Chapter 7 - Mother Knows Best
Hermione lay in the bed that she had shared with Ron for fifteen years. She rolled over and looked at the clock - it was 2PM and she had yet to get up. She hadn't intended to take a sick day but after her long discussion with her mother, Elizabeth, the previous night, she decided that she needed at least a day off to process everything.
"So what are you going to do now?" Elizabeth asked.
"I don't know, Mum. I suppose I pick up the pieces and start over. I already have a new job, as we've discussed. I just need to find a way to break it to Rose and Hugo."
"Well, just make sure that you and Ron do it together. You need to be a united front and make sure that the kids know that you both love them very much and they will continue to be your top priority."
"That's good advice, but it's not going to make it hurt any less."
"Of course not, dear. It's going to be painful and hard on everyone, especially the children. Remember, if you need me or your dad to come and help out, we're here."
"Thanks, Mum. I'm so glad I have you and dad. I love you both so much."
"And we love you, sweetie."
There was a pause in the conversation.
"Hermione, have you told Harry yet about this?"
Elizabeth knew how close Hermione and Harry were. Years ago, when her daughter would come home from Hogwarts during the summer, he was all she ever spoke. Ron occasionally cropped up in the conversation but it was always `Harry this and Harry that.'
When Hermione reunited with her parents after the war and restored their memories, Elizabeth half expected Hermione and Harry to become engaged. When her daughter brought Ron home instead as her boyfriend, she was surprised, to say the least. She grew to like Ron, but she never thought he was the right match for her daughter.
Elizabeth sometimes noticed that Ron would cut Hermione down so he could feel good about himself. She always felt that her daughter deserved someone who gave her respect and admiration. But she held her tongue because Hermione seemed to be happy with her choice.
"Harry? Well, I've been talking to him about my troubles with Ron and he's been very supportive of me taking the new job. But he doesn't know about the split yet. Part of me is dreading telling him."
"Why?"
"Well, I'm afraid he's going to be caught in the middle. Ron and I are his best friends and I don't want him to have to take sides."
"Are you afraid he might choose Ron?"
Hermione considered her mother's question. Would he do that? Harry hadn't taken Ron's side since the Crookshanks/Scabbers fight her third year at Hogwarts.
"I don't think he would, Mum. At least I hope not. Harry's been a supportive friend to me throughout my marriage. Whenever I was having problems with Ron, he always listened and offered me advice."
"Harry is a good man." Elizabeth agreed. "And if he's as good of a friend I think he is, he will be there for you during this time."
"I hope so, Mum. I definitely need a friend to lean on."
"Well, I hope his wife doesn't mind. What is her name again, Jenny?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, her mother never got her name right. "It's Ginny, she's Ron's sister."
"Right, Ginny. Have you considered also leaning on her? She is your neighbor and sister-in-law."
Hermione sighed. While she and Ginny were usually cordial with each other, they weren't as close as they were when they were girls sharing a bedroom at the Burrow.
"Ginny and I get along fine. But we're not the best of friends." Hermione admitted.
"Why not?" Elizabeth asked, but she thought she knew the answer.
"I don't know. She sometimes makes these catty remarks or backhanded compliments. I feel like she's intimidated by me and she says things to make herself feel better."
Hermione went on. "What bugs me most is that she loves to remind anyone within earshot that she was the star chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, a professional Quidditch team. And since I never was one for broomsticks and obsessing over the nuances of the game, I find it boring while she regales us with tales of traveling the globe whenever Ron and I join her and Harry for dinner. Harry and Ron both loved playing Quidditch and I think she does it just to make me feel left out."
She took a breath. "The only time we find common ground is when we talk about our kids. But even then, Ginny is so competitive. She's always buying Lily a new toy or clothing and asks if Rose ever had these things. If I tell her she didn't, she tells me that it's too bad because she always wants the best for her children. Like I don't?"
Elizabeth didn't like Ginny at all.
"Hermione, pay her no mind. She sounds like an insecure witch who is threatened by your intelligence and close friendship with Harry."
"But she has no reason to be threatened." Hermione reasoned. "Ginny and I grew up together. She always knew how close Harry and I were. She knew that when she married him."
"Yes, but maybe she expected your bond to weaken once she got married and you married her brother. As the years have gone by, you and Harry are as close as ever. After a while, a wife might resent she is not her husband's best friend."
Elizabeth's words stayed with Hermione. Perhaps that was the underlying problem in Harry and Ginny's marriage and the reason she wanted another child. It was her only way to hang on to her husband.
At that moment, Hermione heard the doorbell ring. She groaned as she didn't want any visitors. But the ringing continued, so she got out of bed and put on her bathrobe and slippers. She took a quick look in the mirror and groaned at her appearance. Her hair was a bushy mess and her eyes and face were still puffy from crying last night.
She reached the front door and peeked into the peephole. Harry was standing on the other side of the door. Normally she would've welcomed him in with open arms but her conversation with her mother had given her pause. She was now aware of her closeness with him and how it could be causing tension in his marriage. One marriage had already fallen apart, she couldn't bear for another to follow suit.
"Hermione?" Harry's voice came through the door. "Please open the door."
Knowing all too well just how persistent he was, she decided to let him in.
She opened the door and saw him standing there with a concerned look on his face. His green eyes looked even bigger than usual as he took in her bedraggled appearance.
"I just saw Ron." Harry said quietly. "I'm so sorry, Hermione."
Hermione stepped aside and let him in, trying hard to keep her composure. She did not say anything and looked down at her fuzzy slippers.
"How are you doing?" Harry asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
When she still didn't say anything, Harry took his other hand and placed a finger under her chin, gently tilting her face so he could see her.
Hermione did not resist his actions. When her eyes met his, the tears she was trying so hard to contain spilled out.
Before she knew it, she was in his arms.
"Oh Harry," she cried as he held her. "It's over."
"I know." Harry whispered. "I'm sorry."
Hermione didn't know how long they stood in the foyer just holding each other. She was dimly aware of his hands stroking her back and her hair. All she knew was that her marriage was over and he was here. Harry was with her and he wasn't going anywhere soon.
TBC
A/N: More H/Hr next chapter, I promise : )
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