Disclaimer: I do not own any of the plot, characters or content in the Harry Potter series. They all belong to J.K. Rowling. I am not affiliated with her in any way.
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The next morning I woke up early, hoping to get a quick breakfast before leaving. No, you're hoping not to run into anybody. Especially him.
I sighed and rubbed my eyes. The little voices were back in my head, and I was seriously thinking I was going insane. I padded into the kitchen and walked to the cupboard, searching for some cereal.
"You're up early."
I whirled around, holding the cereal box to my chest. Ron was sitting at the table, clad only in pajama bottoms. He had plainly been up for awhile, but hadn't bothered to actually get dressed...or brush his hair for that matter.
"I could say the same for you" I muttered before starting to pour cereal into a bowl.
"Hey, I was just joking" he laughed.
I stalked to the table, banging my bowl onto the surface, and plopping down in the chair. I kept my eyes trained on the floating pieces of grain. "Well, maybe you should keep your comments to yourself" I said icily.
"What has gotten into you?"
I pushed away my bowl impatiently, milk sloshing over onto the clean table. I leveled my gaze with him, although mine was just as cold as my voice. "Your wife made a complete and total mockery of me yesterday!"
"What do you mean?" he looked honestly confused.
"He would never abandon me to sleep with an intruder. No one will ever take my Ronnie away!" I mimicked in a high-pitched voice.
He frowned, standing up. "Don't talk about Evelyn that way! She's a decent and honest person who..."
"Don't talk about her like that?" I stood up, marching over to him. Raising my hand, I gave him a swift slap across his face, leaving a stinging red mark. His own hand immediately flew up to touch it and he winced. "You are a complete and total prat Ronald Weasley! She tormented me last night and yet you stand up for her!"
"She is my..."
"Oh, don't you dare say she's your wife and that gives you all the reason in the world to forget about me! I was always there for you Ron! I was your friend through Hogwarts...I was..."
"Never there."
I raised my hand, ready to slap him again but he caught it.
"Tell me, Hermione, where were you these past six years, huh? Where were you the night after out 'mistake'? Where were you Hermione?"
Just taking care of your daughter as all my dreams faded to dust. Just hoping that some day you would arrive at my doorstep like a knight in shining armor. Just hoping against hope that you wouldn't marry that wench.
"I was living in reality."
"And what is reality, Hermione? Is it where you completely ignore your best friends? Is it where you run out on your life because of one honest 'mistake'?"
I flinched. If he called that night a mistake once more, I would probably go into hysterics.
"My reality is where I threw you out of my life Ron. It's where I pretended not to care for you. It is where I laid in bed every single damn night hoping that you wouldn't marry Evelyn."
"Hermione...I..."
I didn't stop, by then I was on a roll and I knew if I stopped, I would never say these things. "It is when I wake up every morning at six o'clock to make sure everything is in order before going to work, after making sure my daughter has been dropped off at daycare. It is where I look into my daughter's eyes every damn day and lie to her about her father. That is my reality."
He looked dumbfounded. "Y...you're daughter?" he choked out.
"Yes, my daughter" I snapped. "Or, should I say our daughter?" His eyes grew wide. "It turns out our little, 'mistake', as you like to call it, produced a child. Funny thing, sex is, isn't it? Just one night of lust can give you life-altering consequences. Of course, lucky for you, you didn't have to deal with them."
Even though, moments earlier, I had been on the verge of tears, now anger pumped through my veins. Sure, I knew it was my fault that Ron had never been there. But that wasn't the point.
Yes it is. You just want to blame him for your own stupidity. It's your fault. I shook my head, trying to clear away the annoying thoughts.
"Am I interrupting something?"
Ron and I turned at the same time. He looked one hundred percent puzzled; I was ready to faint.
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Wanda stood at the doorway, seemingly uncomfortable, Anna standing next to her with her bag hoisted on her back.
I was the first to break the silence. "Wanda! What an...unexpected surprise" I gritted through my teeth.
She blushed, obviously embarrassed about the whole thing. "I'm so sorry Hermione, but the office called me out. It seems they want me to go to a conference in Spain as a representative. I swear, I didn't know anything about it until today!"
I nodded. "Well, thanks for taking care of Anna. You should probably leave now then. Owl me when you get back" I forced a smile onto my face.
