Where Do We Go From Here? (Leslie)

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Hermione had promised Leslie the next time she came up to the school, she’d make time for lunch at the Three Broomsticks as they used to do every Hogsmeade weekend their seventh year. Though the circumstances were bleaker than what she was expecting, but she wasn’t going to go back on her word. Besides, times like these she needed her best friend. Leslie could tell her what had been going on in the school in the days since the kidnappings, and Hermione could brief her to the best of her ability on what they planned on doing Ministry wise for the school.

She entered the Three Broomsticks, giving a smile to the bartender. She went and sat at the usual two person table near the front window, where they always sat. She had sent an owl to Leslie telling her to meet her at twelve o’clock, and it was approximately 11:55am. She was always early to everything, and wasn’t going to change. She ordered a butterbeer and waited for her friend to come in the door so they could chat.

@leslie

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Leslie was ecstatic that she and Hermione were going to do lunch at the Broomsticks! It brought back a lot of memories, thinking of them there together. They had really bonded over Leslies last year, the year Hermione came back to finish school, and the Broomsticks had become one of there favorite places easily. They had a table that they always sat at, and Leslie hoped no one would take it before they got there. Leslie arrived just one minute before noon and her eyes landed on the table right away, where Hermione sat.

She approached her, smile large, as she sat in the seat across from Hermione. "Afternoon, Hermione!" she said, ordering a butterbeer of her own and reaching a hand across to squeeze Hermiones hands briefly. "It's good to see you. I'm glad you could take a moment out of your busy schedule! Goodness knows, I was afraid that you were working yourself to death.... which you probably are?" she raised a concerned brow at the brunette.

@hermionejean
(gahahhahaha that gif kills me hahahah)

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Hermione smiled warmly at Leslie as she sat down across from her. “Of course! I’d always make time for you,” she said. It had certainly helped that the schools new psychologist was starting that day, and that Neville had asked her to come up to oversee it. She would come back with Leslie after lunch and check in with Rose and Hugo before heading back to Ron and their home. Even though it had been almost six years since Hugo had hopped on the train after his sister to Hogwarts, it was still strange having the house to themselves.

“How are you though, really?” she asked. She knew Leslie had been there during the kidnappings from beginning to end, protecting the students. She had gotten there as the group who had been responsible had escaped, leaving the poor dead Muggleborn student Ethan in their wake. She felt sick just thinking about it. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t seen a dead body before, but the third student that year was more than worrisome – it was terrifying.

@leslie

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As Hermione spoke, asking how she was really doing, Leslie found herself sinking back into her chair slightly. It was hard for her to talk about serious things, they often made her feel like she was betraying her well known creed to 'keep it positive'. But she couldn't deny what she and the others at the school had been through that day, April 1st. She sighed, "I'm... disappointed. Disappointed that I didn't realize who the criminal was sooner. She just slipped past us all, under the radar, like some kind of...snake," she almost chuckled at the irony of what she had just said, but she knew it wasn't an appropriate time to be making a joke. She shook her head and looked up at Hermione. "I'm partly responsible for the death of these children, Hermione, and that's not a good feeling."

@hermionejean

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Hermione listened to her friend speak, a sympathetic look coming to her face. Of course Leslie felt that she had somehow let down Ethan by not realizing Elaine’s involvement soon enough to save his life; even she felt guilty though she did not work at the school. Being Head of Magical Law Enforcement meant she had a vast array of tools at her disposal, and if they had just been quicker to deploy them, maybe Ethan would still be alive. But there was nothing that could be done now; the Time Turners that had been smashed in the Hall of Mysteries had never been replaced, and even so messing with time so that a death is reversed would go against the Laws of Nature, and would have had terrible consequences. “You mustn’t blame yourself Leslie. We all didn’t realize Elaine would turn out to be the leader of the Purifiers. Though how a student could control that many makes me wonder how she did this all on her own,” she said, a frown coming to her face. It was strange that a single girl in her seventh year could accomplish the kidnappings on her own; she made a mental note to look into it more when she got back to the office. The waitress came over and Hermione put in an order for a fish sandwich with crisps. Perhaps food would help cheer up their lunch; it always did when they were in school.

