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It took Hermione almost two years to realize she was technically unemployed. She’d been so busy playing catch up, and convincing politicians what was best for them was, in fact, best for them. It felt like Hogwarts all over again. Lots of reading, the occasional mess she she had to clean up (caused by someone else), and babysitting.
While babysitting used to entail mostly Harry, Ron, and occasionally Ginny, now she had almost 20 fully grown adults to look after. The last remnants of the once great Blacks still living in Britain. Most took their little family allowances, which she reinstated for unmarried members of the house, and left her alone. She made sure to hand Draco his Gringotts slip in person as often as possible, just to rub it in a little. The Malfoys still had a seat in Wizengamot, but they couldn’t turn away free galleons after the reparations. So the little vindictive part of her (okay maybe a big part), had a little party with all the bad habits she picked up from Sirius, and made a day out of the whole thing. Everyone always thinks she had to talk the hat out of Ravenclaw, but it went straight for Gryffindor after mentioning how she’d rule Slytherin if she wasn’t a muggleborn.
Besides the Malfoys, House Black consisted of a bunch of old war widows from both sides. The only real problem there was Augusta Longbottom’s estranged mother, Callidora Longbottom, who routinely refused any help from some ‘muggleborn above her station’. After that was Andy, Teddy, and Harry, her favorite Blacks. She figured with a Black grandmother, and whatever you want to call his relationship with Sirius, he was a Black.
Then there was Marius’s branch, which ran itself. She had reinstated the squib’s family alongside Andy and Teddy. He had a daughter, and two grandchildren, who would both be attending Hogwarts. He adamantly refused her money, but she managed to talk him into at least covering any Hogwarts expenses, and offered them to take the Black surname if they wanted while they attended.
And then there was Cassiopeia.
She loved and hated the woman. Utterly incapable of taking care of herself, but brilliant. A Master Enchanter, who depended on two overworked house elves. Cass would forget to eat, bathe, and possibly breath without poor Brutus and Cecy. She left Beauxbatons with top honors, and quickly apprenticed in enchanting. She took orders from across the globe, and when Hermione was contacting any Black family expats, Cass was excited to hear the war was over.
Somehow she had failed to receive that news for over a year.
Cass decided she wanted to be close to the Black ancestral libraries, and quickly moved to Britain upon hearing such ’fortuitous’ news. Hermione’s initial opinion of the woman was French, and brilliant, but definitely French. So she begged Fleur to look after the hopeless adult. They got on like a house on fire, and now Cass haunts all the Weasley family gatherings. Daphne on the other hand tries to avoid big gatherings with the occasionally overbearing Weasleys. Apparently the first Molly interrogation left a mark.
So slowly her personal life was invaded by a beautiful older French woman, who would show up in her floo at 2am in her panties, running to the library claiming it was a matter of ‘life or death’. Which usually meant she had a deadline tomorrow.
The first time Daphne experienced this somewhat regular occurrence, the blond was not impressed.
It was the one of the few times she ever saw her speechless. No clever quips or snide remarks, just slack jawed bafflement at a half naked woman appearing in her floo, and running through her house at eleven. They just happened to be cuddled up on a couch reading near said floo.
When Daphne saw Hermione acting like it was completely normal, she was suddenly a rather unhappy girlfriend. While the exasperated Lady Black headed to the kitchen, and started making tea for her unexpected guest (She refused to allow Winky to work past 10pm), her girlfriend was slowly moving from confused, to jealous, to upset, to ’Weasley Mad’. Of course, she did her best to keep her calm mask up in the presence of ‘company’, Hermione could still see the oncoming explosion. It wouldn’t be ‘proper’ for an outsider to hear you yell.
Waving in the general direction of the library, from the kitchen in the renovated Grimmauld Place, “Meet cousin Cass. She’s one of the weirder Blacks. I think I told you about her?”
“You didn’t mention she goes stripping through your house in the middle of the night.” Uh oh, the crossed arms and the glare, she must really be upset.
“Honestly, she does this every few months, I’ve kind of come to terms with it. Welcome to my life post-Cassiopeia Black. You’ve refused any ‘sleepovers’, so you’ve missed a few of her ‘shows’.” She managed not to laugh at Daphne's sudden blush. (Idiotic pureblood puritanical beliefs)
“If you go upstairs to the library now she’ll probably be dressed. Sometimes it takes Brutus a few minutes to catch up. Honestly, its like you think I’m cheating on my princess with some weird Frenchwoman who I’m pretty sure doesn’t even know how to bathe herself. Even I don’t have THAT much patience. Her elves basically carry her through her life, while she chases after her projects. You have to kidnap her if you want to see her in public.”
“Sometimes Fleur just stuns her, and wakes her up at whatever party or bar they are inflicting their Frenchness on that evening. She’s a Black, we’re family, but other than the occasional stimulating conversational partner, she scares me. I thought the Black madness was bad on Bellatrix.” She said with a shake of her head.
