ADULTERY
adul-tery / sex between a married person and someone who is not that person's wife/husband
This chapter will contain Hermione's memories of the previous years. Every section shows a different time in her life.
"That's it, I'm going."
"Ron, what th-" Hermione turns towards her husband who was wearing his coat again. She was soothing her 5 month old daughter, swaying her rhythmically to a tune of a nursery rhyme. "Where the hell are you going?"
"I don't know to the bar or something..." He proceeds to dust his coat off.
"You just got home moments ago?" Hermione raises one eyebrow at him. "I thought maybe you can help me around here?" She was tired. She has been with Rose, their daughter, the whole day and expceted Ron to take over and somehow help her with the baby's endless crying.
"I know but that baby's cry is not helping me relax at all!" He walks towards the fireplace ready to leave. "Hermione, I'm tired from work. I'm a respected auror for Merlin's sake. I can't believe you don't have the skills to make your own daughter stop crying. It's always like this when I get home that baby crying herself to sleep. I can't take it, it's too noisy here." He grabs a handful of floo powder and vanishes.
Hermione didn't hear the exact place he yelled, too distracted by the jab on her heart, she stopped swaying.
Rose, sensing the tense radiating off her mother and also the stop in motion stops crying and looks up to her. Hermione felt her eyes welling up as she stared at the fireplace as the smoke fades away. She left her job at the ministry to take care of her daughter, their daughter. He had promised her that he would help her every step of the way but he only helped her once and that was after she gave birth to Rose and incapable of moving. She wiped her eyes and looked at her daughter staring at her.
"Now you stop crying?" She kissed her little nose "Don't worry sweetie, mum's fine." She proceeded to sway her again.
"Papa, look what Uncle Harry gave me." Hermione heard her daughter from the kitchen. She was washing the dishes using magic, Rose had her third birthday party a few hours ago. She peaks through the door wanting to witness the father-daughter bond unfold but what surprised her was Ron sitting on his usual seat reading the Daily Prophet, feet plopped on the table in front of him.
"Hmm... that's nice." Ron curtly said. Hermione watched as the little girl's vibrant smile fell and her eyes fell on the ground.
"But... you didn't even look at it?" She mumbled
"I did!" Ron started to fold his newspaper in half and looked at his daughter. "Damn it, now go do something else!" Ron yelled causing tears to well up on the little girl's eyes.
Hermione wasn't going to let her daughter cry on her own birthday so she rushed towards the living room, the plates clattering on the kitchen sink. She kneeled at Rose and gave her a hug. "Really, Ronald? Did you really have to yell at her?"
"Well, she was bugging me." He said with so much sass in his voice as if his statement implied a "DUH". Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Whatever Ron, you're so childish and immature." Hermione picked Rose up and proceeded to bring her to her small room. She heard Ron imitating her from behind, sometimes she wonders who was the toddler Rose or Ron.
The girl was sobbing, her face buried on Hermione's neck as she clutched her red dragon on her chest. "Hey now... don't mind your father. He's just a little bit crazy at the moment. You know how he is when he doesn't get a good night's sleep... he gets cranky like a monster."
Her daughter softly giggled raising her face and wiping her eyes. "Did you see what Uncle Harry gave me?"
"Not yet, let me see." Hermione responds with enthusiasm ringing from her voice, exciting Rose. She proceeds to show her the dragon. It was a stuff toy half her size. "Wow Rose, isn't that a beautiful stuffed toy?"
"I like it very much. It's different from the one daddy buys me it's not a bear." Rose hugged the stuffed toy again.
"Oh you do? I do too. I like it very much... Can I have it, Rose?" Hermione jokes placing her daughter beside her on the bed.
"But... but I like it."
"… uh-oh we have a dilemma, mommy like's it too." Rose looks at her and softly smiles.
"Fine, you can have it if it'll make you happy." Rose thrusts the stuff toy towards her and smiles although her eyes failing her as she glances down at the stuffed toy. Hermione giggled at her daughter's words.
"You know what, since it is your birthday... you can have it. What makes mommy happy is when you're happy." She gave Rose a kiss on the forehead.
Hermione takes a sip of her morning coffee. She was dressed for work, after Rose turned five she decided that she needed to get back to work. She has been working for a month now and everything's going swift. Her old boss gave her, her old job at the ministry again. Rose was five and goes to a Wizard Pre School with her cousin James Potter, Ginny and Harry's first born. Ginny takes both of them after their classes and she willingly let's Rose stay until she's free from work.
Ron walks into the kitchen wiping the sleep from his eyes.
For the past few days he has been going home late, usually 11 PM or even later. Hermione didn't complain, didn't ask why... she was too tired to bother. She honestly didn't know why she stayed in this relationship, trying to make it work and trying to improve it but Ron was always so difficult. She held her cup of coffee in her hands and leaned on the isle.
"Good Morning." She greeted and he muffled something as his head was stuck in the fridge. She rolled her eyes and fixed her skirt. "Do you have any plans for today? Don't you have the day off? You can pick Rose up from Ginny and Harry's place and bond."
