My Constellation--Dramione

Part 11

"Can someone please get Fleur?" Hermione asked Ginny when she made it to the living room of the Burrow.

"Are you—?"

"Yes."

"Wow. Okay, I'll go grab her, then." Ginny hopped up and dashed up the stairs to retrieve her sister-in-law,

"Shouldn't you wait for Bill?" Harry asked, glancing around at the fellow Weasleys.

Hermione swung her head, "No. If I don't say something now, I probably won't ever."

"What's the matter Hermione," Molly inquired with great concern.

"I'm making a confession," she whispered to the kind woman.

"But what—?"

"—Just wait for Fleur."

Exactly as she spoke those words, Ginny and Fleur trampled down the last few steps.

"Hermione, what's happened?"

"Fleur, I know I should wait for Bill but I need to tell you something about Archie. I know he has a family, I know who, and I know why." She turned to everyone in the room with the baby balanced on her hip. Her eyes cried with dry pain, no tears. Not yet. "You should know, you guys were right about his parents. It's awful what they did to him; they left him. He has a better home with you guys."

"'Mione—" Ginny touched the arm of her self-insulting friend. But Hermione jerked away from her grasp.

She ignored her friend. "—But the father, Archie's father,  has no idea he even exists!" Molly's slim brows lifted with deep hurt. She already had many questions. But everyone let Hermione continue. "And the mother was so involved with the war that she couldn't risk becoming an even bigger target of the death eaters." Harry slipped his fingers under the glass of his spectacles and scrubbed his eyelids mercilessly. Guilt was returning but he reminded himself of Hermione's earlier words. "Four hours is how long she had to bond with her newborn son before she called on McGonagall to find him a secure home. Some place away from the war. The mother hated to do it, but she'd gone nine months hiding her pregnancy, and before that, several months hiding her relationship with the father." Hermione was actively sobbing now.

Archie noticed his mother's sadness and began sniffling as well. It wasn't long until he was wailing too. Hermione rested her head against him. She put up a finger to signal she wasn't done. Not even close.

"Do you need me to take him?" Fleur spoke lightly. She held her hands out.

Hermione just glared at her. "No."

"Hermione, calm down," Molly soothed, taking a step closer to the distraught young woman. "I know how much this means to you, but you ought to give him to his mother."

Hermione actually laughed! Her palm clutched her stomach and she almost doubled over. Everyone looked around. They believed she was we mental.

"Mum, he is." Ginny whispered.

"Ginny, what on earth—"

"—I hid him for nine months. Harry didn't know. Ron didn't know. No one knew. Archer is my son!" she pointed to herself and returned to her hysterical sobs.

When no one said anything, Ginny piped up. "She's telling the truth, I've seen it through memories."

Molly stood with flat hands framing her O-shaped mouth.

"Mrs. Weasley," Hermione begged, "please understand this. You've always been like a second mother to me. One that actually understood me and the magic that I possess. But my parents are gone. They don't know who I am anymore so that puts you in first place. I practically worship your methods of parenthood which is why I'm coming to you for help first." Molly's eyes sunk to a dark brown with sadness and her mouth closed. "I believe you know better than anyone else what it means to make sacrifices for your children and loved ones, and how hard it is to lose them after devoting your entire life to them in just a short period of time—and I don't just mean Fred." Tears spilled carelessly. "Like when your sons graduated Hogwarts. Seeing them away from home and not in your own care is like a kick to the gut."

George tried desperately to diffuse the tension and building sorrow. "Actually, Fred and I didn't graduate, we escaped the school on broomsticks to start our joke shop, but please, carry on," he muttered quietly.

Only Ginny had the heart to laugh. Hermione fought a smile.

"Mrs. Weasley, I beg you, please, help me. I didn't want to take my son away from your family, but I now realize that I couldn't possibly do that. Because regardless of what you may all think of me now, I've always seen you and Mr. Weasley as my honorary parents, Ginny as my sister, Ron, Harry, Fred, George, and even Percy as my brothers. Bill and Charlie too. To me, he'll always be your grandson and I beg you to please not push us away. I don't know how to prove to you that all this is true, I'll call on McGonagall if I must, but I have too much in my life I regret. Having him is not one of them but not coming to clean sooner is. And I..." her lips quivered too much to form intelligent words. "Please, I..."

Before Hermione had time to loudly emit a new wave of heart-wrenching cries, Molly folded her arms around her shoulders and buried her in a tight embrace. It didn't stop Hermione from shivering, but it was enough security to coax the sobs into easing.

"I couldn't think of a single reason to cast you out of my family," the Weasley matriarch whispered.

She grudgingly let go of the poor girl and made room for Ginny to sweep her into a bear hug of her own. "You are so strong, 'Mione. I've always thought so. Just like I've always thought of you as my sister." She pulled back as well but not before planting a quick kiss to Archie's blonde head. It didn't phase her one bit that he also belonged to Draco Malfoy.

Hermione swiped at her burning eyes with her palm and covered her eyes. It'd been too long since she'd cried this hard, and it felt too good to stop. So she didn't.