The Power Within

MisCard

Rating: NC17
Genres: Drama, Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 5
Published: 03/08/2004
Last Updated: 27/08/2004
Status: completed

"That's right, mudblood, your great and powerful husband is no more. You and your unborn son shall be joining him soon." Voldemort raised his wand, the beginning of the killing curse on his lips and he froze at the sight in front of him. A blue light had encircled the two teenagers laying on the floor. Coming out of his stupor, Voldemort once more raised his wand and yelled "Avada Kedavra!" The jet of green light once again sailed towards Hermione, and to everyone's surprise, deflected off of the blue shield. "WHAT?! How is that possible? There is no protection against the killing curse!" screamed Voldemort. Want to know what happens? Please R&R!

Chapters

1. Back To The Burrow

2. Feelings Discovered, Friendships Broken

3. Attack In Diagon Alley

4. Aftershocks

5. Ron Attacks

6. An Abundance Of Feelings

7. Explanations

8. Teaching Harry

9. Injuries and Revelations

10. Dealing With The Unknown

11. Confessions

12. Healing and Revelations

13. Problems Arise

14. Happier Times Ahead?

15. The Big Event

16. In The Hours After

17. Trouble In Paradise

18. Family Matters

19. Family Bonding, Potter Style

20. The Beginning Of The End

21. The End Is Here

22. Author

1. Back To The Burrow

It had been a long, hot summer. As Harry looked out his bedroom window, he though about how much of a waste his summers really were. He hated being stuck in this house with them; Vernon, Petunia and Dudley, his so called family. No, this wasn't his home, Hogwarts was. He was usually excited to go back to school, but not so much this year. At the end of last year he lost the one person that meant the world to him; Sirius Black. Sirius fell through the Veil at the Ministry of Magic, and Harry blamed himself for his death. If it wasn't for him, Sirius wouldn't have been there. Because of this, Harry had spent most of his summer in his room. Ron and Hermione had written to him quite a bit over the summer, but he'd only written back once or twice to let them know he was ok. Ron seemed to take this in stride, but Hermione knew him better. She knew he would lock himself up with his guilt, and she was worried. A part of him felt bad for making her worry. It was the same part of him that had realized over the summer that he had feelings for her. Unfortunately, the guilty part of him wouln't let him explore these feelings. It was bad enough that Hermione was hurt in the Ministry; he wasn't going to endanger her life further by admitting his feelings to her. If Voldemort found out what she meant to him, she could be used as bait to get to him. No, he'd rather hide his feelings and keep her as his best friend. It just seemed easier that way. His feelings had never mattered before, why should they now?

Today, Ron and his family would be here to pick him up. They were supposed to be here at 10 a.m. to take him to the Burrow. It was now 10:25. Harry was used to them being late, it happened all the time. He was a little nervous about how they would arrive. He was hoping the Ministry would lend them another car so there wasn't a repeat of the floo fiasco. He didn't want to upset Vernon and Petunia any more than necessary.

He heard the doorbell ring and ran downstairs. He opened the door quickly before anyone else could. There in front of him was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. He started at her sandal clad feet up long, tanned legs to a skirt that was just above her knees. Her shirt exposed her stomach, where he couldn't believe what he saw. She had a belly button ring! Hanging from the silver hoop was a small, shiny emerald the same color as his eyes. As he made his way up her chest, he noticed that her breasts had filled out over the summer. He continued up her long graceful neck to her dazzling smile and then her gorgeous cinnamon eyes. Eyes that were looking right back at him, assessing him much the same way. He couldn't really read the emotion that was in those eyes right now. It was one he had never really noticed before. When he was able to pull away from her gaze, he noticed her hair. It wasn't frizzy looking like the last time he saw her. It looked soft and shiny with perfect ringlets going halfway down her back. She had also gotten it highlighted, and it brought out her eyes and tan even more.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"Well, nice to see you too Harry" she said smiling.

"I'm sorry" he said "it's just that I was expecting Ron. I didn't know you were at the Burrow?"

"They came and picked me up before they came to get you" she said "I hope you don't mind."

"No, no it was a great surprise!" 'Way to go Potter! Make her feel unwelcome.' he thought.

"Well, the Weasley's are waiting for us in the car. I volunteered to come help you with your stuff. What can I carry?" Hermione asked

"Well, my trunk is pretty heavy" he said "why don't you take Hedwig's cage?"

"Alright, I think I can manage that" she said "so are you all ready to go?"

"Sure am" said Harry. With that they turned and walked out the door.

Harry walked out to the car, where he saw three redheads waiting for him. He put his trunk in the boot and climbed in the backseat with Ron and Hermione. Hedwig's cage was up front with Ginny and her Dad.

"Alright there Harry?" asked Mr. Weasley

"Fine thanks" Harry replied "Thanks for coming to get me."

"You know it's not a problem, I just wish we could have come to get you sooner" said Mr. Weasley.

Harry looked over to Ron, who was sitting on the other side of Hermione. He was looking at Harry with an unrecognizable look on his face.

"Hey Ron" said Harry.

"Hi" was all Ron said.

'I wonder what's up with him?' thought Harry. 'I guess I'll have to wait and ask him later.'

After Ron's strange reaction to Harry, the rest of the car ride to the Burrow was quiet. Harry really didn't mind though. He was just glad to be out of the Dursley's house for the summer.

They arrived at the Burrow a short time later. As Harry carried his trunk to the front door, Mrs. Weasley ran out the door and grabbed Harry in a huge hug. It was so sudden that it made Harry drop his trunk.

"Oh Harry!" cried Mrs. Weasley "It's so nice to see you again. How have you been dear?"

"Fine Mrs. Weasley, thanks" replied Harry.

Trying to escape an inquiry by Mrs. Weasley, he hurriedly grabbed his trunk and took it upstairs to Ron's room. Just as Harry set his trunk down, he heard the door close behind him. He turned around and saw Ron standing in front of it with that same unreadable expression.

"What's up Ron?" asked Harry hesitantly.

Ron stood there staring at him for a moment, then said "Harry, do you have any feelings other than friendship for Hermione?"

"WHAT?!" shouted Harry. "I've spent my summer mourning Sirius, and the first thing out of your mouth is asking me whether or not I have feelings for our best friend? Ron, I don't feel anything anymore, I'm NUMB!! The only way I've survived so far is by turning my feelings off as much as I could. That way it didn't hurt so bad."

Ron looked embarrassed after Harry's outburst. "I'm sorry Harry. But I really like her. After she got hurt in the Ministry, I decided I didn't want to wait to tell her how I feel. She's all I've thought about all summer, and now that she's here I want to let her know." He continued "I would like to hear you say you're ok with this before I say anything to her."

Harry stood there for a moment just staring at his so-called best friend. This was turning out to be one of the worst summers he's ever had, and here was Ron asking to take away his only ray of sunshine. What was he supposed to say?

"Harry?" Ron said, trying to get his attention.

"Yeah?" Harry said, snapping out of his thoughts. Ron stood there looking at him expectantly. Harry looked down at the floor as he said "Sure Ron, it's fine with me." He swore he heard his heart break a little as he said this.

"Great!!" yelled Ron "Thanks mate!"

As Ron turned and ran out the door, Harry lay down on his bed. He curled up into a ball and wiped the tears from his eyes, wishing he could just go to sleep and not wake up again. It would make things so much easier.

2. Feelings Discovered, Friendships Broken

As the summer passed by, Harry kind of just passed by with it. Most of the time he sat outside under one of the big trees in the Weasley's yard. He couldn't stand being inside anymore; all there was to do was watch Ron follow Hermione around like a lost puppy dog. It made Harry want to scream at Ron to quit acting so pathetic. Instead, he took comfort in the fact that Hermione didn't seem to like all the extra attention Ron was giving her. At times, Harry would look up and notice Hermione watching him. When he caught her, she'd smile at him and go back to what she was doing. 'Maybe she doesn't have feelings for Ron' he thought. Then he'd remember the prophecy and the reason he was trying to distance himself from her in the first place.

"Harry?" Hermione said interrupting his thoughts "How come you're sitting outside by yourself? Is everything ok?"

'She's cute when she's worried' he thought, then checked that line of thinking immediately. "I'm alright. Just enjoying the peace and quiet of the outdoors. What about you, are you enjoying your summer?"

"It's been alright so far" she replied "but have you noticed that Ron's acting rather strangely lately?"

"A little" he admitted "have you asked him about it?"

"Yes, but when I do his face turns red and he all but runs away from me. I thought maybe he had said something to you."

Harry looked at Hermione and wondered whether he should tell her what Ron had told him. It really wasn't his place, but maybe it would help his friends finally get together.

"I'm not sure" Harry started "but I think he may fancy you a bit."

When he turned to look at Hermione, she was looking back at him with a surprised look on her face. "He WHAT?!"

"Shhh" Harry said quickly "I don't want him to hear you. He may have mentioned something about it; I don't really know Ron's true feelings. Besides, is it so bad if he does fancy you?"

"Well, yes" she replied "I don't have any feelings for Ron. I love him like a brother, nothing more. I could never consider him a boyfriend. Besides, I kind of like someone else."

At this, Harry's heart skipped a beat. 'There is someone else?' he thought. "Do you still have feelings for Krum?" he asked.

"No, no Victor and I are just friends. We still write occasionally, but that's all. You really don't know who it is Harry?" she asked while moving closer to him.

"Um, should I?" he asked, not really knowing what to do at this point in the conversation.

"Well Harry" she said as she moved her face closer to his "it's you." At this, Hermione leaned in the rest of the way and gently placed her lips on his. Harry's eyes grew wide, he was so shocked at her revelation that he just sat there.

She pulled back and looked at him with hurt in her eyes. She was afraid of this, that she would confess her feelings and he wouldn't return them. "That's ok Harry; I just wanted to let you know how I feel. I've hidden my feelings for two years now, ever since the Tri-Wizard tournament. After I got hurt in the Ministry, I realized I could have died and never have told you. I decided not to keep my feelings secret anymore. I just want to be with you Harry."

Harry, who had been staring at the grass, looked at her face. His heart broke as he saw tears in her eyes. 'I put those there' he thought 'I find out that she feels the same way I do and instead of telling her I lose it and make her cry!' His brain and heart were warring with each other. His heart wanted to confess how he felt right now, but his brain kept reminding him of the prophecy. A prophecy Hermione didn't even know about yet. 'Should I tell her?' he wondered. It might change her mind, but she deserved to know.

He took both of her hands into his and started rubbing his thumbs across the tops of them. "Hermione, I have something I need to tell you." He looked up and saw her staring back at him "Remember the prophecy that Voldemort was trying to get in the Department of Mysteries?" She shook her head yes, urging him on. "Well even though it broke, I know what it said."

Hermione sat there for a second stunned. "Harry, how could you know what it said if it was broken and that was the only record?"

"It wasn't really the ONLY record." replied Harry "Dumbledore heard the prophecy when it was given. He put it in his pensieve and showed it to me when he called me into his office at the end of term."

Harry then went on to tell her the prophecy word for word, and when he finished he laid his head back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes. He was afraid to look at Hermione's face; he didn't want to see her reaction. Then he felt her finger under his chin as she turned his face towards her. Before he could open his eyes, he felt her lips on his once again. It was a tender kiss, a brushing of lips and it felt wonderful to him. They pulled apart and he finally looked her in the eyes. She sat there looking at him with a mixture of emotions on her face. Harry couldn't help it, he reached over and wrapped his arms around her hugging her to him. It felt so good to feel her in his arms.

"Hermione..." he started. "Harry" she said interrupting "please don't say anymore. Yes, it's a little frightening to even think about what the prophecy could mean. But I can't imagine sitting by and letting you deal with this alone. I have always helped you with everything you've gone through, and I will help you through this too."

Harry couldn't stop himself; he leaned over and placed his lips on hers. He put all of his feelings into that one kiss, and it quickly turned passionate. He had secretly harbored feelings for her for longer than he could remember. This girl, this woman, had helped him through heaven and hell. After what she had just said, he couldn't keep it in anymore. He...

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" shouted Ron all of a sudden.

Harry and Hermione separated quickly. "Ron, uh, listen..." Harry said trying to come up with something to pacify his friend.

"No Harry, I won't listen. How could you do this to me after what I told you?" Ron asked with a look of hurt and betrayal in his eyes, hidden by a blazing fire.

"Oh? What did you tell him Ron?" asked Hermione, trying to keep her own anger in check. "It wouldn't have to do with why you've been following me around all summer would it?"

Ron stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face. Then there was no emotion there at all. "Yeah Hermione, it has something to do with that. I've been trying all summer to find a way to tell you I fancy you, but every time I tried I just couldn't do it. I told Harry how I felt when you guys got here, but obviously he didn't care that I liked you as long as he got what he wanted, as usual!!"

"You know what Ron" said Harry, getting up off the ground and standing toe to toe with him "I've had it with your jealousy. I didn't plan this. We were out here talking and it just happened. I didn't do it intentionally to hurt you. I've been avoiding her as much as possible. I didn't want something like this to happen!"

All of a sudden, Hermione shoved her way past them, slamming the door as she ran into the Burrow. 'Oh Merlin, what did I just do?" thought Harry as Ron ran after her. 'I just lost both my best friends.'

3. Attack In Diagon Alley

***Thank-you for the reviews! I guess I should let you know that as this story progresses it will not follow the typical canon of the HP books. You will see what I mean in later chapters! :)***

The rest of the summer at the burrow was quiet. Harry still spent his days under the trees, but no one came out to sit with him anymore. Once in a while Ginny would try to talk to him, but he really didn't want to talk to her about it. He had tried to tell Hermione that what he had said had come out wrong, but she wouldn't listen to him. Every time he tried to get her alone to talk, she would turn right around and go somewhere else. Ron wouldn't even look at Harry. He would go into his room right after dinner, and by the time Harry went to bed he was already asleep. Harry was desperately lonely, which was ironic since he was with his two best friends. They had never fought before, and he had no idea how to rectify the situation. He wished Sirius was here to talk to. He would know what to do.

The day came when they needed to go to Diagon Alley to buy their school supplies. They had gotten their letters, and Ron along with Hermione had made Prefect again. The O.W.L. results came also. Hermione had received 12 O.W.L.s, a perfect score. Harry had received 8, and Ron had 7. Even though he knew she was ecstatic over her score; she barely said two words about it to either him or Ron.

"Well, let's get going" said Mrs. Weasley. "Once we get there, Ginny and I will go get her supplies and you three can go and get yours. Grab some floo powder and let's get going!"

Before any of them could protest, she and Ginny were gone. Ron looked at Hermione, then Harry. He made a disgusted sound, grabbed some powder and shouted "Diagon Alley!" and was gone.

Harry looked over at Hermione and asked "would you like to go next, or do you want me to go?" Hermione looked at him, and without saying a word she grabbed some floo powder repeating what Ron had said and she too was gone.

'Great' thought Harry 'this ought to be a fun afternoon!'

After they arrived at Diagon Alley, Ron went to Quality Quidditch Supplies and Hermione went to Flourish and Blotts. It didn't really surprise him that they just went their own ways. Harry watched them go and wondered where he should go first. He went to Gringotts and got some money out of his vault. He decided to go to the apothecary and then head over to Flourish and Blotts. He still couldn't believe he made it into N.E.W.T. level Potions class. He purchased what he needed and headed over to the book shop. He went inside and pulled out his book list. He went to find the new Defense Against the Dark Arts book he would need. As he went to the section he needed, he heard Hermione talking to someone on the opposite side of the bookcase. It was a mans voice, and he swore he had heard it before. Instantly he felt jealousy surge through his body. He walked around the bookcase and snuck a peek around the corner to see who it was she was talking to. He couldn't believe it! Standing there with his arm wrapped around Hermione's shoulder, laughing and smiling was...

"Bill?" Harry asked walking around the bookcase towards them. What was Bill Weasley doing here in the middle of the day? Wasn't he supposed to be working in London? "What are you doing here?"

"Hi Harry! Nice to see you too!" replied Bill. Harry stood there staring at him with a strange feeling running through him. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong.

"Even though it's none of your business" said Hermione shortly "Bill is in town taking care of something for Dumbledore."

Harry looked up at Bill ready to ask him another question and almost fell to the floor in shock. As their eyes made contact, Bill's eyes flashed red for just a second. Harry looked towards Hermione, reaching out for her arm at the same time.

"Come here Hermione" was all he said.

"What are you doing Harry?" asked Hermione curtly.

"Yeah Harry? What's the matter with you?" asked the Bill impersonator with an evil smirk on his face.

"Hermione we need to leave NOW!" said Harry pulling on her arm and heading towards the door.

"What are you talking about Harry, this is..."

"No it's not! I don't know who this is but he is definitely not Bill Weasley!"

Even though Hermione was mad at him still, she couldn't help panicking a little. Harry seemed truly worried. Just as she turned to head out the door, the man she thought was Bill grabbed her arm hard enough to hurt her. He wrapped his arm around her tightly while in his other hand he held a wand pointed directly at her. Harry watched what was happening, and went to try and help her.

"Always the hero, 'eh Potter?" said the imposter grinning maniacally. "Don't move another step or your precious little mudblood here will die where she stands!"

Harry froze. He looked around the shop to see if there was anyone around from the Order that could help, but all he saw was patrons frozen where they stood. Obviously no one was going to offer their help in this situation and a feeling of dread and helplessness engulfed him. In that instant everything that happened in the Department of Mysteries came flooding back. He saw Sirius fall through the Veil all over again and realized he couldn't lose Hermione too. The memory of her getting hit with Dolohov's curse replayed itself in his mind. Fear coursed through his body along with the love he felt for her, and all of a sudden Harry felt his hands begin to burn. When he looked down, he saw the palms of his hands glowing red. His eyes were glowing the same color as he looked at her and the man holding her. He saw fear written all over her face and when she looked at him she gasped. The burning was becoming more intense. Harry screamed and clutched his hands to his chest trying to somehow stop the pain. The man holding Hermione was so shocked that he loosened his grip on her. She struggled free of him and started running towards Harry.

"Harry!" she screamed as she neared him.

"No Hermione, don't!" he yelled. As he said this, he flung his hand out to stop her from coming any nearer. To his utter dismay, a fireball had flown out of his palm as he did this and headed right for Hermione. It hit her in the left shoulder and she dropped to the ground instantly.

"HERMIONE!!" he screamed in horror as he watched her fall.

Just as he was about to try and help her, "Bill" walked over and shoved his wand tip into Harry's chest. "My Master will be pleased to know that you took care of the mudblood yourself. One less witch for us to worry about! It'll make killing you so much easier!"

Harry sat there looking into the man's eyes as he listened to him laughing. His anger boiled to the surface and he knocked the mans wand aside while shoving him against the wall. "You bastard!" cried Harry "This is all your fault!" As Harry yelled, his palms that were on the man's chest started to burn again. He gritted his teeth while trying not to scream out in pain again. He recalled what happened before and left his hands where they were. Next thing he knew, the body of the man posing as Bill erupted in fire. Harry backed away as quickly as he could and watched in horror as the man burned alive in front of him screaming in agony. Finally, the fire burned out and all that was left of the wizard was a smoldering pile of ash. Harry snapped out of his stupor and remembered Hermione laying on the floor injured. He ran over and fell on the floor next to her. He carefully put her head in his lap and picked her arm up checking for a pulse. When he couldn't find one, he broke out into a cold sweat. 'Oh my God, what have I done' he thought frantically. He put his hand on her chest to see if she was breathing and realized she wasn't. He looked around for someone to help, but everyone was staring at him like he was some kind of murderous freak. "What are you looking at!" he screamed "Someone help me! Please help her!" He looked down at her pale face and cried "What have I done?!!"

4. Aftershocks

As Harry sat there breaking down in the middle of the floor holding Hermione, he vaguely heard three pops in the room He looked up through watery eyes to see Dumbledore, Lupin and Mr. Weasley standing there.

"Hermione!" cried Mr. Weasley as he saw who Harry was holding. "Harry, what happened?"

"I didn't mean to do it." Harry said so quietly they almost didn't hear him. "Your son Bill, or who we thought was Bill, attacked us. He was going to kill Hermione, I got upset and something happened with my hands...just help her please!"

"Bill?" asked Mr. Weasley "Where is he?"

Harry looked him in the eye, then looked over at the pile of smoldering ash on the floor. "There" was all he said.

Mr. Weasley looked to where Harry was staring and gasped. "Did you say it was my son, Bill?" he asked fearfully.

"No, we thought it was him. It turned out to be someone pretending to be him. They must have used polyjuice or something to take on his appearance." said Harry.

While they were talking about what had happened, Lupin walked over and examined Hermione. "Dumbledore" he said urgently "she's still alive, but barely. We need to get her medical attention now!"

Dumbledore only nodded and levitated Hermione off the ground. He walked with her over to the fireplace and grabbed a bag of floo powder out of his robes. He took a handful for himself and passed the bag to the others. "Lupin, Harry and I will take Hermione to Hogwarts where Madame Pomfrey can see to her. Arthur, you need to alert the Ministry and gather your family." He turned to the fireplace and said "Incendio!" He then walked into the flames with Hermione floating at his side and said "Hogwarts Headmasters Office!" and was gone. Harry and Lupin followed shortly after and found themselves in Dumbledore's office. "He's taken her to the Hospital wing already, let's go see how she is and on the way you can tell me what happened."

As they walked, Harry explained everything that happened in the shop between him and "Bill". He told Remus how Hermione was hurt and heard him gasp. Harry didn't look at him, he was afraid to see the expression on his face. "Harry" Lupin said getting his attention "you need to tell Dumbledore everything you've told me. I'm sure he will know more about your affliction than I do. I know things aren't the best between the two of you ever since the events of last term, but do you think you can talk to him?"

"Yes, I can tell him just as long as he doesn't keep anymore secrets from me." Harry replied. "What about you Remus; how have you been?"

Lupin was quiet for a few moments, and when Harry looked over at him, he saw a sad expression on his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Harry said apologetically.

"No, Harry its ok. I just miss him a lot. He was more like a brother to me than a best friend. After I lost your mom and dad he was all I had left. Now..."

He looked at Harry and smiled sadly. "How about you; how are you coping with everything?" Remus asked.

"I was glad to get out of the Dursley's house and be with my friends again. Unfortunately, we've had a bit of a falling out over the summer and I really don't know what to do to get my best friends back." Harry replied.

"Well, Harry, I'm sure that things will work themselves out. But if you ever need anyone to talk to, I will always be there for you. I know I'm not Sirius, but you're all I have left and I will do anything to help you." Remus said while stopping and looking at Harry directly.

"Marauders 'til the end?" Harry said with a slightly sad smile on his face.

"Marauders 'til the end!" Remus replied with tears in his eyes. "Let's go see if Hermione's ok." After a moment of silence they both turned and continued walking down the hall to the hospital wing.

As they entered the hospital wing, Lupin and Harry saw a bed at the far end of the room closed off from view. Dumbledore was standing there watching Madame Pomfrey bustle around a still unconscious Hermione. Dumbledore looked up at them when he heard them enter. "Harry" he said "would you mind explaining what happened in the shop?" As Harry related the story to him, his face showed the same serene expression he always wore. When he came to the part where Hermione was hurt, he heard Madame Pomfrey gasp. "It's no wonder I can't revive her. That sounds like ancient magic Albus. I'll have to mix up a special potion." She said as she hurriedly went into her office to start work on the potion.

"What does she mean Albus?" asked Lupin.

Dumbledore looked from Remus to Harry and said "Harry, please do not be angry with me, but I'm afraid I am unable to explain anything right now. I have an idea of what Madame Pomfrey speaks of, but until I know for sure what it was that happened to you today I would rather wait to explain everything to you. Is that alright with you Harry?" he asked with a weary expression on his face.

A look of anger crossed Harry's face before he took a deep breath and said "Yes, Professor, I will wait for an explanation. I just don't want to be kept in the dark anymore about anything that concerns me. You will let me know as soon as you find out everything you need to know?"

"Yes Harry, I promise you that I will no longer withhold information that concerns you. I saw how disastrous that can be last term and I don't want you to suffer like that ever again. Your welfare is my top concern right now, and not just because of the prophecy." replied Dumbledore with a small smile and the mysterious twinkle in his eyes once again.

Madame Pomfrey came out of her office with a goblet of steaming liquid. "Remus, will you please hold Ms. Grangers head up while I administer the potion?" she asked.

Nodding, Lupin walked over to the side of Hermione's bed and carefully lifted her head while the nurse opened her mouth and slowly poured the liquid in. As soon as it was all in, Lupin set her head back on the pillow, looked at Pomfrey and asked "how long before we know if it works or not?"

"It can take as long as forty-eight hours." she replied "I just hope I guessed correctly and it heals her properly."

"May I stay with her?" asked Harry "I would like to be here when she wakes up."

Madame Pomfrey was about to object when Dumbledore spoke up and said "that would be fine Harry. You can pull up a chair and sit with her. I will have one of the school elves bring you some food, and you can sleep on the bed next to hers tonight. Remus, can you bring Harry a change of clothes for the next two days?"

"Sure" replied Remus "I'll floo to the Weasley's now to get them and let them know what's going on."

After that Remus left with Dumbledore to go back to the Headmaster's office and after checking on Hermione once more, Madame Pomfrey went back to her office. Harry found a chair and pulled it alongside Hermione's bed. He sat down and reached for her hand as he said "I'm so sorry for what I did Hermione. Please come back to me." As he said this he laid his head down on the bed next to her and let the tears run down his face.

5. Ron Attacks

Harry sat by Hermione's bedside for an undeterminable amount of time that day. He sat holding her hand and talking to her about anything he could think of. He watched for any signs that she was waking up, but she just lay there peacefully. After a while he heard a commotion outside the hospital's door and looked up in time to see the doors slam open forcefully.

"What the hell did you do to her!!!" yelled a very red faced Ron. "It's not bad enough you hurt her feelings, you had to physically hurt her too?"

Harry stood up so fast that his chair went flying out behind him. He watched as Ron stormed over to where he was and got right into his face. "Get out Ron" said Harry gritting his teeth and balling his fists trying very hard to control his anger.

"You may be the boy-who-lived Potter" Ron spit out "but you will not tell me what to do, ever! She is my friend too whether you like it or not!"

"Taking lessons from Malfoy are we? Two can play that game Weasley" said Harry snidely as his eyes took on a red glow. Ron saw Harry's eyes flare to life and started backing away.

"What's the matter Ron? Don't want to back up that big mouth of yours?" Harry lifted his right hand palm up and there was a flame dancing there in his hand. Ron's eyes grew wide with fear as he tried to make his way to the doors. "Where do you think you're going? We're going to finish this stupid fight and I'm going to take that ego of yours down a notch!" There was now a fully formed ball of fire resting on Harry's hand that had grown while he spoke. He drew back his hand, and...

"HARRY!!!" shouted Remus as he ran into the room. He ran between the two boys and grabbed Harry's arm before he could do anything. "What do you think you are doing?!"

Harry looked at Remus and saw the disappointed look on his face. His eyes lost their glow and he looked at the floor in shame. "I-I don't know what I was going to do" he said quietly with fear evident in his voice.

"You were going to kill me, you wanker! Do you think we're stupid enough to believe you didn't mean to do that?" yelled Ron becoming angry all over again.

"Ron!" Lupin yelled "You need to leave NOW! I will speak to your father when I am done talking to Harry. You need to go home and calm down."

Ron gave Harry one last hate filled look and stormed out the doors. Remus let go of Harry's hand and noticed it was back to normal. "What is going on with you Harry?" he asked as he sat on the empty bed next to Hermione's. "I've never known you to be that aggressive before. What did Ron say to you?"

Harry walked over and sat next to him. "He yelled at me for hurting her and talked to me the way that Malfoy always does. I'm sick of him acting like this; it's been this way since I arrived at the Burrow."

Remus put his hand on Harry's shoulder and said "you really need to tell Dumbledore what happened just now. I don't know what's happening to you, but if you don't get it under control somehow you may end up killing someone else." Harry just nodded and put his head in his hands. He sat that way for a while going over what he had almost done when he heard Remus leave the ward.

"Harry?" he heard a soft voice say. He snapped his head up to look at Hermione and saw her looking back at him.

"Hermione?" he asked "How are you feeling?"

"My body is really sore" she said "what happened to me?"

Harry sat there for a moment and then said "let me get Madame Pomfrey so she can check you over. I'll be right back." He then walked back to find Pomfrey sitting in her office. "She's awake" is all he said before turning around and walking out the doors into the hallway.

Harry found himself in front of the gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office. He ran through every sweet he could think of until he was finally allowed in. He walked up the steps and knocked on the office door.

"Come in Harry" called Dumbledore. Harry walked into the office and sat in one of the chairs in front of the Headmasters desk. "Remus said that there was another incident in the hospital ward. Care to explain what happened?" he said looking Harry right in the eye. Harry noticed the familiar twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes was no longer present. He told of the events that had transpired and what had happened with his hands again. Dumbledore sat quietly listening until Harry had finished talking. "Harry, I know you are not going to like what I am going to say, but I think that it is time for you to go to Grimmauld Place."

Harry sat there staring at Dumbledore while a mixture of emotions played across his face. That was the last place in the world that he wanted to go. He would rather go back to the Dursley's until school started if it meant he didn't have to go back to that house.

"Why?" is all that Harry could say. "Well, Harry, after what just happened I feel it would be best for you to be separated from your friends for a while." As Harry started to object, Dumbledore put a hand up to stop him. "You need to get your anger under control. That is obviously what is triggering these episodes and you need to be trained on how to stay calm even in the worst of times. Otherwise Harry, I am afraid there are going to be grave consequences."

Harry couldn't say anything. He was shocked that Dumbledore would just send him to Grimmauld by himself. "Sir, will Remus be going with me?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course Harry. It's not like your being exiled. We just need to sort things out and let everything get back to some semblance of normalcy. Remus has gone to get the rest of your things from the Weasleys and then he will be taking you to the house." As he said this, the flames in the fireplace roared to life and Lupin walked out with Harry's trunk.

"Ready to go Harry?" asked Remus with an unreadable expression on his face.

"As ready as I'm going to be" said Harry as he grabbed some floo powder, walked into the flames and yelled "Number 12 Grimmauld Place!" and disappeared.

6. An Abundance Of Feelings

Harry and Lupin flooed to Grimmauld Place a short time later. Harry took his trunk and put it in the same room he and Ron had shared last summer. He looked around and noticed that the house seemed brighter than it did the last time he was there. The windows and walls looked like they had been scrubbed recently. It was an improvement, but there was still an aura of darkness that surrounded the house. As he walked down to the kitchen, Harry's mind was flooded with images of Sirius in the house. He tried to block them out, but they were incessant in their progress. He walked through the kitchen door and when he looked at the kitchen table he swore he saw Sirius sitting there. He closed his eyes and willed the image away. When he opened them again, he saw Lupin sitting in the place he thought he had seen Sirius. Lupin sat slumped over in the chair with his elbows on the tabletop. His hands were on both sides of his head holding it like someone in pain. Harry walked over and sat in the chair next to him.

"Remus?" Harry asked quietly so as not to startle him "Are you alright?"

Remus looked up at Harry and the expression on his face almost broke Harry's heart. He could see the tears trying to escape from Remus's eyes, and his face had gone pale. He had a look of suffering on his face, one that Harry was sure he had worn quite a bit over the summer.

"I look around this house and all I see is him Harry" Lupin said almost in a whisper "I miss him so much that I feel like I'm in physical pain." As he said this two tears slid down his cheeks and fell to the top of the table. "So many people that I was close to are gone. I never thought I could feel as lost as I did when your parents died. But losing Sirius is so much worse. We were the last of the Marauders. He had such a thirst for life, but fate just wouldn't let him quench that thirst. He spent so many years locked away in Azkaban, and when he finally breaks free from that prison he ends up a prisoner in his own home."

Harry sat there listening while trying to keep his own tears in check. He looked at Remus and realized that he was not the only one that life treated unfairly. From becoming a werewolf, to losing close friends and battling to save their world from the same dark lord that wanted to kill Harry, their lives were similar.

"I know what you mean. I walked down the stairs and all I could think about was how Sirius spent his last days in this dreary house. He didn't deserve to have to go through everything he did." As he said this, Harry realized that something had been missing "Remus, what happened to the portrait of Mrs. Black? She didn't scream at us when we came in today."

A look of something close to hatred flashed across his face before he said "I came back here shortly after we lost Sirius and she started bellowing about her good for nothing son, and I lost it. I'm not proud of what I did, but it needed to be done. Kreacher is gone also. He went to live with the Malfoy family."

'Good riddance' thought Harry as he looked around the kitchen 'makes being here a little easier.'

After their talk in the kitchen, Harry decided to go up to his room to rest. After everything that had happened, his body felt drained. After a couple hours he heard a knock on his door and Remus stuck his head into the room. "Harry, Dumbledore needs me at the school for a few hours. Do you think you can handle being here alone for a little while?"

"Sure" said Harry "did anything happen?"

"No, I think there's a meeting to discuss your latest power development. There will be two guards from the Order outside the house and one will be stationed in the sitting room if you should need anything." he said as he pulled the door closed and left.

'What am I supposed to do now?' thought Harry. 'I don't remember the last time I was so bored.' Harry heard another knock on his door and said "come on in Remus. Did you forget to tell me something?"

"Not quite" said a voice that caused Harry to jump off the bed. He looked towards the door where he saw Hermione standing there looking back at him with a look of extreme anger.

"H-Hermione? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to still be in hospital?"

"No" she spat out "if you would have stuck around the ward instead of running off like a coward, you would have known that the potion Pomfrey used worked. I'm fully recovered and since there are no after affects she said I could return to the Burrow." The expression on her face softened as she said "when I found out from Dumbledore that you were here with Lupin, I asked if I could stay here with you instead."

"Why not go back to the Burrow?" Harry asked confused.

"With everything going on between the three of us, I would rather be here with you than have to put up with Ron's insufferable attitude right now. I heard that the two of you had a little disagreement?"

"I wouldn't say little" he said and then decided to change the subject "Hermione, do you remember what happened in the shop today?"

"Yes, I remember what happened. I was running towards you to see what was happening to you and you threw your hands out towards me to stop me. Next thing I know, I'm being hit with a ball of fire and everything just went black." she said quietly while walking over to sit next to Harry on the bed. "Harry, what happened to me wasn't your fault. Please don't blame yourself."

Harry looked at her as she said this and saw almost a pleading look in her eyes. "I just don't understand what happened to me. Something must have triggered it, and it has to be something that never happened before or else this power or whatever it is would have showed itself sooner."

They sat next to each other in a tense silence for a while. Hermione was the first one to break that silence. "You know Harry, I have no idea what has happened to the three of us over the summer. This has to be the worst summer I've had. I just wanted to spend time with my best friends and have some fun, maybe even relax a little after the year we've had. I especially wanted to spend time with you, but what you said to Ron that day in the yard hurt really badly. I told you how I felt Harry, and after that kiss I thought you might feel the same. But after what you said, I highly doubt it. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Harry could hear her voice breaking with her last word. 'She's crying because of me again' he thought. 'I have to do something or I'll lose her for good.'

Harry turned and looked at Hermione "Please look at me" he said. She turned her face towards his, and his heart broke the moment he saw her tears. "Hermione, I tried to explain to you that day and even after that the words that came out of my mouth were all wrong. That kiss between you and I was not a mistake! I have feelings for you; I'm just scared of that damn prophecy! Everyone I care for gets hurt, or worse killed. I think I would die if that happened to you 'Mione."

At the use of her nickname, a small smile graced her lips. She reached her hand out and gently placed it on his cheek. He looked in her eyes and saw a look of pure adoration. To his surprise, she moved her hand from his cheek to the back of his neck and pulled him to her for a kiss. But this kiss was different from the one's they shared at the Burrow. This one was sweet, but it held a longing, it held all their pent up emotions. Hermione wrapped her other arm around his neck while he moved and put his arms around her waist. The kiss quickly grew more passionate. Hermione's left leg, seemingly of its own volition, swung over Harry's legs so that she sat there straddling him. Harry pulled away momentarily to look at her with a questioning look, but she just claimed his lips again. After that Harry lost all conscience thought. He kissed her greedily, his hands roaming over her body; her back, her butt, her arms, wherever he could reach. Then he lifted up the back of her jumper and pressed his hands against her warm, silky skin. Still kissing her with abandon, he moved them around to her stomach, up to her bra covered breasts. He felt her gasp into his mouth, but she didn't stop him. He cupped her breasts, using his thumbs to graze over her nipples making them hard instantly. As he did this, she had also slipped her hands under his jumper. His skin felt like it was on fire, it was so hot! She let her hands roam over his back where she could feel his back muscles flex as he moved. As his thumbs grazed her nipples again, she moaned into Harry's mouth and pulled back from him.

