Chapter 23
If there was one thing Hermione realized when she saw Draco and his mother interact, it was how important the role of family was through trying times. The way Narcissa was there for him, despite everything their family had been through was commendable, as it even involved her changing her views on everything she had always known and believed in because she cared more about her family than the notions she was raised on.
There was a pit of envy in her stomach, despite her initial annoyance at the blonde man for their earlier argument, at what he had gained back. When they had started all of this, they were both alone. Sure, they had the Weasleys, as well as support from half the Order, and their friends. But neither of them had any family by their sides. And despite Harry being in a somewhat similar (albeit different due to his circumstances) situation, he still had his wife by his side, and their unborn child.
But now it seemed that she was all alone, once again in her life.
She didn't regret the path she took to lead to where she was today. If Hermione had to go back and remake every single choice she ever had, she probably would make the same ones, despite knowing what the consequences would be. Even if it meant her parents might never forgive her.
Would they want to know that they had a grandchild? Narcissa and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were both ecstatic at the news. She wasn't all that sure if Luna's father knew, but she figured that he would be highly delighted to find out, based on what she could gather from their past encounters.
Her parents had adored children for as long as she could remember. They were often named as dentists that other children would look up to due to their kind behaviour. They gave out little knickknacks to the children who came to their practice and made sure that each kid was never in any pain before they had any sort of procedure performed.
Due to not being able to have any other children after her, they treated her like she was their little princess. She was in no ways spoiled, but she had always been loved and cherished. They took her out to the park after school to let her play for hours on end, as they enjoyed time with her, and bought her every book she had always wanted.
They were there when she was an outcast at school for being so different, and despite how baffled they had been whenever she had performed accidental magic, they had tried to come up with reasons why she wasn't any different from the other children her age, despite the fact that she was a witch, unbeknownst to them.
For what it had been worth, they loved her thoroughly as she grew up.
And she did understand why they were sceptical about magic and anything of the sort. For it had taken their only child into a world they could never begin to understand. She had fought a war while in the early stages of adulthood, while other muggles her age were off partying and enjoying life, carelessly. She had taken their memories to try and keep them safe, and done so without their consent.
But for what everything was worth, magic was too much a part of her for her to ever leave the world behind. She couldn't. She had never fit in properly in the muggle world, yet here, she blended nearly seamlessly, despite the earlier problems she might have faced due to her blood.
Would her parents be fine with the fact that if they chose not to be in her life they would miss all of it? They would miss every birthday and New Year. They would miss her wedding if she ever found a man who would put up with the insanity that was her life, and they would miss Scorpius and any other future children she may have, grow up. They would miss every single milestone in her life because they didn't want her in the wizarding world.
"What's wrong?" she heard someone ask as they entered the room she was currently staying in. She looked up to see Harry standing there, looking at her sitting cross legged in her bed, holding a picture of her with her parents, standing on the edge of the beach when she was not more than five years old. They had looked so happy then, and she couldn't help but wonder when everything went sideways.
She shook her head, "It's nothing. Is everything okay?" she asked him, trying to shake it off, but he seemed to see right through her and her actions.
He sat down on the side of the bed, "Is it your parents?" he asked her gently as he reached out and placed a hand on hers.
"I miss them," she whispered. "I want them here to see Scorpius and to be in my life. But they made it quite clear the only way the want anything to do with me is if I leave all of this behind."
"Maybe you should go see them," Harry encouraged her softly.
She laughed bitterly, "And tell them what? That they were right and I probably am going to die if we don't solve our latest crisis? That was exactly why they wanted me to leave the world behind in the first place."
"Having grandchildren changes things though," Harry reminded her gently, "Look at Draco's mother. She came around as a result of all of it. Yours might as well."
"You remember how stubborn you all say I can be sometimes?" Hermione asked, and Harry nearly snorted in response, "My parents are worse. They believe they're always right. If they don't want to change their mind about something, then they won't."
"Yet you still want to go see them," he pointed out. "Hermione, you have two choices here. Either one, you don't go, and you never know if their minds are capable of being changed due to the current circumstances. Or two, you take a risk. And whatever happens, you'll have your answer as to whether your parents care enough to be in your life or not. But no matter what, you'll always have me, and Ron. And I know Draco cares about you as well. You'll never be alone." He wrapped an arm around her and she felt herself leaning in.
