Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I JK Rowling. I make no money from the writing of this fanfiction.

A/N: I adjusted the timeline just a bit for the story. While Harry and Ginny are married at the time, their son James hasn't yet been born, although he is expected.

Chapter Nine

"Mum, I swear, I never did anything to hurt Hermione. I love her, why would I hurt her?" Ron whined from the holding cell.

"Then why would Constables have brought you here? I don't understand," Molly said, concerned for her son.

"I don't know, Mum. She didn't like the marriage contract, so started an argument about it, trying to get me to change it so it favored her over me, and I refused. Maybe that's why, but I can't say for sure. She hasn't even signed it yet."

"If she hasn't signed it yet, why have we been planning the wedding? That should have been done even before the first discussion about the wedding, Ron."

"I told her that, and she told me that the contract was basically known as a 'prenuptial agreement' in the Muggle world, so could wait until plans had been made, but not finalized. It made sense to her, I guess. She didn't listen when I tried to tell her differently."

"Yes, she always was a little know-it-all growing up. That's one thing I never liked about her. But this isn't the Muggle world, and she has to accept things are done differently in the Wizarding world. Marriage contracts must be signed by both parties before the first discussion about a wedding, so everyone knows exactly what is expected after the vows are said."

"Then maybe she'll listen to you about it Mum. She's already proven she won't listen to me. Has Dad found out yet when I can come home? This cell isn't anywhere close to being comfortable, and there's no bloody privacy here."

"Your father is speaking to the solicitor and a Wizengamot member about that now, so we should know something soon. I also wanted to ask you if you had any idea why Harry, Ginny, and those Constables were levitating Hermione. The girl could have walked quite well if they needed to take her somewhere."

"Well, if I understood what I could hear while under the Immobulus, she convinced them I had hurt her, so they may have wanted to get her examined by a Healer in order to prove that. Obviously that would mean they wouldn't allow her to walk."

"Milking the situation for everything she can, is she? Well, we can see to that if and when your father can get you released to our care."

"Which should be in just a little while, my dear," Arthur Weasley said, walking over to her.

"Really, Dad, you're serious?'

"Of course. You aren't accused of something potentially fatal or of casting an Unforgivable curse, so you'll be released to the care of your mother and me until the hearing. They've scheduled that for a week from this coming Friday, by the by. Ten in the morning."

"Thank Merlin he can come home soon," Molly said, angrily, "since he shouldn't have been arrested in the first place from what he's told me, Arthur. We can all discuss it at dinner tonight."

"Well, if Harry and Ginny come to dinner tonight, we can't talk about it, Molly."

"Why in the name of Merlin can't we talk about it at dinner if Harry and Ginny come, Arthur? This will be a family discussion, and they're part of this family."

"Just trust me on this, Molly. If Harry and Ginny are there, we can't discuss what's happening with Ron."

"Well, we'll see about that, Arthur."

Shortly afterward, a Constable came to the cell and explained that until the hearing, Ron was released to his parents' care, and advised to have no contact with anyone connected to his case. Seething, Ron stormed from the cell and walked a few paces ahead of his parents. He had a few things to do when he got home. He didn't give a damn what the Constable had said. As soon as he could, he was going to convince Hermione to drop the charges.

Draco stood outside Hermione's room, waiting for the Healer to be finished. He had turned slightly so he could observe what was going on in the hall as well as in the room at the same time, and stifled the surge of anger he felt when the bruises and other injuries were revealed so they could be evaluated on their progress in Healing. Forcing himself to calm down, he again wondered why she had stayed with the Weasel after the first time he'd become violent. Merlin knew she had the power to back her up if she had left him, so why did she stay? He decided to try to find out once he saw an opportunity.

He nodded to the Healer as she left, and went inside the room. Hermione was propped up in the bed, her right leg cushioned. From the swelling, it looked to be a bad sprain.

"Granger, I'd like to talk to you for a bit, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind. What did you want to talk about?"

"For right now, I want to talk to you about what Weasley's done to you in the past, so I know the kinds of things he's likely to do again, in order to come up with a few defense strategies to protect you with, and also, I'd like to know why you never just walked away from him, and left. Merlin knows you're powerful enough to have done so. We can discuss what I need your help with at another time."

"Well, as far as what Ron's done in the past, I've stored my memories in pensieve phials, so you can watch them yourself, if you want to. As to why I didn't leave him, that's a bit harder to explain."

"Please try. Tell me as though you're explaining this to a small child. Because no offense, Granger, but the girl I saw you to be in school was a bossy, opinionated, know it all swot of a go getter. If you wanted something, nothing stood in your way of getting it."

"Fair enough, and no offense taken. Take a seat, this might take a while."

"I'll stand. I can move more quickly if needed if I don't need to get up from a chair first."

"Okay, I won't argue with you about it. It's more than likely because I'd had a crush on him for so long that when he finally showed an interest in me, my self-image became dependent on his opinion. It started out small, with comments about my hair, the way I dressed, even my love of learning. He would put me down for choosing to go back to Hogwarts for Seventh Year after the war instead of simply taking the job offered by Kingsley Shacklebolt the way he and Harry had done, saying it was a waste of time. And the Healer was wrong on one thing…it's been physical for longer than her estimate of a year. But if all you hear from someone is how you're unworthy, or never good enough, soon, despite what you think will happen, you begin to believe it. He managed to convince me no one else would ever want me. So I stayed."

