Pilfered Progeny - Stolen Dreams

Hermione paced in her living room, fury bubbling in the depths of her soul. She snarled and growled, voicing every curse and epithet she knew and directing every ounce of her venom at Severus Snape.



How dare he tell her she was being useless?! She went out of her way to get those files today, put herself in danger, put the whole case in danger of being blown, and he was telling her that it wasn\'t enough?! That self-righteous bastard; he didn\'t exactly have a clean slate behind him either! He hadn\'t done that much in her eyes to help the cause of the Order of the Phoenix, but he wasn\'t looked down upon!



She stopped, frowning as the fury suddenly drained out of her, something dawning in her mind. "Oh. Wait…!" She murmured, then turned and snatched a notepad off the desk, then moved to sit at the bar, frowning in thought. Something simply didn\'t add up… oh Merlin. Why hadn\'t she ever noticed before?



She knew how much was put into each \'sample\' that was set aside for each attempt at pregnancy. For each donor who wished to become a parent, male donations were encouraged to be twenty samples or more. Each attempt at implantation would now involve five to seven embryos. She knew that she had placed thirty-five samples into storage; she had used one for her friend and Angel had been the result. That meant thirty-four should be remaining… damn it, why hadn\'t she gotten up to look at that stupid screen?



She needed to know exactly how many attempts had been made with Harry\'s donation and she hadn\'t saved those files on her computer. She remembered using Harry\'s, but the donor list showed they had only two samples left. Where were they all going? Draco\'s as well, the count was all off. There couldn\'t be that many babies out there, and she hadn\'t been cranking out babies like some kind of baby mill; it didn\'t add up!



Something else was going on. She started making the special donor babies the year that Angel had been born; that was five years ago. They hadn\'t had success right away but there had only been a few children; no more than two or three a year at most. The amount of samples that were missing was a huge red flag. She scowled, angry at herself for not seeing it. Pansy probably thought it was funny that she was in the dark about it. Well; she\'d just have to turn on the light, wouldn\'t she? She set her jaw determinedly, then paused a moment as another thought crashed into her reality and thoughts.



Ron. She was going to have to do something about Ron.



Once she had everything squared away, then she could dive into this mess and find out exactly what it was that Pansy was really hiding; maybe even whom she was working with. It wouldn\'t matter too much if she were hurt or killed in the attempt; she knew what she had to do now. And she was the only one who could do it.



She glanced at the magical tracing device on her wrist; she felt like she was under house arrest but it would be safe enough to go to the Ministry. She knew she had to protect Ron and there was only one way she could think of to do it. She went to clean up, and then went to floo to the Ministry.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.



Ron opened the door. "Oh… Hermione…!" he murmured, stepping back to allow her inside Charlie\'s house. "Come in…" he said, unsure of her reason to visit.



"Oh, Ron…" she moved to give him a brief hug but he held onto her, holding her close. She relaxed in his arms a moment. "I\'ve missed you… how have you been…?" she murmured.



He breathed in the scent of her, sighing softly. Merlin he\'d missed her… "I\'ve been worried, really worried…" he admitted in a soft voice. He felt her push at him and with extreme reluctance he let her go. She moved inside and he closed the door, following her.



"How is Rose…?"



"She misses you horribly. She keeps asking me what she did wrong to make you leave us and I\'m kind of wondering the same thing myself. She\'s out tonight at her friend Arianda\'s house… they\'re practicing for a school play and is going to stay over, since there\'s a teacher\'s holiday tomorrow…" he followed her into the sitting room. "So what brings you…? It\'s been days… when can I come back home…? You said it was only going to be for a little while…"



Hermione sat down slowly with an expression on her face Ron just could not read. She waited until Ron ran down in his questions and quieted to listen to her answers. "I\'m in a lot of trouble, Ron… I\'ve hurt a lot of people… I… I\'m really not sure how I got mixed up in it all…"



"I wish I knew…" He answered softly. He needed her to understand he knew about it all… he took a seat in the chair beside hers, so he could reach her and touch her…



"I\'ve destroyed my relationship with Harry…he hates me. And he has every right to…" she said quietly. "I love you Ron. I never meant to hurt you and Rose…" her eyes were moist with tears but she did not – would not – let them come.



