Moments of Love

Chapter 10: Skeeter's Story

'And if you look at the number of house-elf related accidents in this chart, you can see that it's almost twice as high...'

Hermione moved a bit in her chair, trying to get a paper from under her binder. Her belly was so huge now that she had to pull herself higher with both hands, which caused her quill to fall noisily on the floor.

'I'll get it,' Juliana whispered when the man from the Irish Ministry of Magic looked at Hermione with a furrowed brow.

'Sorry!' Hermione smiled and brushed her burning cheeks. She really had to pee again, but she had already excused herself twice in an hour, and the lecturer didn't seem to be of the mellow type.

'Two more weeks till your maternity leave,' Juliana said quietly and placed the quill back on the table. 'You must be terribly uncomfortable with such a massive belly.'

'Thanks,' Hermione said, not sure if she should be pleased or annoyed.

The Irish Ministry worker went on for another painful twenty minutes, after which Hermione's bladder was about to burst, and she had to run to the loo. She slammed the cubicle door shut and sat heavily down, sighing desolately. Two months till due date. Two more months of lugging the ever-growing belly around and peeing every ten minutes.

'You must be as big as your Dad,' she whispered and stroked her belly as she tried to drag herself up. The baby kicked forcefully, and Hermione sank back down, tears welling in her eyes.

Well, this was stupid. She was not going to get soppy just because the baby kicked. She already got ridiculously teary at least ten times a day, even about such a trivial thing as spilling coffee.

She wiped her tears resolutely away and waddled back to the corridor. She was about to turn back to the conference room to get her stuff when Juliana peeked from her office, waving the Daily Prophet.

'Hermione? Would you come here for a moment?'

'What is it?' Hermione followed Juliana and sat in the offered chair.

'Have you read the paper?' Juliana asked, crossing her hands on the table.

Hermione shook her head.

'No, it hadn't come yet when we left for work.'

'I thought so, they've apparently had some trouble with the owls this morning. Cesar just brought this in, and I think you should see it. You might find it...interesting.' Juliana gave Hermione the paper that had been opened at the centre spread. 'Remember, you know Skeeter. Nobody's going to believe it.'

A sudden cold shiver ran down Hermione's back, and she flapped the paper wide open. There, straight in the middle was a super-sized picture of her walking -or rather, wobbling- along Diagon Alley with a cup of coffee in her hand and a lone tear streaming down her cheek.

Heroine's Secret Heartache - The Deception of Hermione Weasley

War hero, Harry Potter's best friend, and straight O student - everybody knows and reveres Hermione Weasley, née Granger, member of Harry Potter's tight inner circle and his partner in destroying Voldemort. A woman who graduated from Hogwarts with the highest grades in years, rose fast on the career ladder in the Ministry, married Harry Potter's other friend Randall Weasley, and earlier this year announced that she is expecting her first child. Things should look rosy for this successful Muggle-born Mum-to-be, and indeed, comments from friends and family members are warm and glowing.

"She's really excited about becoming a Mum," says Ginny Potter, née Weasley, wife of Boy-Who-Lived Harry Potter.
"She and Ryan have cupboards full of baby clothes and toys. This baby will no doubt be doted upon, and they will be great parents," comments Neville Longbottom, professor of Herbology at Hogwarts and long-time friend of Mrs Weasley.
"We can't wait to meet our newest grandchild," says proud grandparent-to-be Arthur Weasley, father-in-law of Mrs Weasley and head of the ever-growing Weasley clan.

But is everything as rosy as it seems on the surface? Last week, a teary Mrs Weasley was spotted in Diagon Alley, wandering around with a deeply troubled look. A colleague says Mrs Weasley has acted strangely for quite a while now.
"She even took a week off from work some time ago. Anyone who knows her knows she'd never do that if it wasn't something serious. She's a workaholic."
Further suspicions arose when the Prophet received an anonymous tip not many days ago of Mrs Weasley's secret rendezvous with a certain black-haired man. A man, who, rumour says, broke her heart years ago and left her to pick up the pieces.
"She never got over him," says one of Mrs Weasley's old school fellows. "She married Weasley to escape the pain."
Indeed, it seems that Mrs Weasley's old flame Viktor Krum is back in the picture. Mrs Weasley was seen talking excitedly to him outside Quality Quidditch Supplies last Thursday, and the couple exchanged a warm hug afterwards. Another sighting of the pair took place in an alley behind Gringotts a few days later. Eyewitnesses say many smiles were exchanged, along with another warm hug. The question arises as to why Mrs Weasley is now wandering in the streets confused and crying.
"I think he wants her back," says the former school fellow. "And I bet she's realised now what a baboon she married. She wants out, but she's scared of what a divorce will do to her career. She's always been obsessive about popularity, which is why she hung out with Potter in the first place."

Indeed, the Prophet raised the issue of Mrs Weasley's choice already back when she married the red-haired member of the Weasley clan. While many congratulated the pair, who bravely put on a happy face, several concerned comments surfaced about how Miss Granger was about to enter a highly unwise and unequal alliance.
"She should have married Harry Potter," wrote Mrs Glaston of Orangetown. "He was worthy of her. This Randy Weasley is a lazy nobody. She's wasting herself on a slob who's on the mental level of a five-year-old. I thought she had more sense, and I'm no longer a fan of hers."
Many similar comments arrived, along with those calling for Miss Granger's alliance with Mr Krum, who enjoys a large fan base and has remained single.
"Miss Granger should have married Viktor Krum," wrote Mr Swat of Frogpitch. 'He's a star, and she's a star. Stars should be together."
Mrs Weasley has always been highly defensive about her questionable choices. The writer vividly recalls an incident shortly after Mrs Weasley's wedding when she stormed the newsroom and poured Ever-Staining Ink all over the editor's table. Yet the happy façade is clearly cracking now, and the burning question is whether the old lovers have finally woken to realise what they have lost.

Participate in the Prophet Poll!
Today's question: "Should modern witches stay in unhappy marriages, or brave the society's disapproval and boldly seek their true love?"
Send in your owl, and you could be one of the three lucky readers to win a copy of Viktor Krum's unofficial biography, "Surly and Sexy - The Unbelievable True Story of The Boy Who Could Fly", by Rita Skeeter!

Hermione let the paper fall on the floor. He hands were shaking so hard that she had to grasp the arms of the chair with her knuckles white.

'We all know what Skeeter's made of,' Juliana said and came over with a glass of water. 'Oh Hermione, don't cry!'

'That evil, nasty, mean -,' Hermione said breathily, but she was interrupted as the door flew open.

A very pale Ron was standing on the doorstep, holding the paper.