The You I Never Knew Part 10/?
The You I Never Knew
Author: MuseMe87
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Ron/Hermione
Beta: PigWithHair
Rating: G
Word Count: 3, 566
Disclaimer: All characters and canon situations are property of J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: Originally written prior to Deathly Hallows and is considered AU.
Summary: Adele Granger never knew about the Wizarding world until the day she receives her admissions letter to Hogwarts. Now her mother, Hermione, must return to the world she left eleven years prior, and Adele will begin to search for the answer to her biggest question: who is her father?
++++++++++
Harry heard a rustling sound and willed the light at the end of his wand to brighten. Nothing. He felt like cursing at the top of his lungs but refrained from doing so to prevent any nasty creatures from zeroing in on his location. He was an Auror, which required a certain measure of skill and bravery, but there were still things in this forest that he knew could kill him on even his best day.
He’d been searching for some time, too long for his taste, but still hadn’t managed to find her. The note he’d sent to Neville had asked him to work up a locator spell and then join him in the forest. A bright light shot out of the woods a while back, giving Harry a general idea of where Adele would be. He just hoped that one of them would get to her in time.
It wasn’t but a few moments after he’d continued deeper into the forest that another light shot into the sky and popped. The signal. Harry rushed off in the direction it came in as fast as his legs would allow. Neville had found her. Harry knew he could count on him.
+++++++
Adele brushed her hands along her body, making sure that there wasn’t any lingering threads from the spider’s web remaining. She’d been wound up tightly in the webbing and was sure that she was as good as spider food when she’d heard a man shout an incantation.
The giant spider stopped its approach towards her, and Adele saw Professor Longbottom come into the small clearing. After shrinking the spider, he freed her as best as he could and then led her quickly into safety.
She sat on a giant rock, still shaking from her near death experience. She wanted her mother so bad she could cry. It was taking every ounce of willpower she had to hold back her tears. Not only was she plain tired of crying, but she really didn’t want Professor Longbottom to see her cry. That would make him ask questions, which was the last thing she wanted.
“Harry should be here any minute now. We can head back to the castle then,” he said with a smile. “Always safer to travel together, they say, especially in a place like this.”
“Professor Potter is coming?”
“Yeah, he came out here looking for you as soon as he found out you were missing. I just got here first by luck. He’s really worried about you, Miss Granger.”
Worried? Adele rolled her eyes. Sure, he starts to worry about her eleven years too late. The last person on Earth she wanted to see was her father. So he came all the way out here to try and find her? That didn’t mean he loved her.
“Neville?!”
“Over here, Harry!”
Her father rushed into the clearing, winded but seemingly relieved. He took a moment to catch his breath and then straightened up with a very displeased look on his face. Adele knew she was in big trouble.
“What the bloody hell were you thinking, Adele?”
She winced. Her mother never swore or raised her voice when she was yelling at her. It looked like her father wasn’t nearly as level headed when it came to discipline.
“I wanted to go home.” It came out in a squeak.
“Yeah, well you just about got yourself killed. Do you have any idea what kind of things live in here? How could you be so careless?”
Adele hopped off the stone, tears in her eyes, and glared at him. “I would rather be dead than stuck in this stupid school with a father that hates my guts!”
“Her father?”
Professor Longbottom had asked, but Adele hadn’t heard. Instead she began to storm off when her father took her by the arm to stop her. Adele could tell he was absolutely seething when he turned her around, got to her level, and stared at her.
“For the last time, Adele, I’m not your father. And you’re quite lucky I’m not, because I’d certainly be doing more than raising my voice at you right now if I were.”
“Harry?”
He turned his head to look at Professor Longbottom. “She doesn’t know, Neville. There’s been a mix up, and she’s convinced that I’m her father.”
“Then why don’t you just tell her the truth?”
He paused, and Adele paid close attention to the expression he was trying to form. She wondered that same question herself. Professor Potter wasn’t her father? Fine. But she deserved to know who was in that case.
“It’s not my place. Hermione’s going to talk to him tomorrow.”
Adele could hardly believe what she’d heard. Her mother was going to meet with her father tomorrow? Then that would mean that all the years she spent wondering were going to be over. Soon she’d meet with her father, learn about him and sort through all the lingering questions and put answers to them. She’d finally be able to figure out if she looked like him, beyond red hair and freckles. And there would be trips to the park and meeting her other family. Suddenly Adele couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come.
