Both of Us

The next morning, Ron woke to find Pansy had made coffee and toast. He helped himself to a sample. “Pansy I need to talk to you about something.”



“Alright then.” She moved to his couch and sat down. “What is it?”



“Neville sent me a letter. He overhe…….” The floo went off and Neville walked in.



“I’m sorry Ron, I would have sent word that I was coming but I thought I better let you two know as soon as possible.”



“Let us know what?” Pansy asked..



“I was just about to tell her what your letter said last night.” Ron told him.



“Letter?” Pansy said leaning forward. ”Can someone please fill me in.”



Neville took a seat. “Last night on shift I overheard you parents speaking to Gudrun. They said you had run off before they could give you the potion.”



“Potion? What potion?” She asked, looking nervous.



“In the letter I said that I would do some looking about and see if I could find any information.”



“And did you find anything?” Ron asked.



“Yes. Anything potion out of St. Mungo’s is signed for at three different times. When the herbs are taken from the greenhouses, when the lab space is used, and when the finished potion is about to leave the hospital. The records of these signs ins are available to all healers, so I went and checked them all out. A series of plants were taken from the greenhouses a month and a half ago. Gudrun also rented out lab space for four weeks while he brewed. A potion was also signed out by the Parkinsons just a week ago.”



“Do you know what it was?” Ron asked.



“The potion was labeled in Russian, and I didn’t have time to translate it but my secondary certification is herbology so I went back and had a look at the herbs taken from the greenhouses. I did a little research in my office and found a potion that fit everything.”



“What was it?” Pansy asked.



“It’s got a foot long name, but it causes miscarriage.” Pansy sucked in a breathe. “It takes about three and a half to four weeks to brew. It’s supposed to be given during the first four months of pregnancy, but it will work at any stage.”



“Ok, let’s say for arguments sake that they were planning on slipping this to her, why wait until she was this far along?” Ron asked.



“The plants weren’t mature enough. Gudrun obtained them from the greenhouses the day after they charts listed them as harvest ready. They were probably hoping that Pansy would either give in and take the potion or agree to adoption during the waiting period.” Pansy was frozen. Not knowing what to say, she just sat there.



“There is also something else I found out.” Neville said. Pansy looked up at him, waiting. “I looked into Gudrun as well. I thought it was unusual that a healer would go to such lengths to help parents terminate a healthy pregnancy. There was no risk to Pansy and nothing in her chart to suggest she shouldn’t carry.”



“What did you find?” Ron asked.



“Gudrun is a firm supporter of the after potions, which is given in most rape cases.”



“I was offered it at the hospital when I was seen.”



Neville nodded. “It’s offered to all rape cases, but it’s always the woman’s decision as to if they take it. Gudrun makes an effort to try and convince women that it’s a better option. While it’s not forbidden to counsel, it is considered unethical to try and sway the decision of a patient.”



“But Gudrun feels otherwise?” Ron asked.



“Yes, he’s a believer of pureblood lines, and lineage. He feels children in the cases of rape have tainted blood. That they will end up like their fathers and become criminals as well.”



“What about the mother’s blood. It takes a mother to create a child too.” Pansy asked.



“Since it is the sperm that determines the sex, he feels that children are products of their father. He also believes that children conceived with dark wizards carry their fathers insanity and dark nature, and that the mother is susceptible to it since she carries the child to term.”



“That explains why your parents wanted to find out your state of mind.” Ron said. “This mans a healer?”



“Can I go to a lawyer with this?” Pansy asked.



“You might speak to one to see what they can do, but he didn’t give the potion to you, he gave it to your parents. He also didn’t say anything about tricking you into taking it. Your parents can easily claim that they were going to try and convince you to take it.”



“But my parents on the night I ran away were speaking about using the imperious.” She said.



“I have no knowledge of that, I can only tell you what I found out. Like I said, you can talk to a lawyer and see what happens. Either way, you are not underage so leaving home is not a crime.” Pansy was sitting in her chair frozen. There was no way she was returning home now, not after what she heard, or what her parents offered.



“Pansy,” she looked up at Neville, “I’ll take care of your care from now on if you wish.” She gave him a nod. “Then I’ll see you soon, I have to go now.”





It took a week for Ron’s hawk to return with a response. When she read the letter she realized why it took so long. “He’s in America.”



“America? What’s he doing there?” Ron asked over lunch as she read.



“He’s working on a land venture with an American wizard. It’s in the beginning stages so he’ll be there for at least another four or five months.” He voice was concerned as she read. Then her face brightened. “He says he will absolutely help me and I can stay at the castle as long as I want.” A tear slid down her cheek. “He wants to know if I can stay with you because he doesn’t want me at the castle by myself. He would feel better if I had someone close by other then house elves. He says will pay back an expenses.”



“Are you going to write him back, we can send another hawk?” He said.



“Yes, I want to write him back and thank him.”



“Tell him I’ll take care of you here until he gets back. The baby too, when it’s born. Tell him he doesn’t need to reimburse me, it’s not necessary.”



Pansy rose up and hugged him tightly. “Thank you Ron.” He hugged her back and felt a kick to his lower stomach.



“Your welcome too.” He said to her swollen belly, as she giggled.





Neville’s information however played on Ron’s mind for the next few days. He made a decision to go and see Mr. Parkinson, and while she may be angry at him, he felt he had to.



He went to Mr. Parkinson’s office, and waited a few moments before being allowed in to see him. When Ron told him that Pansy was now in his care he was not happy.



“Send her home. I will give you a Gringotts draft for your trouble.” He said, assuming Ron was complaining.



“That’s not why I’m here.” Ron said refusing the chair he was offered.



“Mr. Weasley, Pansy is my daughter and she is my responsibility. Send her home.”



“Pansy is no longer your legal responsibility since she is over seventeen. She has every right to lead her own life. I am merely telling you that I am caring for her since I know you are looking for her, although why I don’t know.”



“What does that mean?” He asked.



“Pansy wants to keep her baby. She left because she knew you were trying to give her child away.”



“We were not giving the child away, we were arranging for an adoption to loving parents.”



“Pansy will be a loving parent. It’s her choice to keep the baby or give her up.”



“Pansy will never be able to marry decently with a child in tow, particularly a child of rape. She should have taken the potion when it was offered to her. Now her only options are men who are sterile or impotent.”



“Is that how you see women? You wouldn’t marry a woman who had a child?” Ron asked.



“No. Children of rape aren’t wanted. Pansy is a fool to think she can force a child like that onto a man.”



“Maybe she doesn’t need to get married. Any man who can’t accept her child with her isn’t worth marrying.”



“What man would take on another man’s leavings?”



“I would. Pansy is strong and brave to do this. She is turning her back on everything for the sake of her child, and that makes for a remarkable woman.”



“She is stupid for throwing away her life.”



“It is her life and I will help her from now on. You needn’t feel bothered by her anymore.” He turned and left the office.



When he returned home, he told Pansy where he had went. She wasn’t mad, just shocked.



“You didn’t have to do that.” She said.



“I wanted to. I mean it Pansy. It takes a lot of courage to walk away from everything when all the people around you are telling you that you are making a mistake. You know what you need to do, and that will make you a great mother. It makes me proud to help you.”



Pansy gave him a smile, and it made Ron feel good to see her smile.