Chapter Twenty-Two:

Ron was knee deep in dirt and he was getting tired. Stopping by to have a nice lunch with his mum had turned into a de-gnoming of the front yard and now he was stuck tilling the earth in her vegetable garden. What he wouldn�t do to see Neville Longbottom walking by... Neville would jump at the chance to be in the dirt.

�That�s enough, Ron. Come in and get cleaned off.�

Thanking Merlin, Ron finished the last bit and stood up to wipe himself off.

As he walked into the house he noticed that his mother had put out a fresh plate of strawberry tarts. With a thankful grin, he grabbed one and sat down.

�Those were for after dinner, you know.�

Ron looked up at his mum and smiled. �Consider it payment for a job well done, Mum.�

Molly stuck her head out of the window and looked at the progress he�d made.

�Well, alright then. You seemed to have actually worked hard this time, I reckon you can have just one.�

Ron smiled happily at her and chewed away. Molly tossed a small towel at him.

�Oh, for Merlin�s sake, Ron... wipe off your hands. Please tell me you don�t eat in front of Hermione like that. Soon I�m sure it won�t be a question of when she�s marrying you, but whether or not she even wants to.�

Oh, here we go, Ron thought to himself. He tried to ignore the obvious attempt at getting him to discuss marriage.

�Hermione likes me the way I am, Mum. Honest.�

Molly raised her eyebrow at her youngest son and shook her head. �You take too many things for granted, Ronald Weasley. You always have.�

Getting up to get a glass of the lemonade his mum had made, he leaned against the kitchen counter. I am not going to argue with her about this, not today.

Molly watched him and then sighed. �I want to show you something Ron. I�ll be back in a moment.�

Ron watched her suspiciously. She was up to something, he could feel it. Sometimes Ginny wasn�t the only one who knew things.

He sat back down at the table and grabbed another tart. If he was going to be yelled at, he was going to enjoy the fruits of his labor. So to speak.

�There,� Molly said as she tossed a small box towards him. Ron looked at the small black box and looked up at his mother, a question on his face.

�That was almost your future.�

Putting the strawberry tart back down, Ron frowned and pried open the small box. Inside were a small sachet of letters, followed by a faded photograph and a ring.

Ron was even more confused when he realized the man in the photograph waving at him wasn�t his father.

�Er... Mum...�

�That is Reginald Queensby. We were an item, at a time. He proposed to me. That�s the ring.�

�Mum! Does Dad know?�

�Yes, he knows. How do you think I finally got your father to marry me?� Molly said with a sly smile that Ron didn�t think looked too nice on the face of his mother.

�Mum, come on. I mean, everyone knows you and Dad were sweet on each other when you were at Hogwarts. You used to tell us stories-�

�Yes, but when we were out of Hogwarts, we... dated other people. For a time.�

Ron stared in shock at his mother and then down at the man in the photograph.

�And you dated this Regie person, did you? Looks like a blighter-�

�Ron! He was a wonderful young man. Very virile and full of life. A lot of the girls fancied him, I must say. I was in an envious position.�

Ron made a face, but didn�t say what was on his mind. �Well, that�s great Mum... really er... corking of you to tell me. I don�t see what-�

Molly sighed and took the photograph from him. He watched as she smiled down at Reginald Queensby. She looked back at him then and frowned.

�Do you know why I almost married Reginald Queensby, Ronald?�

Ron stared blankly back at her. �Er... no... but I�m quite sure you�re about to tell me.�

Molly�s eyes blazed. �It was because your father refused to take me seriously. He just thought I�d be around forever, waiting for him to make up his mind. Well, I wasn�t going to wait forever to be made a proper wife. Reginald asked and I said yes and it only took your father and... a bit of fate, to keep it from happening. And if you don�t mind me saying so Ron, you and Hermione are drifting down the same road your father and me were on. If you don�t watch it she may have her own Reginald Queensby to answer to and you might not be as lucky as your father was!�

�Mum, I hardly think Hermione would date someone named Reginald-�

�That�s not the point!�

�It�s not?�

�No! Hermione is a beautiful young girl and another man may come along if you don�t watch it and then what are you going to do?�

�Well, I suppose I�d just have to knock his block off. Mum, Hermione isn�t going anywhere, honest. We�re good. We�re set.�

Molly narrowed her eyes at her son. �Are you as confident as all that?�

Ron blushed, thinking of the morning�s activities. He wasn�t about to tell his mother about that. He coughed to cover up his red face.

