Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments):
April Monthly Challenge - HOUSE CHALLENGE - Going, Going, Gone!
89. Dialogue - I'm pretty sure this is illegal
Insane House Challenge
Character: Molly Weasley
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe or any characters therein.
Beta Love to Alana & Lizzy - they fixed all my mistakes, so if you find any you know I was a bad author and edited after getting their ok to post! Thank you both for helping me with this story, your patience and insight are godsends!
The sun was beginning its descent toward the horizon over the bog-like meadow surrounding the Burrow. Hermione sat at the window in the room she shared with Ginny, watching it. Tears slowly rolling down her cheeks, Hermione thought over the events which led up to her decision to leave the Burrow and never look back. Even through the anger and resentment she felt towards the boys, she would miss this house and the feeling of coming home every time she visited. In just a few short months, her life had changed drastically — irrevocably.
Everything had begun with that kiss. That beautiful, magical kiss during the final battle. She and Ron had looked at each other and smiled, overjoyed regarding the outcome of the fight; she had then thrown herself bodily into his arms and hugged him tight. He had looked down at her and met her lips with his own; at first tentatively, then stronger, and more passionately, than Hermione had believed possible. When they had eventually broken apart, she wiped the tears from his eyes, and grabbed his hand to entwine her fingers with his in symbolism of their togetherness. She had assumed that he meant to date her, and maybe in a few years – after they had both completed their exams and apprenticeships, they would discuss marriage and the possibility of spending the rest of their lives together. She had been wrong. So very wrong.
While Hermione had envisioned years of dating, with marriage as the probable outcome, Ron had seen the kiss as an absolute commitment from her. Two weeks after the final battle, they were in the kitchen at the Burrow when he began to talk about what he would expect of Hermione, that she should begin learning from his mother how to be a good housewife, and learn about everything that Ron liked.
"Let Mum handle all the details about the wedding, because she knows what's expected at a wedding, and she understands all the girly things that will need to be done. You just worry about learning how to take care of me and our kids for the rest of our lives, 'Mione! It'll be great!" he gushed, a huge smile on his face.
Hermione looked over at Molly, who was red-faced from crying over Fred's death. Ron showed no compassion towards her, and didn't seem to understand that Molly most likely wouldn't appreciate his assumption that she would be able to teach Hermione housekeeping charms, cooking charms, washing charms, etc., plan a wedding for them, and arrange Fred's funeral. Never mind that the woman needed time to grieve. She watched Ron go over to Molly and begin to talk to her, waving his arms around and then turning to point at Hermione with a huge smile on his face.
Molly stared at her open mouthed, blinking her eyes rapidly as her face darkened a few shades of red. Hermione watched as a visibly upset Molly seemed to accept everything her son said regarding weddings and "teaching Hermione" and in her mind's eye she saw her future, not bright and shiny as she had imagined, but filled with endless demands from Ron and their future children. She met Molly's eyes across the room and cringed; it was time to nip this idea of Ron's in the bud, or she would end up being walked upon for the rest of her life.
She walked over to Ron, grasped his hand and gave it a little squeeze, turned to Molly and asked, "Would you mind if I borrowed Ron for a few moments please? I think we need to have a discussion before things get too out of hand here."
Molly nodded her agreement, and smiled at Hermione. "Welcome to the family, my dear."
She pulled Ron by the hand into the living room, over to the small sofa in the corner of the room. "Ron, don't you think maybe we're moving a little fast here? Why not try dating for a few years, then think about marriage?" He seemed shocked that she would ask this, and as she opened her mouth to explain why she felt dating would be a good idea, he started talking.
"Oi, we've been best friends for seven years already! We spent the last year living together in a tent, and you think we need to date? I already know enough about you, and you know me, so why bother with dating? Don't you think we're perfect for each other?" He practically shouted the last question towards her and began to rise from the sofa. She hastily pulled him down again by his hand and began softly speaking.
"Ron, we've been best friends, yes. However, being your best friend doesn't mean that we know everything there is to know about each other. Neither of us knows what we should expect from a romantic relationship together. We might view life completely differently; heck, we might even be rubbish in bed together." As she said this, he began to sputter, an eager look on his face.
She held up a hand and continued, "We don't know these things, and won't until we've dated for awhile. Don't you see that this is the rest of our lives we're talking about, not just the next few years? I want to make sure I am ready to be a wife and mother before I actually become one! Don't you want to get settled in your career before you get married? Do you even know what you're going to do with the rest of your life?" She had meant the question rhetorically, however he quickly burst out an enthusiastic reply.
"Of course I do! Harry and I have already been accepted into the Auror training program; we'll begin in a few months' time!" Ron smiled as he announced this. Hermione could see how proud he was of himself, and while she was proud of him also, she continued in the same soft tone.
"Marriage is a huge step, and I honestly don't think I'm ready for it yet. I still want to sit my NEWTs, and afterwards I would love to complete an apprenticeship and begin a career. I don't see how I can do any of that if I'm trying to be a housewife at the same time, which is what you seem to expect of me immediately. I want to live my life for years before I settle down into what your parents have. I honestly don't even know if that's something that I'll ever want. Do you understand what I'm saying here, Ronald?"
The blank look on his face gradually changed to shock, then anger. "So you mean I'm not good enough for you? That kiss meant nothing; it was just a fluke? I'll show you how good we can be together in bed!" He lunged for her, grabbing her by the shoulders, and pulled her into a sloppy kiss. Hermione struggled for a few minutes, eventually freeing herself from his grasp and rubbing her shoulders where he had grabbed her.
Letting a fraction of her anger into her tone of voice, she looked him in the eye and said, "That is not what I said, Ronald. Grow up and listen! I am not ready for marriage. If you refuse to date me before we talk about marriage, then I refuse to even consider you as anything other than a friend. Got it?"
He looked into her eyes, and then nodded his agreement shortly. "Fine, we'll date for a bit, then talk about the wedding." While his tone wasn't enthusiastic regarding this, he at least seemed to accept that she was serious. He stood up and stomped his feet all the way up to his room, which he was sharing with Harry.
