Second Time Around

Hermione trailed her fingers over the garden gate, staring up the path that led to her one sanctuary. She had always been welcomed when she was lonely. Everyone in that house loved her, they treated her with respect and they never lied to her. She pushed open the white picket, smiling as she remembered when Ginny had first laid eyes on this little house just outside of London. She hated being far away from her parents but Harry was closer to work. As she traveled with the Holyhead Harpies, she didn’t spend much time there anyway, making it hard on Hermione when her husband had left and her best friend was away. She and Harry had spent many nights talking and she knew he tried, but she needed more, she needed that connection again, that spark. It pained her to know she would probably never find it again.

Hermione knocked, feeling ridiculous. Normally she would just floo in but she worried he might be there…

When the door flew open, Ginny stared at her wide-eyed for a moment then grabbed her arm and pulled her in.

“What are you doing standing outside? It’s freezing! And what are you wearing? Where in the world did you get that dress? Where have you been? We’ve all been so worried…”

“Worried? Why would you be worried? I sent you an owl today, didn’t you get it?”

“An owl?” Ginny said incredulously, shoving her down on the sofa and magicking a throw around her shoulders. “We never got anything. Ron has been frantic-,”

“Ron?” Her heart dropped. “Is he here?”

“No, he’s at home waiting for you! Why wouldn’t you go straight there? Look, I know you guys had a row but that doesn’t mean you should go gallivanting around at night! You could have been hurt!”

“Ginny?” Harry’s voice sounded from the kitchen. “Who are you talking to?”

“It’s Hermione! She’s here, she’s alright!”

“Hermione!” Harry ran into the room and embraced her. “Where have you been, we’ve been worried sick! I was just about to organize a search party-,”

“Search party? Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys, slow down. Nothing happened, I’m fine. Didn’t Ron tell you?”

“Yeah he told us you guys had a little row and you stormed out in the rain and aparated away. He’s been looking everywhere for you!”

“I highly doubt that,” she snorted. She could feel her body shaking and not from the cold. That bastard. How could he do this to her? Set her up as if she’d overreacted and ran away like a child! That git!

“What? Hermione, of course he has…what happened? What was the fight about? It couldn’t have been that bad-,”

“Oh really, Harry? It couldn’t have been that bad? In fact, it’s worse. I finally did it, I finally stood up to him.”

“Hermione, what are you talking about?” Ginny asked wearily.

“I’m talking about the fact that your brother, your best friend and my husband has been cheating on me for the past year or more and I finally called him out on it. I left him. That’s what the row was about.”

Silence filled the room as Harry and Ginny looked at one another.

“What? Knew about it all along? It’s alright, so did I. It took me this long to finally stand up for myself. I’m sickened. What was so wrong with me? Hmm? What was so terrible that he had to go and screw that bint of a ‘personal assistant’? Perhaps I should invest in one as well, I had no idea how varied the benefits were!”

“Hermione, calm down. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know…I’ll have to find a new apartment I guess…I can afford a small one alone, I suppose. My salary won’t pay for that house, that’s for sure!”

“Hermione,” Harry started, taking her hand in his. “You can’t divorce him. See, marriages in the Wizarding World are different from the ones in the Muggle World.”

“I know Harry, I am quite aware. I’ve hired Draco Malfoy as my lawyer and he has already gone over my case with me. The divorce will be started by tomorrow evening.”

“On what grounds, Hermione?” Ginny sighed, exasperatedly. “You can’t divorce him for sleeping around!”

“I know, Ginny. Like I said, he’s already found a way for me to pursue it. I can’t be with him any longer, Gin. I’m sorry, but I can’t stay with a man who doesn’t love me.”

“Of course he loves you!” Ginny said, flopping on the chair next to her.

“No. No, Ginny, he doesn’t. He loves the idea of me. He loves the me I was when I was seventeen. We’ve grown apart, I’ll admit.”

“It doesn’t give him the right to treat you this way,” Harry grumbled.

“No, you’re right. It doesn’t. That’s why I’m not going to take it any longer. I have to do this. No matter how hard it will be I can’t live my life this way, always feeling second rate. For once in my life I’m going to put myneeds first. If you can’t forgive me, Ginny, I’ll understand. I know he’s your brother-,”

“And he’s a right git! I’ve been telling him to dump that bimbo for months! I’ll flay him to within an inch of his life for putting you through this. Fool. You do deserve better, Hermione. You deserve to be loved by someone who will be there for you more than my prat of a brother.”

