A/N: Hey! This is just an idea I'm trying out. I won't be updating this fic as much as I'd like. The only reason I have this up is because I wrote it ages ago and have finally decided to edit and post it. I don't even know the direction I'm taking with this fic but I hope you'll read it anyways. And hopefully, give me some suggestions lol. Thanks xo
Disclaimer: Don't own, what a pity :(
Ron walked up the steps leading into his flat unit before he heard a soft, feminine voice call out his name and pulled him aside.
He looked startled as he stood face to face with Astoria Malfoy.
"You!" He cried out. "What are you doing here?"
"I – I can't stop thinking –" She mumbled incoherently before he cut her off.
"No! Don't bring this up with me now," He growled. "You said – you said! You said that we were going to move on and forget about it!"
"I can't!" The blonde woman cried out, grabbing his arm. "How can I just forget –"
Ron wanted to yell in frustration at the witch in front of him. "Astoria, why won't you just leave me alone? I'm going to get married!"
"You can't get married! You can't make that mistake!"
"You're married too!"
"It's nothing! We're nothing! We're just a contract! Draco doesn't love me, Ron! But we can–"
"I don't want to hear it! Please, can you just let me go!" Ron tried to loosen Astoria's grip on his arm. "What happened – it was a mistake, you and I both know it! It was wrong."
"Was it wrong? We know it was wild, it was passionate –"
"Shut up! I don't want to listen to it!"
"– we didn't know what we were doing, but it felt right! It felt right, Ron! Tell me, I know you felt it too! We have something, I know it!"
"Fuck, Astoria! Why won't you just leave me alone?" Ron repeated. He felt like he had to repeat it multiple times before he could finally get it into the witch's head.
"Don't tell me that one night wasn't a mistake! Don't!" Astoria cried and wrapped her arms around Ron's waist.
"Get off me, you–" Ron spat as he spun Astoria around, trying to get her arms off him.
She took this opportunity to bury her face in his chest. "Please," She whimpered. "Don't."
"Get the fuck off me, Astoria," He said slowly but menacing to her. His eyes, however, were staring at the deep brown chocolate eyes behind Astoria.
Hermione let out a loud sob as she stared at the pair. She had come to remind Ron that they were due for their wedding robes fitting in three days but this was the sight that she was greeted with.
Ron pushed Astoria away as he chased Hermione who was now running down the stairs and onto the streets.
She bit back her tears as she listened to the pair bicker earlier. The memory was obviously still fresh in her head as she ran as fast as she could from Ron, her fiancé. How could he do this to her? She asked herself as she just kept running.
"Hermione!" Ron called out as he chased after her.
She was headed toward the park where she ran on the pavement and eventually collapsed underneath a neon streetlight.
Her head was on the floor as she cried into her arms.
Ron panted as he reached her. Slowly, he held onto her arms as he gently lifted her up into a standing position.
Hermione looked at him with tears in her red eyes. She gripped him by the front of his shirt and shook him.
"Is it true?" She whispered.
Ron sighed and stared at her.
"IS IT TRUE?" She repeated.
He bit his lower lip as he looked pleadingly into her eyes.
Hermione said softly. "Why, Ron, why would you do this to me? What did I do to you?"
"I didn't want to, Hermione! You have to believe me!" Ron pleaded. He felt tears starting to form in his own eyes.
"Then why did you?" She cried out, breaking down. "Tell me!"
"I WAS FORCED TO DO IT!" He yelled back. "I HAD TO!"
"WHY? DID SHE HOLD YOU AT WAND POINT? DID SHE THREATEN TO USE AN UNFORGIVABLE ON YOU?" Hermione yelled.
"I – I just had to do it, okay? You wouldn't understand me if I told you!" Ron argued back.
"She's married. You're going to be married! To me!" Hermione stated. She let her hands fall limply back to her sides. "Why?"
"She just did so much for me alright? I just didn't know how I could repay her –"
"So that's what you do? Shag every witch that helps you?" Hermione hissed. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
"It's not like that! You know how the shop needed a loan to open its new branch? George and I, we worked so hard to get it, but we were declined by Gringotts! And Astoria, she gave it to us! 30000 Galleons, Hermione!"
She slapped him, hard. He could feel the sting on her slap on his right cheek. Her engagement ring left a mark on his face.
"You shagged her for money," Hermione hissed. "I can't believe you! Why couldn't you have asked me? I can't believe you shagged her for money!"
"It's not like that at all!" Ron cried out but Hermione was already walking away from him.
"I thought you were different! You've really hurt me, Ron!"