He muttered to himself the whole way upstairs, upset with himself for just assuming that she loved him enough to marry him, and upset with Hermione for having the gall to believe they didn't know each other well enough to marry. Didn't she understand? "I need her, permanently, in my life!" he shouted to the empty room. Harry was out flying with Ginny. "More so now than I ever did before, and I can't imagine the past seven years of my life without her," he whispered, the realization causing him to blink back tears. In his mind, he continued his thoughts as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. She was his witch, the only one who understood him and accepted him, faults and all. Fred's death effectively showed him not to take people for granted, that fate is a fickle creature and can take people away all too soon. He had to make her see, had to show her that they should get married right away. He sat there for at least an hour, tears slowly crawling down his cheeks, trying to figure out a way to make her see exactly how necessary it was to get married immediately.
Harry walked into the room, a look of concern on his face when he noticed Ron crying. "Hey, mate, you ok?" he asked. He sat down on the bed closest to where Ron was on the floor, a look of concern on his face.
Ron shook his head, trying to keep his emotions in check. "Hermione doesn't want to marry me. I need to find a way to make her understand that NEWTs and an apprenticeship aren't as important as we are. We've been dancing around liking each other for too long, it's time to just accept we're perfect for each other and get married." He grabbed a tissue and blew his nose. "I don't understand, Harry. How can she think we aren't perfect for each other? I just lost Fred, I can't lose her too!" He made a fist with his left hand, and slammed it onto the floor next to him in frustration.
"Maybe you can talk to her, see why she doesn't want to get married? Ask her to date you, like Ginny and I are doing, maybe?" He eased himself slowly onto the floor next to Ron, and put his hand on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "Ginny still has a year of school to go, and after that she wants to apprentice herself for a Mediwitch career. I asked her to date me for the rest of the summer, and then if she feels like we're still in a good place romance-wise, we can get engaged. We both like the idea of having a firm commitment, and this way she can do what she needs to before the wedding. We'll focus on our family for awhile after the wedding, when she won't have to worry about studying or anything."
Ron seemed to think about this for a few minutes, then sighed heavily. "I love Hermione, but I can't see her ever stopping if I let her get started before I receive a commitment from her, mate. Even if she agrees to a long engagement, I'll be sitting here waiting for her to make up her mind that we can get married, and then once we're married, we'll end up fighting with each other over a family, and I'll end up with bloody canaries swarming around me again." He shivered, remembering the last time those birds had swooped onto him, pecking and scratching him. "She doesn't understand, marriage first is the way for us to go. She's so brilliant she can sit her NEWTs five years from now, without studying, and pass them all."
Harry nodded, agreeing with Ron about Hermione's brilliance. He couldn't understand what was going on; why she didn't want to marry Ron, when she had been crazy over him for years. Sure, the two of them had fights, but they always worked things out after giving each other the silent treatment for a few weeks. She was the level-headed one of the three, always thinking and over-analyzing things. Maybe she was finally cracking, now that the war was over. "If that's the case, we should try to get her to postpone taking NEWTs for awhile." Harry hadn't realized he had spoken out loud until Ron grabbed him in a hug.
"Exactly, mate! I don't think she'll see reason, but maybe if we can get her to think she'll fail them, she'll start to see things differently!"
As Ron continued to talk, Harry began to wonder if maybe Ron was the one going 'round the twist. He seemed to be fixated on beating down Hermione's self esteem, wanting her to think of herself as a failure, so that Ron could pick up the pieces. Harry understood that Ron wanted to get married immediately, and he even understood, from the way Ron was talking, that he only wanted to get married so quickly because he was afraid he would lose Hermione like he had lost Fred. He didn't quite believe it was a good idea to go about things the way Ron was planning to; however, he tentatively agreed to say something to Hermione when she announced her desire to take the NEWTs. At the very least, he could maybe convince her to wait a year before sitting the NEWTs, based on how much she had to cover, and during that year he could get to the bottom of what was going on between his two best friends.
The next evening, as the family sat down for supper, Hermione announced her intention to sit the NEWTs in the next month. Although the Ministry had offered honorary NEWTs to herself, Ron, and Harry in recognition of their efforts, Hermione felt that she would be given more credit from future employers if she actually sat the exams and passed them on her own merit.
"This shouldn't come as any great shock to anyone, but I plan to sit the make-up NEWTs the Ministry is holding starting June eighth. It's May eighteenth now; I only have three weeks to prepare for the exams. I'm going to be trekking to the Muggle library in town every morning. I already placed all the correct befuddlement charms and notice-me-not charms on my books and notes so anyone who looks at them will only see Muggle chemistry, calculus, etc., and I won't be in violation of the Statute of Secrecy. I know I won't be in the correct state of mind if I stay here and attempt to study; you know me with exams, I like to have absolute quiet." This was all said with quiet finality, yet the reactions around the room varied.
Molly and Arthur smiled at her encouragingly, announcing, "Good for you, dear." Molly expounded the statement with, "It's nice to see at least one of you three wants to sit your exams. I'll pack a lunch for you and have it ready every morning before you leave."
George and Ginny just smiled at Hermione, shaking their heads over the fact that she would be so interested in studying. They both knew her, and understood that it was just the way Hermione was.
Harry looked at her, a strained smile on his face as he announced, "Well, you always were a bit of a swot; guess we can't change everything about you in seven years. Good luck learning everything we were supposed to learn last year, in addition to revising the six years we were at Hogwarts." He looked toward Ron and shook his head slightly, still feeling uneasy about this course of action.
"Yeah, you always were a huge swot!" Ron snapped at her, an incredulous look on his face. "Go fail miserably, and then come crying to me when you get the results. Maybe then you'll see the logic of getting married." He sneered at Hermione, then stomped out of the room and up the stairs in the same fashion he had the night before.
