AN: A Year?! A YEAR?! When did that happen? And why didn't anyone tell me? I feel like such an ass guys, and if none of you come back to read it I won't be at all surprised. I am so sorry. My life is crazy and no that isn't an excuse, but try and be lenient and understand that I never meant this to drag out so long.
The only thing left to say is that this is self edited and incase you forgot I'm not the best at that. I'd also like to take this moment to say I am looking for a new beta. I love the two I have, they are great girls, but they are both so busy with school. I need someone else. I'm going to look in the forums, but if any of ya'll, who know and in theory enjoy my work feel like volunteering, let me know.
We Could
Harry smiled, leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom. Across the room, laying naked with only a top sheet for cover, was Hermione. She was still asleep, her hair billowing across her pillow in wild tangles. She looked happy and that made his smile widen. It was Saturday, Lily and James' tenth birthday, and Harry got to wake up every morning next to the most beautiful witch in the world, though he supposed he was probably bias.
It was going to be a good day, he decided, readjusting the towel around his waist as he moved away from the bathroom, walking over to his bedside table. He pulled open the drawer, praying it wouldn't squeak like it sometimes did. There were only a few things there, a spare pair of glasses, a book Hermione had given to him that he'd never read, and a long thin black box. Taking out the box, he closed the drawer, and walked around to the foot of the bed.
Careful not to wake Hermione, Harry flipped the sheet covering her back, so that her feet were exposed. She shivered in her sleep, but showed no sign of being disturbed. The black box flipped open with quiet snap, revealing the anklet Harry had purchased for Hermione; a chain of dainty pink crystal roses strung together by dainty silver links. Gently, he took her right foot in his hand and slipped the anklet around her ankle.
"Harry," Hermione's voice said groggily. She'd propped herself up slightly and was looking down at him, her eyes still half closed. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing love," He said smiling at her as he replaced her foot on the bed, "nothing."
"No," she said, sitting up more, "no you were touching my leg," she insisted, reaching out her arm to indicated that he'd been touching her right leg. "Weren't you?" She closed her eyes and reopened them, looking down at her ankle. "What's that?" She asked, pointing at the anklet.
"A little gift," Harry told her climbing up onto the bed.
"For what?" She asked as he crawled nearer to her, a happy smirk on his face.
"Being you," he said, kissing her softly on the lips, "giving me my children."
She smiled, a bit embarrassedly, "Harry you don't have to get me something, it's their birthday not mine."
"Well I don't plan to make a habit of it," he admitted, kissing her softly again, "I just thought, it would be nice, on this first birthday I've had with them, that I give you something to thank you for giving birth to them. You did do all the work, after all."
She nodded, "long hours of work," she elaborated, leaning forward to kiss him, opening her mouth to invite him in. He moaned letting his tongue mingle with hers. Her arm came up to wrap around his back, pulling him into her, as she fell back onto her pillow.
"I've heard," he said, momentarily pulling back, "I should thank you properly for all that work you did."
Hermione moaned as he kissed her again, "If this is my reward, I'll have to be remarkable more often."
"Everything you do is remarkable," he announced kissing her lips, "raising the twins," he said, kissing her cheek, "cleaning house," he said, kissing her jaw line, "breathing," he said moving his mouth to the pulse point behind her ear.
She laughed, running her hand along his back, "I've been told my ability to breath is amazing."
"Oh yes," he moaned, his hand moving up her body, "your lung capacity drives me wild." He sucked on her pulse point, causing her heart beat to pound against his lips as her hips moved up to clash against his. She moaned his name and he groaned in response, shifting his body over hers, managing to get himself standing at the side of the bed without his lips ever leaving her; luckily for him she slept close to the edge.
He gathered her up in his arms, and lifted her off the bed, the flimsy sheet falling gracefully away from her body. "What are you doing?" She asked, her arms coming up to wrap around his neck.
"Just a little change of venue love," he explained carrying her towards the bathroom.
She smiled, cottoning on, "First the boots, now the shower, what other little idea are floating around in that head of yours?"
He laughed, "You'll just have to stick around and find out," he announced, kicking the bathroom door closed behind them, the effort of lifting his leg making his towel fall from his hips.
He flicked his hand, in a well practiced way, and the tap switched on. Stepping under the stream of hot water, he placed Hermione on her feet, then pinned her to the wall. His mouth descending on her neck once more as his hands worked in tandem on her breasts; massaging flesh and squeezing nipples in turn. A steady stream of heated noises billowed from Hermione's mouth, caught half open.
"You're so beautiful," Harry gasped, pushing her up the wall so his teeth could nibble at her chest. She moaned his name in response, wrapping her hand around his throbbing length. Her hand stroked him, hot quick strokes that left him groaning against her flesh.
She moaned his name again and he knew what she wanted. In one quick movement his hands grabbed the underside of her thighs and pulled them up, wrapping them around his waist as he buried himself inside her. She cried out, pushing her hips against his.
"Hard Harry," she commanded, "hard and deep." He groaned in acknowledgment and agreement and began thrusting his hips against hers, quickly building up to the pace that she loved.
There was no end to her noises; moans, cries, broken words, and gasps. He knew everything to do to her and he was doing it. He moved inside her and she moved back, there efforts becoming more heated, more erratic.
"Harry, oh, so, oh" she chocked out breathlessly, her eyes thrilled closed by sensation as her hands moved from his wet hair to his back and back again; grabbing, pulling, raking, grasping for any hold as he threw her over the edge, quickly tumbling after her.
"I love you," he whispered, his breath coming in ragged spurts, as Hermione's body slid back down the wall, his strength no longer enough to push her up. Her legs remained around his hips, her arms resting languidly on his shoulder.
