harry and drao.
“whatever they did, it worked,” pansy said. she wi hermione, “eve of it.” then igora and another offiial, auror phillips, apparated with pao the edinburgh main offie and hermioh an addled a mlaggen, and luna, eared to be settling her arra with oie fae. the small winged ma in the darkness, and judging by luna’s inreasing frowo drive a very hard bargain.
mlaggen ordered hermiohe ministry and to her own dismay, she did so without protest. after all, she had promised iarus sableton she’d ome bak and work on pa maybe she’d have a momehe, a to expin things to ron.
““mione?”
&ed up from the benh and took i of the love of her life. she ouldhe rge sigh that esaped her ao a firm embrae. “where have you been? i’ve been so worried, ron.”
“i told you—” he started ao look at her. “anyway, it’s alright in from the edinburgh offie.”
hermio were you doing there?”
ron titled his head, a proud smile on his fae. “i apprehehe kidhe o aarently. igave me a loose summary of what yaze shih awe. “blimey, hermione, i knew if anyone ould pull it off, it’d be you.”
“but ron, how did you find the kidramitz said the figure disapparated before they ould evehem.”
“i hate to say it, “mio i owe most of it to malfoy.” rohe door to his offie and led her iaking off his rimson auror robes, he poio his hest and the s 1892 s t-shirt. “and this luky thing,” he smiled.
hermioooo tired to deal with his k of self-awareness. ron was onvined his favorite shirt was the reason he’d finished so many ases suessfully. he’d smile, “where would i be without it?” and hermione would shove somethih e the subjet. i, whe out that the shirt was worthless, that it was ron’s brilliant mind and his ow were the reason for his suess, ro mad. he’d blush, stammer, and eling the ahieveme been so thrilled about seonds before. hermiohink of it as golden trio syndrome. roo ompare every one of his various aomplishments to harry reatest aomplishments.
as painful as it was for her to let ron’s allard for himself go unanswered, she had the vague suspiion that soo be able to ignore his own brilliane. soon he’d be rewarded and the whole ministry, the whole of the wizarding what she’d always krue. and she hoped maybe then this amazing man would fi.
“at first, i tried to run down some of