He closes the fridge and looks at her. "I dunno... I think I might play quidditch with Dean and Neville later, you made breakfast?"
"Ron, do you think I have the time to make breakfast? Me and Rose are leaving in five minutes, I have work." She places her mug in the sink and proceeds to walk out to the living room. "But can't you make some time for your own daughter? You hardly spend time with her alone." It was always about him, he never asked about her or their daughter.
"Ugh, I can't Hermione. I only get a few days off to do what I love." He followed her to the kitchen and began scratching his head. "Plus do you really have to work, Mione? I make enough for all of us. I don't see why you're doing all this"
Hermione sharply turns around startling Ron. "Because it is empowering and I love my job. You don't expect me to become a house wife, do you? The smartest witch of our age is going to settle and become a house wife?" He shrugs. "Clearly you don't know me." She rolled her eyes, they always had arguments like this. Before she used to agree with him just to make it stop but now she's not afraid. "Of course you'd say you use your free time to do the things you love but you can't make time for your own daughter whom you should love... whatever." Hermione grabs her bag from one of the chairs in the living room. "Rose! Come on, we need to leave."
"What the? Hermione, you know I don't mean it that way."
"Then it what way do you mean it Ronald?"
"Ok Hermione, this is getting out of hand I am your husba-"
"Oh don't pull that card on me. If you want a nanny so bad, hire an elf." Rose steps on the last stair eyes starring between her father and mother. "Hi Rose, morning darling. Sorry you had to hear that, me and daddy were just arguing about who won the quidditch game last night. Ready to go?" The small girl who was dressed in her school uniform nods. Hermione holds her small hand and stares at her husband with an icy glare before leaving.
Hermione sat on the living room chair, it was late. A cup of tea was on her hands she blew on it trying to get it too cool. She was waiting for Ron. It was 3 AM. It was late and yet again Ronald has forgotten about their anniversary.
PLOP
She heard that sound, her husband's back from wherever cave he has been. She checked on all bars she knew he went too but he was not in any of them. He was drunk judging from his small stumble and the fact that he didn't notice her.
"Good Morning, Ronald."
He jumps, completely started. "Hermione, what you doing up?"
"Just... waiting for you to come home."
"Oh, um. I'm sorry I was just... I just fell asleep in the Leaky Cauldron's bar and... nobody bothered to wake me up." Lies. She checked there twice and even asked Bob, the bartender to alert her if he ever dropped by.
"Ahuh."
"You mad?"
"Not really... at this point I'm so used to it that it doesn't bother me." Lies, her eyes were tearing up. She thanked the fact that it was still somewhat dark.
"I'm sorry Mione, look. I'm really sorry here let me take a potion to get rid of this hangover." He goes into the kitchen and starts rummaging inside the cupboards. She wiped her eyes and stifled her sobs.
Ron comes back after five minutes, composure better than a moments ago. "Hermione, let's go to bed."
"… I'd rather stay here."
"To what? To brood? Come on Hermione, stop being so immature and get to bed with me. It's 3 in the morning, we should be asleep." He walked closer to her, standing behind the couch she was sitting on and rubbing her shoulders.
"Yes, it's three in the morning..." She sniffed "….and you just came home..." She placed her mug of tea on the coffee table "...drunk and smelling like a girl's perfume."
"HERMIONE!" Ginny opened the door and proceeded to give her a hug. "Wow, you look like a mess."
"Sorry, Gin. You know how work is, plus I'm not really dressing up for anybody." She entered the house. "But thanks for the compliment, you do know how to make my day much better."
"Well... if you must know. Ronald sent me an owl this afternoon saying that when you arrive here I prep you up cause you two will be going to dinner. Don't worry bout Rose, she'd love to have a sleepover with Lily." Ginny smiled and dragged her hand.
"What? Come on, really. Are you sure it's by Ron or you made Ron do it?" Ginny shrugged.
"Does it even matter, come let's make you pretty." Hermione cried to Ginny the day after their anniversary, which was a week ago. Ginny was one of her best friends but she also forgot that Ginny was Ronald's brother.
"It does Ginny, you knew that I didn't want anyone to tell him. I wanted to see if he'd... remember."
"If he didn't remember my birthday or mum's birthday he won't remember your anniversary. Besides, I didn't completely tell him I just asked him how it went and then it clicked that he has been a horrible husband to you."
"Come on now... Ginny." Ginny stopped and stared her blankly at the eye. They were at their master's bedroom one hand planted on her hip.
"Hermione, it doesn't matter okay. Let's just fix your hair and get you a dress."
"Okay fine."
After almost a hour and a half of Ginny waving her wand and applying her make up when Rose entered.
"Lily said you were here."
"Hi sweetie, didn't get a chance to visit you. See Auntie Ginny is busy fixing my face." Ginny giggled sa she fixed Hermione's blush.
"That's alright, mum." She smiled "I was busy playing with them anyways... I don't see the need for make up though... you look pretty enough mum."
