Back To Me

A Divided Family is Still a Family

Rose closed the gold clasp of the chain around her neck. Her parents had given her a beautiful gold necklace with a raven on it, in honor of her graduation from Ravenclaw house. She studied her reflection in the mirror, turning from side to side, and running a hand over her soft red curls. She saw her mother come up behind her in the mirror.


“Happy Birthday, Darling,” she said. “Did you enjoy your party?”


“I already know about you and Dad,” she told her, hurt evident in her pretty amber eyes.


Hermione looked at her daughter in surprise.


“Your lawyer has a daughter in Ravenclaw; a right beast of a girl. She told everyone. I’m surprised your lover didn’t tell you,” she told her mother, anger flashing across her face. “I can’t believe you’re going to leave Dad for someone you hardly know!”


“Rose, Darling, that’s not exactly---“


“I can’t believe you would betray Dad this way! Of all the millions of men out there, you pick the one he hates the most!”


She bolted from the room, leaving Hermione alone. She looked at her reflection. Her face looked tired and worn. She had prepared herself that Rose might react with hostility, but she never could have anticipated how much it would hurt. She sighed deeply and walked down the hall. She saw Ron and Rose sitting on the couch. Ron had his arm around Rose’s shoulder, consoling her.


“I can’t believe she’s doing this to you, Dad. I just can’t believe you are letting her get away with it!” she sobbed into his shoulder.


“Shhh, shhh darling, it’s alright. Daddy’s here,” Ron told her.


“She’s such a lying little tart! I can’t believe she is going to destroy this family after all we’ve been through together!”


Ron’s face fell. Perhaps keeping the truth to themselves wasn’t the best way to handle this. After all, even though she had cheated, he couldn’t truly bring himself to think of Hermione as a whore. He couldn’t allow their daughter to think it either. He took a deep breath, still not noticing that Hermione was standing in the doorway.


“There’s more to it than that, Muffin,” Ron began.


Hermione inhaled sharply, stepping back so that they would not see her.


“What do you mean?” Rose asked him, confused.


“Back when your mother and I were dating, she started seeing someone else. She was well within her right to do that, as we weren’t engaged, but when I found out I lost it. We’d been friends since we were bloody eleven years old, and although we had dated briefly after Hogwarts, we split up because of our schooling. I went to auror school, and your mum, of course, went to University to study potions. After we graduated, we started dating again, and I guess we were about four or five months into it when she started seeing him, too---“


“But Dad, if she’d wanted to be with him, she should have broken it off with you. That would have been the right thing to do—“


“Shhh, Darling, I know that. Your mother knew that too, but she also knew I wouldn’t have just let her go without a fight. I tried to break them up several times, but it didn’t work. Finally, I was so afraid I would lose her, I did the only thing I knew would make her stay,” Ron said, looking at his daughter uncomfortably.


Realization dawned on Rose’s face.


“Oh, Dad, you didn’t,” she said, looking at him incredulously.


“I’m afraid I did, sweetheart,” Ron said, wringing his hands ashamedly. “Your mother never loved me like she loved him, but she stayed with me for your sake. She didn’t want you to grow up in a broken home,” he said, feeling his eyes well up a little.


Rose was silent for several moments, lost in her own thoughts.

“Well if it’s any consolation, I had a wonderful childhood,” she said finally, eliciting a hearty chuckle from her father.


“Who knows, perhaps one day I’ll find true love, and then you’ll have two mums and two dads,” Ron said. “On second thought, if you ever call that git “dad” I’ll not only disenherit you, but I’ll never speak to you again.”


Rose smiled at her father.


“Deal,” she said, extending her hand.


Ron grabbed her by the arm and enveloped her in a hug.


From the doorway, Hermione wiped away a tear. It was time to make her presence known. She cleared her throat softly.


Ron and Rose turned around to look at her.


“Oh, Mum!” Rose said, jumping up and coming around the sofa to hug her mother tightly. “I’m so sorry for all the horrible things I said. I didn’t realize there was a history. I didn’t realize---I just, I’m sorry,” she said.


“Its’ alright dear,” Hermione told her. “We all make mistakes sometimes.”


The trio nodded in agreement.


“Well, while I’ve got you both here, I have some news to share,” Rose said, grabbing them each by a hand.


Hermione and Ron sat down on the couch side by side, crossing their legs away from one another, and looked at their daughter expectantly.


She reached into her pocked and pulled out a brilliant, glittery diamond ring encircled by emeralds.


“Scorpius has asked me to marry him!” she squealed, putting the ring on her finger.


“Oh Darling! That’s wonderful!” Hermione shrieked, jumping up to embrace her daughter.


“What?! He didn’t ask for our permission much less our blessing!” Ron shouted, face reddening with anger.


“Well of course not, Dad what did you expect? He knew a Gryffindor would never agree in a million years to the idea of a Slytherin marrying his only daughter. He is a Slytherin after all, or did you forget?” she teased him.

“Well that’s precisely the point. Those Slytherins are always up to no good. This is a bad idea, Rose, I’m telling you---“


“Now, Dad, I’m not going to choose someone else just to make you happy. I love Scorpius and I am going to marry him, and there isn’t a damn thing you can do to change my mind, so you bloody well better get used to it. Besides, you need to focus on your own love life, and stay out of mine.”


Ron opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. This he did three times before he spoke.


“You’re right, Dear. I’m sorry. I’ve learned my lesson about standing in the way of love. For the record, I’m going to take some time for myself, rather than think about finding someone new.”


Both women nodded in acknowledgement. Perhaps it was a good idea for him to focus on what he wanted, what he truly wanted, rather than that which he thought he wanted.


“Well, you’re a woman, now, Rose. I’m so proud of you,” Hermione said, her eyes tearing up.


“I’m going to take up Professor Snape’s offer, but I would appreciate it if you two exercised some restraint around me. I don’t want to see you two snogging all the time.”


Ron shifted uncomfortably on his feet.


“Well that works out then,” he said, trying to change the subject. You won’t be as close as living in the building, but at least we’re not too far from Hogwarts, so you can commute.”


“Um, actually Dad, Scorpius and I have already leased a flat in London. We’re going to live together until after my apprenticeship, and then we’re going to get married. Draco offered to put us up at Malfoy Manor, but Scorpius and I want to make our own way,” she said, beaming.


Ron’s face fell.


“But don’t worry, Dad. We’re going to come by at least twice a month for dinner. I fully intend for you to spend some time with Scorpius and grow to love him as I do,” she said.

Ron made a face.


“Well not exactly as I do, but you know,” Rose said, causing her parents to laugh.


“Well the fact that he plans to earn his living and not just sap off of the Malfoy tree already says a lot for him. Perhaps it won’t be as awful as I am imagining it will be,” Ron said.


“Oh Daddy! You’re going to just love him, I know it!” Rose shrieked, throwing her arms around her father’s neck.


Perhaps things would start to look up after all.


A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed that. It was difficult to write, and I stopped and started several times before I finally cranked it out. Please review!