Chapter XI
AN: I do not own the rights to the world of Harry Potter and its characters. Some characters may seem extremely out of character – especially Ron Weasley seeing as I believe he would never in his right mind abuse Hermione in any way. Also, dates and ages have been altered for narrative purposes (especially when it comes to the children)
"That was a quick one." Hannah said as she looked down at the curled up form of their old Potions Professor who remained still on the ground of Harry's office –his face still swollen and bloody after the vicious bar fight that had occurred at the tavern. "What are you going to do with him?" She continued glancing up towards Harry who had an equal look of disbelief on his face.
"I'm not quite sure. I might try to contact someone to come pick him up –he's in no fit state to be alone right now apparently." Harry answered, his mind immediately drifting towards his best friend but ultimately deciding otherwise. "I just don't know who."
"What about Malfoy? He's just a floor above in the Law Department –I could go fetch him if you'd like." Hannah suggested, pulling her arms against her chest. "Seems like the most appropriate solution."
"Would you mind terribly? I'll keep an eye on him in case he wakes up –which I highly doubt he will but you never know." Harry said, wiping his sweaty brow with the back of his hand.
"No problem! I'll be right back!" Hannah said quickly before dashing out of his office, leaving Harry alone with the older man who remained passed out on the ground, letting out the occasional groan.
Harry collapsed into his desk chair, letting out a deep and shaky breath as he looked down at the unconscious man. He could very well just wait until Hannah showed up with Malfoy -but his curiosity eventually took over and he pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it towards Severus. "Rennervate." He said as a spark of bright red flew from the tip of his wand, spreading across the man's back.
Severus groaned loudly, shifting his limbs against the floor, mumbling to himself incoherently. Harry smirked as he leaned back against his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. The Potions Master slowly raised his head off the ground, keeping an eye closed as he frowned up towards The Boy Who Lived. Harry opened his mouth, ready with a snarky remark but Severus beat him to the punch. "If you say one word." His voice was slightly slurred and his pupils seemingly cross-eyed. "Why am I here?" He mumbled, sitting up slowly, his palms flat against the floor to keep him steady.
"Because you almost bloody killed those three men back at the tavern that's why," Harry said as he pulled the top drawer of his desk open, taking out a small stack of accident reports. "I'm going to have to get a deposition from you about what happened."
"What happened?" Severus scoffed loudly, now on his feet, trying to remain balanced. "What happened is that your best mate is stuck in this endless abyss with no possible way of getting out. What happened is her best friend doesn't fucking believe that she's being abused."
Harry remained silent.
"Everything else doesn't matter." Severus finished, slumping down in the seat opposite Harry. "What happened at the bar doesn't matter." He dropped his head in his hands, sighing loudly. "Can I leave now?"
"Afraid not. Hannah went to get your godson upstairs. I can't just let you waltz out of here clearly intoxicated." Harry said lightly, eyeing the man in front of him.
"You're ridiculous Potter," Severus mumbled miserably. "I'm perfectly okay to apparate home." He continued pinching the bridge of his nose, it seemed oddly more crooked than usual. Perhaps his encounter with the floor of the tavern was the cause.
"I don't think so. Now are you gonna tell me what happened or do I have to go digging through your memories to find out?" Harry asked once more, glancing down at the deposition papers in front of him. "And depending how things go I might let the incident slide."
"And why on earth would you do that?"
"I dunno. Something inside me is telling me to do so –now will you just tell me what happened before I change my mind."
Severus nodded before settling back in his seat, cracking his knuckles loudly before speaking. "Well you see, I wanted to go and have a drink because I've had a shitty few days thanks to you Gryffindor bums." He said coolly, his lips curving into a faint smirk. "So here I was minding my own business and then these two sleazebags began talking about your lovely best friend and shall I quote them 'her sweet cunt'"
Harry, who had been writing down the older man's deposition froze at his crude words. He raised his head upwards and looked towards him wearily. "Their words, not mine," Severus said defensively. "They also accused me of wanking off to the idea of her bent over my desk and…"
The door of the office burst open before Severus could finish his sentence – Hannah gave the pair a soft smile before stepping aside, allowing Draco to enter the office. "Potter," Draco said curtly, giving a small nod to Harry who had now dropped his quill.
