Chapter 9: Introductions
Baby, I've been here before,
I know this room.
I've walked this floor.
I used to live alone, before I knew you.
I've seen your flag on the marble arch.
Oh, love is not a victory march,
It's a cold, and very broken hallelujah.
-Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah
After making sure his sister was resting comfortably, Ron wanted to go and meet the girls right away. Hermione knew that they would be waiting for her to come home and given them the juicy details of the afternoon - they were really hoping she and Professor Weasley would 'hit it off'. She decided to simply bring Ron back to Oniceur and introduce them. Easier said than done, she mused.
They were outside preparing to leave. Hermione glanced nervously at Ron's broom. "Couldn't we just apparate?" she suggested.
"Don't have a license. Long story." He frowned. "I know. You know where you're going this time. Why don't you just apparate on ahead and let them know I'm coming."
Hermione nodded. "Right... thanks." She stepped away.
"Wait. Before you go. What are their names?"
"Beth and Ginny."
He smiled ever so slightly. "Ginny like my sister."
"Right, but it's Guinevere. And Beth is short for Elizabeth."
"And what should I expect?"
Hermione understood what he meant. "Beth is vivacious and outspoken - she's the one with the red hair. She has a tendency to draw attention to herself. Ginny is the quiet one, with my hair. She adores Beth - they adore each other, really. They're both very smart..."
Ron nodded. "Right. Meet you there?"
"You know how to get to Oniceur?"
He nodded again.
"All right. I'll meet you at the gates." She disapparated.
Ron stared at the air a few seconds after she left. He did not know what to think or feel, so he simply shook his head, mounted his broomstick, and flew off. "I'm a father," he murmured as he sped away.
"Where's Beth?"
Ginny looked up from her desk and smiled warmly at her mother. "Gadding about with some friends, I think, mum. How was the reunion?"
Impulsively, Hermione wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Awful, Gin. Can we find her? We've got to talk."
Ginny look concernedm but nodded. "Give me just a moment. She reached into her bottom desk drawer and pulled out a small pink pocket watch. She opened it and stared hard at the face for a second, then nodded decisively and dropped it back into the drawer.
Hermione gave her daughter a quizzical look. "What was that?"
"A twin thing," Ginny said dismissively. "Give her a minute, she'll be here."
Sure enough, two minutes later Beth was rushing into the dorm room breathlessly. "What's wrong, Ginny?"
Ginny shrugged. "Dunno, yet. Ask mum, she wants to talk to us about something."
The three sat down on the plush bear rug in the center of the room. "We've got to talk. This isn't going to be easy. I want you to know I wasn't trying to be selfish when I did what I did, I thought I was doing what was best for all of us, honestly..." she trailed off, looking at each of her daughters in turn.
Both daughters looked concerned now - Concerned for me, she realized, how lucky I am to have them. - Ginny held her hand. "What's up, mum?" asked Beth?
Hermione bit her lip and steeled herself. "Your father is coming to meet you."
"Our father?" Ginny asked softly. "Who is our father?"
"Ron Weasley."
"I knew it! We knew it, didn't we, Gin, when we found the picture and when we read your stories, and the funny way you looked when we said his name..."
Ginny spoke softly, "Why didn't you tell us?"
Her words went straight to Hermione's heart. "For... so many reasons, Gin." She had been rehearsing this speech for years. "In the beginning, I just didn't want anyone to find out that good little Hermione had accidentally gotten pregnant. I knew just what charms to use so that no one would ever find out unless I chose them to. The only thing I couldn't cover up was the nausea, so Ginny and Harry just thought I was sick for awhile.
Also, Ron and I were going through a hard time, and I didn't really know if I wanted us to be together or not. I knew that if he knew we had kids, he would want us to be, you know, the traditional family. He would want me to stay at home and bake cookies while he went to a desk job at the ministry," she laughed softly, "to be honest, there have been times over the years when I really, really wished for nothing more than that."
"So you were... afraid he would hold you back?" Beth asked.
"Not hold me back - not career-wise, anyway. I guess I was just afraid that he would assume some honorable position and marry me, and stick by me forever just because of you, and I wasn't sure that I wanted that, to be honest with you.
"Then you were born. I fell in love with you both, from the very first moment. I didn't want to share you with anyone. My parents got to meet you, and some of my old teachers, but I was too ashamed to tell any of my friends. That would mean admitting that I had hidden an entire pregnancy from them. And Ron... well, I thought if I told him, he would want to take you away from me."
"You really thought that?" The voice came from the doorway and there he was. Ginny and Beth stood up.
"Hullo, nice to meet you, Dad," Beth quipped awkwardly.
"Er, nice to meet you, too, I-" But he was interrupted by a powerful hug from Ginny.
He grinned through the tears streaming down his face. His hands were shaking. "Wow, you must be Ginny," he said, examining her hair. "You look so much like your mum. You're beautiful." He gave Hermione a sideways glance.
Ginny's blushed all the way to her ears. "You look so much like Beth," she answered. "Your hair is exactly the same.
"Pretty beautiful yourself," Beth said flirtatiously. She was standing off to the side, her arms indecisively crossed.
He stretched his arms out. "Give your dad a hug, won't you?"
She joined Ginny in hugging her father. Ginny's face was radiating warmth, Beth's was clouded with tears. Ron was completely incoherent for probably half an hour. In later years, he would relate how he felt: not as though he were being introduced to strangers, but truly as though he were meeting his own flesh and blood for the first time. He could see hints of both himself and Hermione in both of the girls. He felt as though he knew them already.
When he could once again form words into sentences, the first thing out of his mouth was, "I'm sorry." The girls looked at him as though surprised.
"For what, dad?" Beth asked.
"I'm sorry that I missed everything. I'm sorry that I wasn't here for you, to love you and tell you how beautiful you were," again he glanced thoughtfully toward Hermione, "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to look after you, or provide for you, or defend you from anyone that tried to hurt you," here he unconscionsly formed a fist, "or anything, I'm so sorry I didn't come and find you..." he finished softly and sighed. "I'm just so sorry... I hope you'll let me be in your lives from now on, however I can try to do that."
"Of course we will," said Ginny.
"And I want you to meet my family," Ron continued. "Ginny, 'Mia named you after my little sister. She's Harry Potter's wife."
Ginny oh'ed softly.
"And, Beth, you're the spitting image of a Weasley. Everyone in my family has red hair just like yours."
Beth laughed, "There are other Weasleys at Oniceur, all with red hair themselves. I had no idea I was related to them, how odd it is to know." She was still snuffling, but seemed more at ease.
"Wait until you meet my mum, she'll be so thrilled to know she has other grandchildren. She'll have to make you both Weasley sweaters. Maybe you can meet her tonight, would you girls like to come to the Burrow for dinner? Please say yes," he asked eagerly.
"Can we, Mum?" asked Ginny softly.
Hermione had her back to them, and was looking out the window at the broad view of the river below them. She sighed and turned around.