Harry watched Ron storm from the room, then turned to see the shock displayed on everyone else's faces around the table. Guilt flooded him when he saw a tear roll down Hermione's cheek. He waited for her to leave the room and then followed her into the backyard; he gently grabbed her arm to turn her so he could see her face as he spoke. "I'm sorry, Hermione; I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean what I said; heck, you could probably sit them right now and pass them, but maybe you should take some time off. Be a carefree teenager for a little while before you go back to researching and studying and all that. We had to grow up so fast last year; we all deserve a break, some time to just be ourselves. You could sit NEWTs next year, instead."
Hermione had jumped when Harry grabbed her arm, but as he spoke, his words soothed her. She thought for a few minutes about taking a break, then decided that even if she wanted to go back to being a 'carefree teenager' as Harry suggested, she couldn't. She had accepted responsibility and become an adult over the last year; she couldn't in good conscience just forget about that responsibility and take a year off to be carefree. "I can't do that, Harry. I love you guys, but I learned a lot in the last year: the most important lesson being that you can never go back once you step forward into adulthood. I sent my parents away forever. They were so proud of the woman I was becoming; I couldn't dishonor them by stepping back and not applying myself towards my goals. If I don't continue forward, finish schooling and work for my future, I couldn't live with myself. Do you understand, Harry?"
He nodded, his face pale from the shock of her revelations. "Yes, I guess I can see why you're so determined, when you put things that way. I thought you had only modified their memories, Hermione, not erased them forever. You can't find them and reverse the spells, give them their memories back?" She had never mentioned her parents' memories were gone forever – that she would never be able to bring them back. He hadn't realized exactly how much she had sacrificed to help him in his fight until just now.
"I didn't have enough time to research and perfect reversible memory modification spells. I spent so much time running calculations regarding their safety. I only had a few weeks to research memory charms. I used a form of Obliviate to remove their memories. There was a slight chance of Death Eaters finding them in Australia. If that had happened and I had used a weaker charm, they would still have been in danger. Permanent removal of their memories was the only way to ensure they survived, no matter what." Tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes. She missed her parents very much, but she had done what needed to be done in order to save them.
Every calculation she had run had pointed to her parents' deaths before the end of the war, except the one to remove their memories permanently. If she'd just had more time to research the reversible charms, she could have run more calculations and maybe found a better solution, but Harry had needed her. Sending them away forever had hurt her, but at least this way she knew they were alive and she could look in on them as they lived out the rest of their lives, secure with the knowledge that they lived.
"I'm so sorry, Hermione, I don't know what to say. You sacrificed your family, and I didn't even realize it. I'm a selfish bastard, I should have realized!" He clenched his fists, a look of pain in his eyes. He was angry at himself for not realizing the full implications of what she had done. "My parents were taken from me; I had no choice. You didn't have much of a choice when you did what you did, but you still had a choice. I don't think I would have had the strength to make that kind of a decision." He shook his head, then looked straight at her and grinned self-consciously. "I'm so lucky to have you as a friend, I don't know what I'd do without you. I never said that to you, I never even thanked you for everything you did, did I? Thank you, Hermione."
She sniffled, then launched herself at him. "I love you, Harry; thank you for understanding." She held him in a tight hug for a few minutes, before pulling back to wipe her eyes.
He nodded and grinned sheepishly, then continued, "I'll, uh, go see what Ron's up to now."
Ron's attitude hurt her, but she wasn't willing to give up just because he didn't have any faith in her. Three weeks later, Hermione sat the exams, relatively confident that she had learned and revised everything she had needed to. The results would be delivered by owl in approximately a month, during which time Hermione threw herself into repairing her relationship with Ron.
Every time she approached Ron regarding dates, he would vaguely respond that he wanted to have dinner with his family, or do something with Harry and Ginny. When she pressed him to make a decision about an outing, he snapped at her. "Fine, we'll go to the pub with Harry and Ginny on Saturday night and cheer the Quidditch match that's broadcast on the wireless." While this wasn't what Hermione would consider a fun date, she nevertheless went with them and tried to cheer along, pasting a fake smile on her face the entire night. This was something Ron enjoyed, so she would grin and bear it, and then next time, they would do something she could have a bit more enjoyment in. A little more than a week after she sat her exams, Ron began talking about setting a date for their wedding again.
"Ron, do you seriously think that one date, in which we did something that I found utterly boring, is enough to base a marriage on? I love you, but almost everything I know about you is based on our friendship. How many times do I have to tell you this?" Hermione was starting to get annoyed; first he agreed to date, and then he implied that she won't pass her exams and seemed angry with her that she wanted to sit them. Then, when they go out on a date, he chose something that he knew she didn't find enjoyable, and after the "date" he decided again that they've dated enough and it's time to get married?
Ron listened to Hermione, rage building in him as she refused his marriage request yet again. Why doesn't she understand?he silently railed. Her continued rejection of him just made him more determined to force her around to his way of thinking. He would not lose her, he would force her to see how important he was in her life; he would purposely make sure that she failed at everything without him standing by her side as her husband, if he had to. "Do you really want to wait and see how big a failure you are before you accept our marriage, Hermione? I'll let you choose where you'd like to have our wedding night, as I know Muggles have some strange notion of going to a motel honeymoon thing to celebrate. Just accept it already, your only real option is to marry me."
Hermione sat down at the kitchen table with him and explained again. "Ron, I told you before that I'd like to apprentice somewhere and begin a career before I even consider marriage, and don't even think of calling me a failure again, either. I don't know how I did on my exams, however I do know with relatively little doubt that I did NOT fail them!" She realized she was practically screaming when she said this last bit, and took time to count back from ten before she began speaking again.
"If I ever agree to talk about marriage with you, it will be after years of dating each other; and not the dates we've had where we only do things you fancy! What are some things that we both enjoy doing? Because I do not appreciate going to the pub and cheering for Quidditch games! Yes, I love your family, but Ron, dates are about getting to know each other, spending time alone. We cannot do that constantly surrounded by your family. Understand?" She wasn't yelling anymore, but her voice held a very firm tone by the time she finished.
