Disclaimer: All characters and things associated with Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. This writing is for pure entertainment only.
Summary: Set at end of HBP. As the ministry falls further under Voldemorts control a new law is passed, forcing Hermione into a life she wasn't ready for. How will it affect the horcrux hunt and the fight against Voldemort?
CHAPTER 52
Ron could hardly sleep all night, despite the fact that he was exhausted, so he was almost relieved when he finally felt Hermione shift against his chest just as the sun began to rise over the hill next to the Burrow.
"Morning…" Ron said softly.
Hermione nuzzled closer to him, her hump of a stomach landing on his and he felt the strangest thing. He felt their baby give a strong kick and instantly felt Hermione shift, now wide awake.
"Merlin…" Hermione mumbled, grabbing the spot the baby had kicked.
Ron grinned. "I felt that. Guess the little one is ready to get up."
Hermione glanced up at Ron, slightly surprised. "You…you felt that?"
Ron nodded. "Either the baby is stronger, or your skin is thinner."
Hermione glared at him. "Obviously the baby is stronger. It's going to be here in two and a half months."
Ron nodded, still smiling. "Which means we need to start getting ready…"
"Which means we need to talk to everyone today." Hermione sighed, her playfully mood clearly disturbed.
Ron nodded once more. "Yeah, been thinking 'bout it all night…didn't sleep much."
Hermione studied Ron for a moment. He did look tired. "Ron, its nothing to be worked up over. You should have rested…"
"Since when is this nothing to be worked up over? You do remember what we are doing today, Hermione, yeah?" Ron was surprised that for once she seemed more calm then he did.
"Well, yes…but given everything else, this should be easy. Your parents might be upset a bit, but they will support us, and honestly, after the way my parents have acted, I don't expect them to just change overnight." Hermione said.
Ron narrowed his eyes at Hermione. Clearly, she had thought this over more then he had thought.
"And, furthermore…" Hermione huffed as she sat up, pushing Ron's legs over so she could get out of the bed. "You did sleep last night, because I was up for a good two hours with heartburn and you were snoring away…"
Ron blinked twice in confusion, following Hermione as she moved into the bathroom. "Heartburn?"
"Side effect of pregnancy, Ronald…" Hermione rolled her eyes as she pushed him out of door. "Now, can I use the loo, please?"
Ron shook his head thoroughly confused by Hermione's calm demeanor as the door to the bathroom slammed in his face.
Hermione and Ron were the last to join the Weasley's breakfast table, and were both surprised to see George sitting on one end, taking down a plate of eggs. He looked good, considering everything, and aside from his smile that wasn't quite as big as usual, and the slight remnants of dark circles under his eyes, he looked healthy.
"Finally…thought you two would miss all of breakfast." Mrs. Weasley said, pushing eggs and sausage onto Ron's plate and a bowl of oatmeal in front of Hermione, already knowing that Hermione's morning sickness tended to strike worse when she ate greasy food in the morning.
Ron just gave his mother a tight smile; obviously nervous about the news they were going to break on his family. He leaned back, gently wrapping an arm around the back of Hermione's chair.
Harry starred at the couple for a long moment, silently asking Ron if he had in fact spoke with Hermione about the offer to take Grimmauld Place.
Ron, in turn, looked at Hermione, silently asking her if they should tell them. It was strange; the three best friends had such a connection now, no words were needed for Harry to understand that they would take Grimmauld Place and that Hermione and Ron were just trying to figure out how to tell everyone.
Hermione, taking a deep breath, decided to be the braver of the two. "We have something we want to tell everyone…"
"Oh boy…" Ginny mumbled under her breath, knowing exactly what Ron and Hermione were going to tell everyone.
In truth, everyone but Mrs. Weasley had a pretty good idea of what Hermione and Ron were about to say, but also, only Mrs. Weasley would really be upset with it.
Ron glared at Ginny before turning his attention back to his mom. "Mum…well…Hermione and I…"
Hermione could see Ron was struggling even more now, so she sighed, reaching out to give Ron's hand a squeeze before glancing back at Mrs. Weasley. "Ron and I have decided we want our own place…"
Everyone else seemed to busy themselves with the food on their plate instead of watching as Mrs. Weasley dropped her fork straight out of her hand, causing it to bang on her plate as her mouth hung wide open.
"You…you what?" Mrs. Weasley managed out after a long moment.
Ron winced at his mother's expression and glanced over at Hermione, hopeful that she would continue the conversation and be braver then he could be.
"We just…we discussed it. We…we think its best for us, to be on our own a bit…" Hermione glanced over at Ron, giving him a small smile.
"On your own? How could you even think that? How could you afford that? Neither of you have jobs, or have finished your education and most certainly, neither of you know how expensive a baby can be!" Mrs. Weasley's voice seemed to grow a few octanes as she spit her words out without a breath in between.