"What made you decide enough was enough…?" Ron asked, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together to keep them from shaking.



"Pansy. She wants you." She said softly.



He looked confused. "What…? Why the hell would she want me…?" he asked.



"She wanted me to harvest you. To get your sperm like she harvests other people… to sell… she\'d already sold some, in fact…"



"And that\'s what made you stop…? You refused to harvest me…? What makes me so different from anyone else…?" he asked, frowning.



"I never harvested any, Ron, not one drop… except at the clinic, in the normal operations. And there she\'d use the sperm that was left after the successful pregnancies. I never harvested to use for… for sale like that…" she answered. Ron slipped one hand up on her shoulder, his touch warm and comforting. Hermione took a shaky breath and reached into her bag, pulling out some papers. "This isn\'t going to end well, Ron… I… I\'m going to go to Azkaban. I don\'t know for how long… All you need to do is sign these and everything is yours, and Rosie\'s… There are two vaults at Gringott\'s, and…"



"What are those papers?" Ron asked, eyeing the papers, sitting up slightly.



"Divorce papers." She whispered.



Ron snatched them from her hand and immediately threw them aside is if they were poison. "No…! No, I won\'t do that! Damn it I love you…!"



Hermione felt the tears welling again and she fought them. "Ron, you don\'t understand…! I\'m going to prison. I don\'t know if I\'ll ever get out but I want to know that you\'re free… I want to let you go… please…"



"I didn\'t spend thirteen years as your husband to just drop it all because something bad comes up. For better or for worse, that\'s what I said at our wedding. I didn\'t say it casually, that was my binding vow… I\'m not going to give you up. You are my wife, no matter what…!"



She trembled, but did not look at him; she couldn\'t bring herself to. "It\'s the only way… I don\'t want you and Rosie dragged through all this… we need to protect Rose… and you deserve to be happy; to have a life without me… please… sign the damned papers…"



"I\'m already involved in this mess. You told me Pansy\'s after me for my sperm, you think she\'s going to give up and not have a go at me…? She will, sometime or another. Signing those papers isn\'t going to free me from our marriage, Hermione, and it won\'t get me out of this situation, no matter what you say…!" Ron said, pointing an accusing finger at the pile of papers lying next to the fireplace.



Hermione took a shaky breath. "…But it will save you both from the legal entanglements…"



"No."



"But I want to…"



"No!" Ron said, scowling at her, looking betrayed. "You\'re my wife! Damn it, Hermione, I didn\'t marry you on a whim. You want to let me go because you LOVE me…? What kind of Hippogriff shit is that…? If you loved me half as much as you say you\'d let ME make this decision…!" he said in an accusing tone.



"The old saying is \'if you love something let it go…\'" she began



"…and if it loves you, it will return. Well damn it I don\'t bloody want to be let go!" he snapped.



She bowed her head, silent for several long moments. Ron rose from his chair and paced away a few steps restlessly, trying to wait for her to decide what to do. "You… you don\'t understand what I\'m involved in…" she said softly.



"I do so. Some of it, anyway… did you hurt Harry on purpose…? Were you trying to torture him and Draco…?"



She looked horrified. "No…!"



"Did you mean to make kids that no one knew they were fathering?"



"I didn\'t, not at first… well, all but Angel, but…"



"Then I don\'t care. You\'re my wife. You\'re brilliant, you always have been. I don\'t know why you\'re acting so thick right now. Are you going to let ME make my own decisions or not?"



Hermione hesitated a moment more, then looked at him with tortured eyes. "What do you want to do, Ron…?" she asked softly.





