Stripped Bare
Chapter 28
Spencer sighed in relief as he walked back into his apartment building. Today had been hell on his nerves. Seeing those girls may have inspired empathy in him, but they also inspired the urge to use dilaudid. The memory of the drug's effects followed him into the elevator and haunted him as he pushed the button for his floor. He swallowed and prayed for the restraint he needed to just say no to the drug hiding in his drawer.
The moment Spencer opened his apartment door, the smell of a home cooked meal hit him. As if on cue, his stomach growled. This was the kind of pampering he just wasn't used too. His mother was never well enough to make meals; and he didn't have the time to cook.
"Is that you, Spencer?" Hermione called from his small kitchen area. Spencer heart skipped a little at the family-like aura his apartment suddenly admitted.
"Yeah," he spoke finally as he placed his case by the couch. Hermione looked up as he walked in. He took a moment to survey the room. In all reality, he was making sure that the kitchen was intact. Just because his mother rarely felt well enough to cook, it didn't mean that she didn't try too.
"I hope you don't mind me cooking. I had Garcia call me when you arrived and when you were on your way home. And I just thought that it would be good for you to have something to eat when you got in. I didn't know if you had already eaten, but I figured that-" Spencer smiled in amusement at Hermione's rant. The normally confident woman was nervous. It was adorable. "And I'm rambling, aren't I?" She asked with a small laugh. Spencer nodded.
"I don't mind you cooking. As far as I'm concerned," Spencer trailed off for a moment, attempting to gather up the courage to tell her what he felt, "my house is yours." Hermione's mouth fell open softly while a blush spread onto Spencer's cheeks. In the next second, a blinding smile graced Hermione's lips. Spencer rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I didn't think you would be awake in all honesty."
"I got caught up in a book that I borrowed from your bookshelf," Hermione explained. "I couldn't put it down."
"Which one was it?" He asked. Hermione turned down the eye that the spaghetti rested on and moved toward what looked like sautéing onions. Spencer couldn't help but smile as she turned off both eyes as the same time. He watched her as she took filled the plates with spaghetti.
"The Narrative of John Smith," Hermione recalled as she scooped the onions off of the skillet and onto the spaghetti. It was now that Spencer noticed there were two plates sitting next to the stove. He frowned lightly. Did that mean that she had been waiting for him to eat anything?
"How is it so far?" Spencer asked; his worries had distracted him from the conversation. Hermione looked over at her shoulder at him and raised her eyebrows.
"I've already finished it," she told him. Hermione's eyebrows rose as she took in the expression in his eyes. Despite his amusement and enjoyment at being around her and talking to her, there was a haunted look in his brown eyes. "Is everything alright?" Hermione asked as she turned toward him. Spencer felt a small stab of annoyance run through him. Why was everyone asking him that?
"I've just had a hard day," Spencer mumbled as he ran a hand through his hair. Hermione frowned softly.
"You wanna talk about it?" She asked, stepping forward slightly.
"No, I just want to forget," he admitted. Hermione nodded in understanding and lifted one of the plates from the counter and scooted it over to him. She watched discreetly as he ate his serving. Hermione took small bites from his as she waited for his approval of her cooking. She could easily remember that Ron hadn't liked her cooking. Spencer twirled some of the noodles and onions onto his fork and took a bit. Hermione bit into her lip as she watched him swallow. Spencer's eyes lit up at the taste. He smiled. "This is amazing," he told her. "What all did you put in it?" Hermione smile happily and listed off the ingredients as she ate her own meal. Spencer listened through his bites of food. Unbeknownst to them, Lavender was being discharged from the hospital. Unbeknownst to them, she was leaving Virginia.
"Lavender," Molly gasped as the young woman apparated into the Burrow. The blonde's legs wobbled lightly. Fred caught her before her legs could fall out from underneath her. "What are you…Are you even okay enough to be out of the hospital?!" Lavender smiled slightly at her mother-in-law.
"I am," she told them. "Where's Ron?" Fred and his mother looked at one another. The rest of the Weasleys were with Ron at the hospital.
"Are you sure that you want to see him?" Fred asked softly. Lavender looked at him and then at the floor. She held her ring up for them to see. They looked at one another in confusion.
"When we were married," Lavender started, "Ron had placed a curse on the ring." Molly placed her hands over her mouth as if to stifle a silent scream. Fred looked sick to his stomach. "I couldn't stay away from him even if I wanted too."
"Maybe Charlie could…"
"Maybe he could, but the fact is until then I'm Ron's do with whatever he wants too," Lavender said. "Now, where is he?"
"In Saint Mungo's…" Fred muttered. Lavender nodded. "Hang on." Fred stopped her just as she was about to apparate. "We'll go with you." Lavender smiled softly and consented to her companions. Soon, Molly was taking her left elbow and Fred was taking her right. Together, they apparated to Saint Mungo's Hospital. While Lavender walked toward Ron's hospital room, Molly and Fred made a bee-line for the rest of the Weasley pack-mainly Charlie.
