Ron stood at the steps of Grimmauld Place, his fist posed to knock. He couldn't believe he was really having to do this, ask his sister and brother-in-law if he could crash at their house for awhile because he was divorcing his wife of fifteen years. Why was he divorcing his wife? Oh, just that little matter of her having lied about their son's paternity for eight years.

It was the stuff of books, not something that really happened to people. And it certainly didn't happen to people like him. He was Ron Weasley, he was part of the Golden Trio, defenders of wizarding kind and conquerors of Voldemort.

Surely this was a dream.

Surely he would wake up soon.

But it wasn't a dream. It was his life now and he had to remember that.

With a sigh, he knocked on the door, dreading having to tell Harry and Ginny what had happened. How could he even begin to explain the total wreck his life had become in the past few days.

"Ron! What are you doing here? Come in!" Ginny ushered Ron, yelling over her shoulder. "Harry! Ron's here!"

"Ron, good to see you, mate!" Harry said as he came downstairs. "Lily would say hi, but we just put her to bed."

Ron shrugged. "That's okay. I actually need to talk to the two of you. It's kind of a 'grown up' matter."

"Oh. Okay." Ginny looked at Ron, a strange expression on her face before she turned and looked at her husband. Harry raised his eyebrows at his wife before turning his hand to Ron and clapping a hand onto his shoulder. "Come on into the kitchen and we'll talk."

Ron nodded uneasily as he followed Harry and Ginny into the kitchen, wondering how to best tell Harry and Ginny the news.

"Tea, Ron?" Ginny asked, lifting the screeching tea pot off the stove and pouring a cup for herself and Harry.

Ron nodded absentmindedly, thinking of Hermione and Hugo. He wondered if Hermione had picked up Hugo from the Burrow yet and if she had, was she planning to tell him the truth? Even now, was she sitting with Hugo, telling him that Ron wasn't his father? He shuddered at the thought of his beloved boy learning that Severus Snape, a stranger, was his father, not the man he had known and grown up with for his entire childhood. Hugo was his son. Biology be damned. He was his son and he was not giving him up without a fight.

Ginny and Harry sat down across the kitchen table from Ron and exchanged a look before looking at Ron.

"So? What's up?" Harry asked, taking a sip of his tea.

Ron took a deep breath, trying to organize his thoughts before speaking. "Hermione and I are getting a divorce."

"What?" Ginny gasped.

"We're getting a divorce. Our marriage is a sham and I refuse to stay married to a cheating bint like her one minute longer." Ron repeated angrily.

"Cheating? Hermione cheated?" Harry cried. "Ron, are you sure? Maybe this is all just a misunderstanding."

Ron shook his head and, steeling himself, repeated to Harry and Ginny what Hermione had told him of her affair with Snape. As he told the story, he had to stop and compose himself several times before going on, because he could feel the anger at what Hermione had done radiating through his entire body.

When he finished, Harry had a dazed expression on his face and Ginny's hand was clamped over her mouth, tears in her eyes.

"Ron…I just..I can't believe this." Harry said, one arm going around Ginny's shaking shoulders.

Ron shrugged his shoulders, his hands locked around his mug of tea. If they couldn't believe it, how did they think he felt? Hermione was his wife. They'd sworn to love and honor only each other for the rest of their lives, till death took them apart. He would never have thought this would ever happen to them. In fact, until he'd come home the previous night, he had thought things were going fine. Oh, of course every marriage had its obstacles and his had been no different. There were things that they disagreed on and sometimes quarreled over, but it was nothing major. Certainly nothing that would have led him to doubt Hermione's fidelity and Hugo's paternity.

"I know…I can't believe it myself," Ron said. He squirmed in his chair, dreading have to ask the next question. "Do you think that I could maybe stay here for a couple of days? Just until I get things straightened out? Hermione's at the house and Mum and Dad…" Ron let his voice trail off, knowing that no further explanation was neeed.

Ginny looked up at Ron, wiping the tears from underneath her eyes. "Of course, Ron. You know that we're here for you anytime you need us."

Harry nodded his head in agreement, still too stunned to say much. He thought he knew Hermione. But this… that Hugo was Snape's son…proved that he knew nothing about the woman he considered one of his best friends. And in the back of his mind, there was anger. How could she have done this to Ron, to Hugo, to their entire family? Didn't she realize that secrets always came to life and when they did, they tended to cause grief and destruction? He was jolted from further musings by a question from Ginny

"What happens now?" Ginny asked. "What happens to Hugo? What happens to your place in his life?"

Ron's head snapped up and suddenly his eyes were clear again, the hazy and unfocused look he'd come in with gone. His eyes narrowed and he felt the anger swimming through his bloodstream again.

"I'll tell you this. That Death Eater is not getting his hands on my son. I'll be damned if I let that git swoop in and take my son away from me. And if Hermione thinks that I'm going to go peacefully, so she can have some warped little fairy tale life with the Great Git, she has another thing coming. I am not letting my son go without a fight."

Hermione sat on the couch, studying Hugo's face across the coffee table. They were playing with his chocolate frog cards and several familiar faces, among them the face of war hero Severus Snape. Seeing Severus's face scowling up at her reminded Hermione that time was running out. She had to tell Hugo the truth. And soon.

