Chapter Seventeen:
Will This Be?
Hermione had a smile of pure gloat upon her lips. Harry looked at her with amazement, wonder, and defeat all in one. He just laughed, how ever could he have lost such a stupid match, but now he had to book a fancy dinner. Hermione patted him on the back, in a rubbing it in your face kind of way, and smiled at him. Lavender and Ron were standing in front of them, amazed.
"I win," Hermione said with joy. "Her eyes are green!" She smiled.
Harry hopped up and sat with her on the table again. She held the baby in her arm as Harry wrapped his around her waist. Hermione turned her head and noticed the loss in his eyes, and she sighed with a smile still propped on her face. She bent forward and kissed him on the cheek. She laid her head on his shoulder, and in a childish way she spoke.
"You don't have to be so sad baby," She smiled. "Let's just pretend we both won." She winked.
"What do you mean by you won?" Lavender asked when she was in Hermione's eyesight.
"Me and Hermione," Harry spoke. "Made a bet earlier on the eye color of Melody." He said. "It was a stupid bet anyways." He rolled his eyes.
"You, hun, are only saying that because you lost." She laughed. "I bet on her having green eyes, and if she won then Harry would have to take me out for a romantic dinner." She said. "And if she had brown eyes then I would have to snog him senseless when we returned home."
"That's so cute!" Lavender said and Harry gave her a amazed look. 'Freaky woman,' he thought.
"It's appalling." Ron said with a drop of disgust in his words.
"What is?" Hermione asked with a surprised look.
"It seems mean to think that you guys would take such a stupid bet on just the eye color of your child." He said. "It's wrong."
"Ron, it's just a little game." Lavender said. "Act like a gentleman and shut your mouth before you say something you'll regret."
"Stop telling me what to do Lavender!" He growled. "I hate it when you act like that."
"What like a responsible adult?" She asked. "Merlin knows when you'll grow up." She snipped and Ron's face grew red with fury.
Why were they fighting, now of all time? Hermione and Harry were sitting on the operating bed with frowns upon their lips. Hermione's head lay propped up on Harry's shoulder with her cooing daughter in her arms. She thought it weird that Melody had not made a single tear or cry, but maybe it was better this way. She seemed to be quite strong with holding her tears back.
"STOP IT RON, JUST STOP IT!" Lavender shrieked as her voiced echoed through the darkened room.
"Stop what?" He asked. "I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING!" He retorted.
Lavender let out a frustrated noise through the space in her teeth. It seemed a lot like a growl, but there was a mix of an appalling phlegm sound. Lavender had turned sharply to Hermione with a sneer across her face, and glaring at Ron through the corner of her eye. It was an awkward moment of silence before she had decided to speak.
"Harry, could you and Ron leave the room, please dear?" She said in a sweetened tone. "I need to talk to Hermione darling in private." She said.
"Oh," He said. "Ok, I'll take Melody too. She should be back with the nurses." He said. "See you in a little bit." He smiled and kissed Hermione quickly on the lips.
"Alright," She said. She kissed him back and kissed her daughter on the forehead once. "See you later."
She watched the door close behind her husband and Ron. She couldn't help but having a sad feeling inside her when Harry had taken her daughter. She knew he was the father and she knew that she couldn't stay with her all the time in the next couple of day, but she felt like her daughter was being taken away from her. She tried to smile, reassuring even herself that she was alright with seeing them leave, and turned to Lavender once again.
"Alright Lavender," She said. "What's this about?"
"Hermione, you have to understand the torment I've been through for the past couple of weeks. Ron lost his job, we had to get a new babysitter, I've been working overtime, and Ron's been saying that I don't spent enough time with Skyler, he sometimes asks me to come home from work early, and he denies my requests to have him watch Sky!" She said in a speed racing quick tone.
"Woah," Hermione said. "Slow down Lav." She laughed under her breath.
"This is not a funny matter!" She said exasperatingly. "I have no idea what to do!"
"Wait," Hermione said. "Did you say Ron lost his job?" She asked and Lavender nodded.
"He was fired on the 5th." She said.
