A/Note, If you are a Ronald Weasley lover this is not a story for you, and I would advise you look else where. I have taken all the character traits of Ron from the entire series and built them altogether, the result does not make for a nice person, thus this story depicts what can happen with people that show these traits, and not what awill or does happen. No flames if you don’t like the story please.
Disclaimer, if these characters were mine, I would never have written the epilogue, you can blame JK Rowlins for that, she owns them.
The Beating by broomstickflyer and merlinsaprentice1
Still dressed in his officer’s uniform, Harry had raced from the scene of a crime to reach his friends flat. They had been married just three days, and this dinner was just for the three of them. The golden trio who had defeated Voldemort just a year ago to the day, the newly weds had put off their honey moon for this dinner, and he would have hated being late. Then of course he would go to the ends of the world to spend time with Hermione.
Ron he no longer considered his best friend, he had deserted them when they had needed him, so now he was a dubious friend and Hermione’s new husband.
It was Ron who answered the door when Harry knocked, Ron showed him into the small living room, where he noticed a few dents in the plaster he had not noticed before. ‘I’m still in law officer mode’ he told himself as he judged the height of the marks.
Together he and Ron sat on the old armchairs either side of the fire. Ron passed him a bottle of butterbeer, and they chatted about the job Ron would start when they got back from their honey moon, reserve keeper for the not so brilliant Chuddley Cannons.
Harry was half way through his drink when the reason for his visit entered, he noticed she moved a little gingerly as though hurt. Her head was bowed so he could not see her eyes, the training he had had, along with his one years experience were telling him something he did not want to believe.
It was when she sat across from him he saw it, she had glamour charms all over her. Hermione who never wore make up, and even now did not appear to be wearing any now, was hiding her looks behind charms.
He reached in to a pocket and took out a distinctly blue coloured cloth; it was the one they were issued with, it would make his glasses reveal what was hidden under the glamour charms.
Gently he polished his glasses with the cloth, and then slipped them back on.
The sight that met his eyes made his stomach turn, and he almost heaved.
Hermione was covered in fresh bruises, she probably had a broken jaw, her eyes were both swollen so he wondered how she managed to see. There wasn’t a part of her he could see without a bruise.
Harry slowly pulled his wand from his sleeve and with a quick move he pointed it at Ron and said stupefy. Turning to Hermione he removed the charms that concealed the beating she had received, Hermione hung her head.
“When did he do this?” Harry asked.
“Oh Harry.” she began to sob and Harry gently placed his arm around her shoulder.
“It started on the wedding night, I told him we couldn’t have sex because of my time of the month, he screamed about always having an excuse. He said he had planned and waited all this time to have the one thing that you wanted most in the world. He beat me every day since, he kept raving about you, and how he had finally beat you.
It seems like a life time ago. He made me wear the glamour charms; he said he’d beat me again if I told you. Is it true Harry am I the one that you want the most, am I the thing he said I am?” She cried on to his shoulder.
“Yes Hermione, I love you more than you could ever know,” he answered quietly.
“Hermione I have to ask, did he force you, you know, did he force himself on you?”
“He said he was saving that for tonight, whether I wanted to or not, somehow he saw it as hurting you,” she tried to explain.
“Harry take me away, get me out of here, I don’t want to be married to a wife beater, I want a career, I want to be strong again.” Hermione begged.
“I just have to do a few things first, just to be safe, you go and wait at the door. I’ll get you to St Mungo’s soon,” he told her as he turned toward Ron.
Harry turned the unconscious body of Ron over and pulled his arms behind his back, reaching into his top pocket he removed a set of Muggle handcuffs and placed them on Ron’s wrist’s giving them an extra squeeze as he let go, then with his wand he bound Ron as secure as he would have bound Voldemort. He took Ron’s wand and broke it into three pieces.
Sitting Ron up he cast an enervate charm to revive him, then he cast a silencing charm on him. Ron stared wide eyed and scared, he had been caught by the very man he knew loved Hermione.
“So you thought you could do that to the woman I loved, you sick demented b…” Harry whispered in Ron’s ear.
Then with a really well placed stamp of his heavy duty boot, bringing down his foot with all the force he could muster he totally ruined any chance Ronald Bilius Weasley would ever have of making love to a woman.
“I’m taking Hermione, and when I have her sorted and healed, I am coming back for you. You will wish you could change places with Voldemort when I am finished with you, your own mother won’t know you, do you understand me Weasel, I’m coming back for you,” Harry whispered with an evil voice that made Ron shiver.
Harry took Hermione to St Mungo’s and waited as the healers did their work, when they had finished healing all the damage done to the woman he loved, Harry asked for a report of her injuries in triplicate.
Harry took her to his ancestral home, no one would disturb her there. It was unplottable and only the two of them had ever been there before, and then just a quick visit before going on to Godrics Hollow, so nobody knew where it was.
Once she was in bed he gave her a dreamless sleep potion, and sat with her till she was sleeping soundly.
Harry began to read the hospital report, it sounded like a complete list of injuries treated in a casualty ward for a night.
