Chapter 12: Surprises
Absolute silence reigned in the courtroom for a minute. Hermione felt tears cloud her vision as her heart shattered in a million pieces.
Harry had betrayed her.
"What?!?" Arthur and Molly Weasley screamed in unison.
"He's lying! He's just trying to keep her out of prison!" Fudge screamed, his face the color of a ripe tomato. Remus and Moody had solemn expressions on their faces, but cast anxious glances at each other.
He lied to me.
"I'll take Veritaserum," Harry piped up, drawing silent stares from the others in the courtroom. Tears streamed freely down Hermione's cheeks, a cry of agony ripping through her body. The hold on her arms slackened and Hermione crumpled to the ground, clasping a hand over her mouth.
Harry's gaze feel on his wife's crumpled form and tears sprang to his eyes. He stretched a hand out to Hermione, but at her muffled sob his hand fell by his side.
"That won't be necessary, Harry," Tiberius Ogden sighed wearily, motioning to the chair Ginny was seated in. "Ginny, please let Harry sit down. I have a feeling this will be a long story."
Ginny moved, looking dazed. Harry sat down in the chair, squirming uncomfortably. Hermione clenched her teeth, trying to control the sobs that had taken over her body.
"This is nonsense!" Fudge howled. Ogden turned around and gave Fudge a look that could have melted steel. Fudge promptly sat down, duly silenced.
Tiberius slumped into a chair, rubbing his temples tenderly. Hermione finally managed to to control her tears. Moody made a motion to help her up, but she shrank away from his grip. Her eyes leveled on Harry's form, angry tears streaming down her cheeks.
Harry's voice was quiet. "Ginny was right, in a way. It did start the day Ron made me and Hermione his secret keepers."
He sighed deeply, his gaze leveled on the ground. Not once did he return Hermione's gaze.
"I kept his address…he gave it to me on paper after we performed the charm. I kept it in my transfiguration book. No one ever looked through someone else's schoolbooks. I kept it under my bed."
Harry sighed, continuing. "The day we left Hogwarts, I forgot about the book. By the time I'd remembered it and gotten back to Gryffindor Tower, it was gone.
"Harry," Remus was frowning deeply. "The only one who could have gotten in Gryffindor tower was a Gryffindor. Are you saying you think one of them did this?"
Harry looked at the ground, then his gaze turned to Hermione. A lone tear slid down his cheek. "I was trying to find out who did it, 'Mione. That's why I came home so late all the time."
He betrayed me.
A muffled sob escaped Hermione's throat as she clasped a hand over her mouth, trying to keep a grip on her tumultuous emotions.
Finally, something inside of her snapped and she snapped to her feet, evading outstretched hands as she fled the courtroom.
* * *
She had been crying so hard she didn't hear the door open.
" 'Mione? Here you are. Everyone was worried."
Hermione had apparated back to her flat, where she'd barricaded herself in the bedroom. She collapsed on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably into the pillow until exhaustion took her and she was alone in her despair.
I told.
Harry's words rang over and over in her ears, taunting her. At Harry's voice, her entire body stiffened, rage pouring through her body as she turned and glared at Harry.
"How could you have kept this from me?" she screamed, unable to stifle the rage any longer. "When you know all I went through? Why didn't you tell me?"
Harry's eyes began to water as he slowly slumped on the edge of the bed. Hermione shrank away from him, repulsion flowing through her body. She had married him because it was the only way to stay out of Azkaban, and he had been hiding this the entire time?
Was their entire relationship based on a lie?
" 'Mione, I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you, I did. I … I felt responsible for his death. I wanted to find the person responsible. I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you…"
"You didn't want to hurt me? You didn't want to hurt me! You could have told the ministry this entire time and you didn't!" Hermione's voice was quivering with the unrestrained rage. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as the horror of what happened sunk in. Had her best friend kept this a secret to take advantage of her? The thought sent a chill of disgust down Hermione's spine.
"I…I thought it…those letters…and I wasn't sure…I mean I knew you didn't tell…I didn't think they'd believe me…and then Julius told us about that law…and…I…"
…to take advantage of me…
Bile rose in her throat. Hermione had heard enough. With unrestrained anger she slapped Harry across the face. He stared at her in shock, tears streaming down his cheeks, the physical and emotional pain evident in his features.
Serves him right.
"We wouldn't have had to get married if you'd told the truth! You married me to get into my pants," Hermione's screamed loudly, not bothering to restrain the agony that rolled in waves over her body.
"No…," Harry whispered, the horror of her accusations hitting him like a thousand bricks. " 'Mione, I didn't want that … I mean…I did…but I … I really did love you…"
"Did you now? Did you really?" Hermione whispered, barely able to speak through the tears. Her throat felt so tight, her lungs burning from the pain.
She showed him her left hand as she fumbled with her wedding band with the other. She pulled it off and slapped it into his open palm. Harry stared at it silently, unable to keep back a sob that erupted from her body.
Hermione rose to her feet, barely able to maintain her composure as she turned towards the door. She paused, giving Harry a pointed stare, her voice surprisingly harsh.
"Then why did you lie?"
* * *
Emma Granger found her daughter curled up on her old bed, sobbing into her pillow. Through her daughter's sobs, she was vaguely able to make out the gist of what happened. She drew her daughter into her arms.
"Oh Hermione," she murmured softly. "I'm so sorry."
* * *
The days seemed to pass in a daze. Hermione felt physically and emotionally broken. She spent her days in bed, staring at the ceiling. Emma repeatedly tried to convince her daughter to eat, but Hermione didn't feel hungry.
Hermione wished she were dead.
She had no idea how long she lay like that. One day, her mother and father came in, a concerned expression on both of their faces. Hermione stared numbly at them. Were they double-teaming her now?
"Hermione, get ready. We're going to the doctor."
Hermione rolled over, hoping her parents would go away. She wanted to be left alone to wallow in her misery.
Her mother grabbed her arm and jerked her upright. "Not a chance, Hermione. You're going. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."
Hermione let out a deep sigh. Even though they weren't wizards, they could be surprisingly forceful, even without magic.
* * *
Two hours later, Hermione felt irritated. She had gone through every test in the book, and still the doctor wouldn't answer any questions.
Now she waited impatiently with her parents in the waiting room. Her head jerked up when she saw a doctor walking towards them.
"Hermione, we're ready."
Hermione sat in the chair, listening to the doctor rattling one about the results of her blood tests.
"So…that looks like it's normal," the doctor repeated for the hundredth time. Hermione turned and gave her parents a glare. Maybe now they would be satisfied the only problem she had was with her broken heart.
"There was one test that wasn't normal," the doctor admitted. "Your HCG was elevated."
Emma Granger gasped, looking at her husband. Hermione frowned, her gaze drifting back and forth between her parents. Finally, she looked at the doctor, irritated.
"What does that mean?" she said tartly, irritated that these people wouldn't say whatever it was they were trying to say.
Hermione felt her heart freeze at the serious look the doctor gave her.
"Well, it means you're going to have a baby."