"I love you," she echoed, kissing him tenderly on the lips. There were a few deliciously quiet moments when they stayed silently locked together, foreheads touching lightly. But when Hermione finally broke their silence her words held a very annoying truth, "We should get cleaned up," she said reluctantly, she very much wanted to stay in that shower with him, possibly for the rest of their lives, but they had other responsibilities. "The twins will be up soon." He nodded, keeping her against the wall a second longer before stepping back and letting her legs fall away from his hips.
There was a lot of fumbling as Harry and Hermione tried to shower together, the stall was never meant for two, but they managed. Twenty minutes later they left their bedroom; Hermione dressed in a knee length skirt and light weight sweater, her gift from Harry adding sparkle to her unclad ankle, dancing above the edge of her flat sandals. Harry looked a bit more formal, in black slacks and a deep red button up.
"You two are dressed up," Ginny commented, as Harry and Hermione entered the kitchen together. Ginny and Draco had quickly made it a habit of being up, dressed, and down in the kitchen before everyone else in the four short days Ginny had been there. Hermione assumed it was because of Melena, that the baby woke them one time too many for them to get back to sleep; the twins had done that to her when they were new. She would get up whenever they need her; the first few times falling back to sleep almost immediately after their needs were met, but the last time, usually around six, they'd call her for food and any hope of sleep would be lost till late in the afternoon.
Still it was worrisome that Ginny and Draco had become so close again so quickly. She remembered well how devastated Ginny had been last time they parted ways. In a way Hermione understood why they were leaning on each other, they'd both experienced great trauma, and they had a history together, but she couldn't shake her fear that they were getting too close too fast and that it would only end in heartache, again.
"Oh Hermione," Ginny gasped, brining Hermione's attention back to the redhead, who was pointing at Hermione's ankle. "What is that?"
Hermione smiled, despite her sudden surge of worries, rotating her ankle slightly so the crystals caught the light, "A gift, from Harry; a thank you for having his children."
"So you went with the gift instead of sex," Draco muttered sardonically into his tea, "classy."
"Instead?" Harry questioned, sitting down across from the blonde with his own cup of tea, "Who said instead?" Draco choked on his tea, a look of startled repugnance on his face.
Ginny laughed, "It's your own fault, you brought it up," she pointed out to him, before turning back to Hermione, "It's beautiful," she appraised, as Hermione took the seat next to Harry. "You should have more children; see if he'll buy you a tiara."
Hermione laughed, linking her arm through Harry's, "The thought had crossed my mind," she admitted, "but if twins gets me an anklet I'm afraid to think of how many I'd have to have to get something like a tiara."
"I'd say five," Draco offered, "at once."
"When you've quite finished," Harry snapped moodily, what had been meant as a quiet gift of appreciation to the woman he loved had become a joke; not at all what he wanted.
"Oh Harry, I'm sorry, I really do love it," she insisted, entwining their fingers.
"Yes Harry," Ginny said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make a joke of it."
Harry grumbled out something that sounded like "that's all right," and stubbornly kept his attention on his tea. Hermione squeezed his hand, bringing it to her lips, and kissing the rough surface of his knuckles. He tried to pretend he didn't notice her, continuing to stare resolutely into the grayish water in his cup, but she knew he was paying attention.
"If you'd like," she began, leaning in so she could whisper in his ear, "we can go back upstairs and I can show exactly how much I love it. And you."
Harry scoffed, "I didn't buy it for you so you'd sleep with me," he said, turning his head towards hers.
"No," she agreed, "I don't need any incentive for that." Harry gave a sort of amused snort by way of response and she knew he'd got the message. "So, forgive me?"
"Of course," he said, kissing her on the cheek.
"You two certainly found each other," Draco commented, raising off the bench and starting towards the sink.
"Wouldn't have it any other way," Hermione insisted dreamily.
Harry shrugged, "Maybe ten years earlier."
"Just think of it," Hermione said, dreamier still, "we wouldn't have had to deal with Rita and the paper."
"I don't know about that," Draco said doubtfully, putting his empty mug down in the sink, "if you'd gotten together ten years ago you'd still have to deal with the paper, people of interest that you are. But then you'd have to deal with obnoxious headlines like Harry Potter: Hunting down love as he sought out You-Know-Who."
"Or, Love on the Battlefield," Ginny suggested with a grin.
Hermione laughed, "That would be awful," she agreed.
"There is just no escape from it," Harry said dramatically, laughing with Hermione.
The four of them were so lost in their speculation that they didn't notice the kitchen door open or Lily and James walk in. "No escape from what Dad?" James asked, coming in behind his sister.
"Newspapers mate," Harry said, looking over at his son. James looked unsure of what that meant, but didn't question his dad further. Instead he and Lily walked around the table and sat next to Harry.
"So," Hermione started, rising off the bench, "what do you two want for your Birthday Breakfast?" There was a bit of whispering between them before James announced for both of them that they wanted omelets. "I think I can manage that."
"How does it feel to be ten?" Harry asked, as Hermione busied herself with breakfast.
"About the same," Lily said reasonably, "though I wish we were turning eleven."
Harry looked at Lily, a bit confused, but then Hermione said, "Hogwarts will come soon enough," and it all came clear. Lily was anxious to get to school. Harry supposed if he'd grown up with his parents or any wizarding family really, and had known what awaited him September 1st the year he turned eleven, he would probably look forward to it too.
"Listen to your Mum," Harry said, "it will be on you before you know it."
"And over before you want it to be," Ginny added in an undertone, Harry and Draco nodded in agreement.
"Was it terrifying?" Lily asked to no one in particular.
"A bit," Harry admitted, "I didn't know anyone or anything about magic, but it didn't take long for it to feel like home."
"Plus you two are lucky," Ginny said, "you have each other. Family came make it that much easier to adjust."
Lily smiled, "You think so?"
"Oh yes," Ginny insisted, "having my brothers there helped me."
"But they're all older," James reasoned, "they had already been there for years."
