Chapter Six

The gentle chiming of glass on glass woke Hermione from her fitful slumber, and she opened her blurry eyes towards the sound.

In front of a window, a small glass dragon hung, its tiny red wings expanding and flapping in as big of a circle as the twine that held it would allow. It was no doubt magicked to seem as if it were in flight. Dim light from a bedside lamp highlighted posters of prancing dragons hung on the wall to her left.

This must be Charlie's room. Hermione groggily thought. But why…

Something cold pressed against her forehead, and she was startled to find Molly Weasley sitting by her bedside, a look of deep concern on her freckled face. Looking down, Hermione realized her large jumper had been removed, and her belly was clearly visible under her thin shirt. The disillusionment enchantment was gone.

Dread seized her and Hermione bolted upright, pushing away the cool cloth from her forehead. Her head swooned as she attempted to stand upright, but Molly held her arms and gently pushed her back onto the bed.

"It's not what it seems, Molly…" she whispered.

"Shhh shhh, it's ok, Hermione. Here, have some water," Molly said soothingly, handing her a glass.

She took a gulp, bidding a few moments to construct a believable excuse. Her mind raced wildly in an attempt to lie. "It's- it's a transfiguration spell gone wrong. I was...I need to ask Professor McGonagall for help when I get back to Hogwarts and-" She faltered at the look of disbelief in Molly's eyes.

"Hermione if anyone could catch a fibber, it would be the mum of Fred and George, and I dare say you're not very good after it," Molly's lips turned slightly upward in her attempt at humor, but her concerned eyes remained. She sighed and placed the washcloth in a bowl on the nightstand.

Hermione sat up against the mound of pillows and covered her stomach with a crocheted shawl. Oh God, she knows… There was no more point in lying to this woman who had been like a mother to her when her own was a world away. What would she think of her when she finds out the truth? Hermione closed her eyes and willed herself to breathe.

"So, when did this happen?" Molly asked lightly.

"Mid-April," Hermione whispered.

Molly pulled the shawl over Hermione's middle tighter, and stood up. "I had Bill when I was about your age, you know," she said, and stopped to fiddle with the items on top of the dresser. "I would have preferred you and Ron to have been married before you had a child, but, it's all a bit too late for that, isn't it?"

Molly caressed the spine of the book she was holding, and sighed. "Though I suppose you still could. It'd have to be soon so the wedding couldn't be too grand - just close friends and family. A simple bonding spell. I'm sure Arthur knows someone in the registration department who could keep this hushed up, perhaps fudge the date…" she paused in contemplation, laying the book back where she found it.

"I can't believe Ron kept this from his father and me," Molly lamented in frustration, eyes still looking anywhere but at Hermione. "And to think I let you lot run around willy-nilly searching for horcruxes, sleeping together in tents, oh, Merlin knows what else! Oh course this would happen," she flopped back into the seat next to Hermione.

Shame seeped out of every pore, and Hermione wished she could dissolve into the mattress.

"Molly, it's...the child. It's not Ron's," she finally managed, unable to look her in the eye.

"What? You mean it's...Harry's?" Molly gasped incredulously. She looked at Hermione with an odd expression then, one she had never seen Molly look at her with before. It was akin to repulsion, as if Hermione were a foul bug she found in her white frosting.

"Merlin no! He's not! I just...I just need to go," Hermione pleaded, flinging the crocheted shawl off and attempted to stand as dizziness overtook her again. She was trembling in indignation and shame, but she wanted to get out of there immediately. She needed to be somewhere with fresh air and light - anywhere but in a room with the judging glare of Molly Weasley. Hermione hadn't thought through how this would go, how she would tell the people closest to her, but she certainly hadn't expected it to be like this.

A hand gripped hers before she could dash towards the door across from the bed.

"Hermione, please, you need to lay down…"

"Where's my wand?" She weakly muttered, pulling against Molly's hand.

"It's ok, you can talk to me. Please, Hermione!"

Her heart started to pound, and panic took over again as Hermione determined what she was going to tell Molly. Deep in her heart, she knew she couldn't lie anymore. For months she had carried the burden of her ordeal, and it was smothering her to exhaustion. She needed a release.

"Do you remember," she stopped and sat on the other side of the bed away from the Weasley matron, her eyes following the glass dragon flap around in it's pointless little circles. "Do you remember last April when I had apparated here unexpectedly?"

