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 felt completely happy for the first time in a long time. She knew that, eventually, it would change, mainly because they hadn't caught Lucius Malfoy yet and he wasn't going to give up that easily. But, at the moment, she would bask in the glow of a happy family that she thought she would never have again.
This chapter is titled after: Come What May from the movie, Moulin Rouge
28. Come What May
"Hermione!" Ginny shouted as she ran into the house, but when she saw her, she stopped. Hermione was still on Bill's lap, Bill's face was nuzzled into her neck as Hermione read aloud to the room. They had her read from Sense and Sensibility, wanting to know why Bill and Hermione were suddenly so attached to the novel. "What is this?" she yelled, her voice furious.
Hermione set the novel down on the side table and stood up from Bill's lap. "Hi, Ginny," she said, smiling at her friend.
"Don't 'hi, Ginny' me. What the hell is going on?" Ginny said, crossing her arms and glaring at Hermione. She was furious...pissed off would be the exact term...and Hermione could almost read her thoughts. She got the gist of the situation, she knew Hermione was the reason that Bill and Fleur didn't get married, but her conclusions on how it happened were all wrong.
"Ginerva! Language!" Mrs. Weasley chastised her daughter as George covered Thackery's ears, like it would help or Thackery understood what was being said.
Ginny didn't look at the room, or at anyone other than Hermione. "Why is Bill cuddling up on you?" Ginny said, her voice holding bite. "Did you sleep with him? Make him leave Fleur? I knew something was wrong with you but I didn't think you were whoring around with my brother. Who all have you slept with, huh? Fred? George? Did you screw Harry and Draco too?"
Hermione flushed. "Of course not! Ginny, do you really think so little of me?" She felt Ginny's resolve falter, but only for a moment. At the moment, that was exactly how she felt. Hermione didn't want the subject of sleeping with Draco to come up again...that had been a mistake and was never to be mentioned again. It wasn't anyone's business anyway.
"Explain what is going on then." The younger witch growled.
Bill stood up. "If you would shut up and stop jumping to conclusion, then maybe she could." He growled at her.
Thackery started crying and Hermione moved around the pissed little witch to go to her son. She took in a breath and concentrated on only him. "He's hungry, George," she told the red-headed twin holding him. "There's a bottle in his diaper bag, if you want to feed him." George smiled happily and summoned the bag to him immediately.
"Whose the kid?" Ginny asked from behind her. Hermione looked away from the scene in front of her and turned back around.
"Your nephew," Hermione said, crossing her arms. "Thackery."
Ginny looked at the baby in George's arms. "Who did George knock up?" she asked.
Fred let out a snort, which he quickly turned into a cough, unconvincingly. "Sorry," he said, looking away from Hermione.
Hermione suppressed a grin of her own. "He's not George's." She told Ginny. She walked back over to Bill, who took her hand instantly, lacing their fingers. "He's mine and Bill's."
Ginny looked very confused, but her emotions told a different story. She was livid. "How?" her voice was very judgmental and snooty. "If you weren't uncrossing your legs for everyone then explain how that's possible." She waved toward the baby.
Hermione was shocked. What was her problem? Hermione just came back from being missing and instead of being happy about it Ginny was being, quite frankly, a bitch.
"That?" Bill said angrily. "He isn't a 'that', Ginny. He's my son. I won't abide anyone, and I mean anyone, disrespecting him or his mother. Hermione didn't "uncross" her legs for everyone. We had no choice in the matter. It was either create that beautiful child over there or watch her die. I chose the right thing to do and you won't be able to say or do anything to make me or Hermione regret that decision."
Ron stood up and walked over to his sister. "I know its a lot to take in, Ginny, but try to be patient and listen. Hermione and Bill love each other, more than I think anyone has ever loved another person. Let them explain." he said, his voice calm and relaxed. His guilt was riling through him, because just a few hours before, he'd said the same thing.
"How can you be so calm about this?" Ginny said, turning her fury on him. "Ron, I thought you were wanting to get back with her! That's all you've been talking about since you got free of Malfoy and now you're okay with it?"
