A/N. Written for Hogwarts Online II. Awesome forum. You should join. (: Link on my profile. Hope you all enjoy. It's unbeta'd right now because my beta is busy. But when she gets a chance, she's gonna beta it and then I'll update it. (: The prompt was "Scandal." Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.
- Dest.
There was a ripping pain in her chest every time she thought of what she was doing, yet she couldn't bring herself to stop. She loved them both, that was all there was to it. She knew she should choose one or the other, but couldn't. Instead she decided on sneaking around on her husband for her best friend. Not to mention by doing this, she was also hurting her other best friend. What would the wizarding world think if anyone ever found out? It would be the scandal of a century. Two members of the 'Golden Trio' are breaking the heart of the third. Rita would have a field day. She couldn't let that happen. No good would come out of Skeeter finding out about her affair. Maybe she would trick her again. No! What was she saying. That was blackmail, it was different in school. She had basically attacked them!
No. No one could find out. Hermione and Harry had to be over with. For Ron's sake. She couldn't break his heart. Even though she loved Harry more, she wouldn't let this come between her and Ron. Harry would understand, wouldn't he? If he really did love her he would. He had to. Surely he was tired of sneaking behind Ginny? They had their romance they never had in school, and this was the end of it.
So why did Hermione feel like their romance would never end? Harry was like the piece of herself she could never find. Until she had come to the realization of her feelings that is. Ron and her had just had their second child, Hugo. How could Hermione do this to him. Rose, as well. It was unfair to them.
Hermione had just forced her mind to believe that stopping the affair was for the best when the doorbell rang. She didn't know who would be calling at this time of the day. The only reason she was up was because Ron worked till midnight, and she wanted to wait up for him. She sighed before rushing to the door before it woke the children. Her eyes bulged when she saw who it was.
"Hermione," Harry moaned her name in sadness, it looked like he had been crying for quite some time.
"What's wrong, Harry?" she was almost afraid to ask.
"Gin knows. She knows about us, and she owled Ron as well. He should know by now. She broke into my box Hermione! She saw all the letters. Hermione, I'm sorry," Harry had begun to cry again. More steadily this time. Hermione was frozen, she didn't know what to do. Ron knew. She had to face him. He had one of the biggest tempers in the world. Would she even live through it?
"I came over to protect you, Hermione," Harry spoke, as if he read her mind.
"What will everyone think, Harry?" was all she could say.
"Look at me," Harry murmured as he grabbed her chin to force her eyes in his. "You love me right?" She nodded without hesitation. "Well, I love you. We can figure the rest out. Maybe this is for the best, maybe they needed to find out. I was tired of sneaking around, Hermione, but I'm in love with you," he told her sincerely.
"I'm in love with you too, but what about our kids?" Hermione spoke one of her worries.
"We'll figure it out, love," Harry whispered in her ear before planting a kiss softly on her lips. It was then, that Ron decided to apparate home. Looking quite pissed.
"You BACKSTABBERS!" he yelled as soon as he saw the both of them. Harry made a mental note that he was grateful he didn't see them kiss.
"Ron, calm down," Harry attempted with no prevail.
"Oi! You shut up! You have no room to talk! I KNEW this would happen! I KNEW she would end up choosing you. Just like everyone always does. But this isn't even about me. You hurt my sister, too. That makes me double pissed," Harry hadn't thought of that.
"Ron, I didn't mean to, it just happened!" Harry tried to defend themselves.
"Sure, of course. Shagging your best mate's wife, definitely an accident," a silent tear strode down his face. "I want both of you gone in 20 minutes. My sister is coming over and living with me, since she doesn't want to admit to our mum what Harry did to her. Hermione, we're through. We'll figure out who gets the kids when later," Ron spoke with sadness, like he was detached from the world as he talked. He wiped a tear away from his eye as he walked past his best friends and went into his house.
The next twenty minutes went by extremely fast. Hermione packed up her clothes and a few book and essentials and was ready to walk out the door. She was going to live with Harry. She cried the entire time and continued to cry as she got in bed with Harry that night to sleep. Harry didn't say much to her, but made sure to let her know every few minutes how sorry he was.
The next morning made nothing better. Harry didn't know how, nor did he really want to, but the prophet had found out. The top headline read "Chosen One, Chose to Cheat" How original. Harry didn't want Hermione to know, but couldn't hide it from her since the one thing she said at breakfast was "Can I have the paper?"
Once she read the article, more tears came and Harry tried to convince her to stay home from work today. She refused, of course, saying she had people to heal. Harry reluctantly let her go.
