A/N: Sorry about the late update! I was going to do this on Monday, but between me getting dragged out to shop and a car accident, it kept me from doing so. Sorry again! Next update should be sometime tomorrow or Thursday. There's not much left to this story, maybe two or three more chapters.

Chapter 15: Hermione's Secret

It was well past noon before anyone in the house woke up; Hermione was the first one. She got up and went downstairs to get something to eat. As she was making her sandwich, Harry walked in, fully dressed. "Morning, Hermione," He said, yawning.

She laughed, "Harry, it's almost one in the afternoon!"

"What?" he said, she pointed to the clock, "oh." He sat down. "Hey, would you mind making me one of those, please?" she nodded and went back making the sandwiches.

"Is Ginny still sleeping?" Hermione asked, putting a sandwich in front of Harry.

"Yeah, I reckon she'll stay like that for most of the day."

"It's probably all that morphine she had last night. Would you like some soup with that?"

"Yes, please." She pulled two bowls out of the cupboard, along with spoons, and poured the warm chicken soup that was on the stove into them.

"Here," she said, handing it to Harry. He took it as she sat down across from him with her food.

"Hermione, do you think we'll ever find out who took Ginny last night?"

She looked up at him, "Harry, it was Malfoy."

"What? How can you be so sure?"

"Ginny told me, when she first woke up last night."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I figured you had had enough stuff to deal with," Hermione said.

"Yeah, like Ginny never being able to carry children," Harry sighed, put his spoon down and held his head in his hands. "I don't know if I'll ever get over that."

"Don't worry, you will," Hermione said, Harry shook his head. "Trust me, I know." Shit, she mentally scolded herself.

"WHAT?!"

Hermione sighed, there was nothing she could do now; she had slipped. "I suppose I have to tell you now don't I?" she paused, "remember the summer, right after our sixth year at Hogwarts, which I disappeared for a period of time?"

"Yes."

"Well, I went to my boyfriend's home in Russia. I wasn't there very long when I noticed that he started to disappear sometimes at night, finally I found out that he was dating another girl. I was furious with him. I broke up with him instantly, but he wasn't too happy with me, so he-he," she stopped, unable to tell him what she knew she must.

"It's ok, Hermione, you can tell me," Harry told her.

She sighed, "well, lets just say that the same thing that happened to Ginny last night also happened to me that summer." She could no longer, look into his face; she covered her head with her hands and wept. He got up and moved to her, Harry pulled her out of the chair and held her.

After a few seconds he pulled back and quietly asked her, "is this the reason why you won't marry Ron?" she nodded and buried her head in his shoulder once more and sobbed; he just rubbed her back, trying to comfort her as best he could.

"Hermione, baby, what's wrong?" A worried looking Ron stood in the kitchen doorway, gazing at his two best friends in each other's arms.

Harry pushed Hermione from his arms and said, "Hermione has something to tell you, Ron." She looked up at him, her hands still clutching his strong arms, her eyes wide and she shook her head.

"Yes, you have to tell him, Hermione, he deserves to know," Harry whispered.

Ron stood watching the two with a confused look on his face. "Tell me what?" he asked. Hermione groaned and sat down.

Harry saw that she had finally decided to talk to Ron. "I'll just go and see if Ginny has woken up yet." He walked off.

"Hermione?" Ron asked, sitting opposite her at the table.

"Please, Ron, don't make this anymore difficult then it already is," she sighed, "something happened to me the summer before seventh year, that I haven't been able to talk to any of you about, it even kept me from marrying you. Ron, I can't have children. The same thing happened to me, which happened to Ginny last night." She became silent and looked down at the floor, "please don't be angry with me."

"Oh, honey, I'm not mad at you. I love you, that will never change, no matter what happened to you in the past." She looked up at him, a slight smiled appeared on her lips.

"You're not?"

He stood and walked toward her. "No, I could never be mad at you."

She laughed this time and stood to meet his eyes, "well, I don't know about that. But I'm glad that you're not mad." He smiled and bent over to capture her lips in a loving kiss.

They were interrupted by a loud bang and Harry's frantic voice yelling, "RON! HERMIONE! IT'S HIM! HE'S HERE!" That was all they heard, followed by another bang.

The two broke apart instantly, looks of horror on both their faces. Hermione turned and started toward the stairs, but Ron grabbed her arm.

"Here, will you wear this now?" he had pulled out the ring.

Hermione smiled and said, "Give it to me when the world doesn't end." Ron slid the ring back in his pocket, smiled and kissed her once more before they both rushed up the stairs to help their best friend.