Where is Hermione?

Twenty-eight year old Ron Weasley once again sat on the large stone steps that lead up to the entrance of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He hadn't seen the old building in ten long years. He walked out of the bright sunshine and into the Great Hall, sitting on one of the uncomfortable chairs at Gryffindor table with his best friend, Harry Potter, who was talking avidly about how he managed to capture yet another so-called Death Eater the previous week.

"...And he thought I was actually unconscious, so he turned his back and bang!" said Harry, as a tall woman with long red hair came and sat down on Harry's other side.

"Harry, please tell me you're not reciting that Death Eater story to Ron again?" questioned Ginny Weasley, as she linked her arm in Harry's. The two had been happily married for almost seven years now, and they had two children: Lily, aged six, and Daniel, aged four.

"Nah, Ginny, I think I'm used to it by now," said Ron to his little sister. He looked around the crowded room impatiently, secretly wishing for Hermione to walk through the large oak doors leading to the Hogwarts grounds. However, the only people he saw were people he had hoped never to see again. One of those people was Lavender Brown. She kept staring down the long table at him, hoping to catch his eye. "Ginny, have you seen if Hermione has arrived yet?" Although their last encounter was far from smooth, Ron was eager to see her.

"Oh, didn't I tell you? She owled Harry and me to say she was far too busy and couldn't make it," recalled Ginny, as she helped herself to some food from a plate that Neville had just put in front of her.

"Hi, guys!" called Neville happily, as a tall girl with dark curly hair sat on Neville's other side.

"Hi Neville, hi Penny," said Ginny.

Penny and Neville had been married for four years. They had met when they both attended a greenhouse exhibit in Ireland a few years after they left school. Word had it that Penny and Neville were expecting their first child early the following year.

"What do you mean Hermione's too busy to come? She's a writer! She can't just put that on hold for a few seconds to come to her own reunion!?" exclaimed Ron loudly. He moved irritably in his seat and gazed around the hall again. The sunlight coming from the enormous stain-glass windows was beginning to give him a headache, and although laughter and smiles surrounded him, he felt the sudden need to kick something.

"Ron, you know nothing about her life! You haven't even talked to her since your break-up!" exclaimed Ginny. She stared fiercely into Ron's eyes with her own until he turned away. He chose instead to look at the stone wall in front of him. He then glanced up at the famous Hogwarts Great Hall ceiling; there was not a cloud in the vast, blue sky. This only caused him to become, if possible, even angrier.

"You hadn't heard from her before that letter!" Ron said quickly, looking back at Ginny.

"Well, she’s been too busy to catch up. She's told me that her job has become really hectic and she rarely gets any time off," reasoned Ginny. Ron noticed that her fists were clenched and her were eyes shining in anger.

"Where does she live again?" asked Neville suddenly, also noticing the look Ginny was giving Ron. He knew only too well that when Ron and Ginny began fighting, there was no stopping them until a few objects were broken and a bat-bogie hex had been sent flying across the room.

"Here's her address," said Harry, writing it quickly on a piece of parchment and handing it to him. He then turned his attention to his wife, and spent the rest of the hour calming Ginny down.

Ron glanced down at the parchment in Neville's hand and mentally recorded the address, feeling a little better than he had a few minutes ago. But this feeling was short-lived when he felt a tap on the shoulder. He turned to see Lavender smiling sweetly at him.

“Hello Ron, it is so good to see you again,� she said kindly as she sat in the empty seat next to him.

“Yeah, you too,� he muttered in reply, feeling a large headache coming on.

~

Two weeks later, Ron walked along the warm suburban street of London holding only a small piece of parchment in his hand. The warm wind blew gently against his face and hands, his t-shirt waving calmly in the breeze. As he walked, he continued glancing down at the crumpled parchment anxiously, as if expecting it to jump out of his hand and run along the street.

He suddenly came to a stop in front of a small house, and, he noticed, from his view through the closest window, it was furnished with both sensible and elegant objects.

As he walked nervously up the small pathway leading to the doorway, he could smell freshly mowed grass, which made him think immediately of Hermione. He knew that was one of her favourite smells. He came to a halt on the porch and raised his hand, knocking loudly on the door.

"If you're looking for 'Mione, she's not home," came a voice from his left. He turned quickly to see a tall woman with long wavy blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She was standing outside the house next door and appeared to be heavily pregnant. She walked slowly around the fence separating the two houses, and over to Ron.

"I'm Cammie, by the way, Cammie Williams. Wait a minute, red hair and freckles...I take it you're the famous Ron Weasley?" voiced Cammie. Her face showed both shock and confusion.

"Yeah, how did you know?" asked Ron.

"I'm Hermione's best friend, I think I'd know her ex," blurted Cammie. Her face softened and a smile grew on her face as she said, "What brings you here? I didn’t think Hermione gave you her address."

"She didn’t,� said Ron offhandedly. “I really need to speak with Hermione; do you know where she is?" He really shouldn’t have been so rude to Cammie, but he hadn’t come all this way for nothing. He came here to see Hermione, and that is what he intended to do.

"Oh, she left about ten minutes ago. She headed down to the park with everyone. You just walk straight down that road and turn right, you can't miss it," said Cammie. "It was very nice to meet you, Ron, but I must get inside. I've left my daughter in the house with my brother, and I don't usually trust him to look after my kids for very long. Good luck with Hermione! Oh, and tell her that I might be along later with the kids!" With that, Cammie walked around the fence again and back into the house next door.

What had Cammie meant by ‘everyone?' Whatever she had meant, Ron knew exactly where to find her. Ron looked down at his watch, and noticed that he would have to leave now to get back to his apartment in time for Harry and Ginny to visit him. He cursed himself for taking so long, and then looked up at the house in front of him.

Well, it’s not going anywhere, thought Ron, as he looked again at his watch. With that thought, Ron turned away from the house he had longed to enter for so long, and walked back along the warm London street. However, unknown to Ron, a pair of eyes followed him down the street from the window of Hermione’s house...


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Hope you guys liked it! Please review! Sorry this is so short, but they will hopefully get longer! I will try and post often though there will definitely be times when I'm too busy to write or post. I know that there are a lot of holes I still need to fill, but trust me, they will be filled (eventually...) Love, Lucia_Swanne.

Ron had come back soon after and left the note pinned to Cammie’s door. It had spoke of how he had not told anyone where he was going, nor when he was coming back. It also spoke of how Hermione had not expected him ever to return, and it informed of how he would come back to see her, when he had planned leave from his life for a while. A few days later, he received a letter from Cammie stating that she had not told Hermione of his visit, and that whenever he was prepared to return, she would make sure Hermione was ready. She also told him that they visited the park every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday from eight o’clock until three o’clock, without fail.

Ron told Mad Eye Moody, who was his superior in the Auror’s office, that he needed a week off from work. He informed his parents, Harry, and Ginny that he was leaving for a few days; though refused to tell them where. That night, Ron packed his things, and headed for Hermione's house.

Late that Saturday morning, Ron walked along the deserted London street quickly. As he turned the corner and continued on, he saw the park coming steadily into view. He could see young children playing, their parents sitting and watching them under the shelter of a large gazebo. There was a vast lake in the centre of the park, surrounded by plants and benches. The large crowd of parents eyed him cautiously as he entered the park through the great iron gates on either side of the pathway.

He scanned the group of parents for Hermione, but he could not see her. He could not see anyone that looked like Hermione. He walked over to a nearby tree and leant against it, still looking for Hermione.

Then he heard her endearing laugh, as warm and alluring as a fire on Christmas day. He turned to see Hermione sitting on a bench by the lake, but it wasn’t the Hermione he had known. Her brown hair was now shoulder length, and the bushiness had now become radiant, yet messy curls. Although she was sitting, Ron could tell she had become very tall since their last meeting.

He noticed she was sitting with Cammie, the two talking happily. He also noticed that, at their feet were two large carrier bags sitting on top of a few things he did not recognise, maybe muggle things? Who takes that much stuff to the park? he wondered. He settled on the fact that Cammie had brought her children with her, and the two were looking after them for the day.

He was about to walk over and greet the woman he hadn’t laid eyes on in nine years when six young children ran over to Cammie and Hermione. Instantly, Ron froze and watched the scene in front of him.

He stared as Hermione and Cammie gave the six children food and drinks, and then turned back to their conversation, as the children sat at the lakes edge eating. He saw Hermione glance at her watch and look around the park. He hid himself from view as her eyes glided over the tree. Did she know he was coming today?

As he emerged from behind the tree, he noticed a handsome man carrying a baby not even past the age of one walk over to Cammie and Hermione. As Hermione gave one of the other children a small piece of fruit, the man passed the baby to Cammie. She quickly hugged him, as did Hermione, before he sat down on Hermione’s other side. They talked for a few minutes, before the man left the park again. Ron could only just hear the conversation between Hermione and Cammie.

“I’ll take him,� said Hermione, as she took the baby from Cammie’s arms. “Mike just told me that he spent the morning trying to keep this little guy from vomiting up his food. I wish he’d just eat like the other kids.�

Ron gathered from this that Hermione was very close to Cammie’s children, as she rocked the little boy gently back and forth in her arms, as if he was her own child.

Then there was a scream from the side of the lake, and he noticed the child to whom Hermione had given an extra piece of fruit, was on the ground, crying.

“Okay, here we go,� breathed Hermione, as she handed the baby back to Cammie, and walked over to the crying child. “What happened, sweetie?�

“Paul pushed me over,� sobbed the little girl. She had black curly hair and deep blue eyes. Ron guessed that the father of the little girl had black hair, as Cammie’s was blonde.

“Did he really? Well, I’m sure Paul’s mummy will want to hear about this. Come over here with me, and we’ll put a band-aid on it and make it all better,� said Hermione, as she carried the little girl over to the bench and sat her on her lap while grabbing the closest carry bag. She pulled out a bright pink band-aid and put it onto the girl’s leg, which was grazed from falling. “Now it’s all better!� exclaimed Hermione, setting the girl down on the ground.

“Thank you,� said the girl, before she ran back over to the other kids and continued playing.

“Paul pushed Jaime over,� said Hermione, as she put the carry bag back underneath the seat and turned to Cammie.

“Right, I’ll go and get him,� said Cammie, who handed the baby back to Hermione and walked over to the kids. She bent down with great difficulty, considering her pregnancy, and talked quietly to one of the boys. She then led him back over to the seat and sat him down next to her. “You have to stay here until you’ve learnt your lesson.�

“Yes mum,� said the boy, miserably. He had short blonde hair, like Cammie’s.