“Then why make her wait, Harry? If she’s going to find out in a couple days, why put her through that?”
Professor Potter turned to her, looking at her carefully. For the first time in what seemed like forever he looked a little sympathetic towards her, yet still conflicted. Maybe he was really going to give her the answer she’d wanted for so long.
“Your dad is Ron Weasley, Miss Granger.”
Adele’s heart stopped and Harry quickly turned toward Professor Longbottom.
“Neville?”
“You’d never betray Hermione’s trust, Harry. I know that. And you didn’t. I never made a promise to her, so you’re off the hook. We both lost our parents, and we know how painful that can be. She’s already been through so much, so why deny her another day of misery when she can know the truth?” Neville sighed. “I’m going to look for her wand real quick. She must have lost it somewhere around here.”
Adele barely noticed Professor Longbottom leave or that Professor Potter was looking at her intently. She was far too wrapped up in thinking about her real father. She knew his name now, and it felt like a whole bunch of sadness she was carrying just disappeared inside of her.
“Feel better?”
Adele nodded.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you the truth, Adele.”
She stared at her feet. “I’m not going to say that it’s okay because it’s not. But it’s good that my mum can trust you with secrets and stuff.”
“You can trust me too, you know. I really care about you.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m your uncle. And your mum and dad, they’re my best friends, my family.”
“You’re my uncle?”
He nodded. “And your Aunt Ginny is going to be beyond happy to know that she has another niece.”
“Aunt Ginny?”
Adele suddenly felt really warm inside.
+++++++
Ron listened as Marcy told him about her time at the Salem School for Witches, laughing at appropriate points and smiling to encourage her to continue. However, every so often he would run his hand over his trouser pocket to feel the folded piece of paper he’d placed in there earlier. Hermione’s letter. He’d spent the better part of his evening reading it, pouring and scrutinizing over every word, until he’d realized that he was running behind for his date with Marcy.
He’d arrived late at her home, but she said nothing, ever understanding and patient. After playing with her son for a few minutes, they’d left for an out of the way Italian restaurant that Ron had been dying to take her to. Now, though, he sort of wished that he hadn’t set the date in such a romantic setting.
“Ron? What are you staring at? Do I have something on my face?” Marcy asked, and then frantically began to dig in her bag for her compact.
He must have spaced. Damn it. His hand found hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze, and he smiled.
“You look beautiful.”
It was the truth. He knew she’d gone out of her way to look nice tonight, trading in her normal trousers and shirt for a dress and heels. Any man with enough sense would fall for her. Brains and beauty? It was certainly a change from his track record. Barring one. His other hand slipped against his pocket. Brains and beauty.
“Thank you, Ron.”
“For what?”
“For everything. Being so nice and considerate. And, you know, for understanding my situation.”
“Situation?”
“With Luke. It’s hard to find a decent guy who doesn’t care that I’m someone’s mom,” she said sheepishly.
“Nah, I want a family.”
As soon as he said it he knew it hadn’t come out right. Marcy blushed and diverted her eyes, and he blushed right along with her. Take her to a romantic place and then start talking like that? Ron was digging himself in deeper.
“What I meant to say is that someday I’d really like to have a family.”
“I know,” she said, suppressing a smile. “You’re really adorable when you’re flustered, Ron.”
Ron felt his ears start to burn. He wanted to tell her that she looked adorable when she scrunched up her nose or pouted. But something stopped him. He didn’t want to lead her on in case…well, just in case. She was a sweet girl and had already had her heart stomped on by enough guys. He’d rather not have to count himself among them. Unfortunately, he was already feeling like he was.
Did carrying around a letter from an ex-girlfriend to a date with the potential girlfriend count as cheating? There were probably some unwritten rules about it, but he didn’t really feel like he had to look it up. Feeling like crap because of it was probably a fair enough answer.
And he wanted to tell her about the letter, but tonight was supposed to be about them. Did that make it right though? Should he just come out and say something? What she didn’t know wouldn’t really hurt her. He could always tell her tomorrow or the next day. Would twenty-four hours really make a difference? He groaned. Yes, it would.
“Can I ask you something?”