"Okay," she nodded, with a small voice, "Will you come with me? I don't know if I could handle seeing them on my own if things go wayward."
"Always," he promised her, "I'll always be there for you."
A small smile flitted across her face and she nodded, "Okay."
They were outside his friend's parents' house less than an hour later. He had never seen her so nervous in her life; not when she had the OWLs and NEWTs, or when they faced Voldemort. Not when she first entered Hogwarts, or when they left school behind to face the real world.
He squeezed her hand in reassurance, and Harry could see her take a deep breathe before she knocked on the door.
A few moments passed, but when the door opened, a very confused Jean Granger was on the other side.
"Hermione?" her mother asked, "What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"
"Can we come in?" Hermione asked, her voice shaking slightly, "I want to talk."
Jean looked a bit unsure, looking inside, but she nodded, "I was just about to get dinner started. But your father is in the sitting room, so why don't the both of you come in and we'll have a chat?"
Hermione nodded, and she took a step forward. Harry could see the worry flooding her eyes and he felt his heart sink. No one should have to go through this level of nervousness to just see their parents. It wasn't right, nor was it fair.
As they made their way down the hall, to the sitting room, Harry looked around the house. Any former pictures of their family looked as if they had been taken down; something which he could see Hermione clearly noted as well.
"Hermione?" Robert Granger asked in surprise as he saw her enter the room. "Why are you here?"
"Robert!" Jean scolded her husband.
"I wanted to talk to you about something," Hermione told the both of them.
"Is it about that blasted world?" Robert asked, ignoring his wife. "Have you come to your senses and decided to leave it behind?"
She shook her head, and glanced helplessly over at him for support. He gently placed a hand over hers to comfort her.
"I'm not leaving, you know that. Nothing's changed on that front," Hermione said softly. "You must understand why I can't. Magic is just as much in my blood, if not far more, than being a muggle for the rest of my life."
"Then why are you here?" Robert asked, eyes darkening, "Look Hermione, we haven't changed how we feel either. That world is venomous; sucking the life out of you bit by bit. And clearly you're here to tell us something else that's happened in that horrid world or you wouldn't have bothered to see us. It's been a few years since we've even seen you. So what are you here to say?"
"I have a child," she whispered out, and Harry hated how unsure of herself she sounded. Hermione Granger was many things; she was strong and brave, she was loyal and compassionate, she was always there when others needed her, and she cared far too much about others. He had seen her vulnerable several times, just as she had seen him, but never like this.
"How could you be so reckless?" her mother admonished. "You're so young, and unless you went and got married behind our backs, then you're an unwed mother! I thought we raised you with more standards than this. You are barely capable of taking care of yourself, and you go and do this? I can't believe you, Hermione!"
Her father was silent, but he looked absolutely murderous.
"It's not like that," Hermione said slightly shakily, "It didn't happen in the most conventional of ways. But I have a child now."
"Explain," Robert said, the coldness in his voice slicing through Harry.
Hermione looked at him helplessly, so he decided to help her out and explain what had happened which lead to the three children coming back in time. Jean looked absolutely frightened, while Robert had an emotionless look on his face through all of it.
"You still don't get it do you?" Robert shook his head, "How can you continue to stay in that world after everything? God, Hermione! You could have had such a normal life if you stayed here. Gone off to University, met a nice guy, get married, and have a few kids. Not be placed in life threatening situations on multiple occasions. You're just a child and you don't even understand just how messed up it is. That world is breaking you, bit by bit, and you refuse to leave it behind."
"How can you ask me to do that?" Hermione cried out, "I have a son now, and what, you want me to just abandon him? Pretend I don't know that he came back and life some sort of oblivious life?"
"He's not your son!" Robert roared, "Not yet. You didn't have him yet. The technicality might be there, but it doesn't change the fact that he's not yours, nor are you his mother. His mother is dead."
Hermione looked as if she had been slapped at that, and Harry drew a deep breath.
