The Unexpected
August 2, 2008
It’s only been 10 years since the biggest threat to her world was defeated; since the wizarding world labeled her as the Golden Girl. One third of the Golden Trio. Only 10 years after the war, but some days it still feels like she’s out on the battlefield. Maybe that’s due to the number of threats she receives a day; maybe it’s because of post-traumatic stress disorder. Probably a combination of both.
Hermione Jean Granger.
Daughter.
Healer.
Friend.
Wife.
Muggleborn.
The Golden Girl.
The Brightest Witch of her Age.
Potter’s Mudblood.
Mudblood.
War Hero.
Hermione was known as many things. Many of them are good, an equal number of them not so good. It all pertains to the person, she assumes. Never did she think about adding to that list; good or bad. But as the little orb of light floated above her (for now) smaller abdomen, she knew for a fact that she would be adding at least one more thing to it. Mum.
It felt weird, but not as unwelcome as she expected. She’s already starting to picture it. The life she will have going forward. The little bundle in her arms, the sound of little feet running across the floor, the giggles, the mid morning cuddles, sending them off to Hogwarts.
Mentally, she’s already preparing a list. Thanks to Pansy and Harry, she’s got a generalized idea of what she’ll need. And a basic understanding of child care. Before she can start any sort of prep, she has to tell Ron.
Ron.
How is he going to take the news? Starting a family isn’t really something either of them have talked about. It seems silly considering how long they’ve been together, but the topic just never came up. Hermione was busy working on her studies, and then her career. Ron was busy with the joke shop, and his less than ideal activities…her. But maybe.. Maybe this baby will be their shot.
*
Hermione isn’t sure how long she sat at the table. The letters filled with threats spread across it. Her tea is long forgotten, and her hand is rubbing small circles on her flat stomach. She knows it must’ve been at least a few hours, the whooshing sound of the Floo indicates that her husband just arrived home. She sneaks a glance at the clock, 11:30 pm.
“Hey, Hermione,” Ron says as he leans down to kiss her cheek. “Sorry I’m home so late. We had another late night with inventory and testing a new product.”
It wasn’t another late night, Hermione thought, you were with her.
The words she couldn’t, and wouldn’t, say out loud.
She peered up at him, a forced smile on her lips. “That’s alright. I’m glad you’re home. I have something we need to discuss.”
Ron groaned, leaning his head against the cabinet door. Hermione could tell that just the sound of her voice was draining the good mood he came home with. “Not tonight, alright? I’m exhausted and I really don’t care to hear more of your ‘but you’re working so much, Ron’ speeches right now.”
With a wince and slight frown, “No, no. It’s definitely not one of those. It’s happy news, I promise!” Hermione smiled thinking of the golden orb that announced her pregnancy hours ago. Gold, how ironic.
A sound of glass shattering brought her gaze to Ron. His shoulders were haunched, fist clenched on the counter, “I honestly don’t care what it is. I’m tired and would like to have a drink before I go to bed. Why do you do this? Why do you always have t-”
“Ron, I’m pregnant.” Tears were in her eyes, but she refused to look at him. Gone were the days of his kindness. He didn’t leave her little notes in the morning anymore, no more stolen kisses in the shadows at gatherings, no more secret smiles and flirtatious winks. No, all that was for her now. Hermione was just a wall in the way of their love. But Ron would never leave, he couldn’t, he refused to bear the burden of abandoning his wife. Even if that’s all Hermione wanted.
Instead she got his temper. The thousands of broken glasses, holes in walls, him sneaking into bed in the middle of the night (if he bothered to come home at all that night), the loneliness, the occasional bruise, sometimes wand marks from where he held it to her while spouting off his threats, and the many nights she fell asleep with tears flowing down her face.
Hermione wasn’t sure what she expected, but a pained laugh paired with another broken glass definitely was not on her list of expected reactions. “Of fucking course you are,” he spat. “The one time in ten months I’m drunk enough to stand the sight of you, is the one time either of us has forgotten to cast the charm.”
It should hurt, the way his words are filled with so much venom towards her. It really should. In the past seven years, this is all Hermione has known. It doesn’t hurt her the way it used to. In fact, it’s really the only way she can get him to talk to her. Or look at her, for that matter.
“I can’t do this anymore,” he whispers. “I thought this was what I wanted, and at one point I loved you. But now I only have resentment for you in its place. I love her, Hermione. It’s not fair to any of us.”
Hermione’s head snapped up, “Not fair!?! Do you want to talk about what’s not fair, Ronald? Knowing that you’re out, every night with her. When you are with me, you’re thinking about her. You’ve closed me off from everyone because you’re terrified of what Molly will think of you when she finds out that for SEVEN YEARS, you haven’t been a husband. You’ve barely been a friend.”
Now that she’s started, she can’t seem to stop. The heartbreak from the last seven years is gone, anger is the only thing in its place, “It’s not fair for me to sit here and take care of the home that we were supposed to build together, but was only left to me. It’s not fair to me or our child to have someone so emotionally immature that they lash out at every chance instead of talking it out like an adult. You did this Ron, you broke me, broke us. Not me.”
Ron stood fuming, Hermione could tell that a hex was already on his tongue, “You don’t have to decide anymore. My child and I will be fine without you in our house. No more yelling, no more breaking things, no more hurting me. This is the end of it.”
It happened so quickly that Hermione’s brain barely had time to register the fact that she now felt a sting on her cheek. “I will make you regret this,” he spat before turning to the Floo.
*
It’s been two days since Ron left, and two days since Hermione found out she was going to be a mum.
So many unexpected things were happening, she wasn’t sure of much at the moment. She knew that Ron would’ve spun the story around by now. The Weasley family would consider her to be an outcast. Hermione could only imagine the lies that he’s told them by now. Probably made her out to be the cheating villain. The abuser in this situation. No one would believe her when she says that he came home reeking of dark magic and Firewhiskey. No one would believe that she tried to make the marriage work.
The one Weasley Hermione was certain would not believe whatever lies Ronald is spreading; Charlie Weasley-Nott.
The dragon tamer was able to tame the most chaotic person in her life next to one of the Potter kids; Theodore Nott. Theo and Charlie tried to get Hermione to leave Ron for years, having noticed his abusive behavior. They even teamed up with Harry and Pansy to try and get through to her. But at the time, she wasn’t strong enough. But now she is. She has to be; for herself and her baby.
Her baby.
Merlin that thought alone is crazy. A baby. Hermione Granger is going to be a mum.
No matter what Ron tells his family or how hard he’ll try to break her from their lives. Hermione is sure of one thing; her baby is going to know how much he or she is loved from the five people they’ll consider family.
That is, if Hermione ever gets the courage to send the bloody owl out with their dinner invitations to break the news of her separation, and the impending arrival of their newest addition.