"Anything else you'd like to know?" Severus said with a smirk as he eyed the man in front of him, ignoring Draco's watchful gaze.
"Just get out of my office," Harry muttered in annoyance, vanishing the deposition paper in front of him. "There's nothing like a little obliviate to do the trick."
Severus quickly got to his feet, grabbing a hold of the corner of the desk to steady him. "Nice doing business with you Potter," Severus grumbled as he turned towards Draco, who had remained silent throughout the length of the conversation.
Hannah waited patiently until the two Slytherins had left the office before turning towards Harry –whose head was now bowed down onto the desk. "How did that go?"
Harry merely grumbled –bloody cunning Slytherins and their tricks. He took a quick glance at his watch and groaned once more, Ginny was definitely going to kill him.
Hermione smiled down at her daughter as she brushed her fingers through her long red hair, Rose pulled a face in the mirror as Hermione's fingers got caught in a tangle. "I'm sorry love," Hermione said apologetically as she pulled her daughter's long hair into a tight braid. "There you go all set."
Rose smiled as she jumped off the little stool that allowed her to view herself in the mirror. "Thank you, mummy." She said happily as she dashed out of the bathroom in order to get ready.
"Remember to put on matching socks love," Hermione called out. At age four Rose was very independent and was now totally into getting dressed by herself, which she managed appropriately half the time, minus for the socks which she usually thought it humorous to put on mismatched ones. Normally it wasn't as much of an issue, but tonight was Harry's birthday party at the Burrow so she had to be on point for their friends and family.
Hermione groaned as she looked at herself in the mirror –after the fiasco that had been dinner the other night, Ron had been nothing but bitter towards her. He hadn't physically demonstrated his anger but she could sense it in the way he looked at her. She felt completely and utterly stupid for putting not only herself but her children at risk by leaving the safety of Severus's home, and she knew she had hurt him –Draco's bitterness towards her seemed to prove her point perfectly. She needed to think of something fast, and tonight was the perfect opportunity for that. There were a few options that rolled around through her head, the first was trying to catch Ron at his own trick, to push his buttons until he cracked. The second and probably wiser option out of the two was to talk to someone about it –Harry was out of the question, she had tried that but had failed miserable, her second choice was Ginny.
"Hermione? Rose? Are you guys ready we're gonna be late!" Hermione was snapped out of her trance as Ron's voice resonated from downstairs. Pushing herself away from the sink she trudged towards Rose's room, pausing in the doorframe at the sight before her.
Rose was on her bed, desperately trying to pull her brown colored tights up her little legs. Hermione chuckled as she rushed forward to aid her daughter. "Let me help you love," Hermione said with a smile as she kneeled down to the ground next to Rose's bed. "Stand up." Rose slide off the bed, her pink flowery dress skewed aside and her tight braid loose. Rose's little tongue poked out from behind her closed lips as Hermione pulled the hem of the tights upwards, Rose slithered around until the elastic snapped in place.
"I messed up my braid. I'm sorry, mummy." Rose said sadly, eyeing Hermione, large tears filling her blue eyes as she shifted from foot to foot.
"Hermione!"
Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron's frantic shouting. She brought her hands to her daughter's face, cupping her cheeks lovingly. "There's nothing a little magic can't fix," Hermione whispered with a smile as she smoothed her hand over her daughter's head –just like magic, the loose strands of hair had tucked themselves back into a tight braid. "There you go."
Rose smiled happily as she brought her hand towards the back of her head, her fingers tracing the braid lovingly. "Thank you, mummy!"
"Your welcome love. Now come on let's go." Hermione said, getting to her feet, ushering her daughter out of the room. "Go downstairs and put your shoes on, mummy will be right down." Hermione continued as she turned on her heel and quickly stepped towards her bedroom, where her purse remained on the neatly made bed. Rose's little pitter patter of feet, got fainter as Hermione got further away from the staircase, she paused in front of the bed, her gaze caught on her and Ron's wedding picture on her bedside table.