Hermione cringed a bit as Mrs. Weasley's eyes fell on her. Obviously, she assumed it was Hermione's idea to move.
This time, Ron took the deep breath. It was time for him to stand up for his wife and the decision they had made together. "Well…Harry is going to help us with a place…"
Mrs. Weasley turned a sharp eye on Harry, inviting him into the conversation he did not want to be part of.
"Well…err…I mean…I am not using Grimmauld Place…I can't stay there right now…don't really want to, so I told Ron and Hermione they could use it…" Harry's face grew red as he dropped his eyes from Mrs. Weasley.
"And Ron's got a job. He wants to come work at the shop, he can. I could use the extra help." George said, leaning back in his chair with a smug look on his face.
Ron smiled slightly at his oldest brother, realizing in that moment, that the charm of Fred and George still existed very much, even without Fred in the room.
"Oh well…then that's settled then, isn't it?" Mrs. Weasley threw her arms in the arm and glanced at Mr. Weasley. "Can you believe this? Taking my first grandbaby away from me?"
"Mum, lets not be completely mental!" Ron shouted before he realized what he was doing. Instantly, he cringed at the glare Mrs. Weasley shot him. "I just meant…we won't be far…you can come over whenever you'd like. We just…we want to be our own family…"
"They seem to have thought it through. I think they will manage just fine." Mr. Weasley dared to speak, causing his wife to glance narrowly at him.
It was apparent that Mrs. Weasley felt betrayed on all fronts, but she knew she could say very little about the matter, so she just placed her fork down rather loudly and turned back to Hermione and Ron.
"And when do you think you will be doing this?" Mrs. Weasley directed her question mostly at her son.
"Soon." Ron answered, realizing he did not know the exact answer to that question, but he would leave it up to Hermione.
Mrs. Weasley then turned to Hermione. "And what about school? How will you manage on your own? If you stayed here, I could help with the baby while you finish…"
"I will figure that out when the time comes. I've still got a few more months, and I fully intend on finishing my education." Hermione said, matter-of-factly.
Mrs. Weasley just shook her head, clearly not confident in Ron and Hermione's plan, but also, in her own way, acknowledging that she knew they would follow their own path.
Ron let out a breath of relief that he had been holding without realizing it, and the family finished breakfast in a slightly awkward, but no longer tense silence.
Shortly after breakfast, Ron found himself sitting on his small bed, watching an abnormally pregnant Hermione pace in front of him, one hand on her round and protruding stomach and the other on the small of her back as she ranted.
"What if my parents don't let us in to speak with us? Or what if they've decided to up and move?" Hermione continued to throw out questions, only fueling her own fears.
"Hermione, we saw them yesterday. They didn't up and leave, and if they don't want to talk to us…well, I'll make then…but I doubt that. They wouldn't have sent us an owl if they didn't want to talk." Ron sighed. They were supposed to be going to the Granger's to speak with Hermione's parents, but so far it did not look great.
"They have every right to be angry with me…I've thrown so much on them…" Hermione continued.
Finally, Ron had enough, and he stood, grabbing both of Hermione's shoulders and forcing her to stop her pacing as he stared directly into her big brown eyes. "Hermione, you need to relax. None of this can be good for the baby…and we will sort it out with your parents when we get there. Just…just relax a bit…you're driving me bloody mental…"
Hermione scowled at Ron, but did stop pacing, both her hands drifting toward her rounded belly, as if to apologize to the baby for the added stress.
"That's better." Ron smiled, releasing her shoulders. "Now…let's head over to your parents before it gets too late…I reckon we don't want to spoil their dinner time…"
Hermione sighed and nodded. She had worked herself up for a good hour now, and as much as she wanted to remain calm for the baby growing inside of her, she could not. She was too worried about what her parents might say or do now that they have had a full day alone to think everything over.
"Come on…" Ron took her by the hand and led her downstairs where they moved to the fireplace. Surprisingly, the downstairs of the Burrow was empty, though Ron chalked that up to the beautiful weather outside.
"I hope they didn't block the fireplace…" Hermione said quietly.
"Hermione, they wouldn't do that to you…relax. They owled us, remember? Why would they do that?" Ron squeezed her hand gently, though he was not exactly sure what he parents were capable of, he did not want to add to her worries and just hoped the Granger's fire was open.
To Ron's relief, they flooed to the Granger's living room without any problem and soon, both her and Hermione were standing in her parent's house.
"Where are they?" Hermione glanced around, panic dancing in her eyes. "Did they leave? I knew—"
"They are right outside." Ron pointed out the window, where her parents were both working in the garden and felt Hermione's grip on his hand slacken a little in relief.
Hermione took another deep breath, trying to calm her own nerves, but she did not move.
"Hermione, we should probably go outside, right?" Ron asked, a hand on her back for support.
