Ron took deep breaths to stop the tears from flowing. Hermione had almost gotten herself killed, and this was all because he had leant in to listen to Rebecca. The shock of almost losing Hermione, combined with the discovery of her assumption that he was romantically involved with Rebecca caused Ron to break down. He was very angry with Hermione for not trusting him, and at the same time, he wanted to take her in his arms and keep her to himself for a long time.
Finally, Ron managed to control his tears and he crossed the road again, to get his car out from the hotel car park. The drive home was uneventful. When he rang the doorbell of the guest house, he prepared himself for a shower of swear words from the rest of the people of the house. A woman who returned from a date with her husband with tears in her eyes definitely looked more pitiable than a man in the same situation, even if the man went and sobbed his eyes out and insisted that he had done nothing wrong.
The door was opened by Irene, who stared at Ron harshly before letting him inside. As he had anticipated, Harry was seated on a couch with Naina in his arms and a steely glare on his face. Father and daughter were listening to the popular children’s show, ‘Chad the Chubby Chimaera’ on the WWN and even as Naina giggled, Harry looked as though he would declare himself to be the serial killer of London and kill Ron at any moment. Ron, though, sighed lightly and walked on into the dining room. It was not his fault and he wouldn’t let anyone make him feel guilty. But he met with another unexpected sight at the dining room. Hermione was perched on a chair at the dining table and was persuading a very reluctant Jessica to have some soup.
“Come on, Jess,” she pleaded, “just a small bowl. It’s really yummy.”
Jessica moaned and refused to open her mouth.
“Jess,” began Hermione, “I have made this soup just for you. You will feel hungry if you don’t eat it.”
Jessica pouted and looked away. “No! Not ‘ungy.”
“Please eat, honey, I promise to get you some chocolate tomorrow if you have this soup like a good girl.”
“Uh-uh, I won eat,” Jessica insisted.
“Don’t be stubborn-”
“Why don’t you just let her be?” asked Ron, making his presence felt.
Hermione looked up at Ron and frowned. “I don’t think you should involve yourself in this, you know, or does Rebecca like children?”
Ron took deep breaths to keep his cool. There would be no point in getting angry, now. But why couldn’t Hermione just believe him? “Listen,” he replied, “I said this once and I’m saying this again: There is nothing between Rebecca and me, okay?”
“Whatever you say.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Okay.”
Ron banged his fist on the table with a growl. He could really feel his blood boil over, and suddenly, he couldn’t take it anymore. “FINE!” he said, while a really scared Hermione and an almost tearful Jessica looked at him. “Don’t trust me. I don’t care. I DON’T GIVE A DAMN, ALL RIGHT? I HAVE SPENT ALL THESE DAYS BEARING YOUR FOOLISH SUSPICIONS. WHY THE HELL DID YOU EVEN AGREE TO MARRY ME IF YOU HAD TO BE SO DISBELIEVING ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT I AM DOING?”
Hermione broke into tears, while Harry came running from the living room to see what the matter was. Jessica looked ready to burst into tears, too. For sometime, there was silence; only Hermione’s sobs could be heard in the room.
“Harry? Could you get Naina?” asked Parvati’s voice from upstairs, breaking the silence in a way. Harry went back to the living room to get the child, but by that time, Parvati had descended the stairs herself. She stopped dead as she entered the dining room, and drank in the scene as Harry entered with Naina. Then calmly, she turned towards Hermione. “Would you like me to feed Jessica?”
Hermione sniffed and shook her head. “Just put her in the cot. She’s not eating, anyway. Hopefully, she’ll ask for food when she’s hungry.”
Parvati nodded and lifted the girl. “Come, Harry.” The couple went upstairs together.
Ron took one last look at Hermione, and walked to the stairs, but Hermione’s voice stopped him. “I don’t know why I agreed to marry you, Ron.”
Ron turned around to look at her. Tears were streaming down her face and yet, she looked beautiful. As much as the world called her ugly, to him, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. And today, she had dressed just the way he liked her to. No makeup. Simple attire. That was gorgeous Hermione for him. Sighing, Ron walked to her and sat down at the table. “Listen, Hermione, I really- I didn’t realise what I said in my anger.”
“No Ron,” she replied, wiping her tears. “What you said was absolutely right. I don’t think we are meant to be together anymore. I know that you are probably tired of me and I don’t blame you for it. I’m not nearly as charming as Rebecca and all. I’m ugly, boring, sentimental… I’m probably not the right type of person for”” Hermione couldn’t complete her sentence, as sobs wracked her body. Ron put his hand on hers, but she freed herself and got up.
