“Hermione!” Hermione gags into the toilet as Harry’s voice echoes through Grimmauld Place. “Hermione!” The nausea finally leaves her as an annoyed and pained groan escapes her lips. She flushes the toilet and vigorously starts to brush her teeth. “Hermione!... HERA!!” Hermione spits out her toothpaste.
Rolling her eyes in annoyance, “What Harry?” in a moment Harry is bursting into her bathroom upon hearing her quiet words.
“Hermi- you were puking again weren’t you?” Hermione’s eyes fall closed in exhaustion at his words - she’s been getting morning sickness for the past three weeks - she still has yet to tell anyone she is pregnant. Least of all the father - especially not the father - that night was a mistake (and so were all the other nights). Why did she ever believe that he actually was being hone- Hermione blinks multiple times to stop the tears burning her eyes.
She comes back into focus immediately seeing Harry’s worried face. A slight frown works its way to her face, knowing that he won’t allow her to ignore his question.
Hermione slumps back against the bathroom counter, “Harry…” he immediately gets that stubborn look on his face that she knows will cause her problems.
“No, Hermione don’t ‘Harry’ me. You’ve been puking for weeks now,” at Hermione’s shocked look Harry scoffs, “just because I had a habit of blinding running into things while we were in school doesn’t mean that I am still like that. Besides, as an Auror you have to be aware of everything. You’re my sister Hermione, I love you and I just want to be sure that you're healthy and happy. I know you’ve been hiding things and I also know that you are distinctly not happy.”
Tears rush to Hermione’s eyes and spill over before she can stop them. Through her blurry vision she can see him filled with more worry for her. In a moment he pulls Hermione into a tight hug as she continues to blubber. Slowly he sways them back and forth as her hormones take over her rational thoughts and Hermione loses herself.
It’s a while later that Hermione finally gets a hold of herself and pulls away from Harry. Wiping at her face and eyes as Harry hands her some tissue and puts his arm around her. Hermione tries to find a good way to tell Harry the truth, but comes up with nothing. She knows that he won’t react well - Harry is a Gryffindor in every way - and she is terrified that he’s going to hate her and throw her out.
“I’m sorry.” Her apology comes out a croak as Harry tuts like the mother hen he is and silently and wandlessly tergeos his clothing.
Harry drops a kiss on Hermione’s head, “No harm done, sister. Now tell me what’s going on will you? Before I go crazy thinking that there is something seriously wrong.” a sniffle escapes Hermione as her chest tightens with anxiety. She decides that blurting it out will just have to do.
“I’mpregnant.” Harry stares at her as she stares back at him with tears in her eyes. He blinks a couple of times as his brows furrow. When his brain finally is able to make out what she had mumbled, his eyes go wide.
“Since when! How- well I know how, but how? And who? Why isn’t he with you right now? Have you been to Mungos for a check-up? How’s the baby, is it healthy? Wait, are you healthy? Do you need to go to Mungos? Did the father refuse to help? If he did, I’m going to hunt him down and arrest him. Throw him into Azkaban and leave him to the–” Harry’s wild ranting gets cut off by Hermione’s hand muffling him and he immediately quiets at seeing her teary eyes. Now he feels awful; he carefully pulls her hand away from his mouth.
“Hermione I’m-”
Hermione shakes her head, “Don’t apologize Harry, it’s these bloody hormones. The father does not know. Nor will I be telling him, it was a massive mistake, one that I will never be making again. No I haven’t been to Mugnos-” she holds up her hand to stop Harry from going off. “I’m an Unspeakable, remember? We have our own healers and yes, the baby and I are in good health. Before you ask… No, I’m not going to tell you who the father is.” Hermione lays her hand protectively on her slightly swelling stomach.
Harry thinks about arguing with her, but he sees the look in her eyes and the protective way she’s laying her hand on her stomach and decides he likes his life as it is. “Okay, but why won’t you tell him?” Hermione feels the terror grip her system hard and forces herself to breathe through it.
“I’m not going to tell him because he’s a pureblood that wants nothing to do with mudbloods.” Hermione spits out the last word with venom as the hurt comes up again, briefly taking her breath away. “Like I said, it was a massive mistake and I don’t want him to know. He could very well force me to give him the child or he could force me to marry him or he could kill my baby. You know how old and awful the laws are. We both know how certain purebloods are. Harry, listen to me.” She makes sure to lock eyes with him. “The father cannot know. Please, Harry, keep this to yourself.”