He bent and snatched the papers up off the floor, turned his back on her and threw them directly into the flames. He watched them burn for a long moment before he spoke. "I\'m your husband. Our marriage isn\'t defined by any stupid license or piece of paper. No paper drawn up by a lawyer or any other legal idiot is going to change the fact that I\'m married to you. You\'re not going to shove me away to protect me." He said firmly.



She sighed softly. "All right, all right…" she agreed in a soft tone. "But you have to agree to something as well…"



"Agree to what…?"



This was going to be horribly hard for her to ask of him, and harder for him to accept… "I don\'t want you to wait for me."



He looked her, shocked and surprised. "What…?"



"I don\'t want you to hold yourself to me… I told you. I\'m going to end up paying for all I\'ve done, and some pretty powerful families have been manipulated in all of this… I don\'t want you to wait for me. Find someone else while I\'m gone…"



He shook his head. "I can\'t do that, I…"



"You can and you must. I know how you are, Ronnie…" she looked up at him and even now, through the shock and disbelief in his eyes she could see his need for her. "You need to be loved. You need to be taken care of. You\'re not happy if you\'re not, and I need you to be happy so Rosie can be happy…"



"You don\'t know what you\'re asking of me…!"



"I know exactly what I\'m asking." She answered. "Don\'t think this is easy for me; I have been just as loyal to you as you have been to me… well… except for Viktor. But that was only once, and before we were married…"



"Did you have to bring him into it…?" Ron said, turning his back for a moment, very confused. She WANTED him to find a lover…?



"I\'m sorry, I shouldn\'t have mentioned him." She sighed. "But I still want you to find someone else…" Hermione said, her eyes moving to the mantle just behind Ron.



A painting of Blaise with his arm about Charlie was on the mantle; she had long known of the feelings that the dark-skinned wizard had held for her husband and knew that it had been only chance that had landed her as Ron\'s chosen partner and not Blaise.



"Who…?" Ron mumbled. "I\'m not exactly LOOKING for anyone else…!"



"Someone will come. Someone will be there to catch you… I know who would probably love to comfort you… if you will just… let them… don\'t be blind to them. Be open… and they may be closer than you think…" she said softly. The painted image of Blaise grinned and winked at her.



"Who…?" he demanded of her, turning back to face her fully, looking confused. "I don\'t know of anyone…"



"You\'ve always thought he was interesting… and I don\'t mind Ron. I really don\'t…"



He hesitated, and then glanced at the painting which grinned more broadly and winked again. "You don\'t mean Blaise…?"



She shrugged. "Just… listen. And be open. I will not have you lonesome, Ronald… I need to know you\'re taken care of."



Ron sighed, turning back to her. "I\'ll try, okay…? I can\'t promise. I don\'t want anyone else. I want you…"



"And I\'ll be gone for years." She said in response, looking up at him. "I\'m asking you… I\'m TELLING you to find someone to make you happy while I\'m gone."



"I\'ll try… As long as I can be here for you when you come home." He said softly, nodding in reluctant agreement. "I\'ll try, that\'s all I can say. I\'ll manage somehow…"



She pushed herself out of the chair and back to her feet. "I… I should go… I have things to do…"



"I\'d much rather you stay tonight." He said softly, reaching to touch her.



She stepped back; she couldn\'t use the time, not even to reconcile with her husband. "I can\'t… I don\'t have any time left…"



"More secrets…?" he asked, reluctantly allowing her to move away from him for a moment.



"No… I swear to you, Ron; I\'ll tell you absolutely everything, every last detail. But I need to do this alone." She said, taking a deep breath. "Tonks is working with me, and so is Harry. If I really need you I know I can count on you…"



"Bloody well right." He said firmly, and then moved to her and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. "You be careful, Hermione… I know some of what you\'re involved in and I don\'t want you getting yourself hurt…"



"I can\'t promise I won\'t get hurt… but I can promise you I\'ll make things right." Hermione said, feeling worlds better. She wasn\'t losing everything… Ron tilted her face up and pressed his lips to hers in a soft, loving kiss.