"True," Ginny admitted, "but just having them there was a comfort, it was like, even though I was away from home, I wasn't." Harry smiled; getting up form the table as his children clung to Ginny's every word. He put his empty mug down in the sink, next to Draco's, and turned to watch Hermione. She was standing a few feet away from him, concentrating on the omelet she was folding over, but he could see the sad little frown at the corner of her mouth.
Frowning too Harry stepped over to her. She didn't seem to notice him at first, she was so determined not to burn the omelet that all her focus was on the fry pan in front of her. It wasn't until she needed a plate for the food, and she turned to summon one from the cupboard, that she noticed him next to her. "Harry," she said with a surprised start, "how long have you been standing there?"
"Not long," he said, "I was putting my mug in the sink when I noticed how sad you were looking."
"I'm not sad," she dismissed, summoning two plates and flatware from their places across the room. "I just can't believe it's been ten years; that they'll be going to Hogwarts next year. It seems like only yesterday…" she trailed off with a glance at Harry, catching the plates in midair and turning back to her fry pan.
"Only yesterday what?" He asked, confused by the look on her face.
"That I was pregnant," she mumbled, not looking up at him. She slid the first finished omelet on its plate and sent it over to the table without looking up. There was a thank you from James as his breakfast landed in front of him and Hermione went to work on Lily's.
Harry sighed leaning back against the counter as it downed on, "I don't want you not to say things to me, especially about the twins, because they have to do with that," he insisted, referencing the years she'd kept his children from him.
She nodded, looking over to him for a moment before turning back to her task, "I just feel guilty and like you won't want to hear it."
"I want to hear it," he promised, "I can't guarantee I'll always listen, but I want to hear it." She gave him a doubtful look, as if to say that doesn't make sense. He shrugged, "What can I say? I am a man after all, we aren't known for our listening." She shook her head, flashing him her doubtful look again, and he laughed, kissing her gently on the cheek before heading back to the table.
Ginny was still embroiled in conversation with Lily, who was monopolizing Ginny's attention by bombarding her with questions, but Draco had disappeared. Harry was about to ask where he'd gone when the kitchen door opened and the blonde came in with Ginny's daughter in his arms. He was saying something to bundle in his arm as he again took up his seat next to Ginny. Whatever Draco had said earned him a gurgled response from Melena.
"She's really taken with you," Ginny whispered to Draco when there was a lull in her conversation with Lily.
"Easily pleased," Draco whispered back, making Ginny smile.
"She's very selective actually," Ginny insisted, reaching out and squeezing his arm in a very affectionate manor. Harry scowled, he thought they were being much too loving, but he didn't say anything. He'd already spoken his peace to Draco, and he knew the blonde wouldn't listen to it a second time, that was if he'd even listen the first go around.
Harry sighed, "I think I'm going to go set up the front room," he announced, deciding he couldn't be in the kitchen any longer.
"Good idea," Hermione said checking the muggle clock she'd put up above the backsplash of the sink, "Molly said she'd get hear around ten to help me with the cooking."
"And it's already five till," Harry added, look at his watch, "so we should start setting things up."
"Here," Draco said quickly, passing the now sleeping Melena to Ginny, "I'll help you."
"Thanks," Harry muttered, and the two men left the room. The twins left too, not long after, having both finished eating. They insisted they needed to get ready for the party, but Hermione couldn't see it taking them two hours, even on their worst day.
"Harry's certainly being friendly," Ginny said sarcastically as the door closed behind Lily and James. "Have the two of them been tense the whole time?"
"No," Hermione admitted, flicking her wand at the breakfast dishes so they started washing themselves, "they were all right, for a few weeks."
Ginny nodded, "So, they were fine till I got here," she said wisely, correctly reading Hermione careful choice of words.
Hermione shrugged, trying to make light of it, but before she could assure Ginny that it would blow over eventually Molly Weasley came tumbling out of the kitchen fire, which had suddenly burst into bright green life. Molly righted herself quickly, brushing the soot off her as she grinned happily.
"You certainly look happy Mum," Ginny said, "excited for the party?"
"What?" Molly asked distractedly, continuing to brush at herself though she was now free of the black ash, "Oh yes the party, I'd forgotten about the party."
Hermione and Ginny looked at the older woman, then at each other, sharing a look that held concern and surprise. It wasn't like Molly to forget something like a birthday party; especially one for her grandchildren and she had said, on more then one occasion, that she thought of Lily and James as part of her family.
"You forgot?" Hermione questioned, a bit hurt. She knew the twins, and their birthday, were new for the Weasley's, but Molly had been so positive about the birthday party. She'd been all for it, offering to help Hermione cook since Hermione had no experience making food for a large group of people. So it did hurt that Molly had forgotten; that something came up that was more important in Molly's mind then Hermione's children.
"Yes," Molly said regretfully, "I am sorry, last night was just such a big night."
"What happened?" Hermione asked, her curiosity ebbing away at her hurt.
"Margaret's had her baby!" Molly announced excitedly, the smile on her face growing larger as she spoke.
Ginny and Hermione looked at each other, both looked confused, "Who?" Ginny asked, voicing the question Hermione was thinking.
"Margaret!" Molly said happily, as if repeating the name would make the other women recognize it. "Haven't Charlie and Miranda told you about Margaret? She's the woman whose baby they're adopting!"
"Oh my God!" Hermione gasped, Molly's slight now completely forgotten.
"So Charlie and Miranda have another baby?" Ginny added excitedly.
Molly nodded, "Yes, a beautiful little girl. But that means they won't be coming today."
"That's all right," Hermione said dismissively, "They should be with their new baby."
"I never thought I'd be lucky enough to have a granddaughter," Molly admitted wistfully, sitting down across from Ginny, with an admiring look at her daughter and granddaughter. "Now I have four."
"Would you like a cup of tea Molly?" Hermione offered, laughing quietly to herself. She remembered Molly saying something very similar when Melena was born.
