AN: I have not abandoned this story. Promise. It's just...going to take me a long time and lot of reminders to finish it.
December 25th
The next morning, Penny flooed in early to check in on them as she'd said she would and confirmed that Hermione was doing well and on the mend. Afterwards, Percy and Hermione apparated to Hermione's parents' home for Christmas brunch, gifts in hand.
Despite their best efforts to greet Hermione's parents cheerfully and wish them glad tidings, Hermione's mother Helena took one look at them and immediately knew something was wrong. Hermione was still pale and weak. She and Percy had dark circles under their eyes. Over a Christmas brunch spread, the two related the events of the previous day. Helena's eyes filled with tears, which set Hermione to crying again, and Daniel stoickly nodded with each detail.
After the meal and quietly opening gifts together, Helena invited Hermione to take a short walk with her. The women bundled up in coats and jackets, leaving Percy alone with Daniel. This made Percy a little nervous, but Daniel poured two mugs of coffee and invited Percy to sit in the parlor with him. A radio with Christmas tunes and the crackle of the fireplace filled the silence.
"I am very sorry for your loss, Percy," Daniel finally said.
"Thank you, sir, that means a lot,"
"If you need to talk about it, or about anything else, Helena and I are here for both of you. We love you."
Years of separation from his own family made the sentiment from Daniel all the more welcome in Percy's heart. He couldn't quite put to words the warm feeling that spread in his chest and flushed his cheeks at hearing 'I love you.'
Daniel continued, "Helena is probably also talking to Hermione about this, but...there is a reason that Hermione is an only child,"
"There is?"
"We struggled for a long time to have children. Helena miscarried several times before we discovered why. She's got a blood-disorder that causes issues with clotting. It's not a serious condition, but miscarriage is one of the complications. There are medicines to help with it; that's how we were able to have Hermione. Miscarriage is...one of the most painful things we have ever been through."
"I had no idea I could hurt so badly," Percy murmured.
"We always planned to tell Hermione one day, since these conditions can be genetic," Daniel glanced at Percy, "We weren't exactly expecting this to be a concern yet, with her being 19 and all," This was definitely scolding, but it was very gentle. There was no malice in Daniel's eyes, only concern.
"We weren't expecting this either," Percy said, "We are very careful, most of the time."
"Of course, I wasn't suggesting that you weren't."
They were quiet for a long while.
"You are a good man, Percy. I knew that from the first time Hermione brought you over here for dinner," Percy recalled the day, four or five years ago, that he'd met Hermione's parents for the first time, "Obviously, I was skeptical of my daughter having a friend who was so much older than her, and a boy at that. But you're a good man, Percy, and my daughter is very lucky to have you."
"Thank you, sir. Hermione is very important to me. I love having her in my life."
Hermione and Helena appeared then, both women sporting tear-stained cheeks. Percy and Hermione bade their farewells. Helena wrapped Percy in a warm hug, and Daniel as well, embraced Percy before they left.
Percy and Hermione stopped at home for a few hours and opened their gifts to each other. Percy had gifted Hermione a new quill set, a pair of boots that Ginny had helped him pick out, and an assortment of muggle treats. Hermione had bought Percy a midnight blue jumper, a muggle winter hat and mitten set lined with something soft called "polar fleece", and she'd invested in a set of cookbooks for the pair of them to try.
"I...I had another gift," Hermione said, as they got ready to leave for the Burrow. Percy was smoothing out his new sweater, while Hermione was organizing her hair, twirling a few stray curls around her finger to reshape them.
"Did you?" Percy asked.
"I bought an ornament for our Christmas tree," Hermione walked over to the nightstand and pulled out a small box. She handed it to Percy.
Inside was a small, ceramic baby bootie, white with green, gold, and silver detailing. The bottom of the ornament was inscribed with Hermione's handwriting. 'Baby Weasley, Christmas 1998,'
"It's lovely," Percy said.
"My mum and dad have one for me that they hang on the tree every year. They had just found out they were pregnant with me, right before Christmas,"
"That's very sweet," Percy said. His chest hurt, and he blinked several times to keep his eyes from watering, "I'd like to hang it on our tree,"
"I would too,"
The little bootie was nestled into a branch at the top of the tree, where the angel tree topper could look down on it.
"We could tell your family tonight when we head over there for dinner. If you want to."
"I don't know," And Percy didn't. It made his chest hurt when he thought about it; he wasn't sure he could actually speak the words out loud without starting to cry again. Hermione nodded in response, sniffling.
The thought of having his entire family, his parents, asking questions about this and knowing that he and Hermione had lost a pregnancy was overwhelming. Would there be judgment? Teasing? Percy didn't know when, if ever, he'd be ready for that. His face burned with shame at the very thought.
The rush of the floo startled them both. Bill's head poked through.
"Hey, Percy, I've got a favor to ask you," Bill said, "I…" He paused, studying them, "What's wrong? Is this a bad time?"
"It's…" Percy glanced at Hermione, "We're…" He didn't know what to say.
"Would you and Fleur mind stepping through? We need to tell you something." Hermione filled in.
"Of course, give us just a moment,"
Bill and Fleur appeared, and sat across from them.
