Some of you have been wondering why Hermione didn't have Ron arrested. In this chapter, you will find out 23: Trapped by Fear
Hermione slammed the door to her flat, the sound echoing through the quiet space. Her chest heaved with frustration as she threw her coat onto the nearest chair. She couldn't believe it. Ron—her best friend, the man she had once loved—had become someone she barely recognized. How could he have fallen this far?
Harry and Draco followed closely behind, both of them silent, giving her space to process her emotions. Hermione stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed tightly, trying to steady her thoughts. The anger bubbling inside her felt like it might spill over at any moment.
Harry was the first to speak, his voice soft but insistent. "Hermione, why didn't you let me arrest him? We have enough evidence to take him to the Wizengamot. I can testify myself and even provide memories. Hermione, we can win this."
Hermione exhaled sharply, turning to face him. "I know we can win in court, Harry," she said, her voice laced with frustration.
"Then what's stopping you?" Harry pressed, stepping closer. "Why are you holding back?"
Hermione shook her head, pacing the room. "It's not the court I'm worried about. It's everything that happens after. You heard Ron—he's going to go public. He'll manipulate the press. He'll twist the story into whatever suits him."
Draco, who had been standing quietly near the door, finally spoke. "Given what he's already done, that wouldn't surprise me." His voice was low, edged with anger.
Hermione looked between them, her hands trembling as she tried to keep her emotions in check. "Ron's not going to stop at trying to ruin me. He'll go after this baby. He'll make our lives miserable."
Draco's eyes blazed with anger as he took a step forward, his voice dangerously low. "He said what?"
Harry exchanged a glance with Hermione not knowing how to respond.
"what exactly happened before I got there?" Draco asked, this time a bit more reined in.
Harry and Hermione launched into an explanation. As they described how Ron had threatened to tell the press that Draco had brainwashed both Hermione and Harry, how Ron would claim Draco had used the potion, and how he had vowed to make Hermione's baby suffer, Draco's face transformed from disbelief to pure fury.
His jaw clenched tightly, his fists balling at his sides as he tried to rein in his rage. "I can't believe this" Draco hissed, the words seething with barely controlled anger. He took a step toward the wall, his breathing heavy as if trying to prevent himself from hexing someone. "I knew he was off the rails, but to threaten our baby like that?"
He ran a hand through his hair, but it did nothing to ease the fury coursing through him. "Merlin, I should've just hex him, knock him out cold." His voice was cold now, filled with venom. "That bastard is lucky I wasn't there earlier.
Harry crossed his arms, his brow furrowed in thought. "So what now? You didn't press charges, but that doesn't mean Ron's not going to go to the press. When you two get married, the media will be all over it. He could say anything at that point."
Hermione sighed, her frustration evident. "I don't think he'll go to the press just yet. This is the only leverage he has left. If he goes public now, there'll be nothing stopping us from having him thrown in Azkaban."
"True," Harry said, though his expression remained tense. "But maybe you should reconsider. By the time your baby's old enough to understand what's going on, Ron will be in jail, and the truth will have come out. It might not be as bad as you think."
"I wish that were true," Hermione replied, her voice heavy. "But it's not that simple. The press has always been against us—you know that. And Ron's always been adored by the public. He was the likable one, the one people trusted. Even if he's changed, people don't know that. They'll believe whatever he says."
Draco, his face still tense with anger, nodded in agreement. "And if Ron tells them I was the one who used the potion, or that I manipulated you both, they'll eat it up. They already hate me, it's not that hard to believe."
"That's exactly the problem," Hermione said, her hands running through her hair in frustration. "If Ron goes to jail, he'll come out even angrier. And when he does, he'll stop at nothing to ruin our lives—including this baby's."
She turned to Draco, her voice trembling. "I don't want my child to go to Hogwarts and be hated by everyone because of some lie Ron made up. I can't put them through that."
Draco, who had been silent for a moment, finally spoke up again. "We always have the option of leaving. Moving to another country. If things get bad, we can start fresh somewhere else."
Hermione shook her head, her voice resolute. "No. I didn't fight in the war just to be driven away by more prejudice. I won't let Ron or anyone else chase us out of this world, or this country."
Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Then what can we do Hermione? We can't let him get away with this"
"I have no idea," said Hermione "Hopefully now that the truth is out he will stay out of our way"
" I don't know." said Harry "He might try to stop your wedding. Who knows what lengths he'll go to?"
Draco leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, his voice heavy with frustration. "I agree, he isn't going to just give up"
"let's hope not," Hermione said softly.
Harry's eyes flashed with determination. "Maybe it's time to talk to Molly. She always had a way of getting through to him when he was younger. Maybe she still has that power over him."
Hermione shook her head, her voice uncertain. "I don't know, Harry. Ron's not the same person he used to be, also he's an adult now. I don't think Molly shouting at him is going to change anything. It'll only drive a wedge between them, and I don't want that. She's already been through so much."
"You're right," Harry admitted, leaning back against the sofa. "It might just make things worse."
"And then Ron will lash out at her," Hermione added. "She doesn't need that, and I don't want to put her through more pain."
"Shit," Harry muttered, shaking his head. "This whole situation sucks."
"I know," Hermione whispered, her voice barely audible. "I can't believe this is happening. And I can't believe that the cause of all this is Ron—someone I loved, someone I trusted."
Draco stepped closer to her, his voice soft but firm. "You're not alone in this, Hermione. We'll find a way through all this"
Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she looked up at Draco. His eyes, intense yet filled with a rare softness, bore into hers, and in that moment, the whirlwind of emotions she had been grappling with seemed to slow. The weight of everything—the betrayal, the fear, the uncertainty—pressed heavy on her chest, but the strength in Draco's voice gave her something to hold on to. And for now, that was enough
A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review.