Inside the hospital room, Ron closed his eyes in exhaustion and brought his hand up to his forehead. They had put him through the ringer in the attempt to find out a way to cure what was wrong with him. So far, they had been unsuccessful. So far, he had terrified them five times in one experiment. Ron let out a slow sigh. His eyes widened as a blonde woman came walking into the room.
"Lavender," he choked out. The blonde smiled softly at him. This was the man she had married. This man wasn't the monster.
"Hey, Ron," Lavender muttered. "How are you doing?"
"Forget about me, damn it! How are you doing? I…beat you…" He spit those last words out as if disgusted. Lavender didn't smile. She only stared at her husband and recalled that night.
"I know," Lavender answered. Ron closed his eyes. Lavender's eyes widened at the quick movement Ron gave. His arms wrapped tightly around her hips. The metal of his bedframe bit into her midsection. As she looked down, she noticed that one of his wrists was magically chained to the railing. She found her heart aching for him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Somewhere in her mind, she told herself that falling back into him like this was a bad idea, but what choice did she have? With her wedding ring, he had bound her to him in more ways than just matrimony. As of the moment, her very life was tied to him. Sudden exhaustion coursed through her. With a small sigh, she laid her head down onto of Ron's.
Charlie walked toward the hospital room that his youngest brother was being kept in. His heart hurt for his brother, but at the moment he could only feel rage. Ron had used the most illegal, most dangerous magic to bind Lavender to him. Bile rose into his throat as he thought of how draining it must have been for Lavender to leave him for her safety. And what made him angrier? He knew that his brother had found the curse in one of his books. Ron had asked him to borrow one. He had said that he was interested in curse-breaking. It only strengthened Charlie's resolve to break it. No one deserved what Lavender was going through; and he couldn't forgive anyone that would put another person through it, even if it was his own brother.
He peaked in through the hospital door and that sickness rose with a vengeance. Despite all he had put her through, Lavender was offering him comfort. The urge to run in there and rip her from his arms was so strong, but somehow he found the restraint. Instead, he cleared his throat softly.
"Lavender," he called gently, "may I speak with you?" Lavender dropped her arms from around her husband and stepped away. Charlie's breath caught in his throat at the beaten down look on Ron's face. Since he had arrived at the hospital, he had not seen his brother. He had been too angry. His brother's eyes were pleading for forgiveness that Charlie, at the moment, did not have it in him to give. His vision of his younger brother was blocked when Lavender stepped in front of him and pulled the door closed.
"Yes, Charlie?" She asked, looking up at him expectantly.
"Do you want the curse removed?" He asked. Lavender opened her mouth to say something; Charlie held up his hand slowly. His heart tugged painfully at the way she flinched away from him. "Removing the curse could very well make your marriage to Ron void. I'm asking you, do you want that?" Lavender shifted and furrowed her eyebrows.
"He doesn't love me," Lavender told him. Charlie watched as she looked down the hall. "He's told me once before. His heart, no matter the time, will always belong to Hermione…even if she doesn't want it." Charlie turned his eyes away from her now. It was something all of the Weasleys knew. "When he couldn't have her anymore, he settled with me." Lavender's voice cracked softly. Charlie touched her wrist gently in an effort to offer comfort. Lavender turned back to him. The steel in her eyes made him smile slightly. "I'll still stand by him through this, but I refuse to be married to him any longer." Charlie nodded.
"You're an amazing woman, Lavender," Charlie praised her. The blonde blushed slightly. "Don't ever forget that."
"Thank you…" She whispered.
"I'll break the curse tomorrow. Right now, you need your rest," Charlie told her. Lavender shook her head.
"I've been resting for two days now," she muttered, turning toward the door. "I'll tell Ron-" Charlie grabbed her wrist lightly, still afraid of frightening her. Lavender turned to him.
"That won't be wise," he informed her. "The doctors haven't found any way to cure him yet. If you tell him that you want a divorce of any kind, it could send him into a violent rage." Lavender shuddered. "I'll be the one to tell him."
"Charlie, no!" Lavender exclaimed. "If it's dangerous for me-"
"I'm a big man, Lavender," Charlie said teasingly, "I can handle myself." Lavender huffed.
"Well go on then, big man," Lavender drawled, motioning toward the door. Charlie turned to her. "I'll be right here," she told him. A devious smile stretched onto her lips. "You know, if the big man needs saving." Charlie snorted and walked into the hospital room.
"Hey, Ron…" Lavender closed her eyes and leaned against the wall outside.
(A/N: I'm probably going to keep Lavender in the Weasley family. So, on a poll who do you want her to be with: Fred or Charlie? It's going to be a slow build though so no worries. It's not going to be like just divorced Ron now in Fred's or Charlie's bed.)
