Bad News Blaise

Once again, I would like to thank my wonderful betas, JENGEORGE and NervousAboutAngels, for helping me to make this a better story. And big Kudos goes out to the admins here at TPP. Their editing skills are legend.

And, of course, the great and talented J. K. Rowling is responsible for the characters and their world. I make no money from the writing or sharing of this story.

Chapter 9

Bad News Blaise

That night, Ron's Patronus announcing his late arrival was no surprise, so Hermione put Hugo to bed early and prepared to meet the problem of her wayward husband head on when Ron got home. He looked quite full of himself as he stepped through their front door. But if looks could kill, he would have fallen on the spot. He didn't need Legilimency to realize that Hermione was seething.

"Did you already eat, then?" he asked casually. "Any leftovers I could heat up?"

When she sarcastically replied, "Anything for you, Won-won," his eyes betrayed a touch of panic.

There was no mistake. Hermione knew. When she flicked her wand at the refrigerator to retrieve the remnants of dinner, sparks flew out of its tip. The food slammed onto the surface of the table with such force that one of the plates shattered just as their marriage was about to do. Ron winced with each noise and cowered with each twitch of her wand.

When she attempted to re-heat his food by using her wand like a flame-thrower, the kitchen table almost caught on fire!

"Alright, Hermione, that's enough!"

"How DARE you parade yourself around Diagon Alley with that harlot for the entire wizarding world to see?" Her wand emitted a baseball sized sphere of fire that shot towards his feet. He frantically jumped out of the way.

"HERMIONE! You wanna catch the house on fire?" He quickly stomped on the flames to put them out.

"You've brought shame and embarrassment to our family," she screeched as a burst of sharp tacks shot out of the tip of her wand.

His Shield Charm went up just in time.

"I would NEVER cheat on you, Ronald. If you're so unhappy with me, let's just get a divorce. Then maybe Lavender will give you about eight more children and be the stay-at-home wife that you've always wanted." She began to flick her wand at empty space, and a vampire bat appeared in each spot. With another flick, they flew at Ron with reckless abandon but couldn't penetrate his Shield Charm.

"Divorce? I don't want a divorce," he insisted over the frantic flutter of bat wings. "I don't give a rat's arse about her, really. But you never make love to me any more. It's like you expect me to lead a monk's life or something. I'm a flesh and blood MAN, Hermione. I have NEEDS!"

"And what do you call two nights ago?" she heard herself ask in a voice so shrill it rivaled a Mandrake's.

"Can you get these things off of me?"

She ignored his plea and raised her wand again but stopped short to hear his reply.

"Six months it had been...SIX months! For all I knew it would be six more months before I got another shag from you. Besides, all the purebloods do it. It's no big deal!"

That turned out to be the wrong thing to say. The rage within her burst forth as a sonic boom. Even with his Shield Charm still in place, she sent him, the bats, and all of the tacks flying across the room where they violently hit the wall. The bats dissolved like smoke. The tacks stuck firmly to the wall like little daggers. Ron sat in a daze. He looked up at his wife with fear in his eyes. He hadn't counted on her finding out so soon, much less reacting like this.

"No big deal? NO BIG DEAL?! If your father had shagged anyone on the side and your mum had found out, she would have killed him," Hermione howled.

"Alright." He stood and straightened his clothes. "You want a bloody divorce, you can have one," he barked, resentment dripping from every word. "Only I keep the kids. Go on. Get out. I don't need you, anyway." Ron stalked past her and sat at the table. He cast a Warming Charm on his food, Levitated some silverware from the drawer, and began to noisily eat, all the while casting suspicious glances at his wife just in case she decided to hex him again behind his back.

But Hermione stormed upstairs and headed directly to their bedroom and began to pack her clothing. She couldn't just leave and have Hugo with no mum when he woke up in the morning. She would sleep in Rose's bed tonight and try to explain things to Hugo on the way to school tomorrow.