She returned it a moment, and then reluctantly pushed free, slipping out of his arms. "No… Ron, if you start that I don\'t think I\'ll be able to leave. I have to go…" she said, glancing at the time. "Tell Rosie that I love her… I don\'t know if I\'ll be able to get back to tell her myself…" she said, starting for the door.



"All right…" he murmured in a husky tone. "I love you Hermione… don\'t forget that."



"I won\'t…" she said, hurrying out though her body ached to have him hold her, just for a few moments more… she couldn\'t stay. She had to get to work and figure this thing out…



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.



Hermione pulled into the parking lot of the medical clinic; it was nearly empty at this hour. Third shift personnel would be here, tending to the newborn babies in the clinic wing… but that wasn\'t where she was headed. She might have to deal with a security guard or two, but nothing she could not handle. Out of habit she reached to where her wand normally rested, remembering that she did not have it any longer since she had surrendered it… well. She would just have to be clever enough to muddle through without it.



She moved to the building, sliding her pass card through the access slot on the door; the little light flashed then went steady green and she pulled the door open, moving inside. As she expected, there was a security guard at the desk… what was his name, Tony…? No; it was Antonio.



"Good evening, Mrs. Weasley… you\'re working late again…?" Antonio, an aging muggle security guard, smiled at her good-naturedly. "You know, you shouldn\'t oughta work so damned much. Not good for ya…" he advised.



"I know… but I couldn\'t sleep. I have far too much on my mind…" she gave him a fond smile. "I may as well be here working rather than pacing about my own room…"



"I suppose… should I bring you some coffee in about an hour…?"



"No, don\'t bother about me. Just do your regular shift. I won\'t be in your way." She assured, moving on past the desk.



"You never are." He sighed a little melodramatically.



Hermione moved on into her office first, pulling out the little pamphlet that Pansy updated each time a sample was used or a donation added. She scowled to see Zabini\'s information there now, ready to sell to the next customer. She wanted this to end before Pansy could manage to profit from THAT attempt…She\'d remembered right; Harry\'s said he had two samples left, and Draco only eight. She slipped into Pansy\'s office, using her access keys with a new memory stick in hand; she copied over the files one more time then slipped out again leaving the office precisely how she\'d found it. She\'d check the numbers once she got home to verify her theory, but she was already sure what she\'d find. Ten to fifteen samples gone from each.



She flipped on the lights in the lab, moving into the silent room. She took up a notepad and began to do a simple basic inventory of every single vial of liquid or powder, every potion, chemical and other item that was in stock in the cabinets.



Antonio came by to visit with her but she doggedly continued to work, making notes and he finally grew bored and wandered off to flirt with the nurses over in the clinic.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.



When Blaise returned a few hours later to his home, he found the house seemingly empty. Charlie wasn\'t due in for hours; he was working a late shift. "Ron…?" he called, moving through the house.



He found Ron upstairs, dead asleep, a sleeping potion on the table beside him. There was also a note, telling Blaise and Charlie that Rosie was staying at a friend\'s house tonight.



He sighed softly, wondering what the hell had happened to make him dose himself again… he started to tuck him in then saw he was still wearing his shoes. With a soft grin, he moved to take his shoes and socks off, undressing him like he would a child, tugging his slacks off but leaving him in his shirt to sleep. He then covered him up with the blanket and gave him a soft chaste kiss on the cheek. "Sleep well, Ronnie…" he said softly. He took a moment to stroke his cheek and run his fingers through that thick red hair… he turned away and sighed, shutting out the light on his way out. He would never take advantage of him, and Ron was so loyal he\'d never have a chance with him…Blaise went about his normal bedtime routine, showering, brushing out his hair and brushing his teeth, and he was about to climb between his sheets when he heard the phone ring. He answered it, a little cross for the call coming in so late. "Hello…?"



"Oh, good; its you… Blaise, is Ron still awake…?"



