In the light of day, Hermione was feeling completely herself again. She had a bouce in her step and she was happy and confident. She got up and was dressed before breakfast, eager to leave this place and move on from what had happened.
When Harry and Ron arrived, they were surprised to see her out of bed and smiling.
"Who are you and what happened to Hermione?" Harry asked.
"It's great to see you both. I'm leaving today. I can't wait to get out and enjoy some sunlight" she said.
"What happened? Yesterday you were basically bed ridden and the idea of leaving scared you senseless" Ron said.
"Well… Don't get mad. Last night I sort of had a run in with Malfoy" she said.
"I knew that was going to happen when they moved you to the mental health ward. I'm going to make a formal complaint and…" Ron said.
"Ron, listen. It was ok. He is as messed up about this as I have been. He is as much a victim as me. The guilt that he carries is tremendous… So I forgave him" she said.
"Just like that? He hurt you Hermione. He forced himself on you" Ron said.
"I know. Trust me, I know… But he wasn't in control, was he? They've proven it. The death eaters who were there have all been captured or killed, so now it's just time to move on. I don't want to wallow in being the victim anymore. I want to move on with my life. I spent 41 days in that hell and another week here. I need to be free. I need to feel free" she said.
"I'll go speak to a nurse" Ron said.
"Actually… Harry, would you?" she asked, causing he and Ron to look at each other in confusion.
"Uh, ok, sure" he said, and he left the room.
"Glad to finally get you alone" she said, moving towards Ron.
"What… what do you mean?" He asked.
"The other day when you tried to help me, and I asked you not to touch me. I… It was so soon after what had happened. I'm sorry" she said.
"Don't worry about it Hermione" he said.
"But then, when you told me about Fred, and I hugged you, I felt something warm inside. Like, maybe, hope?" she said.
Ron just looked to Hermione, seemingly unsure of what to say.
"I know that we've always had this, thing… between us, and I want to try and see if we can make it into something more" she said, feeling awkward.
Ron continued looking to her as though she was speaking another language.
"Do you want to?" she asked.
"Do I want to? Of course, I want to" he said, smiling his smile that had always made her a little fuzzy.
"It might take some time… for me… but I don't want to throw something away that I know has always felt right" she said.
"I've got time, Hermione. I have loads of it. You'll need to help me, I mean, I want to kiss you so bad right now, but I don't want to freak you out" he said.
Hermione was now the one looking at Ron as though he was speaking another language. His ears were red, and he was looking at the floor, but the fact that he was willing to wait for her and wanted her to be ok with it all made her want to kiss him too.
She closed the space between them and stood directly in front of him. He was taller than she remembered, or she just hadn't been this close to him before. She could feel the warmth radiating off his body and she wanted to put her hands on him, so she did. She placed her hands on his chest, and moved them to his shoulders, where she held him and pulled him down to her.
When his lips met hers, she almost melted into him. He was heaven and honey and everything that she needed all rolled into one. Kissing, yes, she could do this.
Her hands found his hair and his found her lower back. She kissed him as though he was air and she was drowning. She needed this. She hungered for this. It was years in the making, yet she hadn't realised till recently that its exactly what she wanted. Now, she couldn't imagine being without it.
They were drawn apart by Harry clearing his throat in the doorway.
"I guess that answers that question" he said, looking between the two of them.
"Which question is that?" she asked.
"How long it would take the two of you to figure this out" he said. "I was going to give it a couple of months at least" he added.
"Now all you need to do, Harry, is stop stringing Ginny along" Hermione said.
"Yeah, well, that's complicated. I broke it off with her to keep her safe" he said.
"Yes, and now that safety isn't a concern…." Hermione said.
"Just not that simple. She won't forgive me" he said.
"Have you seen how she looks at you? She's my sister, but I'm not blind. Plus, you're both miserable" Ron said, linking his hand with Hermione's.
"Anyway, here's your paperwork, you've been discharged" he said.
"Great. So we can leave?" she asked.