They had been so utterly in love with each other at one point in their lives –she did still love despite his flaws and nasty attitude towards her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something about him caused a painful tug at her heart. She sighed sadly as she grabbed her purse, spinning on her heel she came face to face with a very angry Ron –the large vein on his neck seemingly waiting to pop at any minute. "Are you bloody ready or what?" He spat bitterly, grabbing her wrist tightly, making her grit her teeth in pain. "We are gonna be late again because of you."
She allowed herself to be dragged down the stairs, Rose was standing near the door a warm smile on her face as she tapped her Mary-Jane shoes together. Hugo was nestled quietly in his baby booster, his fingers wrapped around his teething ring which was covered in saliva. She breathed a sigh of relief as Ron let go of her wrist, she immediately glanced down at her arm –an angry hand shaped bruised slowly had begun to form on her pale skin. She immediately stepped towards Rose and grabbed her in her arms, leaning down she also grabbed the handle of the baby booster in the other. "I'll meet you there alright?" Hermione said briskly, trying to balance the weight of her two kids as Ron's face melted from view. She took a sigh of relief as she appeared in front of the Burrow.
Rose immediately began to wiggle in her embrace, to which Hermione complied and placed her daughter down onto the stone in front of the door. "Can I mummy?" Rose asked sweetly, looking up towards Hermione, her big eyes shining brightly.
"Go on," Hermione said with a smile as Rose quickly began hitting her little fists against the wooden door. Hermione glanced around nervously, expecting Ron to appear at any given moment.
They waited a few moments before the front door opened, Molly's smiling face came into view. "Well well well if it isn't my favorite granddaughter." Rose giggled softly as she ran into Molly's open arms. "Just don't tell the others I said that." She whispered quietly, kissing Rose on the cheek, stepping aside to allow her entrance. "And how are you dear?" She continued turning towards Hermione, smiling brightly.
"I'm alright." Molly leaned forward and grabbed the baby booster from Hermione's hand, cooing softly at Hugo, placing it inside the house delicately.
"Well, it's good to see you dear." Molly continued, pulling Hermione in a tight embrace. Hermione closed her eyes, enjoying the older woman's embrace –the woman who had become her mother during the last few years. She blinked a few times, in an attempt to push back the tears that threatened to fall. If there was one person she was scared of hurting the most in all of this was Molly; sweet Molly who cared so much about all of her children's happiness.
"Ron will be here shortly," Hermione said knowing the question would be posed next. She smiled in relief as she stepped inside the house. The warm and comforting smell of Molly's homemade food making her mouth water –she had definitely missed this.
"Everybody's out back," Molly said with a smile as she turned back towards the dining table –which had been stretched out in order to accommodate the dozen different plates of food prepared for the occasion; all of which some of Harry's favorites.
"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Hermione asked curiously. She really wasn't in the mood to socialize. She frowned as Molly shook her head.
"Oh no no, dear. Food's almost all ready. Why don't you take Hugo out back with the other kids, we've set up the kiddie pool?" Hermione gave the woman a forced and strained smile and slowly grabbed her son out of his seat.
"Alright, buddy," Hermione said quietly as she trudged out towards the backyard, where the party was in full swing. Rose was already splashing around with James, Teddy and Victoire in the kiddie pool, shouting in excitement as they took turns splashing each other –Hermione shook her head as she looked towards her daughter's attire, which was by now soaked. Harry was engrossed in an animated conversation with Neville and Hagrid in the corner of the yard near the old Sycamore tree each drinking from a bottle of butterbeer. Ginny was sitting quietly to herself in one of the foldable chairs next to the pool, observing the children playing. As for everybody else they were engaged in various conversations, simply enjoying the fresh air.
Taking a deep breath, Hermione slowly made her way towards Ginny, sidestepping away from the pool as large splashes came her way. "Oh thank god you're here to keep me company," Ginny said happily as she spotted Hermione from across the yard. She glanced down at the baby in her best friend's arms and quickly grabbed him from his mother's grasp. "And how are you, mister?" Ginny asked, kissing the chubby baby on the cheek.