While he sat dazedly looking at her, she reached down and pulled the bottom of her shirt over her head. After she discarded her shirt on the floor, she reached for his and promptly removed it also. He claimed her lips again while reaching behind her to undo her bra clasp. As he pulled the straps over her shoulders and down her arms, he watched its descent and took in every inch of skin that was revealed. As he removed it completely, he looked at her perfect breasts. They were big enough to fit in his hands, with rosy nipples that were just begging for his attention. He bent his head down and took one into his mouth and heard Hermione moan his name. She ran her hands through his hair and held him in place. He moved to the other one and lavished it just the same and moved back to her mouth. She kissed him hard and pushed herself flush against him. The feeling of their skin touching sent them both into oblivion. Before either of them knew it, they were lying on the bed completely naked. Harry rose up on his elbows above Hermione, and with a questioning look asked "are you sure you want to do this?"

Hermione leaned up and gave him a quick kiss. "I would have stopped you a long time ago if I didn't want this Harry. I told you, I'm tired of holding back. I'm yours Harry, and I want to do this."

Harry leaned down and kissed her, putting all his feelings for her in that one kiss. As he did, he parted her legs and positioned himself at her entrance. As he went to pull back from their kiss, Hermione held him there with on hand and guided him in with the other. He went slowly and stopped when he reached her barrier. She kissed him harder and wrapped her legs around him, pushing him in the rest of the way. She froze and blinked her eyes quickly trying to stay the tears. Harry lay there as still as he could so as not to hurt her anymore. When she looked him in the eye and gave a little nod, he started a slow, clumsy rhythm. They started moving in time with each other until finally Harry couldn't hold back any longer. He cried her name and gave one last thrust into her. He collapsed onto her and lay there breathing heavily. She laid there with her arms wrapped around him, drawing lazy circles on his back.

"Are you ok?" he asked as he rolled off of her and pulled her against him.

"I'm fine" she said breathily as Harry planted kisses on the back of her neck. They lay there a while until she felt Harry pull back a little.

"Hermione" he asked hesitantly "did you, um..."

"Finish?" she asked, amused at the embarrassment she heard in his voice. "No, I didn't but that's not unusual the first time according to some of the books I've read."

He smiled as he realized she had been reading books on sex. "Maybe next time, huh?" he asked with a big grin on his face.

"We'll see Potter" she said smiling also as they both drifted off to sleep.

7. Explanations

Remus came out of the fireplace at Grimmauld Place a couple of hours later. He noticed how quiet it was in the house and figured that Harry was still in his bedroom. He went upstairs and opened the door to Harry's room. He did a double take at the scene before him.

"Oh my...Harry!" he yelled quickly looking away, startling Harry awake. "When the bloody hell did you start sleeping naked?"

Harry quickly remembered what had occurred between him and Hermione a few hours before. He looked around his room but he didn't see any indication that she'd even been there. "Uh, I got really hot and decided I'd be more comfortable this way" he said as a faint blush crept over his face while he grabbed a sheet and covered himself.

"Now I know to knock first before just barging in your room. Sorry about that Harry" Remus said as he turned and walked out the door. "When you get dressed, come on down to the kitchen. I have some things to tell you."

"Alright" said Harry as he got up and started to get dressed. Just as he pulled his jeans on, he heard his door creak open again. As he looked up, he saw Hermione sneak in and close it quietly. "Where were you?" he asked as she came over and gave him a kiss that took his breath away.

"I woke up shortly after falling asleep, and realized that Remus could come in and find us. So I took my stuff to my room and cleaned myself up a bit. It sounded like you gave Remus quite a show!" she said laughing.

"Cheeky aren't we?" he asked smiling. "You could have at least covered me up you know."

"And spoil the view?" she teased as she walked towards the door. "I'm going to go down to the kitchen and say hi to Lupin. See you down there in a bit."

"Be right down" he said as he watched her butt sway back and forth as she walked away. He still couldn't believe what they had done. It all seemed like a dream, but there she was walking out of his room. 'This may turn out to be a good summer after all' he thought as he headed out the door.

As Harry walked in the kitchen, he could hear Hermione and Lupin talking. "When I got here I looked around and found Harry sleeping in his room. Instead of waking him, I just took my stuff into my room and read until I heard voices a little while ago." he heard Hermione explain.

"I hope you didn't see as much of Harry as I just did" Remus said trying not to laugh.

"Um...no" said Hermione as her face started turning red with embarrassment.

'Good story' thought Harry as he sat in the chair next to Hermione. "They let you come here so soon after waking up?" Harry asked, continuing the rouse and changing the subject.

"Yes, Madame Pomfrey said that everything looked normal and that there was no reason I should stay another night. I asked to come here with you instead of the Burrow." Hermione said giving him a quick wink.

"I take it Harry is the lesser of two evils?" Lupin asked

"Yes, I would rather be with Harry than with Ron right now. He's being quite the prat lately. Plus it's quieter here so I can get more work done." said Hermione. "There's a book on protection spells I've wanted to read ever since Harry told me about the prophecy."

"You told her?" Remus asked, looking at Harry surprised. "I thought you weren't going to tell either her or Ron just yet?"

"I wasn't going to, but we started talking about something and I felt it was something she needed to know." Harry explained. "Ron still doesn't know though."

"Not that it would matter to him right now" Hermione said with a trace of malice in her voice.

"If you don't mind me asking what you two were talking about that required you to tell Hermione but not Ron?" asked Remus.

"Well" Harry started, looking over at Hermione for her ok to tell him. When she gave a slight nod, Harry said "we were talking about how we felt about one another. We found out we both like each other as more than friends."

"It's about time you both realized what everyone saw a long time ago" Remus said with a huge grin on his face. "So are you a couple now?"

"I guess you could say that" Hermione said while giving Harry a secretive smile. "But I think it's best if it stays between the three of us right now. I really don't want to know what Ron is going to do when he finds out."

"After what Harry almost did to him in the hospital ward I don't think he'll bother you for a while" Remus said seriously. "By the way Harry, we may have figured out what is happening to you. Dumbledore started researching your family tree and found that one of your ancestors dates back to the times of Prometheus. He was known as the Titan-God of Forethought. He was given the task of creating mankind by Zeus. When Zeus wanted to treat mankind badly, Prometheus went behind his back and gave man fire he had stolen from the heavens to make their lives easier. Zeus was angry when he found out what Prometheus had done. Zeus punished him for many generations before he was freed by Heracles. When he was free, he wanted to get revenge on Zeus. He picked what he felt was a worthy mortal man and put the stolen fire of heaven in the man's heart. This would always give the man a way to defend himself and his family from the evil that Pandora had released upon the world. He also explained that the fire would never die out. It would pass from generation to generation so that his bloodline would always have a way to fight evil. Somewhere down the line, a woman from the man's bloodline had a child with a wizard and thus started your family tree. Your Dad was the one that carried the fire but he must not have known about it because it was never revealed to anyone. If he had known about it, he probably could have defeated Voldemort that night and saved himself and your Mum. "

Harry and Hermione sat there with their mouths hanging open in shock. Hermione was the first to recover "I've heard the story of Prometheus before, but I've never heard that he gave out the fire of heaven to a mortal as a way of defense."

"You probably read the story in a muggle book. They would have left that part out because of the connection to the wizarding world." explained Remus.

"So I've had this inside of me since I was born? But why did it just now surface? What am I supposed to do with it?" Harry asked trying to sort out all the information that had just been given to him.

"Well" started Remus "somewhere down the line the gift has evolved with each generation. It's known as "natio ardoris" or being of flame. You are known as an Ignipotens, or a ruler of fire. The reason that Hermione wasn't killed by the fireball you hit her with is because she is good, and the flame only effects evil."

"So what's going to happen next?" asked Harry.

"Well, Dumbledore gave me this book to give to Hermione" replied Remus, sliding a book towards them that they hadn't seen sitting there. "He's studied up on some spells that will help you control the flame inside of you. You will also need to keep in control of your emotions. That seems to be the trigger. Albus is hoping that Hermione will read over the spells and incantations and help you learn them. Along with that you will be having sessions with him to study the new spells and your Occlumency so that Voldemort doesn't learn of this new development."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So this flame inside of me, is this "The Power He Knows Not" mentioned in the prophecy?"

"Part of it perhaps" stated Remus "but we're pretty sure it mainly refers to Love."

"This is so fascinating!" exclaimed Hermione while looking through the book Remus had given her. "When do we start?"

"Dumbledore will be here tomorrow morning at ten to start lessons. Hermione, you're to be there too. You're going to learn Legilimency while Harry learns Occlumency. The more defenses we have in place, the better the chance at Harry bringing Voldemort down." As Remus explained the following days activities, he rose from the table. "Well, I'm off to bed. You two should get as much sleep as you can tonight. Tomorrow will be a taxing day for both of you. Goodnight."

Harry and Hermione both said "Goodnight" as they got up to go to bed also. Harry walked Hermione to her bedroom door and wrapped his arms around her in a giant hug. "Are you sure you want to be involved with me after everything you just heard?"

"Yes Harry, I will stand by you no matter what. This is giving me an opportunity to learn so many new things!" she said while looking into his beautiful emerald eyes.

Harry smiled at the excitement he heard in her voice. "Alright. You know, we need to talk about what happened with us tonight. Things went kind of quickly."

"Tomorrow, ok Harry?" she asked with a pleading look in her eyes. "I'm really tired and I'd rather discuss everything with a clear head."

"Alright Love" he said as he bent down and gave her a tender kiss. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Harry" she said as she closed the bedroom door.

Harry walked into his room and stripped down to his boxer shorts. 'Tomorrows going to be a very interesting day' he thought as he climbed into his bed and fell right to sleep.

The next morning came quickly, and Harry woke up feeling energized. He lay in bed wondering why he felt so wonderful, then he remembered what he and Hermione had done right here in his bed last night. He knew he was probably too young to have lost his virginity already, but what they had done had felt so right. He turned his face into his pillow, and he could still smell Hermione's shampoo; it smelled like vanilla and strawberries. He didn't think he would ever wash that pillow again. 'I could die any day, why not live my life while I can?' he thought as he climbed out of bed and got dressed. As he headed down the stairs to the kitchen, he smelled something delicious and his stomach growled.

"Remus what are you making...Dobby?" Harry said surprised to see the house elf there.

"Harry Potter sir, Dobby has made breakfast sir" said Dobby as he gestured to a table full of eggs, ham, toast and many other breakfast foods.

"When did you get here Dobby?" asked Harry as he sat down and started to fill his plate.

"Professor Dumbledore is asking Dobby to help Harry Potter sir" replied Dobby "I is to be helping you and Miss Hermione around here until school is starting."

"Well, breakfast looks great!" Harry said as he started eating. "Mornin' Remus" he said around a mouth full of food.

"Morning Harry" said Remus laughing "enjoying breakfast are we?"

"Yesh" replied Harry spitting food on Remus. They both broke down laughing as Hermione walked into the kitchen.

"Good Morning!" she said happily. "What's so funny?"

"Harry decided to share his breakfast with me" Remus said while still laughing.

"Oh...o-k" said Hermione while looking from one to the other strangely. "Dumbledore will be here in an hour so we need to hurry and eat. Oh, hi Dobby! What are you doing here?"

"I is helping you and Harry Potter miss" said Dobby while bringing her some orange juice.

"Alright, well, eat up!" she said while taking some toast. The rest of breakfast went by quietly as they ate and enjoyed the veritable feast that Dobby had made them.

At exactly ten that morning, Albus Dumbledore walked into the sitting room where Harry and Hermione were sitting. Hermione was sitting on the couch reading a book on protection spells, and Harry's head was resting on her lap while he listened to her read about one spell in particular. She held the book in her left hand while her right hand was running through Harry's hair. Dumbledore smiled as he walked into the room and saw their behavior. Anyone that would have walked in at that moment would know that these two were in love. They reminded him so much of Harry's parents, James and Lily, that it saddened him. He swore to himself that what happened to Harry's parents would not happen to Harry and Hermione. After all that Harry had been through growing up, he deserved to be happy.

"Good morning!" said Dumbledore, startling the two teenagers. "Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on you, I didn't want to interrupt your reading."

"Good morning sir" said Harry jumping off of the couch with a slight blush on his face.

"Good morning Headmaster" said Hermione, blushing also.

"Ready to begin?" asked Dumbledore as he pulled up a chair across from the couch while gesturing for the two to sit back down. At their nods, he continued "I assume that Remus has explained what we found out at the meeting last night?" When he saw Harry nod again, he said "today we will practice a little Occlumency and Legilimency and then we will start on the spells involving 'Ignes Venificum', or fire magic."

Dumbledore worked with Harry on his Occlumency first, teaching things that Professor Snape had never mentioned to Harry. Harry was slightly pissed that Snape had never mentioned some of the things that Dumbledore showed him because it made it so much easier to learn. Next Hermione was taught Legilimency and practiced breaking into Harry's mind. She failed the first few attempts, but then she saw a few of Harry's memories the fourth time she tried. Dumbledore stopped them after that so that Harry was not too tired to learn the new Ignes Venificum spells.

"Ok Harry, here is the first spell you need to learn. You will not need your wand for this because this magic is focused solely through your hands." Dumbledore explained.

Harry looked disbelievingly at the professor. "I won't need my wand at all?"

"No, Harry this is almost like wand less magic. You will be drawing from the magic within you, but instead of focusing it through a wand; you will use your hands. Now, the first thing you will learn is to put one hand palm up and say 'igniculus."

Harry put his hand out as Dumbledore had said and said "Igniculus!" Harry's eyes grew wide as a small flame erupted out of his palm and sat there burning. It didn't go out, and it didn't burn his hand either. "Wow!"

"Great Harry!" exclaimed Dumbledore "To extinguish it, just close your hand around it. Now on to something harder. Since you were able to spark the flame within, let's see if you can use that fire. I want you to put your hand out again with your palm facing that fireplace over there. Concentrate on it and say 'focus accendo'."

"Focus Accendo" Harry yelled while holding his hand out and concentrating on the fireplace. Nothing happened. "Focus Accendo!" he yelled a bit more forcefully. This time there was a spark, but nothing more.

"Harry, clear your mind and really focus in on what you are aiming for" explained Dumbledore.

"Focus Accendo!!" Harry watched in awe as the fireplace roared to life with orange flames. "I did it!" he said with excitement in his voice. All of a sudden, the room seemed to spin. Next thing he knew, Hermione was leading him over to sit on the couch.

"That's enough for today Harry, I don't want you to exhaust yourself." said Dumbledore with a grin on his face. "Excellent work! You're learning quickly. Next time we will practice more on these spells and I will teach you one or two more. I will be back the day after tomorrow."

"Thank-you Professor" said Hermione while rubbing Harry's back. "We will practice what you've shown us today."

With a nod and a smile, Dumbledore walked out of the room leaving Harry and Hermione to rest.

As they sat there recuperating from their training session, Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and held it while he asked "are you ready to talk about last night?"

"What is there to talk about?" she asked. "Are you going to say it was a mistake?"

"No" Harry said quickly "I'm glad it happened. I feel the same as you do in respect to living life. Who knows when Voldemort will attack, and according to the Prophecy I could easily die."

Hermione blinked back tears as she thought about what Harry said. "We will find a way to defeat him Harry and then you can live a normal life just like everyone else."

"I hope so. So will you be my girlfriend?" he asked while slowly moving his face closer to hers.

"I would think you got your answer last night" she said with a smile "but yes, Harry, I will."

Harry smiled and leaned in to kiss her. Their lips met, and Harry ran his tongue along her bottom lip seeking entrance. She opened up to him, and he deepened the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. They sat snogging on the couch for a while. Harry started trailing kisses down her jaw to her neck, and after a minute she pulled away.

"Harry" she said breathlessly "we need to stop before this goes any further."

"Yeah" said Harry, pulling away. He leaned his forehead onto her forehead and looked her in the eyes. "I love you Hermione" he said quietly.

"I love you too" she said with tears in her eyes. "Promise me you won't let anything come between us."

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

"Voldemort, Harry" she said "I know he likes to play mind games with you. Promise you won't let him convince you that he'll hurt me to get to you."

"I promise" he said and kissed her again "I won't let anything come between us."

*All Latin words and meanings came from the Notre Dame University website, Latin Dictionary and Grammar Aid section.

8. Teaching Harry

I tried my hand at writing Dobby, but it's hard to get down how he talks. As for the latin words and phrases in this chapter, I put them together the best I could. I never took Latin in school, so I had to guess at which tense of the word to use. I hope I didn't mess it up too bad! I hope you enjoy the chapter!!! :)

The next morning came quickly, and Harry woke up feeling energized. He lay in bed wondering why he felt so wonderful, then he remembered what he and Hermione had done right here in his bed last night. He knew he was probably too young to have lost his virginity already, but what they had done had felt so right. He turned his face into his pillow, and he could still smell Hermione's shampoo; it smelled like vanilla and strawberries. He didn't think he would ever wash that pillow again. 'I could die any day, why not live my life while I can?' he thought as he climbed out of bed and got dressed. As he headed down the stairs to the kitchen, he smelled something delicious and his stomach growled.

"Remus what are you making...Dobby?" Harry said surprised to see the house elf there.

"Harry Potter sir, Dobby has made breakfast sir" said Dobby as he gestured to a table full of eggs, ham, toast and many other breakfast foods.

"When did you get here Dobby?" asked Harry as he sat down and started to fill his plate.

"Professor Dumbledore is asking Dobby to help Harry Potter sir" replied Dobby "I is to be helping you and Miss Hermione around here until school is starting."

"Well, breakfast looks great!" Harry said as he started eating. "Mornin' Remus" he said around a mouth full of food.

"Morning Harry" said Remus laughing "enjoying breakfast are we?"

"Yesh" replied Harry spitting food on Remus. They both broke down laughing as Hermione walked into the kitchen.

"Good Morning!" she said happily. "What's so funny?"

"Harry decided to share his breakfast with me" Remus said while still laughing.

"Oh...o-k" said Hermione while looking from one to the other strangely. "Dumbledore will be here in an hour so we need to hurry and eat. Oh, hi Dobby! What are you doing here?"

"I is helping you and Harry Potter miss" said Dobby while bringing her some orange juice.

"Alright, well, eat up!" she said while taking some toast. The rest of breakfast went by quietly as they ate and enjoyed the veritable feast that Dobby had made them.

At exactly ten that morning, Albus Dumbledore walked into the sitting room where Harry and Hermione were sitting. Hermione was sitting on the couch reading a book on protection spells, and Harry's head was resting on her lap while he listened to her read about one spell in particular. She held the book in her left hand while her right hand was running through Harry's hair. Dumbledore smiled as he walked into the room and saw their behavior. Anyone that would have walked in at that moment would know that these two were in love. They reminded him so much of Harry's parents, James and Lily, that it saddened him. He swore to himself that what happened to Harry's parents would not happen to Harry and Hermione. After all that Harry had been through growing up, he deserved to be happy.

"Good morning!" said Dumbledore, startling the two teenagers. "Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on you, I didn't want to interrupt your reading."

"Good morning sir" said Harry jumping off of the couch with a slight blush on his face.

"Good morning Headmaster" said Hermione, blushing also.

"Ready to begin?" asked Dumbledore as he pulled up a chair across from the couch while gesturing for the two to sit back down. At their nods, he continued "I assume that Remus has explained what we found out at the meeting last night?" When he saw Harry nod again, he said "today we will practice a little Occlumency and Legilimency and then we will start on the spells involving 'Ignes Venificum', or fire magic."

Dumbledore worked with Harry on his Occlumency first, teaching things that Professor Snape had never mentioned to Harry. Harry was slightly pissed that Snape had never mentioned some of the things that Dumbledore showed him because it made it so much easier to learn. Next Hermione was taught Legilimency and practiced breaking into Harry's mind. She failed the first few attempts, but then she saw a few of Harry's memories the fourth time she tried. Dumbledore stopped them after that so that Harry was not too tired to learn the new Ignes Venificum spells.

"Ok Harry, here is the first spell you need to learn. You will not need your wand for this because this magic is focused solely through your hands." Dumbledore explained.

Harry looked disbelievingly at the professor. "I won't need my wand at all?"

"No, Harry this is almost like wand less magic. You will be drawing from the magic within you, but instead of focusing it through a wand; you will use your hands. Now, the first thing you will learn is to put one hand palm up and say 'igniculus."

Harry put his hand out as Dumbledore had said and said "Igniculus!" Harry's eyes grew wide as a small flame erupted out of his palm and sat there burning. It didn't go out, and it didn't burn his hand either. "Wow!"

"Great Harry!" exclaimed Dumbledore "To extinguish it, just close your hand around it. Now on to something harder. Since you were able to spark the flame within, let's see if you can use that fire. I want you to put your hand out again with your palm facing that fireplace over there. Concentrate on it and say 'focus accendo'."

"Focus Accendo" Harry yelled while holding his hand out and concentrating on the fireplace. Nothing happened. "Focus Accendo!" he yelled a bit more forcefully. This time there was a spark, but nothing more.

"Harry, clear your mind and really focus in on what you are aiming for" explained Dumbledore.

"Focus Accendo!!" Harry watched in awe as the fireplace roared to life with orange flames. "I did it!" he said with excitement in his voice. All of a sudden, the room seemed to spin. Next thing he knew, Hermione was leading him over to sit on the couch.

"That's enough for today Harry, I don't want you to exhaust yourself." said Dumbledore with a grin on his face. "Excellent work! You're learning quickly. Next time we will practice more on these spells and I will teach you one or two more. I will be back the day after tomorrow."

"Thank-you Professor" said Hermione while rubbing Harry's back. "We will practice what you've shown us today."

With a nod and a smile, Dumbledore walked out of the room leaving Harry and Hermione to rest.

As they sat there recuperating from their training session, Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and held it while he asked "are you ready to talk about last night?"

"What is there to talk about?" she asked. "Are you going to say it was a mistake?"

"No" Harry said quickly "I'm glad it happened. I feel the same as you do in respect to living life. Who knows when Voldemort will attack, and according to the Prophecy I could easily die."

Hermione blinked back tears as she thought about what Harry said. "We will find a way to defeat him Harry and then you can live a normal life just like everyone else."

"I hope so. So will you be my girlfriend?" he asked while slowly moving his face closer to hers.

"I would think you got your answer last night" she said with a smile "but yes, Harry, I will."

Harry smiled and leaned in to kiss her. Their lips met, and Harry ran his tongue along her bottom lip seeking entrance. She opened up to him, and he deepened the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. They sat snogging on the couch for a while. Harry started trailing kisses down her jaw to her neck, and after a minute she pulled away.

"Harry" she said breathlessly "we need to stop before this goes any further."

"Yeah" said Harry, pulling away. He leaned his forehead onto her forehead and looked her in the eyes. "I love you Hermione" he said quietly.

"I love you too" she said with tears in her eyes. "Promise me you won't let anything come between us."

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

"Voldemort, Harry" she said "I know he likes to play mind games with you. Promise you won't let him convince you that he'll hurt me to get to you."

"I promise" he said and kissed her again "I won't let anything come between us."

All Latin words and phrases are from the Notre Dame University website, the Latin Dictionary and Grammar Aid section.

9. Injuries and Revelations

Thank-you for the great reviews! I'm glad you like it so far. I just want to remind you that my story does not follow canon, and say that some people may not agree with the end of this chapter. All I can say is, please give it a chance as it's important to the rest of the story. Thanks!

The next three weeks seemed to fly by for Harry and Hermione. They practiced Occlumency and Legilimency while Harry practiced his fire magic. They studied up on some defensive spells also, just in case Hermione ever needed to protect herself. They hadn't heard anything from Ron the whole time they were at Grimmauld Place. They had seen Mr. and Mrs. Weasley when there had been Order meetings held at the house. They treated Harry and Hermione the same, but didn't go out of their way to seek them out and say hello. It didn't bother them much, they were too wrapped up in each other and settling into their relationship. Finally, August 31 was upon them and they were trying to make sure they had packed everything they needed. That night Remus had a meeting with Dumbledore in his office at Hogwarts, and Harry and Hermione wound up in Harry's bed once again. It couldn't be called sex because there were so many feelings involved. Harry treated her like she would break if he was too rough, and she looked at him like he was the only guy in the world. They went slowly and thoroughly enjoyed themselves (both of them this time!) When Remus came home and checked on them, they were both asleep in their own beds and both had a grin on their face that made him wonder what they had been up to. The next morning came quickly, and the house was bustling with activity. Dobby had made a wonderful breakfast, but they had all woke up late so they were rushing around. They grabbed some toast on the way out the door to the car that the Ministry had provided to take them to platform 9 3/4. They ran through the station and Harry waited as Hermione ran through the barrier first. He ran through as soon as he saw her disappear and looked up to see the Hogwarts express. The platform was packed with parents and students alike. Harry started rolling his trolley over towards the train to stow his trunk when Ron stepped in front of him.

"Well, well if it isn't the boy wonder? What'cha been up to fire-boy?" he sneered in a very Malfoy-like way.

"Shove off Ron!" said Harry while glaring at him "Why don't you go find someone else to trail after like a lost puppy? I have better things to do than deal with a jealous prat like you!!"

By this time Hermione had loaded her trunk onto the train and started making her way over to the arguing boys. "What's going on Harry?" she asked while taking hold of his arm. She had never seen him look so angry in the entire time she had known him.

"Ronnie here decided he is going to be an ass, as usual" replied Harry with a snarl in his voice.

Ron looked from Harry to Hermione and laughed. It was an eerie laugh; it held no humor behind it. "Oh, isn't this cute? A couple now, are we? I guess I should have seen this coming. Once again the great Harry Potter gets what he wants!"

CRACK!! Hermione watched as Harry's fist connected with Ron's nose and heard the sickening sound as it broke. Ron stood there holding his nose and looking at Harry with a stunned look on his face. "You wanker! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm tired of you Ron. If you want to be a jealous little boy, that's fine. But don't you dare come near me again! I don't want some infantile egomaniac that's only around me for my fame as a friend. Fuck off!!!" Harry had started out in an even tone, but had all but shouted his last two words. He looked around and noticed everyone looking at him with disbelieving looks on their faces.

"My, my could it be that the golden trio has broken up? Tut, tut!" said Malfoy as he walked past them.

"Fuck off Malfoy" said Harry taking a step towards him. Malfoys eyes grew wide and he hurriedly walked away.

Ron shot him a dirty look while stalking away and Hermione walked over to him, wrapped him in her arms and just hugged him. "Are you alright Harry?" she asked while a single tear trailed down her cheek.

"I'm fine" he said and looked up as he heard someone clear their throat. Remus stood a little ways away from them with Hermione's parents standing next to him.

"Hermione, you're parents are here to say goodbye" said Harry as he pointed out where they were. Hermione ran over and hugged them both immediately.

Harry smiled as he watched Hermione talking animatedly with her mum and dad. She looked so happy to see them that it made Harry feel a little guilty for keeping her away from them most of the summer. Just as he was about to walk over to say hello to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, a huge explosion rocked the platform. Harry looked over to the barrier to see that it had been blown away. Where it once was stood a group of ten death eaters dressed in their black garb. Everyone started screaming and many of the parents were shielding their children as best as they could. As Harry watched in horror, the group of Voldemort's minions all pointed their wands at the ceiling and said a spell that he had never heard before. Jets of yellow light shot out of their wand tips and hit the ceiling. Next thing Harry knew, the ceiling was quickly falling down on all the people on the platform. He looked over to where he last saw Hermione, and realized a huge piece of the ceiling was going to fall on her. Before he could even think, he ran and tackled her to the ground shielding her with his body. The ceiling collapsed onto them, trapping them against the ground.

As Harry lay on top of her, Hermione could hear all the screams echoing around the platform. She wasn't really sure what happened, she only knew that Harry had made a flying tackle to save her from the falling ceiling. Harry! She couldn't feel him moving at all. She tried to turn herself around so she was facing him, but they were trapped under a huge piece of the roof. And what about her parents! She couldn't remember if they ran or not, they could be pinned under the ceiling also. She had to find out if they were ok.

"Harry? Harry, are you ok?" Hermione asked, hoping he wasn't hurt too badly. "Harry, can you hear me?"

He wasn't responding and Hermione was getting worried. What if he was seriously injured? The screaming had stopped, but she couldn't hear any other noise. Was everyone else buried as they were? If so, who was going to help them, and what about Harry? She tried to move her right arm to see if she could shake him a little, but a searing pain traveled down her arm and made her cry out. 'Great' she thought 'it's probably broken.'

As she was laying there trying to figure out what to do, she heard Harry softly moan. She tried to wiggle a little and turn again, but it was no use. She was laying face down on the ground with Harry face down on her back. There wasn't much room to breath, let alone move.

"Harry?" she said, trying once again to get him to talk "are you ok?"

"Hermione?" he replied, much to her relief "what happened?"

"Last thing I remember was watching as part of the ceiling was falling towards me. I couldn't move I just froze. Next thing I knew, you tackled me. Are you ok?" she asked. She felt Harry move around a little, and then she heard him moan again.

"My back" he said "it hurts really badly and I can't seem to move my left leg. How about you, are you injured?"

"I can't move my right arm" she replied "I think it's broken but it's tolerable. Harry, I haven't heard any noise since right after the attack. I'm afraid to think what's happened to everyone else. Did you see what happened?"

"I was coming over to say hello to your parents when I saw a group of death eaters break through the barrier. They pointed their wands at the ceiling and said a spell I have never heard before. I looked over and saw you standing there and I just kicked into survival mode. I'm just glad you're ok. There's not much we can do right now except wait and hope for someone to find us soon." Harry moved his eyes around, and realized the situation he was in. His head was resting on Hermione's back and the rest of his body was flush against her backside. 'This would be enjoyable in any other situation' he thought, then quickly admonished himself for thinking that way. 'This is not the time to be dirty minded' he thought to himself. Then he remembered something that made his stomach turn.

"Hermione, what happened to your parents after the Death Eaters attacked?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. Everything went so quickly, I didn't see if anything fell on them or if they made a run for safety. I hope they're ok." she said, her voice breaking.

"Me too" said Harry. They continued to lay there waiting for someone to find them. As they waited, they were both thinking about Hermione's parents and hoping for the best.

They laid under the rubble from the ceiling for an unknown amount of time. They talked about anything they could think of to pass the time and take their minds off of their injuries. Finally, they heard footsteps coming towards them and felt the huge piece of ceiling start to move. It lifted off of them, and out of their peripheral vision they saw Dumbledore there levitating it off of them.

"Harry! Hermione! I'm so glad I found you!" said Dumbledore with a relieved look on his face. "The other teachers and I have been looking for you. Sorry it took so long, but there are many parents and students that are hurt. Try not to move too much, I don't want you to injure yourselves any more than you already are. There are medi-wizards here checking everyone out. They are taking those who are seriously wounded to St. Mungo's for treatment. The ones that aren't too bad are being portkeyed back to Hogwarts so Madam Pomfrey can take care of them. How are the two of you doing?"

"My back and left leg are hurting really badly, and Hermione thinks her right arm might be broken." Harry replied.

"Sir?" Hermione asked "Do you know if my parents are ok?"

The twinkle that was almost always present in Dumbledore's eyes was not there at that moment. "We found your parents a little while ago. Your Mum was seriously hurt and was taken to St. Mungo's. Your Dad sustained some cuts and bruises, but otherwise he is fine and with your mother. I will let you know any new information I get as soon as it is given to me. When you are checked out and released, we will make arrangements for you to see them. Make sure to stay still until someone comes to check you out. I need to check on some of the other injured students."

Soon after Dumbledore had left, a medi-wizard finally came to examine them. He put a body bind on Harry to make sure he didn't move any more than necessary and possibly hurt his back more. They checked Hermione's arm and said that it was indeed broken. Since neither was too serious, he gave Hermione a portkey to Hogwarts. She took it in her good hand and made sure Harry's body was in contact with it too. Suddenly she felt the familiar tug in her stomach, and next thing she knew she was in the middle of the infirmary at Hogwarts.

Madame Pomfrey had bustled over and levitated Harry to a bed. She removed the body bind and started looking him over. He had broken his leg in two places, which she quickly healed, and had severely bruised his back. He would have to stay overnight in the hospital ward just to make sure his back was ok since there was really nothing she could do for the bruising. Suddenly more students arrived in the ward, and the nurse told Hermione she would have to have a seat next to Harry's bed until she could get to her arm. Hermione sat quietly in a chair that suddenly appeared next to the bed and grabbed Harry's hand while cradling her hurt arm against her body.

"Hermione, are you ok?" Harry asked gently while squeezing her hand.

"I'm alright, I'm just worried about my Mum" she replied with tears in her eyes.

"Harry!" someone yelled from across the ward. He looked up and saw Dean Thomas walking over to his bed. "Harry, did you hear about Ron?"

"What about Ron?" Harry asked with disdain in his voice. "What's he done now?"

"He hasn't done anything Harry. He was badly hurt in the attack at the platform. He's in St. Mungo's right now and they don't know if he'll even make it through the night. He pushed Ginny out of the way of a huge piece of the ceiling, and it ended up hitting him right on the head."

Harry looked at Hermione and saw a shocked look on her face. "Ron might die?" she asked timidly, trying to digest the information. "Harry, we have to go see him."

"Why?" Harry asked shortly. "Do you think he'd really want to see us while he's quite possibly on his death bed?"

Hermione looked at Harry with disbelief in her eyes. "Harry you can't mean that! I'm going to go talk to Madame Pomfrey and see if she'll let us go visit him tonight." With that she turned her back and walked away.

"What was that all about Harry?" Dean asked, surprised by Harry's behavior.

"Ron and I aren't on the best of terms right now. I'm sorry for acting the way I am, but a lot has happened over the summer and there's not really a friendship left between us anymore." Harry explained.

"Well Harry, even though I don't really know what's going on, I still think you should go see Ron. This may be the only time that you will get to say good-bye. How would you feel if he actually died tonight and you never talked to him?"

"I'd feel guilty" Harry said, instantly thinking of Sirius. "You're right Dean. Thanks for showing me what an ass I was being."

"No problem" said Dean with a small smile on his face. "Maybe I'll see you at St. Mungo's later. A bunch of us are going to visit him."

"Alright. Thanks again" said Harry while he watched Dean walk away. Hermione walked up and sat back down in her chair.

"Madame Pomfrey said that she will check me out soon, and then re-check you. If she thinks we'll be alright to floo to St. Mungo's then she'll release us to go see Ron and my parents. You are going, right?" she asked with an angry demeanor that told Harry that he had better go.

"Yes, I'm going. Dean made me realize that I have a chance with Ron that I didn't have with Sirius." he said while a single tear slid down his cheek.

Hermione reached out and wiped the tear away, then bent down and gave Harry a kiss. "I knew you'd do the right thing." Just then Madame Pomfrey came over to Harry's bed.

"Hermione, I have time to check you over now. Why don't we go over to the curtained bed over there?" Pomfrey said pointing to a bed at the far end of the room.

"Alright" said Hermione as she gave Harry's hand a squeeze. "I'll be right back" she said and turned to follow the nurse to the bed she had pointed out.

Harry watched Hermione leave and lay back onto his pillow. The events of the day finally caught up to him and he fell asleep. After what seemed like only a few minutes to Harry, he woke up to find Hermione back in her seat next to his bed. She looked like she was in a trance; her eyes were wide open and her face was very pale.

"Hermione? What's wrong? Is it your Mum? Ron?" he asked hurriedly, getting more concerned as Hermione looked at him with a frightened look in her eyes.

"Harry, Madame Pomfrey examined me, she healed my arm..." Hermione trailed off, not seeming able to complete the sentence.

"Hermione?" Harry said, really concerned at her behavior "What is it? What's wrong? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Harry" she said looking him in the eyes while tears ran down her face "I'm pregnant!"

10. Dealing With The Unknown

Thank you for all the great reviews!! And if you're reading this, I guess you decided to stick with my story and for that I thank you too!! I knew some people would object to Hermione's pregnancy; I have this posted on another site and the reaction was the same. I hope you enjoy the chapter!! :)

"P-P-Pre-Pregnant?!" stuttered Harry, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Shhh...Yes, that's what I said. Madame Pomfrey was examining me and said there was something unusual with my system. She checked me out and I'm about four weeks along." Hermione said while trying to keep herself together.

Harry looked at her face, and he could see how scared she was. He sat up the best he could and pulled her into a hug. He sat holding her while she sobbed and clung to him. "Hermione, I'm not going to tell you that I'm ok with this, but I swear that I will be here for you. I'm not going anywhere, and no matter what you decide to do, I'll be behind you one hundred percent."

She gave him a small smile through her tears and said "thanks Harry. That makes me feel a little better. I was so afraid you would go running scared when I told you. I am keeping it, that I know. How about we talk about this more after we see my parents and Ron? There's so much to take care of right now that this can wait a little while. We just have to decide what we're going to do before June."

"June? Is that when the baby is due?" Harry asked.

"Yes, just before the end of school. Anyway, we'll discuss it later" Hermione said as Madame Pomfrey walked up and started re-examining Harry's back. The nurse looked from Hermione to Harry and said "I take it Miss Granger has told you the news?"