Wanda nodded curtly and disaparrated. I looked down at Anna and tousled her hair, pretending that I didn't feel like I was being watched my hundreds of people, when in fact, only Ron's searing gaze was upon me.
I took a deep breath before turning to face Ron. There was realization on his face as he watched us. I put a protective hand on Anna's shoulder, squeezing lightly. She looked up and smiled at me.
"Is this...?" Ron began.
"Anna, I'd like you to meet Ron, a friend of mine" I spoke loudly, covering up Ron's words. "Ron, this is Anna, my daughter."
"Uh, hullo Anna" Ron said hoarsely. Anna beamed and hugged me around the middle.
"Ronnie! Where are you...oh!" Evelyn came waltzing into the kitchen. She stopped when she noticed me, her eyes narrowing as they landed on Anna. I noticed, with distaste, that she was clad in only a silk robe that barely covered her.
"Hello Hermione...and who exactly is this?" she remarked pompously.
Ron fidgeted slightly, obviously not too happy with the turn of events. He's probably nervous you're going to rat him out. He doesn't want to lose his bimbo of a wife because you, the nervous wreck, will unleash the past. I felt myself smirk as an image of him being dumped by the rich, scantily clad wench flashed through my mind. Well, I'm not about to give him that kind of satisfaction. "This is my daughter, Anna."
Evelyn's expression changed to that of a catlike demeanor. "Your daughter? Well, Hermione, that really does classify you as a slut now doesn't it?" she cooed.
I felt Anna's grasp tighten around me out of fear. I opened my mouth to speak, but Ron beat me to it. "Anna, why don't you take a bowl of cereal and go out into the living room, would you like that?" he asked. Anna let go of me and nodded.
Ron flashed a smile before preparing a bowl of cereal, handed it to Anna and pointed to where the living room was. Once she was out of sight, Ron blew up at his wife.
"Exactly what were you thinking using that kind of language in front of a child?" he asked incredulously.
"Oh, don't act so melodramatic Ronnie! I was pointing out the facts." Evelyn smirked. "She is a slut you know, she probably doesn't even know who the father is."
Before Ron could say anything, I quickly interrupted. "Yes, Evelyn, that's it. Man, I got so damn drunk one night, was I out of it! That guy at the bar! Was he ever fine! So, we just moseyed up to a room, and had the time of our lives! I swear, the whole night we just went at it. What a shame really, that I don't really remember it. Didn't even know the guy's name, but you know, that's the upside of being in the business. You get to have fun with every guy you want, and don't ever have to contact them again!"
"I knew it! You are nothing but a cheap slut! Trying to get all over my Ronnie and all..."
"Oh, come off it Evelyn! Both you and I know that even if I did sleep with Ron, it wouldn't really matter, now would it? As you said, I'm a slut. I sleep around. Loads of fun, you should really try it. But, that's not the point. The point is, is that if Ron ever slept with me, it would be his decision, and not because I seduced him."
"You know what you are?" she shrieked. "You are a low, foul, evil..."
"No!" I yelled at her before lowering my voice. "I am anything but all those names you were about to call me. I am human, I live in reality and I actually give a damn. I wouldn't blame Ron if he slept with me, because, frankly, I couldn't imagine someone not wanting a break from a prim and proper wench like you."
"Ronnie! Say something!"
Ron just stood there, dumbfounded. My guess is that he had never seen two girls fight like that. Sure, there had been the occasional fight between Pansy and me while we attended Hogwarts, but that was only silly duels and name-calling. I hated Evelyn with every essence of my body. She was the foulest thing I had ever met...well, maybe not the foulest. Draco could sure give her a run for her money...
"Evelyn, there really isn't anything I can say..."
"Oh! So you're taking her side now, are you?"
"No, I..."
"Don't even start with me Ronnie! Ever since she came back it's been all about her!"
"That's not true! It's just that..."
"What is all this ruckus in my house?"
I closed my eyes, hoping that the voice I had just heard wasn't what I thought it was.
Unfortunately, when I opened my eyes, all hopes were dashed. In the doorway stood Mrs. Weasley, and behind her were all the inhabitants of The Burrow.
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We're getting close people!! bites fingernails I'm actually almost done the story...butI keep fixing things so that's why these chapters take awhile to get posted. Hope you liked this one...review!