Disclaimer: Not mine.

Hermione's Son

November 1999

Mrs. Granger had sat every day for the past three weeks in her daughter's room. Each morning she had combed Hermione's unruly hair and chatted about the day before, as if the memory would make her daughter want to take part in the conversation, and each day she saw Hermione slip further and further away.

Ever since that Harry Potter boy had collected her and her husband, and tried to explain the last two years away, Jean had an uneasy feeling that it was not as simple as he tried to make it sound, if intrigue and war could ever be simple. She pulled back Hermione's hair, securing it with a comb at each temple and glanced over her shoulder to see the baby waking.

She was not a naïve woman, or one that had overestimated her daughter's control, or more to the point underestimated her daughter's ability to practice safe sex. Birth control had been the topic of a yearly conversation they had carried out since her fifth year of boarding school. Now, Jean watched the baby wiggling under his blanket and wondered what had made Hermione forget everything she had once held so important. She would have known that having a child would end her studies for a time and make it nearly impossible to fulfil her dreams.

Picking up the baby and sitting in the rocker the hospital had provided, she studied Hermione's face and saw she had no recognition of her mother or the child that was in the room.

"Ready?" Hugo poked his head in the room and lifted an eyebrow at his wife.

"No, I want to talk to that doctor again."

"Do you still think it's a good idea? It means starting all over and we aren't getting any younger."

"He'll have a big sister, won't he? Hugh, I can't leave her like this, and look at him…just look at his precious little face."

"And think of the formula, bottles, laundry…sleepless nights and…nappies."

"We won't have to scrimp and save this time…we can afford more for him than Hermione ever had. It won't be as hard." She kissed the baby's forehead, and looked up into Hugh's grey-blue eyes. "His eyes are the same colour as yours."

"Don't start that, they're still changing, although his hair…what little he has…looks like his mother's did at his age." He squatted down in front of his wife and stroked the baby's head. "We're going to have a lot of expenses we didn't have last time. I'm not leaving her to those government idiots…look what they did before they got her here. She needs an education if she's going to make it in our world."

"She has one," her mother whispered, looking at Hermione sadly.

"She's not going to go far with all that magical stuff. What can she do? She learned things like…like…bloody charms and how to make a potion."

"She's a smart girl."

"The smartest," Mr. Granger said, putting his hand on his wife's cheek. "But…she never learned a profession in our world. She isn't even prepared to continue her studies."

"I know," she sighed. "What now?"

"She gets well and then we hire the best to give her what she needs."

"And the money? I want her to have private doctors…and the best education. Even if it means she goes overseas. It will mean renting her a place in the city close to things and…"

"We can make it. We don't get that new furniture you want, and we can find a smaller house."

"If I'm going to stay home and raise another I won't need a new car. One will do us just fine. If we move closer to things we don't even need one," she said hopefully.

"Don't worry about the money…we can make it."

"Hugh? What do you truly think?"

"What? You think I'm going to turn my grandson over to some bloody Ministry of Magic?" he quipped as he started to grin. "Maybe he will keep us young, that's what they always say about change of life babies."

The healers agreed that it would be best if the child went home with the grandparents, but were unsure about the request that they be able to formally adopt the chid as their own. A quick floo to the Ministry brought not only Kingsley, but also Harry and a representative from the Child Welfare Division. They were ushered into a meeting room and grouped around a large oval table, Harry, Kinsley and the representative on one side, the Grangers on the other, and four Healers who took seats at the two ends.

Letting this child out into the Muggle world could create problems, Kingsley advised. Not only was there a chance that the father would still step up and lay claim to him, but to have a known war hero's child adopted by Muggles, even grandparents, would create a breech of the Act of Secrecy and pose a potential problem to the citizens that would see her child as hope for the future.

The representative from Child Welfare seemed to differ, saying it was better to give the child to a relative, using Harry's own background as proof that it was the norm. Furthermore, as he pointed out, the Grangers had already raised one magical child and were well aware of the problems.