But if Ron believed that she would leave behind her children, he was delusional.

*****

The next morning, Hermione woke Hugo very early and got him quietly dressed, packed, and ready for school. Her goal was to avoid another confrontation with Ron in front of Hugo, so she shrank the two suitcases to fit inside of her purse. Then they headed out the door without incident.

Since the school wouldn't open for over an hour, Hermione took Hugo back to her parents' house and helped him settle into what used to be her room. They made a game out of redecorating, so it would reflect the young boy wizard who would occupy it. By the time they were finished, the navy blue ceiling was strewn with stars that glowed in the dark, there were Quidditch posters on the wall from all over the world, and the paint had changed from a peach and teal theme to light gray-blue and dark burgundy. The rug, curtains and bed covers were transformed as well, to match the Quidditch theme.

All of this delighted Hugo to no end, but the hour flew by, and it was time to take the little guy to school. Hermione felt a bit more at ease with her decision since he seemed happy with her in his new home. So she took him to school then headed off to work in hopes that she would not run into Ron first thing in the morning. She knew he would be hopping mad when he woke up and found them both missing.

At lunch time, Hermione ventured down to the third level to the Marriage office and had them draw up the papers to set their divorce into motion. When the witch behind the counter was finished writing them up, she handed the parchment to Hermione. "It becomes a legal document once both parties have signed it," explained the woman. "After six months of legal separation, the Marriage Vow charm becomes null and void, and the divorce becomes official."

It was cut and dried. Hermione wanted none of Ron's personal items. He could have the house and everything in it. She had packed all of her things and taken them with her the night before. She only wanted joint custody of their children. She saw no reason for Ron to object especially since, in her opinion, she had every right to take him to the cleaners after the way he had carried on with Lavender.

Her lunch break wasn't anywhere near over, but Hermione returned to work anyway so she could justify leaving early to pick Hugo up from school herself. When 3:00 came around, she signed the divorce papers and sent them to Ron through the intra office memo system. Then she sent Molly her Patronus to let her know that she didn't need to pick up Hugo and headed out the door.

She reached Hugo's school just as it was letting out and scooped him up into her arms. She felt suddenly elated as she realized that now she could finally enjoy Hugo without the friction that Ron's presence caused in her life.

They walked down the street, hand in hand, until they came to a quiet side street where they could Disapparate undetected. But as soon as they Apparated into her kitchen, they found themselves surrounded by Aurors! "What is the meaning of this?" Hermione demanded as a touch of fear crept into her voice.

Ron stepped forward from the crowd as he took charge of the situation. "Harriet, you take my son upstairs and help him pack his things. The rest of you, watch her carefully. She's a tricky one. She's liable to try just about anything when she's cornered."

"What do you think you're doing? Hugo is not going anywhere with you. He's perfectly happy here with me."

"But you have no right to keep him," Ron's voice dripped with venom. "You see, the moment you signed those divorce papers, you gave up your right to have any access to your children."

"No I didn't. It was right there on page two. I asked for joint custody – JOINT custody. I have every right to my children."

"But it's not up to you, little Miss Know-it-all. I scratched through that part of the contract before I signed it, so that part is no longer valid."

"But I have to agree to any changes, and I do NOT agree that you get full custody."

Ron glanced at Harriet and jerked his head towards the staircase. Then he looked sternly at Hugo and said simply, "Go."

The boy didn't think twice. Before Hermione could reach for him, he had headed up the stairs with tears streaming down his face.

Her heart began to break as tears welled up in her own eyes. "Ron, you can't do this."

"Wrong again. I said last night that you could leave, but I keep the kids."

"He needs his mother, Ron. You can have him on weekends. Here lately you've been working late so much," her tone dripped with sarcasm, "you wouldn't have the time to spend with him anyway."

"He stays with me, and that's final. My mum can keep him if I happen to work late." Ron peered at her through narrowed lids as he looked down his nose. "You'd better mind your place, Hermione, or I won't let you see him at all – him or Rose."

