Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, nor do I own Harry Potter. I make no money from the writing of this fanfiction. Only the original characters, and this particular story line belong to me; everything else belongs to JK Rowling
Chapter Twenty Six
Ronald Weasley was not having a good day. Not only had Hermione managed to convince everyone that she didn't deserve what he was trying to teach her, her sob story could see him in Azkaban. It was possible he wouldn't see his family for years because of her.
To think they called my lessons "assault". EVERYONE knows that the witch listens to the wizard. As if it's MY fault that little bitch didn't learn the first time. "Brightest Witch of the Age" my arse! If she was actually that smart, she would have already known to just do as she was told without question. But no, she had to have a CAREER, she didn't think just staying home to raise kids and take care of a house was enough for her. It was good enough for Mum, so why shouldn't it be good enough for Hermione? It's not as if I ever tried to AK her. A Crucio a time or two when she got too defiant, sure; but never an AK. There's some property you can't fix with a Reparo once it's destroyed.
Knowing his solicitor would be coming to talk to him soon, he schooled his features into a measure of calm. He didn't need the hassle of the man seeing his rage at the situation. He was still holding out hope that Stimpton could arrange it so his sentence didn't include Azkaban. The few times he'd heard Harry talk about the place after delivering a prisoner had been enough to convince him he couldn't tolerate having to stay there himself.
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At the Burrow, the members of the Weasley family were also not having a good day. They had just arrived home after visiting with Ron following the trial, and Molly was once again yelling.
"How could this have happened? Ronald was given a sham of a trial just to make that little tart happy. Yes, he's always had a bit of a temper, but for him to actually put his hands on a witch he loved is just ridiculous! Surely one of you would have noticed something like that while at school; what I want to know is why no one thought to offer to stand up and defend your brother against her lies. He's your brother, for Merlin's sake! And now he could be going to Azkaban for years. I don't want to believe what Hermione was saying, she has to be delusional thinking Ron actually did those things."
Percy, Bill, and George glanced at each other before looking at their father. Now all of the yelling made sense. If there was one thing Molly Weasley couldn't stand, it was someone she had cared for, in her eyes, betraying her family. None of them could remember her ever admitting it to someone when she was wrong, either.
"What do you think we should do now, Mum? Ron's been convicted. Hermione is being asked to speak at his sentencing. So I'm not sure what you expect us to do now. Yes, we hate what he did, but you're right, he is our brother, and nothing will change that," Bill said, speaking for all three of them.
"I'll contact Harry and Ginny and ask them over for dinner. We all need to talk about this as a family. Maybe Harry has an idea of what we can expect."
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Ginny was still having trouble understanding how her brother could have done this. Her parents hadn't raised them to hit people, especially someone they cared for, or said they cared for. It just didn't make sense to her.
"Harry, will Hermione be alright now?"
"How do you mean, Gin? Alright from her injuries, or from what Ron did to her as a whole?"
"As a whole, Harry. She never really said anything, and we never noticed what was happening. She must have felt so alone all this time; I feel as though I failed one of my best friends. How do we move past this?"
"Well, according to the books, her best bet will be to get some kind of Mind Healing. Apparently, talking about what happened with someone can help rebuild the self-esteem and self-worth of someone who has been abused. As for what we do to move past this, we let her know that we're here for her, and if she does talk about what happened, we don't judge her for it. You might want to ask her if she wants to come to dinner after everything is over and done. We've both been so caught up with our own lives we never noticed part of hers was falling apart, so I know I'll be asking her to forgive me for being so blind to what was going on."
"And I had another idea as well about Hermione, if you're open to the idea."
"What idea is that, Gin?"
"Asking Hermione to be godmother to the baby. We'll need to decide on a godfather, but I think Hermione would be a great godmother. What do you think?"
"I like the idea. I like it a lot. When did you want to tell your family about the baby? I know you haven't said anything yet, or Molly would be visiting almost daily with suggestions for a nursery, baby clothes, and anything else she could think to bring to us."
"What about the next family dinner? Then everyone gets the news at once and we don't get bombarded with owls the next day."
"Sounds good to me. You look tired; go sit down and put your feet up, and I'll make you some tea, okay?"
"Do we have any herbal tea? Our regular blend doesn't smell right to me right now."
"I think we have a cinnamon tea. How does that sound?"
"It sounds perfect, thank you. I'll be in the living room on the couch."
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"Madam Bones, I'd like to speak to my client, if you please."
"Alright Mr. Stimpton. I can allow you twenty minutes to speak to Mr. Weasley. Will that be sufficient? We're about to change shifts for night watch on the holding cells, and that's for thirty minutes from now."
"Yes, thank you. What I need to discuss shouldn't take long."
"Leave your wand with me, and I'll return it when you're through. You know no wands are allowed in holding."
"Of course, of course," he agreed, and handed his wand over.
"One of the Aurors will escort you, and then bring you back. I'll be in my office when you're through."