"How many know about the baby?" Jean asked, nervously, seeing Kingsley's scowl.

"Only the people in this room and the medical personal who have cared for her," Healer Sullivan assured her. "We were told when she first came in to keep it under wraps and have done so. She has been registered on the admission forms under a different name."

"Harry?"

"No, Mrs. Granger, no one. I…no that's not right, Snape knows and Headmistress McGonagall, but as far as I know that's it."

"Healer Sullivan, do you think Hermione is even aware of what has happened? The first time we spoke, you said the doctor in London did not even think she knew she has given birth. Has she changed?" Mr. Granger said flatly, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice.

"No, there has been no change. Now, that in its self could be a good thing. I may be alone in my assessment here. However, I feel that removing the child may be in her own best interests. Let her come to terms with the injury and the trauma she has gone through. Let her heal. She is trapped in whatever horror she witnessed a year ago, and that is what she needs to deal with. I hate to say this, but she cannot face her fears while being forced to face the present and future at the same time. Mrs. Granger, if you ever want your daughter back it's going to take time, and forcing her into motherhood when she is trapped where she is, is an unwise course of treatment."

"Then it's settled," Mr. Granger said, laying his hand over that of his wife. "He will come home with us."

"I will insist on yearly progress reports," Kingsley said firmly.

"I don't think that will be…"

"Mrs. Granger," Harry interrupted, "I will be more than glad to do it myself. That is if you allow me to visit from time to time. I…I can't do much for Hermione, but I would like to keep in touch."

Mrs. Granger looked at her husband, seeing his slight nod. "I am sure his sister's friend will be welcomed, Harry."

"Once she deals with her problems she should be told the truth." The Healer interrupted. "Until she faces everything, and comes to terms with it, she won't be fully healed."

"There is one further matter to consider," Kingsley said slowly, watching Mrs. Granger closely. "We cannot completely disregard the father."

"I have no doubt that it is that Weasley boy," she said looking at Harry.

"I…I am not sure, Mrs. Granger. I mean, I know Ron…he…if he knew he was going to be a father he would have said something." Harry stammered. "Listen, I don't think it's his. He…he was still building up his nerve to kiss her for Merlin's sake."

"My daughter would not sleep around with…"

"No, I didn't mean that. You have to believe me. If anyone knows what she was like, it would be me. I just…we can do a paternity test. Just to make sure. It may not be completely accurate…but it can at least give us the blood line."

Everyone agreed that the most obvious person to be the child's father would have been Ron. Harry volunteered to talk to Molly, and on the last day of June made the trip to The Burrow. He couldn't help but grin every time he saw the house with its mismatched siding and haphazard design. He occasionally teased Ginny that is was worse now than it had been before they had rebuilt and improved it. However, today he only saw what wasn't here and knew he was on fool's mission. A mission that would only cause more pain and confusion for Molly.

"Harry! For goodness sakes, get in here before tea is cold. We just started." Molly engulfed him in a quick hug before dragging him along to the kitchen.

"Harry!" Arthur grinned and stood up to pump his hand. "Ginny just left for work. You just missed her."

"I don't like her working nights," Harry muttered, sitting at the table.

"Her brother collects her from the floo and walks with her to the shop," Molly explained. "It has been too long since you have come to see us."

Harry told them the story that the Granger's and Healers had agreed on, not wanting Hermione to have visitors until she could handle the situation and wanting to keep the fact that she was in St. Mungo's out of the paper. Telling them only that she had delivered a child and that in her grief she refused to confirm who the father was, he hinted that it might be Ron's child. Arthur's face became unreadable as Molly sat back in her chair, quietly dabbing at her eyes.

"I can do the spell." Harry studied Arthur's face, not certain how to read what he was seeing. "Mr. Weasley? It would mean you have to come to St. Mungo's with me or let me take a vial of blood from you or one of the boys. We can do it now."

