Hermione froze as the voice she hadn't heard from in 10 years rang out, perhaps a little louder than necessary around the hall. She wanted to turn around and walk away again, without giving an answer but she couldn't do that to Ginny or Harry again. She wouldn't do that.
So instead she cast her eyes to the left of Ginny at the man who was standing up from the table now and waling around to stand by his sister.
He had a certain look in his eyes. A look that Draco gave her when he was in the mood. Lust. But she was nipping that in the bud before it even had a chance to start. "Hello Ronald," she said in a curt voice. "You look -" he looked awful, but she didn't want to be rude so she simply said 'good." She didn't look at him for more than a few seconds. He reminded her of why she left. What he did, and she could feel the anger inside her.
Ron smirked. "You're looking very fit!" He blurted out as Ginny rolled her eyes. "It's been a while."
"Yes it has," she nodded. "10 years, actually."
"And yet you don't look any older. Still as beautiful as ever," he stepped closer to her, and she wanted to step back immediately, but she didn't want to anger him.
"Um....thank you?" She said not sure how to reply before turning back to Harry and Ginny. "I read that the two of you got married a few years ago. Not that I was surprised. I knew you were soulmates," she smiled as Harry glanced at Ginny and blushed.
"We did," Ginny chuckled. "Almost 7 years ago, actually. And we have a son. James Sirius Potter."
Hermione nodded. "We saw your birth announcement in the paper."
"And thank you for the gift," Harry smiled. "Actually for all the gifts and cards over the years. We..em...never knew where you were staying to send any back to you," he sighed.
But Hermione waved her hand. "Don't be silly. I never expected you to. How does it feel to be parents?"
Ginny laughed. "We are like fish out of water. We make it up as we go. James is a little prince but having a baby is hard work. He still doesn't sleep through the night, and he seems to have not outgrown the terrible twos."
"It was worse when he was teething," Harry chuckled. "One of us used to have to rock him in our arms just to get him to sleep. His little cheeks were flying off him and he was in a lot of pain."
"It's rough seeing your little one so upset and not being able to do anything to help," Hermione nodded and Harry's head snapped up to look at her. She made it sound like she knew the feeling all too well, which meant that she had a baby herself.
He was about to ask her when Ginny interrupted. "And what about you Hermione?" Ginny was never one to beat around the bush. "Why did you leave us? What did we do wrong?"
Hermione blanched. She had tried to avoid this. She could see out of the corner of her eye that Ron looked horrified. He was now shuffling from one foot to the other and nervously glancing around the room. She wondered how much he had told them of what happened that night.
"Well," she looked to Ron. "What did your brother say happened?"
Ginny smirked, knowing full well that Ron's turn of events were not entirely honest. It was Harry that answered. "He said that you left the night of the engagement party because you had been seeing someone else behind his back and had fallen in love with that person and decided that he was better suited to you than Ron was. He said you gave back your engagement ring and simply took off."
Ron wished he had a drink in his hand. He could see the rage rising in Hermione, and he knew that he had to take hold of the situation before it escalated. "You broke my heart when you left that night Hermione. It took me a long time to get over you. I love you. I don't know who that other guy was, but it doesn't matter, I forgive you."
Hermione did the only thing she could think of at that moment. She burst out laughing having to use her hand to cover her mouth. "You forgive me?" She laughed again. "You forgive me?" Her voice got louder as she laughed. Draco was enjoying the show.
"What exactly do I need forgiving for Ronald?" She asked putting her bag down on the table and folding her arms.
"Well, for cheating on me. For leaving that night and never looking back. For walking out on our engagement night. I had spent a fortune on that ring, and you didn't care. You left me. You left Ginny and Harry and all my family. The people who love you."
Hermione looked down feeling guilty. She did leave them. All of them. But Luna wasn't letting him off the hook. "She left that night because of you Ron!" Luna shouted and by now everyone in the Great Hall was watching them.
Ron's eyes widened in surprise at Luna standing up to him. "No," he shook his head. "She left because she cheated on me!" He grabbed Ginny's arm. "Come on! We are leaving. She betrayed us all and broke my heart." Ginny turned to argue with him. "She is the reason that I turned out the way I did. She is the reason that I began drinking." He turned to Hermione. "You ruined everything. You were never supposed to be there that night. You were supposed to meet me at the party like we said. If you had gone to the party we would be together now, and we would be happy." He could feel the rage build up inside of him. He felt bad for causing a scene but suddenly when he was looking at her, he felt like he had been robbed of his life. The life he was supposed to have with her.