"Yes, she has" replied Harry.

"Well, once all the craziness from this attack has calmed down, why don't the two of you come see me and we can discuss some things that are going to be happening during the next nine months. There's a lot you're going to have to learn" she said in a friendly manner. "I guess you will be ok to visit Mr. Weasley and Miss Grangers parents Mr. Potter. I'm going to give you a potion that will take care of any pain you may experience. If it gets any worse, try to have one of the medi-wizards there re-check you to make sure it's not getting any worse, ok?

"Alright" Harry agreed drinking the potion the nurse had handed to him, and tried to get out of bed. He couldn't believe how much his back hurt. After he was standing, he grabbed Hermione's hand and walked over towards the fireplace that was in the ward. He grabbed a hand full of floo powder and got in, throwing it down and yelled "St. Mungo's Hospital!" He found himself spinning quickly and then stumbling out into the waiting room of the Hospital. He righted himself and turned around in time to steady Hermione as she came stumbling out after him. Once they had brushed themselves off, they walked over to the witch at the information desk.

"Can I help you?" she asked, not even looking up from the copy of Witch Weekly she was reading.

"We're here to see my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Granger. They were brought in after the attack on Platform 9 3/4. Could you please tell us what room they are in?" Hermione asked.

"If you'll have a seat in the waiting room, a nurse will be out to help you shortly." said the witch, still reading.

"Look" said Harry impatiently "we need to see them right away. We were told that her Mum was in pretty bad shape." When she still didn't look at them, Harry slammed his hands down on the counter and said "Would you look at us please?!"

Surprised, the witch behind the counter looked up, and when she saw THE Harry Potter standing there she snapped into action. "I'm so sorry Mr. Potter, I had no idea it was you. Let me get you that room number."

"It shouldn't matter who I am" said Harry angrily. "We also need the room number for Ronald Weasley."

"Right, I'm sorry, Mrs. Granger is on the sixth floor in room 613. That's the muggle ward." said the nurse with a star-struck look on her face. "Mr. Weasley is on the fifth floor in room 507. It was so nice to meet you Mr. Potter."

"Wish I could say the same" mumbled Harry as they rounded the corner to the lifts.

They went up to check on Hermione's parents first. As they entered the room, they saw Robert Granger sitting in a chair next to her Mum's bed holding her left hand. Jane Granger's face was pale but she looked like she was resting comfortably. Her Dad had a bandage wrapped around his forehead, but other than that he looked unharmed.

"Daddy?" Hermione asked in an almost child-like voice. "Are you ok?" she asked as she walked quickly over to him and threw her arms around him. She sat hugging him and crying while she asked "what happened to you and Mum?"

"I'm not really sure exactly what happened, all I know is that I was hit in the head with a piece of the ceiling. Your Mum had been pushed to the ground when everyone started trying to run for safety. Another big piece of the ceiling fell onto her chest and broke some of her ribs. One of them punctured her lung and she was having trouble breathing. It was touch and go for a while, one wrong move and one of her broken ribs could have punctured her heart and killed her. What about you, are you ok baby?" he asked, suddenly pulling back from her and looking her over.

"I had a broken arm, but Madame Pomfrey has already healed it. Harry pushed me out of the way and saved me." she answered, gesturing over to where Harry was leaning up against a wall.

"Thank-you Harry for saving my daughter" Mr. Granger said as he walked over to Harry and shook his hand.

"I would do anything for Hermione Mr. Granger" said Harry as he looked over to Hermione and gave her a smile.

Mr. Granger looked from his daughter to Harry with a thoughtful look on his face, but he didn't say anything. He just walked back over to his chair and sat back down. Harry slowly walked over to where Hermione was standing and took her hand in his. Mr. Granger watched as Harry walked over, and noticed how slowly he was moving.

"Are you alright Harry?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"I'm fine. I had tackled Hermione to the ground and shielded her with my body. Unfortunately, some of the rubble landed on my back and bruised it pretty badly." Harry answered as Hermione squeezed his hand lightly. "Madame Pomfrey fixed me up as best she could, gave me something for pain and said we could come see how you were doing. We also need to see Ron, they're not sure he will survive the night."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. Hopefully a miracle will happen and he will pull through." Just as Mr. Granger said this, his wife started moving and moaning in pain.

"Mum?" Hermione asked quickly walking over to the side of the bed. "Are you ok?"

"Hermione?" her Mum said quietly. "My chest really hurts. Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

"No Mum, I'm alright, don't worry. Just rest and get better. I'll go see if I can find someone to give you something for the pain." said Hermione as she headed for the door.

"I'll come with you" said Harry walking out with her. Just as he closed the door behind him, Hermione turned and wrapped her arms around Harry. " 'Mione are you ok?" he asked hugging her as he felt her body shaking. She turned her face up to his and his heart broke. She looked so lost and so tired that he wanted to do anything to make her feel better.

"I-It's just all so overwhelming" she cried, holding on to him tightly. "This has been the worst day ever, and on top of everything I find out I'm..." she trailed off not even able to say the word.

"Why don't you go back in with your parents. I'll go find a healer to check on your Mum and then I'll go down and check on Ron, ok? If he's really bad, I'll come and get you straight away" Harry said while rubbing her back with one hand and holding her tightly with the other.

"Ok, that's sounds like a good plan. Thank-you so much for being here with me, I can't tell you how much it means to me to have you here for support." she said smiling at him. "I love you" she whispered as she brushed her lips over his.

"I meant what I told your Dad" Harry said quietly so only she could hear "I would do anything for you Hermione, I love you too."

Hermione let go of him and started towards the door to her Mother's room while he turned and started walking slowly down the hallway to find a healer. She stopped and watched him walk away. He sensed her stare, turned and flashed her a lopsided smile that made her melt. 'What would I do without him?' she thought as she walked into the room. 'I hope I never have to find out.'

Harry found a healer and explained Mrs. Granger's condition. The healer thanked Harry for alerting him and went to attend to her. Harry then took the lift down to the fifth floor to go see Ron. He really didn't know what to expect when he got there. He wasn't sure that the Weasley's would welcome him with open arms. They all knew what had gone on between the trio this summer, so he was sure they blamed him for all the trouble. He got off the lift and went toward Ron's room. Sitting outside on one of the benches were Ginny and Mr. Weasley along with Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. Ginny looked up and glared at him as he walked towards Mr. Weasley.

"Mr. Weasley, I was just wondering how Ron is doing?" asked Harry timidly, not meeting his eyes.

"Not good, Harry, not good. He sustained some very serious injuries while saving Ginny. They are doing everything they can for him, but they don't know if it will be enough." He had a very grave look on his face while he spoke that made Harry worry more about Ron.

"What do you care Harry?" asked Ginny with venom in her voice. "Last I knew you weren't even friends with Ron anymore. You and Hermione seem to think you're too good for him!"

Harry's eyes narrowed to slits as he glared at her, balling his fists at his sides. "How dare you! I loved Ron like a brother, and he was so jealous of me he couldn't see straight anymore! I didn't start this fight with him; he's the one that abandoned our friendship. As for Hermione, she never did anything to him and all he's done is treat her like shit!" At this Ginny's eyes grew wide. "I came down here to see how he was doing. After Hermione has spent some time with her parents on the next floor up, she wants to come down here and see him too. If we didn't still care about him, we wouldn't even bother with seeing if he was dead or alive!"

Harry stood there breathing heavily trying to calm himself back down. He could feel the flame inside of him spark to life and his back had really started to hurt as his body had tensed up. He guardedly looked at Mr. Weasley and asked "would it be ok if we came down in a couple of hours? We would both like to go in and sit with him for a while."

"Sure Harry" Mr. Weasley said while getting up and walking over to him, looking him square in the eyes "You won't upset him, right? That's the last thing he needs right now. He's in and out of consciousness, so you may not even get to talk to him at all."

"I promise we won't upset him. I want to make things right between us, if he'll let me. I miss my best mate." Harry said while trying to keep his voice even and not show how upset he was.

"Alright, come by in two hours and we'll make sure the two of you can be in there by yourselves." said Mr. Weasley.

"Thanks." Harry said, then turned towards Dumbledore and asked "Sir, have you seen Remus?"

"He was still at Platform 9 3/4 helping with the investigation last I knew" replied Dumbledore.

"If you see him, would you please ask him to come see me? I'll be with Hermione and her parents on the sixth floor, room 613."

"Sure Harry. He should be checking in with me soon, so I'll send him up when he gets here." Dumbledore said with a reassuring smile.

"Thank-you Sir" said Harry as he turned and started making his way back to Hermione.

Harry had been in the room with Hermione and her parents for about an hour when someone knocked on the door. Harry opened it and saw Remus standing there. He had never been so happy to see anyone before in all his life. Harry excused himself and closed the door while he and Remus crossed the hall and sat on one of the benches there.

"Dumbledore said you were looking for me?" Remus asked. "Are you alright Harry?"

"No, not really. I mean, physically I'll be okay in a few days. I had a broken leg which Pomfrey healed and I've got a severely bruised back. But that's not why I wanted to talk to you." Harry sat back and looked at Remus with a very sad expression on his face. "I could always talk to Sirius about anything, and I'd like to think that I can tell you anything too."

"Of course Harry, I told you if you ever needed someone to talk to I'd be there for you." When he saw a look of worry pass over Harry's face, he asked "What is it? What's wrong?"

"What I'm going to tell you has to stay between you and me" Harry said, and seeing Remus nod his head in agreement went on. "Hermione got hurt today in the attack. Nothing serious, just a broken arm. When Madame Pomfrey examined her, she..."

"She what? Harry, is Hermione ok?" Remus asked, starting to get worried.

"Yes and no. Remus, Hermione is pregnant and the baby is mine" Harry said while watching him for his reaction.

Lupin sat there stunned for a minute, then seemed to snap out of it as he turned to Harry and asked "What? When did you two...?"

"Well...it, uh, it happened about four weeks ago. When Hermione first got to the house, she had told you she found me asleep when she got there? I wasn't asleep, we had talked things through and it just happened" Harry tried to explain. "We were stupid; neither of us even thought about using any protection, we just kind of got caught up in the moment."

Remus sat there looking at Harry with a thoughtful look on his face. "Harry, what are you going to do? You're only starting your sixth year; you basically have two years of schooling left."

"I know, Hermione and I haven't really had a chance to discuss much of anything yet. We only found out about three hours ago. She knows she wants to keep the baby, and I told her I would stand by her no matter what." Harry looked Remus in the eyes and said "I love her Remus; at least I'm pretty sure I do. I've never really had anyone love me; I've never loved anyone before. It's a foreign emotion to me, but I know that I've never felt this way about anyone before. I would die for her if I had to."

"Do you think you could spend the rest of your life with her?" Lupin asked him "Because if you love her as much as you say you do, then you need to do right by her. When is her birthday?"

"It's September 19th" Harry asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"She will turn sixteen right?" at Harry's nod, he continued "Then you need to marry her after her birthday when she will be of legal age in the wizarding world. Make it legal and bring your baby into a legal family. I know it's going to be hard, but I will be there every step of the way to help the both of you. We can both go talk to Dumbledore tomorrow and tell him everything that's going on. I'm sure he will help as much as possible also."

Harry couldn't believe that Remus was so calm about everything. He was still scared shitless, but he had some hope for the future now. Remus was right; he should marry Hermione and give his baby a loving home and family. Dumbledore had told him during one of their training sessions that he had inherited Grimmauld Place from Sirius; he could fix that up and they could live there together in the summer. Hermione's parents could move in if they wanted too; it was big enough for all of them. He had also inherited half of the Black family fortune, which was more than enough for them to live off of for quite a while when combined with the money Harry already had from his parents. 'This really could work' thought Harry as he smiled at Remus and said "thanks for helping me see things more clearly. We have a long way to go, but I think we can work things out."

Remus looked at him with a very serious look on his face and said "I'm not saying that I'm not disappointed with you Harry; what you and Hermione did was wrong. Obviously you weren't ready to take things that far if you didn't even use a protection spell. But I was also a teenager once, and I remember those raging hormones. I promised Sirius I would look after you if anything ever happened to him, and I will do anything I can to help you." Remus got up from the bench and asked "So we'll talk to Dumbledore tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll probably stay here with Hermione tonight. She wants to spend time with her parents and we are going to see Ron later. Not sure how that's going to go" Harry said with apprehension in his voice. "What about school? They're not going to start classes in the morning as planned, are they?"

"No, Dumbledore has pushed back everything two weeks. There were a lot of students injured today; unfortunately about twenty died." Remus said sadly.

"I never even stopped to think about the rest of the students with everything that has gone on today. I'll have to find out who they were." Harry was afraid to see how many of his friends were lost that day.

"I only glanced at the list quickly; I was so worried about you and Ron that I left as quickly as I could to come here. So I'll come by here tomorrow, and then we'll floo to Dumbledore's office to discuss everything, ok?" At Harry's nod, he asked "how about eleven in the morning?"

"That's fine. Thanks again for all your help Remus" Harry said while giving him a manly hug. Harry watched as Lupin turned and walked down the hallway before going back into the room with Hermione and her parents.

11. Confessions

***I just wanted to say thank you for all the great reviews! I'm glad so many of you have stuck with my story and are enjoying it!***

Another hour went by after Lupin had left, and Harry and Hermione decided it was time for them to go visit Ron. They told her parents they would be back in a while and headed to the lifts. Harry held Hermione's hand as they approached his room. The hallway was empty, so they looked through the window in the door and saw that only Mrs. Weasley was in the room with him. They quietly walked in and walked up next to her.

"Mrs. Weasley" Harry said quietly, getting her attention "I had talked to Mr. Weasley about visiting with Ron for a while. Would it be all right with you if we sat with him for a while?"

Mrs. Weasley looked at them for a moment, and then said "If you upset him in any way, so help me, you will answer to me."

They were surprised at the anger in her voice, then realized they really weren't her two most favorite people right now. "Mrs. Weasley, I swear to you that we will not upset him." Hermione said quietly "We are both concerned about him and we both miss our friend."

Mrs. Weasley nodded and headed out the door. Harry got another chair that was across the room and brought it over next to the one Ron's Mum had sat on. Hermione held Ron's hand in hers, and then held Harry's hand in her other hand. They sat there quietly for a while watching him while he slept. He started to stir and opened his eyes. He looked towards them, closed his eyes, and then looked at them again.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a gravelly voice.

"We wanted to see how you were doing Ron; we were told you were badly injured in the attack" said Hermione while still holding his hand.

Ron looked down at their conjoined hands and then up to their faces. "Why would you care if I was hurt or not? Harry broke my nose this morning; now I'm supposed to believe he's worried about me?"

Hermione looked over at Harry and she could see his jaw muscles from clenching his teeth together. She knew he was trying very hard to keep his temper under control. "Ron, a lot has been said this summer between the three of us that has been very hurtful. Harry and I aren't the only ones to blame for everything that's been said and done. There are a lot of things that you don't know; we've been going through a lot."

"And I haven't?" Ron asked quietly as his face started turning pink.

"You know what Hermione, we should just go. I promised Mr. Weasley that we wouldn't upset him, and he's obviously getting angry with us. We need to go and let him rest." Harry said looking directly at Hermione, then looking directly at Ron. "You have been my best mate since I was eleven years old. Some of the things I've said to you have been harsh, but some of it was also truthful. I miss my mate, and there have been times lately when I wish I had you around to talk to. Hermione and I came here to make amends, but if you can't find it in your heart to forgive us the way we have forgiven you then we'll leave you alone and not bother you again. I hope you get well soon Ron."

Harry got up from his chair and started walking towards the door. He stopped as he opened it and looked back at Hermione. She got up also and looked at Ron. "I hope you recover quickly Ron" she said and then bent down to kiss his cheek. She turned away and walked to the door where Harry was without looking back. They both let the door close behind them before looking at one another. Harry wrapped Hermione in his arms when he saw she was crying. Once she had calmed down, they both silently made their way back up to Hermione's parents' room.

Once they got up to the room, Harry put his hand on Hermione's arm to stop her from going in. "Can we sit out here for a little while and talk?"

"Sure" she said as she made her way to one of the benches against the wall.

Harry sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her while she laid her head on his shoulder. "Are you doing ok?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm exhausted. I know it's only been one day, but it feels like a week has gone by." she replied.

"I wanted to let you know that I told Remus everything that is going on with us. I really needed to talk to someone about it, and he's been a great listener lately. I hope you don't mind." Harry said while rubbing her arm lightly.

"I don't mind Harry. I would love to talk to my Mum about everything, but obviously she's in no condition for any kind of shock right now. I'm definitely not talking to my Dad until I've told her first. He's very protective of me and I'm afraid of what his reaction will be."

"Have you thought anymore about what you want to do?" At seeing her shake her head no, he continued "I have and I think I have an idea that would work for the both of us."

Harry got off the bench and knelt down on the floor in front of Hermione. "I know this is all going so fast, but I love you with all my heart. I want us to be a family; me, you and the baby. I want to give you both a loving home, as best as I can anyway. I just hope you remember that I'm only sixteen, and I've never known love. I want to love you and I want to love this baby the best I can." As he said this he put his hands on her still flat stomach. "Hermione, will you marry me?"

Hermione looked down at him, and thought that her heart would burst. She felt sure that any other sixteen year old boy would have ran screaming at the news he was going to be a teenage father. But here was Harry offering her his heart; not only to her but to the baby too. She smiled a watery smile and put her hands on either side of his face. "Of course I will marry you Harry. I know we are young, but I want us to be a family too. I love you so much, and would love to be your wife."

Harry sat down next to her again and hugged her. They held each other for a long time, and then separated to share a kiss. "We'll have to wait until you turn sixteen" explained Harry "Remus said then you will be of legal age in the wizarding world. I was hoping we could move into Grimmauld Place next summer. Sirius left it to me in his will, along with half of his fortune so we will be financially ok for quite a while. And if they agree to it, I thought we could ask your parents to move in also. It would be nice to have someone around that has done this before." said Harry smiling.

"You really have thought this through, but what about school?" she asked with a worried look on her face.

"I don't know yet. Remus said he will come by tomorrow morning at eleven and take me to talk to Dumbledore about everything. Do you want to go with us?" he asked.

"I'm not sure if I should go or not. What about my parents, when are we going to tell them?" Hermione asked.

"Why don't we see how your Mum is doing in the morning? If she's doing better, if you want, we could tell them before I go to see Dumbledore. Then you can decide if you want to go with me?" Harry replied, trying to find a way to work things out.

"Alright. Why don't we go in and get some sleep? They were supposed to bring in three cots for us to sleep on; hopefully there already in there. Maybe things will be clearer in the morning if we can get some sleep." Hermione said while getting up and walking towards the door to her Mums room.

"Sleep sounds good." replied Harry, yawning. The cots were already set up in the room when they walked in. They quietly walked over to the two empty ones, and Harry gave Hermione a quick kiss goodnight. 'I hope everything looks much clearer in the morning' he thought, finally drifting off to sleep.

Harry and Hermione awoke the next morning to see a major thunderstorm was underway. They both hoped that it wasn't an omen for how their day was going to go. Shortly after they got up, Hermione's Mum woke up also. She looked over at Hermione and smiled, motioning her over towards her bed. Hermione walked over and sat on the edge of the bed next to her mother. Harry excused himself while he went to the bathroom to freshen up.

"So how are you feeling Mum?" Hermione asked as her Mum grabbed her hand and held it in hers.

"I'm doing better. Whatever they gave me last night must have worked because I'm hardly sore now. How about you? How is your arm?" her Mum asked.

"It's fine; I'm fine. Um, Mum" Hermione started, looking over at her Dad to make sure he was asleep "there's something I really need to tell you, but I don't want to upset you."

Her Mum looked at her with a concerned look on her face, then squeezed her hand in encouragement "you know you can tell me anything angel."

"I know Mum, I just don't want to disappoint you" Hermione said quietly so as not to disturb her Dad. She leaned down closer to her Mum's ear and whispered "Mum, I'm pregnant."

Her Mum sat frozen for a few moments, and then looked into her eyes. "Oh honey, please tell me you're joking." When she saw Hermione's eyes start to tear up, she hugged her and also started crying.

"What am I going to do Mum?" Hermione asked, quietly crying. "Harry and I have talked about it a little, but we're both so young and we don't know what to do!"

"It's Harry's then?" she asked, and when she saw Hermione nod, said "what does he think of all this?"

A small smile appeared on Hermione's face as she thought about what he had said the night before. "He said he's going to stand by me no matter what, and make sure the baby and I are well taken care of."

"What about Voldemort?" her Mother asked with a worried expression on her face. She watched as Hermione's face fell.

"I-We-I hadn't even thought about him. If he finds out about me, I'll be his main target. I don't think Harry's really thought about it yet either." Hermione said realizing there was a lot more for them to be worried about.

Just then, Harry walked into the room and saw the serious expressions on their faces. "Should I go wait out in the hallway?" he asked, moving back towards the door.

"No, Harry, I was just telling Mum our news." Hermione answered, waving him over to the bed.

"What news?" Hermione's Dad asked, awake all of a sudden.

Hermione and Harry's eyes grew large with fear. Hermione hadn't meant to tell her Dad yet, but how was she going to get out of telling him? She looked at Harry, and saw a resigned look on his face. He went to speak, but she shook her head no, telling him not to say anything.

"Hermione, I think he needs to know now instead of finding out in a few months." Harry said, while watching her Dad as he spoke. Hermione got up and walked over to where he was standing, grabbing and holding on to his hand tightly for encouragement. "Mr. Granger..."

"Daddy, I'm pregnant" Hermione blurted out to everyone's surprise. Her Dad just stared at her for a moment, and then turned on Harry. Harry watched in fear as his face turned different colors of purple. He wasn't even sure Hermione's Dad was breathing anymore.

"Did you do this?!" he shouted at Harry, advancing on him. "Did you get my little girl pregnant?"

"Y-Yes S-Sir" Harry stuttered, backing away from the VERY angry man in front of him.

"What do you have to say for yourself?!!" asked her Dad, seething.

"I'm sorry?" Harry said meekly, feeling very afraid of the man in front of him right now.

"It was consensual Daddy" Hermione said, trying to calm him down a little. "It wasn't planned; it's been a very emotional summer, and we got a little carried away one day."

"A little... Hermione, that's not like you. I've never known you to be irresponsible." her Dad said, obviously disappointed. He looked at Harry and said angrily "and what do you plan on doing about this?"

"I-I plan on marrying your daughter sir, and giving her and our baby a home." At the disbelieving look on Mr. Granger's face, he quickly explained "I love Hermione sir and plan to take good care of her. I have inherited my Godfather's house, and I have more then enough money to take care of the both of them."

Mr. Granger looked at his wife, who was now sitting up in her bed. She looked at him and gave him a small smile. "He's trying to be responsible Robert. Give them a chance to work things out. We can have a long discussion with them later on when we're not in a hospital room." She turned towards the two teenagers and asked "What are you going to do about school?"

"Remus Lupin is coming by this morning to take me to Dumbledore's office. I'm going to tell him everything that's going on and see what he has to say. Hopefully he will be able to help us with arrangements during the school year." Harry looked directly into the eyes of Hermione's father and said "Sir, if you'll give us your blessing, I'd like to marry your daughter the day after her birthday."

Robert Granger stood staring at the two kids in front of him, holding hands and looking very scared and unsure. This was definitely a shock, but he loved his daughter with all of his being. She was his only child, and he only wanted her to be happy and get the most out of life. If this boy made her happy, and he could prove he could take care of her then he would do his best to support their decision.

"I'll give you my blessing Harry, but under one condition: you have to prove to me that you can take care of her. I'd like to see the house where you'll live and I'd like to come with you when you talk to Dumbledore."

Harry looked at Hermione, surprised. She ran over to her Dad and threw her arms around him. "Thank-you for being so understanding Daddy." she said and kissed him on the cheek.

"Yeah, well, if he hurts you even a little bit I'll break him in two" he growled, then smiled as he saw the look on Harry's face.

About three hours later there was a knock on the door, and Remus stuck his head in the room. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Hermione; Harry are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm ready. Oh Remus, Mr. Granger will be going with us this morning." Harry said, trying not to laugh at the look on Lupin's face.

"You told him?" Remus asked, surprised.

"We told both her Mum and Dad this morning. We figure we can use all the help we can get" answered Harry, looking at Hermione.

"Ok, then we need to make our way down to the lobby so we can floo over to his office. Ready?" Lupin asked.

Harry shook his head yes and walked to where Hermione was standing. "Are you sure you don't want to go?" he asked.

"I'm going to stay here and spend some time with Mum. We have a lot to discuss" she said, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Good luck" she said smiling and motioning toward her Dad.

"Thanks, I think I'll need it" he said and gave her a hug, whispering "your Dad is a very scary man when he's mad". After everyone had said their good-byes, they headed down to the lobby and the fireplaces.

Remus had gone first and helped to stabilize Harry and Mr. Granger as they came out of the fireplace in Dumbledore's office. Albus Dumbledore was not one to be surprised, but when he saw the trio that came out of this fireplace he was caught off guard. 'What is it that these three would need to speak to me about?' he thought.

When Harry saw the Headmasters bewildered look, he knew that Madame Pomfrey hadn't said anything to him. He walked over to his desk and said "Hello Sir, has everything calmed down since yesterday?"

"A little bit Harry. We are still in the process of healing the students that were hurt and taking care of the families that lost loved ones. I heard that you needed to discuss something with me?" he asked while motioning for the three to sit in the chairs in front of his desk.

Harry nodded as he sat down and said "yes, Sir. There is something important that I need to tell you." He paused for a moment, and Remus put his hand on Harry's shoulder for support. "Um, well Sir, you see..." he stopped, looked at Remus and said "I've had to say this once already and it still isn't any easier." He looked over at Mr. Granger, who wasn't looking all that happy and looked back at Dumbledore. "Well, you see Sir, Hermione and I are going to be parents."

Dumbledore sat there looking at Harry in astonishment. He really had no idea what to say at that moment. "What? How...No, I know how, never mind. What I mean is...I don't know what I mean Harry. You've completely flabbergasted me with this news."

Harry couldn't help it; he sat there chuckling at the headmaster's reaction. He knew it wasn't funny, but he'd never seen the great and powerful Albus Dumbledore at a loss for words before. When he looked at Remus and saw the scolding look on his face, he quit laughing. "Sir, trust me when I say that I know how you feel. We only learned of this development yesterday after the attack."

Dumbledore looked at Harry and said "I take it Madame Pomfrey discovered Miss Granger's condition when she examined her?" At Harry's nod, he asked "when is the baby due?"

"We don't have a date as of yet, we only know it will be sometime in June" Harry replied. "That's why we're all here today Sir; I came to see if you could help us out while we're in school. We plan on getting married the day after Hermione's sixteenth birthday which is the nineteenth of this month. I was wondering if there are any married quarters here at Hogwarts?"

"Actually Harry, there isn't, but I'll see what I can do. Obviously you two made a mistake, but I'm glad to see that you are being responsible and taking care of Miss Granger. If you would like I think we can arrange for the two of you to be married here at Hogwarts." Dumbledore offered.

"That would be great, but I'll need to ask Hermione first. I know its short notice, but I'd like to try to give her the wedding of her dreams. Hopefully, it will be the only one for both of us." Harry said.

"It had better be" mumbled Mr. Granger. Harry looked at him in fear while Remus and Dumbledore snickered.

"Sounds like we have a plan; I take it Remus told you that school has been postponed for two weeks?" At Harry's nod, Dumbledore said "That means the wedding will be the Saturday after classes resume. Do you think the two of you will be able to handle classes and preparations?"

"Yes Sir, I'm hoping that Remus will help me out?" he said questioningly looking at Remus.

"I would love to help you Harry. Luckily, the full moon is the week after, so I will do anything I can to help." Remus replied.

"Professor Dumbledore" Mr. Granger said, getting their attention "would it be possible for my wife and I to somehow stay in the castle and help out also?"

"Absolutely" Dumbledore replied. "As long as I invite you into the castle, it will let you in. We have guest quarters that you can stay in and as soon as your wife is discharged from St. Mungo's you can move in if you like."

Dumbledore turned to Harry and said "as for when the baby comes, we will deal with that later. We will get this wedding planned first. Harry, would you mind if I performed the ceremony?"

"No, Sir, I would be honored. I'm hoping we can keep it quiet until the day of the ceremony. We can ask the people we want standing up with us that morning so that information won't be leaked to Voldemort. I was thinking we could set up for it before lunch and any of the students that wanted to attend could? Lunch could be our reception?" Harry asked, looking at Dumbledore to see if he approved.

"That sounds fine Harry. I can see you're taking this very seriously, and I'm proud of you. Thank-you for trusting me with this information." Dumbledore said, then asked "any idea who will be standing up with you?"

"Since Ron and I aren't really friends right now, I was going to ask Remus if he would" Harry asked while watching Remus for his reaction.

Remus was stunned and honored. "I will gladly stand up with you Harry. Something occurred to Remus at that moment, but he didn't know if he should mention it. "Um, Harry did you want to use your parents wedding rings? If you do, they are probably in your vault. Sirius had them in his vault and seeing as he transferred almost everything into yours..."

Harry sat in thoughtful silence for a few moments, and then said "No, I don't think it would be right for us to use them. I'd like to buy Hermione a ring of her very own; I'd like to save my parents set for our child when he or she gets married. Do you think that you and I could go to Hogsmeade one day soon and get the rings?"

"Sure Harry. We'll put it on our list of things to do. Are you going to let her come and pick her own ring?" Remus asked.

"No, I know her pretty well, and I kind of have an idea of what I'd like to get already." Harry said with a big smile on his face.

"Well, we've gotten quite a bit settled today. Congratulations Harry on both the engagement and the baby." Dumbledore said while walking around his desk and shaking Harry's hand.

"We need to get back and explain everything to Hermione and her Mum" said Harry while heading back to the fireplace. "Thanks again Sir for being so understanding and helping us."

"My pleasure" said Dumbledore while saying good-bye to Remus and shaking Mr. Granger's hand. Harry grabbed the floo powder and let Mr. Granger go first. Remus went next and he was last. As he came out of the fireplace he saw Remus and Mr. Granger frozen in place. Looking from them to across the room, he saw five Death Eaters standing there, wands drawn and waiting for him.

12. Healing and Revelations

**Thank you for all of the great reviews! I'm not very good at writing action scenes, but I did my best. I hope you enjoy it anyway!! :)

"Well, Well if it isn't the great Harry Potter" snarled one of the Death Eaters. Harry knew immediately that it was Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father. 'They must have broken him out of Azkaban' thought Harry as he assessed the situation. Remus and Mr. Granger were frozen in place; Harry had no idea how they had done that. He figured it was a Dark spell of some kind. As Lucius started to advance on him, Harry waved his right hand from left to right with his palm facing out and said "obvallo ignesco!" As he said this, a wall of flame surrounded the three of them, keeping the Death Eaters away.

"Stupefy!" yelled one of the Death Eaters. "Protego!" shouted Harry, putting his other hand in front of him. A shimmering wall of light surrounded them and the wall of fire, deflecting the curse back at the person it came from. The death eater fell to the ground, stunned. Harry held his hands where they were and maintained both walls, magical and fire.

"How is this possible?" yelled Lucius, angry that they couldn't get to Harry.

"Tell Tom he had better leave me alone!" Harry said while watching Lucius. Harry felt his energy draining, so he let down the magical shield to save what little energy he had left and said "Exstinguo!" which put out the flames. Harry saw Malfoy raise his wand, so he held his hand palm out towards Malfoy and yelled "inflammatio!" The chairs in front of the death eaters flared to life with red-orange flames, cutting the groups off from each other. Realizing that Harry had advanced and discovered some new form of magic, Lucius disapparated along with the other death eaters. Once they were gone Remus and Mr. Granger unfroze while Harry collapsed onto the floor, unconscious. Remus quickly put out the fire and ran to check on him.

"Let's get him to your wife's room" said Remus while picking him up and carrying him to the lifts. They got up to the sixth floor and quickly entered the room. Remus laid Harry on his cot and went to find a healer.

"What happened?" asked Hermione rushing to Harry's side.

"There were these men in black masks and capes waiting for us when we came through the fireplace. They froze Remus and me and tried to attack Harry." explained her Dad.

"What do you mean 'tried' to attack him?" asked Hermione confused.

"It was the strangest thing, I couldn't move but I was still aware of everything going on around me. Harry put up this wall of flames around us" he explained "he also put up some kind of shiny barrier around us when these jets of light were coming at us. When the men disappeared we unfroze and Harry collapsed, unconscious."

Hermione looked Harry over, smoothing the hair from his face and said "he must have exhausted himself with all that magic he performed. Harry has ability that no other wizard has Dad. You witnessed it just now, with the wall of fire."

"What do you mean honey?" Mrs. Granger asked.

"We discovered that Harry can perform fire magic. It runs in his blood line only. It goes back to the days of Prometheus and he inherited it. He discovered it when we were attacked in Flourish and Blotts a month ago; it's called fire magic. A death eater disguised as one of Mr. Weasley's sons tried to kidnap me. Harry somehow produced a fireball in his hand and when I tried to go to him to help I was accidentally hit with it. Anyway, he ended up basically incinerating the death eater. All that was left was a smoldering pile of ash. I think that Harry is more powerful than any of us know." She continued thoughtfully "Come to think of it, it is a good possibility that our child will possess this magical ability too."

"This magic stuff is sometimes too much for me to handle" said her Dad sitting down wearily.

Just then Remus came in with a healer in tow. The healer bent down and ran his wand over the length of Harry's body. When he was done, he looked at Remus and said "he's suffering from exhaustion. The best thing for him right now is to rest so that his body can restore his magical energy. We'll need to get him into a bed of his own."

"Um, Healer..." Hermione looked at him, asking a silent question.

"Davis, Healer Davis" he replied.

"Nice to meet you. Healer Davis, would it be possible to put a bed in here for Harry and let him share my mother's room?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"We don't normally allow that" he said, looking at all the disappointed faces around him. "However, I think we can make an exception for Mr. Potter and keep it quiet."

"Thank-you" said Hermione smiling up at him. She watched as he magically enlarged the room, conjured another bed next to her Mum's and levitated Harry onto it. With a wave of his wand, Harry's clothes were replaced by hospital pajamas.

"I'm going to have a nurse bring in a pepper-up potion for him to take when he wakes up. Will you make sure he takes it?" Healer Davis asked Hermione.

"Yes, I will make sure he takes it" she said while sitting on the edge of Harry's bed. "Thank-you for letting him stay in here with us" Hermione said. The Healer smiled at her in reply and walked out the door.

"I'm going to let Dumbledore know what transpired in the lobby" said Remus heading toward the door. "I'll be back in a little while" he said, exiting the room.

A short time after Remus left, Mr. Weasley knocked on the door of Mrs. Granger's room. Hermione let him in and introduced her parents. When Mr. Weasley saw Harry in bed, he asked "what in the world happened to Harry?"

"Remus, Harry and my Dad had a little run-in with Death Eaters in the lobby. He's ok; he just used so much magic that he exhausted himself." explained Hermione.

"They attacked, here?" he asked surprised. He stood in thoughtful silence for a while before he said "I'll get in contact with the Ministry and see if we can get some Aurors here to gaurd the room. Anyway, I guess I should explain why I'm here. Ron asked if I would come ask if you and Harry would come to his room. He wanted to speak to you."

"Well, obviously Harry can't go, but I can go talk to him. Did he want me to come now?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, he just woke up and he's feeling a little better now." said Mr. Weasley.

"Ok, I'll be right there" she said while turning to her parents. "I'll be back in a little while."

Hermione knocked lightly on the door, and when she heard Ron's voice telling her to come in, she walked in and said "Hi Ron. Your Dad said you wanted to talk to Harry and me?"

"Yeah. I take it Harry didn't want to come with you?" he asked looking behind her.

"He's in no condition to do anything right now. He had a run-in with some Death Eaters a little while ago and he's unconscious." she explained.

"I'm sure he'll be fine" Ron said feigning indifference; but she could see the concern in his eyes.

"Yeah, he'll be good as new tomorrow. So what did you want Ron?" she asked bluntly.

"Well, after you and Harry left yesterday I sat thinking for a while. I agree with Harry, we've said and done some hurtful things but I don't want to lose my two best friends. I know I've acted like an ass, but sometimes I get blinded with...jealousy when it comes to Harry. Seeing you and Harry holding hands yesterday, I realized it didn't bother me like I thought it would. I think I confused my feelings for you as being romantic; I realized I think of you more like I think of Ginny. Do you think we could be friends again?" Ron asked not looking at her.

"Ron, I would love for the three of us to be friends again. But there are things you need to know." She walked up to the chair next to his bed and sat down. Grabbing his hand and looking in his eyes, she said "Can I trust you with a very important secret Ron?" He stared at her for a minute, then nodded his head yes. "There's something you need to know before you decide you want to be friends with us again." She looked down at their interlocked hands for a moment, and when Ron squeezed her hand she looked up at him again. He was looking at her with a small smile on his face.