Eyes – left socket broken. Right socket badly bruised
Cheek bones – right broken Left cracked
Jaw – left upper, three missing teeth, right lower, broken two places.
Ribs – left two broken – right three broken
Arms – left wrist broken – right elbow dislocated.
Hand - left two fingers broken
Hand – right one finger one thumb both broken
Stomach – internal bleeding, damaged kidney liver and spleen. Deep internal bruising
Lower abdomen heavily bruised
Left and right legs multiple deep bruises.
Contusions covered the entire body, both back and front.
Harry had to rush to the bathroom as he read the list of appalling injuries Ron had inflicted on his wife of only three days. He wretched again when he thought of how Ron was going to make her sit through a meal in so much pain.
Harry entered Ron’s flat for the second visit of the night; he sat down next to the whimpering Ron and began to read out the list of injuries.
“You hated me enough to do this to another human being, one who loved you enough to marry you, one who entrusted her safety to you. You are worse than Lucius Malfoy ever was. You know she will never speak to you again, and do you know what you are going to do when they put you together, after I have finished with you, after you get out of Azkaban. You are never even going to go down the same street as she is on, you might have noticed I did not say walk. When I have finished with you I will do two things, I will file a report, you might want to hope someone reads it, I mean aren’t you supposed to be away for two weeks from tomorrow. Then I am going to deliver this list of the injuries you inflicted on Hermione to your father.”
The total hate running through Harry came through in his voice and Ron whimpered again. Taking out his wand Harry read down the list of Hermione’s injuries, inflicting the same thing on Ron as he read.
As he reached the last one he finally lifted the silencing charm. “Now tell me Weasel how does it feel to be so badly beaten, and you aren’t even being forced to move about,” Harry hissed.
“One more thing before I go,” Harry said before he slammed his fist into Ron’s face as hard as he could. Followed by some really heavy kicks to any part of his ex friend he could get. “If you ever recover, I would leave the country if I was you, because I won’t be an Auror any more, and the next time I see you, if I ever see you again after your trial, I am going to kill you, and I’ll do it without any hesitation at all, just like I killed Dolohov and Nott.”
It was three thirty in the morning when Harry banged on the Burrow door, waking everyone there. Mr Weasley let Harry in to the kitchen.
“Mr Weasley sir, I am here in my official capacity investigating a crime, I have a very delicate question and I must insist you answer it honestly, you will in no way incriminate your self by any answer you give, do you understand.” Harry read from the card he held.
Mr Weasley nodded he had heard the same words many times as he read them out himself on a daily basis, “Yes, Ok Harry I understand.”
Harry took a deep breath, he had to know before he took his final step in ruining his former best friend’s life for ever.
“Mr Weasley did you ever in the presence of your children hit or other wise mistreat your wife.”
Arthur looked totally stunned, “Harry I would never dream of raising my hand to any of my family, you should know that.”
“Look I’m sorry Arthur and you Molly you two have been like family to me, but I do have a job to do.” Harry told them. “I must inform you that as a law officer doing my duty, I did arrest your son Ronald Bilius Weasley, for inflicting a prolonged physical assault on Mrs Ronald Weasley, an assault that covered a period of three days, I have here a list of the injuries inflicted on the victim.” Harry handed the document to Arthur.
Arthur Weasley collapsed into a chair, his head in his hands, “Oh that poor girl, that poor, poor girl, how could he, why?” Harry placed his hand on Arthur’s shoulder.
“He did it because in our second year of school I told him I wanted Hermione to be my girlfriend. He did it all, told her he loved all of it, because he had some crazy hate for me and my being famous, he planned it for years, he bragged to her why he did it.” Harry said a deep sadness in his heart for Hermione and the Weasley family.
Mrs Weasley read the list of injuries as Harry spoke. Then she passed it to Ginny, Ron’s sister and Hermione’s best female friend, she had been Hermione’s bridesmaid only three days before.
“I have to go in to the office now, I have to resign, when I saw Hermione I lost my temper, I inflicted the same injuries on your son as he had inflicted on that helpless young woman, and my best friend. I am not sorry, not one tiny bit, in fact he was lucky because I thought of killing him, I may yet do it.” Harry said as he walked to the door. “I won’t darken your door again, and I am sorry for you.”
“Harry, you should have killed him.” Ginny said quietly.
Mrs Weasley never said a word she couldn’t.
“Bye son.” Arthur said as Harry closed the door on a large part of his life. Arthur felt he had just lost two sons.
Harry returned to his home an unemployed ex law officer, but he would have given his life for the woman upstairs asleep in his bed.
Sitting in the kitchen looking into the fire Harry wondered why he had never spotted the signs, now the traits all stood out like sore thumbs, Ron had always yelled and argued with Hermione, he always lost his temper with her and had often had his fists clenched tightly by his side, when he argued with her. He always stepped back when there was a confrontation with the other boys, he only ever confronted girls, he never really protected her from Malfoy. Yes the signs were there, but that had been before he had been trained, still he felt he should have protected her he should have somehow known.
Harry woke to the sound of chinking cups, Hermione was making tea. “Hermione I have to ask a rather Personal Question, is that ok.”
