Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my ideas. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Author's Note: I'M SO SORRY IT'S BEEN 18 MILLION YEARS SINCE I'VE POSTED! I've been super busy and life keeps getting in the way, but here it is! I hope you lot are still around to read it. also, today is the 16th anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts - how crazy is that? PLEASE READ AND REVIEW ! xx

Chapter Twenty: Confrontations

Marley could feel the awkwardness and tension in the room. It seemed as though no one was okay - not that she expected them to be.

She wasn't sure who looked the most nervous: Hermione, Harry or Ginny. Her father looked just beyond angry, a way she had only seen a few times over the years. James was by her side, looking slightly frightened by the whole thing just as she was sure she did. Meredith actually looked the calmest, but Marley knew that that was because she was just suppressing everything.

The moment they had all arrived at the Burrow, Molly had told them that Ron was upstairs with his children, and then proceeded up the stairs to go and fetch him. Marley wasn't sure what she was more nervous about - seeing the man that had caused her family so much hell, or seeing the hurt and explosions that would be written all over their faces.

"M&M, you're shaking." James whispered in her ear.

She turned to him, squeezing his hand tightly in her own and kissing him softly. She wasn't sure if she had kissed him in front of her family yet, but at that point she really didn't care. Besides, they were all way too distracted to pay attention to her at the moment.

"What was that for?" he mumbled when they pulled away.

"For being here. For being here always." she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder and snuggling close into his side.

. . .

Draco knew that it would take all of the energy he had not to punch Ron Weasley straight in the face once he saw him. It was literally going to take all of his self control. He squeezed Hermione's hand, looking down at her to find her face pale and biting her lip in anxiety.

"Angel, it's gonna be fine." he whispered, hoping that if he said it out loud enough, he would believe it himself.

Hermione let out a loud, bitter laugh and Draco felt a pit of dread develop in his stomach.

"Right, right." she whispered back.

Suddenly, he heard feet on the stairs and felt Hermione squeeze his hand tightly, every ounce of colour draining out of her already pale face. He looked over at Meredith, finding her sitting on the couch next to Marley and James. He pressed his lips close together, raising his eyebrows when he saw a tiny girl coming around the corner into the room.

She couldn't be more than three years old, with a pale face and auburn hair. She took in the sights around the room, her blue eyes widening automatically and her lip beginning to wobble.

It was occurring to Draco that this was Ron's daughter - Rose.

"Daddy!" she yelled, bursting into tears.

Draco watched as Ginny stood up, approaching the small girl and crouching down beside her.

"Hi there, what's your name?" Ginny asked calmly.

"R-R-R-ose." she stammered.

"Hi, Rose. I'm your Auntie Ginny. It's very lovely to meet you." Ginny said. "Where's your Dad?"

Rose pointed upstairs, her lip quivering as she stared at Ginny. "Connor is being mean to me."

"Is he now?" Ginny said. "Well don't worry. I grew up with six brothers, I can tell you how to deal with him."

Draco looked down at Hermione again, trying to assess her expression. Her eyes were widened and her lips were pressed tightly together.

"Hermione..." Draco whispered.

. . .

Seeing little Rose Weasley - Ron's daughter - was making everything much more real for her. She could feel Draco's anxiety radiating next to her, but she didn't know what to do. She kept watching Ginny as she spoke to Rose.

"Six?" Rose repeated.

"Yes, six." Ginny said with a small smile.

"Rosie! Don't just run down the stairs like that without someone behind you, alright?"

Hermione's heart froze in her chest. Sixteen years later and she would still recognize that voice anywhere.

Ron.

She heard his footsteps coming down the stairs and she was instantly catapulted backwards to all the time she had spent at the Burrow in her childhood. She swore that she had spent more time there when not at Hogwarts than at her actual home.

Hermione turned her head to look at Harry across the room and found him already looking at her with fearful eyes. She squeezed Draco's hand tighter and looked at Meredith, who's face was eerily calm.

Meredith.

Ron had taken Meredith from her. It had been the absolute worst time of her life - and whether or not he had been sick, it had still happened and there was nothing that could erase that.

"Daddy! Connor's a meanie!" Rose shouted, lifting her arms up as Ron rounded around the corner.

Hermione took in the sight of him as he picked up his daughter. He still had a thick head of red hair, and about the same height. His stomach was a tad rounder, and his face gave away just how worn he truly was. He hadn't looked at any of them yet, he focusing only on Rose.

"He didn't mean it, love. You know that, okay?" Ron sighed.

