Chapter 20

"Mummy!"

Before Hermione had had the chance to fully enter, little Hugo had already appeared in the hallway with his Nintendo, jumping up and down, mentioning that he had at last managed to pass the level he had stranded at a few days ago and beginning a very fast-paced update on how very difficult the next one was as well. When she hugged Hugo hello, as was their custom, she saw her thirteen-year-old daughter in the doorway with a book in her hands. She, too, hugged her mother hello. The children must have heard her voice as she stepped into the small hallway and greeted her ex with but a polite smile and a "Good evening."

It rarely happened that she came by when the children were with their father. She could tell he was curious as to why she had chosen to do so right now. She ran her fingers briefly through her son's ginger hair before he pulled back and redirected all attention back to his game. As she did so, she realized she felt very unwell. She knew this conversation needed to be had either way, though.

"Ahem," Ron sounded, "It is ten, so..."

Hermione nodded. "Of course," she said. "It is bedtime." She and Ron had agreed that ten o'clock was a good time for both to go to bed in the holidays ── any later than that resulted in a very hard time getting up before lunch for both of them and in Hugo, sometimes Rose as well, falling asleep on the couch. On top of that, Hermione was afraid that letting them stay up too long now would just lead to more trouble when school started once more and they had to be up much earlier to go to their lessons after their breakfasts.

"Goodnight, my sweethearts," Hermione whispered; a warm and genuine smile passed over the mother's tired face. She had hoped that the children would have been asleep already, but she was glad that she had been able to wish them a good night as well.

"Good night, Mum. Good night, Dad," it sounded in response before the children moved to go upstairs to change and go to bed as they were told to do.

"Hugo..."

With but a sigh of defeat that he had, again, been caught, Hugo placed his Nintendo console in his father's open hand before he trudged off after Rose to go to bed as well. Otherwise, he would play all night.

The parents waited for both of their children to have disappeared before Ron inclined his head in the direction of the doorway. She followed him as he entered the living room and sat down as well when he did as he made a rather weird hand gesture.

She didn't know how to say this, exactly... How do you tell your ex that you've switched jobs from one day to the next, and, particularly, that the children won't only have to go through all changes that come with that, but that they'll be getting a sister or brother on top of that, too? How do you tell him you're having his third child, when you have already been divorced for two years?

"Well..." Ron started after several moments of silence. "What's going on? I doubt that you came over to just tell them good night."

Hermione nodded. "You're right," she said. She bit down on her lower lip. The Gryffindor witch knew it wouldn't be easier next week, next month... She took in a gulp of air, which she let go very slowly. Then she decided to tell him the 'easy news' first. "I have resigned from the Ministry, earlier today."

Ron's eyes bulged when the words fell from her mouth and he took in what she had just said. "So, the rumor is actually true? Some people mentioned you had quit. I didn't know whether or not to believe it. You had left the office already, though, and Kingsley wasn't there either, as usual in the afternoon. I can't believe you left the Ministry."

Hermione sighed. "Well," she began. "I do not know what has been rumored, but yeah, I did. I haven't had a challenge at the Ministry for years now, and that is what I need to stay happy in a job. That's why..." She paused. She sighed. "That's why I am going to join the staff at Hogwarts next month... I'll be teaching Transfiguration from now on. I just have to go discuss some last details, tomorrow morning."

Ron's eyes bulged more as he ran a hand through his hair, obviously speechless. His mouth opened more than once soundlessly before he managed to say, "Whoa. You didn't stall at all."

"Well, it was a tad unexpected for me as well," Hermione admitted.

Several moments passed by; both Ron and Hermione remained quiet. Hermione looked down at her hands as she, in that moment, was reminded of how the last few years of her marriage to him had been. She remembered the silence and the many fights. Ron's voice pulled her from her thoughts, "I wish you had mentioned you were looking into a new job, though. Rose and Hugo are my children, too. When they are involved, whether we're divorced or not, it is my business, and that means that I should have a say."