"Well, today is Monday September 28," Hermione said. "So he was fired about a month ago... but that's the day that Harry and I went to see the doctor's." Hermione said.
"Maybe, but there is something else to that story and, please, don't get mad." Lavender begged as she began chewing on her lip.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Ron told me Harry was the reason he was fired." She spoke the words and Hermione's mouth had dropped to her knees.
"That... That can't be." She said. "There must be a mistake. Did you hear correctly?" She asked and Lavender nodded.
"I'm positive." She said with one last nod.
"I'll be having a talk with him later." Hermione said under her breath.
"Don't bother; Ron admitted that he was fired for insulting Harry." Lavender said with a hint of embarrassment in her voice.
"That doesn't sound like Ron." Hermione said and Lavender looked at her strangely. She sighed. "Alright it does, but what could have he possibly said to get fired?"
"Told Harry he wasn't dedicated enough to be Head of Aurors because he was always leaving early to help you." She said.
"That's not fair. The minister knows that I was pregnant. He gave Harry a month off from work, but he wanted to go back so I let him." She said. "Ron shouldn't judge me!" She exclaimed.
"Well, the minister also didn't let Ron have any time off when I was pregnant with Sky." She said and Hermione sighed.
"Even if we're grown up, and he's gone, Harry still gets all the attention." She sighed. "Something told me being older would make him less attention thriving. I guess I misjudged him and everyone else."
"Well, didn't Harry mention to you that he got a new partner?" She asked.
"New?" She wondered. "Who's his partner?"
"Neville Longbottom." Lavender said and Hermione looked at her for a minute. She tapped her fingers on the knee.
"I know that name." She said with a thinking tone. "Oh, Merlin, where is he from?" She asked herself.
"Think Hogwarts 'Mione." Lav said. "He was in our year."
"Oh yes," She said. "The poor dear was considered an orphan. His parents were put under a spell to long. Is that the one?" She asked.
"Yes, that would be him." Lavender looked to the ground. "Ron mentioned that Neville needed this placement more than anything, but he also demands to have it taken away and given back to him."
"That's horrible!" Hermione said. "Selfish, and completely preposterous!"
Lavender said nothing but kept her eyes glued on the ground. Hermione knew her words did not help Lavender much at all, but it wasn't her fault. What Ron was saying and doing was no excuse. He needed to be set straight, and someone needed to talk to him and make him understand that this world works differently then he wants it to. If it were up to Ron, well, Harry probably wouldn't be alive.
Why she thought that was a mystery. She thought they were friends, and she thought that they were completely fine with each other. Now, though, it sounded like they could barely stand each other in the same room as one another. What was happening to everyone and their group of friends? It's been years since they fought, and here they all were at each other's throats in hope for survival of the fittest.
Harry, Hermione knew, was smart enough to over come all this, but never would she think that Harry would ever fire his best friend. It seemed to be that it wasn't up to Harry, but it was possible that he could have stopped it. Only Harry knew that he tried to, but there was nothing that he could have said without risking his own job. Hermione knew in the end it would turn out alright, but she couldn't help but sense something wrong with Lavender, who stood in front of her with forming tears in her eyes.
"Is something wrong?" Hermione asked.
Of course something was wrong! Ron was fired so poor Lavender has to work more shifts at her job, and Hermione could see how tired she was. Hermione felt worthless asking such an obvious question and making Lavender's eyes finally give in. She began to cry her crystal tears of hope, fear, and stress. Hermione couldn't tell which one from the other. She swore she could feel Lavender's feelings inside herself.
"I was thinking the other night," Lavender cried. "I don't want to do this, but I think it might be fore the best. I just wish you, Hermione, can understand that I can't do this any longer." She said.
"I'll understand anything, Lavender." Hermione responded with a reassuring smile. "I'm here for you."
"Alright," She took a deep breath. "I don't want to upset Skyler, but I'm thinking about the 'D' word." She said.
"Divorce?" Hermione asked in outrage. "I never would have thought that you and Ron would ever have a relationship that bad that you would even consider it." She said with amazement.