“Hermione,” Harry started, drawing her attention back to him. “I’m not saying that you shouldn’t go through with this because, well, I sort of think you should…but how are you going to get through the Wizengamot? You’ll need proof of some sort of…mistreatment or neglect…”

“It’s alright, Harry. Don’t worry about that.” She didn’t really want to go into the details. “Malfoy is a wonderful lawyer and will make sure everything is taken care of. He hasn’t lost a case yet.” She tried to smile but failed when someone cleared their throat. She looked up and the color drained from her face.

Ron stood there, pale and disheveled. His hair stuck up in odd places and he had dark circles under his eyes. At an earlier time, Hermione would have fussed over him, would have urged him back to bed with a cup of tea. Now, she looked on him with loathing and disgust. All she could see was him in some cheap motel with that long-legged secretary.

“Could I have a minute alone with my wife?” he growled.

Harry stood and placed his hands in his pocket. The girls rose as well and Ginny stepped forward, she and Harry creating a protective barrier.

“No, Ron, I don’t think you can. Not until you’ve cooled down a bit,” Harry said calmly.

“Harry, mate, this hasn’t to do with you. Please just excuse us so I can take her home. We won’t bother you anymore tonight.” Since when had Ron been so eloquent? Hermione was nervous and she wasn’t sure why. He wouldn’t hurt her, deep inside she knew that. He wasn’t that type of person. He wouldn’t strike her or physically injure her in anyway. But he could trample on her heart.

“Ron,” Ginny started softly. “I think you should leave.”

He stared at them, dumbfounded. “You can’t be serious? You’re going to take her side? This is bloody ridiculous! What has she told you?”

“She’s merely resolved what we all knew was happening all along,” Ginny said resolutely.

“And what was that, sister?” Ginny cringed at the endearment.

“You can’t treat her this way,” she said, shakily. “It’s not right.”

Ron puffed up like a rhinoceros. Harry headed him off quickly, stepping forward.

“Ron, don’t be like this. You both just need to cool down, take some time-,”

“Shut the bloody hell up, Potter! You don’t know what you’re talking about! Hermione, stop this madness. We’re going home.” He stepped forward as if her were going to physically drag her there but Ginny and Harry stepped forward while Hermione stepped back.

“No, Ron, we’re not. Go along and enjoy that house we worked so hard for. You have a match in the morning. Go get some rest,” she replied, calmly.

“Hermione-,”

“Ron, come on, let’s leave the ladies be and we’ll discuss this-,” Harry put his hand on his shoulder and attempted to steer him into the kitchen but Ron smacked his hand away and started forward towards Hermione. Ginny stood in his path but Hermione placed a hand gently on her shoulder and urged her to the side. This was her battle, not theirs.

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this,” she whispered to Ginny before turning to the man she married. “Come, Ron. Let’s not get them involved. We’ll go home and talk about this. Alone.”

She hated doing this, wasn’t ready for the confrontation but it had to be done, she had been selfish coming here. Harry and Ginny didn’t deserve to be dragged into this and forced to choose sides.

“See! Now you’ve come to reason!” He gripped her arm rather harder than was necessary and dragged her to the fireplace in the kitchen. They flooed back home and Hermione started up the stairs.

“Where are you going? We have to talk about this-,”

“No, Ron. I told you, I’m not going to discuss this. You don’t have a decision in this.”

“I think I bloody well do! You are my wife! You married me, we took vows! You can’t just leave-,”

“Ron, you shattered those vows long ago. They are now null and void. I shall do as I please and it pleases me to leave. I’m sorry it didn’t work out but that was your fault, not mine.”

“This is a two way relationship, Hermione! It takes two to make it and two to break it!”

She turned slowly on the stairs to look at him. “I don’t think that is true. Yes, it took us both to agree to this relationship but I blindly built it alone. You destroyed it. I can’t help if I did not please you, but that was no reason for you to turn to others. What you did was sick and deceitful. I will not forgive you and I will not live my life with someone like you. I deserve better.”