"Hermione, please! If you'd just –"
"I don't care, Ron!" She yelled back. Tears were forming in her eyes again. "The fact is, you cheated! You slept with her! And I thought you – of all people – wouldn't betray me like this! But you did! How can I – how can I trust you?"
"But I love you, only you!" Ron begged. "Please…"
"I'm sorry, Ron, but I can't be with someone who cheated on me," Hermione looked at him sadly before taking off her engagement ring. She set it down on the pavement before Apparating away to the unknown.
.
.
.
"I can't believe she isn't back yet," Ginny looked at the clock on the wall as she sipped her hot chocolate.
Pansy snorted, turning a page of her mystery novel. "She could be having a good time with Ron, you know, they're going to get married and all."
"But it's really late, Pans," Ginny said, worried. "She would always tell us where she's going."
"Do you want to go and look for her?" Pansy suggested, putting down her book. "Maybe we should drop by Ron's flat first."
Hermione, Ginny and Pansy were roommates ever since the three of them had ended up as co-Healers at St. Mungo's. The trio found out that they had a lot in common after deciding to let go of their turbulent past of their school days.
Ginny and Pansy quickly Apparated to Ron's flat only to find it empty and void of any human life.
"Where could she be?" Ginny scanned the flat and noticed that even Ron had not come home. "Ron's not here either."
"I think I might have a clue where Hermione could be…" Pansy mused. "Remember how we use to lose her at the riverside? She always loved going there to think. Maybe she's there?"
Ginny nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's go."
They Apparated away from Ron's flat and ended up at the Thames riverside.
The pair quickly looked around the area as they walked. Stopping, they found a shaking bundle of mass leaning against the wall that could only be Hermione.
"Hermione?" Ginny asked soothingly, putting her hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Love, what's wrong?"
Hermione slumped onto the floor as she cried. Ginny and Pansy both kneeled down next to her and pushed her hair away from her face.
"Hermione, where's Ron?" Pansy asked, rubbing Hermione's back.
Hermione kept on crying, paying no attention to any of their questions.
"Why are you crying? Did something happen to Ron?" Ginny pulled Hermione into a hug. "Where's Ron, honey?"
Hermione pushed Ginny away from her and rubbed her tears away. "Why does it always have to be about Ron? Why can't it be about me? It's always Ron! What about Hermione?"
"What happened?" Pansy asked with concern.
"The whole world doesn't revolve around Ron! This is the sodding 'Ron Show'!" Hermione cried out. "It's always Ron! Why – just why can't it be about me for once?"
"Hermione, please, tell us what happened," Ginny said gently.
"Your stupid brother shagged another woman, that's what happened," Hermione said between sobs. "He shagged another woman!"
Ginny and Pansy gasped at the same time.
"Are you sure?" Ginny asked. "Maybe you were mista–"
"She was with him! I saw them! I heard them talking about it!" Hermione sobbed into Pansy's arms.
"That git," Ginny said through gritted teeth. "Oh, he's going to get it from me so badly."
"I can't believe…" Pansy trailed off, unsure of what to say in a situation like this.
"Pans, take Hermione home," Ginny stood up with a firm look on her face. "I've got something to do."
.
.
.
Ron sat miserably on a bench in the park that he had chased Hermione to.
He fiddled with the engagement ring she left him as he sighed.
His eyes were getting crusty from all the tears he had shed at the realization that Hermione, had truly left him after his mistake.
Ron knew it was his fault, he hadn't meant for it to happen.
He just felt so obligated to do it!
Astoria seemed to be a kind person who perhaps was suffering from a loveless marriage. She had seeked his friendship and had helped him in his time of need. And he, maybe he felt like he needed that closure that he had with her that he could never have felt with Hermione.
But it was still wrong for him to have slept with her and then propose to Hermione the next day. It was like he was trying to cover up his wrongdoings by making a lifetime commitment to the one woman he truly loved.
That chance was blown away, of course.
By that one stupid mistake.
Ron looked up from the bench as he heard a pop of an Apparation near him.
Ginny.
She walked quickly to him and hauled him to his feet.
"Why?" She hissed at her brother.
Ron forlornly looked at her and shrugged with nonchalance.
"Tell me why, Ron, or so help me God I will hex you!" Ginny threatened, tightening her grip around her brother's arm.
"I had to," He winced.
"Who was it?" Ginny growled. "Tell me, you bloody idiot! Who did you hurt Hermione for?"
"You'd hate me!" Ron yelled.
"No more than I already do, Ron!" She said. "Just tell me!"
