Hermione arrived back at the Burrow later that evening. She had a cleansing feeling in her soul, and she was finally ready to talk to Ron. When she appeared in the living room, the only one in the room was little Lily, who was much too busy playing with her levitating toys to notice her godmother in the room. Hermione knelt down and gave Lily a little kiss on the top of her head, stroking the toddler’s soft jet-black hair.
“I can’t believe how big you’re growing. In no time at all, you’ll be going to Hogwarts and dazzling everyone with you’re Quidditch skills,” Hermione said softly. She knew that Lily wasn’t really listening to her, but she didn’t care. A voice came from the top of the stairs, slightly startling her.
“How are you so sure she’ll be good at Quidditch?”
Hermione jumped slightly before spinning around to see Ron standing with a somber look on his face. “I thought it only natural. Both Ginny and Harry were amazing Quidditch players,” Hermione explained.
Ron smiled slightly and sighed. “We better talk.” Hermione nodded in agreement.
Ron led Hermione up to his room so they could talk with a little privacy. Ginny, however, saw the pair pass by in the hall and pressed an Extendable Ear up against the door.
Hermione sat down on the edge of Ron’s bed and Ron pulled out his chair to sit opposite her. For at least five they sat in a nervous silence, both unsure of exactly what to say. Finally, fed up of the silliness, Hermione blurted, “Ron, I really need you to explain. Why did you do it? Was it the long-distance? Was I just no longer appealing to you? What was it that led you to this without even giving me the courtesy of a letter?”
As soon as the words escaped her lips, Hermione felt an immense amount of relief pass over her. Ron’s face fell, but he had clearly thought out what to say, as he responded quickly. “I didn’t do it to intentionally hurt you, Hermione. I would never do that. For a while after you left I was feeling really awful, and that doubled every time you sent me a letter going on about how much you loved training. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I’m not good enough for you and I still stand by that. You deserved to be with someone smarter or more talented than me. I had to talk to you about it, I know, but I couldn’t. So with nowhere to turn, I met Melody and she and I hit it off. The entire time… I felt sick to my stomach, but every single letter I tried to send to you sounded too cruel, no matter how I worded it. I was being stupid.”
He stared at his feet and coughed a little, looking up into Hermione’s eyes with assertion. “And I know that I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I need it right now. So, can you find it in your heart to forgive me? I couldn’t handle life if you hated me…I love you.”
Hermione’s straight posture slumped as tears came to her eyes. She tried her best not to cry, and even though she succeeded it wasn’t an easy thing to do. “Ron…that…is…such a load of rubbish,”
she said, very slowly.
Ron’s eyes widened. “What?” He asked, dumbfounded.
Hermione stood up and started to laugh. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that? For three years you had the chance to tell me this. You could have written a letter before you met Melody telling me that you were having doubts about our relationship. You aren’t fourteen anymore, Ron. You’ve grown beyond that. I know you have. You hurt me, and I can’t forgive you. There is no chance in hell that I can fully forgive you for what you did. You played me, Ronald Weasley!” Hermione shouted.
She gave him another angry look and opened the bedroom door. Ginny stumbled into the room and gave her best friend a look that said “I couldn’t help myself”. Hermione rolled her eyes and stormed down the hallway. Ginny got to her feet and smiled weakly to her brother. “That didn’t go as well as I would have liked,” Ron mumbled.
Over the next couple of days, Hermione had her head stuck in the fireplace, talking to several Healers about a position as far away from the Burrow as possible. She didn’t want to go back to Australia, but she couldn’t bear to have a position at St. Mungo’s either. All of the Head Healers at the various institutes around Europe were practically begging Hermione to choose their facility, so all Hermione had to do was choose where she wanted to live. It was easier said than done. Every time Hermione had settled on a place, she imagined how hard it would be without any friends or family.
After talking to a Healer from Portugal who couldn’t speak English very well, Hermione decided to take a break. She couldn’t handle all of the stress. She went outside to feel the fresh air against her face. It was a pleasant treat after the stuffy offices she had stuck her head into over the past forty-eight hours. Hermione sat down on the bench that sat beside the house and stared off into the distance. She looked over at the lush thick forest surrounding the Weasley home and sighed.
Just after they had graduated from Hogwarts, Ron and Hermione would sneak off to the forest to be alone. They never did anything that could be classified as wrong, but it was a place that held a lot of memories. The forest was the place where they went to talk, to kiss, and it was even the place where Ron had proposed. Hermione couldn’t look at that place and not have a heavy heart.
She hardly noticed Mrs. Weasley come out and sit beside her. “We haven’t really talked since you’ve been here, have we?” Mrs. Weasley asked. Hermione smiled weakly and nodded.
“Well, considering what’s happened… that’s not really a surprise,” Hermione said, looking at her feet.
“I should have come and talked to you right away, there’s no excuse for it.”
“Honestly, Mrs. Weasley, it’s all right. Besides, I would have felt really awkward if you had come to me sooner. This way, I’ve had a little more time to sort out where I stand on this…um…conflict. I don’t really know how to categorize it,” she explained. Hermione laughed tensely.
Mrs. Weasley smiled. “Dear, you’ve been like a daughter to me long before you and Ron even started dating. However, when you two were dating, I was always extremely worried that Ron would do something to mess it up. So, obviously a part of me wasn’t at all surprised when Ron found another girl, even if I was mortified,” Mrs. Weasley said. “However, judging by the fact that my son has locked himself in his room for two days, he is upset that you won’t take him back.”
“Mrs. Weasley, how could I? I can’t trust him anymore,” Hermione said.
Mrs. Weasley sighed. “That’s true, dear. And normally I would tell you to stick with your instincts, but…this is Ron we’re talking about. In your fourth year, he wrote me and told me about what happened at the Yule Ball and from that moment on, I could tell that he could never live without you. The way he went on and on about how you were making a fool out of yourself by dating Krum…how could he not love you? During the time he was dating Lavender, the only thing he could think about was you. And I believe with all my heart that he loves you. Melody, in my mind, was simply his…his last stepping stone.”
A tear came to Hermione’s eye. “Do you really think so? Do you really think I can trust him again?”
Mrs. Weasley nodded and put her arm around Hermione.
“Mrs. Weasley, hearing your take on this really makes me reconsider leaving him forever. But now I’m back to square one and I don’t know what to do anymore.” Hermione subtly glanced over at the forest before burying her face in her hands.
Dust Has Only Just Begun To Form by just_riot
Chapter Notes: Gigantic thanks to my smarter than smart beta, Leanne. I dance oddly in her general direction.