�Mum, trust me, Hermione and I... we�re just... set.�

Molly folded her arms and gave him a calculating look. �Me and your father were set as well, Ron. It still didn�t keep me from getting tired of waiting.�

Ron blinked at his mother. Did she just tell him what he thought she�d just told him?

�Er Mum... uh... you don�t mean... I mean, you caused such a ruckus when Hermione and me moved in together-�

Molly smiled smugly at her son. �Your parents were not always so old and out of it, Ronald. Although I do admit your father has always...� her voice trailed off as she thought of Arthur. �Well, your father has always listened to a different sort of tune than the rest of the world. It�s one of the things I adore about him, but for a time, yes, me and your father were living together, unmarried.�

Ron stared in astonishment at her. �And you�ve always given me a hard time for living with Hermione! And Bill and Fleur! Told us we were disgracing the family name by... what was it? Shacking up? That�s rich, Mum!�

�Well, I always considered it to be one of those do as I say, not as I did, sort of things. Besides, look where it got us? Me, almost married to another man!�

Ron shook his head. He had a feeling that he was going to have nightmares about this conversation for years to come.

�Alright then, why didn�t you marry Regie what-its? What stopped you from ditching dad for this berk?�

Molly turned a bit pink. �Well, if truth be known, I... I got pregnant.�

�Mum!�

�What? Those things happened, sometimes, in those days. There were spells you could do, of course, but none really worked well like the herbal remedies they have today. Oh, you don�t know how thankful I am that your sister doesn�t have to worry about-�

�Mum!� Ron felt his world tilting on its axis.

�What?�

�Are you telling me... that... Bill..-?

Molly shook her head. �Merlin�s sake, no. Of course Bill belongs to your father. That�s what I meant about fate stepping in. Really, Ron. Get your mind out of the gutter. What do you take me for? A scarlet woman?�

Ron rolled his eyes and then slumped in his chair. He shook his head. �I still don�t understand the point of this little chat. Trying to scar me for life, no doubt.�

�No, I�m trying to make you see that when you take things for granted as much as you do, that�s usually when they fall apart. You can�t expect fate to step in. Not with Hermione, she�s much too smart to have an accident, like I did. Besides, she already has it all planned out.�

Ron shook his head. �Hermione has what all planned out?�

�When she�s going to have children. I�d assumed she�d talked to you about it.�

�No. No, she hasn�t.�

Molly smiled smugly again. �Oh, well. Perhaps she doesn�t think you�ll be the father, then?�

�Mum, that�s a terrible thing to say.�

Molly frowned. �You�re right. Oh, Ron. You know I adore Hermione and I think she�s wonderful. But she�s very determined about where she wants her life to be and if she hasn�t even discussed this with you-�

�Mum. There�s no one for me except Hermione. And there�s no one for her, except me, no matter how hard it is for you to believe that-�

Molly reached out and patted his arm. �Ron, don�t get me wrong. I love you. You�re my youngest son and although I�ve always badgered you, please know that I�m proud of you. But girls like Hermione don�t wait around forever. No matter how much in love they happen to be.�

Ron made a face and then stood up. �Fine, Mum. Thanks for the talk. Feel loads better. Next time I stop by maybe we can have a spot of tea, I can clean out the chimney and you can tell me what a terrible person I am for working in Muggle Affairs instead of being an Auror or some such thing and how that means I�m unworthy of Hermione and she�ll leave me because of that.�

�Ron, I only wanted-�

Molly was left talking to a spot of empty air. Ron had Disapparated in front of her.

With a sigh, she picked up the box of letters and placed the photograph back inside. She�d only wanted to make her son realize that he shouldn�t take things for granted. Things couldn�t always stay the way they were and that regardless of his best intentions, change would always come and muck things up.

Molly didn�t know how right fate was going to prove her to be.

�Honestly, I�m fine. I don�t understand what the fuss-�

�Let me worry about that, Miss Granger. Miss Weasley here seemed most upset when you fainted in front of her.�

The medi-witch tending to Hermione glanced up at Ginny and then back down at the woman on the sofa. She continued moving her wand, pushing Hermione�s hands out of the way.