"After everything we've been through, I know that you've always gone to Harry" he said seriously "but I've realized that it's time I grow up. You and Harry have been great friends and it's time that I learn to be a great friend to the two of you." As he spoke, he noticed tears appear in Hermione's eyes. "Bloody hell, Hermione, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"It's okay Ron. That's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me." She wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to reign in her emotions. "Ron, do you remember when Harry said that a lot had gone on lately?" At his nod, she continued "Ron, Harry and I are together now." She waited a second to see what his reaction would be.

"I figured that out when you two came in here yesterday" he said, surprising her. "I know that most of the time I'm dense, but even I could see that."

"Ok, well then there's more I need to tell you" she said, getting a little nervous. "Ron, I...We...I..." She saw a puzzled look on Ron's face, so she pulled herself together and said "When I woke up after I was hurt in Diagon Alley, Harry basically ran to Grimmauld Place and left me there. I was so hurt when I realized what he did. But we both know how he is; he always thinks that we get hurt because of him. After fighting with you and finding out how you felt about me, I was uncomfortable around you. So I decided to go to him and try to get him to understand that what happened wasn't his fault. Something happened during the attack that scared us both; we were pretty emotionally vulnerable at the time, and we admitted our feelings to each other. Well, things kind of went too far and we slept together."

Ron sat looking at her with a stunned look on his face. His mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. Finally he shook himself a little and said "WHAT!?"

"Calm down. I don't want you to get upset and make your injuries worse. Harry and I are as shocked as you are. Trust me when I say this was definitely not planned. With all the fighting, attacks and me getting hurt it's been a really emotional couple of months. We kind of got swept away in the midst of things and went too far. But there's more than just that. Ron, I found out I'm pregnant" she said, hoping he wouldn't explode.

Ron sat studying her face for a few moments, looked at her and said with sincerity "what are you going to do?"

"Well, we've discussed a few things and Harry asked me to marry him, and I said yes. We're so young, and I don't know about him but I am scared to death. Anyway, we're getting married after my birthday." After she said this, she remembered that this was supposed to be kept secret. "Ron, I know that we've not been close lately, but please don't mention this to anybody. We are trying to keep it a secret until the day of the ceremony. I would like to enjoy an attack free wedding." she said, trying to stress the importance of secrecy.

"I understand Hermione, and I swear to you that I will not say a word to anyone, not even Mum and Dad." He squeezed her hand and asked "are you happy?"

She smiled at him and said "deep down I think I am. I'm not saying I totally accept everything yet, but I love Harry. I want him to be happy too. I know you think he's lucky because he has money and fame, but he's had a truly horrible upbringing. He deserves to enjoy life a little." She looked at him and asked quietly "so do you think we can work through things and be friends again?"

"Yeah, it will take a little while to get used to the idea of you and Harry together, but I'll try my hardest. Do you think you can convince Harry to talk to me?" Ron asked.

"I think so, but since the attack happened I think they might move us out of here tomorrow. He might not get to see you until we're back at Hogwarts."

"I understand." He looked at her with an impish grin and asked "so do you forgive me for being such a prat?" he asked smiling.

"I forgive you. Let's try to put this behind us because the next nine or ten months are going to be very hard to get through." She saw him nodding and said "well, I need to get back and check on Harry. You take care of yourself so you can get back to school." She laughed when he grimaced at the mention of school. She leaned down, hugged him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you soon Ron."

About an hour later, Remus walked back into her Mum's room. "There are Aurors stationed outside the door for the night so you should be safe. Dumbledore feels that if they will clear you to leave in the morning, we should all go to Hogwarts tomorrow.

"It would be better than being stuck in this hospital room" said Mr. Granger.

"It would be nice to get back to the castle. Harry is safer there, plus our stuff is already there." She made a disgusted face and said "I would love to be able to change my clothes since I've been wearing these for two days."

"We had a long talk with Dumbledore and if you approve of what we discussed then we can start planning your wedding tomorrow." said Remus and smiled as Hermione's face lit up at the news of her upcoming nuptials. Remus told her the details of their discussion and she agreed with their plans.

"Your Mum and I have permission to stay in the guest quarters at Hogwarts, so we'll be able to help with whatever you need" said Hermione's Dad.

Hermione had tears in her eyes as she listened to the details. Her life was not going the way she had planned, but obviously fate had something else in mind for her. "Thank-you all for being so supportive. I know we've disappointed you; trust me when I say I'm disappointed with myself. I let one moment of total abandon wreck my plans for my future. But a part of me isn't sorry this happened. We don't know how much longer Harry will live" when her parents looked at her questioningly she explained "there's a prophecy; basically it states Harry has to kill Voldemort or vice versa. So if I can give him just a little happiness then that's what I'm going to do. And if something does happen to him, Merlin forbid, then I will always have a reminder of him and what we shared."

Everyone stood there looking at Hermione with something akin to respect. Her father hugged her and said "I am a little disappointed this happened, but I'm not going to risk losing you. I'd rather be here for you and enjoy my grandchild."

Remus looked at her and said "I promise you that the Order and I plan to do everything we can to ensure Harry lives a long, full life. As for the rest, you have a strong support system behind the two of you. It will be hard, but you will have help getting through your last two years of schooling. Now, I think you should turn in and get some sleep. Tomorrow will be the start of a very hectic three weeks." With that, Remus waved good-bye and walked out the door.

The next day dawned sunny, and Harry awoke early. "Hermione?" he asked, trying to get his bearings. Hermione rolled over and looked up at Harry's bed, where she saw him looking back at her.

"You finally woke up, eh sleepyhead?" she asked while getting up to retrieve the pepper up potion. She walked over to his bed and held it out to him. "Drink this" she said, handing it to him.

"What is it?" he asked. At the stern look she gave him, he drank it quickly. "Ugh!" he said making a face.

"Good Morning!" said Healer Davis as he walked in the door. "How are you feeling Harry?"

"Better I guess" Harry replied "What happened to me anyway?"

"You used a lot of magical energy fighting off the Death Eaters" said Hermione holding his hand.

"You were suffering from exhaustion when Mr. Lupin brought me to you." explained the healer. "I'm going to do a quick examination of Mrs. Granger to see if we can release her today."

He went over to Hermione's Mum, who was still sleeping, and did the examination. "Everything looks fine. She will need to take it easy for the next week or so. As for you Harry" he said turning to face him "you look much better this morning. Did you take the potion I left for you?"

"I made sure he took it immediately after waking up" said Hermione smartly.

"Then you are all free to leave today" said Healer Davis as he shook hands with Harry and left.

After they had all woke up and got ready, Remus came into the room and took them down to the lobby. They flooed to Hogwarts and met with the Headmaster. He showed Hermione's parents where they would be staying, explaining how to get there from Gryffindor tower so Hermione could come and visit. After settling them into their room, Harry and Hermione made their way to their rooms so they could shower and change their clothes. When they were done cleaning up, they went down to the Great Hall to eat breakfast. When they walked into the Hall, they noticed how empty it was. There were only about thirty students per table; the rest they assumed were hurt in the attack or their parents had taken them home for the remaining two weeks.

Harry walked in and sat next to Neville Longbottom while Hermione sat next to Harry. "Hey Neville" said Harry "how are you doing?"

"Ok I guess. Things have been kind of gloomy around here since the attack. There's talk that some of the parents aren't going to let their children come back to school because of what happened." Neville replied, then looked nervously at him. "Um, Harry, I don't suppose you heard about Cho, did you?"

Harry and Hermione looked at him with questioning looks. "No, I haven't heard anything about her, why?"

"Well, she was killed in the attack" Neville said quietly "her funeral is in two days if you want to go."

Hermione grabbed his hand when she saw the look on his face. She knew he was upset to lose someone else he knew well. "Are you ok Harry?" she asked squeezing his hand lightly.

"Yeah, I'm just a little shocked is all. Who else was killed Neville?" Harry asked, dreading the answer.

"As far as I know, ten that were lost were first years. They had no idea what was happening or what to do. There were also three third year Gryffindors and then Cho. I'm not sure about the rest." Neville said with a grim look on his face.

"Thanks for letting me know" said Harry then turned his attention to his breakfast. He wasn't very hungry, but he knew after yesterday he needed to eat something. He looked over at Hermione and asked "Why aren't you eating anything?"

She leaned closer to him and whispered "I'm not feeling very well. I'm really nauseous."

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked, rubbing her back lightly.

"I think I'm going to go see Madam Pomfrey. Maybe she'll have some time to do a complete examination today." said Hermione getting up from her seat.

"I'll go with you" said Harry getting up also "I'm not really that hungry right now either."

They walked hand-in-hand into the hospital ward and found Madam Pomfrey in her office. There were still a few students in the ward, but not near as many as the last time they were here.

"Hello Harry, Hermione" said the nurse looking up from the parchment she was writing on. "What can I do for you?"

"I haven't been feeling the best this morning Madam Pomfrey" said Hermione. "I was wondering if you had time to give me a check up this morning?"

"Yes, I have a little free time. Why don't we get you on a bed and get started?" said the nurse, walking out of her office and motioning towards an empty bed.

While Hermione laid down, Madam Pomfrey put curtains around the bed and cast a silencing charm to insure privacy. Harry had stood outside the curtains until Madam Pomfrey poked her head out and asked if he would join them. When he walked over to the side of the bed, Hermione looked at him and asked "do you want to know the sex of the baby Harry?"

"Isn't it too soon to find out?" Harry asked.

"No, things aren't the same as they are in the muggle world. If I remember correctly, wizards can find out the sex of their baby at only four weeks gestation." Hermione replied.

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment and said "I'm not sure. Would you like to know?" he asked looking expectantly at Hermione.

"I think we should, if only so we can buy clothes and other things before he or she is born." Hermione replied.

"Then I think we should too" agreed Harry, reaching down to hold her hand while Madam Pomfrey waved her wand over Hermione's stomach in an intricate pattern. While they watched, a blue glow erupted around her stomach, then faded.

"Does that mean..." Hermione asked not finishing her question.

"It's a boy" said Madam Pomfrey, smiling at them. "Congratulations. I'm done with the examination, just remember to take that potion I gave you every morning for the morning sickness. It should help ease the symptoms, but it won't stop them completely. Also, you should know that I'm already picking up a fair amount of magical energy from your baby. When I did some of the tests during the examination, I noticed there was already the same magical energy that a one year old child would possess. We're going to have to keep a close eye on it, and it will affect your magic also. I will speak to your teachers and let them know what is going on" she said while walking back to her office. "Remember to come see me again in about four weeks unless you start experiencing any stomach pain or bleeding."

"Okay, thank-you Madam Pomfrey" said Hermione, smiling ear to ear. She turned to say something to Harry, but noticed a forlorn look on his face. "Harry, what's the matter?"

He looked at her and she was surprised at the lost look in his eyes. She stopped and hugged him, trying to encourage him to tell her what was wrong. He pulled back from her and said "how am I supposed to do this?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, getting worried about the way he was acting.

"How am I supposed to help raise a baby, a boy no less, when I have no idea what a real family is like in the first place? All I have to base life experience on is from the Dursley's and I swore no child of mine would ever grow up the way I did." He said, his voice rising with each word. "And what about Voldemort? What will you do if he kills me in the final battle?" He ranted on "I'm not going to fool myself into believing that I'm a shoo-in to win the fight with him. I have to face reality and realize I could die soon."

Hermione looked at him with a sad smile. She had a feeling this would come up sometime. "I've thought about what I would do if you were gone Harry, and I decided that I will deal with that if and when the time comes. I'm sure that Dumbledore and the Order will make sure you are well trained before the final battle. And as for raising our child, all you need to do is listen to your heart. You turned out to be a good person despite the family you were raised by. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know and I know that you have lots of love to give to our son."

"Our son" Harry said with disbelief in his voice. "This seems so unreal sometimes. I don't know what the fates were thinking, but I'm glad to have you in my life."

"Me too" said Hermione reaching up to give Harry a kiss.

Later that afternoon, Remus appeared in the Gryffindor common room to take Harry to Hogsmeade. They had decided to go ring shopping today, and they were trying to keep it a secret from Hermione. She wasn't making it very easy for them.

"What are you going into Hogsmeade for? If this has to do with the wedding, shouldn't I come?" she asked getting up off of the couch.

"No 'Mione, Remus and I have to...get fitted for our robes for the ceremony." Harry said trying to come up with a plausible excuse to get her to stay behind.

"Oh, alright then. I guess I can curl up with a book and relax for a while. It's been a hectic couple of days" she said walking over to give him a kiss goodbye. She wrapped her arms around his neck while he put his arms around her waist. He drew her close and lightly brushed his lips over hers, seeking entrance. When she opened to him, he lightly ran his tongue over her lips and then into her mouth. They took turns exploring and enjoying the other's taste when they heard Remus clear his throat loudly. Pulling apart quickly, they looked over at him and blushed. "Sorry Remus" said Harry "got a little carried away."

"Yeah, you two really need to work on that" he said while smiling at them. "We really need to get going Harry."

"Alright, I'll see you later Love" said Harry kissing Hermione on the cheek then walking out the portrait hole with Lupin.

As they walked around Hogsmeade going from jewelry shop to jewelry shop, Harry was slowly losing hope of finding the perfect ring. "Maybe I should have let her pick her own" said Harry, his frustration evident in his voice.

"There's one shop left that we haven't been to yet" said Remus "it's just up ahead. Why don't we look in there, and then if you can't find one we'll bring Hermione here tomorrow."

"Alright" Harry said as they reached the door to the last jewelry shop left that they hadn't been in. He walked in and started looking at all the rings in the cases along the walls. When he had looked through them all and had still not found what he wanted, he ran his hand through his hair and sighed loudly. While he did this, an elderly witch came out from the back and walked over to where he was.

"May I help you find something Sir?" she asked kindly.

"I hope so. I'm looking for an engagement ring for my fiancee, and I can't seem to find what I'm looking for" Harry explained.

"Ok, I think I can help you. You are looking for something one of a kind, right?" When he nodded, she went on "She is very special to you, and you want to find the perfect ring to symbolize your love?" At Harry's astonished look, she laughed and said "I have the perfect ring for you."

She walked behind the counter and brought out a small velvet box. When she opened it, there was just a small chunk of gold sitting inside. At Harry's bewildered expression, she said "I will hold this metal in my left hand and hold my right hand over your heart. I want you to close your eyes and tell me what your fiancee is like." She walked over to Harry with the gold in her left hand, and put her right hand on his chest over his heart. Harry closed his eyes, and after a moment of thought said "She's beautiful inside and out. She puts my problems before her problems, and always makes time for me if I need to talk. She's warm, kind, smart and the love of my life." He stopped when he felt the witch lift her hand off his chest. She opened her hand and Harry couldn't believe what he was seeing. There in the palm of her hand was a beautiful gold band with a one-carat heart shaped diamond. On one side of the diamond was a small heart shaped Ruby with the bottom point connected to the bigger stone. The other side was a small heart shaped Sapphire with the bottom point also connected to the diamond. It was exactly what Harry had been looking for.

"Is that what you wanted Harry?" Remus asked. When Harry nodded, he asked "what are the stones on the side of the diamond?"

"They're our birthstones" answered Harry. "When the baby is born I would like to add it's birthstone on to it too. That way it's a family ring also. I need to get a set of wedding bands too" he said turning back to the woman.

The witch nodded and produced a pair of thick gold bands. It was solid except for one row of five small diamonds in the front of each. "They're perfect. I'll take them too."

Harry followed the sales witch up to the counter to pay for the rings. She put the engagement ring in a beautiful maroon velvet box with a gold bow around it and the wedding set into a black velvet box.. Harry thanked her and hurried out of the shop.

"What's the rush Harry?" Remus asked.

"I want to give her the engagement ring as soon as I get back. After everything she's gone through the past couple of days, I want to give this to her to show her that I'm proud she's my fiancee." Harry explained while they walked back to the castle.

"That's a great idea Harry. She deserves all the happiness you can give her." said Remus, patting Harry's shoulder proudly as they walked through the front gate.

13. Problems Arise

Hermione went to her room and changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt right after Harry left. She had grabbed her favorite book and blanket and went downstairs. She curled up wrapped in her blanket on the couch in front of the fireplace. She felt really tired, so she laid her head on one of the armrests and quickly fell asleep. What felt like only a short time later, she felt someone shaking her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Harry kneeling in front of her looking at her with a concerned look on his face.

"Hermione, love, are you feeling ok?" he asked while tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. He looked so worried about her that she felt her heart swell with her love for him.

"I'm fine Harry. I just got really tired all of a sudden. Madam Pomfrey said that I might feel tired a lot and that it was normal." She put her hands on either side of his face and said "I love that you care about me so much."

"Of course I care for you, and I worry about you and the baby being ok. I don't think I could handle it if anything happened to either of you" he said, leaning down and placing a kiss on her forehead.

"So how did your fitting go with Remus?" she asked, sitting up.

"We really didn't go for a fitting today. I had something I needed to get, and I needed you to stay here." When he saw the slightly put-out look on her face, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the maroon box. "I went and got this for you."

He handed her the box, and watched as she carefully lifted the lid off. When she saw the ring nestled in the box, with light reflecting off of the three gems, her breath caught in her chest. "Harry, it's gorgeous!"

Harry took it out of the box and lifted her right hand up. He slid it on her ring finger and said "I know it's supposed to go on the left, but I think you should wear it on this hand until after the ceremony. Is that ok with you?" When she nodded, he said "You know the sapphire is your birthstone, and the ruby is mine. I'm hoping after the baby is born we can get his birthstone put on there too, on top of the diamond."

She sat staring at the ring on her finger, and her eyes welled up with tears. "You are so sweet Harry. I can't believe you went to all this trouble to get me a ring. I love it; it's perfect!" She hugged him as the tears fell down her cheeks in happiness.

"I got our wedding set too. Do you want to see it?" She nodded yes, and he opened the box to show her. She gasped when she saw the beautiful pair of rings. She couldn't help it; she started crying harder.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, looking at her tear stained faced, worried.

"Nothing is wrong" she blubbered. "How did I get so lucky to have someone as loving and thoughtful as you in my life?"

"I'm the lucky one, love" Harry said while caressing her cheek with his hand. "My life started when I met you on the train before first year. I would not be sitting here right now if not for you. You've saved me in more ways than one."

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. She put all the love she felt for him into the kiss, and he returned it equally. They spent the rest of the afternoon snogging on the couch and enjoying each others company.

Harry and Hermione went down to the Great Hall for dinner, and were just sitting down when Dumbledore stood up and raised his hands. "Can I have your attention please?" When he saw most of the students looking at him expectantly he said "I wanted to let you know that a memorial service for Cho Chang will be held here tomorrow afternoon at 2 P.M. Anyone that wishes to attend can. That is all" and he sat down to eat.

Hermione looked at Harry and asked "you're going to go, right?"

"Of course I am. Things may not have worked out between us, but she was a good person that didn't deserve to die so young. I'd like to pay my respects" he said looking down at his plate.

"I'll be there with you Harry" she said grabbing his hand tightly in reassurance.

At two the next afternoon, Hermione was sitting in the Great Hall with Harry and many other people for Cho's memorial service. Dumbledore spoke as did many of her friends, and when it was over they all retired to their common rooms. Harry walked in and flopped down on the couch and Hermione sat next to him. Neville had come in with them and sat in one of the chairs next to the couch.

"I can't believe that's it. A one hour service where friends and family say how much they are going to miss you, then they're supposed to go home and try to start healing themselves. She was alive for what, seventeen years, and that's all summed up in sixty minutes?" Harry had gotten up while he spoke and started pacing in front of the fire place.

"Do you expect them to dwell on the fact that she's gone and never coming home again?" Hermione asked, then realized what she had said. Harry looked at her, anger showing in his expression, then turned and ran upstairs to the boy's dormitory. "Why did I have to say that?" she said more to herself than to Neville.

"Don't worry Hermione, I'm sure he'll be ok in a little while." Neville said, awkwardly reaching over and patting her shoulder.

"Thanks Neville" she said smiling gratefully. 'I hope it's only a little while' she thought, still berating herself for reminding him of Sirius.

Later on that night, Hermione crept into the sixth year boy's room after lying in bed not able to sleep. Harry hadn't come down since their talk after Cho's memorial service. She was worried about him; she couldn't stand the thought that he might still be upset with her. She opened the door to his room as quietly as possible. She looked over to Harry's bed and saw that his curtains were drawn. She crept up to them and gently pried them open. Harry was sitting on his bed propped against the headboard. He noticed her peeking in and patted the bed next to him. She carefully climbed in next to him and closed the curtains. He grabbed his wand from under his pillow and muttered a silencing charm so they could talk without waking the other guys in the room.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked. "You should be sleeping right now; you need your rest."

Hermione looked at him and leaned in to place a kiss on his lips. She pulled away and ran her hand slowly through his hair. "I love you. You know that right?"

"I know. I'm not mad; what you said just reminded me of losing Sirius. I've just been sitting here thinking of the past and wondering what my future might be like" Harry said giving her a small smile and looking down at her stomach briefly. "So how come your up so late?"

"I got to thinking, and I realized that next year at this time our baby will be here. I'll be trying to take care of our son, take care of you and keep up on homework." She looked down and started picking at a string on the blanket while saying quietly "I guess I got scared."

Harry looked at her and realized how hard next year was going to be for them. 'If I'm here next year' he thought darkly. Shaking that horrible thought out of his head, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him. "I'm scared too 'Mione. There's so much going on right now; I can't imagine what it will be like with a baby to take care of." He kissed the top of her head and said "we'll make it as long as we stick together. I know I'm one to talk after walking away tonight, but I swear I'll help out the best I can." His heart lightened a little when she smiled up at him, and then a thought occurred to him. "You know, we're going to have to start thinking up some names for the little guy."

"We do have just a little bit of time to do that you know" she said laughing.

"I know; it's something fun to talk about instead of all the horrible stuff that goes on around us. I was actually thinking about this a little; what do you think of Harold?" he said trying to look serious.

"Um...Harold? Wherever did you get that name?" Hermione asked trying not to offend him if he was actually being serious.

"Well, I don't really want to name him Harry Potter Jr. and Harold is close to Harry" He looked at her and said "do you realize what he would go through having my name? I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy...well, maybe Draco. But he might enjoy the attention..."

"Anyway, back to the name, did you happen to come up with anymore?" When he shook his head no, she said "the next time I talk to Mum I'll see if she still has the baby name book she bought before she had me. Maybe we will find a name we both agree on."

They both laughed and Hermione kissed him, snuggling into his chest. He lay back against his pillow and wrapped his arms around her. "Will you stay with me tonight?" he asked. When she didn't say anything, he said "just to sleep? I don't feel like being without you right now."

A smile crept over Hermione's face. "Of course I will. You're a great teddy bear!" They both laughed at that and snuggled down under the covers.

" 'Night love" said Harry kissing her forehead.

"Goodnight Harry." They both closed their eyes, and in minutes were sleeping soundly in each others arms.

After the peaceful night they had spent together, the next day they met up with Remus and Hermione's parents to start the wedding preparations. Hermione had drawn out a list of what each person would do so that nothing would be forgotten (hopefully!) They were eating breakfast with each other in the Granger's room discussing the tasks for the day and Hermione was showing off the ring Harry had gave her the night before.

"I take it that the two colored stones are your birthstones?" her Mum asked. When Hermione nodded she exclaimed "It's gorgeous!! But it's on the wrong hand!"

"We know Mum, but Harry and I agreed that I should try to deflect some of the attention and questions this ring is going to cause as long as we can. On our wedding day, I will put it on the right hand. Trust me, I would love to shout to the world that I'm Harry Potters fiancee and let all of his groupies know he's off the market." She laughed at the look on Harry's face and said "but that just wouldn't be very smart right now with Voldemort lurking about."

Harry nudged Hermione in the side and whispered something to her. She smiled slyly and looked at the three adults in the room with them saying "you know, I went to see Madam Pomfrey a couple of days ago. I wasn't feeling well so she did a full exam on me. Everything seems to be fine so far, and we know the sex of the baby. Because of Cho's memorial yesterday I didn't get the chance to tell you.'

Mrs. Granger smiled over at her and said "that's great dear. I'm glad everything is ok...wait, did you say you know the sex of the baby?"

Hermione smiled when she saw them all take in the words her Mum had just said. "So, would you like to know what we're having?"

"YES!" they all said looking at her expectantly.

"Harry, do you want to tell them?" Hermione asked.

"I'd love to." He paused a moment to let the suspense build a little and said "we're having a boy!"

Hermione's mother jumped up and hugged her, then Harry. "Oh, a little boy! That's great!"

"You know, Robert is a great name for a boy" he said smiling while he shook Harry's hand.

"So is Remus" said Lupin smiling and shaking his hand also.

"Robert Remus Potter?" Hermione said while looking at Harry. They could each tell by the others look that they didn't like the name, but didn't want to offend the two male role models in their lives.

"It's better than Harold I guess" said Hermione trying to stifle her laughter when she saw the dirty look that Harry was giving her.

"We'll keep it in mind" said Harry politely.

After their breakfast, they all started in on their lists of tasks trying to get as much done as they could. It continued on like that every day until it was the day before classes were to begin. They had gotten a lot done in that time, but it seemed like there was so much more to do. The only good thing was that Remus and Hermione's parents could still get things done while they were in their classes. Harry and Hermione were in a corner of the common room quietly discussing who would be in their wedding party.

"I was thinking of asking Ginny" said Hermione, looking over a list of people "but I don't know if she will accept after what she said to you when you went to see Ron the first time."

"You said that you worked things out with Ron right?" he asked.

"Yeah, we left things on a good note, so hopefully she won't hold any grudges. I really don't know who else I want to ask. We agreed to have two people stand up with us right?" When Harry nodded yes, she asked "I know you asked Remus, but who else are you asking?"

Harry sat quietly for a moment. When he didn't answer, she looked up at him and was surprised at the sad look on his face. "Harry? What's the matter?" she asked concerned.

"After I found out Sirius was my Godfather, I just took it for granted that he'd always be around. I remember thinking about life after Hogwarts, getting married, and he was always right next to me at my wedding as my best man. And Ron, he's my best mate, or he used to be. If I didn't have you by my side, I...I really don't know what I would do. Ron's just like a brother to me; it's like a piece of me is missing. You two are my family and I miss talking to him and playing chess with him. It's the little things that I miss, you know?" Harry asked her, wondering if he was making any sense.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes "Harry, I'm sorry to have caused so much trouble between the two of you."

Harry looked at her wondering what she had meant by that. "What are you talking about Love?"

"I knew that Ron had some kind of feelings for me when we were at the Burrow, but I just ignored him and turned to you. I should have known he wouldn't just get angry with me, but with you too. I should have handled things better than I did. I cost you your friendship" she said as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

Harry looked at her in wonderment, and grabbed her hand while he asked "Hermione, love, how can you blame yourself? This is between Ron and I, you didn't do anything to cause our friendship to dissolve."

She sniffled a little and said "it's these darn hormones" trying to lighten the conversation a little.

Harry chuckled and squeezed her hand. "As long as I have you standing beside me, I don't need anyone else. I know that may sound corny, but it's the truth. Ron should be here tonight, and maybe he and I can talk things out. I would really like him to be a groomsmen. I can't imagine getting married without him by my side."

"Hey, maybe he can be a bridesmaid instead?" Hermione asked cheekily.

"That would be something to see" laughed Harry, glad that her mood had lightened a little. "So who else are you going to ask?"

"The only other person I can think of is Lavender. We're not the best of friends, but I talk to her more than some of the other girls in our year." Hermione took one last look at the list and said "I think we're actually done with the wedding party!"

"Good, cause it's time for lunch and I'm starved!" Harry said while noticing Hermione scrunch her nose up with a disgusted look on her face. "Please don't mention food right now" she said while adding "I'll just go watch you eat."

After lunch, the two of them went back up to the common room to curl up on the couch. He grabbed his copy of "Quidditch through the Ages" off of the table in front of the couch and got comfortable. Hermione just laid down with her head in Harry's lap. He looked down at her concerned as he ran his hand through her hair. "Still not feeling well?" he asked her noticing how pale she was.

"I'm just really tired all of a sudden and I've got a headache" she said while closing her eyes. Within what seemed like only a couple of minutes she had fallen asleep. Harry opened his book and started reading when Neville came over and sat in the chair next to him.

"Hiya Harry!" he said quietly, noticing Hermione sleeping. "I don't think I've ever seen Hermione nap before" he said with concern "is she sick?"

"You could say that" Harry replied "it's been a hectic couple of weeks for the two of us and she's worn out" Harry explained. "How about you Neville? How was your summer?"

"It was ok, I guess. I was with Gran most of the time. Oh, I got a new wand!" he said pulling it out to show Harry. "Gran wasn't too happy that I broke my Dad's wand, but after hearing everything that happened at the Ministry I think she was just glad I was ok."

Harry's face darkened at the mention of the Ministry. "Yeah, that was a real mess" he said, not looking at Neville.

"I'm sorry Harry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories" he said, getting up out of the chair. "I have some homework I need to finish up before tomorrow. I'll see you at the welcoming feast" he said leaving hurriedly.

Harry sat brooding quietly when he felt Hermione move suddenly. He looked down at her and noticed she was awake and paler than before. "Hermione, what's wrong?"

"I'm really not feeling very good" she said "my head feels ready to burst..."

Harry watched in fear as she fainted straight away. Scooping her up in his arms, he ran with her to the Hospital Ward. Slamming into the ward he yelled "Help! Madam Pomfrey! Where are you!?"

The nurse came bustling out of her office at the commotion and upon seeing Harry holding Hermione asked "Mr. Potter, what happened to her?"

"I don't know!" he said, his voice full of despair. "She fell asleep after complaining of having a headache and just not feeling well. She didn't eat anything at lunch either. She kind of jolted awake from her nap, really pale and said her head felt like it was going to burst. Then she just fainted!"

"Oh my, well, put her in that bed there" she said pointing one out. Harry went over and laid her down as gently as he could. He grabbed Hermione's hand in his, hoping to Merlin she would be ok. Madam Pomfrey was slowly moving her wand over Hermione's body, muttering to herself.

"Well?!" asked Harry impatiently. "Is she ok? Is the baby ok?" He had never been so scared and worried in his life.

"They're both ok for now, but I really don't like what I see. The baby's magical energy has increased significantly just since I saw her two days ago. Since she's a muggleborn, her body isn't adapting well to the surge of magic coming from the baby. It's kind of like a magical overload, and that's what caused her headache. I'm hoping her body will adapt to the excess magic, because if we can't get it under control..." the nurse trailed off looking sadly at Harry.

"What? What will happen if it's not controlled?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"It could kill her, or both of them actually. There my be something to help her, but I'm going to have to watch her for a few days before I consider it." explained the nurse.

Harry had paled as he listened to Madam Pomfrey; he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Is this normal? I mean, when other witches get pregnant, does this happen to them too?"

"Well, no, not usually. Harry, you are a very powerful wizard, and Hermione is a very powerful witch even though she's muggleborn. I'd dare say that this child has a chance of being more powerful than even Dumbledore if his magic keeps developing the way it is." The nurse stood looking at him thoughtfully. "If her condition worsens in the next couple of days, I'm going to have to give her a weak binding potion. Her magic will decrease for a short time, but it may save them both. I've only had to do it one time before, but it seemed to work pretty well."

He sat there staring at Hermione, who looked like she was just sleeping peacefully. "So last time you tried a binding potion, it saved both the mother and child?"

"Well, yes, you are standing here aren't you?" she asked with a small smile on her face.

Harry looked up at her in surprise. "My mother had the same problem Hermione is having?"

"Yes, you were such a magical baby, even in the womb. Your poor mother had such a time carrying you! I always went to their house to give her check-ups since they were in hiding and couldn't go to St. Mungo's. Her body reacted much the same as Ms. Granger's has. I always wondered if the same would happen if and when you had a child. I guess it runs in your genes." she explained.

"In my genes?" Harry said to himself, while remembering what Lupin had told him. "Madam Pomfrey, there's also something else that might have caused this." When she looked at him questioningly, he said "there's an ancient form of magic that runs in my family; fire magic. My Dad didn't know he possessed it, and I just found out recently that I had inherited it." He went on to explain to her what Lupin had told him, and when he finished, he said "so not only does my son possess regular wizarding magic, but he more than likely has inherited my fire magic abilities also."

Madam Pomfrey just stood there staring at him for a moment, then said "it would have helped me greatly knowing all of that when your Mum was carrying you. I almost lost the two of you and I had tried the binding potion as a last resort. Thank Merlin it worked because you wouldn't be standing here otherwise. I'll go see if there is anything else I may be able to use to get her better. Since I know a little more about your lineage, there may be more possibilities" she said and turned to go to her office.

Harry sat on the edge of the bed next to Hermione. He held her hand in his, while using his other hand to lightly brush the hair off of her face. "I'm so sorry you're going through all of this because of me" he said to her quietly. "I love you so much; please get better." He moved his hand from her hair to her stomach, laying it there gently. "And you, little guy, need to quit giving your Mum such a hard time already" he said smiling to himself as he thought of the little baby growing there. He turned around, laying his head on her stomach and wrapping his arms around his legs. He lay there listening to her steady breathing, his head above where he thought the baby would be and fell asleep.

14. Happier Times Ahead?

Just a quick note to say thanks again for the reviews! Also, I should be posting two more chapters after this, maybe in the next two days and then the updates will slow down. I had all of this written already, now I'm just combining two chapters into one and editing it. I'm still not sure how long this story will be; it's kind of writing itself. Enough chit-chat, on with the show!! :)

Madam Pomfrey woke Harry up and shooed him out of the ward, telling him to go to the welcoming feast. Grudgingly, he straightened out his clothes and went to the great hall. By the time he got down there, the sorting was done and everyone was eating. He looked at the Gryffindor table and spotted Neville, who was sitting across from Ron. He went and sat next to Neville, who nodded at him in acknowledgement. He looked over at Ron and gave him a small smile. Ron smiled back and asked "where's Hermione?"

Harry's smile dropped off of his face instantly. "She's...she's in the hospital ward."

Ron looked at him in alarm. "What's wrong with her? Harry?" he asked when Harry didn't answer him. He was getting worried at the look on his face. Forgetting their past arguments, Ron said "hey, why don't we take some food with us and sit with her?" Harry looked up at him with an almost grateful look on his face. They quickly filled their plates with food and walked out of the hall. When they walked back into the ward, Madam Pomfrey was checking on Hermione.

"Is she doing any better?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Didn't I just chase you out of here?" the nurse asked indignantly. Sighing in resignation, she said "No, she's the same as she was before. The only good thing is that her condition isn't getting any worse" she said giving him a meaningful look. "I think I may have found a remedy, but it's going to take a little while to make. I'm going to get to work; I'll be back in a little while to check on her again."

They watched as the nurse turned and walked back to her office. Ron grabbed a chair from across the room and sat on the opposite side of the bed from where Harry was. He started picking at his food and said "so are you going to tell me what happened? I don't know if she told you, but she told me about you guys and the baby too."

Harry looked at him for a moment, and then said "she told me about your talk. I'm glad you two patched things up. She's been through so much lately, and now this." When Ron just sat looking at him, waiting patiently, he said "she fainted today in the common room. She was complaining of a headache and not feeling well. When I brought her up here, Madam Pomfrey said the magical energy from our baby was overwhelming Hermione's body. If it keeps building, they could both die." Ron looked up to see tears running down Harry's face, and was at a loss for words. Seeing Harry cry over Hermione's condition seemed to relay to him just how serious her condition was. "Ron" Harry said, interrupting his thoughts "I wouldn't be able to handle losing her or our son."

Ron smiled just a little and said "you're having a boy?" When Harry nodded, he said "You know Ronald is a great name for a little boy." When Harry just looked at him with a small smirk on his face, he said "Seriously Harry, Hermione's a fighter. I know she's scared about having this baby, but she also seemed a little excited too. She loves you, and she loves the baby already. Just try to have faith in her, and in Madam Pomfrey. They'll both be fine."

Harry looked at him in surprise. "When did you get to be so wise?" he asked smiling.

"I've had some time to contemplate the way I've been acting." He sat his plate on the empty bed next to him and said "I know I haven't been the greatest friend. But sometimes it seems like you have everything." When Harry opened his mouth to say something, Ron held up a hand and said "just listen, ok? I used to think that even if you didn't have your parents around, your money and fame were enough to make you happy. That day at the Burrow when I walked out to see you and Hermione kissing, I just snapped. 'There's another thing he gets that I don't' is what ran through my mind, and I'm ashamed for it now Harry. I felt lost knowing you two were mad at me, I'd sit down to write to one of you and realize that I couldn't. I've also realized that petty jealousy is not a good enough reason to throw away two great friendships. Besides, who would I argue with?" he said teasingly.