"Since when are you in a rush to see them?" Hermione scowled up at him, mostly to waste time. She was not ready to face her parents again.
"Well…your dad already tackled me. I reckon there isn't much else he could do…unless he goes after me with that shovel…" Ron laughed nervously.
Ron's joke eased Hermione's tensions a bit, though the image of her father chasing Ron with his gardening tool did not seem so farfetched to her right now.
"Alright…lets go…" Hermione took another deep breath, and with a hand on her protruding stomach, navigated through her parents kitchen and out to the backyard.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Granger glanced up at the sound of the sliding door opening, and both were clearly shocked to see Hermione and Ron standing there.
"Hermione…" Mrs. Granger breathed, standing up and wiping dirt from her hands. "I…I'm surprised you came."
"You sent us an owl to, didn't you?" Hermione questioned, taking Ron's hand firmly in hers.
Mrs. Granger's eyes darted across the yard to her husband, who was slowly walking up toward her.
"Well, yes we did…" Mr. Granger nodded, taking the gloves he had been digging with off. "Why don't we all head inside?"
Mr. Granger motioned to the house and Hermione nodded, stepping back in the door and taking a seat at the kitchen table, next to Ron, as Mr. and Mrs. Granger entered, also sitting down.
Silence filled the kitchen.
Hermione, unable to listen to the buzz of nothing, was the first to break it. "So you asked us to come over…here we are…"
"We wanted to apologize…" Mrs. Granger said just as quickly. "For last night…for making you feel unwelcome…" Mrs. Granger turned to Ron. "It's nothing against you…"
Ron put up a hand and shrugged. "I understand why it would be…if it were…I wouldn't blame you."
"So you understand why we aren't exactly fans of you right now, boy?" Mr. Granger asked, his eyes directly on Ron's so that Hermione's glare was ignored.
Ron nodded, his head held high. "I do…and I am sorry this all happened…"
"Of course its not just the fact that you got my only daughter pregnant and married her without my permission…" Mr. Granger continued on and turned to Hermione. "What you did to us…its not something we can just forget, Hermione."
"I know…but I did it with the best of intentions. I couldn't allow your lives to be risked over my choices." Hermione's voice was steady as she fought hard to not let herself cry. She would not seem weak. Not now. Not when her parents seemed to finally really be listening.
"While we understand that…you know it's still hard for us to grasp." Mrs. Granger said with a soft voice as she reached out to give Hermione's hand a soft squeeze. "But…we will try out best."
Hermione nodded. "I…I know it won't be easy…I know we have a lot to work on…you both missed out on so much, but…I want you to be part of everything from now on." Hermione glanced at Ron for emphasis before dropping her eyes to her rounded stomach.
"Well, there is still a lot to get used to." Mr. Granger admitted, his eyes darting between Ron and Hermione's pregnant stomach.
Hermione turned to face her father. "I know that too."
"We just don't get how…how this all happened…" Mr. Granger continued. "I mean…how in the middle of everything, did you manage to get pregnant and married…"
"We told you, there was a law—" Hermione started.
Mr. Granger put a hand up to silence her. "I don't want to hear about that…I want to hear about how you plan on handling this now…" He pointed to her stomach.
"We've handled it fine so far." Ron spoke up for the first time, defending his family.
"Its just the beginning…" Mr. Granger said. "The baby isn't even here yet. Have you thought about money and jobs and education—"
"We have." Hermione spoke calmly, understanding that everything her father had said had been a fear that even the Weasley's had.
"And?" Mr. Granger cocked an eyebrow, glancing at Ron more then Hermione.
"And…we got a place…we are moving in together…and I've got a job. Education…well…we will figure that out yet. Schools important to Hermione…" Ron said.
"Moving in together? A job?" Mr. Granger could not hide the shock in his voice, nor keep his composure as much as he had obviously wanted to.
"Well, we can't stay here…and we won't be apart." Hermione spoke up.
Mr. Granger's face flushed red and he pushed up from the table before his temper blew, pointing at Ron. "A word outside with you?"
Ron nodded, though Hermione seemed to not want to let go of his hand. He gave her a gentle squeeze, letting her know he would be fine and followed Mr. Granger out the back door and into the garden.
"What could Daddy possibly have to say to him?" Hermione turned to her mother. "If its some ploy to keep Ron and I apart—"
"We aren't going to do that, honey. We saw how badly that went last night." Mrs. Granger said quickly, though it was obvious from her expression that she had no idea what her husband would say to Ron either.
Ron followed Mr. Granger outside, similar to how he had done in Australia, which his chest put and his head high, making himself as big as possible compared to Mr. Granger's small and thin frame. Ron didn't fancy another row with Hermione's father, especially because this time, if the older man came after him, Ron would not let him attack him like before.
