Chapter 2: Depression and Invitations.

Hermione lay awake most of the night. Her back hurt a lot. Seeing as she couldn't sleep, she just stayed up most of the night. Her daughter woke up a lot during the night so Hermione just held her in her arms all night. She walked over to her mother's room. Her mother showed the first signs of waking up. Her eyelids would flutter from time to time, but then droop down again. Hermione felt how a tear made its way down her face. False hopes. Her mother would die soon, she felt it coming. But she wanted her to live just to see her granddaughter just one time. Hermione never did manage to fulfil her mother's hopes. Ever since she was admitted to Hogwarts, she couldn't become a dentist. But her mother got over that fact. One fact her mother couldn't get over was the death of her husband. Hermione's mother had begged Hermione to help save him using her powers, but Hermione knew her magic could not help this time. Hermione kissed her mother's forehead and left the room.

She made breakfast and tidied up the dishes. She had to go shopping, that meant using her magic and a little bit of make up to cover her wounds. Hermione got dressed into dark blue jeans, and a tie-dye top. She applied make up on her face and tied her hair in the usual long braid. She then fed Varee, bathed her and got her ready to go shopping.

Hermione strapped Varee into the baby seat in the car, and then started the car. She drove to the nearest supermarket and picked up essentials. Groceries, cosmetics, baby essentials, cat food and treats and medicine. After dropping off all her shopping at the house, Hermione started to spend quality time with her daughter. She picked out little toys, which helped babies learn. Varee was very lively and enjoyed kicking a little toy Hermione had conjured which chanted little spells that would blossom flowers. Varee was also very attached to Hermione's waist length hair. Even thought it was in braid, she tried to stuff it in her mouth. Hermione laughed and kept her hair away from the child's thieving hands.

After eating something, Hermione breastfed her daughter and left her in peace to nap in a little cloud like cot she had conjured. Hermione then called Crookshanks to come and eat. Crookshanks usually hated the store bought cat food, but with a little encouragement from Hermione, he'd eat it, and get a big treat later. Hermione teased Crookshanks with a cat toy that acted like a live mouse. Crookshanks took an immediate liking to it. Hermione started on housework. Though she usually tried to keep it clean, she hadn't these past few months, so she started chanting charms which would help her clean up. She put on some music and danced around as she chanted charms. 'Harry and Ron would laugh is they saw me do this!' Hermione thought. She laughed a little and continued with all the charms she was chanting.

Hermione looked inside her wardrobe. The blue robes she had worn yesterday had been ripped, torn and bloodied. And her other robes were simply too small for her to wear. She sighed and knew she needed some new robes. She walked to her fireplace and lit the fire. She then gathered her bag with Varee's necessities and huddled Varee in her arms. She then threw some Floo Power into the flames, which roared.

"Diagon Alley!" she said clearly and jumped into the flames, holding Varee tightly.

After a lot of spinning and a lot of crying from Varee, Hermione landed in Diagon Alley. She quickly shushed her child. She was gathering a lot of attention. She started to head for Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and held her child as she drifted into a soft sleep.

The ring of a bell caught the attention of Madam Malkin and she instantly walked towards the entrance of her shop.

"Welcome to Madam Malkin's! How may I be of assistance?" Madam Malkin said in a sweet voice.

"I'm just looking for some robes to wear to work." Hermione replied.

"Oh…come this way!" Hermione followed.

Madam Malkin showed her robes of forest green, aquamarine blue, and midnight black. All colours suited Hermione well. Hermione thought about buying the green and black robes. She bought them with no hesitation and waved goodbye.

Hermione then headed to buy some ingredients for a potion she was going to make and then headed towards Florean Fortesque's Ice Cream Parlour. She hadn't had a sundae from him in a long time. She ordered a chocolate sundae with a wafer. Florean smiled at the child.

"She's adorable Hermione. Is she your sister?" Florean asked.

"No, she's my cousin. My aunt died and I'm her only living relative," Hermione lied. She hated herself for saying that. 'Well what am I suppose to say? That she's my one daughter I conceived when my worst enemy raped me?' Hermione argued with herself.

