The Confrontation

Many thanks go to Madbrilliant and Alliean for the beta of this chapter. And a big thanks to all of my readers!

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Chapter 22 - The Confrontation

The room smelt heavily of the cleaning fluids that were often used in Muggle hospitals, and beside the examination bed on the silver trolley sat a jar of clear jelly.

Hermione was busily removing some of said jelly from her stomach in the bathroom just next door while Severus stood outside with the Healer discussing the ultrasound she had just had. The ultrasound, oddly enough, had become quite the popular thing to do when a witch got pregnant in the wizarding world. Hermione, having been raised as a Muggle until her acceptance into Hogwarts, decided that she too wanted to go through the experience. She had never seen her husband as amazed as he had been when he first saw their children on the television screen.

The little things that had shown up on the screen had looked something more like a sea monkeys than actual babies, but that had not made them love their children any less. In fact, Hermione had found them quite endearing. Once she had finished cleaning herself up, she re-covered and left the bathroom in search of her husband. She saw that he was with the Healer clutching a big yellow envelope, smiling broadly at her when he saw her approach. He was lovely when he smiled that way. Her heart fluttered in her chest as he extended a hand out to her.

'Ah, Madam Snape, I was just letting your husband here know that you have the healthiest twins I have ever seen at this stage of a pregnancy,' Healer Larson said cheerfully.

'That's wonderful to know,' Hermione replied, stepping to Severus' side and allowing herself to be wrapped in his arms. She had been a little worried that there would have been some sort of complications caused by her recent stress.

'Well, I would love to stay and chat some more, but the other patients are calling me,' Healer Larson said with a friendly smile. 'Don't hesitate to call me if somehow complications do arise.'

'We shall,' Severus replied immediately, steering Hermione towards the direction of the Apparition area.

'Are we headed to the Burrow then?' Hermione asked, her anxiety over what was to come flavoring her tone.

'Yes, my love, I am afraid we are,' he answered with a firm nod. 'I think it would be best if you sat with Julia for the duration, however. She will likely need your support more than anyone.'

Hermione just nodded in agreement and wrapped her arms around Severus for them to Apparate in tandem. They reappeared at the edge of the Weasleys' orchard, closest to where the little Muggle town was just down the hill. They had agreed to meet Julia in that exact spot so that the three of them could go as a unit to the Burrow. They did not have to wait long, for soon after their arrival, Julia Apparated about two meters away from them and smiled weakly in greeting.

'I am unbelievably nervous,' Hermione confided to the slightly younger witch. 'It's the damn pregnancy hormones – they get me wound up easily all the time.'

'There's no need for nerves,' Julia assured her, taking one of her hands in both of hers. 'Come on and let's get this over with.'

Severus, ever the supportive one, took Hermione's free hand in one of his own, twining his fingers with hers on one side, while Julia held the other. Just in that moment, Hermione knew she was one of the luckiest people alive. She had such wonderful, supportive, loving people in her life, surrounding her with their warmth. She had no idea what she had ever done to deserve such a thing.

As one, the three of them walked up the dirt road towards the not-so-rickety Burrow. Severus was pleased that, despite his elevated rank amongst wizarding society, Arthur Weasley was still the same man he had always been. He had not become a materialistic man, and he, Molly, and some of the offspring still lived in the same old house they always had, despite a few necessary repairs. Feeling like unwanted guests, they went to the front door instead of the back as they usually did and knocked carefully, only to be greeted by a smiling Bill.

'I was wondering when the day of reckoning would come,' he said good-naturedly with a charming grin, opening the door a little wider to allow them entry.

'Hello, Bill,' Julia greeted, giving her brother-in-law a tight hug.

People were still a little shocked where Bill was concerned. Almost two years before, out of the blue, Fleur had divorced him. Most people had thought that they were the ideal married couple, but it seemed that her objections to Molly's interfering ways and her presence in their life had been too much for her to handle. Bill, of course, had defended Fleur vehemently and had only just recently been welcomed back at the Burrow by Molly himself. It seemed that even defending the woman he had been in love with was akin to betrayal. As far as Severus was concerned, however, Bill Weasley had acted the part of a man, just as Ronald should have.

'You haven't been at work for the last few days,' Bill commented to Julia as he took up everyone's coats.

Julia smiled. 'I've been a little busy, but I'll be back bright and early on Monday,' she offered simply in reply. She too, worked as a curse breaker for Gringotts.

Bill nodded. 'Well, come on through to the kitchen,' he said, gesturing for all of them to follow. 'Mum rarely even leaves the house these days, and Ron likes to sulk around near her, so it's convenient, you see.'

Hermione had to contain her smile at the sarcasm and joking attitude that Bill was displaying in the face of such a serious event. She got the feeling that the whole thing was simply drawing out his own bitterness towards those members of his family, and that he had no objections to them being brought up short. His marriage had been ruined in the same manner, after all. The four of them entered the kitchen to find Molly with her back to them, standing at the stove cooking. Ron, surprisingly, was nowhere to be seen for the time being.