"Oh yes, that would be lovely Hermione," Molly responded, turning a moment to smile at Hermione.
"So what have they named her?" Hermione asked, busying herself with the kettle.
"Vian Margaret," Molly announced.
"Oh that's lovely," Ginny appraised, "and nice of them to give her Margaret's name."
Molly nodded in agreement, "Yes, she really is the sweetest girl. Only a little slip of a thing; she didn't look pregnant at all from behind, hardly looked it from the front. Poor dear, just out of Beauxbatons, no idea what she was going to do, but then she met Charlie and Miranda through some sort of agency they'd joined that arranges these things."
Hermione sighed, handing Molly her tea, "I can't imagine what it would be like not to be able to have a child of my own."
Ginny shuddered, involuntarily moving her daughter closer to her body, "That must be so devastating."
"I can't imagine it either," Molly admitted, "Luckily they were able to have Arthur and now they have little Vian."
"Do you think they'll adopt again?"
"I think they will," Molly said, taking a thoughtful sip from her tea, "at least once more, they adore being parents. They already cherish Vian and she's hardly half a day old. But I haven't asked; how are you Ginny? You promised to floo if you needed us, but you never did."
"I'm actually doing pretty good Mum," Ginny insisted, "Draco's been helping me; he watches Melena so I can catch up on my sleep, offers to change her whenever she needs it."
Hermione frowned as Molly smiled, "That's wonderful."
"It has been, actually, I hardly have time to think about what happened," Ginny admitted, "having Draco around has really helped. He keeps my mind off things."
"Ah, I was born to be a distraction," Draco said as he and Harry reentered the kitchen. "Hello Molly," he added seeing the redheaded matriarch sitting at the table with her tea.
"Hello Draco," Molly said brightly, "I hear you've been helping my daughter."
"Trying to," Draco said shrugging off her polite words, "I remember how it was with a new baby. I'm just trying to make it a bit easier."
"You're doing a wonderful job," Ginny said, sharing a secret smile with him, which everyone in the room saw.
Hermione remembered that smile from the one time she'd seen Draco and Ginny as a couple, in a picture that was sent with a Christmas card. She'd never known what that smile meant, but it was obviously filled with intimacy and loyalty. When she first saw the photo couple exchange that smile she had envied them; looked to her children, then almost two, and wished that she had someone to share that kind of exchange with. Now it made her frown deepen. Reminding herself to talk to Ginny about it all later, she forced herself to listen as Molly retold her good news.
Twenty minutes later Hermione and Molly were left alone in the kitchen. Ginny and Draco had wandered off, most likely to the bedroom they were sharing, as had Harry, who had gone up to play chess with the twins until the party started. Over the next hour and a half the women made all the twins favorite foods, from the roast potatoes to the two small pumpkin cakes, individual sized ones for each twin, and a third slightly larger one for the other guests.
The first guests, the ever punctual Percy and Penelope, arrived with their sons precisely at noon. Molly greeted them with a smile and a hug before sending them up to the front room where Harry and the twins would be waiting. When they, and their sons, were out of the room Molly turned back to Hermione, the smile on her face slipping as she said, "I swear he thinks he's going to miss something if he comes a minute late to any family gathering. He'd probably show up early if he didn't think that would be rude."
"Must think we're all talking about him," Hermione offered, quieting the little laugh that she felt like having. Molly so rarely spoke ill of Percy, even when he'd disowned his family she wouldn't say a bad word about him, and now, when she was, it was in the same tone she'd use to admonish a five year old.
"Which is ridicules," Ginny's said from over by the doorway, "because we talk abut him in front of him." Hermione couldn't stop herself from laughing lightly at that. Percy wasn't anyone's favorite, not by a long shot, and they did, quite often have a laugh at his expense.
Molly looked for a moment like she would laugh too, but she steadied herself and managed to frown disapprovingly as she rounded on Ginny. "You shouldn't be so mean to your brother," she insisted.
Ginny rolled her eyes, "Mum don't, you laugh at what we say as much as Percy does. None of it's done to be mean, we're not that immature."
"Anymore," Hermione added in an undertone, causing both younger women to laugh, to Molly's disapproval. Molly looked like she would chide them, but her words her stopped by a soft cracking noise that signaled someone new had joined them in the kitchen.
It was George and Lauren, standing near the pantry, each of them holding a bright orange bag in one hand while holding each others hands with the other. "Laughter," George commented, "must be in the right place."
"Are those bags from the shop?" Hermione questioned, trying to keep the stern edge out of her voice, and failing miserably; her laughter had evaporated the second she saw that vivid color.
"Why yes they are Hermione," George said with a proud smile, "how brilliant of you to notice."
Hermione's eyes narrowed, "You've got them gifts from the shop?"
George continued to smile, ignoring the daggers her eyes were shooting at him, "Now Hermione, you wouldn't want me to spoil the surprise would you?"
"Yes," Hermione insisted as one of the bags shuddered ominously.
"No you don't, it would be no fun for you if I was to tell you," George said brightly, leading his wife towards the door. Lauren shook her head, exchanging her hand for the bag she was carrying and letting him head upstairs without her.
"Don't worry Hermione," Lauren said kindly, "we just had the bags hanging around the house. The gifts aren't from the joke shop, except the Pygmy Puff for Lily. He and Fred are forbidden from giving any joke products to their nieces or nephews until they're old enough to go to Hogwarts, that way they can use them there. He just does that to make you panic."
"Like that's hard," Hermione muttered, "he should be proud." The other woman in the room laughed at that, bringing a bit of the smile back to Hermione's face.
"Don't worry Hermione," Lauren said though her laughter, "I feel the same way, he's to keep
his joke products away from our girls. I even got him a muggle lock for his workroom, just so he would know how serious
I was about it. Won't keep any witch or wizard out, but I proved my point."