“Oh, so now you’re saying you’re better than me?” he thundered, crossing his arms.

Hermione contemplated. “From the course of your actions, yes. It didn’t have to be this way, you made it so.”

“I made it this way? You are the one who stormed out last night like a spoiled teenager! I gave you everything, Hermione! You wanted this bloody house in a bloody Muggle neighborhood and my salary paid for it. I gave you your library and your clothes, your things! I let you keep that bloody cat who scratches that shit out of me and this is the way you repay me?”

“But I never wanted any of that,” she laughed sadly. “Don’t you see? The only thing I ever wanted was your love and you failed to give it to me.”

“What do you mean? Of course I love you, you’re my wife! I married you for a reason!”

“I don’t think that reason exists anymore, Ronald. We are different people now, we’ve grown apart. Obviously you have no respect or care for me. Do you even know what love is?”

“Of course I do!”

“Really, Ron? Then tell me, who has been receiving my share? Rebekkah?”

He blanched. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t act coy with me, Ron,” she fumed. “You never could lie to save your arse. Tell me now, do you love her, or just love to fuck her?”

“That’s enough! I will not allow you to treat me this way, in my own house! And I will not allow you to disrespect my personal assistant!”

She could have laughed, would have if her heart was not aching so much. “Well, I’m sure your very personal assistant can assist you in court. I will leave you to your house and will not bother you again. You needn’t use motel rooms anymore, they’re racking up bills. Oh, those are on the counter for you as well, do not forget to pay them. I will be taking my share of funds from the Gringotts vault. Do not worry, I will only take what I have earned, it is all clearly marked in the ledgers in the library so you may check up on it if you wish. I will owl you the key when I have finished.”

She started back up the stairs when his large hand grabbed her arm.

“We’re not through,” he growled, pulling her back.

“Yes, we are. Now please let go of me, you’re hurting me.”

Hermione was not worried; he always forgot how strong he was and was always very apologetic when he realized he had hurt her. But this time, he did not let go. His grasp tightened.

“Hermione, you can’t do this to me, you can’t just walk away. We’ve been married for five years, does that mean nothing to you?”

“Ron, it meant the world to me until you decided to break my heart with your cheating.”

“Everyone cheats! You can’t tell me you’re not cheating as well when you’re wearing that dress! Where have you been, hmm? I can’t imagine Harry and Gin having that lavish of a dinner. Who have you been whoring yourself off to? Draco fucking Malfoy?”

“How dare you!” she whipped around which was difficult due to his tight grip on her upper arm, the fact that they were on the stairs and the hinder of her long dress. “I have honored my vows, thank you very much! You are the only person I have ever been with! Can you say the same? Can you?” she screamed.

He slapped her. Hard. Her head whipped to the side and she stumbled, falling onto the staircase and smashing her head against the railing when he let go of her arm. She gasped; in surprise, in pain. She clutched the side of her face where he had hit her and took a moment to orient herself.

“Oh gods, oh Merlin, Hermione…I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-I-, here, come here,” he bent to pick her up but she shied away from him, clutching the wooden bar of the railing for dear life. Her heart hammered in fear, her body shook uncontrollably. She didn’t have her wand on her and he was so much bigger…

“Don’t touch me,” she croaked.

“Okay, alright…erm…I’m sorry, really, Hermione I would never hurt you, you know that-,”

“What does this look like to you?” she cried, tears streaking down her face as she looked up at him, the mere ghost of who he used to be. “Do you even realize what you just did?”

“I know, Hermione I said I was sorry-,”

“It’s not good enough, not this time. Leave, Ron. Just leave. Now.”

He stood there for a moment as if he was unsure of what to do.

“GO! GET OUT OF HERE! LEAVE ME ALONE!” she screamed hysterically, shaking him of his reverie. “What don’t you understand? Huh? I don’t ever want to see you again!” she sobbed.

Finally he backed away. “I’m s-sorry,” he stuttered before running back into the kitchen. She could hear the roar of the fireplace and knew he had left. Hermione let out a keening wail, her heart shattered. She cried harder than she ever had in her life, in a silky blue dress, crumpled on a staircase clutching a wooden railing.

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XOXO

RynStar15