In early March, Hermione was shocked to see an article in the Daily Prophet.
Malfoy's Sell billion-dollar castle and file for divorce
Draco Malfoy, heir to the Malfoy fortune has filed for divorce from wife Astoria Greengrass-Malfoy, in a move which has shocked wizarding kind all over Britain. The famous couple who came together after the war years, have no children and early reports are that the split is so far, amicable. See page 4 for more details.
It wasn't something he told her, as their agreement to remain friends and have relationship talk off limits had been reinstated. Although, she thought that him leaving his wife and selling their castle would have been something he might have mentioned.
"What is it?" Molly asked her, bringing her out of her thoughts.
"It's the Malfoys. Seems like they're getting divorced" Hermione said, in the most offhand manner she possibly could.
"Oh" she said, taking the paper and reading the story on page 4. "Seems like it wasn't a very good match to begin with. Poor girl couldn't have children" Molly said.
"Sad, isn't it?" Hermione said, trying to make conversation.
"Well, you talk to him at work dear, has he mentioned anything to you?" Molly asked.
"Well, we occasionally eat lunch together and I suppose you could say we're friends, but don't really talk about our personal lives. He never said a thing to me about his marriage" she said, sipping her tea.
"Of course. It's not appropriate for the workplace at all is it?" Molly asked.
"Yes, I guess not" she said.
"While we're on the subject, you must know dear, when you left, Ron was heartbroken. He truly was" Molly said.
"I appreciate your concern Molly, but not everything has always been as it seems" Hermione said.
"Of course not dear, no one can say for certain what goes on behind closed doors, but just know… My son loves you" Molly said, placing her hand on Hermione's cheek in a gesture of kindness.
"I know. I love him too. I always will. Sometimes, I suppose, when people change, love is not always enough" she said.
Molly just nodded and smiled a sad smile. Hermione thought she must know by now how toxic things had been for them.
Perhaps not.
At work, Malfoy remained tight lipped about his split. He told her he had moved to the cottage and she had gone to her mothers, having sold the castle, as the prophet instructed.
Hermione didn't push him to tell her, as they had re-clarified their decision to maintain the boundaries of friendship weeks ago when she had cried in his chest about her life.
He didn't divulge anything further about what drove the final decision other than to tell her that it was finally time.
She realised that perhaps it was time for her to make a decision once and for all.
When Ron's birthday had arrived at the end of March, Hermione did all she could to make it special for him. She knew deep within herself that she was going to leave him soon. She had been toying with it for weeks. Months even. She had no idea where she would go, but the days leading up to the party, he had been rotten to her.
She bought him a gift which he barely appreciated, she had arranged a party, which he had an expectation of, and she had helped make all the food. All the things that Ron had expected of her. And she did it. She played the part of the perfect housewife, if for the last time.
As the party got underway and people were singing, dancing and enjoying themselves, Hermione found herself at the edge, soaking everything in. Soon, she would leave him, and no one would want to know her. She would be the one, as Ginny had explained during her days at Grimmauld Place, that she would be leaving, what everyone saw was a perfect relationship. Just as Ron had intended. If she left, it would be her fault. He had made everyone see them as nothing but the perfect couple.
"You're a woman deep in your thoughts" Ginny said.
"I'm leaving him Gin" she said.
"When?" she asked.
"You're not shocked?" Hermione asked.
"You're fucking miserable Hermione. Its clear that something is up" Ginny said.
"I'm going as soon as I can. This is it. I've finally decided" she said with a sad smile.
"Just… give it a few days. Its his birthday" Ginny said.
"Of course, I'm not heartless. I did this for him, as a sort of farewell" she replied.
"Where will you go?" Ginny asked. Hermione had initially hoped to go to Grimmauld place, but from Ginny's question, it was obvious that it wasn't going to happen.
"I don't know. I just… I can't stand to be with him anymore. I want to go before this feeling… this animosity, this… Whatever this is… turns to hate" Hermione said.
"What about Rose?" Ginny asked.
"I'll take her with me, obviously" Hermione said, looking to Ginny.
"I mean, Rose will ask questions" she said.
"Rose is pretty smart; she already asks questions Gin" Hermione said simply. "That's partially why I'm doing this. She asked me last night why daddy doesn't love us the way uncle Harry loves aunty Ginny. It broke my heart Gin. I don't want my little girl to grow up thinking that its ok for a man to treat her that way" she said, tears suddenly running down her face.
"So, there isn't someone else?" Ginny asked after a long pause.