"I understand that somethings are beyond our control, but Hermione left because she was afraid that the people she loved would react exactly the way you are reacting right now! Blaming her...blaming the baby...for something that she couldn't help. She needed Bill and, in the middle of it, she fell for him and him with her. I can't blame him for loving her because I know how easy it is to do. I would rather watch her be happy with him, raising my nephew, then her be miserable with me, or lose her altogether." Hermione felt the tears in her eyes as Ron concluded his speech. He really was back. She could feel his conviction with every word, and he smiled sweetly down at Thackery.
Hermione looked at Bill, smiling at him. Bill had a pleasantly surprised face when he looked down at her, pulling her closer to him. Ginny looked at Ron, then to the baby, and then back at Hermione.
"Tell me," was all she said. Bill did most of the talking, telling Ginny everything that had happened since the beginning of the year, just as they had with the rest of the family. Ginny listened to them, not once faltering her aggressive stance, nor did she take her eyes off of Hermione while Bill spoke. He held tightly onto Hermione as he talked about how hard the situation was on both of them when they realized how they felt for each other, but didn't want to hurt anyone in the process. When they reached the wedding, Bill told her how Fleur had known pretty much everything and didn't want to keep him from his true love. He explained that he went to Hermione when the wedding was canceled and was able to finally see his son.
"So, what? You're marrying her now?" Ginny asked, unimpressed.
Bill smiled. "That's the plan. Hermione was wonderful enough to accept my proposal even though I haven't treated her the way I should have." he said, looking at his little sister with happy eyes.
Hermione placed a hand gently on his face, turning him to face her. "Neither of us did what we were supposed to, but I don't blame you, love. You did what you thought was right, as did I. If you could still love me, after everything, then why wouldn't I feel the same?" she said, kissing him gently.
"I love you." he whispered against her lips. Ginny cleared her throat and they looked away from each other to see her glaring at them.
"Anyway, Ginny, that's everything." Hermione said. "I know its a lot, but I can't find it in me to regret any of it. If you can't accept the way things are, then that's up to you, but I love Bill, I love my son, and believe it or not, I love you, too, Ginny."
Ginny looked at her, considering her for a moment. "What if...Aria...got poisoned with the same poison that you were hit with?" she asked, looking at Bill. "Would you volunteer to save her?"
Aria crossed her arms from where she sat and pouted, "Why am I the one getting poisoned?"
Everyone ignored her. "No," Bill answered. "I would find someone else to, but I can never be disloyal to Hermione, not even to save Aria's life." Bill looked at Aria. "Sorry."
She shrugged. "Its okay, but I still want to know why I'm getting poisoned." she grumbled.
"Then why would you volunteer to save Hermione? You were engaged...you were in love with Fleur." Ginny said, glaring at her brother.
Hermione looked at him, too, curious as to his answer. "Its easy," Bill started. "I love Hermione, I even did then. I didn't know it at the time, but when I heard that she was going to die and I could save her, I had to do whatever I could to do it. I loved Fleur, in a way, but we never had much going for us. She was beautiful, she was loyal, and she didn't care about my scars or the way I'm not so pleasant once a month. That's why I was with her for so long. But, even during the war, I would stay up late just to talk to Hermione. We could talk about anything and everything. We had almost everything in common, but enough differences to keep the conversations interesting. We weren't as close as we could have been, and I think that was why I didn't realize it until it was nearly too late. I didn't want to lose Hermione and I did what I could to protect her." He looked at Hermione while he said this, smiling at her.
"What about you?" Ginny asked, looking at Hermione. "Would you cheat on Bill?"
Hermione looked at her thoughtfully. "No, never. He's the only man I could ever love and the only man I want to be physical with. I feel that way now and I will feel that way a hundred years from now." she told her.
Draco stood up and walked over to Ginny. "I know you aren't happy, but let me ask you a question, Red?" Ginny looked up at him and nodded. "Why is it your business? I'm not trying to be rude, but really, they've proved it to themselves, why do they owe you an explanation? Its their life, their relationship. They shouldn't have had to tell you any of it, but they did out of courtesy. We didn't question you and Harry to death when you both fell in love with other people. Why do they have to go through it?"
