1,163After The End.
Sundays at The Burrow were normally loud and packed with various members of the Weasley family. However, after learning the twins wouldn't be at dinner, and their reasons why, Molly Weasley contacted her other sons and asked them to make alternative arrangements for the day. But she didn't contact her youngest son and her only daughter, so when they turned up with their partners, the only people present were her and Arthur.
"Where is everyone?" Ron asked, amazed that they were the first to arrive.
"This is it," Molly answered tersely. "The twins had a prior engagement, and I asked everyone else to stay away."
"Why?" Ginny asked with a frown. "Nothing's wrong, is it? Are either of you ill?" she asked, her eyes darting between her parents, both of whom looked deadly serious.
"No-one is ill," Arthur answered. "But we would like you all to sit down so we can talk."
"So, what is wrong?" Ron questioned as he, Ginny, Harry and Lavender obediently settled down around the kitchen table. "Why are you both so serious?"
"When the twins called round to say they wouldn't be coming to lunch, they brought me up to date with a few things I wasn't aware of," Molly answered.
"Like what?" Ginny asked cautiously, not liking where she thought the conversation was heading.
"Hermione," Molly replied, not saying anything else until she got some reactions from her children.
"I might have known she was behind this," Ron grouched. "So what, you're angry that we didn't tell you that she was back? Why would that matter?"
"It's not about her being back," Molly said with a shake of her head. "It's about the lies you told us back when she was pregnant. I am the first to hold my hands up and admit I reacted badly when I first heard the news. But you know how much I regretted the way I acted. And I tried to make it right, at least I thought I did. But you never passed my message on, did you?"
"How could we?" Ron snorted. "In case it slipped your notice, she ran away and didn't bother to tell us where she was going. She just didn't come back to school, and didn't even have the decency to let us know."
"And why would she after the way she'd been treated by you?" Arthur questioned, his expression showing just how disappointed he was in his youngest two children. "You were happy to tell us about the abuse she was suffering, but you failed to mention you were part of it. You didn't support her. You turned on her like everyone else. And don't deny it, and say its her word against hers, as after the twins told your mother the full story we got in touch with Minerva McGonagall, and she confirmed everything. She told us how alone Hermione was in school, and how you four had turned your backs on her."
"How could you?" Molly questioned with a shake of her head. "Even if like me, you reacted badly. How could you not then see the error of your ways? How could you not see how much you were hurting her?"
"Fine, we didn't support her," Ron snapped. "But you know what, I'm glad we didn't. I bet the twins didn't bother to tell you who the father of her child is."
"We know exactly who she had her baby with," Arthur said. "And we also know that unlike what you led us to believe, he didn't abandon her. Unlike you four, he was there for her and stood by her."
"And how did we know that at the time?" Harry questioned. "She wouldn't tell us anything. We only had her word for it."
"And that should have been enough," Molly argued. "She was your friend, and you should have believed her. But instead you turned your backs on her. I'm ashamed of the lot of you."
"We're sorry," Ginny whispered. She hated her parents being mad at her, and she especially hated the disappointment she could see in their eyes when they looked at her.
"I might have believed that, if I didn't also know about more recent events," Molly said with a sad shake of her head. "As terrible as you acted, I might have been able to pass it off as youthful mistakes. In fact, that's exactly what I did do when Fred and George told me the truth. I thought that you would now be mature enough to admit your mistakes and apologise to Hermione."
"Never going to happen," Ron snorted as Harry nodded his agreement.
"I know that, because I also know you had the chance to apologise," Molly revealed. "You had the chance to try and make amends for your shocking lack of friendship. But I know you didn't take it. Instead you behaved like yobs, throwing insults and punches and then had the audacity to try and get Draco into trouble."
"He threw the punches, not us," Harry protested. "He assaulted us, and Kingsley let him get away with it."
"From what I heard, he was merely defending his wife's honour," Arthur remarked. "And it was incredibly low of you to try and get him into trouble. You're training to hold a position to uphold the law, not break it."
"I stand by my decision to report him," Harry said stubbornly. "He can't go around hitting people because he doesn't like them."
"And you can't go around insulting people and expect no comeback," Molly retorted. "This ends now. I would make you all go to Hermione and apologise, but I know it's too late for that. Instead, I am giving you all a final warning. You stay away from Hermione, and if I ever hear of one of you trying to cause trouble for her or her husband, there will be hell to pay. You've made your opinions of her clear, so do the decent things and stay away."
"Fine by us," Ron snorted. "I never want to set eyes on her again."
"That won't happen, as she's friends with the twins," Arthur cautioned. "Your paths are bound to cross at some time, and when they do, you better all behave. You've shamed this family enough. It's time to prove that you're not the terrible people you seem to be right now. Do the decent thing, and leave Hermione alone. Let her move on with her life and leave behind the bitter people she's far better off without."
"You can leave now," Molly said dismissively. "We've said our piece, and as far as we're concerned that's the end of it."
"But what about dinner?" Ron griped. "I'm starving."
"Feed yourselves for once," Molly snapped as she got to her feet. "Right now, I don't want to look at any of you. Get out of my house, and start proving yourselves to be decent human beings."