Harry nodded and Ron picked up the travel bag that had been brought in.
"Hang on, where am I going? I mean… My parents are still in Australia, it hardly seems appropriate for me to stay at the Burrow" she said.
"Why not?" Ron asked.
"Because, we can't live together" she said.
"Absolutely zero logic behind that" Ron said.
"You can come live at Grimmauld Place with me. I've had Kreacher cleaning it up for months now. It's almost completely unrecognisable" Harry said.
"What about living at the Burrow?" Ron butted in, fearing his best friend was leaving him. Harry just glared at him.
"What about Mrs Black?" Hermione asked.
"Well, when I gave Kreacher his own space , I suggested that he take her there so he can talk to her whenever he pleases" Harry said.
"And that worked?" she asked.
"First time" Harry said.
"We tried everything with that sticking charm" Ron pouted.
"And when are you going to learn, Ron, that Elf magic is different to wizarding magic?" Hermione asked.
"Probably never" he said, smiling at his girlfriend.
"Right you are" she said. "Thank you Harry, I would love to move to Grimmauld Place with you" she said.
After a quick drawing of Hermione's blood for conclusive tests, the three of them flood to Grimmauld place, which, to Hermione, was completely unrecognisable.
"When you said you had Kreachure cleaning it up, I didn't realise you completely renovated and made over the entire house" she said, stepping out of the fireplace and walking through the main living room. The space had been completely cleared out, al the dark aspects were gone, replaced with while walls and modern furniture.
She made her way down to the kitchen and noticed that it had been changed too. There were clearly still aspects of wizarding ways, but it was more modern now than any wizarding abode she had ever seen.
She turned and made her way up the stairs, stopping on the first floor to look into Sirius's room, which was much the same, and then into Regulus's room, which had been completely changed.
"That will be your room" Harry said, indicating to the new room.
"It's perfect" she said.
"I haven't worked to what to do with Sirius's room yet. I don't have the heart to tear it down" Harry said.
"So don't. Leave it till you're ready" she said.
He smiled at her and showed her the rest of the house, which consisted of various bathrooms, guest rooms, a library and Kreacher's room, which she approved of. The entire house was new and improved. She would never have guessed it had once been the ancient and most noble house of black the last time she was here.
()()()
Hermione found an easy new routine over the next few days. She would wake, shower, dress, eat, read, eat, read some more and eat some more then shower, read and sleep.
Ron came by and sat with her while she read and occasionally, they would kiss, which Hermione thought was nice. She had to instigate it every time, as Ron was too afraid to do something she didn't want, but for now, she thought that was ok.
Fred's funeral was quite an affair. It was held in the Weasley plot at the back of the grounds of the Burrow and, while it was sad, it was quite a celebration of his life, rather than morning his absence. George created the fireworks and set the scene, but Hermione could tell his heart just wasn't in it.
People tended to avoid Hermione, for fear that they might say or do something wrong. She guessed she would just be the poor girl who was raped and tortured for the sake of the war. She wasn't going to wear a label, so she made an extra effort to talk to those who she knew, and some she didn't.
The funeral and the wake continued on into the night, with a bonfire being lit and the Weasleys sitting around sharing stories of the war months.
"I remember seeing a completely devastated Ron at the Leaky Cauldron, trying to hide. Stupid git" Bill said.
"Yeah, and you took me home and made me stay there" Ron said.
"Well, you could have left anytime you wanted to" Bill said.
"And get caught by snatchers, no thanks" Ron said.
"Well, imagine our surprise when you just disappeared one night. Back to fight, we assumed" Bill said.
"I came back" Ron said.
Hermione listened to the banter between the brothers go on. She wanted to join in but didn't want to continue being the victim. She wanted to be stronger from the things she experienced, but at the same time, she felt a strong need to tell her story. To make them all understand.
She wrapped her arm around Ron's bicep, which, she found, was quite muscular.
