August 19, 2004

Neville's p.o.v

All eyes turned to Keelan. The tall African man was late but it was expected with International Floo travel. "Seems like I made it just in time, yes?" Came the booming voice.

Keelan's eyes glanced around the room before zoning in on Hermione. He was wearing wizard robes with Zimbabwean runes woven onto his traveling cloak. Said cloak which he removed to wrap her in his arms.

"You're not allowed to travel without me Anaishe, you get into too much trouble."

Hermione wipes her tears and hugs the wizard back. " Keelan ."

She says his name as both a question and a prayer. He ignored the rest of the room as he swept Hemione out and was guided by a House Elf to her bedroom and a calming draught.

Seeing the woman who was practically my sister leave the room looking so catatonic broke my heart. There had been many things I had kept quiet on, and seeing Hermione's face like that told me I'd made the right choice all those years ago. But now it was the time some of those secrets were shared.

When I can't see them anymore I turn furious to face the Weasleys and Harry. "Tell me. How does it feel to destroy your best friend?"

"It's not his fault." Ginny hisses.

Luna glares at her former best friend. "You're right, it's both their fault. But abandoning your best friend over a Quidditch game ? That was all him." She answers.

Sobs wrack his body. "I didn't know," Harry whispers but I heard him. I always heard him and had to deal with the consequences.

"You didn't have to know Harry. You just needed to be there! All you had to do was care."

Ron exploded. "Nobody told her to open her legs like a whore! She said she loved me but the minute I was gone she went and jumped my best friend!"

My body coils and I launch myself at the red-headed bastard. I bring my fist down on his face. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TALK ABOUT HERMIONE THAT WAY!"

"Neville!" A pair of arms try to drag me off him but I fight them off and keep pummeling his face in.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT THE SHIT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH. EVANGELINE DIDN'T MAKE IT INTO THIS WORLD. HERMIONE ALMOST BLEED OUT ON THE TABLE. BUT YOU COULDN'T BE FUCKING BOTHERED TO COME TO HER SIDE WHEN SHE NEEDED YOU!"

A second pair of arms grab my waist and pull me off the redhead. "Neville stop!"

I shake off the Weasley patriarch's arms and glared at the youngest Weasley male. "You don't get the fucking right to judge her. You didn't have the balls to be there."

Luna's eyes were stuck on me. "What do you mean Evangeline didn't make it into the world?" she asked.

It takes me a moment to process what she said. I pale at her words. "You can't tell Hermione."

If anything the faces around the room became even paler. "Neville. Are you trying to tell me that Evangeline isn't Hermione's daughter?" Luna asks as if she's afraid Hermione could hear us.

"The umbilical cord." I try to shake my head away from the bad memories. "It became tangled around Evangeline's neck. The healers had to revive her."

Luna swayed on her feet and leaned against the wall. Tonight had not been good to anyone. "What else haven't you told us?"

Too many things you didn't need to be burdened with. "Hermione almost bleed out. We nearly lost them both that day. After the doctors diagnosed her with postpartum depression the doctors I decided not to tell her. The Grangers don't know either."

"Why keep it a secret? Why didn't you tell us?"

"What good would it have made? They were both fine-"

"She wasn't fine Neville. Hermione almost killed herself!"

My eyes hardened at that. "I know, I was there."

Luna's face scrunches in pain. I was the one to find Hermione pointing the wand at herself. "I-I'm sorry Neville."

"A suicidal woman being a mother. Tell me, in what world did anyone think that was a good idea?"

"In the world, Molly, where the woman has the best, goddamned support system in the world." I snap. "Hermione had her parents, had her friends, and most importantly had a reason to live for in her daughter. She would have had more if the famed Weasley family matriarch had stuck her head out of her arse."

"Who didn't know that Hermione was pregnant?" Harry asked tiredly. He looked pitiful standing alone even while surrounded by the Weasleys. His world had been shattered into pieces since Hermione arrived but I didn't have time for his precious feelings. I was too busy dealing with a broken woman closer to home.

"George spent a year in Australia. Fleur and Bill, we contacted them for help with Eva's medical needs. Andromeda found out by accident." Grandmother answers calmy after reentering the room.

Luna and I bow to my regent. "Lady grandmother." I greet. "Did all our guests leave?"

She nodded. "They did. I thought I should see how discussions were moving now that Keelan removed Hermione from the situation."

Harry was looking devastated. "Why did no one tell me? If Evangeline is my daughter, I had a right to know."

" If she's your daughter? Do you think we would lie about her parentage? To you? For what? Money?" I completely snap. "You want to know why? Because Evangeline couldn't survive in England. St. Mungo's wasn't equipped to deal with a case like Evangeline so Hermione, her mother , took her around the world in hopes of finding a cure.

"You think you're the only one that's hurt? Do you know how hard it was to hold my best friend as the doctors tell her she can't hold her own child? How do you think Luna felt when she realized that Hermione didn't consider her important enough to live? We watched over her as she burned herself trying to pull herself together and dealing with your rejections. She's still battling PTSD and depression, she punished herself with NEWTS and a Mastery to repent for the pain she caused her daughter. Even now she's still a shell of her former self. You lost a daughter but we lost the woman."

I dig my nails into my palms before I did something I would not regret. "Get out of my house Potter. And if you try to claim Evangeline's custody I swear to you that I will kill you for trying to destroy my family."

The Weasleys looked ready to protest but a dark glance from Arthur kept them all quiet. Harry picked himself from the floor and he tries to meet my eyes but I refuse to. "She was everything to me you know?"