“I just thought, I need to start planning for Addy’s birthday,� said Hermione breathlessly, as she looked over a girl playing with Jaime who had bright red, curly hair and deep blue eyes. “Can you believe she’s turning eight? They grow up so fast!�

“’Mione, you leave all the planning to me, alright; I’ll make sure Adrianna has the best birthday ever. Besides, you have way too much on your plate as it is,� said Cammie.

“Hey, I’m handling everything fine Cam’. I just finished the article on broomstick lengths last night, and I don’t have another one for a few weeks. That gives me time to look after the kids,� said Hermione matter-of-factly, as she smoothed her knee-length skirt.

She hasn’t changed all that much thought Ron, as he smiled at the scene before him. It seemed that Hermione was still over-working herself, and still very caring. Then something hit him. She had just said she finished an article on broomstick lengths in front of Cammie. She must be a witch too, decided Ron. But it’s a bit risky talking about it in the open. After all, they were standing in a muggle park. Oh no, now I’m sounding like her!

“Hermione, listen to me, I’m looking after all of the kids and you’re...stop shaking your head like that...I’m looking after them all while you get some rest. God knows you need it,� said Cammie. “I think looking after children every day and writing your articles every week is slowly pushing you over the edge. Don’t look at me like that ‘Mione, you know I’m right. Even the doctor said you need rest and relaxation.�

“The doctor doesn’t know what responsibilities I have! To the kids, to my job! To everything I’ve worked so hard for! I’m not letting one person wreck everything!� exclaimed Hermione stubbornly.

“This is what I mean by stressing yourself out. You’re overreacting; you need to put all of this into proportion. You know what's happening to you, and you can’t just ignore it. You have a good job, and they’re offering you time off to help you out a bit. Those kids over there love you to bits, and we’re all part of the same family, if you think about it. They’re either at my house or yours, always together. You know that if they’re at my house, they’re well looked after and safe, and that means you get a break. Now I’m insisting that you go home now and have a rest!� said Cammie, as she took the sleeping baby from Hermione’s arms and ushered her up.

“Cammie, I don’t need rest. I need to be here, to look after the kids,� responded Hermione. After a glare from Cammie, she bowed her head in submission. “Alright, I’ll go home. But you have to promise me that you’ll have the kids back by dinner.�

“Oh no, they’re staying at my house tonight. You are going to have an early night and get some sleep. I really think you need it,� said Cammie.

“Oh alright, I’ll just go and say goodbye to them,� said Hermione as she walked over to the kids by the lake. “Hey guys, guess where you’re going tonight? You’re all staying at Cammie’s for tonight while I get some work done, alright. Bye, I love you,� Hermione kissed each child on the head, stood, and walked slowly out of the park, glancing back at Cammie and the kids every few steps.

Ron felt like he could move again. He moved slowly over to Cammie, who was now watching the kids play by the lake while rocking the baby boy in her arms.

“Oh, Ron!� said Cammie as he sat down next to her. “You just missed Hermione. I sent her home to get some rest and-�

“Yeah I know. I heard you,� said Ron. “I’m going to go and talk to her.�

“Good luck!� called Cammie, as Ron stood up and left the park.

He quickly walked after Hermione, hoping to catch her before she got to her house. But, sure enough, when he arrived at the front of her house, Hermione had already got inside. He anxiously walked up to the door and knocked. He heard footsteps and mumbling as Hermione walked back to the door. She opened the door and froze.

“Ron!�

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Well, there’s the second chapter, and they finally see each other after such a long time!

I got my inspiration for this chapter and its title from a song by one of my favourite bands, The Rasmus. The song is called “In the Shadows� (what a shocker!); here are the lyrics that gave me the idea for this chapter.

I've been watching, I've been waiting
In the shadows for my time
I've been searching, I've been living
For tomorrows all my life

I hope you all liked it. Please R&R! I might be a little slower on the third chapter because schools giving me more and more assignments and I just know I’m going to have some sort of thing that will distract me from my writing all the time, but hang in there! Love, Lucia_Swanne.

A/N: Hey everyone, I'm so sorry about being so late with the updating! But I've had a really rough time lately as two of my friends died in a car crash a little while ago and I've been getting through that...but I'm back now! I will try as hard as I can to be punctual with my updating and all of that...and this chapter has been rejected "a few" times so I don't really know if this will make it through but we'll see...please enjoy and stay with me!
Disclaimer: I don’t think I really need this but then again, I don’t want to get in trouble so...I’m not J.K. Rowling.

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“Hi, Hermione,� said Ron uneasily. “You’re looking...well.�
“Uh, thanks,� she replied and opened the door fully. “Would you like to come in?�
“Yeah,� said Ron and walked into the house, closing the door carefully behind him. As he looked around, he noticed that everything seemed to be in some sort of order- only a few things sat out of place. It was definitely a house you could call Hermione’s.
“So, Ron, why are you here?� asked Hermione as they both sat down one of the two couches in the lounge room.
“Well that was subtle,� muttered Ron as he sat on the comfortable couch and looked around. The first thing he noticed was a large bookcase against the wall crammed full of text books, magazines from the Wizarding world, and to Ron’s surprise, a lot of children’s books were strewn along the bookshelf. He assumed that they were for when Cammie’s children came over, and went back to staring at Hermione. She had changed so much since he last saw her. Although, he hadn’t seen her since she was nineteen.
“Ron, after eight years of nothing, you just turn up on my doorstep. Am I supposed to just leave all of the serious questions until later? I have my own life now, one that you know nothing about. I don’t know anything about your life either, and I’d really like to know. But please, just answer these questions. Why are you here, Ron?�
“I need to know why you didn’t turn up to our reunion. We promised each other after we left Hogwarts in sixth year that no matter what happened, we would make sure we got there for the ten year reunion. What was so important that you could break that promise to me and Harry?�
“Ron, if I do tell you why, you must promise not to overreact. It is the reason I didn’t come to the reunion, why I moved away from you, why I left you. It all comes down to mistakes I’ve made in life, mistakes that turned into gifts. Please, just let me get through this before you talk,� she breathed, her hands fidgeting in her lap. The last time she recalled doing that was when she had broken up with Ron nine long years ago.
“Okay, what is it?� he asked timidly, not sure he wanted to know the answer. He was about to find out the answers to questions he’d been asking himself ever since Hermione left him.
Hermione took a slow, steady breath before looking back up at Ron. She stood, and silently walked over to a cabinet by the door. She picked up a picture frame and sat down next to Ron.
“You see these kids?� she said, holding up the picture for him. He glanced down to see Cammie’s six children he had seen at the park, all smiling, though Ron could tell that two of the children were arguing with each other.
“Cammie’s children?� he questioned before he could stop himself. He mentally smacked himself as he saw the look on Hermione’s face shift dramatically.
“How do you know Cammie?� she asked, narrowing her eyes at him eyes. This was the very stare Ron had received many times before, and could never lie to.
“Well, I came to see you before, but Cammie told me that you were gone. She said that you two went to the park every few days. I went down and saw you both down there with her kids. Why are you showing me her children?�
Hermione shifted uneasily in her chair, but then stood again. She walked over to the wall and pulled down another photo. She handed it to Ron before sitting and refusing to look him in the eye.
“Ron, these are Cammie’s children,� said Hermione, as she, too, looked at the photo. It only had three of the children from the previous photo; the other three were not Cammie’s children.
“But...then the other children...� faltered Ron, slowly understanding what was going on.
“Ron, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell anyone, but I just couldn’t,� began Hermione, as she stared down at the picture of the six children, tears welling up in her brown eyes.
“So, they’re...they’re your children?� asked Ron, the colour draining from his face quickly.
“Ron, listen to me, and please do not interrupt. I didn’t want this to happen to me so early in my life. You know that I had my entire life planned out to the day. I was going to become a famous writer or even a teacher at Hogwarts if the opportunity came around. And then once my career was stable, I would think about settling down and having kids. But that’s not how it turned out. My life is what it is, and I’m glad. My career may not be as successful as I’d hoped, but I’ve been gifted with three beautiful children. I hope you will understand,� said Hermione, who was now sweating slightly; her cheeks were flushed and she was still refusing to look at Ron, as she knew then the tears would flow from her eyes.
“W-What are their names?� asked Ron calmly. Hermione turned to him with a questioning look, but smiled.
“You don’t seem to care that I kept my three children from you,� said Hermione timidly. Truthfully, that was one of the hardest things she had ever had to do. She had gone over that moment in her head for years, but she never thought that the time would come so soon. She imagined telling Ginny and Harry would not be that difficult, as they were both so accepting, though it was telling Ron she had feared. She thought back to when Ron had overreacted about her relationship with Viktor Krum. This was a much bigger and more difficult situation, and she knew Ron would not take it well if he was anything like he used to be back in school.
“Of course I bloody care, Hermione! But there’s no point in overreacting. If there is anything Moody taught me in Auror training, it’s not to overreact as much. It could get me in a lot of trouble.�
“That it could,� Hermione replied quietly with a small smile.
“’Mione, do Harry and Ginny know? Does anyone know?� asked Ron suddenly.
“No, Ron, you’re the first person I’ve had to tell. Are you okay with this?� she asked nervously. She wanted Ron to be happy for her, and to meet her children.
“I am hurt that you didn’t tell me sooner. I don’t understand why you didn’t just come out with it. Why didn’t you reply to any of my letters? I mean, we were best friends for eight years,� he asked.
“Ron, I need you to meet my kids before I answer any more of these questions. They’re at Cammie’s next door. They will be too tired to handle this kind of situation, so you can meet them tomorrow morning. Until then, I want to know some things. Harry and Ginny didn’t ever tell me much about your life. How is your life, Ron?� asked Hermione.
Ron started telling Hermione anything of importance that had occurred in the past nine years, such as the few nieces and nephews he welcomed into the family. He told her of how Bill and Fleur had a daughter Adelle; that Fred and Angelina Johnson had married and had a daughter Natalia; that George and Katie Bell had married and had twins Kylie and Jesse; he told her all about Harry and Ginny’s children Lily and Daniel; he told her of how Charlie was now engaged to a girl he had met in Romania named Vanessa. He also spoke of how Mr and Mrs Weasley were still unhappy about having all of their children living away from home, as they had absolutely nothing to do. This caused Hermione to laugh heartily, Ron joining in as well. He told her of how he and Harry were now official Aurors, although they still had to take orders from Moody.
He continued talking with Hermione until the sun set. When the street lights came on outside of Hermione’s house, he finished up his story about Fred and George’s new joke shop in Ireland (they had franchised their business all across the UK).
“Is it alright if I come back tomorrow?� asked Ron as he stood to leave.
“Where are you staying tonight?� asked Hermione suddenly. Ron felt a cool breeze flow through the window, causing both he and Hermione to shiver.
“Uh, I don’t really know yet,� he admitted with a small smile. He hadn’t counted on staying for this long, though expected that there had to be at least one hotel with a spare room available.
“Ron, if you’d like, you can stay here tonight,� Hermione offered. “I really don’t mind. In fact, I think the company for dinner would be great. It will be good to have someone different to talk to.�
“Well sure, if you really don’t mind,� replied Ron.
“Not at all. I’m afraid that we’ll both have to sleep in my room, because the kids’ rooms are in no state for an adult to sleep in. Are you alright with that?� asked Hermione as she led him into the kitchen. She pulled out a few utensils and began to make dinner for the both of them.
“No, no problem,� replied Ron sheepishly.
They ate dinner and talked until the clock on the wall struck twelve. It was then that Hermione declared that they should go to bed.
“Hermione, it would be a lot easier if I just slept on the couch,� said Ron as Hermione began walking to her room. “I keep Harry awake whenever he stays over because of my snoring, and you need a decent night’s sleep.�
“You sound like Cammie,� she exclaimed. “But if you really think so, I’ll grab you out some blankets.�
A few minutes later, Hermione emerged again with a few blankets and a pillow in her arms. She handed them to Ron and made sure he had everything he needed.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything? I could go and get you a-�
“And you sound like my mother! I’m fine, Hermione, honestly,� he said.
“Oh, alright. Goodnight, Ron, I’ll see you in the morning,� said Hermione quietly before walking down the hall and closing her bedroom door, leaving Ron on the couch to sleep.