"So you're really ok with us being together? I mean, we are getting married in six days." he asked looking at Ron, trying to read the emotions playing across his face.

"Yes, I'm ok with you two together. I told Hermione when she came to see me that the day you two walked in my room holding hands, and it didn't bother me, I knew my feelings weren't true. She's more of a sister to me than someone I want as a girlfriend. Wait, did you say you guys were getting married in SIX days?" he asked disbelieving.

"Yeah, her birthday is Friday Ron. It's already the fourteenth of September." he said while setting his plate down also and grabbing her hand, holding it firmly. "That's if she's better by then. I was so surprised when Madam Pomfrey told me that my Mum had the same problem when she was carrying me."

"Really? So, what caused this anyway? Is it just because you two possess so much magical energy yourselves?" Ron asked while picking up Hermione's other hand to hold.

"Um, well, do you happen to remember when I threatened you in here with that fireball?" Harry asked meekly.

"How the bloody hell could I forget that?" Ron asked.

"Right. Well, I found out that I possess Ignes Venificum, or fire magic." Harry looked up to see a look of awe on Ron's face. "So on top of regular magical abilities, I also have fire magic abilities. I guess my son has inherited it also with the amount of magic he seems to already possess. She's only about six weeks into her pregnancy. I'm so afraid that this will continue to get worse the further along she gets." Harry brought Hermione's hand up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss onto the back of it.

They both sat in relative silence for a while, seemingly just watching Hermione while she lay there when really they were both thinking of everything they had been talking about. Harry suddenly remembered what he had wanted to talk to Ron about. "Um, Ron I have something I need to ask you."

"Ok" said Ron, curiously looking at Harry.

Harry looked him straight in the eye and said "you've been my best mate for six years now; your a brother to me in all sense of the word. I wanted to know if you would be one of my groomsmen?"

Ron looked stunned for a moment, and then his eyes became bright as he said "I would be proud to mate."

"Good, because if you said no Hermione was going to make you a bridesmaid." Harry and Ron started laughing, both realizing how good it felt.

"Couldn't you just see me in a dress?" Ron asked cheekily.

"Actually..." Harry said still laughing.

Ron gave him a mock glare and started laughing along with him again. They both looked up as they heard the doors to the ward open and saw Hermione's parents walk in, accompanied by Lupin and Dumbledore.

"Oh Harry, what happened?" Hermione's Mum asked.

"Basically, she's suffering from a magic overload." he said, drawing confused expressions from everyone. "The baby's magic is strong already, and it's growing quickly. Even though she's a witch, she's a muggleborn also and her body isn't really handling both of their magic very well. Madam Pomfrey said she thinks she found something that will help, it'll just take her a while to prepare it."

Hermione's Mum bent down and gave Harry a hug then turned and sat on the bed next to her daughter. "This remedy that Madam Pomfrey is going to give her, will it cure this completely?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

As Robert Granger walked over and put a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder, Harry said "she's not sure. This might continue to get worse later in her pregnancy."

Remus walked over to Harry and put his hand on his shoulder. "How are you doing Harry?" he asked concerned.

"I'm ok; I just want her to get better. I hate that she's going through this because of me" he replied with sadness in his voice.

"Harry, did Madam Pomfrey happen to tell you about your Mum?" asked Remus.

"You mean about how she went through the exact same thing with me and almost died?" Harry asked, and when Remus nodded he said "yeah, it kind of surprised me. But I told her about the fire magic and she said that could help her find something to help."

"Bloody hell, Harry, is this her engagement ring?" Ron asked holding up the hand where her ring was nestled on her ring finger. Harry just smiled a sad smile, and Ron said "got to admit, mate, you have great taste!"

This caused everyone to laugh a little, lightening the mood of the room. Jane Granger looked at Harry and asked "would you mind if I stayed in here tonight?"

"No, not at all. You are her Mum, I should be the one asking if I can stay" said Harry. As the night wore on, the five of them stood kind of a vigil in the hospital ward. Madam Pomfrey came out of her office after a couple of hours with a goblet of potion. She made her way to the bed and noticed everyone standing around. She looked at Harry and said "do you think you could help me with this?"

"Sure, what do I need to do?" he asked, getting up from his chair.

"Just hold her head up while administer this, like Remus did the last time she was in here" said the nurse moving next to Hermione's head. Harry did as he was told, and soon the potion was gone. They all sat nervously as Madam Pomfrey went into her office again and quickly came back out. "If this works, she should wake up within thirty minutes." She waited about five minutes, and using her wand checked Hermione's vitals again. "Some of the energy has already dissipated, I believe its working."

Everyone released the breath they didn't know they were holding. "Well, I have some business I need to attend to" said Dumbledore "Remus, please be sure to update me on Miss Granger's condition. As for everyone else, feel free to spend the night here in the ward if you wish." He turned and left the ward with the nurse glaring at him all the way.

"Well, grab a bed" she said haughtily "I'll be checking on her in fifteen minutes."

Hermione's Mum looked at Harry and said "you mentioned this happened with your Mum? I wonder if it happens to all witches?"

"I asked Madam Pomfrey the same question, and it seems that only my Mum and Hermione have been affected this way. It has something to do with the fire magic that was passed down to me. Did she mention anything to you about it?" Harry asked.

"Yes, after your run-in at the hospital. She said you were more powerful than most wizards" her Dad replied.

"According to Madam Pomfrey, with Hermione being such a strong witch and me with my extra powers, this child has the potential to be more powerful than Dumbledore" Harry said, and watched the astonished looks dawn on their faces.

"Bloody hell, Harry! More powerful than Dumbledore? Nobody's been more powerful than him!" exclaimed Ron.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just hoping that Voldemort doesn't find any of this out" said Harry looking towards Lupin.

"Me too, Harry, me too" replied Lupin, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Harry?"

They all jumped as they heard Hermione utter that one word. Remus went and fetched Madam Pomfrey, while Hermione's parents rushed to the side of her bed. They all waited with baited breath as the nurse once again examined her. When she finished and looked at them with a smile, they all breathed a sigh of relief. "She's still going to have to stay the rest of the night for observation" said the nurse pointedly.

"What happened?" asked Hermione groggily. They all turned towards her and Harry sat down beside her on the bed.

"You fainted Love" he said while holding her hand. "You had us right worried."

"I feel horrible." Suddenly she had a fearful look on her face as she asked "everything is ok though, right?" and looked down towards her stomach.

"He's fine" Harry said smiling at her. "You gave us a scare, but thankfully Madam Pomfrey fixed you up."

Hermione looked around at the people surrounding her and smiled. She saw Ron and grabbed his hand "Ron, you're here! How are you feeling?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that instead?" he asked while squeezing her hand. "I'm doing ok. I've been keeping Harry company while we waited for you to wake up."

"Does that mean..."she started to say, but was interrupted by Harry "that we made up? Yes, we talked things through and came to the realization that we're both prats" he said.

"I'm so glad we're all friends again. It didn't seem right not being all together" she said squeezing both of their hands.

"Well, I should go tell Dumbledore you're awake and ok" said Remus standing next to Harry.

"Remus, could I talk to you for just a second?" Harry asked, motioning to a spot away from the group. When they were a little distance from everyone else, Harry said "I have something I need to ask and I pray you won't be upset with me. I was wondering if you would mind if Ron was my best man? I feel like I should be asking you to do it since you've done so much for me; it's just that Ron and I have been through so much together. You are a father figure to me, but Ron's my brother."

Remus looked at him for a moment, and then said "Harry I completely understand. I'm glad you two have resolved your differences, and I'm still honored to be a groomsman."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "I was so worried you would be offended by my asking" he said.

"Ron is close to both you and Hermione; I know where you are coming from. I remember your parents wedding and how glad I was just to be included. They would be proud of you for the way you are handling things." Remus patted him on the shoulder, turned towards the door saying "I should go see Dumbledore now" and walked away.

The group consisting of Harry, Ron and Hermione's parents stayed in the ward that night. Harry slid the bed that was next to Hermione's over so it was side by side with hers. They talked for a little while, explaining to Hermione exactly what had happened and what Madam Pomfrey had explained to them about her condition. Finally, they all went to sleep when Hermione had fallen asleep again. The morning of the first day of classes dawned bright. Harry got up and woke Ron so they could get ready for classes. They went to Gryffindor tower and up to their dormitories to shower. After getting dressed, Ron decided to head to the great hall to eat while Harry went back to see Hermione. When he walked in the ward, Hermione was sitting up in bed, dressed. She smiled at him as he walked up to her and sat down next to her.

"How come your up?" he asked.

"Madam Pomfrey said I was ok to go to class. Everything is back to normal this morning. I'm going to have to come in once a week for check-ups and to take the potion she gave me last night." Harry could see she was excited to start classes.

"Feel up to breakfast?" he asked while standing and offering her his arm.

"I'm starved!" she said getting up also and linking her arm through his.

That morning was the start of a very hectic week. Hermione's Mum had taken over, claiming that she didn't want Hermione to get stressed out and possibly end up in the hospital ward again. Every night they would meet in her parents' room and go over everything that had been accomplished that day. The night before Hermione's birthday, Remus took Hermione and her Mum to Madam Malkin's in Diagon Alley to find a dress to wear for the ceremony. She tried on many, and finally found the perfect one. They also found a bridesmaid dress for Ginny and Lavender that Hermione loved! It was a burgundy colored floor length ball gown with a straight skirt that had a slit of golden material sewn in. The top had spaghetti straps, and the bodice was princess design with another swath of golden material sewn into it too. She loved that it was Gryffindor colors and it was a simple design. They picked up two of them and made sure they were charmed to automatically shrink or expand to fit the person wearing it. While Hermione went to find a store that carried ribbon for the girls to entwine in their hair and a headpiece for herself, her Mum said she needed to run a quick errand for her Dad. Deciding on a time to meet back at the Leaky Cauldron they went their separate ways with Remus joining her Mum.

"So what are we really shopping for?" Remus asked with a smile.

"Hermione's birthday present. Tomorrow's her sixteenth birthday; I want to get her something special. Plus Harry gave me some money to get her something from him too. Now I just have to decide what to get" her Mum said while looking around at all the shops. She spotted what looked to be a jewelry shop and decided to start there. She went inside and started looking through all of the jewelry cases. She decided to look for a necklace that Hermione could wear for her wedding and everyday. She perused all the necklaces and stopped when she found a beautiful gold oval locket. On the front there was a tree with lots of branches, and on every branch, in place of leaves were diamonds. She motioned for the sales witch to come over and asked, "May I see that locket?" pointing it out. When the witch handed it to her, the light glinted off all of the diamonds on the front. She opened it up and saw that it had two empty places to put pictures.

"The tree on the front is known as the Celtic Tree of Life" said the woman pointing to the locket. "The ancient Celts believed all living things were spiritual, mystical beings, not just inanimate objects to be exploited. They believed trees in particular were a source of great wisdom with the power to bridge the gap between the upper and lower worlds and bring blessings from the gods."*

"Is there a way to replace four of the diamonds for birth stones?" Jane asked.

"Sure, we can also put an inscription on the back of it if you would like" said the sales witch smiling politely.

"Ok, the birthstones are July, September, March and December. For the inscription, I'd like it to read ' Give all to love; obey thy heart. We love you! Mum & Dad'. As the witch went to do as she had asked, Jane started looking for what she could get for Harry to give to Hermione. She started looking at bracelets and saw something that would match the necklace and her engagement ring. It was a six and a half inch fourteen carat gold bracelet with two gold hearts interlaced. She could get their names engraved on each heart with the birth stones under their names. When the sales witch brought the necklace, Jane asked about the bracelet and what she wanted done to it. Five minutes later, she was standing at the cash register paying for the necklace and bracelet. Taking the bag and thanking the woman, she and Remus left to meet up with Hermione.

Hermione's birthday came, and she finally woke to a bright, sunny day in her room in Gryffindor tower. It had been such an awful couple of weeks, it was nice to think that the fates were finally smiling down on her. She showered and got dressed for the day, then made her way down to the common room. When she got down there, she gasped in surprise. Her parents, Ron, Harry and what looked to be every Gryffindor was standing there waiting for her. There was a huge banner on the wall that read 'Happy Sweet Sixteen Hermione!' with the letters dancing around and changing colors every few seconds. Her parents were the first to greet her with a huge hug, then Harry walked up to her with a dozen yellow roses (her favorite!) and gave her a sweet kiss.

"Happy Birthday Love!" Harry exclaimed. He bent closer to her ear and whispered "I wanted to do this for you this morning since technically we're not supposed to see each other tonight."

She smiled and kissed him again, drawing wolf whistles from all of their classmates. "Why don't we go down to breakfast?" she asked.

"Sounds good to me" said Ron rubbing his growling stomach, which made everyone laugh.

"One more thing" said Harry stopping her from going with the rest "you'll get your presents at dinner tonight, that way you have all day to think about what you might be getting." Wiggling his eye brows up and down in a suggestive manner, he started laughing at the look on Hermione's face as she smacked his arm.

They went down to the Great Hall and sat down to eat. Before the food appeared, Dumbledore stood up once again with his hands raised and said "May I please have just a moment of your time. I know that tomorrow is Saturday, but due to special circumstances we will be having an important assembly here in the Hall at eleven o'clock. Lunch will be served right after the conclusion of the assembly. Thank-you." After he sat back down in his chair, the food appeared on the tables. Ron, Harry and Hermione all shared a secret smile, knowing exactly what the 'assembly' actually was. Soon the owl post arrived, and Hermione looked up to see Hedwig fly in. When she looked closer, she noticed Hedwig had a red rose clutched in her talon, which she promptly dropped on the table in front of her. Pig came right after, dropping a pink rose in the same place. Hermione watched in amazement as fourteen more owls flew in one at a time, dropping a different colored rose on the pile. When the last owl flew away, Hermione looked at Harry teary-eyed.

"Thank-you so much Harry!" she said, flinging her arms around him in a crushing hug.

"Don't just thank me; Ron and I chipped in on this together. We wanted to do something special" Harry said with a huge smile on his face.

Hermione got up from where she was sitting and walked all the way around the table to where Ron was sitting opposite Harry. She gave him a big hug also, saying "I must be the luckiest girl in the world to have two great guys like you in my life!"

Ron blushed a bright red while Harry continued to smile at his fiancee. After the show of owls and flowers, all their friends gathered around congratulating Ron and Harry for the great surprise. Hermione told them she would meet them in class, grabbed her bunch of flowers, and headed up to her room.

'This is the best birthday I've ever had' she thought to herself with a smile as she left the Hall 'and it's just started!'

~I hope I've done this chapter justice. There was so much to describe, whew! Anyway, you'll find out what Hermione's dress looks like in the next chapter. If you want to see a pic of the bridesmaid dress, go to

http://wedding.weddingchannel.com/fashion/popup.asp?type=bridesmaid&breadcrumb=/fashion/gown_bridesmaid.asp&gownLength=FLOOR&count=139&large=no

This is the picture that inspired the dress in this chapter. Just replace the white with gold :) ~ *All info on the Celtic Tree of Life was found at www.fantasy-ireland.com

15. The Big Event

Hermione made it through all her classes, and finally sat down in the Great Hall for dinner. She was surprised to see her parents sitting next to Harry at the table.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked while sitting down between Harry and her Mum.

"Professor Dumbledore said that it would be ok to eat down here with you tonight in celebration of your birthday" her Mum said.

Just as she said this, a giant cake appeared in front of her on the table with the rest of the food. It was a three tiered cake with white frosting and little Gryffindor crests that were about an inch apart all the way around each layer. On the top there was a giant 16 candle that was lit and sparklers on either side of it.

"Oh my, what a beautiful cake!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes bright.

"Dobby is making just for Miss" said Dobby, suddenly appearing behind her. "Does Miss like her cake?"

"Yes, Dobby, thank-you so much! It's wonderful!" she said giving him a big smile.

By this time the entire Great Hall was abuzz with gossip about what was going on at their table. Meanwhile, all the Gryffindors were getting as close as they could to try and nab some cake. Ginny walked up to Hermione and handed her a gift. "I was hoping that we could be friends again" she said hopefully.

"I would like that" said Hermione while taking the gift from her. Lavender handed her a present too, along with a couple other classmates. She opened them to find they had gotten her a top notch quill, a new book bag and Lavender gave her a bottle of perfume that smelled incredible. "Thank-you so much for the gifts you guys! This has been the best birthday!" she said looking at everyone around her.

"It's not done yet honey" said her Mum while handing her another present. Hermione took it from her and opened it right away.

When she opened the box she gasped and looked wide eyed at the beautiful necklace inside. "Mum, this is so pretty! Thank-you so much!!" She opened it and saw two pictures inside. On the left side was a picture of her Mum and Dad; the right side held a picture of her and Harry that looked to be taken a couple of years before. She handed it to Harry, silently asking him to put it on. When Harry finally figured out the clasp and had secured it to her neck, she looked down to see it sparkling from the light in the Hall. She saw the four different colored stones and asked "Are these birthstones for the four of us?"

"Yes, and if you ever want to add more you can" her Mum said smiling.

"I have something for you too" said Harry grabbing her attention. He gave her another box, and smiled as she excitedly peeled away the wrapping paper. When she finally got the box open, her mouth fell open at the sight of the bracelet laying there. It was the gold one her mother had picked out in the jewelry store that had interlocking hearts. Harry's name was engraved on one heart and Hermione's was on the other with their birthstone under their name.

"Oh...Harry this is gorgeous!" she cried while leaning over to give him a quick kiss.

"It matches the necklace from your parents and the ring I gave you" he said smiling and taking the bracelet from her. He put the bracelet on her wrist, saying "you sparkle like a Christmas Tree!"

"I feel so...so..." she tried to get out the rest but couldn't because she was crying so hard.

"Hermione..."started Harry, but stopped when she gave him a watery smile.

"I'm ok; I'm just so grateful for all these wonderful presents! I'm so lucky to have such great people in my life!" she said, while trying to pull herself together.

"Can we have cake now?" asked Ron, breaking up the emotional moment.

"I swear, do you ever get full?" Hermione asked, trying to look serious and failing.

"I did once, it was when..." Harry cut him off from what would probably be a very long story by saying "Let's cut the cake and dig in!"

Once everyone had had their fill of cake, they all made their way back to the Gryffindor common room. Before walking through the portrait hole, Hermione said goodnight to her parents.

"So are you coming to our room early in the morning?" her Mum asked giving her a hug.

"Yes, I'm going to have to try to get Lavender and Ginny to come with me somehow. Do you have all the dresses in your room?" Hermione asked.

"All three of them are hanging in our room" said her Dad giving her a hug also. "I can't believe I'm giving away my little girl tomorrow" he said hugging her tighter.

"I'll always be your little girl Daddy" she said hugging him back. "You'll never be rid of me no matter what!" They all laughed and said their good-byes. "I'll be up to your room at six in the morning!" called Hermione down the hall after them. When they waved in acknowledgement, she turned and went through the portrait hole.

The common room had quite a few students in it, but she noticed Harry and Ron were missing. Seeing as she had to get up so early in the morning, she decided to head up to her room. She made sure she had everything ready for the following day and got dressed in her nightgown. After writing an entry in her journal, she crawled in bed and tried to go to sleep. After a couple of hours of her mind racing with thoughts, she finally relaxed enough to fall asleep.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron were in the Room of Requirement relaxing and discussing different things. The room was set up like the Leaky Cauldron, and they sat at one of the tables drinking butterbeer.

"This was a great idea mate" said Harry after taking a drink "I don't think I'll be able to sleep anytime soon."

"I figured you might be a little wound up. I know I would be if I was in your shoes" he said smiling.

"Gee, thanks" said Harry grimacing. "You sure you're ok with everything?"

"I've accepted it if that's what you mean. I just want tomorrow to go smoothly for the both of you" said Ron.

"Me too. Hopefully all of this secrecy will pay off and we'll have a peaceful ceremony" said Harry hopefully. "That reminds me, there's a favor I need to ask of you."

"Name it" said Ron in reply.

"Do you think you would be able to be my best man?" asked Harry. He laughed at the shocked look on Ron's face and added "of course, if you don't want to I'm sure Remus would be glad to do it."

"No, no of course I'll bloody well do it!" exclaimed Ron quickly. "You just took me by surprise is all."

"Great! By the way, your parents are coming tomorrow thinking they have a conference with Dumbledore about you." When Ron glared at him, he said "sorry mate, it's the only way to get them here without telling them the truth."

"Just as long as you let them know when they get here that I'm not in any kind of trouble" said Ron. "I don't need the wrath of my Mum tomorrow; I'll be nervous enough thinking about standing in front of all those students."

"You and me both!" said Harry holding up his bottle and clinking it together with Ron's in a silent toast.

The next morning, Hermione's muggle alarm clock went off at exactly six a.m. and she opened her eyes slowly. When she remembered why she was getting up so early, she sat up quickly to get out of bed. Unfortunately, it was too fast and her morning sickness attacked with zeal. She covered her mouth quickly and ran into the bathroom, barely making it in time. After rinsing out her mouth and washing her face, she quickly downed her daily potion to prevent any other bouts of nausea. She got dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a loose fitting t-shirt, then grabbed the things she set out the night before. Making her way down to the common room, she laughed at the sight before her. Harry was sprawled out asleep on the couch, his left arm draped over the back and his right leg hanging off the side. Ron was slouched down in the chair next to him with his mouth open, snoring loudly. She walked over to where Ron was and started shaking him lightly, trying to wake him up. When that was no good, she tried hitting his arm with no result either.

"Ron! Ron! Wake up!" she hissed, trying not to wake Harry. When he continued to snore, she gave up and walked over to Harry. 'I know its bad luck to see each other, but if I don't get him up now he might be late!' she reasoned with herself.

"Harry!" she said while rubbing his arm. When he didn't respond, she leaned over and placed her lips on his. She held them there, adding more pressure, then brushing her lips across his gently. He started to stir and then opened his eyes. She grinned slightly as she took his bottom lip between her teeth gently and sucked on it, eliciting a groan from him.

"Merlin, Hermione, you sure do know how to wake someone up!" he said with a goofy grin plastered on his face.

"Yeah, well, I already tried to wake Ron but he's out like a light" she said while pointing over to where Ron was sleeping.

"You tried to wake him...like you woke me up?" he raised his eyebrows in question.

"No you idiot! I tried to wake him up the normal way! Do you think me a scarlet woman?" she asked in mock indignation.

"No,it's just...I just woke up alright?" he asked grumpily.

"I just wanted to make sure you were up before I leave to get ready. I know it's traditional not to see each other before the wedding, but like I said I couldn't wake Ron" she explained.

"Sorry,we didn't get much sleep. I'll get him up and we'll start getting ready too" he said while he stood up and then helped Hermione up also. "Thank-you for the nice wake-up. I guess the next time I see you is when you're walking down the aisle with your Dad huh?"

"Yes, I'm so nervous about doing this in front of the whole school. But I really don't want to think about what people would say if I was walking around six months pregnant and not married" said Hermione looking at their entwined hands.

"Hey, look at me. I love you, and I'll keep saying it until you believe me plus everyday after that" Harry said, squeezing her hand. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I know Harry, I love you too no matter what I say or how I act sometimes. This all seems like a very strange dream sometimes and I just keep waiting to wake up". After standing there silently for a while, Hermione squeezed his hand once more. "Well, I better go" she said, then let go of his hand and walked towards the portrait hole. Just as she was about to open it, Harry said "I'll see you soon Mrs. Potter!" Smiling, she blew him a kiss and left.

Hermione had made her way up to her parents room and was currently sitting in front of a mirror while her Mum tried to do her hair. She was impatiently waiting for Ginny and Lavender to show up. She couldn't wait to tell them just what was going to happen today and what role they could play in it. She had been dying to tell someone, anyone really. But she knew for everyone's safety she had to keep her mouth shut. She looked at her hair and couldn't believe how nice it looked! Her Mum had used some kind of muggle gel on it that had defined the curls in her hair. Her Mum had also used curlers on the pieces that were kind of straight so that her hair was just a mass of curls that went just past her bra strap. Two of the pieces that hung down on either side of her face had been pinned up on either side of her head to keep it out of her face.

Now it was time to put her headpiece on and she loved it; it was a wreath of flowers made mostly from baby's breath with baby roses that were the same color as the bridesmaid dress intertwined. She had bought some gold and burgundy ribbon and laced it through the flowers then left two long pieces loose in the back to hang down. She looked from her reflection to her wedding dress and smiled dreamily. It reminded her of a dress a bride would wear during renaissance days. The color was a pure, bright white color and the dress had intricate beadwork from the princess bodice to the very bottom of the floor length skirt. It had a scoop neckline with lacey bell sleeves and was off-the-shoulder. The train of the dress was not very long, and the dress made her feel like she was floating on a cloud when she wore it. She was still staring at it when she heard a knock on the door. Breaking out of her daydream, she called "Come in!"

She watched as Lavender and Ginny walked into her Mum and Dad's room. Their eyes grew wide when they saw Hermione sitting in the chair with her hair done so elegantly.

"Hi guys!" she said with a huge smile on her face "glad you could make it!"

"Hermione, what's going on?" asked Ginny with confusion written all over her face.

"Well... I'm getting married today!" she said and laughed at the shocked looks on their faces. "You know how Dumbledore announced that there would be an assembly today? Well, it's not an assembly, it's my wedding!"

They were still staring dumbfounded at her when Lavender asked "who are you marrying?"

"Harry of course!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, of course!" Ginny said looking really confused. "Hermione, what the bloody hell is going on?!"

"I'll tell you the short version because we really don't have much time to get ready, seeing as it's already nine o'clock. Do you promise not to utter one single word of what I'm going to tell you?" When they both nodded their heads yes, she explained "Harry and I got really close this summer." Her mother made a choking noise when she said this, earning her a glare.

"You're not kidding when you say you got close" her mother said.

Rolling her eyes, she said "with all of us fighting most of the summer, and Ron confessing his feelings for me it was awkward being at the Burrow. I went to stay at Grimmauld Place with Harry and we had a long talk about everything that had been going on. Anyway, things happened and we slept together. About three weeks ago I found out I'm pregnant." Ginny and Lavender gasped at this, looking at her unbelievably. "I was stupid and didn't cast any protection spells beforehand. Right now I'm almost two months along. Harry and I love each other; when he asked me to marry him I said yes. We just had to wait for my birthday yesterday for it to be legal." She looked from Ginny to Lavender waiting for a response, but none came. They looked really shocked, to say the least. "I asked you two here to ask if you'd be my bridesmaids?" She took the bridesmaid dresses down from where they were hanging and showed them. "Mum and I picked these out and they're charmed to fit you automatically. So will you do it?"

Suddenly the two girls let out squeals of delight and launched themselves at Hermione. She couldn't really decipher what they were saying because they were both blabbering on and hugging her. "So I'll take this as a yes?" she said teasingly.

"Of course, you twit!" said Ginny, finally pulling herself together. "Why didn't you ask us sooner?"

"We all agreed to keep it a secret until this morning. We didn't want Voldemort to find out ahead of time and ruin it by trying to kill Harry in the middle of the ceremony" explained Hermione.

"Oh yeah, well I could see how that would put a damper on things" Lavender said flippantly.

"Well, let's get you girls ready too!" said her Mum, motioning them over to the mirror. They decided to keep Ginny's red hair down and straight since it was only to her shoulders. Lavender's blond hair was braided and it hung down to the middle of her back. They also had wreaths that matched Hermione's to wear. When it was time to put on the dresses, they just loved the burgundy color and the way they fit. They looked so pretty; it reminded Hermione of a fairytale. When she finally got her dress on, the girls just stood staring with their mouths open.

"Hermione, that dress is beautiful!" said Ginny. "You're absolutely glowing! Harry won't know what hit him when he sees you!"

"I agree; you look wonderful Hermione" said Lavender. Hermione couldn't help it; she looked up with tears in her eyes after hearing their compliments.

"I'm glad we didn't put much makeup on you" said her Mum walking up to her and carefully giving her a hug. "Oh, we almost forgot the bouquets!" said her Mum bustling over to a small closet that sat in the corner. She brought out Hermione's first. It had five silk burgundy roses mixed in with burgundy colored mums and white silk Lily's. They had gotten fake flowers for the bouquets so they could keep them longer. Ginny and Lavender's bouquets were the same, only smaller in size. Hermione's Dad walked in from the bathroom that was attached to their room dressed in a normal muggle tuxedo.

"Wow, you girls look spectacular!" he said, smiling happily. He looked at his wife who was dressed in a beautiful silk dress that matched the bridesmaid dress; the only difference was that it had short sleeves instead of spaghetti straps. "You look wonderful Love" he said, walking over and giving his wife a kiss. "Well, are we all ready to go?"

"Almost, I just need to get the shoes." Her Mum walked over to the bed where they were all lined up and brought them over. They had made sure to get shoes that were the same color as their dresses with low heels that were easy to walk in. Hermione didn't know about the other girls, but she didn't feel like tripping and falling in front of the whole school. While they were walking toward the door, Hermione said "we'll be going down a different way so that hopefully no one will see us. Dumbledore said that the way we are going is hardly used by anyone anymore. When we get downstairs we'll be in one of the empty classrooms until Remus comes to get us."

They all made their way downstairs with only one run-in with a student. It was a third year Gryffindor that Hermione recognized. She just gave them all a strange look and kept walking. They reached the classroom and went in, making sure to close the door and lock it. "Not much longer now" said her Dad smiling.

While the girls were getting ready in her parents room, Harry and Ron were playing wizards chess in the common room. Of course Harry was losing, but today was worse than usual. He just couldn't concentrate on the game at all. After losing for the sixth time, he looked at Ron and asked "Am I doing the right thing?"

Ron rolled his eyes and said "Harry, mate, how many times do I have to tell you? You.are.doing.the.right.thing" emphasizing each word, trying to get his point across.

"Sorry, I'm just really nervous for some reason" explained Harry.

"Maybe it's because once you're married in the wizarding world it's for life. It's not like a muggle marriage where they get devickted all the time."

Harry looked at Ron with a weird expression on his face. "Devickted? Do you mean Divorced?" Ron shrugged his shoulders, not really sure what word he wanted. "You know, I hadn't thought about that part of being married. For life, huh?"

Ron looked up to see that Harry's face had taken on a kind of greenish color. "Are you ok Harry?" he asked concerned.

"Uh, yeah just a small case of cold feet" Harry said getting up and pacing by the table they were playing at.

"Cold feet? It's bloody hot in here, how can your feet be cold?" Ron asked, thoroughly confused.

"It's a muggle expression Ron. It means that the bride or groom start wondering if they really want to get married" explained Harry.

"Oh, alright." Just then the portrait hole opened and Remus walked in. He walked over to where they were and asked "all ready to go Harry?"

"Sure" Harry said unconvincingly. Remus looked from him to Ron with a wondering look on his face. "Harry's feet are cold" was all he said while shrugging his shoulders. Harry couldn't help it, he started laughing and couldn't stop. Remus went over to him and laying a hand on his shoulder asked "are you ok Harry?"

"Ye-Yeah" he said, barely getting the word out because he was still laughing. Finally getting himself under control, he said "thanks Ron, I needed that."

Harry turned and ran upstairs to get his dress robes while Ron and Remus looked after him like he was going insane. He came back down about ten minutes later with his and Ron's robes and shoes. "So where are we going to get ready?" he asked, handing Ron his robes.

"We're using one of the empty classrooms by the Great Hall to get ready in. When we're all dressed, we'll go into the hall to wait. We'll be in the room up by the head table; the one you went in after you were picked for the Tri-Wizard tournament. Thanks to Professor McGonagall the Hall is already decorated. We'll go stand in the front with Dumbledore when he gives us the signal." When the two boys nodded in agreement, he turned and made his way out of the room with them in tow.

After getting dressed in the classroom and going into the great hall, they made their way into the antechamber attached to the front of the Hall. Dumbledore soon joined them and said "well, Harry are you all ready for today?"

"I think so Sir" Harry replied quietly.

Dumbledore smiled while motioning for them to follow him into the Hall and took his place in front of the head table. Harry stood to the right of him with Ron and Remus standing behind him. Harry adjusted his robes nervously; he hoped he looked ok. He chose to wear his black silk dress robes today; he had thought about buying new ones, but figured if his still fit and were in good condition then there was no need. He noticed as Colin came into the hall looking around in bewilderment and motioned for him to join them up front. Harry had sent Hedwig an hour before to deliver a message to him to come to the hall at ten forty-five and to bring his camera. Colin walked up to him and he said "hi Colin! Thanks for coming!"

"Sure Harry, but what's going on?" he asked still looking around in confusion.

"Well, Colin I'm getting married today and I'd like you to be the photographer" Harry said nonchalantly.

"Wha...?" was all Colin seemed to be able to get out.

"Can you do it?" Harry asked trying to suppress a smile.

"Sure I can!" Colin almost yelled in his excitement. "Who's the lucky girl Harry?"

"Hermione" was all Harry said.

"Of course, stupid question. Well, I'm going to walk around and find the best places to take the pictures" he said backing away from the group. "Thanks for asking me to do this Harry" he said gratefully.

The four of them continued to stand at the front of the Hall until eleven o'clock finally rolled around and the students started trickling in. Harry watched as looks of confusion adorned their faces as they sat in the chairs that had been set out.

When the entire school had filed into the Hall, Remus left to get the bridal party and Dumbledore raised his hands to get the students attention. "By now, you have realized that this isn't going to be an assembly. You have all gathered here today to witness a wedding." When all the shocked murmurs quieted down, he continued "this is a ceremony to join Harry Potter and his fiancee, Hermione Granger." The entire Hall erupted with noise as everyone started talking when this was announced and the Headmaster yelled "QUIET!!!" The Hall went silent and he said "Thank you. As I was saying, they have decided to wed today. They realized after the attack on Platform 9 3/4 that they didn't want to wait, and when they approached me with the idea I agreed to it. I know this is unconventional, but there are circumstances that made my decision easier to make. If any of you feel uncomfortable or just don't want to be here, you may leave." As soon as he finished his sentence, what looked to be the entire Slytherin contingent got up and left. After waiting to see if anyone else would go, Dumbledore said "Ok, let the ceremony commence."

Nodding his head at Professor McGonagall, who was standing in the doorway to the anteroom, she waved her wand and music started playing throughout the Hall. The doors opened and Lavender started walking down the aisle, followed a short time later by Ginny. Hermione stood just outside the doors with both of her parents, who had both decided to walk her down the aisle. Hermione stood just outside the doors to the Hall, looking in amazement at the decorations. Someone, more than likely Professor McGonagall, had transformed it into a beautiful forest setting. The floor was covered in grass, and the aisle through the center of the chairs was dirt. There were trees surrounding the seating area, and where the head table used to be there were rocks and boulders situated around where the wedding party stood. On the right side behind Harry there was a beautiful waterfall cascading down the rocks and ending in a pool just behind Dumbledore.

Where Dumbledore stood, there was an archway made of wood that he, Harry and Hermione would stand under. There were beautiful white lilies and white roses entwined with green vines of leaves all around the arch. Where the walls had been, there was now what looked to be an endless forest and the enchanted ceiling reflected the warm, beautiful sunny day that was right outside. She couldn't believe how wonderful it all looked! She snapped out of her reverie when her Dad wrapped her arm around his and her Mum did the same. She heard the traditional strains of the Wedding March start, and started to make her way down the aisle. She heard clicking and looked over to the corner to see Colin Creevey taking pictures of her as she walked. She looked around as she walked and saw all the stunned students staring at her. When she started feeling really nervous, she looked straight ahead and saw Harry. 'He looks so handsome' she thought wistfully while giving him a dazzling smile and relaxing.

When they finally made it to the front, they stopped in front of Dumbledore and he asked "Do you give your daughter to Harry freely and without prejudice?"

"We do" said her parents in unison, then they kissed her on the cheek and went to their seats. Hermione walked over to stand next to Harry and he took her hand in his. "You look beautiful" he said so only she could hear.

"You look handsome" she said in return, then turned her attention to Dumbledore when he quietly cleared his throat. "We are gathered here today to join together this witch and wizard in matrimony. If there is anyone present that has just cause to object, speak now or forever hold your peace." When no one spoke up Harry and Hermione released the breaths they didn't know they were holding. "Then let us continue. 'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It does not boast, it is not proud. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.' That is a famous quote from what the muggles call The Good Book, and I think it sums up what love and marriage is all about. Harry; Hermione you are here today to pledge your everlasting love to one another."

Dumbledore looked at Harry and said "Harry, do you take Hermione as your wife freely? Do you promise to honor, love, cherish, protect and respect her for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do" said Harry staring into Hermione's eyes and holding her hands in both of his.

