Hermione opened the door. She had returned from her awful trip to her childhood home. It hurt her to know her parents were still disappointed in her, but in pained her how they no longer had no recollection of her. It's as if her legs had been ripped from her. Her parents provided her stability, but now they were no longer with her. She headed to the kitchen to surprisingly find Harry, Ron, and Luna eating.

"Hermione, where were you?" Harry asked. Everyone at the table was eating their food until they noticed Hermione by the door frame. They all looked like savages, coming out of a fight with their clothes all torn up. It's as if they looked like they would never have thought of seeing daylight again. As much as she was fortunate to see them, she still felt a strong sense of regret lurking in her heart.

"I don't want to talk about it," she muttered. Hermione sat down and ate some of the clam chowder they were eating. No one talked further after that. It was obvious that the muggleborn wasn't in the mood. Whatever happened before she arrived must have been devastating. Once they finished, Harry began to talk.

"I am so glad you came here, Hermione. The rumors were indeed correct: the Muggle-Born Registration Committee has begun. I also advise you to never say You-Know-Who's name. His name has a detection spell placed upon it, which will summon Death Eaters within an instant," he said.

Hermione nodded, taking in the warning. She then excused herself from the room and headed upstairs. Hermione put her sleeping baby in her crib. She then went up to the Drawing Room, which she noticed Ron and Luna getting eerily close. Ron noticed her presence and welcomed her. Feeling uncomfortable with everything that happened today, Hermione started playing the piano in the room. She needed to escape, even for a brief moment. She slowly pressed down buttons, which eventually harmonized with one another to sound like a beautiful symphony. She was playing "Für Elise" by Beethoven by heart.

~Flashback~

8-year-old Hermione Granger looked at the audience from behind the stage. To say she was scared would be lying; the girl was mortified by the big audience! It was the first time she had to perform for such a big crowd. What was worst was how her parents were front-row and center. Their many judging eyes made her feel as if she were a gun target ready to be shot at.

"And now we have Hermione Granger, playing "Für Elise" by Beethoven," announced the lady.

'Stupid lady' Hermione bitterly thought. Why did she have to announce her name? People will now know who exactly to make fun of. It sucked that people teased her about her teeth and hair. She didn't need to be publicly ostracized by a crowd for her awful performance too!

She walked to the stage and sat down. She gulped

'Here goes nothing'

Hermione started playing. Playing each key correctly. The notes sounding just right. Hermione was truly doing it.

She needed to play perfectly. Her parents expected her to excel. Her parents have forced her to do ballet, play the violin and piano. She was expected to be a master at this, despite her young age. She couldn't protest. Her parents have provided her with everything. This was just her way to pay for their services.

"We work so hard for you" her mother's words rang.

She couldn't fail them. She couldn't fathom the consequences if she did. She had been built to succeed. It was her function to.

Hermione finished playing. The audience stood up and gave her a standing ovation. Hermione looked at her parents. Their eyes were glistening with pride. They were definitely satisfied with her.

"That's my girl!" was what he daddy would always say.

She liked being praised by parents, that's why she liked being the best. Their praises made her feel motivated to please them further as if she were a priceless gem.

~End of Flashback~

"Wow, Hermione! I didn't know you can play the piano," said Luna. Hermione turned around to see their faces. Luna was impressed while Ron had bewilderment written all over his face. He knew his ex was extremely intelligent, friendly and -dare he say it- gorgeous as hell. He didn't know she would be impressively talented too! Ron was bitterly regretting letting her go.

"Well, my parents made me have to do a lot as a child," replied Hermione. Her parents demanded perfection in every aspect. They expected her to do well in school, be presentable, and be talented too. She barely passed their expectations as a child, but she really blew it when she revealed her pregnancy.

"Wait... Where were your parents? I thought they would have come to your graduation?" asked Ron. The room instantly felt tensed. Hermione frowned. She didn't want to think about them. They still were quite dear to her heart. Luna sensed the tension and smacked Ron's arms. She then leads the both of them out of the room, leaving Hermione with her thoughts.