She smiled at him; a lot of the bruises were beginning to fade thanks to the work of the healers, passing him his cup of tea made exactly as he liked it, she said “Ok ask away.”
“Did you at anytime before or after you were married to him, did you have sex with him.”
Hermione blushed a little, “No Harry I’m still a virgin, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Actually that’s not what I was asking, it’s just that a wizard marriage only becomes a bond if the couple have had sex.” he pulled a document out of his pocket, “I want you to sign this, if you had had sex with him you would be unable to sign, I just didn’t want to embarrass you,” he said as he handed the document to her.
Hermione read it through while drinking her tea, then she took the quill he offered and signed it.
“I’ll get it off by owl straight away,” your marriage should be annulled in just a few hours Miss Granger. How are you feeling by the way,” he asked the concern he felt for her reaching his voice.
Harry posted the form, then he sat down again, “I need to tell you something, first I should tell you that I still love you, I always have. Weasley was right about that. But I am also in love with you. Last night, after I took you to St Mungo’s, they gave me a list of your injuries, and I lost my temper, I left him in a worse condition than he put you in, oh and I ruined any chance he ever had of having sex. I just thought you should know, I know it was wrong to want revenge, but it was you he hurt.”
“He should be grateful, I thought you would kill him.” she said seriously
“I thought about it, and I told him If I ever lay eyes on him again I will Kill Him.” he sipped his tea. “Nobody will ever hurt my Hermione again.”
They were both sat in silence, they had been living together in his house for three months now, they lived almost as man and wife or twin brother and sister, they enjoyed being together, Harry had the one woman he would ever love spending time with him doing things together.
Ron had had his trial the day before and Hermione Jane Granger had been a witness against him as had Harry, neither of them batted an eye lid as he was sentenced to ten years in Azkaban. Hermione had no idea that such a crime was so deeply hated in the wizarding world.
She hated Ron for what he had done, he had spent years plotting, leading her on, until he finally married her. Not once in that whole time had he had any feelings for her, he had never even liked her.
Now though thanks to him she was learning what real love was, she saw it everyday in the things Harry did, in the way he looked at her. And without Ron to confuse her and lie to her, she had begun to fall in love with Harry. The thing she found odd was the more in love with Harry she became the more she had realised she had not loved Ron, she had not even known what real love felt like.
As they led Ron from the courtroom through a door at the rear, Hermione realised that she had been in love with her head, and not with her heart, she had loved the idea of being in love.
She felt her love for Harry engulf her as he took her hand, and left the court with her, the whole world was watching taking photographs, asking for statements and he never let her go, he showed the world he was in love with her without even thinking about it.
Harry asked if she wanted a drink at the Leaky Cauldron, but she asked him to take her home. It was when they arrived she remembered what she had said. Home the place she was with Harry, the place they lived in together. And she knew for sure her love for him was going to be the only true love she would ever feel.
“I’m Home Harry, I am truly home. I belong with you, I know that now, I know that I’m in love with you, and I always will be.” she told him.
“It’s about time you caught on, I knew the evening of the fourth year Yule Ball. I knew by the way you looked at me for my approval that night, I’ve just been waiting for you to know.” he answered her.
“I remember, that was when I walked down the great staircase, I so needed you to smile at me, and let me know everything was ok,” she sighed “and you knew.”
“You’ve always been in love with me, and I always knew it, the way you always looked after me, the touches, the hugs, holding my hand, staying with me when Weasel deserted, I remember how you held me at Godric’s Hollow, I always knew that some day you would finally realise what you felt was love,” he smiled. He had always hoped as well.
They hung their cloaks and as she turned to walk to the living room, Harry took her in his arms and kissed her. It began gently, lovingly, caringly, then as she responded it became passionate, hot, dizzying, then something that had never happened to her before happened, her knees became weak and her legs refused to hold her up. She had to hang on to him as he slipped a strong arm around her waist and held her firm.
To Hermione it was her first real kiss, nothing Viktor or Ron had done had even come close to what Harry did to her with that one single kiss, she was hooked for life and she knew it and didn’t care.
She felt disappointed in herself when she had to break off for a breath, and she really wished she did not have to breathe at all.
“Harry it’s three months three days and half a night since I got married, it’s three months and half a night since you asked and I told you I was a virgin, well I would like to change my answer to that question now. I haven’t been a virgin for nearly half an hour, and I was wondering if we could perhaps make absolutely sure by making love again, right now.” She chuckled, she loved the man she had just given herself too heart, body, and soul.
“Only if you promise you’ll marry me,” Harry said seriously.
“Well if that’s what it takes to get you to love me the way you just did, then I’m all for it. Yes Harry I would be happy to marry you.” she replied.
“Right come here Granger because Potter is on the case.” Harry laughed.
They married just two weeks later in a Muggle church, near to her parent’s house, with just a handful of guests invited. The only Weasleys that turned up were Arthur and Ginny. Ginny was once more Hermione’s bridesmaid, but this time both women knew it was forever. Arthur was Harry’s best man, and as he watched Hermione walk down the aisle he prayed they would one day return to the family that had loved them both.
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