"I know they test everything, and it's safe, but my children can get into enough mischief without any help from Fred, George, or their products."
"What's this about `Fred, George, or their products'?" Fred questioned from over by the pantry. He and Angelina were now standing where George and Lauren had been a few moments before. Somehow the women in the kitchen had missed the sound of them apparateing in.
"Your brother tried to give me a panic attack," Hermione explained.
"Oh," Fred enquired, too earnestly to sound sincere, "how did he do that?"
"We brought our gifts in bags from the joke shop," Lauren said before Hermione could, "because we had them on hand."
"Simple but brilliant," Fred muttered, "though don't worry Hermione. We've both been given the word, no joke products till Hogwarts."
"I told her that," Lauren said.
"There you see, nothing to worry about," Fred said in the same bright tone his brother used. "I'm all for the idea myself, they can torture Filch into a late retirement."
"Fred," Molly warned. Fred shrugged innocently as he and Angelina started towards the door. "That poor man never did anything but try to keep order in that school."
"Yes," Fred agreed, "exactly, order, that's the enemy Mum. Can't have order in a school, where have you been?" And he disappeared though the door before his mother could respond. Angelina and Lauren followed after, laughing at him.
"The four of them," Molly said under her breath, turning back to the cake she was putting the finishing touches on. Ginny and Hermione left Molly to her mumbled commentary, deciding to begin taking the food up to the dinning room. Hermione had decided they'd have a nice sit down lunch before the party dissolved into chaos, which was bound to happen.
In the twenty minutes it took Hermione and Ginny to move the food upstairs, arrange it, and cast charms to keep it warm, the rest of the guests arrived. As the guests filed past the open doors to the dinning room Hermione happily noted that Fleur looked a bit haggard. It wasn't that Hermione liked seeing the part veela suffer; it was just nice to see the always perfect Fleur looking a little human. Arthur arriving last, with his little Arthur at his side and assurance from Charlie that he and Miranda were sorry they couldn't be there.
With everyone there and the food waiting them, the Weasley clan wasted no time gathering around the dinner table. Lily and James were positioned at on end, the other children grouped at the end of the table, the rest of the family gathering around them in any order they could manage. That was, with one exception, Hermione noticed as she and Harry settled into their seats. Draco wasn't there; she knew he planed to be at the party, and she assumed he was coming to lunch, since Ginny was keeping the seat next to her open, but he wasn't there yet.
"Wonderful," Hermione muttered sarcastically. She knew the news of Ginny staying with them had rippled thorough the Weasley family; they all knew of her annulment and offered her words of encouragement, but Hermione doubted they had been as lucky with the news that Draco Malfoy was staying with them.
The story of the Malfoy family disappearing had been big news. Splashed about the Daily Prophet, or so she'd been told, but the news that he was the lone survivor of the kidnapping and torture had been miraculously kept under wraps. The day after he and Harry went to the Ministry, there was a small blurb about Draco returning, but it gave no details, and unless you were looking for it you wouldn't have noticed the article. Hermione had been looking for it, it was why she'd picked up a copy of the paper that day; she wanted to know what had been said, if she should be expecting the Weasley's to come pounding down her door. But seeing it in print she knew that none of them would notice at all. At the time she'd been relieved, but now she wished they had seen it and they'd gotten the explanations out of the way before Lily and James' birthday party.
"What?" Harry questioned putting some potatoes on his plate before offering them to Hermione.
She accept his offer, letting him put them on her plate for her as she explained, "Draco isn't here."
"Good," Harry muttered back, swapping the potatoes for the plate of chicken Fred had.
"Not really," Hermione asserted, "he's planning to come, which means he will probably get here in the middle of lunch and you know how the boys will react to that."
Harry nodded thoughtfully, "they won't like it," he agreed, looking at the Weasley brothers in turn. "Maybe Ron's already told them, so they know what's coming."
Hermione looked doubtful; waving off the chicken he was now offering her, "If Ron had told them," she reasoned, "They would have showed up here before now to give him that friendly little talk of theirs."
"Right," Harry consented, he looked thoughtfully around the table for another minute then apparently deciding on a course of action, said in his normal voice, "I wonder where Draco has got to. He said he was coming to lunch didn't he?" His words were met by silence from the Weasley brothers', just as he had expected them to be.
Though he hadn't asked her specifically it was Ginny who answered, "Yes, he was just going to change Melena then he said he'd be right down." The brothers' attention shifted from Harry to Ginny, all of them except Ron that is, who stayed staring at Harry. The best mates exchanged a look, one that pleaded Ron to play along.
Reluctantly, Ron put down his fork, swallowed the food he was eating, and said, "Been helping you a lot then, has he?"
Ginny smiled, missing the look that had passed between Harry and Ron, and the bitter tone in her brother's voice, "Yes, actually, he's been a great help."
"How long has Malfoy been here?" Bill asked, his voice sounding tight with anger though he was trying to appear casual.
"Since Christmas," Lily answered, taking everyone at the table by surprise, "he was hurt badly; he couldn't even walk right so Dad had to help him."
"He was hurt?" Bill asked, turning his attention back to Harry, "By who? Why?"
"People who wanted information," James said smugly, cutting off his sister before she could answer. Lily rolled her eyes at her brother, turning back to her food; she, James, and the other children oblivious to the sudden tension in the room.
"People? What sort of people?" Percy asked, he too turning his attention back to Harry.
"The hooded and masked sort of people," Harry answered in an undertone, giving the people watching him a significant look, hoping that none of the Weasley's would be dumb enough to say the words Death Eater aloud.
"Dad wouldn't tell us that," Lily said casually, having missed Harry's answer, her attention on her green beans, "probably someone dangerous though."
"Very dangerous," Draco agreed from the doorway, "but that is a happy little story for another time," he said sarcastically, making his way to the seat Ginny had saved him. As he sat he managed to catch Harry's eye and mouthed a thank you.