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Ooooooo! Were we all shocked by that? I know I’m still not explaining everything but the chapter after next will clarify a few things for you all. I will tell you one thing about next chapter though...Ron and Hermione won’t be sleeping much...! Take a guess at what I’m talking about, but I guarantee you won’t get it! Please R&R and I’ll post up chapter 4 when I’m ready. Hopefully that won’t be that long. Love Lucia_Swanne.

Disclaimer: I’m not J.K Rowling...does that sum it up??? Besides, if I was J.K, would I really be spending my time posting a badly written story on Mugglenet.com??? (Not meant in any offence to Mugglenet. I love you Emerson!)
A/N: This chapter is extremely short and rushed, I know, but I needed this filler chapter, otherwise it would not make much sense. Hope you stick with me, I know it’s boring but you’ll find out a lot more in the next chapter, I promise!

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Ron woke to movement on the other side of the room. He rolled over and opened his eyes slowly to see Hermione walking quietly past him into the kitchen. He flopped back down and groaned as he saw the time on the clock next to him. It was four o’clock in the morning. He closed his eyes again and concentrated on sleeping, trying to ignore the pattering of rain of the roof above him.
He woke again to the sun rays shining brightly through Hermione’s windows, hitting his face. He glanced again at the clock, seeing that he had slept for another five hours. He looked out the window to see that it had indeed stopped raining, with the sun still shining in his eyes. He sat up, stretched his arms above him, and listened for any sign of Hermione. There wasn’t any.
I suppose she’s eating breakfast or something, he thought to himself as he climbed off the couch and walked into the bathroom. He showered and dressed into a t-shirt and jeans. The brightly lit corridor that led to towards the kitchen drew Ron’s attention to his surroundings. The walls were covered in moving pictures of Hermione with her children, with the occasional appearance of Cammie or the man Ron recognised from the park.
Ron made his way down the hall towards the kitchen, though could not smell anything like breakfast. He walked into the kitchen to see everything in the same order it had been in last night. The dishes were still stacked neatly on the bench, and their wine glasses still sitting in the sink, waiting to be cleaned.
Ron walked out of the kitchen and back down the hall. When he entered her bedroom, there was no sign Hermione had been there. He went back up the hall, looking in every room he passed. He gazed into another bathroom, a large room Ron assumed to be Hermione’s working area, and what appeared to be the children’s rooms, though there was still no sign of Hermione in the house.
Ron grabbed his sneakers and put them on quickly. He walked briskly through the house and out into the sunlight, heading for Cammie’s house. As he crossed the dew-strewn lawn, many thoughts crossed his mind. It was so unlike Hermione to leave with no warning. Could something have happened? If so, where was she now?
When he finally reached the door, he knocked sharply on it, taking a better look at the front lawn he had passed without a second glance. Sitting by the front of the house was a large collection of children’s toys. Ron began to feel a little sick remembering that some of the children using those toys were Hermione’s.
The door was suddenly opened by a tall man with dark hair and an uninviting look on his face. He eyed Ron suspiciously and opened the door fully, letting Ron see the inside of the house. There, running around in the house, were five of the children Ron had seen at the park yesterday. One of them glanced momentarily at Ron before the group ran from the room and continued the game. Ron could still hear the children’s playful screams as he turned his attentions back to the man before him.
“Uh, Cammie wouldn’t happen to be here, would she?� asked Ron.
“No, she left about an hour ago. Why do you want her?� asked the man as he glimpsed behind to look at the children in the back room.
“Well, I’m a friend of Hermione’s, and she’s not-�
“Do you know?� asked the man suddenly, his tone of voice changing dramatically.
“Know what?� replied Ron impatiently. What was he talking about? What was there to know?
“I can’t help you, sorry,� he said, before closing the door in Ron’s face, leaving him standing there staring at the spot where the man had been standing just before.
“Oi! Come back!� yelled Ron as he banged on the door. If there was something wrong with Hermione, he had to know. He had come all this way to visit her, and then suddenly he had no idea where she was, and no one was prepared to help him.
After banging and yelling for a further five minutes, Ron decided that the man was not returning to help him. He walked dejectedly back across the yard towards Hermione’s house once again. Maybe something inside he had missed would help him to understand exactly where Hermione was.
As Ron walked back into Hermione’s house, he moved quickly towards the kitchen. As he entered it again, he noticed something that had not been there last night. Sitting on a glass table in the corner of the room was a small piece of paper. As he approached it, he noticed the name Mike scribbled quickly across it. He picked it up and opened it.
Mike,
I know you were supposed to spend the day with ‘Mione but I had to take her to St Mungo’s again. Come up when you read this, Hermione is asking for you. And please tell the red-head on her couch to come too. Don’t worry, they’re not together, he’s just an old friend of hers. Can you also make sure the kids know where we are and that Greg hasn’t killed them yet? Or that they haven’t killed him?
Thanks,
Cammie.
Ron re-read this twice to make sure he understood everything. Hermione was at St Mungo’s. Whoever Mike was, he hadn’t bothered to wake Ron up and tell him that Hermione was in hospital.
He finally felt he could move and ran as fast as he could down the hall and into the lounge room. He grabbed his wand from the table and stuffed it carelessly into his pocket. He then Apparated to St Mungo’s, hoping that nothing major had happened to Hermione.

---

What has happened to Hermione??? Guess you’ll just have to wait and see. I know this wasn’t the most exciting chapter but I needed it for the next one.
I got my inspiration for this chapter from an awesome song I danced to called, ironically, “Is There Anybody Out There?� by Pink Floyd. Although the song doesn’t really shine through this chapter, it’s where I got it from so I thought I’d include it.
Hope you all liked it, and please R&R! Love Lucia_Swanne.

A/N: this one took a few re-writes but I think I’m as happy with it as I’m going to get. Finally revealing important things in this one! (Ignoring the fact that we found out Hermione has children...it doesn’t count ok!? lol)

Disclaimer: Still not J.K Rowling...

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Ron walked silently through the halls of St Mungos, searching for Hermione within the endless rooms that lay before him. He could not understand why they had sent him to the second floor when he had inquired about Hermione at the reception desk. It was the floor which held all of the people who had magical sicknesses such as dragon-pox and vanishing sickness. Surely if Hermione had any of these diseases he would have noticed. After all, he did spend over half a day with her.

As he turned the corner to another long corridor full of rooms, he heard a familiar voice talking loudly ahead of him. As he glanced in the closest room, he noticed Cammie talking with the man Ron has seen them with at the park. Up close, Ron could see that the man was much taller than he was and looked as though he worked out a lot. His messy brown hair was not brushed and his clothes were unironed, though he looked perfectly calm considering he stood in a hospital.

“Cam’ honestly, you should have just called me. You’re in no state to be apperating, especially that early in the morning and this late in your pregnancy,� said the man.

“Listen Mike, we both know it would have taken you a while to get over, and Greg was refusing to wake up. What other option did I have? ‘Mione needed to get here and she did, that’s all that matters. Now, tell me again why Ron isn’t here,� said Cammie as she sat down slowly into an armchair by the wall.

“If you’re talking about the guy in Hermione’s lounge room, then you already know. I woke him up and told him what had happened, but he said he’d be along later,� said Mike, and even Ron could see that he was telling a lie.

“You never told me a bloody thing!� exclaimed Ron as he made himself noticed as he strode into the room and stood next to Cammie.

“Ron! What are you talking about?� exclaimed Cammie as a tall woman in a bright green uniform entered the room.

“Miss Granger’s ready for you now,� said the healer kindly and gestured for them to follow. Mike helped Cammie to get out of the armchair, much to her irritation, and the two walked out of the room, Ron at their heels. The healer led them along the hall and into the room at the very end. Lying in the bed was Hermione holding a large book in one hand, while cradling Cammie’s baby in her other arm.

“Hi guys,� she said weakly as she sat the book on her bedside table (with great difficulty) and sat up a little more. “How are the kids?�

“They’re fine, Greg’s looking after them,� said Cammie as she took the seat next to Hermione’s bed. Mike walked over to Hermione and took the now sleeping baby from her arms, and also sat next by Hermione’s bed.

“Thanks for watching him; he wouldn’t have fallen asleep with Cammie and me talking� said Mike.