She looked at him curiously. “Yeah, what’s up?”
“What would you do if Daniel came back into town all of a sudden and wanted to meet up with you?”
She scowled. Apparently Luke’s father didn’t bring the best memories to mind. “I’d tell him exactly where he could shove it. Danny has put Luke and me through enough. He abandoned us as soon as he got a taste of what parenthood was like, and I’ll never forgive him for that. He doesn’t want the responsibility? Fine, but he sure as hell isn’t waltzing back into our lives just because it’s convenient for him.” Marcy paused. “Sorry, talking about Danny kind of hacks me off, and…oh.”
Ron immediately sensed that Marcy figured out the reason behind the question. And the disappointed look on her face moments later proved him right. Now he’d gone and done it.
“Sorry, I…well, sorry.”
“She’s contacted you then?”
He sighed. “Yeah. She has.”
Guiltily he pulled out the letter and tossed it on the table. Better to put everything out there now rather than later. Marcy looked at him hesitantly, though whether it was because she didn’t know if she was allowed to look at the letter or because she wasn’t sure if she wanted to he didn’t know.
She slowly picked up the letter and unfolded it. Ron held his breath. There wasn’t anything incriminating in there, at least nothing on the surface. What he saw and didn’t see after pouring over it wasn’t important.
Marcy had barely had her eyes on the paper a second when she quietly folded it back up and placed it back on the table. She bit her lip, sniffled, and then gave a pained smile. Ron panicked.
“Okay, thank you. You’ve been a real gentleman, and I appreciate the honesty. I really do, but,” she pulled her wrap around her shoulders and grabbed her bag, “I can’t.”
Marcy stood to leave, and Ron froze. He should stop her, but he felt sick. He knew that being honest about Hermione could have led to this, but he really didn’t think about the consequences. He’d wanted his guilt to go away, but in the process didn’t take into account Marcy’s feelings. Emotional range of a teaspoon? Yeah, that sounded about right.
And so she left, and he sat there. He cared about her a lot, and now it was too late. Or was it? The irony of the situation didn’t miss him. He’d let Hermione walk out of his life because he couldn’t will himself to go after her. But he wasn’t a boy anymore. Maybe this time he was supposed to go after her. Maybe it was some sort of sign that Marcy was the girl in his future. Ron didn’t know for sure, but he sure wasn’t going to take that risk again.
She was half way down the block before he caught up with her. He took her hand to stop her while he caught his breath. The sight of her runny mascara made his heart sink.
Way to sully things up, Weasley.
“I’m sorry about all that back in there. It was right stupid of me.”
“Ron, it’s fine. Really. I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. I hurt you, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. It’s just…I never expected Hermione to just show up out of no where, and I definitely didn’t think she’d want to meet up with me.”
“So what are you going to do?”
Ron shrugged. “I have to see her. I don’t have a choice. She has the answers to all the questions I’ve been wondering about for years.” He pulled her closer to him. “But I haven’t forgotten that she was the one who decided to run off. She made the choice to end us, so she must have some sort of reason for that. I don’t know what her intentions are, Marcy but don’t think that I’m just going to welcome her with open arms.”
“I understand that you need to see her. If the table was turned and Danny left without word, I’d want to know why too. I’m just trying to protect myself against heartbreak.”
Ron smiled. “I know. But don’t worry about that. Hermione can’t just come back and expect me to turn my life upside down. And like it or not, you’re a part of my life now. I want to see more of you. A lot more.”
Marcy said nothing and hugged him. He held onto her tightly; it felt right. For the first time since he got the letter, he felt like he knew what he had to do the next day. He wasn’t about to leave a woman who he knew wanted to be with him for someone who didn’t even have the decency to tell him why she was leaving him. While he had loved Hermione for such a long time, he suddenly felt like he had loved the person she had been when their relationship was new rather than the person she’d become when she left him.
+++++++
Harry was surprised to find the kitchen light on when he apparated home. He glanced at his watch: 11:30. It wasn’t like Ginny to stay up so late, especially when she was working in the evening. Normally she would just come home and get right into bed. Concerned, Harry pulled out his wand.
He had worried over nothing. The moment he entered the kitchen, he saw Ginny was perfectly fine, through looked strangely perturbed. It must have been a bad day at work. He pocketed his wand and smiled warmly.