"What I want to know," Fred started, but his mother cut him off.
"Who's heard the good news?" She asked in an overloud and overly happy tone. Everyone at the table looked at her curiously, including the people who already knew the news; Harry hoping the news of the latest Weasley birth would get the brothers out of their collective murderous mood. Molly obviously had the same idea, smiling at all of them before making her announcement.
Little Arthur chimed in when Billy asked the name of his new niece, "Viana Margarete," announcing it in a very proud sounding squeak. Molly laughed lovingly as she corrected him, commenting that the little boy seemed to enjoy adding vowels to things.
The announcement immediately had the effect Harry had been hoping for. Concerns about Draco were pushed aside as the lunch discussion turned to family and babies, as it usually did. Lauren and Fleur very happily updated the family on how they were doing. Fleur admitted that keeping up with two small boys was no easy task, especially now that she was so far along. Lauren said that it was the best time of her life, though she lamented the fact that her Healer thought she would soon need to go on bed rest.
This started a conversation between Lauren, Luna, and Hermione, about charms that would allow Lauren to move around and not affect the babies. Both Luna and Hermione admitted they dreaded the idea of staying off their feet for so long, having both been put on bed rest in their last trimester, so they had researched ways around it. Hermione let herself fall out of the discussion after a while, it had been so long since she used the charms that she remembered only parts of most of them and had forgotten several all together.
"That's how I could still come to family dinners," Luna was saying as Hermione turned her attention away, "Ron would make me stay in bed all week, but by Friday I had to get out. That was our compromise. I'd give him the rest of the week if he gave me Friday nights." Hermione smiled, remembering the Friday night Luna's water had broken at a family dinner. The charms were tricky; they allowed you to move around without any negative effects to the baby or babies you were carrying, but they didn't stop you from going into labor if your babies decided it was time.
Next to her Harry, Fred, Bill, George, and Ron were discussing the seemingly inexhaustible topic of Quidditch. By the sound of it Ron had told his brothers he's left the team and they were discussing the Chudley Cannons chancing of winning the league without him. Being the supportive lot they are they seemed to have reached the consensus that the Cannons didn't stand a chance without their star Keeper. Ron, for his part, was smiling as he insisted they were wrong; clearly torn between their flattery and his desire for his team to win.
Hermione was just about to ask how everyone was doing when James announced that he was finished. Hermione laughed quietly at her son's impatient nature as she said to the table at large, "I think James is trying to tell us something. But if everyone is finished we can continue the party in the front room." There was a general noise of assent, followed by the scrambling noises and jumbled voices of twenty-one people trying to leave a room at the same time.
Harry and Draco had done a wonderful job setting up the front room. There was seating for everyone, including chairs that had been added; all centered around two tables, one for either twin, that were piled with gifts. In the corner behind the seating, with a path to get there, was a silver web, hanging from the ceiling, surrounding a collection of three cribs that were holding five sleeping babies; the triplets in one, Melena and Olivia in the other two. The silver web, a pure casting of magic, was designed to keep noise out; that way the babies would be able to nap without being woken.
Despite James' anxiousness to get to this part of the party, he and his sister were very gracious and humble as they unwrapped their gifts, happily going in turn. It turned out that the gifts from George and Lauren were a telescope, the kind he would need next year when he started Hogwarts, and book on star mapping for James and the promised Pygmy Puff for Lily as well as fine leather journal. "Guaranteed not to open the Chamber of Secrets," George smugly whispered to Hermione as Lauren fielded the twins' enthusiastic thanks.
"You did very well," Hermione admitted, with a consenting nod.
"That must have hurt," George teased, "admitting someone else was right." She gave him a very cold stare which he laughed off, turning to see Lily and James both receive new Quidditch gear, from Draco. They hadn't been able to play very often, possibly a handful of times since they moved to London; the weather hadn't been at all permitting. But they had quickly out grown the pads Harry bought for them. Draco had had them personalized for the twins. Lily's gloves had a purple and silver lily emblazoned on the back of the hand, while James' held his initials, in golden letters, within a navy blue circle. Harry had helped Draco pick out those details.
Due to the number of gifts, and the twin's fervent need for the gift givers to understand how appreciative they were, it took nearly two hour for them to open everything. Though Harry, who'd been to every birthday party the Weasley grandchildren had ever had, assured Hermione that things taking this long was not at all unusual. It amazed Hermione, as she watched James and Lily take stock of everything they'd received, how well the Weasley's had come to know her children.
Lily had received books from most people, all of which she wanted, along with a few more personal items. Charlie and Miranda had included a bookmark, fashioned out of a single gleaming deep blue dragon's scale, with the bestiary they'd given her. Penelope had added a simple silver bracelet, which would magically extend as Lily needed, with the four books Percy had purchased; clearly try to encourage a feminine side as well as an intelligent side. Fleur gave Lily a hairbrush made of pearl that Fleur insisted would do something with Lily's wildly curly hair, while Billy gave her a phoenix feather quill and a bottle of scarlet ink to go with the journal he knew George and Lauren were giving. Fred and Angelina gave Lily a thick velvet cloak and gloves that Angelina said were at the height of fashion.
James' gifts were mostly sporty, other then the gear he got from Draco, Fred and Angelina and Bill and Fleur provided him with new Gobstones to replenish his, which had been largely lost to his sister or destroyed in a particularly spectacular defeat. Charlie and Miranda gave James a mock-up Quidditch arena with two miniature teams set to play each other at a moments notice. Percy gave James books, just as he'd given Lily, but Penelope convinced her husband to at least give the boy books he might like so James received four books about Quidditch.