“It’s fine, Mike. And I’m glad you came,� said Hermione to Ron, who was standing in the doorway. He was just staring at Hermione, shocked that she was now lying in a hospital bed when just yesterday the two of them were talking in her house like nothing was wrong. “I know you don’t have a clue why I’m in here, but I will explain it to you in time. But for now, I’m just going to tell you the basics. Cam’, would it be alright if you and Mike waited outside while I talk to Ron?�

“Of course ‘Mione; we’ll be just outside if you need us for anything,� said Cammie as she and Mike walked out of the room and closed the door behind them.

Hermione turned uneasily to Ron. “I know that I haven’t exactly been the best friend lately, considering I kept all of this from you and Harry. But you have to understand that I only did what I thought was best at the time, and then once I had left, I didn’t feel like I could come back in this situation. There are a few more things I have kept from you, but only because I didn’t have time to explain before I…well, before I came here.

“Ron, I’m going to simplify this as best I can. The reason I’m in here is because I’m sick, really sick. I have been for years, and I could die from it,� she said.

“Die?� he stammered disbelievingly, his face showing pure shock. When Hermione nodded her head Ron felt his heart sink. Someone like Hermione didn’t deserve a terrible thing like this to happen to her. “W-when did you find out? And how bad is it?�

“I found out when I was twenty. I went for a doctor’s appointment and he took some samples for my record. When the test results came back they stated that I was a lot worse than we all thought. Over the past eight years, the disease has gotten steadily worse, and they don’t think they can stop it,� recalled Hermione.

“Why can’t they stop it? They’re Healers, they have to be able to do something� said Ron.

“Ron, this disease is really rare, and they’ve only just found a treatment that could possibly cure it. The thing is no one who has the disease is willing to test the treatment, so the Healers don’t know if it will work on me. I’m the first person to agree, and they have no idea what will happen to me once I start treatment,� admitted Hermione, who was almost whispering by the end.

“How long do the healers say you have?� asked Ron quietly.

This time, Ron had to move closer to Hermione in order to hear her reply. “It’s most likely I won’t make another year, even if treatment goes well.�

Tears were forming in her eyes and Ron’s face had become ghostly white. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. As soon as Ron turned to Hermione, he noticed that the tears forming behind her eyes were now gone, replaced with a small smile. Ron stood slowly and opened the door to see Cammie standing there with Hermione’s children...

---

OMG Hermione’s sick! What do we make of that? Another large secret may or may not be revealed next chapter. *Laughs evilly* I know you probably don’t care but hey, a few of you might just be in suspense. That’s all I’m looking for.
Please R&R, love from Lucia_Swanne.

Disclaimer: Still not J.K Rowling...


A/N: Hey everyone, I'm hoping you all enjoy this chapter! I know that there are a lot of loose ends through this story but they will get tied up, one by one. Stick with me folks! This may be a short chapter, but a lot is explained in this, I promise. With that, I give you chapter 6, Greeting the Past.

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“Hey ‘Mione, Greg brought the kids up and they really wanted to see you,� said Cammie as the children rushed into the room and crowded around Hermione’s bed. As soon as they had gathered around, Cammie’s two children also ran into the room and joined the group around the bed.


“Hey guys,� said Hermione as she pulled one of her children up onto the bed. He had spiky brown hair and deep hazel eyes, just like Hermione’s. “Guess what? You get to spend the next few days with your dad.�


“Awesome!� shouted the boy.


“Is my dad coming too?� asked another of Hermione’s children, whom Ron recognised as the child who had been pushed over at the park the previous day.


“Yes, and he told me that he’s going to take you to the museum if you’re really good,� said Hermione as she pulled her up onto the bed next to the boy.


“Bloody unfair!� cried the boy as he stared at Hermione.


“Harrison, how many times must I tell you not to swear!?� exclaimed Hermione irately.


“Sorry Mum,� said Harrison. “Can me and Paul go and play next door?�


“If you mean ‘Can Paul and I go and play next door’, than yes, you can; Greg, would you please go and watch them?� asked Hermione as the two young boys ran out of the room, followed by the man who had greeted Ron that morning. “Addy, why don’t you take your sister and Tatiana next door with the boys, I need to talk with your Aunt Cammie.�


“Ok,� said the girl quietly before leaving with the other girls.


Hermione looked at Mike and Cammie with pleading eyes. Getting the drift, Mike left the room with Cammie, who was now cradling her baby in her arms, leaving Ron and Hermione alone once again.


“Ron, those are my beautiful children. Harrison is five, Jaime is seven and Adrianna is nine. All of my children have different fathers; relationships that never worked out. It’s not exactly something to be proud of, but I genuinely believed that the next guy who came along was the one for me. Once a child came into the picture, the situation changed. I left Addy’s father; Jaime’s father was a jerk to me, to say the least; and Harrison’s father didn’t think we’d work out as a couple. I suppose Mike was never the committing type,� Hermione added more to herself than Ron.


“You had a kid with Mike?� said Ron loudly.


“Yes, I did have a child with him, but as I said, it didn’t work out. When I told him I was pregnant, he didn’t take the news entirely well. He thought that our relationship was a bit one-sided, and that if he wasn’t able to commit to me than he’d rather not disappoint a child as well. He was being very noble, in a way. Because I didn’t have input from Mike when the baby was born, I named him after Harry. I think he’d be proud to share the name of everyone’s hero. Anyway, as soon as Mike saw Harrison, he wanted to help raise him. I’m just glad that Mike is helping me with Harrison and my other kids as well.


“Jaime’s father and I were happy together in the beginning. But as things became more serious, he became more controlling. He was insufferable, and I wasn’t very happy in the relationship at that point. When I told him I was pregnant, he accused me of cheating and left. When Jaime was born, I had a paternity test done, proving to him that Jaime was his daughter. He is a good dad to her, surprisingly, but wants nothing to do with me.


“Wow,� Ron said quietly. He couldn’t believe that Hermione had been through all of this in ten years. It was hard to believe that anyone would leave a woman with a child, let alone have to go through it three times. He suddenly realised that Hermione hadn’t finished her story. “Wait, what happened with your first child’s father?�


“I don’t have the time to go through that story right now Ron, but when I do I need your full attention. Until then, I’m stuck in this stupid hospital bed waiting for something to happen.�


“You hate it here, don’t you?� said Ron quietly as he sat down next to the bed.


Hermione shrugged and looked around the room. “Yes, but I’ve gotten used to it. When you come to the same place every month or so for eight years you learn to accept it. The main thing that upsets me is that my children have to go through it too. All but Adrianna think that this is a normal part of life for other people. When I first spoke to Addy about why I really come here and the situation, she took it well. I think she gets that strength from her father’s side.�


“What do you mean? You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met, Hermione. If there’s one person who can beat this disease, it’s you,� argued Ron.


Hermione smiled as tears brimmed in her hazel eyes. “Thank you Ron, that means so much to me. I need every bit of strength to keep going right now, and you’ve given me another reason to fight.� After a comfortable silence between the two, Hermione turned decidedly to Ron. “I think Harry and Ginny deserve to know what’s happened with my life. I need to see them.�

---

We will find out a lot about Hermione in this next chapter, and then we find out something that will change Ron’s life forever. I wonder what it is...please keep reading and stick with me, a will be updating as soon as I can. MFF take forever and a day to validate my chapters but please keep the faith, this story will continue. Also, just incase you didn't get it; Paul and Tatiana are Cammie's children. Anyway enough of the boring stuff, keep guessing what Hermione has to tell Ron while you wait. Love from Lucia_Swanne.

Disclaimer: Wait for it...no. I’m still not J.K Rowling...I wish I was, all of the riches and fame and all of that, but I’m not. Oh well. There’s always next year...


A/N: This chapter took a long time to write because I’m such a perfectionist but I finally left it alone. I don’t know why but I struggled with this chapter. Hopefully this won’t continue. I am quite happy though because it looks a little bit longer than my others, but that may be due to this extra long authors note. How about I just leave you to the story? Enjoy!

---

Ron sat outside of Hermione’s room as the Healers examined her again. Cammie sat on his right, reading her copy of The Daily Prophet and muttering something about the news to herself every so often.


Cammie folded the newspaper up and placed it on the table next to her. She then turned to Ron. “Do you know much about Hermione’s life since the Final Battle?�


“No, I haven’t talked to her for ten years, ten very long years,� replied Ron.


“Well, looks as if I’m going to have to fill you in. I assume that you know about her kids, so I will start there.


“Hermione is growing weaker and weaker every day, but she stays strong for her kids. She won’t let them know if she’s having an off day, or if the treatment isn’t going well. She’s such a fighter; I’ve never known anyone like her.


“She wont like that I’m telling you this, but she hated herself for not going back to you and telling you everything. On Adrianna’s first birthday I found her in her room curled up in bed, crying hysterically because you didn’t know her daughter. I had to force her out of bed to be with Addy, because her father’s never been there.�


“What kind if an idiot would deprive a child as beautiful as that, even if Hermione did leave him?�


“Don’t judge a book by its cover, Ron. I’ve only seen the guy a few times but I know he’s the greatest. If he could, he’d do anything and everything for Addy,� replied Cammie calmly.


“What do you mean ‘if he could’?� inquired Ron as the Healer left Hermione’s room.


“He doesn’t know that Adrianna’s his daughter,� said Cammie as she turned to look at the door beside her. When she looked back at Ron, he had a shocked and confused look on his weary face. “Lets go back in and see her, I think you’ve heard enough for now.�


With that, Cammie left Ron sitting there with his thoughts as she entered Hermione’s room slowly.


He doesn’t know? That doesn’t seem like the sort of thing Hermione would do. But then again, she never told me any of this and it’s been ten years. But still, a child is a big thing to leave out of conversation. Oh well, I might bring it up later, when Cammie isn’t around.


Ron stood and walked through to Hermione’s room, where he found Hermione standing by the window talking to Cammie about Adrianna’s birthday.


“I need it to be special, Cam’; you understand why. Everything needs to be perfect,� said Hermione as she looked out the window at the perfect day outside. “Why must nature mock me?�


“‘Mione, everything will be perfect, and nature isn’t mocking you. You get to leave in two days,� replied Cammie evenly as Ron came to her side.


“Yes, and for those two days I’m stuck in here finishing that story for work,� said Hermione as she turned away from the window and lay down on her bed.


“Work? I thought that Mr Peterson gave you a few weeks off,� started Cammie as she walked over to the bed and glared at Hermione. “Tell me you didn’t owl him and ask for some work like the last time you were here.�


Hermione looked away from her guiltily. “Well, I have to do something in here!� she argued with pleading eyes.