Not waiting to see if her children did as they were ordered, Molly headed upstairs where she waited until Arthur called up the stairs to let her know they were alone. Heading back downstairs, Molly made lunch for herself and her husband, while making plans to go and see Hermione and try and make amends for her past mistake.
As it turned out, it was several weeks before Molly finally plucked up the courage to speak to Hermione. Several times she'd gone to Diagon Alley with the intention of seeing Hermione, but she couldn't bring herself to actually go into Magical Bites. Even when she'd seen Hermione through the windows, she hadn't been able to bring herself to go in and face the young witch who had done nothing to deserve the way she'd treated her when she'd heard about her pregnancy.
In fact, Molly had even considered apologising via letter and had started to draft one before Fred had persuaded her otherwise. When Alicia had given birth to a beautiful baby girl named Sophie, Molly had missed running into a visiting Hermione at the hospital by mere moments, and Fred had persuaded her that it was time she and Hermione met face to face. In fact, he and George even arranged a meeting, and they'd personally escorted Molly to Magical Bites.
"Go on, she's waiting for you," George urged when Molly faltered outside of Hermione's shop.
"Wish me luck," Molly muttered as her boys virtually steered her into the shop and pointed her towards a quiet table where Hermione was sitting waiting.
After saying a quick hello to Hermione, the twins headed back to their own shop, leaving Molly and Hermione alone. For several seconds, Molly didn't know what to do and she stood awkwardly in front of the young witch she'd once known so well.
"Would you like a cup of tea and a cake?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence.
"How can you be so nice to me? I don't deserve your kindness," Molly muttered. "I'm so sorry Hermione. I am deeply ashamed of the way I behaved, and I am even more ashamed of the way my children acted."
"If you don't mind Molly, I would rather not discuss Ron, Ginny or Harry," Hermione said kindly, but firmly.
"I understand," Molly said with a nod. "And if your offer still stands, a cup of tea and a cake sound lovely."
Less than five minutes later, the pair were settled at the table with tea and cake. Molly still wasn't sure if she'd began to even make a dent in making amends with Hermione, so she profusely apologised for a second time.
"I accept your apology, Molly," Hermione said. "The twins told me how you regretted your reaction, and that you'd tried to apologise back then. I can't say it didn't hurt, but I can understand your reaction."
"I can't," Molly snorted. "I'm the last person who should have judged you. I guess I've spent so long trying to be upstanding and someone my children can look up to, that I forgot I've also got a past. A past I've never told my children about."
"I don't understand," Hermione said with a frown.
"I'm sure you know Arthur and I were childhood sweethearts," Molly said with a soft smile. "We were married within weeks of leaving Hogwarts, but love wasn't our only reason for marrying so quickly."
"You were pregnant," Hermione gasped.
"I was," Molly confirmed with a nod. "I only had a few months left at school when I fell pregnant, so it was easy to hide. But I shouldn't have judged you for something I'd also done."
"I guess the difference was, you were leaving school, I still had another year to go," Hermione said.
"It doesn't matter, I still shouldn't have judged you," Molly insisted with a rueful shake of her head. "I was so very wrong Hermione, and I am so very sorry for not being there for you."
"It's okay, everything worked out in the end," Hermione said with a smile. "Although I didn't realise you and Arthur had Bill at such a young age."
"Our plan was to say we'd conceived on honeymoon, and then when I had the baby, claim it was early," Molly said wistfully, recalling the incident from her past which even her children weren't aware. "But before we got a chance to announce our news, I lost the baby."
"Oh Molly, I'm so sorry," Hermione said sympathetically as she reached across the table to squeeze Molly's hand. "I had no idea."
"No-one does," Molly said with a sad smile. "Arthur and I never told a soul. But then it was only a year later that I fell pregnant with Bill, and as you know after that we had no problems with adding to the family. I guess the time was just never right to tell people about the child we lost."
"Will you tell them now?" Hermione asked.
"No, I don't think so," Molly replied with shake of her head. "It's in the past and I'd rather focus on the here and now."
"I certainly understand that," Hermione said with a smile. "And that's why I don't want to talk about Harry and Ron. They're my past, and right now, I'm looking to the future. I'm focusing on my ever expanding family."
"Expanding family? You're expecting again?" Molly asked.
"I am," Hermione replied with a grin. "And this time Draco and I won't be doing it alone. We've still got my parents, and now we've got Narcissa and Severus. Not to mention friends like Luna and the twins."
"I'm pleased," Molly said, genuinely happy for the witch sitting opposite her. "And I'm pleased everything has worked out for you."
"It really has," Hermione said with a thoughtful nod. "I do wish certain things had been different, but I wouldn't wish for a different outcome. No matter the difficulties, I don't regret having Lyra. I love her and Draco more than anything, and at the end of the day, that's all that matters."
"It is," Molly agreed.
Family really was the most important thing, and Molly had every faith her family would mend the rifts. It was true, things might never be the same between some of her children, and she would never be able to forget the way her youngest children had treated Hermione when she needed them the most. But no matter what she still loved Ron and Ginny, and ultimately she would forgive them. But the important thing was that she'd been forgiven by Hermione, and even if they were never closer than they were right now, Molly would always be grateful that Hermione was a kind enough person to forgive her past transgression and accept her apology like an adult.
The End.