Blaise recognized Hermione\'s voice and his ire grew. She had to have done something or said something to make Ron upset. "No, he\'s used a potion to make himself unconscious. What the hell happened…?"



"I happened. It\'s quite complicated; can I come over and explain…?"



"I suppose…"



"I\'ll floo over; I still don\'t have my wand… I\'ll just be a few moments…" she said then hung up quickly.



Blaise slipped back to the guest room to check on Ron; he was still sleeping soundly. He then trotted down the stairs, pulling on a short robe over his bare chest and sleeping pants. He arrived in the living room just as Hermione stepped out of the green flames.



She looked exhausted but invigorated at the same time and worried as well. "Is he all right…?"

"Sound asleep, looks like he drank a bit before he went to bed too…" he scowled, folding his arms. He\'d give her a chance; he\'d at least listen. "You came to explain, so explain…"



"I did a stupid thing and he wouldn\'t let me go through with it… but I may need to go ahead and do it anyway. Actually, I came to ask a favor of you…" she said, looking down.



"A favor…? What kind of a favor?" Blaise asked, unsure of her intentions. "What could you want of me?"



"I\'m going to be gone for a long time… I know you cared deeply for Ron back in school and I have a feeling you still do… take care of him for me." She said softly.



"I… what…?" he asked, startled. She couldn\'t possibly be asking him what he thought she was…



"You and Charlie have always had an open relationship… I mean… Well, Harry and Draco told me that. And… Please Blaise… Ronny will go mental if he\'s all alone… he needs to be taken care of…" she said, gazing up at him.



"You want me to… but… you\'ve never had an open relationship. You don\'t know what you\'re asking of me…"



"I know precisely what I\'m asking. This is the first time I feel like I\'ve been clearheaded in months. You and I both know I won\'t be able to take care of him; I need someone to. Please, Blaise. I want to have everything squared away before I\'m put away… and Ron won\'t consider a divorce, I\'ve asked him and he was furious with me…"



"I\'m not going to seduce your husband…! Ron would never cheat on you…!"



"Its not seduction; I know he still thinks you\'re gorgeous… and its not cheating on me either, if I\'m asking… begging you, really… to keep him happy for me…" she said softly. "I couldn\'t bear thinking of him all alone for years…"



Blaise sighed. "You\'ll have to tell him… I\'m not going to. He\'ll think I\'m trying to steal him from you."



"Loyal and true, that\'s my Ron…" she smiled ever so faintly, then sighed. "I\'ve already told him to look for someone else. I even tried to point him in your direction. Just… make it clear that you\'re interested. You\'ll have to be REALLY clear; he\'s a little thick about relationships and sexual things… and… well, let nature take its course I suppose…"



"He\'ll always be welcome with Charlie and me, but I won\'t come between you. It will have to be his choice."



"Of course… and it would be more of a sharing than interfering… If I know Ron he won\'t ever be with Charlie; he\'s his brother. And he\'d never want to end up interfering between you two either…"



"Charlie\'s usually too tired to even think of anyone else when I get through with him…" Blaise grinned. "No worries there, I take good care of my dragon-tamer."



Hermione looked curious for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. "I forget about your Veela blood; you don\'t look Veela at all…" she said.



He chuckled. "You haven\'t seen me when someone threatens my Charlie." He returned.



"True…" she agreed, glancing at the time. Nearly midnight… "If I get to return, we could even continue to share… he\'s off so often with his tournaments and you\'ll be with him… he wears me out when he returns from his trips sometimes…" she said with a wan smile.



"I\'d like that…" Blaise smiled at her. "And Hermione…? Keep strong. You can get through this. You just have to keep your head up and stay strong. Don\'t let anyone get the best of you…"



"That\'s really hard to do, Blaise…" she admitted, turning back toward the fireplace.



"You\'re a damned clever witch. Use your mind." He said firmly, following her to the fireplace and watching as she activated the floo.



"I\'m working on that… thank you so much, Blaise." She said, and then was gone in a flare of green flames.