Disclaimer: I own none of the charaters in the story. Jk does.
I am currently looking for a beta reader, I owe a huge thanks to Dog9girl for the work on the first 2 chapters. Thanks, if you are interested in being my beta or have any sugestions for a beta please let me know. Thanks now back to the story.
It was around 2:30 in the afternoon when Hermione began to stir. Mr. Weasley had fallen asleep with his arms across her legs and Mrs. Weasley was trying to wake him, Hermione's right eye beginning to open and her left even more swollen shut than a few hours before. Mrs. Weasley noted that Hermione in fact looked more gruesome in the afternoon light than she did in the moonlight. Hermione looked around dazed for a second before seeing Mrs. Weasley, that was when her eyes began to water, Mrs. Weasley melted at the sight, she longed to hold Hermione, to cradle and comfort her, to let her know she was there and she was safe. She held her hands out to Hermione, and Hermione nodded her head vigorously, tears flowing, holding her breath, she gasped for air, and wailed when she finally reached Mrs. Weasley's soothing arms. Mr. Weasley woke up with a start at Hermione's sobs and he rushed to wrap her in his arms as well. All three sitting rocking back and forth in unison, sobbing furiously. Hermione lifted her head from Mrs. Weasley shoulder and attempted a weak smile. Molly tried the same but both failed miserably.
"Why don't I go get us something to drink? I'll be right back love." Mr. Weasley bent down and kissed both Hermione and his wife on the top of their heads before stepping out. The two women stayed the way they were just holding each other, Mrs. Weasley whispering to Hermione that she was safe and they would not let nothing hurt her ever again and she loved her. That was what Hermione needed the most right then was someone to love her even as dirty and shattered as she was at that moment, she needed the reassurance that she was safe and protected.
Mr. Weasley came back with their butter beer, passed them around, and then they sat in silence gathering their thoughts and calming down before continuing with the necessary questioning. Mrs. Weasley opened and closed her mouth several times trying to say what they needed to hear, what had happened, but the words were stuck in her throat and she couldn't. Mr. Weasley could see his wife struggle, but he was not quiet sure what to say, what to ask.
"Hermione?…love…." he began, Arthur and Hermione's eyes locked but he could no longer look in her eyes, once so full of light and happiness now clouded over and pained. In order to continue he cleared his throat and looked down at his hand intertwined with the young woman that would surely one day be his daughter-in-law. "What happened? Who did this to you?" He looked back up at her. "Please tell me." his eyes brimmed with new tears as Hermione wiped furiously at the tears that continued to fall. She took a steadying breath and looked between Arthur and Molly. She needed to tell them, she wanted to, but she was scared. If she ignored what had happened then to her it wasn't real, it never happened, she would be able to smile and dream and be normal. She was torn; she wanted to do what was right but was terrified by reality. She kept her grip on Mr. Weasley's hand and looked into Mrs. Weasley's eyes.
"I was asleep when mum and David came home from the business party, they were both pretty drunk. Mum knocked over the lamp and broke it. When I came down stairs David was picking her up and then they both fell he landed on her they broke the coffee table. He rolled off her and I came over and helped mum up then took her to her room. David was passed out I picked up the glass from the lamp and table, and then went back to bed. I had just gotten back into bed when I heard my door open."
Hermione closed her eyes and sobbed, she brought her knees up to her chest, and she gasped for air, and screamed into her knees.
"He locked my door, and put a silencing charm on my room. I told him to get out and he just hit me, and hit me and hit me, every time I screamed or told him to get out. I told him no, I told him it hurt I asked him to stop but he just would not listen. Told me he would kill mum then he would come here and kill you and the rest of the family."
At that she broke down, Mrs. Weasley picked her up and put her in her lap and rocked her back and forth, as she would do with each one of her children when they would wake up from a nightmare, Mrs. Weasley could only wish it were a Nightmare that awoke them this morning.
In the past year and a half, the Weasleys have been her sanctuary. Hermione's parents had gotten a divorce two years ago and last summer her mother had gotten married to a man named David. Her mum met him in Diagon Alley when they were shopping for Hermione's 5th year at Hogwarts. They married 5 months later.
Hermione just kept saying over and over, "I didn't want him to come here and hurt you, I couldn't let him." once she calmed down Arthur went back into the kitchen to get more butterbeers.
"He raped me before." Hermione said in a whisper after he left.
"I'm not sure how Mr. Weasley would handle hearing that, he has raped me every time I was home. He has been doing it since he and mum got together. It just has never been this bad." she was almost calm as she said this. Almost as if he had not only stole her innocence but her soul. She kept playing with the blanket between her fingers and let the tears fall free, not blinking them away or brushing them off her flushed cheeks. "Mrs. Weasley?" she looked away from the blanket and at Molly, lost and scared, uncertain, a look she had never seen in Hermione's eyes. "I'm scared what if David comes here looking for me?"
Arthur had just walked back in the room, when he heard Hermione ask the question. He dropped the butterbeers on the nightstand next to the bed and put a finger gently under Hermione's chin and guided her face to look at him. "Now look here Hermione Jean, you are in the Burrow, with the whole Weasley clan, we will NOT let anyone come near you. You are safe, you are in our hands, and we love you like our own, not just Molly and Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ginny and You but I know Ron would die for you. We will not let any more harm come to you. My only wish is that I would have been there; I am so sorry that this happened to you. I love you, and I will never let anything happen to you again, I swear on Merlin's grave." He wrapped Hermione in a warm embrace.
After they had finished their butter beers, Mrs. Weasley took Hermione to the upstairs bathroom to run Hermione a hot bath. "Where's Ron?" Hermione asked as they were walking up the stairs.
"I sent the children to Australia, so we could have some privacy. I will send an owl to them soon. Bill and Charlie had to drag him out of the house he is very worried about you." Hermione sat on the toilet, while Mrs. Weasley got the bath started. "What am I going to tell them? What am I going to tell Ron?" she was staring at the door, eyes wide and the realization hit her full force.
"Mrs. Weasley he is going to be so hurt." Mrs. Weasley got on her knees and looked Hermione in the eye, "Ronald loves you and yes he will be hurt but that is only because you are hurt. You will find dear, that when you are happy he will be happy when you are scared he will be scared. Nevertheless, listen to me he loves you and nothing will change his feelings for you. As for everyone else, we might have to put a charm on the house so none of them can get out to find David. Arthur is right you know they all love you very much and I'm not sure if David is smart if he ever tries to find you." Molly turned back around to test the water, Hermione got up and looked in the mirror at herself, eye still swollen shut, and scabs encrusted her right cheek, a lump on her temple where he hit her repeatedly.
Mrs. Weasley turned Hermione around to look at her, "Ok let's see what we can do with all of this." she spoke a few words and pointed her wand at Hermione. Nothing happened. While you take your bath dear, I will have a look at my book. We will get these gone don't you worry." Molly smiled at her, and kissed her on the cheek, "I'll be right down stairs if you need me." Hermione undressed, as she did she caught a glimpse of herself and her own body now disgusted her. To look at herself made her nauseous, and then she smelt him, that was when she threw up. Then she got in the tub and scrubbed and scrubbed until she was raw.
Once she was finished she wrapped a towel around herself and walked to Ron's room and grabbed another pair of baggy sweatpants and a hoodie, got dressed and went down stairs to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. There was a hot cup of tea waiting for Hermione.
Please make my day and review. I am amazed at the responces I have had in this story. Thanks for all of your reviews and comments it has kept me motivated to continue writing my story.
