Disclaimer : As much as I'd like to say I own these character I don't. I only own the storyline I've stuck them in. (Pick me JK Rowling!)
Summary : It was the monthly dinner at Ron's and Hermione's house with the Weasley clan and a couple of the hangers on. What do they find when the group gets there? And who will be put in the dog house for thinking it's ok?
Looking around the kitchen as the oven timer was counting down to the inevitable last ten minutes of baking time, Hermione carefully stirred the gravy in the saucepan on the stove. Having to move gingerly around the bandages she wore on her hands under the white gloves she'd picked to hide them. Her hair, though normally worn in a bun atop her head was loose and resting over the left side of her face, as she prayed her shakey magic would hold long enough to keep that side of her face glamored.
With the table set for 12, plates set out by hand, as well as setting food out, all set under stasis charms so as to make sure they're fresh when the guests arrived, Hermione turned to look at the clock on her wall. Her rather dull brown eyes widening in horror as she realized that Ron was on his way home and she hadn't fixed his drink yet. Rushing over to the hidden liquor cabinet she pulled out a rather good sized glass, stuck in three icecubes, not noticing when one of them broke in half. Only then pouring the olde muggle scotch over the top.
Struggling not to spill a drop, she never heard the front door open or hear the steps of her husband as he moved in behind her. It was only when she turned around to try and hurry to the door and ran into the rather solid chest of the large Weasley that she felt the radiating anger that was coming off of him in waves. The blue eyes she used to drown in in love, were staring down at her rather angrily, "I'm home. Wife." He sneered with a look of disgust on his face.
Barely keeping her hold on the cup she held it up slowly to him and stammered, "W.. w.. welcome home.. R... Ronald." Knowing that using his first name would earn her a punch later, but she just couldn't seem to help herself.
He seemed to be in a rather slow frame of mind today, not noticing the use of his first name, and reached out to grab the drink, purposely squeezing two of the four rather burnt fingers between his massive hands and the glass. The smirk on his lips showing that the biting down of her bottom lip to keep from crying out was noticed. About to take a drink he looked into his cup and then suddenly threw it across the room sending the glass to smash against the wall. "THREE ICE CUBES! HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO GO OVER THIS! THREE ICE CUBES!"
She had no warning as two punches came in succession across her face, ending up with her falling back and hitting her head on the corner of the still open door of the liquor cabinet. The stars that sprung to the forefront of her vision keeping her from noticing the hand that grabbed her hair and then slammed her face into the glass window of the same cabinet. That's when the world turned red and she couldn't see anything anymore.
The blows just kept coming after that, her screams never ending as she kept trying to tell her self, "if I just last a little bit longer, they'll rescue me. Just a little bit longer." Barely keeping consciousness, even as she knew her screams would only make the beating last longer she didn't dare stop.
Outside the door, a silencing charm had haphazardly been placed over the door when it closed, a habit Ron Weasley had gotten into after the one time that the neighbors called the Aurors on his wifes behalf. Because of it having been in his normal shoddy way, the screams were still heard but only by the people just starting to appear on the walk. Beginning with Arthur and Molly, followed by Harry and Ginny, the twins, Bill, Charlie and even Percy had become a regular guest. With them came the Lupins and then much to Ron's chagrine, Severus Snape and the Ministery of Magic who never missed a chance to have dinner with Hermione, the girl he saw as a psuedo daughter, Kingsley.
It was Bill and Severus Snape who paused first in their conversations, almost mid word. Staring at each other as the ex Death Eaters senses always on high alert brought it to his attention, while the wolf in Bill also brought him to bare. Both of them suddenly whipping out their wands and yelling, "Hermione!" It was only then the other men in the group as well as Tonks and Ginny pulled theirs while Molly pulled the Potters kids to the side to protect them.
With the door not opening to the normal counter charms, a loud "Bombarda!" Was heard in tandum from both Snape and Bill, sending the door not just crashing open but exploding into small pieces. The sight all of them found made Tonks end up screaming rather loudly. Kingley couldn't help but yell as well, his wand coming out as he immediately called for help, while the Twins and Bill ran in to try and pull Ron off of his blood covered wife as he kept punching and kicking her.
His eyes wild and unseeing that he now had company as he kept yelling over and over again, "Three Ice cubes! THREE! Not four! Not two! THREE! You burned the cobbler! Your fecking dirty ass blood stained my floor! You're worthyless! Your're not worth the skin that holds you together! I'll beat it out of you, do you hear ME! I'll beat that dirty blood out of you!" Only noticing that he had company when Fred pulled him off by his hair and started beating on him as well. Even Percy in his usually composed state was looking close to casting an unforgiveable. All the while, Harry who had left his wife outside with her mother ran in to help Severus and Bill try and keep Hermione alive till the mediwitch could get there.
"Come on 'Mia, you can't give up on me. Remember? After Greyback got me, and Fleur was killed? You wouldn't let me give up, you can't give up either. Dear Morgana, why didn't you say something?" Bill said as he took one of her crushed hands carefully in his.
