"What?" It wasn't a question anymore, no, Hermione was long past simple questions. Now she was in a fearful whisper, a realization blooming in her mind that Harry was no longer the friend she had cried with. No longer the person she thought she knew. No longer the same person who had been friends with her when no one else was, who had saved her from the troll, who had been with her in the woods.
"I mean, Hermione, what I'm trying to say is that Ron has a fair point-"
"A fair point dictating how I live my life?" Hermione countered with enough anger that she was almost holding a sword at Harry's neck, not believing the words coming out of Harry's mouth."
"No, but it's not like he can have the children! Hermione, you have to understand where Ron is coming from. He wants a solid mother figure in his children's lives, what is so wrong with that." Hermione eyed Harry as he paused, his green eyes staring into hers. "Look, when me and Ginny talked about having kids together, whenever that maybe, we realized that it would make more sense for her to stay at home and quit her quidditch career."
"By that do you mean we or you?" Hermione's arms were crossed, wondering if Ginny would have given up her own space as her own person to stay at home. Was that really the fierce Ginny she knew? Maybe it was, considering what a fearsome person Molly had been even though she herself had stayed at home.
"Both of us, but she wanted it after having her mother in her life."
Hermione understood that. It made sense. Ginny had grown up with a role model like that, a mother like that, and that was something she had dreamed of becoming.
"But that was Ginny's choice, was it not?" Harry nodded in response. "Ginny got to choose, Harry, which is different than no choice. Ron was giving me no choice at all, no room to make my own decision, his and only his decision on the table. You have to understand that is no different than being treated like less-"
"There is a difference! Ron is a person you love, helping you make a decision because he cares about you. He wants his children to grow up with parents close and ready, not working long hours and up at the top, he doesn't care or want that stuff. You remember Molly of course?"
Hermione did remember. She also remembered when Molly screamed her head off at Hermione when she saw her in the Ministry, how Molly shouted and cursed her out for supposedly 'breaking Ron's heart and shattering it into a million pieces'. Much good that did, as he and Lavender got into a relationship not very far after.
"Molly was not exactly the most forgiving person," was all Hermione dared to let out. "Especially because she believes her Ron is a precious angel. Don't you remember when she thought I broke your heart?"
Harry shook his head. "Look, Hermione, forget about that. Remember the good mother she was. That it what Ron wants, and I would agree with that's how I think a family really, fundamentally, is. You forget, I didn't even grow up with parents, and with that, I think it would be so crucial to have a generation without any orphans, you-"
"Understand? No. My child would not be parentless, or without one of us. I would just work for the day, tell me, what is wrong with that? What is so wrong with me having my own living, that both you and Ron destroy our friendship for? Is it really worth it?"
Hermione watched Harry shake his head, and groan verbally in frustration. Hermione was fuming with anger, watching him get heated from her saying the truth, or at least the truth she had been raised on.
"I can't deal with this right now," Hermione said resignedly as she apparated out of the room, somewhere between tired and sickened from the debate, and into a muggle alley in London.
It was in a neighborhood she knew well from growing up — just a small one she had walked by when she was in the city. But recently, Hermione had begun going to a pub there to escape the qualms of going to one full of people who would actually recognize her.
The pub was loud and brimming with the sounds of heightened laughter, of people who hadn't had such a miserable night like her. Hermione wasn't even much of a drinker, but she just sat at a table in the corner, alone, drinking in the bright around her. Hermione didn't want to have to go back to her apartment and stew in the anger of her argument, that was too much for her to handle.
Hermione sat with a beer in hand for a long, droning amount of time, hardly taking a sip. Just sitting; watching as people hung in groups of friends or in pairs of two. The people at the party came to mind, or most of them at least, but Hermione tried to push them out of her mind. She hated thinking of how humiliating it was going to be, somehow the front page of the Daily Prophet.
The pub was beginning to empty as Hermione noticed a familiar face walking in. With those silvery, almost always dreaming eyes, it could be none other than Luna Lovegood.
"What are you doing here?" It was back to a simple question as she watched Luna sit down across from her.
"I just came to tell you I'm sorry of the way Ron and Harry treated you, there not always the best if you hadn't noticed? If Rolf had told me whatever Ron probably told you, I would have set an army of his nifflers on him."
Rolf...? Rolf Scamander was her boyfriend?
"Yeah, well," Hermione awkwardly scratcher her head. She and Luna really never were that close, but with the girl now, Hermione felt at ease. "Believe me, if I could, I would definitely have set an army of nifflers on him."
"If you don't mind the asking of a curious soul, why exactly did you and Ron break up?"
"The long or abridged version?" Hermione watched Luna's small shrug in response, causing Hermione to launch into a short yet adequate version of events.
"Wow," Luna said as Hermione finished. "That's a lot more truthful than the pile of trash Ron was trying to weave into gold. They all had thought that at the first sign of confrontation, you'd fled from the scenes. I have to admit, it's relieving to know that my instincts aren't entirely wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Ron painted you as too desperate, too needy. That you faded, left, very unlike you actually. Not a very good lie, if you've seen a person enough. Your not some bossy Ministry worker, your a compassionate person. Besides, nargles can't exactly steal a person's personality, can they?"
Hermione gave a small smile as she stared at this person she had never talked to, burt seemed to know her so much better than some of her actual friends. "Yeah, but I don't want to talk about my troubles all night with Ron. So how are you and Rolf doing?"
"Really well, and thanks for letting me talk. Ginny doesn't really like Rolf, I really think she wanted me to marry within yours or our Hogwarts year. But he's a naturalist, one who I met traipsing around looking for the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. Bought me these earrings, unbelievable, that I finally know what it's like to have a boyfriend, my more me Harry Potter."
Hermione and Luna fell into any easy rhythm chatting and laughing, even though Hermione could never quite figure out that woman. It seemed so hard to fathom having a true friend again, and Hermione didn't even want to jinx the idea of having one.
When Luna got up to use the bathroom, Hermione noticed a surprising figure at a table nearby.
A/N: Ooh! A mysterious figure to get into some more tricky business! Additionally, Sorry if my Luna was a little OOC, I'm still working on challenging my inner Lovegood. Anyways, thank you to anyone and everyone who followed/faved my story! I really hope you keep reading and enjoy! I of course plan for some more bashing later on, but I want to add some more characters obvi. Please R&R, and stay tuned for Chapter 4!