Hermione didn't want to be left with her thoughts. She didn't want to think about her parents, so she kept playing on the piano to be distracted. She'd rather be lost in the music temporarily, riding with the notes, than be forced to think about her parents. The pain of losing people she loved dearly, especially those who brought her up, was unbearable.

~Break~

Hermione unbuttoned her shirt and let Rosalyn suck from her breast. Her baby cried during her piano play, which alarmed her it was feeding time. Hermione had been playing so long, she had been oblivious to the time that passed. Rosalyn eagerly sucked her mother's breast, satisfying her hunger. Despite doing this for a while, it still felt odd for Hermione. She was now a mother to her infant, losing her own in the process. She wondered how her mother felt when she breastfed herself as a baby.

Ron knocked on the door, interrupting her thoughts. He then proceeded into the room and sat on the bed across from where she was sitting. He looked at her feeding her child, and she felt uncomfortable. She had never shown herself feeding her young to anyone before. She preferred to do it in private being too embarrassed to show it. Having Ron looking at her made her feel jittery. There was a long silence until Ron spoke up.

"You know, Luna told me she suspected something was off so that's why pulled me out of the room. I'm sorry for bringing that question up," he confessed. Ron didn't see the harm in the question until Luna made him reevaluate the situation. He felt stupid by being dense to not realize that her parents were a touchy subject.

Hermione nodded, accepting the apology.

"My parents abandoned me on Christmas day when I revealed my pregnancy. They didn't believe the possibility of... You know. As a result, they made me pack everything and leave," she explained, biting her lip to resist the urge to cry. "I saw them today. That's why I came in late. Anyways, I tried to explain that the Death Eaters may come and showed their granddaughter. They didn't even look at her. They were disgusted by her as if she were a disease. They also didn't want to believe they might be hunted down. My mother called me a bad omen. I-I wiped their memories clean to protect them.."

Hermione finished, struggling at the end. Her daughter stopped sucking and nestled closer to her chest. Hermione stood up and sent her daughter to her crib. She came back and sat down to cry. It was all so much to take in. Ron stood up and hugged her. Hermione sunked in his shoulders.

"Shh... It's alright 'Mione. You did the right thing. Your parents don't know how lucky they were to have a witch like you as a daughter," he said.

Hermione sniffled.

"You know, my parents knew I was bad luck when my letter," she confessed.

Ron was astonished

"Bollocks! They don't know how lucky they are! You're a clever, talented..." he paused. "Beautiful witch."

Hermione was surprised by his revelation. He had never used that word to describe her. Ron looked at her in the eyes.

"The truth, you are extraordinarily sexy! A lot of guys looked at you with adoration in their eyes. Every time we would walk down the hallways, they would look at you with lust in their eyes and envy with me. I felt angered that Draco was the one who deflowered you and not me. Hermione, you're perfect. I don't know how you ever dated me," he confessed.

Hermione blinked. This was all hard for her to take in. What happened next sent her to oblivion... Ron kissed her. Hermione was stunned by this action. She reciprocated the kiss. Their mouths were touching each other's. It was a beautiful moment of ecstasy. Ron pushed Hermione onto the bed and placed himself on top of her. They then continued the kiss. Their tongues playing against each other's. Ron slid his hands down under her shirt and fondled her breasts. Hermione moaned. He then unbuttoned her shirt to reveal herself in a D-cup bra.

"Merlin's beard! You're gorgeous!" he exclaimed. He never knew that his ex would hold an amazing rack. She would always layer her clothes to cover herself. He proceeded to sucking her breasts. Hermione had been enjoying every single moment until a thought hit her.

'No... This is all wrong!' her mind yelled at her. To be honest, it was. Hermione couldn't reciprocate whatever feelings she had for him. She couldn't just steal him from Luna. Those two may not be dating but she can tell that the girl loved him. Luna had been developing feelings for the youngest male Weasley during their adventure. It felt wrong to give her the impression she wasn't interested in Ron only to steal him back. Besides, as much as she liked him, she couldn't get over the pain he caused her.

Hermione pushed Ron off of her. Ron was baffled.

"Ron... This is all wrong. We can't continue this. I am sorry," she quietly said.

"Ron! It's time to leave!" yelled Harry. Ron immediately left the room, not looking at her for one last moment. Hermione buttoned up her shirt and followed. She met up with Harry, Ron, and Luna at the front door.