"Is everything alright? You both look very sad," Fleur asked, glancing from Percy to Hermione.
"I had a miscarriage. Yesterday." Hermione said. Percy recognized her tone; saying it quickly helped it to be over sooner.
"I am so sorry, for both of you. Such a sad loss," Fleur reached out to hold Hermione's hand.
"I'm sorry, I can't begin to imagine how you are feeling right now," Bill said, "Is there anything you need?"
"I think we'll be telling the family this evening," Percy made the decision, "That will be challenging."
"We will be there with you. We support you,"
"Thank you,"
Fleur rose to make tea, and they sat quietly for a half-hour or so. As it turned out, Bill had wanted to ask Percy's help to bring their gifts over to the Burrow, to keep Fleur from needing to Floo carrying anything while she was more off-balance than usual. Percy agreed, and he and Hermione plastered on their best fake smile and cheery Christmas jumpers to get ready for dinner at the Weasleys.
One advantage to having so many siblings was that there were too many people in the room for anyone to look too long at the dark circles under their eyes. When they arrived to the Burrow, Hermione took their box of gifts and busied herself with nestling them under the tree, while Percy was recruited into a game of exploding snap with the twins and Harry.
Ron had invited Luna to join them for Christmas, and Fred and George had decided to bite the bullet and introduce Angelina and Verity to Mum and Dad, so it was a very large group that gathered. There wasn't a table in the place that had space for chairs for all of them, so the decision was made to eat spread out around the living room. The kitchen table was turned into a buffet with platters of ham and turkey, several dishes of potatoes and vegetables and fruits, and a basket of fluffy rolls covered every square inch of table real estate.
Percy found it easier than expected to enjoy his meal. He hadn't been home for Christmas in years. The food and camaraderie and background carols playing on the radio filled him with a sense of nostalgia that almost brought tears to his eyes. He was on one of the sofas, his plate perched on the armrest to avoid getting elbowed by Verity, a lefty.
Hermione sat cross-legged on the floor between Percy's feet. She'd taken the most bland foods she could find for her Christmas plate: a bit of turkey, a roll, some mashed potatoes dotted with a bit of butter, and a scoop of homemade cinnamon applesauce. Percy planned to gather some leftovers to take home. He wanted her to enjoy Mum's Christmas dinner later, when she was feeling better.
After thoroughly enjoying the meal, the group's consensus was that they would prefer to wait on dessert, and open presents in the meantime. Gift-giving had never been a particularly grand affair when they were growing up; Percy knew money had been tight as a child, and his parents had always emphasized the value of thoughtful, homemade gifts.
This year, however, everyone was grown and out of Hogwarts, and all of the Weasley children, along with being employed, had been the recipients of a portion of Auntie Muriel's generous estate. It had pleased Percy to be able to afford to splurge on gifts for his family, and it seemed like everyone else had had the same idea.
Hermione had picked out a Christmas ornament for Fleur and Bill that matched the one she'd picked out for their own unborn child. The ceramic baby bootie was silver with blue and pink accents, and Fleur smiled at the inscription on the bottom.
"'Baby Weasley, Christmas 1998.' This is lovely, Hermione, thank you so much," Bill met Percy's eyes and nodded.
"You're welcome, Fleur. I'm glad you like it," Hermione said. Percy's chest ached. He leaned down and rubbed Hermione's shoulder, and she reached up to intertwine their fingers briefly.
When all of the gifts were opened, Mum began to pass around dessert, while George played bartender and began to pass around drinks.
"Egg Nog or Hot Toddy, Hermione?" George offered.
"Neither for me, thanks. Just some plain hot cider," Hermione responded.
"Really? I thought you liked Firewhiskey,"
"She does, I got her a bottle of really nice stuff for her birthday," Ginny said, "Not drinking tonight, Hermione?"
"No," Hermione said.
"Are you sure? I'm mixing them extra strong tonight," George shook an empty mug at her.
"I'm not drinking right now, George," Hermione said, a little bit more loudly. Mum walked in with two slices of apple pie.
"Are you sick, dear?" Mum asked.
"I'm on a medical potion right now and I can't drink alcohol," Angelina had gotten up to share her slice of pie with Fred, so Hermione scooted up to sit beside Percy on the sofa. George handed Hermione the plain hot cider she'd requested.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked, "I noticed you were looking a little off today.
"There's been a bug going around," Verity chipped in.
"I've had a miscarriage." Hermione said. The room went silent.
"What?" Ginny asked. Hermione floundered, meeting Percy's eyes.
"A few weeks ago," Percy jumped in, "Hermione and I unexpectedly found out that she was pregnant. However, yesterday, we learned that she'd had a miscarriage."
"I am so sorry," Arthur said,
"It must have been so difficult for you to go through that," Luna said, softly.
"It is difficult," Hermione said. Percy placed a hand on her knee, "It's been a very long couple of days for us,"
"Of course it has." Mum said, "At least you're still young, dear. You'll have lots of time for children, later on," Percy felt a stab of indignation.
"At least I'm still young?" Hermione asked, echoing Percy's thoughts.