Rose rested her head on Ron's shoulder as he turned to face the room, his face paling dramatically as he took sight of everyone, his eyes falling on Hermione last.

She felt Draco grip her hand even tighter as she herself felt a little more than slightly lightheaded. She couldn't believe that he was standing in front of her after all these years.

"Rosie, go on back upstairs and sit with Connor, okay?" Ron said, placing her down gently.

Ron finally tore his eyes away from her own as he put down Rose and watched her scramble up the stairs. He then turned to look at Ginny as the rest of the room stared on. Hermione felt herself tremble and was grateful as Draco's arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Ginny..." he whispered.

Hermione watched as Ginny's lip quivered and she took a step back, crossing her arms tight over her chest. Ron sighed, and Hermione watched his whole posture deflate ever-so slightly. Ginny turned and caught eyes with her and Hermione realized that she was just as afraid as Hermione was herself.

"She's beautiful, Ron." Ginny whispered. "Rose, I mean. She's truly beautiful."

Hermione watched Ron's eyes mist over immediately, and she knew that this was hard for him, too. She was so, so conflicted with herself and every bit of emotion inside of her.

. . .

Meredith couldn't believe that Ron was standing right in front of her.

The man from her nightmares was standing just a few feet away

The man she had once thought was going to be her father.

If she thought hard enough, Meredith could remember the day her Mum almost married her Uncle Ron. She remembered Hermione telling her to get Harry to bring her to the Leaky Cauldron. She remembered walking in on her Mum standing in a wedding dress with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Thanks f-for coming." Ron said gruffly, still standing with Ginny.

Ginny nodded and Meredith knew that she was fighting off every instinct to hug him. She didn't blame her Aunt - she had seen just how hard this whole thing had been on Ginny every time had looked at her over the last few days.

Ginny turned to look at Meredith, with almost a pleading look in her eyes - it was almost as if Ginny was asking her permission to hug Ron. Meredith was trying to make her face appear as calm as humanely possible, but she really had no idea how she looked.

She wanted to be in control of her emotions for once. She wanted to be in charge and face her fear and her past.

"Thanks all of you for coming." Ron said, turning to face the room. "I didn't... I didn't realize that you would bring um... that you would bring your kids."

Meredith felt her face grow hot as Ron's eyes landed on her - she wasn't even sure if he recognized her.

But then again - how could he not?

"I... I wish there was some sort of way that I could apologize to all of you, but I know that there isn't. All I can say is that... it wasn't me." Ron began. "I mean, I know it was me, but it wasn't me. It was the bloody tumour. It was the thing messing up my brain and if I could take it all back, I would. Believe me, I would do anything to take it back."

There was a silence as everybody absorbed Ron's words. Meredith felt Marley reach over and grab her hand, squeezing it tight in her own. She looked at her sister who was still snuggled up next to James, fear evident in her face.

"My wife..." Ron said, his voice breaking. "My wife died a month ago, and I couldn't do it on my own. I needed help and despite everything, you lot are my family. I had to come to Mum and Dad. I had to. Not for me, but for my kids. My kids mean everything to me."

"Then you understand how Meredith means everything to me!" Hermione suddenly shouted.

Meredith - and everybody else - practically jumped out of their seats at Hermione's sudden outburst.

"Imagine if someone you had loved and trusted for your whole life had suddenly turned on you and beaten you to shit and taken your child from you!" Hermione screamed. "Even if it was because they were terribly, terribly ill, would you forgive them? Would you be able to do that? Because if so, please tell me."

Meredith watched as her Mum left her Dad's side and approached Ron, crossing her arms tight over her chest and looking up at him with raw determination - as well as fear - in her eyes.

"I would be just as angry as you, Hermione." Ron whispered.

"Exactly. So, I don't know what I'm supposed to do here, Ron." Hermione yelled. "You... you hurt my little girl! You made me believe she was dead!"

"AND YOU ALMOST KILLED HERMIONE!" Harry suddenly exploded.

Meredith jumped again and looked at her Uncle. His face was red and he had moved from the vigil spot he had held since arriving. He was approaching Hermione and Ron, Ginny taking a noticeable step away.

"If I hadn't gotten there when I had, Hermione'd probably be dead, okay? She'd be dead and gone and Draco would never know that Meredith was his daughter. Marley wouldn't be here. Neither would their other kids. Nothing would have been the same. Hermione would be dead." Harry yelled.

"Harry..." Hermione sighed.

Meredith could hardly listen to any of it. She wanted to bolt - she wanted to get out of there so badly.

