The Wrong Time

Changes

Hermione awoke with a blinding headache. She needed to get Josiah ready for his appointment, and she was sure Molly would be bringing him home soon. She stumbled to the bathroom and removed her sweat-sticky clothing. She stepped into the shower and turned on the hot spray.


She hugged herself tightly and stood there, under the spray, for several minutes before she moved to clean herself. She didn’t know if Ron had come home, and she found that she really did not care. Wizarding divorce was highly frowned upon, but legal. She knew it had come to this. She could not believe that she had been oblivious to his cheating for two full years. How could she have been so blind?


She rinsed the conditioner from her hair, and stepped onto the bath mat. She applied a drying charm to her hair and body and walked back to her bedroom. She took a set of plain black robes from the wardrobe and dressed, taking her time. She opened her nightstand drawer and took out a vial of healing potion. She took it, willing her headache to go away.


She went into the kitchen and made herself a simple breakfast of toast and coffee. By the time she finished eating, her headache had gone. After she cleaned and put away her dishes, she walked over to the fireplace and threw some floo powder into the crackling flame.


“The Burrow,” she said dryly, and stepped into the flame.


There was not time to wait for Molly to bring Josiah home. She had to get him from there and take him on to his checkup.


She stepped across the threshold of the living room at The Burrow, and saw Josiah playing on the carpet with his blocks. Molly was in the kitchen, Hermione could tell by the sounds of clanking dishes.


“Hello, Molly,” she said, by way of greeting.


“Oh, hello, Dear,” Molly said, stepping into the living room, wiping her hands on dish towel.


“I need to take Josiah to Healer Quentin today,” she said.


“Oh, does he have a checkup today?” Molly asked her.


“Yes,” Hermione said flatly.


“Dear, is everything alright?” Molly asked, concern on her face.


“Ron and I had a fight last night,” Hermione said plainly.


“Oh, well I’m sure you’ll work it out,” Molly said comfortingly.


“No, no we won’t,” Hermione said simply.


“Why ever do you say that, Dear? I am sure that after twenty years of marriage you can make it through whatever this is,” Molly said matter-of-factly.


“He’s been having an affair for five years,” Hermione said, picking up Josiah.


She stepped through the green flames and left behind a very dumbstruck Molly.


Hermione got Josiah dressed and ready to go, and then took him to his checkup.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


“I can’t believe you told her,” Ron told Lavender, anger in his voice.


“Ron, we’ve been through this,” Lavender replied from her place, twined around Ron’s naked form. “She already knew. She’s known for three years. It was just a matter of time before she wouldn’t be able to deny it anymore. Honestly, I think I did you a favor.”


Ron didn’t say anything. He knew she was right.


“Did you set the wards to allow me?” She asked him, as he got up to get ready for work.


“Yeah,” he replied, pulling on his robes. “I’ve got to go.”


“Ok. I will see you after, then,” Lavender said.


“Ok,” He said, and bent down to kiss her.


“I love you, Ron,” Lavender said.

“I love you too.”


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Hermione held Josiah’s hand tightly as they walked home from his appointment. He had an ice cream cone in his other hand. It had become tradition. After he visited the Healer, Hermione always bought him an ice cream cone to make him feel better.


“We go to pawk, Mummy?” he asked her sweetly.


“Yes, Darling, if you want to go to the park for a little while, I suppose that will be alright,” Hermione replied, absently.


Instead of going into the house, she stopped at the park to let him play on the slide for a little while. After about a half an hour, she told him it was time to go home for his nap.


“Awwww, otay, Mummy,” Josiah said, crestfallen.


Hermione smiled. He was just so darn cute sometimes. She took his chubby little hand and led him across the street to their house. When they got inside, she was horrified to find a pile of her clothes in the hall. She calmly took Josiah to his bedroom and tucked him in, then went to her bedroom to find out what the hell was going on.


When she pushed the cracked door the rest of the way open, she was mortified to find Lavender Brown hanging her robes in Hermione’s wardrobe.


“Just what in the name of Merlin do you think you are doing?” she snarled.


“Moving in,” Lavender replied simply.


Hermione felt anger boil in her veins as her fingers twitched dangerously around her wand.


A/N: Thank you all so much for the kind reviews! They are what is keeping up the drive for this story.