Chapter One: Loss

"Hermione," I heard a voice calling me. I turned around and saw a younger version of Harry and myself. They looked like they were looking at me, but upon closer observation, I noticed they were looking behind me. I turned around slowly, seeing a werewolf.

It lunged for the younger Harry and myself and went straight through me. Another creature leaped through me and it was a black shaggy dog.

'Sirius,' I thought as the dog and werewolf rolled off the cliff.

I glanced down at my stomach to see if i was transparent and saw blood dripping between my legs.

"Hermione," the voice said again. I looked back to where the younger Harry and myself were and they had disappeared.

"Hermione," the voice said a third time.

I looked up to find a pair of eyes looking into mine. That's when I realized that I had been dreaming and was now awake.

"Hermione, baby. We need to get you to St. Mungo's immediately," Ron said, helping me out of bed. I looked down and saw blood on my nightgown.

"The baby," I cried.

Ron wrapped his arms around me and we apparated away.

Upon arrival, a nurse rushed to our side and called for a doctor.

"What happened?" the nurse asked.

I looked at the nurse and began to say that I didn't know what happened, when I noticed that my vision was getting blurrier by the second. All that I could remember before the world was no more, was being put in a wheelchair.

*Author's POV*

Someone watched in the shadows as Hermione was being brought into St. Mungo''s. Without saying a word, the figure walked by the couple and out the door, disappearing from sight.

*Hermione's POV*

"How's she doing?" I heard a voice say. I tried opening my eyes so that I could see who was talking and respond, but found that I was unable to.

"She's resting now," Ron told the voice.

"And the baby?"

I didn't hear Ron respond.

"Does Hermione know?"

"Not yet, she's been in and out of consciousness," Ron replied.

"What about Rose?"

"She's at my mum's. I brought her over to the Burrow when Hermione began having a bad dream," Ron told the voice.

My grogginess was wearing off and I recognized the voice. It was Harry.

"Ron," I choked out, slowly opening my eyes.

"Yes, Luv. I'm here," Ron said, stroking my hand and taking it in his grasp. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better. Hi, Harry. How's Ginny and the kids?"

"They're good," Harry said coming closer.

"Ron, what am I doing here? What happened?"

"I'm gonna go," Harry said leaning down and giving me a hug. "I'll see you guys later."

"Now sweetie," Ron began. "I have to tell you something. Last night you were having a bad dream and you began bleeding. I apparated away with you to get you here as quickly as I could, but the doctors were unable to save the baby."

"What?!" I asked with tears in my eyes.

"We lost the baby," Ron said, his voice barely above a whisper.

I felt as if something inside me had died, which technically is true seeing as how the baby died and it was in me. But more to the point, I guess you might say that this is the day I stopped loving Ron, not that I knew right away.

The rest of my stay at St. Mungo's, I was unsociable, even Ron couldn't get me to talk. On the last day of my stay, Ron was talking with the doctor about my behavior. They thought I was asleep, but I was quietly listening.

"Will she always be like this?" I heard Ron say.

"It's normal for a woman who loses a child, even if it's a miscarriage, to go through a depression. She will eventually become more sociable and may even come out of this depression. Just take it one day at a time."

"We have a daughter, Rose, do you think that Rose should be at home or should she stay with my parents?"

"I'm sure that Hermione will be able to be around Rose without going catatonic. Like I said, take it one day at a time."

"Okay, thanks doctor," Ron said.

I heard the door open.

"You're welcome," the doctor replied and the door closed.

I heard Ron walk towards the bed and sit down besides me. He grabbed my hand and said, "Hermione, I know you're asleep but I just wanted to say, please get better. Rose needs you, she needs her mother," he paused. "I need you," he finished barely above a whisper.

I felt something wet on my hand and realized that he was crying.

I wanted to reach out and hug him, but I knew that if I moved, Ron would stop crying and start asking me how I was. I hated that. So, I let him still think I was sleeping.

A little while later, I heard a knock on the door and someone come in.

"Mr. Weasley, you can go home now," I heard a female say. "Here's Hermione's release papers. As soon as she wakes, she's free to leave."

I heard paper rustling and the door shutting.

"Hermione, luv, wake up. You can go home now."

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at Ron. I didn't say anything, afraid my voice would give me away, (that I'd been awake this whole time).

