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Chapter 2: Don'tEmily and Hermione arrived at their house. They just plopped themselves down on the floor in the midst of all the boxes and furniture.
"Mom...?" Emily whispered tapping her mother gently. "Mom, I'm sorry."
Hermione smiled through her tears. "Oh honey, it's not your fault. I'm sorry I yelled at you. It was just an accident."
Emily looked up sharply. "Well, I was talking about you and that man you just slapped, but I'm sorry about that too."
Hermione let out a hollow laugh. "I'm not sorry I slapped that asshole..." she mumbled.
"Mom?"
"What is it, Lee?"
"Who was that anyway?"
Hermione looked at her hands and sighed. "That, honey, was a man I fell in love with a long time ago..."
"You mean... He's my...?"
"Yes he is," Hermione looked at her daughter. "Do you want to know what happened?"
"More than anything," Emily breathed. "Please... I want to know what happened."
And so, Hermione began to tell her daughter about the worst night of her life. The night she was betrayed by everything and everyone she had ever trusted.(Back at Diagon Alley)
"Holy shit," Fred said aloud. "Holy SHIT."
"Fred! Shut up!" Ginny scolded smacking her older brother on the arm.
"Hermione has a daughter..." Ron thought aloud.
"I wonder who the father is...?" Fred said to no one in particular. Then everyone looked at George, who was staring at the ground. "George? Are you alright?" Before he could answer, Luna and Justin Finch-Fletchley came running to them.
"Ron!" Luna shrieked when they reached the group. "Hermione's here! She owled Justin last night, but he just got the owl this morning because the owl came from New York!" She jumped up and down happily. "Can you believe it? She's here!" Luna waved a picture in front of Ron's face. "And this is her daughter, Emily Granger! She looks just like our Hermione!"
"Luna, sweetie," Ron said calming her down. "We know." He told Luna and Justin what had just happened.
"Whoa..." Justin said turning to George. "What did you do George?"
"Well, that would have been expected right?" drawled a voice behind them. Draco Malfoy.
"What are you doing here Malfoy?" Ron spat. "And what do you know about anything? And why do you sound weird?"
"For your information, Weasel, Hermione and I became close friends when she moved to New York. We lived pretty close to each other and worked together for this American entertainment magazine called 'People'. Naturally, I know what happened that night." Draco smirked at them. "And I don't blame her at all for her actions." Everyone, except for Justin, gaped at him.
"You... were friends... with Hermione?" Harry said in disbelief.
"Did I stutter, Potty?" Draco scowled.
"He's telling the truth, you know," Justin said suddenly walking to Draco. "I went to America for a few months because of a Ministry assignment, and I stayed with Hermione and Emily. Draco and Hermione are actually pretty close, whether you like it or not." Justin turned to Draco. "What happened to you? What are you doing here? Where's Sarah?"
"Sarah?" Harry asked. "Who's that?"
"Sarah is my wife, Potty," Draco responded icily.
"Wife?" Fred sputtered. "Who in their right mind would marry you?"
"I would," came another voice. A beautiful brunette came up to Draco and kissed his cheek. "I am Sarah Malfoy," she said smiling charmingly at everyone. "Justin, Mary Anne is waiting for you at Flourish and Blotts."
"Oh, I best be off. See you later, everyone!" And Justin Disapparated to Flourish and Blotts.
"Draco darling, we'd better get going too. We have a banquet to attend on the Parkinson's estate." She smiled at everyone once more. "Nice meeting you all," And then Sarah and Draco Disapparated. Then Luna said that she should be heading back to the office before her boss noticed she was gone.
Fred, Harry, Ginny, Ron, and George were shocked once more. The whole world had flipped upside down. Draco and Hermione were friends; Hermione had a daughter...
George started to walk away until Fred stopped him. "George? Where are you going?"
"I'm going after her," he said with his jaw set. And in the blink of an eye, he Flooed away.
While Hermione was cooking dinner the Muggle way, she heard someone arrive in the fireplace by Floo Powder. She poked her head in the living room and saw George standing there.
"What the hell are you doing in my house?" Hermione snarled.
"Hermione, if you would just let me explain..." George said walking towards her.
