Hermione faces the burrow. Thanks for reading and responding!
Ginny straightened the curtains once more and looked out the window for the millionth time. They weren't due for a few more minutes, but she couldn't help checking, just in case. The burrow was full to near capacity. After Harry's owl, word had spread quickly in the family, leading to lots of visitors. Bill and Fleur were upstairs, Percy would stop by after work, and of course Mum and Dad were home. And yet here she was, the only one tidying up. Well, not exactly the only one.
"Mum, please don't hover behind me, it's distracting."
"Sorry dear," Molly Weasley said, turning to dust down an end table. She was only feigning interest in the housework. "Tell me again exactly what Harry said."
"I've already told you," Ginny said with a sigh. "They found Hermione, they're bringing her here, and she has a child."
"Yes, well, that's the part I can't quite wrap my head around. Does she have a husband? Is she raising this child all on her own? How in the short time she's been gone did she manage to meet someone and have a baby?"
Ginny looked at her Mum, unsure of how far Molly's naivete might go.
"Mum, it is possible, you know…maybe she was pregnant before she left."
"No," Molly said with a gasp. "It couldn't be. That would mean the father was….Oh no, you can't think that."
"I think quite a few of us think that," said George Weasley from behind the pages of the "Evening Prophet." He was perched on an armchair, his feet propped up on the coffee table. He sat there, casually reading the paper, as if oblivious to the melee going on around him. But Ginny wasn't fooled. He was anxiously waiting for the chaos to ensue, his favorite environment for the Weasley household.
"Get your feet off the table, young man." Molly swatted at George's feet and he sat up at his mother's insistence. Ginny turned her attention back to the window and saw three familiar figures apparate into the clearing in front of the burrow.
"Well, whatever the answer, we won't have to wait long to get it."
Molly and George rushed to the window at Ginny's declaration and they all peered outside together. Sure enough, there were Ron and Harry guiding a scared-looking Hermione toward the house. And in Hermione's arms was a little girl in pigtails.
"Look at her hair," Molly whispered.
"Weasley red," George and Ginny said together.
"They're here!" Molly shouted throughout the house. Footsteps could instantly be heard running around the various stairwells of the burrow. Angelina Johnson slid down the banister and into the living room, landing just before her husband, George. Arthur walked in from the den where he had been fiddling with a muggle hair dryer he'd recently acquired, and Bill and Fleur walked down from the guest room. Bill carried his young daughter Victoire on his shoulders.
"Eet ees so exciting!" Fleur gushed. The whole group was a mirrored image of excitement, as everyone bustled about the room trying to find a spot. As the front door opened down the hallway, the group froze in a mock casual pose, just in time for the reunited trio to walk into the room.
There was a pause as the two groups, one large one smaller, took each other in. No one seemed to know where to look, least of all Hermione, who settled on staring at her feet. The silence continued as all of the Weasleys, both new and old, took in the sight of the almost forgotten Hermione.
Finally, Hermione looked up, took a deep breath, and said a quiet, "Hello."
Molly exploded in applause.
"Oh, my dear, I can't believe it's you." Molly pulled Hermione to her is a crushing hug. "I can't believe we almost lost you. Oh, you darling girl, it just hasn't been the same without you. Let me look at you. Have you been eating?"
Molly pushed Hermione away from her again to get a good look at the young woman, as Ron rolled his eyes over Harry's shoulder. Looking at Hermione once more, Molly noticed, as if for the first time, the child Hermione carried.
"Hi," the girl said in a sweet child's voice. "I'm Wose."
"She means Rose," Hermione said, smiling down at the child. "She's having trouble with R sounds."
"Oh," Molly said nicely. "Hello Rose. I'm Mrs. Weasley." The two shook hands, with Rose grasping one of Molly's fingers to say hello. Clearly charmed, Molly motioned to Hermione to ask if she might hold the girl. Hermione nodded and passed the child off, looking toward the rest of the Weasleys once more.
"Hermione." She quickly turned her head to find the source of the voice. Ginny took a step forward from the group, looking unsure if she should keep moving or stay in place.
"Ginny?" Hermione's cry was a question and a shout, as if Hermione were surprised to find her friend there. Ginny took another tentative step forward, warring within herself. She was no longer sure if she was supposed to be angry with Hermione or not. She had deceived them all and Ron had been so upset. But it had been so long and Ginny hadn't realized before how much she'd been missing her best friend. Giving in to the longing, Ginny took two steps forward more quickly as Hermione reacted and rushed forward herself. The women embraced each other in a giant hug, both laughing and crying at the same time.
"Great," Ron whispered, though no one seemed to hear him.
"Oh, I've missed you so much," Hermione said, still crying and smiling.
"We have so much to catch up on," Ginny said, stepping back from the hug. "Look." Ginny held out her left hand where the diamond engagement ring sat.
"Oh my…Ginny, who?" Hermione looked quickly over her shoulder to Harry. "Harry?"
Harry smiled shyly and nodded and Hermione gave a squeal of joy, pulling Ginny back toward her in a hug. The rest of the family began slowly with their own reunions. George shook Hermione's hand, causing a small explosion between their palms. He sheepishly showed her the WWW shake shock product, then embraced Hermione warmly, pushing Angelina forward to say hello. Fleur and Bill gave their own hugs, having grown fond of the girl during her time at Shell cottage. Hermione knelt down to coo over Victoire, playing nicely in a playpen with Rose now. Then, Hermione turned to Arthur, who had stood quietly in the back, watching the display.
"Hi Mr. Weasley, it's nice to see you again."
Arthur walked slowly forward, the effects of war and death making him slower but no less amiable. He gave her a small smile then wrapped his arms tightly around the girl.
"Welcome home, Hermione," he whispered in her ear. The room exploded in noise again, each person congratulating the next on the luck of it, recovering a treasure from a war in which so much could never be brought back.
No one seemed to notice the lone figure who had slunk out of the room and into the back yard, Ron wanting absolutely nothing to do with Hermione's grand return.