Ginny was standing against the wall, next to the fireplace. It was taking every inch of her energy to not run over there and do the medical reading herself. She bit her lip and looked away. She�d gotten a glimpse of... something when Hermione had clutched onto her as she fell and Ginny didn�t like it at all. Not one bit. It had been a cold certainty that things were about to change.

There was a knock on the door. Ginny startled out of her reverie and smiled apologetically to the medi-witch.

She opened the door to find Harry, holding out a brand new copper cauldron, filled with little white daisies.

�Hi, did you miss me?� Harry said, grinning widely at her.

Ginny felt her heart soften at the flowers and closed the door part way behind her as she reached forward to take them.

�A new cooking cauldron? For me? These are lovely, Harry. Thank you.�

�Is that all I get?�

Ginny raised her eyebrow and shook her head. �What more would you like?�

Harry smiled mischievously. �Well, a kiss wouldn�t hurt. It has been about 5 hours since I last had one-�

Ginny moved her head closer to his, and planted a small kiss on his cheek.

�There, satisfied?�

�No. That�s not really what I-�

�Harry, Hermione�s in there, on the sofa. And I think something is really wrong with her. She fainted earlier and... well, I owled for a medi-witch from St. Mungo�s to come over. I�m really worried.�

Harry frowned. �How do you know it�s something really wrong with her?�

�Well, when she fainted, I... she grabbed a hold of me, to keep herself from falling and I got a sense of...� Ginny shook her head. �It�s hard for me to read people sometimes. Miracroix used to tell me it was because most people are so well hidden, even from themselves, that the truth is hard to find. But with Hermione... I think she�s really sick.�

Before Harry could answer, the door creaked open and the medi-witch looked out.

�Miss Weasley, do you have a way of contacting Miss Granger�s parents? Her loved ones?�

Ginny again felt that cold feeling surround her heart. Glancing at Harry, she nodded.

�Is it as serious as all that?� Harry asked.

The medi-witch nodded. She stepped out of Ginny�s flat and closed the door behind her. She looked expectantly at Harry and Ginny introduced them.

�Sarah Brocklehurst, Harry Potter. Harry is a close friend of Hermione�s, it�s okay if you talk in front of him. Hermione�s parents are Muggles. I�m afraid I�ll have to go get them and bring them in, they don�t travel by floo, really. I�m assuming you�re taking her to St. Mungo�s?�

�I told her it�s because I just want to do more tests on her, but... Miss Granger seems to be suffering from a strange affliction of some sort. At first, when you described the way she had fainted and then when she told me she hadn�t been eating right, I thought she was pregnant. But she assures me she�s been taking Silphium for that but it doesn�t explain the amount of swelling she seems to be developing around her stomach. Nor the high concentration of blood.�

Ginny shook her head. �You could tell all that just from doing a reading with your wand? I got a sense of something when she grabbed onto me, but I didn�t realize what it was.�

The medi-witch nodded grimly. �It�s most pronounced. Her lack of hunger lately has probably been the result of it. I�d really like to get her mother and father in, so that we can talk a bit about their family history.�

Harry, who had grabbed a hold of Ginny�s hand, gave it a light squeeze. �I could go to her parents, Ginny. You could go with her to St. Mungo�s. I�ll go and get Ron too.�

Ginny smiled thankfully, but shook her head. �Her parents moved last year. They�re out near Knightsbridge now. I�d better go. But do bring Ron. He�s going to lose it. He might put on a braver face, if you�re there and act less like a raging hippogriff.�

Harry nodded and squeezed her hand again. �Well, I�d better track down your brother. He�s probably wondering where she�s at. I�ll see you there?�

Ginny nodded and watched him head back down the stairs and then turned and looked at Sarah.

�I've already arranged for Miss Granger to be taken to the Third Floor for now. I think it�s best that one of our healers take a look at her. She�s fighting it though; you may want to convince her that it�s in her best interest not to make me stun her.�

Ginny gave her a grim smile and then entered her flat again. Hermione looked up from the sofa and Ginny saw her struggling to sit up.

�Hermione, rest, please. Look what Harry just brought me, isn�t it lovely?�

Ginny placed the copper cauldron on the side table and Hermione smiled at them, but shook her head.

�No use distracting me Ginny, I�m getting up and out of here. This person seems to think I belong in St. Mungo�s when I�m feeling perfectly... oh dear.�

Hermione had managed to get her feet on the ground and was attempting to stand up when she looked pale again. Ginny went immediately to her side.

