Because I Love You
Christmas break had officially started for all of the other Hogwarts students, and Hilary's life was considerably more interesting then it had been for a long time. She was filled in on all the happenings at school and got to catch up on the wonderful sweet gossip that she had missed. (Jonathan got a girlfriend, allegedly, He denies the fact, but he has been writing many mysterious letters).
So now life was more interesting. Dad was making improvements. He recognized Uncle Harry, which is a sure sign that he is almost back. Almost. Of course, It might have helped that Mamma had just shown him pictures of them growing up, and stuff, so he might have recognized him from the pictures. What Mamma hopes is that he doesn't remember a thing from his time as a vegetable. But that is very unlikely, according to the Healer. He has a kind that makes him remember things cumulatively, and then when the memory comes back he will remember everything, including his time with no memory. He is slowly regaining his memory, and He is in the last stage if this is the kind that they think he has.
So he should be normal by Christmas. Which means mamma won't be there for Christmas. It's amazing how one thing can make a girl both incredibly sad and incredibly happy at the same time.
OoOO00OOoO
Hermione sat at the edge of her bed trying to decide what to do. Should she break it to him before his memory comes back and be there with the girls when he is FINALLY back, or be scarce when he comes to so that he can't interrogate her. She hated the second option. It seemed too cowardly. And she was, by no stretch of the imagination, a coward. A Witch has to make a way for herself in the Wizarding world. Especially with people who see her as a mudblood. Being Cowardly was not an option.
She began to pace. She would have to tell everyone the reason that she told him that they were married, but that would be so embarrassing. She couldn't even believe it herself. She still loved him. And seeing him all knocked out and injured just reminded her how much she did. So she continued to pace. What would he say if he found out? "Told you so!"? or even "It's too late for 'I'm sorry", she didn't want to deal with rejection. And she didn't want to deal with herself.
He is so cute while clueless. Too bad that's the way he is all the time. She sighed and plopped down and stared at her hands. Life was easier when they were married. And that was saying something.
OoOO00OOoO
So the girls who looked alike were his daughters; that was easy. And you could even tell the difference. One had short hair, that is Aila, and the one with longer hair is Hilary. Easy. The gorgeous woman was his wife. But who in the world were all these strange people visiting him? It was like a flood of redheads. His walls were steadily becoming a permanent shade of pink from all that RED. The older one with messy black hair was his (supposed to be) best friend and brother in law. The oldest looking ones were his parents. All the ones with black hair were his best friend's kids and apparently some of Ron's many nieces and nephews. All the other kids had red hair and were impossible to tell apart.
It was so difficult. He could tell that he was going to be normal soon. But it was driving him crazy. All these people who apparently knew him very well, and coming to visit him and hug him were complete strangers. So he leaned back and groaned inwardly. Maybe today would be the day. He could tell his Drop Dead Gorgeous Wife had a secret. She seriously is Gorgeous. Long wavy hair and a million curves all in the right places, he wouldn't mind being in St. Mungos if all the healers looked like her. He hoped his daughter would look like her when they grew up. Pretty and mature looking and acting.
He leaned his head back and sighed. He has so bored. It was no piece of cake sitting in a hospital bed all day. You have to keep yourself entertained. Or you are bored all the time. So he rolled over, punched his pillow then fluffed it. Maybe the time would go by faster if he were asleep.
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Aila sat at a desk working on her mountain of schoolwork. She had been so busy lately. There was so much work and her father was becoming more and more frustrated with his 'condition'. She had been studying up on memory loss. She was getting tired of trusting the know-nothing healers. They don't give you solid answers. They assure you things that they can't promise will happen.
So far she had learned that memory loss is common after severe concussions, and that the memory normally returns soon. If not then it will return. Eventually. Depending on the severity of the damage. But she was reading muggle literature and Wizards can cure problems approximately one to 4.65 weeks sooner. So if they were right then he should be better in a couple days. But this was the real world. Not book world. And book world was much easier than the real world.
Hilary was avoiding her sister because she didn't want to deal with the facts, just in case it was bad. But Aila couldn't see it getting much worse. And she hoped that she wasn't wrong.
