Chapter 11: One minute there, the next…gone

Sitting at her desk at home, Hermione knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate on her work with all turmoil in her mind. She remembered back to her dinner at The Burrow, the previous night.

Everybody was so happy for her and she…? Her mind was still in the early morning shock she had received with Ian's sudden visit. For some unknown reason, she wanted to tell Ron about it. So she went up his room, but found nobody. But, before she could turn back, two strong arms caught her at her waist and Ron's warm mouth nuzzled at her neck. Then, she heard a whisper in her ear, "I have been wanting to do that for a long time."

Then he turned her around in his arms, to face him and bent his head to kiss her, when they heard, "Dinner's ready!" Ron cursed in his breath and led her to the kitchen. Mrs.Weasley, no Molly- she was going to take some time getting used to calling her that- had a twinkle in her eye, as if she was seeing her in new light.

Ron gave her a ring which he said Molly had kept aside specially for her. Molly had kept aside a special ring for each of her son's wives, and this was for Ron's wife, that is herself.

Hermione now gazed at her ring, when she noticed a letter on top of her Ministry files. Curiously, she opened it to find Ian's writing on it:

Dear Hermione,

I have done many wrongs in my life and now I am paying for them. My biggest mistake was to desert you and our child. Believe me, I will never be able to forgive myself for it. Hermione, I want us to start our life anew. But for that, I need your forgiveness. Even bigger mistakes have been pardoned and given a second chance. I am but your husband. Do I stand a chance?

Please accept my invitation for dinner tonight at the hotel where I am staying. If you come, I'll be happy and I'll get my answer.

-Ian

If this letter did anything, then it was to multiply the confusion in her mind tenfold. She decided to go with the circumstances demanded, and right now they meant for her accept Ian's invitation to dinner. So, she decided to complete some of the Ministry work she had assigned herself, and fully intended on completing it. The work was not really very heavy or difficult, but it was just a way of keeping her mind of the current problem of her life.

Five o'clock came, and she decided it was time to get ready for her dinner 'date'. She was just leaving her place, when he heard a soft tapping at the window. It was Cosmo. She let him in and untied the message from him. Before she could even pat him, he was gone. She decided to take a taxi to the hotel. In the taxi, she read the letter:

­­My Dear Hermione,

Let me first tell you that I am very happy about yours and Ron's decision to get married.

But, yesterday at dinner I noticed that you seemed a little unhappy about something. Is something the matter? Are you worried about yours and Matt's future? Because if that's the matter, then I assure you as Ron's mother that if he were not serious about this, then I would have never consented for this and you know what this means. I have faith in all my children that they would never lie to me in such matters.

One more thing, my dear, as a mother, it is very natural for you to worry about Matthew's future. I can understand your worries in this matter. He was always one of us and it is just going to become official. Everything else is going to remain the same. So, don't worry, my dear. You still have time to decide and I promise you that I will support you in any decision you make.

Lots of love,

Molly Weasley

It was not until she felt wetness on her cheeks, did Hermione realise that she was crying. So much love, so much support. Only Mrs.Weasley was capable of love of such magnitude. She felt some of her fears and doubts melt away after reading that letter.

Some of her doubts.

Dinner with family was always an enjoyable time at the Burrow. Every Weasley was one of a kind and that just highlighted how closely knitted this family was.

Now, imagine having the love of your life around you to enjoy your family time with you. The kind of joy that fills your heart then is just…just unfathomable.

Such was the kind of joy that was bursting from Ronald Weasley's heart whenever the picture of the previous night with Hermione and his family sprung in his mind. So much that he didn't want to open his eyes even when the sun poking its rays at them.

Finally, he had to give in to the protests of his stomach for being kept hungry for so long. Playing chess with Harry and beating him in it never lost its shine. But today, even that did not keep him occupied for long. Harry too was more interested in Hillary than in chess at that moment. But that's a different story.

With Ginny's wedding only two days away, Mrs.Weasley had become like a volcano. So much that they had to tiptoe around her moods. Ron had just stepped out of the door when he heard his mother saying, "Ronald Weasley! Just Where Do You Think You Are Going?"