It wasn't Hermione who answered though it was his own mother, who said rather matter of factly, "Well if he hadn't of tried to discipline her, who knows where she'd be today. Up on her pedastal looking down on everyone? Now she doesn't think so much of herself and she can learn to be a proper Witch like she should have in the beginning." Sniffing rather disdainfully. "If she'd just stopped screaming it would have stopped, there's no reason to get mad at Ron, he was just exercising his right." The matriarch catching the attention of everyone in the room as her chin lifted and she looked down her nose in a perfect imitation of a brown haired version of Narcissa Malfoy.
It wasn't Harry, or even the boys who commented first, it was Arthur who looked at his wife in abject horror and asked, "Molly-wobbles? What do you mean? His right? You think /this/ is a good thing? Are YOU the reason she quit working for Kinsley?"
Blinking those deep blue eyes at him she just flashed him that famous Molly Weasley smile and said, "Of course I am, he couldn't get anywhere in the Ministry without being seen as only 'Hermiones' husband'. This way, he could make his own place, and she knew her place."
All the while a rather confused Ginny stood behind her mother, seeming to look at the woman she looked up to, and then her husband and then who used to be her best friend. After a long moment she asked in a quiet voice, "Mum? Did you lie when you told me Hermione said that she thought I was nothing but a simpering nothing for staying at home and being a house wife? I had that row that's lasted five years, and even ended up with me punching her more times than I can count. Did you lie to me? Harry has been thinking of divorcing me over all this. Did you start this?" Tears gathering in her eyes as she started to slowly put the pieces together. "You ... you even hinted at CHRISTMAS that the reason she wasn't pregnant was because she was purposely miscarrying didn't you? YOU started that?"
Molly's only responce was to flash a smile at her youngest child and pat her cheek lightly, "I just helped make sure you had the right people in your corner dearest. Look where you are now. Harry's wife, best friends with the Malfoy women? A true paragon of society and all because of just a wee bit of meddling. What mother would-" She didn't get to finish though because Harry had pushed Arthur to the twins and with all his might slapped the older woman so hard she hit the wall next to her.
"Is that what you think men should do to their women?" He hissed as she looked into her wide eyes. Never looking behind him as he heard Bill and Severus struggle to keep his heart-sister alive. "What kind of beating have YOU earned Molly Weasley?" His hand raising again as if to strike her, but his wrist was caught by Arthur who just shook his head. Lowering his hand, Harry hissed, "I used to look at you like a mother. Who I see now disgusts me." Moving over to Ginny he found himself looking into the eyes he'd fallen in love with so long ago. Catching the sobbing woman in his arms as she struggled not to do more than cry as they clung on to each other in their grief.
Just then a team of Auror led by Draco Malfoy came to the door all brandishing their wands, followed by a mediwitch. A strangled cry from the blond haired woman, used to be Ravenclaw yelled out "Hermione!" And began a series of charms over heer body struggling to get her to stay alive as Draco Malfoy's face took on a look it hadn't taken since the day Dumbledore died.
The only sound in the room other than Ginny's crying was Ron's laughter as he shook his head, "You're all pathetic. Come on, let me go and let's go over to mom's. Hermione's burnt dinner... again." His voice going low as if in threatening another beating later. "We can have something good there and catch up, yeah?" Seeming completely oblivious to the anger directed at him. It was the twins and Draco who all looked at each other and nodded before hauling Ron up on his feet.
"As Head of the Weasley family, I make this declaration." Suddenly came Arthurs voice. His wand pointing upwards and showering what looked to be a rain of red and green sparks over his family. "Ronald Bilius Weasley, I hear by strip you of the name of Weasley, may you never find a moments peace near our family. May you never gain any of the rewards that will come from being a Weasley. My magic no longer will recognize you as my son."
Followed soon by all of his brothers doing the same thing. Ginny staring eye to eye with Ron, she seemed about to cave and refuse to join in when his eyes began to narrow at her the way she'd tied to convince herself she'd imagined all those times at the Burrow towards Hermione. Stiffening her back, she slid her free hand into Harry's hand and joined in the chant and pointed her wand at Ron's face.
Kingsley saying the same thing only in regards to the Order of the Phoenix, while others in the room merely shunned his presense and name. Refusing to allow any of them or their kin be associated with him, his magic being shunned to the point where when the magics full force hit him the scream that erupted from his lips rivaled the screams Hermione was giving off.
Not long after, his limp form was being dragged away by Seamus and Dean, with Kingsley moving to follow along as he had planned to get divorce paperwork in and filed so it was concluded tomorrow before the papers hit. Also to make sure his first stop was Azkaban and not the normal holding cells, he would be lucky if Ron lasted an hour in Azkaban once the wizarding world found out what had happened to their worlds favorite witch.
With her body put on stasis after the bleeding had been stopped, and her heart had been restarted several times, Bill carried her body while the rest traveled to St Mungos.