Ron would not have stood a chance against her in a fair fight, but his wand was already drawn, as were the wands of the three remaining Aurors. "May I at least have a moment alone with my son when he comes back downstairs?"

Even though she was severely outnumbered, Ron still knew the kind of damage she could do when she was angry. So he silently nodded his head and motioned for them to go to the sitting room. "Don't try anything. I'll be watching."

Hermione pushed past Ron and waited for Hugo on the couch. When he finally returned, with the shrunken suitcase in one hand and Lizzy clutched tightly in the other, she motioned for him to come sit beside her. Then she cast the Muffliato charm at the doorway. They sat side by side and she looked the boy in the face and discovered that he was still crying.

"Oh, Hugo, sweetheart... It wasn't supposed to happen this way. You should never have been exposed to this ugliness."

Hugo held tightly to Lizzy and cried even harder. "Are you and Dad gonna get a divorce?"

"I'm afraid so, love. But this is not your fault. I want you to know that. We just don't get along any more."

"One of the kids at school, his parents split up last Christmas. He used to be mean all the time. I think it was because he watched them fighting, and he thought that that's just what people are supposed to do. But now he's just sad all the time. He lives with his mum, and he says she cries a lot. Are you going to cry a lot?"

Hermione had known that this conversation would be difficult, but she had no idea just how hard it would be until this moment. "I don't know. Perhaps, in the beginning. But I know that this is the best thing for everyone in the long run, even you."

"How is it better for me?"

"Doesn't it hurt you to see your father and me angry all the time?"

Hugo nodded.

"Well, I'll be much happier without him, and I know he'll be very happy without me."

Hugo's gaze fell to the floor as the tears began to fall again. "So you'll be happier without me?"

"Oh no, love." Hermione felt her heart begin to break again. "Hugo, I've stayed this long because I wanted to be with you. I want to keep you with me now, but your dad won't let me. You see, we both love you so much, we're willing to fight over you."

"But Dad said that he won't let you see me or Rose ever again!"

"He can't keep me away from you for long." Hermione's loving eyes pierced Hugo's soul. "Don't you worry. We'll see each other again soon. I promise."

Hugo nodded again, and she pulled him in for a tight hug.

"You can't deny me my children," she told Ron after she had lifted the Muffliato spell.

"I can, and I will."

Hermione kissed Hugo's cheek as Ron gripped his hand and pulled him away from her. "You'll be hearing from my lawyer," she threatened.

"You can hire the most expense lawyer in all of Great Britain, and it won't matter."

"We'll see about that!" she said defiantly as she watched Hugo hold his lizard toy even tighter.

Ron shook his head. "Always have to have the last word, don't you, you insufferable know-it-all!"

Didn't Snape call her that once? Perhaps more than once? Snape – that reminded her... "Wait! Hugo's potion!"

"He won't need the damn potion anymore. You'll be out of his life!"

"He needs to be at school at 8:15 a.m. sharp!"

"I KNOW!" screamed Ron as he pulled Hugo in tightly and spun. Then the others followed, and, after a series of deafening cracks, Hermione stood alone and lost in her own kitchen.

After a minute or two of stunned silence, she realized that she needed to make an appointment with Blaise Zabini as soon as possible, but since she had no owl at her disposal, she would have to go back to Diagon Alley, and to the Owl Post Office, to send it. The clock had not yet struck 4:15 p.m. There was still time. She ran into the family room, pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, and hastily scribbled her request for an appointment. Then she stuffed it in an envelope and ran to the fireplace. She Floo'd back to the Ministry lobby, ran out the front door and to the Owl Post Office just down the street. With only a few people in line, she didn't have long to wait.

After sending the owl, Hermione felt exhausted. She dragged herself back out amid the shops and stores and found a bench to relax on. At this point, all she could do was wait... and hope.

