Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my pink book bag and whatever else is in this story that doesn't make sense. I was inspired by another romance novel i read and J.K. Rowlings wonderful world. Enjoy!
-Chapter 1-
"Wrapped So Pretty"
Did you ever just want to cry your eyes out? Literally grab a big box of muggle tissue and ball like a heart broken baby? Well, that is how Hermione felt at this moment. She was miserable and planned to stay that way. She didn't care if the whole world went to hell in a flying cauldron anymore. She was absolutely, without a doubt in her mind, done, done with all men!
"Let me get this straight," said Ginny, as she opened the cupboard and saw nothing, but a can of decaf coffee. 'Shit!' she thought to herself. No booze, no fire whisky, nothing! "Don't you have anything here with a kick to it Hermione?"
"Err..yeah check the other one," said Hermione through tears, a soddy tissue and a stuffy nose.
"So let me get this straight," Ginny returned to her side after starting up a brew of decaffeinated coffee for the two of them. "You came home from ..."
"...the store we were out of a few things." Hermione said.
"Right, home from the store and you found the letter from Ron?" Ginny couldn't believe what she was taking in. Well yes, she knew her brother had no spine, but to ditch her best friend this way was beyond low. Ginny looked out of the kitchen window, it was raining outside now. There was a Quidditch game in Scotland this afternoon and a few of her friends had already purchased tickets, and she had planned on going, but then out of the blue came an owl from Hermione, and she could tell from the letter splotty from the teardrops on it that her friend was not in a right state.
"So is the gift from my sleaze of a brother too?" Ginny asked pointing at a pretty little package that was neatly wrapped with a bow.
"No," replied Hermione, wiping the corners of her swollen eyes. "It's a housewarming gift from my mother."
Ginny handed her another tissue. "so what was exactly in the letter Hermione? I mean, did the slime say why he's run off with her?"
Hermione stiffened up as if it had not happen; as if Ginny had not just asked that dreaded question.
Ginny couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Who was she kidding Hermione was nothing like Lavender. She was well, a pathetic geek Ginny supposed, and maybe just a bit wound too tight. In truth Ginny knew that Hermione's world circled around analytics, research and as many historical books as she could find. Especially now that she was focusing on her apprenticeship for becoming a Master Matron. Hermione studied too much even for Ginny; and she was her best friend. Ginny had always felt her brother would skip-out on her someday.
"Hey, it's not that bad Hermione. You'll find another guy in no time honestly."
"O no, I'm sorry but I'm out —finish —done done with men! All they're good for is heartache and...and reproduction... and nothing else!" She stiffened her bottom lip, but suddenly another tear slid down her cheek all the same.
Ginny got up and was back in no time with two cups of steamy coffee."You don't mean that you're just-"
"I do Ginny I mean every word of it. Do you know that in that letter he said I'm sorry Hermione, but you just don't excite me anymore."
"The slimy git, Merlin when I get my hands on him." exclaimed Ginny still in disbelief.
Hermione set her elbows on the table, balled her hands into a fists and propped her forehead on top of them. Her shoulders trembled.
For Ginny this was nerve wrecking to see her friend become so unraveled, because she knew Hermione was so always so together, so level-headed, practical and all. Well okay, she was a bit of a prude bore from time-to-time, but that was still a shitty thing for Ron to say.
"That's not the worst part." Hermione grabbed another tissue. "The worst part Gin is that I don't even miss him."
"Miss him, well Hermione he hasn't been gone that long dear."
"Yes… I mean no," she took a really deep breath "he's been gone six months."
Ginny's eyes widen to the news. She grabbed her coffee mug, took a sip, and slightly laughed. "Wait. Did you say six months? Then what are you so beat up about...what...?"
"It's not Ron. It just….It's nothing really. I'm being foolish really. I don't know what's wrong with me." Hermione shrugged through her tears. " Its being back here, in old London, well the muggle side of it. I was going to stay in the wizarding world, and perhaps find a new place not far from work, but I thought no." Hermione's voice then got a far away tone as if she forgotten her friend was there at the table. "You know how hard I've been working with the research on unrelated magically-ionic collisions and I didn't want to be distracted. And being there, well I was afraid... that... that I would be out and run into him, I mean them and perhaps become so upset, like now, that I wouldn't be able to focus."
"Sounds like to me your knickers are burning for some rebound action Hermione." Ginny flashed her a brilliant smile, hoping to lighten the mood. "all this physics-ionic-magical-medical stuff is not giving you any thrills in the bedroom, right?"
"Gosh Ginny!" she gave a weak laugh. "You're impossible. Frankly, I believe sex is overrated." Hermione was suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation. Her deepest embarrassment currently was that she'd never achieved an organism with Ron; not once. She looked down at her hands, wanting to hide her unspoken shame, but she felt resentment rising in her cheeks turning them bright red.
Ginny went blank at her friends immediate silence, and after no quirky reply came back from her. Ginny could practically see her secret etched across her forehead, and she frankly couldn't believe it. "You...you've never made it to a climax? You know the point of bliss, the big wham-o thank you tiger!"
"No, not exactly"
"BUMMER!"
"Yes well maybe I need something more, like a sense of true connection with someone." Hermione suddenly replied.
"You can't get more connected than burning up the old mattress." stated Ginny.