Hermione had arrived, bloody and haggard, to a suspicious welcome. When she at last answered all of the questions put to her by Arthur and passed the screening tests Mad Eye had taught them before his demise, Molly had helped clean her up and gave her a place to rest. Hermione had left the next morning for Shell Cottage, the location she knew Harry would've told Dobby to take them next.

"Yes," Molly hesitated, "you told us you had just escaped from Malfoy Manor, but that's all you would say. You testified later that Draco had helped you."

Hermione nodded, "He did. But...but I didn't tell you what happened before I left."

Molly's trembling breath filled the awful silence, "Oh God, he didn't. Please tell me he didn't…" and before Hermione could respond, Molly's warm weight was next to her, her arms holding her securely.

"It wasn't his fault," murmured Hermione in her shoulder.

Molly pushed back hair from her face, compassion warming her amber eyes. "Whose fault? What happened?"

"Draco's. It's just...he tried to help, I think, but it made it worse. And, and Greyback, he-" she is able to stammer before succumbing to her tears. A tidal wave of shame, loneliness, and grief consumed her.

She had been assaulted in the worst possible way, the most carnal and personal violation she had ever experienced, and she hadn't been able to stop it. All of her magic hadn't halted his vile hands as they gripped her hair, forced her to disrobe, forced her to…

Hermione hadn't let herself think of it before, had pushed the memories of the trauma of the past to the darkest corner of her mind, but now it all came flooding out in the compassion of Molly's embrace.

It was a long while before her sobs subsided, and she was able to speak again. She told Molly of the Imperius used on herself and Draco, of what the werewolf made them do for his own sick amusement, but, for some reason, couldn't bring herself to tell her what Greyback had done after Draco was finished. Instead she skipped to him being called away by Voldemort, how they shed the curse, and the familial escape route in the Malfoy cellar.

Though she left out Greyback's assault on her, Hermione felt lighter as if the burden of the curse had pulled her down deeper into murky water, and she had finally cut off it's terrible anchor.

Molly didn't speak for some time after Hermione was done confessing, just continued holding her, though from her shaking breaths and sniffling, she could tell she was crying as well.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm so terribly, terribly sorry this happened to you. To have had this load on your shoulders to carry by yourself; you must have been so lonely. You are brave for telling me."

Hermione shook her head. "I don't feel like I am. I should have done something after it happened. Taken a potion or… or told an Auror. Anything, really. I'm such a fool-"

"Don't say that!" Molly asserted. "You are not a fool, Hermione. You are brave and you are strong. It is not your fault this happened, do you hear me? It's not your fault." The crushing hug Molly gave her caused Hermione to pull back and rub her belly.

"Molly, the baby!"

"Oh, right," she looked sheepishly down at her abdomen. "Have you thought about what you're going to do with the child? Have you told Draco?"

"I did. He wants me to give the baby to his mother and have her raise it as her own, but I'm keeping it," she said firmly and squeezed Molly's hand. "I don't care how it came into this world; it's my responsibility now, and I'm keeping it."

Molly gave her a watery smile, "Of course, dear. What do you need me to do?"

Throughout her life, Hermione had taught herself to start with the most difficult task. She started her schoolwork by completing the longest essay first and ate all her brussel sprouts before she touched her chicken. As she thought of all the people she loved, she knew she would have to tell the most problematic of them first.

Hermione hesitated before saying, "I need to talk to my parents. I don't think they need to know the whole truth - they wouldn't understand what the Imperius curse can do, even if I explained it. But they have to know."

Molly nodded, "Alright. Now here, lie back down. Drink a bit more - that's it," she settled the shawl over Hermione once more as she laid back into the cushions. "I'm going to talk to Arthur, yes I have to, and then he'll fetch your parents. I'll talk to them first, how's that? Not about the...the cellar. But, perhaps, you and Draco had a, well, tryst. One that resulted in pregnancy. They'll understand that, right?"

Hermione closed her eyes. "Yes, I think they will." And as the lights dimmed and the door closed behind her unexpected confidant, she felt the tiniest bit of hope flutter in her heart.

A/N:

Almost done with the heavy revelation stuff, and then I can move on with the plot!

There are some who would disagree, but in my opinion, with her circumstances being the way they are, I think Hermione would want to tell her parents first. She's best friends with Harry and Ron, but she's still barely 19. A girl needs her mom and dad. Idk why, but it's always bothered me that Hermione was never seen interacting with her parents much. There will definitely be more of Charles and Maureen in future chapters.

Also, thank you for the love and support sent my way! I really appreciate the words of encouragement ^_^

Next chapter: Meet the Grangers! And the Malfoys receive a visit from a certain Headmistress