He gave her a look of contempt. "Fine, you choose where we go on our dates from now on if you don't like what I want to do! Just tell me where and when to show up and I'll be there." He glared at her a few moments longer, then got up from the table and walked outside, muttering under his breath. "Oi, I'll do what she wants now, just so she'll agree to marry me already; enough with this dating rubbish. Why can't she understand, I need her! I will not lose another person I love, and marriage is the only way to make sure that I don't lose her."
Hermione heard the first bit of muttering, however he had gone out of her hearing range before he could begin to utter his second sentence. His attitude stung; she couldn't understand what had happened that he was all of a sudden so different. Yes, he had self-esteem issues; honestly, who wouldn't with five older brothers and a mother who always made comparisons, even if they weren't made consciously? Hermione understood this, had even looked it up in some Muggle psychology books when she first realized she was interested in Ron as more than a friend.
The next week, Hermione planned outings to the British Museum, The National Gallery, and various restaurants which actually had menus, not just a list printed on a board in chalk. True to his word, Ron went where planned, and he was usually less than an hour late. However, he made no attempt to hide his displeasure.
Everywhere she chose, Ron was full of complaints. "This is just filled with old stuff. If I wanted to see old stuff I'd go visit my Aunt Muriel!" Or, "Oi Hermione, they want how much for a piece of toast? Let's just go home and mum will make some for free! Do you think I'm made of money?"
Hermione then attempted to meet him on common ground, packing picnic lunches and asking Ron to give her flying lessons. Nevertheless, she was still met with Ron's antagonistic comments. "This isn't enough to feed one person, how did you expect both of us to eat?" Or, "Ask my mum to teach you how to cook, Hermione, this food isn't very good."
Once she was on the broom and in the air, terrified almost to the point of tears, Ron would begin yelling directions on how to do things. "Now tilt the handle down, yes, just like that. Don't worry Hermione, I'll have you pull up before you hit the ground; now give the broom some speed!" She closed her eyes and did as he said, screaming on the way down. "Don't scream like that, Hermione, how do you ever expect to learn how to fly if you scream and close your eyes every time you descend?" After this, Hermione pretty much gave up any thought of learning to fly and vowed to keep both feet firmly on the ground.
The next week, she asked Molly to pack the picnic lunches, and tried to talk to Ron about her interests and what she wanted from life. "I'm thinking I'd like to apprentice in Charms, though I also find Arithmancy fascinating. Which do you think I'd be best qualified for, Ron?" She asked, hopeful that he would respond without the demeaning comments regarding her exam results — which were still pending.
Ron was incensed that she still wouldn't even consider talking about a wedding. He had tried to find the words to explain how he felt, about the need to have her in his life right now, but she wouldn't even listen to him once the word marriage crossed his lips. She kept saying they didn't know each other enough, or that she needed to date him and learn how compatible they were outside a friendship-only relationship.
He was being agreeable going on dates with her, and as far as he could see, they were still compatible as friends, and maybe if she would let him kiss her more, or touch her more, she would realize they were sexually compatible also. The more dates they went on where he would only get a kiss or two, the more frustrated he became with the whole dating scenario. She wouldn't even let him touch her breasts under her clothes, how the hell did she think they would learn about each other in a sexual way when she tensed up and scolded him every time he tried to touch her?
Well, she wouldn't exactly scold him every time he touched her. But she wouldn't let him get further than over-the-jumper petting of her chest. They would snog for hours sometimes, but every time he would move to put his hand under her shirt she would freeze up and tell him no. The one time he had ventured down to the front of her jeans, she had practically yelled about being a good girl and how dare he try to touch her there when she had made it clear she wasn't ready to go that far.
She was still nattering on about NEWTs and apprenticeships when he snapped. Making her lose some of her self confidence would have to boost their relationship, so he would do everything in his power to turn her into a failure, or at least make her believe she is one. Temporarily, of course, he thought, the plan firming more in his mind. She's brilliant, and everyone knows it. Once we're married, and I know I won't lose her to some job or something, then I'll encourage her to do everything she wants. For now though, I need her to believe she's a failure. He really hated doing this to her, but she was forcing his hand. She refused to see anything but what she wanted, so he would do everything in his power to make her.
"I think you're being stupid and getting your hopes up. You know there's no way you could have passed NEWTs — you missed an entire year of school, Hermione! Nobody could have crammed an entire year's worth of lessons, along with revision for the previous six years' of lessons, into the three weeks you had. Face reality, 'Mione, you failed and there's no way you're qualified for any apprenticeship." This was all said as he shoved his mouth with the food his mother had packed for them.
That night, Hermione cried herself to sleep again, frustrated that Ron was still taking his disappointment about the wedding out on her, and telling herself that he would get over it soon. She kept repeating to herself that Ron was just being Ron, and she shouldn't take things personally. This too would pass, and things would get better like they always did.
She had only managed to do a few days' worth of research at the library, and that hadn't turned up too much in the way of reasons he could have changed so much. She was sick of crying, but she wouldn't give up on him; they had been friends for seven years! This attitude was a new change, but she could deal with it until he worked through whatever was causing it.
She figured to herself, if she couldn't stand by him when he was acting like this now, then how could she justify marriage with him? As much as she was trying to slow things down, she had been dreaming of Ron, and their future together, since fourth year; she would stand by him and help him work through whatever it was he was dealing with. If she had to put up with some insults and a terrible attitude for a little while, it was a small price to pay for the potential of a lifetime of happiness.
NEWT results came the following week during breakfast time, and once Hermione read her results, she had to bite her tongue not to throw it in Ron's face that she was not a failure, that in fact she had done quite well. Of the ten exams she sat, she received eight Outstandings – Charms, Arithmancy, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, Potions, Herbology, Ancient Runes, and Transfiguration; and two Exceeds Expectations – Astronomy and Care of Magical Creatures.
She realized everyone at the table was looking at her in expectation She merely passed her scorecard to Ginny, seated to her right, and then reached for the platter of scrambled eggs in front of Ron, seated to her left. At Ginny's excited squeal, the entire table jumped slightly in their seats, while she jumped up and hugged Hermione; pulling her from her chair and into a bouncing hug.