"He is mine," Hermione hissed, "And if you don't want anything to do with either of us, then that's perfectly fine. I just thought you would want to know that you had a grandchild, and maybe, just maybe, you would want to be a part of his life. Did you know in the future he didn't know either of you? He was surprised to learn that you were even alive because I never talked about you. And here I was, trying to give you a chance to change that future from happening, but you've made how you feel about me quite clear. So for what it's worth, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you're not happy I obliviated you, but I don't regret it. You would have been dead if I hadn't, so I won't apologise for that. But don't worry about me; you won't have to ever see the daughter who ruined your lives ever again."
And with that, she stormed out of the room, leaving Harry staring at the both of them.
"I think you both are making a big mistake," Harry informed the two of them. "You have a fantastic opportunity to make amends with your daughter, your stubborn daughter, and play a role in her life once more, yet you're so willing to throw it away without thinking about what it's doing to her. I don't understand how anyone could act like the two of you."
"You couldn't possibly understand," Jean started. "You couldn't possibly understand how much parents love their children and how they try to keep them safe from all harm. You may not agree with the two of us, but we just want to keep her safe."
"Why can't I understand?" Harry asked, his voice growing cold, "Because my parents are dead? Because you're right. I don't understand how any parent can act like the two of you. My parents died for me, trying to protect me. Yet in an attempt to keep her safe, you push her far away, and make her feel like she's not worthy of having you in her life."
"It's because we care about her," Robert cut in, trying to show him reason.
"How can you claim to care so much about keeping her safe, yet be willing to sacrifice your relationship with your daughter because she can't comply? You don't even see how much you hurt her through your actions. The only ones directly causing her harm is the two of you," Harry said with a shake of his head. "Maybe I never understood the parent-child relationship, but I doubt the two of you are a shining example that others would aspire to. You see, I would never abandon my child, even if I didn't agree with their choices. Family always comes first, and if you can't see that, then Hermione is better off without you in her life."
And with that, Harry followed Hermione out of the room.
When they arrived back at Grimmauld place, Hermione could barely keep the tears to herself. Harry guided her toward the sitting room, and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders as he sat her down.
"I'm going to make some tea," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "Will you be okay?"
She nodded, as the tears blinded her vision. Why did she ever think this was going to be a good idea? She had pretty much predicted what would happen, yet she went anyways. Merlin, how stupid could she be?
"Hermione?" she heard a hesitant voice call out. She looked up and saw Draco standing there and she felt herself get embarrassed at him seeing her like this, "Are you okay?"
She contemplated lying, but with her current state it was pretty obvious that she wasn't. "No," she said, shaking slightly.
He sat beside her on the couch and looked at her worriedly, "What happened?"
"I went to see my parents. They want nothing to do with me or Scorpius," she sobbed. "I just thought that since your mother came around and seems to care so much about Scorpius that my parents might want to get to know him too. That they would finally forgive me for everything that's happened. But I think they hate me more than ever."
He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in for a tight hug. She leaned against his chest, taking comfort from the embrace.
"I'm so sorry," he murmured. "Anyone who doesn't see how fantastic of a person you are is at a loss. You didn't deserve you in their life."
She stayed silent, as her sobs slowly subdued.
"For what it's worth, if my father ever finds out, I doubt he'll be all that pleased either," Draco told her without letting her go. "We'll always have that in common."
"I just don't get how a parent could do that to a child. I've been a mother to Scorpius for a few weeks, and I already know I would die for him again. I would do anything to make sure he never felt the pain I have now. How could my parents not even care? They said-" her voice broke off in a sob.
"What?" Draco probed slightly.
"That he's not mine," she said burying her face into his chest, "Because he's from the future, he's not mine and I should forget about him and go to the muggle world."
She could sense the anger flow through him, "He's ours," Draco said firmly, "Nothing will ever change that. Maybe we didn't have him in a conventional way, but he's our son."
She was silent for a few moments before saying, "I'm sorry," when he looked confused, she clarified, "For earlier, and for fighting with you. It wasn't right of me to do that to you. I was just so annoyed with the article, and I let it cloud my judgement. I assumed the worst of you, despite the fact that you were being logical, and I wasn't. You're right though with what you were saying; we don't know who it's from."
He pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I forgive you, Granger," he told her, bringing her in tighter to his body. She felt safe in his arms, and she couldn't help but wonder if she was wrong about other things in terms of Draco as well.
They stayed like that for a while, neither one of them noticing Harry watching from the doorframe, before slowly creeping away, a smile on his face.