"I was taken by some snatchers… To Malfoy manor" she said, when there was a lull in conversation. "It was bizarre. Malfoy knew who I was but tried not to let on that he knew. Of course, they found out. The sword was in my bag. Bellatrix was furious and, well, that's how I got this…" she pulled her black sleeve up and revealed the word mudblood carved into her arm. It shone in the light of the fire and she heard a few of the Weasleys gasp. "She crucio'd me and took me almost to breaking point. I thought I was going to die…" she continued, staring into the fire… "I wanted to die. I didn't think it could get much worse from there. I don't even know who it was, but someone took me to… I guess it was a cellar. I called it the dungeon. It felt like it. It had stone walls, and everything was damp. After a couple of days, I got a bed and a mattress. I figured at that point I'd be staying there for a while. I got fed their table scraps and I used chicken bones to carve a tally into the wall beside the bed, which was actually like a rock type surface. It was pretty dark in there; I didn't see much of anything till a few weeks in. A death eater brought me some food and told me to be prepared. I had no idea what that meant… I thought I was going somewhere…" she went on. The entire Weasley family listened on in interest. Molly was wiping her eyes with a handkerchief and Ginny was sitting by her side, holding her hand, while Ron sat tall on her other side.
"Anyway, when Malfoy arrived, I was sort of glad. Even though he was someone I always hated, it felt good to see a familiar face. That didn't last though, because he then told me that Voldemort wanted me to have a child. So, he… well, you can imagine, I guess. You all know what happened anyway, but it was Malfoy who was the first. He wasn't nice about it either, but what I didn't realise, was that in comparison to the ones who came by every day after him, Malfoy was a saint. Some of them only visited once, some visited a few times. I was beaten pretty badly, just for existing. I don't know any of their names, but I'd know their faces if I ever saw them. One of them… he liked to choke me. At first it was just till I started turning blue, but then he'd choke me till I passed out. I'd wake up hours later on the cold floor, blood dripping from a gash in my head or wherever. After a while, Malfoy would try and talk to me. He told me once that he was imperiorised but I yelled at him. I didn't care at that point. All I knew was that I was there against my will. He told me he had a wife who was unable to conceive a child, but again, I couldn't care less if I tried. After a particularly brutal experience with one of the more cruel death eaters, Malfoy changed. He tried talking to me, tried reasoning with me. I had given up at that point. I just zoned out and let it happen. If I fought, it was always going to be worse…" she went on. She was not going to tell them that Malfoy had made her orgasm, as she was still not sure what that all had meant herself.
The more of her story she told, the more freeing it felt, so she went on.
"He told me one day that it would only be him from them on. That Voldemort needed Malfoy to have an heir and I would give him one and he could pretend that it was his wife's baby. I told him that if he wanted me to go along with it any longer, I would comply, I would just let him do what he needed to do, but I wanted to be moved out of there. I was so mad at him. I yelled at him and told him to leave, and he did. I didn't see anyone else for 5 days. I was starving, and when he came back, I was too weak to do anything. That's all I remember. I sort of remember being moved and a soft blanket underneath me, but all I remember is just being so hungry in those last few days. So hungry and completely defeated. I was ready to give up. I thought about how I could die, but there wasn't anything I could do. I realised that that was my life. I would have his child and give it to him and his wife to raise and the rest would be determined by fate" she said. "And then I woke up hearing Molly's voice and it was like a dream" she finished.
"'Ermione, I'm so sorree that 'appened to you" Fleur said from across the fire as she wiped a tear from her eye.
Ron simply placed his arm around her and pulled her tighter to him.
"I thought I'd be ruined forever. When I was in the hospital and Ron leant close to me just to try and fix my pillow, I freaked out. I thought that I wouldn't be able to have someone near me ever again. But then, something weird happened. I came face to face with Malfoy and he was just as afraid as I was. He was just as broken, just as used, just as messy. He tried to kill himself that night, but I stopped him. I wanted him to live, not so that he would always know what he did to me, but so that I could forgive him. And I did. And if he was here now, I would still forgive him, because it wasn't his fault" she said.