"Oh, congratulations, Hermione! Those scores are amazing! I knew you would do great! I just knew it," she kept squealing. This started an avalanche of congratulations from the Weasley clan, as everyone anxiously grabbed for the card to see her scores for themselves.
When the card made it to Ron, his first thought was about her brilliance, and how these scores weren't any sort of surprise; he was very proud of her. Then his mind began to whirl. Her brilliance was undermining his whole plan! Now what? He cringed inside as he thought, I have to act as if these scores are a surprise, and accuse her of cheating. She needed to depend on him if his plan was to work; he needed her to look to him for support, and these scores were not helping that portion of the plan.
Hell, with these scores it was almost guaranteed that she would get an apprenticeship and leave him. I have to stop this madness! He looked down at the card again, his grip tightening on it. He knew what he had to do, he wasn't happy about it, but he had to do it. When he looked up, he began to sneer at Hermione. "So, how did you manage to cheat at NEWTs? Or did the instructors just go easy on you because you're Harry's friend? There's no way you could have received these grades on your own; what did you do, fuck the instructor?"
Hermione had watched the card going around the table with apprehension, when it reached Ron, she'd told herself to be prepared for any reaction. At first, it had looked as if he was happy for her, but that look had dissolved so fast into disappointment and then anger, she convinced herself that she had been mistaken. When he did look back up at her, and began to spew such insults, she opened her eyes wide in shock. At the accusation of sleeping her way to the grades, she opened her mouth in denial, before thinking better of it. Why give him the satisfaction of a response when he was acting insane like this? She firmly snapped her mouth shut and gave him an icy look. She then stood, and as calmly as she could manage in her anger and hurt, walked from the room.
Once she was clear of the kitchen, she ran up the stairs to the room she was sharing with Ginny and threw herself onto her bed, allowing herself a good solid cry. After a few hours of crying and repeating her silent mantra about Ron being Ron when he was upset, that something else was going on to cause him to be more reprehensible than normal when he doesn't get his way and nothing he said being personal, she decided enough was enough.
She would be the better person and let this go. She'd forgive him once he realized he was acting the arse and apologized; until then, she would just ignore his rude attitude. She made her way to the bathroom, gave her face a strong scrubbing, and then slowly made her way to the kitchen where she found Molly beginning lunch preparations while singing off-key along with the wireless.
She coughed to announce her presence and then gave Molly a small grin. "I know that he doesn't mean what he's saying. I understand that he's just upset because he's not getting his way about me and marriage, in my head I know this and I forgive him for acting out."
Tears began to leak from her eyes again, and she angrily wiped them away as more formed. "My heart hurts though, Molly; it hurts so hard and I don't know if I can cope with it much longer. I love him, I have for years, but it's like when he left us alone in that tent all over again. Only this time I don't know what to do to make things better, there is no Horcrux to destroy and make the bad things go away."
Molly calmly wrapped her arms around Hermione and led her to sit on a bench at the table. "There, there, dear. I can't say I understand what you're going through, but I can say that I'm sorry you have to go through it. I don't understand what's going on in my Ron's head and I won't even pretend to be as forgiving as you are. I'm very sorry, so very sorry. You go ahead and cry, I'm here for you." She continued to murmur these words, over and over, until Hermione's tears slowed and she began to calm herself.
Once Hermione was calm, Molly hugged her again and gave her a brilliant smile. "Congratulations on your NEWT scores. Arthur and I are so proud of you. What are your plans now? Do you know which subject you'd like to pursue? And where you'd like to work once you've completed your training?"
Hermione and Molly began chatting about Hermione's choices for apprenticeships, and her goals and aspirations for the future once she obtained her completion certificate. Neither noticed the figure at the window, listening to their conversation with a dark look on his face.
Ron stood at the open window, feeling guilty as he watched Hermione cry on his mum's shoulder. His strategy was downright evil, but he knew it was the only way to get things done, and that no other strategy he had planned out had any potential to work. As Hermione began to calm down, he winced when his own mother brought up the topic of an apprenticeship, and working after that. She was supposed to be supporting him, and helping him get Hermione to think about the wedding! He gritted his teeth, listening to Hermione plan out who she would contact, and which apprenticeships she wanted most.
He quickly walked away as his mum walked back to the sink to wash her hands before finishing lunch. He hated himself for what he was going to do, but he needed to stick to his plan. He could reverse any damage to her reputation after they were married, couldn't he? It wasn't like anything he was doing would be permanent, however the marriage that resulted from his actions would definitely be. He started to word the letters in his head, then decided it would be easier to keep track of them if he just went upstairs and wrote them out.
Over the next week, Hermione sent out six inquires to various individuals, requesting an appointment to discuss the possibility for an apprenticeship. Within days, she received her first response:
Ms. Granger,
While you have exemplary NEWT scores, which would usually prompt me to schedule an appointment immediately regarding the possibility of an apprenticeship, outside circumstances force me to rethink this attitude.
How dare you think yourself important enough to waste my time with such an asinine request? You should be ashamed of yourself to even consider contacting me in your idiotic, self-centered, delusional condition. Be advised I shall forward to my colleagues a list of your inadequacies.
Sincerely,
D. Whiterspoon, Arithmancy Master
This response confused Hermione. Why would contacting him be a waste of his time? And how was requesting an appointment to discuss apprenticeship an asinine request? As responses from the other five individuals came back, basically stating the same thing over and over, Hermione began to suspect that her status as a Muggle-born witch was the cause of these rejections.
Yes, they had won the war against Voldemort; however, the war against prejudice would go on forever, and you could never be sure. She could think of no other possibility for these rejections – her NEWT scores were exemplary, and she had a near-perfect transcript from Hogwarts. She had been given letters of recommendation from almost every professor to have ever taught her, which she had magically copied and sent along with her transcripts and a copy of her NEWT scores. There was no academic reason to reject her, nor was there a personal one, as each of the recommendation letters she received from her professors glowed with praise about her attitude as well as her aptitude for their subjects.