“I’m sorry, Hermione, please don’t cry. I can’t take it…”
Hermione did not reply. She climbed the stairs to their room, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Ron followed her all the way up. Finally, as they reached their room, Ron walked forward to talk to her, but was shocked when she brushed him away and began to remove her clothes from her wardrobe into a suitcase.
“Where are you going?” Ron asked.
“I’m moving to Ginny’s room.”
“Hermione-”
She looked at Ron. Her eyes were red and swollen, but she had stopped crying. “Please don’t stop me, Ron.”
She was almost done with removing her clothes, when Parvati entered the room with Jessica.
“Is she hungry?” Hermione asked, rather hopefully.
Parvati looked down, as tears began to fill Hermione’s eyes again. “I think you must take her to St. Mungo’s for a check up tomorrow, Hermione.”
Hermione sniffed and nodded, as Ron looked at her, bewildered. “Why are you taking her to the hospital?”
“She’s not eating anything,” Parvati replied. “She’s never hungry and she keeps saying that her stomach hurts.”
“Since how many days has she been like this?”
“Since this morning.”
Ron looked at Hermione. “Didn’t you find the need to tell me anything? She’s my daughter too, you know.”
“I know that, Ron, you forgot about it.”
“What the hell am I supposed to do? Come to you everyday and ask you whether Jessica is ill or not?” Ron asked, frustrated. From the corner of his eye, he could see Parvati backing away from the room.
“She was crying with stomach ache last night, Ron. I tried waking you up and pleaded to you to help me, but you simply weren’t interested!” Hermione replied.
“Well, in the middle of the night…”
“Yes? What is your excuse, now?”
“I was tired… I””
“And Harry was in the perfect stamina, was he?”
“Harry?”
“Yes, Ron, Harry. Harry, Ginny and Parvati helped me last night when Jessica started crying. You should be ashamed of yourself! You call yourself Jessica’s father but you were not there to help me when your daughter was sick.”
Hermione had now packed her suitcase completely, and she lifted it and began to walk out.
“Hermione, Hermione!” He caught her arm, trying to stop her.
“Let me go, Ron!”
“Please… please forgive me, Hermione, I””
“I don’t want to listen to you anymore, Ron, let me go.”
Ron’s eyes began to fill with tears, again, but he did not let go of his wife. “Hermione… please don’t do this! I promise” I swear I’ll never look at Rebecca again. I’ll ask Irene to handle””
“I SAID I DON’T WANT TO LISTEN TO YOU!” growled Hermione, drawing her wand. “NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!”
“Please…!”
BANG!
Ron was swept off his feet and thrown backwards. He hit the wall and slid down, crashing the back of his head. Little stars popped before his eyes, and by the time he got rid of them, Hermione was gone.
Shakily, Ron stood up, tears still streaming down his eyes. He collapsed onto his bed, now crying openly. Jake was already standing in his cot to see what had happened. Ron looked at the child, and as their eyes met, Jake sniffled; tears welling up his own eyes. Ron got up, controlling himself and wiping his tears as he walked over to his son. “Now, what is it, Jay? What’s the matter?”
“Why awre you cwying, Daddy?”
Ron chuckled weakly, sniffed and lifted Jake off the cot. “Nothing, Jay, it’s just something in my eye.”
“Then why is Mummy yelling?”
“I have been very bad,” said Ron, truthfully. “So Mummy screamed at me.”
There was a sound, and Ron looked around to see Parvati at the doorway. “Hermione wants you to take care of Jessica.”
Ron took a deep breath and nodded, as he took his girl from Parvati’s arms. The latter looked at Ron and asked softly, “Why are you doing this, Ron?”
“What am I doing, Parvati? I really don’t get this! Hermione is just misunderstanding me… I don’t know what to do!”
Parvati sighed. “I know that there’s nothing between Rebecca and you, Ron, and I’ll try to convince Hermione. But it’s up to you to win back her confidence…”
The raven-haired woman then patted Ron on the shoulder and walked away, leaving Ron as confused as ever.
***
Parineeta smiled at Ginny, who held out her hand.
“This is Ginny Weasley, Pari,” Daisy said. “She’s an Auror and is on this murder case with Harry Potter and a few others.”
Parineeta’s eyes widened, as she shook Ginny’s hand. “Sweet Helga! I’m absolutely in love with Harry Potter, did you know that?”
Ginny raised an eyebrow, making a mental note to discuss Parineeta once she was home. But the girl couldn’t be a suspect anyway, as she had been in India all this time. “Really? That’s interesting…”
But apparently, Daisy had realised the same thing. “Oh Pari… don’t be ridiculous!” She smiled at Ginny and continued, “She’s crazy, you know, don’t pay attention to her non-sense about being in love with Harry.”
