Surprising Company

Many thanks must go to Madbrilliant and Alliean for the beta of this chapter. They rock!

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Chapter 20 - Surprising Company

The Dungeons were oddly silent throughout the day, which was surprising, as the Valentine's feast was fast approaching.

Most of the snow was melted away from the winter, and things were slowly beginning to grow again in preparation for the spring that was fast approaching. It was still cool outside, however, so Hermione had figured that most people would be more inclined to remain indoors. But this, apparently, was not the case. It was a Hogsmeade day, however, and she guessed that the students would have all chosen to go there to buy dress robes or various other gifts and items for the romantic holiday.

She was marking essays for two different classes in her dungeon office that she had kept on, as well as the chambers there. While all of her personal items had been moved to Severus' and her shared chambers upstairs, the lounges, bed, and basic things remained in her former quarters. Severus had gone into Hogsmeade that day with Filius to supervise, and had plans to meet up for a drink with Remus Lupin, Harry, and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Hermione was really pleased that Severus and Harry were getting along well now. She had no idea what she would have done if Harry and Ginny had not been as supportive of her choices as they had.

She sighed and got back to her essays and, for a while, continued uninterrupted by thought or people. That was, until there was a knock on the door that shocked her out of her concentrated state. She looked up, wondering who it could be, and then shook her head. It was probably just a student or another staff member.

'Come right in,' she called out.

The door opened slightly, and someone slipped in just as Hermione looked back down to her essays, and the door closed again softly. She looked up again, and to her shock and delight, Julia Weasley was standing there before her, looking a little shy with her hands clasped behind her back. Hermione smiled at her and stood from the desk, walking around to greet her properly.

'Hello, Julia! What brings you here?' she asked, hugging the slightly shorter witch, who returned her hug tightly. Hermione was reassured by the hug. It didn't seem that Julia was upset with her because of Molly and Ron.

'I needed someone to talk to,' she said quietly with a smile.

'Let's go to my old chambers and we can have some tea,' Hermione suggested, leading her out of the office and down the hall to the entrance covered by a large painting of an old witch. 'Belladonna.'

The portrait swung open and let them inside, and Hermione gestured for Julia to sit in one of the armchairs by the fire before heading into the kitchen to brew some of her special tea. Julia was one of the prettiest witches she had ever met apart from Ginny. She was small and curvy in all the right places, had long straight blonde hair, and the clearest blue eyes she had ever seen. Hermione would have had to say that she was far more beautiful that Fleur even. She and Ron had met at a Quidditch match by accident four years beforehand and had instantly clicked.

She had gone to a wizarding school in America, even though she was born and raised in Wales. Julia had never said an unkind word about anyone, as far as Hermione knew, and had been married to Ron for just over two years. They had not had any children yet, which was no fault of her own, but Molly always seemed to have held that over her. It was unfortunate that she had been dragged into something that had nothing to do with her at all. Hermione felt sad for her.

She returned to the sitting room, levitating the tea set along with her and placing it on the coffee table. 'I hope you like this tea,' Hermione said softly. 'I made it myself, so it's a little experimental.'

'I'm sure it's lovely,' Julia said, taking up a cup and allowing Hermione to pour her tea for her.

Hermione sat down across from her with her own cup and waved her hand in the direction of the fireplace, lighting the fire. 'So, what is it you wanted to talk about?' she asked, figuring the direct approach was best.

'I wanted to tell you that I am not mad at you or the professor at all, Hermione,' she said seriously. 'I'm not upset at you, and I don't blame either of you for what happened a week ago.'

Hermione breathed out in relief. 'I'm going to be honest with you and tell you that I was a little worried about that,' she admitted with a wry smile.

'There is no need to be worried about that,' Julia said softly. 'I – I have been staying at home with my parents this week – for my own reasons, so don't jump to conclusions.'

'I'm sorry about the way that Ron and Molly have been to you,' Hermione said sympathetically, sipping her tea.

'Ron is... Well, I love him no matter how stupid he is. I'm not upset with you about the way he is acting, but I think he just needs some time away from me so that he can sort out himself and his priorities. If he wants me to come back, he'll have to ask me to come back himself.'

Hermione nodded. 'He is just being irrational. We all know that he doesn't still have feelings for me. He is just trying to open up old wounds and sulk,' she said softly. 'He still has a lot of growing up to do.'

'I know he does,' Julia said softly in agreement. 'Which is why I think that moving home for a while was the best idea for us,' she continued. 'But the way that Molly is behaving is just ridiculous. She had no right at all to be upset at you for not marrying Ronald. It was obvious from the moment I met you that you couldn't ever marry someone like him. He's the kind of guy who needs to be taken care of all the time.'

