Back To Me

Changes

Hermione barely heard the excited squeals of the redheaded women around her. They were looking at baby furniture.


“Isn’t it a bit early to be buying this stuff?” she asked them. “We haven’t even gotten married yet.”


“I know, but I am just too excited! Another grandchild! I was beginning to think I would never get another one. I mean Victoire is already five years old,” Molly squealed in excitement.


“Let’s go pick out your wedding gown,” Ginny said giddily. “I’m so excited you two are finally getting married!”


She and Harry had gotten married four months previously.


“That sounds like it could be fun,” Hermione said, somewhat truthfully.


After all, just because she didn’t love the groom didn’t necessarily mean that her wedding had to be a total loss. Ron had said he would give her the wedding she wanted, and as an auror, he was good for it. She smirked to herself. Perhaps she would just have to take full advantage of his offer.


A few hours later, they were standing in front of a full length mirror. Hermione wore a beautiful white satin gown with an empire waist. It hid her slight bump perfectly.


“You look so beautiful!” Ginny gushed.


Hermione had to admit, the gown did make her feel like a princess. Maybe she could just make the best of this situation. After all, even if she never truly came to love Ron, she would always love the baby that was now growing inside her, and that was what got her through it all.


After Hermione had made her purchases, and put them on Ron’s account, the three ladies decided it was time to grab some lunch.


“Alright, I was going to wait to tell you this, but I just can’t hold it in anymore,” Ginny said, her face pink with barely controlled glee.


“You know how you said you thought you would never have another grandchild because Victoire is getting so big?”


Molly nodded.


“Well, as it turns out, you are going to get two at once!” Ginny said, grinning broadly.


The three women shrieked in unison.


“I can’t believe we get to be pregnant together!” Hermione squealed.


Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as she thought it would be.


Still, she felt her heart ache for Severus.


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


Severus stared at the newspaper clipping for several minutes. The photograph depicted Ronald Weasley grinning stupidly in his new dress robes, and a smiling Hermione on his right arm. Severus could not help but marvel at how beautiful she looked in her wedding gown.


She looked like a princess. Still, he saw something in her eyes that he was sure most others did not. It looked like sadness, or regret, or perhaps even a combination of the two. Whatever the case may be, he could tell that she was hiding behind a façade. He wanted to revel in her despair, but he only found his heart aching for her.


Despite the fact that she had chosen Weasley, he could not help but blame himself a little. After all, he was the one who had encouraged her to begin their illicit affair. If he had persuaded her to choose sooner, then perhaps she would not have gotten into the mess that currently plagued her. Frowning, he cast aside the clipping.


He packed up his tent and placed a fresh tracking device on his owl, Herocles, and then set off for a new destination.


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


“Hermione, please, it’s our wedding night,” Ron begged.


“I said I am not in the mood, Ronald,” Hermione said, wringing the small bouquet in her hands again.


“We used to shag all the time, Hermione, what happened?” he asked.


“Um, let’s see, shall we? I think our problems began when you tricked me into getting pregnant in order to trap me into this marriage,” Hermione spat.


“You can’t stay mad about that forever, Love,” Ron said, grinning.


“Watch me,” Hermione said, and stalked from the room, slamming the door behind her.


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


Hermione sat on the heated table in Healer Moore’s office. She was almost six months along now.


“When is he supposed to get in here? I’m bloody bored,” Ron said, yawning.


“You know, you don’t really have to be here,” Hermione said to him.


“Of course I do,” Ron replied. “I wouldn’t miss any of this.”


Hermione wanted so badly to hate him, but she couldn’t help but feel a little touched by how devoted he was to both her and their child.


The door opened and a healthily built man with gray hair entered the room.


“Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,” he said warmly. “How are you feeling?”


“Much better now that I don’t have morning sickness anymore,” Hermione said, grinning sheepishly.


“Would you like to know the sex of the baby?”


Hermione opened her mouth to say yes, but she was cut off by Ron.


“Absolutely not. We want to be surprised,” he said firmly.


Hermione closed her mouth, face a little hot. That was not something they had really discussed, but she had just assumed he would want to know.


“Everything else looks good, and I will see you again in a month,” Healer Moore said after he completed the examination.


Hermione dressed and they walked out of the examination room together.


“I think I forgot something,” Hermione said, and turned to go back into the exam room.


“Alright, Love. I’ll get our cloaks from the waiting room,” Ron said and walked towards the waiting room.


Hermione nearly collided with Healer Moore.


“Healer Moore!” she said, startled.


“Yes?” he asked her.


“I um, I actually do want to know the sex of the baby,” she said quietly, hoping Ron couldn’t hear her.


Healer Moore quirked an eyebrow up at her.


“Are you sure? Your husband really seemed adamant that it be a surprise,” he said, a smirk playing on the corner of his mouth.


“Yes,” Hermione said. “He is a bloody git anyway.”


Healer Moore grinned.


“Alright, but don’t spoil it for him, ok?”


Hermione nodded.


“It’s a little girl,” he said, grinning at her.


Hermione felt her cheeks burn as a smile spread across her face.


“Thank you so much,” she said, unable to stop smiling.


“My pleasure,” he said, as he turned to leave.


When they got home, Hermione made them sandwiches for lunch.


“I was thinking,” she said, as she squirted extra mustard on his rye bread, even though she knew he hated mustard. “I would like to name the baby Samuel.”


“No, no way,” Ron said, taking the sandwich from her.


He took a big bite and made a face. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, challenging him to say anything.


Ron simply chewed on, eyes tearing up.


“If it is a boy we are naming him Ronald Bilius Weasley Jr.” he said, swallowing.


“And I get no say in it whatsoever?” Hermione said, feigning hurt.


“I’ll tell you what, Love,” Ron said, taking another, noticeably smaller bite. “If it’s a girl, you can pick the name, but if it’s a boy, we are naming him Ronald Bilius Weasley Jr.”


Hermione pretended to consider this.


“Deal,” she said, smirking.


Sometimes you just had to pick your battles.