"I brought you some clothes from home," Ron said handing me a bag. I looked in the bag and found my favorite outfit; my black stretchy pin stripe pants, black converses and a white tee that says "Gryffindor rules" in maroon.

I went to change in the bathroom so I could shower first.

When I got out, I looked in the mirror.

"Ugh," I thought, "I'm fat. I'll never get rid of this baby fat."

I put on my clothes and walked out to tell Ron I was ready.

"You ready to go?" Ron asked before I could tell him.

I nodded my head and we flooed to the Burrow to get Rose.

"Mummy," I heard Rose say as soon as we stepped in the living room. She came running up to me and wrapped herself around my legs.

I leaned down, untangled her from my legs, and picked her up.

"Mummy, you all better now?" Rose asked.

"Yes, sweetie," I said comforting her even though it was only partially true. I was better now that I was with Rose, but I still felt like I had a huge hole in my chest with no way to fill it.

"Hermione, dear," Mrs. Weasley came up and gave me a hug. "You're invited to dinner tonight. Harry, Ginny and the kids are here, as well."

"Thanks," I mumbled and went to go find Ginny.

I found her in her old room. She was putting clothes on James. She looked up when I came in. I set Rose down and she ran over to James.

"Come on Jamie," she said, trying to grab him and pull him with her. She ran back towards the door when she realized that she couldn't pull him. "Albus waitin for us." For a one year old, Rose sure can talk good, She takes after me.

James jumped up from his mother's grasp and ran over to Rose. The two ran out of the room and disappeared.

"Slow down," Ginny and I both yelled.

I looked at the dirty clothes Ginny had in her hands. "That boy seems to get into everything," I said.

"Yea, Rose and the boys were outside playing and they decided to make mud pies," Ginny said with a laugh. "Rose, however, didn't have a spec of dirt on her."

"Girls are cleaner," I replied.

"So..." Ginny said. "Anything you want to talk about?" Ginny seemed reluctant to talk about the miscarriage, but since she was my best friend, she felt obligated to ask.

I was afraid to tell her 'cause I didn't want Ron thinking I'd talk to her but wouldn't talk to him about it. I gave in after a minute or two. "I feel as if it were my fault somehow," I began. "Maybe if I ate healthier, exercised more, or something..."

"'Mione, it's not your fault." Ginny said comforting me. I didn't realize I had tears streaming down my face.

I confessed all my doubts, fears, and feelings to Ginny who didn't judge me at all.

Meanwhile downstairs, Ron and Harry were talking.

(Ron's POV)

After Hermione took off upstairs with Rose, I sought out Harry.

I found him outside in the backyard.

"Hey man," he said when I walked up. "How's Hermione?"

"The same," Ron said. "She hasn't said one word to me since I told her that we lost the baby. I don't know if she ever will. It's like, I don't exist anymore, or she's ignoring me. I feel that she blames me for her losing the baby. I just hope our marriage can get through this."

"Don't worry, she'll get through this. You two were meant for each other."

James and Rose came running out into the yard. "Come on Rosie," James said running ahead of Rose. "Hey, Uncle Ron," he said when he saw us.

"Now don't get too dirty. Your mother just got done cleaning you up," Harry said to James.

"Yes, sir," James said rubbing his foot in the ground.

They took off again and headed for the playhouse Harry and I built for them last summer. They joined Albus who was already in the playhouse.

"I hope you're right, Harry. When I look in her eyes, I see emptiness, like a void. Even before she lost the baby, I noticed that she was slowly pulling away from me. I talked with some doctors at St. Mungo's about that and they said it was just hormones. I just don't know anymore. I wish she'd just tell me how she feels, instead of bottling them up."

Harry and I stood in silence watching our kids play. 'I hope Hermione can handle Rose," I thought. "I go back to work the day after tomorrow."

"Dinner's ready," mum called through the open window.

The kids came running from the playhouse and ran inside.

"Don't forget to wash your hands, " Harry and I yelled in unison. "You mother would kill us," we said quietly to ourselves.

Harry gave me a pat on the back and said, "Everything will work out," before heading inside.

(Hermione's POV)

I heard Molly telling the kids that dinner was ready. "Well, I guess we'd better go downstairs and see if the kids are still clean," I said wiping my face clean with my hands. I'd been crying on Ginny's shoulder when I heard Molly yell.

"Yea, I guess we should, besides you need to eat. I know how hospital food tastes like. Let's get some real food in you."