And she knew exactly where she wanted to go, too.

It was where she always wanted to be.

With Leo.

She shook her head and stood up, approaching the group of screaming adults. She turned her head to look at her father who was watching her with cautious eyes. He had barely said anything to her about Ava and it had hurt - but she also knew that he needed to process things in his own time. He nodded slowly at her and she felt herself nod back.

He was right. She could do this.

"Mum, Harry." she whispered, stepping between the two. "Stop shouting, please. He's got kids upstairs."

Meredith stared into the eyes of Ron, crossing her skinny arms over her chest and taking another step forward.

"Meredith." he said.

She could practically feel his nerves.

"Yeah." she whispered. "It's me. All grown up."

He opened his mouth to speak and she just shook her head. "I know you weren't expecting me. Hell, you probably weren't expecting my mum or dad either, but... I made them bring me. I had to face you. Because you've... you've fucked me up, okay? You've fucked me up majorly. And I spent a lot of my life blaming the hell out of you, but..."

Meredith stopped, taking a deep breath before going on. She looked around the room, finding tears in her Aunt Ginny's eyes, as well as Marley's and her mother's. James was staring straight at her, a protective appearance on his face. Draco was looking the same - though mingled with his famous anger.

"But, I can't do it anymore. I can't blame you. I know it wasn't you. You were terribly ill. I can't blame you anymore. I have too many other negative things in my life to spend anymore energy on this one, okay? So... forgive yourself." Meredith finished.

She turned around and took a few steps away, just in time to see the front door of the Burrow open.

It was Teddy.

He instantly caught her eyes and rushed over to her, pulling her into his arms and holding her tight. She let tears slide from her eyes as she let herself feel comforted in her best friend's embrace.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me you were coming now, Meredith?" Teddy said into her ear.

"Because... you can't protect me from everything, Teddy. I needed to do this." she whispered, pulling away slightly.

Teddy leaned in and kissed her forehead before holding her close. "Come on. Me and Victoire are going out for a drink. Please come with us."

Meredith turned around to look at her family, finding them all staring at her with widened eyes. She caught eyes with her mother, feeling the pride instantly. She managed a weak smile at her before turning back to Teddy.

"Sure." Meredith decided. "But, we've got to make one stop first."

. . .

James shook his head and looked down at Marley as he watched Teddy and Meredith disapparate away.

"There she is." Marley whispered.

"What?" he asked.

"My older sister. The real her. She's in there somewhere. And she just kicked ass." Marley said.

Marley was right. Meredith's words to Ron had kicked ass, and no one had said a word since.

"Ginny's right. Rose is beautiful." Harry said in a small voice.

James felt a lump in his throat appear as his father spoke. He could tell as his father spoke that it was difficult for him to get out any words. He knew how Harry regarded Meredith - last night had only further confirmed it.

"Who's her mother, Ron?" Ginny asked.

James watched Ron's eyes fill with tears as he let out a nervous cough. Clearly, it was a difficult subject for him.

This man wasn't a monster at all, like he had imagined him.

He was just a regular bloke - one who had made terrible, terrible life altering choices because of an illness.

"Her name was Maria." Ron said. "I met her about twelve years ago. I had just gotten officially cleared of all illnesses, and I decided to get away for a bit. I was traveling around Ireland when I found her. We were married two years later, and Connor came a year after that."

. . .

Marley tried to listen to Ron speak about his life, but she kept hearing her Uncle Harry's words echo in her head.

You almost killed Hermione.

Ron had almost killed her mother. How? Why? When?

How had she not known about this?

She had seen her mother's face when Harry had brought it up and knew immediately that it was something she liked to bury deep down inside of her.

Before Marley knew what she was doing, she was on her feet and walking to Ron.

"Marley, what are you doing?" she heard James whisper in a low voice behind her.

Ron stopped mid-sentence and stared at her. She didn't care if he had no idea who she was - that was probably better.

"You almost killed my mother." she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "And you ruined my sister. You broke my family before I was even bloody around."

Ron didn't say anything, merely backing up a step or two and staring down at her. Before Marley could help herself, she reached out and slapped him straight across the face, causing sounds of shock to echo about the room.

"I'm Marley." she said through her teeth. "And I won't be seeing you again."

Marley turned around to find James having reached behind her. He was staring at her with widened eyes. She didn't want to say anything, and she didn't want to listen to whatever her parents were inevitably going to say - once they had all recovered from the shock of her actions, she might add.

Marley took James' hand and pulled him to the Floo, stepping in and whirling away.