Disclaimer: All characters and things associated with Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. This writing is for pure entertainment only.

Summary: Sequel to "Law Change Lives". Hermione and Ron are settling into their new roles as parents, but nothing is ever as easy as it seems.

CHAPTER 18

Hermione lay in her bed. It had been five days since she had returned home from St. Mungo's and the only person she really had seen was Ginny. Her mother had called a few times, but Hermione had begged her not to come over, saying she and Ron needed time alone.

The truth was, that was all she and Ron were getting. Ron had avoided Hermione at all costs, even sleeping down on the couch at night. The only time he had even bothered to see her was when he brought Rose up to lay with her in bed yesterday, however, Hermione was certain that was simply because Rose had been begging to see her.

Ginny, however, spent at least three hours a day with Hermione, helping her move around a little and shower and even bringing her meals. Hermione was certain Ginny was cooking for Rose and Ron too, though Ginny wouldn't say when Hermione asked.

Hermione sighed and rolled over, trying to get comfortable, trying to fall back asleep. When she was asleep, she could forget everything.

However, when she rolled over, she found herself staring at her and Ron's wedding picture, on the table next to her bed. She sighed and picked it up in her hands, running her fingers over it.

They looked so happy in it. She remembered the day perfectly in her mind. It seemed so long ago now. Too much had happened since that day.

Hermione could feel the tears welling in her eyes and she put the picture back down. She rolled away from it, only to be met with a picture of Rose and Ron, playing together last summer on the beach. Again, he looked happy.

The tears that had threatened moments earlier now spilled down Hermione's cheeks. She felt so responsible for destroying their happiness, her family's happiness. She should have told Ron about the baby. She shouldn't have been so stupid, so selfish. She kept the baby from Ron, exposed the baby to risks, and got the baby killed. Now, Ron would never have a chance to hold that child, Rose would never have the chance to be a big sister. At least not anytime soon.

For the first time in her life, Hermione realized she was wrong. Truly, and completely wrong in the decision she made. It wasn't her decision to make alone and yet she did, and she hated herself for it. She couldn't blame Ron for despising her, she despised herself.

A knock on the door brought Hermione's thoughts away from her own self-loathing. She glanced up but said nothing as Ginny came into the room with a tray.

"I brought you some tea…" Ginny started but stopped when she saw Hermione's tears. "Hermione…don't cry."

"Why not?" Hermione laughed bitterly. "I hate myself."

"Hermione…" Ginny said softly, clearly feeling awful for her sister-in-law.

"I'm an awful person, Ginny. What I did…Ron will never forgive me and why should he?" Hermione said with her tears flowing free.

"Hermione…" Ginny said softly but in truth she had no idea what to say to her best friend.

"I know what I did was wrong, Ginny. I know I shouldn't have hid any of it…I was just so scared of what he would think…I was so selfish," Hermione continued crying, her voice cracking.

Ginny did not know what to say and so she did the only thing she could think of. She reached out and hugged Hermione, allowing the grieving mother to cry into her shoulder. The two girls sat like that until Hermione had cried herself to sleep and Ginny tucked her back in, before deciding that enough was enough and her brother was going to have to try and forgive his wife.

Ron sat on the floor building a small castle with Rose using some magic blocks that Harry and Ginny had given her for Christmas. Rose seemed entertained as the blocks built themselves into a house, but Ron was hardly paying attention. All he could think about was the fact that Rose could have had a sibling in a few months to play with her, but now all she had was him.

Ron was so lost in his own thoughts he did not even hear Ginny until she was practically standing on top of him.

"Get up," Ginny's voice was stern.

"Bloody hell, Gin! Nearly scared me to death," Ron was visibly startled by his sister.

"Get up right now and stop all this nonsense," Ginny ordered.

Ron gathered himself off of the floor, confused by his sister. "What?"

"You need to go upstairs and you need to talk this out with Hermione," Ginny said.

