For those who have given reviews, thank you for taking your time. For the two who have had their reviews deleted I want to explain why. I am not going to include a review where the entire purpose is to point out that you do not much care for my punctuation. I respect your opinion. I tend to use a European style of punctuation and I am happy with it. If you are reading fiction for AP Punctuation Rules most of us leave those behind after uni. Just relax and enjoy the story lovey. I promise your agent will hire someone to fix that for you. If you would like to comment on the actual content as well I promise to include your review, even the part where you hate my punctuation style.

And anyone who wants to merely state that something that does not agree with their preconceived concept of a character is "trash" and "bashing"? Please feel free to go back and re-read the original JK Rowing stories instead, they are AMAZING! I have chosen to develop Ron's character in a different direction. I do not see it as bashing, I see it as two people who got married at a very young age and grew apart, like so many young people do. Like many members of my own family have done, myself included, and I would like to think I am not "trash" for the mistakes I made in my youth thank you very much. If I had access to veritaserum I would have used it and worse I assure you. We all make mistakes we are not proud of. It does not make us monsters, it makes us human.

Chapter 7

In the end Hermione agreed that she would stay largely because Draco was a better Slytherin than she was a Gryffindor, not that she would ever admit that to him. She was determined to prove how brave she was by moving out on her own. He was devious enough to pull out all of the stops to keep her there. She told him she needed to make her own way. He reminded her of the promise she had made to him, his son and her dear friend, his dead wife to never leave him alone. And yet she had been doing exactly that. This may have been understandable when she had to live with Weasley as his wife, but now it was just plain breaking a promise and being a bad friend.

They had Rose and Hugo's rooms set up that weekend. Tabby was happy to have more children to take care of and went over all of Molly's cookbooks that were made available to her so the children would have familiar foods.

Speaking of the venerable Weasley Matriarch, no one was more surprised than Hermione when those cookbooks were delivered by Molly herself. She was greeted by Draco first who was unsure what his reception would be, but Molly treated him like always, a hug and a kiss and instructions to "bring around tea if you please and someplace to have a sit down, there's a good boy". Draco rolled his eyes, older women had the knack for making him feel twelve again, his mother, McGonagal, Molly Weasley. It did not matter who they were, even here, master of his own manor, CEO of a major conglomerate in both the Wizarding and muggle worlds being bossed around like a house elf.

Molly was quite pleased with the tea he had summoned.

When Hermione came in she pulled her into a longer hug. "Oh Hermione, I am so sorry for Ron's deplorable behavior. I can't imagine where his father and I went so wrong. We take full responsibility for what he has done. We still consider you our very own daughter, nothing has changed between us". She paused to glance at Draco in the doorway "Though perhaps you feel differently now…"

Hermione looked up to see what Molly was looking at, or rather who in this case. "Molly, I am staying here with Draco because he opened his home to me as a friend I would hope that the family would understand that Draco and I have had enough scandal to last both of us several lifetimes. There is nothing occurring in this household behind closed doors that would not occur on the front steps of the Ministry itself. My friendship with Draco did not change the way I felt about you before Ron's indiscretion nor has it changed the way I feel about you now. And only Ronald himself is responsible for how I feel about him".

Molly smiled warmly, and a bit cheekily "I wouldn't say that to George if I were you dear, I do believe his financial solvency may well rely on there being more than friendship as a motivator to your current living situation".

"Merlin" muttered Draco from the doorway "Is there nothing your family will not wager on"?

Molly thought long and hard and finally grinned "I wouldn't bet on it".

The press release went as well as could be expected. This is to say horrendous. The news had got out that not only was Ron involved with his assistant but that she was carrying his child. The Weasley children had not been made aware of the pregnancy and were rightfully shocked. The scandal was made more salacious by the due date. How had the "brightest witch of her age" failed to notice an affair that had gone on for several months? Was there any truth to the rumors that she and Draco Malfoy had been involved in their own affair during this time and that is why she had failed to notice or care about her husband's extramarital activities? Did she and Ron have an open marriage and if so why was the marriage suddenly over now? Was it because there was a new child involved?

Most of these questions were shot at here from one Rita Skeeter who had somehow managed to work her way back into a legitimate career as a gossip columnist. Although Hermione noticed the other reporters did not shy away from hover over their scrolls with quill in hand waiting for her answers. Not that they were going to get anything juicy, she had far too much press training to give away even the least bit of unintended information. The training was largely due to Rita's interference since her fourth year of Hogwarts. Although the vile witch kept trying to wheedle any tid bits she could and made up what she could not.

The press was also present during the signing of the dissolution of marriage signing. In the wizarding world any way. They had no idea the couple had been married in the muggle world, nor would they have cared if they had known. It was considered of little importance. Ah but two thirds of the Golden trio's marriage dissolving was certainly a big deal in the wizarding world. Property and galleons and certain rights had been granted to each of them and how this would be divided was tabloid fodder as lines were drawn regarding who deserved what. Many feeling that Ron deserved nothing for cheating on Hermione while others believed she had hit a gold mine with the Malfoy Heir and Ron should get it all. The children were never discussed which both delighted and disgusted the parents.

In the end it did not matter. All property that was granted to them separately remained the property of the individual and property gained during the marriage was put in trust for their children. Custody of the children, by the request of the children themselves, went solely to Hermione. Liberal visitation was granted to Ron, but only Hugo had taken advantage of it. Rose refused to see him at all and would leave her grandparents' home if he arrived, prompting Molly to all but ban Ron from the Burrow when the children were home from school.

The muggle divorce took longer but was even easier. Ron had no property to divide in the muggle world and all of Hermione's property consisted of trinkets left to her by her families and a small trust. They had to make up funds to explain why they were not on the public dole.

In the end the Hermione Granger-Weasley was no more. She was once again Hermione Granger and a simple flick of her wrist at her office door proclaimed this to the Ministry at large as the name plate on her office door was changed.

The footsteps behind her were comforting and familiar as was the hand placed on her shoulder. They went in to her office where she poured them both tea. "Did you ever imagine this was where we would wind up, Harry"? Hermione asked her best friend quietly "That Ron would do something so stupid that both of us would be ready to hex his bollocks off"? Harry replied "Absolutely. This? Absolutely not. But what do I know, I never thought we would survive this long. Ron and I anyway, we all knew you would be just fine. If nothing else you would have crawled into that manky little beaded bag with that mangy cat for a spot of afternoon tea and a bloody book to read until it all blew over". Hermione punched him in the arm, "Crooks was NOT mangy" her half kneazel cat Crookshanks had passed on some 5 years ago but had been her constant companion until then.

"Think you will ever forgive him Mione"?

"For which part? Cheating on me for months? Getting his assistant pregnant? So desperate to make me the bad guy he poisoned my tea with veritaserum? Which he abused his position as an Auror to get his hands on to start with? The pornographic pictures my children were sent of him and his new girlfriend? Which part am I forgiving him for exactly"?

"All of it? Any of it? Would it matter if you knew he was not seeing Cecilia"?

"No, it really doesn't matter if he is no longer with her Harry. If it was only me. probably, but his actions hurt the children. And not just mine. Yours are being dragged back through it, Scorpius is catching hell for it. The latest rumor is that Draco and I were carrying on while his mother was ill. That has to hurt".

"He knows that isn't true"

"It really doesn't matter, it is still being said, that damned Skeeter bitch is at it all over again".

"Yeah… she never really did get over you keeping her in a jar and blackmailing her".

This finally broke the ice and got them laughing and reminiscing about things other than Ron's affair and subsequent actions.