"Of course dear. You're not even married," Another stab. Percy fought to keep his face neutral.
"Does that matter?" Bill interjected.
"Have you been able to tell your parents yet, Hermione?" Arthur redirected.
"We did, we saw them earlier today. They were very sorry to hear about our loss,"
"And what a loss it is. At least you weren't further along, dear," Mum said. Another stab to Percy's heart.
"Mum, she was 13 weeks along," He said, fighting to keep his voice level.
"Oh," Mum said, "Well, I suppose it just wasn't meant to be. Better to wait until you're more settled down,"
"A child is always a blessing, no matter when they come," Fleur said, resting a hand on her belly.
"We would have happily welcomed this child into our lives," Hermione added, "It doesn't matter if we're married or settled yet,"
"But you're so young, dear. You don't even have a job. It's for the best,"
"Mum!" Bill jumped in, "That's awfully judgemental of you,"
"Living together without being married never leads to anything good in the end, anyways,"
"Mum!" "Molly!" This time, it was nearly all of the siblings in the room and Dad who protested on Percy and Hermione's behalf.
"Molly," Hermione jumped in, a sharp edge to her voice that Percy rarely heard, "It's awfully judgemental of you to scold us for getting pregnant before marriage, don't you think? I've seen your wedding date and Bill's birthdate. There is no way he was a honeymoon baby."
Dead silence.
Though it was an occasional joke amongst the siblings that Bill was an unplanned surprise that had prompted their parents' wedding, no one had ever brought it up to Mum. Bill made eye contact with Percy, equal parts shocked and impressed.
Mum sputtered for a few seconds.
"Now," Hermione continued, "Percy and I have lost our baby. We are grieving. I don't think there's anything else you can say right now, besides an apology for saying such hurtful and disrespectful things to us about our loss and our lifestyle choices,"
Mum didn't say anything. Several long seconds passed.
"Well. I believe that Percy and I will be going now." Hermione stood up and set her mug on the side table a little too forcefully. She didn't bother to gather the gifts they had received, instead choosing to march straight out the door. Percy got over his shock just in time to follow her out the door and slam it behind them.
They made it about 30 paces from the house before Hermione made a frustrated noise, deep in her throat.
"Oh! I cannot believe she would say such distasteful things. I'm sorry, she's your mother, and I don't mean to be rude. But 'you're so young'? And 'you're not even settled'? How dare she!" Hermione fumed.
"I had no idea she would be like that. It made me so angry!" Hermione reached out and took Percy's hand in her own. They continued toward the apparition point.
"Wait up!" Bill called out from the house. Percy turned around. Fleur and Bill were following them.
"You're leaving, too?" Hermione asked.
"Of course. Like I said, we are here for you,"
"Thank you. And thank you for standing up for us in there," Hermione reached out to hug Bill, and then Fleur.
"Hey! Wait for us!" The four of them turned around. The rest of the Weasley siblings and significant others were spilling out of the door and hurrying down the path.
"What Molly said was completely uncalled for. All of us agree that she should not have said those things to you," Angelina huffed.
"I tried to tell her to apologize," Charlie said, "But she wouldn't."
"So we walked out," Ron said.
"You all walked out on Christmas...for us?"
"Of course. What is family for?" Luna added.
"We don't want to celebrate Christmas without you, Percy," Ginny said, stepping forward and embracing him.
"Thank you," Percy failed to keep a couple of tears from falling, as close to the surface as they'd been today, "You're all welcome to come back to our house, if you'd like. We can enjoy a bit more Christmas together."
Everyone agreed this was a great idea, and they all walked together to the apparition point.
Once they were all settled into chairs and wrapped in blankets in Percy and Hermione's living room, Fred clanked a spoon on his teacup to get everyone's attention.
"Good news, everyone," Fred said, holding a platter out for all to see, "I snitched the Christmas pudding!" and indeed, he had.
After everyone left for the night, Hermione and Percy stayed curled up in front of the fireplace.
"I'm not sure what to do now," Hermione confessed. "It's so silly. I quit my job with the committee, and I wasn't really looking for another one because I knew I'd just have to go on maternity leave. And...now I don't."
"You don't have to get a job, if you don't want one, you know that."
"I know that. But thank you for telling me again," They sat quietly for several more minutes.
An idea popped into Percy's head.
"I want to put your name on the title of the house, and on my bank accounts," Percy said. "It doesn't have to feel like it's 'my house' or 'my money' anymore. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. What's mine and yours should be ours together."
"Oh, Percy. Are you sure?"
"Of course I am. This is our life. Our home. I want to share it with you,"
Tears glazed Hermione's eyes. Percy leaned in to kiss her.
"Do you want to get married, Percy?" Hermione asked, suddenly.
"Do I what?" Had he heard her correctly?
"Not right this moment. Not anytime soon. But…" Hermione searched his eyes, "Someday, in the future?"
"I would love to be married to you." Percy responded, "Do you want to be married?"
"Someday, yes," she replied. He leaned in to kiss her again.
She smiled, the first he'd seen all day, "Are we engaged?"
"I think we are." Percy couldn't help but to smile back. "Happy Christmas to us."