The next week she sent out a dozen more inquiries to individuals with the same request. Again, she received curt, often rude responses basically saying, "Don't waste my time with your self-important delusions," and, "Go away." The more responses she received, the more she began to believe that her bloodline was the cause of her rejections. There was no other possible explanation she could think of.
She decided to write to Headmistress McGonagall and request an audience. Maybe the headmistress would be able to tell her if there was some type of fine print in apprenticeship contracts still restricting Muggle-born access. The headmistress agreed to meet with her the next day for tea, and Hermione decided she would just come out and ask if she should expect discrimination due to her parentage from the majority of the Wizarding world.
The headmistress was adamant in her response. "While it's not unheard of for some individuals to only accept apprentices if their bloodline meets certain criteria, it's definitely not the norm. I know for certain that at least twenty of the names on this list have accepted Muggle-born apprentices with lower exam results and less than stellar school transcripts." She sipped her tea delicately. "I shall make some subtle inquiries regarding this matter, Miss Granger. In the meantime, continue sending your requests to the last names on your list. Let's meet for tea again in, say, two weeks? I should have some form of an answer for what's blocking your acceptance by then."
Hermione agreed and returned to the Burrow. She did as the headmistress had requested, continuing to send her inquiries to the remaining dozen individuals on her list of possible apprenticeships. As the responses continued to come back scathingly, Hermione began to doubt herself. Ron saw this and began to offer comfort to the distraught witch, which she gratefully accepted, completely forgetting about his own vicious attitude toward her not even a month ago. Their relationship began to grow stronger as the responses got more vicious.
Ron watched his plan working, his guilt lessening each time she came to him for comfort. Everything would work out fine now: they would get married, and he would then write to all the masters and rescind his words. He felt a minor twinge of fear at the thought of what he would have to ask of Harry. He would be able to deal with Harry's anger though; after all, Harry had actually written the words. He thought back to that day, when Harry had found him trying to write out the letters to the masters.
Harry had joked around with him for a bit, but once he had written a few words, he had stood and announced that he couldn't believe that Ron would consider anything he had written to be the truth. He had torn the paper up, refusing to write lies about Hermione's school work or attitude. Once he'd left the room Ron had taken the paper from the wastebasket and studied it, then forged a letter and Harry's signature; he'd found a forgery spell in a old trunk in the attic a few years before while looking for an heirloom tablecloth his mum had wanted to use in Bill and Fleur's wedding, and worked it based on those few words and several homework assignments he'd found crumpled up in Harry's school trunk. Later that night, while Harry was sleeping, Ron had borrowed his wand to magically duplicate the letter so he could send it out along with the letters he had written.
He had convinced Harry to keep quiet about the letters, and would get him to write a retraction, once Hermione was his legally wedded wife. Everything was going according to plan, he would never feel alone again with her as his wife; he only needed to keep up the act for a little while longer before she ran out of options. After the wedding, he would make sure things opened up again and everyone would be happy for the rest of their lives.
Days before Hermione was to meet the headmistress again, Ron approached her to set a date for their wedding, "It's clear to me, and should be to you also, that your options are very limited." Something in the tone of his voice didn't sit right with her, but she forgot to be cautious when he gently caressed her cheek and kissed her lips softly. His tone became slightly pleading as he continued. "Let's just set a date for the wedding, and get on with our lives, Hermione." The hopeful look on his face had her almost agreeing then and there, but she then remembered his tone earlier and stopped herself; she would meet the headmistress first, to see what she had managed to uncover.
"I'll think about it, Ron. I just need some time still. Please," she sighed as she said this, tears beginning to run down her cheeks. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't feel comfortable telling Ron about her upcoming meeting. She was at the point, however, where if the headmistress couldn't explain why she seemed to be barred from apprenticeship opportunities, she would just accept the situation and dedicate her life to being a housewife and mother like Ron wanted.
The next days seemed to fly past; she was finally done receiving responses to her inquires and life seemed to begin to settle into routine again. The sense of normalcy she had allowed to settle herself into came crashing down around her, however, as she listened to the headmistress explain what she'd learned.
Something had been off the moment she stepped into the office. McGonagall had a sympathetic look on her face as she directed Hermione to a chair by the fire, tea service already set out on the small coffee table. She sat directly across from Hermione, and began to pour for them both. As she handed Hermione her cup and saucer, she hesitantly began speaking. "Miss Granger, there's no easy way to tell you this. I spoke with the first six of the individuals on the list you left with me. It seems your efforts to obtain an apprenticeship have been deliberately sabotaged. I'm unsure why those responsible would feel the need to do this to you, child. Actually, I'm pretty sure this illegal; though I don't believe you would get anywhere within the legal system if you choose to pursue it, due to the individuals concerned."
She gestured to a small pile of parchments stacked next to the tea tray. With a sigh of regret, she picked the parchments up and unfolded the topmost of the stack. "I'm afraid that these letters are the reason you are having such difficulties with your search for an apprenticeship, Miss Granger." She grimaced as she skimmed the opened letter, then she refolded it and extended the entire pile toward Hermione.
As Hermione reached for them, McGonagall continued softly, "Each of the individuals I contacted received letters worded very much like those, shortly after your request for a meeting. Several of those individuals were kind enough to forward me a copy of their letters, as I very firmly denied the accusations being made against you in them. My word, however, doesn't seem to hold as much sway as the words written in those letters." She huffed haughtily, clearly unnerved with the prospect of her word not being taken seriously.
Hermione slowly began reading the letters, disbelief turning to shock before turning to anger. There must be some mistake; these letters couldn't possibly be saying what she was reading. She raised her eyes from the parchments, tears beginning to form in her eyes as she realized her friends had not only sabotaged her future, they had also betrayed her faith in them – she could no longer trust them or anything they said if they could openly lie about her like this. She felt the tears slowly making their way down her cheeks as she brokenly gasped, "I don't understand, why would they do this? I stuck by them through thick and thin! How could they? What made them think they could play with my life like this and get away with it?"
