The characters and canon situations in the following story belong solely to JK Rowling. I am not making any money from the publishing or writing of this story.
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Exams administered – check
Grades submitted – check
Godson's bridal shower hosted – check
Father's 75th birthday party hosted – check
School finished yesterday – check
"Coco" finished today - check
Thank you for waiting I have rewritten this part at least 3 maybe 4 times and this is end I have been searching for.
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"Please…please Bill…please." Hermione whispered as she struggled to wake up. She could hear the low steady drone of voices. They seemed too soft to recognize and too loud to ignore.
"That was the hundredth time she has called for him." A voice said.
"I am not going to be the one to tell her." Another voice whispered in reply.
"Do not worry about it I will tell her as soon as she is awake." A third much stronger voice answered the first two.
"When did the healers say she should come around?" asked a female voice that seemed familiar to Hermione.
The strong voice answered, "Any time now. She did not hit her head they think it was the stress of seeing Bill you know."
Hermione opened her eyes. "Seeing Bill what?" She asked.
"Coco!" Hermione recognized the strong voice as belonging to Charlie and turned her head toward him.
"Seeing Bill what?" Hermione asked again this time stronger as she tried to sit up.
Hermione realized she was in a hospital bed and the small curtained off cubicle was filled with red heads.
"Coco why don't you lie back down and I promise I will tell you everything. Please Coco just do not fight me on this!" Charlie was adamant.
Hermione stopped struggling to sit up and sunk back into the pillows but her eyes never left Charlie's face.
"Where is Bill? What has happened? Why is everyone standing around staring at me?" Hermione voice was flat.
Charlie looked at his sister in law and then at the rest of the people gathered around the bed. "How about some tea? Go find a cup and give Coco and I a bit of time."
Hermione closed her eyes as the Weasley clan filed out. Their somber faces had already told her enough.
"Charlie where is my husband?" Hermione whispered with a soft sob when they were finally alone.
"Coco, Bill is alive." Charlie said it as fast as he could to relieve the terror in Hermione's eyes.
A sob came out of Hermione.
"Bill is alive but the healers as having trouble making a diagnosis. No one knows the spell that Veronique used." Charlie was closing watching Hermione he did not want to cause undue stress on the baby.
"Coco, Bill is in a coma. They can not wake him." Charlie's voice cracked on the last part.
Hermione did not answer. Tears flowed across her cheeks, as she stayed perfectly still looking up at Charlie as he stood at the side of her bed. Charlie gently picked up Hermione's hand and held it while she sobbed.
The curtains being pushed back and the same gray hair healer from Hermione's previous stay entered talking to herself.
"Hermione Weasley why does that sound familiar…" then the healer looked up at the patient in the bed. "You are not Hermione Weasley you are Ms. Puffe I remember you and how is the wee one?"
Hermione looked at Charlie and they both had to smile.
The elderly healer began checking Hermione and just kept talking, "Now dear you and that husband of yours did not listen to me I see. You are going to busy with two wee ones to tend to…well at least you will to busy to make a third anytime soon!"
Charlie was trying with great difficulty not to laugh in the healer's face. "Coco, that sounded like a challenge to me."
Hermione groaned at Charlie and tried to sit up. "I just want to go to my husband!"
The healer wrinkled her nose in confusion. "I thought this strapping young lad was the wee one's papa."
Charlie smiled and nudged Hermione in the shoulder, "Did you hear that I am strapping!"
"Go tell it to Helen!" Hermione finally was able to come to a sitting position and asked the healer, "Can I be released? My husband has been hurt and my idiot brother in law here will not let me up to go find him."
"Healer Ruiz is your attending healer and it is her decision. I am just checking up on the patients while she helps with an emergency case." The healer's gray curls were springing out of the tight bun as she nodded her head as she spoke. "Poor boy is in a coma, the healers do not think it will be much longer…he was attacked in the lobby by some crazed witch…so sad apparently he has a young wife with a wee one on the way…"
Hermione began to cry again.
"Oh my Ms. Puffee do not worry yourself it will all work out. Just as soon as you deliver this new babe, all you have to do is to keep your wee ones clean and fed. Now poppa," the healer was talking to Charlie, "I am going to show you that contraceptive spell again!"
It was another four hours of excruciating waiting for Hermione before Healer Ruiz came to sign her release papers. Charlie had wandered off a couple of times to check on Bill but there was no news. Hermione with the help of Charlie walked to the Spell Damage Ward waiting room where the rest of the family was gathered.
Molly and Arthur Weasley were huddled together on in the middle of the waiting room. They had sent Ginny and Harry to check on Hermione multiple times while they waited to hear about their oldest. Molly was the first to see Hermione approach and stood up to embrace her son's wife.
