Breakdowns and Garden Gnomes

Three months. It had taken three months for him to finally breakdown and let all his emotions out. Tom had set aside an alley with a dummy attached to a barrel spelled and dressed to look like Scabior, Sr. He'd ignored that alley for three months, until that is, the day Hermione came to the Leaky Cauldron. They could all see she had something to say that he wasn't going to like. Sure enough, when she told him the news, he finally went ballistic!

"They came in today, the three girls your dad mentioned, the ones that he attacked. They are all pregnant. Scabior, they want to get rid of them but they did say, if you were willing to take them off their hands, they would carry and deliver them. They're waiting for your answer. If you say no, all three of them are going to terminate. Their parents have already signed the papers. The only thing that WOULD have stood in their way was if he were still alive and in prison. It would have automatically freed him and forced them to carry the children whether they wanted to or not." Hermione told him.

Scabior knew it wasn't the thought of his dad having three more heirs, though they would be illegitimate. He would gladly turn the title over to any of them. No, it was the thought that, even from the grave, his dad had still ruined lives. These girls, untouched until now, would never forgot the pain and fear of their first time. This, the birth of their first children, should have been an occasion of joy and happiness. Instead it was yet another painful reminder of the man who attacked them.

Scabior stared at her in silence, then turned and walked away. Fenrir stopped her this time, watching him take the door to the back alley, the one Tom had gotten ready for him as soon as his father died. As she watched him walk away, she realized this was something he needed to work out on his own. She went and watched him through the window.

She could see him screaming but she couldn't hear him. Tom had put excellent wards on the alley. Not only to keep everyone out but to allow him the freedom to scream out his anger, hate and anguish. He lashed out again and again, throwing the Killing Curse over and over at the dummy. After tiring of using his wand, he threw it down and pulled his knife. Shredding the dummy all to pieces seemed to bring him more satisfaction. He repaired it only to shred it again, repeatedly. Finally, breathing heavily, worn out by fighting the dummy, he knelt in the middle of the alley, head hanging. He threw back his head and just screamed. Screamed his rage to the heavens above. Then he fell over on his side and just laid there, eyes empty, face blank.

He laid there so long, Hermione almost went out to check on him. Just as she was reaching for the doorknob, he raised up and ran his hand through his hair. Then he stood and made his unsteady way back to the door. Upon opening it and discovering her, he stopped and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you." He said as he walked her back to the bar with him. "I'll take them, all three of them. Let them know expenses are no problem. They won't have to worry about me contacting them or anything. Just let me know the night they deliver so I'll know when to be there."

Hermione smiled. She'd known he'd take the babies. Lately he'd been a lot more affectionate with Grace and Alex, even keeping them overnight on the weekends at Harry's place so they could also enjoy Teddy's company. Of course, every time he had them, she also got to satisfy her budding mommy urges and cuddle them. Soon, he'd have more babies for her to play with.

Hermione went back to the hospital to let the families know. The parents all drew great swallows of relief. The young mothers wept with joy. They'd all read accounts of witches who terminated and they weren't ready to feel that slight sense of guilt. Hermione's own mother had also had to go through this decision. She'd gotten pregnant again after Hermione but the fertilized egg had never made it out of the Fallopian tube, forcing her to terminate. She'd cried for months afterwards, feeling guilty over the child she'd never had a chance to raise. They all asked her to let him know they would like to visit their children but they just couldn't handle raising them, especially if they looked like their father.

That evening was a Friday. They had gotten back in the habit of going to the Riot every weekend. It was the closest thing they had to getting away from it all, until she finished her training. She had already told Fenrir she intended to visit the pack as soon as she could. She wanted to train with Mary and possibly make a part time home there. She and Scabior had talked it over and decided they didn't need a place of their own yet. For now they would split their time between the Leaky Cauldron and Grimmauld Place. Once she completed her St Mungos training, they would add the Den into their housing choices.

That night, their entourage came through. As usual, they made their first stop at the bar for a Vicodin and two shots of Firewhiskey each. One shot and the pill down, they took their second shots to the dance floor. In addition to the Vicodin's, Blaise had also talked the other owners into playing piped in Muggle music on the weekends, knowing how popular it was with much of their clientele.

Scabior smiled as 'Just Like Jesse James' began as he and Hermione hit the dance floor. It was the first song they had ever danced to and he wanted to make it even more memorable. He danced her over to the wall, pressed flat against her and held up a small box. She looked at it and gasped. She covered her mouth as tears popped into her eyes. He sank to one knee and asked her, "Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?"

"Yes, yes." She half gasped and laughed happily. She held out her hand and a few tears escaped as he slid the ring onto her finger. All around them, cheers and congratulations were being shouted. The crowd of regulars felt honored that he had chosen this particular time and place to pop the question.

They danced the rest of the night. When they finally left, it was around three am. They stumbled through the Floo into the kitchen at Grimmauld Place. Being unwilling to stop kissing long enough to make it upstairs, they simply stumbled into the library and locked the door behind them. They found that the rug in front of the fireplace was very comfortable!