"What's up with you?" Hermione asked curiously as she took a seat next to her friend –immediately sensing her bitterness.
"My husband that's what," Ginny mumbled as she turned Hugo around, placing him against her chest. "I had this whole evening planned out for us yesterday to celebrate his birthday if you know what I mean." Ginny gave Hermione a wink."But then he bloody showed up three hours late, all because of damn Severus Snape."
Hermione froze at the mention of the dark and snarky Potions Professor. "What abo- about him?"
"Even years after the war he's still bothering us," Ginny said with a long sigh, bouncing little Hugo on her lap as he clapped his hands excitedly to himself. "He got in a bar fight down in Knockturn Alley and Harry had to take care of the situation.
Hermione's heart clenched tightly. "Was –was he alright?" Hermione asked as Ron stepped out in the yard, grabbing the attention of all the little kids.
"Oh, yeah. He completely knocked them out." Hermione's tight frown turned upwards slightly. "He did get pretty bruised up, though." Hermione nodded, the tightness in her throat making it practically impossible to breathe. "Harry wouldn't tell me why he got into a fight in the first place, but let's be honest he probably started the whole thing," Ginny said with a chuckle as she eyed her brother as he strode casually through the yard towards where Harry was standing. "How's it going with Ron?" She asked turning back to face Hermione.
Hermione froze under the watchful eyes of her sister-in-law. Her hand instinctively went to wrap around the dark red mark on her wrist –something that didn't go amiss by Ginny. "Everything's fine. He's just a bit tense because of work you know how it is." Hermione mumbled coolly, ignoring Ginny's gaze.
"What is that?" Ginny asked, balancing the boy on one knee as she delicately grabbed Hermione's wrist. "Did he do this?" Ginny continued, glancing up towards Hermione's face as a lone tear slowly rolled down her cheek "Hermione. Tell me the truth."
"Ah, Hermione just the witch I wanted to see." Hermione looked away from Ginny, pulling her arm away from her friend's grasp. Bringing her other hand up to block the rays of the sun. Minerva McGonagall was standing before her, a gentle smile adorned her aged face. "Walk with me will you?"
Hermione glanced towards Ginny –whose expression turned sour. "We'll talk later alright?" Hermione promised, leaning down to kiss Hugo's forehead. "I promise, I'll explain everything." Ginny nodded, pulling Hugo closer to her chest, her gaze drifting towards her brother and husband who were chuckling amongst themselves in the corner of the yard.
"How have you been my dear? It's been too long?" McGonagall said with a smile as the pair slowly walked towards a less occupied part of the yard. "How St-Mungo's?"
Hermione sighed deeply as the two grabbed a cool bottle of butterbeer from the cooler near the door. A present which had been offered to Arthur from Hermione's parents –it had turned out to be really practical during these gatherings. "Oh, it's been alright." To be frank, she hadn't been to work for almost a whole week –Severus had owled her boss during the time she had been unconscious, something about a family emergency which had immediately granted her one week off; her next shift would be in two days.
"As long as you enjoy what you do that's what matters most," Minerva said with a bright twinkle in her tired eyes. Hermione took a swig of butterbeer, sighing in content as the cool drink rolled down her throat. "I don't know if you heard, but Poppy is retiring."
Hermione shook her head. "No, I wasn't aware." She knew exactly where this was heading.
"And please feel free to decline, I would completely understand but we've been struggling to find a replacement and I thought that well, your love of Hogwarts might drag you back." Hermione glanced up towards Minerva, her heart beating out of her chest at a thousand miles per hour.
"I –I don't know what to say." True there was no place she loved more on earth than Hogwarts. "I just – "
"I understand; you have your marriage to think about," Minerva stated, looking towards Ron who was chasing the young children around the yard.
Oh if only she knew. "It's more my children I'm concerned about," Hermione said quietly, knowing that she could trust Minerva. "To be honest I think my marriage is – "
"Speak no more. I understand. Do know that we would gladly accommodate for your children. We would give you the amount of room needed for both you and your two children." Hermione glanced down at her hand, her wedding ring shining brightly in the sunlight. "Take the time to make your decision."
