Mudblood & Me | Completed

Chapter 8 - Willow, like the tree

Later that day

Willow Marie was sleeping soundly in her cradle in the corner of my bedroom. I was still debating over my options, give her Ron's second name, marry Ron and create a whole family for her or give her my second name. I couldn't decide what to do, it was a lot of pressure for me to decide on my own. My thoughts were interrupted when there was a quiet knocking at the door.

"Come in!" I said. The door opened a crack, then I saw Ron's head poke through and he stepped in. His ginger hair was messy, and his brown eyes were wide. He looked anxious, on edge. What was he up to? Why was he acting so strange?

"I wanted to ask you a question." He said, his eyes darting around the room. Not stopping in any one place for any length of time.

"What do you want to ask, Ron?" I asked, I wished he would just get on with it. I had enough problems of my own going on currently.

"Oh, um, I was just wondering if, um, will Willow take my name or yours?" He finished, looking straight down at the ground. I paused, he was obviously currently thinking about the same dilemma that I was.

"I don't know Ron, I was thinking that myself. You're her father and children normally take their father's name but we're not married so maybe she should take mine. I'm just confused about what to do. There's too many decisions to be made." I replied.

"That was my other question." He said. He walked over to the side of my bed. He stopped and got down on one knee. I gasped, what on earth did he think he was doing?

"What are you doing? Ron, Ron, what are you doing?" I asked, freaking out. I had thought about the option of getting married but I didn't think that he would ask me right now, right here.

"Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?" He pulled out a sparkling diamond ring, that glinted in the light. He had come prepared, I had no idea where he had got such a ring. It looked expensive and I didn't think that he could afford that. I stuttered unsure what to say. I still loved him but I'm not sure it was in the same way anymore and I was still hurt from Draco leaving me. But I wanted Willow to have her dad a constant presence in her life, and I did love Ron in a way.

"Uh, yes. Yes, I will marry you." I said, surprised at the words coming out of my own mouth. He jumped up to his feet, he was smiling from ear to ear. He was obviously very pleased with my answer. He placed the ring on my finger before embracing me.

"Thank you, oh, thank you so much." He said then he kissed me on the cheek before leaving. As the door closed behind him I thought of Willow and knew it was the best thing for her and me, it would help me get over Draco. Move on to my future and stop thinking about my past.

***

5 days later

I lounged on the sofa, watching TV yet again. I stood up as the doorbell rang, the sound echoed through the whole house. I walked to the front door and opened it, stood there with her short, bright pink hair was Tonks.

"Oh hey, Tonks. Are you here to talk to Mrs Weasley?" I said, turning round to call for her to come downstairs.

"No. I'm here to talk to you, Hermione." She said, with a smile.

"Oh ok." I said. "Come through into the living room, we can have a seat." I threw myself down on the sofa, making dust fly into the air in a little cloud. Tonks sat down politely beside me.

"Whoa, Hermione, who's the lucky guy?" She said, taking my hand to inspect my ring. She twisted my hand to look at it from all different angles.

"It's Ron. He proposed a week ago now." I replied. There was a distant cry from my bedroom upstairs. "Wait one moment, I have to go." I ran upstairs and picked up Willow to soothe her, then I walked back downstairs cradling her in my arms. She quieted as I rocked her in my arms.

"Who's that?" Tonks asked, her face surprised.

"Willow, my baby, isn't she cute? She's mine and Ron's." I answered her, going over to sit by her on the sofa again to show her Willow's cute little face.

"Aww, Willow, like the tree? She is very cute, can I hold her?" She asked, looking at Willow, pushing the blanket she was wrapped in out of the way so she could see Willow's face.

"Yeah, of course." I answered, handing Willow over to her carefully. "Here you go." Tonks cradled her carefully in her arms, looking at her little face and holding her little fingers with her own.

"When did you have her?" She asked, looking up from Willow and back at me.

"I had her about 5 days ago." I said. I was wearing a very loose fitting top and trousers, so the fading bump was barely noticeable.

"Only 5 days ago, I can't believe that. You look really good for a woman that's just given birth. How did I not notice the baby bump?" She said, looking down at the slightly visible bump.

"Anyways Tonks why did you come to see me? You said you want to talk to me, not Mrs Weasley." I asked, remembering the reason why she had come to the house.

"Oh, I came to ask you if when you go back to Hogwarts, you could give Dumbledore this letter? Please don't open it." She said, handing me a thick envelope. It was heavy and yellow, it looked like it was made of good quality paper.

"Why can't you give it to him yourself?" I asked, confused.

"I don't have time, there's lots going on in the Ministry at the moment, so I'm being kept very busy. And I'm trusting you, because the boys are too nosy, they will open it without thinking. And it's private, very private so no peeking please. Anyway I better get back to work now, like I said I'm very busy. Goodbye, I'll see you again soon." She said, handing Willow back to me. I went out into the hall and I heard the front door close as Tonks left. Once she had left, I went upstairs and put the envelope in my handbag before putting Willow back into her cradle. I then went back downstairs and slumped down in front of the TV to watch some more terrible daytime TV. Slowly, without realising I fell asleep on the sofa. And when I woke up someone had pulled a blanket over me, it was dark outside and there was a dark shadow asleep at the end of the sofa. Comfy, I fell back asleep again.

When I awoke again, light was streaming into the living room from the windows. I looked to the end of the sofa and saw Ron, his red hair blazing in the sun, asleep. I slipped from under the blanket trying not to wake him. But when I first started to slip out from under the blanket he stirred.

"Huh." He murmured. He sat up, pushing his hair out of his eyes and looking at me. I shuffled closer to him, he looked really cute when he had just woken up, and I slipped my arms around his neck before leaning against his shoulder. "Do you want to go get married at the church?" He asked looking at me. I sat straight up, did he mean today?