Harry studies Hermione for a few moments and upon reading the terror in her eyes he nods his head. “I promise Hermione… but how?” A long sigh leaves her as she roughly runs a hand through her wildly poofed hair.
“I don’t know, the DMLE healers are as baffled as I am. There was a low chance of me ever being able to get pregnant from Dolohove’s curse, but with the torture during the war… Harry, there is no way that I should have ever been able to get pregnant. I haven’t even gotten a period since Bellatrix’s torture session on me.”
A frown makes its way to Harry’s face; afterall he already knows all of this and he was there for her as the devastation hit. “I promise that I will not breathe a word of this to anyone - do you mind if I tell Draco? You know bloody well know that I can’t hide anything from him!” Harry practically whines at the end and Hermione snickers under her breath. Harry and Draco had finally started dating two years ago and haven’t looked back. Draco works part time as a healer and part time as a hit wizard and he knows exactly how to get Harry to spill any and all secrets he has.
“Of course you can. I know he won’t tell anyone.” The relief that floods Harry’s face leaves Hermione snickering.
Harry throws his hands up, “Thank Merlin! He’s insufferable when he knows I’m keeping something from him! Now come on, to bed with you. No, don't argue, Hermione! You and I both know that you’re exhausted.” he easily gets Hermione settled into her bed. Spelling the curtains closed and slips out shutting off all the lights as he quietly closes the door.
In the dark room, a tear slowly slips down Hermione’s cheek as she’s once again haunted by his voice. His promises, his sweet nothings - that turned out to mean nothing - his kindness, his confession of love and devotion… hisbloody fucking lies!
Everything, all of it was a lie.
Now she’s left with her shattered heart and a baby she didn’t even think was possible. She was given a miracle by a man that in the end was only ever deceitful. Hermione slips off to a fitful sleep - the only type she has had since cutting off all contact with him and changing her work schedule completely to avoid him tracking her down. She even goes as far to charm her appearance to look different when she goes to Diagon Alley. Hermione never wants to see him again and she chooses to ignore the sharp stab of pain that has been a constant thing in her heart since.
The last words that she heard him say echo into her sleep.
“Who would ever want anything serious with a mudblood. Other than a quick shag? They aren’t worth much else.”
----
It’s late in the night when Draco floos into Grimmauld Place looking haggard and running a hand through his hair. Blaise, Theo, and himself had their hands full with a desperate, despondent, and completely manic Marcus Flint. His mother had been looking at the family tapestry and found that he and Hermione are married. Not only are they married but there is a line connected to a spot yet to be filled in.
Meaning, Hermione is pregnant. “Bloody fuck. Could this get worse?”
“Hi Love, what’s got you looking like shite?” Draco closes his eyes feeling simultaneous relief and annoyance. Feeling Harry wrap around him from behind, Draco just barely stops himself from cussing. Draco should have learned by now not to tempt the universe. He hates keeping things from Harry and this is one massive something.
A deep sigh escapes him, “Slytherin emergency, it took Theo, Blaise, and myself to stop someone from completely losing their mind.” Harry hums and then breathes deeply.
“Hermione’s pregnant.” Harry mumbles it, but Draco still hears him loud and clear as his eyes pop open. Draco quickly shoves his panic behind his occulmency shields.
“She is?” Draco forces the surprise in his voice, hating that he already knows he’s not going to breathe a word of what he knows to Harry.
“Yes, she refuses to say who the father is because he’s a pureblood… Hermione’s terrified that if he finds out, she’ll be forced to be controlled or that he’ll take the baby from her, or…” Harry breaks off, hesitating on saying the last one.
Draco turns in Harry’s arms and looks him dead in the eyes. “Or?” A long breath escapes Harry as he carefully eyes Draco.
“Or that he’ll kill the baby.” The words come out in a rush even as Harry cringes at how easily he broke under Draco’s question. The emotions that run through Draco’s eyes are too fast for Harry to catch even one. Then he’s pulling away from him; physically and emotionally. Harry opens his mouth to explain and apologize. However, Draco holding up his hand to stop him makes Harry’s mouth close with a click.
Oh bloody fuck, Draco is so screwed. Merlin, so is Blaise and Theo… Marcus is one hundred percent screwed. They never should have been talking about that while Hermione was in the Flint ancestral home. None of them believe in that pureblood, halfblood, mudblood shite anymore. It’s just a way that they mess around and give each other shite. It’s how they cope - they never claimed it’s a healthy way to cope - it’s just how they do it.
