Hunter and Prey

“You didn’t leave me any choice.” Ron retorted, pulling off the invisibility cloak. He had to beg Harry to allow him to accompany him. He only wanted to make sure she was alright. To let her know that whatever had happened between them he bore her no ill-will. Though she should have at least let him grab a pair of pants before kicking him out. They’d barely spoken in nine months and when he had talked to the papers to give his side of the story it had come out all wrong.

“That’s because I don’t want to talk to you.” Hermione lowered the wand rather than give into the temptation to hit him with a curse. She did not need this right now. “Thank you for your concern. Do tell your family I am fine.” She said formally but with little warmth. “Now get out.”

“You’re not fine.” Ron was not going anywhere until he got some answers. He had missed her explanation while he apparated to Harry’s house to get the cloak. Then he had to wait until someone went into the infirmary because they’d notice a door opening by itself. But he had seen the problem with his own eyes when she pulled up her robe. “You’re going to have a baby.”

“That’s none of your business!” Where did he get off prying into her life? He’d made it quite clear she wasn’t a priority when compared to a slut in orange knickers. “They’re not yours. It is not your problem.” Hermione took a deep breath to rein in her anger. “I don’t need your help, Ronald. Go home.”

“You need someone’s help! You were laughing about it!” Ron caught himself shouting. It never failed. As soon as she put on that lecturing voice, he got peeved. Did she think he was so stupid he wouldn’t realise what had happened? He’d heard his Dad talking about it. Helsinki Syndrome or something. Or she could be under an Imperius. After the War, missing people had come back different. He didn’t want that to happen to her.

“I can laugh at whatever I damn well want!” Hermione couldn’t believe she was having this conversation.

“You’re talking nonsense.” He took a few steps towards her, wary of that wand. Ron didn’t like the look in her eye. Bill got that look sometimes, particularly around the full moon. Who knew what sort of strange influence those creatures inside her had over Hermione? She had to get rid of them. Then when there was time, she and he could talk about things. “It will be alright. Madam Pomfrey will make something. You can take it and no one has to know.”

“I can’t!” Hermione nearly screamed. She couldn’t risk a magical abortion until she confirmed the dangers. Massive blood loss was a risk even in normal terminations. The wizarding world yearned for children. There had not been nearly as much effort in finding ways to end a pregnancy as there had been in finding ways to start one. There were several contraception charms to ensure the right sort of children but very few charms to end them. And most of those were Dark Magic.

“So you’ll have his kids but not mine?” The shock of her refusal forced the words out of his mouth before Ron could stop himself. He didn’t mean it like that but it just slipped out. He instantly tried to explain. “Hermione, I...”

“Silencio!” She had heard quite enough. Ryan’s wand jerked in her hand as she cast, suggesting it was not a charm he often used. No, Hermione thought bitterly, he had preferred more mundane gags. Ron went mute though his mouth still flapped. Nothing short of a Stupefy was going to get him to stop. After suffering so many herself, she was reluctant to cast a stunning spell on someone else, particularly with an unfamiliar wand. So she settled for yelling at him.

“You listen to me, Ronald Weasley. You are my ex-husband. Ex as in former. Regardless of how long the Ministry takes to sort out the paperwork, you may officially consider yourself unwanted.” Hermione blinked. She was not going to cry in front of him. He moved towards her and she pointed the wand at him. He stopped. “I will do what I think is right, for me and for my children.” Whatever the right thing was, whenever she found it. “And if you ever speak to me like that again I will hex off your tongue and make you eat it!”