Harry's letter, at least, seemed to be a single letter magically copied and distributed. The statements were painful; however he didn't seem to take much pleasure degrading her. He simply stated the following:
To whom it may concern:
It has recently come to my attention that you may be considering accepting my long-time friend, Hermione Granger, as an apprentice. While her exam scores and school transcripts may seem in order, I feel there are certain aspects to her personality of which you need to be advised before you give any serious consideration to her potential. Miss Hermione Granger has several key faults, which I believe will undermine your teachings and eventually cause serious issues.
The first of these is her poor work ethic; she seems to do assignments as relayed, however if you look closely at the lists of references, and then go back to read them, over 90% of the time you will find she has just reordered the sentences found in texts to suit the order she requires, and in my opinion this is blatant plagiarism.
Secondly, she has an extreme overachieving personality; while you may wish her to concentrate studies on one aspect of a subject, Hermione always disregards these instructions and goes off on tangents to learn everything possible on the subject as a whole, with little regard to your wishes.
Lastly, she has a propensity for undermining all authority she seems to come in contact with; just one example of this would be her conduct towards various professors in our school years. Hermione always felt the need to whisper instructions to her classmates when our professors clearly wanted us to make our own mistakes and learn from them; she would also constantly spew answers out in class, regardless of being called upon or not, disrupting class symmetry with her need to show off.
It is with great regret that I feel the need to inform you of these facts, after you have probably already wasted precious time in consideration of her request to discuss an apprenticeship. I feel it would be a grave injustice to the Wizarding world if Miss Granger were accepted into an apprenticeship program, enabling her to waste yet more time and the teaching efforts of professionals such as yourselves.
Sincerely,
Harry Potter
While she did take some comfort that his letter seemed magically duplicated, she was more devastated about it than she was over Ron's letters, which were definitely written individually. Harry had seemed so supportive these last weeks, so understanding. When they had talked in the backyard about her parents, and he had told her how important she was to him, she had felt he was sincere. How could he write something like that, much less send it out and destroy any chances she had at a life? She glanced at the letter again. It was definitely his handwriting; it even had several of the little markings and lines Harry would always subconsciously put on a paper while he was writing. As much as she wanted to believe it was a fake, to believe that Harry wouldn't write anything contained in it, facts were facts and she couldn't doubt the letter's authenticity. His betrayal cut her deeper than Ron's, which, based on his actions since the whole dating issue began, at least wasn't such a shock.
The letters that Ron wrote were vicious; he made no attempt to be civil, openly claiming she would put off assignments, plagiarize reference materials at the last minute, constantly second guess everything said, talk back when it suited her, etc.
On the bottom of the pile of papers was a short note, penned to the headmistress:
Minerva:
It is with regret that I send you the two letters I received directly after a very promising, yet misleading, request to meet for a discussion pertaining to apprenticeship. It is not only my belief, but the beliefs of the majority of my colleagues, that we owe Mr. Harry Potter a debt of gratitude for his effort in eradicating our world of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
As Mr. Ronald Weasley is the recipient of honorary NEWTs along with Mr. Potter, it is believed that he played an important enough role in the eventual defeat of said tyrant and that he is also owed a debt of gratitude.
Therefore, we must take their words of caution and criticism to heart and have henceforth blacklisted Miss Granger from all apprenticeship opportunities in our fields. I am very sorry if this seems unfair to you, however as professionals we choose to not waste our time and effort teaching such an obnoxious individual.
Sincerely,
D. Whiterspoon, Arithmancy Master
Hermione read the last paragraph again, and then gasped. "I'm blacklisted…" she sobbed, tears falling unchecked. McGonagall stood and walked over to her, uncomfortably patting her on the shoulder as Hermione sobbed into her hands uncontrollably.
"Miss Granger, please try to calm yourself," she said, still patting Hermione's shoulder. "It is not only you who is insulted here, Miss Granger, for the school's name is also blemished. These individuals have access to your school records, yet they are taking the words of two seventeen-year-old wizards over what this professional institution has to say in regards to your academic history." Her voice grew cold as she said this, and the various portraits around the office made clucking noises upon hearing this.
She made her way back to her own chair as Hermione calmed down, picked up her teacup and then grimaced as she realized her tea had gone cold. With a flick and swish of her wand, the tea service was cleared and another service conjured. She poured tea for them both and settled back into her chair, a slight grimace still on her face. "Miss Granger, I'd like to extend to you an opportunity to work with Hogwarts for the next year or so." She took a sip of her tea, and then gently placed the cup on the table in front of her. She summoned some papers from her desk in short order and lifted her glasses to perch on her nose as she read aloud.
"'Duties to be various, from researching topics for professors to assisting in day to day teaching and grading of student papers; tutoring students when necessary; helping to fortify and strengthen the schools defenses and various charms in the aftermath of the final battle...'" Hermione began to grow excited as she heard this list of duties.
While it wasn't an apprenticeship, or even a continuation of her studies, it was an opportunity to grow. She would be helping with research and teaching, and even possibly learning new spells. "I would be honored to accept the position, Headmistress," she said, her voice still uneven from her crying bout earlier.
She accepted the contract and quickly skimmed over the terms of agreement. The pay was slightly lower than she would expect from an entry-level position, however room and board was included. She would be required to be available at all hours of the day, every day of the week with the exception of a pre-scheduled day off on the weekends. She would receive all correspondence via owl during breakfast in the Great Hall when student mail was delivered, with the option of having it delivered to her quarters at other times of the day. The contract would last a year, beginning 25 August 1998; it was only 3 August 1998, she would have to find someplace to live until then.
She smiled at the headmistress, and as she signed her name on the contract she felt the tingle of magic trail from her fingertips up her hand, travel the length of her arm, filling her head, and then travelling down her body via her spine; it was rather intense and comforting at the same time. "Thank you, Headmistress. I look forward to working with you, and the rest of the staff, starting later this month. I must get going now; I don't believe I can manage to live in the same house as Ronald and Harry anymore, so I must find other accommodations until I begin here." She tried to keep the disappointment she felt at the situation from her voice, refusing to allow herself to cry again; she had cried enough over the past month to last her a good long time.
