A/N: Sorry this too so long!! I got a major case of writers block. So, enjoy!

Chapter 7

Hermione rolled around in her cocoon of sheets, hastily trying to hide from the roasting glare of the daybreak sun. Exposing her eyes to the vivid daylight, Hermione sank her head into the pillow, reflecting to the preceding night.

It was as if someone had taken a picture and stamped it in Hermione's mind. Ron and Joey were meant to be together, it was as plain as the stars in the night sky. She had watched the two, first with the regular unease that she typically had when she worried about Joey. But it didn't last long. As she had watched the duo eat their ice cream, (or should she say play as they did more of that then eat) her unease melted away and was substituted with profound amusement.

Hermione exhaled gently as she rotated onto her side. The truth made her heart twist with grief. Ron made a great father for her son; last night was evidence. If only she hadn't left Hogwarts, where would she and Ron be? The first thought that swam to the surface was married, but Hermione pushed it away. She recalled Ron in their fifth year telling them that he didn't like the idea of matrimony and now she had to agree. Her mother and father were an ideal example. Her mother had always obeyed her father's orders and didn't dare argue with him. Mr. Granger had had the anger of a famished lion, and Mrs. Granger was the deer, quiet and respectful.

As she thought of her mother, she realized that she ought to visit her soon. Hermione edged out of her bed and made her direction towards the mirror. She would start brushing that mob of bushy hair, but not know. Today was her day with Joey before leaving for a week's worth of employment. And besides, Joey liked it when her hair looked like something a cyclone went through.

Speaking of Joey..................

Hermione rushed out of her bedroom. Where the hell was Joey? Every morning he would greet her in bed, so where was her special welcome today?

"Joey?" Hermione crossed into Joey's room. He was nowhere.

Hermione's fretfulness increased as she traveled downstairs, a colossal lump growing in her throat.

"Joey???" she yelled. Hermione searched the kitchen with her eyes. No Joey. She searched the hall. No Joey. Where was Joey?

Hermione was just about to look out in the garden when something or someone sounded off a vast, "CRASH!" followed by a small youngster's giggling, and a man's booming laughter.

Hermione halted. What was a man doing in her house? Unless..........

"Ronald Weasley."

Ron's head snapped up. Turning around to face the mother, Ron sensed his throat turning sandpaper dry.

"Uh...It's....uh.........nice to see you ....um Hermione." Ron stared at her in a mixture of incredulity and astonishment.

Hermione took his answer to great consideration as she pursued Ron's gaze.

"Oh." Hermione felt her face blaze with embarrassment. Had she known that Ron was going to be here, she would had dressed in something a little more suitable than a pair of boxer shorts and over-sized T-shirt.

Hermione rushed to the couch and sat down, her eyes still glowing with irritation.

"What are you doing here?" she asked coolly.

Ron stood up. His ears wore a nice shade of pink, which, as Hermione remembered, meant that he was highly embarrassed as well.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, his stare fixed on Joey who seemed delighted with a new kid snitch that only flew about 10 feet into the air. "But I saw this in a shop, and I thought he might like it."

"You can' keep buying him things." cried Hermione, "He needs to learn to be chaste and kind."

"What do you mean," Ron turned to Hermione. "I have had a good look around this house while you were sleeping. Barely any toys. He has got to get a life sometime."

Hermione stood up, anger pushing throughout her.

"He. Does. Have. A. Life." Hermione shrieked. "Who was there when he was born? Who had to pay child support? Who was there to be at his first birthday? Who gave him to life? Me! Do I see you anywhere in this picture? No! So don't talk about his life, Mister Weasley, since you weren't around for over half of it!"

Ron gritted his teeth. His perfectly smooth face was creased into wrinkles.

"If you want to be the only parent in his life," Ron retorted, his ears were hard to see in his hair by now. "Then guess what sister, you just got your wish!!"

Joey looked between the two. What was going on? Why were this funny man and his mama fighting? Then, like all little kids do when tension is in the air, Joey began to cry.

Both adults looked down. Clutching Joey in her arms, Hermione picked Joey up.

"Now see what you did?" she shot Ron a heated gaze. "You made him cry."

"I did not. We both did."