“Yes, you are. You’re supposed to be getting better, not making yourself stress more by working with deadlines like usual,� reasoned Cammie.


“You know very well that I want to live my life as normal. I don’t want people moping around feeling sorry for me. If I wanted that I’d go to my parent’s house. I stay here because I want to live what is left of my life as normally as possible.�


“Don’t speak like you’re dying, because you’re not; I’m not letting you,� said Cammie forcefully.


At that moment a young healer entered the room and walked directly over to Ron.


“Mr Weasley?� she asked.


“Yes?�


“There’s someone here to see you. They’re waiting just outside if you want to head out now,� she said simply before leaving briskly.


Ron turned to Hermione.


“Go, see whoever is out there. I’ll see you tomorrow?� she said, although she had a perplexed look on her face.


“Yeah, sure. See you tomorrow,� said Ron as he walked slowly out of the room. He looked to his left and sitting in the chair he had previously occupied was none other than Harry.


“Who were you visiting?� he asked as he stood and tried to look into the room.


Ron quickly blocked his view and said, “It’s a really long story, mate. Why don’t we go back to the Burrow tonight, and I’ll explain everything?�


“Yeah, aright; I’ve been missing your mums cooking anyway. Just let me apparate home and get Ginny and the kids.�


“Ok, see you in a bit,� replied Ron as Harry apparated away.


That was close. Oh well, a few minutes at home and Harry will forget all about this. He doesn’t know that Bill has Fleur at home with their daughter. And Fred and George are planning on being there too. He won’t remember a thing if they have anything to do with it.


Just as Ron was about to apparate, Hermione’s daughter Adrianna walked out of the room next door. She stared at him as she walked towards Hermione’s room. The moment she reached the door, she turned back to look at him again.


Ron smiled and apparated to his childhood home.

~

Hermione watched as Ron left the room. She turned to Cammie with a firm look.


“What did you say to him?� she asked.


“What do you mean?�


“He was looking strangely at me. Did you tell him anything?�


“Of course I didn’t! That’s all up to you, darling,� replied Cammie as Adrianna entered the room. She walked over and sat on Hermione’s bed.


“Mum, was that my dad out there?� she asked quietly.


After a long pause, Hermione replied, “Yes sweetie, it was.�

---

No bleepin’ way! I know you all saw it coming though. I’m not the best at covering things up, and you’re all highly intelligent people... Well, what are we all thinking? And even though it is explained in an upcoming chapter, just so there is no confusion and complaints, Harry knew Ron was at St Mungo’s because all Auror’s register their wands when they graduate so they can be found at any time. Within the next three chapters we have: Ron discovers that he is the father of Adrianna, following a fight that threatens to ruin Ron and Hermione’s chances all together, and Fleur with a black eye! Keep reading to find out! Please R&R! Love Lucia_Swanne.

Disclaimer: If I was J.K. Rowling, I would kill Voldemort by drowning him in ice cream (thanks Jamie!)...so clearly I’m not J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Hey everyone, firstly I must say a big sorry to you all, who have (I hope) been waiting an awfully long time for this chapter to be put up. I have had a LOT of things going on in my life right now, but I am hoping that once everything is over, I will have much more time to post these up. SORRY! Moving on, I really hope you are enjoying this ride as I most certainly have been. Thank you all so much for the reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter, it took many re-writes to get just right.

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Ron Apparated into his old room at the Burrow and looked around; nothing had changed. His walls remained bright orange, as did his ceiling. His bed was still covered by his Chudley Cannons blanket, and as he looked closely at his desk, he noticed a Potions essay from his sixth year at Hogwarts.

Oops, thought Ron.

He suddenly realised that he had not set foot in the room since the battle. He stared around at his life before that time—before the pain had come.

He had lost so many people in the final battle. Percy had been killed shortly after making amends with his family. Remus Lupin, Kinglsey Shacklebolt, Parvati Patil, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan and Hannah Abbott had all died fighting to keep the Death Eaters from Harry. He had been so close to losing his own life that night. The last thing he saw before he passed out had been Hermione’s stunned face...

“FRED! GEORGE!�

Ron jumped at the sound of his mother’s voice. As he approached the door apprehensively, he could hear his mother more clearly, and he knew it wasn’t going to be safe to go down there for a while.

He hesitantly moved out of his room and down the stairs, trying not to make a sound. As he moved closer to the bottom floor of the house, he could hear the argument between his mother and brothers.

“How dare you use my kitchen for such things! There are children running around this house, including your own, and you’re working in MY kitchen!� yelled Mrs. Weasley.

“Well, you wouldn’t let us put a stove in our room, so where else are we supposed to do it?� asked Fred. “You invited us to stay, and you said we could do some work here.�

“We have to earn a living, Mother,� added George. “Do you want us to starve?�

“Sleep in the streets?�

“Or even worse, work at the Ministry?�

“Yes, I said you could do some work, but not this! Not concocting some sort of explosive in the house! You should know better than that by now! You’re mature adults now and—�

Mrs Weasley was cut off by Fred and George’s laughter echoing through the house.

“We’re mature adults?� George asked through chuckles.

“I’d hate to see the immature ones,� said Fred.

“OUT! NOW!�

Ron quickly darted around the corner just in time to hide. He heard two pairs of feet moving quickly up the staircase until they reached their old room and closed the door, all while muttering about how the loss of anyone’s limbs were covered in their ‘line of work’.

Ron heard a pop behind him and turned around to see Harry standing with Ginny and their two children, Daniel and Lily. Ron never ceased to be amazed at how much the children looked like Harry and Ginny. Lily had bright red hair that always hung delicately around her emerald green eyes, and always had a bright grin on her face that reminded Ron so much of his little sister it scared him. Daniel was the splitting image of his father, with messy black hair surrounding deep green eyes, but also wore a smile identical to that of Ginny’s.

“You just missed the fireworks,� Ron said as Daniel and Lily came running over to him, each hugging one of his legs. “Fred and George got a serving from Mum about making their products in the house.�

“Hi, Uncle Ron,� said the children simultaneously.

“Hi guys, why don’t you go outside and see if you can find your cousins? Grandma can make you some lunch and then you can go and play.�

“Ok,� they replied and ran out of the room quickly, a gasp of worry escaping Ginny.

“Slow down you two!� she replied as she took after them, Harry and Ron walking leisurely down the hall behind her. As they slowly reached the kitchen, they could hear Mrs. Weasley’s delighted screams at the appearance of Ginny and the children, and also the screams of Fred and George’s children playing in the back garden. They found Mrs Weasley and Ginny sitting at the large table, while Lily and Daniel were running outside with their cousins.

“Hi, Mum,� said Ron as he and Harry sat down across from Ginny at the table.

“Hello dear, you didn’t tell me you were coming this early. I wasn’t expecting you for another hour or two. Though, I suppose it’s better than trying to stop Fred and George harming their families. Fred almost burnt Natalia yesterday, and George has managed to hang Jesse upside down three times in the past hour,� said Mrs. Weasley angrily.

“Mum, you’ve just got to face it, they can’t be stopped. You should at least be proud that they have a successful business and aren’t still living here permanently,� said Ginny.

“Well, I suppose you’re—�

Mrs. Weasley was cut off by a loud scream coming from upstairs. As they all raced up the stairs and into Bill’s room, they discovered Fleur sitting on the ground in tears while Bill had his arms wrapped comfortingly around her shoulders.

“What happened?� asked Ron as they all approached her.

“Eet...eet hit me! Eet came out and hit me!� said Fleur said loudly as tears ran down her face over a large red mark on her cheek.

“What hit you, dear?� asked Mrs. Weasley as she peered around the room.

“Zat, over zere� Fleur said and pointed at the corner of the room. There was a stack of purple boxes, each glorifying the words, Bruise Balls! The only way to cause sufficient damage to a bully or sibling without lifting a finger!

“FRED! GEORGE!� screamed Mrs Weasley.

“WHAT! WE’RE NOT USING THE KITCHEN ANYMORE!� called Fred loudly from downstairs.

“BILL’S ROOM, NOW!� she shrieked.

Two loud pops came and Fred and George were standing in the middle of the room.

“Would you care to explain those?� said Mrs. Weasley as calmly as she could, pointing to the boxes in the corner.

“Would you care to explain why Fleur is crying on the floor?� asked George, his tone sounding uncannily like Mrs. Weasleys the moment before.

“Don’t speak back to me, young man! This is the ninth injury your products have caused this family today, if anything else happens, those things are never setting foot in this house again! Do I make myself clear?�

“But mum, Bill said we could—�

“And they only last a day or two—�

“ONCE MORE AND YOU’RE OUT!� she screamed and left, Fred and George trailing after her. Ron could hear Fred and George arguing with their mother, and felt that if they kept it up, they would be kicked out of the house.

“Zey could ‘ave killed me!� Fleur screamed at Bill when he tried to joke about the balls.

“Lets go to my room, we can get away from all of that,� whispered Ron, pointing in the direction of Mrs Weasley and looking over at Fleur screaming at Bill.

He and Harry made their way upstairs and finally reached Ron’s old room. They both collapsed onto the bed and stared at the bright orange ceiling.

“So, who were you seeing at the hospital?� Harry asked suddenly.

“You don’t give up do you?� Ron asked. When Harry shook his head, Ron sighed and sat up. “I found Hermione.�

“You what!?� exclaimed Harry. “Why is she in hospital?�

Ron explained everything from finding Hermione at the park to her being in St. Mungos. He watched Harry’s expression change with every piece of news, and could tell Harry was just as worried about Hermione as he was. The three of them had been best friends for eight years, and Hermione choosing to leave had affected all of them. He had been too caught up in his own feelings to notice that everyone else was missing her too. He knew Harry missed Hermione, but didn’t realise how much until now.

“I can’t believe it...� Harry said quietly. “So she only has a year left?�

“That’s what the Healers said,� he replied. He could feel the tears behind his eyes, but refused to let them fall. Hermione was a fighter, and he knew she would never give up. She had three children to fight for, if nothing else and she wouldn’t desert them if she could help it.

Outside Ron’s closed door, Ginny Potter sat by the door, tears streaming down her face. She had heard the entire conversation, and couldn’t believe that Hermione had never told her any of this: that she had children, that she was dying, everything. She had to see her, she just had to.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Hermione sat in her hospital bed reading the Daily Prophet; today it depicted three gruesome stories of attacks by Death Eaters who assumed the place of Lord Voldemort after his defeat. She sighed and put the paper aside, wishing that the world was not such a horrible place.

