Chapter Thirteen: The 'Not'
Molly stared blankly at the two of them. Were they seriously be doing it purely for Destin? And if they were didn't they realize that's not a reason for marriage? "Marriage should be agreed from love . . . not . . ." she trailed off angrily. "How could you . . . Why would you . . ."
Hermione began to feel the sudden pressure; she'd never even considered that Molly would react anything other than ecstatic happiness. "Molly, try to think of it this way; love is built on respect and compatibility. Ron and I have lived in the same dorm for seven years; obviously we can live together with no . . . well there won't be as many fights this time around. I completely respect Ron for all his accomplishments." She stopped and stared daggers at Ron (who decided he was hungry again and had a huge mouthful of food.
"Yah, am I tink Mione ith a-"
"Swallow please," Hermione instructed and Molly rolled her eyes.
Ron took a giant gulp. He started over. "Mione has done a wonderful job raising Destin. It's hard not to respect the person who raised your daughter."
Molly nodded, but still didn't agree with their decision. "Okay, so you'll be able to live together with no serious crime, but that still doesn't change the fact that you married - no eloped - for the right reason." She sat down muttering about her baby boy never doing things right. "It's not that I don't think you'll make it," she continued. "I'm sure you'll be happy for a very long time, but you've only been reacquainted for a month! So many things have changed in your lives that the other might not know yet . . ."
"It's always great learning new things about each other. We'll be able to cope with anything," Hermione reassured.
"What happens when nothing is new and fresh? You know, when life is uneventful?"
Ron laughed. "We have a seven-year old daughter; times will always be eventful."
Molly gave up, there was nothing she could really do about it. "Fine, if you two are completely sure. So when will Destin meet Tayhe?"
Ron stopped dead, stunned. Mione, however, had a look of confusion on her face. "Who is Tayhe?"
"You don't know?" Molly exclaimed. "Surprise number one, starting early is the best way I suppose."
"Surprise?" She turned to Ron, who went red from her glare. "Ron, what is she talking about?"
How was he going to do this? Directly would be the best way. "Tayhe would be Destin's half-brother." He refused to look at her.
"Her what?" Hermione shrieked.
"Her half-"
"I heard what you said Ronald," she yelled. "But her what?"
This wasn't something he was planning on jumping into too quickly. He figured he would slowly introduce his past relationships, then tell her what happened. "Hermione, I'm really sorry. You know what I did when you disappeared. I hid from my feelings by using Luna." He clearly regretted his past choices. "The second time around I couldn't hid anymore. I knew I had clown it and no matter what I did, where I went, I couldn't find you. After two months with no one having any contact with you I gave up any real hope of ever finding you. I started going to the Three Broomsticks almost every night. A waitress questioned me why U was down there depressed so often; this was after I was starting to think fire whisky wasn't quite strong enough even though my mouth was numb. All I really remember was she offering to cheer me up."
Hermione was furious. "What is this, something you read in some trash romance novel?" Hermione rubbed her head in a feeble attempt to help lessen the throbbing. She started to pace around the room. "What happened when you found out?"
Ron took a deep breath, no longer was he ashamed, but seemed troubled. "Eva and I decided to live with each other but not marry right away. After Tayhe was born a prophecy was make. 'The eldest of the youngest Weasley son, will grow into power only meant for one.' Of course we didn't hear about this until after it was too late, about a month after he was born. The eldest of my children was thought to be Tayhe. They night it happened, I had taken Tayhe to the Burrow so Eva could have the house to herself and relax.
"Attacked and tortured into insanity," Ron's voice was now saddened anger. "Just . . . out of anyone's control. I went . . . crazy. I informed the Ministry and signed her into St. Mongo's, but took things into my own hands. I couldn't stand it that someone might get away with this. Finally he looked up to Hermione's horrified face. She had stopped pacing, and was standing by the counter, holding it for support. Ron continued, "That is why the Malfoy's were sentenced to a life sentence in Azkaban. That is why Dumbledore gave me a job as an Auror. That is how I found out about Destin."
Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing, this was a nightmare. "I'm sorry Ron, I had no idea."
"How could you though? But that was the reason we had to marry. Don't you see? If I had married Eva, then it would have been though impossible to break the power of our child. None of this would have happened. So when we found out that Tayhe wasn't even my first born . . . Destin had to be a total secret. So after a year of questions about why Tayhe was safe, even though we had still not married, I decided to send Tayhe to his aunt in Canada. Eva was muggle born and no one knew of her family so he would be safe. She'd almost refused to tell me about her family, but introduced me two days before the incident. I see Tayhe mostly on weekends by Floo powder. I take him to see Eva once or twice a month so he'll remember. I'm just doing my best to keep things normal for him."
Hermione nodded in agreement. "When can Destin and I meet him?"
*
It took two weeks before they could set a date for the meeting. Destin was angry when she found out her parents got married without telling or inviting her. She refused to speak to either of them for three days before she finally decided to forget about it. Hermione had expected this type of reaction but Ron took it hard. He, unlike Hermione, wasn't used to his daughter ignoring him. This did create time for him to move his stuff in.
He moved his study into a corner of Destin's playroom temporarily before hiring a team of construction workers (who advertised in the Daily Prophet) to build an entire upstairs. So much was happening for Destin they decided to tell her a week before he came. She still wasn't her usual self, but was finally getting excited because of all the building going on.
They called her downstairs after lunch and told her directly her half brother was coming from Canada in a week to meet her. Ron looked at his daughter, If she didn't talk to him again he'd die, "What are you thinking about Dee?" She looked up at him with a weird look on her face. 'What is she feeling?' he thought.