Daphne’s laugh was a welcome reprieve, “I didn’t know you hated the French so much.”
“I really don’t, I used to vacation with my parents in the French countryside. Skiing, wineries, beeches, all that. You know how Fleur is though? She’s mellowed over the years, and I love her, but when she is with her family, or Cass, it’s like ‘Tournament Fleur’ all over again. It can be a little much.”
She picked up her tray, laden with sweets and tea, and went to welcome her unexpected visitor.
“Come on, I’ll introduce you. She might not acknowledge your existence, so don’t be offended.”
After knocking on the door to the library, and letting herself in without waiting, she called out, “Cass, I brought you tea and a little cake, thought you could use something sweet.”
“Over here.” Brutus called from her left. The new and improved Grimmauld Library had been expanded, and consisted of 4 rows of ceiling high shelves. With her desk in the middle of the massively expanded room. Even with charms, she still had to sacrifice two bedrooms to appease the library gods. She had accumulated as many of the books owned by her House she could find, and consolidated it down to this collection most libraries would be proud of. She gave Andy the previous Seat of House Black, and Hermione basically used it as an overflow library that Andy happened to live inside of.
One of her favorite parts of being Lady Black was that she could plant the heart of House Black in the middle of a library.
She chased Brutus’s voice, with Daphne silently following behind.
Cass was sitting on the floor in jeans and a black t-shirt, surrounded by piles of books, a few open. The madwoman was scribbling in a notebook while her elf, Brutus, watched on. Her stalwart protector gave Hermione a look that said, ‘I’m sorry about my mistress’, and snapped a small table into being.
“Hello Brutus, Cass running into a deadline again?”
“Yes Miss Black, MACUSA request.” The exasperated elf replied.
“Well here’s some tea and sweets for your Mistress. I hope you remember my rules, no elves work in this house past 10. I’m sure Winky is driving herself crazy with the thought of visitors she can’t serve, so why don’t you go keep her entertained. I’ll make sure she eats a little before she goes too far down the rabbit hole.” She said with a smile.
The elf gratefully nodded, and disappeared with a snap and pop.
Hermione placed the tray on the table, walked up to the busy ravenette, and gave her a swift kick in the shin.
“OW! What the fuck Mio!” She exclaimed.
Daphne gave her a look that said, ‘Mio? A nickname? We’ll be talking about this later’. Hermione rolled her eyes, and returned to focusing on her cousin.
“Here Cass, I brought you some tea and cake. I know how you get when you're pushing a deadline. Let me introduce someone, and we’ll let you focus.”
Cass looked at the tray bearing a rather large slice of chocolate cake, and a steaming up of tea, and instantly reached for it. Hermione caught her hand before it could go too far.
“Cass, you’re not getting crumbs over my books.” She pulled the befuddled Black to her feet and continued, “You can have them at my desk.”
“Daphne, you mind bringing the tray for me?” She asked as she dragged a confused Cass to her desk, and forced her into her chair.
“Welcome to the most powerful seat in all of House Black, don’t make too big a mess. Also, this is Daphne Greengress, my girlfriend, and if she keeps up her hard work, the future Misses Lady Black. So show some respect.”
Daphne set down the tray, and gave Hermione a playful shove.
Cass gave the blond a nod, and started devouring the cake.
“We’ll leave you to it then.” Hermione said with a sigh.
Hermione pulled Daphne out of the library, and towards the master bedroom.
Once she figured they were out of earshot, Hermione pushed the other girl up against the wall and snogged the life out of her.
Pulling away from a mildly dazed Daphne, “You think I’d give up this,” she waved her finger between them, “for that?” she asked with a jab of her thumb towards the library.
“Now, if you don’t mind, I want some sleep. I start my hunt for a career tomorrow. I’m tired of playing the little Manor Lady, living off her family’s wealth. In no world can you call a political body that meets every other week a career. Irregardless of how much horse trading it requires.”
Daphne collected herself, and asked the one question that stuck out to her in this world wind of an evening, “Did you just say you were going to marry me?”
Hermione could hear the teasing lilt in her voice.
“I said, ‘If you keep up your hard work’ if you remember. Also, I’m not asking anyone to marry me until I can say ‘I have a job’ and believe it. I can’t believe it took me almost two years to realize I’m unemployed.” She poked Daphne’s shoulder, “Too many distractions.”
Daphne couldn’t fight her grin at those words.
“You could talk to father, hes retired from the firm, but they’ve been looking for a muggleborn advocate since they lost Mr. Tonks.”
Hermione stopped dead and gave Daphne a horrified look, “You did not just tell me to ask my future father-in-law for a job.”
The blond shook out of her grip, and ran for the bedroom laughing the whole way.