A knock came on her door and looked over to see Adrianna standing in the doorway. She immediately welcomed her in and pulled Adrianna up onto the bed next to her.

“How are you doing, darling? Are you holding up alright?� Hermione asked.

“Are you still dying?� she replied.

“Addy, you know—�

“Then no, I’m not fine. Who will look after us if you die? Jaime and Harry have their dads here to look after them, but mine isn’t. He left again, and he didn’t even talk to me. Doesn’t he love me?�

“Oh Addy, what’s gotten into you? Don’t speak like that. I’m not going anywhere just yet, and if something does happen, then you always have Auntie Cammie and Uncle Greg to stay with. And don’t think for one second you’re not loved, because you are,� said Hermione sternly.

“But not by him. He looked at me like he didn’t know who I was, like he was seeing me for the first time. You told me that if I ever saw him he’d recognise me, but he didn’t.

“Sweetie, he just hasn’t seen you in a very long time. The last time you were very young, so you probably look a lot different now.�

“I don’t remember, mum. He’s never been here for my birthdays, even though Jaime and Harry’s dads remember theirs. He’s never once been here, has he? He’s never come to see me, or talk to me. Why doesn’t he want to be my dad?�

“Addy, you’re only nine years old, and it won’t make a lot of sense if I tell you. When you’re older, I promise, I will tell you everything about why your father isn’t here with us. But right now, you’re too young to understand, no matter how mature you are.�

“I’m old enough to understand you’re dying, that you might not be around when I’m older. If I can understand that, why can’t I understand why my dad doesn’t know who I am?� said Adrianna loudly, tears streaming down her face. “Does he even care that I exist? Do you?�

“Adrianna Ginevra Weasley, do not speak like that to me! You kids are my world, and I would do anything for you, or Jaime, or Harrison. It’s you three that keep me fighting every day. They’re too young to completely understand what’s happening to me, but you’re such a mature girl, I know I can trust that you believe me when I tell you things. I need you to believe me, Addy, and understand that now isn’t the time to tell you that story.�

There was a long silence between the two. Hermione looked pleadingly at her daughter, while Adrianna stared back with tear-filled eyes.

“I believe you, Mum,� Adrianna said weakly and hugged her mother, tears still rolling down her cheeks. After a small silence, Adrianna pulled away and looked at her mother. “You’ve never called me that before—Weasley. That’s my Dad’s last name, isn’t it?�

“Yes, it is. You’re as much a Weasley as a Granger, so I suppose I’d better start calling you that too. When you’re ready for that talk, you will know, and then I’ll tell you. Now, you’d better go and find Mike before he thinks you’ve run off again.�

“Ok, I’ll come back when I find him,� said Adrianna and left the room.

Hermione looked at the empty doorway and was surprised when someone blocked her view of it.

Ginny pulled her husband’s invisibility cloak off her shoulders and stared at Hermione with a mixture of hurt and confusion.

“Ginny? How did you—�

“How could you do that to him, Hermione? I thought I knew you, but clearly ten years has done too much to you. I can’t believe you’ve kept her from him for that long! That you kept her from him at all!’

“Ginny-“

“He loved you, and you left him! You knew, didn’t you!? You ran away when you knew you were carrying Ron’s child, and never bothered to tell him?�

“I was going to tell him!� retorted Hermione.

“This isn’t some stupid cloak or broomstick, Hermione! You kept a child from him! Don’t you understand what you’ve gone and done?� asked Ginny loudly.

“I did it to protect him, Ginny! I loved him too, that’s why I did it!�

“How was that protecting him!? When he finds out he’ll be devastated, and you’ll break his heart all over again! How on earth could you consider this helping him?�

“Ginny, please…�

“What? Please don’t tell him that he has a nine-year-old daughter? I can’t keep that from him, Hermione. Unlike you, I care about Ron,� Ginny said cruelly.

“Don’t you dare accuse me of not caring for Ron, because I do! Do you think it was easy to leave him when I knew what I did? It was the hardest and worst thing I’ve ever done, but I did it for him. And as for telling him—�

“Don’t worry,� came a weak voice from the doorway. The two women looked over to see Ron standing there, tears in his eyes. “No need to tell me anything, Hermione. I know now.�

“Ron, give me a change to explain-�

“I’ve given you enough chances,� said Ron before stalking out of the room.

Ginny turned on Hermione, her eyes livid. “You deserve much more than this, Hermione. You’ve broken Ron’s heart again, and it’s the one thing I never thought you’d do. I don’t know if it’s because you’re sick or not, but I don’t really care. You’re not the person I was friends with, so we can’t be friends anymore. Goodbye, Hermione,� said Ginny icily before leaving Hermione alone in the room, her head spinning in confusion and her heart broken more than anyone knew.

Disclaimer: I wish, but nothing to do with this Harry Potter story belongs to me, except the storyline and a few characters...a girl can dream though, can’t she?

A/N: Apologies for the late post, I hope the length of this chapter makes up for it! It isn't my best work, but you get that. Hope you enjoy, anyway!!

---

Cammie walked silently into Hermione’s house the next day to find her curled up on the couch with a box of tissues and red, puffy eyes.

“He found out, and I didn’t tell him. He says he can’t forgive me this time,� said Hermione calmly, though tears ran down her cheeks. “Why was I so stupid, Cam’?�

“’Mione, you were protecting him, don’t forget that. You did this to give him a better life. You’re not the bad guy in this,� said Cammie, sitting down next to Hermione and wrapping an arm comfortingly around her shoulders.

“I kept a child from him for almost ten years, and I’m finally getting what I deserve. He won’t ever forgive me, and neither will Ginny,� said Hermione, now overcome with emotion. “Just...the way she looked at me...like I was scum...I guess that’s what I am to them, just scum who doesn’t deserve the forgiveness I got. I bet they’ll tell everyone, and I won’t be able to go back there; back to my home...�

“Hermione, you have to stop doing this to yourself. If you thought you had a choice you wouldn’t have left, but you knew in your mind it was the best thing for him. I know Ron doesn’t understand that, but I do. I’ve heard your story, and I know that you care for him much more than he realises. He needs to know why you did it, and if he won’t listen to you, he can listen to me,� said Cammie firmly.

“Cammie, you don’t even know where he is. When I got back from St Mungo’s this morning he was gone, and so was all of his stuff, not that it surprises me. I didn’t really expect him to stick around after what happened. I just wish he’d hear my side of the story before judging me. Though, that is how Ron’s always worked. He takes the first thing he hears and goes with it, rather than get all of the information and make a fair judgement from that,� Hermione replied.

“I know he’s like that, I have met him. And I don’t need to know where he is, because I know someone who will.�

“Who?� Hermione asked quickly.

“Richard,� Cammie replied with a small smile. “If anyone can find out where he is, it’s Rick. I just have to convince him to tell me; I don’t suppose it will be too hard, he owes me a favour anyway.�

“Cam’, you can’t get Richard to find him! Ron will think I put you up to it and then he’ll just get even more infuriated with me than he always is,� said Hermione hopelessly.

“I don’t really care what he thinks, do I? He’s going to listen to me, whether he likes it or not. Now, to do this I’ll have to Apparate, so you’ll have to distract Greg while I go. He’s so hung up that I’ll lose the baby if I keep apperating, but one more time can’t hurt. Besides, it’s to help my best friend,� said Cammie and stood, pulling Hermione up with her. “Now, you can go over to my house and talk to Greg while I Apparate to Richard’s house, ok?�

“Cammie, you can’t Apparate! You just did it a few days ago and if you keep going you will hurt the baby! Greg’s right to be concerned and you should be too. I mean, after what happened-�

“Please don’t bring that up, ‘Mione� said Cammie quietly, her eyes downcast.

“Sorry,� she replied. “But please don’t Apparate; I couldn’t stand lying to Greg. Just find an easier way to get to the Ministry and talk to Richard. I don’t want anything to happen to you because of me. And when you do find him, can you please tell me first?�

“Sure, I’ll see you later,� Cammie said, hugging Hermione quickly before leaving. She made sure that Hermione or any muggles couldn’t see her, and concentrated on the ground floor of the Ministry. She felt a horrible crushing feeling on her stomach as she opened her eyes to see the Ministry of Magic.

She made her way over to the golden elevator door and waited patiently, a small stabbing pain coming from her stomach. She knew that it wasn’t a good sign, but she felt this every time she Apparated while pregnant. But this felt different...like before. The thought worried her, but she shook it off quickly as she stepped into the elevator.

Once it stopped on the right floor, Cammie stepped out of the elevator and walked hastily along, struggling to avoid the pain in her stomach. She knocked on the familiar black door and waited for a reply.

“Come in,� came a deep male voice from inside the office. Cammie opened the door and walked into the room, smiling at Richard when he came into view. He was sitting behind his desk, as always, wearing an impressive set of crimson robes and a devilish smile.

“Ah, Camilla Williams, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?� he asked seductively.

“I need a favour, Rick. And you do owe me, anyway,� started Cammie.

“A favour?� asked Richard with eyebrows raised. “Now what kind of favour would that be?�

“Don’t try it, Richard. I am expecting my fourth child, in case you didn’t notice, and I’m still happily married to Greg. I need you to find someone for me, actually. A friend of Hermione’s.�

“Give me a name and I’ll find ‘em,� said Richard.

“Ron Weasley?� Cammie asked hopefully.

“Weasley? He looked horrible when I saw him yesterday, all broken up over something. I’d assume he needs comforting, so I know exactly where he is, and I don’t even have to search. Try the Burrow, his old home,� said Richard. “You’ll find the house if you just floo there with the fireplace down the hall. Good luck, Camilla.�

“Thank you, Rick. I’ll drop in again after the baby’s born,� she said and made for the door.

“You’d better; I haven’t seen you in a very long time.�

“That sounded slightly seductive, and I’ve already told you I’m not interested. Goodbye, Richard,� said Cammie and left the office.

She glanced down at her stomach, which was still throbbing painfully. As worried as she was about it, she had to visit the Burrow. She had heard so much about it from Hermione; she felt she could already see it now.

She made her way down the hall to a small fireplace. She put her hand in the jar on the mantle and pulled out some floo powder, scattering it into the fireplace quickly.