"Relax a moment…" Mr. Granger said as he stopped walking, just out of earshot of the house where Hermione and her mother were obviously trying to listen. "I just wanted to speak with you."
Ron let out the breath that had been puffing his chest out and cocked a weary eyebrow. "Alright…"
"So you've really thought things over with Hermione? I mean, you've got a job…a place to live…" Mr. Granger said.
"Yes…" Ron responded still weary.
"So you are serious about her then? About all of this…this marriage and baby?" Mr. Granger motioned back to the house.
Ron briefly glanced back as well, his eye catching Hermione's who was watching through the glass door. He then turned back to Mr. Granger and nodded. "Yeah. Been serious about it since I found out 'bout the baby."
Mr. Granger nodded for a long moment. "Well then, I have to say…I am impressed.
"You…you're what?" Ron was surprised by what Mr. Granger had said.
"Impressed. I wouldn't imagine most boys your age would take on all of these responsibilities so willingly…" Mr. Granger explained.
"Well, yeah…I mean, I've seen a lot…grew up a lot…" Ron shrugged.
Mr. Granger nodded again. "I know I can't understand any of that…I know it will take me a long time to do so, but I am willing to try…as long as I know my daughter is in good hands."
Ron's eyes bore into Mr. Granger's and he realized exactly what kind of a responsibility Hermione's father was placing on him. He expected Ron to now provide for Hermione, to take care of her, things Ron had always wanted to do without even thinking about them.
"You are." Ron nodded at Mr. Granger, a silent understanding between the two men.
"I actually believe you." Mr. Granger smiled a bit.
Ron realized the opportunity he was being given and would not waste it. He was on Mr. Granger's good side now, and he wanted to use it to his advantage. He dug his hands into his jacket.
"I…well…since you seem alright with me for the moment…I reckon it's as good a time as any to ask you…I was going to wait until maybe things got better but…" Ron fumbled with his words.
"Spit it out, boy." Mr. Granger said though there was no harshness in his voice but rather almost a sense of humor.
"I…I know Hermione and me are already married but…well…I know its important to her that you and her Mum be apart of it…so well…we wanted to do it again, so you two could be there…and I wanted to do it properly, so…well…I wanted to ask you, if I could remarry your daughter…" Ron glanced down at his foot, kicking a rock across the yard.
"When you ask me a question like that, you are going to have to start looking me in the eye. You can't be afraid of your father-in-law, now can you?" Mr. Granger asked.
Ron was surprised by Mr. Granger's words and quickly looked up. "Does that mean…"
"Well, you are already married to her. She seems to like you…and so far you have been very good to her. So…if you need my word to remarry Hermione, then yeah, go for it." Mr. Granger said simply.
Ron smiled. "Really?"
Mr. Granger nodded slowly. "Still a lot of work to be done with this mess, but I guess a wedding is as good a way to begin mending it as any…"
Ron smiled even wider. "Brilliant…"
Mr. Granger glanced back at the house to see Hermione and his wife both looking confused inside.
"I guess we should go let them in on this…they both seem a little lost since I haven't tried to strangle you yet…" Mr. Granger laughed.
Ron laughed as well, a mixture of relief and genuine humor as he followed Hermione's father back into the house where they found Mrs. Granger and Hermione both sitting at the table, looking rather confused.
"Everything alright?" Hermione asked, her eyes connecting with Ron's and Ron's alone.
Ron glanced at Mr. Granger and then back at Hermione and shrugged. "Yeah…guess so…"
Hermione smiled. "Good…"
Ron nodded, suddenly getting down on one knee next to Hermione and yanking her chair out so that he was face to face with her largely pregnant stomach.
"Ron, what are you doing?" Hermione was confused, her eyes darting from her mother's face to her father's face and then back to Ron.
"Well…we talked about doing this the right way…so I wanted to do it the right way…and your dad said he was okay with it…" Ron said, pulling a small black box out of his pocket and opening it. It was empty.
Hermione furrowed her brow in even more confusion as she again looked at her father who gave a simple nod before she turned her attention back to Ron.
"You've already got the ring on…" Ron motioned to Hermione's wedding band. "But…I still wanted to ask you, Hermione, if you would like to get remarried to me…again…properly…so that everyone can be there…"
Hermione's hand flew to her mouth as tears ran from the corner of her eyes and she giggled despite them. "Ron, are you serious?"
"I'm on one knee, ain't I?" Ron smiled back at her.
Hermione quickly shook her head, glancing up at her parents who were both smiling before back at Ron. "Yes…"
"Brilliant." Ron stood, hugging Hermione and kissing the top of her head.
"Under one condition…" Hermione said quickly.
Ron's smile faded and he glanced at Hermione's parents before turning back to Hermione. "What?"
"That we do it after the baby is born…so I can at least look normal in a dress…" Hermione smiled up at Ron.
Ron smiled back, kissing Hermione once more. "Done."