"You're a much braver woman that I would be" Ginny said after a while when the large group began having smaller conversations again.
"No, Gin, I think you'd have fought harder" Hermione said.
"I think I've run out of fight, Hermione" Ginny said sadly, looking briefly across the fire at Harry, who was still ignoring her.
"Not possible. If you know what you want, what you deserve, what you need, never stop fighting. I gave up towards the end and that was a mistake. I almost lost a part of myself that might not have returned. Never give up. Chase your dreams, your freedom, your happiness or whatever it is you feel like you deserve" she said, looking around at all of them now.
"If it gets pulled out from under you, you will regret not grabbing what you have with two hands and holding onto it" she said, leaning her head on Ron's shoulder.
As the night wore on and the Weasleys dispersed to their rooms, Hermione approached Harry and slapped him hard on the chest.
"Ouch, what was that for?" He asked.
"Stop ignoring Ginny. She is hurting and she needs you" Hermione said.
"It's not that…." He began.
"Simple? Yes, it is. It is simple. Go to her, beg for her to take you back, snog her and it will all be great again" she said.
Harry looked from Hermione, across the yard to where Ginny was poking the remnants of the fire with a stick.
"She shouldn't forgive me. I left her. I abandoned her" he said quietly.
"Seize the day Harry Potter. She's loved you forever, but unless you do something now, she's not going to stick around. Go to her" she said, stepping aside and giving Harry and shove in Ginny's direction.
She watched as Harry walked to Ginny, not looking up from the grass. The two of them stood side by side, poking at the fire as Harry seemed to be talking. After a few minutes, Ginny looked up into Harry's face and smiled. Ron approached Hermione and placed his arm around her. An action that she had declared completely ok.
"Watch" Hermione said, as Harry turned to face Ginny. They couldn't hear what was happening, but watching it was like watching a silent movie. Ginny took a step towards Harry and grabbed him fiercely by the shirt, bringing him to her and kissing him roughly. Hermione hadn't expected it, but it was good to see that they had some passion left in them.
"You wanted me to watch that?" Ron asked her.
"Yeah, well, I thought it would be sweet. Didn't expect that" she said, turning slightly so she could be encased in both of Ron's arms. One of the only places she felt completely safe.
"You did great tonight. You didn't have to tell everyone what happened, but it was very brave" he said.
"I think I had to. I had to tell my story" she said.
Ron leant down and kissed her on the forehead. They hadn't snogged properly since the hospital and now, by the fire, Hermione wanted nothing more.
"It's not who I am anymore" she said, looking into Ron's eyes and leaning up on her toes to meet his lips with hers.
After an intense snogging session, where Hermione was rendered breathless, but in the best kind of way, she pulled away from him slightly.
"I would really like it if you would come home with me tonight" she said.
Ron hesitated, fear on his face as plainly as if he had written it there in ink.
"I… uh… Is that…" he stammered.
"Merlin, I think it would be nice to just lay beside you. You make me feel safe Ron. Safe and warm. That's all I'm asking" she said, wondering how she might ever have the conversation about sex with him. She had no idea how her subconscious would react, should the occasion ever present itself, but she was sure that the way she was going it would be soon.
"Ok, I'll do that" he said. "Ginny, tell mum that I'm staying at Harrys" he called to Ginny, who was still wrapped up in Harry's arms.
"I don't know if she got that message" Hermione said, as they walked to the gate of the burrow together.
()()()
As they lay in Hermione's king size bed, Hermione in her flannel pyjamas and Ron in a pair of Harry's pants, Hermione couldn't feel more at ease. She lay in the crook of Ron's arm as she toyed with the small spattering of blonde hair that littered his chest.
They had snogged in the living room on the couch, in the kitchen while making cups of tea and in the bed, while lying beside one another.
"I don't ever want you to feel like you have to do anything you don't want to do. Until the day you say you want to, this is all I ever need" Ron said, running his hand across her back and staring at the ceiling.