'You have visitors, Mum,' Bill said simply, stopping at the doorway as the three visitors walked further into the kitchen. He had no plans to stick around and play sides – it would have been unfair.

Molly turned around, and as soon as she saw whom it was, she glared and turned right back around to her stove and continued to do as she had been before their arrival was announced. 'I have no wish to see anyone at present,' she said petulantly, placing her free hand on her hip while stirring the pot with the other.

'Molly, be reasonable,' Severus said a tad gruffly. 'We have gone to a lot of trouble to come and see you today, with the intentions of making peace. It would be terribly rude of the Minister of Magic's wife to be so inhospitable, no matter who the guests were.'

'If I were the type of woman who was concerned about society, I am quite certain that I would have never married Arthur,' Molly said tersely.

'This has nothing to do with bloody society, Molly,' Hermione snapped. 'Turn around and face us and tell us to leave, if you dare.'

Severus places a soothing hand between her shoulder blades and rubbed up and down in a calming circle. Hermione looked at him gratefully and calmed herself down a little. It would be no use fighting irrationality with the same. Bill gestured for them to sit down at the table before taking his leave to the sitting room to wait it out. Just as he left, however, Ron walked in through the back door and into the kitchen. When he saw Severus, his eyes went livid for a moment, before he spotted Hermione and Julia sitting side-by-side like best friends. He wanted to snarl at that, but instead, favored them with a look of hurt pride.

'What the hell are you lot doing here?' he asked rudely. 'I should think that you would realize that you aren't welcome here.'

As he said this, his gaze was on Severus. All in the room that were actually paying attention noticed this too. Hermione frowned at his childish behavior, which made Julia tighten the grip on her hand to calm her. As much as Julia loved Ron, she was getting sick of him also, and understood how Hermione was feeling. She, however, had no intentions on letting him see that he was having an effect on her. She had to be the strong one.

'Ron, this has to stop now,' Julia said firmly. 'I know you're a little upset right now, but don't you think you are being too sensitive to something that has little to nothing to do with you at all? Did you not marry me? Do you not actually love me?'

Ron's expression changed to a shocked one. 'Since when are you on their side?' he asked in bewilderment. 'Don't you love me anymore?'

Julia frowned. 'Now you're just being ridiculous, Ronald,' she said coolly. 'Throwing my own questions back in my face is really childish.'

And that was when it happened. Molly spun around so quickly then that she knocked the big pot of soup clean off the stove top, allowing it to slosh over her shoes and the floor, making a metallic clang as it hit the ground and bounced. She had such a look of madness on her face and in her eyes that Hermione was trembling slightly in fear. When had this happened? When had the kind, loving, gentle Molly Weasley been exchanged for this harridan? Had it been after the war and all the horrors she had witnessed? In the end, it had happened, and something had to be done.

'How dare you even come into this house, let alone address your husband that way?' Molly shouted at Julia, spittle flying out of her mouth as she spoke.

Julia stood calmly, looking down at Molly from her taller height. 'Ronald is much less as husband to me as he is a son to you,' she said simply. 'Obviously from your reaction, I can see that I am as unwelcome and unwanted in this house as I have ever been in the past year. I'm sorry that I could not live up to your expectations and become a Weasley breeding machine for you both. I would have been all too happy to provide you with some children one day had this not happened, but I can see that I obviously was not the woman you wanted for Ronald.'

Julia was so calm and serene the whole time, even as she walked from the room the way she had come, intending to leave on that note. It was blatantly apparent to everyone in the room that the Weasleys had just lost one more of their number. Hermione wanted to cry for Julia, but decided to keep strong. She and Severus had yet to say their piece to the two in the room with them.

'You have just allowed the best thing that has ever happened to that worthless son of yours walk right out of this house,' Severus said coldly, his temper beginning to slowly escape his control. 'I came here with the intentions of making peace, but I can now see that it would have been in vain. You have truly become a person that I would rather have nothing to do with, Molly Weasley, and were it not for Arthur, I would have severed ties with you when you destroyed your own son Bill's marriage to the woman who married him even when he was scarred. You have thrown away good thing after good thing constantly.'

He took a deep breath and paused there. 'Now, I want you and your waste of a son to think about what I have said, and about what Julia has said also,' he continued. 'If something comes to you, I wish you the best in righting your wrongs. If not, however, I hope that you might both spend the rest of your lives miserable in your inability to see your own good fortune and instead covet others.'

He stood from his seat at the long table and, walking around to Hermione, he held out a hand for her and pulled her to her feet. They walked from the kitchen wordlessly, passing Bill sitting with Julia on the front porch on the way out. The pair stood and followed, Apparating away from the house without remorse. The four arrived at Grimmauld Place shortly afterwards and were admitted to the house by a nervous-looking Ginny, who was holding Lily to her side.

As Hermione entered, she felt her heart sink into her chest and her eyes fill with tears. Even after coming out as a winner, she felt as though she had lost much.