"I guess this is goodbye," she said.

Harry nodded. He then placed two of the Slytherin lockets in her hands.

"Here, Hermione. Give these to Kreature. These were what his master sought over. I am sure Kreature will appreciate this."

Hermione nodded. Her friends then left the house. Hermione searched for Kreature and found him in the kitchen.

"Filthy mudblood," he muttered. She gave him the lockets and he was stunned. He looked at her in the eyes, and for the first time, he smiled at her. She smiled back. She knew Kreature was a good house-elf.

~November~

It had been 3 months since she last saw her friends. Rosalyn was now 6 months old. They were currently playing with each other with Kreature, who had finally opened up to Hermione. All was well until she looked into her daughter's eyes. The joy in her mother's eyes was soon replaced with fear. She excused herself from the room and went to the drawing room to play the piano. Playing the piano had been her new way of escaping since she couldn't go to the muggle library often. She wanted to displace herself from the world for a moment. The thought of her daughter became too overwhelming.

Her daughter's eyes changed from her mother's brown eyes to her father's steely grey eyes. Those same eyes that sent her to fear the man. As much as she tried, she couldn't let what Malfoy did to her be forgotten every time she looked at Rosalyn. Her eyes had forced Hermione back in the past at that exact moment of the rape, forcing her to relive it. It was hard to simply care for her child. That was why she refused to nickname her daughter, despite all of her friends calling her daughter nicknames. It felt odd.

Hermione stopped playing. Kreature came into the room with Rosalyn in his arms.

"Mistress, that was a beautiful song," he complimented her. He set the baby on the ground, and for the first time, she crawled. Hermione was proud of her daughter despite her mental state. Her daughter crawled to her legs and Hermione picked her up. Hermione looked at her in the eyes and started shaking. That was when her daughter gave her a hug. Hermione appreciated this small gesture. Her daughter, despite only being a baby still, knew when her mother was upset and how to comfort her.

Hermione realized that although her daughter may bare some physical appearance to her git of a father, she was nothing like him. Unlike her father's cruel behavior towards her, Rose had been loving to her. Rose looked at her mother's eyes and smiled. Her adorable toothless grin and crescent-shaped eyes made Hermione happy again.

Hermione pecked her daughter's forehead. For the first time, she can officially announce her love for the child.

Wow, I've been updating this story often than I should. Guess I don't have my priorities straight lol.

This chapter was really meant to build bridges between Hermione's struggling points. She never really felt like Rose was truly her's, like she bore the Devil's spawn than her adorkable baby Rose. Also, her parents, despite her efforts, still rejected her. She wasn't able to cope with these problems efficiently. It wasn't until she started playing the piano did she evaluate the situation. From there, she learned to adapt to these changes in her life. Her parents may be disappointed in her, but she still wiped their memories because she feared for their lives. Playing the piano temporarily removed her from her parental troubles, but it helped numb the pain. It made her realize, along with Ron, it was the right thing to do. With her daughter Rose, she couldn't fully accept her as a child rather than a responsibility. Rosalyn was forced upon her, taking away her innocence and destroying her in the process. That's why she didn't give a nickname to her because nicknames were intentionally given through love. That wasn't what Hermione initially felt. Hermione had been coping with the situation as if Rose had been a nightmare and she must live through it. It wasn't until Rose's eyes changed (which is common to occur in 6-month-old babies) did it make Hermione realize that the inevitable really did happen. She needed to truly accept that although Rose was sired by Draco, she was still Hermione's daughter. As Hermione's daughter, she was a loving baby towards her mother.

I decided to use a piano because I needed something for Hermione to use as a coping mechanism. Books were always something she used, but this chapter emphasized adapting to change, so I changed it. I came up with the idea of a piano, because tbh, I always had this impression of Hermione's parents being conservative. I mean, they gave Hermione cavity-free candy! That's nice and all, but I would like to occasionally spoil myself with the bad stuff ;) Anyways, as conservative parents, they most likely would have forced her to learn how to play the most elegant and common instrument: the piano.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I know did!

Do review and stuff

-InsanelyFangirlism