The following morning Hermione awoke to the furious thrumming of raindrops as they rapidly hit the windows, the subtle rumble of thunder evident up above.
Hermione groaned into her pillow, internally cursing the Gods for such dishearting weather.
"Lovely weather we're having today." Draco mused, as he stared out of the window at the gray sky. It was approaching noon and the heavy rain had yet to let up, much to both their displeasure.
"Well it is the perfect weather for a funeral, which I am due to attend in a few minutes." Hermione sighed. Her reluctancy to attend Aunt Muriel's funeral weighed heavy on her chest.
On the one hand she was attending for Ron and the rest of the Wealsey family's sake…. It wouldn't be fair of her since the Wealsey's had been there for her . She needed to be there for him as moral support. On the other hand, there was seeing Harry and Ginny together, and having to endure the awkwardness that would occur from their meetup.
For the past five years her feelings towards her former lover had been difficult to bury, the hurt from his betrayal still lingering in her heart. Her past accidental meet ups with him seemed to have worsened things for her. Every sight of him revived the memories of his once loving and charming nature.
If it were a possibility to rip out her heart without incurring massive blood loss and death, she would've done so ages ago. She was tired of the pain and confusion the vessel was sowing into her soul.
"Granger, tell me, on a scale of one to ten, how badly do you want to stay home with me?" Draco asked with a smirk.
Hermione huffed. "A seven, at least."
"Then stay."
"I can't do that. It would be selfish of me."
Draco frowned. "Since when is trying to spare your feelings considered selfish? Look, its obvious seeing Potter with pregnant Weaslette hurts you. Just don't go. Spare your heart from that pain."
Hermione allowed herself a moment of thought. Would she leave Ron and the rest of the Wealsey family, a family she had always considered her own, to grieve on their own just for the sake of evading possible heartbreak from Harry, her ex, and Ginny, the person she had once considered a sister? She pondered on this, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth to form a pensive look.
"You know what Draco, I'll go. If I happen to see Harry I will tell him that I'm done feeling this pain and that I'm done crying over him!" Hermione said confidently, her face lightening up at the prospect of finally moving on. "Besides, this isn't about me, so there's no point hiding."
"Now that's the spririt Granger." Draco said with a small smile. "Oh my, I might be genuinely happy for you. Wow, that must be a first." Hermione rolled her eyes before walking away.
"Oh Draco?" She halted her steps.
"Yes darling?"
"Thank you."
Hermione apparated with a loud crackle akin to the one of the thunder to the familiar grassy, unkept field of the Burrow. She was dressed in a black long sleeved dress along with a black winter cloak and a pair of grey, heeled boots. She walked to the back door, her nerves running rampant in her body.
She knocked, internally praying that neither Ginny or Harry opened it. To her relief it was Ron who opened the door. "Hey."
"Hello." He greeted half heartedly. "Come in, the service has just begun."
The service in question had been an intimate affair with a small number of people in attendance, however Hermione did spot some familiar faces. Aunt Muriel's eulogy was read, a few family members were called forward to share stories and tributes to the old Weasley matriarch.
And just like that it was over.
Aunt Muriel had been cremated and the urn that held her ashes had been sent back to Scotland, where it would be buried her property. Those were her wishes.
The guests were ushered into the house for refreshments.
Hermione took a gulp of tea, out of the corner of her eye spotting Ginny ascend up the stairs, following closely behind, Harry. She sighed sadly as her heart gave a pained pang. No more pain right?
"Hermione dear." Hermione turned quickly, almost spilling her tea in the process. Her face reddened as she realised who had just called her.
"M-Mrs Wealsey! I-it's so good to see you!" Shame washed over her as she realised she hadn't seen the old woman in five years.
"Oh my how much you've grown! It's been a while hasn't it?" Molly Wealsey asked, hugging the younger witch despite the cup of hot tea in her hand.
A tight ball of sadness formed in her esophagus, the tender embrace envoking tears that threatened to cascade down her face. Hermione was moved by the woman's affection towards her, despite the fact that she had dug an extremely deep trench between her and her entire family, cutting off communication between them. "Too long!" Hermione laughed, despite her glassy eyes and wobbling voice, and carefully placed her cup on the counter to free her hand and reciprocate Mrs Wealsey's hug. She felt a stray tear run down her cheek at the warmth and comfort that radiated off the Weasley matriarch, realisation of how much she really missed her hitting her full force.
"Listen Hermione dear, I appreciate you coming even with what happened between you and…" She trailed off, indicating the transgressions of her son-in-law. Hermione threw a glance at the staircase with a grimace.
Hermione began to catch up with Molly Wealsey, updating the older women on the major events in her life (not that there were many) including her new job tutoring at Malfoy Manor. In the space of an hour they had managed filled the five year gap that had spanned between the two of them. It was truly a heartfelt moment; a needed remedy to her broken heart.
"It was lovely speaking to you Mrs Wealsey, but I must go find Ron. Please excuse me." With that, she left Mrs Wealsey on her own, in search of Ron.
She went up the stairs, to the one place she was positive she would find her best friend. On the way there, she bumped into Luna, whose usually exuberant and sunny demeanour seemed to have been lost, whether it was because of the morbid occasion or for some other reason Hermione was clueless of. She wordlessly and quickly walked passed Hermione.
"Ron?" She called as she knocked on the door of his bedroom. "Come in." She heard him call from the other side. Hermione opened the door of his childhood bedroom, the memories of their shared moments in this room hitting her at full speed.
It looked just as it did the last time she had been there… the Chudley Cannons posters, the dusty, untouched pile of comics, the fish bowl now green and overgrown with moss.
And in the middle of this nostalgic mess paced Ron, adorned in a black suit. He stopped as soon as he saw Hermione. "Ron? Are you okay?" Hermione asked, concerned for her friend who seemed to be troubled. He shook his head, his mouth pulled into a tight line.
"Ron, did something happen between you are Luna? Did you guys quarrel?" She asked, remembering Luna's upset demeanor.
"Yes, something did happen, something that should've never happened." He said with a grimace. "What are you talking about?" She asked, eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
Ron huffed, before pacing the room again, his face growing red again as if the thought of telling her what went on between the two of them took great difficulty to disclose.
He opened and closed his mouth, attempting to speak but nothing seemed to leave his mouth. Finally, with a deep breath, he spoke.
"L-Luna's pregnant."
Author's Note
Alright I know I've been AWOL for a pretty long time but I have a valod reason for that... My laptop died... :-(
Its 2021! Yipee! hopefully it will be much better than the trainwreck 2020 was. I hope that you guys have crossed over to the new year safely!
So what are your thoughts on Luna being pregnant? O.o Honestly I'm so excited to begin writing her journey through pregnancy. I hope I do a good job since I've never had kids lol
.Alright Bye!!
Ps. I am currently in search of a beta. If you know anyone that might want to help me or if you want to help me pls do pm me or HMU on my facebook QueenieBlood.
Peace Out!
