An Unexpected Turn of Events

Hermione stared at the paper. Horrified. Doing a double take, Hermione read and reread the paper before running to the large oak tree to see if indeed her suitcase was there. To her dismay, it was. Frantic, not knowing what to do, Hermione ran to the front door trying to get into the house, but it was locked. She had no wand to get in and through her living room window, she could see Ron sitting at the kitchen table, ignoring her.

“RON!” Hermione screamed, pounding on the window. He ignored her. “RON!!” Again he ignored her.

Hermione broke down in tears and pounded on the window and then against the front door. She pounded as hard as she could trying her best to break it down and get into the house, but to no avail. Her attempts were ignored. She screamed for what seemed like hours, but nothing seemed to be getting her husband’s attention. Ron just sat there drinking his coffee, reading the paper and twirling her wand around in the air taunting her with his every move.

“You son of a bitch! What is wrong with you! I’m pregnant with your children!” Hermione screamed at the house, trying to get his attention. Sadly, the only attention she received was from their neighbors who came out of their homes to see what the commotion was. Across the street, a young single mother who had recently lost her husband in a home invasion, came to her aid and pulled her away from the house.

“NO! Let me go!” Hermione yelled, pulling away from the woman, collapsing on the ground and thrashing about like a young child throwing a temper tantrum. Everything in Hermione’s life was crashing down around her. Even her already horrible marriage was failing. She had no job, no home and nowhere to go. So she screamed. She screamed so loud that Ron came to the window and watched her. He watched her thrash about on the ground. Smiling he closed the curtains in the living room and retreated to the bedroom.

“NO! You open those curtains right now Ronald Weasley! This is my house! My house!” Hermione’s screams echoed outside of the house, but still Ron did not budge. He simply smirked as he walked up the stairs. He curved his pale hand around the bedroom door and walked in, locking the door behind him. Sitting on his bed, dressed in a lavish display of lingerie was a good friend of his. A woman of which he would never forget again, despite his mistakes. Her brown hair curved over her voluptuous body and her brown eyes looked up at him sensually. She watched him eye her figure hungrily and smirked as he took off his shirt and flexed his well toned muscles.

“Is she finally gone?” The woman leaned back on her arms, displaying the erotic sight of her curled against Ron and Hermione’s marital bed. Ron smile and walked toward her, laughing to himself. He placed his body on top of hers and kissed her neck. She moaned a slight purr of delight and waited for her response as Ron cupped one of her breasts in his hand.

“Of course. A promise is a promise.” His words were soft and he murmured them in her ear to aid in the sexual mood he was creating. She leaned her neck back and let Ron commence to kissing down her body. She wrapped her legs around his waist and drug her purple nails across his back, leaving little white lines where she touched.

“And the paperwork?” Her voice was slightly labored from the sexual intensity he was stirring within her body. Ron pulled her up to meet him and looked straight into her eyes. She eyed him back with the same hungry look he had just given her.

“Anything for you my love.” And with that, Ron threw her down onto the bed he and Hermione had shared just the night before.

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

Hermione sat at the end of a guest bed sobbing hysterically. Her neighbor watched her carefully and gave her a warm cup of tea as she looked her up and down, trying to determine how harshly she had been beaten and the conditions of the twins that were still enclosed within her tiny frame. Other than Hermione’s apparent distress, there didn’t seem to be any other problems which comforted the woman.

“Is he yours?” Hermione’s sudden question through her hysteria made the woman jump a little. Playing in a pen on the opposite side of the room was her two year old son, who had stood up and tried to look out of the playpen at the strange new woman in the house. Hermione smiled and waved. The baby waved back.

“Yeah, he’s the youngest.” Hermione watched him very carefully and stopped crying. She was entranced by his haphazard motions and the way he walked and moved. The woman watched her with attention and care. “Can I call someone to come and get you Hermione? Is there anyone who can take care of you?”