"Thank you so much for the offer," Hermione said with a smile. Perhaps the solution to her problems was closer than she thought. She closed her eyes, enjoying the cool breeze that danced around her, the various chit chat and screaming children reminding her of who she was; firstly, she was a mother, her children would always be her top priority. Her heart sunk as she glanced towards Rose who was dashing at top speed across the yard, and Hugo who was now cuddled up in Luna's embrace as the blond witch twirled in circles –she was a mother, but in this situation she was a terrible mother, she had put her children at risk by coming back home.
"Auntie Mione! Help me!" She was snapped out of her trance as a pair of wet arms wrapped themselves around her legs. She looked down at the mop of silvery blond hair that attacked her. Victoire glanced up towards Hermione, her blue eyes twinkled happily, the little specs of freckles dusted her face lightly –seemingly more prominent in the sunlight.
"You can't hide from me, little one!" Harry's low voice called out, he stopped in front of Hermione, his posture rigid. "H –hey Mione." His voice now back on key.
Hermione leaned down and grabbed Victoire into her arms, the little girl immediately nestled her head in the crook of her neck. "Was Uncle Harry bothering you?" She whispered. Victoire nodded against her skin, her face illuminating as a wide smile spread across her face. "You want me to kick his bum for you?" Victoire erupted in a fit of giggles, eyeing Harry carefully. She nodded slowly.
"What? But I'm your favorite uncle!" Harry said feigning hurt as he brought his hand to chest, making Victoire giggle even more.
"Victoire! Victoire! Come over here! Uncle George found a pretty butterfly!" Victoire turned her head to glance over Hermione's shoulder to where Rose, Teddy, and James were kneeled onto the ground, observing whatever George was pointing at. She immediately began to squirm in Hermione's arms –a clear sign that she wanted to be placed back down on the ground.
Hermione complied and in a mad dash Victoire was across the yard observing the butterfly with her cousins. She chuckled at the young girl before turning her attention back towards Harry who had his hands shoved in his pant pockets, a sly grin on his face.
"I'm happy you're here Hermione." He mumbled after a few minutes of tensed silence.
"Right." She spoke softly, taking a sip of butterbeer.
"You know; I spoke with Snape." Hermione immediately snapped her gaze towards her best friend, his weight shifting from foot to foot. "What happened Hermione?"
Hermione scoffed loudly, eyeing the end of the bottle as she brought it to her lips. "Why would you suddenly care?"
"I care because you're my best friend. I care because obviously something happened between the two of you and then you decided to leave and he decided to ruin my birthday celebration with Ginny by getting caught up in a bar fight with some nasty low life's." Harry mumbled quietly, grabbing Hermione's wrist in an attempt to pull her away from the celebration.
She immediately flinched back, ripping her arm away from his grasp, her face contorted into a painful sneer. "Fine you wanna know what happened? You wanna know what the big bad Severus Snape did to me?" She said forcefully in a hushed whisper –in that moment she didn't care who heard her. "He used Legimency on me to look through my memories, and then I was visibly upset, I kissed him wanting, hoping to feel wanted for once in my goddamn life. But he was the rational one and pulled back, stating that I had to get my affairs with Ron in order before doing so." She continued pushing Harry's chest with force. "Then we fell asleep in each others arms and as much as my heart wanted to stay I left, left without a word and came back home and not only put myself in danger but my children in danger too because as much as you don't want to believe it, he –" She paused, pointing towards Ron in the distance "is not the same Ron who we grew up with. He has changed, and until you come to realize that then I have nothing to say to you."
Harry looked over his shoulder towards Ron who was talking with Arthur.
"Is there anything else you wanna know?" She asked bitterly, her knuckles white over the stronghold she had on her bottle of butterbeer.
"No." He said simply, shifting his gaze to the muddy ground beneath their feet.