OoOO00OOoO
"Get up Hilary, for heaven's sake wake up!" whispered mamma into her ear. "It's your father!" she had been woken up like this so far two times this week during random memory relapses. When he would get back his memory for a couple minutes at a time. Then it would all be gone again.
"Wait." Groaned Hilary into her pillow, "Wake me when it's really back."
"Is an hour long enough?"
Hilary grumbled that it would, the wrapped her pillow around her head. "Then get up. It's been an hour." Mamma pulled the covers off of Hilary and walked out the door. This woke her up with a start. His memory was back and now everything would be normal again. She pulled on a pair a jeans and a faded 'Weird Sisters' Tee and ran to the fireplace. She was ready now. "Wait for your sister. She wanted to brush her teeth."
"At a time like this?" shrieked Hilary, grabbing a fistful of Floo Powder.
"She didn't want bad breath. And she doesn't want Gingivitis. She takes after he grandparents." said mamma proudly while pulling her hair into a low ponytail.
Hilary flopped into a chair. "Oh I am so proud." She muttered sarcastically. After a couple minutes Aila appeared looking very clean. "I thought that washing my face wouldn't be a bad idea."
"It's not like he's seeing you for the first time! He changed your Bloody diapers!" Hilary threw the powder into the fireplace and called out her destination, and a few seconds later she landed in the entrance hall of St. Mungos.
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Aila ran straight to her father's room as soon as her feet touched St. Mungos Glossy Floor. She was the first through the door. He was sitting on his bed smiling at Aila. "Miss me?" he asked keenly.
"You have no idea!" she squealed before running up to him and wrapping her arms around him. "Do you remember anything from when you were, er, out of it?"
He smiled at her, "Yes I do. So I can't wait to have a conversation with my wife, oh, ex-wife." He added bitterly. "But I have one question that I want answered. When is Christmas?"
"A week from Tuesday."
"And today is…"
Aila giggled. Not because he was being funny, just because she couldn't believe he was himself again, "Saturday."
Then it was Hilary's turn she got her special 'dad-time'. But then it was time for mum to talk to him. 'Girls, How about you go upstairs and get some tea, I need to talk to your mother alone.
"No, they don't need to leave." Said Mum blocking the door.
He shook his head, "No. I need to talk to you alone."
"Right." She muttered, getting out of the way so that Hilary and Aila could leave.
OoOO00OOoO
"I hear we're married." He said to Hermione. "But that's a bit difficult seeing that we are divorced. Was there a ceremony while I was unconscious? Were we never actually 'divorced'? Or were you actually lying?" He wasn't accusing her, but it looked like she was about to cry.
She sat next to him. "I was lying, and you know it."
"Yes. I know." He tried to look her in the eye, but she was avoiding his gaze. She was pretty even when she was crying profusely. "But I want to know why you did it."
She began rocking back and forth, "You sure?"
He pretended to think about it for a second then nodded, "yes, I am positive."
"I thought so." She stood up and began to pace, like he had seen her do so many times in their marriage. "Well, I Don't think that it is that incredibly important for you to know. Bu if you insist." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
"You can take it slowly if you like."
"I know. Let me choose my words."
"Would your rather I ask you questions?"
"No." she said, pacing even faster. "I, please don't interrupt me, I was so scared about you and your condition that every memory of you sort of spewed out all at once. I was so worried. Then seeing you in bed all unconscious, made it worse. When you finally woke up I, was confused and I said what I felt. Only in different words."
"How did you feel?"
"I didn't really know."
"How do you feel now?"
She looked him in the eye and began to cry. "I, I don't know now either. Part of me is screaming about how much I still love you the other part is afraid that I will get hurt again."
"So why did you lie?"
She collapsed on his bed. "Because I love you. I was in denial for so many years. That fight brought everything to the top. I was struggling with my feelings until you got hurt then, then my emotions would leave me alone. I was a mess and I lied because I love you." Then she stood up and ran out of the room.
"Then why are you running away?" he asked.
"Because I have to."
"No you don't. You want to. But that is not what you need to do. You need affirmation." So right then and there, Ron Weasley kissed the Woman of his dreams.