"What? No, Ginny, of course not" Hermione said. It was the truth. She hadn't wanted to leave him to be with Malfoy. The fact that it coincided with the end of his marriage by only a few weeks meant nothing. She was ready to be a single woman, a single mother. An independent woman.
"Well, you're always going to be my best friend, right?" Ginny asked.
"I bloody hope so Gin, I really do. But…" she began, not sure how to go on.
"But what?" Ginny asked.
"I just… it will be a big change. Knowing Ron, things will get messy" she said.
"And I will be there for you both" Ginny said.
"Ginny… I know you. You're loyal" Hermione said.
"Yes, loyal to my friends as much as my family" she said.
"I'm just saying, I don't have any expectations that you will pick my side… if it comes to it" she said sadly.
Ginny just looked at her best friend for quite some time before pulling her into a hug.
"Well, I'm here for you, ok" she said, smiling before going back to the party.
The next few days were the hardest. Hermione knew, she had chosen. The decision was made. She was leaving.
She still went to work like normal, she still attended meetings like normal, but in her lunch breaks, instead of eating with Malfoy, she attended real estates and looked at flats to rent.
It was hard, so much harder than she thought possible.
For a single woman with a child, having someone agree to rent you a place was almost impossible. It didn't matter than she was Hermione Granger. In fact, she tried not to tell them who she was, in hopes that it didn't get around that she was looking to leave Ron before Ron had been told.
Finally, on Friday at lunch, she looked at a tiny flat in the outskirts of London and after a long discussion with the agent, she was told she could have it. To say she was happy would be an understatement.
She blew off work for the rest of the day, attending Gringotts to transfer money from their joint account to her personal account. Something that Ron hadn't thought to prevent. She had arrived there completely expecting the head Goblin to refuse, however, when he handed her the receipt stating that exactly half of their joint income and savings was now in her personal account, she couldn't help but shed a small tear.
The Goblin granted her request to leave a copy of the receipt in the joint vault for Ron to see that she only took half. She so desperately wanted to start fresh, to begin again on her own with no help from Ron, but the reality of needing a home for Rose made her think twice. Not only that, the money they had saved was from her income as much as his.
She paid the deposit for the flat as well as the first two months rent. It was something she didn't want to have to worry about for a while. And it was the thing that would make her persevere if Ron tried to get her to stay.
She placed personal wards on her new flat, before she apparated to the Burrow to begin packing. Ron would be at work till 4pm, which gave her plenty of time. Molly seemed to be out, which was perfect.
She took her trunk out from under their bed and remembered that she had packed all the furniture from their old house into it. At least that was taken care of.
After a while, packing by hand, she waved her wand and packed the rest in an instant. When the wardrobe contained only Ron's things, she shrunk down the trunk that had been given an undetectable extension charm and placed it in her handbag before moving on to Rose's room. She made quick work of that before doing the same with Rose's trunk and leaving the Burrow, undetected.
She returned to work, desperate to tell Hilary what she had done. She also needed someone to be with Rose at the flat while she went to tell Ron that it was all over.
After a long conversation, Hilary agreed, before packing her desk for the weekend while Hermione collected Rose from day care.
She had hoped not to bump into Malfoy on the way but as fate would have it, she did.
"Granger, leaving early?" he asked.
"I uh.. yes. I…" she began.
"You weren't at lunch today. Is everything ok?" he asked.
"Yes, I… I'm leaving" she stuttered.
"I can see that. You on your way to collect Rose?" he asked, having accompanied her several times over the last couple of weeks.
"I am, yes… But… when I say I'm leaving, I mean… Ron. I'm leaving Ron" she said quietly and calmly.
"For how long this time?" he asked casually.
"For good. I've been to Gringotts, I rented a flat and everything. I'm going now to tell him" she said.
He didn't speak, just opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water.
"I had to leave at lunch to get everything prepared and then I went to pack" she said, tapping her handbag.
"You have all your worldly possessions in your handbag?" he asked.
"The trunks have extensions on them and then I shrunk them down" she said.
"Extended then shrunken. That's quite some magic Granger" he said.
"Quite" she said, looking down the atrium towards the day care centre.
"You have to go?" he asked.
"I just… I need to get this over and done with" she said.
"You… I mean, do you need help?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck. He was feeling awkward. That was his awkward gesture.
"I'll text you… For help… If I need it" she said, understanding the consequences of potentially having him around her whilst vulnerable. "As a friend, of course" she added.
"Of course" he replied, stepping out of the way so she could rush to the day care.
