Chapter 10
The phone call that Hermione had made to Draco hadn't been as embarrassing as she had thought it was going to be. Besides, she was starting to get used to doing embarrassing things in front of him. The scary thing was, she was also starting to get used to the idea that it didn't really matter if she embarrassed herself, he wasn't going anywhere.
She was now quickly trying to pack her things, but it wasn't working out the way she had planned. Diana had been fussy all morning and Hermione was having to run between the box of books she was trying to pack and Diana's nursery to tend to her. She had just decided that she was just going to bring Diana into her own room so that she could try and get her to sleep in her bed when the phone rang.
"Bloody hell!" she yelled, turning to reach for the phone.
That had been the other problem this morning. Ron had called about ten times already. She didn't understand why Ron wasn't at the murder trial this morning like everyone else was, but apparently he wasn't. She found herself wishing that Draco could have come and helped her pack this morning, but she knew that he had to be at the Ministry for at least a few hours to hear the verdict on Lestrange.
"Hello Ron," she said, hoping that the frustration she was feeling with him was evident in her voice. "What is it this time?"
"Oh, well, I was just wondering when George and I will be able to come by."
"I told you earlier Ron, if you want to come and start moving the baby stuff back into your parents' storage room, that's fine, come whenever you want. I also told you earlier that you're going to have to wait to come and move the other stuff around. I can't have you moving your dresser back in and changing things around while I'm still trying to get my stuff out of here. Besides, it would be nice if you could come over here and help me figure out what I should be taking and what I should be leaving!"
Hermione was extremely frustrated with her almost-ex-husband as she hung up the phone. She would have been twice as far along in her packing if he would stop calling and asking questions every five minutes. She would probably be done packing by now if he would have come over and helped her. She wasn't lying, she was having trouble sorting through all of their belongings and deciding what to take. They had been married for five years, they had accumulated a lot of things together.
She shrugged as she picked up another book that had been given to the two of them by Ginny a few years earlier. If Ron wanted it, he should have been here to claim it, she thought to herself. And besides, since when did Ron read? He would never notice that she had taken it with her.
She waved her wand and sealed the box over top of the books that were in it. Glancing around the bedroom, she saw that it was nearly empty of her things. It was a good thing that she was so organized, she was moving along surprisingly quickly, all things considered. As she moved into the kitchen, she knew that she wouldn't have to pack much here. She knew from experience (sort of) that Draco had a well-stocked kitchen. She didn't need to take any of her appliances or dishes with her. She could leave all of those things for Ron to use.
There was one thing that she did want though. She opened the cupboard and pulled out the delicate, antique teapot that her Nana Granger had given her as a wedding gift. She cradled it in her arms for a moment and wished for the hundredth time that her Nana was still around. Hermione loved her parents, but it was her Nana that she had always been able to go to with anything. Her parents had been happy to find out that their daughter was a witch, but it had taken them a while to adjust. Not Nana, she had been thrilled and totally comfortable with it from the start. Hermione knew that if her Nana were still alive, she would be able to sit with her and tell her everything that had been going on for the past few months.
Hermione wiped a stray tear from her face as she nestled the teapot into its box. She pulled out the matching cups and saucers as well as the cream and sugar dishes and put them into the box. She and Ron had not used the tea set once since they had been married. Ron hated tea and Hermione would never use her fancy things just on herself. Hermione paused to wonder for a moment if Draco liked tea and if they would use her tea set in their home.
Hermione quickly shook her head, their home? She had meant to think of it as his home of course. She had to remind herself that she was just going to stay with Draco for a little while. She wasn't moving in permanently and their dreams were not real. She and Draco would simply be roommates, friends at best. Hermione sealed up the box and used her wand to levitate it onto the pile of her belongings in the corner.
It was a pretty pathetic pile, if she were being honest with herself. It was amazing that she and Ron had such a full (some would even consider it cluttered) house and yet she had so few things of her own. She had her books (which took up more than half of the boxes) and her clothes as well as some of her potions equipment that she didn't keep at work and not much else. She had very few personal belongings to speak of. Hermione had never been one to own idle things simply for amusement, but it was a little depressing that she didn't have at least a painting, a lamp or even any knick-knacks that were her own.
Hermione walked through the house and surveyed her surroundings. She was pretty sure that she had all of her things, but she didn't want to forget anything just in case. She was sure that Ron would let her come back to get anything that she forgot, but she would rather not have to do that. When she was sure that there was nothing of hers left in any of the rooms, she went into Diana's room. She had been leaving it for last because she knew that it was going to be the hardest room to do. So many of Diana's belongings were actually the Weasleys' and Hermione knew that most of it would have to be left behind. She also knew that she was going to have to start fresh and buy Diana more things. Even more than these two things, Hermione was aware that there was no way that she could afford to do that.
She felt her eyes tear up again. How could the Weasleys' be so cruel as to take all of her daughter's things from her? Hermione did start crying again with anger at herself this time. The Weasleys weren't being cruel she reminded herself. They were trying to protect their son. In their eyes, Hermione had done a terrible thing to Ron and so she should be punished, but it reality she hadn't done what they thought. There was no way to explain that to them though, so Hermione was just going to have to figure things out herself from now on.
She glanced down at Diana who was now sleeping peacefully. Hermione hadn't heard her cry again after she had gotten off of the phone with Ron, so she had never bothered moving her into the other bedroom. Hermione hoped that her daughter wouldn't wake up while she was packing up her things. She didn't want Diana to see that, even if she didn't understand what was going on.
Hermione had just opened the first of Diana's drawers and was beginning to look through, mentally storing which things had been given to them by the Weasleys and which things had come from her family and wondering if she should take the things that Ginny and Harry had given them, when she heard the side door opening. She walked out of the nursery quickly and hurried down the hall. She found Ron and George standing in her kitchen.