Since Blaise's office was also in London, she didn't have to sit there for very long. A different owl landed on the bench arm beside her and stuck out his leg. As she read the note he sat patiently preening his tail feathers. She was pleased to see that Blaise answered the note personally, since she had known him in school, and she still held some notoriety as a war hero, even after all these years. He could skip lunch and squeeze her in at noon tomorrow if that was OK with her. She replied in the affirmative at the bottom of his note and reattached it to the bird's leg. Then off he flew.

A wave of relief swept over her. Blaise was the best in the business. He would help her sort this out. He would help her come up with a plan. She would have Hugo back in her arms in no time.

As soon as she Floo'd back to her house she turned on the computer and then raided the fridge while she waited for the screen to come up. Snape was already on line, thank Merlin. After her nightmarish day, the promise of a friendly exchange warmed her heart.

HalfBloodPrince: Well, better late than never. Mission accomplished, I trust?

Hermione stared at the screen, puzzled. Then it hit her – Rita Skeeter's chocolates. She hadn't mentioned it to him yesterday because she was so set on following Ron, and so much had happened since then, that she had forgotten all about it.

MuggleBornWitch: Yes, mission accomplished. I didn't get a chance to read the Prophet this morning. Anything in it that might cause our favorite reporter to break out in a rash?

HalfBloodPrince: How is Hugo this evening?

Hermione's heart instantly filled with lead. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The poor boy had done nothing but cry most of the afternoon. She didn't have a chance to assess his health. The subtle changes that Snape needed to know about had escaped her notice amid the horrors of the afternoon's events. What could she tell him? She would no longer be able to give him reports. She didn't even know if Ron would give Hugo the potion. And she was certain that he would never agree to correspond with Snape to keep him updated. Would Snape stop communicating with her if Hugo was out of the picture? Would he try to help her with a solution? Or would he cut her off because he didn't want to be involved in something that was none of his business?

Her anxiety continued to build as she could only bring herself to stare at the screen.

HalfBloodPrince: Earth to Miss Granger.

Since there was no graceful way to avoid the question, she decided that being truthful was always the best course of action.

MuggleBornWitch: Sorry. Hugo is not well, but it has nothing to do with your potion. Ron and I split up.

There was no response for a very long time. She was beginning to think that he had left the room and hadn't seen her reply when something finally came up on the screen.

HalfBloodPrince: Your idea or his?

MuggleBornWitch: I'll do my best.

Snape thought about the lunch idea again. He knew that, with this new turn of events, Miss Granger must desperately need someone to confide in. She had actually left the moron – finally! And her reasons had nothing to do with him. Now was as good a time as any.

HalfBloodPrince: Winky has been asking about you. She is insisting that I invite you to lunch to return the favor. So, rather that be driven to the brink of insanity by my house-elf, I would be honored if you would grace us with your presence at my humble home for lunch tomorrow.

Hermione sat in shocked silence. She had truly expected him to shrink from her, to run away and hide at the first hint of a divorce. But instead, the hand of friendship came reaching out from the computer screen, even if the invitation seemed a bit back-handed in its wording. But tomorrow was out. She had to see Blaise as soon as possible. With high hopes, she dictated her reply.

MuggleBornWitch: I can't tomorrow. I have an appointment with a divorce lawyer. Saturday is Hugo's party. How about Sunday?

Snape pondered thoughtfully for a moment. Sunday would not lend itself to a short lunch. Miss Granger would be off from work. She was now free of the obligations of family life. He might be stuck with her for hours. He wasn't sure if he could stomach that. She seemed congenial enough the last time they had shared a meal, but it was mercifully cut short. He knew that his tolerance for other humans had always been lacking, and it had only grown worse with age. No, weekends were definitely out, at least for now.

HalfBloodPrince: Sunday's out. How does Monday look for you?

HalfBloodPrince: Good luck. Monday, then.