"Hermione" Dumbledore said while turning towards her "do you take Harry as your husband freely? Do you promise to honor, love, cherish, protect and respect him for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do" said Hermione, looking at Harry and smiling with tears in her eyes

"Do we have the rings?" Dumbledore asked, and everyone laughed as Remus hit Ron in the arm to get his attention. He reached into the pocket of his robes and brought out the ring box. He gave it to Dumbledore, looking embarrassed. Dumbledore opened the box, took the rings out and gave them to Harry and Hermione. "Harry, repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed" said Harry while slipping the ring on Hermione's finger.

"Hermione, repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I-I thee wed" stuttered out Hermione while slipping the ring on Harry's finger.

"As Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Chairman of the International Confederation of Wizards, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may now seal your bond with a kiss."

Harry smiled down at Hermione and bent down, lightly touching his lips to hers. After lingering for a moment, Harry pulled back and they both looked at Dumbledore as he raised his arms and said "Blessed Be!"

"Blessed Be!" was repeated by every student in the hall, and then they all burst out clapping and cheering. Ron and Remus were patting Harry on the back while Ginny and Lavender were giving Hermione congratulatory hugs. Hermione's parents walked up to give each of them a hug also as Dumbledore proclaimed "Let the party begin!"

*from The Bible:1 Corintheans 13:4-
***To see a picture of the wedding dress, go to:

http://wedding.weddingchannel.com/fashion/popup.asp?type=gown&designerID=228&breadcrumb=/fashion/gown_bride.asp&count=4&large=yes

16. In The Hours After

Here it is-the honeymoon! I know that Ron's parents seem OOC in this chapter, but that's just the way I see them reacting to this situation. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Immediately after the ceremony, lunch was served per normal. The only difference was the setting in the hall and the fact that Harry, Hermione, everyone in the wedding party and her parents were invited to sit at the head table to eat. The normal house tables had replaced the individual chairs so everyone could sit in their normal house seats. The slytherins had come back down for lunch and sat grumbling through the entire meal. As soon as they finished eating they immediately went back to slytherin house. A few people made their way up to talk to Harry and Hermione; one such couple being Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They didn't seem too thrilled with the occasion or the fact they were brought there under false pretenses. Of course they put on happy faces and gave their congratulations, but it didn't really seem genuine. As soon as everyone was finished eating, Dumbledore asked them all to stand and with a wave of his hands transformed the Hall again. There were balloons, streamers and little fairies flying around dropping confetti on everyone. The floor turned into a wooden dance floor and music started playing from the wizarding wireless.

"So was today everything you hoped for when you dreamed of getting married one day?" asked Harry while dancing with Hermione.

"No; I was never the girl that dreamed of fairy tale weddings and happily ever after. I was the girl who thought I wasn't pretty enough for any boy to be interested in" Hermione replied not quite meeting his eyes.

Harry placed a quick kiss on the tip of her nose and rested his forehead on hers. "I wish you could look through my eyes and see yourself from my point of view. Then you would see how beautiful you really are Hermione. But I didn't fall in love with your outer beauty. I fell in love with what's inside of you; your intellect, your honesty, your loyalty and how you gave your heart so freely. You knew who I was on our first train ride to Hogwarts, but you treated me like everyone else. You got to know the real me, you love me for me and that's why I fell in love with you."

By this time Hermione had tears running down her face. She had no words to express how much she loved Harry in that instant, so she kissed him and put every ounce of feeling into it. When they pulled away gasping for breath, they continued to hold each other close and dance away the afternoon. A huge wedding cake appeared during the celebration and the couple had fed each other a piece as was tradition. Then four more cakes appeared and were served out to everyone there. Everyone stayed in the Hall the entire afternoon, dancing and talking to one another. The party went on until dinner rolled around and then the tables appeared once again. After everyone had ate their fill the Great Hall finally emptied out for the first time since breakfast. Hermione's parents had decided to stay until the following day and went to say their good nights to them. After hugging and congratulating them once again, they made their way back to their room. Remus said his goodbyes as well, saying he had some Order business he had to attend to. Ron walked up with Lavender on his arm, looking very cozy. They told the couple goodnight as well along with Ginny and went back to Gryffindor tower.

Dumbledore walked up to the happy couple smiling and said "Did you enjoy your special day?"

"Yes Headmaster, thank you for all your help" said Hermione smiling at him warmly.

"We wouldn't change a thing Sir" said Harry gratefully.

"Well, then I guess all that's left is for me to give you my gift" said Dumbledore. He laughed when he saw the looks on their faces.

"But Sir, you've already given us our wedding" said Hermione.

Smiling secretly, Dumbledore said "if you will follow me I will show you your gift." They followed him up the staircase a few floors and found themselves in front of a white door. "I believe you will find everything you will need tonight in this room. We didn't get your quarters ready yet, that will be ready tomorrow night. For tonight, you may stay here." He gestured to the door and swept down the hall, bidding them good night. Harry looked at Hermione with a confused face and opened the door. They both gasped at the room that lay before them. It was set up much the same as the Gryffindor common room with a sofa, couch and roaring fire. The only difference was there was a king sized bed with a beautiful canopy over it. The walls were a very light blue color and the ceiling was reflecting the night sky. There was a small table in the corner that had bottles of butterbeer and what looked to be a pile of sweets from Fred and George's shop. The same music they were listening to downstairs was now playing on a small radio on the table also. When Hermione went to enter the room, Harry's hand shot out to stop her.

"What are you doing Harry?" she asked confused.

"I may not have seen many movies, but I've seen enough to know that I'm supposed to carry you over the threshold" he said smiling. He bent down putting one arm under her knees while the other supported her back. He picked her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They walked into the room laughing, both wondering just what the night would bring.

Once inside, Harry put Hermione down carefully and closed the door. He walked over to the table and took off his robes, leaving his black dress pants and white shirt on. They both stood there for a moment just looking at each other until Harry asked "why does this feel so weird all of a sudden?"

"I don't know; you'd think after everything we've been through and done lately we'd be really comfortable with each other!" she teased.

Harry walked over to her and bent to give her a kiss. They continued to explore each other's mouth, their passion growing with each passing minute. Harry couldn't get over the fact that she was his; he always figured he would be alone all his life. He wrapped his arms around her waist and they started swaying back and forth to the music while continuing their kiss. When the song finished, the announcer came on and said "and now for a special request that was just anonymously owled in to us. We were asked to play a special song for a very special couple on their big day. So here it is: I Live My Life For You by the wizard band Firehouse.

Harry and Hermione pulled apart and looked at each other, surprised. When the music started, they started swaying to the rhythm and listened to the song they knew someone had requested for them.

"You know you're everything to me
And I could never see, the two of us apart And you know I give myself to you
And no matter what you do, I promise you my heart

I've built my world around you and I want you to know I need you, like I've never needed anyone before

I live my life for you
I want to be by your side in everything that you do And if there's only one thing you can believe is true I live my life for you

I dedicate my life to you
You know that I would die for you
But our love would last forever
And I will always be with you
And there is nothing we can't do
As long as we're together

I just can't live without you, and I want you to know I need you like I've never needed anyone before

I live my life for you
I want to be by your side in everything that you do And if there's only one thing you can believe is true I live my life for you"*

They continued to dance, and Harry captured Hermione's lips once more. He worked his way down her jaw and randomly placed kisses on her neck and shoulders. He reached around the back and started working on the row of buttons that was keeping her dress on. When it finally proved too hard a task, he stopped his ministrations and walked around to the back of the dress. He started unbuttoning the buttons one by one, and after each one was opened, he placed a kiss on the newly revealed skin on her back. When it was finally unbuttoned all the way, he took hold of the shoulder straps and slowly slid them down her arms. At the feel of the lacy sleeves being pushed down and his hands trailing after them, Hermione shivered in anticipation. He slowly peeled the dress completely off, and saw that underneath she had on a lacy white strapless corset that had eye hooks all the way down the front. It also had garters with white lace stockings attached and a thong underneath. She looked so stunning that Harry could hardly breath. He'd never been so turned on in his life! That little outfit combined with her heels and long, curly hair flowing down her back had him hot. His hands roamed over every inch of exposed skin as he walked around to face Hermione, and he saw the slight blush on her cheeks.

She reached out and started unbuttoning Harry's shirt slowly. She slid the shirt off, and then focused her attention on his pants. He kicked off his shoes as she unbuttoned and unzipped them, letting them drop to the floor. He stepped out of them and stood in only a black pair of boxers that had snitches on them. Hermione smiled when she saw them, and stepped closer to him. He reached up and carefully took the wreath of flowers off of her head. He placed it carefully on the table and turned his attentions back to the corset she had on. He started undoing the hooks and soon that was discarded on the floor with the rest of their clothes.

He stepped back and looked at her, amazed at how beautiful she was. She was standing there in only a thong and stockings, and he felt himself become painfully hard. Her breasts were fuller now, he figured because of the pregnancy. He stepped closer to her, running his hands down her sides and grabbing her hips, pulling her flush against him. He wrapped his arms around her, marveling at the feel of her skin, and bent down to kiss her. He placed his lips, slightly open, on hers for a few moments. When he couldn't stand not tasting her, he took her bottom lip between his teeth gently and sucked on it. He heard a guttural moan from Hermione, and lost control. He squeezed her to him so that her breasts were flattened against his chest. He stopped his ministrations on her bottom lip and covered her mouth with his, plunging his tongue in and exploring every inch. Soon he felt her tongue warring with his almost as frantically, and he could feel her shivering. Her skin was so hot under his hands, and when he pulled back he saw her hooded, glazed eyes and swollen lips. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed, lying her down while laying gently on top of her.

He kissed her lips, and then started to make his way down her neck, biting, nibbling and sucking gently. He loved the sounds she made, and how he could feel her throat vibrate with every moan. He kissed her shoulder and collarbone, then made his way to her right breast. Her nipple was hard as he took it into his mouth. Swirling his tongue around it and sucking, he reached his hand down and slipped it between her legs. He could feel the wetness there already, and pushed the fabric aside. Plunging his finger in while still suckling her breast, he started to work his finger in and out of her. Her body arched up so much that he had to move to keep doing what he was doing. She was panting now as he moved to her left breast, repeating what he had done to the other one. He used his thumb on the hand between her legs to message her nub, and she cried out his name. Trying to keep control of himself, he worked his fingers faster and sucked harder. Suddenly she grabbed the blanket in both hands, arched off of the bed again and almost screamed his name again. He could feel the walls around his finger tighten, and a shudder traveled over her whole body. She stayed tensed for a moment, and then he could feel her body start to relax.

He looked up at her face to see her laying there with her eyes closed. She was still breathing rather heavily, but she was slowly getting it under control. When she opened her eyes and looked at him, he was surprised to see an almost feral look in her eyes. She reached up and put her hands on either side of his face. Drawing it up to hers, she kissed him softly. She pulled back and placed the palms of her hands on his chest. Pushing him back onto the bed, he looked up to see her straddling him. She bent down, kissing and sucking his neck. She placed kisses on his collarbone and made her way to one of his nipples. As she lightly grazed it with her teeth, he sucked in a breath at the jolt of pleasure and pain that ran through his body. She did the same to the other one and kissed her way down to his belly button. Continuing down, she slid his boxers off and reached her hand down, wrapping her hand around his hard length. He moaned as her mouth followed the path her hand took, slowly taking him in her mouth a little at a time. When she had made her way down as far as she could go, she just as slowly made her way back up. She was killing him and he didn't know how much longer he could hold back. After a couple of times, he reached down and ran a hand through her hair. "Please stop or else I'll be finished before we start."

She gave him a small smile and moved so that she was positioned above him. Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she slowly slid down his length until he was buried in her. She sat still for a minute with her eyes closed and a look of pure bliss on her face. She lifted herself up until he was almost out of her, and then went back down again. She started out at a leisurely pace and continued to go faster and faster. Soon she was riding him fast and hard, her head thrown back and her body arched. Harry's hands came up to grip her hips and unable to hold back any longer, slammed into her one last time, feeling his release. She continued her ride and he felt her starting to tighten around him, her body trembling. She cried his name once again, and collapsed onto his chest. They lay there like that for a while as they both tried to catch their breath. Soon she picked her head up off of his chest and placed a lingering kiss on his lips. He cupped her cheek in his hand and rubbed his thumb along her lips. She kissed his thumb and he felt a wave of contentment wash over him.

They pulled apart from each other reluctantly and made their way under the covers. While she snuggled into his chest, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I think today was the best day of my life" she whispered. He smiled to himself and said "me too." They soon fell asleep, wrapped in each others arms and mumbling 'I love you' to each other. Throughout the night, one of them would wake the other for another round of lovemaking until finally in the early hours of dawn they both fell into a deep sleep, thoroughly exhausted.

That same night, a rat went scurrying through the forbidden forest, trying to make his way back to his Master's lair. He couldn't wait to tell him the news; Potter and his mudblood were married! This would give his Master a sure-fire way to lure Potter into his hands, and he was sure to be rewarded greatly! Running under the tree stump and down into his secret passageway, Wormtail finally reached the hideout and transformed himself back into human form when he reached the door. After entering, he made his way up to the room his Master always stayed in and knocked on the door.

"Enter" said a chilling voice from the other side.

After slowly opening the door and walking in, bowed low he approached Lord Voldemort and said "M-m-master, I-I have g-great news f-for y-you!"

After waiting for him to continue, Voldemort yelled "WELL! What is it you came to tell me?!"

"S-s-sir, I h-have j-just come f-from Hogwarts s-sir, and I j-just..."

"SPIT IT OUT!" yelled Voldemort, standing and towering above the shuddering mass that was Wormtail.

"P-Potter and the-the mudblood h-have married!" said Wormtail, finally spilling his news.

"What? They were married? Today?" asked Voldemort, now intrigued.

"Yes, yes s-sir. I-I was s-sneaking around out-outside when I-I heard some s-students talking ab-about it." wormtail replied.

"Well, I can't believe Dumbledore would allow that!" said Voldemort with a hint of disbelief in his tone. Suddenly, the door to the room burst open and Lucius Malfoy ran in. "How DARE you barge in here like that!" Voldemort shouted at Malfoy.

"I'm sorry Master" said Malfoy, bowing in front of him "but I've just received urgent news from my son at Hogwarts. It's seems Potter and the mudblood Granger have married!"

"Yes, I already know that. Wormtail just brought me the news" said Voldemort "now we just have to figure out what Dumbledore is up to. There has to be a reason this happened today. Wormtail, go back to Hogwarts and see what else you can find out. I will need to think about what to do with this information."

"Master, we can use the mudblood as a way to lure Potter to his death. We'll not only kill him, but her too!" said Malfoy.

"Yes, well what if that's what the old fool wants us to do? No, there has to be a reason they were married today; there will be a great reward for anyone who brings me the reason!" said Voldemort, looking at Malfoy.

"Yes, Master. I will tell Draco to find out all he can" Lucius said while bowing and leaving the room.

"What are you up to Dumbledore?" Voldemort asked, to no one in particular as he sat back down in his chair again and Nagini came to lie at his feet.

The day after their wedding, Harry and Hermione woke up sated and happy. Dobby appeared in their room around noon with lunch so they wouldn't have to go to the Great Hall to eat. "Dobby is to be telling Harry Potter Sir that Headmaster wants to see him today" said Dobby after setting the food on the table.

"Thank-you Dobby" said Harry "will you tell him we will be there as soon as we've eaten and dressed for the day?"

"Yes Sir!" said Dobby and disappeared.

After eating their lunch, they went to see Dumbledore in his office. Dumbledore told them that their room was ready and all their stuff had already been transferred into it. The three of them went to the Gryffindor common room, and were surprised to see a new painting off to the side. The painting of Sir Cadogan had been hung on one of the bare walls, and Dumbledore gestured towards it.

"This is the entry to your room. What would you like as the password?" Dumbledore asked.

"How about snuffles?" asked Hermione quietly. "Would that be ok with you Harry?"

Harry gave a sad smile and said "that would be fine with me."

"Ok then, Sir Cadogan, please set 'snuffles' as the password" Dumbledore said, and the sentry nodded in understanding. The portrait hole opened and the three of them ventured in to see the Potters new room. It was just like the dormitories with maroon and gold colors, but with only one big bed for the two of them. There were two writing desks and a small fireplace set into one wall with a couch in front of it. They also had their own private bathroom which both was glad of. "Now, you will have the same room next year also. We will just expand it a little to make room for the baby."

"Thank-you Professor Dumbledore. We appreciate everything you've done for us and for being so understanding" said Hermione, smiling happily at him.

"Yes, thank-you Sir, for everything" said Harry gratefully.

"I'm glad I could help. Just take care of yourselves, we still have a long school year ahead of us" said Dumbledore. "I will leave the two of you to get acquainted with your new living quarters" he said and walked out of the room.

"Well, I guess our new life together starts today!" said Hermione smiling at Harry. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be" he said, then walked over and gave her a kiss.

After that day, life for Harry and Hermione got very hectic. Classes resumed on Monday and the homework seemed to pile up. Professor McGonagall called Harry into her office to tell him that his lifetime quidditch ban had been lifted by the Ministry and that she wanted him to be Captain of the team. Harry was ecstatic, he was afraid he would never get to play quidditch again thanks to Umbridge. The only downside was the amount of time it took away from Hermione and his homework. He had to organize tryouts and practices which thankfully Ron helped with. Their team wasn't the best, but the hard practices they had paid off when they beat Slytherin in their first game. There was a huge party in the Gryffindor common room and someone had brought butterbeer and lots of sweets from WWW. Someone had also turned on the wizarding wireless and music floated through the air, mingling with all the laughter.

Hermione was sitting on the couch with Ginny and Lavender while Lavender caught them up on the latest gossip. While Harry was discussing the finer points of the game with Ron and Dean, he looked over to see that Hermione wasn't really into the conversation. She had seemed really weird today ever since they had woke up this morning. When she looked up and saw him watching her she glared at him, got up and made her way through the portrait hole to their room. He looked at Ginny and Lavender with a questioning look, and they just shrugged back in return. He begged off of the conversation and made his way into their room. Hermione was laying face down on their bed, and he could see her shoulders shaking which meant she was crying. He rushed over and sat on the side of the bed, running his hand over her back.

" 'Mione, what's the matter?" he asked concerned.

"Leave me alone!" she said, her voice muffled by the blanket.

Harry was thoroughly confused. 'Have I done something?' he thought, going over everything they had done the last 24 hours. "Hermione, are you mad at me? Have I done something to upset you?"

"Y-You know what you did!" she said, still crying.

"If I knew what I did, why would I ask?" Harry asked, still confused but now getting angry. He was being accused of doing something and he had no idea what it was.

She lifted her head up off the bed, looked at him and gave him a glare that would have made McGonagall proud. "It makes it even worse that you don't even know what you did!" He looked at her totally helpless and bewildered.

"Love, I have no idea what I've done, but whatever it is I'm sorry" he said, trying to get her to calm down.

"You really don't know?" she asked, not believing him at all. When he shook his head no, she said "last night, when we went to bed? You-you just fell asleep! You didn't even say goodnight to me!" She started crying again and turned away from him.

"What? That's why you're mad at me? Because I didn't say goodnight?" Harry looked at her with an exasperated look on his face. Was she serious? "Hermione, I was exhausted. I had class all day, quidditch practice after that and then had to do all of my homework. I'm surprised I made it to the bed!"

She just stared at him with the meanest expression on her face. Harry was totally at a loss as to what to do. He had never seen her act like this before. Suddenly, she started crying again and launched herself into his arms. Harry slowly put his arms around her, thoroughly confused. He could feel the sobs racking her body, so he just held her and rubbed his hands over her back soothingly.

"I'm so sorry Harry. I-I don't know why I acted like that. It's just...we hardly get to spend any time together anymore." He had to admit that she was right. Since their wedding, they had spent maybe two nights together where they didn't have anything to do.

"I know love, but we knew this was going to be hard. Have you been feeling ok?" Harry asked.

"I feel fine, if you don't count the nausea or the fact that my clothes don't fit me anymore. Or that my emotions seem to go up and down like a roller coaster." As she said this, Harry understood her outburst a little better. "Sometimes when I'm doing my homework, I just blank out. I know that I know the answer, but I can't remember it! I feel like I'm going crazy!" She pulled back from their embrace, and looked at him sheepishly. "I didn't mean to take it out on you Harry. I guess it just hurt my feelings last night, and these darn hormones don't help either."

"I think I understand. Have you talked to Madam Pomfrey about all the things you just told me?" he asked, cupping her right cheek with his hand and rubbing his thumb over it. He just couldn't get over how beautiful she was and how her skin had a certain glow to it now.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his touch. "I talked to her about it when I saw her last. She said it was perfectly normal, and could even get worse." When Harry heard this, he got a frightened look on his face. 'It could get worse than this?' he thought to himself, dreading the possibility. "Do you think we could just spend the rest of the night in here together? My nerves are stretched thin, and if I have to hear any more gossip from Lavender I might scream."

Harry looked from her to the door longingly, then looked back at her. Upon seeing the hopeful look on her tear stained face, he sighed and said "sure love, just let me wash up and change."

In a dark, dank room in his hideout, Lord Voldemort sat in his chair doing what he had been doing for some months now. Every night he sat here, trying to figure out what Dumbledore and Potter were up to. So far there was no new news from his spies, and his patience was growing thin. Just as he was contemplating who he could torture to ease his mind, there came an impatient knock on the door.

"Enter" said Voldemort, looking to see who came in. Lucius Malfoy rushed into the room and kneeled in front of his Master, not meeting his eyes. "Have you any news?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes, Master. My son has just sent me a note by owl. He heard two teachers talking in the corridor near Slytherin house; they were talking about Potter and Granger."

"And..." Voldemort growled, getting angry.

"They were speaking of how Granger was being excused from performing magic in her classes" Malfoy said, trying to get to his point.

"She's being excused from class work? But why?" Voldemort interrupted, his curiosity peaked.

"Her magic is being disrupted and is not reliable" said Lucius who then dared to look into his Masters eyes "because she is carrying Potter's child."

**The song in this chapter is from Firehouse. It's called "I Live My Life For You" and it's from the 80's. This is the last of my pre-written chapters, so I don't know when I'll have another update. Hopefully in a couple of days. Thanks for reading, and if you liked it please leave a review and let me know. Even if you didn't like it, tell me what I could change to make it better. Thanks!

17. Trouble In Paradise

Just a quick author's note: I don't plan to explain everything Hermione is feeling in this chapter, because truth be told she probably doesn't know herself what she is feeling. I've been pregnant twice, and let me just say that you do and say things you wouldn't normally do or say. Hormones run rampant and you feel like you lose control of your emotions sometimes. Just ask my poor husband! :) I hope you will continue to read and enjoy my story. Thanks for all the great reviews!!!

"WHAT?!" shouted Lord Voldemort as he shot up from his chair, knocking Lucius onto his back. He started pacing back and forth rapidly, all the while muttering quietly to himself.

"Master" said Lucius, righting himself and staring at the floor "I thought you would be pleased with this news?"

"Pleased? Why would I be pleased to know that there is going to be ANOTHER Potter heir?" spat Voldemort.

"B-but what about using Granger to get at Potter? We could take care of them both and be rid of them for good!" Lucius asked.

Voldemort continued to pace for a few minutes in quiet thought, then said "for now, we will do nothing." He saw the shocked look cross Malfoy's face and yelled "Do you doubt me?!" Lucius cringed and lowered himself more onto the floor. "Potter and Dumbledore have been expecting us to go after him and his wife since news spread of their marriage. We have the upper hand with the knowledge that the mudblood is pregnant. The longer we make them wait, the more nervous they shall become. When she is further along she will be less able to protect herself, and that is when we will take her to lure out Potter. Until then, make sure your son keeps an eye on them both!" Lucius bowed his way out of the room while Voldemort sat in his seat again. 'I will beat you at your own game' thought Voldemort. 'If that child is allowed to be born, it could fulfill the prophecy if Potter doesn't and that is NOT going to happen!'

Harry and Hermione continued with their classes and homework, unaware that Draco knew their secret, was following them and reporting everything back to Lucius for Voldemort. Hermione was starting to show now, but it was just a little bulge. To hear her talk of it, she was as big as a mountain! Harry refrained from rolling his eyes lest she catch him, bringing on another lecture about how he had the easy part in it all. He was starting to wonder if he was really the lucky one or not. It seemed to him that their relationship had become a little one sided-he always sought her out, he was the one to hug or kiss her first, and he was the one giving all the attention. He knew she was busy, but they WERE married now. Ever since the night after the quidditch match against Slytherin, Hermione had become...needy. The strong, independant girl he fell in love with was now clingy and insecure. She seemed to bury herself more in her homework now so she wouldn't have to talk to him, and she never wanted to be out in the common room with the other students. She spent all her time in their room, and she expected him to always be in there with her. He walked into their room after his last quidditch practice before the holidays to find her once again at her desk doing class work. When he sighed rather loudly at the sight, Hermione looked up from her book to shoot him a nasty look.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to read" she said in a rather snide tone.

"As a matter of fact I DO mind" he said rather loudly, finally fed up. "All you ever do anymore is class work, or you're in the library reading. What about our friends Hermione, what about me; what about US?"

"What about US?" she asked, getting up to stand in front of him. "What, am I not paying enough attention to the boy wonder?" A shocked look crossed Harry's face, soon to be replaced with one of anger. Hermione's eyes went wide in fear for a moment, then her haughty demeanor was back. "All you seem to do is paw at me and try to take my attention away from the work I need to do."

"You know what? I'm sick of this. I have put you first in front of everything and really not asked for anything in return. I've been here when you've been sick, I hold you when you cry for NO REASON and I put up with being ignored by you all the time! When I try to talk to you, you give me one or two word responses and go on your merry way! And don't even get me started on your mood swings..."Harry's voice had continued to rise and his face had taken on a reddish color the more he talked. Hermione stood there with her mouth open in disbelief during his ranting, then she snapped.

"Who the bloody hell do you think you are?" she yelled, pushing against his chest and causing him to stumble back. "I'm the one trying to keep up my grades, I'm the one who has to put up with your incessant whining and I'm the one carrying this baby!"

"Yeah, I know you're bloody Mother Theresa!" he yelled back, causing her to slap him hard across the face. He took a step towards her and stopped himself, balling his fists at his side. "I've had it! I've stood by you and tried to be a husband, even though I have no idea what that entails. You've continued to ignore me and make me feel bloody useless. Since you obviously don't need me around, I'll leave!" Hermione stared in shock at his words while he turned on his heel and slammed out of their room. He stalked across the common room towards the portrait, ignoring all the whispers directed his way. Ron noted his expression and quickly got off of the couch stopping him.

"Harry, what's going on?" he asked. He took a step back at the angry glare Harry shot him and he could see just how tense his body was. "Hey Mate, tell ya what, why don't we go to the room of requirement and hang out for a while like we did the night before your wedding?" At the mention of his wedding, if it was possible, Harry's body tensed even more. They both turned when they heard the door to Harry and Hermione's room open and saw a tearful Hermione poke her head out.

"Harry..." she started, but before she could continue Harry grabbed Ron's arm and said "Fuck it! Let's go" practically dragging him out of the common room.

They ended up in the room of requirement with the same Leaky Cauldron backdrop again. The only difference this time is that the room had given them alcoholic butterbeer, more than likely based on Harry's mood. They were sitting at a table sipping their drinks and Ron was waiting for Harry to open up about what happened. They sat in companionable silence for quite a while when Harry said "I don't know if I can do this Ron."

Ron looked up surprised and asked "Do what?"

"Marriage. I should have known that it wouldn't work with us being so young" Harry said, then took a huge gulp of the butterbeer. It looked to Ron as if the drink was loosening Harry's tongue.

"What's going on with you guys Harry? You two don't seem very happy anymore" Ron asked.

"Happy? I don't think I remember what that is anymore. I've always wanted a family of my own. Of course I never thought I'd have one this fast. And now it seems like whatever I do is wrong" Harry replied, sounding miserable. "I try to give Hermione attention, affection and love. If I walk into our room, she just ignores me and keeps on doing whatever it is she's doing. When we go to bed at night" Ron looked a little uncomfortable here "she faces away from me and goes right to sleep. We used to be so close, and now if I try to talk to her she throws it in my face that she's the one who has to go through everything. She's the one carrying the baby, she's the one who's always sick because of it. It's my fault her stomach is as big as a watermelon..." Harry trailed off to look up and find Ron with a smile on his face.

"Big as a watermelon, huh?" he asked.

"According to her, yeah. It's all my fault none of her clothes fit anymore. If I remember correctly, she didn't have any complaints while we were having the sex that caused that problem!" Ron winced and looked away, not really wanting to think on that. "I can't stand being around her anymore Ron" Harry said quietly, playing with the label on his bottle "and it scares me."

Ron snapped his attention back to Harry's face and realized just how miserable he looked. He really couldn't remember the last time he heard Harry laugh, or Hermione for that matter. It scared him a little to think of his best friends being so miserable together. "Have you tried to tell her that?" he asked and looked up to see an incredulous look on Harry's face. "Right, sorry. I take it she doesn't take you seriously?"

"No, she acts like I'm nuts and shrugs it off. I've tried to work this out. It's as if she doesn't want it to work sometimes" Harry said.

"What are you going to do when the two of you go to her parents' house for Christmas? Isn't that going to be awkward?" Ron asked.

"Maybe it would be best if I didn't go with her. Maybe some time alone with them would help her relax and have some fun. I could stay here at the castle like I usually do" Harry replied.

"I'd hate to be you when you tell Hermione you're staying here instead of spending Christmas with her" said Ron cringing at the thought of an angry Hermione.

"Who knows, she might be happy at the idea. The way she's been treating me, she might be happy without me, period." Harry finished up his third butterbeer and stood up, wobbling a little. "I need to get some sleep. We should get back" he said while walking unsteadily to the door. Ron walked up beside him and slung Harry's arm around his shoulders, helping him back to the common room. When they got back, the room was empty except for Hermione. She looked up when they walked in and stood up quickly. She rushed over to them thinking something had happened, then realized Harry was drunk.

"He's drunk!" she said angrily. "What have you two been doing? You know he's too young to..." she stopped at the angry look Ron was giving her.

"Knock off the nagging for two minutes, would you Hermione? From what he's told me, you drove him to drink. I don't know what is going on with you two, but it's evident how miserable you both are. I know it's none of my business, but you two are my best friends and I hate to see you unhappy like this. Leave him be until morning and talk to him, would you?" Ron started to walk Harry over to his room when Harry mumbled "the couch."

"What?" Ron asked, confused.

"I want to sleep on the couch tonight" said Harry, gesturing toward it. Ron walked him over to it and sat him down.

"What do you think you're doing Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry looked at her angrily and said "I'm sleeping here tonight. Might do us both some good, eh?" Hermione shook her head in disbelief as tears sprung to her eyes. "Do what you want Harry" she said shakily, then went back to their room, slamming the door. Ron took that as his cue and said "Night Harry. Hopefully things look better in the morning" then made his way up to his room.

"I doubt it" Harry said as he lay down, instantly falling asleep.

After their falling out, Harry and Hermione stayed away from each other as much as possible. Harry would go to their room when he knew she would be asleep and he would sleep on the couch. In the morning when he woke up she was already up and out of the room. As the tension between them grew, so did the tension among the Gryffindors. No one could understand what happened to the golden couple, and if someone was brave enough to ask, they only asked once. Hermione buried herself even more into books and spent more time in the library and Harry had started training in the room of requirement every night. Ron was completely torn between the two of them. He was worried about Hermione because of what the stress could do to her, and he felt bad for Harry because he knew he was hurting. He never saw either of them smile anymore and they hardly talked to anyone but him (separately of course!) One day it got to be too much for Ron and he went to see Professor Dumbledore. After finding out the password from Professor McGonagall, he rode the winding stairs up to the office and knocked on the door. When prompted by Dumbledore, he walked into his office and sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Well, Mr. Weasley, what may I ask brings you here today?" Dumbledore asked with the usual twinkle in his eyes.

"I'm here to talk to you about Harry and Hermione Sir" said Ron uncomfortably. "There's been some, uh, trouble."

"Trouble?" Dumbledore repeated as a concerned look passed over his face and just as quickly as it came, disappeared.

"Um, yes sir. You see, they had a big fight a couple of weeks ago and they aren't talking to each other. They are both miserable and I don't know what to do to help them" Ron explained.

"Oh? I've heard grumblings from some Gryffindors about arguments and slamming doors but I had no idea what they were talking about. I take it that it pertains to them?" When Ron nodded, Dumbledore asked "What exactly concerns you about them Mr. Weasley?"

"The fact that they aren't getting along is what concerns me. Harry has a lot to worry about, and being distracted by Hermione should not be one of them. And Hermione does not need to be stressed out like she is. That can not be good for her or the baby. And truthfully, I miss my friends; they just aren't the same Harry and Hermione I know and love Sir."

Dumbledore sat in thoughtful silence for a couple of minutes, and then said "Thank you for bringing this to my attention Mr. Weasley. I think I have a solution, but I need to check on something first. If my idea works out, I will let you know and you can help me. Does this sound ok?"

"Yes Sir, just so long as it's soon. I don't know how much more I can take of this, let alone everyone else in Gryffindor Tower."

After two days of the same behavior, Ron was called into Dumbledore's office. When he walked in, he was surprised to see not only Remus standing there, but also Hermione's parents.

"Hello Ron" said Remus.

"Uh, hi!" he said, still shocked.

"Mr. Weasley, I think I have found the help we need. Do you think you can get Harry and Hermione into their quarters together?" Dumbledore asked.

"I will try, but I can't guarantee anything" said Ron. "Am I allowed to tell them you're here?" he asked, looking at the three adults in front of him.

"If it will help you get them there" said Remus smiling.

Ron headed off to the library first while Remus took Hermione's parents to their room. Ron found her sitting at her favorite table, reading a huge book. "Hi Hermione" he said pleasantly.

"Hullo" said Hermione unenthusiastically, not even looking up from the book.

"Um, you need to go to your room Hermione" Ron said, smacking himself mentally at his lame statement. When Hermione looked at him questioningly, he said "your parents just got here. They said they needed to speak with you, so I let them into your room to wait."

Hermione looked worried for a second, and then said "thanks Ron. I appreciate it" and left. 'One down, one to go' he thought, heading for the room of requirement.

Ron found Harry in the RoR and waited for him to finish his training simulation. He was impressed at how hard he was working, but it didn't look like his heart was in it. He walked over to Ron, looking exhausted and sweaty, and asked "what are you doing here Ron?"

"I just saw Remus in our common room. He said he needed to talk to you, so I let him into your room and said I would come get you." When Harry looked apprehensive for a minute, Ron sadly said "don't worry Harry, she's not there."

Harry's head snapped up as he looked at Ron, then shrugging it off made his way back to his room with Ron in tow. When they walked into the common room, Ron noticed no one was around which was good. It meant that everyone was already in their private room. As Harry said the password and walked in, Ron made sure to go in right behind him to block the door. When Harry saw the group sitting in his room, he immediately turned around to go right back out. When he saw Ron guarding the door, he gave him a look that could have killed and whipped back around.

"What are you all doing here?" Harry asked rudely.

Hermione continued to stare at the floor as Remus stepped up to Harry and said "we were told you and Hermione might need our help." When Harry and Hermione heard this, they immediately turned their angry glares at Ron, who just shrugged it off.

"I'm tired of you two moping around all day long. You are both miserable, and even though you don't see it, you're making everyone around you miserable too" Ron explained. "I'm going to go so you all can discuss this privately. Please try and work things out" and Ron simply turned and left the room.

"So who wants to start" Remus asked, waving his wand and conjuring another small couch across from the one Hermione and her parents were sitting on. "Neither one of you?" getting no response whatsoever, Remus quietly asked "are the two of you sorry you married?"

They both looked at him, surprised by his question. "Why do you look surprised?" he asked "you two act as if you hate each other; it is a fair question."

"I don't hate Harry" Hermione said so quietly they barely heard her. Without looking up, she said "I don't know how to act around him anymore. I feel like I don't know him anymore." Her Mum wrapped her in a hug as she started to cry and her Dad looked angrily at Harry.

"Is this how you take care of her?" he almost yelled, standing up and advancing on him. "You promised to take care of our little girl, and here she is stressed and hurting because of YOU!" Robert grabbed Harry by the front of his shirt, his face right in front of Harry's.

"I know what I promised" mumbled Harry, not looking at him.

"And? Why are you fighting with my daughter?!" asked her Dad, shaking Harry as he spoke.

"Let me go" Harry growled out quietly.

"What? No, not until you answer my questions!" her Dad yelled in his face.

"Robert..." said her Mum. "Daddy..." said Hermione, trying to calm him down. Remus got up from his seat, and just as he started to make his way over to them he heard a growl emit from Harry.

"I SAID let Go of ME!!" As he said this, Harry's eyes flared to life, the flame inside of him coming alive with his anger. Hermione's Dad saw this and immediately let him go. It was Harry's turn to advance on him, and getting right in his face, said "Mind your own business!" As he yelled this, the door behind him burst into flames, burning it to ashes in mere seconds. Harry turned and stormed out of the room, Ron sitting in the common room with a look of sheer awe and alarm on his face.