"It was Astoria! Astoria Malfoy!" Ron cried out.
"Astoria," Ginny stated. "You shagged Astoria Malfoy? Not only did you shag another woman, but a married one? Ron, you're a bloody prick!"
"We were drunk!"
For the second time that night, Ronald Billius Weasley was slapped by two of the closest women in his life.
And the second slap turned into a third slap, and then soon a fourth slap.
Ginny Weasley certainly had the famous Weasley temper.
"You git," She hissed. "I'm ashamed to even call you my brother. Wait until Harry finds out."
"I'm sorry, Gin! It was a mistake. I never meant for her to know about it," He said softly.
"So is that why you proposed?" Ginny pushed him back down on the bench. She towered over him. "To cover up the fact that you shagged someone else?"
He whimpered under her inquisitive stare.
"Oh God, Ron," Ginny turned away. "I can't face you right now. You've really hurt her, you know."
"I know," He said quietly, looking at his feet. His shaggy red hair covered his face.
"I suggest you don't go looking for her," Ginny said.
He looked up at her with tears glistening in his eyes.
"No, Ron. You've done too much damage," She said softly. "Too much."
.
.
.
Draco Malfoy tapped his fingers impatiently on his study desk as he looked at the papers strewn in front of him.
"Explain," He barked at his lawyer, long-time friend and brother-in-law, Theodore Nott.
"I'm fine, thank you for asking," Theo said sarcastically as he sat down in front of Draco.
Draco snorted.
"These are the documents –" Theo started before Draco interrupted him.
"Clearly," Sarcasm dripped thickly from Draco's mouth.
"Just listen to me, mate," Theo scowled. "These are the divorce papers you had me draw up."
"Finally," Draco snorted. "I was wondering when you were going to get them to me."
"Why do you want to get divorced, anyway?" the brunette wizard enquired.
"It was my 4th year anniversary with Astoria last month, Theo –"
"Yeah, you had that really great party –"
"I wasn't done talking."
Theo rolled his eyes.
"I've already inherited my share of stocks for Malfoy Inc. as of two weeks ago. You remember the rule my father drew up in his will," Draco drawled. "I had to be married for four years before I could inherit anything. And I've already gotten what I needed; I don't see a reason to be stuck in this sham of a marriage anymore. Thank Merlin we didn't have a kid. That would have been really messy."
Theo kept quiet. He studied his nails as he waited for his blonde counterpart to continue with his speech.
"I'm done, Theo," Draco snorted at his friend. "It would do you good to pay attention sometimes. I wonder how you even do well in court."
"Hey!" Theo scowled. "I resent that!"
"Oh, and there's also another perfectly good outcome from this divorce," Draco smirked. "You and I both know that Astoria is only in it for the money as long as she stayed faithful, right? It was in our four-year contract. She gets 10% of the current Malfoy Fortune, which is a considerably large amount."
Theo nodded at the mention of his tart of a sister-in-law.
"She won't be getting any of my money now. I heard through the grapevine that she fucked Weasley," the blonde wizard almost laughed at the sight of his friend's eyebrows almost disappearing into his hairline. "I asked around the elves and they've all replied that yes, she did take him in our bed. Can you believe it? Now I have to get the whole room fucking renovated."
Theo had to stifle a laugh at the thought of his sister-in-law with Ron.
"That's a horrible image, mate. At least you didn't catch them first hand," Theo asked, shuffling the papers on the desk, rearranging it in order. "I assume you've thought this through, Draco?"
"Renovating the room? Now that you've mentioned it, maybe I might as well renovate the whole wing," Draco drawled. "I've always hated those damn damask wallpapers that she put up."
Theo raised an eyebrow. "I meant the divorce."
"Well, Theo," He drawled as Theo handed him the quill and ink bottle. "Of course."
He cleanly signed the divorce papers, making sure that there were no black smudges on the paper.
"I don't need her sullying my name in the papers if this scandal ever gets found out."
"Don't you feel any regret divorcing her? You know, after four years and all," Theo enquired.
"Being married to Astoria was like being married to an annoying, bratty little sister who always wanted to get in your pants," Draco scowled. "In other words, it was a nightmare. I'm glad she cheated on me. I wouldn't have had the opportunity otherwise, you know how my mother is."
Theo nodded. "Yeah, I guess it was a good thing that she cheated. Now you're single and ready to mingle."
"Don't ever use that phrase again," Draco said with gritted teeth.
"Single and ready – OW, WHY'D YOU HEX ME FOR?"
A/N: Reviews are very much appreciated! Beta offers too :)