"Miss Granger, there are quarters here for you to stay in, if you wish it, until your employment begins officially. They are just going to sit empty, and the two weeks of room and board could easily be deducted from your pay packet at the end of the year if you desire. I assure you, the cost of only two extra weeks would be minimal." The sympathy in her voice shone through in her eyes as she made this offer, and Hermione was grateful again to the older woman.
"Thank you, Headmistress. I will just go pack up my belongings then, and return in a few hours." Hermione smiled a real smile for the first time in months. She finally felt that she had options in life; she would work, and while helping teach the students, she would learn how to live her life and not only figure out what she wanted from life, but how to get it.
Now, as she watched the last of the sunlight fade out below the horizon from the window of the room she shared with Ginny, she angrily brushed the tears from her cheeks and determinedly stood. She could just leave without saying anything to anyone about this situation, however she knew without the closure of confrontation she would never be able to move on with her life—that she would always be second guessing herself regarding what she could have or should have done. With a heavy sigh, she waved her wand, non-verbally chanting the incantation to begin magically packing her belongings into the beaten up, once-beaded pink bag that had been her constant companion the previous year, and her old school trunk. The entire process took only a few minutes, after which she levitated her trunk ahead of her as she made her way down the stairs. She turned and headed toward the kitchen where the Weasley family was just sitting down to dinner.
Hermione left her trunk sitting at the foot of the stairs, grabbed her cloak and stepped into the kitchen slowly. She glanced at Harry and Ron, sitting there as if nothing was wrong, as if they hadn't ruined her life, and felt her anger and hatred build towards them. Molly stood and loudly coughed, "Hermione, dear, come sit down with us for dinner. We're only just starting; how was your meeting with the headmistress?"
Hermione ignored the invitation, still glaring at Harry and Ron. "How could you two? What could possibly have made you believe that ruining my life was the right thing to do? Why?" She screamed the last, beginning to lunge across the table to physically attack the boys. Strong arms grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back, then wrapped around her waist and pulled her further back, into someone's chest. She continued yelling at the boys, even with the attempted comfort of the embrace. "Explain yourselves, you jerks! Tell me why you did it!" The arms around her slowly turned her, and she tucked her face into the strong chest of Charlie Weasley, whom she hadn't even seen sitting at the table.
She heard Molly demand, "Just what is going on here, boys? What did you two do to upset her like this?"
The boys both denied doing anything, Ron loudly exclaiming "We didn't do anything, Mum, honest!"
Harry looked at Hermione in Charlie's arms, sobbing angrily into his chest. "Hermione, I don't know what we did to upset you like this, but I'd like to understand. Could you please sit down with us, and explain what has you so upset?"
Hermione wrenched herself from Charlie's arms, whirled to face them, and threw several parchments onto the table between Harry and Ginny. "Those are what I'm talking about!" she said, her voice icy cold and her glare full of hatred. Ginny picked up one of the parchments, the color draining from her face as she read it; she quickly handed the paper to her mother as she finished and began reading the next in the pile. As she finished all the letters, she drew her wand and turned to glare at the boys.
Harry still had a blank look on his face; however, Ron's face twisted into a look of hatred and he spat at her. "You should have just agreed to marry me, instead of insisting on all this dating stuff! Don't even try to blame me for ruining your life, you did it to yourself! All this rubbish about apprenticeships and a career, you should have just accepted your place as a wife and mother like any good witch would have!"
Hermione gave him a bitter laugh, then calmly stepped around the table and slapped him across the face. "I am not an ordinary witch, and I'm apparently not a 'good witch' by your standards; something I can honestly say I am proud of. I wasted seven years of my life being your friend; I will no longer continue to delude myself with the belief that you are in any way my friend, much less my boyfriend." She turned to Harry, who still had a blank look on his face. "You and Ronald are two of the most self-centered, egotistical, selfish arses on the planet. If these letters are accurate indications of how you view your friends, I never want you to think of me as such again."
She turned away from them and walked to the kitchen door; without turning around, she left the room with one parting thought. "Despite the two of you, I have managed to find employment. I am leaving and never coming back; I will get on with my life and learn how to actually live, and I will be free. Do not think to contact me; your requests will not be looked at, much less read."
As she walked through the doorway she heard a very familiar incantation from Ginny, followed by a yelp from Ron and the sound of chairs being overturned, then the distinct sound of Ginny's bat bogies flying around. The room then erupted into chaos as Molly's voice rang out in admonishment for the letters the boys had written and the way they had treated their friend. As the door closed behind her, she heard Molly's voice, muffled but still easily decipherable, scream out, "I thought I had taught you better than this, Ronald! How could you…"
It was a shock to hear Charlie's voice ring out over the volume of his mothers with, "Blacklisted! Do you know what you've done to her future? This is…" the voices faded as she walked out the front door, where she levitated her trunk again and swept from the Burrow to a safe Apparition distance.
A final look of remorse was directed at the Burrow before she grabbed the handle of her trunk and began to turn into her Apparition, the gates of Hogwarts firmly set as her destination in her mind's eye. "Goodbye, everyone…" was softly heard, followed by a loud pop indicating Hermione Granger had completely departed the area.
She did not hear nor see Harry running from the house, calling her name. His had a parchment crushed in his fist and a look of horror on his face. "Please, Hermione! I didn't do this!" he called as he fell to his knees in the soft earth below him, tears rolling down his cheeks unchecked. She was gone and it was, at least partially, his fault. He looked to the paper crumbled in his fist and felt anger wash over him. He knew that Ron was plotting against her, trying to undermine things for her, but he had laughed it off and thought the letters a joke. Now that this had happened, he felt his world turn upside down. He realized that he should have stopped things a long time ago.
Word Count: 11,011 by Google Docs