"HARRY!" Hermione called, running after him. Harry stormed out the portrait hole, and before she could follow her Dad grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Let me go! I need to find him and calm him down before he hurts himself or someone else!"

"What if he hurts you? That boy is out of control!" her Dad said, trying to drag her back into the room.

"Daddy!" she cried, wrenching her arm away from him. He turned to look at her and said "I've been horrible to Harry. This is mainly my fault, I just haven't been able to find a way to tell him how sorry I am. I've been a total horror to him when he was only trying to take care of me." By this time she was crying and her Mum came to hug and comfort her once more. When she calmed down, she looked at Ron and asked "do you know where he went?"

"Yeah, the Room of Requirement" he said, with a small smile on his face.

"Thanks. I'll be back after I find him and fix this mess." She turned away from the group and made her way out the portrait hole to find Harry.

Harry had stormed down to the RoR, and once inside saw exactly what he needed. The room had set up a replica of Diagon Alley, and after the door closed behind him a death eater jumped out of an alley to the right of him. "Flammo Maximus!" he yelled, and immediately the death eater was consumed in flames. Another one came out behind him, and thrusting his arm out and turning quickly, yelled "cremo per grandis!" and he also became a ball of fire. Harry continued to do this, exercising all of the rage he felt inside of himself. Mr. Granger's words kept echoing in his head and he could feel the guilt consume him.

Meanwhile, Hermione made her way to the door of the room. She had been going over everything in her head and couldn't believe how much things had gotten out of control. She felt guilty about the way she treated Harry; he had gone above and beyond for her and how did she thank him? By acting like an ungrateful little brat who didn't care if she hurt his feelings. She saw the door up ahead, and walked up, grabbing the handle.

Harry was being swarmed by death eaters; the room was really challenging him this time. He must have wanted an outlet for the anger that was building inside of him. He was going in circles, firing off fire-darts and fireballs at anything that sprung out at him. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned and hurled a huge fireball at the blur only to see..."HERMIONE!!"

Hermione's head jerked up as he screamed her name, and her eyes widened in fear as she saw the fireball coming at her. She threw her arms in front of her face in a feeble attempt at protecting herself. She screwed her eyes shut and bent her body down in a protective stance.

As Harry watched in horror, the fireball was just about to hit her dead center in the chest when all of a sudden, a blue halo of light surrounded her ntire body. The fireball bounced harmlessly off of the blue shield and dissipated quickly. Harry watched dumbstruck as the shield held for a minute, then disappeared leaving a cowering Hermione in front of him. "What the HELL just happened?!"

18. Family Matters

Just a quick note to say thanks to all of you who have left such great reviews! I really appreciate them! I just wanted to say that to me this chapter is not up to par with the others, but I am my worst critic. It was necessary to make a transition to the next part of the story, so I'm sorry if it seems a little boring. I'm working towards the end, and I promise it will be worth it! Oh, and the protective shield in the last chapter was inspired by the show Charmed.

Harry watched in horror as Hermione's body crumpled onto the floor. He ran over to where she was and gathered her in his arms. As he did this, a couch materialized next to him. He picked her up and laid her down on it while sitting next to her. Her face was white as a sheet, but otherwise she seemed to be ok.

"Hermione" he said, putting his hand on her cheek. "Can you hear me?" Harry was starting to get worried. He had never seen anything like that before. Hermione started to stir, pulling Harry's attention back to her.

"Harry?" she asked, looking disoriented.

"yeah, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm really tired. What happened?" she asked, looking around the room.

"Why don't we get you checked by Madam Pomfrey and then we'll talk about what happened?" Harry asked. He didn't like how white her face was right now.

"NO!" she yelled, startling him. He looked at her confused, and she was glaring at him. "I don't want to go back to that bloody hospital ward! I'm FINE!"

"I'm just worried about you and the baby Hermione" he said quietly, standing up and walking a little ways away from her.

"Oh Merlin" said Hermione. She had seen the flash of hurt cross Harry's face and couldn't believe what she had just said. Slowly getting up from the couch, she cautiously walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. He didn't look at her and she felt his body stiffen at her touch. She closed her eyes, willing away the tears that were threatening to spill out of her eyes. "I am so sorry Harry. I have been a royal wench lately and I have been so horrible to you" she said, her voice breaking. "Why do you put up with me?"

Harry slowly turned around and looked at her. He didn't make any motion towards her, he just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. "Why do you think Hermione? Do you think I lied to you every time I told you I love you?" She could hear the anger in his voice and she could see him fighting it to stay calm. "I-love-you. Do I need to say it after every sentence?" Frustrated, Harry ran a hand through his hair and said "Look, let's just get you back to our room and you can lay down there, ok? If you start to feel worse I'll see if I can get Madam Pomfrey to come check you out."

She didn't know what hurt worse; the way he talked to her or the fact that he didn't touch her at all. She didn't know why, but all of a sudden she just wanted him to wrap her in his arms and hold her there. The look in his eyes saddened her. His eyes were always so alive; emerald pools that shone like the sun when he was happy. She hadn't seen them do that for a while now. She was startled from her thoughts when he swept her up in his arms and started for the door, not once looking at her.

They walked through the portrait hole into the common room, and thankfully the only people there were Ron, Remus and Hermione's parents. When her Dad got up and started towards them, Harry stopped dead in his tracks.

"If you come near us, you may not live to see your grandchild" growled Harry, his eyes flashing again at her father.

"Why you..."her father started to say when her Mum grabbed his arm and tugged at him to sit back down.

"Harry?" Remus said quietly so as not to startle him. Harry looked at him surprised; he hadn't even noticed Remus walking over to him. "Is everything ok?"

"Not really. Something happened in the Room of Requirement. Can we go in our room and talk about it?" Harry asked him quietly. When Remus nodded, Harry started to make his way to their room. He noticed the four get up to follow, and he turned suddenly. "Mr. Granger" he said in disgust "this doesn't concern you at all. I will take care of MY wife; if she wants her Mum there that's fine. But you are not welcome in our quarters anymore."

Everyone in the room looked stunned; they had never heard Harry talk so insolently to anyone before. Hermione's Dad stood there glaring daggers at his back as he said the password and went into their room. Her Mum gave him a stern look and told him to stay put and then she followed Ron and Remus in.

Harry walked over to their bed and gently lay Hermione down on it. He looked at Ron and asked "would you go get Dumbledore and Pomfrey for me please. Hermione didn't want to go to the Hospital Ward, so I brought her back here. I'll wait and explain everything until you get back." Ron nodded and headed back out the door. He sat down next to Hermione on the bed and grabbed her hand. She looked at him, surprised at the affectionate gesture as he said "I'm sorry for the way I've acted through all of this. I think it would be best for us to try and forgive each other so we can move ahead. I don't like fighting with you."

"I don't like fighting with you either Harry. I don't know what is going on with me; I know Madam Pomfrey said that pregnancy hormones are a big factor, but I don't like myself right now. I still have no idea why I've acted the way I have and said the things I've said to you" said Hermione, trying to explain to him what she had been going through.

"It's ok Love. You put up with my temper tantrums and mood swings the summer before fifth year and even during the school year. It's only fair that I stick by you through your rough times too." Harry looked up when he heard the door open and saw Ron almost pushing Dumbledore into the room with Madam Pomfrey in tow. He could hear Mr. Granger yelling something as the door slammed shut behind them.

Once inside, Dumbledore looked at them all and said "Mr. Weasley, do you care to explain why we just ran through the common room while Mr. Granger was yelling at me and looked ready to explode?" Ron looked slightly embarrassed, and Madam Pomfrey was grumbling under her breath. She noticed Hermione lying on the bed and went to examine her.

"I can explain" said Harry. "Mr. Granger and I got into a little tiff before" said Harry, while Ron muttered "Little?" under his breath. "I'm sure you know why they were here; well, our discussion got a little heated. Mr. Granger said some things to me that made me angry. I ended up setting the door on fire and incinerating it. As for why I asked you here, I had gone to the room of requirement to work off some anger; I was doing one of the Diagon Alley simulations. There were death eaters coming at me from all sides and I had thrown a fireball at one and that's when Hermione walked in. It was heading right for her." Harry heard Jane gasp at this, and continued. "She saw it coming at her and tried to shield herself with her hands." He looked directly at Dumbledore and said "Sir, just before she was hit a blue halo of light surrounded her. The fireball I had thrown bounced off of it and disappeared. After about a minute, the blue light went away and she collapsed onto the floor."

Dumbledore stood listening with rapt attention. When Harry was finished, the twinkle in his eyes seemed even brighter than before. "I've heard of this happening, but only once before. There was a Royal nun that was said to have conceived a child with an angel. She was attacked in her village one day because there was rumor among the villagers that the child she carried was in fact a demon. Just before one of the villagers struck her, a blue glow erupted from her stomach and engulfed her entire body. No one could get to her; anything thrown at her was rebounded back at the person who threw it."

Madam Pomfrey stopped examining Hermione and looked at Dumbledore "You don't mean..."

"Merlin. He protected his mother from the womb when he sensed she was in danger. After that day, they were convinced she was carrying a demon-child and cast her out of the village." Dumbledore looked at all the stunned faces around him, especially Harry. Hermione had an almost frightened look on her face. "Professor, just how powerful do you think our son will be?" she asked.

"There's really no way to tell, but from what we've seen already I'd say he's going to be very powerful. For all we know he may be in the same league as Merlin. If he were to inherit your intelligence and his father's courage and daring spirit, I'd say you are going to have your hands full." Dumbledore smiled at them and turned to Harry "is there anything I need to address between you and Mr. Granger?"

"No, I basically told him to stay away from us or he might not live to see his grandson" Harry said, not looking him directly in the eyes.

"Harry..." Dumbledore said, trying to hide the smile that threatened to show itself. He just shook his head and said "I will leave that for you to handle then. If there are any more new developments, let me know." As he started walking towards the door, he turned to them all and said "let us keep this news between us, alright? It would not do to have Voldemort learn of this new development." They all nodded their agreement and he left the room.

"Well Mrs. Potter" said Madam Pomfrey, drawing everyone's attention back to her and Hermione "you're magic levels are lower than they should be and the baby's has gone down too. You need to stay in bed and rest for a couple of days."

"What about classes?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sure I can get your work for you" Harry said. "You need to rest up. Not only for you, but for the baby too."

"Have you guys even come close to a name yet?" asked Ron. "I mean, you always refer to him as 'the baby' when you know it's a boy already."

Harry and Hermione looked at one another, then back at him. "We are still deciding" said Harry "I just kind of refer to him as 'the little guy' and Hermione seems fond of calling him 'pumpkin'."

Jane Granger looked at Hermione and said "I used to call you that when you were little." Hermione smiled and said "I remember; I guess that's why I call him that. I used to love to hear you call me pumpkin, it made me feel special."

"All I remember the Dursley's calling me was 'freak' and that word will never be mentioned around our son" Harry said very seriously.

Remus, who had been sitting on the couch observing the scene, said "your Dad used to call your Mum pumpkin." He laughed quietly to himself for a moment then said "Lily never seemed fond of the nickname, but she never came out and said it. One day I asked James why he called her that, and he said it was because sometimes when they sat in the common room the fire would reflect off of your mother's hair. He said it was an orange-ish color that reminded him of a pumpkin."

Harry smiled at him, thankful for yet another story about his parents. It seemed the only way he found out what kind of people they really were. "Well, I need to get the Granger's back to their home" said Remus, pulling out of his nostalgic mood.

"Mr. Lupin" said Mrs. Granger "do you have plans for Christmas?"

"Please call me Remus. No, no I don't have any plans. I just usually stay at Grimmauld Place with..." he was about to say Sirius, but then remembered he was no longer with them. With a stricken look on his face, he said "no, no plans this year."

Jane looked from Harry to Remus, noting their sad faces and said "why don't you come to our house on Christmas Eve? Harry is coming home with Hermione and we would love for you to come. You could spend the night and stay to have Christmas dinner with us?"

"If Mr. Granger doesn't kill me in my sleep first" said Harry, only half joking.

Remus smirked at him and said "I would love to Mrs. Granger"

"Please call me Jane" she said. "It'll be wonderful to have a full house for Christmas" she said happily.

"What about Daddy" asked Hermione "he's being so awful to Harry. Maybe we should just stay here at the castle."

"Over my dead body! Don't worry about your father, I'll take care of him. When I'm through with him, he'll be back to his sweet old self" said her Mum with a very determined look on her face.

"Well, we should be going" said Remus, gesturing towards the door. "I guess I will see you on Christmas Eve Harry."

"And I will pick you two up from the train station in one week" said Jane happily. "It's going to be such a wonderful Christmas!"

One week later, Harry and Hermione were loading their trunks into the boot of Mrs. Granger's car. Hermione was finally declared healthy by Madam Pomfrey and was cleared to travel on the train. Her Mum had hugged them both when she saw them and had told them that Robert had promised to be on his best behavior during their visit. They made the drive to the Granger's home, and Harry was in awe of their house. It was a beautiful two story house with stucco exterior and many windows. In one of the windows he could see a giant Christmas tree lit with colorful lights. They pulled into a two car garage and Harry got out, getting their trunks. They walked into the kitchen through a side door in the garage and Harry couldn't believe how elegant their house was. What surprised him the most was how at home he felt the minute he walked in. As they made their way through the dining room into the living room, they saw Mr. Granger sitting in a recliner watching TV. He looked up as they walked in and gave them a slight smile. He got up and walked over to Hermione, extending his arms out offering a hug. Hermione looked at him for a moment, then walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. After they separated, he turned toward Harry and hesitantly extended his hand out to him. Harry took the proffered hand and shook it hoping things would be civil between them for Hermione's sake. Smiling, Robert Granger broke their handshake and sat back down in his chair without saying a word. Slightly puzzled, Hermione motioned for Harry to follow her as she headed out to the foyer where the staircase was. Harry looked up as he walked to the staircase and marveled at what he saw. The foyer opened up to the upstairs balcony, the ceiling stretching well above that. Above the door there was a beautiful circular stained glass window that the last rays of daylight was shining through and throwing patches of color all around the upstairs. They went up to the second level and Hermione went to her old room.

"It's ok for Harry and I to stay in here, isn't it Mum?" asked Hermione.

"Sure it's ok. You two are married now, whether your father likes it or not. You have your own private quarters at school, so why shouldn't you share a room here?" her Mum replied. "Why don't you two get settled and come down for dinner. I put a stew on this morning and it should be just about done." She smiled at the couple and made her way back downstairs.

After putting their things away, Harry and Hermione went down for supper. The four of them sat at the table and just as they were starting to eat, Robert cleared his throat and said "I'd like to apologize to both of you for the way I acted last time I saw you. I guess I'm still overprotective of you Hermione, and when I saw how upset you were I put the blame on Harry for everything. I shouldn't have lost my temper like I did; it wasn't my place to meddle in your affairs. I was there to try to help the two of you and instead I made things worse."

"It's ok Daddy, I know how protective of me you've always been. But you need to accept that Harry and I are married now. We just went through a rough patch in our relationship, but things are getting better" she said, smiling at him and then looking expectantly at Harry.

"Mr. Granger, I want to apologize for the way I acted too. I was way out of line when I threatened you and I'm sorry" Harry said. Mr. Granger looked at him and said "apology accepted. Now let's enjoy the wonderful food your Mother made and start the holidays off right!"

They all agreed and dug in. They talked casually throughout dinner and spent time together the rest of the night. They all went to bed that night feeling like a great weight had been lifted off of their shoulders. The next couple of days were spent Christmas shopping, watching all of the holiday specials on TV and for the first time in Harry's life he made Christmas cookies with Jane and Hermione. He and Hermione were covered in flour and frosting afterward but they were having so much fun they didn't care. The two were getting their relationship back to where it had been before and were now slowly becoming closer. No matter what they were doing, they always seemed to be holding hands or touching in some way. Soon it was Christmas Eve and they were awaiting the arrival of Remus. He had owled them earlier that day to say that he would be hooking their fireplace up to the Floo network from five to six that night only and then it would reconnect Christmas Day between eight and nine at night. The four of them were sitting in the living room relaxing and watching TV about four that afternoon. Hermione was snuggled up against Harry as he was looking around at all the decorations, wishing all of his holidays had been like this. He was going to try his hardest to make sure his son's Christmas's were like this; maybe they could come to the Granger's home to celebrate or have them over to their house every year. He loved the idea of a big family holiday celebration.

"OH!" said Hermione suddenly, sitting upright and putting a hand to her stomach.

"What? What is it?" he asked worriedly as her parents gathered around them.

"He kicked!" she said with a huge smile and bright eyes.

"He did?" Harry asked, immediately putting his hand next to hers on her stomach. Looking relieved that it wasn't anything serious, her Dad went and sat back down in his chair.

"Is that the first time you've felt him kick" asked her Mum, looking happy and proud.

"Yeah; I've been feeling these weird little twinges that I thought might be him but I wasn't sure. I couldn't mistake that one, he definitely kicked. Maybe we'll have a footballer on our hands" said Hermione, smiling at Harry.

"Football? No, he's going to play quidditch. Maybe he'll be a seeker like me" he said with a thoughtful look on his face.

"I don't think so. It's bad enough watching you diving at the ground at breakneck speeds, I don't think I'd be able to watch our son do it too." She noticed the serious look on Harry's face and asked "what are you thinking about that's got you so serious?"

"I was just thinking how great it would be for our little guy to have a normal life like every other magical child, and not have to go through everything you and I have been through these past years" Harry said with a sad smile on his face.

"He will have a normal life because his Daddy is going to protect him and make sure he grows up without any threat from Voldemort or his followers. I know you're going to defeat him when the time comes and we can live the rest of our lives in peace" she said and leaned over, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

"I love you" he said, kissing her again. "And I love you" she responded, hugging him and enjoying the feel of being wrapped in his arms.

A short time later, the fireplace in the living room roared to life and out stumbled Lupin. After greeting him they all sat down to dinner and talked about anything and everything, enjoying each others company. After cleaning up the dishes they all went back into the living room and sat lounging. The fire was lit, Christmas carols were playing in the background and they all had mugs of hot chocolate. They all sat around in the comfortable silence, enjoying the music and relaxing. They all retired for the night, but Harry couldn't quit fall asleep. He was actually excited to be able to experience a real Christmas morning, the first one together with Hermione. His first real family Christmas, hopefully one of many.

19. Family Bonding, Potter Style

I know this chapter is short, but I didn't want to take it any further because the end is drawing near and this is as far as I wanted to go with this part of the story. Thank you for the encouraging reviews and I'm glad you like it so far!

The next morning, Christmas morning, Harry woke up before Hermione did. He laid there watching her sleep, not wanting to go downstairs without her. She mumbled something in her sleep that he couldn't understand and rolled over so that she was facing away from him. He slowly scooted closer to her, her back flush against his chest and he wrapped his arm around her waist. Resting his hand on her stomach, he lay back down and closed his eyes, hoping to go back to sleep. Laying there comfortably, he suddenly felt a quick poke under his hand and his eyes shot open. A huge smile spread across his face as he realized he just felt his son kick. He left his hand where it was, hoping to feel it again. Suddenly, he felt a surge of magical energy shoot from his hand up his arm and he could feel the flame inside of him spark to life while his scar tingled. He felt Hermione's stomach become very warm, and the palm of his hand became warm with it. He looked at Hermione's stomach and he could see a faint reddish glow emanating from it.

Hermione's eyes popped open, her body suddenly very warm. She could feel Harry laying behind her, and when she looked down she gasped in surprise. "Harry, what's going on?" she asked, fear in her voice.

"I don't know; is it hurting you at all?" he asked, still watching the faint glow which was now pulsating.

"No; I'm becoming very warm though" she said. When he looked up at her face, her cheeks were flushed and there was a light sheen of sweat on her brow. They both felt the baby kick again, and then the glow dissipated, along with the warmth they both felt. Hermione looked at him quickly and asked "do you think he's ok?"

"Yeah, I think when I put my hand on your stomach the fire in me made a connection with the baby. That was the strangest thing I have ever felt; cool, but strange" said Harry smiling. "I guess I'm bonding with him already."

The flush was very faint on Hermione's cheeks now and Harry could feel the skin on her stomach cool down. She felt a slight flutter as the baby moved, and she sighed in relief. "He's ok, he just moved" she said.

"Do you realize how magical he is going to be?" Harry asked with awe in his voice. "I wonder if I was this advanced when my Mum carried me?"

"I don't know, but with your power and my brains he has the potential to be a great wizard" said Hermione.

"If we raise him right and teach him" said Harry "which means I need to learn as much as I can about my fire ability so I can teach him to use it too." Harry leaned over and lay his head on her stomach "hi baby! I'm your daddy and I can't wait to meet you!" said Harry, talking to her stomach.

"Not anytime soon though" added Hermione, running her hand through Harry's hair. "Happy Christmas Harry" she said quietly.

"Happy Christmas Love" said Harry sitting up and kissing Hermione gently. Cupping her cheek with his hand he said "I could get used to mornings like this, it's kind of nice."

"Yes it is, but if it's ok with you, I want to open presents!" Harry laughed as she got up and put her robe on over her nightgown. He got up also and pulled a t-shirt on with his pajama pants. "Let's go open our presents!" he said and followed her out the bedroom door.

Hermione beat Harry downstairs and immediately made her way to the tree. She grabbed a present and thrust it into Harry's hands. He had torn into it and saw that she had gotten him a framed photo of them dancing at their wedding. When he pushed a button the was in the top right hand corner of the frame, it played the same song they danced to in the Room of Requirement. She had gotten their names and the date of the wedding inscribed onto the bottom of the frame. It was a magical photo that Colin Creevey had taken for them, and Harry pushed the button and watched as the two of them danced to the music in the picture.

Hermione was hard to buy for; after the extravagant jewelry she had gotten for her birthday Harry had no idea what else to get her. He was browsing through a muggle bookstore while they were Christmas shopping and found a signed first edition of Alice In Wonderland. He thought with her love of books, she would love to have that one. For laughs, he also picked up a baby name book that had over five thousand names in it. He watched as she opened the present and saw the books. Her eyes lit up when she saw the first edition; when she saw what the second book was she laughed. "We should be able to agree on one of these names" she said, showing the book to her Mum.

The most touching gift came from Remus. It was for both of them; when they opened it they saw a bunch of baby clothes for their son.

"Thank-you so much Remus" said Hermione, leaning over to give him a quick hug.

"You're welcome. Those have a special significance by the way" he said, smiling bright eyed at them.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry, confused.

"They were yours Harry" Lupin said. "I found them in your Mum and Dad's vault. When Sirius died, I was next in line to keep the key until you were of age. When I heard your news, I went looking for them so I could give them to you today. All it took was a good 'scourgify' spell and they were as good as new!" After explaining all of this, he handed Harry a key and said "that's the vault key. It was overlooked when the will was read, then when I opened a letter that Sirius had left for me, it was in it."

"Oh Harry, you wore these when you were a baby!" said Hermione, looking at every little outfit that was in the box. When she looked at Harry, he had a sad look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I always miss them the most around Christmas time. Seeing my old clothes just re-enforces the fact that they're not around to see their first grandson born" said Harry, picking up one of the outfits and looking at how small it was. "It is kind of neat that he'll wear the same clothes I did."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for my present to put a damper on the festivities" said Lupin. "I know your parents would want you to have them; since their not here to pass them on, I did it for them."

"No, Remus, there's nothing to be sorry about. This is great and you're right, they probably would have given them to us it they were still here. Thanks for going to all the trouble" said Harry, smiling at him. "Was I really this small?"

"You were a little baby, but you were always well behaved" replied Remus.

They spent the rest of the day opening presents, snacking, playing games and eating a huge Christmas dinner. The day seemed to fly by and soon it was time for Remus to leave. Harry was glad he spent the holiday with them; Remus was becoming more and more like a father to Harry. Of course he would never replace his biological father or Sirius, but Remus was here for him now when he needed him the most. Remus knew nothing of marriage or babies, but he was willing to support Harry and help in any way that he could. He was fond of Hermione also and knew that she would stand by Harry no matter what plus keep him in line. Harry had confided in Remus what had happened that morning with him and the baby; he listened as Harry told him about the glow around Hermione's stomach and about the surge of magic he felt when he put his hand there. Remus was to meet with Dumbledore the next day, and he said he would inform the Headmaster of the incident. Lupin thought maybe he would have some idea of what transpired. He told Harry he would owl him with any news. They had said their goodbyes and Remus was gone once again.

After Christmas Day, the days seemed to fly by without any more incidents. Harry and Hermione enjoyed their time together and spent time with her parents, mending fences. Before they knew it, it was the night before they had to go back to Hogwarts. Harry hadn't heard from Remus since Christmas Day, so he figured what had happened was nothing to be worried about. He and Hermione were upstairs packing their trunks so they would be ready to go in the morning. Harry was putting his clothes in his trunk when he heard a tapping on their bedroom window. Harry opened it and in flew Hedwig. "Hey girl! What are you doing here?" he asked, then noticed the note tied to her leg. Carefully untying it, he unrolled it as Hedwig perched on the back of the chair that was in their room. "Harry and Hermione" he read out loud "after dinner tomorrow night you need to go see Dumbledore in his office. He needs to speak with you about what happened Christmas Day; there has been a development. ~Remus~"

Hermione looked at Harry and asked "do you think it's anything serious?"

"No, if it was I'm sure we would have heard from Dumbledore himself before this" said Harry, trying to reassure her and himself at the same time.

They met up with Ron and Ginny on the Hogwarts Express and talked about their holidays. Hermione fell asleep halfway through the trip, so Ron set up his Wizards Chess board and challenged Harry to a game. Soon they were making their way off of the train and into the Thestral drawn carriages. They made their way to the Great Hall for dinner and Harry kept wondering what their meeting with Dumbledore was all about. When dinner was done, Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and told Ron they would see him later. They walked up to the stone gargoyle and Harry said the password. When it moved aside, they stepped onto the winding stairs and rode them to the office door. When Harry knocked, Dumbledore immediately told them to come in. When they walked in, they saw Remus standing there with Dumbledore and...Snape? Harry looked at Remus questioningly, but turned his attention to the Headmaster when he told them to take a seat. He was getting a bad feeling, seeing Snape in the room.

"Well Harry, Hermione I know you're wondering why I asked the two of you here tonight. When I was informed of what happened on Christmas morning, at first it didn't seem like anything too significant. Obviously, you are connected to your son through the fire magic you both possess. But then Professor Snape came to me that night with some surprising information. Now Harry, when you had your hand on your wife's stomach what exactly happened?" Dumbledore asked.

Looking confused, Harry explained "my palm and her stomach started growing really warm right after the baby kicked; it was the first time I had felt him do that. I could feel it all the way up my arm and I felt my scar tingle. Then all of a sudden there was a reddish glow all around her stomach and my hand." Harry saw the three adults in the room exchange a significant look and continued "Hermione woke up and said her body was really warm. The baby kicked again and it just seemed to break whatever connection we had. We knew he was ok because a few minutes after it had stopped, Hermione felt him move. Has something happened Sir?"

Snape stepped up with his ever present animosity and said "yes, Potter something happened. About the same time you say this happened, Voldemort was in his private chambers. Two death eaters outside his door heard him scream and when they ran into the room he was curled into a ball on the floor, unconscious. I haven't been able to revive him yet."

Harry and Hermione were shocked to say the least. "Do you mean when I felt my scar tingle, something happened through the connection I have to Voldemort that caused this?" asked Harry.

"Yes Harry that is what we believe. He could have been trying to tap into your mind at the exact time that this happened and with your fire magic combined with the baby's, it somehow affected him. We are not sure; what we are sure of is that he knows of your impending fatherhood" Dumbledore said, with a grim look on his face.

Harry looked from him to Remus and then settled his gaze on Snape. "And how did he find out?" he asked, trying to keep the accusing tone out of his voice.

"What are you implying Potter, that I told him?" sneered Snape condescendingly. "I have better things to do. It was announced at our meeting the night before the...attack on him. Supposedly Draco overhead two teachers discussing your situation in the hall and reported it to his father."

Harry looked at Dumbledore, who was sitting behind his desk with his hands steepled together. "Of course Lucius ran to his 'Master' with that bit of information" said Harry angrily. "I bet he was highly rewarded for it too."

"We don't know" said Remus sympathetically "since their 'Master' is out of commission right now, there hasn't been any activity. Merlin knows they can't think for themselves; Voldemort's like their puppet master." Snape shot a very nasty look at Remus at this comment, but Remus just ignored him.

"Hermione" said Dumbledore, averting their attention back to him "were there any adverse effects on you after this event took place Christmas morning? Were you in any pain?"

"No Sir, everything has been the same since it happened. I've been feeling fine and I've felt the baby move twice since then" answered Hermione.

"We may want to try to find some book on fire magic. I doubt there are many at all, but any information would be helpful right now" said Dumbledore. "Hermione, since you can't do any of the practical work in classes why don't you use that time to go to the library to do the research? As for Voldemort, I fear all we can do for now is wait to see if or when he recovers."

"You will keep us informed, won't you Sir?" asked Harry.

"Yes Harry, I learned my lesson after last year's events. I will notify you when I receive any new information. You should return to your quarters so you can get some sleep. Classes resume tomorrow, and I wouldn't want you nodding off in the middle of your lessons" joked Dumbledore, trying to lighten the mood a little.

Snape just grunted at this and Remus chuckled. Harry and Hermione smiled and nodded while getting up out of their seats. Making their way to the door, they said their goodbyes to Remus and asked him to come see them again soon. They made their way back down the staircase and as they were walking down the hall Hermione asked "what do you make of all this Harry?"

"I don't know what to think right now. One thing is for sure" Harry said, stopping and looking at her with a very serious look on his face "when Voldemort wakes up, I guarantee you the first thing he will do is come after you and the baby."

"Well then, we'll just have to be ready for him" Hermione said, squeezing his hand in reassurance as they made their way back to the Gryffindor common room.

20. The Beginning Of The End

After Christmas break, time seemed to pass quickly for Harry and Hermione. Hermione spent most of her days in the library, searching for any information on the fire ability Harry and her unborn son possessed. Harry spent his days in his classes and his nights were divided between quidditch practice and fire magic training with Dumbledore. He was mastering his ability thanks to the tutoring Dumbledore was giving him now. He was mastering all the fire spells and because of that he was also mastering wandless magic. To Harry it felt like his entire magical potential was opened up to him the day he discovered his fire ability. He dueled with Dumbledore after every training session, without his wand, and had actually won a duel against the Headmaster once. Dumbledore seemed just as surprised as he was when he cast the spell that disarmed him. All Dumbledore could say was "well done, Harry, well done" with that twinkle in his eyes and a small smile gracing his face.

Harry and Hermione had promised to spend at least one hour alone together each day after their classes were done. Even if that meant they lay in bed together while Hermione read 'Hogwarts: A History' out loud to the baby. She had explained to Harry that the baby could hear their voices and that it was good for his mental development to read to him. Hermione's Mum, being a muggle, had sent her a bottle of cocoa butter to help prevent stretch marks. Even though she didn't have to use it, Hermione had started putting it on at night before going to bed, finding it soothing and relaxing. One night, Harry had volunteered to do it for her and found it quite enjoyable. So he continued to do it every night, finding that it relaxed him also. He also found that the further along she got in her pregnancy, the more the baby moved under his hands as he rubbed the lotion into her skin. One night, they decided that while Hermione read to him, Harry would put the lotion on at the same time. They had both had a rough day and they both needed to relax that night. Harry performed the usual ritual; he'd put the lotion in his hands to warm it up first and then using circular patterns, rubbed it into her skin. Right after he had started, he felt the baby push his head (or his butt, he wasn't sure) up almost into the palm of his hand. Harry laughed as he looked down and saw how uneven Hermione's stomach was. As he started the message again, he noticed a faint reddish glow once again surround Hermione's stomach.

"Hermione, look" said Harry, interrupting her reading.

"What?" she asked, lowering her book. When she saw the glow, her eyes grew wide. Harry kept rubbing her stomach to see what would happen. The baby moved, almost following his hand in its movements. The warmth spread from his palm up his arm again and the flame sparked to life. As he continued his ministrations, he watched as Hermione's cheeks became flushed again. "That is the strangest feeling I've ever had" said Hermione "it feels like he's swimming around in my stomach. I'm not as warm as I was the first time it happened either."

"It's not as intense as the first time it happened" said Harry, still rubbing the tight skin on her stomach. "I swear he knows what he's doing. Every time I move my hand, it feels like he moves so his head is directly under my hand." Hermione placed her hand on her stomach along with Harry's and suddenly the glow grew and surrounded both Harry and Hermione. It grew brighter for a little while as both he and Hermione messaged her belly until he felt the flame in him go out and the baby's movements became slower. The glow faded out completely as Harry felt him stop all together and they stopped rubbing. Hermione suddenly felt exhausted and had started to drift off to sleep when she felt a strange surge of heat travel through her body. She opened her eyes and said "Harry..." but never finished what she was going to say because she yelled out in pain. Harry looked at her, concerned by her yell. She grabbed her left hand with her right and gritted her teeth in pain. When she opened her hand, a small single flame stood dancing in her palm. "Harry, what's happening?"

"I don't know for sure, but it looks like your body is drawing magic from the baby. Maybe whatever we did overwhelmed your body with the magical energy again, but this time it created an outlet" said Harry. He took her hand in his and closed her hand around the flame, squelching it. After opening her hand back up again, Harry examined it and found that there was no evidence of the flame ever being there. "I'll tell Dumbledore what happened tomorrow during our training session. Have you found anything in the library yet that could help us?"

"No" said Hermione, sounding defeated which was very unusual for her "I swear I've looked through every book in there but it is beginning to seem futile."

"Don't give up Love" said Harry, noticing how tired she looked. "Let's get some sleep" he said, getting up and pulling the covers over her. By the time he had changed into his sleep pants, she was already sound asleep.

In Harry's training session the following day, he had told Dumbledore everything that had happened and Dumbledore didn't seem to have the same idea that Harry had; Hermione had channeled the baby's fire magic. Hermione continued to browse through all the books in the library without any luck. The days passed away into months and soon they found May upon them. Spring had blossomed and so had Hermione. Harry had to stop himself from commenting on how big she had gotten lately. It actually looked like she was carrying around a watermelon in her stomach. Of course by now the students realized she was pregnant. One day she had forgotten to put her robe on over her clothes when she went to dinner and had caused an uproar in the Great Hall. Harry was very proud of how she handled it; she held her head high and sat down next to him like nothing was out of the ordinary. Of course Malfoy had made some snide comments as Harry, Hermione and Ron walked out into the corridor after eating, but he was stupid enough to walk up to them without his cronies at his side. As soon as Ron and Harry had pulled their wands Malfoy had turned tail and ran.

Thankfully, everyone in Gryffindor Tower had already figured out Hermione's condition and had accepted it. Ginny had gotten all the girls together before a Hogsmeade weekend in April to plan a baby shower for her. They had all picked something up in town and on the second Saturday in May surprised Hermione in the common room. Every girl from first through seventh year was there, each baring a gift. They had decorated the common room with blue balloons decorated with white outlines of babies that crawled all around them as they floated around the room on their own, and a big banner over the fireplace that read 'Welcome Baby Boy Potter' since no one could find out what they were naming him. Their were blue streamers floating near the ceiling that weren't connected to anything and Ginny had a new product from Fred and George's shop-they looked like regular balloons that read 'Congratulations Harry and Hermione' but they would pop every ten seconds. Every time one would pop it would make a sound like a baby crying, cooing, gurgling or burping and also some of the more grotesque sounds a baby made.

There was a huge sheet cake on one of the tables that was decorated with little plastic storks walking all over the top of it holding babies in slings from their beaks and had the same saying as the banner did. They had also gotten Dobby to set up a huge lunch for them all so they wouldn't have to go to the Great Hall to eat. Hermione had followed Ginny downstairs, thinking they were going to lunch and saw how the common room was decorated. She looked at all the girls there, smiling at her and holding their prettily wrapped gifts. She couldn't help it, she started laughing and crying at the same time. Ginny wrapped her arm around her shoulders and guided her into the throng of girls. They spent the time eating, talking, playing games and opening presents. Hermione was touched at all the gifts the girls got for her; there were outfits, sleepers, blankets, booties and toys. There was a rattle that looked like the night sky and when you shook it all the stars bounced around while it made noise. There was also a little mobile that had quidditch players dressed in Gryffindor colors on brooms chasing a snitch around in circles while it played a lullaby. "Harry's going to love this" she said and laughed along with the rest of the girls.