She collected Rose and changed the permissions with the centre so that only she could collect Rose. On her way out, she stopped by reception and collected the appropriate paperwork to file for custody within the wizarding family court before meeting Hilary near the floo and taking the three of them to her new flat.
Hilary looked around as Hermione showed Rose their new home.
"Is daddy coming?" she asked.
"No sweetheart. This will be just for me and you" Hermione said. Rose smiled at this and Hermione finally realised that she was doing the right thing. Her attempts to keep Rose from knowing what had gone on between her and Ron had obviously been futile. Rose knew. Of course she knew.
"Mummy will be back in a little while, ok, but Hilary is going to read with you for a little while" Hermione said.
Rose nodded at this and again Hermione was struck by how grown up her little two-year-old was. Her whole world was changing, and she just took it all in her stride.
She flood to the Burrow and stepped out into a room full of people. Harry and Ginny had stopped by somehow at the same time as Percy and his family.
"Oh, how nice to see everyone" Hermione said as she righted herself.
Ginny eyed Hermione's angst carefully before her wide eyes revealed that she knew what she was about to do.
"Where's Rose?" Harry asked.
"Oh, she is with Hilary. I have to get back soon, I just need to see Ron" she said.
"He's… come, I'll go with you" Ginny said, taking Hermione by the arm and leading her to the door.
"You're doing this now? In front of his family?" she asked.
"I didn't know everyone would be here" Hermione said.
"Please, just wait a day" Ginny begged.
"Gin, I've waited. I've waited years. I have a place now, Rose is there and I'm going to tell Ron now" she said.
"Tell Ron what?" Ron asked, catching the end of the discussion.
Ginny's eyes were wet as she turned and left them alone outside in the setting sun.
"Ron, we should sit" she said, making her way to the outdoor seating area.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Ron, you know I love you, but things haven't been easy for us" she began.
"What the fuck are you talking about Hermione" he insisted.
"That. Ron. That is what the fuck I am talking about. The way you speak to me, the way you treat me. I'm done. Me and Rose are leaving" she said.
"What do you mean, leaving? You have nowhere to go" he said.
"I found somewhere" she said.
"You…? You've been going behind my back?" he asked.
"I have been planning this for a while. I've not been happy for the longest time Ron. You know this" she said.
"So you're just going then?" he asked, standing up and pacing back and forth in front of her.
"I've gone already. I came by earlier and packed" she said.
"Everything?" he asked.
"All of my things and Roses" she said.
"And you're taking Rose away from her family?" he asked, raising his voice. The noises from inside suddenly grew quiet.
"No, Ron, of course I'm not. I need to go, and Rose needs her mother. That's just how it is. You can have her on weekends and see her whenever you like but me and you are over" she said, not bothering to keep her voice down, as George no doubt had extendable ears all around the place by now.
"Look at everything I've done for you. All that I've given you. You had nothing after the war. I took you back and gave you a life. I gave you a baby. I let you go back to work" he rambled.
"Ron, you let me work? You barely let me have anything. I've been trapped here, with you. You treat me fine in front of everyone then whenever we're alone its 'fuck you Hermione' or 'you better be home when I get home Hermione'. You're so controlling and possessive Ron, I am not your possession. All this time, you could have treated me like your partner, like your equal, but instead, all you wanted was a housewife you could control" she said. "I had nothing after the war, but at least I had my self-respect and my dignity. I made my own life and I would have made it without you" she said, standing before him now.
"Well at least tell me where you're going" he said.
"In time I will give you my address. For now, I'm keeping it to myself" she said, beginning to walk away, towards the house.
"Everyone's going to hate you" he yelled.
"You know something Ron, no one can hate me as much as I hate myself…" she said, not entering the house but starting to make her way down the path towards the edge of the wards.
"You know, I've loved you through everything. All the abuse, all the control, all the demands, the times you forced me to have sex, when you hit me and pulled my hair and then told me that I liked it, when you pushed me outside of the ministry event last month then went to raise your fist at me. The sad fact is, I will continue to love you. Despite all of that. I have loved you. Like some stupid Godric-damn teenager" she yelled, not caring who heard now. They were listening in anyway. No sense in hiding their dirty laundry anymore.
As she continued to walk, Ron continued to follow her and she heard the rattle of the door to the Burrow. She turned briefly to see Arthur standing in the shadow of the doorway.
"Ron, come inside" he said simply, calmly.
Ron stopped, looked to his father and made his way back.
Hermione nodded once to Arthur who nodded in return and gave her a kind smile.
That was all she needed. All she had hoped for. Some sign of recognition that she would be ok. That they would understand. They'd accept what she needed to do for herself and for Rose.