“The Burrow!� she said clearly before stepping into the bright green flames, letting them engulf her.

~~~

Cammie emerged from the fireplace feeling very nauseous, and still very aware of the pain coming from her stomach. She brushed the soot off her robes and looked around at the place she had heard so much about from Hermione.

Everything was just as Hermione had described. She immediately noticed a large clock sitting on the mantle, although it wasn’t any ordinary clock. It had nine golden hands, each engraved with a person’s name. The clock had no numbers around the outside, and instead had things like “home�, “work�, “lost�, “travelling�, and “mortal peril�. She looked for the golden hand with Ron engraved on it, and noticed with a sigh of relief it pointed to “home�. He was indeed at the Burrow.

She spent some time looking at the other members of Ron’s family on the clock. She frowned when she noticed the hands belonging to the Weasley twins were dangling between “home� and “mortal peril�, understanding fully what Hermione described of them to be true.

“FRED! GEORGE!� came a woman’s voice from the next room. Cammie watched the twins’ clock hands edge towards “mortal peril� a little more. She peeked around the corner and saw for the first time the amazing woman that was Mrs Weasley.

She looked livid as Cammie heard footsteps coming from the stairway. She looked over to see the famous Weasley twins, wearing matching navy robes, walking slowly towards their mother, each with a look of both nervousness and confusion on their freckled faces.

“Mum, if this is about the couch-�

“Shut up, George! What is it you wanted, Mum?� said Fred sweetly, pinching his brother behind his back.

“I was just going to tell you that...wait! What about the couch?� she said suddenly.

“Nothing, it’s just a little rip, but we promise we’ll fix it as soon as you give us our wands back,� George hinted strongly, raising his eyebrows at his mother.

“Right, I’ll go and fetch them, you two stay here and don’t touch anything!� said Mrs Weasley and walked into the lounge room, where Cammie was standing.

“Oh, hello dear,� said Mrs Weasley as she appeared in the lounge room and noticed Cammie. “Might I ask who you are and why you’re here?� Mrs Weasley seemed nice enough, but Cammie could see her hand slip into her pocket towards her wand.

“I’m sorry to intrude, Mrs Weasley, but I’m a friend of Ron’s. I was wondering if I might be able to talk to him for a moment, if he’s not doing anything,� said Cammie as politely as she could. She had just watched Mrs Weasley in a very angry state, and didn’t desire to be on the receiving end of that any time soon.

“Oh, dear, he isn’t really up to visitors at the moment, I’m afraid. He’s been locked in his room ever since he arrived, and refused to tell anyone what’s wrong. Maybe if you came back another time?�

“Please, Mrs Weasley, it’s important. If you could just tell him Cammie wants to talk to him, I’m sure he will let me in,� she persisted.

“Well, alright then. I’ll just take you up to his room...� she replied reluctantly and led Cammie through to the kitchen, where the twins were talking about being old enough to handle a wand, when Fred stopped in mid sentence and stared at her.

“Who are you?� George asked bluntly.

“Friend of Ron’s,� she replied quickly as she disappeared with Mrs Weasley up the staircase. As they climbed, she peered curiously into the rooms she passed. She noticed one that looked distinctly like the twins had been there, with marks on the walls that showed explosions had taken place. She passed another with three cribs lined up against the far wall, one with a sleeping baby in it. They continued climbing the stairs until they reached a door with a plaque reading ‘Ronald’s Room’ and Mrs Weasley knocked gently.

“Mum, I already told you, I’m not hungry,� Ron called.

“Ron, dear, there’s someone here to see you; she says it’s important. Cammie, dear?� said Mrs Weasley to the door.

“Cammie?� Footsteps could be heard and the door suddenly swung open. Cammie gasped at the sight before her.

Ron looked terrible, to say the least. It was obvious his robes had not been changed for the last few days, and his eyes were red with deep circles beneath them. He looked nothing like the Ron Weasley she remembered.

“I’ll leave you to it,� said Mrs Weasley quietly to Cammie before walking back down the staircase.

“Did she send you?� he asked quietly, his voice cracking slightly.

“She doesn’t know I’m here,� Cammie lied. “But I think it’s time I finished the story. You need to know what happened, and you’re going to listen, whether you like it or not.�

Ron stood for a moment before moving out of the doorway. Cammie smiled gently at him before walking past him and into his bedroom. It was a violent attack on here eyes when she entered the room. Everything was orange. She couldn’t help but laugh at what she saw. It was exactly like Hermione had described, down to the posters on Ron’s wall of his Quidditch team- the Chudley Cannons. It seemed Hermione had spent a lot of time in this room, which didn’t surprise Cammie at all.

“Ron, are you going to listen to me when I tell you the story?� asked Cammie as she sat down on a chair by the window. She looked out to see children running in the vast back garden, with many overgrown plants and a few gnomes hiding indiscreetly.

“It depends, what will I think of the story?� asked Ron as he slumped onto his Chudley Cannons bedspread.

Turning away from the window, Cammie noticed the sad and tried look on Ron’s face, and she didn’t exactly know how to start. “Ron, I know you won’t like most of what I tell you, but you have to hear it. I know you won’t believe me when I tell you this, but Hermione did it because she honestly thought it was the best thing for you.�

“The best thing for me? The best thing for me was to lie for ten years, to not tell me that I had a kid!? How on earth was that the best thing for me!?� said Ron heatedly.

“Ron, I seem to remember more about it than you do, and I wasn’t even there! Hermione was crazy about you! She wanted nothing more than for you to be happy. That is why she did what she did! She substituted her own feelings for yours, and left you when she found out she was pregnant. I know it must have hurt you, but she thought it was the best option. Surely you know her well enough to believe she thought long and hard about it before leaving you,� Cammie reasoned.

“Oh yeah, she really cared about me!� Ron began sarcastically. “It killed me to watch her walk away. Did you know that up until our reunion, when I found out where she was, it never stopped hurting? Because it’s true, I never got over her. I did date other people, but I couldn’t get her out of my mind. I only left this room if I really had to for the first month. It was the hardest time of my life. I knew during the war that as long as I had her, everything would be okay. When we made it through together, I was certain that we would be alright.

“Then she left me, right out of the blue, using some stupid excuse. I begged her to stay, that we would work it out, whatever it was, but she just said goodbye and walked out on me. I just don’t understand how she could ever think that she was helping me by leaving. It was the reason I almost failed to become an Auror.�

“Ron, I don’t really know how to explain how she felt, but I can show you, if you will let me. I know this is the last thing you want to do right now, but if you just come with me to Hermione’s house I can-�

“I’m not going back there,� Ron replied forcefully.

“She’s not home, she’s at my house. And trust me; I can get us in the house. I can show you how it really happened. I know you want to know why, and this will show you. You just have to trust me, Ron,� said Cammie quietly.

“It’s a bit hard to trust people after what’s happened,� Ron said moodily.

“Please, Ron? Just do this, if not for Hermione, for yourself. You deserve to know the truth, and if you wont hear it from her than I can show you from her point of view. Just trust me, Ron.�

Ron sighed and looked up at the vivid orange ceiling, unsure as to whether he should trust Cammie or not.

“Okay,� he replied quietly, standing slowly. “I’ll come with you. But you must promise me that Hermione won’t be there. I don’t want to see her.�

“I will promise you that Ron, but you have to promise me something. Promise me that you are going to do this with an open mind, as difficult as that will be for you. Can you promise me that?�

Ron nodded slowly, and something suddenly occurred to Cammie.

“Ron, listen, I think this may be obvious, but I’m on no state to Apparate by myself. If I do side-along Apparation, it won’t hurt me as bad…would you mind?�

“No, not at all,� he replied and grabbed her hand, concentrating hard on Hermione’s house. When he felt the ground appear at his feet once again, he opened his eyes to see Hermione’s house right in front of him.

Cammie immediately let go of Ron’s hand and led him towards the house, still aware of the dull pain in her stomach. She let herself in, followed quickly by Ron, and they made their way along the hall and into Hermione’s bedroom.

As Cammie began searching around for something, Ron took the time to look at Hermione’s room more closely. The first thing that caught his eye was a picture sitting on her nightstand. It was of Hermione with Harry and himself outside Hagrid’s hut in their sixth and final year at Hogwarts. They were all smiling and waving frantically up at him. The Hermione in the picture would sneak a look to her left at Ron every so often and smile to herself, which made Ron’s heart skip a beat.

“Wait a minute, she betrayed you! You shouldn’t be feeling this kind of thing for a person you hadn’t seen in ten years!� he thought to himself.

“Found it!� came Cammie’s voice triumphantly from no where. She suddenly emerged from underneath the bed with a large stone basin Ron recognised immediately.

“She has a pensieve?� he asked more to himself than to Cammie.

“Of course she does, you dolt! What did you think I meant by showing you her point of view? Come on then, can’t waste all of our time chatting, lets show you what went on in Hermione’s head ten years ago,� said Cammie avidly, pulling him over to the pensieve and plunging them both into Hermione’s memories...

Disclaimer: Again, no.

A/N: It was really hard writing these next few chapters, and I apologise for the immense gap in chapter updates. It is a long story, but I am very sorry and hope this makes up for it. For me, it was fun writing more of Ron’s thoughts during the next few chapters, because we haven’t heard a lot from him in this story yet. Hope you all enjoy this one!

---

Ron looked around at the sight before him. He and Cammie were standing in the middle of the Entrance Hall in Hogwarts, students rushing past them in every direction. As he looked closer at some of the students, he realised that it was his old friends moving past him, no doubt heading to the Great Hall for breakfast.

He heard a voice he recognised immediately move past him, and he turned his head to see Draco Malfoy striding down the hall with Crabbe and Goyle at his heels. They made their way into the Great Hall, but Draco did a double take when he glanced at the Gryffindor table. A smirk emerged on his face, and the twinkle in his eye told Ron that’s something bad was about to happen.

Ron looked in the direction of Draco’s stare and noticed something that made his heart soar and plummet at the same time. Sitting side by side at the Gryffindor table, holding hands under the table and talking quietly to each other with large grins on their faces were sixteen-year-old Ron and Hermione.

“What’s this? Weasel and Granger are finally together? The perfect couple- the blood traitor and the Mudblood!� called Draco loudly as he sauntered towards the pair.

“Shove off, Malfoy,� Ron replied with a glare before turning back to his breakfast.

“Where are your manners, Weasel? I thought that begging for food would require them,� said Draco cruelly.

