All I Have To Give
A Harry Potter Tale
Disclaimer: I don't own it. I just like making the characters dance for my amusement, mwahahaha!
Last Chapter: "HERMIONE!" She heard Harry yell from the foyer. Prue and her exchanged a look before running into the foyer.
This chapter is titled after: Here Without You by 3 Doors Down
25. Here Without You
"Harry, keep your voice down, Thackery's asleep." Hermione chastised. "Now, what is it? Why aren't you at work?"
"We found Ron." He said, his voice breathless. "Pansy came home early and caught him alone in the living room with Lucius Malfoy."
"What?" Prue asked, crossing her arms. "How was that possible? Lucius died in the final battle."
"Apparently not," Harry said. "He's been putting Ron under a serious Imperius Curse since Ron left us last year. He's been slowly adding more and more of his personality into Ron until he came to the point that he was at last time you saw him. He was the one that poisoned you. Ron doesn't know what kind of poison was used, but he was forced to disillusion himself and drop the poison into your cauldron."
Hermione leaned against the wall. "It wasn't Ron?" she whispered. "Ron's back to normal?"
Harry nodded. "He's adjusting, but he knows everything that he's done. He really hates himself right now. Pansy is staying with him while Mrs. Weasley decides what to do with him." he told them.
"Are they still together?" Prue asked.
Harry shrugged. "Ron said that depended on Hermione. He said if she would forgive him and if she wanted to give it another shot, he wants to be with her. Pansy said she isn't going anywhere, but she doesn't want to be with him right now. They're broken up for the time being." Harry said.
"Why would he think that Hermione would want to be with him?" Prue questioned.
"He said that he loves her and they never had a real shot. He's asked me to find her." His eyes flickered to Hermione, who wasn't really sure what to think. "Hermione?"
Hermione looked at him. "Yeah?" she asked.
"What do I tell Ron?" he questioned, watching her with careful eyes.
"He doesn't get to know where I am, Harry." She said. "And tell him to move on. I used to like him...I used to think about a future with him...but I fell in love with Bill. I had Bill's son. Just because Ron isn't the tormentor that he used to be doesn't mean that I am in love with him. It doesn't change how I feel and I don't know if I can ever trust Ron again." She was straight forward and honest.
Harry nodded. "I knew that was how you'd feel, but I had to ask. I promised that if I saw you that I would." he told her. "Hermione, no one is going to expect you to trust Ron or be his girlfriend. And no one will expect you to come back just because Ron isn't trying to kill you anymore."
"I don't think that's true. Besides, Ron had a temper before Lucius tampered with his brain. All he would have to do is hear that I don't want to be with him, I don't trust him, and I had someone else's kid. Has anyone told him that I dated Charlie?" Hermione asked, pushing off from the wall.
Harry shook his head. "No, but I bet Charlie will take care of that tonight. He's going to The Burrow for a few days. For the wedding."
"Get out of her room!" Bill told his youngest brother when he saw Ron enter Hermione's old room. Ron turned around sharply and looked at his older brother. "No one comes in here." Bill said, grabbing Ron by the arm and dragging him to his old room.
"What the hell?" Ron asked, wrenching his arm out of Bill's hand. "Why are you acting like this, Bill? I know I treated her like shit, but if she comes back, I'll make it up to her."
Bill glared at him. "One, little brother, she isn't coming back. Two, if she does, you will not go near her. There was a reason that Malfoy chose you, because you already had the temper that could turn violent against her. We watched it, every bit of it, while you beat her and tortured her and make her feel worthless. Hermione was not weak or worthless. She was better than anyone and she was too good for you."
"I know all that, Bill. Do you think I liked being trapped inside my own body, beating the woman I love over and over again? I couldn't stop myself, Bill. Hermione will understand that." Ron said. Bill looked at his brother. Hermione wouldn't take him back. Mainly because Hermione wasn't coming back.
"Hey, Bill, Ron." Charlie said, smiling as he caught up with them. "Have either of you heard from Harry?"
Shaking their heads, Ron said, "No, why?"
"No reason," Charlie shrugged.
"Well, could you tell Bill that Hermione is going to take me back? Its not like she was seeing anyone after we broke up." Ron said to Charlie.
"Um, are you forgetting Draco?" Charlie asked, looking uncomfortable.
"She was really dating him?" Ron laughed. "I assumed that they were faking it to piss me off."
"She was with him for a few months, Ron. And then she was with someone else." Charlie said, his voice making Bill wonder if he was acting uncomfortable. Was it possible that he and Hermione never actually dated?
"Who? Who else would she possibly date?" Ron asked, his hands crossing and looking bemused. "Its not like men fall over themselves for her."
Bill felt his temper flare and he pushed Ron against the wall. "Say one more word like that Ron and you are going down the stairs the hard way." He growled. Charlie separated them.
"Ron, Hermione and I dated until she went missing." Charlie told his youngest brother. "Don't insult her like that, Hermione is beautiful and amazing and almost every man I know wanted to be with her. So don't make me think that Lucius Malfoy only increased the asshole in you."
"You dated Hermione?" Ron went red in less than six seconds. "How could you do that to me, Charlie?" he shouted.
"We liked each other, Ron. And its not like she had anyone else around her that she trusted. You certainly weren't good for her, dumping her after you thought you slept with her! I'm not convinced that you wouldn't have done that anyway!" Charlie shouted and Bill leaned against the wall across from them. He was tired. His wedding was tomorrow. Ron was here making trouble again and he couldn't get Hermione off his mind.