"I know, but please, Hermione, please." She begged. "Understand where I'm coming from and please help me through this. I can't take care of Sky on my own." She pleaded.
"Alright, Lav," Hermione said with a light smile. "There is a room in the basement of Harry's house. I'll give you a place to stay." She said.
"Harry will probably offer it to Ron." She said with tears.
"If I know Harry like I think I do then he won't." She winked.
Lavender tried to smile, but she couldn't. She took staggered steps forward before she had collapsed into a hug with Hermione. Hermione embraced her friends as she could smell the salt from her tears. She just hugged her, in hopes of protecting her, and tried to comfort her. When Lavender pulled away she had finally spoke after an awkward five minutes.
"There's one problem." She said. "How are you going to tell Ron?"
The end of that day came rather faster then it seemed, and it was back to being the normal place it had always been. Hermione was finally released three days after her delivery. Both she and Melody were normally well and neither came back with a problem from their near death experiences. They were both healthy as ever, and Hermione seemed to be reasonably happy with herself.
Hermione walked her daughter, who was asleep in a car seat, to the bedroom where Hermione's heart leaped. The room was painted pink. Her ceiling moved like a movie as shooting stars crossed the black and blue sky. Hermione was completely amazed. A white crib stood in the center, and the crib was completely round. It's golden music box hung from the bars and a wheel of animals circled over head.
Hermione set the car seat down and kneeled to the floor. She carefully unhooked her daughter, and with a light snore her daughter was against her shoulder. Melody had gently woke up and begun to cry a little. But when Hermione cradled her in her arms, she fell almost instantly back to sleep. Hermione lifted the flap of pink blanket and laid Melody down in the crib.
When she walked out she noticed something that was upon the four, pink walls of Melody's bedroom. On the far wall was a date the said '9-28-05' Then the wall to her right was '1-30-05' the left wall said: '3-15-05' and then above the door was the one that stuck out the most. In bright gold letters it said: '9-1-91.' Hermione thought for a moment and jumped when she heard a voice in the hall.
"I see you noticed." He said.
"Well, yes, Harry." She smiled. "They're not exactly hard to miss, but what are they?" She asked and he stepped in the room.
"Out of all people, I thought you would realize." He laughed.
"Well, I'm kinda tired, so please point them out to me?" She asked.
"Alright," He smiled. "The far wall is Melody's birthday, the left wall is when you found out you were pregnant, and the right wall is our wedding date." He said.
"That's so weird." She said. "I was told husbands always forget dates like those, but you didn't tell me the one above the door way." She said.
"Think about it." He said.
"Well," She said "It was 15 years ago, and September 1st is when Hogwarts' new term started." She analyzed.
"Hermione," Harry laughed. "That's the day we met on the train." He said.
"How... how can you remember that?" She asked. "You lost part of your memory, but yet you remember a specific date?" She asked.
"I only remember what I want, and then it sort of comes to me." He said. "I'd do anything for you, my love."
It seemed like forever sine they had talked. It seemed like ages that they could have a few minutes alone to themselves. Hermione stepped forwards and flung her arms immediately around Harry's neck in a loveable hug. He picked her up as her legs wrapped around his waist and she smiled. Their foreheads touched and she had a ravenous smile of desire in her eyes.
"I thought you won the bet." Harry said.
"Let's just say we both won." She smiled and he gave her a confused look.
"Why?" He asked.
"Because I can't live any longer without you." She said. "I love you, more then you could ever imagine." She said.
Her lips had delicately slapped against his. Her eyes closed partly as she deepened the kiss. She could feel him struggled as he tried to walk to the bedroom without looking. She just giggled everytime he ran into something. She just kissed him harder, and when they reached the room she had almost instantly felt her back crash with the bed sheets and pillows. She smiled.
She could feel herself become lighter as her clothing was stripped from her body, and all she did was smile with want in him and explosions of ecstasy in her thin frame. She could feel his stomach against her own and the feeling of skin on skin became clear to her sense of feel. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she felt the gentle kisses upon her neckline.