"Does he know about me?" she asked curiously. "I mean . . . has he always known?"
Ron nodded. "Yes, but only that you existed. He wouldn't have been able to contact you or -" Ron never got to finish.
Destin stood up angrily. "Everyone's known about me but I've never heard about any of them!" she yelled. "This isn't fair!" Destin ran outside and didn't stop until she'd found her hiding spot. A place she'd often run to when angry or upset in the future, she never understood how critical this spot really was. A small trial past the old paddock that hadn't been used in years lead to it; a cave barely visible even if you were looking for it. It would be impossible to see if you just walking by.
She crawled to the corner and curled her knees up to her chest. She hugged her legs and rested her head on her knees. "Why did everything have to change?" she wondered out loud. "It was so much easier before." Her anger with her parents slowly started to subside, though she felt it'd stay forever.
*
The day had finally came. Tayhe would be coming to the Burrow around lunch, then come with Ron back to the house. He was supposed to stay for the weekend and he had his own room set up upstairs now.
"Destin, come in here so I can do you hear nice," Hermione called from the bathroom.
Destin, who was trying to figure out if she was nervous and scared or excited and bored, dragged her feet into the bathroom. "My hair is fine mom," she insisted.
Hermione smiled. "Yes, but lets keep it out of your face. Here -"
"I can do it myself mom." Destin put on a strained expression as if trying to remember something, then her out-of-control long hair had turned into a completely-controlled straight look that hung two inches past her shoulders. She picked up two clips and clipped her hair back. "Am I done?"
Hermione, mouth opened, nodded in amazement. She heard Destin bounce upstairs and was still standing there shocked when she heard the front door opening. With a flick of her wand she cleaned the bathroom and started out into the hall.
Hermione walked up to Tayhe and offered her hand. "Hi Tayhe, and I've heard lots about you. I'm Hermione." There was slow thumps coming form the staircase beside them. (The newly built spiral edition was placed in the corner of the living room just a couple feet away from the door.) Destin, blank faced, sat on the last stair and half smiled.
Tayhe looked up at Hermione shyly and shook her hand. "Hello, it's nice to meet you." He gave a weak smile. Ron closed the door with his foot because he had a suitcase in one hand and a place of food in the other.
Destin spoke up. "Hi. Destin," she welcomed in her idea of polite.
The thin boy turned and looked at her. "Hi, Tayhe," he replied uncertainly. Destin studied him seriously. He didn't really look like a Weasley, though his skin was pale like Tons and he did have a general resemblance to him. Tayhe had dark, almost black, hair that contrasted with his pale gray eyes. It was weird, because his eyes seemed identical to Ron's in Destin's eyes. He also had freckles along his cheeks and nose, and Tayhe looked more like at the age of five, not seven.
"How about I show you up to your room?" Hermione offered as she grabbed his suitcase from Ron. "Destin, could you help you dad put the foot out? And when I say help, I mean make sure he doesn't eat it all."
Destin and Tayhe both laughed hysterically, but Ron glared at Hermione (before giving a wink). Destin went to the kitchen and watched Hermione show Tayhe the new addition to the house.
"So, what do you think of your brother?" Ron asked as he set the plate on the counter; Molly had made her special sandwiches for them. This was the first time Destin didn't think to correct him by saying half-brother.
"He's polite with a good sense of humor," she responded thoughtfully.
"You got all that from him saying 'Hi, Tayhe.'?"
"The polite might be mistaken for shyness, I'll admit, but he laughed at Mom's joke. I thought it was funny too so he obviously had the right idea about things. And he didn't look at me weird when I introduced myself."
"You've always had a different way of looking at things," Ron chuckled.
"And he doesn't look like me," she added.
"Yeah, he resembles Eva more than me," Ron explained. "Is that good or bad?"
"Good, nobody will mix us up or think we're twins. Uncle Fred and Uncle George seem to like it, but I don't think I would." Ron smiled; Destin seemed older than seven. He heard laughing, then Hermione and Tayhe appeared coming down the stairs.
*
"Do you like your room?"
Tayhe looked around. "Yup."
Hermione smiled. "That's good. Must be a big change coming here. A lot of things happening fast."
He shrugged. "I knew it would happen. I was angry when he told me two weeks ago, but knew I just had to deal with it."
Hermione didn't know Ron had told him that long ago. "He knows what he's doing most of the time. Didn't when he was in school though," she added, trying to lighten things up.
"I've heard stories from my Uncles. But I don't think dad deciding to be a prefect was as bad of a choice as Uncle Fred and Uncle George seem to think," he said innocently.
"Maybe that was why Destin was confused after they owled her."
Tayhe, though obviously confused, replied, "Destin seemed like she adored Dad."
Hermione nodded. "She does, most of the time. What do you . . . uh, think of her?" They headed back towards the stairs.
"I don't know really. I'm just happy we don't look alike. It would've been weird if we did."
"Yeah," she agreed. "Though I just learned she's a Metamorphmagus. It means she can change her appearance at will," she added, spotting his puzzled expression.
"Wow!" he exclaimed. "That would be so cool!"
"I know, so we better watch out for her. She might decide to change her look to match her moods!" They started down the staircase laughing together.
**
A/N: Updated fast didn't I? Thanks for all the reviews, here's the 'Not'. This is my slow introduction what the sequel will be like, about Destin and :O Tayhe. This is what it was all leading up do (Ron didn't have dinner with Hermione because Tayhe was coming, what Hermione assumed was Ron's office was actually Tayhe's bedroom [Ron's office was a room off of his bedroom, though I don't think I wrote that part correctly; I'll change it if its not] and so on and so forth.) Thanks for reading :D, now hit that review button!