"Aww, thank you." Rose was eight. Her hair was bright red and curly just as hers when she was younger.
"Rose, your mum and dad will be going out tonight. You'll be fine with a surprise sleepover with me and Lily right?" Ginny asks.
"What?" Rose's face grew red with excitement. "Really! I'd be fine with that!"
"You haven't asked her prior this, Gin?" You could hear the worry in Hermione's voice.
"See, she's fine with it now hush." Ginny glides the lipstick on Hermione's lips. "I'm such a fairy godmother. Now, stand up we need to transfigure these rags into something beautiful." Ginny started casting different spells, her eyes fixed on fixing her attire. Hermione however mouthed the word "help" to her daughter who just giggled. After a good five minutes of Ginny murmuring spells she was good to go.
She was wearing a black dress that ended four inches before her knees. It was figure hugging and very tight. She sighed.
"You look beautiful, Hermione." She just smiled fakely after that compliment. She was picking on her dinner, a plate of spaghetti. She really didn't feel like talking to Ron. She had been avoiding him ever since that day. "Hermione"
"What do you want Ron?"
"Your attention." She rolled her eyes and lifted her gaze.
"You have it, was this dinner really necessary?"
"Come on, it's our anniversary date!"
"-That happened a week after the actual date, hah! Funny." Hermione returned her gaze towards her spaghetti. She heard him sigh.
"I know I've been lacking in different places-"
"In all places." Hermione muttered.
"and I'm willing to listen to you and try to improve myself. Hermione we've been drifting apart and we need to fix that." He reached out for one of her hands and squeezed it.
"No shit, Sherlock." She huffed and withdrew her hand.
"We can't fix it if you're going to be so difficult!"
"I'm not, I'm just tired of your crap Ronald. We always do this, fix it, fix that. It never happens!"
"I know it's probably my fault and I'm sorry. Look tell me what's wrong."
"EVERYTHING IS WRONG RONALD" She yelled loud enough to confirm her anger but not loud enough for everyone to hear. "You are never home! I don't fucking know where you go? You say the Leaky Cauldron? Fuck it you're never there. ALSO, when you're not missing you're at home slacking off! You don't even bother to help me clean when cleaning is no effort considering we can do magic." She huffed and sulks on her chair her hands folded on her chest. "Plus you never appreciate me."
"Hermione."
"Ron, I'm tired. If you're not into me anymore since I'm positively sure you've been sleeping around, then I'm fine with it. Let's just end it." Hermione spoke, it was soft and almost a whisper but Ron heard it. His eyes grew large like saucers and his ears and face got red.
"Hermione..." He sighed. He knew it was rocky, their whole relationship but he didn't want to give up on it. "Look, if we can't... if we can't fix it this last time then okay, we can arrange for a divorce but Hermione we're not only married but we're best friends, we managed to stick by each other for 7 years during Hogwarts... I'm sure we can work it out." He held out his hand his eyes pleading for mercy.
"One last time, okay."
They were invited to the Malfoy's yearly Christmas ball. Rose was already twelve and was invited too. At first Ron said they wouldn't go but since Rose bugged them all month long he finally agreed. Hermione smiled as she watch her daughter and husband dance at the center of the ballroom. Ronald has gotten better and tried his best to make an effort to make their family stronger but Hermione knew it wasn't enough. She grabs a nearby drink from a waiter and gulps it on one shot.
"Granger."
"Malfoy."
"Fancy seeing you here, it's been too long since we saw each other. How's Weasley?" Draco eyed Hermione from head to toe. Even though she was a mother to a twelve year old her body showed no signs of ever getting pregnant. She was wearing a blue mermaid dress.
"Oh you know, still the same." She grabs another alcoholic drink from a waiter and gulps it down. "How about you and Astoria?"
"… we've been divorced for over three months now."
"Oh..? I'm, I'm sorry. I'm not updated with news like these, I'm... Merlin you must hate me for bringing that up." Hermione buried her head in her hands and began shaking her head.
"It's okay Granger, we were only married because we were arranged to be. I never loved her that way." Hermione looks up from her hands and looks at him. He just smirked. "It's fine Granger."
"Oy Malfoy."
"Weasley." Ron circled his hands around his wife's waist and stared at Malfoy defensively. "My mother's glad that you accepted the invitation. However I am not. I see you're still the same... weasel from Hogwarts" His eyes shift to the little girl hiding behind Hermione.
"Hello, m'lady. Hope that you are having fun so far?"
"Yes... I have. The food tastes amazing, Mr. Malfoy." Rose gave a soft smile and Draco nodded and gave her a small smile. Draco grabbed something from inside his blazer and hands it to Rose.
"A rose for the beautiful Rose. Enjoy yourself I heard the chocolate fountain with be placed there beside the punch in a few minutes." Rose giggled and accepted the flower. "Well, I must go back to my mother. Weasley... Granger." Hermione nods her head in reply and watches as Draco disappears in the crowd.
HI GUYS
I'm back from the dead.
R&R please!
R&R please!