Their days went by extremely slow, Harry had to endure evil stares, and rude gestures the entire day. Not to mention his partner for the mission he had to go on that day wouldn't say a word to him. Did he mention Ginny was an Auror?
Hermione got basically the same thing, no one talked to her, and no one cared about how bad she was feeling. She cried all day long, even if she was with a patient. She couldn't help it. Her life was torn apart. She didn't know who she was anymore. Who she would be. Would her kids hate her? Probably.
Somehow they both got through the day. They came home to a wonderful meal cooked by Kreacher, but couldn't enjoy it. There was too much silence between them, and Harry hated it.
"Hermione! Please say something!" he practically whined at her, on the verge of tears again.
"I don't know what to say, Harry," Hermione told him truthfully.
"Tell me, it's hard right now. But it will get better someday. Say we love each other, and now that we have each other. Nothing can stay in the way of our happiness. Tell me you still love me," Tears were on his cheeks and in his eyes as he spoke to her.
"Harry, is that what your afraid of? That I don't love you anymore?" Hermione asked him incredulously, when he nodded, she continued. "That could never happen, Harry. I love you too much."
"Really?" he asked her.
Hermione walked over to him and placed her hand on his cheek, wiping away the tears with her thumb. "Really," she smiled as she bent down and kissed him. No matter what happened to them, nothing could change the love she had for Harry.
"Ron, could we just make this simple? How about one of us gets one kid for a week then we switch?" Hermione ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.
"I want them to stay together," he told her sternly. Hermione was tired of the patterns they had made with the kids in the past month. So she had told Ron she wanted to sit down and figure it out, just like Ginny and Harry had. Apparently, it wasn't that simple.
"Alright. How about I get them during the week, then you get them on weekends?"
"Then you get them more!" he exclaimed.
"Fine, we'll switch that pattern every month. I get them on weeks one month, you the next. Will that work?" Hermione asked him.
"Yeah, that sounds fine I guess," Ron finally concluded causing Hermione to let out a sigh of happiness.
"Since you have the kids right now, and it's a Tuesday, you have them for the weeks for a month. I'll get them for weekends this month," Hermione explained before gathering her stuff and taking her tea cup to the sink.
"I have to be going, Ron. Harry and I are supposed to meet for Lunch," Hermione told him.
"Alright, Luna is coming over anyway. She's grown fond of Rose," this made Hermione smile before waving over her shoulder and apparating to the Ministry of Magic to meet Harry. The engagement ring on her left hand seeming to weigh a ton.
At first she though it was barbaric of Harry and her to get married so close after the divorce, but then Luna and Ron had started dating. Even Ginny seemed to move on, seeing as she was currently spending a lot of time with a certain Draco. She had to warn her not to cheat with him, however. That if he actually loved her. He would tell his wife. They way Draco looked at her, Hermione didn't think that would be a problem. It seemed as if he adored her.
Life was turning around, finally. People were going with the people they were destined to be with. Not who they settled for because they didn't think anyone else would want them. She sighed as she remember when she thought that back at Hogwarts. She was glad Ron and her were friends again. Even Ginny and her had gotten closer than they were before.
She had finally reached the Auror level, and Harry was walking towards her. His lovely emerald robes making his eyes pop out. Hermione had begun to be happier than she had been in a really long time.
"Hello, my lovely fiance," Harry greeted her before placing a kiss on her lips.
"Where are we headed for lunch?" Hermione asked him with a smile on her face.
"It's a surprise, love," Harry explained to her.
"Oh yes, a surprise," she rolled her eyes.
"You love surprises!" Harry teased her.
"Harry, you say it's a surprise every day we go to lunch. Which is every day I might add. And it's always the same Muggle London restaurant.
"You love that restaurant!"
"Of course I do dear," Hermione said before grabbing his hand and apparating to the place Harry had proposed to her. Happy with where her life was going. Everything seemed like it was going to be good. She was going to get married, maybe have another child or two. Watch them grow up before her eyes as they went through Hogwarts.
Rose still had 6 years before she would go off to Hogwarts, so if they had kids now, they wouldn't be too far apart in age. Although they probably wouldn't go to Hogwarts together. Harry was in agreement that he wanted another child. Even though he already had three. Maybe she could convince him to use a normal name for their child. Albus Severus? Really? What was that boy thinking. She smiled to herself fondly as the waiter placed them in a booth and took their drink orders.
All was, finally, well.