“Walk away, Malfoy,� said Hermione, standing with her wand raised at him.

“What? You think you can do something to me? I know more magic than you ever will, and besides, I know I’d beat you in a duel any day. I’m a Malfoy, and you’re a Mudblood girl, the lowest of the low in the magical world.�

A flash of red light flew past Hermione’s ear and hit Malfoy square in the chest.

They turned to see Ron with his wand drawn and anger etched on his face. His hand was shaking with rage, and Hermione looked terrified.

Ron slowly lowered his wand and walked towards Malfoy. Hermione was quick to grab his arm and stop him from moving any closer to Draco, who was lying on the floor and gasping for breath.

“Ron, please, don’t do this. Don’t let him get to you, it’s what he wants. Just let it go,� she whispered in his ear, still struggling to keep him from getting to Malfoy. Ron turned to look at her, and she shook her head. “Let it go, Ron.�

Ron pulled away from her grip and stormed from the hall, taking one last glance back at Malfoy, who had now recovered from the spell and was standing.

Once Ron was no longer in sight, the older Ron noticed Malfoy draw his wand from his back pocket, unbeknown to Hermione.

“Granger, you really need to get that thing a leash,� said Draco cockily, his wand hand behind his back.

Hermione was quick to turn and raise her wand, causing him to take a step back. “Scared, are we? Just as I thought,� Hermione said, lowering her wand. “You’re a coward, Malfoy. Nothing more than a coward who hides behind his words. And you think that you’re better than me?�

“I do. You don’t belong in this world, Granger. You call me a coward, but I think you’re much worse than that. You’re a stupid little Mudblood who doesn’t know her place in this world: the bottom. You’re nothing.�

Hermione raised her wand again, but quickly slipped it back in her pocket. “You’re not even worth it, Malfoy.�

Hermione ran from the hall, older Ron and Cammie close behind her. She ran outside and across the grounds until she reached the beech tree that the trio had spent many afternoons sitting under.

Ron watched as tears began to fall freely from Hermione’s eyes, and she walked around the tree to sit by the lake. She was about to sit down, when she noticed sixteen-year-old Ron already there. He turned when he heard her, and his face quickly turned from a look of anger to that of concern.

“What’s wrong?� he asked quickly, as Hermione sat down next to him. When she said nothing, Ron took her hand and squeezed it gently. “Was it what Malfoy said?�

Hermione nodded silently, tears still falling quickly. “I know it’s stupid…I shouldn’t let it get to me…but he said I was nothing, Ron…�

Ron was quick to pull her into a hug. He was whispering in Hermione’s ear, and the older pair had to step closer to hear him.

“You may be nothing to him, but you’re everything to me. I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here, Hermione,� he said softly. She pulled away from him and smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes quickly.

“I’m so honoured to have met you, Ronald Weasley,� she said quietly, resting her head comfortably on his shoulder.

“And I you, Hermione Granger.�

The world turned black around Ron and Cammie. They fell through Hermione’s memories, unsure of what awaited them.

As the world around them reformed, Ron realised that their new surrounding was pitch black. He quickly lit his wand to see three teens on the floor of what appeared to be a small, damp cave.

Ron saw Harry first, curled up and sleeping. Then his eyes were drawn to the other side of the cave, where Hermione was whispering something to his younger self.

“Ron, do you think we’ll all survive this?� she asked quietly.

“No,� Ron replied quickly. “Not everyone can survive this battle, Hermione. As much as we’d like that to happen, it won’t. We’re going to lose people, and it’s going to hurt. But the last thing we can do is give up. If we do that we’ve already lost the battle.�

Hermione smiled and looked up at Ron. “Do you know how wise you sound?�

“I guess you’re rubbing off on me, Miss Granger,� Ron replied quietly, grasping her hand and squeezing it lightly. He looked over at Harry, who was still sleeping silently. “How do you think he’s feeling?�

“He has to be the Wizarding world’s hero. He has to battle the most evil man that ever lived. He has to defend every one of us along with himself. He can’t be feeling too good.�

“Do you believe he can do this?� asked Ron suddenly.

“Of course I do. It’s just a question if whether he believes it,� Hermione whispered, her eyes finally leaving Harry and falling onto Ron. “What if both of us don’t survive this, Ron? I don’t think I’d cope without you.�

“You’d learn to cope. You’re…stronger than I’ll ever be.�

“Ron, don’t say that. You’re so strong; you’ve been helping me hold it together ever since we left. If you weren’t here I don’t know if I could handle everything. I guess you could say you’re like my rock.�

“Your sexy rock?� Ron asked, a cheeky grin running across his face.

A smile spread across Hermione’s face, slowly turning into quiet giggles. “Ron, you’re completely daft. I hope you know that you just ruined a perfectly good moment between the two of us with that comment.�

“Yes, but you have to admit, you’re not so scared anymore, are you?�

After a small silence, Hermione whispered, “You know what? You’re right; I’m not so scared anymore. I suppose there’s no point worrying about the future when we need to get some sleep for tomorrow.�

“Correction: you need sleep for tomorrow. I’m supposed to be keeping watch for anything suspicious. You go to sleep and I’ll wake you in the morning.�

“No, I’ll stay up and keep you company,� Hermione replied, shifting closer to him and curling up in his side. She yawned quietly, and Ron raised his eyebrows at her. “Don’t worry about me; I’ll stay awake with you.�

“Okay, whatever you say, Hermione,� Ron said softly, a small smile on his face. Hermione did not seem to notice the sarcasm in his voice, or was too tired to bother responding.

She was asleep in five minutes, her warm breath and fuzzy hair tickling Ron’s neck.

“Goodnight, love,� he whispered quietly, pulling her closer and kissing her head gently.

The memory hung around them for a moment longer, but quickly gave way to darkness. The world reformed around them just as quickly as it disappeared, and Ron knew exactly what memory they were in.

Hermione was sitting on the ground of St Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries fourth floor, by a door labelled “Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley�. Her clothes and hair were covered in dirt and blood, and tears were falling from her vacant hazel eyes. Her wand hung limply from her right hand, the other grasped around a small silver chain.

A loud sob escaped her lips as she clutched the chain in her hand more firmly. Hermione let her wand fall from her hand as she held the chain in both hands. She brought her hands together in a silent prayer, tears still streaming from her eyes.

“Please let them be alright,� she whispered, standing suddenly and walking into the room.

The bed closest to the door was Harry’s. He too was covered in dirt and blood, and had many gashes across his face and neck. His glasses had been removed and his scar was clearly defined behind the cover of jet black hair. He did not seem to be incredibly harmed, yet his forehead was furrowed slightly as he slept.

Hermione reached out and swept back a piece of hair falling on Harry’s face, and gently stroked his cheek. Tears were still falling freely from her eyes, and she quickly drew back her hand when his face relaxed slightly.

Ron watched as Hermione slowly pulled her eyes away from him and to the bed in the middle of the three, on which laid Ginny. Her long red hair was streaked with blood, and a long cut vandalized her strangely calm face. It ran across her cheek, down her neck and underneath the crisp white hospital gown she wore.

He couldn’t watch anymore. He felt sick. It was hard enough to see his sister and best friend in that state once, and he refused to see them like this again. Yet, the moment he heard a loud sob echo around him, he opened his eyes slightly to see Hermione kneeling by his bed with his younger self’s hand seized tightly in hers. She was looking desperately at his pale face for any sign that he was conscious, while clutching to the silver chain as though Ron’s life depended on it remaining in her hand.

“Why did you have to be so stupid?� Hermione whispered at him, “Why couldn’t you have just done as you were told and stay with Harry?�

She carefully opened Ron’s palm and placed hers against it, the locket held tightly between the two. Wrapping her fingers firmly around his, Hermione leaned in so they were barely an inch apart.

“It should have been me,� she whispered quietly, her hand slowly turning white from her grip on Ron. “Ron, I can’t do this without you.� She shifted her head to rest it against his chest, fresh tears flowing from her eyes.

Ron heard the banging of a door opening, and turned to see Tonks standing in the doorway looking mortified. She quickly moved into the room, shutting the door as quietly as possible, and moving over to where Hermione was lying on Ron’s bed.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make such a racket…It’s just that I…Oh I just can’t concentrate anymore…� she said quietly to Hermione, her eyes downcast and filling with tears. She knelt beside Hermione and wrapped a comforting arm around her, although Ron could see that she was shaking.

Ron had not seen Tonks until after he recovered, but he’d heard she was grief-stricken most of the time at the loss of her husband, Remus. Knowing how upset she had been, he was surprised to see her so controlled. And yet, her current look of untidy black hair and altogether depressing features betrayed her, along with her uncharacteristically meek voice.

“Hermione,� Tonks began cautiously, “I know what you said about this before, but the healers are insisting they look you over. I understand how hard it is, but if you could please just-�

“I’m fine, they needn’t look at me. They should be spending their time finding out what’s wrong with Ron, Harry and Ginny!� Hermione replied forcefully. She removed herself from the bed, but kept her hand held tightly to Ron’s. “And you don’t know how hard it is!�

“Oh…I’ll just leave you to it then…� Tonks whispered before standing and making to leave the room. Ron could see her shaking again.

“Tonks,� Hermione started hastily, grabbing her hand and pulling her around so they were face to face. “I’m so sorry; that was out of line. I know you understand this, probably more than I do. I just can’t even imagine what I would do if…� she trailed off, gazing down at Ron.

Tonks smiled weakly and grabbed Hermione’s other hand.

“If you won’t let the Healers have you, at least let me get you cleaned up a bit. We don’t want Ron’s first sight to be you covered in all of that, do you?� Tonks asked, a small sparkle returning to her vacant eyes.

Hermione smiled, nodding silently and allowing Tonks to lead her from the dark room.

As darkness shrouded them again, Ron felt Cammie’s hand on his shoulder. He turned to see a slightly anxious look on her face.

“Ron,� she began hesitantly, “The memories…they won’t all be like this. There are parts of Hermione’s life she’s not proud of, parts she doesn’t like to think of often. I’m almost positive they’ll be in here. I don’t know how long it will take to get to the right memory, so please just be careful about how you view these. Hermione has made mistakes, just like everyone else, and I know she would be horrified if she knew you were seeing those moments. Just…don’t judge her from this. She’s an amazing person, regardless of what you might see here, ok?�

But before he had a chance to answer, he found himself staring not at Cammie, but at the one person he really didn’t want to see in Hermione’s memory.