*****

Later that night, as Hermione readied herself for bed, her mind turned to Hugo as it had done off and on all evening. What if Ron couldn't be persuaded to give him the potion? What effect would this divorce have on his overall health? She lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling, worrying herself sick. Could she bring herself to crawl back to Ron for Hugo's sake? The thought turned her stomach. She could only hope that Blaise could help her come up with a way to get joint custody of her children. Didn't the courts always side with the mother as long as she was deemed competent? Ron had absolutely no proof that she was incompetent. She had always been an attentive, loving mother. In her mind, he didn't have a case against her. She was bound to get her children back.

As her mind slowly worked through the logic of her defense, the knots in her stomach began to ease, and Hermione finally began to drift slowly off to sleep.

*****

At lunch the next day, Hermione marched briskly down to the Ministry lobby to Floo over to Blaise Zabini's office. Unfortunately, before she could find an open fireplace, Ron walked past, most likely headed to meet Lavender. Hermione's first impulse was to make some snide remark, but she thought better of it. In its place came a concerned question, based on her previous day's IM exchange with Snape.

"Ron," she ran up behind him and reached for his arm.

He spun quickly and drew his wand in alarm. Several of the Ministry workers gasped as Hermione glared at him, held up her empty hands, and took a step back.

"What do you want?" he asked viciously.

"I only wanted to try and change your mind about giving Hugo his potion. I talked with Professor Snape over the computer yesterday, and he said it was essential to Hugo's health to keep him on it."

"Rubbish. He was fine last night and fine this morning."

"I'd like to judge for myself if you don't mind, so I'll be at his birthday party tomorrow."

"I do mind, as a matter of fact. You're not invited to his party. You better not show your face anywhere near my house tomorrow if you know what's good for you."

Hermione stared in disbelief. "He's my son, too. I have a right to wish him a happy birthday."

"You should have thought about that before you walked out on us."

"I didn't walk out. You drove me away with your outrageous behavior."

"Look, this is not the time or the place."

"I agree. You will be hearing from my lawyer. But I must insist that you continue to give Hugo his potion. Professor Snape said..."

"I don't give a damn what Snape said. Hugo's fine. Just leave us alone. You wanted out of my life. So stay OUT!" With that comment, Ron turned on his heel and marched out the front door and, no doubt, into Lavender's waiting arms.

All Hermione could do was stand there as she felt dozens of people staring at her while the color rose in her cheeks. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and found the nearest vacant fireplace. As she grabbed a handful of Floo powder and said, "Blaise Zabini's office," she felt the tears begin to fall. Merlin's monocle, she thought, what have I done?

Blaise's secretary smiled at her as she stumbled out of the posh marble fireplace. "He's ready and waiting for you, ma'am," she said as she pointed towards a large, ostentatious set of mahogany double doors. With a wave of the secretary's wand, they opened to admit her.

As Hermione entered the roomy, darkly paneled office, her robes and hair were automatically relieved of any residual ashes from her mode of transportation. She immediately noticed a surplus of diplomas and awards on the wall behind Blaise's desk. Some were from Muggle universities and law schools, others hailed from Wizarding schools. She didn't even see Blaise as he emerged from a private bathroom door.

"I handle Muggle divorces as well."

Hermione turned towards him, a bit startled by the sound of his voice.

"But don't worry," he continued. "Only people from the magical community can see the wizarding diplomas. And I have a separate waiting room for Muggles, so they don't accidentally witness wizards using the Floo network. Great to see you again, Hermione. Although I wish, for your sake, that it was under more pleasant circumstances."

"Thanks, Blaise. It's good to see you too."

"You see, wizards don't usually divorce each other, especially the purebloods. I actually make loads more money from the Muggle lot." He began to chuckle. "Let me guess... You want a divorce because Ron is cheating on you, but Ron says his affair with Lavender is no big deal and you're overreacting."

"Have you become a seer as well?" she asked in amazement while wiping the tears from her face.