She glanced over at him one last time before storming away from him, their shoulders grazing as she passed by. "You know he got in a fight because of you." She froze mid-step but didn't turn to face him. "These low lives were insulting you by the way, which is why he clonked them. He obviously cares a whole lot about you, and the feeling is clearly reciprocal."
"Food's ready everybody!" Molly shouted, stepping out into the yard, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her apron. With one sturdy step, Harry brushed passed Hermione, leaving her in a pitiful ball of sorrow and despair, her heart plummeting to her chest. She didn't need bloody Harry Potter to tell her how she felt, she knew it already.
Hermione sat quietly in one of the foldable chairs, pushing the peas and potatoes around her plate. Rose was sitting next to her, happily munching on a corned beef sandwich, her little legs swinging beneath her seat as she hummed to herself. "Are you not hungry mummy?" Rose asked sweetly turning towards Hermione.
Her daughter had the biggest heart ever, always wanting everyone to be happy –she had gotten that from her grandma Molly that was for sure. "Don't you worry about me, love," Hermione said with a soft smile, running the pad of her thumb across the smudge of sauce near the corner of Rose's mouth. "Are you enjoying the food?"
Rose nodded excitedly, taking another huge bite of her sandwich. "Grandma Molly makes the best food!" She mumbled –Hermione frowned as bits of corn beef flew out of her daughter's mouth.
"Don't speak with your mouth full love," Hermione instructed, her frown deepening as she spotted Ginny making her way towards where they were sitting.
"Can we talk now?" The redheaded witch asked seriously, taking a seat next to Hermione.
"Guess I'm not getting out of this one am I?" Hermione joked, chuckling nervously –Ginny on the other was not amused.
"Does Ron hurt you, Hermione?" Ginny asked, her voice hushed and deeply saddening.
Hermione simply looked down at her plate of food, the mashed potatoes making her stomach churn. "He's just been stressed from work."
"I know you're lying to me, Hermione." Ginny continued, eyeing Rose carefully. "Has he ever laid a hand on Rose or Hugo?"
"No. Never," Hermione said turning to look at Ginny. "He would never dare– "
"But it's okay to hit you? How long Hermione?"
Hermione took a deep breath. "Since I miscarried."
Ginny's mouth opened in shock, her blue eyes swimming with unshed tears. "Nearly five years. Five years and you've never told anybody?" Hermione remained silent. With a quivering touch, Ginny took Hermione by the hand and dragged her out of her chair. "Can you watch mummy's plate sweetheart?" Ginny asked Rose –Rose nodded with a smile, her cheeks puffed out due to the food in her mouth. "We'll be right back."
Hermione placed her plate down onto the chair, kissing Rose on the head before following Ginny across the yard. Neither said a word as they marched into the Burrow, up the long staircase that leads to the various bedrooms the house had to offer –stopping in front of the bedroom door the two had shared occasionally throughout their school years. Ginny twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, guiding Hermione into the small room that held so many cherished memories. Hermione took a seat on the edge of the bed, staring down at her shaking hands.
Ginny slowly walked towards the bed, taking a seat next to Hermione. She carefully placed her hand over Hermione's. "Start from the beginning."
And then I just left. I packed all our stuff and just left." Hermione concluded with a deep sigh, glancing sideways towards Ginny, trying to analyze the redhead's reaction.
Ginny had her elbows placed on her knees, her head placed in her hands. "I –I don't know what to say." She said slowly, pulling back to look at Hermione. "You kissed him? Wow."
Hermione blushed scarlet, twirling her wedding band around her finger aimlessly. "And apparently Harry said that he got in a fight because of me."
"This is completely bonkers you do know that right?" Hermione nodded. "But what I don't understand is why you never told anybody? We would have protected you."
"I just never thought anybody would believe me," Hermione said sadly as she looked towards Ginny, her doe brown eyes filled with tears. "I mean you're his family, what was I suppose to think."
"You're our family too, though. You always have been." Ginny continued with a sad smile, as she pulled Hermione into a tight embrace. "No matter if Ron is my blood brother, you will always be my sister."
This only made Hermione sob louder. "I just don't know what to do."