"Ron Weasley, don't you -"
But he continued. "If you hadn't spoilt everything, we would be married with kids, like Ginny and Harry. I would still have my job. But no, Hermione decided to be a goody, goody and to come to the flat to make sure that I had got my fucking gift."
"Ron, what are you talking about?" Harry asked noticing everyone staring.
Ron pointed at Hermione. "She wasn't supposed to be there!"
"Be where?" Lua asked smirking.
Ron thought carefully about what he was going to say next. "I went to the flat. Hermione and I had presents for each other for our engagement party. I wanted her to wear hers to the party. I stopped by the flat and when I walked in, I could hear...noises coming from the bedroom. I walked in and there was Hermione in bed with some guy. The guy from her work. The guy that she had been talking about."
Ginny gave a gasp and turned to look at the brunette in front of her. "Jacob?" Ginny had heard Hermione mention him quite a few times. She would always say how brilliant his mind was and how much she liked him and that were becoming fast friends. Ginny had assumed it was innocent. But now? "How could you?" She could feel her hand twitch wanting to slap the expression off Hermione's face.
Hermione was standing there is disbelief. She couldn't believe that Ron was making up these lies and what was worse? Ginny looked like she was now believing her.
Harry had his eyebrows raised. "Jacob?" he asked. "That is who you saw Hermione with?" He looked to Hermione and then back to Ron. "You are sure?"
Ron nodded. "Yes, yes it was definitely him. The slut was lying with her legs spread on our bed as that bloody bastard had his head in between them like he was at an all-you-can-eat buffet!" He smirked now knowing Ginny and Harry believed him. "I suppose that is why you are here tonight with Luna and not married by now. You still whoring yourself out to every man that walks past you? Is that the influence you've had on Luna too? Showing her how to throw herself at any man that gives her a second glance?"
Hermione lifted her hand up and slapped Ron clean across the face. What she hadn't expected was for Ginny to then slap her the same way. Or for Luna to slap Ginny in retaliation. Draco and Blaise were on their feet, but Pansy was holding them back. She knew the girls could hold their own.
"You bitch!" Ginny screamed. "You cheated on my brother and then left without even saying you are sorry? How could you? You are not the Hermione that I remember from school. The war changed you. I can't believe I spent the last few years worried about you. Wondering if you were alright and wishing I could see you."
"Ginny," Harry said, but she held her hand up to him to stop him.
"I wish I had never met you. We were better off without you" Ginny said surprising even herself with her malicious words.
"Ginny!" Harry snapped.
"What?" She screamed. "You want to forgive her for what she did to your family? To your brother?"
Harry nodded. "Ron is lying." Ginny looked taken aback while Ron's mouth hung open.
"He isn't -"
"He most certainly is," another voice called out. Everyone in the hall turned to look towards to new speaker. A tall, dark haired man, who looked bloody hot and was smirking now as he approached the table. He looked to Hermione. "Hello lovely."
"Hello Jacob," she nodded and smirked.
"This is Jacob?" Ginny asked disgusted. "How could you -"
"I suggest you shut your mouth before you dig yourself a bigger hole. One you won't be able to get out of." He said sternly making Ginny blush. She looked at Harry expecting him to defend her, but he stood there with his arms folded looking furious at his wife and at Ron. "Now I don't know why, but your brother is indeed lying about the night of the engagement party. I was never with Hermione that night."
"Yeah, sure -" Ginny started but this time Harry snapped at her.
"Shut up!" He looked furious and Ginny stepped away from him.
"I was already at the party that night waiting for the happy couple to arrive. Actually I was sitting at the same table as Mr Potter here and your darling mother, Molly. I was introducing them both to my partner - Lawrence." Again the hall gasped. "So you see I wasn't with Hermione. I have never been with Hermione. I would be more attracted to Ron than I would be to Hermione," he looked at the brunette. "No offence lovely."
"None taken," Hermione sighed. "And thank you for clearing that up for us all."
"Couldn't have them thinking you were something that you weren't." He turned to Ron. "And for the record, you are an asshole. You destroyed this girl. You had literally the best there was and you chose to stomp on her heart and rip it to pieces. You don't deserve her." He winked at Hermione and headed off to the bar.
"I'm going to buy that nice guy a drink," Hermione heard Draco whisper as he darted after Jacob to the bar.
Hermione smiled and turned to Ron. "Do you want to tell them what really happened or shall I?" She gestured to Ginny and Harry.
"What happend was you left me!" Ron shouted around the hall.
"I left because of your extra currcular love life," she screamed. "I left because you expected me to be ok with you shagging any girl who smiled at you."