"No," Blaise offered her his white linen handkerchief. "But it didn't take long for Ron's affair to become common knowledge. I may have actually known about it before you did! So, you see, I've been expecting you to contact me. Purebloods almost never want a divorce. It's always the Muggle-borns. They think that the wizarding world works like the Muggle world does. But they're wrong. That's where I come in." He motioned for her to sit down. "I would make small talk, ask you how things are going, etcetera, but I already know the answer. So let's cut to the chase, shall we? What do you want out of the marriage? The house? Half of everything he owns? The account at Gringotts? We can take him to the cleaners if you like, the ruddy bastard!"

"Blaise!" Hermione glared at him dumbfounded. "I have a good job and my parents' old house. We have separate accounts at Gringotts, and I can assure you that mine contains more gold at the moment than his does. I don't need anything from him really."

"Then why in Merlin's name are you here? Just the price of this consultation will set you back 500 Galleons."

"500 Galleons?" Hermione whispered. "I'm in the wrong business."

Blaise chuckled. "No, really, what do you need me for if you don't want anything from him except your freedom?"

"Well, the most important thing of all, of course. I want custody of my children, at least joint custody. Right now he won't let me see Hugo at all. They're throwing him a birthday party tomorrow that I helped to plan, and now Ron won't even let me come. He says I walked out on them and I don't deserve to see him."

Blaise sat back in his high-backed, padded, dragon skin chair and sighed. A worried look began to emerge from his furrowed brow. "You mean, you don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

"You're a Muggle-born, he's a pureblood. He's within his rights to keep you away from the children."

"WHAT?" Hermione's heart began to pound. She had always assumed that the wizarding world decided custody battles the same way the Muggle world did. She never imagined that blood-lines would enter into it.

"When wizards and witches split, custody always goes to the parent of the purest blood. When both are equally mixed, some sort of joint arrangement can usually be worked out. But in your case it's open and shut. If he wants to keep you away from your kids, he's within his rights, and the courts will decide in his favor."

Hermione was devastated. Her children had become her only joy, her only reason for living. Words escaped her, but her stunned look of desperation spoke volumes to Blaise.

"You do have a couple of options."

She raised her eyebrows with a ray of hope in her heart.

"The easiest thing would be to go back to Ron and stick it out until the kids are adults and he has no control over them anymore."

That option held no interest for her whatsoever. "Next."

Blaise smirked. "You make nice with him so he'll let you see the kids out of the goodness of his heart."

"What heart? Next."

"Last but never least, you find a way to prove that he is an incompetent father, or a bad influence. But don't expect an extramarital affair to count as a bad influence. For purebloods, having a witch or two on the side is a status symbol. As long as there are willing witches there will be mistresses."

"What would be considered incompetent?"

"Well, neglect, not taking proper care. Say the boy gets badly hurt or sick or something and Ron doesn't bother to take him to St. Mungo's. That sort of thing."

"Say... if Ron doesn't give him medicine that was prescribed twice a day and he gets sick without it, would that count?"

"Depends on what medicine, who prescribed it, and how sick he gets. But I'll tell you this right now: you'll need someone on the inside to be a witness for you. I know you and Harry Potter are still friends. Harry married Ron's sister, Ginny, right?"

Hermione nodded.

"Look, I don't know just how tight you two are still, but if Harry could watch Ron and look out for Hugo... maybe he could find something you could use against him."

"It's worth a try," she admitted meekly.

Blaise glanced at his Rolex. "Hey, it's about time for my next appointment. I'll have my office bill you."

Hermione nodded slowly.

"And if you come up with anything we can use on him, just let me know and I'll take care of it for you. In the mean time, I'll have Agnes get the Ministry to send us a copy of your divorce papers so I can look for loop-holes."

She nodded again as she absentmindedly rose from her chair.

Blaise stood as well and reached for her hand. "Ron's a reasonable bloke, Hermione. Don't worry, he'll come around."

"I sure hope so. I don't know what I would do without my children."

"Later, then."