She was completely overcome by how sensitive Ron was. The old selfish inconsiderate childish Ron was gone, somehow replaced by this man, who wanted nothing more than to make Hermione feel ok. Ok to be here with him, ok to simply exist however she needed to exist after what had happened to her. He had kissed her, more passionately than anyone had kissed her before and she knew that he had reacted to it, but as much as he had, he hadn't so far as let her think that he was so aroused.
The strangest thing was, in that moment, her heart began beating fast and her mind started to wonder what it would be like to actually be with someone, properly.
"Ron, I know I said that I just wanted to lay, but… if you wanted to, I think I'd like to try… you know" she said, leaning up slightly and looking into his eyes. He was afraid. Then again, so was she.
"Hermione, I want to, don't get me wrong, but is it not too soon? For you?" he asked.
"I have never felt safer than I do when you're with me. I feel myself falling for you in ways that I can't even begin to explain. I think if I'm ever going to get past what happened, I need to replace those memories with good ones" she said.
Ron looked at her, seemingly puzzled by what she was saying. She could see his brain working at such great speed that she was sure he may explode soon.
"Ok" he said.
"Ok?" she asked.
"The second that you're not ok, we're stopping" he said.
"Ok" she said, her heart beating into her throat.
He moved to kiss her again, now, taking the chance to run his hand up the front of her pyjamas.
His touch as like fire but in the best way, as he caressed her breast. She arched herself against him, eager for his touch. Desperate, almost.
Ron rolled so that she was underneath him and he was hovering above her. For the briefest of moments, the image of a sweaty dark-haired man loomed over her, but she pushed it away and kissed Ron again. She unbuttoned her top and discarded it onto he floor, while he allowed himself the opportunity to gaze at her.
"You're the most incredibly beautiful creature I have ever seen" he said, looking into her eyes, into her fractured soul, as he did.
"I love you Ron" she said.
"I've loved you forever" he said back, as he kissed her again, moving to her neck.
She removed her pants with one hand and wondered how this all worked, now that she had capacity to control it. She had heard about foreplay and knew that she didn't just want to get into it, so while Ron was busy trailing kisses down her sternum, she took his erection in her hand and started moving her hand back and forth.
The feeling of control and confidence she got when she heard his sharp intake of breath was invigorating and she found a warmth building between her thighs.
"Touch me" she said to him, as she continued stroking him.
His free hand slid down the length of her body towards the part of her that had, until now, only ever been abused.
When his hand reached its destination, he hesitated.
"I… Don't really know what to do" he said.
"That makes two of us" she said, guiding his hand to the place she recalled having given her pleasure when it was touched by Malfoy. The thought almost made her want to stop, but when Ron's hand brushed against it, his warmth, his safety, his security, made her forget about the past.
"There. Just rub there" she said, directing him to that sensitive spot. He did as instructed and soon, she was panting. She took his hand and guided it down, easing one of his long fingers inside of her. She was in control. She had the power. She was taking the lead on this and she felt so incredibly powerful.
Gone were the misgivings that sex could never be good or enjoyable. Ron was doing things to her that she loved and if this was sex, she needed it.
He seemed to build a rhythm that had her moaning for more. She didn't want him to stop, but at the same time, she wanted more. She needed more. She pressed gently against Ron's chest forcing him to lay back on the bed. She put a leg over him, so she was straddling him and with his erection in her hand, eased herself onto it. It took a moment for her to think of what to do. Ron had his eyes closed, hissing a breath through his teeth. She knew it wouldn't be long. She started moving so that the sensitive part of her rubbed against him and within moments, she felt the build.
Ron's hands reached up and cupped her breasts, which had grown a whole cup size since leaving the hospital. She was grinding herself against him, letting out moans of pleasure as she felt the impending surge of pleasure. Ron took a nipple between his thumb and finger and pinched it, sending a wave of electricity coursing through her body down to where they were joined and Hermione came undone with a wave of pleasure that sent them both spiralling into a pleasurable abyss.