'I couldn't have ever been the kind of woman he needs,' Hermione murmured. 'But you are perfect for him. You are sweet, and you take care of him all the time and do everything for him. Molly is so wrong to judge you in any way.'

'When I first met Molly, she was very cheerful and kind, and then as soon as I married Ron, she started going on and on about "our children" and how lovely everything was going to be and how her "plans" were all going perfectly,' Julia explained. 'She just doesn't realize that I wanted to have a life with Ron for a little while before I had children. I kept on taking the Potion until Ron noticed and told her, and she went completely mental about that. And now I've resorted to using Muggle contraceptives.'

'Oh, Julia – I had no idea how bad it was getting there,' Hermione exclaimed, reaching a hand over the table between them and touching her arm.

Julia shook her head and smiled. 'Molly sent me three letters in the last two days, demanding that I come back to Ron immediately. And when I didn't respond, she finally sent a Howler and scared the willies out of my parents,' she said with a short laugh. 'I had to explain to them that Molly wasn't normally like that and that things were chaos over here.'

'I'll bet Molly finding out that I was pregnant didn't improve anything,' Hermione muttered under her breath almost.

'Oh, she was furious that night when the twins came over to the Burrow and were going on and on about your pregnancy,' Julia admitted. 'And then she turned on me and started demanding answers about why I was still not with child.'

'If it is so bad there, why do you stay?' Hermione asked.

'Because, despite all of his flaws, I love Ron, and I do want to have his children,' Julia answered honestly. 'But two years ago, when we first got married, I wasn't ready for that. Maybe when all of this blows over, I will consider starting one.'

'You are honestly the best thing that ever happened to Ron, Julia,' Hermione said, in awe of the woman before her. Julia was handling this in a mature and dignified fashion that Hermione was not sure she would be capable of if she were in the same position. 'I am so glad that I met you.'

Julia smiled brightly at her. 'I am really grateful for your friendship, Hermione,' she said quietly. 'Because I went to school in America and then returned here, I had few friends on my arrival, and I am glad that Ron has such wonderful people in his life.'

Hermione and Julia talked for a while longer until Julia announced that she had to leave and get back to her parents' house, as she had left that morning without letting them know where she'd be. It had been one of the most interesting days that Hermione had had in quite a long time. She returned to her office after cleaning up everything in her old chambers and resumed marking papers until the noise of students filled the dungeons and she knew that everyone had returned from Hogsmeade.

She immediately went up to the Entrance Hall to greet Severus as he came in. She knew he would be the one pulling up the back of the ranks. He always did. She arrived just as the last few troublesome students were filtering through the great oak front doors, and then Severus came in, wearing his long black winter coat and gloves, his long hair a little windswept. Hermione thought he looked very handsome that way, all dishevelled and cheeks coloured from the cool air.

'Hello, Severus,' she greeted with a smile.

He smiled back at her, offering his pregnant wife an arm and escorting her up the stairs and then in the direction of his office. They had entered their shared chambers before Severus gave into his baser urges and kissed her soundly. They both removed their outer garments, hanging them up on the hooks beside the entrance, and went to sit together on the rug in front of the fire after kicking their shoes and socks off. Hermione snuggled back to sit between Severus' legs and rest against his chest.

'Julia came for a visit today,' she murmured softly, pulling his arms around her and holding him tightly.

'Is that so? What did she have to say?' Severus asked curiously.

'A lot of things,' Hermione replied. 'She told me so many things that I had no idea were going on before now. I have been so busy and wrapped up here with working the past few years that I hardly had time to see just how bad things had gotten with Molly, Ron, and Julia. I felt so out of the loop.'

'I trust that now you realize that you are not to blame for the current debacle over at the Weasleys' then?' he asked her.

'I know, and Julia explained everything to me. Molly has gone completely off her rocker over the last few years, and I hadn't even noticed the change in her,' she said with a heavy sigh. 'I wish I had just paid more attention.'

Severus squeezed her tight and kissed the top of her head. 'Love, it is hardly your fault that you did not become entangled in the Weasley drama,' he said firmly. 'It was probably for the best that you did not become involved earlier than now. There is less now that Molly can blame you for.'

'I know what you are trying to say, but that doesn't make it any easier for me to take this lying down,' Hermione said with a huff.

Severus chuckled low in his throat, planting a kiss on the nape of her neck and letting his hands drift over her stomach. The bump was still small but was ever so slightly more pronounced now. He loved her changing shape. Even though it was only a temporary change, he loved every moment of it. Certainly, he loved the tall, slender Hermione that had been his Deputy Headmistress, but there was something so uniquely beautiful about a woman rounding with his children.

'You're beautiful,' he told her seriously.

Hermione smiled widely at that. Only Severus could say the loveliest thing to her at a time when she doubted herself the most.