Chapter 16-Defeat

Ron sat on the edge of his seat as he waited for his wife to answer. He had not been able to speak to her, she had refused to see him but it was only now that he realised she had never told him what had happened at Malfoy Manor. He had always assumed it was too unpleasant to recount but perhaps he was wrong?

Ron's lawyer had finally closed the trap and try though she might Hermione failed to fight the blush that spread from her core at the implication of his question.

"How did you spend your evenings at Malfoy Manor Mrs. Weasley?" Ron's brief asked again.

"We had dinner, with Scorpius, Mr. Malfoy's son," she clarified, "when Scorpius went to bed we talked a little," she concluded.

"And that was all?" the lawyer pushed.

Hermione was giving Blaise pleading looks now; willing him to intervene but he shook his head. Perhaps he had a plan? She could but hope.

"Yes!" Hermione insisted,

"Forgive me Mrs. Weasley but you are a very beautiful woman and I am reliable informed that Mr. Malfoy is a very attractive man…there was never a time, perhaps you had a little too much wine…"

Finally Blaise intervened;

"Objection, my honorable friend is trying to embarrass Mrs. Weasley, doubtless aware of the impact of salacious details on the public and my clients reputation. I would like to remind the members of the Wizengamot that my client only went to Malfoy Manor as a result of Mr. Weasley's insistence and that it was undoubtedly the last place she would ever have willingly returned to. May I further remind you that Mr. Weasley asked his wife to go to Malfoy Manor knowing full well that she still had nightmares about events there during the war."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief; she knew this was a sterling defense. She just had to hope it would be enough.

The day ended with the Wizengamot retiring and it would return tomorrow to decide the conditions of the divorce. Hermione knew she would not sleep that night.

Hermione shouldn't have been surprised that Blaise's defence was not enough once Skeeter got hold of the story. The following day, the salacious details of her supposed affair with Draco Malfoy were splashed all over the cover of 'The Prophet'. Hermione wanted to kill the journalist, there was no love lost between her and the gossip columnists but Skeeter had done untold damage to her reputation the day before her divorce settlement was to be finalised and the Wizengamot had still to make its deliberations.

"Have you seen this bullshit," Draco ranted as became to join her for Breakfast. "The Former, Hogwart's alumni, Hermione Weasley, nee Granger who is currently divorcing her husband; war hero Ronald Weasley is reported to have spent many nights alone with Slytherin bad boy Draco Malfoy. Mr Malfoy, who became a widower four years ago following the untimely death of his beautiful wife Astoria, was unavailable for comment but insiders report that his relationship with Mrs Weasley is the true reason for the muggle-born witches divorce. A spokes person for Mr Weasley told your reporter that;

'Mrs Weasley has been a faithless wife who should not be trusted with the moral education of the couple's two young children'."

Hermione looked up at him biting her lip.

"We are going to lose Draco."

"Don't worry, " Draco began, drawing soothing circles on her back as he spoke, "the Wizengamot will see things for what they are. They will see that this is just cheap gossip to sell print." He told her reassuringly though he worried internally if she might be right.

He wished that he could go with her but Draco knew that today, of all days, they could not afford to be seen together.

"I wish I could come with you," he told her as he pulled her in for one last embrace by way of courage. "I will see you later," he reassured as she prepared to floo into the ministry.

Hermione was confronted by disdainful stares and thinly vailed whispers as she made her way with Blaise across the ministry atrium. She had the ominous feeling things would not go well. Inwardly she began to panic, it would be her just desert, she inwardly fretted, if she lost the children; she had, as 'The Prophet' claimed, been faithless, she had ignored her moral compass and if the fates chose to punish her... she was snapped out of her reverie by Blaise's hand resting gently on her elbow.

"Are you ready?" He asked as they stood before the Wizengamot' s doors. Hermione felt so nauseous she could only manage a nod of assent.

Hermione was barely cognisant of what was said. All she wanted to hear was that Rose and Hugo would live with her. When the ruling came she had to look to Blaise for clarification she wasn't sure she had understood what she had heard.

"I'm sorry Hermione, but it doesn't need to be over we can try again..." Blaise was telling her but she had tuned him out. No! She silently screamed, they couldn't take her children. Deep down she knew that she had promised Draco that she would be with him no matter what the cost but she had never really understood what that cost might really be until this moment.

Blaise gently guided her out of the courtroom and back across the atrium with the intension of see her back to his offices and then to meet Draco and Scorpius at Malfoy Manor but as they made it outside and into Diagon Alley Hermione bolted and before Blaise could catch her she disapporated.

Draco and Scorpius sat quietly awaiting Hermione and her children's arrival. Scorpius virtually bouncing with excitement at the prospect of having a new brother and sister. Draco began to regret his over confidence as the time ticked away and there was no sign of either Hermione or her children.

By 4pm Draco himself was pacing the halls. Scorpius sat stoically staring at the marble floor instinctively, it seemed, understanding that now was not the time to ask his father questions. By 5pm Draco had determined to go and find out what was going on but just as he grabbed his cloak Blaise arrived.

Draco didn't even need to ask, Blaise's whole deportment told him all he needed to know, it had all gone wrong.

"Where is she?" Were Draco's first words to his friend,

Blaise shook his head, "I don't know."

Draco felt his heart stutter, he had been so close to his dream.

"Has she left me?" He asked cautiously

"No! I don't know," Blaise clarified, "she can't."

Draco stopped dead in his tracks, the route he had been wearing through the marble floor forgotten, "what do you mean she can't?" He asked rounding on his friend.

Blaise didn't speak.

"Blaise so help me what did you do?" Draco persisted

Blaise swallowed deeply his Adam's apple giving a pronounced bob.

"I made her promise not to leave you." Blaise finally responded cautiously.

Draco glowered at his friend

"Why would a 'promise' stop her, I know she is an honourable Gryffindor but still..." Draco's words trailed off as realisation came to him. "You made her take an unbreakable vow!" Draco growled rage welling up like molten lava. "How could...what did you make her swear?" He demanded becoming incoherent in his rage.

"Never to leave you,"Blaise confessed with an air of resignation.

"And yet!" Draco concluded holding up his hands to show that self evidently she had left him. "We need to find her...how long does she have?"

Blaise shook his head holding up his forearm to show Draco the tracery of scars from the unbreakable vow that now glowed red, "not long."

Draco knew that he didn't have long to find Hermione before the unbreakable vow would kill her. That if she didn't comeback of her own accord soon it would be too late and he was frantic, Draco hadn't the faintest idea where to look. He needed to ask her friends, he needed to ask Potter and he could only hope that the Golden Boy would be prepared to listen.