Harry and Ginny were waiting for them later that day, with mischievous grins. "Well, I think we might need to try out the library soon, Ginny. It sounded like they were having ever so much fun in there."

Hermione went bright red as she realized they had forgotten to silence the room last night, which meant that EVERYONE, (Incuding his mother and her parents!) had heard them last night! Mortified, she grabbed his arm and pulled him upstairs. "Don't hold lunch for us, we're going shopping! Be back later!" he laughed as she pulled him into their bathroom. They took a quick (for them) shower and she led him out into Muggle London.

They had gone into some of her favorite shops, picking up little odds and ends. In a clothing shop that specialized in leather, she found him the perfect pair of leather pants and found a skirt to match. They got matching black silk shirts and were ready for another night of dancing at the Riot. She took him into her favorite beauty salon while she got her hair trimmed. He wouldn't let her get too much of it cut off, claiming he wouldn't have enough to play with. Next they went to a little bistro and had lunch before heading back to Grimmauld Place. On their way bark, they had to go into a bookstore that Hermione just couldn't walk past. They browsed around and found a few books they each liked.

Back at Grimmauld Place, the rest of the gang was also getting ready for the Riot. Annemarie, Andromeda and the Granger's were all taking turns playing with Teddy Lupin. Hermione ran in as soon as she heard him laughing. "Teddy bear! There's my little Teddy bear! Oh, I missed you!" she pulled him into a tight hug. Teddy wrapped his arms around her neck, nuzzling into her shoulder. Scabior lounged in the doorway, watching them. She was a natural mother and he couldn't wait to see her with their own child.

Annemarie saw the ring first. "Oh! Hermione! Is that-? You and Scabior?!" Hermione smiled proudly as she held out her hand, showing off the ring. The three older women instantly started squealing and chattering excitedly about weddings. Hermione made it plain she was not planning any wedding but they were more than welcome to. Just let her and Scabior know where to be and when to be there. They immediately began making plans and drawing up lists. Hermione thought about letting them know about the new babies on the way but thought better of it. Annemarie might not welcome news of her dead ex-husband's new children on the way. Scabior might not want it known until he was sure the girls weren't going to back out of the deal and terminate or keep their children.

The next six months was a busy time for them. She finished her training and began apprenticing with Mary. She and Scabior moved into the Den while she did so. Harry and Ginny got married and soon after Ron and Parvati followed their lead. As promised, Hermione refused to get involved in any plans made for her own wedding. The most she agreed to was deciding the color of her dress and trying it on to make sure it fit.

They were called to a lovely little Muggle church one day. All their families and friends were there to witness the beautiful ceremony that united them in matrimony. Her parents had rented a nearby union hall and that's where they had their reception. They cut the cake, had their first dance to their song, 'Just Like Jesse James', and were about to perform the time honored traditions of tossing the garter (him) and tossing the bouquet. She went first and everyone cheered as Luna Lovegood caught the bouquet. Then it was Scabior's turn. He laughed as he prepared to flip the garter high into the sky. They all watched as it came down and landed in the hands of one Marcus Flint. All the boys cat called as he turned red but smiled and proudly displayed his trophy.

The family retreated back to the Burrow for a continuation of the reception. Ron took Scabior out back and taught him how to de gnome the garden. Hermione, Ginny and Parvati laughed as Harry joined them and the three boys had the garden de gnomed in no time. Suddenly, an owl swooped in, then another and yet another. All headed for Scabior, touching down on the garden wall. Presumably they were waiting for replies.

Hermione released the notes. She thought she might know what they were but thought it best to let him open them. "Scabior?"

He walked over, taking the notes. He opened them, one by one. He looked over at his mum. "Dad's three attack victims are having their babies. I told them I'd raise them. If you don't want to see them, we can leave them at the Den or the Leaky Cauldron on the weekends."

"Those babies are not responsible for who their father was. Of course I want to see them! You know I love babies!" Annemarie scolded him, lovingly.

Scabior and Hermione went to the hospital and waited. Finally, they were called back to the girls' rooms. All three babies were boys and as such, not only illegitimate heirs to the Scabior fortune but also the heirs to their mothers' families as well. The grandparents insisted on setting up trust funds for the children as well as a weekly visit.

Finally everything was settled and the new parents were ready to leave. They put on baby packs to carry the children in and Scabior insisted on carrying all the heavy stuff needed for transporting three babies. They put the babies in their carriers and covered them up. Scabior and Hermione looked at their boys, looked at each other and smiled as they walked out the door and prepared to enter their new lives together.

Back at the Leaky Cauldron, Fenrir Greyback was visiting with Tom Abbott. They received an owl from Harry, telling them about the babies their son and his new wife had just gone retrieve. They smiled slyly as they raised a toast. They had started out with no grandchildren, now they had six. It was certainly a good day to be them!

This might not be how you wanted it to end up. I really feel like I had nowhere else to go with this story so I'm calling it complete. Thank you to all the people who followed and favorited this story. I love you all! Kisses and hugs!