Bloody hell, Draco knows Hermione; they’ve been friends since the beginning of eighth year. He knows how she still hasn’t fully worked through certain things that went on during the war. Shite, she still has night terrors and she’s in a constant state of checking if she needs to fight or run. Of course this would be her reaction; she knows more about purebloods than most born purebloods know. She knows what has happened in history and some of the crazy shite that still happens now.
It’s really not that far of a reach for her to believe or fear that Marcus would do something like that. Especially after overhearing what she heard and the betrayal that she would be feeling. Not that Marcus would ever harm her or their child. However, At this moment, Hermione isn’t fully thinking straight. She’s in complete survival mode and she doesn’t even realize it.
Draco practically rips his hand through his hair, “Merlin’s balls!” Harry gives him a slightly alarmed look. “Can we talk more about this later? Please, my love. I’m exhausted and I can tell that you are as well.” Harry studies his lover for a while before nodding and leading him upstairs to their room. Harry says nothing as they get into bed to sleep. Him not saying anything doesn’t mean that he didn’t see the flash of guilt that appeared in Draco’s eyes.
Draco stays awake long after Harry has fallen asleep. After a while his guilt forces him out of bed as he slips out of their room and makes his way to Hermione’s room. He silently slips in seeing her sleeping, though it is not a particularly restful one. Draco feels like he’s choking on his guilt because he can see how haggard Hermione looks and how she’s grabbing at her chest.
He feels as though he failed as her friend and as Marcus’s friend. Yet, he has no clue as to how he can help either of them. He knows that Hermione is on the precipice of just disappearing, he can’t push her because she will run. If she does that, no one will find her, afterall she was the reason that the golden trio was so incredibly hard to find.
Draco roughly pulls at his hair and leaves Hermione to her rest. Knowing he himself will find none tonight. Draco finds his way to the library; perhaps he can try to find some sort of answer in the books… he doubts it. At the very least he wants to find something to help Hermione with the survival mode she is in, there is no way that it is healthy for her or her baby.
----
Marcus ignores the soreness of his back and arse as he continues to sit on the floor with his back against the wall. His eyes don’t leave the family tapestry as he takes a long drink from the bottle of firewhiskey he has in his hands. His regret and pain sit heavy in his chest. Of course the one time his love overhears his conversation with his friends it’s at the worst possible time and completely out of context. All of them have their own way of coping with the absolute nightmare their lives were during the war.
One of those ways is teasing each other as they bring in some things from the past to try and erase them. It helps in a strange way to heal a part of their wounds and a reminder that they no longer have to act as though they buy into the bullshite they were taught as children. Marcus doesn’t bother to stop the tear that slowly makes its way down his cheek. Of course he ended up ruining the best thing that has ever happened to him. It’s not like he can try and talk to Hermione face to face or contact her. She completely changed her schedule, lives at Grimmauld Place, -which is still secret kept - and no one has spotted her out and about since before she disappeared out of his life.
Marcus jerks when his mom cups his cheek, looking at him with a hint of pain and compassion in her eyes. It wasn’t just Marcus that lost Hermione with his own mess up; his mom lost her as well. There were times that Hermione would visit the Flint Estate just to spend time with his mother.
“I don’t know what to do mom. Somehow we are married and she’s pregnant with our child. There is no way for me to check on her or take care of her. I know that she’s staying with Potter and Draco… But I jus–” Marcus’s voice breaks with a sob as he presses the palms of his hands into his eyes. Feeling the pain slice into his chest as his self hatred comes back full force.
His mom pulls him into her and holds him tightly as she runs her fingers through his hair. “My son, Hermione loves you with her heart and soul as you do with her. I have a feeling that very soon you will be able to see her and explain. The strain on the bond will bring you both together. Have trust and faith in this my son. She will be back in your arms again.”
A shuddering breath leaves him as he brings his mothers words into his very being. Urging it to soothe him - to heal something in him - all it does is bring the aching for Hermione to a fever pitch.
He pulls back from his mom to look her in the eyes, “I can’t live without her mom. I can't. I barely sleep and I don’t eat. I can’t function, I just want my wife.” a slight gasp leaves his mother. As tears glitter in her eyes watching her son completely break down in front of her. Marcus hasn’t been this openly vulnerable with her since he was nine years old.
“I know my warrior, I know.” All she can do for her son is sit with him into the early morning. Knowing that human company is better than alcohol company.
----
The next day Draco, Blaise, and Theo find themselves stopping Marcus from hurting himself and destroying the Flint Estate. Draco had, in the best way he could, told Marcus what Hermione had told Harry. He hadn’t wanted to tell Marcus, but he knew for Marcus to ever get his wife back… he needs to know everything.