It was a good six months before Hermione was coming around enough to even notice that she had more than two visitors during a single day. Scads of people sending in fresh flowers on a daily basis, her collection of chocolate so expansive that she could easily open up her own confectionary and be set for life. The most impressive thing however, was framed where Hermione could see and that was an article written by Rita Skeeter. Usually seen as a hack writer during the trio's days at Hogwarts when the war ended Hermione stood up for Rita Skeeter to the Wizarding council and got what would have been a rather hefty fine and her livelihood of writing taken away. No one ever really knew why but Rita was an avid supporter of the frizzy haired witch.
Wizards Call for Support : Hermione Granger!
That's right folx, this top reporter is calling for your support for our very own heroine, Hermione Granger. Some years ago, this young woman married the well known though only mediocre powered wizard of who used to be Ronald Bilius Weasley. (Since shunned by the majority of the wizarding world and awaiting the kiss of the dementors in Azkaban. For more information on this, more on page 8.) This young girl, no woman. Married a man who not only beat her on a daily basis but ruined many of this young genius womans chances for a future. Keeping her from family, as well as destroying friendships that she had had since childhood.
I have heard that he even beat her to the point of being bed ridden for even suggesting of getting her parents from a hiding place in Australia. After having selflessly erased their memories of her so as to keep them safe against the war with Voldemort, her one want was to have her family back with her. But like all things that had to do with anything other than her, he told her no. They have since died and she never got to see them again or give them their memories back.
With pictures and memories taken from Miss Granger while she was in a state of semi comatose healing, I can only say that once again this woman has proven herself to be stronger than most any other women. The only thing she has said according to our sources is that she feels she's got nothing left for her, expecting to be shunned for not being the 'perfect' witch for her husband. She not only needs our love, but needs it daily. It could be months or even years before she's back to the frizzy haired woman we all knew and loved. But with our support she can grow stronger and we can make sure that this doesn't happen to anyone else.
On a side note, due to the eye opening happening of his heart-sister and even his own wife having had a say in this. A new counceling office has been opened inside hogsmead so that any woman no matter her financial status can try and find someone to talk to, and possibly to be able to get away from situations like this one. And so yesterday, at the insistance of Ginerva Potter with the help of her husband Harry Potter, the Hermione Granger Counceling Hall for women and children was opened.
Rita Skeeter
This was one of the first things that Hermione saw when she started coming out of her potion and spell induced semi-healing coma. The other thing she noticed was that the one unbroken hand no longer felt like it was still burning and there was asomeone holding it. Turning her head slowly the sight of the fang earring slowly filtered in through her senses and as if having been kick started, her memory played through the lists of the Weasley boys and found fang earring as a reference point. Her rather raspy sounding whisper a lot weaker than she was expecting, "Bill?"
Having been trying to catch some sleep as per the healers orders, one of his more worrisome dreams had caught him. Struggling in his dream to run after Hermione as she was running away from Ron, only to watch her be flung to her death over a cliff. It was the sound of her voice that finally pulled him out of the stupor however. Lifting his head and finding himself staring into a pair of rather lifeless brown eyes. "Hermione... oh 'Mia... I thought I'd... we'd lost you."
Reaching out slowly to touch the woman's cheek slightly and watching as the confusion flicked throughh the myriad of emotions that were running through her system. "Where's..." She couldn't finish though and found herself dropping her gaze to the ground by the doorway.
Sighing softly, Bill just placed a soft kiss on her knuckles, "He's not coming back Hermione. Him and ... and mum are both gone." Seeing her wide eyed shock and teary eyed look of guilt he cupped her cheek and says, "No, no sweetheart, it isn't your fault. It's hers. She's been put into the psyche ward here in the hospital, apparently it's her who changed Ron. It wasn't anything you did, I swear it wasn't. Dear Merline Hermione I was so ..." Feeling her arms wrap around him she hugged him rather tenatively.
"Bill? Can you ..." Blinking a bit again she paused and looked at him as he pulled back to look at her eye to eye. When she continued again she whispered, "I was... making all your... favorite foods. ... Can you... Would you..." Again stopping.
There was a very long moment of pause, making it so that for a moment Hermione thought she had screwed up. Turning her attention to the floor again, with a wincing that seemed at if she were waiting for the first strike. What she felt instead was about two days worth of stubble on her cheek as he pressed a soft lingering kiss there.
"I could, and already do. We'll see where this goes after you're home ok?" Turning her face slightly, he ignored the scars there, given how many he had, he could see through them as if they weren't even there. "No matter what happens, I'll always be here... always. We're at your pace.
It took ten years before Hermione was comfortable enough both around the Weasley men but in her own recovery to finally say yes to marrying Bill when he asked for the 48th time. Yes she'd been counting. The day she said yes, she knew she'd found her home. They may have decided to stay at the Burrow, but she couldn't have been happier for them not having their own home to live in. It made her feel safer to have all of the Weasley men around when she needed them, no matrer the day or time, someone was always around.
On a side note, between the Lupins, Severus Snape and Kingsley she'd gotten her job back at the Ministry though she worked from home more often than not. The ability to be out and about around crowds havng diminished dramatically since the last run in with her first husband.
Now though, she finally had the life she'd hoped to have in the beginning. And it always came from the family who had filled her heart so completely.