Ginny frowned sadly at the state of the Muggleborn witch. "You need to get out of there," Ginny said seriously. "I'm gonna speak with Harry and you're gonna come stay with us for a while alright? We'll have Harry set up some wards around the house…"
"But Harry doesn't want to believe me. He saw me with Severus and the first thought that popped into his head was that I was cheating on Ron." Hermione interrupted the redhead, a loud exasperated sigh escaped her lips. "I offered to show him my memories, to prove to him what Ron had done, to prove to him that if I hadn't sent Rose through the floo I would have bled to death in my home."
Ginny gaped at her friend. "Well, he's gonna have to deal with me," Ginny reassured her, pulling her into a loving embrace once more, kissing the mop of brown hair. "Everything's going to be okay." Ginny closed her eyes as she rocked Hermione's body from side to side. She couldn't believe it, her heart was telling her how impossible this was, impossible that her brother would abuse the girl he had loved since their second year, abuse the mother of his children; her head, however, was telling her how clearly obvious this had been, the coldness between the two ever since Hermione's miscarriage. The worst part out of all of this was that she had tried to get help, but Harry had simply pushed her away, disregarding her honesty completely. She had been mad at her husband before the party had even begun, but now she was furious. "Everything's going to be okay Hermione. I promise."
Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Harry! Happy Birthday to you!" The room erupted in a loud burst of cheering and clapping, a loud sniffling noise breaking the moment. Everybody turned their head towards Hagrid who had pulled out his yellow handkerchief. "I'm sorry, it's jus' I held yer when you were jus' a little babe and now look at yer."
Harry gave the half-giant a warm smile before turning back to look at the double decker frosted chocolate cake, candles dimly illuminating his face. He glanced towards Ginny, confused by the weak smile she sent his way, James was cuddled up to her chest, and Teddy stood next to him, peering at the sweet delicacy in front of him. "You wanna help me bud?" He asked looking towards Teddy who nodded excitedly. Grabbing the young boy from underneath his arms he hoisted him up into his lap. "One three okay?" Teddy nodded as he peered down at the cake.
"One." Harry glanced up momentarily at Hermione, who was the furthest away from him, rocking Hugo in her arms. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes an endless pool of sadness, their eyes met briefly across the room –she immediately turned her back to him.
"Two." Harry then shifted his gaze towards Ron who was leaning against the kitchen counter. His gaze locked onto Hermione, his knuckles white from holding onto the countertop.
"Three." The minute the word tumbled out of his lips, Teddy had blown all the candles out, leaving the room in pitch darkness. Harry instinctively wrapped his arms around his godson's body, pulling him tighter to him. He sighed as a few of the party goers clapped him on the shoulder in congratulations.
"What a fine young man you've become. I know your parents would be proud of who you've become" He heard McGonagall said in the darkness that surrounded them. He sighed, he desperately wished he could believe that but right now he felt like the shittiest person ever. How many times had Hermione saved his life? She had been there with him through everything, even when all seemed lost, even when Ron walked out on them during their hunt for Horcruxes -she had stuck around. He would definitely need to confront Ron about it, he had to do something fast, before either Hermione or her children got hurt.
That was one beast of a chapter let me tell you that but I do hope you all enjoyed it! I was by far the longest chapter I have ever written hitting a whopping fifteen pages and it was loads of fun to write! I absolutely love the Weasley family dynamic! As always thank you to everyone who added this to their favorite, follows and or reviewed! You are all amazing! Very special shout out to whoever it was who nominated this story and Loving Hermione Granger for the best Harry Potter fanfiction for the 2016 Bit Awards! It made my day when I found out so thank you whoever you are! Voting will begin at the end of May so I will definitely be posting the link to go vote when it begins!
Lastly, a fun little thing I've come up with considering this story is nearly at 200 reviews! Whoever posts the 200th review will get to submit a prompt for my one shot collection, Loving Hermione Granger! We're only 25 away so I know you can all do it! So please please please let me know what you all thought!
As always thank you for reading and I'll see you all soon! Cheers!
Penny x