Hermione shook her head and cried a little, wiping her eyes with a tissue and drinking the tea the woman had made for her. She didn’t know who to turn to. She couldn’t go to her parents house. They didn’t need to see her like this. And she couldn’t go to Mrs. Weasley’s house. That would just make her way out of line. After all Ron was her blood. And blood is thicker than water. Suddenly it came to her who she could call.

“Yeah…I do. Can you call Harry and Ginny Potter for me?” Hermione’s statement confused the woman, but she smiled and walked to the fireplace. Throwing a decent amount of powder into the fire, she bravely and clearly said “Mr. Harry Potter’s residence.” Immediately Hermione could see the living room of Harry and Ginny’s house forming before her. Harry came to the fireplace.

“Yes?” Harry’s voice was soothing to Hermione who sobbed loudly and put the tea down, waiting for the woman to tell Harry.

“Mr. Potter. I have Hermione here and she needs somewhere to stay. She is very badly hurt.” Harry’s face went from worried to horrified as he looked behind the woman and saw Hermione, black and blue, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Of course.” Harry immediately reached out his hand. Hermione jumped off the bed and rushed to the fireplace looking back at the kind woman and saying a word of gratitude before she walked through the fire into Harry’s home and stood up looking at Harry for the first time in three years. He looked very different. His hair was still that crazy untamable mob, but he had filled out a lot. He was muscular and taller with a little five o clock shadow and the beginnings of a unibrow. He looked at her with equal awe and surprise. The two just stared at one another for what seemed like hours before she finally got up the nerve to say something.

“You’ve gotten taller.” Her statement was simple and observant. His however…

“You’ve gotten pregnant!”

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

Harry and Hermione sat on the couch, laughing and joking together for the longest time. For once Hermione was not afraid. She told him all about the beatings and the letter and after the initial anger, Harry agreed to just laugh and help her catch up with the real world. Together it was almost like old times for them.

“Well, it looks like our kids are going to grow up together!” Harry’s abrupt comment made Hermione spit out the tea she had just been drinking. She stared at Harry and he nodded slightly.

“How far along is she?” Hermione asked, thrilled at the idea of being an aunt. Harry laughed at held up nine fingers. Hermione gasped. She was due very soon now. “Harry? Is it a boy or a girl?”

“A girl. Ginny is having herself a little baby doll to pamper.” Hermione smiled and hugged her friend over her enormous stomach. And together they sat and enjoyed their time together. She could stay there. At least until Ginny had the baby. Hermione, for the first time in almost seven years, felt safe.

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

“GET IT OUT OF ME!!!!!” Ginny’s screams could be heard throughout St. Mungo’s and she had only been in labor for two hours. Nothing seemed to be working. Harry panicked and ran around the room, shaking healers and demanding that Ginny be cured of this pain. The hysterical father was more than Hermione could take. She tried to hide her laughter from Ginny, but failed to do so. Ginny screamed louder.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU”RE LAUGHING AT?!!! I’M HAVING A BEACH BALL OVER HERE!!!” Ginny was hysterical and clenched her teeth, trying to thrash about, but they had pinned her down so she couldn’t close her legs.

“Ginny. It’s ok. The baby will be here soon! Your baby girl!” Hermione tried her best to comfort Ginny, but another contraction sent a wave of pain through Ginny’s body and she cringed in agony and crushed Hermione’s hand. Hermione tried to pull away, but to no avail.

“OK Ginny, here she comes! I’m going to have you push ok?” The nurse sat below Ginny in the catcher’s position. Harry heard the news and dropped the healer he had been holding by the neck and raced into the room. He stood next to the nurse jumping up and down like a kid waiting for a present at Christmas.

“I AM PUSHING!” Ginny yelled and screamed in agony.

“I see the head!” The nurse smiled and looked up at Ginny. “Push one more time for me OK?”

And with that, Ginny’s baby came out, screaming her little lungs out. She was immediately placed on Ginny’s chest and the proud mother gazed at the child squealing in her arms. Harry however, didn’t move.

“Harry?” Ginny asked, worried about her husband. He suddenly got a giant smile on his face and looked straight at Hermione.

“It’s a baby.” And with that Harry fainted.