�Are you okay? You look terrible.�

Hermione shook her head stubbornly. �I�m fine. Just... a bit... dizzy. Really, if people would just let me... go home. Oh, dear.�

Hermione grabbed her head and moaned softly. Ginny called for the medi-witch.

�She�s feeling faint again, I think. Can�t we do something for her?�

Sarah took Hermione�s wrist into hers and felt along her pulse point.

�Her heart is racing a mile a minute. Well, that seals it Miss Granger, you�re going to St. Mungo�s now whether you like it or not. You�re either going to let me get you there the proper way or you�re going to make me stun you so that you�re more agreeable. Which is it going to be?�

Hermione closed her eyes and lay back on the sofa again. �Maybe it wouldn�t be so bad to have a little check up. Ginny, make sure Ron�s okay for dinner?�

Ginny smiled kindly at her friend. �Harry�s already gone to get him. He�ll be there waiting for you, no doubt causing an uproar.�

�I don�t want to... worry... him. This is so silly. I can�t imagine why this is happening to me. It�s almost as though I�m growing weaker by the second.�

Ginny shared a glance with the medi-witch and turned away.

�Right, well, I�ll just be off then. I�ll see you at St. Mungo�s. Be good Hermione, don�t fight them too much.�

Before Hermione could ask her where she was going, Ginny was grabbing her robe and heading out the door. She had never seen anyone who looked as pale as Hermione did and have them still be conscious. She had a nagging feeling that the quicker she could get Hermione�s parents to the hospital, the better off her friend would be.

Ron arrived home, angry. He threw his robe down over the dinning room table and stomped into the kitchen, looking for the hidden bottle of Ogden�s he kept from Hermione.

The words his mother had said to him still burned. Taking things for granted was he? He and Hermione were just fine, thank you very much. They were the happiest couple he knew- just look at Ginny and Neville. Miserable without knowing it, the both of them. And look at Bill and Fleur, twin babies and never a moment�s rest. He and Hermione were only 23 years old, after all. Why be tied down?

Grumbling to himself, he noticed the note Hermione had scribbled and stuck to the cupboard door.

Ron-

You won�t believe the news I have to tell you! I�m just going over to Ginny�s for a bit (hint hint) and then I�ll be home for dinner. Go through those Fagan papers again, would you? I wasn�t able to talk to Neville about him. You�ll know why when I�ve had a chance to explain. And please, save a bit of that cake for after dinner this time?

xx

Hermione

Ron smiled despite his bad mood and finished off his drink. He�d just had a brilliant idea. He�d cook a wonderful meal for his girl that�s what he�d do. As long as Hermione knew he cared about her, who the blazes cared about anyone else?

Trying to decide exactly what to make, Ron answered the door with a potato and a sharp knife in his hands. He smiled when he saw Harry.

�Hey, mate! You�ve just caught me in the middle of preparing a feast for the fair Hermione, who should be home soon, so I don�t have time to-� Ron paused when he saw Harry�s face. �What is it? Is it Ginny? Did something happen? Hermione said she had news to tell me-�

Harry shook his head. He reached out and carefully took the potato and knife from Ron�s hands. �It�s not Ginny, Ron. It�s Hermione. She�s... well, I don�t know exactly what�s happened, but she�s fainted and a medi-witch has checked her out and wants her to be looked at by a healer. I�m supposed to get you over there while Ginny collects her parents.�

�Her... parents? But... look, they don�t usually send for the parents unless... what�s going on, Harry?�

�Like I said, I don�t really know. I went over to Ginny�s for an early dinner and Hermione was being looked at by the medi-witch. Hermione�s had some sort of... attack, she wasn�t sure what exactly was wrong.�

Ron gulped and shook his head. �But... she was fine this morning. She ate and everything! She�s hasn�t been... why am I wasting time here, I�ve got to go to St. Mungo�s!�

Ron pushed by Harry and then realized he had left things unsettled in the kitchen. �Blazes, I left a fire under the cauldron in the kitchen. I-�

�I�ll take care of it, Ron. Go ahead and Apparate. I�ll be right behind you.�

Ron nodded nervously and then tried to swallow. His mouth felt very dry. He had a very bad feeling about this.

You take things for granted, Ronald Weasley, he heard his Mum�s voice in his head again.

Ron hoped this wasn�t fate�s way of siding with his mother.