"The resemblance between you two is uncanny." Florean remarked making funny faces at the child. Hermione smiled. At least she didn't look like Malfoy. And she was glad that her magic and make up was hiding her wounds and bruises on her face.

***

The week had passed quickly and fear had been mounting on Hermione. She strolled into her office on time for once and started to fill out her morning assignments. She had healed completely now, except from large bruises on her back. Malfoy walked past her, snickering to himself as he saw her. Hermione shivered as she remembered the tight grasp he held her in. She never wanted that to happen again.

"Granger, you have a weeks worth of articles to write, get to it!" Cho snapped from across the room. Hermione started on them. They were boring assignments, Cho had made her write.

Once the break had came she apparated back home to check up on Varee. She was still asleep. Crookshanks was outside in the garden, and her mother remained in her room, trying to survive another day. Hermione woke her daughter up, knowing that she should feed and clean her before she left. She calmed down her daughter and kissed her on the cheek.

"Be a good girl for mummy, Varee," Hermione whispered.

Varee instantly calmed down and obeyed her mother. Once Varee was changed Hermione apparated back to work. She took a quick sip of her coffee and headed back to her desk to write her articles.

The day was waning gradually and Hermione had to work overtime again. Once she was done she headed out only to be stopped by a hand grabbing her wrist.

"Where do you think your going," Malfoy sneered.

"Home," Hermione replied honestly.

"This early?" Malfoy said and dragged her back to his office.

He threw her inside and was starting to lock the door. Hermione looked for any escape routes. There was nothing there. Malfoy turned around, his eyes full of lust once again. Hermione bit her lip worried as he advanced on her. She moved away. He snickered; this was all a game to him. A cat and mouse game. He managed to grab Hermione by the hair and pulled her back. To his surprise, she retaliated. She turned around and hit him hard on the face. His face ached and her hand throbbed. Hermione was in shock. This was going to be bad.

"You bitch!" he yelled at her and started beating her. Hermione cried out in pain as he kept kicking her back. He then stripped her of her robes and thrust himself inside of her. Hermione gasped in pain and held her breath. She didn't want to scream out loud; otherwise he would beat her. Tears spilled down her face. The incredible pain was getting to her. Malfoy started to thrust faster and deeper into her. Hermione just lay there. She felt weak and couldn't push him off her. And she made it worse for herself by hitting him. Malfoy moaned in delight every time and just kept going at her. Hermione's body went limp. Malfoy thrust even faster not knowing just knowing just how much he had wounded Hermione. It seemed like hours before he stopped. Hermione was bleeding and her breathing became irregular. Malfoy smirked. He dressed Hermione in her robes, while she was still bleeding and then kicked her out of his office. He apparated back home. Hermione lay curled up in a ball and sobbed shakily. She wasn't strong enough to apparate back home. All of a sudden she started laughing hysterically.

"He wants to kill me. The only mudblood working for him!" she laughed insanely.

"The mudblood mother of his child." she laughed even more.

"That child is his shame!" her tears slid down her face.

"He only lets her live if I go through these constant rapes!" she started crying more that laughing as the realisation hit her again. She had to do this to keep her child, to let her live. She loved the child so much that she would go through hell and back to keep her. She remembered those exact words he said to her in the hospital room at the ungodly hours of the morning. 'I'll let you keep that…creature…if you do something for me…' Hermione wept. Malfoy had taken advantage of her when she was upset and her mother had fallen ill. That was how she had become pregnant. Hermione stood up weakly. She couldn't apparate, so she had to do the next best thing. Walk home.