"Erm…out?"

"Don't try to be smart with me!"

"Sorry Mum."

Mrs.Weasley softened her expression and said, "Oh I am so worried about Ginny's wedding. I don't know how will I do it all."

"Mum, you know you don't have to do it all by yourself. What are we for, after all?"

Mrs.Weasley looked at him surprised, and after giving his words a thought, she said, "Okay then, Ron. Will you do me few favors?"

"At your service, Mum!" Ron said, giving a dramatic bow.

Mrs.Weasley gave a tired, but genuine smile and said, "Just go to the caterers and make sure that they have got everything all right."

"Okay, Mum. Is that all? Do you need me to do anything else?"

"No, dear. That's all for now."

"OK Mum."

Parks were generally not Ron's idea of privacy, but lately he found a lot of solace there. He could think, put things together in his mind, dwell in memories, both happy and sad. He was just in the process of buiding a new dream of him and Hermione when he bumped into a man and all the contents in his briefcase scattered.

"I am sorry," the man said.

"No, I am sorry. I didn't see while walking," Ron said.

"Well, neither was I. Guess that brings us to equal footing?" the man said.

"Yeah, I guess. By the way, I am Ron Weasley. Pleased to meet you," Ron said, offering his hand.

The man accepted his hand and said, "Pleased to meet you too. I am Ian Crest."

Many coffees later, Ian had told Ron everything about his life.

"…and that's why I have come to start my life anew. I am sure Mia will forgive me and will accept my dinner invitation."

Personally, Ron didn't think that there would be a valid reason for Ian's wife to forgive him, but it was not his place to express his displeasure over it. He had grown with the lack of money in the family and knew the worth of a little extra money at home. But he certainly could not digest the idea of abandoning loved ones for the sake of money. That was not something his family taught him. One way, he felt he was the richest person in the world, because he had the best family anyone could have, in the world.

Ron was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed Ian telling him that his wife had come. Shaking himself from his reverie, he turned himself just in time to hear Ian say, "This is my new friend in the city-"

He had turned to meet Hermione's eyes. They gazed at each other for a second.

"Ron. Hi Ron."

"Hi Hermione."

Ian looked surprised. "Do you know each other?"

"Yes, Ian.We do. I work under Ron's father…Arthur Weasley? Besides, we, along with Harry Potter, were at school together."

"Oh, you are that Ron? I am sorry it didn't occur to me then. My mind was just somewhere else."

"Oh, that's fine. OK, I got to rush home. Have some errands to run. It was nice meeting you, Ian. Listen, my sister is getting married the day after tomorrow. So please do come and attend it, along with your…your family."

Saying this, Ron rushed home.

Dinner was quiet and …pleasant, compared to what Hermione had pictured in her mind. I'll give you some time, Ian had said and at that time, Hermione was very glad to have that. But, now having some more time had just muddled the issues more. She wanted to consider Mrs.Weasley's letter and at the same time, Ian's letter.

She remembered the time when Ian was trying to introduce her to Ron. If Ron was shocked, he had done a fairly good job of hiding it. She was glad that he had rushed off immediately. That moment was as awkward for her as she imagined it was for Ron.

She sat up and started studying her hands, when she realised that her fingers were bare. There was no ring. She went for her nightstand drawer and removed two rings from it. While one of them was a simple wedding band which Ian had given her, the other was the engagement ring which Ron had given her. For a long time, she sat staring at the rings as if the rings would give her an answer to her problem. It was only when she heard her cell ring, did she realise that she was unconsciously comparing Ian and Ron. Putting that thought aside, she answered her cell.

"Hello, Miss Granger?"

"Yes?"

"This is Headmistress Hopkins, from Matthew Granger's school."

"Is something the matter, Headmistress?"

"Yes, actually. There is a man here, who says he is related to Matthew. He says he has come to pick up Matthew, for a certain family function."

"May I speak to him?"

"Sure. Just a minute please."

The next voice Hermione heard was, "Hello, Hermione? Ian here."