The Wrong Time

A Chat With the Children

Hermione paced the living room of the house she had called home for almost twenty years. Ron had gone to pick up the kids at King’s Cross. She was nervous, and she hoped that they hadn’t heard of their impending divorce from the rumour mill. She did not know if they would be able to repair the damage done if their children heard from someone else about the dissolution of their family.


Josiah was with his grandparents. Ron and Hermione had already talked to his parents about the divorce, and even though they both frowned upon it, they had accepted it nonetheless. Hermione checked the clock above the mantel once more. They should be arriving any second.


As if on cue, the front door opened, and in walked Rose, followed by Hugo and Ron.


“Hey, Mum,” Rose said cheerfully and embraced her mother.


Hermione kissed her daughter on the cheek. She could not help but notice how much Rose had grown in the last few months. Her little girl was a woman now, and that was a strange revelation to Hermione.


“Hello, darlings,” Hermione said, gesturing towards the couch.


“Blimey, you don’t waste any time, Mum,” Hugo joked as he sat down on the couch next to his sister.


“Yeah, what’s this all about?” Rose asked expectantly.


“Well, your father and I have some news,” Hermione said, nervously.


Ron nodded in agreement, his brow furrowed.


“What’s going on?” Hugo said, suddenly looking nervous.


“Your father and I have decided,” Hermione began.


She lost her composure. She blinked back tears.


“Well the thing is, kids, your mum and I are going to get a divorce,” Ron said, swallowing uncomfortably.


“What?” Hugo asked incredulously.


Rose sat there, stunned.


“What do you mean, divorced“ she hissed.


Hermione wrung her hands uncomfortably.


“We’ve been unhappy for a while now,” She said softly.


“Well that’s news to me,” Hugo said coolly.


“Just because we haven’t paraded it around in front of you lot doesn’t mean we haven’t been having troubles,” Ron said sternly.


“But Dad! How can you two give up? You’ve been to hell and back! Isn’t that what you always told us? That you’d been to hell and back and nothing could tear you apart! I can’t believe this is happening!” Rose cried, tears forming.


“Now, sweetie,” Hermione began, reaching out to squeeze Rose’s shoulder.


“No! Don’t touch me! How can you decide to tear our family apart without talking to us first? Doesn’t our opinion matter?”


“Of course it matters, Love,” Ron said uncomfortably. “Your Mum and I still love you all very much, this is nothing to do with you.”


“But it is, Dad! This is our family too! You’re just going to let it fall apart?” Hugo said angrily.


“Well which one of you is cheating?” Rose asked, looking at the floor.


Ron’s ears turned pink.


“Why would you think that?” Hermione asked her daughter tentatively.


“Why else would you be getting a divorce? Plenty of couples stay married unhappily. I have to assume there is some pressing reason why you would need to get divorced.”


Hermione looked at Ron.


“Dad! How could you do that to Mum? How could you do that to us?” Hugo said, voice raising pointedly.


“I---I don’t know what to say,” Ron admitted.


“Do you love her?” Rose asked scathingly.


Ron nodded in defeat.


“I plan to marry her,” he said softly.


“What? You two aren’t even divorced yet and you are planning to marry again already?” Rose said angrily.


“She’s----well---she’s going to have a baby,” Ron said, face flushing terribly.


Hermione looked taken aback.


“She’s---pregnant?” she asked, a lump rising in her throat.


Ron nodded.


Hermione blinked back tears.


Rose looked as though she might throw up.


“Well, who is going to live where?” she asked calmly.


“Your Mum is already staying in a cottage across town, and Lavender will be moving in here,” Ron said.


“Actually,” Hermione began, voice wavering slightly. “I am planning to take Josiah and move to Italy.”


“What about us?” Hugo asked incredulously.


“There will be room for you there if you would like to live there with me,” Hermione said.


“What makes you think I would want to pack up my life and move to ITALY?” Rose asked angrily.


“You don’t have to. You can live with your father, or with me, or with both of us,” Hermione said softly.


“How would that even work?” Hugo asked, confused.


“Well you could stay with me for part of the year, and with your father for another part of the year,” Hermione answered.


“What about Joe? How does he fit into all of this?” Rose asked, scandalized.


“Well for now, he will be living with me. Once we get settled, He will live with your father for part of the week and for me the rest of it. He is too young to spend more than a few days away from either of us.”


“I think I would rather live at Hogwarts,” Rose said plainly.


“Darling, you can’t stay at Hogwarts forever,” Ron said quietly.


“I can until Summer comes,” Rose said. “Then I will get my own flat. I’ll be seventeen then.”


“Rose! You are too young to be living on your own!”


“No I’m not, Mum. When I am of age I can do whatever I want to!”


Hermione felt the tears flow freely down her cheeks. Her babies were slipping away from her.


“You can’t do that to me!” Hugo accused. “I won’t be old enough to live on my own yet! You can’t leave me alone!”


Rose looked taken aback.


“I’ll stay wherever you do, then,” she said, looking at the floor.


Hugo hugged his sister tightly.


Hermione smiled inwardly at the display. At least they had each other. She had no one.


A/N: Thanks for reading. Please Review.