"How is it that none of his family found out about this? I would think that Potter at least would have done something. Even with magic, injuries don't heal overnight."

"Well, thanks to the war, I became proficient at a few healing spells, and Glamours to hide bruises that clothing didn't cover. You'd be surprised how many people never look beneath the surface."

"So you hid it from everyone. In Merlin's name, why? To protect Weasley?"

"No, actually. I hid it because I was ashamed."

"Granger, you never asked for Weasley to do what he did to you. The shame in this rightfully goes on his shoulders, not yours."

"But…"

"No buts, Granger," he interrupted, walking closer to her, and looking into her eyes, "because if there was one thing my parents, and especially my mother, drilled into my head, it was that a male who raises his hand in violence to a woman not only shames himself, for being unable to find a way to resolve the conflict without it, but all gentlemen everywhere, because his behavior can reflect on us all. A woman in that situation is never to blame."

"It's difficult for me to believe that, considering how many times I've tried to go to the Wizengamot with this, and been told there wasn't enough to bring charges against him as far as evidence."

"Are you sure it was only because of evidence?"

"I don't understand."

"It's possible that he's been having someone pull strings to get evidence buried or lost, in order to get any charges you tried to file dropped. He works in the Ministry, so it's possible he knows who to speak to in order to get that done."

"Harry would have heard about it if he was doing that."

"Not necessarily, Granger. Potter is an Auror, so his job involves tracking down those who practice the Dark Arts. What Weasley has been doing falls to the Constables. So unless he was using the Dark Arts, it's entirely possible Potter would never have heard about it."

"How is it you know about how all this could take place, Malfoy?"

"Because as a bodyguard, I have to think in terms of worst case scenario so I can plan protection strategies for clients. With my past, I can more easily visualize that than someone else."

After arriving at the Burrow, Molly went to the kitchen to begin preparing dinner, while Arthur poured a butterbeer. Ron just stood still a moment, trying to hide the absolute rage at having been arrested. After a few moments, he started to go upstairs, when his mother's voice stopped him.

"We'll get this straightened out, dear, don't worry."

"You do believe I never hurt Hermione, don't you, Mum?"

"Of course, dear, what a silly question. Your father and I raised you better than that. I don't know what she thinks to gain from this accusation, but I for one refuse to believe a word of the accusation Hermione is trying to get you charged with. Imagine, one of my sons doing that. It's unthinkable."

"I'm going to my room for a bit, Mum. I want to relax for a bit before dinner."

"All right, Ron. I'll call you when it's ready."

Ron nodded, and started up the steps, already planning how to find Hermione to convince her to drop the charges. There was no way in hell he would allow her to get away with this. He just had to find her alone, so he could give her another lesson on how he expected his wife to behave.

"Ginny, I'm not sure we should go to the Burrow for dinner tonight," Harry said, sitting down in the living room of their home.

"Harry, we go to dinner at my parents' every week. Why shouldn't we go tonight?"

"Call it a hunch, but I have a bad feeling about it. Maybe we should just stay home. Or, we could even go out to a restaurant, just the two of us. I know Molly and Arthur love to see us, but that shouldn't mean we have to go every week. Besides, since Ron was arrested…"

"You think either Mum or Dad will try to say it didn't happen?"

"It's possible. And it could weaken the case if we do go, since you know Molly will want to talk about it."

Ginny opened her mouth to say something when a large brown owl landed on the windowsill, a letter held in his beak. Ginny walked over and took the letter, giving the owl a treat, then handed the letter to Harry.

Mr. Harry Potter

The Living Room

12 Grimmauld Place

Ipswich

Mr. Potter:

I was informed a few minutes ago that Ronald Weasley has been released to his parents' care until the hearing. I will also be informing Miss Granger of his release. Please take whatever precautions you feel necessary.

Gregory Sampson

Head Constable

"We're staying home Ginny."

"But why? We have dinner with my family every week."

"Because Ron's been released to Molly and Arthur's care until the hearing."

"Skip dinner, we need to get to St Mungo's, Harry. If Hermione hasn't been notified yet, Ron could just waltz right in her room under Polyjuice. I don't know if anyone there knows the right questions to ask."

"You're right," Harry agreed, and sent a Patronus in warning before heading to the Floo with Ginny.

The bright light of a Patronus flashed in Hermione's room. She had just enough time to see it was a stag before she heard Harry's voice:

"Ron has been released to Arthur and Molly until the hearing. Ginny and I are on the way."

Draco immediately positioned himself to be able to block any spells sent toward Hermione, his face completely blank with concentration.

"Granger, before they arrive, what can I use for security questions for each of them?"

"Ask Ginny what color my diary was in Fourth Year, the answer being I didn't keep a diary in Fourth Year, and ask Harry what memory he brought up to conjure his first corporeal Patronus. The answer is Sirius Black telling him he was welcome to live with him at Grimmauld Place in Third Year.

"Got it. If they come by Floo, they should be here in moments. Apparating they would have been here right after the Patronus."

The witch at the information desk looked up as the Constable stopped. He stood there in a relaxed stance, hands behind his back.

"May I help you?"

"Hermione Granger's room, please. I have a few questions I need to ask her regarding what happened during the attack."

It was almost too easy, Ron thought, as the Information witch gave him the room number. Nobody ever thinks to question a representative of the DMLE.