All they can really do is stare in shock and horror as a pained roar escapes him and his magical core lashes out. The shields spells that they put up barely hold as his magic destroys everything in the room and then turns in on itself.
“Shite!” None of them know who said it, but all three of them scramble to try and stop Marcus’s magic from attacking itself. Marcus’s mother runs in and takes barely a moment to gather what happened. Before anyone can stop her, she’s sending a blindingly white spell straight at Marcus’s chest. In a split second, he drops like a ton of bricks.
“What just happened and what was that spell that you used?” Draco has his full attention on Marcus’s mother as she orders the house elfs to put Marcus in his bed. She doesn’t answer him right away as she waves her wand fixing all the damage done to the room.
After that she sits down in a chair with a long sigh, “That would be Marcus’s magic turning on itself without his pregnant wife here to help balance. Then hearing about her fears… even though he would never do that, the potentiality of it is what also caused his magic to fight itself. The spell is an old Flint family spell used purely for when one's magic turns on itself. It’s meant to reset the system and put the magical core into a state of rest. Draco, you need to bring Hermione here; now that they are married she’s needed to fully bring his magical core back to an equilibrium.” Draco closes his eyes trying to get his brain to work faster than it is.
The guilt is eating him up and he knows it's the same for Theo and Blaze. Shite, he knows that Hermione and Marcus need each other. Yet, he’s worried about what bringing Hermione here could do to her health and the health of her baby.
A grimace flashes across his face for a second, “I’ll try my best, but that is all I can promise. With how Hermione is now… if she’s pushed too much, she’ll run and there will be no finding her.” Draco can read the worry on her face as she thinks over his words.
“I know this, I’ve seen Hermione as a daughter since I first met her. Just try your best, that's all I can ask.” Draco nods his head and leaves to take the floo to Grimmauld Place. Knowing that he’s going to have to be incredibly wary with how he brings this up to Hermione.
----
“Hermione-”
“NO! You’re lying! I need to get out of here before-” Draco moves and covers Hermione’s mouth with his hand.
His other hand grips the back of her neck forcing their eyes to lock. “Hermione, you need to really listen to the words that come out of my mouth. Marcus loves you with his whole heart and soul. He would never harm you or the baby. Please, Hermione, just hear him out. You need him as much as he needs you.” His heart pangs as he watches the tears well up and start falling on her cheeks.
“I-” Hermione’s voice breaks as a sob escapes her and Draco pulls her tightly into his arms. He can feel her terror, pain, and stress pouring off of her in waves.
He slowly rocks them both back and forth, “I know Hermione, I know. Believe me when I say, he is suffering just as much as you are. You are everything to him and ever since that day he’s barely been able to function let alone eat or sleep. I’m not telling you this so that you’ll feel guilty. I’m telling you this so you can understand just how devastated he is. Marcus is drowning in his guilt and self hatred with what he has caused. All I ask is that you hear him out.” a loud sniffle escapes Hermione as she processes his words. All is silent, it’s as if Grimmauld Place is holding its breath right along with Draco.
Finally…
“I love him so much it hurts, Draco. I miss him, but I’m terrified. Please, just-” Hermione breaks off as she pulls away from him and rubs her hands up and down her arms. “Just bring me to him now… before I change my mind.” Her voice is quiet and Draco barely hears her. However, he immediately starts moving and brings her to the floo. Calling out for Marcus’s home as he pulls her with him.
----
Marcus slowly awakens to the feeling of his magic wrapped around his beloved wife. He allows himself to bask in the feeling; that is, until his brain catches up with the feeling. Marcus’s eyes open wide as he sits up and looks down at the bed. Finding Hermione’s form curled up under the blankets. Her wild curls spread out and around her face. Marcus lets his fingers barely brush over her skin afraid that if he truly touches her she’ll disappear like a shade.
Tears spring to his eyes as he carefully lays down again. Marcus very slowly wraps his arm around her and pulls her into his chest - reverently rubbing his hand on her softly swelling stomach. He closes his eyes and savors the feeling of having her back in his arms. Marcus allows for her breathing to lure him back to sleep.
----
Hermione wakes up feeling languid and sore as she slowly stretches out in Marcus’s bed. Her eyes flutter open at only feeling the cool silk sheets against her bare skin. She sits up seeing that Marcus isn’t in the room. She can feel insecurity bubbling up in her system as she looks around the room. Hermione silently slips out of the bed and tip-toes to the bathroom. She quickly cleans herself up, feeling anxiety add to her own feeling of inadequacy.