Hermione ignored Joey's father. Taking the little boy into the kitchen, she set him into his highchair and began to boil water for the porridge.

"Listen, Hermione." Ron emerged in the doorway, his hands carefully tucked into the pant pockets, his hair rumbled, and his ears lighter, but still an insipid pink. "I am willing to pay child support from now on, if you just give me a chance."

Hermione looked up at him.

"I can't do that." She replied, her eyes now fixed on her stirring hands. "I think it is time for you to go."

Ron glowered at Hermione. Spinning on his heel, Ron stormed from the house, the door echoing through the house.

===============================

"What the hell were you thinking?"

September 7, 2003

Abby spun out of her chair and moved to the file cabinet.

"I mean really," she asked, "He even offered to pay child support. If it wasn't for that thick head of yours, you might have accepted his offer. It is rare to see men agree to pay child support you know. So why didn't you take it?"

London Zoo

Numerous animals flee zoo

"WELL?!"

Hermione slammed her pencil into the desk.

"Because," she thought for an answer. She was discouraged when she couldn't think of one. "Just because."

"Just because?" Abby looked as if she had seen a Martian. "Just because? What kind of mother really are you? Don't answer that. Why? Because you aren't a very good one, that's all I can say."

Abby caved into her cave and started typing frantically.

Hermione blinked back tears. What if Abby was right? What if she wasn't a good mother? Hermione stared out the window. Ron was out there somewhere; probably working at the Ministry of Magic.

================================

If Hermione had been thinking that only an hour prior, then she would have been correct.

"Would you like me to talk to her?" Ginny had asked.

"She's probably worried that you will hurt Joey or something." Fred said. "She'll get better about it."

Ron shrugged off everyone's responses. Nothing would help. Well maybe an apology from Hermione, but that was about it.

Ron slugged his way into the Leaky Cauldron, ordering three firewhiskeys and a double-decker sandwich.

What was up with that lady? Ron slammed his bottle of firewhiskey down. Didn't she know anything about parenthood? How do she think he felt about the news of his son?

Ron took a swig. The burning taste didn't compare to what he felt right now. Hermione may have changed in many ways, but her tenacity was still the same as it had been only a few years back.

Ron took another swallow of the nasty stuff. His muscles twitched to throw the bottle across the room, but he had only recently managed to keep control over his temper and he planned to keep it that way.

"Hey there honey."

Ron practically suffocated on his alcohol as the voice scared the daylight out of him.

"Oh my gosh." The female exclaimed. "I am like....so sorry. Are you Ok?"

"Yeah," Ron rubbed his throat, the pain still lingering in his esophagus. "Don't worry about it. I'm Ok."

"Oh goodie!!! I am like.......so glad!" The female bounced in her seat, her chest bobbing up and down with her.

Ron struggled not to watch her boobs jingle in ecstasy, but it was very hard to accomplish.

"So what's ya name?" she harmoniously asked.

"Ronald, but you can call me Ron. Everyone else does."

"Oh my gosh!" she clutched his arm blissfully. "That is like....the best name ever!"

"Really?!" Ron muttered droopily, but the blond apparently didn't hear him.

"My name is like.....so dull. It's Melody." She giggled, not bothering to remove her arm from around Ron's.

"That's a nice name." Ron said. Melody giggled at a higher note, and Ron could have sworn his eardrums had burst from the noise.

"Oh my gosh!" Melody laughed, the sound flowing smooth and silkily. "That is like......the best thing anyone has ever said to me before."

Ron could have snorted with doubt. A girl like her, and a stunning one at that, would receive tons of compliments, some even better than ones like "that's a nice name" and such. Ron looked into his bottle and his stomach sunk when he found not even a drop left.

Oh my gosh. Like....you don't have anymore firewhiskey don't you?"

If Ron heard one more "Oh my gosh" and/or "like" tonight, he would like.......go crazy.

"Bartender!" Melody sang. The bartender shuffled over.

"We need another firewhiskey. Actually," Melody smiled at Ron. "Make that two."

===================================

Like I said, I am so sorry I haven't been able to update this story sooner. I really couldn't think of anything to write for this chapter, but don't worry. I think I have some ideas for future chapters. So I hope you enjoyed this!!!