Ginny shrugged. "Because I didn't screw Blaise behind Harry's back. He didn't with Aria. Its different." she insisted.
"No, it isn't. You would jump down everyone's throat if we questioned you like this. They don't owe you anything. They didn't even do this to you. Hermione and Weaselby had broken up, Fleur and Bill are broken up now. You weren't involved. At all. I know how hard it was on Hermione and it isn't fair to her to hear her best girlfriend calling her a whore for doing something to save her life and accidentally falling in love because of it." Draco told her.
"What about Charlie? She cheated on him. What about you? You dated her, too."
"No, I didn't date Hermione. That was just an idea I had to get Weaselby off her back. And as for Charlie –"
"We didn't date," Charlie said from his place on the couch. "I thought that Bill might realize he could lose her forever if he didn't smarten up, so I talked Hermione into pretending to date me. Honestly, I've been with Tonks this whole time." He popped a cookie into his mouth when he finished.
Draco smiled at her. "See? Hermione doesn't deserve your contempt."
Ginny looked at all of them. "How many of you knew about this? While it was going on?" she asked the room.
"I knew the whole time," Draco told her.
Harry looked at her. "I found out at Christmas," he said.
"Me, too," Charlie said. "Bill told me."
"Hermione told me right before Christmas." Prue admitted, adjusting her seat and touching her baby bump.
Ginny glared at all of them and ran out of the room and into the kitchen. Hermione followed her and stopped her before she could run upstairs.
"Ginny," she said. "I'm sorry that this was how things worked out. I left because I didn't want to ruin everyone's life. Do you want me to leave?"
The red-headed witch shook her head. "No, I don't," she admitted. "It just hurts that you didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth. I thought something was wrong, but every time I tried to talk to you, you shrugged me off. Why didn't you tell me?" Hermione felt the hurt that Ginny had been hiding under her anger.
"I didn't want you to hate me," Hermione told her, her eyes tearing up with the emotions floating between them. "I mean, how would you have felt if I told you I was sleeping with your big brother? With a teacher?"
Ginny shrugged, tearing up as well. "I would have rather known and been able to support you than be kept in the dark."
"So, you aren't mad at us? Or Thackery?" she asked.
Ginny shook her head and hugged her. "He's a beautiful baby. I was just so angry. I didn't know what was going on. I'm sorry I overreacted." Hermione hugged her back and was happy that her friend didn't hate her.
Soon, too soon, people began filing into The Burrow. Blaise, her family, McGonagall, Kingsley, pretty much everyone that was in the Order. Hermione was almost shocked to see Tonks come up. She was sending bitter glares at Jane and Remus, even sending a deathly glare at Emmeline, which made Hermione want to hit the bitch. She watched the older witch walk over to Charlie and hug him, giving him a deep kiss that Charlie happily reciprocated, but Hermione watched as she sent a smirk over to her father. The smirk gave way to a look of pure rage when Tonks saw that Remus hadn't even acknowledged her, let alone her little show, but was instead smiling at Emmeline in Jane's arms, who was telling them a loud exaggerated story, her arms flailing around, about a gnome in the garden chasing her.
That pissed Hermione off. Tonks was just using Charlie, which was probably why she hadn't been upset when Charlie had suggested pretending to date Hermione during the holidays.
Attention: So...Ginny was a brat in this, huh? I know this chapter was short, but I'm surprised that I even got it out. I've been trying to write further ahead and I'm finding it difficult. I'm on Chapter 30 though, so yay! Ginny's a brat and Tonk's is using poor Charlie? Doesn't he deserve love too?
REVIEW= And I shall update!
shelby MGS1275: To answer your question; The first place I ever heard the name Thackery was on Hocus Pocus (Starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimi, and Sarah Jessica Parker), his full name was Thackery Binx. If I ever have a son, he'll be named Thackery Eliot, so I chose that name for Bill and Hermione's son.