“But I do love him!” Parineeta insisted. She flinched as she finished the phrase, and looked angrily at Daisy. “Ki korchho tumi, Daisy? That was my foot!”
Daisy, glared at her and though she was a little late in doing so, Parineeta cottoned on. “Oh… I mean, I sort of hero-worship him… you know, defeating that Dark Lord and all… he’s been so brave…”
Ginny smiled, as Daisy decided to change the topic. “Come on, Pari, join us. We were just eating.”
“Oh, good!” Pari exclaimed. “I’m ravenous!”
They went to the dining room. Daisy set a place for Parineeta at the table and they sat down to eat. Parineeta was a pleasant, funny, bubbly and eccentric person. She was very easy to talk to, and Ginny decided that she liked Parineeta, too. They finished dinner, and Ginny bade goodbye to Daisy and Parineeta and proceeded home.
As she watched Ginny walk away, Daisy sighed and shut the door and made her way to the living room, where Parineeta was waiting for her. She seated herself next to her friend and smiled wanly.
Parineeta raised her eyebrows. “So, are you going to tell me what’s going on? And all of you forgot me completely, didn’t you?”
“Of course not, Pari,” said Daisy, “I tried to contact you when Charlotte… well… got attacked. They even kept the funeral late, thinking that you’d turn up. Then Liz wrote to you, too. After that, Andrew… I wrote to you about that, too.”
“And why didn’t I receive them, then?”
“I don’t know! Pari, do you think I’d ever forget you? After what you’ve done for me…? I don’t know why they didn’t reach you. Maybe they got lost along the way… I’m really sorry…”
Parineeta nodded. “But what’s going on, here? Why did you step on my foot when I said that I like Harry Potter?”
Daisy took a deep breath. “Pari, I want you to promise me something.”
“Go on.”
“I” I want you to never mention Harry.”
“Why?”
“Pari… the Aurors reckon that the killings are the handiwork of someone obsessively fanatic about Harry. They already suspect me, even though I’m far from being Harry’s fan. I don’t want them to do the same to you… you understand, don’t you? And please, please behave maturely. You’re eighteen, not eight.”
Parineeta nodded. “All right, then. And are you going to try to speak to Liz?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“She was the one who told the Aurors that I must be included as a suspect.” Daisy looked straight at Pari, and soon, she was pouring her heart out. “First, Andrew was dead, and then, Liz, Neil and Mike stopped talking to me. How much can a person take, Pari? I’m human! And tell me, do you think I could ever kill Andrew? Does being with him half-an-hour before the murder or having private conversations with him mean that I must be suspected? I’m tired of telling people that I’m innocent. I’m done, Pari, I don’t even feel like living anymore. I feel strangled… bound and helpless. I feel like running away, going somewhere, and never returning. I””
“Shhh,” Parineeta’s arms had found their way around Daisy, Daisy couldn’t go on anymore. The hug overwhelmed her. She leaned over as Parineeta stroked her back slowly. She felt like screaming” screaming in the agony that had been taking over for two months, now.
Parineeta seemed to understand Daisy’s pain, for she didn’t say anything for a while. But when Daisy pulled away, eyes down, Parineeta kept a hand on her shoulder. “I believe you completely, all right? I’ll always support you, no matter what. I know that you aren’t responsible for this.”
Daisy didn’t reply. She could only do her best to stop herself from practically howling, as she drew deep, calming breaths. Parineeta pulled her close again. Daisy felt all the grief, pain and loneliness form a lump in her throat. But no. She wouldn’t cry. She would be strong. Crying was a sign of weakness” a sign of defeat. And Daisy was neither weak, nor was she defeated. She would fight and make sure that she won. It took a few moments for Daisy’s breathing to steady, but Parineeta held her close even then, only letting her go when Daisy pulled away. A few stray tears had fallen out of Parineeta’s eyes, and Daisy wiped them away for her friend. “I’m sorry…”
Parineeta sniffled. “You’re coming home with me.”
“Pari, I…”
“Daisy, you will not say no. You will pack your bags now and come””
“I can’t, Pari.”
“Why?”
“Please…? I want to stay here. I must stay here.”
Parineeta looked into Daisy’s eyes. “All right. But we’re seeing each other everyday from now on.”
Daisy nodded. “I promise.”
Parineeta got up from the couch. “I guess I’ll go, then. Take care of yourself, okay?”
“You take care, Pari, I’ll be fine… bye…”
Parineeta gave Daisy a last smile as they walked quietly to the door. She walked out to the gate and, with a last wave, vanished under a secluded tree.