"You knew him, Harry. He would have told us," Arthur said softly. "This isn't something he would hide…or not tell us."

"Perhaps he didn't know," Molly cried, putting her hand over Arthur's. "Perhaps she didn't have time to tell him…or didn't know herself at the time. Sometimes with the first, witches don't realize it for a couple of months."

"If it is Ron's and her parents were in Australia…why didn't she come to us? Where did she go? You just said you collected her parents…what happened to her in the mean time?" Arthur asked, sensing something was not right. "I know she hasn't been using magic. I checked the tracing at the Ministry, and we would know if anything was amiss in the Muggle world."

"She…she won't say Dad," Harry admitted, studying the tabletop, unable to meet the older man's eyes. "She…after the battle at Hogwarts… she left. I don't know…maybe because of Ron…maybe because the …the baby's father left."

"You don't think the baby is Ron's?" Molly asked.

"No, no I don't. Ron…he would have said something. Bloody hell, he would have dragged her down to the Ministry and made her marry him the same day he found out. He would have been proud and…I don't care if the battle was going on. He wouldn't have been ashamed of her or the baby…he would have…" Harry stopped and looked up at Molly.

Molly put her hand over Harry's and patted him while she tried to collect herself. "He…he wanted to ask her. You know that? She was all he talked about the last time we saw him."

Arthur pulled off his jumper and pushed up his shirtsleeve. Taking out his wand, he waited for Harry to place the vial on the table and then uttering an incantation opened a vein in his arm and filled the vial. Wincing as Molly staunched the flow of blood and healed the small incision, he pushed the vial to Harry. With a stern caution that they not mention what had just happened, Harry left with the vial safely in his pocket.

It was a week later before Harry returned to The Burrow with the news that the child was not their grandson. The look on Molly's face was the same look he had seen when her sons had been taken from her, only to quickly change to one of rage and anger. Arthur tried to reason with her, to tell her that Hermione had never committed to Ron and that perhaps Ron had misinterpreted their relationship.

"She led him on," Molly sobbed. "How dare she…how dare she do this to him! Do you think he knew? Did he know she slept around?"

"She isn't like…" Harry started.

"Don't you defend her to me!" Molly hissed. "She led him on. All the time she was here…all the time she acted so sweet and innocent…she never loved him…she just let him go on thinking she did! She used him. She used him and never cared that she was hurting him. She didn't care!"

"Molly," Arthur said, trying to put his arms around her, only to have her push him away.

"Serves her right it does! Serves her right that the father left her high and dry. Let her get herself out of this one!"

Harry stood toeing the floor, shoving his hands in his pockets as she stormed out of the room and up the stairs. Waiting for the slam of her bedroom door, he turned to Arthur. "I'm sorry. She had to know. If she ran into Hermione someplace …with the baby…she…"

"I don't blame you, Harry," Arthur sighed, running his hands though his hair. "It's been hard on her. This past week all she has talked about is having Ron's son around here. Now this."

"I have to ask you something," Harry said uncomfortably. "I want your oath not to talk about this."

"About what? It will be obvious he's not ours when Hermione …"

"Not about only the parentage…but the fact that she had a baby. Her parents are adopting it. They…it's complicated, but they feel if he ever comes to this world…if he has magic…it would be better for everyone to think he is theirs."

Arthur nodded and looked up to the stairs. "She may never forgive Hermione but she won't let the boy suffer for it. If Hermione had come to her…instead of hiding it…I am sure Molly would have been the first to help…but not now."

"Thanks," Harry said unable to hide the relief in his voice. "In the Muggle world an unwed mother is quite common but here…well, you know how he would be treated."

"Who else knows?"

"The Midwife and Healer…Minerva…she handled the admission papers at St. Mungo's." Harry lied easily, not mentioning Snape, afraid he would have to explain how he had been involved. "Other than me that is…I haven't even said anything to Ginny."

"Don't," Arthur snorted a laugh. "She would take it worse than Molly just did."