Molly gave both the twin's sweaters, to the twins delight and no one's surprise. Arthur's name was scribbled on the card for the sweaters but he also gave both twins a galleon, in a very grandfatherly fashion, insisting he didn't know what kids their age liked. Ron and Luna gave the twins tickets to go see the first Quidditch match of the season, Puddlemere United against the Chudley Cannons, along with a ticket he slipped Harry so the twins wouldn't go unsupervised. Ginny who hadn't had time to go out since Melena's birth offered to take them to Diagon Alley and buy them whatever one item they wanted, with in reason of course.
Harry, who Hermione had let manage the gifts for the twins, gave Lily and James a set of identical handheld mirrors. Harry explained to the twins that they were Two-Way mirrors, allowing the twins to communicate with each other even if they weren't in the same room. Hermione thought it was an interesting choice, but she could tell by the excited look on their faces, that Lily and James loved them.
After the presents came the cake, which everyone agreed was the best cake they'd ever had. Molly, Lauren, and Penelope all asked Hermione for the recipe, making Hermione gush, it being a recipe of her own creation. She offered it up happily.
Soon after the cake was consumed the kids began to itch to be away from their parents. With James' model pitch in hand they excused themselves up to his bedroom to play a match or two. With the children out of the room it didn't take long for the conversation to get back around to Draco.
There was a comfortable silence in the room, as Hermione gathered up the cake plates and parents checked on their babies. But a few words from Bill changed all that. As Angelina brought Olivia out to wiggle on her knee and the triplets were taken away to be changed, Bill cleared his throat importantly and said, "The kids are gone, explain why you're here."
No one needed to look at Bill to know who he was speaking to. Sighing, Hermione put the gathered plates down on the table in front of her and turned to find a standoff of sorts taking place behind her. Draco was sitting, looking calmly across the room to Bill, while the Weasley's all looked at him, though they didn't seem so calm.
"You don't have to explain anything to them," Ginny whispered fervently, but he brushed her off.
"I'm here," he began, "because Death Eaters kidnapped my family; Death Eaters who tortured and killed my wife and my daughter. When I managed to escape from them I came here because I thought Harry would help me." The reactions from the Weasley's were mixed; most of the women gasped or simply wore shocked expressions, to terrified to make a noise, while the men shifted uneasily in their seats. They had probably expected some half-assed excuse, but not this.
"And I let him stay," Harry said from over by the door where he'd been hovering silently, "Because he was my friend once and you don't turn your back on that."
"What about everything he did?" Fred interjected, looking from Harry to Ginny.
"That's between us. I never asked you lot to hate him because of what happened," Ginny insisted, looping her arm though his, "and now I can forgive him."
"But Ginny," Percy started condescendingly, "don't you remember how he hurt you last time?"
Ginny glared at him, "Of course I do. I'm not five Percy, you don't have to talk down to me. I remember every pain, but I remember all the good too. So if Draco and I want to get back together we will and you lot will just have to deal with it."
"You're seeing each other again?" George questioned, "When did that happen?"
"Well we're sharing a room," Ginny told her brother defiantly, straightening up next to Draco and pulling him closer to her, "what would you call that? I know you're all just concerned for me, but I'm not going to keep justifying this to you. Draco makes me happy, and after everything I've been through, that should be enough for you."
"It is," Bill admitted ruefully, and the others nodded in reluctant agreement.
The party was very subdued after that. Though the brothers had agreed that Ginny's happiness came first they continued to periodically glare at Draco. Bill chocked violently on his tea when Ginny got up to fetch Melena and Draco's hand momentarily lingered on the small of her back. The tension in the front room got to be so much, that Hermione gave a silent sigh of relief when Ron and Luna announced they needed to get there boys home.
Once Ron and Luna had left it took only twenty minutes for the other guests to leave in a steady trickle. Molly, Arthur, and little Arthur left last. Molly offered to send her husband and grandson along ahead and stay to help clean up, but Hermione turned her down. "It will get better," Molly insisted, as she got ready to leave, "the boys will get used it."
"Yes," Hermione agreed, "I just wish it hadn't happened on the twin's birthday. But at least they kept their tongues at dinner." Molly nodded in agreement, giving Hermione a hug before turning to hug Harry.
When Molly and the two Arthurs were gone, Harry and the twins went about moving the presents upstairs, while Hermione started gathering up the dishes. On her second trip she passed Ginny and Draco kissing lightly at the bottom of the staircase that led up to the higher floors. Hermione rolled her eyes before she could stop herself, she knew she should be happy for the two of them, but she couldn't shake her concerns, no matter how hard she tried.
"Here Hermione," Ginny said, pulling back from Draco, "let me help you."
"Oh that's all right, Harry's coming back down to help me," Hermione said dismissively. She didn't think she'd be able to keep herself quiet, not after seeing the two of them kiss.
"Well I'll help until he can," Ginny insisted, going into the dinning room to gather up some dishes. "Draco can manage the baby for ten minutes."
"I'm sure he can," Hermione agreed politely, hoping her smile didn't look to fake. Between the two of them, it took them barley five minutes to get the numerous dishes and serving platters down to the kitchen. They piled them on the sideboard and Hermione set them to washing themselves with a flick of her wand.
One by one the plates dunked themselves into the soapy water in the sink, brought themselves back up, and were scrubbed clean by a brush that hung in the air waiting for them. From there they dived into the second sink, which was filled with clean water, and came out of the water to be dried by a towel before flying away to their cupboard. It was a spell Hermione had created herself, inspired by a scene in a cartoon movie that Lily and James had love when they were younger. She didn't use it often, when it had just been she and the twins there hadn't been a need, but with this many dishes it was just easier.
"We should sit," Hermione said to Ginny, ducking as a plate passed close to her head.
"Yes," Ginny said, sitting down quickly as a batch of flatware soared across the room. "It's not safe any other way."
"Ginny," Hermione started seriously, "I want to walk to you about something." Even as she formed the words Hermione knew Ginny wouldn't take it well, that she should hold her tongue, but she had to say something.