"Talk it out?" Ron shook his head at his sister as if she was insane. "It's not like she spent too much money on books, Ginny. She bloody was pregnant and didn't even tell me! She got our baby killed—"

"She didn't do that on purpose, Ron!" Ginny cut her brother off.

Ron sighed and shook his head, glancing back down at his daughter who was looking up at him with the same head of curls that she had gotten from her mother.

"I know that but the baby…the baby is still gone," Ron bit the inside of his cheek as the word baby slipped out of his mouth.

"I know…" Ginny tried.

"I can't just forgive her, Ginny. I can't just forget what she did," Ron said, fighting an internal battle between tears and rage at the situation in front of him. He was so sad that the child was gone, so sad that Hermione had to go through that pain, but still so angry that she had hid so much from him. He was mourning a child he had not even known had existed.

"You don't need to forgive her completely right away…maybe you never will…but you are both hurting. You need to heal together," Ginny tried.

"It's not that easy, Ginny!" Ron snapped.

Ginny seemed taken back by her brother's anger and in fact, took a step backwards with a deep breath. She knew Ron was hurting and she needed to be careful with her words now.

"I just can't…she never told me. I can't let that go..." Ron sighed and tossed himself down on the couch, his head in his hands. "Why wouldn't she tell me?"

Ginny was unsure of how to answer her brother's questions and while she tried to figure out a good answer she noticed a few tears on Ron's cheek. She hadn't seen her brother cry in years and the site made her way to cry.

"I…I am not sure," Ginny said honestly. She had no idea.

Ginny's words seemed to only make Ron's reaction worse, and the tears flowed freely down his cheek.

"I…I just don't know what to do, Ginny. I know she is hurting. Don't you think I bloody know that?" Ron motioned toward the upstairs of the house, where Hermione was. "I just…I can't be there for her right now. I can't just let this go…"

"Ron, do you love her?" Ginny asked her brother after a long moment.

"Of course I do," Ron said quickly, looking at his sister as if she were crazy asking such a question.

"Then figure out how you can forgive her," Ginny said softly.

Ron put his head back in his hands and let a few more tears fall. "She lied to me…how can I forgive her? How do you expect me to just act like what she did was fine? I can't even look at her right now without seeing a liar."

Ginny sighed and scooped Rose up, placing her niece on her hip. "Well then maybe you should find out why she lied."

Ron glanced up at his sister, slightly surprised, but she was already half way into the kitchen with Rose, leaving Ron alone with his thoughts. He sighed, leaning back into the couch, and knowing deep down that Ginny was right. He needed to at least talk to Hermione.

Hermione lay in the bed she normally shared with Ron, looking absentmindedly through the large window. She just wanted to sleep but she wasn't tired. Sleep was her only escape from hating herself.

She heard the door open but didn't bother to look, assuming Ginny was just dropping off some dinner that Hermione would hardly touch.

"Hermione…" Ron's voice startled Hermione as she had not heard it in what felt like so long. She nearly jumped out of the bed, swirling her head to look at her husband.

The first thing Hermione noticed was just how tired Ron looked. He had large circles under his eyes and looked as if he hadn't shaved in days. His hair was a mess on his head and his shirt wrinkled.

"Ron…" Hermione could not hide the tone of surprise in her voice.

Ron sat down on the edge of the bed. The first thing he noticed was just how tired Hermione looked. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying and she looked too pale and too thin.

"We need to talk," Ron said simply, his voice as calm and as steady as he could make it.

Hermione nodded eagerly, still shocked to see Ron sitting there. However, she remained silent, able to see that Ron had something he wanted to say and was just trying to figure out how to say it.

"I don't know how to forgive you," Ron said after a long moment, His eyes were glued to the wall across from him so that he did not need to look at his wife.

"Ron...I…" Hermione tried but failed; she couldn't form the words to apologize and even if she could she knew they would never be enough. She could see it in his expression; she had hurt Ron like she had never hurt him before.

"I don't know how to forgive you, and I don't know what else to say," Ron repeated himself before the room lapsed into utter silence.