It was raining outside. Thunderclouds rumbled over head. Hermione didn't care. She was in her own world of depressing thoughts. And the rain just added into her depressing world. She didn't have any muggle money or wizard money with her to use a cab or call the Knight Bus. And with no strength to apparate she had no choice. She walked down the busy muggle street. No one really noticed her, and if they did they wouldn't help her in any way. She was in pain and no one cared. Hermione was knocked by people, making her wince. She was so tired and she was soaking. Her vision was becoming blurry and she thought she would black out at any moment. Hermione passed music stores, which blared the newest songs, causing her headache to increase, and restaurants where the smell of food made Hermione hungry. Hermione scolded herself for being hungry and based her thoughts on reaching home. Lightning illuminated the sky and people rushed for shelter. Hermione still walked down the busy street, stumbling over her feet as she tried to speed up. She had started to shiver uncontrollably and her throat felt dry and hoarse. Hermione reached the end of the street. As she walked further and further her surrounding turned from town to suburbs to countryside, It had stopped raining by now. Loose strands of Hermione's hair were plastered to her face. But her tears kept flowing down. With every step she took, her hips would ache. She stopped a while and rested by the roadside that would lead to her house. Hermione took out her wand. She wished she had a broomstick to carry her home. Instead, Hermione pointed the wand at herself and tried to ease her pain a little. He cuts stopped bleeding and her head stopped throbbing. Hermione then used any magic she had left to try and apparate back home.

Crookshanks greeted her with a sad look when she arrived home. She smiled weakly at her cat and picked him up and hugged him. Crookshanks licked her face like all loving cats. She then walked upstairs still holding her cat. She checked up on Varee. She slept soundly. She then walked into her mother's room. She froze at the silence. You could normally hear her breathing but the deathly silence replaced that. Hermione walked up to her mother and felt the temperature of her mother. She was cold and pale. Tears Hermione thought she had used up ran down her face. Hermione lifted her blanket over her face.

"Mother." She whispered before breaking down in tears.

A few days later, Hermione had her buried under an oak tree over looking a small lake. It was peaceful and her mother always liked the serenity of the lake. Hermione lay down a single rose on the grave. And silent tears swept down her face.

"Rest in peace mother." Hermione whispered and walked back to the house.

It was the Holiday season so she had leave from work. Christmas was in two weeks and she knew she would be spending it alone. But she would still buy Varee and Crookshanks a present. Even though she was depressed she wouldn't let her depression ruin Christmas for her baby and cat.

***

Hermione tried to keep busy. She had decorated the house and put up a Christmas tree. She knew it was pointless and no one would come and admire the decorations but it gave her something to do. She had also become surprised when her young daughter had started to crawl and sit up by herself. She was happy to see her daughter was a fast learner.

It had started to snow and Hermione kept inside her house. She always told Varee stories of her time in Hogwarts with Harry, Ron and Hagrid. The baby would look at her with curious eyes listen to her mother's voice. Telling Varee stories of her time in Hogwarts became her favourite past time. Hermione smiled at her daughter and tickled her with the end of her long braid. Varee giggled in delight and Crookshanks would curl up beside the fire as Hermione sat on her couch bonding with her daughter.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Hermione turned to the window and saw an owl. She opened the window and let the owl in. The owl dropped a letter for Hermione and then flew beside Crookshanks to warm up by the fire. Hermione opened the letter. The handwriting was quite messy but understandable. It read –

Dear Hermione,

Merry Christmas! It's been a while sine I last heard from you but I just figured you were busy with the paper and all. Well, I'm holding a little reunion at the Three Broomsticks this Saturday. Harry, Ron and all the Weasley's will be there. And I hoping to see you there too. Please come. We'd all like to hear from you. We've missed you lots.

Yours Faithfully, Hagrid.

Hermione's spirits brightened up. She hadn't seen all her friends in along time and being with friends this Christmas would be a lot better than being alone. She grabbed some parchment and a quill and wrote-

Dear Hagrid,

Sure I'll come. I can't wait! I'll see you all on Saturday!

Love, Hermione.

Hermione tied the letter to the owl, paid it 5 Knuts and sent it away once the snowing had stopped. She hadn't been this happy and excited in a long time. It felt almost new to her. She then sat back down on the couch. She looked at Varee. Varee would finally meet everyone. She smiled and looked at Crookshanks who looked at her with a curious look.

"You know I won't leave you here all alone!" Hermione smiled.

Crookshanks expression brightened and he jumped onto Hermione's lap. She stroked his fur gently and smiled. She'd be back with her friends and people she considered family.