Leaving his little brothers behind to fight it out, he walked back down to Hermione's room and shut the door. It still smelled like her. His heart clenched as he remembered laying down the teddy bear on her bed, with the diamond bracelet and ring around its neck. The bear was for their son, the jewelry for her. He wondered if she was still wearing it. Did she give the bear to the baby? If that was the way Ron reacted to Charlie just dating Hermione, how would he react if he found out that Hermione and Bill had had a child together? Or that his eldest brother was in love with her?
He made his way back down the stairs, he found Fleur sitting at the table, tears falling from her eyes as she looked at a long white box that lay on the table.
"Fleur? What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down beside her.
"Hermione. I want 'er to be at ze wedding. Zis was 'er dress. Ze one we picked out at ze dress shop? Do you remember 'ow beautiful she looked?" Fleur asked, her hand on the box.
"Yes, I remember," And boy did he. She was gorgeous in that dress. That had been the first time he'd pictured what it would be like to undress her, he'd wanted to ravish her in the middle of that shop.
"She already missed ze bachelorette party. She 'ad even bought ze lingerie zat we would all wear. Do you zink she knew she would leave?" Fleur questioned. "Even back zen?"
Bill shrugged. "I don't know. Probably." he told her, knowing that Hermione probably made the decision shortly after they first found out that they were going to have to get pregnant.
"But, why, Beel? Why would she just go?" Fleur asked. They had discussed this several times over the last week, after Charlie pulled Bill from his personal misery long enough to marry the woman next to him.
"She must have had her reasons. Maybe everything that happened with her and Ron was too much for her to handle." Bill suggested, knowing that that was a lie. Hermione wouldn't run away from a fight, no matter who the bad guy was. At least, not unless she feared for the safety of their child.
"But why would she leave Charlie? I zought she loved 'im?"
Bill shook his head. "Charlie said it was only casual, they weren't ever going to be serious." Bill reminded her. "Maybe she'll come back one day, Fleur." He couldn't keep the hope out of his voice and hoped that his fiance didn't read too much into it.
"I want 'er back for ze wedding, I need 'er 'ere. She 'elped me with everzing. It was all 'er, Beel." Fleur said, the desperation in her voice. He was glad that she wasn't so upset that she hadn't reverted back to speaking only French.
"Maybe she'll be there. We won't know until tomorrow. Now, why don't you go get some rest? I'll see you at the end of the aisle." Bill sent her off and she went without question. He looked around the kitchen. It was the first place he'd told Hermione that he loved her, and the first time he walked away from her after letting her know how he felt. He had to do something that was right. He had to marry Fleur. "Maybe she'll come." he whispered, getting up and walking to the kettle and making himself some peppermint tea.
The next day came too soon for Bill as he got up and dressed. The wedding was timed to end at sunset, in just a few hours. He was supposed to be dressed and ready to oversee everything while the women got Fleur ready for the wedding. He had Hermione's drawings with him, reminding him of what he was doing and making him wonder why. If Harry could leave his sister and get engaged, why didn't he? Why couldn't he take a page out of the younger wizard's book and follow his heart? Why was duty overriding his need to be with Hermione and his son? But it was too late now. Hermione wasn't coming back and Fleur was counting on him to be at that altar.
He left the room and went down the stairs to the kitchen. There, Harry and Draco were sitting talking quietly and he held back, listening to them.
"I tried, but she won't do it." Harry whispered.
Draco sighed. "I knew she wouldn't. She doesn't want to put either of them through it." he whispered back.
"I just wish he would realize that he loves her," Harry said, still whispering, but Bill could tell he was furious. "I can't stand going over there to her, seeing her put on a brave face and knowing how much its killing her not being with him."
Draco nodded. "I know. She doesn't even try to lie about how she feels anymore. She told Prue that she was in love with him. She's still in love with him. I didn't want to leave her alone today, but we promised Fleur." his voice was strangled with sadness. Where they talking about Hermione? They knew where she was? Of course they did, they were her best friends. It wasn't them she had left, it was him and his family because she was scared that they would reject their child and her. She was probably right, especially after tonight.
"She wouldn't do anything stupid. She loves the baby too much. Its what she thinks she wants anyway. She doesn't want to hurt Bill. She thinks that she hurt him, took away his future. She isn't going to realize that she could be his future." Harry pointed out. They were talking about Hermione.
"He has to stop this, he has to realize it, too, Harry. Its on him. If he really loved her, he wouldn't marry Fleur today." Draco stood and Bill faked walking down the stairs and walked in. "Good morning," Draco grumbled, walking out of the house and into the yard.
Bill made himself a cup of peppermint tea and sat down across from Harry. "Nervous?" Harry asked, smiling at him. It was almost genuine.
"Not really," Bill said, looking at the man with messy black hair and glasses. His green eyes were almost pleading with him. "How's Aria?"
"She's fine. She's upstairs with the other girls getting Fleur ready." Harry told him.
Bill nodded and drank his tea. He knew Harry and Draco were pissed at him now. He wasn't too pleased with himself either. All he wanted was to do the right thing, but he didn't know what that was anymore.
Attention: Will Bill marry Fleur? Ron's not a baddie? What's going to come next?
Oh and awesomeness...I got a ferret! We named him Draco Malfoy, the Amazing Bouncing Ferret! He's cute as hell too!
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