"Yes, well, that's assuming the tiger can burn it up. Honestly…" Hermione sighed, sniffed again and sipped her now cold cup of coffee. She knew that blaming Ron for her sexual offsets wasn't going to fix what was ailing her so badly. "Don't hate me for saying this, but when I speak of a connection with someone, I don't mean a relationship in general. I mean perhaps something more lasting than just sex or a meer get-together."
"Marriage? But I thought you opposed of marriages?"
"I do. But I was working at St. Mungos last month and assisting with the accidental magical mishaps floor for children." Hermione sniffed again as she continued speaking through the tissue. "The Head Warden of Healers ask for me to deliver some papers to the New Delivery Sector and I ran into Ron and Lavendar there."
Ginny gasped deeply.
"He told me she's pregnant…!" exclaimed Hermione. "And I'm not jealous, not really. To be honest I don't care enough about him anymore to be jealous. And I really don't want to marry anyone. It's just that…." Hermione's voice faded again. "It's just that um...well."
Ginny wasn't getting it. If it wasn't Ron that had her hinny in such a slum mood then what was it? Lavender? Guessed Ginny. But that couldn't be it, she's off flaunting about London now with Ronald's kid and Gin never took Hermione as the double swinger. "O sweet Merlin, you want to be a mum!" shouted Ginny the instant the idea popped into her head and she began to instantly choke on her coffee.
Hermione bit her lip back. Her eyes were fixed on an object across the room and gave a shy nod. "Yes. I've wanted to be a mother when Ron. when your brother and I were together but, I just didn't feel he would be the ready so soon... but he doesn't seem to mind so much with her."
Ginny was still coughing, and now waving her hands about while taking this all in. She glance around at the clock behind them and wanted to hear the rest of this, but she had to leave soon if she planned on catching the Quidditch tournament in time.
"Hermione are you serious about wanting a baby even if you're a single witch?" Ginny looked beyond confused. She knew that Hermione was so very unlike a normal witches her age. She was like a jammed-packed journal with legs and needed she needed someone to share all that brainy stuff with. "I mean being a single mom is not easy; I mean you have a awesome career ahead of you and ministry studies and all. Added Ginny.
"Hermione single mother witches are frown upon a lot in the wizarding world, a lot, I mean a lot, a lot!" said Ginny.
Once again Hermione's back stiffened as if someone hit her with a Petrificus Totalus spell. "And I've thought about it a lot …really. I don't ever plan to marry Ginny, you know that, but I want a little girl more than anything and I think I'd make a excellent mother. The trouble is I don't know how to make it happen, are even who to make it happen with now. Other than Ron, I've never been with any other man, and I don't think anyone has notice me lately."
"Are you crazy Hermione? Loads of guys have noticed you. But your always into some infirmary lab or field study." said Ginny staring at her friend. For a smart witch she sure was dumb. "Hermione, you work at a hospital with swarms of wizarding scholars, healers, the most noble of warlocks. Finding a great guy should be easy. If a kid is all you want then invite a guy over, put on a song, buy a couple of bottles of cheap wine and nail him!"
Hermione blushed then."Oh it couldn't be anyone I know or work with."
"Then pick up a guy from Diagon Alley out shopping or some pub bloke or something."
"Oh I couldn't do that I'd have to know a little about his medical background...does he have any particular allergies, or magically ingrown warts?" Hermione's voice dropped again. "Besides I don't know how to just pick someone." she admitted.
Ginny thought nothing could be easier than just picking up a random hott guy for a little one on one nightly fun, but that was the difference between her and Hermione.
"And I don't want anyone from my field of work, I mean I don't want anyone who's super-intelligent fathering my child."
"You mean you want some dudder to be you baby's daddy?" asked Ginny.
Hermione shook her head. "Please don't say it like that. I know it sounds mental, but its very difficult for a child to grow up being smarter than everyone else around. Coming from a family were academic performance are highly extraordinary. It makes it impossible to fit in with normal kids. Which is why I could never have a child with someone overly brilliant, a graduate of high OWLs, a recipient of high honors or even one of the ministry doctors at St. Mungo's. I thought of rolling the runes with a muggle sperm bank, but the problem with that is what if my child is born without a scratch of magic? A Squib... I'd never forgive myself."
"Hermione, this is just weird. You think that because your so abnormally smart that you just have to find a bloke that's a dunderhead."
"I don't think, I know! I do Ginny, it's hard to explain but it has a lot to do with studies found in magical and nonmagical genetics. Without going to deep on the subject, the short version of a long lecture of magical genetic genes is this. Truth is I can't bear the idea that my child would have to go through what I went through when I was growing up." Hermione feel silent before continuing. "The point is neither here nor there. The point is, as much as I want to be a mom, I can't just think about myself!"
Ginny turned to look at the clock again and jumped up quickly from her chair. She couldn't believe how long they'd been talking, and it was fastly approaching seven o' clock. The game would start within the hour and she was nowhere near Scotland.
"Hermione, hey look I have to get going."
Hermione glanced at the clock on the wall and nodded. She understood.
Ginny's truly felt sorry for her, but all this talk about being a mom made her feel a bit light headed. "Hey I tell you what, come with me to the game. You can buy tickets at the gate I'm sure of it and if not there's always loads of people selling their seats at the last moment. It'll be a breeze to get you in."