"Then do the right thing for once in your life and leave her alone."

Bill's p.o.v

Dad dragged the four of them out of the Floo. George and I had decided to speak with Harry in a place he wouldn't feel trapped in. "You ready for this Bill?" George asked.

"Not at all."

With a dim grin, George started walking into the living room. Mum was furious and was only building her anger. "After everything we've done for her. Raised her like she was our daughter into a proper and pure witch. To betray us like this and turn those honorable families against us. Poor Madame Longbottom! Not only is she going to be saddled with a granddaughter-in-law like the Lovegood girl but to be in that ungrateful girl's clutches. Oh, Arthur, we must do something! If only Dumbledore was here, he would make them see reason!"

"And what of Hermione mum? She had to go through the struggle of raising a child on her own while maintaining her own successful career and making a name out of herself in the world." I point out.

Ginny answered for her. "She should have stayed home. Own up to her actions instead of galivanting the world. That's what a proper witch would have done."

George snorted. "And you would have accepted that little sis? I find that so hard to believe."

Mum turned on George. "You shut up! How dare you know and not tell us? You, who are our blood and family, picked another person above us? And you still defend her? That scarlet woman who broke poor Harry's and Ronald's heart? What proof is there that that brat is even Harry's huh!"

"Her name," I say, "is Evangeline . And aside from being the right age and the color of her eye, there's also the fact that I personally conducted a paternity test at St. Mungo's and in the Muggle world. Harry is the father, mum."

"That still doesn't explain why you're defending her!" Ron roared.

"Because if it had been Ginny in the situation we would have done the same! Hermione was hurting, she was looking for a reason to keep on living and she found it in her daughter and making her healthy. Did you think her trips around the world were for nothing? There's a reason her entire life isn't displayed all over the newspaper unlike you who can't keep your dick in one bird!" Snapped George.

I look at my family. "Yes, Hermione fucked up but for Merlin's sake don't pretend none of us haven't either. We left her." I stress. "When she needed us none of us were there for her. What the hell was she supposed to do when everyone turned their backs on her? Harry had just told her that he wanted nothing to do with that night."

Harry's eyes pinned me down. "How the bloody hell was I supposed to know that the one time I shagged my best friend she would get pregnant? It was an accident! It was never meant to happen!"

"You're right Harry. You're the hurt one here not her. She probably tempted you into this knowing people would turn against you but I'll always stand with you."

Never in my life had I wanted to raise my wand against my own sister. "It takes two to tango Ginny, whether he likes it or not he's Evangeline father."

Mum slammed her hands on the table. "What are you suggesting William? That he takes responsibility for the child? Because we will. Hermione has only proven her incompetence as a mother repeatedly."

"You want to take a child away from its mother!" George argued.

"She took my daughter away from me!"

Flesh hits flesh. The Burrow had never been more silent. Harry's glasses had fallen from the impact and he stared surprised at dad. Dad's face was covered in rage, his hand still hovering in the air where it had impacted Harry.

"Arthur!" Came mum's shrill scream.

"Do you know why I slapped you, Harry?" Came dad's flat voice.

Harry shook his head in denial. It was all he could do in the face of the shock we were all facing. No one, not even the twins, had warranted a physical blow from the Weasley patriarch.

"I slapped you because James can't, Remus can't. Because even Sirius, with his womanizer and devil-may-care attitude, would have done so. Your mother is looking at you right now and can't help but be ashamed."

"Dad-"

"That's enough Ginny. You will not speak a word, none of you will until I am done, understood?" We all nodded dumbly.

"You're turning your back on the one person in this entire world who stood by you, fought a war for you. Not even Dumbledore or we can say that, and yet you wish to inflict more harm on her? Yes, she should have told you but would how would have you reacted? After the war, you and Ron jumped from bed to bed sleeping around like the scarlet women Molly goes on about. Sirius would be ashamed to know what you have become. A boy that lives of his fame and money? He couldn't have cared less but the person that you are now, throwing people away and turning your back on your friends? I'm disgusted.

"Even before the war was over, you and Ronald pushed her aside. Instead of consoling her or trying to make her see reason, you took the coward's way out and stayed out of the problem as if it would magically disappear. That was Sixth Year when you were supposed to have matured! Obviously, I was wrong. Just like Ron did with Hermione you did with Ginny. I didn't stop you hoping you would have learned and let her move on but that is nothing compared to what you did to Hermione.

"You abandoned her. In her time of need -I don't care if you didn't know!- you left her alone. You put your needs before hers and never once did you ask her if she was okay, did you? Not once in the month after the war did you look twice at her." Dad took a deep breath and I knew then that he was blaming himself as well. Harry has been in our home since his second year but dad was still not able to present gentlemanly behavior.

"I blame myself." Nailed it, unfortunately. "I should have spoken up before this and set you all straight, instead I stuck my head down and hope it would all wash away. It didn't and now I have to deal with the consequences. This family owes many debts to Hermione Granger. She saved Ginny's life, she changed the way people view of Bill and is the reason any of us are here right now because if she had failed Harry and he'd died then we would have been the first on Voldemort's list.

Dad faced Harry again. "Hermione gave your godson a chance to have the world view him for who he is instead of what he could be. I will give you two options. Acknowledge Evangeline as your heir and daughter-"

Mum and Ginny both look aghast. "NO!"

"-or walk out that door and never look back. I will refuse to recognize any ties you have with this family and make you a persona non grata in this House."