It seemed like it had been forever since they had done this. How much they wanted, but how much they knew they couldn't hurt the worst. Hermione pushed her fingers through Harry's raven black hair as the rows of thin hair traced her fingerprints. Then she felt him inside her, and she let out a slow moan of enjoyment, but it stopped as her lips were once again claimed.
She kissed him, but the spark seemed not to be there like it was before. Where had it gone, and why had it disappeared? All this didn't make any sense on why his kiss suddenly seemed boring to her. Maybe the thought of how Lavender told her she wanted to divorce Ron ran through her head again, but never would she want to leave Harry. She had stopped kissing him and she could feel her panting breaths upon her red lips.
"Harry," She panted. "There's something I need to talk to you about." She said.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Lavender," She panted. "Is thinking about divorcing Ron." She said.
"WHAT?" Harry asked in amazement. "That can't be happening! He'll end up living on the streets without her." He said.
"I know, but I offered Lav a place to stay. You must realize what Ron is doing to her." She said.
"He has been working her too hard," Harry agreed. "But Ron is in no state to live by himself." He said. "And where would she stay here?"
"I offered her the small room in the cellar." She said.
"Not my home office!" He pleaded.
"Harry," She said. "You never use it."
"It doesn't matter, that room is my only love." He said with pride and her mouth dropped.
"Excuse me?" She said.
"I was joking." He laughed. "Talk about bad things to say during sex." He joked and her face had grown saddened. "What?" He asked.
"Do you love me as you say?" She asked.
"Of course," He said. "Why would you ever ask such a question?"
Harry thought she would give him a silly answer that he could flirt his way out of, but no longer did he feel he had an answer. She looked up him, eyes big with sadness, and her arms locked around his back. She traced circles on his back as she answered him, in hoped of easing the tone in the room, but not a thing seemed to be working or even helping a little.
"You said you and Ron would be friends forever, and in the end you got him fired. You told me that I would be alright going through my pregnancy, but in the end I had almost died. You told me that you would never replace our love with something else, and in the end you did nothing but fight with others." She said. "And you said you would always love me, but what will happen to this end?"
Author's Notes:
Allo everyone. You're seriously lucky I even wrote this chapter. I've been so busy with work and all that I even surprise myself that I got it done. Please don't flame my little 'sex' scene, because it seems really odd to me to be writing it, but I tried my best. Please be gentle on flames.
Airalynn
To My Reviewers:
rokergurl13 – Mad? No way! Keep reviewing or I will be though, hahaha. Just kidding, or al I? lol.
Neverforget99 – Hahaha, I fool you! Lol, I wanted to fool someone, but oh well... at least you were one of the many that guessed. Good job! Lol.
Hermione Potter 4ever – Thank you, and I'm glad I attracted a new fan at such a far place in the story. Thanks for taking the time to actually read it. I owe ya one.
Trish – Wow, talk about the biggest fan! Lol, just kidding. Well I updated, does that help? Haha, and you were right... Melody's eyes are green. I give you a cookie for being right. –hands cookie-
QuidditchGirl30 – Thanks, hope you enjoy this one.
Ms. Sakura Moon – Well good, because it kinda help to have a fan, ya know, like me. It would be completely terrible to have one that hated you and still be a fan. Haha, sarcasm... great word!
Harryhermione2ever – Thanks and you win a cookie too. –hands cookie- Hermione has won the bet.
NicciBubbles – Nicely said, but not only did he offend me and my work, but he offended half the country. I say we should set his house on fire. YOU WITH ME? Lol.
PrincessLuckCML – Nope, not both but you can half a cookie because Hermione technically won, but she said Harry can consider himself being a winner too. So have a half! –hands half a cookie-
Marauderwormtail89 – Frenzies and always awesome! Lol. And yes, Wormy, I am well. I just been working total and complete bad over times. I'm so fricken tired. Like I said before: You're lucky you even got a chapter this week!
That's it! Until next time! REVIEW MY PALS!
UPDATED: (SATURDAY) SEPTEMBER 4, 2005 – 2 days till school, kill me... pweez?
"Dream as if you will live forever; live as if you will die today."