Ten minutes later, Ron was seated at a table across from his solicitor, magic suppressing cuffs around his wrists, and secured to the chair with an ankle chain on both legs.
"Mr. Weasley, I want you to listen to me quite carefully. You have already been convicted, so what we need to do now is plan a strategy for your sentencing. I have a proposal for what to do, and if successful, could mean the difference between a cell in Azkaban and a house arrest home with your family."
"I'm listening, and this better be good."
"We have you evaluated by a Mind Healer-a Mind Healer that has, on occasion, been employed by my office for other clients. He'll come in and talk to you, and will give his impressions of you to the court before your sentencing. Madam Bones has a soft spot, Mr. Weasley; she would prefer to, shall we say, help someone who is ill and get them treated over sending that same person to prison because she was unaware of an illness during trial."
"So you want to claim I'm crazy? How in hell will that let me go home? I don't want to go to Azkaban, but I also don't want to end up in St Mungo's either!"
"Trust me on this, Mr. Weasley; I know what I'm doing."
"Fine, so when do I have to talk to this bloke who's going to help?"
"I'll arrange for it tomorrow. He should be here in the afternoon."
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Hermione slipped into a simple black dress with three quarter sleeves that hung just below her knees. Putting on a pair of flats, she checked the mirror before walking to the living room. Draco had said his family dressed for dinner, and she'd always been taught you could never go wrong with a black dress.
Draco looked up from some papers he had in his hands, standing as she entered. He was hoping tonight would go smoothly; they were trying, but his parents-his father in particular-still had moments when their blood purity beliefs still came to the surface.
After helping Hermione with her short jacket, he held out his arm. Confused, she looked at him, brow furrowed.
"We have to apparate to the Manor. Remember, this safe house is connected to my suite on the property. Mother wouldn't appreciate seeing the two of us come to the dining room from the direction of my bedroom."
"I completely forgot about that. Now I feel like an idiot. Usually, my memory is much better for details."
"It happens to the best of us, Granger. Shall we go?"
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Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy were waiting in the entry hall to greet their son and his guest. As the little house elf led them into the hall after answering the door, Narcissa stepped forward.
"Draco, I'm glad you were able to join us tonight. There are too many evenings your work keeps you away."
Draco briefly lifted his mother's hand to kiss her knuckles, and then drew Hermione forward.
"Mother, you remember Miss Hermione Granger, don't you? I knew you wished to speak to her, so invited her to dinner this evening."
Although she was slightly uncomfortable seeing Hermione, who still bore the fading bruises from Ron's last bout of violence, no one could accuse Narcissa of neglecting her duty as a hostess.
"Yes, of course. How are you, Miss Granger? I do hope that you haven't been dwelling too much on the fate of your former friend Mr. Weasley. He did, after all, bring all of it upon himself."
"Lady Malfoy, I'm fine, thank you for asking. I want to thank you and Lord Malfoy for the invitation to dinner. As I'm sure Lord Malfoy has told you, I've been asked to speak at Ronald's sentencing hearing, to give a recommendation as to what I would like to see happen to him. It's been forcing me to sift through my memories of him to decide what to say."
"Miss Granger," began Lucius Malfoy, glancing toward Draco briefly, "I have done my best to teach my son that no matter how strong they are as individuals, women are to be protected and cherished. Laying violent hands on a woman is not the actions of a gentleman, or for that matter, a man. Anyone who does so loses the right to call himself such."
"Yes, your son has told me about that, Lord Malfoy. I just wish more people had some of the same beliefs in regard to the way someone is treated."
"Dinner should be prepared soon; shall we go to the dining room?" Narcissa asked.
Draco offered his arm so he could escort Hermione, and they followed his parents through the manor.
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Harry heard the Floo chime and went to answer the call, handing Ginny her tea on the way through the living room. Kneeling in front of the Floo, he opened it to allow the caller through.
"Oh, hello, Harry, how are you, dear? Is Ginny there with you?"
"She's having tea right now, Molly. She looked a little tired, so I told her to put her feet up for a bit. Is there something I can help you with?"
"Well, I wanted to have everyone over for a family dinner. Now that Ronald has been convicted, I wanted to discuss what we might be able to expect now."
"I think we might be able to come to dinner. Ginny and I have something to talk over with everyone ourselves, and wanted to do that with everyone at the same time to save ourselves going from flat to flat."
"That's fine, dear. We'll see you at seven, then?"
"Seven sounds fine, Molly. We'll see you then."
After closing the Floo connection, Harry looked over at his wife.
"You know Mum is going to want to blame Hermione and yell at everyone for not defending Ron."
"I do know that, actually. Just like you know that if she starts yelling at either of us, I'll take you home then and there. I'm not going to have you upset by one of your mother's infamous tirades in your condition."
"Thank you for that. I have the feeling it's going to be bad."
"Let's hope not, okay?"