"Is Bill awake yet?" Hermione asked as soon as she sat down next to Harry. "I want to see him." was the next sentence out of her mouth in quick secession.
Harry looked at his dearest friend and shook his head. "Hermione, the healers are worried. They told Molly and Arthur that you have to face the real possibility that Bill might never wake up."
Hermione's face whitened but she did not cry only stood up resolutely and looked at the group gathered. "I can promise you one thing, William Weasley will wake up and he will do it in time for his child's birth."
She smiled at Harry, "Do not ever underestimate a pregnant woman Harry Potter; we are a very determined lot. Bill promised to be with me when our baby is born I plan on making sure he keeps his promise!"
"Now would some one please tell me where my husband is?" Hermione started walking toward the double doors that separated the waiting room from the Spell Damage ward.
Three weeks later Hermione was spending all of her time next to Bill's bed. Beyond an occasional muscle twitch, he had not yet stirred, but Hermione refused to give up hope. Every time his eyes fluttered or his hand momentarily moved in hers, Hermione took it as a sign that he was getting closer to waking up. Hermione wanted to believe that Bill was trying to come back to her.
Every morning after she had kissed her husband good morning and rearranged his bed sheets, she would check with the floor healers and get an update on Bill's progress. Hermione never paid attention to the pitying looks the healers gave her nor did she respond to more outwardly snide, backhanded comments that were made before she was out of earshot. Bill Weasley was not the 'lost cause' that some people say, he was going to see his child and Hermione never allowed anyone to doubt it.
Once Hermione had worked Bill's limbs to keep them limber, she would read the Daily Prophet aloud to him making sarcastic comments when necessary. One member of the family, usually Molly or Ginny, would bring her lunch and spend the afternoon visiting Hermione. If it were one of her brothers in law, they would insist on Hermione going to the lunchroom. Hermione realized that it was as if they were uncomfortable with the fact that they could not fix Bill. They felt guilty.
During the afternoons, Hermione would spread out the latest difficult case sent over from Gringott's and spend the hours working and asking Bill's opinion on proposed ideas. The healers stopped in often to check on the patient's condition and Healer Ruiz came by a couple of times a week to check on Hermione and monitor the baby's progress.
Hermione refused to acknowledge the whispered conversations of how sad it was that she was in denial. She knew that her husband would not let her down, he would wake up and in time to see their child born, she was sure.
Evenings were the hardest for Hermione, the hospital would become silent and it became harder to pretend that everything was fine. It meant that she would have to go back to the flat alone. While she was at the hospital, she could feel Bill, hold his hand, lean over and give his cheek a kiss. However, there was no one at home. The bed was too big, the kitchen too clean, and the half-finished nursery only reminded her that their life together had stopped. Veronique had frozen her world.
From the very beginning of this ordeal, Ron had taken it upon him self to bring Hermione dinner and escort her home when she could no longer stay awake. They did not speak much but Hermione was grateful for his never wavering presence. Not once did Ron try to convince her to give up or tell her she was wasting her time or that perhaps she needed to prepare herself for the inevitable. He simply was there.
Veronique was scheduled for trial at the end of the third week of Hermione's vigil. Both Ron and Charlie were expected to testify. The Daily Prophet was predicting a guilty verdict and running an opinion poll as to whether Veronique should get life sentence in Azkaban or forced to take up permanent residence in St. Mungo's mental ward. Hermione did not have an opinion either was fine with her. Ron had told her that most likely he would not be able to bring her dinner and escort her home until the trial was over. Hermione was surprised to see him on the Friday night after Veronique's trial began.
"Ron what are you doing here? Did the trial end? Please tell me that the crazy witch got Azkaban!" Hermione smiled at her friend.
She was sitting on the edge of Bill's bed holding his hand thinking of how much she needed him to wake up soon. The baby was kicking and had been all day. Hermione smiled as she hand rubbed the particularly sore spot underneath her ribs.
Hermione did not stand up but did look over to her work papers. She was too tired to straighten them up; she wished she could just sleep here. The healers had forbidden her from trying to enlarge Bill's bed again. They claimed it was 'healthier' for her and the baby to sleep at the flat. Hermione's opinion of healers was getting worse as the days progressed.
She looked at the empty handed Ron and asked, "No dinner?" Ron shook his head and walked further into the room.
"Ron so what happened? Is everything okay?" Hermione gripped her husband's hand tighter. Something was wrong. It had to be very wrong for Ron to be here and so silent.
"Just tell me what is wrong Ron you unnerving me." Hermione's voice was quavering.
Ron was closing the door then turned back to face Hermione. His face looked different; he still had not spoken but kept walking towards the bed. Something was off.