She opened her eyes to find that she had collapsed on top of him. She looked up to see him staring back down at her.
"Hey" he said.
"Was I asleep?" she asked.
"For a few minutes" he said, stroking her hair.
No one spoke for a while, but Hermine continued to lay on him where she felt comfortable.
"Was that ok?" he asked. She saw the concern on his face when she looked at him again
She kissed him and smiled as she looked into his face
"That was more than ok" she said.
"That was more than ok for me too" he said
"I… I didn't know it could be like that" she said, rolling and laying on her side, still half wrapped around him.
"I just hope I was ok" he said. "I think I got a little bit carried away at the end" he said, looking at the ceiling.
"No, that was good. I liked that. I… It was all really good Ron. Thank you" she said.
"You're thanking me?" he asked laughing.
"Well, yeah. You were considerate and understanding and you held back until I enjoyed myself" she said.
"Well, you certainly made it difficult. I mean… I didn't know that… well, there's a lot I didn't know. You feel… There aren't words. Honestly" he said.
"I like this. I like that we and lay here and talk about it" she said.
"Me too" he said, stroking her bare shoulder. After a while he spoke again… "Hermione…?" he asked.
"Hmm?" she hummed, half asleep
"I meant what I said. I am in love with you. I've been in love with you for so long" he said.
"I love you too Ron" she said. Closing her eyes and curling up beside him.
()()()
The next week was a blur to Hermione. She travelled to Australia with Ron and tracked down her parents, who, once their memory was restored, refused to return to England. They had set up a great life there and, once Hermione agreed to visit often, they parted ways. She didn't tell them what happened to her. She didn't really feel close to them. Besides, she had now almost completely put it behind her.
She still had nightmares and still occasionally saw the faces of the death eaters in front of her when she closed her eyes, but Ron was helping her with that. They had become addicted to sex. To the feeling that comes with being that close to someone, that intimate. After the first time, they did it again the next day, to check if it was a fluke the first time, but it was better than the first. The third time was best two out of three, which happened to beat them both and the fourth time was just for fun. Every time after that was different and pleasurable and fun.
When Ron wanted to perform oral sex on her, she hesitated, but allowed him to. It turned out to be a mistake, as the flashbacks that came with the build of pleasure were too overwhelming. She didn't know what it was about that particular arrangement that sent her over the edge. Perhaps it was that she couldn't see him or couldn't feel him. She needed to have Ron close to her, she needed his comfort and his warmth. As long as he was there, she was safe.
A month after she had been freed from the Manor, an owl delivered her a letter requesting she attend St Mungo's for a follow up.
Ron accompanied her, as he did wherever she went and sat with her while they conducted routine tests.
"Well, Miss Granger it seems like you're doing really well. Mentally and physically" the healer said.
"That's great. I'm just so eager to move on with my life now. I want to put it all behind me" she said.
"Well, there's one more thing. When you were discharged, we took a sample of your blood, to test for things that might not have appeared in the first test" the healer said.
Hermione's stomach dropped.
"Your pregnancy test had come back positive" he said.
Tears flooded her eyes and fear invaded her every nerve. She was back at day one after her freedom. The walls felt like they were closing in and the very air she was breathing was trying to strangle her.
"Are you certain?" she vaguely heard Ron ask.
"Yes" the healer responded.
"But… I was getting my life back. I wasn't… it wasn't… He told me I wasn't. Then there was only him… after that… so…" she stuttered.
"There are things we can do, Miss Granger. Measures we can take. Ordinarily, we wouldn't discuss it, but abortion is an option here" he said.
"Abortion? I… I don't think I could. I couldn't do that" she cried.
"Well… we can perform some tests to see… I mean, to determine the, uh, the biology… of the child" the healer said.
"I was tested when I was out cold. I wasn't pregnant. Then there was only Malfoy after that" she said.
Ron's face and ears burnt red.
"It's not his fault. We established that" she said.