"Ron..." Hermione started, but then she stopped herself. She couldn't reason with him, anyway. That was part of why she had divorced him. She knew it was useless to try to tell him that she was an individual aside from her role of mother and ex-wife, too. She sighed. There was no use to delaying the inevitable either. It was with heavy heart that she broke the news. There would never be a good time. "Ron, I'm with child," she whispered, then looked back up to watch as Ron's control snapped.

"You're what?!" he exclaimed. Then he jumped up, ears turning scarlet fast. When he was livid, that always happened. Then he began to pace. That was usually what he did before he began to scream. "You... have already shared the bed with someone else! I can't believe you!" he screamed when he came to a halt. His entire face matched his ears now. "We've only been divorced for two years, and you are already having another man's child! I never ever knew you were dating people again!"

"I'm not!" Hermione shrieked. "I don't screw all that I can get, unlike you! Would you keep it down?" She hissed when she saw him open his mouth once more to undoubtedly go off on her for saying what they both knew was nothing less than the truth.

With effort, Ron managed to shut himself up.

"Ron, it is yours."

When he heard this, Ron slowly sank down on the couch again and stared ahead into thin air. "You mean... Whoa." Then he turned back to his ex-wife and blinked as if he had never seen her before that moment. Silence reigned for several seconds between them. Then, however... he smiled. "I am going to be a dad again!"

Hermione had expected that this would happen. She knew that she had to be very clear with him right now. "You are," she agreed. "You'll be involved. You'll get the chance to be this child's father as much as Rose's and Hugo's... but we're not going to get back together. This doesn't change all of the issues we had before."

"What..."

Hermione shook her head gently. "I won't do it. I'm sorry." She paused. As she did so, she looked at him to ensure that he was listening. "I'm not in love anymore, if I ever was." She ignored the look of hurt in his eyes and forced herself to go on. She didn't like it one bit, though. "I've had quite a lot of time to order my thoughts in the two years we've been separated, Ron. I do wonder if we didn't just get together when we did because it was expected of us."

"I'm sure that it was!" Ron said. "That's because we belong together!"

"No, Ron," Hermione stated, "We don't belong together. I do not regret that we had a son and daughter together, nor do I regret this unborn child, no matter how unexpected the news." As she said it, she knew she meant it. "We put in what we could and gave us a shot at a happy ending together, and I don't regret it. However, we aren't the same people we were then. We've both changed. We would just end up in the same vicious little circle we've been in for so long. We would go back to fighting every damn day. Deep down, you know we've changed too much for it not to happen again.

"I don't know how you can see this work," he challenged her.

Hermione sighed. She didn't remember when she had felt so damn exhausted last. "It will just have to. I am sure that we'll somehow manage," she said, "After all, we've managed to create him or her as well... I have had a check-up yesterday. Everything's fine. My new job will be less stressful, so hopefully, whatever happened when I was with Hugo won't happen again now. Plus, there's a Healer close by if there's anything at all."

"'You'll be involved', you said!"

The Gryffindor witch was on the very verge of tears. She felt exhausted and angry and upset and hurt. "I wasn't entirely certain. We both know how unlikely it really is to find yourself with child after one attempt, however unintended."

When her ex opened his mouth once more to continue to argue, she held her hand up and got to her feet. "This is where I give up," she said. "For years, we haven't really managed to have a reasonable conversation. I don't know why I thought it could happen right now."

With that, she turned to go.

Ron, however, got to his feet, too, and took a hold of one of her wrists, rather roughly. "You can't just announce I'm going to be a dad again and leave when I really deserve answers!" he thundered, forgetting about Rose and Hugo upstairs... or not caring. "You can't!"

Hermione pulled back her arm and looked him straight in the eye. "Actually, Ron," she whispered, "I can. If you could just have a reasonable conversation, I wouldn't be leaving. However, you're seemingly incapable ── still."

"I'm not!"

"You are," Hermione stated. Angrily, the brunette wiped the corner of one eye. Hermione really did hate to show her tears, especially him ── he wasn't worth it. "I would appreciate it if you let it rest, for now," she very nearly begged. "I'd really like to wait to tell the rest of the family, let alone the world, until I have passed my first three months. Also, I hope you bear your daughter's happiness in mind, on Saturday, when we see each other next at her birthday party ── if you can't do it for me, please do it for your daughter."