Note: Muggle!AU, mentions of infidelity

Ron couldn't believe what he was hearing right now. He could feel the heat rushing over his entire face; he was sure it matched the shade of his hair.

The doctor standing before him licked her lips and tucked the clipboard under her arm.

"You're absolutely certain, Doc?" he asked, his voice coming out lower than he'd thought.

She nodded solemnly. "I don't know how this was missed in the physicals in the past, Mr. Weasley, but the tests don't lie."

He shook his head. "I didn't…" His words were failing him. "I tried avoiding physicals as much as possible," he explained. "The physician at school nagged too much, and it wasn't like she checked down there…

This can't be true, Doc, I'm telling you," Ron pleaded. "There's a mistake somewhere!"

The doctor cleared her throat, tucking a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. "Our diagnostics determined that you've been this way for nearly your entire life, Mr. Weasley. It could have come from taking ineffective medication as a child for an infection or another problem involving your prostate, but one this is very clear to me: you're infertile and have been for quite some time."

There was that word again. That unspeakable, illogical word. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be...He only came because he needed a physical to gain clearance to play in the flag football game the mayor was hosting for the community–Mayor Fudge didn't want another heart attack scare on his hands. When he'd told the doctors he wanted a complete evaluation of his body, he meant in regards to his bones and things. Not this!

Ron felt his face flush again.

"I have two children, Doc," Ron whispered. "Now do you see why this is a mistake?"

She was silent, allowing a tint of red to flush her cheeks. "I am terribly sorry, Mr. Weasley. It's not possible."

His entire body was numb. He didn't remember taking the test results and leaving the hospital. He didn't remember driving to the river close to his home or parking near the trees. Yet he was there, sitting on the hood of his car with the paper crumpled into his fist.

The waves crashed into the river bank from the harsh winds; Ron could relate to it. His entire world was crashing down because of something that should have been caught years ago. He couldn't have children, and somehow, he had two that brightened his day.

Ron didn't want to believe that the test results were true. He didn't want to believe that Hermione, his wife had bedded another. It sucked, even more, to know that it was his misuse of words that brought the infidelity to light.

He wanted to scream, curse, fight, and cry.

He had to wonder if the bloke she bedded was still around. If he knew who it was in the first place. It made him wonder why she would do it, why she wouldn't tell him about the other man when she was pregnant. Twice.

Thinking about, Ron should have known something was slightly off with Hermione years ago. Then again, when did he notice things in time when it came to the brunette?

It was eleven years ago when he should have seen something. He remembered the night exactly because of the dress she'd worn.

"Sarcoline?" Ron said with a frown, looking at the dress his wife wore. "It sounds like a sore."

Hermione waved him off with a huff. "If you want to blame anyone, blame the attendant at the boutique. She practically shoved the thing in my bag."

"You could have put it back," he mumbled, staring at the flesh coloured garment. "You look like you're naked!"

"Oh, Ron." Hermione spun around on her heel. "I'm just listening to your sister. She's always talking about how I should try something different."

Ron looked her over. The lace material clinging to his wife's body did look ravishing now that he thought about it…

"Where are you wearing it to?" he asked.

She shook her head, walking towards where he sat on their bed. "To our bed," she answered. "For you."

He was blinded by the desire to rip it off her. "I think I'd enjoy you wearing it there very much." He pulled her towards him, kissing her to keep her from shrieking louder.

The only problem was he hadn't ripped it off her that night. She claimed there was a meeting she had to attend with the animal rights committee. Hermione hadn't come home til late and apologized profusely. They made love, and she hadn't had a late meeting like that for weeks afterwards. Ron never questioned it.

Perhaps he should have.

Shaking the memory from his mind, Ron gripped his hair frustratedly and stomped the ground.

"Was I not good enough?" he asked himself aloud. He was only met with silence. "Am I really that blind that I couldn't see what was happening right in front of me?"

What they had was supposed to be sacred and special, but now Ron didn't know anymore. All because of her lies. Now he knew the truth.

It hurt him the most because no matter how mad and betrayed he felt, Ron wouldn't leave Hermione. He wouldn't leave his children.

They were his truth, even through her lies.

When Ron gathered himself and returned to the house, he was bombarded by two pairs of arms wrapping around his legs and waist. He smiled sadly as the children stared at him with toothy grins.

"How did the appointment go, Daddy?" the youngest of the two asked. His brown eyes staring into Ron's.

Ron rubbed his curly hair, hoping that he kept his emotions in check. "It went just fine, Hugo," he said. "I'm cleared to play."

Hugo bounced up and down. "Yay! I'm gonna call Auntie Ginny. She owes me a dollar!"

He watched as Hugo ran off, thinking in his mind that when he felt he was emotionally stable again he would have to have a talk with his sister betting on him with Hugo. He didn't fail to notice that he wasn't alone.

"Did you have to get a shot?"

Ron knelt in front of his daughter; he couldn't stop calling her that. She'd been his for a decade.

"Why do you think that Rosie?" he asked.

She touched his cheek when they were at eye level with one another. "You're hurt. The look on your face says so, Daddy. Hugo makes that face after getting a shot."

He always thought Rose was insightful like her mum, but he couldn't think about Hermione right now. He didn't want to cause a scene in front of the children.

Ron gave Rose a soft smile, taking her hand that she'd placed on his cheek. "Daddy's okay," he said. "But you know what would make my day even better?"

Her concerned expression shifted into one of excitement. "I get to read to you?" she asked.

He nodded. "I'll even let you choose the book."

Rose grabbed Ron's hand and tugged him forward with all her might. "Come on then! I've been practising!"

Seeing Rose and Hugo made Ron's heart swell and bleed at the same time. He didn't care what the doctor or those bloody test results said. They were his children. They had his quirks, his freckles, and his name.

He would have a talk with Hermione later and prayed to the heavens that nothing ended up broken in the house afterwards. Ron knew that even if it ended disastrously, that he would hold her as they cried together. He would still hug, kiss, and love on his children. That was his truth.

A/N: Written for The Houses Competition and HSWW (Challenges and Assignments)

(THC) House: Gryffindor; Year/Position: Year 4; Theme: Discovery; Colour: Sarcoline; Prompt: [Quote] "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." ~Sirius Black; Word Restriction: 1,000 - 3,000

(HSWW) Assignment #7 Geography Task 4: write about someone or something inconsistent

Word Count: 1,283