"Hugo," Hermione began, taking a deep breath. "We need to talk about something. Something pretty serious, okay?"

Hugo barely glanced up from his cards. "Sure, Mum."

Hermione patted the empty place on the couch beside her. "Come and sit beside me, okay?"

Hugo plopped down next to Hermione and looked at her expectantly.

Hermione put her arm around Hugo's skinny shoulders and mentally steeled herself, praying for guidance for what was to come.

"So, you know that your daddy and I love you, right?" Hermione began, looking at Hugo, who nodded as if to say, so what Mom? Tell me something I don't know.

"Okay, well…Ron is your daddy, right?"

Again, Hugo nodded.

Hermione bit her lip and prayed she was going about this the right way.

"So Ron is your daddy and he raised you and he loves," She paused. "But he is not your biological father. Do you know what that means?" Hermione asked, her eyes locked onto Hugo's.

Hugo's forehead wrinkled. "So Daddy isn't my daddy?"

"Well…he loves you and he's been your daddy your entire life, but he's not your real daddy."

"Is he Rose's real daddy?" Hugo asked, his eyes wide and a growing panic showing on his face.

Hermione nodded, cursing herself for this, for what she was doing to her baby boy.

"Yes, he's Rose's real father. But Rose is still your sister and she still loves you."

Hugo nodded and worried his bottom lip between his teeth. "So who's my daddy then?"

Unconsciously, Hermione's hand drifted to cover the face of Severus's chocolate frog card. Should she really tell Hugo now or should she wait? How much information could he take at one time?

"His name is Severus. Severus Snape."

Hugo's eyes went wide and he grabbed the chocolate frog card out from underneath her hand. He flipped it over and looked at the picture of Severus scowling back at him. Looking at Hermione, he held the card up in the palm of his hand.

"This is my dad?" he asked.

Hermione nodded, once again mentally cursing herself for doing this. The confusion was evident on poor Hugo's face. And who knew how much worse things were going to get?

"Are Grandma and Grandpa still my grandparents? And what about Uncle George and Aunt Angelina? And Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur? And Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry?" the questions poured out of Hugo's mouth, evidence of his little boy mind trying to make sense of something he didn't understand. "Are Lily and James and Albus still my cousins? Will I still get to play with them?"

Hermione tried to think of the best way to put this. She hoped and prayed that the Weasleys would still accept Hugo and treat him as one of their own. Severus probably wouldn't like it, but on this issue Hermione would not budge. The Weasleys were all Hugo had ever known. To totally rip him away from them would be cruel and unfair.

"I think," Hermione began. "That Grandma and Grandpa will still want to be your grandparents and your uncles and aunts will still want to be your uncles and aunts. And of course, Lily, James, and Albus will still be your cousins and you will still get to play with them. You're a very special little boy. Why wouldn't people want to be around you?"

Hugo nodded slowly and then stared at the card in his hand. "What about him? Will I ever meet him?"

Hermione studied Hugo's face before replying. "He would really like to meet you. He'd like to be a part of your life. Do you think you'd be okay with that?" She asked, holding her breath. As much as she resented Severus for bringing the issue of Hugo's paternity to life, she didn't want to think about what it would do to Severus if his only son wanted nothing to do with him.

"What about Daddy? Will he get mad?"

"I think he'll understand." Hermione said, smiling reassuringly.

Hugo nodded, intently studying the wood of the coffee table. "I still don't really understand how Daddy isn't my daddy anymore."

Hermione sighed. She'd known that Hugo wouldn't really grasp what it meant. He was only eight years old. And she had no idea how to explain it to him.

"Let's just say that Severus is the man that Mommy made you with. And he's the man that you get a lot of things from…like your hair and your eyes and your height. And when you're older, I'll explain more, okay?"

Hugo looked at her for a minute and then shrugged. "Okay. Can I go to my room now?"

Hermione hesitated, then nodded. Hugo had probably had all he could take for now. It wouldn't help to overload him with information. As she watched Hugo disappear upstairs, she felt a deep, bone weary tiredness set in. A tiredness that, she knew, was more mental and emotional than physical. Sighing heavily, she rose from the couch, knowing what she had to do. Even though she was so tired she felt as if she could have slept for days, she had to write to Severus and tell him that Hugo knew the truth.

Severus,

I've told Hugo the truth. As can be expected, he is confused. He doesn't really understand how Ron is no longer his 'real' father and how you suddenly are. He asked if he would be meeting you and when I told him that I thought you would like that, he seemed okay with it. You must understand, however, that he is only a little boy and his feelings can change at the drop of a wand. I understand that you want to meet your son, but please…for Hugo's sake, we must take things slowly and carefully, so as not to upset Hugo. I hope that I can count on your patience and understanding.

Hermione

As Hermione watched the family owl fly off into the night, she felt a sudden sense of trepidation wash over her. Even though she had told Hugo the truth, she knew Ron and Severus would not make this easy. The battle was only beginning.

Author's Note: I just really want to thank all the people who've left comments and reviews, added my story to alerts, favorite story lists, favorite authors,etc. You all have no idea how much this means to me! Please review and leave your thoughts on this chapter, so that I know what I'm doing right, what I'm doing wrong, what you all would like to see happen in the story, etc. I hope to have the next chapter up soon! :-)