"Oh, not you as well," Ginny sighed, dropping her head exhaustedly to the table. "My story isn't going to change just because you're you."
"I don't want to lecture you Ginny."
"Then don't."
"I just want to talk to you about it," Hermione promised. Ginny looked up at her doubtfully, "I'm just concerned."
"Everyone's concerned," Ginny said, sitting up a bit so she could look at Hermione properly.
"I know," Hermione admitted, "It's just, both of you have just been through things that are so traumatic. It seems like you're holding on to him and him to you, because of it."
Ginny smiled, "Of course that's what it is," she acknowledged without hesitation, "I know that, he knows it. But, Hermione, he makes me feel safe. Which I know," Ginny continued holding up her hand to stop Hermione from interrupting, "is crazy, because of all the people around me he's the only one who's ever really hurt me, but that's just how I feel.
"Maybe it's because he never hurt me physically, or I expect the pain to be mental coming from him, if it comes, if that makes sense. But he's the only man who doesn't terrify me. I can't even go near my own father, because he's a man and a part of me remembers Daniel and I just want to run away."
"Oh Ginny," Hermione gasped, "I had no idea."
"No one does, except Draco, he noticed the way I was acting," she explained, her voice gaining a certain adoring quality as she spoke of Draco, "he notices everything about me."
"And your happy," Hermione said, giving in to the fact that Ginny had made up her mind.
"I'm happy," Ginny recited, nodding, "he's wonderful with Melena, it's like he can see the world and all its possibilities wrapped up in my little girl. It's amazing to watch him with her."
"He seems very dedicated."
"He is," Ginny said proudly, "so when are you and Harry going to have another baby?"
Hermione's cheeks reddened; she'd just been thinking about the same thing herself, "I don't know, we've only really been together three months."
"But you want another one," Ginny said, it wasn't a question.
"Yes," Hermione said shyly, not sure why this conversation was turning her into a blushing twelve year old. "Though I think I've wanted another since James and Lily were old enough to walk."
Ginny laughed, carefully getting up from the table, mindful of the dishes still flying around the kitchen. "I'm sure Harry could help you with that."
Hermione smirked, "He could, sure he'd be willing to too."
"Who'd be willing to what?" Harry asked stepping through the door Ginny was holding opening. Hermione and Ginny looked quickly at each other before bursting into laughter. "I'll rephrase that, what would I be willing to do?"
"I'll let Hermione answer that," Ginny said, laughing as she stepped around Harry, "I should get back to Draco anyway."
"I don't think she'll be telling me," Harry called after the redhead. "Will you?" He questioned, turning back to Hermione.
She shook her head, "It's not important anyway," she promised.
"I thought you needed my help," Harry said looking around the kitchen, though it didn't sound like a complaint.
"I managed," Hermione said with a shrug, "but I wouldn't mind the company."
"Very impressive," Harry praised, motioning to the plates as he stepped around the table to join her, sitting next to her, facing the opposite direction, "a spell of your own making?"
"Yes, I think I've used it twice before, never on this much though."
"So the twins seemed to enjoy their party."
"That's good," Hermione said, "it's the last one I'm going to give them." Harry laughed, leaning against her momentarily. It had been a bit of an overwhelming day. It was only a little after four in the afternoon, but it felt like it should be nine or ten. "They did love it though."
"Got a good bit of stuff too," Harry commented, "It took at least three trips for the three of us to move it all upstairs."
"That gift you gave them was brilliant, by the way," she told him, turning to look at him.
He shrugged, as if it was no big thing, "I just thought they'd like something like that. They'll be in separate dorms at Hogwarts, and I figured if they needed each other it would be an easy way for them to keep in contact."
"Brilliant," she repeated. She had worried about Lily and James going to Hogwarts and having to be separated, but this way, even if they were sorted into different houses, they would be able to stay close. Harry smiled at her, turning his attention back to the dishes. He watched them for a few minutes, dunking into the water and coming back out again. Hermione turned around on the bench, so they were facing the same direction, and reached out to take his hand.
He smiled again, as her fingers tangled with his. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb and looked to her, his expression full of determination, as if he'd decided something very important. "You know," he started, "we could keep doing this forever."
"What?" Hermione asked, oblivious to the serious tone he was using, "The dishes? I know there are a lot of them, but it's almost done."
"No," Harry said, "not this," he motioned to the plates around them, "this," he motioned between them.
Hermione gave a small laugh of disbelief; he couldn't mean what it sounded like he meant, "What do you mean?" In answer to her question Harry slid forward off the bench, propping himself up on one knee. "Harry you're not," she started to say, but her mouth went dry when she saw the small box suddenly in his free hand.
"I am `Mione," he told her. "I love you; I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You've given me a family, everything I could have wanted. Now all I need is you."
"You have me Harry," she said, feeling her legs go soft as she too slid off the bench, kneeling in front of Harry, "You always will."
"Marry me?" He asked, his eyes misting over with tears.
"Yes," she answered in an enthusiastic whisper, throwing her arms around his neck. "Yes, yes, yes,
yes, yes," she repeated happily, happy tears rolling down her cheeks. Harry wrapped his arms around her waist,
kissing her tenderly. "I love Harry," she assured him, pulling back so she could look him in the eye; "I
love you."
"I love you too `Mione," he promised her, "I always will."
AN: There it is, another chapter down, not many left. Can you believe it's been so long since I touched this story I actually forgot Ginny and Draco were living there? That is not a good sign. I won't make promises, I seem to have a knack for not keeping them, but I will work harder on this. I will however, respond to all the reviews posted in the last year, might take a while, but I will answer all of you. Not tonight though, almost 4:30am, must get to sleep soon.
Oh and as just a side note, I respect you guys, as shippers, I hope you guys can respect me as a non-shipper and not bash Deathly Hallows too heavily in your reviews.
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Everything You Ever Wanted
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