Rushing through drying off her body; she pulls on her clothes as she searches to see if Marcus had left her a note anywhere. She finds nothing. So, she slips out of the room, carrying her things as she continues silently through the manor. Hermione eventually finds herself following where muffled voices are coming from.
“Who would ever want anything serious with a mudblood… Other than a quick shag? They aren’t worth much else.” The cold, harsh, and unforgivingly cruel words are like a hand ripping Hermione’s heart from her chest.
Her ears ring as dizziness slams into her upon hearing the brutal words in Marcus’s voice. Hermione feels as though the rug has been ripped out from underneath her as pain violently spears her chest. Fresh tears flood her face as she stumbles down the hall. The betrayal slaughters her trust and her all encompassing love for him just adds to the stinging pain (like salt in a wound).
Hermione wants to get angry, she wants to march in there and yell at all of them. She wants to hex them into oblivion as their laughter reaches her numb hearing. She can’t do it, her weakness, pain, and feeling of betrayal mix together into a nasty cocktail. Fresh tears run down her face as she gathers all of her things in record time. Godric, does she feel like a total fool.
Oh, Marcus Flint played her. He played her so well, so well, so beautifully constructed. Everything, all of it was a lie, just something made up to get her to spread her legs to him. Hermione can barely breathe through her choking on the betrayal and embarrassment trying to make its way up and out of her throat.
Hermione flings open the front door and stumbles away and off of the land, not even bothering to close the door. Wanting to punish herself more as their collective loud laughter reaches her. Hermione wants it to hurt more, she want’s to punish her stupid, idiotic, dunderheaded heart for falling for Marcus Flint. She knows better… at least she thought that she knew better.
Hermione finds herself stumbling right into a wall of black and being caught by said wall of black when she goes to pull herself away. She tries her hardest to croak out her apologies while not looking at the person. No sound willingly escapes her, except for the sound the likes of which a dying animal wouldn’t even be able to make. A hand with long and elegant fingers softly grip her chin, a passing thought of knowing that hand flies by her scrambled mind.
Her watery, red tinged, deep brown eyes meet the black eyes of a dour Potions Master, Unspeakable, her work partner, and good friend… Severus Tobias Snape. More tears flood her eyes as her legs give out on her, Severus just is barely able to catch her. Even as he continues to study her devastated state of being with a frown of consternation and anger on his face. Guilt added a cherry on top to Hermione’s already tornado-like emotions. She hadn’t even realized that she had touched the pendant and activated it so that it would call her partner to her.
“I’m sorry.” The words come out as a strained gasp and a strangled sob escapes her. Severus' look becomes thunderous causing more tears to escape her. Hermione knows better than to bother Severus, especially something so trivial as this and now she’s made him even more angry with apologizing. Hermione weakly tries to pull away, grabbing for her wand.
Severus has her wand tucked away in a pocket before she can even get her fingertips to alight upon it. He cups the back of her neck. “Do. Not. Apologize.” Severus forces Hermione to lock eyes with him again - he needs this to be something that will sink into her mind. “Don’t apologize, Hermione. I’m not frustrated, annoyed, or angry with you. I’m all of those things toward… Lord Flint.” The last two words come out as a snear. “You are in no space to be alone right now, let alone apparate without splinching yourself. Now, come, I’ll get you taken care of.”
The moment Hermione sees the compassion and understanding peaking through in his eyes. Loud heart and soul wrenching sobs escape her as the wall of black that is Severus Snape wraps around her and whisks them both off to where they belong… in the Heart of the DOM.
It isn’t until the front door slam upon Severus’s fury filled protectiveness powers his apparition (which sounds like a violent crack of thunder). That Marcus goes to look for Hermione. He enters their room believing that he’ll find her there, still passed out…
All that is left of Hermione in Marcus Flint’s room… is her scent lingering in the air. Marcus’s heart lunges to his shoes and all of the blood leaves his face. Shite.
----
Marcus is pacing - back and forth and back and forth - when he takes notice that Hermione is awake and silently watching him. Full of weariness and mistrust causing Marcus’s heart to clench knowing that he was the one to put that there. He broke her trust and shattered her heart. His actions and words pushed her to fear the worst for their unborn child.