Daisy closed the door, her heart a lot lighter. One of her friends, at least, was with her.
***
Ron turned and changed his position as he slept, trying to block out the noise. Someone was wailing and his sleep was getting disturbed. “Hermione… just see if Jess or Jay is crying… I’ll join you in a minute…”
There was no answer, but the wails grew louder.
“’Ermione…” groaned Ron, feeling for her beside him. But all he felt was the pillow and the mattress. He had forgotten that Hermione had refused to sleep with him. “Oh no…”
Ron opened an eye, trying to identify the voice. It was Jessica, and she was positively howling now. He got off his bed and walked to her cot, to see her crying with her eyes shut. He sighed and lifted her gently. “Hey, Jess, what happened?”
“Mummy…!” cried the little girl, tears streaming from her eyes.
“She’s sleeping, sweetheart, but tell Daddy if you want anything.”
“MUMMY!” yelled Jessica, struggling in Ron’s grip.
Ron, who couldn’t say anything more, held her close, stroking her soft curls. What could he do now? Jessica seemed to have had a bad dream… or was her stomach hurting again? “Jess, Daddy is here… tell me, darling.”
It didn’t do anything to stop Jessica’s wails and Jake had woken up already, looking very grumpy and close to tears, too. Ron was about to swear, when he realised that his children might pick up the words and stopped himself just in time. Instead, he made another valiant attempt at comforting Jessica. “Shhh, my angel, Daddy’s here… tell me darling. What do you want?”
This seemed to work a bit, for Jessica stopped wailing and sniffed slowly. “Miwk.”
“Oh… okay, let’s get some for you. Come on.”
Ron let her down for a bit and lifted Jake, stroking the boy’s back before he could be upset. “I’ll just get Jess her milk, okay? Be a good boy, and don’t be scared. I’ll be back.”
Ron walked out with Jessica in his arms. It was getting cold, and Ron assumed that it was about to rain. There was a crack of lightning. And that was when Ron realised his mistake. “Darn…”
Sure enough, a loud wail issued from his room. The burst of lightning had been enough to scare Jake. “Shit… Jess, one minute, just”” He put Jessica down on the corridor and ran into the room. But he had forgotten something again. Light travels faster than sound… and so…
There was a roar of thunder. Jessica would go off now, surely. Ron picked Jake from his cot and ran to Jessica. She looked at him with her big, damp eyes, and in a moment, Ron was trying to comfort two kids who were scared out of their wits. They wouldn’t stop crying as much as Ron tried to quieten them. He carried Jessica in one arm, Jake in the other and began to walk to the dining room. He had just reached the corridor outside Harry and Parvati’s room, when their door opened to reveal Parvati with Naina, who looked as though the lightning had scared her, too.
Ron had never been so relieved all his life. He looked at Parvati with pleading eyes. She smiled. “Harry, could you just come here?” In a moment, Harry had Jake in his arms and the party was heading towards the dining room. Parvati warmed milk and poured it in two bottles for Jessica and Naina. Jake didn’t want anything; he was just scared. They all sat on the sofas, then; Harry holding Jake close, Parvati feeding Naina and Ron desperately trying to feed Jessica.
He wasn’t sure of how to hold her or place her, and looked at Parvati for help again. But this time, Harry took Jessica and placed Jake on Ron’s lap. “Look mate, you’ve got to let her lie down and rest her head on you, like this. It’s very simple…”
Harry fed Jessica successfully, while Ron watched him in wonder. Then making Jessica burp, Harry handed her to Ron. She was happy and drowsy, now- plus, she had finally had something since the morning. “Thanks mate,” Ron said to Harry. “How do you know all this?”
Harry looked straight at Ron. “Maybe I just give my family more time than you do, Ron.”
Killer Instincts by Ginny Weasley Potter
Chapter Notes: Hello, readers!
Well, I did notify you guys that this would be late, but once again, I'm sorry for the delay. I hope you're not angry with me *puppy dog eyes*.
Well, I'm in the middle of my exams, still, and so I guess the next chapter will take time too. This one had so many mistakes! Pauie had made it all red >.<
So I guess it's best not to write too much under exam stress. Haha.
Now, as I mentioned up there, Pauie was the one who converted this to anything remotely readable. Thank you so much!!!
I also owe huge hugs to Nadia (majestic_ginny) and Hannah (coolh5000) who did a bit of nitpicking on the Murtlap Excerpt section in the Forums.
And there's a bit of Bengali in this chapter, and Nadia was the one who provided all the help with it. Thank you, hon!
Well, enjoy the chapter and please review!
Translations:
Ki korchho tumi: What are you doing?
Shona: Darling