“Hello, luv. Rough day at work?” he asked, heading for the refrigerator for a drink.
He hadn’t noticed her lack of response until a few moments later. He turned, and he realized that something was most definitely wrong. He immediately thought the worst.
“Ginny? What’s wrong?” He knelt in front of her, but she turned her head away from him, pained. “Ginny?”
“How could you?” She immediately jumped from her chair, and Harry wasn’t quite sure how to process what was happening. “I know things haven’t been good lately, but I never thought you’d ever betray me like this.”
Ginny was crushed, which scared him more than anything. When they’d had problems in the past, Ginny would show her Weasley temper. She’d yell, and curse, and accuse, but she never cried. Harry was certain that the situation they were in was very serious and extremely delicate, but he knew he wasn’t prepared to handle it.
He put his hands up defensively. “Luv, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You know, some of the girls at school would say that I’d never be able to keep you, that a bossy, tomboy like me would never be enough for you. But I didn’t believe them. And then things started to get bad last year. I was worried, but I never really worried about you doing something like this, Harry. You weren’t that kind of guy. Or at least I thought so.”
“What kind of guy, Ginny?” That came out much louder and angrier than he’d intended.
She turned to look at him for the first time, tears filling her eyes and slipping down her cheeks. “Is she pretty?” Ginny pulled a piece of paper from her robe and tossed it at him. “Is she, Harry? Does she satisfy you? Do you love her? Is she better than me, Harry? God damn it, answer me!”
Harry stood, but quickly grabbed onto the table to steady himself. He was going to be sick. He’d been keeping things from her, but they weren’t bad things. She wasn’t supposed to find out like that. And it wasn’t what she thought. God, to think that she would even think that someone could replace her. How insecure had he made her over the years of working over and going away on missions and just generally not being there emotionally for her? This was never how he envisioned their marriage.
“It’s not what you think,” he began, calmly. “I know what it looks like, but it’s not.”
“Then explain to me what ‘thank you for the other night’ and ‘I can’t keep this secret any longer’ means.”
“You were right. I lied about being with Ron the other night. It was wrong, and I’m very sorry about that. And, yes, I was with a woman- ”
“That’s all I needed to know.”
“Wait, there’s more.”
Ginny reached for her wand on the counter. “I don’t want to hear anymore.”
“You have to listen to me.”
Ginny raised her wand. “Don’t make me hex you. Merlin knows I want to.”
“Please-”
“Get out.”
Harry froze. They’d gone to bed angry in the past, but she’d never ordered him out of the house before. He didn’t want to go; he’d much rather stay and talk things out. But he knew from the look in Ginny’s eyes that if he didn’t leave, he would pay. Hell hath no fury like a witch scorned, as Mr. Weasley always said. Maybe it would be better if he let her calm down. He could come back in the morning, and they could talk about things like civilized adults rather than argue about it in the heat of the moment.
“I love you, Ginny,” he said, backing away towards the door. “And I swear it’s not what you think.”
+++++++
Hermione kissed her father on the cheek and then reached for her bag. She turned to her mother, who still looked concerned about the matter they’d discussed earlier; however, her mother didn’t say anything, for which Hermione was thankful.
“Well I’m headed out then.”
“Dear, why don’t you stay the night? It looks like it’s going to start pouring. You know how I hate for you to be driving in the rain.”
“It’s fine, Mum.”
“But-”
“Oh, Jane, stop fussing over her. She’s a big girl now.”
She smiled at her father gratefully. He always knew how to placate her mother. And she loved him a little more each time he’d interject on her behalf. Her mother was certainly easier to handle when he was around.
“Well, call me when you get home,” her mother said, still concerned. “You’ll know how I’ll fret if you don’t.”
“Yes, Mum, I promise,” she said, hugging her.
Hermione was half way home when the rain started to come down in buckets. She’d wished that she had listened to her mother after all. Well, at least Adele wasn’t there. Having Adele in the car with her in weather like that always made her a nervous wreck.
She stopped at a stop sign and noticed a car coming to her left. But he had a stop sign as well, so she went ahead and pulled out. The next thing she knew her vision was blinded by bright headlights and the sound of a car horn sounded loudly in her ears. Then everything went black.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Epilogue