@leslie

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"Thank you, honey. I'll take partial blame, though, as we all should," sometimes it was healthy to take responsibility for things like this, it made you better in the future. Leslie nodded at Hermiones other point, "and you're right. She obviously had outside help for that kidnapping. As for in the school... I just hope she didn't leave any of her followers behind... but I doubt that," there was no way Elaine was doing this on her own and she must have had other students and friends who were in on it too. "After all, Ethan took the unbreakable vow and you have to have a witness for that. There is someone else at the school... but like I said, I hope they went with Elaine and those awful people." Her tiredness and lack of faith was starting to show as she leaned forward, elbow on the table, running a hand through her hair.

@hermionejean

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Hermione reached back and squeezed her friends arm. If she was to be completely honest, she did not one-hundred percent believe that every one of Elaine’s followers had left the school. There was no way that that girl had planned out those kidnappings so thoroughly and had not left a mole in the school. She hoped that the new school psychiatrist would help weed out some of the unknowns left behind in the kidnappings. “We just have to move forward; I smashed all the Time Turners so it’s not like we can go back in time,” she said with a soft chuckle. She remembered both Dumbledore and McGonagall warning her about messing with time; to go back and prevent a death while it seemed noble, would cause unthinkable consequences to the timeline of their world.

“How are my god children doing? Were any of them injured or anything in the kidnappings?” she asked. Leslie had triplets that were the same age as Hugo, and they all got along famously. She wondered sometimes if Rosie was too mature for them, but they always had a wonderful time when they all got together.

@leslie

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Leslie hated the idea of going back in time and, in fact, shuddered at the thought. At the mention of her own children she let out a relieved breath. "Oh Hermione they were brilliant. They kept hidden until they knew it was safe enough to come to my office and then they waited there til I came back. I'm sure Xan was the leader in assuring that they didn't do anything insane," she shook her head, reaching up to rub her temples for a moment. "I don't know what I'd do without those girls, Hermione. I don't know what," she sighed, dropping her hand again. "How's Hugo? He saw that poor Moreta girl from Ravenclaw get taken. That boy doesn't need to see any more of that darkness then he already has to," she said.

@hermionejean

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Hermione beamed; she was so glad to hear that Leslie’s children had performed admirably during the attacks. It wasn’t that she didn’t have any faith in them, but it was still reassuring to hear they had done well. “I’m not surprised that they performed so well, with such a Charms savant for a mother, they must have known what to do,” she said, fondly patting her hand. She hesitated, before answering Leslie concerning Hugo. “Hugo is…well I think he is alright,” she started, before letting it all go. “I feel like a failure as a parent sometimes; I know he is a clairvoyant, and he doesn’t like to touch people because he can see their grisly futures, but I don’t know how to talk to him about it without sounding…scared,” she blurted, then dissolved into silence for a moment. She did really feel terrible she could not fully relate to her son as much as she loved him. Her worst subject always was and will always be Divination, which she never saw much use for until she had Hugo.

“I just wish I had found more use for Divination as a student, had I known I’d have a clairvoyant son. But then again, I suppose I would have known about the clairvoyance if I had been any good at it,” she said with a wry chuckle.

@leslie

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Leslie smiled fondly at Hermione as she spoke of Leslie's charm abilities and her children being able to utilize it. As for Hugo, Leslie had known that the whole clairvoyant situation wasn't easy on Hermione. It was no secret how much Hermione hated divination in school and thought it was a waste of time. As Hermione spoke about her struggles with Hugo and his abilities, Leslie took a long sip of her drink. "I don't think he expects anyone to really talk to him about it. You know how he is. So incredibly loving to others and always tying to help them... it's all right to be scared of his abilities," she said, nodding. "I think the most important thing is to continue showing him that you don't judge him for it in any way."

"I think he would do well to speak to the new school guidance counselor position that you and the Headmaster are setting up. That may be a nice place for him to unwind," she suggested as the thought came to her.

@hermionejean