She was so touched at everything they had done for her that day. "Thank you so much for all the lovely gifts and for giving me this shower. I know that you all had noticed my, um, impending condition and I want to thank you for not asking me questions about it. After all the snide comments I've heard from the other houses, you guys have proven how truly classy the girls of Gryffindor are!" They all cheered after Hermione said this, and one by one each girl walked up to her to give her a hug. Hermione usually wasn't much of a hugger, but after everything they'd done for her she couldn't deny them one hug each. After many offers to baby-sit and many questions about the baby's name, she had tried to help clean up only to be shooed out of the room. Laughing, she gathered all of the presents together and took them into her and Harry's room.

After eating lunch that day, the guys had gotten Harry to play a pick up game of quidditch out on the pitch. Ron had told him what Ginny had organized for Hermione and Harry agreed that he didn't want to be in the common room with all those girls acting all sappy over his son. He was glad to spend some time with Ron and the other guys from Gryffindor; truth be told, he'd been doing too many girly things lately. He didn't mind spending time with Hermione and helping her when she needed it, but she had asked him to brush her hair for her the other night. Doing that plus putting the lotion on her was just too...feminine for Harry. So of course he jumped at the chance to play in a testosterone filled quidditch game. Besides, after the baby was born, who knew when he'd get time with the guys again?

After playing quidditch and feeling like a man again, he went up to his quarters and saw Hermione with all the gifts she had gotten. He had had to sit on the bed and watch as Hermione took out every outfit and toy to show him. His favorite gift out of all of them was the quidditch mobile of course; he wanted his son to play quidditch like he did and planned to teach him how as soon as he was old enough no matter what Hermione said. She continued on, telling him who gave them what gift and it wouldn't have been so bad, but she used a cutesy voice when she talked that was very un-Hermione like. He was hoping it was just because she was pregnant that she had become like this and that she would go back to her normal, know-it-all self once the baby was born. She had been talking while these thoughts ran through his mind and his thinking was interrupted when she stomped her foot on the floor and said "Harry James Potter, are you even listening to me?"

"What? Oh, yeah I'm listening" he said sheepishly, not meeting her eyes. She gave him an evil glare and said "as I was saying, we'll need to go into Hogsmeade next weekend to find a bassinet for the baby and pick up a few extra things."

"We're not supposed to go to Hogsmeade, you know that" said Harry. "Dumbledore wants us to stay in the castle since Voldemort knows about the baby."

"I know that, but I'm sure he'd let us go with Remus and maybe Tonks can go too" she said thoughtfully. "I can't stand being cooped up here anymore Harry. We haven't been to Hogsmeade once this term, and there are things I need to get. I'm sure you can talk Dumbledore into it" she said, then added sweetly "for me?"

Harry sat looking at her, wondering where his Hermione had gone and when she would be back. "I guess it won't hurt to ask him" said Harry, giving up. Hermione smiled at him and waddled out the door to find Ginny and tell her the good news. 'Waddled? When did she start to walk like a duck?' he thought. Shaking his head while looking at all the blue baby stuff surrounding him, he went to take a shower. 'The things I do for her' he thought, heading into the bathroom.

Harry went up to Dumbledore's office the next day to speak to him about the Hogsmeade trip. He explained how Hermione needed to get some things for the baby and the fact that she was suffering from cabin fever. Dumbledore sat seriously while listening to Harry, nodding his head once in a while in understanding. When Harry finished talking, Dumbledore sat quietly for a couple of minutes, looking to be deep in thought. "Tell Hermione I'll see what I can do. Things are too dangerous right now to risk her well being, or yours. I will contact Remus and Tonks to see if they can go. If I decide to allow this I will also be sending two others from the Order as guards, but you will not be able to see them. I will let you know my answer in a couple of days." Thanking Dumbledore, Harry made his way out of his office and back to his quarters. Tuesday morning during breakfast, Hedwig flew down to Harry with a note attached to her leg. After giving her a piece of bacon and an affectionate pat, Harry read the note and looked up at Dumbledore at the head table, smiling. He gave the note to Hermione to read and saw a huge smile spread across her face. "Just promise me we'll go, get what we need and get right back as quickly as possible" said Harry, looking at Hermione with a very serious expression.

"I promise" said Hermione, wrapping her arms around him, giving him a hug. "Thank you for asking Dumbledore for me. I can't wait to get out of here for a while."

Saturday morning came and Harry waited for Hermione to finish getting ready. She was moving more slowly these days due to her growing stomach. Finally they were able to make their way down to the castle entrance and get marked off of the list by Filch. They met up with Remus and Tonks, who were both amazed at how big Hermione had gotten.

"Wotcher Hermione! Are you sure you're not having twins?" Tonks asked, eliciting an angry glare from Hermione.

"No Tonks, I'm not having twins. Thanks for reminding me just how big I am" said Hermione, sounding a little upset.

"I'm sure Tonks didn't mean anything by it" said Harry trying to pacify her and giving a meaningful look to Tonks.

"No, I didn't mean to upset you Hermione" said Tonks "you probably look big because of how short you are."

"Tonks!" said both Harry and Remus at the same time. Tonks gave them a look that said she had no idea what she had said wrong. Hermione just shot her a dirty look and turned to stare out of the window.

The carriage had finally gotten to their destination and Harry got out first so he could help Hermione out. They made their way from store to store picking up a bassinet and nappies along with some things Hermione needed. They met up with Ginny and she went into a shop with Hermione to look for a nightdress that Hermione could wear after she had the baby. Tonks went in with them while Remus and Harry sat outside on one of the benches. After sitting there talking for a few minutes, they heard Ginny yelling inside the store and as they stood up in alarm, she came flying out of the shop door.

"Harry, Hermione's water broke!" she said, out of breath. When Harry looked at her with a confused look on his face, she said "Harry, she's going to have the baby!"

Harry understood that, and went running into the shop. What he saw in front of him made his blood run cold. Tonks was laid out on the floor unconscious along with the shopkeeper and Hermione was nowhere to be found. "Ginny, where is she?" he asked frantically.

"She was on the floor in that dressing room there!" said Ginny, very upset also. Harry walked over to the room she indicated and felt his heart drop. There was a smear of blood on the dressing room wall down by the floor. Turning around, he looked at Remus with fear in his eyes and Remus came to see what Harry had found. When he saw the blood, Remus ran out the door to find the cloaked Order members. As Remus left Harry looked at the scene before him and felt fear in every part of his body. He could see Tonks chest rise and fall as she breathed, but her face was bruised pretty badly. Whoever did this worked fast and knocked her around pretty good.

"HARRY!" yelled Remus from the door, ripping his attention away from Tonks. "Come out here, quick!"

Harry ran for the door, slamming outside to where Remus was standing. Harry looked at him and noticed him looking up. Harry looked up to see what he was looking at and felt like he was going to vomit; there in the sky floated the Dark Mark.

21. The End Is Here

**~OK, here it is, the final chapter of The Power Within. I've worked for three straight days on this and I have to say I'm happy with the outcome. I feel I need to warn the faint of heart that there are some gory parts in this chapter. If you can't deal with graphic scenes of violence or explanations of childbirth, this chapter may not be for you. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. It took a while to look up the Latin words I needed, but I think they make the chapter even better. Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Thank you again for reading my story, you guys are great!!! :) ~A quick note to my husband who is in the Navy and in Iraq right now: I love that you're taking time out to read my story and that even you are a fan. I'm proud of you love!!! Stay safe!!~**

Hermione woke up feeling horrible and wondering where she was. As she looked around, she noticed she was in a cage in a room that wasn't familiar to her. Suddenly, a horrendous pain shot through her stomach and she screamed, feeling like she was being torn in two. 'The baby' she thought, becoming scared 'it's not time. It's too early.' She rubbed her stomach, noticing how rock hard it felt. "Harry!" she yelled, knowing she probably wouldn't get an answer. Unfortunately, she did get and answer, but it sure wasn't from Harry.

"Aww, did the little mudblood get herself knocked up? And by wonder boy no less?" Hermione looked up to see Bellatrix Lestrange standing against a wall on the far side of the room. She started walking towards the cage Hermione was in laughing maniacally the whole time. When she reached the cage, she put her hands on two of the bars and just watched Hermione for a time. Hermione screamed and clutched her stomach as once again a contraction ripped through her body. Bellatrix just laughed harder at seeing her pain. "That's what happens when you spread your legs, you stupid mudblood. But don't worry, you won't have to raise the little brat. Once Potter finds out where you are and comes to save the day, he'll get the privilege of watching you give birth. Then he'll get to watch as we kill his wife and newborn son. Surely he'll be too grief stricken to fight my Master and will quickly join the two of you in the afterlife."

Hermione was not in any mood to listen to this lunatic's ranting and decided to tell her so. "Why don't you go play with your Master and leave me the hell alone, you crazy bitch!"

Bellatrix stood there for a second, surprised at the outburst. "I can't play with him right now, he's getting ready to play with Potter" she said, smiling at the look of fear that was now on Hermione's face. "Enjoy your labor pains mudblood, it'll be the only time you experience them. As soon as your husband gets here, you're dead."

While Remus and Harry stood staring at the Dark Mark in the sky, Professor Snape apparated in front of them seemingly out of breath. "Voldemort is awake" he panted out, looking at the two. Harry glared at him and pointed to the mark in the sky, and when Snape looked up he looked immediately back down. "Who's been killed?" he asked, fearing the answer.

"No one that we know of yet" said Remus "but Hermione's missing and she's gone into labor."

"WHAT?!" yelled Snape. He looked at Harry and said "weren't you watching her Potter?!"

Harry looked ready to kill Snape after that comment, so Remus stepped in and said "she was in the shop with Tonks and Ginny Weasley. She went into labor and Ginny came out here to get us. When we went inside, Tonks and the shopkeeper were unconscious and Hermione was gone."

Looking at Harry still, Snape said "obviously she was taken to lure you to Voldemort. I'll go try to find out where she's being kept."

"You do that" said Harry, speaking for the first time "and you tell anyone involved in this that they had better enjoy their last hours on earth because once I find them they're dead!"

After Bellatrix had left, Hermione lay on the floor of the cage, trying to remember the breathing techniques that Madam Pomfrey had showed her at her last check-up. Trying to calm herself as another contraction came and went, she was trying to count how many minutes were in-between. They seemed to be coming rather quickly even though her labor had just started. She didn't think she'd ever wanted to see Harry before like she wanted him by her now. She was scared, she was in pain and she was completely alone. She had no idea what she would do if the baby came before anyone came to save her. 'Please hurry Harry' she thought, laying there and crying as the pain tore through her once more.

Dumbledore had showed up about five minutes after Snape had disappeared. He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the look on Harry's face. He didn't look sad or worried, he looked mad. He stood next to Remus with his arms down by his sides and his hands fisted. Harry was looking at the ground as Dumbledore walked up and he saw the fire burning in his eyes when he looked up at the Headmaster. He had gotten very good at controlling his ability, and the fact that he was controlling it now when his emotions were at their peak was amazing.

"Harry, I came as soon as I heard what happened. I just checked on Tonks and she's going to be ok; so is the shopkeeper" said Dumbledore.

"I don't give a damn if they're ok or not. Right now, all I want is my wife back with me, safe. Dumbledore, she went into labor right before they took her. For all I know she may be dead by now!"

Dumbledore looked surprised at that bit of information. "Tonks informed me of the situation. Harry, I came to find you to tell you that I think I have a way for you to find Hermione. We need to go back to my office quickly; if I'm right you'll be able to track her to wherever it is they're holding her. The only bad thing is that you will have to go alone."

"I'm fine with that. I've trained for this, and if it's the only way to get her and my son home safely then I'm all for it. Let's go!" Dumbledore motioned to a carriage behind him and the three made their way over to it. The carriage seemed to go faster than Harry had ever seen it go before, and for that he was grateful. They reached the castle and went up to Dumbledore's office. As they reached the gargoyle, they found Ron waiting there, pacing back and forth. "Ron, what are you doing here?" asked Harry.

"Ginny told me what happened. What can I do, I want to help" said Ron with a very troubled look on his face.

"Let's go into my office and discuss our options" said Dumbledore. They all went into the office and Dumbledore motioned for them to sit down. Remus and Ron took a seat, but Harry stood standing, almost bouncing on his feet. Dumbledore sat in his chair behind his desk and looked very seriously at Harry. "As I mentioned before Harry, I think there is a way for you to find your wife. It's going to be difficult, but I think you can do it."

Harry sat staring at him, waiting for him to tell him the plan and what he needed to do. As Dumbledore just sat there silent, Harry almost lost his composure completely. "Well!? What do I need to do? Every minute we waste gives them a minute more to murder Hermione and my son!" As Harry finished his sentence, he was yelling very loudly. He looked around the room to see the three of them just watching him and he felt like punching a wall or pulling his hair out. His family was in trouble. He was NOT going to lose them, they were his future and he planned for it to be a long one.

Finally, Dumbledore spoke "You have mentioned all of the incidents between you, Hermione and your son. I think if you were to concentrate, you could focus in on your son's fire magic and apparate yourself to where Hermione is."

Harry looked at him like he was nutters. "You expect me to concentrate and just 'poof!' go right to wherever she is? Have you lost it?!"

"No Harry, I have not 'lost' it, as you put it. There have been two instances already where you have connected with your son, and the last time Hermione was connected also. I think, since you two are the only ones on this earth that possess this magic inside of you, that you will be able to find them. You are going to have to calm down first though or it will never work" explained Dumbledore, trying to quell Harry's growing anger. "I think you and Mr. Weasley should go to the Room of Requirement to see if my idea works. Remus and I will stand outside the door; if you are successful Harry, then Mr. Weasley can tell us once you are gone."

Harry looked at Ron and realized Dumbledore was right; there was no one else that he would want with him at this moment. Ron was his best mate, and if anyone could help to calm him down, it would be him.

They made their way to the RoR and Harry walked back and forth in front of it three times. The door appeared and as he made to go inside, he noticed Dumbledore behind him waving his wand. "What are you doing?" Harry asked.

"I'm lowering the wards around the castle that prevent apparition. Now, in you go so you can find your wife and child. Good luck Harry" said Dumbledore.

Remus walked up to Harry and put his hand on his shoulder. "Keep your head on Harry, don't lose your temper, ok? Find Hermione and bring her back to us; I want to see that son of yours." Harry gave a curt nod and walked into the room, followed by Ron. The door closed and they walked into an almost empty room. There was a small mat in the middle of the floor and a chair by the mat. Ron looked at him and asked "do you have any idea what you need to do?"

"I think so; there's a spell I saw in one of Hermione's books, some kind of locator spell. I guess I'll try that first." Harry went to the mat and sat down cross legged on it. Drawing a deep breath he closed his eyes and tried to clear his head. He heard the chair scrape across the floor as Ron sat down, and then the room became silent. Harry put his hands on his knees and looked straight ahead, focusing himself completely. Picturing Hermione in his minds eye, he started reciting "reperire uxor, reperire filius, reperire uxor, reperire felius." He kept repeating this over and over again for what seemed like five minutes. Suddenly he stopped the chant and when Ron looked at him, he could see his eyes moving rapidly under his closed eyelids. "Ron, I can feel her. It feels like something inside of me is pulling..." he never finished the sentence because right before Ron's eyes, he disappeared. Ron ran out the door, almost crashing into Dumbledore. "He's gone, he just disapparated" he said, breathlessly.

Dumbledore looked from him to Remus and said "it's all up to Harry now."

If Hermione didn't already love her son so much, she would wish to die. The pain ripping through her body with every contraction was horrendous. It felt as though someone were ripping him out of her stomach and she couldn't tolerate the pain much longer. As she curled her body into a ball to ward off the pain, she felt a strange sensation almost in the back of her mind. Too tired to even wonder what it was, she closed her eyes and tried to rest between her contractions. Suddenly there was a faint 'pop' and she opened her eyes to see Harry sprawled out on the floor in front of her. "Harry?" she said, afraid what she was seeing wasn't real. Harry stirred a little and moved his head around in the direction of her voice.

"Hermione?" he said and groaned as if in pain.

"How did you get in here?" she asked, confused.

"I focused in on the baby's fire ability and it brought me here." He looked around and noticed the bars all around him. "Bloody hell, did I just apparate into a cage?"

"Yes, Bellatrix has already..." she curled up again as another contraction slammed through her body. "Oh...my...hell..." she ground out as tears ran from her eyes.

"Hermione?!" said Harry, trying to pull himself off of the floor. The bit of apparition that brought him here seemed to have drained his body of energy because he felt like he weighed a ton. He pulled himself upright and crawled over to where she was laying on the floor. Pushing her sweat soaked hair out of her face, he noticed the pained expression she wore. He put his hand on her stomach and felt how hard it was. "Do they seem to be coming at regular intervals?" he asked, rubbing her belly lightly.

"No...they're really...erratic" she said, panting.

Suddenly, pain tore through Harry's scar and he clamped his hands over it, trying not to scream. He knew what that meant; Voldemort was close by. He must have sensed Harry was here and now he was coming for them. He heard the door to the room creak open and he looked up to see Voldemort standing in the doorway, his cold, red eyes glowing in the darkness. "Well, well Potter, I see you've finally joined us. Tell me, how did you get in here, hmm?" said Voldemort in a shrill, high pitched voice.

"Go to hell" ground out Harry, trying to fight off the pain in his scar.

"Now Potter, is that any way to talk to the person that is going to raise your son?" he asked, pleasure evident in his voice.

"Like hell you will" said Hermione looking at Voldemort with hate blazing in her eyes.

"Silence mudblood" said Voldemort, venom dripping off of every word.

Harry watched helplessly as Hermione screamed in pain, suffering another contraction. Harry felt fear course through every fiber of his being; she needed help NOW. He stood up unsteadily and put his palm out, facing the door to their prison. "What do you think you're doing Potter?" asked Voldemort, watching him suspiciously. Harry tried to think of a spell that would help him right now, but his brain felt like mush. When Harry just stood there like that, Voldemort lost his patience and cried "Crucio!"

Harry felt pain coursing through his body, and fell to his knees on the floor. After what seemed like an eternity, Voldemort released him from the curse and laughed. "You're pathetic Potter. You can't even protect your wife and unborn child." Harry gritted his teeth, feeling the effects of the curse start to diminish. He lay there trying to collect himself and when he heard Voldemort laughing at him he lost it. His anger sparked the fire within him and he felt power surge through his body. He stood up with a wild look in his eyes and held his hand out in front of him once more. "Excido Portas Maximus!" he yelled, and the door to the cage blew off of its hinges and flew across the room at the group of Death Eaters standing there. Voldemort looked at him surprised. "How did you do that?" he asked, watching as Harry walked towards him. "None of your damn business Tom" said Harry, glaring him down.

Harry saw movement out of the corner of his eye and noticed Bellatrix standing there. "Wee Potty Potter, always the hero. Just like your Godfather" she taunted. Harry looked at her, the hate he felt reflected in his eyes. "Ah, Bella. I've been waiting to see you again. You know, I'm usually not a violent person, but..." he moved his hand in a vertical line and yelled "Dehisco!" The death eaters watched in horror as Bellatrix Lestrange's body was cut in two. A few of them actually turned and retched at the sight. Harry looked around the group and noticed someone else he had waited to confront.

"Antonin Dolohov" he said, and noticed Hermione's head snap up at the name. "I have a score to settle with you too. Seems you attacked my wife in the Department of Ministries last year. I'd like to return the favor; Abscindo!" Harry cried, making a horizontal slicing motion with his hand. Everyone watched as Dolohov's head was severed from his body and rolled to the floor. Everyone stood paralyzed at the display they had just witnessed.

"What are you waiting for!" screamed Voldemort "kill him!" His Death Eaters stood staring at him for a moment and then all of them, save one, disapparated out of the room. "You cowards! Come back here!" screamed Voldemort, looking angrily around the room. Lucius Malfoy stood next to him trying to put on a brave face, but the fear still showed in his eyes. "Never mind, I will kill you myself! I'm tired of playing your stupid little games! REDUCTO!" Voldemort watched as his curse connected with the ground in front of Harry, blasting a hole in it and sending Harry flying. He landed a little ways away from Voldemort and Malfoy. He slowly picked himself up, and as he looked at Voldemort, his eyes shone red with his fire magic.

"I'm tired of your shit Voldemort. This ends today. Templis Ignes Inferre!" As he said this he held his palm out and turned in a complete circle. A ring of fire erupted around him; he had made himself a cage of fire for protection. Voldemort's eyes grew wide as he witnessed Harry's display of fire. "What's the matter Tom, didn't realize how powerful I really am? Flamma Grandis!" Out of Harry's palm flew a stream of fire, heading directly at Voldemort. He dove out of the way and the fire hit the wall behind him, setting it afire. "Inflammatio!" Harry shouted again, this time aiming for Malfoy. The fireball just missed Lucius's head and hit the ground behind him. "Where is your son Lucius? I owe him for opening his mouth to you. I guess I'll have to wait until I get back to school to pay him back." As Harry was talking, he didn't notice Voldemort get up off of the ground and aim his wand at him. "Avada Kedavra!" he roared and a green jet of light soared towards Harry. Harry didn't react in time and the curse hit him in the chest.

"HARRY!" screamed Hermione, still lying in the cage. She started crying as Harry collapsed onto the floor and the flames surrounding him died out.

"Finally!" said Voldemort, looking at Lucius. Hermione crawled over to where Harry lay and put her head on his chest, listening for any breathing sounds.

"Harry, wake up. C'mon love, you've got to be ok; your son and I need you" she cried, shaking him. She lay her hand over his heart, praying to feel it beating underneath her palm. When she felt nothing, she let out a wail of agony that would have broke the heart of anyone who had one. As it was, it didn't affect anyone else in the room.

"That's right, mudblood, your great and powerful husband is no more. You and your unborn son shall be joining him soon." Voldemort raised his wand, the beginning of the killing curse on his lips and he froze at the sight in front of him. A blue light had encircled the two teenagers laying on the floor. Coming out of his stupor, Voldemort once more raised his wand and yelled "Avada Kedavra!" The jet of green light once again sailed towards Hermione, and to everyone's surprise, deflected off of the blue shield. "WHAT?! How is that possible? There is no protection against the killing curse!" screamed Voldemort, enraged that he hadn't killed Hermione. As Hermione lay there wide eyed in surprise, she felt the palm of her hand that was over Harry's heart grow warm. When she looked at her hand, it glowed a bright red and she could feel heat coursing through her body. After glowing for a minute or two, the glow subsided and the heat died down. Once again Hermione's body was racked with a contraction and she balled her body up in pain.

"Hermione?" said a voice Hermione thought she would never hear again. She opened her eyes and saw Harry looking at her.

"Harry? You're alive? But how...?" she asked thoroughly confused.

"I don't know how it is I'm alive, but I have someone to take care of" Harry said and stood up. Voldemort looked at him in disbelief "why won't you people die?!!" he yelled in frustration.

"Because the good shall inherit the earth" said Harry, changing the Bible quote. Voldemort raised his wand at him yet again, but Harry put his hand in front of him and shouted "INTURNUS ACCENDO!!" Voldemort stopped dead in his tracks and Malfoy froze where he stood. Red flames burst out of Voldemorts chest and he screamed in pain. Harry watched as his entire body was consumed in flames from the inside out and turned to Malfoy. "Incarcerous!" said Harry, waving his hand toward Lucius and ropes materialized out of thin air. The ropes wrapped around Malfoy, binding his body which caused him to fall onto the floor. He opened his mouth to say something and Harry waved his hand again, saying "silencio!" Malfoy's mouth snapped shut and he glared daggers at Harry. "I'm going to let the Dementors take care of you Malfoy; let's see how you like spending the rest of your life in Azkaban as a hollow shell of a man."

Harry turned to Hermione and saw her still balled up on the floor. Putting his arms under her neck and knees, he lifted her against his chest. "Let's get you back to the castle love" said Harry, bending to plant a kiss on her sweat covered forehead. He looked once more to Lucius tied up on the floor and then to the smoldering pile of ash that had been Voldemort. "Good riddance!" he said and closed his eyes to concentrate on the hospital ward. With another soft 'pop' Harry left behind the carnage of Voldemort and his Death Eaters and found himself in the safety of the castle once again.

The minute he apparated into the hospital ward, he screamed for Madam Pomfrey and lay Hermione on the nearest bed. The nurse came bustling out of her office and when she saw Hermione obviously in great pain, she rushed to her bedside. "How long has she been in labor?" asked the nurse.

"I'm not sure; her water broke when we went to Hogsmeade and then Voldemort kidnapped her." The nurse looked at him with a frightened look on her face "Voldemort had her?"

"Yes, and we won't have to worry about him anymore, I made sure of that" said Harry as he walked towards the fireplace. Throwing in a handful of floo powder he shouted "Headmasters office" and stuck his head into the flames. He opened his eyes and saw Remus, Dumbledore and Ron all sitting there.

"Harry!" yelled Ron, who was the first to see him. "Where's Hermione? Is she ok?"

"She's in what seems to be hard labor. Could you guys come to the hospital ward?" asked Harry hurriedly.

"We will be there momentarily" answered Dumbledore. Harry nodded and pulled his head back into the ward. Not two seconds after he did this, the flames flared to life again and out stepped Dumbledore. Remus and Ron followed quickly after him, and just as Ron had stepped out they all heard Hermione scream in agony. Harry ran over to the side of her bed to see her red faced and grimacing in pain.

"Madam Pomfrey, what's wrong?" asked Harry, getting very worried.

"She's dilated to seven, but I fear she won't be having this baby naturally. Your son hasn't dropped into the birth canal at all Mr. Potter" explained the nurse while wiping Hermione's face with a wet cloth.

"What does that mean?" asked Harry, becoming angry with his lack of knowledge.

"It means that I'm going to have to do the muggle equivalent of a cesarean section" she explained. Harry's eyes grew wide "isn't that where you have to cut her stomach and take the baby out?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so" said Madam Pomfrey. Harry looked at the men around him and noticed Ron's face had turned a greenish color. They were all drawn back to Hermione as she moaned "Harry?"

"I'm here love" he said grabbing her hand which he immediately regretted because another contraction washed over her and she squeezed it so hard he thought she might break it. Grimacing in pain, Harry kept hold of her hand until it was over. She finally eased up on her grip and looked at his face.

"I feel like I'm dying Harry" she whispered while tears leaked out of her eyes. He felt horrible knowing she was in so much pain and wasn't able to do anything to help her.

"Madam Pomfrey will take great care of you; it'll be over soon" he said soothingly. Just then, Madam Pomfrey walked up to the side of the bed.

"We need to get your son out now" said the nurse. "I'm going to draw the curtains" she said as she walked to one side of the curtain and pulled it around so they were blocked from view. Harry stood by Hermione's side and watched as Madam Pomfrey cast a spell to remove Hermione's clothes. Next she cast what sounded like a sanitizing spell and then looked at Harry. "Are you going to be able to handle this?" she asked seriously.

"After what I just witnessed and what I just did, I think I can handle this" said Harry just as seriously. Pomfrey cast a painkilling spell and pinched a little bit of skin on Hermione's leg.

"Did you feel that dear?" she asked Hermione.

"Feel what?" asked Hermione confused.

"Never mind dear, just relax and you'll be seeing your son soon" said Pomfrey. Hermione looked at Harry and smiled a small smile. He could tell she was just as nervous as he was, maybe more. "Ok, I'm going to start now" said the nurse looking at them to see if they were ready. When she noticed them both looking back at her with fearful looks on their faces, she gave them a small smile. "Everything will be just fine; here we go. Seiungo!" she said as she put the tip of her wand against Hermione's skin just above her pubic line. She drew a horizontal line with the wand and as she moved it Hermione's skin split apart. Once she had made the cut the length she wanted it, she put her wand on a tray floating next to her and used her gloved hands to pull the skin apart further. Realizing she wouldn't be able to pull it apart enough, she grabbed her wand once again and waving it over the cut said "distendo!" The cut stretched and held so that she could use both of her hands to reach inside and grab the baby.

She grabbed the baby's head with both hands and pulled gently. Harry watched in awe as she pulled his son's head out and stopped. Holding his head with one hand, she grabbed her wand with the other and said "Exsugo!" As soon as she said that, the ward was filled with the wonderful cries of their son. Madam Pomfrey pulled him the rest of the way out and waving her wand again said "Abstergeo!" The baby was cleaned off as soon as she said this and she took him in both her hands and lifted him up just enough so Hermione could see him. "It's definitely a boy!" said the nurse, smiling. She placed the baby gently on Hermione's stomach and set to work sealing up the cut in her stomach. After that was done and she was cleaned up, Madam Pomfrey took the baby and swaddled him in a blanket, then handed him to Harry. He wasn't really sure how to hold him so Pomfrey showed him the correct way and then turned back to Hermione. She waved her wand over Hermione, saying a spell that placed a gown on Hermione.

Harry sat holding their son, looking at his face in amazement. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, so he didn't know what color they were. He had Hermione's nose and what looked to be his mouth and chin. He had a patch of fuzzy black hair on his head that already looked like it would be just as unruly as Harry's. Harry looked down at Hermione to say something and noticed she had fallen asleep. After all she had been through that day, she deserved to rest for a while. He carried his son out of the curtained area out to where Dumbledore, Remus and Ron sat waiting. When they saw him walk out with the bundle in his arms, they all smiled and said their congratulations. He looked at Remus first and asked "would you like to hold him Grandpa?" Remus looked at him, surprised. His eyes seemed to mist over and all he could do was nod his head. Harry handed the baby over to him and Remus looked down at him and smiled. "He looks just like you did when you were born" said Remus proudly. He sat holding him for a little while, then went to hand him back to Harry. "Why don't you give him to Dumbledore to hold?" said Harry, noticing Dumbledore's pleased smile. He held the baby and looking at him said "you are already loved so much, little one. I fear you are going to be a handful, but I doubt you could be any worse than your father."

Harry looked at him, then to Ron who was laughing. He joined in the laughter which felt really good. "So Harry" said Ron "are you going to tell us what happened?"

Harry's expression turned serious. "In a nutshell, I killed Bellatrix, Dolohov and Voldemort. Lucius Malfoy is still tied up in the room we were in. I still don't know where we were exactly so I don't know where to tell the aurors to go to pick him up."

"I believe you were in Malfoy Manor" explained Dumbledore. "It's been said he has his own private dungeon in the basement of his home."

Harry's expression darkened as he thought about being in Malfoy's home. "I'm not proud of what I did, but I was so angry. They have caused so much pain; Bellatrix was taunting me with Sirius's death and Dolohov is the one who injured Hermione last year in the ministry. They were going to kill me, kill Hermione and then Voldemort was going to take my son to raise as his own. There was no way I was going to let that happen, and I kind of went crazy."

"What do you mean, Harry?" asked Ron, concerned.

"You don't want to know Ron. They are images that will haunt me for the rest of my life, but I did what I had to do to save my family." He took the baby back from Dumbledore and looked at him "you're safe now, little guy." The baby opened his eyes just a little bit, but it was enough for Harry to see that they were the exact same color as his. "He has my eyes" said Harry proudly looking at Ron. "Hey Godfather, you haven't held your Godson yet" he said smiling at the look on Ron's face.

"Me? You want me to be his Godfather?" asked Ron, not sure he heard correctly.

"Of course" said Harry as he handed the baby to Ron, showing him how to hold him. "We're going to ask Ginny to be his Godmother."

"She's going to bloody flip" said Ron, then realizing what he said, said "oops, better watch what I say huh?" He laughed along with Harry, then said to the baby "just wait until you get bigger and I can show you all sorts of tricks to pull on your parents."

Harry looked at him smiling and said "don't let Hermione hear you say that!" Turning to Dumbledore, he asked "Sir, would you be able to notify Hermione's parents and arrange for them to come for a visit?"

"Absolutely Harry. I'll get on that right away" said the Headmaster, getting up from his chair. "Congratulations again, Harry. Please tell Hermione for me when she wakes up."

"I will Sir, thank you" said Harry as he watched him leave. Ron got up also and said "Do you mind if I let everyone in the tower know that my Godson is here?"

"Not at all Ron; who knows when I'll be able to get up there again" he said, proud of the maturity Ron was showing at the moment. "Thanks for being here for me today mate; you'll never know how much I appreciate it."

"No trouble at all mate, I just wish I could have done more. I'll see you soon" said Ron as he got up and left the ward also.

Harry looked at Remus and said "I don't think I've ever been this happy; well maybe on my wedding day but it's too close to call."

Remus smiled and said "what did you mean when you called me Grandpa?"

"Exactly that, Remus. I told you, you're like a father to me and last I knew my son needs to get to know both his Grandpa's" said Harry. Remus looked at him proudly and said "I wish your parents could see you now Harry. They would be so proud of you and what you've done."

"I wish they were here too; luckily I have you and Dumbledore to help me in their place" Harry said then looked down at the baby again. "I had better go check on Hermione; will you be around for a while?"

"Absolutely! Dumbledore said I could stay in one of the guest quarters for a while" he replied.

"Great!" said Harry, then realized something. "I almost forgot, we've still got two weeks of school left."

"Ought to be interesting for the two of you, but maybe it will give you practice for next year" said Remus, then walked over and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Congratulations Papa."

"Thanks" said Harry and he watched him walk out the doors.

Three hours later Hermione had woke from her nap and Harry had handed the baby over to her. Right now she was trying to breast feed the baby while Madam Pomfrey tried to show her the correct way to do it. "I've read all the books on breast feeding Madam Pomfrey, I think I understand the technique."

"Hah! Reading how to do something in a book is entirely different from actually doing it in real life dear" said the nurse knowingly. Hermione glared angrily at her and continued to try to get the baby to latch on. Harry had gone to sit outside the curtains while the two argued over the proper way to breast feed his son. He almost felt sorry for him, caught between two arguing women when all he wanted to do was eat. Harry looked up as the doors to the ward opened and saw his in-laws walking towards him.

"Harry!" said her Mum happily, walking over and hugging him. "Congratulations! Are they in there?" she asked, pointing towards the curtain.

"Yes, Hermione is trying to breast feed the baby right now. She and Pomfrey are having a difference of opinion on how it's done" he said with a trace of humor.

"I'll go straighten them out" said her Mum and she walked behind the curtain.

"Congratulations Harry" said Robert Granger as he held his hand out to Harry. Harry grabbed and shook his hand and said "Thanks. It got a little scary for a while there, but Madam Pomfrey was great. She really knows her stuff."

They sat talking for a while as they heard the women arguing over how to feed his son. When it quieted down, Harry noticed Madam Pomfrey walk out from behind the curtain, muttering to herself about know-it-alls. He smiled at her frustration and peeked around the curtain. Hermione was sitting up in bed while her Mum sat next to her in a chair, holding their son. "Is it safe for your Dad to come in?" he asked.

"Sure, bring him in" said Hermione smiling. He turned and motioned for his father-in-law to follow him in. Robert saw his grandson and walked over next to his wife. "Wow, Harry he looks just like you" he said.

"He has my nose though" said Hermione, sounding almost disappointed.

"And a fine nose it is" said her Mum "it happens to be my nose too." They all sat there enjoying the time together with the baby when her Mum looked up at her suddenly. "What did you name him dear?" she asked.

Hermione looked at Harry and when he sighed and nodded she smiled a dazzling smile, knowing she had gotten her way. She looked at her Mum and Dad and said "Grandma, Grandpa I'd like you to meet Conlan Sirius Potter."

Miles away, Lucius Malfoy still lay bound to the floor, silenced by Potter's spell. He couldn't believe the way things had turned out; Voldemort was dead and Potter's mudblood child had probably been born by now. This is not the way things had been planned. Voldemort was supposed to kill Potter and the mudblood; he should be standing next to his Master as his second in command right now with witches and wizards bowing at their feet. As he sat lamenting over his fate, he noticed something rising out of the pile of ashes that once was the Dark Lord. He saw a grayish colored mass swirling above the ashes and then it started to move towards him. He knew at once what it was; it was the spirit of Voldemort. Much like the first time Potter had defeated him, his body was gone but his spirit had remained very much alive. It floated directly above him now and as he watched in awe Voldemort's spirit dove into his body. Lucius could feel Voldemort's spirit attach itself to his soul and shuddered at the sudden rush of power that ran through him. Noticing Voldemort's thoughts were in his mind, he knew they were both thinking the same thing; it was time to pay Potter back for what he did and together there was no way he would defeat them this time.

***Thank you again for taking the time to read my story. I am planning a sequel to my story and I'm hoping to start the first chapter in a few days. If you want to read it, please keep an eye out for it. I'm not sure what the title will be yet. BTW, the name Conlan means 'hero' and Sirius means 'scorching'. I felt the two names fit nicely with the fire ability and the fact that he saved his parents lives from the womb! :) Thanks for all the encouraging reviews, they're what kept me writing this story even when I wasn't sure where I wanted it to go.

22. Author

I wanted to put this up because of a couple of reviews I've had. I have posted the sequel to "The Power Within" already, there are two chapters up and hopefully chapter 3 will be up tonight or tomorrow. The name of it is "The Fear Within" and I hope you'll read and enjoy it too!! :) MisCard