Hermione held out a spatula in front of her threateningly. "Get out of my house. I don't ever want to see you-"
She was interrupted by Emily walking inside taking off her rollerblades and helmet. "Mom, did you know that-?" She saw George and her mom. "What's going on?"
"Sweetie, go to your room. George and I have to discuss a few things." As Emily walked upstairs, Hermione turned to go back into the kitchen. George followed her.
"Look, Hermione, I'm sorry about everything." George started his speech.
"I'm over all of this already. You and I are no longer together, thanks to you. And I've gotten on with my life. I'm happy. I had a great job in America, and I have a great job here. I've got a new house, and I'm back with my family again after 12 years. And... I've got Emily. That's all I need."
George looked at Hermione, expecting for her to say she was married or had a boyfriend. "Emily?"
"Yes, Emily my daughter." Hermione put rice in the rice cooker and turned it on.
"Hermione..." George said coming closer.
"What?" Hermione snarled chopping up some carrots.
"Who's Emily's father?" he asked softly. Hermione stopped and stared at the carrots. He saw her wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. "Hermione... is Emily my daughter too?" he whispered. She didn't answer. "Is she-?"
"Yes, Emily's your daughter!" she yelled suddenly, causing him to jump back in surprise. "Happy now? Emily Elizabeth Granger is your daughter George Weasley, but I raised her. And if you try to take her away from me, I swear to god I'll-"
George had his hands up in surrender. "I'm not going to try and do that to you Hermione," he said looking at her straight in the eye for the first time in 12 years. His breath caught in his throat as he remembered the last time she looked him in the eye. That night she found out the truth. George choked back a sob. "I-I know y-you love her 'Mione, and-"
"Don't," Hermione snarled, "call me that."
"Look, I just wanted to know, alright? Is that such a crime? You never even told me!"
"Told you?" Hermione's eyes were suddenly bright with tears, her hair a wild mess. "I was going to tell you George! I wanted to tell you that-" Hermione stopped, tears falling from her face. "I-I... Shit," she fell to the ground sobbing.
George kneeled down and automatically tried to wipe away her tears but she brushed moved her face, not wanting to touch him. "Hermione, I told you I was sorry..."
"I know you are George," Hermione whispered. "You're always sorry. Sorry about everything. Thinking that if you say 'sorry' I'd just forgive and forget just like how I always did!" She looked at his face, which was now covered in tears too. "I'm sorry too," she added.
"What?" He looked at her, somewhat hopeful, and somewhat in shock.
"I'm sorry I ever met you," Hermione said looking away again. "I'm sorry that you had to be the one I had to fall in love with. I'm sorry that I ever cared about you," she said with her voice turning into a harsh whisper.
"Hermione, don't say that. You don't really mean it, do you?"
"Don't," she said between sobs, "don't tell me what I feel, George. Don't act like you know me, because you don't. I'm a complete stranger to you. I always was. Stupid me, I was actually fooled by everything you said, acting like a lovesick little girl. Like a little plaything for you! You promised me-"she sobbed "you promised me that you would never ever hurt me. You promised me that you would love me forever. I can't believe I trusted you. I gave you my heart, and you just tossed it away as if it were nothing. So don't think that I'm willing to forget about it, no matter how long it's been." She broke down and couldn't say another word.
"Oh Hermione," George said taking her into his arms crying too. "Hermione, I love you so much. I just... I'm sorry..." He closed his eyes and rested his head on hers, smelling the familiar scent of her soft brown hair, and she just cried and cried. He kissed her hair telling her over and over that he was sorry and that he loved her so much.
"Why... why..." she repeated. They just stayed there for a few minutes, on the kitchen floor, Hermione enveloped in George's arms.
All of a sudden, there came a scream. "Mommy!!!!" a voice cried out.
They both jumped up. "Emily!" Hermione shouted racing upstairs to Emily's room, George following closely. Emily was nowhere to be seen. Hermione looked out of the window, and saw her daughter's body on the ground, seemingly lifeless. "Oh my god..." she whispered. "George! George!" she screamed. "Emily's in the yard! She's hurt!"
Hermione ran downstairs, too panicked to use magic, and raced to her daughter's body being held in George's arms.
"St. Mungo's," was all George managed to get out.
Hermione nodded. "Floo. We'll Floo there..."
And they went.
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