"Well, Mr Malfoy is here, still" the healer said.
"He's here?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, he's had quite a difficult road to recovery. Very complex mind charms" the healer said.
"He needs to know. I… I can't keep this a secret" she said.
"And where do we fit into this?" Ron asked.
"Well, it's not going to be easy, but, Ron, I love you, and you love me. We can still be together' she said.
"And raise a baby that's not mine?" he asked.
"Yes. And raise a baby that's not yours" she spat. "I didn't ask for this. I don't like it any more than you do, but there is a child growing inside of me and we just have to deal with it" she said.
"You're right, I'm sorry. You didn't ask for this" he said.
"Can we see him? Malfoy?" she asked the healer.
"Is that wise?" he asked.
"If he's as fragile as you say, perhaps the idea of an heir will help him discover meaning in his life?" she said.
"Or increase his guilt?" Ron asked.
"We can only hope that it will do some good" the healer said, opening the door and leading the way.
Hermione followed him down the hall, hand in hand with Ron, who, as always, kept her safe just by being there.
They came to a door and the healer knocked on it gently.
"Come in" Malfoys quiet voice answered.
"Mr Malfoy, you have some visitors" the healer said.
He looked up from a muggle puzzle he was in the final stages of completing, and his eyes widened when he saw Hermione and Ron standing in his doorway.
"What are you… I mean… is there something I can help you with?" he asked.
"How are you?" she asked, feeling rather complex emotions looking down at the person who had abused her multiple times, albeit against his will, but nevertheless.
"I'm getting there" he said.
"I uh… I have something I need to tell you" she said.
Malfoy stood. "I thought you would have gotten lucky. You weren't pregnant in that last week" he said.
"You guessed?" she asked.
"There's only one reason you would approach me and that is to tell me that you're pregnant. Am I right?" he asked.
"Yes" she said.
"So what are your plans for this abomination?" he asked, standing and walking over to the nearby window.
"I don't think it's an abomination Malfoy. Its half Hermione" Ron said.
"You're right Weasley" he said, narrowing his eyes at him. "This mistake, this accident, this creature created from abuse and torture" he said.
"I can't have an… I can't get rid of it. No matter the circumstances. I couldn't live with myself" she said.
"And adoption… Is that out of the question?" Malfoy asked.
"Absolutely" she said.
"So you're going to raise it then?" he asked.
"Yes. With your input" she said, his eyes widening.
"What do you want my input for?" he asked.
"This is the Malfoy heir. It doesn't matter that he or she was created against both of our will, the fact is, it exists, and it needs to be cared for. To be… loved. Besides, your wife can not conceive a child. This is you chance to have someone carry on the Malfoy line" she said, glaring at him.
"It's a mistake. My wife is dead. They killed her. This is all a mistake" he said not looking at her.
She stormed over to where he stood and grabbed his face in her two hands. "You listen to me… I don't like this. As much as you hate this, I hate it more. I have finally begun to get my life back on track and then I am slapped in the face with having to bear the child of my unwilling abuser. Nothing is ever how we want it to be Malfoy, but we roll with the things we are given. Life is short and you need to embrace this child, because if you don't, you'll just be a person that he or she slightly resembles and for me, that will be far worse than having to have you involved in our lives" she said.
Malfoy stood for a moment with Hermione holding his face in her hands. He was scared.
"It doesn't matter what we tell ourselves, this child will forever be a sign of what I did to you" he said, pulling away from her grasp.
"No, Malfoy, I don't think it will. I will never forget what happened to me, but I will remember that you were the one who, despite being there against your will, tried your best to make things less horrible for me" she said, feeling the disgust in her own mind at trying to justify him raping her by pointing out that he simply did it less brutally than the others.
"I… ", he began.
"Look, we're never going to get anywhere with this. I suggest you do what you need to do to get right with this and owl me. I'll keep you informed about all major check ups and scans and you can either be there, or not be there" she said, before giving him a stern look that McGonagall would be proud of, turning on her heel and walking out the door.