Finally, he steps forward and immediately freezes at her violent flinch. A flinch that almost throws her off the bed. Marcus practically rips his hair out at that as his magic flairs inside of him. “Hermione, look into my mind. Please, my love. If you can no longer believe my words. Then believe my memories.” Marcus makes sure to lock eyes with Hermione so that she knows he is serious.
She hesitates for half a second and then he feels her softly touch his mind. For one of the first times he lets go of his tight lockdown on his memories and lets her see them all.
----
Marcus knew that the moment he saw Hermione in her first year of Hogwarts that he would love her for the rest of his life. Even with her unruly hair, slight buck teeth, and her being muggleborn; none of that mattered to him. He knew that he is irrevocably hers and he just hopes that at some point she’ll choose to be his as well.
–
Marcus doesn’t hesitate for a moment in punching Draco Malfoy so hard in the face that he breaks his nose and some of his teeth fall out. Nor does he care that he just did that; the complete fury that fills him keeps him from caring about the consequences. Not after hearing about the curse that he threw at Hermione.
Professor Snape gives him a month of detention with him and removes 150 points from his own house. All he can focus on is that it was one hundred and ten percent worth it.
–
The first time he finds himself in front of her; it’s on the battlefield of Hogwarts. She freezes and stares at him with wide eyes and Marcus doesn’t hesitate and throws the killing curse. She drops to the ground with a squeak and turns her head behind her seeing that he was aiming for and hit a death eater that was coming up behind her.
Marcus can’t bring himself to say anything to her; all he does is help her to her feet and he leaves her standing there gaping after him.
–
She speaks at his trial - as she did for Snape's and the Malfoy's - and when they reach the not guilty verdict. Hermione approaches him and all he can do is stare at her like an idiot with stars in his eyes. She gives him a soft and slightly hesitant smile, yet she can’t seem to find the right words to say.
“You’re gorgeous.” The words blurt out of him and Marcus just barely stops himself from flushing in embarrassment at how Gryffindor that came out. Hermione’s bright red blush and how she shyly looks down makes up for his own embarrassment.
–
“Go on a date with me”
Hermione’s eyebrows quirk “Is that a question or a demand?”
Marcus flushes in embarrassment, “I-I meant…” her soft laughter interrupts his embarrassed rambling.
“Yes, Marcus, I’ll go on a date with you.”
“Thank Merlin!” More giggles escape Hermione's lips as she tiptoes up and presses a butterfly kiss to his cheek.
–
Marcus reverently runs his hands along Hermione’s soft skin. “Are you sure?” Hermione’s eyes are sparkling with so much love and so much trust that it makes his heart hurt.
“Yes, Marcus, I’m sure.” All Marcus can do is pull her into a deep kiss.
–
The next morning; Draco, Blaise, Theo all show up to have breakfast. They are all messing with each other. Giving one another shite and trying to - in their own way - cope with everything that has happened.
Blaise has a smirk on his face as he speaks, “So, Marcus, how’s it going with Miss Granger. Thinking of marrying her?” he drawls it as he takes a drag from his cigarette.
“Who would ever want anything serious with a mudblood. Other than a quick shag? They aren’t worth much else.” Marcus says it coldly with no emotion - reverting back to the Pureblood bullshite that they grew up with.
Theo, Draco, and Blaise all erupt into cackling laughter. As Marcus struggles to hide his twitching lips.
“You are so full of shite. You love her. Besides, we are in no place to judge you. I’m dating Potter and Theo’s with Lovegood, while Blaise is with Weaslette.” Even louder laughter leaves all of them as they continue to talk. Trying to replace their horrid memories with something lighter.
----
Hermione finally pulls away from him and stares at him with big doe-like eyes. “You shattered my heart.” She watches as Marcus grimaces and looks away as he rubs his chest. “I love you with everything in me. I just need you to prove to me that what you showed is true. Marcus… I can’t handle overhearing or being around something like that. At this point I can’t handle it. I’m still too steeped in the battle and I don’t know if I’ll ever fully heal from certain memories. I just need to know that I can trust you completely.”
Marcus moves closer to her and gets on the bed. He wraps his arms tightly around her as he shakes with tears slowly running down his cheeks.
“I promise you, Hermione, I will do everything I can to never have a repeat of what occurred. I can’t lose you Hermione, I can’t. You are my wife, you are carrying the next Flint and ever since you first went to Hogwarts. I have been irrevocably yours.” Marcus can feel Hermione clutch him just as tightly as he is clutching her.
For the first time in a while, he truly believes that everything will work out to be not just okay. But, full of life, joy, and something that Voldemort and Marcus’s father could never even hope to understand.
Love.