"'Lo Hermione," George said, looking only slightly awkward next to his brother.
"Hello George, Ron," she said, nodding towards him.
"Hi," Ron said, looking much more uncomfortable than George. That shouldn't have surprised her, she had yet to see anything that could make George Weasley truly uncomfortable.
"Come back to the nursery, you might as well get started moving things out," Hermione said, wanting them to get down to business before they had a chance to get distracted by something.
"How's the packing going?" Ron asked as they walked back down the hall.
"Pretty well, I think I have all of my things packed," Hermione said. "I just have Diana's things left."
"I'm sorry if it feels like I'm rushing you Hermione," Ron said.
"It's alright," Hermione said tightly.
"I'm just kind of in a rush to get moved back in. I know how hard this is for you."
Hermione tried to smile. As angry as she was, she could understand where Ron was coming from. He wanted to get back out of his parents' house and she was in his way. From his point of view, it probably seemed like she was taking a long time to get out of his house. While he had been rushing her, he had also been relatively understanding each time that she had yelled at him for it. He had shown up when she had asked him to after all.
Hermione came around the corner into the nursery to see George leaning over Diana's crib. Her anger softened for just a moment. She could hear George speaking softly to the infant, who had just woken up, and saw him reach a finger down to tickle her belly. Hermione had to remember that even though Ron had probably known for a while that Diana wasn't his, the rest of his family still loved her like one of their own. George noticed that the two were staring at him and he quickly straightened up.
"So, what are we moving?" he said, looking around the nursery.
Hermione tried her best not to watch as Ron and George efficiently removed all of Diana's things from the room. They used their wands to hover everything through the house and onto the lawn, so by the time they were done, Hermione was the only one who had broken a sweat. As Hermione sealed the last box and surveyed the room, now empty besides the crib in which Diana still lay, and wondered what Ron would use this spare room for now.
She quickly shook the thought from her head. She and Ron were getting a divorce. It was none of her business what he did with the room. He could turn it into a brothel or a museum for Star Wars figurines for all she cared. She lifted Diana out of the crib and folded up the bedding that had been underneath her. She then walked back out into the kitchen, Diana propped on her hip.
She found the brothers in front of the counter, gulping down water from the tap. She glanced at the microwave behind George (she had insisted on having one even though Ron had never been able to figure out how to use it.) and caught a glimpse of the time. How could it have gotten so late already, what time was Draco going to arrive? He hadn't given her an exact time but she was assuming that it would be soon. She needed to get George and Ron out of here quickly. Unfortunately for her, Ron decided that now was the perfect time for small talk.
"So where are you moving too anyway? Did you find a place?" Ron asked.
Hermione had to think quickly to come up with an answer. Why hadn't she thought of this before? Where was she supposed to tell everyone that she was going? Where was Draco, on his way here? Should she tell Ron that she was going to stay with a friend? No, he would certainly ask which friend. They had all of the same friends. Should she say that she was staying with Shannon from work? Ron would never believe that, he knew she wasn't all that friendly with anyone from her work.
"I found a flat," she said.
"Oh yeah, where?" Ron said. Hermione knew that he was just curious, but it was beginning to sound like an interrogation. "You found something good, that you can afford?"
"Oh yes," she said, thinking quickly again while trying to sneak a glance out the window behind Ron. Would Draco realize that they were here and wait outside until they left? "Just outside of London actually. I got very lucky. I'm renting the upstairs of a house, a little old lady lives downstairs. It will be perfect for us."
Hermione tried not to jump out of her skin as she heard a noise outside. Was that Draco apparating into the backyard? She prayed that it wasn't and tried to continue the conversation.
"I've even started shopping for more baby things already, and moved them into the house," she lied, trying to pear past George to the side door. Was that blond hair through the window, or just the sunlight glinting off of the glass?
"That's good," Ron said, seeming to tire of the conversation. "Should we go George?"
"Oh I don't know," George said, waving a hand idly through the air. "I was so enjoying your awkward conversation with your ex here."
Ron's ears turned pink as he sputtered at his brother. Hermione had to stifle a laugh, her worries about Draco momentarily forgotten. They snapped back as this time she was sure that she had seen a blond head pass by the window above the sink.
"I'll walk you out!" she said, hurrying to the door. Draco was standing right on the other side of the glass!
She tried to catch his eye through the window, but he was looking down and couldn't see her. Suddenly a noise rang through the house, the doorbell! What was he thinking? Ron and George were standing right behind her now, talking quietly to each other. They hadn't looked out the window, not yet.
"Expecting someone?" Ron asked.
"No," Hermione said slowly, praying for Draco to look up.
As if he had heard her thoughts, his head finally snapped up from the ground. She saw his mouth open slightly as he realized who was standing right behind her. The next instant, he was gone.
"Are we going outside Hermione, or were we going to look at the door all day?" George asked, looking at her quizzically.
"Sorry," she muttered as she opened the door.
Thankfully, as the three stepped out into the sun, there was no sign of Draco. Ron and George waved goodbye as Hermione sunk down into the grass, still clutching Diana to her. It was hours later, or maybe only a few moments that Draco came and lifted the child from her arms and led her back into the empty house.
Well, my apologies for such a short chapter after such a long absence, but I wanted to get something up. I've been living without Microsoft Word since just after the end of Nanowrimo in November and I can't tell you how frustrating that has been. Enough excuses though, I hate to make excuses and that it why I try not to make promises!
Thank you all for being so patient (only had a few demanding reviews lol) most of you were very nice about my lack of updates. I appreciate all of your reviews (and even some private messages) and I'm glad to be back.
I'm not going to make any promises about my next update because I don't want to disappoint anyone, but I'm pretty sure that it won't be as long an absence as this was!