Hermione had both hands on Bill's for support. Something was wrong she knew it. More than ever, she wanted Bill to come out of the damn coma.
"Ron, stop right there and tell me what is going on or I will hex you."
A gruff unfamiliar male voice answered her, "Came to bring ya' home as usual."
Hermione began to stand when Bill's hand grasped Hermione's and would not let her go. Hermione gasped and took her eyes off Ron to look down at her hand. When she looked back up a second later Ron was right next to her with his hand reaching for her shoulder.
"No, I do not think I want to go home just yet." Hermione could feel the tight pressure of Bill's grip.
Ron grumbled, "It's late and I have to get back. You must come with me now. Do what you are told woman."
Hermione recoiled from Ron's words and few that her instincts were right this was not Ron.
"No!" was a soft whisper from Bill. Hermione turned to look at her husband to find she was looking into the most beautiful open eyes in the world.
Bill struggled to move his mouth to form the words, "No!"
Hermione sobbed and smiled at the same time. "Bill. Oh Bill I knew you were still here…"
The rest of her words were left unsaid when Ron wrapped his arm around Hermione's neck and pulled her up to stand next to him.
"I told you to move woman, you never listen to me do you. If you had only been more cooperative earlier none of this would have happened…all I wanted was a little drink and some fun…but no you had to act all uptight and prissy. You need to be taught you place and if you are a very, very good I just might let you keep this runt..." Ron's hand was rubbing Hermione's swollen belly kneading it as if it was bread dough.
"I could train up the brat to be my house elf and service my needs when you misbehave." Ron was dragging her away from Bill toward the door.
"One noise, one peep and I will slit you open and gut you like a pig." Ron was reaching behind him for the doorknob.
Hermione kept her eyes on Bill. She could see him struggling to make some noise or some how move; tears where pouring down both of their faces. Hermione tried to fight to break Ron's hold but his arm was too tight and her body too ungainly for her to break free. Hermione felt as helpless as she did on the bathroom floor all those months ago. That was when she realized. She knew is was not Ron and suddenly she also knew that the monster choking her and threatening to kill her child had to be Sebastian.
In that moment, Hermione search for an escape. Her wand was in her satchel, Bill was awake but struggling to move, the healers were not scheduled to do rounds for another twenty minutes, Hermione was on her own.
Hermione turned her head to the side so that her nose was closest to Sebastian's wrist and lifted her foot. Counting to three in her mind she simultaneously she slammed her foot down on Sebastian's instep and jerked her head down slipping out of the chokehold. For a moment it was not clear who was more surprised, Sebastian because of the horrible pain in his foot or Hermione because her plan worked.
Hermione took the opportunity of Sebastian's confusion to snatch her wand from her satchel and point it at his heart.
The face looking at Hermione was slowly dissolving and reforming to create a new visage. The red hair and blue eyes of Ron changed into the sandy brown hair and light brown eyes for her former neighbor and tormentor.
"So you do not do just spiders." Hermione warily asked.
Sebastian gave her a lazy smile, "I can become most animals and I am better at men than women."
Hermione understood why he had never been caught. It would be virtual impossible to recognize him.
"I guess it is time for me to go 'Coco', oh does it surprise you that I know about you little secret? I have been watching and waiting for you. Your husband snores and by the way… so do you…since you have become a beached whale. Keep a look out for me. I will be around."
Sebastian laughed and his body began to melt forming into a cockroach. Hermione screamed and sliced the air with her wand freezing Sebastian's transformation in mid process. The result was hideous.
The door burst open and healers flooded in the room stepping over the quivering half insect half wizard on the floor. Hermione dropped her wand and sat down on the side of Bill's bed. He had managed to turn his head toward her and Hermione was graced with a smile.
It took another couple of days before Bill was strong enough to sit up in bed. The healers refused to consider allowing him into the birthing room when Hermione's water broke a week after she was due. However, the combined persuasive powers of seven wands being held by hot-tempered redheads and the influence of the "Boy Who Kept on Living" changed their minds. Bill Weasley cried as he watched his daughter born.
The Daily Prophet ran a small announcement the next day.
Wee Wailing Weasley Witch Welcomed!
Molly Coco Weasley made her appearance on Wednesday March 1st
She is the beloved daughter of William and Hermione 'Coco' Weasley
Miss Weasley is also the niece of the recently convicted witch Veronique Weasley who is currently residing in Azkaban.
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Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and a special thank you for those that had the time to review, it was fantastic to know that others enjoyed my work.
My goal has always been to show a broken Hermione become a healed Hermione. Humans never stay the same and journey everyone takes is amazing.
This afternoon I am starting my next story – Jamie – please feel free to stop by.
Cindy